Holy Smokes! There’s a reason they call it the Ring of Fire! I can honestly say this was one of the toughest rides I have ever done, but I’m so glad I did it! 70 miles of brutal non-stop hills in 101 degree weather. Yep, I think I’m ready for Kona now! Seriously, this ride is not for the faint of heart. I was good and hydrated and didn’t drink alcohol at all the week leading up to this event. I carpooled to Luckenbach with my buddy Sara and her friend Mary. We all met up at 5:30 in the morning at Sara’s house for the hour and a half ride into Luckenbach. I had my alarm set at 4:40 am. God that is early. I am so not a morning person so anything before 5 am feels sacrilegious to me. Anyhow, I made it to Sara’s house by 5:30 and we were off by 5:45. We had no problems getting there and took our time getting ready. By the time we got to the start line the 70 mile and 112 mile bikers had already started so we were last out, before the 40 mile group took off. No biggie, this was not a race to me and I knew it was going to be a tough ride. I’m so glad that Sara kept me company on this ride. It’s hard for me to find someone to do long rides with and Sara is training for Ironman Arizona and we ride about the same speed so it worked out great.
I knew the first section out towards Blanco was hilly, as I had ridden it a few weeks before with Erin and crew, and this is also where I had my nasty bike wreck; However, due to my wreck, I had not had the pleasure of climbing the hardest hill on the route . Right before the town of Blanco we made a turn on Crabapple road, and there was a nasty hill. Now, I’ve ridden the Leakey hill and this one felt just as bad. I was wheezing so heavily that Sara was afraid she was going to have to give me cpr. No joke! As I came up to the hill all the other cyclists had given up and were walking it, but I was determined to NOT have to get off my bike, and amazingly I made it up that hill. Everyone thought I was gonna die, doing it, but I did it! I think one of the things that helped get me up that hill was that all of the other bikers who were walking it were there cheering me on, saying you can do it! A short distance after the hill, there was an aid station and I stopped there to wait for Sara, and it turns out that one of the ladies that was cheering me on was a former coach with the very first triathlon training group I joined before doing my first triathlon back in 2002. I was so excited to see her and she told me how proud she was of how strong I have now become. For those of you who don’t know, my first triathlon was not a pretty experience and it has taken me years to get over my fear of open water swimming. It was so nice to run into her and hear her words of encouragement. Yay! Big shout out to Gina Lardon and Tri-Zones Training.
Sara and I took our sweet time at that aid station and I reluctantly got back on the bike for the next leg of the ride. The next leg was pretty uneventful, a few more hills and neverending sun and heat. We made it to the next aid station and I wanted to hitch a ride back to the start with the dreaded SAG wagon, but it was not to be, as Sara wouldn’t even let me think about it. “ It’s only 14 more miles, you can do 14 miles”. Ah, yes, ONLY 14 more miles, ok, as I wheeled out I jealously watched about 7 to 10 people board the SAG wagons. 8 more miles down the road and we came to Eli’s Meet Rack Aid station. Hands down this was the best aid station, as there was chocolate cake on hand. Thanks Eli for taking such good care of us!! That chocolate cake really hit the spot, and Sara and I were off for the last 8 miles of our journey, and I have to say it was the longest 8 miles of my life. By this point it was over 100 degrees out and the sun was beating down. There was a stretch of freshly laid asphalt that made the experience even more enjoyable…. NOT! At one point I crested a hill to see newly laid black asphalt and another neverending hill and I yelled an obscenity at the top of my lungs. I was bonking and wanted the ride to be over. The thought of yet another series of hills on hot black asphalt was enough to do me in. Seriously, it was so hot it was dangerous, and I’m still trying to figure out how I managed to finish this ride, as those of you who know me, know that I do not handle heat well and have succumbed to heat exhaustion on several occasions. We finally finished and Sara and I ate while we waited for Mary to come in. The chicken sandwich I got at the end, wasn’t quite enough for me so I purchased one of the pulled pork sandwiches and potato chips in addition to the two beers that I drank. I told Sara that she would have to stop by Dairy Queen on the way home for me to get my blizzard fix. After that amount of riding in that heat, I can pretty much eat whatever I want and not worry about gaining a pound. This is one of the few perks of ironman training…..aside from getting in great shape….. After tough workouts like this one, I can eat whatever I want and not worry about it.
I can honestly tell everyone, that training in the brutal Texas summer is definitely taking it’s toll on me. I’m not one to advocate doing more than one ironman a year, and there’s a reason for that. After I did Ironman Coeur D’Alene in 2009 I only took 2 weeks off before hitting the training grind again and I quickly burned out . I signed up for Ironman St. George last year to be completed in May of this year and started training for it, never dreaming that I would get one of the coveted slots to Kona. I found out that I got a slot for Kona less than a month out from Ironman St. George. Had I known I probably wouldn’t have signed up for St. George. Also, had I known that St. George was going to be as difficult as it was, I wouldn’t have signed up as well; however, even though I’m starting to burn out, I’m so glad I experienced the toughness of the St. George course, because it gives me the mental will power I need to know that I’m going to be able to do Kona, and everything will turn out alright. I know it’s still 6 to 7 weeks away, however, I’m ready for Kona now!!!
