I can't remember when it happened but Karel told me he registered us for The Whole Enchilada MTB event at the Whitewater center in NC. I was excited for the opportunity to test my new skills (thanks Lon!) and to use this event as a "long" training ride. Although the GPS shows 44 miles, the accurate distance (wheel measured) was 50 miles - which would be my longest ever MTB ride.
Tip: If you have a weakness or a certain skill scares/worries you, don't wait until race day to put yourself into that uncomfortable situation. To be race ready, it's not just about the fitness that you accumulate over months of training but the skills you develop to help you stay present, relaxed, safe and confident on race day. I rarely hear of triathletes practicing their "skills" in an empty parking lot or spending a few hours on a more challenging course to work on bike handling skills. You may also find it to be a valuable investment to participate in a skills camp. For example, in our upcoming bike skills climbing camp on Fri-Sat, we will be working with our campers on 15 important bike handling skills (betcha didn't know there were 15 important skills that can keep you safe and riding confidently in any type of terrain/condition).
After a quick and easy 2 hour drive, we arrived to the center around noon. We picked up Chipotle on the way (our favorite go-to when traveling) so that we would have lunch ready for us after we did a short recon ride. I had watched a few videos and studied the map so I had a few segments in mind for our recon ride. But when we parked, a "local" started talking to us and told us where we should ride and that he would even ride with us for a few miles to get us out to a good place to check out some of the course. Since this event covers all the trails in the park, we knew we couldn't recon the entire route the day before. Our new friend/guide (and his dog) showed us the East Main Loop, which included a few technical features and a lot of twists and turns. I'm still working on my tight turns, berms and switch so it was good to get out there and practice. I struggled on a few technical areas and got really frustrated on this root section on an uphill that I just couldn't clear. After 4 tries, we finally moved on. Although I can get over some challenging rock/root segments, I really struggle on uphill segments with those features as it requires the right gear, shifting the body weight forward and backward (my rear wheel kept slipping) and a lot of power. Many of the inclines when mountain biking are well over 20% (short and steep) so it requires a lot of power but also pressure on the front and/or rear wheel while also shifting the weight.
After our 1 hour/7 mile ride, we ate our lunch at a picnic table and then worked a bit on the computer (hotspot) down by the manmade whitewater river. It was cool and windy outside but it was relaxing to work outside so close to nature. At 5pm we picked up our stuff when packet pick up opened and by 5:45pm we were heading to our hotel. We picked up pizza from a local pizza place and after checking into our hotel (Holiday Inn Express), we ate dinner, finished up some work and went to bed around 9pm.
Tip: Knowing that pre-race fueling is so important, don't leave your pre-race eating to chance. Additionally, avoid long lines and waiting for food by ordering food online. I ordered Chipotle while we were driving (online) and picked it up around 10 miles from the venue. I have been using this service for the past year when traveling and find it to be a huge stress-reliever. I often order the food at least 10 minutes before we plan to arrive so that even if we are early, we aren't waiting. I also ordered our pizza 3 hours prior to picking it up so that we didn't have to wait for food when we were tired, hungry and needing to check in to our hotel and unload the car. By doing a little research before you travel, you can ensure that you will meet your nutritional needs without spending unnecessary time, energy and money. I also brought a cooler and bag of food to ensure that we wouldn't be hungry throughout our quick trip. With YouTube, blogs and the internet, it can be helpful to do some course recon of your event. Keep an open mind as everyone has a different perspective but you can still gather some helpful info like where to park, what to expect, etc.
We woke up around 5:45am and prepared our coffee (Karel brought his travel espresso machine - doesn't leave home without it when we travel) and I had my instant coffee. I brought food as a backup but we had plenty of options at the continental breakfast. We both had eggs with pancakes. I also had a banana w/ PB and Karel had oatmeal. We also had a glass of OJ. We left the hotel around 7:15am and arrived around 7:30am. With an hour before the start, we had time to warm up on our bikes, go to the bathroom a few times and soak in the chill vibe of the race. Funny story - we parked next to a nice guy who asked Karel about chain lube. As they were talking, I noticed he had an accent. I asked him where he was from originally and he said Czech Republic. I laughed because neither Karel or Mikey could hear that they had the same accent. They quickly switched from English to Czech and now we have a new friend (and even more of a coincidence - his wife swam in college with one of my athletes!). It was around 40 degrees so a bit cold to start but with experience from previous MTB rides, I knew we would warm up. I had another banana before making my way to the start. I put on my 1.5L hydration pack (filled with 4 scoops INFINIT custom formula) and stuffed my pockets with bars, gels and chews (I mostly use bars to satisfy my tummy when we mountain bike as it's always a full body workout). Karel had NBS in his hydration pack and stuffed his pockets with a variety of sport nutrition products.
Tip: Even with low key or non-priority events, there's always an opportunity to practice and learn. Don't miss out on an opportunity to practice your nutrition, gear, equipment and anything else that can help you build confidence for your more important event. Far too many athletes just "show up" and forget that every race is a learning opportunity. Take every race seriously - even the fun events.
Around 8:25am we made our way to the start and Karel positioned himself in Wave 1 and I waited for Wave 2 (which were arranged by guesstimate paces). Karel and I have been really busy lately with a lot on our mind but we kept reminding ourselves that we "get" to do this and there's nothing more fun than spending all day in nature. I didn't feel scared or anxious for the event but had a little nervous energy as this was all new to me. With this being my second ever mountain bike event, it was much bigger than the first one and all new trails that I have never seen before (except the 7 miles that would come at the end of the race). There were two races going on at once (half and full) but everyone started together.
I stayed up on my hydration - drinking from my pack every 10-20 minutes and then using my frame bottle (2 scoops Skratch) when I was on the more open/flat sections and could grab that bottle. I started eating my Supra bar around 75 minutes in (taking a bite when on the wide open sections). I had one stop to remove my arm warmers and put in my pocket - I tried to do it as I was riding but realized it would be quicker, safer and easier to just stop and do it.
As for the course itself, it had almost everything. I didn't find there to be any difficult features like rock gardens (I'd say there are more difficult sections in Pleasant ridge where we did our 6 hour event). But there were so many difficult sections like rocky switchbacks when climbing, sooooo many roots, steep downhills with so many bumps and tight twist and turns between trees.
Once things spread out and I was riding by myself, I felt much more comfortable. At one point a pack of deer ran by me and it reminded me why I love being in nature. The time went by so fast and before I knew it, I had been riding for 3 hours! With so much to focus on, I never had time to think about how much I had left. I literally took things mile by mile. Everyone was so nice and encouraging. There were only a few ladies doing the whole event so I found myself around guys the entire race.
I was really proud of myself for getting over some really tough segments on Goat Hill. There were rocks/roots and switchbacks as we were climbing (and super steep) and although I unclipped at the top after clearing the hard parts, I just didn't have that power to take another pedal stroke (or I would lose my balance). Lon told us to "get angry" with some of those climbs and that's just what I did. I really went after them and felt so accomplished. There was one climb with a very tight switchback and I have no idea how I cleared it climbing as there were so many rocks and I wasn't able to do it the day prior. There were a few segments where I did unclip as I didn't feel comfortable going over the feature or I hadn't learned the skills yet. With the course taking us over every trail, somehow Karel managed to see me twice and gave me a cheer. The signage was great and the course was really well marked, even though there were a few sections that were a bit confusing. I had to stop once as a sign on a cone fell over with the strong winds but two other guys assured me which way to go.
I never felt low energy although I could feel my legs getting a bit tired in the last hour as that is where the most challenging features were and it became harder to choose good lines and to gather the power to get over them. I had the root segment on my mind from Friday and when I approached it, I went after it but I fell. I scraped up my arm a little but it wasn't anything serious. I tried to unclip with my left foot but it must have slipped and I fell over. No biggie - onward I went.
Tip: The nutrition you consume in the day before, the morning of, during a workout and after does not just help your current situation but also how you recover and the state of your body during your next workout. The better you fuel/hydrate, the easier it will be for your body to recover and get stronger from your effort. Even if you feel good with nothing/little, you could feel great and that's where gains happen. Because long workouts, high intensity workouts and races can be really hard on the immune system, protect yourself by fueling/hydrating well before/during/after. Your body will thank you.
The best part of the event was taking a warm shower in the locker rooms before driving home. I had a recovery drink as I was walking to the shower.
As I mentioned online....
While I’m super stoked about my performance after three months of learning how to mountain bike, it would be wrong of me to not share my Friday recon ride with Karel where I was frustrated and tearful after failing four times trying to get over a technical uphill rooty section.
As we age, it’s so easy to want to stay in our comfort zone. We don’t want to be too uncomfortable, as we may end up with a broken bone or a broken ego. Continuing to do what we’ve always done is safe. We know we’re capable of it and can be successful at it, and that’s a comfortable feeling.
It’s too easy to think we know a lot. Accumulated experiences do bring confidence but if all you do is repeat those same experiences, it’s hard to improve.
Be a beginner again. Learn a new skill, open your mind to new techniques, invest in yourself. It’s ok to struggle, stumble and even be a bit fearful.
Life is short. Let it be a lifelong pursuit to begin again.
As we age, it’s so easy to want to stay in our comfort zone. We don’t want to be too uncomfortable, as we may end up with a broken bone or a broken ego. Continuing to do what we’ve always done is safe. We know we’re capable of it and can be successful at it, and that’s a comfortable feeling.
It’s too easy to think we know a lot. Accumulated experiences do bring confidence but if all you do is repeat those same experiences, it’s hard to improve.
Be a beginner again. Learn a new skill, open your mind to new techniques, invest in yourself. It’s ok to struggle, stumble and even be a bit fearful.
Life is short. Let it be a lifelong pursuit to begin again.