Back to Racing!!
Wow! It feels great to be back to racing! I’ve missed that leg-lung burn, the back and forth battling and that happy exhaustion when you’ve laid it all out there.
My daughter Ruth was born almost 8 months ago and I’m still not back to where I was on the bike pre-pregnancy, but I’m getting there! Leading up to my first little racing “block” I did not have ideal preparation. My suspension was getting tuned up and it took longer than expected so I was completely without a bike for ~2 weeks (about a month out from getting on the plane to fly to my first race!!). During that time I spent a lot of time lifting, running and doing hilly stroller hike/walks. I missed being on the bike, but during those two weeks I actually leaned out a bit more and got closer to my normal weight/body composition which feels really good!!
As soon as my bike got to town (thank you ski hut!!!) I hit the ground running with intensity. My coach gave me 4 interval days and a couple of skills days each week for the two weeks before I left. It felt great to go hard again, I was hitting some power numbers that were similar to pre-pregnancy numbers!! One interesting thing that I’ve noticed with my training postpartum is that my heart rate is higher than before. New maxes and I’m able to sustain higher heart rates for longer. I am not sure if that’s because I’m breastfeeding still or a holdover from having higher blood volume and I haven’t been able to find research on it - but it’s interesting anyway!
DANVILLE PRO CUP
I flew to Virginia with high hopes and low expectations. It had been about a year and a half since I’d last raced and while I was hitting decent numbers, I had been on single track twice and had mainly skied as my base training this winter.
Ruth is a champion traveler and I absolutely love having her with at races. It takes a bit of pressure off on race day because I can’t focus only on myself and stress out nearly as much.
I raced short track and cross country at the Danville Pro Cup and I felt strong! It was really hot on Saturday for the short track and I could tell that I hadn’t been on trail enough, felt clunky, but luckily it wasn’t too technical and I could make up some time on the hill each lap. I finished 9th/16. I need to work on starts again but I was really happy with the power I was able to put out!
Shoutout to the stranger who sprayed water on me in the last few laps!
On Sunday the temperature was much better for the XC. It was a 6 lap race and the first three laps didn’t feel great. I got passed at the start of lap 4 and stayed on her wheel. She rode super smooth lines and following her helped me get into a good rhythm with the trail. About halfway through the lap I was able to pass her and then a few more ladies in the rest of lap 4 and lap 5. I went extra hard in lap 5 in case I got pulled, I wanted as many places as I could. I didn’t get pulled and as soon as I started lap 6 I started cramping a bit. I chugged some Flow as I went up the hill and the cramping improved and I was able to hold my position for the final lap. It came down to a sprint at the end (a sitting one because cramping) but I held my place and finished 11th.
It’s hard to not want more out of myself from a race, but for my first race weekend back I was really proud of my effort and I left it all out there.
We spent some time in Roanoke VA before and after the race. I lived there for a couple of years and it was wonderful to be back and visit! I took Ruth for her first bike ride and got to see a bunch of the girls I used to coach! We did tie-dye and had great coffee and biscuits - pretty ideal race week if you ask me!
Next we flew to Minnesota for the Epic Bike Fest in Cable!
EPIC BIKE FEST
This is one of my favorite races, it’s excellent trail and in Cable, WI which is where I first raced and learned to ride single track. It’s always a fun weekend with family and friends. It’s been awhile since I’ve raced in the Midwest and it was so wonderful to see so many familiar faces!!
The Birkie Foundation took over this race a couple years ago and they’ve done an amazing job with the event! Great community, new trails and a separate elite start!
I am a bit disappointed with how my race went. From the gun I felt like there was nothing in my legs, no power at all. I did my best to stay smooth and consistent with what I have and I managed to do that the entire race but that flat feeling never left. Before the race I would have said that I was just going to do the best I could and that I didn’t have big expectations. That’s not entirely honest, I wanted to be on the podium, I wanted to be battling at the front of the race. It wasn’t in the cards for me this year though.
It was amazing to cross the finish line and hug my little girl, congratulate the other finishers and spend time with my family.
I’ll be back next year to give it another go!!
TRAVELING AND RACING WITH A BABY
Bringing Ruth with is the best. I love having her there, I love hugging her at the finish line but if it’s A LOT of extra work and logistics - especially since she is still breastfeeding and stubbornly refusing the bottle since she turned 6mo old!
Between friends in Roanoke and Greensboro I had babysitting help for the Danville Pro Cup so that I could pre-ride, warm up and race! Friends lent me their cars, car seat base, pac n plays and toys and let us stay with them (even with a baby dealing with a 3h time zone change and teething!!) so that I didn’t have to bring as much or break the bank on one weekend. At the epic bike fest I was lucky to have my parents and brother with us for the weekend. My dad raced the half, my mom was babysitter extraordinaire, and my brother got a great ride in and did my bottle handup!
It seriously takes a village and I’m so lucky to have an amazing village spread out all over the US!
