New Hampshire 100

Don't stop till everything's gone
Straight ahead never turn round
Don't back up, don't back down
Full throttle wide open
You get tired, you don't show it
Dig a little deeper when you think you can't dig no more
That's the only way I know
-Jason Aldean

 This was my strategy for the Hampshire 100 this year.

In July, I finished dead last in a hot, brutal 61 mile Carrabasset Backcountry Challenge Race with a broken front derailleur cable only 18 miles in.  I almost quit with 4 miles left to go but knew that I would always regret that decision so I kept going.  Ray told me I should be happy since he DNF'd  after both of his legs cramped at 39 miles. It didn't make me feel any better.

  I got discouraged since we have been doing a  longer  rides and lots of hills and I'm still too slow for the Sport class.

 I went through a 2 week period where I did not enjoy riding my bike which is very unlike me. 
I had already signed up for the 100 so it was either volunteer at the race and lose out on my registration fee, or put on my big girl panties and race.  Since I'm not a quitter, I decided on the latter.

The day started out with a beautiful sunrise, comfortable temps and my traditional pre-race bear hug from The Maz.

My only goal was to finish in less time than my 9:59 finish last year.  Since all the Sport women  were in the same group and look very serious about this race, I figured I would end up last.

It was nice to know that Ray, Mike, Dan, Judson, John and Larry would all be suffering  too.

The start was pretty easy, I stayed with a group of 3 guys on the sandy part by the airport, focusing on the guys in front of me to forget about the pedaling.  They were pretty easy on the eyes so that went by quickly.   The climbs went on forever, but I expected that after last year.

The runners and riders were passing each other back and forth, the runners could climb faster since they weren't pushing bikes up the hill.

The  riders/runners were encouraging and friendly, one rider stopped to make sure I was OK when I crashed in front of him and gashed my elbow open.

The singletrack was awesome, the fiddler was good, and the nice man handing out Octoberfest draft beer at mile 27 was my hero!  Thank you!!!!

The volunteers at the feed stations were awesome, making sure we didn't need anything. As I rolled into one of them, the EMS mechanic said "Go get some food while I lube your chain for you."  At that point, I thought those were the sweetest words a guy could ever say to a girl.

Last year I was afraid to push myself too much, fearing that I would get too tired and not be able to finish.  Now I know that I can go that distance.

I decided that this year I was going to try to ride the hills further before walking, push harder when I felt good, and just keep rolling when tired.  Surprisingly, I didn't tire as quickly as I thought I would.   I tried to eat/drink even when I didn't feel like it, and not stop for more than a few minutes at the feed stations. Being a multi-tasker, I even  ate a Hammer Gel while in the porta potty to save time. 

I guess that was working for me, as I passed two women in my class.  The nice woman from Canada was getting tired and trying to ride a rigid 26er over some rock gardens.  I felt bad for her on that bike. That gave me renewed energy and I got my second wind.  I tried to put as much distance between us as I could.  It felt good to pass by some guys who were burning out along the way also.   I thought about the CBR guys and where they may be, and about Stephanie who has more than likely been done for hours. 

I was beginning to realize that although I had about 10 miles left to go, I was going to beat my time.  I was having trouble concentrating enough to figure out what time I would be done.

My legs were beginning to burn but I kept pedaling.  I couldn't bear to look down and see my legs still working after so many hours.  I think I was trying to pretend that they didn't belong to me. 

I had blisters on both hands despite wearing gloves, and my forehead had a stinging, chafed lump forming from my  sweaty helmet. My left foot was completely numb for the last 10 miles from my sciatica which made it hard to walk the hills because I kept tripping on rocks.   My upper arms were beginning to cramp.

 I've  decided that mountain bike racing is just like childbirth.  You forget how painful and exhausting it is until you do it again.  The Hampshire is one long  labor.

I got excited when I passed by the last water stop, people were cheering and waving me on across the road.  Cindy saw me and started honking her horn.  I knew then that I was going to  make it to the end.  I was still looking behind me for the other girls but they were not there.  I was aftraid they would sneak up behind me in the end.  I forgot about the pain an pedaled with renewed energy.  I met up with a rider who was also finishing up his race and we chatted back and forth for a bit.  It was the longest 5 miles of my life.

I finished with a time of 9:13 happy that I survived, beat my time by 45 minutes, and didn't finish last in my class.  I finished 5th out of 7 Sport women, and seeing Ray waiting at the finish line trying to hand me a pickle made me feel like a winner.

I discovered that this type of race isn't always about beating other riders. It is also about  seeing how deep you can dig, pushing through the pain, and proving to yourself that you are stronger than you think; all while riding your bike and making friends along the way.

I'm doing this again next year. 

-Judy

Dan and Mike talking about fried pickles at the finish

Judson, Ray and John