What Triathletes do when they “retire”

So a little over a year ago, my 10+ year career as an amateur triathlete came to a close, but it was certainly not out of want to continue racing. I could no longer run, on the trails or elsewhere, but really really missed being out on Mt. Tam and other gorgeous places around the bay. So when you can’t run on the local trails, what do you do? You hit the trails on a mountain bike!

So, last November, once my knees were both strong enough to get back on the bike, I started out on my quest to become a mountain biker. I had owned a mountain bike for about 4 years – a pretty inexpensive hardtail – but it got me out on the trails each fall once the triathlon season was over, but I still had the fitness to enjoy a tough, hilly ride. That being said, it maybe consisted of 3-4 rides per fall, and while I could climb all day when the trail was rather easy (e.g. fire trail), my technical skills were seriously lacking. So, improving my technical skills was the goal as I set out this time around.

Fear, Falls and Frustration

My invigorated interest in mountain biking was met with a lot of challenges. First, I was constantly frustrated by the fact that I was always so far behind my riding partners, even though I was as fit as they were – they just had better skills. And because I was trying to keep up, I would rush through sections that I wasn’t yet capable of handling, and would fall down, resulting in some pretty nasty scrapes and bruises.  And because there was so little that I was comfortable with when it came to mountain biking, I was constantly battling my own fear of falling and more technical areas where falling would  have pretty extreme consequences.

That being said, with each ride, these factors were less and less of an issue. Roots that had tripped me up the prior trip, I was able to get over easier the next, and easier still the time following. And I was becoming much more comfortable with rocky downhill sections, learning to trust the handy shocks on the front of my bike. However, the one thing that still eluded me was switchbacks. I understand what I was supposed to do to get around them, but couldn’t quite make it happen in practice. But, as with the rest of the skills, I continued to try each and every time until I finally started to make it around some of the wider turns. And then, I was able to make it around tighter and tighter turns.

With each improvement I saw, mountain biking became less and less of a struggle and more and more fun! Plus, as I was conquering new and different obstacles, each ride became more and more rewarding. But the big game changer? It was actually two fold – my first race, and my new bike!

My bike shop boyfriends

Sometime in January, Jeff actually signed me up for my first mountain bike race. Not an entry-level, 10-12 mile cross country race. Oh no! We had to go straight for the 8-hour epic endurance race! Now, my hardtail had been fine for 2-3 hour training rides, but it definitely did not help my lack of skills when it came to making certain obstacles un-passable. And over rough terrain, it definitely put the hurt on my body. So, since I was spending more and more time on my mountain bike, I decided it was time to purchase a shiny, new, full-suspension mountain bike.

Enter Scott, Chris and Colin – the Studio Velo boys. To go back a few years, I actually bought my Orbea from Chris 3 years ago at a bike shop in SF, before Studio Velo’s inception.  When I heard he was opening a new shop, it was an easy switch. So ever since,  Jeff and I have taken our bikes to Studio Velo for maintenance and care. So when I started talking about getting a new bike, Scott offered to set me up on a test ride on one of their Ellsworth, and well, I was sold!

Just a few short weeks later I was on my very own Ellsworth Truth, complete with tubeless performance tires, Sram X9 components and a sweet Fox fork. On short notice, they managed to pull it together just in time for my first race – the Boggs 8 Hour!

My mountain bike race career…so far…

So there it was, Saturday, April 3rd, 8:00 am. It was overcast, 32 degrees and there was a mix of frost and SNOW on the ground. Jeff and I and our friend Michael made our way to the starting line. Two of my most fabulous friends, Sam and Dana, who actually came out to support me on my inaugural effort, were setting up our pit. Everyone was cold, adding last minute layers before the race started. Dana was kind enough to lend me her fantastic gloves which saved my hands from freezing during the race.

The gun went off, and we headed out on a 20 minute climb up a fire road – a great warm up, and a great way to spread out the field before we hit the single track. The field spread out, but I still ended up in a long line of riders heading up the first big climb of the day. On one hand I was mad at myself for getting caught in the pack. But in hind sight, it was probably good as it kept me in check and didn’t let me go to hard on that first climb. So far, the course wasn’t too technical. A few switchbacks, which as I admitted previously, I’m not very good at, but otherwise, it was pretty smooth sailing. 

There were a few sections that the race organizers kindly pointed out with “DANGER” signs, which of course, caused me pause the first lap around. In my mind, “DANGER” = “I can’t possibly ride this!” Fortunately, I made it over ¾ of these obstacles the first time around, and by the 3^rd lap, I was riding all of them. The trickiest of them all was a big rock drop, on a left hand turn, followed by a 50 ft, 8inch deep muddy downhill. This one took a few tries. First, I got the downhill section – the sensation of surfing on a mt. bike. But the next time around, I saw a rider take a line that didn’t look too bad, and I was able to string together both obstacles. Success!

After that little doozy, it was a LOOOONG uphill to the top of the course, followed by a short, windy/twisty downhill into the Start/Finish area. Knowing that Sam and Dana and all their enthusiasm were waiting for me at the pit made those last few miles that much quicker. They were there with words of encouragement, picture taking, food/fuel, and the ever invaluable, cleaning and greasing of the chain!!! I didn’t realize just how valuable that was until I didn’t have it at Cool (more to come later).  What was also great is that they kept me posted on race progress. The first time results were posted, I was in 2^nd place! My first race and I was in 2^nd place…I was stoked, and it fueled me on for the next lap.

Laps 1-3 and 4-6 had different, but consistent energy levels. I was expecting that after lap 4 I would get more and more tired. But what happened surprised me. I was a consistent level of tired for the last 3 laps, never really getting any more tired. That being said, the steeps felt a little steeper, for sure. But in general, my energy level was consistent, and my attitude remained positive. I don’t think the purple peeps in my race number hurt my case, nor the tiara wearing pit crew on lap five either :-)

So 8 hours and 15 minutes and 6 laps later, I finished my first mountain bike race. And to my surprise, it won me the “Beginner” category. As Jeff likes to point out, if I just had raced in my age category, I still would have placed 2^nd. Not bad for a first timer and someone who still looks at road riders as they cross our paths on mt bike rides and says “Oh look, there’s my People”! But my girls made me feel like a champion as they crowned me with my very own tiara at the finish line, which besides a shower and sleep that night, I didn’t take off for a full 24 hours…I earned it!

Beginner’s Luck?             

So, I was thinking, that Boggs was hard, it was early in the season - what kind of talent actually showed up for this race. It was probably a thin field, and that’s why I did so well. Cool was the next race that I was signed up for, and figured that would be the “true” test of how I was at this whole mountain biking thing.

So once again, Jeff and I, Michael and his wife Gessica all headed out to the race site. The only difference was that this time, I wouldn’t have my support crew. Dana was overseas, and Sam was busy with her own race, so I was left to my own devices. And what’s worse, the boys were doing a 2-man, 24 hour relay, so I’d barely see them during the race. I was convinced that I would stay up and crew for them after my race, a commitment that I was unable to keep past 11pm.

This race started at 12:00 noon…which was quite the departure from the 7am triathlon starts that I’m used to. We got up around 8, had breakfast, worked on our bikes, had another “mini meal”, then eventually made our way to the start for the pre-race talk at 11:15. After the talk, they lined us up about a ½ mile away down a paved road for the start. We sat there for about 10 minutes, so I chatted up the folks around me. The girl directly to my left was doing 24 hours solo, her first, and she went on to place 2^nd on the day. There was a married couple on a tandem behind me. A bit baffling on some of those descents/corners, but apparently they get off quite a bit. A few “social” guys who were four-man teams out there doing the 8-hour race. Quite the cross section of racers, for sure!

So the gun went off and we raced down the road…now this is my kind of start! We hit the dirt, and very quickly, it becomes single track. This time, there aren’t as many people in a line, and to be clear, the people that were in front of me deserved to be! We quickly came upon the first water obstacle of the day, and it was not a good start for me. I hit the water, and some loose rocks lurking below, and down I went. I quickly got back up, though, and trekked on! There were a number of water/mud hazards on this course, many more than expected, but I took the mentality of following the line of the guy in front of me, and it worked well for the rest of the day. As with Boggs, there were a few obstacles that tripped me up on the first lap, but by lap 2, I was making them all!

The deep mud and water was immediately followed by arid dryness – not a good combo for a chain, apparently. And without my pit crew this time, I neglected to grease my chain after the first lap. The lap had been good, minus a few “first lap missteps”, and I was feeling fresh as I came into the pit, I stopped for a quick bite, even though I didn’t really need it at that point, as I didn’t want to get behind on calories. But I didn’t even think to grease my chain. It had only been 12.5 miles…how could it possibly need it? Well, it did. Fortunately, it didn’t cause major issues, but did cause me pause when shifting into the smaller gears for fear I was causing pain to the Truth.

So I completed the first lap in 1:14, the second in 1:10, and I was feeling good. What I thought was too good. The hills seemed easy. Nothing seemed hard at this point. What I forgot was that I had another 4-5 hours ahead of me! Unlike at Boggs, though, you had to finish your last lap by 8 hours for it to count, so based on prior years, it was most likely that my race would be 7.5 hours or less. So I headed out on my 3^rd lap, guns blazing, and with a freshly greased chain this time.

Well, the speed with which I completed the second lap started to catch up with me a bit. Not that it slowed me down drastically, but rather, it made me sit up at one point and think “right…this is supposed to be hard”. But I continued on with relative ease, still making all the climbs of the day but the one which EVERYONE was walking up. Through the first three laps I was walking the first half, but where it flattened a bit half way, I was riding the rest of the way up. What was nice was that at the top, there was a sweet downhill on the road that let you catch your breath a bit and give your legs some reprieve.

Lap four came and now my back really started to ache. I didn’t mention my back at Boggs, as it was a constant issue throughout the entire race…it didn’t get any worse, it was just always there. As for Cool, I was good for the first two laps, and then it started to kick in. So at this point, my back became the limiting factor, not my legs, which was thoroughly frustrating. My legs were trained to go faster, but my back just couldn’t handle it.

Then I came in to the pit to start the 5^th lap and realized I had exactly 2 hours and 40 minutes left in the race. I was averaging about 1:20 per lap at this point, and bound to get a little slower. As I mentioned, you had to finish your last lap by the 8 hour mark, so this was a decision point – do I go for two more laps? Or only one? And if one, how fast do I ride it?

Since I didn’t have any knowledge of my competition, and knowing that I was fit enough to do 6 laps, I decided to head out on lap 5 to attempt to finish a 6^th. I felt good and strong on the lap, and in fact, finished it a full 4 minutes faster than the lap before. That being said, it left me with only 1:20 minutes to finish a final lap, which just wasn’t going to be enough. I could have headed out again, but probably would have finished 4-5 minutes after the cutoff…heartbreaking for that kind of effort.

So after 5 laps, and 6 hours and 40 minutes, I decided to call it a day. Fortunate for me, I called it a day exactly 6 minutes before the next closest girl, so I won the 30-39 women’s division! It had been a day full of a lot of climbing, some rippin’ downhills and lots of great people on the trails. A much more low-key affair than Boggs where I had a steady stream of pros wizzing by me like I was standing still on single track that was not meant for passing. Plus, it was really fun to cheer on all the single-speed racers out there who were tearing it up without the advantage of multiple gears to help with the uphills and to propel them on the down…they just had to make the most with what they had. To that I give them all a huge “BRAVO!!!”

So now I’m 2 for 2 on this whole mountain biking thing…what now? First, I’d like to get more ladies out there racing this distance – usually there’s only about a ½ dozen per category. Its a good endurance event and a lot of fun! Secondly, what do I do to improve upon this success? I think next season will call for an endurance mountain bike coach – one that can really guide me through all the stages of training, to get me really feeling strong and fast for these races! Now don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not forsaking M2 – he has taken me leaps and bounds in my cycling strength and fitness. Nope, he’s still the man! But I want someone who can add a layer of experience with mountain bike racing that can really get me trained to finish these 8 hour events and finish them strong!

Next up: BC Bike Race

7 day stage race on some of the most challenging mountain bike terrain anywhere! Its going to be an adventure! Fortunately Jeff is participating, in a two person team with our friend Simon, and my friend Dave is also doing it solo. But he has an unfair advantage as he grew up mountain biking in BC…so he’s going to be showered and have a nap in by the time I get in each night. Oh well…I’m there for the adventure, not to win!