Carrie and I had bought new bike back in July or so and as such, we signed up for our first century ride in Door County for September 13th. This was to be a 100 mile loop around DC with some 1600 - 1700 other bikers.
Our plan was simple. We would head to DC on Friday night - just Carrie and I and we would camp for the weekend at Pennisula State Park. We would then hang out Saturday and then bike on Sunday.
Friday we took off and headed north. We arrived in DC around 8:30pm and got to our campsite to setup the tent. Luckily we had done this at least one other time with this tent as it was confusing in the dark. We headed for bed pretty early and woke up to a foggy morning.
Carrie and her imaginary friend.
We ate a quick breakfast and went for a short walk down the the lake for the sunrise.
From there we changed and headed for a longer hike up to Eagle Bluff. There was an overlook there and an trail that ran right up to it. It was a bit longer of a hike than we had expected and returned back around lunch time. The fog had burned off just as we got to the overlook so we could at least see more than 100'.
We knew that we had to get to the starting line today to pick up our packets for the race so we headed over there. It was about 25 miles away. Once there and done, we stopped in Fish Creek on the way back to walk around. Not much to see for me anyway. Back to move campsites as we only had this one for one night. The next site was much better. Right on the lake #642. I think it is actuallly the best site in the park and will request it next time we are up that way. We had a fire, played some cribbage, ate pud-g-pies and we were off to bed.
About 5:30am Sunday, we woke and broke camp. Loaded up, we were ready for our century. We arrived on the starting line around 6:50am, unloaded the bikes, aired up the tires, and made a few gameday decisions on clothing mainly. We were then off at about 7:20 or so.
The first leg of the ride was pretty flat and we were able to make really good time - possibly to good of time. We arrived at the first checkpoint around mile 22. All was good. Mechanically and emotionally we were fine. We did get to ride in a few packs of riders which was different than riding just the two of us. It almost seems like it makes you go faster than normal in that packs.
In any case, from there we headed for the next checkpoint. There was one hill in Egg Harbor which sucked for the most part but other than that, again pretty much flat and what we expected. At mile 42, there was another checkpoint. We made it here easily, ate a bit, filled up the water and headed out. This was a loop that would take us up into Sister Bay and then back down to the same checkpoint.
Somewhere just outside of Sister Bay, there was a hill that really took its toll and this is where things started to go downhill for me. We got the top, took a rest and ate three shot blocks and drank a bit. We were off down the road and I started feeling like I had a headache. Around mile 60, I was really starting to slow down in pace but knew we were only 8 miles or so from the checkpoint to refuel again. We pressed on. Once to the checkpoint, I really did not feel well. I tried to get a cookie and a banana down and it felt like I was eating tar. We stayed about 15 minutes, and went forward. At mile 72, things including myself were moving VERY slow. We were riding about 10mph off our pace. Around 76 miles, Carrie made me pull off as things were going downhill fast. We sat in the front lawn of someone's house in the shade for about 30 minutes. In that time, I puked about 6 times. Big puke..... I did feel a bit better and needed to make it to the next checkpoint at 82 miles. We did a slow ride to mile 82. At that point, I was spent. I layed on the grass putting water on my head, I was overheated and dehydrated.
We spent the next 30 minutes or so determining if I would go on. In the end, Carrie went on without me to finish and then pick me up with the truck. I took a nap in the shade, moved to the sun because I had the chills but overall did not move more than 10 feet. I determined that I had heat exhaustion caused by dehydration. When I dehydrated, added a ton of caffeine, then overheated, my body started it normal get this crap out of me routine. I was terribly dehydrated. I had not pee'd since the start of the race 5:30am. It was 4:00pm before my first movement.
Carrie finished strong and got into a pack of other bikes. They cruised for the finish at a pace that is faster than she is accustom to. She not only then brought the truck back to pick me up, she gave words of encouragement and was a great wife the entire ride home.
Looking back, there are a few things that we should have changed and noticed.
- First, we need more liquids. I typically drink 64oz of water just sitting at my desk each day. For the 82 miles I completed, I drank about 100oz of water. Not nearly enough.
- Second, we need to plan our days diet a bit better. I was taking caffeinated Shot Blocks, GU, and fruit for the most part. This combination did not work. We must research a better strategy for the next one.
- Third, I need to stay cool. This is harder than anything else, as I can not plan for the weather but if know it is going to be hot, we need to stay cool by stopping more often.
We trained for many miles and many hours for this ride. I read everything about the "training" of your body, but did nothing with the diet of the day.
It was disappointing not to finish after working for 2 months to get there. I dont know what sort of fun off the wall thing to do next, but I am sure it will be better planned than this.
In case you were wondering: I took in about 3000 calories, 100oz of water during the race and I still lost 7lbs. Mostly water.
Lessons learned...........
