6 hours of graduation ceremony/food afterwards for a friend...came home weary and edgy. Ran a fun 3 miles. Feeling like my old self again.

Mile 1 - 10:48

Mile 2 - 10:29

Mile 3 - 9:14

Tried to avoid the middle steep hill and instead did almost 1.5 miles of 'false flat' slight to medium uphill. Finally, mile 3 provided relief and fun.

I'm sorry but this ride told me I'm ready for the bike! This ride was awesomely traumatic. It began with me meeting up with what I thought was a group of moms. Well, the moms had company. (The moms, btw, ALL had carbon fiber bikes and LOTS of bike experience...one was my spin instructor and the other rides the Mass Pan Am each year....) The 'company' was a bunch of Men's Health lookin' dudes with equally, if not more, intimidating bikes.

We started off at a 22 mile pace on the flats. No kidding. Then we went up a mountain. I sh** you not. A real deal mountain that ended in dirt road. One man, later identified as Clayton, decided to help me by coming back down the mountain and barking 'don't stand up here...it's dirt and you'll use too much energy!, KEEP PEDALING!, Don't stop pedaling until you are at the top! Shift DOWN!'. Though this was INCREDIBLY intense...I never would have made it without him.

The descent was ....dirt. Potholy dirt. It was a very.long.descent. I thought my breaks would give out as I screamed down the mountain trying my best to avoid a horrible fate at 25mph. I got to the bottom. Everyone was waiting. They took off immediately....at 22 mph.  A guy next to me complained quietly "Are my legs supposed to feel like Jell-O at mile 8 of a 50 mile ride?" No. I answered in my head...No.

I kept up for 3 more miles, where the guys were waiting for me again. I need to add that on yet another climb, I couldn't keep up with them on the descent...and I was going 35 mph.

For the first time ever, I told a group - 'You guys are amazing...this is too hard for me...I'm going home'. I had missed the preceding conversation (that occurred when I was catching up) that half the group felt the same way.

End of story - I hung in for another 31 miles. And I mean hung in. These 'slower' guys were going at least 19 most of the time. I learned how to draft. Sometimes I let myself fall behind and enjoyed the absolutely glorious weather. My legs were complaining most of the time. I'm glad it's over, but I know one thing - in terms of biking, I am more than ready for a 'flat' HIM course.  My final pace read 17 mph...and that included the 2 mountains and several climbs.

The afternoon came and I was taken out for lunch for Mother's Day...I made dinner that night for my mother and we went out together for a long ride. The best Mother's Day gift of all though, was the planned rest day the next day and the knowledge that another recovery week begins on Monday.