The right calf remains so pulverized that my stroll has a bit of Frankensteinish gait. Yesterday I was told by my doctor that I have a fracture of the right clavicle and getting out of bed in the morning is still more difficult than dropping in at night but I'm already planning to attend the A2A next year. Of course now that I've done the "manly" thing and skated the 86 my very first time out I'm contemplating the 38 for next year.
I'm a Certified Inline Instructor in New Mexico and spend a lot of time on my K2's. We have some wonderful areas to roll and the weather is agreeable most of the year so, in July, when I made up my mind to skate the A2A I had enough good sense to know that I had to work out some kind of training schedule. That's exactly the extent of my "good sense". I knew what having my skates on for 5 hours was, I knew what skating 35 miles, flat, was. I had no earthly idea what skating 86 miles, up and down "the beautiful rolling hills of Georgia" was, until October 7th at about 4:30 in the afternoon.
So to finish this year's goal I'm writing this as a primer for the next group of eager first timers to the A2A - 86 mile marathon. Following are considerations that, if your are contemplating the 86 miles for the first time, you should pay careful attention to.
The Hills Are Alive!
If you are a flatland'er, like me, find some hills, QUICK! In the
literature that you see on the A2A some masochistic illiterate has labeled
them "the gentle rolling hills of Georgia". Forget that descriptor, put
it completely out of your brain or simply equate that window dressing phrase
with "the great pain and agony of Georgia". If you're in good shape you
might, like me, hit Harmony Hill right before the halfway point and think
"Wow, did this one pretty good, I should be ok". By the time you are a
little past the 50 mile mark and experienced marathoners are rolling past
you and telling you, "Hey dude just wait till you hit Lilburn, that and the
Stone Mountain area. Dude! Those are really butt burners." And you,
rolling along, in your flatlander's movement and pace have quads that are
screaming "What are you doing now! We haven't done this before! Stop it!"
Again, if you are from an area where most of your skating is flat find some hills and make them a consistent part of your training schedule. I'm very proud of the fact that I kept it going and finished but my muscle groups were simply not ready for the movement difference between skating flat and skating hills. And remember that when you are skating the 86 there are NO "gentle rolling hills"!
Take A Break
As a first timer you're going to place emphasis on Silver Hill Road simply
because everyone else does. Some do because they relish the thought of
speeding down the "Hill" at top speed; some do because their terrified at
the prospect of facing the "Hill" and some do because of where it is in the
course. Well around the 70 mile area you too are going to face Silver Hill
and here's some advice so that, hopefully, you don't end up eating a
mouthful of grass and breaking your clavicle like me, or worse.
The "Hill" rolls out and up to the left at the bottom but unfortunately unless you've skated it nobody tells you that at the beginning. There's good long and wide stretches of grass on both sides of the street but you have to watch out for concrete pillared driveway entrances and 8" curbs prior to deciding to bailout for that soft grass. At one point, cruising around 20 mph down the hill, my quads starting to cramp up I had to make a decision to either slow down with a slalom, T-break or bailout. Dragging as long as my legs could deal with it didn't slow me down to where I was comfortable. Not knowing how the "Hill" (by this time I was beginning to buy into the "Hill" myth) was going to end up and not feeling comfortable with a slalom, maybe into an on-coming Toyota, I made for grass. One broken bone later here's how not to let the "Hill" become "Jaws".
When you get there, and you'll know when, take a good long rest. I took a good 20 or 30 seconds out after climbing one hill and that was a major mistake! (Yes the exclamation point is for emphasis.) Take a breather, you are almost to the 71-mile water brake and braking your neck to get down the "Hill" to water makes no sense. Stop and sit, stretch your legs, take a breather. At that point my quads and ankles were giving me great difficulty; resting and stretching would probably have prevented my bailout. If you can drive to the "Hill" and walk it, skate it, contemplate it, do anything you can to dispel any power it has. If you know how it lays out you'll know how to take it, after all it's just a hill. Last but not least be comfortable with your brakeing abilities. I'm very competent with a T-brake, right or left and still had problems, don't attempt this hill if you don't brake well.
If I had all of the above knowledge I would have run right down the "Hill" and laughed all the way to the next drink.
Are You Talking To Me?
If you hear anyone describing the course as "the gentle rolling hills of
Georgia" slap them.
I'm So Pretty
I'm not a flashy kind of person so at the first thought of "technical gear"
such as tight fitting race top and spandex bottom I got a little nervous.
Buy it if you can afford it. Technical clothing is the best thing you can
put next to your body for a marathon. It's holds some of your body
temperature closer for warmth, it's light, it dries easily, it covers most
of your body protecting against sunburn and it's pretty. Now you might not
think much about the "pretty" aspect but early Sunday morning when everyone
is gathering and the excitement is palatable you are going to want to feel
a part of this most exciting inline event and feel the best about yourself
you possibly can. Believe me the excitement of "funny" clothes feel will
wear off as soon as you are halfway through those "gentle rolling hills"
and everything about how you feel at 70 miles will be vitally important.
Other types of material either create extra drag or don't provide
absorbency or comfort so get over the shy thing and buy good gear.
Your Best Friend
Speaking of gear make sure of your most important gear, your skates. I'm
a four-wheel guy; K2's with about 3,000 miles on'em. I heard of several
people having problems with their skates and if you've spent the time,
money and energy to get to the A2A make sure that this vital piece of your
race is in the shape needs to be in.
The night before the race I checked my skates, put on new wheels, cleaned and replaced bearings and checked the chassis. I actually heard of someone last year that had to drop out at the 71-mile water stop because his chassis came apart. You can never be 100% sure of things like that but a check up the night prior might make a difference.
Because I instruct and spend a lot of time skating I know how to change wheels pronto. I knew that I would run, even new wheels way off center, but I should have planned to take a break and change wheels. By the time I got to the 80 mile area in downtown Atlanta I took another spill, directly related to off-center wheel structure and with city traffic concerns that's a poor area to be making any careening, out-of-balance moves. If you're not proficient at changing wheels get proficient and make preparations to change them. Have someone get them ready for you to pick up at a water station or pack them with you. If nothing else pack your skate tool and rotate your wheels. Taking a break at the top of Silver Hill might be a good place to change/rotate wheels and rest all at the same time.
Don't get crazy and buy new skates or begin drooling over 5 wheels. My K2's worked as well as my marathon skating abilities. At the end of 86 miles my quads were crying, my ankles were swollen and my calves would have spanked me if they could have but my feet were in heaven. I was amazed that after all those miles my feet were in such incredibly wonderful condition. I have hiked many fewer mountain miles and had more problems from expensive, well-worn boots than I had from my comfy K2's. If you've got good comfortable skates pay attention to the chassis condition, the wheels and bearings, stick your dogs in and get ready to skate.
Your Second Best Friend
Keep your Turn-Sheet handy. This is especially important for first-timers
because even though the course is well marked with the yellow S and arrow
signs it's vital to know where water stations are and even more important
where you are in relation to the finish line. The last few miles for any
beginner can be the break point if you don't know how much longer the
torture will last. "How many of these gentle rolling hills of Georgia
are there?" is a question you will be asking yourself over and over again.
Closer to the end of the course when you are simply worn out and placing
one-foot in front of the other out of sheer obstinacy where the finish line
is will become very important. You've been going out for months skating
10-15-20 miles a day and 30 or 40 twice a week so when you check the Turn
Sheet and see that you only have a short 6 miles to go it gives you that
little edge you need to keep going. There's an old saying: "One can even
eat an Elephant, if it's one bite at a time" and that is how you need to
approach this event. You will need this little edge because as you are
finally aware there are still 3-4 gentle rolling hills left.
The other thing your Turn Sheet is good for is sticking in your scrapbook. I still keep pulling it out and recounting all the little experiences and places. It's a great piece, watered down with sweat, crumpled from being folded and held, opened and folded and then reopened, yellow marker for water mileage points this document, more than my wife's picture of me crossing the finish line, more than my name officialized on the A2A website, more than my "pretty" technical wear, my worn wheels, my comfy K2's, this little piece of paper brings back moments, like a photo-montage playing in my mind, brings back smells, people, feelings of conquest, dread and pain. Use this, pack it with you and keep it forever.
Now that I have "done" the 86 and have truly finished by writing this piece, giving you beginners some information you might find useful in your quest to do something wonderfully fulfilling, I am ready to take a break. There are many other things that you will need to know but most of these like conditioning; food, aerobic/anaerobic workouts and hydration are available from those who know more about these subjects than I. So when you make the decision and you begin to prepare for A2A I ask that if you only remember only one thing from this writing, always REMEMBER! THERE ARE NO GENTLE ROLLING HILLS IN GEORGIA!
Back to home page