When the Ride Doesn't Represent the Riders

For the past few years I have heard about how good the Tuesday night race ride is for preparing for races.  I have also heard a lot of rumors about how the group can be too aggressive and can cause a lot of traffic problems.  I heard it is to the point that police will occasionally patrol the route and pull cyclist over. Still, despite my trepidations, I have been curious to try it out for myself to find out how I measure up to the other strong cyclists and see if the rumors are true.

Tonight I rode down to Bicycles Plus in Old Folsom and joined the gathering of folks waiting to start the ride. Everyone seemed like good, friendly folk as we are sitting around our bikes talking. That impression didn’t change as we got off to an easy warm up start.  I continued to chat with various riders and most of them are people that I look forward to talking to again at future races or rides.

From the time when the ride started it didn’t take long before we were winding our way through some residential neighborhoods and things started getting dicey with some of the traffic.  Drivers weren’t sure what to do with a group our size -I never counted but I imagine our group was about 20-30 riders snaking through the neighborhoods- and it left the motorists waiting for opportunities to pass but were unable to do so safely with a group our size.  This left drivers either waiting behind us or aggressively passing us, I have to admit I could understand why some motorists would become frustrated.

At one point a group of riders ended up way off the front and the rest of us had to chase them down.  This caused more mayhem as we were zipping though some intersections.  In one case, a rider took a right hand turn too wide and veered into oncoming traffic (that had the right-of-way).  This caused a vehicle to have to suddenly slow to avoid hitting the rider.  After that turn we are on a straight away, out of the neighborhoods, so I got in front of the group and chased down the lead pack. Even though we are on less traveled country roads, the riders are still taking up too much of the roadway given the amount of traffic and this is still during commute hours. 

We ended up in a construction area around Taylor and Sierra College.  Around this point the group starts accelerating rapidly.  This spreads out the riders and caught me off guard so I am about half a bike length off the back.  Initially I wasn’t sure what was going on but I quickly figured out that the group is trying to sprint through a traffic light before it changes.  The first part of the group makes it through okay, but we are really spread out and the light starts to change.  I can see that I probably will not be in the intersection before it turns red so I am left with a decision to make.  Initially I am thinking to go for it -this group doesn’t wait for people to make it through the intersection so if you lose the group at an intersection, you have to catch up or you are riding on your own for the rest of the ride. For some folks this can mean being stranded in unknown territory (at one point later in the ride I had to pull up the GPS on my iphone to figure out where I was) so I can understand why folks want to keep up as best as they can- but then I start thinking of all the close calls this group has had with traffic and what a bad example we are setting for cycling.  There were so many irate drivers left in our wake that at that point I decided to hit the brakes and come to a stop.

 

I concluded that riding with that group isn’t in alignment with my beliefs.  That isn’t to say that I am perfect all the time or that I don’t make some bone-head moves. Most of us are grown-up enough to admit that whether you are a cyclist, motorist, runner, etc…, we have all made some bad moves at one time or another.  However I like to make sure that overall I leave people with a good impression of cyclists and cycling. The example left by this particular group ride wasn’t one I was proud to be associated with.  While it may be good training, I would rather find other ways to train: maybe those other ways aren’t as effective, but at least I am not making enemies every time I go out. Maybe this sounds sappy, but with each ride, I want to leave the world with a better impression of cyclist and racers than it started with.

I do not understand the violent reaction some folks have to cyclists. It seems there is a large amount of Folsom citizens that see two wheels and see “The Enemy”. I have witnessed outrageous and unwarranted behavior towards cyclists. To me it is just another form of prejudice. (When you look at deaths and serious injuries caused by motorists -or even dog attacks- and compare it to those caused by cyclists you would think that maybe folks would be a little less pissed off at cyclists and redirect it towards the more dangerous factors that are out there.) With all of that said, the way that this ride went tonight I can’t imagine that many folks watching the group’s overall behavior was left with a warm and fuzzy attitude towards anyone in spandex.

On the way back on my own I met up with another rider from the Bicycles Plus race team. Earlier he had gone a little bit of a different route to make sure that a cyclist that wasn’t feeling well was able to get back okay. It just illustrated my earlier impression, so many of the people in this group ride are good, caring, friendly people. It just seems like during the excitement and competition of the ride a mob mentality takes over and judgment can take a far back seat (on a one-seat bicycle).

The BP race team rider and I ended up taking 30-45 second pulls most of the way back so I still ended up with an excellent workout. We had some good conversation and a great ride but, more importantly, we did it without being a menace to society.  It was good to meet new people but I think that this group ride will not make it into my regular rotation of training rides. Be safe out there, folks.

A Quick Blog from Eric

Eric sent us a message this morning asking us if we would post this personal thank you...

"I want to thank everyone who helped me with all of this! The past year of my life has not been easy for me and the bike being stolen did not help.... The day my bike was stolen was a cold, dark day, I had lost faith in the goodness of the world. Dawn made it possible for me to see the world in a good way, she did not just help me get a bike...she helped  me find life again. I wanted to thank everyone especially Dawn, Chris,Body Concepts and Cindy! For everyone who helped in any way, know that you are forever appreciated! Thank you so much!"

- Eric Taylor 

Redeeming the Human Race: One Bike at a Time

Our donation drive was successful! Eric and his girlfriend Maria pose with the fruits of the cycling community's generosity.

Yep, life sucks. There are nasty people in the world and it seems like there are a whole lot of them. Bike thieves, deadbeat dads, frauds who rip people off, women who drive while putting on make-up and folks who refuse to pick up after their dogs.  Sometimes the world just seems like a place devoid of human kindness and heart. Just when it feels like you want to throw up your hands and give up on the human race, a ray or two of sunshine can peek out and illuminate an act of kindness. On Wednesday, April 27th 2011 we GroveTribers got to witness the culmination of human generosity at MadCat Bicycles in Sacramento.

In early January we heard of a fellow Hammerin’ Wheels member who had his (locked) mountain bike stolen. We posted a blog about Eric Taylor and the challenges he faced and asked for help to find his missing Trek. No luck. When it seemed that there was no way to recover Eric’s bike we didn’t want to just walk away from Eric with a curt, “Good Luck, kid!” so we posted another blog a few weeks later asking for the cycling community to come together to help one of their own get back on the trails.

It took a while to coordinate the details but we were able to get in touch with Mike Upchurch, owner of MadCat, and he was able to help facilitate the gathering of donations and purchase of a new bike for Eric.




Mike Upchurch (left), owner of MadCat, greets Eric.

  It didn’t take long before donations came in from folks known and unknown and the amounts quickly added up. With a little schedule shuffling the planets aligned and we were able to meet up with Mike, Eric and his girlfriend, Maria Chavez, at MadCat witness Eric to claim his new ride.

Mike, Eric, Dawn and the new ride!

Eric and Maria were very appreciative (we must have heard “thank you” a hundred times while we were there) and we all wish to express our heartfelt thanks to the following people: Cindy Emch, Body Concepts Inc., Matthew Findley, Mike Upchurch, Eric’s family, friends and everyone else who helped make this possible. Thank you for proving that there are some good folks out there in the world.



On Wednesday May 4th Eric resumes his role as an organizer of rides for the Hammerin’ Wheels Mountain Bike Club. He also plans to work on getting back in cycling shape and tackling some races soon. We can only hope that when he is in a position to help a fellow cyclist, he will pay it forward. If more people went out of their way to help another, maybe we can be the change we want to see in the world. Maybe life doesn’t have to suck after all. Peace.

The Right Fit

Getting back on the bike has been a huge challenge for me (Dawn). Many years ago, when I first met Chris, I was able to use cycling to get myself back to health after a nasty bought of CFS that was disabling. It was tough but this time around it is even tougher. I am older, I had another child and I am now cycling in an area with a lot more hills than flats. (The first time around I was cycling around flat terrain.) It is harder to get that same satisfaction that riding gives you when you feel like you are constantly battling hills.

When I was able to use Darth Fuji it was a blessing and a curse. The blessing was being able to take hills a whole heck of a lot easier (Carbon is frickin' amazing!) the curse was that it was sized for a man over six feet tall. I was so far stretched out that after ten minutes of riding I was tormented by the strangest combination of intense burning pain and numbness in my low back. Riding Darth Fuji was the most fun I have ever had in my life but the pain made it difficult to get in the length of rides I need for my goals and recovery was taking much longer than my usual agonizingly slow pace.

Riding Darth reminded me of the Chinese phrase, "to eat bitter". I continued to ride through the pain as if I needed to go through that crucible to earn time on Darth. If I could eat the pain, the bitter, and keep going, that meant that I appreciated what gifts I had been given by so many folks who have been helping me get back on the road.

Okay, self-sacrifice... martyr... yada... yada... yada... After a few rides to purify myself I was done with the pain. That was when I went to The Wizard (Rob) at Body Concepts. He took one look at me on Darth and told me right off that the stem was way too long and that I should get the bike fit to my dimensions. We were really concerned about how much to change as this was a loaner that would have to be converted back quickly if it was needed. Rob said it wouldn't be a problem and whipped out an old, stubby stem he had handy.

Every girl needs her "Spinderella" moment.

Rob set Darth up on the trainer at the Body Concepts office and I mounted up. He watched closely as I pedaled away. He would stop me, take measurements and tweak the seat. I rode more and he stopped me, swapping out the stems, tweaking the seat more. I resumed pedaling and he started talking to me about my posture on the bike. I had deep bends in my wrists that were setting me up for pain down the road. My core was weak and I was slouching as I rode, also not good for back pain. He helped show me how to improve my riding posture and then set me loose for a test ride around Old Folsom.

The difference was amazing! Before I had been afraid of Darth, not realizing that my discomfort was because I had much less control because I was way too stretched out. Instantly I felt in total control of the bike and cornering was amazing. I no longer had anxiety about crashing. The difference of a simple bike fit was intoxicating! I had never even heard of a bike fit before I met Rob. I though you just raised and lowered a seat and that was the best you could expect. The difference that I feel now is like night and day.

Has Darth been lured away from the Dark Side? Will I someday look good in the Princess Leia slave outfit? We shall see, but in the week since the bike fit I have lost two more pounds and I feel like I am on my way to becoming a real cyclist!


NOTE:
If you are interested in checking out Body Concepts and learning some great cycling tips be sure to check out their Presentation Classes! There is even one tonight! See you there!

Please RSVP to: nrobyn@bodyconceptsinc.com  or (916) 939-6800 ... only 30-spots available per presentation 

DATES:

All presentations 7-8:30 pm at Body Concepts

April 28^th      Injuries- how to prevent/recover from them

May 12^th       Flexibility- a less painful performance enhancer

May 26^th       Core Strength- turbo charge your leg power

June 16^th      Bike Fit- a balance between comfort and performance

June 23^rd      Biomechanics- optimize your efficiency

PRESENTER:

Robert Kopitzke has been an Orthopedic-Sports Physical Therapist for over 23-years, he obtained an "Elite" USA Cycling Coaching license in 1998, is a Master Pilates Instructor and certified Neuromuscular Reprogrammer. He has worked with hundreds of cyclists throughout the Sacramento region since 1994 as Peak Cycling and established Body Concepts in 1998.

For more information about Rob and Body Concepts: www.bodyconceptsinc.com 

Sea Otter Onslaught (part two)... The Gravel Strikes Back

Getting to the front of the line.  Not only have I been coached to do this, if you read below I have other plans as well...

(Continued from Part One) It took forever to go to sleep. I was excited by the results from the race and I was amped. I was so into the racing mindset that even though I was in bed my body was reacting as if I was still riding in the race. (Kind of like when you are on a ship on the ocean for a long time and can’t seem to get your land legs back.)  I was excited about how well I performed at the race, excited about taking on the corkscrew tomorrow. (As a child I had seen many motorcycle races on that same course and I couldn’t get over being able to ride that same course first thing in the morning.) I knew my body needed rest but my mind just would not turn off. It was late in the night before I finally drifted off.

The next morning I felt like crap. Shin splints from all of the walking, my legs were sore, my calves were cramping. Basically from the knee down I felt like a mess. We were checking out of the hotel room before the race so between packing, boy wrangling and taking care of making meals it was a whirlwind morning.  As the sun was staring to rise, we were headed out to the track.



Destroying my cleats



I was already in my gear (including cycling shoes) and I had to walk with my father and the boys through the two miles of dirt, rocks, gravel, sand and coarse pavement from where we parked to the race course. In hindsight I probably should have worn my tennis shoes and swapped out for my cycling shoes once I got to the race.

As soon as we get to the course I start warming up on the racetrack. Trouble showed up early on as the initial climb at the start of the course seemed to eat me alive from the get-go. Not a great sign. On the bright side, after the climb I went down the corkscrew and the thrill of that more than made up for the work to get to the top.  (Watch video of the climb and corkscrew here.)



Slow first step, but I got to the front quickly.



As race time approached I was still feeling very lethargic and I knew I was going to get off to a slow start.  To counter that, I wanted to line up at the very front and do the initial lead up to the top of the corkscrew.  I figured that if I take the early lead I can set the pace most of the way up, and therefore do it at a pace I could handle, and when they start passing me I won’t move too far back into the group.  (I call it the “Lemming Strategy”.) That strategy worked well as I worked my way to the front and everyone folded in behind me.  It surprised me everyone stayed back as long as they did.  I thought I might just make it to the top at this rate.  No such luck there, I had already milked the peloton as much as could be expected and they started to pass me about half way up.  As I started to get passed I just stayed in my seat and let them go, knowing that I would catch them in the corkscrew.





The second lap is where the trouble really started…  I wanted to start keeping up with the leaders on the climb so I got out of the saddle to start pedaling.  As I did, my left foot came out of the pedal.  As I tried to get my shoe clipped back in I realized that I wasn’t getting a solid clip.  This is when I realized that walking in my cleats from the parking lot had been a really bad idea. I am certain that I clogged up my cleat with dirt and bits of gravel. 

At this point I have some safety concerns.  I don’t feel like it would be good for me to ride up the hills with the pack or be going for a sprint finish.  I decided to alter my strategy a little so that on the climbs, I am way off to the right or left of the pack.  If I am still with the group going into the finish I wouldn’t sprint for it because I don’t want to take out half the peloton.  

Without being able to stand to match the pace of the group up the climb, I was forced into a catch-up mode while riding the rest of the course.  On one climb I fell far enough back that the motorcycle and pace car that was following the peloton passed me.  That didn’t last for long as I put my cornering skills (from Body Concepts Race Team skills clinic) to use on the next descent down the corkscrew. I was back towards the front of the group in no time.  

As I was approaching the hill again I realized that my left shoe finally had a solid clip.  I am back in the race!  I sprung out of my saddle and kept up with the pack on this climb.  Next time around, trouble sprung up again as I dropped my chain! (Note to self: Need to get that chain catcher before my next race.)  I was able to recover without stopping but I was in catch-up mode again.  

I am starting to get tired from burning matches on the catch-up efforts.  I am back with the group with one lap to go.  The pace on the last lap surged up the hill.  I tried to match it but I was totally spent and couldn’t keep up with the pace.  As I made the descent down the corkscrew I realized that there were a bunch of stragglers behind and in front of me.  The main pack was too far off to catch so this became a race between me and whoever was left.  

Maximizing momentum down the corkscrew I came into the sharp left turn after the corkscrew a little too hot and found myself on the warning track.  Thunk-Thunk-Thunk-Thunk-Thunk.  I pulled out of it easily enough and was grinning because it was a very fun experience to be pushing it that close to the edge in my speed.  (I think my wife’s need for speed may be rubbing off on me.) In hindsight I think I also didn’t take the best angle through that turn like I did most of the rest of the race.  I think I was getting anxious for the finish and wasn’t paying as close attention to the details of making a good turn.  

I used my momentum to pass a few people and got behind another guy to get a draft break as we headed towards the finish.  The stragglers were getting restless and started powering towards the line so I did the same.  I passed several people but one guy came by me just before the finish.  I heard him coming but was already maxed out and couldn’t do anything about it.

We crossed the finish and I made a direct line for the large dirt area off to the side of the track where other riders had stopped to talk after the race. I was greeted by Jason “Coach” McMillen who had just participated in a race himself (different category from mine).  We exchanged race stories but I couldn’t stay long as my father and the boys were waiting for me.  I waited long enough for them to post my race results and then hurried back to join my family, I had promised the boys a side-trip to the beach on our way home and I wanted to make sure to get that in before it got too late in the day.  I said good-bye to my dad and planned the route to the beach in my head.

Well, the best laid plans… can easily be waylaid once the DS gaming units open. When we got on the road, around 11:00 or so, the boys were already engrossed in their videos games. I asked them if they still wanted to go to the beach or if they wanted to head directly home. If I had an ounce more energy I may have talked them into reconsidering, I couldn’t imagine myself as a kid saying no to a trip to the beach, but at that point I just didn’t feel like I could take on the video games and win so I pointed our car for home feeling a bit defeated by the boys reaction to our “Men’s Trip” to Sea Otter.

Sea Otter is such a big event with so much that I wanted to see and do but between my own time constraints and the boys reluctance to go anywhere or do anything there I only got to experience a small part of it. I feel like I missed out on a lot of what Sea Otter had to offer. Next time I will be sure to do Sea Otter right, both as a “tourist” and as a racer and I want to share it with those who will be as excited about it as I am.

So more lessons learned: I got 8^th in a tough race and I feel great about that; I got 16^th in a race that was full of snags and mistakes; I now know better than to try to sell my idea of a fun weekend trip to someone who just isn’t interested; and I know that I should never, ever walk through two miles of crappy terrain to get to a race in my cycling shoes.

REVENGE OF THE SQUIRRELS!

On a day where rodents rule, we give you our latest Sunday Funny: Road Rash.

Stay Tuned for Sea Otter Onslaught (part two) and GroveTribe coverage of the Sierra Nevada High School Racing Organization Awards Banquet and more photo galleries!

Sea Otter Onslaught (part one)

My first race at Sea Otter 2011. I am tucked in nicely behind the "NAVAL WALL".

The Sea Otter classic has become a massive event over the years. Just the sheer number of vendors alone was mind-boggling. It’s like Disneyland for cyclists, and you can’t take it all in in one day. This year I didn’t have nearly as much time to check things out as I would have liked. Between two races and taking my two oldest sons, my free time was pretty limited.  Luckily, I had my dad there to watch the boys while I raced.

It was a “boy’s weekend” for the GroveTribe with my father, my two oldest sons and I going. I had hoped that the boys would see the cycling community and start getting excited about it. I wanted to help them develop an interest in cycling and I wanted them to have a chance to see me race. Up to this point, all my attempts to interest them in cycling have not been able to overcome their video gaming preference.

We arrived at Sea Otter and I went straight to registration. The boys initially seem excited that we were there with them asking me about when I would race and they thought the racing numbers were cool. They were interested in the gift shop and all of the Otter gear but their interest soon cooled to the event and the rest of the time they would only play in the bounce house when they weren’t begging to go back to play their video games.

They didn’t have much interest in seeing all that Sea Otter had to offer and I have to admit that I was frustrated that I wasn’t able to share the event with them as I had hoped. They weren’t interested in looking around and so I wasn’t able to visit nearly as many of the vendors booths as I had hoped. The “boy’s weekend” turned out to be “Nintendo DS weekend” but I was still happy to have my dad there and be able to share it with him. Next year will be my wife’s turn to go, I want to take someone with me who would really enjoy the event and be happy to share it with me.




Vendors. Vendors. Vendors everywhere.



My race was late afternoon so I spent the day walking around and by the time the race came around I was tired from walking. Note to self: rest before race not run after young boys and try to ogle the massiveness of Sea Otter. Second note to self: cross-train leading up to Sea Otter so all the walking doesn’t kick my over-specialized butt.

A couple of hours before the race I began the long trek back to the car to gear up, get my numbers pinned on, put on my racing chip and trudge back to the starting line. I left my dad and the boys at the bounce house and prepared myself for my first Sea Otter Race.

Racing at Sea Otter isn’t like all the other races I have done up to this point. Instead of taking on the “local guys” I was going against racers from all over, and there was a LOT OF THEM. These races were big with full fields in all the races. I was beginning to second guess entering myself into the Elite category race instead of the 35+. I was going up against more competition, better competition, younger competition. I found out later that I was the oldest guy in the race.

So there I was in a field of about 50 to 60 racers and I had no teammates entered in this race. As I look around I see a wall of the Naval Postgraduate Academy racers at the head of the pack. There I was, an “Army of One” hoping to take them on without any support. Things were looking grim but I wasn’t about to lie down and die because the odds were stacked against me.  I planned to stay towards the front, looking for breaks and getting on one if I can. If I wanted a chance at a top-ten finish I had to be in the lead group for the final climb.

The weather was warm and windy for the 3:30pm start time.  It was to be a neutral start down a canyon road to a looped course and then we would climb back up the hill that served as a neutral start.

The wall of the Naval Post Grad team numbered at least 9 riders (that is how many were in front of me at the start, there might have been more scattered around).  I lined up directly behind then so that I could spy on them and use them as a wind break as the race got started (is it legal for me to do that to our military?).

As the race got off to a neutral start, the peloton was really sketchy, especially on the descent down Barloy Canyon Rd.  My spider senses were tingling and I was looking for a safe spot to descend when someone in front and to my right crashed.  His crash went left (towards the riders in front of me) and took all of them out as well.  I was suddenly dodging bodies, wheels, hands, legs, and a frame pump (who races with a frame pump?!?!?).  I made it out okay but somehow my seat angle got knocked all the way forward.  I couldn’t get it to go back in place while riding so I got off the bike, got it close enough, hopped back on and caught back on to the peloton.

 

As we went around the loops we would lose riders off the main pack with every climb.  I was worried that the Naval team would have some sort of strategy, but most of them dropped off the main group quickly.  On an early break attempt I used momentum on the rollers to slingshot the gap but the break didn’t stick. 

As the race was going on I was getting tired keeping the pace up the two climbs in the loop.  I sucked through one of my bottles in no time.  I still had a full second bottle when I hit a series of small pot holes the knocked my second bottle (Good bye Body Concepts bottle) out of the cage.  Fortunately Hammer Nutrition was providing support with bottles filled with some sort of energy drink.  It was foul tasting but I needed the energy more than the taste. 

At this point there are about 12 of us left in the lead group. As we go around to the start of another lap a racer aggressively attacks the hill.  I didn’t really consider it much of a threat (the guy seemed pretty tired on previous climbs) and neither did anyone else.  Next thing we knew this guy had a huge lead.  The lead was too big for me to try and gap and I was barely hanging on as it was.  The group eventually organized to get a pace line going to try and catch him.  I was extremely tired and decided not to participate in the line and hung off the back.  That may have ruffled feathers but I felt that if I took a lead I would be too tired to latch back on at the end of the line.  Once organized, the guy was caught pretty quickly and the pace settled down for the last lap through as everyone was anticipating the big climb out.

There were some strong climbers in this group and I didn’t really think I stood a chance at finishing in the top 3 as they had outpaced my best efforts in the loop.  So my plan was to work my way up as many riders as I could on the climb out.  Top 5 isn’t out of the question.  During the climb I was with the group when some riders started to fall off the pace.  Things were going well until a guy next to me started to have shifting problems.  He stared down at his gears and veered left, right towards me.  I stopped pedaling and veered left as well to avoid being hit.  This instantly gave the group a good sized gap on me.  And I was left going solo the rest of the way up.   I did pass another rider, maybe two…  Not enough oxygen to keep the brain working properly so I can’t remember. 

Because of the brutal pace the final hill was difficult. The final hill wasn’t really that steep which I would have preferred as that would have worked to my strengths. I tried to push as hard as I could all the way to the finish and I was thankful to see the white line coming up because I was getting light-headed.

I was so tired at that point that I realized late that I had to do a course correction. I had been drifting towards the right side of the road which is for people who are abandoning the race. As I certainly was not one of them I had to use what little ability and strength that remained to turn back towards the left side of the course. I felt like I was riding through molasses in winter.  There were a lot of people on the side of the road cheering the race on which gave me the extra motivation to keep my exhausted legs moving and finish the race.

In the end I was satisfied because I was utterly wiped; I had put forth my best effort and I raced in the strongest group of riders I have ever ridden against in an elite age-group in such a major race with folks participating from all over. As the results came in I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I had finished 8^th!

I was elated! I knew I would be in the final 12 but with all the factors working against me to reach all the way to 8^th place in this kind of race was more than I could have hoped. I immediately called my wife and she freaked out with excitement. She kept telling me how proud she was of me and I was so happy and satisfied that all this work and sacrifice to race was paying off. It was important to me that I could do well and show my family that with hard work and training I could make the most of their support and help.

Once the adrenaline wore off the full brunt of the exhaustion hit me. I had been invited to a Body Concepts party at a house that had been rented by BC teammates in other categories but I had to miss it. I just couldn’t get the energy to try and wrangle two bored boys who hadn’t been listening very well at a “grown-up” event and attempt to recover in time for an early morning race the very next day (what was I thinking?!?).

I finally collapsed into bed wondering how in the hell I was going to survive tomorrow’s race…. (to be continued in Part Two, click here to read)