August 29, 2009
Kathy Z.

After a rather eventful bike ride with a plethora of thoughts running through my mind, eureka, I’ve got a theme for my next blog.

Intention: 40-mile early morning endurance bike ride, basking in the warm summer sun through beautiful rolling Wisconsin farmland.
Reality: 32-mile endurance-turned-interval bike ride completely soaking wet in the cold, unpredictable Wisconsin summer weather through rainy, obnoxiously hilly, manure-smelling Wisconsin farmland.

Pre-ride – “Since Charlie Shortino [local weatherman personality] says it may rain late morning, I’ll practicing getting up, eating and go for an early (7 AM) ride. What a beautiful morning, I think I’ll ride northwest to Hwy 12. I like that path by the highway. What should I eat?”

Mile 1 – “Hmm, it’s kind of chilly in a tank top. Note to self, wear a short sleeved bike shirt next time in this temperature.”

Mile 5 – “It looks dark over there. I thought those clouds weren’t supposed to come until later this morning. Maybe they are miles away, and if I ride fast enough… Oh yeah, drink some Gatorade. Fueling the athlete, fueling the athlete.”

Mile 8 – “I like corn. I like to eat corn on the cob. I need to buy some, why haven’t I bought any this year yet? I’ll put it on the grocery list, and then Berta [my partner] will buy some at the store. How can she NOT like corn? It’s not as windy since the cornfields have grown so high. I bet they are 5 feet tall! It always amazes me, those tiny little seeds grow so big.”

Mile 10 – “This hill sucks. I think I’ll focus my annoyance on Coach Yoli. She said she is used to people being mad at her during training. Okay, focus. 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10… Wow I’m breathing hard. At least I get to go downhill now. Watch Out below! 38 mph awesome, and kind of scary. Fuel the athlete.”

Mile 12 – “Is that a raindrop. Oh crap. This wasn’t supposed to happen until LATE morning Mr. Charlie Shortino! I would not classify 8 AM as late morning. Well, everything is good practice? Now I guess I can practice riding with sprinkles. It rains in Texas, right? Nope, you can’t control the weather.”

Mile 15 – “Wow, it’s really poring now. I should turn around. Please no lightning, please no lightning. I wonder if cars on Hwy 12 are looking at me, wondering what a biker is doing out here in this rain. Their windshield wipers are probably on high.”

Mile 20 – “Stupid sunglasses. My butt’s wet. Yeah, and my white tank top was a really great idea, brilliant, in fact. Burrrrr. Fuel the athlete.”

Mile 25 – “Who can I blame, who can I blame, oh yeah, Yoli! You stink…making us train on a frickin’ Tuesday. Okay, stop blaming Yoli. You did this to yourself; she didn’t make you go out today, with the threat of rain. Those cows really stink. All these years in Wisconsin, I just can’t get used to that smell. How do farmers do it?”

Mile 28 – “Concentrate on bike handling skills. Going downhill at 38 mph is probably not a smart idea with wet concrete. Break…break some more. Fuel the athlete.”

Mile 30 – Another biker, who is NOT wet, passes me from behind as says, “Got caught in the rain, huh?” “Is it that obvious? I probably have a giant brown stripe up my back. Why isn’t the road wet here? Are you telling me I rode into that storm! Sigh. I should have gone east.”

Mile 32 – “Home at last. Hi dogs. Hello shower!”

Most of the above thoughts are indeed true, and yes, it is quite entertaining to be me.
Happy Training, even if it’s raining.