My Second Real Live Actual Race Report

Okidoke, I didn’t get lapped and I didn’t come in last, so once again, mission accomplished. The course was awesome, there was a sand pit and a weird uphill then off camber hairpin and back up a hill combo that was fun to ride. Other than that the course was dry, the sun was out, and the wind was blowing, a great day for a race. Here's a shot of me before the race. That's my best steely eyed competitive look. Sorry, it's all I got.
I could have used another 2 teeth on my freewheel, or another 30 pounds off my ass, either or both would have come in really handy today. I made it a point to try and get up a little further up in the pack, and totally hammered it on the start. My reward, I got to trade some paint and rub elbows the whole first half of a lap. That extra effort cost me a bit though, and I spent the rest of lap one hurting pretty damn bad, to the point I was worried about finishing the race.By the time I finished up the first lap I recovered a little. I saw a few riders about 100 yards ahead of me and made up my mind to catch them. I did eventually catch them, and then the three of us managed to catch another group. So we spent the last half of lap two playing leap frog, which I thought was fun, and painful actually, but I suppose that is racing. Eventually two of the guys pulled away from me, and I pulled away from the rest. From that point on, I spent the rest of the race by myself.
I promised myself I would try harder this race, and I did. I’m a little disappointed with my placement, but not with my effort this time. I hung out at the finish line for a bit after I finished. I tried to stay on my feet but I had to sit down, and I was getting worried I was going to have to puke in front everybody. That would have been pretty pathectic, puking for 58th place, fourth from last in a field of 62. Hell, even my asthma flared up, that almost never happens anymore. I guess I just need to work on my conditioning. It’s kind of late to make any real improvements this season, but I can try anyway. Dropping a few more pounds would do some wonders for my thrust to weight ratio too.This last shot of me is after the race, as I am slowly coming out of the "Oh God, I don't want to puke in front of all these people " stage. Notice the distinct lack of steely eyed competitiveness. I'm smiling because I am already thinking about St. Charles on November 2nd.