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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [Murphy'sLaw] [ In reply to ]
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Yes, I think everyone lost time in the head wind between Minniwaska and Granite Rd compared to other years. I did feel, however, that the wind was pushing m up the first climb to Mohonk, making it the easiest I've ever gone up it. I did pass one guy walking the bike up it, I guess he wouldn't agree with me.

First run this morning on the trails at Bethpage St Pk. I was surprised, it felt pretty good. Just 38 minutes easy. I think it got the last of the kinks out. Pool at Hofstra later.

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! šŸ˜‚ '' Murphy's Law
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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [Sweeney] [ In reply to ]
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There was a nice tailwind in spots after the turn onto Granite. That was quite welcome.

I still haven't done a thing since Sun.

Calf is still tight and knotted up a bit, so I'm not gonna run again until that improves.
Thought about a ride last nite after work, but I ended up taking a 2hr nap instead. D'oh!!

Will ride tomorrow and this weekend.
Maybe run if it loosens up sufficiently.


float , hammer , and jog

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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [Murphy'sLaw] [ In reply to ]
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I had the worst speed wobble on the Mohonk descent that I have ever experienced, scared the sh!t out of me. I usually hit 50 MPH, but had to ride my breaks down the entire way. Whenever I'd get close to 30, my bars would start to wobble violently...that coupled with the gusts meant my slowest descent ever. It wasn't as bad on the Minnewaska descent, but I spent more time out of aero there than I would have liked. I've ridden nothing but Zipp 808 front and back on this bike, but this was the first time I had anything like this happen...very strange.

On another note, found this little write up with some pictures: http://www.peak-magazine.com/...can-zofingen-16.html
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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [Murphy'sLaw] [ In reply to ]
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Since the thread lives... I mostly write these for myself, but figured I'd share;



Executive Summary: 5/5 AG (50-54), 34/48 Overall ā€“ 3:48:32


BOMOP Detail:


Run #1 ā€“ Went out fast with the group. Felt ok but HR was high (pushing 170). Knew that was not sustainable. Walked a bit on the first and second climbs. On the third, with people on my heels, I fell right at the Cairns. Fortunately, my face just missed a large rock. The group passed me (not before making sure I was ok ā€“ Thanks) and I never saw them again. It took the wind out of my sails and I walked to the top. Never felt great after that. Walked again behind the pavilion, Finished in 47:18. Not terrible but not the sub 45 I wanted.


Bike ā€“ Felt good to start. Got passed by one guy on the way up to Mohonk. I saw a group ahead and thought Iā€™d catch a few before the top but didnā€™t. Only passed one girl from that group on the descent. Wind held me back a bit, never hit 50+ like I have in the past. Got stopped by flagman bc of the downed power line. Probably lost 1-2 minutes and cursed like a sailor. 299 mostly sucked. Got passed by a twosome on 44/55 then 2 other guys on the way up to Awosting. Passed them both on the back side. Felt good after the sharp right, especially past Granit Hotel where I usually slow down. Did ok on the last steep hill then spun pretty well up the last section. Was somewhat surprised/disappointed with 2:00:51 finish. Think the wind and flagman cost me 5 odd minutes. Probably couldā€™ve pushed harder but thatā€™s mostly hindsight.


Run #2- Legs took a while to come around. Even so, I walked every uphill. For too long. Felt good on the carriage trails. Got close to one guy on the 2nd (?) climb but lost contact on the downhill. One of the guys that I passed on the bike raced by me after the wooden planks but they were the only 2 I saw the whole run. Had trouble pushing myself. Didnā€™t enjoy all the walking. Disappointing 56:35.


Expected better given the 100/100 conditioning I brought into the race. Actually itā€™s my second best time (3:40 in ā€™13) out of 4 AmZofā€™s but still disappointed initially. Mentally feel like I just gave in on the climbs.


Now that Iā€™ve had a few days to reflect I realize I canā€™t be too upset with the results. I donā€™t have a TT bike, other aero goodies, tri shoes, or, this year, even speed laces (my transtions sucked). If I really want to improve my times Iā€™ll have to address at least some of those. Humbled is more accurate. But thereā€™s a lot worse than being humbled by incredible athletes and the Mohonk Preserve. Hell, the reality is, at 51, Iā€™m happy to have made it to the start and finish (especially this year) without getting hurt. AmZof is still the only race that keeps me in the game. As usual, I met some nice people, drank some good beer with good company, enjoyed Mohonk and did the best I could. Humbled, but because of all that, Iā€™ll be back.


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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [steelerguy] [ In reply to ]
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Some great pictures. Thanks for sharing.
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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [stillrollin] [ In reply to ]
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You got to the starting line, and finished, and all in one piece.
And then drank good beer.
That's a successful day at AmZof.

Thx for sharing the RR.


float , hammer , and jog

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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [stillrollin] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for sharing. Glad you missed the big rock. Can't tell you how many rocks I smashed my toes into.

Good beer, good scenery and a true challenge make it a good day no matter the result.
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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [Sweeney] [ In reply to ]
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Sweeney wrote:
ML, what speed did you hit on the front descent? With the tailwind I eaked out 50.1 on the old bike, same as I did in my training ride on the new IA with no wind.

You can set the bar on see where everyone else comes in.

From Strava, for 5/15/16:
ML - 3:02.
(I deleted this ride since it was a dup, but kept the screen shot for this segment - pics or it didn't happen!)

Jim Stafford, CWD winner - 3:16.
John Blackburn - 3:18.
Nic Grala - 3:19.
Tibor Nemes - 3:25.
Jose Hernandez - 3:30.
Chris Belair - 3:32.
JP Partland - 3:34.

One of these things, is not like the others.


float , hammer , and jog

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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [Murphy'sLaw] [ In reply to ]
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I've now done this descent 6 times(LC 2015 and 2016). I was most comfortable with descents #2 and #3(nice weather and experience from first descent). This year, the wind and higher motorcycle/car traffic slowed me down...also I almost took the guardrail on the first wide left turn. Pretty good for a guy who doesn't have much more than highway overpasses to practice descents on. Looking forward to trying this segment out again next year....what's the weather forecast?
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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [chbelair] [ In reply to ]
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I predict 85 and humid.

To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.
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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [chbelair] [ In reply to ]
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Definitely pretty good for a flatlander.
Sunday was less than ideal conditions for ripping that descent, with the blustery side winds along there.

Sorry again about your bike issues - I hope you chewed the wrench at your LBS a new one for setting your chain up to be a land mine like that.

There is ZERO excuse for having too short a chain, to detonate your drivetrain if you inadvertently shift into the big/big combo.
(Which is an occupational hazard at AmZof for sure, and one I've made plenty of times, and that's with a 53/27 big/big combo.)


float , hammer , and jog

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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [Murphy'sLaw] [ In reply to ]
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Murphy'sLaw wrote:
Definitely pretty good for a flatlander.
Sunday was less than ideal conditions for ripping that descent, with the blustery side winds along there.

Sorry again about your bike issues - I hope you chewed the wrench at your LBS a new one for setting your chain up to be a land mine like that.

There is ZERO excuse for having too short a chain, to detonate your drivetrain if you inadvertently shift into the big/big combo.
(Which is an occupational hazard at AmZof for sure, and one I've made plenty of times, and that's with a 53/27 big/big combo.)

I haven't been able to find one person who can explain why you would setup a bike chain so tight that it won't go into all 10 cogs...the LBS admitted to their mistake, offered some free stuff to make up for it, but at the end of the day it doesn't take away from the fact that I was stuck on the side of the road with a busted wheel and derailleur. On the bright side, I got to meet Fitz and Joanna(the couple that picked me me and gave me a ride back to transition), they were a super nice couple, they shared their scones with me and we had a few beers together at the Pavilion.
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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [chbelair] [ In reply to ]
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What happened to your wheel? Chain wrap around some spokes?

To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.
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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [chbelair] [ In reply to ]
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What happened? Who set up that chain? Why didn't they replace it or add a couple links? What kind of free stuff did they offer you?

I'm at the beach in Garden City, SC. The ocean is too churned up to swim right now so I'm taking it easy for the rest of the day. Flatland running and biking for a few days then back to the Catskills for some more hill riding and painting my house.

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! šŸ˜‚ '' Murphy's Law
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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [CBJFan] [ In reply to ]
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Who cares? Since when has bombing the downhills been a winning strategy at AmZof? :-)
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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [chbelair] [ In reply to ]
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chbelair wrote:
Looking forward to trying this segment out again next year....what's the weather forecast?


As it does every year; the forecast calls for PAIN!

Sorry to hear about you troubles. How did it happen?

Right now I'm at Garden City Beach, SC. It's a crappy day outside and the ocean is all chopped up. Hoping for some nice flat ocean to swim in and a couple of days of flat riding and running before I head back up to the Catskills to paint my house.

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! šŸ˜‚ '' Murphy's Law
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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [Murphy'sLaw] [ In reply to ]
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I finally got around to writing down my race summary. Just sharing.....

Pre-Race
I have been looking forward to this for a year. Last year in my first attempt at this race, I got humbled in every way. I suffered terribly in the heat and humidity last year and ended up DFL but I finished. Being a competitive person, just finishing isnā€™t good enough, I donā€™t do this to participate, I do this to compete and last year I wasnā€™t able to do that.

I drive over to Fishkill on Thursday before the race. I like to take a couple of days and just hang out, not doing much of anything when I travel to a race just to get into some kind of routine. Friday I get up really early, get something to eat and go for a quick check ride to make sure my bike is ready to go. No issues and all is in working order. I do some work from the hotel and then go out to the race site to drive the bike course. Its raining and foggy/cloudy, canā€™t see the beautiful views, oh well, the roads look good and I remember the route pretty well so I shouldnā€™t get lost on Sunday. I drive back to Fishkill and go see a movie to kill time (Captain America civil war with Ironmanā€¦not a classic but reasonably entertaining). I get some dinner, go back to the hotel and settle in for the night. Saturday I get up really early and go to the red line diner for breakfast. I talk to the night crew and one person sitting at the bar eating who had just gotten off of work. I go for a short ride and run just to wake the legs up a bit and go back to the room and layout my clothes and decide what all to take given the weather forecast. I prep all of my bottles and food (GU and Honey Stinger). Re-check my bike and then go out to kill time. An early dinner, always chicken parmesan, this time from Olive Garden in Poughkeepsie. Back to the room, call the wife and daughter who are in Boston visiting friends and then they will drive to the race on Sunday morning. I call home and talk to my son, getting him to send me some positive vibe for Sunday. Off to bed early but I donā€™t sleep very well. A bit unusual for me, I can usually sleep anywhere, anytime. I am truly uptight. Anyway, I finally fall asleep and the alarm gets me up at 3:00. I get dressed and go to the Red Line Diner for pancakes and bacon. The night crew wished me luck and its back to the hotel, load the bike and drive to the race site.
I get there a bit early, which I always do. Take my time getting everything setup, I pick an end bike spot, lay everything out and get checked in. Others are arriving, I meet a couple of guys from Connecticut who are doing their first LC. They tell me their goal time is 10 hours or better. I meet Jesse from Michigan, we talk for a bit and realize we are both also doing Powerman Zofingen in September. Its his first LC also. Its time to get to the best start line in racing. Just like that we are off....

Run 1
My overall goal is 9:30. Which will be an 1:40:00 better than last year.

My goal for Run 1 is to keep my heart rate in Zone 2 and go 53, including the climbs no matter how slow I have to go. To achieve my goal, I cannot burn myself up in Run 1. We start out and I drop to the rear, keeping my pace down and heart rate in low Zone 2. It feels SO EASY that I just want to go faster, but I donā€™t. We start up the first climb and my HR starts to rise so I power hike the rest of the climb. As soon as it flattens out, I start running. I keep this up thru the rest of Run 1. Run low Zone2 on the flats and downs, power hike the uphill. I get to T1 and that first run was SOOO easy. I finished in 51. So far so good.

Bike Leg
My goal for the bike is better than 5:45. I start out on lap 1 and start the first climb up Mohonk. Its hard ! and I focus on managing my watts and heart rate as best I can. I end up in my last gear (more on this later) and try to spin and relax. I see the first bridge and remind myself that it gets steeper so stay patient. Finally I get to the top of Mohonk and start the descent. I donā€™t feel too good and am immediately worried. The bike is where I got crushed the year before and I am not too confident after the first climb. Going down the descent, its too windy to let it roll out so I manage my speed by sitting up and light breaking. I hit a top speed of 47. My focus is on taking in calories, hyrdrating on schedule and recovering from that first climb because next up is the climb to Minnesawaka. I get stopped at the fallen power line and have to wait a few seconds but not too bad (kind of glad, got in a little recovery). I start up the climb again and it feels like it just goes on forever but I stay patient, manage my watts and heart rate, eating and drinking on schedule. I get to the top and the cross winds are bad. I am not the best bike handler so I am really conservative on the descent. On to the far side flats. Here my focus is first on getting in some recovery and into a rhythm. This course just doesnā€™t let you get into a rhythm for very long. I do recover pretty well and soon I see the sign for 1.8 miles to Mohonk Mountain house and up the mountain I go.

The second time up Mohonk, I feel better. I stay under control and donā€™t push it though. I get into my last gear (more on this later) and spin to the top. The rest of the lap was uneventful. I eat and drink on schedule and have a good lap enjoying the ride.

I get to the sign for 1.8 miles to Mohonk Mountain House and start the 3rd time up Mohonk. I see two riders in front of me and this gives me someone to chase. I start the spin up Mohonk and shift into my last gear and guess what, its easier than the last two times up. On the first two laps I thought I was in my last gear but now realized that I had one gear leftā€¦and thank goodness because I am getting tired. I push it a bit harder this time, spin to the top and go thru the descent without issue. I start the final big climb still chasing now 3 riders in sight. I catch one on the way up to Minnesawaka. The cross winds are just brutal this time and I realize I am gripping the bars so hard that my hands are cramping. I will myself to relax, finish the descent and start the far side flats. I catch another rider which turns out to be in the middle distance race. I keep pushing the pace a bit and catch the 3rd person right before the start of the Mohonk climb and they were also a middle distance racer, so I didnā€™t catch anyone on the bike but didnā€™t get passed either. I finish up and get into T2.

Run 2
My goal is 2:45, which I just missed.

I put my trail shoes back on and head back out on the run course. I am feeling GOOD. Did I leave too much in the tank on the bike ? I use the same strategy, run the flats and downs, power hike the ups, trying to keep heart rate in Zone 2. Lap 1 passes quickly and I finish in about 55 minutes. Better than expected and I feel good.

I start out on Lap 2 and see my family as they arrive at the race site. They give me a big shout and that gives me a boost. I tell them ā€œall systems are goā€ and into the woods I go. Same strategy but now I am willing to let my heart rate go up a bit higher. About half way thru the lap I realize that I am ā€œhighā€, I really do have a buzz too bad it didnā€™t last long. The lap is going ok and after climb 3 I check my watch and realize I have slowed a bit so I push it harder through the end of the lap, finishing again in about 55 minutes. Better than I had planned but, this lap hurt, pushing hard at the end really took a lot out of me. I told my daughter that this lap really hurt.

One more. The crowd in the Gazebo cheers / jeers me on as I head out for the last time. I get to the woods and get thru climb one but now it really hurts. I just want to find a rock, sit down and cry. No way though I keep pushing and work really hard and get through climb 3. Now its close to the end and mentally I know I can make it. I keep running and end up running the third lap in 57 minutes.

Summary
I missed my goal time by 12 minutes but am thrilled with how I executed the race. I finished 1/2 in the 50 ā€“ 55 division and 10/13 overall. I managed my calories well, I stayed hydrated and kept my pace as consistent as possible. Some numbers. My HM run time in training is 1:39, the AMZof course is just that hard where I end up running 11+ minutes / mile. On the final run, I ended up doing 2:45 at HR of 143 (upper Zone 1 for me). On the bike, I have an FTP of around 250 right now, and hold 200+ on 100 mile ride in the flat lands. At AmZof, I took it ā€œeasyā€ and ended up avg 196w in just under 6 hours with normalized power of 202 and avg HR of 138 (Solid Zone 2 for me). Just impossible to keep watts low on this course.

I learned that I have a lot of work to do on the bike before Powerman Zofingen in September.

A quick shout out to Bob Duncan who has helped me improve so much. I told him that this race is a 9:30 interval workout. Max out your heart rate, restā€¦..rinse and repeat.

I just love this race, the scenery is beautiful, the course is HARD and everyone is so nice. I am ready to sign up for next year and try to break 9 hours but only possible if I can figure out how to make my bike go faster up those hills. (I think my daughter is going to do the CWD next year, what a thrill that will be)
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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [CBJFan] [ In reply to ]
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Congrats on a solid effort and great execution.
A PB at AmZof is always a good thing.
Thx for sharing the RR.


float , hammer , and jog

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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [CBJFan] [ In reply to ]
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Nice write up. I too conclude the only way to be faster is to be faster up hill. We had the same run strategy but I undershot my pace on R1 and my garmin died shortly into R2 so I had nothing to pace off of but the gazebo clock.

Guess I can start from the top.

Hi, my name is Sue, and this was my 5th time registering for AmZof. I DNF'd F1 in 2012 b/c I was afraid finishing would destroy me for a subsequent race. I was injured 2013 so couldn't train for a couple months, but opted to bike 1 lap since I was there to support friends anyway. Poor CWD finish in 2014. Slayed my F1 demon in 2015 and was motivated to call myself an LC finisher for 2016. Goal time was 10:05 and derived from probably under shooting the bike with 2:15 per lap and over shooting the runs with a hoped for 10 min miles - power walk up, run everything else.

Got pre-race stationary trainer spin in, but probably should have used a little higher resistance. Arrive with just the right amount of time, boldly select what I think is the best rack spot possible, only to have someone else rack leaning up on the side of the rack. NP, I honestly expected someone to get grouchy and move my bike all together. Moral - my goal was to not automatically sell myself short; first come, first serve, and so far so good.

True to my expectations, Christine had registered. Stalking race results (freely available on her blog) I see I've posted comparable times in some prior races, but realize also she's improved over the years. I'm missing the 2nd place mug from my collection so am happy I should earn it this day, but still sad the field wasn't larger.

We're off, my calves feel tight. What the...? I back off my already easy pace, concerned about straining anything sooo early in the day. I fell off the back as I knew I would as per my race strategy. Stayed positive though I knew this made me look under prepared.

I took a trip up the w/e of the Boston marathon for my 1st 2 loop no stop ride of the course, on my new bike. 650's spin so fast it freaks me out on the Mohonk decent and I much prefer the feel of the big girl wheels I ride now. But the gearing - wasn't sure how the move from 172.5 to 165 mm crank and compact to mid compact was going to work out for me. I think climbing was harder than I remember with either my P2c or my Trek Domane. Anyway, back to race day...

Terrible terrible shimmy on the decent. Speed wobble? Felt like my front wheel was loose. Gah, was the 404 a mistake? Surely not, I told myself. I was bolder on the other decents. Have riden them enough to believe I could handle them even with some wind, but holy crap, was I questioning my sanity at times. (Disclaimer, I do that every damn time I show up for this race, so maybe I have no common sense). Felt like I was flying through the flats and was unfamiar with how speed would carry through these turns, but I got more confident each lap and my best Strava split here was on lap 3.

As expected, I was passed by F1 riders on my 1st lap (7 of them) and again on lap 2 (2 of them), and by the LC lead (sad face). Was surprised to see female rider at the water stop by transition - have I really caught her? I expected to be chased down on the 3rd climb and when I wasn't I concluded this was some other woman and not Christine.

On lap 1 I congratulated myself for dressing right - I feel great! - I thought. Plan was to eventually shed a layer at one of the water stops but instead I got colder. I was happy to execute my rolling dismount headed into T2 and to have made up time vs plan.

T2 is where I realize I missed the lap button on my 920 and had just recorded a 6+ h T1. Oops. Battery is dying, WTF? I get the shittiest life out of this thing, having pulled it off the charger this morning and it's only been on for 7 h? Am told I'm the first woman back which confuses me. No way (I think), did she drop out? Better assume not. I head out on the run wondering how long before she catches me and trying to pace myself to leave enough to hang on when she does.

But then my watch died and I grew to be convinced she'd dropped. Now what? Bury myself to finish last? Eh, no, but I picked up the pace with the intent of negative splitting the run laps and would have gotten it if I didn't trip and go sprawling in the stretch leading up to the plank walk.

In the end I came in at 10:25 to an empty gazebo and a fair degree of disappointment. Didn't meet my time goal and didn't even push myself. I failed to race.

Now I have to sign up for this damn thing again, and remember to unpack my A-game instead of leaving it in the car with my extra gear.

To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.
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Re: American Zofingen 2016 Official Thread [Tsunami] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for sharing your RR. Your report reminded me of something I forgot to mention...my bike was shimmying on the descents too but not from speed wobble....damn it got cold. Shivering on the downs.

That hard right onto the plank was tricky. Hope the fall wasnt too bad. I know the feeling of coming into an almost empty gazebo but so what..its a really tough race and having the strength mentally and physically to finish it regardless is an accomplishment. See you next year ?
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