Suiggy 6 Hour Failure

I participated in my first ever solo race on Saturday, March 14th. It was the Squiggy Classic 6 hour. I’ve participated in a few 50 mile challenges but this was my first real official race. Please note: I didn’t say that I completed my first ever solo race. Just that I participated.

The race was held at Morris Bridge Park near Tampa, Fl with a start time of 10:00 am. Prior to the start of the race all of the bikes were placed about 25 yards in front of the start line. The racers all lined up and waited for the signal to go. Once the signal was given everyone had to run to their bikes, get on, and start riding. I thought this was an interesting way to start a race, but then again, this was my first. The first couple miles were spent weaving in and out of traffic and “warming up”. Once I felt warmed up a little I started riding a little more aggressively. Aside from a pain in my lower back, the first lap went by without incident.

The second lap however was not incident free. The pain in my lower back was much worse than during the first lap, my feet fell horribly asleep, my hands were going numb more than usual, and my tire pressure was way high. To top things off I started having some serious issues with sugar and food. My motivation and morale began rapidly deteriorating. By the time I was half way through my second lap I wasn’t sure I was going to go for a third. Fortunately, while going past the judges table I saw the crowd cheering. This, of course, got my adrenaline going and persuaded me to head out for a third lap.

After passing the judges table I stopped at my self supported pit to refuel. I also dropped my camelbak and threw a water bottle on my bike in hopes of controlling my lower back pain. After polishing off a cliff bar and some water I hit the trail again. It didn’t take me long to realize that a third lap was a bad idea. My back pain seemed to be gone but my foot had been asleep for so long that I started experiencing extreme pain across the ball of it. My energy level seemed to be completely depleted and my morale had hit rock bottom. I had to stop every 1 – 2 miles just to rest and try to get some feeling back in my feet. After pulling into the judges area I threw my bike on the ground and sat on the edge of a fence trying to recover enough to walk over to the water table. This is when I had decided to pull the plug. Things just weren’t going my way.

After recovering enough to walk to the water table I drank some water and Gatorade then headed to the truck to put my bike away (the picture to the left was taken at this time). I changed, ate some food and hung out watching some fellow riders finish the race. It was a great experience but a horrible ride for me. I’m still undecided as to whether or not I’m going to participate again next year or just help out a fellow rider in the transition area.