24 Hours of Booty

When I first heard of 24 hours of booty about a year ago I thought to myself that's an interesting title for an event. Every time I mention it I get crazy responses. Last night I'm FaceTime with my mom and sister, I tell them about my trip to the Queen City. My sister responds "yeah i got that weird email about it" The name is absolutely correct. You can choose to be riding on your booty for 24 hours. For those who are still wondering what it is, let me break it down for you. 24 hours of booty is a 24 hour fundraising/charity bike ride. In order to particiapte as a rider, you commit to raise $400 for the Charlotte ride. The other locations have lower committmment. You can ride as much as you like. You can ride as little as you like. I had some ladies from my #TriTribe do it last year. I followed their ride vicariously through Facebook like most Facebook "stalkers". I've been trying to figure out ways to truly celebrate turning 40 this year. 1 of my goals was to do races and events that I have never done before and in places I've never raced. This event met both goals. To my own shock and amazement, I have become a pretty decent fundraiser. It also helps that my employer has a matching gifts program. $400 was raised about 5 weeks before the event took place.

I've been kinda lazy lately. I have not been riding like I normally do. I was completely unprepared for 24HOB. A really good friend Tiffany Davis told me that I needed to set a goal for the event. She kept telling me "Jo you really should go for 50 miles" I kept telling her #ByeFelicia. Another friend Gregory Clanton told me "Jo you could easily knock out 100 miles" I responded "you have me confused with someone who is in much better shape and has been training properly" Friends, how many of us have them. They are great for encouragement and motivation.



I leave out Friday afternoon on 85 S for the Queen City. The max and i are flying until about 56 miles outside of Charlotte and we hit standstill traffic. Delayed by about 15-30 minutes. I make it to Charlotte city limits about 3. Where would we be without GPS. I follow mine and it leads me to Queens University of Charlotte. My BFF asked me where the event was and when I told her, she responded "Jo you headed to the rich side of town". As I am driving on Queens road, you can tell i'm on the other side of town just by the houses in the neighborhood. They are gorgeous. I turn into the University. I park at what looks like the right place and then change my mind. I drive further down the street and I see signs for event parking and i see a volunteer waving me down to turn. I swear fore God the event guide mentioned there would be no one to direct you for parking. I am turning 40 so maybe i misread that. As I turn I see the field with tents up. I spy with my little eye pink TIFL tent. I know I am in the right place. I park in the North lot. The guide did mention do not park in the South lot because you could be towed. I have made it to Bootyville. I park and start to unload my gear. People don't believe me but deep down i really am lazy. I'm trying to take all my gear in 1 trip. Yeah it's not going happen, book bag, bike, lawn chair, bike pump, stick, pillow, shower bag. I take 80% of it.
I head over to Bootyville. My TIFL charlotte sisters have our area set up like home. I LOVE TIFL. Our team captain is the amazing Jeannine Dagasse-Maus. I unload my gear and head back to get the rest. I make it back and sit in my chair because I am TIRED from the drive. 2 other TIFL Charlotte sisters are there, Sandra Crowell Asher + her daughter and Laurie Certo.

We head over to registration, pick up packets and other freebies. I told myself that i would only shop at the Booty expo if they had a pilsner glass. They are my new collector item. They do not. Jeannine had on a nice 24HOB tank that i heard was $5. I find one in my size and it's my only purchase, woo hoo. Tiffany you would be proud of me. Did I mention i was starving? Dinner is until 8pm. Great Harvest bread is there with bread, peanut butter and honey. I had a slice of cinnamon crisp with peanut butter. You would have thought it was steak and lobster it tasted so good. dunkin donuts is next to them giving out iced coffee and doughnuts. Yes i think i will have a doughnut and iced coffee ma'am. Thanks for being here.

Sandra is the resident 24HOB alumni. She explains that it's better to go out after the first wave starts at 7pm because it's uber busy. We shower and change into our TIFL kits. She takes me out for my first booty loop while it's still light out. The loop starts about a block from our spot in Bootyville. We head out. We get to the start. The course volunteer motions for us to head out. Here we go, the beginning of the loop is flat. There are tons of people on both sides of the loop spectating. Crowd support is AWESOME. There is a nice downhill and then a turn. There's a huge tent with a DJ and people cheering and yelling. I'm thinking to myself this is pretty cool. It's still flat and here comes the turn and BAM there's a hill. It literally came out of nowhere. I was in my high gears since I was on flat and didn't realize the hill was next so I didn't really change in time. I'm downshiftting into my low gears and they are not working with a sister. I'm struggling because the gears are truly talking back so loud a bike course monitor comes over to me and ask if i need help. I finally get them straight and start the slow climb up the hill. I keep thinking about Dorie in Finding Nemo "just keep pedaling" The climb on this hill is like FOREVER. There is no option to get off and walk because the other cyclusts are zooming past you. I keep pedaling one at a time and make it to the top. I truly believe i saw my life flash before my eyes on that hill. I look down at my iphone and it has only been 1 mile. LAWD HAVE MERCY,  there is still 2 more miles of this insanity. The road is now flat and i glide.I am reminded of my TIFL mentor Melva Peed who told me last year as an athlete "save your legs when it's flat, enjoy the glide when you can" My legs and my heart are finally take a small rest. I take in the scenery on the loop. Homeowners are straight chillin' and partying' all around the loop. I want to trade places with them especially the house with the huge grill going. I make the final right turn which i know it is because RunKeeper has me at 2.50 miles so i know it's not that much left to go. There is a slight hill to the end of the loop. I see Sandra waiting for me. I exit off the loop. I have survived my first booty loop.

I'm thinking what in the world have I gotten myself into. Too late to think about that i'm here. Is it dinner time yet because I am STARVIN'. We have a TIFL group photo at 8:30pm.

Then we head over to dinner. OMG they know how to take care of their riders. Hamburgers, veggies burgers, chicken breasts, grilled veggies, pasta salad, cookies and ice cold Coca-Cola. I have found heaven and it's in a 12 ounce can of carbonated beverage. I haven't had a soda in about a week in prepping for this event. When I am truly committed to healthy eating I drop soda like a bad habit but not tonight. The hospitality tent reminds me of lunchtime at high school except we are all the cool kids or are we crazy because we will be here for 24 hours biking. We finished dinner and head back to our spot in Bootyville. I'm slowly recovering. I pull of my stick and roll it over my quads, legs and hamstings which are talking to me and not in a good way. Jeannine asks me if i'm ready to go back out. I tell her "give me 5 minutes" Lazy johanna wants a shower and a nap. I get up and head back out for loop #2. The 2nd time on the booty loop was much better. I'm thinking my muscles warmed up on the first loop. The sun has left the building. I have all my headlights on. I have a headlight on my helmet. The temperature has dropped a little. It's pretty cool riding at night. It's pretty scary as well as there is a section of the loop that pretty much is pitch black because there are no street lights that i could see. I finish loop #2. At this point I have ridden over 6 miles. I don't know if I want to do anymore or what. I just chill in the tent for awhile.

There is a total of 14 on our team. Some of the ladies have goals of 50, 56, 100, 150 miles.

All of this is pretty AMAZING to me. My longest ride is 20 miles and that was back in January. I'm just enjoying the experience.

Pizza party is at midnight. Shockingly I could eat again. After the pizza party, my body has told me it's time to call it night. I find an air mattress to crash on and Jo is OUT like a fat kid in dodge ball. They say that at the end of  the Ed Lover show on Sirirus/XM every day lol.

I sleep pretty good because I was TIRED. I wake up around 5:45am. My bladder is telling me to get up and empty it. I make a pit stop and then head over to the hospitality tent because of my of TIFL sister/good friends is volunteering over there. I'm going to go see her. She is Katrina Blake. We met 2 years ago on the SAG(snatch and grab) wagon at Diva NMB. We've been buds ever since.

Since i'm already over here and it's after 6am, might as well eat breakfast. The spread is just as awesome as dinner, eggs, bacon, sausage, bread, fruit, oatmeal, juice. i heard through the grapevine that the coffee machine was broken and there are a lot of unhappy cyclists. A random stranger sees me wearing my TIFL kit and ask "are you going to do a TRI?" Snarky johanna really had a good comeback but since i am in unfamiliar territory I respond with "i've already done a TRI." I met another cyclist who stopped by our tent last night looking for someone who used to be a TIFL mentor. He tells me that she taught him how to swim and that's how he got into doing Triathlons. This is his 3rd or 4th year at 24HOB, he's going for 200 miles. I look at him like he's an alien. Katrina tells me i should go out and do 1 more loop today. The sun is coming out and i'm just not feeling it. Rob, the guy i met at breakfast, tries to peer pressure me as well. Get back out there, come find me and i'll get you up that hill. #ByeFelicia. I head back over to our spot in Bootyville. Did i mention i'm still wearing my TIFL kit from Friday evening. I'm pretty stank lol. I head to the showers and decide to put on real clothes and be done with 6+ miles. I hang out a little longer with my #TriTribe. I can feel the affects of getting under 5 hours of sleep hit me. I decide it's time to head on back to Raleighwood. I pack up the Max and say my goodbyes and head back to the Capital City. I truly enjoyed my first time at Bootyville. I will be back next year with a plan. Next up MS:New Bern Ride in September.