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Bicycle's Fast South 2004
Farrell Hayes & Roger Harris (the Rookie)
Day 18, Oct 13 - Ft Smith, AR to
Conway, AR - 128 miles
Hi Guys
Starting today and continuing through the rest of the tour, these e-mails
will have a co-author--He's my cousin and training partner, but he's also a tour
rookie--Mr. Roger Harris---Today was his first day---He might have a little
different perspective on this ride than me--But, anyway, we will divide these
e-mails into 2 sections--1 from me and 1 from the Rookie
Farrell's Story
Tonight I'm in Conway, Arkansas---Today's ride was 122 miles with beautiful
weather and a nice tailwind (only the 3rd tailwind day of the whole trip) We
cruised all day and made it to the motel in about 7 hours--Just a nice relaxing
day (The tailwinds make a huge difference)--I rode with Roger all day and I
thought he did a great job--He stayed pretty much on my back wheel all
day--Which impressed me---Because, there were at least a couple of 10 mile
sections where I tested him out a little
He was doing a lot of whining about a couple of aches and pains tonight, so I
finally told him "Hey, let me give you a list of things on me that don't
hurt--It's a short list--Next subject" --Sometimes you have to put a Rookie in
his place
Tomorrow, it's another short day (106 miles) into Brinkley, Ark--And I'll
report from there
The R Section (stands for either Rookie or Roger)
Thanks to perfect weather and a 15 to 20 mph tailwind, I was able to complete
my first day with little or no problems. The distance was 122 miles. That just
happens to be the furthest I have ever ridden in one day I found out very
quickly why this is called the Fast South, the riders are unbelievably fast.
Farrell and I rolled into the lunch stop (72 miles into the ride) in under 4
hours. That is by far the fastest I have ever ridden 72 miles. I don't think
we were the last riders to get there but the 4 girls on the ride were already
having seconds and about ready to depart.
Still at the lunch stop, I noticed my front tire literally had a small hole
in it. It wasn't flat, but I have no idea why it wasn't----you could see the
tube. So, I had to use the extra tire I brought with me on the very first day.
The ABB staff mechanic changed it for me, demonstrating blinding speed while
doing so---I think he has probably fixed a few flats before. My only problem as
I'm writing this is that for some reason, my hip started hurting last night at
dinner----before I rode a single inch. It didn't hurt while I was pedaling
today, but it sure hurts when I try to do anything else.
Farrell rode with me today the whole way and I appreciated it. I know some
of the other riders were probably wondering why The Big Diesel was taking it so
easy today. Well, that's all for tonight.
Lorna, you might want to kick it up a gear,
R
Thanks to everyone for reading our e-mails and for your support
Farrell and the Rookie
Day 19, Oct 13 - Conway, AR to
Brinkley, AR - 106 miles
Hi Guys
Farrell's Report
Tonight, we're in Brinkley, Arkansas--just 50 miles from the Mississippi
River--We'll cross it tomorrow over the Helena bridge--about 40 miles south of
Memphis--I got to tell you that #1--I'm afraid of heights and #2--I ain't no
fan of these big ole Gotham City looking steel bridges---And this particular
bridge scares me just to look at it--- It is very possible that I might be
walking my bike over that thing---A lot of my decision about walking over or
riding over will depend on the size of that guard rail--but either way, I'm
going over
About today--100 miles--pouring down rain and 50 degrees---It was about as
miserable as a bike ride could be---I was wet and real cold the whole day--But
we made it pretty quick (except for flat tires) As bad as the weather was, it
wasn't even in the top 10 in terms of toughest days on this tour
As for the Rookie, he's doing good--he's getting there--It wouldn't bother me
none if he picked up the pace just a dash though--
The R Section
When I woke up and looked out the window this morning, I could hear
Fleetwood Mac bellowing "Yesterday's Gone." Yesterday's great weather was long
gone. The word for today was COLD. Cold Rain (most of the day); Cold
Temperature (all day); Cold Wind (all day and coming right off a polar bear's
back). I was not only cold today but I was slow also. My fingers and toes were
numb nearly the entire ride. However, I did make the entire distance of 100
miles. It marks the first time I have ever ridden 100 miles or more on
consecutive days. I have 114 more waiting on me tomorrow. I think I will make
it but I am concerned about being so slow compared to Farrell and the other
riders.
One thing that held me up today was Farrell and I both had flats at exactly
the same time. Somehow Farrell managed a "switcharoo" on me that resulted not
only in the Ride Leader (Mike) fixing my flat with a bad tube, but it cost me an
extra tube. I will probably make the website as the "duh of the day" because I
was positive I still had the new tube when I handed it to Mike and commented to
that effect.
Well that's all for tonight from the rookie,
In closing, I might have understated the problems that Roger and I had in
fixing flats today (Hey, I'm not very mechanical) Anyway, we made the ride
leader website tonight with our flat tire problems--The link to today is
http://bamacyclist.com/journal2004/FastSouth04/Day19/brinkley.htm
He describes it in a little more detail
Reporting tomorrow from Senatobia, Mississippi
Thanks to everyone
Farrell and The Rookie
Day 20, Oct 15 - Brinkley, AR to
Senetobia, MS - 113 miles
Hi Guys
Farrell's Section
I'm in Senatobia, Mississippi tonight--114 miles today with beautiful
weather, smooth roods and a tailwind---Except for one thing, it was a great
day--Unfortunately, that one thing was THE BRIDGE--I got to it at the 59 mile
mark---I spent the morning getting psyched up to cross this "bad boy." Now,
I've seen this bridge many times and I've crossed this bridge many times---Each
time in a car---This bridge is scary enough looking from a car, but when I saw
it from the bicycle, I got a major case of hebby jebbies---But, I mustered up
enough courage to begin the crossing and everything was going ok until.....right
in the middle a big truck got behind me and blew his horn (It's only a two lane
bridge) So I said enough--I stopped the bike and leaned against the guard rail
and recollected myself--It took about 5 minutes, but I finally got back on the
bike and finished the crossing---As for the trucker, he's lucky that I didn't
have my rocket launcher with me
The rest of the day went great (except for more flat tires) I felt pretty
strong today--Tomorrow we have another big mile day--137 miles--Which I'm
looking forward to--I want to see how the Rookie does on a real ride
The R Section
After yesterday's cold rain, the first thing I did this morning was ask
myself a question. Did I have (a) pneumonia (b) a bad cold (c) a death wish, or
(d) none of the above? Thanks to help from the man upstairs, the answer was (d)
and I was very impatient at breakfast wanting to get on the road. I left a
little earlier than Farrell thinking it would not be long before he caught up
with me. I was fortunate enough to partner up with a guy named Tom. We rode
well together and was among the first to reach the lunch stop at 71.3 miles.
There were only 3 other riders already there (none were girls). I learned that
Farrell had been delayed by a flat tire. YES indeed, I rode too fast.
But anyway, Farrell and I left the lunch stop together but had to stop after
about 15 miles because I had another flat....3 days--3 flats. PERFECT! I was
starting to wear down at around 95 miles. Then the rookie (me) made the fatal
mistake of asking The Big Diesel if he was okay. The next time I saw him was at
the motel 20 miles later. Actually, I made it pretty well today and the only
thing that got into the van was an extra shirt I decided to shed at the lunch
stop. However, I am very sore tonight and I'm dreading tomorrow's ride of 137
miles.
We'll report tomorrow night from Aberdeen, Mississippi---It will be a long,
long day
Thanks to everyone
Farrell and the Rookie
Day 21, Oct 16 - Senetobia, MS to
Aberdeen, MS - 137 miles
Hi Guys
We're in Aberdeen, Mississippi tonight--Today's ride was 137 miles--weather
was perfect--winds were no factor--Roger made it with no real problems and I was
very proud of him--His previous high mileage day was 122 on Wednesday, so going
137 was a big deal and he did fine
My biggest problem today was getting chased by dogs--I must have been chased
50 times today--big dogs--little dogs--bionic dogs--you name it, I got chased by
them--Some of them found out the hard way though that I am not to be messed with
after the 100 mile mark--My patience level goes way down plus I've always
enjoyed throwing rocks
Officially through today, I've ridden 2,236 miles in 19 days--It's hard to
believe that just 3 weeks ago, I dipped my back wheel in the Pacific--Hopefully,
I'll be dipping my front wheel in the Atlantic this coming Friday
There might not be a Roger report tonight--He sound asleep (It's only 6:30) So
I'll just keep on writing
I've learned a lot about super long term endurance these last 3 weeks--One
thing that you have to do is constantly listen closely to what your body is
telling you (In fact, that's the main that I think about while riding--"What
does my body need in order to keep spinning at 20 MPH?") Sometimes it's fluids,
food, stretching, etc.--During the riding day, I eat tons of food with high
salt--pickles, fritos, pretzels--and a lot of sugar--cookies, giant peanut
butter and honey sandwiches (every day for lunch)
Also staying hydrated is essential--it's a lot different here that Death Valley,
but I still took in around 250 oz of fluids during the ride today---During
"recovery time" (which starts immediately when you reach the destination motel)
I eat a lot different--It's "super carb time" Ain't nobody here on the Adkins
diet--For example, I just had a whole large pizza and I'm still hungry--Also
during recovery, you have to rehydrate--Hydration starts the day before--Which
for us, is all the time because we ride every day
Another thing that I've reconfirmed is that the human body is an amazing
machine--it can withstand more stress and activity than most people will ever
know--And the main reason that they'll never know is simply because it hurts to
push yourself out of your comfort zone--And I mean, it hurts bad--But the upper
limits of conditioning are a wonderful place to be--I went through a lot to get
to my current condition, but what a great feeling it is---This trip has
convinced me that most of us go through life scarcely tapping our bodies vast
reserves--We probably only use about 20% of our bodies' capabilities (OK, OK ,
I just reached my limits on deep thinking)
Reporting tomorrow from Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Farrell and a snoring Roger
Day 22, Oct 17 - Aberdeen, MS to
Tuscaloosa, AL - 110 miles
Hi Guys
Roger's section is going to be first tonight--You never know how long the
Rookie can stay awake--
The R Section
Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ear. This is NOT a recreational
ride! It is not fun and games. It is hard work. With all of that said, I
would definitely recommend it to anyone willing to put forth the effort because
the adventure will be one that I will cherish forever. The 137 miles on
Saturday sent me to bed early last night. Even after 11 hours of sleep, I still
woke up not really eager to start pedaling. Farrell's morning checklist, which
rivals that of a Boeing 747 prior to takeoff pretty much assures us to be among
the last to leave each day. I immediately took a wrong turn only 4 miles into
the ride but it only cost me one extra mile before I was back on track. I
actually started feeling pretty strong early and passed about a dozen riders in
the first 40 miles but never did catch Farrell until the first SAG stop. The
lead riders ran into a situation where a bridge was out. Everyone had to turn
around and take a detour that added 8 more miles to the ride. I was willing to
swim across rather than ride the extra miles but was talked out of it by other
riders---something about gators and snakes.
The ride turned out to be 117 miles instead of 109. After feeling really
bad about 85 miles into the ride, I got a second wind (very rare for me) and
made it to the motel in pretty good shape. There was a ton of hills on the
route today and tomorrow promises more of the same. Whether my legs will be up
the task or not, I will just have to wait and see. So far, so good---I haven't
had to get into the van yet.
Farrell's Section
We're in Tuscaloosa, Alabama tonight--Today's ride was supposed to be 109
miles but ended up being 117 because of a detour--There was some climbing
today--A lot more than you would think in Alabama--Short, steep little "bad
boys"--Looked like whoever designed some of these roads didn't give a lot of
thought to graduated grading--Whatever was there, they just paved it--Short,
steep though, I don't mind much--I just jump off the saddle and on the pedals
and scoot to the top--Couldn't have said that 3 weeks ago
Dogs were not as big an issue today--Had to scold the Rookie though--We were
riding along and a bulldog started chasing Roger--Then I hear this weak, little
feeble voice say "Stay" "Stay"---I turned around and scolded Roger--"That ain't
the way you talk to a bulldog"--- I said say "Back" at the top of your lungs and
maybe throw an unprintable in there if the situation merits--But this business
of saying "Staaaay--Staaaay" ain't gonna cut it---Rookies
Roger fell off the back at about the 80 today--And I figured the next time
that I saw would be in the van---But, to his credit, he recovered and finished
on the bike
Reporting tomorrow from Prattville, Alabama
Farrell and Roger
Day 23, Oct 18 - Tuscaloosa, AL
to Prattville, AL - 112 miles
Hi Guys
We're in Prattville, Alabama tonight--Fairly tough day--117 miles, 20 MPH
headwinds and a lot of climbing--No real problems and I got in fairly early
I want to comment on something Roger said last night in the e-mail--Quoting "I
would definitely recommend this ride to anyone willing to put forth the
effort--I discussed that statement with the ride leader--Mike Munk--and several
other riders--and we all had a good laugh
I wasn't going to discuss this issue until the end of the ride, but since it
has been raised, I'll go ahead with my opinion---What does it take to be ready
for a ride like this? There are several ways to bicycle across America, but
I'll discuss preparing for this particular ride (115 miles per day)--Also, I
know that there are several people reading these e-mails who are thinking about
riding across America--So here is my opinion of what you need to do
#1 You should be in great physical condition--AKA--Able to ride 100
miles very comfortably--Able to ride 50 miles in 3 hours very comfortably and
able to run 5 miles very comfortably
You must get to the above described condition before beginning your 4
months of training
#2 The real training program--I highly recommend a cross training
approach--biking, running and weight lifting (You can't believe how hanging onto
a bike for thousands of miles will stress your upper body--Those guys in the
Tour de France are a lot stronger than they look--You don't believe it?--Try
wrestling one of them) You will need all the upper body strength you can get in
order to handle the rough, rough roads--In fact, rough roads has been my number
1 surprise on this trip
Running--I recommend running 2 days per week--5-12 miles per
Biking--Nothing get you in condition to ride a bike like riding a bike--I
recommend riding a lot--no--a ton of miles--I've ridden 21 centuries plus in the
last 23 days and none have came close to being as easy as the Sequatchie Valley
Century (Sorry guys) But it ain't even close--The rough roads--The
climbing--The headwinds
Headwinds--While training this summer, I would look at the weather forecast
for winds--And I would ride the first 60 miles against the wind and then ride
home downwind--Sorry to tell you, but that ain't the real world--If it's a
headwind, it's a headwind all day--I've had 2 days on this trip riding 145 miles
against a 20 MPH headwind--Thank God for pacelines and aerobars
Big Miles--So you can ride 100 miles--big deal--How do you feel at the
120?--the 130?--the 140?--Oh, by the way, save something--because you have to do
it again tomorrow and the next day and next day--My point is--Don't ride a few
C's and then show up in Irvine ready for your big "adventure"--You'll bonk out
halfway through the first day---You have to be able to ride the big miles
in training
Handling the heat in Death Valley--How do you prepare for riding in 115
degree heat--I don't know--The only thing that I could think of was to go to the
YMCA--Ask them to move the Stairmaster into the Sauna--Set the temperature at
115 and go to work--You should be able to go hard on the Stairmaster for at
least an hour--And if you can't, you ain't gonna like Death Valley
All that sounds pretty negative, but I will tell you that I've never had a
sense of accomplishment like this and I would do it all over again
The R Section
The monster climbing, rough roads, and headwinds made it a very tough day
for the Rookie. I made it again today but was among the late arrivals to the
motel.
Hoping for an easier day tomorrow,
Roger
Reporting tomorrow from Columbus, Georgia
Farrell and Roger
Hi Guys
Roger had the Duh of the day again--It's hillarious
http://bamacyclist.com/journal2004/FastSouth04/Day23/prattville.htm
Farrell
Day 24, Oct 19 - Prattville, AL
to Columbus, GA - 106 miles
Hi Guys
We're in Columbus, Georgia tonight--Hard to believe that I've made it from the
Pacific to Georgia on my bicycle--It's seems both like yesterday and an eternity
since I dipped that back wheel in the Pacific--Today's ride was 109 miles
(including a bridge out detour) , rain and little windy, but no big deal--I had
trouble finding a meal quickly tonight--So my sugar level got way low--But, I've
bounced back now
Dogs--I know that I'm starting to sound like Bill Murray fighting gophers in
the movie Caddyshack---But I'd had about 2 weeks of getting chased by hundreds
and hundreds of dogs (I've been riding 3 weeks but there weren't no dogs in
Death Valley)
So, as of now, I consider myself somewhat of a student of the canine mind--I
have categorized dogs into the following groups--
1) Dogs that when you ride by simply ignore you (My personal favorites)
2) Dogs that bark but don't chase--I have no problem with them--They're
dogs--They have every right to bark if they want
3) Dogs that bark and chase to the boundaries of their yard--Again, no
problem by me--You've got the right to bark and defend your yard
4) Dogs that see you coming from miles away and line you up and come at you
and your pedals like missiles---About these no good, low life varmits, I got to
tell you that---I, THOMAS FARRELL HAYES have declared all out war on them---I
use about half of my riding day scheming and thinking of ways to attack these
low lifes---A few days ago, I pulled a rock throwing sneak attack on a bionic
Chow--And yesterday, I landed a right hand haymaker to the side of a German
Shepard's head---Sounds rough? Hey, I've got more attacks planned for tomorrow
The R Section
Today was my best day yet. It came a bit unexpectedly. I woke up this
morning with legs so sore I could hardly walk to breakfast. But after I got on
the bike and rode about 20 miles, they warmed up and gave me very little problem
throughout the day. Because of a storm warning, everyone was held up at the
lunch stop (approximately 30 miles from Columbus). When it was clear to ride, I
was feeling uncharacteristically strong so I rode the rest of the way in a pace
line and was among the early arrivals to the hotel. Tomorrow's ride will be to
Perry, Ga. It is raining tonight so I am hoping that by morning, the sky will
clear and tomorrow will be another good day.
Reporting tomorrow from Perry, Georgia
Farrell and Roger
Day 25, Oct 20 - Columbus, GA to
Perry, GA - 95 miles
Hi Guys
We're in Perry, Georgia tonight--It sure is nice to be back in my home
state--Only 2 more days until the Atlantic at Savannah--233 miles to go--2,653
miles behind me--And, to be honest, I've got mixed feelings about this tour
coming to an end---Yeah, I do hurt everywhere---And, yeah, some mornings it is
absolutely brutal to sit on that bike seat---But the rewards--Wow---I will
probably remember vividly each one of the last 26 days for the rest of my
life---And how good does it feel to call a 110 mile bike ride a short day?
I have a bunch of people to thank for helping me with this adventure---But
I'll only mention a few tonight--More later--I would like to thank the East
Ridge Bike Shop--Mr. Mansfield and Garth and all their staff--They helped outfit
me for this ride--They also highly recommended that I wear a camelback through
Death Valley (A camelback is a backpack that you can put up to 70 oz of fluids
in) I could not have made through the desert without it--No way--4 of
our group didn't have camelbacks--And 2 of them spent the 2nd night in the
hospital
Also I want to thank Tom Sell--he trained me this summer--I mentioned this
before but I couldn't have handled the climbing on this trip without his
help--Also, I thank Brice Holland--Brice did a coast to coast ride back in the
mid 90's on a steel bike--wow--His ride helped inspire this one
Also, from the bottom of my heart, I thank Penni Stansell--She did an
unbelievable number of things to make this adventure possible
The R Section
This was my 8th day and I'm proud to report that I'm eight for eight----eight
rides completed and no days in the van. I have two more to go and if my legs
hold up, I might make it ten for ten. I must admit I can't imagine riding the
whole enchilada (pond to pond).
Being the rookie and sharing a motel room night after night with the veteran
has certain limitations. Perhaps control of the TV remote might be the most
notable. On the other hand, I've noticed there's been absolutely no quibbling
over the use of the hotel shampoo or the blow dryer.
Before closing tonight, I would like to clarify what I meant by my statement
earlier in the week about recommending this ride to anyone willing to put forth
the effort.
#1) I was talking about my ride from Ft. Smith to Savannah. I don't think I
would recommend riding through Death Valley to my worse enemy.
#2) The key word in my statement is "effort" and Farrell gave a very thorough
and accurate definition of what I meant my "effort" in his email a few nights
ago.
That's it for tonight. Tomorrow we will be in Onion Country, Vidalia, GA.
R
Hi Guys
Team Tennessee (Me and Roger) is having a little trouble with directions--See
the link
"http://bamacyclist.com/journal2004/FastSouth04/Day25/Perry.htm"
When you ride this many miles, thinking ain't all that easy
Farrell
Day 26, Oct 21 - Perry, GA to Vidalia, GA - 103 miles
Hi Guys
We're in Vidalia, Georgia tonight---One more day of pedaling--We'll roll in
Savannah tomorrow afternoon--Play in the Atlantic--And then have a banquet
tomorrow night--Hard to believe that it's almost over
Funny story this morning---I haven't really mentioned it here, but 2 weeks
from this Sunday, I'm running the New York Marathon--I mentioned that fact this
morning at breakfast--Well, let me tell you that it takes a lot to impress this
group--Me running the New York was like ho hum--I found out that several of the
riders are running the Marine Marathon in D.C. on October 31--And one of the
riders has a personal best marathon time of 2 hours 23 minutes---(That's running
with the Kenyans)--So next time, I'll just keep my plans to myself
Today's ride--103 miles with a headwind and little climbing--Roger and I both
are both a little tired because we rode extremely hard today--If it even looked
like an upslope, I geared up, jumped out of the saddle and hammered the
pedals--I raced the California girls all day (They are really, really fast and
relentless) They beat to the motel once again (and giggled) But, tomorrow,
they're mine--No more Mr Nice Guy just because they're girls
The R Section
Today, Farrell and I found out just how fast the top riders on this trip
are. How? We tried to ride with them. We didn't stay with them all day but it
sure got us to motel earlier than normal. I just hope I still have enough left
in the tank for tomorrow's final ride. Farrell has not only shown me that he is
a much better rider than he was three weeks ago, but today I was more than a
little impressed by the way he handled 3 large dogs that posed a definite
threat. One second, all three of them appear to have us lined up for an
attack. Farrell went on an immediate offensive and the next second, they all
started running the other way. I don't know what he yelled, but I didn't have
to do a thing.
All in all, it was a very good day as we got off to a good start from the
motel and made no wrong turns. I'm sure looking forward to the finish
tomorrow. I have relatives traveling down from Chattanooga to meet me in
Savannah. I can hardly wait.
Reporting tomorrow from Savannah and the trip's end
Farrell and Roger
Day 27, Oct 22 - Vidalia, GA to Savannah, GA - 130 miles
Hi Guys
Well, the tour is over--I made to the Atlantic at Tybee Island (Near Savannah)
on Friday afternoon--There are pictures of Roger and I in the water on the
website
http://bamacyclist.com/journal2004/FastSouth04/Day27/Tybee.htm
I've got to tell you--Riding that last few miles to the ocean was one of the
biggest thrills of my life--Way, way above winning any golf tournament---It was
thrilling, satisfying and had a sense of accomplishment that was spectacular
I will write a trip wrapup e-mail and send that out today or tomorrow
Thanks to everyone
Farrell
Hi Guys
It's kind of sad to write this e-mail--The last month has been the experience
of a lifetime---The bike trip wasn't always fun, but communicating with you via
these e-mails was one of the highlights of each day for me---It was neat to
journal how each day felt
The experience of riding the bicycle across America was profound--So much so
that I really believe that I'll remember parts of each day for the rest of my
life--It's kind of like the ride leader said--"It's the hard days that you'll
remember most"---But I've got news for you---Every day on this trip was
hard---Every day had suffering attached to it--and every single day hurt---But
how else do we vividly recall the things that happen to us in life--yes, the
memories of this trip are seared into my brain
A lot of being successful on a trip like this is your mental attitude each
day---Oh sure, you did have to be in tiptop physical condition, but equally
important was your attitude and level of commitment---There were a lot of great
riders on this tour, but only 6 of us rode every single inch---And there were
several riders who were far superior to me who didn't make it---But let me tell
you for sure--I was totally committed---This may shock you but, I was committed
to the point where my daily motto was--"The only things that'll stop me today
are darkness or dying" (They wouldn't let you ride after dark)--That kinda
eliminated quitting for lame excuses like--"It hurts too bad"---Well whaa, whaa,
pain wasn't on the approved quitting list
How about a list of favorite things and least favorite things--
Favorite Things--
- Rollo candy bars--Loved them--Ate at least 2 every day
- The Big Long Train in New Mexico
- The feeling after breaking through "The Wall" every day
- The downhill, downwind 60 miles between Flagstaff, Ariz and Winslow, Ariz
- The first rest day in Albuquerque
- Making it to the motel in McAlester, Ok (146 miles, pouring rain and a
horrible headwind--11 hours 15 minutes on the bike)
- The smell of salt air as we neared Savannah, Ga
- Number 1--The sight of the ocean in Savannah
Least Favorite Things
- Death Valley (2nd place ain't close)
- The ride into McAlester, Ok
- Losing my bike pack
- The dogs
- The occasional redneck (pitiful little humans who are cowards)
- Being away from my family
There are many, many other favorite and least favorite things, but those are a
few--I will take many things from this---But the most important is probably that
you really get to know yourself better--You get a much better sense of who you
are---For me, like I said in an earlier e-mail, Big things became less important
and little things became more important
I want to sincerely thank all of you--Both for your financial contributions
and your moral support for my trip--Your e-mails helped me get through some
tough days--The ride leader has written a summary of the trip--The link is
http://bamacyclist.com/journal2004/FastSouth04/Day27/finalthoughts.htm
Until the next challenge
Farrell
Hi Guys
What a day yesterday was---After running in my first (and probably only)
marathon, one thing that I'll say for sure--I love New York and I love New
Yorkers--Millions of people lined the streets yelling support and
encouragement--Live bands were playing every half mile--It was awesome--It gives
you a lot of energy to have people cheering you along
I had no problem with cardiovascular conditioning yesterday--At no point did
my heartrate get very high or at no point did I get winded---But --Let me
tell you--Marathons are brutal on your feet, ankles and knees---And, when I say
brutal, bear in mind that I just rode a bicycle across the country (I know
brutal)---This was brutal
I was bebopping along until mile 12--I was smiling, giving high five's to the
people in Brooklyn--running pretty fast and really enjoying myself--I remember
thinking that these marathons are a picnic--nothing to them--What's all the fuss
about?---And then.....Left knee starts protesting---No big deal, "It'll quit
hurting soon" , I said to myself--Wrong--It got worse--Much, much worse--By mile
18 or 19, the pain was making me nauseated--I started stopping every mile or so
for a few seconds to stretch it out--But nothing worked--I tried different
running motions, picking my knee up more, putting my foot down sideways,
etc.--And of course, by this time, my right knee starts hurting--Great--That's
just what I need at mile 20
The worse part of the day for me was mile 21--We had just come over the last
bridge into Harlem (The people there were great also) And I heard a guy yell
encourage--"Only five more miles--You can do it")--Now I don't about you, But
when has a 5 mile run ever been easy?--Especially after already running 21 with
everything below your waist hurting like crazy--I appreciated his encouragement,
but I was a little demoralized
 But I kept plugging and, a little while later, I crossed the finish line at
the 26.2 mile mark (I sprinted the last half mile--I was trying to beat a group
of girls who were ahead of me--They got me, but I tried) What a thrill it
was--Unbelievable
OK guys--You can probably take this off the list of things that I might do
again--I'm really glad that I did it once though--Put me back in the category of
being a golfer--I do really appreciate all of you taking time to read my e-mails
over the last month or so--I've enjoyed keeping you posted and I've loved
reading your return e-mails--
One observation about the last few weeks--If you have a goal or want to
accomplish something that seems insurmountable, why don't you just come up with
a plan and do it--Quit talking about it and do it---'Cause if you really want
something bad enough, you can figure out a way to pull it off
Until the next challenge
Farrell Hayes--Golfer
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