6 Hours of Clear Creek

Endurance Pace. My second favorite pace, right next to Race Pace. Endurance races aren't just about going fast, though. One must also be efficient. This means taking it easy on long climbs, maintaining momentum through the turns and going fast downhill. There's also a lot of strategy when it comes to eating and pacing. 

My "night before" plan didn't go exactly the way I intended. Seeing that I was hanging out with my best friend for the first time in six months, we drank a lot of beer. Then went to the Square and drank more beer. Following tradition, we ordered dinner from Coop - a fried chicken restaurant that delivers - also notorious for upsetting your digestive track the next day. Regardless, there must be some decent calories there, as it got me through the first few laps. The good thing that came from so much beer was that I made sure to re-hydrate. I probably drank a liter of water during the night, then a lot of Powerade first thing in the morning and finally, coffee to flush it through my system.

I knew 5 laps would've been reasonably easy, but 6 was the challenge. I didn't bother too much with the holeshot, but I also didn't want to get stuck behind a bunch of slow people. I was 5th into the woods and passed two people in the first 5 miles. My first lap was around 56 minutes, the second around 58. The third lap was 1:01 since I rode with a slower guy for a while. I kicked it back up to crank out two more 58 minute laps. This combined with two stops to swap water bottles and one stop to pee left me at 4:55 when I finished my fifth lap. By this time, my hands were blistered, my feet hurt, and I was reasonably tired. It would hurt, but I knew I had time for one more lap. 

I was running on fumes and was prepared to drain the tank, but still I bonked harder than I'd imagined. I was creeping up hills but still flying down. I've learned how to do that without using much energy. I'd saved my watered down powerade mix for the last two laps, and it was a sweet nectar of the gods. But it ran out 6 miles into the last lap. As dehydration set in, I was expecting to have a spiritual vision any moment. Nearing the last quarter mile or so, I heard a cowbell and someone yelling that I only had a few minutes left. The trail looped back closer to them, and then it was one minute left! With a last burst of adrenaline, I stood up on the pedals and hammered through the finish line with 28 seconds to spare. 

I coasted to my truck, in a daze, and heard someone say, "Dude that was awesome! How are you not vomiting?!" I might've hurled if there was anything at all in my stomach. That day was definitely in my top 5 for extreme exhaustion.

When I finally wandered over to the race pavilion, I learned that I was the only person to do 6 laps! I was shocked. I never expected to win this race, my first Cat 1 race. I'll admit it felt great. I was tired though. Too tired to drive back to the coast. Too tired to work Monday. So worth it. 

Going Fast

With my recent upgrade to Cat 1, I've been training. Hard. My old race pace is now my training pace. I've reached speeds that I didn't think were possible. And I still need to go faster. Cat 1 races are generally 50% farther with top lap times 12% faster than Cat 2. Fortunately, going fast is self-perpetuating. The faster I go, the faster I WANT to go. 

Riding at race pace is a completely different experience than "normal" riding. I find I'm having to unlearn some concepts I was taught by the rigid single speed. Things change when approaching Mach 3. Obstacles become a blur. I no longer focus on finding smooth parts of the trail. Instead, I focus on setting up for the next turn like a billiard player thinking ahead for the next shot. Maintaining maximum speed through a turn involves finding the most traction and holding that line. Roots be damned. Strangely, quick steering becomes a moot point. It's all about flow. It often feels like I'm going break my bike hopping it over logs, root clusters, ditches, and whatever else without bothering to slow down. It's a rush. I'm addicted. 

This infection is even spreading to my road biking, as it's easier to train on the road after work than drive to the trail. However, my comfortable, *cough*30lb*cough* road bike isn't great for intense riding. I've got my eye on a Flyxii road frame...just as soon as I recover from my last spending spree. Still, it's a whole lot cheaper than brand names. 

By this point I'm sure most people feel compelled to say "be careful", but the truth is, being careful is incompatible with racing. I'll do my best to keep it rubber side down though.