Women

How it All Went Down- An Iceman Cometh Race Recap

November 7th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Kaitlyn Patterson, Team OAM NOW Cyclist

There were 5,000 race stories that unfolded on Saturday, November 5^th at Iceman Cometh Challenge. I wanted to share my story as it was an awesome opportunity to race with some of the best in the world and the outpouring of enthusiasm and support has been amazing. Last year I took fifth at Iceman, making it all the way to Timber Ridge with the leaders but had nothing left after pulling way too much throughout the race. This year I knew what to expect and I had every intention of racing for the win.

Michigan native and pro road racer Allie Dragoo started right next to me!

It was a strong field as always including Catharine Pendrel– bronze medalist at Rio Olympics this year and former World Champion, Chloe Woodruff– 2016 Olympian and multiple-time National Champ, Erin Huck– 2016 National Champ, Amy Beisel– 2016 Fat Bike World Champ, and many talented roadies. I was also joined by some local superstars- Mackenzie Woodring and Susan Vigland.

Our race was the very last of the day to take off and it was fast from the gun with a super short roll out before the single track this year. I actually had a great start (this never happens) and was perfectly positioned around sixth wheel heading into the trail. It was a bit sketchy with riders changing lines unpredictably and sliding in the sand but my mission for the first half was to be patient and stay out of trouble. But less than ten minutes in, another rider merged right into me trying to jump into another line without looking behind her. I thought my race was over at that moment, but I somehow managed to stay upright. However, her and a couple riders behind us were not so lucky and this ended up to be one of the first decisive splits. Several riders including Catharine and Susan circumnavigated the crash and chased back on to create a group of nine.

I calmed down near the end of the line and closed the gaps that would open between riders after each single track section due to both accordion effect and talent differential (the mountain bike pros are basically ninjas). However, one of the more jarring descents I let a bit too wide of a gap open and I saw a group of four- Catharine, Amy, Erin, and Chloe start to ride away with Susan and Mackenzie falling off. I gunned it up “Make it Stick,” a steep multi- tiered climb, tagging onto the top group just as Erin stopped for a dropped chain. And just like that, it was down to four.

Flow states during races are pretty incredible, when you are totally in the moment and aware of everything going on and so focused that emotions don’t impede judgement. I knew I just needed to beat one of them to get on the podium but I still felt fresh and I felt I might just be able to pull off an upset.

I wasn’t perceived as a threat so wasn’t really included in the pace line which was odd but totally fine by me. Just before Williamsburg Road Erin caught us but she dropped her chain again up the next steep climb. I felt bad for her because she was riding really well but her chain dropped nearly every climb forcing her off her bike.

The four of us hit Williamsburg Road (about 10 miles to go) and I made a huge mistake by bobbling and dropping my bottle hand-off and with temperatures in the mid-60s, I really needed it. I refused to let my race be ruined and was resolved to get a bottle from someone. We flew by the Rock too fast for this to be an option but a guy was watching alone on the VASA during a slower climbing section and graciously gave me his bottle (thank you, mystery man!)

The games had begun as our pace slowed as everyone tried to recover for the final showdown. We quickly approached “The Boonenberg,” one of the longer climbs on the VASA about six miles from the finish that I had picked out as a potential spot to attack. The whole thing felt a bit surreal but I knew I had to at least give it my best shot.

I carried a bit more momentum over the previous descent to slingshot around and rode as hard as I could and didn’t look back. (According to Strava, I clocked the 5^th fastest time of the day up that climb including all the men). I kept drilling it and eventually checked to see only Chloe behind me. She was there but appeared to be dangling so I kept hammering. We crested Anita’s Hill together and I attacked again, knowing just how fast I could rail the corners on the VASA sections from countless Thursday night “Speed of Light” races on the VASA 25k when we lived in Traverse City (thanks Cody Sovis!)

I knew I might be setting her up for another win but I also thought I was very close to riding away and if nothing else, second was pretty awesome. Turns out, she had one more match left and she dropped it on me leading up to Woodchip Hill about a mile to the finish. The crowd was absolutely insane and I felt like I was racing in Europe but the effort from my extended attack had caught up with me and Chloe’s gap was established.

Photo credit: Jody Hofstra

I switched to damage control mode to try and not make mistakes on the single track in Timber Ridge with everyone watching. I caught a glimpse of her up the final climb before the spectators nearly engulfed me but I realized she wasn’t coming back. As I wove through the final curves while trying not to tie up, I crashed on one of the loose gravel corners (falling in the stadium in front of everyone is everyone’s fear) but thankfully it was only flesh wounds and I had enough of a gap that I didn’t lose a spot. I willed my body back on my bike and claimed my first podium in my third Iceman race.

Soon after Amy and Catherine finished and Catherine gave me kudos for a “perfectly timed attack.” Hearing that compliment from a previous World Champion totally made my day. Chloe was also extremely complimentary. The next hour was a bit of a blur of interviews and hugs and I basically felt like a rock star.

Alex finished 11^th in a ridiculously fast men’s race, cementing our dominance in the “fastest couple” competition (this should be a real thing).

Overall it was one of the coolest experiences and I’m still totally floored by all the support. Traverse City truly has an incredible cycling community, puts on a world class race, and has a lot of fun doing it. Thanks to Team OAM NOW/ Athletic Mentors, Alex Vanias my moral and mechanical support, my family, and Steve Brown- Mr. Iceman himself!

Photo credit: Corky Abston

Are You Ready to Powermeter Up?

October 24th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By JoAnn Cranson, Team OAM NOW cyclist

The first time another rider asked me, “What kind of watts were you pushing up that hill?” I had no idea what they were talking about. I knew speed, cadence, heart rate, distance… but watts? How would I know my watts? Then, I was introduced to an incredible tool for cycling – the power meter. If you haven’t used one yet, I will warn you… once you start, you become lost without it, like so many new technologies.

If you are like I was, you may have no idea what a powermeter is. I’ll try to explain in layman terms. Power meters measure torque and velocity to calculate power in watts. In other words, the force you use to push your foot against the pedal and how fast you can turn the crank equals the power (wattage) you create.

Power meters come in many different styles and options. You can spend between $500 to almost $4000, depending on what your goals are and what you are willing to invest. They can be installed in the crank set, rear hub, bottom bracket, chair ring and now pedals too. Because they are wireless, they instantly display the wattage on your cycling computer, providing instantaneous feedback throughout your ride. Naturally it takes some time to determine what works best for you and to make sure everything involved is compatible.

Now that you know what a powermeter is, you may ask “What good does a powermeter do”? Is it just another fancy gadget you have to figure out how to work?

In my opinion, it’s more valuable to me than my speedometer or heart-rate! I remember I use to not want to go ride when it was really windy or a hilly ride because I got discouraged with my average mph. Well, with the powermeter it doesn’t matter how windy it is, my power is going to show me how hard I’m working whether I’m going 16.7 mph or 24.4 mph.

I took a couple pictures of my cycling computer on a windy day to show the differences. Notice it shows my power vs mph (depending on if I had a head-wind or tail-wind).

Power is 274 watts only going 16.7 mph with a head-wind

Power is only 221 watts– but flying at 24.4 mph with a tail-wind

The power meter is an incredibly valuable tool for so many reasons. It measures your workload accurately and instantaneously whereas heart rates respond more slowly and are more effected by outside influences such as temperature and hydration. Post-ride data analysis allows you to review power over time so you can see strengths and weaknesses. For example, you can see from the data that you are stronger when you ride at a lower cadence, or that you climb best when you stay seated at a high cadence.

Not only can you determine your strengths and weaknesses, but you are able to individually tailor your training using power. Whether you are doing road racing, time trials, or want to stay with the faster group rides, a power meter will help you get the most out of your training every day. For example, if you want to be consistent in long rides, you can practice intervals above/under your threshold values so you can teach your body to handle it. You can learn through training what wattage you can handle before “blowing up” over a specific time period. And my favorite part is that you can clearly see as you train how your wattage continues to climb as you get stronger!!

One final and very important benefit of training with power is the ability to see clearly when you are overtraining. If you have been riding a consistent wattage and all of a sudden your heartrate is elevated but you can’t hold the watts… it’s a clear indicator that you are over-training and you need rest. This was always the hardest thing for me to see in myself before I had a power meter.

As a rider who went from “what is a power meter” to “I can’t ride without a power meter.” – I can tell you that a power meter is a great tool to improve your individual cycling no matter what type of rider you are.

My Zwift Academy Ride

October 6th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Kaitlyn Patterson, Team OAM NOW cyclist

I’ve been working on a pretty cool project that has escalated over the past month that I would like to explain. It can be a bit hard to explain to people both within and outside of cycling so I’ll do my best to cover what I’m doing and why.

Zwift is an interactive online cycling program that you can pair to a smart trainer or a power meter ride on a virtual course with other riders logged in from around the world. You can chat with riders around you, join group rides, do pre-written or custom workouts, or even race. If you have a smart trainer, the resistance will change based on the elevation changes of the Zwift course. Overall, it makes riding the trainer 100% more engaging and can be a great training tool.

At the beginning of the summer, Zwift rolled out a program called “Zwift Academy,” open to any female cyclist. It included a series of workouts, a pre and post Functional threshold power (FTP) test and a designated number of group rides to complete over a three month time span. After this “qualifying period” a panel of professionals would analyze power data and other information and select 10 semi-finalists they thought had the potential to be professional riders. The semi finalists continue the program and compete for the grand prize of a one year contract with the Canyon/SRAM team.

When I read about this at first, I was intrigued but I thought it was a bit sacrilegious to ride the trainer in the summer and I only had a couple months of freedom before medical school started. However, I thought it was a pretty cool idea and I joined the Facebook group to keep tabs on it. Through the summer, an impressive community of women from around the world converged on this platform- sharing stories, equipment tips, training advice, and such. Most of them were not in it for the “grand prize” or any prize at all but the pursuit of improvement and inclusion in a community.

At the end of July when I was preparing to move to Ann Arbor to start school, I began to plan how I would continue to train most efficiently with the demands of school. I knew my days of riding my mountain bike endlessly from our front door were over and I knew the trainer was going to turn into an important training tool for me. So just for fun, I looked at the Zwift Academy requirements again. It would be a lot of work to finish the program by the August 31^st deadline but it had already elicited the spark of a new challenge and there was no turning back.

Despite occasionally feeling guilty for riding inside in August, Zwift Academy turned into a great outlet for me for several reasons. It definitely helped me fit in a lot of high quality efficient workouts as my volume declined. It also reduced the amount of time I was on the road during the time that I was most anxious about cars due to recent accidents. However, I didn’t post any of my Zwift rides on Strava, because I wasn’t quite confident enough to explain what I was doing or why.

Ore to Shore was a success amid school and Zwift

Fitting in the workouts around races and outdoor rides turned out to be more of a challenge than expected because the workouts were legitimately hard. However, I managed to finish Zwift Academy by the deadline. I figured I would likely have a chance at moving on but due to the time constraints, I didn’t do all the workouts at the highest quality and my power numbers didn’t improve much in such a short time. However, one week after the conclusion of the program, my name was among the ten from around the world to move on. (Check out the bios from the semi-finalists here.) I was excited and pleased but also surprised with their selection. I was very honest with Zwift Academy about my school and racing plans but they advanced me nevertheless. I thought this was pretty cool for several reasons:

First, one of my goals of medical school is to avoid sacrificing myself mentally and physically in the process of medical training. Yes, this is historically how it has been done and I may be judged for wanting it to be different. However, I think that the University of Michigan is on board with this and it is cool that Zwift Academy acknowledged this too.

Secondly, my involvement with this project is not driven solely by the pursuit of a pro contract. But I don’t think it is all about the pro contract for Zwift Academy either. The enthusiasm of the Zwift Academy community exceeded expectations and I think there is a lot of power in using both community and “gamification” for some impressively rewarding fitness and satisfaction gains – and not just for the highest caliber athletes. I think building and strengthening an underrepresented community in the cycling world will benefit the sport at all levels. So I was pleased that Zwift acknowledged that I might have something to bring to this community, even if it does not necessarily mean being the optimal candidate to fulfill a professional contract.

The next round of workouts started up last week and I have the months workouts in my Training Peaks. The semi-finals include one outdoor workout, one specific Zwift workout and one Zwift group ride or race of our choice. It is actually a pretty relaxed schedule that allows me to continue to spend time on my mountain bike. The semifinals run through the end of November.So it will definitely be an interesting ride no matter what and I’m excited to see what the next few months hold.

“I Run 4”

September 28th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Tammy Shuler, Team OAM NOW athlete

On March 31st, 2014 I was matched with a young boy named Cainen, through a site called “I run 4 Michael”. A friend told me about the group, and that they had the same motto I had. “I run because someone else can’t and I can.” After visiting the sight I signed up. It took two months before I was matched. They gave me Cainen’s mothers contact information. We hit it off right from the start.

She was a single mother caring for a severely handy capped boy. He was 2 almost 3 years old. He couldn’t walk and was nearly deaf and legally blind. He had sever Down’s syndrome and possibly autistic. As a member of the group you are encouraged to post on Facebook, twice a week, include pictures and positive thoughts about running.

Over the last two and a half years I have been in contact, through Facebook, texts and private messenger, with Cainen’s mother Melissa. I have run more than 10 marathons, two Ironmans, two half Ironmans, a 100k, multiple other triathlons, and races, as well as all the training that goes with that, and dedicated it to Cainen through Facebook. Saturday I got to meet Cainen and his family. I was given the honor of pushing him in a “BOB” stroller at a fund raising event for children with brain cancer in Wisconsin. He is a sweetheart.

He loves the feel of the vibration and the wind on his face. His mother has lost 80 pounds during our friendship. I like to believe that these posts and encouragement had something to do with this. She has also gotten married and had another child Charley, who is a healthy active boy. fI gave Cainen all the metals I had collected over the past two and a half years. As well as some tee shirts. I think he likes them. I have a forever bond with this amazing family, that I can not thank “I run4” enough. I hope to make the Briggs & Al’s children’s run, walk , an annual event with Cainen, my buddy.

The Biggest Test Yet

August 7th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Kaitlyn Patterson, Team OAM NOW cyclist

Over the past several years, I’ve tackled many athletic challenges I had previously thought beyond my ability. It has been a rewarding journey and it has been fun to learn the technicalities of new sports and become involved in these communities. However, no race or training program I’ve completed yet will compare to the challenge that is staring me in the face right now.

On August 1^st, I began medical school at University of Michigan. After the application process and deferring an additional year, this has been an event in the distance for so long now that it is a bit surreal that it is actually happening.

There has been a lot of information to take in and process this week but there are a couple themes I thought were especially relevant to share here.

Balance

My goal is to continue to train and make it to several mountain bike races through the fall. When I told people this leading up to the school year, I received a range of reactions from derision to support. However, after the first week of orientation, I was pleased with how much the faculty and leadership pushed the idea of balance. With startlingly high rates of burnout, job dissatisfaction and even suicide among physicians, leaders in the field are now acknowledging that the environment can be consuming and toxic. Often retaining a life outside of medicine can be the crucial component to a sustainable career.

I was happy and a bit surprised about this attitude, especially at a school like Michigan. The real test though will come in the next several weeks and months when “drinking from the fire hose” of information begins in earnest. My plan is to utilize an indoor trainer more and to try to be intentional and efficient with my training time. The tricky part is there will always be more information to learn and many competing priorities and I have to figure out where to draw the line. But this line doesn’t get easier to draw after school or after residency so it is something that will take deliberate practice starting now. This balancing act is not unique to me or medical students though. Everyone, especially people trying to balance any level of racing and training with work, family, and other obligations need to practice their own deliberate balancing act.

Imposter syndrome

One phenomenon I have been reminded of this week is imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is a term coined by two American psychologists as a feeling of “phoniness in people who believe that they are not intelligent, capable or creative despite evidence of high achievement.” Attending an elite medical school means I am surrounded by brilliance. It has been great to meet the people I will get to know very well over the next four years as we all take on this challenge together. However, learning about others makes it easy to fall into questioning if I deserve to be here, especially with a relatively non-traditional background.

This phenomenon can be rampant in endurance sports as well. Whether this is racing for the first time or signing up for a new discipline or race distance, it is easy to fall into the trap of feeling like you don’t belong or are not at the same caliber of the people around you. Confidence is a fickle friend that can be easily shaken. However, confidence is one aspect of racing that can be just as crucial to results as training or fueling. It takes exceptional mental discipline to build and protect this confidence and use it for good and not let it grow to arrogance.

Life has changed a lot in the last month and will continue to change and evolve until I can find a rhythm and routine. My hope is I can continue to do the things I enjoy while pursuing a great field but I also realize this will likely be my biggest test yet- mentally, emotionally, and physically. I hope to capture some of my thoughts either here or on my personal blog, but no guarantees, there are only 24 hours in a day.

On Confidence and Expectations

August 2nd, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Elaine Sheikh, Team OAM NOW triathlete

It was a week before the first triathlon of the season for me. I was starting my season later than many of my friends – the end of May instead of attending collegiate national championships in April. I had kept a close eye on the registrations. I was being told what others were capable of. I was well aware of the strengths of some of my other competitors. But instead of being motivated by that, I was petrified. I had so much self-doubt that I would just panic any time I thought about actually racing. Despite that fear, that race went on to be ok and I PR’d my 10k off the bike.

$Elaine recovered from a pelvic fracture$

The same thing happened before the Grand rapids Triathlon. I saw a competitor’s bike come in to the shop where I work and when a co-worker joked that she was going to crush me because her bike was so fast (not to mention that she is an amazing runner), I had to take a break so I could leave the building to get control of myself so I could actually do my job. I learned from these experiences that negative emotions are not only uncalled for, but are extremely damaging and waste a lot of energy that could be focused towards racing and training. Of course I’m still nervous when I have a race coming up. But instead of focusing on how bad I feel, I am working towards making a conscience choice to breathe, and have confidence.

Someone once told me that I am not capable of an “ok” race. I have great races or I have catastrophic races. My goal for the season is to change that. I don’t have unrealistic expectations. I know every race will not be a “great” race. But instead of having a race spiral down into catastrophe, I want to practice mindfulness and mental toughness to turn that race into something that is “ok.” I got a taste of that at my most recent sprint tri of the year. I came out of the water in 5th, 3 minutes down from a collegiate swimmer who was leading the race. On the bike, I moved myself into third. I felt strong and knew that I should be able to run right around 20 minutes for the 5k. I had put in a big training day the day before and was fatigued, but I know what I am capable of on a good day and a bad day. However, catastrophe struck as I finished off the bike. It was tight to get to the dismount line, and a man braked hard in front of me as I was getting my shoes off. I was forced to dismount with one foot still stuck in my shoe on the bike. As a result, I wasn’t aware of the position of my shoes and one caught the ground as I ran into transition. My bike catapulted through the air and crashed onto the asphalt. I bent over to pick it up and tried unsuccessfully to get it on the rack.

As I struggled, I knew I was wasting precious seconds. I finally got it on the bar and headed out on the run, trying not to think about the potential damage… just to have both hips lock completely. I felt completely fine cardiovascularly, and I had so much more to give, but I couldn’t run. I ended up averaging around 35 seconds per mile slower than I was capable of averaging on a “bad day.” I crossed the finish line and the announcer called out that I was the second overall female. I knew I should acknowledge it but the fact that I finished a sprint triathlon and I wasn’t even breathing hard was a terrible sign. On a good race day I would be on the edge of passing out because I would have run that hard. But that day my heart and lungs had so much more to give. I struggled with it for the rest of that morning. But then I realized – catastrophe is what you make it. Maybe that race was a catastrophe for me on a personal level, but was it really? By most people’s standards, my race would be considered “ok.” Sure, I don’t want to view my life through the lens of other people’s opinions, but I think my goal was met that day. I had an “ok” race… because that’s what I decided to make it. I could have chosen to view it as a trainwreck, but I decided to accept it, cry, breathe, and move on. Racing is just as much mental as it is physical. Even if your results aren’t up to your expectations, if you gave all you could on a particular day, adjust your mindset. Giving your all and having it not be enough is not a catastrophe!

Overcoming 1,001 Obstacles- An Update from Raquel Torres

July 21st, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Raquel Torres, OAM NOW triathlete

This past Sunday, July 17 I competed in my first Ironman 70.3 in Racine, Wisconsin. After this event, I decided to be more active in sharing my experiences in the hopes it will inspire others to keep fighting for their goals and dreams. I suffered a stress fracture in my right femur at a very critical period on my personal life. Honestly, I spent a long time (Summer 2015-2016) seriously considering retiring from my dream to be an athlete as a profession. I considered finding a regular job, as I did in 2015 almost abandoning my sports career, but my heart would not let me.
I was willing to sacrifice even more to follow my heart, even with lots of noise and my own close family pushing me to abandon my dream. Many people thought that doing this is impossible, perhaps simply expressing their own fears. I make this comment as it has been one of the biggest challenges in my life. I have fought against a thousand and one obstacles: mental, physical, family-related, economic, emotional and even social.

I competed in the ITU Elite level triathlon, classifying for the Central American Games in Veracruz, Mexico in 2014 and the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada in 2015 which was achieved with great sacrifices in pursuit of being an Olympian in Rio. I also competed in more than 20 races internationally and earn the necessary points to reach the world ranking, which is the way to qualify for the Olympics in triathlons. Despite the many obstacles, I believe that trying to qualify for the Rio Olympics was well worth it. By all means, it was my schooling, all this knowledge and experiences is invaluable, and with God all of this only the time will reflect.

In February/March 2016 I came to the U.S. for treatment and they discovered the stress fracture and informed me that the rehab period was going to be VERY slow. Stress fractures typically come from drastic changes in your training, nutrition or training terrain. In my case, it was probably the change from not training for 3 months and then going from 0 to 100 way too fast.

I started running in April 2016 after months off, slowly jogging one minute and increasing the time every 3 days so that after one month I was able to run for 15 minutes without stopping. I continued to increase slowly after that. I committed to catch opportunities, to create them, to read and to gain mental knowledge in the field to develop and grow emotionally. I created a mental plan and got to know myself again well.

Now, after so many people commenting that I should try the 70.3 distance, I decided to try a new thing, I planned a trajectory so that I could do my first 70.3 in Wisconsin.

The Racine IM 70.3, July 17, 2016
Retrospective review:
I arrived on July 15th to Wisconsin to know the area and to train on my new bike which I had only had for two days, but I was happy to try something new with this “machine.” I was focused and I decided to mentally gain as much from this experience as possible, to concentrate on the details and not on the whole environment.
The day before the race I was happy, I would again compete after almost one year, after I had thought never to be able to run again after the injury. On this occasion my daughter Chantal and her Dad, Eque were with me, both of whom have been of great support to me.

Raquel with her new bike in Racine

On race day my 4:30 AM alarm went off to prepare for the day. When we arrived at the transition area they mentioned the approaching storm and the possibility that the swim would be cancelled. I just took it in stride as nothing had happened. My attitude was that we have to give our best and focus on what I have control over. Then, they announced that the race would be postponed to 9:30 AM, so we walked to seek refuge at a nearby restaurant. I slept for a bit there and we ordered breakfast since I had only had my light breakfast which is what I usually take before racing, my shake and two slices of bread at 4:45 AM.

Thoughts, good actions and errors:
9:15 AM, we ordered American Breakfast- Over easy eggs, hash browns and French Toast.
The race started at 10:20 AM and I had not warmed up well, with a full stomach and a not so positive attitude, I was almost in shock as I never accepted the idea in my head and heart of this change in the race. Perhaps a way to manage change was to not accept it as real.
A 70.3 Ironman race consist of: 1,900 meters swimming on open water, 90 kilometers (56 miles) on the Bike and 21 kilometers (13.1 miles) running. In this case, they had us do only 30k on the bike using a time trial start, where each athlete leaves 30 seconds apart according to their ranking. I was second to last to start.
The contemplative feeling in my mind and soul was starting to turn off while I was in line to start, which is when I am normally focused with an explosive mind. In this case I was thinking about all the items outside of my control- the wind, cancelled swim, all that went wrong. I allowed these thoughts to dictate the other factors for which I did have control such as nutrition, strategy, respiration and maintaining focus.

Before I started, I had already heard that the route was very very bumpy with potholes caused by the long winter months. Using the aerobars on a street with bumps and with winds gusting from 25-30 MPH was very challenging. The first 10 miles I held a good pace and caught two other athletes who had left before me. I felt fast and strong and am very thankful to my Coach Mark Olson as it is nice to see and feel improvements even in the worst conditions. However, I was honestly riding very uncomfortably as I was afraid to fall. I was not able to take more than one Gel and I did not have water as I left it behind thinking I wouldn’t need it since they had shortened the race distance, my stomach hurt and I did not have the desire to push hard. But after the first 20 miles, I was thirsty and I had no water.

I arrived at T2 comfortably, but I was not happy with myself and when I started to run I said to myself, keep the pace as your coach told you. It has been almost a year since I had run this much only doing 18 k twice. I kept the pace comfortable but I was dying of thirst, I was dehydrated and when I tried to eat something or take fluids other than water I felt like I was going to vomit. After the first 10 k I felt like my body was wasting away, I had no energy. I tried twice to take Coke and Red Bull, which pushed me a bit but I had no desire for anything, so I just decided to mentally focus on completing the event. I finished 12th, but I discovered lot of space for improvement.

I think after all, I learned my weaknesses and how to manage situations, and to have a plan A, B and C. I realized the importance of quieting intrusive thoughts and channeling the important and positive. I learned to concentrate on what I have control over, make intelligent decisions even when things change, and not to allow the storm to stop me from rowing in the direction I want to go.

BTR / Maple Hills Race Weekend Highlights

July 13th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

It was a busy weekend of racing, coaching, cheering, and volunteering this weekend for Team OAM NOW who came out in force for the BTR Crit and Maple Hills Race for Wishes. It was a big weekend as Maple Hills was the 2016 state championship road race and BTR was the state championship criterium for women, masters and juniors. It was a great showing for the team with a successful Friday night skills clinic to kick off the weekend and nearly every race sporting some OAM NOW blue and orange kits. The racing was highlighted by two overall state champions as well as success stories in nearly every race.

Elite Men

In the 87 mile men’s Cat 1/2/3/ road race on Sunday, Andy Guelzo stole the show taking the win in a sprint finish from a six man breakaway. Andy was in strong company with Tom Burke and two Bissell ABG riders Aaron Beebe and John Leach. But Andy was patient and delivered a brilliant sprint at the line to take the win.

Dan Yankus followed closely in a chase group taking seventh. With teammates up the road in breaks, the rest of the mens team finished in the main field.

Sunday’s win was a big relief to the team after a disappointing showing in the crit on Saturday. Although OAM NOW riders were part of every breakaway throughout the race, the field came back together in the final laps. With a large Cat 1/2/3 field and a strong wind on the backstretch of the course, positioning was everything and the team ran out of real estate on the final lap. Andy led the team in 14th place, followed by Dan in 19th.

Women

It was a great weekend for women’s racing with strong and deep fields lining up both days. Road captain Marie Dershem was joined by Kaitlyn Patterson, JoAnn Cranson, Danielle Nye, Laura Melendez, and Elaine Sheikh, the biggest showing for a women’t cycling event this season.

In the 60 minute crit, Kaitlyn Patterson broke away from the field alone 15 minutes in, enduring the windy backstretch and eventually lapping the field to take the win. After Kaitlyn was clear from the field, Marie began attacking and also broke away to take second and first in the Cat 1 / 2 race.

In the road race, the OAM NOW women faced a challenge with City Hub Cyclery and Hagerty fielding strong teams. The first half of the race rolled at a pedestrian pace, with an unfortunate crash taking down Danielle Nye and several other riders. The attacks began on the biggest climb on the second of three laps as Kaitlyn got a gap but was pulled back and the field came back together. On the final lap, the race was neutralized during the deciding climb as the field was passed by the Masters 35+ men. With most of the riders still together, the nuetralization drastically changed the race dynamics. With a deciding climb rendered irrelevant and nobody willing to pull or attack, Kaitlyn drilled the last 12 miles in the attempt to thin down the field and give Marie the best chance at the win. Despite the effort, 15 women stayed intact and the title was determined in a field sprint. Marie claimed fourth and second in Cat 1 /2 with Elaine and JoAnn finishing in the top 13.

Maple Hills debuted a Masters 40+ womens race this year with several riders taking on the challenge after racing the morning Cat 1/2/3/4 race as well. In an impressive double, JoAnn took the top step of the Masters race in a sprint finish after 90 miles of total racing.

Elaine was one of the only Cat 4 riders to finish with the main field in the morning and she recovered quickly to also race in the Cat 4 race in the afternoon, taking sixth. This capped off a strong weekend for Elaine, after taking third in a sprint finish in the Cat 4 race at BTR.

Masters Men

The Masters Men had strong showings all weekend. On Saturday, Richard Landgraff rode to a 2nd place finish in in the BTR crit for the 50-54 State Championship. Leonard Van Drunen just missed the podium, taking fourth in a four man break in the 55+ race.

On Sunday, the 7 masters riders monitored all the moves throughout the day and the race came down to a field sprint with Jon Morgan taking second and Rich in third place in the state championship 50+. The team was joined by new rider John Meyers who was instrumental in countering breaks with Terry Ritter, Mark Olson and Mike Wyzalek, and perennial strongman Chris Abston.

Juniors

Three OAM NOW juniors took on the tough double race weekend including new team member Joe Meyers as well as Christian Dershem and Hunter Maschke. Joe took third at BTR and took the top step in the 15-16 age category in Sunday’s road race, Hunter joined Joe on the podium taking third.

Full BTR Criterium Results can be found here.

Full Maple Hills results can be found here.

Why Would Anyone Want to Race 100 Miles on a Mountain Bike?

July 8th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

–By Kaitlyn Patterson, Team OAM NOW cyclist

Sometimes it seems that my entire athletic career has consisted of me asking, “Why would anyone want to do ______?” and then proceeding to do it myself and ending up loving it.

When I was a kid I would go to local high school track meets and during the 3200 meter run would ask my mom, “Why would anyone want to run 8 laps? I’m going to be a pole vaulter!” (ha,right). Fast forward several years and I have the 3200m school record and in another few years a 25 lap race is my best event (collegiate 10,000m).

This whole process happened again when I started cycling, then mountain bike racing, and then taking on endurance events (making 35 minute look like small fries). Last year I went to support Alex racing his first 100 mile mountain bike race at Lumberjack 100, a National Ultra Endurance race near Manistee. I had fun watching but it seemed like an overwhelming amount of time to ride, let alone to race fast and focus. However, after a year of confidence boosting mountain bike races, dramatically improved bike handling skills, and Alex claiming it really wasn’t that bad (always dangerous, Alex has a warped version of hard), I decided to give it a shot.

Two weeks before Lumberjack I raced Mountain Bike Marathon Nationals (60 miles) in Columbia County, Georgia. This turned out to be a great pre-Lumberjack test. The course was much more technical and raced slower than LJ. It included hardly any climbing but with constant turning and log crossings there was absolutely no rest. The course was one big 60 mile loop which was definitely a bit of a mental challenge. On top of this, the mercury climbed to 97 degrees during the race. Stan’s No Tubes pro-rider Rose Grant dropped me early in the race which made for a tough and lonely slog with the masters men’s fields. Despite questioning why I was doing it many, many times during the pre-rides and the race, it was a great Lumberjack tune up for fueling strategies and heat management and it actually left me much more confident about racing 100 miles.

The convoluted course at MTB Marathon Nationals

I was excited for LJ because the course is much more my forte with lots of climbing (9000ft total) and really nothing technical. I’ve also raced and ridden at the Big M trails before so I had the benefit of familiarity. Looking at previous years’ results, I figured if I could ride cleanly under 8 hours, I should be able to be in the hunt to win and based on Alex’s times, I should be able to ride under 7:45, barring disaster.

The start was a nervous affair with a mass start of over 400 riders and a very short rollout before hitting the singletrack. I wasn’t ready for the speed of the start and started farther back in the field than I wanted after some sandy, sharp turns and early singletrack. The theme of the first 33 mile lap was patience. I had seen one female in the line of racers in front of me but gaps opened on the singletrack and I was unable to pass slower riders. I watched her group ride away and hoped that wasn’t the last I would see of them. I had to repeatedly to tell myself that it would be a long day and the race was not won in the first half.

Eventually the trail opened up and I joined a strong group of guys including some Traverse City riders I often race with. We were moving well and bringing back plenty of guys but still no sign of the mystery female rider. Averaging over 13mph, I was well over my goal pace and I was impressed she (and I) were riding so fast and I just hoped it was somewhat sustainable.

Finally, just minutes before the first feed zone, I spotted the red jersey I had been hoping for. My group caught her on a climb and she jumped on our train. I got a small gap on the next climb and sped into the feed zone first for a quick camelbak and bottle swap.

Heading onto lap 2, we reconverged and I tried to assess how I could win. We talked a bit and I found out her name was Chase Edwards and she lives in Arizona but grew up in Glen Arbor and I actually knew her family through cross country skiing. We rode the majority of the second lap together and although I was still feeling good, I didn’t want the battle to come down to the final miles of the race.

The last five miles of each lap include some killer climbs that hurt a bit more each lap before a fast descent into the feed zone. I made my break at the end of lap two and again came into the feed zone first, but knew it would be a challenge to shake her for good.

Riding alone with the temperature rising to the high 80s, the final 33 mile lap was rough but I tried to keep focused by chasing down lapped and blown up riders. I willed myself not to look at the distance or dropping average speed on my Garmin but periodically checked behind me with no sight of Chase. It was only during the final miles that I was confident that she wasn’t going to reel me back. I rolled through the finish to win my first 100 miler with Chase just 2 minutes behind.

I clocked 7:27 which was faster than my “best case scenario” time goal and faster than any female has ridden the LJ course before. It was also good enough for 25th place overall.

Alex and Dan Yankus also had great days in the men’s race with Alex taking second behind last year’s winner Brian Schworm and Dan taking fourth behind United Healthcare’s Brad White.

Ultra-distance mountain bike races are definitely unique beasts but they are actually pretty fun, albeit in a masochistic kind of way. It was fun to be able to ride with multiple different groups over the course of a single race with a pace relaxed enough to talk a bit. I also enjoyed the “comfortably hard” pace, patience, and planning the distance requires. Overall, it draws a group of tough, quirky people who are pretty enjoyable to spend a day in the woods with. Between the riders’ support crews and the racers themselves, it is a pretty cool sense of camaraderie out there. And there is definitely a special feeling of accomplishment to finishing a race that takes the better part of a day to complete and having your Garmin turn over 100 miles. So yet again, now I understand.

A race report from MTB Race News can be found here.

Free Cycling Clinics with Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

June 28th, 2016 by Kaitlyn Patterson

Few will disagree that the learning curve of cycling and racing is significant but that is also why the sport is rewarding. There is always something to improve on whether you are a beginner or a seasoned racer.

Team OAM NOW/Athletic Mentors will host two cycling clinics to cater to a range of abilities. The clinics will be held on Friday, July 8 at WMU BTR Park, where the BTR Crit will be held the following day. Both clinics are FREE if you preregister or $10 day of.

The women’s only clinic will be geared towards beginner riders and will cover drafting, cornering, and group riding etiquette. This is a great chance to build confidence in a non-intimidating atmosphere with help from Team OAM NOW riders. Check-in is at 5:45 with the clinic running from 6-8pm. Be prepared to ride with a bike and helmet, road bike recommended! Make sure you pre-register for this clinic HERE!

The second clinic will be open to both men and women and be focused on race specific skills and drills. The clinic will be on the actual race course, a great opportunity to prepare for the BTR crit! Check-in is at 6:15 with the clinic running 6:30-9pm. Pre-register for this clinic HERE!

Check out more details on the BTR Clinics page.

Make it a full weekend and come out to race the BTR Crit on Saturday, July 9 and Maple Hills Race for Wishes on Sunday, July 10!