I made it the rest of the way to Portland without any problems whatsoever, as far as my body goes, although I got a flat tire at mile 200 on a Portland neighborhood street. My hands shook a little as I changed the inner tube, but I felt fine otherwise, and the sympathy I got from passing cyclists gave me some good chuckles.
I started the ride at 5 a.m. in Seattle. I crossed the finish line in Portland around 5:40 p.m.
According to my bike computer, I spent about 10 hours 40 minutes on the bike, with the remainder of the time at various rest stops. I burned about 5,000 calories.
My eating plan wasn't perfect, as St. Helens had shown. If I ever do it again, I might follow Clark's advice and make an even more detailed plan with hourly calorie goals.
"Sometimes it's good to have hourly targets, to help keep you from getting into a hole," she said.
But I did make it. I drank a couple more chocolate milks at the finish line -- important for carbs and protein, remember! -- and then my wife poured me into her truck for the drive home and a celebratory pizza later that night.
More information
Visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture for more on fitness and sports nutrition.
Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Reader Comments (