Basically, I am training for 50-milers, so I wanted to do 4 laps, not 3. Only the Expert and Pro men do 4 laps. And Matt told me that I would have to race with the men, if I wanted to do 4 laps. Moreover, I didn't think it would be fair for me, as a Pro woman, to race against the Cat 1 girls. (OTH combines the Pro and Cat 1 women, and pretty much all of the women in this combined class are Cat 1's.)
But most importantly, I'm doing some of these races so as to work on my "limiters" - i.e., raw power, short distance speed, passing and strategy skills, being more aggressive, etc. I actually don't have the requisite "racing skills," this being my first season of mountain bike racing, save for a handful of endurance races I did 5 years ago. So, what better way to quickly develop these skills than to race with the Expert and Pro men?
Well, at least that was my thinking. As it turns out, I wasn't able to keep up with most of them!
So, since these races are "training," I didn't taper at all for this race. I put in a 14 hour week, plus 2 tough interval sessions. I was pretty worked going into this event, but I imagine most people were. I doubt many Cat 1's or Pro's make OTH their "A priority race." But anyway, my expectations weren't extremely high gong in. Also, I knew the course would not play to my strengths. Put me on a steep, long fire road that goes on for scores of miles and I am competitive with the Expert men any day. But put me on a short course with lots of ups and downs and loose, sandy turns ... and, well, I'm not so competitive anymore ...
I arrived early and pre-rode the course slowly with Kimmi. We scoped out lines. I then pre-rode the course again with Ted and some junior racers. We kept a good pace, but nothing crazy. Ted pointed some good lines out to me, for which I am/was thankful. I then headed off to the start line ...
I lined up pretty close to the back of the Expert Men pack. I chatted nervously with 19-year-old Joel (who got 2nd place in Pro men!!!) and Danny (who is doing a 104-mile mtb race this weekend!). I guess I was just nervous about getting in some guy's way and pissing him off. I was also worried about getting trampled. Nervous smile:
As it turns out, the trampling worry wasn't completely unjustified. Everybody sprinted out of the gate, and because I was toward the back, all the dirt and mud got kicked up into my eyes. My contact lenses were not liking it, and I could barely see a thing. I knew I would run into somebody (everybody was so packed together!), if I didn't fall back a bit. So, I fell back. Also, I was spinning out. I didn't have a tall enough enough gear on the flat section, but when we hit the hill this was no longer a problem. I started charging up the first hill vying for a better position (Ted had told me to "dig deep" here) when I saw Alison Jones pass me. She rocketed up the hill, which didn't exactly do wonders for my confidence. We have done a couple races together - she beat me once, and I beat her once. Both races were close. (We had a nice chat after the race; she's super nice.)
Anyway, Alison flew by, and I couldn't quite keep up. I gained some momentum on the second part of the hill and passed a few guys. Then the twisty downhill single-track began, and I made a wrong turn and lost a couple positions. Doh! I was too entranced by the wheel in front of me.
When I exited the single-track I knew I was at the back of the pack. Darn. So much for a strong start. And I pretty much remained at the back for the rest of the race, averaging 20 minute laps. I crashed on the first steep, sandy chute on my second lap. Basically, I got self-conscious (a guy was watching) and stupidly took the wrong line and grabbed some brake and went over the bars. I knocked my head and scratched my ankle and number plate. I had to run down the whole hill. It wasn't pretty. Guys kept asking if I was okay. I lost a lot of places. But I hopped back on and continued on.
I ended up "racing with" a lot of Cat 2 men. I was pretty competitive with them. I went back and forth with several guys. It was really fun, actually. My heart rate was through the roof. My friend Cheryl had recently given me her old Garmin 305 (thanks Cheryl!), and (unbeknown to be) she had set it up to ring like mad whenever her HR exceeded 185. So, basically, the thing was ringing off the hook! It was quite funny, because my "competition" could always hear me behind them - so much for stealthily sneaking up on guys! (I actually lost one place at the finish, because a Cat 1 man heard me behind him!) So silly. Some race shots (thanks Keith!):
Anyway, by the last lap, there were far far fewer people on the course, and I gave up a little, which I regret doing, because it cost me about a minute. I sort of lost the will to go hard. I assumed I was in last place, because I couldn't see any Expert Men. (Toward the end I did catch one, however.) I also lost my focus a bit. When I saw the ambulance I completely missed my turn onto the single-track from the bridge and had to cycle back.
In any case, to motivate myself, I reminded myself of when I was 7 and in Brownies (the precursor to Girl Scouts - the female equivalent of "Cub Scouts"). I was a runt at that age (some things never change!). I was part of a relay race during the Girls Scouts/Brownies "Olympics." I was not a fast runner. At all. I was to complete the final leg of the relay race. My team was doing just fine, until the baton was handed to me, the runt. All the girls sprinted off and promptly crossed the finish line. And there I was, slowly crawling along. "Should I quit?" I thought. I should mention, there was an entire stadium of parents staring at me. Seriously. And when you're 7, stadiums seem like a small country. But anyway, I kept going. There was no way I was going to quit - I was going to cross that darn finish line! I was stubborn and still am. So, I marshaled a bit of that stubbornness and pride during that last lap to get me through it. Me in my Brownies uniform in 1991 (can you see the stubbornness?):
In the end, I was glad. I finished 22nd out of 24 Expert Men finishers. The good thing about such a sorry finish is that I can only go up from here! I was surprised at my optimism at the finish. Far from feeling demoralized, I felt happier than ever. I had A LOT of fun, I got my HR up way higher than I've been able to in training lately (so it was good training), I learned a ton, and now I have something concrete to work toward. The finish line (smiling!):
Unfortunately, OTH will be on hold for me for the next few weeks, as I have a bunch of races - the 50-miler this weekend in Big Bear, 12 Hours of Temecula duo (with Heidi Volpe) and CA State Championships. It is a full plate indeed, but when it's all over I'll be excited to return to Over the Hump for a re-do! I am stubborn. :-)
Sarah
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