Last year I watched many of my friends train for their first Ironman race. One of the things I remember them doing over and over again was "The Century Ride". After a complete meltdown of a 61 mile ride at the Jackson County Brevet last year, I wondered if I could ever be part of the club who can do that.
Earlier this year I signed up for one called "The Challenge of the Centuries". I didn't bother to look ahead and read my schedule and see that I was only supposed to ride 4 hours that day. And for some of you speedy folks, I don't know, maybe you are riding 100 miles in 4 hours. But not me!
So on Saturday, I drove up to Lake Hartwell on the Ga-SC border expecting to ride 66 miles by myself. No biggie. I had already cycled 80 miles on 2 other occassions.
In the meantime, I meet a nice triathlete named Heather on BT.com and also realized (from facebook) that 2 other friends, Jackie and Eric, are there doing the ride as well. But guess what? They are all doing the century. And worse, the rides split at mile 30. So I wouldn't get to spend much time with them.
And the day is beautiful, it's overcast, the hills are rolling and gentle. And the 2 girsl I am cycling with are fun and interesting and have lots of ironman stories to tell me. DAMN IT! OK, Yes, I will throw caution to the wind and just do it. Do my first century.
With adrenaline flowing and girltalk at hyper speed, we set off and do the first 50 miles in 3 hours. In the back of my head though I know I have pushed a little too hard and that the next 50 might not be as easy. Somewhere around mile 70 or 80, I start having to talk myself into 10 mile increments. I'm still doing ok and I'm still averaging an overall 16 mph which I'm happy with for my first go at it.
I think somewhere around mile 85, I really start hurting. I can ride in aero, but if I get out of aero, my lower back screams. My quads are tight and my sitbones are very very unhappy having to be on a saddle for so long. Yet, my mind is still fine. And that's the thing I was most worried about since the meltdown I had a year earlier in Jackson County was my brain screaming to stop.
There is a SAG stop at 85 which I take and sit for a few minutes to regroup and eat Nutter Butter Sandwich Cookies. They are new and improved and no longer the peanut shape but rather a round cookie with now 3X the filling. I eat 2 of them and shove 2 in my pocket for later.
The race planner is smart and puts another stop at mile 93. This I couldn't figure out until Heather tells me it's 102 miles, not 100 like I thought. I don't need another stop and keep going and tell Jackie and Heather I'll see them back at the start since I'm going pretty slow at this point. Heather keeps telling me I'm doing great and this helps a ton.
Yeah, I tear up a little at mile 100. It's a huge accomplishment to me. I started off last year barely being able to ride 30 miles. I've come a long way.
I pass mile 102 and am a bit disturbed I am not back "home". 102.5. 103. At 103.5, I am convinced that I have started the course again and have somehow missed the finish. The meltdown begins since I simply do not have the energy to go for any more miles. I stop. I put my bike against a tree in someone's yard. I sit down under the tree in a pile of dirt and I start hyperventilating. I honestly do not know what to do.
Finally I remember I have my iphone in my back pocket and I dropped a pin on the starting point. And it has GPS so it knows where I am. It shows me where I am and where I need to be and I realize I'm fine, get back on my bike and finish. 6 hours 32 minutes.
There wasn't any food for us at the finish and I'm ok with that. They do have showers, albeit cold, and I take one, dry off, put on new clothes and eat 2 hard boiled eggs and my Recoverite mix. Oh yeah, I also eat the 2 soggy cookies still in the back pocket of my jersey. :)
I celebrate on the way home by stopping off at McDonalds for a small fries and real coke. I'm just not very hungry.
It was a good day. It was a great day. It was a day that changed my life forever.
Congrats! That's awesome that you rode over 100 miles. I haven't done that yet, but want to. Still considering if I'll attempt it at the Jackson County Brevet in a couple weeks. I can probably be talked into it (and out of it) easily. Your hard work and determination is paying off and I know you'll be crossing that finish line down in Florida as an Ironman. I'm really proud of your determination. It hasn't been easy, but the things we really want never are and that's why they're so much better when we attain them.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Patti! I did 90 last year and it HURT! I was glad I could scrape 10 miles off the full century. The guy at the split was trying to talk me out of it, said i'd be disappointed. Hell No! I couldn't have been happier!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations. I'll be doing the MACC One Love century in September. The last time I did that century (I think three years ago) it was over 100 degrees F. It was the second century I'd done, and my first one was three weeks earlier, also above 100 degrees. Probably not very smart on my part.
ReplyDeleteYou should do the MACC century sometime. They are really good at routing. The ride goes through south Fulton, Fayette, and Coweta counties.