Tough Saturday

I had the bright idea to join the Maramarc and TriGirl IronMan training group on Saturday for a long ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I had read Bicycling Magazine's article on what a great ride it is. And it absolutely is... for someone with more skill and better mental preparation than me. For me, it was pretty damn hard. Thank goodness my friend Richard agreed to go too:

I struggled from the beginning. Most of the first few miles was a long hill - might as well know what to expect early! I was having problems with my front chain ring (still) even though - or perhaps because - I had taken my bike back in for service on Friday. It kind of panicked me, so that in conjunction with the hill, I was very out of breathe. I sounded like a freight train climbing the hill, which made me think of the Little Engine that Could. I was passed by a few people (not unexpectedly) and Richard was way ahead. But - downhill was a blast! I caught up with Richard around mile 7 or 8 and we rode the rest of the first 14 mile leg together. We met up with some of our group and took a break. The peanut butter and honey Uncrustable I had brought along tasted fabulous! This was my first ride planned to be long enough that nutrition became an important factor. I will definitely use those again.

Amazingly, while the first leg felt about equal on uphills and downhills, the return trip felt at least 90% uphill. Miles 15 - 22 were almost all uphill with a small downhill break and a little flat. At one point, I seriously could have gotten off my bike, sat in the grass on the side of the road, and cried. Alas, I had to return to my car somehow and walking my bike in cycling shoes didn't strike me as a good option. Somehow, I just kept grinding it out. The Blue Ridge is a nice windy road, so I was able to play mental tricks on myself and pretend that there was a downhill around the next bend. Far more often than not, there was just more uphill climbing. The climbs aren't steep - I'm not sure about the grades we were on but Bicycling Magazine said the steepest grade is 8% - but they are long. I felt very sorry for Richard, who lost his granny gear early in the ride. This was not a day to be without granny!

Throughout the second leg, I kept negotiating with myself about how far I would ride. Originally, we planned to go 50 but at that point, I knew I didn't have it in me mentally or physically. I thought maybe 40, then maybe 35. Then I decided that I had to at least break 30 to make the two hour drive marginally worthwhile. We got back to my car at 28 miles and refueled. I rewarded myself with another yummy uncrustable.

Here are TriGirls Kate, me, Susie Q, Susie's beautiful new bike, Anna, Cyndi, Lynn, and Carmen at this point - half way for them. Don't they look strong and gorgeous? (I know I don't - I was holding on to Kate and Susie so I wouldn't collapse!) I'm so impressed with them. After doing this ride, they are going to be ready to dominate the rides at Eagleman and Ironman Florida.

After snapping these photos, Richard and I headed back out, going the other way on the Blue Ridge. Our plan was to ride one mile, turn around and ride back to hit the 30 mile mark. Although Richard's stipulation was that we couldn't turn around at the bottom of a hill - good thinking. We started on a small hill just to remind us how miserable the Blue Ridge could be, but the beginning wasn't so bad. We got a little over 1.5 miles out, saw a downhill followed by an uphill to a turn, and decided we'd had enough. Our total ride was 31.45 miles. Good enough. And officially the longest I've ever ridden.

Of course, once I got home and showered, I second-guessed my decision to stop. Could I have made it further? Maybe; maybe not. I don't think I was at my absolute limit, but I also wasn't willing to find it. Having done that ride once, I don't feel compelled to try it again anytime soon. But I'm glad I did it this time.

My house was unusually quiet when I arrived home and I was very tempted to take a nap! I'd gotten up at 5:15 a.m. to meet the cycling crew. But, alas, I was expected at Pocahontas State Park to meet my family and my son's Cub Scout den. My idea of roughing it is a hotel with no spa! Don't I look happy tent side?

The last time I camped was a good 10 years ago. We drove to Hico, WV, to go white water rafting on the Gauley River and ended up camping in a downpour. Temperatures in Richmond that day were perfect; in WV that night they dropped into the upper 30s. I've never been a fan of camping, and somehow, I've never wanted to go camping since.

I really enjoy the being one with nature aspect of camping, the associated activities like hiking, and the fun of cooking over an open fire, roasting marshmallows, and telling campfire stories. I just don't particularly enjoy sleeping on the ground and hiking two miles to the nearest marginally functional bathroom. Scouter, knowing my aversion to camping, bought me an air mattress to make the situation slightly more tolerable. It did help, but there was nothing he could do for me in the middle of the night when I had to make the long walk to the bathroom with a flashlight.

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My son's Cub Scout den is a nice group of people who we don't know very well. We enjoyed spending some time with them and getting to know everyone a little better. One highlight was this morning's informal worship service where one of the Dads pulled out his guitar and played some contemporary hymns. The beauty of the setting combined with the events of this past week really moved me.

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The weekend caught up with me this afternoon and I felt really run down and awful, so I didn't make it to swimming.

Quick recap of the past week since I haven't blogged about athletic endeavors at all:

Sun - rest
Mon - weights
Tues - ran 5 mi (10:07/mi) with the Bean; spin class
Wed - swam 1600
Thurs - ran 5 mi (8:44/mi)
Fri - weights
Sat - cycled 31.45 mi

I usually blame my Sunday night lethargy on too much wine throughout the weekend. Tonight, it is just hard work. I'm off to bed.

G'night John Boy.

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Update: Ride stats according to my bike computer - 31.45 miles, 13.0 mph average speed, 37.9 mph fastest (whee!)

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I received the following from Richard this morning:

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Total climbing was about 3000 feet. That 7 mile climb was actually part of a longer 10 mile climb that had a couple of descents. The total climb over the 10 miles was about 2000 feet. Bicycling Magazine lied. The steepest part of any climb was 16%, and there was another about 11%.

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Glad I didn't know that before!