I wrote this yesterday afternoon:
Every day I've been seeing the banner ad on Velonews for the Tour of Hope, a cross-country bike ride of cancer survivors that raises money for cancer research. It ends in D.C., and locally it includes a one-day ride here. I've never been involved (this is the third year), but Victor went to the closing ceremony the first year.
It isn't lack of interst that's kept me away. In 2003 it was the same day as the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk I do with my sister (her father-in-law has Alzheimer's); last year it fell on the same day as the Baltimore Race for the Cure, which I walk in memory of a good friend's sister.
I'm not sure why I clicked on the banner ad today, but I did, and I checked the date. This year it's the weekend between the Race for the Cure and the Memory Walk.
There are two options for the local ride, 10 and 50 miles.
Ten miles isn't much of a bike ride. Even now I could go out and do 10 miles with no preparation (I mean right now, this minute, in the rain.) Fifty miles, that I'd need to train for. And even then, reading the fine print, I'm not so sure. Actually, the print isn't fine...it spells it out quite clearly and quite often. You must be able to ride 50 miles in under 3hrs. 45 min. (or maintain an average speed of 14 MPH).
Last time I was riding regularly, back when I was in shape, I think I averaged about 12 mph. Yep, I'm damn slow. The last couple of rides I've done, on the new mountain bike on the dead flat canal, I think I've been closer to 10.
I'm not sure if I've ridden 50 miles since I had my knee surgery. I am sure I could, if I got ready...I'm just not sure if I can get into a 14 mph pace. I keep going back and forth: I have a road bike now, that might be faster. I'm older now, I might be slower. I still have tendonitis. The people riding across the country had cancer. It'd mean riding again. It'd mean training on roads with traffic.
When I wrote the post about riders abandoning the Tour, I mentioned being sagged on my only century attempt. I'd forgotten, until I read my old journal, how much pain I'd been in that day (I wrote about how I'd unclipped my foot from my left pedal because the pain on the upstroke was so bad it was easier to let my leg hang and do the work with the right...I did that for five miles). I'd forgotten how humiliated I was to be pulled off the route and put on a bus. Riding again has appeal. That does not.
Now, I could just write a check to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Because the thing about these cause-related events is, it is about the cause. Gotta remember that. Not about me going on a bike ride or for a walk. So at the end of the day it wouldn't matter if I sat home eating potato chips, or rode an easy 10 miles, or if I put in the training effort and took a stab at 50.
And I wouldn't consider it if I wasn't in support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Armstrong might not be my favorite rider in the peloton, but I admire very much the committment he's made to people battling cancer. I'll do what I can for the LAF.
I admit it: I'm scared to try this ride. I really don't know if I can ever reach a point where I can maintain 14 mph for 50 miles.
I know this area. The only thing around here that is flat is the canal and tracks around football fields. I used to do a regular 50-mile ride near the point where the 50- and 10-mile Tour of Hope rides meet, and it took me a good six hours every Sunday.
I had myself almost convinced to register for the 50 miles, to be bold.
Then I went to yoga last night. Yoga. And yoga class kicked my ass.
I'm thinking it will be the 10-miler.
Posted by Nic at July 16, 2005 08:05 AM | TrackBack