Shiftysven

Well, so much for another attempt at more frequent updates! It was my intention to update this every couple of days but something always seems to come up. If I'm not trying to get in a run/ride/race it's work around "this old house". By the time I sit down at night to relax it's time for bed. I'm not complaining. I love staying busy and having my schedule full makes the day fly by.
Since my last update I've done another WORS race. I went up to Rhinelander on May 31st. I had never been to this particular venue so I had no idea what to expect. When I do a new mtn. bike race I tend to take it easy on the first lap. I don't have a clue when to push, where the next singletrack is or how steep the next hill will be. I had no chance to pre-ride the course because I had to work 3-11 on Saturday. All I could see when I arrived was a gravel road start and finish.
The start went out quick, or at least fast for me. I tried to settle into a good pace and not get completely blown off the back. After some early hills the course narrowed and the singletrack began. Single track generally isn't my forte but this wasn't too technical and I didn't seem to be holding up anyone behind me. After the singletrack the course opened up again for the finish.
I felt good after one lap and tried to pick off some of the racers in front of me on the second lap. I got on the wheel of another racer in my age class and tried to get my second wind. I thought about passing a couple times but every time I pulled up even the other guy would pick up the pace. I knew there was still quite a ways to go so I just let him take the pace. Finally, after we popped out of the singletrack and on to some open trail we were both passed by a small group. I figured this was my chance and put the hammer down to try and stay with them. We entered more singletrack and I thought if I could just get far enough I would be out of his sight. I know when someone passes me and I lose sight of them I seem to ease up a bit. Apparently I need that carrot in front of me. Sure enough, when I had enough time to look over my shoulder, he was out of sight. I tried to keep up the speed through the last open sections and headed for the finish line. I hope I didn't seem like a wheel-sucker, but I guess that's racin'.
I was very happy with my results. My lap splits were just about equal for the two laps which I am always pleased with. As usual I finished about in the middle of the results. I felt good, the bike worked great and I finished in one piece-always a bonus.
I had the next day (Monday) off and decided to do a long trail run. I headed out to the Ice Age Trail to try a few new ideas. I wanted to try running with my Camelbak to see if I liked it better than running with bottles on a waist belt. After a two plus hour run I found I much prefer the belt. Maybe it's just that I've been running with it for so long, but the Camelbak didn't feel comfortable. Plus it seemed a pain in the butt to take it off to get a bar or gel. I also could really feel the water sloshing around as it emptied. I also tried a walk/run this time out. I ran for 25 minutes and then walked for 5 minutes. If I can ever fit an ultra in to my schedule, I would probably try some sort of walk/run combination. By the end of the run I was pretty wiped. Maybe not such a good idea to do a long, hard run the day after a race but sometimes I like to do some back to back hard workouts and what better way than to throw a race into the mix.
The next evening I did a group road ride. I planned on sitting in and just relaxing and held to that for most of the ride. It was a mostly easy pace on a gorgeous night. I did take a few turns at the front but never felt like I was pushing the pace. At the end of the ride I was tired but not exhausted, just feeling really good.
Now, I'm looking out the window at the rain and just imagining how muddy tomorrow's race is going to be. I am going up to Nine Mile Forest in Wausau for WORS #3. I have done this race before and have a good idea of what the course will be like. Lots of wide open ski trail mixed in with gnarly, rooted, rocky singletrack. Now throw in a days worth of rain, plus possibly rain tomorrow. I hope to do well but also need to save something because I have to throw my bike on the car and head straight to work after the race. This should be interesting. I'll let ya know more after the race.
I need to get in more running in the next few weeks since I am still entertaining thoughts of a summer ultra. We'll see how the next couple of weeks go.
Gotta go.....