Please Pray for Rain so I can Practice in the Mud!

(Damn it I have a lot of hair. When'd that happen? ) This pic's from TrueSport.com... some great race pics on there.

I felt better on Friday and decided to make the insane, long drive down to Harrisburg, PA for the Lower Allen Classic. Weather was stellar and the competition super fun. The race began with a "prologue" loop around the ball field, around a tree, down a chute to the loose gravel staging/start area, and up the road. I had a good start, first couple into the field. I came around Wallace hoping to be the first into the right-hand turn around the ball field, looked up and saw... tape across the course! This was rather unexpected, and in that confused, split-second decision making moment, I made the wrong one. I should have just plowed over it, but thinking about the whole pack barreling down on me, the prospect of potential carnage if I became ensnarled in tape frightened me into a fast dismount and jump. In that moment, I went from first to 12th with no momentum going into the soft grass section. Everyone passed me! Well, almost everyone. It took me 3/4 of a lap to regain 3rd or 4th place, and Mandy and I battled it out for awhile until she picked up the pace and shed me. I put it all out in the last lap, and almost caught her, but it was "too little, too late." Fun race, though.

Sunday it was MUDDY. I felt good warming up, but I think my warm-up laps might have been faster than I rode during the race. The first half of the course killed me. I rode the mucky grass section then the run around the trees then remounting and climbing the hill just killed me, especially on the first lap. Maybe I didn't warm up enough. Maybe I rode the course too many times before the race and sapped some of my energy. I don't know. But I died. And that compunded with the changing course conditions as it began to pour mid-race. It got slippery, and there were lots of slick off-cambre corners. I had no juice, then I made mistakes and it cost me my confidence. I felt like a fish out of water. I managed to hold off a charging and frighteningly strong Mega for 10th. Please pray for rain because I need practice in the mud!

It was great to see prices like this in NJ!! I think I put 40,000 miles on my car over the past year. Notice the 100K mark. I wonder how many hours I've spent sitting in my red rollerskate.... would be awfully depressing to know!!

So I'm still wheezing and coughing a little, but looks like I'm on the up and up. If only it's not to late to build for nats...