Athens to Atlanta recap

There is this bike trail that runs along E470 just south of where I work - I skated it once and experienced gusty winds, extreme hills, and having to stop to cross the street at every intersection. I hated it. I never skated it again. I should have, however, because it would have been PERFECT training for the course in Athens....

We flew into Atlanta Saturday morning, got our rental car - then made the 2.5 hour drive up to Athens. I actually thought Athens was a pretty cool town; it kind of reminded me of Boulder; a laid back college town. We got settled into the hotel and went to pick up my packet. I chatted with Lenny for a bit about skate boots, got my feet measured, then we went to kill some time before the skater's meeting at 6. We strolled around, grabbed some dinner; and enjoyed the mild, sunny weather...

I'll admit, I've been feeling a little nervous about this event - fear of the unknown and all of that. In the skater's meeting, Henry gave us an idea of what to expect and my anxiety intensified. I am a trail skater, I skate along a relatively safe bike path that goes under all major streets. The main issues I encounter are rude cyclists, dogs, joggers with headphones, twigs, and the occasional stray goose. The only time I have to cross any intersections is if I go on the 27+ mile skate - and that's temporary; they should have that portion of the trail complete by next summer. My trail is also a bit hilly - but I never feel like I have to duck walk up any of the hills or that I fly down them completely out of control. I can sprint them and I never get much speed on the downside. As I'm listening to what to expect from the course (Cars filled with impatient people on their way to church? Gatorback road? a hill with a sharp 90 degree turn AND gravel at the bottom? Reaching up to 30-40 mph on the downhills? Rail road tracks if I happen to miss a turn??) My stomach tighened and I felt real fear. I had a moment of thinking what the HELL have I gotten myself into??? A couple of people told me that it sounds a lot scarier than it is, and if I skate safe and stay vigilant I would do just fine.

I got to sleep and actually slept pretty soundly. I had the usual dream that I over slept and missed the event - only instead of anxiety I felt relief... The alarm sounded and I got up. Checked the temp outside and it was surprisingly warm. I opted for shorts/short sleeves, got my gear all ready and we headed to the classic center. As usual, I felt a rush of excitement when I saw all of the other skaters getting ready, warming up, talking and interacting. I love this world = I want so badly to be a part of it. I got my skates on and started skating around. In spite of the excitement, my stomach was in a knot and I was also very terrifed... We moved towards the starting line and lined up.

Me getting ready to line up, giving hubby the thumbs up...

I have to say, I really wasn't feeling it. I was tired and scared. On days like this back home, I usually either do a very short skate or skip it all together. I had absolutely NO intentions of doing either. I was hoping that once I started skating, I would relax, find my pace, and get into the zone. My husband gave me a quick kiss and a hug, told me good luck; and I was on my own. The horn sounded and we were off.

Of course, it starts with a downhill and a right turn, I saw people braking and felt a tinge of panic and I braked. Most of the pack disappeared from view immediately. I fell in with a group and started skating. I thought for sure I was at the very back of the group... The pace lines were irratic, the pace itself was inconsistent, and people were all over the place. My heart sank when I thought that I might be skating this one solo. I set my own pace and started working forward. Then we started hitting the hills... Holy cow, man... Up the hills at 7-9 mph, down the hills at break neck speeds. I relaxed my mind and tightened my legs on the downhills and just let it happen. I focused on my breathing and foot rhythm on the uphills. At about mile 14 I fell in with a guy named Jeff and started skating with him. We chatted and maintained a decent pace; and the companionship made the miles go by a lot easier.

While the hills were tough, I saw them as a challenge. The thing that primarily freaked me out was the traffic. I had a couple of people honk and yell at me to get out of the road. I also got to play a fun game of 'name that roadkill'. There were also some gusty winds, but I'm used to that. I managed to take in the scenery (when I wasn't focused on going up or flying down) and it was beautiful. We had perfect weather; low 70's and overcast. When we hit that hill with the 90 degree gravel filled turn, Jeff flew right down it - I wasn't feeling so brave. There were cars coming both directions and a huge dirt shoulder at the bottom. I braked and clenched up. I still took it pretty fast and managed to not wipe out in the gravel. I breathed a sigh of relief and felt that the scariest part of the race was now behind me.

That may have been the scariest thing, but it was by no means an easy ride from that point on. After the second check point, there was a right turn, a curvy downhill with tons of traffic, then we had to make a left turn; crossing the traffic. Then THAT street was an epic uphill!! I swear I could hear my feet saying 'are we there yet????'... At some point Jeff and I lost the two other skaters who were behind us, and we kept talking and keeping each other motivated. Those last 6 miles were definitely the worst, my GPS cut out and had to be restarted; his said we were already at 40 miles so we were so sure the finish line HAD to be coming up... Every hill we came up over, we expected to see the finish line. We came down a hill to a light were a police officer was kindly holding traffic at bay, another sharp left with an immediate right. Jeff missed the right turn so I yelled at him to turn around - he did and caught right back up with me. We flew down the hill FINALLY - there it was - the finish line!!

Jeff and I coming up on the finish line

There were cones to guide the 38 milers over the finish line and the 87 milers back to the course. We both skated down the wrong side. I saw my friend Lenora and she hollered "are you going to Atlanta? You're on the wrong side!!" I swerved just in time to cross the actual line. It took me 3 hours, 9 minutes, and 14 seconds.

Me after my triumphant finish!

Me with Lenora!!

It took me a minute to get my bearings, I was super excited to see my friend Lenora (who drove up from Kissimmee, FL to see me cross the finish line!!) and I wanted to hug my husband but I knew I was pretty rank at that point. With no hotel room, I had to do a quick 'wet wipe' clean up and clothing change in the bathroom of a bike shop! After that, I got my hugs!! I also grabbed my mug, (which I will forever cherish) thanked Jeff for skating with me, (I cannot imagine how much harder that would have been had I skated it solo) and we headed into Atlanta. We got to the 87 mile finish line in time to see the first of the 52 mile finishers cross along with a lot of the 87 milers. I have nothing but the utmost respect for those guys and gals; knowing how difficult the 38 mile skate had been for me, I cannot even imagine twice that; or even 3 times that!!! Intense!!

Lenora left and Allen and I toured Coca Cola world prior to the awards ceremony. I learned that I had placed 2nd in my age group so I was really excited about that! We got back in time for the awards ceremony and it was only when I heard my name called that I realized I had also placed 3rd in overall women! Wow!!!! I couldn't believe it!! I thought I had finished towards the back of the group but I think I was actually right in the middle. (I finished 22nd overall.) I felt very accomplished! 

Me (3rd place), Carole Olinger (2nd place), and Candy Wong (1st place) - Candy is a skater whom I really look up to, so this was a HUGE honor for me!!!

If I had not have done St Paul and Duluth prior to this event; I do not think I could have completed it. This was the hardest, most physically challenging thing I have ever done in my life. I can honestly say that not ONCE during the entire course did I even THINK about quitting. Not once. I was in it until the end. I don't think I'll do it again though, I prefer the closed course, the consistent high speeds, and the more level terrain of the marathon skates. But I am VERY glad I did this. It was an amazing experience!!

I feel that my skate season has come to a close - Houston doesn't look like it's going to happen. I'm okay with this; I feel that I have accomplished a lot more this year than I originally set out to. I will keep skating as long as the weather permits but I am no longer in training mode. (So that means more leisurely skates!) I'm also going to focus more on weight training and running; along with some fun winter sports. It is time to break my habit of going all soft and squishy (and gaining 10 lbs) during the winter. I am currently in the best shape I've ever been in my entire life and I intend to keep on tightening up the soft spots!

I have a lot on the menu for next year; I feel like my skating journey has just begun! Happy trails, thank you for following along with me!!