Satisfied.

I've been essentially wheat free for the past couple months. I have the standard, negative thoughts and feelings on GMOs that most other people have. Those knowledgeable on the subject, at least.

Also, I just wanted to try it.

And honestly - it is really upsetting to me that I went through withdrawals from it. Withdrawals from the types of food that are generally perceived as normal, run-of-the-mill consumables. Cravings, brain fog, exhaustion. It sucked.

And it's not like I was eating a lot of it, either. Our diets are pretty simple. Spinach salads, whole foods, a little bit of fruit. Most every night, dinners are essentially grilled or sautéed vegetables, sweet potatoes or rice, then some sort of protein.

I unexpectedly lost a little weight and went from 146 to 142. But more importantly to me, my appetite is a little easier to control. I'm eating foods with more fat in them and feeling generally better. Definitely a plus.

So, about the crazy ride this weekend. Some random thoughts:

I was really concerned about the weather leading into the weekend. The northeast had been getting a lot of rain dumped on it, so I was constantly checking out my RadarScope app. The C&O ended up being the muddiest I had ever seen it, but it was still a non-factor.

I remained wheat free the entire time. I was worried how my GI parts would hold up on such a long ride with my relatively new eating habits. This ended up being a non-issue.

Well, pretty much...

Except in Hancock where I quickly downed a sweet potato and some pineapple, then had the feeling of my stomach getting squished between an anvil and something else really heavy. I was at the nicest town in 125 miles and still no bathrooms around. Of course.

I grabbed the most-precious cargo from my frame bag - baby wipes, duh - hurdled past a group of two dozen small children and galloped off into the woods like a guy in lycra about to shit his shorts (Sorry, I can't think of a good analogy. I just have to tell it how it was.)

Although wheat free, I still ate a lot. I had prepped most of my food beforehand, so I was able to somewhat accurately assess the damage done between setting off in Georgetown and ending on Carson Street.

For breakfast, I had a Chipotle burrito bowl along with two bananas and peanut butter.

On the ride:

• Ten Lara Bars, six Kind Bars, five Almond Snickers
• Eight bananas, eight Tbsp of peanut butter
• Four sweet potatoes, three cups of brown rice, a can of black beans
• Two hamburgers (no buns), a cup of french fries, chicken breast w/ bacon, cheese & guacamole
• Five ham, turkey & cheese sandwich wraps (brown rice tortillas)
• Two bottles of coke, six Gatorades, some GU Roctane mix
• Handful of Jolly Ranchers, two packs of honey stingers
• A bag of blueberries, bag of cashews, some pineapple, an avocado, 2x espresso

Double burp.

No terrible wildlife encounters (human or non-human).

No mechanicals.

No chamois cream.

I had a goal time in my head. I really thought I could do the whole thing in 30 hours in relatively good conditions. I gave Ryanne the names of the trailheads I'd stop at for food and water along with my estimated pace between various stops. I gave her a more aggressive schedule with an overall 28 hour time, and a more conservative list at 30 hours.

Ry also used the Find My iPhone app to check out my location from her phone, which ended up being super helpful. It's difficult to describe the level of support she gave me. Food, planning, driving, etc. Willing to ride with me in the middle of the night for some time, only to turn around in the darkness alone was not expected, but appreciated. I enjoyed the short times together, and although concerned for her well-being, remembered that she pretty much does whatever she wants, so I wasn't about to start it up with her : )

I started at 3:50AM on Saturday morning. Finished at 7:14AM on Sunday. Start to finish time of 27:24. Had pretty good luck. Mud, yes. But never had a cramp and didn't really get tired. The stretch from Connellsville to West Newton was strewn with fallen trees from storm damage. The section between West Newtown and Pittsburgh sucked, as it usually does.

I had so many people send me text messages before and after the ride. I found out later there were a bunch of group text conversations between friends and family at 2:00AM, close to the end. Pretty darn thoughtful. I love my friends.

All-in-all it was difficult, but as much mental as it was physical. The first day of Trans North Georgia is still the hardest thing I have done physically. I was probably in my best shape when we were in Georgia, and that had us doing 26,000 feet of climbing bombed-out dirt roads over 116 miles in 18 hours. All on packed down mountain bikes. Fueled by cryptosporidium-riddled stream water.

I don't know what's next. This Team Schlup member found some glory this weekend, and that's enough to keep me going for a while. Wherever it may be, I'll be sure to make it an adventure.