Foxy's Fall Century

Did Foxy's Fall Century yesterday.

It was the second century I ever did, the first since 2006 when I did Bay in a Day.

It was painful towards the end -- mostly around my crotch. The little training I got during the previous three weeks, hill workouts and spin classes, were just enough for my legs & lungs to get through it. But those workouts can't prepare you for the fire in your crotch from saddle soreness, or the stiffness in the upper back and neck from keeping your neck in the same position for 8 hours.

Still though -- it was gorgeous. Barreling down from Cardiac Hill past Lake Berryessea in Napa -- it was worth it. It was bright and sunny in the low 80's, much warmer than in the immediate Bay Area. I also never get bored by the sight of hundreds of gathering in one place, bikes and gear everywhere.

Moments likes that, similar to gathering up with a crew of wetsuited swimmers before a big bay swim, may you feel that you are part of something bigger. You feel you are part of a kind of sub-culture of weekend athletes.

At the end, me and the three other guys I was with were near dead. My lungs windpipe had a weird pain in it when I breathed, like it was overly exerted. The biggest guy in our crew bonked at midway and grunted the rest of the way -- more than I could have. The two other guys could barely look at the salad & pasta they served us at the end -- the heat and the riding nauseated them.

One of the guys commented on how I seemed so fresh after having done a century with so little training. He had no idea how much my ass and balls hurt at that moment.