Lotoja 2010

This past weekend was amazing. I mean, really, really amazing! I got to witness my husband conquer an incredible feat. Indulge me for a minute and let me tell you about it (because I am bursting at the seams with complete and utter pride!)

Chris is a really athletic guy. He picks up things so easily and he has always been very disciplined with his health and taking care of himself. For example, he gave up carbonation back when he was playing volleyball in college about 12 years ago to improve his health and literally has not touched soda or anything else carbonated since that time. Not even one sip! He's really dedicated when it comes to his health.

So last year, he bought a road bike and joined a relay team to ride in a bike race called Lotoja. Some of you have heard of it, but if not, it is a race that travels from Logan, Utah to Jackson, Wyoming. It is a BIG one, 2500 riders allowed in. It is 206 miles, all done in one day, with EXTREME amounts of climbing. In fact, it is the longest national bike race done in one single day. Yes, that's right, all 206 of those miles are ridden in ONE day! Wow!

Anyway, he joined the relay team and rode a 50 mile leg of the race, which he loved and it was a really fun experience. After last year, a group of guys decided that they were going to try to do the entire race individually! Chris jumped on board. The training was going to require intense commitment and long, long hours. You have to put in tons of practice miles in order to get your body in shape to tackle such a physical ride. He spent the winter training indoors as much as he could. When spring rolled around, he got out and started riding. Then June hit. And I got pregnant. And then I got sicker than a dog, remember that? Well, poor Chris' training went out the window. Being the pretty amazing husband that he is, he sacrificed hours that he should have been training to be home taking care of me and the kids. Needless to say, he did not get in many rides during a time when his training should have been the most intense.

So, this weekend, race time arrived. Chris manages stress with such ease. He is a very mellow, calm person. But I could tell the nerves were kicking in on Friday with the race looming on Saturday. He was feeling pretty unsure about how he would do or if he could finish it considering that he had had so little training over the summer. We packed and prepared all of his food, drinks, clothing, and supplies on Friday, since I was going to be following him as his support vehicle. Chris got about 4 hours of sleep that night -- yikes. We were up at 4:30 the next morning to get him to the start line in Logan. Chris joined the hundreds and hundreds of riders and supporters to pull out of Logan at 6 am. It was FREEZING cold and still dark, but he was ready! It was soooo exciting to watch him leave and cheer him on! His parents drove all the way up from Sandy to see him off and I know he felt loved and supported!

Chris' teammate and friend, Craig.

And they're off!!

Then I ran home to pick up my parents who joined me for the day to be in the support vehicle, getting things all ready to meet Chris at each feed zone. We loaded everything up and we were off too!

First stop was Preston, ID, about 34 miles into the ride. Again, still FREEZING cold outside. We met Chris with his Ibuprofen, Tums, tons of liquid, some sandwiches, power bars, GU (energy gel), and lots of hugs and kisses and love and support. He could only stay at each feed zone for a few minutes to refuel and then had to be on his way! Again, it was so exciting to see him come riding in and be able to cheer him on as he pulled off to hit the next leg of the race! Next feed zone was in Montpelier, ID, 46 miles later. The sun was up now, it was warming up and turning into the most perfectly beautiful day for the riders. You could not ask for better weather, especially considering that it has actually SNOWED in years past! Thank goodness none of that this year. Nothing but blue skies! This section of the ride, from Preston to Montpelier was completely and totally uphill. The climb went from 4500 feet of elevation to 7500 feet. It was a BRUTAL climb! Slow and steep the whole way! But as we waited for Chris in Montpelier, we saw him come riding in and he looked great!! He was joking around, positive attitude, tired, but doing really, really great! I was pretty amazed! He loaded up with all the essentials -- more meds, more liquid, more energy bars and GU, some turkey and lettuce wraps, fruit and of course, more hugs, kisses and love! I was so proud of him at this point, but I had no idea how proud I was going to get as the day wore on! Then he was off to the next stop in Afton, WY, another 45 miles away. I thought the 3000 foot climb was bad, but I didn't realize what he was about to face. This section of the race included TWO very, very steep climbs (the steepest he would face), one right after the other. The first climb was 1100 feet in only 9 miles. The next climb, another 1300 feet in only 11 miles! Although the downgrade was also very steep, which was nice, going up was death! Can I venture to say it looked like Hell? The support vehicles were diverted off the racers course so we didn't get to see how bad the first climb was, but we joined back onto the racers route to see the second climb and can I be honest when I say I cried thinking about what Chris was going to have to do? I did, I cried! I wanted so badly to go pick him up and drive him to the top so he wouldn't have to battle not one, but two horrible climbs, but deep inside, I knew he could do it! We saw him as he was about to hit the second climb and yelled out our love to him! That's all we could do! We missed him arriving into Afton because he finished those two climbs soooo fast! We could not believe that he did it, first off, but that he did it so quickly! He called us wondering where we were and we raced over to meet him with all of his supplies! I couldn't contain my pride and admiration for him! He was still cracking jokes, smiling, exhausted and cramping, but doing amazing! At this point in the race, he had gone 125 miles. 81 more to go! One thing I was so impressed with is how he kept finding the will power to get back on his bike after each stop to continue on. If it were me, and I stopped, I wouldn't get back on my bike! I would be done! But he kept getting back on, gathered his hugs and kisses again and went on his way! What a trooper!!

The next stretch was from Afton, WY to Alpine, WY, 34 more miles. Although fairly flat, this section is pretty yucky because of the wind. The wind was at their faces the whole way which makes for a difficult ride. And Chris never found a group to draft with, which makes it so much harder. Drafting preserves about 30% of your energy, so you are at a huge advantage to find a group to ride in, but unfortunately, Chris never got the chance so had to face it by himself. When he came riding into Alpine, this was when I saw Chris at his worst. By this point he was 159 miles into the race, nearing the end, but had experienced some really intense climbs and long miles. He was completely and utterly spent. No energy, on the verge of being sick from all the energy supplements he had been taking all day (something he was not used to having in his stomach), morale down, a little unsure of whether or not he could do it. There was no joking and no smiling anymore (very unusual for Chris). I was worried. I knew he could do it. But I wasn't sure if he knew he could do it. I held back my tears and gave him all the love and support I could. I tried to remain enthusiastic and upbeat for him. But inside, I was wanting so badly to just tell him it was ok to stop there and not go on. He was running out of time, since the race ends when it gets dark and it was about 5:30 in the evening, only a few hours of daylight left to finish the last 47 miles. So, I encouraged him to take off and hit the last leg, not knowing if I would be picking him up somewhere before the finish line. As we walked away and he headed off, I choked up again and said a prayer that he would have the strength for just one more stretch, to have his spirits lifted and for him to feel of all of us supporting him. We decided we would make a lot of stops along the next stretch to cheer him on as he passed and we did. The most encouraging thing I noticed each time we stopped to watch him pass, was that he had joined in with a large group and they were drafting with each other (preserving precious energy) and all seemed to be supporting and encouraging each other. A very cool thing to witness, considering all these riders were complete strangers, just trying to help each other get to the finish line! We went on to Jackson to wait at the finish line and just as it got dark, here came Chris!! It was the best sight I've ever witnessed to see him whiz by and cross the finish line after 206 miles and a grueling, grueling day of riding!! I ran to go find him and burst into tears! I was so incredibly proud! And the best part was that his whole demeanor was totally different than the last stop we had seen him at! He was so happy and though incredibly tired, he seemed to be invigorated and thrilled to be finished! And he was still walking when he got off his bike, so that was a good sign! What a day! And what a guy to accomplish such a thing! The next day we spent enjoying the sights in Jackson. It is such a beautiful place and there is a real excitement in the air with all the riders who have finished the race. It was a fun and RELAXING day! I couldn't write this post without thanking A LOT of people. And I know Chris feels that he could have never accomplished this without all the help and support he received! First off, Chris' sister Ann, who came up and stayed with our girls while we were gone for two days. We didn't have to worry about them at all and she took such good care of them while we were gone! Thanks, Ann! And then there was his parents who drove a long way to see him off, even though it was only for a few minutes they got to see him at the starting line. I know they were really proud of him and it meant a lot to him that they came! Then there was my parents. Wow, what troopers! They drove the entire day with me, were great company (we had a lot of fun time to talk and laugh and worry about Chris!), and did so much to help Chris out through the day. They helped me get his food ready at each stop, but most important to Chris and I, was how they cheered and supported and loved him through the whole thing. They were soooo great!! Chris was really choked up when he was talking about how grateful he was to see them at every stop and how they pushed him on. Thanks, mom and dad! It was so fun having you there! And then there was all of his friends and family who gave him such encouragement as he trained and prepared. There was the veteran riders who gave him lots of advice alone the way, neighbors in our neighborhood who really helped take him under their wing to train and him and give him help. My brother, Jason, who supplied him with everything he needed for the race and was a huge source of moral encouragement and strength. And just so many people who really stood by Chris as he took on this challenge. I can tell you that we are both SOOOOO grateful to everyone! He couldn't have done it without all these people!

I am always really proud of Chris and his accomplishments and how hard he works, all the while maintaining such a positive attitude. It's one of the special things that I love about him. But seeing him accomplish this on Saturday gave me a whole new level of respect and admiration for this guy! He did so well and this is such a huge accomplishment for him! I'm sorry if I'm going on and on, but really, words can't express how I feel about this amazing guy! I can't stop telling him every 5 minutes how proud I am! Though he's a bit sore, he's doing great and feeling really excited that the race is finally DONE! Good job, honey! I could not be more proud of you!! YOU DID IT!!!