This week, life decided it would happen with complete disregard for our carefully constructed plans.
The intention was clear: a 160 km (99 miles) ride in Niffer. Reality, however, had other priorities.
Marco had a family emergency that needed his full attention, and at work several colleagues were sick, which meant I covered extra shifts. Somewhere between responsibility, fatigue, and basic logistical impossibilities, the long outdoor ride quietly evaporated. No scandal. No drama. Just one of those weeks where training politely steps aside and waits its turn.
My thoughts kept drifting to Justinas Leveika, also known as the King of Chaos. The man who not only finished the Triple Crown of ultra cycling, but won it and casually shaved about two days off the previous record. He also works in health care, which makes me wonder how exactly he bends time, space, and circadian rhythms to make this work. One of my quiet heroes.
In the meantime, I did manage to squeeze in an extra indoor Kickr session. It didn’t involve sunrise or scenic suffering. There was, however, suffering of a more educational kind. I misunderstood a cadence pyramid and interpreted it as low cadence, high torque. Spoiler: it is exactly the opposite. I am not a high-cadence kind of gal. My legs were thoroughly fried. But it happened. I am choosing to believe this counts for something 💪🏻
Route Planning, Emotional Edition
Most of this week happened on the couch. I spent a lot of time planning the first stage of the race. I received the official GPX files via email, stitched everything together, then split it into roughly 200 km (124 miles) sections. I’m currently marking supermarkets, bakeries, and other locations where we can acquire calories without prolonged negotiation. I learned most of my planning skills from a fantastic video by Sarah Swallow, which I’ve watched more times than I care to admit.
Truth be told, I’ve spent a lot of mental energy imagining the RATN lately. Going to bike check. Standing at the start line. I’ve been following this event since 2020 as a dot-watcher from the outside, and now I’m actually going to participate. I still can’t fully picture it, but it’s no longer abstract. “Someday” now has a deadline of May 2nd, and I can feel it approaching like a freight train. That realization hit harder than expected.
At one point, lying on the couch surrounded by hand-scribbled notes, food, and drinks, it fully landed. Starting numbers. Final route. Actual participation. I had to wipe away a couple of tears. My first RATN mental breakdown, achieved without even spending a second in the race. A strong start 🤣 😉
Data Temptations
I’ve also been contemplating buying power pedals for myself. Not because I need the data. I absolutely DO. NOT. NEED. the data. I keep repeating this to myself in an attempt to remain grounded in reality 😉. But it would be interesting to see what my power output does late in a long ride.
This is how gear purchases start. I am aware of this 🫣
A Brief Detour Into Food
Since there isn’t all that much to report training-wise, I figured I’d share my weekday meal “plan”.
For breakfast, I usually eat about 250 g of 3.5 percent yogurt, with four to five spoonfuls of our homemade muesli. Rolled oats, raisins, dried coconut flakes, and dried apple.
At work, I bring my own lunch. Brown rice, about 250 g of cottage cheese, some meat and vegetables Marco cooks once per week, plus sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Sometimes I swap the brown rice for wild rice, white rice, or buckwheat. On days I’m not working, I often make pasta soup with egg.
There is very little our bodies don’t regulate on their own, and I genuinely believe calorie intake is no exception. I eat when I’m hungry, and I eat until I’m satiated. So far, this system appears to be functioning adequately.
Conclusion
I’m accepting that this was a week of adaptation rather than execution. Not every week looks good on a training calendar. Some weeks exist purely to remind you that life does not pause just because you have a plan.
Next week, we try again.
Until then, remember to keep the rubber side down, and I’ll catch you at the next one! 🚴🏼♀️