charlie is now in the windmill flats about 12th at san fran cyn

crews waiting for the riders at san fran cyn

san francisquito

The race has now officially started! Charlie left the start line in good spirits and should be riding strong. We are at the end of San Francisquito canyon waiting for the racers to show. All the preparations this morning went swimmingly and things are looking up. The crew is all anxious and excited. The general feeling here is everyone is happy and glad to finally get the 2009 Furnace Creek 508 underway. From where we are standing we can see all the riders approaching. Will post a photo soon.

508 miles on a bike doesn’t seem like it should be that hard, right? One mile at a time, nose to the grindstone, keep moving forward, stay positive. Okay, but what about my butt? Seriously, I’m not kidding. Okay maybe I am because butt jokes just never get old. I just hope I don’t make an ass of myself.

Honestly I am not afraid of the miles but I am wary of the accompanying discomfort. When I did the 508 in 2007, I had major saddle sores, blisters on my hands and feet, vomit on my jersey and two bikini clad senior citizens in the back of my support vehicle. (That last part was unrelated to the race but was highly entertaining) The miles WILL go past if I just keep riding (duh).

So how do I get my butt off my mind (insert your own joke here)? I don’t think it’s possible when riding 508 miles. Just like blisters at Badwater, saddle sores are an expected part of Furnace Creek. I will be using all the Mission Anti Friction Cream that I can carry. This will save me from most of the worst problems.

So it’s time for a few hours of restless sleep. Just before a race I always find myself thinking about my kids and wishing they were with me. Someday I would love to do a race like the 508 on a team with my boys. They may consider that punishment but I am sure they would thank me………someday.

Finally, thanks to all of you incredible people in my life. Some of you have been my friends for many years and some I have met just recently. Many of you are have joined me in the world of social networking. At first, I was skeptical about having “virtual” friends. But over the past year, I have learned much from many of you and that exchange of information and the mutual support that comes along with it has convinced me that social networking is worth the effort.

I hope you all get a chance to follow along some this weekend. But be sure to get outside and Do Something Now!! Life is not a spectator sport.

We just got back to the hotel room after a nice pasta dinner with Charlie and crew. We talked strategy and triathlon stories. Charlie had a big spinach salad and a side of pasta. Now back in the room everyone is trying to do exact math in their heads to figure out the perfect mix we want in charlie’s energy liquid cooler. Just how do you calculate ounces of ice without a scale? Interesting predicament.

More later from race land.

Charlie took this picture of most of the crew, minus Marcus

all the racers

Kostman is talking. you can watch it on the webcast.

prerace meeting time