Shenandoah Epic with Brent, Jesse, and Brian.
Full race report here:
https://rootstockracing.wordpress.com/2021/07/08/e...Trail sprint to start
Trek up and over the Massanutten ridge
Paddle down the Shenandoah with two short embedded foot loops
Another short foot loop at Andy Guest
Mountain bike loop through Andy Guest
Bike back over to Caroline Furnace by way of Veach Gap and Mine Gap. A whole lot of rocks
Trek loop out of Caroline Furnace
Very physical course - probably the hardest of all the Epics I've done. Not a ton of nav/route choice, but a little bit trickier than it looked on the maps.
The Good
1. Being back in the woods. Racing again. Catching up with friends.
2. The team. I'm always grateful to race with such a rockstar crew.
3. Feeling physically strong. Good endurance. Solid climbing on bike and foot. Steady and efficient paddling. Still running well through the final stage.
4. First team, second overall to Jesse Spangler, with whom we traded places all day. He was faster, but we'd catch him at checkpoints. At one, we found his last two maps lying on the trail. We were able to give them back a couple hours later. We were the only two to clear the course.
The Bad
1. Between covid and pregnancy, I haven't raced hard since nationals 2018. I felt that - technically, especially, but also just a general discomfort with the steady discomfort of racing.
2. This last year has had me in my head a lot. I had a hard time getting out of it this weekend. Not the best state for racing. Also didn't make me the best conversationalist.
3. Spent most of the race thinking that Oregon's a dumb idea. Have since walked that back. Mostly.
The Ugly
1. Leaving my tires at 40 psi despite the total lack of pavement on the course, and then bouncing off every rock.
2. Forgetting how to fuel. Way too much sweet, way too little salt, almost no real food. Mini croissants and coke saved my bacon (which I also didn't have).