I had a 2.5 hour ride ahead of me, and I just couldn't face that indoors on the trainer...
So I had planned to head to the Seneca Greenway. Alas, I jacked around too much because that's about an hour's car ride from my place. Patapsco it was. :)
I rode there last week and only made it an hour in and had to bail I was so cooked. I figured I would go ahead and give it a go and head out when my legs and mind had enough. I had a few intervals that needed to be done, and I could do those on the trainer. Besides, it was in the low 50's... did I really want to freeze for 2.5 hours on a bike? By the time I finished I figured I'd be in the high 40's... I'm not a huge fan of cold. I can do wet - but wet and cold... no. And the cold-wet combo comes into play when one sweats and starts doing repeats...
But I digress...
So I pulled into my little parking spot, donned the appropriate layers of gear and headed out. I hit the stream crossing and wet down. Yep. First time in years - in the water. Well - *that* water anyway. All I kept saying to myself was "Get up! Get up! You're getting wet dude!!! Get up!!!" On the other side I assessed the damage. I was soaked. Then I kept asking myself, "Now what?" I did what every self-respecting athlete would do: clipped in and pedaled on.
I lost a lot of confidence after that spill. I was walking over twigs. Dismounting for piles of leaves. I got lost. Then, I dunno what happened... something. Somewhere - it was like something got switched in my brain. Everything got quiet - it was going up some big-ass hill. I stopped dismounting (unless it was HUGE). I was moving - and I mean *moving*. I was in the zone. I was floating over roots and getting my teeth rattled out of my head. I was descending like Missy Giove - ok, maybe that's a stretch, but you get the idea...
At nearly an hour on the trail I took a "nature brake", took in a few chews, got some fluids and pedaled on... Then I realized I had an appointment with those intervals (aka "Steady State"). So. I went on over to Illchester. I stopped at the car and got another layer and still froze my a$$ off on my way there. I did one of the intervals on the way there. I did 3 of the intervals on Illchester (the last two I kept promising myself "I swear dude, this is the last one..."). I had to cut the last SS short by 2 min as I got back to the car early... and there was a wee downhill in there too. Try a steady state with a downhill... ugh. I had to go to the big chain ring and hold both brakes to keep up the resistance.
In retrospect I should have done the intervals in the house first then hit the trail - but all in all - a great ride. As I swing up beside the 'Ru I thought "Every inch of my body hurts." I went to Chipotle for a well-earned burrito. I was so tired last night I nearly couldn't get to sleep. But it was well worth it. Rides like that continue to remind me to push through, that hard gets good. That when I stick with something it's always worth it in the end.
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