Longest Ride + Near Death Experience

My weeks don't seem to be getting any less crazy.  Work is still going full steam ahead; kids still need to be driven to games, practices and meetings; and we are closing in on the end of the school year with all that goes with that.  Rain this past week didn't help.  Sometimes, I need to just suck it up and get it done. 

The Tour de Cure is only a little over 5 weeks away.  I didn't get my 2nd "easy" workout in last week and I ended up blowing off Saturday to hang at the house doing a mountain of laundry.  So yesterday it was time to stop procrastinating and do my long ride.  I've fallen a bit off pace with increasing the mileage, but I knew anything less than 50 wasn't going to do it.  I mapped a ride from my house to Mokane and it was just a shade under 26 to the turnoff - with the only real hills being in the first 5-6 miles.  I decided that is what I'd do and my husband verified online that there was a little market open where I'd be able to refill my bottles in Mokane.

After mass and a breakfast of french toast and a banana with peanut butter, I changed into tights and my long sleeve tech tee (really need to own a long sleeved jersey with pockets!) and loaded up my water bottles with Powerade and my fanny pack with whatever nutrition I could gather.  I also took some cash, ID, credit card and phone for emergencies.  Then I got on my bike and started pedaling away. 

The roads between my house and across the Missouri River are hilly, but at least I was fresh and ready to tackle them.  I could also look forward to the long, flat (boring) expanse of Hwy 94.  I got across the bridge and around the airport road and texted my husband about 38 min into the ride to let him know I had made it through town and was getting on the highway.  I also ate a ShotBlock (a single leftover one from last weekend). 

I fought with a pretty strong cross/head wind on the way out - and the sheer boredom of the road.  There isn't much of a place to ride out of the way of traffic and people tend to drive kind of fast.  But on a Sunday, there wasn't a ton of traffic.  Thankfully, most folks slowed down and/or swung wide of me and I wasn't too unnerved.  I hugged the white line for dear life a few times.  To the asshats that didn't give me proper room, bite me!

At 1 hr 56 min of riding, I made it to the Mokane turnoff.  I rode past the trailhead and started looking for this supposed market.  There was a gas station, but apparently it doesn't really have a "store" - just a pay at the pump type deal.  I got off my bike at the bottom of the hill and was just about to call my husband to ask where the market was when I saw a storefront (no sign) that said "open" and I could see chips on a shelf.  I assumed this was it and went in.  It had all the usual convenience store type stuff, but also had a little lunch counter.  I wasn't that hungry so I just got a couple snacks and another gatorade.  I stretched my legs while I ate and drank, texted my husband that I was at the halfway point, used the bathroom and thanked the nice lady for being open.  I got back on my bike before I could chicken out and call for someone to come get me.

I had hoped that the wind would be more to my back on the way home, but it didn't really feel that way.  I was still insanely bored, but sang to myself, prayed and talked to myself thinking about how much nicer riding with a bunch of other people will be on June 1.  I would try to ride hard in sections and just pedal away mindlessly on others.  Figured I would stop and eat the cookie I had bought when I got to a certain junction.  But I missed the sign and apparently rode past it.  Pretty soon, I could see the buildings of downtown Jeff City.  This was a bit of a mind-f*ck though - they were still a long ways off when I felt like I was getting "close".  At 3 hr and 14 of total riding, I was back by the airport commuter lot finally eating my cookie and getting more to drink.  I texted my husband that I was back in town and headed for home.

I made it up the long ass ramp to the bike/ped bridge easier than I had envisioned.  Then the hills through town which weren't as bad as I had expected.  I was pedaling away, only about a mile from home when I heard squeeling tires and looked ahead to an oncoming car spinning out of control on a straight stretch of McCarty Street.  I slowed down, then fully braked as I watched in horror as she came right at me and slid sideways across my path and up onto the sidewalk next to me.  When the car crossed my path, I thought for sure I was a goner.  But in the end, I got the bike stopped just inches from where she went in front of me.  I even managed to get my foot unclipped just before I would have fallen over.  A truck stopped behind me and got out to check on me and the driver.  They actually knew the lady driving.  But that woman (B*TCH!) didn't even ask if I was ok or apologize, she was just pissed about the tire she blew. 

After standing there dumbfounded for a few minutes, I decided it wasn't worth calling for a pickup when I was so close to home even if I was completely shaken.  So I got back on my bike and pedaled up the final hill and on to my house.  After 3 hr 52 min and 52 miles (longest ride ever) and by the grace of God, I got home.  I hate to think how my day could have ended differently.  But I ate my dinner, went out for ice cream with my family and chilled out on the couch for the rest of the night.  Thank you Lord for sending your angels to watch over me!

Today is a rest day.  I have some soreness, but don't feel too bad considering the mileage.  If the rain doesn't give me too hard of a time tomorrow, I'll head out for a recovery ride for an hour or so.

YTD:
Swimming = 7600 yds = 4.3 mi
Biking = 471.5 miles
Running = 80.8 miles