RAMROD!

RAMROD.

Ride Around Mt Rainier in One Day.

152 miles of wonderful riding around the tallest mountain in Washington state, taking in two passes and a total of 10,000 feet of climbing.


I've done this ride a couple times, with a best time of 8 hours 15 minutes. That was back in my bike racing days, and I was in a group that made the first 70+ miles at an average of 25 mph. No way I'll come close to that now.

This year's ride is on July 26th, and because my wife and I volunteered last year, I have a guaranteed entry (bypassing the lottery).

Since I'm finding myself very frustrated with my running lately (as in I haven't been able to do much of any running), I was thinking about this ride as a means to take off some mental pressure. My goal last year was to do a couple half marathons. When that didn't happen for various reasons, I refocused on this year, and started the build-up. After doing some not-so-smart back-to-back days in December, the shin rebelled. And I haven't really run at all since the week before Christmas.

Focusing on RAMROD in July will allow me to take the running as it comes and not stress about whether I'll be ready in time to tackle 13.1 at any point this year -- those will still be here next year.

But I've also got to put in the bike mileage and hills to make sure I'm ready for the ride. I'm already looking at re-installing my road fenders

Tomorrow is the first day for entry into the lottery. With the guaranteed entry, I've got all month to sign up before the drawing on April 1st. No need to hurry that one.

So I think I'll wait 'till 9 tomorrow morning.

Maybe.