Welcome to my first race report. It was the 2nd mtb race of my life and it was tough but definitely fun. My boyfriend, Shawne, and I drove down to Marina on Sat night and camped out at the Marina Dunes RV & Campgrounds. I usually sleep like a log when I camp, but could hear the highway noise all night long and woke up not feeling very rested.
Shawne knew where the closest Denny's was (he always does!) so we had a hearty breakfast of eggs and sausage. There was no granola or yogurt in sight, but I also find that a heavy breakfast before a long ride or hike usually helps me keep my blood sugar stable for hours and hours.
We arrived about 45 minutes before the race (8:15am) so I had time to get the lay of the land. Shawne was my (self-described) "pit bitch" so he took care of unloading my bike, pumping the tires, lubing, etc. That was nice to have someone there to support me so I could worry about other things.
I remembered Lorri's strong recommendation to pre-ride the course and thought I remembered her saying each lap takes around 20 mins. We set off to pre-ride the course together at 8:30, but after 10 minutes I realized we were less than a quarter of the way (not 1/2!) so we would need to turn around not to miss the beginning of the race. I was riding moderately hard and was a bit worried wondering how on earth someone could finish a lap in 20 minutes.
The beginning of the race was solid and I got in line on the single track about 4th or 5th back out of 14. I was riding harder than I have ever ridden in my life and although I knew I couldn't sustain that pace for the entire race, I was happy to be in a decent position for a while keeping up with the fast girls. About 3/4 of the way through the first lap (past the point I had ridden to beforehand), there was a blind steep curve uphill that was deep sand. I was in a bad gear and basically popped of my bike involuntarily and then ran up the hill. I couldn't get started right away due to the gear and 5 women rode right past me. I was bummed but also knew they would have passed me eventually as they were all clearly experienced racers.
For the next 2 laps, I battled it out with another woman - she would blast me on the climbs and I would bomb past her on the downhill. It was fun to have someone to be competitive with! However, on that last time around on the aforementioned steep uphill sandy curve, I went in with lots of momentum, a good gear, and confidence that I would nail it this time. I wrecked horribly and lost 5 minutes fixing my twisted handlebars to get my bike ridable. I never saw that gal again.
In the end, I placed 11th out of 14 which I guess isn't too bad for a beginner. :-)
Mileage - ˜ 19miles / pace - ˜ 9.7mph
Max HR - 178 / avg HR 156
Total time - 1:54:39 / time behind leader - 19:46
Place - 11 of 14
Things I did well - big breakfast early on so didn't get hungry before race. Taped 2 Gus to frame and eat each one during a flat stretch - always had good energy as a result. Brought snacks and drinks for afterwards (other women I talked to bonked during the race and were starving after the race). Having Shawne there to take care of the bike and cheer me on was a definite plus.
Things to improve - get there earlier for a longer pre-ride. Bring cold weather clothes just in case. Bring ear plugs for camping.
