Harris Hill Cyclocross

Sunday, I raced cyclocross at Harris Hill in Big Flats, NY. This was my 3rd CX race in the books. Well.. 3.5 cross races if you want to get technical about it.

Last weekend, Ari and I had the brilliant idiotic idea of racing both the CAT4 Women's race (45 minutes) because we are both CAT4, and then the Open Women's race (60 minutes) for the experience. 45 minutes later. You could do an extra race for only $5 more dollars (and the entry fee for one race was only $20 anyways) so we figured it was a steal, especially since we were driving 2 hours to get to this race.

pit stop @ the Dandy Mini-Mart (classic Southern Tier)

We left from her house with our bikes on the roof of her car at about 6:30 am, and it was raining. As we drove south, the rain lifted but the fog remained. It was still really chilly out. Since this race was so close to my parents' house, they were driving up to come watch, and the Wineglass Marathon was also going on (route was from Bath, NY to Corning, NY) - so it was a busy day in the Southern Tier!

trying to stay warm between races!

Once we got to the race we got our numbers, put some layers on (including new knee warmers that I got on Tuesday using the gift card I won at Victor Apple Farm CX), and hit the course for a warmup lap. It wasn't bad at all.. it was an uphill start on a gravel road, went through a short, flat section of rooty woods, then around a corner and over 2 barriers, and then it twisted through some zigzags with one uphill barrier (ew) that you had to shoulder your bike for. Then  the course straightened out for a big, and then you hit a sandpit (which we decided to run through due to me falling over in the sandpit during my warmup lap), and then went through some woods, through some more zigzags, and then wove back to the start! It ended up being a little bit under 9 minutes for a loop for me.

beautiful fall foliage!

Our first race started right after the Master's men's race, and I believe there were 7 of us. I met 2 people that actually knew my brother because they had worked at Ride Brooklyn (I race in the RB jersey). I had never done a 45 minute race before so I was expecting it to be interesting! The first 2 women got pretty far ahead early on, but myself, Ari, and a 3rd women (Helene, who knows my brother) were all near each other. I ended up between Helene and Ari, and switched back and forth with Helene a few times before settling pretty comfortably into 4th place. Things were going well, I was doing well on the barriers, was (mostly) controlled through the corners (albeit, slow) and was able to pick up the pace out of the corners and on the straightaways. However, I continued to run through the sandpit because I didn't know any better and I didn't want to fall over again. And that was a HUGE waste of time because you had to run through the pit and then up a hill, and then somehow find the energy to re-mount. It was the worst part of the course for me. Turns out, everyone else was just riding through the pit because a packed-down line had formed - whoops. Anyways, I think on loop 5 (out of 6), I ran through the pit, tried to jump on my bike, and dropped my chain. By the time I got the chain back on and got going, Ari had passed me. I followed her through the woods and then once we hit a gravelly uphill section, I started sprinting up alongside her. Since we are both competitive, she sprinted right back and we were neck and neck, and then we had to go around this corner where she tried to squeeze me out of the way (which is totally a legit move in 'cross and NOT shady at all, and I think it's awesome that she did it), but (and I actually can't believe this) I was able to hold my line despite her being RIGHT next to me and me being right against the tape, and slipped around the corner first. Then I had to drop the hammer the best I could for the last lap to make sure she didn't pass me back!

I ended up in 4th place (just out of the money.. boo) but it was great! I would rather get 4th in a more competitive field than just be riding off the front by myself with no one else to play with! We also saw my parents out on the course and my dad was taking photos and videos. After the race, I got to explain to my mom what "DFL" was "code" for (seen on my brother's facebook page about his last cyclocross race). Thanks Grant.

CAT4 Women's start!

the double barriers

Helene with me right on her tail!

my terrible shouldering technique at the uphill barrier

GREAT photo of Ari! she is so photogenic!

 After we finished the first race, we had about 45 minutes to change our race numbers and try to stay warm before our next start (which was at 11:30), right behind the Open Men. Luckily, I have some body fat, so I was chilly but not too bad, however Ari was shivering. Sometimes, it's a good thing to have a big butt! :) We chatted with my parents and then we lined up in a field of 6 (including us). The minute the race started and we had to ride up the long gravel hill, the other 4 women were SMOKING us. We weren't even through the 1st lap when we started getting lapped by the men. It was embarrassing and I felt terrible for being in the way. Even though the majority of my races are longer than both of these 'cross races combined together, riding at threshold effort and having to jump on and off the bike and concentrate on going around tricky corners really wears you out! It became very clear that the next 60 minutes were going to be awful. Ari and I were riding along at a "leisurely" pace (i.e. as fast as we could go after already racing) together, chatting. On the 2nd lap.. I told her that I was thinking of dropping out (mostly due to being in the way of the men who were really racing, but I was also really tired). She agreed, so once we got to the finish, we stopped. Then, for the next 10 minutes we were heckled by the people doing the scoring, and they actually got Ari to go back out there and finish the race! Me - not so much. I was A-OK taking that DNF and I went back to the car and changed into dry clothes. But I give her a lot of credit for going back out there because that shit was hard after 2 loops! This was my first DNF ever.. so that is a little embarrassing but it just wasn't worth it - what if I went down due to being tired and caused a crash with the men that were actually racing? Or what if I made my knee even worse (which has flared up again since taking a spinning class 2 weeks ago)? Not worth it to me at all.

Lesson learned - I will never do 2 races in one day again! Worst $5 ever spent (I totally could have used that to buy a piece of pizza as my last meal, and then put some bullets in a gun and shoot myself because that would have been less painful probably)! I also was being RIDICULOUSLY F-ING DELUSIONAL about wanting to move up to CAT3 ASAP (10 points or 10 starts). I think I need to ride in CAT4 for a looooooooong while.

Ari and I leisurely riding and chatting during the open race

After the races were over, we went to lunch with my parents at an Indian restaurant in Corning, which just happened to be right behind the finish line of the Wineglass Marathon! Too bad I didn't see anybody that I knew.

I haven't really talked to my parents since they got back from their cruise to Alaska, so it was awesome that they came to cheer for us (and took us out to lunch!). My mom also brought me back a souvenir from Alaska! The charm on the right is a Forget-Me-Not which is the state flower of Alaska! Thanks Mom and Dad! (Also, thanks to my dad for many of these photos, and the other ones I found on the Corning NoTubes at Harris Hill facebook page after scrolling for over 400 photos looking for ones of Ari and I - yes I am a cyber stalker).

And because no race report would be complete without something weird/insane/ridiculous happening.. I have a story. A penis story. As we were racing our first race, I was pretty focused. I was looking ahead at where I was going, scanning the ground for rocks, roots, ruts, mud, trying to ride good lines, etc. At one point, somewhere on the course (I can't even remember where), I happened to look down and saw a curved stick and 2 pine cones positioned to look like.. male genitalia. In the MIDDLE of the trail. I kid you not. I saw it, laughed to myself, cursed myself out for thinking of such trivial things during a RACE, and then never saw it again. I actually wondered if I had somehow imagined it, because how could it have not been run over by the 30+ men that were all ahead of me on the course? After the race, I was telling Ari about it at the car, (loudly, obviously, because that is my only volume) and several of the people around us that had also done the same race overheard me and said that they saw it too and also thought it was hysterical! I am glad I am not the only perv. out there. :) Good times.

throwback

Labor Day is over. It is officially FALL in my book. As I was riding the Syracuse course on Sunday with Ken, I noticed that the leaves are starting to change! The weather is cooling down, the wind is picking up, the air is crisper - fall is here!

Fall is my most favorite season ever! I can bust out my jeans and hoodies. I have to start wearing long-sleeved shirts on my runs. I no longer break into a sweat by merely moving! I can cozy up in my SNUGGIE and watch new episodes of my 2 favorite TV shows - NCIS and The Office! One downside to fall is I have to start wearing pants around my apartment again because it is just too chilly for a no-pants situation.

Fall always reminds me of cross country season. For me, this time of year is DEFINED by running. I ran cross country for 7 years - 2 in jr. high, 4 in high school, and 1 in college. I still miss it to this day and it has been 8 years since I've run on an organized XC team. I still am in contact with my high school cross country coach (him and his wife are both elite runners and they still live in the area).

As much as I still love to run - there is NOTHING like running as part of a team. Running together, racing together, traveling to races, team practices, and team dinners are what make it so amazing. You can't beat a day at a cross country invitational. Hundreds of teams gather, lots of colorful uniforms, it's just incredible. I can't even describe how much I loved it and miss it! I still try to make it (as a spectator) to the McQuaid Invitational which is one of the largest XC invitationals on the East coast and is held right here in Rochester, ~3 miles from my front door!


I am in all 3 of those photos above - can you spot my high school-aged counterpart? If you do, you win a hug!

I think that being on a tri team that is so close is very reminiscent of being on a high school XC team. We don't compete together for a team score but the dynamic is very very similar (with WAY less drama I might add).

Fall also reminds me of marching band. Yes, I was in band. I played the flute. That's all I'm going to say about that.

Just a few things about the Syracuse course which I rode again on Sunday morning with my teammate Ken. I really don't hate the beginning of the course. Yes it's a lot of uphill and it's slow-going, but I actually LIKE climbing up Sweet Rd. It's not THAT steep so I can just spin up it. It takes a while but really, not horrible. I like riding past Deryuter Lake. I think it's pretty and there's the cool elephant to gaze upon! What I don't like is the wind! Both times I have ridden the course the wind was brutal. The middle section has a ridiculous headwind and it's very frustrating. Ken dropped me because he had tempo sections to do and I just kept falling farther behind because the wind was killing my motivation.

I stopped along the way to take a picture of the M-Dot which was mowed into the side of a ski mountain! Ken was diligently doing his tempo - I was riding along at 15 mph sightseeing.. oh well. My drive to train well, do any tempo blocks, work hard - it's just GONE.

Also, I had a bit of an "incident" while riding. I had to pee the entire ride. I drove from Rochester to Syracuse at 6 am in order to ride at 8 am. We parked outside the park so there was no bathroom break before starting the ride! I was doing ok with holding it until I hit the oil/chipped section in the last 10 miles of the course; this just rattled my bladder too much! I decided I had to stop and pee before I peed my pants (totally legit during a race, not cool during training). I saw a good spot where I could crawl into the woods for privacy so I hit the brakes, went to unclip, failed to unclip, and tipped over... oh my. That hasn't happened since I learned to ride with clipless pedals. I was alone and no one saw it, but then I told Ken, and Kim, and Adam.. and now everyone knows that I'm an idiot. I bent my brake lever but the bike shop fixed it for me!

I have driven to Syracuse so many times in the past 6 weeks that I think my car could drive there on auto-pilot! My gas tank certainly likes the attention (although my wallet does not), and I like watching the green light say "EZ PASS GO" when I go through the EZ Pass lane because that's how easily amused I am.

There may or may not be a reason that I have been driving to Syracuse so much. :)

I am hoping this week goes by quickly!

the post that goes nowhere

My plug for today: my creepy blog friend Jon over @ SwiCycloRun requested an email interview from ME about my IMLP experience, as well as other points in my triathlon "career." As a relative newcomer to the sport (been multi-sporting since 2007) and eager to self-promote, I happily complied. You can read the interview here.

Shameless plug over.

I am starving. Do you ever have that feeling where you eat, and eat, and eat, and eat, and EAT, and are NEVER full? That is me right now.

I got a little tipsy last night. Yes, it was a Tuesday night. That is all I will say about that. Don't judge me.

Today is one of those days where my goal is to simply make it through in one piece. I am tired, hungry, and really, really tired. Like, I may fall asleep while swimming laps later. That is how tired I am! I will go to bed early tonight!

Life is boring with no Ironman training stories!

It is official - I am riding the Syracuse 70.3 bike course on Saturday. I promise a full report of the course sometime shortly after. Rumor has it that there is a giant elephant statue along the course. I'm pretty excited to witness this! It may even top the Jesus statue that you see if you ride around Canandaigua Lake.

Summer is almost over, which means fall is almost here! Fall is my absolute favorite season. It always sparks my nostalgia over things such as running high school XC and late season horse shows. Fall is the PERFECT time to train for a marathon. The air is crisp, the leaves are turning, and you can actually run without losing 10 lbs of sweat. School is starting back up again (although I am not currently going to school). Hoodies and jeans are back in the wardrobe.

I can't wait. :)