Ride to Rhodes Day 2 continued

Forgot to put the stats in for Day 2's ride

• 93.2km
  Distance
 
• 10:35:14
   Moving Time
 
• 2,560m
  Elevation (?)
• 77W
  Estimated Avg Power
 
• 2,949kJ
  Energy Output

	Avg	Max
Speed	8.8km/h	47.5km/h
Heart Rate	138bpm	165bpm
Calories	3,288
Temperature	21℃
Elapsed Time	13:09:42

Ride to Rhodes - Day 2 Allendale to Ntsikeni

Us novices were warned that this day was long and brutal with LOTS of climbing.  You know there is no way of really knowing what this means until you have a point of reference.  And quite frankly ignorance was bliss in this case!

We woke at 3am and left at 4am.  I eased my sore backside onto my saddle.  Even though we had done this route in the light a couple of weeks ago we still took a couple of wrong turns coming out of Allendale - it is quite tricky.  I had a great bike torch and a head torch on my helmet but single track in the dark is still pretty scary for me.  There are also these porcupine holes that just suddenly appear which I also found pretty alarming.  I was pretty slow along this section which was for about 6 kms or so.  I ended up with Derek and Chris and the other riders were with Doug.  Doug went on a wrong path and ended up climbing too high.  We stayed lower and Lindsay joined us.  We ended up separating from the others which I found very concerning.  Derek and Chris let me have my worries and concerns and then ignored me - hmph!  Anyway we ended up all joining up which alleviated my worries.

I found the pace of the others very gruelling but was still trying to keep up with them.  They would stop at a point and as soon as I got close to them then they would move off.  This was starting to upset me as I was generally needing to catch my breath.  Doug explained to me that this was an individual ride and they weren't waiting for me per se but were kind of keeping us together.  We met up with Ollie (who was our guardian for days 2,3,4) for an awesome cup of tea and something to eat just after Donnybrooke.

We then went through the Nxumeni Forest.  It is a protected area and has the most magnificent Yellow-Wood trees.  It is a peaceful place but I couldn't really reach that part inside me then.  I was really uncomfortable with the chafing as well as the pace.  Once we left that part it was undulating forest roads in the Nzonzo Forest (which is all cultivated trees - from what I could make out) with some great downhills.  Doug was really sharp with his navigation here and we made our way pretty easily to Centacow Mission.  We got there at about 09:20 and had delicious soup.  I couldn't believe it was so early - but we had been going for nearly 5 and a half hours!

I found this next section really really tough.  I have just never seen inclines like these ones much less ever ridden them.  I was so uncomfortable in so many ways - I huffed and puffed and rode slowly and walked even slower.  It was boiling hot.  My bum was sore.  I kept on hitting my right calf on my pedal when I was walking which was irritating me no end.  But the amazing thing was through all of this my head stayed really steady.  I tapped into the mantra that I used when I was training for Comrades:
Faith
Gratitude
Abundance
I also reminded myself frequently of Fiona's words - "we will get there when we get there".

A gorgeous baby donkey at the top of an insane climb.

Doug pointed out this big mountain in front of us on our right and said we were going to be going around this mountain (keeping it on our left).  I didn't believe him - I never thought we would be able to do that within a couple of hours.  It looked like a 6 hour mission that one.  Anyway he was right (of course!) and we went around the base of it.  Once we crossed the game fence we were in the Ntsikeni Nature Reserve.  It was only 5kms to the lodge but I was absolutely kaput, finished, history... if my legs even smelt a hill they stopped pedalling.  The Ntsikeni Lodge was absolutely beautiful and more beautiful was Mr Ngobo who came to meet us at the gate with a HUGE smile and words of welcome.  And when he offered to push my bike to the room I fell in love a little with him.

I made the error of not taking my recovery drink immediately but had tea and bread first. I suspect this may have affected my recovery for the next day.

Ride to Rhodes - Day 1 Pietermaritzburg - Allendale

So eventually the time arrives - all the months of preparation and hours on a bike and in the gym and talking and planning - it all comes together and culminates in the town hall clock in Pietermaritzburg chiming 6 times......

Back some moments in time.....

The bruises and injuries were in the process of healing.  My pelvis was battling to stay straight and making my back sore but I suspect that whole process is going to take months to come right.  I spent a small fortune the week before the start of the ride on buying snacks for each day, medical stuff, energy and recovery drinks (you need a loan on your home for these!), cycle shorts, repairs of bikes, gosh it went on and on.  I painstakingly worked through all my maps and marked out the route and put the notes on and made sure I understood as much as I could.  I think that map process probably took about 20 hours.  I packed up the snacks into marked bags for each day for Doug and I.  Then I put my maps into marked bags for each day with my drink and recovery drink for the day.  This order made each day's admin a little simpler.  I packed my cycle clothes into daily bags as well.  There is always some level of chaos in our house and I was trying to minimise this following me into the wilderness.

Chaos before order

Yoh that is a LONG way to go! 18 maps, 1:50 000,
550 thumbs (1 thumb = 1 km)

On the morning we left Colleen got dropped off at our house.  I was inside with her making coffee when I heard Doug yell "No Kayla!"  I rushed outside - she had taken an allen key and stabbed it into my back tyre - wooooooosh! Yip that level of chaos I was mentioning...

Anyway we set off and dropped Kayla off in Benoni for a sleep-over with her friend.  We ended up going some back roads as there had been a big accident on the N3 and there was a big delay.  We got to Pietermaritzburg just after lunch and did lots of admin.  Doug had issues with his fancy map board carrier but managed to make a plan to make it work for him - he is really clever that way - he puts McGyver to shame!

It was so great to see Meryl (from the race office again) and great to have lots of excited chatter with the participants.


We were at the start 10 minutes or so before 6.  There were a couple of extra people who were only riding for the day.  It was a very inauspicious start - the clock gonged, we sort of looked at each other and Meryl said off you go!













It seemed a long way through Maritzburg before reaching Bisley Nature Reserve.  From there we were really on the adventure.  It took us about 4 hours to get to Minerva along a mixture of dirt roads, forest roads and single track.  I fell behind the group quite quickly and this was to be the way it was for the majority of the journey.  Minerva is a farm which has a museum of old machinery.  It was a soup stop and refill of camelbak with water.  It was a bit hot for soup and it wasn't great but my bum was happy to be off the saddle for a while.

Old aeroplane engine

Linday and I

We then headed off towards the Umkomaas Valley towards the infamous Concrete Strips and Hella Hella.  The Concrete Strips are a steeeeeeeeeep descent towards the Umko river.  My brakes and I squealed the whole way down.

Concrete strips - this doesn't show how steep they are!

Colleen's brake fluid actually boiled and her wheel seized.  She burnt her finger tips when she touched something really hot (and battled with this for the rest of the ride).







Ian Waddilove has done a lot of work in the valley in making a very friendly path along which to ride.  Apparently this saves loads of time as before the cyclists were bundu-bashing their way through the bushes and thorn trees.  It was so lovely to ride alongside the river and very tempting to have a little swim!

We had a stop just after crossing the Umko and had gorgeous cold cokes and something to eat.  I was battling to eat the snacks I had packed except for the sweets.  The sandwiches and nuts were just not going down!  It was also the 1st of reapplying lube to my nether regions whilst hidden behind a car door!
From there is was a long climb up Hella Hella.  This is a 11km climb back out of the valley which took us about 2:30 hours.  I walked most of it and rode little bits of it.  Doug and I had driven this a few weeks back so I know what I was in for.  My head stayed strong and I just got on with it.  It is always better for me to see sort of challenges I am up against - I prepare mentally better for them.

We got into Allandale at 17:15.

• 108.6km
  Distance
 
• 9:48:11
   Moving Time
 
• 2,627m
  Elevation (?)

• 98W
  Estimated Avg Power
 
• 3,465kJ
  Energy Output

	Avg	Max
Speed	11.1km/h	63.4km/h
Heart Rate	153bpm	179bpm
Calories	3,863
Temperature	21℃
Elapsed Time	11:19:55

Duf duf thudddddd ooowwwwwwww!

Yip it happened.  I took a fall where I did not get back on my bike and was in fact driven back to my car and then driven home.  And I was on an innocuous piece of road and there were no cars involved....only one big tin can.  That's right folks one measly tin can.

So 3 weeks ago I went over the handle bars and it had to do with a tree, some roots and probably some rocks.  I managed to intertwine myself between the handle bars and the front wheel.  It was interesting trying to extricate myself.
Then the next fall (the next week) involved a downhill and loose gravel - thats all I can say.  It was sore, I squeaked and squawked and then shook like a leaf (my standard reaction to shock or trauma).
The next fall (on the same ride) - I wasn't even on my bike.  I was pushing, I tripped, I made my knees bleed - the end.

The point is after each of the above mishaps I got back on my bike and carried on.

Not this one.  Monday afternoon ride in Midrand with Ben, Stoof, Dave, John, Mitch, Gerro, Erik and some of the others.  It really was a straightforward road and we were going about 25kps.  I saw the tin and presumed I would simply ride over it.   Oooh eh eh!  Apparently my front wheel spun out and I went side ways and my bike went the other ways.  Damn it was a F#@%@!! hard landing.  I swore, I sobbed, I swore some more.  The guys were so fantastic.  John called for his son to collect me and take me back to my car and then when he arrived with a friend they insisted that he drive me home.  Doug was away in Uganda but Kayla and Lydia were fantastic.  And so helpful.

I saw the doc the next morning.  I was very worried that I wasn't bruising.  My outer upper thigh was huge and I got swollen during the night across my hip bone into my stomach.  When the doc saw me she prodded and poked a bit and was concerned about a fractured pelvis - eeeek!  So off I went for x-rays.  Anyway thank goodness nothing broken - some internal bleeding to be watched and a fairly painful healing process.

So hopefully I am done now for a while on the falling incidences.

Next edition (coz I a very busy and not brilliant with my blog!)

Fiona - my physio was horrified when she saw me this morning (a week after the fall).  The haematoma is very big and swollen and the bruising hectic.  2 normally very stable joints have become very unstabilised due to the damage to the ligaments and tendons. So these need to be stabilised and soon otherwise there will be on-going trouble there going forward.  So I am in compression pants for between 6 weeks and 6 months!  Hard to tell.

I rode again last night in Midrand.  I was very nervous to start but settled down (and held onto my handle bars very tightly!).  It was generally fine just sore a bit on the lower back.

Some pretty pictures.....

Yoh!

Well I have definitely gone up another gear and the challenges have grown substantially.  I have had big doubts about my ability to finish this event.
We did a 65km ride on 5th July from Featherbrooke to the Chicken Pie (with a 10km loop in the Cradle).  This has over a 1000 m of climbing.  I got really tired near the end and wanted to cry.  I then found I couldn't breathe.  Jonathan was with me and calmed me down and got me to breathe slowly and deeply.  It was scary and took me completely by surprise.
The next day we did a 76km ride out Magaliesberg way called Slow Poison.  Well that was certainly my mind that day.  My mind was vicious to me that day.  I was tired and I was slow.  I was aware of the rot in my mind and kept on saying to myself:
"its ok.  its ok to be at the back.  its ok to be slow"
"i am doing fine.  look at where i have come from.  don't stress"
"its ok to be tired"

But somehow I couldn't sustain the positiveness and ended up on this loop:
 "how will i manage on the ride to rhodes on those really long days when i can't ride and sustain 65kms and only 1000m climbing"
"this is too big for me. i am no good at this. i am too slow"
"why am i doing this?"
"how will i manage"
etc, etc.

As I reached the guys who were waiting for me (again) I tried light-heartedly to apologise for being slow and them having to wait for me.  There was NOTHING light about me at that point and my chest completely closed up.  I was gasping and wheezing and not getting air into my lungs.  I stood to one side trying to retain some measure of dignity.  Doug was with me this time and Jonathan was with me again.  I was crying and convulsively breathing.  I realised that this not being able to breathe is linked into a panic attack brought on by not believing in myself and allowing my mind to control this.  Then there is a physical reaction in my body.  From an outside point of view it is quite interesting to see this huge reaction.

It has taken me ages to write this blog (it is 26 July today).

I have made a couple of changes.  The 1st being more aware that this is a life experience and to that end it is irrelevant as to what the actual experience is.  It is more important to BE in the experience - with all its glory, pain, tediousness, ability to eats loads and still lose weight, celebrate the experiences with my buddies, share the stories, be tired (exhausted actually!) and still carry on with work and home and all the normal other stuff.
The 2nd being I have been doing sprints with Fiona and I think this has aided some power in my legs.  Certainly the last few rides have been much better in terms of my strength as well as my head space.

It is so difficult to be at peace and ok with the sense of not being strong enough and not being good enough.  It is difficult to rise above that and look back at how far I have come in terms of strength, fitness and technical ability.  But that is certainly life lesson stuff.

Just keep swimming, or pedaling.....

In many ways I am becoming alarmingly similar to Dory - the daft blue fish in "Finding Nemo" who couldn't remember anything.  Anyway this past long weekend I took a line from Dory and kept it as my motto - "just keep swimming, just keep swimming".  And of course, in case any of you are confused, I meant just keep pedaling, just keep pedaling.
I set another record for me.  I suppose this is going to become boring as cycling is a new sport and training for something as big as Ride to Rhodes is going to keep me reaching new heights.  But I digress - I rode for 3 days consecutively and cycled 170kms over the 3 days.  It is now Thursday evening and I can still feel my legs!
We did a 54 km ride to the Irene Market on Saturday.  It was quite a slow ride which is some ways is great for me as it keeps my heart rate low and my base increasing but I was also a little frustrated at the slow pace.

Icicle field

Then Sunday I rode from home and met Fiona and Andre and we rode off to Northern Farm.  It was good and comfortable.  I was tired but was only focussing on the moment and not thinking about getting up again the next day for another ride.  I stayed with the "just keep swimming....." focus.  We did a 54 km ride.  It was Father's Day and Doug and Kayla met us at Northern Farm for a Bacon and Egg roll and a Platt Anna for me (toasted roll with bacon, cheese and tomato).  Yum yum.
On Monday it was a public holiday and Doug and I met up with Derick and Sonja for a Magaliesburg ride.  I was Mrs No-where on the hills - I kept of falling right back if there was even a sniff of an incline.  My legs were K-sausted - which is like exhausted but more.  I made an effort to stay positive and in the moment.  Doug said I was still being a bit too negative and when asked how I was doing I needed to lie a bit and say fine - in other words don't admit that I am tired or sore or whatever.  His observation was when the guys did this under pressure that they would crumble as they would succumb to the negativity.  I need to process this as I also believe in saying what the truth is.  Anyway more on this as we go along I guess.

Hike a Bike

My Sweetie

The railway line

I was very proud of myself that I had done the 3 days however it also scared me as I am going to be doing a lot more each day with a LOT more climbing and at a slower pace.

I also started with my programme last week from my biokinetist - Tim.  The schedule is something like this:
Monday - 25 - 30km cycle
Tuesday - strength training
Wednesday - spinning or cycling
Thursday - strength training
Friday - rest
Sat - cycle
Sun - cycle

I am really enjoying the strength training.  It is focussing on core, glutes and some upper body.  I still need to watch my elbow that was operated on - it niggles a bit which is quite annoying.
I am motivated and energised and feeling very aware of how lucky I am to be training for this - that my body is healthy and up for the challenge.

Chilly chilly

There is a cold front across the country at the moment.  I become extra aware of how blessed I am to have a beautiful home, a warm bed and warm shower in the morning (well sometimes - if I remember to set the heater on!) and warm food to fill my belly.
This morning we set out to do a 70km ride. It was minus 1 degree celcius.  I was quite nervous.  I have run through many Joburg winters and I really loved running in the cold.  I found it invigorating and exciting.  I loved dressing in the various extra layers and I would come back with freezing cheeks and bright eyes.  However in running there is not the wind chill factor in terms of going at such a speed that there is wind.  There were many layers on my body and I still had goosebumps.  I had cycle shorts, long running pants over those, 2 x pairs of socks, 1 x long sleeved warm shirt, 1 x short sleeved cycle shirt, 1 thin fleece shirt, 1 x outer layer wind breaker, 2 x buffs, 2 x pairs of gloves.  On our Magaliesberg rides they always start with about a 3km ride into a valley and it is gosh darn flippen' cold - especially on a morning like this one.  It was probably only about 30kms into the ride that I was ready to lose a couple of layers.
It was a route called Slow Poison.  Part of the ride is on a district road that is a slow steady climb on a very bumpy uncomfortable road.
I kept my heart rate below 80% and it was a solid steady pace.  Breakfast at Wimpy was fabulous and I did what I could to defrost the iceblocks at the end of my legs that used to be toes - even my right heel was frozen!
My lower back took a lot of strain for some reason but my neck wasn't too bad.  I got really tired about 15 kms from home but still opted to do an extra 4km loop to ensure I got 70kms under my belt.

Great, awesome and wonderful!