Well, I finished the MS80 :)

Soo yeah, they called off the first day of the ride due to the weather aka monsoon rains allll day long in the Houston area.

AND YET!!!!!!!!!!

I had some friends that still rode in the rain!!!! These guys are soooo sooo bad asss! Leave them love on their website!!!!

Anyhow, I was very disappointed that we did not ride Day 1 and that is understandable. However, we did train a lot for this (not to mention the costs)….again though, all for a great cause…
Day 2 started in La Grange and I met my team, Tough Cookies (yes, we were the gals in hot pink, you could not miss us). I figured with the rains passed us and the sun coming out, it was gonna be a great day. However, that was not going to be the case.

#1, my stomach was bothering me, which I lay partial blame to all the travel and stress and fast food I had been dealing with over the past few days. #2, the wind. The HEADWIND. Enough said.

I took the challenge route throughout the Park and rightfully finished it, not walking a single hill or having to stop. That was such a glorifying moment, not walking and passing all those folks. My stomach bothered me enough to stop at the first breakpoint but I breezed right through the park one and even caught up to some of my team members.

Lunch came not a second too soon (I was feeling better after that first stop and then the other unplanned stop after someone crashed….) but I learned my lesson quickly that lunch during the middle of a 80 mile ride: not a good idea. I started getting real sick again and stopped at breakpoint #6. At this point it was all mind over matter to avoid sagging. I remember seeing people from my team and even some friends at the breakpoint and was talking to them and I felt like complete hell. I think I might have gotten food poisoning? Or was it the heat? Dehydration? Whatever was going on, I just felt awful.

I picked it up the last 20 miles, passing almost everyone (okay, ALMOST everyone except those doing pacelines). Lots of stragglers/roadkill at this point. I was in the back of the pack but it felt good to pass everyone, ESPECIALLY on those last few hills. In my mind, I was owning them and convincing my body, ‘yeah you feel like crap but at least you are passing these people…don’t worry, keep pushing!’

Met my team right before the finish and rode together the last 2 miles. I was on such a high, cheering really loud and raising my arms in the air. As soon as we finished though, I felt that punch to the stomach that had haunted me 40 or so miles. I hurried home to mope around the rest of the day in states of pain and exhaustion. I was way more tired than 80 miles should have worn me out. Maybe I am not cut out for distance riding.

Anyhow, just glad to be done! Here is a picture of me and my coach at the finish. Definitely a happy time and a distance first! 77 miles! Hope I can ride a century sometime this spring just to prove to myself I have it in me:)

Thanks for all of the support! It meant the world to me!!!