Still Recovering from "The Ride"

"The Ride" took place on Sunday, and I thought by taking Monday off and only swimming on Tuesday that I ought to feel pretty good with a pair of running shoes on my feet on Wednesday morning.  It wasn't the case, but I trudged on with lead laden legs thinking it could possibly be the overcast skies or my not so uplifting audiobook I was listening to about chemists experimenting on mice to find cures for bacterial infections in the 1900's.  Then today at school, I needed to head upstairs to get some art supplies from our workroom only to find I didn't feel my usual bounce heading up or the skippy slip step on the way down.  Maybe it's the tail end of this sinus cold, I told myself. 

While the cold may be contributing, I decided I needed to face reality . . . "The Ride" wiped me out!  "The Ride" pushed me to the next level.  Even though I managed to survive the ride and not slow the speedster Bryant down too much, I didn't yet have what it takes to continue exercise at my usual pace after a day like Sunday.  My legs needed recovery time, which means swimming and working my fingers on the keyboard to catch up on a blog entry. 

Last Friday, I purposely ran a double (a.m. and p.m. runs) figuring Bryant would want to bike over the weekend.  My seat time has been limited, so I eagerly agreed to a 18 mile ride on Saturday.  When our neighbor saw us returning, she jokingly asked us how the trip was to Hatcher's Pass.  We laughed accordingly and peddled on home.  Earlier I had mentioned  to her that we planned on biking up there sometime, but I assumed it would be a ride for much later in the summer.  So when Bryant suggested we bike up to the Hatcher's Pass intersection on Sunday, I was taken back by his desire to want to go this early in the season. Not wanting to be the party pooper, I asked a few details about the mileage and convinced myself that I would make it. 

I say biking "up there" because Hatcher's Pass is a 3,000 foot elevation climb.  Luckily the first 20 miles are mostly flat and the next 7 are a steady incline in the 7-9 mph range, but the last 5 are "my goal is to stay out of granny gear as much as possible" speed. That's right the barely moving, heart pounding, legs aching, how far until this flattens? speed.  When I finally reached our destination (32.5 miles from our house) at the Intersection to Willow, AK by the Hatcher's Pass Lodge, I was beat!  We did enjoy beautiful views, snacks, and sunshine, but only after I laid my body down on the pavement to rest for awhile. Eventually, I did find enough energy to make my way back home, another 32.5 miles.

And it looks like that was all the energy I did have as I've been recovering from "The Ride" now for the last 4 days  This is not the case with Bryant as he's been making a hobby of climbing Arctic Valley Road after work, which is an 7 mile ascent gaining 2,300 feet of elevation.