So I have been mountain biking since the mid 90's but took a big 8 year break and stared riding again in 2010. In that time I moved from Illinois to Arizona and gained about 20 lbs. For the past 3 years or so my riding consisted of rides between typically 10-15 miles which would take me 90-120 min. I would always have to stop at the top of the climbs to catch my breath but I typically recovered quickly. I lost some weight and was feeling good but I kept hearing about these endurance rides and something called AES. The Arizona Endurance Series.
It sparked an interest. I couldn't fathom the distances some of these people were riding. It seemed impossible for me but the spark of interest never really went away. There was always that little voice saying "I wonder if I could do that?"
So one day I decided to try it. There was a new race fairly close to my house that would utilize some single track that I have ridden previously. I figured this would be my foot into the door and man did I pick a beast of a ride. The AES PicketPost Punisher. 50 miles and 8100 ft of climbing.
I trained for 3 months with my only goal being to not DNF. I learned so much about my ability or lack of ability. As a self supported race I had to learn about nutrition and packing everything I needed including the necessary things to perform trail repair. Getting stuck 20 miles out in the Sonoran desert is no treat.
Well it took me 10 hours and 7 minutes to finish the race. No DNF. I cramped on and off for the last 25 miles and I generally felt like crap when I finished. But something odd happened. I wanted more. I wanted to do it again. I couldn't stop thinking about it. What was wrong with me? Hours earlier I was yelling every expletive I could think of as my quads and hamstrings cramped at the same time. I wondered why someone would choose to do this and yet now just minutes after the race ended I felt sad it was over. Lucky for me the AES had another race just 2 weeks later. As I completed my second AES race I couldn't help but think back on how far I've come. From riding 10-15 miles per week to just completing my 2nd AES race in as many weeks logging over 122 miles, 18,000 verticle ft of climbing for almost 20 hours of ride time, I had indeed come a long way.
Since August I have logged 663 miles with almost 80,000 ft of climbing. I never thought in a million years that I could come close to those numbers (and I know this is nothing compared to some people). These AES races have sparked a new and very strong passion for mountain biking in me and I have met some really amazing people along the way. I've signed up for my third AES race which will be a 68 mile ride in Dec. I'm hooked.
It sparked an interest. I couldn't fathom the distances some of these people were riding. It seemed impossible for me but the spark of interest never really went away. There was always that little voice saying "I wonder if I could do that?"
So one day I decided to try it. There was a new race fairly close to my house that would utilize some single track that I have ridden previously. I figured this would be my foot into the door and man did I pick a beast of a ride. The AES PicketPost Punisher. 50 miles and 8100 ft of climbing.
I trained for 3 months with my only goal being to not DNF. I learned so much about my ability or lack of ability. As a self supported race I had to learn about nutrition and packing everything I needed including the necessary things to perform trail repair. Getting stuck 20 miles out in the Sonoran desert is no treat.
Well it took me 10 hours and 7 minutes to finish the race. No DNF. I cramped on and off for the last 25 miles and I generally felt like crap when I finished. But something odd happened. I wanted more. I wanted to do it again. I couldn't stop thinking about it. What was wrong with me? Hours earlier I was yelling every expletive I could think of as my quads and hamstrings cramped at the same time. I wondered why someone would choose to do this and yet now just minutes after the race ended I felt sad it was over. Lucky for me the AES had another race just 2 weeks later. As I completed my second AES race I couldn't help but think back on how far I've come. From riding 10-15 miles per week to just completing my 2nd AES race in as many weeks logging over 122 miles, 18,000 verticle ft of climbing for almost 20 hours of ride time, I had indeed come a long way.
Since August I have logged 663 miles with almost 80,000 ft of climbing. I never thought in a million years that I could come close to those numbers (and I know this is nothing compared to some people). These AES races have sparked a new and very strong passion for mountain biking in me and I have met some really amazing people along the way. I've signed up for my third AES race which will be a 68 mile ride in Dec. I'm hooked.