Prepping for Saturday...

One more day and I have to do this for real....I have to ride in a pack of - more than likely - well trained cyclist and keep pace. Oh I'm sure that there will be enthusiasts there...stroller types...Sunday poke arounds...but there will be a large number of real riders as well. I'm a little nervous about this. I don't have a road bike...I ride a hybrid which isn't all that great for road OR trail but could feasibly do both if asked to. Am I going to stand out like a sore thumb in a crowd of bike jersey wearing go fast types?

I haven't ridden any miles since the Friday that I attempted the 48 miles until tonight and I went out and blistered my lap of Towne Lake with a 28:57 performance...my best time ever. Two weeks off kept my legs from responding to the burn but I was gassed at the end which isn't all that normal now. But I can't keep that pace Saturday....

Only riding 7 miles tonight and then trying to pull off 48 Saturday....I'll need to pace myself...listen to slower music...fall in with a decent paced group...but will "my pace" exist? We'll see. I'll finally learn if I'm ok at this new hobby or if I need to train like hell through the winter and try again in the spring.

I'm excited about this but I almost liked the solitude of the ride two Friday's ago. No pressure, no idle chat when I didn't feel like it, no pace to keep....just my legs begging to pull over and something in my head saying nope...not yet. I like that. I haven't had that feeling in a long time in a "sport". So don't look for me in a brightly colored jersey and blowing the doors off of the pack....but look for my big butt to finish this ride and toast a cold beer when I'm done.

I just hope it doesn't rain on me...that would suck.