Yesterday I participated in the Auburn Century. "The Wildest Ride in the West". First I’d like to say, the event is very well organized, goes off on time, and ends on time. Which is why my super slow stubborn posterior missed the last aid station, even after being encouraged to turn back toward the finish several miles before the "top" at Robinson Flat. 60 miles from the finish. Also, the aid stations are right where they’re supposed to be, very well manned with extremely friendly helpful people, and the course is mapped and marked to perfection. As for food, I only ate one gel I brought with me, otherwise I used food from every aid station and had plenty to choose from. Hats off to the organizer and all his/her help!
Second, I’d like to dive into a few discoveries as to why I do this type of harm to myself. I learned a few in the hours following this event. I know we all have our own reasons to subject ourselves to self-induced suffering, and mine will probably be different after the next endurance challenge, but check it this time around.
Let me start with this. The Auburn Century is broken into multi milage choices. 40, 70, 110 and 140 mile choices. For reasons to be discovered after the 12 hours and 22 minutes of mental chaos, I chose the 140 mile option. Which also includes over 15,000 feet of elevation gain. To put that in perspective, that’s almost 3 miles straight up. And to top it off, most of that climbing is done from Auburn to Robinson Flat Rd which is all in the first 88 miles. Of the 12 hours, 22 minutes it took me to complete the whole thing, 9 hours, 45 minutes of that was used to get to Robinson Flat Rd. OUCH!
I don’t know if it was the big ride I did the Sunday before, or if it was the stomach distress I struggled with the entire ride, or if my stars just weren’t aligned, but I was dropping out of this event from mile one to mile seventy-four. (China Wall aid station) There was only one reason, at the time, I was still pushing on the pedals. If I finish this ride, I never have to do it again! Okay, so there’s a real good chance I’ll do it again, I believe that’s just human nature.
Here’s the discoveries. When I got home and climbed in bed, my bed never felt so good, truly. I said to my wife, it feels like I laid down on a cloud and wrapped myself with heaven! It was pure ecstasy. I was adrift in my dreams within minutes. Then, this morning I awoke to a hunger of apocalyptic proportions. I was so hungry, my ass was eating my shorts! Dang! Anyhow, I had the best cup of coffee I’ve ever tasted and then went down to my local café to enjoy a large plate of oral coitus. The kind that includes multiple plates if you get my drift. So here’s the deal. I believe that, even though it was only 12 hours of deprivation of some of the most simplest of wants and needs, it’s still deprivation just the same. And when you reintroduce those simple wants and needs, your appreciation for them becomes 10 fold. I’m looking forward to 8 hours of deprivation on October 4th in Whiskeytown, Ca. Only so I can appreciate the simple things in life, that much more. One last thing.
The picture of that tracks going no where, is a little euphemism into how I felt most of the ride. Talk to ya, Andy
Second, I’d like to dive into a few discoveries as to why I do this type of harm to myself. I learned a few in the hours following this event. I know we all have our own reasons to subject ourselves to self-induced suffering, and mine will probably be different after the next endurance challenge, but check it this time around.
Let me start with this. The Auburn Century is broken into multi milage choices. 40, 70, 110 and 140 mile choices. For reasons to be discovered after the 12 hours and 22 minutes of mental chaos, I chose the 140 mile option. Which also includes over 15,000 feet of elevation gain. To put that in perspective, that’s almost 3 miles straight up. And to top it off, most of that climbing is done from Auburn to Robinson Flat Rd which is all in the first 88 miles. Of the 12 hours, 22 minutes it took me to complete the whole thing, 9 hours, 45 minutes of that was used to get to Robinson Flat Rd. OUCH!
I don’t know if it was the big ride I did the Sunday before, or if it was the stomach distress I struggled with the entire ride, or if my stars just weren’t aligned, but I was dropping out of this event from mile one to mile seventy-four. (China Wall aid station) There was only one reason, at the time, I was still pushing on the pedals. If I finish this ride, I never have to do it again! Okay, so there’s a real good chance I’ll do it again, I believe that’s just human nature.
Here’s the discoveries. When I got home and climbed in bed, my bed never felt so good, truly. I said to my wife, it feels like I laid down on a cloud and wrapped myself with heaven! It was pure ecstasy. I was adrift in my dreams within minutes. Then, this morning I awoke to a hunger of apocalyptic proportions. I was so hungry, my ass was eating my shorts! Dang! Anyhow, I had the best cup of coffee I’ve ever tasted and then went down to my local café to enjoy a large plate of oral coitus. The kind that includes multiple plates if you get my drift. So here’s the deal. I believe that, even though it was only 12 hours of deprivation of some of the most simplest of wants and needs, it’s still deprivation just the same. And when you reintroduce those simple wants and needs, your appreciation for them becomes 10 fold. I’m looking forward to 8 hours of deprivation on October 4th in Whiskeytown, Ca. Only so I can appreciate the simple things in life, that much more. One last thing.
The picture of that tracks going no where, is a little euphemism into how I felt most of the ride. Talk to ya, Andy
