Going into my 5th consecutive Laramie Enduro, following the course markings was not at the top of my mental checklist. I don’t know the course like the back of my hand but all of the areas at least look familiar to me and I had never had an issue following the course markings in previous years. Maybe my two detours were the result of pushing harder than I ever have. I know that pace, hydration, calories, electrolytes, my line, etc. were constantly running through my brain so it is not like I was daydreaming out there. I recovered well from my first short detour off course but the second time I went off course it definitely affected me mentally. I knew that my goal was not going to happen this year.
Detour #1 was about 5 minutesI am very disappointed to not achieve my personal goal of 6:29:59. However, I don’t want to be one of “those guys” that you hear after a race saying “dude, if I wouldn’t have (flatted, made a wrong turn, bonked, etc), I would have (insert ridiculous comment here). So that is all I am going to say about that except that I will be back next year.
Detour #2 was about 30 minutesMomentum is huge and hindsight is always crystal clear. I was motoring for the first 16 miles before my first detour. I was at pointy end of the race and was feeling good…right on the fine edge of a sustainable pace and going a bit too hard. My split through Aid #2 was two minutes faster than last year, even with the first detour, and that gave me a mental boost and the drive to keep pushing hard. When the volunteer stopped me at the intersection after my second detour off course I was not a happy camper and dropped a few F’ bombs out loud to nobody in particular. This is where I should have taken a moment to regroup. Instead, I immediately spun it around and rode hard back to where I left the course so that I could complete the official course and get an official time. In hindsight, I should have slowed it down a bit and ridden conservatively back onto the course, onto to Aid #4, and then started my personal race again. I had my previous splits from Aid #4 to the Finish and I should have raced against those splits. Instead, I burned too many matches trying to get back on course and my hydration plan went out the window so I suffered like a dog in the middle for no good reason. I also let myself get a little down after the second detour and slowed down as a result. The Headquarters Climb was a small mental victory for me and I rode it well to finish on a positive note.
The People
Traveling with Travis, seeing Little TK, and hanging with Ed & Jenny were the highlights of my Laramie weekend. I am fortunate to have met some wonderful people through this sport and the memories that I retain are usually of the people and not of the race itself.
The best part of my day
5 comments:
Sorry to hear about your detours. I almost went on one myself but was called back by a friendly fellow racer. I ended up dropping at Aid 4 due to dehydration and the related nonstop vomitting. I will definitely be back next year for another go.
Way to stick with it Dave. I liked your race report. I just see all these off sets as great learning experiences that make us stronger. I know it's a cliche but it works for me....a lot!! BTW, where are the results posted?
DB! the instant-hug was a very bright moment in the middle of the foggy morning! what a treat to get to meet, then watch you race -- and see you smilin' at the end! i'm SO glad we had a chance to hang out and yammer like mad!
let's get the 4 of us together and go ride our butts off!
big hugs to you, and i can't wait til next time!
jj
Congrats on the strong finish regardless of how it went down. Passing people on the Headquarters climb is an awesome thing.
Thanks for all your assistance leading up to the race. Sorry I didn't show up afterwards. I went back to the campsite and hardly moved. Feeling really good now though.
Dave - awesome effort and great perseverance - darn detours! It was great seeing you and hanging out with you. Thanks for dinner!
See you soon -
Ed
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