We set out for a 100 miler this weekend to check a race course that we're looking into. The website said that it's "challenging for riders of all abilities" and since we're planning on doing the half IM distance, I wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to die. This is the same race company that is slightly confused on what flat means.
So Saturday we get everything packed, drive about 15 minutes to a park where we're going to start from. It's hot. It's sunny. It's going to be a good day. We start biking and "Whoa! Where did that wind come from". Of course it was coming from the west and we're heading straight into the west. Within about 5 mile the sky turned BLACK. Where we ride, it's just corn fields and farms (yeah, keep your Ohio jokes to yourselves!) and we both joked that we'd see a twister any minute. We kept pushing on. We got about 18 miles into the ride after fighting a wall of wind and it started pouring. We went back and forth with the "do we continue and hope it blows over" conversation and finally decided for our safety, we better head back. Bummer. We got 36 miles in or something. By the time we got home, unloaded the bikes and showered, it was sunny as could be. Arg.... too late to go back out. So we laid around, cleaned the bikes and decided to get a run in and try to 100 the next day. We left for the run at 5:30pm and it was probably 85 degrees with the typical gazillion percent humidity that's normal in Ohio after a day of rain. We will never learn!
Our 8 mile run went well - kept a 9:01 pace for the whole thing but we were both wiped out when we got home. Decided an ice bath would be good for us. OH... MY... GAWD! Brought back memories from college when I got injured in soccer that I never wanted to relive!
Sunday we got up to a rainy day, although we knew that it was supposed to pass. Tom, his mom and I decided to go for it. We loaded the bikes and by the time we left, the sky was clearing. Back to the park 15 miles away. Get on the bikes and "hello wind... it's nice to see you again!" Like another brick wall still coming from the west. I knew it was going to be a long ride. About 30 miles into it the hills hit. Now I know I usually talk about how flat Ohio is, but I'm convinced that it's only Columbus that's flat. These were some monster climbs. The race route (we rode the course backwards for about 20 miles) was a biotch! We kept saying it was because we had ridden 50 miles already into the wind, but it's not going to be an easy race! Somehow, the ride home was just as windy. We thought for sure we'd fly home, but alas - the wind shifted! So we pushed... a lot. I felt it in my IT. I got fried because I thought it was going to be cloudy and well, it wasn't. I was tried because of pushing the run the night before. But, we did it! The first century of the season and I was so happy to see 100.00 click over on my bike. I probably could have kept going, but we're not going to say that out loud!
I did come to a conclusion though - I will never do Lake Placid. I do not like hills. They do not like me. And cut me some slack mother nature. Wind both directions - really? Was that necessary?
Guess I have to work to be an Iron Diva! :)
3 comments:
Just an FYI, in case you haven't noticed but there is a handful of bloggers thinking Arizona in 09. I'm now one of that handful.
I really want to do Lake Placid, hills or not! But that is years away.
Great job on the training. Wind might of sucked but it's gaining you strength.
Great work...you are a tough cookie!
Take Care
You never cease to amaze me! Wow--I can't imagine riding 100 miles on a bike.
And having lived in southern Ohio for 18 years of my life...yes, we do have hills in Ohio, just not around Columbus (or to the northwest, either, for that matter)!
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