The Great Escape

When the alarm went off at 6:20, the first thing I heard was the low moan of the wind. For an instant, I thought about heading back to Seabrook after all for another half marathon — or about just staying in bed entirely. But wind doesn’t stop races, and the best thing I can do is be prepared for it.
I decided last night to join some of my BAM! buddies at the Great Escape Ride, one of the MS150 warm-up rides held only a short half hour drive away in Manvel. I was pretty certain that I was making a good decision to ride instead of run, and after we finished I know it was the right thing to do. Despite the wind, we had a good ride and it was just what I needed to make me feel like I’m getting back on track.
Riding time for what Garmin measured as 40.3 miles was just over 2.5 hours for an average pace of 15.8 mph. We killed another 15 minutes split between two rest stops. I wouldn’t have stopped on my own, but the others wanted to and I must admit it was nice to get off the bike and stretch for a bit. I felt strong the whole ride, with only a little soreness from the half marathon yesterday. The last 5-10 miles were especially fun, since I was leading our group (which was only two others and me at that point) in picking off a few dozen riders ahead of us on the road. It always feels good to notch “roadkills.”
I’m really pleased with the overall average pace, especially since the early congested miles were slower than usual, and especially with the wind. There were a few gusts that almost knocked me off my bike. At the first rest stop, we saw two bikes get blown over, and as we were standing at the second stop eating some cookies, an entire tent blew over. Crazy windy. CRAZY. WINDY.
Congrats to all that did complete Seabrook. Two of my coworkers did the half/full challenge. Hooray for them!