"Au revoir, gopher!"

We can all thank our little furry friends, Thomomys (otherwise known as the North American pocket gopher), for our trips to the chiropractor following El Dorado! I am pretty certain most people will agree that this course was one of the most bone jarring in recent memory. It certainly gives Hanson Dam a run for its money in terms of bumpiness. Bumps aside, the race itself was mediocre for me.

The one thing Dave and I really focused on during the off season were my starts or lack thereof. I can say with confidence that I have pretty much nailed them down and usually can get off the line pretty close to first. My ability to maintain that position---well, that's an entirely different story, one that frustrates me to no end! So, here we go.

The massive women's field lined up at the start looking down a long paved straight. I squeezed my way to the front with everyone else since there were for some reason, no call-ups. The start was messy again, elbows, f-bombs, and flies were dropping furiously as we all raced down the straight dodging the massive bumps caused by tree roots uplifting the pavement. We flew into the sweeping first turn before launching into a blanket of pine duff and into the first set of barriers. I was not "on" today. I got myself stuck in traffic and couldn't really break out. Oh well. It's racing and the best thing to do is keep racing. I managed to stay near the front group for awhile but was quickly dropped and was chasing AGAIN! I am not sure what's going on but once I lose contact from the lead group, I have a really tough time making up time. It's almost as if my legs turn off and I am spinning in the mud going nowhere. My racing buddy, Carlyn, and I have been asking ourselves frequently this season, "how come we start at the front but always end up in the back?" That being said, Carlyn and I traded places throughout the race and were chastised more than once by her husband for "chit-chatting" and "having a tea-party!" Admittedly, we could talk so we probably weren't working hard enough. As for the tea party, I didn't see any tea and crumpets (did you, Carlyn?). So, as fast as the race began, it ended. I have no excuses for my poor performance except to say, "it just wasn't my day!" Thankfully, Carlyn and I push each other and often encourage each other just at the right time. Better yet, even though we race in the same field, we aren't technically racing against each other for points since we're in different categories--so it's a rivalry based in friendly competition and an effort to get better. Carlyn went on to do another race that day; I went on to enjoy the crazy chaos of Camp Celo.

As we drove home, Dave and I dissected my race and tried to figure out what I need to do to make the leap from mediocre performances to "sizzling" performances. It sounds like the recipe involves more intervals and intensity...