Frozen Hog Race Report

Often today I thought how much more efficient skis or snowshoes would have been. Most of the trail was only 2 feet wide. Off to either side of the trail was deep powder. At least crashing didn't hurt! The packed trail was pretty torn up by the time the expert class (thanks Sam)had gone through it. It was very much like trying to ride through the sand in Moab. If you could keep a straight line you could ride through but there were a lot of ruts pulling your tires in various directions. By the end of the first 3.2 mile lap my arms were so fatigued that I was crashing more than ever. Pulling myself out of the deep powder was taking too much time and it quickly became more efficient to run. As I was being lapped by the Expert field I noticed that they were running quite a bit too- and the foot race was on! Total I was out there for 2 hours and 40 minutes. That has to be the longest it has ever taken me to go 6.4 miles with a bike or not.

The good news is that I wasn't the last person out there. Also, thanks to a really small 30+ women's field I probably finished top 5. It was a beautiful day though and the graceful deer running across my path made it extra special. It was a good workout and a heck of a lot better than the alternative workout of 2 hours on a spin bike!

Sam did well, placing 4th in the Men's 30+ Expert field. To put it in perspective Sam lapped me on my first lap as he was finishing the race after 2 and his laps were half a mile longer. He would have preferred an icier course but he either did a better job of staying on his bike or he just runs a heck of a lot faster than me. I'm sure it was a combination of both.
Two weeks to Phoenix. I can't wait to feel the pavement under my Michelin Pros.