Mudholland cross

I was going to post this earlier but I was too busy hanging out in the Federal building for jury duty. And they DO NOT let you play around on your computer or phone when you are in the courtroom...for obvious reasons :-) I never got picked for voir dire (just a little term I learned yesterday while sitting in the courtroom for endless hours) and I am very OK with that. The case was estimated to last 10 days and I DEFINITELY prefer to NOT sit in a courtroom for 10 days.

Two things that I took away from it all?

1. Never drink a venti Americano right before going into court unless you are 100% certain that the judge is going to break a lot.

2. Avoid getting in situations where you might have to go to court and have a jury decide your fate. Trust me, there were some very angry jurors there yesterday. It was kind of scary. Especially since a few of the jurors picked said (after moments of silence and sighing) that they "thought" that they could give the defendant a fair trial. I wanted to stand up and be like, "excuse me, you think you can give a fair trial or you KNOW you can?" It seemed like an important difference to me but what do I know???

Anyways, back to cross.

When my friend Kim Thomas (cyclocross extraordinaire) asked me to move up to the A's (against the elite/expert men) with her I was 100% positive that she wanted me to move up so that she could kick my butt. And that's exactly what happened!!!

I was really, really tired going into the race from the last couple weeks of training/work and could tell instantly that my legs had nothing in them. Oh well. There were huge mud pits that seemed to require several minutes to get through. The difference in technique between Kim and I while going through the mud was huge. Kim would dismount, shoulder her bike and run. I am so freaking stubborn that I kept trying to ride though the pit every single time. Each time I was convinced that I would find a magic line in the mud...not so much. I would make it half-way then come to a complete stop, almost fall off of my bike, and then have to push it to the other side.

My legs had absolutely nothing in them the entire race but I did get a really good workout in. Which was what my coach wanted me to do.

Here are some lovely pictures from the cross race....

BEFORE:

AFTER:

MORE AFTER:
Talk about a mess. I had to leave immediately after the race to get back home (it's about a 40 minute drive) so that I could get ready for work. There was no place to wash off bikes so I had to throw it in my car and actually drove home wearing my muddy kit.

It felt GREAT....not!

Next up? Some recovery time. This week is a pretty easy week and it's definitely needed so that I can start training hard all over again. I'm still on call for jury duty for another week and the jury administrator warned us that there was one more case in the dock before the holidays. However she also said that it probably wouldn't happen. Which means with my luck the case WILL happen and I'll get picked :-)

Let's hope not!

Sore all over

I'm back to off-season training which means strength intervals on the trainer, endurance rides outside (I've been lucking out with the weather so far), and strength training with Jason. I'm really glad my coach made me take a few mandatory rest weeks after Nationals because now I'm really excited about training for next year. I'm still not 100% what races I'm doing next year but I'm training for something...and having fun doing it.

I'm definitely stronger (biking and strength training) then I was last year, so I'm excited to see what I can do this winter. Last year I couldn't do a push-up and by the end of winter I could do 4 in a row. That may not sound like much but keep in mind that my arms would collapse while I was just in the push-up position at the start of winter. This year my goal is to do a real, bona fide chin-up. When I first started training with Jason I could only hang from the bar, but now there's a bit of movement. There may be hope for me yet :-)

This weekend is the last kisscross race of the year. I've gotten peer pressured into racing with the A's, which is the expert/elite men. It's probably not going to be pretty. First of all, my cross skills are non-existent, and right now I'm sore all over from strength training. Not to mention the race is an hour long. I know it probably sounds ridiculous to be worried about an hour race when I prefer endurance races but it's all relative. When I'm doing a 45 minute cross race it seems like it's the longest race in the world!

I'm just not going to think about it right now...otherwise I'll get nervous!

Taking the long way home...

I lucked out yesterday. It's not very often that we get 60 degree days in November and I took full advantage of it with a 60 mile ride. My coach had me scheduled to do a 40 minute tempo interval with a lower cadence during my ride, so I got that out of the way first. Half-way through my interval two roadies turned in front of me, and I was going fast enough that I caught up to them. I felt like a moron passing them because my legs were going in slooooow motion with such a low cadence. And then I felt like an even bigger moron because I wasn't going fast enough to drop them.

As a result they finished my interval with me. One of the guys was on a carbon TT bike, and we were doing that "wheel to wheel" thing where each rider keeps going faster and faster. I hate that but at the same time I could not slow down. At one point I looked down and was pushing 100-150 more watts then what I was supposed to. Needless to say the end of my interval was a lot stronger then the beginning :-) Finally I announced that my coach wanted me to rest, and shot off the back. Once I was by myself I was able to ride at a much more enjoyable endurance pace.

Happy to be riding in awesome weather...
It felt slightly surreal to have such warm temps when all the trees are completely bare. Winter is definitely coming but I hope it holds off for a little bit longer....

More mud...

Another weekend cross race = more mud!

So far the weather has been pretty great for November. I think it's because I'm building up a Mukluk. Since I want it to snow, the weather is staying nice. Either way I have no complaints. Scott and I went for a 3 hour mountain bike ride on Saturday and then I raced Kisscross on Sunday. And there was no need for layers....

My cross race went pretty well, minus the fact that I got off my bike before the finish line. As I was getting close someone yelled "that's it!" and I took those words literally. I completely came to a standstill and got off my bike before I realized that I still had one more set of barriers to go over. I think I would have made the top 10 overall, but a few guys passed me when I got off my bike.

After the race I had some lunch and then got very, very sleepy. I had made plans to join friends for the dirty herd run (a weekly group that runs trails) so I forced myself back off the couch and threw on some running shoes. I'm glad that I went. I'm starting to run during the off-season and running trail is WAY more fun then the road.

I was going to go into a very long post about how I wore the wrong shoes but I'm skipping all that. The good news is that my feet and ankles survived. Now it's time to ride. Not only did I get out of work early, but it's 60 degrees (in NOVEMBER) and my bike is by the door. I'm outta here!

The Iceman Cometh-race report

Well another Iceman has cometh and wenteth. I've lost count to how many Iceman races I've competed in but I've been doing it since I started racing a bike. So this was probably my 8th or 9th Iceman. I didn't have much time to ramp up for this race after taking some time off from Nationals but I still had a few goals for the race. Race my SS, win, and have fun :-)

Scott and I drove up to Traverse City Friday afternoon with his teammate Steve. We pre-rode the end of the course (where most of the hills exist) and then registered at the expo. After that it was time for dinner at a new Mexican restaurant and then bed.

It was cold in the morning and I basically put on every layer that I had for the drive over to Kalkaska (where the race started). My coach wanted me to try and get a longer warm-up in and I failed miserably at this. Mostly because I was being a wimp and wanted to stay in the car with the heater blasting. Finally I got out and started riding my bike around. Brrrr....

The start area was slightly insane because there were so many racers but it was also really organized. Everyone is assigned a wave based on last years finishing time, which means you don't really know who you are racing against. It's basically a time trial to the finish, not something I am particularly good at doing. I headed over to my wave (#6) which was scheduled to take off at 9:15.

At 9:00 a.m. I glanced down at my bike and noticed that my number plate wasn't attached. Scott had taken my bike out of the car and I assumed he had put my plate on. I have a few things to say about this. First and foremost, the fact that I even noticed the missing number plate is pretty darn impressive. I'm always so nervous before a race I have a hard time finding the start area. Second of all, the fact that my number plate wasn't attached was totally MY fault even though I was blaming Scott at the time. I should have checked!

Scott was milling about somewhere in the crowd so I rushed back to the truck. Locked...CRAP. It was 9:03 and I started to sprint around looking for him. The timing chip was attached to the number plate so I needed it on my bike to get a time and not be disqualified. 9:06...total panic mode!!! 9:10....agggghhhhhh! With 5 minutes to go I found Scott, we rushed to the truck and threw my number plate on. Holy moly, talk about a high heart rate. I think I inadvertently got the warm-up my coach wanted.

I didn't have to wait long at the start line before we were off. The moment we started pedaling I realized that I was completely under-geared. I chose to run a 32x17 and it was a bad decision. BAD, BAD, BAD!!! The course was way flatter then I remembered it and I spent the majority of the race spinning my brains out. My legs felt like they were going to explode. Not because I was red-lined but because I was trying to spin so-freaking-fast. I was actually relieved when I reached the hills at the end and normally I don't feel that way!

I finished with a time of 2:06, good for first place. I never got that "wasted" feeling you get when you leave it all on the course though, and I kind of like that feeling. Instead I felt like I did an endurance ride with about 4,000 of my friends :-)

At the finish line....
It ended up being a beautiful day and after grabbing a bite to eat I changed clothes and hopped back on my bike. Scott loaded up my messenger bag with beer and we rode over to Williamsburg road to watch the pro's come racing through. It was an awesome day...


We woke up early Sunday and I have to say it was the best I've ever felt after an Iceman. I think it was due partly to the fact that I was under-geared during the race but mostly due to the fact that I skipped the after-parties and went to bed!

Later in the day at home we went for a bike ride. Temps were in the low-60's and I was able to ride with just a jersey and shorts on.

Scott took me down by the river and I have to admit I was suffering from Mukluk envy...
Finally I got a turn. So. Much. Fun. I can't wait to build one up!!!!
And speaking of Mukluk's....get ready for the farmer's-fat-bike-race!!!!

Back to reality...

What a difference a week makes. Last week was ladies night and Iceman. In other words, lots of fun. But it all came to a grinding halt yesterday when I left work and saw that it was already dark outside. This is the time of year that is always hardest for me to adjust to.

And speaking of work, I need to get out the door now. It's amazing how time flies when you are drinking coffee :-)

Iceman report coming up tonight!

Too much fun in Two days

This past Tuesday and Wednesday were so much fun I'm not even sure where to begin...

Late last week I received an email from my sponsors telling me that they were going to be flying into town for Ladies night at the Ada Bike Shop. I spent the weekend in an excited haze trying to clean my house (I tend to leave a lot of piles all over the place) and coaching not-so-little Ben. Ben LOVES everybody and get's really excited when we have visitors. And when he gets excited he likes to do things...like chew on my converse tennis shoes. Or run around with my sports bra in his mouth. And then there was that time that I caught him licking the chamois of my cycling shorts after I did a long ride. Sweet.

Needless to say he received much coaching about NOT chewing my sponsors shoes....

Tuesday arrived before I knew it and I woke up really early. I had a lot going on. Not only was I speaking at ladies night but I was also scheduled to do a short interview on the radio. Talk about nerve wrecking. The radio interview was scheduled for 9:45 a.m. and I was completely calm about it until 9:30. Then the nervousness kicked in and by 9:45 my heart was beating so fast I felt like it was in my mouth. I absolutely can't stand the way my voice sounds so it's hard to listen to but here is a link to the interview. And btw...when I refer to Mackenzie as a driver I really meant pilot. I'm sure everyone listening imagined Mackenzie driving her tandem partner around in a car. Whoops!!!

The rest of the morning flew by and then it was time to meet up with Mike and Kelly from Salsa! I was really excited to see them and show them around. After a quick lunch it was time to get ready for Ladies Night!!!

Everyone at the Ada Bike Shop worked really hard to ensure that the event would be a success and it definitely paid off. There was a huge turnout and the vibe was amazing. I wish I could bottle the feeling I had of being around so many great people. Having my Salsa sponsors come to the event made it extra special for me. It's really great to ride for a company that not only makes such awesome bikes, but also supports female cyclists.

Mike gave such a great speech that I almost felt like I didn't need to get on the podium :-)

I'll be the first to admit that I was really, REALLY nervous to speak. It was nice sharing the podium with Mackenzie though, and once I looked into the crowd of all of my friends I felt much more comfortable.

And then it was time to eat, drink and be merry! I've been wanting a Fidel Cap from Salsa forever....
Every time I looked around there seemed to be another friend wearing the cap...
I'm not sure what the final tally of ladies night was, but at one point there were about 80 awesome females under the same roof. Pretty cool if you ask me.

I had plans to take Mike and Kelly to ride at Luton Park on Wednesday and was relieved to wake up to sunny skies. This time of year you never know. On our way to the trail we had to drop Ben off to the dog sitter since we were going to be gone for most of the day. Ben was sitting in the back seat of the truck with Kelly and I think it was more excitement then he could handle. The little guy "let one out" and it was completely toxic. All I have to say is POOR Kelly because she bore the brunt of it all. We had to drive with all the windows down and Ben might NOT be getting an invitation to visit QBP anytime soon :-)

The rest of the day was perfect. I mean, how could it not be? I got to ride with my sponsors on fun trail in perfect weather. If only I could do that every day. After taking lots of pictures we had a late lunch and then I did a short interview. I went into the interview pretty confident that I would be able to speak coherently but au contraire. It was one blooper after blooper after blooper. I even messed up answering where I was from. How is that even possible??? I think I'm going to have to fly out to visit the Salsa gang for a retry. Maybe I can even bring Ben.

And speaking of Ben...he had a good day hanging out with the dog sitter and playing. Naomi (our greyhound) is much to dignified to roll around in the dirt, so Ben was in his element while playing with his pal Stuart.

Stuart on top....
Then it was Ben's turn....And a quick break for water!
I can't believe that tomorrow is already Friday. These last couple of days were so busy that I've hardly been thinking about the upcoming weekend. Tomorrow I'm going to pack in the morning and then we are heading up to Traverse City in the late afternoon.

It's Iceman time...ready or not I'm racing!