I &hearts 9-Mile

I love riding at 9-Mile. The rocky singletrack is the bomb. So is the twisty rooty stuff. So I was a little bummed that I woke up feeling not so hot. Every time I stood up I felt naceous. Not to mention that it was cold and very wet outside.
I knew I'd regret not racing so I suited up and headed to warm up.
I was rocking the Medusas. First time ever.
Don said Gooo and I didn't feel too horrible. And then I did. I felt like I was going backwards. I didn't worry too much about it considering I didn't feel good and I was happy to be out there. Still though it was a race and you can't help but want to do your best.
I passed a few peeps right before the first singletrack and then passed a few in the singletrack. Headed out on the multi-track I felt unusually slow. I was thinking how the hell could these tires be that slow? First high speed turn I realized I was riding a flat. DUH. Of course I didn't have my CO2. Last year that was on my bike every time I rode. This year, I keep forgetting. I won't next race. Anyway I had to nurse myself through the open sections and the singletrack. The tire just kept getting lower and lower. I couldn't even sit down. Meh. I pretty much figured I'd pull out at the end of the first lap.
I was sort of bummed as I love riding there. And then someone gave me a CO2. Sweet. So I filled it up and went out for lap 2.
The tire kept losing air the whole ride, but it held up for the most part. Much better than the 1st lap anyway.



I think I was 8th age and 19th or something overall.
I did have a good time regardless, however when I think back on results there is a part of me that can't help but be a little bummed. I have to quickly remind myself I had a lot of fun.
Switching gears, I can't walk right now. I don't know if it was from standing the 1st lap or what. Like I strained my muscle? The cold temps I'm sure didn't help it. My left leg keeps giving out on me when I bend it to step forward.
There were some other mishaps going on for me this weekend which just add up and make it just not my day. But they are things that, well, aren't appropriate for the public to read. Believe me, you'll thank me for not sharing.
No Mt. Morris for us. John's cousin Jack is getting married on the Saturday of our one and only Saturday race. So next up is Eau Claire. Hopefully I'll get some riding in between...

*pic taken from mg

For real?

First off the Rhinelander event was top notch. Toilets everywhere, camping on-site, concessions, everything well marked, etc. However, I hated the course. I appreciate that there are courses that I'm not going to like because they don't "cater" to my strong points, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.
Pre-ride on Saturday started with me following Jay and John. John ditched us and Jay and I rode to the split. I was absolutely bummed about how long the lead out was. I suck in the opens. SUCK. The fact I hadn't ridden in 2 weeks made it suck more.
I didn't even like really like the singletrack. I was so anaerobic and it was so bumpy I just could care less. I seriously felt like it was 10% singletrack and 90% open. I know this probably wasn't the case, but I can't remember one part of the course I enjoyed or looked forward to. Okay, maybe the bridges and the plywood, that was cool.
Sunday morning I suited up in my METAL kit and went on the longest pre-ride I think I've ever done. I then went and chit chatted with anyone I could find.
After Don said Goooo I was sitting in 4th position which really surprised the crap out of me. I didn't think I could hold it til the singletrack but I was sure going to try. And then somebody hit the nice hole or dip or whatever on the dirt road climb and lost all momentum causing a few of us to get "caught up". I don't think anybody went down, but having to stop going balls out during the lead out is not a good thing. Everyone went by us like they were shot out of a gun. Getting started again with my heart in my throat was brutal and then actually moving again with my heart in my mouth was even more brutal.
I honestly don't remember much except for Ann telling me to go ahead in the singletrack. Thanks ANN! But she was rocking it as well. She wanted to pull me in the open, but I seriously was drooling on my top tube and there was no way.
I don't remember anything else on that lap except all the open. I was annoyed, but tried not to be. I decided to just go for a bike ride and make the most of it. I saw Ann once in awhile and a couple of us girls were going back n forth.
Heading out on my second lap I was almost like fuck it. I wasn't going to quit or anything, but just drop down a couple of gears so I could breath and maybe sing to myself. I had a Pink song in my head (shut up) and really wanted to hear it.
And then Megan cruised on up behind me. WTF, I thought she was way ahead? Anyway, Megan pushed me back into race mode and I wanted to ride with her. She stuck with me pretty much the whole way back. I ended up seeing Ann on one of the long roads just as we were going to enter the boardwalk singletrack. I caught her but knew I'd have nothing left to stay with her in the open. Catching her almost was a victory in itself. I even smiled.
The weekend wasn't awful though. Saturday when we got there we hung out at the beach with the girls. They rode their bikes a little bit and ended up playing with Jeff while John and I rode.
After pre-riding we took them to the hotel, grabbed some food and went swimming at the hotel. It was a pretty big pool and we had it and the hot tub all to ourselves! So that was awesome! Probably the highlight of the weekend. There's nothing like seeing your kids smile for so long there cheeks probably ache, not to mention the infectious giggles.
Sunday being race day I'm not going to win mom of the year, but after racing and meeting up with Barb it was fun being water girls and cheering everyone on while the girls decorated the small cabin or whatever was being built out there. Even if it had a bit of a blair witch vibe.
Big thanks to everyone who helps out with the girls. I can't thank all of them enough. These weekends wouldn't be near as fun if it weren't for them.
Next weekend Wausau!!! I'm never consistent at 9-mile but I always have a blast no matter what.

p.s. Hopefully I'll be able to steal photos from someone (at this point later today).

Packing for what might as well be Canada

I'm so not looking forward to work tomorrow. I'm so behind. I just want to go in, get as much done as possible and then get the eff out (early).
Okay, back to packing.

I'm so jinxing myself

Looks like I may be able to ride tonight.

I'm avoiding work right now. My inbox is not a fun place to hang out at the moment. My CC box neither. My to do list is kinda sucky too. Even facebook lexulous is quiet.
And why am I not listening to music?

THIS WEATHER CAN SUCK IT

I'm so pissed off it's raining right now. And it's not just raining... it's RAINING! Like my street is a river. I know there's nothing I can do about it (except move), but it still irritates me. I just want to play outside. ::pouts::
Maybe I should take this opportunity to work on my bikes. Both my road bike and mouNtain bike wheels have freehub issues. Like one needs to be replaced and the other, who knows.
I'm annoyed. I hope to be less so tomorrow.

Dude

My forearms feel huge from raking. My back is still aching. I can't even laugh.
Crossing my fingers the rain holds off and I can get a ride in today. I haven't been for like a week now. This no riding crap puts me in a super foul mood.
I didn't even have any desire to play on the internet last night. Flickr, blogger, twitter and facebook were all filled with updates of everyone RIDING.
I hope to get out soon so I can stop feeling sorry for myself.
Switching gears, John, the girls and I will be heading up to Rhinelander this weekend. It will be their longest trip in a car. Wish us luck. We'll need it to keep our sanity that's for sure.
And then Wausau the following weekend. But then nothing til possibly Eau Claire. I do like that course, so hopefully it'll be in our cards. It has already been a super expensive start to the summer.
I might try to fit 12 Hours of Muir in there. If only to hang out and ride the trails. Maybe John and I can do a 6 hour duo.

raking

HUGE thanks to Jeremey, Destiny, Gage, Zoe, John S., Ryan and Mark.
3.5 hours raking so that miles and miles of singletrack are ready to be ridden.
Thick leaves and reroutes made up the day.
We have a short loop on the mesa to go and then, if we're up for it, make garden grove a trail again.
My back is awful today. Not to mention my forearms. I expect to look like Popeye soon.
I'd really like to go for a ride today but OMG am I sore. My left hand barely wants to move.
I'm getting old.

the mesa...

Hm. I went out there last night.
It was muddy. And leafy. I wasn't surprised really, but still bummed.
It needs a lot of work to be fun ride-able.
Lots of raking, reroutes etc and I didn't even get through half the mesa or any of the outer loops. I'm sort of depressed about it.
It sucks not having anybody to help. It's a lot of trail for John and me to take care of, especially so with 2 kids. Garden Grove wasn't even raked last year. If we even get to that this year, it'll essentially be making new trail. I don't remember where the fuck that trail went.
Hopefully there will be time this weekend to get out there and take care of things.
Work to play.

Iola

I had plans of writing a kick ass blog post all day. That was when I thought I'd be home before 7pm. Unfortunately there was a horrible accident on I-57 and the expressway was shut down. As frustrated as I was at least I was going home safe tonight.
Anyway, Iola has always been a must do race for us. It's the first WORS race of the year. It's a good time even if you only get to see the people you haven't seen since October of the previous year.
The plan was to leave on Saturday per usual. The kids were spending the weekend with John's parents. It was kind of nice to not have to worry about them, and even though I think I won't miss them, I do miss them terribly. I don't realize how much until I see their faces when we get back.
We hit the road around 11am on Saturday. Nothing eventful on the ride up. Unless you want to count me fucking around with the FM transmitter for the iPod. New toy ya know.
About 4 hours later we were in the Iola Winter Sports parking lot. Right away we saw a handful of friends we hadn't seen since last year. It's such a good feeling.
We registered, chatted and eventually suited up for the pre-ride. More talking, especially about how we'll all suck come Sunday, and then actual ride.
The course has been the same for the most part for as many years as I can remember. This doesn't bother me. I enjoy the familiarity for the first race.
Tons of climbing to start and the last half of the course pine-filled twisty singletrack. Fucking awesome.
I rode two laps with Amelia and one with both Amelia and Christine. I dreaded race day climbing those hills at race pace. Ouch.
After pre-riding we took our cold selves to the hotel to clean up so we could grab some food. We ended up at a Mexican restaurant a stone's throw away from the hotel. John ended up having to wear my jeans since I didn't pack him any. Yes, he looked way better in them than I do. Not to mention way sexy (more so than usual).
After dinner we headed back to get some rest. The 4th Harry Potter movie was on (hell yeah), so we watched that until we all fell asleep shortly after 9pm.
I woke up around 5:20am ready to go. Unfortunately race time isn't til 11:30. So I went back to sleep only to wake up a bit after 7am way over rested. Need coffee.
Breakfast was good and coffee, um, powerful. I don't know if it was from not having coffee in awhile, but man, I was wired.
This is way long already isn't it?
At the event Jeremey had a spot saved for us (as usual), thanks dude! We pulled in, caught up with some friends (made fun of them really) and I started getting ready.
Warmed up and rode up to the line. Some familiar faces and some new.
I ended up sort of in the back to start being the non-aggressive person I am.
Before I knew it Don was saying Gooo and we were off. At first it seemed easy. I passed a bunch of people and then we hit the sand pit and my heart exploded. I think people passed me. I have no idea what position I was in. We hit the downhill into the bowl and I passed a couple people there and then, OMG... HILLS! Oh man did they hurt. I don't know what spot I was in, who I was with or anything. I just remember after hitting that back climb thinking now relax and try to recover a bit.
Ouch. I forgot how much this racing thing hurt.
Next thing I remember is trying to open my clif shot (which I did) and heading up the climbs. People cheering all over the course. It was great. And then I remember Barb and McKenzie, of course someone I knew. I was gross. I had snot all over and was drooling on that steeper climb coming out of the bowl.
This one:



Except I think that pic was my 3rd lap. I was out of drool.
I remember getting someone's handlbar into my hip after the downhill into the climb, I kept my momentum, she didn't and bam.
Last lap in one of the switchbacks in the singletrack I had a tree like fall onto/into me. I had to stop and help the dude who knocked it over get it off the trail. Weird.
I ended up 6th overall and 2nd age. Good times.
After I cleaned up I went to the bowl to watch John and others. So many people to cheer for!



I fucking love this shit. Can you tell?

*photos by mountaingoat and singletrackslowpoke

The only thing I don't like about these weekends is the long drive home. At least we had some killer recovery food.



Who is going to Rhinelander? I am so in, maybe.

bloggin'

I'm such a slacker.
The blogging bug hasn't bitten me yet this year. Perhaps after next weekend.
Part of me is like, well shit, Iola is next weekend! And then another part of me is like, well Iola was usually this past weekend.
Either way I'll be racing my way into shape like every other year... which is fine by me. Well, until I hit those climbs at Iola and wanna puke.

Is this thing on?

Nothing much going on here.
John went to Sea Otter to hang out and just ride. He's all tan. I'm so jealous.
I've gotten a few rides in here and there. Nothing worth writing about.
The weather has been great which helps if you're allergic to the trainer. Even this weekend turned out to be decent when the weather peeps predicted rain all weekend.
Friday night I played running bases with the neighbor kids. All while throwing I thought, "damn, my arm is gonna kill tomorrow". It didn't. But today, OMG. I wanted to saw it off.
Saturday it poured in the morning. I looked at the weather (not that I trust it) and saw a window from about noon to 3pm. So I headed out.
I only rode for two hours on Saturday; but still, I think my body went into shock.
Later that night I had blind spots in my vision not to mention a gnarly headache. And everything hurt. Dehydration me thinks. Not sure why, I did ride in a thunderstorm with some pretty heavy rain. I passed out on the couch around 9pm or so.
I even slept in this morning til after 8am. w00t!
Fort Custer is this weekend. Don't think I'll make it. Total bummer, but whatever.
Perhaps it's for the best; I'm in no shape anyway. Although that's never stopped me before...
And House is on tomorrow, so I'm in super fangirl mode. Three more left and my Monday nights will be free again. Kind of bittersweet.

Kettle

I ended up going to Kettle yesterday. So glad I did.
I met up with Amelia and Renee.
It takes me about 2 hours to get there and they wanted to ride at 11 or so. It was nice not to rush or have any obligations to get back to.
Anyway, figuring out what to wear turned out to be the biggest decision of the day. Getting out of the car at the trail head was fucking brrrr.
Of course I was overdressed (even after taking clothing off while still at the car).
OMG! I forgot how awesome mountain biking is! I mean, I remember it was awesome but forgot just how awesome. The road riding must've dulled my memory.
I was a little timid in the corners, but first ride and all not too bad.
We ran into a few peeps we knew. Chatted with Christine and Regina for a few.
I was really out of shape and hurting bad. However I had a blast. We rode out to Emma and back. Surprisingly I didn't bonk. I had some issues with my left hamstring (I think) that forced me off on 2 climbs but whatever, I don't even care.
When I came home I grabbed some advil and just hung out on the couch. Today I'm tired, but my bod and legs (except for my left hamstring) feel fine. I thought my legs would be dead tired.

white horizontal accessories

I showed my neglected road bike some much needed love today (well John mostly). I finally put the white stem on (and Red). Thanks to John (and Jesse) it was finished today.
I changed the bar too... I went to a 38 (which has always been what I've measured out for), so I'm looking forward to trying that out.
Check out this bad ass hallway pic... nice huh?

*doesn't the big ring look fucking huge!?

I can't decide if I like the grey perforated tape better that I had on before or the stitched tape on there now... I do like the feel of this tape however. And I dislike the Red finish on the brakes compared to the Force finish (with my bike anyway). Maybe I'll splurge on some Zero Gravity brakes. Or, maybe not.
I haven't decided if I like the Red on my bike yet. For a number of reasons... the aforementioned brake finish, the fact that before my bike was all 3k weave if it was made of carbon, now it's a mix. The Force finish almost kind of matched the 1090 cassette. The red chainrings don't match anything. I kinda liked the stealthiness of the Force. I may be picky to some, but it all adds up to the bike looking "clean". However, I will put performance over aesthetic anyday. The Red shifts WAY better. I almost LOL'd when I shifted it while riding. New Force may be coveted by me.
I also busted the mountain bike out of the corner. I decided I'm ditching Easter dinner and heading to Kettle after all. I'll deal with the fall out (my mom) later.
So anyway, I had to re-Stan's all my tires. Well the Bontragers were still holding air, but I'm sure it needed to be refreshed. The crossmarks on the other hand, those were losing air since Sheboygan.
The mtb will have no changes really. Looks the same as last year. Orange I9's or DT190 wheels?
I need a silver lower decal and some new medical tape on my bar ends and that bike'll be like new.

Rant-tastic day.

I've been on a rant all morning, for a couple of reasons.
My biggest rant, and this has been going on for like a week, is I can't take a day off next week. I've been with SRAM for 9 years and we've never had mandatory you better be at work days. I do next week. The week my husband has the whole week off and my kid is on spring break. I'm bitter. Pissed. I'm also bitter at the reasons we have to come in. It's going to suck (at least I'm planning on it sucking and it sounds like it's sucky, I however am hoping I'll be pleasantly suprised). Not to mention that we are down one guy in our department and no plans on hiring another person (when we actually before he left were hoping to hire a fourth). So work sucks (I have no business blogging right now, but whatever). I also never take vacation days. I actually lost vacation last year and this year because of this. My own fault I know. And just as I'm trying to rectify that I can't take it. AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I'll add that John doesn't get as much vacation time as me, so him taking a whole week and me not being able to get a day off while he's off sucks.
So then I hear Kettle is open... Sweet. I'm gonna go. But not so fast Not to offend anybody, but I'm not a religious person at all. I dislike Easter, mostly because I feel obligated to spend time with my family (whom I see practically every week, if not every day). And actually I don't even really feel obligated, guilty is more like it. My mom asked if I was going and I said I'm not sure. She about had a shit attack. And I'm sure my grandma, aunts and sis will too. As a kid I did enjoy Easter. We got candy, played with our cousins, etc. I don't want my kids to not have fun and my mom will probably bring them over.
I know I need to get over what my mom thinks. I do enjoy spending time with my family, I just have a dozen other things I'd rather do Sunday (but really just one- ride at Kettle). And again, it's not like I don't see them. Even if Kettle didn't work out, I'd probably do a long road ride and not have to worry about going over there. It is really BORING.
Right now I'm thinking on ditching dinner and heading out to Kettle on Sunday to ride. I'll spend time with my kids that morning giving them their candy and egg hunting (yes, I feel like a hypocrite).
Hopefully Sunday I'll be blogging I made it to Kettle, but I haven't even looked at the weather. Perhaps Mother Nature has other plans.
I could rant all day. I'm just in the mood. I'm surly today.

my deer homies

Hit the golf course path today (still pissed it's flooded). Those deer are so use to people I expected them to wave at me as I rode by. They didn't even flinch.
I ended up on the roads tonight with no light or flasher. I was only in the neighborhood and didn't plan on it, but still, what an idiot. Tonight I'll be putting those on. I was almost hit 3 times and doored once.

I'm deer paranoid

Rode the path last night. Ran into Beth. Haven't seen her in forever.
The deer were out to get me. They're evil.

for seriously

Do I win for lamest blog? I should. It's been a long time. What's sad is I really haven't done anything even remotely interesting. Well,okay, for this crowd I guess I have kinda- I changed the tape on my road bike, different color and everything. Very exciting stuff.
I've been sick for about a week now. I'm finally starting to feel like part of the living today, but still not 100%. Not well enough to ride outside, but maybe I'll give the (gasp) trainer a go.
It's less than a month til Ft. Custer. I want to go. Really want to go. But I know we won't be going. I still can't believe mountain bike racing will be starting soon. I mean don't get me wrong, I'm excited, but I've got that how-do-I-get-over-a-log-feeling again. It plagues me every March.

How bout this weather?!?!

Effin' A.

I'm a superhero... Arrgghh

But like you didn't know that already. I wished they had a raygun option as I would've been all over that one. You can make your own here. This is my first attempt. I plan on making another because I'll do anything to avoid work.
I may have to do the bow-staff next or nunchucks in honor of Napoleon Dynamite.
Nothing new over here. Still trying to motivate myself to ride. Still unsuccessful. Getting the WORS book almost made me want to get on my bike, but it didn't push me over the edge. My expanding gut just might though. I hate when tees start to feel snug at the waist.

bitches

Yeah, that's right. I went for a ride outside tonight. 13 miles outside. Fear me. And get this shit I was hit by a deer. I didn't go down though... I have mad skillz, yo. I felt so good I almost did 16 miles, maybe next time.
I really hate riding outside by myself through the woods at night. There's this one section of trail the way the wind blows... you know like in scary movies when the wind picks up and you just know the shit's gonna go down, yeah that kind of wind. I'm always waiting for some dude with a hatchet or some demon dog to jump out at me in that section.

huh...

I think I'm done spazzing. I'm a bit more relaxed at work today. I need more coffee though.
For the past few days (or weeks) I've stayed up near midnight internetting (duh). I've been waking up (not wanting to wake up) and been fine for the most part all day. Why is it that when I decide to hit the sack early I wake up the next morning exhausted and can't seem to wake up the entire day (even with tons of caffeine)? Yesterday and today I have been really tired. Like falling asleep on the way to work. Yet I've had the most sleep the past couple of days.

it's Monday

Yes it does. No House tonight. Work is out of control. I'm bitter. Still have a day or two of spazzing before I probably get it together. I shouldn't even be posting. I have so much to do. But whatever.
Went to the North American Handmade Bike Show this weekend. It was awesome. Good to see friends again. I think I enjoyed that more than the show... that's saying a lot. My favorite was probably the Ellis.

Okay... deep breaths.

My inbox has flames shooting everywhere. I'm a bit frazzled at the moment.
I haven't felt like this in awhile. I know what needs to be done... take one email at a time and ignore the others, but I almost feel like it's necessary to spazz out for a couple days before I take control. Why is this? Spazzing is not fun or necessary. Why can't I skip this step?

it's Monday... again

<----- this was my Friday night.
After that, all was good. Saturday I took Reese and Casey to see Coraline. I loved it, they loved it. Good times. Reese ended up spending the night. I pretty much internetted all Saturday evening. Sunday some friends were over. Ate way too much take out but whatever. It's Monday. Fangirl day. This day hopefully hurries.

it's Friday

KILL ME NOW.
I need a drink.

it's thursday

I've got nothing. However I hope this amuses you as much as it does me. If it's not at the beginning wait for it.

it's Wednesday

And Lost is on. LOST! Nothing else matters. Not even my kids beating up on each other. Or Zoe having a temper tantrum. And OMG... the commercials are over.

it's Tuesday

Casey's birthday was good. I think she had a nice day. Master Chief was there blowing balloons for her. John had the neighbor across the street call and pretend he was MC. John decorated with balloons and streamers, so I think she was quite surprised when she came in. Smiles all around that's for sure.
John bought me some new headphones for Valentine's Day (kinda, we could care less about VD, but it's an excuse to get neat stuff). Anyway, the sound is amazing. I haven't heard my music sound this good in so long. The only negative is I can totally tell a shitter quality mp3 now. My mind has been blown listening to music I listen to all the time and picking out sounds I've never heard before. Music rocks more than it ever did.
I'm so thankful it isn't frowned upon to wear headphones here at SRAM. Not sure how I'd get through the day.
On a related note, I bought John headphones for VD too. XBox 360 surround sound with mic (nerd). He found it ironic that we both bought each other noise cancelling headphones.
I may ride the trainer tonight. I'm giving it serious thought. Serious thoughts come easy while sitting at my desk at work.

it's Monday.

I took the day off Friday to take care of some things. Important things like haircuts, bike rides and internetting without guilt. My bike ride was 15 miles but felt like 30. I'm really out of shape. But whatever.
Last night I went to check my SRAM email for the first time since Thursday and I couldn't log on. I was hoping to do some damage control before Monday morning. Delete all the fluff ya know. I was finally able to get into my email through my mac. Today no go. Apparently there was a server failure and it's rebuilding now. So I'm internetting without guilt at the moment. The tps reports will have to wait.

It's Casey's birthday today. She's 7. SEVEN!!! OMG!

yeah. icons make me laugh.

I did something completely out of the ordinary today. I chose to embrace today as a gift and not complain about how it was only one day of beautiful. It was a great tease and I was happy to have it. There is something pretty sweet about short sleeves outside in February.
My awesome mom agreed to watch the kids for a bit. So John and I headed out to the bike path and rode through the trees. The moon was full, the air was perfect and there was barely any ice. I felt so out of shape, but didn't even care. I didn't even care that the saddle was a painful wedge.

hmmm...

I thought maybe I've been bummed lately because I've been missing my Wisco peeps.
If that's the case I shall shed no more tears as we'll be up to our eyeballs in cheese this weekend. Bubba, Meghan, possibly Rick, Jeremey and Destiny will be coming down to hopefully cure what ails me. The thought alone must be helping, I wasn't too lazy to link their blogs.

dude, OMG

Guess what?



I hate winter.

meh

At least I don't feel like yesterday. And I'm going to feel even better in a few minutes. I'm going down to the vending machine.

shitter

I'm having a total shitter day.
I don't know why so I have no idea how to make it better.
I feel out of sorts. I'm usually easily amused and today I'm not.

so far...

Tired. Shower. Donut. Traffic. Sunshine delay. Traffic. Huge inbox. Coffee.

don't get caught with your pants down

GET SOME TWIN SIX


you know the season is a total creeper.

Where to begin?

So much riding has not happened this weekend.
It was pretty uneventful but I did venture past my front stoop.
Saturday afternoon Casey and I headed to The Disney Store for a birthday gift she had to get for a party later that day. Headed to the party. Chaos ensued. Jumpy things, pizza, a Little Mermaid cake, cupcakes and pop. I love cake.
Pretty much as soon as Casey and I walked in the door at home, the whole family was back in the car to pick up John's sis. She's in from California. We ended up staying at his P's for some pizza. I'm beginning to think that the only things I eat are pizza and donuts. For real. Amelia will probably confirm this.
Today I lazed around for a good part of the morning. Read the paper, downloaded a bunch of crap, actually showered. Casey spent the night at John's P's; so John, Zoe and I headed out to run some errands. It was weird, we were out n about but really didn't get done what we set out to do. We did have a battery failure in the Best Buy parking lot. That was fun waiting for a neighboring car to finally come out of the store. After waiting for about 15 minutes we decided to push it out and then ask a passerby to give us a jump. Some nice Jeep couple helped us out.
Came home bathed some kids and watched Hugh Laurie win best actor at the SAG awards. And then chatted about it with my House friends.
And now I'm typing this lame blog.

butt crack cold

Yeah, that cold. Ya know like when you go outside for even a minute and you come back in, your butt seems to take forever to warm up. Well, that happens to me anyway.
Nothing amazing going on today but I do have things to do. First time in weeks me thinks. Brad's making an appearance with the boys to talk bikes. Then the Disney store for a birthday gift. Then Jump Zone (or whatever) for the birthday party. Then pick up Julie and the kids from Midway. Then, IDK. Whatever happens I hope it involves good food.
I really want to ride my mountain bike. I should find my goggles.

Entenmanns

Yeah. The donuts again.
They put something in that chocolate to addict us. It’s an Entenmanns' conspiracy I tell ya. We will all have boxes of them at our desk. And Jewel is in on it… this week it’s buy one get one free. Fuckers.

tv saved my life once

I'm an obsessive person. Duh, right? This is not a new flaw thing.
I sometimes become obsessed with new things (or moreso with old things) when I'm in a funk. Some might think it's unhealthy (it can be at times), but I really don't care. Okay, maybe I do a little, I am dedicating a blog post to it.
The thing is when I get obsessed with something it makes me happy. The other things in my life seem brighter. I seem to enjoy everything else more. People don't pick up on that. They just see the obsession. And that you're a dork/geek/loser (because they don't get it). And maybe you don't see what you do as an obsession, it's just something you really really like to do or just like a lot (for this post, that's my def of obsessed).
Some friends who don't ride bikes think I'm weird because I'm so into it. Some people who don't enjoy the same tv shows I do think I'm insane because I'm really into it (okay, really really into it). Everyone has their thing. If you take a step back and look at your thing- you're probably weird too. Who the fuck cares!?
My dad used to be critical of the money I spent on bikes and parts. Hmmm, how much were those golf clubs dad? Didn't you just get a new set last year? He says "that's true, very true, you're right."
John plays video games with a mini keyboard attached to his controller while wearing a headset and having a laptop open while chatting and IM'ing other gamers (PRO-gamers). Multi-tasking at its finest. I don't wanna do that, but I get it. It makes me smile.
We all have our things. Just because it's not your thing doesn't make someone a loser. And if you're gonna imply that I am, don't be ignorant about it, get your facts straight.

ETA that I'm really not bitter and this makes me laugh:












*.gif stolen from lj

asleep on the couch

Fell asleep on the couch earlier trying to put Zoe down (took forever). And now I'm awake.
Trying to do laundry. That might bore me to sleep.
Heat wave Thursday. 36 degrees. Good thing I work from home already... saves me the guilt of having to ditch.
And dog puke is disgusting, not as gross as cheeto puke, but still.

why talk anymore?

I said something to someone today and they were like, "I know, I read your facebook."







*stab icon stolen from lj

I ate the donut

so...



Anyway, Friday on the way to work I just didn't feel right. Misery at its finest til Saturday evening. Lots of porcelain visits and laundry later I feel close to normal today. I'll be 100% no doubt just in time for work on Monday.
At least House is back on though, I haven't looked forward to a Monday in so long. Hopefully the fandom will lose its bitterness.

home, again.

Oh the horror. To work from home again. Actually it's great, but it is a little harder. Self-disciplined is not what I would call myself. I also have access to snacks (donuts) which isn't good.
It's still snowing and blowing like crazy. Pretty darn cold too.
Today seems to be flying by. I have lots to do for work, stuff that is easily done at home which is good (not that I can't do everything here, but some things are definitely easier than others).
Other than that, I've got nothing going on.

sunday sucked

I was never dressed yet changed my p.j.s three times yesterday. Zoe was sick. Pukey sick. The first round was cheetos. Absolutely disgusting. The smell was beyond awful. Processed cheese upchucked... imagine. It almost made me vomit. It was creamy orange, like an orange julius or melted creamscicle. I still get grossed out thinking about the smell. *shudders* Later there were noodles which wasn't so bad. They look pretty much the same and weren't wafting. Then later after she puked her guts out, she launched mostly water til about 2 am. She seems fine today.
Speaking of Zoe. She managed to bust another laptop. The screen on the HP = DEAD. Bummer.
No House tonight. Sadface. Another week and it's ON. Bless my fangirl heart. And then Lost starts up again on that Wednesday.

scanners

Anyone else find scanning pics tedious? Ugghhh... I scanned like 10 pics and was like eff this.
ETA: I thought I posted some of the pics from my *yawn* ordeal today. Apparently not. Some are up at my flickr account. Clicky on the flickr thingee on the right.
I also wanted to add that I'm still awake at 12:47a.m. with a puking Zoe.

hmmm

I need a new header. I need to find pics.

Entenmans Anonymous

I clearly have a problem. There hasn't been a day that has gone by in the last two months where I haven't had an Entenmans' donut. Sad really. I even think about them at times. Should I have another? Nah, you already had two. But that was at breakfast. Hmmm. *grabs another donut.
Today I've admitted that I have a problem and will address it. I haven't had one all day. But it is only 1pm. I have to take it one minute at a time. I know I'll fall off the wagon once... or twice or more (nobody's perfect), but hopefully it's not within the same day. I'd like my underwear to be comfortable again. I'm okay with "fat jeans", but I refuse to buy "fat underwear".
So to help with the underwear ordeal I rode the trainer. Again. Twice in one week.
The iPod touch rules for the trainer. You can listen to music while tweeting and surf the web, you can also watch a movie or a tv show.
I was also reminded of some things while riding... I'm out of shape (duh), at about the 30 minute mark my hoo hoo gets numb, at about the 50 minute mark my legs are like wtf- STOP! and at about 1hr and 10, my body: FAILS. And also, carbon soled road shoes with cleats do not go well with painted basement floors.

Even forecasts lie!

Lies. Yep, the forecast lied. Imagine that. This morning was awful, but shortly after I would have left for work, no snow. Still no snow. And now they're only predicting 1-3 inches into tomorrow morning. Maybe. Big whoop. If it's gonna snow, fucking snow already so we can at least go play in it like all those people in Wisconsin.

ewhhh!!!

Have you seen the latest weather forecast? Fuck. It better be all lies.
And OMG. Effin' Entenmans' donuts. I just can't stop!

motivation

Motivation is creeping up on me slowly (I hope that's what it is). I actually rode the trainer last night for a whole hour (and contrary to my belief, I didn't die. Brittany did think the world was going to end, it didn't, but I wasn't so sure it wouldn't).
I had every intention of doing something today, like ride or not sit on the couch. But getting in later than usual, dinner, House, House, House, the internet and kids' bedtime I just wasn't up for it. I need to get back on the morning workout schedule, and if I make time for something after work, total bonus.
I had plans for a longer post but facebook, livejournal, twitter, flickr, message boards and whatever else are completely distracting me.
*reminder- no caffeine after lunch. this staying up til midnight on weeknights bullshit is wearing.

huh

i didn't realize my "game face" profile pic was linked to photobucket (just reorganized there).
guess i'll have to fix that.

that pothole ate a T Rex

Winter in Chicago is dangerous. Snow, sleet, ice, rain and potholes.
My steering alignment hopes for survival.
Back to work today. I was thinking about how I hated being here. Monster spreadsheets. Obscene reports. It's overwhelming at times. My commute sucks worse than the invention of voicemail- but then I looked to my right and this is what I saw:


My environment is what I think most people wish they had. I get to wear headphones, share everyone's itunes, watch movies at lunch, twitter, update my blog, have toys and cool bike parts on my desk and talk about bikes all day.

rain?

It rained last night. Weird. Totally unexpected.
My case of bed head today is much worse than yesterday. Hopefully it's at its peak.
Real life starts back up tomorrow. Lounge pants will be for the evenings only (and Thursdays). *sigh*
Both girls have nasty coughs. I woke up to Casey coughing in my face. Zoe has an ear infection. It's obvious when the motrin wears off, she gets mean and nasty.
Today we'll finish putting the christmas decorations away (need more bins) and some other boring things like vacuuming, eating, stuff like that. Maybe I'll make a date with the trainer- watch a movie. I'd prefer outside, but the wind is howling.

bed head

I seem to have a case of it lately. It goes well with lounge pants and slippers while lying on the couch with a laptop. Why does the internet hafta have so much to look at? I mean people have books up in pdf. I can read a book!
Right now I'm trying to educate myself on computers. Get back in touch. I feel so like my mom lately. I mean I'm not typing my email username in my address bar wondering where to put my password, but still.
I also want to take a photoshop class or something. I want to make rad headers and other stuff.
Hopefully I'll get the rest of the holiday decorations in bins today as well as get the kid's tv/playroom started. Monday will come quick.

A New Year

I don't do resolutions. Probably because I have no self-discipline.
Bringing in the new year was pretty uneventful at this house. This was the first year I haven't done anything. I've always felt New Year's Eve was way overrated anyway. Maybe because I don't really drink? I dunno.
Things I'd like to do this year are be happier, ride more, take care of the mesa, drink coffee without sugar, change my header, listen to more music, read more books... Probably other things I can't think of right now. Live for the moment I guess (or whatever).
Today it looks like lounge pants and bed head. Maybe I'll try to motivate myself for a ride around the block.

numb hoo hoo

i did it. i finally went outside for a bike ride since, i think, election day. it was a long long time ago whenever it was.
it wasn't too bad. yes the wind was brutal. yes i am totally out of shape (it was a very long 13 miles). yes the ice was treacherous. but i'm so glad i got out. well, except for that bontrager saddle i'm glad.

for real?

this weather is schizo. we had large construction equipment on our street earlier breaking through the ice. the city called this a.m. asking us not to leave the house unless it was absolutely necessary. garbage trucks aren't allowed to pick up garbage. psycho.
christmas was awesome. we all had a nice time. the girls were super excited. we have entirely too much stuff. and the waste it creates is obnoxious. but i couldn't imagine christmas without wrapping paper- for the kids at least.



good times.

Merry Christmas

good choice

i am so glad i stayed home.
this morning listening to travel times i felt kind of wuss-ish.
but looking out my window now i realize i made a wise decision.
on the agenda today: shovel, clean (ha), hobby lobby, wrapping, wash clothes with my broken washing machine.

sounds fun

SNOW IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP TOWARD SUNRISE TUESDAY MORNING... AND CONTINUE AT TIMES INTO TUESDAY EVENING. SNOW WILL LIKELY ACCUMULATE 2 TO 4 INCHES BEFORE PRECIPITATION MIXES WITH THEN CHANGES TO SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN FOR A TIME TUESDAY NIGHT. TEMPERATURES ARE THEN FORECAST TO CLIMB ABOVE FREEZING LATE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH PRECIPITATION CHANGING TO ALL RAIN FOR A TIME. COLDER AIR WILL THEN FILTER INTO THE AREA DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY... WITH RAIN CHANGING BACK TO SNOW BEFORE ENDING. ANY ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WEDNESDAY WILL BE MINOR.

ice is so not nice

i'm book shopping on-line and thought i'd detour over to my blog. i really don't have anything to say... just felt the need to update. to get back into things. i started thinking about next year. kinda. and how hopefully over the weekend i'll get motivated to get active again. maybe take the kids ice skating on the sidewalk.
i know i'm due for a fall on my ass.

gah

i'm surprised blogger hasn't given me a warning for lack of posts or something.
i miss blogging. but right now i feel like if i kept up on it, all i'd do is bitch about the weather and how my pants don't fit.
i can't control the weather but i can surely control how well my pants fit.
christmas is creeping up quickly. quicker than it usually does. i thought this year it fell on a thursday/friday... i'm not sure why, but that combo of days felt way farther away compared to the wednesday/thursday it really is. i still have some christmas shopping to do. little odds and ends really. and then wrap. ugghhh.
no new bikes or even parts for john or me. seems odd. we usually have something in the works. i've toyed with selling my road bike considering it has maybe 100 miles on it and it's over a year old. but then i'd buy another for those couple times i needed a road bike. but then i think i could just ride my cross check.
meh.
i almost don't feel like dealing with putting a new bike together. i'm almost dreading the work i have to do to my own. orange wheels? dt wheels? new xx or stick to the old? leave the 25.4 or put the new 31.8 on?
thoughts of next year have crossed my mind occassionally. not as much as in years past and i'm not sure what to think of that. i think i'd like to do more riding next year. ride places i've never been or haven't been to in awhile. who knows. it's only december. it's fucking freezing outside which doesn't help my dreams of riding singletrack colored in greens and browns.

you know yer jealous of the zo-fro

hmmm...

no new bikes. no bike riding. tons of food. obsessed with entenman donuts. pants don't fit. miss leftover pumpkin pie. almost done xmas shopping. nothing new. zoe has a wicked fro. vans chukkas rule. so do down jackets. no inspiration for blog posts. must find some.

dang...

i'm laying on the couch trying to take a nap (i came down here about a 1/2 hour ago). i made the mistake of turning on vh1c and the top 100 songs of the 80s is on.
i've tried to ignore it and change the channel but i just can't bring myself to do it! i'm still irritated at some of the songs that beat R.E.M.'s it's the end of the world... but it's been funny hearing all the songs i grew up with. culture club, duran duran, depeche mode, def leppard, bon jovi, devo, beastie boys, flock of seagulls (i preferred space age love song over i ran). so funny. i mean, oh micky yer so fine. hilarious. turn around bright eyes (total eclipse of the heart). the people they have commenting are cracking me up too- clinton kelley, run dmc. i remember roller skating to salt n pepa. omg. i need to stop now!

nothing to talk about

i absolutely hate this time of year and it's all because of the weather.
i can deal with cold. it's the rain that pisses me off.
and I57 is under construction. WTF? so now it takes me a 1/2 hour longer to get home.
it's so depressing.

missing memo?

did i miss the memo that Fall wasn't happening this year? WTF!

***

ewhhh. the weekend forecast is sucky. i don't even want to leave the house. on the way home from work tomorrow i plan on stocking up on fun food. a couple digiornos and some swedish fish.

geeks

my gamer geek husband is super stoked to have his newest game...


it's not supposed to be out til this friday. he was on one of his gamer geek web-sites and saw where some other geeks scored them at the 7-11. so he grabbed the fellow gamer geek neighbor kid ryan and scored on their 3rd 7-11 visit.
i totally am not into it but super stoked for them. they are like all excited.

dudes

whoa. i've been on like 2 rides since i last posted. and i dug them both.
kettle this past sunday and palos yesterday.
mountain biking rules.
i was hoping this weekend would be a group ride weekend but the rain in the forecast doesn't make that look good.
nothing new really.
house was painted (i think i posted that already). john turned a year older much to his dismay. halloween rocked with the girls. we played guitar hero world tour or whatever the other day with the drums and everything. we had a family hair cut night. other than that, not much going on. i couldn't find our camera for a bit so i don't even have photos.

sigh

ugghhh... i was so sick this past weekend. i could barely stand. the worst of it was yesterday. i'm at work today and can't believe the difference in how i feel.
i'm still sick but feel great because, well, it's better than yesterday.
nothing new really. bummed i missed out on the washington park party, but whatever. cross has done nothing for me lately.
no new bike parts. no new bike parts planned. no rides planned either.
i need to rake the mesa. maybe friday afternoon while casey is at school and i wait for her to get out... and maybe thursday too, see if my gram'll watch zoe. we'll see. i need to call beth.
i really want to ride the mesa. if this weather of late is any indication of what kind of end of fall and winter we are going to have there isn't much time left for enjoyable offroad riding.

sigh

me bored...
the house painters started painting today. of course i think i hate the color.

end of the weekend

we hit carpentersville earlier today with the girls. i thought i had never been there but as we pulled in i recalled how much i hated it. we were there two years ago.
i guess the course isn't all that bad, but trying to walk around with the kids was a royal pain in the ass. there was course tape everwhere and no easy place to cross once it was started. meh. i was a crab ass today anyway.
i missed the poker ride. i knew i wouldn't be going, but still bummed i didn't go.
i napped when we got home from the race. i felt like shit. when i woke up i got dressed and hit the mesa. i'm glad i did, i know come tomorrow i'd regret not getting out at all.
trying not to think about all the fun we missed out on at beechwood. but i can't complain. we do a lot.
zoe is sick. i'm listening to her hack up a lung now. to add to that apparently no kid under 6 should have otc cough drugs. i'll have to look into that.

three five

yesterday was my birthday. we started celebrating on thursday night with john's p's. we went out to dinner and headed over to their place for some cake.
friday began with lots of birthday kisses, nothing to do at work and then leaving early. picked up casey. she helped me clean up a bit (the house is cluttered with most of her stuff anyway). john came home and the kids helped me open my gifts (yes!).
after that we dropped the kids off at john's p's and we headed to the riviera to see against me. it was awesome. ted leo and the pharmacists opened up.
i still can't hear (for real). my ears are buzzing. i even lost my voice a little. i haven't enjoyed a show in so long. i'm still smiling.
no beechwood today. just not in the cards. i'm bummed but trying not to dwell on it. i had a great day yesterday; today and tomorrow will be great too.
a little target, mall, clean and carpentersville on sunday. maybe catch the end of the poker ride.

borrrring

i'm pretty caught up at work. it's kind of a weird feeling.
however today all i've dealt with is outlook problems. i've had to shut down, ctrl+alt+delete more times than i care to remember and spent way too much time waiting for outlook to "check my files". if i had a shotgun this computer would've been shot already.
the guys in IT just changed something so hopefully that'll help, but now i'm sitting here waiting for the folders to rebuild. yawn.
i'm even bored surfing the net.

woo.

wow. i went for a ride on saturday on the mesa trails. i was inspired by the photos of singletrack on bender's flickr site. his photos reminded me how much i love and missed singletrack. the pics ignited my lazy ass to pull the spandex on and strap my helmet and go. the eriksen and i headed out to the mesa. good thing i remembered the ipod as my breathing was super annoying. so loud. anyway, it was so fun to be out. it hurt though. i figured it'd help me get the carbon out for sunday's race or i essentially was blowing my wad.
when i got home i thought i was going to pass out. inspiring indeed.
as the day went on i felt a lot better. so good to have gotten the blood flowing.
sunday came quick. we actually pulled out of the driveway 2 minutes before plan (which for us is essentially a miracle). we arrived in sheboygan in good time as opposed to our usual holy-fuck-i-hope-we-get-there-soon-as-i'm-not-registered...
i had low expectations for myself. i hadn't ridden and the rides i did manage to muster definitely weren't of any intensity. i was actually nervous. i tried not to think about it.
the start came and i actually felt pretty damn good. i was up front and it didn't seem too hard. in fact, it was the best i've ever felt at the start. weird. it didn't last long. i was breathing really really hard and it hurt with every stroke for a bit. i passed a few girls. eventually there were 4 of us women in the lead. i don't know how far back 5th was or where anyone was for that matter. in fact what i just wrote might not even be accurate. i think at some point though it was brenda leading holly's mom, another girl and then me in 4th. i tried to pass with no avail a couple times. when we came up to the equalizer holly's mom and one other girl were gone. brenda was a little bit ahead of me. i ended up catching her on the pavement as we headed into the dirt to start our 2nd lap. i was giving it my all to stay with her. catching the men's traffic slowed us a bit which allowed for some recovery time. brenda kept offering to let me by, but i certainly wasn't ready. eventually i was and went by. i know moriah was right behind us. i think i was in 3rd at this point.
coming to the equalizer i hopped off my bike. usually i can ride at least half or partially up this, but yesterday i had nothing. it was as almost if my legs hit a brick wall. when i dismounted i felt a cramp. fuck, fuck, fuck. i still had one lap to go and i had no electrolytes on me. i knew the bottle i'd be getting would be just water. oh well. i marched on. i fought cramps off the rest of the way. i gingerly pedaled on. moriah passed me on the pavement pushing her big ring. we got to the singletrack and i stayed on her wheel. i hoped she'd make a mistake and she did. i made my move and drilled it.
i of course then was stuck behind a train of 6 guys who hit the brakes for every root or dip. i had to dab a couple times which sent my left calf into cramp mode. i couldn't clip in. i'd just put my foot on the pedal and hope for a bump to put it in. luckily it worked every time. moriah passed me again on that little rock drop heading towards the other side. i was hurting. i tried to stay with her and caught her again just as we dropped into the river singletrack. i stayed right behind her and just hoped she'd tire or i'd get a burst of energy. my thoughts were of the equalizer and how i'd get up it. i passed her in the grass heading up to the famous hill. as soon as i got off my bike both legs seized. quads, calf muscles. full on cramps. no matter what i did, one of my muscles would cramp. my foot even cramped. i had no idea how i was going to get up the hill. painfully no doubt. as i stood there moriah passed me and a bianchi chick passed. damn. that's racing. stupid electrolytes. i gingerly rode to the finish hoping nobody else was right behind me.


jeremey snapped this picture of me hurting and really pissed off. i suppose i should be glad he doesn't have a video of me swearing and complaining.

5th for the day. WAY better than i had imagined. it was a fantastic day. there's just something about sheboygan.

drought over

i ditched the last half day of work to ride my bike.
the ferrous got the call. joe was in town and was dying to get out for a ride.
joe, paolo, ken and i headed out for a couple hours. it was a beautiful day to be out. pretty much perfect weather wise. the trails were prime. perfect tackiness.
it was good to be out, but the lack of riding was apparent. the short climbs hurt. i felt i had no power. hopefully i got the bugs out and my next ride won't hurt so bad.
thanks to joe for really needing to get out... otherwise i'm not so sure i would've gone.

twin six

it's that time of year again. cool enough to get me to update my blog.
twin six is having a sale.
stock up.

meh

i've done nothing really.
hit the cross race on saturday. nice day.
i'm in a funk. when i feel like riding i'll snap out of it i'm sure.

fall color fest

anyone doing the fall color fest this saturday?
not sure what we are doing.
there's fall color fest saturday, peoria mtb race on sunday or wors.
wors sounds lame and far. peoria is always awesome and a nice change.

riding

haven't done much lately. in fact zero miles since the meltdown.
that changed yesteday.
john, the girls and i headed to jackson park for the first race in the chicrosscup series. they switched the course big time which was a huge plus for john. he raced well although we still don't know what his result was.


after that we headed up to bubba's house to ride the trails up there. about 9 of us hit the trails for about 2+ hours of riding. it felt good to be on the mtb again. i was thankful that the ride was at a talking pace. maybe that's all i need to get into a groove again. the waltworks turned out to be the perfect ride for there!
afterwards bubba threw some meat on the grill and we hung out for a bit. the girls had a lot of fun (thanks andrea and julie). we barely pulled out of bubba's street and both were already out like lights. neither woke til this morning.
i have a doc appt today to see if i can find out why i've been feeling so awful lately.

feeling better?

i must be, i just had thoughts of going downstairs to grab a candy bar.
mmmm... whatchamacallit.

ugghhh...

i've been sick since yesterday. i slept from 5pm yesterday til 6:30am this morning.
i'm still tired and my stomach is a crampy wreck! what's the deal?
i'm hoping i'm close to 100% tomorrow.

meltdown

yeah, i know it's been awhile. i seem to have been busy with nothing and everything (except anything bike related).
nothing's really happened really except for maybe the house is a little cleaner, we're a couple steps closer to getting our railings and we have a new couch and futon.
it feels good to walk in the front door and not be disgusted.
saturday there was no time to ride my bike- it was zoe's birthday. i had a lot of things to do not to mention getting two kids ready takes time. i headed over to my sis' and helped setup etc. the party was fun. the kids had a blast. i of course ate way too much. zoe came home with some great things.
saturday night had amelia and bender over for the palos race.
we watched some lame tv for a bit. when i couldn't keep my eyes open anymore i headed to bed.
sunday came quick. we had some breakfast and rushed to the course. i must've had wors on the brain as i thought the sports started at 11:30- it was actually 10:30. so we missed the start and the chance to cheer on a few friends.
i'll be honest, with my lack of riding and the course toughness i wasn't expecting much. i just wanted to finish without being miserable and not be last. i accomplished that yesterday but not today. i'm exhausted and dehydrated! i feel like crap.
i started with amelia.


i had no idea who was ahead of us. well, i knew holly was up there, but unsure if there were any other gals. amelia starts at my pace and i'm not sure if i can't hold the pace or she just gets faster and faster as the race goes on. either way she rocked it. i spent the majority of the race alone. i haven't raced alone in a long time. i had the sound of my rear rotor to keep me company the whole 3 laps. the centerlock adaptor came undone and my rotor was just floating in the back, i could tell the front was getting ready too. at first it was super annoying and i was pissed. i stopped to hand tighten it a couple times, but knew that was futile. it's very rare i have anything go wrong with my bike, so i'm not going to dwell on it. i'm guessing it was mechanic's error (me) and not the adaptors. eventually if it wasn't rattling it freaked me out. i'd expect to see the rotor behind me on the ground (i know impossible) and have no brake.
i was relieved to be done. john came to finish just as i was. it would've been nice to ride in together, but 6th place was at the top of the hill. still tho' it was close enough. he had a great race and finished 5th! i was proud and happy for him.


i'm not sure what weather gods cambr has in their pocket but it could not have been a nicer day. it was beautful. the 3 inches of rain we got on Thursday had the course in perfect condition. i haven't railed turf 1 or 3 ravines like that in ages. it was awesome.


i finished pretty much how i expected. i wished i were faster, but who doesn't. i'm not bummed about it as i haven't been riding. but i could tell that i haven't been riding, i didn't have any speed at all. hopefully i can get some good rides in for the last two WORS races and definitely for beechwood as that's a tough one!
but back to this past weekend, most of us headed back to my house afterwards for some portillos. good food, friends and conversation.
it was nice to see all the people i call friends have a good day. blue mound is coming up, but i don't think it's in my cards. maybe kettle this saturday with amelia if i find a sitter. john'll be near canada.

congrats to bender. he had an awesome race! the trophy he won was the best race prize ever!

thanks to rusty for the pics. i never get to scroll through his pics and find a pic of myself, so that was cool.