29 miles on the 29th

The Marathon work this weekend really took it out of me.  I was tired after several days of working on it BEFORE Sunday, and Sunday i was on my bike for 10 hours in the driving rain and cold.   I enjoyed it, i like supporting the marathon and i really enjoy doing HAM radio on my bike.  But i was exhausted. That evening i tried to order a salmon burger at the good new place around the corner from me and i couldn't put words together i was so tired.  It was funny.   I did enjoy the work, but i was REALLY glad it was over.

Actually I had been REALLY hoping to get 27 miles on the 27th (one of the half dozen i'm missing for the year) riding marathon support, and it seemed doable.   But when i got to my decision point, the intersection where i could continue on the road, or ride a quarter mile home and just manage everyone else on the radio, i was already at 29 miles, so i decided to be responsible and took it to the end.  I wound up with 36 miles for the day.

I was exhausted on Monday.  Moving in slow motion.  The house was a disaster, but still, it should've only taken 2 or 3 hours to clean up and it took me 12.  

Tuesday is our regular riding day.   So before even setting out to ride on Tuesday i was really whipped.  It was very cold, about 39F but felt colder.  Everyone except me & Nadine bailed on the ride.   We rode from Redmond (i took the bus to get there) up to Hollywood on the trail, well bundled up and quite tired (she worked the Marathon too) and stopped for lunch (that's only 5 miles).  We had a very expensive, but very nice lunch and then rode south to Issaquah into a headwind.   The cold really can take it out of you and i had figured on only about 30 miles for the day anyway.  (Actually i was really hoping i could engineer it to be 29
on the 29th, so i was pretty happy.)  Maybe didn't eat enough too.

We rode 27 miles and it was a really great ride, lots of fun, very relaxing (unlike some recent rides).  I enjoyed it quite a bit even though i was so tired.   I only needed 2 miles more for 29 so i didn't get off the bus from Issaquah at Rainier where i usually do, because although i really like my regular gentle climbing ride up the ridge through  Judkins Park, past Jimi's house and through the ghetto (and past the food co-op where i probably would've stopped), it's about 4.5 miles.  So i got off downtown and rode home from there,
going twice around the block (cheating????) to get up to 29.