Well, it's that time of year again. There is SO much to be thankful for this year and always at the top of the list is - family. This weekend, as always, they provided everything I could want or need. They rescued me when I need it. They lifted me up when I needed it and they made me laugh. They continue to inspire me. What a ride!
And speaking of rides, this weekend was a tale of 2 incredible rides that will stick with me for a LONG time.
The first was my 2
nd (and hopefully annual) Flight of the Pigs! Last year was all about NOT knowing what I was getting myself into. This year was about overcoming the challenges along the way and of being able to enjoy the ride more as it happened, instead of just the relief of having done it -and experiencing it with my "family".
I can't express how much easier it is mentally to do an event knowing that you've already done it before and knowing what lies ahead. Being able to recall the past and see the ride in it's entirety and knowing how much to exert or hold in reserve really makes the mental aspect of any endurance event easier. Experience really DOES matter.
As we "weighed in" at Jim's house (I weighed in at 231 down from 234 last year), I could physically feel the calmness that had replaced the complete nervousness from the previous year. My only worry was from my strained calf muscle that I injured 6 days earlier on a run and had been resting ever since. I wrapped it and hoped that it would hold up. My biggest concern was the hike-a-bike sections that were sure to tax my leg. A good group of friends were doing their 1st
FOTP - some at my suggestion, so I felt that I should "help" them along and encourage them when needed.
The ride up to
Buena Vista went without too much trouble. I did get stopped by a few bottlenecks of riders walking some technical bits but I was feeling good. I glanced at my GPS and realized I would be close to the cut-off time - even though the cutoff time is supposed to be from the parking lot and NOT Jim's house which is an extra 10 minutes! As I cleared the last saddle and saw a HUGE bottleneck right before
BV, I knew I'd be over the 1 hour time. This is where experience helped me avoid
unneccesary stress. I KNEW that Jim's cut-off time of 1 hour was "flexible". I also knew that all these people would NOT get cut. I also knew that Kathleen (who had been put in charge of sweeping since Jim was sick -and is a good friend) would NOT cut me. So I just chilled at the back of the pack and waited for those that were walking to clear. As I rode up to
BV, I glanced at my GPS again and the time said 1:01. James, a friend who was doing the ride for the first time came up to me and told me my time, "1 hour 10 minutes". I knew that MY time was "moving time" and the waiting made up the difference. I told him it was OK. There were still plenty of people arriving. Kathleen didn't cut anyone.
James was a bit anxious about the next section (and I was a bit anxious about the hike-a-bike to come) so he suggested we keep rolling and I agreed. James is a super strong, all-around rider but I'm slightly better at the technical stuff so I flew down to Telegraph Pass and as I had predicted, by the time I made it to the top of the hike-a-bike James had caught up to me. We took a moment to enjoy the view from the
ridgeline, knowing we had just finished the most challenging section of National Trail.
The west end of National has what I like to call The
Dropoff. The trail turns into a steep, loose, chunky set of challenging switchbacks that you just have to surf your way through. It's a challenging skill to master - controlling your bike through uncontrollable sections. It's bike surfing at it's best! I blazed through this section (not as fast as during the Squealer but at a pretty good clip) and was all smiles when I started hearing a funny noise. What the? I stopped and looked the bike over and discovered that I had driven my bike a little past the breaking point. I had broken the frame!
As I sat there staring at the damage the smile left my face. I knew the break was catastrophic. My bike was finished. James and a few others rolled up to me and we strapped it up enough for me to ride it out to the road. When I made it to the road I told James I was calling my wife and to go ahead. I told him that my day was done. I really still planned to ride at least to the finish of National (and probably out to the nearest road) but I didn't want him to have the added stress of baby-sitting me on what was going to be a big enough day for him. I also wasn't sure how far my bike would make it and if it gave up the ghost, I wanted to be the only responsible party for that decision.
I called Amy and as we talked about the situation, we formulated a plan. She would load up the kids and her bike and drive out to meet me and if I felt like it when she arrived (and thought I could ride her bike) I would continue on after a bike swap - assuming I wasn't in a heap somewhere with a completely broken bike by then.
I nervously rode the last 2 miles of National, walking out of the rockiest washes hoping the bike would hold. I made it to the end - San Juan
Trailhead - and spent a few minutes in disbelief at my luck before heading out again on my own in an attempt to reach the rendezvous point. From the San Juan Trailhead it was another 5 miles of roads and canals and noises coming from my bike. I knew that with every pedal stroke my bike was that much closer to collapsing underneath me. I gingerly made my way, trading phone calls with Amy as to my whereabouts and how to get to me. Finally I spotted her and the kids at the 7
th Avenue turnoff. I quickly decided to continue and as I was swapping seats, I saw the herd of bikes coming towards me. I knew it would be a LONG ride by myself up 7
th Ave if I didn't hurry so I hustled to finish and a quick thank you to my family later I was off and riding with the pack again. I really didn't even get a chance to assess the situation and come to a well thought out decision about continuing. I just went with my gut.
James happened to snap a picture of "Team Garza" and the bike swap and I've lifted it from his blog:
A few miles later we arrived at Zoe's for our lunch stop. Those miles gave me an opportunity to get a feel for Amy's bike (Buttercup) and evaluate whether I thought I could finish the ride on it. Even though her
seatpost is slightly too long for me (with no way of dropping it) and the top tube is WAY too short, it was going to work. It was a GO!
After lunch, we got rolling again. I felt better than I did last year but I knew Trail 100 would be a test. Once again like last year, I fell towards the back of the back when we hit the dirt but I was IN the pack this year. The hike-a-bike sections were starting to wear on my calf but at least I wasn't getting lost this year.
Trail 100 was a challenge again this year but just like last year, when I started the descent down to Tatum I got my 2
nd wind again. I love zipping down that last stretch to the parking lot, knowing that this marks the place where I KNOW I'm going to finish this thing.
I rode strong from there to
Papago Park, staying near the front. It was great to see Mike R. show up there with bacon,
Tecate & Cokes for the Piggies! That was priceless! I gobbled down a few strips of bacon and a
Tecate (but I
should've eaten something more substantial).
Soon enough we left Hunt's Tomb and were on the home stretch. This year's vibe was so much better than last year. The riders stayed together as a group and even when some of the riders at the back failed to make a light, those of us at the front stopped and waited to keep the group together.
When we reached Hardy Drive & Southern, in a flash my wheels came off - as in I hit the Wall. I went from being in the front of the pack to falling off the back. I was just a few miles from the finish but I was fading fast. The energy boost from the
Tecate & bacon was gone and I was now watching the pack ride away from me.
I was limping through Guadalupe (alone again like last year) when some of my Ride AZ buddies who had gone off the back earlier caught up to me - and proceeded to pass me. Seeing them definitely lifted my spirits and helped me get over the I-10 bridge and into
Ahwatukee. The end was near.
I rolled into the finish line at Jim's and straight into the buffet line. The family met me there and we all celebrated. I certainly could NOT have done it without them!
Last year I was as high as a kite at the finish with a sense of accomplishment. I remember Kathleen commenting on how happy I looked then. This year my happiness was less about the achievement and more about getting to experience it with my "family". From the beginning, having SO many of my Ride AZ family (and James) doing the ride with me, to having to call on my family to rescue me and my broken bike, to having the entire
FOTP's family riding together as one - the entire day was about family.
Thank you family. Thank you friends and thank you Jim & Kim for putting on what is hands down one of THE best events of the year! Thank you also to
Hoss Rogers for yet another awesome finisher's pin!
I hope to add more of them to my collection!
The final stats from the day according to my GPS are as follows:
Total Time: just under 11 hours
Moving Time: 07:33:09
Distance: 68.72 mi
Elevation Gain: 4,149 ft
Calories: 4,972 C
The "other" incredible ride from this weekend deserves a post of it's own so I'll save that for tomorrow.
PS: Yes, it's good to be back!
Hidden just slightly off the start of the trail is a petroglyph wall. We stopped to take a few pictures before attacking National. Once on the trail, the kids delighted in tackling what to them was more like "boldering" than hiking. Every big slab they had to climb was met with an even bigger smile. Amy & I enjoyed watching them problem solve together and encourage each other at each obstacle. We also appreciated the congratulations they gave each other. It's a pattern we hope they continue to share for the rest of their lives. It's nice to see them interacting in such a positive way.
Once we neared the ridgeline, we stopped for a snack near the Bermuda Triangle. It was funny to tell the kids that their parents ride their bikes on this "trail". They both couldn't believe WE could do that. :)
We let them lead since we were enjoying their antics and wanted to see how they would do as the problem-solving got a little more difficult. With a little direction in regards to avoiding serious exposure, they managed pretty well.
We were now close to 3 miles in and they were as excited as when we started off. I was glad we were nearing Fat Man's Pass since that would be a good turn around point. We had originally planned on an hour or 2 hike and this was starting to look like A LOT more already.
We squeezed through Fat Man's Pass and started our return. We looped back on National and headed down. 
As the sun began to set, we enjoyed the views of the city and chatted about all things "nature". It's pretty cool when your kids start asking intelligent and inquisitive questions and follow up questions. This feels like the time in their lives that you as a parent can have the most impact. It's a wonderful feeling when you get moments like this to connect with them.
As 3PM approached we decided to take Boo Boo Trail over towards Heart Prarie to meet up with the kids' class. As luck would have it, we skied up on Giana's class on their last run of the day. We couldn't believe how well these Skiwees were doing!
She was focused on her instructors and pretty proud of herself. We followed them back down to the lodge and Aran's class was already finished. We took them both back out for a couple runs with us and they did fabulously! Here are a few unedited videos of our runs with them.
(Amy & me at the starting line)
Aran & Giana really got into Christmas this year and were busy little "helpers" when it came to putting up our lights. It was nice to see their smiles when we were all done! We even got to see Santa this year! 
After Christams we made our annual trip to Texas to see the family. It's always good to get back and get some Garza family time! Not only do we get to spend time with my Mom but we also scare up the rest of my brothers and sisters so my Mom gets to see them as well. She LOVES seeing her family gather for such occasions. As a parent, I can appreciate why now...
The last few years have been hard on my Mom physically and it doesn't help that her stubborness outweighs her desire to follow her doctor's orders. I remember taking many trips to Texas and thinking as I left: "Will I ever see my father again?" because of his failing health. I find myself having these thoughts again...I'm grateful for the time my children get to spend with their Grandma (time they didn't get with my Dad) and hope that she's around for many more years...
Last year I was all gung ho and fired up for my first half-marathon. I really trained and prepared but this year it just wasn't in me. I was a bit worked over from the FOTP and took some "time off" and the next thing I know it's time for the race. I ran a 2:15 compared to last year's 1:52 but the funny thing is that I actually felt better at the end! Maybe I'm on to something! Slower is better? :) I'll run it again next year and YES, I will train this time!
Giana turned 3! We no longer have any babies. She has grown SO much in the last year. She loved her party and is such a GIRL now. It's pretty cool having a pair of toddlers now. She and Aran play so well together. It's amazing to listen to the two of them communicating with each other - especially when they are making each other laugh!
The kids love getting to play in the snow and build a snowman. Aran was happy to get another chance to cross-country ski. Amy took him out behind the cabin.
OK so I only managed 3 months! March is to be continued....
I remember hearing about the Flight of the Pigs and thinking "Those people are crazy!" It was a near 70-ish mile MTB ride with more than half on trails. It also included one of the toughest trails in town (National Trail) on South Mountain. On top of that, there is a time cutoff an hour in so you have to go out hard right at the beginning to make that - and then be prepared to ride all day long after. My Birthday Challenge was a gauge for me to see if I was anywhere near up to this challenge - but that was only 42-ish miles. At the last minute I signed up for the FOTP not really sure if I had a chance of actually finishing. I knew I could handle National Trail end to end (as long as I made the cutoff) and could make it to lunch...but I wasn't sure from there what would happen...
6:30AM Weigh-in: The day after Thanksgiving, it's time to see who's the largest piggy. The weigh-in included all your gear and your bike. I came in at 234 LBS. The biggest piggy -Aaron- came in at a husky 275!
And we're off! We started rolling around 7:30AM. It was a beautiful sunrise. Little did I know that I'd still be riding after sunset! (I did bring lights just in case)
While many riders took the optional Mormon Trail, I thought it was only fitting that I ride National end to end. National is shorter but A LOT more technical and it actually took me longer to get to Buena Vista (the time cutoff spot) but I made it by the cutoff time! So now it was time to ease up and enjoy the rest of the day! Now I could take some pictures!
I was able to ride with the organizer of the ride - Jim Wilcox. As I followed him towards Telegraph Pass on a technical ledge, he suddenly went over the bars and his bike tumbled down the mountain! Fortunately he was able to catch himself and wasn't badly hurt. I was able to climb down and retrieve his bike for him some 15-20 feet below but it shook me up a bit.
After Telegraph Pass it was a nice hike-a-bike up National to near the top of South Mountain.
From here it was pretty much an undulating ridgeline with plenty of ups and downs...
Even though it's pretty tiring at this point, I just love the ridgeline. The views above the Valley are spectacular. 
Today we had a rare treat as it was an unusually foggy day. The weather was perfect for riding!
What goes up must come down! The west end of National Trail just drops off the face of the earth. It's a very loose and steep trail that requires a lot of rock surfing. You basically have to use your body to make the turns and manage your braking very diligently. With the recent rain the trail was in the best condition I've ever seen it and it was the first time I've ever ridden this whole section without dabbing (putting a foot down or stopping). It was SO nice!
Finally at the end of National, we took a break at the San Juan Trailhead. You can see downtown Phoenix in the background. We'll soon be rolling out to a series of roads and canals and finally north on 7th Ave through downtown and to our lunch spot - Zoe's Kitchen.
Lunch was fantastic and I needed the break. I was a bit concerned about how the rest of the day would go... After refueling we headed to the start of Trail 100.
After a series of climbs and tunnels I was back on the part of trail 100 I know.
At around Mile 48, I started to get my second wind. It was also the 1st time I really thought I could actually finish this thing!
But there was still some more climbing to do first. I started flying along Trail 100 feeling pretty good!
At the end of Trail 100 we all took a needed break. Even so we all knew that we were burning daylight. Soon we were off again. On to Papago Park and then to the Phoenix Zoo.
We all did our victory lap around Hunt's Tomb! But the day wasn't over. We still had to get back to Jim's house...
We rolled out of the Zoo on the canal and then over the Mill Ave Bridge into downtown Tempe. As we rolled the final miles the sun set quickly... 
I cruised along alone but happy into Guadalupe. I was only a few miles away from the end. It was a LONG day. 70-ish miles later - It was a great day.... After that big day it was time to party!
Jim & Kim put on one heck of a post-ride party and Kim did an amazing job of supporting the riders throughout the ride. Hoss Rogers made the fantastic medals for the finishers that he & Jim handed out at the awards ceremony.
What a great event! I hope to do it again next year and I plan on wearing my new groovy socks!
Here's a close version of the route we did - minus the ride to & from Jim's house and the couple of additional "detours" I took as I got lost a few times out on the trails. Good times!
