Wilted. And Defeated.

39 mile ride
Today was hell. I was supposed to do a 60 mile ride, which was supposed to be my longest ride before Vineman. So, in my mind, it was a pretty big workout. Matt and I went up to Ned to see the fireworks and got home late and slept in. As a result, I got off to a late start. Matt decided to come along for half of the ride but had to run home to get his bike. We met up halfway and finally got rolling around 10:30. When I checked the weather at 10, it was about 81 degrees.

We got onto Jay Rd. so that I could get some of the rollers in on 36. Once we hit 36, I was already roasting. I told Matt that this ride was going to suck. I felt like I was being fried and my lips and mouth were extremely dry. I experienced a new method of not really moving. My legs didn't feel like bricks as they usually do when I get tired. In fact, my cadence was up pretty high initially. It's just that there was no power in my legs at all. It was like there was nothing in them. I started my Z3 set hoping things would get better. I was being rather optimistic considering this was about when the head wind kicked in. I was sweltering. I wasn't sure that I'd make it to Carter Lake with any water left. That turned out to be a moot point. About 45 minutes in, I decided that there was no way I was going to do 60 miles. I'd be lucky if I could get through the Lyons loop. I immediately started reshuffling my training plans. If I did tomorrow's swim today, I could get in another lap on the bike tomorrow and do my scheduled run. Besides, swimming sounded so good.

My new goal was making it to the convenience store in Hygiene. Gatorade was all that was on my mind. It seemed like such a long ride, but we finally made it. We parked the bikes and found some shade. There was a tandem couple there who were also taking a break. We started talking to them and they guy said that his bike computer was registering a temperature of 101. Well, that certainly made me feel better. The heat rarely bothers me on the bike, usually because there's generally some sort of breeze and you're not standing still for the heat to really settle in on you. In fact, the only time I really noticed the heat was 2 or 3 years ago when we had several days of around 100 degrees. I was out on 75th completely exposed and it was then that I really felt it beating down on me and actually said outloud that it was hot. So, hearing the temperature did make me breathe a small sigh of relief. This sad performance didn't just come from nowhere. And this is where the highlight of the ride appeared in the form of a motorcycle with a side car. And in the side car, were 2 little white fluffy dogs with goggles on - tinted blue of course. They stopped at the stop side, and the continued on. The dogs looked as happy as could be. It had me laughing for a while, especially since we've always talked about throwing Mobi in a side car with a scarf and googles. Somehow I doubt that Mobi would be as content as these dogs were.

We rested for a bit and finished a Gatorade (oh how good it was!). My theory on Gatorade is that for the most part, I think it's pretty gross. I usually drink it watered down. But when I really need it, that's when I find that it tastes so good. It was time to get back on the road. My new goal was to make it home, where I decided I'd rest up for a bit and then go for the swim. And then it started to rain. At first is was just a drizzle. We stopped at Tom Watson park to refill on water as it was still really hot. But once we left the park, the rain really kicked in. It's amazing how quickly you can go from being insanely hot to really cold. It seemed like the sort of rain that would pass over quickly, but we were stuck in it for 20 minutes or so and I really don't like riding in the rain. Once we got back into Boulder, we hit dry streets and were back into the heat. Apparently the rain didn't make it so far west. So much for being cold.

After 2.5 hours, I was finally home. I had some food and water and decided to lie down for a bit before heading out to the pool. I woke up 2 hours later. So, I guess the heat really did take a lot out of me. And I still felt pretty wiped out. I bagged the swim and took the dogs out for a walk instead. I decided to call it a day and instead made dinner, watched a movie, and called it an easy night. I'd figure out tomorrow tomorrow.

The heat got the best of me today, but I'll bounce back.