One Hundred Random Thoughts on the Shenandoah Mountain 100

MIX MASTER CHRIS GETTING THE PARTY STARTED!

One Hundred Random Thoughts on the Shenandoah Mountain 100 99 of them excuses why I did not break 8 hours

100-It is true... I wanted to quit... I wanted out. If only I had my prescription strength midol my mind would have been different. YES I HAD CRAMPS! But no... it was not the cramps... it was my attitude. My attitude was failing so my behavior followed. P-A-C-E: Positive Attitude Changes Everything My attitude sucked. How did I let my mind wander in that direction. It was a failure of mine to give into my demons. It was only through the assistance of some friends that I was able to regain the proper mindset. My body rode fine... my body could have ridden better... my body wanted to ride better... my head was not in the game. Oh... some more prep woud have definitely helped.

99-BigDaddyMike aka MikeK had a fun day on the bike at the 2008 Shenadoah Mountain 100
http://bigdaddymikesblog.blogspot.com

98- Weight! It was not my weight that held me back from a faster time, but the fact that I weighed more at the start of the Shenandoah Mountain 100 than I did at the start of the 24 Hours of Big Bear says something. I had tried to lose some weight. I wanted to be below 220 on race day. Somehow I let that objective slip. It shows my inability to stay on task. It shows my inability to respect myself. My goal to lose weight was not so much to be faster on the bike or to look better in a bikini... it is more a matter about living a long healthy life. It is about my weight being controlled by me instead of just blowing about at the whim of the winds.

97- The word "climb." It was as if I was the victim of some post hypnotic suggestion. I could not climb. It is as if someone had hypnotized me to get off the bike and walk when I heard the word climb. It did not matter what I was doing... I could have been screaming downhill... if I heard the word climb... I got off and started walking. I got off the bike early and got on the bike late. To put in your personal best it is vital to stay on the bike as long as you can and to get back on the bike as soon as you can. There is a balance as there is time and energy wasted on the mount/dismount when the section can not be ridden. It was clear at that point in time that I was getting off way too early and getting back on way too late.

96- GENTLEMEN DO NOT PRACTICE.
that said... Gentlemen do not meet their arbitrary goals. To break 10 hours takes discipline... a certain level of preparedness. Showing up feeling good on the bike is not enough. To break ten hours the approach need to be tailored to the day just as the day needs to be a day of determination.

95-HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA KELSO!
Anna celebrated her birthday on the day of the 2008 Shenandoah Mountain 100. I got to sing her Happy Birthday as she gave me a pep talk during my mental collapse between Check Point Four and Check Point Five. http://annakelso.blogspot.com/


94-Longer Rides... if I want to be stronger in longer races I need to take longer rides. My post work workouts are not long enough. I need to add some epic rides to be able to have an epic day at an epic race like the Shenandoah Mountain 100

93-If it were not for the gathering the day/night before the race and the get together the afternoon/night after the race I would have no interest in the Shenandoah Mountain 100. If this were just a matter of taking the bike off the car... racing my bike... and then driving home... well... I would not even consider this event. Staying in a hotel has never been a consideration. It is not as much about the race as it is about the whole race weekend.

92-Dorthy... we are not in Kansas anymore. This is not Wednesday at Wakefield... strong at a race at Wednesday at Wakefield does not equate strong at the SM100. This is not Wednesday at Wakefield... storng at a back to back at Wakefield does not equate strong at the SM100.

91-On the cyclocross course I try to make an effort to attack each section. I understand my weaknesses so I do not give too much on the climbs. I know my weaknesses so I do not try to corner too fast. I know my weaknesses so I do not try to ride too fast or too hard. Yet, when I race cross I still attack each section. At the 2008 Shenandoah Mountain 100 I did not attack any sections other than the downhills... and those I had to attack wisely. Wisely in an effort to avoid a mechanical. Wisely so that I would not crash and burn.

90-apparently it is important to prepare yourself for this event 000-Joe Foley is Going to MOAB! http://joefoley.blogspot.com 000-It has been a good year on the bike. Cyclocross season is here and the goodness is not ready to end. Just as I will dabble in cross and fight hard to be at the back of the pack the mountain bike season is not over. There may be few races, but that does not mean that there should not be any rides. There is already some talk about a Patapsco Epic... and I would love to get out and dig deeper into "the shed." Honestly... I may have ridden Gambril a good number of times... I usually stick to the tourist trails.

89-it blows my mind that Barry Quigley, Larry Camps, Pat "swampy" Riggins, and Mike Buchness have done this race each and every year to completion for ten years... that puts them in the THOUSAND MILE CLUB
others will join the thousand mile club... but these are the elite four
these guys have also knocked out the Wilderness 101 a number of times
all very good people!

88-Have I repeated myself yet?

87- I knew it DICKEY with no "e!"
sorry DICKY!
great job out there! Sorry if I said that I thought you were taller by how you appear in electronic world.
http://teamdicky.blog.com

86-If it were easy... everyone would do it and it would not be such a big deal. I may not have met my arbitrary goals but I still gained much from this experience. Life is an education and I just got schooled. Now lets see if I actually learned anything.


85- Where is Gunnar going to post his race report?
http://fiendracing.blogspot.com/

84- It is interesting... it is interesting to loosely follow... although I do not watch football I do enjoy the activity of playing Monday Morning Quarterback only not so much with football... but with some of the local race scene. The NUE: National Ultra Endurance Series and the SM100 create for a wonderful platform to wake some of the great endurance mountain bikers of our time to compete of the crown. Right now SM100 Course Record Holder Jeff Schalk is in the first place in the NUE... but... but where does his Trek Teammate Chris Eatough fit in here? First this year at the SM100... DNF last year due to a mechanical... And... what about JB? Where does former course record holder Jeremiah Bishop fit into all this... and where was JB this year?
I do not know much about it... but it is interesting to skim over in Velo News
http://www.jeremiahbishop.com/

83- I knew that Tomi could do it... not I just need to read and find out how!
http://tomi-mcmillar.blogspot.com

82-It is unlikely that I will make it to a hundred... no... quitting is not my thing.... but I do not want to get fired from my job

81- The folks from Dirt Rag were at the 2008 Shenandoah Mountain 100 this year. They had a tent, some merc, and some people on the course. Cool Cats those Kids from Dirt Rag. Glad I still have Urban Velo... cause I would miss Brad and Jeff.
http://www.dirtragmag.com/
http://urbanvelo.org/

80-friend and neighbor chris mcgill kicked as on his single speed... landing second in his class... I am too lazy to check where he finished in the OVERALL
http://team-bi-atch.blogspot.com

79-SINGLE SPEEDS: It blows my mind the number of SINGLE SPEEDS at this event. It blows my mind the number of FAST SINGLE SPEEDERS at this event. The Single Speed is an odd machine that attracts an assortment of people for a variety of reasons. I ride and race Single Speeds but I would never consider riding/racing my single speed at the Shenandoah Mountain 100... heck I do not think that I would want to ride a single speed from CHECK POINT FOUR to CHECK POINT FIVE.

If bikes were knives then the single speed would be a duller blade. People have shown that they can widdle quite well with this dull blade. Infact... there are some so handy with these dull blades that they widdle better with that dull blade than most would be able to widdle with the sharpest of knives... heck... some of these folks widdle better with that dull blade than most people could widdle with a Dremel and some sandpaper. But the single speed is not for everyone. If the single speed disadvantages a rider to a remarkable degree... why do they ride/race it?

In the world of sports I am not sure if there is this sort of desire to heighten the challenge by using lesser gear. It seems to me that the Shenandoah Mountain 100 is challenge enough. Why is it that some people need to make it more challenging? There must have been a hundred racers on single speeds that finished in front of me. People like Topher, Dicky, Chris McGill, Gunnar Shogren, and that other guy on the podium manage better than okay. But what about the people towards the back of the pack on single speeds? No... Larry.. I am not talking about you. But the lesser riders on the lesser bikes... to them I ask WHY?

Would a basketball team enter the Olympics and shoose to play in flip flops?

78-Jason Berry is a fantastic story teller...
Jason showed this in Off Road to Athens and 24 Solo
Here is Jason's story on the 2008 Shenandoah Mountain 100
http://jason-berry.blogspot.com

77- I wonder if Chris has any more words to throw down about his experience at the Shenandoah Mountain 100
http://bassadventures.blogspot.com

76- When racing on a short duration race like a lap at the 12 Hours of Lodi Farms or the three lap festival at Wednesday at Wakefield it is a game of chasing the wheel in front of you and trying to pass each and every racer in sight. At the 2008 Shenandoah Mountain 100 I sat back and watched bicycles pull away into the distance rather than try to pass them and then the next one.

75- I wonder how Charles Buki did in the 2008 Shenandoah Mountain 100?
http://wheelset.blogspot.com

74- My boys had a memorable experience at the 2008 Shenandoah Mountain 100. The energy of the event spills over to those in attendance other than the riders/racers. They came out with me for the afternoon/evening before the race. They ran around wildly the night before the race. Then as much as I wanted to see them in the morning I let them sleep. Then when I rolled into Check Point Two... there was lisa and the boys! I am certain that we all shared one very infectious smile. The sound of cowbells and the sparkle in their eyes... if they had been at each and every check point I would have had a completely different attitude that day. Although I had forgotten to tap a snap shot of my boys to my handlebar stem... I did not forget the invisible magic coin that dean slipped into an invisible pocket on my jersey or the feeling that I got when my wife and children hugged and holded my sweat soaked body. I did not forget this feeling... I just space out for a bit there. The day was not a complete miss. There were just some brutal moments that are overshadowing the positive.
the SM 100 of kids races
a better shot of Grant rocking the trail!

73-Sue Haywood appeared to be enjoying retirement. I wonder who can threaten her course record? Can she?
http://susanhaywood.blogspot.com

72-The tribe of riders that I lump into that Delaware Contingent represented at the 2008 Shenandoah Mountain 100. There were good times sharing bad times with The Real Joey Thompson as well as a moment where I thought I was going to come to life when I rode with Laurie Webber. Early in the game I watched Buddy Briggs hammer on his single speed... I wondered if he knew that Floyd Landis would not be at the finish waiting to hand him a beer? These folks from this northeastern state bring a great deal to the table.... including speed!
http://www.forty15.com/blog

71- Finally met Kerry Combs in person
http://www.ifchicks.blogspot.com/

70-It was bitter sweet to be recognized as GWADZILLA by so many people that passed me.
After I came across the line I was filled with elation for my effort on the course to be over. It had been long enough. The descent towards the campground erased so much of the pain which is climbing. I guess that describes the whole race for me. Brutal climbs that I would never endure if they were not rewarded by glorious descents. Ironically... the descents caused as much pain, soreness, and fatigue as the climbs... but they also gave more smiles. I am not sure any climbing makes me smile.
Karin's daughter took a cool shot of me a few moments after I crossed the finishline.
http://sierramtb.blogspot.com

69- I wonder if FATMARC will ever do this race... I know he would have a good blog entry if he did
http://fatmarc.blogspot.com/

68- A funny moment... at Check Point Five I took my time getting something to eat. After about a liter of Coca Cola I grabbed my drop bag. In my drop bag I had a full change of clothes... fresh gloves... fresh socks... fresh shirt... and fresh shorts and even fresh glasses. After a little more food I rolled out smelling like a daisy. A few more bites of that magic pizza and I was hammering along. The double track jeep road was rutted in a few sections. There were various lines through the puddles. I could have slowed and gone around but instead I decided to maintain speed an hold my line. Puddle One! SPLASH! then twenty yards later... PUDDLE TWO! SPLASH! then forty yards later still hammering in the big ring I approached PUDDLE THREE!

Puddle Three was deeper... snorkel deep! It would have been amazing to watch. I hit this puddle at big ring speed and quickly came to an almost immediate stop. It blew my mind that I did not go over the handlebars. Water flew everywhere... I was soaked head to toe. My body was drenched... my socks... my gloves... my shorts... my shirt... and my glasses. If I wanted to be more dry I could have ridden back to Check Point Five and changed back into my sweat soaked clothes in my drop bag to be more dry. I rode on.

67- Henry's Bikes had some bodies out there...
I wonder if Joey T's son will really have a blog called THE REAL HUNTER THOMPSON?
I guess he will have to learn to read, write, and type before that happens
http://www.henrysbikes.com/

66-You can be a member of the SM100 Thousand Mile Club, I think I am at either four or five hundred... two seconds of thought could resolve that riddle

65-no matter how fast you were at the Shenandoah Mountain 100 you will always wish you were faster 100-FINISHING: it is really all about finishing before anyone can ask you how you felt or how fast you finished... it needs to be established that you finished One Hundred Random Thoughts on the Shenandoah Mountain 100 this may take a while

64- Would like to see more words from Larry Camp. Would like to see more of Larry Camp. Always like it when I see Larry Camp.
http://raisindetra.blogspot.com

63- I was flattered that Chris Eatough knew my name. When he asked how I did... well... I felt like I had just ridden the Aids Ride while he just won this amazing race

62- I am not sure why Darren did not do this race?
Maybe he could not decide on the right tires?
http://thebikeandmore.blogspot.com/

61- Also curious why Lynn Oliver from DCMTB did not do this race... I think that she has the potential to really kick some ass at this event. This is a course where she could thrive. This is an event that gets some attention.
http://www.dcmtb.com

60- I give up...
I can not finish this
forgive me for quitting

THE COMMENT SECTION IS OPEN FOR PEOPLE TO ASSIST ME WITH AN ADDITIONAL 40 RANDOM THOUGHTS ON THE SHENANDOAH MOUNTAIN 100