Harpeth River Ride

Today was my first riding event, the Harpeth River Ride. I willingly arose at 5am on a Saturday in order to be at the event on time by the 7:30 start (which I was; that's a big deal for me). There were probably 300+ riders of all ages and skill-levels. The event provided distances of 22, 42, 64, or 100 miles. I chose to ride the 22mi leg. Now that may not sound like a very long distance, but let me tell you, if you've never ridden...you have no idea.
Not only is 22 miles not a little jaunt for a fairly inexperienced rider, the event was in an area of Middle Tennessee known for its rolling hills (actually, much of Middle TN is rolling hills. I don't know how the civil war soldiers trudged up and down them all day). I was cruising along with my heart rate in the 170bpm range (that's bad), when I met the meanest hill I've seen since I started riding 2 years ago. It was about mile 8; I started up it in my "granny gear," the best gear for hard hills, and as soon as my heart rate hit 198bpm (that's horrible) and I became far too short of breath, I walked it. Yep, that's right, I got off my bike and walked it up a hill! Pretty sad, eh? Actually, there were many riders ahead of and behind me who did the same thing! One woman rode past me as I was walking and said, "Don't worry, I'm not going much faster than you are." While she was right, she still had the strength and conditioning to ride that hill!

The 13 mile rest stop, "The Last Chance Watering Hole" as it was called, came just at the right time. Since this is my first riding event, I didn't know what to expect. What a spread! PB&J sandwiches, chips, watermelon, bananas, fig newtons, pretzels, Gatorade, water, port-a-potty, paper towels, hand wipes, and lens cleaner. Knowing I was quite tempted to just sit down and enjoy a nice lunch along a TN country road, I opted for a quick Gatorade/Water 50/50 refill, 2 fig newtons, a bite of watermelon, a quick hand wipe and paper towel face cleaning, and I was off again. Les, one of the men at the rest stop asked how I was liking the ride, to which I favorably replied...save that big nasty hill. He said one of the men he rides with has a favorite quote, "I've never met a hill I was too proud to walk." I loved it and have adopted it for this training program. That was just the boost I needed to finish the last +/- 9 miles. The smaller hills I came across seemed to barely catch my attention, and I finished the ride well.

I learned a few great things about riding events today:
1. Hills Suck. I need more conditioning to ride hills well, and I will proudly walk any one that really stands in my way.

2. Great food. Not only was the "watering hole" well stocked, the post ride meal was custom-made burritos, chips/salsa, drinks...apparently that's not uncommon.

3. JellyBelly makes jellybeans high in carbs specially designed for athletes to use mid-workout. They taste nothing like JellyBellies when you're not riding and sweating like a pig...but they are remarkably tasty, sweet, and refreshing at mile 9 after a hill kicks you in the tail!

4. Oatmeal and milk are a great race-day breakfast for me; and fig newtons and JellyBellys sit well on the course. (I know it sounds like I'm focused on food, but endurance nutrition is apparently a fine art; eat the wrong thing - you can't perform and you end up "bonking" or "hitting the wall", or vomiting. Eat the right thing and you don't think endurance nutrition is all that hard to figure out.)

5. Don't put an opened pack of "goo" or "gel" (again, a carb source) into the pocket on your jersey...or you'll be as sticky as fly paper. Oh, and most of them taste nasty anyway.

6. Drafting saves your energy. I often ride with a friend and we draft from time to time. She was working today...I really missed her.

7. Chamois Butt'r is a necessity. Again, if you've never done an endurance event, you can't fully understand. You put this creamy buttery lotion in any and all locations that may chafe - the sad part is there are many places that may chafe. What a difference!!! I may buy stock in the company.

8. The people are great. Everyone I met was so kind and friendly. I also saw people lending others their tire pumps (thanks, Roger) and sharing tips about the course (thanks again, Roger). Roger is my Team in Training coach and he did 60+ miles today...way to go Roger!!

9. Most importantly...I can do this!!! There is no reason for me to believe that I can't accomplish riding a century (100 miles) by November. Not only that, but I may actually be able to anticipate a finish time. If my pace today were any indication (22mi. in 1:46), it will be about 8 hours. I'm hoping to beat that time into the ground.

Please check out my Team in Training website. I'd love your support as I go through this crazy process. After a much needed nap, I have refueled. Maybe my husband wants to go on a date tonight?
Until later...and until I can walk straight again.