Just finished my first 100K ride

Axe34

100K, or, No Country For Old Men Wearing Fleece

I was up and out the door by 7:30 a.m. I reached Hawkestone and was feeling pretty good -- 30K down, and now I just need to turn around for a nice 60K ride and set a new personal best for total distance. That's when these two older guys -- probably in their 60s -- roll up on the trail and we start chatting about the weather. Turns out they're headed for Orillia from Barrie.

I'm like, WTF? These guys don't look like they're in shape. Jesus, one of them's wearing tennis shoes and a fleece pullover and the last of the fog burned off an hour ago.

So then I get the bright idea, hell, if they can do it, so can I. Never mind that my longest ride up until this point was just short of 60K. Never mind I only started cycling seriously less than a month ago. Ego trumps smarts.

So they take off on the trail and I head back to the road. I eventually roll into Orillia and catch up with them (the trail's a more direct route.) We get to talking again and I say to them, "So, are you guys going to grab something to eat or a coffee before you head back?"

"Head back? We live here. My wife drove us and our bikes down to Barrie this morning. We'd never be able to make that trip!"

And I think, "You've...got...to...be...kidding...me."

So I grabbed a bagel and a coffee at a Tim Hortons in the *ahem* 'interesting' section of Orilllia and pondered my next move. It's blasting Gregorian chants out of a bunch of speakers outside to deter loitering. I could have sat there all day. After trying to determine for 10 minutes which there were more of in that particular Tims, tattoos or missing teeth, I give up and hit the road again.

I started talking to myself around K70.

"No big deal, you've got this. Just watch your pace and you'll be fine."

I ride back into Barrie and I'm only at K88 and I'm thinking, there's no way in hell I'm going to be able to go another 12.

No...freaking...way.

But I keep going. I get close to my house and I'm only at K93 and I hit the proverbial wall. My bike starts wobbling and I'm getting lightheaded.

Keep in mind I have two 750ml Camelback bottles. I drained both on the way up, refilled them and drained both on the way back but ran out at about K80. That's 3 litres of water. I also had oatmeal, a banana and a bagel with peanut butter for breakfast AND had a bagel with butter in Orillia just to be on the safe side.

AND a nectarine, granola bar and gel pack.

But I still hit the wall. I staggered into a Petro-Canada and grabbed a Gatorade. I go up to pay for it -- keep in mind I can't feel my legs, my eyesight's a little sketchy and I'm probably in an altered state -- and this is what I get.
"Oh, do you know if you buy to of those, they're only $2 each? Would you like that deal?"
"No, just this."
"Are you sure? It's a great deal!"
"No."
"Do you have a Petro Points card?"
"No."
"Would you like to apply for one?"
"No. I need to drink this in the next few seconds if I'm going to stay on my feet."
"Fine!" he says, a little huffily.

I guzzled it and within 2 minutes, I kid you not, I felt much better. Back on the bike and pedaled around my neighbourhood to knock off the last 7K to make 100. There was no way I was going to quit when I was that close. Although I'm sure my neighbours were probably thinking, "Look how out of shape this guy is! He's wobbling around a subdivision!"

As I pulled in to the driveway, the tripometre read 100.04k.

I ate some carbs and protein and I actually feel fine. Tired and a bit sore, but fine. I put compression and ice on the knees and am taking it easy for the rest of the day.
Heart rate monitor says I torched 4,848 calories!

Despite being proud of my ride, I've got to say those 12K from about 74 to 86 were the toughest physical challenge I've ever faced. Made my 15K tun feel like a walk in the park.

Which reminds me......I have to get some insoles for my next run.

Here's a picture of me with my number 1 fan, my daughter Claire, helping me make the number 100 after the ride.

kfesta52

What a ride!! Good job.

origwvgirl

Great story and quite an inspiration!

brittknight828

What an awesome story!! I've maybe done 1/5 of that on fairly flat ground, so just the thought of going 100k makes my legs a little shaky. You are an inspiration!

Axe34

Thanks!

Although I have to say, as someone who's battled major depressive disorder and low self-esteem for most of my life, my first thought on finishing was, "Big deal. Guys on the Tour go twice as fast and twice as far EVERY DAY!"

lol

I did eventually felt good about it.

Axe34

Oh, and for anyone who might be interested in how I got to this point (because I know I've received soooo much inspiration from so many stories here)...

1. I suffer from major depressive and anxiety disorders. I've been on disability for them for two years. Prior to that I had worked since I was 14 -- I'm now 41 -- and had two very successful careers as a reporter and, later, a public relations executive.

2. I tried Couch to 5K back in 2011 as I was sliding into my current bout. I did a half-assed effort for about a month and didn't change my diet. The slide culminated in a brief hospital stay and my current off-work disability. I was at my lowest point mentally in my life. I spent the next year and a half basically just existing.

3. On June 16 of this year, I had my worst ever physical. My weight was 206 (I'm 5'8"), my blood pressure was 135/95 and my cholesterol was sky-high.

4. On June 19, I started logging my calories here and started Couch to 5K again. I could barely run 2 minutes straight. I saw my friends logging 20K runs and I thought, 'There is no way I will ever be able to do this.'

5. Despite my brain trying its best to sabotage my efforts, I cut my calories and only missed one scheduled run. I finished the program two weeks early. I followed my first 5K with a 10K a few days later and then 15K a week after that.

6. The 15K run aggravated an old peroneal tendon injury so I had to lay off the running for a bit. In the meantime, I purchased a hybrid bike for some road/trail riding to keep my cardio up.

7. My first ride was 25K. It almost killed me. Since then I have done rides of 28K, 35K, 58K and yesterday's 100K.

8. I used to HATE exercise because it made me feel like crap. Turns out it was doing that because I was hauling around about 30 extra pounds. I actually crave my workouts now and bought a home weight set to add strength training. Don't get me wrong -- the first month of Couch to 5K I was pretty miserable. However, if you keep with it you'll reach a point of it going from miserable hard to enjoyable hard. I really can't explain it -- you'll just have to experience it to know how it feels.

9. I've been fortunate enough to have time off to work on getting better. I used to yell at the TV when the Biggest Loser was on, saying, 'Of course these people lose weight! They don't have to worry about their jobs or family." I don't know what my progress would have been if I was working full-time. I think it's safe to say it wouldn't be nearly as fast as it's been.

10. I've dropped almost 20 pounds and several inches off my waist and my blood pressure's 107/76. I'm consistently hitting my macro targets and approach food very differently. I have more energy and focusing on my fitness has helped crowd out the depression. It's still there -- some days worse than others -- but it's definitely more manageable.

So, in short, I used to sabotage myself by looking at what my friends were doing and thinking, 'I'll never be able to do that, so why bother?'

Now I just set a goal a little bit further or faster than my previous one.

Before you know it, you're at the level you never dreamed you'd get to.

wendamabelle

Amazing job! That is not a flat route between those places. You're just inspired me to get out on my bike for a pre-dinner ride since the rain has stopped.

I'm aiming for a 50k ride this month. 100k seems huge to me right now. Good for you for doing it!

Axe34

Amazing job! That is not a flat route between those places.

Thanks!

According to my Fitbit One, the elevation changes on the ride were the equivalent of climbing 103 stories.

Good luck on your 50K!

tallmansix

Well done mate, nothing more satisfying than a long bike ride, was amused when you said the older guys said they were only doing the one way trip, That's the fun of cycling, getting into adventures that you don't expect. And the great thing about it, you have to finish, no point getting off and walking! Best of luck, I did a 100K* ride a couple of month ago and couldn't get on my bike for a whole week afterwards,

*82k time trial with an 18k journey to and from the start.