The Journey to a Texas Ironman

Hey Everybody! Trusting you had a good week and restful weekend. Here is a little something I took on for fun:

Saturday was the Hotter N Hell 100 in Wichita Falls, Texas. For the second year in a row, the weather was hot but not like one would imagine in the place opposite of heaven...okay, around mile 85 things began to get a little toasty.

This event is a great ride for all levels of athlete. Thing is, you have to train or you might end up joining the ranks in the SAG wagon or worse, the ambulance wagon. If you ever have the chance, try out the event. It is traditionally held nine days before Labor Day every year. Hotels sell out months in advance for the four day event. There are different mileage options so you don’t have to ride 100 miles but if you can, it is one event with some serious bragging rights!

After working the week away, I packed up Celeste (now you better know who she is by now) and an overnight bag and drove off to Wichita Falls. Arriving at the hotel I had to snicker as directly across the parking lot was a bike shop. This was definitely a good sign.

The expo was a cyclists dream. Anything you needed, the expo had it and if you were looking for mark downs on cycling gear, this was the place to be. Of course the important stuff such as picking up the packet was the first thing off my list then on to pick up the coveted HHH100 jersey. This year’s jersey was without a doubt the coolest one yet. I can’t wait to wear it at next year’s ride as tradition is to wear a previous years jersey the day of the ride.

After seeing many familiar faces, I decided to get a good night’s sleep in preparation for the ride. Unfortunately, that did not happen for unknown reasons so I did the best I could until the alarm went off at 5:00am.

Finding parking the morning of the ride is easy, as long as you get there early. I arrived to the start around 6:15am. Shortly thereafter, about 14,000+ cyclists jammed the street ready to take on the days event. Just after 7am, a beautiful live version of the National Anthem was sung followed by the Air Force fly over and a cannon start. I can’t help but to get choked up with the anthem and fly over. It gets me every single time.

The rest stops were awesome with plenty of hydration, snacks and of course the favored pickles and pickle juice. Last year, at the start of the ride I thought drinking pickle juice was ridiculous however by the end of the ride, I was ready to take stock in the product. It’s a great salt replenishment and with the heat and long distance miles, I along with many others were searching out the pickle juice volunteers the minute we rolled to a rest stop.

One of the many perks is the Mile 98 unofficial stop. This lovely stop however it is not part of the organized ride. I won’t go into too much detail but let’s just say, it was a welcomed beverage for the adult riders of the HHH100. You can even obtain a T-shirt signifying you were there. Of course, I am now a proud owner of the mile 98 stop t-shirt. ;)

Driving home after the 100 mile ride pretty much zapped out my energy until I arrived home checking FaceBook updates. K2 – you know who you are, reminded me of the push up and sit up challenge. As if the 100 mile ride with little sleep then a 1.5 hour drive home wasn’t enough, I had to complete the ongoing push up and sit up challenge. So, after 240 push ups then 240 sit ups(you add a push up each day beginning on January 1st then finish on December 31st with 365), I collapsed into bed and slept a good sleep.

The next morning, I was pleasantly surprised with no soreness, refreshed from a great night of sleep and filled with a feeling of excitement for those who finished. Oh and of course, I now have one cool cycling jersey to remember the day.

Talk to you next week!
Janet