Goin' Down Swinging

Cranmore Hill Climb

 
Pretty cool photo taken by my daughter

I closed the month of June with the Cranmore Hill Climb which served as the lone selection race for the world team. I had no real expectations for myself here. I went in with the idea of just having some fun and with no real pressure to trash myself. The experience was incredible and if the course is similar next year I will be back. The course was 3 loops of 3.8 kilometers per loop. The men went off first and I lined up about 4 rows back just so I wouldn’t have the urge to jump out with the mountain goats. We pass the first climb and I could here a bunch of deep breathing around me. I knew I wanted to go out slow but the guys around me were already in trouble. I moved around all of this and settled into a nice comfortable place. The course would zig zag, running across the mountain and then up a climb. This kind of running repeated itself up to the 2k mark where the water stop was and the steepest climb. From here it was another zig zag down the mountain with some portions being pretty steep and muddy. Loop 2 I continued to pass a few people but not as many as the first loop. I could tell that I was finally settling into my “racing group.” Loop 3 I found myself walking some small sections of the steeper climbs. Looking back at that now I should have made myself suffer a bit more and try and run those portions. I chased two guys down the last climb losing ground on the steep downs and gaining back on the flats. I thought for sure I would blast by both of them near the finish but they ran just as hard as I did and finished just in front of me. It’s been awhile since I have felt this accomplished in anything that I have done on the roads. Can’t wait to do something similar soon.