Fashion is thrown aside as we*run through what to wear to the gym, what not to wear, and when not to care. Also, we talk about pushing yourself, and how to avoid injuries.
Speaking clothes, when it’s time to do laundry (with my washer at least), I only recently realized…
a) how little difference there is between cold & warm water
b) how much difference there is between warm and hot water.
And a little ammonia (like 1-4 capfuls, depending on load size) helps get the stink out of sweat-soaked gym clothes.
Be careful with that ammonia if you’re washing tech fabrics. It’s not really much worse than regular detergent if properly diluted, but then again laundry detergent can be kinda harsh on some stuff. Try laundry soap (yes, there’s a difference) if you have anything you paid a chunk of change for and want to last.
As to the discussion about people quitting at the 64 mi mark, it’s not a great idea to set the exact distance as a goal. You’ll find that event courses rarely come up the exact distance, and even if they do, your bike computer may or may not be completely accurate either. Last years’s Tulsa Tough century was 109 mi instead of 100, and I clocked 105, for example. For fun, compare stats with other people after a group ride. You’ll most likely find a variance between people you rode next to for the whole ride.
The following advice is based on how my mind works, and the mind games that I have to play with myself, so it may or may not help anyone else but here goes:
A good way to handle the goal setting is not to set a goal of mileage or even finishing, but set a goal of staying hydrated and fueled and riding within your limits, pacewise. That will go a lot further towards keeping you rolling than thinking about the end. If you set a goal of finishing, you’re thinking about making it to the end. You’re looking forward to the time when you can stop riding, and if you start to falter or suffer, then you’ve already put yourself in a position where you’re thinking about stopping.
Plus, it will negate the damage from signing up for a 50mi ride and accidentally taking the turn off for the 100k. If you’ve set your mind on 50mi, when you figure out what happened it can be pretty demoralizing. If you just set a goal of keeping the machine going, you may have one of those great days when you find out you have more in the tank than you thought you did.
When you get into racing and competitive events it all changes, but I think that’s good advice for casual events and such.