Battle for Oak Mountain 6 Hour Race Report

Last SS race aboard Karma, my Niner A9C.

Kenny sure did save the best for last in this Chainbuster Series finale.  This course had a little bit of everything, from tight, twisty, and rooty Mr. Toad's to the short, grunty technical climbs of Johnson's Mountain to the long grind up to Blood Rock to the boulder fest of Jeckyll and finally the flowy descent of Hyde.  Gear choice was hard for me.  I made the decision to suffer with a cartoon-style spin on the descents and pavement so that I could more easily grind up the climbs.

Although the course was my favorite for the season, I HATED the start.  A never ending mile of road left had me going nowhere fast with a cadence > 120.  I watched as it seemed like the whole field passed me by.    The first lap was more of a group ride than a race.  Even though a mile of single track had been bypassed the first lap, this one was still  my slowest lap.  A lot of walking!  Luckily, my feet were quite happy in my custom orthotics.

I saw my foot specialist earlier in the week.  After 6 weeks in the orthotics, both she and I felt as if my nerves were finally beginning to heal.  Dr. Pesut said that I was probably looking at another 18 months before the healing was complete ... if that is possible.

My cooler of high octane fuel in the lower right corner

It was a warm feeling each and every lap to pull into the NWGA SORBA/Super Sport pit area.  A wonderful group of people who welcomed me with open arms.  Not having to secure a pit area, set up, and take down allowed me to save that energy for race day and for that I will be forever grateful.

Lap 2 was my hardest.  Even though I was faster my legs still felt sluggish and asleep.  I think it had something to do with "spinning my brains out" on the first lap.  Perhaps that is harder on the engine than I thought.

On lap 3 my body finally woke up and I was able to thoroughly enjoy the trail.  The funnest sections for me were the Johnson's Mountain descents where you could just let it go, minimal braking required, and the rock gardens of Jeckyll and Hyde.  Yes, there was a flow to this section, if you could find it.  And find it, I did.  The lines were not between the rocks, but rather over them.  I saw a lot of slow speed crashes here and fortunately I was able to keep the bike rubber side down.

On the middle portion of Hyde, I came upon Zeke and another person helping a fellow racer out of the woods.  Zeke always seems to be just in the right place at the right time.  I can't count the number of times he has helped out in these situations.  He is to be commended.  Secretly, I think he did not want to hurt the younger single speeders' egos.  Zeke is the ultimate "trail angel!"

On lap 4 I hooked up with Thomas Russell, TNGA finisher, and rising endurance star.  We were able to help each other push it just a little bit harder.  Having him to ride with as compared to being out there in "no man's land," kept me from getting lackadaisical.

Before heading out on lap 5, I had Jay hand me my "wings."  After chugging my Red Bull, I was off for another lap of happiness.   That is one thing I will remember about this race ... I was smilin' the whole way:  a testament to the beautiful day, awesome course, and finally feeling like a dedicated racer ought to.

My goal for lap 6 was to keep up my "cleaning" streak on the Johnson Mountain step ups and the Jekyll.  With no traffic, some groaning, and damned determination, I made it without a dab.  Of course, I thought my thigh muscles were going to be ripped off their bony attachments, and I had to ride at a turtle's pace until my breathing recovered, but I had achieved my goal.  And yep, the smile was still there.

I rolled across the finsh line in first with 6 laps in 5:37:29.  Even though each lap had a life of its own and felt different, I was pretty consistent.  Save for my fastest lap of 54:43, all the other laps were 56 minutes and some change.

With this win, I clinched the series win and a new mattress!  Perfect.  Last year, after 15 years of service mine had given up the ghost.  But just when I had decided to buy a new one, my HVAC died, so my lumpy mattress was put on the backburner.  Thank you Invigo for sponsoring this series!

Rest is just as important as fitness.

And so, my season ends on a good note.  2010 and 2011 did not have good endings.  My feet are on the mend and my GI tract is on a 4 month happy streak.  I look forward to what 2013 brings.

Charlie was disappointed it was empty :(

Fellow lady racers, just wanted to give you a head's up.  There is this little gal, probably 90 pounds soaking wet, who is young, yet full of talent and determination.  Be on the look out as she is a rising phenom.  Her name is Rachel Millsop ... you have been warned.

JackRabbit 6 Hour Race Report

I was looking forward to this race, as I would be back on my single speed after a 4 month hiatus, nursing painful feet.  This would also be my first race using my $$$$ custom orthotic inserts.  I had been wearing them at work and had done a few short rides; my feet were digging them!

I was long overdue for a mudfest.  Sure enough, it rained the night before and then the skies opened up again just 1 hour before the start.  It was still drizzling at the start line, so I was all geeked up in my shower cap and 16 gallon Glad trash bag.  This was a tip I had picked up at La Ruta.  My Niner was sportin' a mud fender, too.  With this "get up," the plan was to stay warm and dry for the first lap.  Even though the temperature was about 60 degrees, I was shivering.

I would be coming down this, watching oodles of geared riders pass me by!

The start was 1/2 mile of pavement, with a 2% downhill grade, a SS'rs worst nightmare!  And so, as I was spinning a cadence of 140, I watched about 50-60 racers blow right by me.  I was sooo looking forward to "choo-choo" time on the single track.

With the muddy conditions on the first lap, at least being stuck behind some slower racers kept me from doing anything stupid.  And it also allowed my legs to warm up as I sure did not have a proper warm up prior.  On this first lap, I watched at least 5 racers hit the deck.  Luckily they all bounced back up, only their egos bruised.

The rain stopped about midway through Lap 1 and I managed to keep the rubber side down.  As I pulled into the Northwest Georgia SORBA pit (they were kind enough to allow me to set up with them), Norma helped me to to get out of my garbage bag, Hulk-style!  I decided to leave the mud fender on until the course dried out ... my eyes thanked me.

Running through the Start/Finish area ... no need to remount as my pit area was just 10 yards away.

The second lap was slicker than the first.  I got "squirrely" a couple times.  About halfway through the second lap, I was finally able to get in my own little bubble and enjoy the ride.  I had Specialized Renegade Controls (550 grams each) on the bike.  Initially I was worried how they would hook up as I generally like more tread, but I am happy to report that they worked well in the mud.  Luckily this was not a rooty course; I don't believe the Renegades would have worked at all on slick roots.

The third lap was still a little slick, but by the fourth lap, the course was dry and fast again.  It was during this lap that I realized I had chosen the wrong gear ... a first for me.  I was too spinny.  I was wishing I had an 18 on the back.  Oh, well, better to be under geared than over geared.

By the fifth lap, I started doing the math.  I was feeling really good, but I wasn't sure if I would have enough time to get in that 7th lap before the 4 pm cut-off.  (In this series, if you come across the line at 1 second past 4pm, that lap does not count.)  So I really put forth an effort on the 5th and 6th laps.

As I ran across the timing mat finishing up my 6th lap, the clock's cumulative time was 5 hours 14 minutes.  That left me 46 minutes for the 7th lap.  Not having a bike computer, I was only able to guesstimate my lap times; I was thinking about 49-53 minutes per lap.  There was no way I could crank out a 46 minute lap.  So I handed my timing chip to Kenny and went out for a 7th lap anyway.  Why?  Because I was feeling good and this course was fun!

I also wanted to see how my feet would hold up for a solid 6 hours of racing.  I was ecstatic that they were happy for the first 5 hours:  no pain, burning, numbness, or jolts of electricity.  The orthotics were working!  I only had a bit of pain along the outside of my right arch and I attributed that to my arches not used to bearing a majority of the weight; something that will just take a bit more time, I hope.

I finished up my 7th lap at 4:06:  a 52 minute lap and just 6 minutes after the cut off.  The real funny thing was when I took a look at my lap times.  They were ALL 52 minutes and some change!  Talk about consistency!  Danielle would be proud!

6 laps in 5:14 earned me a top spot on the podium.  My feet were a non-issue.  I had a great NWGA SORBA pit crew.  My Niner SS was perfect.  The sun came out on lap 5.  I could not have had a better day!

A great bunch of people.

Fort Yargo 6 Hour Race Report

I was a foam rolling fool leading up to this race.  On Monday, I happened to ask Carly what she was doing in gym, to which she responded, "Races -- shuttle run and the 50 yard dash."  I should have stopped right there, but had to ask her to show me the shuttle run.  Needless to say, she kicked my tail ... twice.  We then raced each other 50 yards; she had plenty of time to skip across the finish line. The next morning I thought both my hips were dislocated.  That was a "DA" move on my part, thinking I could go from 0 to 60 without warming up!

Fast forward to race day.  The foam rolling definitely helped and my hips were good to go after a warm up.  I took a look at the 1.5 mile paved start and the first bit of single track and then lined up just a couple rows back and waited 20 minutes.  It was essential to have a good start as there were 400 racers.

Ready, set, go!  I managed to avoid the Tour de France style pile up then occurred within the first 10 seconds of the race.  I also managed to hold my own on the pavement with my 32 x 19 gearing.  I was happy that my legs responded happily to the intense pace and I entered the single track about 40 riders back.

Lap 1:  On the opening lap, it is always easy to burn a match or two.  My body says, "Go, go, go!" and my mind says, "Settle, settle, settle."  Having a good start helped me to find my rhythm early.  There was only one train of 12 that I passed smoothly (but not quite effortlessly) on the double track Outer Loop climb.  I managed to snag the fastest lap award for the ladies, which netted me a set of Maxxis Exception Larsen TT tires ... for a 26" bike (argh!)

Lap 2:  That one was over before I realized it!

Lap 3:  My big toes really began to hurt.  On the descents that were "stutter-bumpy," it was like someone was jabbing a knife underneath my toe nail.  I was extremely concerned about a re occurrence of my metatarsalgia. This pain came and went throughout the remainder of the race, making it not as much fun as it should have been.

Lap 4:  The temperature was approaching 90 degrees, but I felt pretty good.  I had just chugged a Red Bull at the pits and was awaiting my "wings."  I must say thank you to the single speeder dude that I passed during a series of climbs and descents around mile 2.  As I passed him, he said, "Don't  LET me catch you on the downhill!"  Dem's fightin' words!!  I happily obliged him and never saw him again.

Lap 5:  I mistakenly did not drink much on the previous lap and that, combined with the heat, caused me to feel a bit clammy when I would notch it up.  So I backed off a bit on this lap, drank my entire bottle, and then some more at the pits, so that the last lap would not be catastrophic.

Lap 6:  Fighting through the painful toes, I managed to latch on to another racer that was setting a fast and consistent pace.  The legs were feeling the earlier efforts and the speed bumps (there is only 1000 feet of climbing per lap) soon became mountains.  I was glad to see the metal bridge around mile 8 because the course after that is fast and flowy.  I came through the finish line in first with a time of 5:33.

I managed to win another set of fine Maxxis 26" tires which I found a home for.  I also mentioned to the new owner, Rachel, that they were UST.  You see, she had an unnecessary pinch flat early on in the race.

But I also came away with this cool sombrero, in honor of Cinco de Mayo.  An exponentially better way to spend this day ... on a bike instead of in a drunken stupor!

Not for hire.

 Right after the race, my big toes were on fire.  So much so that I was seeing stars.  Thanks to Ursula, I found out that it was not metatarsalgia, but how I was trimming my nails.  So hopefully with the proper pedicure, I can avoid this pain at the next 6 hour race.  It seems that I have some mild ingrown nail issues that I can fix fairly easily (I hope!).

Thank you Dirty Spokes, YABA, and the rest of the crew for a wonderfully orchestrated event.  The Dri-Wicking T's in extra small, the cooler of ice water at the top of the long climb, the live band, and the pizza at the end were nice touches.

And a shout out to the Northwest Georgia SORBA gang who let us hang out (or should I say, let our stuff hang out) in their pit.