relaxation

yesterday I had the opportunity to go out in George's Cobalt and lounge for about 5 hours in the sun. We swam a little, watched George and Kyle get thrown around behind the boat like rag dolls (250-260 pound ragdolls!) and laughed our asses off. It was a lot of fun. Coleman is in town - the cute little terror that he is. It's been nice having them around for it helps take my mind off all seriousness. Tonight I race - and then my work load tappers off right before nationals.

Zipp Wheels

Okay - so I've been doing my research. Apparently the "deals" that I've been finding thus far on Zipp's have been rip offs. Luckily I didn't fork over any of my hard earned cash to some shmuck just waiting to prey on someone who doesn't know what they're doing. I called Zipp directly and asked them their thoughts on the matter. Specifically I was comparing a 2003 909 wheelset to the current model. I was easily convinced to go with this year's technology - dimples, hubs, weight, etc. No brainer. Unless the older 2003 version was a screaming deal - say around 600-800 bucks then no way.

So I'm in the market for the brand new super duper fastest wheel on the market. Speedy Reedy has it in stock right now - but at full retail. Recycled Cycles can order it and have it here in about 5 days - with a 20% discount. That seems the safer bet - except they would not give me a solid answer of when it would be coming in. I'd much rather compromise and pay between that price with Second Ascent - but they have not gotten back to me. Time is only ticking away.

coming to a head

I got a phone call this morning from Jill. She was pretty distraught and confronted me about some rumors she heard from people. The first one was that the team was disbanding and the second was that I was going to form my own team. She said she was hurt that I didn't bring this up to her first. I admitted that I have toyed with the idea of starting a team because I am not sure if any of the current teams would jive with what I'm attempting to do. I told her that unless the leadership changes on Starbucks then unfortunately I cannot be a part of it. The way I've been treated and ostrasized from the get go has been frustrating and no way would I subject myself to another year of that.

I am not sure if I'm ready for the commitment of forming another women's team. It would be great - and successful for sure. But in no way would I try to disband Starbucks. If some people choose to do their own thing as a result of me leaving then that's their perogative. I am not trying to persuade anyone.

Ie crumba. Actually in some way it seems like a weight has lifted off of my shoulders.

fatigued

I had a nice and relaxing day yesterday - although my body is still fatigued from last week. I should have just rested all day - but I had some errands to run. My energy levels feel pretty low - I think that time of the month is just around the corner. My mom and I are traveling down to LA at the end of August to pack up my little sister and help her move back to Seattle. I'm looking forward to a nice break.

2nd ascent mentioned sponsoring a women's team again - I just need to get in there and talk with greg the owner about what that will entail. hopefully jill will be up for that.

Friday Fun

Last night was a great workout. Annette joined the women's field and dominated. It was good to race against her and push it up a level. I burned some serious matches during the win n out - coming second three times in a row. But then I made a clutch move for the 6pts in a snowball and it placed me second for that race. Lastly Christine Huber and I had a break away from the rest of the pack for the final points and primes - it was great. That put me in second overall for points. Excellent.

Oh and I found a zipp dimpled 900 series disc for $940. Nice.

best comfort food EVER

well jill did show up - albeit a little late. we cruised down to seward at a crawl - love those zone 1 rides. - and ran into melinda. we convinced her to join us for dinner at Blue water bistro. Ryan recommended the dungeness crab mac n cheese - and it was the BEST mac n cheese EVER. There's nothing like butter, crab and cheese. I must replicate that recipe!

Looking forward to some serious racing tonight. Friday night races are the best!!

thursday thriller

Here I sit waiting for Jill to show up at Gasworks. I sat down there for about 25 minutes and realized we're on Jill time... I hope she's okay and didn't get into an accident.

Training this morning took a lot out of my legs. I didn't realize it would until this afternoon when I went to pedal on my road bike. Then BAM it hit me. They are fatigued. They should be golden for tomorrow night though. At least that's what I hope.

Training wise - it's going well. I like doing double days actually. The week cruises by that way. My starts are coming -they just need more and more practice. It seems like they're 50/50 right now. The one's that do go well are great - the other ones not so much. Where is JILL?!!

Checking in

Rested the past couple of days. Only got on the bike to commute to work. Last night I went to the women's clinic for a nice mellow workout - did some jumps in a 49 x 16 and spun my legs out. They definitely had some efforts thrown at them this weekend.

This morning I woke up early and beat traffic to the Eastside. I warmed up with 25 laps at 85% heart rate effort and then did 4 x 1k flys with 49 x 16 and three laps between (about a 3-4 minute recovery). They were difficult to maintain a fast pace for the entire effort - but I did my best to maintain a zone 4 and not cross into the zone 5 upper threshold. I'm not sure if anyone will be at the track in the next hour - but I will give it a go and spin for about an hour. I'm supposed to sit in on Madison practice but I don't think anyone will be there.

On the Starbucks front - I'm not sure what's going to happen. Joyce has been incommunicato and Rachel is sending out team emails again. I would rather not even participate in emails - it has left such a bitter taste in my mouth. The moment I start thinking about responding my stress shoulder starts flaring up again so I'd rather not go there. I mentioned troubles in paradise to Kelly last night - she said she knew Joyce was psycho through the community but hasn't experienced it first hand. Melinda and Cindy had some wine the other night and got to talking and are ready to realistically form our own team if need be. Kick psycho off and a lot of our issues would go away. Again - I've already given this far too much thought than what it's worth.

On a side note - today's my mom's birthday. We're talking her out to dinner and celebrating. She's such an amazing person.

fantastic weekend

wow - what a great experience this past weekend was. Talk about some competition and seeing how it's done. I was a little intimidated I must admit - and crashing might have taken some of my drive out of my legs. Being on a new track that was much steeper was challenging too - but boy am I stoked that I had that experience. I learned a lot and look forward to applying my skills to upcoming competitions - not to mention Nationals.

During the Miss N Out - I should have been higher for the up and over approach. Instead I was almost pinched out several times from the field. Ryan was yelling this at me - and before it could register I was caught in the crash. Somethings just can't be avoided.

During the 500m TT - I wasn't prepared for the G forces and pull that going that fast on such a steep track would do. I may have been able to decrease my time. I used a 48 x 15 gear - it worked well. My time was 41:21 which was faster than the Nat Qualifier - and it is said Alpenrose is a slower track. Thanks to Alynda for helping me with my start! I placed 7th in that line up of 19 women.

During the Keirin - I needed more experience with jockeying for position. When the girls attacked I should have gone right after them. I know I have more sprinting ability than the little ones - but just didn't do well from lack of experience. I look forward to practicing this more.

The 200m flier went well - I borrowed Emily's disc wheel and placed 13:66, with 49 x 15... seating me 5th overall. My match sprint was with Erin Mirabella and another local girl - I should have initiated my sprint sooner and dominated the race. Instead I reacted and did so too late. I lost some time in the corners b/c we were going so fast and I couldn't keep a straight line. It was close at the finish - but not close enough.

My second match sprint was with Amara, Miranda and larssy. Miranda jumped and I was a second too late. It cost me mere centimeters at the finish line. Dang. Maybe next time.

At Alpenrose it is essential to be on your competitors hip by the last corner on a match sprint. Otherwise it is really hard to come around the other person. I don't know why I didn't initiate the sprint - I thought about it too late and didn't risk it soon enough. Dang.

I learned about 2 years of racing in one weekend. It was great and I'm really looking forward to going to Nationals.

do you really?

read blogs anymore? I'm just curious....

Looking forward to a sunny and warm weekend in P-town. It should be fun! See you down there....

Juice

getting ready

for the weekend.... looking forward to it actually. There should be some excellent competition down there in Portland... I hope the weather holds out! After this morning's workout my legs are feeling pretty heavy. Ryan and I pedaled down to Aqua Verda and I was moving at a slow slug pace. Time for a nap I think.

Struck by drama - AGAIN

Son of a biscuit.... it's happening again. I just sent an email out that apparently threatened the leadership in some shape or form and now it has developed into a full on frenzy. Give me a freaking break - this is ridiculous. The details are unimportant - the message is clear. They are threatened by me beyond belief and it's getting nearly comical. It almost seems like I could say things to create more panic. And sinisterly I am tempted. Heeeehaaaaaawwwww!!!

But I won't stoop to their level so I can only just laugh it off. Cycling shouldn't be like high school - it should be about competing and preforming to the best of your ability. Nothing more nothing less. Where in the quest to fulfill this goal did it become so drama riden? Holy crap!

rest day

Went on a great ride with the girls yesterday - there's no way I could possibly leave the team. We have way too much fun together. Between you me and who ever else may read this blog - I think a certain someone may bow out all together. We'll see though. She didn't show up last night at the BBQ nor the race on Saturday or Sunday. Hmmmm... maybe someone sprinkled water on her and she melted. Ouch - that was harsh. My bad.

I'm wondering where our summer weather is?! Isn't July supposed to be beautiful and sunny? Oh well.

Aligning planets

Tonight I got a call from Kristin - my cheese friend. She bought a bike during the Bike Expo and has since been riding her bike and tonight called to let me know she completed the STP in one day! I am so proud of her! Next thing I know she'll be racing! Perfect... she can join our team!

On another note - Derby Days went well. I'm learning and soaking up this new found knowledge like a sponge. I stayed away from sketchy girl Miranda Duff and learned some of the flow that happens in the race. Gina is an animal - that women places attacks whenever there is a lull in action. She's amazing. What a great race. I place 7th - 3rd in the Cat 3s - $125! That will go to the traveling fund. Nice work.

Melinda and John are getting a separation and now it's out in the open. Bummer. My heart goes out to both of them and I hope it's a speedy and quick recovery.

dominatrix

Or so I was called by Aaron from Second Bounce. They are so tickled and stoked - and encouraging on this wild fantastic adventure to Nationals. Amazing.

Yesterday went for a mellow ride with Ryan down the Burke - and we managed to avoid the rain. However it might be a wild and wet ride tonight. I've been visualizing and mentally preparing for the battle tonight.... and although the premes may be tempting, I think I will forgo them and go for a win. Joyce may be there tonight which will be added incentive to stick in the entire race. She'll be riding for herself and may yelling out orders... first she's going to have to earn the respect back. This olive branch to olive branch shit is annoying - I function much better with ordinary people. I've already given this one too much thought - onto something else.

Ryan bought me some bike boxes last night. What a stud. I also found some rollers for $99... maybe too good to be true. I'm not sure what the differences will be between an expensive set and Supergos.... but I shall find out!

A little tired

Last night I was tired even before I started racing. Emily was able to take advantage of it and won each race - and I placed second. I just didn't have the gumption to expend any more energy. I also have Derby Days on my mind and am looking forward to that crit. It should be fun!

Trying to book flights for LA.... it's going to be an awesome trip.

Today I went for an easy spin to loosen the legs - it was nice. Then I went climbing with my friend Linn and am pooped now. We're headed to Tutta Bella for some good eats. Then watching the Tour later tonight.

Correlations

In an article posted in this months Outside magazine on boxing I found some interesting correlations between my athletic abilities and the skills one gets from pugalism. It gave me some insight as to why I'm killing the competition. The good part? Most cyclists have a weak upper body so they may never be able to hone in their boxing skills.

Of note, here's a highlight of the article by Roy Wallack...
A well conditioned boxer enjoys heightened hand-eye coordination, ideal for throwing and swinging sports like baseball and golf; lightning quick reflexes, necessary for hoops, mountain biking and skiing; improved core strength, great for paddling; and better foot speed, for racket sports such as tennis and racquetball. Moreover, your new found defensive skills will boost your self-confidence - which will in turn give you an added edge in pretty much any athletic endeavor you pursue.

So does my boxing background transfer into competitive cycling? You betcha.

branching out

well joyce actually acknowledged my accomplishment from this weekend. As Jill puts it - olive branch to olive branch. I gave Jill shit last night saying that the next race I race with Joyce I'm going to be telling her to chase down the attacks. Ha! She cringed. :)

I spoke with Leo from Larabar and he's going to work on getting me a cycling jersey for the national competition. Wow - far exceeding my wildest dreams!

Yesterady was an incredible example of where physical ability and mental desire helped me greatly exceed my expectations. Wow. Two golds and a silver. Simply put - amazing.

Nationals here we come.

Bring it on.

preparation

Thank goodness today's national qualifier was rescheduled for tomorrow. My legs were feeling rocked this morning - plus it was a late night and optimal performance would have been questionable. So in the meantime I've been propping my legs up and watching movies all morning - preparing for tomorrows slug fest. It should be excellent. I am really excited in taking this small step towards my ultimate goal. Again - the season has been unreal so far! Somebody pinch me!!!

PS - Proof we had fun last night... http://wheelsinfocus.com/img_2754mva.jpg

Getting nervous

HOly cow - I have not been this nervous/anxious before a physical endeavor for quite some time - I actually equate it to boxing. It's exciting but nerve racking all at the same time. I feel like I'm shaking all over - but in reality it's only inner turmoil. Just wait until it's something really important - I guess I better learn how to best vent this energy.

big fish in little pond?

Did I really hear you use that metaphor for me? Or did I just imagine that one? Thank you for the compliments - they were very kind of you.

I feel like that pinch me I'm dreaming again.

Lately I've been having a lot of philosophical thoughts - centered around the meaning of one's existance feeling. You know where you try to figure out where you fit into this spinning ball we call earth. When I was younger I tried to find that meaning through recklessness - drugs, alcohol, sex - and luckily I didn't fall flat on my face - not from a lack of trying I might add. Little did I know that at 18 when I came to the self-realization I did those things early in life so I wouldn't have to go through it when I was older and it mattered more - would be wise well beyond my years. I still thank my lucky stars I tried the self-destructive habits early and recovered completely from them. So you ask where's my wild side? Well I know it's there - it's just a little deeper than some and more self-destructive than others. You see my obsession and passion toward cycling? Well just think of how that could be turned toward vises. But why be another statistic?

I've always had a dream to become a motivational speaker. Travel the world and tell my story to hopefully inspire people to be the best that they can be - never settle for mediocracy. It's happening on a small scale - however I feel the people I surround myself with have a reciprocating inspiration. I'm babbling... but more to come when I formulate my thoughts more....