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@The_Seldom_Killer
Fail.
Kicked this one off at about 5.45 on Saturday morning and it was going reasonably well. I was dodging most of the rain and keeping a decent pace and generally being quite happy with myself through the first loop so set off on the second at around 22.30. The first 60k went well when that certain tiredness kicked in. My attention was diverted by looking for a sheltered place to stop for 10-15 minutes but it never materialised. I thought that a half hour nap at the services at 80k was going to be sufficient for me to make the return journey to the van and get a couple more hours sleep there. Alas 30 minutes out I started to fall apart. my pace dropped, I was tired and just didn't seem to have any energy. Over the next 40k I tried sleeping, eating, energy bars, hydration drinks, coffee but it just wasn't happening and at times my riding, on the flat was slipping below 15kph.
It was a nasty feeling but I had to accept that my ride was over. I had slipped very quickly through fatigue (that feeling of physical tiredness that can be overcome with resting and refueling) and into exhaustion (which requires proper rest and recovery). Alas, despite all the time I had lost crawling along those 40k, it was still too early for trains in the boonies and the only way to get back to the van in Doncaster was to cycle. It was a very unpleasant experience. I'd been a bit ambitious and overestimated my own fitness, particularly following a couple of bouts of illness recently.
That's and end to my SR dreams for this year now and my RRty (at least I didn't endure riding in the middle of winter). I want to focus on doing some other things, particularly at the weekends and audaxing is going to take a back seat for a while (I may indulge myself with an occasional 200k).
I could regret not finishing this ride but I don't. The main thing is for me to try. I was lucky last year and the SR came pretty easily and I was a little niave in thinking it would be the same this year, especially when I was trying to do the hardest ride solo. Quitting the season without trying would be the regretable thing and I have long since come to accept that it is OK to fail. The main thing is to be honest about why you stopped and what lead to that.