Monday, August 11, 2014

Vail Hill Climb

Going into the vail hill climb, which was my 4th race in the La Sportiva Mountain Cup, I was not overly optimistic. I had just moved to Jackson,WY a week prior and raced the "Run for Wray" in Targhee exactly 12 hours after arriving in Jackson, where I won and set a new women's course record. I was still acclimating to the elevation and in a haze from the cross country relocation, but decided to do a quick out and back to attend the race in Vail.
My gamble with delirium paid off and I placed second. In retrospect, I definitely raced too conservatively, but dammit I made it to the starting line! (Self-pat on back) The elevation had me scared, but the first mile through town felt quick and easy.  Three or 4 women went out ahead, but I tried to stay calm and focus on my race. After mile 2, things settled out and I just decided to stay steady, but got passed by the second woman and that's where I stayed....Nice and comfy. I was never a stone's through from 1st, but I was congratulating myself for even being there and was prepping for a killer climb.  Actually, the climbs never got crazy steep and there are some nice breaks throughout with some refreshing downhills sprinkled in. The elevation started to take its toll on me at about mile 6, but I shrugged off the real, or perceived, dizziness and slight nausea to push on to the finish. 
Over all it was a great way to spend the 4th of July. Perfect weather, well organized race homemade granola bars at the finish, and a race tee that actually fits and doesn't suck! It's the little things...