Sometimes a Bad Ride isn't such a Bad Thing

You've been pushing yourself to the edge for months. Beating your muscles and body into submission. Working so hard that your shins sweat. And now its finally that time. A handful of days before the BIG event. The one thing you dream about is that last training session. The dress-rehearsal if you will.

Surely weeks of suffering shall be rewarded with a high. The kind of ride where you find yourself free-spinning with seemingly zero resistance. Your climbing legs--what climb! Swoosh you're at the top and already flying down the descent.Wind in your face, sun on your back, and miles under your wheels.

Last Friday I went on my last endurance training ride for LJ100. And I fully anticipated a great day on the bike.

Except it wasn't.

It turned out to be one of the worst rides I have ever had. The kind of ride that can shake you of any nugget of confidence you were hoping to carry into race day. Leaving you hollow with the vapor of doubt and fear.

The Very Bad Ride.

There have been many training rides I've wanted to accomplish this spring: gravel roads in Oceana County, the Trifecta Tour, epic rides on the NCT, and Big M. Alas, I didn't get near as much riding in as I imagined I would. I didn't lose 15 pounds like I thought either. Weird how that always happens.

I digress.

One of the rides I had hoped to check off my list was simply departing from my house and riding 17 miles to Owasippe for a couple of laps and then return home. Nothing epic, just something I wanted to do. This seemed like a good time to do it. All riding, no driving, a little road, a little single track. A great training ride when you need to utilize every minute.

 

The Fuel: Perpetuem, Phytoganix, Endura, Sweet Potato and homemade Lara Bars.

I stocked up on fuel, the same fuel I've been using all spring except for Perpetuem. I've been questioning my nutrition plan as it consists almost solely of carbohydrates. I convinced myself that I need to take in some kind of protein for an endurance event. Perpetuem was recommended by several others. This was not my very first ride using Perpetuem, I used it the week before for my 75-miler.

The other small change was that I used a gel flask for carrying sweet potato. It seemed easier than making my own gu-packs. Worth a try at least.

I was not as amped-up for the ride as I was hoping. In fact, a big part of me was dreading it. However, there was the silver lining: this was my last endurance ride. That and date-night with Chad planned that evening were enough to light a fire under me and get myself out the door.

Things started off well-enough. The route to Owasippe is flat and I was cruising along at a nice pace, 16-17 mph. I worked at keeping my heart rate at a nice 135-145 range. I arrived at Owasippe just over an hours riding time with 17.5 miles done, 32.5 to go.

I let some air out of my tires because Owasippe right now is just about as sandy as the coast of Lake Michigan. Unfortunately, I forgot to unlock my front suspension which I never realized until later that evening.

 

2 miles into Owasippe. So far so good . . .

Owasippe is special. It's the kind of place you go to if you want to be smacked in the face with the truth. If you're strong and feeling good, you can hammer up the climbs, rideout the rough sections and finish out the loop feeling like you've really accomplished something. However, if you're legs are tired and your unprepared Owasippe will eat you up, spit you out and then stomp on you a few times. Especially if you ride the Blue Loop.

I've seen grown men, men thinking themselves worthy of Owasippe because they "ride all the time in GR," puking their guts out miles short of the trails end. Don't underestimate Chief Owasippe.

The first of many climbs to come.

I stupidly thought I had conquered the trail just because I had ridden 75-miles there the week before. I was wrong and on Friday I was not worthy of Owasippe. The Chief beat me into submission. Taunting and brutalizing me with every climb and stretch of rough trail.

To exasperate the situation, the pollen was freely falling. Every gasp of air felt like I was inhaling handfulls of cotton balls. I was sucking away at my hydration pack and emptied my water bottle in 11-miles. Nothing was quenching my thirst.

Somehow I managed to finish the 11-mile blue loop. I desperately wanted to be home. Things were not going well. I was tired and hot. But I did not want to cut the ride short. I could not quit. If this was my dress-rehearsal, I was not closing the curtain because I gave up. No, I was going to finish this thing.

Thankfully, I didn't have to ride the Blue Loop again. I felt incredibly alone in my suffering as I departed the empty parking lot at the trail head and set out on what would be my last ride at Owasippe before it closed for the summer.

I rode the second lap in a haze. And then began the long and pitiful ride home.  I stopped at a convenience store to refill my water bottles and sat in the shade for awhile.

I glanced down at my leg and noticed a giant white splatter on my thigh. Bird poop. I wonder when that happened? That was the least of my issues, in fact, it was only remarkable in that I noticed it. What was weighing on my mind was the back pain, nausea, heat and exhaustion.

Eventually I made it home. But not without having to stop to throw up.

52.24 UGLY miles.

And then I collapsed in the yard. I think I rested there for 30 minutes.

Taking a Bad Ride and Making it Something Good.

It would be easy to let a ride like that plant seeds of doubt. Did I train enough? Do I have enough endurance? Will I be able to finish 100 miles when I suffered so greatly for half that distance?

But why? There are so many GOOD things to take away from this ride that are really going to help me out at the LJ100.

1) Perpetuem is not good for me. I didn't like the taste. Even from the first sip it was making my stomach queasy. I should stick with what I have always done: Endura and Phytoganix.

2) The Gel Flask of Sweet Potato was a horrible idea! It was way too hard to squeeze the potato out of the flask. It's so much easier to access, carry and consume when they are in my homemade gu packs.

3) Take Danielle Musto's advice and keep little baggies of ice for the pockets when its hot.

4) Don't underestimate 100 miles. Again, follow Danielle's advice: Just remember that you can't win the race in the first hour but you can certainly lose it. (I'm not planning on winning, but I do want to finish!)


5) I got the bad ride out of the way which means my racing legs are available for this weekend. :)