Jeni's first 6 Hour

First - THANKS for all the tips. They helped.

So, after my first mtb race back in July, a few of us were chatting at the finish line about upcoming races. The girl that had beaten me (I came in second) asked if I wanted to do a 6 hour with her. Sure! Fast forward to yesterday...

Nancy and I got up early and headed for John Bryan State Park. Registration opened at 8 and the race was supposed to start at 9. We saw a few other girls we knew in the parking lot. We had all attended a women's only mtb clinic earlier in June.

Found out they were 9 mile laps. Getting all of our stuff ready, Nancy asked me who was going to go first. I said, "you are!" :D What a trooper, she went first and I got to hang out with some of our other friends. It was a mass start so I was able to watch some of the expert level guys do their transitions.

Nancy came in right at the 1 hour mark and I set off for my first lap. The trail was described as very tight and twisty. One of my friends mentioned the word "dizzy" for one section. A little fire road started the course which quickly led into the woods. Tight and twisty were definitely words that could be used to describe the course. Plenty of trees spaced only inches wider than your handlebars. (remind me to cut my bars down :D ). I started off conservatively; I knew it was going to be a long day. I tried to keep my heart rate under 176. There were some big trees spaced close together on the trail with a bunch of large roots followed by a quick right turn. Very narrow. I chickened out, said I couldn't make it, hopped off, ran through it, and jumped back on only to get mad at myself for bailing. I told myself I have two more chances to do it right!

I made sure to notice two landmarks that I would be able to identify each time around and took time readings. All the obstacles were doable and it wasn't that technical. It also didn't have a lot of elevation to it. While some parts were very twisty, other parts reminded me of a slalom course. Never was there a long straight away. I rubbed up against a tree with my right arm resulting in a little scuffage and me doubting my ability to go through tight trees. But then I told myself to shut up and just do it!

Nancy went out again and I was able to get some rest. Ate some food and sucked down some gel in anticipation of her getting back. Another one of my friends had negotiated a log pile successfully but crashed into the trees just passed it. Her race was done and she was off to the doctor for an x-ray (no updates yet).

This time I was going to hit it fast. I was confident I could get through the course and wanted to beat my last lap’s time. When I got to that section of trees that I had walked, I made it through (okay, so I had to push off one of the trees). I vowed the next time through I would nail it!

Flying down the trail, I saw my first landmark and checked my time. Who Hoo! Two minutes faster than when I was here last! Zooming through everything I passed a few people and got passed by a few more. I spotted my other landmark and looked at my time. Yes, I was now four minutes faster than last time! Coming up to a left turn, I have no idea what happened (I think I was going too fast) and ended up on the ground. Nothing broken but I fell hard. When I clipped back in and tried to pedal with my right leg, my quad was instantly on fire. I said "OW" for many pedal rotations until it started to loosen up again. I was almost done with the lap and I was concerned it was going to stiffen up on me while I waited for my third lap.

Nancy was ready and rearing to go when I got back. I changed into a new pair of shorts and another jersey. I think it not only helped mentally but physically as well. These were my PI’s and they are longer than the other pair I had on earlier. They go almost to my knees so it covered my now bruised and SWOLLEN quad nice and tight. The warmth from the hot sun on the black fabric actually felt good. Ate and gu’d. Talked to friends and noticed an enormous amount of tree rash (don’t know what else to call it) on peoples arms and shoulders. I learned one of my friends had checked a tree so hard, she came to an instant stop and endo’d over her bike. Some guy was right behind her and she caused him to crash too. Oh well, that’s life in mtb’ing. You just get back on and ride!

Both Nancy and I had faster times for our second lap. For a six hour race, you have to start your last lap before the 6 hour mark. So, with our times being the way they were, Nancy and I were on schedule to do a total of seven laps. I didn’t know if she was going to be up for a fourth but others had told us if she didn’t want to do one, I should just stop short of the transition area and wait until the 6 hour mark. Figured we’d talk about it when she got back in.

The timekeeper came over to our tent and said, if anyone knows a Jeni, Nancy said she flatted. Hmmm, what to do? My partner was out on the course, with no tools or tube, nor does she possess the knowledge of changing a tire. What do I do? They allowed me to ride the course backwards (carefully – I’d dive for the side when I encountered another rider) and find her. She was surprised to see me. She was running/walking the bike to the transition area to meet me and only had something to another rider so I would know what was taking her so long. She was close enough to the end that it would have probably taken longer to change it, than to walk it out. There the decision on her having to do a fourth lap, we wouldn’t have time to do a seventh lap.

Third time out, I started feeling tttiiiirrrreeeddddd. Ugh, I couldn’t get my breathing right and my heart rate was too high but I felt like I wasn’t going anywhere. Got to that stand of trees with the roots and NAILED it! Yea Haw! I rock! No scuffing trees, nice and clean. Came to my first checkpoint and I was three minutes behind from my second lap. Not too terribly disappointed but I tried to kick it up a few notches. Everything else was uneventful. Stood up on the starightaways and the little inclines trying to make up some time but came to my second checkpoint now five minutes behind. Oh well.

Made it out of the woods and into the clearing, there was my teammate and some of my other rider friends all cheering me to the finish! Whew, I was done – physically, mentally, and with the race!

Overall, it was a great time with great people. Nancy apologized for the flat tire and to tell the truth, it didn’t bother me one bit. I knew it would be good for some stories later. There were a total of nine women/women teams and us newbies competed against women from the expert and sport classes. We rode our ride and did what we came to do – endure six hours of riding.

I felt bad that Geoff wasn’t able to come and watch. He was stuck leading a store ride. When I got home, we went out to dinner and I couldn’t stop talking about the race. He was happy that I was happy. I haven’t been this excited about riding in awhile. Most of my riding is on the road so I really think I’m going to have to start dedicating one night a week to mtbing. Road racing season is over and I thought about doing cross but the last thing I really need to do is pick up “another” sport right now. Interbike is less than a month away and I can’t wait to ride out in the desert. It will be a significant change form our woodsy Ohio and Michigan areas we ride in.

Today, is Monday and I feel like I’ve been hit by a mack truck. Every part of me hurts – neck, shoulders, quads, butt and I have a club ride to lead tonight. I’ve decided to NOT time trial on Tuesday though to give myself a night off as Wednesday is hill repeats.

You like my bruise? :eek: :eek: :eek:

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