No Pain; No Gain

Why Do I Do These Things to Myself?

I have been on a cross country, bike destination vacation for the last ten days.  We came home a day early, so I thought I might drop in on my biking buddies and cheer them on with our upcoming race.  When I got up this morning, I felt great.  Thinking that I was back at my standard elevation and no longer at 6,000 feet, I considered joining the race.  After all, it was part of the series I had vowed to race all of so why not?

Getting the hubby moving was a little tough.  He had been doing all the driving on our vacation and had logged 20 hours of driving in the last two days.  He was beat!  We hit the race parking lot at 8:30a and my race was at 9:00a.  With registration and final bike tuning, I had little time to warm up.  I used what I had but my legs were feeling like lead.  Too bad, I had already paid for my race.

3/4 of my racing buddies

I said “hello” to some familiar faces and made fun of the guys I race with as, once again, I had sneakily been there for a race nobody expected me at.  We started off up the road like usual but when we entered the single track; it was a short down, a U-Turn, and then a LONG up through sand and worn out trail.  Road?  Not sure, as it was wide enough to pass but too gnarly to try.  I was keeping up with the pack at this point.

At the top of this first hill, there was a young lady on the ground with her bike.  Everyone was going around her.  We last two ladies up the hill, stopped to make sure she was OK.  I helped her up.  Then the other lady left us.  I stayed because she reminded me of my daughters and she was a little teary from her crash.  I told her about my big crash from my first race, had her drink some water, and then proceeded to lead her down the trail.  She was shaky and cautious.  I knew this both from my own experience and the fact that I was sure she was a faster rider than I was but she was hanging back. 

She had me on the up but I kept catching her on the down

Riding through the counting corral started our count at zero.  I hung out with a lady in a lower age category for about a half mile or so and was finally passed by the young lady I had assisted.  She said a shaky thanks as she went by.  Then I hit the hill that I have hated from DAY ONE of riding this race series.  I have yet to make it to the top without walking.  I find it so frustrating and this time it was early in my race . . . not a good sign.  First lap, it was the ONLY hill I walked and I lost my ride buddy because she made it to the top and left me in her dust.  Lap 1:  35 minutes

Getting up a steep hill

A short, steep drop (FUN)

Second time around, it was getting hot.  I have concluded that I don’t do well in heat as I was miserable.  I felt motion sick on my bike.  I walked three hills and felt like I was being lapped by EVERYONE.  My only saving grace was all that riding through the rocks made me fearless on the bumpy downhill sections.  I dropped my heels, scooted behind my seat and let my bike do the work – downhill makes the ride up so ABSOLUTELY worth it! 

Cruising down the hill

Somewhere in loop two, I walked up a hill to find my husband hanging out to cheer me on.  He asked me why I was walking and I really wanted to cry.  I told him I was done with this race and I wanted to quit.  Like the wise man he is, he kept his mouth shut.  I got back on my bike and continued my ride.  The body was weak and didn’t like this loop AT ALL!  Lap 2:  41 minutes

Flying down this hill

When I cleared lap two, I was feeling a little better but I still had one more lap to finish.  I had hoped to see my hubby so I could cajole him into riding that last lap with me.  He never turned up.  About a third of the way through my final lap, I ran out of water.  Since I was close to the staging area, I dropped my water bag onto the side of the trail and kept riding (I figured Darius would see me drop it or if not, it wasn’t far to go to retrieve it after my race). 

Zipping through twisty, turny section

A slight breeze started up and I wasn’t feeling quite so queasy from the heat.  At about the half-way point around this lap, I saw a teenage size coyote come out of the grass towards me.  GOOD LORD, what do I do now?  I started shaking really hard and it took all my concentration to stay on my bike and keep moving.  This skinny, mangy coyote turns and starts jogging next to me and my bike about three feet away from me on my left.  I dared to glance over. . .he didn’t look like he was going to bite me. . .I snuck another peek. . .his tongue was hanging out. . .another glance to verify he wasn’t out for my blood and I swear he was smiling as he jogged next to me.  He was there for at least five minutes.  I hit a sandy section right before a steep uphill climb.  I had walked this during lap two.  NO WAY was I getting off my bike to walk it with a coyote next to me.  I dropped to spin mode and held my line.  I didn’t dare look at the coyote again for fear I would appear too aggressive.  I guess I was going too slowly up that hill, because he just traipsed off to my left and disappeared.  I kept watching for him as I continued to ride.  I never saw him again.

SO thankful to have finished this one!!!

As I breached my final hill, I started the funnest downhill of the course.  I startled a bird family that all took off in front of me and I started to think how surreal this final lap was for me.  Last week, I had been attacked by a cow that was supposed to be docile while today I was watched over by a coyote that was supposed to be a wild creature that didn’t act the least bit threatening.  My world was upside down and backwards.  Darius suggested my coyote spirit was sent to help me finish the race.  Either way, I shed a few tears at home for the most amazing vacation with my hubby and all the incredible beauty that nature shared with me this past week.  Lap 3: 37 minutes

Man, I’ve got to stop typing.  I have obviously lost it.  Lucky me, I took second place and am a little closer to getting high points for this race series.  Wish me luck!