vEverest on the Alpe du Zwift

And so July 3 arrived.  In the few days leading up to this challenge, I was anxiously excited.  Prior to this, the longest I had ever ridden on a trainer (stationary bike) was 3 hours.  Today I was expecting 13-14 hours of pedaling.  I put my set up in Jamie's room at The Animal Clinic.  I had my Saris H3 Smart Trainer, my Niner Air 9 RDO mountain bike with 32 x 11/50 gearing, TV (for Zwifting), two coolers (one for ice, the second for my Skratch hydration, 2 mini Cokes, 1 almond butter and jam sandwich, and 3 rice cakes), and 2 fans (1 in front, 1 in back).  I also had a hodge podge of additional nutrition, including bananas, caffeinated gels, Cliff shot blocks, Honey Stinger waffles, and gluten free fig bars.

Getting in the mindset

I lubed up with Chamois Butt'r, put on some music, turned on Zwift, started my Garmin (for back up in case Zwift crashed), and began.  Prior to starting, I also made sure to turn the trainer intensity to 100%, an Everesting rule.  That is why I chose my mountain bike with the easier gearing, so I could spin a higher cadence (I am a spinner, not a masher). I started on the Jungle Loop, as that was the quickest way to access the Alpe.  12 minutes in and I began my first climb on the 7.7 mile, 3399 foot, 8.5% average gradient mountain.  I had to ascend the Alpe 8.5 times in order to achieve my goal of 29,029 feet.

I went easy on the first ascent.  The key to finishing these long endurance events is to start easy, with it feeling like it is almost too easy.  My good friend from New Mexico, Darby, joined me about 1/3 way up the climb.  Being virtual, you can "ride" with friends from all over the world.  I was stoked to have him on board for the first 3 laps, especially since he had to get up at 2:30 am.  I finished my first ascent in 73:58.

1 down, 8 to go!

On the descent, I am able to get off the trainer.  Being virtual, my avatar will descend on her own.  So I had 11 minutes to refuel, take a potty break, hit the happy bits with more Chamois Butt'r, and give the legs and sit bones and little respite.

1/4 AB&J per lap = a small piece of heaven

Ascent #2 felt just as easy as #1, but I had a quicker time:  69:48.  I managed to snag the polka dot jersey on ascent #3 with a time of 67:36, my fastest time up the Alpe.  Legs were still feeling really good at this point.  I was drinking one bottle of Skratch, 1/3 bottle of water, and either having a gel, shot block, or waffle on the climbs.

On the fourth ascent, now about 4 hours and 10,000 feet in, Erica Allen Peden, from the McMinn Regional Humane Society, stopped by and did a live FaceBook interview.  Despite talking for 5 minutes, I was still able to equal my third ascent with a time of 67:36.

Time for a rice cake!

I felt the first signs of fatigue midway through the 5th ascent:  achy legs.  I think this is where Max and Tammy from Georgia rode with me for awhile.  Nothing like riding with friends to take your mind off the pain. This lap was a little slower at 70:20.  After the 5th climb, I changed into a fresh cycling kit.

Time to bring out the big guns!

Ascents #6 and #7 were brutal.  I was definitely in the pain cave.  The mental focus to put pressure on the pedals and keep them turning over was a battle with my monkey brain.  Fortunately, several clients stopped by to give me moral and monetary support, which helped to stoke the fire.

Thanks to Nakeya, who went to Ingles and picked up a box of crackers for me, I was able to keep the motivation up by eating 1 cracker per sector.  Each ascent up had 22 switchbacks, anywhere from 0.22 mile to 0.77 mile in length.  Every time I turned the corner I got one precious peanut butter filled cracker.

Motivation can be found in many forms.

Ascent # 6 took 72:11 and # 7 took 75:00.  After lap 7, this was how I looked.

Make it stop!

The 8th ascent was the slowest and hardest.  No amount of food, hydration, or caffeine could make it any less painless.  I was in a dark place for awhile, but I have been there many times before, and knew it was only temporary.  I had Nakeya count the money in today's donation jar: $375!  That gave me the power to keep turning the pedals over despite my "Tin Man" knees.  For a little bit, anyways.  Despite a time of 77:47, I still managed to get back into the climber's jersey for the 4th time today.

I began to smell the barn on the 9th and final ascent.  I actually only had to ride up about half way to get the necessary elevation, but the OCD in me made me climb to the top.  I didn't drink or eat much on this lap, as I was just plumb tired of putting calories in my pie-hole.  Yet I was producing more power than my last two laps.  Factoring out the time it took me to ride over to the beginning of the climb, I Everested just under 12 hours.  1-2 hours faster than I had expected.

In the QOM jersey as I hit the 29,029 mark ... boom!

I finished out the 9th ascent/descent in 12 hours 51 minutes.  Man, was I ever so glad to be done!  Never would I have thought I would ever ride a stationary bike for this length of time.  Curses you, Zwift, for being so damn fun (type 2, that is)!

143 miles and 30,732 feet of elevation gained.

Thank you, thank you, everyone for donating to this cause.  The money raised is going towards indoor kennel renovations and enclosing the outdoor kennels so that the dogs that are brought here will have heated/cooled kennels until they find there furever home.

And the total dollars raised ... drum-roll please ... $7940!!!!!!

Pedaling For The Paws Fundraiser Update

It has been a little over a week since I announced my commitment to the McMinn Regional Humane Society.  We have already hit $2300 in donations.  That gets me excited.  My brother Todd helped to design the logo you see above.  My husband Charlie created a flyer for me to post around town.  Eventually I will create an event page to spread the word and hopefully have some friends on board (virtually) to help me tackle the vEverest on Zwift on July 3.

My LBS, Scott's Bikes, has informed Saris about my event.  I am hoping to secure a deal on a Saris H3 Smart Trainer.  Initially, I was just going to use the shop's H3 the day of the event, but a cycling friend made me aware that in order to "unlock" the climbs on Zwift, I have to accumulate experience points.  So I am gonna have to "pony up" and get on the Zwift wagon sooner than I expected to.

I have also emailed a potential major donor to match the private funds I have been receiving.  Fingers crossed I hear back from her with pawsome news.  I have another option or two, in case it doesn't happen.  But this person does have a soft spot for shelter animals, so please, if you are reading this, consider this a great cause!

I am also working on some raffle items, for both cyclist and non-cyclist donors alike, in appreciation of your hard earned dollars.

If you have already donated, thank you!

And if you have not, please consider.  Even if just a dollar ... in the end it all adds up.  I am still one of those who picks up pennies in parking lots.

Donations can be made HERE

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.