So I am late in race reporting this, because I've been unusually sick with some sort of bronchial virus, and on vacation. But anyways, I did race the Mt. Evans Hill Climb last week. This was kind of a disappointing event for me, because I was really sick, and not feeling well at ALL. I have been mostly climbing this spring/ summer, with some mtn biking and short track thrown in for fun on Wednesday nights.... but just for fun.... no time to take short track very seriously.

So, I pre-rode Mt. Evans a week before the race. It's about an hour away, 28 miles, over 7,000 ft. of climbing.... apparently the highest peak you can drive to in the US! It's such an awesome ride.... such an awesome race, really. It was really too bad to get sick for it. I'll spare you the details of what it's like to race something like that when your body aches, and feels mostly like sleeping rather than pounding out some efforts to try to catch Jeanne Longo.... there are more fun things, let's just say that....

I already unburied myself by going on vacation in Maine this past week, so am back on the up and up... and feeling positive about cross season coming up, and probably doing a few crits this month.... one last short track race to say I've lived up Wednesday night again in Boulder, and yes.... lots of cross training, i.e. running free on the trails, jumping over BYOBarriers in the park on the horizon with the Boulder cross goobers..... probably a good place to start will be to assemble my cross bike which hasn't been together since my one lap at the ice fest otherwise known as Cross Nationals last year....

Regarding the HC.... No, I am not throwing all hopes and dreams of that road racing/ climbing sort in the future. Quite the opposite, I am really into it, and not too swayed by factors out of my control. I'll have to ride Mt. Evans on my own more often, too. I didn't realize how easy it was to train there on my own, and now see that I have no excuse not to ride there more in the future. I guess I'm getting wiser. I had forgotten that sometimes you get sick for something you've trained your ass off for.... sometimes the cards are just like that, and you deal, and realize it's just one race, and not the be all and end all of who you are, and not a reflection of what you can do......

Sorry I don't have any pictures. Just imagine a national park, a road by a beautiful lake, and a mtn. goat at the top with a comfort range of 5 ft. Then chant a bit. That should cover it.

Boulder OA rocks!!!! (that'd be me!)