Big Saturday ride

Phew, it's been a bit of a tough weekend.

Friday got busy at work with meetings and I didn't get the chance to go for my swim at lunch so I was feeling pretty antsy by the end of the day. I was also keyed up after rushing around, trying to make meetings on time and get everything done so I could get home. Which meant I had that hangover when adrenaline leaves your body and you feel drained and cranky. But i needed to get in a 2nd swim for the week so thankfully Sarah kicked me out of the house when I got home and I dragged myself to North Sydney pool for a few laps. Funnily enough as I was standing there staring at the lanes considering which to plunge into, Dan walked up beside me! Not sure if it was a good idea to tire ourselves out with a fairly long ride the next day, but we both stepped up.

My alarm was set for 4.25 on Saturday, but I awoke 5 minutes before it and got everything together for a long day on the bike. The four Ironman contenders - Dan, Andrew, Mark and myself - all met at Le Spit at 5am for a serious length ride. With only 6 weeks to go we realised we needed to get serious.

The ride turned out to be awesome. Absolutely perfect weather - cooler than it's been for weeks, no wind and no humidity. Of course it was 29 degrees by the time we'd finished, but we got plenty of kms out of the way before that.

North up along the beaches, McCarrs Creek, then Mona Vale Road from Terry Hills through St ives and Pymble to the Pacific Highway. Then it was north baby north! We stopped for a water refill and a pee at Pie in the Sky, then continued until Calga and the T-intersection, at which we turned and came back. The return trip was fantastic, we all took turns pushing at the front along the Highway and came back a lot quicker than we'd gone out. Turned down Forestway then Wakehurst Parkway and we kept checking on each other, but we were all doing really well.

I rolled down the driveway with 183kms on the clock, at 1pm. Just over 8 hours on the road, 7 hours actual riding.

I threw on my running gear and headed out for an easy 40 minutes in the heat. By the time I got home I was still feeling strong and couldn't believe it! However 5 minutes after stopping I got the shakes and with trembling hands threw together a massive fruit smoothie. Clearly I hadn't eaten nearly enough.

I'd intentionally cut back the calories on the bike. I had a banana and PB sandwich for breakfast, then in the 9 hours I was exercising (4.40am - 1.40pm) I ate one powerbar, one home made muesli bar, one banana & PB sandwich and 4 dates. To be honest i'm surprised I didn't bonk, but it's got to be good training.