Well, this is interesting. I am on the eve of my last race of the season. That's right. I will not be racing again (after Sunday's debauchery) until at least Jan.1 (There is the possibility of a New Year's Resolution Run).
Tomorrow, Heather and I will be racing cyclocross at the US Grand Prix of Cyclocross, Portland Cup, taking on the Bs... Me in the Women's B race and She in the B-ginners (she won't race me). The Felt is primed and ready to go, complete with new AlphaQ Kick-ass Fork (that is the official name that I have given it) and a re-cabling courtesy of Full Cycles. Can't wait to get cold and dirty! Why am not racing the A's... Well, this being a UCI (Union Cyclist Internationale) race, the highest category I could race in without shelling out a $150 for a UCI license that would have lasted me until the end of the year (yeah, that end of the year that is occurring in three weeks) is the B-race. So, I don't want to hear any comments about sand-baggin' or posin'.
In order to prepare for this epic event... I've been running. Running up hills. But, not just hills... Peaks! Wednesday morning, I hooked up with one of Corvallis's fastest women (Meghan A.) to interval up McCullough Peak. Up into the foggy, drippy, forest, we hoofed it, just as the sun would have been coming up, until the last of our timed intervals took us within a quarter mile of the top. Well, as Meghan pointed out, you can't get that close and not go all the way up. I'm sure the view would have been spectacular except that it was FOGGY! There's a big surprise. Still worth it. We got to run - maybe, slide - down Innuendo Trail to Extendo Trail and out along Oak Ridge. Fun, Fun, Fun!
Today, as a pre-race workout, I may have raced. But, not to worry it was swimming. The Masters class I hook up with a couple times of a week puts together a Black v. Orange dual meet where we get together and contest Everybody-Goes-Relays (25m Free and 25m Medley) as well as a series of individual events. I played a "Floater"... meaning I was on the team of Coach Bill's choosing in case there was a speed or number discrepancy. For the occasion, I wore my ridiculously bright, awesomely ostentatious black and orange tiger stripe swimsuit. I got to swim the 100 Breaststroke and the Reverse IM... There is a reason that the Individual Medleys are contested fly first... it is nearly impossible to do the fly last after racing the other three strokes. Thought my arms were going to fall off. Good thing I don't need those too much in cyclocross!
What I do need for cyclocross, apparently, are nemeses (plural: nemesi? nemesises?) and victims. I found a rockin' site that tabulates cross results and makes a list of competitors and divides the closest into nemeses and victims. My closest competitor (who is just that, given that we were neck and neck until I ate it at Kruger's) is Tina. Interesting that she is both a victim and a nemesis. Hmmm... I wish she were racing this week-end. But, I talked to her after our last race and she is ready for a much needed break before her big build-up for next year's road season. It's all good. This week-end is all about fun.
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