Reflections of the week

Wow! I can't believe I did it! It really amazes me how much fun this past week was. With just over 100 days left before my cross country, I am feeling like I can truely do it!

So, what do I need to improve upon?

1. Speed, I am still too slow. I think with proper time management at the rest stops, I can keep up with the end of the main pack. However, if I can improve by 2 mph I would have more time to take pictures and stop at the rest stops as necessary.

2. Climbing - probably goes hand and hand with the speed. If I can climb faster I can keep from falling way behind.

3. Balance - I am sure I will be blown all over the road at one time or another. Developing better balance will allow me to keep from having to start over after being blown around.

4. Decending - if I was more comfortable coming down a mountain, I can gain much more time on my upright counterparts. I was passed by way too many uprights on the downhills. This is an area where a bent should excel. Of course, I don't want to throw caution to the wind either, but just being more confident about decending would be helpful.

What are my strengths:

1. Mentally I am on - no doubts! I can and will do this cross country tour. I am amazed that I went through the entire week without going mental. I was able to stay in the moment every day. Only the day we did Mule Pass did I let my nerves get to me; however, I never equated not doing the pass with not doing the tour - okay, that probably is a lie. I did do the pass and it was easier than I thought it would be. I was slow, but shortened my lunch time and finished before most everyone that day.

2. I know what I need to fuel my body on the ride. Hammer Rocks! Enough said!

3. I am a Randonneur and proud of it. I know I can do distance and I know how my body reacts to the distance and I thrive on it.

4. I truly want to do this ride. Each day will be different with its own highlights and challenges. This is an opportunity of a life time and I want to live it. I know there will be so really difficult days, but each day will be different.

5. I know the routine. Wake up, get to the trailer, air up, ride, stop for lunch, ride, drink recovery drink, clean the bike,shower, eat supper, get stuff ready for tomorrow, sleep.

Words of wisdom from others:

Many people told me to permit myself to SAG if I really needed to. I don't have to ride Every Fantastic Inch. It would be nice, but it is not realistic.

Other observations:

1. I recovered remarkedly well every day. My legs felt great every morning. I did better on the days that did not start climbing right out of the gate, but my legs were fully recovered each morning. Once again I attribute that to Hammer. I took the enduralytes, Anti-fatigue caps, Endurance amino,and race caps during the ride. I took the AF, EA RC and tissue rejuvinator and premium ins caps after the ride with 4 scoops of Recoverite. I took a combination of Heed and Whey before bed each night. I also rubbed my legs out with the stick each evening.

2. I need to make my gear bag as light as possible. 31 lbs is too heavy to lug every day.

3. I need to come up with someway to keep my bike from falling. It won't fit on Lon's bike racks, so I need to come up with something to keep it from falling over at the rest stops.