Long bike ride (well... semi-long) and a hiatus

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday. I wanted to let you know that I won't be posting over the next couple of days as I have a business trip in Atlanta. I'm a medical recruiter (head hunter) and I have to go to a trade show. These things make me so nervous because I basically have to go into a booth and strike up a conversation with people. While I like to think I'm a social person, it's a little nerve racking to try to talk to people that I don't really have anything in common with. If I knew that they were a triathlete or a runner, I think I'd be okay, but I think the norm in the world is not someone who runs 13.1 miles every 3-6 months. So.... hopefully, I don't get eaten alive. It's also the one time a year I have to dress like a business person and pretend like I'm mature. Those things don't do well with me. I'd rather tell burp/fart jokes.

Just to give an example of how things have gone wrong in the past.... one time I went into a booth and found out that the guy was located in Florence. I was like, oh that's awesome, I have an aunt and an uncle that live in Florence. He was like, oh really, what are their names... Mind. Went. Blank. I could not think of the names of my aunt/uncle... seriously. So instead of smoothly playing it off (smooth I am not) I just said, I can't remember them right now because I'm nervous. He was like, um, okay, let me go talk to this customer. Seriously, did that just happen. I've been to many a trade show and that's the worst thing that's ever happened, but I mean... dang... that was terrible.


On to the next... Sunday, I went on a 21 mile bike ride. There is a loop near the Donaldson Center which is nice. They have the roads marked with a green arrow that says 20 mile, so you don't have to map out the route before. It's got some hills mixed in which are nice for you to practice. It's nothing like other areas of Greenville, but I would say it's somewhat challening. I started off quickly and I guess I was thinking I was in a race, because I wanted to ride fast. Mind you, I have not done but maybe 2 20 mile rides in 2011, so this was a little ambitious. My average pace was probably around 17 mph which was pretty exciting.

First danger sign: (i'm being a little dramatic) I was hungry 20 minutes into the ride. Uh oh.. I ate the Honey Stinger thing that I brought:

source

I know I'm going to be in the minority on this, but this was gross. It was very sweet (obviously, it's honey) and a little too sweet for my liking. It was also somewhat liquidity and the thing I like about Gu is that it's thicker. I think this is what normally turns people off but if I'm in the middle of an endurance event and I feel hungry, I want something to be a bit heavier on my stomach to make me feel full. I have to drink lots of water with Gu because I hate that thick feeling in my mouth, but I love that feeling in my tummy. I checked out swedish fish, because so many people like them, ahem, but I think you have to eat like, 12, in order to get 100 calories. That seems like a lot. So, I just stick with Gu. It's my fav... anyways, the honey stinger was okay but it didn't do the job. I am not a fan of being hungry. I had a hair appointment saturday after my run and it was an hour earlier than I thought. I found out I had to race to the appointment and couldn't eat lunch. I was so pissed I couldn't eat, I called my husband on the verge of tears. He was like, um, calm down crazy, you will get some food soon. So...

Anyway, we made it through the hunger debacle, got lost, found our way back - all in all, we had been on our bikes for about an hour and 10 minutes. I start freaking out because I told my husband I'd be home at 10 so we could go to the lake, I was hungry, it was 91 degrees and I was tired of being on the bike. I thought the ride would never end. This is the first time I've ever felt the desire to just get off the bike. It was like a small version of a bonk. I remember reading something about going out to fast on a bike (just like running) and just crashing and feeling like you can't finish. I just never thought it would happen to me. It wasn't THAT bad mainly because we only had a mile left once I started feeling this way, but I think I learned an invaluable lesson in that, I can feel that way on a bike and if I'm going to start doing longer rides, I need to learn how to pace myself.

So... I get to practice this again next week on the bakery ride.

35.16
mile

Bakery Ride - Start Tigerville

This Bike Ride starts in Greenville, SC.

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2 km

2 mi

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10 km

5 mi

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986 ft Start Elev

2405.0 ft Max Elev

1969.0 ft Gain

CATEGORY 3 CLIMB

There are 1 Cat 3 climbs on this route. Cat 3 are the 4th hardest in the rating spectrum. More Details »

I only have to run 65 minutes for my long run this week, so I'll just do that friday morning and do this ride saturday. It's tough but hopefully, I'll be okay!!

We'll see how that goes!

Do you like to ride?
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Ever hit a wall on your bike?