The Little Things
July 28, 2014

Two weeks ago I went on a bikeride that had a few strange elements to it. But I’ll start at the beginning…

I decided to flip my route around this time. I start in the middle of my route, do an out and back one direction, and then do an out and back the other direction. Normally I start in the same direction, but I went the opposite direction first that day. I decided to do this because it’s the hilliest part of the ride, and after 43 miles, I’ll cut out the hills if I can 🙂 I went about 10 miles in one direction, and then turned around… straight into a headwind. My pace instantly dropped. I struggled along, getting in a good rhythm against the headwind over the next few miles until I hit the trail again.

Staying on the trail was good, as I was definitely more covered from the wind, which was ideal. Once I popped back out of the trail and on the path through the fields, I passed by a couple who had stopped even trying to ride against the wind, and were walking while pushing their bikes. I was a little jealous I couldn’t join them.

At one point about 27 miles in I decided to stop next to a creek for a little break since I was having to pedal so much harder, and I definitely needed a snack and a breather. I saw these beautiful day lilies, and paused to enjoy them.

Lilies on Bikeride

Then, it was back to a tough ride into the headwind for another 10-12 miles before hitting the trail again. I could’ve bailed at any point, but I realize that frustrating and difficult rides like this can also be really beneficial, both physically and mentally. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, as I mentioned in my post about last week’s ride (sweet country roads), so I tried to focus on that as I biked.

As I mentioned, the ride was unlike any of the rides I’ve done so far. I was chased by 6 or 7 dogs while biking (not all at once), which really made me feel nervous. Luckily none of them came out into the road, but they ran right up to the edge of it, and sometimes ran alongside the road with me for a bit, barking. Definitely a little nerve-wracking. There was also a turkey vulture on the side of the road, and as I was approaching, he flew up into the air and then swooped down far too close for comfort. Each of these events, along with the extra strong headwind, definitely made for an interesting ride.

Honey Stinger Waffles

I finally had some solid success in fueling my ride though, and ended the ride still feeling good. Before the ride, I had: 1/2 cup dry oats, 1 cup almond milk, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1/4 cup sliced almonds, and 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, which was definitely filling! I ate this with 10 ounces of orange juice.  During my ride, I ate the following:

The dried cranberries were a new addition to the ride, and they were great nearing the end of the ride. I came in just a little over 53 miles, and it was fantastic!

I guess my body has adjusted to the longer rides, because I wasn’t sore on Wednesday, unlike the past few longer rides. Like my ride a few weeks ago, I listened to The Help on my Ipod throughout the ride, and am really enjoying it!

 

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4 responses to “Being Chased By Dogs”

  1. Kristen @ Glitter and Dust says:
    July 28, 2014 at 1:55 pm

    It sounds like you are definitely getting stronger and more confident on the bike. I know how scary (one of my worst fears) it is to be chased and/or barked at by a dog when on the bike. I have a small panic attack every time it happens to me – you can actually see my heart rate sky rocket on my data (I wear a heart rate monitor). Great job on staying tough in the headwinds and for not giving up.

    • littlethingscaroline@gmail.com says:
      July 28, 2014 at 2:15 pm

      I definitely feel stronger than I was at the beginning of summer, and I’m glad that my nutrition is pulling itself together slowly but surely. I would love to see the data with this ride for myself. It must be interesting to see how your body reacts to things like that!

  2. Tina@GottaRunNow says:
    July 28, 2014 at 6:11 pm

    That’s too bad about the dogs – not fun! I listen to books while I run and it makes the run go by faster.

    • littlethingscaroline@gmail.com says:
      July 28, 2014 at 7:00 pm

      Yeah- it was too bad. It definitely made the ride a little more nerve-wracking to me! What books on tape have you really enjoyed?