What We're doing Tomorrow

Tomorrow I attempt something Totally Stupid. For anyone who missed it I signed up to do trhe 100 Miles Of Nowhere, a cancer fundraiser put on by Fatty at The Fat Cyclist. It started as 100 miles on a bike on rollers but has morphed into 100 miles on either rollers or a very short course or frankly however and wherever you like. It's a great event and raises money to fight an evil disease that effects just about everyone, one way or another. There's a bonus. My daughter, The DO, will be doing something on her own in far off Hungary. I don't know what she has planned but I like to imagine we're doing it together.

This is my first time doing this event. I have a very personal reason for doing so. My mother is in the last stages of terminal lung cancer and I'm dedicating my effort tomorrow to her. In that light, because it's so close and personal to me, I decided more was needed. I decided on a triathlon but one with a twist.

100 miles on a bike, 10K on a treadmill and 100,000 pounds lifted. I chose to lift because;
1. I can't swim and even if I could the bathtub is kinda small for laps.
2. I can lift and I have a nice little gym out behind my house.

I'll start out the day lifting. In my training it was pretty apparent that I was expending a lot of energy getting the 100,000 pound total. So much so that I was bonking during the lifting portion when I tried biking or running first. I'll post my totals but bear this in mind. In order to reach the total I want, with enough left in the tank to continue, I'm going to be lifting moderate to light weights for very high repititions. 100 reps per exercise. For instance I'll only be benching 200 pounds. 100 reps at 200 pounds will give me 20,000 pounds toward my total. To reach that at 400 pounds I'd need 50 reps but 50 reps at 400 would leave me pretty much done for any other pushing exercise. Doing the lighter weight/higher rep routine allows me to immediately go to dips and later overheads without arm burnout. If all goes well I'll be done anywhere between 90 minutes and 2 hours.

From there I'll jump on the bike. I have a set of rollers and cable TV in the gym. I plan on doing four 25 mile legs with a 10 minute rest in between. Anticipated time is around 5 hours.

Lastly the 10K. By this time I'll be pretty much ruined. I'm confidant I can run at a very modest pace and get it done in 90 minutes but I'll go as fast as I can.

So there it is. I have a goal, a plan and a complete lack of common sense. If it goes to plan I'll be done in somewhere between 8 and 9 hours. Lu will act as my pit crew, feeding me, fetching needed items, loading weight bars and generally supporting me and acting as my coach and cheerleader. She's a peach. I'll post pictures and a write up as soon as I can, hopefully immediately after but that's dependant on how I'm feeling.

This is for you Ma. It's so little but it's all I can do. It's my way of reminding you how much I love you and that I will do what I can to eradicate the disease that will so soon seperate us. You will be first in my mind tomorrow and indeed every day.

Wish me luck or place bets on what catastrophe will befall my dumb ass. If it takes all day I will finish.

Six

Update: Done. I couldn't stand the strain (patience has never been one of my virtues) so I did the Tri last night. Started at 1430 and ended just shy of 2326. I completed all three disciplines but had a little trouble with a knee. I'll post the whole thing a little later. At the moment I'm trying to convince my legs not to leave me in a huff and go live with their Mom.