On the Wings of a Red Tail
The wise Tyler Durden once said, "It's only after we've lost everything we're free to do anything."
There's something about that in a hundred mile race that appeals to me. Somewhere on the other side of fifty miles, all is lost. You've used/consumed everything you had. The simple life basics (food, water, air) are your only necessity. Your legs burn and your head is in a haze. Twinges of cramp sneak into your quads. You're at your lowest point.
It's at that point I know what I'm really worth. How I measure up becomes clear to me. There's no job, house, car, etc. It's only you and your basic human needs. Nothing matters but the will to pull it together and finish strong. Through the fog of pain and suffering I see that I need to drink. I need to eat. I need to continue turning the cranks. I've got a race to finish.
In the Wilderness 101 last year, that point lasted from roughly mile sixty to mile ninety. It was a difficult time. A time I clearly drifted away from myself. The point of loss is important, but to lose it for so long is counter productive. In the Mohican 100 I hit that point between mile eighty and mile ninety. I lost focus. I struggled to push the pace. I drifted. As the downward slide began to pick up momentum, I stopped it. I started pedaling harder - my legs felt good. I continued to pedal hard. I took some deep breaths. They weren't completely refreshing, but moving the air in and out of my lungs started to bring back my focus. My head hurt. It throbbed beneath my helmet. I drank some water, then I drank some more. My thoughts started to clear. I rolled out onto a road. The rush of air from my quickened pace cooled my skin. Up ahead I could see some riders. From the way they were meandering down the road, I could tell they were 100k racers. Didn't matter. I put my head down and made it a goal to catch and drop them. I ripped by them into the fifth rest stop. Had my bottles filled with fresh water and hauled off to the finish.
Nine hours of truth and suffering, I finished the Mohican 100 in second place in the single speed class.
- b
There's something about that in a hundred mile race that appeals to me. Somewhere on the other side of fifty miles, all is lost. You've used/consumed everything you had. The simple life basics (food, water, air) are your only necessity. Your legs burn and your head is in a haze. Twinges of cramp sneak into your quads. You're at your lowest point.
It's at that point I know what I'm really worth. How I measure up becomes clear to me. There's no job, house, car, etc. It's only you and your basic human needs. Nothing matters but the will to pull it together and finish strong. Through the fog of pain and suffering I see that I need to drink. I need to eat. I need to continue turning the cranks. I've got a race to finish.
In the Wilderness 101 last year, that point lasted from roughly mile sixty to mile ninety. It was a difficult time. A time I clearly drifted away from myself. The point of loss is important, but to lose it for so long is counter productive. In the Mohican 100 I hit that point between mile eighty and mile ninety. I lost focus. I struggled to push the pace. I drifted. As the downward slide began to pick up momentum, I stopped it. I started pedaling harder - my legs felt good. I continued to pedal hard. I took some deep breaths. They weren't completely refreshing, but moving the air in and out of my lungs started to bring back my focus. My head hurt. It throbbed beneath my helmet. I drank some water, then I drank some more. My thoughts started to clear. I rolled out onto a road. The rush of air from my quickened pace cooled my skin. Up ahead I could see some riders. From the way they were meandering down the road, I could tell they were 100k racers. Didn't matter. I put my head down and made it a goal to catch and drop them. I ripped by them into the fifth rest stop. Had my bottles filled with fresh water and hauled off to the finish.
Nine hours of truth and suffering, I finished the Mohican 100 in second place in the single speed class.
- b
posted by JenBob at
8:27 PM
7 Comments:
Impressive! Well done my friend...
Excellent work!
Congrats Bob, That was a hell of a ride.
the results speak for themselves, congrats and nice work my friend.
Nice job, Bob, you fast skinny bastard.
YOU SUCK!!! ;-) you know that stupid symbol makes everything better as rick says!!
glad to see you finished well and strong. well done.
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