More Big Training, First Big Event and Taper Time!

So there's what happened last week.  Ugh...I'm tired just looking at it!  I had one no-op workout, my ride on Tuesday.  In coach's log, I wrote WORKOUT FAIL.  I was just tired and had no power in my legs.

This weekend (still here right now, actually), I drove up to New Glarus, Wisconsin to stay and then ride the Quadrupedal Century yesterday.  I'd wanted to visit the brewery in New Glarus, but my timing was off--it closes at 4PM, which is about when I arrived on Saturday, I didn't get back from the ride yesterday until 5PM, and it opens at 10AM today but I intend to be on the road by then.

I was looking forward to this weekend away from home, as it had been 8 months since I had a weekend away, and I hoped the change of scenery would relieve my mind of thinking about the remodeling and other stressors.  It was nice to take a different route into Wisconsin for a change of pace, since I was bypassing the Madison area which is where I typically stay.

I got to the hotel and they had a sign at the desk NO BIKES IN ROOMS.  WTF, right?  I didn't want to leave LGL in the car, so I asked where am I supposed to put her?  In the "bike shed."  After I lost my city fear of theft, I caved and put her in there.  There were gardening tools and dirt in there, but I had to trust that was fine.  Actually I could have left her in the car.

I had some New Glarus beer at the bar in the hotel and watched the Kentucky Derby.  I don't think I've ever watched that before, but in the spirit of just relaxing and doing whatever shows up, I enjoyed it.  I had dinner in the hotel restaurant, and it was enough to feed two easily!  Lamb chops, green beans, rolls, salad and Roesti, which is like hash brown potatoes with cheese.  I did polish off the great salad, all the Roesti, green beans, 1 roll and 2 lamb chops, so I did pretty well on the calories anyway.

Next, back to the room to obsessively watch weather on TV and computer.  It wasn't looking good for Sunday.  Rain, possibly thunderstorms.  I'd brought a trainer with me, and if the weather was bad enough, I'd figure a way for the hotel to let me have the bike in the room and ride 5 hours on it.  But I didn't really want to have to do that.

I managed to sleep for 9 hours, and just from my lack of thoughts when I'd wake in the middle of the night, it was a good thing to get away from home.  When I woke up, the weather forecast was pretty much the same, so I just thought, oh well, let's do this thing.

I had to jump the gate at the hotel front desk to get the key to the bike shed since nobody was there until 6AM and I needed to be on the road, with about a 30-mile drive to Dodgeville.  When I left just after 6, the woman at the front desk noticed the key just laying on the counter, and she asked if I'd jumped over and I said yes!  She laughed heartily, and so did I.

The drive to Dodgeville took me through some more nice countryside and of course, plenty o' hills.  This area of Wisconsin is just loaded with them.  Once again, it was a nice change of pace to be on roads I'd never driven--or possibly I had while married, but I don't remember.

It wasn't actually raining at the start, but I decided to take my rain jacket rolled up in a pocket.  I was wearing a long sleeve technical shirt, a very lightweight short-sleeved bike jersey (the one my brother Mike gave me that I love), a bright green Pearl Izumi windbreaker, regular gloves, regular shorts and loose fitting run tights.  I had toe warmers on my shoes and wore a helmet beanie for warmth.

It felt cold to start, but as we began riding I warmed up nicely.  I started out with a guy John, but like 15 minutes in he realized he'd forgotten his water bottles, so he turned around and I never saw him again.  It began raining not too far in, but what are you going to do?  I was in the middle of nowhere and just wanted to hit the first rest stop.

The first one was 27 miles in and they were holding a few of us brave souls there because there was a front of hail passing through.  I was like BRING IT!  Stopping makes you cold when you are all wet like that, so when they gave the all clear, I was shivering for a bit.  I don't know if I actually got hailed on--it felt like it--I was surely pelted a number of times by either rain or hail--who knows? I got soaked pretty much through except for my upper body which was protected by the rain jacket (I knew to stop when I felt the first drops and never took it off), although I was all sweaty under there.  My feet were wet, but oh well.  At the first rest stop, I asked how far to the next one and someone said 13 miles.  Um...no.

The next one was 25 miles later, and thank GOD because, well, I wanted a reason to stop.  So we're 52 miles in, and I'm thinking this is just half way.  It wasn't raining right at that moment.  I'd caught up to and passed 3 guys during this second leg, and took off from the second rest stop just as they were pulling in.  Yay me!  I'd only seen 2 other riders pass me so far.

The way I read the map, the next rest stop was at mile 70, which made me temporarily happy.  But when I got to mile 62 and saw the water jug and a veer left for the 100-mile route, I knew I'd read it wrong.  I had to make the split second decision am I riding 100 or not?  Yes, I am.  WTF it can't get any worse, can it?  And this stretch, just for the 100-mile route, was actually pretty nice!  There was almost some flatness!  But of course, it did have some nasty climbs, too.

Finishing that loop I was up to 77 miles, and it was really nice to go inside a bar to use the restroom.  At least I wouldn't turn all cold like the outdoor rest stops.  I'm sure I looked pretty weather worn, judging from the way the few patrons looked at me.  I guess you don't see too many women out riding in shit weather like that, do you?

Turns out I was the FIRST person through that checkpoint for the 100-mile ride!  Yay me!  I was in first place!  This made me feel good, even though I wasn't going very fast, it was more that I was toughing it out.

But now, I could wrap my head around the remaining 23 miles.  I caught up to another guy who had to be doing "only" 85 miles and passed him, and it made him mad so he picked up the pace and repassed me.  Like I didn't expect that.  Then, I almost caught him again and BOOM flat tire at mile 80.  Fuck.  Oh well, I know how to do this.  Got the old tube out and new one in pretty fast and then WTF is with the CO2 inflator.  Not working.  Fuck me.  So I waited and 5 fast guys showed up and blasted my tire, and I thanked them for being fast, although they started just after I did so I guess I was doing pretty well on the day.  I couldn't hang with them, though.

Right after the flat is fixed, we turned into Norwegian Hollow.  I remembered this fucker from the 2 prior times I'd done this ride.  Screaming downhill to start, we got rained on some more, and then the climb out is horrible.  I saw it coming and thought I'd need to bail and walk.  But I didn't.  I was barely moving on the climb, but I made it.  Sitting down.  The 2 amigos who weren't as fast as their 3 buddies weren't far ahead of me, and I'd thought the next aid station was at mile 90, but it was before that, and they just bypassed it, and I thought I'd do the same, since I had enough Infinit and water left to ride it on in.

A few miles later, the other 3 guys came by, and turns out one of them had a flat, too.  It happens when it's raining all day and all the road grit and shit is everywhere.  Now, you would think they would make the last few miles of the ride "gentle," but fuck no.  We hit Berg Road, and I remembered it was another grinder and I hate that fucking thing.  But I did it, and still, now you think the last 3 miles wouldn't be so bad, but you are climbing right up until you finish.

I finished with 101 miles on the dial, and I was happy!  I stripped almost everything off, wiped the bike down a little (to get worms off it mostly), put it in the car, grabbed a towel and fresh clothes and headed in to shower.  Of course, it was the BEST SHOWER EVER!!!  Then I got in the chow line.  I had Salisbury steak, noodles with beef, eggplant Parmigan, a piece of regular white bread with butter (it was GREAT!) and water.  I wanted to hit the road, and they were passing out bags of individual snacks, so I grabbed 4 Cheetos.  They also made bags of 4 or 5 homemade cinnamon rolls, so I grabbed one of those.

On the drive back to New Glarus, I chowed a bag of Cheetos, then I stopped at a gas station next to the hotel to load up on New Glarus Beer--3 six packs.  Back to my room, crack a beer, and I ended up finishing my 2 lamb chops from dinner the prior night, a dinner roll with butter (I wanted an entire stick of butter), then I ate another bag of Cheetos, 2 more beers, and I ate all 4 cinnamon rolls!  I have no idea how many calories that was, nor do I care, but I know when I did the ride 3 years ago, the Ergomo said I'd burned 3800 calories, so no worries!

I slept 9 hours again, and am tired, but my legs don't feel too bad.  Today is a rest day and the official beginning of my Triple T taper.  I am so glad I toughed out that ride, a little sad I wasn't the first 100-mile finisher, but what the hell, I did good on the day, and another deposit has been made in the mental toughness bank.  I am now going to eat breakfast at the hotel and then take off for home, where no doubt I will WANT to do a million things on a day off but instead will most likely lay around and eat.

Time to start thinking about Triple T.  Shit!  Well at least I got a good dose of hills in me so that shouldn't be too bad!