During the last days of 2021, I committed to training and preparing for and completing the Leadville 100 MTB race, scheduled for August 13, 2022. The goal was simple – complete the race. When I made this commitment, I had already finished the race in my mind.
On August 13, 2022, I raced and finished the Leadville 100 MTB race.
Distance – 105 miles
Elevation Gain (feet climbed) – 11,954 feet Elapsed
(Chip) Time – 12 hours, 18 minutes Moving Time – 11 hours, 53 minutes – 8.8 mph
Lasting Thought – Filthy, hardest thing I have ever done…
The Vision and The Why
I committed to this journey in late December 2021 because I had decided that life had become too comfortable. I reasoned that “Comfort Was a Slow Death,” and that I needed to embrace a challenge – a goal – that would make me uncomfortable. I believe that discomfort (physical and mental) exposes us to the essence of life. That is, it is easy to make the easy choice – eating processed food from bags and packages and not going for that training ride when it is 20 degrees. Self-prescribed discomfort leads to chaos… And then, it reveals a gradual understanding of one’s STANDARD and establishment of one’s ETHOS; commitment to the goal and to the process (and not just the outcome); acceptance of the hard work required; personal accountability; adaptation to the always-increasing performance levels; the purest forms of humility and gratitude; and finally, a new awakening that allows us to see and live our lives in completely different and exciting ways. I am neither a competent, experienced mountain biker, nor am I a natural endurance athlete. This challenge seemed like the perfect way to expose me to the very discomfort that I felt necessary after the strange two-years of a global pandemic. The “WHY” of it all for me was very simple – Do Something Big – Well. And set a positive example for my son and daughter. It is not simply enough to do something – it must be done well. Embracing Discomfort became my daily mantra and I stayed committed to my vision for the entire process.
Do Something Big – Well
Through Sacrifice, Strength, Endurance, Humility, Discipline and Gratitude
In Order to Celebrate and Thank My Family For Their Support and Love, and to Feel Their Close Embrace as We Cross the Finish Line Together
The How and The Training
Because I was neither an experienced mountain biker nor any sort of endurance athlete, and quickly realizing that body weight was a friend to no one at Leadville’s 10,000+ feet of altitude, I partnered with Peaks Coaching Group (PCG) in Bedford, VA to address training and body weight management. Brian Freeze, a PCG elite cycling coach and Leadville veteran, has coached me since early 2022, and right up to race day. I believe that Performance = Potential – Interference. Every training day in preparation for the race, Brian found ways to make the most of my cycling potential, while slowly eliminating the interference. On race day, I had accumulated tremendous fitness and brought the highest level performance possible. Performance, and performance alone, determines the predator in any food chain.
To address the – ah hem – body mass and composition issue that had increased substantially over the past 2 years, I worked with Kevin Bernstein, PCG’s Chief Medical Officer and Nutritionist. I reluctantly bought in to what-at-the-time seemed to be a preposterous amount of daily, clean carbohydrate intake – 325 grams – and in seven months I lost nearly 35 lbs under Kevin’s close supervision and coaching. Kevin helped me thread a difficult training needle – substantial weight loss while gaining both strength and power. Not an easy process, and nearly impossible to do without an experienced coach. I became the medium-sized monster I aspired to me – 197 lbs on race day. Macros, people – count your macros
The Learning – The Race & Life So many things were learned – these stand out:
The Race:
1. Pace is Critical – Take advantage of Leadville’s flat segments; climb a measured pace
2. Walk With Purpose - Head up, eyes forward, big smile, happy heart, soulful, with a song in your head
3. Have Fun – At Leadville, Race Your Race; A Smile is Worth 5 Watts Thanks Brian Freeze
4. Perfection in Nutrition is Elusive – Practice and Get it Right (Not sure I did)
5. Ride the course – often and in advance; study it, understand it. It does not forgive.
Life:
1. Attitude is Everything, As is Effort. These are the only things we control. Maximize here
2. Focus on the process and your performance – not just the outcome
3. Expect and look for good things – we tend to find what we are looking for Thanks Todd Brown
4. Balance Confidence With Humility – Both matter, not too much of either
5. Remember Your Why – Write it Down, Reflect here often
6. Limits Begin Where Vision Ends… Visualize success – Fight Your Doubts, Ignore Excuses
7. Big Doors Swing on Little Hinges – Lots of small, but important things, find & develop them
8. Get Strong (First) and Embrace Gratitude – This will help us do our best and honor and respect the sacrifice and hard work that got us here!
Final Thanks – Gratitude
As previously mentioned, a special thanks to Hunter and the team at Peaks Coaching Group - esp. Brian Freeze and Kevin Bernstein, for their expertise and for giving a damn about me. Thanks also to my riding buddy, Ralph, for your time and coaching; to my strength coach and friend Jon for helping build the armor; and to my family - especially my wife, first and always - for their patience and for tolerating, at times, what is a very selfish pursuit. Finally, I’d like to thank my local bike shop, Cardinal Bicycle, in Roanoke, VA, and especially master mechanic extraordinaire, Dan Lucas, for helping me with one bad-ass build that faithfully carried me the entire distance with not one problem. None of this is possible without this crew here. I love my family! Know my gratitude. Weakness is a choice! RW
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