I had a choose to either do a 9 hour race, my buddy chris was doing it, go on a 45-50 mile Mont.epic or do another road century.
The weather was decent and the road century seemed like the best use of time, strictly from a training stand point.
It turned out to be the right decision.
I don't know what the hell happened since I did this ride 4 weeks ago but my fitness was shit.
Everything was almost normal for the 1st half of my out-and-back.
Had the same average mph as last time.
On the way back everything just fell apart.
At 60 miles I'm getting hotspots on my feet. I walk for a few minutes, they go away.
At 65 miles I'm feeling like total dogcrap, I don't think its a bonk, I had sucked down about 300 calories at 50 miles and I think I'm hydrating enough. I'm using the camelback so I'm not being stingy with the water.
Than the cramping started.
I've never had to end a ride, or have not been able to ride through cramps.
Not this time.
Between 65 and 80 miles I had to walk atleast twice.
Everything in the legs was cramping. The hamstrings, calves, quad, and that muscle inside of your thigh.
At 80 miles I took another break at a quickshop.
Downed a kingsized snickers (my candy bar of choice, maybe I should switch cause it sure as shit didn't help), a fruitdrink and some gatorade.
Surely this should help.
Nope.
I finally got to mile 88 which is normally the turn around of my normal nightly routes.
I seriously thought about calling the wife to come get me but than I remembered the way I make fun of guys that do that.
No eff'n way.
I don't care if I've got to push the bike rest of the way home and it takes me 4 hours to do the last 12 miles, I'm not making the call.
So basically, I "limped" the rest of the way home, happy that on the flats that I could hold 14 mph.
I did have an encounter with an amish wagon. (This is St. Marys county, not un-common)
I'm at a 4 way (5 miles to go) stop and this amish guy in this wagon being pulled by 2 horses turns first onto my route. I'm following him and he's not going over 9mph. I just want to get home bad so I "gun" it to pass him. Make the pass doing about 24 and all the muscles in the legs are cramping bad. I'm trying to hold atleast 15 so he doesn't catch back up but the legs are screaming. STOP NOW!
I can't take it and have to pull over, I look back half expecting this beared bastard to give me "that look" (stupid biker boy) as he passes.
What I didn't know was that he had turned off 1/4 mile before I stopped.
Its the little victories that we should look for.
So what this ride means for the sm100,
if I perform in a month like I did saturday, I'm a definate DNF at aid station 4 (57 miles).
I hope all that pain I endured adds up to increased fitness.
seeya
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3 comments:
I only did 50 miles at the 9 hours if it makes you feel any better. Stomach went south after 3 laps. I got dragged back out to be a carrot for them. Got 4 more laps out of me that way.
Thats why I didn't think a lap race is good training. I knew that if I got totally ragged it would be too easy to quit. If I had done the 9 hour, pretty sure I would have done about 50 also.
You gotta do something about that stomach of yours.
I hope you didn't do McDs before hand.
Nope no McDonalds. Shit for sleep Thursday was up prepping food for the race and left later Friday hoping to beat traffic. That backfired. Got in about Midnight, no tent poles when I opened the bag so we slept in the car. The 100 will be much better.
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