Bike Trip Disaster - Part 1

Lately I have been telling you guys about how I have been training for a bike trip across Missouri with my grandpa.  The trip was scheduled to happen from this past Wednesday (the 5th) until Friday (the 7th), but things went wrong...very wrong.

Before the Trip

This story begins about two weeks ago.  At this point, I had already been riding my bike every day for the past 5 weeks.  I was feeling amazing.  I hadn't really lost any weight, but everyone I saw was commenting on how fantastic I was looking.  I was definitely toning up, gaining muscle and losing inches.  Over those 5 weeks, I came to absolutely love the time I spent outside riding my bike.  Then it happened.

I was walking in the backyard when my foot got stuck in a groundhog hole, and I sprained my ankle badly.  Before the pain even registered, I started thinking about how I was only 2 weeks out from the bike trip I had been training so hard for.  My ankle immediately swelled up and within a couple of days it had turned an ominous shade of blue and purple from my toes to the bottom of my calf.

I got an air cast for my ankle and wore it for about a week.  Sitting in a chair with my foot in the air was not exactly what I had in mind 2 weeks before the bike trip, but rest was the best medicine.  The week before the trip, I decided to try to ride my bike a few miles just to see how it felt.  My first ride did not go well.  My foot went completely numb after only 2 miles and swelled back up.

Just as I was feeling like I wouldn't be able to ride as planned, I started to feel a lot better.  The swelling was almost completely gone by the day of the bike trip.  I decided to go ahead and ride as far as I could and just see how I felt.  My mom and dad were also coming along on the trip, but they were planning on driving a car in case my grandpa or I needed help.  My mom decided that she would take over if I couldn't ride any further and I could follow in the car with my dad.

The Trip

The weather was absolutely perfect leading up to the trip.  The sun came up at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, and my grandpa and I were ready to go.  We set off riding from Calhoun to Windsor, an up-and-down ride of about 7.5 miles.  It was COLD when we started off and my arms were freezing.  I warmed up quickly and actually really enjoyed the ride.  My ankle felt great and I was starting to feel like I was going to be able to ride the whole way as planned.

We stopped in Windsor for a granola bar and some water and then were back on the way.  The next leg of the Katy Trail was from Windsor to Green Ridge, a flat and easy 8.8-mile stretch.

Next up was Green Ridge to Sedalia, 12.2 miles.  By this point, my ankle was starting to hurt a little bit, but I was so proud that I had ridden almost 30 miles and was still feeling fit!!  Once we pulled into Sedalia, we decided that my mom would take the next leg of the trip.  I took that hour to ice my ankle and get ready for my next ride.  I was shocked when I looked at my heart rate monitor.  I was having a ton of fun and had burned a TON of calories.

Stats for the Calhoun to Sedalia ride:

Miles: 28.4

Time: 3 hours, 11 minutes

Calories: 1552

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the bike trip where things take a BIG turn for the worse!