Afterwords...

Yesterday when I finally got home from that (*!#&*) event I was not ready to think about what had happened or how I felt about it. What I was was tired, sore, exhausted; emotionally, spiritually and physically, and a little bit sun burnt. I've had a little bit of time to process everything and now I'm ready to write about it.

Preparation:

I didn't sleep well the night before. Crystal and I went to Brigham and stayed with her parents on Friday night. This was a great idea because with the even being in Logan, Wellsville actually, it meant that we could sleep a little later in the morning and only have a twenty minute drive to reach the starting line. I should have remembered that a: I don't sleep well in strange beds and b: I don't sleep well when I'm freaked out or excited about something. In this case, it was both. I woke up at 5:34 a.m. (we'd planned on 6:00) and couldn't go back to sleep. This was okay, Crystal was awake, too...we were both way too excited.

We got to Wellsville in plenty of time to register (I got a cute shirt!) and get our breakfast. Just as we were sitting down, my sister-in-law Jody found us, which is rather amazing if you consider that there were probably 1500 women there, not to mention families and volunteers. Jody and her friend Julie had breakfast with Crystal and I and it was a lot of fun.

Beginning:

The ride began just after 8:00 a.m. and for the first 60-90 minutes I did great! The weather was a little bit cooler than we'd hoped for, but later on in the day we were very grateful for that. The only thing that we weren't expecting was the hail...it was raining...and then it started hurting! Hail! Augh! Still, I was riding like the wind and feeling pretty good about myself.

Sometime during this first stretch of road came the turnoff for the 36 mile ride. Crystal wouldn't let me take it. That was the ride I originally had planned on, but she assured me that I could make the 45 mile loop and so, on we went.

Trouble:

The storm which had spit the hail at us was behind as, thankfully, but we dealt, alternately, with a headwind or a crosswind. The only good part of this was that we convinced ourselves that on the return portion of the loop, when we were most tired, this would be a tailwind.

Headwinds are nasty things. They steal all of your energy and make you work twice as hard for half the distance. Not only that, but I discovered that they sap you emotionally as well.

Not long after the second rest stop which sits at about mile 17, I started having cramps in my thighs. I didn't know what to do about it. I am not experienced enough of a cyclist to recognize the warning signs and take precautionary measures. So, I did what I knew to do. I started praying. Hard. I just wanted to finish this loop. Please help me get through this. Please bless my body that it will continue to function. Please bless the wind that it might ease up some. Then I started doing what else I know to do: I sang. Crystal didn't hear me sing "A Child's Prayer", that one felt very personal at the moment and was making me cry. However, we came to a slight hill, I push up it, got to the top and as I came down the other side broke into, "I'm not yet dead...I can dance and I can sing!" Crystal joined me on that one. Then we laughed. Heartily.

A Good Attitude:

I decided that not only did I want to finish the loop, I wanted to do so with a good attitude. I was not going to give up! Send more hail to pelt me! Cramps in my thighs! Bugs smashing into my helmet! (Not in the grill, thank goodness!) Heavenly Father was on my side and I was going to make it! My motto became, keep moving forward. (Yes, I sang the Dory song from Finding Nemo...just keep swimming, just keep swimming...) I knew David was at home praying for me. I knew the kids were thinking of me. I wanted Sarah to be proud of me.

Then, a miracle. We reached the third rest stop. Mile 25. I had told Crystal that I was going to need quite of bit of time at this stop, I was already hurting a lot and the next scheduled stop on the map was the finish line. 20 miles without a break seemed like a long ways (it was) and I needed to shore myself for it. As I was resting and massaging my thighs and very nice lady came and sat next to me. "Are you hurting?" "Yes" "You should take some Ibuprofen." "I would, but I didn't carry any with me." "They have some over there with the food." Sighs of relief from me. "You know what? You should also eat oranges, or drink the orange juice...the citric acid helps fight the lactic acid buildup." I was incredibly grateful for this advice. I took the IB and ate the oranges, got back to my massaging and Crystal said, "Try stretching out this way. This is a good one for thighs." I did and I could feel those muscles rebelling against me. And I looked funny holding my leg behind me while using Crystal's head for balance.

Jody found us at this rest stop. It was really cool! She had taken the 62 mile loop and had made it all the way back to where the loops join up again. She is fast! Very impressive.

After the long rest, Crystal and I were on our way again, using songs such as "No Contest" from Chess and "Into the Fire" from The Scarlet Pimpernel to ease our way down the road. (Dang! We should have sung "Ease on Down the Road".) It didn't matter who was riding past or could hear us, we sang as loudly as we could. I think this was one of my favorite times of the ride.

I would stop periodically to stretch my thighs out more, I could feel them starting to relax and be willing to work again. One of these times a lady road by and yelled, "Are you cramping?" I yelled back, "Yes!" "Drink more water!" was her reply. Duh. I had forgotten to drink enough water. And sure enough, another couple of miles down the road the cramps were completely gone and I was riding 12 miles an hour again. (Thanks to Crystal.)

The tailwind that was supposed to be never occurred. The winds shifted again and we ended up with more headwinds.

The Long Stretch:

I was drinking so much water that pretty soon I really had to pee. Remember when I wrote that the 25 mile rest stop was the last scheduled stop for the loop? Bushes are wonderful, but really in short supply. And sheep scare very easily.

Still, I was doing a lot better, and Crystal was amazing. But, there comes a point when muscles just don't want to work anymore. I reached that point at about 36 miles. (I wonder if I should have taken the shorter loop?! Nah!) Crystal kept me singing, kept me smiling, kept me cycling. I would have quit in this stretch if not for her.

She kept reminding me, "Keep moving forward!" We would sing whatever came into our heads. (Author's note: "How Many Devils" from Civil War is not the song to keep yourself moving...it nearly stopped me dead in my tracks.) Even when I had to walk my cycle up the hill, I kept moving. I would walk a portion of the way, then ride the rest. It was slow going. Very slow going. And about mile 38 I lost my mind and said, "I hate you now" to Crystal. She understood, we had talked about it a few miles back. But I did get over it.

At about 43 miles I broke down and cried while we talked about Sarah. Can I just say how grateful I am to have such a wonderful daughter? I wasn't crying out of anger or frustration, but gratitude that I knew if I ever did this again, Sarah would be with me. Not because I would make her, but because she would want to be.

The End:

Coming up to the finish was one of the most amazing moments of my life. I made it. And I was still smiling. And I had to pee. Yes, I had finally been drinking enough water.

As we walked to the car, I happened to spy a small butterfly lighting on a dandelion. It didn't fly away when I came up to it. And I felt as if Heavenly Father was telling me that He had been with me all day. And I knew it was true. Ladies had given me help and advice when I needed it, and I'll never be able to tell them that without that help I don't think I would have finished. I pray for many blessings upon them. Crystal was there by my side the entire day, even when I know that she could have finished much faster without me. I also know I wouldn't have finished without her. Headwinds were lessened, cramps were eased, muscles were strengthened and attitude, well, attitude was lightened.

P.S.:

If I do this again, and I might, I'm going to train better. I'm going to have the right equipment, and I'm going to know beforehand what I'm getting into. But most of all, I'm going to take Crystal with me...and Sarah...and Rachael...and Teresa. After all, it didn't kill me!

I'M NOT YET DEAD!!!!!