A Girl's Gotta Eat

Okay, okay, so this isn't exactly something you'd find on the Weight Watcher's menu.  When the waitress came to take my order I actually said, "I can't believe I'm going to do this, but could I please order the Meat Lover's Special?"  What I should have done was taken an "after" picture.  The waitress, looking at my plate asked, "Do you want to finish the toast?"  It was the only scrap left.

And no, I have NOT been starving myself, but I also know that one of the things I can't do while on a rally is eat a big meal.  This is just one of the things I've learned while preparing to ride in the, "World's Toughest Motorcycle Competition."

Wednesday evening Jennifer dropped me off at the airport just south of Washington, DC to make my trek to Seattle, WA.  For a number of reasons, I shipped my bike out to the starting point of the rally.  Can I tell you, that was one tough hug to end, standing there as planes roared overhead.  Things can go wrong on such adventures, but I'm doing everything I can to prevent the preventable ones!

So, what do you do to get ready?  Last year in preparation for the Iron Butt 5000 (see the post from August to read all about it), Jennifer and I began working out.  I was in fairly good shape last year, this year, perhaps not so much.... I know, eating plates like the one above doesn't help.  So, working out was less of a focus.  This time it's been about the little things to sharpen my abilities and modifications to the motorcycle.  The auxiliary fuel cell (4 gallons) allows me to go further when there aren't stations available, chose when I want to stop to avoid "sketchy" looking places, or to travel over night when stations may be closed.  The "eyes of God" provide light that cuts through the night and gives me a larger field of vision.  Both of these modifications will help me stay safer on the road.

While I've still been running some, my concentration has been on nutrition and hydration.  Running gave me an insight into what if feels like when you're physically tired and strategies for keeping my energy level up.  One of the things I didn't like about last year's ride was how I managed rest.  What I know now was nutrition played a large roll in that mix.  I simply didn't do well in caring for myself.  If you saw what is packed onto the bike right now, you'd know I've got the goods to take care of business this year!  I also gave up drinking caffeinated coffee (yep, that's decaf in the cup) the first of May and haven't had alcohol in a week.

Today was all about preparations and quiet time.  Tomorrow I head to rally HQ and begin slipping into the rhythms of another world.  For truly, those who travel on two-wheels long distances seem to do so on another plane.

Pied Piper Time...

... it's time to begin following along once again - at least I hope so!

Just a month ago this is what my bike looked like as it was fitted for an auxiliary gas tank and additional lighting - two key safety components I did not have during the Iron Butt 5000 last year.  (Note the stock gas tank laying on the floor behind the bike).

At this late date, I can barely believe it, but I'm still doing final packing.  The new dining room table my mom gave us is covered with all the stuff I'm bringing (lots of food).  Yes, it is a beautiful table, but don't worry mom, I put down a table cloth first :)  And then there's the paperwork.  All the stuff I needed to get in order at the house and everything I need to check in on Saturday (yes, this Saturday).  Geez, there are a lot of moving parts to this endeavor (pun intended - sorry).

For those that have followed along on past adventures, you know that I'll be updating the "whats" and "why fores" until the last moment.  And then, our trusted and proven to be more than amusing proxy blogger, Jennifer, will take over and add to the story.  She'll also add information provided by rally staff (including links to the IBR daily updates).

As with last year's Iron Butt 5000 there's great concern for our safety, so we've been asked to curtail our postings and protect our location information.  This year is no different, just twice as long.  Organizers have set up a way for you to be able to get real time information on where all the riders who want to make their locations public are at any moment in time.  Ask Jennifer, she saw a preview of just such a thing during last year's Mason Dixon 2020.  Her one comment?  "It looked like a bunch of ants spread across a map.  The country was swarming with all you riders."  Creepy or cool, that's for you to decide.  Here's the link to the 2011 Iron Butt Rally SpotWalla page - http://spotwalla.com/locationViewer.php?id=67  If you click on it before June 20th you're likely to just get a message saying, "Sorry, no messages to show at this time."  We'll receive our bonus locations mid-morning on the 20th, so I expect folks to start moving by lunch-time.

 

Of course, I'm motoring around Seattle starting Thursday (June 16th) and will begin posting my location.  BEFORE the rally you'll be able to check in via the usual daily feed link

(http://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=6531).  Once the fun begins, that link will go dark, but you can still follow along if you want via a password protected page.  Yes, it helps me to know folks are checking in on me, so I'd like to invite you to follow along if you can: 1) NOT share the link with anyone else since you'll be getting the non-password version and 2) help keep me safe by not giving specifics of where I am.  If that

works for you, send me a note and I'll send you the link.

Oh crap, I've got to finish packing... more later!

An Epic Journy...

... okay, okay... so it's six months after the Iron Butt 5000 and this slacker still hasn't done her ride report.  Well, I must admit to being preoccupied with a few other things.  So, here's a little something to tie you over until the report's up.

They rode, they ran, they eat, they walked, they finished (sort of)... but they never puked!

This was a charity run in Raleigh, NC the included nearly a five mile run punctuated in the middle with a competitive eating contest... a dozen glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  This was Mike's first run... EVER!