IMBCS #5 - A camel is not a mountain goat

Headed out early on Sunday with Kent Carlson to IMBCS #5 at Sunderbrunch Park in Davenport. The drive over to the park was uneventful, other than neither one of us bringing directions with us. A quick hit of the web with my phone and google maps and we were set. Kent and I arrived around 8:30, quickly registered and headed off for a recon lap of the course before the Novice race. I got a good taste for the course which had almost no flat sections at all. Andy Leuk said that the course reminded him of a cross between Boone and Sugarbottom. Not having been to either of those places, it's hard for me to say. Unfortunately, the course was set for the novice race, so I'd be in for some surprises once the race started. I spent some time riding around with Kent and Ben Shockey trying to keep the blood flowing. The sport, single speed, and women's open classes started the race together. The paved 1/4 mile climb help string people out a bit, but there were still some issues entering the single track. The course flowed really well and made excellent use of the terrain. I was really starting to feel bad about 2/3 of the way through the first lap. I happened to glance down at my HRM and saw 180 on the face. Knowing I couldn't keep that up for another eight miles, I backed off a bit and tried to recover. The second lap was better. I was getting a good feel for the course, but I was still trying to manage my heart rate so I could finish. I lost momentum a few times this lap and fell over. Unfortunately, I fell away from the bench cut in one spot and came down on a tree. I also managed to catch my bars on a tree on a short downhill section and throw myself ass over handlebars. By the time the third lap came around, I was in survival mode, wanting to make sure I finished the race. I stopped briefly to tie what was left of the shoelace on my right shoe, take a drink, and got back on the wagon. I finished with a time of 2:04, which was to the back of the finishers and 30 minutes behind the class winner. Not the result I was hoping for. However, I haven't been putting a lot of miles in on the mountain bike the last few months, and I certainly haven't been going out and riding that hard for any period of time recently. Too much camel in my training, not enough mountain goat. My results reflected that. I wanted to race the IMBCS series this year and get a taste of what it was like. I've learned that it's damn hard and you have to have some dedication and discipline if you are going to do well. I have a huge amount of respect for guys like Cam and Lou that can stay focused on their training and have the results to show for it. Riding in sport my first year may not have been the best choice, but it has been a good challenge, and I think that I am a better rider for doing so. The next race is August 3rd at Seven Oaks. Another course that I have not ridden, and it's supposed to be one of the tougher ones in the area as far as climbing is concerned. Should be a good time.