The Famous Vermont 50

For those of you who have not heard of this aforementioned bike race, and I supposed there are some.....maybe who have been in Tibet, or who have just come back from submarine duty.....This is a mountain bike race over the hills and through the dales of Vermont. Some blacktop, some dirt, some singletrack. Those who have done it for the first time are surprised at how hard 50 miles can be. It starts in the predawn hours, when it is cold and you are dressed in layers, eventually ending in what we hope is the sunshine and good weather of Fall. A couple of years ago, however, it turned into the RACE FROM HELL, with torrential downpours happening throughout the day. The trails were a mess. The powers that be did not see fit to just end the race at some point, even though both mental and physical injuries plagued almost everyone. Just let them go and quit if they choose. Big mistake. I hope that this year will be different.

The 50 comes right by our house and we are able to watch the participants in their suffering glory. BikeHubby has raced three times, placing high each time and coming in second once. I have yet to participate. I want to participate. I could participate. I should participate. But I don't participate. I have ridden some of the trails (some are only open during the 50, so you can't ride them) and there are some places I walk and some I ride - but that is true with just about everyone. I actually think that my competitive nature makes me want to do it only if I can put in a good performance. One that rivals BikeHubby's performance. And with this being my first year on a mountain bike, I am not sure that I can turn in that kind of performance and I have to say that I am afraid of failure. That I won't finish. That I will be wandering, lost, out on the trails somewhere and have to be rescued (and if you have read any of my other posts, you will know that is a distinct possibility) and that I will then have to face everyone and explain why I failed. And explain it to myself.

So next year, I am not going to watch from the sidelines. I have never let fear of failure hold me back before....Heck, I am an old hand at failure! Queen of Failure, in fact! But I want to be prepared. So I am signing up for two Coyote Camps and heading into a real training program so maybe I can fool myself into thinking that I am prepared. And who knows? Maybe I will come close to BikeHubby's time. Sweet!