So, I just completed AIDS/Lifecycle 2019! Yep – my second year at it. It doesn’t even really seem like it happened since it went by so, so fast. This year, emotionally, I was much more relaxed during the ride. I felt like I could actually enjoy myself. I knew how everything worked, where I was supposed to be, and learned from my mistakes from last year.
For those of you that don’t know, last year I was hangry. A lot. Like, all the time. I felt like I was just a total bitch, if I may be so candid. I was also tired and looked the part as well. Let’s call it, I looked like shit lol. I didn’t look like a human being until I’d slept for about 12-15 hours after the ride was over. I was just so, so exhausted from not making sure I got 7ish hours of sleep every night in 2018. Most of the time I was getting 4-5 hours maybe 6…and then riding 70-90 miles a day. All that combined was a recipe for disaster.
So this year, my mission was to do the ride again and get more sleep and eat a lot more. Sounds like a simple goal, but it really took a lot of focus. Believe it or not, I feel I accomplished that 110%!! It’s amazing how much different you feel when you’re taking in the right number of calories and getting almost 7 hours of sleep every night. I feel like I need to remind you though, we had to be up around 4 or 4:15am every day, so I feel like getting more than 6 hours of sleep was a chore but man did it make a huge difference. Also, the food. I felt like I was able to actually ENJOY food this year…and appreciate it. Don’t get it twisted, the rest stops were full of calorie-loaded junk: pop tarts, pretzels, goldfish, boiled eggs (those were actually really good!) fruit snacks, bananas; just to name some of my go-tos. I also was way more efficient getting in and out of rest stops to stay on schedule. My overall health was just SO much better this year! Can’t say enough about that.
That said, this was a totally crap year for training. The weather was horrible and I was only able to get out on the bike about half as much as I wanted to – compound that and how life and work get in the way, it was a recipe that made me really, really nervous. I definitely survived the ride, but not without a couple of painful knees and a shin splint. I was a sad-looking creature at the airport trying to get home. My friend Strobl made an Instagram story of me walking through the airport. Goodness, someone should have gotten me a wheelchair. Not really, but it did look pretty pathetic. My spirits were high enough to get me home though. That and the use of BenGay for the first time in my life.
The thing that surprised me last year, was I felt like I didn’t remember that much from the ride. I got home, and as you can see, I only blogged for four days of the ride. The other three were a blur. As I rode the route this year, I realized something: the days are so long and I was so hungry and exhausted, it was all running together. This year, I vividly remember riding on Day 2 and thinking to myself…’wait, I think I wrote about this being Day 3 on my blog’. LOL. So, while the blogs form 2018 are definitely true, just realize that all of it ran together and I most certainly got some of the things wrong as far as when it happened. Stay tuned for a blog that will summarize the ride, itself!
I could easily keep going on and on, but I have to say – I’m really proud of myself and how much better I felt after the ride this year. I’ll be taking a break from ALC in 2020 – I just need to focus on life, home, husband and all that. Of course I’ll support my friends riding next year in their fundraising efforts (lord knows I’ll save about $2,000 by not doing the ride)! I already know I’m going to miss it next year, but will certainly be back. I plan to find some less-training intensive rides in the area (there are some good ones in Little Rock, Tulsa and other areas that are only a few hours away vs. having to buy a plane ticket). So keep your eye out for those adventures!
