Friday, August 6, 2010

Midnight Century On The Brain - #4 And Final

Notes to self:

Last year you didn't finish. You had a good aventure but you know you wanna finish. You learned a lot, so use it to help you finish.

Riding a hundred hilly dirt-roady miles, at your age, in the middle of the night when your body says you should be sleeping, is not easy. You're gonna have to will it, and you're gonna pay the price for a few days. Just be real about that.

You know last year the whole deal about drinking a couple of beers in the afternoon to help make you tired so you could sleep before the ride? Are you some kind of idiot? No alchohol, bro. I don't care if you can't sleep, just lay down and look at the ceiling and chill and get your head and body relaxed and ready and keep shit out of your system.

Don't get caught up in a paceline on the CT and burn yourself out early. Let 'em go and set your own pace. It's a long night, so ride your own ride. You're totally equipped to go solo, so if you need to, do it.

Drink your water. Eat your calories. Eat your salt. Take breaks. Enjoy the excitement of the night and let it energize you. And try to have fun, you dumb bastard.

4 comments:

Alan said...

This will be my first Midnight Century and until just now, I always assumed I'd finish. But thanks to your recent posts, I'm going to spend the next 36 hours wondering about whether or not I'll make it. Thanks, Pat, you're a real inspiration (read sarcastically, of course)!

Pat S said...

Alan, I seriously doubt you'll have any trouble finishing, as strong as you ride. But I do hope this unique course challenges you in a unique way. Have a great ride!

mechBgon said...

I think you need a fight song. How about "Eye Of The Tiger" from the Rocky movies?

Pat S said...

Tom, good idea on the fight song. I'm trying to stay away from thoughts of wild animals though. I'm going with Midnight Bicycle Mystery