Snake Creek TT Finale Race Report

NWGA SORBA outdid themselves on this one!

T.H.E!  Conditions, both the trail and the body, made this one The Hardest Ever for moi.  2-3" rain on the first section the night before made the first half of the race a mud fest.  I was glad I had put the mud fender on because it kept the mud and horse poo off my glasses and face.

Silly me thought that I could pull off a sub-3:30 after succumbing to an upper respiratory infection in the week leading up to the race.  My gracious co-workers, who seem to always be sick, left me "gifts" on the phones, door knobs, computers, etc.  Side note:  Those who are always "sick" ought to be made, by law, to eat healthy, rest well, and get plenty of exercise, so that those who actually give a damn about their bodies, don't have to be constantly exposed to the weaklings' germs!

Anyway, any positive thoughts of being able to win this thing were quickly bashed within the first mile.  I tried to get up to speed, but with the mud and my inability to get my RDA of oxygen, I was fighting a losing battle.  Yeah, I was mad, frustrated, and feeling sorry, but quickly reminded myself that I was out here doing what I love.  Dang it if I was going to let the conditions dictate my state of mind!  I immediately decided that if I could not race, then at least I would have a good training ride.

I slogged through the first half, practicing my surfing skills through the muddy descents and my smooth pedaling cadence through the muddy climbs.  My legs actually felt pretty good; might of had something to do with not riding much the week prior.  They wanted to go go go, but my lungs said no no no.  The cobwebs of mucous in the back of my throat made oxygen transference most difficult.  I had enough "snot rockets" to take out a small country.

I rolled through the 1/2 way point 4 minutes slower than January's time.  I opted not to swap out Camelbak's but do a partial refill at the last water stop just before entering the final section of single track.  It was nice not having a full Camelbak on me up the next two climbs.  I seemed to feel better, especially after noticing just how dry the second half was!  It was like night and day as compared to the first half.  If only I had known, I may have just ridden the 17 miler.

The first half of the second half went by quickly.  My legs finally seemed to be getting some oxygen, so I was able to stand and hammer up some of the short kickers.  I had a good climb up to the final aid station, got a bit of water, and motored on.  Normally I enjoy the last hour of the race, picking my way through the bouldery sections, nailing the descents and usually climbing at least 1/2 of  "The Wall."  As I entered the first tricky section, I could tell I was REALLY tired.  I felt like a pinball and my little wheels constantly found those "26 inch holes."  It seemed I was off the bike more than on.  The Wall was ominous today and I scuttled up most of it ... probably faster than I could have ridden it anyway.

Instead of laying it down on the road descent, I coasted in to the finish, with a blazing time of 3:45.  I definitely got my money's worth today.  Fortunately, my January time was good enough for 2nd.  That $500 will go towards my 29'r rocket ship, which right now weighs less than my Specialized S-Works Era!

2013 Snake Creek Steed!

There was no "Easy Button" for today's race ... err, ride.  Sometimes you learn a lot more about yourself when you are at your lowest.  I managed to finish with a smile and no broken bones or bike parts.

Kudos to Pro Gold's Extreme Lube.  No chain suck and it was quiet all day!

The podium was empty save for Rachel and I.

Body Upgrade, Surgical Style!

As athletes, we tend to be very in tune with our bodies.  If I only learned one thing from this experience, it would be, "Listen to your body when it is trying to tell you something, damnit!"

It all began back in August.  My signs were all very non-specific:  fatigue, mild power loss, bloating, and mild abdominal discomfort.  I thought the tiredness was due to an unbelievable brutal TransRockies and the GI issues due to the Paleo diet.  Coach backed my training off and my doctor could not find anything wrong on physical exam and routine bloodwork.

Although I was well rested for SM100, my body just didn't feel good that day and the legs weren't zippy.  Even Danielle made the comment that my pace was a bit slow.

Fast forward to October and the Pisgah Stage Race.  Once again, I was well rested.  So well rested I was almost fearful of losing some fitness.  Days 1 and 2 were good.  However, my body just died on Days 3 and 4.  Both Coach and I were like, "WTF?!?"

Soon afterwards, my symptoms increased in intensity, I began having some bowel irregularity, and I gained about 5 pounds.  I began to resemble Buddha.  I began thinking about everything from pregnancy to ovarian cancer.  So I went back to the doctor for more tests.

Bloodwork nothing, ultrasound nothing.  Mind you, docs like to do one test at a time so this was agonizingly slow and my patience was wearing thin.  Also, my primary doctor (I feel) didn't seem too concerned about finding an answer quickly.  Finally, the CT scan showed mild sludging in the gall bladder. 

So the week before Christmas, I had a hida scan, which assesses gall bladder function.  Then I had to agonizingly wait through the holiday.  Well, yesterday I received the news.  Normal gallbladder ejection fraction = 80%.  Mine = 16%.  No gray zone there!

After 6 weeks worth of testing and waiting, I have an answer.  I almost wished I would have had the classical signs of gallbladder disease:  nausea, vomiting, and sharp pain.  I would have had a diagnosis much sooner.

Thinking positive about my situation, the good that has come from this is that I have lost the weight I gained initially and then some more.  Since the symptoms have intensified, I have not been able to eat much, and have been in a calorie deficit for 6 weeks.  I am now lighter than I have ever been.  I have also been doing more strength training than base training and I feel that I have maintained my strength.  But I will definitely have to work on my endurance after surgery.

Surgery is scheduled for next week.  I almost thought about asking my surgeon if he could remove a few unnecessary organs while he is in there; say, one ovary, uterus, and maybe one kidney.  You know, lighten the chassis even further.  As I know just about everyone at the Surgery Center, I will be in good hands.  My anesthesiologist is a roadie.  He told me last night that it will be a joy to work on me as a lot of his patients are >275 pounds and have cardiac/respiratory disease.

Doc says I will be off the bike for 3 weeks.  Translation:  3-4 days.  Any longer than that and he might have to prescribe Prozac!

I hate that I am going to miss the first two Snakes.   But I will just be glad to have a happy and healthy body again.

So, if you feel something is just not right with your body (no matter now small it may seem to be), be proactive and firm with your doctor about finding an answer. 

Luckily for me, I have several mountain bike friends that are also doctors so I was able to consult with them.  At one point, I actually had to tell my primary doctor that I wanted an abdominal CT scan and NOT an endoscopy/colonoscopy.  Thank God he listened to me or to this day, I might not have had an answer.

Time to get off the computer and get to training while I still can ...