Tour de Vine, Day 2

100 miles in two days. I only rode 25 miles on the second day. I am trying not to be too hard on myself, because the goal was 150, and I hope that I did not let down my supporters. But several things led to my decision to do only 25 miles, and I will try not to make them sound like excuses. I did not get enough sleep, it was already very hot and humid by the decision time (first rest top at 12 miles), and my asthma was acting up (despite being on therapy for two weeks). IT band issues were popping back up, this time in both legs. My seat really hurt, and my arms had issues.

On Saturday the hardest part was the last 15 miles, not because of the heat, but my arms. They went from achy to excruciating in minutes. Not in the joints, but the triceps. I could barely hold on to my handle bars. At the last rest stop, with only 10 miles to go, I was not sure I could finish. A very nice medic gave me some Advil and rubbed some Icy-Hot into my arms and it help A LOT.

On Sunday, after only 12 miles of riding, my arms were acting up again, especially because the Walnut Creek area is very hilly and you have to push with your arms to get up hills. So I did not want a repeat of the previous day with a possibility of getting driven back because of my arms.

After 25 miles, I felt great back at the finish line. And after a shower and nap I even got some house work done. Injury free, that is the important part. Knowing your boundaries. And biking for a good cause.

From MS 150 Rides