Training day 3 - what a slog!

Usually works good, but today not so much.

Today I upped my mileage with the loaded bike to 30 miles.  Yesterday's 25 miler felt pretty good, but today did not.  There was an element missing:  Gatorade.  Yes, I didn't have it Monday and I slogged at 20 miles.  I had it Tuesday and wasn't bothered at all at 25.  Didn't have it today and I was feeling it.

I did take some fig newtons and some peanut butter crackers.  Usually fig Newtons are good for some energy... but not so much with a fully loaded bike.  No, the carbs are too complex for fast energy.  That's where Gatorade is so powerful.  It hits your bloodstream quickly and thereby your muscles quickly.  So it looks to me like I am going to need a steady supply of Gatorade on the road.  Like - don't leave home without it.  Ever.  Because I literally kept having to stop to rest, and it took me much longer on the ride than it should have.

I know some people think that Gatorade is nothing but sugar, and there IS a lot of sugar in it, but hello!!!  The body runs on sugar.  I don't want to hear any anti-sugar arguments.  You go out on a fully loaded bike and see how well you do on water alone after 30 miles.  Yeah, Right now I am downing sugar.

That being said, I did stop on the Ballona Creek Bridge again (both ways), and the 2nd time I was approached by an Southeast Asian man and his wife who were on a tandem.  He said he had just ordered a Surly LHT and was waiting for it to arrive and that he planned on touring the USA also.  He kept saying how much he wish he could go with me.  He said he also wanted to tour all of Thailand and asked if I ever wanted to go there, but I said I could only go if someone sponsored a ticket for me.  Well, more than that, but that's the general idea.  I introduced him to Warm Showers and also this blog.  He had never heard of Warm Showers.  He said he was doing the tandem with his wife to get used to extra weight, but only real way to get used to the extra weight is if she's not pedaling, because the weight on the bike is dead weight.  I still have too much of it.  Need to get serious in the next 48 hours and start dumping some stuff.

The Ortlieb Rack Pack arrived today... more weight for the bike.  The tent, however, is a different matter.  I ordered it off eBay but like a doofus forgot to tell the seller to send it to the address where I am currently staying, so of course it went to my old address where I don't live and now it is already being sent back.  So I will have to get another one from a store or something.  Time is short but thankfully I don't need the tent for several days, potentially.