Often times it's not about being the fastest, the strongest, or the coolest, all of which I am not. Sometimes it's about, in the words of Tony Horton, "Doing your best and forgetting the rest."
*Uriah and I relax post workout.
"This is my dream and this is what I am going to do." - Brodacious
I woke up and knew today was my day. This was the best day weather-wise of 2013, the winds were relatively calm, and my legs felt fast enough to catch the Unicorn.
*Dream morning at the Tri Pad
The lake loop is my favorite bike ride ever. It's like a Unicorn because it can be elusive and hard to capture. The ride is nearly 70 miles that includes a lot of climbing, desolate stretches, wind, timeless scenery, and stunning views of the lake and landscape. It is like riding in a dream world. It sometimes turns into a nightmare though, the elements can be brutal. This ride can break your body and your spirit.
*Yes, my Hammer Nutrition/53x11 Kit matches my bike.
*The 1500 calories I would be using to get through the next 6 hours
This ride has been on my mind for a long time. A few times I attempted it the results weren't good. One time the winds whipped up so fierce I could barely move in my easiest gear. I abandoned and went home. Last year about this time I was about 10 miles in and I wasn't feeling it, I went home because you have to be on the top of your game or you'll end up in a bad situation.
I have simple dreams, but I pursue them fiercely and I consider myself one of the best at making the simple dreams into drama filled adventures. :) It was my dream to take this ride to a new level, a level I have not yet reached. My plan was to ride the lake loop, something I've done before, but I wanted to combine it with a nearly 9 mile lake run. I have never done the two as part of the same workout.
Honestly, the only thing I have combined with the lake loop is post ride incapacitation. It's ridiculously tiring for me to ride it, I'm a wimp. :)
*Kitted out, checking the weather and the winds.
Knowing you have to ride your bike for almost 70 miles and then run for over an hour after is a tough pill to swallow. The thought builds anxiety in my body. My dream was to do this workout, simple, yet it meant everything to me. This was my dream and I was going to live it.
*Smile if you love shorts without waistbands!
OR...
*Strike a pose if you are digging the arm sleeves!
The start of the ride, the first 16 miles, is my least favorite. It starts with a gradual incline that drags on for miles and miles. The wind is also prone to blowing head on as you slog up the false flat. The traffic is also at its worst for this stretch. The starting stretch is a "just get through it" type of start to the day. It makes you appreciate the epic-ness to come all the more.
*First few miles of a long day.
*Loooong stretch all by myself
*Where am I going? Top left corner of this photo and beyond.
Miles 17 to 25 are my favorites, by far. The huge hills force you in and out of the saddle to climb, the views are great, and the downhills are furious. This section also includes riding in close proximity to the water's edge and riding across the dam. I love the leg burn, up and down, and pure serenity of this section.
There was a slight problem though...
*Oh no, not good...
In the distance I saw the familiar orange signs signally construction. I also saw the dirt road that had replaced the paved portion that should have been there. I climbed to the start of the construction, my mind trouble shooting what I was going to do.
I stopped to speak with the flag man. He asked if I was going through. I believe that so many things can be remedied with a positive attitude so I smiled and I told Mike (my new best friend) about the ride I was doing. I pretended like I knew what I was doing, like I was an expert in this situation, like it was nothing out of the ordinary and asked, "Do you have a DOT pilot truck?" I quickly followed his "yes," with a "Do you think they'd give me a ride." I waited for the answer with nervous anticipation... "Sure."
*Mike wanted his picture taken. lol
*Janet Bike ready for a shuttle service.
The feeling of "I can't believe they said yes" overwhelmed me. It was very nice of Mike to give me a ride, and honestly I was tickled with the hilarity of the situation. Mike seemed to enjoy himself as well, he didn't mind me taking his picture, and he talked my ear off for the mile and a half I rode with him.
He let me off when the pavement started again, enthusiastically wished me well, and I got back to pedaling. I was gleaming from the simple fun that I just experienced.
*Mike told me a few funny construction worker jokes. The ride and the jokes were free.
The backside of the lake can be tough because it's relatively flat, you can see forever, and the wind can scream. However, I enjoyed the vast fields, never ending pavement, and the wind that tugged my jersey and opposed my every effort. I rode through a desolate stretch and saw a dump truck up next to the road. I gave the arm-piston motion and the driver honked the horn. I laughed out loud and found it oddly hilarious.
*The Bait Shop, if you really hit the wall you can purchase snacks here.
*Getting ready to zoom down this hill and take a sweeping corner.
*A nice fisher-lady took my picture. When she told me I had a "cute outfit," I smiled and replied, "Thanks, I picked it out myself." lol
*My favorite part of the whole ride
*In a word, "Wow!"
*After 9/11 it's rare to be able to ride or drive across dams.
*You get to ride right next to the water while smelling and feeling the coolness of it.
*Tunnel of trees as I climb away from the lake.
*Climb baby, climb!
*This remote campground was supposed to be my refreshment point, clearly not operational yet.
*The words "heck" and "yeah" come to mind.
*You can see the lake way off in the distance.
*What's the point of having a huge mountain and a bike if you don't combine the two?
*I can see my house on the other side of the lake, 20 miles by bike, not that comforting actually.
*Miles and miles of farm land...and wind.
*At times I lose my identity and just feel like a blowing tumbleweed.
*Mooooooooo
*Sight for sore eyes, civilization. This is Main Street.
*Best $.99 ever spent, I bought the 32 oz water on the left.
*When your bike is the only thing connecting you to getting home, you don't park it outside. I parked it right next to the movies and did my shopping.
I had to fight the toughest wind of the day at the end of the ride. Once I made the final mile I was shifting my focus from "OMG I am so tired," to "Alright big boy, it's time to run." I took about 5 minutes to change clothes and shoes and set out. There is no other feeling like that of starting a run on tired legs. It's one of my favorite things in the whole world.
The most treasured moment during this workout is when you reach that edge of being so tired that another step takes all your focus and effort. It takes hours of building fatigue to get there. It's so simplistically satisfying to live in the moment of "just keep running for another minute." I love being so tired that I'm right on the verge of stopping, but using everything I have to keep moving my legs. I love getting home and being so tired that I frankenstein it around like a zombie for an hour.
*The final "dirt mile," legs get me home.
The run was just as fun as the bike. I ran next to the lake for 40 of the 70 minutes. The cool breeze off the water cooled me down while the first warm sun of spring radiated down. The weird thing is that I felt great for an hour, then fatigue hit me in the head like a hammer. I really had to focus to get home. When I get tired I use a lot of self talk, "Come on Bry, stay tough and get what you came her for. How bad to you want this, Brodacious!" When I did finally get home after being in motion for over 6 hours, I just sat on the step.
*After being on-the-go cycling and running for over 6 hours, I just wanted to sit still for 15 minutes and relish in how much fun I had.
This is the most tired I have been in a long time and I felt very accomplished. I love these workouts. What a great day. This was worth every second, I achieved my goal and took my dream workout to a new level. This is what I love more than anything and I had a smile on my face the rest of the day.
*The day after was hot tub recovery. Uriah is giving you the double guns.
What did you do with your Saturday :)
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