Quick Reader’s Digest version race report: 72 women lined up & started LOTOJA at 7am this morning. A local girl & well known “billy goat”, Marci Kimball, attacked at the base of the first climb. 3 of us were able to go with her. By halfway up, 1 girl had fallen off, so we had a solid break of 3. I popped 3/4 of the way up, but field was still out of view at the summit so I buried myself in TT mode (my specialty) …& chased my heart out. Managed to complete the bridge after maybe 10 miles of chasing. The girl that had initiated the break had an unfortunate accident maybe ~50 miles in and was unable to continue, so the break was now just me & Lindsay Stevenson. We worked well together, & put about 40 minutes on the peloton by the finish line. It came down to a sprint finish between the two of us, and she got me by about 1/2 a wheel/ 0.02 secs (I’m an engine & have a lot of work to do on my sprint… ESPECIALLY after 202 miles off the front!!) Now I’m going to go eat ALL THE THINGS…
Added After the Fact:
LOTOJA 2017 (my 1st, but certainly not last!) is a wrap, & what an experience it was! Breathtaking views during the preride , Meticulous planning & prepping, start line adrenaline, making the break, getting popped on a climb & chasing back on to it, miles (& miles & miles!) of building the gap with my stellar breakaway partner, Lindsey, all culminating in an epic 1K sprint after 202 miles of racing… Finishing 2nd Place Overall Woman & 2nd fastest up the QOM climb…every last bit of this adventure was just amazing. I accomplished goal of sub 10 hrs w an official time of 9:35:15, & accomplished goal of finishing on the Podi A little bummed to miss the top step by 0.02 secs, but VERY happy with my race today. And now I just have to come back next year, a stronger sprinter
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| FREE CREMIES at Packet Pickup! |
I couldn’t have possibly pulled off this trip or race performance/results without the support of these amazing people & businesses:
Obviously Hubby Extraordinaire Jamie…. my #1 sponsor & supporter. Without his unbelievable support, there is just no way that I could train and race at the level that I’m able to… there just wouldn’t be enough hours in the day!
Austin Tri-Cyclist – the best mechanics in town, & a great bike shop to boot. They keep my bikes in tip top shape, & keep me fueled & supplied with all the supplements & gear that I need to train & race.
Matt Seagrave: World’s best coach! Okay, maybe I’m a little biased, but Matt does SO much more than just lay out my workouts. He takes my health, fatigue (both physical & mental), work & race schedule, and “life stuff”, all into consideration when writing my programming to keep me healthy & sane, & peak my performance at just the right times throughout the year. He’s coached me back from multiple collarbone breaks, & through periods of ill health & high stress at work. He’s helped to pick me up from my low points & taught me to soar to my high points. Knowing that I can trust his advice & programming to get me where I need to be, & never having to second guess him or myself does a ton to reduce the mental stress of this demanding sport . I attribute much of the success that I’ve seen on the bike during this amazing dream of a season to Matt’s guidance & coaching.
Cryo Wellness: I’m no longer a spring chicken, having only found cycling at the tender young age of 34, so it is imperative for me to maximize my recovery efforts in order to stay at the top of my game & keep up with the younguns . Cryo Wellness (off Far West) & Cryo Fire Health Spa (in Cedar Park) help me do just that. They have all the best recovery tools in one convenient location, so I can reduce inflammation & get a jump start on recovery with Cryo, flush my lymphatic system & legs of toxins & lactic acid with Normatech Compression boots, and top off my Oxygen Stores / improve blood oxygenation in the hyperbaric chamber all in one convenient place
BEMER Mat: I’ve had the opportunity to keep & demo a BEMER Mat over the last week in preparation for LOTOJA. I’ve used it twice a day (AM & PM), & slept on it in the sleep cycle every night for the last week. I also used it on level 10 (max) the morning of LOTOJA & immediately after the race on level 1 to help flush the lactic acid from my legs. I’ll be honest: upon hearing about BEMER Mat technology I was extremely skeptical… sitting on this Mat for 8 minutes twice a day would emit a frequency that opens up capillaries, improves blood flow, & maximizes blood oxygenation … it just sounded too good to be true, especially since I don’t really “feel” anything when lying on the mat. But I’m now a firm believer in the technology, as it significantly reduced the negative effect of altitude for this flatlander racing at elevation in UT against a ton of locals! My legs felt amazing throughout the race, & while I’m definitely feeling the effort today, they aren’t NEARLY as sore as I expected them to be after a 202 mile race at high altitude with tons of climbing, & ~170 miles spent working the 2 girl break! Anyone interested in learning more about BEMER Mat technology can contact Sherri Kirklin for more info, & to set up a demo.
nuun hydration: I’ve spent ages experimenting & trying to figure out a good fueling source that gives me the electrolytes, salt, & carbs needed to fuel my Ultra Races, but doesn’t weigh me down, over-salinate me, give me “carb gut”, or upset my stomach. I’ve finally found my perfect fuel in the new Nuun Performance , alternated with Nuun Energy & Nuun Active. I used this combination exclusively during LOTOJA, in addition to a few GU Rocktane gels chased with water, & never once felt a bonk coming on during the entire 202 miles of racing. I never felt weighed down & didn’t get “carb gut”, and always felt like I was plenty hydrated. Super stoked to finally have figured out a formula that works for me!
