STP write up, Day -1
We'd decided to do a kinda dry run of getting up, that Friday before STP. We set the alarm for very early, 5am, and planned on a short early morning ride. Just to make sure we could do it, and to iron out any early morning unexpected bugs.
That night? I was up every 30 minutes. It was a miserable night, I didn't get much sleep, and from talking to dh, he didn't either.
But we did manage to get up, fed, and out. Went for a short, about 10 mile, ride along the trail, it was very pretty and very empty in the early morning.
Next we set out to getting ready. Well, dh did. Me? I studied for the test I had Monday morning early, and did homework. Camping gear, that would go in the Pilot with dh's aunt G and AC. Stuff to go on the bikes. Extra food. Water. We decided to carry a bit more water than we'd planned, the thought of running out on a hot day, which it was predicted to be, was just not good. It made the bike bags pretty heavy.
I'd picked up our ride packets at REI downtown with Perry and AC while Linnea was at her math camp. It was controlled chaos, but fun. It was, also, the first little bit of STP, if that makes sense. It feels real, once the packet is in hand, the jacket unpacked and tried on, the numbers pinned.
My least favourite pre-ride tast is that, btw: filling out the bibs and pinning numbers on the jersey! We did get it done.
8007 for dh, 8009 for me, and 8016 for Perry.
We actually managed to get to bed about when we'd hoped to, much earlier than for previous rides.
My MIL would be picking up G at the train station, and dropping her off at our place, so we could all leave bright and early to the start line. We didn't hear G come in, we actually, OMG, slept!
Anyhow. I was freaking out, to be honest. I hate hate hate the waking up early part, it's seriously the hardest part for me, and I dreaded the hills. And the heat. And the hills. And I wasn't 100% sure I could make it, and most importantly, I wasn't 100% sure Perry could and I desperately didn't have to have set him up for a pretty major emotional failure.
That night? I was up every 30 minutes. It was a miserable night, I didn't get much sleep, and from talking to dh, he didn't either.
But we did manage to get up, fed, and out. Went for a short, about 10 mile, ride along the trail, it was very pretty and very empty in the early morning.
Next we set out to getting ready. Well, dh did. Me? I studied for the test I had Monday morning early, and did homework. Camping gear, that would go in the Pilot with dh's aunt G and AC. Stuff to go on the bikes. Extra food. Water. We decided to carry a bit more water than we'd planned, the thought of running out on a hot day, which it was predicted to be, was just not good. It made the bike bags pretty heavy.
I'd picked up our ride packets at REI downtown with Perry and AC while Linnea was at her math camp. It was controlled chaos, but fun. It was, also, the first little bit of STP, if that makes sense. It feels real, once the packet is in hand, the jacket unpacked and tried on, the numbers pinned.
My least favourite pre-ride tast is that, btw: filling out the bibs and pinning numbers on the jersey! We did get it done.
8007 for dh, 8009 for me, and 8016 for Perry.
We actually managed to get to bed about when we'd hoped to, much earlier than for previous rides.
My MIL would be picking up G at the train station, and dropping her off at our place, so we could all leave bright and early to the start line. We didn't hear G come in, we actually, OMG, slept!
Anyhow. I was freaking out, to be honest. I hate hate hate the waking up early part, it's seriously the hardest part for me, and I dreaded the hills. And the heat. And the hills. And I wasn't 100% sure I could make it, and most importantly, I wasn't 100% sure Perry could and I desperately didn't have to have set him up for a pretty major emotional failure.