1st Place, 14 laps, over 210 miles ridden!
Last weekend was my first 24hr race of the season ... in Spokane, Washington. I was looking forward to the weekend as Frase had put together a 5 man team (which at the last minute turned into a 3-man team) so it was going to be a bit of a social weekend as well (well, during my 2 minute pits anyway!).
Fraser and I drove (ok, he drove, I relaxed) up to Spokane on Friday morning and got there around 3pm to snag a nice camping spot/pit for the race. We were right on the course which was perfect for me. Having the trailer sure is nice ... we roll up and I can pretty much sleep right away. It is so comfortable and easy. I was loving it. What wasn't so nice was the headwind which greeted us on the way to Spokane. The wind was brutal and at one point we were getting about 4 miles a gallon!!!!! Crazy.
So, the race started at noon and Will, our friend who is living in San Francisco, drew the short straw on Fraser's team and got to start with me. He decided to use my pacing off the start and we were pretty much the last ones to finish the run (I am not kidding - there were maybe two guys behind us). All according to plan. We headed into the bike and it didn't take Will long to pick up the pace and leave me in the dust.... I was once again in my own world and in the 24hr zone.
The course had to be re-routed this year due to flooding in the Spokane river and I didn't really remember my time checks from the year before so the first lap was all by feel and by heart rate. This usually works pretty well but the weather was perfect. I'm not complaining but the cooler temperatures meant that my HR was lower than normal for the same amount of effort. I was also a little too keen on drafting and let my HR get a bit too high a few times just so I could keep a wheel. It's hard to turn off the competitive racer!!
All that to say that the first lap was a bit fast. It was 1:15 to be exact ... last year my lap times were around 1:30. Now, I know I have improved my fitness a fair amount but I also know that I haven't improved that much. But I felt great. My legs, stomach, and everything felt great. I saw Fraser in the pit and we decided that it was a bit too fast so I backed it off a bit the next lap; coming in at 1:17. I backed it off some more and finished a lap in 1:19. I finally settled in around 1:22 and was enjoying the pace.
This is a good time to talk about the pit. This race was a little different than the other 24hr solos I've done. Usually I have dedicated support (Fraser) ... this race he was racing too - in a team. He and the others on the team were doing what they could to support me while they weren't racing. Fraser was, as always, amazing. I would come in, ask for something to get charged, or fixed and the next lap, like magic, it was done. I don't think he got a moment's rest between supporting me and racing! The other guys were awesome too. When they were in the pit and I came in they'd ask me what I needed and most of the time they'd have some little cups made up (even if one of the cups had beef jerky in it - what were they thinking??) for me to choose from. They always had drinks made and ready for me. It was great.
Around one in the morning it was getting harder to eat... ahh, the stomach. My biggest hurdle! I had some potato, chatted with Frase and we and decided that I was too on the edge. After Canmore last year I have become very in tune with that line and never want to cross it again.... So. I ate some more potato and had a sleep. Yes, I slept! I was so disappointed but knew if I kept on riding I would likely not finish and worst yet, might end up very very sick. So, I had a 3 hour nap.
After 3 hours I got up, feeling stiff but determined, and decided to give it a try and see what I could do. I had some more potato (loving the baked potatoes) and got on my bike. To my great surprise and delight I pulled a 1:20 lap and was feeling awesome. I was ready to hammer to try to re-capture 1st place. I had no idea where I was ... I just knew I needed to ride. Fast.
This is a good time to talk about my bikes. This year I have two identical bikes (except the year) and was loving the Norco Faze! What a sweet ride. It was so nice to be able to flip the little switch on the rear shock and get out of the saddle to get up the short climbs ... and soooooo nice to have the shock for the rocky descents. It is not a super technical course but had loads of baby-head rocks and stutter bumps. My hands were feeling pretty abused at the end of the weekend. I didn't have any mechanicals and only swapped bikes once - to fix my race plate!
After another lap Fraser went to check the results and we realized that I was still in 1st and just about to lap 2nd. Awesome. I decided to slow the pace a little, kept on eating potatoes, bananas, and donuts, and kept on riding. I finished just after noon; safely in 1st; having lapped 2nd place.
I want to talk a little about the 2nd place woman because I felt really bad for the 3rd place woman (Janet Axelson). The 2nd place woman rode the entire race with her husband, who was also doing it solo. They come from the Adventure racing background so I am sure it is all very innocent but I still thought it unfair to 3rd place! I know I go much faster when I can work with someone else!!!
And now .... recovery is over and I am back on the trails - getting ready for Worlds. I am increasing the amount of potassium in my diet as it really seemed to help my stomach when I started eating potatoes and bananas during the race. We will see if this helps!!!
A big thanks to my pit crew, Norco, and GHY bikes - I couldn't do it without you!
