At 8:00 the thermometer read 80 degrees and I groaned. My race was scheduled to start at 11:54
Flashforward 3 hours where I'm warming up on my trainer. Sweat is running down my back, arms, and legs, it is unbelievably hot and the guy next to me assures me it is in the 90's. The suntan lotion is going to wear off by the time I even roll to the startline!
OK - I'm at the startline and we take off - there are only about 8 expert women and I am first off the line. I can hear someone behind me for the first couple miles of climbing but I don't look back - I don't care who it is, I'm riding my own race. I can't push any harder with maybe blowing up so I back off a little bit, climb the switchbacks and am spit out on the fireroad climb. I drop a few gears and get into a steady climbing rhythm. This climb goes on for another mile and then we climb a singletrack another couple miles. So basically, I think the first 8 miles was all climbing. There isn't anyone behind me now and I relax. I'm at the top of the mountain on a fireroad that stetches for miles with rolling hills. If I keep up my speed I can make it up most of the hills by standing and pedaling in a big gear. My legs are fine but my heart rate is really high. Somewhere along that stretch I lose focus and let up. This is my biggest weakness, with no one around I forget I'm racing.
The rest of the race goes like this: Heidi cruises along not paying attention, then remembers it's a race and turns on the gas. At one point I got pretty worn out of the speed swings and have to switch into the small ring on some of the longer climbs :angry: This just gets me mad at myself and then I have a mental fight where I yell at myself.
I knock it up a few notches on the downhills but am thouroughly unimpressed with the boring course. I sprint up the last hill over the finishline and the day is over.
Flashforward 3 hours where I'm warming up on my trainer. Sweat is running down my back, arms, and legs, it is unbelievably hot and the guy next to me assures me it is in the 90's. The suntan lotion is going to wear off by the time I even roll to the startline!
OK - I'm at the startline and we take off - there are only about 8 expert women and I am first off the line. I can hear someone behind me for the first couple miles of climbing but I don't look back - I don't care who it is, I'm riding my own race. I can't push any harder with maybe blowing up so I back off a little bit, climb the switchbacks and am spit out on the fireroad climb. I drop a few gears and get into a steady climbing rhythm. This climb goes on for another mile and then we climb a singletrack another couple miles. So basically, I think the first 8 miles was all climbing. There isn't anyone behind me now and I relax. I'm at the top of the mountain on a fireroad that stetches for miles with rolling hills. If I keep up my speed I can make it up most of the hills by standing and pedaling in a big gear. My legs are fine but my heart rate is really high. Somewhere along that stretch I lose focus and let up. This is my biggest weakness, with no one around I forget I'm racing.
The rest of the race goes like this: Heidi cruises along not paying attention, then remembers it's a race and turns on the gas. At one point I got pretty worn out of the speed swings and have to switch into the small ring on some of the longer climbs
:angry: This just gets me mad at myself and then I have a mental fight where I yell at myself.I knock it up a few notches on the downhills but am thouroughly unimpressed with the boring course. I sprint up the last hill over the finishline and the day is over.
