I did it :)

I can officially say I've ridden in Pelatonia 14! The 50 miles went great and I'm really proud/pleased with how it went. 

The first thing I want to say is a HUGE thank you to my dad and my family. I could NOT have done this without you guys, especially my dad. Not only has he worked with me all summer to find the proper equipment and learn how to ride a road bike/train for this event, but he woke up at 3:30AM Saturday morning with me to drive me to Columbus so I could check in and be at the start line in time. We were having a family reunion of sorts this weekend, and on Friday night all my aunts/uncles/cousins wished me good luck and told me I could do it. My Aunt Pam gave me her bananas for fuel, since we didn't have any at home. I seriously have the most wonderful, loving family and you guys gave me the greatest boost :)

Back to the recap... 

Like I said, we had to get up at 3:30AM so we could get to Columbus in time and get my registration/riding credentials. Surprisingly, the 3:30 wakeup didn't feel TOO bad... I wonder if it's because I had some practice with crazy-early wake ups during our traveling adventures in Europe this past spring?

Check-in was easy and smooth. I got everything I needed in a snap. Whenever I've done morning-of check in for other events in the past, it's usually chaotic and takes awhile. So this experience was great. Before we knew it, I was ready to go!

I had a bike tag and this bracelet which was personally printed with my dad's contact info in case I crashed/got hurt, my birth date, and my rider ID.

My dad and I took a few selfies while we waited for them to call me up to the staging area to get going!

When they did call me, my dad went off on his own (free) bike ride near a reservoir where I rowed in MANY high school regattas! 

They staged us and then had us stand under this banner before they officially called us to go.

"Together we are unstoppable."

And we were off! The first 12 miles FLEW by and before I knew it there was a rest stop. There were too many people using the restrooms at the start line, so I took this opportunity for a potty break. I had my own snacks so I didn't stop for any. I quickly hopped back on the bike and the next 13 miles flew by, too! Another rest stop popped up at that point. That was also where the 25-mile riders stopped. I stopped for about 30 seconds to send my dad a text message, because my Road ID app had lost reception and I didn't want him to worry. Then I got going again!

I wasn't tearing it up pace-wise, but things felt VERY manageable until I got into my third hour of riding. That's when I felt tired and things started to hurt. I was drinking water and Gatorade the whole time, and I did eat a Lara bar around mile 25. I actually never stayed with a consistent group of people the whole time either - I typically lost groups if I pulled over at rest stops and people were constantly passing me and I was passing people sometimes too.

So, I had just passed 3 hours of riding and we were in the middle of endless cornfields when I saw someone that looked an awful lot like my dad riding towards us on the other side of the road. I realized it was him and started to yell "Heyy--" and he zoomed past, yelling back "I'll catch up to you!" He did turn around and catch me and said "We're only 5 miles from the finish line!" I was SHOCKED! I started to ride really hard and he even let me draft off of him. He rode all the way to the end with me and then we parted ways so I could go through the shoot and under the arch. 

I was absolutely floored when I looked at my watch and saw that I had finished in 3 hours and 35 minutes! That's about 15 ish mph. I had NOT expected that - it seemed from my training that I would finish in more like 4 hours! I was pleasantly surprised.

I stocked up on more bananas at the finish, refilled my water bottle with Powerade and got some yummy cookies ;)

I was a little upset at the finish though because I was supposed to be able to pick up my Pelatonia jersey and goodie bag. They didn't have it at the start and said it would be at the end. The volunteers there said they did NOT have them and that they were probably in the Pelatonia office which is closed on the weekends. They said I could call on Monday but that the jersey probably wouldn't be shipped. I was definitely angry and upset about this because I had paid a lot of money to be able to ride, use rest stops, eat food at the end, and get that jersey. So I'll have to call them - hopefully I can get them to send it.

As I've mentioned before, Pelatonia is a fundraising bike ride - not a race - that raises money for cancer research. I will be continuing to raise money towards my fundraising goal until October 10, and if you're interested in learning more or donating you can read my rider profile HERE. 

Today would normally be my long run day, but it's a cutback week still and I hadn't planned to run at all for a couple days after the bike ride. I actually don't feel sore or terribly fatigued, so I might go for a fun pressure-free run at some point if I still feel up to it. Or I might just take it easy :) Right now I have some serious business to attend to in the kitchen and that's all I'm thinking about at the moment (read: banana bread). 

Again, I want to say a big thank you to my dad. I could not have done this without you.