I didn't think I was very prepared for a 50 mile race on all singletrack. I have been preparing for 10-20 mile distances, sandwiched between two other disciplines.
Not going wasn't an option, as Wes and I wanted to race together. He also didn't think he was very prepared due to another discipline. I have been riding quite a bit more than Wes, and knew that I was pretty fit, but just wasn't sure how fit I was over 50 miles. We talked about whether we wanted to stay together or not, and we both hoped that we would.
After we got to our hotel and had dinner, we swapped out my skinny tyres for some more suitable to muddy conditions. We heard that they had two inches of rain on Thursday, with drizzle all day Friday. I'm so glad I did - the amount of Stan's left in my tyres was probably not good. I had a nice booger in one. And the new Mud X/XDX combo hooked up awesome on the trail, in both muddy spots and dry spots.
I slept crappy the night before (big surprise), we got up early and headed to pick up our race packets. When I saw my race number, 6, I knew it was going to be a good day. I have a good history with that number... I didn't say anything to Wes, but showed him the number - he asked if I was kidding.
We rode around a bit then took our spots at the start line on the third row. The start was fast, like we knew it would be. We fought through traffic up the initial mile long climb to get to the singletrack in good position. I had watched the other women at the start and up the climb, so I knew I was first into the singletrack. Wes went in right behind me and we rode and passed people together. After awhile we got into open space and passed each other back and forth as each of us would bobble. We stopped briefly at the first aid station (mile 15) so I could dig my gel flask from my pocket.
Up to that point I felt great and was riding pretty well. I was absolutely nailing the descents and Wes was riding the technical uphills really well. Wes said he was working to keep up with me on the descents, so that made me feel pretty good. We were really having fun together and marveling about trail conditions both good and bad. We were going at a pace that was pretty comfortable. Not too hard up the hills, but strong enough to keep a good pace. The trail was not in too bad of shape. There were the normal hills covered with the slipperiest rocks imaginable and mud, then there spots that were completely dry.
At about mile 24, Wes' rear wheel started rattling and he asked me if it looked like he broke a spoke. I didn't see anything, but at the top of a climb, he stopped and looked and a spoke was broken and the whole wheel was about to explode. Game over.
He told me to go and that he would see me at the finish. I descended to checkpoint 2 at mile 26 and filled up with what they told me was Heed. It was water. The technical stuff on this section didn't seem so bad. I was riding both the uphills and downhills faster than the guys I was riding with. The super long ascent to checkpoint 3 (mile 35) was not as bad as I remembered and I dropped the three dudes I was riding with. I really, really wanted to open it up on this climb, but really tried to hold it back.
When I got to the top at CP3, Wes surprised me and asked if he could get me anything. He got me some salt pills as I filled up my gel flask. I took off pretty quickly, looking forward to the last section of trail. The last section is so fast. I was not touching brakes on the descents, powering out of the saddle on the steep climbs... I felt great. Then I ran out of water. My Camelback had been leaking for awhile leading up to the race. I thought maybe I should get a new reservoir, but it was the last thing on my mind and I really didn't think it was that big of a deal. It was just a drip.
A drip over along period of time is a lot. Put that drip under a little pressure and it gets to be a stream. Several times I looked down and saw a steady stream coming from the mouthpiece. I should have been smarter, but I didn't think it was leaking that much.
I rode at least the last 10 miles with no water. I had filled up with "Heed" at CP 2 and my pack felt heavy enough at 3, so I didn't refill. Whoops.
I kept hoping I would come upon a bottle someone else had dropped. I contemplated asking someone who had pulled off the trail for a swig... but if they've stopped riding, they must be worse off than me, so I always kept going. I really was riding so well the last few miles, so I wanted to nail it, but once I ran out of water, I was a little scared of cramping, or whatever else. I think once I had the water issue, I started thinking a little too much. Whatever. I finally hit the "wall" on the last climb up to the fire road descent and just tried to smoothly get through it. I braked the whole way down to the pavement, as a wreck or flat is not ideal in the last mile.
I crossed the line in 5:32:29 and Wes was there waiting to take my bike. He could've gotten a ride back to the finish from CP3, but would've risked not seeing me finish... So he hiked a bike 4 miles from the CP to the finish to get there to see me. I was pleasantly surprised to go so fast this year. I wish Wes could have finished too, so my win is a little bittersweet. But, nonetheless I'm thrilled with how I raced and with the win, considering the competition. The women's race was stacked this year! We had 21 finishers, 2/3 of which finished in under 7:30. That's a fast field! The nerd in me looked at the times, and the only fields that were faster comparatively were the Men's SS, and the Men's 29 and Under. 30-39 and 40-49 were about equal. The women were fast this year!
My dirty bike afterwards was actually a pretty easy clean-up. The rock in the background is my trophy. This is also a good look at the exceptional MudX/XDX tyre combo. It was stellar!
I am pleased to add this nice trophy to my collection. And pleased to improve on the 3rd in 2009 (on a SS).
A huge thank you goes out to Steve Parker and all those who helped to organize and support the race. Checkpoints were great and the course was well-marked. The salad, pasta, and bread were amazing at the finish! Thank you for running such a superb event.
The Bad: I need to work on my pacing over a long distance. I felt that it could be improved... Attend to equipment issues if you know you have them. I swapped my tyres, why didn't I swap my Camelback reservoir? Bring clothing for every temperature. I forgot a baselayer, so I was forced to wear a vest which restricted access to my jersey pockets (gel flask and salt pills). I need to work on remounting my bike. Not sure if it's the new bike or what, but my CX style mount is non-existent right now.
The Good: I'm bike fit. The running legs are good after 50 miles (Wes went to get the car and drove by without seeing me, forcing me to run after the car. Nice!). Technical skills are pretty solid.
Looking Forward: I am taking a few days off the bike (grit in the chamois does wonders) and running and swimming instead. Afterall, my run is now the weakest of the three. Slightly ironic. Whatever. I'm working on it. Hopefully I'll be able to ride comfortably by the Thursday Night TT ride, because I really want to go.
Next race is XTERRA Eureka Springs on June 11.
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