on biting off more than I can chew. maybe

Sunday is the Pumpkin Patch Pedal of the Staten Island Bicycling Association, and Our Lady of Perpetual Headwinds is leading a group of us on the 100-mile ride. Another leader I like is doing her last ride of the year, a hilly ride, the day before. I made clear my plans to do both, and I heard from both of them warning me off. I was going to send them an email with my thoughts, but it got too long and rambling... so it wound up here as a post, and I sent them links. Below, the text of my unsent email:

Laura & Cheryl -

Hmm. Ok, if the two of you are going to take this much time, energy, and concern so that you're BOTH warning me off riding on Saturday before the PPP, I've got to take that into consideration. You've got much more experience than I do. Further, I'm gratified by the attention you're paying to me!

On one side, Cheryl, I like your rides, and I like hills (and I don't find you hard to hang around with, either). First, I've missed a few of your rides, either due to the inclemency of the weather or due to other commitments, and I didn't want to miss the last one of the year. Second, I like hills, and I suspect there won't be many on the Pumpkin Patch Pedal century (100 miles is a good distance, but the route starts and ends in Jamesburg...).

I don't want to be sagging or bonking on Sunday. I'm expecting a 14.5-15.5 average speed, with the riders we have coming along. That's about seven hours of riding, plus breaks, plus the odd tire or mechanical repair. It's a high demand for a long day.

On the other side, I'm pretty strong; I did Anchor House this summer (with a week of 75-mile-average days); I've been turning out 120-mile weekends (back-to-back 60-mile days); my daily workouts have been good (although my weight's up a couple of pounds - remind me to tell youse-all about the wacko, obsessive-compulsive spreadsheet on which I keep track of my weight trend; there is no END to my craziness). And there's one more thing: I love to ride. I LOVE to ride. I squeeze rides in whenever I can, and, on too many weekends, my plans with my excellent wife include discussions of whether I can do a group ride, or just a solo. Winter coming on means I think about the last ride of the year, which (given my depressive, anxiety-ridden personality) gets me thinking about the time when I'll have to give up the bike permanently, due to age & infirmity.

That said, overextending myself could have just the consequence I dread - that I'd have to stop riding, maybe permanently.

OK. I won't do Cheryl's hilly ride on Saturday. I probably won't stay off the bike entirely, either, though; I'll need to do some workout that day, anyway. Two possibilities present:

• I could go on a less-demanding group ride on Saturday, probably Ira's ride out of Cranbury;
  
• I could do my own ride, like the 20-mile loop including Coppermine Road I usually do when I'm alone.
  

Experience shows that I'll push less on Ira's ride (I'm intensely competitive with myself, and I like to see how high a gear I can take Coppermine, and how fast an average I can maintain when I ride myself.) I could do my own ride, and push myself less, but I probably wouldn't actually do that (I leave with the best of intentions, and come back exhausted anyway). I don't know what I will do, However, given your concern, what I won't do is over-exert myself by doing Cheryl's ride on Saturday AND the century on Sunday.

Thank you both. I really am honored that you care enough to be concerned, and to take the time and energy to write. I hope someday to be numbered among your friends.