Yesterday, DH and I completed the 206-mile Logan to Jackson road race. We entered as a 2-person relay team. I was the one who wanted to do LOTOJA, but I didn't want to put in all the training hours that would be required to ride 206 miles myself. DH said he would do whatever sections I didn't want to do, so I took the first 35-mile leg, and gave him the next 91 miles (which were mostly climbs). I finished up with the final two windy legs into Jackson, for a total of 115 miles.

I started in the dark, with temps in the 40s. I paired up with a guy who was happy to take turns pulling with me. I sailed into Preston and handed the timing chip off to DH.

DH did a great job on the climbs. His goal was to leave me as much time as possible to do the final 81 miles. The finish line closes at 8:15 p.m. or dark, whichever comes sooner, so I figured I would need to finish by 8:00 to be safe. I saw him at the feedzone after his first leg and sent him off fast. I was ready and waiting at the next relay switch point and he sailed in at 2:20. (Neither of us is particularly fast! )

I was a bit worried about whether I'd have enough time to do the final 81 miles because the wind was sure kicking up. I found a small group, and we made short work of the next 35-mile leg.

DH met me at the last supported feed zone and he switched out my bottles of Perpetuem and Heed and ripped open a gel for me. He told me that instead of the expected tailwind into Jackson, it was going to be a headwind. (Having just done what was supposed to be the headwind portion of the course, that came as a surprise.) He also said that the last leg was supposed to be the prettiest and that I only needed to manage 12 mph. I knew I could do that, no matter what. Nothing like adrenaline, you know?

I was with a small group heading out of the feedzone, but got dropped like a hot potato on the first larger climb. I ended up doing most of the final 46 miles alone. It seemed like the other riders were either too fast or too slow. I stopped at the final neutral feedzone for water and a trip to the portajohn, and that took a few minutes because the line was moving very slowly. With 26 miles to go, the only question was by how much time would I beat my 8:00 goal.

We did have more wind, but it wasn't too bad. Right around 6:30, I realized that if I kept up a good pace, I could finish before 7:00. There were people at the turns to cheer you on, and people ringing cowbells out their car windows, and I decided that I MUST finish before 7:00! That 5K to go sign was SWEET! I rolled in at 6:54, waved to DH who was waiting in the crowd, and crossed the line with the biggest grin on my face.

"Johnny & June" was running through my head on the last leg and I amused myself by singing the opening verse over and over:

Oh there's something 'bout a man in black
Makes me wanna buy a Cadillac
Throw the top back
And roll down to Jackson town

I know that I'm not fast, and I could definitely stand to be stronger, but I was just so happy to finish and to finish strong. I felt like a million bucks and I never did feel bad on the ride, even though I was really pushing myself the entire way. There's no way I could have maintained my pace for 206 miles and DH said the same thing about the legs that he completed.

In the weeks leading up to LOTOJA, I had saddle issues and sit bone issues and hamstring issues, and it was wonderful to feel so great during the race. I'm feeling pretty good tonight, too, although I could stand to get some more sleep.

Last night, I kept waking up and thinking about the various parts of my body that were tired and sore. I told myself, "I am NEVER doing that again." Of course, during the drive home, DH and I were already plotting for LOTOJA 2009!

Alex