A Wake Up Call

I rode 57 miles on Saturday from Santa Monica to Palos Verdes and back. It was not graceful, it was not fast and it was not easy. However, the day was AMAZING!!!

The rain clouds cleared from the downpour the night prior and it was a beautiful Southern California day. I couldn't imagine a better way to spend it than on my bike out in the sunshine. The ride out was great and I felt really good. We were along the coast most of the way and it seemed everyone had the same idea we did...be outside!  The ocean was an incredible blue color, really deep sapphire, and the air was crisp. 

And then...we hit Hawthorne...the most giant, long, crazy, hard hill that I have encountered thus far. I mean it put Griffith Park and Elysian Park hills to shame. IT WAS HUGE! I wish I would have taken a picture from the top to show you what a giant of a mountain this was, but I was too tired when I reached the top to do much of anything. I really didn't think I was going to make it, but there was no alternative...up was the only way to go. Ryan was great at letting me, even encouraging me, to take my time, and one of the ride leaders named Wayne rode with me for a bit and tried to offer me some advice to "think of a song, a rap, a chant, a just get into a rhythm."  I had to stop a number of times, and I am not to proud to tell you that I cried (just once), but eventually I reached the zenith. It was a happy moment for sure.

We started back to Santa Monica at that point and as any of you hikers, bikers or runners know...sometimes down is harder and scarier than going up. My shoulders got really tense and sore as I held the bike stead and applied the breaks and two days later I am still feeling it.  On the plus side, my triceps are much tighter too.

The ride back was long. That is all I will say because I have blocked most of it from my memory. IT WAS LONG and I was so very glad to be home. We rode 57 miles, in 7 hours that day. I am convinced Ryan, Ulisses and many of the others could have done it in half the time, but when all was said and done, I did it!!  Even now it feels like a dream. 
When we got home I couldn't eat anything and noticed that my body started to go into shock with bouts of chills and fever. This was my fault. I did not hydrate or eat as I should have, and I definitely learned that I need to take care of my body before, during and after a ride. The ALC folks would say "drink before your thirsty, eat before your hungry, and pee before you pee your pants." :) Good advice all around.

Ya know, this was the hardest ride I have completed thus far. It was physically straining, but maybe even more telling to me...it was mentally and emotionally straining. I always wondered what people thought about on these long rides, and truthfully I am sure it is as varied as the people riding. I asked Ryan and his response really stuck with me. He said "when I ride I am just so happy to be on my bike, I think of work and people and my life...but mostly I just have fun." That was not the case with me. I had some interesting thoughts about removing "more" from the dictionary, the fact that we live in a world of logos (and very bad ones for the most part), and I sang Sugarlands "Fly Away" over and over and over...but my thoughts were mostly negative.  This is something I am going to work on next weekend. I am going to seek beauty and fun instead of dwelling on the Hawthorne hills. The rides (and life) are too short to dwell on the uphills.

This ride was a wake up call for me, and I can't wait to see what next week's ride will bring.