Summer's over and I'm ecstatic to report that the 100 mile ride - the Jesse James bike tour in Northfield route pictured at left - was this past Saturday. And I did it! I managed to bike the entire 100 miles in 6 hours, 34 minutes. That's an average speed of 15.8 miles per hour.Those numbers ordinarily wouldn't have meant anything to me, so to give you an idea how slow I am, the average speed on the Tour de France is about 25 miles per hour and they keep that speed up for 21 days and a total of over 2,000 miles. The people who were passing me on Saturday, and there were a lot of them, had to have been going 20-23 mph.
But I did it. I have to admit that at mile 80, I had thoughts of quitting. Miles 85 to 95 were the worst. Not sure where I found the strength, emotional or physical, to finish. After it was over, I felt like crap. My lingering thought was, "Well, I never have to do that again!" Kind of like how I never have to get my wisdom teeth pulled, go through labor, or watch Anchorman ever again.
That night, though, I slept like a baby for eleven hours, and the next day I felt amazingly calm. It was as if my body didn't have the strength to hold onto any stress.
A couple of friends have asked me, "So what's next?" A triathalon? Biking across the state? I think I'll stick with my basic 30 mile rides. Until next summer. There's this two-day, 180 mile race that sounds intriguing ...My seventh and last Mirabelle Island book, REDEMPTION AT MIRABELLE, was released that week. To celebrate, I'm giving away a book from my back list. Just tell me something not to fun that you don't ever have to do again!
Helen
34 comments:
I used to have to clean out the chook pen at work. The children at the Kindie loved the chickens, but I cursed them & just wanted to have a BBQ to be rid of them. They are gone - there is talk of buying more. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Congratulations on finishing Helen! THat is a big accomplishment! Hope your son is proud of his mama finishing the race with a pretty respectable time. You're not a tour-de-France racer! I don't know that there's anything I've done that I don't want to do again. There are things that I probably won't be able to do again as I'm much older than my old daredevil self!
A BBQ, lol! Good thing you never brought that up to the kids, Marybelle.
Thanks, Snookie! My son was happy I finished. I might just talk him into one next year. And I hear you on the old daredevil self seeing things a bit differently. Snowmobiling comes to mind for me, but that's for another blog!
Wow, Helen. 100 miles! That's amazing.
Marybelle, I completely understand the BBQ comment. I took a college physiology class where we conducted an experiment to test the effect of testosterone on chickens. By the end of the experiment, I disliked those chickens so much. And I love animals.
So the not so fun thing I'll never have to do again would be an experiment involving chickens.
And childbirth, thank goodness. Love the kids but birthing them is another story.
As somebody who biked for about ten miles this weekend and felt proud of herself, I'm beyond impressed by your accomplishment, Helen. I wonder if you really are done with 100-mile bike rides, though. I have a friend who has said never again after each of the six marathons he's run.
I will never again eat liver. It's the only thing I could think of other than childbirth, the obvious.
Yeah, Helen!! Yippee!! and Congrats! You did a great thing for yourself and the people who love you and love your books. And you gave us all something to strive for--not a hundred miles of anything, necessarily, but to strive for something hard and get the reward of having achieved it.
I hit menopause. 'Nuf said.
Helen--Congratulations! You inspire me. Maybe I'll break out the bike and start riding again. And as Darlene said, are you sure you're done? After my daughter's first marathon, she said never again. Guess what? Yep--at least one a year. I can tell you from experience that the first event is always the most painful and it's more because your body (and/or mind) is freaking out because it doesn't know what to expect. I found that to be true in both my first 10Ks and first half marathons--neither of which I initially thought I could do. Subsequent events may not be easier, but they hurt less. Keep that in mind before you hang up your bike shorts. Congrats again. I'm so impressed.
Thanks Kristin. It's a little odd, isn't it, that we've got two going for no more chicks?
Darlene, 10 miles is a big if you've never gone 10 miles, right? Liver. I hear ya!
Thanks Mary!
Laney, that's a big one. I'd put that right up there with childbirth!
Jeannie, your running is inspiring. My knees are bad, so I can't imagine more than a few miles. No better workout, though.
I totally believe that about the 1st event being the most painful. Sitting there at that 80 miles rest stop, I just didn't know how I could possibly finish. Knowing you've done it before would definitely help a gal believe she could do it again.
1 a year. Hmm. That would keep you training, but not obsessively overdoing it. Will have to think about that.
Congratulations Helen ~ I am impressed.
I hate to put a damper on things but the only things I can think of to say never again to is having to bury a parent and menopause. Most other things are still out there. Wish I could say never again to car accidents etc but usually I have no control over them.
I'm so proud of you, Helen. What a wonderful accomplishment. Wish I had the tenacity (and desire) to take on a physical challenge like that. I'm planning on running a 5K for Thanksgiving. My training got derailed with acid reflux, but I'm hoping this week to get a few more run/walks in.
Great inspiration :)
Climb Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. It was awesome, awe-inspiring, divine, but truly one of those Once-In-A-Lifetime moments for me. :-)
Congrats, Helen.
Deb
100 miles! Double WOW! Congratulations! Sad to see the end of Mirabelle. It will always remain a small Island in Lake Superior to me.
Never again - live overseas. I'm home and loving it.
Well done, Helen. I am seriously impressed by your stamina.
Having the wisdom teeth removed. That was the 'never again' moment for me. I hate going to the dentist at the best of times.
Congrats, Helen. My cousin's girlfriend is marathon runner. Not sure if she'll compete in the NYC marathon this year.
Love this line, Helen:
"Kind of like how I never have to get my wisdom teeth pulled, go through labor, or watch Anchorman ever again." Obviously, you were not impressed with Brick's love for "Lamp". It was pretty dumb.
The first thing that comes to mind is something that actually was pretty fun at the time I did it. However, afterward, I saw that a local woman and her son had died doing the same thing. When I did a bit of research on it, what I found scared me silly, and I thought, "Well, at least I never have to do it again!" I'm very risk-averse. I just hadn't known it was dangerous before I did it.
The "it" in this case is parasailing. Worse yet, I took my daughter and her young friend, and we all parasailed off the beach near Destin, FL. Only afterward did I see news footage of the cables snapping and people nearly sailing into a high-rise or hear of people who dropped to their death from parasails. I also didn't know that it was (at the time I did it, at least) unregulated in Florida. In other words, any yahoo could put his shingle out.
So, afterward, I was petrified, especially thinking about having my daughter and her friend out on it. At the time, however, we had a lovely, smooth sail, and I was too ignorant of the potential danger to be scared.
Congrats on the bike ride, I know I couldn't do something like that, I am just to far out of shape.
Kaelee, I hadn't even considered things like car accidents and people dying. Let's all knock on wood!
Liz, my tomboy side shows through with this kind of thing. The siblings that surrounded me growing up were boys, quite active ones. I'm probably acting out now for never having been able to be in sports when I was younger!
Oh, Deb! Climbing Half Dome is on my to do list! As is the hiking in and out of the Grand canyon. I'm sure they'll both go on my "never have to do again" list once I'm finished! lol
Hi Linda. It is sad to say goodbye to Mirabelle. It'll always seem so, so real to me. I actually still dream about the place!
Interesting about never wanting to live overseas again. Did you do that for a long time? I've always thought I'd like to spend a few months in Australia or England. Not sure I'd want more than that. Miss my family too much!
Toni, my dentist is a sweetheart and I still hate going there! And thanks!
Hi Jane. For some reason, 100 miles on a bike seems so much more doable to me than 20+ running!!
JV, I've actually developed a grudging respect for Will Ferrell and I adore Paul Rudd, but I can not stomach that movie. Don't know why!!
And you are much braver than me. I hold my breath when I see parasailers!
Hi Virginia! Trust me, I didn't just hop on that bike and crunch that race out. I spent all summer working my way up to 100 miles. Never thought I could do it, honestly!
Congrats and hooray, Helen....that is very impressive!! And I thought I accomplished something by walking 2 mi. most every day! lol
But I am "elderly".....and would love to read your book (s).
I'll never have to climb the stairs at St Paul's Cathedral again.
Congrats on finishing the 100 miles, Helen! You've inspired me. My dh has planned a cycling long weekend for us in a couple of weeks and frankly I've been dreading it a little. I can hike all day long but biking makes my back and butt sore. However he loves it so I'm going to do my best. The good part is we'll be cycling between wineries. How many miles we're going to rack up is anyone's guess!
Jackie, sticking with anything IS and accomplishment! Congrats on yours!
I still want to, Chey!
Joan, the butt getting sore is something you should be able to do anything about. Make sure you have a good pair of biking shorts - mine have gel padding and worked well on that 100 miler. There are different sizes and shapes of seats. I bought a gel padded cover for my seat and that made a tremendous difference.
If your back is hurting, then the bike probably isn't set up correctly - handlebars to seat to pedals. There are so many adjustments that can be made and a good bike shop should have someone who can help you with that.
Make a call before your weekend. You'll probably have to bring your bike into the shop, but it'll likely make the weekend more enjoyable!
Oh, yeah, and I'll never do a lot of things again until I do, and then have to give myself a big DOH!
It definitely wasn't bravery. It was more an "ignorance is bliss" moment.
Helen,
What an accomplishment!! You deserve a nap.
Wow, a great ride I'm sure :D I only cycle in the village to the little shop.
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