LandRun 100

A young race with a storied history, LandRun should be a bucket list event for most every gravel rider now. The unofficial season kick off. Which includes: Commencing daily weather checks while trying not to freak out. Contemplating tire selections. Panic training. Logistic planning. Brake pad swapping. You know, all the early season race feels.

Some insane prerace weather had us scrambling for new plans. Chuck was stuck in Denver, so I was tasked with driving the Audi to Stillwater solo. Luckily I was able to leave a day earlier to break up the drive and stayed with the grandparents in Springfield, MO. Had a lovely evening listening to the Wills’ family history, and a delicious hot breakfast to send me off in the morning.

Got to Stillwater and headed over to the expo for the typical prerace runaround. Got to meet my new teammate, Kelly, and catch up with some of the DK women’s campers and fellow Chicagoans! We headed out on a super fun women’s preride where all the good vibes were felt. Sun was shining, the gravel conditions were fantastic and we were all outside riding together! It’s been a LONG winter and you could feel that energy in the group. Spring is in the air.

Headed back to the hotel for an Epsom salt bath and to prepare my bike and gear for the morning ahead. Slept okay. Not good or bad these days. Just another night of non-restful sleep apnea filled “sleep.” It’s been so long since I’ve felt truly rested that I’m somewhat used to living tired.

Trying not to dwell on that, I head to the start line after dropping off my halfway gear bag. It’s cold but sunny. Buzzing with energy. A cannon goes off and my heart jumps.

The neutral roll out was neutral at 30mph. Aka the start was FastAF. Once we hit the gravel (avoiding all the ejected bottles – seriously how are you at the front of the race and not have bottle cages that work?) I settled in, trying to surf groups as best as possible. Even though it was hovering just below freezing, I wasn’t cold, and my legs felt pretty good. Power meter was reading far too high because the battery was about to die (why do I not learn my lessons) so I shut that off and went by heart rate and perceived effort.

I felt good. I was riding tough sections. Burning some matches to stay with groups. My heart rate was just below threshold. After my DK experience, tandems are my favorite and it was no different here. We got towed into the aid station at 20pmh+ and that stop was buzzing with energy. I grabbed a Coke from Matt and headed to my drop bag where I swapped out bottles and ate a sandwich. Another coke and gel, and filled up the camelbak with water and I was on my way. With a really full belly.

That belly unfortunately never got unfull. Mistakes were made. Too many calories, too fast, with too high of a heart rate. Blood went to my stomach to work on digestion and stayed there the rest of the race. Heart rate dropped 25bpm average for the second half of the race. I kept thinking I’d be okay, try to push, but nothing was working. I found a partner in misery, and we rode together for the rest of the race. The only highlight was the Salsa Chase the Chaise stop at mile 85ish. I probably had 30 miles in this race where I wasn’t smiling. And I always smile.

Finished with a sense of relief and regret. I know I had more in the tank, but the tank was clogged. I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt that way in a race (Ironman St George 2010 probably) and it’s frustrating. I went the same time as Barry Roubaix 100 last year, with 3 more miles and 1,000 more ft elevation at LandRun, so I should be happy. Early season fitness is hard to judge and that’s why we do these races. I got my hug from event promoter Bobby and it was all it’s cracked up to be. Heartfelt. Sincere. Welcomed. My finish time no longer mattered.

And I know I shouldn’t be so hard on myself. I had an amazing time and am thankful for the experience. Thankful to Chuck for the support and help in getting me to this race. Thankful to Velosmith for always making sure my bike is race ready. Thankful to my team and our sponsors for the amazing gear.

Oh yeah, there’s nothing I would’ve changed with my setup (besides my race brain):

Mosaic XT-1, balding Panaracer Gravelking SK 700×35 tubeless tires, Stan’s Grail CB7 wheelset (more on these later – spoiler alert – they are fantastic), Fizik R1 cockpit and the new Terra handlebar tape which I loved with and without gloves. POC ventral helmet and DO half blade glasses with POC longfinger gloves. Jakroo jersey, bibs, knee warmers, arm warmers and vest. I wore a light wool short sleeve base layer and bandana neck warmer. Ridge Supply socks of course, and hot hands insta warmers in the gloves till the halfway point. I also brought an idiotic race brain that shouldn’t be trusted with buffet style aid station fueling.