As I mentioned in my previous post, I was somewhat nervous going into this race. I’d had a slightly fatiguing training week, and I was unsure of my ability to defend “home turf” against the women who could potentially show up from out-of-town. However, following suit to most of the other races I’ve been to this season, the women’s field (6 of us) was somewhat small (partially due to the schedule conflict that pulled a few Nashville women north to the USGP race in Louisville, KY).

We lined up behind the group of “B” race men- cat 4s and beginner masters racers- and started a minute behind the group. I decided to take the initiative and dive into the wind head-first. I wasn’t sure how the other women would react, but it made for a good photo…

 

It took a lap or two to work through the slowest of the male traffic, but I eventually put a sizable gap between me and the other women. The next few laps, I had the pleasure of both bleeding out of my eyes and hearing all of my coworkers/friends cheering me on. Sponsorship gold, Jerry…

(notice worlds most badass armwarmers in that shot)

Hopefully, some more, awesome photos will surface soon.