The Park City Point 2 Point hates me. Last year it just did not seem to like me, but this year it was pure hatred. I don't know why. I had a blast riding in Park City several weekends before hand. Yesterday everything changed. I have some theories though.
I started off feeling okay. I got dropped by the group off the start which is par for the course. I caught back up and passed Erica on the way to Deer Valley. She can climb much better than I do, but was content staying behind me for a bit. She got by and I never saw her again. She ended up in 5th. I knew she would do well.
I got to Silver Lake the first time grabbed bottle and continued to climb. I still felt okay. I started to see Sarah and thought things were turning around. She then pulled away and ended up in fourth. I am glad she had a good day on the bike. Lynda came flying past me. I was waiting for that. She got some bad intell via me that morning and started a wave or two back. I felt terrible on the start line, but timing was all done by chips so she did not messed up. She ended up in third behind Heather and Kelly.
I made it back to Silver Lake and expected things to improve. The tough stuff was over the remaining course was long, but lots of flowy single track and nicely graded climbs.
A bit later around 4:30 into my race things started to fall apart and then continued to get bad. I started to get pre-cramps in my hamstrings and quads. I have never cramped here before. I had been drinking calories and electrolytes like crazy. So much so my stomach actually felt full. I couldn't really eat much as there was not much saliva and food would sit in my mouth forever but I made several noble efforts. I ran out of beverage long before I reached Park City Mountain Resort. Dave caught me a little before hand. I told him I was in a pit of despair. I don't think he believed me. Once at PCMR, I told the pit crew I was in dire straits. They did all they could to help me. The encouragement was the best and I continued. (Thanks Kendra, Wendy, Dave Dean, and Gayle).
Things continued to get bad. I soft pedaled my way to the Canyons. I could not accelerate into anything so every little up hill was a climb. I got passed by so many people. I and another guy pulled off the side of the trail for a bit as we were both trying to ward off cramps. I was grateful for the company. My left calf seized up a bit later and a train of riders passed me.
On the final road climb, I was soft pedaling as much as I possibly could and everything revolted in unison--both quads, hamstrings and gastrocs. I pushed my bike as my quadriceps continued to pulsate. It was so messed up that my inner quad (vastus medialis) and a muscle on my lateral calf above my malleolus cramped. Who does that? I finished because I did not know how to quit. My time was 35 minutes slower than last year.
Chris felt good though and finished fourth behind the likes of Alex Grant, Josh Tostada and Kelly Magelky. Impressive.
This morning I cannot sleep. My chest hurts when I breath, swallow and lie down. It started a little bit after I finished yesterday. I am not sure what is up with that. Lots of things hurt though.
8 comments:
kc-sorry about your race. cramps are no fun. fyi-i've been battling similar breathing issues during/after long races. I've had times where it has lasted up to 3 days post race. The pulmonologist I saw suspects GERD (acid reflux) from the cycling position and the type of food we eat while racing. If you think that is what it is let me know and I can get you more info. jennshan1@msn.com. have a good rest of the weekend. jen.
You were one of 3 riders I was worried about yesterday on the final leg of the race. To see you in that kind of pain made me feel very helpless when it came to support. Your legs were bent and tight and I had no idea of what could be done to help, so of course we just made sure you ate. To finish the race with the amount of pain you were in and having your body shut down like that is amazing. It goes to show how mentally tough you are.
Kendra
Sometimes my chest will hurt like that. I think it is from arching my back, making my shoulders curl in, putting pressure on the sternum.
I had fun riding with you up in the DV sections. You were looking strong when you rode away from me on TBB. Way to push through the hurt.
Way to tough it out KC. I hope you're recovering well and will back back at it soon.
Great Job KC, way to keep moving. I'm not sure what was in the air on sat, but I could take a deep breath from mile 38 on. I had to be content with soft pedaling to the canyons. Not near as much fun as the pre-rides we did. Thank goodness for great support to push us out of the aid stations. Saw you driving with your bikes yesterday, hopefully feeling better.
KC it was nice to meet you. Sorry the race didn't go as planned. It seemed to be the status quo across the board. Next year!
Way to keep moving through the pain and cramps. I am so sorry that your body didn't cooperate. I know you are super strong and this was just a bad day. You still have hero status in my book.
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