Stretched, Stronger, and more Refined

Do. Hard. Things. This is what stretches you, makes you stronger, and refines your character. Last weekend was another one of those mountains I had to climb over. I have raced solo woman, for the last two years, at 25 hrs in Frog Hollow race and was planning, for many months, on racing it again this year. Both years I raced were big challenges. I had thought about how I could improve and how to achieve this goal by using what I had learned the last two years. About a month before the race I had a wrench thrown into my system - the SAT test - which changed the race plan entirely. I didn't say that quite right... the SAT fell on the same Saturday morning that the race began. My plan immediately changed. I needed to be at the test at quarter to eight, the test was around four hours, and driving about one hour: "Ok, good. I still have 22 hours to race!" I told myself. "Sounds decent to me. Take the test, drive to camp, race for 22 hrs, fifteen laps, and tada... I can even take ten minute breaks between each lap!"

With my game plan all written out we headed to St. George (where the race is held).

After eight hours of driving Thursday morning, we arrived. Frog Town, made up of all the racers camps, looked desolate, but I knew it would soon grow.

We and our friends, the Bishops, staked our spot along side a ravine where the course climbed to the finish line. Cody Bishop, who also raced solo, and my Dad did a course recon, while I stayed at camp (I felt like I knew the course perfectly because I had ridden it so many times) and studied both for my high school Physics test and the SAT.

Friday morning came, and I completed my Physics test, ate lunch, and loaded the bikes onto the car for a fun ride on a nearby mesa. We drove out to Guacamole Mesa which has large sections of trail on top of rock slabs with only the aid of white dots to show the trail.

It was gorgeous!

The mesa backed up to the entrance of Zion and looked out over the valley of Hurricane below.

Back at camp I gave my bike a good cleaning and tried to stay on top of my mounting nerves. As the night passed on my nerves grew ever more. I wasn't extra nervous for either the race or the SAT, but putting them on top of each other made up for it. I mentally ran though what I needed for the next day and got everything together.

I tried coloring my lap count down signs to take my mind off the nerves I was feeling, but it didn't work. After a bit my Dad pulled me aside, reassured me to be confident, and prayed with me. Oh... the peace God gives when you call upon Him and rely on His strength, not your own! Thank you Lord! I went to bed feeling ready to conquer the world!... ok, maybe not, but I was immensely less anxious than before.

The big day came. I ate breakfast jumped in the car and headed into St. George to the testing center for the SAT. I arrived with plenty of time to spare, so I was able to check-in and get seated with no rush. The test started, my heart was pounding way to much. My mind went to a verse I read the night before, (Exodus 15:2 "The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God and I will extol Him."). All I could remember was "The Lord is my strength and song." but boy did it help! I finished the test confidently and drove back to Frog Town.

I quickly ate food, kitted up, and started my first lap. The course was exactly as I remembered it. I stopped after that lap because of my screaming front break and a strange noise in my rear wheel. Lap two Genevieve joined me. Midlap I told her my brain already felt like I had done three laps, (not the best sign on lap two of hopefully fifteen).

Lap three merged with two, with the exception of meeting a couple nice racers who were shocked when I said I was seventeen and took the SAT that morning. Lap four was lonely. I didn't see anyone until about seven miles into the lap and then the sun set, leaving me in the shadow of the earth. Back at camp Dad had waited for me so we could ride the night laps together, and that is what we did.

After the first night lap my brain felt fried. I didn't think the SAT would have mentally exhausted my like that, but it did and I needed sleep. I slept the whole night, knowing I wouldn't reach my goal of fifteen laps, but satisfied because the SAT was the important thing and I felt good about it.

Sunday morning I got up and rode two more laps with Dad, Cody, and Genevieve. I ended up finishing seven laps total and still placed fifth in open solo woman!

It was a great weekend! Cody completed ten laps and finished top twenty in his first ever endurance race. Dad completed eleven laps and ended up top twenty as well. I learned more through both the SAT and race, had set backs, but still managed to break through them, and added another podium to my collection. Genevieve, my fabulous bike cleaner, was great with cleaning/lubing my bike each lap and cheering me on. And Mom, (what would I do without her?), kept me eating and getting back on the bike for another lap. Last, but not least, thank you to Speed Tuned Wheels! Who has supplied me with an amazing set of race wheels!!

It was one of those days where you say: "I just want this to end. Uhg...why am I doing this? What's the benefit?" but then you reach the other side, turn around, look at what you did, and think: "That was too good! I needed that!" It's all apart of life. Good/bad, rough/easy, happy/sad; take them all, keep your head high, and persevere, because you will come out more equipped than you were before.

The weekend was great but you got to love coming home, especially when...

this greets you!