Time for a Shake Down

In less than 24 hours I'll leave for Hagerstown, MD and the start of this year's Mason Dixon 2020 Endurance Rally.

The riders, many Iron Butt 5000 Rally entrants, are all hoping to test out their routing prowess and perhaps place well in the pack.

I'm waffling between just wanting to have fun on a challenging ride and really putting it out there to see if I can make the top five. Last year I just rode, enjoying a spirited ride that ended up placing me rather well. Crazy part was, I had NO idea that my route was a good one until it was all over... and even then Jennifer and I kept looking at each other as the Rally Master failed to call my name early on. Fast forward and here I am again, looking at my route and wondering just how I rate in comparison to my companions. There is certainly an air of expectation as many are no doubt wanting to show they have what it takes for the IB5k. We shall see.

What changes have I made to the motorcycle since the 100CCC last fall? Not much really. I deleted the XMP3 satellite radio (it was raining most of that ride so I wasn't using it anyway) and add a used Garmin Zumo 550 with GXM30 antenna, integrated my GPS system and XM radio. I also upgraded my cell phone to a Droid Eris, giving me quick connectivity. Riding gear is staying pretty much the same. Tonight I pack after I pick up the bike from its 36k service this evening.... yeah, I know, you're not suppose to do any major services before big rides. It just worked out that way.


If I've set it up correctly, you can follow along with the ride via my SPOT tracker page. The ride will begin before dawn Saturday and end (if I make it before the penalty points start) at 2pm on Sunday. Please follow along and leave messages. I'll ask Jennifer to keep an eye on the page too (perhaps she might even add to it). And, even if you don't post, please keep me in your thoughts. I really love to do these rides and part of that is being cognizant of the stresses it puts on me and my family.
~~~ More Later ~~~

How did that happen?

Okay, have you ever been just going about your business and all the sudden you realize you've crossed a milestone and not even realized it? For a while, I thought rolling 30k on the new bike would be a "wow" kind of moment. Now I realize rolling a bunch of miles on a motorcycle isn't the milestone, it's what happened during all those miles that matters.


The first thousand miles were gone in a week and included a bit of traveling locally. Yes, when I picked up the R1200RT I scheduled the 600 mile start-up service for that weekend :) Next, I had the great pleasure of once again competing in the Mason Dixon 20-20 endurance rally. I still remember the look on the volunteer's face when I went to complete the odometer check before the rally. I don't know that I had the lowest mileage bike in the event, but it had to be close. Beautiful mountain roads in West Virginia (Rt. 50) at 2:00 am included a few deer, light rain and mist rising off the tarmac, and a Bubba in a pick-up truck. And the goal? In part it was to get back to where I'd been less than 24-hours before, but more so, to get safely back to Jennifer waiting at the finish line. In a bit over a month I was at the shop to schedule my first 6k service.


Since then the motorcycle and I have traveled to Canada, been to the top of Mount Washington, sat with family in Michigan to watched the Woodward Cruise, and then we did a little jaunt across country (check the September 2009 archives for more on the 100CCC).


It is in no small part fitting that I rolled the last few miles of my "30,000 or 3 year" warranty out on my way to the Iron Butt Association's Florida "Pizza Party" for 2010... with the man who sold me the bike. It is the people and the places we share on our travels that are the milestones, that make up the cathedrals of our lives.


This is what I will try to remember as I compete in the Iron Butt 5000 Rally this August. But tonight, I'll get home late after a quick ride home from the city, park the motorcycle, put a leash on the dog, and got for another late-night jog for a few miles without wheels.

Time to test the training...

Just got back from a WONDERFUL trip to JAX, FL to kick tires and talk riding with some of the world's most accomplished long-distance motorcycle riders. To say this was a "who's who" of the Iron Butt Association wouldn't do it justice.



But it's time to put some of my IB5k preparation training to the test. The quick down and back to Florida (700 miles each way) confirmed I haven't lost the ability to, "sit there and twist that" for hours on end. Tomorrow Jennifer and I see how our seven weeks of training for our first ever race pans out. Less than two months ago neither one of us felt like we could jog more than a minute... and even then we were out of breath. We're up to 2 and a half miles at a time. So, with a bit of quick stepping in the middle to cool down, we're shooting to finish the race in about an hour.



Yep, tomorrow morning we start the 8k (~5 miles for all those folks who don't remember their metric schooling from back in the 1970's). I just received my replacement SPOT tracker, so I'm going to see if we can get it up and you can follow along. And no, you do not have to get up and run along with us at 8:00 tomorrow morning. I'll post the map if this works. But if you do want to check it out before I get it posted, link to http://jasonjonas.org/spot/tripViewer.do?id=4184



Wish us luck, and legs that won't quit!