chapter 66: the secret window

Lower Allen:

To be brief, I pretty much sucked hind tit all day. If it could go wrong, then it went wrong for me. I have been nursing a somewhat minor injury for a couple of weeks. I took last week pretty much off altogether in the hope of healing up. Well that didn’t happen too much. Wednesday night at cross practice, I had my first bad practice all year. That wasn’t so good. So with that back drop I come to Hebe’s race. I’ll say this I always love the course at Hebe’s, it should suit my strengths, I always have fun here, but unfortunately I have never had a good race here. Saturday went like this.

Off the prologue and first lap had a pretty good start, at the end of the first lap I am hurting, I realize that no matter what Capt. Kirk asks from Scotty the answer is always, “I’m giving her all she’s got” sad point was today that wasn’t too much.

Mentally I question if my injury is keeping me from going, if I should pull the plug. Wes is running around the course cheering for me, telling me to get going, I’m right there. I think I was like 17th or so,

End of the second lap I start to feel a little better, start to drive a bit, I can pick off a couple guys. I see Nystrom just ahead of me, I drill it and start to close in around the back stop, and wham. I hit the ground hard. Never saw it coming. At this point, I am so frustrated I’m ready to pretty much chuck my bike in the woods. Wes is there. He says, dude, get going ride tempo. Your chain is off. Fuck. throw salt on my cut. A group of like 10 or 11 come flying by.

I get back on and start trying to go. Feeling like the beginning of the race all over again.
I’ve got nothing. I see the group; I see the group riding away from me. I switch bikes, I roll a clincher, I switch bikes again, at some point some one told me I was in 30th or something, and I bite the lip and try to move forward. In the final 2 laps I picked off a couple, and came close to Bernie and Chad, but they heard me coming and got clear. I finished up 24th.

At this point, I realize that the window of cross fitness is pretty small, and historically once I crack, my seasons are pretty awful from that point out. So mentally, I’m pretty much ready to pack in the season. My injury still hurts, I clearly lost my edge during my break, and well my window seemed very closed.

Frank Maguire, of State College fame, saw me just suffering out there, and yelled up this which made me laugh out loud in the middle of my misery, “Fatmarc you were faster when you were Fatter!!”

The upside of the day was I got to hang with monkey, the dccOFd and the fort factory team did very well, so despite having a shitty race, it was a pretty damn good day.

On the way home E-town and Diane could tell I was down, they were super supportive. Spanky asked in the Questions of the Week what it means to be an American; my answer is this Spot Paul, E-town and I standing on a picnic table singing the national anthem before the elite race on Saturday.

I had a great meal at Kate’s with Fitzy, E-town, Jan, Rob Thomas (not that no talent ass clown from matchbox 20), Monkey, and I. That was a good time. Fitzy ordered a special side nacho to go. He had a big night of TV planned. The waitress said she could tell Fitzy really wanted nachos, to which he replied, “is it my physique?” Everyone laughed.

Better than Highland Park Race.

I woke up feeling pretty good. In the back of my mind I wanted to make sure that I had a better day today. Regardless of injury or not I needed to find out if today my window was closed, or if I still had something. Nothing like a little pressure before a race right?

Warmed up well, E-town and I followed each others lines and things felt good. On the line, I was scared, maybe more so than I have been all year. The official says, “30 seconds” I love cross, I’m not ready to be done. The official says, “15 seconds” I think to myself, “If you love this then go out and prove your not done, go out and ride like you care, injury no injury, no excuses…”

Bang!!

the gun goes off. I got a really nice start. Lap one finishes up and I am in the group pretty good. We go over the first climb and I’m hurting a bit, I get gapped a little. I hear John Lux yell, at probably the best time ever, “put your head down and get going, do what you do” and I did. Gaps had started to form and I was in the 7-11 spot. I go to the front of the group with Budd, Ray, Princeton dude and I. I punch it a little, and get a little gap, the group catches back on but I’m still riding. This race was a college race too, so some more college guys come by, through the start finish I see 3 to go, Damn I was hoping for 2, need to throttle back just a little. I’m sitting on the back of the group, I’m hurting, but I don’t want to be done. I’d like to say the last 2 laps were magical, that I gapped the group. But this is a cross race, not a fairy tail, truth is for the 2nd time this year Brill caught me with less than 2 to go. I attacked hard, the last half lap trying to get to the group just in front of me which contained Ray, E-town, and Brill. I charged hard, even crashed in the mulch, but I rolled in safely in 14th place. The best 14th fucking place I ever took. Not my best ride, but in the range of my abilities. And at a time when mentally I was pretty much ready to roll over and die, I fought back for another day. My best will still come. I was a very happy fatmarc.

Back at the car, E-town gave a big hug and said welcome back.

Want to give some props to the HVC guys. When Lindstrum came by me, he said, “get my wheel, we’ll move up” I did and we did. He dropped me, but that was cool. Luxy, well, I love that guy. Mealy and Rob screaming for me, too much. These guys aren’t my teammates, but they had good words at the best times.

I can’t say enough about having Wes seemingly everywhere on the course when I was hurting the most, yelling encouragement. James working in the pit for me, saying things that only I get like “slam you hand in the door” or “bite you lip” all the Fort team, all the dccofd. I’m not too sure I would have made it today without all your support. Than you all.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the monkey, who had a great weekend, finished on the lead lap of the C/35+ B Saturday, and just rode super well, and had the pimpest move I have seen all year. On the final lap, coming into the last little paved section before the pit, Diane attacked up to and sat on the girl in front of her wheel. Heidi and I start to cheer for her, and Diane sits up a bit, makes eye contact with us and while shaking her head while giving us the old shush sign.

The woman didn’t realize she had a monkey on her back.

Diane rode that wheel all the way around to the barriers, where she attacked, ran through
And jumped back on opening a gap, and sprinting to take 11th in her race.

Like my main man Jay-Z always says, “ladies are pimps too, go on brush your shoulders off.””

Thanks to everyone for a great weekend. So damn good. My goal was top 15 both days, I figured I could score a top 10 Saturday, you know because the course suits me, and that Highland Park would be a little deeper with NY , NJ and College kids adding to the already deep MAC talent pool. Well, 1 out of 2 ain’t too bad. Right now, I’ll take it for sure.

Respect
fm