O2S Report

Despite the fact that I've been sicker than a dog for the past few days (including today) the race went pretty well overall. I only lost about four minutes on last years time. Rob kept me honest, and without him in the race I surely would have ended up with a slower time. He passed me about 1/3 of the way through, and I was unable to hold his wheel. At that point, I thought to myself "I'm sick, it's okay. Rob's been riding a ton lately, and he's got a new bike". But then I caught up to him again, and we rode together back and forth for the remainder of the race. Rob just wouldn't give up. Every time I'd get a gap on him, a couple of minutes later he'd be right back on my wheel. Every time he'd get a gap on me, a couple of minutes later I'd pull in back behind him. This went on and on....and on and on..... Then we got to the ten mile to go mark, and I made my move. I got a small lead on Rob before the last big climb, and rather than shifting into the granny gear I decided to run/sprint up the hill. I passed at least half a dozen people on the climb, but it definitely put me in the red zone. Within a couple of more miles my quads were cramping up something fierce. Coming out into the home stretch, it was all I could do to keep moving forward. I only ended up about two minutes or so ahead of Rob, but without him there to motivate me I'm sure my time would have been much slower. I really didn't feel very good at all. But that's how it goes. Sometimes the trail eats you, and sometimes the you eat the trail. Today I got eaten, spit out, and thrown away. But after a nice dip in Lake Superior with Matt (who did remarkably well in his first 48 miler) I'm feeling just as fresh as a somewhat wilted daisy. Tomorrow is another day, and I plan on spending it lounging around Maraquette. Whether that is on the beach or around the campsite remains to be seen, but rest assured tomorrow will be a day of relaxation. Thanks for reading.