|   Laguna Seca Report: The Solo Immigrant Outcast Rodeo Clown | dave pelman
May 21, 2003 10:31 AM | | To beloved teammates, friends and sponsors,
(dr, will you forward this to dara, appropriate sponsors and others who email i don't have right now?)
Let me preface this email with a gigantic, loving and immensely
appreciative thank you for all of your encouragement, support and caring.
if it weren't for you, especially jennifer klausner (my pit mom) there would have been no way i could have raced this thing.
i can walk fairly normally today. yesterday and sunday i had partial function of my left leg only. after the race, with locked knees sunday night, jen and lisa had to nurse me out of the car
and up to my apartment. i'm doing much better today after periodic icing, ibuprofen, massages and epsom salt baths.
it was so worth it.
i already had the bug planted in my brain about doing a solo. just not so soon.
a sudden and immediate change of circumstances forced me to consider solo this last weekend.
because i'm canadian (even with a green card and permanent US resident) i was un eligible to race in the 4 person national champ
category with my teammates. so my options were to either support Helen's, staff the event, be picked up by another team or do it SOLO.
it was a flurry of hilarious, taunting and encouraging emails to me from dave roth and tony manzella that left me with no alternative.
minutes later i was on the phone registering with mike britten from trilife whose kindness and support
also made this easier for me. trilife also waved the $50 late fee which i greatly appreciate. thanx guys.
in a way, suddenly jumping into something like this with little preparation
was an advantage, but more on a mental level. i didn't allow me time to stress.
"i didn't think, i just did."
jen and i rolled up to the race site at laguna seca, monterey. we signed in and
found mike britten to say hi. after some words of wisdom from mike, jen and i began to set up and prep for the race.
12 noon crept up on us fast. and it was very unsettling to know that i would be done 12 noon the next day.
so, we started with the "Lemans" run (half mile? 3/4 ?) and then a prologue lap
(another half mile? 3/4 ?) i don't know, but it just hurt. now i understand how cattle feel when they're being rounded up.
how do you all of a sudden start running when all you've been doing for the last 4 years is riding bikes?
so after bottle necking at the crossings and staircase, we all managed to get out on the course.
"pain and pride"
it was gorgeous out there.
my first couple of laps i decided to go relatively fast but not super hard. i chose this strategy
because on longer training rides, after 2 hours of fairly intense riding, i seem to switch into
an extended endurance mode. not setting speed records but consistent momentum. this was working well for me
with the exception of the gradual increase of leg pain from the run. i did not factor that in.
even though i ran in running shoes, i now had increasing pain in my I. T. Bands (sides of legs)
that eventually locked up the knees. i developed a routine of pedaling out of the saddle on gradual climb sections
to stretch out my calfs, legs and lower back. after hour 8, i couldn't do this anymore. my legs only wanted to stay in
the seated position. when i weigh the pros and cons of "leg cramping" and "shooting pain in the knees"
i'll take the later. they both suck, don't get me wrong. but at least with knee lock, they gradually, slightly loosen up with motion.
so my last 6 or 7 laps started off with an excruciatingly painful climb up the stairs (one leg at a time with my bike on my shoulder)
a very slow bike mount, and painfully clipping into my pedals and turning the cranks slowly.
gradually i could pick up the pace. also, constantly adjusting pedal technique and shifting my position on saddle, helped me to tolerate the pain.
i love the 80's:
i had music for motivation and to keep me company out there. but every once and awhile i'd turn it off to
chat with other racers or just to absorb the raw sound of this race.
i rode the same line every lap. the smoothest path of resistance possible.
every once and awhile i'd be passed by my helen's teammates that were doing the 4 person national champ
team, this pepped up my spirit and made me feel not so alone.
bagels and peanut butter:
during the race i would complete a lap and stop just before the start/finish line at my pit.
i would pick up fresh water bottles and clif shot/bar, maybe change into dry fresh clothes and ice my legs.
then i would head to the transition to check out the last lap and check in for the new lap. had to keep moving.
the longest i stopped was 40 mins at around 9 PM. in addition to jen's incredible pit mom expertise, i was blessed to be visited by lisa, dara and her friend
carolyn ( a massage therapist). needless to say i was engulfed with pampering and love. i love you guys.
i was allowed to sit and eat/drink as they took care of me. they lifted my spirit at a time where i could've easily faded away.
i felt good and positive about continuing at that point.
2 AA batteries:
the rest of the evening was quiet and surreal. finishing laps, trying to stay warm and dry
was my goal. my lighting systems were solid with the exception of a problem on one lap.
as my main light was back at camp charging, i was using my secondary system. i thought it had enough power for two laps.
well, as it turned out it only had enough power for 1.5 laps. this all in the dead of night with a late rising past full moon ( no ambient light)
if it weren't for the serfas mini bar light (which we almost neglected to put on) i would've been in big trouble.
so i rode the rest of the lap (including single track) in pen light.
at one point i saw dave roth in the transition waiting for the baton hand off
to go out on one of his night laps. as i crawled through the transition tent he gave me a re-assuring nod.
us both knowing that words couldn't be exchanged at that point, i wouldn't have had the words to tell him how much i appreciate
him, his encouragement, strength, integrity, motivation and spirit. this all from one positive, re-assuring nod.
and the same goes truly for tony manzella who i saw on the course, in the transition and kept me company on my second last lap.
how excellent was that! i also have to extend a big appreciative thank you to rusty sena who incredibly, stepped in for me
at the last moment. your perfectly timed visits kept my moral level high, thank you for being there and being strong.
hot chocolate, bananas and hard boiled eggs:
day turns into night, night turns into day and i rode.
as the eastern sky turned from night to dawn, i finished a lap and was greeted by
jen's pancakes. this was kind of a turning point. after a quick change into dry clothes, bottles
and fresh lights installed i went out for the "new day lap"
if i try to describe how beautiful it was out there at that point, i'll start to cry... again.
(as i did a couple of times on the course) the uncontrollable emotions i went through
was un believable especially in the early morning gorgeousness.
"have a nice day!"
as sunday morning grew older i kept going.
a beautiful day was beginning.
numb from pain but exhilarated that the end was near i felt my second wind come on.
as the warmer clothes were being shed and the lights now off the bike, i was feeling good.
i pulled off some consecutive laps with increasing momentum. like mentioned earlier, tony
joined me after one of his laps. he met me at "hurl hill". talk about adding fuel to the fire,
his presence there gave me that extra boost of confidence.
so i finished that lap at 10:45 AM. i had until 11 AM to check in for one more lap.
now, just to digress a little, i chose not to receive any information on my standings.
this, a conscious decision to eliminate added stress. but at one point the race announcer,
over the P.A. called out my name and standing as i passed the transition.
"...and number 86 dave pelman, solo rider currently in 9th place" oh boy that did it.
i reverted right back to normal race dave and hit those consecutive laps and then hit that extra lap
and grabbed that final 8th place. i cried as i came in, at the end of my last lap in bewilderment of what i'd just accomplished.
i rode into the fairgrounds for my final painful stair climb and crawl across the finish line to my official final lap check out.
in and out:
i was received at the end with great love by jen, the trilife friends, the team and friends.
everyone helped me in my severely exhausted state to slowly come back to life. it was fantastic to see the boys up
on the podium for an amazing bronze finish. it was also excellent to see cheryl and bella girls wearing the stars and strips jersey
on the 1st place podium for her first 24 hour national finish. great work guys.
eat, ice, sleep and repeat
i'm so glad and lucky to have you guys as teammates and friends. you made this experience for me
easier, giving me confidence and unconditional support. i give you love and my deepest, warmest thank you
ever, always.
dp |
| re: Laguna Seca Report: The Solo Immigrant Outcast Rodeo Clown | dp
May 21, 2003 1:35 PM | | this helps to paint the picture. |
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