1st Pursuit of the season

All I can say is thank goodness that one's in the bag. For some strange reason I had forgotten how hard those are - especially when you don't have any top end fitness. I ran a 50x15 - and at times felt a little spun out. My time was slow - 4:26:40 - but I'm giving myself a break for being injured for so long and unable to properly train.

I got the butterflies tonight thinking about Nationals in October. It felt like I was able to do some good work tonight and have a starting block to go from. I love track. There's something about being outdoors - pedaling in perfect circles and turning left. It feels amazing.

Great news - the hammy survived my first standing start of the season. YAY! And that was a lot of force jammed onto the pedals. I look forward to doing more. Tomorrow night - first night of the Friday night race season. Fun times. :)

Car Accident

My mom and I headed down to Milton yesterday to do a property inspection. We were just past where the West Seattle bridge connects into I-5 Southbound, when a Red Ford Ranger started spinning uncontrollably in front of us. My mom saw him first and already started to slow down, while he spun into our carpool lane and slammed into the wall. We stopped within 2 feet from hitting him when the cabby behind us slammed into us and rammed us into the truck. The (pardon my french) mother f-cker was tailgating us and talking on his cell phone with a passenger in the backseat. Had he given us enough room we all would have avoided colliding. To make matters even scarier - a fuel tanker clipped the truck when he lost control of his vehicle.

Luckily everyone walked away from the scene and I have a little whip lash and seat belt strap bruising. How freaky is that? So far no lingering injuries have come to surface - but sometimes it takes a few days for things to settle.

On a side note - I went to the doc yesterday to get some XRays done and should know soon why I'm having this tingling sensation.

S2S

Check out this pic of Ryan and Andrew posted on the front of the Bellingham Herald. Way to go guys!

Ski to Sea

Wow - what a weekend.

Saturday morning Ryan and I woke up and headed out to Lil' Si on our motos so he could get some climbing in. I got a call from Izette right before we left telling me to chill out during Ski to Sea and not injure myself for that race.

We got to the Ham that night and met up with our team at Brian's house. Here's a run down of our team and all the legs:

XCountry Skiing - Cam and Roanne flew in from SLC for this leg. Cam skated all winter and did some races - he completed the course in 33 minutes (unofficially).

Downhill - Brian. Consists of a monster hike and then short downhill ski. Brian rocked it in 29 minutes.

Running - Steve. 8 miles of down hill concrete running from the ski resort to the DOT station. He rocked it in 49 minutes. And lost a toe nail too!

Road riding - me. 38 miles of downhill, flat and rolling section. Not sure how I finished but when I rolled in we were 47th overall. (432 teams started.)

Canoe - Ryan and Andrew. 18 miles on the river from Everson to Ferndale. Despite not having a racing canoe - they did fantastic. In fact the only people who passed them were racing kevlar canoes. Apparently we're looking into renting a canoe for next year today. :)

Mountain Biker - Evan. 9 miles of flat but difficult sandy pit at the end. Our mtb admitted to not doing a complete safety check on his bike before his voyage - and had to adjust his seat mid way through the ride.

Kayak - Sam. 5 miles in windy conditions. Badass because he not only did well at the last portion he also raced the road bike section for another team. He was originally going to ride from Everson down to Bellingham Bay to kayak but when we heard that we made sure he had a ride. He showed up later to our post race BBQ and road up the steep hill. Animal. Cam and Ryan both think Sam will have the mother of all birthday challenges.

So some added factors - we woke up to some wet conditions and the rain continued to pour down on us up until I handed off to Ryan and Andrew. Then the skies parted and sun came out - it was awesome! All in all a fabulous weekend - and the hammy feels great! My neck is sore from being tucked in an aero position. Cam and I both laughed yesterday - in that if you didn't think what you were doing was nuts at least once yesterday then you probably weren't going hard enough. :)

We're all signing up for next year.

Ogre

I'm re-living my boxing days.

Yesterday I woke up with a super sore puffy eye. You know the type that blurs your vision and makes you feel like you had an injection of Botox gone bad? Some sick part of me wants to be able to say I got into a fight - or that I'm suing my plastic surgeon for the horrible condition he put me in.

Here I thought I'd look super cool wearing my movie star sunglasses down the bumpy burke. Karma! Just past Mathews beach a bee flew into my enormous glasses and stung me on my left check bone. I'm mildly allergic - and carry any epi pen. But the risk of dying did not outweigh turning around and going home. Not to mention jabbing myself in the quad with an epi pen. (That leaves your quad sore for a week!) I did a body check - breathing, fine. Limbs, fine. Check bone? Sore. Ah - brush it off. That's nothing like Angel Bolee's right cross. Your not bleeding or have a concussion. You and your sunglasses just took one for the team. I'll save the jabbing for next time one flies in my mouth. I continued my ride.

Speaking of which - paranoid I'd have another bee fly in my mouth I spun home breathing solely through my nose. That'll make sure you stay in Zone 2.

I woke up Thursday with a HUGE swollen eye. And the funny thing? The swelling didn't go down all day. I took antihistamines like they were candy. Still - nothing. Oh well. Day two and I still slightly resemble Shrek. Sweet. Now why can't a bee sting me where it matters? Like my booty or something.

Oh and check this out - hilarious!!!

http://sjl.funnyordie.com/v1/view_video.php?viewkey=3efbc24c7d2583be6925

Sophie

This is Sophie. She's turning one next week. She's running just like her momma. Go GIRL!

1st time out

Ahhh the Bumpy Burke. Everyone loves it. It's the gateway to Seattle recreation. Chances are if you live in the Puget Sound then you've used this trail. I only need to ride 2 blocks before I enter the Spandex Highway. I often take the trail for granted - or complain about it's bumpiness. But in reality - if it weren't for this trail who knows how much inner city riding I would do. And who knows how many near car incidents I have avoided by simply riding the Burke.

Yesterday I was reunited with the trail for the first time in a week. A week you say? Well for a neurotic cyclist a week without the bike is worse than watching paint peel. But now I'm on the slow path to recovery. And I get to ride slow - smelling the spring unfold into summer. Feel the cool breeze of the shady parts of the trail envelope my skin and send goosebumps down my arms.

It felt amazing to be outside yesterday. And I get to repeat the experience again today.

Fired up

I'm getting antsy to start riding again. I know I need to take it slow but taking this past week off the bike is really starting to bug me.

I can't wait to start kicking some booty. Even if it's in cyclocross. :)

Enumscratch

It's miserable outside - 45 degrees and pouring rain. Where did this cold snap come from? And those poor poor racers who battled it out by doing laps in Enumclaw up and down Mud Mountain Road.

TiCycles hosts the race so I had my volunteer duties. Yesterday I helped set up the crit course and then got to watch some action packed racing. I rode the moto down there - with the severe chance of getting caught in a thundershower on the way home. In the same token though I need more freeway driving practice so it was fun to freeze my ass off on the way down there.

Izette rocked the house in her last Cat 4 women's crit. She won every single prime and then held the field off for the win. She also placed second in the time trial and the road race - giving her the lead in the omnium. Good for her! It was super inspiring to watch.

Then the 1/2/3 ladies field went - with a stacked Canadian contingent from Symmetrics, Giant and Colavita (Stacey Spencer). They ruled the crit and Jeremy Story helped the ladies pull off the win. Jenny Trew had an attack right off the bat - but you could hear her wheezing after awhile. And when Kele Murdin decided to reel her back in with the pack in tow, things mellowed out. Then a crash took out a couple riders (not sure what happened) things slowed down. It was good to watch - Karen did AMAZING. The Ti Ladies are starting to gel and I have high hopes for us in the coming races.

Being a spectator sure gives you a new perspective on racing. You see immediate who has a good bike fit (usually the lower categories still need some serious tweaks), who has biomechanical issues they should address before they address them, etc. I like observing what was going on - and learned a lot. I am super interested in learning more tactics.

So my mandatory 2 weeks off the bike is going to be shortened. We signed up for Ski to Sea and I'm doing the biking portion. I'm definitely taking a full week off the bike - but need to start introducing my leg to circles soon. 40 miles off the couch does not sound pleasant.

I just spoke to Ryan - he's flying back from SLC tonight. Apparently Cam, Roanne and he hopped on Cam's scooter and road to breakfast this morning. He said they got quite a few double takes this morning. I wish I had photos!

Mellow Yellow

The foreign yellow bike woman is back at it on the trail in front of my office building.

Thank God I'm not riding.

Remember last year?

I knew she was out doing laps back and forth on the trail. She wears a bright yellow jacket to match her bright yellow bike. Well as I was going up the on ramp by Ponti's Seafood, she comes screaming down and runs smack into my front fork of my brand new Carbon Fiber bike. Then she starts swearing at me in a foreign language. She tries to keep going and her chain fell off. I check my bike, make sure it's ok and yell back at her, "I HOPE IT'S BROKEN!"

Good times, good times.

Perspective is everything.

Thank you Danielle for your words of encouragement - it means a lot to me. And thank you to everyone who asks, "how's the hammy?" Often I feel like I'm on a broken record - but it's helpful to talk about it - so thanks.

LeMond dropped a bombshell today at the Landis trial. All I can say is holy shit hit the fan. Some worlds just came crashing down. It's funny how LeMond stays involved with pro cycling after this many years and has such a connection to current events. Interesting, very interesting.

I started working in the yard yesterday to blow off some steam. I pulled up all of our stepping stones, weeded the entire backyard and got it ready for some tilling. The plan is to rent a tiller and then go to town in prep for some new grass. I also hired an arbor.

Then today I got a little antsy while waiting for track class to start (don't worry - I'm teaching it from the infield) and went to town on the south facing wall. I pulled up these crazy purple plants with an extensive root system. Tomorrow morning I'm going to keep going and get all of the roots up. It's hard work - but very rewarding. My garden should be stellar this year.

Ryan heads to SLC to climb with Cam this weekend. We're hosting our annual MOE race - hope you all can make it. The new road course should be fun. I'm also looking into motoref while I'm taking some time off.

I've probably started writing this post 4 different times. I'm having a hard time just coming out and saying it - which I guess is a sign that I'm having a hard time accepting it.

I'm taking time off the bike completely.

It's been 3.5 months since my slight tear and I only took a week off the bike completely. And guess what? My hammy is still tender and feels like it may pull when I strain it. Racing strains it. And riding hard puts pressure on it. More than anything I'm frustrated with it and want to be back to where I know I can ride. I've done the PT - I've tried relaxing and not overdoing it -yet it's not responding well to that. Time for more drastic measures.

Thank you Ryan for talking me through this one and helping me realize sometimes you have to ignore your passion and let time heal your wounds. I really have the best husband in the world.

Gurgling

Our nightmare basement flood keeps resurfacing. This time it's in the form of insurance and Superior Restoration battles. I can't wait to close this chapter in my life - only a few more days and it should be resolved. Now it's nit-picking between Superior and what they claim was non-cleanable verses what they could have cleaned. Well what if the items (climbing ropes) were still coiled as they were when they were hauled out of our dripping wet basement? Argh. It's enough to drive me batty.

But if that's all the drama I have to deal with in my life - I'll take it.

80 degrees and gorgeous outside. Yay!

Getting the hammy ultrasound tonight. Hopefully that will clear it up for the weekend.

Wenatchee

My hammy was acting up after Thursday night's track session. Apparently my leg isn't ready for the full blown intensity I'd like it to be at - so it zinged at me mid session when I was doing some jumps. Moron! I knew better - so why did I continue to test the waters with tired legs?

I signed up for Wenatchee last minute - actually I didn't sign up at all until I got there Friday night. At which point I only registered for the time trial just to make sure I wasn't locked into spending additional money on my picky hammy. I warmed up for the TT with the Starbucks ladies who were mentioned there was a serious headwind coming back on the course and it was hard to maintain 12 mph. I told myself if I felt any tightness at all - I would back it off.

Lining up at the start line I felt good - and flew out to the turn around point. I passed my 30 second person in mile 2. There were times when I thought I should probably slow down - for fear of losing control of my bike. As soon as I hit the turn around point I hit the wall. A solid wall of wind that is. My hammy was still feeling alright - up until about mile 6. And then I started backing it off. By the time I rolled through the finish line I was at 80% and completely frustrated. Oh well.

I'm looking forward to the day when I can throttle it and not think about my hammy at all. I know it's coming - but it seemed like a set back this weekend. In reality though I've come a far way and my fitness is starting to improve. I ended up 9th in the TT - out of 30 ladies. Not too shabby but I can't wait to display my engine running at full speed to see where I stand.

Back to mental training I suppose.

Nice work to the Ti Ladies this weekend! Allison won the TT and the RR. She rules!

Keeping busy

And then some. Monday I rested, Tuesday I had a double day with intervals on Magnolia in the morning and the SIR racing in the evening. I actually sprinted for the first time in awhile and felt some speed returning to my legs. But talk about being tired afterward. I came home and barely had any energy to get into bed and take my clothes off. Wednesday I spun the legs out with a Z3 25 minute interval at the end and was tired. And then yesterday, with very tired legs, I went to track practice and did some jumps. Idiot! Now my hammy is tired and cranky. Oh well.

Headed to Wenatchee for the weekend - opting out of the road race though to give my hammy some relief.

Check out this amazing photo my sis took of Makiah. She's such a sweet fury little thing.

Bringing up the rear

Trying to suck the draft off Amara's passing vehicle...

Detonated

Have you ever had lactic acid build up so much in your legs that they feel like they're going to explode? They felt like they weighed 200 pounds a piece. Have you ever climbing something out of the saddle where if the pitch increased anymore than you would have to more than likely walk your bike? Well that was today's race for me today. But the good news - my cardio is okay and now it's just getting my racing legs back. The hammy survived without incident a super hilly road course today and I'm extremely happy with that.

I probably should start working on the mental aspect again - now that I'm getting closer to being where I was before my injury. Amara took some photos today - hopefully she got some of my pain face somewhere in the mix.

Wines won again - they sure are dominating the field this year. But crit season is almost upon us. Yay.

Ladies night

Last night, about 12 brave souls braved the looming thunderclouds and chilly-it-feels-like-October weather for this season's first ladies night training out at the track. I was happy we had such a big turnout - and hope we are able to get more ladies out there to grow the fields and skill levels. Only a couple ladies were brand spankin' new to the sport - which is good. And in one instance, I could tell a woman was overwhelmed by the training session. The ladies night is meant to be the least intimidating of all - and we had a good mix of people who can go fast and others who are learning to go fast. All that's required is a positive attitude and the willingness to jump outside of your comfort zone for 1.5 hours.

After a nice warm up we did some team pursuit work, which I think I might avoid next time. Although fun, it's best to do it when you're going fast to really feel the transitions. Maybe in the future we can incorporate a moto. Then we did some jumps. Jane and I demo'd - 2 laps and then a flying effort out of corner 4. We both ran baby gears 48x16 - which is super easy to spin out. Jane let out this rebel yell when we launched - that girl cracks me up! Then the ladies had a go - one group at a time and I think it would be good to spend a little time breaking down the sprint.

Intervals yesterday morning went well. By the 9th one I was pretty pooped. This weekend is our State Road Race. I hear the course is hilly - and we do a loop several times. We'll see how my fitness is progressing!

Ryan's First World Championship

I totally bailed on mountain bike racing for the first time last night - my legs are pooped from racing and intervals and the weather was wacky!

Ryan, Orion, and Sonya all braved the weather though and had fun doing it. I got to play around on Orion's new camera and took some sweet videos and photos. It was fun. I met some guy who was visiting his friend Jo Jo and on his way up to Alaska to do some glacier guiding for the summer. It was nice to have someone to hang out with and watch the races.

This morning I woke up to beautiful blue skies and intervals. Fun times. Tonight's our first ladies only session out at the track - I hope it goes well!

SIR

In to each life a little drama must fall.

Remember four months ago over Christmas our basement flooded? We had to deal with the moving company, the construction company, the water damage people, etc etc.

Well Monday night after we had a yummy dinner for George, Jaimie, Coleman, Ellie, Mom and Marcy, I came downstairs to check on the laundry and discovered some sewage backup in our utility sink. LAME!

We thought maybe it was because our sump pump wasn't plugged in, so we plugged it in and then all this shit brown water started spewing out of the sink. Nnnnnaaaassssttttyyyyy! (Several years ago we had sewage back up in our apartment on State Street in Bellingham - the owners had to spend quite a pretty penny dredging out the sewer line and drying out our place. So at least we knew not to panic and who to call - Roto Rooter.)

The plumbers showed up in the morning and around 1:30 had the problem fixed. Apparently some roots had grown into our sewer line and partially blocked the line causing the backup. $650.00 later - we can poo all the bean burritos we want now!

My bro was in town and brought his enormous-shouldn't-be-street-legal-monster-truck diesel engine that sounds like a tractor. Not the best thing to use in the city. He fell in love with my moto and has been eager to just look at it. (Ryan and I give him a month until he gets one.) He and Coleman helped me do a dump run and we finally got rid of the dryer that's been in our garage for 6 years and the rusted out water heater. Yay!

But the real reason I blog - and what you've all been waiting for ... my training. Yesterday I was able to do a double day despite the poo. Morning intervals that felt solid (2x3x6 min, Z4, 1:0.8) and then SIR last night. The leg felt great! I'm attempting to jump start my fitness back into some sort of form to be able to hang with the ladies the entire race. I give it about a month - and should hopefully be back to where I was.