This evening I rode at the final race of the Fat Tire Weeknight Series.
Nothing particularly exciting occurred, but it was a good ride. I got some good "Go uni-guy!" comments, and another kid saying "You're an inspiration!". :-)
My chest has been feeling uncomfortable off and on for about the past four days. It feels like when I have a chest cold or have been working in a dusty area. If it's not an irritation in my lungs it might just be a muscle strain of some kind. It's hard to know, but I don't think it affected my race.
Weeks ago I rode the Fat Tire Weeknight Series Race #1. I skipped the next three. I was sick for #2, thought it was too hot for #3, and was too sore for #4.
This evening I rode race #5.
I used my high gear quite a bit more than usual, though my average speed was about the same as last race. This may have been because the course was slightly modified and I had a somewhat significant UPD.
There used to be a relatively steep rooty downhill that has been replaced with a freshly cut winding trail, probably for safety concerns. Unfortunately this new trail is not yet well formed and is a battle of humps and bumps. It added a bit of distance to the course and was also significantly slower than the previous trail.
On a smooth section I had a UPD at a high speed. I stepped off hard and did a tuck and roll. My left hamstring must have extended hard because it cramped up and was unusable for a few minutes. I sat on the side of the trail until I could ride. I got a little dirty and have a few abrasions but nothing bad. I think a mountain biker was fairly close behind me and probably got a good chuckle.
It seemed like there were more riders to me. I must have dismounted to let riders past like 100 times. It's kind of crazy and breaks up my riding, but that's the deal.
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.
I rode at Whiting and Webster Park this morning. Nothing too exciting, just wanted to keep the wheel in motion.
I did successfully climb the Whiting yellow hill on my third run through. I rode the opposite way through Webster. It's funny how different everything looks going the other way.
I rode a bit longer than usual.
Cycle computer: 16.5 miles
My quads have been crazy sore since my Sunday ride. I must have really pushed hard I guess. I skipped the Wednesday weeknight race (again) because of this.
I wanted to get a mid-week ride in, and while I was still a bit sore this morning, it wasn't enough to prevent me from riding. So I took a few hours off from work and rode at Bay Park West. I didn't feel particularly strong, but then BPW is a tough place and I was feeling the heat early on. I did have some good climbs and made it through and made it both ways through the rock garden on the Purple trail, first try. But I UPD'ed a few too many times on the second half of my ride and decided I didn't need to push myself so hard this time. So I ended my ride a bit early.
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.
