My 200(ish)-mile bike ride went really well. It started in Niceville, Florida, by the EOD Memorial on Eglin Air Force Base. We kicked off at about 0830 and the morning went by pretty quickly. The crowd this year was pretty good--there were about 50 of us and I think the year before only had around 20. It's awesome to see this cause growing, as the WEODW is something very near and dear to me.
The route had been adjusted from last year, just a bit…and it was a really good change. Last year, we went through a lot of the smaller range roads, on the north side of Eglin range. They are not dirt roads, but they're just a step up from that…a very small step up! Luckily, this year we were only on one of those roads for about 10 miles at the start of the ride. The bike I have is a tri bike, which means very thin, light tires that does absolutely nothing for shock absorption. So, but the time I got off of that road, I was SO glad to see it go--my teeth were rattling from all of the jarring! Other than that stretch though, it was a really good ride. I rode by myself, which is never a bad thing, but my husband rode support and helped me out every ten to twenty miles. It was always great to see either him or the regular support crew--a chance to stretch my legs, get a nice cold drink, chat for a few minutes. I like to update my FB page as I'm going--why not?? ;)--because I like to think I have people cheering me on and it gave me a goal to keep moving. My husband pointed out that a lot of the pics weren't interesting--hard to make scrub pines and live oaks into a good picture--but I was just so happy to be out there and feeling good that I didn't care. It was a lovely day, weather wise, just a bit warm and partly cloudy. It's nice to get the occasional break from the sun beating down; amazing day for a bike ride!
The first day took 6:52. Sub-7 hours for the 100 miles, so not too bad. I will mention that I found EVERY hill in Florida--they're all on the north side of Eglin range. But the hills are fun; getting up them takes effort, but getting down them is just fun! And the momentum normally will take me to the middle of the next hill. So, a little give and take as far as effort goes. The worst part of the ride was the last five miles. I know that sounds obvious, but it had more to do with the location of the last five miles--on a very crowded road in Panama City Beach, during a high traffic time of day. Didn't get squished (BONUS!!) and finally got to the hotel we were staying at. As soon as I got off of the bike, my legs cramped. Right quad and left calf, so I just gimped around until it all settled down and then we checked into our hotel room and I got HUNGRY. I wanted some real food and, after getting a shower, the hubby and I headed downstairs for a surprisingly delicious meal.
I ate during the ride, of course, but I can only eat so much GU, Honey Stingers, fruit, Gatorade, and other high-sugar foods before I crave something different. Sugar (and salt!) is necessary--riding for so long is a real carb burner and the glycogen stores need to be (have to be) replaced. I can tell when I need carbs, thinking becomes waaaaaay more difficult that it should. Simple math is a real problem and that's when I know I need to eat more. I'm not a fan of public math to begin with, but the problems I try and figure out are simple: "I'm at 14.23 miles right now. How much further do I need to go to get to 20 miles?" If I REALLY have to think about it, it is past time to eat something.
The second day started out really well too. A couple of people had mechanical issues right off, but I was lucky enough to avoid those. Again, I rode alone but enjoyed myself anyway. The route back was far more typical Florida--flat, flat, flat. I really thought I would prefer the flat, but it turns out the hills were easier. It is some work to get up them, but--as I mentioned earlier--there is a lot of give and take with hills. The flats are just work and nothing to look at…the roads just go on forever and, as I was riding along, I could see just sameness well into the distance. My favorite part was near the end (again, I know that seems obvious!), riding by the bay. It was so pretty and shady and just made me happy to be there.
Day two's ride was around 85 miles instead of 100, so I finished it a bit faster. I think that one was sub-6 hours, but it was more than long enough!!
I managed to escape having any major issues. No flats, no injuries, no sunburn, no almost getting run over. The only thing I noticed was the occasional squished snake on the side of the road. I don't mind snakes, so I wasn't all that happy to see that they were dead, but the first one I saw really scared me--a big old diamondback rattler that was as big around as my arm and very long. While I wished he was alive, I would not have wished to see him so close to me and alive, that's for certain. Other than that, no major animal-related incidents either.
I would really like to do this again, but I do not believe I will be able to do this ride next year; I signed up for a full Ironman and only three weeks are between those two events. I volunteered at Ironman Florida on 2 November and decided I REALLY want to be an Ironman…but that's a story for a different day. :)
The first day took 6:52. Sub-7 hours for the 100 miles, so not too bad. I will mention that I found EVERY hill in Florida--they're all on the north side of Eglin range. But the hills are fun; getting up them takes effort, but getting down them is just fun! And the momentum normally will take me to the middle of the next hill. So, a little give and take as far as effort goes. The worst part of the ride was the last five miles. I know that sounds obvious, but it had more to do with the location of the last five miles--on a very crowded road in Panama City Beach, during a high traffic time of day. Didn't get squished (BONUS!!) and finally got to the hotel we were staying at. As soon as I got off of the bike, my legs cramped. Right quad and left calf, so I just gimped around until it all settled down and then we checked into our hotel room and I got HUNGRY. I wanted some real food and, after getting a shower, the hubby and I headed downstairs for a surprisingly delicious meal.
I ate during the ride, of course, but I can only eat so much GU, Honey Stingers, fruit, Gatorade, and other high-sugar foods before I crave something different. Sugar (and salt!) is necessary--riding for so long is a real carb burner and the glycogen stores need to be (have to be) replaced. I can tell when I need carbs, thinking becomes waaaaaay more difficult that it should. Simple math is a real problem and that's when I know I need to eat more. I'm not a fan of public math to begin with, but the problems I try and figure out are simple: "I'm at 14.23 miles right now. How much further do I need to go to get to 20 miles?" If I REALLY have to think about it, it is past time to eat something.
The second day started out really well too. A couple of people had mechanical issues right off, but I was lucky enough to avoid those. Again, I rode alone but enjoyed myself anyway. The route back was far more typical Florida--flat, flat, flat. I really thought I would prefer the flat, but it turns out the hills were easier. It is some work to get up them, but--as I mentioned earlier--there is a lot of give and take with hills. The flats are just work and nothing to look at…the roads just go on forever and, as I was riding along, I could see just sameness well into the distance. My favorite part was near the end (again, I know that seems obvious!), riding by the bay. It was so pretty and shady and just made me happy to be there.
Day two's ride was around 85 miles instead of 100, so I finished it a bit faster. I think that one was sub-6 hours, but it was more than long enough!!
I managed to escape having any major issues. No flats, no injuries, no sunburn, no almost getting run over. The only thing I noticed was the occasional squished snake on the side of the road. I don't mind snakes, so I wasn't all that happy to see that they were dead, but the first one I saw really scared me--a big old diamondback rattler that was as big around as my arm and very long. While I wished he was alive, I would not have wished to see him so close to me and alive, that's for certain. Other than that, no major animal-related incidents either.
I would really like to do this again, but I do not believe I will be able to do this ride next year; I signed up for a full Ironman and only three weeks are between those two events. I volunteered at Ironman Florida on 2 November and decided I REALLY want to be an Ironman…but that's a story for a different day. :)
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