Day 27 (4/27): R-E-C-O-V-E-R-Y

Paris to Texarkana, 92 miles.

Today was completely opposite of yesterday, and was fantastic.  Since arriving to Texas, every morning we check the wind forecast (more important to us than temperature, rain, snow, tornadoes) and it was great news at breakfast – a tailwind!  Chatter was light, the mood was lifted, my legs twitched with joy.  I stuffed one less powerbar into my back, and filled my water bottles a little less.

Once we hit the road, it was awesome.  The morning air was chilly and with some wind assistance we were flying.  The scenery was fantastic with green rolling hills and horse farms.  My compadre, Justin, stopped to spend some quality time admiring the baby horses.

One happy family

We were flying so fast that we hit our lunch stop (~50 miles) by 9:45a.  Our lunch stop was the typical boring gas station – and we even had time to talk about Schwinn’s with a local trucker.

Working on our non-loitering

With all of our repetitive riding, our legs really take a hit.  We’re trying all sorts of different ways to recover:

1)      Chocolate milk – this is the best recovery drink you can buy, and its price is right.  It was studied by Indiana University, and it is legit and outcompetes the super expensive recovery drinks.  To best replenish wiped out muscles, it is best to drink within 30 minutes – which can make for quite the adventure right after a bike ride.  One half quart will give you a solid 880 calories, with 120g carbohydrates and protein.

Doing some personal shopping

Use #85 for our back pockets

2)      Leg elevation: Pro – really easy way to drain the lactic acid from your legs.  Doesn’t hurt.  You can just lay there.  Con – can give yourself a heart attack if you have a ton of lactic acid flooding your heart.

3)      Streching: Pro – you look cool doing it.  Con: it takes awhile, and it hurts

4)      Beer: Pro – tastes fantastic after a long day in the saddle.  Con: doesn’t really work.

5)      Naps: Pro – really easy to do, and is favored by many people including Brian Dishong and Timmy Mitchell.  Cons – you are really sore when you wake up.  You may have nightmares

Counting sheep

6)      Games of kickball: Pro – really fun, and running helps flush out lactic acid.  Con – you can cramp up, and walk with a limp (may, or may not have happened to me)

7)      Updating your blog: Pro – can be a thereapeutic mental recovery if you had a rough day in the saddle. Con – doesn’t really help your legs, and you may develop carpal tunnel and poor vision

Intense debate on the ethics of Facebook

8)      Quitting: Pro – works indefinitely. Con – is there one?

After utilizing #1, 2, 3, 5, 7, (8?) for recovery, we had a lot of fun in Texarkana.  We stayed in a Methodist Youth building, and it was brand new and decked out with electronics.  People set up an internet café (important for #7), played basketball, and Wii.  The support team for the day did a great job with breakfast for dinner, and during our post-gluttonous state we had a journal club.

Kiss the chef

To further unwind from our stressful lives, a few of us enjoyed the Sandlot with the gigantic projector systems.  After that I slept F-O-R-E-V-E-R