Thread: MY competition this past weekend (and it's not bodybuilding)

Well this forum does say "Fitness competition", so what the hell?

I competed in the "24 Hours of Adrenaline" mountain bike race in Dalton, MA this past weekend. For those of you unfamilair with this type of race, I participated the five man relay division. Basically, it's a team of five guys who take turns riding a mountain bike course. One guy finishes, hands a baton to the next guy, and so on. The race ran noon Saturday to noon Sunday, and whatever team completes the most laps in the 24 hour period wins.

The race can be described in two words: PAIN and SUFFERING. You have to ride as hard as you can for 90 minutes, rest for a few hours, then ride your hardest again for 90 more minutes. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Easily the hardest thing I have ever done, but all my training certainly paid off. The course was a 10 mile loop that was one of the hardest loops I've ever ridden. The course contained a grueling four mile climb that really tests your will. And if you make it up the climb, you've got miles of thick mud to slosh through. Very difficult riding. One of my teammates described the trails perfectly when he said "It's like riding through peanut butter."

The weekend started off bad, as I only slept four hours Friday night. That was the only sleep I got all weekend. I did not sleep Saturday night or during the race. On top of that, I was having intestinal pain that, according to the medics at the race, is not uncommon for someone in an endurance race (the pain is your body screaming for nutrition). When I was not riding, the pain was almost unbearable (THANK GOD the port-a-potties were clean!). Soon as I started a lap, the pain would go away.

I managed to complete four laps. My 2nd and 3rd laps were night rides, the first time I ever rode in the dark. I had a helmet light and a light mounted to my handlebar. I actually turned in pretty good times and beat a lot of people who were experienced night riders. My last lap was the hardest. I felt TERRIBLE and did not want to ride, but I didn't want to let my teammates down. I needed to turn in a decent lap to help us in the standings, and I managed to pull off the fastest of my four laps. There were a lot of riders pushing their bikes up the hills and pulled over to the side of the trail in exhaustion on the last lap, but I pedaled through all the hard climbs and and didn't get off the bike once. Having spectators in the woods cheering me on during those climbs certainly helped motivate me (I only wish those people knew how much that meant). It was so awesome coming out of the woods to crowds of people cheering. I crossed the finish line, handed the baton to our final rider, and collapsed in exhaustion. Our team finished 11th out of 20 teams in our category, which we were thrilled with. My average lap time was 2nd fastest on our team.

The race was so hard. Imagine your stomach both craving food and rejecting it at the same time. You have to force food down even though it makes you want to puke. Your body cramps everywhere and every muscle is sore. And as tired and beat up as you feel, you have to get on your bike for another hard ride. You feel so tired on the bike after a couple of laps, your upper body and your legs just stop working together and you feel like jelly all over. It is a difficult mental and physical test. Finishing the race and actually doing well gives me such a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction.

I got home at 4:00 PM Sunday and slept 12 hours that night. We're already planning for next year.

Thanks to all of you who supported me in my journal and offered words of encouragement.

Wow that sounds incredible. Way to hang in there to achieve your goal and not let down your team. Very intense. Good job.