Saturday, August 12, 2006
I Was Massacred...
Um...well, I should be dead now because I was clearly massacred at the 2006 Texas Chainring Massacre. To simply put it I never even finished one loop of the race. In fact I probably only made 1/4 to 1/3 of a mile into it before I had to bail out.
So what happened you may ask. Well, it's like this. I experienced acute heat exhaustion right after starting the race. I would equate it to losing all steam and ability to exert myself on the bike. I believe this happened for several reasons.
First, I attribute it to the extreme heat of the day. Although, I felt I was staying hydrated apparently it wasn't enough. Secondly, we stood around for a good 20 to 30 minutes in the heat listening to race rules and announcements. Thirdly, (the killer for me) was that the race officials made us lay our bikes down and walk about 100 to 150 yards away and then "run" to our bikes and then start the race. That's not to mention waiting at the start line for another good 20 minutes or so in the blistering heat. I knew the running to my bike would wipe me out before I could even start the race. It annoyed me because that's why I took up biking because I'm not a good runner. When I picked my bike up and jumped on it I knew I was in trouble.
The beginning of the race was mostly uphill and that was a quadruple whammy for me. I'm not too strong on hills. It didn't take me long to listen to my body because I started feeling nauseous with cramping in my stomach. These are clear signs of heat exhaustion. My desire was to continue the race somehow, but my body had major objections. I didn't want to risk getting further and further from the start line with chance of my condition worsening. I had to make the difficult decision to return almost as soon as I began. Actually as ill as I felt it wasn't that difficult of a decision. So on the ride home I had a chance to reflect on the situation. I realize that I'm terribly out of shape and maybe this is a wake up call from God to do something about it. Perhaps, I would have fallen and broken my arm down the trail somewhere and God was sparing me that. All I know is that although I didn't finish I believe that there are lessons to learn from this. Again, I think it's extremely evident that I need to take control of my health. Perhaps over the next year I will by the power and grace of God do so. I need to lift it up to Him in prayer and definitely be proactive about it. I did get a cool t-shirt out of the race. I guess my aim is to hang on to it and if things go well maybe try to do the race again next year and wear that t-shirt as a symbol of overcoming adversity which I consider to be my poor health. Well, I thank God for humbling experiences like this. No doubt it's through them that we grow. Here's to you Texas Chainring Massacre. Maybe I'll tackle you next year!
So what happened you may ask. Well, it's like this. I experienced acute heat exhaustion right after starting the race. I would equate it to losing all steam and ability to exert myself on the bike. I believe this happened for several reasons.
First, I attribute it to the extreme heat of the day. Although, I felt I was staying hydrated apparently it wasn't enough. Secondly, we stood around for a good 20 to 30 minutes in the heat listening to race rules and announcements. Thirdly, (the killer for me) was that the race officials made us lay our bikes down and walk about 100 to 150 yards away and then "run" to our bikes and then start the race. That's not to mention waiting at the start line for another good 20 minutes or so in the blistering heat. I knew the running to my bike would wipe me out before I could even start the race. It annoyed me because that's why I took up biking because I'm not a good runner. When I picked my bike up and jumped on it I knew I was in trouble.
The beginning of the race was mostly uphill and that was a quadruple whammy for me. I'm not too strong on hills. It didn't take me long to listen to my body because I started feeling nauseous with cramping in my stomach. These are clear signs of heat exhaustion. My desire was to continue the race somehow, but my body had major objections. I didn't want to risk getting further and further from the start line with chance of my condition worsening. I had to make the difficult decision to return almost as soon as I began. Actually as ill as I felt it wasn't that difficult of a decision. So on the ride home I had a chance to reflect on the situation. I realize that I'm terribly out of shape and maybe this is a wake up call from God to do something about it. Perhaps, I would have fallen and broken my arm down the trail somewhere and God was sparing me that. All I know is that although I didn't finish I believe that there are lessons to learn from this. Again, I think it's extremely evident that I need to take control of my health. Perhaps over the next year I will by the power and grace of God do so. I need to lift it up to Him in prayer and definitely be proactive about it. I did get a cool t-shirt out of the race. I guess my aim is to hang on to it and if things go well maybe try to do the race again next year and wear that t-shirt as a symbol of overcoming adversity which I consider to be my poor health. Well, I thank God for humbling experiences like this. No doubt it's through them that we grow. Here's to you Texas Chainring Massacre. Maybe I'll tackle you next year!
Monday, August 07, 2006
Muleshoe Bend
I went out to LCRA's Muleshoe Bend Resource Area yesterday. It's a 6.5 miles circuit mostly on rocky trail and through cedar trees. The trail may not seem as technically challenging to experienced mountain bikers but I found it challenging at spots. What I found annoying were the sand pits either at sharp curves or at the bottom of steep inclines. They really bog you down if you happen to stray into them. Other than that I loved the trail and it was a good work out. Luckily, rain clouds had made their way into the area and cooled it off considerably without raining much. I got lucky!
Entrance #1
Entrance #2
Bike-N-Car
The obligatory self shot pose in car window! lol
Dirty water anyone?
