Centuries

Damn, it's been a long time since I posted anything. Not quite a century-length gap, but over a year. Short recap: I was right to worry about the 50K race. On a hot, humid day, one under-trained, middle-aged guy (that's me) managed to run/walk a single 25K loop of the course. I've run probably fewer than 30 times since then. Plantar fasciitis is a nasty condition. I've never really been hurt before, not in all those years of running. My best guess: over-use.

I replaced the running with bicycling. I like it a lot. However, I have the same problem as I do with running. I take on more than I ought to. Last August, I did my first ride, Sunflowers to Roses. I took the longest route option, about 70 miles. A few miles in to the ride, I latched on to a couple other guys and we rode the remainder together. Other than some bad calf cramps, all was well. I finished quite tired but happy and proud of myself.

This past June, I took ride #2 as an attempt for a century, a one hundred mile ride, on at the Kansas City Tour de Cure event. Weather was pretty good, I picked some good people to ride with, but a spoke on my rear wheel broke at about 30 miles. By 40 miles, I realized it was not going to happen and hopped a ride back to the start on a SAG wagon. The driver was a veteran of many RAGBRAI rides, and he assured me that it would happen some day.

Roll forward to yesterday, August 1, and the date for attempt #2 at a century. This time, it was the Louisburg Cider Mill ride. Huge ride, loads of riders, multiple course options (25, 50, 70 & 100 miles). Again, not my day. What went wrong? Calf cramps by about 30 miles. Quadricep cramps somewhere in the 40 mile space. Stomach trouble before 25 miles, getting worse as the day wore on. I bagged it mid-way up a hill at about the 65 mile mark. Metric century #2, done.

I'll take this as enough evidence to convince me that I need a bit more preparation and better weather before I try another century. I definitely need to figure out the whole calf-cramp thing. I suspect I need to find the proper hydration/electrolyte replacement beverage.