Chequamegon

What can I say....We finished. I was hoping for a better time than last year. That goal was met. However it wasn't good enough for me to feel satisfied. This year conditions where very tough. It was wet and muddy. Last year the course was dry and very fast.

This summer I have been on my bike a lot. I really wanted to feel good at the start of the race and I felt like shit. It was difficult to breathe and I was tired. For the first few miles I kept pedaling hoping that my engine would turn on. It didn't. Both John and I were climbing the hills well but it was very challenging to keep going. I did keep going because this day was about John. He really struggled to finish last year after his broken collar bone. I didn't want to complain and bring him down. He was doing great. I just wanted to be there for him and help him set a good pace. When we reached OO I had to pee. So I took a short break, I took another hit off of my inhaler, and we got some fuel. At this point I think we were in good shape to finish in under 4 hours. Considering the weather I would have been happy with that. 

Just a few miles after OO I crashed big time on a wet, rocky, downhill. I was really going fast...and then I wasn't. I hit the ground hard!!! My right calf muscle was screaming. Someone thought I broke my leg by the way it was positioned on the ground. Standing was not an option for a few minutes. People kept asking me if I needed medical. I just needed a few minutes to figure out if I could get up on my own. My right arm was hurting. John was a bit ahead of me but he heard me yelp when I went down. He was by my side in a second. I was able to get up after a few rounds of deep breathing. Thanks to the guy that directed traffic around me. I was really scared of being run over.

At this point I didn't know if I could pedal the 18 or so miles to the end of the race. I really wanted both of us to finish. I thought I would have to take the four wheeler back but I got back on the bike. I wanted to try. My front tire was not moving. The front brake was stuck because the cable had been stretched. It took a few minutes to get it adjusted and then I was worried it wouldn't hold for the duration. 

We started back out slowly. My calf muscle still screaming but I was afraid to stop. I thought it would cramp up and I would not be able to move. John was so nice to hang with me. We took the next few miles one hill at a time. My legs were cramping but I knew we could make it.

We did make it!!! Thanks John for helping me, staying with me, and helping me wash the dirt out of my arm. Thanks to Jay for driving us to the start and for being there when we finished.