Cassandra: This week I have been saving up miles for when I am in Las Vegas (in two weeks) and won't be able to ride. I biked on the trainer for an hour on Wednesday night after class with an average BPM of 140-145 and on Thursday morning for 45 minutes with an average BPM of 145-150. But today was my big accomplishment. I set the alarm for 5:00 am (painful, very painful) and got up for a 52.25 mile ride. It was not my favorite ride that I have done. It was still dark out when I woke up and I had only gotten a little over 5 hours of sleep. The last thing I felt like doing when the alarm clock went off was getting up. I just wanted to sleep, sleep, sleep. But I did get up and was out the door by 5:45 am. I had taken longer to get ready than normal, still needing to pack snacks and dress my bike with water bottles, packs, and bar mitts. I was also trying to kill a little time until it was light enough to ride, since I don't have a headlight on my road bike. Finally, all was ready and the sky was lightening up. I was off, first on the Burke-Gilman and then on the Sammamish River Trail.

I noticed right away that the top of my thighs felt tight and pinched where they connect to my core. I figured I just needed to warm up some, but that didn't really help. For some reason, today my muscles were tired. That pinching feeling did loosen up as I rode, but it was replaced by a cramp on the right side of my hip that spread down my thigh a bit. My lower back and the top of my right calf muscle were also sore. I pedaled hard, though, because I didn't feel much like riding. I just wanted to get things over as soon as possible. I don't like riding like that. I like to appreciate the sun shining down on me and the scenery and enjoy the time I am outdoors. But today was not that day.

I think that because I was trying to hurry up and finish my ride, I pedaled faster than I should have (I averaged 14.9 mph, even with the big hill at the end). I didn't stop for a break until I was in Marymoor Park, near the Velodrome. That was 26.1 miles in. I hadn't stopped before that to even drink any water. After refueling, I jumped back on the road. On my way back I had to stop about 8 miles from home because my leg cramp was really bad and my butt was sore on the right side and I needed a break.

Although the ride was uncomfortable, I did get to see some cool things. This morning it was all about wildlife. I saw three deer along the Sammamish River Trail, along with a gaggle of baby geese and their parents. I slowed down to look more closely at the goslings as I passed and one of the adult geese started to come after me, honking up a storm. I picked up the pace after that! I almost hit a bunny that darted onto the trail in front of me before racing me from the grass alongside of the path and finally darting off into the brush.

But the coolest thing I saw on my ride wasn't wildlife. It was a group of East Indians (i.e. the red-dot kind) doing a prayer walk of some sort on the Sammamish River Trail. It was 7:30 am and I was almost to Marymoor Park when I heard them. I wasn't sure what the sound was at first. All I could make out was some sort of chanting and singing and drums. And then I saw them coming towards me, about 30 or 40 Indians in a big group, moving slowly down the trail. I passed them again when I turned back towards home. It was such a neat thing. I am not sure why they were out there or what they were doing, but it was so random and cool. It reminded me of one of those traveling moments. Randomly cool things like that always happen to me when I am traveling.

This afternoon I have had more muscle pain and stiffness. I'm not sure what is going on, but I took two ibuprofen and drank a lot of water to make up for what I didn't drink when I was riding. Dennis and I went to Costco today and I picked up some unsweetened coconut water to drink when I ride. It has a lot more electrolytes than sports drinks (without the artificial colors and other nasty stuff) and can actually be injected into your blood through an IV if you become dehydrated. Pretty cool, huh? I'll let you know what I think about the coconut water once I take it on a ride.

Here are today's stats:
Total riding time - 3 hours 30 minutes
Max speed - 33 mph
Average speed - 14.9 mph
Distance - 52.25 miles