Making My Bed

Rain was coming down at a steady pace and there was mud all around. On Halloween I participated in the 12 Hours of the Hill of Truth Mountain Bike Race. I know what you're thinking, how's this realted to the marathon. Trust me, it is (more on this later).

Rain is not ideal for a bike race. It makes for a muddy slippery mess. The race course this year was an estimated 7.5 mile loop with about 1,200 ft of elevation gain (this means lots of ups and downs). The race lasts 12 hours. It's a "who can turn the most laps wins," sort of thing. A participant has the option of racing by themselves or on a 4-person team. I raced on a 4-man team. Our team name was "Every Day is a Holiday", taken from our friends at Glitterville. Here are some pictures from the race:

Before I go any-further, my dog Rosie, pictured here,

decided to go on a 10 hour spirt quest at the start of the race (i.e. we lost her). Rachel and I were a worried sick, but thankfully a fellow biker found her in a bush and she is safe and sound. Ever since Saturday, she has been sleeping soundly.

In marathoning lots of people talk about hitting a "wall". So far I have not experienced this "wall" while running. But during the bike race, I didn't hit the "wall" I smacked the "wall" and that's when the marathon entered my mind. "How would I cope or handle this during the marathon?" The simplest way I can describe how I felt during the bike race was defeated, I just wanted to go home. At the time I still hadn't found my dog and that made it difficult to choke down any groceries and get the needed calories for such an event. Meanwhile, on the race course I was now pushing my mud-caked bike up FLAT ground and during my night lap, my head light went out on two crucial down-hills forcing me to slide down the hill and walk my bike a great distance. I have never cheated during a race, but if there was a time that race was it. I'm sure that thought crossed a number of other riders as well.

When I came in on my final lap and I saw Rachel holding Rosie in a dark navy-blue blanket, my sprits were lifted. And when I stop and think about it, no one forced me into this race where I new the conditions would be horrendous and misserable. I guess you can say that I made my own bed, or however the saying goes. I'll be thinking about that saying in the next coming months as I'm training. Because in reality no one has force me to run a marathon, it's been my choice all this time. I've made my bed.