I pre-rode a little bit of the course before the start, and it seemed pretty clear that this was going to be a really, really fast loop. There was a section of bridges with some slippery roots, and there was a ridge line with some fun lines through rocks, but there was nothing I felt the need to walk. In fact, the technical sections were just my thing. I kind of wish there'd been more of them, but at the same time, the rest of the single-track was fast and flowy. I hardly used my brakes to slow down in corners because the berms were so perfect that I could just let the gravity and wheels do their thing. It was SO FUN! Oh yeah, and there was a big log to go over in the beginning of the loop that I forced myself to ride over 5 out of the 6 times, and it made me feel like I really accomplished something this season, even if I didn't make it to the podium... ever. More about the podium later...
...But, before I realized how fun it was, I had the usual mental demise that almost forced me to quit. I say "almost," but I don't think it ever really was an option. Basically, on laps 2 and 3, I was a mess in my head. The negativity crept in, and I was having a hard time getting it out. I even got that horrible feeling like someone was sitting on my chest and I might cry. That's probably about the time that I realized I could snap out of it if I just put my mind to it. There's that moment when you hit rock bottom of the negativity spectrum and realized that it's your own fault you're there, and it's that moment when you can bounce out quicker than ever. I told myself to 'cut the shit,' and 'you haven't really been training, silly...,' and 'when's the last time you rode more than 25 miles on a bike?' Once I came to terms with the fact that the only real problem I was encountering out there was my own shitty attitude, I was fine. In fact, laps 4, 5, and 6 were amazing.
When I came through lap 4, I was told that Susan was only 15 seconds ahead of me. Of course, I assumed they were exaggerating to make me move a little quicker. However, they must have been right because I came through the technical section on lap 6 and saw her on the trail below. I knew that if I stayed off the brakes on the descents and got out of the saddle to power through all the climbs, I'd be able to catch her. My legs were tired, but I had it in me mentally to get out of my own way, so that was all that really mattered at that point. I was excited. I had something to push for, and I actually felt like pushing for it. What I didn't anticipate or hope for was to find her at the top of a hill with a snapped chain; that's not the way I like to make my move. I was tempted to help her out and then race her to the finish, but at that point, she looked like she had it under control. So, off I went. I still went as fast as possible at the end. I don't know what my lap times were, but in my mind, that lap was my fastest. I ended up on the podium with Karen and Jena - they were about 10 minutes ahead of me. This seems to be my consistent distance behind the leaders, only this time I was only 10 minutes behind after 3 hours instead of 2, so I'm moving up in the world.
All in all, no complaints. It's time for me to start training. I have a 100 mile race to finish in August, and I can't be getting all mentally mushed after only 10 miles. School will be done this week... or maybe in a month; I might be taking a couple summer courses to knock them off the list of requirements for my English degree. I should know more on that by next week. Either way, I won't be taking 21 hours of in-school classes. I'll be working, but work doesn't have homework or papers. I can't wait to ride my bike!
Great job on the race, the article, the school, the job, being a mom and a very cool chick. Rock on, LizA.
ReplyDeleteNice Job Liz! 6 laps is pretty darn hardcore! I couldn't figure out on the last lap if this was my last one or if I had another one to do, and with that confusion it got pretty ugly mentally!
ReplyDeleteGreat job!
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