That would be me…I’m dyin’ right now- I took off for a sane 7.5 (or 8, if you believe my bikes’ odo) mile ride, just slowly getting into the swing, you know. Did I go 8? You betcha. Did I stop at 8 because I was back home again? Unfortunately, no. I’m paying for it now. I ache, I’m weak and I’m kinda wishing that I went the shorter route (I’m lying- I love pushing myself).

I did the 30.5 mile Ground Hog Mountain route. Didn’t leave with the intention to do it- if I had, I would have brought a full water bottle in addition to the camel bak I carry and I would have filled it with something other than our spring water. Our spring water here has about the same mineral content as distilled water (pretty much nil) as it’s so naturally pure. It’s actually purer coming out of the tap than most bottled water is- seriously- we had a guy come to test the water and he thought his equipment had broken- he’d never seen water register so pure. The lab that tested it verified that his equipment is working fine.

Anyway it’s great for quenching your thirst or making coffee with, but if you are going to decide to make your third ride of the season 4 times as long as your previous two, it needs to have a mineral supply. Gatorade would’ve been nice. A couple of bananas would’ve hit the spot too.

I should have known; that’s ‘how I roll’ as the kitchy saying goes- I tend to go with how I feel and then when I do start to peter out I dig deep and kick myself to continue instead of just turning around and heading back early. The nasty, nasty mean hill (after riding non-stop for 15 miles) at the approach to Ground Hog Mountain took everything I had. Didn’t turn back then though- no, I had to go all the way past Ground Hog’s parking area to the not so scenic anymore overlook after it.

That’s the place I always turn around. Usually though, that is where I take a five minute break and eat something to give me the energy to get back and drink some Gatorade… but I DIDN’T BRING ANY OF THAT!!!

But hey, on the up-side, I did it! It wasn’t the ride that got me; it was the fact that I hadn’t eaten anything at all yet today. If I had put down a little breakfast even, I would’ve been much better off.

From now on, I need to pack for a 50 mile ride even if I’m only going 8.

Still glad I did it though…