Reaching goals

[Pedal Wench]

REALLY LONG REPORT!!!

Race day started out SO much better than last year - cool in the morning, practically hot during the day, comfortably cool at the start and at night. The night before, I had a massive headache that made me almost pass out and skip most of dinner, so I was really worried about even making it to the start. Woke up, though, feeling fine, so we dressed and headed to the start line.

One of the Sorellas, Cindy was here to do her first century. Another Sorella, Julie Gaz was competing in the non-drafting division, and the other four of us planned to stick together. Aimee wanted 200 miles in 12-hours, Alison wanted to beat her previous record of 172, and Kathy wanted 200 miles, but registered in the 24-hour division. Working as a group, we could be so much more efficient. Plus, it's just more fun! We started out with a group of guys we met last year from Tenn. and Ohio. We just called them all the Turtles. The first three laps on the racecourse in a pre-dawn blazing paceline were scary, exhilarating, and FAST! I knew that there was no way I could keep that up with any hope of making it for 24 hours. We transitioned out onto the roads, picked up a few riders, and the pace just kept picking up. When you yell up front that slowing it down to 20-21 mph would be better, and 20 mph feels slow and easy, you know it's going too fast.

After about 30 miles of this insane pace, Alison, Kathy and I just knew we didn't want to keep up that pace. If we were just doing a century, we all probably could have, but not if we wanted to reach our goals and ride the rest of the race. So, we let the peloton go. My boyfriend Ken alerted the rest of the group that we dropped off, and he and Aimee dropped back to ride with us. Of course, most of the faster group all blew up after the first century. We slowed the pace down a bit and rode the rest of the century all together through the orange groves, with my amazing team keeping me sheltered the whole way. In some spots, the smell of the fresh oranges was overwhelming and wonderful. We all finished the century, actually 101.5 miles, in 5:22, including a rest stop. A personal best for me!

When we got back to the start, Shannon had our pitstop perfectly set up. Shade, chairs and water/food all ready to go. She's a hero for helping us out. Every lap when I came in, she was happy and upbeat, asking what I needed and suggesting things before I knew I needed them. Cheerful and wonderful all day long. The weather couldn't have been more perfect -- sun, with temps in the 80's. Shannon made sure we had sunscreen, since we were riding in just short-sleeved jerseys and shorts. We started the 13-mile loops after a short break, and stayed on these until dark. The wind wasn't too bad -- opposite from last year, so we started with a nice little tail wind and finished each lap on a slight downhill but a headwind.

I did about 5 of these laps. At about 5:30, we debated between doing one more before heading onto the race track for the night, or putting on our lights and head onto the track as soon as we could. Kathy decided the flat track was better, plus it gave us a few laps in daylight to get a better sense of the layout. She was right, and it was nice to be away from the traffic and on the track.

The lap tracks are just a blur. As soon as I turned on my handlebar light, it caused interference with my bike computer, so I didn't have an accurate reading of mileage. I had my Garmin GPS computer, but had to swap it out during the day because it only has an 8-hour run time; at least I had a speed indicator. Kathy rode with us for a while, and it was really nice having some company, but I knew she would be stopping after she reached her goal of 200 miles. She hit that quickly, and I knew it was going to be a long, long night. Ken stayed with me the whole time, only sitting out for two laps, and we traded pulls all night long. For some reason, I was able to ride faster when I was up front and we got to make jokes all night long that the shadow of my bottom from his light was as wide as the track. My favorite section was the backstretch straightaway, where we did back stretches each and every lap. Ken learned that when I was up front and called 'standing', it really meant stand and stretch, so since I was slowing, he could stretch behind me. I have no idea what other riders were thinking about our coordinated synchronized stretch breaks. Having music all night was the key, I think. I lost track of time and of mileage. I couldn't really eat much, but I was able to keep drinking, and resorted to a few Rockstars throughout the night. Amazing what a little caffeine and sugar can do. I think Ken drank a liter of Coke during one of his breaks. Julie's husband Paul was supporting her on her non-drafting race, and he was very willing to help us too. Thank god for his suggestions on Aleve when my shoulders started to get real painful. I tried not to look at the hotel that overlooked the racetrack, where the lights started turning off slowly throughout the night as tired cyclists were tucking into cozy soft beds.

At some point, we started to worry about making my goal of 320 miles. We were afraid I wouldn't make it, or worse, just miss it by a minute or two. The last lap wouldn't count at all unless you were in by 6:30am, and my laps were taking about 13-14 minutes. I had an extra bike setup with aerobars that would have been more comfortable for the last laps, but at this point, I was worried that it would take too long to swap out bikes. With about 5 laps to go, I got a massive cramp in my hip that sent stabbing pain down my whole leg. Up until this, I was doing great. Now, I could barely pedal, couldn't stretch out at all, couldn't get off the saddle, so I just soft-pedaled, thinking my record just slipped out of reach. Slowly, I was able to push a little more, and finally, the cramp eased and I could pedal again, with 4 laps to go.

By this time, my amazing Sorella friends came down to cheer for me and Julie, who was looking amazing each time I saw her. We were probably riding the same speeds, but her breaks were much smarter and shorter than mine. (Next year, I'll do better!) I still had no idea how many miles I had, and all they were saying was that I was close. Great friends. “Keep going - you're almost there!!!” They finally told me I had the record with enough time for one more lap. I loved taking that 'victory lap', knowing I met my goal. They didn't tell me that I beat the record by over 10 miles - three 3.7-mile laps more than I needed They were all there cheering at the end, and I really needed their help to get off the bike. Knowing we ALL medaled was amazing, and then coming home and discovering I was the overall female non-RAAM rider, second only to Julie for all the women was amazing.

There were many times that I didn't think I could do it. A bad cold a few weeks ago, a minor surgery last week, and a headache the night before the race that made me dizzy, queasy, and almost passing out in my pasta just hours before the start were all concerns, but knowing so many people were cheering for me was my inspiration. I had torn out an Armstrong Foundation ad that was my motivation. It says, "Whatever your 100% looks like, give it." I gave it everything I had.

I broke the record I was going for, and won my age category and overall too, with 329.8 miles in 24 hours. Couldn't have done it without my most amazing boyfriend and my incredible team, Sorella Cycling.

[Starfish]

Wow. What an amazing report. Your ride, and accomplishments, just blow my mind. And, thank you for taking the time to really write it up. The description of your last laps, and the cramp, and what it was like to pedal all night, watching the lights in the hotel go off, one by one...I felt like I could tell how big and long a deal this was.

Thank you. You are a super inspiration to me.

[skibum]

Awesome job, PW. You rock!!!

[Pedal Wench]

Awesome job, PW. You rock!!!

Ahhh! Finally, someone who can attest to the fact that I'm always the slow one who gets dropped! Really, slow and steady, tortoise v. hare, patience and perseverance, etc.!

[skibum]

Ahhh! Finally, someone who can attest to the fact that I'm always the slow one who gets dropped! Really, slow and steady, tortoise v. hare, patience and perseverance, etc.!

Nothing wrong with slow and steady. That's what helped you break the record and win your category. Sounds like you've found what you're good at. I'll bet most of those fast people that drop you couldn't even comprehend doing what you just did!!

[Pedal Wench]

Nothing wrong with slow and steady. That's what helped you break the record and win your category. Sounds like you've found what you're good at. I'll bet most of those fast people that drop you couldn't even comprehend doing what you just did!!

You nailed it. I've always felt best towards the end of a century -- just warming up at about 80 miles. When I heard about endurance events like this, I just knew it was something I could do good at. There's something for everyone out there!!!

SB-- good to hear from you -- hope things are going well. See you on the road this season!

[Starfish]

OK, PW...I have to say, I want very much to be inspired by your tales of never having won anything...being the slow and steady one...I can relate to that.

But, then I read in your report the kinds of speeds you kept up for 30 miles at the beginning, etc...and although I know you didn't keep that up...those speeds sound like you are capable of being quite fast.

I know it might all be relative...sounds like you are a fairly high caliber rider, riding with very fast athletes.

But...it sounds like you are pretty darn fast, too!

I love the idea of someday doing the kind of ride you just did...but I have to admit, the possibility sounds pretty remote to me, for me. Help me out! What's your background...where did you start, etc.

[Pedal Wench]

Starfish, really, I'm not a zippy rider. I've been training really, really hard for this race, but my average speeds on training rides is usually around 16, occasionally 16.5, but never 17mph. This course is VERY flat. Pancake flat. Which helps because I'm really bad at climbing.

I started riding about 4 years ago, and just gravitated toward longer rides. Exactly two years ago I did a time trial -- all out for 10 miles, with an average of 17mph. I came in last. Did one more road race. I came in last. I do lots of centuries. I often come in last.

The benefits of being in a group cannot be denied. And, I think the addition of intervals to my training -- and sticking to a structured training program really helped. I can't wait for the summer rides to start. I'll let you know for sure that I'm still the slowest on the weekly women's ride.

[Starfish]

Hey PW, thanks for the reply. It sounds like you have been working very hard! It is really fun to read about your exploits...keep the reports coming!