Cohutta 104-105ish

As I wrote before, I really don't know where to start. I figured I'd write about the race thing now and then maybe about our other adventures. I have to post about the shenanigans just so I remember. We had some laughs. It was a really good time. We got to the venue on Friday and checked in, did a little ride and then did the drop bag thing.

Jane needed her own space.

 

When I did Shen I had no idea where the aid stations were. I actually was good and taped  info to the top tube so I didn't annoy everyone around me by constantly asking where the next aid station was. Much like a Labrador Retriever, I am also motivated by snacks. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't put the elevation profile on there. It made me sad after a while.

There was a course change this year. It was a lollipop format and they added 2000' of climbing just for me. Luckily, I had no idea what the previous course was like so I had nothing to go on. No one who had ridden the previous course had much nice to say about this course. I wasn't feeling so spry in the morning before the start. I got to the staging area and told myself to go as slow as possible at the beginning. I didn't want to do anything that resembled work in the first couple of hours. I don't have much high end so I knew if I went there, it wouldn't bode well for the rest of my day. I just needed to ride to finish. At the start there was a road climb into singletrack and I stood and let my body weight turn the pedals over. I tried not to let my HR spike. I knew I would probably be frustrated in the singletrack, but I couldn''t take the chance of getting caught up in a train and pushing more than I should. I really felt like shit the first few hours. I was tired. Didn't have much sleep the two previous nights. However, I was mentally in a good place. It's probably the best I've felt mentally on the bike in a long time. I knew I was finishing. They were going to have to remove my cold, bloodied body off the course. I was finishing. That was that.

The aid stations were off  from the published mileage all day. The first one I thought could be a fluke, the second maybe my mileage was off, by the third one you just had to tell yourself that it was around Mile 37ish as to not get the hopes up.

I started to feel better after hour 3. I didn't know what to expect from my body and I still didn't trust my fitness so I was being really conservative.  I did some math and realized I needed to try and pick it up a bit.  The climbs were long and on really boring fire roads. I rotated sit, stand, walk. Sit, stand, walk. First gear, second gear, third gear.

At one point it was two-way traffic. I saw Mike coming towards me. He was spinning leisurely and chatting it up with a fellow racer. He saw me and stopped to see how I was. I was pretty comfortable at that point and in good spirits. He gave me a little rundown of what I was in for and then there was a dorky fist bump and I was off. A little while longer and I saw Jane. She was not looking like the Jane I know. She loves to climb and she looked miserable. We grinned at each other and I knew what she was telling me...it was going to suck for me to go back up that climb. I saw so many fast people that looked like the life had been sucked out of them. That was the bad thing about the lollipop. I knew what I was in for on the way back. Freshly grated dirt climbs and kitty litter horror.

Somewhere around mile 75ish I became a hoarder. I started to stuff anything that looked good to me from my drop bags and the aid stations in my jersey, down my bra and in my shorts. I really didn't touch much of it . The guys at the aid station were watching me in amazement as I shoved crap in all places that would hold it. I had a Little Debbie snack cakes in the back of my shorts, a full package of gummy bears in my bra along with shot blocks, peanut butter crackers and candy bars on my back, Gu up my short legs...I'm sure I'm missing something. I'd been eating and drinking consistently throughout the day and I didn't really need it or feel depleted, but mentally it made me feel better. I think subconsciously I was planning on a night in the woods.

At one point I caught up to a guy on a climb and he was staring at his Garmin. He kept screaming out the grade to me, "18!!!", "17%!!!", "22%!!!"  I didn't need a Garmin to tell me how much it hurt. I could have told him that by the way I was standing on the bike with my nose over the front wheel. I wanted to snatch it off of his bike and throw it in the woods.



The bracelet given at the turnaround

The sag wagons passed me a couple of times and I saw riders that I had been riding with and around all day. They waved and encouraged me and I would smile and wave back when all I really wanted to do was flip them the bird, the quitters. I came upon a guy on a singlespeed towards the end. I rode with him to next aid station and I never saw him again. I think he took the sag wagon out. After the last aid station, I caught up to another guy on a SS. We rode together for miles and kept each other going. We would ride to a tree and then get off and walk a bit, ride to a corner and then get off again. When we were told we had a few more miles of road and then 5 miles of singletrack I did the math in my head and realized it was more than a hundred miler. More like 105ish. The SS guy I was riding with was starting to slow down. He was barely turning it over. I told myself to try to beat him to the finish. I wanted to beat him. I needed to beat him. Motivation for the end. He probably didn't give a shit at that point and just wanted to get to the finish and sit down and crack a beer. However, I needed something. It worked. I put over 15 minutes into him in the last 5 miles.

Toe condoms saved me from hours of pain

Mike and Jane gave each other a high five as I was finishing. I'm not sure who was more excited, Jane and Mike or me. I was thinking I would probably start crying when I finished this one. It was a big deal for me to finish. I didn't cry. I was smiley and chatty. I saved the weeping for today when I used the bathroom at work and whimpered when I had to hover to pee.

My blurry finish (I was just so damn fast):

Don't let the picture below fool you. I look like I could be well endowed. Those are gummy bears. It was a comedy show when I got undressed. The guy parked next to us was entertained and shaking his head by watching me pull shit out of unimaginable places. He told me it was like watching 20 clowns get out of a little car. I offered him a hot and sweaty Little Debbie but he declined.

It wasn't fast, it wasn't pretty, but I finished. My time: dawn til dusk. I wasn't even last. Even better. I was dreading the thought of doing Shen in September. This course made me look forward to Shen on a SS. Hopefully, within the next week or so I stop feeling like I was hit by a semi and then dragged behind it. Next stop: Mohican.

For Now

I'm not sure quite where to begin with this one and I haven't had time to write a proper post yet. What I will say is that drinking my pre-work coffee out of this this morning was pretty damn satisfying:

More to come...

Going

Spending the night finishing up some work and packing so we can get out of here tomorrow. Of course, I can't be normal and drink whatever they give me at the aid stations. Heed will cause me to hurl on myself and go into convulsions. Don't even get me started on Perpetuem. So I've decided to put bottles in my drop bags with my fuel of choice.

Some snacks for the road.

                                    

I was prescribed all of these on Monday by my rheumatologist. However, there is no way I will start any of these a week before a 100 miler. I need to first figure out what kind of side effects I'm dealing with. I don't need to work through any of that on Saturday. I'll have enough to worry about. They can wait. One more week will not make a difference.

I went on a little Waway shakedown ride tonight to get the legs and lungs working and make sure the bike is good to go. The bike felt great. I wasn't really feeling so peppy. I'm not too worried (yet). I would much rather feel a little off today than on Saturday. The forecast says sunny and 85*. Now that worries me a little.

The really good news is that the 'Outhouses of Death' have been fixed. Hurricane Irene did a nice little number on these. For a while there, the outhouses were just as technical as the trails:



Good luck with that

                                              
We're good to go now. If you're coming here to race in the next month or so you can breathe a sigh of relief. You will no longer have to pick the correct line and balance to pee and/or other.
   
                                

Gearing, I still am not certain. I've heard everything from a 32/22  to a 34/19. These are all pretty respectable singlespeed sources, too. I'm just gonna go with what I've been doing my long rides on. I'll bring my bag of goodies just in case, but I doubt I change a thing. Gear choice is the least of my concerns right now.

Here's hoping for a start and a finish on Sunday...

By Choice

After getting a sunburn on Saturday I was a little shocked and miffed by the weather on Sunday. Okay. Not too miffed. I really didn't have much to do. Saturday had been a good day, both for weather and bike time. Oh, sure, I could have cleaned, done laundry and  all those normal things that I should keep up with. However, I only have so many matches. My 'matches' or 'spoons' are pretty much allotted for working and riding a bike. Some days there aren't enough to go around for that. I opted to chill out and rest on my terms for once.  Because I said so. Not because I had to. I do have Cohutta on Saturday, so there is plenty of riding time in my future and I want to make sure I make it to the start. Plus, it was miserable out. I went out for a little spin in the morning and as a few ginormous, wet snowflakes fell in a cold rain, I called it a day.

At around 5ish, I got a distress call from Mike that he needed a rescue. CO2 chuck fail on Rockodendrum. He's lucky that I didn't get too involved in some terrible tv show or there may have been a different outcome. I peeled myself away from the sofa and braved the weather for a rescue.

 Somewhere on Cherry Ridge I found him.

We leave for TN on Thursday. Jane got in and is coming with us. I'm glad because that significantly reduces the odds of Mike and I killing each other on the car ride there and back. Plus, he will be out voted on many occasions. I'm almost feeling a little sorry for Mike for having to put up with the both of us. Almost.

We are staying in the 'Floyd Landis' cabin. I find it humorous that the cabin rental place advertises it as such and is very proud of that fact. Seriously, EVERY email I get has that in there. I'm not sure I see it as a selling point. I'm no expert, but I think FL has had some issues these last few years.

Officially Unofficial

I no longer own a geared mountain bike. Sure, I have a Vicious frame or two knockin' around, but I'm pretty sure they won't see much action. Yes, I was in possession of a carbon Sworks Epic. I also had access to a sweet Sworks hardtail. I had way too many options. The last time I rode gears in the woods was December and it didn't go well. I always had issues with the Epic. It got to the point that people would ask me what bike I would be bringing to rides and if I said, "the Epic" I would get frowny faces. I guess they knew they were in for a day a unsavory language, temper tantrums and constantly asking the question, "Where in the hell is Jocelyn?". Usually I would get, "Bring your S/S. please." I would reply," but there's a lot of climbing and it's technical," and I would still get, "just change your gear and bring your single."

I've been happier with just the S/S again. A few people have even pointed out that I look much happier on the bike and I look like I'm enjoying it again. They're right. I used to only have a rigid single. It didn't matter where I was going or who I was riding with or where I was racing. That was my bike. It is just a bike and that's that. I was even banging around thoughts of going rigid again until my c-spine and hands reminded me of why I went to a squish fork. Unfortunately, we don't live in an area of groomed trails. We may have some technical sections and a rock or two (gazillion). It does do a number on your body after a awhile.

After my carbon Sworks frame cracked, I was riding Mike's black Sworks frame. I decided I liked it, so I gave him my Epic and any other 26er leftover bits I had. I basically sold my soul. I decided to sell the warrantied frame because I really wanted the Brain fork. If you set it correctly it locks out on the roads and only activates when you really need it. I'm not good about locking/unlocking a fork with a remote lock-out. Sounds silly. It's only a lever, but I do forget. I don't like all that nonsense on my handlebars, anyway. It was a big step for me to put a computer on. I've always preferred the aesthetics of a track bike. No pesky brakes, shifty bits or cables...too bad that won't work for me in the woods.

Eventually, I'll probably throw some gears on one of the Marathon frames (Please note I've been saying that since December). Mostly for the road and training. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with my lack of options for now. Keep it simple.

The Wedding

It was a whirlwind of a weekend to say the least. Mike and I flew to Ohio on Friday morning and came home Sunday morning. As soon as I got in I had to go take care of what is now referred to as 'Dressgate'. For the original dress, I sent measurements to Ohio. Yes, I think we can all see the issue with this. So unbeknownst to me, a few tried on the dress and decided it was awful and then the dress compiling started behind the scenes. When I got there on Friday, I had a few dresses to try on. None fit perfectly, but the winner fit good enough. We had to do a little creative pinning (to make up for my lack of a chest) but we made it work. Thank goodness my sister looked fantastic so no one was looking at me and my tan lines and busted legs. Well, except my brother. He gave me shit.

 

Grace, Me and Rachel

I even got the standard pre-wedding mani and pedi. The fact that I let someone touch my feet was a major step for me. I only jumped out of the chair and was writhing in pain once and the person doing my feet didn't freak out as in the past. Let's just call it a success.

We got home on Sunday and took a little nap and then I went for a post-wedding shakedown ride. Legs were a little tired at first, but they came around. I'm attributing it to wedding shenanigans, being on heels for longer than I'm accustomed to and cutting the proverbial rug at the reception. I think that was more exhausting than a day on the bike.

Time to rest up and get ready for my Cohutta adventure. Week number one of Doxy is done. Not sure if I had a nasty flare-up or if it's Lyme/Erlichia on top of everything else. I didn't test positive, but I didn't test positive until test # 3 last time. Glad they're being a little more proactive this time around. Either, way I'm glad to be up and riding. Hoping to feel decent for the next week or so so I can give Cohutta a go. April 28th is sure coming around a lot faster than expected. Yikes!!!!

No Wonder

I've been really trying to be good with my diet. Besides a few (obligatory) Cadbury Eggs these past weeks, I 've been pretty good. I'm still going strong with the juice. However, I've been craving cookies at work lately. This is the neighbor:

The Oreo batch days are the hardest. You can get a whiff of baking Oreos in the halls and the parking lot smells heavenly. Mmmmmm. I want to bottle the air and take it home with me.

Dharma

After very little activity these past two weeks, I've become a little lot concerned with this whole hundred thing. Saturday, I slept for a total of 15 hours. I had to get bloodwork in the morning and then I had to stop  in a shoe store to exchange shoes for Mike. I actually had to sit down and rest a few times on the way in and out of the mall. It wasn't good. I thought I was going to pass out and wake up to a mall cop on a Segway and  people eating Wetzl's pretzels and Cinnabons. I was afraid I couldn't drive home without falling asleep so I shut my eyes in the parking lot until I thought I could stay awake long enough to make it home. Once I made it home I shut it down. I didn't expect to be able to ride Sunday. However, I woke up and didn't feel completely wiped. I set out for Waway. Whatever I could do, I would do. If I had to walk, I would walk. If I had to take a little siesta underneath a tree, then so be it. I just wanted to get into the woods.

I stopped and got a little wisdom from the local Buddha. He pretty much told me whatever will be, will be and to try to go into it with a positive and peaceful mind. It's all about the mind's perception. Damn you , Buddha. He's right. Try not, do or do not, there is no try. Okay, so that's Yoda, but you get the picture.

                         

My jackass move of the day (there is always at least one) came when I was riding under/through a branch on a downhill and it got caught in my helmet and I thought either my head was going to rip off or I was going to be ripped off the bike. Neither of those happened, but I did I get a little taste of hypoxia.

It was a beautiful day to be out. So glad I didn't have to spend it inside getting addicted to another reality series. Finished the day with some chia 'pudding'. That's right, you read that correctly. It's pretty damn tasty, too.

Play Day

Finally got to get back on the bike this week. It feels like it's been forever. One of my favorite after work places to get in a quick ride is Warwick Town Park. Doesn't look like much on the ride in. But trust me, we don't call it 'Mont(e) Snow' for nothing. There's plenty of potential for an easy ride or an ass kickin. Plus, the views are pretty brilliant.

I'm convinced that the world would be a better place if everyone could end the day with a bike ride and a good old fashioned hang upside-down from the monkey bars.

I attempted to take a picture while I was upside down but my phone, along with my keys, ended up in the mulch on the transition. Definitely out of practice.

Shoes

What I really should be doing is using my time shopping for shoes to go with the bridesmaid dress that I've never tried on and will be trying on in a little over a week and incidentally, the day before the wedding. That fitting will be a hoot, I'm sure.  Instead, I'm focusing on shoes of the mountain biking variety.

If I've stopped you and asked you how you like your shoes or if I can try on your shoes, please forgive me, I have a shoe fetish.Well, not really. I don't want to wear your shoes nor do I fantasize about feet and shoes, I just have long, skinny pancake feet and finger toes that don't really fit into any shoe. I also have a few toes that have been broken on multiple occasions and that adds to the fun. Buying any kind of shoe is always a major adventure for me. People always say, "They can't be that bad. C'mon. Let me see." Then when I reveal the beasts I hear gasps of horror, snickers and usually, "Wow. You do have some strange dimensions going on there.Never seen anything like it." My poor niece was cursed with the same feet. I feel it's my duty to set her up now for a lifetime of frustration, heartache and ridicule.

Here are a few of my possibilities:



Relatively new and I'm not overwhelmed with the feedback I've gotten from a few local ladies. I need to try them on.

Boa systems scare me because I've cracked a few knobs against rocks/trees and the day didn't end well. I still like the way they feel when all is right. Even pressure across the foot is always a bonus. 

The old stand by.

I've also gone through a few pairs of Specialized shoes. I always have trouble with the buckles on those damn things. Plus, they are super stiff. That's a bonus and they're great on a geared bike and on the SS for shorter events. However, I foresee some walking in my future and I don't want to be crippled by my damn shoe.

I found a company in Italy that will custom make shoes for me. Not sure who is going to tell Mike that we will have to skip a mortgage payment to pay for them.

No one really carries a great selection of women's shoes so I usually have to order online, try them on and send them back. I've actually found that Zappos carries most cycling shoes and they are super speedy and easy to deal with. Let the games begin.

First World problems.  

Hopbrook Non-Race Report

I love coming home from a race to a clean bike. That is an upside to not racing. I get to sit on the couch and watch Mike clean his geared contraption in the rain. Bonus.

I have to admit I was a little jealous of those who raced yesterday. The conditions looked perfect. The Hopbrooks of the past have been filled with hail, snow and slop. I have some hypothermic memories of this place. I'm glad I went. It was great to see the usual suspects, new faces and old faces. The hooplah of the day was not around the race, but this...

Yes, Doug and trailer made it to Hopbrook. People were stopping and taking pictures. I'm a little upset I was too lazy to pull out my phone and take a video of his ride in.

Now it's on to a day of staff meetings and busting Jane's chops via text for using the word 'freinenemies' in a post-race interview.