Ladies, I just need to whine for a bit to some people who will understand my disappointment (at least I hope you do). For the past month, I have been riding hard (for a newbie) in anticipation of this past weekend's Hilly Hundred in Ellettesville, Indiana. However, my hopes of of conquering the ride and finishing the year with a bang went somewhat awry.

After a long ride on October 1, I got a headache that wouldn't go away. By Monday, I had the mother of all sore throats and by Wednesday, I was diagnosed with a virus called "hand-foot-and-mouth disease. Apparently, a friend's little boy passed it on to me the week before. It's not that big of a deal really. The timing, however, sucked.

Anyway, for most of last week, I had lesions in my throat and a slight rash on my chest and stomach. Oh, and I felt really tired. Fortunately, by Friday I was on the mend. My throat felt better and I finally had some energy. I went to yoga on Friday and felt strong. I had everything ready to go for the ride and was prepared to leave home on Saturday by 6:30 a.m. or so.

Everything was fine until I went to bed. My throat started to feel really constricted, like I was having an allergic reaction to something. I took some Allegra to no avail. Then my sinuses started to feel congested. I took some decongestant to no avail. I finally fell asleep well after midnight. Believe me when I say that I didn't feel rested when my alarm went off in the morning.

After some coffee, I felt decent enough and hit the road. I made it to the ride in good time, watched the safety video and registered. By 9 a.m., I was rolling--along with 5,000 of my closest friends. It was chilly out (and I wasn't dressed as warmly as I should have been) but sunny. It was going to be a beautiful day.

I did okay on the first couple of modest climbs and made it to the first SAG without incident. Then I hit the first hard climbs of the day and found myself wheezing. I've never encountered that before, and it freaked me out a bit. As the ride wore on, my throat felt more and more constricted and my nose was running to beat the band. I finished the ride in okay shape, although I ended up walking the last big hill of the day. I just didn't have any energy left. I should have rested at the base of the hill, eaten some food and regained my motivation. Instead, I walked my bike up the hill, feeling shame the whole time.

After finishing, I started worrying about Sunday's ride. I just started riding in June and hadn't really trained that much for climbing. The Hilly's Sunday route--for this part of the country--is pretty tough. It's not the Alps, but it ain't easy either. Even in the best of health, I wasn't sure I could handle it.

My decision was ultimately made for me. By the time I returned home for the
evening, my allergies were simply out of control, and my usual meds weren't doing a thing. I couldn't breath easily out of either my nose or mouth.
Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day, and all the people I know who rode made it over the climbs and had a wonderful time. Without me.

Now I have a full blown sinus infection. Even if I start feeling better tomorrow, I know I won't be quite up to speed on the bike for a few weeks. And these could be the last few weeks of decent weather. I know I should be proud of myself for what I've accomplished this summer, but I just feel really bummed. Note to self for next year---stay away from all little kids for the weeks preceding the Hilly!

That's about it really. I just needed to whine....