MS Bike 2010 - Yes I reached the finish line

Well, I did it. Nothing short of a miracle but I reached the finish line.

First I would like to say a HUGE thank you to all that donated to my efforts. I more than doubled my goal!!!! I was very encouraged to see my family and friends get involved to help me out. It means a lot to me that you care about me that much and all I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you. Hopefully I will be able to return the favor.

A little recognition is in order:

Heather McClain
Rachel Black
Steve Echols
Erin Barre
Nathan & Meredith Sandell
Mom & Dad
Meaghan & Seth Miracle
Sarah & Chris Pfeiffer
Brent & Joyce Fulton
Cathy & Tom Luckett
Emily Fantaskey
Ashley & Greg O'Sullivan
Brian & Stephanie Potter
Jessica Nguy

Thank you so much!!!


Now to the journey:

Five things you should know before biking 56.5 miles. (My bike odometer said 57.75)
#5: Don't go alone, I didn't know a single person out there, but no worries I met some great people at the rest stops.
#4: Get a water bottle that won't rub against your tire the whole time. (Yes, it made a groove in the plastic)
#3: Training is a good thing, hills are killer, especially the kind that go straight up and are 40 miles into your journey.
#2: If you plan on going 60 miles - get a road bike not a hybrid bike. I was one of about 4 people that did not have a road bike.

And you are going to love this one:

#1: A stick on gel bra stuck in your pants is not a good substitute for padded riding shorts. (Oh yes I did!)

So, if just read those 5 things you can see that I may not have been fully prepared for the ride. I posted few updates from my ride on facebook, not sure who if anyone saw them, but they pretty much documented my sentiments and my journey. I will post them all here now so you don't have to go look and for those of you holding out that won't get a facebook account, or won't learn to use it (Dad).

From the time I started, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to finish. It was those of you who donated that kept me on the road. I might have quit after about 5 miles if I wouldn't have felt like I was letting you down.





We started from 8:00-8:30 AM, I let all the avid bikers I knew would pass me go ahead so I wouldn't get in their way, but I couldn't wait too long cause I know I'm slow and I didn't want the sweeper to catch me either. (Sweeper - The guy who comes and picks up all the slow pokes up and takes them to the finish line) So I went about 8:05 - Journey Began.

The first 5 miles were just hills, lots of big hills, straight up, straight down. I only had two eggs for breakfast, I'm not a good early morning eater, I meant to grab a banana but forgot. So here I am a few miles in, I stop to adjust a little and I am so dizzy I'm wondering if I'm going to pass out. It was very humid out and I wasn't really sure what I was getting into. Luckily after the first 5 the hills smoothed out a bit and it was much more of a rolling hill that we began trek over. Much easier on the legs. Made it to the first rest stop at 10.8 miles feeling ok. Grabbed a banana and a water and I was back on the road.


I was told the rest stops were every 10-12 miles so I kept on looking forward to my next stop. At this point I guess I should let you know that there were three routes - a 100 mile, a 60 mile and a 30 mile. The 60 and 30 up to this point were going the same way and I was starting to wonder if I should follow the 30 mile signs instead to have a better chance at making it! From 10 to 20 miles wasn't too bad, there was a good deal down hill and the uphills were relatively mild. Excited I start to watch for the next rest stop. At mile 18 I did have one little hold up when I quickly switched from 3rd gear to 1st and my chain came off. I stopped, put it back on and was back on the road. Well I kept going and going waiting for the 2nd rest stop. It was no where to be found. About mile 20 the hills were back so by mile 24 I was not slowing down at all for the massive downhill parts. Going about 27 mph I hit some uneven concrete and held on for dear life. I really thought I was a goner at that point, but somehow I held on and made it to the rest stop at mile 27! From mile 20-27 it was pretty much all uphill! I thought I might die at that point. At the rest stop I sat in the shade a little and tried to regain hope that I could make it. I was so close to the end if I just wanted to go the 30 mile route. The rest stop was pirate themed and it was really cute, the little kids were dressed as pirates offering us oranges as "Scurvy protection."

I got back on the road and came up to the split - 30 mile or 60 miles, it was now or never. I pointed my bike towards the 60 mile arrow, and went for it. Oh no, what did I get myself into.

At the last stop they told me lunch was only 5 miles down the road at 33 miles. Weird I thought. Hahaha. I'm sure you can guess how much fun those 5 miles were. The whole ride was on the streets of various small towns in the area. They were all paved but some had double yellow lines and some were just black top. We were constantly buzzed by vehicles, some were polite and smart about how they passed, but some were just in a hurry and reckless 2 or 3 times I was scared I was about to witness a head on collision, which was completely unnecessary considering the most of the roads weren't that crowded and if the car had waited just a few seconds literally it would have been clear for them. The 5 miles to lunch were on open road (no trees for shade) up a hill right at noon. Yikes. I was burning when I made it in to lunch. I actually got a heat rash on my stomach that the medic put some cooling cream on. My face was getting sunburned, despite my prior application of sunscreen, my visor on my helmet and my sunglasses. I later found out that the tops of my hands also got sunburned. Lunch was a nice break, they even had a little folk band out there playing for us and real restrooms, not porta-johns.

Onward. The next portion was really uneventful. So I will tell you about biker terms. If you flip your bike upside down and give the thumbs down to the volunteer people that pass regularly, you will be rescued from this misery and taken back to the camp where we started, yes it was very tempting on more than one occasion. "Car-back" means move over a car is about to run you down. "On your Left" means move over I'm a lot faster than you. For most people it just means faster, but for me it means a lot faster - how do I know? I never got to say it to ANYONE the whole 56.5 miles! And if someone passed me, I never saw them again. Except that I guess I didn't take as long as others at the rest stops because at the end, I heard a guy say to his friend, "Hey, I've passed this girl 4 times now!!"

Next rest stop, mile 42, was Mexican themed. They actually had iced margarita mix, no alcohol, and chips and salsa, but seriously people. Who wants to drink that stuff when you feel like you are about to die of exhaustion, heat, and the sight of another hill. Gross. But you should have seen them drinking it, crazy. I was personally sick at my stomach since about mile 1 so I passed. The most glorious thing I saw though, was a sign that said I only had 14 miles left, when I thought I had 18. I was unaware the route was actually 56.5 miles not 60!!! Hallelujah!!! Hallelujah!!! Hall-e-e-e-lu-jah!!!



Back on the road, 8 miles to the next rest stop. 14 to finish, I can do it. My knees hurt, gel boobies used as butt pads were removed at mile 33 so behind starting to hurt, sunscreen running into eyes with sweat making eyes hurt, I was not in good shape. And I started to sweat so profusely my hand was so slick it was hard to change gears. Hill approaching. No worries, I hopped off the bike and walked up the hill. Oops. Oh well I got to the top. I did notice that the fastest I ever went was 31.5 mph, and when I was going up a hill I was about 5 mph and when I was walking I was about 2.5 mph, so in order to finish faster I just tried to stay on the bike! I walked up about 3 hills. Usually when they were straight up and after 3 or 4 other hills that had just drained me. Due to the smart planning of the event, there was significantly more downhill on the last 27 miles than the first 33. I guess they had us climb to lunch then down to end. Good Idea. Anything like the first and I wouldn't have made it. Even though it was probably about 50/50 as far as hills go - time wise about 85% of my time was going uphill, because it takes so much longer than breezing down the hill. Something to take into account if you ever train for something like this.


Final rest stop 50 miles down - 6 miles to go. I stopped for awhile, spoke with some of the people I kept bumping into at the rest stops and as they passed me on the road. Everyone was very nice, encouraging, and helpful. Giving me tips for "next year" hahaha. I told them I had enough torture for a life time, but they kept on encouraging me to come back. Instead of water-boarding - how bout make the guy ride 60 miles on a bike, much more socially acceptable, and probably a lot more painful. Maybe I will sign up for the 30 next year, or better yet, as a volunteer at a rest stop! Yeah, now we're talking.



Last six miles, thankfully still uneventful. There were a few more killer hills, but since it was at the end I no longer needed to save my legs so I just powered up them. And just when I thought I could take no more, I saw it, the finish line. Nothing had ever looked so wonderful. There were cheers, cowbells, and I got a metal. See picture. I did cry a little bit, I was just so happy to be done.



They had a whole weekend of events lined up for us including dinner and a party that night. I walked straight to my car, put the bike in and drove home to a waiting Erich. He tried to come be at the finish line, but the little car had a battery problem so he was stuck. Side note, car is better. I came in, showered, and passed out on the couch for a few hours. Actually biking time was 5:50, time including rest stops was about 7:30. I was tired.

I did have to take some advil yesterday and today, my knees have been hurting, but overall I am in much better shape than I thought I would be. Hiney is still quite sore too. I went to church this morning and volunteered in the nursery with the "walkers" which is about 1-2 year olds, and I have been up and down the stairs quite a few times. So not too bad.

Thank you again for all your support. I couldn't have done with without you.

As always feel free to post comments, thoughts, suggestions, or questions on the blog or just reply to the email I send.

P.S. I have a beautiful blue and white hybrid bike for sale. Only been ridden once, has about 57.75 miles on it. Let me know if you're interested.