I'm All In

After a couple of days of debating whether to do the Century to Nowhere I’ve decided that I’m all in.  This week it has rained so long and hard that I think some of my neighbors have seriously contemplated building arcs in their yards.  Lucky for me our homeowners association would freak out if anyone started boat construction.  I think that would be the one and only time I’ve ever appreciated our homeowners association.  My point is since I’ve decided to do this trainer torture ride I’ve had a new motivation to train harder on the trainer even though it’s raining outside and generally very gloomy.  So, I’m really liking this new sense of motivation.  

As part of the plans that I laid out for this ride I included a trip to the local taco truck as a recovery meal.  These tacos are the perfect recovery food because the taco truck in our fair city has the best tacos that I’ve ever eaten.    

Today we made a trip to the taco truck for lunch it was delicious and cultural all at the same time.  

Here’s a shot of the back of the truck.  All of the cooking is done right on the truck.  

As you walk around to the side of the truck to order the following menu is there to greet you.  As you can see the menu is in Spanish but lucky for me it’s also in English.  I always order the Asada (Beef) tacos but there are also a variety of other options which include Beef Tongue, Beef Head, Goat, and the others that I’m a little too scared to ask what they are.  If you can make them out I’d love some help in the translation.  I actually tried Tongue one day.  It wasn’t too bad but not really my speed.  

As you approach the window to order they mainly speak Spanish but they are nice enough to speak English with us without even rolling their eyes.  Our usual order is 3 beef tacos.  You can also choose a Mexican soda from the cooler bin.  Here’s a shot of the selection.  They have the weirdest selection of sodas that I’ve ever seen.  Some are pretty good but some not so much.

Finally, our order was ready so we headed into the fine dining area which consists of a Plexiglas shed that is filled with park benches and for extra comfort has some propane heaters on either side of the shed.  Oh the amenities!  Here’s a shot of the tacos.  As you can see three fit perfectly on a plate.  They come cooked in onions and are topped with cilantro, radishes and a jalapeño.  

If this doesn’t put the energy back in your legs after a long ride I don’t know what will.  I’ll be thinking about these tacos for the entire 6 hours of trainer torture.  Motivation comes in all sizes and shapes.

Century To Nowhere

This morning The Fat Cyclist threw down a 100 miles to nowhere century challenge to benefit the Livestrong Challenge. Basically, it entails riding 100 miles on your trainer on a day in April. As I read his post my mind immediately started doing some calculations about what it would take to complete a century on a trainer and how on earth I could have the determination to ride on that trainer for so long. Here’s what I came up with.

How long would this be?
Since I usually average between 16 to 17 MPH when I ride on the trainer to complete 100 miles it would take 6 hours of riding. Yuck, to date my personal best on a trainer ride has been 1:20 just because I couldn’t stand the sheer boredom of it. I think it could be possible to do this if I took a break after every hour so essentially it would be like doing 6 trainer rides rather that one massive trainer marathon.

What would the advantages be of the century to nowhere?
No stop lights, stop signs, or traffic to deal with
No hills to endure
No waiting in line to use a bathroom
No searching for a bathroom
No water bottle refill negotiations at convenience stores
No dogs to chase you (that is unless my dog decides to attack me)
No need to wear a helmet (I very rarely crash while on my trainer)
No need to worry about being dropped by your buddies
No need for sunscreen
No need to check the weather forecast before the ride

What are the disadvantages?
Doing a trainer ride is mind numbingly boring for an hour and this would be times 6!
No coasting
No drafting
No scenery or picture taking of cows etc
No hills to descend

List of things to prepare
8 water bottles (I couldn’t reuse them because it’s a tradition at our house to throw your water bottle to the side once you have emptied them just like the pros – you should try it, very refreshing)
2 mini tubes of chamois butter (This is the single most essential item of the day)
3 towels
4 bottles of Gatorade
3 bananas
3 power bars
2 gels
3 tacos from the local taco truck (post ride recovery meal)
1 carton of chocolate milk (post ride recovery drink)

Entertainment
2 movies 3:00 (possibly Tommy Boy and Happy Gilmore)
2 episodes of Gilmore Girls 1:30
4 episode of The Office 1:30

So, I’ve got a plan now the only thing I need is the determination. The debate is on. Should I or could I really do this?