The True Grit Epic in St George last weekend was a great time with my girls, but I had a tough day on the bike. The trails used in the True Grit are awesome and I was having a lot of fun on the technical desert single track. The race was going really well for me with the leaders only a couple minutes up after the first of 2 big laps, but I faded pretty hard the last third of the race and was not riding well or having any fun out there. When a race is 7 hours long, the last third is a long time to ride while feeling tired and getting some serious leg cramps (and in 30mph winds)!! I ended up 4th. I love endurance races, but there is a huge difference in pace and effort between a 4 and 7 hour race. Both can be similarly hard if the 4 hour race is tough enough and fast enough, but the overall fatigue on a 7 hour race is brutal and it's hard to feel strong or fast at the end.
It was a combination of pacing, hydration, and coming off being sick that kept me from having a better day. The first 2 of those were totally in my control and I was really disappointed after the race. After a solid winter of training, and skipping the first few local races I was ready to ride well and challenge for the win. Now that will have to wait for another day. I've basically been resting all week so I can have a solid weekend of training before heading to the Austin Rattler on the 29th. Can't wait to see family, friends and race in Tx again!
No road trip is complete without eating Subway in a gas station in your pajamas!
That is a crazy tough race, great job Dana!!
ReplyDelete