How'd I do?

Well, by just about any measure, my first cyclocross race was a success.
No crashes or mechanical issues.  My new bike is sweet.

Heart rate monitor data seems to indicate that I rode about as hard as I could:

(Apparently my limits are a little higher than previously believed.  Which means that the 'training' I did earlier this year should have been harder.  Hmmmmm.)

Results:  Valmont race, SM35+_4 results
I started with no more than 15 riders behind me (of an 89-rider field) and managed to claw my way up to 24th place.

Fun:  oh yeah.  I stayed alert and felt like I was riding solid through the whole race.  I was airing it out on every lap on the downhill jumpy section after the top gravel pit (how come no one else was flying over those jumps?).  I had to sprint all the way to the line, only to lose anyway by about a wheel-length to a guy that had gone back-and-forth with me at least three times during the race.  I did notice people cheering for me a few times, which was awesome.  I think my fans consisted of Lori, her mom, Callie, and Armin.  THANKS!

Other notable events:  catching up to Dale while running up the big steps on the third lap, and trying to say something funny.  Not being able to jump back on my bike at the top of the same steps on the fourth lap.  I was kind of trotting along looking at the bike and it just was not going to happen.  So I reached down with my hand and rotated the cranks back so I could step on and climb over the bike that way.  Lori also had a great race in SW4, and got 13th out of 33 racers..  She dug really deep in the final sprint and came around to beat another girl by no more than six inches at the line.  Awesome!