Countdown to Obliteride
On Aug. 1, my wife and I celebrated our eight-year dating anniversary (and yes we still do celebrate that). We were contemplating what we wanted to do especially now that we have a new baby. Luckily, my brother just moved to the area and offered to watch Rylee for a couple hours.
Initially, we were going to do the traditional dinner and a movie but then we thought… it’s gorgeous out, we finally have some time alone and all we can come up with is to sit in a darkened movie theater?
My wife, Sydnee, had the brilliant idea of biking together. She knew how much I wanted to train especially since Obliteride is this weekend. For my wife, it was a good motivator for her to get back on a bike. Like me, she stopped riding once we moved away from downtown Seattle.
So together, we rode on the daunting Interurban Trail that I had such trouble finding last week. My hope was to travel farther south towards Seattle than my previous ride. We rode almost 10 miles.
It was the perfect riding weather. There was enough cloud cover and a breeze to keep us cool. It was refreshing to train with someone. It allowed us to reconnect, talk about what has been going on outside of the home and all things Rylee.
Riding with someone made training seem much less like a chore and much more like fun. Don’t get me wrong, there are benefits to training alone. It has given me a lot of time to think but this way wasn’t bad either. I already know that I will be doing Obliteride next year and I will make every effort to schedule training rides with fellow teammates.
In looking at my training for this year, however, I realized there was one aspect that I hadn’t given much thought to: nutrition.
Luckily, Obliteride has it covered. They posted some helpful tips from Dr. Jason Brayley to keep in mind:
- Consuming about 0.3-0.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight every hour will keep a steady flow of energy to the muscles during the ride.
- Avoid trying new food during the ride.
- Fluid and electrolyte (such as sodium and potassium) intake is also vitally important for an endurance bike ride based on the amount of sweat that you will produce.
Obliteride is here
The weekend is finally here and even with just 3 training rides (as of this writing), I am confident that I can finish the 25-mile ride. Riding with my coworkers around scenic Lake Union doesn’t sound like a bad way to spend a Sunday.
At the end of the ride, friends, family and fellow riders will join together with Fred Hutch’s Obliteride organizers to celebrate at Gasworks Park.
So, wish me luck, follow me on Twitter and Instagram @njung23 this weekend to see how I do.
#BoOnABike by the numbers
Number of training rides: 3
Approximate training miles: 28 miles
Personal fundraising asks sent: 6
Donations received to date: $650
New brake pads: $10
Handle bar extenders: $39.96 (before tax)
Bo Jungmayer is a staff photographer and multimedia editor at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He’s a graduate of the University of Washington and is instrumental in finding and executing innovative ways to tell stories through words, pictures and video. Reach him at njungmay@fredhutch.org.
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