Sproat Lake Marathon

Wow - it's been since March since I wrote anything!!!  Lots has happened in the meantime - we went to Moab for a week, and I do have a write up with pics but it'll have to come in after today's because I still need to read it through. We went to Penticton to ride and climb with some very fun friends, and that was awesome too!

Marc went to Squamish this weekend to subdue the Chief.... and should be home shortly. I had too many options - Squamish, which I was very sad to turn down, the party for the Incredible Anne Marie in Victoria which I was so very sad to not get to, a girls-getaway on the Sunshine Coast that I am also very sad to have missed, and the Sproat Lake marathon xc race in Port Alberni.

Lots of regrets that I am but one person and unable to time travel, but I've been hoping to be able to ride this race all winter, and since so far every "goal" has had to be postponed because my knee just wasn't ready I felt it was time to actually try to accomplish something. We did do the Snow to Surf - but my short 8 km xc ski was really not stressful enough to count as a race. I don't think it's really ready for this, but since it's essentially stopped getting better I thought "no time like the present" - right?

So, for my first race of the season......

Sproat Lake advertised a race much like the Campbell River 50, a sufferfest that makes you stronger providing you live through it. Being a longer (40km) race I thought it would be less intense than a short effort like Hammerfest, and therefore less likely to injure me. Lack of sufficient training aside, I think it was a great idea!

Gorgeous sunshine this weekend, and really the first hot days. I talked my friend Chris into riding a lap as well, so we drove out of Comox bright and early this morning and got there well ahead of schedule. A brief warmup followed by the anxious start line. Generally I look at the people around me and back up until I'm beside people that look like me - unfortunately I didn't see any. I don't know what the slow people were doing this weekend, but I could really have used some assistance! Out the field and into the trail I made sure to stay near the back of the pack, and before long we were all riding smooth flowy trails through amazing green forest. The first 10 km were super fun and flowy, and I can't wait to go back and ride again.

The bridges were AMAZING! There was scads of bridges - sometimes 1, sometimes 3 or 4 long bridges in a row, they were 6" wide or 3 feet wide, they were flat, over swamps, over deep creeks, uphills, downhills, there were skinnies with big bumps in them, and skinnies with little lumps sawn into the wood, and there were straight skinnies, or skinnies with giant corners. You get the picture - there were a LOT of log rides and I loved them all!

I caught up to Dave on his single speed at an aid station, and we chatted riding up the next bit of rocky doubletrack, which turned into a hike-a-bike rock river. Unfortunately while chatting we missed a turn - but not wanting to go back we headed onwards thinking to link back in to the trail although going further. Unfortunately it turned out we took a faster line that the race route, and as we hit the trail riders we'd been behind came into view. We waited for the rider Dave had been with, and then cut back in. That really took the "race" effort out of me, since no matter who I caught it wouldn't have been fair, and until now I'd been riding quite hard. In the long run that detour was my saviour because I slowed down, sniffed some roses and had a much better ride for it. Because this race certainly wasn't over for a long long time!

The middle 5 km became a bit burlier, and I stopped making it up all the hills, then the last 5 km of singletrack was truly evil when you're tired. I hadn't managed enough food and reminded myself that I was 1. just out riding my bike, not racing and 2. was going to call it a day after the first lap and have a beer. Of course I headed back out, but I did ride quite slowly and refused to feel inadequate about it.

The second lap started great and flowy again, and I realized the end of the first lap really was evil, not that I was just too tired to ride. And in all fairness, it was all rideable - I just couldn't ride up those hills that tired! By this time I was riding with Dave, the single speeder from Campbell River who would ride ahead, chat up the trail volunteers, and stopped at the aid station for some quiche and a beer. I would love to say I rode up all kinds of hills and made them look easy - but I didn't really do much better than lap one.....

I was pretty happy to see the finish. I had gotten into a flow, but my knee started complaining around km 35, and the total ride was 44 km, leaving a slight discrepancy. I tried to think if this was an adventure race could I continue - and thought that as long as there was no riding or running for a bit it would actually be totally okay. Paddling perhaps? But then I ate a veggie burger and some amazing salmon and we drove home before we were worried we'd fall asleep. Chris had a great lap - loved the bridges and the flow, felt the same about LazerShark trail as I did, and hopefully we'll both be back for next year!

Best race parts:
- the clearcut slash EVERYONE (including both me and Chris) walked into carrying their bikes following irrelevant blue ribbon
- all the pretty flowers, flowy trails and all the cool bridges
- the awesome BBQ at the end with salmon and veggie burgs!!!

Thanks SO much to all the volunteers, my partner in crime Chris, my other partner in crime Dave who I chased for a lap and a bit, and who then gave me a Tshirt, and Jeff at Trail bikes who made the whole thing sound like a good idea. Huge thanks to  ZZtop and his aid station partner, Lee and the team of  volunteers for the awesomely organized race, great trails and especially the encouragement.