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!