Originally Posted by
Commodus
Remember those two little hairy guys in the Lord of the Rings movies, they weren't racing to the volcano, they were just trudging along and doing their best to overcome whatever was placed in their way.
At your level of fitness - capable of 8 hour 200s - the time limits are meaningless to you. If you are in the right frame of mind, you will make it to the end of any ride you choose to. You just have to give up on giving up. A DNF is just not an option, what sort of story would it be if ole what's his name gave up when his little buddy was taken by the spider?!
So, in conclusion, keep your eye on the volcano, and watch for spiders.
Funny, in some of my better moments during a randonnee, when I'm still in a good mental state but facing a challenge, my thoughts often go to those movies, particularly the last stages of Frodo and Sam's journey, or, when riding in rain/sleet/snow, the battle at Helm's Deep. I can't think of a better cinematic example of humans/hobbits/elves/dwarves/whatever facing insurmountable odds and still coming out on top...barely. But they also had Gandalf to save the day
