Wednesday, August 31, 2005

ahhhh it feels so good to be home again

traveling across the west coast really makes you appreciate how lucky we are to live in Seattle. The air in California is terrible - they call it "the marine layer" - aka smog. Blah! Not that we don't have any up here - but at least it doesn't discolor the view that much!

I got some excellent fun rides in while in Santa Barbara/ Ventura area. I think I balanced it enough compared to my calorie intake - which was quite high from eatting out at every meal. I drove up from Brownsville this morning - and am awaiting Ryan to get home so I can jump his bones. :O)

Saturday, August 27, 2005

Quit SPAMMING ME!

Dude - unless you have something related to cycling or a bike - please do not post a comment on my blog. I do not appreciate it. I would hate to have to recreate my blog because some jack asses decided they could randomly post to my site.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

ventura vaca

Went on a nice fun ride today into the hills. I managed to get a nice biker's tan - Amara would be so proud.

We're moving Marcy's crap out and cleaning her place - I'm glad I brought the bike so I can escape for a couple of hours. It feels good to move the legs!

Sunday, August 21, 2005

looking forward to

taking a week off. I put more miles in this week then ever before - on top of racing - a mere 185 miles! The last time I put in that many miles was back in April. Crazy. No wonder I'm getting tired. It feels good - and I feel stronger than ever before. I want to keel off a little bit now before I burn out... it's been a nice long season! Time for some rock climbing!

Oh - check the photo out Diana took - I laughed my ass off.
http://wheelsinfocus.com/img_5308ccr.jpg

Hahaha

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Crushin' Carnation

Amara and I had an excellent race this morning. During the intermediate sprint she lead me out for the points and then I tried to return the favor in the last 300m. It ended up being enough to out sprint Mindy and Amara got the field sprint. Unfortunately Lisa Dunnwald had a break away from the pack with three laps to go and time trialed to win the race. I'm still working on figuring out how to win the intermediate sprint and the win - I think I need to rest a little more between efforts. One thing I keep forgetting is to refuel on the bike. Luckily Amara told me to eat to recharge shortly after the int. sprint. It did wonders for my energy level again.

We are working really well together - it rules. I have a feeling she and I are going to be an unstoppable force in the peloton. Excellent.

Friday, August 19, 2005

summer time

Now that we're back and there isn't a big pressing race coming up - it feels like I can finally start enjoying summer again. Not that I wasn't before - but it seems like now I can do rec rides verses training rides and enjoy the view vs. the journey.

Leif and I went for a nice ride yesterday - I noticed my fitness is pretty high - it was easy to maintain 19-20 mph in zone 1. I swear I came back from LA in better fitness than before - it feels fantastic. My clothes barely fit anymore - a great excuse to get a new wardrobe.

Ryan redpointed Black Ice last night! That's HUGE!!! He now has a 13 c under his belt.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

back into the marymoore mode

last night we had some roadies show up and work out at the track. their handling skills are amazing - and I saw mary try to stop pedaling only once. we laughed about it later. :0)

On another note, apparently the fours have had quite a few complaints about us 3's coming to the Wednesday session and cleaning up. It discourages the new 4s from graduating from the Monday nights and racing with us big girls. Now we only have the option of racing Master B's and then just sit in with the women to coach them. This sounds like a very viable option and should encourage more women to move up into the Wednesday night racing.

The legs are feeling strong but a little fatigued. I'm looking forward to a nice mellow road ride this afternoon.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

What a week!

It feels good to be home - sleeping in our own bed and relaxing. The air is so much cleaner up here. I am stoked about my experiences down in LA though - what an amazing time. I can't believe it's over just like that!

I am looking forward to relaxing just a little and then increasing my fitness again. I'm looking at my bike right now - thinking, sorry. You're going to get beat down just a little bit more this season.

I'm still formulating a trip report from this week - I will probably post it later. Till then - ciao.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

anticipation

t minus 5 hours till blast off in the scratch final with the nations best female riders. I am excited, nervous, antsy, anxious, and happy to get it started. I've been building toward this moment for several months now - and am tickled to get started with my national pursuit of track. Amara unfortunately didn't make the sprint finals - but I am glad I didn't go through with the qualifier to burn myself for the endurance events.

I think our scratch race is going to be fast and furious at times with some nice breaks in between. I'm hoping to chase and insitgate some breaks - keeping in mind not to chase down teammates. Amara and I should do well - I just hope her head will be in the right spot to compete. I am really excited for the race. More later.

Saturday, August 06, 2005

fast like cheetah

Alynda said to me last night, "Either I've gotten slower or you have suddenly gotten much faster." I had an amazing finish to a 8 lap scratch race - smoking by the competition and beginning my sprint from corner two. By the time I pulled through the finish line I had 10 bike lengths between me and second place. It was exhilerating.

Then came the Miss N' Out - I can say that I learned alot from Alpenrose. Never ever ever get stuck down in the sprinters lane unless you are the first in line. Otherwise you will be pinched out everytime. I managed to stay up high and draft once we pulled through the finish line to conserve energy for the over the top move. Kit was trying hard to flick and hook Amara and I - as though she had decided to ban against us from the start. Thankfully it didn't work - although there was one occassion when she crossed wheels with Amara and I was so happy that a collusion didn't occur. Taylor, Emily and I duked it out the final lap - I was in front for the neutral and then we had one to go. Taylor drafted behind me, I made a move in corner two and she managed to stay on my wheel and pull around me last minute. Originally they called it for me - and then they reversed their decision and called it for Taylor. It was a tough call. Amara said when someone comes over the top and it's a photo finish they will typically call it for the higher person. lame! It was a great race.

Then lastly we did a 5 mile scratch race. The pace was fast - Teresa had an excellent break away and managed to hold it for the win. I burnt my matches up when we couldn't catch her and I ended up pulling for dear life to catch her. Deb sat on my wheel like a fly on paper - and wouldn't pull. Come to find out later that was her intent the entire time. Some people said they had a hard time staying in the paceline. I was getting frustrated because it seemed no one was willing to do hard efforts to pull her back. I learned I need to distribute the work more and pull 1/4 laps. It was a good way to end the night - I'm actually pretty dang thankful the last one was challenging - because you only learn when you're challenged.

On another note - Dianna Boursaw spoke with Stan Gregg about getting on the Gregg's team. So I spoke with Stan and he insisted that I not be pulled away from my current team - to which I said, don't worry I came to this decision quite some time ago. Plus our team is not a track team or supportive of the track discipline. I suppose I could have worn a different jersey all this time... oh well. He and I are supposed to meet tomorrow to see about additional jerseys to wear down at Nationals and also about my future with the team. I'm looking forward to that conversation.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

smiling with my eyes

Last night Tim paid me a HUGE compliment - he said I had the most beautiful eyes he has ever seen. And that when I smile, I do it with my eyes. I blushed. What an amazing compliment.

The planets are aligning again. I am really looking forward to next week. It has been on my mind 24/7. I had another dream last night of spinning my legs faster than anyone else. I am dumbfounded by how successful I have been this year. It's really been amazing - and beyond normal. I can't explain it. The best part? There are so many people around me who are supportive and caring and genuinely want to see me succeed in so many ways. That puts a huge smile on my face. And enjoying and loving what you are doing makes the task that much more enjoyable. Who would have thought cycling was going to be it? Wasn't I the girl who during college told Ryan that my butt was just not meant to be on a bike? Well I've proven that wrong. What I should have said and really meant was that my butt was not meant to be on a bike at the time. I need to matured a little more - learn some life lessons and prepare myself for the quest to my dreams. I am headed there now - it's thrilling.

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

championship dreams

Last night I dreamt I won the 500m TT. I thought to myself, shoot - I don't need to compete in any other events. I just won a championship! How cool would that be?

Meanwhile I've been visualizing the win for several days now. I am getting super excited for the race - and despite my anxiety - I'm still sleeping really well. cool.

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

recovery ez days

I've taken the last two days off the bike - with just minimal exercise (yoga last night, climbing the day before). Today is a massage - and tomorrow a pedicure. Just what I need - a little relaxation time. I had a talk with Joyce via email regarding entry fee reimbursement and will receive $38 back. I told her I was disappointed with the return and asked which races were covered. I also mentioned that it would have been nice to know what might be covered with the budget before the season to avoid playing the guessing game. Then I asked why track, mountain biking and cross weren't included in the program because you could attract a larger audience that way. I mentioned Evening Magazine coming out to the track - which our sponsors would love to be a part of. That's all I said - somewhat of a pot turner but not really. That will be the last communication I send to her - ever. She said thanks for the feedback - call me when you get the check. Cha right and monkies will fly out of my butt!

Meanwhile the weather has been stunning - and our dandelions are growing to new heights. I must put this computer down and go wack their little heads off! Tootles.