Metric Century!

Since my surgery I have changed my exercise habits. I used to do some form of intense exercise (running, rowing, etc.) every other day, with recovery days in between. Now I exercise almost every day, and generally for a longer duration, but the exercise is less intense. But sometimes I still push it.

I am not a fast cyclist, nor will I ever be one, but I have been curious about what kind of distance I can bike if I put myself to the test. Last month I had a 43 mile day when I participated in the VASA ride. Yesterday I decided to see if I could push that a little bit: to 50 miles, and maybe to a "metric century" (100 km, or 62 miles). I started from home and planned a 25 mile ride west, which would get me back home with a round trip distance of 50 miles (plus had ways to get home by Metro if I pooped out early). Then, if I felt like I still had some gas in the tank when I got home, I'd head east down to the bottom of the W&OD trail, and that extra round-trip would take me to 62 miles.

I have to say, I was inspired by two cyclists I chatted with at a happy hour on Weds night: one a breast cancer survivor, and the other a 30-something (or thereabouts) woman with a jaw-dropping history of serious medical conditions who is a healthy and powerful mountain bike racer. The two of them have said "F*ck you" to their diseases and have gotten on with life.

Here's how my ride went:

7:00 AM - Planned start time. Busy emailing - I just can't seem to get out the door on time if I don't have a hard deadline.

7:30 - Still puttering around the house.

8:00 - Actual start time.

9:20 - Bathroom break at Bready Park in Herndon. Also take time to adjust the seat on my bike to try and dial in the fit a little (this is the first long ride on a new bike)

9:30 - The seat is really uncomfortable. Stop again to re-adjust. Much better.

10:25 Reach my turn-around point, cleverly timed so my turning point is also where I take my first real break - to dial into a 10:30 conference call for work. Use the five minutes I have left before the call to turn around and bike back a little to a spot where I had seen a covered park bench - a good place to take the call.

10:30 - Dial into the call.

10:40 - See an older guy walking along the trail a few hundred feet away suddenly keel over and disappear into the small gully alongside the trail. Should I drop the call and run over to help!? Two other cyclists closer to him have seen it too and stop to offer aid. They help the guy up. He seems alright.

10:50 - The guy continues his walk and when he gets to where I am, sits down on the bench where I'm talking. When my call finishes I talk to him for a bit. He's OK - just lost his balance while leaning over to look at a a turtle alongside the trail. He was very concerned that the turtle was going to try and cross the trail and get smushed.

10:55 - He continues east. I bike west to where the turtle is to have a look. The poor thing is all up in its shell. I turn around and as I pass the guy I tell him the turtle is OK, just apparently frightened. He's still concerned about the turtle crossing the trail. We part ways and I start my ride back in earnest.

11:30 - I stop at Green Lizard Cycling / Coffee shop alongside the trail in Herndon and have an iced non-fat decaf latte (such is my life - no caffeine, no fat, no fun) and a Stroopwafel (after checking the packages of all the flavors to see which one has the least fat).

12:15 PM - Lunch break at the Whole Foods alongside the trail in Vienna (salad, Asian noodles, iced green tea - which might have had some caffeine). Continue riding east ...

1:30 - Back at my starting point. 50 miles done. Continue? Yes!! Carefully watching the trip odometer on my bike computer, I ride just far enough down the trail to ensure a round trip of 62 miles.

1:55 - Reach final turnaround point.

2:00 - Another coffee break. Decaf double espresso and a chocolate chip cookie (a real indulgence!). Continue onto the final leg. It's a hot afternoon and I tell the barista my grandfather's theory that you should drink hot drinks on hot days to cool yourself off (drinking a hot drink makes you perspire more, and perspiration cools you off).

2:48 - Arrive home. As I pull into the driveway my mileage reads 62.2, which means I have ridden 100.1 km.

Talking business

3:00 - Valerie arrives home and I when I tell her about my ride I get that "I'm so happy you're this healthy again" / "You're a lunatic" combination look I know all too well.

3:30 - I am in the bath, soaking my sore muscles (and something else I won't elaborate on here).

4:00 - Nap

4:30- I begin calculating how to step up my mileage on subsequent rides to get me to a full "century" (100 miles).

The next morning: I awaken feeling fine. Not really sore, except for the previously unmentioned problem. Spend a few hours doing yard work without any ill effect. F*ck you, heart disease - I'm charting a path to a century ride.



Strava link: https://www.strava.com/activities/1549534371