You gotta know when to fold 'em
K. Rogers, "The Gambler"
Referencing my earlier post which enumerated what I see as the options in front of me, I was speculating about options 2 (no surgery) and 3 (give it up). In particular, I asked myself the question “suppose I’m on days 1-3 of a 1200K and my back starts hurting”. Do I quit at the first sign of trouble? Try to push through with the potential of REALLY hurting myself?
1200K’s aren’t easy. We ride on through aches and pains - to a point. If that point is such that there’s a high probability it’ll happen on day one it seems foolhardy to even try. Furthermore, I don't start brevets to "give it a shot" or "see how it goes". I start to finish. Given that, I'm as likely as anyone to continue to push on through pain, perhaps more than I should.
To further illustrate the point: the worst my back ever hurt during a 1200K was on the 2016 Great Southern Randonnee in Australia. I rode well on day one but a few K’s into day two had the “OMFG lightning bolt of pain”. I rode another 100K like that then had to quit. I did everything I could think of to ease the pain including getting a hotel room, taking a hot bath, taking a nap, etc. It hurt so badly I couldn't stand it and I couldn't put any power into the pedals at all so I quit 600K into the ride.
However, and this is the key point: it was NOWHERE NEAR as debilitating as the first four days of the episode I'm currently experiencing. Not even close. Had it been that bad, I’d have likely needed an ambulance and extended stay before I’d have been able to fly home. There’s no way in hell I could have managed to get my bike, luggage, etc., together to make the return trip.
So with that as backdrop, when to pull the plug? Do I push it until I have an episode like this where I’m basically crippled? This seems unwise. Do I quit at the first little ache? This also seems dumb since aches and pains are part of the gig. The problem is continuing on once my back starts hurting and how long to push it.
I started the Colorado Front Range SR600K last year and quit at the halfway point. On that ride I had what I’d term an “analytic DNF” - my back didn’t hurt so bad that I was UNABLE to continue but it was getting progressively worse. I tried to gauge the rate it was worsening against what I knew I had left to do that day. This was made easier by the fact that it was an out and back route so I knew exactly what was in store. I also knew that once I started back from the turnaround there wasn’t any cell phone coverage so if my back did crap out I’d be well and truly stuck. Based on all that I decided to call it.
As an aside, I'd started the ride with Eric Peterson. He decided to stop at the end of the first day (horrific thunderstorm) and while I was riding day two he rode to Denver then got a ride out to his car which we'd left at the start. He was all the way back at the start (300K away) when I called him to say I was quitting. He drove out and got me then took me all the way back to the start, nearly 400 miles round trip, and I want to publicly acknowledge his generosity and thank him for that kindness.
Back to the SR600K DNF. It still haunts me. Did I quit too soon? Had I pushed it would I have been able to continue?
1200K’s aren’t easy. We ride on through aches and pains - to a point. If that point is such that there’s a high probability it’ll happen on day one it seems foolhardy to even try. Furthermore, I don't start brevets to "give it a shot" or "see how it goes". I start to finish. Given that, I'm as likely as anyone to continue to push on through pain, perhaps more than I should.
To further illustrate the point: the worst my back ever hurt during a 1200K was on the 2016 Great Southern Randonnee in Australia. I rode well on day one but a few K’s into day two had the “OMFG lightning bolt of pain”. I rode another 100K like that then had to quit. I did everything I could think of to ease the pain including getting a hotel room, taking a hot bath, taking a nap, etc. It hurt so badly I couldn't stand it and I couldn't put any power into the pedals at all so I quit 600K into the ride.
However, and this is the key point: it was NOWHERE NEAR as debilitating as the first four days of the episode I'm currently experiencing. Not even close. Had it been that bad, I’d have likely needed an ambulance and extended stay before I’d have been able to fly home. There’s no way in hell I could have managed to get my bike, luggage, etc., together to make the return trip.
So with that as backdrop, when to pull the plug? Do I push it until I have an episode like this where I’m basically crippled? This seems unwise. Do I quit at the first little ache? This also seems dumb since aches and pains are part of the gig. The problem is continuing on once my back starts hurting and how long to push it.
I started the Colorado Front Range SR600K last year and quit at the halfway point. On that ride I had what I’d term an “analytic DNF” - my back didn’t hurt so bad that I was UNABLE to continue but it was getting progressively worse. I tried to gauge the rate it was worsening against what I knew I had left to do that day. This was made easier by the fact that it was an out and back route so I knew exactly what was in store. I also knew that once I started back from the turnaround there wasn’t any cell phone coverage so if my back did crap out I’d be well and truly stuck. Based on all that I decided to call it.
As an aside, I'd started the ride with Eric Peterson. He decided to stop at the end of the first day (horrific thunderstorm) and while I was riding day two he rode to Denver then got a ride out to his car which we'd left at the start. He was all the way back at the start (300K away) when I called him to say I was quitting. He drove out and got me then took me all the way back to the start, nearly 400 miles round trip, and I want to publicly acknowledge his generosity and thank him for that kindness.
Back to the SR600K DNF. It still haunts me. Did I quit too soon? Had I pushed it would I have been able to continue?
The same thing happened on the Mile Failte. I quit on day 3 with 300K left to go and 30 hours to do it in. I normally ride 300K in less than 15 hours. My back was getting progressively worse, I knew I had a lot of tough riding in front of me so I decided to quit.
I HATE to DNF but I can live with it if I feel like I did everything within my power to continue. Does this mean not quitting until I'm paralyzed on the side of the road? Or do I quit at the first little ache in which case I might as well not even start?
This is particularly relevant if I don't have surgery. Sure, I'll do more core strengthening and try to do everything I can to prepare but the back failures while cycling have been worsening both in terms of frequency and amplitude. Three episodes in the last six months and this last go round is pain like I NEVER want to experience again.
So in the words of Mr. Rogers, how do I know when to fold 'em?
I HATE to DNF but I can live with it if I feel like I did everything within my power to continue. Does this mean not quitting until I'm paralyzed on the side of the road? Or do I quit at the first little ache in which case I might as well not even start?
This is particularly relevant if I don't have surgery. Sure, I'll do more core strengthening and try to do everything I can to prepare but the back failures while cycling have been worsening both in terms of frequency and amplitude. Three episodes in the last six months and this last go round is pain like I NEVER want to experience again.
So in the words of Mr. Rogers, how do I know when to fold 'em?
