[GW] Porkchop Challenge Race Report

[Mark Alexander]

Always a pleasure Sara.  Thanks a la report!  MarkA

--- Sara Brokaw <sara_brokaw at lycos.com> wrote:


---------------------------------
Sara Brokaw
C race
30 min
13/35 overall
First Women (CX3,4)

After inability to do cross races last year due to a
foot injury (practiced too much), I was determined to
do cross this year (not practicing too much) since
everyone seems to say how much fun it is.  Decided on
the C race since I've not done a cross race
before..unsure how I would actually go over the
barriers when maxed out.

The course was great.. start throught a bumpy twisty
section through trees, big wide open downhill onto a
paved section, followed a gravel section slightly
uphill into a double barrier section...descent into a
false flat, sharp uphill turn, down again into a turn,
climb a longer hill, around in a sort of flat twisty
section followed by a big ring downhill...into a
velodrome-like banked turn (fun rolling though this
one with momentum) followed by the evil double barrier
section (EDBS) on an uphill into the s/f.

Lined up at the start in a nice pack with Gophers
Gordy and Cody (Jr).  Handfull of women (1 bella, 2
BW, 2 UAT, 1 AUC).  Wanted a good start to take
advantage of the draft, and this worked until I
encountered the EDBS the first time..DanW must have
noticed my hesitation & yelled after I got over them,
"you're much faster on the bike..get on the bike as
soon as you can.."    Beginning of the second lap,
Gordy roars by (as much as one can "roar by" in a x
race) on the wheel of another guy on his way to a
THIRD place (first race, just got the bike, so this is
a super result!).  A few more go by.  Next time around
I look back when the course overlaps to see where the
women are.  Notice
Birchwood-with-the-gopher-connection (BWGC) is coming
on.  Hmmmm....  Pound the next uphill & focus on
keeping pressure on.  BWGC is gaining each time up the
EDBS section ond on the uphills.  Hmm...  Maybe 5-15
sec gap crit time (hard to really tell) Finally figure
I need to pound the downhil! ls & flats since my power
seems to be coming from there, just holding a hard
tempo on the uphills going as fast as I can.  Think
with 3 to go, two guys come up so I focus on trying to
use the draft to pull away from BWGC.  Get a nice
draft on one on a descent onto pavement before the
flat double barrier section...  gap to BWGC has opened
up a bit.  I think at the end of the second lap, I
pretty much stop on the EDBS looking at the barriers,
and step over them, running again to the top of the
hill.  

Held BWGC off for first, but nice competitive group in
the Women's C race.

Points of interest..drafting at the start helped to
open up the gap..it does matter.
DanW was right, I should've gotten back on the bike
after the EDBS, as I was told after the race I looked
like I was in great pain on the run post-barrier.  
Interesting to see how the oxygen-deprived brain
handles encountering barriers...  practicing barriers
at a recovery pace is helpful, but does not compeltely
prepare for the o2-deprivation impact on processing.

Looking forward to Hudson next weekend!
Thanks for reading.
Sara> _______________________________________________
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