200th Post?

I guess this is my 200th post according to Blogger.com. Wow.

I wanted to write down a few things before they slipped my mind. First is a list of things that did and did not work for Vision Quest. Second is the schedule for the rest of the year. Helps to put things in writing sometimes.

Things that went WELL in Vision Quest

1. Food. I had one flask of gel with me at all times. I got a new one at each aid station and never finished any of them. Flasks work perfectly because they hold a lot of gel and they are easy to use on the bike.

I also ate some Shot Bloks in their new packaging. They are so much easier to eat in the new wrapper. Worked perfectly.

2. Drink. Two water bottles for each stage worked out tremendously. One bottle on the back and one on the bike. When I finished the bottle on the bike I would simply switch the two without having to stop. I never found myself thirsty and the weight savings on my back helped quite a bit.

3. Transitions. How can I ever go back to relying on the aid stations? Having someone give you water bottles and food is the only way to go.

4. No flats. I was worried about this because I had a small rip in the sidewall of my rear tire, but I managed to ride a little conservatively on the downhills and avoided getting a flat.

5. Rest and eating prior to the event. I put on about two extra pounds slowly leading up to the event. I'm convinced this helped my overall energy on race day. I also took some time off the bike the week prior and caught up on sleep. It all added up to me feeling good and strong for the entire eight hours.

6. Taping nipples. Enough said. The pain from nipple burn is not cool.


Things that went WRONG in Vision Quest

1. Cramping. By far this was the biggest preventable failure on my part. I didn't realize it was still an issue for me. I'm going to try the following to alleviate the severe cramping issues I had: 1. New saddle, 2. Salt pills, 3. Stretch more, 4. Ease up on the pace?, 5. Stand more to keep blood flowing.


That's it really. As you can see I'm a lot happier this year because I've started to figure out more and more in regards to endurance riding. I would maybe add that I'd like one or two minor adjustments to my bike as my back was hurting for most of the ride. Seatpost height is something I've never been able to get perfect.


Schedule

The schedule for the rest of the year is a lot less aggressive than last year. In order of event date, we have:

1. 50 Mile Ride (doing it on my SS)
2. Ultra Quest
3. Julian Death March
4. Traverse

That's it. Obviously this year I'm focused more on endurance events, which is what I'm best at. I am considering doing the Rim Nordic series later in the year, but we'll see what kind of shape I'm in when that rolls around. I'd like to at least do the first race and see how I might do in my class.

Beyond that it would be nice to do another 12 or 24 hour event with a team because team riding is so much fun. It's nice to lean on faster riders and have then pull you onto a podium. Haha.

I'm really hoping I can complete all four of the upcoming rides. Times don't matter as much as finishing does.