Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Ahhhhh... isn't that cute!

Poppa George with the newest addtion.




Coleman's loving his new baby sister up.

Monday, January 29, 2007

It's a GIRL!

Please give a warm welcome to the newly delivered Laurel Elena Sutton born this morning at 7:45am, weighing in at 9 pounds 1 ounce. I'm an aunt!!! Again!!!!

We head down south on Friday. Yahoooooo!!!

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Sweet! (As I pump my fist in the air)

My neighbors connection is back up and running tonight. That means I don't have to keep checking every hour to see if it's running or not. Yes, I fully admit I have a problem. And not having Internet all weekend? It made me feel helpless.

Went out to the peninsula this weekend with the TiLadies. We had a mini training camp which composed of one seriously long ass hilly ride around Mason Lake and part of the TST course. It was nice to do those hills again. They are long and steep - and a perfect reminder that I need to be able to put out some serious sustained power to make it up in one piece. 85 miles was good - but every muscle in the body started hurting for the last 12 miles. It was good to get some new terrain and mileage in - not to mention so team bonding.

Ryan headed to Whistler for the weekend. He said Jesse got so wasted he passed out on the dance floor. Crazy kid. His little sis Molly went with in my place and I'm sure they had a blast. I can't wait to hear their stories.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Our pirated connection at home came to an end - and now I can't blog as much. Bummer. Suddenly it's Thursday and I haven't posted since Monday - whoa! Where does the time go?

I'm finally feeling better. YEAH! But poor Melinda is sick sick sick. I wish her a speedy recovery.

Let's see.... what's happening...... went to my first MVA Board meeting last night. It was good - they definitely need an active board. It'll be fun to contribute my efforts.

Tuesday night was great - went out with TGH and did some hills. I almost missed their departure but flagged them down at the last minute. We went up the shallow side of Cougar, then Tiger and finally back up Newport. Tiger was amazing - the road was lined with tall firs and the stars were out in full effect. It was mystical. We managed to get 4 flats that night - Izette had three! She and I both hit the same hidden pot hole - she double flatted and I got a rear flat. Some fireman pulled over and shined his lights so we could see - what a guy. We were all pooped by the time we got back to the car. Let the final building toward race season begin!

I ran into my dear friend Marika this morning at PCC. It was so good to see her! Dana is getting HUGE! Her first birthday is April 8. She'll be walking in no time.

My mom went down to Oregon because Jaimie was having labor pains and is due 1/29. She jumped the gun a little - the little one hasn't arrived yet. :)


That's all to report for now - time to go ride. Later, Jen

Monday, January 22, 2007

I woke up dreaming about the world cup. I imagined being there and feeling the excitement - and anxiety of competing at that level. And all this time while I was sick, I should of been working on my mental training. Once I came to - I picked up my Tao Sports book and read some chapters for inspiration and insight.

Often I've thought back to Nationals about the move I missed, the opportunity forgone, etc etc. The following excerpt really hit a chord...

"You can focus on that backhand volley you missed, on the strike you looked at, on the pass you dropped in the end zone, on the shot you blew at the buzzer, on your failure to surge the last two hundred meters of the race, on the putt you almost made. You can focus on th past and upcoming problems forever. But this will only put pressure on you and impede your concentration on the next move, play, or shot you make. The only way to make something positive happen is to focus on the present moment."

(Taken from Thinking Body, Dancing Mind by Huang and Lynch)

You have control over the here and now - and making the most of what you've got will make all the difference in the world. And don't forget to smile and make it look easy. :)

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Wow

Sarah Hammer is my hero.

Points race champion and soon to be pursuit dominator.

It kept me glued to my saddle for 4.5 hours today and excited about getting back on tomorrow.

GO SARAH, GO!!!

Thursday, January 18, 2007

on the ball

Valentine's day is approaching quickly... what will you do for your sweetie?

Ryan and I are headed to Laugh Lovers Ball at the Moore. Should be fun - last year we giggled the night away. Tickets are still available if you're interested... a fun night for sure.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

85%

I must be getting better. Now when I plug my nose and blow to try and ease the sinus pressure, both ears unplug. Before I couldn't even get my right ear to unclog and once I would it sent my equalibrium all out of whack. And my cough is almost gone - but I have that back-of-the-throat-dry-itch/tickle thing going on....

It is soooooo tempting to go for a ride right now. But I know I may relapse... so one more down day and I should be golden, I hope.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

bored silly

day 2 of being home... and i'm going stir crazy!!! Hopefully this is the last down day and I'll be back to normal shortly.....

Monday, January 15, 2007

All signs point to

Global Warming. It's scary, really really scary. Considering New York is typically blanketed in snow this time of year and Seattle usually dangerously close to people committing mass suicide from lack of Vitamin D. And considering our harsh storms - much harsher than I last remember them being - and no signs of this progression easing. It's scary.

If Global Warming is some term you've heard and don't know the definition of or think is some myth - then please rent "Global Warning" by Al Gore. It breaks down the evidence in undeniable facts.

Sorry for the pessimistic look on things - I stayed home today from work in attempt to kick this cold. Maybe I'm a little delirious from no exercise and too much snot - but the harsh reality of our environment is sobering and shouldn't go without mention.

In all seriousness though - I think that's what draws me to bikes. The thought of being 100% self reliant for transportation is completely appealing. It's a vicious cycle I know, considering how much fuel and energy goes into producing, shipping, assembling and maintaining my bike. But if it keeps one less car on the road and inspires one more person to ride instead of drive, well then it's a step in the right direction.

Way to go Kele!

Kele did it - she made the track talent pool mass start test time this past weekend. It puts her in the pool for world cups and participating at a higher level of racing on the track. It's a brutal test - you have to complete the first 500m in 33 seconds (from flying) and then finish the remaining 2k in 2:33. (I think, I may be off a second or two.) I tried it at Nationals and it is very painful. Kele's been training specifically for it the past couple months and all that hard work and dedication has completely paid off. Way to go!!!!

Friday, January 12, 2007

fighting

Just when I thought I was in the clear because I was being such a good girl and doing my training indoors, a stinking cold snuck up on me and bit me in the ass. Lame! It's just a chest thing - but making breathing difficult and my body feels like someone pushed the off button and I'm powering down. Bbbbbbbbeeeeeeesssssssssshhhhhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrtttttttttttttt.

But armed with a box of satsumas and enough H2O to drown a small country - I hope to kick this in the butt and feel better tomorrow!

(And here I thought this morning I was feeling great, despite waking up and not breathing right, headed to the gym and was able to do my normal exercises with such ease - there was no way I could be sick! Well now I'm paying for it.... three hours later. Time to hit up the miso soup and see if I can sweat this out sushi style.)

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Pep Talk

Just when I started to hit the panic button - Miller gave me the pep talk. The extra miles are going to put me where I need to be for the season, which hopefully will be a dominant local force. Battling the weather and putting in the serious miles will only help my game - and in the long run is what I need to do to get to where I want to be. Luckily I can take the mileage and have the opportunity to train 20+ hours a week.

But it sure is getting nasty out there.

Green

with envy. I just read Murdin's blog - sunny and 85 down in LA. While they're predicting a serious snow storm up here in the PNW. Oh well - look at the beauty we're surrounded by. But being warm through and through sounds pretty nice right about now.....

Today's a double day with serious mileage. Just got back from the gym and tonight am headed out with the TGH ladies for their weekly hill ride. I'm planning on riding out there and meeting them, doing the ride and then coming home. It should be a solid 4-5 hours on the bike. All of which is putting money into the bank for the season which is only 10 weeks away! That sure snuck up fast.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

6 Day

Just got home and put in a mammoth load of laundry. Phew - what a fun weekend!

Annette and I left Friday afternoon to get up to Burnaby and find about 6" of snow on the ground and covering the driveway up to the dome. Our little Golf rallied it - and we made it up and unloaded the car. I decided to park across the street so I could get out later and ended up walking through a puddle about 8" deep. Needless to say my shoes have been wet all weekend and now stink.

Our first race, and only race as it would turn out, was the Kierin. I can safely say I am now fully over my anxiety for that race. I went in with no expectations and ended up doing much better than the previous year. I can honestly say I think it's all the mental training I've been doing lately, not to mention the mileage put in. Shortly after our race they had to evacuate the building for fear of the dome caving in. Bummer! So we went to this really cool locals hang out with the Fast Twitch team and Gina Grain. I stayed the weekend with Glenn and Danielle not too far from the track.

I spent ALL day Saturday at the track. It got a little old. Poor Ryan - I can only imagine what he goes through sitting there and watching it without participating. I'm still working on him to get him in there. He'd be super good, I'm sure. My bike was locked up with Kenny and Annette's and they ended up coming much later in the day so I ended up borrowing a rental to ride with the novice women and get some spinning in. It was fun to help coach them and keep the pace a little higher and make them work harder.

Later that night I attempted a 80 lap B points race - and didn't last very long. Talk about a shock to the system. I had no problem keeping up with the women's intensity - but the men proved a little too much for me right now off the couch. Gina tore it up out there - she's in prime form for the upcoming World Cup.

I ended up 3rd in the Scratch race - not too shabby and Annette was 6th. It basically came down to a final move. Fun. Then we had an elimination to a scratch race and I placed 4th, Annette 3rd. Not bad for neither one of us having any anaerobic.

The men's Madison saw some drama - with a crash involving Dan, Tyler and some Canadian Symmetrics National team member. Poor Tyler and Dan both were picking splitters out of their booties. Ouch. It's really amazing to watch the Madison and see how chaotic it looks at first and then all come together at the end. It's fantastic to watch. Kenny and Tyler did well - they may have secured 2nd overall.

Sunday morning we woke up and headed back early. I decided to save my legs for our 50 lap points race and go down a gear to an 88". I managed some points early on in the race but then kept finding myself back behind the slower people. Dang it! I need to seed back in faster. It came down to Annette fighting for 2nd so I decided to give it all I had and lead her out. It might have been a little early - but with 5 laps to go, I started winding things up with her right behind me. I remember looking down and seeing 47 kph and then once I saw it drop down to 46, I yelled GO ANNETTE, GO! She easily won the final sprint with Jenny Tru right on her wheel but unable to come around. Nice work. Annette pulled 2nd and I had enough points to place 5th. We work really well together and I look forward to racing more with her.

Oh - and one more mention. They had a couple courier races on Saturday evening - and one poor girl showed her black thong the entire 30 lap race. It was hilarious! She definitely stole the show.

Thanks to Glenn and Danielle for letting me crash at there house....

Now back to wet winter training. It was great to have a break this weekend.

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Hwy 527

Last night I rode up to Ryan's work in Mill Creek. Unfortunately I had to traverse Bothell/Everett Highway - but it had to be done.

I pulled up to one light, right before Ryan's work. I stood next to a tricked out Hummer with phatty wheels and a fatty driver. He was blaring Kube 93 - but it was during a commercial so it sounded ridiculous. I really wanted to look over at him and flip him off, just for driving that thing. But instead, I just ignored him, which apparently pissed him off more. As soon as the light turned green he burned rubber for 1,000 feet. Wow dude. You rule. You just had more jump than a cyclist. Nice work.

What compels some people to do that? I just don't get it. Next time I'm going to flip him off.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Comment away

Ok Jimmy - you're good to go on the comment scene. I originally moderated my comments because I kept getting garbage.

Linda gave me a 4 leaf clover as good luck this weekend. What a sweetie! It's awesome having such kick ass teammates.

I just pumped my track tires up - I'm getting excited. It's been three months since I touched my track bike. Whoa - time flies. She's purring though and ready to go fast. :)

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs

Had a solid week of training last week despite the weather and holidays. I was just shy of 20 hours on the bike and now am on a steady progression to build up to about 28 hours. I must be getting in decent shape because a 6 hour training ride didn't completely wreck me on Saturday.

Annette and I are headed up North on Friday for the tail end of the Burnaby 6 day. Should be fun and interesting to see if I am any faster than last year. :)

It's windy outside right now and 53. Strange, strange weather.