Holy Shit... and I ♥ sheep

I rode outside today!
FOR REAL!

I didn't get a chance to ride on Saturday so today it had to be. I knew there was a chance of rain so I decided to run my errands later.
I hadn't been outside on a bike since the last CCC race at the beginning of December. Finding my clothing didn't take as long as I thought it would, but still.

First I have to share my shitter morning. I woke up earlier than usual to make some pancakes so I'd be fueled for my ride. I just about finished, there were 2 cakes left on the griddle, when I moved the batter bowl into my french press which was brewing my coffee. FUCKING THING TIPPED OVER. Coffee grounds and water everywhere including all over my freshly made pancakes. Surprisingly I didn't flip my shit. I just calmly put everything in the sink, cleaned everything up like it didn't happen and started over.
What a mess. Coffee grounds are the worst.

So after eating and internetting for a bit I decided to get my arse in gear to head out. I had an idea of what route I'd take in my head but it wasn't very detailed.

I pretty much fail as a roadie. To get to 76th ave I decided to take the path from 135th street. I knew it was going to be shady but a part of me wanted to have the thrill of almost falling and having to ride in the grass. Slicks on snow and grass kinda suck. But whatever. It was actually worse than I thought it would be. Really wish I had a cross bike.

Finally made it out of there and headed towards Archer Ave via Rte 83, 104th and 107th Ave. About a mile away from Archer the rain drops slowly started hitting my face. FUCK. I hated being on my road bike in the first place, but carbon rims in the rain suck. I had no desire to call John; I really wanted that road ride. I figured if it got sketchy and I had issues, I'd call him, but if not I was game to be a bad ass.

70 minutes of my 120 minute ride I was poured on. I thank the sheep that contributed to my wool clothing as they kept me insulated even though I was soaked.
About mile 26 I could feel the water splashing around in my shoe and my chamois was feeling quite heavy. At that point my only worries were to not get sick.

I arrived home, John was waiting for me, I think he expected me home way sooner (when I finally did get in the house my mtb was waiting for me in case I came back). Anyway, he snapped a pic for me... which was cool, I needed to show Russell proof I actually made it outside this weekend.
You can't tell from this photo, but the front of my socks are like a neon green.



Speaking of my mountain bike, my Eriksen is almost done. I have a few minor things to take care of (drop travel in fork, bleed front brake, and take off the white crappy stuff).



(Casey and the neighbor kids are gaming.)
This'll be my first time using triggers since 1994 or 1995. They say XX is actually a good trigger to transition to coming off twisters because of the feel of the lever... we'll see. There's rumor of us coming out with a twister in like 2012. *crosses fingers it's not just a rumor

For Sale

Powertap SL+ hub:
Pro Level Power Measurement

* Wireless 2.4 GHz transmission with Ant+Sport
* Alloy axle
* Carbon/alloy hubshell
* Hub weighs a mere 412 grams

laced to Zipp 303 clincher rim.
Zipp front hub laced to the same rim. Perty.

$1600 with head unit and HR strap.
Mostly used on the trainer.

Email me spicyride at gmail dot com if you're interested or want pictures or have questions.

Trainers are lame

I rode the trainer today. I hate the trainer. I do admit that it sometimes gives me the option of a cycling workout without spending a half hour to get dressed, but still I hate it. I almost with we didn't have one. I feel guilty if I don't ride especially after seeing everyone internetting about their bike/training rides.
I'm not sure whether I should be jealous of you people who can sit on it for hours... or be glad I'm not psycho like you are.
The weather was nice today but we had other plans, just no time. I need to suck it up here at some point and just find my winter clothes and head out. Our roads here are depressing so it makes it harder to get motivated.

Nothing big going on. I'm putting XX on my Eriksen right now. John has a new race frame this year so we need to start acquiring parts for that. I'm hopefully getting a new cross bike and then frame at the end of summer. We celebrated Casey's birthday party last weekend. It was amazing. John and I are going to visit Zach and Sara in AZ next month. I'm stoked. Tickets weren't too bad and we've been dying to get out there. Not only for the warmer weather but we miss them. We need to decide whether we're shipping our bikes out or riding theirs.

Other than that nothing new. I'll try to get some pics of stuff and post them at some point. Maybe update here more often.

whoa (IKR, an update)

Lots of snow. It's still snowing. I knew I should've gotten a pugsly.
I'm selling my cross check; if you know anyone interested let me know. it's real perty, just not what i want. King headset, full Rival, frame looks practically new- I'd like $650 for it complete.
I'm in the mood to swap out parts on my bike(s), but I don't have all the parts to do it. So.I'm.Frustrated. Hopefully when I get the parts I'll be this motivated.
I haven't done much in terms of cycling, but I have been keeping myself busy with other things: weights, light cardio, ab work outs. I've even given up donuts. It doesn't seem to have helped though; it's only made me miss donuts.
The trainer's been on my mind, but that's about it. I tried it a couple times to see if my feelings towards it have changed... they haven't. My ass still hates it the most.
Girls are good. Casey cut her hair. She asked, I said go for it. Still, I wasn't prepared when she peeked around the corner to show me. She looks great. It's a lot easier for me too. Zoe is still OMG ZOE. John's good, he's recovering from a black eye Zoe gave him. It's pretty ugly. Looks like he was in a boxing ring. My dog is still obnoxious. So yeah, nothing new really.
I had a bunch of returns to Patagonia that I've collected over the past year or so, it was enough to get me this bitchin' pullover. It's one of those pieces that you are like, well, that'd be cool. but when you get it, it's the most awesome thing ever. I'm actually excited to wear it tomorrow. It's the little things ya know.
I'd like to get John a new race frame this year. It sucks when you want something and it's impossible to get. It'll all work out though. The ferrous is still rad. it'd be cool to get it painted though, at the very least.

Anyway, what's new with you?

p.s. I need a new header.

OMG I'm so bored

And because I'm so bored I'm going to do a blog update, with really boring stuff.
My weekend was, well, uneventful. I did nothing. Saturday I never stepped out the door.
Today I didn't realize the snow was all gone until I looked out the window at almost noon. I did get out to take Casey to school though. Yeah, she has school on Sunday. It's fun school though, art and theater.
My mom also bribed me to hit the mall with her, she told me she'd buy me something. Score. So I have a new purple hoodie.
I made banana bread last night, low fat and low cal. It is pretty damn good. I've never made bread before. I almost want to bake bread all the time now. It's probably cheaper than buying it right?
I started thinking about bikes a lot lately. Like what do I want to change, what do I want to race, etc. I still have no clue but it's been fun thinking about it.
I'm slowly getting XX stuff to try out. It's so hard to get. I'm still bummed it's triggers, but I'm open to try them (again).
*sigh
I should also start thinking about riding my bike. I just saw Smashley's blog about being a Cat 1, which reminded me that I'm also a Cat 1. I too should start acting like one, or be better at pretending.
Meh.

Dudes

It's still like winter and stuff. What a long season.
I've done nothing and am liking it.
The bike bug is near though; I sense its presence.

sigh

I'm not even sure why I have this blog still.
I've got nothing really.
I think I'm getting a cold. I keep sneezing, I'm really tired and I have to keep blowing my nose. I also have a headache, but I think that's dehydration.
It's snowing right now. Meh.
I'm done Christmas shopping I think. Now I just have to wrap it all. Thinking about that, ew.
I'm excited for Christmas because of the girls. They are just so excited. Their excitement has made me not care about the expense, lines, shipping charges and stupid people. It'll all be worth it Friday morning.
I'm hoping to sell a bunch of stuff to afford a cross bike. My cross check will be going. We'll probably head up to Madison for the swap if we can get our shit together.

OMG! The weather didn't suck!

EMO

This weather FUCKING SUCKS!!!

So, yeah.

It was my birthday this past weekend.
I love my birthday. It's like a day I don't feel guilty for wanting things to be about me. I have issues with making time for myself or doing things for me without feeling guilty about it every other day of the year.
I had a good day. We went to Beechwood and I rode while John hung out with the kids. I'd hardly call it racing. I overheated at the beginning of the first lap. Pulled off the trail to strip and try not to puke. Got back on the bike and was happy to have the trail to myself. I was getting super annoyed in the singletrack for my usual reasons, but whatever. I'm probably only bringing that up because I'm having a pity party for myself at the moment. I won't get all emo and give reasons why.
Anyway, lap 2 I ran into Bubba. I hung out with him while watching him fix his busted chain. Took his ass forever.
We rode the last 2 laps together. Almost conversation pace really. It was fun. Those trails are fucking awesome. I wish they were closer. I wish everything was fucking closer.
I'm getting fat. I really need to watch what I eat and get more exercise. Maybe I'll start tomorrow.



*Thanks to Brittany for the photos.

Do people read these anymore?

What a great weekend.
Waterpark on Saturday with the kids and some friends. Good times for sure.
I ended up making my rib hurt on the waterslides so started to have second thoughts about Sunday. Then it being so cold I was like meh, I'll just call it a year.
We headed to the course to get Ryan ready. He was racing sport.
Sent him off and went hiking into the woods. I saw the dirt and the roots in the singletrack and there was NO way I wasn't suiting up! It helped that it wasn't as cold out as I thought it was going to be.
So hurry up and eat. Talk shit with Meg. Register. Run to get dressed. Find all my shit. Get ready. Warm up. And hurry up to wait.
Don said Goooo...
I had a decent first 3 laps. Minus the crash where I lost all my food and almost ended up in the river, the first lap was okay. Second lap I realized I lost all my food in that crash, but whatever. I wasn't going to stress about it. However the ghost shifting or stiff link or whatever it was I had going on after the crash was pissing me off. Major pressure on the pedals and it popped. After awhile I got over it and just stayed in easier gears. The third lap I was starting to cramp by the elite cut off and I still had a lap to go. Fuck the last lap. I was DONE. I don't think I could have rode it any slower. I stopped at the elite cut off climb and tried to stop from cramping. I knew I was going to be in trouble when I got to the equalizer.
The equalizer was easier to get up that time than my 3rd lap and I think that's because I stopped. Next year I have to be more aggressive there even if I'm walking. I was so paranoid about getting in the riders' way that I spent way too much time waiting and looking back. The crowd didn't give anybody any room, barely enough for two riders to get through. Anyway, I'm glad I raced. As much as I suffer in elite it is much more satisfying than sport. It would be way too hard to go back to being stuck behind much slower people (the last of the sport pack). I'd rather bring up the rear in elite any day. As much as I suffer out there, it's still fun.

Two things though about Sunday:
1. It would have been nice to prepare for racing on Sunday. I barely ate breakfast and I was totally dehydrated from not drinking good fluids. Not to mention the waterpark all day on Saturday.
2. I don't ride very much. I usually get in 1-2 rides a week. The past 4, or has it been 5, weeks after my rib injury I haven't really ridden at all. I've tried more than a few times to only have to come back home because it was too painful or I couldn't breath right. You can't not ride for a month before an elite race and expect a better result. Not that I did, but I can't help but wonder how I would have done if I had been healthy and ridden more.

One of the highlights of my race was on my last lap John caught and passed me (obviously). It's always nice to see him on the course. Anyway, Matt Gehling shortly after was behing me. He was like "Wrong Gatto" and took off. That totally made me laugh and forget about the fact that I could barely ride my bike.

Again Sheboygan didn't disappoint as the finale. I can't wait til next year.

I can't believe the season is over!

Complaining

I've managed to not come on my blog and complain every day for the past two weeks about how terrible my ribs feel. And how my sternum keeps like popping. And if I raise my left arm my ribs click.
I tried to stay away from riding as much as possible, but who am I kidding... if I can do it, it'll be done. You'd think I'd be smart and ride my road bike, but no. But really I didn't ride too much... I don't want to be stupid.
Actually riding off road wasn't too horrible... it's the breathing that would get me. Trying to fully inhale was painful so it would always cut the ride short.
Not to mention there was a sort of fear of crashing that I never have. The thought of going down on my ribs wasn't a pleasant one.
The past two days were really painful. It was way worse than even the day after it happened. I woke up today and felt a lot better. I didn't even feel the need to dull it with pain meds. So I decided to ride. It still hurt and it hurt a little to breath, but I could. Too bad it didn't stay light out, I would've stayed out much longer.
I feel okay right now, not too bad... but I'll know how much better I am by tomorrow when I wake up.
This weekend.... what to do, what to do....

So....

Who is NOT going to Chequamegon?

No racing for me

It wasn't worth it. I sneezed a few minutes ago which pretty much sealed my no regrets. I'm bummed I didn't but I don't regret my decision. I'm more annoyed at my situation. It sucks being injured.
Lake Geneva is one of my favorite courses. It's technical and I do better at that type of climbing than I do at Palos type climbing.
Meh.

I still was able to see everyone so that was cool.

I don't even know what to write about so I'll leave it at I'm hoping to ride this week.
John'll be gone all weekend for Chequamegon.

Is there anyone not going, provided I can find a sitter, up for a ride down here?

Mesa, Swallow Cliffs, Palos? Or maybe I'll finally try to get to See Wee Kaw, depends on my ribs though.

Ow, my ribs.

Fuck. I'm so pissed.
I think I may have a cracked rib.
It sucks to laugh, cry, cough and OMG don't even mention sneezing.
It doesn't totally suck to breath, only when I breath deep.
For the most part I'm just really uncomfortable.
I'm going to pre-ride tomorrow and see how I feel.

I'm going to bed now because I'm so irritated. I took some prescription pain relief to sleep. I'm hoping to be magically be better by morning.

Rather

I can't even believe I'm saying this...

I have no desire to race Sunday. NONE. The weather is fucking fabulous and all the trails are MINT around here. I don't want to sit in a car. My ribs hurt. Climbing can suck it. I have lots more reasons as to why I don't want to race.

Right now I'd rather just stay home. I'd love to go on an epic mtb ride here, hang out with my kids and *gasp* watch the damn Bears' game.

ETA: I'm pre-registered which is a huge reason I feel obligated to go.
That and the majority of my friends will be there anyway, so my epic mtb ride wouldn't happen.

real quick...

I rode Swallow Cliff tonight. It was awesome. A-W-E-S-O-M-E! I can't describe the feeling I had riding through the illegal singletrack. I was super pumped! I need to bring people out there pronto to have that same feeling.
What pisses me off though is, well, at the end of my ride as I was heading to the lot I decided to check out the creek singletrack. I didn't remember if it went anywhere or it just stopped.
So as I was looking at the pretty creek and avoiding the down tree I hit another log I didn't see. BAM! I hit the down tree hard as hell with my rib cage and hip. I knocked the wind out of myself for what felt like minutes. It hurt, but I think I was more pissed that that's how my ride ended. And then to add insult to injury there was fucking ITCHWEED!!!
My left side is getting purple. If it gets purple enough I'll get a pic.
Sneezing sucks and laughing and coughing... but it's not bad enough to stop me from riding or anything.

Wait... It's Monday?

So weird... it's felt like Sunday all day.
Maybe it's because I've barely done anything this holiday weekend except get a couple bike rides in.
There were things going on this weekend, however I didn't want to commit myself to anything. It was nice not being on a schedule for once.
Saturday I ended up taking my road bike out. I hadn't been in awhile and I think I was still pretty worked over from the race last Sunday and the mountain bike rides I hit during the week. I clipped on my iPod and just headed out with no plan. It was pretty uneventful really. I felt like crap the whole ride; but I was on my bike so how crappy could it be?
Sunday... hmmm... Sunday. Yeah, I sat around all damn day. I had no desire to get up and get motivated to do anything. And I didn't even have the excuse of the internet because that was super boring all day. So finally I checked the CAMBr board and a friend of mine, Nancy, posted a ride for 3:30. Perfect. It's 2:50 now. So I quick loaded up and headed to the staging area. It ended up being Nancy, some other dude whose name escapes me, Cory and me. I felt bad the whole beginning of the ride, but by the end I felt like I shook whatever was making me feel flat off. We rode the old portion of Cemetery Hill. Holy log crossings. I love log crossings.
Monday (today I guess). I was itchin' all day to ride. I wanted to ride with John but that just wasn't workin' out at all. The neighbor kids came over to head over to the mesa later that afternoon. I thought about tagging along with them, but just didn't feel like it. I ended up taking a nap. I don't know what my deal was/is lately, but I've just felt tired. I woke up determined to get out of the house. Right away I grabbed my Twin Six bird jersey with matching socks and my iPod. I headed straight for the Mesa.
When I first arrived I felt, yes you guessed it, like crap. WTF? Anyway, I just kept riding. I started to feel really good right about rainbow bridge. Pat Benatar came on my iPOd. Coincidence? I think not. I felt really good and just started attacking the singletrack. I came into some corners WAY too hot testing my SRAM XX brakes. It felt good to push my skills a bit. I just wish I'd seen that one tree...



It ended up being a great ride. I came home refreshed and with a big smile on my face.
I didn't think it could get any bigger til I saw Zoe pimping her two wheels all by herself! She sort of had it a couple months ago but was all over the place. She hated it. She wouldn't ride anything but her Strider. Apparently today was the day cuz she was awesome. I'm so proud of her!

The Meltdown. Second ravine

Palos Meltdown 2009

I was looking forward to this race for awhile. Getting sick I wished it was a week later. Turns out that Saturday I started to feel better; so I wasn't bummed at all. I was in a way excited. I still didn't know if I would be affected or not.
Anyway, we've been taking our neighbor kids out mountain biking. They've gotten a few rides in so we signed them all up for the Meltdown.
So...
All of us plus Gage and Jeremey headed out to Palos to start the day. Meg and Bubba showed up shortly. Carlos and Sonia showed up after them.
What a fucking awesome day! I don't think it could've been more perfect.
We had our neighbor kids there. The 11 year old, Ryan, raced citizen and had a spectacular time. He even outsprinted a full-faced helmet dude at the finish line! He couldn't stop talking about the race. I find that so awesome! Our other neighbor Mark, who is 15, raced citizen as well. He ended up cramping on the finish hill and had to run it up for the finish trying to stay ahead of the guy right behind him. It was hysterical yelling at him to GO... He was like "I can't". So we just started yelling "RUN" and he started running. I'm still laughing about that today. Our other neighbor kid, Ryan, raced sport. He's 15 as well. He has a little more ride time than the other two kids (two WORS races and riding tons when he can). I loved watching his face as he struggled up the finish hill while we were yelling at him. He gave it his all and ended up collapsing at the finish! I have some great photos of that.
I'm proud of all of them. I know they were hurting and they stuck it out.
After laughing our asses off at their finishes we headed back to get ready for our race. I started at the back of the pack with Bubba and Meg. The first lap I struggled with recovering as usual. Megan and I rode the majority of the race together.She'd pass me on the opening stretch and then I'd pass her as we were heading to stair steps. Then I'd gap her on Turf. My second lap was awesome. I felt like I was killing it out there (whether or not I was remains to be seen, it just felt like it). I didn't see Meg until I headed down towards the green grassy hill going into the 3rd lap. When she caught me there, I knew she'd take me in the end. I barely gapped her heading down into Turf- I'm not even sure I'd call it a gap. Then I was struggling. Up Psychopath I told stories of wanting to quit right then and there. My quads hurt so bad. I was on the verge of cramping. By Gravity Cavity I let her go by. I watched her motor out. We practically could've slapped hands on the two way on the grass heading into the finish. Sweet.
I had an AWESOME time.
I don't think being sick had any bearing on my race. I felt great really. It was a long race. Someone mentioned lap distances with the grass hill were closer to 9 miles and not 8. I finished 3rd overall. Podiumed 1st in age. Holly took 1st overall, so wasn't in age group awards.



John took 6th overall in the men's race.

Little Ryan finished 65th out of 93 finishers, 5th age. Mark finished 14th overall, 1st age. Ryan finished 19th out of almost 250 riders, 1st age as well.

Good Times.

p.s. The spacing and the pictures is pissing me off, but I'm too lazy to switch it all around.

Lame... *cough

I'm still sick.
At my doc appointment yesterday I still had a fever, 100.3. I was wondering why my palms wouldn't stop sweating...
Anyway, I have antibiotics, mucinex and some nasal spray. Hopefully I feel better by Sunday. I've been looking forward to the Meltdown for awhile, now, not so much.




Meh.



ETA: This fucking rain on Wednesday bullshit is total bullshit.

Very cool

Claire declared the Border Battle Twin Six day. The result... lots of great photos of WORS racers and friends and families sporting the 6.

T6 day photos

There were quite a few cool ones of my husband. What a hottie.



*photos by Todd Bauer and Bruce Adelsman

From the wedding...

John, me, my mom, dad, sis and b-i-l


Most of my cousins


All of my cousins.


If you don't know who these peeps are, not sure why you're reading this.




As I said before, when you have a wedding to go to, it's kind of meh. But once there, it's nice to see everyone. Life is so busy sometimes, we don't make time to get together and get caught up. Weddings sort of force us to do these things.

hmmm....

The past few days have sucked ass.
Wednesday I wanted to ride so badly at Palos, but of course Mother Nature had other plans. It probably didn't matter, I hadn't felt well all that day and by evening I was pretty sick. I initially thought it was allergies but having slept early Wednesday into late Thursday afternoon, I'm thinking it was something else.
I can't believe how much pain I was in. My body ached, my skin hurt to the touch, I could barely open my eyes. My jaw felt mis-aligned the sinus pressure was so intense. Friday I felt a little better but still felt a bit off balance and my head was still on the verge of exploding. Saturday I finally felt well enough to walk around, talk, etc. I even took Zoe to her allergist appointment and the doc was more interested in me! She ended up making me fill out a bunch of paperwork so she could give me some samples and a prescription to help me feel better.
Saturday afternoon it was my cousin's wedding. I was glad to be feeling a little better of course. I'm not a huge fan of weddings, but still, I didn't want to miss it. It's weird, I didn't think I'd care at my own, but I was so happy to have my friends and family there to share my day. I wanted to do the same for her. Later that evening I started to feel more like myself. The left side of my head still hurt and I was pretty congested and out of breath. I couldn't dance as much as I wanted, but I still was able to.
John ended up getting sick on Friday night, so he was sick at the wedding too. Kind of a bummer as I wanted to dance more with him... but I'm glad he was able to make it all.
Sunday I had hoped to get a good ride in with the Meltdown next week. I'd hoped to get some good riding all of last week actually. Obviously being sick doesn't help my cause. Anyway, John and I took our neighbors Ryan (another Ryan) and Mark out to Palos to see if they wanted to do the Meltdown. It was perfect. Ryan is 11 so obviously can't go fast (yet). I was able to ride, not push myself and introduce him to mountain biking. It was a great day. I'm so happy to have made it out.


Now almost 10:30 and starting to feel better, I totally don't want to go to work tomorrow.

The Battle

Hmmm... where to begin.
(WARNING! This is long.)
We left Friday afternoon for the border of MN and WI. Our newly-bitten-by-the-mountain-bike-bug neighbor Ryan tagged along with John and me for our not-as-long-as-I-thought-it-would-be haul to River Falls, WI.
We pulled to our hotel just shortly after 9pm Friday night.
We grabbed some quick grub at Chipotle and then settled into our hotel room.
Jerry and fam wouldn't be up to pre-ride til around 3 or so on Saturday, so we needed to figure out something to do with our morning.
I thought we could hang with Brent, but I didn't know his phone didn't have email; so my email inviting ourselves to his place went unanswered. So instead we went to Fleet Farm and then made the trip to Mall of America. We just walked around really. Hung out with the Bubba Gump shrimp, explained to Ryan that everything at LegoLand were really built with Legos. After getting bored with the mall we grabbed some Dairy Queen and headed to the course to meet Jerry.
I hate pre-riding. I don't know why, but I always feel like crap. I couldn't breath, I couldn't ride the singletrack. I was starting to get really annoyed. Especially since I upgraded. Anyway, I ended up only doing two laps as I felt dizzy, chilled and just all around crappy. I think I was just really dehydrated.
Afterwards we all headed out for some pretty good Mexican. Then I think everyone fell asleep, early. Except me. I was watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It's such a different movie watching it as an adult.
Anyway, woke up at 5:30, 6:00 and then finally just before 7am. I was starving. Waited around a bit for Ryan to wake up and then grabbed some breakfast.
Then to the course. Ryan was racing Citizen and we hadn't registered him yet.
Brent showed up shortly after we did with his girlfriend Nicole, Hurl and Kelly. It was good to see them all.
Sitting around all day had its pluses and minuses. But I love the atmosphere and the people at the races so it's definitely more plus.
Ryan ended up having a great race! He finished 1st in age and like 14th overall. It was his second race ever and he's only been on a bike for just over a month. He's totally hooked.
After heckling Brent for a bit and him grossing us all out we all started getting ready to race. I wasn't really nervous, I'm not sure what I was. I know I dreaded the start. I dreaded the comp men a bit.
Don called up everyone but 3 of us girls. The start wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. However once we got to the start climb I didn't really look up. I didn't want to see how long it was or how far ahead the girls were ahead of me. I just wanted to ride my own race and finish. I caught the back part of the elite women right away. Back up from the bridge. It was nice to recover there. I still had a hell of a time getting my heart rate down from the start to settle into a pace. I didn't really settle until the second lap. Which I guess is usual; except now instead of two laps to go, I had a whole sport race in front of me.
While on lap one I thought about quitting many times. My lower arms went numb, I couldn't catch my breath, I was sweating like I'd never sweat before. I knew the comp guys would be coming soon and when they did, it wasn't as bad as I prepared myself for. 2 caught me right away and then there was a huge gap. Then a couple more and then they just kept coming. But I never stopped. I moved over on occasion and sometimes I probably yielded more than I have to, but I'll get more confident as time goes on. I never had an incident really. Only with an elite guy. More on that later.
Lap 2 was probably my best lap. It went by pretty quick. I rode with a lot of comp guys in the open sections, were on their wheels in the singletrack, it was fun.
In my third lap (which was another fun lap) near the switchbacks I knew a group of elite guys were coming. There really isn't a great place to pass on those climbs. I hesitated going up the first one and ended up having to put my foot down. A dumb moment of indecisiveness and I had to wait for the small train to go by. Not a big deal, but next time I just have to go for it. You don't necessarily lose a lot of time, but you definitely lose momentum and your groove. Later on the wicked fast awesome downhill I heard a rider coming up on me. I assumed it was a comp guy. Some of the comp guys were slower than I was on the descents so I didn't want to give going first up so I dropped in. I realized that it was an elite rider. I felt bad, but at the same time I ripped that section every time. Right after it opens plenty for a rider to get by. It ended up not mattering. So I really only felt bad because I did have a moment of indecision and he was probably like WTF woman!
I had caught Renee at one point. She was a little out of sorts from crashing on the bridge... still though, it was a small victory for me. I know how much stronger she is than I am on the ascents and open. I ended up losing site of her on the 4th start climb.
My last lap is where I made my biggest mistake. I didn't eat. I knew I needed it. I knew it was in my back pocket. But for some reason I just didn't grab it. I'm sitting her typing this and don't get my thought process. As the lap went on I felt myself fade because I needed to eat. I remember telling myself well it's half way over whatever. But really FUCKING EAT ON THE LAST LAP! I know this. I won't make that mistake again. I know not eating cost me time. Especially when it's a distance I'm not used to doing. I knew I wasn't as strong in the singletrack, etc because I was hungry. But I'm not going to beat myself up over it.
As far as the elite bullshit pass... I was climbing up after the switchbacks and an elite racer took a pass right between a tree and the side of the trail, where I had nowhere to go but off my bike. The other elite rider that was following him and now behind me yelled "Nice pass!" to him. He looked at me and was like he really could've waited a few seconds. I ended up having to walk the rest of the way as it was a little too steep to get on and pedal.
In saying that I had an awesome time. It was hard (it's supposed to be) and it was good to feel like I was racing again. Sport was still challenging for me I suppose. I mean it's not like I was killing it there; there are more then a few sport women stronger than I am. I needed a different challenge I guess. I'm not sure how to explain it. Being stuck behind the old guys and clydes was getting old. It's such a back n forth decision- the move up. Not sure if it was the right one... but yesterday was positive and I hope Lake Geneva is too.


Thanks to all the elite girls who gave their advice. And thanks to all the sport girls for cheering me on and making me feel good about my decision. It was awesome to hear my name all over the course!

Palos Meltdown

The Meltdown is just around the corner. 334 racers are registered right now. Twenty some spots left for citizen and just 40 left in sport. So hurry up if you want to race those categories.
I believe SRAM is sending over $5000 worth of product, so that's cool.

A wreck.

My bike and body are wrecks.
My foot still isn't fully healed from hitting the tree a couple weeks ago and yesterday I bruised my right thigh pretty good.
My bike needs a lot of crap maintained and I'm just not in the mood. The Industry Nine wheels continue to piss me off. I either get ghost pedaling or the rear wheels loose. I get maybe 2 weeks time of perfection and then back to adjust. ANNOYING.
The whole bike is creaking- housing, bottom bracket, headset. Basic maintenance. But still, boring.
As far as my body... 10 miles at the mesa yesterday with John, Bubba, Goat, Mitch, Gage and Ryan and I'm spent. It seriously made me rethink my choice of moving up.
I fell over the first log crossing. That didn't do anything but make me dirty.
Then while the others rode over the log ride I went to turn around. Tight turn, slow speed, front wheel hits root, my thigh lands on said root, saddle slams into inside of thigh and OW. I'm trying not to be a big baby about it (because I am) but it throbs, it hurts to walk and pedal. I'm so annoyed that something so stupid can be this annoyingly painful. However, I am glad I don't look like this:



I still plan to ride later. Road (that hasn't seen pavement for over a month- what a shame), MTB, who knows. The only thing for certain is I will sweat my ass off. Hello it's 86 but feels like 95. High of 96 and I'm sure will feel like 108.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZOE!!!

Hello People

They extended the registration deadline. GET ON IT!!!

Struggle

I've struggled with this forever. Move up or not?
I told myself after Wausau that if I placed top 5 in an upcoming race I have to move up to Cat 1/Elite the next one. So that means the Border Battle I'll be moving up.
I want to but don't. I've witnessed so many gals move up to the elite level only to stop racing because they hated it. I don't want this to happen to me.
But I don't want to race sport anymore either. The only time I've really been out of the top 10 the past couple years was a mechanical. I almost feel guilty hanging around.
Not really sandbagger. If you look at all of our times, none of us are killing it.
But I so love sport. It's so fun. It still really challenges me. I'm not saying Elite won't be fun, because I really don't know, but it definitely has always been a different vibe.
I know I'll be struggling in the back; I just hope it's a fun struggling.

Nervous?

I haven't been nervous for a race in, well I don't even remember how long... I was nervous for the Alterra Coffee Bean Classic. I hate being nervous. I hadn't raced in so long, nor have I gotten much riding in. And the riding I have gotten in has been riding with slower people. So I had absolutely no idea what I was in for. Nerve-wracking.
Franklin's lead out suits me perfectly. Short climb up to the top and then fast around the cap and then drop right into the singletrack. It's not long enough to where I fade. Moriah led me and the pack around the cap into the singletrack. There aren't very many passing opportunities in the singletrack so I hoped we didn't get plugged too bad. Moriah let me by right away. I caught the men shortly after. I didn't expect to catch them so soon. I just stayed patient and asked if I could get by when they had a chance. We picked off a lot of riders. I wanted to get a gap if I could... I'm not the strongest out in the opens or climbs by far.
Riding up the switchbacks I could see the girls coming out. I saw Ashley and Meg right behind me. AHHHH! I led all the way around O'Malleys and then to the start/finish climb. I knew they'd pass me there. Ashley passed and Meg was right behind me. I didn't realize Katie had passed us until much later.
I knew I'd catch Ashley in the singletrack. I knew she'd catch up with the men to slow her down. Unfortunately Meg and I passed her after she took a corner too hot and ended up going down. Shortly after Meg and I caught up to Katie. We rode her fast wheel for a bit until she unfortunately, I think, caught a tree and went down.
I led Meg around the rest of the lap knowing she was going to take me on the climb into the finish. I wasn't strong enough to gap her enough in the singletrack. I so suck at climbing. I can't say that I was frustrated, but admit to being bummed knowing that I was going to lose it there. I tried my hardest but couldn't match Meg up that hill. However 2nd overall is fucking awesome and I had a great time to boot.


Hopefully we'll see everyone again at the Border Battle.
John didn't have such a great time. Migraine, spectacular crash and just wasn't feeling it. Glad he's okay though.

*pic by julie wolf

Palos Meltdown

Registration by mail and on-line ends Aug 7th.
You can register day of (which is a pain in the ass as it's off-site and the fee goes up).

So if you're going, get on it. Sport class will probably fill up soon.

Oh yeah

I forgot I had a blog.
Same old stuff really...
Wish I rode more.
Haven't raced in well over a month.
(So Franklin should go really well for me.)
My kids are awesome.
I smashed my foot and broke my shoe- it hurts to walk but doesn't riding.
Zoe still has hives.
My bike is still cool.
Wishing I had another (bike). Just for the fun of the build.
What else.... hmmmm....
Nothing I guess.

We need to plan a ride down here people. And speaking of just riding, who wants to go to Brown County?

meh

I don't want to be a hater but it's really tough not to be right now.
I'm looking at you Mother Nature.

Radar

This green blob has been stuck here for hours. Barely moving.
So cruel.

Here we go again...

Wednesday night rides are dirt rides out at Palos.
It never failed last year that it would rain on Wednesdays. Reading back on my blog from last year, it did quite often. The trails at Palos are finally open and guess what? It's raining. Looks to be an all-day-er too.
Meh.
If it's not raining after work I'll hit Waterfall Glen. Maybe.

missing eau claire

bummer.
It was a tough decision (not really), but in the end the kids won.
Our plan was to let the kids enjoy the 4th. Picnic, swimming, friends, cousins, fireworks. And then hope we could get someone to have them overnight and all day today (wishful thinking). It would've been worth driving a couple hours after the fireworks and then finish up the drive in the morning.
We had a sitter for today, but not last night. *shrugs*
Oh well. What to do next year?
Will they have the race on the 4th?
I know I'll be even more bummed when I hear how awesome it was later today and all day tomorrow. When I see the results and wonder where I might've finished...
I'm hoping later today John and I can ride somewhere together. Off-road is probably out as it rained all day yesterday.

Palos

I finally made it out there for the first time this year.
I'm worked. I can barely move. Thinking about moving is a bother.

annoyed

I forgot my brakes need to be bled. The front has a huge air bubble in it.
If you put the bike on its side and pick it up, no front brake. I was reminded of this on my mesa ride this evening. Put the bike down to fix my cleat, hopped on the bike on the fastest downhill there and no front brake. Need to bleed that. Well, actually beg my husband to. Luckily you can pump it back up (but still).
And what I thought was a bottom bracket creak was not. It's an eggbeater creak. I think I need a rebuild kit. Loud creaking noises on my bike annoy me. I can deal with rubbing or intermittent noises. Or even brake squeal. I absolutely hate creaking.
I was also reminded that I haven't found the ideal fork pressure for the new SID. I put too much in this evening and essentially ping ponged my ass all over the trail. It's not like I've never ridden rigid before, but for some reason having a fork with too much air isn't the same. It's more like unpredictable or something.
I put the cleat plates on my sidi shoes tonight. I also moved my cleats down a bit. After wearing my old shoes I realized that my cleats were too far forward. From the title of this blog post you know how well that worked out for me. Still though, at least I was out on my bike.
Meh. Hopefully tomorrow's ride will redeem this evening.
Which, crap, I should go to bed to wake up for...

random

I went to the mesa again last night. Only about 45 minute ride time, but I'm not complaining. I grabbed a lot of downed tree branches that of course fall right in the middle of the trail. We call them Stan sticks as our friend Stan is famous for grabbing those sticks in his derailleur and then breaking his derailleur. Never fails.
The trails ripped. I may have adapted to their rooty-ness I suppose just from the other night.
I love riding out there but it isn't as smooth as it used to be. There are so many more exposed roots. Which isn't horrible, it definitely makes you work on the bike, but some of the trails used to be wicked fast lean into the turns kinda smooth. Not so much anymore.
John changed my axle on my Industry Nine wheel last night. Yes I cracked it. Apparently I'm one of four people to have done so. The replacement axle is way lighter. Weird. I also finally changed my bottom bracket. It was creaking after last wash. And with ti I think it echoes so it was a major annoyance. I put a blackbox one in, oh so smooth. For now anyway. Now mount xdx tires on 190 wheelset, um... and what else? Meh, I don't remember. Oh, I have to change my chainring on my Eriksen. Damn penis rock.
Doc appointment today at 3:30. Boo.

Register!

Click here for details.

THE MESA

I headed out there today and it's

DRY!!!

Who wants to come ride?

It's Monday

I just had 3 Oreos and I feel like crap. They tasted good though. It is possible that I feel like crap from the 10 (big) swedish fish I ate prior. Who knows.
I still haven't been to Palos. I'm slowly going insane.
To ward off the insanity awhile longer I made sure John was up for alone time with the girls and I headed to the Mad FORCs dirt retreat.
I had no idea what to expect. I honestly didn't care. I just wanted to hang out with people with my mountain bike.
I left a bit after 5:30am. I pulled into the Blackhawk Ski Area at about 8:50am. There were some women I've met before and some I've seen before and well, some I've never seen before.
For most of the day we rode and worked on skills. In the last group I was in we were with Alison Dunlap. I love her. I've met her a couple times and I am just so impressed by her every day down-to-earth-ness. Anyway, it was pretty cool.
Saturday night I wasn't sure what my plan was. Camp? Go to Amelia's and risk full blown allergy asthma attack (she has 2 very long haired cats)? or go to Holly's?
When Amelia left earlier than I wanted to I knew that option was out (or maybe not, she was just a phone call away). Then it didn't seem like anyone was camping so I took Holly up on her offer to crash there. Which in turn made a lot of sense and worked out well as we decided instead of heading back to the ski area we were hitting Kettle.
The hour drive to Holly's house after a long day of being on the bike seemed like it took FOREVER! I was relieved when my clock in the car was close to the time on my gps. I was even more relieved when I turned the key off. I was so done driving.
Headed inside and got a quick shower in. Holly and I chatted for what was probably over an hour about the day.
Next thing I know I hear Holly's dog freaking out, fell asleep again and woke up about 2 hours later. Grabbed some pancakes and coffee and got ready for Kettle.
I didn't realize how worked I was from the day before until I started moving around. My arms were sore, my lower back and my thighs were aching.
At Kettle we all headed out to ride everything but Emma. Which ordinarily I might've whined about not doing Emma, but my legs were screaming. I knew it'd be rough making it back after doing the Emma climbs with my legs as tired as they were. Not to mention I wasn't prepared food-wise.
The ride was pretty uneventful but fun. I started hungry which never works out for me. We stopped after the climbing on the blue loop to have a bite and then headed out again.
I was seriously hungry the whole day. I just felt like I was on empty. Still though, I had a really good time. I'm happy to be bruised and scratched. Although I could really do without the bruise on my knee from endo-ing in that deep sand section after the pines. My glasses were too dark for that section and I didn't see where it went. By the time I realized it the sand had taken me too far left... I tried to correct (turning your wheel in sand to correct your position is a bad move, and I know this, but still.). Instead of correcting, my bike came to a dead stop and flipped me over into the woods. But not before I hit my knee on something. Good to get the crashes out of the way early in the season (Yes, this is early for me this year. Fucking rain.).
Eau Claire is this weekend. I don't even want to think about the drive.

*pic stolen from britt

Lately

it's been a yawn fest.

Tonight John is headed into the city with Casey and some of the neighbor kids just as I'm heading out. The Dew tour is happening (along with the Taste). It should be a great night of people watching.
I'm hoping I can get someone to watch Zoe for a few so I can get a ride in as well as pack for tomorrow.
I need to make a list of what to bring. Not to mention wash my mountain bike. And not forget to lube the chain.

I'd like to take a nap right about now. Not sure if it's the weather or what, I just feel so blah and exhausted.

meh

I've got nothing but complaints about not being off-road.
Meh.
I won't complain that it's hot as hell outside. Or that humidity is a bitch. What I really can't stand about the humidity right now is it's doing nothing to help the trails dry. 40% chance for thunderstorms on Thursday which definitely won't help.
Next week looks good if you believe the forecast that far in advance, which I do not. However I can't help but be hopeful.
Now to figure out my weekend. I'd like to get out of here as I'm 99% certain there will be no off road riding here.

blah... blah blah

Friday night we headed up to Kenosha for John's cousin Jack's wedding.
Meh, I have no desire to type up my whole weekend.
I had an awesome time with the girls is pretty much what happened. It was nice to not have anything to worry about. We ran around, swam and danced. Good times.



I haven't been to Palos since, I think, last October. It's depressing to say the least.

Seriously.

....

FUCK this weather.

Palos Meltdown

I'll probably be pimping this race for the next couple weeks or so.
It of course conflicts with a WORS race.
I'm all about WORS so it bums me when the local race conflicts with one of their races, because I'd love for new people to come check it out some time.
If you're itching to do something new, come check it out. The course will be rad. It will be a different and fun experience.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Not only is the rain fucking up riding it's messing with my commute. IT'S JUST RAIN PEOPLE!!!

the rain...

it sucks.

the wind...

Sometimes I forget about it even though I can't ride in a straight line or struggle to keep my speed at 15mph. And then when I'm so tired and thinking that I better not go any further (because I might not make it back) I turn around and am like "Oh, the wind."

sunday

After the shower today I suited up for a bike ride. Grabbed my road bike.
I felt awful. I feel like my bikes don't fit right now. It's so strange.
Taking the road bike out today I was super uncomfortable. I hated it. My left hip and quad hurt, my right knee hurt. I felt like I wasn't even on my bike. I have absolutely no power whatsoever.
I can't seem to even get comfortable on my mtb. At 9 mile I didn't feel at home on it. So the other day I played with height and fore/aft. I'm not sure if it'll work out until I get off-road.
I came back from an hour ride today and seriously feel like I'm going to pass out. My body is super tired. I don't know if I'm depressed or what? I mean, I know I'm pissy about the weather and trail conditions, but is it really affecting me that much?

Randomness...

Weird chores. I'm so unorganized right now.
Casey took a header on a skateboard yesterday. Her nose and upper lip are all scraped up.
We saw UP. Very cute. I laughed, I cried.
I went for about a 45 minute ride last night as it seemed to be the only time to squeeze it in (it rained most of the day). I felt slow and wasn't even having fun.
It's mid-June and I haven't been to Palos ONCE. I've been to the mesa for real twice. Both times it was slick n muddy.
Zoe is a riot. At the moment she's on the toilet singing a song about her dad.
Casey is still in bed.
The forecast is 75 and sunny today. I need to get ready for a wedding shower in a few.
Ugh. Then when I get home I really really need to go for a ride longer than 45 minutes.
Just to stay sane really.
It's so weird to be mid-June and the only bike rides with people I've been on really were my two early Kettle trips. It totally sucks. To not have been to Palos yet this year is hard to accept. I'm crossing my fingers that the rain and cold are over.

oh sweet

No rides. It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow. Sunday I have a wedding shower.
My weekend is shaping up to be kick ass already.
meh.
I'm all pissy about it now, but we'll make the best of it. We'll see UP at some point. That should be fun. Perhaps find some time to hit Waterfall Glen.

ETA: So far so good. Slightly after midnight I went to move Zoe off our bed. She had peed. First time in weeks and no, she wasn't wearing a pull up. And then just as I'm cleaning up the bed, the dog pukes on the floor.

Some people...

There are seriously some people on the interweb that make me want to vomit. That or I ate way too many redvines.
And did I bitch about the weather yet today? Well, it's long overdue. It's June 11th and it's not even 60 degrees, not to mention it's been pouring outside all day. I'm so annoyed, it's totally unacceptable.
*WARNING... fangirl moment ahead
Happy 50th Birthday to the dude in my icon.

And Casey just ate 4 pieces of toast. How'd she fit it? I don't think she's wider than 4 pieces of toast.

Hmm

I'm so tired of no sun and RAIN. It's making me crabby. I'm trying not to think about it, but we can't even go outside with the kids. If it were warm and rainy we could. If it were cold and dry we could. Sucks.
Not sure what's in store for the weekend. I'd like to hit the WEMS race Saturday since I'm sure it'll rain down here (even though it says chance- it will). However, I'd like to stay home a weekend. Next weekend we'll be gone for a wedding. What to do...

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.