45 And Still Alive

What a great 4th of July. We rode that morning and I ended up shattering 2 goals I had for the summer. We started out to ride a 22 mile loop that somehow turned into a 30 miler. When we got back to our starting point two other guys, we'll call them "Doug and Rick" and myself decided to put in 10 more. By the time I rode home I had put in 45 miles. Which is a full 20 more than my furthes distance.

Ask me if I pushed mowed the yard when I got home. . . YES I DID.

We have been hit hard with rain this week but I feel like my cycling goals are coming right along.

The Nutty Farm

This wood shack is on a real neat tree farm I ride by. I thought it was clever

Morning Rides

I have decided that morning rides are the way to go. The last two mornings I have rode with some friends and it has been awesome. The air is not so thick and of course it is cooler. Considering the heat index has been in the 100's it has been quite nice around 6 and 7 in the a.m.

I had a great one this morning. I turned it on a few times and didn't wear out nearly as much as ususal. I think it is time to up the mileage a bit. So far 25 is the most I do in one ride.

I have decided that my goal is to reach certain levels. Right now I consider myself a begining recreational rider.

By the end of the summer I would like to see that become intermediate. Then next year my goal is to be a serious recreational rider and by the end of the summer be able to keep up with some seasoned lesser weight riders.

Speaking of lesser weight. The weight is now 244. Thats 20 pounds off. My body frame looks best at about 210 and I would love to see that again.

One Valuable Lesson

I really shouldn't admit this but I think it highlights the fact that I am a begining rider and it should be a lesson to anyone who is just starting out.

Two weeks ago I went to Wood-n-Wave to have a spoke replaced. Wood-n-Wave is located in Grand Rivers which is a small community in Land Between the Lakes. When my bike was done I decided to try one of the rides that Steve has mapped out in the area. All I was going to do was the 16 mile route because I had to get back to Murray and that is a 35 minute trip.

Mistake #1: That morning I ate my South Beach special of a 2 egg omlette with ham and cheese. This is all I generally eat in the mornings. I went to the bike shop around lunch time and did not eat anything at all before I left to ride.

Mistake #2: Because I was in a hurry to get a ride in, I left without realizing I did not fill my water bottles. The tempature that day was in the 90s and humid.

Mistake #3: I was unfamilar with the area.

I get 8 miles into the ride and I see the markings to turn and I look at the map and the road name looks the same. I turn right and I start hitting these hills. And I don't mean the inclines I whine about in Murray that really aren't inclined very much. So I am going up and down and up and down. It is killing me. . .I'm thinking, I have no water and I have no energy. Then the big kick in the head comes. I hit a gravel road. Evidently I had made the wrong turn.

So I turn around and head back and then decide to go back the way I came. Now I am at about mile 13 and I am peddling like 6 mph. I am completely bonked out. I stopped at this house and filled my water bottles out of their hose. This is a friendly area of the country so I assumed if they had been home they would let me have some water.

In the end, I limped back to the bike shop and quietly load my bike and get out without telling anyone of my stupidity. I just kept thinking to myself that I was going to be one of those stories about the idiot who goes out unprepared and has a heart attack or something.

Needless to say I have been well hydrated and carbed up on my last 3 rides.