Double Duty

Last night was the usual Friday night track series. I told myself that I would always race with the men, and if need be, race in the women's field to keep women's track racing alive at Marymoor. We have had low attendence in the women's fields - I sure wish we could convince more women to participate... and they are out there, it's just making them aware of track, I think.

The men's field is strong this year. Some say it's faster than the end of the season last year. There's a 18 year old phenomonononon Yuri who is smoking the field and keeping the tempo up. And then there's the half dozen or so other competitors who keep the races action packed. Then throw in a bunch of other men who fill the gaps in between - no sketch riders this time around though.

We started with an unknown distance race - basically you don't know when they're going to ring the bell for a sprint at the end. So to spice things up, I threw two attacks. You never know if they'll pan out - but why not go for it? It definitely livened things up. And apparently due to my short hair, I'm being mistaken for young Ryan Miller. Both attacks were unsuccessful - but if you don't keep throwing them and testing yourself to the limits, then you'll never know how far you can test yourself. I ended up in one of the last positions - but stoked.

Immediately back up to the rail, we had a women's 10 lap Win N' Out. Unfortunately we had a crash about 3 laps into the race. People kept pulling up the track - and I kept coming under to keep the pace up and make them work. Well on the last attack, I heard the crashing noise of bike parts slidding on concrete... down went Deb, Tamara and Amara. From Amara's account, (she was in the back), Deb saw me attack and went down track without looking taking out Tamara and Amara landed on top of Tamara. Poor Tamara cut her head and was rushed to the hospital to get stitches. I hope she has a speedy recovery! Deb had a sore neck - possibly whip lash - and Amara bruised her right side. They had us restart - now with 6 riders instead of 9 and Emily threw a sweet attack - gapping the field. She had a great jump and was able to hold off the field.

Back to the rail after the Kiddie Kilo and two 1/2 races for a 12 lap Snowball. That race is all about pain and suffering. Unfortunately I got behind a failing engine, which resulted in me being gapped from the main field. Dang. So we just pace lined around and around the track. Lame. Nick made the move around the guy and I got pinched, resulting in lameness. Oh well - you win some you lose some. Actually, come to think of it - I learned that valuable lesson again in another context... so all is not completely loss....

Back to back - women's race... miss n' out. Fun times. I conquerred that fear and was able to win! Yeah! Emily and I went head to head in the final sprint, I jumped early and she wasn't able to come around me. Our field was small - but fun. Ingrid and James were there and they cheer so loudly - it was great.

Then the final races - a 4 x 4 progressive. On the first sprint I was able to get some points following the lead of Erik who threw a great attack. I'm checking right now to see if I nabbed any points for 2nd place... nope. Denied. Oh well. After that the field caught us and I struggled just to hold on. But I finished the race - which increases fitness.

Last race - women's 6 lap scratch race. Emily threw another stellar attack and as a team, we chased her down. Alynda pulled, me second and Taylor came around to chase her down, nearly pipping Emily at the line. It was a great attempt. I got to bring home some money as a result and get some points in the women's series. It was Taylor's last night - she's headed down to LA to train.

There's some great upcoming races that I'm really looking forward to... Colorado, Elkhorn, AVC, Superweek, Gastown, Boise... and my form is coming on.

Dialed in

I had my TT bike fit to me a week ago and got an opportunity to try it out today on the Burke Gilman trail. The seat feels a lot higher compared to all of my other bikes - but it feels stellar when I get into a tucked position. My average speed was 17.8 on a zone 1 ride. I can't wait to try it out during a time trial - and next weekend I'll get the opportunity. I also bought some pursuit bars and take my track bike in on the 28th to have that position simulate my tt bike. I look forward to the challenge of tt'ing and pursuit - strange, I know.

Got an EXCELLENT massage this morning. My back knot is shrinking and Genevieve was actually able to work with it today. Usually I cringe too much and it's impossible to touch. And my $30 foam roll is working on my muscles - I wasn't nearly as sore today. (Granted I got a my last massage in the peak of stage race season....)

Mom's gone again to Honolulu to stay with Gam. I haven't heard from her so that means they must be getting along. We leave for Colorado on the 30th - should be fun!

Madison Practice

Last night Leif set up a Madison session out at the track. Amara and I paired up and practiced our hand slings and next thing we know we're in full exchange mode mixing it up with the fellas. It was super duper fun! I was giggling like a little girl! Miller was watching and gave us more pointers on how to sling/be slung. We went back our and practiced it more and more - getting it down.

Woody, mr. track regulator, commented to Miller that the ladies were getting the slings down better then the men! Haahahahaha. (For those who don't know Woody - to get a compliment is rare, if not impossible.) Yeah for the women!

Giving back

Last night I attended the weekly NWWC group ride that leaves every Monday at 6 from Gasworks. We had a huge number of women show up - 12 to be exact. But there was some confusion because Michelle had asked CBC to lead the rides and hadn't informed me of the situation. It worked out well - and I personally felt better as CBC requires a rider release form to be signed to protect themselves from being sued due to any mishaps. We cruised down to Seward park and back - and some of the women commented how fun it was to go faster with a group of women downhill vs. a snails pace. It was great being surrounded by women who are excited to be on their bikes and are actively taking their health and well being into their own hands. I hope they show up again!

It's been raining since Sunday off and on. I'm not sure what the dealio will be with the track tonight but I'm contemplating PIR as well. Jill and Sile are headed down there - which can only mean a barrel of laughs!

Good Times, Good times.

This weekend was action packed with lots of fun racing and decent weather. Friday night kicked off the festivites with Track racing - and kicking it in the men's cat 3 field. We had a lot of men show up - maybe 20 in our field? The women wanted to have our own race so we did a miss n out - which I did much better in than previous attempts. Emily even came out and won that race! It's great to have her out there.

The final race was a 4 x5 points race - and I made one big move to sprint for points, only managing 6th place and the points are only up for grabs for the top 4 places. Damn. Better luck next time. It was hard to get up front and stay there - but that's what you need to do in order to be in contention for the sprints.

The following night was the Ballard Twilight Crit. Last year Miranda Duff crashed me out so I definitely had something to prove to myself that I could finish the race. I did great - staying in front and catching the poor cat 4s in 11 minutes after the race started. People were shelled left and right. But I kept myself up front with a positive attitude and it paid off. Right before the corner three in the last lap Noreen pulled a crazy move and nearly took out the field. It scared a lot of people from being in the running. Patricia Bailey seized the day and won! She's so amazing and strong. Very impressive. Yours truley forgot she was on a road bike and that you can shift down during a sprint. I spun myself silly up to the line - pipping a Ti Cycles girl by a bike throw. It was a great race and I look forward to viewing the pictures.

I can see my break throughs coming out more and more as the season progresses. I am enjoying myself every time I get on the saddle. It's great.

Fluid motion

Floating on the track is all about being light on your toes and able to read a situation. It's a fluid motion - one that needs to be practiced over and over until it becomes second nature.

Patience.

My sprint is wild. My bike shakes from side to side - not traveling in a straight line but following my upper body. It's fast - but can and will be faster. Instead of rocking so heavily from side to side and having the bike follow, pull the bike in like a bicep curl and have the bike move, without losing the line your following. Fluid = efficent = speed.

That's just the tip of the iceberg of what I learned last night during fast track. I have to keep some of my secrets to myself. :)

I did buy a book yesterday on sports physcology and it works on breathing and relaxing exercises. They are already helping.

You never know who you'll be up against...

Racing is RAD

Friday night back at the track. I was so excited for racing - it gets me amped just thinking about it!

The rain looked threatening but we managed to hold it off. The lighting was awesome.





Mr. Leif Clarke - Looking good with those new Zipps. I didn't see much of him this winter....



Take a look - I'm digging DEEP. I think this was during the 20 lap scratch race where I was chilling in limbo between a chase group and the pack for 3 miles. It HURT.



But it paid off - I pulled 5th in the GC.









And you can't beat the action shots. I love this one - look at the grimace on everyone's face - except... either I mask pain well or I wasn't feeling it as bad as everyone else. :)

I LOVE track

yeah! it didn't rain Friday night! That meant heading out to Marymoor for the first Friday night series. Regardless of how many women showed up I decided I would race with the Cat 3 men this year to improve my fitness and racing agility. This means giving up some of the immediate and easy cash to be had - in sacrafice for a potential National Championship medal in October. It wasn't a hard decision. :)

And Friday night reaffirmed my decision. There were only three women tonight so we all raced with the men regardless. Laura Moen, Amara and I battled it out with a field size of about 20. I decided to use a bigger gear - 50x15, which proved invaluable with racing against men. Racing with the men is different because their average speed is higher. So you need to pick a gear that you can jump with going at those higher speeds. A smaller gear would make you spin like a sewing machine - and unless you have insane leg speed - might be hard to keep up let alone over take the men. I swapped out my road to a track hub earlier on my disc wheelset - and oh was that nice. I haven't riden on my wheelset since last racing... and it made a world of difference. They are so responsive and aero... I get giddy just thinking about it.

Our first race was a 10 lap win n' out. I figured I wouldn't spend myself for the first couple of sprints - but would give it a go at any gaps and breaks off the front. I managed to place 4th - the last of the point earning spots. Yeah! My winter training/ stage racing is already paying off. My increased fitness is licking the snot out of the boys. I often heard comments of - "this is way faster than last year," to which my thought is, glad I can contribute!

Second was a 10 lap tempo race. I managed to reel in a point. But instead of continuing at pursuit style, I sat up, and when the chase group caught me they just continued on for the next sprint and off the pack I went. Luckily I grabbed Tim's wheel again and he pulled me in. What a guy. I learned a lot from that race and look forward to the next one!

Last was a 20 lap scratch race - one of my favorites. The announcer kept saying what a LONG race that was - to which I snickered to myself. No it's not! 100 laps is long. Not 20. Byrne rolled off the front and his teammate contributed to slowing the group down. Broadmark attempted to reel him back in - but to no avail. I don't think they communicated enough to effectively put a plan in action. Then there 2 groups of 2 men or so that tried crossing the gap. At one point I jumped to join the rear group and nearly caught on.... stupidly pulling up when I caught them. So when they jumped, I had nothing left in my legs to chase and I dangled in no man's land between the second chase group and the main group. Luckily I held the main pack off to the finish and placed 7th. All in all a great race - and I really laid myself out on the table. It definitely took determination to do what I did.

Oh I love track racing.

Molly overheard some guys saying, "obviously she's faster than us. We should duct tape her legs together." That made me laugh!

Ryan was cheering me on in corner 2 - I love the support!

thunder showers bring july flowers?

June in Seattle is wet. And lately super wet - thanks to the thundershowers that have been floating through the area. The biggest downfall? No track racing when it's wet. I'm hopefull that I'll be pleasantly surprized for tonight's racing... but with a 90% chance of precip right now and more showers on the way.... well we'll just have to wait and see. If track doesn't happen then I'm headed to Magnolia for some serious hill repeats. The intensity must go on!

I bought my plane tickets yesterday for Colorado for the Independence GP and Wisconsin's Superweek. Should be fun times in July. I'm really looking forward to it! Then in between is the AVC, Gastown, Wells Fargo Twlight Crit and Elkhorn. Saweet. Some serious intensity coming my way!

Random

Can you even remember your New Year's Resolutions?

What was the last movie you saw at the theatre?

What are you going to do when you run into the woman with the yellow bike again?
I think I'll mooooo at her. Surely mooooooing transends languages. Silly cow.

(for the record her bike isn't broken, for I saw her today doing laps in front of my office window. Mooooo.)

blogger down!

Unfortunately I am not going to recreate my super long boring post from yesterday that got lost in blog land cyber space. Sorry.

So while I've been pedaling in circles around the track, my younger sister has been having the time of her life in NZ. She's a recent grad from Brooke's institute of Photography and has some amazing photos. She traveled to Australia to see about a boy and is coming home at the end of June. Yeah! But who knows where she'll land. She's trying to get her career going - and that might take her to odd spots of the country... like Dallas Texas. I wish her the best of luck - especially there! :) If you have a minute check her site out.... www.marcysutton.com/gallery

Training is going well. Emily came out with me to Fast Track last night. GREAT workout. Except when we were doing our second warm up paceline (10 @ 23mph, 10@ 25mph, 5@ 28mph, and 5 @ 30mph)... guess who had to pull the first lap at 30 mph? Moi. And right after that I was shelled. I caught back on though and used my sewing machine legs to ease back into the pace. Then we did some mini jumps with Miller, Woody and Randy. We got up to 38mph - and being in a small gear (49x16) means my cadence was at least 150. That's what I'm talking about. Some serious leg speed. The first Friday night track racing starts this Friday. I'm going to race with the fellas because although $35 per race would be nice to take home, a medal at nationals would be priceless.

Weekend Review

This weekend Ryan and I headed up to Bellingham to hang out with family and friends. We stayed at his mom's house and she cooked this amazing corned beef and cabbage meal - traditional Irish style. It was amazing. Later that night we went out with Josh and Camille to Clark's point and watched the sunset. It made me realize how much I miss Bellingham.

Later that night we ended up at this Irish pub and ran into Erin, Tyson's step sis. She invited us to a family BBQ where Ty would be - Ryan was stoked to be able to see his best friend. It's been nearly 5 years since they last saw one another. Tyson now has a 4 year old and is looking good. It was fun to see him. Tamara was there too - and she seems to be getting along just fine. She is such a sweet lady - tormented by drugs unfortunately. But she's been sober for 6 months so she's doing well. Their son is beautiful and a spitting image of Tamara.

The next morning we woke up and had some corned beef hash - yum - then headed up to Galbreth Mountain with Josh for some wet and wild mud feast mtn. biking. I giggled like a little girl. I was only thrown from my bike twice - and avoided any serioius bruising. It was cool to see how many people ride their bikes in the Ham.

Later that night we went to a ski to sea party and watched yet another gorgeous sunset. I miss watching it dip out of view over Bellingham Bay. And listening to the train toot it's horn as it passes through town. I met one of Molly's coworkers - small world.

It was nice being off the bike for the weekend. Although I was feeling a little guilty at first. But now that I'm back into training and motivated - I feel awesome and excited to race again. Miller and I went for a three hour tour yesterday - and it felt good to get a little intensity in. Tonight is fast track - saweet.

I LOVE RAIN

Maybe it's the fact that I want to get on the track really bad that the rain is sticking around. Whose idea was it anyway to put an outdoor track in rainy-9-months-out-of-the-year Seattle? It just makes those sunny days that much sweeter.

Miller and I were skunked on Tuesday - we even made the drive out east. Only to discover a super wet velodrome. Tonight is Friday night racing - but with the sprinkles and no sign of sun - I get to look forward to a roller workout and climbing session at the gym.

We head to the Ham this weekend. It's been a while since we last visited. Should be fun.

TT action and dodging the rain clouds

I managed to avoid any serious thundershowers today and headed up North to Juanita for some shallow side hill repeats on Anna Belle. It feels good getting used to that position - and I think I can even get more aggressive in stance. On my climbs I concentrated on relaxing the upper body and not gripping my bars at all. It felt great - and then on my third repeat I discovered I had a rear flat. It took me a little longer than usual because the tires are new and not as stretched out... for some reason I always struggle with getting the tire back on the rim. Swearing usually does the trick.

Decending in a TT position is a little freaky at first. It feels like you are out of control completely - but if you glide into your turns and relax you can haul ass.

Flat #2 hit me about .15 miles from my house. I rode it out until the hill to my house and walked the rest of the way. I'll have to fix that flat before I go out again. The roads were super dirty from all of the rain we've been having. Lots of glass and debri. (sp?)

oh - and I figured out a trick to my bike. I have rear dropouts on the P2C and often I would stand up to get some power out and would pull the wheel to the non-drive side. This happened over and over again. Finally I got smart and changed my quick release skewer to the opposite side and viola! No more issues. You have to be really careful about rubbing the rear wheel on the frame - it doesn't have much clearance and things could get ugly really fast.

Other than that - I've been making cycling plans for the summer. I'm headed to Colorado for the Independence GP and then Portland for the AVC. Shortly followed by Superweek in Milwaukee with the girls. And then later in the summer headed down to LA for Manhattan Beach and again in October for Nationals. Saweet. Should be fun!!

Rain rain go away!

The rain's back. Thank goodness it didn't happen over the weekend though. Enumclaw was rough enough with the climbing and all. What a great course! Now if I can just figure out how to climb. It must be a mental thing - and hopefully I'll overcome that plateau.

Just remembered - I have to do an amended tax return.... later.

Anna Belle

I had a great aunt that passed away nearly a year ago and she left some inheritance money to her heirs. My mom received her check Friday and uttered to me, "let's go buy you a bike!" Seriously? I jumped at that and we headed down to Speedy Reedy, a local tri/TT shop within 1 mile of my house. Amazingly they had the perfect bike - and it's a perfect fit. I'm calling it Anna Belle: The Time Machine.

Yesterday I got to take it out and race it during stage one of Enumscratch TT... and did really well. For having only done a handful of TT's - I'm starting to get better and better at them. Gina's been my bench mark and I've been whiddling down my time closer and closer to hers. In the beginning of the season I was roughly 45 seconds off... and yesterday I was within 8 seconds. 8 seconds! I can make that difference up if I dialed in my position and slapped my disc wheel on. Fabulous!

Later in the afternoon we had our 40 minute crit. The Symmetric team showed up - cleaning house. They dominated us mere amatuers. Except I did pass one of them with my TT time. :) But they shelled me from the crit - about 20 minutes into it - the surges and being in the back of our small pack just killed my legs. My mom's convinced that if I had a radio and ate more (she claims I'm the skinniest woman out there - cha right!) I would have had more left in the tank to take it to those ladies. I wish that were the case. The fact of the matter is the Symmetrics team kicked ass and have lots of hard fast miles in their legs. I'll get there - it's all part of the process.

Lesson learned though - Mandy was in a solo break and I bridged the gap up to her - and she quickly sat up. I talked to Miller about it later and he said Canadians only help Canadians. Maybe I should sew a maple leaf on my jersey. ;)

Today's the RR - I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be an ass kicking - but we'll survive. 4 times - up Mud Dam Mountain. More to come later....

Round and round and round and round.....

Have you ever tried something and realized about 20 minutes later that you're in way over your head? And the only thing that kept you from realizing it earlier is sheer stubborness and determination?

I had one of those days yesterday. I did the 6pm Seward Park crit - 45 minutes of going round and round. I had a great starting position - but then fell further and further back in the bunch as the watts continued being pushed out and my little legs started to fatigue. If I had only maintained my spot in the front 1/3 I would have hung a lot longer. I rode with my powertap - and averaged about 350 watts for 1m. Not bad. It'll only make me stronger!

I don't mind having my butt handed to me on a platter - it lights a fire in my belly to do better each and every time. So maybe next week I'll stay in longer - and put more time in the front position. Let the boys know I'm hear to play and stay in their group.

The CLAW's this weekend....

Rest Days

Ahhhh - there's nothing like three rest days in a row.

Monday I did a short spin with Eden and got to remind a road raged driver of RCW code 46 - riders are legal riding two abreast. (This guy pulled over, admitted he rides 9,000 miles a year with his buddies at 5:30am to avoid traffic and apparently nothing pisses him off more than when riders are two abreast in the arb. I happily reminded him to Share the Road and that we're protected by law. He should know that rule if he's pedaling that much. What a wierdo.)

Tuesday I headed to Fast Track and only did about 27 minutes of workout - the legs were just not feeling it. Then we went out to sushi afterward to celebrate Miller's birthday.

And today I woke up early with some extra energy and started right away on yard work. I was out mowing the lawn by 8am this morning! And I plan on power washing during the afternoon. It's nice to have a mental and physical break from the constant stream of training. JIll and I are planning on attending the Ride of Silence tonight to pay tribute to cyclists killed by motorists. It's an effort to bring awareness to riders and cyclists alike to share the road and make it safe for everyone.

My body finally feels like it's recovered. The CLAW's this weekend - should be fun!

peas.

Wenatchee, the apple city

Apples are what Wenatchee is best known for - but it's also the location of the WA state stage race omnium (read hilly ass kicking course). I had a good time this weekend - even though I didn't have the best results... but that's not what cycling is always about, is it?

I ended up hooking up with host housing - and stayed with a very nice family, the Clerc's. The father, Christian races in the masters category although he recently took a tumble resulting in a broken collarbone. His wife, Allison is a body builder. She's stacked! Very into fitness and nutrition - it's inspiring really. They have two boys - one was out of town, so I got to sleep in his room filled with sports trophies - actually the whole house was filled with trophies.

The morning of the TT I was super nervous. Luckily I parked next to Jill and Sjla (pronouced Shelia) - and we had a good laugh about me ALMOST taking a tumble on the rollers.

Notice me precariously perched next to my open trunk. Not such a good idea.

Jill and Sjla laughing about it - as everyone else in the parking lot was expecting it.....

But I held it together and moved next to Jill's ride for a sturdy wall.

The TT itself - well, it was ok. Actually I'm not really happy with my performance. It was a 9.14 mile rolling course - with a serious headwind on the way back. I knocked over 2 minutes off my time from last year - 24.44 - but had a hard time putting out consistant power. New bike - different fit, adequate warm up... contributors for sure. But I will say when I passed the finish line I felt like barfing. So that's a good sign that I layed it all out in the finish - but what happened in the inbetween time? We may never know. :) I got 11th - 10 seconds shy of omnium points!!!

Our crit started at 6 that night - and I felt really good. My legs had snap in them ... my warm up was perfect. It's a four corner course with really bad roads, but that adds to the danger and fun of crits. The final corner is a mad dash ... and unfortunately I got pinched in the corner. So basically my finish was from a standing start from the corner... and I beat out all but 4 women. Not bad considering over 25 started. I'm still working on the crucial positioning in the final two laps... as soon as I get that down I'll start winning some stinkin' races. It's frustrating because I know I can do better - but I keep making this stupid mistakes. I knew better than to take the inside line too.... I had been pinched there earlier. Oh well. I got 5th - and points toward the Omnium.

That night Sjla invited me to stay in her hotel room since Jill was headed out to Moses Lake for Mother's day with her family. I was happy to do it - she's great energy and always looks at the positive side of things. She said something to me about hills - she said, maybe, just maybe, I don't know how I'll do on the hills because I haven't been given the opportunity to practice them enough. Well put - that's looking at it in a positive light. And she's right - I need to work on my weaknesses.

Our RR didn't start until 1... so it was HOT. The course is basically a 13 mile hill - determining right away the climbers from the non-climbers. I was shelled within 1/2 mile of the start of the hill - and was actually DFL... but I finished the course. I guess it's the determination in me, not wanting to give up. Telling myself it's for fitness and practice to climb those monster hills. I found that whenever I would stand up I would sap more energy when I sat back down. Then it would take a few minutes for my legs to recover ... so staying consistant is key. I will work on that.

Here's a pic - courtesy of Amara - of me riding into the finish. Notice the smile? It's because I'm doing what I love and although I came in LAST - it won't always be that way. Attitude is everything and as I always say, a champion is made a day at a time.

On a side note - Lisa Dunwald came up to me after the race and was very encouraging. She won the GC competition - and is a kick ass cyclist. She said it's a process, don't get discouraged. Just keep at it... you're improving leaps and bounds and it's hard to remember that sometimes. It was extremely gracious of her to say that and I am very thankful for it.

I hope it's broken!

Childish rant - yeah, I know. But really - what else was I supposed to say? I mean she wasn't remorsefull or anything. I keep waiting to see her pass by my office window. Any minute now she should be headed out. Unless of course, she did break her bike?

I dropped my excited husband off along with his climbing buddies last night at the airport. They were taking the red eye to Kentucky for a week long rock climbing trip.

So what's Kentucky famous for? Horses, moonshine and that's about it. At least that's all according to Kyle, who did grow up there.

I head out to Wenatchee tomorrow for the state omnium SR. I'm looking forward to. My Kona Kona is being built up today - so I'll get to rock the TT with it. Plus the weather is supposed to be amazing - upper 70s Sat and 80s on Sunday. That'll make for a hot road race. FUN!!!

Taking a header

Some woman just head on collided with me on the trail by the canal. It's the same woman I've been watching travel back and forth on the trail for the past few weeks. She has this bright yellow road bike and her seat is far too low. I noticed her going back and forth like a hamster on a wheel - and often wondered why she doesn't venture further on the Burke.

Well today I found out why. As I was going home from work, traveling no more than 12 mph... I slowed as I passed a man walking on the left. I stayed far right. And just as I was about to go up the ramp, the woman on the yellow bike appeared out of no where and didn't vere to miss me - instead butted me head on. Then she yelled at me in a foreign language. I stood there in disbelief - that a) I just had a head on with another biker and b) no damage was done. She immediately tried to pedal away.. but her chain fell off and she didn't know how to fix it. I told her, "you're supposed to stay right." But I don't think she understood.

The man walking said, "what are the odds of that happening?" and continued walking.

I started up the ramp and heard her still struggling with her bike. To which I responded, "I hope it's broken."

Shaken up from the whole obsurdity of it all, I am finally calming down 20 minutes later.

What possessed me to comment like that? Weird. Oh well. No harm done.

There IS a god....

And his name is Specialized Jet saddle.

I can't tell you how thankful I am they put some research into women's specific saddles.

The catch phrase on the rack display? Eleviates soft tissue hot spots.



Maybe my crotch will heal now. If not I WILL let you know. That's what you get for reading my blog. :)

Morning Rides

I've forgotten how much I enjoy getting an early morning workout in. It's the perfect way to start the day. A brisk morning, with lots of neon commuters battling their way into work over the ruts and bumps of the Burke - breathing in the fresh spring, lake air. Ahhh - there's nothing quite like it. I used to commute to Bellevue daily - along I-90 and get to watch the sun come up. It was always a welcomed excuse to be late to work - for not only was I making a difference and having one less car on the road, but I was also taking my health into my own hands. You know it's funny - if I thought about where I'd be now in regard to racing and general fitness - I wouldn't be that surprized. Cycling is such an amazing lifestyle. It has opened my eyes to a bigger picture - yet whiddled it down to a narrow scope. I wouldn't change it for the world.

Training's been going well. I'm so glad I put in the 90 miles this weekend. I just checked out the Elkhorn logistics and it looks like it will be a challenge. I'm trying to get Emily to come with so we can camp in Maggie. Good times - I just hope she takes me up on it.

Champions are made a day at a time

My whole body is throbbing right now. Especially the ball of my feet for some reason. And then there's the lingering pain of hunched up shoulders - relax. Breath - ahhhhh I'm okay now. I don't have to think of my bike for just shy of 23 hours. Thank goodness - today was a mental test. And guess what? I passed! 90 miles in zone 2. It took me just shy of 6 hours - and a lunch break inbetween. I went out to West Seattle and found some kick ass back roads - but then detoured back towards Seattle once the rain set in. Amazingly I didn't get drizzled on once today! I managed to avoid it for all 90 miles even though the weather report stated otherwise and all the surrounding areas looked like they were being dumped on this morning.

One older gentleman on the trail today asked where I was going to parachute from - I must have looked like the hunch back from Notre Dame - I had everything I could possible need with me and you could tell. Luckily I didn't need any of it. Turns out this older guy met Mike Miller earlier this week - and was looking how to get in touch with him. I gave him Ryan's website to try...small world.

I'm pooped - nothing like a full day in the saddle after some hardcore racing to do you in. I'm just shy of 300 miles for the week.

Elma State RR

Every time I call my mom after a race she always asks the same thing, "Are you a weiner?" And it seems like lately I always say, "well, sort of. But not in a winning way...." and then she gives me encouraging words and listens as I recall and evaluate the race to her. It's awesome to have such wonderful support - I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

I think the hill repeats earlier this week, if anything, gave me a mental edge. Somewhere in the process of climbing 5 times up Norway I told myself that quitting is not an option and neither is giving into the pain. Well apparently that hand played out nicely during today's state road race.

The players - TGH - about 6 of them showed up. On WOW - about 5. Then Ti Cycles had about 8 women. And a few of us straglers - Byrne, UW, Axley, etc...... it was a good race. Surprizingly no one attacked on the first hill - and we stayed together as a group. The decent scared some people off - we were cruising at mach speeds - my favorite. Attacks were thrown left and right but I knew because the teams were out in full force - they would reel them back in. The only one that looked truly threatening was Lisa's attack - to which I said just loud enough to motivate Tia - "well there goes the race." She immediately steam rolled up to Lisa and quickly shut down the gap she had on the field. I sat on for dear life. I'm finding that if I stay positive and not let the "I'm burning matches" infiltrate my brain - then I surprize myself. I don't think I give my body enough credit. It's in incredible shape - although it still has a ways to go - but it can handle the punishment. Pull a Murdin and grind it out.

Ok - got off on a tangent there... sorry. So basically we continue on the attack, attack, chase, chase routine - and we always group back together. Until the very last lap, which goes super slow. The winds were definitely a factor today - they were super strong and you couldn't stay out in them in full force. The final climb came - I was passing people! And then I stopped passing instead of continuing to grind it out and lay it all on the line. Ending me up in a 10th place finish. I know the exact moment I should have gone - and I hesitated. Darn. Well I guess that's what experience will do for you. And I guarentee I won't let that exact situation happen again without giving it my all. It's not like I wasn't tapped when I got to the top - but for some reason if I don't find myself in the top contention for winning then I seem to settle for where ever I end up - and that's not good. I need that killer winning instinct to come out again - regardless if that means 1st or 9th - or where ever - time to give it more -- finish STRONG.

It was a better race for me - I stayed with the group and suffered through the pain with the best of them. I hit this one pot hole though that sent a shocker up to the crotch. Owie. But I'm happy how I did - and the fact that I'm learning is great. To give myself perspective - last year at a state crit I couldn't even finish the race. These road races are wonderful endurance training for the track - preparing me for a national level track comp. Oh I can't wait for the sprinting!!!!

Doin' the duty

Ahhh spring weather. Guess what that means? Yard work. And not just any yard work - but jungle maintenance. Every spring the yard has to be whacked back down to size and the deck needs power washing. I'm procrastinating on the later - only because then I'll have to stain the back deck. And when it's this gorgeous out - the last thing I want to do is yard work. But that means being outside - so it's not a wasted day.

Training's been going well. I connected with Emily yesterday - it was really good to see her. She's getting thin - she commented that nothing really sounds good to eat any more - except Muffins. And I was more than happy to treat her to one. We cruised down to West Seattle - and hit just about every pot hole on the way down there. She's been exercising like a mad woman - which is such a healthy way to get the emotions and drama out of the body. We also talked about starting boxing practice. I think we'll get together sometime this next week and I'm going to show her a trick or two. Miller was into it too - so it looks like I might get an upper body afterall! Sweet. I'm looking forward to throwing some punches - it's been a while.

Amara posted some photos - and as you can tell I had NO smiles going on. It was all business - but I had a blast. Why is racing so appealing? Is it the addictive endorphine high? The rock solid body? The way you can consume everything in sight and not feel an ounce of guilt for eating it?

Oh yeah - our schedule - looks like the team is doing Elkhorn SR, Superweek, Boise, Cascade?, Manhattan Beach and whatever else comes up on the schedule. Not to mention track season - sweet.

Still fighting

this persistent cold that I've had for about three weeks now. I just can't seem to kick it. Maybe it's part allergies - maybe my body is trying to tell me something - whatever the case may be - this has got to stop soon!

The weather is awesome out right now. Perfect conditions for track practice. I also heard from my teammates and we're trying to get a game plan going for our upcoming racing. Looks like we're going to do more stage races. Fun times!

I had a great spin last night with the NWWC ladies. One woman showed up who was honest saying that she has no intention of racing but was looking for additional groups to ride with. She said she's done lots of Cascade group rides etc. I admire her enthusiasm - but it brought up a question in my head whether or not to start including the recreational rider. It's a slow and social pace - but I like to teach people about bike handling, race tactics, etc and if they won't listen to the information being passed on.... I might run into problems there.

I'd hate to turn anyone down but I think at the same time I have to be honest about why I'm there and leading the group - I want to help grow a sport that I feel passionette about. Recreational riding is great - and I applaud everyone who gets on their bikes. And I don't want to discrimate against anyone who loves pedaling too - it's just my motivation is different from the average rec rider. And I think that's an most important thing to convey right off the bat.

Hmmmm.... I just thought of something.... maybe at the beginning of the ride I can tell everyone that this is a great introduction for someone interested in racing - whether that be to race themselves or to support the community. Ask any questions - and hopefully I can answer them! I talked to my mom about it and she said it will probably resolve itself.

GRD

Git R' Done.

Got R Done today.

Seward park - done it a bajillion times but went the opposite way today. Ended up making the break containing Gina and Carrie. We gapped off the field by 30 seconds in the first few laps. On the back side of the course I could descend faster than them and they would pull through to the hill. Eventually I cracked though - I'm not really sure why. Maybe Gina and Carrie attacked at the same time. Next thing I know I'm 24" behind - and Suz is hot on my tail trying to bridge the gap. She ends up timing it perfectly and pulling my podium spot. She powered by me on the hill sucking all my juice out of my legs. But I managed to hold it together, dig even deeper and hold off the rest of the field. Dang. But as I'm sure the photos will show later - today was a pain game. Staying away on a solo break is a hard thing to do at Seward - so I'm told.

I'm starting to get somewhere. :)

First Friday Night

So Walla Walla truly lit a fire under my butt and got me stoked on racing again and pushing myself to new limits. Last night that was evident. Marymoor had it's first Friday Night racing and I raced in the B category up against a men's field. We started with a scratch race - 10 laps and I was able to pull third. Little Ryan Miller and I worked together - it's nice to have even more teammates out there! I placed third in the scratch race. Then we had a 10 lap tempo - those hurt. I suppose they throw them in the preseason agenda to get the lungs and legs opened up. Hyun and this other guy from Wines ended up scoring the majority of the points - but eventually we caught up to them and I was able to get enough points to place me in 4th. Last we did a 4x5 points race and they combined our field with the A's. Miller helped me out - I sat on his wheel for the majority of the race and he bridged the gap to a lead break containing Grant, Woody, the Wines guy, Taylor, Miller and myself. It was awesome. I think I pulled 4th in that race too - placing me in 2nd for the B's omnium. Not too shabby. I was so excited to be on my bike again - and I really do enjoy riding with the boys. I only got yelled at once by Woody - but apparently that's normal. If you're not getting yelled at then you're doing something wrong. :)

I was undergeared for the night to get the legs used to leg speed and accelerations (50x16) - and was able to put the hurt on. It felt really good. The only downfall is that half way through the race I started getting a sore throat which stayed with me over night. I was going on a long ride outside today - but it started raining so it looks like rollers for me and staying warm and dry inside. Tomorrow is the Seward Park crit - should be fun!

sorting through saddles

So I think you shouldn't skimp on buying a saddle. I mean, it's one of the point of contacts on your bike besides your handle bars and pedals - and really, it contains the most important parts of your body - the reproductive system. So if you have to spend some extra cash on a seat that will releave your saddle sores and squooshy areas - then spend the extra money and do it. But there's only one problem - there are a million saddles and a million shapes. And spending extra cash on a saddle doesn't guarentee the proper fit. And unfortunatley what might work for one person will not work for another.

With that being said - I'm on a saddle hunt. Since I ride and race a lot - finding this uber amazing saddle is important - and the longer it takes the more frantic I get in finding the perfect saddle.

Enter in a women's forum.... team estrogen. I started reading a 4 page article about how amazing the Selle SMP Trek Ladies specific saddle is. Immediately I was drawn to it because one woman boasted of not being pinched in the squooshy area any more - and was just getting used to being on her sit bones again. I was intreguied so I ordered one online. It's on its way. Check it out - it may revolutionize seats....



So I'm going to give it a try. I also just spent some cash on a Terry saddle - the men's version of the Fly. I did a ride yesterday and it squooshed my toosh. But to make sure I give it a proper test I'll try it again this weekend.

Here's to eliminating saddle sores! (My only hesitation is that the women's version may be too wide.... and the men's version jumps a couple hundred bucks .... but like I said - if it works then it's worth the cashola.) Peas.

The Smell of Spring

I got a big dose of it this morning on my way to work. After exchanging a saddle up at Performance, I took the long way to work - north along Lake Union, with the window rolled down. It put an immediate smile on my face - thinking about warmth to come and flip flop days - not to mention working on my already imbalanced cycling tan. The preseason Friday night starts up tomorrow - and boy am I excited to be on my bike again racing.

I poached some photos from Amara's web site - a little reinactment from last weekend. As you can tell, it was more business than the previous Independence RR - and I didn't have as big of a smile on my face. And even though I don't show one on the inside my heart is soaring because I was in the midst of doing something I LOVE.






Okay - well maybe I had one smile - but this was after I finished the Road Race. noc

Turning a new leaf

This past weekend was the Walla Walla stage race and if anything it has rekindled my love for this sport and my desire to reach my goals even more evident. The past month has been a struggle - with my grandmother's stroke and then shortly followed by Brad's death... but I think the healing is really starting to begin and this weekend jump started it into gear.

It started with a 5 mile TT - which I did okay in. It was an uphill course and somewhat windy. I did alright - placing 10th in the TT. My original start time was bumped from the beginning of the course to the very last position for some reason. Then we were able to relax between stages - lounging in the warm sun on a nice green lawn. Amara took the team switch news pretty well. I was more afraid of the Boursaw's reaction than anything. But they were very understanding and encouraging.

The 60 mile road race started out well. I felt super strong but as usual once I got up front it was a detrimental mistake. We completed the first small loop and came back around to do the 3 km climb - of which I was immediately dropped. I couldn't catch back on for the life of me. I just don't think I was prepared to deal with the pain nor in my head did I make the decision to go for it. I ended up catching up with Melinda, Jaimie and this other local woman. We ended up doing a rotating paceline through to the final climb - of which I was immediately dumped off. Needless to say I finished the RR and was looking more forward to the crit the following morning.

The crit was really going to see how we as a team work together and hang in there. We communicated throughout the race - but Kele ended up pulling an amazing move and lapping our field. From that point on it was a matter of making sure Jana was locked into 3rd place in the GC - which she easily did. I really enjoyed working with the ladies and contributing. It's so nice to be on a team where I can actually do something! And although I didn't place well in the final sprint, I still feel like I accomplished a lot in the grand scheme of things. First of all - I can play ball. It's only my second year and I'm proving I have the fitness and ability to hang in there. Now I just have to want it. And I have to also be able to deal with pain. Cycling pushes you to the limits - and the only way to advance in the advanced field is to push outside of your comfort zone and become comfortable with being uncomfortable.

So now I'm taking a couple days off - to get my head on straight ... and tomorrow I start back up with some hard and intense training and racing. I can't wait. Track also starts up on Friday. YIPPEE!!!!

Goals

So it's been a while and I got out of my normal routine - and now I think I'm finally back on track. Which means more blogging - more self reflection and time to get serious and start ticking off my intermediate goals.

Speaking of which - I'm not sure if I ever even posted those for this season. Maybe that's do to not really formulating what I wanted to accomplish this year - but now I'm starting to get the shake down and ready to do some hard work. So without further audeiuuieiedoooo (how ever you spell that!).....

NRC - Compete in 5-10 NRC crits this year and place in the top 2/3.
- Acheive a top Cat 3 rider placement
- Figure out the scene and how to adapt to it

Local - Consistent top 10 placement regardless of discipline (early-mid season)
- At least 5 top 6 placements by seasons end
- Improve time trialing and dial in position/bike
- Improve my climbing
- Pushing myself outside of the comfort zone and getting comfortable being uncomfortable.
- Start racing with the men consistently
- Motor pacing practices - at least 5

Track - Become the force to beat at the drome within the womens field
- Race with the men and beat them
- Push a bigger gear - 51 x 15 or larger at Marymoor
- Work on jump in a bigger gear
- Pursuit work in the pain cave

General - Dial in nutrition and best foods to eat prior to training and competition.
- Regular stretching routine
- Find the best electrolyte mix on the market and train/race with it
- Limit alcohol intake
- Limit chocolate intake
- Cross train with rock climbing/ core strengthening
- AT LEAST 8 hours of sleep a night. Meaning - go to bed earlier if need be!

So that pretty much sums it up for now. I actually feel like a weight has lifted off my shoulders now that I have established some goals. Before I was training, but without a real aim or purpose, which was resulting in mediocore results. I wasn't truly happy with my performance because I didn't know if I was doing the right thing or not. But now that I have a baseline to work from - I can start ticking off the goals.

More to come on this past weekend's Walla Walla adventure with the new team!

Onward

The Walla Walla Stage race is this weekend. I head out tomorrow for the 5 1/2 hour drive solo. I'm meeting up with my new teammates - and I'm super excited to meet them. I did meet Mary last year at the velodrome. I'm going to make the most out of this weekend - it should be a lot of fun.

Here's what Miller said in response to what I asked him:

Jen,

I think that we are encountering two forces here that are affecting things-
one is obviously the emotional toll and difficult conditions experienced in
the last week. You must allow yourself some freedom in that area, because
it is never easy to deal with and although you may feel like it shouldn't
affect your performance it inevitably always does.
The other aspect is that we are now comparing ourselves to much higher
standards. Remember where you were last year? You are doing much better,
the season is still young, and you have a lot of racing left. Hawaii may
have set things back a little, but in the long run we should be fine. Give
yourself some time, focus your energy on making the most this coming
weekend, and go from there, OK

Catching up

So it seems as though I haven't put in the same amount of time or effort into my blog lately. And quite honestly, last week was really hard. But it seems as though I am getting used to my routine again - and putting in the seriously focused miles in preparation for the upcoming season.

I am a little disappointed with my lack of success lately - and can only use it as a learning experience. Having something happen - on an emotional level - can take more of a toll on the training then something physical. I guess that's because up until this point in my life, I've only had minor emotional drama happen in my life - and when something hits home, such as my grandmother, shortly followed by Brad's death ... I suppose it's time to take a break for those things too. In the whirlwind we call life, you can forget to take care of yourself. I guess in a way I did just that.

Things are starting to calm down now. Brad's funeral was Monday, the weather has finally started to get nice and my grandmother seems to be getting along taking care of herself. Ryan has been super supportive throughout this whole process - but I'm thinking that he and I need to spend some weekend time together in the near future. I miss him!

On a side note - the other day I was doing some interval work out on Mercer and couldn't help but feel down on myself. TST was pathetic - granted the weather was shit - but I could've pushed more. That was supposed to be one of my peak races. Ryan and I were talking about it and he said one major difference between this year and last was the sheer number of races I was doing. Last year I raced my brains out - and this year I'm targeting specific races. Then when those races come and I don't do so well - I get down on myself for it. Maybe this is where my inexperience comes into play. Maybe it would be smarter to race more - and target specific races next year. I'm going to bounce that idea off Miller and see what he says.

soft fruit

season is almost here. That means warmer weather, tasty breakfasts, fruit salads with nectarines, local strawberries, BLUEBERRIES, etc. I am so excited for this foul weather to be OVER.

I think I'm in a cycling plateau right now. I started thinking about it yesterday while I was on Mercer doing laps on the rollers. It seems as though I'm going stronger - but I don't feel as though I'm getting stronger. I have somehow hit a wall - and I think it's a mental break through that has to happen. I can feel it coming - and am trying some new techniques of thinking about what is hurting (quads for example) and putting it in a pants pocket... and working on getting that pocket smaller and smaller. This week has taken a toll on me - with Brad passing away and trying to maintain my strength. I need to have some FUN.

TST = EPIC

So I vowed to myself never to quit a race ever again - and that little deal I made with myself was completely broken yesterday. Had it not been 34-37 degrees and raining the whole time, I might have made it. But then to see it start snowing I decided to call it quits. I had just reached the 1/2 way point - and really, what did me in more so than the cold and the fact I was losing feeling in my hands - was that of all days I thought I would try a new saddle out on a LONG RACE. That was frickin' stupid. What was I thinking? Even before I rode my new bike I commented on how much of a torture device it looked like - and yet I didn't swap out my comfy saddle for this board. IDIOT. If my crotch could take any more - then I could have possibly toughed out the remainder of the race. But today it feels like I beat it with a 2 x 4 and then rubbed salt in it. Owie.

Other than that though - looking back at the race before I completely erase it from my memory banks - I did ok. I managed to get kicked off on the same hill - and never quite made it back to the lead group - but I did do well with the women who caught me. Actually it was about 5 Wines of Washington women to myself and this Symetrics women who had a flat. And when they started dropping like flies - and we ran into a truck with room in it - I hopped in. I'm not sure what would have been worse though - just finishing the race and depleting all of my energy and facing a raw crotch or the fact that we were in the back of a truck bed only shielded by a tarp. Either way - it was not easy getting back to Tahuya. So many people adandoned the race - but do I regret it? Sort of. Was it the smarter thing to do? Probably. Luckily I wasn't that cold where it starts to impair your judgement - but had I decended down into Holly Hill then I probably would have been toast.

I guess the bottom line - I need to get tougher. And I also need to get better on the hills. Suz pushed it full throttle when the first hill came - popping most of the field. I should have turned around then - but instead my determination kept me going. In a way I'm disappointed because I wanted to do a lot better than last year - but at the same time it was an epic race and miserable. Hats off to those that finished - Kele got 3rd! She's a rockstar. Then again she's tough as nails ... I guess I need to start eating more medal for breakfast.

Looking at the bright side....

This week has been rough. The weekend's tragic event has left me emotionally drained. Plus I think I'm fighting a chest cold - evident by my persistent cough and sinus pressure headaches. But it will and is getting better.

All week I haven't felt like coming into work. I find it hard to motivate to do anything really. My energy levels are low and motivation lacking. But I still have managed to get on the bike and put in the training miles. I'm just not sure how effective they are when you're mind isn't in it. I'm actually serious contemplating taking the night off. But that won't do me a lick of good for the race this weekend. I just want to feel normal again - and have things become happier. I tried listening to music while riding to distract myself from sad thoughts and it seems like certain songs just make me melt into a puddle of tears. My appetite is supressed - which normal I would be eating like a horse. I suppose this is normal.

Enough of the self pity! Wallowing in my saddness is not going to make it better. Celebrating his life is what will. At least he was living in the moment doing something he enjoys when it happened. May we all be that lucky! Time to snap out of this funk and focus on the positive message - live life to the fullest! I found a pic I saved of Em and Brad from Friday night track racing. It makes me smile. I'll see if I can figure out how to attach it.

Healing....

I was able to sleep again last night and not wake up thinking about last weekend. Time is starting to heal the hole. Tonight I take dinner to Ingrid and James' house for Emily. And the service has been set for Monday.

Sigh.

I got an email from the director of Walla Walla saying that as of today only 16 women have signed up for the event. Apparently there's a big pull for the Tour of Willamette - which I would like to do if more competition shows up there. We'll see what happens though.

I started some new socks - and to tell you the truth, knitting is pretty much therapy for me. Something about the repetition... sigh.

on an upswing - a friend of mine had a baby this last weekend. I can't wait to go visit her. Also - I took the plunge and bought a new bike. It is sick. see attached photo. I'm officially broke.

Memorial Vigil

Last night recycled cycles had a memorial vigil at 8pm for Brad. Over 100 people gathered - all touched in some way by Brad throughout his life. Emily showed up too - she is so damn strong. Seeing the amount of people and love hopefully comforted her in some small way. Ryan and I were able to give her a hug - and she held on for a while. It was good to see her - knowing that physically she's still standing and somehow learning to cope. We all walked around the block in his memory and stopped near where he rest. Lots of flowers, candles and other tributes were put near his site. One guy even took the chain off of his bike and wrapped it around the tree.

I couldn't help but have the memories of yesterday flood into my brain - hearing Em's cries, disbelief, the scream of the sirens. Only to realize the spot where people stopped was 15 feet north of the actual location.

Brad Lewis died yesterday

Even as I type just that sentence, grief overwhelms me and the thought of Emily being alone sends sadness deep into my heart. They were in love - and not just on the surface - but a deep, all encompassing-I'm-going-to-grow-old-with-you love. A friendship of the most sincere and amazing kind - gone in an instant. I shake my head constantly in disbelief.

The fact that a very healthy 37 year old male who cycled everyday - raced on the weekends, ate right, lived a non stressful life, loved dearly and touched so many people in uncountable ways ... WHY? My heart goes out to Emily and all of his family members - and all of his friends.

When something so devastating happens - it makes you realize those petty things you fret about and quarrels you have are so not worth it. In a moment all you knew could be gone. I called my brother last night to make ammends and let him know how much I love him. Ryan and I just held each other last night - lost for words -scarred at the mere thought of having our lives ripped apart in an instant when it's our time. I talked to my mom - who is wise beyond words and her strength helped to ground me as it always does. It is so tragic that he died - how he died - when he died. Poor Emily.

It's Boating Season!

Oh the legs are starting to feel slightly fatigued right now. As they should after a 45 minute crit in the drizzling rain. I was nervous this morning even before lining up to the starting line. But all of those nerves disappeared once we started up our first corner. It was time to get down to business. I whiped the typical smerk off my face and gave today's race a solid showing.

They combined our field with the Collegiate A women - and had separate premes for them as well. We stuck together for the first 30 minutes and then the collegiate women had multiple premes in a row. Because us USCF women could care less about their points we suddenly had a time gap from them. It turned into a bigger and bigger time gap - with Rebecca Jensen of Whitman College soloing off the front and maintaining a 35" lead off the bunch sprint. In the meantime in the back of my head I wanted to catch them so I drove the field for several laps - stringing the remaining riders out. Unfortunately it may have cost me a better placement - for when the final 4 laps came I was fighting for position but zapped from my previous efforts. Taylor calculated things just right - she was in third position in the final sprint and ended up winning the sprint. Yeah! Go Gregg's!!! I stood up once I was through the corner and gave it every last ounce I had in the legs - which wasn't much and possibly was pipped at the line by two riders. Never the less I won an early preme so I'm not going home empty handed.

Highlights - taking those corners and feeling completely in control despite the rain. Being able to manuever in the pack with ease. Chasing down the collegiates (caught them all with the exception of Rebecca). Staying in the entire race! (Last year I lasted 12 minutes - 9 laps. Pathetic!) Putting the hurt on the field.

Improvement - Racing smarter. So even though the collegiate women were up the road - they can have it. Sit up more and have Heather pull through. This started working once I started verbalizing it. I should have sat in a little more though - saving it for the final sprint. Position myself in top 3 for the final sprint with 2 laps to go - fight and hold it.

I will say though I am not disappointed in my race today. I did some power moves that put the hurt on the field. I let them know this is a race and it's supposed to fucking hurt. Sitting up is for pussies. I almost puked after my final sprint effort so I know I didn't have any more gas in the tank and gave it my absolute all. Now if I can just work on maintaining the proper position for the final sprint - I'll start winning these damn races. I'm getting there though... every little step counts. And today - I was doing it in strides.

The Ball is Rolling....

I found out on Thursday night that the Tamarack offer has been extended to include me - and I happily jumped at the chance. I went for a ride with Emily yesterday to Magnolia and we talked about the different races - which include several East Coast crits. I am super stoked! It'll be great to race with some other women who have experience and can guide me in this crazy sport. I'm floating on cloud nine!

I do have a slight problem though - I took my bike into the shop to get worked on and they've had it for two days. Understandable - they are in full bike mode right now. Spring is here which means their bike sales go way up and most of the mechanics time is spent building them up and making them just right. But that left me with a little issue -no bike. Well that just doesn't fly - so I'm in the market for a new bike and am leaning toward another Kona.... so we'll see.

It started raining this morning for the first time in several days. Hopefully it will wash down the streets for tomorrow's race. Otherwise it might be a crash fest on Boat Street. My goal is to stay in the front as much as possible - never going deeper than 8 back. My heartrate is increasing just thinking about it!

We had some friends over for dinner last night and laughed the night away. It's been a while since we've had such a large group - but it was well worth the effort. One thing's for sure though - I will not do that the night before a race!

Whoa!

Where did the time go? Suddenly it's Friday and the weekend is here! I love it when that happens. Luckily this week has been a serious recovery week - not much more over an hour or so of riding each day... and the legs are feeling back to their normal peppy self. I don't race until Sunday - so tomorrow have a leg opener or two... and hit it hard on Sunday. I'm looking forward to racing - it is really addictive.

Well - I still have a million things to do before today's ride (we're having a dinner party tonight so I'm running around like a headless chicken). More soon....

Learning to listen to yourself

is really important. I've been learning the importance of checking in with my own body the past week - and it's still telling me to chill out. Today I went for a longer ride - I have had 2 recovery days in a row - so I thought I could go a little longer and see how things go. Well my body told me it still needs a little bit more time to chill out. I strolled along the south end of Lake Washington - being passed by the spring fliers.... and before I knew it put in a three hour ride. How did that happen? Actually in my own defense - it usually takes me about 2.5 hours to do that same route. All I could think over and over in my head, "you have to go slower to go faster"..... and when I found myself tempted by picking it up a couple clicks - I lectured myself.

Tomorrow is my fast day - I get to work on leg speed and power. I'm doing 4-5 sprint repeats at Vo2 max, 1:1 for a minute. That is of course I can still put out the watts for that many repeats. The minute I see a dip in power - I stop and head home.

My sleep is much better - I'm having dreams again! Ryan's been wanting to go to bed earlier so he can get up - which only means more hours for me. I got 9 in last night! Plus I have been craving sweets - which can mean only one thing. Yep - sucks being a woman.

Monday nights at Gasworks

Michelle Maislen of the NWWC contacted me earlier in the year asking if I would be available for any volunteer work. A ride leader position was available leaving from Gasworks - a mere 2 blocks from my house - so I was more than happy to give back to the community, could it get more convenient? Tonight was the first night and three women showed up. We managed to avoid the thundershowers and only have a little splash from the wet/muddy trail up to Matthews beach. I talked to each one about their interests - why they are on the ride, what they are hoping to get out of it, etc etc. Two out of the three women are completely new to the scene - ready to jump in with both feet. The third- Eden Marie - is in her first year of racing and will be an invaluable resource to help guide these women into the racing scene.

Both had the same questions - how do you train? What do you do? Hopefully I answered in a way to give them some direction - and I really hope they show up next week so I can talk to them more. I told one woman that cycling is a collection of experiences. Each training ride, race, conversation with coaches, fellow cyclists, reading information on the web - all adds to the ever increasing puzzle. Hopefully at the end of it you can make sense out of it all - and teach someone else what you learned.

Thank you for the continuous guidance. It is really refreshing and helpful to hear another perspective on my collection of experiences. I fully agree - racing is something that cannot be rushed. I am eager to learn more - but know that wisdom comes all in good time.

An Invitation....

I just got off the phone with my friend Emily. We had an interesting conversation - that ended up being an invitation. Let me fill you in on some back ground information... there's this local rider named Carrie Eller who is a strong Cat 2. She was on the Tamarack Team - a pro women's elite cycling team based out of Boise, Idaho. Emily is on the squad and some other women who are up and coming riders. From my understanding they are focusing on crits this year - and one of the highlights will be Superweek in WI. Carrie showed up to the first couple of Mason Lakes in Tamarack kits - but then last weekend I noticed she was showing Ti Cycles. Odd. I hadn't talked to Emily about it nor approach Carrie to find out why the sudden change in jersies. Well it turns out that Carrie decided to not ride with Tamarack this year and instead ride on Ti Cycles and be part of Erik Lynch's composite team to go to some larger stage races. What this all boils down to is that Emily was talking to Brooke, the director of the team, and she asked her if there was anyone else she knew who could possibly fill that void Carrie left. She said yes - although I had committed to another local team for the season - she would at least ask me what I thought. Frankly I'm flattered! Although I didn't say yes immediately - I would like to think it through before completely signing on. I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons of the situation and make sure it's what I want to do 100% before I say yes. Pretty kick ass though. We'll see what develops - I need to think about it a little bit more. :)

Time for a breather

Yeah - I completely agree. I'm definitely over-training. I better knock that off before my body up and quits and refuses to push any harder. Today was a perfect example. We pre-rode TST (Tahuya-Seabeck-Tahuya) - one of the hillier courses in Washington. It's 65 miles with about 4 siginificant climbs. In between the climbs you battle rolling hills, chip seal and massive head winds. But occassionally you catch a glimpse of the Olympic Mtns and a bald eagle or two. It's one of those races that if you get dropped at (which I did last year) it's just a great ride for its scenic beauty. But that was not the mission today - it was a recon to see how the legs are feeling (tired) and how to attack on the hills (I'm improving!). I rode it with my friend Melinda (who used to be on Starbucks with me) and her burly muscular boyfriend Mike. He's a mountain biker who loves pain - he mentally beats himself up on climbs and kicks some serious booty up the hills. Keeping up with him is impossible - but some day I'll get him. :)

We talked a lot about bikes - I ride a Kona Kona frame with an Ultegra set up on it and clinchers. I love tubulars - but save the spendy tires for my track bike. ;:)

There was talk of racing tomorrow down in Oregon - but considering my training from this week I'm not going to do and opt for a short recovery ride (under 15 mph!) tomorrow. Okay - time for dinner and a movie tonight. More later.

lately

I've had a hard time waking up in the mornings. I've been putting in some extra long miles/hours on the bike this past week - and getting more than 8 hours a night of sleep - but I'm still feeling fatigued. Also it's early spring - which means the trees omit a pollen that make my asthma go crazy. At night I hack away at the gurggle in the back of my throat to try and clear it - I just hope I don't have another attack in the middle of a race like I did last year at Boat street.

Despite the increased miles (I'll have almost 300 for the week) - my body feels good. I've been making an effort to increase fluids and eating during the rides - which has helped my recovery time. I wake up feeling good in the morning - not stiff or sore - but fatigued all over. I think I have a rest week coming up soon - I've been building for about 3 weeks now. I'm getting sleepy just thinking about my bed right now.... maybe I'll take a nap later?

time to get serious

So I've been doing some thinking lately - especially in regard to my recent demeanor at last weekends race - and think it's time I truly committed to what I want to do. Suddenly it's becoming clear that if I really want to go for the gusto in women's elite cycling, then I need to start approaching it with a serious attitude and treat it like a full time job. Up until this point, I've often had conversations with fellow female riders that say they decided they don't want to pursue the next level in cycling because they enjoy it as it is. Am I insane for wanting to take it to the next level? I do enjoy cycling - but I enjoy winning more. And if I want to make it to the next stage then it's time I stop messing around and get serious about it.

This morning I thought to myself how disappointed I was for doing all of the ground work this winter - battling the rain/snow/ice/sleet mix and to only act like a giddy school girl when the nicer weather hits. Where's the intensity? Where's the roaring monster that kept me in the saddle during the dark months? The passion is still there - but I guess I'm just learning how to effectively tap into it and harness it into winning races.

I was surfing the net for some info on Functional Threshold Power for women and came across this blog by a woman who is seriously training for an Ironman. She included her training for the past three weeks - and one thing crossed my mind. Sure she's done far less actual training hours then I have, but her intensity is there. She makes it count each time she swims, bikes, runs.... she treats it like work. Luckily she's able to comingle her passion with work - and no doubt will she be successful at it. She inspired me to change my mental approach toward competitive cyling - because it's just that competitive. Save the shit eating grin for afterward - when you're on the podium. :)

Goomer

Amara just posted pics that her dad took at the race last weekend - and I am an idiot. Every single picture he took - and there's probably 8 or so - I'm smiling a big goomer shit eating grin. The funny part - here's a pic from my before getting dropped....
And here's one from after I got dropped on the second hill, first lap. Don't worry - every picture in between shows the pearly whites. Uh - Jen, are you forgetting that you are competing? It's supposed to be painful and you're not supposed to be having that much fun..... someone forgot to tell me that one. My husband just responded - you're not going to get picked up by a pro team using that tactic. I think I was just stoked to be racing my bike again - who cares what anyone else thinks?

On a side note - my test results came back. They are super low. I did the test indoors - and lacked the motivation to go until you feel like you're going to puke - to get a true feel for my power threshold. We ended up using data from some harder training rides. Regardless though - my power threshold needs to come up. I'm on the scale of a solid Cat 2 rider - but I want to be on a higher level. So we're focusing on increasing that until june/july when speed becomes the focus. This past couple of weeks has been a humbling experience. I just need to keep going and get past this rough patch....

understanding power

Miller had me do a test yesterday to try and figure out my power thresholds. We will look over the data tonight and be able to start focusing on power rather than heart rate or perceived exertion.

Now that I've had a couple of days to chill out and process what happened at the race on Saturday I'm starting to realize just how much I love this sport. I'm constantly learning from it - both physically and mentally - and figuring out how to avoid mistakes from happening again. There's truly nothing like experience. I'm back in research mode trying to find out more about it. One thing's for sure - you can't rush it. You have to let things take their natural course. Prime example - training. Although I feel like I did a lot of training this winter - it's nothing compared to what I will do to it next winter - or the winter after that. Miller refers to it as the Eddie Meryx approach. Thankfully I was blessed with a body that can take more training than the average woman. I can subject myself to more training - and do well. And two things are going for me this season - I'm fast and tough. Now if I can just work on the climbing and tt'ing. :) Crit season is beginning in two weeks - now that gets me amped.

I went for a mellow recovery ride today - the first one I've had in over two weeks. It felt really good to chill out. Miller surprised me this morning with a phone call and that he was willing to go on a ride - so we headed out to do the North end with a short stop in Kirkland. It was a social hour for him - he saw about 10 people he knew. It was funny.

We had a good talk - about training and how we both need to communicate to one another more than what's been going on. I admitted not wanting to call him too much - he has to have a life, right? He said that's not the case - I should call whenever I have a question. And he also said his athletes don't understand just how excited he is about their progress - something I didn't give much thought to before. We are now realigned with goals/coach/athlete relationship and should get things dialed back in. I'm releaved. Now I can just focus on winning some races. :0)

what to do, what to do, what to do

Today's race was - interesting. It's a new course out of Rochester, Wa with some rolling hills and two climbs. The first is about 1 k - 7-9% gradient and not too bad. You can pretty much power up it without feeling too tapped. The second hill is a kicker - 1/2 k at a 10-12% grade. It killed me. It was as though I threw out an anchor and said bombs away! Next thing I know I was kicked out the back gasping for air to catch back and and never quite made it. I ended up hooking up with Taylor and Michelle from Ti Cylces and trying to chase the main group. We were unsuccessful. Taylor ended up pulling off after about 6 miles and threw up on the side of the road. She wasn't feeling good before the race and was sick on Tuesday - and unfortunatley the intensity killed her. Michelle and I ended up finishing the race and getting Wa cup points - both dumbfounded that we were dumped off from the pack so quickly.

I think my training in Honolulu was a little too intense and I didn't recover adequately from it. All of those sprints - the stops and goes then the hill climbing - just took its toll. So when it came time to shove - I had nothing to give. A little frustrating. But I learned my lesson.

But wait! That isn't it at all! Well - it might have something to do with my lack luster performance. But another part - which Miller pointed out to me - is that I was in Zone 6 for about an hour prior to the second hill climb. So when it was time to push up the hill - I had no recovery in the legs and nothing to give. My mind was screaming at my body to go faster but I ignored its warning signs prior to the hill. I pushed too hard and didn't fully utilize the rest positions during the rotating paceline and climbing just a little so I could hang but not push the big wattage up the hill. The surges are what tax the legs - and they were surged out. Lesson learned. :)

Back in the saddle

It feels good to be home. Ryan and I were able to spend just under 24 hours together and we're back into the routine - he goes climbing for the weekend and I go race. Luckily I have an afternoon race - this jet lag is tiring! I'm already looking forward to bed.

Did a hour today with a couple of jumps. The body is feeling strong - and I'm looking forward to getting some intensity under the belt tomorrow. I'm debating the Roubaix race on Sunday - it sounds brutal. But I could use my old training wheels and let the gravel wreck havoc on them rather than my nice wheels.

On a side note - apparently I pissed my brother off while he was in the islands. I don't think he was expecting to have such a mellow time with Gam - his only experiences over there have been for vacation - not to nurse someone. I might have gotten on his case with his over eatting issue - reciprocating the brutal love he instilled on me when I was young and had a weight problem. I remember him putting me down and saying some nasty things. And I hope and pray that I didn't make him hurt in the same way. But I did let him know that eatting 4 manapuas (white dough with salty pork inside - approximately 900 calories each) was not good for him. I told him I was saying something out of love and that I want him around a while and in good health. He didn't want to hear that.

So again, I go into a race without a clear head. Last time I had inner turmoil was when Joyce and I blew up. I have learned though that I am able to block out all those inner and outer demons and just race. Not to say that I strive for drama - because that's the last thing I want. Hopefully George and I will get to talk tonight.

thanks!

Thank you for your comment/compliments. I appreciate them. I will shut up now about seeing if anyone reads my blog anymore. That one should last me for a year or so.

My grandmother is doing much better. I leave today for home and my mom comes back from Australia to figure out some long term care for her. We spent some meaningful time on the beach yesterday - talking about life and how important it is to take care of your body. She's in the recovery phase and working on physical therapy.... and she has a hard time with not seeing overnight results. As a 4 time right knee surgery veteran I was able to pass on my wisdom that the end result takes time and patience, not to mention dedication to get there. I think she understood what I was saying.

As far as training with other people - yes, I know that's one weakness I have. During the winter it was difficult to find someone who had the time to train as well as the will to train in our weather. But I'm sure they're out there. That saying haunts me from boxing ... "Someone is out there training harder than you and when you meet them in competition they will beat you." That's all I have to think about that keeps me going in less than ideal training conditions. I know, it's sick. And believe it or not - I do have a coach who was a junior phenomeneneon (sp?!) and with the little bit of hands on that I get from him I get alot. But it's been a while ----- and he's way past due for a training ride with me. :) Still - I need to find a core group to train with and push me outside of my comfort zone.

So in the meantime - I'm thinking of doing some traveling this summer to some bigger races and get some more experience. I hear Superweek is a great experience - and I will get to some NRC races. And track season is just around the corner - where I'll be taking it up a notch and racing with the men.

It is pouring down rain right now. We're taking full on monsoon style. I can't believe the island hasn't washed away. Amazing. I wish you could hear it.

Readers?

I often wonder if anyone out there reads my random blog anymore. No comments... did I completely unable them? Crazy.

Did some hill repeats on the Pali this afternoon. It felt good to get the heartrate going. It's super muggy today. George left to head home - he was pissed because the manapua store was closed today. He didnt' need 3 dozen anyway. His waist will thank them!

Mental preparation

I talked to my friend Melinda yesterday. She called to say hello and find out what's been going on. She won the Mason Lake series - and is going to upgrade so I'll get to start racing with her again! I'm stoked. In the meantime I've been using this time as preparation for racing. I can't wait to get back to it. But maybe a break in the early season will result in greatness overall. We shall see.

The SUN!

I can't help but feel a little neee neeer neee neeer neee neeeeeeeeer! to all those Washingtonians who are racing in the rain this morning while I pedaled in the warm Hawaiian sun. I'm lounging in a tank top and shorts as we speak - with all of the doors and windows with screens open to let the air pass through the house. It feels great - and other than missing Ryan - I'm getting more used to being over here. My tan is certainly improving!

Red Hot Training

Pedaling in 80 degree with 90 % humidity is different - especially when you're used to freezing rain cold in Washington. But I'm not complaining at all! I get to work on my funny little bikers tan...

It's hard though when there's no real hills to climb on the way - I'm going to try and seek some out today.

Doing some serious hill repeats in the heat of the tropics. Feels good to exercise and is keeping me sane.

Family Emergency

I got a call last night from my mom in Australia saying that my grandmother is in the hospital. Upon calling her back I found out they think she had a mini-stroke although preliminary tests are not revealing what actually happened. I worried through the night as my uncle flew from Kona to Honolulu to see if he could find out what's going on. He and the family are leaving today for the east coast for Kim's father's wake and my mom won't be back through HNL till the end of the month. Since I"m the closest and available relative, I booked a flight this morning for tomorrow and will return in two weeks. They don't know if they will release her yet - but it's best to have someone there with her when they do so she has some assistance at home. She lives by herself in the Pali and is 90 years old. It's truely amazing she's made it this long without assistance in her daily activities - but I think it's time.

I'll be missing some early season races - but should be able to stay fit while over there. The Pali has some excellent climbs and I should be able to wander all over the neighborhoods in search of elevation. The island is in flash flood warning mode - so hopefully the rain will stop eventually. Most important though - I hope my grandmother is ok.

The training must go on!

Despite the blistery winter weather enveloping the PNW. They closed the 520 bridge yesterday due to high winds... it was so stormy that I dared not risk going outside to deminish my love for pedaling. Instead I stayed inside where it was warm and dry, popped in the 2004 Tour and spun away 60 miles with a 30 minute LT effort. Lance, Jan and Ivan never cease to amaze me. Those guys rock.

My fitness is coming along - the longer 60 + mile rides are no longer as taxing and it doesn't take me as long to recover. Part of it is probably due to diet and hydration - something I am a firm believer in. It's Thurday already which means tonight I make sure all of my race clothing is ready for a weekend of wet cold riding.... snow showers are threatening on Saturday at Mason but we should have clear skies on Sunday.

Ryan watched me churn out some wattage last night on the trainer and commented on how even my pedal stroke is. I can't beleive how far it's come in one year! Amazing.

spring showers bring may flowers!

I checked the weather early this morning and according to their guestimate the morning was going to be better than the afternoon. I jumped at the chance to avoid the 40 degree driving rain and hail - but within 20 minutes of hopping on the saddle it started to come down. I figured, I'm headed out anyway so why not go super late to work .... you never know what the afternoon will hold weather wise. Especially considering how freaked out the meterologists are right now about what's in store for the PNW.

I was headed to do 3 hill repeats in the big chainring - grinding on the knees. It started to really rain when I hit Bothel and then continued to come down for the remainder of my hill efforts. I took off my fenders for race season and my ass got soaked. It was okay cruising up hill but the downhill was CHILLY... and then I had to ride home an hour and twenty minutes.

As soon as I got to work the rain stopped - it looked like it was going to be nice. And then this HUGE rain cloud came and dumped off enough rain to flood the streets. Phew - am I glad I went this morning or what?!

Ice Breaker TT

I woke up Sunday to rain and wind gusts that sounded like they were going to knock my wind chimes off the porch. Perfect conditions for the seasons first individual time trial! A true test to see who's fit and mentally strong for 10 miles out and back in flat Black Diamond, WA area. The weather report said 90% chance of rain with 18 mph winds and a high of 46. Ahhhh the great PNW.

Luckily I preregistered and knew my starting time (if you have the option - I HIGHLY recommend it - last year a friend and I showed up without preregistering and waited 4 hours for her start time). I broke out my Zipp 909 disc set - it's only seen action on the track so I was excited to find out what it would feel like on the road. It was risky using the disc on such a windy day because gusts could easily make you waver and lose time. But I only had a few instances of panic.

The start went really well - solid and up to speed within the first 500m. There was an awesome tailwind out to the 5 mile point, where you slow to turn around and fight it on the way back in. My disc sounded great - you can really feel when you are utilizing the full pedal stroke or not. It's nice to have something to audibly focus on. I hauled out to the mid way point and then focused on pushing a little harder on the way back in - a little above my LT heart rate... but not too much so my power would peak and valley. With TT's - it's all about consistency. The finish line was in sight and a guy passed me on the left - I shifted up and hammered it across the line in a sprint like fashion. (Probably not the most efficient but I'm still learning how to harness the power.) It felt good - like puking but then the endorphins kicked in and I was floating on cloud nine. If my calculations were correct - I was in the 26 minute range... knocking over 5 minutes off my time from last season. It wasn't until later on that night I found out my time was 25:55... 5 seconds shy of 6 minutes from last year. Holy cow. Uhhh.. thanks coach! It put me in 5th position - and something to work with. By the end of the season I want to be rocking in the 23-24 minute range. Not bad though for the start of the second season.

Do you ever have the feeling like you're hungry but nothing really sounds good? Pizza - usually.... nah, pasta... nah, burritos.... mmmm maybe..... homemade one though and right now my legs are a wee bit heavy.

The race this morning went well. My fitness is a lot better than before - but I botched the final sprint. Actually I got boxed in and by the time I reved the engine up it was finished. But it's cool - it was a training race regardless. Now I just have to work on moving up in the field during the finish and not getting boxed in. Maybe next time I'll do some bumping. I'm happy with my performance - top 10.... could have been better but it's a training race and only that... no money to be had and its a great chance to scope out the competition. I bet Leif is just dying right now! The 1/2 men field had to do 72 miles - luckily it's absolutely gorgeous out right now.

All in all the race was good. mason is funny - it doesn't seem like the attacks ever go anywhere. There's usually just too big of a head wind. In retrospect - I might have gone a little easier on the risers. I would stand up and grind through them - causing the latic acid to build up in the legs and making recovery a little longer than it needed to be. I felt good though - the base miles are definitely paying dividends. Hopefully there's enough of them built up that recovery will be excellent. Actually - come to think of it... day two of high intensity typically is stronger for me. Tomorrow will tell though.

Doubley Sure

I just laid out all of my race clothing for tomorrows test. Okay - so I may have gotten a little out of control. I mean, how many hats will I need? I packed my rain hat, my cold hat and my not so cold hat. Then I packed my leg warmers, knee warmers, two shorts ... one might be too cold. I went out the other day in just one pair and nearly froze my toosh off! But realistically... I'll be warmer than usual with the intensity increased - but who knows... maybe my fitness is so much greater that the field will freeze me to death. We'll see. I'm curious to see how my teammates are doing... I know Amara raced last weekend but I haven't really heard the details of that. And Taylor - not sure what she's been up to at all. But we shall see! Hopefully we will all work together during the races and make some amazing impact. We'll be the local hit squad. Fabulous.

In preparation for the racing I detailed my bike and dusted off my sweet sounding DT Swiss Rims. They actually feel quite a bit faster than my other wheels - or maybe it's because I reserve them for special race times. Whatever it is - may they bring me through the finish line safe and rubber side down. (And of course FIRST!) :)

Starting to show signs

I saw my massage thearpist this morning. I swear - she's the best dang rubber in the whole world! Ha ha. She commented though on how much stronger my body feels compared to three weeks ago. She really noticed it in my hammies, calves and back as well. I haven't gained any muscle mass - meaning, I'm not tipping the scales any heavier - but my muscles have gotten leaner and meaner in the process of hill repeats and skiing. She commented - your coach must be amazing. Great compliments all around - she rules.

two days and counting - tweaking the bike tonight for any last minute adjustments and preparing to rock the house shortly.

stomach pains

just got home from a south end juant and downed a glass of endorox. But for some reason my belly is bloated out like I'm 6 months pregnant and I'm having a hard time standing up. Something was seriously wrong with my recovery drink.

Got to hang with a couple guys today on a late morning ride. Leif has been on his bike but once a week - and he was hurtin' half way through the ride. I'm feeling good - looking forward to detailing the bike later tonight and getting it race ready. I'm looking into getting a Zipp 404 w/ a powertap hub for a set of serious race wheels. Should be phatty.

Two days and counting till race time. Saweet.