the good...the bad...the final thoughts

First off, the GOOD! Loved Ft. Yargo. Loved the trail, loved getting to meet and ride with Cathy Halgat and her awesome super cool husband, Jay. Loved the variety of the terrain (it's basically a cross section of various parts of all our local trails). Really great. And, with Jeff's new larger platform pedals...no toe pain! WOO HOO!

Then, the BAD! About halfway through our first lap the vertigo kicked in hard. Dizziness, fatigue, nausea. Blechhhh. I had to walk one of the trail climbs and part of the new improved and longer power line climb. Which was even more annoying because long, steady non-technical climbing is something I'm quite capable of doing.

So, we took a food break and tried to head back out. I just couldn't shake it. I had to stop a lot, thinking I was going to puke or faint (once I had little lights flashing before my eyes and came to an abrupt and immediate stop because I refused to faint while riding - good call, eh? Now most of you who know me know that I'm not fast, but I'm not turtle slow either. I'm pretty moderate...but today I just couldn't do anything. I was in granny on things that I would normally climb in the higher side of my middle ring. Seriously, for long stretches I was lucky to put out 3.8 to 4.2 miles per hour average.

But back to the positive with my final thoughts. I powered through the vertigo, while being smart. I just did what I could and on the second lap, even feeling pretty damned ill, I made all the climbs...just in really small gears! More positive, I know I can handle this course with no real worries when I'm 100%. My awesome husband (tomorrow we celebrate our 7th anniversary) was worried and concerned and waited for me at every big intersection, and at each one listened without irritation to which symptom (luckily they didn't hit me all at once...I'd either feel dizzy and faint or nauseous, not a lovely combo of the two which is "oh so lovely") had plagued me most over that two or so mile stretch. Cathy and Jay never made me feel like I was holding them back, though there's not a snowball's chance in hell that I wasn't. Even feeling quite sick, I didn't just decide I couldn't hack it and I finished 24+ miles.

And I was smart enough to know to quit. Another lap would have involved me fainting or puking on the trail. Not something I aspire to.

I can't wait for the Yargo 12 hour in three weeks. I'm very hopeful that continuing to be smart will ensure I am at close to 100% before that event.