Me and Fitzy hoofin it above Pocatello
I can't help it. So after not doing one single workout for the entire week since Mike and I did a seven hour trail run the previous Sunday, I began preparing Saturday morning for another double-header weekend of cross racing at a couple of our somewhat "local" races. First, on Saturday, the final race in the three race Cube Cyclocross Series in Rexburg. Then, on Sunday, the inaugural King & Queen of Cross race in Pocatello.
The Rexburg event was alot like the races held last year; Same location and much of the same course I remembered. Given what the course designers had to work with (no hills and limited space), they did an amazing job putting this race on. They made a great course with alot of tight corners and a variety of features and surfaces including a grassy mud bog right after a barrier section coming into the start/finish line!
Apparently, I took two minutes too long on my pre-race nature break cause when I arrived back at the start line, everyone was patiently waiting on me. Sorry! Sorry everyone! Thanks for waiting! As I took my place at the back of the ten or fifteen guys lined up on the narrow bike path(three others of which were covered in the orange/green Fitzy colors: Bergy, Byers, and Fitzy himself). No sooner did I have my warmup vest off than we started. Boom! On came that warm familiar instant oxygen sucking sensation and that comforting burning sensation in my legs. Ah, maybe a ride in the past week may have helped.
The first lap was spent dodging traffic until things cleared up a little and I began my chase of Bergy who was having his typical turn-and-burn style race. Every time I'd see him exit a corner twenty seconds in front of me, there he'd be, up out of the saddle gettin back up to speed. So I spent the rest of the race chasing him around the course and except for the one lap where he toyed with me and let me get ten seconds closer to him, he continued to add to his lead with every lap until, by the end, he had a minute or so. Whew. This cross stuff makes my body hurt. But no time for that now son, you've got another race tomorrow morning.
After the race, I stopped for lunch in Rexburg at one of the local eateries generous enough to put up a gift certificate for the post-race raffle where I was fortunate enough to grab it. One pulled pork sammy, a side of mashypotatoes, and a huge salted supapretzel later, and I was back on the highway heading south to Mike's place in Blackfoot for the night. A quick bike cleaning, a bit o pizza, and a li'l relaxy time and it was time for bed.
Mike went for an hour-fifteen run in the morning, we ate breakfast, then loaded up and headed down to Poki where I was introduced to one of the greatest cross courses I've ever had the opportunity to meet. Brilliant. Designed for a crosser, by a crosser. It even had the same big inflatable bengal tiger the football team uses for their pregame introductions! And we got to ride right through it's mouth! Sam did a magnificent job with this thing. Kudos, dude. We need more events like this.
Again, the Fitzy gang was out in force. Lots of orange and green. Every race had some. It's pretty cool to see out there. The men's race had a good crowd of maybe 15-20 riders. Off the gun, Sam went out with a dash with the rest of us strung out behind. Bergy bobbled getting clipped in off the start for some reason, but I expected to see his snakegreen bike come hissing by me any moment. Shonuff, there he was, passing me in a fury only until I got him back in another corner just ahead. Then he passed me again and I stuck on his wheel. Into the SOOOOOOPER tight tree section. I nudged his back wheel. Giddyup! Then, on a slightly tricky section transitioning from a concrete pad onto slightly off-camber grass, his front tire washed out and I, being a wheel length behind him at the time, promptly ran him over. I'm talkin completely ran him over monster truck style. Rear wheel, frame, both legs, fork, and front wheel. A perfect crusher maneuver. I couldn't believe I didn't go down. It definitely surprised me and I stalled a bit looking back to see if Bergy was ok and saw he was already getting to his feet. Well that's a good sign, I thought. I hope he's not injured or damaged. Before I knew it, he was back up to me and passed me again. I wanted him to get up there and go like I expected he should and then, he was gone. Up ahead and out of sight in pursuit of the leaders. I settled in to my usual anerobic threshold pace. A good cross racer has the ability to unleash short bursts of speed and power over the course of the hour during the race, but due to all my ultradistance running this past year, my legs don't possess this ability. I've trained them not to. So I become Mr. Consistency out there, favoring instead to maintain the same pace over the duration of the race. And I admit, the 50 yard sandy run-up was a KILLAH! Even for these runner legs.
If I haven't mentioned it before, the course was a B-L-A-S-T. I just wish I could go faster. This was one of those courses where faster was funner. I'm working on it. Feeling better with each passing race, but I'm running out of time. The season is winding down and now it's very dark and cold and scary when I'm released from my pen at work. All I wanna do is go run or ride, but it's tough when it's dark and 20 degrees. (Oh shut it you whimpering sissy and go train)
J9 took a second in the women's race after powering around the hilly course in her 42 tooth single ring. Sam ended up winning with his usual commanding style. Bergy was third. Fourth wasn't far behind him. And I was fifth, a couple minutes behind. Double-whew. Now I was feeling cooked. "Hey Mike! Wanna go run stairs?" Mike was hanging out during the race and our plan was to go to the ISU minidome and run bleachers for an hour or so after the race (his brilliant idea to prepare for the thousands of stairs lurking in the depths of the Grand Canyon waiting for us in three weeks. Well, the minidome was closed. So we did a run outside for an hour along some of the trails above Poki. I guess that served as a good cool-down?
Next up? A Sunday cross race in Salt Lake City this coming weekend. Then a weekend off. Then the Grand Canyon after Thanksgiving. And then... Portland! Another double-header cyclocross weekend and getting a long trail run in the Gorge on dirt! (The plan: Ruckle Ridge to the PCT then down Eagle Creek)
Hup! Hup!
No comments:
Post a Comment