Codename: Goober Grape

Thanks for doing the write up on the race, Rob. As I look back there are a few other things that I would like to add since you were too polite to discuss them.

One of the things that Rob didn't mention in his summary was that I spent the better part of the race battling cramps. Because I was dumb.

I ate everthing I had, drained my camelback at least twice, and threw down as much HEED as I could get at the staffed checkpoints to keep from totally shutting down, but by the end of the final climb over Hawk Mountain on the bike I was just about done. It was difficult to fully straighten either leg without it locking up. This is obviously not a good thing when you are trying to ride a bike up a mountain. If this had happened earlier in the day it would have been the end of the race, at least for me, but we knew that once we got to the top of that hill it was just one screaming descent down the mountain between us the finish line. We had measured this climb in our cars during the recon so I knew exactly how far it was to the top, and even so it was a serious chore to make it to the summit. Now the descent was nice...getting off the bike at the bottom of the hill...not so nice.

Two years ago when I did this race I had a similar problem, but to a much worse degree... During that race when I got to the top of the ascent on the ropes I had about a 2 minute session where every large muscle in my body seized up simultaneously...not a good feeling at the best of times, but with about 4 hours to go until the end of the race it was especially bad. That race I spent the last third or so in zombie mode, just following behind my teamates and trying to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Anyway, on the drive back to Rob's place after the race he and I talked about this, and in typical Rob fashion he had a simple comment.

"Eat more."

"I had something like three bars, and god knows how many GUs," I said.

"Those are supplements," he replied. "Eat more."

Truer words were never spoken.

Now, there is absolutely no doubt that I didn't eat as much as Rob and Carol during the race, and early in the day it didn't bother me. I was killing the climbs and feeling great. It wasn't until after the hellish canoe drag when the sun really came up and started to pull the electrolytes out of us that I hurt. The result was that I had to consciously dial back my effort level for the rest of the race to avoid cramping, all because I hadn't brought enough real food for myself.

I guess the couple of ounces that I saved didn't pay off after all.

Even now, a week after the fact I still feel a little weak and sluggish in my workouts and I think it's a direct result of not eating right on the race course. While I didn't fully bonk, I definitely slowed down towards the end of the day, and its safe to say that I used up all the glycogen that my body had handy and started burning other energy stores. I can't dig up my sources right now, but I am pretty sure that at a certain point your muscles start breaking themselves down for energy, and I am starting to wonder if maybe that happened to me. It would explain why I am still recovering from a race I did a week ago, and why when this happened to me two years ago it was even worse, and basically put me out of commission for eight weeks.

So, with all this as perspective, what is the plan for future races? I think I have a secret weapon.

Peanut butter and Jelly Sandwiches.

I did the math. A good PBJ has almost 450 calories in it. That is equivalent to 4 gooey, gel type supplements (and thus about$6-8 at EMS). They go down quick, weigh next to nothing... and oh yeah...I can eat my weight in them without slowing down. Considering that a complete MRE provides about 1200 calories, the PBJ stacks up pretty nicely. The best part? No spoon required and virtually no trash left behind either.

I may have to think up a hardened PBJ transport kit. Something like an old CD case or maybe just some light weight tupperware to keep my peanut-buttery-jelly-slathered goodness from getting ruined en route. If anyone has any ideas, post a comment and I'll tell you if I give it a try.

So, I don't know if we are going to hit another race long enough to try this out until next year, but know that when we do I plan on having a pile of PBJ in reserve.

If you're with me and you ask nicely, I might even share.