Death March

     It was an interesting couple of weeks right after Anniston. I felt sick for a few days after getting home from Alabama. I was nauseous and weak, but never actually got sick. I didn't eat for two days, which meant I didn't ride either. It was frustrating because I was very motivated after getting in the first few races of the season. I know I am behind with my training and I am ready to do something about it.

    Work was also a hindrance, as usual. I had to drop the bomb and announce I was leaving. I gave them three weeks notice. My reasons were that I had enough of the drama and all the things that had happened over the past year had accumulated too much. I had lost my drive at work and it was time to move on. I kept it short and sweet. Nobody argued with me. It was kind of the "good riddance" attitude at one clinic, but the new clinic I just started at was behind me 100%. One clinic supported me while the other tried to bury me into the ground. Needless to say, training suffered yet again.

    During my week off I bought study materials for our next educational endeavor. I want to get my CSCS, which is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist certification. I also want to get my Personal Trainer certification, as does Shannon. We have our study books now and have until July 1 to take the exams. After July 1, the format of both exams change. It will involve longer tests and more hands-on testing, which increases the cost of the test and difficulty. Also. they will become two day events, which will require overnight stays if we have to travel. Right now you can take the test on a computer at a local testing center. And there's one about 30 minutes from us in Nashville.

     I decided to get back to training with another attempt on the Death March loop. I started this loop in 2008. The distance then was 104 miles. Then it grew to 113 miles the next year. I completed it three times (once per year in 2008, 2009 and 2010), then came a pair of failures. In 2012, Adam Queen and I attempted it together, but Adam got sick and we had to bail at mile 50. He had stayed up all night working prior to the ride, which was crazy now that I think back to it. But that's Adam. He threw up behind my barn that day. Ahh, the riding memories! Adam is still the only person that has been brave enough to try it with me.

     I followed up that attempt a week later with another failure, this time with right hamstring pain. I had to shut it down at mile 30 with some random pain that lasted only that day. No attempts were made last year because I was being a softie. 2014 was a good year to try again. I actually would like to do it multiple times this year. It is such a great loop. It builds endurance with the distance, strength with all the steep climbs and will with the determination it takes to keep pushing on. The loop gets harder as you go with most of the climbs, including the steepest climbs, coming in the last 30 miles. I haven't even ridden it from our current house, so I didn't even know the distance from here.

     The plan was to start early in the morning, doing the first half alone. Then Shannon would join me on the scooter for the second half. I wasn't going to draft her. She just wanted to go with me and see some of the tough backroads in the area. I left out trying to hold between a 19-20 mph average speed early on. The first half is flatter so you want to get on it a bit to knock that portion out faster or else you will be out there all day. But you have to be careful not to destroy your legs. I had a headwind early so that hurt my speed on the flats. The climbing begins at about mile 50. As soon as I began the climbs I began to get a twinge in my left hamstring. It was not a cramp, but rather that pain I had when running back in February and March. The pain that ended my run training completely. The pain worsened and forced me to bail out as I met up with Shannon. The pain was horrible at the top of the pedal stroke and it was all I could do to get back home. That made three failed attempts in a row!

     The hamstring pain put the fear into me. I did not know what was causing it. I used my therapy knowledge to rule out a few things and ultimately Shannon and I agreed it must be nerve-related. I am tight as can be in my hamstrings. Our theory is that my lack of stretching over time, combined with a week off the bike prior to this ride, just put too much tension on the sciatic nerve as it passes through the distal part of my hamstring. It's called neural tension. Stretching and nerve glides to the area relieved the pain in a day. I worked hard on the glides all week to ensure the pain did not return.

     One week after the failed attempt, I tried again. It was even windier this time. I was riding hard on the flats and could only do 14 mph in places. I was very tired by mile 60 when I met up with Shannon, but the hamstring was good. By mile 80, I had the wind at my back, which helped on a few of the hills.

The gravel section on the loop

     I gave it my all and rode surprisingly well. I even took four Strava KOMs along the way. The hamstring never hurt. I died at mile 98 after a tough climb out of the Sycamore Valley. I struggled the rest of the ride, which turns out to be longer now at 119.6 miles. I had to stop at mile 104 and lay down for a minute. Just crossing my legs while lying down helped drain my legs and they felt much better when I started back. It took me 7 hours and 27 minutes to complete. I ended with a slow 16.1 mph average speed.

Break time

     Shannon had a good time cheering me on and exploring new roads. She has now seen every rough, gravely backroad and every steep hill in the area. I call the short, super steep hills "tombstones." They're small like a tombstone and after riding them all day you will feel as if you have dug your own grave. I am very glad to have finally finished it. I was starting to think the loop was cursed! I will do it again soon. I know I can do it faster. The goal will be sub-7 hours next time!