Usually when I go for long rides like this, I'm going with my cousin. This time I set out by myself with no plan in mind, no idea how to fix my bike if something happened, and no cash. Yesterday was pretty miserable out here. At one point I was cold, miserable, pretty sure I was about to get drenched, far from my apartment and, short of calling and begging someone to find me, with no alternative means of getting home (besides the bike). That wasn't necessarily a problem, I just turned around and headed back. But it did get me thinking, if something did happen, I would have been in a lot of trouble! Granted the routes I travel are pretty popular and I had a fully charged cellphone but not having any cash/cards/ID on me, not my smartest decision.
So I'm committed to being better prepared when I head out and bringing cash/ID with me. I'm also considering getting a running ID bracelet. My roommate may download the running app as well so if I head out for a long ride by myself and don't return within the allotted time, someone will at least know where to find me!
The ride itself was a struggle. In general I'm struggling with biking the most. If nothing else, I'm really just happy I completed it! I wasn't sure I would make the full 97 minutes but got back to my apartment at about 95 minutes so biked in circles in the parking lot of the school behind my building to hit the training plan target, even after ending the ride with a 1.6 mile hill. I also realized on this ride that I need to do a better job fueling on a workout of this length. When I first set out I had grand plans of running after this ride but I was feeling really wiped at the end. I need to stock up on Gu or some similar product!
