Learning to Suffer

My formal training program is now entering its fourth month. In those four short months, I've lost 23 pounds, added considerable muscle, and conditioned my heart and lungs for some hard efforts on the bike. It's a good thing too, because our first NORBA mountain bike race of the year at St. Joe's State Park required everything a rider had just to finish. The course was up and down for 8 miles and it was full of every bit of terrain you wanted: rocks, roots, climbs, descents, flats, creeks, and mud...in good quantities.

Weather wise, we couldn't have ordered a more perfect day. Warm, sunny, and breezy. The high for the day was somewhere in the high 70's (record-nearing for March 2) but the morning was a little cool. I decided to wear shorts, a s/s jersey, a sleeveless baselayer, and a l/s under armour baselayer. Bad choice on the l/s baselayer. I was perfect for about 20 minutes and then I was a little warm during the climbs. Should have gone with the arm warmers, but being a cold weather sissy, I made the wrong decision. Lesson learned.

In the Sport class, we ended up with 21 racers. As we were called to the line, I took my spot on the front row towards the left and after the roll call we were racing. The uphill start on the paved road was nice, but just as soon as you entered the trail, you were met with two muddy areas. After that the course alternated between great surfaces and muddy bogs. As we sprinted into the race, I was 4th behind two guys from Peoria, and Zak Hafner, my ICCC teammate. Drew Black from Mesa was riding behind me. My heart was beating hard and I was focusing on the starting sections and keeping on the wheel ahead of me. As a part of my warm-ups, I rode the first 1-1 1/2 miles of the course, so I knew what to expect. Unfortunately, coming into one of the muddy right handers, I carried too much speed and washed out in the corner, and just like that a small handful of riders got around my wheel. I was now trying to get back into tempo and stay within sight of the riders as we twisted through the climbs.

Around mile 4, I was settling into my tempo along with a couple of other riders as we hammered through the flat parts of the course. I was just thinking this is the pace that I could ride the remainder of the race and I may be able to pick up some pace on the leaders. Just about that time I was preparing to roll through a double log crossing when I misjudged the distance to the second log and sent myself cartwheeling across the trail. I lay there for a second sort of disoriented, but knowing I had to get up and get rolling. I think I muttered something to the guys behind me that I was fine and quickly checked the bike and began rolling again. I remember feeling like my left leg and back seemed to take the brunt of the impact. As I continued racing, my body confirmed my memory as my back tightened with each pedal stroke and my leg felt as though it was been smacked with a hammer.

As we began climbing, I was passed by a few of the singlespeed guys who were flying. They really had no choice, but I wouldn't have 1-geared that course if you paid me. That was my only cheerful thought of the day. (At least I'm not dealing with the pain of one gear on this course!) I slogged through the uphills and the mud. Most of the mud was laying in the transitions between hills or at the start of the climbs, which really made gearing critical for the day.

As I completed the off-road part of my first lap, I began rolling down the paved road towards the start finish. I was taking inventory of my body thinking my back is killing me, my left thigh hurts like heck, and I'm hot. Maybe this isn't my day and I should just bag it. As I rolled through the starting line, I headed out for my next lap and caught another rider. I got around him and then I was solo again with some time to pray. I prayed to God and asked him to give me the strength to finish. I looked down to my top tube and was immediately focused. "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek His face always." I knew I needed to keep pedaling, for God is my strength and He powered me through the day.

I was actually feeling a little better as I slogged through the course. Team Seagal's finest, Casey Ryback (Matt G) rolled up on me and we chatted for a moment as we crossed into the downhill sections of the course. I let him around me as he was singlespeeding, riding a little stronger overall, and looking for more wrists to snap. I started my creek crossing sections and again lost my focus and balled it up going around a tree and jamming my left thumb. The same thumb I messed up over a month ago. Now, I'm dealing with a tight lower back, bruised left leg, and a gimped up thumb. (A little repayment for avoid last week's carnage, perhaps??)

In my mind I was thinking, okay you lost the fast guys at the start, but you've also held off anyone else from passing you, so perhaps everyone is suffering like mad in this race. About that time, I caught a glimpse of my teammate, Zak up ahead. He was rolling through a muddy section, so I really couldn't tell he had been beaten by the course just yet. As I rolled onto his wheel, I talked with him a little and could tell he was physically worn out. I encouraged him and told him to get on my wheel for the climb. As I rolled to the top of the climb, I looked back to see him only half way up. I couldn't wait for him, so I kept marching forward.

The course was tricky because just when you thought you were done climbing, you were served with another upward tilt of the terrain. I attacked my last uphill and started to feel a lot better than I gutted it out. I cracked onto the final stretch of pavement and looked back to see no one within sight and sped for home. I was NEVER so pleased to cross a line as I was in this race. At the end, I was 14 minutes off the winning time and 8th place out of 21 riders. I'll take that for my debut into the Sport class. Congratulations to my friend, Drew Black, who held on for 2nd place. Well done, Drew. Back to back weeks of 2nd place. Your riding strong already.

I rolled to the car while thanking God for looking after me during another race. I know I mentioned how much more physically fit I am this year, but I have to say I feel more spiritually fit this year, too. I'm immensely thankful for the blessings God has given me and my family. He doesn't owe me anything, but yet day by day I'm amazed at how much He wants to give me and all He wants in return is my love and devotion. AWESOME.

I talked with my coach, Andy, last night and I told him this race helped me in two ways. One it let me know I still have to work very hard, but that I also learned to suffer. Learned to not quit, to deal with setbacks, and to build mental toughness. To take a quote from Ned Overend's book, "Mountain Bike Like a Champion," Attitude is Everything. "Finish each race. Otherwise, you shouldn't bother to go through all the preparation, travel, and expense. Lots of riders quit because they get too far behind the leaders or because the people whom they think they should be beating are beating them. So what? Keep riding. Even if I bonk and have to lie down beside the trail, I get up and finish."