I think I’ve decided on my physical challenge for next year. I’m going to attempt the Markleeville Death Ride.
No clue yet whether I can do it””it’s 129 miles and 5 mountain passes (15,000 feet of climbing)””really, really tough. But I want a challenge, and this will certainly qualify. AIDS Lifecycle is fun, but it’s not a challenge anymore””I know I can do it, it’s just a matter of training. But for the Death Ride, I’d really have to build up my skills. I’m a very poor hill-climber, and not very good at descending, so attempting those mountain passes would force me to develop those skills. I’d also have to lose weight””every extra ounce is that much more to drag uphill””and that fits in with my goal of getting down to a “healthy” percentage bodyfat. I’m currently at 30-33% and would like to get down to 22%, which would mean losing 10-15 lbs of fat. Last, I’d have to build considerably more strength in the legs than I currently have, which means time weightlifting in the gym. Which I had planned to do anyway.
So I’d have to develop more skills, lose weight, and gain a lot of strength before getting ready for the Death Ride. The good news is that (according to my coach) prepping for the Death Ride shouldn’t be as time-consuming as prepping for ALC, since the emphasis for the Death Ride is speed and power, not endurance. So I might be able to train and have a life as well.
Somehow the idea of arriving at a point in training where I can look at Page Mill and call it “easy” is really appealing to me. I’ll get into great shape, too.
I admit that bragging-rights is on the agenda as well: the Markleeville Death Ride is very well-known among cyclists, and cyclists who complete it get respect. It would be a nice feather in my cap””if I can do it. Big if.
On other topics, I went out and bought three yards of blue/green silk dupioni. Blue in one direction, green in the other. I plan to use a yard and a half of it to make a mostly-green top, which I will then decorate with peacock feathers and use in conjunction with the peacock-feather tutu. The other yard and a half will make a mostly-blue top, which I will combine with the blue-green organza tutu that I just bought the (white, undyed) organza for. I plan to crinkle-dye the organza in shades of blue and green, in the microwave. If I have time. Time is rather tight right around now.
