Pedaling For The Paws

If you drive down Alford Street, past the Public Works Department, just follow the paw prints past the school bus graveyard, the piles of sewer pipe, and dempster dumpsters, you will soon come to a dead end.  There, among the rubble, is a small 40+ year old building that houses the Athens Animal Shelter.

But step inside and you can see the love that has been showered upon this structure that houses the unfortunate, abandoned, abused, and previously unloved.  The McMinn Regional Humane Society has made leaps and bounds over the past few years to see that 2019 became the first year where no animal was euthanized because of lack of space.

Headed by those board members, with full-time jobs, they, along with a handful of volunteers, have poured countless hours into devising and executing plans to work with rescue societies to transport animals up North to their forever homes.  And they vet the locals wishing to adopt to ensure the dogs and cats go to good homes.

I tragically remember my rookie year of veterinary practice.  One of my jobs was go to this shelter every other week, to perform euthanasias.  Some were medical, some were because of aggression, but the majority were due to overcrowding.  The dogs and cats, most of which I remember as litters, were lined up and "put down."  No disrespect to the survivors of the Holocaust, but to 22 year old me, this was how I thought about this duty.  AWFUL!  I would often cry on the way back to the clinic and have to put a cold compress on my puffy eyes before I could begin seeing clients and patients that afternoon.

Fortunately through the hard efforts of the McMinn Regional Humane Society, almost all animals now go to a forever home.  Before heading out, all animals are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and dewormed.  All cats are FeLV/FIV tested and all dogs are heartworm tested.

Community cat room where they get a chance to socialize and stretch their legs.

It takes a small army of volunteers to provide the necessary exercise, socialization, and thorough cleaning of the kennels, cages, and facilities.  The shelter has been blessed with a lot of local businesses donating money, food, treats, and kennel supplies.  But only a small portion of the dog kennels are heated.  The remaining 75% are open to the elements.  Steps are taken to ensure that the dogs have extra bedding and the kennel gates are wind-proofed in the winter.

Most kennels don't have heat/air.

Since most of the donations go directly to the medical care and feeding of the animals, there is little left to devote to building maintenance and improvements.

Most recent update was the addition of an exercise yard.

So, to pay it forward (it has been 10 years since my last fundraiser where I raised $5000 both City Park and  Ingleside Elementary school playground improvements), I have aligned myself alongside MRHS fundraiser coordinator Erica Allen Peden in an attempt to raise at least $5000 for much needed infrastructure improvements.  I am also going to try to secure a major donor to match the individual funds.

On July 3, 2020, I will be tackling a vEveresting at The Animal Clinic of Athens.  This is a challenge to climb the height of Mount Everest, in a single activity, on one hill (by doing repeats) with no sleep.  The "v" stands for virtual, meaning that I will be riding on a stationary bike, using an electronically controlled smart trainer, that will simulate climbing a mountain.  I will be using the Saris H3 smart trainer and the Zwift platform.  In May of 2019, I completed an Everest Challenge on the Foothills Parkway.  It took 17 hours 25 minutes, 22 hill repeats, and 218 miles to climb 29,029 feet. I plan to start just before the clinic opens at 7:30 am and hopefully finish by the time it closes at midnight.

I can say that this will fall under the moniker of #doinghardthings.  I abhor the trainer.  Anything longer than 2 hours on this piece of torture equipment takes a hell of a lot of grit, gristle, and gumption.  I am looking at a time of 17 - 19 hours on this machine to complete this vEverest.  No doubt I will be suffering, but I have chosen this path.  These animals don't get a choice; it is thrust upon them unmercifully.

Scott's Bikes has graciously offered their support in the use of their Saris H3 Smart Trainer and the necessary equipment to run the Zwift platform.  I am still old school and have only a dumb trainer, which I practice mental sufferfests by looking at a wall when I train inside.

In the upcoming weeks, I will be putting together a FaceBook event page, where you can follow me on this adventure and perhaps give a small donation.  I also hope that on July 3, I can get some of you to join with me on my adventure through the Zwift platform.

Please help me to help them.

The Little Stuff Is Just As Important

I am hoping that this will make it onto Specialized's website under "What's New."

Dealer Grant Program and Elementary Physical Education

Tennessee endurance mountain bike racer Carey Lowery used her talent this year to raise money for two local elementary schools, one of which her 8 year old daughter attends.  Over Memorial Day weekend, Carey raced solo at the Burn 24 Hour Challenge in North Carolina.  Using this as a platform to raise money through pledges per lap, she was able to secure $5500 for the schools.

Prior to her race, Carey, along with several other local cyclists went to the schools and talked to the classes of City Park and Ingleside elementary schools about cycling, physical fitness, and nutrition.

Just last month she and The Outdoor Store, her local bike shop, presented a check to each school for $2750.  This money will be used by the PE departments to purchase much needed equipment.  In addition, with Specialized providing funding through its dealer grant program and through the generosity of several local businesses, Carey awarded prizes to the winners of her kids’ contest.  The top 3 boys and girls from each school who were closest to guessing the number of miles she rode in 24 hours were awarded bikes, helmets, and gloves.

When asked about how difficult it was racing for 24 hours non-stop, Carey’s reply was, “Knowing that I was racing for a cause and not just my own personal goals, it really was not hard at all.  I have done several 24 hour races, but this was the first one where I smiled on each and every one of the 27 laps (204 miles) I completed.”

Carey Lowery lives in Athens, Tennessee.  Unfortunately Tennessee was named the second most obese state for 2010 by Trust for America’s Health.  20.6 percent of the children in Tennessee are obese.  She hopes that she was able to reach out to the 500+ kids about the importance of exercising and eating right.

I feel that what happens locally, especially when it comes to children and childhood obesity is just as important, if not more, than Schlek's wedding or another roadie winning an international race.  Hopefully Specialized will see it this way as well.  They have an outstanding grant program that needs to be showcased.  I did not even know about it until I accidentally stumbled upon it earlier this year.

Our kids are our future.  If we Americans want to continue to podium on the international level, we all need to address this situation.

I hope to be able to continue to influence the children at City Park and Ingleside in the future.  I was recently asked to be on the city school's health and fitness committee, to which I happily said, "Hell, yea!"  We shall see what this one little grassroot's racer can do. 

Fundraiser Culmination

Today has honestly been the biggest accomplishment of my 2010 season.  No, I did not set any PR's nor did I beat any famous mountain bikers.  Today I was at Ingleside Elementary School presenting them with a check for $2775 and presenting the winners of the Kids' Contest with their prizes.  Last Thursday I did the same for my daughter's school, City Park.

Presenting the check to the President of the Ingleside PTO

 I gave a brief wrap-up of my race, The Burn 24 Hour MTB Challenge, to the student body.  The kids hooted and hollered when I told them I won and was 3rd O/A.  They laughed and giggled when I told them I had to get off the bike 4 times for potty breaks.  And their eyes got really big when I told them that the distance I covered was from my hometown of Athens to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Then, through the Specialized Dealer Grant program as well as the gracious donations from The Outdoor Store and several local banks, Pam and Bruce Blevins presented the winners with their prizes, which included bikes, helmets, and gloves.  In case you don't recall, the kids wrote down how many miles they thought I could race in 24 hours and the closest 3 boys/girls won.

Pam, Bruce, and I with the Ingleside winners

And with the City Park winners

Last week when we did the same for City Park, I was surprised when the principal presented me with this:

I could not have done this without your help.  Many thanks to all my cycling and non-cycling friends and acquaintances who made donations.

Sometimes it is just not about you and the bike, but rather who you can help and influence while riding your bike.

Burn 24 Hour Race Report: Part 2

Before I get started, I must insert a funny here.  The Bike Dougster was in charge of putting lights on Stumpy.  Well, midway through Lap 11, I turned on my lights.  Helmet light, perfect.  When I turned on my bar light, the beam was directed up at the treetops.  For a brief moment, I thought that Batman might come swooping down, having been called into action by my light.  I must say, it takes some skill to adjust lights while riding in the dark, but I got it done.

One of Coach Lynda's pieces of wisdom pre-race was to have a plan, but expect and allow for that plan to change.  No matter if you have done 1 or 100 24's, there is always a surprise lurking around the corner.  And it is how you deal with this surprise that will determine the success of your race.

My surprise was that my stomach was heading South ... quickly.  Silly me for thinking I could exist on blueberry newtons and Cliff Shot Roks the entire race, when the longest I had trained on them was 8 hours.  I was OD'ing on simple sugar.  Thankfully Mom was there, cooking potatoes.  They would be ready by lap 13.

I headed out on Lap 12, knowing that the plan was going to have to change.  I knew what to do; now to get it done.  I backed off the intensity just a bit and thought positive.  The only time I got sick at a race was the 2009 Firecracker 50 and that was because of the altitude.  My thoughts turned to Kip and his DNF here one year when his stomach turned sour.  I was determined not to become a casualty here tonight. 

I was not in my place of happiness during laps 12-16.  I told myself a couple times that a slow lap was better than no lap.  I was only able to take in about 50% of the calories I needed.  However, after switching my foods from sugary to salty, potatoes and chicken rice soup, I started returning to normal around 3am. 

Besides my sour stomach, the other evil at night were the roots.  They got wet and slicker n snot due to the high humidity and the moisture retained within the trail from the previous day's rains.  There were enough floundering racers on the course to keep me alert and cautious.  Even with my Light n Motion Seca 900 helmet light and HID bar light, some of those roots were able to hide in ambush.  During lap 19, one grabbed my front wheel on a descent on the Exit trail and threw me down hard.  Only my pride was hurt or so I thought, until I made it into the pits and Zeke's motherly instincts kicked in when he saw all the blood on my forearm and glove.  Wow, there was quite a bit!  Once we got the mud and blood cleaned off, it turned out to be only a little flesh wound.

Lap 20 was the sunrise lap.  This is my favorite lap, no matter if I am sparkly or deep in the pain cave.  The birds alert you first, even before you see the faint hint of light.  At this point, even though there are still at least 6 hours to race, you know it is almost over.  Yes, I was tired, but new life seemed to run through my being.  The legs can push harder, the heart can pump faster, and your alertness rises 10-fold.  A can of Monster Java always helps, too!

Lap 21 my good friend Kip came rolling up behind me.  I actually heard his voice before I saw him.  Chatting with others, that's Kip!  He helped my mojo and power transfer.  By this time, I knew the course pretty well and knowing that I would not get lost, I was happy to chat back!  He he :)! (inside joke).  That was a great and fun lap.  Even with the dufus that wanted us to get off HIS trail on a tricky descent since his team was racing for 5th!

During lap 23 which was around 8:30am, I started doing the math.  A 26th lap was definitely doable, but could I squeak out a 27th?  Feeling strong again, I was able to pick the pace up.


On lap 24, I crashed going in to the hardest switchback of The Snake.  A slow speed crash due to exhaustion, but I ended up tweaking my right ankle.  Ughh!  The ensuing laps came with varying degrees of Achilles pain.

From lap 24 to the finish, I changed nutrition to fluids and gels.  Thankfully, I was able to take in sugar again without nausea or bloating.  At this point, solids became intolerable.  I fueled on HammerGel, Silk chocolate milk, and Rapidade. 

My lap times hovered in the low 50's and with 5 minutes to spare,  I went out for my 27th lap.  Now this one hurt!  The climbs were fine.  It was the descents that were so painful!  Every fiber of my being was jarred to death.  I was never so happy to see that final descent.  One more time hitting those curves horizontally.  Hoo-rah! 

24 hours and 48 minutes later, my journey was finished.

It was amazing how fun this race was.  The previous 24 hour races I have done were much harder and filled with more low points.  I suppose the reason for the awesomeness of it is that I was racing for something rather than against someone.  Knowing that I am making a difference in someone's life made it easy to suffer.  And we 24 hour soloists already enjoy that kind of suffering to some degree anyway.

Thanks to my pit crew for making it possible.  Zeke was able to add some fun and make me smile in the wee hours of the night.  He managed to borrow some glowing balls to make a lighted pit row entrance.  It reminded me of the lights you see on an airport runway in the middle of the night.  It made it really easy to find my pit, too.  Zeke also ran 8 100 yard dashes from our pit to the Start/Finish line to give me words of encouragement on those night laps. 

The Ergon GR2 Leichtbau carbon grips were SWEET.  The pain I experienced in my palms on the last lap went away later that night.  No blisters!  I used the bar ends not as levers during climbing, but for just different hand placement which helped tremendously.

My bikes were flawless, thanks to Bruce and Specialized.  And I really noticed a big difference in braking power between the Magura Marta SL's on Stumpy and Magura Marta Mags on Indy.  No chamois brand this race, thank you very much Chamois Butt'r!

I challenge every racer to do at least one race for a cause.  It takes a bit of extra work, but the rewards are endless.  And I do believe it makes you faster!

Burn 24 Hour Race Report: Part 1

This 24 hour race was near perfect.  But I guess it is darn near impossible to reach perfection in a race of this magnitude.  Zeke was able to secure a pit area close to the wood line where racers exit the single track and make the parade loop around the venue to the Start/Finish area.  I arrived a bit later Thursday evening, 2 days before the race. 

On Friday, we worked to set up the pits and waterproof it as best we could.  Yes, I, aka The Tennessee Tornado, did not forget to bring the inclement weather.  We double staked the EZ-Ups and bungeed a tarp to their tops.  We were sandwiched between good friends, the Boone Bike brigade and the Clyburn posse.

I then went back to the hotel and lounged while Zeke rode the OVT.  Mom and Doug arrived Friday evening, we ate my home cooked meal, and then went over the pit crew duties.  It was more of a refresher course as all present had pitted for me at the 2009 Cowbell Challenge.  Mom was eying my Oreo cookies; I knew she was making calculations as to how many potential cookies she could take and still have enough for me.

Around 8pm, the thunderstorms, wind, and hail showed up.  The cell was primed for a twister, but none developed.  Unfortunately for a lot of racers, their EZ-Ups were turned into twisted sticks of metal.  Ours survived, however.

I slept well, having already committed myself to riding in rain and mud.  Saturday morning was foggy; the forcast was calling for a chance of more violent thunderstorms in the afternoon, but for now, the sun burned the fog off and blue skies greeted the racers at the Dark Mountain trails.  After eating breakfast, we drove over to the venue.

Time seemed to fly by as we were prepping the pit area and the bikes.  At the racer's meeting, Jason announced both Cricket Butler and my fund raising efforts.  I had a "bag o schwag guess how many laps I will race" contest and made some additional $$$$ for the schools.

At noon, we were off.  First I had to run around the venue, about 1/3 mile.  I took it easy to keep not only my feet happy, but to keep from trashing my legs.  The first lap is always a train anyway; no sense in killing yourself on the run and then having to come to several complete stops on the trail.

 Jason decided to make the first bit of the race spectator friendly.  He mistakenly forgot to take down a piece of tape half way up the double track climb.  So instead of going all the way to the top and then dumping into the single track, 90% of us went up and dumped into the new section of single track and ended up riding it backwards back down to the Start/Finish area.  That was an extra mile's worth of work.  Plenty were upset because they and I did not know how many in front of us went the correct way (we later found out that everyone save the back of the packers had ridden that extra bit.  I was upset for about 1 minute.  I quickly got over it as there was still 23 hours and 48 minutes left to race.  No sense wasting precious energy whining like a three year old when what was done was done.  As far as I am concerned, that's just racing.  It is not like any of us are doing brain surgery out there.

The first lap was difficult only for the fact that I was resisting going into greyhound mode.  I still ended up riding a bit harder than I should have.  I was racing with a PowerTap ... a good way to keep me honest.  There is a water/checkpoint station halfway through the lap which is a really good idea.  Thankfully I never had the need to stop.  As I came by the first time, someone shouted out that I was in third place.  At this point in the race, I was really not wanting to know my placing as I was afraid that might incite the greyhound in me.

At the end of the lap is a dual slalom style descent.  A series of big-bermed "S" curves where you can let go of the brakes and hang on to your bike for dear life.  For me, a little reward for completing each lap.

The first lap had a few muddy spots, but overall the trail had held up extremely well under the torrential rains the night before.  Kudos to BMCC for the awesome trail work!

Each lap I was greeted to this poster made by a first grade class at City Park ... pretty cool and also inspiring.

The first 6 laps were pretty similar in time and character.  I met some interesting people, gave some encouragement to the other solos and just enjoyed the day.  I rode with Denelle almost one full lap and we talked quite a bit ... well, she did most of the talking.  Very nice getting to know her more.  Dan was racing his first 24 as was Mark.  Both did very well and reminded me of the suffering I experienced doing my first.  Stephen, a friend of Stan's, was out there, attacking it as well.  Stan had given him strict instructions to give way when I came up on him and he politely obliged.  For the most part, the passers and passees were very courteous.

Up until 6 pm, I was eating on the trail as well as grabbing food at the pits and shoving it down.  My belly was happy and the legs sparkly.  Each time I came out of the woods I looked up and was greeted by blue sky and a few white clouds.  Would it be a rain-free race? 

After the 7th lap, I made a slightly longer pit and had a mini meal consisting of 2 pop tarts, 2 cooked egg whites, and a Dr. Pepper.  Just in time as my stomach was growling.  I also reapplied Chamois Butt'r.  Having been branded by my chamois in a 12 hour race, I was not wanting to relive that most painful experience.  While I ate, Zeke and Bike Dougster cleaned and lubed my bike.  I don't know who was being better taken care of:  me or Stumpy!

Laps 8, 9, and 10 were still sub 50 minutes.  I was still in a groove, eating and pacing were perfect. I rode the 10th lap on Indy ('09 Era) so that Stumpy could be fitted with lights. Indy was a different beast: quicker, lighter, firmer.  She was o.k. for a lap or two, but riding her for 24 would have hurt.

Lap 11 started off no different thatn the previous 10.  However, midway through, I felt really full.  I did not eat during this lap.  As I came to my pit after finishing this lap, my stomach started feeling queasy.  NOT GOOD! 

Mom had just started cooking some potatoes.  I thought my issues were probably related to a simple sugar overload.  I swapped out my Camelbaks and headed out for number 12 praying that my food would stay down.

(to be continued ...)

City Park Elementary School Mountain Bike Presentation

This past Friday, Zeke, Bruce, and I gave a presentation/show-n-tell at my daughter's school.  It went off without a hitch, especially since it was basically a repeat.  Bruce was able to reinforce the importance of wearing a helmet.  He crashed last week on his road bike when the tube blew apart at the seam, blowing the tire off the rim and sending him headfirst into the pavement at 20mph.  Except for a cracked helmet and abrasions down the left side of his body, he was o.k.  His bike was another story ... about $1500 in damage.  So he was able to use his body as show-n-tell.  I think he really got through to the kids!  At least I hope so, since when I asked a number of them if they had a helmet to go with their bikes, they said no.

Zeke incorporated life lessons in to his mountain bike stories.  Things like always be prepared, be humble, respect others, don't be told you can't do anything because you are a girl, and man up.  Zeke also talked me up quite a bit, but what he did not know was that while he was doing that, I was talking him up just right across the hall.  Those kids definitely know now that neither gender nor age can come between you and your dreams.

I talked about nutrition and tried to get down on their level by taking a couple characters from the movie Cars.  Simply put, if you want to be fast and endure like Lightning McQueen, then you need to incorporate lots of fresh fruits, vegies, and lean meats into your diet.  But if you indulge in too many fatty foods and sugary snacks, then you will end up slow and broke down like Mater.  I told them to get their parents to stick to the perimeter of the grocery store and don't make too many trips down the aisles.  We also had a quiz where I held up two foods and they told me which one was healthier.  These kids know ... they got it right every time!  They just need their parents to set a good example and help them stick to the right food choices.

At the end, Mrs. Johnson's class presented me with a big poster wishing me good luck in the Burn.  A lot of other kids also made individual cards for me.  Carly and I thought that was awesome!

I wonder if I made an impact on these kids.  I did not have to wonder long.  On Sunday when I was in Ingles shopping in the produce section, a lady towing 2 kids and a husband, ran up to me and asked if I was the one who had given a presentation at City Park the other day.  Before I could say yes, she was graciously thanking me and telling me that I did make an impression on her daughter.  Instead of buying the usual cookies and chips, today they were purchasing lots of fruits and vegetables.  Wow!  I was amazed.  I told Nicole how proud I was and that her food choices would make her smarter and stronger.

I can only hope that I influenced more like Nicole.  Looks like I will be going back to the schools next year!

Gearing Up

In a few hours, I, along with Zeke and Bruce, will be giving our presentation/show and tell to the kids of City Park Elementary School.  Carly seemed to be excited; she dressed in cycling apparel this morning.  Hopefully we can get a few kids excited about being on the bike this summer!

Here is a clip from the 2009 Burn 24 Hour:

Burn 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race from Eric Crews on Vimeo.

T Minus 9 Days

The Burn 24 Hour will soon be upon me.  Coach has gotten my body dialed in.  Last weekend I went over to the course in Wilkesboro and did an 8 hour dress rehearsal.  10 laps later, I was feeling great and confident that I could reach my goal of 25-30 laps.  Amazing what I can do if I just listen to my coach and keep the power in L2, unlike the previous 8 hour test I did at Raccoon Mountain.

Stumpy ('08 SJ) will be my primary bike.  With the extra inch of travel and relaxed geometry, this bike will keep me as comfortable as one can be racing for 24 hours.  I rode her last weekend and was pleasantly surprised at how well my body felt afterward.

. 
The cockpit has all the necessary items.  A picture of Carly to keep me going when the going gets tough.  I will be racing with the PowerTap as this is my "security blanket."  And it will keep me honest.  Yeah, it is a bit heavier, but I will gladly take the weight penalty. The hardest part will be watching everyone ride away on those first couple laps.

The Ergon GR2 Leichtbau carbon grips will keep my hands happy.  The bar ends I will use not for "out of the saddle" mashing, but for additional hand positions.

Indy ('09 Era) will be on deck.  She will get her chance at a few laps when Stumpy needs a little TLC or lights fitted for the night.  Don't get me wrong; I love this bike.  But for me, it is more suited for XC or short endurance events.

Crash ('06 Epic)  will be on stand-by.  Hopefully, Ol' Faithful will not be needed.

With regards to my fundraiser, I still have a ways to go to reach my goal.  Pledges are continuing to come in, albeit a bit slower.  Thanks to my sponsors (The Outdoor Store, Chamois Butt'r, and Ergon), I am going to have a little on-site contest to try to raise a little more money for City Park and Ingleside schools.  For a minimum $10 donation, you can guess the number of miles I will complete in 24 hours.  The closest will win a bag of schwag.  So please stop by my tent Friday and Saturday (up until 5pm race day) and take your best guess!

22 Days and Counting

The Burn 24 Hour MTB Challenge will soon be upon me.  Since I decided to do this, I have been told more times than I can remember how crazy I am.  Yep!  Go ahead and certify me.  All I wish is to do the best I can and have my feet survive.  The last 24 hour I did, my feet went numb for a month.  Well, Eddie of Wobble-naught fame has since improved upon my cleat placement so I am hoping that will do the trick.

Coach has got my body dialed in.  Too bad I couldn't pay her to do all the rest of the crap that is necessary when racing solo for 24 hours.

This past week has been pretty busy in preparation.  I can so far check these off the list:

1. Bikes dialed in.
2. Burn times for lights established.  (Coach loaned me lots of batteries!)
3. Pit tent waterproofed.
4. T-shirts for pit crew acquired.
5. Lodging reserved.
6. First draft of nutrition plan complete.

Unfortunately, the list of what I have yet to do seems 4 times as long.  No worries, tho', as I am sure everything will fall in place in due time.


Next week I am headed over to the Dark Mountain Trail to do another 8 hour dress rehearsal.  Then I am going to hook up with Kip and Co. and ride the other trails in that area.  I have heard numerous times that they are da' bomb!

Also happening next week is my presentation to the student body of Ingleside School.  Some talking followed by some show-and-telling should keep the kids interested!

I dialed Stumpy today in on the Haw Ridge trails.  They were in superb shape; a lot of maintenance and bridge building has been going on since the last time I was there.  Check out the Friends of Haw Ridge on Facebook!

What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

They say you forget the pain of childbirth.  They are wrong!  I have not forgotten those, but apparently I have forgotten the pains of a 24 hour race, until this past Friday.  My training plan initially called for back to back 5 hour days on the mountain bike.  Thursday was a wash out so Coach decided I ought to put 8 hours in on a lap course to prep for The Burn.  She was WAY MORE EXCITED than I! 

I set up a little make-shift pit area next in the parking lot and started around 11 am.  The trails were in perfect shape and the temps  were in the 50's-60's.  I had just gotten the Specialized Zee Cage, a side-loading bottle cage, and was anxious to how it worked and if I could do bottles instead of my usual hydration packs.

After a brief warm up, I rode the next 5 1/2 hours at the border of L2/L3.  I rode the trails CCW, with each lap about 13-16 miles in length, as I changed up the route just a bit by adding some additional trails.  My legs felt great all day, and my body soon remembered what it is like to ride laps.  Pretty cool to not have to think about shifting before a particular section; your body knows what is coming up before you see it.  To know where to conserve and when to get after it became second nature as well.

I believe it was on my 4th lap when I passed a young guy in a Suck Creek cycle jersey.  I caught him by surprise, so it was no wonder that he was soon on my wheel.  After a few minutes of him riding just behind me, I asked if he needed around.  In between breaths, he said no, I was riding a great pace.  I did not have the heart to tell him this was my 4th lap.  Besides, I did not want to be charged with assisted suicide.  On the climb back up to the parking lot, I dropped him.

It was on the 4th lap, that I was slowly reminded of how much a 24 hour is going to hurt.  First, it was my lower back.  A pain in the left side that came and went.  Then, on the same lap, a pinching pain between my shoulder blades.  On the final lap, the ball of my left foot really began to hurt.  This pain radiated to my big toe.  My legs were still turning over the pedals with ease, but all these little piss-ant pains were beginning to add up and make this more mental than physical.

Lynda gave me some great advice on pacing and fueling.  Those worked out great!  The Zee cage worked awesome.  Easy to get the bottle in/out of and the bottle never catapulted out of the cage.  I managed to take in enough liquid per lap so I think this will work at The Burn, if the weather is right.

What I need to focus on is those little nuisance pains that can make you or break you.  Hence, I will seeing the chiropractor, getting a second pair of mountain bike shoes and perhaps another pair of insoles, and checking my bike fit to try to figure out the shoulder blade pain.

I managed to get in 80 miles in 6 laps. I think Burn will be faster under similar weather conditions.  And smoother, so perhaps the little nagging pains will hold off a bit longer.

The fundraiser will definitely be a motivating factor.  I am not sure I would be doing this race, if not for it.  The Burn is gonna hurt!  It should be fun, however, in a sick sort of way!


BTW, I have reached 40% of my goal for the fundraiser.  Thanks to all those who have pledged.  To those who have not, please consider.  I am not asking for much and it is for a good cause.  Check out my fundraiser here.

Unusual Beginnings

By now, I would have had 2-3 races under my belt.  Gallbladder surgery set me back, but the end result is I finally feel great again.  Another positive is that my weight is 10 pounds less than this same time last year.  I figured that cost about $200 per pound or $2.27 per gram.  That's so much cheaper than trying to get my bike lighter!

My first race will be the Snake next weekend.  And this is my weapon of choice:

If you would have told me last year that I would be racing a 29'r hardtail SS at the 2010 Snake finale, I would have called you crazy!  As this is a training race, Coach has explained to me that this is just one of many steps towards my "A" race of the year.

This year has just been busy, busy, busy.  And at this point, it doesn't seem like I have accomplished much.  Charlie has been gone alot; he works for Ducks Unlimited and late winter and early spring are super busy times for him.  So I have been doing the single parent thing.

 

Reese, our 13 1/2 year old lab, has cancer.  I have done two surgeries on him in the past 4 months.  He has done amazingly well and I am glad I decided to do the procedures.  He would not be here today if I hadn't.  To beat it all, Reese had a fantastic duck season in Arkansas, retrieving well over 100 ducks and geese.  He also managed to shame a couple of younger labs in the process!

I am also working on a fundraiser for my daughter's school.  My goal is to raise money for their physical education program and to educate the kids on cycling, fitness, and health.

And to raise money I will be using this race, my "A" race, as a platform with which to do it.  I have not done this kind of racing since 2006 and once again, I would have called you crazy if you told me I would be doing another!

Devoting my time to work, family, training, and community has kind of put "blogging" on the back burner.  I will try to do better.  I hope to get back to some sort of normalcy soon.  But then again, is there such a thing?  Oh, to be a kid again!  I keep telling Carly to not be eager to grow up and so far she is taking this advice!

Happy Hands!

My hands are excited to be racing on these this year:

I had been using the GR2 Carbon grips, but Zeke's weight weenie attitude has been rubbing off on me.  Since I now have a 20 pound SS ('10 Specialized Stumpjumper 29'r), I would like for Indy ('09 Specialized Era) to be as light as possible, all the while maintaining a comfort factor.

The last time I used these grips was in 2007, my first year as an Ergon-sponsored rider.  Back then, I was racing the prototype.  While it provided my hands with an unbelievable pain- and numb-free platform, after several hundred milers, the two rubber compounds began to separate.

I have no doubt that the problem has been fixed, so my hands will be happy at the 24 Hour Natz, probably the only body part after 24 hours of racing!

BTW, I will be using this race as a platform to raise money for City Park Elementary School's physical education program.  This is where my daughter, Carly, goes to school.  I will have more info in the near future and will expect y'all to help out, even if it is only equivalent to 1 bottle of your neighborhood brewskie.