Knighthood Attempt: The Experience

Well, I am still alive and able to sit awkwardly to type my thoughts and feelings about yesterday’s attempt at Knighthood.  So while it’s fresh on my mind (and in my muscles), I’ll share.  First, if you have never heard of The Sufferfest, check them out here.  Also, even though I was with two other people suffering along with me throughout the day, I will not assume or mention their thoughts or feelings, as I’m sure we have different opinions and experiences.

The requirements of Knighthood are as follows (summarized from their website): You must complete 10 Sufferfest videos (which you must own) back-to-back with no more than 10 minutes off between each one and provide proof/documentation.  You should raise money for a good cause (we chose the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease as our charity).  You must *Suffer.

Going into The Attempt, I was skeptical of myself.  I hadn’t had time to adequately train for what I knew was going to be a grueling, arduous, and taxing day, both physically and mentally.  The hardest part (or so I thought) was going to be sitting on the saddle for 10 hours.  I was not going to put myself through the pain if I couldn’t handle it, so I told myself that it was alright to quit at any point of The Attempt.  At least we were raising money for charity, and I could say I tried.  But that is not the mentality of true *Sufferlandrians and that was not the purpose of this experience.

Ready for #1!

After tanking up on calories and carbohydrates the day before (approximately 3,200 calories and 420g of carbs!!!), I felt as ready as I was ever going to be.  Donnie and Kendall had everything set up and ready to go, so at exactly 8:00am, with our *Minions readied, we churned our first pedal stroke (of approximately 47,120 on the day!!!).  I set my FTP at 75%, and completed the first three videos working at that level and feeling great.

Look, we’re smiling! …

And then, I hit the wall.  Video 4 was the longest, and at an intensity at which I could not hold.  I felt terrible.  (See the difference in my expression in my collage photos later in this post.)  I thought this would be a good place to quit…I could be support for the other two and not Suffer any longer.  But, after 10 minutes, I got back in the saddle for video 5, and backed my FTP% down to an attainable level.  Better.

Richard giving us some moral support (you can’t see that he’s really a *Minion with a stick…)

The decision to stay on the bike came during video 6, after the following comment was made by a fellow *Sufferlandrian on our Facebook page: “Only two more and you’ve completed the magic number seven…Why is number seven important?  Because you’ll never want to do seven again, but you’ll still want to do ten…and if you stop, you have to do seven again to get to ten!  So, if you only do three more after you do number seven, you reach ten.  AND you never have to do seven again!  (It’ll all make sense AFTER number seven…trust me, I’m a Sufferlandrian).” And the comment from my mom was rolling around in my head: “Keep going, my dear!  You can do this.  It’s only temporary pain, you will heal, but those with Parkinson’s suffer every day.”  So on I rode…seven…eight…nine…ten.  During the last three videos, I had to put myself in that mental state of focus where I block everything out and focus on moving my legs.  Nothing like the first three videos!  I tried not to think about how badly my saddle spot was.  I tried not to think about how sore my legs were.  I tried not to think about the pain in my left foot (although this is the pain that had me in tears more than once during The Attempt).  I tried not to think about what time it was.  I focused on each interval and rest…stand, sit, faster, slower, gear up, gear down.  I focused on the face of my father-in-law who is coping with Parkinson’s.  I focused on the encouraging comments, photos, messages and posts of our social media supporters.  I focused on the names of everyone who had donated money to our cause.  I prayed.  I spun.  And I finished.

One, Two, Three, (The Wall), Four, Five…

Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Dead. Oh, I mean Ten.

I think this is the second-worst my body has ever hurt (next to child birth).  You wouldn’t understand unless you’ve been through a similar experience.  When we got off the bike for the last time, I sat in a camping chair covered in blankets while I enjoyed some hot, freshly baked chocolate-on-chocolate cookies and a cold beverage.  I couldn’t move (except hand-to-mouth, haha!).  I was parched and my lips were cracked.  I cried.  I got so cold my whole body shook until I got warm in the car after we loaded up our stuff.  When we went to pick up Brennan, I didn’t think I could make it in the house because the cold convulsions were so intense.  After a hot shower, I got in the bed and tried not to move.  When I woke up, it took me a minute, but I was able to get out of bed and function.  I think it will take a few days of rehydrating, rest and recovery before I say I’d do it again!  (No. Never. Again.)

*Chamois Dance!

All-in-all, the time passed quickly.  We had visitors from time to time, and Kendall’s wife and daughter were huge supporters and helpers throughout the day.  We had tons of food, and went through nearly an entire water cooler of water.  I had one large bottle of water each video, and alternated plain water with a GU Brew water.  I ate something during each 10 minute break.  I did a complete clothing change three times.  Here are some things I learned:  I learned that people can drive me more than I can drive me.  I learned to appreciate The Sufferfest even more than I already had.  I learned that 10 minutes is like the blink of an eye.  I learned that two chamois are better than one.  I learned that nutrition is just as important as training.  I learned that eating and drinking for an event like this is actually hard work.  I learned that mind can conquer body.  I learned that I need to figure out what’s up with my foot.  Most importantly, though, I learned not to doubt myself…that I really CAN do things I think I cannot do…to never give up, even when the negative starts to overshadow the positive…to be proud of my accomplishments and not compare them to anyone else’s, because they’re MINE…and to give myself credit when credit is due.

Just keep spinning, just keep spinning…

*Sufferlandrian Pride!

*PLEASE, if you have not yet gone to The Sufferfest GO NOW!  Or else you will be so confused about these terms.

As If You Need Evidence That God Truly Does Exist…

This is the story about how I sold my Specialized Dolce bicycle, which I had been trying to sell since I bought my Ruby at the beginning of September.  This is truly a remarkable story, so please keep reading, even though the subject may seem boring and lackluster.  I would also love it if you’d go back and read my previous entry entitled “My Ruby” before reading this story, as I will reference certain events I have already written about.

Today we were getting ready to leave for a beginner triathlon clinic being held at Warrior’s Path State Park in Kingsport, TN.  This is the exact same location where I experienced my first triathlon on Labor Day and where I met the woman from whom I bought my Ruby.  There was going to be a swap meet afterwards, so Donnie said “I have a good feeling about selling your bike today.  Let’s bring it to the swap meet.”  Of course that was a brilliant idea, so we loaded her up and off we went!  (*Star number one*)

Well, the clinic went long…REALLY long…so we left early (*Star number two*) and went to have lunch at Panera Bread. (*Star number three*)

 

As we were getting ready to leave, another couple came in and I recognized them from the clinic, so I went and introduced myself. (*Star number four*)  We chatted for a minute and then Donnie and I headed for the bike shop next door.  As we were leaving the bike shop, the couple was in the parking lot headed towards us.  She then said “Hey, did you guys go to Florida State?” I said “Yeah” and she said “We did too!  We saw the car with a bike on top and thought that might be you!”  (We have a Florida State Alumni frame on our license plate.) (*Star number five*)

 

So there we stood, in the parking lot, talking about FSU and our education.  It was then that I said “By the way, that bike on my car is for sale“.  Of course, I didn’t know she was actually interested in purchasing a road bike…But she was!  The size was what she needed and she said she had been looking at the Dolce! (*Star number six*)  So we got the bike down, went to the bike shop to borrow a pump and a helmet, and she took off in the parking lot.  She said she really loved it, so I told her what we were asking.  Her face lit up and said “That’s exactly how much my parents just gave me for my birthday!”  (*Star number six*)  

So she took my name and phone number and said she’d let me know what they decided later that day, since we were all headed to Johnson City for the afternoon.  I found her profile on Facebook, and noticed we had one mutual friend: a girl I had gone to church with and was in the same small group with when I lived in Tallahassee.  I couldn’t wait to ask her how they knew each other!

Well, not much later, my phone rang and I was so excited when she said she had decided to buy the bike!  We met up and made the exchange.  When I asked how she knew our one mutual friend, the color practically drained from both of their faces….they are cousins!  (*Star number eight*)  Oh my gosh I couldn’t hardly believe it!  What a small world!

We left without a bike on our rack, and they left with a bike on theirs.  There she goes…my beautiful Dolce.

The circumstances just amaze me.  God had his hand on this day from the start.  Consider this: *Star number one* – If we had decided not to bring the bike, we wouldn’t have sold it today.  *Star number two* – If we hadn’t left the clinic early, we would have missed an opportunity to meet these two wonderful people.  *Star number three* – If we hadn’t gone to Panera Bread for lunch, we would have never seen each other again.  *Star number four* – If I hadn’t approached them, we would have never met.  *Star number five* – We are all FSU alumni.  *Star number six* – My bike was the size, brand and model she was looking for.  *Star number seven* – Her parents had just given her birthday money in the exact amount I was asking for the bike.  *Star number eight* – Her cousin is one of my friends from Florida.

This day will live in my memory forever…just like the day I bought my Ruby.  So if you ever want to buy or sell a bike, go hang out at Warrior’s Path State Park, then have lunch at Panera Bread.  You never know what might happen!  God is good!

 

My Ruby

There’s a second part to my triathlon story…a very surreal moment in time that can only be defined as destiny, fate, a predestined happenstance.

As we were walking up the hill to the parking lot after the triathlon (Donnie pushing my bike and me carrying my bag), a lady joined us in our walk near the campground. She asked how the triathlon went and I told her it was my first time and how I met my goals and had such a great experience. She said she liked to watch these types of events and used to be an avid cyclist. She noticed I rode Specialized and mentioned that she may be looking to sell her Specialized Ruby Comp because she was no longer in good health to ride (she had bad disks in her back and neck). My ears immediately perked up because she said RUBY! That’s the kind of bike that I was beginning to look into as an upgrade from my Dolce. (Ruby is the female version of the Roubaix that Donnie has.) We talked about it for a minute, but she wasn’t sure what size it was or the specs. I gave her my e-mail address and phone number, and after chatting a while longer about bikes, our weight loss and family, we parted ways. I was thinking: Well, that’s neat that we met this really nice lady looking to sell a bike that I want, but it’s probably not my size and too expensive anyway. Oh well, maybe she’ll e-mail me some info and we’ll think about it. Isn’t it nice to dream?

Later, Donnie and I went to Panera Bread for lunch and we started talking about how strange it was that we met this lady. We started thinking of all the possibilities when lo and behold, my phone rings. It was her! I was so happy to hear that the bike was my size, a 2008 model only ridden 350 miles! She invited us to her home to look at it and test ride it. Needless to say, about two hours later, I had a new bike!

It is super clean, well maintained and just absolutely perfect for me! Black and pink carbon fiber. Chic. Beautiful. They still had the owner’s manual, original sales receipt and everything. The only bad part is that I had to go to the ATM for cash and then mail her the balance because I didn’t even bring my checkbook! After completing our transaction and chatting a bit more, we drove away with TWO bikes on our roof. I was like Did that really just happen? Is this real life? Did I just get a new bike?! What?!

What an amazing flippin’ day.

Donnie got her ready and I rode 10 miles the very next day, sore legs from the tri and all. I was surprised I didn’t have bugs in my teeth because I’m pretty sure I was smiling the entire ride. I couldn’t help thinking how lucky I was, blessed, and in the right place at the right time. How amazing. And she feels truly like MY bike. Not that my Dolce didn’t feel like mine, but I just feel like this was meant to be. A surreal moment in time. Destiny. Fate. A predestined happenstance. She just got the original handle bars put back on and new tape…a tune up, alignment, etc. Ready! I am going to be spending some serious time in the saddle in the coming weeks getting ready for our Bike MS trip. We just finished the Catch Me If You Can ride in Hindman, KY this morning, then Benge’s Revenge in Norton the next weekend, then Bike MS: Breakaway to the Beach, then Tour de Crackers Neck in Big Stone Gap. So when you see a girl riding a black and pink bullet down the road, you know it’s me. Look out! I don’t like to slow down.
Here’s a couple good shots of the ride in Hindman, KY today.