July 12, 2010,
Day 10 - Rest
Hard to believe I have made it thru the first 10 days of the "Tour". For 11 months I wondered what it would be like to ride over a 100 miles every day for 3 weeks. Here is what I have found. Physically I have trained enough to do it. Unlike the marathon where it takes days and even weeks to recover to be able to run another marathon, here I am able to do it again the next day. Yes I get stiff and have some aches and pains but they are nothing like the pounding one gets from the marathon. What is much harder is the day to day mental grind it takes to be on the bike for 7 to 10 hours weeks in a row. The days I have had a companion, 2 of them, have made that ride easier. This is my fault. I really should have planned better if I knew this would have been the case. Some days I listen to the iPod, others I just listen to the wild life and the sounds of nature. Other days if I am feeling good, I dream that I am a "bike racer" and go for it.
The other challenge so far has been the weather. I have been lucky in that I have not had any rain yet. Missed the thunderstorms of last week. The heat the first three days was a real challenge but I survived. Over the next several days rain is forecast and I will have to adjust. In case of heavy rain I will come inside to finish the ride. Cloud cover has been a real blessing whenever it has occurred, but not to often.
The support I have gotten has really been fantastic. I am getting emails from people reading the blog and saying encouraging things. A lot of people are thinking of me and are concerned. Makes you feel good when you know people care. I truly appreciate that.
Even though I had a rest day today, I was at my desk trying to catch up with business and personal items at 5 am this morning. Then I had to get a massage and take my bike to be tuned up. So it might be a rest day from biking but not a "rest day" from daily life. To me these next 8 days will be the hardest mentally. I will find ways to play tricks with my mind to keep me motivated and moving forward.
Thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement and I am now ready for the next section of the event.
Total Distance Since the Start on July 4th - 970 miles (Average of 121.25 miles per day)
Phil
About Me
- Phil Benson
- I am 64 years old and have been a visionary my whole life. I saw Frank Shorter win the Olympics in 1972, and I said I want to run a marathon. Since then I have run 50. I watched the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii on TV and I said I want to do that. 3 years later I finished the Iron man in Hawaii. I was 45 at the time. I watched all of the Tour de France this year,2009,and I said I want to do that. Unable to compete in the Tour, I will do the same miles they do on the same days in July. Can I do it? The saying goes "Man can achieve what the mind can conceive".
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