75 Mile Ride

Last Sunday Chris and I took our longest bike ride to date. We rode a total of 75 miles over the course of the day. This was a training ride for the MS150 ride we're doing the last weekend in March. (You can sponsor me & which raises money for a great cause!)

Start: 8:30am at Our House

We rode from our house to the Trailhead Bike Cafe (11 miles). At Trailhead, we met up with Celeste and Josiah who were going with us on a 55 mile loop within the city. Dave & Chad showed up at Trailhead for coffee & breakfast. Chad couldn't ride because of a recent bike crash he's still recovering from, but David ended up joining us for the first part of the loop. Then he had to leave us to go to work.

Before we left the bike cafe, the guys got silly on the four person rental. (Some day we're going to rent this bike.) We officially started the route at 10:30am.

Here's the loop we took within Phoenix. It was a really nice route. The first half was along the Arizona canal. Due to the tunnels that go under the roadways, it's a pretty fast and easy ride. (It's always easy when cars aren't around.) Plus, it was really beautiful.

We rode this route clockwise starting at 16 Street & Glendale.

We stopped for lunch around mile 28. We ate pizza and enjoyed the great weather. It was a much needed break. I'm still figuring out the right mix of food and snacks for longer rides like this. Water is easy, drink lots! Food is a bit more difficult to get the right amount and type.

After lunch we all felt more energized. I started feeling fairly worn out around mile 44 so we stopped in the shade in front of someone's house. Shortly after that we stopped for gelato which also helped a lot!

By the time we got back to the bike cafe, we were all pretty worn out. It was 5:00pm, Chris and I had ridden 65 miles total. Celeste & Josiah had ridden 55 miles. It had been a full and successful day. We were all very proud of ourselves.

Chris and I still had to ride 11 miles back home. We rested for a bit (and probably should have eaten something) then headed off. That last 11 miles was definitely tough for me to start, but once we were on the road, it was OK. I rode pretty slowly though.

End: 6:30pm at Our House
After a shower, I planted myself on the couch. Chris was nice enough to pick up dinner and we relaxed the rest of the night. When I got into bed, I did have a tough time getting my legs to relax. After a little Advil, I was able to sleep soundly.

I'm very proud of my longest ride to date! I'm confident that I'm ready for the MS150. I'm now planning on riding all 150 miles (instead of 105 miles originally). Since it will be over two days and fully supported, I'm confident I can do it. I'll just need to be a little more conscious of food and my energy levels. I will also take Advil earlier rather than waiting to feel the pain.