85 Miles with Back Pain

I called in to work today, can't make the drive my back is killing me. It started as a tightness on Sunday, Monday morning I had to drive to Columbia for work. Two hours one way in the vehicle made things so much worse. The last time I had this problem was the first Saturday last June. It was day one in the Tour de Cure and started with a drive to the start in Columbia. It was a tightness at first and progressed to pain. I rode with Natalie Britt, the executive director of the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, and her husband Ben. Ironically she had been working so hard to make life easier for other cyclist she had not been on the bike much all season. At the first rest stop I had some difficulty getting off the bike. After a quick stretch I felt a little better. I topped off my bottles and grabbed a snack. The three of us took off and Natalie was worried that they were slowing me down. After a few miles I thought I would stretch my legs and told Natalie and Ben that I would see them later. I dropped down in the aerobars on my fixed gear and to my total surprise found it to be the most comfortable position. I make it to the second rest stop, I believe the theme was "Margaritaville", I dismount to a screaming pain in my lower back. After I was able to stand erect, I attempted to stretch. I grabbed a chicken fajita and some M&Ms and whatever was handy. Too bad they didn't have margarittas. That was my favorite rest stop, the others seem a blur. As long as I was on the bike my back was fine, I even jumped on the back of a paceline doing 25mph or better for a while. I just couldn't spin that fast for any real length of time, with my gearing I think I would have to maintain 120rpms. I was spit off the back and found my own pace and settled in. I passed several people and was passed. As I made a left turn at a stop sign I hear behind me ,"Is that a fixed gear?". I say yes over my shoulder and never saw the guy again. At one point I get rained on but not for too long, just enough to get soaked. Later as I make a left turn in Georgetown a course official tells me four more miles to go. At mile two the rain starts again and doesn't stop. The rain brings out frogs, they are everywhere. I dodge some, and try not to run over their buddies who were squashed by cars. A couple of times I felt something strike my right foot, a frog with a poor sense of timing. I'm four miles in from the last turn and no finish in sight, it's raining, and traffic is not ideal. I wish I had a tail light instead of the reflective strips on my hydro pack. As I pull into the parking lot of the high school that serves as the finish the rain stops and the sun peeks out from behind the cloud. I don't remember the exact mileage, probably eighty-four and some change. I'll call it eighty-five and be done with it. I was wet and covered with frog guts, I needed a shower. After the shower I felt almost like a new man, at least I smelled like one. I put on my Hawaiian shirt and hopped on the shuttle to the party. Once there I got in line for the food, BBQ catered by Sticky Fingers. MMMMM arebequ(in a Homer Simpson voice)! It was good, could have eaten more, but had to save room for beer. I found a quiet corner by the pool to call the wife to let her know I finish the first day OK. As I was talking to her an attractive woman walks up with a necklace of plastic flower like stuff on a string and asks in a loud voice if I wanted to get laid, then quieter,"I hope that's not your wife". I was lucky the music was too loud and Adrienne didn't hear the proposal. I explained later and she was amused. Well after much drinking, eating, and a beauty contest with a guy with a shaved head in a hot pink bikini (don't ask). A few of us staying at the highschool gym took a bus back to get settled in for the night. I slept on the gym floor and worried about how my back would feel the next day. I woke up and it was fine, no pain at all. Not even a twinge. I could not, however, say the same for my butt.