Training

Training has gone fairly well. Although, by this point, we're almost done training... to date, we've ridden approximately 950 miles. After this weekend, we should pass the 1,000 miles mark. And of course, in a week and a half, we'll ride the entire 190 mile route.

We've spent about 65 hours on the bike since May. This does not include the time in the gym cross training, the time spent on bike maintenance or repairs, the time finding new shoes so that we could actually be comfortable for all those miles, or the time in the chiropractor's office. We've had to sleep a lot more than we usually do. We've gotten into the habit of getting up at 5 a.m., working out, going to work and then sometimes working out a second time. We're in bed by about 8:30 p.m. every night. In short, all of this training has been a major lifestyle change, although largely for the better.

We've burned about 30,000 calories while training - which includes only the time on the bike, and not cross training. Our clothes are fitting differently (a good thing).

Its been a lot of work, and last week, I was approaching burn out. The end is in sight, however, and I feel like we are well prepared, so it was worth it.