All the Marbles

 Do you ever have it that your past self does something that your future self is really grateful for? Did you follow that? 

The other night I was stressing about the SilverRush 50 (which is probably happening as you're reading this-positive energy would be appreciated). I was talking to Sully, more whining really (I'm really lucky to have him, I know this) I had gone to the endocrinologist and he didn't think that anything was precipitating from my whacked out hormone, at least it wasn't correlating to the symptoms I was complaining of. He didn't see the need to go on medication for it (I didn't either,

messing with hormones is messy) but it put me back to mostly square one. His best guess is that I'm anemic for what my body is used to for various reasons, or potentially sleep-apnea, or my diet. Really I joked with him that is prescription was to buy a cast-iron and call him in the morning? He laughed and then seriously suggested that and iron supplements. Which does nothing for the race that is happening now. 

Anyways I was stressing to Sully because my mileage hasn't been where it should be and when I was training for the 100 most of my rides were 50+ anyway so I didn't think about it. I came into this season with the thought that I want to beat my time but as things developed and my training didn't I don't want to get too high of hopes. But still sometimes it's just really hard not to grumble about what could have been. I was going through my list of everything, well I got 2nd last year and what if I don't even finish this year, what if I get a mechanical, what if I bonk, what if I can't breath up at that altitude. That's mostly where he cut me off. "Uh, you do realize you rode 30 miles up in Leadville last week and you didn't have an issue." Ohhh, that's right, I did! In a moment of really showing my brain injury I had

Narnia is behind here.

forgotten about that ride. I had planned to see how my breathing handled being at altitude and to ride with a friend who lives in Leadville. She moved up there to train for ultra running (badass) and I know her through friends but she also bikes which is better for me since I don't think I could keep her pace for a mile. I figured I would head up early and do some riding and then meet her later and do some more. I didn't feel the need to ride the 50 course because I don't really know it so drove to a spot on the 100 that I'm more familiar with. But then I remember Wayne and Alex talking about how cool the Colorado Trail is around Leadville and remembered a turn off that I could loop into part of the course. I settled on that and began. I think every ride in Colorado starts with a climb but it was singletrack and not terribly technical, where it's not even fun. I rode that for a good portion until I came to a trail junction where I jumped off the CT and back onto the course section that took me up miles 45-50(ish) or the Columbine Climb. I climbed up there but when I started descending about halfway down linked it back up with the CT trail. The only way to convey to you how much fun I had on that trail is to tell you when I was done I called Sully and asked if we could move up to Leadville. I think he just needs the idea to sink in a little more....

I finished with that ride and had just enough time to eat before meeting my friend. The trail system up here is unreal. She took me on a loop that we left riding from her house, maybe a 10 minute spin up if that, and then all of a sudden you are on this unmarked trail system that loops and swoops and has some (2) pretty sketchy exposures. I was in awe the entire time that it's just out her back door. She used to live in Boulder so she knows how picky they are there about the trails and which ones bikers are allowed on and what not and she told me in Leadville people don't really like rules. 

All race ready

Long story short (I know I'm really good at that) is this: The SilverRush 50 is going to be what it is, whether that's beating my time, making the cut off, or getting a DNF. As much as I'm aware of my body I still feel like I'm in a foreign place with it sometimes and I'm not really sure what's going to happen. But if nothing else it will be lessons for next year...