insert clever title here...

i have a love-hate relationship with the silver comet trail here in georgia...

i love that it's paved, (mostly) flat road dedicated for runners/bikers/horseback riders (though i've yet to see a horse), etc. but i hate that it's so...remote. which means that i always need to find someone to go with (hey, i'm not crazy...i don't want to end up a statistic), and go early enough so that 4 hours later, it's  (hopefully) still light out. but i hate having to beg someone to go with me (i have no friends...at least none that want to ride 40+ miles with me... or if they do, they are the hardest people to get in touch with and once you DO... getting them to commit. but hey, i understand the commitment piece of that. ;))

in any case, last weekend, i went out to SCT with new friend chuck! it was a lovely 45 mile ride (though chuck ditched me at mile marker 12...he only wanted to do 25) so i was solo out until mile 23.  let me tell you... that's the last time i do that alone. not necessarily because i ran into anyone, but because i DIDN'T run into anyone for the last 8 miles (i swear). and when you pass by the sign that says, "REMOTE AREA AHEAD! NEXT 14 MILES! do you have your... cell phone? sun screen? extra tubes? lip balm? water?" it makes it sound like you're off the edge of civilization NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN! and sadly, i was afraid that my cell phone might not get reception out in the boonies... paulding county was it? i have no idea. i just turned around and went straight back to chuck and then... back to the car.

let me tell you though... those last 10 miles of the ride were TOUGH.  the entire way back was straight into the wind...i was tired... i was hungry... i just wanted to be done... and it just went ON and ON and ON... and i was thankful that chuck told me to just ride at whatever pace i wanted to (he's a bit slower than me), because really...i was "booking it" just so i could be done. "booking it" for me...was probably something like 12mph. i don't have a cyclometer (next on the things to purchase), and i know i was going way slower than on the way out.

all in all, it was a good day. i fell asleep on the car ride back (surprise surprise), and then i ate my weight in chipotle afterwards (best post-exercise food... chipotle or willy's. i'm serious.)

things i learned on this ride --
-- 40 miles is doable. on flat land.
-- 100 miles is going to suck. and then turning around to do it again, is going to suck more.
-- i have a long ways to go.

ps -- i haven't done anything as far as any of my other "goals" go... i swear, training takes a crapload of time! i need to find something to do that's not so physically draining..all i (want to) do afterwards is eat and sleep... meh.