Plan "B"

Plan A is defined as "being on my A-game."
I knew as soon as I woke up on race day I wasn't feeling on my A-game.

Normally, I wake up at least once the night before a race in anticipation...and to pee because I have been hydrating like crazy. Normally, I wake up early and immediately start to think about the race. Normally, I have ants in my pants to get to the course, and start warming up. Normally, I would worry that it pissed rain during the night leaving the course treacherous and slick. Normally, I am so nervous I have stomach trouble.

Race day, nothing. I slept like a baby, not waking once throughout the night. In fact, I don't think I moved at all. I woke up 45 minutes LATE and couldn't remember why on earth it was time to get up on a Saturday. I felt like I should be worried about something...but what was it??? It surely wasn't the fact that it rained the night before the race, because I couldn't care less. I didn't even care that a large part of the course would be unrideable. Dragged my butt to the course and actually dozed in the car prior to my race. No jitters, no nerves, no upset stomach...nothing. Started my warmup and felt just OK. My legs hurt, but that is what warming up does...reminds the muscles how to deal with the pain. Then the race starts. Nothing. My legs don't want to move, my brain doesn't want to push my legs to move, and my legs don't care that my brain doesn't care....sigh, NOT Plan A.

Plan B. Party at the lake. Long weekend, roast beast dinner with pie for dessert, roasting marshmallows, beer, and wine. Rocket launching with my young cousins, scavenger hunts, campfire, nature walks,fishing, catching flutter-bys and wheel barrow races. My favorite dog-niece, Kuma, and Kuma's bitch Rosco. The list goes on.

At the race, with 2 out of 7 laps completed, I decided enough was enough and Plan B was a WAY better plan than Plan A. Pre-iritis Sandy would have pushed through the race, on my "Z-game" and worried about it for 3 weeks. Post iritis Sandy decided that the lake would be way more fun, and why push myself if it's just not my day?? For me, this is HUGE. I recently realized I am always taking myself (and racing) way to seriously (news flash to ME ONLY, I know!!) and am constantly worrying about these "off" days as being major signs of defeat. As I learnt this weekend, "there are some defeats more triumphant than victories"(Michel de Montaigne). Case and point. Plan B proved to be way more fun and valualbe than Plan A. I had a ton of fun at the lake and am back on board with training after a much needed rest and recharge.

The troll in my wheel

J.H and I drove this past weekend to Salmon Arm, B.C. to do a 6 hour enduro race. The general idea is 6 hours, 11 km loop and basically the most # of laps wins! Sounds exciting...no?
To make a long story short we had a blast!! The course was epic. Complete with stunts, fast single track, long fire road and single track climbs. Being our first "enduro" race neither J or I knew what to expect, both physically and logistically. Perhaps we were over prepared -with the tent, pizza, gels, bars, water bottles, cooler, water jug, spare wheels,5 spare tubes, pumps, Co2, rain gear, cold weather gear, hot gear, hot balm, chamois cream etc. I guess our strategy was- if we have it, we won't need it- and in the end it paid off as the race went so smoothly!

The best thing about the race was that it was actually a race. It was a close battle with the girl behind me and it definitely made me push the limits of my cardiovascular endurance and technical skills! Even though the mantra of the day was "wonderful, wonderful, wonderful me," I couldn't help hearing a little voice saying "Sandy, this could turn out to be really really good, or really really bad!" Then, by my 5th lap, I was starting to see things like small trolls running through the bushes saying "he who doth count his blessings to early will pay with great sacrifices of skin, bone and humility." Luckily, the trolls disappeared when I had a power gel and some more water, and I was able to keep it together and hold onto SECOND place!!
Anyway, now J and I are thinking of doing more enduro races but it seems the few scheduled to be held in Alberta have been cancelled. So, onto Camrose for a "short?" 2.5 hour race this weekend. Hopefully I can keep the trolls out of my wheels and my momentum going.