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Eat Your Wheaties! |
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Written by Dave Barr
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Sunday, 11 May 2008 |
Brialee Ramblin’ Rumble
Ashford, CT
5/11/2008
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It all started with the idea of combining Mother’s day, our 2½ year old son Sam’s first camping trip and the Root 66 NORBA series Brialee Ramblin’ Rumble MTB race. Hey… why not? - have a family fun weekend and do a race all at the same site. I must say it was a hoot-of-a-time all in all.
The Brialee campground was great; with live music on Saturday night and tons of fun stuff for the little guy. I got to pre-ride the course Saturday afternoon and found out what a sloppy technical mess it was going to be. However, it was a really classic eastern-style course that challenged your grit in every way and I looked forward to the test. My problems started Sunday morning when (out of my normal race prep routine) I failed to eat proper quantity. I was too busy playing with Sam and not really getting in “the zone” (so-to-speak).
First two laps went fine…riding pretty well considering the course doesn’t suit my strengths. But, I didn’t realize I was not hydrating nearly enough. The Brialee course was in one of those super-rocky, rooty, snotty, slippery moods and had the nice addition of a couple of barely ride able swamps due to our recent rains here in New England. The type of race where you are so busy negotiating the next challenge…not only is it hard to, but you sometimes FORGET TO DRINK!
Starting third lap, when I realized I still had a third of my first bottle left I knew I was in trouble. The legs began to cramp and I started feeling kind of punchy. I tried to chug down the Gatorade in my bottle but the damage was already done. Starting the fourth lap I started to completely shut-down. I had a goo in my jersey but didn’t even think to use it (not sure it would have helped at that point anyway).Yes…what you call the classic BONK! Now, I didn’t have the legs to hit the rocky slippery sections with any momentum so my pace slowed to a crawl and the trail beat me relentlessly. I think my base fitness is the only reason I was able to finish at all (I guess many riders did drop out). Riders started passing me that were riding the same way I had been just 45 minutes before, but I couldn’t do anything about it now.
I crossed the finish line feeling really strange (a bad strange). I collapsed down in the grass and must have looked a wreck when a women sitting on a picnic table next to me asked “are you alright?” Something’s definitely not right when you are shivering uncontrollably, and have goose bumps all over yet you are sitting in the warm sunshine at 70 F.
It hasn’t happened in a few years (I must say a very rookie mistake) but I think it was a good ol’ bonk combined with some possibly dangerous dehydration. I felt like I had the flu or something. I staggered back to the van where my wife asked “are you alright?” And kindly offered to drive home (on Mother’s day nonetheless…) When I got home my neighbor asked me “Dave why do you do that to yourself?” All I could say was “yeah it was a pretty rough day...but I’d do it again.” Next time I’ll just remember to… EAT MY WHEATIES!
Dave
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