Swim felt good, no goggle issues, but I could feel the sprint I'd done yesterday, as my arms were sort of tired feeling. Swim went off without a hitch though.

Nothing

Nothing

Being fairly new to mountain biking and being from a flat area, I was SO not prepared for this course. There were times I simply had to get off the bike and walk, especially over big logs and up one insanely steep climb. Gave me a chance to drink something as well, so it served a dual purpose. There are some obstacles that I probably should've gotten off and walked over, but I chose to ride them instead. My HR still redlines just to think about all the fears I faced on this ride. It was fun, but not something I'm willing to repeat during a race any time soon.

Get more experience mountain biking.

Couldn't get the bike lifted up to the rack because I was so tired and the bike's heavier than my tri bike. Saw DH on the way out. Made me a bit apprehensive of what was to come by the look on his face and the ominous "be very careful" and "walk if you have to" comments as I went by.

Get my bike racked the first try.

This was SOOOO not a "trail run". It was an Everest expedition without the snow. The uphills were so steep that I could reach out and touch the hill in front of me. My calves and hammies were screaming. The downhills were just as bad as my quads were smoked from the biking. I had to literally hold on to trees in some spots to keep from sliding down the hills. The flat portions were ok, if not root-y. A few logs to get over, but the flats never felt so nice. I took advantage of the flats as best as I could to run, but cautious the entire time to not twist my already weakened ankles. To finally get out on to the pavement and be told that I only had a tiny bit to go was a huge relief.

Um, not sure there was anything different I COULD have done.

Walked around, found some shade, drank some water. Loaded gear and went to find the BBQ they were talking about. Yum.


Lack of specialized training for such an event and the fact that we'd done Buster Britton Sprint the day prior.


Was an awesome experience that I doubt I'll forget for a long time. Eventually I'd like to try this again as I feel I need to prove to myself that I can compete rather than just hang on and survive the ride.