Leadville Trail 100 to Toughman New Mexico
It was a really big year for me. The biggest. Or at least the biggest in a long time. The summer is over, and now I’m able to reflect back and appreciate all that has been unfolding for me.
2015 The Summer of Change.
On June 5th I found out that I would once again be able to call New Mexico my home. On June 7th, I packed the car with what was left and drove across country linking Winona, Minnesota and Albuquerque, New Mexico for the last time.
November 2014 is when everything started unfolding. It was at that moment in time I was going to do what I knew I needed more than anything. Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race Across the Sky. Nothing makes me happier than long hours getting lost in the woods…on a mountain bike. I couldn’t think of anything I would rather do than celebrate a new life doing what I love. And so it began.
The Journey. The journey of fulfilling me with happiness, love and most importantly peace.
I had a lot of fun getting to where I am today, most of it, wasn’t easy.
My 1st couple of weeks in New Mexico I had fun on SS at the 24 hours of Enchanted Forest. Sometimes we want things, or want to be things. And in the last year I have realized there is no wanting to be something better, there is only being.
During this time I locked down a gym to start my one on one personal training at, Open Gym, a place to call home. I made an offer on a house, collected what was an insane amount of financials. This was very time consuming and difficult as I had become MISS Zoe Nance. I then, balanced that with training, work and of course the dogs.
The summer was filled with lots of me. And celebrating that which I have become, I made it the summer of Leadville. I have recently discovered, that the summer of Leadville may actually become spending the entire summer in Leadville.
I had big hopes for LT100 this year. I wanted to go 1030 or less. In 2013 I rode a 10:51, and 1030 was more than possible.
Leadville owns a part of my heart. I love that town. I have been traveling to Leadville every year for an event, for as long as I can remember.
With the big goals for a great LT 100 and the personal freedom, I decided to make a trip for Silver Rush. I had some beef to pick from last year. I had clearly posted my intentions: “Next year I WILL Kick it’s ass”
I didn’t have much ass kicking in the tank. I think I averaged Z3 for the entire ride. I finished, and finished strong, even with getting off course 4 miles.
That’s my, what the hell just happened face.
It was a a great time. I finished with a 730 sumthin’ and that was enough to bump me up a couple of corrals for the hundy.
I met a client up there,and my BFF, Thelma.
We definitely had a great time.
The best part may have been the Pink House with Purple Shutters. Really it was the company.
My training into Leadville was solid. More solid than it ever has been. My training rides were faster. My peak ride was what the locals call here, ATM, or around the mountain. With a solid 30 minutes taken off my time from 2013.
Every thing was perfect. My taper, my rest, my health.
It’s race morning.
The last 18 months or so all of my “A” races have been blessed with “The Curse” . Aunt Flo had come to visit. It’s just something that happens. That as a woman you hope doesn’t happen. At the lower elevations no big whoop. At extreme altitude, the loss of iron stores. Detrimental. But seriously, what’s a girl to do?
My nutrition leading up to race day is always super clean. I take special precautions, I prepare all of my own food. I avoid cross contamination at all costs. Something happened.
I was also blessed with diarrhea. Not my usual ‘oops I may have been exposed to gluten’, but full on; made a commitment, if I started to vomit, I wasn’t going to race diarrhea.
It’s clear based on my past relationship, I don’t quit. At least not easily.
So there I was plugging away with my morning routine, wondering if I was going to vomit, wondering if I was going to make it to the start line, wondering if I was going to stop running to the bathroom.
Show time.
Gun goes off.
The 1 x 11 totally was awful on roll out. I don’t like to coast, and that’s all I could do. I know it hurt me because those 1st 5 miles are hammer time for me. That put me in a place the rest of the day that was not conducive to my goals. Track stands, floundering, frustration, and laughter.
Everything went seamless, I felt strong. Nutrition, Hydration, everything was perfect. The heat set in. I don’t think there has ever been a race my heart starts to flutter, that signals me I need more electrolytes over my usual amount. The weather on this particular day forced me to take two extra Salt Stick Tabs.
LT100, there’s one particular aspect that drives me crazy. The walkers. I have never walked so much on Columbine in my life. It’s really an embarrassment for all the walkers walking on the rideable aspect of the trail. GET OFF! Clear the trail! You may not be able to ride it, some of us can. And we want you out of the way! I walked 66% more of Columbine than I usually do. Not because I didn’t have the fitness to ride it, but because the pansy asses were walking on the smooth line.
It was very frustrating to me. It wasn’t until the climb on Powerline that people began actually clearing the trail for riders.
If you’re walking, just please, PLEASE, get the hell out of the way.
I failed miserably at Leadville. I know what to do, I know what it takes. I know when you come off Columbine you want a group. I had a group. A small group. There were 4 of us. 2 Macy’s rider and another fella I had been riding with all day. The little lady Macy’s rider was falling off the dude Macy’s rider, and I was behind her the gap was getting bigger. I coached her, “jump, you’ve got this, grab it.” The gap grew. I said it again, and she went deep inside, and grabbed his wheel. I was so proud. And the next thing I knew I was alone. On the long road section, by myself. I don’t know what happened. I know my encouraging words helped her, and then, somehow I was there to battle the wind, and the open road by myself. The group behind me. Who knows, they were falling further and further back, so I just held strong, and made my solo attempt on the part of LT100 you NEVER, never want to be alone on.
The final climb. I went between spinning and adding 4 gears and pretending to be on SS. Through the meadow, and still feeling strong.
Mile 95 was tank time. It happens. I was alone out there, just me against my mind.
And knowing I had overcome so much that morning to do as well as I had. Knowing that I had been so strong, not only in life, but in the 1st 9 hours and 45 minutes.
Knowing at that moment there was no 10:30 in me.
And having to make peace with it.
I finished strong with 5 gears and a SS push.
With an official sweatshirt time of 10:59:32
I guess that only means one thing. I will need to go back.
I know already next year my plan is to run the marathon.
I’m not sure what else will unfold for me in 2016; I know I am doing the Firecracker 50.
I did make a commitment; the next LT100 I do, I will run the 10k the next day. I felt like such a sissy for not doing it this year.
Through my Leadville training I had a side kick. I was planning on racing the Toughman New Mexico Half Ironman Aquabike 7 days post Leadville.
It seemed crazy, I know. Toughman meant so much to me, I was going to do my best to make it work. Here are the 5 reasons behind my intention:
1. It’s the inaugural Toughman NM. I wanted to see the race succeed.
2. I’m going to see tons of friends
3. Cochiti Lake is where I participated in my very 1st triathlon decades ago.
4. Why not?
5. May as well see what I am made of.
I had some big swims going into Leadville.
I knew coming off LT100 I would need 2 swims, and 2 bike rides. The plan was a big swim of 3000+ yards and a 2000 yard swim through no buoy. I knew my bike rides were going to have to be about an hour and about 2 hours, on the road.
I didn’t know what would happen at Leadville so I waited to see what did.
I got my swims in.
I got my bikes in. My 2nd ride was the day before, unfortunately because my planned day, I closed on my house.
Those bike rides wiped me out, and I was seriously worried about Toughman.
320 am wake up call, drive to the lake, set up transition. No wetsuit for me today.
I swam slow, on purpose, I knew I could have gone a lot faster. I also, knew that it would hurt my bike.
On the bike I had exactly 42 minutes of race pace. I spent the next 45 to 50 miles pushing myself back up to Z3.
My aero bars, dish wheels and aero helmet are all on the container waiting for my final move into the house.
I’m very pleased I averaged 18 mph for 56.4 miles. By myself.
It was Leadville all over again. Alone, fighting against the wind on the open road for miles.
My performance at Toughman had positive outcomes. I placed 2nd female and 3rd overall. And next time, yes, I’m guessing, I’ll need to do the run too!
🙂
Thanks for being a part of my experience, I hope to see you on the trail or road soon!
Love Peace 2015
Coach Zoe