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BIG SWING - Sharp's Creek & Big River Loop

March 14, 2015 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Bike

Weather: 60 - 40s, on and off rain

Comments:
Lazy morning: hung out with CA, then ate breakfast, then got a little work done.

I'm trying really hard to be disciplined and let the achilles heal. That said, no running this week. However, there's a part of me that still wants to give Sonoma a go. Also, I was in the mood for adventure, and biking has been feeling good. So...it was time for a LONG ride.

Back in '10, I did this BIG loop: a 7x-mile ride that included a MASSIVE climb in the middle: starting and finishing in Cottage Grove, and essentially biking UP the Cascades, then down and around. It's a pretty loop, where you follow water nearly the whole time: Row River + Dorena Lake + Sharp's Creek outbound, then Big River + Cottage Grove Lake + Coast Fork Willamtte, inbound. I did this loop to train for our epic Yellowstone bike trip, pre-ultra life. Besides the water, the route is epic because of the huge climb, good pavement, and remoteness - nearly no traffic. That's a pretty rare combo for road-biking.

The weather sucked today: steady rain ALL day. CA and I packed up and drove down to CG around 2. She was going to trail run at Brice Creek, so she dropped me off in downtown CG, and, just like that, I was on my own.

I wish I hadn't started so late, because I felt pressed for time the whole ride. But, that did enhance the workout, as I took very few breaks, compared to '10.

Ran easy-ish on the eastbound, gradual climb on the Row bike path, along Dorena Lake. The lake is wayyyy low, which is sad. Got to Sharp's Creek Rd about an hour into the ride, and from there - with two exceptions - it was complete desolation for nearly three hours, as I saw only two lifeforms - a couple guys shooting into a quarry, and a single car - from there, until the very end.

On Sharp's, it's more gradual climbing until the road forks to the SE-bound single-lane. Then, shit gets real.

As it turned out, the opening segment was:

- 27.1 miles, 140HR, 1:40

The climb was brutal, but fantastic training: so steep that I was either out of the saddle, or at times switching up a straight, for nearly an solid hour. I stopped one time to remove my hat, but didn't split the watch. The HR was spiking well above 170, as altitude began to factor in, but I felt strong.

Like I did in '10, I forgot about the false-summit, but nonetheless, I took a break after nearly an hour's climb:

- 7.0 miles, 168hr, 55:39

Ate a 100-cal clif bar and had some water, while trying to enjoy the beautiful - but somewhat clouded view of the CG valleys to the west.

I then pushed on, erroneously thinking I was at the summit. I rolled along some flats and short downs and ups, before hitting another HUGE up. UGH! This lasted a good 20 minutes or so and resulted in some loud, "FUCK YOU"s being yelled. Then I had a mini-panic: did I go the wrong way? Was I supposed to turn? I'd given my only map to CA (in case she needed to track me down), so I was biking this on pure memory. That, alone, was enough to trigger a mini-bonk, which, after 90 minutes of HARD climbing, was on the brink, anyway.

Finally the mountain ceded to the long, treacherous descent.

- 5.42 mi, 162HR, 29:20

I dangerously guzzled my first gel and white-knuckled the brakes as the wind and rain picked up, narrowly avoiding the ditch a few times on some tight, steep curves.

The gel helped dissipate the bonk, but my quads and glutes just ACHED, as they began to chill on the long descent. I wish I'd split it, but it was a good 15 minutes of bomber descent before mellowing out into something spinnable. While I got really cold at this point, it was a nice break, to allow the HR to get down (to about 110) and blood sugar stores to level out.

The pavement was in good shape, thankfully, and - literally - I saw ZERO vehicles or lifeforms whatsoever. That certainly added a degree of excitement (fear) and mystique to this experience. But as the road leveled out, I could feel I was inching closer to civilization. The legs came around and I began to grind in top gear, with heavy emphasis on pelvis to get the glutes to fire instead of my quads.

My achilles was on and off achy on the ride: worst on the upward climb, but coinciding by an overall nerve tension feel in the left leg. But I don't recall feeling it at all on the second half. The quads - after that 90+ minutes of heavy grind - were THRASHED and achy, but I was shocked at how well they came around.

Finally, after counting down the mile markers, the logging road ceded to the smooth-paved London Road. I was withing 15 miles.

Over those final miles - trending downhill, but punctuated with dozens of little rollers - I pushed HARD. I was driven to get done on time, so I wouldn't worry CA, but also because I wanted to get in a hard workout and CRUSH this ride.

In 2010, I stopped a TON:

- lazy stop at Sharp's Creek CG for water (5min?)
- midway stop on the big climb
- prolonged stop at the summit (5+min)
- stop at General Store ~10mi from finish (10min)

This time, I had only one-untimed stop (2min to check my phone), then stopped four total times, all included:

- take hat off (1min)
- summit (4min)
- get out phone to text CA (2min)
- get out headlamp (1min)

Those stops notwithstanding, I hauled ass on this ride, CRUSHING the final 15 miles. It felt great, and one of those fleeting, "hard ultra run"-type workout feels, that have been sorely lacking recently.

Rolled past CG Lake in light (almost relieving) traffic prescence, then pumped hard into CG. Probably averaged 150-160 HR over the final 15 miles.

Finished in 4:43 for 71.x miles. Fantastic workout! Without stops, it probably would've been 4:30. But if I threw in all the stops in:

2015: 4:45
2010: 5:00

Felt really good about it: the ability to go long, to push hard for a long time, and finish hard. Minus a few points for pussing out the final 8 miles or, so: ate a 2nd gel when I put on my headlamp, but otherwise I did the entire effort with 300 calories, total.

Final stats:
71 miles
4:45
speed: 15.0mph (AWESOME! including ~8min of stops!)
HR avg: 150
vert: 4500'

PM: met CA at the new brew pub in CG, "Hard Knocks", and had a beer.5 and some tator tot nachos, then drove home.

Achilles was...not happy. Not terrible, but just tight. I wonder how much is mechanical, and how much is "nerve dumping"??