I came, I conquered, I Festa'd!

This weekend was my first big ride. After work on Friday I packed up..grabbed a quick road snack which was a bran cracker with greek yogurt smeared on, cinnamon and some banana (Yum!)
And then it was time to hit the road. The trip from L.A to San Diego was a quick one. For once ever we hit no traffic. (Its shocking I know) and we made it down there in about 2 hours. Not bad! We checked into our hotel and found out we were on the 17th floor! Awesome!



So gorgeous! They also hooked us up with these amazing looking cookies once we checked in. They looked amazing and were still warm! I had a small nibble (yes they were as good as they looked) But with my ride in about 8 hours I didnt want anything too heavy in my stomache. For me, I cant workout or anything (esp. long distance rides) with alot in my stomache. Just a personal preference kind of thing I guess. My husband very happily ate my cookie though. So it did not go to waste!


Unfortunently it was about 10:30 pm byt the time we checked in and I had to be up around 6am since I had to be there at 6:45 to pick up my registration packet and then first wave of riders start at 7 am. So we pretty much had to unpack and get to bed. I unloaded my stuff and got into the super cozy sheets and it was lights out!

Next morning, I woke up at 6 am, overflowed the coffee pot trying to make some coffee in those hotel pots, grabbed some oatmeal and hit the road. Check in was fast, and before I knew it, it was time to ride!


I had to set my bike up quick and inspect it fast for anything that could be damaged. But nope, all good. I lined up with everyone else and took off. We started out going through Little Italy, it was cute, Ive never been there but made a mental note to take a trip back soon. It was grey and cold and thats all I kept thinking about for the first 10 miles or so of the trip. Then the sun came out and everything warmed up and I was a happy camper. The terrain was pretty flat. About 20 miles into it there was tons of hills but overall not too bad. It was a great challenge. We rode up past a lake which was so beautiful..

About every 15 miles there was a rest stop complete with everything you need to refuel! Bananas, oranges, PB&J sammies and assorted cliff bars and fresh water. Since I like to stay pretty light while I ride I just grabbed a few orange slices and water. I did grab a oatmeal rasin mini Cliff bar just in case=) By the last rest stop though i was getting really hungry and it was banana time. The last 10 miles were the hardest. I was so close to being done but just not quite there yet. But I kept on trucking. About 2 miles away from the finish I completely bit it and hit the pavement hard. I lost my balance on a stop and fell hard. But just scratches! I picked myself up and biked the rest of the way.

I think the best part was just doing something Ive always wanted to accomplish. There were a couple of times I wanted to just stop and turn around early but I knew I would be so disappointed with myself and I pressed on. Im so happy I made the full 62 miles! What a amazing feeling!! When I was home I rewarded myself with a big tasty bowl of my tofu PB pudding. Oh yummy!! And then a nap..