Two Visits to Wakefield

The heat....what else is there to say? It's HOT!! You step outside and start to sweat. It's so attractive.

This past week has been exciting. My second race at Wakefield was actually the 3rd race in the series (I missed the 2nd when I was in San Diego). The heat must have driven the women's field away, because only 3 of us showed up. The surprised us by announcing, while we were sitting at the start line, that the course would be run backwards. Which was great for me, because it meant I didn't have to go up that gnarly hill at the beginning. No, instead there was an equally gnarly hill to go up on the other side of the course. Great. I put my head down and got ready to climb. Scud sounded the siren and we were off...and I lead the group of three up the first hill and onto the course. It was exciting to lead, but I let the pressure get to me and biffed on a tight turn, allowing Lynn to pass me. I held up second and finished there, only 2 minutes behind Lynn and 5 minutes in front of 3rd. I'm pleased with this finish, as it also scored me some series points that puts me in second place going into tonight's race.

Over the weekend, I joined up with the Principle Fitness Core Group and rode 56 miles out from DC into Maryland. What an awesome group! I don't think I've covered 56 miles that quickly, even in a race! It was great getting in some hill work on the road, as that fitness certainly transfers to the trail as well.

Sunday it was back to Wakefield for the long-awaited, many times post-poned, Cranky Monkey Mountain Bike Series Race #1! 12 miles of Wakefield trails....in 85 degree weather....sweet. This time the female field was a bit deeper, with 14 starters. And guess what? We got to climb my favorite hill at the start! Woo hoo! Ugh. Head down, gun goes off, and we ride. To my surprise, I am the first one up the hill and out onto the road, heading towards the trail head 1/4 mile away. However, in order to get onto the trail, you must first jump the curb (with your bike). I'd practiced this maybe 5 times the day before, so I'm thinking, I've got this. Then I look up and see my friend Frank and beloved Michael standing right next to the curb. I get nervous, take the corner too tight and miss the curb, falling over and losing the lead. Eh, it happens. Back on my bike, I battled to get back up to the front, but biffed again and let a few more women pass me. The rest of the first lap became a complete mental game. I was frustrated with myself for losing my position, and I hate playing catch up. So I fought through the lap and came out of the woods (literally), ready to hit it hard for the next 6 miles. I saw Michael again and threw my sunglasses at him (thanks, Twitch!) figuring that I was better off without them, given the sun wasn't too high yet. I made it over the curb the second time without incident and picked up speed through the "Bowl" area of the course. I saw my Coach, E, who shouted some encouraging words. As he always seems to be able to do, he knew exactly what to say to turn my mental stuggle around, letting me know that I was making up time on the women in front of me. This gave me some more confidence, and as I exited the Bowl, I saw Michael, who encouraged me in a similar way. By the end of the second loop, I'd managed to pick off one of the girls, finishing 6th overall. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to MTB racing, but I'm loving the process!