The Little Things
August 11, 2014

As I mentioned in my birthday celebration post, I did my first metric century last Monday! I headed out with a co-worker, and it was nice to have some company on the ride. My co-worker said that I could choose the distance, and I said that I just wanted to go further than my current PDR (which I think was 53 or 54 miles?). Once I realized that a metric century is about 62 miles, I knew that’s what I was aiming for that day. It was a HOT day outside (about 83 degrees and complete sun) when we hit the trail, so I knew it would be a slower than normal pace for me. The first 32 miles flew by as we talked. I think because I normally just listen to books on tape, having someone else around made the time fly by quickly. We stopped at mile 20 for a few minutes to eat a bit and plan out when we would turn around. I ended up hitting the turn around point about 6 minutes earlier than my co-worker. We hit a hill and I tend to just get down low to my bars and power up them, so I had some time to catch my breath at the top.

We turned around at mile 32, and stopped around mile 36 to refill  our water bottles and buy more gatorade. I was so thankful for that gas station, as I had already gone through about 55 ounces of fluid (like I said- it was HOT out). Somewhere around mile 43 I started to get a little achy and hungry, and was craving fried chicken REALLY badly. If someone had delivered it to the trail, I would’ve been a very happy person.

Most of the second half of the ride was back up hill a little bit, so I was a bit sore and tired, plus I could tell I was drinking and eating less as well. I finally had my last snack break about 10 miles from the finish, and could notice a significant energy spike towards the end. I’m so glad I finally got my nutrition right after a few pretty tough rides at the beginning of the summer! I think tracking it and writing down exactly what and when I ate on each ride was beneficial.

Birthday bike ride

Overall, this ride was fantastic, and it was a great way to usher in my birthday. It’s great to see that, even though I’m two years older than when I started riding back in 2012, I’m much faster and can go MUCH farther distances. My poor co-worker had to listen to all sorts of random chatter along the ride, but I had a great time being able to talk to someone.

Here’s what I ate along the way:

I climbed over 2,000 feet on the ride, and had a great time. It’s been great to see how I’ve progressed over the summer!

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3 responses to “Metric Century Ride”

  1. Kristen @ Glitter and Dust says:
    August 11, 2014 at 4:34 pm

    It’s been so fun watching you grow and get stronger (and more confident) on the bike. It seems like you have really found your niche with nutrition and effort. Congrats on an awesome performance and ride. BTW, I LOVE the Margarita Bloks. SO salty and good in the summer heat.

    • littlethingscaroline@gmail.com says:
      August 12, 2014 at 12:35 am

      Thank you! It’s been fantastic to watch it myself over the last few months. It’s been helpful to write everything out, and hopefully that’ll help my transition back to biking on the road next spring a bit easier. I do have to admit that I’m definitely thinking about a half ironman now…

  2. The Little Things says:
    August 18, 2014 at 2:10 am

    […] great rides to read about: Metric Century Ride, Being Chased By Dogs, Take Me Home Country Roads,Cornfields and a 50 mile PDR, and A Muskrat and […]