Friday is in the books. Our favorite rider is in the toilet, the body is dead, all worn out. I have no idea what I was thinking of to confuse this daily massacre with fun.
As usual I was the first rider present at 5:50. One, then two drifted in, runining my dream of a day off. Maybe they don’t ride Friday as they don’t ride mondays. Oh, I forget, I road with them last Friday. So I now have 238 miles in the legs in the last 7 days. Legs that average 160 miles a month with a high of 300. And at 16mph or less. Today we left at 6:15 and though I was dropped, it was on the way back and I picked up another pull in. In by 8. Soooo, 34 miles in 105 minutes. The calculator says over 19mph AND I stopped to take pictures af a bride at the sunrise beach!
My theory for getting myself as far along today as possible was to be sure and start with the leaders so as to avoid what happened yesterday, a balls to the wall chacse in mile 2! to join the pelaton in the first place.
It is 8:48 now. Feels like I have been home for an hour. I have to get up from the chair every so often to stretch the aching body. The left foot planter faciattis is in full eruption. I am often motivated by the pain to stretch it hourly. I notices yesterday that there was a new burning, rubbing sensation near my right toe. I poked around this am and it sure hurts. Maybe walmart will provide a band aid to protect it. I have been getting a few “shots” of pain in my back in a completely new place. Not usual lower back but hot high up. Feels like something that might completely incapacitate me but right now only a hint. Usually I notice a head ach on the ride home, not today? My entire legs need a hot bath. Oh, and the sacroiliac in the left leg is killing me. I am sure it has been exacerbated by a strange gait to protect the heel. I’m getting like 6 hours of sleep a night, plus a few bus dozes, instead of my normal 8. I guess the margarita and beer and shot of mezsal at lunch, same at dinner and same at Beer box (except substitute a second beer for the margarita and then 2 beers before bed are causing this pain. 11 drinks a day. There must be other alcoholics who are trying this bender and exercise routine? I guess it is AE, Alcoholic Exercise instead of anonymous.
Anyway, 6:15 start with 12? people. One dark haired girl at the front that I locked onto. I had gone over to the chase pick up truck parked in the gas station to borrow a screwdrive to try to tighten up my water bottle holder. I had noticed the rattling noise on the way home last night and tighted it with the knif but it worked loose again on the ride over. Luckily I have a second water bottle holder, so I switched to that to be sure and avoid using the bottle on route and impacting a following rider.
Pace was fast but ok. Being with the first 6 riders really cut down on the fire drills to catch up. My woman in front was a good steady attentive rider, never letting us get unhitched until we did. The pace picks up and slows but never slows to what one would call “talking” though they do talk a little. Anyway, somewhere after 14 and before 18 we fell off. The chase pickup came right around and started to drag her back up. I locked on. It was terrible in the dark with the bright lights of the truck and absolutely no viability for me. I just had to peddle and trust. She got right up close close the to the truck and seemed to barely need to peddle at all. And, in 8 minutes it was over, the pickup pulled the the left, she accelerated pumping madly and we were back on!
I am always saying a phrase to myself like “easy tuesday” “make it to first bridge” etc. “first bridge” which is at like 21K was my matra today and loan behold I made it and felt I could hold on. I changed the monta to “blue” which is the blue lit sculpture at the 27k turn around. I definitly did some pant breathing, fell off a little as I saw the turn around but went around with them. No stopping, they are right back up to speed though my woman is a little slow and we claw our way back gradually.
Again my matra is first bridge. This one going back is at like 23K. I’m dieing and finnally see the bridge and drop off and wave the chase around. There will be no second return from the grave today.
I stop at the sunrise point to take a picture of a bride. She is hiding, waiting for sun rise but I want the picture for my story blog. I’m coasting along, enjoying the ride, when a group passes me at 17K? They seem to be going reasonable slow. I latch on and say I will drop at 8K but I stay with them. My matra is “pink safe” as again I have latched onto the one woman in 4 men and her frame is pink and the provide a wonderful safe ride home. I realize later that they have a brown pickup chase.
During the few K I was on my own, I did come throught the death miles about 18K. Busses are parked on the right and I have to pass them but if another bus is coming just then, I am squashed in a very small tunnel. After a very scary one Wednesday, I swore I would not pass parked busses on the left. But one has to. Going fast helps, not only because it shortens the time of maximum exposure but allow the driver passing to cut his speed a fraction to alow me to get through first.
I believe I till drop this brown pickup group at 8K but they have moderated and I settle in until the domo comes forward and yells for them to sprint at like 2k and I drop off a 1k. They go past the park, I pull in. There are no riders there. I just stretch and head home asap.