Let the Miles Come to Meet You

Somehow I have been transformed as of late. The 252 miles of mountain, desert, rain, hail, and lightening--plus physical and mental effort I did not know I had until I pushed myself to limit--has had its effect.

I am not the man I used to be.

So many things could have gone wrong--a few did, but so many things went so beautifully right, my Dear Gentle Reader--practially flawless--I've realized that really, there is nothing to fear. Nothing to hold you back. You cannot ever escape what will lay before you because it is coming--how you deal with it will be your own. But many of you already know this.

I trained as much as a man could train with the resources on hand. The job, the home, the responsibilities, the money. Much of my training was in tempatures well over 100 degrees, and in traffic unfriendly and dangerous. There were times where my path crossed with some really mean people--but as you know, they were so damn fat, that they had to take the frieght elevator to get their cars and offices! There were others--but now they don't matter and never will.

The weeks before the race, I noticed my waist an inch smaller--my belt now all the way to the 5th hole instead of the 2nd and 3rd where it used to be. I'm 10 pounds lighter. My legs are all lean muscle--but my back is still out! That old injury from horseback riding...

The hardest thing about this ride were the battles with Bev--convincing her that the time away on the bike would be the only way for me to do this ride--because it is a very difficult hell-of-a-ride and not for the meek. But I won these battles and prevailed! It is really her fear that on day I will not return from a ride that makes her try to keep me home.

The things that went wrong:

• Lack of sleep a few nights before--Callie the dog was sick and keep me awake having to take her outside
• Hammer Gel, Perpetum, and Hammer Heed--giving me a sick stomache
• Eating pizza hut the night before the race--hurt my guts on the climb
• Confusion at Wilcox time controle--I was in trouble with no food or water-- on the most dangerous part of the course on I-10

The things that went right:

• Light from Steve--without it, I could not have ridden 50MPH downhill
  
• Cold weather gear--Sue Payne gave me her husband's bike jacket
  
• Training rides--Steve and I did Marana-Scottsdale-Marana; 263 miles--Scottsdale to Prescott-that was one tough ride, and part of the RAAM course. Paul Layton's 200 K; I felt so unbelievably un-stoppable that day, only to have the worst case of the runs in my life!
  
• Support-encouragement-advice from Steve Jewel, Dave Glasgow, Stef Walz, Jerry Goode, John Heller, Eric Ewing, Russ Goodwin, Susan Plonsky, Bob, Jian, Joan, Bruce, Heather, Amanda, Adrian, El Carbon!, Dave H, Dave P, Phil and Judy, Frank, friends at work, med student friends, nursing student friends, my Mum, Sis, Brother Bill... My brevets last year with Steve, Mike, Rich, Paul and Mike Allen
  
• Linda, my Crew Chief
• I used "Emergen C" 1000 cc of Vitamin C and just about as much Potassium
• Salt tablets
• Endurolites--3 every hour
• Pepsi
• Coka Cola
• Coffee with cream--six sugars, Baby!
• Positive Attitude
• Xiao's good luck charm

There's more in here somewhere but now I'm tired. I get tired just thinking about the ride.
Today my back hurt just a little, but my strenght is coming back. My mind is still resting too.

Tomorrow I commute into the office. Now that October has arrived, I need the cold weather gear and lights--Allure Libre, Mes Amis!