40+ Miles!

I hit unchartered territory for me today - 41.6 miles! (or 41.59 as my bike computer displays on the left, to be exact). Surprisingly, I felt strong for most of the ride, even though I've never done this kind of distance before and my bike is only 2 weeks old. During my first 20 miles, I averaged 16.4 mph. Then I made a turn, headed straight into the wind and realized that it had been at my back most of the ride so far. I didn't get off my bike until I hit mile 26, when I inhaled a granola bar. It was at that point, though, that I came to the unfortunate realization that I probably didn't bring enough water. Gotta figure that one out for my next long ride. At mile 30 I was still feeling strong but faced that monster hill I did on Saturday. I did what I did last time - stayed in the "granny gear" (a funny term my sister-in-law uses) and just got through it. The next 10 miles were my slowest but I had a smile on my face the entire ride after hitting the big 4-0. Woo hoo! Total time out: 2 hours 49 minutes. Final average mph: 14.7. Can you tell I like numbers?

After I finished 30 on Saturday, I definitely felt like I had more miles in me. I didn't feel that way after 40 today, though, and I was happy to pull back into my driveway. I do feel surprisingly good right now - only a little neck pain and my legs are sore - that good sore you get when you've worked hard. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

I think I'll hover in the 30-40 mile range for the next few weeks and let my body adjust before going for 50 and beyond. I can't wait until next weekend!