What a field! These cats were super-fast. I was obviously not strong enough for my SS gearing "choice." I was running a 32t-18t ratio. It was great on the flats but murder on the climbs. My 20t cog was welded to my rear wheel after a year of abuse/torque/friction so when I sent it in for warranty, they could only offer an 18t rear cog as a replacement. Lucky me!
I was honored that Lisa Randall invited me to come up to the race with her and Chris for the day. I was originally going to the Ft. Yargo 6 hr but this race sounded more enticing. I've only been racing for 2 years and riding for 3 but to be in a field of such elite racers is quite humbling. All part of the learning process. I did bike well however with good climbing and downhill handling. On some of the climbs I thought my eyes were going to start bleeding though. I was going so fast on some of the downhill that the trail started to blur. Don't know how I rode it clean but I'll take it. All in all, I felt good but could've benefited from the 20t or massively stronger legs and lungs. Next year...
I'm also trying the Paleo Diet for 30 days which means no refined sugars, grains, alcohol. So far, I'm feeling good about it but I have had to tweak my race day nutrition a bit by adding some sweet potatoes here and there. They really do help. Also doing some extra fruit (bananas,raisins) and gels before the race.
The solar eclipse just happened and it has me feeling cosmic and appreciative of our wondrous universe. It makes me feel pretty small and realize that most of my concerns are really trivial. I was amazed at how the quality of light changed and how the crickets began to chirp. Not to mention the crescent-shaped lights on the ground beneath the trees. We had a colander out viewing crescents on the patio because we had no solar glasses. Briefly, a cloud covered the sun and we looked up for a few seconds at the eclipse. Then some neighbors let us borrow their glasses. They are neighbors who for some reason we have never even spoken to, but people realize this is a rare event, so it makes us more human, more kind. This is an amazing time to be alive, with my daughter just turning 1 year old and now this truly inspiring event of nature. One can't help but feel gratitude and a sense of contentment. One of my favorite Carl Sagan quotes: “The surface of the Ea...