As you all know, five months ago I began a journey to be my best physical self for the 2026 Unbound 200, considered by many to be one of the hardest gravel races in the country. To reach that goal I began working with a coach, and good friend, Serena Gordon, who designed a training plan that capitalized on my strengths, focused on my weaknesses, and was thoughtful about incorporating work constraints into the overall plan. I framed the whole process around the metaphor of climbing a mountain, the idea being that the bulk of my time would be spent on the lower slopes, immersed in the process of following a structured plan for the first time in six years while I progressed my way up the mountain.
What seemed so far off in the distance, is frighteningly right in front of me. I’m now at my final “base camp” of this journey, looking to make that “summit push” in just a few days, and all of a sudden the past five months seem to have been a blur. I teeter on the precipice of the final stage of this summit finish, which includes pedaling 206 miles of gravel on May 30th, feeling a mixture of sadness, anxiety, and excitement. If I’m being honest, I’m a bit sad that this journey is almost over and, at the same time,extremely anxious to see what I can do come race day when I start dead last in the 200 mile field. Because of the purpose behind my pedal strokes, I’m very motivated to push my physical limits because each pass equals money raised for the construction of a bike skills park in Emporia, KS. (To learn more about my Chase the Race fundraising ride, click here)
The biggest takeaway for me in this whole process has been the fact that I actually enjoyed the structure of having a plan and chasing very concrete numbers. It gamified training for me a bit which made following the plan more fun and rewarding. When I learned that my GARMIN and Training Peaks talked to each other so I was able to have a virtual coach show me exactly what power band, and for how long, I needed to be riding in, it made each ride more fun. Ticking off workouts, knowing the end goal, was its own powerful endorphin hit, which kept me honest in terms of following coach’s orders, which I did to a T.
I’m feeling my best ever in terms of fitness and have set a personal goal of trying to beat my best time of 11:55, which is going to be a tall order considering I did that in 2017. Outside of my personal performance goal, the most important thing that happens next Saturday, is that I get across the finish, no matter how fast I go. If I do that, which is not a given, it will unlock some serious funding for a bike skills park that will help shape the cycling future of Emporia, KS. If you’re in town for Unbound, be sure to join my Chase the Race shakeout ride on Friday at 11:00. Now it’s time to make the final push to the top.