Frazzled

I'm feeling it.

photo cred: Team Nicky

I finally added a few things to the "season."  Things that complicate things more than they complement other things. 

May was already packed with PMBAR, Pisgah 111k/55.5k and the Trans-Sylvania Epic.  Nothing more to add, but I wanted to do the TWO DAY VERSION of the Pisgah Enduro in June... but it's now the weekend right after I get back from the seven day TSE.  Too many weekends away in May, nine days in a row for TSE the week before.  The Enduro won't happen for me in 2014.

What about the rest of June?  What to do with all that fitness earned at TSE?

Nothing until Iron Mountain 100k on the 29th.  A little too much time between earning some stage race legs and that race and now perhaps a little too close to something I refused to miss this year, the 19th Annual Tour de Burg.  Basically I'd be going three hours up to Virginia to race 100k on Sunday, coming home for two days to work, and then going five hours back up to Virginia to race for five days.  I've been wanting to do the Iron Mountain race for years... there was always a conflict with ORAMM.  Finally decide to not do ORAMM and now the old conflict is gone just to be replaced with a new one.

Speaking of ORAMM, a big load of riding in early July usually puts me in great shape for it.  Now I've got nothing to use my TdB fitness on except perhaps setting a PR mowing the lawn.  After the Tour de Burg is over on July 6th, the next thing I have to look forward to is a MANCATION.

Yep, I chose a bro-down over the Breck Epic this August.  Why?   Because someone came up with the idea.   This trip basically takes any attempt to do SSWC or SSUSA off the table which is fine with me.  Yes, I did already register for SSUSA, so there's $65 less I can spend on cycling caps this year.  The trip itself?  Bill Nye, Wirun and I.  Out West.  Moab to start...

Yes, Moab in August.  It will be hot.  Whatever.  I've ridden Poison Spider to Portal in 104° conditions, and it's no match to Charlotte at 100° with a billion percent humidity with a messenger bag on my back and wearing a cotton t-shirt.  Your opinion may vary, but it's stupid.  We only plan on riding The Whole Enchilada (and if they're up for it, maybe an Amasa Back up/down later that day) and then moving on to Fruita and then even higher elevation Colorado riding (assuming we don't die in the desert heat). 

Bill Nye's opinion on everyone's dire warnings of Moab heat:  "Sounds like we'll have the trails to ourselves.  We'll be missing out on all the long travel, body armor clad, tampon bulk buying locals."

And then the misfortune of that trip would be that after being gone for eight days, we (Bill Nye, Wirun and Leyonce) will be headed to the Shenandoah Mountain 100 in less than a week.  That is assuming that I don't bail on going.  I've told myself for years that my last SM100 was my last, but yet the idea of doing anything else on Labor Day weekend... I just can't comprehend.

After that, who knows?  If I didn't bail on the Pisgah 55.5k (the day after the 111k and five days before leaving for TSE), I'd still be in for the King of Pisgah series.  That means Monster Cross (yuck, gravel road racing) and Double Dare (yuck, sleep deprivation)... big deal.  What's another 30 hours in Pisgah?

Assuming there is another Wilkes 100k... I could see doing that again too.

A "season" full of good times, big efforts, and wasted fitness holes. I'm happy with the things I'm doing, sad about some of the things I'm missing, and just a little bummed at how it all falls on the calendar.