The Edge of Reason

Pre-Race…

I've already been chastised by a friend of two for my decision to race this weekend, considering I've been a sniveling, teary mess since last Thursday when Abby's cold finally penetrated my defenses and began wreaking havoc with my sinuses, throat, ears, head and finally my eyes. Not to mention the total lethargy it bombarded me with up until Saturday afternoon. Yes, I was sick as a dog. I don't know if it's because Abby likes to alter the genetic disposition of the viruses she brings home first and hence I get walloped harder by them than she does or if I'm simply a weaker human being than she, but I always feel like I get it worse...I suspect it's the second scenario or a third possibility: she's just tougher than me and copes better...That’s probably it…

Illness aside, I spent the end of the week nonchalantly dozing, sleeping and hacking, unconcerned about the impending GOALS ARA Edge sprint race. I was sure by Saturday I'd be much better and that by Sunday I'd be good to go. Well, I DID regain some shallow reserve of life sometime Saturday afternoon and finally dragged myself away from the couch to gather gear and sort through food, to tune up bikes and select Sunday's wardrobe. This after I finally called Bruce to tell him he might want to hit the panic button because I wasn't sure I'd be ready to race in 18 hours. And then my eyes began flowing, and I quickly realized I’d have to leave the contacts at home and make due with glasses for the first time…

Sunday morning...

Abby and I rolled into Hibernia County Park and met up with the teammates, new and old. It was a grand day out for the GOALS network as we fielded four teams while one of our stalwart members, Jonathan Neely, a.k.a Dr. Evil, a.k.a. The Godfather of East Coast Adventure Racing (or something like that...I can't keep up with his nicknames) was the Course Director. Not to mention it was the final race for the 2008 GOALS ARA season and the inaugural GOALS championship race. Abby, joined Sue and Denise (I still can't believe we got this girl out of a NYARA shirt and into a bright blue GOALS jersey) as the GOALS Gals Gone Wild, while I began going through gear and maps with Bruce and our most recent guest racer, the wonderful Sara Percy from NYARA. Nearby, Chris and Keith were prepping to set out as a Master Male team of 2 and somewhere, GOALS 2, including Jim, Maureen and Kevin, were also preparing to set off for a nice day in the woods.

The race began with an out and back, human wheelbarrow run that proved far more challenging than one would think. After completing the short prologue, we dispatched with the obstacle course and set off on our bikes for the real fun. 8 CPs, scattered throughout Hibernia. Relatively speaking, we made quick and efficient work of the section, though I really suffered on the bike. Had there been longer stretches of road, and had my bike been better prepared to attach a tow, I surely would have allowed Sara to tow me around out there as she offered several times. For whatever reason, my legs were jelly on the bike, my lungs were begging me to throw in the towel and call off the insanity, my eyes were teary and further blurred by my bouncing glasses when biking on trails, and the phlegm in my throat was the icing on the cake. I'm happy to say that I only vomited once, and thankfully I felt better once we were off the bikes and on our feet.

The foot section went a bit smoother, though now it was Bruce's turn to fight for air as he too was recovering from a cold from the previous week. We handled the six CPs, doing some minor bushwhacking and getting in some legitimate trail running before hitting the TA, grabbing our paddling gear and setting off for the water. Stopping proved to be a nearly fatal development, for while I managed better on the run, my lungs immediately seemed to begin to spasm as I paused in the TA. A moment later, we were off, running through the woods to the edge of the small reservoir that calls Hibernia home.

Somewhere, Team Too Many Kids was out there. They were running in the same order as we were and we had seen them at the previous TA. At this point they could be out ahead or just behind, so we hit the water quickly and bagged the first two TAs. It was a beautiful afternoon as we paddled a quick circuit around the small reservoir. The foliage outside of Philadelphia has turned and was alight in the afternoon sun, rich crimsons and shades of yellow reflecting in the water. But of course, such moments are hard to enjoy, for as we paddled through the autumnal air, we suddenly saw Too Many Kids, paddling in the opposite direction. Judging by where we were, we had the advantage, but not by much. The trail back to the finish from the canoe take out was a circuitous route that was primarily uphill. In our current state, Bruce and I would surely labor, and that would potentially open the door for Too Many Kids to close the gap...not to mention there could be other teams out there we weren't aware of.

As we had set out on the paddle, we realized there was a shorter way back to the finish. We would have to cross a short inlet, which proved to be deep with mud, and then we would have to traverse the edge of the reservoir on a small rim of rocks and algae, our only path between the water line and the thick thorns and brambles of the shoreline. We trudged through the swampy outlet, and after navigating along the shore to the trailhead, we set off for the finish, doing our best to cover the elevation and keep up some respectable pace. We hit the finish line in 2:33 to the shock of Anne Gibbons. She clearly expected us to be out for longer, though Dr. Evil said he designed it to be a short, fast course for the top teams.

Thankfully, despite our ill health, we managed to hold off Too Many Kids, taking first place overall. Granted, we had a much easier day than the four teams racing in the Championship race. We failed to qualify for the first GOALS championship this year, thanks to an unofficial finish at the Cradle and the fact that we couldn't field a team for the Krista G. At the end of the day, considering the fact that after finishing, I collapsed and tried hard to keep both lungs inside my body for the next 20 minutes while in a variety of supine and fetal positions, I personally wasn't upset that we were barred from the fun of retrieving submerged canoes from the bottom of the reservoir or being shackled to our boats, being forced to portage them along narrow, rocky trails to CPs. I would have enjoyed the additional leg that was the memory-O, but I was happy to lie in the grass for a while and watch everyone else in the TA once my lungs began functioning somewhat normally again.

So, all in all a good race. My only regret is that I anticipated this race being a full day out, and hence a good training day for Nationals which is fast approaching at T-minus 3 weeks. Granted, I don't know how well I would have held up for another 3 1/2 hours, but the shorter than expected race coupled with being sick really is throwing a wrench into my last minute build up for Nationals...

At least it was a fun, well-planned course. Sara Percy, my 8th new teammate of the year, proved to be yet another fantastic new partner and friend, and I'm only sorry that she was held back by the two sickly guys trying to keep up! At least we finished well, and at least I only threw up once!

On a final note: including a good run at Tyler State Park last week at a DVOA meet, I may have gotten back some of my Christmas charm. Granted, neither Tyler nor Hibernia is rocket science when it comes to Navigation, but sometimes getting back to basics is the best remedy for those Directional Doldrums. Hopefully, the recent success will translate into a strong performance at Nationals...Stay tuned...