Race Report: Ocup 1

Glad that's over with. The first race of the season is always a bit of an exercise in blunders and nerves. Case in point, guess who forgot to pick up race gels until just before leaving for the venue!!

Anyway, now that's all worked out of the system. So next race will be better. Mansfield was not too kind to me yesterday in terms of results, but I felt decent enough (although a little flat in the legs by the second half) and it was a privelege to line up with some of Canada's best. Emily Batty even showed up -- one of a few riders helping to make our category the most stacked it's been in a long time.

We also said "Bienvenue" to team Quebec who decided to join us for some early season fun. Those girls know a thing or two about going fast on bikes, for sure.

The course started with a wall of a climb which was probably the most nervy part of my day. I knew it would be fast up that road, and success would be determined greatly by how well girls could stay together with their hearts pounding from rest to red line in less than 200m.

The singletrack at Mansfield is thankfully forgiving, because any tighter and I don't know if my oxygen-indebted brain could have navigated the handling after that climb.

The course also featured a few really fun downhills. A couple wide open, and a couple technical singletrack descents. It was good times for the full suspension, but for the rest of the day, I kept the rear pretty well locked out. This is now my new favourite thing. I can't afford to keep more than one mountain bike in my quiver, but with the new remotes from Shimano/Fox I'm laughing -- it's like two for the price of one. Or even more helpful: two bikes in one so I can now really customize my rig from lap to lap.

So the race went -- short course and fast laps so it was over before I knew it. I also tried racing with coca cola for the first time. Worth repeating I think, although it did kind of make me thirsty so some more honing in training before I get the hang of that.

The best part of the first race of the season is seeing everyone in the mountain bike community after a long winter. You can't go anywhere without stopping to chat for a few minutes. It's awesome seeing everyone and their new bikes, too.

Cherry on top? Although the forecasat said rain, it didn't do anything of the kind until we were halfway done the drive home.

Here are the results: http://www.ontariocycling.org/web_pages/results/20110502-043028-11oca11.html#rrCatSEF

Mansfield Ontario Cup #1 2011

The Weekend is here and that means it's time to switch gears to race mode! Mansfield is always one of my favourite stops on the Ontario Cup circuit -- I think mainly because it's the first one, and it's exciting to see how all the long hours of training over the winter translate onto the first dirt track of the season.

Preride tomorrow, racing Sunday, and for now, I'm off for a nice spin to make sure the bike is tickety-boo -- which I'm sure it is thanks to the amazing support from Sweet Pete's!

Have a good weekend all!

(PS - Wasn't the Royal Wedding just amazing?? Unapologetic monarchist, right here.)

Race Report: Ontario XC Marathon Championships, Mansfield

From left: Celine Foreht, Kristen Lake, Tanya Hanham

After a bit of a lack-lustre Ocup season, I've decided to regroup and throw my hat in for a few fall races. So far, I'm liking the results!!

Yesterday was the first of three races on my Renaissance tour. Substance Projects hosted the Ontario Marathon Mountain Bike Championships at Mansfield. The weather forecast was calling for rain, and I didn't even care. If it rained, it would just be more epic. But -- it only rained enough overnight to make the dirt absolutely perfect. PERFECT!! Perfect, I tell you.

At 74km, the race would officially be the longest of my career. I wasn't sure how I'd feel but I couldn't help thinking back to last year's Winter Wow in which I bonked like I've never bonked, and that was only 40km. Could I do another 34 after that? Time would tell!

Jerome and I carpooled up and in the car I was not exactly energetic. Thank goodness he was driving, because I could barely keep my eyes open. Warm-up wasn't much more inspiring. So, not surprisingly, I didn't have the greatest start. Off the line, I settled in and tried to stay with Celine, who'd pulled ahead. I was doing okay at it too, but then I made my first mistake -- mis-steering on a descent, causing me to hit a tree, stop and consequently lose all my momentum for a long straight away. I waved so-long to Celine, and then two more ladies.

This scenario replayed about 10 times I think: catch up with the girls, make a silly error, fall behind again. Handling wasn't there, and fitness was taking its time to show up! I rode with Tanya (the Vegan Vagabonde) for a little while, and she actually helped me to cheer up. I got my head back into it, gapped her, and then found myself very much alone in the woods. Without being able to see the girls ahead or behind (or any riders for that matter ... hmmm) I found some focus and finally started to ride the way I wanted to. My legs decided to join the party and I settled into a great rhythm. And then, when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but Dan on the moto, and about 5 riders near. They were stopped by the way. Never a good sign.

Turns out, somehow seven of us managed to independently make the same wrong turn. None of us was the wiser, as there were arrows the entire time. Dan, the race organizer suspects someone in the woods moved them. So, while we thought we'd passed the "first" check point, in fact, it was the last. Dan was kind enough to put us back in at the 20km mark, since that seemed to be what the consensus of the bike computers indicated. Unfortunately, there was no way to know if the rest of the women's field were now ahead or behind us. Frustrated, I found all NEW focus.

The first bit of fun after we were dropped back on course was a gnarly rutted descent made of wet sand. Riders could disappear into the rut it was so big. So it was crucial to stay on the off-camber banks. Somehow, I bumped and jumped my way down ahead of everyone else. Only to have to stop for a giant stick stuck in my derailleur at the bottom, and once again, I was waving so-long to the women. Something snapped in my head. There was no way I was wasting my entry fee and all that work now. With lots of race left, I put my head down and thought of only one thing: catch those girls.

After the descent, there was the famous Simcoe County Forest rutted out sandy CLIMB, a regular feature on Winter WOW race courses. (What goes down, must go up? Is that how it goes?) Riders were getting de-biked all around me but I wasn't having it. That climb would pay. I beat on it like a crazed chimp (how's that for imagery?) and managed to expell all my frustration by the top. Then it was go time.

The rest of the race was a completely different story from the bumbling, clutzy first 20km. I was feeling Racy. At one point, I noticed a climb, which caused me to notice that I hadn't been noticing the [plentiful] climbs -- always a good sign. I had the legs I wanted, the headspace I wanted, and sometimes it felt like an hour would go by before I had to touch the brakes -- just totally perfect, tacky Mansfield flowy singletrack. I rode with some dudes and then left them behind. Found some new riders up the course, then motored on by them. I felt powerful for once! Unstoppable!!

And then I felt really really bad. Just like that. It was after the final checkpoint, so I knew the end was near but my garmin is in the shop, so I had no tools for timing or distance. There were also no reference points marked on the course -- I hadn't even seen a course map. I suspected at one point that we'd made it back to Mansfield Outdoors Centre Property because I spotted a "Happy Trail" trail sign. I took it as a sign of hope. After the first cracks in the veneer, the crumbling started in earnest. Trees and shrubs looked like animals, or shady characters. You know it's getting into rough territory when you start talking yourself through stuff. And really rough when you start talking to god. Like, "God? Can you hear me? Please let this be the last section of single track?"

At one point, I saw a logging road I thought I recognized (I don't know HOW, beacuse I had no idea where I was and they were all starting to look the same at this point) and I thought I would just take it to the end and call it quits. Crazy talk of an exhausted madwoman.

Anyway, things were rough, but I was still moving, still coaxing race gel and fluids into my upset tummy, still racing, but still not sure what my position was. Was I ahead? Was Celine right behind me about to take a pass? It was enough to keep the fires burning. I conquered a silly little descent that hasn't been on a race course for me in a few years which I could never ride before, got stoked and then found myself passing the main Chalet! I was shredding the final straight away!! Surely within a couple pedal strokes, the finish would be visible! I would be done!! I would be victorious!! but mostly, I would be DONE!! And then ... the arrows seemed to be pointing right. Not straight. Right. Back into the woods. Back into more singletrack. Nooooooo!!! I didn't want to believe it, but my bike was making the turn and I had no choice but to follow along (although I did spare some headspace to contemplate a DNF a few hundred metres from the end).

You thought that was bad? It gets worse. What was waiting for us around that right turn? Only the biggest, steepest climb of the day. What. The. Fudge. Heartbroken, I dropped my gearing into the granny and started my grind. I could see more of what lay ahead by now, and saw that the top wasn't actually the top -- it now appeared there was a second part to this monster. I couldn't take it. I walked. Eventually, I made it to the top, and as my heart pounded in my ears, my arms, neck, legs, back and hands ached like they've never ached, I rode the final descent and grassy straight away to the line.

I even remembered to put my hand up (just in case I'd won, which I still wasn't sure of).

Turns out, I was number one. Congrats to all who finished the race!! It was a tough, tough day. But in just a few hours, I found my happy, racy place again. A great way to go into winter training.

Post-race BBQ

Next up? Paul's Dirty Enduro. And to cap off the season, I joined a team for the Fall 8 up at Hardwood. A visit to Mansfield, Ganaraska and Hardwood before packing up mountain bikes for the winter is an awesome way to spend the fall. Can't wait.

Race Report: O-Cup #1, Mansfield

What. A. Weekend.

Athletes aren't the biggest fans of extra stress. We spend a lot of time preparing and planning to make sure that any distracting bullshit stays out of a race weekend. Alas, sometimes, it doesn't matter what kind of preparations you've made. Bullshit finds you anyway, and that's racing.

The "Pre-Ride"

Saturday morning, I got up, got some fuel for me and the van and headed out to pick up KK on the way to Mansfield for preriding. It was a perfect morning. Sun was shining, not too warm, but you could tell it would be turning into an amazing day on bikes. ... Or would it?

KK and were chit-chatting about how nuts things have been the past week — she's finishing her semester at school and all the accompanying exams and projects that go with it; I'm busy at work, and trying to stay on top of training while working on the Raw Food Book and packing up all my belongings for moving day May 1. "This is going to be such a great day" was the sentiment in the car. In fact, KK hadn't even had an opportunity to ride her mtb yet because she's been racing road with her new team, Nanoblur. But then ...

"What's that smell?" I asked. "Is it me?" Then we slipped back into more conversation about how stoked we were to get up to Mansfield, what a beautiful day it was etc etc, temporarily forgetting about the assault on our olfactory systems. But then sure enough, at the next light ...

"No really, I think that's me ... I better pull over."

And then our preride plans went up in smoke.

As soon as we came to a stop, I knew for sure we weren't going any further. Smoke was pouring out of my front wheel wells, (yep, both of 'em) and the smell was for sure coming from me. And so there on the side of Airport Road, our dreams for a perfect day of letting go of some stress and previewing the race course were over.

Long story short, we plunked ourselves down in a countryside-ditch then waited for a tow truck and a heroic friend of KK's to collect our gear and take KK home while I went for a ride with "Eric-the-tow-truck-driver" to the garage. About half way there, he told me the following joke:

Parental Advisory ...

Okay.

Q. What's the difference between a Ferrari and a freezer full of dead prostitutes?

A. I don't have a Ferrari.

*nervous chuckle*, Grrrrrreeeat. I'd like to get out now ...

Anyway ... so now what? No preride, that much is for certain. As for a ride to the race, KK came and got me later that evening and I spent the night up at her place (a little field trip back to my college days!) and then we took her car up to Mansfield on Sunday.

The Race



I had a great day. All the crap of the day before (the break-down, the "other" break-down, fighting with the garage [this is my THIRD time in for brakes in less than a month ... ahem], fretting over not seeing the course etc) turned into a big ball of hilarious and I bounced it to the very back of my mind, stopped taking myself so seriously and said hello to all the people I haven't seen all winter. Even Casey, of Kama Bay fame, was there supporting her beau who races in the 11:30 group. Oh, and as a little reprieve from the universe perhaps, the deluge the weather man had been calling for stayed away, as well as its accompanying low temperatures, making for near perfect racing conditions, all day long. You're welcome.

I headed out with KK for our warm up, and felt pretty good. I was excited to get out there, and mostly forgot about the fact that I'd never seen the course. Everyone was saying it was fast, soft, and fun with just a little bit of climbing at the start and half way through the lap.

The first lap was a little nerve wracking, but I stayed with the front of the race for most of it, jockeying for position between a few of my fellow mid-packers. I was a little tentative on the open sections because I wasn't sure when they'd close up again into single track. But that, and not knowing where the passing opportunities were for the riders overtaking me (from the men's categories that is) were the only limiters I found to not preriding. I found lines on everything the first try, at speed, and there was nary a dab to be had. So I guess I can stop fussing so much about preriding. Overrated!

The best part about my race was that even though it had definitely been a challenging weekend, I never once found myself in that place where I was wishing it was over, or praying for a flat tire. I was happy and cheerful the whole time, and I wasn't the only one. I got a ton of "hellos" as the guys' fields moved into ours, and Steve Neal was even kind enough to give me a wheel to draft for a little doubletrack-breather.

Although hilariously to me, I almost ended it early because my BRAKES failed in a fast loose corner, almost causing me to crash into the trees. Not sure how I kept it together, but I managed to stay upright. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a theme.

I managed to get around a couple girls and keep them behind me, with one more mark in sight coming into the last lap. I never caught her, but I WAS surprised to come around Devil's Drop on the heels of Helen Wyman, UK's national cyclo-cross champion and regular on the 'cross World Cup podium. She was in Ontario — I'm assuming — thanks to the Volcano keeping her here after P2A. The win went to Sue Stephens, with Heather Gray from Cycle Solutions in second and Sue Trimble (NORCO) back from "maternity leave" in third. I came 8th, and full results are up here. While I was hoping to be a little higher up the board, I knew coming into the season that I'd be using the early races to continue building fitness, so things are on track, and that's a great place to start. So I'm stoked.

As for KK, I'm sorry to report her derailleur decided to peace-out in the first lap, so her bad luck continued. I think something awesome must be coming her way this week. Her friend Ellen was along so I was happy to see her cheering at Devil's Drop, but a little taken aback that KK was standing beside her -- I hadn't realized she'd pulled out 'til then. Bummer.

So race day finished with an uneventful drive home (thank god), a sushi dinner for three (delivered!) and a movie on the couch at my place. That Willow Ufgood is one brave little Peck ... err ... Nelwyn.

Thanks to Dan for saving us on Saturday, KK for the driving, Ellen for the cheering ... and to all the others I saw out there either on course or off who yelled my name. Thanks to Sue from Arrow Racing for helping KK and I out with our feeds and as always, thanks to Sweet Pete's for all your help, especially Derek for the use of his wheel again this race, and in advance for fixing my brake problem ;) Til next time!

round and round and round and round.

Man up for Mansfield!

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

First Ocup this weekend!! Super exciting stuff, I know. This week has been a blissful bit of rest compared to the last minute cramming I did last week but I did find the energy to get to a massage, continue packing up my belongings for the May 1st Moving Day, and even get out on the bike, which is glistening at the moment thanks to some post-P2A TLC.

Everything seems to be set for a typical Ocup weekend: forecast is calling for rain, needed bicycle-part is still on back order, and the newspaper is warning the DVP is closed all weekend. Perfect!

I'm stoked anyway.

PS Course map is up! I've been doing mental laps all afternoon :)

Word.

Since the heroic blogging efforts of the Olympics, I feel I should apologize for falling off the posting-wagon a little bit. So here's a few words on what's been up (and down) with me.

1.) Went to my LAST sunday morning spin this past weekend. So no more 6am alarms on the weekend (except for when there is ... but certainly not as often!). I'll be sad to see spinning class go though. Definitely feeling a little bit like a couple extra power workouts would be a great help. Taking three weeks off for the Olympics have turned my racing outlook into a "no expectations" style season. And I'd make the same choice again.

2.) Put new brake$ on the minivan! Woo hoo that was $pectacular. What a nice $urpri$e! Got a tow truck and everything when I couldn't back it out of the garage. But now all i$ well, and $he'$ ready to hit the race circuit again.

3.) First race: Paris to Ancaster. The race I love to hate. It's April 18, 60km and all boring except for the sandwich at the end. I like that part very much. Every year I bitch and moan about entering, and every year I somehow end up on the start line. Sigh. Here we go again! It's good for me though -- it's a great event to practice all the racing "stuff" like getting bottles ready, not forgetting your shoes, prepping bikes, start line jitters, spending a long time at a high intensity and all that jazz. So that way I won't have to go through all that at the first Ocup the next weekend (Mansfield! woot!) Which reminds me ... I need to pick up my rig from Sweet Pete's because $he also needed a brake job, and a $et of bearing$ -- oh, and a freehub body. Secret training tool of mine -- ride around with the rear wheel seized. oh yeah. Tough.

4.) Vacation!! Only two more sleeps til I'm in Kelowna with Gerhard shredding Big White. Gerhard was good enough to win us a trip so we'll be spending Easter spring skiing. Looks like a heat wave is about to hit Toronto -- they're calling for 25 this weekend! I almost feel bad for skipping the amazing biking weather. Almost. ;)

5.) Moving day! May 1st seems like it's still far away but when you consider vacation, fundraiser weekend in Port Elgin, Paris to Ancaster, and then Mansfield, I'm out of weekends. So packing is going to be ... well ... frantic. Let me know if you'll work for food and drinkies because in that case, have I got a job for you!

So that's the big stuff! In little stuff, it's mostly the same old -- lots of training, writing, eating and sleeping. Hope everyone is excited for race season!! Coming up fast!

Wow, Bonkers.

After some internal arguments influenced by factors outside the scope of this blog, I decided to get up at the crack of dawn, and drag my ass (and my boyfriend's ... sorry babe) to Mansfield for a couple hours of late season suffering in the annual Winter Wow.

And I was pleasantly surprised.

The first 90 minutes were AMAZING. I was flying! Not suffering at all! I rode the trails like a Jedi, hopping logs, carving corners and passing all kinds of folks. I led the ladies off the start and didn't see any of them again for over an hour.

My climbing was on, and I even got up the famous "sandy climb". A man came up behind me and after a few minutes I asked him if he'd like to get by, and he said "Are you kidding? you're setting my pace!"

Not to mention the GLORIOUS weather we got. Honestly, it was some of the best riding all season. Perfect dirt!

I was pretty stoked, to say the least.

Unfortunately, the race was over two and a half hours long, so I ended up paying back the first 90 minutes in spades.

I have never bonked like that in my life! I was so far gone it was almost fun. That is until all the time I'd put into the competition sling-shotted back at me in the last 4km. Except for Rachel. Rachel was the first lady I met on the trails, and she caught me after my best efforts to drop the Queen of Cross on the mostly flat, slightly hilly, logging roads -- about half way. (Guess I should have seen that coming!) I think that's about when I began my decline.

Two more went by while I wobbled around at walking pace. It was like trying to ride while you have the worst case of spins imaginable. I couldn't get my body positioned over the bike properly and instead just kind of held on. My vision was like something out of the Blair Witch Project, my tummy was upset, and whenever I tried to put on the gas, I got a dead-pedal.

If I thought I could've found my way back to the chalet by a direct route other than the one that was marked, I probably would have DNF'd. Luckily, the good thing about feeling that BAD is the sense of euphoria that comes with it, so I just giggled to myself until I found the finish line.

I went to the van hoping to find G, but he was off seeking warmth in the chalet. Unable to go any further I laid the bike down. Then I laid down. And took a nap. In the grass. Wow, indeed.

Once I regained consciousness, not sure how long later, I hobbled over to the chalet for the Chili feed. I teetered through the line-up and was revived by brownies and sugary yellow juice. (Maybe peach?)

In the end I came fourth (56th overall), and you can find the full results here. I heard a rumour that WOW Mtb will also post up their photos from the day.

Despite the calamity, I had a really fun time. I wondered how much I had left from 2009, and found out that I've got just about an hour of juice in the tank. (No WONDER people are drawn to cross!)

And so the work begins to turn my hour of red-zone capabilities into two or three. Exciting stuff!!

PS - Daffyd's already emailed about RPM's BASE CAMP program -- let me know if you'd like a spot!

Winter WOW

This weekend is the annual Winter WOW: the race that has historically been the end of my season ... or the beginning of the next.

This year, since I have been a lazy, H1N1 afflicted couch potato, I guess we'll call it the kick-off to 2010.

If you're interested in lining up on Sunday, here are the details:

• Day of registration fee: $50 in cash or credit (no cheques!)
• Location: Mansfield, 40km of no-laps single track! Never the same trail twice, folks!
• Start time: 10am, in two waves
• Extra incentive: Chili feed included in your entry fee (with BROWNIE!)

Interesting observation I hesitate to make, lest I jinx the whole thing, but I only get to race this thing about every-other-year because every-other-year, I've sold my bike by the time the race comes around.

So let me paint you a picture ...

• 2004 - I raced, bare arms and knee warmers
• 2005 and 2006 - I didn't race but I think it was wet and cold
• 2007 - I raced, and it was more than ten degrees out and sunny
• 2008 - I sold my bike and didn't race ... it was a suffer fest pushing through unrideable fresh snow.
• 2009 - Planning on showing up (especially now that I've posted it) and the forecast is looking like a repeat of '07.

... things that make me go "hmmmm". I wish I had the same kind of luck for Ocups!

Hope lots of ladies come out (KK ... I'm talking to you!!)

Race Report: Ontario Cup #1, Mansfield

The Ontario Cup mountain-bike series kicked off today at Mansfield Outdoor Education Centre near Alliston. The weather man promised sun and warm temperatures, and that had most Ontarians stoked for the first nice weekend -- especially mountain bikers. It is a little tradition of mine that my first day in shorts (and my first sunburn of the year) occurs at the Mansfield race.

For as long as I have been racing, Mansfield has been the first stop of the provincial series. Because of the unpredictable nature of the weather and conditions this time of year its sandy, well-draining soil makes it an excellent early-season venue. No matter what mother nature throws at us (notwithstanding lightening or Armageddon), chances are the racing will be a-ok. Plus, it's a nice mix of flowy tight single track and climbing which makes it a little easier on racers getting out on their first course after a winter of accumulating cobwebs. The course caters more to riders' fitness than technical skills.

The weather was indeed unpredictable, and the forecaster was totally off-base. Instead of a 30 degree sunny sky, we were treated to a 6 degree deluge. The sunny, hot pre-ride from the day before was a distant memory as we scrambled to find yet another layer to keep warm and dry. We were early for the race to help out Tara, a fellow racer who's start time was a couple hours before ours. So we mostly just killed some time chilling in the minivan, trying to stay out of the weather.



Watching the rain come down I was oddly calm. It wasn't long ago the thought of slippery roots and muddly trails would have had me tense with nerves, but I really think my weekend in BC helped with my comfort in that department.

Soon enough, it was time to suit up, get the bike ready and head out for a warm up (which considering the pummeling the elements were throwing at us turned out to be not very warm at all!) Problem ... where the eff is my skewer? I looked everywhere and couldn't find it, then thanked myself profusely for being prepared enough to bring a spare. It didn't have a quick release, but at least my wheel would be attached!! After that bit of drama, I was off to the warm up, and then the start line.

The weather was cool enough to require arm and knee warmers. When I put my arm warmers on, they were still a bit damp from my sweat the day before -- the result of overheating on the balmy pre-ride. Sigh.

Off the start, KK sprang into action. She charged up the first climb and Mandy (of Paris to Ancaster podium fame) was right on her wheel. I was third wheel and well aware of it. At the crest of the hill, we were treated to a long fast descent and I pedalled up into the big ring -- the meat and potatoes -- and closed the gap. Just as the course pitched up into the first single track, I surged forward and jumped in first. "Holy shit, I'm in front" I thought and then did my best to gap them. I led the pack for the entire first lap, pulling away, then getting pulled back and getting away again. I was so excited I could hardly concentrate but I wanted it. Bad.

KK let me have my lap of glory (sadly at the wrong end of the race ...) and teammates cheered from the side of the course and the feedzone as I hammered through first. Then KK took her turn at the front and never looked back. She went by me like I was going the other direction. I gave chase, but knew I couldn't maintain the pace on the climb we were grinding. I hoped to see her again in similar fashion to the first lap, but she was long gone.

Perhaps I went out too hard, but shortly after KK got by, Mandy appeared again. She passed on some of the more technical climbing on the course and got away. I kept her in sight, kept the pressure on and we battled for two laps giving and taking. At last, at the end of the third lap, I got by her for the last time. She commented, "not going to give it up this time are ya?" in reference to the Paris to Ancaster tilt from last weekend. "Not today!" I called over my shoulder and went in for my final lap.

I chased in vain for KK, while stressing out about another Mandy-coup, and then it was over. It seemed like I had been begging god for it to be over only five minutes before. But when I crossed the line, I had to check with other racers to make sure I got my lap count right. It felt like it flew by.

I grabbed my complimentary chocolate milk, high-fived KK and rode off smiling my head off to spin out my legs. Today was my first time up on the Elite podium. Oh what a feeling! Rounding it out were KK with the gold and Mandy with the bronze.




Hardware!
Last season's model of oak leaf ... nothing more to see here.

The Ocup Circus is in town!
KK and I chilled out (literally) trail-side
Liz, post Sport race, hiding from the downpour

Stay tuned for a more coverage from the OCA report and just for fun, check out Andrew's version of the 1:30 race from the Expert male cateogry.