Don't Eat Meatloaf for Breakfast: The Saga of a Rustly Cyclist!

So my trainer does not panic , this is not MY meatloaf!

So, I planned on riding 21+ miles today and was looking forward to it.  I took Saturday as a day to cook and clean and get my house and laundry in order for the week.  I wanted to  cook a big turkey meatloaf and took the opportunity to do so.  But I had not done my weekly grocery shopping and told myself I could do it Sunday really early before my ride.  I had planned to have wheels down by 6:30 am.

The alarm went off by 4am...I got up turned on all the lights...did a lap around my house and then turned all the lights off again and went back to sleep.  I reset the alarm at 6am saying to my self "What's the hurry?  It's Sunday...you have nothing else planned?"    Of course I forgot about the grocery shopping and the fact I had no food in my house.'

Alarm rings  again.  This time I get up...look at my watch and say that I better hurry up and eat breakfast so that I am not riding on a full stomach...allow the food to digest.

And you guessed it, I looked in the refig and there was one lonely meatloaf!  Well, needless to say a slice became breakfast.

Then I needed to wait to digest the meatloaf.....  now mind  you, I am not accustomed to eating meatloaf for breakfast never mind before a ride...and that darn meatloaf was heavy in my stomach.  So I waited.

I waited and waited and called my dad....then called my sister.... and soon it was 11:30 and I was hungry.  I looked in the refig and saw some walnuts.  OK.  Protein and fat.  That would do it.

By 12 noon I was out on the road.  It was hot.  The meatloaf and nuts were not sitting too well.....and did I mention it was HOT?

I rode and rode and made it to Tingley beach.  Watched the paddle boats and discovered another  cyclist sitting at the waters edge.  I walked over and met Theresa Kester.

 She was enjoying the beautiful  day and we watched the ducks and fish and talked a bit.    Then off I went!  

I had forgotten that once you go south from Tingley the weather can change in a heart beat.  I began to hear thunder and felt some sprinkles of rain.  The rain was welcome on my beginning to get over heated body.

See.... I had not planned to ride at the height of the day.  I had not planned on the heat and I had not eaten the right food.

So coming back to complete the 21+ I suffered,  I was overheating. I had only warm water and I felt on the verge of bonking.  Also the wind was picking up and I had to fight that along with the pollen and "snow" from the cottonwoods and dust that was blowing and pushing my bike.

I stopped and had a gel.  I stopped again when I found shade.I determined that I would beat the storm and that I did.  I made it back with little incident.

Getting back in the swing of things...I need to better remember my routines...like how I always carried a cooler with two cold bottles in my car for after the ride....how I knew what to eat pre ride and always planned ahead...not flew by the seat of my pants...and I always tried to avoid the hottest parts of the day.

I'm still on a high learning and remembering curve...but I'm happy and thrilled to be back on my bike once 

again!