KB2=Money Making Machine/ Genine's Skylands Race Report

Today was a first in that I was the one racing and Matt was staff photographer. It was also the first race of the season that we did not have to get up at 3:30am. (And there was much rejoicing!) A 9:30am start time allowed us to sleep until 6:00am – leaving our house at 7:00am to meet Maija at Spruce Run State Park at 7:30am for packet pick up. The morning was extremely hot and humid – high 70’s at race start & reaching the mid 90’s by race end. Ugh! I thought summer was supposed to be over. Oh well!

While Maija & I went to packet pick-up, Matt made a few last minute adjustments to my bike, adding his repair kit to my bike. We then got things set up in transition and headed to the beach. The air was so thick and sticky. I felt badly for all the people in their wetsuits waiting to start the swim. (The water was just cool enough to be wetsuit legal @76 degrees, although many swam without them.) I waited until Maija had to head to the “corral” for her wave’s swim start, wished her good luck and then walked back up to transition to wait for her. I knew it wouldn’t be long and I wanted to be ready. I learned my lesson from the Mooseman where I was franticly trying to get back to transition & get ready to meet Esther. That would not happen today. I was ready to go when Maija arrived. At this race we got to exchange the time chip at our transition spot. I pulled it off Maija’s ankle, put it on mine, grabbed my bike and ran out to begin my first race on my road bike.

As I began, I was a bit anxious about a few things. First- I have never ridden this course before. Matt & I drove it in the car last weekend so I was familiar with it, but that’s not the same as riding it. It’s only 14.5 miles, but there are 3 very big hills that make Devil’s Hill seem like a kid’s course. Would I be able to make it? And with big uphills come big downhills, which as you know also make me nervous. Yikes! Secondly- This was my first ride with my new shoes and pedals. I practiced last night for over an hour on our neighborhood streets clipping in & out at the stop signs-over & over again. I felt pretty confident, but you never know. I guess it was mostly race time nerves or performance anxiety. Whatever it was, the time had come to workout it out on the bike and prove to myself that I could do it. After all, I am a warrior! (a little IntenSati reference there!)

In the first 3-5 miles of every bike ride, I have found that my legs are screaming at me and I am sucking wind. Today was no different. The beginning of the course was a slight incline followed by some rolling hills. I was working the kinks out and passed a few people in the process. By the time I started feeling good, I made the turn and saw the big hills in front of me. Gulp! Many people were off their bikes and walking. Let’s hear it for the granny gear! Even in the smallest ring, these 3 consecutive hills were a beast. In my head I was counting each stroke of the pedal trying to keep a slow but steady cadence (about 52-54). As I have on my previous bike races this year, I found myself chanting my affirmations in my head when things got tough. I have found that it truly helps me to focus and stay positive about the seemingly daunting task before me. Believe me there was a lot of chanting happening today! Ok, first hill done then a small plateau before the second big incline. Second hill done, then a few rollers, round the curve and hit the last long hill. It was near the end of this last hill that the biker from the other female relay team passed me. Oh no…not today!! I kept her in my sight and as we reached the top of the hill, I passed her. Then on the next turn & rollers, she passed me again! Grrr! I was determined to finish before her to give Maija the advantage on the run start. It was then that the big down hills started. As you all know- big down hills scare me...a lot. Well, apparently not when my competitive juices on surging! The longest & steepest of the down hills was a straight shot on a 2-lane highway. Plenty of room to pass and that’s just what I did! I threw caution to the wind and began to channel Shawn. Wahoo!! I barreled down the hill reaching a max speed of 45mph!!! OMG!! Needless to say, she did not pass me again. I finished the rest of the course with strong legs and gave it all I had. I rode back into the park to the cheers of Esther, Armando and Matt (thanks guys!), met Maija in transition to transfer the chip and she was off on the run. My final time for the bike was 51:20. I had the 9th fastest bike time out of 17 relay teams. I finished with a respectable time and for that I am thankful.

KB2 rocked the house today! We finished first in the female relay teams and 3rd overall relay. We definitely kicked butt! ☺ Thanks to Maija for being an incredible race partner! You Rock!! I had so much fun today and would love to see more relays in our future ($$$)! ☺ Thanks to Esther and Armando for biking out to the race to cheer us on! It’s nice to see a familiar face in the crowd. And of course thanks to Matt for being my driver, tech support, photographer and most of all cheerleader! You’re the best!

Here’s the link to today’s race results:

Here is the link for the pics:
Link for Slideshow