The last two weekends have been successful on the racing front and my fitness is starting to shine a bit more. June 16th I planned to race the Ute Valley Pro XC in Colorado Springs to test myself against some of the best mountain bikers in the country (ok, so the test would have been more to hang on for dear life and try not to get lapped). I was so consumed with a terrible, horrible no good week at work that I didn't remember to register in time and there was not day of registration for the pro race...woops! Luckily the Winter Park hillclimb was the same day so I headed up for a 5.3 mile torture session. I started out hard in hopes that I would break up the field quickly. I didn't have a plan other than to take the lead and see how long I could maintain it. I was surprised at how good I felt and was able to not only maintain my lead but extend it all the way to the top, passing many men in the process. I finished in 39:23, almost 3 minutes faster than my time form last year and almost 4 minutes ahead of the next woman. I was super excited about my time and the strength I felt during the entire race! I joked afterwards that having a terrible week at work and getting in an argument with your spouse the evening prior to a race is key to going fast OR maybe I'm just starting to reap the benefits of my focused hill training.
In Boulder we are spoiled with many races even on weeknights. Wednesday I suffered my way to a 3rd place in the local short track. Thursday evening I took the win for the women at the local Stroke and Stride for win #2 of the last two weeks.
 |
| Photo: Jim Heuck |
 |
| Photo: Jim Heuck |
Win #3 came Sunday at Xterra Gowdy. Curt Gowdy State Park in Wyoming is a hidden gem in an unattractive and barren part of Wyoming between Cheyenne and Laramie. I raced the Gowdy Grinder in 2011 and when I heard that there was going to be an Xterra there I was thrilled. The trails are no joke with some really technical sections, some fast flowy sections and everything in between. I got the pleasure of camping Saturday night with good friends Travis and Amy along with their entertaining 18 month old Wyatt. I chose not to hassle with a tent and made the back of the wagon my bed for the night. It was surprisingly comfortable but I still failed to sleep much. The race consisted of a 1200 meter swim, 14.2 mile bike and 5.3 mile run. The water was surprisingly cold, maybe low 60s. Knowing it was going to be over 100 outside by the time we finished made me happily soak in the cold and accept the shivering on the start line. I had a solid swim and think I finally figured out how to prevent my goggles from fogging. I was the first woman out of the water and onto the bike. I focused on riding conservatively so I wouldn't melt in the heat on the run. The bike was indeed not for first timers or people new to mountain biking. Rock drops, rock features, loose granite, tight turns and switchbacks made this course what I believe to be one of the more technical and true mountain bike courses on the Xterra circuit. A few years ago this course would have freaked me out but Sunday my Specialized Fate and I rode cleanly except for getting my bars stuck between some tight rock sections and dismounting when guys in front of me were suddenly off their bikes and reluctant to let me by on the singletrack. The entire race with the exception of the first 3/4 mile was on amazing singletrack. With about 4 miles left on the bike I could see Maia Ignatz and Kim Baugh behind me and realized I would need to step it up a bit to maintain my position. I came off the bike still in 1st and didn't melt on the run, which was mostly exposed to the intense sun and featured somewhat technical trail running requiring significant focus. Thanks to Without Limits for putting on a great new event! If you ever want to do a low-key Xterra with real mountain biking, this is THE event! Now, I don't care where you are please do a rain dance for Colorado. It is scary dry and fires are burning all over. My heart goes out to all those who are affected by these devastating fires and to the firefighters trying to battle these monsters.
No comments:
Post a Comment