Lancaster Nightmare Ride: Race Report

The field launched at 6:13 am, the official sunrise for Saturday, August 13. My friend Shane and I were in good spirits, unsure of how our bodies would respond to riding 177 miles. Neither of us had ever attempted to ride more than 125 miles in the past. Our goal was simply to enjoy the day and finish in daylight.

I knew the first and last fifty-ish miles of the course, but had no idea what the middle piece was like. That was probably a good thing because it kept me from tossing and turning in bed in the days leading up to the event.

It was an amazing day and I have nothing but positive thoughts about the whole experience. There’s just so much to say! I’ll summarize with a few random notes:

• We missed a turn at mile 85 and tacked on 3 hilly miles before getting back on course.
• Just after I said, “The weather gods are smiling on us today,” a major thunderstorm struck. That was around mile 125. We rode through driving rain, floods, lightning, farm erosion, etc. Good times. It was a good thing. It woke us up and we had fun with it.
• We stopped too long for lunch [112 miles] and my legs revolted a little when we started riding again.
• Shane and I were strong and spent time socializing with other cyclists. That got under the skin of some of the competitive folks. Sorry guys!
• The course included some recently tarred and chipped roads (including the hardest climb all day) and a rutted, dirt / gravel road. We probably rode 3 to 4 miles on unpaved surfaces.
• I felt good watts in my legs the entire day. We covered the final 35 miles in less than two hours. I guess our self-made training plans worked out just fine.

Overall elapsed time for our ride was 12:45. We rolled through the finish line in Marietta at 6:58 pm. Of that time we were in the saddle for almost exactly 12-hours even, covering 180 total miles at a 15 mph average. The course was tough!

I’m so thankful for good health, no accidents, and no mechanical incidents. Shane was the perfect riding mate in that we have similar cycling fitness and life perspectives. I’m glad he asked me to participate. I would not want to ride that course alone!

And, finally, in response to the most commonly asked question: "My butt's fine, thanks. How's yours?"

Eve of the Nightmare

It looks like some stormy weather for the Lancaster Nightmare Ride tomorrow. My friend Shane and I will be launching from the Donegal Middle School at 6:00 am. How long will the 177 miles take us? I really don’t know.

I rode fairly steadily on a reconnaissance ride through the first 50 miles of the course several weeks ago and still only averaged a measly 14 miles per hour. The early terrain is very difficult and a key to not imploding later in the day will be to hold back as much as possible in the hilly first 50. I’ve never gone over 125 miles, either, so who knows what’ll happen when I get 8+ hours into the day? My longest ride so far this year was slightly over 7 hours. It should be interesting. I’m pushing into new and unknown territory.

That said we fully intend on finishing in daylight.

I finally read Chris McDougall’s ‘Born to Run’ this week while at the beach. I can’t think of a better book to read in the days leading up to an ultra endurance event. Like the ultra runners in that book, I intend to enjoy the ride tomorrow: one mile at a time.

I will be extending the Bridge of Hope campaign until at least the end of August. Thanks to all at McClure Company for pledging support! I’ll be opening pledging opportunities to a broader group this weekend. My recent vacationing and subsequent impacts on work load have prevented a more thorough pre-event campaign. Stay tuned!

Ironman Lake Placid 2011

Had a great time supporting friends at Ironman Lake Placid last weekend. With four friends signing up for next year's race, I couldn't resist the Ironman fever. I signed up for the 2012 race as soon as I got home!

Small Victories

My most difficult mid week workouts are morning hill repeats on the Blue Mountain Parkway. Roughly three times each month I’ll rise at 4:30 am, make a strong cup of coffee, and head to Harrisburg. Daylight breaks just about the time I park at the base of the miniature mountain. After a 20-minute warm-up through the valley I hit it for three climbs. Each effort is slightly more intense than the previous, so that the third and final summit consists of an all out effort.

Last week I was resolved to set a personal record. My strategy was to gain as much speed as possible on the easier sections of the hill and get up and out of the saddle on the steeps. The fear on the third attempt is in pushing too hard too early, resulting in no gas in the tank for the final few hundred feet of climbing.

At the summit my lap timer read 11:23 as I pressed the mark time button with a quaking finger. Slightly aggravated at missing my goal by a measly two seconds, I used the descent to regain a normal breathing pattern and shake lactic acid out of my legs.

Thirty minutes later I was in the office having a discussion with a colleague. As I leafed through scraps of paper on my desk I uncovered a note that read, “5/17 11:41.” I unapologetically stood from my chair and pumped my fists into the air like I had just won a stage of the Tour de France. I hadn’t missed my target by two seconds, I beat it by 18! I gave my startled friend a fist pump and headed for a bonus cup of coffee. This was cause for celebration.

Small victories breathe life into my training. They’re a validation that my plan is working and make for fun banter with my athletic minded friends. They provide catharsis, a welcome outlet from the weight of more important responsibilities.

I suppose the families and mentors of Bridge of Hope have many such experiences of their own, though in a much more vital and profound way. The journey from desperation to self-sufficient wholeness can appear overwhelming at times. It requires a tenacious discipline at sticking to plan, continually reinforced by a caring community of mentors. Achieving the giant goal of self-sufficiency wouldn’t be possible without breaking it into bunches of smaller victories, which provide validation, breathe life, and give hope.

Riding for Hope: I Can Suffer for a Day

Shane’s e-mail popped up with the subject line “Nightmare Ride 2011.” I rolled my eyes and filed it for reading when I wasn’t so busy. I knew what was coming. He had mentioned making an attempt at finishing the ultra cycling event in the past, and his message was surely a request to sign on with him.

The 177 mile single day ride around the perimeter of Lancaster County is notoriously difficult. It’s one of those “bucket list” events – you know, the kind of event you say you want to do but seem to find plenty of convenient excuses for continually avoiding.

What I also knew, that Shane didn’t, was that the Bridge of Hope Lancaster & Chester Counties is pre-registered with the Nightmare’s event organizer as a race charity. Finding myself on BOH LCC’s board of directors, the choice wasn’t really mine to make, after all. Given an invitation to ride, I had an obligation to get on with it. My race plan for 2011 became a little clearer.

Reflecting on the daily struggles of the families served by Bridge of Hope, and my own relatively charmed existence, I thought to myself “I can suffer for a day.” That will be my mantra.

The event takes place on August 13. You can find my fundraising page by clicking DONATE TO BRIDGE OF HOPE under "My Favorites" in the right hand margin. Stay tuned for training updates!

Skip a Beat Lately?

My heart was recently featured by Dr. Larry Creswell on Endurance Corner's blog. I like his description of me as approximately 40 years old. We'll see how long I can hold onto that label. :)

I've been dealing with sore hips and lower back. I was worried for a little while, but I think my recent therapy and daily yoga sessions are going to completely resolve the problems.

Post Race Random Musings

For what it's worth, the red squiggly line is my heart rate during the Ironman Louisville bike ride. The spikes and few prolonged higher peaks are episodes of atrial fibrillation. I haven't had so much as a flutter since that ride ended. It's a pretty mysterious condition in that respect - you never know when it'll get triggered. It usually takes two or more triggers to make it happen (adrenaline + too much caffeine, hard exercise + allergy symptoms + dehydration, etc). But sometimes I can be subject to many of the triggers and it never appears. So it goes.

The did not finish (DNF) rate at Louisville was about 16%. For those outside the multisport community, that's a HUGE number.

I had some trouble acclimating to normal life this week. The office environment is a strange contrast to the triathlon-frenzied four square block area of Louisville from where I just returned. I wouldn't say that I have post race depression, but I'm definitely still trying to process what I've been through over the past week(s).

I don't have a plan, yet, for what's happening this fall. That's a dangerous place to be. I'll definitely keep riding but I need to set a goal. I want to do some form of non-tri group exercise; Leaning toward yoga but haven't researched class availability yet. Taking care of deferred maintenance on my house is a given. Pouring myself into my work is also a given. October is strategic planning month. I also signed up for an evening class at church. I suppose these will all keep me busy enough.

Football season kicks off this weekend as well. Kyle plays Sunday. I'm looking forward to doing a little spectating from the sidelines...