Seattle series- Donida Farm

[Drtgirl]

This was my 4th race of the year. Hubby and I actually arrived *early* for once, snagged some primo parking and I was able to take a practice lap with one of our coaches. Was this an adventure race or cross? The run up was a freshly bulldozed patch of forest complete with rocks, roots and debris and there was actually a singletrack section. Yipee! I envisioned myself just hammering down the trail and having a smooth race.

Well, that changed quickly- I can't race without my usual fumbles:
-Didn't eat enough so my stomach was growling at the start line.
-Lined up late and ended up in the last row (will I ever learn?). No call up since I skipped last week's race.
-With 40 sec to go I realized that my tires were pumped up to road pressure. I frantically let out air and hoped for the best. Uh oh- the front tire seemed WAY too low. Oops.

My visions of fast singletrack went right out the door. When you're stuck behind 20 or so women that section became a huge bottleneck. The leaders took off while the rest of us rode single file. I did get enough courage to ride through the mud and pass a couple girls. Then I got stuck behind 2 crashes and got passed up again. Ugh! The pack kind of thinned out and I found myself alone on the singletrack for my last lap. Sweet! I even managed a sprint to the finish line.

Somehow, somewhere, I passed up a lot of women and finished 3rd out of 25. Hubby said it was the 2nd lap but I don't remember. The mud and crazy run-ups were tough but a welcome change from mostly grassy courses. Can't wait for next week!

[mimitabby]

considering your rough start, i'd say you did fantastically. How long did it take to complete the course?

[Drtgirl]

Um, I think my time was 38 minutes and some change.

[RoadRaven]

Wayhay, you grublin! Getting up courage to ride through mud to pass the others.

You rock... sounds like so much fun... you know you muddy dirt girls are getting me thinking seriously about another bike...

You were 38mins... what was the length of each lap?

[Drtgirl]

Laps were 9 minutes and some change.

[mimitabby]

lots of change sounds like.
Do you have photos?