A Day in the Life

I am back in the Pisgah Stage Race prep mode.  Coach had me do VO2 Max Intervals today.  I like this work out because it is one hell of a sufferfest, but it is over pretty quickly, and you feel like you really accomplished something.

Here is how they went:

#1:  This is not too bad.  Hmmm, maybe I am a bit stronger.  I feel like I could go all day at this wattage!
#2:  Can I take back what I previously stated?
#3:  Damn Coach for making me do those squats yesterday!
#4:  Ohhhhh......the burn!
#5:  I need a dog to start chasing me.  Come on, legs, don't leave me now!
#6:  Mama!

And now I get to go work for 10 hours, dodging pee and poop, smelling anal glands,  listening to incessant barking, and trying to be quicker than the dogs' clamping jaws.

I think I would rather do some more suffering at the hand's of my Coach.

ORAMM Race Report, part 2

I owned Curtis Creek this year.  Last year, my legs went on strike at aid station 2, but today was like riding without a chain.  I gobbled up plenty of carrots in those 9 miles.  I caught back up to Rich; I taunted him with the 6 hour thing, but his face told a different story.  That was the last I saw of him. 

I did have to slow it down a bit at the midway point, not because of my fitness, but because of the heat.  I started to get a headache and felt a slight chill, telltale signs that if you ignore, the next thing you know, you will be on the ground babbling incoherently.  I knew I was close to the top when the switchbacks got steeper and tighter.  I rolled in to aid station 3 and was immediately greeted by several smiling faces.  One filled my gel flask, one offered an ice cold coke and the other had my drop bag.  Was I in heaven?  The aid station volunteers were awesome!

The gravel descent down the other side of the Parkway was insanely sketchy.  I have never felt so out of control on a gravel road descent.  After a couple front wheel slide outs, I determined what little time I might be gaining by riding stupid was not worth the risk.  I slowed it down to a more life sustaining speed; it seemed like forever before I hit the bottom. 

The 4 mile climb back up to the Parkway was uneventful, except for the nagging headache that would not go away despite what I thought was an adequate fluid intake.  The volunteers at aid station 4 were masters of their game and had me off and pedaling up the Parkway to the infamous hike-a-bike.  I think I ingested too much gel and Rapidade at the last aid station because as I pushed my bike up to Heartbreak Ridge, I became nauseous.  This brought back not so fond memories of The Burn 24 Hour. 

As I began the looooooong descent down Heartbreak, my body was able to draw some blood from my legs and finish the digestion process.  The nausea soon passed.  I always forget just how long Heartbreak is.  I always start off "Whoo-hooing!" but that soon changes to "Oh my God, my head is going to fly off my neck!"
This section requires absolute focus which is hard to do when all your eyes see is a constant "dirt, sky, dirt, sky, dirt, sky ...".  There are a few kickers on this trail that allowed my body to realign itself and prepare for the final switchbacky descent that I initially rode up on the way to Star Gap.  Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my ride down and my Specialized Era rocked it!  (I would love to see what an Enduro would do on Heartbreak, however.)

I rolled on through aid station 5 and looked at my time:  5:17.  That sub-6 was not looking good, but I thought I still had a chance to equal last year's time.  Well, at least until I began the 4 mile climb up Miller Creek.  Did I just enter hell?  This was the most exposed road of the day.  It was now 1:30pm and probably 97+ degrees.  The heat was like a ton of bricks sitting on my chest.  It was here that I really had to dial the power down or suffer the consequences.  I passed through the parking lot, not looking forward to the steep-a$$ climb back to the top of Kitsuma.  I made it, albeit slower and a few more times off the bike.

The descent seemed like an eternity.  Very powdery after having 400+ riders come through and a lot of skid marks off the trail.  Once again, my Ergon GR2's comforted my hands on this bumpy terrain.  I popped out onto the pavement and immediately went into time trial mode.  This lasted about 30 seconds when my inner quads screamed at me and threatened to lock up.  I backed off and rode at a cramp-free speed.  No need to kill myself; there was a "jelly" in a white Cadillac Seville that tried to do that for me.  Speeding along, horn blaring, swerving around me at the last minute ... yeah, you are really cool, old man!

I crossed the finish line in 6:33, 1st place woman (and the oldest, I might add), and 31st overall.  The slower time I will blame on the heat, for I felt I was fitter than last year.  All said and done, I felt that I properly executed my race and nutrition plan for this one.  I consumed 170 ounces of fluids (Rapidade, water, and Coke) and I took in about 230 kcal/hour.  I don't think I could have gone any harder.

Kudos to Todd for once again putting on a stellar race.  Great course markings, wonderful volunteers, a nice creek to cool off in post-race, and good food. 

I might add that Zeke finished 5th in the 50+ category and would have possible been higher up on the podium were it not for the time spent helping the heat casualty up on Kitsuma.  Not only is he one fast old dude, but a trail angel.  Those in his class at Leadville had better watch out!

ORAMM Race Report, part 1

83 degrees at the 8am start would make for a scorching race.  Knowing that staying hydrated and keeping the core cool would be crucial, I started the race with a cold, wet jersey and my Camelbak full of iced down Rapidade.  I had also stuck bottles of water in my drop bags, not for drinking, but for pouring over my head at the aid stations.

The race rolled out of Old Fort at a neutral pace, giving me time for my legs of 41 years to come around.  I can start fast when needed, but I really like these easier starts.  Having broke a spoke on my Powertap wheel during the pre-ride the day before, I would have to rely on HR and PE to keep me from blowing up in the first 25 miles as I had last year.

The race began as we hit the 5 mile climb up Old Hwy 70.  Lisa and I rode together for a ways, neither one of us talking much, but watching as Andrea slowly pulled away from us.  I was focused on a steady rhythmic turning of the pedals and making sure my HR didn't get too high.  I soon caught Andrea as well as a bunch of guys and was able to make it to Kitsuma's single track with a clean trail ahead.

Halfway up, I encountered Rich.  From reading his recent posts, he and I both had the same goal:  a sub 6 hour race.  But seeing him this soon in the race bothered me a little.  I was hoping that I was motoring on and that he was not sputtering.  He was pretty chatty and in good spirits, so if that continued and I could keep up, then perhaps a sub-6 was doable.

I let him take the lead on the descent.  Not that I was being nice, but I wanted to follow his lines on this descent of mayhem and hell.  You see, this bit of trail has gotten a lot more chewed up in just a year, what with bigger drops, more log crossings, more root exposure, and one hell of a hole left by an uprooted tree.  Rich is like a Jedi knight, Yoda in particular.  Just by looking, you wouldn't think him to be much of a mountain biker, but when his game is on, it takes everything you got to hang on!  Needless to say, I hung with him through the trickiest parts and then he just got smaller and smaller ... and was gone!

I hooked up with Justin and rode with him over the next hour or so.  The single track up to Star Gap was quite entertaining with several steep hike-a-bikes.  I knew I would be coming back down this later in the day so every now and then I would take a look back down and study the lines.  The climbing was steep but manageable other than a couple CX off the bike moves to negotiate some sharp, steep switchbacks.  Once again, I encountered Rich and asked if we were on pace.  He wasn't too sure and didn't seem too confident at this point.  Oh, well.  I was feeling really good, so I stayed optimistic.

On the descent I rode behind Matt, the Outdoor Store's Specialized rep.  He was kind enough to take a digger on one of the switchbacks, allowing me to dismount and make it down nice and safe.  Once I finished the descent and popped out onto the doubletrack-turned-singletrack climb, the fun began.  The next seven miles on this old logging road was like riding on marbles, blindfolded.  Very sketchy and you couldn't see what lay ahead due to the weeds almost choking out the trail.  Oh, goody!   Luckily I had Justin ahead of me and I could follow his lead.

Rolling into the second aid station, I was handed my drop bag.  I poured a bottle of water over my head, swapped out water bottles, downed 1/2 a can of Coke and headed out for the next little hill.  At this point in the race, I was feeling great, the legs were sparkly, and I was ready to conquer the 9 mile Curtis Creek climb.


to be continued....

SERC Raccoon XC Race Report

 With doubts as how well I would do at my first XC race in 2 years ... and on a SS, I opted to compete in the singlespeed division.  Coach said it would be funner competing against the guys anyway.  And Carly wanted me to "girl" them all.  Carly and my friend Stefanie had come to watch and hang out.

At 9:30, the temperature was already 83 degrees and extremely humid.  My kind of weather.  The women's pro/expert started 2 minutes ahead of me.  Mmmm, carrots!  The start was 3/4 mile of pavement.  There were 13 singlespeeders and I entered the woods in 4th.  That surprised me as I was running an easier gear than the guys.  My legs were feeling sparkly and soon enough I caught up to the back of the women's field.  After passing several of them, I looked at my HR and decided I needed to slow down a bit or risk blowing up after 1 lap.

On the first lap, a couple guys in my field passed me, but on the second lap I passed them back as they struggled with the short punchy climbs in their harder gears.  Towards the end of the first lap, I managed to pass all the women save for Kim.  On the second lap, the hills were a bit tougher and I had to run two short sections.  However, I still felt strong and was less than a minute slower than my first lap.  I managed to pass the 2nd and 3rd SS'r with just a few miles remaining.

 I finished up with a time of 1:22:50, about 5 minutes slower than 1st but over a minute ahead of 3rd.  Not too bad for my first SS XC race.  Simple and fun.  All I had to do was pedal.  I definitely want to do a few more of these.

I love my Specialized 29'r SS Hardtail.  And that is coming from a racer who likes "cush."  Raccoon Mountain is a very rocky and technical trail.  After two laps, my back was still happy.  Light weight and super responsive at less than 20 pounds.

Stefanie has been taking a photography class, so after taking action pics, Carly helped her with the portrait pics.  Carly was a trooper out in the sweltering heat all day.  After the race she had the choice of ice cream or sushi.  Guess what she chose?  Man, sushi makes for a great post-race meal!

Fundraiser Update

As of right now, I have received $4350 in donations and pledges.  I am still in the midst of chasing down a few outstanding pledges (you know who you are :) so I figure that once I receive those I will be right around the $5000 mark.

The Outdoor Store has received all the prizes for the Kid's Contest, including 4 bright, shiny new bikes!  I know the winners of said prizes, but won't be telling anyone until this fall at the beginning of the school year.  I plan on announcing the winners as well as presenting a check to City Park and Ingleside school during the first PTO meeting.

Most likely Ingleside will use the money to fund the purchase of playground equipment.  A good friend told me about The Patch indoor obstacle course.  After looking at their website, seeing a You Tube video about it, and having my daughter exclaim, "That looks like coolish fun,"  I will try to encourage City Park to purchase the basic kit.  It is expensive but durable and could be expanded upon year after year.



It has been 6 weeks since The Burn.  It took about 2 1/2 weeks for my body to feel good again.  The worst part was the 4 weeks of a combination of foot numbness, pin and needles, and hot foot.  But all is good now, except for my mental state.  I attribute that to a "lackofracinitis," which should be cured by Sunday as I am heading down to Raccoon Mountain to race the SERC XC ... SS style.  It should be fun and brutal at the same time.  The last time I raced an XC was at this venue in 2008, but on gears. 

Burn 24 Hour Race Report: Part 2

Before I get started, I must insert a funny here.  The Bike Dougster was in charge of putting lights on Stumpy.  Well, midway through Lap 11, I turned on my lights.  Helmet light, perfect.  When I turned on my bar light, the beam was directed up at the treetops.  For a brief moment, I thought that Batman might come swooping down, having been called into action by my light.  I must say, it takes some skill to adjust lights while riding in the dark, but I got it done.

One of Coach Lynda's pieces of wisdom pre-race was to have a plan, but expect and allow for that plan to change.  No matter if you have done 1 or 100 24's, there is always a surprise lurking around the corner.  And it is how you deal with this surprise that will determine the success of your race.

My surprise was that my stomach was heading South ... quickly.  Silly me for thinking I could exist on blueberry newtons and Cliff Shot Roks the entire race, when the longest I had trained on them was 8 hours.  I was OD'ing on simple sugar.  Thankfully Mom was there, cooking potatoes.  They would be ready by lap 13.

I headed out on Lap 12, knowing that the plan was going to have to change.  I knew what to do; now to get it done.  I backed off the intensity just a bit and thought positive.  The only time I got sick at a race was the 2009 Firecracker 50 and that was because of the altitude.  My thoughts turned to Kip and his DNF here one year when his stomach turned sour.  I was determined not to become a casualty here tonight. 

I was not in my place of happiness during laps 12-16.  I told myself a couple times that a slow lap was better than no lap.  I was only able to take in about 50% of the calories I needed.  However, after switching my foods from sugary to salty, potatoes and chicken rice soup, I started returning to normal around 3am. 

Besides my sour stomach, the other evil at night were the roots.  They got wet and slicker n snot due to the high humidity and the moisture retained within the trail from the previous day's rains.  There were enough floundering racers on the course to keep me alert and cautious.  Even with my Light n Motion Seca 900 helmet light and HID bar light, some of those roots were able to hide in ambush.  During lap 19, one grabbed my front wheel on a descent on the Exit trail and threw me down hard.  Only my pride was hurt or so I thought, until I made it into the pits and Zeke's motherly instincts kicked in when he saw all the blood on my forearm and glove.  Wow, there was quite a bit!  Once we got the mud and blood cleaned off, it turned out to be only a little flesh wound.

Lap 20 was the sunrise lap.  This is my favorite lap, no matter if I am sparkly or deep in the pain cave.  The birds alert you first, even before you see the faint hint of light.  At this point, even though there are still at least 6 hours to race, you know it is almost over.  Yes, I was tired, but new life seemed to run through my being.  The legs can push harder, the heart can pump faster, and your alertness rises 10-fold.  A can of Monster Java always helps, too!

Lap 21 my good friend Kip came rolling up behind me.  I actually heard his voice before I saw him.  Chatting with others, that's Kip!  He helped my mojo and power transfer.  By this time, I knew the course pretty well and knowing that I would not get lost, I was happy to chat back!  He he :)! (inside joke).  That was a great and fun lap.  Even with the dufus that wanted us to get off HIS trail on a tricky descent since his team was racing for 5th!

During lap 23 which was around 8:30am, I started doing the math.  A 26th lap was definitely doable, but could I squeak out a 27th?  Feeling strong again, I was able to pick the pace up.


On lap 24, I crashed going in to the hardest switchback of The Snake.  A slow speed crash due to exhaustion, but I ended up tweaking my right ankle.  Ughh!  The ensuing laps came with varying degrees of Achilles pain.

From lap 24 to the finish, I changed nutrition to fluids and gels.  Thankfully, I was able to take in sugar again without nausea or bloating.  At this point, solids became intolerable.  I fueled on HammerGel, Silk chocolate milk, and Rapidade. 

My lap times hovered in the low 50's and with 5 minutes to spare,  I went out for my 27th lap.  Now this one hurt!  The climbs were fine.  It was the descents that were so painful!  Every fiber of my being was jarred to death.  I was never so happy to see that final descent.  One more time hitting those curves horizontally.  Hoo-rah! 

24 hours and 48 minutes later, my journey was finished.

It was amazing how fun this race was.  The previous 24 hour races I have done were much harder and filled with more low points.  I suppose the reason for the awesomeness of it is that I was racing for something rather than against someone.  Knowing that I am making a difference in someone's life made it easy to suffer.  And we 24 hour soloists already enjoy that kind of suffering to some degree anyway.

Thanks to my pit crew for making it possible.  Zeke was able to add some fun and make me smile in the wee hours of the night.  He managed to borrow some glowing balls to make a lighted pit row entrance.  It reminded me of the lights you see on an airport runway in the middle of the night.  It made it really easy to find my pit, too.  Zeke also ran 8 100 yard dashes from our pit to the Start/Finish line to give me words of encouragement on those night laps. 

The Ergon GR2 Leichtbau carbon grips were SWEET.  The pain I experienced in my palms on the last lap went away later that night.  No blisters!  I used the bar ends not as levers during climbing, but for just different hand placement which helped tremendously.

My bikes were flawless, thanks to Bruce and Specialized.  And I really noticed a big difference in braking power between the Magura Marta SL's on Stumpy and Magura Marta Mags on Indy.  No chamois brand this race, thank you very much Chamois Butt'r!

I challenge every racer to do at least one race for a cause.  It takes a bit of extra work, but the rewards are endless.  And I do believe it makes you faster!

Burn 24 Hour Race Report: Part 1

This 24 hour race was near perfect.  But I guess it is darn near impossible to reach perfection in a race of this magnitude.  Zeke was able to secure a pit area close to the wood line where racers exit the single track and make the parade loop around the venue to the Start/Finish area.  I arrived a bit later Thursday evening, 2 days before the race. 

On Friday, we worked to set up the pits and waterproof it as best we could.  Yes, I, aka The Tennessee Tornado, did not forget to bring the inclement weather.  We double staked the EZ-Ups and bungeed a tarp to their tops.  We were sandwiched between good friends, the Boone Bike brigade and the Clyburn posse.

I then went back to the hotel and lounged while Zeke rode the OVT.  Mom and Doug arrived Friday evening, we ate my home cooked meal, and then went over the pit crew duties.  It was more of a refresher course as all present had pitted for me at the 2009 Cowbell Challenge.  Mom was eying my Oreo cookies; I knew she was making calculations as to how many potential cookies she could take and still have enough for me.

Around 8pm, the thunderstorms, wind, and hail showed up.  The cell was primed for a twister, but none developed.  Unfortunately for a lot of racers, their EZ-Ups were turned into twisted sticks of metal.  Ours survived, however.

I slept well, having already committed myself to riding in rain and mud.  Saturday morning was foggy; the forcast was calling for a chance of more violent thunderstorms in the afternoon, but for now, the sun burned the fog off and blue skies greeted the racers at the Dark Mountain trails.  After eating breakfast, we drove over to the venue.

Time seemed to fly by as we were prepping the pit area and the bikes.  At the racer's meeting, Jason announced both Cricket Butler and my fund raising efforts.  I had a "bag o schwag guess how many laps I will race" contest and made some additional $$$$ for the schools.

At noon, we were off.  First I had to run around the venue, about 1/3 mile.  I took it easy to keep not only my feet happy, but to keep from trashing my legs.  The first lap is always a train anyway; no sense in killing yourself on the run and then having to come to several complete stops on the trail.

 Jason decided to make the first bit of the race spectator friendly.  He mistakenly forgot to take down a piece of tape half way up the double track climb.  So instead of going all the way to the top and then dumping into the single track, 90% of us went up and dumped into the new section of single track and ended up riding it backwards back down to the Start/Finish area.  That was an extra mile's worth of work.  Plenty were upset because they and I did not know how many in front of us went the correct way (we later found out that everyone save the back of the packers had ridden that extra bit.  I was upset for about 1 minute.  I quickly got over it as there was still 23 hours and 48 minutes left to race.  No sense wasting precious energy whining like a three year old when what was done was done.  As far as I am concerned, that's just racing.  It is not like any of us are doing brain surgery out there.

The first lap was difficult only for the fact that I was resisting going into greyhound mode.  I still ended up riding a bit harder than I should have.  I was racing with a PowerTap ... a good way to keep me honest.  There is a water/checkpoint station halfway through the lap which is a really good idea.  Thankfully I never had the need to stop.  As I came by the first time, someone shouted out that I was in third place.  At this point in the race, I was really not wanting to know my placing as I was afraid that might incite the greyhound in me.

At the end of the lap is a dual slalom style descent.  A series of big-bermed "S" curves where you can let go of the brakes and hang on to your bike for dear life.  For me, a little reward for completing each lap.

The first lap had a few muddy spots, but overall the trail had held up extremely well under the torrential rains the night before.  Kudos to BMCC for the awesome trail work!

Each lap I was greeted to this poster made by a first grade class at City Park ... pretty cool and also inspiring.

The first 6 laps were pretty similar in time and character.  I met some interesting people, gave some encouragement to the other solos and just enjoyed the day.  I rode with Denelle almost one full lap and we talked quite a bit ... well, she did most of the talking.  Very nice getting to know her more.  Dan was racing his first 24 as was Mark.  Both did very well and reminded me of the suffering I experienced doing my first.  Stephen, a friend of Stan's, was out there, attacking it as well.  Stan had given him strict instructions to give way when I came up on him and he politely obliged.  For the most part, the passers and passees were very courteous.

Up until 6 pm, I was eating on the trail as well as grabbing food at the pits and shoving it down.  My belly was happy and the legs sparkly.  Each time I came out of the woods I looked up and was greeted by blue sky and a few white clouds.  Would it be a rain-free race? 

After the 7th lap, I made a slightly longer pit and had a mini meal consisting of 2 pop tarts, 2 cooked egg whites, and a Dr. Pepper.  Just in time as my stomach was growling.  I also reapplied Chamois Butt'r.  Having been branded by my chamois in a 12 hour race, I was not wanting to relive that most painful experience.  While I ate, Zeke and Bike Dougster cleaned and lubed my bike.  I don't know who was being better taken care of:  me or Stumpy!

Laps 8, 9, and 10 were still sub 50 minutes.  I was still in a groove, eating and pacing were perfect. I rode the 10th lap on Indy ('09 Era) so that Stumpy could be fitted with lights. Indy was a different beast: quicker, lighter, firmer.  She was o.k. for a lap or two, but riding her for 24 would have hurt.

Lap 11 started off no different thatn the previous 10.  However, midway through, I felt really full.  I did not eat during this lap.  As I came to my pit after finishing this lap, my stomach started feeling queasy.  NOT GOOD! 

Mom had just started cooking some potatoes.  I thought my issues were probably related to a simple sugar overload.  I swapped out my Camelbaks and headed out for number 12 praying that my food would stay down.

(to be continued ...)