Going big tomorrow! 54 miles is the plan.

Wish me luck.  I will be riding to the Isle of Palms tomorrow morning.  I completed this ride once before on Olaf a couple of months ago.  It was miserable.  54 miles of suck.  To give you a sense of how idiotic I was for that ride, this is the ride summary:

• Food - I brought one pack of shot blocks.  Smart!  Keeping the extra weight down?
• Water - I brought one water bottle.  A small one.  More intelligence at work here.  Who needs water anyway.  Not like it's hot in Charleston in the middle of summer.
• Conditions - I rode starting at 11a.  True Genius.  It was like 125 degrees and 100% humidity.  Not a cloud in the sky.  Middle of summer.  Really smart.  I think I got home around 4p.  Hottest part of the day.
• Equipment - I rode a women's hybrid bike that doesn't fit me at all, tennis shoes, regular pedals, no helmet and no gloves.  More genius at work.
• Breaks - I stopped halfway and ate fish and chips.  I kid you not, I ate a full plate of fried grouper, french fries, and slaw.  Then got back on my bike.  Even more genius!  Oddly enough, if you aren't a cyclist, probably even if you are, when you eat a full plate of fried food, you no longer want to ride your bike anymore.  Also, stopping for 45 minuts is a bad idea.  I think I heard my body say, "We're going to do what now?  We were done! You @$$ H0!3!!!"
• Conditioning - My previous long ride was 27 miles.  Here's a thought, add a few miles at a time instead of doubling your longest effort!

I literally almost died that die.  When I got home and after I had someone help me upstairs to my apartment, I drank three glasses of water, ate a banana, laid down on the floor in my front entry, and slept for about 4 hours on the ground.  I woke up, ate a little, showered, and slept another 10 hours.  It was all about the heat exhaustion.  Heat exhaustion BLOWS!   

I have learned SO MUCH since then so I hope it goes much better.  Here's my plan for tomorrow:

• Food - One pack of shot blocks, two PB&Js cut into 4 pieces for easy eating, 6 homemade granola balls.  Thanks for the recipe sis!
• Water - 2 large water bottles, pack of nuun tablets for electrolyte replacement.
• Conditions - Starting the ride before 9a.  It's going to be warm tomorrow but not hellish summer hot.
• Equipment - This will be my first ride with a jersey that has pockets!  I am excited about having the ability to eat without stopping.  I degreased and re-lubed my chain, chain-rings, and cassette.  They get really sandy because much of my ride is on hard pack.  Bringing all of the gear I should have had all along (see below).
• Breaks - Short breaks in the shade is the plan.  One every hour in a half or so.
• Conditioning - I have ridden several 40 milers now, two this week.  I took a rest day today.  Feeling good about tackling the big ride.

Here's my equipment pic.  Wish me luck!