COHUTTA 100 2008

Well, my "milestone" race was a success because I finished it....all 100 miles.  There were points during the day that I was not so sure... at all times I had either (or all at the same time) mud in my eyes, back and knee pain, or bonkedness.... There were moments yesterday that I kept saying to myself, "pain is weakness leaving my body".  I said it over and over again.  

So, a lot of funny things happened during my milestone journey weekend.  First of all, I took Friday off of school to get a camp spot at the Thunder Rock campground.  I met some cool people there just hanging out.  Too bad I didn't get any photos...I thought about it, but just spaced on getting the camera out and, it would have been really cheezy for me to take some guys' photos when I first met them.  So, I finally ended up camping next to Tim and Doug from Jersey.  Super nice fellas....come to find out I was looking in the race bible and Tim's mug was showcased amongst the spotlighted riders racing in the 100!  So, I had set up camp next to a pro.  Pretty cool.  Also pretty cool that pro mountain bikers are WAY cooler and laid back than roadies and tri-geeks... Tim had some really cool dreads that I would LOVE to have, but I will probably have to wait until I get tenure at my school....I don't see my principal appreciating a teacher with dreads.  I am already crossing the line with my recycle bins,  chacos, and my very casual style. 

Anyway, so to the race...Floyd did show up, but I didn't see him.  Smap did....the word was that Floyd was wanting to bail on the race after 30 miles....he was supposively asking for a beer at the 2nd rest stop.  I tried not to think about beer....it was a long day.  I did see a dude I was riding with stop to smoke a cigarette...of all things to want during a bike race...

So, it took me 11 hours and 39 min's.  I had originally wanted to aim for 10 hours. I was on course for that too, but I obviously didn't train nearly enough to accomplish such a time goal.  You live and learn.  Carol Ann did an impressive 10 hours and 20 or so min's I think.  Floyd did 8 hours and 15 min's....a girl actually beat him.  Word is that Floyd finished and immediately had someone hand him a beer and he walked down to sit by the river.

This race was mentally and physically VERY tough.  The first 10 miles was a muddy single track due to an intense rain storm that came through very early that morning.  Lucky me, I had a some idiot come behind me on the tightest single track within the first 4 miles of the race and take me and himself out while he tried to pass me (he took out another guy too come to find out)...nice start to my race.  I had no idea what kind of impact this actually had on my race until WELL after I finished....

Pretty much the first 50 miles were climbing...at one point, Jen Smelser got up with me and then I left her.  The last thing she said to me was, "Nice ass"....I thought she was being friendly because we say that crap to each other...I made a comment to her and just kept riding.  Around mile 30, some random came up beside me and just told me, "hey, I have some duct tape"...I answered him, "good for you...what are you going to do with it?"...I had no idea why he was giving me this random piece of information.  Then I get back from him, "you might want it to fix the hole in your shorts"....I feel my arse and pretty much the whole left side of my arse is bare!!! I had NO idea.  I declined the tape because I was comfortable with it the way it was and if these guys had never seen a piece of arse before, then today was their lucky day.  Plus, I was climbing and did not want to stop!  So, every time I stopped I would just joke about it with all of the volunteers and randoms rejuvenating.  I had no idea that the rip would grow...well, I tried to just ignore it.  It grew and it became painfully obvious that maybe I should have taken a piece of tape when I had my chance.  As luck would have it, Smap and Jay (Jen's hubby) decided to hang out at rest stop 4 (mile 65)...thank GOODNESS.....I had new shorts!!!    I saw Smap and he was like, "I bet you want your shorts don't you?"...he did even know about the rip.  He was thinking I would want them because of all the grit from the morning.  The grit can cause great pain (we found this out at the Black Bear Rampage last summer).  So, I not only changed the shorts, but gloves and socks.  I was a new woman....not really.  

I successfully managed to finish the @ 80 miles of ungodly fire roads to get to the last 9 miles of single track...to think I was looking forward to this.  It really sucked.. At this point, my mind had left me for thoughts of beer and relaxation.  My brain was no where in sight when it came to maneuvering the simplest trails I had ridden SO many times before on my single speed.  I was toasted.  I had two guys behind me on Quartz Loop when I fell over the side.  I just laid there and insisted I would be alright and that I should lay there for a good 10 minutes, but the guys picked me and my bike up and forced me to ride on.  I didn't get their names, but I really appreciate them.  It was so tough.....

After my first half Ironman in 2001, my mom said to me, "you will do so much better...I can't wait to come watch next year"... I told her she was CRAZY!!!!!  Until yesterday, that first half ironman was the HARDEST thing I had EVER done....but yesterday as like doing back-to-back centuries.  Smap even made a comment like, next year you will do so much better.  Crazy....I will start to ponder doing another later, but right now I am putting up with my aching knees and back.  I guess I am getting REALLY OLD.  

Cheers to Dave Holmes for your @ 8:30 on your single speed.  Tough guy!  I would still be out there if I had been on my Rig. 

I almost forgot....I called Jen on my way home to tell her about the funny story about my shorts.  Well, it had happened when that dumb-arse took crashed me at the beginning.  I guess something caught my shorts and ripped them.  Jen saw my butt, and that was why she made the comment about my "nice arse".  She didn't know that I didn't know that I had ripped them.  Pretty hilarious....once a blond always a blond...I just had no idea.   It really made for a pretty hilarious story.  I really wished Smap had had the camera ready at stop 4 to take a photo of the shorts.  Maybe I will wash them and try them on one more time just so I can record the memory of the shorts.  To make things worse, they were my all time FAVORITE pair!!! 

Oh well, lots of fun.  SEE YA!