Jan 17 - fueling & recovery

I had meant to say something about fueling in the last blog.

On the 300k, drinking lots of crummy coffee to stay warm, I didn't do very well.  I had a little cheese and a couple of my squares that I brought, not nearly enough. I did better on the 200k but then again, it was a shorter ride in better conditions.

I had cut up a chunk of mozzarella into squares and also had a half-dozen of my seedy squares and those sustained me for the ride.  The only thing that I bought at each of the two  Control/convenience stores was a diet mountain dew.  When I got to the end of the ride, even though there was food in the offing, I wasn't hungry.  Oh yes, I did have one of those small Costco packs of peanuts which I ate at the 25 mile mark.  I'd started the day with a piece of toast before leaving home and a banana at the start.

In addition to those two bottles of mountain dew, which I didn't completely consume, I had about 1/2 of one of my water bottles. That's it from a hydration standpoint, perhaps 40 oz total.

Paul has already posted the results from the 200k.  I came in at 9:29, not too bad although I can often make it under 9 hours for a 200k in Florida with the right conditions.  This one had some wind and climbing.  There were a number of people behind me.  There were three riders, however, who finished almost 3 hours before me !   Then there's a cluster of riders about an hour before me.  What makes a difference, of course, is that most of those will have been riding in small groups, drafting;  and most of them but not all are 10+ years younger ...

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I had a mid-day snooze, not unusual for having done a brevet the day before.  Never mind that it was only a 200k !

Otherwise, not much.  I did trim some dead banana leaves, with lots of help from Cassie jumping and pulling a the leaves.  Later I took her for a walk.  She's a bundle of energy, racing around doing full circuits of the house.  Oh yes, I also changed the oil on the X5.  Cassie was good out in the yard until she heard voices over at Harris & Debbie's and then of course I had to bring her back.  Harris carried her part-way but that's getting more and more difficult !

Next up, the M5 and Harley also need oil changes.  It's been two years for the hog; the M5 gets a change each year whether it needs it or not. 

The Harley needs some running.  I've got to convince David to come down and we can do some cruising; I'd rent a second bike.

I was in touch with my GP on Friday through her assistant telling her that the Chiro isn't fixing the foot problem.  She's thinking that the next step is a Podiatrist.  I agree that I'll need those services, probably orthodics especially for cycling and  perhaps different ones for walking, but the one that she's recommending -- local -- might not be the best guy for the job, based on my research. 

I've found one in Orlando who specializes in sports injuries -- the same Jewett Orthopedic Clinic where I saw a guy for my shoulder -- I'll call Keller back today and trade more messages.  Jewett would have the higher-end specialists whereas the local guy is more dealing with older people (hey, I'm not old yet !) bunions, amputation - yikes ! - due to diabetes etc.

My uncle Eugene had a food amputated likely due to diabetes; Sue would probably know.  That was a long, long time ago.

It's cold out this morning.  I'm back from my first day at the gym; first day in a couple of years.  Cassie was my excuse for a while; sore in the morning was another excuse; let's end the excuses.  I know very well that the exercise will help my back etc. and ultimately will also help the cycling.

It's time for some project work on the computer.  I've got a couple of Randonneur Ontario rides to clean up for next summer.  I also have to do a first cut at my taxes.  Ugh.  I hate doing my taxes, figuring out how much I owe.

Onward ...