One down, two gone, and I've got a problem

One down:

The Wild in the Woods 5-Mile at Broemmelsiek Park was a great race.  St. Charles County Parks puts on a well-run series, and I'm really hoping to make it to all of them next year (October's Klondike Park race was part of the series also).  Vanessa and I headed towards St. Charles around 7 a.m. this morning, leaving us plenty of time to get lost (you know, just in case) as well as coffee and still be there by the 9 a.m. start time.  We threw our bikes in the car, too, because we were planning to ride with our friend Lori after the race.

Photo credit: Lori Vohsen
Shivering pre-race with Krystal and Vanessa

It was a chilly (36) and start to the day, and right now we're in that part of fall where dressing is really tricky.  Is it going to stay cold or warm up? How fast will it warm up? You know the drill.  I settled on shorts, a long-sleeved tech tshirt, and knee socks.  I always have to have my ears covered when it's cold, too, or they hurt like crazy.  I got my warmup in with a quick jog to the extra bathroom the rangers opened up (thank you thank you thank you!), and before we knew it, start time had arrived.


Photo credit: Lori Vohsen

The race started on the paved park road, moved onto a maintenance trail, and then into field trails and finally to the singletrack. 

Another great picture by Lori

I went out a little too fast in the beginning, which meant I was hurting by the end of the first mile, but this was more or less a training run where I was wanting to push myself and see what I had.  For about the first half of the race, the trail wasn't too technical, just a few rocks and some roots, but nothing all that tricky.  That left me able to actually look around me. 

Since I rode at Broemmelsiek in my first mountain bike race, I'm semi-familiar with the park, but it's a whole different view running than riding as a newer rider.  There were several sections where I saw views I have no memory of from this summer.  I think I was just so focused on the trail then that I missed everything around me. :)  Of course, a lot of leaves are down now, too, so there's a pretty unobstructed view.  I had to retie my shoe during the second mile (when will I learn to make sure they're double knotted?), and then I walked up part of a hill during the third mile (total failure of will...I know I could have made it up the hill and kept running).  Otherwise I ran the whole thing.

As the trail got more technical, I had to pay less attention to the view and more attention to where my feet were going.  The whole time I was running, though, I was thinking about lines I'd take on my bike.  I'm pretty sure that now I'd be able to ride the couple of sections that gave me trouble in the bike race.  I had lots of time to think because, unlike Klondike when I ran with my friends, this time I was running for myself and spent a surprising amount of the race completely alone...the trails in front of and behind me empty.  Weird. 

Hurting towards the end.  I think I had just told Lori, "This is a lot more fun on a mountain bike!"

I was passed several times during the second half of the race, one couple passing me right at mile 4, and I was determined that nobody else was going to pass me before the finish.  I also really wanted to walk, but I wasn't letting myself walk with only a mile (less than a mile now! You can do it...) left in the race.  I could see a guy in an orange shirt out of the corner of my eye, so my goal became staying ahead of him.  I heard him closing in as I came through the last creek crossing (they were all dry enough to jump over), but a quick sideways glance showed that he was far enough back.  Still, I really pushed coming into the chute...and some other guy passed me right at the end! Never saw him coming. 

Oh, well.  I finished in 50:57, so a 10:11 pace over 5 miles.  Once again, I was in the bottom half of finishers, but I was 4th in my AG...out of 4. :)  I was about 6 minutes out of third, so there were some strong runners out there ahead of me.  Overall, I'm pretty happy with that pace on trails, though I'm hoping to keep improving on it.

Two gone:

I just posted my list of upcoming fun, and I've already had to mark two items off.  Today's mountain bike ride didn't happen because the trails were closed to bikes due to wet conditions, and the orienteering meet on the 26th conflicts with my family's Thanksgiving celebration.  I'd like to go, but not enough to miss out on our family party.

I've got a problem:

Since I couldn't ride my bike after the race, that left me free to go check out the cyclocross race my tri club helped to sponsor today.  I have friends who race CX, but I've never actually gotten to watch more than some short videos.  I begged convinced my husband and son to come watch with me, kind of thinking that J might take an interest in the race since he'd be able to see so much of it.

Photo credit: Keith Timmins

Several of my friends from the club were there spectating and volunteering, so it was great to get to hang out with them and introduce them to Jeff.  Jeff and J spent quite a bit of time playing catch with a football, and J made a new friend.  He did watch some of the races and thought it was really cool to see the riders jump the barriers or dismount and carry their bikes over the bigger ones.  During the men's open/40+ master's race, J and his buddy were remarking on how far back one of the riders was, and it gave me a chance to talk about how great I thought it was that he was out there.  "You know, seeing somebody who's that far back means that he's out there taking a risk and doing something that's hard for him.  That's pretty brave...and pretty cool."  Hopefully they got the message...and maybe they'll be the ones spreading it next time I'm bringing up the rear in a race.

Photo credit: Keith Timmins

Neither of my guys was all that excited about the race, but I thought it looked like a blast (well, the kind that's fun once you're finished and know you aren't going to die of a heart attack right there in front of everyone).  Tight, twisty turns, barriers to jump or to dismount and lift your bike over, numerous laps on a hilly course...basically all of my weak spots combined...so of course I want to try it.

Photo credit: Keith Timmins
You can see part of the course staked and roped off in the background

Now I'm wondering how quickly I can accumulate some money for a cross bike once I'm finished paying off my road bike.  And if there's any way to sneak another bike into the garage without my husband realizing that would make four bikes in my stable (to be fair, I'm only keeping one of them for him).  And if, indeed, I'll ever reach the limits of my athletic stupidity. :)