meanderin' up the mississippi is a bit more difficult than i thought it might be. for starters, i came to the ride cold--meaning, without training. well, that is, if you don't count the 30-mile ride on the prairie spirit trail i did a week before departing for new orleans.
the first day looked fairly easy: take a ferry ride upstream seven miles to the zoo, get on a 22-mile levee trail, jump off, get on a highway following the levee, then ride 16 miles to our first motel. that was easier read than done. i went to bed at 8:30 p.m. and slept until 6:30 p.m. guess i should have trained.
then there was the second day. that also looked fairly simple--seven more miles than the day before--45 miles in all. that was definitely easier than the first day. perhaps i am getting in shape.
the third day was the killer, both in thought and in deed--85 miles. at the 50-mile mark, i simply packed it in, thinking i don't have to be a hero. it was also mother's day, and i knew my children wouldn't want their mother to be uncomfortable on her special day.
that day, i was lying under the shade of a huge oak tree, flat on my back in shivasana position with my eyes closed. "do you need any help?" a nearby voice asked. "my husband wants to know if we should call 911."
"no, thank you," i replied. "i'm just resting."
"do you need some ice?"
"yes, that would be great."
she returned in a few minutes with a baggie-full. i filled my water bottle, thanked her, mounted my bike, and was off after a pleasant 10-minute rest.
sometimes that's all it takes to make it to the end.
today, we are in natchez, mississippi, on a rest day. i need rest after driving the SAG wagon on an 83-mile day. that is another blog, however.
No comments:
Post a Comment