No, not the chicken. The ride.
I've signed up to do 62 miles, or a metric century (which sounds cooler). This is about 20 miles longer than I've ever gone before. If the weather and my speed stay as they have been lately, it's going to be in the low 100s when I finish in the early afternoon.
My thoughts on this ride vacillate between complete confidence and mild terror. On the one hand, it's a relatively easy course. All flat, well supported, stops every 10-15 miles. Rob and I rode 30 miles last year, and I didn't have any trouble at all.
On the other hand, 30 miles is a far damn cry from 62. Forty miles is a shorter cry, and I don't have any trouble with that these days, but still. Twenty extra miles is a long way, especially in the heat.
I also have this fear of being the slowest rider on the course. It's an irrational fear, and I know it. In the grand scheme of things, and the range of riders and bikes that sign up for such things, a 12-14 mph average is not terribly slow. Not fast, certainly, but not prohibitively slow. And once you throw the 100-milers into the mix, I know I won't be the last to cross the finish line, anyway. I just hate being passed, because there's a part of me that always speaks up with "you shouldn't be here, fat girl, you're only getting in the way of the athletes." I don't like that part of me, but it's been with me forever, and it's going to be a while yet before it goes away completely.
The good news is, the confident side surfaces more often than the insecure side. I want to do this, and deep down I know I can. There aren't any official rankings, and I'm fairly certain they're not going to pack up the event before I cross the finish line, so what do I care how many people pass me on the way? In the end, I'll have done 60 miles on a hot day and lived to tell the tale.
Hopefully. :)
Posted by Joy at July 6, 2005 11:02 AM