Lumberjack 100 - “Learning to Race My Race” and “Too Much Chocolate”

Some bill this race as the ‘easiest’ NUE race because it only has 9000 feet of climbing without a single, distinctive, climb to fret over. I would actually claim this as one of the harder ones I've done. Although there is no singular climb, there are also no places to descend or coast and recover. Essentially, you start off pedaling hard and Never. Stop. Pedaling. L put it best when he said it was like being on a trainer for 8 hours. Also, since all of the climbs were short (though steep) I was teased into ‘powering’ up and over them rather than easing over them with a steady pace. If Mohican was 'death by a thousand cuts', Lumberjack was 'death by 100 punches to the stomach'.

Race My Own Race

The start of the race was fast and furious with about 2 miles of pavement. Excitement is not the best word to describe what it is like to take a group of riders 10 wide by 60 deep at 30mph and force them into a single file line into the woods, but it is the best that I can think of. I continued with the theme from prior races and tried to hang with my friends, L&B, as long as possible which ended no different than past attempts, with failure and disappointment. The trail is flowy and fast in a thick forest with tall, thick, leafy canopies and fluffy fern covered floors. Like Napoleon D. and his Liger(lion/tiger); Its basically my favorite trail. Through the first 20 miles I was easily able to stay on with B leading the charge through the swooping singletrack. Unfortunately, I made some mistakes on the ascents leading up to the fire tower hike-a-bike. Our group got separated by another group of riders and, while trying to pass, I expended way too much energy. I was not able to recover before the Fire Tower Hill Run-up and had to walk.

This is what death looks like

L&B ran up the hill and were out of sight before I could get to the top. I could not catch back on and it was then that I realized that I had pinned my motivation to staying with them. It was such a disappointment to be dropped that I almost completely lost the courage to go on. Apparently my spirit is so delicate that if I get put behind by a minute I will throw my hands up and want to call it. This is probably going to be the hardest lesson to learn and biggest obstacle to overcome: To find motivation from within.  To remember why I’m doing this: because it’s fun and exciting to see how far and to find out what I’m made of; To meet a challenge head on and push through with sheer perseverance and determination; and to know that I will not be able to do this forever and realize how lucky I am to be out here. All that sounds great but none of it really speaks to me as well as "getting to ride with my friends L and B."  Learning to 'race my own race' is going to be a long term project.

Single Track is Like Chocolate: Too Much Will Give You a Tummy Ache

On lap 2 and 3 I slowed down considerably, with lap times of 2:38, 2:56, and 3:02. During the back half of the race, while dragging my beat down mind and body through the sweetest single track I had ever experienced, I could not help but visualize a small, round Dutch boy (like the one from Willy Wanka) holding his belly and groaning “Too much chocolate.”

I had indeed had too much chocolate. I was sore and beat and wanted no more of the sweet single track. I looked forward to the borring double track road that, while its thick beach sand provided its own obstacles to forward progress, at least promised a break from the nightmare of the steep hills. What several of us independently named “the wall,” a short and steep but rideable climb that promised to make you hurt in your bones, provided me with much dread in the pit of my stomach for both of the last laps.

Regardless of the emotional lows (which I’m sure everyone experienced) and my personal pity party through lap 2, I managed to finish with an adequate time of 8:42 that I will call ‘just ok.’ I will give myself a break because I know I am still learning and, though I know I will not ever see the front of the race, I am building my arsenal of weapons to fight the demons that I will meet on the trail when I am by myself in a day long endurance race. See below for awesome video of the highlights.


Watch more video of Lumberjack 100 2012 on thom.cyclingdirt.org

As Peterman said patronizingly to Elaine, "Kudos to a job… done."