Slow and Steady Wins the Race!
Background: So I have been off my
bike since the end of June (either in a walking boot or using crutches to get
around). As each day passed without my foot getting better, the tears started
to flow as I watched my hubby go out on rides sans me. It was silly, really,
but I NEEDED to be riding. Finally, a week before the final CCCX-MTB XC race,
the foot pain stopped. No rhyme or reason.
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| A rare photo of me with crutches. |
PreRide: On Saturday morning, I made one lap around the course loop. I discovered lots of steep hills . . . a few that I REALLY struggled with in past races plus some additional new ones. This was gonna be ugly. Aerobically, I was a mess. The foot did fine until I made a judgment error on a turn and came down on it pretty hard. Thankfully, the pain was gone by the next morning. I went into this race knowing that my own willpower was going to have to get me through this.
The start: I was in my new Tough Chik uniform and feeling a little sheepish. After all, I wasn't going to be wonder woman out here. I received many compliments on it, though. It is pretty cool, all purple and light turquoise. At least I LOOKED like a mountain biker.
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| Middle back, my favorite start location. |
As I started up that first hill, I completely lost sight of every female that I started with. This was gonna be worse than I thought. I started to tell myself, "all you gotta do is finish - this is your race and nobody else’s - slow and steady - all you gotta do is finish."
Lap 1: I started getting into a groove. I actually made it up hills I had never mastered before. I still had to walk at the top of others. As I hit the last uphill climb before the counting corral, I began to see the front runners for the men's groups. They were all amazingly supportive and courteous as they blasted by me.
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| At the bottom of that steep hill the lap BEFORE the crash. |
One final descent and the first lap would be completed. This was a somewhat steep, very bumpy and sandy, downhill track. I had a couple guys behind me. Knowing they couldn't pass until I hit the bottom of this run, I let off my breaks some and picked up a bit more speed. I was completely comfortable with this and wasn't even remotely nervous. BIG MISTAKE! I cleared a rather large rut and hit a sandbar. One second I was up, the next I was down, HARD. Both guys behind me skidded to a halt. I'm sure it looked impressive as my brain was rattling around in my head (which hit ground about ten inches shy of a big tree). After ensuring I was OK, they headed out. I stood up and shakily returned to my bike.
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| In the groove and lookin' like a TOUGH CHIK! |
A minute later, I entered the counting corral and my hubby was handing me a new water bottle. Typically I toss the empty on the ground before I reach him and then grab the new one, take a drink and pop it into its holder. I was so shook up from my crash; I stopped, drank and dumped it over my head. I then headed back out for lap two with no water.
Lap 2: It took me a good mile or so to get the jitters out of me. Every bump made me nervous. Finally, after a hefty climb, I pulled off the trail, got off my bike and took some deep breaths. New mantra, "you can do this, none of these trails are new to you, you have the experience to do these hills, relax, relax." Of course, like usual, my buddy Lee passed me when I was OFF my bike. AAAAAARGH! I got back on and the rest of the race was a blast. I felt great. No cramps, no pains from my fall, no complaints whatsoever. OH YEAH!
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| 2nd Place for my first MTB Season! |
Awards Ceremony: As this was the final race of the season, we received a medal for placing in this race - I took third. Then our scores were tallied for the eight races of the season. The top five received plaques and T-shirts (and strawberries, YUM). I knew if I completed this race, I was a shoe in for third. To my surprise, I took second! I was stunned in a good way. This was a GREAT season with lots of lessons learned! Not too shabby for a beginner.
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| In honor of Atalaya, I miss you horribly but am learning to live my life fully! |
I arrived home from my race to a text from my sister. She had sent it to me at 6:00 this morning but my phone was dead and I had thrown it on the charger before going to my race. When I arrived home I checked my phone. Her text said, "CALL ME." I had a pretty good idea why. I had an uncle who was in hospice this week. I took a deep breath and called. Sure enough, he had passed away the night before. Secretly, I was thankful I didn't know before my race. Suddenly, I was sad. My family has lost six people in the last nine months. It’s what got me started with this race thing. The reason I raced these races was in memory of my sister-in-law who passed away the week before this race season started. This was my affirmation of life . . . to do something I had never done before that was out of my comfort zone . . . to learn to live in the moment. It was a great lesson and even though the tears flow for all those we have lost this year, I have learned that love doesn't disappear when the people do. I have made many new friends because of these races. To take a quote from my now widowed aunt, "LIFE IS GOOD, I BE BLESSED."
