24 Hour Race Report

Well, last weekend was the only race I'll be doing all summer (excluding the University Cup races in the fall, which I don't consider summer anymore), and it was a blast! It was a 24 hour relay mountain biking race. My team consisted of 4 other people that I had never met before, but who were super cool and fun, not to mention the other two teams we were hanging out with, who were also really nice. Queen's University people really are quite nice! Anyway, my team was not really competitive (it consisted mainly of 24 hour race beginners, and one who had never raced a bike before), so it went exactly as I expected: I had a fun time relaxing with some nice people, and rode my laps as fast as I could (and I still did 5 laps...any less and I would have been disappointed with myself). My fastest lap wasn't bad, and my last lap was almost the same speed as my first one, and this despite the fact that my stomach was upset the entire weekend. Probably the brown rice was a bad idea...I should have just made plain white rice. I made many trips to the outhouse, including one near-emergency :-P.

Nutrition is incredibly important for these kinds of races...it has to be all very easy to digest, yet contain everything that you need: carbohydrates, protein, and fats, in approximately the correct proportions. The thought with the brown rice was that there was more fibre and good things, so it would be helpful, but apparently I don't digest it well. Most people eat pasta, but I've learned from experience that I don't digest it very well. Other people were eating mostly powerbars, gels, and this 'Ensure' stuff, and that's it....I can't imagine having no real food for an entire race. Bleh!

Ok well that's enough thesis procrastination. I'm writing! The last chapter! :-)