All I can say is that I was going to make sure that today wasn't ending without me on the podium. Not a small feat that I set for myself starting from the 2nd row eh? But I am not known for small goals I guess so why end the trend now?
After yesterdays race ending in disaster for my bike on my home turf along with me having to DNF there was redemption needed in a big way. I almost needed the podium more for myself and my own sanity to prove I CAN still do this. I haven't raced in all but three (including yesterday's DNF) races since April 30th and one can lose hope during that stretch of time while (in my case) nursing a broken digit that was in a cast.
So while everyone else is racing, hitting it hard, getting intensity in I was dealing with an issue that I have never dealt with before. You play a guessing game during that time trying to let the body heal appropriately, solidly and in a timely fashion while still trying to stress the body SOME in training in order to be even CLOSE to what you had before fitness wise. Then throw in that I was soooooo sick for a week at the start of May which really set me back even more.
It was a rough go of it during that time but all signs started pointing in the right direction in June at my first race with the Teva Mountain Games (although I still didn't know where I was fitness wise since I flatted) and the High Uinta's Stage Classic Road Race where I won the Queen of the Mountain sprint and then yesterday when I was sitting in 6th and feeling awesome.
That is all I had to go on coming into today's race and my confidence was trying to come through but there were doubts too. I mean, I haven't done all but a few high intensity workouts either since the thumb incident so who knows what this purely high intensity race was going to do to me today. I had to have trust and faith that I had been training just right for 8 weeks on my own.....
So I focused. I focused on yesterday: what I accomplished, how good I felt, how great I was about ready to do before launching in to the trees, etc. And, I put all the doubts and any lack of confidence in a box and set it aside.
That was tough to do too because I was still dealing with an achey kankle from Thursdays incident and a very weak thumb which both served as a wicked reminder of what I had been through. But those two issues were going to be NOTHING compared to the pain I was going to have to endure to get on the podium today.
Plus, I had a goal that I was going to make today come hell or high water. This weekend was not going down without getting metal around my neck. Plus I needed to keep the streak alive of getting on the podium at every major race this year! And my 78 year old mom was here as well to watch and giving her a show is always nice even though she would support me just as much if I came in dead last.
So, yeah.....start in 14th position and move your way up to Top 5; that's my goal -no problem. Yeah right!!! Do you know how dang hard it is to that in a freakin' Short Track which is 20-25 minutes long with very few places to pass? Yet it was still my goal and I didn't care how difficult it was gonna be because the one thing about Short Track is that you are going to suffer no matter what so why no put the icing on the cake and just up that intensity a bit more to get what you want. I was certainly determined and dead set on what I wanted to achieve. No doubt about it!
See any suffering on my face here during the STXC race? Oh yes you certainly do!!
I started the race with my trusty Cannondale Scalpel which is my other full suspension bike.
I started the race with my trusty Cannondale Scalpel which is my other full suspension bike.
Once the race started I was far back in the field by the time we hit the first corner or two. I had to take outside lines, make sure I didn't slip or slide out and had to pick my way through and around everyone carefully monitoring my effort. Did I say carefully monitoring my effort? Ha! Yeah right....I just went for it because time was of the essence and I couldn't be dinking around. I sat on wheels, would rest for 4 seconds and then split on the next uphill getting a gap behind me to move up the field. I was able to take advantage of some girls that went hard way to early and "blew up" which isn't a great way to gain a spot but sadly that is racing and if I recall.......yesterdays XC was a bit to everyones advantage after I DNF'd.
So that is how the whole race went down up until I got into a battle for 5th with another young buck from Utah who is killing it this year. Heather Holmes and I were both going for it but with 3 laps to go I charged. I was ready and I knew it was early (to go) but I wanted more. I knew I could secure 5th by doing that, I knew I could hold the effort and 4th was looking fine too.
In the end my efforts got me fifth and got me closer to fourth which was alright with me because I had met my goal! I was ecstatic that I had set my mind to what I wanted to achieve and then went and achieved it!
After that effort I just put in I am going to drink whatever I please and that champagne was looking pretty good!!!
1 comment:
good going girl!!!!!!!!
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