A recap of the Flagstaff Barn burner.
The beginning of the day seemed to be foreshadowing the conclusion. By that i mean, rain.
Alarm goes off at 4:00am. Yeah, that's the morning. Most of my gear and food and water was set out the day before. It was just a matter of double and triple checking everything i had, eating, showering and loading up for the hour drive to the race venue. At about 4:30, I realize it is raining outside, not really hard, but constant and wet. Great. I say that with some sarcasm, when in all truth, it wasn't really bothering me. Even on the drive up 180 and across the miles of slick, muddy, pot-holed roads, i didn't really care. Which is odd.
I left the house about 5:15 after not being able to find the socks i had pulled out of my dresser (they were in the dryer, nicely folded, where i left them as i was looking for something else). I also couldn't find my hand pump. Probably should have looked for it yesterday. Thanks for bringing an extra Mr. Pfannenstiel.
I fell in line with a caravan of cars heading in the general direction of the temporary city set up for the race. This inaugural event had over 400 riders in all teams! it was an impressive site as we drove closer. I have experienced this same shanty race living once before when i raced on a 4-man team at the 24hours in the Old Pueblo. Still blows my mind.
I arrive just after 6am at the race. Final instructions are being belted out by the announcer from the safety of the barn (hence the name "Barn Burner"). A final racer meeting is set to start at 6:15. They are surprisingly right on time. Mumbles circulate through the crowd about the mud. Shoes are inches higher from the build-up of the sticky stuff. Race start is Le-Mans style...200meter run to the bikes. Should be a great time trying to clip in with mud-clogged shoes.
Final inspection of the bike and off to the rack. Andy shows up just in time to go over some last minute instructions. He is going to be my feed man for the first couple laps.
We pilgrimage to the start. Count down. GO! and then the gun goes off. Late. As we run passed. Whatever. I am running on the grass, trying to stay out of the mud as much as possible. Give andy a last minute hoot and holler and a pat on the shoulder as i run passed. I miss my bike in the rack. Have to go back for it. I am off. Surprisingly, i have little problem getting my shoes into the pedals. Mud is flying everywhere off tires. I can feel clumps hitting every part of my body.
To the course. 4 laps, 26 miles each, 1700ft of elevation gain per lap. I have one gear on my bike, no suspension and no food on the first lap. Didn't think i needed it. Bad choice on all three of the previous descriptions. The first lap is fast. I am at a disadvantage with only one gear on my bike. While everyone else can shift down to go faster down hills. I have a limit. I hate that. I know i can physically go faster but my bike won't allow it. I kill it on the uphill. Some say this is also a disadvantge. On a bike with gears, you can shift up and make the hill easier. I can't, obviously. Most of everyone who passes me on the downhills gets passed back and their pride a little hurt as i cruise passed with one gear. This first lap seems to go on forever. I don't know where we are. By the time i ask someone how far we have gone he says 22 miles. Nice. I am about 1.5 hours into the first lap. Starting to feel hungry and wishing i had brought some food with me.
There are two large ascents per lap. One about halfway through the course and the second right before the end of the lap.They just keep going! You will get little breaks as the hill levels out for 100m, but then start back up again. Killed my legs. As i said earlier, with only one gear, you can't shift up to make the pedaling easier. I had to crank up every hill. No easy way out.
Lap one is done. I come through the barn. They record my time, and I am out the other side. Andy is waiting with my food. Trevor was also there to help with support. I have to say that he was sick the night before and still got up to come cheer me on. Thanks trevor. I should have put more food in. I asked for a powerbar gel and an apple. I also got filled waterbottles. I down the gel, take a bite of the apple, stick it in my mouth and i am off for a second lap. My chain starts acting up and coming off. Its an easy fix, but when it happens every 2 minutes, it gets frustrating. I had no problem the first lap, now i do. About a mile in and at the conclusion of my apple eating, i realize i am going to need more food. This lap, now that i know the course, is mentally clicking by. It is going by quick. A few other single speeders pass me. I think i was the first single speed to finish the first lap. I am now in fourth. Just after one of these single speeders passes me and says, "Nice, rigid" (commenting in my lack of suspension) we come up on a self-serve feed table. They have gatorade, water, power bars and powerbar gels. This guy gets a flat. I fill up, grab my goodies and am out again. I down a powerbar, another gel and and some gatorade. I start to feel much better. Before the energy, I was thinking of throwing in the towel, its no fun being hungry, bonking and just pounding out the miles.
Its also no fun having zero suspension. I heard this was a fast course and it sure was, but the lack of any reprieve from rocks sucks. I thought it shouldn't be any problem, i was wrong, once again. After every climb usually came a descent. Most likely a rocky descent. Holding onto the handlebars for dear life, makes your hands feel like they are on fire. I would literally let go to shake them out from time to time and my fingers would hurt to straighten because they were so cramped. Let alone just getting pounded by the vibrations. My biceps began to hurt. Never again.
Second lap is over. I feel pretty good. It was a tad slower lap, but it went by a lot quicker in my mind because i wasn't blind to the. course anymore. I switched, my sweaty, muddy jersey for a new one, picked up more gel, almonds, and some kiwi chips. Another water bottle as well. Third lap. Andy had to go to work after this feed. Lauren and Mick were taking his place. My parents were also coming out.
About a mile into this lap, after feeling good while picking up my food. My legs began to weaken. I ate some more, but wasn't really hungry. I drank but that wasn't it either. My legs were tired and they were letting me know it. I still had 25 miles til the end of this lap. I could tell i was a lot slower. My chain came off a couple more times. More frustration. I thought if i could make it to the self-serve energy bar, i could take a short break and get some gatorade. it helped me last time, maybe this time too. The difference on this lap was the constant counting of miles. It made the energy bar come mush slower. I hadn't even hit the climbs yet. I was dreading it already.
The whole lap was a constant internal battle whether to give up or not. Numerous times i came to the conclusion of quitting only to tell myself that i was way ahead of my goal time and i could take a 15 minute break when i got back to camp and then pound out the last lap. This happened a dozen times over the third lap.
Less people seemed to be out this time around, i knew that some would be finishing soon. I knew that after 52 miles, everyone would get spread out. It was nice to know that i wasn't getting passed all the time. I walked up the first climb, for the first time. Someone passed me on the climb for the first time. I was losing the battle. I kept hashing out the miles. First climb over. First large descent, over. Long stretch of gradual uphill, over. Here comes the final, huge, steep climb. I need a break. I drop my bike on the side of the road. Eat a little. Two minutes might have passed. Here we go. I decide on that climb, that i don't, can't put myself through another lap. My body was telling me to stop. I wasn't ready to go 104 miles. I did 78 and DNFed.
I have never, not finished a race. I don't sign-up for races with out the intent to finish and do well. I can only imagine what would have happened if i went out for that final lap. I would have walked, i would have gone slow, i probably would have finished and earned the coveted belt buckle that was my main motivation for signing up in the first place. But, it would have been huge pain. It wouldn't have been fun and I very well might have raced myself into some form of weakened health. The lack of fun and physical and mental break down was enough for me to call it quits. I am still second guessing my decision. I feel like a quitter. I had already completed 3 of 4 laps. What was one more? I can't tell people that it was a struggle, but i finished. I have to tell them that i dropped out. Doing 78 miles, while a huge accomplishment, isn't 104 miles. I will eventually forgive myself. But, this race is going to be that black mark on my racing career.
NATRA Strava Weekly Run Miles
4 years ago
