So, after some reflection, I think I’ve got my head around my TransIowa efforts. I’m fairly proud of it overall, but I’m slightly disappointed in some areas.

Setting a new personal record for distance is always a good thing, especially when that distance in on gravel. Looking back it’s an impressive ride, despite not finishing. We made the “smart move” on when to quit, no sense in being stranded in the middle of nowhere with no way home. I wasn’t too sore after, and 4 days later I commuted and did the Wednesday night ride, granted I rode with the medium group instead of the fast group, and didn’t push it at all, but I’m pretty much back to normal physically.

I am slightly disappointed that we dropped out. Not too disappointed though, just wish I coulda had the legs to finish. I also wish we hadn’t needed to make the smart move and quit when we did. I wanted to seriously push my limits, I wanted to find that place where there’s no motivation, and the next town is 20 miles away, and you have to find a way to keep going in the dead of night. I was actually looking forward to figuring out just how strong I was both mentally and physically. If I try it again next year(likely at this point), I’ll definitely train more in the winter, and I’ll make sure I(we?) have a dedicated person to come fetch me when my body says no more.

Overall I’m pretty glad about how it went. I ate pretty well for how far we went, I needed more real food towards the end, but where we stopped, I was feeling okay food wise. I’m still somewhat conflicted on quitting when we did, on paper it was the smart move, but I wish we coulda kept pushing. I certainly felt good enough to press on, but probably wouldn’t have in another 50+ miles. I’m 90% sure I couldn’t have finished. Oh well, there’s always next year.