Lone Star Century Bike Ride

First, century is just part of the bike name, there was no century for this girl today. I had decided a couple weeks ago to ride the 36 miler and then a couple days ago, Doug suggested I try the 54 miler. So with only 2 longish bikes under my belt (a 20 and a 30) I decided to jump in. And so glad I did. I had a fabulous time today.

My alarm rang at 5:00 am, I turned it off and fell back asleep and I awoke at 5:35 am. Yikes, but still plenty of time. For some reason last night I had a hard time sleeping. I think I was nervous. I hadn't been anywhere near 50 miles in almost 3 years. It was kind of a funny feeling because I haven't been nervous about anything in quite some time, it almost seemed silly. But 54 miles is a long way (for me), I'm not an experienced biker and riding 54 miles today meant riding 24 miles longer than my longest bike this season.

Another reason I was a little nervous is because I was going by myself, sans Doug. I think I have completed 3 events where he hasn't participated as well or shown up to watch, and I've got a pretty long list of events. So it was kinda strange not to have him along.

As I got up and around, I could hear thunder roaring through the sky. It never rained, but looked like it could pour at any minute. By the time we took off at 7:00, there was no threat of rain as the sky turned a beautiful blue with not a cloud in the sky.

The course was hilly, but a ton of fun. The first 25 miles were great. Little did I pay attention that the wind was at our backs. We stopped for a water/snack break and they had everything imaginable, all kinds of bars, fruit, fig newtons, cookies, trial mix, whatever you wanted, they had it. I think by the end of my ride, I ate a whole cantaloupe.

As we headed back, the wind was whipping around and it was slow going, but still, all good. It was a great day for a ride and I enjoyed myself to the fullest.

When I got in, I met Doug for lunch, then we took Mols for a jeep ride. She loves the jeep probably more than I do, and what a perfect day for a ride. This isn't a new picture, but you get the idea of how cute she is in the jeep.
Now it's time to snack on some cherries we picked while at Doug's parents yesterday, watch Greinke pitch for the Royals. Then I bet I can talk Doug into another jeep ride later to grab some ice cream. What a perfect day!