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As you
can imagine... The first thought in
my head was... you have got to be
kidding. I had just dreamt
about it the night before, and now
Dave
is asking me about it.
Needless
to say, as I do with most things, I
jumped in with both feet.
Let's do it! And just like
that,
Dave and I were going to do the
Leadville 100... Ok,
not so much. Turns out, its a
VERY popular race. Turns out
there was a movie about the race in
2009, which I still have not seen
yet, and Lance Armstrong beat the
field. Prior to the movie, it
wasn't easy to get in. There
are about 1700 spots available for
this race and there could be
5,000-10,000 applicants. Well
with the movie, let's just say the
numbers of folks wanting "in" has
grown. Grown to an estimated
25,000 + people, all wanting to
prove their metal.
It's
funny how you get a feeling about
things. Maybe it was the
dream... maybe it was just shear
desire. But I knew in my
heart, that I was going to be doing
Leadville. I had
visualized it, socialized it, and
now, believed it. As Dave and I
spoke about it later, he was pretty
clear about the fact, that with a
lottery type system to get in, our
chances weren't going to be good.
Still, I told him. I am doing
this race. He smiled, shrugged
his shoulders, and said, "OK, I will
make you a schedule."
This
whole thing started in November.
Race entries would begin in December
and run through the end of January.
All athletes would be notified by
February 12th. I went on line,
signed up and waited.
Dave
and I spoke again shortly after I
signed up. He had decided that
he was not going to do this race.
I'm not sure why, really.
Maybe it was because, this will
probably be my last chance to train
for and do a race like this as a
solo rider. Maybe, he was
worried, he would get in, and I
wouldn't. So for the first
time in a long time, I will be on my
own.
The
days until February 12th,
lingered... time felt like it was
standing still. But by February 11,
that final day before I would know
my fate, time sped up and passed by
quickly. I was working from
home on February 12th, waiting and
watching the "in box" on my home PC
and trying to work through my day.
And then it came:
Dear Leadville Trail 100 Family,
We deeply regret that we were
unable to accept your application
into the 2010 Leadville Trail 100
Mountain Bike Race. We really wish
we could accommodate every
interested rider, but we simply
can’t. Our goal and primary
obligation is to offer every racer
the nation’s highest quality
athletic experience with the utmost
degree of safety, medical care and
racer support. The ever increasing
numbers of returning racers and new
applicants are testimony we are
meeting our goal. We do not keep a
waiting list and cannot yet accept
entries for 2011.
There is
still ONE way you can gain entry
into the race. For the third
year, the Leadville Trail100 has
partnered with Carmichael Training
Systems to host three 2-day mountain
bike camps in Leadville in July 2010
in preparation for the LT100 MTB
Race. Camp participants will earn
guaranteed entry into the race and
the race entry fee is included in
the camp fee. Athletes who are
unsuccessful in the lottery will
have first priority to get into a
CTS LT100 Camp. Call CTS today at
866-355-0645 or visit
www.trainright.com
to reserve a camp spot and we’ll see
you at the start line on August14.
Hmmm... Was this really it?
Something inside kept saying no,
it's not over yet. Call the
number, see if you can get in.
So I called, and talked to the folks
at Carmichael Training. A
friendly voice said, "You will have
to call back on Monday. The
phones open at 9:00am MST.
There are 60 spots available for the
camp. They are sure to fill up
VERY fast, so keep dialing until you
get through. Oh, and Good Luck!"
So,
now my fate is in the speed of my
fingers? I am going to enlist some
help! First, I will use both
phone lines and my cell phone,
program the number, and press send
promptly at 9:00am MST. And
since my wife/teammate
Vickie
is going into the office, I will see
if she can dial in as well.
Monday came all too soon.
Man,
the clock moves slowly when you are
watching the minutes tick away on
the clock, ready to press send.
Boom!!!! 9:00am... SEND!!!!!!!!
All phones were dialing... all
coming back with busy signals.
Vickie
and I were chatting back and forth
on MS Office communicator... and
then she said it... I think I am in!
As I kept dialing, 2 of the phones,
I had Vickie conference me in to her
line. Both of us were excited,
nervous, shaking, etc... as we
waited on hold. And then a
voice came on and said, "You are
caller 31". a few minutes
later... "You are caller 29".
This went on for nearly 40 minutes
until we got to caller 10.
Suddenly, we were moving much faster
through "Hold". and then we were the
next caller... hearts racing...
hands shaking... this was it, right.
This is what I believed... my
vision, and then, "Hello this is
Stephanie with
Carmichael Training..." before
she could finish, I blurted " Am I
In?" in a loud, shaky voice. "You
are if you can go to the camp on the
21st of July, it is the only spot
left." she said with a smile
in her voice. "YES,
PLEASE!!!!!"
And
so it begins... My journey to the
Leadville 100 - Here is a
glimpse at what my schedule is going
to look like leading up to THE race
of a lifetime:
Lots
of training that will include a ride
up Mount Lemmon in Tucson once a
month, sleeping at the top and then
speed work the next day.
-
Will my body/knee hold up to the
training?
-
Can I make my goal of under 9
hours?
-
If a cow and a calf cost a
$1.50, how much does a pound of
cheese weigh?
All of these questions, and many
more will be answered in the
coming months. More
to come so stay Tuned! |
