Of course, I never think of logistics when I'm signing up for things. I just get all excited and wonder what the shirt is going to look like as I'm signing my life away on the Active.com site. I don't think of things like "I wonder what time this ride starts?" and "How far is it from my house?" Nope. I'll deal with those pesky details a little closer to the date.
Such a fitting name.
So, it was a JOY to find out that 1) the ride started at 7:00 and 2) it was now a good hour from my house. I've done this ride in the past, but I lived much closer then. A 7:00 am start time now meant getting up at 4:30, leaving my house at 5:30 to get to the ride at 6:30, which would leave me enough time to check-in, get my bike set up, etc. before the start of the ride. This schedule would have been bad enough, but then we realized that the forecast for Saturday was in the upper 90's, so we decided to start at 6:30. That meant I was getting up at FOUR O'CLOCK. Seriously, that's just silly.
The drive down to Murfreesboro was awful because I was so tired, but uneventful. The sun was just coming up when I arrived, but the humidity was already thick. Ugh. It was going to be a long day.
Ladies of FTP represent!
We took off around 6:40 and made our way into the countryside. I'd done this ride in the past, but all I really remembered was that it was hilly. I was kind of relieved when I realized that we were going on a different route than in past years. Maybe this route wouldn't be that bad?
WRONG! It was WORSE. It was one hill after another, after another, after another. But I have no defense - I can't say I wasn't warned. Here is text from their website:
Join us for the 24th Annual HOT 100 RIDE - - - not Race! There are four routes for all levels of cyclists from the 15 mile family ride to the HOT 100 Century with over 6000 ft of elevation gain.
I need to pay more attention to information like this. 6,000 feet of elevation gain? That's crazy! And I felt every bit of it - it was terrible. At first, I thought I was just tired because I was really sluggish and weak. I generally warm up after 10-15 miles, but not this time. Every pedal stroke just seemed SO hard. I figured maybe it was "Ironman fatigue" (it's a thing), or maybe I was coming down with a cold. Then, at the 40-mile rest area, I finally had the thought that maybe something was wrong with my bike. Sure enough, I looked down at my back brakes, and they were rubbing the wheel. I basically had been riding 2.5 hours with a parachute on. No wonder I felt so sluggish!
Unfortunately, this was something that couldn't be easily adjusted and the repair was going to be a little out of my knowledge-base, since the brake caliper was going to have to be removed. Though there wasn't official bike support at this rest area, there was a volunteer who was bike-savvy and had the tools to fix my brakes. HAZZAH! (A HUGE thanks to him!) Of course, by now, it was around 9:00 and the sun had started to really beat down on us. I texted Coach Andrew while I was getting my bike fixed and told him that it felt like I was riding on the Sun - a very hilly Sun. He texted back that it was character-building, which I took as, "Quit crying and get back on your bike." So I did.
The remainder of the ride was pretty much the same as the first 40-miles, though it was MUCH nicer now that my brakes weren't rubbing. It was still stupid hot and crazy hilly, though. I was chased by a few dogs (including one little doxie that I was tempted to take home with me), but I was happy how little car traffic there was on this route. Half the time I felt I was riding on someone's private driveway because that's how rural the roads were.
Eventually, we made our way back to civilization and back to Lascasses Elementary, which was the staging area for the ride. 102 hot and hilly miles - DONE.
Because sometimes, a century just isn't enough. (Photo courtesy of Nikki)
I had a 20 minute run scheduled after the ride. I couldn't believe it, but I actually felt good enough to do it. However, after running for 10 minutes on a highly-trafficed HWY 96, I called it a day. It was a little too dangerous for my comfort-level.
Though the ride was hard, and made worse by my brakes, it was a "character-builder" for me. Looking back, that was probably the hardest ride I've EVER done - and it didn't kill me. The IMCHOO route, while still hilly, is easier than the HOT 100. The fact that I got off the bike Saturday and could still run makes me think that I might just be able to do the same on race day. I hope so, anyway.
I had a 2-hour run on Sunday - that was OK. My friend Kathy M. ran with me and having her there really helped. Again, it was crazy hot and humid, and I was a little lead-legged from the Saturday's ride (and I cramped a bit), but I survived. It was so hot that I bought a $4 popsicle when I finished. I think it was the best thing I've ever tasted.
How hot? $4 popsicle hot.
The next big thing I have coming up is the Sunrise Century on Saturday in Clarksville. My parents are coming up and my Dad is going to ride the 33-miler. I'm riding the metric, but at a faster pace. How fast? I have no idea. Coach Andrew just told me to "Hang on if I can." We'll see how that goes!
32 DAYS!!
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