I live to train and race! I just absolutely love it. I could go on and on about it... and now I've got a place to do that. Lucky you. So, read along and I'll fill you in on my race summaries and if anything exciting is happening with my training. My main focus is in triathlon and Adventure racing. I've always done a trail run here and there and am dabbling in some orienteering events as well. Did I mention I have been looking to pick up my cycling events too.
Unfortunately the group ride was canceled due to rain. However, we still held a team meeting and get together. A big shout out to Farmer Girl grass fed and pasture raised meats! They provided us with some delicious burgers for our event. We got some team t-shirts and took a team photo. I had a good time catching up with the other members. I was doing my best to talk to everyone and encourage them to get out there and race as much as possible. A lot of the team is new to racing and are looking to get more involved. I think it's great to get more people out there in the cycling community. It's a great way to stay fit and healthy and I wish I could convince more people to start riding.
Another day, another race. The weather has been great for the most part in St. Louis lately and I've been able to get in a lot of riding. I am really enjoying becoming more of a cyclist and improving my skills and speeds. We had another larger group racing with the young team showing up again to fill out the numbers. I am all for growing the sport and allowing for the inexperienced to get better. However, it does make it a little less organized throughout the group and tends to make for a higher chance of mishaps.
We started off as per usual with a bit of a surge after the neutral lap to thin out the lead group a bit. There was still a large number of riders together though. I even led most of the second lap by default. I wasn't pushing a tough pace or anything. Just after the 3rd lap, there was a move on the inside to try to break away from the group. Our race is not one for letting any sort of riders go off the front. I think it's the lack of any large teams (besides the young group). I wouldn't say there's a team with more than 2-3 riders. So the top riders are always quick to take up the chase to ensure they aren't left behind and out of the running. The move was just before the downhill section and into a pretty sharp turn. According to my Strava data, I am around 30-33 mph for that turn and it's by far the fastest section of the course. I was not in a rush to react and was still contently in the top 12 or so. Had I know what was going to happen next, I would have done things differently. CHAOS in front of me. A rider went down and slip into the far curb, taking another with him. A rider went wide to avoid the mess and hopped the curb to go off into the grass. Most of the riders in front of me were hitting their brakes hard, trying to skid to a stop. I hate to admit it, but my brakes don't really work all that well. I normally don't really care and avoid using them at all costs. I did try to slow down as much as possible, but I wasn't going to lock it up and go skidding like the others. I had somehow found a clear line right through the middle of the mess. Whew! That sure was a close one and my first real experience with a crash in a group like that.
There's no time to sit back though. The race goes on! It looks like only the top 5 riders made it through without getting slowed at all. I was one of only 3 that managed to make it through quickly enough to give chase. Luckily my friend and teammate, Griffen Bailey, had also made it through with me despite behind just behind the crash. He was riding a new bike that he had just gotten yesterday, so that could have been a real disaster. I pressed on as we climbed the hill section and settling back in. At the top, I made my charge to try to catch. I pushed hard through the flat, downhill, sharp turn with riders still there trying to access damage to their bikes and themselves. I just can't seem to carry enough speed to the hill section and Griffen flew by and carried on without me. I hung onto sight of the lead group, but couldn't seem to make any progress. As the minutes went by, my hope was fading. I was now barely holding onto the other riders wheel that was with me. Even he would get a gap that I just couldn't close down. I was still able to stay on the lead lap and managed to average 22 mph for a mostly solo effort. Not bad for a guy on a cyclocross bike if you ask me.
I probably finished around 8th place. There was an issue with the results as they had counted a couple of lapped riders who got back into the lead pack after sitting out a lap or two. I was just happy to have made it through with my bike and myself in tact. I've got a big adventure race coming up this weekend and a crash this close would have been disastrous!
I was back to toe the line for another round of the Tuesday night criterium races. I was looking to have a better tactical race and hopefully improve on last weeks 4th place performance. I really don't know the people I'm racing with for the most part, so I really wasn't sure who my competition was going to be. Griffen Bailey was there and he would surely stay with the lead group. The big youth cycling team wasn't there this week, so last weeks winner wasn't there.
We got led out with a neutral opening lap. I wasn't afraid to stay right near the front this time. It doesn't take long for a 0.7 mile lap even at an easy pace. We were off! The pace picked up right away. I stayed with them and the pace came down to a more reasonable level after a lap or two. It was probably best to try to weed out some of the slower rider so they didn't get a free ride from the start. I did much better at keeping with the lead peloton. There were a few areas on the course that I felt like the group was slowing me down. I tested my legs a few times and went out front, but not wasting too much effort trying to hold off anyone that wanted to take the lead back. The race was much more organized among the riders and the peloton was much larger than last week. They sounded the final 3 laps to go and I knew the real race was on. I just worked to keep up with the leaders and waited to make a move. I tried to get a lead going through the downhill and sharp left turn. My hope was to hold onto as much speed as I could for the uphill section to get to the finishing straight. Well, it didn't really work. Enough riders were able to stay close enough to catch and pass me on the hill. It really seemed like they passed me much faster than I thought. I burried my head an pushed hard for the top of the hill. I was doing my best to conserve as many spots as I could. Finally, I was at the top and pretty maxed out. I had a couple riders on the verge of being able to pass me and I was determined to hold them off. I kept the pressure on and was holding the half a bike length lead on them. I did a lunge for the line (I've always wanted to do that!). I had done it and managed to get 6th place which is the last recorded spot for the C racers, so it was more important than I knew to hold off those riders in the end. See the full results here
I feel pretty good about the race. I did have a smarter race than last week. I wasn't having to constantly catch up to the leaders and wasting effort. I still have to put some thought into my best strategy for the finish though. Actually, I just need to get better at climbing hills. Practice makes perfect. I hope to be able to race again next week and see what other lessons I'll learn then. I followed up the race with a 5K run at Tower Grove Park (21:09). Not bad to be under 7 min/mile pace and to get the Strava course record as well! It was my first week having results to upload for the criterium race so I couldn't compare lap times, but I estimate the average pace to be about the same. It will be nice to use that to see if I can improve on those lap times and climb time in future races.
It's been since high school that I'd raced in a criterium race, or in a cycling only event for that matter. I love to ride, so it was time. Another big difference is that I was used to racing with others in my age group, which was no more than a group of 5 riders back in the day. I was only in one other race with a large group which I wasn't able to stay with for very long. The first hill of any significance was able to unhitch me from the pack. I also have never been on a group ride that consisted of a large group. It doesn't help that there's a general sense of trepidation when pure cyclists talk about riding in groups with triathletes. That and my lack of race experience had me very uncomfortable, but I'm not one to back down from a challenge.
We had a decent sized group for our CAT5 "C" race. There was a large team of young riders. I didn't want to get beaten by these young kids and I was a little afraid of riding with so many of them in case their bike handling skills weren't what they should be. There was a chance of rain and the occasional rain drop here and there, but it never manifested into anything. The race director took some extra time to talk to everyone and try to ensure a safe race with some tips and guidelines of proper racing eddicate. We also were waiting for a rider that had a last minute flat to fix. They decided to start us off with a "neutral loop" where we ride at a slow comfortable pace to keep everyone together and sort ourselves out with where we want to be in the pack. It doesn't take long to complete a 0.7 mile loop, even at a moderate pace. That starting line was soon there and the race started!
I held back to the middle of the pack, not know what to expect with the pace or my comfort level. It didn't take long for me to feel comfortable and want to be at the front of the race. There was a bit of traffic and tentative riding to have to navigate around, but nothing extreme. It did slow me down though and there were at least a couple guys in the front wanting to push the pace. I was playing catch up and had to do the work myself. Progress was slower than I'd have liked, but I would catch the lead group. It seems that when I did that, the rider at the back that I caught would decide to have to drop. It took me a few seconds to identify it as I was busy trying to catch my breath a bit. That's all it took for the lead group to get another gap on me. This pattern continued throughout the race. There finally came a time when there were only 5 riders in the lead group in front of me. I made one last hard push to catch them, knowing I needed to do it quickly and try to catch my breath as much as possible before the time was up and the 3 lap countdown started... too late! Right as I caught the lead group we were rounding the start/finish line to the announcement of 3 laps to go. Shoot! So much for a rest. I pushed onward. The pace quickened and I pushed hard to keep up as best I could. I stayed with them to the bell sounding off for the final lap. Three of the riders were able to push harder than me up the last climb and got a gap. At the top of the hill, I could see the 3rd place rider in front of me fading quickly as the top two kicked a final time for the finish. I was catching 3rd, but the finish line came to quickly. I had to settle for 4th.
I was very happy with that result for my first race back and I learned a lot. I look forward to competing again in this series. I won't be so tentative at first. I'll have to be more aware and responsive to the lead group, and quickly identify riders that might be slowing me down and distancing me from the lead group. I hope they are closer to the full time limit next time. It is supposed to be 25 minutes plus 3 laps, but we only did 20 minutes total (including the 3 laps). The longer we go, the better my advantage, I think. I bet i only needed one more lap to be in third.
I have been pretty happy with how my training had been going. With a 4th place overall finish last year, I was coming into this race looking to do something special. Unfortunately the weather had decided to play a factor and caused the race director to use an alternate route for the bike section. The rain was just too much for the single track trails for us to use them without completely tearing them up. This was a bit of a disappointment for me. I'm not really the best at single track riding, but I do love it and wanted some practice racing it. The more open paved, gravel, and field sections actually played to my favor I thought. However, upon pulling into the race site, I was surrounded by racers with their cyclocross bikes. What!? I didn't even consider that as I thought it wouldn't be allowed. My advantage just turned back into a disadvantage. No bother, I was still feeling fast and felt I still had a shot to stay with the best of them.
I'm pretty used to doing a setup in transition to have everything I need ready. The biggest question marks was with the temps. It was a little cold but seeming to warm up. Disliking the cold, I decided to start warm and could dump layers in transition if needed. I also left a hood in transition in case I thought I'd need it for under my helmet for the bike. A quick bathroom break and I was ready for this party to get started. There was a decent amount of pre-race instructions with the changed up course. We were going to be close to some roads, but were instructed to stay off of them because we didn't have the permits for that. I was thinking to myself that I hoped nobody cheats that as it would be a huge advantage. Soon enough, we were all toeing the line awaiting the start. It seemed like people were tentative to be at the front of the race, so I wasn't shy about being right up in there. A mini accidentally air horn and we're off, followed by a much louder, more deliberate air horn. Ha!
We were on our way... I stayed just back from the true front of the race and tried to settle into a comfortable pace. There is a little unknown with the people around you possiby doing just the trail run, or being part of a team. I stayed in the top 8 or so runners on the mostly paved route to the actual trail section. It didn't take long for my first distraction. Within the first half mile I'd already had a shoe string come untied. Oh well, I pressed on and would wait to see if it would actually cause me any trouble before wasting time fixing it. The trails were fun and were actually in decent condition. I was admit-tingly expecting a lot of slop. There's a lot of steep uphills and downhills, but nothing with a prolonged climb or descent. Some of the turns in the trails were pretty sharp and held you speed in check to stay on course and in control. About half way through, my other shoe came untied as well. Sheesh! Maybe it would have
been smart to take the time to tie them, but I never did. I had settled into a comfortable pace and was staying within sight of the next 3-4 runners in front of me. It also appeared that I was the last of the lead group and there was a decent gap after me to the rest. I remember thinking to myself that I was probably going to easy, but I didn't want to burn out early and not have anything for the bike. Soon enough we came out of the woods and were headed towards transition back on the paved section. Thinking ahead, I was prepared to lose my jacket, and not worry about anything under my helmet. I started shedding the jacket before even getting to my bike to save time. I forgot to unvelcro the wrist straps and it caused me a little extra effort to pull my sleeves free. I guess it was a good thing I started that process early and was done with it by the time I got to my bike.
Transition was pretty quick from there. Drop the jacket and lose the already untied shoes. Put on my biking shoes and helmet, and I'm out! Ran out to the mount area, hopped on, and was on my way. There was a biker just in front of me and he was taking time to get a drink. I took that time to pass him. I was only ahead for a few seconds when he overtook me in the grass heading for the first climb. He took a wrong line and I slowly peddled past while he dismounted and had to run the rest of the way up.
It didn't take long for him to catch back up on the paved trail section with his cyclocross bike though. I was forced to just push hard and try to hang on. There was a lot of gravel and loose soil around turns that were forcing me to be careful to avoid a crash. I came close a couple times, but managed to get my wheels back under me without incident. Finally away from the paved sections for a while, I was able to catch up to the cyclocross rider in front of me and he had caught the rider in front of him. We passed a voulenteer that was telling us our place, I was 8th. It was a bit of a let down actually, but there were some places ready for the taking just in front of me. The cyclocross rider made his pass and I did soon after as well. The course really didn't give us a chance to let up at all to catch our breath. My fitness was good and that played into my favor.
My cyclocross target was wearing down and I was reeling him in. I also was able to see the rider in front of him, Doug Havlin, a known good triathlete racer. I keep the pressure on and soon got the pass and was chasing Doug. I was reeling him in as well, and that was a boost. That's when I saw Doug sit up a bit looking confused. We had made a wrong turn and were back to a section of the course we had already done. OH NO! A wasted half mile or more. No time to shed tears and we pushed on realizing our mistake and getting on track. Unfortunately, it was back to the paved section for the long straight heading towards the finish. I had Doug in front of me on a hybrid and possibly the guy behind me on a cyclocross bike (if he hadn't overtaken us both during the wrong turn). I pushed hard and was catching Doug. The 75 meters was widdled away to 15-20. There was a last little grass loop at the finish and I was holding onto hope of a catch. I kept the pressure on and was ready to take advantage in the case of a mistake, slip, or trip over the barracade just before the finish. He made it through cleanly and I came in close on his heels.
I got some of the good post-race food and drinks. I congratulated Doug for a hard fought battle to the finish and talked to him about the wrong turn. We think we lost at least 1 spot there. I talked to some other racers and friends before having to head out before the results were posted or awards handed out. I actually still don't know where I ended up. I could have been 6th unless I got passed during the wrong turn section. I had Kourtney from the Arnold Trek Store who was going to be around to pick up any award for me if I had managed to get one. I would have loved to stick around, but it was my both my parent's birthday celebration weekend that couldn't be missed! They are both turning 70 this year and there was a fun weekend planned with a picnic, hiking, eating, cake, presents, and a zip line obsticle course at Go Ape!
I just saw the results posted! I was 4th Overall and 2nd in my Age Group.
It seemed like Nathan and I had been training and preparing for this race for forever. We have been putting in more work than ever to try to climb up in the standings with the other great teams out there. Alpine Shop, 35 Down, Team Fusion, Extreme Electrical, Momentum and many more. We couldn't have been happier with how our training had been going. We even had a couple practice events with some of the members from the teams mentioned earlier which were a lot of fun and great practice. I really do feel like I've been welcomed into the adventure racing family... and it is a family.
The wait was over and race weekend was finally here. We were packed up and ready to go by mid-day on Friday. We stopped by Castlewood for a quick MTB ride to clean up some checkpoints that were hidden around the grounds from a recent training event we did. It was a nice day and a great warm up to get us in race mode. The drive down was filled with talk about the race and all the "what if" situations that come with the uncertainty of race day with Adventure racing. Nathan and I are a great pair and are on the same page with practically everything. We arrived at my uncle Greg's lake house that he was gracious enough to share with us for the weekend. A beautiful pre-race pasta dinner outside with a perfect lakeside view.
Time for the race meeting and packet pickup at Tan-Tar-A. As usual, Bonkhard Racing, was well organized and had designed a great race for us. Although, we really had very little to go off of in terms of planning. We had the first 7 points and another 7 after that with a large unknown section in-between. I'll admit that I had the most fun with the twist they threw in for the beginning of the race to create some separation between the teams for the canoe leg. The PFDs and paddles were at the start, but the canoes and the passports were in two other separate locations forcing teams to split up and get everything they needed to be on their way. There were also 2 locations for the canoe put-in. One with a hilly 0.7 mile portage that would cut out some paddling time. What to do? We quickly had everything plotted and our plan in place. With so little to do, we actually got to get some sleep.
We arrived at Mother Nature's Riverfront Retreat and Family Recreation Park with plenty of time and did our final preparations. The National Anthem, the race countdown, and we're on our way. It looked like there were as many ideas about how to attack the start as there were teams. I went for our passport while Nathan took off for the canoe. I was the 2nd one to the passports and knew I needed to get to Nathan to help carry the canoe as soon as possible. I was surprised to find him so far up the hill and he kept on trucking it up to the top before we re-situated things to allow me to start helping. We had a great plan for how to carry it and were actually able to pick up the pace and even jog most of the rest of the portage and also take a slight off path short cut to CP1. We were the 2nd team there just behind 35 Down. It appears we had chosen wisely. The fastest team to use the closer put in was at least 10 minutes behind the slowest team to portage... and we were at the head of that pack. A great way to start the day!
Nathan and I heading out on the canoe leg. Photo by Doug Arendt
Toporadicals typically have had to live with the fact that we are going to lose ground during the canoe section. However, we were motivated by the great start and were determined to stay up at the front of the race. I got a kick out of the fact that my paddle stroke aligned perfectly with sending a constant shower of water drops on Nathan. He had to put on rain gear and my hat to keep from being completely soaked. Pre-race we had asked about a possible large portage that we were considering, but it was axed since it was private land. So long 1 mile portage and hello to another 2 miles of paddling. We were actually keeping up and navigating the river and debris much better than usual. There was a quick portage around some large debris right at CP2. Team Fusion had caught up, so it was all 3 teams there at the same time. Continued good paddling kept us close to the front with Fusion just slowly pulling away and Alpine Shop making their way to us. Unfortunately 35 Down flipped a canoe and caused them to fall back. CP3 came and went and before we knew it we were at CP4 and TA for the end of the canoe. Fusion with a slight lead and we came in right with Alpine Shop. 8+ miles of paddling and we were within sight of the lead. Another big victory for team Toporadicals!
Plotting at CP7 Photo by Mary Welter
We had a quick transition and gear check that sent us out on Fusion's heels for a short O-leg. We pushed the pace and passed them on the way to the 2nd o-leg CP at an amazing spring and the start of the stairs. Seriously, the water was crystal clear and algae shown through with bright colors. It really was an amazing sight! On top of that, we were in the lead! It was motivating and we kept up the tempo all the way to CP7. There we got a seperate large passport and 23 CPs worth of UTM coordinates to plot and plan for the large o-leg. We plotted and planned efficiently and left just seconds behind Alpine Shop who was the first to head out. We had seperated our route into 2 loops which gave us the advantage of only having to pack for half of the time and distance. Then we could reload when we got back to CP7, bike to CP8, and head out for the second loop of CPs. The first loop was done cleanly and it was clear what kind of hills we were going to have to tackle throughout the course. It was TOUGH. We did get to see some of the cool sights with the castle ruins, natural bridge, and Devil's kitchen was real favorite of mine.
Moving bikes from CP7 to CP8 to finish the long trek. Photo by Mary Welter
That mile bike from CP7 to CP8 was a nice break in the long trek section and didn't really hurt us on distance traveled for the trek. Early on in the 2nd loop, we crossed paths with Alpine Shop who were obviously doing a much different route. Seeing competition is a good refresher for motivation. Unfortunately shortly after that, a slight mis-plotted point for CP16 caused us a lot of time, trouble, and frustration. We even left it for CP17 and came back to it hoping to regain our bearings. It took us a while to even realize the issue was a mis-plot. The mistake was in an area that matched the clue. It was a tough pill to swallow. The rest of the route was fairly clean, but the mistake might have taken a tole on our spirits and pace.
We arrived at CP8 to turn in the finalized large passport from the big o-leg section, punch CP8, and get ready to head out for a bike leg finish. The volunteers there told us we were the 8th team to head out on the bike. Ouch! Some of those were probably because of not getting all of the points, but we had still dropped a lot. It took a little bit for us to get our biking legs going which was unfortunate with a pretty large hill in the early goings. I was also having some issues with my bike gear shifting, but I was working through it. An early out and back to get CP9 let us know what teams were around us. The Tiny Trail Ninjas had a slight lead. We were able to be catching and passing the others in sight. Trying to keep a good, steady pace, and making sure not to forget to get the CPs along the way. A little over half way through the bike we were in a bit of a situation. We had BOTH run out of water. It had been a warm day and we had been losing fluids at a fast rate and also should have planned for a longer day than we did. Leg muscles were cramping and on the verge of completely locking up, and trying to fight off the nausia was a constant battle. Our pace was suffering as much as we were, but we kept pushing forward. The local's dogs were getting harder and harder to sprint away without muscles seizing up. There was another HUGE hill out past the half way point that was steep enough to force us to walk up. There was another out and back CP late in the bike. Tiny Trail Ninjas hadn't really pulled away at all. Could we catch them? On our way back the strong cycling team of Extreme Electrical came flying past in the opposite direction. That was motivation enough to finish strong and hold them off and maybe that would help to give us a chance at catching Tiny Trail Ninjas. There was one last massive hill on the way to the last CP which was practically in sight of the finish line. We knew about it from the drive in to HQ that morning and were dredding it ever since. Walking our bikes up it, the gaps made it seem certain that we wouldn't be caught or catch anyone. I had called it a day and was ready to coast the rest of the way in.
The race director had a completely different plan though. At CP14 we were handed ANOTHER map with 5 bike-o CPs to get. It was devistating. There was no way we were going to leave without getting them, but it took every last bit will power that we had to start the final section. It didn't take long to have it catch up to us that we had already checked out. It took FOREVER to get situated with the new map and it's scale and contour lines. I'd already seen the Tiny Trail Ninjas head off on their way and it wasn't long before we were caught my Extreme Electrical. One benefit of getting caught was in getting a spare water bottle from them that was heavenly. Finally getting things under control we got to CP15 behind Extreme Electrical. The rest of the leg was slow and being done under complete protest from our broken down bodies and minds. My chain had jumped off the bottom pulley of the rear derailleur and I was just fighting every stroke to force it forward. I was so tired that it took me a while to realize what had happened. I thought I was just so tired that pedaling was just going to feel that hard the rest of the way out. A slight mis-step in getting the very last CP, but we eventually cleared the course and crossed the finish! 12 hours and 4 minutes and 3 seconds.
It took the entire post race to finally start to feel better. People were so nice in offering me help and making sure I was OK. It was great to trade stories from the day. The food was tempting, but I could barely force myself to eat. The more we talked to people, the more we realized that clearing the course might have been the key. We may have only been the 10th team to cross the finish line, but only 3 of those teams before us had cleared the entire course! Team Fusion took 1st, 35 Down in 2nd, and the Tiny Trail Ninjas in 3rd. We were so close. 4th Overall and 1st in the 2 person male division. I felt bad for Alpine Shop who had a great race, but accidentally missed 2 CPs during the long trek. They finished ahead by enough on time from Fusion that they easily could have gotten them and still been in first. However, those things happen in Adventure Racing and apparently not just to the newbies. I felt much better by the time we were driving back to my uncle's and we stopped for me to grab some food, since I felt like I could finally get it down. It wasn't until I went to clean up with a shower that I realized how big the bruise was from an early encounter with our canoe or that there was a tip of a stick protruding from my leg and was lodged over a 1/4 inch deep. It had been there for who knows how long and gave a large blood squirt when removed. I really don't know how I didn't realize it. I'm sure it was getting bumped and tugged at the entire race which irritated it to no end. Maybe I just blocked out any pain in that leg thinking it was just from the bump with the canoe. Once cleaned up we got out our maps and went over the race a bit before finally calling it a day.
I can't finish this off without thanking all of the volenteers, Bonkhard Racing, and all involved with this great race. It was fantastic and won't be soon forgotten. Also, I had lost my watch around HQ after the race and they have searched, found it, and are sending it back to me. It would have been a huge loss. Nathan and I are already going over all the sections of our race again and again looking for ways to improve and better prepare for next time. In just 6 weeks, we will be at Boonecrusher in Iowa and we are going to kill it!
I was feeling really good about my training coming into this race. The only issue was the trail conditions. As the minutes passed waiting for the race to start, the ground was thawing more and more. Now, not everything was terrible, but there was more than our share of slop. Castlewood is one of my favorite places to run and ride. There are challenging hills and places to open the throttle as well.
I also had quite the support crew there as well. My mom and dad, my wife (Emily), and dog (Penny). I was pretty nervous with the expectations I had placed on myself. I got all checked in and got another fantastic hoodie. They seem to have one of my favorite race shirts every year. I always see a lot of familiar faces and make my rounds to say Hi and wish everyone the best. I got to start in the 1st wave where most of my competition was. It wasn't going to be easy. I did also have Tim Vickers in the heat behind me. We have a bit of a rivalry and have gone back and forth with who comes out ahead. He was the reining champ here at Castlewood Cup in our personal battle. It was going to be tough not knowing where things stood with that. I just needed to push all the way though the finish and hope it would be enough.
The pace started off fast with a flat loop around the field. It quickly ramps up with the big climb up to the top of the cliff. It didn't take long after that to get into the mud. The footing was horrible and kept things interesting when trying to take the downhills fast. I had managed to start off with a pace that I could manage without burning myself out too much. I was slowly tracking people down, passing them, and moving onto the next. Things were really shaping up nicely. Maybe a little too good. I was feeling so good about it, I decided to try to ramp things up yet again as it took longer and longer to catch the next guy in my sights. I was going strong and was able to pass a few more in this manner. However, it was a pace too fast and I started it too early to take it all the way through to the end of the race. Maybe on a day with dry trails this would have been possible, but not today. That mud was slowly sucking my last bit of energy. Soon enough, a few of the most recent people I had passed were able to catch back up and go on by. I was struggling to do my best to hang onto to each of them as long as I could. The river crossing was a welcomed sight. That meant there was only about a mile left and surely, I could make it without giving up more time and places. I gave it my best and held my position into the last loop around the field. One guy passed me about half way around, but I held on tight to his heels. I needed to make it to the final stretch to make my move to try to overtake him. I went... slopping through the muddy, puddle ridden field. Far from being silent, he heard me coming and kicked as well. He was able to hold me off and crossed the finish line a second in front of me. The real kicker was that I had started in the back of the heat and our chip timing didn't kick off until I crossed the starting line. He must have been close to the front, so my race time actual placed me ahead of him in the standings. I was sure to ask my family members how close Tim was. He was in the final loop by then, but my gap was more than enough. I was 23rd overall and just missed the awards with 4th in my age group. Amazingly I had also done a personal PR on the course despite having run in several years and in conditions that were perfect. No time to hang around and waste any time. I had another race to get to.
After a great trail run, I was feeling pretty good about my results so far. However, I was definitely fatigued. I had to rush to get there. I felt like Cliff Cave was my home course and I really wanted to try to show my stuff there. By the time I got to registration, I only had an hour whereas the rest of the field had the full 90 minutes. I regret not taking a moment throw on my trekking pants over my running shorts, but I was already behind on time. On my way to the start I quickly identified a point of two that I was going to have to punt, especially with some bonus points that I would be given in the field that would be worth double. I punched at the start and made my way to the cave side of the park. I punched the first two quickly, but made a mistake heading towards the 3rd. I only gave myself a moment to try to figure it out and wasn't going to be able to without losing too much time. I got back to trail and was able to pick up the map again. I got the bonus points on this side and everything else I went for pretty cleanly and quickly and was paying for it with scratches. All things said and done, I lost 3 points on that side (2 on purpose due to the distance). I had a good path for getting to the cliff side of the park to get the remaining CPs. I did have one small miscalculation, but was able to recover somewhat quickly and still get it. Knowing the SLOC organizers were wanting me back in about an hour, I was having to push it. Descending the path from the cliff faster than I should have on tired legs. Finishing in 67min 32sec and good enough for 10th place overall. Ended up they were sticking around for others on the course and I actually would have had time to clear it and get the remianing 3 CPs. It was great practice and I was happy with how it went being that I'm normally just a back up navigator to Nathan on our Toporadical adventure racing team. It had been a long day and I enjoyed eating to my hearts content and vegging out on the couch watching TV and movies the rest of the day.
