When to not ride 78.4 miles

When you think you're only going to ride 40. I tell you, the difference between 40 miles and 78.4 is truly astonishing. When you're on your bike. With your bikini on under your bike shorts. You have five bananas. And all of the beaches are closed due to swarms of tiger sharks.

Such circumstances as these--particularly when paired with a certain amount of heedless spontaneity--render a 40 mile ride a long one indeed.

Postscript Regarding Heedless Spontaneity in Hawaii:
Always. Always always always look at a map. LOOK, don't glance. Don't think "Oh, there's that road down there that eventually links up with this road that goes back my way, sort of." NEVER think that. Unless you have more than five bananas.

note: If ever you need know, the lady at the Subway in the middle of nowhere is really nice. She'll even encourage you to put ice in your water bottles when she lets you fill them up at the fountain drink station. Kudos, you, Subway lady!