There's a couple of things that I've been training for lately- I'm getting ready for this weekend's 100 mile Centurion Bicycle race with a group of friends on a team we're calling "Something About Mary" in honor of our friend Mary who we lost during Ironman training last year. I'm also in the middle of training for the Chicago Marathon with Team In Training- and along the way raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. You can make a donation to those efforts here.
Between the two efforts- this weekend was "one step up and one step back."
Starting with the Centurion training- Something About Mary hit the road early on Saturday morning and rode about 70 of the 100 mile course. We rode about 35 of it last weekend and I had a horrible ride. About 25 miles into last weekend's ride I BONKED- I got dizzy, felt really weak and thought I was going to throw up.
So after last weekend's debacle- it felt good to get out on this course and ride it like I know we can, or more precisely- like I know I can, as I was the one having problems last weekend.
We started at Uphill Grind in Cross Plains and rode out to the loop- did one loop plus a smaller loop that included the big Enchanted Valley hill.  I felt good throughout the ride- maybe a little tired by the end of the Enchanted Valley loop- but really good overall.
On the course we ran into a couple guys riding from Oregon to Maine. When we got back to Cross Plains after the big loop we stopped for a water refill at Uphill Grind before heading out for the last few miles. As we left Uphill Grind, we saw the cross-county travelers again, so we rode back to them and told them about Uphill Grind. When we finished our ride they were still there, telling stories of their adventures to all the other riders that were hanging out at Uphill Grind.
We finished off the day with a great smoothie- definitely hit the spot after the ride.
That was the "one step up" part of the weekend. The "one step back" part came on Sunday. It was a step back, in that I didn't get out for the planned Team In Training run on Sunday afternoon, but it was worth it.  I spent the day working as the race announcer for the Bicycle Races at the U.S. Transplant Games. I remember from the last time I was a race announcer (about 15 years ago at Madison Marathon- long before I was active myself), that this is a really tough gig. Even now that I am a fairly active guy, this is still a tough day- in fact I'd say this is actually harder than racing.
This was a particularly inspiring race to work- transplant patients from all across the country come together once every other year for the games- they rotate through cities- last time Philadelphia, this time Madison. 1500 athletes + family and friends and some doners and their families too. It makes for a pretty emotional event.
Beyond the obvious emotion of the event and the inspirational part of watching every athlete- fast and slow alike- come across the finish line, the coolest non-race moment came when I was looking down at my notes- I noticed out of the corner of my eye a Felt bike with an argyle patern ride past- I looked up just in time to be staring Christian Vande Velde from team Garmin/Slipstream in the eye. Christian has had a couple of top 10 finishes at the Tour de France. Christian's brother Ian was competing and won his age group in both the 5k time-trial and the 20k race. A woman who I assume was his grandmother wanted to introduce us, but I was too busy at the moment...maybe next time.
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