The last looooooong ride

BIKE 7hrs and 115 miles

For the last long ride, the goal was a steady long ride that was for "time in the saddle". It was time in the saddle, that's for sure. But geez was I even moving?!?

I also wanted to get away from the usual Columbia route and ride with other riders. The race ride will have roads and riders I am unfamiliar with, so I should be training with them, right? So for this, I luckily found the TN 66 ride and DC joined in. The routes included a 70 and 40, it sounded like a somewhat good idea to do both. Once I arrived at the site, I realized that I have done this ride before (2009?). And once I got on the roads, I realized why I wasn't excited about coming back after doing it before.

The weather and day was great, sunny with a bit of wind out of the SE. Frea had brand new C4000 tires with a bright blue color that I didn't like at first but I thought rather sharp now. (I put the tires on Weds before dropping off the bike for a pre-race, and when I picked u the bike Friday I asked about the missing direction arrow the previous tires had. I told the LBS guy I didn't want to go backwards on the course. He didn't quite get me at first, IronHumor!!) The ride started going north so we had a tailwind. The first 20 miles passed fast in just over an hour. From this point the routes split, and suddenly we were alone on the long route. We rode west, then we rode south. Right into the wind. For a loooong way.

DC rode ahead which was kinda the plan. I can't train LSD at his pace, and there's not benefit for him to slow down for me. But I was dragging more slow than usual, and my HR was higher than I thought it should be. But I chalked it up to fatigue and long hours and wind.

The roads I was unhappy with were long stretches along a highway. There was a great shoulder, but it's still un-nerving to have cars coming up behind you so fast. Suddenly the familiar Columbia roads weren't so bad! But I kept plugging along, happy to be going my pace and keeping the focus within me. Nutrition was a little less than last weeks since the pace was easier--200 calories of InfinIT'/hr and one half a Powerbar/hour. This worked for the first 5 hours anyway.

We didn't stop much, only at 20 and 57. Near the end, DC said he's doing just the 70 loop. He still had a long run this weekend. Ohhh it sounded so tempting to stop...but I didn't really want to...but I didn't want to go back out on these highways...so what to do...what to do...  The MCTs!! Of course! The 70 route crossed on and off them, so they were nearby. Yay! I left DC and took off before realizing I needed more water. Brief stop at the Shell, then back out. By now it was 4.5 hrs in. And I was starting to drag...watching the garmin slowly climb up in the numbers.

It was around this point that I realized that my rear brake was dragging! Frea was picked up just yesterday for the pre-race check and I knew the brakes were adjusted to be just a hairs-width from the rims, but I'd check pre-ride to be sure they werent' touching. How long was it doing that?!?  Is that why I felt so slow, high HR, and overworked for the first 70 miles? Or was it headwind and fatigue?!

Out and back on Goshen/watershed, then down goshen to schoolhouse, marking the turn points so I could return to the truck at 7hrs and not before or after. Time passed slowly, and around 5.5 hrs I was craving more food. I changed the feeding schedule to 45 then to 30-35 mins to accommodate. Hydration was OK, it wasn't that terribly hot out,but I was both hungry and nauseated at the same time. At 6hrs I hit 100 miles. Is that all!?!?

Shortly after 6hrs, I stopped briefly to eat a caffeinated gel. The strawberry perpetuem flask I had was the most unappetizing thing, the powerbars were pretty much gone. And I had only one caffeinated gel in a set of 3. Nuts! I need to think this through more, I made a similar mistake on the IB last weekend.

My feet were starting to burn, but butt starting to get uncomfy, but otherwise I was feeling OK. Aside from a nearly extreme fatigue. I wasn't ready to quit, but I was ready to be done. Finally I got back to the final turn off to E-ville. And after a few extra minutes out n back to  round up the number...and FINALLY back to the truck! Yay! The longest ride was DONE!

I wanted to keep going for a few reasons. I knew it would suck, and I wanted to Embrace The Suck, as a fellow CdA blogger has said. I also wanted this under my belt, having announced to everyone that I was doing it was also a good push to do it. :)

I'm shocked at how slow the last hour was --15 miles only on a flat trail with the most favorable headwind in the last 45 miles!??  OK, OK, it was for time and not distance, but still!!

After the ride I was completely wiped and ended up crashed on the couch, feet up and unable to focus to read an ultrarunning book DH picked up for me at the library.

Now for the last long swim and run!