The gravel only get messy after a good long soaking rain. Just a bit of rain actually makes it less messy as it settles the dust.

My personality is such that pushing until I burn out is a real possibility, so I've been trying to be very careful to listen to my body as opposed to just pushing through the pain. So far, it's paid off as I've managed more miles than ever and am not feeling any dread of riding.

Eating is actually my biggest challenge. My appetite has not been keeping pace with the effort and a couple of rides have suffered from not eating enough.