I really cannot believe I biked 73 miles this morning! When I saw the Garmin roll over into the 70’s, I nearly had a heart attack. Just goes to show that you can go anywhere with a little bit of training. 🙂
Last night, I remembered an old post in which we talked about exercising to audiobooks. I don’t listen to music while cycling (it’s REALLY unsafe to ride with both earbuds in – don’t do it!), but I realized that listening to an audiobook with one earbud in (the right side) was fine. I could hear the traffic coming as I normally do (in fact, I couldn’t even hear the book when a car went by); it was just like talking to a friend during a ride!
Audiobooks are really expensive, so I decided to go with a $5 classic:
Oh, Mr. Carraway. I love you.
The ride would’ve been UNBEARABLE without the audiobook. I decided to ride on my normal airport loop (which is 12 miles long) because I was concerned about safety issues if I went to a secluded trail. The book helped the ride fly by!
I broke into my first snack around Mile 25.
I packed an English muffin with a lot of almond butter. I also brought two water bottles. I’m not sure WHAT I was thinking when I packed my food + drink, as it was clearly not enough!
Around Mile 45, I headed back to my house to refuel and get more water. I grabbed a Gu Chomps (180 calories) and a Gu Brew (an electrolyte drink – 140 calories). The GU Brew was mixed between two water bottles so the taste was a little diluted; but I liked it.
This is when I started to feel a little bit crazy. 45 miles is a long time, and my knees and butt were starting to feel the distance. I couldn’t believe I had 30 miles to go!
I pulled over and took a long stretch break around Mile 51 (and I twittered!):
Unfortunately, my audiobook ended around 4:40, so I was stuck in silence for the last hour. I watched the miles slowly tick by on my Garmin, and just when I couldn’t think I could ride any longer, I made the final turn to go back to the house (9 miles left!).
I think it’s funny how I always REALLY start to hurt when I know the end is near. Whether it’s a training ride or run or an actual race, my body starts to rebel BADLY when I “know†that it’s almost time to stop. My legs started to SCREAM at Mile 70. There was a strong headwind (of course!), too. I just tried to think about rising above the pain in my legs – not injury pain – and carry on. It was hard!
Final stats:
- Distance: 73.0 miles
- Duration: 5:37
Guess what? I have to do this all over again – twice- and longer before the race! Eck! But I learned some important lessons (and that’s what training rides are about):
- Pack more food!
- Pack cash so I can stop in a gas station for cold water instead of coming home.
- Reapply sunscreen!
I have a not-so-nice face burn. Apparently, I sweated off the SPF 50 I applied before I left. I need to buy a travel size sunscreen that fits in my jersey.
Post-ride fuel (and BOY did I need it… I burned around 2,500-3,000 calories on that ride!): 2 eggs, 2 pieces of faux sausage, a bagel, and an orange:
Chobani Pineapple and 3/4 cup Grape Nuts + 1/4 cup oatmeal:
Chocolate:
An Amy’s Samosa wrap (which is great, by the way!) with broccoli, salsa, and chips:
I might snack again before bed (chocolate anyone?!), but right now I’m full. I’m sure the refueling will continue into tomorrow as well.
Do you workout to audiobooks? Got any recommendations for me for my next long ride?
That is a seriously impressive amount of miles! Way to go!!!