It's Called the Metric System

Riding a hundred miles isn't something you just jump into.  I have always known that I would need to steadily increase the distance of my rides.  Along the way I would hit a handful of milestones.  The first on my list was The Half Century. I reached that a few weeks back on my trip around Blue Marsh Lake.  In a few weeks from now, I will try to ride 100 miles in two days.  Today however is about the Metric Century…or what we like to call in America:  62.1 miles. 

I actually planned to hit at least 63.  I’ve learned that I much rather ride a little extra than get close to home and be a little short.  Zig-zagging the neighborhood after a long ride knowing you can stop at anytime is not fun. This ride would push me about ten percent further than my previous rides.  I was looking forward to the challenge all week and I was pretty excited to cross the Metric Century off of my to-do list.

I started the morning off with a new breakfast routine, two bagels with cream cheese.  I had been feeling a little empty on some recent rides and thought this would definitely fill me up and add the extra carbs I needed for a long trip.  Could just be coincidence, but I felt better during this first half than any of my previous distance rides.  Needless to say, my First Century Breakfast has now been determined.

Before I hit the road, I made sure my tires were pumped full of air and my GPS was fully charged.

I put my contacts in so I could sport my new cycling shades….and now I probably need to go back and update one of my earlier blogs. 

I made sure I had a few snacks and plenty of fluids before I set out. I typically like to take a banana, a few cookies and a granola bar.  I also freeze a Gatorade which I throw in the back pocket of my shirt for later.

I almost forgot to apply some sunscreen for the second week in a row.  Fortunately, my three year old daughter was kind enough to remind me moments before I hit the road.

I started my ride with one of my shorter loops just to log some miles and make sure everything was working properly before I strayed too far from home.  I made my first stop after about 15 miles.  A little earlier than I wanted, but I was heading into no man’s land and I wouldn’t see another store for the next 20 miles.  I topped off my water and ate a banana.  Five minutes later, I was back on the road. 

Before my next stop, I hit the Bob Rodale Cycling and Fitness Park.  I love this little place.  I wish the track was a bit longer.  It is a smidge over one mile but has a couple of nice up and downs.  As long as everyone stays in their designated lane, it’s a great place to add a few miles to your route.  I put in 6 laps and was on my way.

Right up the road I stopped for lunch at Joe’s Pizza.  I was in and out in under ten minutes.  I had a quick slice that was delicious and completely guilt free.  Even better, Joe’s is stocked with sports drinks.  After getting refueled, I was ready to tackle the second half of my ride.

Six dollar lunch

With about 18 miles to go, I made my final stop.  Three minutes to grab another bottle of water and finish off my Gatorade.  I was now back in familiar territory and feeling great.  Nothing was chaffing and my backside wasn’t really sore.  Riding with the wind at my back didn’t hurt either.

Other than my three scheduled stops, I did pull over to take a picture of this guy and his massive horns.

Finally, I finished my first metric century and even tacked on a couple extra miles for good measure.

Not only did I feel great through most of the ride, I had no issues that night or even the next day.  I’m not quite at the speed I was hoping for but this pace will still let me finish my First Century in less than seven hours.  And if there’s one thing I’ve heard over and over again about your first century:  It’s a ride, not a race.  I’ll be happy just to finish My First Century and I will worry about the speed next time.

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

“It never gets easier, you just go faster” ~~Greg Lemond

It's been a little over six weeks since I began training for my century.  I am really happy with the gains I've been seeing, especially considering the short amount of time. As planned, my longer rides keep getting longer and I've seen a small increase in my speeds, even on the longer trips. I'm also down about 10 pounds since my training started, which keeps me on schedule to hit my desired race weight.

I was curious how I was stacking up to last year's workouts.  I scrolled through my cycling app until I got to a ride from one year ago.  I wasn’t working towards a goal like I am today, but I had been riding a few days a week for almost four months at that point.  I was serious about shedding the pounds and getting into better shape.  But I wasn't even close to where I am now.

So for fun (and because I thought I could turn it into a decent article), I decided to ride the exact same route.  To get a fair comparison, I rode the old bulky bike.  I cut 25 minutes off last year’s time.  Since I was in comparison mode, the next day I took the same route again; this time on my new road bike.  I beat last year’s time by 32 minutes which was seven minutes faster than I just did on the old bike.  There’s no arguing that better equipment makes a better rider.

 “It never gets easier, you just go faster.”  I would expand on this to say you just go faster and farther.  12 miles, that was a big deal back then.  It would be an entire month until I broke 20.  A few weeks after that,  I logged my longest ride of the summer which was 27 miles.  My best week was just 65.  Now I routinely do 100 miles in three days.

Every week I set one day aside for my long ride.  I have been increasing the distance a few miles each time.  In addition to the normal pain and discomfort you experience from any workout, being on a bike for three or more hours can get boring from time to time.  In order to break the monotony, I keep looking for new travel destinations.  Sometimes it’s nothing more than a new gas station to refill my liquids.  Other times I’m looking for some place a little more scenic.  Either way, new roads make the trip a lot easier...at least mentally.

My scenic trip around Blue Marsh Lake 

A few weeks ago, while I was trying to plan one of my longer rides, I remembered an old high school friend, Colleen, lived about 25 miles up the road.  I shot her a few messages and she invited me for a visit.  We coordinated a day and a time.  She just bought a new farm and was excited to show it off.  I was looking forward to catching up and really happy to have an objective that did not revolve around my next bottle of water.  I set out on my trip late in the morning.  The temps were in the mid 80's and I had to make a few hard climbs just to get to her place. When I finally arrived (a hot a sweaty mess), I was thrilled just to get off my bike.  The first thing I did was apologize for my stench. After that, I got a tour and she introduced me to all of her beautiful horses. We also managed to get a couple of cool pics.

I smelled so bad, this horse had to be bribed with treats to pose with me.

We had a great visit, but eventually Colleen filled up my water bottles and sent me on my way.  It was such a memorable trip.  Not only because of the destination, but I also learned two valuable lessons. 

First, it helps to know your roads.  The elevation gain on this trip was way more than I wanted and/or expected.  But I fought through it and I’m probably stronger for it.  I also found myself on a long road which was freshly and only partially “oiled and chipped”.  If you are not familiar with the term "oiled and chipped", it’s when they tar the road and dump loose gravel on top.  I’m sure they probably steam roll it, but not all the gravel gets embedded.  It just lies loose until enough traffic kicks it off the side of the road.  It definitely is not an ideal riding surface for a road bike.  But that wasn’t even the worst part.  As I stated earlier, the road was only partially oiled and chipped.  Half of it was just dirt and stone.    

Not to mention a pretty steep hill.

I’m not ashamed to say, I walked the dirt and stone section on my way back.  I almost wrecked several times trying to get down the hill and riding up the thing with tiring legs just added a few more levels of difficulty.

The second lesson I learned: keep your breaks short.  As much as I enjoyed catching up with my friend, touring the farm, and seeing all the horses; I spent way too much time out of the saddle (if there’s a pun there, it’s intended).  Getting back on the bike after about 90 minutes was a miserable experience.  And it wasn’t just that I was tight.  I was tight, I had 25 miles to go and that was all I could think about. Fortunately I started to loosen up after a few miles and I eventually became distracted by things other than my legs; like this interesting wood sculpture. 

 Are Gnotem Poles real?  Yes they are.

What Primo Said

"And I also know how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong, to measure yourself at least once, to find yourself at least once."  ~~ Primo Levi

  

I have this strange sense of purpose which I haven’t experienced in quite a long time.  I have come to the conclusion that the reason for this is that I haven’t challenged myself lately.  Don’t get me wrong, I have two children, 3 and 5.  I am challenged on a daily basis.  But aren’t most of us?  What I am talking about is a “grand” challenge.

For me, my last “grand” challenge was probably putting myself through college at the age of 30.   I was taking classes year round.  I was also working full time.  I threw an internship on top of everything my final semester because isn’t sleep just a luxury?  After graduating with not one, but two degrees, I was fortunate to find a job.  I’m not sure if I can say I found myself, but I felt measured and I felt strong. 

There have been other challenges in my life both big and small.  I have succeeded in some and failed at others.  When it comes to a challenge of a physical nature, I can’t recall having one like this since high school cross country.  Sure, I’ve gotten into workout routines.  I joined a few gyms.  I even won a weight loss wager here and there.   But not since high school did I take a physical activity this seriously. 

It was my junior year and I tragically lost two friends, one of which ran cross country.  Let me clarify.  Tim didn’t just run cross country, he was Mr. Cross Country.  He led the team to a state title as a sophomore and he was looking at a full ride to the college of his choice.  I remember sitting around his kitchen table the day after the accident.  His father was being strong, when so many of us could not.  In what was probably the most profound rhetorical question ever posed to me, he said:  This house was never perfect.  We had our fights and disagreements.  There were times when Tim would get angry and frustrated, and do you know what he would do...He would run.  

A few months later, triggered by my own moment of anger and frustration those words came back to me; I took to the road and never looked back.  Over the next few months, I ran nearly 500 miles.  I was easily in the best shape of my life.  I was voted Co-Captain by my Cross Country team.   I was finding myself.  I felt strong and I was ready to be measured.  And then the unthinkable happened. On the first mile of the first meet of the season, I stepped on a rock and broke my foot.  Just like that, I was done.  With tears streaming down my face, I kept going.  I wasn’t really running anymore, it was more of a cross between half limp and half skip.  The tears were not from the pain.  I knew that it was over.  The race, the season, everything I worked so hard for.  I had to be physically stopped.  Ironically it was my Tim’s older brother who had come to support the team.  I crumpled to the ground, devastated, broken.

I tried to get it going again once the cast came off.  But I was overwhelmed from looking at the twig that once held my missing calf muscle.   I was emotionally and physically drained.  I relaxed through the rest of my senior year and I relaxed through the next 3 and a half years of college (hence the reason I went back at the age of 30).

I think I’m done relaxing.  I’m anxious to find out what’s still left in the tank, both physically and mentally.  I also want to be an example to my children.  I know Levi wasn’t talking about cycling.  He was talking about man’s ability to overcome adversity, on your own, “nothing to help you but your own hands and your own head”.  I want my children to know that it’s never too late. Whether it’s in their education, career, or life in general, they need to continue to challenge themselves.  I want them to put themselves in situations where they can be measured and hopefully rise to the challenge.  But when they fail, when they become angry and frustrated, I hope they will continue to look for new opportunities to be measured.  It’s only then that they will truly find themselves.