I Can't Do This

This morning Ashley Feldman, Jake Heisterkamp and I headed out to ride on a trail that none of us had ridden before.  Our ride consisted of riding the Raccoon River Trail from Waukee to Panora which was 60 miles round trip.  On the way to Panora we hauled the mail; we got there quick.  The trail was beautiful, it  was a covered by green trees, had great asphalt to ride on and when we entered Guthrie County it was paved with concrete, so it was great.

 Once we got to Panora we decided to try a local place to eat which got us to P.J's.  That place was great. We actually met the owner of 20 years and then he said that he gave the place to his nephew.  So it was great to know who we were supporting.  I will more than likely stop next time I'm passing through.

Well lunch was served and we had 30 more miles to go.  On the way back we decided to check out the small towns and just take our time.  We had a lot of fun seeing these small towns, and meeting the people.  At Redfield we stopped at the Depot, which was great; it had indoor bathrooms and cold drinks. We decided to make a memory........

After Redfield we only had one more time till home. Made it to Adel and new that we only had 8 miles left.  Wow! We all agreed that it was the toughest 8 miles we have ridden in a long time and here is why.  Small but steady hill, in the open the whole way and totally in the open to get blasted by that great head wind.  I know for me, at three miles in I was physically and mentally drained.  I honestly didn't think that I could pedal anymore.  We all get to that point and it sucks, because in your head things trickle in to make it even worse.  For me I drink more fluids, I keep adjusting on my bike whether it be how I sit, or the position that I'm riding, I'll keep switching from the drop bars to the brake hoods to just sitting up right.  It drives me nuts.  At this point I knew I only had 2 more miles to go. I had to keep telling me legs THAT I ONLY HAVE 2 MILES LEFT!!
With all that being said, it's great to have your body pushed to the limits, it just makes the next time easier(well you hope thats the case).
To sum up the day, we rode 60 miles on a new trail, beat the rain, the clouds kept us covered, so all in all it was a great ride.