Notes
So I wasnt feeling 100 % as far as my warmup went. I started to get the side stich on my right side again as I was warming up on the trails. When we got to the start line it looked like there wasnt going to be all that much competition other than the usuals. Gun goes off and Jim and I took it out up the first climb which is a full mile uphill. I felt sluggish and not smooth. I was side by side with Jim as we got the top of the first climb and then the course takes a hard right down some tar and then into the woods. The first downhill section in the woods I was only 3 or four seconds behind jim as the start by the bottom about 3/4 mile later he had gapped my by about 15 seconds! I thought I was really moving in that section too. Then we popped back out and started uphill again nothing too crazy but it was getting hot. The other chase pack was still about 30 seconds back I would say. We then hit this crazy single track incline for about 800 plus meters... That was some rough stuff! I didnt walk, but I was dam close to it a bunch of times and figured I was getting reeled in by the pack and losing Jim by the second. I came to a clearing where I could see a little ways up the moutain and Jim was actually closer then on the bottom, so I figured keep pushing as the last mile is all downhill. I got to the top and hit some open trail that I just tried to bomb, but then the side stich hit again... cant believe it... I had second all wrapped up and then nope... I knew I had to keep trying to push , but again if you cant breathe you cant run... nevemind outrun decent runners trying to catch you. I made it to the last 400 single track downhill ahead of Van Orden and Callaghan but they passed me as soon as we got in there. It was really technical stuff and then I was just trying to hold on. No room to make a comeback at the end. Overall wish the cramp hadnt came back, but it is what it is... should have been 2nd today. Should have moved up in the series standing though