Venus De Miles

I rode the Venus de Miles again this year and lived to tell about it!  Last year I rode the 50-mile distance, but this year it was 62 miles.  All my boys were there to see me off, but they were playing soccer by the time I finished my ride, so they weren't there at the end.  My ride started out a little rough--sort of tight in the legs for a bit--but then it resolved itself, and I really enjoyed the ride.  

For the second year, I rode with my friend, Jessica.  Whereas last year she was riding when she was newly pregnant, this year she was riding with a newborn baby!!!  (The baby was not literally riding with us, mind you, but we did stop at one of the aide stations for Jessica to nurse said baby.)  We took this year's ride at a more leisurely pace, in general, I would say, considering the 30 min. nursing stop and another stop early on for snacks.  I didn't linger afterward, which I've realized is a big, fun part of the whole deal for me, because I wanted to get to Amanda's baby shower.  I wouldn't do it like that again.  I was glad that my mom and step-dad were there at the end to see me cross the finish line, but my finale felt too abrupt due to my own schedule that day.