Remember how I was whining about being ridiculously busy on Friday? Well, apparently I was too busy yakking that I forgot to mention two important facts: I was actually registered for two races this weekend! I had the Underwearness 5k on the schedule for Friday night and the Elephant Rock metric century bike ride on Sunday!
Naturally, that was all theoretical. Friday’s work day blew up and other critical life events took priority, so I had to skip the Underwearness 5k altogether. I was pretty bummed about it, but like I mentioned before, I have been battling a sore throat and a fever for a couple of weeks now, and Friday was no exception. My body probably thanked me for the decision, but my brain was all sorts of irritated!
However, there was no way I was going to miss TWO registered events in one weekend! I was a little nervous about Elephant Rock on Saturday because I woke up with a thick throat, swollen tonsils, and once again, a low grade fever. I was popping DayQuil like nobody’s business, but nothing seemed to be curing my body failure. I went to sleep Saturday night unsure and uncomfortable—not a good combo.
I woke up yesterday morning at 4:45 and immediately realized that I didn’t feel any better. In all honesty, I probably should’ve called my dad, bailed on the entire event, and spent the day resting, but I just couldn’t do it. Not only would that be a huge waste of money, but Elephant Rock is a tradition! This was the third year that Dad and I had signed up to ride together, and I really didn’t want to pass up the opportunity. I feel so fortunate to have active parents who can still hang even though they’re creeping up on 60, so I really like to capitalize on every moment, you know? So, I downed a bunch of coffee, enjoyed a spectacular breakfast by Will, and headed over to pick up my dad.
As per usual, the traffic heading into Castle Rock was a shit show, and Dad and I managed to cover a whopping 0.3 miles in just over an hour…seriously. Elephant Rock is a great even with great support staff and aid stations, but their one major fail is the traffic getting off I-25! Anyway, we finally parked our car and headed towards the start line, our bikes in tow. I had spoken with dad in the car and told him that, in short, I felt like hell. We agreed that we would step down to a shorter distance, so instead of the metric century (62 miles), we would now be riding the 32 mile course. I was a little disappointed and slightly felt like I was letting my dad down, but he assured me that the day was just about riding with his daughter. Awwww.
On the bright side, we got to experience an entirely new course! We have always ridden the 62-miler in the past, so the 32 mile route was totally different. In a way, it made the event more fun because we didn’t have every turn, hill, and intersection grilled into our memories. Plus, both of us could knock out 32 miles in our sleep, so there was zero pressure.
A view from the ride
We did notice that the shorter course had more inexperienced riders, and this led to both good and bad during the day. All the cyclists seemed incredibly friendly and far less serious than I remember on the longer courses. Unfortunately, it also meant that many of them weren’t familiar with cycling etiquette, and it definitely became a bit annoying at times! In particular, there was one larger man who would crush me on the downhill sections, cruising by me with zero effort. He probably weighed at least 100 lbs. more than me, so his extra size definitely attributed to his insane speed, and I was definitely jealous! However, he struggled on the climbs and continually tucked in behind me so he could draft (For those of you not familiar with cycling, drafting is when a second cyclist rides immediately on your back tire. The lead cyclist blocks the wind and the second cyclist experiences minimal drag. It makes the ride incredibly easy on the second rider because the first rider is “pulling” him). I noticed him on a couple of climbs but just thought he was riding behind me and kept waiting for him to pass. After the fourth or fifth hill, I realized what he was doing, so I put on the gas and pedaled away as fast as I could!
The second aid station
A yearly favorite at Elephant Rock is all of the aid stations and this year was no exception! The 32 mile course had two aid stations, and each was fully stocked with food, beverage, bathrooms, and first aid if necessary. Some races skimp on the food, but not these guys! I’m talking Oreos, chocolate chip cookies, orange slices, bananas, apple slices, crackers, peanut butter crackers, trail mix, Cytomax, and water, just to name a few! A volunteer even offered me an entire sleeve of Oreos, which totally made me laugh until I realized he was dead serious. For the reals—major credit should be given to the event organizers for providing awesome snacks while on the course. And, it doesn’t hurt to add that the post-race, included lunch is pretty tasty also!
Dad and me crossing the finish line
In short, I had a blast riding with my dad and I am so happy that I was able to suck it up and conquer some of the course, albeit much less than originally planned. I’ve grown out of road biking over the past 10 years, and I definitely don’t spend as much time on the skinny tires as I used to when I was younger. However, I know that I will always muster up the endurance and quad muscles to finish an Elephant Rock course with my papa, if only for the memories. That’s my favorite part!
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Do you have any fitness-related traditions with your parents?