I did the Civil War Century on Saturday - first one for me. A total of 105.2 miles with 4 unbelievable mountain climbs totally almost 7,400 feet. There were 20-25 riders from the shop (including 7rider) with the majority doing the full century. My confidence wasn't very high and I really didn't think I could finish it. The longest distance that I had ever done was 83 miles (twice) but since my (2nd!) crash in early August, I shied away from the group rides (long rides). I would go solo on the weekends but wasn't doing more than
35ish. Because I come from a running background, I had convinced myself that I "hadn't put in the mileage". And I know that when you train for a marathon, if you don't put in the mileage, you're going to hit the wall. Knowing that this course was really difficult, I had told myself that if I had to bail early for some reason, I would be perfectly fine with it.

The ride started in Thurmont, MD and ended up going through several of the Gettysburg battlefields. It was a cloudy, overcast day. It started to drizzle lightly during the first few miles so the roads were really slick. The first 8 miles were mostly uphill. One of the shop riders asked me what I thought of that climb and I said that it wasn't that bad (for some reason, I like climbing ). He said, "Well, that was nothing. Wait until you get to the next climb." The descents were absolutely terrifying. The road was wet...I would try to apply the brakes gently (no brakes ) and I think I started praying for another mountain climb so I could go up instead of down. I started to doubt myself around mile 50 (the 2nd rest stop). My legs were a little sore and I honestly didn't know if I could do another 50. The entire group started together and after a few miles, they pulled away. At that point, I told myself that if I ended up riding by myself, I would just enjoy the experience - solo. But one of my riding buddies (Phil), slowed down so I could catch up to him. This was now the beginning of the 2nd climb around 62 miles. It was absolutely brutal. It went on and on and on...and up and up and up. But for some reason, I do really well on hills. So Phil and I ended up catching Kathy and another shop rider. I pulled ahead and I heard Kathy mumble, "Look what you did, Phil! She didn't need your help and now she's pulling ahead of us." I know that 7rider will find her comment amusing because the group from the shop is hysterical - a good group that is supportive and very, very funny. I met a guy climbing the mountain and we worked together until the next rest stop at 75 miles. After conquering that horrible climb (and another one that followed), I knew that I could finish the full century. Everyone told me that the last 25 or so were a piece of cake. I rode with Phil, Kathy and the other shop rider and we cruised in. At times, we were doing 30 mph on flat roads! I jokingly asked if there was a sprint to the finish that no one told me about and they said, "Yes...for the ice cream!"

I had a blast. A very tough course but riding with a great group of people was so much fun. And I had something left in the tank so I think I could have gone further. Or maybe that was just the adrenaline making me think that I had something left in the tank?