Flashback to this Past Summer

There was a day this past summer that I felt so compelled to write about that it sat in my email as a draft for the last four months. So, take yourself back to the hot humid days of August and imagine this day, about two weeks before Ironman Wisconsin, one of my last big workouts before the taper for the race.

"I just felt it necessary to write about what a horribly stupid person I have been so far today...

Let's start with the morning. I got out my cereal and as I pour the milk, it comes out in a clumb. Dang it!!! Ok, plan B, I bought a bagel at Brueggers Friday so I was fine for breakfast.

I decided to ride with some CTC folks (actually begged for company on my ride and was heard by JE) up in Chagrin. I got on the entrance ramp for the highway and realized that I forgot my water bottles in the freezer so I decided to get right on the exit ramp and go home and grab them.

I got up to the place where we are meeting to start, and as we set out to leave, I royally dropped my chain. It was actually caught between the big ring and the front derailler. Fortunately, someone there fixed it for me so I didn't delay the group. We head south towards the valley, and I am talking to BH when I hit a major, bone shaking hole. I was sure I was going down, but both my bike and I made it through okay, but my heart started racing out of my chest. It took a good five minutes for my heart to settle down. For food, I was working on my nutrition, so when I hit that major hole, I managed to loosen my peanut butter sandwiches out of my bento box (little box velcroed on frame to hold things like said PB sandwiches), and they fell out without me noticing. Fortunately, someone was behind me and managed to pick them up for me.

From there, I was actually able to start concentrating on riding, but I was with a group of very strong cyclists. I mean, when I got there, I knew I was in for a hurt. My first lesson was that I am apparently a horrible descender. I kept getting dropped... on the downhills! By the end, I was really struggling. I think the problem was that everyone besides BH and JE planned on this 55 miles being their entire workout so they had no problem pushing harder to stay with everyone else. I, on the other hand, had every intention of finishing then going back out for an hour on the bike then going running for another hour and a half. When we got back to the starting place, after a hilly 55 miles, we averaged over 18 mph. I was hurting and still had 2+ hours to go.

So, I went back out to finish my ride, and on the way back, I rode through a vertical crack and nearly broke my wheel. After another five minute calm down from panicking, I got back to my car to prepare for my run. When I got there, I see that I forgot my fuel belt for running so despite it being about 90 degrees and humid, I have no easy way to carry water for my 90 minute run. I also forgot my purse so I had no headphones to listen to while running.

BH had suggested a running route, and it SUCKED. It was a very hilly road after about 2 miles of false flat. I was freakin' hurting, carrying a water bottle in my hand that kept slipping out, then I had the brilliant idea to stop at a gas station and fill that water bottle with freezing cold water at the soda fountain. I easily guzzled two full bottles...but I forgot I still had about a mile to run, yeah, that felt great sloshing around my stomach.

When I finished, I though, man, a diet coke and a cookie (my vision of heaven on earth) would just rock, right? Well, not for me because I forgot my purse and my wallet and had a total of $1 in my car.

So, my hunger pains started to become noticeable on the drive home so I decided to go home, grab my purse, take the bike out of the car, and go grocery shopping. I got to the grocery store, looked to the passenger side seat and saw NO PURSE. Are you f***** kidding me? I went home specifically to grab my purse and forgot the damn thing."

While driving back to my apartment, I called my mom crying, asking her, "what's wrong with me?" She agreed that with Ironman, I had lots of things on my mind so I probably wasn't very focused.

For those of you who know me well enough, nothing in this post should come as a surprise. Looking forward to 2012, I should make a resolution to be more diligent about remembering things which would have come in handy last night as I went to my cycling class..grabbed my clothes, trainer, bike, towels out of the car and realized I had forgotten my cycling shoes. Duh! Good thing I live close by...