Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Sout Carolina - here I come!

Deep breath.

Pause....

HOLYCOWTOMORROWILEAVEANDI'MSOEXCITEDANDNERVOUSANDEXCITEDANDSCAREDANDEXCITED.

And oh yeah, I'm forgetting something...

Hhhmmmmm.

Oops - I still have to pack.

Simple enough:

1) HTFU suit, goggles, cap - check
2) Bike - check
3) Run shoes - check

Great - I'm all set. (Of course, I plan on wearing clothes... no, there won't be any naked women swimming/biking/running in South Carolina. If you do see one, kindly look away. Hopefully the other members of our group will realize that one of us has cracked, and will shortly be to her rescue).

After they climb Paris Mountain. Or whatever its called. I just know that its big, its steep, and I had to get a new rear cog for my bike. Before this week I didn't even know the difference between an 11-23, 12-25, and 12-27.

That's what living in the Florida Panhandle will do.

Nice views of the Gulf. Warm winters. But no hills. Well - maybe a few "rollers" - but let's get real. "Climbing" a hill for :45 doesen't exactly count now, does it?

Its rumored that some of the climbs will take upwards of half an hour. Wow. That means for an entire episode of Fawlty Towers, I could be climbing a mountain in Greenville, SC. Wow. Next time I see John Cleese, I'll think of biking. Go figure.

So yeah - warm winters, clear (shark-filled) waters, and lots of flat lands for biking. Thank goodness the subject of gearing and tt bikes vs road bikes came up before we converged on Greenville. FYI: we settled on the TT bikes with appropriate cog setting.

No 11-23s for me. That, my friends, would have been really ugly!

So technically, with my new set of 12-25s and 650 wheels, I should be able to climb the hills. That's the theory, anyway. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

In all honesty, I can't wait. I'm so excited - I'm jumping out of my skin. My goal isn't to conquor the moutain or beat it into submission. No - I want to work with the mountain, enjoy her for her splendor, tackle the challenges that she provides, use whatever she offers, and challenge myself to the best of my ability.

Will I learn? I plan on it.

Will it be painful? Probably.

Will I crack? Hopefully not.

Will I have a shit-tonne of fun with my friends? You betcha!

So with that, I'm off to bed. The laundry is in the dryer, my trainer is set up for tomorrow's early morning spin, and the living room has been taken over by an odd assortment of powders, gels, drink mixes, and Margarita Cliff Blocks. It looks like my gear closet threw up.

In a few short hours, I'll be packed up, bumping along the road, heading North to Greenville, South Carolina. And I can't wait!

To the Mountains - Hurrah!

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

So, Marit- Have a great trip tomorrow! We should get together when you get back- I got some major face to face chat time with Sweetie Petie. (That was the massage therapists' code name for Peter Reid.) lol... we figured, since he's retired and all he's just a big softie... RIGHT. Anywho- the trip was totally rad- Cool pics to show, too!

Donna

Courtenay said...

when do you get back? i am now kicking myself for only getting your majorly exciting birthday package in the mail today!
have a great time, i am jealous! the riding there is supposed to be great. the men's nat'l road race championships have been there for the past two years altho i think they are elsewhere this year. ooooo and maybe you will have some BIG GEORGE sightings?!?! george hincapie lives there (with his wife who was a podium girl in europe!)

are you going to provide updates and reports on the blog for the fans??

BreeWee said...

Have SO much fun! ENJOY the training with a bunch of friends!!

Anonymous said...

Marit. Have a blast. And if you feel like you're going to cry, HOLD OUT for a few minutes and let Elizabeth be the first to cry. Then you can accuse HER of being twelve years old...! We'll be thinking of you gals enjoying your warmweather training. Be safe.

Liz Waterstraat said...

See - now that's not right. That will come back to bite you Ness in the form of 4 x 1000 very soon.

Marit I will see you in less than 12 hours. Before then I have 4000 yards to complete courtesy of Sargent JH.

Chad Holderbaum said...

Have a fun time in SC!!! Nothing beats training in the mountains. Enjoy. Chad

Beth said...

I agree with Chad - nothing beats training in the hills!! Have fun and can't wait for the full reports!

Joy | Love | Chaos said...

DON'T FORGET TO BRING THE HURT BOX!

(although i can't remember if it fits carry on restrictions...too large?)

(wink)

(have fun!)

Anonymous said...

Have a great trip! Happy safe travel and training to all!

Mel said...

SAFE travels...Watch out for the BEARS (YIKES).....You are going to have some GOOD training along with SOME GOOD LAUGHS...can't beat it :)
Be safe Marit...and take a lot of photo to share :)

My Life said...

Have a great time and fab ride!

Eileen Swanson said...

Have tons and tons of fun with all your buddies....Take lots of pics.

E

Ryan said...

So is this a training block for you?

Good luck with it.

I was going to see if you wanted to ride Sunday from truly spokin but I guess not, so there!

Have a safe trip.

Sally said...

Marit, I love South Carolina and I hope you have the best time ever. Be safe in SC and ..... Enjoy! Sally

Brooke said...

Alright, I need to find some of these margarita cliff shots.

good luck.