Preparations and Stress
I’m stressed at work. I’m stressed about the wedding. I’m stressed about my family. At this moment, I’m stressed about the Burn 24-Hour race and the next few weeks. Let’s see… 24-hour race this weekend. Dirt Divas Tsali trip next weekend. Sugar Mountain NORBA Nationals race the following weekend. Weekend off. Cowbell Challenge 12-hour race the following weekend (if I’m not dead by then). Then, we’re into July…
I’m doing the Burn this weekend. It will be my first solo 24-hour. I’ve done a solo 12-hour and a couple of 24-hour team events. I’m not going out there to really try to compete with the rest, but to see what I can do. I want to push myself and see how much I can do. I know I can do it. I keep telling myself that, anyway.
I’m stressed that I’m forgetting something. I have a list that I’ve used for the last few years to pack for the team events and I’ve adapted it for solo 12-hour and now the solo 24-hour events. It’s long. I’m amazed at how much stuff I’m bringing, only to spend a minimal amount of time in my pit area (I hope). I started packing the car last night with the big stuff like tents, chairs and bike stands. My bike is ready, except for the brake pads I need to change out, but that’s easy.
I’m typing this while I wait for my dinner to finish in the oven. After I eat, I’ll be in the garage. I’ve started to lay everything out on the floor of the garage to be packed into my plastic bins. One bin for riding food/drink/energy stuff/personal stuff (like aspirin, chamois butter, tiger balm, etc.), and another bin for bike parts, tools, and other stuff-stuff. I hope to get all of that taken care of tonight. Tomorrow night, I’ll do the clothes and the other food shopping. On my list: oranges, bananas, watermelon, peanut m&ms, pirates booty (a strange craving of mine), and, of course, YOO HOO — my favorite middle-of-the-night-comfort-drink.
I hope I don’t forget anything. I hope I don’t cry. I think I’ll do yoga later tonight. I have a knot in my stomach.
I know I’ll be fine. I know I can do it. I know I’ll have plenty of support. Because….
