My neighbors must think the Honeymoon's over in our house. I've slept in that hammock more than Archie Bunker ever saw the couch. I'm not happy. I know I said I was but I'm second guessing myself. If I don't sleep well during the week I'm gone then all of this preparation, help from others, etc., will be for nothing. I'm more than a bit disappointed in myself (not sure why...just feels good) and time is running out. There's just so many aspects to this thing and for someone who has never done anything remotely like this, it's tough to make sure all my bases are covered. However, the solution (the real one) is on the way as I type.
Sleeping in a hammock has some real advantages. I don't have to worry about finding level ground at 1 a.m. I don't have any pressure points. Very low impact on the environment. Initially, I thought the hammock would actually be way lighter than a bivy or anything else. I have found that if you want the hammock experience to be really good, you need a few more things and that means more weight. The 3/16" pad is an ok solution but it has it's limits. It slides around, it still produces some minor cold spots, no matter how I roll it up it's...huge, and worse yet...you can wake up in the night with a puddle of sweat in your lumbar area. Then when you turn over and the air hits that it's time to let the expletives fly. Nothing says the great outdoors like tired, groggy, random cursing in the middle of the night. I'm sure I sound like a bum in a back alley that just found out he's outta Ripple.
I feel like a ton of money has been spent for this endeavor. Heather and I have dropped a lot of coin on this. Ghisallo Sports has thrown down more loot than you'd see at a craps table in Vegas on a Saturday night when Tom Jones is in town. People (some of whom I don't actually even know) have made donations to the LAF despite the economy blowing chunks. It would really be a huge slap in the face to get an hour into this baby and say, "Yeah...I'm not feelin' it today...gonna go eat some Bon Bons". So...my situation has forced me to take drastic measures. I have been assured that this east coast solution is the ticket.
3 comments:
I can not offer any advice on the hammock but it might not be a problem. Not to belabor the obvious, but you may be so tired that you may not notice some of the problems that bug you in your back yard. And if something really ‘pops you awake’, like say a fellow racer riding/sneaking past in the middle of the night, you can (and will) hit the trail early. (This assumes you got at least some recovery)
I think you will be very very surprised how little ‘recovery’ you can get away with, at least for the first 3-4 days, once you settle into your personal multi-day ‘race pace’.
You make a good point Marshal. I'm getting pretty anxious.
Are you ready for this? Did you kick that head cold?
Also don't necessarily worry about all your bases being covered. Do your best and come in motivated and well rested. I assure you that there are bases not covered that you don't even know about. ;)
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