FSC #4 Alafia

I do believe my racing has come full circle, only things are much different now!!! Back in 2006 at Alafia, I was un-defeated against the boys.  But this year...we all know that's not the case.

  

I have been racing for 8 years now, but it's been a long time since I actually raced (if that makes sense).  Last year, the top 4 women racers were so much faster than me, I was left behind.  So, I kinda went at my own pace and as long as no one passed me, I was fine with that.  But now, I knew if I wanted to get faster for Nationals, I couldn't settle.

 

So...I had a couple goals going into the race.  Get a good start, keep racing, don't settle in, and keep the heart rate up. 

    

 And wow, the race went just how I had hoped.  I had a pretty good start.  With the exception of the 2 leading boys, I was able to keep up with the rest during North Creek. -Oh... and I lost my water bottle at the beginning of the race, so I had to do the entire first lap with nothing to drink- Anyway after North Creek, the group broke up again.  Two more pulled away, but I still had 2 racers to chase.  I do think the training is paying off because I was actually able to hang with them. ....Until the 2nd lap when a couple guys from a different class passed me, the boys ended up pulling away from me.  Still going at good speed and keeping my heart rate up, I continued on. And to my surprise, I was passed by a boy on Bridges, and ended up placing 8th again.

 

 I pushed myself, never settled, raced the entire time, and couldn't be happier with my results. Some may think that I'm disappointed that I didn't get a podium finish, but trust me, I'm not.  Those boys are so much stronger than me- I mean come on, I weigh 76 lbs- so, the fact that I can even hang with them for a short while, well...I'm good with that!!!   And just to give you an idea of how crazy fast the J3 class is, here's the times compared to W CAT 1-3.  Granted,   I know CAT 1 & 2 race 3 laps, but still...

 

 

 

 

FSC #3 HARDROCK

So, after my 4th place finish at Nationals, I got to thinking.  I no longer cared about Florida State titles, I wanted to be a National Champion.  And was determined not to let the fact that I live in Florida hold me back.

I knew that I had to step up my training or I would fall even farther behind.  Changes were made to my race schedule (less Florida races and more GA/AL races). More climbing experience is a must, those girls out West crushed me.  I have also decided to race with the 11-14 juniors (all boys).  I was originally going to race CAT 2 women, but with the helpful advice of Mr. Mace, I changed my mind.  He made me realize that the extra distance would not help me at Nationals.  The junior boys are actually faster than most CAT 2 women anyway.  So..."boy chasing" was decided, with a very slim chance of ever getting on the podium.

Now what stinks is trying to balance school work and training.  And man has that been extremely challenging.  I'm in all advanced classes this year, with about 2-3 hours of homework each night (even on weekends). But...so far-thank goodness- I'm making it work.  I have straight A's, have never missed a workout, and even manage to squeeze in some time to hang out with my friends- skateboarding and jumping ramps on my BMX bike.  I feel stronger, power is increasing, and I'm getting some defined muscles in my arms and abs from the core/full body workouts.

Finally... on to the race report.  I will make it short since I've been rambling on.  The course at Hardrock MX was AWESOME!!!  Many of the racers complained about the drops and climbs, not me, I loved them.  I hope they open the course year round for bikers, so I can go back and play around.

The race started with a steep climb, I managed to position myself in the middle of the pact.

photo by: Christie Burnett

          And then, nothing really exciting to report.  I keep at good pace going down all the drops and making all the climbs.  Nobody passed me, and yes according to my heart rate monitor, I did slow it down during the last 15 minutes of the course.  Hey, I was tired and boy chasing was wearing me out. (Not sure I like wearing the heart rate monitor, it's like a little spy camera, ha ha.)  Anyway, I ended up finishing 8th out of 16.   Had lots of fun and happy to be racing kids my own age again (even if I have to eat their dust).

Thanks Coach Drew for helping me get stronger and preparing me for the race with your custom training plan.      

photo by: Nancy Cyman-Bregg




 

photo by: Christie Burnett