Chickasaw 30k – DNF

Sunday brought a return to Columbia, TN for the Chickasaw 30k MTB race. This was the first bike race I have ever entered, and even with the conditions and my results, I’m sure it won’t be my last. I woke up Sunday feeling pretty spent from the 15k race the day before. I definitely pushed myself on Saturday, with good results, but it left me feeling sluggish from the get-go on Sunday. I debated whether to even make the trip and race because of the bad weather (lots of rain), soreness, and fear about trashing my bike. I finally decided to suck it up and make the trip.

Sunday morning (notice how clean the bike is)

As soon as I got to Chickasaw I began regretting my decision to run the two lap sport race. Because it was my first race, I definitely qualified as “beginner” and could have raced the one lap race. Instead, I had decided (probably on a sunny, warm, and dry day) that I would run in the sport category to get two laps in on the bike. It sounded reasonable enough until rain turned the trails into massive mudslides and the uphills and downhills were washed out disasters. Ugly. I started off running behind everyone in my age-group as the first downhill was gnarly and I had already seen more than a couple hard crashes at the bottom. I felt no need to rush to my impending doom.

Video doesn't do the mud pit at the bottom justice

I made it down by just letting it all hang out and trusting my big 29” wheels to do the work for me. They did. Once on the trail I was quickly mentally exhausted. Trying to focus on keeping the bike upright, avoiding down riders, and letting faster riders pass, in addition to working hard to keep any momentum was quickly trying. My lungs felt great and my HR was fine, but my legs felt like lead, and were quickly covered in mud, as was my bike. I kept wishing all these guys had to swim before hitting the trail; I think my chances would have been a lot better. Somewhere around mile 6, I tried to shift without looking down (my derailleur was covered in mud, rocks, sticks, leaves, anything else?) and it went nowhere.

Do I have a derailleur?

I jumped off, knocked off some mud, but my small cog was covered in mud and I couldn’t get the derailleur issues worked out with me and the bike so sloppy. I rode out the last 3 miles in a painful struggle to remain upright and focused. After crossing the finish line I made the decision to turn in my chip and call it a day. I could have finished, and I’m usually way too competitive to quit, but my bike was giving me all kinds of problems and the potential was there for me to hurt myself and endanger my XTERRA season which is the #1 priority. I did become a better rider and gain more experience with my new bike, but it came at a price.

After some initial cleaning

When I cleaned the bike up at home after the race, the mud and other gunk on the back tire had worn through the clear-coat and paint all the way to the bare frame in the upper and lower rear triangles on the bike. It will need some attention, and I hope I haven’t caused any serious damage. While my pride is shot to hell, my body, my bike, and my XTERRA season are better off being one-and-done. I really hate being passed by people (and I was passed by a lot of people). I can’t wait to redeem myself. 26 days until my first XTERRA.

Chickasaw 15k

The Race

It was cold, wet, and early. There was a mass start on a paved road, quickly leading to a gravel jeep road and then single track. I didn’t want to get sucked into starting too fast so I started off in the middle of the pack. It took me about 2 miles to get warmed up (feeling in my hands) and used to the conditions. Mile 3 – I’m running pretty conservatively still, but feeling good with 1/3 of the race done. At about mile 3.5, the pack I was running with thinned out and I found a group of 3 runners with a good pace (I left the GPS in the car because I was afraid of the forecasted downpour).
I ran with the same 3 until 4.5 where the Trail of Tears begins. I knew if I made it through the climbs here and was still feeling good I should push harder and make a move. Because I rode the trail in the days before the race I had a good feel for where to rest and when to push on the climb. Feeling good after the climbing, and keeping my heart rate in check, I let it loose on the DH portion of the trail and never looked back. It was about mile 6 when I made my move and found myself running solo. Pretty soon I would see a lone runner in the distance and push harder to catch him, pass him, and move on to the next one. I kept this up all the way until the finish line when I couldn’t catch the two guys ahead of me, both finished less than a minute in front. I can’t help but wish I had started the push earlier and finished 1st AG and 9th overall.I can’t believe how much fun it was to run the race and have the feeling of really pushing myself mentally and physically. Endurance racing and individual events are a different beast, but quickly becoming very addictive. Less than a minute….

2nd (20-29)! 11th Overall!

My first race of 2008 is in the books! Today I raced the Chickasaw 15k trail run in Columbia, TN with great results. Running is definitely my weakest area, but my training and hard work paid off in a BIG way.

• 1:16:00 (~ 8 minute miles, lots of elevation)
  
• 2nd in my age group (20-29)
  
• 11th overall

Pre-race dinner:We had a great dinner to celebrate Chandler's birthday at Nashville's new City House in Germantown. The half chicken and Frico appetizer went a long way towards today’s success.

Pre-race breakfast

Kept it simple and pretty small.

At the race

More rain last night and cooler weather meant a damp 45 degrees at the starting line. I tried to stay bundled up as much as possible waiting for the start.

Post-race

Back at the car with my 2nd place Chickasaw mug and new confidence from finishing my first 15k.

Post-race ice bath

Back from Columbia, I filled up the tub with ice and jumped in for 15 minutes. Nice and numb, I ate a great lunch and put on some recovery tights to get ready for tomorrow’s 30k MTB race.

I’ll post an in-depth race write-up next, but I am incredibly excited for the XTERRA season to get underway. If today’s race was any indication of my new level of fitness and running ability it should be a great year of racing.

Biggest Training Day Yet!

Friday was a perfect day!  

I slept in, had breakfast and coffee with my sister, who is in town for the weekend, and then I packed up the car for a big day.  The breakdown:

Pool: swam 3,100 feeling strong and fast

Lunch: ate a burrito and watched a couple minutes of basketball in the rec. center lobby

Bike: Couldn't ask for better weather so I made the drive down to Columbia, TN to ride Chickasaw Trace where my 15k run and 30k MTB races will be next week.  I met some new folks at the trail head and then hit the trail for another great ride on the SS.

Run:  I threw the bike in the car and headed off on the trail for an easy 2 miles on the trail.

After finishing a big day of training and time in the sunshine I came home to more time with my sister and the cold Abita beer she brought up from the swamp land.  Abita is the greatest beer ever made and the limited edition strawberry is surprisingly good after a hard day of training.

Two New Races!!

I’ve added two new races (in one weekend) to my 2008 race schedule. The Columbia Cycling Club is hosting a 15K trail run on Saturday March 29, 2008 and the 13th Annual Chickasaw Trace Classic 30k MTB race on Sunday March 30, 2008. I haven’t decided which category to race on Sunday – gears vs. no gears. I’m leaning towards the singlespeed, just because it is just so much damn fun, but I should probably put those hours in on the new race bike. These two events will be the final weekend of my Endurance Stage and will be followed by a week of active rest, so the timing couldn’t be any better. Chickasaw is also one of my favorite trails in the area, particularly for the 29er. I’m hoping to be strong enough and have enough endurance for these races so that they won’t be too much in too short a period of time. I’m already thinking of the ice bath and recovery tights that will be following each of these races. The races are a much needed pick-me-up with all the cold weather and early morning training I’ve been doing. This year is going to be great!