Finishing up the end of the race on the surprisingly steep cross course . . .
There were some issues with the results as some of the 50-mile women dropped down to the shorter race so I left thinking I was in 5th or 6th but actually ended up in 4th behind #148 (anonymous) . . . maybe even 3rd as 148 has been removed from the results! :) I had fun and Matt's already searching for a cross bike and we all know that if he gets one, I get one too!!! :)
Anyway, I lined up several rows back and could barely hear Eddie talking but before I knew it, people were clipping in and the race started. Not knowing what to expect, I started towards the back so I wouldn't embarrass myself but there were so many people that it wasn't too difficult and a pretty easy pace . . . I even passed some folks when someone's rear tire spun out causing a backup to my right. I had no idea where the other women were but I did see Loretta go up a few rows before we started and I should have followed her but I'm still learning. After the run-up, we hit the road and eventually the gravel. I've descended Winding Stair many times but never climbed it. WOW! At one point towards the top, I looked up and saw a lot of walking and wondered if I'd be walking soon too. I made Winding Stair my bi*ch . . . well, not really, but I did ride all the way to the top!
Matt & I have been all over these roads many times but I never have any idea where I am. I didn't even realize that Sag 1 was the same as Sag 2. I was so confused that I thought Tim Winters had manned Sag 1 and moved over to Sag 2 later in the day. I skipped "sag 1" but stopped for #2 to refill bottles and tighten my rear wheel because it was bouncing around on the climb up Noontootla(?)! The climbing was tough but the descents were AWESOME! I made the final turn back to the winery and the guy says 6 more miles . . . WHAT?!? UGH! I was relieved to see the winery only to find a super-crazy-run-up awaiting me. Trying to position my feet so my calves wouldn't cramp up, I finally made it to the top but I was in an impossible gear once I hit the pavement. I rode almost all of the remaining cross course on the way back to the finish. I finished at 4:19 (or 4:09 according to the final posted results). I was happy with my finish even though I was 35 minutes behind the ladies winner, Andrea. I was reading her blog and she always writes about pushing herself beyond her limits in a race . . . I think this is what I'm missing. If I have someone to chase I push myself harder but if I'm out there by myself with no one in sight, it's easy to just settle in to a comfortable pace. This is why she was 35 minutes faster than me and 2nd place, Brenda, was 25 minutes faster. Note to self, find a good training plan for something and dig into the pain cave more often! :)
The next weekend we were on our way back to Dalton for Snake Creek Gap TT #3. The Misfit came out for it's 3rd showing at the 34-miler . . . it's a love hate relationship with the SS and Snake. Other than a few flat-ish sections at the beginning, I think the Snake is a great SS course. It's tough but I'm pretty sure it's tough on gears too and I'm not wasting time with chainsuck and gear shifting! I'm happy to say that I finished all 3 on the SS and placed 3rd in the over 30 women category this year. My fastest was 4:19:50, 7+ minutes behind #1 Loretta. I'm still curious to see what kind of time I could turn with the Air9 but not this year! Oh, and the damn belt buckle . . .
this lovely photo is courtesy of Wilderness Adventure Photography
So last week, in the final hour before the price went up and/or a sell out, I talked Matt into the Big Frog 65! I will do a 100-miler this year but that's a busy few weeks and honestly, I'm not sure I'm ready for it yet. So we headed up to Tanasi on Sunday for a little bit of the course singletrack. It was a beautiful day and we got in some good quality miles. Not sure we've been there since the race last year, but we did a lot of the trail in the opposite direction of the race so that was a nice change of pace. I went SS last year but will be on the Air9 this year . . . looking forward to the family's 5th & 6th finisher's mug! :)
Oh and I had a great birthday on Wednesday . . . the big 33! I'm still amazed at how the years are just flying by but I'm absolutely loving my life. I can't wait to see how I feel in 2 years (assuming the blog is still around)! :)
Tomorrow will be Matt's videographer debut as we are going to put together a 90-second video so I can enter for a chance to win a spot at the Team Topeak-Ergon training camp in Sedona! So excited so stay tuned . . .
Saturday is Chain Buster race #2 at Conyers and Sunday is finishing up some tax returns that I've been putting off. The extra money from the little side business is great but it's a big time drainer on the weekend! ;)
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