Two Days, A Jaw-Dropping Hill, and Yoga
Four days ago I left central Illinois to take on the Pacific Coast. I stayed the night with a friend from last summer's Northern Tier ride, sitting on her back deck, a glass of wine in hand, perfect for catching up and enjoying the evening. Finally, at midnight (two o'clock Illinois time) we said our goodnights. We picked up in the morning where we'd left off the night before, more catching up, walking a beautiful path around a lake, and pie on the way back to her apartment. I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful re-introduction to Seattle.
Saturday, my friend helped me load up my bike and gear then took me to the hotel where all of us riding the PAC coast were staying the night before starting out on the ride Sunday. We met each other, had dinner together, then played trivia. The day flew by. Before I knew it, I was in bed (actually on the floor since three of us were in a two bed room). I'd rather have the floor since I've become so used to having a much firmer mattress than what the hotel offered. I slept enough, but the jitters had set in, causing me to wake up a few times then wake up for good at 5 am. I took the opportunity to slip outside to the dock where I meditated for twenty minutes. I started the meditation with a slight headache, but by the time I was done the headache was gone.
I needed something to put in my tummy, so I went walking and found a coffee shop. Said coffee shop had vegan orange-cranberry scones. Though I have foregone flour/gluten for nearly two years now, like with pie, I make an exception for scones, especially orange-cranberry scones. This scone, hands down, was the best I've ever had. It melted in my mouth. The cranberries weren't the dried kind. No. These were tart, plump cranberries.
I was a little worried about my endurance coming into the ride. The longest training ride I did was 45 miles. I did quite a few shorter, slower rides, so I wondered how I was going to feel after the first day. I definitely got tired as we had a couple of tough hills. They were short but the grade was scary. The first hill was maybe a quarter mile, with a 15% grade. One rider told me her bike computer registered 0 mph as she pedaled up. I didn't look at my watch to see what my speed was. I can't imagine it was more than 1 or 2 mph.
Today was a longer mileage day, but I felt pretty good. I even did an hour yoga class at a local studio after getting to our destination. The teacher, after finding out I'm cycling long distance each day, tailored the class to shoulder openings and hip openings. I sweated more during that class than I did the entire 65 miles of cycling today. And my legs were absolute jelly. It felt so good, though.
Tomorrow is a shorter day. I hope to find another yoga studio to get a class in after the ride. I'd love to do a yoga class every day of the ride. A class in a different city for the next 28 days.
Saturday, my friend helped me load up my bike and gear then took me to the hotel where all of us riding the PAC coast were staying the night before starting out on the ride Sunday. We met each other, had dinner together, then played trivia. The day flew by. Before I knew it, I was in bed (actually on the floor since three of us were in a two bed room). I'd rather have the floor since I've become so used to having a much firmer mattress than what the hotel offered. I slept enough, but the jitters had set in, causing me to wake up a few times then wake up for good at 5 am. I took the opportunity to slip outside to the dock where I meditated for twenty minutes. I started the meditation with a slight headache, but by the time I was done the headache was gone.
I needed something to put in my tummy, so I went walking and found a coffee shop. Said coffee shop had vegan orange-cranberry scones. Though I have foregone flour/gluten for nearly two years now, like with pie, I make an exception for scones, especially orange-cranberry scones. This scone, hands down, was the best I've ever had. It melted in my mouth. The cranberries weren't the dried kind. No. These were tart, plump cranberries.
I was a little worried about my endurance coming into the ride. The longest training ride I did was 45 miles. I did quite a few shorter, slower rides, so I wondered how I was going to feel after the first day. I definitely got tired as we had a couple of tough hills. They were short but the grade was scary. The first hill was maybe a quarter mile, with a 15% grade. One rider told me her bike computer registered 0 mph as she pedaled up. I didn't look at my watch to see what my speed was. I can't imagine it was more than 1 or 2 mph.
Today was a longer mileage day, but I felt pretty good. I even did an hour yoga class at a local studio after getting to our destination. The teacher, after finding out I'm cycling long distance each day, tailored the class to shoulder openings and hip openings. I sweated more during that class than I did the entire 65 miles of cycling today. And my legs were absolute jelly. It felt so good, though.
Tomorrow is a shorter day. I hope to find another yoga studio to get a class in after the ride. I'd love to do a yoga class every day of the ride. A class in a different city for the next 28 days.
Yoga teacher Sara and my wild hair after taking a shower, riding my bike to the studio, and sweating like a stuck hog during the practice. Oh well. Wild hair, wild life!
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