My FIFTH Century is now done - THREE in the month of July

[mary9761]

29 July, 2006
alarm went off at 4am "Slow Ride... Take it easy...." it was going to be one of those kind of days. On the road by 5:30am and it's already a steamy 73F and extremely HUMID. By the time I get to Cool Creek Park for the ride it was foggy. I could deal with the fog for the day if it weren't going to get so hot. Doing pretty good by the time I got to breakfast in Westfield, 43 miles @ 12.5 mph average. I'm having my fastest day yet. By the time I reach Cicero, the sun is out and it's getting blistering already. 53 miles, 77F with a heat index of 87F it's not even noon yet. UGH, it's going to be a LONG, HOT DAY!! Keep plugging along and by the time I get to Noblesville, the temps have risen to 81F with a heat index of 93F I nearly have my metric by now and it's a long way back to the park yet.
I'm starting to get to be toast by now so I go off route a bit into Noblesville and find a Long John Silver's restaurant. I soak my bandana in cold water and get some ice water. I drink part of it and then put the rest in my helmet to melt. I head back onto the route towards the park again. I finally get back to the park and head to Burger King and repeat the water and ice treatment, putting ice in my jersey as well now. IT'S BRUTAL OUT HERE. Head back to the MONON and there's a treat awaiting me near one apartment/condominium complex adjacent to the trail - there's a sprinkler going that splashes the MONON at an intersection. Like a big kid, I climb off the bike and stand in the rotating streams of water.. This feels SO GOOD!! The temps are in the mid 90's now and the heat index has crossed the century mark. I let the water soak the front of my jersey and run down my arms and legs. A young boy sees me and unabashedly I say sometimes even Big people like to play in the water. I leave the MONON and head to The Bike Line in Carmel to say hello and cool off in some air conditioning for a few minutes. I visit with some riders I know who are there then head back to the trail and towards town again. I stop several times more on the way back to town and just miss seeing Jimmy at The Bike Line downtown. I'm toast, but I'm so close to getting this blasted century, I'm going to catch the bus for home then finish in the neighborhood. The last 6 miles are the hardest, I want nothing more than to go back in the house and try to cool off. Finally I get the miles in and head back to home.
I hopped in the shower to get cooled off and wash the day of hard, hot ride away. I had stopped for a short time in chat after getting out of the shower and ate a little dinner, but was falling asleep in my chair so I went to bed early. I went to sleep content to have proved to myself I could get that hot century that had eluded me twice this past month DONE!
Since I ride solo, other than catching up with the group for breakfast and just luckily before they left Cicero I have no one who can ever prove I've done the miles I say I've done but me. But some day, I hope to be good enough to ride along with others so I can actually prove what I'm capable to someone other than myself.
I've been riding for officially just over a year now and this past Thursday The Little Navigator That Could turned ONE YEAR OLD. I plan to eventually write a reflective journal looking back through that first year. I'm proud of what I've done, but can't help but be disappointed that I didn't end the first year as nicely as I'd have like to. I would have liked to have seen the Bike Journal ReUnion century to Lake Geneva as finished instead of a DNF. If I'd worked a little harder, I could have had FIVE centuries for the month of July, I came very close to having had four as it were.

[Lise]

Amazing, Mary, and great report! It's so nice to see you back around TE.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I can't believe you did all that. Amazing! Don't let yourself get any heatstroke though- be good to yourself always.
BIG Congratulations on your HARD WORK and accomplishment!

[tomgrrrl]

Congratulations....that is awesome!!!!!

[Bikingmomof3]

Congratulations! I can only aspire for my first year to be as amazing as yours. Do keep a reflective journal, you will be glad you did.

[Trekhawk]

Well done Mary. Im with Lise glad to see you back at TE.

[Bad JuJu]

I've been riding for officially just over a year now and this past Thursday The Little Navigator That Could turned ONE YEAR OLD. I plan to eventually write a reflective journal looking back through that first year. I'm proud of what I've done, but can't help but be disappointed that I didn't end the first year as nicely as I'd have like to. I would have liked to have seen the Bike Journal ReUnion century to Lake Geneva as finished instead of a DNF. If I'd worked a little harder, I could have had FIVE centuries for the month of July, I came very close to having had four as it were.

Holy mackerel, you rock! Quit bemoaning what you missed doing and high-five yourself for what you HAVE DONE. What a great month--what a great year!

Start that journal right now by saving this ride report just as you've written it. Print it out and you'll have it to come back to when you're ready to reflect and write more. Save it with your cue sheet, number, or any other memorabilia you have from the ride. Start a cycling scrapbook. You'll be so glad to did.

Brava!

[mary9761]

Thank Everyone,
Most of my ride journaling is done at bikejournal.com within my actual ride journal and periodically on the forum either at bike journal or CIBA (local club forum). I have been keeping screenshots throughout 2006 to chronical my challenge with Marlin (former teacher and a strong rider) and keeping a photo journal basically at my photobucket site as well. I have many more that I need to get put into the site. I can hardly believe what I have actually done in the past year. When I get the journal/report done, I'll post it here as well.
Mary

PS: JuJu when I got your message I wasn't at home to check my mirror info. I'll get it to you later when I get home again. I've been babysitting overnight and will be doing my regular sitting for the grandsons today. I'll look up the info when I get home.

[Tri Girl]

Congratulations Mary!! You are truly an inspiration to me, as I have never even done one century- let alone 5 (and 3 in one month- wow ).
You are so amazing! We could all say "would've, could've, should've", but the fact of the matter is that you are incredible on your bike and have come so far in one year. You should feel a tremendous amount of pride in what you've done!!!!

Go Mary, go Mary, go Mary....

[kaybee]

Congratulations Mary! You are such an inspiration.

KB

[tprevost]

Mary, YOU ROCK! I've been keeping up w/your story via bikejournal etc. and you are such an incredible woman!

Thank you for sharing your stories with us

Great job on the ride!

Tracy

[eclectic]

WAY TO GO MARY ! ! ! ! YIP YIP YIPPY !

Great writeup
I have yet to even consider doing a century let alone in the heat. Sounds like you took care of yourself with some good cool offs

You ARE amazing

[Nanci]

Mary, you obviously are taking well to long distance riding- maybe you should think about doing a brevet series next year! When I did mine this year, I didn't think past the 200k (124 miles) but the series is spaced so the rides themselves build you up, (and you just do maybe a Century or something in between) and you end up, hopefully, being able to do the whole thing! The really great thing about doing long rides every weekend like you are is once you build that base, it's very easy to maintain.

Nanci

[mary9761]

Mary, you obviously are taking well to long distance riding- maybe you should think about doing a brevet series next year! When I did mine this year, I didn't think past the 200k (124 miles) but the series is spaced so the rides themselves build you up, (and you just do maybe a Century or something in between) and you end up, hopefully, being able to do the whole thing! The really great thing about doing long rides every weekend like you are is once you build that base, it's very easy to maintain.

Nanci

Thanks,
Other than the heat, they are getting easier (well at least the same route I did terrible on the ReUnion Century from Belvidere, IL to Lake Geneva, WI and back it was a hellishly hot day) I've been doing fairly consistent metrics for a while on the weekends and it became necessary to ride to the breakfast ride directly from home if I was going to be able to make it in time as the busses don't run early enough to get me far enough north to make it to the park by 8am. I have to leave the house NO LATER than 5:30 to get to the park on time (getting faster there too if I don't have to fight a major headwind). I'm getting faster on the route with the group too, but if I want to see them at all along the route, I have to leave early from the start and breakfast, then they pass me and if I'm lucky I catch up long enough for them to leave again from the turn around point. I hope one of these days if I ever get on a road bike that I can keep up legitimately with them. I'm the only one who shows up on a comfort bike (or anything less than a road bike for that matter) so I'm usually slower than molasses so I generally end up doing the entire club ride solo.
Luckily I know the route I've been riding off and on for the last year well enough that I know plenty of places for short cuts if necessary. It's still rough once I get past the 17 mile mark out if I need to SAG in, I'm on my own until I can get that far in again. I don't drive and neither does my husband. If I'd break down, I've got a long walk because if I called my family for help, I'd probably never hear the end of it if they had to come 40 miles away from home to get me and bring me home, so since I ride solo, I pray nothing happens while out on the road. It is kind of frustrating to go to a club ride, sign in and know that if something DOES happen, no one will know until my husband is looking for me to come home or at least check in several times. I try to check in at specific spots to let him know I'm ok and still on the road, etc or if I've made a detour.
Now that I know I can actually do the distance, when the weather cools down a bit more and hopefully I can get a bit faster/stronger that I don't need so many stops later in the day (hit the wall somewhere around 70-80 mile mark) I may try to stretch it out further. My longest century so far has been 109 miles. Just a little further and I could have a double metric. Hmmm wonder when I can do that?

[CorsairMac]

when I saw your thread title my first thought was "in THis heat?".....I still have family living in Indpls so I know what it's been like back there. I had one of those brutal centurys the end of August last year so I know what you mean about just wanting to call it quits - and yup....mine was 6 miles from home And that frigging climb I do every night after work. but like you I stuck it out and what a feeling of accomplishment!! You have come so far in such a short time - and you've done all that on a comfort bike........you are quite amazing.

I was also looking at your avatar and thinking........don't you need to post a newer one?.........show off your latest physique??


btw: I lived in Sheridan for 4 years - yup........I know pretty much where you were riding. :-D