So I went to the first round of the SEC collegiates yesterday and raced Shortrack XC and then XC today. Now, I was horribly sick thursday and friday...couldnt make it to class on friday even, but somehow felt well enough for the 4-hour drive to the race on Sat. morning. I decided Id see how I felt when I got to the race before I made a decision, but upon arrival, I wasnt too bad off and we need points and all that stuff so yeah, I raced.
I was on my SS and Id never raced short track before, but the guys on my team were like dude, at least race B class, maybe even A...you're pretty good and in shape. So Im like uh....and they're all do it dude do it. So ok, I sign up for B class, then I get to looking at the course and its so freaking short. No single track and a big ROAD climb that makes up HALF of the course itself. Oh man, this is going to be bad, I thought.
Well the race started and we had to go down this road and around a Cul de sac and then into the trail, and of course, with my 32x16 i get blown out on the start...just run out of gear..right? Last person onto the actual course. And then...oh god. This had to be the most pure 20 minutes of actual HELL a person can go through. I swear my legs had nothing, my lungs were dead and I was on the first lap. So here's where it gets wierd...see...I thought (and was told) that after you get lapped, the official pulls you and you get the points for whatever place you get lapped. Well...uh....no. Not at this race. So Im still in like last right and feel like just giving up but somewhere I got a bit of a second burst and came from like way back and passed three guys in 20 minutes and ended up 12th out of 15 riders in collegiate B. I was the only guy on an SS, and the crowd was all screaming for me, which motivated me ALOT to be honest, but my ass was handed to me on a sliver platter basically. I hurt so bad after that race. My fever came back and all night I was sweating and then hot thinking "no way am i gunna race XC tomorrow" after I just got OWNED in B class so bad.
WELL, morning finally comes and the masochist in my I guess was like "Hey...why not race?" This time, I signed up for C class just in hopes of having a little bit of fun instead of struggling not for dead last. I actually felt pretty good in the morning but when race time came around...I just got this pit in my stomach. And everyone on the start line is all saying "watch out for the dude on the SS cause I guess they thought i looked ok in the B class the day before or something. I knew I was screwed. Well, the race starts and of course, its up the road and around the thing again so this time...2nd to last into the woods. I did manage to beat some guy on a Spec. P2 up the road actually. But in the woods...these C riders were flying all over the place like corpses in a mortuary explosion. I almost got taken out by this one dude. I passed some guys up the hill and managed to work my way up through the pack a bit. Then like a light switch. BAM! My legs were done. Just DONE. Cardio was good, breathing was fine but the legs had nothing and I couldnt turn the SS gears up two big climbs. So I got off and ran and got passed by a bunch of dudes there. I cruised for a while, got a 2nd wind, or sort of one, and luckily there were no more big climbs left on the course. Near the end, I got all the power back and blazed through about the last 2 miles, but only ended up with a lower-mid pack finish. I suck. Or sucked rather. I had fun, the course was a blast...but my legs really just let me down. But now, hey, the fever is gone at least and Im back home as a below average XC racer. Life blows.
DH starts soon though
I was on my SS and Id never raced short track before, but the guys on my team were like dude, at least race B class, maybe even A...you're pretty good and in shape. So Im like uh....and they're all do it dude do it. So ok, I sign up for B class, then I get to looking at the course and its so freaking short. No single track and a big ROAD climb that makes up HALF of the course itself. Oh man, this is going to be bad, I thought.
Well the race started and we had to go down this road and around a Cul de sac and then into the trail, and of course, with my 32x16 i get blown out on the start...just run out of gear..right? Last person onto the actual course. And then...oh god. This had to be the most pure 20 minutes of actual HELL a person can go through. I swear my legs had nothing, my lungs were dead and I was on the first lap. So here's where it gets wierd...see...I thought (and was told) that after you get lapped, the official pulls you and you get the points for whatever place you get lapped. Well...uh....no. Not at this race. So Im still in like last right and feel like just giving up but somewhere I got a bit of a second burst and came from like way back and passed three guys in 20 minutes and ended up 12th out of 15 riders in collegiate B. I was the only guy on an SS, and the crowd was all screaming for me, which motivated me ALOT to be honest, but my ass was handed to me on a sliver platter basically. I hurt so bad after that race. My fever came back and all night I was sweating and then hot thinking "no way am i gunna race XC tomorrow" after I just got OWNED in B class so bad.
WELL, morning finally comes and the masochist in my I guess was like "Hey...why not race?" This time, I signed up for C class just in hopes of having a little bit of fun instead of struggling not for dead last. I actually felt pretty good in the morning but when race time came around...I just got this pit in my stomach. And everyone on the start line is all saying "watch out for the dude on the SS cause I guess they thought i looked ok in the B class the day before or something. I knew I was screwed. Well, the race starts and of course, its up the road and around the thing again so this time...2nd to last into the woods. I did manage to beat some guy on a Spec. P2 up the road actually. But in the woods...these C riders were flying all over the place like corpses in a mortuary explosion. I almost got taken out by this one dude. I passed some guys up the hill and managed to work my way up through the pack a bit. Then like a light switch. BAM! My legs were done. Just DONE. Cardio was good, breathing was fine but the legs had nothing and I couldnt turn the SS gears up two big climbs. So I got off and ran and got passed by a bunch of dudes there. I cruised for a while, got a 2nd wind, or sort of one, and luckily there were no more big climbs left on the course. Near the end, I got all the power back and blazed through about the last 2 miles, but only ended up with a lower-mid pack finish. I suck. Or sucked rather. I had fun, the course was a blast...but my legs really just let me down. But now, hey, the fever is gone at least and Im back home as a below average XC racer. Life blows.
DH starts soon though
