Book of Chad

Qualicum Beach is the scene of this year’s first cross race. In previous years this course has featured the deepest mud, the most sand, and a BMX track (backwards). This year we didn’t have the mud or sand areas available to us, which made a significant difference to how the course flowed compared to previous years. It had been transformed from a power-hungry slow skills course to a very fast risk-taking kind of course.

The first race was a random call up and I was the last call-up on the first row. I took the inside spot and readied for the start. When the siren sounded I hit my pedal perfectly and was a full sprint on the paved starting chute. As we entered the first pinch point I entered in second place. Through the deep gravel and wooded area, we emerged back on the field and onto the log hurdles. It was at this point I realized I was deep in the red.

I laid off the power a bit and tried to calm down since there was a lot of race left. I focused on being smooth and working the course at a pace I could maintain. The first time I was able to see the lap board as I passed there was still 4 laps remaining, it was at this point I realized I had made a horrible mistake and I was going to have to survive from here on out.

On the next lap, I screwed up a single corner, which led to me messing up the next corner and it snowballed from there. On the next straight I took a deep breath and talked myself into focusing and getting back into the flow. The last 3 laps flowed well, however, I had overreached and was paying the price for it. I made it to the end with my lap times slowly eroding.

Race: COTR #1
Time: 1:00:47 Laps: 7
Avg Heart Rate: 190
Max Heart Rate: 197
Place: 12th