I got a decent sleep last night except for the ritual bathroom wake. I didn’t make it to the port-a-johns though, a few feet from the tents would do. It did get pretty cold in the morning again, probably colder than Leadville, despite the copious hot air expelled by the inmates. I slept in my compression tights last night and the hoodie and winter hat made it on sometime in the early AM.
We didn’t have to pack the bags this AM as we were bunking down here at Camp Hale again tonight. It was nice to have a little less to do in the AM, thus we were able to really sleep in, i.e., 5:55!
Race clothes.
Warm clothes.
Call.
Breakfast.
Call.
Contacts.
Finalize race gear.
AIS – Ass in Shoot.
Today was fantastic in that we didn’t need to pack bags and the race shoot was a couple hundo meters from camp. We were heading out the same arch we finished through yesterday. Today I was back to the sols, cycling jersey and handie. We were using matching 2011 TdC jerseys. It was the first time that I have put this one on. It was a little too big compared to the NU jersey so the back pockets where up and down all day, but at the same time the front did not ride up like the NU one does. Survey Says: ditch the cycling jerseys cauz even though the pockets are handy, the back of the shirt jumps and it’s not the easiest to run with. Unless you can get a really tight jersey, but then it’s probably going to ride up so forget about it.
I went back with the sols since it was a short day with steep accents and descents and about 3/4mile in a shallow river/road bed. I was opting for grip and support. Again I’m glad with this decision, except the sols definitely induce the blisters more then the newtons.
My stomach wasn’t 100% once the gun as I’m not a huge fan of the oatmeal they are dishing out, in fact, I miss breakfast TJM style. But once we got going it wasn’t a problem. We headed back out the way we came for a mile and then turned off a different direction. The cramps were still hang about, but definitely less painful then previous days. We were on dirt road for a few miles before turning to jeep road, which would climb until after mile 6. I was really trying to push and keep from walking. The terrain was a constant climb, but there were occasional up and over dips, probably the result of run off.
We were able to hang with a bunch of the leading open women’s teams and our competition (9 and 11) until after CP1. JP was stronger then me on the climb. I gather that he was pushing a little more as he was dreading the descents cauz his ankle was bothering him; his tendonitis showed face yesterday and had swollen up over night.
I had taken on a stinger a mile or so back so at CP1 I only topped up/diluted the ZYM mix in my bottle with water. There was no salt but thankfully JP had some at hand. Since day 2 I have been popping these things at CPs like a rock star.
Après CP1 there was some ascending, rolling terrain. Once we got into the downhill sections, JP knees started bothering him. The good news is that the focus was off the ankle. But unfortunately it was now the knees, which I think was more painful judging by increasing frequency of his energetic hymns. Before the highest point there was some straight open stretch were I could see some of our competition getting away. Despite my TRR expectations having faded away with the persistence of my cramps day 2, every day there were still glimmers of hope, especially today as JP had kept us close during the climb.
At the apex, we turned right and into the decent. This is where we really had to drop cruise control down several notches. The knees weren’t playing along, so we were walking some bits. As peeps that we haven’t seen all week passed us, JP was campaigning for Advil or the like. Seeing some of these peeps for the first time was a bit of a downer, but at the same time it has been a frustrating week, so I quickly put chalked it up as one of those win some lose some situations. And this just hasn’t been our week.
Finally, one dude had some Advil and I tailed him down about a half a mile while he got it from his camelback trying not to lose pace. At this point we were getting towards the end of the major decent and into terrain that JP could manage. We were 3-4 miles from the finish. We reached this road/river bed section and I was unsure what to expect. All types of rumors were floating around camp about its depth and those varied from spit to deep-channeled shipping lanes.
It was about ¾ of a mile mostly a few inches deep with some sections of pooling that was mid calf. This would end of being my favorite ¾ mile all week. It was as if I was given a license to be a kid again and splash in the water. Granted it was cold, but every now and then you could dry parts. It sort of brought some life to my legs. And JP was able to stay not too far behind. Come to find out after the finish he had taken video of me at one point during the water run. Very wise move for someone with 2 dodgy knees and a bum ankle. That Advil was apparently impairing his decision-making.
We got thought the water, CP2 and there was 2+ miles of descending dirt road to the finish. The Advil must have taken effect at this point as JP had taken the lead and we were pushing 7min miles. All of the sudden we turned a corner and we were in Redcliff at the finishing shoot and the infamous Mangos.
Stream.
Stretch.
Nachos and a Fat Tire at Mangos.
Shuttle.
Shower.
Chill.
There is no doubt that JP was weaker on the descents today, but he pulled like a horse on the climb and he gutted out some very steep, loose downhill. We still managed to stay in 10th as another team pulled out. By some luck we are still hanging around, but that is part of the game; part of it is just getting though the adversity and making it to the end of day 6.
Sincerely,
Surviving, TJM
The Short:
Distance: 14.1 miles
Gain: 2,900 ft
Max Elevation: 11,678 ft
Terrain: 2 miles dirt rd, 9.75 jeep rd, 3/4 mile active river bed, 1.5 miles dirt rd
Weather:
Sneakers: Sols
Gear: Compression Shirt, Cycling Jersey, Visor, Handie, Mandatory Kit
Food: 2 Ginsting Gels
Fluids: Water with ZYM, Water, Gu Brew
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