mish mash
I had about half an entry done up on Perpeteum and why I think it affects me the way it does and blah blah blah. It spent a couple of days on my desktop before I finally deleted. The long and short of it is that it doesn’t work for me. I have to eat sugars at some point in the day on a ride. There… that saved you a good 5 or 6 paragraph of reading about my weak stomach.
Chris and I have unofficially broken our 200K+ a month streak now with the DNF on that 3 pass ride last month. It feels kind of nice to have the pressure off now that I’m not trying to qualify for any particular award or achievement. I am just enjoying the rides now (except when I’m not). That said, I would still like to get a full series in this year, so I’ve got some catching up to do since I didn’t make it to either the 300 or 400K.
So what is next?
June 13th and 14th is the SIR 600K that will take us over the newly finished Tacoma Narrows Bridge and out towards the coast. We will loop back south and finish where we started in Auburn. It looks like a fun loop that should cover some low traffic roads. I’m a bit nervous about it since I am only 1 for 2 in the 600K department.
Pushing on with riding on in to the night is still nerve racking for me. There is something about the feeling of the sun going down that makes me a little antsy after riding all day. It usually takes a few hours for me to settle in properly for a night ride. With any luck, I can make good time in to the overnight control for a couple of hours of sleep.
Two weeks from there, on the 27th, is the 100K Populaire that we are putting on. It has proven to be quite a chore to get the route together on an urban ride. There are just so many shortcuts and areas that people could potentially cheat. I have lots of respect for Eric Vigoren for putting on the spring 100k the last couple of years. I’m sure he had to deal with this same business getting it all together.
In the long run, it will probably have more controls than I was hoping, but I think it will be worth it. The route really is pretty stunning. I have been in the middle of making revisions over the last couple of days. I made a few assumptions about easiest route vs. shortest route that I shouldn’t have. With any luck, the route will remain mostly intact with just a couple of minor changes.
July 11th and 12th is Seattle to Portland. Jane and I got a little late on ramping up towards training, but we have been working out off the bike, so I’m sure that will help a bit. Jane and I are on week 6 of our P90X training program. It has proven to be very effective but I’ve been waking up extra sore lately.
Chris and I are doing STP in 1 day this year (for the first time) and hope to enjoy beers in Portland by Saturday night. With any luck, it won’t be nearly as hot as it was last year.
The ladies have a hotel room booked for their overnight in Centralia. It should make things a bit easier. There are usually pretty crazy lines for the shower at the college (where we usually stay). I’m going to miss the camping aspect of it though. My favorite STP so far was when I rode with Jane both days. We were tired and sore, but it was quite a feeling of accomplishment.
In other news, the garden is looking amazing these days. I’m planning on setting up a post on that soon.
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Perpetuem did not work for me. Same company (Hammer Products) makes Sustained Energy. I use it at the recommended 2 or 3 scoops in a bottle and it works great. I use it as a base and then add other bars and gels as required to get 200-300 calaries per hour. Getting the food thing figured out can be the hardest part of long rides.
June 2nd, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Eh, randonneurs are not really cheaters. I bet the 100k will be awesome!
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:40 am
+1 for SE. It is maltodextrin and soy protein with some odds and ends added to give Hammer Nutrition ad copy. No flavor. It is a bit unpalatable in high concentrations (and ferments if left in solution for more than a few hours), but, when carried as a powder and reconstituted at controles, works really well for me as base caloric loading. I add Clif bars, Gu, convenience store food, Gatorade, chips, etc as desired, and as long as I keep under 300Kcal/hour more or less, no troubles.
Perpetuem tasted better, but I have trouble digesting it.
I found on-bike food/nutrition the hardest element to grasp of the whole long-distance cycling endeavor.
June 3rd, 2009 at 9:36 am
Thanks for the comments. I’m definitely considering SE. The 600K wont be the place that I test it though. I kind of plan on just eating “real” food and suffering through any downs that I am bound to have. I will take that over a queasy stomach any day. Maybe I can borrow some Slim Jims and Payday bars from Kent.
@Michele – I’m not too worried about the randos… this is more of an open ride to sucker other clubs in to joining our bunch. Even if I weren’t worried about them, the people at RUSA are pretty strict on the guidelines. It will all work out for the best though. You should fly out for it
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Looking forward to the 600 as well… the route looks a tad hilly, but hey there aren’t any passes on it! Should be one for the record books nonetheless.
I was wondering what you’ll be doing for fuel instead of the power stuff, sounds like you’ll be eating greasy pizza & mystery meat from gas stations as well! My new favorites are those random foods found along the way, combined with Clif Shot Blox & Nuun hydration tablets.
Btw thanks for taking on the 100k planning! Can’t wait to see the final route.