ULCER 2012

I love turning the calendar as I leave July and seeing that August has arrived! My favorite month always starts out the same way....with MY birthday cake August 1st followed by a oodles of activities, after all, summer is finally in full swing!

So far this month My Morning Jacket preformed at the Twilight Concert Series with 4 more concerts scheduled for Thursday nights. The Park City Arts Festival was amazing (as always) and offered my soul a chance to relish the talents of others. Finally, Donnielle and I met early this week for lunch and to commit to the ULCER Century bike ride on Saturday.

We made a pact to finish all 100 miles, regardless of the weather, our own personal discomfort, or any other excuse or justifications that may come up along the route. We decided to skip the first rest stop, break only for 5 minute at the remaining 5 stops and to minimize the amount of time we spent at lunch. I rented a high end Roubaix road bike and Donnielle invested in shoes and pedal clips to increase her productivity. Finally, we decided to start an hour earlier this year (6:30 am) in hopes of getting off the course before hot August sun settled in along the west side of Utah Lake.

I loved the first 40 miles of the race, the course through Lehi, American Fork, and Provo in the predawn light, winding through neighborhoods and following the lake edge was magical and my bike seemed to have wings. I skipped the first rest stop and waited 5 minutes at the second one before texting Donnielle that I pushed forward. I was on the bike just a few minutes when I felt my phone vibrate and I knew she was not far behind me.

Lunch arrive faster than I had expected and it was not long before Donnielle found me resting under a tree, awaiting her arrival. We headed out in good spirits and with some iTunes but somewhere along the way I developed a foul mood....the ride did not seem fun any longer and as the chipper volunteer at the first post lunch stop announced "just think you have 63 miles behind you" my only thought was that I better get back on the bike before I start swearing. Unfortunately the next 7 miles for me were equally challenging and this time when I stopped I made a purposeful effort not to say one word to anyone - I felt I had had enough.

The afternoon heat became a real challenge but eventually the route past the west desert shooting range and into Saratoga Springs became familiar and although I was out of physical strength, my mental fortitude began to kick in. The rest area 7 miles from the finish was perhaps my favorite stop. I listened as Donnielle talked of her struggles early in the course between miles 30 and 50, and I recalled my own struggles between miles 60 and 80 and realized that each of us, in our own way, had pushed through obstacles this day.

We made it back to Thanksgiving Point at 2:30 pm which means our 8 hour bike ride was 1 and 1/2 hour faster than last year, which meant the cheering crowds at the finish line and a post ride plate of Fizoli spaghetti were still available for us to enjoy. Here I am basking in the joy of a silver medal around my neck!