Well, I don’t know how, but somehow I managed to crank out another 100 miles. And to be honest, the number 100 is more of a mental block than actually riding a 100 miles. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a lot of riding time.

This was my second year riding the full Century. At first, I didn’t think I was going to do the 100 since I only had cycled half as much as this time last year. I guess I was egged on by the other people I was riding with and by my wife who insisted that if I rode the full 100 that I was not allowed to complain about any aches or pains. So far, I’ve gotten away with a few aches, but limited belly-aching.

I had planned to tweet my pace throughout the day like I did last year, but I was riding with a group of people and didn’t want to have to pull over just to type out my mileage.

It was a great day for riding. The fields are ripening for harvest, the sky was clear, the temperature was just right. I can’t complain about the day, except for the North / Northeast wind that sucked the life out of me the last 20 miles of the ride.

Hope to do it again next year.

Doing the Capital City Century tomorrow. Not for sure if I am riding 62,80, or 100 miles. We’ll see what I am feeling like during the ride. I will have the iPhone in tow, so follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/gotshoo/

Well I did it. I finished my first ever Century. I’ve been working up to it since July putting on about 700 miles over the summer.

I started just a little past 7am. It was cloudy and overcast. After 11 the sun and clouds came out. When I see the white clouds against the blue sky I always think of the opening to The Simpson’s.

My route would take me through Auburn, Divernon, Glenarm, and Virden. At one point I was riding on Old Route 66 which was still all brick. Not the smoothest part of the ride.

There was a point where I didn’t see anyone else for over an hour. It was cool. I was in the middle of the country with nothing but corn.

Physically, it was one of the hardest things I’ve done. Six hours and ten minutes riding time. After a few pain pills, a beverage or two, and a back massage I am starting to feel relaxed.

Okay – what next?

Tomorrow is the big Century. Still got a few butterflies in my stomach, but it should be a good day.

Per suggestion of Matt Penning, I will be Twittering / live blogging tomorrow. Don’t know what Twitter is? Don’t worry. Just hit the root of the domain to see updates from me. http://gotshoo.com or http://twitter.com/gotshoo

After a good talking with my coworker/coach/mentor (Hi Christa!), I feel like I’m ready to do a century. My last ride of 72 miles really took it out of me. I had high doubts about hitting a 100, but I realized it was 90 degrees (I didn’t start till 9am), I was riding solo and it was actually a windy day.

I also got a boost in confidence when I was going through my desk today and found the article with me being featured in the A/E section of the SJ-R and low and behold what I said: “Something my colleagues don’t know about me: I have a goal to bike a Century this summer, and some of my colleagues don’t know about my blog.”

Well, almost everybody at work knows about this ol’ blog (and possibly a rather embarrassing karaoke video that will not be linked here); now, I’ve just got to complete the century.

Nerd Stats (Miles Biked):

• May – 45 miles
• June – 103 miles
• July – 298 miles
• August – 245 miles

Total: 691 miles

This week to let my body recoop, I also went jet skiing the day after my ride (not wise), I am staying off my bike except for some casual riding, and (the best part) I am going to carb up on Friday and Saturday. I even have some Italian places picked out already.

I am not usually one that will quit on a project, maybe postpone – hello overdue landscaping and wiring. I feel like I’ve got enough miles under my belt/spandex to do this!

My body did all it could this weekend not to go riding. I was going to get up at 7am on Saturday, as I knew it was going to be a long ride. I didn’t get up till 8:30 and still it didn’t want to move. My stomach growled, my knees ached, and I kept having to run into the house to get necessary stuff. My body was seriously trying to sabotage the ride.

But I progressed and picked up some breakfast and made it out to Sherman, the start of my 72 mile ride. Of course the first part of the ride was all uphill into the wind. I really thought about calling it a day not even 20 minutes into my ride.

Then I made a hook north and the wind was at my back, my speed was close to 18mph and things were going great till I had to head back West. Although it may seem like a light breeze on a Summer day, try going head first when there’s nothing to stop it besides corn.

The longest ride before this one was a 55 mile ride and I did it about two weeks ago. So I was confident that 72 miles wouldn’t be a problem.

My body was ready to give up at mile 50.

Maybe it was because there was no other way to get back home or hope of Mrs. Shoo hoping in her car and coming to my rescue, but I psyched myself out and push onward. And after 4 hours and 49 minutes I made it back to my starting point.

I don’t know if it was because I wasn’t into it mentally or things weren’t aligned right, but I’ve got to do some soul searching this week. A 100K may be more of a possibility this year instead of a 100 miles. I still want to challenge myself, but don’t want to be out of commission for the following week.

10 Days till the Capital City Century! If anyone else is interested in doing a lesser amount, there are courses for 12, 25, 40, and 62miles besides the 100mile course. If the weather keeps holding up, it should be a great day for a ride.

So far the longest ride I’ve done has been 55 miles (just a few weeks ago). I felt really good after that. So this weekend I am going for 70 miles. I’ll post the course later on Google maps. I am thinking once I hit 70 miles, I should be able to get past the mental block of trying to conquer 100.

I’ve also been working on my bike. I just had Wheel Fast put on a new front derailer and a new chain ring. My chain kept popping off when I would start from a dead stop and when I was putting a lot of torque on the pedal. Tonight I also replaced my worn out Look cleats with a brand new set. Bike rides great and I’ve got a CO2 pump and extra tube stashed in a seat bag.

The one thing I need to pick up, after experiencing a facefull of rock dust from my 55 mile ride, is a new set of shades. I’ve already had to dig several insects out of my eye sockets. Not fun when you’re trying to ride straight and avoid traffic on one side and a ditch on the other.

In the quest for a century ride, this weekend I did a 55 mile ride from Sherman to Mt. Pulaski to Elkhart and back to Sherman. The longest ride up to now that I’ve done has been 43 miles.

It was a beautiful day for ride. The temps were in the 80’s, the sun was out.

I did worry about what I got myself into the first 10 miles. The roads had just had new rock put down, so whenever a car would pass a dust storm would be created. I literally cried the first few miles to get the dust out of my eyes. Note, next time wear sun glasses.

I didn’t take many photos – I was more worried about making it back in one piece and not getting a flat. But I took these at Elkhart. There’s a huge incline going up to Elkhart so I needed a short rest and checked out the Elkhart cemetery.

The bike is in the shop till early next week, but my next long ride will hopefully be up to 70 miles. Anyone want to ride?

I’ve been using Dave Heinzel’s bike tool since 2006 and if I were on an imaginary route from LA to New York, I’d be in Amarillo. This year I’ve putting on a lot more miles since I am trying do the Springfield Century (100 miles) by the end of the summer.

Today I did my longest ride… ever. 43 and a half miles. Closest I’ve got on record was 40.3 miles back in 2006 when I did a shortened version of Springfield Century on my mountain bike. Now that was a long ride.

Mrs. Shoo gets a kick out of the bike wear. I can’t post what she has said about it but yes, I’ve got the spandex and bike jersey. I think it’s essential if you’re going to have any street cred. And the butt padding helps out.

A while back I read a book on completing a Century and the basic consensus of the book was to ride a lot. So that’s my training plan – riding a lot. That and some energy bars and sports drink to keep the legs going.

Expect a few more bike posts.