small victories
Once upon a time in a previous life I was pool player and in another previous life I was a motorcycle roadracer. (that's one thing about being old...you have probably had many "previous lives")
As I started in my journeys I went through different stages on what I considered a successful outing.
In pool it started with:
With moto racing it was:
So now here's the mountain bike thing. Physically it's the hardest sport I've ever done and I am constantly (even after 9 years) getting humbled and have to count the "small victories" to keep me going.
Last night I did a mtn bike race that consisted of many "small victories:
Small Victory #1 -the hill
I raced the Breck Summer series race last night. It's a ~13mile course that's fast and furious...a total power course. And on the last part of the course is a short but STEEP hill. The steep kicker part(3/4 of a the way up) is ~24% grade (per my garmin) and I've never cleaned it. It's super loose dirt with fist sized loose rocks strewn over it.
Last night there were a group of 4 of us going back and forth on lap 1 - up comes the hill. Girl #1 doesn't make it, Girl #2 (right in front of me) gets close but loses traction and is off her bike (thankfully she heard me coming and quickly got out of the way), then here I come I kept up a good cadence and then when it kicks up sharply I really leaned into my handlebars and gave 3 really hard power strokes - made it onto the steep part but I lost of the line and went into the looser rocky part - I just kept my chest to the bar and kept cranking and cleaned the hill! Woot! Girl #2 was aghast and asked me as i rode by - "How did you do that??" I replied "I have no idea". Girl #4 behind me was cheering me on as I cleaned it and she almost made it but lost traction and had to dismount.
I cleaned it on the 2nd lap and it was the same scenario with Girl #2 and again she was very complementary as i rode past her.
I was super stoked to have cleaned the hill and I've heard from a few other riders that are better than me that they have never cleaned it - so it was a small victory for me.
Small Victory #2 - catching the tail end of the sport men's class
The competition in Breck is fierce. I would hear the men talk about the "fast sport women" that would catch up to them even tho they start a minute or two ahead of us. In this race about 6 minutes in I started catching up the tail end of the men's sport class. I was stoked and each guy i passed motivated me to ride harder to catch the next one. So that was a small victory - being able to pass guys that had a head start. ;)
Small Victory #3 - I am older, fatter and faster than I was last year
This is my 3rd time doing this particular course and every year (this one included) I have gotten faster. It's not a LOT faster but faster never the less and as I'm a post-menopause 50ish year old - i'll take it!
Small Victory #4 - Legs felt fantastic the whole time
My cardio was my limiter. I had been in Breck for going on 3 days and was feeling the effects of the altitude. I had a headache all day and was really tired. I literally took 3(!) naps that day. And usually the first couple of races at altitude my legs burn like heck with any hard effort at all. They feel like that are starved for oxygen. However, thanks to LW coaching and I think I am better conditioned and my legs didn't burn at all the entire race. Now my cardio was a different story... but the fact that my legs felt so good is another small victory.
Small Victory #5 - i felt I was in the mix of things
I finished 5th out of 9 girls - not a super stellar result but there were a group of 5 of us that pretty much raced at the same pace - passing each other back and forth on different parts of the course. So being in the mix and not *that* far behind was another small victory for. I wish I had pushed a little harder midway through but that's a lesson I'm taking away from this race.
I got a great workout in, had fun and I'll take the small victories for now. ;)
As I started in my journeys I went through different stages on what I considered a successful outing.
In pool it started with:
- I'd be happy if I made 1 or 2 good shots per night
- Then it turned into I'd be happy if I made 3 or 4 good shots in a ROW
- Then it turned into I'd be happy if I played a good game or two per night
- Then it turned into I'd be happy if I played a really great match in a tournament
- Then it got to the point where I'd be really happy if I played a great tournament
With moto racing it was:
- I'd be happy if i didn't crash
- then it turned into I'd be happy if I did a race and didn't get lapped
- then it turned into I'd be happy if I wasn't DFL in a race
- then it turned into i'd be happy if I could really LEAN into a corner
- then it turned into I'd be REALLY happy if I could lean the bike over so far I'd drag my knee
- then it turned into I'd be REALLY happy if I passed a guy
- then it turned into I'd be REALLY happy if I passed a guy in a corner
So now here's the mountain bike thing. Physically it's the hardest sport I've ever done and I am constantly (even after 9 years) getting humbled and have to count the "small victories" to keep me going.
Last night I did a mtn bike race that consisted of many "small victories:
Small Victory #1 -the hill
I raced the Breck Summer series race last night. It's a ~13mile course that's fast and furious...a total power course. And on the last part of the course is a short but STEEP hill. The steep kicker part(3/4 of a the way up) is ~24% grade (per my garmin) and I've never cleaned it. It's super loose dirt with fist sized loose rocks strewn over it.
I cleaned it on the 2nd lap and it was the same scenario with Girl #2 and again she was very complementary as i rode past her.
I was super stoked to have cleaned the hill and I've heard from a few other riders that are better than me that they have never cleaned it - so it was a small victory for me.
Small Victory #2 - catching the tail end of the sport men's class
The competition in Breck is fierce. I would hear the men talk about the "fast sport women" that would catch up to them even tho they start a minute or two ahead of us. In this race about 6 minutes in I started catching up the tail end of the men's sport class. I was stoked and each guy i passed motivated me to ride harder to catch the next one. So that was a small victory - being able to pass guys that had a head start. ;)
Small Victory #3 - I am older, fatter and faster than I was last year
This is my 3rd time doing this particular course and every year (this one included) I have gotten faster. It's not a LOT faster but faster never the less and as I'm a post-menopause 50ish year old - i'll take it!
Small Victory #4 - Legs felt fantastic the whole time
My cardio was my limiter. I had been in Breck for going on 3 days and was feeling the effects of the altitude. I had a headache all day and was really tired. I literally took 3(!) naps that day. And usually the first couple of races at altitude my legs burn like heck with any hard effort at all. They feel like that are starved for oxygen. However, thanks to LW coaching and I think I am better conditioned and my legs didn't burn at all the entire race. Now my cardio was a different story... but the fact that my legs felt so good is another small victory.
Small Victory #5 - i felt I was in the mix of things
I finished 5th out of 9 girls - not a super stellar result but there were a group of 5 of us that pretty much raced at the same pace - passing each other back and forth on different parts of the course. So being in the mix and not *that* far behind was another small victory for. I wish I had pushed a little harder midway through but that's a lesson I'm taking away from this race.
I got a great workout in, had fun and I'll take the small victories for now. ;)
Comments
Way to RACE STRONG, woman!!!
nice post!!!
mmwwaahhh!!
jj
Nice post!!
mmwwaahhh!
jj