my kids jumped me the moment i got home yesterday evening so i couldn't get to the computer until now.
DrBoost, i'm sorry to hear about your dad. MS is a motherberkeleyer.
so here is my quick and dirty summary. i'll add details as i can remember them.
2011 marks the fifth time I've ridden in the Mid Michigan Bike MS bicycle ride to raise funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. It is a two-day ride with 60-, 75-, and 100-mile routes available each day, and because I'm a glutton for punishment I choose the 100-mile option each day. The ride starts Saturday at Lake Fenton High School and ends at Michigan State University, then on Sunday we reverse the route. Last year, on Saturday I completed the century in 6 hours 12 minutes and some number of seconds that I don't remember, which was my personal best. Then the next day I surprised myself by completing the second century in 6 hours 9 minutes. This year, one of my generous contributors offered me a challenge: Break the six-hour mark and he'd double his contribution. Now, if we were talking about going from ten bucks to twenty, I probably wouldn't make the effort, but the stakes were much higher than that.
So, at 7:45 AM on Saturday 16 Jul 2011, after chugging a cup of coffee and chowing down a Sausage Egg and Cheese McGriddle (possibly the best breakfast sandwich ever), I saddled up and hit the road, on a quest to shave nearly 10 minutes off my previous best. Equipped with an epic iPod playlist that included Barry White, Black Sabbath, Primus, and John Hiatt, I felt like there was nothing that could stop me from reaching my goal.
Turns out I was right! I covered the route in a new personal best of 5 hours 55 minutes 11 seconds (rest stops not included). I did not have to fight a headwind, but with the ambient temperature nearing 90 F, I went through a lot of water and Gatorade on the road. Took a shower, got a massage, and ate a gigantic dinner at the Shaw dining hall at MSU, then went out for another dinner with a friend from elementary school who lives near MSU. Mmmm, B-Dubs chicken tenders.
Sunday, I had a little tougher time on the road. I took it pretty easy for the first several miles. Then, at the rest stop about 17 miles from the start I ran into a guy I rode with last year. I joined up with him and another guy and we picked up the pace a bit, about 18 mph. When we were caught by a group of four a few minutes later, we latched on with them and picked it up some more. Like 20 mph average for the next 90 minutes. I knew I was in trouble when I noticed that I felt hungry, but we were only a few miles from the next rest area so I kept hammering with them until we got there. Then I ate everything I could get my hands on, drank a 24-oz bottle of Gatorade, and was unable to get my legs moving when they were ready to hit the road again. When they pulled out at an "easy" 15 mph, I couldn't stay with them. I dropped back to 12 mph and watched them disappear. Ugh. The next 18 miles seemed to take a lot longer than the 1:16 that my ride clock said it took, and when I hit the lunch stop at 4:01 I didn't think I could finish the second day in under six hours. The guys I rode the fast segment with were still there, and they waited for me as I cooled off and ate a peanut butter and banana sandwich that would have satisfied The King himself. I told them that I couldn't possibly keep up with their pace, but they insisted that they would follow me and let me dictate the pace for the first couple miles, then I could drop into the draft and they'd pull me the rest of the way. Somehow I was able to roll out at 14 mph, then 15, then 16, and felt pretty good when I dropped off the front. Thanks to the effectiveness of the draft with a seven-man pace line, we rolled along at about 17 mph for the next 13 miles. Unfortunately the next rest stop was not at 13 miles, and I fell off the back of the group. Again. I met them at the next rest area, where one guy suggested I drink a Mountain Dew. So I did. But with the ride clock showing 5:13 with 15.2 miles to go, I knew a six-hour finish was out of the question.
Until the twelve ounces of pure monkey adrenaline mis-labeled as Mountain Dew kicked in.
I covered those last 15.2 miles in 51 minutes, for a total ride time of 6:04:37. I was bummed that I didn't go sub-six on Day 2, but realized that the 6:04 was still five minutes faster than last year's best time. And then I had to wonder: What if I had TWO Mountain Dews? So I guess I'll try that next year. ;-)
Map of the ride:
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/42067046/
Link to donate:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=8449411&pg=personal&fr_id=15103
Donation window is open until 30 Sep 2011.
go AC!
