I had a huge workout yesterday. It started at 8:30 AM with medical coverage on my bike for a 5K down in Cutlerville. Nothing much happened. I then jumped up to Rockford with Tim and Mike and the real pain began at 1:00 PM. We rode over 30 miles up the White Pine State Park Trail (7 miles paved, the rest two-track gravel) to Morley, the trucking capital of Michigan! We ditched the bikes and hiked 2 hours north to about Stanwood (around 7 miles), did an about face, and returned to the bikes at Morley. After a quick 5 min. break we were riding south again with legs burning and butts aching. We rode back into Rockford around 11:00 PM with fireworks welcoming us back (I hear they were actually for the summer celebration carnival, but I'm gonna go ahead and pretend they were for us). In the end we did about 85 miles.
My goal for this past week was to hit the wall: that point that marathon runners always talk about when you run out of carbohydrates and your body slowly switches over to fat metabolism. I guess the more you do it the faster your body makes the switch, which is why seasoned marathoners don't ever hit it anymore. I hit the wall at about mile 75. My feet were numb, my legs were filled with lead and jell-o, and my fine motor skills simply didn't work anymore. It was surprisingly relaxing, though. I am accustomed to acute stress situations (with school and stuff everything would always culminate at once), and this stress of hard work was great. With only two thoughts in my head (how much pain I was in and how I just needed to keep pedaling) I found an incredible peace. Suddenly concerns about med school, job stuff, and life were gone. All that mattered was that I keep pedaling. Who would have thought so much suffering could bring so much peace. Life has a strange duality to it sometimes.
After the worst night of sleep in my life I feel pretty good now. My legs are a little sore and my right wrist is absolutely killing me (gotta be the tendons from holding onto bike grips for so long), but that is all. I think I might run a couple of miles today just to boost the ego and show the old guys what's up (i.e. Tim and Mike).
Overall, I gotta say that I'm very pleased with myself. I should have weighed myself last night. I bet I lost a couple of pounds in that crazy adventure, even though I didn't have five pounds to lose.
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Wow John that is great. I have gone that experience of going through the wall three times. Once in the Denver Marathon, once in the Boston Marathon and once in a Marathon in up state NY with Uncle Tim Barrett. It is really hard but it totally makes you focus. Be sure to get enough rest after.
ReplyDeleteI hit the wall during labor.
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ReplyDeleteThe labor wall must be tough. Labor is the ultimate endurance activity. Good thing it isn't a sport. I hit the wall all the time. If I don't eat something my upper limit is 2.5 hours. I am fairly functional in that because of the often usued and developed neural paths I have for the pedaling motion. I can stay fairly efficient. It's almost a good feeling. Centered and peaceful.
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