STP 2009

It has been awhile since I updated my blog - I suppose suffering a season ending injury will do that to a person. I thought I was going to be able to bounce back from my deep bone bruise calamity on 14 February however it doesn't seem to be in the cards. I can do short jaunts without too much pain but anytime I try to push it to where I would like to be, I experience a lot of pain. I have come to the difficult conclusion that I am going to take some time off to allow my shin to heal and work on my core strength and flexibility.

This past weekend was the 2009 STP ride, the 30th anniversary of the ride from Seattle to Portland. It is 2 day event in which 10,000 riders pedal 202 miles through the backroads of Washington and ending in the town of Portland. My friend Matt and a group of his friends asked me to join them on this adventure back in the fall and I happily agreed! Who am I to pass up something like this?

We started our adventure on Saturday morning at 7:20 am from the University of WA campus. It was a bright, sunny morning and promised to be a hot one! I have to admit, in all of the years of participating in and and attending bike/tri/running races, I have never experienced anything quite like this. Imagine basically having a steady train of bicyclist stretching for 60 or 70 miles. It was incredible!!

My leg ended my adventure much earlier than I had hoped however I had a great experience. I made it through 71.5 miles to the city of Yelm. (Apparently there is a large "cult" based in Yelm! Who knew that this tiny little town would have a real, live reincarnation of an Atlantian warrior! ;) ) Many thanks to Craig for rescuing me. Thanks also to Brad for organizing everything so well. Awesomeness!

I enjoyed meeting new friends, camping next to the hungry cows and experiencing the craziness of the finish line. It was also very cool to see a good friend's elation and adreneline rush upon completion of the ride. There is nothing like riding through a chute of cheering people at the end of race/ride. It was almost as cool as having finished myself. Way to go Matt, Heather, Jill, Brad, Fred, Leslie and all the others out there! I can't wait until next year!