After missing Surfside yesterday and feeling fully recovered except for a slight cough and some leftover congestion, I decided to head out to the West U Warm-Up this morning. It’s one of the MS150 warmup rides — one of the few that’s actually a reasonable drive for me, at Beltway 8 and 288.
I left my apartment at 7:00 and just before I got onto the highway, I realized that despite all my preparations last night (packing a bag, laying out all my clothes, filling water bottles, etc), the one thing I did not have with me was my helmet. Yes, I’d left it sitting in my garage. No helmet = no riding. I was still on the feeder so I quickly turned into Chik-Fil-A and was able to cut across the parking lot and back to Bay Area. I grabbed my helmet and headed back towards the race. I only lost 10 minutes, but it stressed me out.
In retrospect, forgetting my helmet was probably a sign that today wasn’t going to be my best day.
I got to the park and got everything ready to go with minutes to spare. Just as we headed out, it started to drizzle. Great. I’d been thinking of doing the 50-miler, but it was already cold enough that I’d given myself permission to back off to the 30-miler if I didn’t warm up. The rain was not going to help that. The split between the 30 and 50 mile courses was right at mile 10, so I knew I could decide after I’d been riding for 40 minutes or so.
The drizzle continued for the first five miles. Just as it began to tail off, a new kind of drizzle started. From my nose.
Yes, the cold and wind jump-started my runny nose all over again. I couldn’t stop it; the best I could do was wipe it on my leggings. I quickly started to feel like I was getting covered in a layer of snot. I know that’s gross, but I’m just being honest. I cruised past the first rest stop knowing that I needed to make a decision — 30 miles or 50 miles. Then, right before the split, I almost choked on my own snot.
That made the decision easier. Today was going to be a 30-miler, and I’d just have to be ok with that. I wasn’t really getting any warmer, the sun wasn’t making any appearances, and 30 miles would have to be enough.
Once I turned to follow the 30 mile route, things improved for a few miles…but then we turned into the wind, and things started to go downhill. It was windy, so I slowed down. We passed over a particularly bad section of road that left all my bones vibrating long after the road had smoothed out again. We hit a section of shoulder that was layered in watery orange mud that got all over my shoes, tights, and water bottles.
With about 5 miles to go, I saw some railroad tracks up ahead, and a volunteer warning that they were slippery. I slowed down and prepared to cross them perpendicularly (though they crossed the pavement at an angle). Apparently my preparations weren’t good enough.
CRASH.
Down I went, my tires sliding out from under me as I crossed the slippery rails. I landed hard on my left thigh, and somehow managed to get a raspberry on my left elbow despite not ripping any clothes. I must have hit my left knee as well, because there are two tender red bumps on my knee cap.
Fortunately I didn’t hurt anything seriously, and popped back up to get to the side of the road. I looked back to see the volunteer that had been warning of the tracks sprinting towards me, so I quickly called out that I was ok. There was only one other cyclist behind me at the moment, so at least my embarassment was limited.
I gave my bike a once-over, and had to pop the chain back on. The handlebars felt weird too, but I can’t place exactly what changed — I think the whole handlebar may have rotated. I was planning on going to Bike Barn this afternoon anyway, so I’ll have them take a look at it.
Needless to say, by that point I was quite ready to get back to my car. The 30 miles took me just under 2 hours, an average speed of 15.5 mph. At the end, I was cold, wet, and covered in a layer of sweat under a layer of snot under a layer of mud. A shower rarely feels as good as it did today.
Overall, I have mixed feeling about the ride. I’m glad I did it, and I know I made the right decision to drop down to 30 miles instead of trying for 50. But I’m discouraged by my overall speed and attitude. Biking isn’t my favorite of the triathlon sports — in fact it’s probably my least favorite of the three — and as such, I am much quicker to mentally check out of the sport. As soon as I have to ride into a headwind, I start thinking about how much it sucks, and how much it’s slowing me down. As soon as my butt or neck starts to hurt, I start thinking about how I can’t wait to be done.
So. Mixed feelings about the ride, but I’m happy that I got it done.
bunnygirl says
Wow, sorry you had such a sucky ride. If I hadn’t been sick this week, I probably would’ve considered it, but that last stretch along the business road before you turn onto the feeder is quite dangerous. And it always seems to rain or at least drizzle for the WUWU.
But you finished, and I think under the circumstances you did very well!
Steeeve says
I let the Cheeky Chorus out of the holding room, and they gave you a long round of applause for getting out there on the ride when it was clear you didn’t wanna and probably shouldn’ta.
Dang, your writing is entertaining, so why was I cringing with each new paragraph? Probably because you intended it that way
Keep up the good work, get healthy quick now.
Jennifer says
Yuck. I hate biking. It is the reason I will never, ever be a triathlete.
You should be proud that you got our there and finished.
katie says
keep it up I am so impressed by your training even when you are having bad days!!
Vic says
You’re one tough girl!