Shortest race in years!
Today was the Glentress 'short' duathlon. I've entered the series but wasn't looking forward to the short one -not so much my forte really. But I was game for giving it a go and trying to face my 'you're way too slow for this' demons.
Having had nearly 6 weeks off mountain biking because of the snow, I had no idea whether I'd still have a head for it. So my plan (to prepare for a 1hr race) was at least 2hr of warming up round the Blue runs at Glentress. I know that's a bit mental but I was hoping it might also get rid of the heavy leg feeling from yesterday's 11mile run. On the first zig-zag climb, I was really appalled at how much I struggled to get round the corners. I know they're tight but it was like I'd just forgotten how to do it, or didn't have the power. Still, nearly 2hr of careering round the blue like a loonie and I remembered that I AM a mountain biker. It was great to be out again and I cheekily had a pre-race celebration with some Hub caramel cake.
By the time the race started, I was ready to go and glad it was a run-start rather than on the bike. It was only 5km but didn't feel short at all as we were up and down hills, running on a camber and generally making the most of a stunning area. Just before my legs fell off, we swapped to the bike. I thought I was doing fairly well in the race and moving on to my stronger discipline so it was all feeling good. Riding up the Spooky Woods climb was pretty tough going (lots more of those tight corners - it's the only place where the trails appear to have been damaged a wee bit from the weather). Coming down was exciting. Really slidy with loads of roots, mud and steep bits. I couldn't ride all of it but managed to hang on, even if it was a bit of a death grip. I passed a few other girls and kept telling myself that just because I was seeing other people pushing I didn't need to. It was brilliant and, lungs exploding, I crossed the line literally shaking with adrenalin. I was fifth girl so I'm crawling up the rankings and looking forward to the longer race in February.
Maybe short races are fun after all? While tucking into my lovely hot soup at the Hub cafe I spared a thought for those just finishing 24hr of torture at the 'Puffer. Hope you all get home safely, after a very different kind of fun.
Having had nearly 6 weeks off mountain biking because of the snow, I had no idea whether I'd still have a head for it. So my plan (to prepare for a 1hr race) was at least 2hr of warming up round the Blue runs at Glentress. I know that's a bit mental but I was hoping it might also get rid of the heavy leg feeling from yesterday's 11mile run. On the first zig-zag climb, I was really appalled at how much I struggled to get round the corners. I know they're tight but it was like I'd just forgotten how to do it, or didn't have the power. Still, nearly 2hr of careering round the blue like a loonie and I remembered that I AM a mountain biker. It was great to be out again and I cheekily had a pre-race celebration with some Hub caramel cake.
By the time the race started, I was ready to go and glad it was a run-start rather than on the bike. It was only 5km but didn't feel short at all as we were up and down hills, running on a camber and generally making the most of a stunning area. Just before my legs fell off, we swapped to the bike. I thought I was doing fairly well in the race and moving on to my stronger discipline so it was all feeling good. Riding up the Spooky Woods climb was pretty tough going (lots more of those tight corners - it's the only place where the trails appear to have been damaged a wee bit from the weather). Coming down was exciting. Really slidy with loads of roots, mud and steep bits. I couldn't ride all of it but managed to hang on, even if it was a bit of a death grip. I passed a few other girls and kept telling myself that just because I was seeing other people pushing I didn't need to. It was brilliant and, lungs exploding, I crossed the line literally shaking with adrenalin. I was fifth girl so I'm crawling up the rankings and looking forward to the longer race in February.
Maybe short races are fun after all? While tucking into my lovely hot soup at the Hub cafe I spared a thought for those just finishing 24hr of torture at the 'Puffer. Hope you all get home safely, after a very different kind of fun.
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