2012 is my 4th consecutive year of doing the Ouachita Challenge race. After having a flat in 2009 that cost me 20 minutes and finishing in 6:26, I'd set a personal goal to finish the race in 6 hours or less. 2010 and 2011 both had their issues, mostly nutrition and lack of fitness, and I didn't get my goal those years either. Knowing next year we'll have an infant again, I resolved this year to get my goal. I rode consistently, trying to get at least 2 hours on the bike whenever possible.The last few weeks I've cleaned up my diet, trying to eat healthy and maybe lose a few pounds for the hills. Last weekend I did a 5+ hour ride at Huntsville and felt pretty good after three days of intervals that week. Last week I mostly stayed off the bike, just resting with a little spin on Thursday. Race day has now come and gone, and at the end of the day, this wasn't my year either. I had 2 flats and more nutrition issues, finishing with a 6:24:45. This was a personal best, but still unsatisfying not getting my goal. Here's how the day unfolded.
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| BMC ready to roll race morning. |
Race morning I woke up after a half decent night's sleep and went up to the school where the start and event center were to have some breakfast; pancakes and oatmeal. We went back to the cabin and got kitted up, chilled out for a little bit, then rode the 1 mile up to the start. I lined up about halfway thorugh the pack with my shop owner Kyle and we chatted for a few minutes. When the gun sounded I rolled out easy and assessed the situation. My goal at the start had been to try to surf wheels at the back of the lead group until the hills started and it got too hard, then back it off. All systems seemed to be good to go, so I went with the plan. I found myself behind my friend from Chris from Shreveport. He's really strong on the road, so I knew he would be good to draft on. We got split from the lead group, and I saw Chris starting to make an effort to bridge. I jumped on his wheel and he took us across at 30+ mph. "Good grief," I was thinking, I probably didn't need to be going that fast but I wasn't doing much work and was feeling good so I just went with it. I stayed with the lead group for a while longer but eventually let myself fall off the back to ease my effort. A small group including Chris came off the back a few minutes later, and I found myself riding about 100 yards behind at their pace. I bridged myself up to work with them for the rest of the road section. Shortly after another friend from Shreveport, Adam, who I knew was going to be strong made contact with us. We rotated through a few times, then hit the last few big hills before turning into the singletrack. I'd dropped Chris, and Adam went into the singletrack just in front of me. When we turned in our average speed was 18+ mph. I'd be doing good to average this on paved roads in Houston for 9 miles, much less mostly gravel roads with big hills. It was a fast start, but I felt like I handled it well.
Big Brushy is the first mountain singletrack section, this went pretty well for me and I settled into a nice pace. Adam had blown up and I passed him somewhere along this stretch. I fell in behind a guy I know from Dallas, Michael, who is usually strong and I felt like this was a good place to be. I was feeling great and everything was going well. It'd been relatively easy up to this point, I was just hoping it would continue. We pulled into the first aid station at mile 15 at 1 hour and 15 minutes. I stopped for just a minute to get a bottle from my support crew and let them wipe my glasses that had gotten a little foggy and glary in the morning sun. Michael had rolled straight through so we got separated a little bit. Out of this aid station you go into a nice climb, and I caught back up to Michael before the top.
Next is Blowout Mountain, the rockiest section of the course. It starts with a rocky climb, then has some rolling sections with big rock gardens, marginal to un-rideable. I got stuck behind some people who weren't riding the rocks too well, Michael got a break and got around them but I missed the chance. I finally got around a couple of them and was making good time. We started the descent off the mountain and I was going pretty good, just bringing Michael back in sight when my rear tire started going soft. I think this was about mile 20. I'd apparently gotten too friendly with a sharp rock and cut the sidewall. I pulled off, and tried to get the cut to seal. I picked up the bike and turned it on its side, putting the cut at the low point, trying to let the Stan's settle in and seal it. I fussed with it for a few minutes and it stopped spewing, so I put some CO2 in and tried to get going. I guess when I started rolling and the sidewall got compressed it opened up the hole again, before I knew it I'd burped the tire and lost more air. I pulled over again, added more CO2, and tried to get it to seal. Again I had the same results, so I finally decided to just put a tube in. My friend Rob from Houston pulled over for a second while I was there to check on me, then rolled on ahead. This whole process cost me several minutes but I got going again eventually. I took off and was charging hard down the mountain trying to make up a little time and catch Rob. The last bit of the descent is super steep, and I was rallying it hard passing several people on the way down.
After getting off the mountain is about a mile of dirt road to the second aid station, then more singletrack that goes straight up Chalybeate Mountain. After the flat, the time off the bike, and the effort charging back afterwards, this was a tough climb. I walked some of it, eventually got to the rolling stuff on top and the sweet descent down the backside. I was flying down this, passing several people and having a blast. I caught Rob a few minutes before the end of this section, then we hit the road for the transit down towards the Womble trail. We came onto the road with a group of 4, and we worked together into Sims at mile 30 where the next rider support area was. I picked up 2 fresh bottles, another tube and some shot bloks. The road continues downhill to the river, then it's mostly uphill to where you meet the Womble Trail at the 298 trailhead. I paired up with a random rider named Terry, then caught back up to Rob a little bit later. We worked our way up to the aid station at the 298 trailhead, Rob cramped up a little before the aid station so I kept rolling kinda slow hoping he'd catch back up. I grabbed a banana at the aid station, then headed out on the dirt road to where we would pick up the Womble Trail. I thought Rob was still behind me, so I kept the pace a little lower for a few minutes but decided I needed to keep going. I finished the dirt road section, then got on the Womble where you pick up your first zip tie. When I put my foot down to stop I got my first cramp of the day. I knew this was a bad sign, so I tried to drink a whole bottle before I got back to the aid station and tried to stay at a cruising pace. The trail goes right back by the aid station, so I pulled back in and refilled a bottle then headed out. By this time it was getting pretty hot out, and having been in it all day was taking its toll.
From here we're in for more great riding on the Womble Trail. It rolls along for a while, and before long I saw Rob up ahead. I never saw him pass me, but I guess he got his cramps under control and went by while I was over at the aid station. Mauldin Mountain is the next big climb, and I was able to spin my way all the way up the first big section. It gets pretty steep, and has one tough switchback but I was able to clear it and get all the way to the top. Looking back I think this took a lot out of me and I might've been better off to walk some of it. The next big pitch was tough and I had to walk a lot of it. This is where my race really started falling apart, about mile 42-44 or so. My stomach was just badly uncomfortable, very similar to what I felt last year. My energy was just down to nothing and I started to bonk pretty hard: had to stop and rest for a couple of minutes, wanted to vomit, etc. Rob was riding with me and stopped with me once. I told him I felt like I needed to throw up, then that I wanted to throw up; but I never did. We got going again, he got a little bit ahead of me and then we rolled into the last aid station.
Rob was still at the aid station when I came in, and told me they had Cokes and that I should drink one. This is something I would never do otherwise, but I was desperate and I'd recently read something about Coke being a good mid-ride pickup. All they had was Dr. Pepper which I don't really like, but I drank one anyway. I think this saved my race from total meltdown. I also refilled my bottles with HEED while I was there. Rob had just rolled out and I was getting back on my bike to go with him when I realized my rear tire was going flat again, so I lost him there and wouldn't see him again. I guess I'd pinch-flatted it somewhere along the trail. Thankfully somebody at the aid station had a floor pump and I'd picked up that tube at the support area in Sims, so I was able to keep one tube and some CO2 in reserve. I changed the tube and rolled out.
I'd long ago realized I was going to miss the 6 hour mark, but when I rolled out of this aid station at about 5:40 I was pretty disheartened thinking I was going to be 6:40 or more at the finish. The Dr. Pepper had really picked my energy back up though, and I was just trying to stay steady. There is a good climb coming out of the aid station, and although I was feeling better I started to get a pretty bad cramp in my right hamstring. It got tighter and tighter with every pedal stroke, and since I was already going uphill in pretty much my granny gear I was unable to spin it out. I had to stop and stretch it out, and I slammed a bunch of HEED. I didn't have much trouble with it after that, but I had to back my pace down a little bit. I got off this singletrack, then it's some road down to North Fork Lake, where you pick up the Womble trail again. You also get another zip tie here, and again when I put my foot down to stop my leg cramped up. I caught a guy in this last section of singletrack, then we hit the road that would take us back to the finish. Looking at my time and distance at this point, I started to think that although I wouldn't get my 6 hour goal, I could possibly beat my previous best time of 6:26. The road rolls for a couple of miles, and he gapped me pretty good, then you hit a gravel road climb that's just over half a mile long and averages over 7%. This is the last big climb of the day and is a proverbial punch in the face after all you've been through! For some reason I really like it. I spun my way up nice and steady, and caught and passed the guy from the road before. You go back through the last aid station before rolling down the last 4 miles to the finish. As I rolled through the aid station a guy asked if I wanted a cup of water and I said "yes, on my head." He obliged and dumped a good portion of a gallon jug on the back of my neck. This was just what I needed to get to the finish. I checked my time and distance again and saw that a 6:26 was still within reach. Right after the aid station is a steep downhill plunge that launches you into the high 30 mph range down the gravel road. I tucked in and tried to keep my speed as best I could, then pedaled the rollers steadily to try to get to the finish line. I was counting down the minutes until 6:26, and my pedaling was getting more urgent with every passing minute. "4 minutes to get to the finish line," "you've got 3 minutes," I would say. The finish line is at the top of a grassy little hill, and when it came into view I knew I could beat my 6:26. I pushed with everything I had up the hill and across the line. I was disappointed to not get my goal of 6 hours, but glad I at least got a new personal best.
Looking back I don't know what I would do differently. I felt like I was drinking and eating decently at the beginning, but then when my stomach started feeling uneasy I stopped eating and didn't drink quite as much. This is something I always struggle with, I get this bad feeling in my gut and don't want to eat or drink anymore. Of course this is a downward spiral that I seem to fall into repeateadly. I might could've gone easier off the start, but I was feeling so good and it felt so easy at the time I don't know how much difference it would've made. I guess I'm just going to try some new nutrition, the Shot Bloks seem to make me feel bloated and uneasy. The tire thing definitely hurt me, this felt like where things really started coming apart. I'd heard good and bad things about the Racing Ralphs in the rocks, but hadn't had any trouble at Mellow Johnny's or Solavaca so I decided I could live with them. Rob, Lisa and Kyle were all running the same combo and had no trouble, so I guess sometimes things just happen. Next year I will use a snakeskin version that comes well recommended with more sidewall protection.
Overall I know I was pretty strong this year, definitely having the fitness to go under 6 hours. Without the 2 flats, or maybe with even just the first one, I think I still could've done it. What really did me in was that severely rough time I had from about mile 42-46 or so. Whether the flat ultimitely helped bring this on or not, I don't know. Even with the bonk, I still think I'd have gone under 6 without the flats. That's a good indicator for my fitness, but I can't try to justify my way into a sub-6 time. It is what it is, flats are part of the game. I can't wait to come back next year and give it another try.
I owe a big thanks to the folks who were at the support areas helping me out with bottles, water on my back, etc. My little brother Luke, Brian, Cody & Tiffany, Leigh and anybody else I didn't notice in my stupor. Chris, thanks for pulling me across to the group on the start road, I tried to do my part! Big thanks to Rob for riding with me some and waiting on me once or twice, and especially for telling me to drink that Coke. I'll say it again, that saved my race from a total meltdown. Another big thanks goes out to the organizers of the race and all their volunteers. The event is top notch with all the things they offer like the meals and the great aid stations. The volunteers at the aid stations are also amazing, ready to help with whatever you need with a great attitude. We'll see you again next year!
