Belated Maybury Race Report

Well, I am finally getting around to posting my Maybury race report. My forearms and hands are burning from all the time I've spent on the computer lately and the last thing I want to do is type, but I did promise a race report for my two loyal readers and we're leaving to go up to the cabin tomorrow, so I want to get it done.



Maybury kind of snuck up on me. I know that seems ridiculous given the fact that it's been on my calendar since spring, but considering the state of things lately, I really hadn't thought about it that much. Which is why I found myself heading that way last Saturday morning without having developed a goal for finishing. It's probably just as well due to the way the race went.



The Maybury race was organized slightly differently than most of the others, and the beginners were slated to start at 9:30, as opposed to starting last as we usually do. That meant waking up early, leaving while Chris was still in bed and stressing out a little about being ready on time. I needn't have worried as it didn't take me near as much time to get there as I thought it would. Jake, our fearless team leader and organizer, pulled into the parking lot at about the same time as I did and we beat the rush at the registration table.



One of the things I've really enjoyed about racing this year is being on a team. Granted, our sponsors turned out to be duds, but it's been half the fun of it hanging out at our team tent with everyone else and cheering on our teammates. I'm the only girl on the team who has been racing consistently, so a lot of the time I'm surrounded by guys, but I don't really mind that.



As I was waiting in line to start, I finally met two of my main competitors in the CPS. I've seen their names on paper, but had yet to meet them. Before the Maybury race, I was ahead of both of them in the series, but only because I had done more races than them. When I saw Charis, who has kicked my butt in several races, I realized that I would never be able to compete with her. She must work out all day. That being said, she was very nice and it was hard for me to hate her just for being in such good shape.



I never really found my rhythm during the race. The course wasn't particularly challenging, but I felt lackluster the entire time. I attribute this to a lack of training as of late. It was dry and dusty and ridiculously hot out there and I was really glad I got to start early rather than in the heat of the afternoon.



It was not a good race and I was already feeling guilty for skipping a funeral (Chris' great aunt) to go to the race. I figured it was my best chance to do well in the remaining three races, since it was probably the easiest course and I didn't want to miss it. I felt crappy the entire time and I've never felt closer the entire season to just walking off a course and DNFing. It was brutal. On the positive side, I did get more points than two of my other races simply because there were only six people who showed up so last was only sixth rather than tenth or eleventh!



I am a little irritated because I just looked at the official results online and somehow, between Saturday and whenever those were posted, my time got about 17 minutes slower than it was on the unofficial results. If that time was right, I was painfully slow. I may have been the slowest person there, though I didn't verify that.



Despite my lack of success, I am really having a great time racing. It's been a great experience for me and has shown me that I am tougher than I thought I was. Part of the reason I stuck to the course instead of quitting when I really felt like it, though, was that I knew I only had to do five races to qualify for the series and if I finished Maybury, I didn't have to do another race. Now that it's over, however, I'm just more determined to do the last two races, if only so I don't end the season on a sour note.