I came, I rode, I got muddy

Today was my first muddy cross race, my first muddy bike race (not counting Dirt Rag's Punk Bike Enduro), and the first time in a long time that I've wridden in the mud. I hate riding in the mud. I hate sliding on slimy roots, feeling my wheels lose traction at each turn, having my line turn to mush within seconds, and not feeling like my body can work up to its potential just because the trail is so impeding.

Or though I thought. While those things all stand true, I had a great time trenching through the seemingly endless miles of course tape. My goal was first to just finish a lap (which I wasn't all that committed to, anyway), which changed to finishing the race, which changed to slowly passing people. I didn't do all that well, but I didn't lose, and I didn't crash, and I didn't cry.

At one point in the course (which degraded as the laps went on), there was a steep muddy descent followed by a run-up with build in steps. I decided to just run the whole thing, since I'm good at running but have a real mental block with mud (some people are afraid of death or spiders or being alone, I'm afraid of slipping in the mud and getting a boo-boo, or dislocating my shoulder again). It actually worked well in my favor and I made up some good time. There was also a crowd cheering me on, and I appreciated that everyone found merit in my strategy rather than belittling my riding fears. After the race, we all congratulated each other, and spectators approached me to tell me they liked my unorthodox style. 

As I said in my last post, one of the things I'm growing to really appreciate about bike racing is the comeraderie.  I went from feeling sore from the rain (arthritic pains in back shooting down to my feet, as well as in my fingers and jaw), tired from lack of sleep, sick from too much halloween candy (no one should do that to themselves, but here I am, as an adult, making healthy life choices), scared of the mud, and really just unenthusiastic about the whole race, to feeling really proud of myself and the other women with whom I raced (most of us are beginners) for toughing it out. I came back to my team tent to find a beer waiting for me, and I can't wait for next weekend when I get to do it all again. Sports!