1000K brevet starts this Friday!

[Susan Otcenas]

I'm doing my very first 1000K brevet. Yikes! I'm a little freaked out about it. I've trained and put in the saddle time, but holey moley ... 625 miles is a looooong way to go on a bicycle.

The time limit is 75 hours, but I'm hoping (hoping!) to be done in 67-68. Start is Friday at 5am, and if I make my goal, I will be finished between midnight and 1am Monday morning.

I just re-activated my looooong dormant twitter account and will post status updates there as cell phone coverage allows (route is very isolated in places, so coverage may be very spotted at times). If you'd like to follow along, I'm on twitter as "Susan Otcenas".

The ride is the Seattle International Randonneurs Olympic-St. Helens Summer 1000K. You can find maps and information here: http://tinyurl.com/3ntlkm8

BTW - one of the ways I'm coping with the freakout I'm having is by posting this message here. I figure it will be harder for me to quit when the going gets tough if I know that someone might be watching me fail.

Susan

[lph]

I am madly, wildly impressed. You'll do it! It just won't be that much fun - until afterwards.

[OakLeaf]

Wow.

You are so ready for this. You'll do great. Make us proud!

[rubysoho]

wow!! That is incredible. I'll be cheering you on this weekend!

[Crankin]

Good luck, Susan. This seems unreal to me...

[Catrin]

You are awesome and will rock those miles away You have worked your a** off to get here and this time next week you will be looking back at an amazing accomplishment Good luck, we are all rooting for you!

[GLC1968]

I figure it will be harder for me to quit when the going gets tough if I know that someone might be watching me SUCCEED.

There, fixed that for you.

And you know that there will be LOTS of people following your progress, right?

You'll rock this, my friend. I have every faith in your mental fortitude (or maybe just that you are mental).

[indysteel]

What GLC said! Good luck, Susan. I'm sure you will make us proud!

[bellissima]

That is a long ride! Good luck

[Veronica]

I'll be expecting your traditional fabulous write up and pictures.

Enjoy the ride!

Veronica

[Susan Otcenas]

Thank you ladies!! I knew I could count on you to make me feel more positive. I will try to tweet at every control where there's service, so that you know I'm still alive. (Jeff sure appreciates knowing I'm OK, too )

I'm off to the hotel!

[salsabike]

Hey! Say howdy to my spouse---he'll be riding that! And, by the way, he's a really good, mellow guy and would be happy to have you ride with him if/whenever it works during this brevet. I mean, he actually said that this week.

[Susan Otcenas]

Hey! Say howdy to my spouse---he'll be riding that! And, by the way, he's a really good, mellow guy and would be happy to have you ride with him if/whenever it works during this brevet. I mean, he actually said that this week.

Hey Salsa - I met him at check-in tonight! I was looking forward to meeting you too, but he said that you are doing a tri tomorrow. Hope it goes well for you!

It would be great if my pace fell in with someone else's but I suspect that over the course of 1000K folks will get pretty spread out. Riding at night - especially the first night - with someone would be super, though, because it really is out in the middle of nowhere. The last 90 miles with no services! There's a staffed control 30 miles into that stretch at Clallam Bay at 186, but after that, nothing until Port Angeles at 246. I figure 5 solid hours in the dark, sans services. I'm just hoping to have enough water to get through that! 3 bottles is all I can carry.

Had dinner with the other 2 gals doing the 1000. Both came up from California. One call seems pretty zippy, the other definitely slower, so I may not see much of either of them out there.

7:30. Time to get to bed! I have a 3:45 am wake up call. Lights camera ACTION at 5am!

See ya on the flip side...

Susan

[Susan Otcenas]

Hey! Say howdy to my spouse---he'll be riding that! And, by the way, he's a really good, mellow guy and would be happy to have you ride with him if/whenever it works during this brevet. I mean, he actually said that this week.

Chris was sooooooo awesome to ride with. For sure they would have finished earlier if I hadn't become a boat anchor in the last few miles. We stopped with only 20 miles to go because I simply couldn't stay awake. I took a table nap while Chris and Steve raided the (closed) starbucks cafe at the 24 hour Safeway in Yelm and made coffee. I apologized for needing the break, but Chris said not to worry: they wouldn't leave me. And they didn't! They were so fabulous. (And, I understand he has a blackmail worthy photo of me taking that table nap. I sure hope I wasn't drooling....)

Oh, and btw: for anyone who read my first 600K report last year and remembers that I was saved by a guy named Steve on the second day... yup, the very same Steve. Seems I can't accomplish a new distance record without Steve along for the ride.

Susan

[MrSalsa]

Here is the GPS track from the 1000k that Susan completed this morning with me and my friend Steve Davis. It was a very challenging ride. Thanks for your interest and support along the way.