July Century #2 and the Donut

BIKE: 106 miles in 6hr 5 mins
RUN: 4.2 miles in 40 mins

The plan today was to ride up from OFallon to the TdD, ride the TdD, then ride home. There was plenty of stopping before and after the TdD,so the ride was broken into 3 distinct segments. The ride up was casual and fun--maybe 17-18mph ave on great rural roads. I met yet another IMWI2010 person! He had great advice, I need to start writing this stuff down. He said 2 things to remember:
1. All those spectators want to be you. They are inspired by you and want to do what you are doing.
2. While swimming, forget about the bike. You're not on the bike, you're swimming. Focus on just the water ahead of you and stay in the swim. Don't get distracted by everything else that isn't happening at that moment.

While I drank enough, I probably didn't eat enough: 4x cytomax, lara bar, powerbar, cashews, 3 gels. Yikes, it doesnt seem like much, I really need to think on an hour by hour basis. The weather was in the 80's, but my appetite wasnt there for this ride.

The TdD was awesome! It was my first bike race, even though I wasn't registered. Me and 2 other MECs jumped in behind the main pack and road behind them aways. We attacked, pacelined, yelled at other riders, challenged other riders, etc. SO MUCH FUN!! We averaged 21mph or so in the donut, and guessing by time if I was registered I would have placed overall. This has me jazzed up for doing more of the upcoming TT races!

The ride home was also leisurely, and by 90 miles The Stupids set in. I started weaving a bit in aero, hit some bumps hard, and stayed out of the pack until it recovered with a gel. I need to remember to eat! The gel was all it took to fix me.

I waited only 5-10 minutes before running. The pain in my feet at miles 90+ on the bike didn't bother me at all. I was dry and needed water, but the more I drank the more I started to slosh. I finished the 4 miles in the heat, and decided to cut the last 10 mins while I still had a positive outlook. And I really didn't need the extra time, I was already over time for a recovery week.