Goldilocks

Saturday was my first "official" bike ride.  Goldilocks. 

If you are interested in hearing more about my experience- if you want to learn about the power of peer pressure, my two personal rescuers, and sore hineys; please, read on.

The ride started at 8:30 and I was nervous; nervous but mostly excited.  I was excited because I was doing something that I had never done, and I was excited to be pushing my body to ride further than I had ever ridden before. 

I was nervous for the same reasons.  By the power of peer pressure and a bit of my own stubbornness, I had been convinced to ride the 63 mile course instead of the 30 miles that I was originally registered to ride.  So, in reality, I was asking my legs to propel me twice as far as my longest ride this season.  I was nervous that maybe I was asking too much of my body.  But I was determined to do my best.

My number: lucky # 238.

After we got all of our gear put together and our bikes ready to go, my Mom, Penny (my sister's mother-in-law) and I met Marci (my lil' sister) at where the ride was starting.  There 600 women were gathered together excitedly chatting.  The rides' director had a microphone and started giving instructions.  The chattering didn't quiet down, instead the din seemed to rise so that individual conversations could continue over the noise of the instructions.

     

Soon, people were getting on their bikes and heading out on the course. There was confusion everywhere around me. People were looking at each other asking "Where is everyone going?" "Are we starting?" "Which arrows do I follow?"  I would later learn that a bell had been rung, but nobody heard it for all of the other noise.

I rode with Marci, Penny and my Mom for the first mile and then they pulled ahead of me, as I knew they would.  I thought about the long road ahead of me.  I tried to envision the course in my mind, and anticipate what was coming next.  Soon, I looked up and saw my Mom riding back toward me.  "What are you doing?" I asked.  But she wouldn't ride ahead.  She stayed with me for the entire ride.

Around mile 20, Penny was stopped at one of the Rest Stops, waiting for us.  For the rest of the ride the three of us rode together, forming a paceline when we could.  These two women, who are much stronger riders than I am, took me under their collective wing and pulled me along.  Honestly, it's very possible that I wouldn't have been able to finish without them.  

I'd gotten past the two parts of the ride that I was the most worried about.  Two hills between miles 17 and 30.  They were hard, yes, but not as bad as I had thought.  My legs were feeling good and I had ridden the majority of the last half of the course on training rides.  Knowing what to expect gave me some confidence. 

42 miles into the ride I starting feeling tired.  I wondered, for the first time since the start, if I had gotten in over my head.  And then, miracle of miracles, lunch!  It was an awesome spread with great sandwiches, chips and delicious cookies.  Not only did the food hit the spot, but even the presentation was incredible.  There were decorations on the tables; cruisers with ribbons and flowers adorning them, pink, blue and green balloons and music playing.  It was just what I needed to get going again. 

Lunch made a big difference for me.  Resting my legs for a little bit and getting some substantial food refreshed me and gave me a morale boost as well.  Just 21 miles to go.

The last 10 miles started getting difficult; my legs and my back were asking me to "Please, stop!", but that was nothing compared to what my hiney was yelling at me.  Luckily, I recently changed out my seat.  The one that I had before would have made things much more uncomfortable for me.  So, I said to my sore hiney, "Quit complaining!  It could be a lot worse!"

We finally got back into Herriman, where we had started.  The finish seemed to follow along the same lines as the start, in that, it was a little confusing for me.  There was a general feeling of "Is this the end?"  "Are we really done?"  We found Marci (she'd done awesome, by the way) and we relaxed on the grass for awhile, enjoying the warm afternoon.

This is Marci, my Mom and me, just after finishing. 

              (Is that a smile or a grimace on my face?  Hard to say.)                   

 

This is Marci and I.

There's a smile!

Penny, Marci, Mom and I

All in all in was a great experience!  The course was great, with lots of variety, it was well marked so we didn't get lost (always a plus) and the lunch stop was awesome!

I'm getting excited for Little Red in June.