July 29th Weekend Rides

[rubysoho]

Was hoping to break 60 miles yesterday but ended up only getting through 40 before I was not feeling "right." Still, I am pretty happy because I doubled the distance I've ever done alone (so I wasn't drafting! ) and while I stayed on track keeping my mph low the first 10 miles I ended up setting a good time for my 40 (I ended up getting bored staying under 15 mph and kicked it up to a range between 17 and 21 mph).

I learned two things:

1. I need to pace myself if I want to go further and not give into my "I wanna go fast"/Ricky Bobby self. I think I could have at least gone 50 on my own, and probably 60 had I not increased my speed. (Also, I needed a bigger breakfast.)

2. I love that cycling allows me to shut my brain off. The constant chatter going on in my head about work and other stressful items gets annoying! There was a good 20 miles of "quiet" which I really needed.

Thankfully I planned my ride so that the first 40 put be back at my car in case I needed to bale and not complete the last twenty. Was able to chat with a few cyclists at a watering hole, always good meeting new people. I was a bit in awe of a guy who had a Ironman Finisher jersey on.

It was a good ride. The temperature did jump nearly 20 degrees from when I started to when I finished. And I think I need to increase the amount of water bottle holders I have (only 2, I want the attachment so I can put two more behind my seat) because I was feeling dehydrated the remainder of the day.