Restarting the 2020 "Season?"

 So... doing the Shenandoah Mountain 100.

Why?

Good question.  One that I asked myself mebbe a thousand times before clicking the registration button.

Firstly, was I comfortable with racing in a COVID world?

Yeth.  Socially distanced staged starts, a huge venue, mask requirements, very dispersed camping, etc. Nothing that's going to happen at the race puts me at any more risk than walking into a crowded QT for a breakfast burrito sharing air with unmasked contractors getting their Monster Energy drinks for the day. 

Secondly, I thought I was done with the Shenandoah Mountain 100 after ten finishes (eleven starts)?

Yeth?  No?  Mebbe?  Even after I stopped "racing" the SM 100, we still made the trip up the next two years to make great party at Aid Station 5 (and elsewhere).  My heart truly is up there in those mountains.   As far as streaks go, SM 100 is only second to PMBAR.  Also, I was so looking forward to the Tour de Burg this past July, and having that dream taken away hurt my feeling parts.

Thirdly, do I really wanna ride my bike for a hundred miles?

At once?

I guess?

I haven't done a hundie in four years.  I told myself I was gonna jump into the 50+ class and do one more last year, but something came up (I don't member what), so I missed that moment.  Now... I feel like a hundred miles on a mountain bike will be what it used to be back in 2006.  A challenge.  Yeth, before that, I was doing 12 and 24 hour races where we covered well over a hundred miles, but a true hundie is not the same same.  It's an adventure.  It's social while also being a solo journey at times.

I'm looking forward to seeing some of "my people"... at a social distance. 

But I'm also looking forward to some lonely and possibly sad but soul-cleansing moments in the woods.  This odd staged start concept is odd, and if I were "racing." I'm sure I'd be playing all the possible scenarios out in my head.  I'm packing my patience, and I'm totally expecting some getting blow away moments on the first paved road, as well as a conga line on Narrowback.... but it won't be long before I'll look around and be all alone wondering where everyone went.  Like some kinda practical joke, "let's all get Dicky to go off into the woods and then we all head back to camp."

This will be an incredibly strange lead up to the event for me.  Normally, I work Monday through Friday, drive up Saturday, and "race" on Sunday.  Not this year.  I've been off work since last Saturday, and I made it to the mountains on Sunday.  Since then, not much.  I had been trying to ride my dick off on my down time I've been gifted since March, but I know I don't wanna be super fatigued this Sunday.  Thankfully, Mother Nature is keeping me down with pop up showers closing the local trails.  Mebbe I accidentally overdid it yesterday with a 25 mile social town ramble followed by a ride to do errands followed by an unexpected delivery of a crank bolt to a friend in need... 40 miles all together on my less than efficient townie?  Dunno.

What am I up to today?  Who knows?  Every day is a snowflake.

For now, I try to remember what it is exactly that I do to get ready to ride a hundred miles?

Does this look right?

I hope so.

See you next week?