I think one of the most important things is to make sure you keep eating and drinking all day long. Don't wait until you are hungry or thirsty - if you wait, it's already too late!

And don't get caught up in a race mentality. It doesn't matter how long it takes you to finish the ride. It matters that you are there and that you are enjoying yourself.

It's funny, I did an MS 2-day ride a number of years back. A woman who I worked with at the time asked if she could ride with me. I knew that she was a fast rider, and I'm not - so my response was that while I'd welcome the company but that I thought that she'd be happier riding at her own speed (I wasn't capable of speeding up to her speed...) - but that I'd be happy to share a room with her. Her response was that she'd be happy riding at my pace. I didn't believe her, but I accepted the company. We started out together, but I could tell she wasn't happy riding at my pace. Then she started talking with a couple of guys who were traveling at her speed, so I again told her that I didn't expect her to stay with me. She took off. But she was so pissed at me by the end of the day because I finished the ride a couple of hours faster than she did! I guess it's the old tortoise & hare story - she and her new riding buddies rode really fast, but when they stopped at the rest stops they stayed for a while. I rode at my usual (slower but constant) pace. I stopped at every rest stop, hit the porta-potty, filled up my water bottles, and grabbed some snacks. Then I got back on my bike and kept on riding....

Have fun on your ride!