Ugh. I have had this cough since Friday. Icky, nasty, mucusy, you get the picture. I tried to ignore it on Friday, blow it off. Then I thought, hey you could use this to get out of your training ride on Saturday. My brain works like that.
But I got up the next morning and I got ready. I pulled on my bike shorts and co-ordinated the rest of my ensemble, which is pretty much pink with shades of pinker. And mixed up some sport’s drink, electrolyte thingy, and packed up some snacks for the road and got in the saddle.
Rode 78 miles. Hell yeah. Still slightly mind boggling. Had six climbs. One of them which induced vomiting. Nothing says sexy like throwing up on yourself, now does it? And there was like no one there to see it. All my other climbs I had had some training ride leader riding behind my slow ass encouraging my climb.
No one to see it, no one to sympathize, no one to give a basic shit, so I kept climbing. I wanted to get off and walk, actually there were more than a few times I just wanted to get off and walk, but good ol’ pride kept me pedaling away. And I actually felt slightly better after throwing up, so.
It was the cough that got me. Just a little tickle in the throat and I thought I was clearing it, nope. Up and out if flew and then dropped gently down on my right thigh. Delicious. I suspect I was also top heavy with hydration. I had slammed two liters of water at the previous break and a large can of coconut water.
I had never wanted to experience the dehydration cramps I had been prey to on one of the first longer rides I did, so I was super full of fluids. Until I coughed. Oops. Guess it was God’s way of saying, you got enough kiddo.
I got over all the hills, I did all the mileage and then I went home and took a lovely shower and did some laundry.
I must admit though, that along with the bike crash and going into the water, I felt like I had gotten a little more street cred for my vomit episode. I’m just a little more hard core for continuing to bike after puking on myself. And I felt like that for a bit, tough, you know.
Until the Aids Life Cycle sweep vehicle sped past me and yelled, “keep up the good work ‘pretty in pink'”.
Auntiebubba 