(sorry this is long!! i've tried more than once to write this darn thing)
My race weekend started out pretty rough, we arrived in Mammoth around 12ish and by 1:30 in the morning I was visting the good 'ole Mammoth ER and when I arrived back to the condo (at 2:30 am) I was the proud owner of 10 stiches on my eyebrow and a HUGE headache!!!.
My 1st thought when it happened was OMG!!! My race weekend is OVER!!!!
I still managed to get up with the massess and head out to the venue - I did however take Thursday off (to give my wound some time to heal and to get rid of the huge headache) I have to admit when Kim rolled in from her 1st practice run so shakin up I was pretty anxious...Kim has always been the voice of reason at each of our races....Even though we are racing each other she'll spend time making sure i'm confident and ready for my RACE run! - Now that is selflessness (not even sure that's a word) I'd been on Velocity several times worked on our race rock garden but hadn't been up top to the steep chute and she had me worried! but by the end of her thursday practice she had mastered it (thank god)
By thursday night I felt comfortable enought to at least try on my helmet and googles.The googles just cleared the stitches so Friday brought a few practice runs for me.
The Friday plan was We (Kim, Julia, Myself and our coach Nancy) would meet at the chair when our practice started..
1st run it was Kim and I plus her AWESOME teammates, I followed Kim and just as we came to the roll in I stopped..It was tricky, you had to turn around this rock that messed with your brain (pedals hitting) then ride a steep chute..I couldn't wrap my head around it!
2nd run - was when we met up with Winston, Nancy and Roger, I followed Roger around the rock into the chute went OTB into the chute and there I lay, more like slide with a bike on top of me. WTH???? How am I going to get down this thing???
3rd run of practice - It was us again luckliy we ran into Julia, it was her 1st run on the race course. The plan was we'd follow Nancy over the rock to the right avoiding the little rock turn but doing the *BIG GIRL* line into the chute....So away and down we went one after the other with much SUCCESS!!!
Julia - did as I did and froze her 1st time around..We all waited and tried our best to give her advice all the way down...My advice to her was pretty simple, "Julia, I fell 2x's down the chute but kept at it and finally trusted myself and the bike to get down it" i'm glad Bryan took her back up and helped her get through it in her head!
I didn't practice a ton (I had a wound above my eye and wanted it to heal good, it's on my face for gods sake!!!) I felt I could get down without killing myself and saved as much as I could for race day!
I know I said it more than once but I truely apprecitate all the practice runs and advice from Nancy,Roger and Winston - I know you ALL took time from your runs to do so, fwiw - I tried to listen and use all the advice given!
Race Day was windy and all I could think about was what if while we're rolling into that chute a big gust of wind comes and blows us off course??? at the top Kim made me sit out of the wind and did her best to keep me calm...Once again Kim steps up and takes care of my nerves before OUR race run! There went Nancy, then Roger I just hoped their runs were good...Now we wait.......We beginner ladies 35+ are the 2nd to last group to go down.
As we awaited Nancy and Roger came back up to the top, I was worried something had happened, but instead they were back up to support and cheer us on!!
Anyhow - race run came and my run was as good as it could be as far as technical riding goes, I rolled the rocks into the chute and rode the *Big Line* flawlessly throught the rock garden. My pumice riding fell apart, I actually dabbed a few times through the super thick section just before the table - I had made it through that stuff no problems during practice but just couldn't keep it together for the race..I dabbed on the 2nd loose corner before the 4x course but did manage to stay upright (this corner gave me a hard time during practice too). The 4x's course was tough to finish on..Your already tired from you race run then you've got to keep it together around all the berms and obsticals it has, as far as i'm concerned it was just as hard as the top..I was fortunate enough to have Nancy show me the lines and I just talked myself thought it race run.
My race run was over! and I had made it down in one piece!! that's all I can ask for.
Golden State Series -
Yep I went to all 4 races, Got
1st at the National,
2nd at Woodward,
2nd at the July race and
3rd in Mammoth..Some races were better than others..
Nationals - I was confident though all the rock legde rolls and it showed..by far my best race, confidence is key and I'm slowly learning this.
Woodward - I cleaned that little tricky middle section smoothly and with ease both runs and made up several seconds my 2nd run.
July - I crashed the hardest I ever have on in my life during Sat practice. The crash stuck with me for about a month, my riding was in bad shape, yet I kept with it every chance I could and worked through it in my head. The race was hot (think they said 111 up top) I was scared after my crash and it showed, I crashed both runs!! 4'x the 1st run and 2x's the 2nd run. After the 1st run I didn't want to go back up, but Kim and LaLa basically made it clear I had no other choice but to suck it up and finish my race.
Mammoth - we'll you just read about it the run.
So there you have it, I raced all 4 races and YES I did come home with an AWESOME Golden State Series 2009 Champion Jersey.Did I do it alone???
Absolutely NOT...
It started with my very 1st run EVER at Fontana with Nancy and the many runs and rides with her throughout this season...Nancy thanks for giving back to me and every other new racer and helping us become better more confident in most everything we do. Neil, Nam & Gary - your support and endless shuttle runs have been AWESOME even if I spent a month OTB-ing my way down whatever trail we rode - if we hadn't done those i'd still be at the top of that stinking chute
Also, racing with the ladies in my group has been incrediable~! The support we've given each other has been something i've never felt before. We've celebrated each others successes, which just makes us come back for more :bang:
I had lost sight of these successes for a while after my race run, it left me with a void. A void that made it almost impossable to enjoy the fact that I had
commited to all 4 races and won the overall for the series. Thanks to my friends and family for reminding me how hard i've worked to be where I was on Sunday and that place was with some of the
best people i've ever met doing the most fun thing i've ever done! Thanks Nancy for showing me a what fun is, thanks Neil for supporting everything i've wanted to do this season, thanks Nam for taking me to the hospital and thanks Kim for being you!
Congrats to EVERYONE who raced! and HUGE props to all their supporters :bang:
Sport Class Womens 35+ here I come!
although I do have a hard time with the "kill or be killed racing attitude" 
