Counting Coup is done...

Whew, what can I say?! I got through it.

It had rained all day on Friday and the trails got soaked. The race director sent an e-mail update saying that the race was on because it hadn't rained that much. Either way, I was eager to get the race over with... I went into Saturday raceday feeling really good about myself, nutritioning, about how much rest I was getting and about my overall conditioning. All that was about to change.

Start:
I got up at about 3:50 a.m. when Nick called my cell. Why did my alarm not go off??? ends up I had set it at 4:50 a.m. like a dumbo - 10 minutes before the race!!! I picked up Nick and Nino and we drove to the start line, parked, unpacked, checked in. It was a dark and cold 40 degree a.m. start. It was a very crowded start and I had lost all my riding partners within 1 mile. Now when I say lost, I mean they lost me. I was leading a small pack in the dark and had run into a mud puddle. I asked everyone to go by me while I had to step out. Well, I never caught that pack again.

Blackstar 1/5: The mud on blackstar from what I heard was not as bad as last year, but it was merciless. It took everything I had just to make up to beak's place (about 1/5 the way through) and I was already spent. It was at this point that I started to get real discouraged. It took everything I had to make it through 1/5 the race, how the heck was I going to finish?
All my riding partners were way ahead of me, I must not have prepared right for this.

Main divide 2/5
The next section was the Main Divide road along the top of the Mtns (one of the hardest sections) and it was there that all the self doubt, self questioning, and desire to quit really kicked in.

Here are some comments and questions you make to yourself when you're grinding away. There's really no one to talk when you're feeling miserable and defeated to so, why not talk to yourself ?!

What the am I doing here?
This mud sucks...
Why am I pedalling so hard but not going anywhere?
Never again!
Why I am out in this freezing dark cold, when I could be in a nice warm plush bed with my wife.
I'm out $75 and I'm not going to finish this race.
I can't believe I've ridden two hours and still have at least six to go.
I'm super tired now, I'm going to be super, super, super tired in six hours.
Never Again!
Dammit, why am I feeling cramps so early in this race?
I should have taken 3 advil.
I'm only a quarter way through, how am I going to get the strength to finish the last three?
I wish I would have a mechanical (failure), so I'd have a good excuse to quit
How am I going to face my riding buddies when they've finished this thing and I haven't?
What did I get myself into? What other lame excuse can I come up with so I can quit?
Never Again!.

The Main Divide is a road I thought I had mastered. Lots of steep climbing. I thought I could do it without walking any sections, but as it turns out, I had to walk most of the steep sections to prevent myself from cramping up. From past experience, once my muscles cramp and lock, my race is basically over. Whenever I started feeling muscle twinges, I had to get off the bike and walk... this went on for about an hour (and pretty much the rest of the race). Then sun had risen at this point, and the loneliness of the dark had gone away... I can at least now see where I was going.

Motorway downhill 2.5/5
Aha! at last Motorway downhill to the check point. It was all smooth sailing down here, not many people to pass, not many people passing me. I got down to the check point where I saw Linh and Maureen, it was such an encouraging site. Lots of racers down there refuelling, eating, chatting, and most of all working up the nerve to finish. It was at this point my attitude changed and I was determined to finish this thing and try to hang with Linh and Maureen. I had made the cutoff by about an hour so there were no more time constraints, only the desire to finish.

Maple Springs to Four Corners 2.5,3/5 yes beyond halfway.
This was a tough climb, although not as steep, it was a gradual 8 mile constant grind. I hung with linh and Maureen about 1/3 the way up, then I just told them to take off. I was determined to finish and secretly hoped to catch them on the down hill, but that never materialized. I didn't have to walk much of this, but I did have to pull off a few times to just rest and eat (and make a pit stop). It was pretty uneventful. What surprised me was that I thought I would see a lot more people passing at this point, but there were no more than ten. I guess all the fast folks just blew by at the beginning.

Four Corners to Santiago Peak 4/5.
This is where the altitude and cold kick in, but at this point I knew my race was almost done, as in I'm almost finished. There was a bit more encouragement from other riders, all knowing that we were close to finishing the Counting Coup. I reached the peak where I saw a few folks resting, asked them if the last sharp turn down holy jim was the right one and was on my way.

Upper/Lower Holy Jim 5/5.
This was the best part of my ride. At last! No more climbing all down hill. But... I had never ridden upper HJ before and there were sections that needed to be hiked down. There was some seriously beautiful terrain here and I wished that this section lasted longer even though it was sketch and dangerous. I didn't want to take chances being as tired as I was so I just climbed down some sections. Lower HJ was great too, there was no one to pass and no one to pass me. Last 4 miles down hardpack road and the race was done:

Finish:
cross the finish line at approx 8hours 45minutes I think, I was too tired to notice. A lot of my group had finished while 2 others were still on the course. If you hung with me this far, the rest is boring, had McDonalds for dinner where I just grinded 2 burgers, fries and went to sleep.

Retrospect:
I doubt I will do this race again. Maybe I will, but definitely not if it rains again. This race has taken a lot of out family time and I'm not sure I can make the same sacrifices again. Besides, I can ride the course anytime for free, at my own leisure. I dunno, its my competitive nature that got me into this mess to begin with, and having just turned 36 (I'm as good physically as I'm ever going to get), I need to just let these things go.

I will post some pictures when I get them. Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement and to my family who were able to put up with me these last three months.

L.