Rockburn Reloaded Mountain Bike Race, 3.22.2009

Pre-Race Eats


Sunday morning, I woke up and had a great pre-race bowl of steel cut oats.

The race didn't begin until 10am, so we had time to digest a bigger breakfastSteel cut oats, banana, coconut, pecans, honey, and the last of the almond butter.


The Race (10 miles total; 2 five mile loops)


After checking in to get our bibs and markings, Kevin and I got on all our gear and went for a quick ride to warm up. It was a lot colder than I expected and I felt under-dressed.


We lined up according to our category group and I noticed there were only about 10 women in the beginner category. I also noticed that most everyone had clipless/platform pedals. I knew that would make it harder for me to keep up since the clipless pedals are much more efficient.


As I watched the two male groups go before us - I vowed to myself: Dont be the last woman and pass some men!


Classic newbie mistake: I started out waaay too fast. Meaning that after a few climbs - I thought I was going to die. You know the feeling in your throat when you sprint or go hard - its like a horrible knot in your throat and you feel like you may throw up? Yup - had that...for most of the first loop.


I tried to calm myself down, but found myself pushing harder since I didn't want people passing me. There weren't many log jumps, which was good for me because I am still learning how to clear those. About halfway through the first loop, I came around one corner and see Kevin sitting there with his bike. He had started 2 groups ahead of me, so I knew something was wrong. He cracked the chain ring on his bike - his day was over. Poor guy.

At that point - I was cursing myself for only riding once before this and was wondering if I would be able to breathe/make it through the second loop. Kevin, my sister, my niece and nephew were there cheering me on as I finished the first loop so that helped give me the adrenaline push I needed to keep going. The second loop felt slightly easier and I could mostly breathe again. I guess because I knew what to expect and was able to save myself for some of the more difficult sections. I even caught up to and passed a few men which gave me more confidence. The list at the end of the race said I was the sixth woman to finish out of ten. I am happy with that! I think I finished in 1 hr, 20 mins because the sport category race began at 11:30am and I came in before they started. (It was a pretty low-key event, so they didn't have anyone timing the race)

While I managed to smile in the picture above - my legs were wobbly and my entire body felt exhausted. A slug probably would have beat me in a walking race. But, I felt happy to have finished and feel that it was just the practice (wake-up call) I needed for the Adventure Race in a month!

Post-Race Nourishment

We headed over to Donna's Cafe/Coffee/Bar in Columbia to get some lunch after the race. This is a local chain that has a Mediterranean flair with a ton of great, healthier choices. Coffee was ordered immediately.

I decided on the Veggie Burger with sweet potato fries. The fries were great, but then again, I dont think I have met a fry I didnt like. Unfortunately, the veggie burger had a strong black olive flavor and since I don't like olives, this didn't sit well with me. I managed to eat half and then picked off of Kevin's salad.

We had a football game later that afternoon and my plan was to cheer everyone on with a beer in hand. Unfortunately for me, we were short on women, so I had to play some of the game. My legs ached like I had just run a marathon.

Monday, it was mainly my shins, triceps and back that hurt the most. I managed to take a walk in the park with Oscar but just laid around for the rest of the night to try and let my body recover. Tonight, I hope to do a light workout - just not sure what that is yet.

Anyone know a light, recovery workout that is good for loosening up sore muscles?