For the past couple of weeks, this has been the weekend that I dreaded. Heading into Kansas 70.3 last weekend, I was excited and was just bummed that I hadn't felt well with the training weeks leading up to the race. But the Horribly Hilly was on the Horizon as the ride that just scared me. Like a Disney movie, it didn't seem "Lori-rated".
Maybe it was the name! Or maybe it was the description on the website:
200K: The 200K version of the HHH offers 124.2 miles of wonderful riding — if you like hills! You'd better, because you'll be going up over 40 significant rises, from 50-ft. bumps to the 910-ft. final climb, for a total of 10,700 feet of elevation gain.
NEW FOR 2011: 150K route = 100 miles
100K: The 100K ride offers a very challenging (but not as long) opportunity to test your riding skills, with 5,700 feet of elevation gain over 67.1 miles...Even though it is shorter, the 100K is a serious undertaking, and on the whole, is harder than flatter century rides.
When I signed up, I clicked the box for the 200k. More is always better, right?
Then my training schedule said to do the 100k (67.1 miles), but then this week, Coach said to try to shoot for the 100 miles.
After the long drive to Verona, and plenty of time to "think", I had convinced myself that there is NO way I could do a 100 miles on this course. I had never done century ride on flat road, how the heck was I going to do it on this course?!?!?!
I'm not a cyclist. I'm not a swimmer, or a runner. I'm a basketball player turned triathlete. No matter what "single sport" is taken out of the mix, it's not my "strong event". I wish I had the background of being an awesome swimmer, cyclist, or runner...but in triathlons, my rockin' free throw shooting and 3-pointers are not going to get me far. But it's one reason I LOVE this sport...there's always a new challenge!
Lesson NOT learned yet from last week, I once again went to bed obsessing about the weather with the TV and iPhone apps. If Susan has to put up with my incessant talk about the weather for one more race/ride weekend, I think she's going to delete all my weather apps or send me to school for meteorology ..
Saturday morning came quick and I got up and hit the nutrition routine that I've been working on for long training days/HIM. Sticking with a plan and the less decisions I have to "think" about and make, the better! I got a HUGE, well needed pep talk from Susan and got a little Bixby update for the day. So I was all relaxed and pumped...and then I entered Blue Mound State Park.
Oh MY.
Driving up a huge, loooooong hill to the parking lot, I started to sweat (with the A/C blasting) and that calm feeling flew out of me. I parked the car and thought "If I just sit here long enough, these people will start the ride, then I can leave." I had that quiet moment where that inner voice was a little louder and said "If THEY can do it, YOU can do it. Get out of the car."
So I did. And I got my bike "Silly C" all pumped up and ready to ride.
I heard a couple of familiar voices, and was happy to catch-up with some triathletes I hadn't seen in awhile. From the parking lot, I hooked onto the Ironman couple Louie and Tammy. They said they didn't know exactly what distance they were riding, but would ride slow enough to stay with me.
Half way down the hill to the first landing, we had stopped for Mark to check his bike and I said to Tammy with my heart beating in my throat:
"Are ALL the hills like that?"
Which Louie overheard and responded...
"Yep, Lori...it's called HORRIBLY HILLY."
As we started down again I asked "Will I have breaks by the end?" A question I would ask about another 20 times...
I had two statements in my head:
1. Quit
2. THEY are all doing it. YOU can do it.
The only reason I didn't do option #1 is because I didn't want to go back UP the hill...little did I realize I would be riding back up that hill with 106.x miles logged!
Luckily for any one that actually reads this, I don't remember mile for mile. :-)
There were a lot of AMAZING long uphills where I actually found I was stronger than I thought.
There were incredible downhills that took my breathe away...and had a couple "That was COOL!" moments! I was on my breaks a heck of a lot, but still was hitting 36 mph...
I really liked the rollers where there was time to just get into aero and plug for a little, but on this course, with these hills...there wasn't too much of it!
Louie and Tammy were SO unbelievably kind to stick with me and to wait up for me. Since they had been flexible on the distance, at ~75 miles, I piped in, "I'm not sure I have the full 124 miles in me. I think I'm good for 100 miles." Starting the day from thinking I was not going to be able to do it, to committing to doing the 68 miles, to then hitting 75 miles...I didn't need to prove anything to anyone by completing 124 miles. I have a full summer of training yet to go...
Luckily, Tammy was happy with that and Louie was cool with it, too. So we kept plugging on the 200k course, and made some adjustments to make it shorter.
At ~92 miles, I thought I was done. Mentally, I was close to that moment of loosing it. Since we were making "shortcuts" on the 200k course, I didn't really "know" how much longer until the finish, but I knew it was going to be more than the 100 miles. I had a couple of quick chats with Tammy and Louie and asked them some Ironman questions...and got distracted and got my head back in the game.
We got to the base of Blue Mound Park. "All" that was left was a hill a couple miles long done early in the ride, a quick downhill, sharp right turn up a steep hill to the parking lot. That's it. 3 mile grind left = 910 feet elevation!
I kept thinking "I'm ONLY hacking through this hill I did earlier. THEN I'm walking to the car."
After I got up the monster hill and had the little 3 second downhill breather before heading up the hill to the finish, my thought was "THERE IS NO WAY I'M GETTING OFF THIS BIKE AFTER 106.x miles to WALK across the finish line."
I never knew I really had a "dig deeper" until that moment.
Cresting that hill and RIDING under that finish line...AMAZING.
It was a training day that "changed" me. One of my awesome non-triathlete friends who is familiar with that area in Wisconsin told me Sunday night, "You will never be the same." She is absolutely right. My little "7-11" journey that has given me the opportunity and a chance to see and live life in a different, healthier way has just been amazing. Each day in itself is a gift and hitting these cool mile stones really shows me the promise that set me on this path "....If I stay ____, I CAN do ANYTHING."
Completing this ride and going above and beyond what I thought I could do, made me even more excited about the IMWI training that is in front of me.
Since we varied the 200k course down the 107 miles - Total Ride:
Besides the great feeling for finishing the ride, it was also another one of those reminders of trusting in the "plan". Coach told me 100 miles - I was thinking I couldn't do it, but she knew I could based on my training. Nutrition wise, I'm sticking to the fueling plan...and it's working. Good results DO come when I take my solo-thinking out, and use it in combo with those that are experienced and have the expertise!
It was so nice to see friendly faces on the course that I don't cross paths with often these days - Robbie, Arthur, Mark, Andy, Angela, Krista, Jeff.
Special thanks to Louie and Tammy for their patience and support riding with me. The ride would have been MUCH different without your help...especially Louie singing Bon Jovi!
And an extra special thanks, once again, to Susan for taking care of Bix so I could go to this training...(especially during the Custard's Last Stand Street fair when parking is a bear!)... and making an incredible, healthy dinner for me when I got home! Your support, patience, and encouragement is so much appreciated! :-)
(And my HP is DEFINITELY a triathlete.)
What a huge accomplishment. You should be so proud of yourself. Tammy and Louie are the greatest. That was so nice of them to share their experience, strength and...
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