Angel on my bike...

I call it the "Immersion Method of MTBing"....racing 4 mountain bike races in 2 weeks. I figure that by the end of the two weeks, I'll either love it and be better, or hate it and have hurt myself. I'm really pulling for the former, and so far, things are looking good. When I started triathlon in 2004 I considered myself a runner. And certainly not because I was any good at running, but in comparison to the other two sports, I was most familiar with putting one foot in front of the other. During the last few years, I've changed my view and believe that my cycling skills are starting to emerge as strongest. That is in large part due to the fact that I choose to train on my bike far more than I run. Not a training strategy I suggest by any means.

Pre-Ironman last year, I asked my coach, E, to take me mountain biking. Briefly stated, I came, I saw, I crashed. A few times. Enough to make me put the bike back in the garage until after IM and see if I felt any differently after the 140.6 mile trek. People told me a race like IM would change me. They were right. And I'm psyched to see where it's going....

This spring I have managed to keep the rubber side down more and more often, which is both exciting to me and my legs. After previewing the Richmond XTERRA course over Memorial Day weekend, my legs came away looking as though a hammer had been taken to every inch of the back of my left leg, and the inner calf of my right. It was not a pretty site. Thank you to the person who invented the capri pant.

And here's the scary part. I love every minute of it. I rode in my very first pure MTB race on Wednesday, called Wednesdays @ Wakefield. I raced in the beginner class, made a few beginner mistakes....and learned many valuable lessons for next time. There is a climb about 25 yards from the start line that E had warned me about. My plan was to use my climbing skills to get out in front of the rest of the women, and then spend the two loops holding them off. As I charged the hill in my middle chain ring, I passed all but one woman before I even got to the hill. But I wasn't even 1/3 of the way up the hill before I tried to shift down into my little chain ring, and the gears stuck. Not even being able to turn over my pedals, I was forced off my bike and had to run it up this steep climb. How embarrassing. All women passed me and I was stuck in last place from the start...the exact opposite of where I wanted to be. Luckily, I was able to make my way up to 6th place, and even clocked the 3rd fastest 2nd loop time overall, but was definitely humbled by the fact that I hadn't better planned that initial climb sequence. Next time.....

As I was riding the course Wednesday night, I felt emotions that I hadn't felt before in triathlon, even while riding my bike. I kept hearing myself saying "I LOVE this. This is so much fun! This is what I'm supposed to be doing." Now don't get me wrong, this was no leisurely ride. I was pushing the pedals hard, charging the hills and hammering the flats. The technical parts were not nearly as bad as Richmond, but enough to keep you on your toes 100% and eyes focused forwards at all times. For the first time ever, I rode over all of the logs (yay!) and even managed to conquer what's been for me, the toughest ascent on the course (the quick, steep climb and switchback after the creek crossing just before the finish line). So despite a less-than-stellar finish place, I was stoked.

Sometimes life takes you down all sorts of paths before dumping you right where you're supposed to be. I do not plan on giving up my triathlon training, but I'm certainly excited about pursuing the "Esprite de Fat Tire"!