We're Cookin' Right Now

5/21/11, 2:44 p.m.
Jim Lamb

We’re in Glamis right now having lunch.  I’ll be driving the RV on the second half of today’s ride (my first time driving!) while the guys bike to our next stop, Palo Verde. 

We hit the road at 9:30 a.m. today.  I’d say starting so late has been my demise so far.  We’re not even half way through our morning ride by 11 a.m. and it’s already heating up.  We have to get up early and start riding by 6 a.m. to avoid as much of this heat as possible.  It’s well into the 90s right now.

So far, we’ve done 43 miles today (from Jacumba to Glamis).  For the majority of our morning ride, the roads were flat.  We hit a few small hills by the time we hit the sand dunes, though.  Rick, Athen and Jack are going to knock out another 40 by the time they hit Palo Verde, and they’ll have a nice little hill to conquer.

Yesterday, Athen was talking about the huge descent that we were going to have to ride in the second part of our day.  We were nonstop flying downhill for about 20-25 minutes, reaching a max speed of about 50 mph.  It was insane to go that fast for that long!  I’m trying to think of a hill in the Bay Area to relate, to give you a point of reference, and there’s nothing that compares.

I would like to say that my sister has been a big part of me being able to participate in this trip.  She is a fitness instructor, and a couple of years ago, she got me into getting in shape again, eating healthy and taking care of my body.  She’s done an Ironman and marathons, and she’s been my inspiration. 

The Sunday before the boys took off for this trip, I had breakfast with Jack after the triathalon I completed that morning.  He’d been trying to get me to come along on this trip for a while up until that day.  That morning was the day I finally caved in…And here I am.  I love the thought of accomplishment this trip has been so far.  I’ve really had to push myself. 

Everything’s been awesome so far.  I wish I could ride the whole trip with them, but unfortunately I have to get back to work soon, so Tempe, AZ is where I’ll part with the guys.  Even going as far as Tempe shows me how much more I can accomplish if I dedicate myself.

I’ve had a burning sensation in my foot in the second part of the morning, but when you get little pains, you just have to work through it.  That’s a bit of advice I hope the guys will carry with them on the rest of their journey.  Motivation is so important.  And getting up early, and starting early, too, to avoid the heat is something we need to work on.  Hydrating is key and JUST KEEP GOING… in this heat, we’re cookin’ right now!  We have to try to push through the desert before it gets any hotter!

So next stop, Palo Verde!  Hopefully we’ll crack into Arizona by tomorrow!