I had been taking Hammer Endurolytes electrolyte capsules before most rides to try to avoid cramps and post-ride headaches. I ran out of Endurolytes and two local bike shops didn't have any. Wanting something before the race, I settled on Nuun electrolyte tabs, lemon-lime flavored. They dissolve in water like Alka-Seltzer. I haven't been using anything in my CamelBak except water, but since these tabs don't have any sugar I thought it would be acceptable.
During the race I found the lemon-lime tasty, but it left me wanting nice clear water. I also started to feel the onset of cramping in my third-lap. So at this point I'm not convinced this product is for me.
I didn't have to pee until maybe an hour or more after the race, and it was minimal. Maybe I wasn't drinking enough, and that's why I started to cramp. Even with my 100oz CamelBak I get nervous about running out of water while I'm still riding. I had some water left after the race, though not much.
Today was the Fat Tire Festival. I was nervous as it approached. My two lap ride a few days ago left me sore in my lower back and quads. It wasn't until this morning that the soreness was mostly gone. I was also concerned with riding 3 laps, the trail conditions after the rain yesterday and this morning, riding a unicycle at a mountain bike event, and my usual race jitters.
It was about 70°F, but the humidity started high. Despite racing Sport class (3 laps), I started behind the Beginners (1 lap) to avoid them all passing me. I passed a few within the first climb, but they passed me soon after. In my first lap I had a few more UPDs than I did in my test runs. I blamed it on race jitters, the humidity, and wet trail. There were a variations to what I expected the course to be, the most significant being the climb up Helix. I think they somehow connected Helix and an adjacent trail or something, adding more length. For a switchback climb that might be better: more horizontal distance up the same vertical distance means less grade. But in this case the additional trail had significant ups and downs. So I was outputting more effort than expected and found myself having to hike more than I like, though still not much.
Lap two was as I expected. The fatigue was hitting my lower back and I questioned why I was there. At some point I was considering my excuses for not doing a third lap. I passed by one of the race marshals standing out on the trail, who knew I was doing 3 laps, he said something like, "Keep going, you got one more lap in you!" That and the other encouragement helped. At the start/finish line I sure got a lot of attention each time I came through. Jonah, the announcer, psyched up the crowd for me and I got much applause and praise. That also helped me push on. I felt like the humidity drop some, so that was good.
A moment that stands out to me was on lap 2 when I was going down West World. It's a downhill and has several log steps and tight technical turns. After the steps, a mountain biker was approaching from behind. He exclaimed his amazement that I was actually riding this all on one wheel, and we conversed for a few seconds as I successfully rode it. I'm not out there looking for attention like an entertainer, but I very much appreciate someone who genuinely praises the skill I've worked at, because they are on the trail and can understand the difficulty. I got a lot of praise from other riders as I let them pass.
Lap three was painful. The fatigue doesn't just hurt, it makes my reactions slower and I get sloppy, making stupid mistakes. My quads were threatening to cramp on the steeper hills. Towards the end I had to give up a few intermediate climbs to avoid it. I got an especially loud greeting as I crossed the finish line. I think I was the last to cross, including the 5 lap Experts.
My laps were about as expected, 45-50 minutes each.
Amy came with me and helped volunteer at the finish area. It's always nice to have my own podium girl waiting for me at the finish.
This Sunday is the Fat Tire Festival race and I'm preparing. Yesterday I was going to ride the course again but I was exhausted and decided it best to wait until today. I have been staying up too late and getting up too early. I tried to get to bed earlier, but I'm still pretty tired today, but nevertheless I rode at Dryer this afternoon.
I was able to get two laps in. Again I had minimal dismounts, though in the race I'll likely have to dismount to let bikes pass. I'm fairly certain I won't be able to climb a steep section of Helix in race conditions, but I'll do my best to give it a try on my first lap. I expect I'll be too fatigued after that. In my second lap today I was certainly more fatigued, but I was able to push through, but I'm still worried about a third lap on race day.
Once again I found few opportunities to use my high gear, favoring the low gear while my breathing and heart rate recovered. Again I rode out into the sport field to simulate the race start/finish line and again decided the high gear wasn't worth it. So I'm leaning toward swapping my much lighter non-geared wheel back in.
With some apprehension I signed up for this year's Fat Tire Festival in Sport class, which is a week away. Sport class means three laps, like I did a few years ago. I'm concerned for several reasons: I haven't been riding quite enough to say I'm training, the course is different than past races and I have yet to complete three laps in practice, and racing always makes me nervous. Being the only uni racing with hundreds of mountain bikers doesn't help.
So this morning I rode the course again. Last weekend I rode the same course with Dustin and we stopped more than I normally would. This time I rode with more urgency and tried to keep moving.
I'm proud to say I made it 2.7 miles of the 3.5 mile course before my first dismount, near the beginning of Helix, which is the final significant climb of the course. I rested for a minute and continued, but had to dismount again further up Helix, again because of the climbing difficulty. I finished the lap with only those two dismounts.
My thought was to ride 3 laps, though I knew it'd be hard work. Thunderstorms were likely today, but less likely in the morning, so I got up early to ride. There was some light rain before and during parts of the first half of my first lap, and then it started coming down harder. The trail was getting slick in places. I'm not sure I could have done three laps today, so I was kind of content with getting rained out. I only did the one lap.
Should I try to ride a three lap test run before the race next Sunday? Maybe two?
I ride my 24" at Dryer. Last night I swapped in my geared wheel. I've
been enjoying the lighter weight of my non-geared hub, but I figured it
might be worth having for the segment of the course around the field at the top of Dryer and the sport field
at the start/finish area. But after the climb just before the top field
I was content to concentrate on staying mounted, conscious, and
breathing. It wasn't until the last 20%, before reentering technical
trail, that I actually used it, for like 30 seconds. Today I didn't ride into the sports
field but I'll have to in the race. I know this area is the typical
grassy, flat yet bumpy terrain that I despise. I'll probably feel like
staying in low gear, but with an audience I'll feel like I'm going too
slow and so shift to high gear for the minute or so before I am back into the trails.
Should I lug around my geared hub for two or three minutes of a 50 minute lap?
A co-worker of mine brought in a newspaper clipping from the Victor Post about last week's Fat Tire Festival. I found the same article online and took a screenshot for safe keeping:
Today was a big race for me. I raced Sport class at the Fat Tire Festival at Dryer Rd park.
As the only unicyclist, you could say I'm in a class of my own, but I was in Sport because I wanted to do three laps.
That's about 10.5 miles on a pretty tough course, especially for muni.
It was pretty much as I expected. Doing three practice runs (#1, #2, #3) over the past six weeks and last year's race was good preparation. Still I had the usual doubts and fatigue I've come to expect during a ride like this.
Also as expected, I had to step off many times when I heard mountain bikers approaching from behind. It works out fine but does slow me down.
According to my GPS I finished in 2 hours 13 minutes. As I anticipated from my test runs and last year's race results, I finished with just a handful of expert riders still on the course finishing their five laps.
The crowd and announcer cheered a lot for me when I was in the start/finish area of the field. Obviously I stand out. A lot of people were impressed. Who knows, maybe I made an impression and we'll end up with some more local riders.
Since there was no muni class and I was in Sport, I didn't place. But when I was cleaning up my stuff to leave, I was given another pint glass to add to my collection. Awesome!
This morning I did yet another three lap test run of the Fat Tire Festival course.
There was a youth lacrosse group practicing in the field, so I couldn't incorporate the start/finish section of the course into my ride. I rode a few loops in the parking lot as an alternative, but since the field is actually a bumpy minefield on a unicycle, it hardly compares. Still, the majority of the difficulty comes from the hill climbing, which I did.
I've probably written this up before, but I don't feel like doing anything else, so here's a rundown of the trails in the course:
Sport Field - The race starts in a sports field. For me this sucks because even though it's level, it's riddled with bumps hidden by grass. I'm in a constant state of adjusting my balance and that wears me down. I wonder if it looks like I can hardly ride and that's where the spectators are. After the field is a just a bit of a climb up to the tree line.
Kasha - This is where the race enters the woods. It's a series of switchbacks that climb up to the top of the park. None of it is crazy steep on its own, but all together it requires a significant energy output. By the end I'm spent.
Upper Field - Then the course crosses the field. Unlike the sports field, this field has something of a trail, but it's worn probably only six inches wide and riddled with rocks and tufts of grass. Much of it also shaped into a trench which can be a fight for a single somewhat snaking unicycle wheel. I actually find riding just to the side of this in the mowed grass to be more efficient. The trail loops around one side up the field before entering the woods again.
Tree Beard - This is a pretty cool trail. Most of it is smooth and rolling.
VB - This is a switchback heading down. None of it is particularly steep.
Epping Forest - Technically there's a small section of connecting trail between VB and Epping Forest, but it's just a short tame section. EF is pretty long and has a series of hill climbs and descents. It's a good workout but totally doable. It ends with a long medium grade climb that leaves me winded, which sucks because what's next is harder.
Chutes and Ladders - As it's name suggests, this one has it's ups and downs. Basically the medium grade climb from EF continues, followed by a descent. The next climb would be totally doable if it weren't for a section of log corduroy in the middle. Although it's relatively level and probably three feet long, the approach requires a significant hop up onto it from a upward slope. By that time I'm spent and my efforts are weak. Today I got close, but still ended up walking about 20 feet. Then it's down only to encounter the next climb. This one is significant in grade but not too long. I usually make it with a significant effort. Then it's down again only to encounter a longer and even steeper climb. I'm not sure I've ever made this one. It's tough but doable if I were not so spent. I've been getting pretty close but there's a short rooty section that's been getting me. Finally it's down again and over a log stack.
SSW - This one has some twists and turn and a few mini climbs but nothing too bad.
Elevator - The first part of Elevator is a short climb. I find myself taking a breather here for the big climb. This climb is very significant and leaves my quads pulsing with fire. It's steep, somewhat rooty and sandy, but I'm happy to say I made this climb on all three laps today. It ends with another short climb back out to the upper field.
Upper Field - This is fairly similar to the previous section of the upper trail in terms of its surface. But about two-thirds of this I use my high gear and get some good speed.
Gully Down - For the most part this is a descent and heads back down to the parking lot. Nothing too crazy here. The race course may incorporate some part of Kaleidoscope, but either way it's about the same as the ending of Gully Down.
Sport Field - Finally it's back into the sport field to the finish of a lap.
Cycle Computer: 11.6 miles I finished about 5 minutes faster than my previous test runs, but that's probably just because I didn't ride the field. I suspect my actual race time will only be slower because I'll have to step off or pull over to let a hundred mountain bikers pass.
This morning I worked with a fine group of trail workers to help prepare Dryer Road Park for the Fat Tire Festival race coming up on July 21st. From 9:00 to about 11:30 we worked to improve a few of the trouble spots on Elevator and Chutes and Ladders. Mostly we widened, resurfaced, de-bermed, and made channels for water flow. The majority of this work was on significant hills which are prone to erosion from water and tire force. Hopefully the fixes will last.
After the trail work I cleaned up, had a bit of food, and prepared for another Fat Tire Festival test run like I did about a month ago. Again my goal was to ride 3 laps, since I've registered for the Sport class. For this ride I put Hammer Endurolytes powder in my Camelbak water in an attempt to fix the cramping problems I recently had.
My first lap was tough mentally. Physically I climbed well, but after each big climb I found myself fighting to catch my breath and lower my heart rate. I felt dizzy more than usual and was somewhat concerned. I guess my stomach was working on the food I ate after the trail work. My goal to do two more laps was not seeming realistic. Despite the struggle, I made it up Elevator. Actually, my hand that holds my seat handle cramped up on this climb. I've never had that before. I guess I was really squeezing tight. For a few minutes it was like my hand could either snap open or snap shut, painfully. Thankfully it didn't last.
On the start of my second lap I had a devil and angel on my shoulders:"screw it, who cares, just call it a day", "keep pushing, you can stop when you absolutely have to, you can do it!" It's hard to say who was the angel and who was the devil, but in any case I pushed on. My climbing was good and I felt like my breathing and heart rate improved and I wasn't feeling as dizzy. But I was getting tired and my lower back and shoulders were starting to yell at me. I started to feel the onset of some cramping in my quads and calves but it didn't become a real problem.
While I was feeling fairly spent, heading into my third lap wasn't much of a question. With two laps behind me I just ignored the option to quit and kept pushing. My fatigue caused me a few extra UPDs and leg cramps were feeling imminent, but I finished my ride without incident.
I confirmed doing 3 laps is in me, but it's a struggle. It got to about 80°F. Race day could be significantly hotter.
According to my cycle computer I rode 11.4 miles. My GPS says 10 miles... the usual loss of twists and turns. It took me 2 hours 15 minutes, 5 minutes more than my previous test run. I guess I may have stopped to lean on a tree a few extra times.
Despite drinking over 2 liters of water/Gatorade during my pre-ride, ride, and post-ride, I didn't have to pee for about 6 hours. Crazy.
Once I got home and showered I started to get a killer headache which is still lingering despite taking Excedrin migraine. It feels like I got hit on both sides of my head with a hammer. Maybe I didn't eat right? Maybe I didn't drink enough? Between joint pain, lower back pain, cramps, and headaches, this sport just doesn't stop kicking my butt. I hope for a day when all I had to deal with is running out of energy.
UPDATE: My migraine did not go away like it usually does with Excedrin. After googling a bit, I found many suggestions that migraines after exercise can be caused by a lack of electrolytes. Well what the heck, maybe I didn't add enough to my water? Hyponatremia? I also read some people believed a lack of protein caused their migraine. So I ate a bunch of peanuts and drank another Gatorade spiked with electrolyte powder. Within about 30 minutes my headache faded by about 70%. Now I also noticed I have hives on my chest. Somebody shoot me now! Who knows.
The Fat Tire Festival is in July and I have registered in the Sport class. This means I'll be doing three laps instead of last year's one.
Today I rode at Dryer Road Park, following the Fat Tire Festival course, which looks to be the same as last year. My goal was to do three laps to make sure I'll be able to do it. And I did it!
On my second lap I started to feel some lower back fatigue. On my third lap I was definitely getting significantly tired, making more mistakes, and finding it hard to navigate cleanly. I started to feel some cramping in my left "Vastis Medialis" when I was climbing significant hills. When it starts to feel on the verge of exploding, I stop for fear of having a debilitating cramp like I've experienced in the past.
I ate an energy gel at the start of laps two and three, but I guess it wasn't enough. Or maybe I didn't have enough water, though I drank all that I brought, finishing it as I was just starting to drive home. I have a 3 liter CamelBak but I don't think I fill it anywhere close to that capacity. I use a 12oz. cup to fill it, and after 4 of these, the CamelBak looks like it's getting close to capacity. But that would be 48oz. which is 1.4 liters, far from 3. I guess I'll be experimenting with trying to fit more.
On a side note, I just bought a new bladder for my CamelBak. I bleached my old one and must have used too much bleach because it became discolored. I was a little worried the plastic was damaged and might hurt me. The new reservoir has been updated with some cool features too.
On my second lap I successfully climbed Elevator! This is another hill climbing first for me. I was hoping to repeat it on my third lap but my leg cramp prevented that attempt.
My GPS said my three laps totaled 9.8 miles, but my cycle computer was over 11. With all the twists and turns at Dryer, it makes sense the GPS would cut corners.
It took me 2 hours 10 minutes. Looking at last year's results (remember these are mountain bikers), that would put me dead last in Sport, but finishing ahead of a few Experts who do five laps. So at least everyone wouldn't be waiting for me to finish.
Today was the Fat Tire Festival at Dryer Rd Park in Victor, NY.
I raced beginner, doing one 4 mile lap. Of course I started at the back of the beginner pack. It started in a sports field before heading up into the trails. This helped the pack thin out while people find their pace. Unfortunately there was still quite a bit of congestion before entering the singletrack, forcing me to dismount. Once into the first trail, Kasha, I felt like I was pretty much alone. But then the real climbing started and I found I was right on the heels of the last beginners, and again was forced to dismount. It was a little frustrating that no effort was made to make room for me, despite my requests. I guess they weren't expecting to get passed at that point. From then on I only had to dismount as a courtesy for any expert riders, and possibly sport, who passed me from behind. As usual there was the occasional train of riders forcing me to wait what must have been a few minutes. But hey, I'm on their turf, and I'm happy to oblige. I also wasn't really worried about my time.
For about the first third of the race I rode behind a child mountain biker who did outstanding! I couldn't believe the hill climbs he was making. Eventually he left me behind, making distance on all the downhills.
I didn't ride as strong as I have before. It could have been the sore throat I woke up with, or the heat, or whatever. But I still did well.
I received a lot of positive remarks from many people. Many riders and spectators recognized me from the recent Fat Tire Weeknight race series I've been doing.
There were tents set up in the field for the many bike shops and sponsors of the event. There was also a little skills area set up. It had about a 40' skinny section, made of 2x6's, a teeter-totter, a single log, and a 3-log pile. I had fun trying it all out.
Then a GT bike rep offered to give me a t-shirt if I rode the skinny for him while he videoed. So I did, though it took a couple tries to get the whole thing. I also did the teeter-totter, which was a new experience for me.
Later, the announcer for the event walked over to me and did a sort of live interview with me on the PA. He asked about my geared hub, brake, and wheel size. I guess it was kind of fun, though I don't normally like that kind of thing. Then he asked if I could demonstrate riding the skinny. Now all of eyes were on me, but I did it fairly well, and then did the teeter-totter too. Riding back to him, I powered over the single log. He wondered if I could do the 3-log pile, so I made an attempt to do a few side hops over it. I came close but failed the first few times, falling to ground, but without injury. Someone yelled, "Third times a charm!", so I gave it another try with success!!
As a reward for entertaining the crowd I received an awesome pint glass.
These were given out as prizes to the riders who placed, so it's an honor to have gotten one of these! A great memento.
During the race I found the lemon-lime tasty, but it left me wanting nice clear water. I also started to feel the onset of cramping in my third-lap. So at this point I'm not convinced this product is for me.
