Finding myself, being a hero, and suffering like a pig...

I could, and may, write a long synopsis of this past week's trip, but right now I'm just exhausted. Happy, but exhausted.

I got just what I wanted out of my little roadtrip - some great time alone, away from the stress. I went to the Tanasi trails in Ocoee, TN. I got a nice campsite, rode my bike a ton and enjoyed the wilderness.

The highlight, or lowlight, however you want to look at it, was that on my Friday ride I happened upon an old lady who flagged me down. Her husband had broken his ankle. Long story short - another 2 1/2 hours later and I had ridden to the Whitewater Center, got a hold of the Ducktown Paramedics and led them to the site while they drove an ATV & trailer. I felt somewhat like a hero, but was also beat. My ride ended up being over 6 hours.

I drove back to Atlanta just in time to make it to the Kate's Club Cabaret charity event. It was a slightly smaller even than the past ones. I ducked out relatively early, knowing I was headed to Macon the next day.

I drove to Macon mid afternoon on Saturday and found the trails for a preview lap. I rode, but got lost and couldn't make sense of where the course went. When I returned to my car, I met the race director and a few of his friends. They invited me to ride with them and help mark the course. It was very beneficial, but I was feeling the efforts of the day before. I helped them for about half the course, then headed back to my car and drove to the campground on Lake Obefsokee.

It was hot and there was absolutely no breeze last night. I didn't fall asleep till about 2, and was awake by 6. It sucked. I drove to the race site early and set up my pit. 4 hours 42 minutes later I finished 3rd overall! I will write a longer post later, but today I actually felt like a mountain biker. I could tell that I was riding well, but didn't really know how well. I suffered like a dog the last lap and a half, but I'm pretty sure that only 4 of us made the 4 hour cutoff to start a 7th lap. I can actually say that I am proud of myself. It wasn't the biggest race - 40-50 people, but you can only race who shows up. It was my first event of this kind and I really rode over my head.

As soon as the pain goes away, I'm hoping I'll feel recharged and satisfied with making the decision to take a few days to myself.