This was gonna be the year.

The year that I didn’t race old pueblo.

The year that I told myself I wasn’t going down there to push myself, to enter the pain cave, and to get spit out on the other side to be driven back to flagstaff in a dark, cramped slumber.

I was doing so well. I didn’t register solo (not hard when it fills up in a matter of days now). I avoided all requests for a team. I even turned down a couple ‘we could just do a duo’ offers. Which, by the way, is as hard if not harder than doing it solo.

Then Ben came along. He’s been training his ass off since last year. He’s got a coach, he’s got a plan, and he’s probably one of the faster mofos around these parts right now.

And his knee is not happy.

Two days ago he posted this fact on facebook and offered up his spot. Initially I ignored it, but very quickly the prospect of making my ‘couple fun laps, riding bandit’ becoming more official ate away at me inside. I finally got a hold of him and told him that I would help him out and take the spot.

This changes the game.

I’m certainly not in it to do any damage to anyone except myself, and I’m not planning on setting any PRs (which is 11 laps down there, BTW). In fact, the only PR I may set is one of the most beers I have ever drank during a 24 hour race.

Or maybe the least number of laps.

Or maybe the most sleep I’ve ever gotten during a race.

My current plan is to pick and choose the laps I ride based on what ones I enjoy the most.

This may sound strange considering all the laps are the same course. But, as many of you who have done these races know, this is certainly not the case. Here is my tentative plan:

• Ride a couple afternoon laps on saturday to get my legs moving and get the flow of the course back.
• Ride at least one full night lap, probably 2. I hate the dusk lap because it’s such a hard transition from light to dark and hot to cold (I almost always come back with cold feet from that bitch of a lap). So, I’ll probably watch the sunset from camp, wait for the temperature to drop a bit (so I can go straight to the warm clothing) and head out, lights blazing.
• Get up about an hour before dawn, get dressed, and ride the dawn lap. This is by far the best lap out there. Get started when you just need a light, and let the warmth and light get your motor running.
• Ride the final lap. Watch the carnage, enjoy the relief that everyone is feeling. I may even try to get out there in time to hang out with all the ‘wait until after noon to cross the line’ folks. It’s like a little camp that assembles before the final descent. Good stuff.

That would give me 5 or 6 laps, and either 80 or 96 miles. I would love to break 100, but at the same time, I don’t want to kill myself after only being on the mountain bike twice in the last month.

I also anticipate that at some point the excitement will get the best of me and this plan will be shot to hell in favor of me pushing too hard, too early.

But hey, at least I’ve got a plan, and that’s saying something.

In light of my few days left to train, I decided to do what anyone in my situation would do last night. I ride the rollers for 45 minutes, drank 7 beers and went to the G-love show.

Training? It’s a bitch.

BTW – In case you were wondering, that beer I’m holding is a Genesee Bock, straight from the right coast, courtesy of my man Stuart. I opened up a little present from him with a 12 pack of those boys in there the other day.

It was like a little bit of green happiness in a box.