120 Miles to Indy

It seemed like a nice thing to do for Father's Day - go see my Dad. And, I was scheduled for a long ride...so I rode to Indianapolis (Carmel really). But Fort Wayne to Indy for me. Something I've always thought of doing. 120 miles - the farthest I've ever ridden in one ride. And I did get to spend sometime with my Dad and family to top it off.

I didn't approach a ride of this distance with much forethought. I woke up Sunday, made some coffee, hugged my kids, read the paper, went through my normal Christian guilt for missing church again on Sunday morning, then started to plan out my workout. I quitely Google mapped Fort Wayne to Indianapolis and drew a line representing I-69 on an piece of paper. Then I wrote the names of most of the smaller towns on either side on the I-69 line...so that I could at least get my bearings as I happened upon little towns like Jonesboro, Markle, Upland and Elwood. From there, I'm embarrassed to write, I packed my nutrition for the ride: 1 Hostess Dunkin Stick, 1 banana, 1 chocolate covered Granola bar type thing which later melted it in my back jersey pocket. My pre-ride meal consisted of: 1 Hostess Dunkin Stick and two cups of coffee. Hostess? Shame. That has to be the absolute worst thing to eat. I don't follow a very holistic approach to my training, obviously.

The ride was good. I pedalled strong the whole way, only a few times did I stand to coast and stretch it out. I focused on my cadence and breathing, and just watched my shadow follow me along. The sun was horrible. I certainly didn't enjoy being in the sun that long. I had no where to hide, as it was a bright sunny hot day. I didn't get any flats, thankfully. Having not planned the morning well - I only had one spare tire. Normally two spares is a little smarter for that distance. I'm forever indebted to the woman that works at the Burger Dairy in Elwood, IN. She not only rounded down my bill (bought water and a Coke at mile 85) so that I didn't have to carry change, she also drew a map for the final 35 miles. That was perfect timing as I was growing a bit weary and losing focus.