Before the race: While Carlos, the director of the event, was making pre-race announcements to the racers lined up at the start, two dogs playing ran away with the ribbon marking the start line. Dang it, they got a head-start! I also found that I left my GPS on the charger at the cabin. Dang again, I might get lost!

Lap #1: I was in the fourth group to leave the start line with a few more starting behind us at 2-minute intervals. Topping out on Boggs Ridge Trail, hey, there was someone I knew! "Hi Daryl!" It's always good to see a familiar face. Throughout the lap, there were riders all around me. Wanna pass? No problem. Or, maybe I should just go a little faster. Before I knew it, I was back at the start line. Looking down at my stop watch, I had to blink my eyes twice to believe what I saw — 1 hour sharp. My brain started churning: "That's 10 minutes faster than I have ever done! What did Carlos say? The cut off for final return is 9 hours. That means I can fit eight laps in. Holy shmoly! That's two more than I have planned for (I only prepared six water bottles). Oh, well, I'll worry about that later. Where is my pit stop — the blue Tupperware container? Dang, I must have missed it. Oh well, my current bottle is still half full. I'll make sure to find it next time."

Lap #2: The line on the trails thinned out a little. Whew, I can relax a little now. This lap, I cleaned everything without dabbing. Yes, I should just take my time and pick my line. Feeling good. 1:01 for this lap on my watch. Not bad. Oh, there is my pit stop. Cool! "Hi Stephenie!" Erik already pulled two full bottles out of the container for me and they were sitting in front of the container. How sweet of him! I swapped the bottles and rode on.

Lap #3: Oh, Someone was calling my name behind me. It's Krishna! Holy shmoly, he already lapped me! Go Krishna! Go Mud 'n Crud! (Yes, until another team signs him up, he is on Mud 'n Crud team and he is our ringer.) Uh oh, I need to pee. But where? Oh, there is that vista point on the top of Boggs Ridge Trail. I'll pull over there. Okay, I'm close. Wait, the guy in front of me also pulled over. Obviously he had the same plan! Dang it, but I'm sticking to my plan. Guys can just pull over and do their business without getting off the bike. It's not that easy for us ladies, but this is where my skirt comes handy. Oh, this is not a thick bush, but WTHeck, I have my skirt. "Hello, nature!" That guy 20 feet away from me was chuckling with his back facing me. Yeah, I know. You are not used to it. But hey, this is a lot more personal space than when two rock climbers are on a 3 foot ledge hundred feet off the ground on a cliff. So, enjoy the distance. I picked up my bike and rode on without saying hi and bi — this is a moment when we should pretend we are invisible.

Lap #4: My right foot is going numb. Dang it, I must have tightened my shoe lace too tight. I don't want to stop to fumble with it. I'll just keep wiggling my toes and changing the angle. I can live with it. Oh, hey, who is that in front of me? That's my husband, Erik! Uh oh. That's not a good sign. He is supposed to be a stronger and faster rider than me. Me catching up with him is an indicator that something has gone wrong. Oh, he is a big boy and he'll handle it. "I love you, and bye!" I passed him and rode on.

Lap #5: Wow, half of the ride is behind me now. Suddenly, my legs started feeling a little heavy on the climbs. Oh, my granny gear, I love you! Wow, some riders are still going strong. They passed me at a speed as if they were still fresh. And almost all of them passed with enormous courtesy. I'm severely one-sided, so I usually feel uncomfortable when people pass me on my left side. Plus, we are out on dirt trails, so there are no cars on the left side and no curbs on the right, correct? Most people had no problem at all when I asked them to pass on the right side. Occasionally, a few would go, "On your left. Oh, right? Okay, thank you!" They rode on. One time (I think it was on Berry's Trail or maybe Crew), an interesting conversation took place. I heard someone coming up behind me fast, so I started scouting a spot for him to pass. A voice already came up to me, "On your left!" Hmmm… I don't think I'm very comfortable with the right side even though I know it's not that bad for good riders, so I replied, "You go right!" He was obviously taken aback by that reply, "What? Why don't YOU go right?" I couldn't come up with a smart ass answer to that question, so I choked, "uh…" The truth is, I'm not as good a rider as you are, and I see my line on the left and I'll stick to it. Plus, when did this become negotiable? Suddenly, we are at the little climb with one narrow hard-packed path in the middle of some loose rocks. Obviously, he did not feel comfortable to pass there, so he complained, "Oh, now you are really holding me back!" Thankfully, the climb was very short, and it opened up at the top. I slowed down and pulled to the left side and said, "Go, go!" I did not take it personally. Maybe he was racing for the win. The whole episode lasted no more than half a minute I think, but it made me wonder where this "passing on your left" stubbornness comes from. Roadies! (I have nothing against roadies, by the way.)

Lap #6: I'm having side stitches. Oh, yeah, it's the waist band of my tights digging into my stomach that's causing it. If I hold it with one hand, I feel immediate relief, but I can't ride this way! It took me two more laps of yoga breathing to make it go away. Probably a big gulp at the gel that Erik handed to me at the pit stop helped too. By now, he had stopped riding (after five laps) due to excruciating knee pain.

Lap #7: I don't know who this guy was, but he was talking to me from behind. "You are still grinding away? You must be riding solo! I think I've seen you a few time. Good job!" Oh, thank you! It's always good to hear encouraging words. Okay, here I am again, at the fire road climb after Crew Trail. Hmmm… Why am I feeling tired? That's okay. Bear Bones Trail is an easy climb, and after that, it's all sweet rolling and downhill. I so look forward to it. And suddenly, I'm done with Lap #7. I still have more than one hour and half before the final cut off. Erik told me that I already won. But, I still have one more lap to go to meet my goal — ride as much as possible. I did not stop to take the bottle from him because mine is still half full. Riding on.

Lap #8: Yes, this is the last time I'll see every part of this course. I love this course and all, and I feel fine enough to ride further still, but I think I've had enough of this particular course for today. I'm glad that this is the last lap now. Is Coolest 24 at Boggs going to use the same course? That's just insane! Okay, I should think pleasant thoughts. What are they going to feed us for dinner? Pasta? That sounds good. Actually, anything sounds good right now. Wow, there is nobody in front of me and behind me! So quiet! I love it! I'm close to the finish line now. I can see the crowd and I can hear them too. I've gotta look good. Okay, smile! Now, stand up and look strong! There, I crossed the finish line at 8 hours and 32 minutes! Erik came up to give me an enthusiastic high five. Ouch, my hand hurt upon impact, but we both had a big grin on the face.

Post-race: Do you know how a mud worm moves around — at a steady pace. My eight laps were all within 5 minutes of each other. I think I lived up to my name pretty well. I was glad that we brought our twin camp chair. After the pasta dinner, we bundled up and got comfortable sipping hot water out of our mugs. Carlos’s voice was loud and clear out of the speakers. And he kept the crowd engaged. We woo-ahh'ed at the winners. To me, the most impressive winners were those from the Men’s Masters 50+. They walk at a mud worm’s pace, but they sure ride fast! My name was called. There I was, standing on a podium for a sport event first time in my life! (I had a couple of 2nds running or biking in the past couple of years, but for various reasons, no podium was involved). I met my goal and beat my expectation! At 5′4″, I felt tall standing on the podium.

P.S. I know, I said "Dang" or "Dang it" too many times. But this was an emotional event for me, and Erik does not allow me to cuss. So here you have it, Dang it!

P.P.S. I also have another post on this race.

This picture my friend forwarded to me from Facebook has me in the front (#377):

However, one thing I can say for myself is it was an honest mistake — I did not expect myself to do so well. On my pre-rides, my best lap time, obtained when I was fresh, was 1 hour and 10 minutes. It's natural to assume that one will be more tired on each additional lap. Considering it's an 8-hour race, I set my expectation to ride six laps. But what's more important for me was I also set my goal, which was to ride as much as I could. That meant even if I had been the only one in my class and could have won with only one lap, I would still have ridden all full 8 hours just to meet my goal.

What went wrong (or right depending how you look at this sandbagger issue) is: 1) The organizer gave us an 8-hour cut off for final departure and 9-hour cut off for last lap return; 2) I only learned from the race that even though I was more tired on each lap than on the previous one, I got more familiar with the course that I was able to go just a little faster on the downhill and flats, so my lap time did not differ too much (all within five minutes of each other); 3) obviously, not carrying a full camelbak on my back like I did at pre-rides and having racers coming up behind me all the time helped me set my pace quite a bit faster. When I finished the 1st lap, I had 1:00 on my stop watch, and that was when I realized that I could fit eight laps within 9 hours. I could hardly believe that realization, but I was determined to fulfill my goal.

Riding on!

I paused at the pit stop to swap water bottles only after my 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th laps, and even when I stopped, I did not get off my bike. One foot on the bank, reached down to get a bottle, occasionally tossed a layer, and off I went. The only time I got off my bike was on Lap 3 when I answered nature's quick call behind a bush. When I came in after my 8th lap at 8:32'35", I knew I had been peddling for at least 8 hours and 15 minutes. Erik gave me a high five. Even though he had to drop out of the race after five laps due to excruciating knee pain, he had a big grin on his face because of me. I was happy too. Erik told me that I had already won after my 7th lap when I rode by him at the pit stop, but I still continued riding without stopping because I knew my goal was not about winning, but about riding as much as I could. I met my goal!

The truth is in my entire life, I had never ever won any sports event, period.  Before I moved to california, I was in my previous life and did not know what sports were. During the past seven years in the golden state, my mindset changed, my lifestyle changed, and I changed. I've taken on rock climbing, scuba diving, mountain biking, and road biking. I've pushed my limit here and there (with the help of my dear husband). Every time, it brought us great surprise and joy.  This race to me was more about discovering my potentials in a new area.  How would I perform in an endurance event? How would my mind and body hold up? I think I have the answers now.

Edit: (added on April 23)

The results are out. A close inspection reveals that I may not be a sandbagger at all. Everyone's time for the 1st lap indicates their real riding levels because it does not involve pit stop. My time is indeed the fastest in the Beginner Women's class (although there were only three of us), but it did not really stand out in the Sport Women's class. I have given it some thoughts after the race. In the beginning, I felt guilty for having won the race because I did not want to be called a sandbagger. But the more I thought about it, the more I made peace with myself. There are people who have been riding for a decade and longer, and I know they are more comfortable on their bikes than me walking on land, yet they still keep entering races as a beginner until they can win the class consistently. I've only had my bike for two years and ridden actively for one year, I still find myself doing the beginners' death grip from time to time, I stiffen up whenever there is a turn, I pray hard when I go downhill, so whom am I kidding — of course, I'm a beginner! I don't want to stay a beginner forever, but I have made peace with myself that I entered the race honestly and I should just feel proud for having pushed myself hard throughout the ride.

Links:

My Bits and Pieces from Boggs IV

Boggs IV official site

Boggs IV stories and photos thread on MTBR

Boggs IV Results

I did not take many pictures on the rides because I was too busy riding. I have uploaded all the photos to our gallery.

Oat Hill Mine Road

I had heard good things, or scary things, about this climb, and all turned out to be true. You get very good scenery on this 4.5 mile climb. On the first 3.6 miles, I started feeling good about myself thinking "what's the big deal about this climb?" The grade is very moderate; and it is not very technical. Yes, there are rocks and ruts here any there, but it's fairly easy to pick a good line. When we reached a flat spot with a gorgeous view, I thought that was the top and was ready to pat myself on the back. Then we saw a sharp right turn. The road continues up, so up we went. Suddenly, the road turned into a bitch. Either really loose, or scattered with big broken rocks, or both. I pushed quite a bit. Mud rode more than I did, but I could tell he did not push himself very hard. He admitted he could have pushed himself harder, but it probably takes a riding buddy like Delbomber to arouse the competitive side of him. Delbomber is a very skillful rider. We would like to bring him out here some day.

Boggs Mountain

The trails were in perfect condition. Last time when we were here, our bikes got very muddy, but not this time. The two trails covered under snow two weeks ago, Karen's and Bear Bones, were snow free and nice this weekend. We did two laps both days with variations here and there. On Saturday, we were pleasantly surprised to see a mini van with Maherajah decal and in it was indeed Bob whom we met on our last ride. He just rode with his daughter. They both will be in Boggs IV 8-hour endurance race in two weeks. Mud and I will be in it too, but we would ride solo. I told people jokingly that's because we were not team players, but really I just wanted to get as much action as I can out of the event.

Edie's Resort

Edie's Resort is where we stayed for the night near Boggs Mountain. It's a very small cozy cabin, but it got everything we needed. We saw some interesting architectural features near our cabin.

Angwin

I hesitated whether I should even mention it or not. Some people say because the trails are on private land (owned by Pacific Union College, a private Seventh-day Adventist liberal arts college), mountain bikers should be as stealth as possible. Well, I agree that mountain bikers need to be especially sensitive while riding here because access is never guaranteed, but I believe anyone has as much right to ride there as the locals and me as long as it is not illegal, so I do not want to pretend that we had never been here. I did my homework though.  I asked questions on MTBR; I called the college administration and Angwin Public Safety. I got very a warm welcome from both departments. However, Mud convinced me to respect the local culture and avoid riding there on their Sabbath.  When we were gearing up on Sunday afternoon in the drizzle at the airport parking lot, it felt almost a little miserable. However, as soon as we started riding, it was great. We enjoyed ourselves exploring the maze of the singletracks like two big kids.

It's Erik's birthday again. I think the last time it happened was a year ago, but I'm not sure. Ever since two years ago I surprised him with a trip to Hawaii (he did not even know we were flying until I dug out the suit cases buried under camping gear when we arrived at the airport parking lot), I have not been able to top that one — the bar was set a bit too high too early.

What did not help was the gray weather forecast outlook for the weekend. Even days before, it was still predicting 20% probability of rain for Saturday and 100% for Sunday. 20% was good enough for me to go ahead and plan a trip away from home. The destination? Napa Valley. Here is how Erik's B-day went:

8 am: Arrived at Pete's Pancake House in Oakville. When we did our road ride in the area a month ago, I spent more than an hour waiting for Erik in front of the restaurant. It was closed then, but I had great pleasure studying their menu and was surprised to see that they serve Swedish meatballs along with other Scandinavian dishes. Erik, missing those made by his granny and his mom, always longed for more. I tried to make some based on some recipe I found on line, but was not happy with what I made. Plus, I have never had true Swedish meatballs before, so how am I supposed to know what they should taste like? I bought some from Ikea Food Court, but was not impressed. During the week before this trip, we both very much looked forward to coming here during their business hours (8-2) and we actually pulled in right at 8am. My heart sank — there was no cars around. A piece of paper was taped to the glass door. It was a notice, dated from yesterday,  from the lawyer representing the landlord that the tenant failed to pay the February rent and thus have to either pay up or vacate within three days. Obviously, the tenant had planned on getting out because the interior already looked quite empty.  Disappointment, major disappointment!

8:30: Breakfast at Café Sarafornia in Calistoga. I found it thanks to my iPhone. We had Brannan Benedict and Wildcat Scrambler. Both were very tasty. That to some extent mended our broken heart and definitely filled our stomachs.

Around 11 am: We got ready to ride at Boggs Mountain.  I've heard a lot of good things about this place, one of which was it is a good wet weather destination. For example, Annadel is another place we wanted to ride, but everyone was saying it's too muddy there right now. I now could see why the singletracks hold up well at Boggs, besides good drainage everywhere, the trails are covered by pine needles. We did get muddy, but that was from riding on the fire roads. To make the day better, God sent us an angel in the form of a 70-year old man, calling himself Bob.  He rode by our car when I was still getting ready. Erik and him started talking. He is a local and had exactly the same route in mind as us — the loop that they did in the last years Boggs 8-hour race. He did not mind us tagging along. Even though Erik and I were equipped with the handle bar map readers and I printed the map and the route descriptions, it was still a godsend to have a local to show us the way. 80% of the single tracks on the route were in prime condition. Only Karen's Trail and Bear Bones Trail were under snow.  We did the loop (skipping Bear Bones and added an out and back on Gail's Trail) together. Erik and I were extremely impressed how good a shape Bob was in. Most of the time, Bob's pace was just perfect for me, although I sometimes found myself out of breath trying to keep up with him going uphill. What an inspiration! Bob went home after the loop, so Erik and I went on to do our second loop with modifications. This time we added Mac's Trail and Creek Trail. Creek Tail would lead us back to our car. But we took a wrong turning mistaking that trail with Interpretive Trail and ended up on some fire road not on our map. We wondered around from one fire road to the next and could not make sense the terrain around us. Erik's dead reckoning skills came to rescue and eventually it led us back to the real Interpretive Trail. Whew, for a moment, we thought we would end up camping out in the woods for the night!

4pm: Dinner at Boar's Breath Restaurant in Middletown. Oh my god, I think I can say this is the best restaurant I've been to! From the appetizer (Crab Cakes), to the pastas (Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs, and Basil Cream), to desserts (Bread pudding and Brownie A La Mode) and the Latte, every single order was made to perfection. They did not even charge us corkage fee. Stopping at Middletown, a somewhat white trashy environment, Erik did not expect the food to be exceptional, and he was shocked. I went in with high expectations because I had read good reviews on their food, and I was also shocked. I hope to return to that place soon.

7pm: This is what the real surprise was: a mud bath and a one-hour massage at Golden Haven Hot Springs in Calistoga.  I didn't know if Erik would like the mud bath, but I just wanted him to get muddy. The process basically includes 15 minutes or so of total immersion in a tub of mud, followed by 10 minutes or so sitting in a jacuzzi of bubbling hot spring water with mineral salts, and it ended with a 20 minute relaxation session wrapped up in a quiet room. Supposedly, the mud has all kinds of healing power. It was quite interesting. The massage was what we really needed. We could use another hour of it since we had tight muscles everywhere.

We stayed at a B&B at Middletown. We were hoping to ride again the next day, but it rained through the night and the day, so we simple relaxed, wondered around in Calistoga and got some good beta from Calistoga Bikeshop for our future rides. We will be back!

All the photos are as usual in our gallery. Here are a few highlights:

Riding with Bob at Boggs Mountain.

Mr. Mud gets muddy! Derek would not like it there.

Yummy, yummy!

And here is the interactive map to our Boggs Ride. Click for the stats and .gpx file.