Where is the fun?

A good friend asked me about having fun at last week’s race in Georgia. In reading my race report, and other write-ups, I think it came off sounding much more negative than the overall experience actually was. As a matter of fact, the bike leg of the race was one of my top 3 experiences I’ve ever had on a mountain bike. Really you ask? Absolutely.
Yes, my chain came off 13 times, yes the bike was geared wrong for the course, and yes LOTS of racers passed me….but there were sections that were amazing. It was amazing not because of the equipment or the conditioning, but my skill as a rider. When I realized that I was going to have mechanical and SS issues for the 11 mile course I knew I had to squeeze as much speed from the course as I possibly could. This meant keeping all my momentum (no braking, lots of holding on and praying). I scared myself so badly so many times by just gripping the bars and leaning hard into turns. The dry course and packed dirt with my new tires stuck together like glue and I was able to keep incredible speed through corners and on downhills. I’ve never been so confident on a bike (because I felt I had to be) and never been that fast on narrow single track and in traffic. It was awesome. I finally got to see all my training and time spent in the saddle pay off. It also gave me confidence that I can ride like that more often and push myself more in my training. So, the experience was fun. I continue to impress myself with the running I’m able to do on the trail as I always thought this was a weakness for me, but I’ve been strong in both my races and in training. So there you have it. Race results aside, riding a bike, pushing yourself, conquering your personal fears and reaching new heights is fun. I look forward to plenty more of this in 4 weeks down in Alabama.

Decision Time

Race Day is getting closer and I am having a hard time deciding what bike to ride on Saturday. I bought a new bike for racing this year, made upgrades, and tried to ride it as much as possible, but I kept coming back to my singlespeed. I feel more comfortable on the singlespeed, which could be important as I will not have a chance to pre-ride the race course prior to the race, but I worry that the singlespeed will trash my legs for the run. Take the poll on the right to help me decided.

This or That?

Race Week

15 weeks ago I started my focused training plan for XTERRA, with my first race being XTERRA Ft. Yargo in Winder, GA. At the time (January) it seemed like the end of April was a long way off and that I had all the time in the world to get ready. The counter on my blog now shows only 4 days and some combination of hours and minutes until the race at Ft. Yargo. Where did the time go? This week I will taper my training and try to get comfortable in my wetsuit, dial in my bike, and practice my transition plan. It feels like I should have done all of these things before now, but with the level of training peaking over the last couple weeks there hasn’t been time for any additional fine tuning. I’m sure having practiced some skills (getting out of a wetsuit, putting on shoes, socks, and a race belt in a hurry) would make me faster, but I’m not sure I would have sacrificed the time away from family, friends, coaching, and work that it would have required. While I look to do well in the race this weekend I think it is equally important to remember that I’m doing this for fun. Winning is fun, particularly for someone as competitive as I am, but I have worked too hard over the past 15 weeks not to enjoy the race experience this weekend. Something tells me that if I go out there to have a good time and enjoy myself in the race I’ll race stronger and faster than if I spend the whole time worrying about my final place in the standings.

Training Update:
Wed. – 1 hr on the bike, 3 mile trail run
Thur. – 1.5 hr on the bike
Fri. – rest
Sat. – 800m swim for time (12:18), coached the Vanderbilt women’s Ultimate Team, played with my old high school Ultimate team Brutal Grassburn in Monkey Bowl - the local Ultimate tournament
Sun. – 5 mile trail run
Monday – 7 mile MTB (hopefully no chain issues)

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!