It's Not Real Until You Do It Again!

Not too much drama today. Did 100 miles in 90+ degree humid weather, burning about 7500 calories. The blacktop made it seem a lot hotter. Had to stop many times to drink lots of fluids and cool down. For that reason, it took 7 hours and 13 minutes... As a frame of reference, my 113 mile ride took me 7 hours and 37 minutes. In case, you're not a math genius... that's pretty dang slow. I know it seems foolish to bike in that kind of weather, but I won't be able to avoid it on the road, so I might as well get used to it!

The ride ended with me feeling pretty healthy and no real pain. Never has air conditioning felt so good.


Thank you all again for your support on the ride and for the foundation... we are approaching $20,000 now on our way to $25,000. If you haven't donated and would like to, or know someone that would, please visit the following link. We're so close, please help reach my goal.

www.dpcancerfoundation.org/danielsride4cancer.html

Broke the 100 Mile Barrier for the first time ...  113.47 Miles!

After a couple of failed attempts at breaking the 100 mile barrier, I cruised through this key benchmark with no real issues. The final number of miles was 113.47, completed in 7 hrs and 37 minutes, burning 8620 calories, and with average speed at 14.9 mph. This speed includes breaks which pulls the number down. Taking out break times totaling about 40 minutes, brings my average speed to about 16.30 mph (average mile about 3.675 minutes). I didn't break any speed records, but I was happy with the outcome.

 

At the start of the day, my goal was not only to break 100, but to do at least 107 miles. This number is significant to me since it represents the longest day ride on my schedule. With just over 2 weeks before I leave, accomplishing a ride of this length prior to getting on the plane was more than important, it was vital. I had to know what the distance and the work to get through that kind of workout felt like. And for mental purposes, I wanted to be able to say to myself when I get up in the morning of June 10th in Quincy, Illinois ... 'I have done this before... no problem. Have fun.'  For me, having  'Been there, done that', takes a huge mental load off and I'm hoping that it keeps me from falling mentally apart on the road. Most great athletes will say that your mind will quit long before your body does. Of course I don't include myself in the company of these sports icons, but in my experience, they have it exactly right.  

 

The reason why I pushed myself to 113+ miles wasn't because I accidentally went too far out. Rather, it was because I wanted to shatter the 107 level for the added bonus of not only being able to say, 'Been there, done that...', but also to confidently utter the words to myself, 'You have done more than this.. no problem!'. It's a subtle difference in print, but it is a huge difference when you're bearing down on your last 20 miles and trying to keep your mind from falling apart.

I mentioned that I had no issue crossing the 100 mile mark. This was true, however, the last 13+miles were some of the most difficult that I have pedaled. The top half of my right foot went completely numb and was painful. I stopped twice to walk in my socks on the side of the road just to make sure I wasn't doing any damage. Apparently, this is very common for ultra distance bikers, so I was happy that the numbing sensation subsided very quickly. Also, despite having fueled well, my body simply didn't have much more to give in those last miles. I could feel every turn of the crank and home seemed very far away. I had hydrated well at mile 103, but it didn't seem to make much difference. It was clear at this point, that every remaining mile would be a test of mental grit and endurance.

 

Personally, I like pushing through the limits. It's pure adrenalin when I challenge myself to do things that I didn't know I was capable of. It's the stuff that makes me feel like my mind and body are in sync and I'm not living in the usual, where conscious thought lags far behind actions and 'hindsight 20/20' is the rule. The feeling of being forced to make a decision to quit or cross over to the unknown, sitting right on the edge where only what I do matters, drives me harder.  I have seen plenty of risk in business, and a good day at the office can give me a real rush, but there's nothing that I know of that is equivalent to when I'm being pushed physically to the absolute limit. This is where my body is begging to quit, but my mind is reaching down deep to pull whatever that 'stuff' is. Grit, determination, will power ...  I'm not sure of the right words, but I'm talking about the stuff that makes me turn that pedal one more time. There is no planning or weighing alternatives, I am forced to make the decision right then and there to stop or achieve my goal. To further bait me, my cell phone is only three feet from my hand at all times and help is only minutes away. It would be so easy to call home. For me, if I make that call, it is failure, and so I pedal on.

At about 6 miles from home, my back, legs and feet were aching to the point that I found myself starting to dedicate real thought to all the ways that I could rationalize calling JoAnn to pick me up. Some of the thoughts were, 'You did the 100! You did the 107!, it's okay to go home...'. I got mad at myself but can see how my brain was now starting to work on me. I quickly talked myself out of that and knew that there was no way, even if I had to walk, that I was going to take a ride. I downshifted and coasted where I could, but the last 5 miles have a lot of climbs so it offered little relief. Anyone watching me from a passing car, would have thought that I could have jogged faster than the speed that I was keeping on my bike.

 

On mile 110, I got a slight second (or third) wind and started pumping harder. With only 3.5 miles to go, I had won this battle and there was no getting off of the bike. The smile on my face brought visions of Dennis Quaid and his group of cutters in Breaking Away (1979) to my mind.

 

Our driveway is straight up, and as I downshifted to make the 1/10 mile climb, I was pedaling harder than I had in the last 25 miles. I wanted to finish strong and not come limping in. I was very happy to see that Josie and JoAnn were waiting for me on top of the hill. She had been tracking me on GPS over the course of the day and knew right when I would be coming in. So funny to think that 23 years ago, I would have had to stop and use a pay phone to let anyone know where I was (if I could find one and afford the call). Technology has come a long way... and on this day, so had I.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snap shot of Garmin 810 Edge Screen at completion of the ride.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 FUNDRAISING UPDATE... NEED YOUR HELP!

 

Thanks to all those that have given so generously to the foundation. The tally has us close to $16,000 with just 2 weeks left to launch date. We're still $9000 short of the $25,000 goal. Please dig down deep and consider making a contribution to help me reach this important level. Please forward it on to others that might have interest. Every dollar goes to the foundation (none of it to me! lol), and with 100% volunteer participation, every dollar then goes on to do its part in finding a cure for Cancer. Aside from that, it is completely tax deductible. Please go to the link below to make a contribution.

 www.dpcancerfoundation.org/danielsride4cancer.html


Thanks again for your support. It is much appreciated. 

All the Best,

Daniel

Rain, Flat Tires and Four Leaf Clovers... 

 

 

The 100 plus mile mark continues to elude me. This week, while trying to break through the 100 mile marker, I road into a heavy rain storm which quickly evolved into a bit of thunder and lightning. I thought to myself that I am not going to avoid rain when I am on the road, and there will always be miles to cover each day, so I might as well get used to the idea that the weather will not always be my friend. I pounded through the rain on a high speed road and was getting used to the idea of being wet. I remained quite positive even as the rain grew harder. I knew I could get through it ... that was until I got a flat tire 48 miles from no where just as the rain was coming down in sheets.

 

I called JoAnn to give her my coordinates and let her know that I ran into some trouble. We agreed that with the rain and the flat, and only clouds as far as the eye could see, that it was probably better that I come home. I told her that I was going to work on fixing the flat, and that if all went well, I might tell her to turn around and go home.

 

The road was deep into the southern Maryland with only farms and road as far as the eye could see. I took my bike off the shoulder of the road to give myself some protection from the cars. The best I could do was to sit in some 12 inch high grass and work on changing out my tube. Even on the nicest day, this would have been a tough task. But being soaked, in pouring rain, sitting in high grass, with cars flying by and shooting spray on me, was just about as bad as I could imagine it could be. And with that thought, I smiled. I might not have hit the 100 mile mark, but with this flat, I was submitting myself to some fairly bad conditions and this was no doubt, great training for the road! I became very optimistic, building on this constructive line of thinking. I had great confidence that I would be able to change the tube, pump it up, make a quick call to JoAnn to go home, and then get back on my way.

 

All was going quite well, until I inflated the new tube, only to find out that it also had a hole in it. If you blend the odds of being the guy that purchased a new tire tube that would have a hole in it with the odds of finding out this bad news 48 miles from home, in a rainstorm, with no cover on a high speed road, sitting in grass like a spandex cheetah... I would have to guess that it was a once in a lifetime event! 

 

I had no choice but to come home and I was thankful that JoAnn was on the way. I'm sure she wasn't so happy that she had to drop everything and drive an hour away to pick me up, but I was very glad that I wasn't thumbing a ride.

 

While I waited, I decided that it would be safer to find a better spot than to sit on the busy road and wait. I needed also to find a mailbox so I could rummage through someone's mailbox to get a good address for JoAnn to find me. I walked back about 1/2 mile or so until I found a little unnamed pull off with some mailboxes. It was much safer and I was glad to be off the high speed road. I got a good address, called JoAnn and then there was nothing left to do but wait.

 

After about a half hour, the rain stopped and the sun came back through. I was feeling quite cold so I was glad to have a chance to warm up. As I sat there with nothing to do, it was such an odd feeling to me. I tried to think of the last time that I had been in that situation. I had no memories of doing nothing, but at that moment, it felt great. Not just great, but awesome. Always, I have had 'very important' work (self important no doubt) or shuttling kids to and from activities, taking on new projects or just plain living the busy life that we all lead. Always reading the fortune cookie saying to 'smell the roses' and 'enjoy the journey', but never quite having the time to do it the way that I should do it. And here I was in this situation where I was forced to just do nothing but breathe and relax.

 

I took the opportunity to look at the dark clouds giving way to blue skies and noticed the little things like how fast clouds actually move through the sky and how the air feels and smells after a  heavy rain. I studied the trees and wondered about the seasons and how they became so green almost overnight. I saw a red tailed hawk because chased by some sparrows and wondered what the predator had done to deserve that. I started to breathe... more deeply, and less frequently. Despite the speeding cars throwing spray from the wet roads, flat inner tubes, wet clothes and missing my 100 mile mark once more, I smiled and enjoyed myself and relaxed. Something that I'm not always especially good at...

 

I looked down to the ground and discovered that I had somehow parked myself in a field of clover. With my bike leaning against the guardrail, I did what anyone would do that was sitting in new found sunshine with time on their hands; I dropped down and started looking for a four leaf clover! I never did find one, but I enjoyed looking for it. JoAnn arrived shortly after and as we drove back through the storm that I had already gone through, I realized that the day was a gift, a valuable lesson and a wake up call. It's given me plenty to think about.

 

Thanks for letting me share this experience... and for supporting the ride!

HALF WAY MARK REACHED FOR DECESARIS PROUT $25,000 CANCER FUND RAISER...  GREAT JOB TO ALL!


I wanted to thank everyone for their support leading up to the big day. I'm now less than a month away before I fly out to Kansas. We've reached the half point for fund raising and I know that we'll get to the $25,000 goal.

As a reminder, the DeCesaris/Prout Cancer Foundation donates every dollar collected to bring awareness and fund research for Ovarian and Lung Cancer. Cancer touches us all in one way or another, so please click on the link below and take a few minutes to make a donation. We can make a difference.

 www.dpcancerfoundation.org/danielsride4cancer.html

Thank you again for your support for the ride and for joining in the fight against cancer!

Best,
Daniel Wellington

WORKOUT INSIDER TODAY ... JOSIE TURNS 7 MONTHS!

Rain is great for the lawn, but not so great for long rides. Will give it a go tomorrow...

20 Miles Done Inside today on Stationary bike, 18.5 MPH AVERAGE SPEED AT 3% ELEVATION. Not the same as being on a bike but good workout.


Josie Turns 7 Months today. Check her out on the video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qHuuScfVxk

Thanks for all of your support!

SO WHAT THE HECK DO YOU PACK WHEN YOU'RE BIKING 85-100 MILES A DAY?

 

23 years ago, I packed everything but the kitchen sink when I headed out west. After climbing up a 1% elevation for 20 - 30 miles, I stopped at the first post office I could find and mailed home over 15 pounds of gear. It's amazing what becomes instantly dispensable when you have to carry it yourself. The point is that weight kills! The lighter you can be, the easier the ride.

 

This trip is different because the SAG vehicles (Support and Gear) will carry two thirty pound bags of gear (the limit they allow) instead of me having to carry it on my bike.

 

The support vehicles following me from Topeka, Kansas to Erie, PA. From Erie, PA to Davidsonville, MD, I will be on my own with the help of family and friends. Because the vehicles are spread out over 25-30 riders at varying speeds and locations, I still have to carry some gear and of course food and liquids. In order to not feel completely stranded, especially in remote areas, there are some basics that I have.  

 

 

Start with a good light sturdy bike:

 

 

This is my new bike made by a company called Guru in Quebec, Canada. It's about 16.5 pounds and made of carbon fiber. Bought it from the folks at Parvilla Bicycle in Edgewater, MD.

 

 

Some gear bags:

 

 

Top Tube Bag

 

As much as I don't want to carry extra weight, I can't avoid having a couple bags on my bike at all times. The Top Tube bag (up front close to the handle bars) is for money, phone, fuel, ID, insurance card, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

I mentioned in one of my earlier blog post today that the clear plastic smart phone friendly cover was really not all that helpful for following a map app. And given that I really shouldn't be looking at my phone when I am riding, and that it's impossible to see through the plastic anyhow, the added feature was probably a waste of money.  But the little bag does carry a lot for being relatively small.

 

 

Rear Seat Bag

 

 

Attached to seat and seat post

 

 

 

What goes in the bag?   inner tube, bike tire pry tools, CO2 cartridge for filling tires (very cool), and multi-tool (left over from my first bike trip 23 years ago).

 

 

 

 

Gotta Hydrate

 

I always ride with two bottles. The one on the left is the usual size for 30-50 miles. The one on the right is not a biking bottle and not very hip as far as biking equipment goes. But I've never been big on being hip and my practical side as usual took over. I searched my local Target for the biggest bottle I could find that would fit in my bottle clips. It's wider and taller and holds about 8 ounces more fluid. The combined addition of 16 extra ounces will come in handy if I get in a tough spot.

 

 

What's to Come?

 

A fancy new biking computer! I should receive my new biking computer any day now. It will give me all the stats, wind, rain, coordinates, elevation, speed, distance, etc. Most importantly, it can map bike friendly routes no matter where I am. It also helps me connect to the internet through my phone, without using my phone battery. I will have a preset course, but this piece of equipment will back me up if I get separated from my group or decide to go it alone. It will be instrumental in my trip from Erie, PA to Davidsonville, MD since I will be mapping my own course.

 


 
All good items to have for a long ride!

LATEST UPDATE: VERY EXCITED. IT’S GAME ON NOW!

Just bought my one-way plane ticket to Kansas City, MO.  I will take a cab from the airport to Topeka, KS to meet up with the group. By the time I meet them, they will have biked half way across the country.

90 Miles Yesterday, Why I am bummed Out a Bit!


I set out yesterday at just before 10am to do a 110 mile ride. Why? There is no day on my course from Kansan to Maryland that is more than 107 miles, so my thought process was that if I can do 110, then I can do 107 no problem. Kind of mental pump me up thing...

I used mapmyride.com to attempt to map my own course. The problem is that when you're going this type of distance, lack of familiarity with the roads you choose can leave you in a bad spot if you're not careful. Even though the site only shows 'bike friendly' roads, some roads are a lot more friendlier than others. And given that I don't even know the roads that are within a 10 mile radius of where I live, let alone a 55 mile radius, I'm not the best guy to map a long route. Instead, mapmyride makes public thousands of maps that others have created, so I decided to choose a course that a local biker had mapped out. This proved to be a big mistake on several levels, starting with the assumption that this unknown rider knew more than me.

First of all, I figured out how to download the app to my phone to give me directions. (I'm so high tech!). The app allows you to download a map and pegs you with GPS to show you where you are on the specific map. While it doesn't give you directions ahead, it shows you the course that you need to be on. To help myself read the map on my Iphone, I bought a neat little top tube bag (attaches to the top tube of the bicycle directly under my me) with a clear plastic top that in theory allows me to look down on the phone and see where I am going. Key words 'in theory'. What I didn't account for was that I would be sweating all over the bag and that I can't see that far anyhow. On top of that, the sun makes it hard to see so you have to pull over to a shady spot to figure it out. Lastly, running an app that never stops drains your phone fast. My phone also kept going to a dark screen every five minutes, which meant that I had to keep pulling the phone out, putting in my password and then getting back on the app. This was very much a pain in the backside, and these were just my technical issues!

The practical issues were that the mapper had indeed mapped 110 miles, but many of the roads and turns were less than a couple miles each. I would memorize a few turns from the course, but then would have to continually pull over to get the next list of turns every 10-15 minutes. Every bike rider knows that momentum, cadence, and rhythm are your friends. I quickly grew very frustrated trying to find a shady spot on someone's farm to read the screen through the sweat beads and not being able to use the touch screen because the screen was too wet with sweat from my hands to be functional. All the while, my battery is dying at an alarming pace.

Right about the 55 mile mark, not knowing where I was, I knew that I had to get my phone charged or risk not knowing how to get home or having a phone to call home. Obviously, I'm being a bit dramatic and could borrow a phone, but a guy walking around in spandex tights in deep Calvert County, MD (lots of farms) asking to use someone's cell phone wasn't on my top ten list of things to do that day. I did bring the print out of the directions as a backup, but that would have been a bigger nightmare... think about it paper, sweat, directions... it would be like 1990 all over again. Fortunately, I had a solar charger with me, a gift someone gave me when I left Tempus (thanks Olivia!), that came in very handy.  It gave my phone a little juice to get out of the sticks and back to civilization. It would have fully charged my phone had I remembered to charge it with the solar panel the day prior.

(Solar Panel - You don't bring the panel with you. You just plug the panel into the white battery and let it sit in the sun for a bit and then you carry the white battery with you. When in need, just plug your phone directly into it and presto! a charge with no outlet needed. Good stuff.)

I arrived at a 7-11 somewhere in Calvert County (I think?), and after explaining my situation to the kind Indian store owner, she graciously unlocked a cabinet of high priced electronic accessories and broke out an Iphone charger. She even plugged my phone in for me. It was one of those moments when humanity redeems itself and people do something nice, just because... I don't think I was ever so relieved to see the charger lightning bolt on my phone.  I haven't mentioned yet that I had been completely out of fuel and liquids for the last 15 miles or so, so I was very close to running out of steam. I was happy to give the 7-11 my business and bought an armload of waters, Gatorade and Power Bars. It was now almost 2:30. This meant that it took me 4.5 hours to do 55 miles... This was a horrible pace and very much off of my typical 17+ mph clip. All the stops and turns had a much greater negative impact than I had thought. What was worse is that I knew I couldn't do 55 miles in 3 hours in order to get home in time to get the kids at 6. I knew then that I would not be doing 110 miles that day as hoped and it was time to change the game plan.

With my phone about half charged, I looked at the maps next few turns and it showed that within about 6 miles, I would be on a road that I knew. For the locals, it was the Rt 2/4. If you know this road, then you know that it is high speed 55mph (cars going 65) and not especially safe for bikers, but it goes almost directly where I needed to go. It has a wide shoulder and is considered by the state to be a 'bike route'. It is not a ton of fun to have cars whipping by you at high speed, but I was happy to know where I was and not be reliant on technology.

I decided that I had to do at least 85 miles. This will be my daily average on the road. I biked to about the 75 mile mark and called JoAnn to ask her to get me after Rts 2 and 4 split. I knew that by the time she found me, I would be past or close to the 85+ mile marker. I decided to really push it to see how far I could go. By the time, she found me and I loaded up my bike, I had logged 90 miles. This was all done in about 7hrs and 45 mins... with the last 35 miles being done in about the last 2.5 hours!  I was glad that I had the grit to make a big push at the end, but I should have finished the ride home, which would have taken me coincidentally to about 107 miles...  There will be a next time.. stay tuned.

Thanks to all for you support.

Tough Mudder Official Video for The West Virginia Race I did...  Just released today!

This video was made by the Tough Mudder people on the day of our race and was just released today. It gives you a little better view of the course and the adrenaline pumping through everyone on that day. There is no footage of me ... but I think the video does a great job of showing what everyone was feeling and going through that day.

Check out the paraplegic...  doing the entire course with just his arms .... how's that for MENTAL GRIT!

Don't miss the very last piece of the video as the contestants are running through the electric field... After getting shocked repeatedly, it's pretty difficult to maintain proper running form... hence the face first mud plants!  Jus good clean fun!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VRaimWQYBA&feature=share&list=UUg79vIcf0XmsoFm2IJz6aMg