Lesson Learned?

Well, I hope the lesson has been learned; otherwise, I'll have to hear it more from John!



So we're moving right along on 4th of July and I felt GREAT! We slept much later than we usually do, so we didn't get on the road until almost 9:00 a.m., and it was HOT already! I was experimenting with eating a bit before our long morning rides so a breakfast of oatmeal, almonds, and a banana it was, obviously a bit too much initially because I felt too full for probably the first 5-6 miles, but we were moving along at a speedy little pace and felt INCREDIBLE! As we passed each marker I would remember in my mind how much more difficult that trail used to be, so I had a sense of accomplishment; however, when we got to the 17-1/2-mile point John pulled over to say we were turning around. What???? I felt good, let's keep going!! Being the stubborn woman I am I kept going...BIG MISTAKE!!! Not only did John then reluctantly follow me, he passed me up and pushed me even more to the end of the trail, to the 20-mile point. Boy did I hear it there! By the time we got there, with the extreme head-wind as well as the major congestion with weekender-type riders, it wasn't the same ride as the first 17 1/2 miles! I was wiped out and had hit empty...bad, bad, bad, when I was still 15 miles from home! John was angry that I didn't listen to him and either turn around and have an incredibly successful 28-mile ride, or at least re-fuel a bit with a fruit and nut bar to fill my tank a bit! He read my body language and knew better than I how I was riding at that point, but I was just feeling so great, I thought I'd push through and end a longer ride! I didn't listen my coach/hubby who obviously knows more than I and paid for it the remainder of the weekend! I limped on home, completely exhausted! We still managed to maintain a 12.2 mph average speed for the 34 1/2-mile ride, but only because we were averaging such a high speed on the way down! Not only was I exhausted and competely depleted, my body was sore...still is.

So, what did I learn? #1-Listen to John #2-a shorter ride, ended strong is better than a longer ride, physically depleted #3-Listen to John #4-Listen to your body, not your mind when training #5-Listen to John #6-pushing it for a 34-mile ride messed me up only able to push myself for 10 1/2-mile rides the next two days, instead of riding moderately for the 28-mile rides two of the days and the 10 1/2-mile ride the third day, which would have resulted in less physical fatigue and more time in the saddle!

Three days later, I'm on my way to the chiropractor and masseuse a day earlier than anticipated, and still am sore and exhausted, but I'm right back in the saddle tonight for whatever length John tells me!!!!