USA Marathon National Championship Race - Firecracker 50

4th in the USA National Marathon Championship Race in Breckenridge! Who knew I could race a marathon race???

It was a great race. The communication from the Firecracker 50 promoter to the athletes was ideal. Of all races I have attended this year, this one ran the smoothest by far. The course was better marked than any course, it was easy to pre-ride and everything was clear to the racers. They gave us a book with all the details, great course maps, turn by turn course descriptions with mile markers, aid station locations, a town map, start times and more. There were no last minute changes, the aid stations were awesome with full water bottles, Gatorade bottles and gels. They were well staffed and well run. (I never count on neutral support because it just never works, but this you could count on.) Basically everything was perfect, I highly recommend this race! The race was capped at 750 entries, teams counted as one entry, so keep that in mind as it did fill up. It seems the promoter really listens to the racers and aims to put on a perfect event; the general communication, preparation and execution were amazing.

The race started with a neutral start through Breckenridge as part of the July 4th parade. The start was ideal, pro women lined up behind pro men and we started together. My race was almost perfect, I started 10th of 20 and moved up the entire race passing defending champ Sari Anderson on the first climb, Rebecca Rush ~ 2/3rds of the way through the first lap and a couple other girls in there somewhere. I finished the first 25-mile lap 30-seconds behind Heather Holmes and 60-seconds behind Amanda. With such a long climb to start the second lap I was able to watch Heather catch and pass Amanda then start to gap her, I passed both of them by the top of the climb which put me in 4th. Rebecca was able to get by Amanda who then got a slow leak which slowed her down a bit, luckily she was able to get spare wheel in the next aid station. I reeled Gretchen Reeves in by the third aid station then it was a race to the finish line for 3rd. Gretchen won this race in 2005 and 2006 and placed 2nd last year.

For the final ~20 minutes we were testing each other, but not going all that hard, I kept waiting for it to turn into a XC race, but wasn't sure how my legs would like it. For the entire 2nd lap I had power in my legs but battled leg cramps, at times they would completely lock up. Gretchen got into the last singletrack first. I thought there would be passing opportunities but she was really good at blocking the entire way, so it came down to a finish line sprint. I lost the sprint for 3rd, well I never really started the sprint. I stood up to sprint and my legs locked up with full-on leg cramps. I am sure the cramps were just because I don't spend anywhere close to 4.5 hours on my bike. Even though I had leg cramps the entire second lap my power never faded, which I found really odd so I just kept going.

I am happy with these results in my first ever Marathon race, but to be out of the money by a bike length is quite a way to finish such a long race.

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Todd and I had a great time hanging out after the race visiting with everyone, we stayed till at least 7:00pm and there was still a huge crowd in the park when we left. This race had a great festival feel to it.

More info and pictures at MTBracenews.com

IRMIGER Heather 4:06:10.9

SAWICKI Pua 4:22:21.3

REEVES Gretchen 4:27:45.7

PARK Krista 4:27:47.1

HOLMES Heather 4:32:46.3

RUSCH Rebecca 4:36:06.3

CAREY Amanda 4:41:48.8

BONIFACE Kelly 4:42:51.1

MCCONNELOUG Mary 4:48:56.5

DOMBROSKI Amy 4:51:03.2

HORANYI Eszter 4:54:32.9

LOONEY Sonya 4:59:20.2

TUEL Caitlyn 5:06:28.9

TILLEY Jennifer 5:11:04.4

DAMMAN Jill 5:37:28.2

5 DNFs

Wedding Pics

My Family

left to right: Trey, Dana, Ira, Josh, Mom, Dad, Mikah, new sister-in-law Casey, Erika, brother-in-law Dusty, Aubrey, Jer, me (note the sock tan), my husband Todd, Dree. This was the "married family only" pic, it is missing Dree's long time boyfriend Josh and Dana's girlfriend Julie.

Casey and Mikah

Mikah and Buddies

Todd, Dana, Julie, Josh, Dad, Erika and far right, Grandma.

Sisters

(Some) Brothers

Jer and Dad adding finishing touches to Jer's wedding gift to Mikah and Casey.

Jer and Dad are the car guys of the family and Jer is the most artistic one, the carvings on the top of the box were pretty impressive.

See the red Nissan Pathfinder in the background? That was my car when I was 16. When we moved into the motorhome I gave it to Dad, it now has ~280k miles on it and runs really well (thanks to Dad fixing it up). With all these kids, my parent's driveway looks like a used car lot. Dad keeps his hotrod and vet in the garage and there are 6+ car in the driveway.

I saw my entire (huge) family in one week and most of Todd's.

Quick update (I'll add pictures later. Yes, I did wear a dress to the wedding I'm sure they are on facebook by now...):
Monday - Colorado Springs ride, Todd left to pick up my brother Jer in Denver and hit the road in the VW to TN. I drove the house to Alamosa
Tuesday - drove to Durango, hung out at Grandma's with Grandma and my full-timing Aunt and Uncle, rode around Vallecito Lake
Wednesday - rode up Middle Mountain Road to 11k feet, threw all four dresses I own in a bag with bike clothes, took pets to vet and kennel, stopped by walmart to buy luggage, drove Grandma to Albuquerque.
Thursday - flew with Grandma to Knoxville, TN, attended my brother Mikah's rehearsal dinner, hung out with my family.
Friday - rode Mikah's road bike in Oak Ridge, TN, had a blast at Mikah's and Casey's wedding.
Saturday - rode in 90+ degree heat and humidity, stood in front of the 7-11 fridge trying to cool off an hour into the ride, hung out with family some more, celebrated Father's Day.
Sunday - flew back to ABQ, met up with Todd's Dad, step-Mom and two of his brothers and families to watch Todd's brother Jason race in a SCCA autocross race, rode in 90 degree heat with no humidity, huge difference, no problem.
Monday - after Grandma's Dr. appointment drove back to Durango. Fit a bike, two labs that don't get along, a kitty and Grandma in the 2 door Nissan Frontier. Arrived back at Grandma's cabin where my Aunt and Uncle, cousins Mitch and Mona and families were there with their motorhome, 5th wheel, and truck camper respectively.

I was at all times confused about which town I was in (I am used to changing towns every week not every day). Having a bike stashed in ABQ, Durango and borrowing one in TN worked out well for trying to get short rides in. I loved seeing everyone!

Teva Games and Colorado Springs

I raced my sister Erika Powers in the last two races which was fun. She usually races the Intermountain Cup Series in Utah.

Erika

I placed 12th in the Teva games, which I was fine with, and 18th in the Colorado Springs race which I am not at all happy about. This was my first trip to the Teva games and it was pretty cool. We could watch climbing, kayaking and dog jumping right there in the venue; but I'm not sure if anyone even knew there was a bike race going on since it took place on the outskirts of the village. Todd and I stayed in Breckenridge because there is no place for the motorhome in Vail. I LOVE the Frisco/Breckenridge area! There are bike paths and trails everywhere; there is even a paved bike path that goes all the way to Vail (I heard it goes on to Glenwood Springs).

My very poor attempt at taking a picture of a kayaker

The Teva games XC course was a pretty typical ski hill course with lots of fire road climbing. The downhill was the best part of the course but didn't seem to last long enough which was both good and bad; if you were behind a slow descender you didn't have to wait long before it opened up so you could pass.

The Colorado Springs course just was the opposite. It was a really fun course, all single track (albeit wider at the bottom) with lots of rock gardens and techy sections. This made it difficult to pass if there was a line of people in front of you. I spent more time trackstanding in the race than all the races I've ever done combined; great practice for my skills clinics but horrible for a National race. Allison did a good write up of how it felt on the course and the confusion at the start.

To make things worse, they came up with the craziest start scenario I've ever seen. In an attempt to spread things out for the pros and to meet UCI regulations, they lined us up facing backwards at the Start/Finish, “paraded” us over to a remote start, which funneled us through a narrow opening in the gates and ultimately had us lined up in the opposite direction, completely reshuffled. It was here that they let us know we’d be doing one lap fewer than originally posted, and that we’d be doing a much shorter parade lap than stated on the course description. Instead, they sent us up a twisty paved road with gates up the middle (effectively a yellow-line rule), had us do a tight U-turn, sent us back down on the other side of the same road, then through the original start/finish and into the single track. Quite a few of us in the second half of the field had to put a foot down and wait at the U-turn.

By doing this, they not only failed to spread the field out, they also violated UCI regulations by changing the course within 24 hours of the race start and by shortening the race to less than an hour and forty five minutes average; not to mention refusing to have a manager’s meeting the day before, another UCI regulation. Oh well. My legs didn't feel all that fast anyway, but I was moving up the entire race and could have used another lap.

The best part of traveling is meeting new and old friends. Thank you Jeff and Cammie Kennedy for all the help while we were here, course info, road workout routes, coffee shop, tour of downtown and BBQ!

Next up I’m headed to Durango to see family, then driving to Albuquerque where I’ll catch a plane to TN for my brother's wedding (I need to get rid of this farmer's tan!), then back to Breckenridge for the Firecracker 50; this will be my first marathon race and I have no idea what to expect.

NM Clinics

In May I held a race clinic, a beginner women's only clinic, an intermediate women's only clinic, a co-ed intermediate clinic, attended a kid's race camp and talked at an elementary school. I had a great time! Here are some pictures:
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Acequia Madre elementary school 6th grade class:

The kid's LOVED my bike and asked good questions. Every single one of them had to hold my bike and say how light it was. See how everyone in the front row is touching the bike? They couldn't stay away from it. One kid asked why I had so many things by Specialized (helmet, shoes, gloves, frame). I prepared to tell him how I liked their products, how well they are made, etc. but another boy spoke up and said "because they sponsor her", these kids are smart. Truth is I have the products I have because they are the best, same with every part on my bike this year and I am still so very excited about that.

Another child asked if Magura forks are better than Fox forks (someone in his family must ride). I told him how much I liked the low weight, function and reliability of my Magura fork and how I really like the people who work at Magura. He was actually interested. I didn't expect these questions from 6th graders.

I was supposed to wrap up by 2:00 as the kid's had an ice cream social scheduled then, but they kept asking questions; I couldn't believe they would rather talk about cycling than eat ice cream. When the teacher mentioned again that it was time to go for ice cream it was as if no one heard! I received great feedback from parents and look forward to doing it again.

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The spread at the May 15th Bike N' Sport Women's Clinic:

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May 19th Pedal Queens (Intermediate) clinic:

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Active Knowledge School Series Team Camp:

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Brothers Hugh and Owen:

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During one clinic I told Owen he probably shouldn't try one of the steeper downhill switchbacks because I didn't want him to get hurt. He said, "oh, it's okay, I signed the waiver".

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The best clinic Thank You ever:

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Santa Fe Ride Pictures

I am packing up and getting ready to leave Santa Fe. Here are pictures from our last ride. Thanks to all our new friends at sf-mtb.ning.com for the ride and pictures. There really wasn't a lot of water, but those were the good photo/stopping spots.

Training in Santa Fe, NM

I am now hanging out with Todd's family in Santa Fe, NM. Todd is working somewhere in the Northeast, Connecticut then Maryland.

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Connecticut

He made some new friends who gave him lessons in downhill/free-ride, his Vassago wasn't cutting it so he has been borrowing a big travel bike. Something about a 4' drop, forgot to pull up and crashed the first time but made it on the second attempt... I need pictures, or better yet a video.

edit: here is one of Javier

I have been watching races, riding new areas and doing clinics. The following includes a ride review of sorts for the Santa Fe area.

The first thing I did when I hit town was hang out with Tina and watch Henry and Little Henry race the La Tierra Torture. After the race I rode the trails and had a blast, no big climbs, just fast trails. If you head out there bring a gps file, the trails are not signed.

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Little Henry racing what I believe is his first MTB race, finished 3rd in Cat 2 Jr!

Henry

Henry is the one responsible for getting Todd into mountain biking and has been kicking our butts for years. Although he doesn't seem to ride much any more, he still has it. At 65 he finished 3rd of 17 Cat2 50+ (18 seconds out of 2nd, 2 minutes off 1st; both of which are 15 years younger).

Little Henry, me, Henry post race

I also watched an Active Knowledge race in the mountains east of Albuquerque. Active Knowledge has a race program aimed at school-age racers, but membership is open to adults as well. It was great to see the kids out racing in a very relaxed, positive setting. Having the adults involved is something different from the NorCal/SoCal high school program and is especially great for adult beginner riders and families with kids. The racers really looked out for each other. One racer stopped to tell us that another racer wasn't feeling very well, a volunteer rode out to help and found that she was still wearing her jacket (it was warm out); it is all about teaching and encouragement.

After the Active Knowledge race I rode the Otero Canyon trails east of Albuquerque. I had skipped these before because I didn't realize how much trail was out there, there are more trails than appear on the maps. I got in a 3 hour ride without much trail overlap and there were still some off-shoots I didn't take. As long as you pay attention to which canyon you are in you can't get lost. It has just enough technical to make things interesting, but wasn't too techy to ride alone on a hardtail.

Dale Ball trails in Santa Fe are still my favorite, they are split into three sections (North, Central and South). The signage is the best I have ever seen, a full map at each intersection (see link) with a number on the post to show you where you are on the trail, there is no need to carry a map. I ride from the "house" and typically ride the North and Central sections. The ski hill (paved) road runs between the two sections and trails like Windsor are accessible from further up the ski hill road.

Since we are in a great location most of my rides leave from the "house". The Santa Fe 2009 Bikeways & Trail Map is great for getting around town, I rode a 50 mile circle around Santa Fe without any issues by following the map. There are also some good routes heading out of town with only a few lights, the Santa Fe Century covers most of these routes. My usual road ride is out-and-back from Santa Fe to Galisteo via Hwy 285. I also hit Tramway in Albuquerque (parked at the Sandia Casino at 1-25 and Tramway and lost $30, don't tell Todd). I saw more cyclists than I have ever seen on one stretch of road for a typical weekday afternoon. I was doing all the passing and feeling pretty good about myself, then was passed rather quickly by a friendly Geoff Kabush; he flew up the hill passing everyone like they were sitting still. Oh well.

Santa Fe Century

Today Henry and I rode two blocks from the "house" to the start of the Santa Fe Century, we did the 50 mile version that included some dirt road. The start and finish were the same as the full century but a dirt road cut the loop in half. There were also 25, 50 and 75 mile out-and-back routes that started backwards on the course. This was very smart as it split the field in two and sent riders in different directions, there were so many riders that had we all gone in the same direction, even with separate start times, it would have been crazy. It was so cool to be out with cyclists everywhere. I heard there were over 2000 riders expected.

Singlespeeds, a Treatment for Cancer?

The best part of racing and traveling full-time is meeting new people. Sometimes we meet cyclists who have overcome a lot, for them riding and racing is a true accomplishment (Grace for example).

Last September I met Jay at a Santa Fe, NM trailhead, he was friendly and gave me local riding info. As I got to know Jay a little more I learned his inspirational story. I ran into Jay again last week, he is as happy and positive as anyone I know.

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4/26/09

Here is part of Jay's story (5/03/09):
"Almost exactly one year ago to the day my wife, Sarah, admitted me into the local hospital in Santa Fe. I was 80 pounds lighter and cancer had taken all but my determination. The docs had pretty much given up on me - but I had other ideas. Frankly, I don't remember much about the three week hospital stay but I prevailed and have stymied my doctors even though I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer - mets in the liver, lungs, and lymphs. I had three major surgeries last year including a colon resection and a small intestinal bypass (tumors had totally blocked both my small and large intestines). Today I have regained over 50 pounds and though my chemo treatments will likely continue for a long time, I am extremely active... and in need of a cure.
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I rode 17 miles of high-country singletrack including 18 cold, hub-deep stream crossings along with 2,800 feet of gain (the Winsor Trail) [see picture above]. I now ride a singlespeed which my wife bought me this year for Valentine's Day. Every other week I ride with a chemo pump in my rear jersey pocket, ignoring the pleas of the nurses who treat me. I ride 4 - 5 times a week. BTW, I am now 50 years young... Lance might be impressed.
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I tell you this because miracles really do happen. The last year of my life was, in an ironic way, the best year of my life. I was granted a reprieve and I grabbed it and held on. Cancer changed me in a very positive way and riding has been an integral part of my recovery."

Jay also has an online site GeoManGear which sells GPS Units, Lights, Helmet Cams, First Aid Kits, etc.

Reviews: Bike Rack, Brakes, Grips.

Raxter Bike Rack:

Old non-Raxter hitchmount 4-bike rack problems:

1) It held bikes by frame - with three carbon bikes, I didn't use the rack any more and loaded all bikes inside the van or coach.
2) Once all bikes were loaded on the rack, it was a pain to unload all the bikes if I wanted to ride the first one I put on.
3) It was a puzzle to actually get 4 bikes on the rack without having to loosen and turn the bars. Towels were needed to keep the bikes from scratching each other.

New Rack Solution:

1) Holds bikes by the wheels
2) Easy on/off of individual bikes.
3) Allows for bkes to be shifted around so bars don't interfear with each other. 29rs, downhill, road, and MTBs all fit easily (witout any towels).
4) It is quick to assemble, I think it took us longer to figure out where to put the sticker than to assemble the rack (had we read the directions this too would have been a quick task).
5) The swing up version is great for stowing it (see picture) and takes just one second.
6) Mix and Match to get a personal rack. We have an extra hitch piece so the swing up 4-bike rack can be turned into two 2-bike racks. This is what you call versatile! Usually Todd and I are together and share the van and bike rack, we then need the 4-bike rack. However, this month we are each in different places. Todd took the van with a 2-bike swing-up rack and I have a 2-bike non-swing up rack. It takes only a few minutes to swap back and forth.
7) Support from Raxter is by far better than any other brand I have found.
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Magura Mag SL and SL Brakes: I love the way these brakes work, everything is quickly adjustable which makes it easy to swap wheels. The lever is easily adjustable and when the reach is adjusted in, it doesn't then pull in so far as to hit the grip. The brakes are powerful, solid, and have a great feel to them. I haven't had to bleed the brakes (any of the three sets), just cut the cable, don't let the fluid flow out, put it back together and it works perfectly, so easy, good directions. I have never had brakes whose cables I can cut (as often as I want) and turn around and race it, no bleeding required and without worrying about the cables pulling out. It is awesome to have that much confidence in a set of brakes. Again, the absolute best support of any brake/fork manufacturer I have ever used. (I'll review the forks in the next review post I do).
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Ergon Grips and Carbon Bar Ends: These are my favorite grips and bar ends for both looks and comfort. I did run non-Ergon light foam grips and the lightest bar ends trying to save every last gram. Bottom line: for total of 88 grams more I can run some bling and be more comfortable . At this time I won't go back on the bar ends, I think I am faster with these. I thought I would get used to the non-Ergon super light ones, instead I found I wasn't using them simply because I didn't care for the shape/feel (so what was the point of having them?).

Heat Exhaustion Recovery Week & US West Cup #5

Monday - Felt horrible didn't do anything.
Tuesday - Had to move the "house" to Los Olivos, CA. Got sick when I went outside to put water bottles away, was worthless, especially outside (in the sun or heat). Todd created the video which got ~400 blog hits.
Wednesday - AM: Started to worry that I would never recover from the heat exhaustion episode. PM: The temperature dropped, I tried a one hour road ride with Todd and felt great, still a headache, but no dizziness or nausea and legs felt great.
Thursday - Felt good, visited Pedal Power to work on the bike (best shop in the area!!!), put on new Red and White Magura Mag Brakes and White Ergon Grips & Bar Ends. (pictures and review in next post)
Friday - Pre-rode the course once.
Saturday - Felt good, first day without a headache, washed all the cow poo off the bike and got ready to race, although still worried that I would have to pull out.
Sunday - Raced, felt good. All the plans to get enough hydration, calories and electrolytes went out the window when I only finished a half bottle on the first lap and my 2nd lap bottle (with gel) bounced out right after the feedzone and I didn't notice. Chad told Todd who freaked out and forgot to feed Joy (again).

When I went for a drink and realized what had happened, I thought, "no way, you have to be kidding" I was not going to repeat last weekend and just slowed up a bit. At the top of the first climb I was hot, I had goosebumps and decided to quit. I found a couple swallows in a discarded Gatorade bottle nearby and after ~ 30 seconds I had cooled off, felt good and realized I had only lost one spot so decided to keep going. It worked out well I got that spot back and finished in 4th ~ 2:13, ~5 minutes off Amanda (1st). Amanda had a great race!

US West Cup #5 Podium: left to right: Krista, Kathy, Amanda, Allison, Natasha

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I was very happy after the race because I knew I had recovered, I was able to race and even race without enough water. I am sure the only reason I was able to race and race well today was because of the ice bath I got at the Sea Otter finish line. The doctors told me that the ice shoved in my jersey and dumped all over me got my core body temperature down quickly enough that it didn't do much damage. The Dr.s base this on the heatstroke symptoms I was getting followed by the blood test results which showed no organ damage. So if someone has heat exhaustion or heatstroke symptoms, get the core body temp down ASAP.

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The cross over from heat exhaustion to heat stoke seems to be the internal damage.

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heat exhaustion symptoms

heavy sweating

dizziness

nausea

pale, clammy skin

sometimes vomiting

sometimes headache

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heatstroke symptoms

very high body temperature (above 103degrees by mouth)

red, hot, dry skin (no sweating)

rapid, strong pulse

throbbing headache

dizziness

nausea

confusion

unconsciousness