Stay Constant.

By 8:00 am I was out rolling on the fat bike.  I knew the wind was out of the NW but headed west anyway.  I wanted a different route and I like the gravel out that way too.  Looking at the flags on the way out of town the wind wasn't too bad either.  About 1.5 hours later when I turned North the wind had picked up, instantly I knew I was in for some work.  Even though I am out for time and not speed I had to switch my Garmin to map mode as to not obsess with the 9-12 mph I was now going into the wind.  The wind got to me.  I was cursing it out load and not having fun.  I actually made a turn towards home at one point, but a sweet gravel road popped up and I took that.  I think a break from the wind was what I needed.  I was back to "Fonzie" cool after that.  Plus I kept saying my new mantra, given by Kid of Salsa: "Just Stay Constant".

About 4.5 hours in I stopped in Gillman for a rest and refuel.  The gas station didn't have lots of options but calories were found!  It's amazing what 15 minutes can do to revitalize you.  I felt pretty good on the bike after some food and a walk.

I ended up back home with 6.5 hours again, same as last Thursday but totally different route.  I missed out on my time goal of 7-8 hours but I was fine with that.  The energy output into the wind was huge and I felt good and I overcame some strong mental demons.

Now the sloppy weekend warm up.