The Bright Side

I went for a beautiful bike ride today with five guys (mmmm..... suddenly I could go for a cheeseburger), most of whom I've never ridden with before. It was 50 degrees when we started, and windy - gusts over 19mph. The leaves peaked this week, and the route was through gently rolling farmland.

This was my first outdoor ride in a month, and my longest ride in almost 2 months. I've been riding 30 t0 45 minutes at a time on the trainer, so I knew I would feel a little rusty today. Well, "a little rusty" doesn't begin to cover it. Not only were my legs weak and heavy, but my brain has apparently atrophied.

First of all, I left my aero bottle on the counter. A planned two-hour ride requires two water bottles. My bike only has one bottle cage on the frame, so my second bottle would be between my aero bars. You need a special aero-shaped bottle for this, so I couldn't just use a regular bottle instead. The solution would normally be to stick a regular bottle in my bike shirt pocket. However, this idiot didn't wear a cycling jersey today; she wore two running shirts and a running jacket. No pocket for a bottle.

Sigh.

Moving on.... I only knew of one other person I was meeting to ride with (Todd), and I've only met him once. At the time, he was sitting and wearing regular clothes. Stand him up, put some cycling garb and sunglasses on him, and he looks completely different. So, I go say hi to a small group of guys who are getting ready to ride, and don't recognize him. I keep looking around to see if Todd has shown up yet, and decide that if he doesn't show, I'll just join this other group (one of whom I knew). What a nice, embarassing moment it was when I finally asked, "Is one of you Todd?" - and one of them was.

Double sigh.

The ride itself was fun and invigorating. It was also maddening. I can't believe that less than two months ago, I could ride 56 miles averaging 19mph and run a 1:57 half afterward. Today, I struggled to average 16mph for a 30 mile ride. It really, really sucks to have lost so much fitness and endurance.

BUT:
(You know, I always have to find a bright side.)

Why did I lose so much fitness? Because I took time off. I rested. I let my brain and my body relax and heal. I refilled the well that had been emptied after 11 months of constant training and racing. As depressing as it is to have to start over, I know that it was the right thing to do. Ultimately, the break I took will pay dividends during IMTX training. And if it doesn't, well, May 18th is going to be a very long day.

Oh, and for those keeping track at home: 2 hours of riding with the first 90 minutes knee-pain free. T run of 1.25 miles with no knee pain at all. I am rejoicing.