Northwest to Nashville 200K-Experience is the teacher of all things

It was the cold, it was the east wind, it was the hills, it was the south wind. At mile 65 I was continually looking down at my rear cassette because it felt like I was pushing too high of a gear ratio. But no, creeping along in a very low gear I passed some flags which confirmed what I was refusing to accept as reality: I was headed South and the flags were flying straight out towards me. The wind, in my face for most of the North-East, 53 mile trek to Nashville had shifted and would challenge me for the remainder of my trip.

Then my legs informed me they had had enough of hill climbing. My price to pay for refusing to ride indoors and keep my conditioning up this winter.  It hurt to go any faster than a soft-pedal pace, and when I needed them to get me up one of the numerous Barry County hills, they began to twinge as a for-warning of a total ride-ending spasm.

Then "The Voice of Reason" got into my head: "You should abandon now, you are only at the halfway point and if you keep going your legs will give out completely. Then you'll have to wait for Ruth to come and get you for that car ride of shame. There's a good chance she will get lost on these god-forsaken back roads while you curl up into the fetal position and hypothermia sets in." You know, that voice. Usually a symptom of bonking.

Anyway, I kept going. Kept eating at the controls, Felt a little better, then a little worse...etc. Another 200K Permanent in the books. Beautiful course-from Portage, past Brook Lodge (a lot of memories there,) then onto much of what I recognized as the 24hr challenge course leading to the small village of Nashville, MI. Then back around Gull Lake to Plainwell south to Kalamazoo. Actually enjoyed the ride through Kalamazoo and Portage in full darkness.

Nashville, MI-Remember, it's the journey, not the destination.

So, what did this experience teach? Besides the usual need for better training, more weight loss, warmer clothing; which I always resolve to do but rarely follow through.