2011 Season Recap

Well, the year is coming to a close so I figure I should take a look back on what made 2011 what it was.

I didn't get in to the Leadville 100 so I sent the people at the Dakota 5-0 an email and they let me in. I wrote out the check and was going to put it in the mail, but forgot. That evening I got an email from Leadville saying that they had a spot for me if I still wanted it. Since I could only afford to do one of the events I choose Leadville. I think I made the right choice.

I didn't get into the Ragnarok 105 right away either which was a bummer, but with 2 weeks to go they sent me an email asking if I was still interested and I jumped on that. I drove down to red Wing early in the morning and got all set up. My plan was to try and keep pace with the lead group till Flower Road and then cut it down to my normal pace. I stayed relatively close but knew that there was no way to keep that sort of pace. It was a chilly day but that didn't seem to bother me too much. I remember getting to the first checkpoint and it taking a really long time to get my ipod on. After that I remember a nice 20 mile stretch where I felt really good and then it all came crashing down. By the time I hit the second checkpoint I was ready to throw in the towel, but I knew that there wasn't THAT much more ahead. After climbing most of "Heath's Hill" I felt a little rejuvinated and knew that there wasn't too much further to go. I remember hammering out the last 4 miles or so and finishing in 8:40. All in all it was a great day. I was most excited that my buddy Larry finished the whole thing.

Next up was the Almanzo 100 in Spring Valley. I woke up that morning and it was misting and cold. Not a typical day in mid May. I headed down and there were points where it was raining pretty hard. I thought about turning back, but figured I could manage. By the time the race started it was a light drizzle but everything was already wet. Once we hit the gravel you couldn't see anything as dirt and water was flying everywhere. I settled into a comfortable pace but I knew that it wasn't fast enough. I remember at one point some horses got out of there pen and started running down the road in front of us. That lasted for about a mile and they tired and went to the side of the road. I past the first checkpoint and didn't bother to stop. I was feeling good and didn't want to get cold. I made it about 15 miles past the checkpoint and my entire body was so cold it began to shut down. My thumbs were no longer strong enough to shift gears so I had to use my palm and I could't even get a ziplock bag open. At mile 64 I stopped and got a farmer to give me a ride back to the High School for $20. I don't think I've ever been so cold before. I changed out of my riding gear immediately and cranked the heater in the car. It took me about 25 minutes to finally warm back up again. I was very disappointed that I didn't make it because I had enjoyed it so much the previous year. As soon as I got home I ordered rain gear.

A week later was the Cheq 100 in Cable, WI. This is probably my favorite race of the year since it is almost all single track and just a great area to ride. The year prior I finished in 13 hours and was lost as shit for a good portion of the time. This year things were well marked and no directions were needed. I got up there the day prior and rode an 8 mile section that I knew would be towards the end of the race. Race day was a little gloomy but nothing that I couldn't handle. I started out fast because I knew once we hit the single track the pace would slow greatly. I fell into a nice spot where I was riding as fast as I wanted to and there was no one behind me. It was all good till I missed a turn and had to go back. I got caught with a real slow group and had to restrain myself from passing on the trail. As soon as it opened up I sprinted out front of the group and never saw them again. As I got to the 54 mile checkpoint I was exhausted and just wanted to lay down, so I did. I ate a sandwich, some beef jerky and a banana. I was laying there until I saw some people I knew come in and figured that I should get going. The second half of the race wasn't too tough. It was a lot of the Birkie and fire roads. Once the single track started again though I was praying for the day to be over. Once I reached the last section of trail I stopped and talked to some Canadiens for a minute and headed off. It was possibly the longest section of trail I've ever ridden (In my mind). I crossed the finish line at 10h37m and was very relieved to be done. It was a brutal day.

For the rest of the summer I did some local races here and there and got out on my bike about 3 times a week.

Leadville came in the middle of August and would mark my last 100 of the year. I'll save all the prep etc... for a different post. Race day morning started off bad. I woke up with a stomach ache and took a monster shit. I ate my normal breakfast and we headed to Leadville. Once we were there I got my bike in position and had to use the bathroom again. I thought it was just nerves. Then as race time drew close I made one last trip to the pot. My stomach was hurting and I could feel it turning. At the start line I remember thinking "Fuck, I don't want to do this." So the race starts and I feel ok and am going along at a good pace. Once I got to the bottom of the Powerline section my stomach started acting up again. I didn't stop at the second checkpoint and kept cruising through. At the third I couldn't take it any more, I had to use a port-o-potty. I tried to go as quickly as possible but all I got was gas. I got back on the bike and made it most of the way up Columbine before my stomach hurt again. I made it back down in a decent time and went right back to the port-o-potty, all gas. So I continued on and felt alright. As soon as I left the second to last check point it started really hurting. I made it back to Powerline and was almost relieved that it was now "acceptable" to walk my bike. I kept slowly letting out gas. I was too scared to do this while riding because I thought I might shit myself. So I make it up Powerline and am just hating my bike for no other reason than I have been riding it for so long. I get to the paved hill portion and cruise down, but don't make it much further on the up side. A combination of my stomach plus tired of riding made me get off the bike and push it up a majority of the hill. I slowly made it to the top and stopped at the last rest stop for some water and a banana. I pushed with a group of about eight people for the last 14 miles. I crossed the finish line at 11h07m. I was so happy to be done.

I finished up the year with some more local races and a lot of road riding.

What did I learn in 2011? That it is much harder to do things the second time around. The first time you are excited and want to make sure that you finish. But the second time those same emotions are not there and it can make things much harder.

Am I doing all these events again in 2012? Hopefully. There is just too much satisfaction that overrides all the pain and suffering that happens in the training and actual race to not give it another go.