Yesterday was my first 60 mile ride. The only nutrition I needed was a big bowl of brown rice and vegetables in the morning about 45 minutes before leaving. Miles 30, 40 and 50 came relatively easy. I ran out of water around the 50 mile mark, even though I had a bottle of water and a hydration belt (a belt that carries two smaller bottles of water) on. In the two smaller bottles, there was amino acids mixed with water. I think I’ll mix it with orange juice next time (to disguise the taste a bit). Part of the ride took me through the Valley Forge loop which is 5 miles. It’s really nice and hilly, but there were an awful lot of people, so that slowed me down too much. If I was looking for a leisurely ride, I may go that way again, but it wasn’t so good for a distance ride.
My average speed was 15.2 mph (because of the venture into VF and my occasional street riding). I like to stay around 18 mph otherwise. At an 18 mph pace, 112 miles will take 6 hours and 13 minutes. Can you imagine doing anything for 6 hours and 13 minutes? I better go faster than that so I don’t get bored!
I haven’t modifies my bike yet. I still have 170mm length crank arms and 50 tooth chainring. Once I add 30mm (which is more than an inch) to the existing crank length and change the chainring to a 54 or 55 tooth ring, I think my power and speed will increase.
After getting home, showering, having my amino mix, I headed to my parent’s house for an amazing spaghetti dinner. I don’t know how much I ate, but it was more than usual. I don’t believe in the counting calories method of eating for training because not all calories are created equal. So for now, “I’ll eat when I’m hungry, I’ll drink when I’m dry. If the moonshine don’t kill me, I’ll live till I die.”
Last night, I fell on my bed at 8 pm and didn’t move until 7 am. It was like I was tied to it. Then by 7:30 am I was out the door, ready for whatever comes next. Repeating yesterday is going to be fun to do once a week for the next 29 weeks (oh crap, there’s only 29 weeks left)!
