Halloween Mud Ride

Iced Hula
Lap 1



Halloween on a weekend, with the end of daylight savings, and a full moon, who could ask for more?......well how about a Cyclocross race, 10 min from my house complete with mud hills and soggy grass! I needed that extra hour to fit in all the fun extras this weekend.

Halloween was in full force around our house. We really got into it this, year, I even dressed up as a "iced" hula girl. The kids loved it and think its hilarious when we dress up. Trick or Treating with a 6 and 7 year old ninja and lady bug is like watching them complete the race of their dreams. This year they basically sprinted from house to house, had to come home for pit stops, unload, and then head back out. Needless to say there is an over surplus of candy in the house. I'll end up taking it to work where it will be devoured, freezing it, and hiding some. Maybe I should use some of it as ornaments for the Christmas tree.

My 3rd cyclocross race was right here at home at Campton baseball fields. I have been practicing some of my "techniques" here so I knew how tough this would be, but would be the most fun. Then add all the rain we've had and now the hills and turns are saturated and muddy .....to make it even more crazy! So far the races I have done have been very technical, but flat. This was by far the hardest physically. With big hills and powering through mud. I have to say this made the lungs and legs burn the most but, made it the most fun. Adam is in taper mode for IM FL and came with the kids to cheer which was awesome. I've watched him do this the past few years, and always wanted to try it, but am usually triathlon fried and don't even want to look at a bike in the fall.

My start was the best I've done yet and was right with the lead girls through most of the first lap. I'm still not used to accelerating and trying to hammer, but going nowhere because you are in mud or soggy grass. My turns through the sharp 180s have gotten better, but still slowing down too much going over the barriers. I manage to hit my bike on them every time. This course race had several gullies or drainage ditches full of standing mud and water. You basically had to hit it full force to come out the other side without tipping over or getting a wheel stuck sending you face first into mud. I was sucking air and laughing at the same time, with mud flying in my face. I think I even tasted mud here. After the first lap there was so much mud all over, me I did most of the next not clipped in, but the key is to keep moving forward. In 30 minutes we did 3 laps of fun. I wanted more! At the end, I was covered in mud, my bike and shoes,,,,caked.

Now with all the mud washed away I see I am covered in bruises. So pretty.
There are a few more weeks of fun, who knows what the next races will bring!