Correlations

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

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

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

branching out

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

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

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

Nationals here we come.

Bring it on.

preparation

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

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

Getting nervous

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

big fish in little pond?

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

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

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

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

Wed Night Recap

I learned some valuable lessons again last night.... cotton mouth. Drink more water and hydrate throughout the day to avoid cotton mouth. If I end up getting it them stick a piece of hard candy in my mouth. Sprinting -maintain a straight line. I was warned tonight about my somewhat erratic finish - I was close to being disqualified. Apparently it was enough of a wavering to get the officials attention but not enough to disqualify me. Lesson learned - maintain a straight line. Also - once I go around someone in the sprinters lane - get into the sprinters lane so they have to go around me and cover more track to pass the finish line.

I did learn from last Friday though - staying near the back of the pack and getting to know the key players in the field. This helped me pull a stellar move with 1.2 laps to go - everyone else was lined into two pacelines - boxing in several of the stronger riders. I made a move from the back of the pack and no one saw it coming. Next thing I knew I was crossing the finish line with 10 bike lengths between me and second place. Nice execution.

late blog

had a productive day at the track last night. I went to the women's clinic, which although was a little unorganized and scattered had a great turnout. There were about 18 women there - an excellent turn out! Afterward we had a women's advisory MVA meeting - discussing how to attract and retain women to get to the Friday night program. This year has been a build year - and we should have enough women moving through the ranks soon enough to foster some amazing competitions. I am stoked to be a part of building this program for the years to come.

Training wise - it just seems like I've been racing all the time - and I miss the longer road rides! I know they will be back before I know it - so no worries. Maybe I'll do RSVP again - that was sooo much fun last year!

Easy Monday

Still recovering from the weekend. Sat night was a tad wild - we visited a friend down in Tacoma and started with Tequila moved onto beer... and then wine. It reminded me why I don't like to drink. :) Needless to say I didn't get in the road rides that I anticipated.....

Friday night debut

Last night was great. I learned a lot and managed to keep the pace high and exciting. My breasts made the front cover of the flier - it's hilarious! The first race was a 10 lap scratch - I got stuck up high and missed the attack. I still managed to bring in 4th. Then we did a 10 lap snowball where Taylor and I had a nice break away and captured the points in the beginning only to be caught by Emily and Christine in the last few laps. Talk about a thigh burner! Then we did a 4x4 and I collected some money from premes but was spent for the points. I knew that lesson - but I thought maybe I'd still have some kick for the end. Apparently the snowball had more of an effect than I thought.... overall a good showing though. I think I placed 4th. Not bad for my first night! Tactically I could have been a lot smarter... but that will come with experience. Also I need bigger gearing.... I was spinning out pretty easily. Fun times!

Rest week

Well obviously it's been a better rest week - I haven't had much to say since the beginning of the week! I did go with Jill and Cindy last night down to PRI - it was great! Women's night is an excellent chance to work on tactics and sprinting. I taught a Groupie some sprinting techniques and then she chased me down to the finish line! It was fun.

I'm looking forward to my first Friday night tonight... makes the whole week's anticipation worth it! Plus my Bubba is coming. :)

Monday night audieu

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to Roz's 3rd grade class as a guest speaker. I kitted up and rode across the bridge into one of the richest parts of Bellevue. The kids were great - they asked me tons of questions and hopefully I left a good impression on them. I have pictures coming soon....

Then last night I went to the track with Kelly and practiced my sprint a little. There was yet another crash at the race - a broken collarbone. Ugh. I was officially kicked out of Monday nights and onto Wednesdays and Fridays. I'm looking foward to it! Phil was there again and I chatted with him for awhile. Kelly did awesome - she's building on her fitness and is super stoked about the track. I watched a big black man give it all his heart in the sprint race and it was amazing. It looked like he was going to rip that bike apart he had so much power forced into it. Not graceful at all - but with that much heart it was a beautiful thing. I love this sport.

playing with the big girls....

ah - what a race! Probably one of my favorite ones of the season. It was simply amazing. Sure I was humbled today - but I pulled a rookie move and learned from my mistake. Those girls better watch out! It was funny - I went up to Mindy after the race and congratulated her - she said thanks Jennifer. Whoa - she knew my name! Craziness!
So the rookie move you might ask? I moved up the line and got off the front - I was a couple of bike lengths up and then they caught up pretty quickly. Then before I knew it, I was sucking air off the back and had a hard time recovering. Silly me. What was I thinking?! But oh the corners - they were so stinking fun. I did learn that I need to tighten them up a little - thanks to Annie from Wines. I had my moment of glory though - apparently the announcer was saying my name again and again. Then Phil Miller came and said, I wasn't going to pull you! I should have kept going just out of sheer determination. But I pulled myself and happily grabbed my recovery drink. Live and learn .... I learned a lot today! Fun times. I can't wait till the next one!!!

confidence builder

two separate incidents happened today on my ride around the south end. While coming back through Mercer, a Recycled racer said, "I don't mean to be rude but I was wondering if anyone ever told you that you have the most incredible calves I have ever seen." Wow - I responded, no, not on the bike. :) We chatted for a little while - he's a cat 3 and racing tomorrow too.

Then on my way back through Leschi, I'm spinning along and get a comment from a speedy reedy jersey, "are you on the national championship team?" and I responded, "no, not yet." Then he says, "well congrats on the state championship." I smiled and thanked him. I love this sport. Like you said - closer to rock star status each day. :)

the little knot is dissipating

when I get stressed out I get this knot that builds up right under my left shoulder blade. It's been getting worse over the past couple of weeks - but it's feeling better today. Much better actually.
So this weekend I get to race with the big girls. Exciting. I'm going to have to rearrange my handlebars to just the right position for all of those corners. I'm really looking forward to it. Stepping it up a notch will be challenging - but I'm always up for a challenge. :)

My track big front tyre has issues. I just checked it this morning and it's flat again. What is going on?! I'm taking it in and let the experts look it over. Maybe they will find something I can't.

Oh - and it's official. Easton just called and they are replacing my handlebars!!!!! Sweet!

committment

I hearby commit to not letting this caddy bs get in my way and alter my being. I am done with the negativity and am only focused on the positive and winning. Ahhhhh.... huge weight has been lifted. And I am starting to feel back to my normal being. yeah!

upgrade

I'm doing it. That's all there is to it. Joyce sent out this DICTATOR email that said Rachel is our designated winner this weekend. So rather than get kicked off the team for performing, I'm going to upgrade and get kicked off the team. This is ridculous. I'm totally switching. I can't stand her shit any more.

issues

so today was more of a 101 on bike mechanics than anything. I was a little frustrated not being able to workout as long and as hard as the rest of the group. But after refueling the belly and mind with wasabi - it was a good day. Like Diana said, patience is required for mechanical issues. Thanks for lending me the 15 - looks like I have some more gear to acquire. I'm going to take my time with that though - I swear I should find more sponsors or start working at the bike shop. It's getting ridiculous. Savings? What savings?

Sigh.

eternal circles of a spotless mind

I had a lot of fun last night. The only downfall was that there were so many people that they were only able to host a few races per category. It was such a social event - fun though. I'm looking forward to more. Ryan said don't forget my road skills. Hills, hills hills! It's nice to have distractions. :)

becoming a trackie

despite having a crash and post race beers catch up with me - I had a lot of fun at the track yesterday. Sprinting is a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it.... I still have a lot to learn but it's coming along.