Today was a tough day. I knew it was going to be a long one. 50 miles was 20 miles over my last ride, so that’s pretty ambitious, especially considering it was on a relatively new bike. The day started off badly. Riding the recumbent in town is just not for me at all. It’s not maneuverable, it’s awkward to start and stop, and quite frankly, you know that everyone is looking at you. I’ve gotten, “Awesome Bike,” as well as, dripping with sarcasm, “nice mode of transportation.” Of course, that was a white trash teenager chick who had to bum a ride with her friend, so it’s hard to feel too bad.

I decided to go on Saturday instead of Sunday…the weather report was much nicer. They lied.

Once I got out of town it started raining. I tried to ignore it for awhile, but it got old, and I put on my jacket. That warmed me up a lot, but I already had issues.

The goggles I had on work great. They form an even better seal than I thought they would. I had no dirt in my eyes at any time during my ride, and that makes them worth the $30 alone. Unfortunately, they form a really good seal. Apparently the skin around my eyes sweats. They have a fog-free coating on them, which is nice, but once your eyes sweat enough, you get a thin film of water on the inside. I thought something was screwing with my eyesight for awhile. Instead, if I lift up the bottom of the goggles for awhile, and let some air circulate, then it clears up.

Second, it was cold. I’m not sure how cold, but I should note it, because parts of me respond poorly to the cold (no…not that part). My right knee aches in the cold, and given that the main part of me that’s sore right now is my knee, I think it may be related. I have knee warmers, and I need to bring them the next time. That pretty much kept up through the entire ride.

Since Sara is pregnant, the phone is a godsend. It’s my map, my lifeline. I got to find out where I got lost, and to call Sara on occasion. Also, at about a mile past the turnaround marker on the map, Roby called. Completely randomly, since I was 25 miles away from Bend, and he called to talk about Mark, another friend of mine.

My big bonehead move was not paying enough attention to my phone. I ended up looping around and adding about 10 miles to my route by retracing my steps, and then realizing it, turning around, and going back down the same road for the third time that day.

All of this time it was raining. Raining enough that when I stood up, pools of water poured out of my jacket. Raining so that after awhile I got tired of wiping off my goggles, and completely abandoned my mirror, because all I saw was water droplets.

Eventually, when I saw how much time I had lost, I realized it was time to call it in. I’d been riding for about 3.5 hours in the rain, I was cold, and I just wasn’t having fun anymore, especially when the lion’s share of my remaining ride was going to be going through downtown. I called Sara and said, “pick me up!” I had another three miles in me after that, so i finished a respectable distance from town, and still got my 52 miles in.

Next week, rather than spending all my time riding flats, I’m going to head up into the mountains until I get tired of hills, then turn around and coast back. We’ll see how long I can make it. Climbing in the ‘bent is harder, but still doable.

Also, a late-breaking problem…my lower back was sore last night, and today I threw it out bending over wrong. So, we got a heating pad, and I need to take it easy for awhile. I’m not entirely sure what I do that exercises my lower back, but it surely does. I need to watch that.