Once more to go, and it's the big one.

Sunday was an epic day for many different people.  Some became Ironmen for the first time.  Some got revenge on races that didn't turn out the way they had hoped.  Some, like Jennifer and I, enjoyed the beautiful fallish weather on our bikes.  But before I get into that, I have to just say that it was a lot of fun tracking many of you as you did your crazy races.  I even got to watch some of you cross the finish line with huge smiles and amazing times.  Way to go!  You are an inspiration to me!  But back to our ride...

Since Jennifer and I have our eyes fixed on September 25 to ride a century ride (Jenn's first), we have spent lots of time in the saddle.  Our last ride was a bust, so today was revenge!  We woke up at 7:30am, ate breakfast, loaded everything up in the 4Runner, and headed to St. Joseph.  My favorite area to ride is on the Steelhead 70.3 bike course/Blue Star Highway because of the terrific shoulder and smooth roads.  We arrived at my usual parking spot and got on the road.  Today was the day to ride 75 miles!  That's a long way, although it's pretty measly compared to 112 miles of Ironman riding.  We were rocking arm warmers and undershirts because it was a little cold and ended up stashing them after about the first 25 miles.

We decided to simulate the Apple Cider Century and plan for some stops and different intervals.  At 25, we stopped at a convenience store, stretched, used the restroom, ate some food, and then got back on the road.  We decided to change up the route a little bit and headed north towards South Haven.  I rode this route when I did my first century back in May.    At the turnaround, we rode out to the edge of Lake Michigan through a really nice neighborhood and snapped a pic of the two cyclists.  It really was a beautiful day for a ride!

We had brought quite a bit of food with us and had a plan as far as nutrition goes, but at around mile 50, we decided that we needed some "REAL" food.  So, we stopped at one of my favorite places to load up on gas fuel, TACO BELL!

A couple burritos later, and with some nachos in our tummys, we were back on the bike with 25 miles to go.  These were the hardest miles, and I don't know what we would have done without a little "Toxic Hell."  Our bodies were feeling good, EXCEPT for our butts.  Holy cow!  75 miles takes its toll on your booty!  Finally, after being on the bike forever, we got back to the 4runner, loaded up, and headed home in time to watch Ironman finishers grin ear-to-ear as they finished strong.

I've got to say that I'm one of the most blessed guys alive to have such an amazing wife that can get out there and ride 75 miles!  That's huge, but now there's one more ride to go, and that's the Apple Cider Century!  Jennifer is about to join the club!

Congratulations to everyone that competed yesterday.  You guys are amazing!  Jennifer kept saying to me, "Which Ironman will you be doing?"  I think we both know that I'll be doing one pretty soon...