remembering a boy...

Another 3am wake up call. My brain just doesn't want to shut off. At least this time I didn't wake up weeping but instead woke up thinking about Ryan in that photo standing outside of a 50's dinner in Bellingham. I remember that day like it just happened - we had met with my mom for lunch and I hadn't seen him for oh, 12 hours? (He usually stayed overnight but when my mom visited - he had to go sleep at this own pad.) He wore this green Columbia ski coat that made his eyes sparkle and his kisses were magical. He smooched me despite my horrible green stripped shirt, khakis, and hot pink scrunchy with the same passion he always displayed. And my mom, bless her soul, just laughed and giggled with us, celebrating the incredible union we had.

Thank you for sharing yesterday with me for those that came out. I know quite a few people who were unable to go - and I could feel your love from afar. And thank you to everyone who pitched in to remember Ryan. Trish is having another memorial next Sunday, the 21st, at 5pm at her studio (www.studioufo.net) in Bellingham in case you didn't get to attend or would like to spend more time.

The shock is starting to wear off and the numbness is starting to settle in. My mom helped me clean my room yesterday - with seven years worth of dust kiddies eliminated from the nooks and crannies of my closet. My amazing family and friends surround me - I can't get enough hugs. And not those sissy, ew don't touch me hugs - we're talking deep bear hugs with back cracking potential.

Today is going to be tough. But it's necessary and the next step with many, many more steps to come.

Cheer leading

Last night I went to corner two and a sweet memorial was set up for Ryan. Thank you all who pieced that together - the hanging beaners were a great touch. And thank you for the donation and moment of silence.

But more satisfying than anything was heckling Kenny. Ryan would have been proud when I dropped my pants and mooned him. I just couldn't resist - it felt too good. Add an IPA of liquid courage, some serious pent up feelings and my inner child came out. Poor Woody rolled up just as I was dropping my drawers next to Pat - but oh we laughed.

I got to cheer from the outside - and know why Ryan had such a good time watching. Makiah was there too - faithfully at my side. We went out for beers in Ballard afterward with Miller, Molly, Randy, RT, Izette, Pat and Christie- and had a Left Hand IPA - the same brew that his favorite jersey was of.

But oh I'm paying for it a little today... it was SOOOOO worth it!

Remembering Ryan

Last night we talked about Ryan's service that will be held Sunday at 4pm in Volunteer Park amphitheater on Capital Hill. Rather than be gloomy and super sad - we sat around the table laughing about Ryan's funny quirks about showing up to formal events in a t-shirt, shorts and flip flops. So we decided - that's the required attire. Points go to those who have the most original t-shirt. Feel free to come in leprechaun attire too - Ryan would be so proud.

There will be a slide show with photos, videos, etc set up at the park. If you are interested in speaking - please send Marcy a note at (holla(at)marcysutton.com). There will be an open mike time as well.

Our intent is to really celebrate Ryan - in his style. We'll be headed to a pub a short walking distance from there where everyone is obligated to buy a pint of IPA in his memory.

Hope you can make it - and please spread the word.

The service will be Sunday at 4pm at the amphitheater in Volunteer Park. Everyone is welcome.

My Darling Jennifer

First of all, I love you and I love Ryan. We will always have Ryan in our hearts and memories. Don't worry we, your friends and loved ones, will buoy you up. You are a wonderful woman, not just due to your accomplishments though they are many, but because you have a wonderful kind spirit. Yes, Ryan touched many hearts but you are a 'matched set' and yes, you have many, many friends in your quiver as well.

Yes, you will miss him. I will miss him. Many will miss him.

You are my angel darling and you will recover from this tragedy and thrive. I know you will.

I love you,

Mom/Mom2

Thank you.

Thank you to everyone who is helping me through this. Cam wrote a very dear piece on Ryan that has me sobbing tears. I miss my Ryan.

http://www.ece.utah.edu/~ccharles/personal/RyanTriplett/

I want to wake up from this nightmare.

Avoiding the melt in San Jose

As mentioned before, it is HOT here in San Jose. Record temps have hit the area for several days in a row now - with no sign of it cooling down while we're here. To be honest though I'm LOVING it!

Thursday was a little let down - after losing two straight sprint rounds with Jen. The first one she had quite a jump on me and although I battled with her all the way to the line - she just had more umph in her sprint. I spoke with Stan Gregg afterward and we came up with a game plan for me to take her long. I think she anticipated it - for our first two laps were super fast and then I just didn't have enough in me to come around her. But at least I made her work! I hope I was able to at least help her prepare for Elite Track Nats in early October.

Yesterday we had a day off and headed West to Santa Cruz. As soon as we dropped over the mountains, the temp dropped down to 64 and fog. We strolled around down town and ended up in a hat shop where we both bought 3 hats each. And of course Mr. Tucker had me laughing my eye balls back on our way back as he attempted to wear one of my hats on his over sized noggin. Part Simpson character, Sloth from Goonies and goofy - I was rolling!

I don't race until late tonight in a combined field points race. So I met up with Jason and he took me to this great wood fired pizza joint in Santana Row. Best meal I've had all week - hands down! Thanks again my friend!

It was great chatting with him and talking about our passions. Funny how life can be strained until you decide to make the change and do what you love in life. Things just sort of fall into place after that.

Also spoke with Ryan - he's been at our cabin in Mazama having a blast. I miss him though! Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

Bikram Web Surfing

It's HOT down here. And about 85 in the room I'm surfing the Internet on. Guy deemed it Bikram Web surfing.

Relaxing before my face off against Jen Featheringill tonight in our sprint finals. Should be good! Best two out of three. Wish me speedy legs!

Containing my excitement!

Before the memory fades into oblivion - I thought I'd recapture the days events. It's not every day you win a National title - let a lone your first USA Cycling Masters title as a first year master - so here goes.

Woke up very early this morning to head to the track in time for Guy's 3k pursuit. He's racing in the 35-39 category and has a pretty competitive field! It was his first pursuit EVER - so he set a PR. Then we sat around and waited. And waited some more - then more. And as we waited, the temps rose. And rose and rose. And the humidity lowered to 14%. Ouch. This Washingtonian is definitely not used to that type of dry heat!

I was dead last to go in the morning session -- which turned into an afternoon session (kick off time right around 2:30pm). There were only three of us ladies in the 30-34 category and Jennifer set a fast time of 2:39. Next thing I know, I'm lined up and zooming out the gates. I roll on top of the gear pretty quickly and try to settle into a pace. Guy was yelling splits - and Earl was telling me if I was winning or not. It was great! And then with one lap to go I felt like my lungs were on fire and couldn't breath at all. I rode a 2:37.00 - not bad considering it was my first 2k! But I so badly wanted to drop the national record to below 2:32. Oh well! Maybe next year. ;)

Afterward I laid right down. I couldn't talk. I couldn't drink. I felt dizzy and ready to hurl. After ten minutes of wanting a lung transplant, I started to regain consciousness - though it took me a while before I felt like I wouldn't throw up each time I sat up. If that's what a National title will take - then I'm so hooked! But I swear it felt like I took minutes off my life today.

We're killing some time back at Leo's house before the evening session where Woody will compete in the 2k, and Eric Waterman, Aaron Levin, Matt Holdstrom (sorry if I botched that one!) will give a go in their points races. Guy and I are brown bagging it from the stands... It should be entertaining!

Tomorrow is the sprint tournament and then my points race was moved to Saturday...

Oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY GUY!

National Champ!

My track hack has finally calmed down after a big power output from this afternoon. I'm proud to say I just earned my first Master Nationals title in the 2k pursuit with a time of 2:37.00. Yahoo!

It's HOT here - with really low humidity (14%!). But I managed to dig deep and lay down a stellar time. Thanks to all the friends and family who have supported me in my endeavors and allowed me to live my passion! Today I got to demonstrate what happens when you lay it down on the line and go for it!

Checking In

Greetings from sunny Hellyer Park in California! We arrived on Sunday evening after a nice drive down from Seattle. Splitting the drive up into two days is DEFINITELY the way to go - we had no stress on the way down and weren't stuck in the car for 14 hours straight.

The velodrome is abuzz with the various age groups preparing for the first session of the week - first up, the men's 35-19 kilo. Guy is in the third heat - and luckily the wind is non-existant and it's warm. Who knows - maybe a couple of records will be set this morning?

It's fun watching people reconnect with their friends from across the Nation - many use this event as a way to catch up with their competitors.

Unfortunately my competition isn't as strong as a lot of categories - the youngsters have lower numbers for some reason. Maybe it's because they don't want to except the fact that they're getting older? I had to jump out of an airplane to accept mine - so I completely understand. But now I'm embrassing it. :)

More to come...

Travel Time

Headed South today on our way down to San Jose for Master Track Nationals. Guy Tucker and I are making a big old road trip out of it and are so excited! We have a 13 hour drive ahead of us - but should be powered by lots of entertaining conversation on our journey.

Last night I raced track despite the looming and dark clouds threatening to sputter out rain. Even the forecast was shady with a 70 percent chance of precipitation. But low and behold we skated the weather and had a full night of racing even though it was down into the 50's by the time we got out of there.

First up - a scratch race. We had 18 guys show up - a pretty good field but not nearly as big as previous week's where they had to split the fields in half. Cucina did a great job of sending several of their guys off in a flurry of attacks - none of which lasted though. It's so much fun being part of a group that is really into racing. I didn't set myself up well for the finish but still managed 10th.

Next up - the Keirin. Top two advance to the final, 3-4 go to a constellation round. The motor wound us up to speed - sputtering here and there and completely stopping on the second lap, nearly crashing our entire field. I played this one smarter, taking second wheel and waiting for the jump to keep me out of the wind. Coming into corner 4 it was looking like I might not make it - but then I pipped two guys at the line to make the final. YES!

Keirin final - pulled the first position. Ian gave me a massive throw (thanks IAN!!!) and I easily got on the motor just past corner 1. It's easy sitting behind the moto and just letting it wind you up to speed. Once it pulled, I swung up track to be out of the wind for the remaining 600m and tried seeding back in, to no avail. I sprinted hard for a mere 5th.

Last but certainly not least, and much to my surprise because I thought we would be rained out, was a 30 lap points race. My instinct was on. Mark Coppa took a big flier in the first sprint lap - with me nestled nicely on his wheel. I got points in all sprints, with the exception of one. I even out sprinted Mark, much to his surprise, for 3 points. All in all I ended up 3rd. This consistent placing is going to get me an upgrade into the 1/2 field. YIKES!

It was a late night last night after Burritos and beers with Jamie and Christine. I slept in though until 7:30 and then started packing. Guy's trying to find a hitch for the bike rack for the back of his pimp mobile - and then we're off!

More stories to come from the road...

Always looking ahead

This photo was taken by Diane Boursaw for Wheels in Focus. It really captures my season - leading the charge and always looking ahead into the next corner for what may come.


And always study your enemy. Look at their weak spots - figure out the way they move and then ATTACK! (Ok - maybe I've been reading a little too much into "Book of Five Rings...")

The groundwork has been laid...

Two solid days off the bike. No gym time - no motorpacing. Just actively seeking the best way to stay off my feet and enjoy my free time before the leaving for San Jose on Saturday.

Of course the yard needs some attention, the house could be cleaned, the basement needs to be finished - but my day will be filled with laying on the couch reading a trashy romance novel and dozing in and out of sleep. FABULOUS!

Out Sprinting the Rain

Life is sometimes like a rain forecast. You do your best to avoid it and hope for the best - but sometimes you just get soaking wet.

I'm on the flip side of an epic racing weekend and survived. As mentioned, it kicked off Thursday with a solid motor pace session (thanks PAT!!) where I could barely summon up enough energy to climb up the stairs to our house.

Follow that with the typical Friday Night racing - where at first my motivation was down and I panicked a little thinking I would have to live up to my omnium performance from last weekend. The first race, a win and out, was formatted ass backwards and I placed 10th. A quick little chat with David F. and I put my game face back on. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy miss and outs? It's all about tactics, pacing yourself, finding small holes to shoot through and staying out of trouble. I found myself in the final 5. But this time instead of going with 200m to go - I waited until coming out of corner 4 and then "go-go-gadget-rocket-legs!" to the finish to out sprint all but one guy. Our last race of the evening - a 30 lap scratch was a lot of fun. Brad attempted to do a big lead out for me with 2 laps to go - but a RCR guy got caught up in the mix and then decided to sit up with 150m to go. Punk! So it became a mad dash for 5th. But I'll take it! And I placed 4th in the Omnium!!!

Day three on - a circuit race in Carnation. This was our team race - so although I didn't get home until 11:30pm the night before, I was up and at em' at 5:45am to help set up the course and course marshall for the early races. I was pretty pooped by the time we raced - but summoned up enough energy to be a contender in the final sprint. I had been warned by multiple people that it was a long sprint from the final corner. But that didn't stop me from trying to do a 500m sprint to the line. I glanced down and saw 35.6 mph, then 34... then the 200m line and thought, "oh shit!" and then watched Morgan pip me at the line. Dang! You'd think I would have learned by now. Oh well. It had been a while since I've done a road race.

Day four - Sunday. Woke up to beautiful blue skies but with a threat of rain in the afternoon. I packed a rain jacket just in case. I met up with Linda and Christine near the University Bridge and we made our way down to Seward. It took me a good 25 minutes to warm up the legs and spin out the garbage locked in them. Self doubt lingered in my head - but my body was ready for the challenge. Attacks continued lap after lap - until a 5 person break made it up the road and Liz was in it. The rest of us were content with sitting in waiting until the gap proved substantial enough before we made any moves. Liz did well - placed 2nd in the finish and I won the pack sprint for 6th. All in all - an excellent day on the bike despite having four days of heavy work. Things are on track for nationals!

On the way home, I encountered rain showers though and was soaked from head to toe by the time I rolled in. Sometimes you just can't avoid it.

working it

Bring on the Keirin cut jeans - I could barely walk up the stairs to my house last night.

The first 30 minutes in tempo was agonizing. My head started playing tricks on me, "back off! You can just pull over and do this in two sets instead of one. Who's going to know? You're already half way there - only one more half to go. Every revolution is getting you closer to your goal - both immediate and long term. 99 bottles of beer on the wall.... oh crap! I lost count of which lap I'm on. If I can just make it to 60 laps - I'll be solid. What? I'm only at 37? Sheebus."

And so my inner dialog continued. Until finally - I found myself at lap 59 - and DONE!

Let the true workout begin.

Like a one-two combination punch, those two breakers broke me yesterday. The wind was crazy - super solid on the home straight, nice on the back straight. You were either on the gas or recovering. No happy medium. Add a motor that as soon as it would round corner 1 into 2 - would start accelerating and you have a recipe for one big old ass whopping.

The first set was brutal - I felt like keeling over and dying afterward. But miraculously I lived - and fortunately got to do another one. I think the first set is always the hardest. The second one your legs are really open, as well as your mind and body to give it another solid effort. 10 minutes whizzed by.

Another 5 minutes of rest - without the puke feeling. And last on the list - something that sounded innocent enough but proved to be wicked hard.

10 laps at 25 mph, then increase the mph by 3 every two laps, in your pursuit set up. By the end of this exercise, my legs were so pumped I could barely walk.

That's what I'm talking about.

It's been a while since I've finished a workout and had barely enough energy to walk up my stairs and sit down on the couch. I was wrecked. We headed to Quinn's - my new FAVORITE restaurant and had some amazing protein filled portions (wild boar sloppy joes, potato gnocchi with rabbit (lip smacking good!) and lamb-knock-your-socks-off-main-course.

Not quite the sushi I had been hoping for - but a taste that will have us going there again and again...

Now on tap for the weekend - Friday night racing, followed by a Carnation road race/ aka crit, Seward park and chilling with some friends! Ah the life of riley.

Work hard. Play hard. And don't forget to have fun!

Lord help me.

On tap for today - 30 minutes in tempo. Immediately followed by 2 sets of Breaker intervals in my mass start bars, any gear of my choosing.

Then 1 effort in my pursuit bars. First 10 laps at 25 mph, then every two laps increase the pace by 3 mph for two laps and go until failure.

If you hear on the evening news, "Woman in Redmond passes out from exercise exhaustion..." you'll know who it is.

Friday Nights at the Track

For those who don't know - I began track racing in 2005. I started it the same year I started road racing and had immediate success. I remember the first time I lifted my leg over the rental bike and did my first revolution at Marymoor, I knew there was something special.

That year I qualified for Elite Track Nationals and decided to go. A very green rookie but with a can do attitude - I headed down to LA with Ryan, R. Miller, Molly, and Leif to compete. In the 100 lap points race (the longest race I had done to date) I risked it all and went for a sprint lap - won it, then got shelled from the race. I still remember feeling amazing though - and looked forward to coming back the next year.

I have had great teachers along the way. Ryan Miller taught me the majority of what I know to date about racing - and instilled in me a sense of killer instinct and ability to read a race. Little did I know that what he first taught me three years ago would start surfacing a few years down the road.

Each year I would plug away at racing - diligently attending my track workouts, hitting the gym to build strength, pedaling through the cold wet winters. On the track I raced with the Category 3 men - often missing the breaks and getting shelled from the group. Reminiscent of boxing and getting punched in the face by 14 year olds - and after each bout, would get back in the ring to keep working at it. Each attempt was stored in my mind - and regardless of outcome - I would constantly strive to master those skills.

Then last season I pulled my hamstring. To be honest, this was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. Sure it was a bummer to be down and out for 6 months - but it also allowed me to recognize the importance of maintaining a strong mind and focusing on the mental aspect of competition.

Flash forward to the current season. Early season races were a disaster as far as results are concerned - but mentally I was making a HUGE progression in my warrior status. I approached each early season race with an open mind - knowing my existence is not measured by my placement in those races; it is measured by my willingness to lay it on the line and try my hardest. And suddenly, about 1/4 of the way through the season, it started to click. My mind and body aligned and I found myself with the lead group. I can't tell you how thrilling that was.

Just when I was starting to get a hang of my new position - track racing started up. With the renewed confidence and fitness I gained on the road - I applied it to the velodrome. This coupling guaranteed immediate success.

The past four years I often think back to my first Elite National point race. I use it as a measure to see how far I've come and how far I have to go. Racing with the Category 3 men on Friday Nights is also a good weekly measure of that progression.

Flash forward to this past Friday. 26 men (with 2 women) lined up at the rail. It was really warm out - with ozone levels higher than they've been all year. The first race, a 10 lap tempo, was tough - with points awarded to the first two people across the line on every lap. A good strategy is to either go off the front early and obtain as many points as possible - or sit in, waiting for people to tire, then plan your attack and hit them hard and low. Unfortunately this didn't happen - but I managed one point, putting me 10th.

Our second race - a Miss and Out. The team plan was to get as many Broadmark riders in the front as possible to box everyone else out. But after a fast neutral lap - only a few riders were in the front. I maintained a tempo pace - putting in just enough effort every lap to stay out of trouble. Next thing I know I was in the final 5 - with young Miller on my wheel. I tried to give him a lead out for the win - but just didn't have enough GRRRRR to come around.

The last race - a points race - was my best showing by far. And something I am really proud of. I was able to out sprint the guys for a 5 points and maintained excellent position for the final sprint to place 3rd! Can you believe it???? 3rd place!!! Which boosted me into 5th for the omnium!

For the first time ALL season and for the first time in the past 4 years - I finally placed on the podium against the men AND won some cash. How cool is that? Now... onwards and upward to Master Nats and Elite Track nats.... I'm really looking forward to that points race. :)

The Calm Before the Storm

This past weekend I was off the bike for two days for the first time in months. It's my last breather before buckling down and dialing in my speed and agility before nationals. Not only did it allow me to rest my body, but it also allowed me to rest my mind and regroup.

Balance is always important - and easy to forget when you strive toward something every day in every way of your life. I think it's essential to take breaks before your body or mind forces you to to stay sharp and focused when it matters.

And like a well timed gift - this morning I read a couple of passages from the "Book of Five Rings" that hit the spot.

"The warrior attitude is very simple. Focus your mind on your goal, constantly strive to attain perfection, and do not allow yourself to be sidetracked. Think only of winning. You must maintain your own ideals and study properly or your will be sure to lose the Way."

breaking

I forgot to mention - day two of the breaker workout includes 10 x 3-5 minute tempo hill repeats. PUKE!

But you know what kept me going after nearly being side swiped by a speeding SUV? The knowledge that a champion is made a day at a time.

Oh - and in the AM I attended a MVA board meeting, followed by a hour workout in the gym. For the first time in weeks -my little mantra I write on the chalk board in the basketball gym wasn't erased.

It read: FORM. FOCUS. POWER.

And as I did my 25 plyo jumps and wanted to quit half way through because of the burn in my thighs and my heart pounding in my chest - I just repeated that mantra and kept with it.

The mind is a powerful thing.

Breaker One Niner. Are there any smokies out there with ears on?

Yesterday was one of those make you or break you type of days. And I am happy to report - that today I made it.

The day started like many others - beautiful and warm. One of those nice summer days that you hope stays in your memory during the cold wet winter - and a reminder that life does get dry eventually in Seattle.

And at 1:30 I headed out to the track to do a new workout called, "the Breaker."

Intrigued? You should be.

When you hear "breaker," what images does that conjure up in your mind? Rocky Balboa slugging some dead meat? Submarines going in for the kill? A 50 foot wave carrying a crazy surfer? How about a stunt man in the upcoming G.I. Joe film?

I'm sure it wasn't a spandex clad woman chasing a motorcycle while spinning her legs at 140 rpm, backing off to 115 rpm's and then repeating this cycle. But alas, that was my definition of breaker yesterday.

Try this. 30 minutes of steady tempo. Figure out your average speed during that 30 minutes. Then do three sets of the following: 1 min V02, 1 min tempo, 1 min V02, 1 min tempo, 1 min V02, 1 min tempo, 1 min V02, 1 min tempo, 1 min V02, 1 min tempo. Rest 5 minutes and repeat. It's designed to break you.

And as I mentioned - you either survive or you don't. And yesterday, I survived.

To top it all off - I joined some friends for HOT YOGA. The teacher, Gary, with a somewhat militaristic approach toward yoga, complimented me that I was the best first time student he had ever seen in one of his classes. To which I thought with massive sweat stinging my eyes in the 120 degree room, this is nothing. I just completed a breaker.

Sporting a Pant Suit

On Sunday morning I had a great chat with my mother in law, Trish. I was recalling my Friday night racing with the Category Three men. She's always been a strong supporter of my athletic endeavors and has always stressed that although I may train as hard as a man and race with the men, that I make sure to keep my femininity strong. And above all - don't wear a gad damn pant suit to look and act like a man - strut your stuff in a pink skirt!

Dually noted.

When I boxed I used to spar with pink gloves. When I started racing I rode a Pink Kona. And honestly, I found a deep satisfaction of zooming past men on a pink bike. But lately, I've been mistaken as a man by a man.

Since I no longer have a pink bike I've been trying other means to express my femininity. I'm growing my hair out - even have a little pony tail out the back. And last time I checked, there were bumps on my chest. So what gives?

I think the truth of the matter is (and my wise neighbor Jo pointed out) - I've finally been accepted into the men's group and they know that I'm not going anywhere. I'm also a contender for their prize money.

Example #1: Men's Keirin Heats. I have a great start - and am fighting to get second wheel behind Guy Tucker. Sean, from 2nd Ascent, pulls in right behind him and I decide to start putting some pressure on Sean to see if he backs off an inch. He doesn't. And also warns, "you better move back and get a different wheel." A little snippy - but fair game. We made more contact, and I finally relent behind him where a male teammate opened up a gap and let me in. The motor accelerates, getting us up to speed for the 1.5 lap drop off. As it pulls, Guy maintains the 28mph and then pushes it on the back straight, with Sean and I right on his heals, qualifying the three of us for the finals.

I went up to Sean afterwards - wanting to clear the air and make sure he wasn't agro toward me personally. To which he responded, "That was YOU? I thought you were a dude!"

Dada um dada. Dude looks like a lady!

Example #2: Men's Keirin Final. Same start as the first - though this time I'm trying to get Kevin from Recycled to let me. He's more animated and uses his elbows to push me out quite a bit more than Sean. I'm being stubborn and so is he. At no point did I feel threatened, but I should have continued working down the line. Instead I apparently wanted more contact time with Kevin. He wasn't budging an inch. Neither was Josh, his teammate. Guess what happens when you hang out in the wind for 4 laps and then the motor accelerates to 34mph at its drop off point? Yep. Dropped like a sack of rocks. But at least I fought for it and didn't get to pull the, "come on let me in! I'm just a Giiiirrrrrlllll." Nope. Even Randy came up to Kevin afterwards and said, "if you would have let her in I would have punked you!"

Thanks guys. At least this time I wasn't mistaken for a man.

An Ode to Keeping the Rubber Side Down

Bike racing is inherently dangerous. We travel at fast speeds with little to no skin protection and take corners faster than most would ever dream of, next to and behind other racers. Something can happen in front of you that you have no control over and your immediate reaction can have immediate consequences in your general well being. We are all reliant on the people we're racing with and next too have equipment that won't fail - whether that be a tire slipping off the rim, a head set coming lose at the wrong time, a seat post failing, carbon cracking, etc. And then there's the pilot errors that can happen - coming into a corner too hot, clipping a pedal, breaking too quickly, etc. So each time you line up to race - you hope that everything goes well but at the same time, you did sign a big old waiver from USA cycling saying you understand and accept the danger you are potentially placing yourself in.

So here's to all the races you complete and keep the rubber side down - even though you may not have placed as high as you could have or been in the final sprint for a podium position. In the grand scheme of things - you narrowly escaped injury and should thank your lucky stars. And for those who didn't escape - here's wishing you a speedy recovery!

8.8.08

Every sunny day I thank my lucky stars for having the legs to ride my bike, the lungs to get me from point A to point B and the warmth to keep my joints happy. Summer is my favorite time of year - and I try to make the most of each moment because winter is coming...

So what have I been up to? Riding and honing my sprint. Dave R. showed me a new sprinting technique and we filmed it the other day will motopacing out at the track. And holy SHIT it's fast. The first few sprints behind the moto at 30 were sluggish and it took me a while to come around. Then the last set I used the new method and zoomed forward. Incredible. You can actually see the difference in the sprint. I'm going to be riding like a I stole it!

My other hours have been filled with making Jam in preparation for the long winter and spending time with Bubba. There's nothing like tasting a little bit of summer goodness in the dark months. And I've been resting to bank up for the upcoming Master nationals and Elite Track Nats.

My focus is stronger this year than before - with the reality of what may happen fueling my fire for quality training sessions each and every time I clip in and ride my bike.

Vanishing Point

August 2, 2008

Ryan and Fitz left Seattle at 10:30am heading East on Highway 2 toward the looming Mt. Baring. As they approached the foothills of the Cascades, a mist enveloped the car as they parked near the trail head and loaded up their 50 pound packs full of traditional pro, slings, a bivy sack, dinner and water. They certainly had their work cut out for them.

Their mission - to climb the 1,500 foot route on the North Prow of Dolomite Tower on Mount Baring.



Brian Burdo started developing the climb in the late 1980's and it took him about 5 years to equip the route. He spotted the massive rock, with over 2,000 feet of vertical gain and created a mixed route with bolts and some naturally protected sections that boast a difficulty of 5.12b. The majority of the 14 pitch climb is in the 5.11 range but with a 30 foot roof a couple hundred feet off the ground - it's definitely not for the faint of heart.



Mt. Baring is shaped like a whale. On one side is the sheer rock face - climbing 2,000 feet from the base to its peak. On the back side is a wind blown alpine slope that base jumpers have discovered and created a trail to access the wall. Ryan and Fitz decided to approach it from the back side - and repel down its face. The hike was not easy though - they gained roughly 4,000 feet in four hours. (The pictures you see above were taken on the descent during the nice weather - when they first arrived everything was socked in.)

Despite hiking through the clouds and doing quite a bit of snow travel, they managed to find an excellent bivy spot to hunker down for the night. Perched on a wind blown peak and with minimal supplies, they made the most of their red beans and rice in anticipation of waking up and scaling down the wall.



Knowing Ryan, and his supreme route finding skills - or lack thereof (sorry baby!), they were both surprised to have found the edge of the cliff. Although the trail was clearly marked by nylon ties from the base jumpers, the climb itself was not. And with poor visibility, they were unable to locate the first anchor station to make their way down the face. This was mainly due to the mist - and as a paranoid wifey poo - I am SO thankful they decided against trying to repel down into the darkness where who know what awaits you. Not only was it wet, but without proper visibility it would be really difficult if not impossible to safely find the next repel station. Ryan also said when they leaned up along the edge of the cliff, you could sense how long of a drop it was - eerie.



They went to bed fairly exhausted from the 4 hour approach and unfortunately woke up to the same mist shouldering the surrounding rock giants. Several pots of coffee later the weather started to improve - but a 11am start time for 1,500 feet of climbing and repel is straight up suicide. Instead they filled several gallons of water by a small drip from the melting snow near the summit and stashed it for their next attempt.



Carefully and slowly they made their way back down the steep trail. You'd think it would take them half the time to descend such a steep trail - but due to its technical difficulty, it took them the same time to down climb as it did to go up. They did get to enjoy the scenery on the way down though.



Ryan also noted that next time he'd bring better snow travel shoes - the La Sportivas he had on were great for boulder bounding but not so good in the snow.





Across the valley they spotted another favorite hang out - the Town Crier walls at Index. Zoomed in you can pick out some of the best granite climbing Washington has to offer - but zoomed back out makes you realize just how remote they were.




As they made the hike back to the car - they looked back up and spotted their bivy location - the small thumb of rock you see in the distance. To think - this photo was taken from the half way point and they still had a ton of hiking to do.



I was pleasantly surprised to get a phone call from Ryan early that evening saying they would be back at a reasonable hour. We quickly made sushi plans (accidentally flaking on my other dinner plans - sorry Jason!) and he conveyed his amazing experience over dinner - with a gleam in his eye with thoughts of going back and nabbing the third ascent of the Vanishing Point.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/373440_k205.html

So you want to be a mountaineer? Yowsa.

Ryan and his friend Fitz attempted to climb "Vanishing Point" a 1,500 rock race that climbs up Mount Barring in the Index area. They obtained beta from Brian Burdo, a Northwest local who has put up hundreds of climbing routes throughout the North Cascades. There's two ways to climb it - one by hiking to the base of the mountain and the other by hiking up the back side of the mountain and then repelling down, only to climb back up.

The left Seattle Saturday morning and Ryan told me if I didn't hear from him by 2am on Sunday night then to call mountain rescue. (Standard issue for when goes out to climb big walls - but still scary nonetheless.)

So onward they pushed- 4 hours up the back side of the mountain - only to be enveloped in misty clouds - proving for poor visibility and no way to see the climb. He said the route was marked by lots of fluorescent ties from base jumpers who make the venture up - and then jump. They carefully climbed up to the edge of the rock, looking down to where they would have climbed had the weather cooperated. But when the sun didn't come out until 11 am on Sunday - their summit hopes were squashed. It took them just as long to descend the steep trail as it did to climb up it - and now they are both hungry to go back and conquer "Vanishing Point." Pictures to follow...

The do's and don'ts

I learned a valuable lesson this weekend while attempting the Washington State Individual Time Trial. Thankfully this lesson was a new one to me - and one I certainly will NOT repeat.

The other day I noticed Steep and Cheap had a great deal on heart rate monitors. I figured I'd use it for my other bikes that don't have power available - as a means to gauge my efforts. After one use on the road I had so much confidence in it - that I decided to use it during my time trial and base my effort off of some numbers rather than perceived exertion. BIG NO NO. It's funny how I didn't even think that basing my effort off of something I NEVER pay attention to would suddenly help my TT ability. Ha! It's actually laughable. And just proves my killer instinct to race is stronger than what some arbitrary number says.

The plus side - I improved my time by 4 minutes from last year. The lame side? I had to fully stop and unclip for these two mutts that looked hungry to bite a passing cyclist 1/4 way into the TT. But all is not loss - it was absolutely beautiful out and I got some great TT training in. And Robin ROCKED the TT - clocking in at 57 minutes for a 40k effort. What a rock star!

The Morning After...

My legs feel like lead weights this morning. The only relief is elevating them and just chilling. The prescribed 2 hour TT ride with some VO2 efforts thrown in the mix should help - but it also sounds painful at this point. :)

One thing is for sure - riding this past week after FSA was the smartest thing I could have done. A couple of people I spoke to at the track last night complaining of not feeling recovered despite being off their bikes all week. Often the best thing for you is to keep it rolling - and you might as well throw in a sprint session and a 1/2 hour of tempo work while you're at it. The legs were certainly ready to fire on all cylinders last night against the cat 3 men.

I picked up Chris Hill on the way out East and Lake Washington had some serious white heads from the southernly wind that had been blowing all day. We got to the track in record time (eerie) and noticed there was quite a head wind on the home straight. The turnout was light - especially compared to last weekend's extravaganza but the men's 3 field was still solid. I decided to run a lighter gear and work on some leg speed, which suited me well for the entire evening.

First up - Point a Lap. Positioning is crucial. If you're not in the front, then it takes multiple laps to crawl your way up the totem pole and get back into position. I played this game smart - waiting until guys were wasted from doing entire lap pulls and then coming around them for some points. A mere 2 points put me in 5th - by far my best showing with the fellas yet this year!

Next - a 14 lap scratch race. A break was established early with Hyun in the mix and a few other players. I was in the chase group with Brian - our sprinter. We attempted to join a few times - but the mid race premes kept the fellas away. Coming into the last few laps, I told Brian to get on my wheel and then drove myself into the ground to set him up for a lead out. At one point, coming into corner 2, final lap, he told me to "up" and I couldn't any more. My limit had been tapped. Around he sprinted - securing 5th (after the breakaway) and I felt like I had done my duties. It was great.

Last race - a progressive points. A break made it off the front again- and when I saw it go I told young R. Miller to go - and that was the move! They lapped the field - gaining 20 a piece and Miller pulled in third! Then when the rejoined us, with a couple laps left, I serged to the front and held off all but one guy with 2 laps to go. It was great! I had a great night - 8th in the men's omnium.

Funny - on our way back over the bridge headed to McCormick's for their great happy hour - I thought - that wasn't so bad! I feel great! Little did I know how bad it would be the morning after...

"Practice is the only way that you will ever come to understand what the Way of the warrior is about. Constant striving for perfection of the self through a chosen art is the only path to enlightenment. Words can only bring you to the foot of the path, and to attain mastery and perfection you must constantly strive to better yourself through an understanding of your chosen Way."

(Excerpt taken from "Book of Five Rings" by Stephen F. Kaufman.

Close Call

So the Sea to Ski Highway that connects Vancouver BC to Whistler has been seeing some serious widening since Vancouver won the winter Olympic bid for 2010. The local climbing community in Squamish has been a little hacked off since some of that widening removed some classic rock climbs, just off the highway. The construction crew has been digging up and blowing huge pieces of rock to widen the highway to make travel easier between the two destinations..... all at a cost.

Check out this photo - taken from Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press from an article posted in cbc.ca. To think - the bus driver heard the rumble of the rocks and just kept driving through it. Smart man!



Catch the full article here.

Catching up

slept 10 hours last night. I didn't even bother setting the alarm this morning - in hopes I would be able to sleep in - something that I haven't been able to do in over a month. Usually my mind wakes me up before 8 - with racing thoughts dancing through my brain and my body ready to get up and get at 'em. Well today was like opening a big bow topped present - totally unnecessary but absolutely amazing. And I slept like a baby.

I was doing the morning routine of checking the web for any new news that might have happened while slumbering when I realized today was the day to get my F650 into BMW to check on a battery drain warranty issue. I quickly dressed, threw on my helmet and was out the door. The beauty of having a BMW other than the fact that it can stand for "Break My Wallet" is they have a loaner program - and they HOOKED ME UP. The Ride West site boasts the R1200 S as "enough raw power to shock...."

And they weren't kidding.

It scared the shit out of me on my way home. Easily cruising up to 50mph in 2nd - and quickly reminding me I can pop wheelies in any gear - any time. Talk about a smoking hot bike.

Hopefully I won't lay down a $14,500 bike. VRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!



(It's a straight up track bike.) And you can bet - I'm taking the long way home.

Lucky Charm's Continued....

We hung around for a little while before the second session started up which included a Keirin and points race. Phil Miller, the chief ref, did a great job of informing the athletes their duties (making it a show) and playing fairly. Dave Mann, the promoter, also thanked everyone for coming out - he did an amazing job!

First up - the Keirin. Thankfully they ran them with semi's so instead of one person qualifying from each heat, 4 would then proceed to a semi-final. Then in the semi's - the top 4 advance. I breezed through both heats and lined up for the final. You could tell each person wanted to win bad. Instead of lining up and playing nicely behind the motor as they sped us up to speed - the ladies were in a double file line - bumping and grinding. I backed off - and once the time the motor pulled and the acceleration happened - was in poor position for the finish. Dead stinking last.

The beauty of track racing? I got to do it again in another race that night. Since the pressure was off for qualifying for Nationals in the pursuit - I decided to have fun and race the points race with gusto. We had a large field - so staying in the front was key. Christine and Liz were both involved and I got a couple of stellar lead outs - it was RAD. I managed to win a sprint and then Kristen King launched a solo flier and held the rest of us off for the win. I was tied for 2nd with Cari Higgins - but she aced me out in the final sprint by placing higher. But I was tickled with a 3rd place finish - more podium time! Can someone please pinch me?

We got home LATE Friday night - poor Liz had to drive back in the early morning for the sprint tournament while Ryan and I slept in until 10:30. I woke up a couple times in the middle of the night - first because I was hungry and then from hacking up a lung thanks to the track hack. Being asthmatic is awesome - NOT! I ended up using some Vick's Vapor rub to calm my chest down.

I headed back to the track around 2 - to meet Christie and get my new fork installed on the Tiemeyer. A quick drive to Redmond Bikes and they had me back in action hours before the evening session. I took a nice nap in the van and the suited up for the Scratch, Miss and Out and Madison races.

Thinking the Scratch race would be fast - I geared up to a 91.8, which jacked the legs in the end. I should have raced a 90! And although I was active and in the front for a lot of the race - when the winning move launched, I had wasted too many matches to bridge up and ended up swarmed in the pack sprint. Oh well - like I said before - the beauty of track is having another race in 20 minutes. Turns out we had 39 women in our Scratch race - a record! How cool is that???!!!

Next up - the Miss and out with 27 starters. Luckily they pull every lap - but we still had 30 laps to go. I played it smart. Settling in and then coming around each lap. I nearly got aced out the lap before the final 5 to go - but somehow stayed in. Shelley Olds made a move - I knew she was coming and jenny trew did a great job of blocking me so I could only contest her for 2nd. And let me tell you - that was the hardest 150m I've had in a LONG time. I whipped out the donkey face for that one!

Last but certainly not least was Marymoor's first all women's Madison. We had one more team than the elite men did! Dave Mann dubbed 2008 as the "Year of the Women." Christine and I managed 4th - not bad considering she hasn't raced one before. A couple more races and she should be good to go for contesting the podium with me! We botched a couple exchanges - which compounded gaps in the end - but did great overall. At one point she jumped the lead ladies and made them chase chase chase her for a sprint. It was rad!

I ended up placing 5th overall - not bad. But it still makes me hungry for next year. And I'm feeling good about going into nationals this year - that's for sure.

It's so fun attending this events - and even better when they're held at your home track. Thanks to all the out of towners who made it out and brought some amazing intensity. I'll see you ladies in LA in October.

My Lucky Charm

Little did I know how lucky I would be this weekend thanks to my early morning wake up call Friday from Ryan.

Liz Reap-Carlson and I headed to the track at 10 am on Friday - with plenty of time to spare for setting up our tent and getting ready for the morning session. I asked Pat to help me out with installing my cap and headset on my bike from swapping my aero bars and he quickly hopped to it. When tightening down the bolts on my stem though, we both looked at each other in panic when we heard a CRACK! Yep, the steer tube cracked under the pressure of Pat's STRONG hands. Did I panic? Not really - at least not yet. And with three guys looking at my fork - they determined it would be fine to ride the pursuit and team pursuit - and possibly that evening with the mass start events. But they all advised to replace it ASAP. Pat placed an emergency call to David Tiemeyer on the bat phone to have a new Renoylds Track Fork overnighted to replace the cracked one. What a guy!

You could say I was a little stressed - and Christie asked me if I was ok because I seemed awfully quiet. I got ready for the pursuit - borrowed smoking hot yellow booties from Shawn Larson, suited up and prepared to go in the last heat against Kele Murdin. I was aiming for a 4:04 and told Mike my split times. Kristen King and Shelley Olds were in the previous heat - rocking a 4:02 and a 4:04 respectively. I really wanted to place in the podium to qualify for nationals and have zero stress the rest of the weekend so it felt like a lot was on the line. A 4:02? That's smoking fast! My start was great - opening lap a 34. Second lap 30 - then it was just settling into a rhythm. I knew Kele was going to throw down - and I wanted to too. My previous pursuit at Marymoor was a 4:09 - so you can imagine my surprise when I rocked a 4:02.46! I beat Kristen King by .5 seconds! Kele mustered a 4:00 - it was that close!

Next up - the team pursuit. I corralled Christine and Liz to do it with me - and we had one practice previous to our first timed attempt. One the final lap we ended up passing the opposing team - nearly crashing into Christie as she hadn't heard me yelling at her before we went around. This cost us a few seconds - and could have easily put us into second. Oh well - we definitely learned from that mistake!

Last but certainly not least - the team sprint. Monique the wonder Canadian and I paired up again and I had a great start with a BIG gear on. I dropped her off with a lot more speed and she sped around the bankings - setting a new track record! It was awesome!

More to come....

I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow the house down!

This morning I woke up to the sound of several loudly whispered expletives and Ryan using a floor pump on his tires, then the gushing noise of air traveling too quickly more expletives and repeat. "You've got to be f*(&&**(ing kidding me!" This happened 4 times.

Even Makiah nestled in next to me - sensing something was amiss. I mustered up energy to get out of bed and see if I could help a code red frustrated man in skinny spandex solve the pump fiasco. Strewn across the living room were 4 tubes, broken off valves, two pumps (neither of which work properly, btw) and an Irish man as red in the face as the leprechaun wig he wears on St. Paddy's day. His hands were shaking - all patience long gone - and he was late for work.

"Should have just run my tires at 80 psi - at least I'd be half way there by now!"

A slow, steady hand, team effort to make a pump work and off he went chasing his pot of gold, pedaling his heart out to make it on work time for his Friday meeting.

ET Phone Home?

Ryan's mom, Trish, was onto something many years ago. Finally - the truth comes out.

Keirin Crash

You may have heard about this already - but on Saturday during a elite men's Keirin, a HUGE crash happened taking out the entire field. Fortunately everyone walked away - although some equipment was ruined. As you watch the slow motion - check out the wheel that goes flying through the air - the fork is still attached.

UNREAL!!

Motivation

Thanks to Amara for capturing me killing it in survival mode and making my motivation to train in the winter that much stronger. This photo was taken at the Gastown Crit in the only sliver of light to be found on a course dominated by tall buildings.

Podium shot from the Miss and Out. Erica Allar in first, and Kele Murdin in third. Photo taken by Brujo)))'s. Check them all out at http://flickr.com/photos/brujo/

Five down, one to go!

Wow - what a long weekend of racing. Just got back from the morning session after a LONG day of racing on Saturday. Highlights - placed 3rd in the 200m, and held off my third place in the sprints. (Yeah, I know! What's this sprinter shit?!) Then raced a fast and furious scratch race - placing 4th behind Cari Higgins, Erica Allar and Shelley Olds. Immediately afterward I lined up for the Team Sprint with Monique Sullivan and we set a new track record!!! It was amazing!

I had a hard time falling asleep last night with all that adrenaline pumping through my body.

Unfortunately the Keirin heats were hard - first I was paired up with Monique and although I gave her a run for her money - she was just too fast. Then I was in a rep with Kele and some other girls - and sat in 4th. I had to come around too many people, nearly nipping Kele at the line and lost. :( But it makes me stronger and prepares me for next time.

In between the Keirin heats was a miss and out - one of the hardest ones I've done to date. I made it down to the final three and tried jumping but Erica was a little faster than me today and got a jump. Kele was third. So far the racing has been super fun - and last but not least is our points race. It's going to hurt - but should be fun!

One down 5 to go

Just completed the first session of a weekend long biking extravaganza called the Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge. First up - a 3k pursuit. Christie graciously let me borrow her dank aero bars for my effort and they made a HUGE difference. I posted a PR at Alpy putting in a time of 4:14, nine seconds better than last year. One BIG lesson I learned though - and this pertains to the Alpenrose track particularly - make sure you tighten down your helmet prior to doing your effort. Otherwise the bumpy track will knock your helmet down, causing some vision issues but at the same time giving you something else to focus on other than the burn in your legs. At one point I had to take my hands off the bars and flip my helmet up - that is soooo pro! And Heather (aka Coach) was letting me know my split times and since my Rudy Project helmet has ear covers - all I could hear was "Blah blah blah!" and see her briefly jump up and down on the track in her pink outfit as my helmet slipped further and further down my face. Good times!

Luckily that time was good enough to put me into 2nd - right behind Kelekelebobelly. She bested me by 3 seconds - and I noticed her helmet sat securely on her head. LUCKY!

Oh well - next up a 500m. Should be interesting!

More to come...

Getting your ducks lined up in a row

Although when looking at the overall results would reveal a big fat DNF from last nights fast and furious Tour of Gastown, I honestly think I took a huge stride toward getting better. I truly believe you can learn faster through failure and making mistakes because they are so much easier to recognize and hopefully correct. (Especially when they're obvious!)

So without further audieu - here's what I believe went wrong and how I can fix it next year. Yes, next year. There's nothing like a personal challenge to get me fired up and ready to train harder and come back to better my previous attempt.

#1 - Downplaying the excitement and intensity of a NRC crit. Sure I've done a small handful of them in the past - but it's been over a year since I've jumped in with the big girls and I automatically assumed I'd be able to hang with them without any problem. Hmmmm... well when you clip in, hit it full gas to the first corner, slam on your brakes, avoiding everyone who's a moron and doesn't know how to handle their bikes, sprint out of the corner and don't move up immediately? You get stuck there and eventually you get popped due to the surges and how much harder it is to race in the back. Even I know and preach how much easier it is in the front of a race - and yet, I had to relearn this lesson last night. (That's probably the MOST frustrating lesson of it all - mainly because I keep relearning it.)

#2 - Ok so I don't really have a no. 2 because I pretty much summed it up in #1. But I must applaud my efforts for attempting Gastown - I hung till the half way mark. I saw some friends (fraz and carla) who I haven't seen for a while and got to meet Matt Shriver from LYP. And some ladies were shelled after the first lap. FIRST LAP!

And like I said - it makes me HUNGRY for another attempt. Hopefully something will pan out this year. I'm already starting to think about next season and shifting my focus a little less on track and A LOT more on road. And now I have a new tool in my toolbox to pull out when it's 38 degrees and raining. :)

Gina Grain did a fantastic job last night and definitely demonstrated she's ready for the Olympics. She's going to rock it in Beijing!

In other news - the men's race was impressive. Svein Tuft and Andrew Pinfold (sp?) are both headed to Beijing and had a full squad of Symmetrics backing them up. Chris Horner was in the mix, Andy Jacques-Main (sp?) and several other top notch racers shed the field from the original 150 starters down to 30. Dave Richter was doing well - hanging in great position going into 5 laps to go - when an idiot in front of him, hit the barrier, endoed, and Dave ran right into him, flipping onto the barrier with his face. He didn't get up right away - I panicked, ran over to him, although couldn't get to him because of the barriers. Luckily there was a hay bail near by for him to climb over and we immediately walked him to the medics on hand. Thank goodness we were there to help him - he smacked his head really hard and was really out of it. His cheek had a serious cut on it requiring stiches. Poor guy! Aaron Levin, his teammate on BRI unforutnately had a little run in with another hay bail in the beginning of the race and scraped up his arm pretty badly. Heal up quicly guys!

Svein Tuft was off the front for about 6 laps leading into the final sprint - at which point he was caught and then his teammate Pinfold secured the win. I missed the finish - but saw them celebrating on the back straight as they rolled back through.

Now we're off to Portland for the AVC and some killer competition. First up - the pursuit. And now I have something to prove. :)

Gastown Bound!

Last week I discovered it takes USA Cycling up to one week to grant an International License. Applying online isn't sufficient enough - you also have to send it a copy of your passport and sign a license agreement document and then snail mail it into their office in Colorado Springs. I found this out Thursday. Luckily I made it to the Post Office in time to send it via Priority so their offices would receive it before the end of the workweek. ($16 bucks plus $90 for the license)

I anxiously waited for the confirmation - you can print an authorization to ride from their website once the paperwork has been completed and use it in lieu of a license. Thankfully that went through yesterday. I arranged a carpool with Tela and Ian Crane for the venture to Vancouver on Wednesday and sat down to double check to make sure I can register for Gastown prior to Wednesday and MISSED REGISTRATION!!!

CRAP!

A quick email to the registration link and admittance of being a bonehead... and luckily everything worked out and a nice Canadian named Kim let me in. :) ($60 CAN for registration.)

Total cost to get to Gastown? $166. And that's just for stinking license and stuff.


On a side note - our car is fixed! And it only cost $250! Yikes. Spending money like its going out of style. Better win some money to pay for living!

Flower Manager

The weekend was pretty stressful and today actually feels like what a Monday should feel like - manic!

Friday racing was great. My friend Monique was in town and we partnered up to do the men's Madison. Though we came in dead last - we got a point during one of the sprints and did really well! She had a slight mishap while waiting for me though - by hitting her handle bars on the railing and then sliding down the track. Slightly embarrassing but she took it with ease! Looking forward to racing with her again soon! Karen was out watching and was stoked to see so many strong women out there racing - thanks for the renewed perspective Karen!

Afterward Ryan and I headed to Big Time to get some beer and pizza. We split a pitcher between the two of us. Apparently I forgot how badly it hurts the next day when I drink more than one - I was hurtin! Not to mention we woke up super early so Ry could head out to Gold Bar and go bouldering and I met up with my neighbor Jo to do some raspberry picking. We headed out to Carnation to do some berry scavenging (as the berries are still under-ripe) and I got back with 20 minutes to spare before heading out to Josh and Ai's wedding.

On the way there - the Golf started acting really funny. It didn't have any power on the hills and was starting to get really sluggish. I made it to the wedding but had serious doubts that evening. Around 9pm I decided to head out to get home in time to catch up on some sleep - and made it about 2 miles away before the back end was belching black smoke and the check engine light went on. Rather than hang out on Highway 2, I headed back to Wallace Falls. A quick call to Progressive Roadside and by 11:30pm I was sitting in the cab of a flat bed truck on my way back home with Makiah's head resting on my thigh. Luckily while I was waiting for the truck to show up I got to watch some serious hula hooping and dance party. It was a lot of fun!

My bro is in town and left his new black lab on my back porch. I felt awful for it - it was in its crate all day! I decided to let her sleep in my room - but as a puppy she didn't do much sleeping. And of course Makiah was PISSED another dog was in her space - so she decided to bark at every little thing walking by the window. Then I woke up at 5 am the sound of the puppy puking. Lovely. Next thing I know, my phone is ringing at 7:30 am and my four-year-old nephew is on his way over to help me make jam with all of the raspberries we picked the previous day. My bro showed up a little bit later to walk the dog - and being Mr. Project Man - I put him to work and he power washed my back deck as I got Coleman to help me do some much neglected weeding! Nice, eh?!

Around 3 I headed out to the track and did a 4 hour moto session with Pat and Christie and was a zombie by the time I got home. Passed out about 9:30pm and slept until 8. A few more hours of sleep and I should be caught up!

Meanwhile - the car saga continues and I just had both the van and the golf towed in to get fixed. When it rains it pours.

Oh - and the title of this blog? Tim, our helpful office assistant, is out of town this week and I've been doing his flower watering duties. A DHL delivery guy was joking around - saying it must be tough being a "flower Manager" - to which I responded, you have no idea. :)

"No man is invincible, and therefore no man can fully understand that which would make him invincible. Even with complete and thorough study there is always the possibility of being defeated and although one may be expert in a particular form, mastery is something a man never stops seeking to attain."

(Taken from the "Book of Five Rings" by Stephen F. Kaufman, Hanshi 10th Dan.

With each workout, each leg flopped over the top tube and butt lifted into the saddle, each time I put on my chamois, each time I strap my helmet into place, fill up my water bottles, turn my crank arms - I'm striving to become a master. And although it might seem overwhelming that you can never truly master something - I look forward to each chance I get in striving toward it.

I can't wait to get out there today!

$5.09

Just spent $61 on filling up our Golf with Diesel priced at $5.09 a gallon. And to think - last night I spent 50 minutes in the car commuting to the track in what normally takes 15. I could hear the jingle of change being spent each time I rolled down the window.

In other news though - the UK has got it going on! Finally a club that sounds really cool! It opens tomorrow night!

For the record

Ryan gave me a little grief last night because I failed to mention after our double summit in two days - he then went up to the Fire Wall and climbed several 5.13 pitches with his buddy Kemo. Yep, a regular old bad ass that one is!

My neighbor Charlie started the prep on our house painting job yesterday. Which meant we couldn't stall any longer and had to cruise the neighborhood to figure out exactly what colors we want to paint our house. So far a medium shade of green as the primary, creme as the secondary and eggplant as the accent is our top pick.

And my friend Monique, Mrs. Race Across America as a Type One Diabetic, is in town fulfilling her sponsor duties and just so happened to bring her track bike. We're headed to the oval tonight to work on some exchanges and prepare for Friday's 35 lap Madison. Should be fun!

And did you hear about this rocket scientist? Apparently he didn't get the memo about the Brazilian priest. People are weird.

Weekend Punishment

My husband attempted to kill me this weekend. And he came mighty close, to be honest. I still can't walk normally.

Let me back up a bit.

Since we had a long weekend with the 4th falling on a Friday, Ryan canceled his plans to trek to Horne Lake on Vancouver Island and instead booked the weekend with me at our cabin in Mazama. He decided to take me up the South Early Winter Spire on a moderate yet classic route.

We parked at the hairpin on Highway 20 and then made the two hour trek up a scree gully filled with water falls and forest obstacles. See the towers behind me? We climbed the left, taller one.



The hike was no burden on my aerobic system - but little did I know how infrequently I use those muscles!



But we were getting closer. And despite having to bush whack in a couple sections, we made it to the apron of our climb a few hours later.



There's quite a bit of snow around - making for a steady trickle of water falls throughout the hike. The water was COLD and we tried to avoid it as much as possible. Sometimes you could only hear running water, dashing underneath big pockets of snow. We didn't risk crossing them and face collapsing a snow bridge. No, we're not big risk takers. :)



Around noon we started to gain some serious elevation and get closer to the start of the climb. The first section is a class 2-3 rock scramble and we opted not to rope up. It was pretty easy slab climbing.




Look at our little car! It's starting to get smaller!



Ryan hamming it up! Don't let that silly face fool you - he is trying to kill me!



Getting closer and closer to the summit.






The views kept getting more and more stunning on the way up. Not to mention the early morning cloud cover burnt off revealing a fantastic view of the Cascades.








Finally - at the summit - nearly 3,000 feet later we took in the most amazing view. What a way to spend the 4th of July!





Our hike down took an additional two hours. Trip time from car to car - 12 hours. That's a long day out!

Never mind that I could barely walk the next day, yet mustered up enough energy to ride the pass from our cabin - a solid 3 hour ride with 3,000 feet of climbing! I could barely move that night. And then on Sunday we did another ride with some climbing at Fun Rock.

Like I said, my hubby tried to kill me this weekend and I loved every minute of it.

Slept in this morning after an amazing Madison Clinic run by Adrian and Dan. Those two have their exchanges down and are excellent teachers! We had 18 people show up - with 4 teams of women and 5 men. Adrian and Dan broke down the Madison into easy chunks with lots of practice. Then we started doing it at speed and finally behind a motor. It was awesome! It was great to learn from such experienced teachers... and I can't wait to try it out at FSA!

Restless

I've been having trouble sleeping in lately. Maybe it's the early morning daylight, maybe I'm anxious about something. But each morning at the crack of dawn, I wake up and can't shut the brain off. The past couple of mornings I figured it was my metabolism waking me up and screaming to feed it - but I'm starting to wonder if that's the case. I keep thinking of a million things to do around my piled house... but maybe it's from going so hard for 5 weeks in a row that my mind and body is having a hard time settling down and thoroughly enjoying a break. When you GO GO GO sometimes it's hard to just stop.

Of course being a rest week - I thought of a million things I could do around the house. Power wash the deck, get the downstairs prepped, reduce the ever growing gear pile of bike and rock climbing gear in our living room, clear off the bed in the spare bedroom and put some of the bikes in the basement, weeding, planting, etc. etc. But I must remember the definition of rest - and to tackle the piles one at a time.

Ryan and I are definitely spending this Fourth of July together - the first time in two years. For the past couple of years my mom and I have made an annual trip East to Colorado to check on her condo in Beaver Creek and then to a race at the Springs. Unfortunately the race is usually interrupted by thunderstorms and both times was nearly rained out. We spent last 4th of July partly huddled in a rental car wondering if the golf ball sized hail was going to cost us when we returned a dented SUV. Since the racing was delayed thanks to the rain and fireworks (they had to shut off the lights during the show), we decided to high tail it and get out before the masses. I will miss the excellent buffet that next morning though at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort. And of course the outlet malls. :)

I wonder if part of my problem is that I just needed to unwind - to take a moment, collect my thoughts and relax. Deep breathe and sigh - I'm starting to feel much better - and getting a little sleepy...