The Warda Race

Warda, TX 03/29/2009 This is a very special race for me since it marks the first anniversary of my first mountain bike race. Last year I finished 27Th out of 37. This year I was looking to make a big impact.

I had done so well this winter competing in duathlons, I thought I would try something different for my warm up this race. During the duathlons, I always felt very good on the bike after my runs, so I thought I would try doing a 20 minute warm up run for the race. It sure felt good to get my heart rate pumping.

Consequently, this will always be the race I remember for my legs feeling like they were on fire. Naturally, I have always felt pain in my legs from pushing myself to my limits, but this was unreal. Instead of backing off and spinning it out, I kept pushing. The pain lasted the entire first lap.

During the second lap, when my legs were finally warmed up, I had a great ride, reeling in all kinds of riders that were in front of me.

Never again will I run as a warm up for a bike race.