I know what you’re thinking: “I didn’t come here to do no math!” Easy, cowperson, let me break it down. Assuming t = tears, the above equation equals my result at the Lumberjack 100 mountain bike race.

Still confused? Let me put it this way: if Lumberjack is a little person with lustrous hair, a thick moustache and an eyepatch, and I’m a prison inmate, this is the perfect picture of my day at the race:

My prison sentence ended after 50 miles on the tough course. The first lap I felt great. I was riding at a comfortable speed and would meet the cutoff if I kept to my timing plan (which did not provide enough breaks). On the second lap I fell apart.  I learned more that day than during the 3 months training for the race. Here’s the curriculum:

1. Eat more
2. Rest more
3. Ride more singletrack

Number 1: Eat More
I didn’t eat enough, plain and simple. I had a nutrition plan that consisted of 1 gel every 30 minutes and a bottle of Sustained Energy ever lap. I just wasn’t enough. Had I eaten a lot more both between laps and during each lap, I wouldn’t have bonked so badly.

I bonked harder that day than I’ve ever bonked before. I walked a large chunk of the 2nd lap, trudging up the sandy hills feeling horrible and wanting to crawl out of there as quickly as possible. It was a horrible experience.

Number 2: Rest More
As you have seen already in this blog entry, I am not a mathematician. I did the math for how long I would have to rest between laps, and I got that math right! Aha! What I miscalculated so poorly was how long I would NEED to break between laps, not how much time would simply be provided. I came in around 3 hours for lap 1, which left me 20 minutes to rest before lap 2. That was not enough. I left for lap 2 feeling like jello, and it only got worse.

Number 3: Ride More Singletrack
While I pulled of 94 miles two weeks before the race, the ride consisted of a mix of singletrack trails and connectors (roads, bike paths, etc). Those connectors played a huge factor in those 94 miles. I was able to rest and recover on those connectors. When you’re riding nothing but singletrack mile after mile, there is nowhere for your body to recover. It’s constantly adapting to the trail.

This not only fatigues the body, but also the mind. When you sit and recover on a flat piece of doubletrack, you build confidence and your mind can rest. When it’s singletrack for hours/miles, you have to be ON THE BALL. Letting the mind stray can result in a nasty crash.

I walked off the course barely able to think. I was done and I knew it, and it tore me apart. I wanted this race to go so much better, and it didn’t. I dropped off my stuff and went to have a moment in the rest room. I let out months of stress and disappointment.

I returned to the tent, changed, and immediately went up to grab a beer and some food. Twenty minutes later, I was back to my old self. I chatted it up with the other teammates that decided to bail and we all decided it was the right choice. We enjoyed the rest of the day in the sun, drinking beer and cheering on teammates and other racers. It was a blast.

That night we ordered four pizzas and sat around the fire talking shit and deciding whether or not to try again next year. I hesitated then, but I have since decided that I will likely try again a year from now. I want to finish that race, and the only way to know what you’re up against is to try. Finish or not, I tried, and now I know what I need to do.

I decided to take the rest of July and have some fun on the bike. I’ve sold my commuter and ordered a Surly Cross Check frame, which I will build up with components from my road bike. It will be a combo commuter/roadie that I am sure I will enjoy just as much or more than my road bike and commuter combined. July 25 is the treefarm relay, which is always a treat. After that is the Stony Enduranace 6/12 hour race which I plan to hit full force.

It’s nice to have a break from training and still have goals in mind. I’m excited about the new bike and the planned races to come. While my Lumberjack disappointment put a dark cloud on one of the most anticipated races of the year, I enjoyed the trip.