heber valley century 2010

Welp, I did it! My very first century.

The weather was PERFECT, which was a huge blessing. I would have gotten really discouraged if there were a headwind. Or any wind. It was definitely challenging (especially since we hadn't done more than 60 miles at one time) but very fun and very worth it. PLUS we (husband and I) got to shoot a rifle about 10 miles in on the Olympic biathlon course. Click to enlarge.

Random? Yes. But fun.

Course topo map:

Last 10 miles were pretty sweet.

Not that I have done one of these before, but I felt that the whole event was very well done.
Pros:
- Well organized. The registration desk was quick and painless. They had a great listing of all the rest stops and turn by turn directions, not that we needed them, because...
- The course was well marked. It's always a pain when you're questioning if you're going the right way.
- The rest stops were super well stocked. Wide variety of snacks- fruit, bars, trail mix, candy, etc. and Subway for the lunch stop. All had either bathrooms or porta potties and a couple had bike support for those that were having problems.
- Great scenery! Passed by a few lakes or reservoirs and through mountain passes.



Cons:
- We were going along just fine around mile 40 and hit a gravel road. Um... what? It gradually turned into a dirt road and lasted for a couple miles. Not only is that super hard on the bike but my legs were exhausted. Like running on sand.
- During miles 50-60ish, we saw riders going the opposite way on the same road. It was pretty discouraging knowing we would be coming up the exact same road in several miles. Also, this stretch was slightly downhill so all I could focus on was the looooong slight uphill that would greet me when we looped around.
- The shirts are on back order! The website said we were getting "quality event socks" and since I have enough t shirts to last a lifetime, I thought that was neat. But then I guess it changed to shirts but they didn't even have them there. Something to look for in the mail, I guess.

The finish, 100 miles later.

As for the aftermath, I did the responsible thing and iced my knees (rather than leaving them along and regretting it the next day) and I feel no soreness or pain today.

Next up: St. George century in October!