100% addicted...

My favorite part of summer (besides mountain biking and warm weather) is all the fresh fruits and veggies available at local farms...

These strawberries are fresh from the Versluis farm and I can't stop eating them...

I wonder how long it will take for Scott and I to finish these off? I'm guessing 2 days, maybe 3.

Only one more day of work until the weekend...woo hoo. I don't have any huge plans for the holiday weekend, except to ride my bike and catch up on sleep. But before I catch up on sleep I have to wake up really early on Saturday and go race.My legs are pretty darn tired from training this week and it's tempting to stay home and sleep in. Every once in a while I catch myself trying to talk myself out of racing, but NO!!! I'm going to suck it up and go. This race is strictly for training and my main goal is to gather whatever I have left and really push myself for 50 miles.

Speaking of racing...I put up my interview with Katie Spotz, endurance extraordinaire.

Look below...it's one post down:-)

Ok, who is this girl???

So when I was first contacted about having the opportunity to interview Katie Spotz, I was like, "no way...absolutely not!"

I don't talk about school much, but that's because I'm still IN school, and I really, really, really shouldn't be. Except maybe to teach. I seriously have enough credits that I could be a professor ;-) I'm one class away from a PR/ADV degree and the only thing in my way is a third year french class. The only problem? I don't speak french. I transferred from a private catholic college (not sure what I was doing there, ha ha) to GVSU. Somehow the fact that I needed to take a language was lost in translation until it was almost time to graduate. What I need to do is sit my butt down and learn enough French to finish, but....ugh.

The only reason why I'm bringing this up is because while I was procrastinating French, I took every single PR class possible. Towards the end we worked with a lot of clients and I was using the word opportunity every single day. Mostly when I wanted to get someone to do something for me :-)

So I replied that I was "too busy," and that should have been the end of things. But then I made the mistake of typing Katie's name into google, and I was instantly hooked. At the age of 24 Katie has already had more adventures then most people can imagine. She is the first person to swim the Allegheny River (a total of 325 miles) and is the youngest person to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She also ran 150 miles across the Mojave and Colorado desert (solo and self-supported) and completed a 62-mile ultra-marathon in Australia. And those fun facts are from wikipedia...who knows what she does in her spare time.

When I talked to Katie she had just completed Race Across America, a 3,000 mile bike ride across the United States. She and her partner Sam were using the race to raise $50,000 for Blue Planet Network and Farm America. Their goal? To bring clean drinking water to communities in Kenya that are suffering from severe draught. When I asked Katie "why?" she responded that she believes that the wars of the future won't be about oil, they will be about clean drinking water. Without it, people die.

The initial plan for Katie and Sam was to race across the country as a two-person team, alternating every couple of hours. Katie spent all winter training for the event but had a freak accident on a training ride she had done hundreds of times before. She fell and broke her pelvis.

It was 7 days before the start of the race....

Katie sent out a mass email imploring people for help and within 48 hours she had a handcycle. She also had a team of people to help her get across the country. Her support RV was now filled with 13 teammates (and 1 bathroom) and she decided that she was going to continue on with the plan. Only this time she would be pedaling with her hands.

I have to admit that I'm curious to what it feels like to pedal a handcycle. According to Katie, it was really hard. She basically had one day to learn how to control the thing before it was time to take off. Apparently you have to use your body to help turn corners etc. Going up hills was extremely difficult and at times she was only moving 5 mph. With the handcycle, Katie was covering about 20-30 miles each day, and her teammates were helping cover the rest.

On the 3rd day of the race Katie crashed her handcycle on a rumble strip (with a broken pelvis)...

Instead of giving up, Katie got the OK to get back on a regular bike from her doctor. When I asked her to describe her favorite moment of the the journey, she said it was the moment she was able to get back on her bike and started pedaling again. She felt absolutely free and was able to cover 100-plus miles a day for the remainder of the ride. Not to mention she was able to spend time out of the RV. I can only imagine how crowded it felt with 13 other people in it. And only ONE BATHROOM. I keep mentioning that fact because it must have required some creative scheduling :-)

After 7 days, 16 hours and 59 minutes the team crossed the finish line. Hurray!



At some point during our conversation I asked Katie how she would describe herself, and she used the term "bench warmer." According to Katie she was on a lot of different sports teams when growing up but she was the one always on the bench because she was always the worst one on the team.

I think it's pretty cool that a former "bench warmer" is riding bikes across the country and rowing the English channel, don't you? Katie said that the changing moment in her life was when she ran her first marathon. She wasn't the fastest but she crossed the finish line. From that moment on she realized that she could accomplish some pretty awesome things if she just kept trying.

My last question to Katie was simply, "what's next?" I was tempted to suggest Mt. Everest but I didn't want to give her any ideas :-) Katie answered that she still feels like she has unfinished business with RAAM. She would like to back next year sans broken pelvis to race on a 2-person team.

I'm really glad that I took the "opportunity" to talk to Katie. She may describe herself as ordinary, but she's certainly living an extraordinary life. While I'm impressed by her athletic endeavors, I'm more impressed by the fact she's because she's using endurance events to raise money for a great cause.

More info about Katie can be found here.

And that's the end of my interview. At first I was going to just write the interview in a question/answer format, but my notes were chicken scratch. I was so interested in what Katie had to say that I kept forgetting to write down her answers!

Whoa

This past weekend was pretty crazy. Scott went off to Wisconsin to race and I stayed home to take care of Naomi and Baby Ben. It was an eye opener...that's for sure. I wish I could put into words what it's like to try walking a 9 year old greyhound and an 8 month old puppy. Naomi was freezing because she wanted to go home and Ben was throwing himself on the ground because he wanted to play.

I'm sure I'll laugh about it someday :-)

Overall things are going really well, and I'm so, so, SO glad that we adopted Ben. He's such a great little guy and he's already become part of the family. That being said he's also a handful. So far he ate my computer charger, tried eating my Ergon gloves (they are puppy proof!), and decided to start rolling in the middle of the road in front of an oncoming bus while I was walking him. I think my heart has stopped at least 3 times this past weekend alone. All I have to say is puppy school starts on Tuesday!

I thought the puppy/TP thing only happened in commercials...

Ben is already helping Naomi with her modeling duties....so cute! He has an old man snore that's louder then Scott :-)
Now that things have settled down here I'm looking forward to a few relaxing days coming up. I'm racing on Saturday and have a few hard(ish) training days before. My legs are finally feeling better too, which is a relief. They still felt like crap this past weekend but I think it's because I was pretty sleep deprived.

Check back here Thursday. I did an interview with Katie Spotz and it should be up soon. I'll be the first to admit that I came very close to saying NO when I was asked if I wanted to interview her. I'm really glad that I did the interview because she is pretty amazing.

Well time for work. 7 minutes to get ready. I can do it!!!

Unplanned and definitely unexpected!

I've barely ridden my bike this week. It's been all about recovery and recovery. Normally I hate weeks off but the weather has been crappy and we've been busy. I've also been busy dog walking. Lots and lots of dog walking!

Internet, meet Ben. He was brown when we got him. That's how dirty he was....

On Sunday I went with my little sister to an adopt-a-thon to look at little dogs. She wanted to "just look" at them. My FB status said that I was trying to take Scott's credit card with me, but I was seriously JUST JOKING. We adopted Naomi 7 years ago and she is THE PERFECT dog. I felt no need to get another one. And if I did get another one, I always thought it would be another female greyhound.

I certainly never imagined that I would end up with a puppy named Ben (who snores).

So far, Naomi has been doing a great job of pretending Ben doesn't exist....
I've never had a puppy before and it's taking a few adjustments. Ben barely moved the first 2 days that we had him. But I think he's realized he's home now, because he is in full puppy mode. I've always known how great Scott is, but I'll say it again...Scott is pretty great. We were supposed to go out of town for a concert the night Ben came home, and instead of going Scott was at the pet store buying dog toys.

Initially I was planning to go to Wisconsin this weekend with Scott and our friend Shawn D. They were going to race, and I was going to hang out and cheer on all of the racers. It would have been fun, but I'm staying home. First of all, I'm on puppy and greyhound duty. Second of all, I'm still tired from Lumberjack. As much as I love camping I think staying at home is the smarter choice then another road trip and sleeping in a tent.

Today is my last easy ride day then it's back to training. I'm racing next weekend and can't wait. Not only is my BFF Juli going with me to race her Dos Niner, but Namrita and Eddie will be there racing as well!!!

Lumberjack 100 race report

The Lumberjack 100..

Where to begin?

How about with, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Ha! I wonder how many bike racers have started out their race reports with that sentence? Probably a lot! In all honesty, the majority of the Lumberjack was the best of times for me. I had a great time racing on my Selma and hanging out with friends before and after. The worst of times came at miles 70-85, where I had a really big leg explosion/bonk. But oh well. I still finished the race with no regrets. Of course now that two days have passed I have a few woulda, coulda, shoulda's, but I have those even when I win :-)

The only thing that I wish I could have changed differently before the race was me, myself and I. This whole season has been great so far, and I've done a really great job of not getting worked up before races. I've noticed the more relaxed I am, the better I do.

That changed the week before Lumberjack. Maybe it was inevitable, but I got so nervous I could barely breathe. Just ask Scott, or my mechanic Ted. I will be the first to admit that I was in rare form the week leading up to the race. Yikes! I promise I DON'T go around the house wearing a heart rate monitor, but I bet my average HR was 130-plus sitting down.

Things got much better on Thursday, when Carey and Zeke pulled up to my house. I've raced against Carey many times, and she's beaten me more times then I can count. However, she's one of the first people that I always call after a race, and I know she's cheering for me just like I cheer for her. So while I wasn't jumping for joy that she was racing SS against me, I was jumping for joy that she was in Michigan and racing Lumberjack!

We talked a lot about gears the days leading up to the race, and Carey ended up racing with a 32x19, and I raced with a 32x18. At the start line I was a little worried that I was running the same gear ratio as many of the guys, but I knew that I could do it since it was the same gear ratio I ran the year before.

The entire female field was stacked, stacked, stacked this year. I knew I had stiff competition from both the gears and SS ladies. Carey is one of the strongest endurance athletes that I know, and she had been racing on her SS all season. I knew that she would be super strong and consistent, and that there would be no fading. I decided to go out hard and take a chance that I could get far enough ahead that she wouldn't catch me.

In theory, it was a good plan...
However, I couldn't go that hard at the start. It was a mile of completely flat, paved road. I watched the front of the pack fly away and tried to spin as fast as I possibly could after them. It was funny, but also NOT funny at the same time.

Finally I entered the single-track behind a train of people. Obviously I've only been working with my new coach for two weeks. I can't imagine that it's easy starting with a new athlete in the middle of the race season, but I have to say that he did a really great job of getting me to the start line. My legs felt great, especially since it was my 3rd weekend of racing in a row.

I basically rode the majority of the first lap in a huge group of people. I would try to pass when possible, but everyone was stacked up in the singletrack. The second lap went much better and I noticed that I could make almost every hill that I had to walk last year. Woo hoo! All of the workouts I did this winter with Jason paid off. That being said, I probably should have gotten off of my bike and run a few of them. I was under the mind set that staying on the bike is always better, but it took EVERYTHING I HAD to get up a few of the hills. I pretty much blew my legs up.

It felt really, really hot towards the end of the 2nd lap and a few guys who passed me mentioned that there was a SS'er not that far back. Darn! I tried to downshift, realized that I couldn't, and the rest was history. My legs exploded, I bonked at the same time, and Carey caught me like I wasn't moving at mile 70. Even though I was NOT HAPPY with being caught, I'm glad that she had a good race. Hopefully I can get her and Zeke to come back next year.

I had a rough time from miles 70-85. Not only was my last lap 7 minutes slower then the first two, but I felt like I was riding sideways instead of straight. I drank my entire hydrapak, ate a few gels, and eventually started to feel better towards the end of the race. Phew.

Here is a picture of our SS podium. Even with the leg explosion/bonk I still had my fastest year yet with a time of 8:22:22.

Congrats to Carey on a great race. And I have to send out a huge congrats to my 8 hours of Cannonsburg teammate, SS Danielle #1. She rounded out our podium and pushed a 32x17. Yowch!

Next up...a rest week. Then it's back to training for me!

Hello internet...welcome back!

I can't believe it's been almost a week since my last post. This time? Totally not my fault. AT&T has been upgrading "stuff" in our neighborhood and as a result we've been living in the dark ages. I felt like I was being held hostage in my house all day, waiting for different workers to arrive. Let's just say that after today I feel like I know most of the AT&T staff.

Instead of facebook I started reading an actual book. I had almost forgotten how much I like to read :-)

So let's see...what have I been up to since my last post? Well, in my last post I mentioned that I was doing my first duo race. It seems so long ago now to post up an actual race recap but let me just say this. It was a total blast. I had so much fun and couldn't have asked for a better teammate then Danielle #1. She was incredibly strong and really fun to race with.

My new coach told me not to kill myself during the race. I'm still alive, but I did have to push a little harder then I wanted to on a few of the climbs. We had to end each lap by climbing half-way up the ski hill and I was almost at a complete stand still at the top. Ouch! Danielle #1 was pushing a harder gear then me, and to this day I don't know how she managed to get up the hill. I predict a great Lumberjack race for her!

We were the only females racing in the duo elite category and I'm proud to say that we got 3rd place (out of 3 teams).

Have you ever seen a more pro podium picture? Neither have I!

Both Danielle #1 and I were putting out really consistent lap times and I couldn't be more proud of us. I always wondered what it would be like to race on a team, and it was really nice to come around the corner and see my teammate waiting. That being said, I still have a lot to learn. Towards the end our lap times were only about 30 minutes long and I was eating an entire meal in between. Probably not necessary!!!

The rest of my week was really busy. Long days at work and all of my spare time was spent with my middle sister who was visiting from L.A.

Which brings me to this weekend..

Lumberjack weekend.

Yikes!

Ready...set....

I'm racing duo tomorrow @ the 8 hours of Cannonsburg with my friend Danielle from the Ada Bike Shop.

Initially I didn't think it was going to work out because she couldn't find anyone to cover her work shift. But we sorted things out tonight. All we need now is a name for our team!

Danielle has to work in the morning and won't arrive until noon, so I'm covering the first two hours. We are planning on meeting up in the transition area when she arrives, so hopefully I come through at the right time!

I've never raced duo before, but I think Danielle is going to be an awesome teammate for it. Let's see...her name is Danielle, and she races on a Salsa SS. Naturally I think she's really cool :-)

Hanson Hills race report

Scott, our friend Shawn and I drove up to Hanson Hills the day of the race. It meant for an early morning, but I was able to sleep the whole way up (like usual!)

Lining up....
We started with the elite men, and the first mile or so was completely flat with a sand pit or two. Very Lumberjack like. I had to spin my brains out but managed to stay with the lead women. It was painful, but NOT as painful as the intervals Andy had me doing earlier in the week. Instead of going into shock my lungs were like, "ok, we can do this!"

A few miles in I decided to go for it. The climbs weren't long, but a few were pretty steep. I had to mash my brains out to get to the top.

I felt tired during the 2nd lap, but started to feel better during the 3rd. Probably because I knew the finish line was in sight. I think that I went out pretty hard and need to work on being able to hold that pace. I have a feeling more hard intervals will be in the near future!

Yeah!
Now I'm headed off to Chicago to pick up my middle sister from the airport. It's 4 a.m. and lots of coffee is in order!

Hanson Hills XC short update

I'm pretty sure I'm not the first person to climb up on this thing...

Yesterday's race went really well. I raced my Selma and took the W! My legs were cooked after 30 miles though...it's hard to imagine that in 2 weeks I'll still have 70 more to go.

Race report coming up tonight!

I hope my legs cooperate tomorrow!

So, I officially survived my first week of training under my new coach.

I first started hearing about Andy and his wife Cara a long time ago, back when my friend Bonnie and I went down South for our mini-winter training camp. Over the last couple of years I've gotten to know them better and really like both of them. Needless to say I'm really excited for the rest of the summer.

So, back to my workouts. On Thursday I had to do race start simulations and I can honestly say that my "pretend" race starts were faster then any actual race start I've ever done. When I came home I was telling Scott about how Andy had me standing during my first 15 seconds, and Scott was like, "well you were sprinting...of course you are going to stand." Hmmmm...apparently my husband has never seen me sprint before :-)

Anyways, the workout was awesome and I was feeling totally cocky during the first interval, because I was flying past roadies on my mountain bike. Second interval? Not so cocky...but much more pukey. Third interval? Total leg explosion. And then on my way home I got passed by a guy wearing khakis. It was total payback for feeling so cocky during my first interval :-)

Which brings me to today. I think my legs are still sore from Thursday's workout. I keep telling Scott that I need to be excused from all housework and he keeps pointing out that I never clean anyways. He has a point, ha ha. Tomorrow I'm taking my Selma to race at Hanson Hills. This is race #6 for me but my first XC race of the season. This race is totally for training and all I care about is getting a really hard workout in. And I'm testing out my Lumberjack gearing. It's been years since I've raced on this course but I think I remember the start being a climb that turns pretty steep towards the end. Let's hope that I don't have to get off of my bike during the first couple minutes of the race!!!