9.23.2007

tater bake

my start sucked and my finish sucked. the middle was pretty good.
i was 5th from last up the start climb. passed a few people and then hung my head low as i tried to climb like i'm capable of for the first part of the course but it just wasn't coming to me. i did eventually work my ass off that lap and it showed as i grabbed onto the train of the lead sport girls by the end of the lap. i knew i'd lose them at the start climb because i had given so much already just to find them. i figured i'd recover a bit and catch them again. and then i decided to eat. i still can't eat on a bike during a race. i even bought a gu bottle but it's on my desk at work. anyway. it was the perfect place to eat had i been able to open it. i tried and tried. couldn't get it open and then a couple girls passed me. wtf. i suck. so i chased with gu packet hanging out of my mouth. i decided one more try to get it open, couldn't, so tucked it back in my shorts as now there definitely wasn't an opportunity to eat it. i had to dig to catch people again. i was cursing myself for awhile. i finally got it open but wasn't able to drink for a few, so i had a gu glob stuck in my throat.
i saw a few sport women which gave me a little bit of rush to grab on. i did. passed a couple but was feeling my efforts. i was tired. i dreaded the start of my last lap. my back was starting to act up a bit. i tried to ignore it, which i could for the most part unless i had to really push, which for me was on the steeper climbs. i made the mistake of thinking that walking up the steep climb there i wouldn't lose much time and i'd be able to stretch my back. sucky move. i wanted a do over.
i knew i'd catch a couple girls on the last sections of singletrack as i had on every lap and would hopefully hold it for the finish... that is UNTIL my cheer pack exploded into my mouth and went in my lungs (i suck at eating on a bike). i felt like i was drowning for a second. i couldn't breath and then i started coughing violently. i had never coughed that hard before... it just kept coming. i couldn't even see i was coughing so hard. after that happened i knew i wouldn't catch anybody. there wasn't enough trail left. it didn't keep me from trying but i was slightly deflated that i was taken out by something so dumb. i would've rather crashed or flatted... i think.
anyway, like i said, sucky start and finish, but the middle was good. i did some cool stuff for myself and learned a few things as well (some of which i learned already).
coming back from so far back in the pack at the start and then catching the lead (i think there were a couple girls still ahead of them but still) was awesome. i felt really good about that. my starts are never good, but they are never that bad as it was today. i wasn't able to hold it after i caught the pack, but am pretty satisfied considering i ride maybe 15 miles a week. i rode more aggressively to pass people than i ever had so i was happy about that as well. i was able to dig a few times on my second and third laps- i just wasn't able to hold it. i didn't finish thinking i could've pushed harder here or there... i gave it my all today. (i finished thinking i'm a moron who needs to learn how to eat on a bike) i'd like to think if i had a good night's sleep on saturday (or even friday) maybe my start would've been better. but at the same time if my start was better i wouldn't of had that feel good moment of catching the train. hopefully some day i'll be able to ride with the train once i've caught it instead of thinking about going to the side of the trail and dying if only for 5 minutes.
i had hoped to hit the top 10 today and missed it by just over 20 seconds.
i'm still coughing from that pack. at least it was easy to open.

8 comments:

Mountaingoat said...

Nice job on the good parts of the race. Bring that gu bottle home right away today.

Tom K said...

that's why i love the hammer flask. plus i mix in a little water to make it all go down easier.

Dano said...

I cant eat either while racin.... hard to do when your in zone 5 the entire race...

Nice job.....

bubba said...

I gave up trying to eat solid foods while racing a long time ago.

The gel flasks work way better than the packets (unless, of course they are on your desk at work). I still end up wearing most of it, but I manage to get some in the old "pie hole" It's really quite embarrassing.

Unknown said...

i coughed the cheer pack all over my bike. it was sticky. when i came back from watching the elite race there were bees all over it. i just put my gel flask in my backpack.

velogrrl said...

I too pretty much gave up eating on the bike long ago. I end up with sticky mess on my hands. I try do to some shot blocks or a clif shot before the race. Luckily my WORS races are relatively short. At WEMS races I'll just stop for a clif shot if I need to, or eat it as I am walking the bike up a hill. Walking is an excuse to stretch the back and eat.

I won a flask once at a WEMS race, but like you, I often forgot to take it. You have to remember to fill it and put it in the fridge between races, instead of just leaving it in a race bag. It didn't always come that easily out of my jersey pocket, either, it would get kinda stuck, once it got sticky.


Someone needs to come up with a good shot block dispenser.

Christine said...

Nice to see you back at the race on Sunday. I heard someone call your name and it scared me to go faster :) There was alot of attacking at IOLA and it was a really great race. I redlined it at the start and the first lap and then died on the second lap trying to recover. It is always nice to have challenges during a race, keeps you fresh!

MTB Girl said...

Boy, if you could put us together to make ONE girl, we would WIN every Sport race! :-)

Nice job. It's awesome seeing you getting so much FASTER this year. . . .awesome and at the same time a little scary. . . .