The last few weeks have flashed by. "8 weeks till Cape Epic", my calendar reminded me on January 18th. My adrenalin kicks up a notch every time I think of it. Planning for a big event like the Absa Cape Epic can feel overwhelming at times. Not just the high demands of training for the event, but planning transportation, what to bring, vaccinations, and everything inbetween. It can feel overwhelming, but at the same time, it is like climbing a hill; exactly what I tell my athletes, "Break that hill into chunks...take it one step at a time!" So, I do. I am a list person, so crossing off my to-do's is becoming more productive every week as D-Day approaches.

Racing season kicked off in Arizona as the second weekend of January was the 12 Hours of Papago where I raced on a coed team called "Joey on the Box or Bust". It was myself and 3 other guys (Paul Broaderip, Tom OBrien, and Joey Daigneault). We were on a mission to get mechanic and Shade Tree Bike shop owner, Joey, on the podium as he had wrenched through the night, many times for several mountain bikers, helping them get on the podium. This race meant more than I thought it would going into it as our team at the very end pulled off beating some top Austrailan Olympic triathletes to win the coed category! As we got on the podium, everyone in the crowd chanted, "Joey, Joey!" It was very, very cool to be apart of that moment.

The following weekend was the McDowell Mountain Meltdown. This was the kick-off to the MBAA series. I usually don't look at the start lists before races to keep my nerves down, but when I showed up to the race, I could not believe the depth of the marathon field! I realized it was going to be much harder than I had anticipated to get on the podium.

I tend to pride myself on good race starts since sometimes you can get caught up behind people and miss key oportunities if you aren't at the front early on. So, I started with all the fast guys at the very front of the line. When we started, I was in a good position, let a few guys past, but at the same time, I didn't want to burn myself up early since it was a long race. It didn't take but 5 minutes for pro Beth Utley to catch up and pass me. She whizzed by on her singlespeed like she was dancing on air. It was ironic to say the least as the night before I had said to someone, "I sure hope Beth Utley shows up on her single speed so I have an advantage!" She did and it sure didn't keep her from taking the overall win! After Beth was ahead, I had a few minutes before another pro, Kata was on my wheel. I let her pass after a few minutes. And finally, Jane caught up and passed me as well. I was starting to regret not getting in a proper warm-up. For almost another hour, I kept both Kata and Jane in sight. We had some climbing early on and I started to make grounds on catching back up to them. But once we turned to a long section of descending, I lost sight of them. Out of sight, out of mind. I was alone for about another 20 minutes. Finally another guy caught up to me and sat on my wheel. This got me fired up and focused again so I started to pick it up a notch. I really wanted to catch Jane.

When we were finally only 3 miles from the finish, I passed a familiar face, "Melissa, Jane is just ahead, you are close!" I pushed forward so hard but we had started to mix with other fields so there were more riders to pass on the course. I finally saw her with about a mile to go. Still, there were about 5 riders to pass and we weren't on the most favorable section of trail to do that safely. I finally got around the last few riders as we turned to the finishing stretch. With 50 meters to go, Jane had it. I was so close but yet so far! I finished in 4th place and was quite happy about how my first race went and knew what I needed to work on in terms of pacing myself and nutrition.

The weekend of the McDowell Mtn race, Debra and I had planned to start our big 6-day training camp, however she had been sick that week and I too had been feeling like I had been fighting something too. So, we decided it would be best for her to keep resting and we would postpone our camp until the middle of the following week.

Debra and I started our team training camp last Wednesday as a big push in not only our endurance for riding several hours a day, several days in a row, but also to build on our team strength. It's one thing to ride with someone for a day, but you can learn a lot more when you are both fatigued and figure out how to work through it - by reminding each other to eat or drink and encouragement on the tough sections. Since we had moved our big block, we were able to ride together Wednesday-Friday and Monday. We had to ride separately over the weekend due to my plans of supporting my husband Aaron at his dirt bike race.

We started out Wednesday with climbing up Mt. Ord.

My Rotor crank equipped with a Q-Ring sure makes a difference at being more efficient on the climbs!

Deb was still getting over her cold so we kept an eye on the weather. When you climb Ord, you go past 7,000ft in elevation! So you might be warm starting off, but at the top the is snow and more wind. This ride we climbed from the lower section, up an ATV trail that meets up with the main road, all the way to the top.

Debra rides down through the snow.  We ran into snow on the shady sections.  This is a big deal to us when it's in the 70's in Phoenix! — Debra rides down through the snow. We ran into snow on the shady sections. This is a big deal to us when it's in the 70's in Phoenix!

We descended almost to the parking area and then climbed back up almost to the top (there's a gate). This was a great day to kick things off. Before we left, I gave Debra a recipe for a Wellness Shot to help kick that cold.

Wellness Shot: (Recipe from Shelby Hanson)

Squeeze the juice of: 2 oranges and 1 lemon. Then add: 1-2 tsp of ginger and turmeric and a pinch of cayenne (optional). Shake it up and enjoy! Actually doesn't taste bad and sure makes you feel good!

Day 2 of our Epic Camp involved riding the trails around Browns Ranch and the McDowells. This ride didn't involved the elevation gains like Ord but was more technical. Our friends Darci and Julie joined us for a great ride!

Day 3 was Four Peaks from town.

This was our biggest day in terms of miles, hours, and elevation gain. We met at the Starbucks off of Shea in Fountain Hills, rode up the Beeline and turned onto the Four Peaks Road where we climbed all the way to the top and back. For this ride, there are no water stops so we had to pack everything we'd need. I had 3 liters of water in my Osprey pack and 1 bottle on my bike. To account for the colder air up top, I had my wind/thermal riding jacket that I was able to use early on and take off for the climb, and threw in my silk scarf to add a little warmth for the descent. I also wore my Swiftwick tall compression socks for added warmth but also extra recovery from all the climbing we'd be doing.

The Four Peaks ride was a big breakthrough for us. It was day 3 and we felt strong! We stuck together and paced each other. During the ride we were on top of nutrition, putting our ride food in areas we could get to easily so we could make sure we were fueling often. I personally found that putting my bars (cut into 100 calorie pieces) into an open baggie in the side pockets of my Osprey pack was very convenient. In the past, I know I have underestimated how much I need to be consuming on an endurance ride and by being able to have easy access to my food and count my calories, I can make sure I'm getting enough fuel. Having enough fuel means feeling stronger and recovering better for the next day. Trust me, I used to feel thrashed and useless after big 4 hour rides all the years I competed on the road.

At the top, Deb and I stopped to stretch and enjoy a few more calories. Some ATV's pulled up to talk and ask for directions. I always find it funny how people always assume I have a good sense of direction when I'm cycling in the middle of nowhere. I think I do, however, if you asked my husband or my dad, they would laugh!

As we came flying down Four Peaks, we stopped one more time to strip off our jackets. We had reached a warmer elevation. "I forgot...I brought dessert!" Debra said as she pulled some wrapped up Trader Joes mini pies. We enjoyed our treat and continued on. The day was long but beautiful and for the first time, we realized that this Cape Epic thing IS possible. We CAN do this! It is going to be extremely challenging we know, but we can do it!

The rest of the weekend we were riding separate as I went to support my hubby at his dirt bike race. I was able to ride to the race. My legs were definitely fatigued from all of the climbing so I RockTaped my legs for this ride to help support my tired knees. Once I started pedaling, I felt pretty awesome!

Aaron is the rider in the blue (plate 314P).  And yes, the bike he races on is my dirt bike - so technically I am his title sponsor:) — Aaron is the rider in the blue (plate 314P). And yes, the bike he races on is my dirt bike - so technically I am his title sponsor:)

Monday, after work, Debra and I rode once more for our celebratory end-of-the-Epic Camp ride! With our lights on, as the sunset, we recapped all the stuff we'd learned from the hard week of training.

Next up...Estrella race this weekend. Then 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo - February 14th-15th!

We are now approaching 6 weeks to go! Let's do this ABSA Cape Epic!

Thanks to my awesome support team! Team Bitty Bitty, Rotor Components, Kenda Tires, Giro, Swiftwick, RockTape, SportsTag ID, Klean Athlete, AND everyone who has donated to my Rally!