Almost a week has gone by now since I finished the ride. I have had some time to reflect, opportunities to share my stories with friends, and lots of thoughts about the week. I set out with the goal of completing RAGBRAI on my longboard. I ended up riding five out of the seven days. It lingers in my head that I didn't complete the whole ride, but I do have one redeeming factor. My total mileage for the week was over 320 miles. The state of Iowa is 310 miles across at its widest points. So, I don't feel that I am taking too much liberty to say that while I didn't complete all of RAGBRAI, I DID complete enough miles to cross the state of Iowa in a week. This, along with the knowledge of the effort I had put in to do that many miles, leaves me with a tremendous feeling of accomplishment. Aside from general questions about the ride, one of the big questions that has loomed over me this week is "Are you going to try again?". This is a hard question to answer while my muscles and injuries are still recovering, and the hours I spent questioning my motivations while on the ride are still fresh in my mind. When I really dig down and think about it, the only answer I can come up with is yes. I am not one to be beaten when I set my mind to a goal. The only thing I can say for sure is that I don't think it will be next year. While on the ride this week I was reminded just how much fun RAGBRAI can be, and I felt that I missed out on a lot it because of being on a board. I'd like to go enjoy the ride on a bicycle again, but this certainly doesn't rule out giving it another try on a longboard in future years. With what I learned from my experience, I feel another attempt on a longboard could definitely prove successful. I have also not lost sight of my other goal, to raise $1000 for The Water Project. My next deposit will include money collected during the ride, and will take the total raised to over $400. I am currently pondering over ideas for future fundraising events to help reach the goal. If anyone has some ideas toss them my way! I have to give an enormous thanks to those who helped me through this week. My girlfriend Anna for believing in me, and giving me the courage to keep at it even when it hurt. My mom Kim for bandaging my wounds, early morning rides to the route, and for being the little voice in the back of my head that said, "Maybe you should take this hill a little slower so you don't kill yourself before you get to the end." And the biggest thanks of all has to go to my sister Chelsie. Without her help there is no way that I would have accomplished what I did this week. It meant so much to me that she was willing to drop everything to come to my rescue when I needed her, as well as wake up morning after morning to groggily drive me to the start again. Her confidence in my abilities as well as my stubbornness helped give me the motivation I needed each day to lace up my shoes and get back on the road. Thank you SO MUCH! All in all it has been an amazing experience. I wouldn't trade my week on RAGBRAI for anything. If I can depart any wisdom it would be this... There is no better feeling than setting a goal, and then doing everything you can to achieve it. With RAGBRAI behind me, and a whole world of challenges ahead of me, I stand confident and can only ask... What's next? 2 Comments After a long days rest in my well air conditioned home I awoke with the determination to do whatever it took to get to the river and finish this journey. Not to spoil the rest of the story for you, but that's exactly what I did... I met up with the route at a not so early hour of about 7:30. A late start compared to other days, but I took my sweet ass time getting ready to go, making sure I was prepared for a big ride. Not that the other days hadn't seemed daunting while contemplating the many miles, and many hills ahead of me, but this one felt huge. I think its because I live in Iowa City and have made the trip (by car) to Davenport many times, so the distance was more measurable mentally, and I knew it would be a long day. I was very happy to be back on the road after the bad experience the day before. Riding into the rising sun, I felt supremely motivated to make this my best day yet. The first ten miles to West Branch flew by. I didn't let the rough concrete or hills get in my way, in fact I pushed up every single hill between Iowa City and Davenport! When I had gone about half way and hadn't needed to walk up a hill yet, I set the goal to push up everything my body would allow. There were a fair amount of pass-through towns today, which always makes things easier. Access to free water and much needed shade for a quick cool down can make a world of difference. I stopped at a park in Moscow where a band was playing some covers. The only one I can remember off hand was "Brick House". I sat in the shady park munching on a planters "Big Nut" energy bar, hoping it would bestow me with the big nuts it would take to go the rest of the way. I know... crude right? I had to go there though as one of my favorite quotes of the week from a biker was "Man... You go down the hills on that thing??? You my friend have GORILLA BALLS!" Pushing on from Moscow, I found a roadside stand with the best deal I saw all week. They were selling the big 32oz Powerades two for $1.25! Are you kidding me! I have been blowing a buck on little 10oz bottles of water all week! So, I proceeded to buy enough to fill my hydration bladder with delicious pink lemonade Powerade, and one to chug on the spot. Thanked them for not raping the riders with ridiculous prices, and headed on my way. It was much easier to get myself to drink the warm sports drink than to sip on warm water all day, so I was feeling like a champ. When I got to Durant I sent Anna a text that I only had about 25 miles to go, and that this was really going to happen! As in the previous days, I somehow managed to ride around a lot of the same people all day. It was great to see someone ride by me for the third or fourth time, and know that I was keeping a strong pace. Had a nice quick chat with a guy who was doing the ride with a hand bike. I saw several riders through the week that were paralyzed from the waist down, but were kicking ass riding a bike powered by a hand crank. I can't imagine the effort that would take. After telling him about my struggles the day before, he told me I was crazy for being out there today. I told him that I would be ok, that my balance of determination mixed with craziness and a little stupidity would be enough to get me to Davenport, and then we could all take a well deserved rest. Rode alongside a guy who I had eaten pie with on Wednesday. He was glad to see I was still at it, and excited to hear how the week was going for me. Took a picture that I found on his blog that turned out well, I'll post it on the photo page when I get the rest of the pics up. Although I had a camera with me, as well as the video camera mounted on my helmet, it is basically impossible to get pics of yourself while doing the actual ride. Who wants to take the time to set up a tripod just to roll past it and have to retrieve it again? So it was cool to find that pic of me on the road with all the other bikers. I encourage anyone who finds there way here that happened to snap a photo to email it to me please!!! With ten miles to go to Davenport, the sun had really kicked in. I don't think the heat index got as high today as others, but I know it was well into the nineties, and I don't care who you are, thats HOT! I took more frequent breaks as I wanted the last few miles of RAGBRAI to last. I think others felt the same way because I was not alone while stretched out under a tree at a random farmhouse, soaking up the sight of these 20,000 or so companions all working to finish the same goal. Not to get too technical, but today I hit a new rhythm in my pushing thanks to a change in style. Not sure why it took so long to figure it out, but I believe it had a lot to do with the enormous throbbing blister on my left foot. All week I have been alternating between my natural pushing leg and switch, but with some hic-ups in the switching of my foot position. Stay with me on this, it is an over-analytical explanation but when you are pushing hundreds of miles every step counts. My natural is "Goofy" stance, right foot on the front of the board, pushing with my left. All week until today when I would switch to the opposite "Regular" stance, I did so by using the final push with my left foot to take the weight off my right and slide it to the back, opening space to place my left foot on the front of the board. This essentially made every "final push" with my left foot a wasted effort. Today while trying to relieve some pressure on my left heel, I was pushing switch significantly more. I decided to mix things up a little by trying to push "Mongo". This is when you leave your back foot on the board, and push with the front foot. For the rest of the day, I pushed mongo with my left foot, and then didn't have to move my feet at all to go into pushing switch. It made a HUGE difference while pushing uphill, and I'm certain thats the reason I didn't have to walk any today. I may even post a quick video pertaining to this technique as I feel others could benefit from what I had to learn the hard way. As I said, long uninteresting explanation, but a crucial part of what made my final day a success. So back to the story... I lost track of how far we had left to go, and then I saw it, a road sign that read "Davenport 1 mile". At this point my friends, my face was lit with the biggest most genuine grin ever. The pain from my blister seemed to melt away, and any tightness in my legs disappeared. I felt like a skateboard pushing machine had grown inside of me, running on fuel of adrenaline and happy thoughts. I kicked up the pace, and wasn't even slowed down by the next sign that I passed... "Davenport 5 miles" Shoot... I guess we probably don't take the very first exit into town. :) When I finally reached the city limits of Davenport, I really could smell the river. It may have been my head playing tricks on me, or the hose water I was drinking, but it was in reach either way. This is the point where every person who finished on Saturday will tell you that we hit the absolute worst road of the week. No cracks, rumble strips, or even the occasional road kill we had to dodge was anything in comparison to the fresh, hot, sticky asphalt that we encountered entering Davenport. The sun had heated it up to the consistency of a road covered with chewed bubble gum. I was almost tossed from my board when I first hit the sticky goo, and quickly found pushing to be not worth the effort. Bikes noisily rode by as their tires stuck to the road all the way around. It looked like everyone was pedaling in slow motion. This continued for what seemed like at least 3 miles. I road a few sketchy downhills on the asphalt, but walked most of the way until finally reaching some normal concrete. Every hill we climbed going through town towards the river had signs saying it was the last one. That it was "All downhill from here". We got to a downhill that had multiple warning signs to be "on your brakes" and to watch for people walking bikes. A 10% grade that snaked down a hill to a sharp turn at the bottom. A few bystanders called out that I shouldn't attempt to ride it on my board. I cockily called back that it wasn't my first hill of the week, then realized they were right. Not wanting to walk all the way down, I decided I would just foot brake when necessary, which turned out to be the entire length of the hill. A biker rode past and said my shoe was smoking, I wouldn't rule it out. I could feel some definite heat as the remainder of my tattered left sole was rubbed off. So much for using these shoes for anything but mowing the lawn. With the big hill behind me, and a couple miles of riding along the side of the highway, I saw the finish ahead. Thousands of bikers crowding towards a small spot on the side of the river where we would end our journey. Rolling slowly through road cones that separated those who were coming and going from the river bank, the whole week came together in a flood of emotion. I probably would have had some tears of joy if I hadn't sweat them all out getting there. Standing in the river I had worked so hard to reach, I felt surreal. A few quick pictures were snapped, I let out a hearty yell that scared some people, and the trip was done. Day 6: Disappointment strikes again... 07/29/2011
After the ride yesterday mom was very cool and drove me home to Iowa City. About an hour from Grinnell I planned on driving myself back in the morning, leaving my car, and worrying about picking it up on another day. Felt great to be home with Anna and Otis, shower in my own shower, sleep in my bed, all was good in the world. Then I woke up in the morning and things had changed. I have refrained from explaining my bathroom experiences this week up till now because they haven't really been a factor, but I have been noticing some problems. I was prepared to go into cornfields to pee, or whatever needed to happen, but this whole week I haven't had to. I spend the day drinking literally gallons of water, only to make it all the way home before even having an urge to urinate. And I have been surprised that despite the massive amounts of fluid I try to take in, at the end of the day my pee is not just yellow, its brown. I know that this is a sign of dehydration, and thats why I kicked up my fluid intake, but today the harsh realities of the week all came down on me. I woke up groggy, which is to be expected at 4:00 am, went into the bathroom to take care of necessary business to avoid pooping in a cornfield, and found myself very nauseous. I threw up several times and my body was shaking and felt extremely week. I continued getting ready, taping up my feet and scrapes, packing the bag for the day, etc. After drinking some gatorade, the nausea hadn't gone away, and I threw it right back up. That is when I had to make the difficult decision to stay home today. I was fairly certain that my nausea wasn't from the gas station sandwich, since food poisoning usually comes on quicker than that, so I did some internet research as to why I was feeling the way I do. I went through some ultra-marathon websites looking for people who had similar symptoms and I think I found an explanation. Keep in mind, this is a self diagnosis, but it seemed to fit perfectly with my symptoms and causes. I found that my nausea and light headedness as well as weakness may be from a combination of things: obviously dehydration is a factor, as well as heat exhaustion, and I also found out that when going extreme distances the myoglobin produced by muscles breaking down can build up toxins that kidneys can't handle. When combined with low electrolyte levels, the toxins in the kidney can basically make it so your urine is over-concentrated and makes you sick. I wouldn't go as far as to say it was acute kidney failure, but I also wouldn't rule it out, especially if I had continued with the ride today in the heat. It is now 8 pm and I have spent the day resting, drinking gatorade as my stomach allows, and trying to eat things that will replenish my energy. I can't say I feel 100% better, but I feel like after I get another good nights sleep tonight, that getting back on the road for the final day tomorrow is not out of the question. I will be packing my gear, and preparing my board for the final ride after I finish this post. I can't let myself end the ride today after all the miles I've put in. Tomorrow is going to be rough, lots of hills and heat, but I have to give it a last effort. Anna has the day off, so if I run into complications I can always call for help, but I feel like if I start early and take my time all day that I should be able to make it. It has been hard sitting at home today wishing I was riding, especially with the finish coming into basically my hometown today, but I really just don't think it would have been smart to ride. I have added up the mileage for the week, and provided I finish tomorrows ride I will still have ridden enough miles to cross the state at its widest points. Iowa is 310 miles across, and finishing tomorrow will put me at 316 miles for the week. RAGBRAI snakes around and is 454 miles this year, so although I haven't completed RAGBRAI in its entirety, missing monday and friday, I will still have essentially skated the state in a week. Thanks to everyone who has been encouraging me along the way. The texts, emails, and pats on the back have made every mile just a little easier. Hopefully I will b Day 5: Mom saves the day! 07/29/2011
Today started as good as possible. Mom picked me up the previous afternoon in Altoona and took me to Chelsie's place for the night. She brought with her an unbelievable amount of bandages, wraps, gauzes, and ointments to treat my road rash. Mom is a nurse, so the mom instinct to take care of me has always been kicked up a notch, and I have never appreciated it more than today. I can't thank her enough for supporting me while she was here, getting up early and driving me to Altoona with no complaints, just encouragement. Thanks so much Mama! I also discovered a brilliant solution for my blisters, superglue! I had pondered it during the ride the day before, then did some research to see if anyone else had been dumb enough to try it before. I found a few sites that said in a pinch it would work to make the blister less painful if you had to continue with activity, so I went for it. I peeled the outer blister skin open away from my heel, braced for some pain, and squeezed the glue directly into the blister. It wasn't as painful as I expected, although I think it would have been if I had done it the day before when the blister was fresh. It worked like magic though. Mom put gauze over the blister and expertly wrapped both feet to prevent further blisters, as well as support my weak arches. I should mention that since high school I have been bothered by Plantar Fasciatis (spelling?). Basically I tore the tendon in the bottom of both feet in wrestling, and it never gets back to 100%. So, blisters remedied, encouraging words from mom, and the short (57 mile) ride ahead of me, I took off for Grinnell. The day was wonderfully overcast for most of the ride, though temperatures still reached the nineties. We had our first rain of the week in two brief spurts today. I'm not used to riding in the rain, as I can't afford replacing my bearings constantly, but hell, I got this boar for RAGBRAI and this is part of the deal. The heat was strong enough that the roads dried up rather quickly after the rain quit, so all was good. Each day there has been sections of road that are perfect for boarding, as well as miles and miles of crappy concrete. Today was a lot of the bad. Big gaps between the seams that were nearly big enough to put my wheel in every ten feet, as well as holes in the right side of the road near the shoulder where I ride most of the day. There was also a bit of a headwind today, strong enough that I had to push on some of the more gradual downhill slopes. The worst concrete I found however, was one that I'm sure the bikes didn't even notice. It appears smooth and nice, but there are horizontal lines that cross the road every 1/4 inch, just deep enough and spaced just right to make my wheels vibrate like crazy. This concrete not only drastically slowed me down, and used more energy to keep momentum on, it also vibrated the board to the point of putting my feet to sleep. I was always glad when we would make a turn on to a different type of pavement. There were essentially only three real pass-through towns today, with the final gap to Grinnell of 28 miles. After yesterdays many breaks and free water, it was a little harder to judge how far I had gone, and how much was left for the day. I ran into a few friends, former co-workers, and people from my hometown which was cool. Always surprised to see people I know. Still have yet to meet up with the team I had originally planned on camping with, but I saw their bus and driver when I got into town. Also, the route went directly past my friend Travis' parents house just outside of Grinnell, so it was nice to stop and have a chat with them before making the final 3 mile push to the finish. When I got to Grinnell I pushed all the way through the town, probably another mile or two, until I found a Caseys that was on a street that was open to cars. Called mom to come pick me up at her leisure, and sat down for a gas station sandwich and a gatorade while I waited. While there I met another rider from Mason City. A guy in his mid seventies that I had been to running races with in the past (11 years ago). Him and his wife are doing the ride on a tandem, and he was excited to tell me about the cross-country trip that they had done a few years ago. So impressive to see a guy his age This day started very early with an hour drive to Boone to meet up with the T.V. crew. When we found our way to the R.V. they were using as a mobile station, I wasn't sure how my tired brain would do in an interview, but everything went great. They got some shots of me rolling around on some side streets and asking questions about the ride, the crash, and The Water Project. They were filming me in between going to live shots, and I actually ended up in one of them. I'm sure I was a mumbling mess on live TV, but it was cool that they were interested nonetheless. They met up with me a few towns in to get shots amongst the bikes as well. To be fair, I should mention that my girlfriend is a producer at their station, and was the one who clued them in to my ride. I will post a link to the video on my video page, and hopefully get a copy somehow so it will stay up even after its no longer on their site. The ride today was the easiest so far. My legs were feeling strong, and I didn't have any problems with cramps or fatigue. A big factor was that there were more pass-through towns than any day yet, and the ride was only 56 miles. It feels weird to say ONLY 56 miles. :) I had more energy today to talk to people as I rode, instead of just the usual "yeah I'm doing this all day" or "yes this IS more difficult than a bike". Some people however didn't seem to understand that holding a conversation while pushing isn't all that easy. I was happy to explain my reasoning for doing the ride on the board, and encouraged by how many people were interested in the charity, as well as just general questions about longboarding. Most common questions all week: *Are you doing that the whole way? Me: I'm trying! *How do you go uphill on that? Me: Walk the steep ones, switch feet a lot on the gradual ones. *Aren't you scared when you are going downhill? Me: The downhill is the fun part! Only scared when I get crowded by bikes. *How do you stop/slow down? Me: Slow down?? (followed by a brief explanation of foot braking) Dumbest question of the week: Is that some kind of disposable bicycle? I didn't even know how to respond to that. The only thing dragging me down today was blisters. I have always suffered from blisters on my heels in sports because I think my heels are especially sharp, and tend to rub more on my shoes, but I'm sure anyone going this distance would get them. It has been basically one big one on my left heel, and then one on my right pinky toe that is essentially the same size as the toe itself. I had to spend most of the day pushing switch. I have gotten very comfortable pushing switch, but trying to do it all on one leg would be impossible, so I had to psych myself up and push through the pain in my left heel while using that foot. Aside from the blisters I had a great da After my day of rest on Monday, I was really excited to get back on the road and give this another shot. I hadn't put in all this work just to quit, and Chelsie knew me well enough to know that if she got me there, I could make it. My load was cut down to the bare minimum. I ditched the backpack as I would no longer be camping, and carried only my hydration pack loaded with a few essentials. This, combined with a much flatter day of riding, and cooler temperatures through the early hours of the day made it a very successful trip. Todays ride took me from Carroll to Boone, just over 70 miles. Aside from the lighter load, the other riders helped me to keep my spirits high and keep on pushing. I couldn't go half a mile without someone calling out "Go skater dude!", asking me questions about what my crazy ass was doing on a board, or just telling me how much they admired my ambition. I was interviewed on Sunday by a reporter from the Des Moines Register, so some people even knew my name, which I gotta admit felt pretty cool. On that first day I had rome across a rollerblader, as well as someone who was running the whole route in a pair of flip flops. Neither of them were carrying more than a water bottle, but I knew if they had it in them, then so did I. Learning from the experience of my first day, I knew that I had to drink more... lots more. So I made it a rule that every time I heard the word skateboard/longboard I would take a big drink, as well as at the top of every hill. I also set it as a goal to try to finish my 2 liter water bladder off before reaching each town. Every mile or two (and sometimes more often) there were people sitting on the side of the road selling water, gatorade, and sometimes food. As well as most of the towns we went through had stations to fill up your water bottle for free. Even while using these free stations, I still spent close to $30 just on drinks each day. In Pilot Mound, one of the last pass-through towns, I stopped for a bit longer break than usual (I was keeping them around 5-10 mins to keep myself moving and take advantage of temps earlier in the day). I ate some pie, a couple sandwiches, and tried to find some coveted shade to relax in for a while. All everyone was talking about that day was "Twister Hill", a fabled giant that was rumored to be the big one of the week. When I reached it, I was pleasantly surprised to find good concrete, and a good amount of space between me and the other riders, something that didn't happen often. Twister hill was a big down hill into a river valley that took a hard right turn into a menacing up hill. Probably 20% of the riders were off their bikes and walking up, and I'm sure it was more by the time the later afternoon crowd rolled through. After the big hike up, it was a smooth sail the rest of the way to Boone. Upon reaching Boone I found a Taco Johns that wasn't busy with riders yet, sat down in the A.C., and mowed down a six pack and a pound. It was going to be a few hours before Chelsie came to get me, so I found a shady spot and took a nap for a while. While I was there, Kelly and Aaron, a reporter and photographer from channel 2 in Cedar Rapids, found me and we set up a plan to meet early the next morning so they could interview me and ask questions about my ride. This day made me so much more optimistic about the rest of the week, and when Chelsie got there to pick me up she could tell I was in a lot better shape than the first time. Thanks to keeping hydrated, I hadn't had a single cramp all day Day One: This ain't gonna be easy. 07/29/2011
Todays ride will go down (in my head at least) as one of the most difficult and physically demanding days of my life. Not the longest day of the week, but certainly the most difficult so far. 4,298 feet of climbing over a 59.5 mile trek. The day started early, waking up at 5 am, a time of day I am usually not familiar with. Packed up the tent, and hiked 35 minutes of crappy gravel road to get to the route. I should explain that I was supposed to meet a team from my hometown at a certain place to camp, but they lost the clutch on their bus, so never made it. I stayed in our designated meeting place anyway mostly because I had already hiked out there, also, I didn't want to have to ask someone else if I could set up on their lawn. So... back to the story of the day. After finding the route, which is a simple process of watching where the majority of bikes are riding, I was on my way and excited. The 35 pound backpack carrying all my gear did not yet feel like a giant gorilla strapped to my back, the early morning cool weather was beautiful, and hey, this is why I'm here right? I can't go much further in the story of day one without getting to the crash. Why you ask? Because it happened only 9 miles into the ride! Going down a nice big hill into Silver City, the very first pass through town of the week, I found out the hard way that not all people like to go fast down the hills. Here's the scene for you.... Rolling 35-40 mph, I found myself boxed in by the bikes around me, very little space in front or back, a bike tight on my left, and a gravel shoulder to my right. With the tight space and high speed it became quickly apparent to me that foot braking was going to be an issue, and thats when it happened. A rider directly in front of me put his brakes on with no warning, my speed was still increasing, and my only choice was to try to pass on the right. Not usually recommended, especially when there's about 6 inches between him and the edge of the road. I screamed out "ON YOUR RIGHT! ON YOUR RIGHT!" but it was too late. As I attempted to squeeze by, my wheel caught his and sent me onto the gravel shoulder. Tried to ride it out, but the backpack threw off my balance, as did the enormous chunks of gravel. Took a nose dive directly to the ground, the backpack preventing me from rolling and holding most of my weight down on my right side. The result was road rash on the entire length of my right arm/shoulder, my right knee, and a silver dollar sized chunk out of my left palm. (For pictures see the photo page) Luckily my helmet did its job and took a big smack and scrape that otherwise would have been my face. Nobody else went down thankfully, and the rider who had braked in front of me stopped and came up the hill to make sure I was okay and apologize as he knew it was his fault. He claimed he was "too scared to ride that fast". I held back the inclination to ask him what the hell he was doing on the ride if he was scared on a bike, and told him I would be okay and he could move on. I covered my scrapes as best I could with the minimal first aid kit I had along, and continued on my way. Little did I know that the fall would not be the most painful part of that ride. As the sun got higher in the sky the temperatures went up, up, up. A bank sign in a pass-through town read 101, and I heard the heat index was around 111. I knew that especially on the steeper up-hill climbs that I would have to pick up my board and walk. Pushing up the hills wasn't much faster, and burned at least twice the energy. But with the heavy pack, even walking up the hills was quite a workout. I gulped down as much water and gatorade as I could, trying to stay hydrated in the heat, but it was a losing battle. Dehydration was giving me major leg cramps, making me unstable even while coasting and riding downhill. After 12 hours of pushing, hiking, sweating, and cursing myself for this terrible idea, I was done. My morale was obviously low, and the idea of spending the night in my little tent in the heat sounded like about the worst thing in the world. So, I made a phone call to my wonderful sister Chelsie. She is a teacher, so has the summer months off, and was very generous to come pick me up and take me to her house in Des Moines. I took a painful shower, scrubbing the dirt out of my road rash, and passed out on her couch for the night. I had a hard decision the next day as it was equally hot, and my injuries seemed to have become more sore overnight. I decided that if I was going to be able to continue at all, that I needed to re-evaluate my "self contained" approach, as well as use that day to rest. It was not an easy decision to stay in that day, as I had come so far with training, and pushed through the injuries the day before, but it was the best decision I made all week. I spent the day in air conditioning, drinking tons of water, and taking more than the recommended amount of Aleve. I worked it out with Chelsie that for the next few days she would shuttle me back to the start early in the mornings, and pick me up when I finished. So on to d Only one day to go... 07/22/2011
Getting really excited to be on the road. My last week has been filled with sleepless nights, endless hours packing and repacking, working to make up for vacation time, and a few miles on the road to keep my legs warmed up. I'm sure many of my friends are as glad as me that I'm hitting the road because my conversation has been a one note song lately. I will be leaving tomorrow morning, Anna (my lovely girlfriend) will be taking me from Iowa City to Des Moines, and then my sister Chelsie will be taking me the rest of the way to Glenwood. I have been discussing a pit stop with Chelsie in which she would pick me up in Boone and take me to her place to shower and sleep, then back to Boone in the early morning to get back on the road. Then mom may be picking me up in Altoona and taking me back to Chelsie's, and then back to the route in the morning again. So no miles will be lost, but it means some much needed rest and a shower for me, as well as a full day not having to carry a backpack. Aside from Coralville to Davenport, and then the day in between being at Chelsies, I will be carrying a 30 pound backpack hauling all my gear. A full list of what is making the trip with me can be found on MY GEAR page. I am ready to go, and can't wait to share all my experiences on the road with my friends here. You can also follow the ride on www.thepavedwave.org. Just search for "ragbrai", I post under the name KickPushIowa. Next Post will be from the road! See you then! I will be posting here daily from the ride. If you want to know how the ride is going, or how the pie tasted at one of R.A.G.B.R.A.I.s many food stands, this is the place to do it! |
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