Another Long Bike

Yesterday ended up being a great day for me. Once again, I was able to get out on the IMLOU course and knock out 76 miles. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t wake up dreading my bike ride, and didn’t have one of those “cop out,” thoughts that usually happens at 5:00 a.m.

A group of us met out at Zorn and River Road to start, and knowing what to expect after last week’s ride, I was feeling a lot more confident mentally, as well as physically. I also had the forethought to keep track of the mileage between each turn so that I would always know just how far I still had to go on the course – these numbers give me a sense of relief long after my mind and body have wigged out on me.

Going down River Road I counted 7 mile to Hwy 42. Up Hwy 42 to 1694 is another 7 miles. 1694 is what it is, so I didn’t count the mileage, I just knew what to expect regarding the hills so, once again, I did the best I could, which always seems to be significantly slower than everyone else. The group waited up for me as I emerged from 1694 and hooked a right back onto 42. Of course, it wasn’t long before I got passed again as we made the three mile trek to 393.

393 was still fresh in my mind from last week, and since the hills were what I remember the most I decided to count those rather than mileage. Seven! There are seven hills on this stretch of road and I came to figure out what it was that bothered me so much about this – there isn’t a lot of time to recover between hills. Unlike 42 which truly is a rolling stretch of road, 393 is significantly more “up and down” with very little flat area.

I made my way to the gas station at the corner and was met by the group who had already had a few moments to rest and refuel. I had very little time to do more than swallow down a GU before we headed off again. This time, going 8 miles before turning onto Ballard School Road. Again, I remember this being a hilly road, although nothing compared to 1694 or 393. I counted hills (3) and mileage (2) so that I would know what to expect the next time around.

Taking the next right meant just a quick 4 miles before I saw Jeff up ahead waiting at the next turn (right). We conversed a bit down this stretch before he assured I was okay to ride alone while he trudged on to meet the rest of the group at our next rendezvous spot. I asked him how far up ahead everyone else was, and was told about 3-4 minutes. Not bad, I thought. I’m not as far behind as I thought I was.

For whatever reason I didn’t take note of the mileage on this road, or the next. I think I was just concentrating on getting to the next rest stop and being able to rest my poor bum. Luckily, I had taken heed of some advice I had received earlier in the week and simultaneously switched to a biking bib while slathering on a substantial amount of Hoo Ha Ride Glide in order to minimize the chafing issues I had been having. Note to Self: These two small changes were an excellent idea.

As I met up with everyone at the next stop, Jeff handed me a 12 oz. Coke to split with him. I was concerned that the carbonation may make me a bit bloated, as I am super sensitive about risking any GI issues. He and another gal (who just happened to be in town from S. Carolina to ride the course, Jan) assured me it wouldn’t and that, instead, would give me a jolt of energy to keep me going. I’m not sure how much it helped, but it certainly didn’t hurt, and with no GI issues to speak of afterwards I’ll have to keep this refreshment in mind for future rides.

As I looked down at the Garmin we were 48 miles into the ride so far. Jeanette asked me how I was feeling and I told her that my legs had “been talking to me,” lately, but overall I felt good. This was her first go-round on the IM course and she shared that she was feeling better than expected as well. After looking at the map on the Garmin upload from last week’s ride, I had concluded that 393 was approximately halfway between where River Road ends and where we re-enter 42 after the loop. This meant that we had approximately 10 miles to 393 followed by an additional 10 to River Road and then 7 miles to Zorn. I knew that if I broke it up that way I’d be in a much better place, mentally, to handle the longest ride of my life so far.

Off we went, once again, and I was bringing up the rear before too long. I heard someone behind me giving signals such as “car back,” and “stopping,” and was surprised that this person hadn’t yet passed me like the rest of the pack. At one point I actually wondered if the group had had a discussion at the gas station about someone staying back with me to make sure I survived from here on out. I had even yelled back at one point, “Are you supposed to make sure I don’t die out here?” The reply: “No, I’m just having fun.” Before long my new bike-mate and I were exchanging pleasantries as well as identities and it turns out that my new friend bears the name of someone I’ve seen on Facebook the past six months – John Bryant. Luckily John is another “slow and steady finishes the race,” kinda guy, so it’s nice to have another person to bike with should I need the company on these long rides (and trust me, I will!)

As the miles clicked by I noticed my shoulders and neck were bothering me more than usual. I had even stopped turning my head to call back to John since I kept feeling a little pull on my left side. I began sitting up on the bike more, steering with my hands on the elbow pads of my aero bars just to get a little bit of a stretch. Later, Jeff and John would both tell me that I probably need to have my aero bars lifted since the bending down that I’m doing is probably too aggressive of an angle. Regardless, the discomfort made for a long 7 miles back to the car once we reached River Road.

Before long John and I were pulling up to the motel on Zorn and I dismounted my bike to get a good stretch. For some reason it takes me a good 5 minutes to get my wits about me after a long bike ride. It’s like I’m fuzzy-headed or something, and can’t think straight for a while. Jeff walked up from the short run he just completed after he got off his own bike, and we all talked for a bit – including my complaints that my booty continues to hurt on these long rides. Once again, apparently I need another adjustment on the bike – a new saddle. I was under the impression that a sore booty just came with the territory, but apparently the amount of hurting that my booty is feeling isn’t “normal.” So… that’ll be another call to the bike shop I’ll be making this coming week, just a few days after my last adjustment to the seat height to help with my knee pain (it helped a lot, by the way).

My 30 minute walk/run was nothing to write home about. I had hit the potty before heading out so as not to run into any fecal emergencies like I had on my last post-bike walk/run. My plan was to do a 5 minute warm up walk and then a 3:1 interval. Well…. As I started to attempt that first run my body wasn’t having it. I was pooped (figuratively this time). My body felt like lead and I could muster little more than a quick shuffle. Still, I got it done and it gives me something to continue to work on over the next 3.5 months.

I will say something real quick here about my workout today: a 2.5 hour run. I woke up this morning thinking there was no way I could get this done without walking the entire thing. My body ached, I was fatigued, and this was all after a good 10 hours of sleep last night. Still… I knew that no matter how I got it done I had to do it. So imagine my surprise when after 2 miles I was feeling fairly decent and moving along at a pretty good clip. I did a 5 minute warm up followed by 3:1 intervals throughout most of the run. I did have to stop for a potty break at about 1 hour and again at 2 hours in, but luckily I didn’t really feel a lot of fatigue until probably that 2 hour mark. It was a beautiful day to run, even considering I got a later start, and I am glad to say that I am feeling more and more confident in what my body can do if I just remove a lot of that doubt from my brain.

Final bike stats: 75.72 miles in 5:07:51 at 14.8 mph average (.4 mph faster than last week).
Final run stats: 12.15 miles in 2:27:18 at 12:08 minute/mile average

Closing thoughts – 1) Confidence is definitely building and I think doing two loops of the IMLOU course needs to be on my agenda. 2) Started Physical Therapy this past week and hoping it can help with some minor issues I’ve been having. Apparently my hips are weak. 3) Gonna start doing some hill work to improve my bike speed – getting great feedback from some folks who are already doing this. 4) Calling the bike shop tomorrow about the aero bars and saddle issues. 5) I CAN do this. I think. 