Nationals....This Is It

"This is 10 percent luck, 20 percent skill
15 percent concentrated power of will
5 percent pleasure, 50 percent pain
And 100 percent reason to remember the name"

Lyrics from Fort Minor's Remember The Name

There's something nice about Nationals coming in December. For me, it is the crescendo of the cycling season. Then there's the fact that it's followed by all the reflections, introspections and resolutions of the New Year.

Early last year, I made a decision to give up being a relatively successful runner (at least in age group competition) and focus on cycling. I even took a page out of my eleven year old niece's playbook and put up a list of refrigerator goals. The ultimate goal was to improve my finish at Nationals to the top 10 in my age group race. Funny looking back on those goals now. I did "Stick with the plan" but got swept off my feet (literally) so much by mt biking that I ditched the crits and roadraces. But anyway....I digress...this is supposed to be about Nationals.

Days before heading to Kansas City, we kept hearing about the ice storm there. In fact, we even started wondering whether they'd hold the event. Arrived on Wednesday and the view from the plane looked like the arctic tundra. Fortunately, I had reserved a 4WD car. Headed over to the Budget counter and the guy tells me they're out of the Jeep Liberty's I had reserved, would I mind taking something else that was 4WD for the same price. Sure, no problem. Walk out to stall B26 and there's parked a giant red Hummer.
OMG! I drive a MINI - I can't drive that beast not to mention I'd feel like someone who goes out and clubs baby seals. Geez.... S and PFFC laughed their butts off when they saw me pull up in that thing.


Since C fro LA would also be joining us, we had booked a suite at the Great Wolf Lodge. We were pretty speechless (and not in a good way) as we walked into the hotel lobby. I knew going in that it was a family hotel geared for kids but I don't think I expected the singing moose heads, the daily snow storm at 3pm, Santa's visit every day and a host of other events. The place was certainly fine and I know all my nieces and nephews would have loved the indoor water park.



The B Women race was at 9am Thursday. The course, about 10 min drive from where we were staying, opened at 8am for pre-ride. The sky was lightening as we loaded up the car at 7:30 but the sun still wasn't up. Everything was coated with layer of ice. Everything. Pre-riding the course was interesting. I liked the course but wasn't so sure about the crust of ice over it. As we rode, our tires crushed the ice resulting in the oddest sound I've ever heard during 'cross along with making me feel like I was riding in a giant glass filled with a frozen margarita. I did a lap slowly, wondering if it even made sense to do the race. Really didn't want to get hurt before the more important race the next day. Found S, talked it over, and decided to race conservatively and use the race to learn the course. Granted lines would change from one day to another (indeed, they changed from one lap to another at some points during the event) but the practice would be a good thing.

The temp when we lined up for the race was about 28 degrees. I had a front row start thanks to an early registration (cracks me up to think I registered for this race on a sunny, warm evening in Kauai. Registration started at midnight Central Time which is a quite manageable 7pm in Hawaii. Perhaps I should head for Hawaii during next year's registration as well). I had another great start - powered up the hill and hit the dirt second to the eventual winner. Along the first little pond, I rode a bit conservatively and was passed by a 5 - 6 people but was sitting in the top 10 by the time we crossed the road to the next part of the course. Getting passed by a few more women, I was more than a little annoyed and ditched the "ride conservatively" idea and punched it. I reeled a couple of riders in and really concentrated on riding hard and not making mistakes. My first two laps were probably my best of the entire season. And then it fell apart. Not sure if I just ran out of steam or what but the last two laps were probably my worst of the season. Most of the ice was now chewed up and we were riding in mud. As the mud coated the bikes, it froze. Both of my derailleur cables were going nowhere (and I have top mounted cables! Those with downtube cables had it even worse). So now I was tired and riding a single speed. Lovely. But I did manage to ride well. Handled the off camber sections fine and the ditch which seemed to claim riders and wheels every lap proved to be non-issue for me the entire weekend. The Tsunami was awesome in that crud. I love that bike. :) I finished completely wiped in 52 min or so. Good enough for 18th place.

By the time our race was over, the sun appeared. It warmed the course and really started the melting. By the end of the day, the trees no longer had that gorgeous ice coating and the course was a complete mud pit. I hung out to watch the Mens B races and cheer for the MRC boys. The off-camber section turned to slick mud for their race so that ended up being a good place to watch the carnage. ;-)

Next day, my race was at 1pm. Plan was to eat breakfast and get to the venue in time to pre-ride at noon. Breakfast at IHop - bad idea. At least for me. Not my kind of food. Lesson #32: don't change your pre-race eating habits before an important race. You'd think I'd have learned that especially after hearing about Andy blowing his egg mcmuffin at the MRC race.

The course was totally different on Friday and challenging in a whole other way. All the melting from the day before had resulted in frozen mud ruts that would grab your front wheel. Interspersed with the frozen mud ruts in the shade were long stretches of peanut butter mud that I felt were trying to suck the rubber off my rims. And then there were what appeared to be areas of peanut butter mud that in reality were frozen. That led to unexpected and fun jarring. Last but not least, there were slick patches of ice on either side of the narrow brown ribbon of best line through the course. That would make passing interesting.

I had a second row start for this race which worried me a bit given the condition of the course. I was anticipating girls going down on the first turn/downhill-uphill ditch off the pavement and didn't want to get caught behind that. Punched it at the whistle and floored it to get to the front. I arrived at the first turn about 5th or 6th and one of the first women on the dirt biffed it as expected. I changed my line last minute to avoid running her over and that was just enough to cause my rear wheel to slide in the mud and I was down. 45 sec into the race and I was already eating dirt. Wah. Got back on and started passing people again. I actually rode the mud and gunk better than many (yeah, mtb skills). I think the key for this race was to stay on the bike, ride hard but not on the crazy edge because each time I pushed it, I face planted. Case in point: coming off the long off camber section I was trailing a woman I had been trying to get ahead of for a while. The MRC guys were cheering like crazy for me, "Make a move, Teri! Make a move!" Inspired by their yelling, I decide to leave the narrow brown ribbon of safety and pass her. As I climbed out of the saddle, I realized I had picked a lousy point to pass. I was on ice, the bike flipped sideways hard and I did a superman slide on my stomach in the mud. (MRC boys yelled, "Not that move!" Yeah, I kinda figured. Thanks.) Lesson #17: Don't listen to everything the spectators yell.

As the course was more and more turned up, I found it was easier to get traction on the edges. This was fine except it also meant one ran the risk of catching the tape. At one point where I was actually keeping up some good speed, my right brake caught the course tape. Damn - those stakes were in good because my bike stopped instantly and I flew over the handlebars. This time landing hard on my back and sliding a bit. At least I was getting symmetrical mud stains on my jersey. Similarly, while making a tight right hand turn onto the off camber section to take the high line, I caught my right foot on a stake. Didn't fall but got hung up enough for people to pass me. In each fall mishap, a woman or two would pass. I felt like I was falling further and further behind. Then last time over the barriers, my chain got stuck between the spokes and the cassette. Took 30 seconds or so to free that. I was so angry by then, though, I caught two more women.

By the time I crossed the line, I was sure I was in last place. I was completely exhausted. I tried not to sob. All year, worked hard, came in last. I suck. And my head really hurt from one of the falls where I really smacked my helmet hard. S was there at the finish telling me I had did great. Wasn't sure which race she had been watching.

In retrospect, I had been riding in about 5th place for much of the race. Had I raced a little more carefully and stayed on the bike, I could have stayed there. Looking back at the pics, I was even ahead of a woman in the age group that went off before us. The disparity between my perception and reality is really quite shocking to me. I didn't look at the results until I was at dinner that evening. Totally shocked to discover I came in 10th. Next year, top 5. Year after that: 1. Remember the name. It's a new year - may as well put those goals out there.

And congrats to my teammates who took the Stars and Stripes jerseys (go Julie and Libby!) and Cris taking #2 and Sally 3. NEBC women rock!

Holiday Madness

Geez...I've been SO bad about posting lately. Not even a race report from the MRC race. I promise I will get to it.

Instead, I thought I'd share three things that improved my holiday cheer.

1) Trish decked out Red Shred with cool LED lights. I want some.


2). I got "elfed" along with my niece and nephew. Go here for the full length, Flash animation.
3). Last, but not least, yesterday I had my annual holiday meltdown. Too much stuff to do between holiday parties, holiday shopping, decorating the tree, packing my bike for Nationals, some work stuff, laundry, working out (and probably also a tad stressed from not working out as hard as usual as I taper for this week's races). Anyway, I was going off the rails. S calmed me down a bit but the thing that really made me smile was an early Christmas present. As I reached into the kitchen closet to get my boots on my way out the door to the gym, I saw one of Gracie and George's toys which they regularly swat under the closet door but can't get back out. I reflexively reached down to grab the little mouse when I realized that their toy mouses don't really have red on them and they come complete with heads. This had no head attached and it's liver half exposed. Just what I asked Santa for! We're still not sure what they do with the mice heads. We suspect they have a small trophy room in the basement (along with our bike trophies) complete with mouse skulls impaled on toothpicks. Regardless, it was a sweet Chrismas present but I did NOT capture the moment with a photo. Be thankful. ;-)

BRC Shedd Park 'Cross Race

Finally, a course that I really enjoyed. Cold morning, 27 or so when we left the house. Cold enough that the ground was still frozen and there was ice in spots. And today was also the return of the Helmet Cam. Dug it out and put together some more video that's so hokey it should get me fired from my job. But hey, I can't really strap one of those nice Canon HD cameras to my helmet so give me a break. ( I really should have raced with it today. I know I'd get labeled as that geeky helmet cam girl but so what.)

Lined up in the second row. Since there was a long start that went 3/4 the way around a cinder track I figured I'd have time to pass. We were chatting in the back and I was wondering what was taking so long (couldn't hear the official giving instructions to the men up front and couldn't see so I just assumed nothing was going on). Suddenly, a whistle. Wah*&^^%%! The women all look at each other thinking are we supposed to go or are we getting a staggered start? Finally, the official stops us, gives final instructions and soon we're off.

Made my way up to 4th or 5th place off the track and into the 180 turn around a tree before the barriers. Passed one woman around the tree who faltered on the slight uphill and turn. Way too early and too easy of an uphill for that. Learn to shift, dammit! (God's going to strike me dead for having so little patience with my fellow riders. Either that or he's really going to make me biff it big time at Nationals. Probably in that damn frozen lake. Better learn how to swim quick!)

At the end of the first lap, I was still riding in about 5th place and wondering just how long I could keep this up. S and I had a discussion yesterday about how in bike racing, all the talent and training is meaningless without guts. She made me promise that I would ride until I coughed up a lung or ripped off a limb. I rode Plymouth last week that way but it was with the Big Girls so my resulting performance (last place) didn't really show my effort.

So this week, I vowed to ride just as hard. Sprint out of the corners and transitions, hustle up the hill, really hurdle those barriers and tear up the section in the woods. That was the plan. That's what I did. Although honestly, my running up the hill probably looked like anything but. The ground was still pretty hard so all the grassy sections didn't annoy as much as they usually do. I hated the twisty, hill bit but loved everything else. Including drafting any wheel I could grab on the slightly melted cinder track and getting a face full of mud. Delicious! I heard teammates yelling, I heard S shouting tactics and I even heard the crazy Columbian yelling at me from his car as he arrived at the race. :) Ride, baby, ride!

By the start of the last lap, the wheezing started. Usually, I'm not so pleased to hear it. This time, though, I thought of S and thought, "Geez. I really did hack up a lung!"

Don't know how I finished. Was passed by probably at least two of my teammates (Carrie and Shannon - awesome job!)

Now it's a whole week off my bike while traveling to SF and Seattle and two weeks off from racing. I'm going to miss it. :(

Home For The Holidays

Four days before Thanksgiving. 35,000 feet high. Almost 2000 miles from home. No, I won't be home for Thanksgiving this year. I'm headed to SF for two days of all day meetings, then up to Seattle to spend Turkey Day (Frank's favorite holiday?) with S's family. Flying to Thanksgiving, wherever it is always reminds me of the movie Home for the Holidays (which, of course, kept me entertained on the plane today. LOVE the scene where Holly Hunter's parents pick her up at the airport and as they're sitting in traffic she catches the eye of some other 35 year old "kid" whose parents just picked him up and is being tormented by his family in the adjacent car).

Last year, S had her ankle surgery so traveling was out of the question. Even to CT. So that means I've missed two Thanksgivings in a row with my family. And like every family's holidays, ours are always a bit crazy/stressful/fun/hysterical/loud.

The first time I took S to Thanksgiving at my house, she asked what to expect. Nothing unusual. We eat. A lot.

1. First there's Holiday Soup.
2. Then there's lasagne.
3. Then there's turkey with all the usual extras (including my mother's overcooked veggies. ;-) Hey mom, getting tired of me picking on those yet?)
4. Then fruit.
5. Then dessert.
6. Then more nuts and fruits.
7. Then more turkey sandwiches.
8. Rinse and repeat.

"And then we get to watch football?" asked S.

"Huh. Well, yeah, I guess. Not really. We kinda just sit around the table."

"Sure. But then what?"

"Huh? Then what what? We go to bed, I guess."

"At 4pm?"

"What?......I'm missing something."

"Uh...what time do you finish dinner?"

"Well, all is probably said and done by 11pm."

"You mean you SIT at the table from 1 until 11pm?!?!?!?!?"

Yeah, we do. And just for that, my dad made her sit next to Aunt Mary that first Thanksgiving. And THAT'S a whole other story.

Happy Thanksgiving! I miss you guys at home. Save some apple pie for me!

They Sure Are Pretty But.....

Saturday, while I was out racing, S spent four hours raking and bagging leaves. She filled 18 bags plus one giant recycle barrel full of those beautiful orange/yellow/red pieces of foliage that all the folks packing the tour buses in town pay big bucks to see. By the time I returned from the 'cross race in Land of Pilgims (a.k.a Plymouth), there wasn't a leaf on our property. I almost expected S to be running around trying to catch any ones that were spiraling downward to keep the lawn pristine.

Woke up Sunday morning to the view on the right. Uh oh. So much for no leaves on the lawn. This morning, after backing the Fat A$$ down the driveway, we noticed how it resembled a snowstorm with the parking space devoid of leaves.

Guess I know what we'll be doing next Saturday. Gotta go out and buy more bags.

Red Blinking Light

Walked into the kitchen after yesterday's race. Red light blicking on the answering machine. Hit play:

"Hello. This is Beth Israel Deaconess Radiology department..."

Sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Cold sweat. Stop breathing. I don't have an appointment there until March. Why are they calling now? My mind takes off and finishes the rest of the message.

"...we made a mistake reading your mammogram last spring and you need to come back in immediately so we can do further tests."

What she actually said was, "we need to reschedule your appointment in March 2008 from blah to blah"

Wow. The visceral reaction really surprised me. Kind of thought I was over all that. I don't think of myself as a cancer survivor. I barely notice the scars on my chest anymore. (I do, however, still notice my radiation tattoos because they annoy me. I figure if I'm going to get inked I may as well get something more interesting than blue dots.)

I suppose you never get over it. Despite the fact that I certainly don't sit around waiting for the other shoe to fall apparently there's some tiny part of me that still worries it'll come back. And if it did, I know I'd deal. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world - unless it meant I couldn't ride/run/board/sail. Then I'd truly be annoyed. So gotta keep doing stuff like that just in case that phone call comes for real.

State Of The Feed Bowl

Apparently, George was very busy last night.

DFL....And Lovin' It

Today was my first time racing "elites". I suppose technically Brockton was my first but that was a 1/2/3/4 field so I didn't really have a choice.

At the beginning of 'cross season, I petitioned the powers that be to make me a Cat 3 'cross racer based on my mtb results this season. I certainly didn't think I deserved the upgrade but really wanted to ride the longer races in preparation for Nationals. And yeah, also because driving a few hours to race for 30 minutes just doesn't work for me. Yeah, yeah, I could mix it up with the guys or do two races in one day but it just seemed easier to go for the upgrade. So I went to the USA Cycling website, pled my case, and stated why I deserved to get my legs torn off by women who didn't even seem to be breathing hard. And OMG! Diane said yes and sent me a little, official looking Cat 3 sticker for my license.

Imagine my brain as I pulled the Fast A$$ in the Plymouth High School parking lot this morning under a low ceiling, cloudy sky (looked oh so Seattlesque!), a temp of 38 on the car thermometer and a gusty wind rocking the Fat A$$ like someone was getting some action in the backseat. Geez.

Evil Twin: "What in world were you thinking?!?!?"

Me: "Oh, puleeezze. How bad can it be. So it's a little cold. I'll warm up in no time."

Evil Twin: "I ain't talking about no weather, fool!. I'm talking about fast chicks doing laps around you, over you, maybe even turning you into a barrier just for fun."

Me: "Nice. Thanks for that."

Evil Twin: "Too bad they already ran the "little girls" race. You can't even hang there. What were you thinking trying to ride with the big girls. Probably should just stay on the porch."

Me: "Only one way to shut you up. Finish the race without getting lapped. Prove I belong (if only a little bit).

Evil Twin: "Bite me. Good luck with that."

So that was the goal. Silence the evil twin. Finish the race doing the same amount of laps as the winner. Do NOT get lapped.

It was a very small field (8! wahoo a top 10 finish in my first elite race. ;-) ) I was riding off the back in 8th place before we hit the first wooded section. Every once in a while, I'd get oh so close to 7th (always in the woods - I surprised myself how well I rode the second bit of single track section) only to have the rider in front pull away on the straight-away pavement section immediately afterward. After I lost contact with her for good (3rd or 4th lap - still not sure how many laps we did. Cathy said 7.) I was in total time trial mode.

And it was brutal. Brutally fun. The wind was howling. On one section dead on into the wind, I watched my speed free-fall from 17mph to 11 on a good gust. Had it been a cross wind I think I would have been blown over. At one point I passed someone with a camera and noticed as I rode by I had a long string of snot hanging down to my chin. Now THAT's gonna be a pretty picture. My toes were also getting a little cold by the 4th lap. This course only had one set of barriers that you passed twice so I was only off the bike twice per lap. I think a run-up may have forced more blood into my toes. As it was, felt like I was going over the barriers on peglegs. I'm sure it looked that way as well.

One thing I love about 'cross is that as the course twists and turns, you're usually offered the opportunity to see how your competition is doing. Every time Cathy passed, I got words of encouragement. I tried to yell back but I'm sure all I did was grunt. With two laps to go, I was heading out into the wind across the grass section when I heard the announcer say the leader had just gone by and been given the bell. HOLY *&^%$! DO NOT GET LAPPED. I tried picking up the pace and as I'm crossing the barrier for the second time, here comes the Stars and Stripes jersey crossing in the opposite direction. Wah! Schizophrenia strikes again:

Evil Twin: "Told you so!"

Me: "Bite me! NFW I'm getting lapped. Just watch."

Back into the woods, touched the brakes only twice on each 180 turn and shot out of the woods so fast I almost ended up off the sidewalk and into the street. I sprinted up that sidewalk bit like my life depended on it and to some extent, it kind of did. At least the cycling part of my life did. Chewed up the twisty, hilly, grassy bits on the back side (with glimpses of the Stars and Stripes gaining on me) and sprinted up toward the finish line like I was actually finishing the race. And I did it. I was NOT lapped. And as I went by the officials stand, there were two guys (don't know them) cheering for me like I was Katie Compton. It was weird but hey, I figured their brains were frozen by the cold or their water bottles were full of pumpkin ale. But the rush I felt from not getting lapped and their cheers gave me a little extra for that last lap. I pushed it up each hill, sprinted out of each corner and rode the single track like I owned it.

I don't care if I finished last. I left everything out there on the course. I didn't let up. I didn't just finish. I didn't get lapped. Despite the result, despite the weather, there was some magic and beauty out there (snotty nose notwithstanding).

After the race, I changed out of my riding gear and into all the warmest, driest clothes I had with me in the Fat A$$. I headed to the registration area to find a cup of coffee to warm up with. The guys who were cheering me on the last lap somehow recognized me and stopped me.

"Nice race! You did an awesome job. It's not easy riding off the back. And on a day like today - cold, wind ripping through you, you can't even sit back and just enjoy it. Hard riding alone like that. Nicely done. True grit."

That warmed me up more than any cup of coffee could have.

And my awesome teammate, Cathy, finished in the money! Totally fun stuff. And earlier in the B race, Shannon took third. The team is rockin'!

Mt. Snow Made Me A Zombie

I was doing a little research at work (sometimes I REALLY love my job) and came across this SAAS photo editor. They have this cool Zombie effect tool which I thought truly relayed how I felt after my Mt. Snow pre-ride at Nationals.

Commuting Scariness

I've never commuted by bike - never really had a commute that was close enough. Actually, my Seattle commute was so short I walked since it really wasn't worth getting the bike out. And ok, I probably could bike from Lexington to Newton but the quickest way isn't bike friendly and the bike friendly way is a tad too long. I promise to try it at least once a week next summer.

S commuted for years: Cambridge to Children's Hospital, Arlington to Dana-Farber, Arlington to Bedford, Fremont to The Fred Hutch (in Seattle) and probably her most favorite the Seattle Flagship REI store to our 12th floor company penthouse complete with doorman who helped her with her bike. Sweet! :)

Seattle is way more bike friendly than Boston. There are more bike lanes and generally just more respect for commuting cyclists. Whenever I visit my Seattle office, I'm still amazed how many cyclists fly by the main intersection in Fremont. Even in the winter when it's super dark and dreary during commuting hours, there always seem to be just as many cyclists as cars. And don't even get me started about my company's "bike garage". Indoor space with racks for at least 100 bikes, a fully stocked bike repair bench with every tool you could want, lockers to hang up wet riding gear, even a prime parking spot for the "Bike Commuter of The Month". In fact, if you commute by bike (or walk), you get $30 REI bucks a month (perfect for buying fenders, courtesy flaps and Ortlieb panniers for those 9 winter months of rain. )

Given all that, I was pretty shocked when I heard from some cycling friends in Seattle about a Bellevue (across the lake from Seattle) cyclist who was shot with BBs loaded in a 22. Unbelievable craziness. I still don't understand what makes some people despise cyclists so much. Hope they find the guy with BBs for brains and I hope the cyclist heals quickly.

Forty-Five Minutes of Excruciating Pain

And no, I'm not talking about a killer 'cross race. I'm referring to what happens when the morning dawns cold and rainy, my nose is still stuffed from the cold-from-hell that I can't seem to shake and I resort to attending spin class at my gym.

I wanted to ride for 90 minutes. First annoying thing: why are spin classes only 45 minutes long? With 5 min of warm up and 5 of cool down, you're only doing 35 min of work. That's not worth me putting my shorts on. Geeeeez...slackers. I decided to show up early, do 20 min before class and another 25 after so I could get my minutes in. First 20 minutes rock. Literally. I have my iPod on and am happily jamming to my tunes.

The instructor shows up, throws on her music and I'm wondering if it's a joke. The Hustle? You have GOT to be kidding me. No, I do not want to "Do the hustle!" It's got to get better, right? Ah, that would be a serious no. Yes, I want some action and I love the nightlife but I hate the song. I'm stuck in a spin class of 70's disco hits. Someone KILL ME NOW! Next, we move to the 80's and we got Rick Springfield wishing he could have Jessie's Girl. I'm blanking out on the songs in the middle of class - I think I purposely pushed them out of my head which is a good thing. I've been coding all day with "I love the nightlife...I got to boogie.." ringing in my brain. I was even tempted to throw some comments in the code saying so just to see if anyone ever reads them. (I refrained.) We finished up class with some Dolly Parton song. Now, I seriously doubt Dolly has ever attended a spin class and even if she did, I don't think she would like spinning to her music. It should be banned from cycling studios everywhere.

But even painful 'cross races eventually end as did this class. I happily reached for my headphones but not quick enough. Mr. Clad-in-Full-Kit Dude sitting behind me comes up and wants to chat about my seat height (too high, he says, you're bouncing...). I thank him nicely hoping he'll just go away. But no, he wants to argue about it and REALLY wants me to change my seat height NOW no matter how much I tell him, "Thanks, but I like it that way." Finally, I've been pushed too much and not so nicely tell him, "I'm bouncing because I finally got some good music coming and my technique sucks but thanks for playing." He finally left. I was going to ask the instructor to settle our little dispute but given her taste in music I didn't trust her cycling judgement (ok, not sure how those correlate but she lost all credibility in my eyes when she got off her bike and started dancing to Alicia Bridges. Really. I'm not making this up.) I put on my headphones and finished up to Jimmy Eat World, Matchbox Twenty, Boys Like Girls and P!nk.

I REALLY need a spin bike for my basement (don't like riding trainers). Or I need Frank to move to Bahstahn and teach classes here (fat chance - she's a Cali girl through and through). Or I need spring to hurry up and arrive. Considering it's just November, I better find a spin bike on eBay soon.

Weekend With Frank

TCB came to visit this weekend. Visiting Boston is always better than being stuck in RTP for a business trip. Lately, I've taken to calling her Frank after Frank Purdue. This came about because all Frank eats is CHICKEN. Ok, sometimes she'll branch out to a salad or pasta with maybe some shellfish on it, but really it's always CHICKEN. Or perhaps a turkey burger but hey, it's still poultry so that's splitting hairs, really. When I told her about her new nickname, she seemed pretty perplexed. Turns out they don't sell Purdue in California. Who knew? When I lived in Seattle I could have sworn the local Fred Meyer's carried Purdue chicken there but as she's quick to remind me, Seattle isn't California. Whatever. She eats way too much CHICKEN.

Picked her up at Logan Friday night and headed to the south end for our reservations at Hamersley's Bistro. Cute, French bistro with great stuff on the menu. And, of course, Frank had the "world famous" CHICKEN And not just once. Because I'm definitely not the hostess with most-ess, she had the leftovers Saturday night as we avoided the Boston rain, watched DVDs and stayed most definitely low key after a long day of 'cross racing and eating, what else, but turkey burgers at the brew pub (washed down with pumpkin ale, of course. Yum.)

Sunday I talked her into taking a pre-race spin with me on the Canton 'cross course. Luckily, she's my size so handed her the Surly, my pink flame helmet, some gloves and a jacket. Awesome kick-ass trooper that she is, she went out there with her newly chopped in half thumb (kitchen accident while slicing, what else but CHICKEN!). A third of the way in, she biffs it in a muddy section but pops right back up, jumps back on and keeps hammering. About halfway through, we stop for a bit and she says, "This is FUN! I really like it!" (More than CHICKEN, I wonder?) She finished up the lap still smiling and I think I even may have been able to get her to race if her thumb hadn't been throbbing.

Today, she asked me for a list of California 'cross races. I think I have another 'cross convert. :-D

Why I'm So Damn Slow

My team at work is currently down two developers. Being the crazy manager that I am, I've volunteered to do some coding this sprint (yeah, haven't done it in years so I'm not sure my guys know exactly what they're getting into). But anyway, I find myself with more down time since I'm waiting for compiles, files to sync and just plain brain numbness from staring at code. During these times, I start reading 'cross blogs (see previous post). So this morning, I found a possible explanation for my 'cross slo-mo speed on Simon Burney's blog. Simon says,

So if you are training hard and don't think that your race results quite match your level of fitness spend some time thinking about where you lose time, especially where people nip past you. If its before these sections then its probably technique (late braking, correct line), the need for more recovery (trying to get a couple of breaths in freewheeling before the corner/sandpit/run-up), fear (approaching hurdles too fast gotta scrub some speed off), or simply not concentrating. If its after a section then see above; come out of of it and hit it hard to get back up to speed, only then can you sit on a wheel and get a quick recovery. Finally if people are getting past you during the section, its likely to be technique at race-speed which is letting you down.

I will read that 20 times, think about the races so far this season and see what I should work on. Looks like I have some homework to do and stuff to concentrate on for this weekend's races. See you at Brockton and Canton!

Serious Ouch!

Ok, yes, while waiting for a compile to finish, I had a little time on my hands and was going down the rat hole of following links from the various 'cross blogs I read. Stumbled upon this site and posts by a 'cross racer here in Beantown. Apparently, he's taken saddle sores to a whole new level. He has my utmost sympathy and sincere thanks for a good laugh.

No Whining

It was just one of those mornings. Grey, spitting skies, I'm tired and really don't feel like riding but hey, I really need to do a 'cross workout. After my crash before one of my 'cross workouts a few weeks ago, I've changed my warm up to be on the bike path instead of Mass. Ave. By coincidence, I read about a cyclist (and avid 'cross racer) killed by a garbage truck who pulled the same bright maneuver as the minivan driver who hit me did. So, I try psyching myself up for the ride, telling my brain, "Hey, lame ass, at least you're not lying dead under the wheels of some truck. Make the most of it. Ride like you mean it. Don't squander a morning workout by whining that you're tired...i don't feel like it...wah, wah, wah."

Got my butt dressed and out the door. Decided to take Mr. Surly (who's sporting his spiffy, new graphics thanks to me and my Sharpie paint pens) instead of the Seven for a change. I think the Surly feels neglected. ;-) That was just the straw that broke the workout's back. Oh man...lugging that thing up the hill 10x was SO not fun. I can't believe how much heavier it is. The whole workout, all I could think about was, "Kill me now." and then I'd think of that dead dude in Portland, look down at the Surly's top tube with its new "Bite Me!" slogan, and ended up doing a few extra laps.

Race-free Weekend

This weekend was the only weekend in October that S wouldn't be traveling for business. That seemed a brilliant opportunity to skip the races in CT (where I probably would have done ok given the small fields). The weather was freaky for October in Massachusetts. Bright blue skies, 70-75 degrees and the leaves were brilliantly decorating the landscape. What better conditions for back-to-back days of leisure miles on a bike, taking pics, drinking pumpkin ale and post-ride lattes.

Gloucester - The Races

Despite the skinsuit woes, I did manage to have a couple of decent races at Gloucester. I'm not necessarily totally pleased with how they went but am trying look for the silver lining of any glimmer of progress since last year. You know the new Matchbox Twenty song "How Far We've Come"? That's pretty much been my theme song this season. What happens when you take a runner, take away her running shoes, and entice her to ride her bike every day instead of pounding out the miles? No marathons, no half-marathons, no 10ks, not even a 5k. Is it true? If you ride every day can you be a better bike racer? I think the jury is still out on that...

Saturday: had a nice front row start. Advice given to me was to make sure I was in the big ring for the start and given that I learned that pretty well this season, I was sure to follow it. My goal was to get a good shot, get as far up front as possible and then fade back over the course of the race. I was also hoping not to get lapped by any of the women. Pre-rode the course and while it was fun, I didn't like it. Doesn't suit me - definitely a roadies course with lots of straight-aways to power on. Not my forte. At the whistle, I punched it but I always forget how long that hill is! I was dying by the time we hit the dirt. I pretty much held my place until we hit the first quick uphill where two juniors had to hop off their bike and forced me to dismount as well. Not a happy camper. (Note to self: start racing the A race so you don't need to deal with Juniors - Oh to have a course all to my own field!) Tried playing catch up after that and eventually caught on to my teammate Lorraine's wheel. Hung on for dear life for two laps or so. On the last lap, was forced to dismount in the sand pit as some girl tried to pass me and crashed. Grrrr. Lost Lorraine's wheel but the race was pretty much done by then. 5 laps in 44:35. Ok, better than last year where I was pulled BEFORE the men's B race leader passed me. Good enough for 33rd place out of 52 starters.

Sunday: goals were to ride faster than Saturday and finish higher. And not to fade on the uphill start this time. During Saturday's race, a few of the guys from MRC were critiquing me each time up the asphalt hill (gee...that must be what friends are for.) I did take some of it to heart - "Teri - you're spinning too fast! Shift! More power!" so that was another goal along with riding the entire course in the big ring. Got a much better start this time (I did manage to sprint the entire way to the dirt and not die) and got into lots of bumping and shoving on the first few grassy turns. Lost touch with the leaders on the gravel path and then randomly hopped on someone's wheel throughout the race. Last lap, I was trading places with the one other woman back and forth. After the run up, she lost her chain so I was able to put some good distance on her along with passing one other woman in the sand pit (which I rode all 5 times on Sunday!). Finishing time: 5 laps in 42:21 for 24th place out of 42 starters. Way faster than Saturday but the course was also faster so that accounted for some of my speediness.

I'm consoling myself with the fact that I AM routinely finishing ahead of women who were beating me last season. But then again, there are those who were finishing after me last year who are totally kicking my butt. ~sigh

Oh - and I did get to watch the Elite Women's race on Saturday. Before that Lyne Bessette rode the men's 2/3 race for a 7th place finish as a warm up. Then she blew away the women's field. Wow. Just wow. I can't even fathom how that's humanly possible. Wow.

And second Oh! I'm so damn proud of my team. Lots of red/white/blue jerseys out there, lots of fun, awesome results!

Pluto's Birthday

Yes, today is my little sister's birthday. Someone please explain to me how I could possibly have a little sister who's 42 years old. I remember her more like this (the pic on the left).

Now, she's married, 3 kids, drives a mini-van, and will probably kill me for writing those details about her. She's taken up running over the past two years and I'm waiting for her to break all my PRs. It should happen soon at the rate she's going.

So let's see - Pluto trivia. 1) Where did the nickname Pluto come from? She was the littlest member of our family. When she was about 5 or 6, she was SUPER tiny and my mom desperately tried to get her to drink milk, eat veggies (none of us would do that given how she steamed the poor things beyond recognition), eat ice cream, consume anything to grow/gain weight. In retaliation to all the forced feeding, Pluto would pull up her shirt, suck in her stomach and parade around with protruding ribs that brought to mind horrible images from Life magazine and made my mom absolutely crazy.

For a little sister, she never drove me crazy. At least not to the point where I was hoping she'd disappear. When we shared a bedroom in our apartment in NYC (she was around 1, me 4) I would have to move her crib away from the wall because she'd flick the light switch on/off until she fell asleep. The floor in our bedroom was hardwood, the crib had wheels, and she'd just rock the crib so it scooted back over to where she could reach the light switch and attempt to trigger epileptic seizures in me.




I don't remember ever wanting to avoid her or not hang out with her. I did want to steal her hair. I couldn't believe I got the brown, curly hair gene and she got the silky, straight, blonde hair gene. It's still not fair! I also was not happy that she got the I-hate-food-gene combined with being naturally thin. Eating her leftovers was never a hardship for me. It was a happy day in my world the day I gave her a pair of hand-me down pants that were too small for her. Only took me 38 years. ;-)

On the flip side, I know I haven't been the best big sister. One of my favorite pasttimes was scaring the living daylights out of her. I still get tons of grief for the time I hid in her closet with pantyhose on my head. When she found me in there, she screamed so loud and so real that it made me scream because I thought Michael Myers must be standing right behind me with a bloody, dripping knife. Geez! Give me a break already! It was a joke! ;-)

There are tons more stories which will be saved for next year's birthday post. Happy Birthday, Pluto! Hope you're having a fabulous day (and make sure you check your closet before you go to bed!) ;-)

Trying To Be One Of The Cool Kids

This weekend was the Gran Prix of Gloucester. It was also the first weekend it's been chilly enough for me to wear my brand new skinsuit. I was told this would make me one of the "Cool Kids". ;-) Now, I'm more inclined to wear baggy mountain bike shorts, loose downhill jerseys or at the very least, shorts and typical 3 pocket jerseys. Let's just say that this new one piece, extremely clingy piece of lyrca has required a total change in my entire pre-race routine.

I warmed up Saturday with four laps on the course in the early morning before the racing started. After that, I thought about changing back into my street clothes but because I didn't drive the Fat A$$, I had to change in the "Comfort Castle". So I figured, why not just do it once and throw on the skinsuit. Dumb, dumb move. I throw it on and because it's still a bit on the cool side, I throw a jersey and jacket over and head out to watch the races with my super, giant sized Dunkin' Donuts coffee. After drinking the entire gi-normous cup of coffee and watching a few races, I head back to the Comfort Castle since my bladder is about to explode. Dash in, pull down my sweat pants and ....!!!!! realize I have to take off all my upper layers in order to pee! Oh geez! So now I'm taking off massive amounts of layers and desperately trying to figure out which is the driest, cleanest area of the Comfort Castle to place them. Here I come to the realization why I always see riders walking around with their bib tops/skinsuit tops hanging down. Duh.

Later on, I picked up my number and realized there was no way in hell I could pin it on unless I got totally undressed again. ~sigh. Thankfully, Cathy was sweet enough to pin it for me and careful enough to neither stick me with the pins or pin my undershirt to the skinsuit.

On my way to the start line, I picked up my usual GU and water bottle. As I reached around to throw them in my back pocket, I realized I had none. :( Hmmmm....improvisation...GU packet under the leg band of my shorts, and the bottle, well, I guess I'd just have to figure out how to ride with it in my hand to the start.

So, besides all I learned on the course (more on that in the next post), I also learned skinsuit protocol.

Midwesterners Swimming On Kauai?

We witnessed this strange behavior while sitting on Tunnels Beach on Kauai. These people did this for hours and I'm sure their skin was complete sand rash from being dragged around by the waves. Whatever. It provided hours of entertainment for us.

Don't Leave Your Camera Alone....

Killer dress from Ann Taylor - $188. Gift for the happy couple - $250. Sunless tanning creme to fix visible tan lines from Hawaii - $35. Leaving your camera unattended while celebrating a wedding with 8 of your best, closest, oldest friends and uploading the pics the next morning - priceless (I think!)

Titanium Meets Steel

After 20+ years of riding thousands of miles, it finally happened. I was hit by a car. :( Headed out Wednesday morning to do my 'cross workout. I decided to warm up for 15 min on Mass Ave so headed from home to Arlington Heights and back. Shortly after Wilson Farms a woman passed me and then made a sudden right turn right in front me as she turned into a school driveway to drop off her kids. No signal, nada. I was ALMOST able to stop in time and tried to jump the curb but couldn't quite make it. My front wheel made it up but the back of the bike got whacked good by the high, granite curb.

The driver and a few others stopped. Once I reassured everyone that I was fine (skinned elbow) I told them I was way more worried about my new bike. They, of course, thought I was totally nuts, but watched me put Orange Crush through a thorough inspection. Shifted fine, levers looked good, brakes - fine, wheels - true - it all looks good! Happy dance! The driver and I didn't even trade info since it appeared to be no harm no foul (lesson for next time - take info anyway!)

I continued up Mass Ave to do my 'cross workout at a small park near my house. About 40 minutes into the workout as I jammed on the pedals on an uphill section, I hear "CRACK! CLANG!" and the pedals lock up. Apparently, a piece of the derailleur snapped, the pulleys broke off and contined around the chain. Noooooooooooooooooo! Guess it must have taken quite a shot against that curb.

Hiked the 1/2 mile home pushing the bike, wondering if I was going to have race Saturday on Mr. Surly. Fortunately, the great guys over at the Loft had a Force derailleur in stock and threw it on in 15 min while I waited.

Happy ending but damn, that was too close for comfort. Ride smart out there.

Go Eagles!

Yeah, baby! Eagles are off to a 5-0 start! And currently ranked 6th!

Fading Fast

Today was my first 'cross race of the season. Good thing this sport so is so much damn fun because I apparently forgot how painful it is. And this race was only 30 min long! God help me when I start upping the torture to 45 min in a few weeks.

We flew back from Hawaii Friday night/Saturday morning. Thankfully, we were able to use miles to upgrade to first class. This meant I didn't have to be mashed into a middle seat with some random snoring and drooling on me. Thanks to a glass of red wine, one Sominex, and lots of legroom, I was actually able to get about 4 hrs of sleep on our LAX -> BOS flight. Saturday was a contest to see who could stay awake the longest - I did a bunch of errands (picked up my new skin suit so now I'm one of the "cool kids" - now if only I could ride like one!) and S mowed/raked/trimmed/pruned the yard so well it looked as if we had a team of 20 landscapers working the whole weekend out there. Anyway, we both managed to stay awake until 10pm or so. Pretty amazing. When the alarm went off to get ready for the race, I felt like I was getting up in the middle of the night and that's because I was. It was 2am Hawaii time but dammit, I was going to race.

Here's the race report I threw together for my team:

Since I had been on vacation and off my bike for two weeks along with being totally jet lagged from taking a red-eye the day before, my first goal for the race was simply to get to the start on time and be somewhat awake. ;-) Second goal was to finish and enjoy my first 'cross race of the season on my brand new 'cross bike. Did a pre-ride of the course after hearing about how it was sort of technical and difficult. Score one for mt biking - I thought the course was a piece of cake and way more suited to me than those long, boring grassy courses. Also did the pre-ride with too much air in my tires (50 lbs in Maxxis Larsen Mimos). Took that down to 40 for the race which eliminated some of the bouncing over all the roots. Got a nice place at the start line, first row and good line for the first corner. Decided that one thing I really learned and worked on during mtb season was starts and I wanted to really go for the hole shot. Adjusted my gearing for the slight downhill start (46 front/25 rear) and punched it at the whistle. And yes, got the hole shot! My first ever in a 'cross race! Wahoo! I led for about 1/2 lap then was passed by Roz (Luna and eventual race winner) and then passed by tons and tons of people over the rest of the race. During the second lap when I was still in the top ten I decided to ride the steep short hill after the 180 turn (had seen lots of guys ride in the previous race). Almost made it to the top....thought i was going to break my chain as I basically did a track stand right before the top, couldn't turn over the pedals and basically did a reverse endo (flipped over backwards, bike fell on me, skid backwards down the hill...a 9.8 from the Checkoslovakian judge) ;-) Three women passed me during that bright maneuver. Anyway, fun race. Looking forward to improving over the season. Hoping to see a bunch of you at Casco Bay Saturday.

What I didn't mention was how I thought my lungs were going to explode. I don't need a HRM to tell me when I've redlined, I just listen for when I start making the WHEEZING noise. I didn't start the WHEEZING until 3.5 laps into a 4 lap race. Obviously, I didn't ride hard enough. 17th out of 32 starters. But wow, I had a great start. Now if I can just hold that pace longer and not start riding backwards maybe I'll do better. Blech.

Sunrise - Big Island Style

Pic Of The Day

Volcanos National Park....wow

View From The Shack

Here's the view from the hot tub at the beach shack in the previous
post.

Tour de Beach Shacks

First, it was the Chappy Shack. For the past 5 nights it's been Secret
Beach Cottage (or as Bryce calls it The Love Shack). Located 200 feet
on a cliff above the Pacific on private grounds, it's been pretty
spectacular. Sitting in the hot tub watching the sunrise overlooking
the beach with a mug of Kona coffee (or alternatively the sunset with
a glass of champagne) has been pretty sweet. ~sigh.... Today we leave
for the Big Island and the next shack....in the middle of the rain
forest. Have I mentioned how much I hate bugs?

Sunset Kauai Style

View from the deck over looking Secret Beach.....

Off To Cross Train

Time for some cross training (as in not riding bikes, not 'cross). Off to paddle the Na Pali coast, mtb some Kauai trails, hike a volcano or two, snorkle with some turtles, catch a few waves and have a few drinkies with little umbrellas in them.

See you all at Amesbury. I'll be the slow, but tan one. ;-) Aloha!

Blowing Up At Landmine

Wah! This was my last mtb race of the season (~sniff ~sniff) and the last one I'd be doing in the beginner division. My goals: 1) finish so I received enough points to win the series 2) don't get hurt and screw up my cross season 3) ride more of the technical stuff

The course was fairly flat, 4 wooden bridges, numerous logs and a few killer rock gardens which reminded me of Mt. Snow except they weren't muddy or on a 20% incline/decline. ;-) Unlike all the previous races, this course would be one 11 mile loop which meant no pre-ride on the day of the race so I decided to pre-ride on Saturday to check it out, see what Wompy State Park was like and just get back on my mt bike. Saturday was HOT and humid, I rode around noon, didn't eat lunch and pretty much set myself up for a bonk-fest. The course was super dry and dusty and on the first small downhill section with left turn I skidded out and went down hard on my left side. Hmmmmm....wrong tires? Have my skills really degraded in 3 weeks off? Was I simply spacing out? Similarly, on a small downhill section with tight left turn that went onto the bridge, I went in a little hot, couldn't hold the line I wanted and yes, flew off the bridge (3-4 ft drop into branches, brambles, weeds). As I went off the bridge I thought, "This is going to hurt." but oddly enough it wasn't so bad. One gi-normous bruise on my thigh, a few scratches, a 4" diameter stick through my rear wheel (no broken spokes!) and fortunately, no witnesses. ;-) The last 3 miles or so, I was entering the bonk zone - wasn't sure where I was in the woods, couldn't wait to be done, and pretty much walked through the rocky sections since I didn't think being so tired and handling technical stuff was wise. Was so happy to get back to the car and probably at least 5 lbs lighter given how much I had sweat out there. :(

Race day I was still feeling pretty tired but kept telling myself all I had to do was ride conservatively, finish, get enough points and win the '07 season series. Funny how all that flies out the window when the whistle blows. One thing I have learned is that it's really important for me to be out front. I don't ride as well in back of others (something I need to work on next year). The first mile was flat, fast and not technical. I wanted to be out front after that section. Three younger women flew out off the front and I let them go. Then one woman from my age group who was also super fast flew by and I let her go. At the end of that first mile section, I started running into the 55+ men and juniors. The juniors were really good about yielding on the trail where there was space but I think the older guys really weren't happy about getting "girled". Really super frustrating as I was going way slower than I knew I was capable was and felt my lead just melting away.

For about 1/2 the course, I fought for second place with another woman. We were pretty well matched and traded back and forth between 2nd and 3rd perhaps 3 or 4 times. The last time she passed me I was pretty wiped but thought I still had a chance if I didn't make any mistakes and so that's what I drilled in my head. No mistakes, ride EVERYTHING and if you need to get off, use your 'cross skills to get back on fast. Amazing what you can ride when you tell yourself that. That helped me catch up to her, had to jump off in a uphill rock garden but at the top of the hill did perhaps my best 'cross mount ever and took the lead back. Now I knew I just needed to push it and not wipe out. The pre-ride helped here as I remembered there was one large log, then flat and fast twisties to the grass and then finish. I thought that if could ride the log (way bigger than any I'd done before) and then sprint, I had second. If I endo'ed on the log, race over. Push...push...push...where's the log? where's the log? holy $^%$# it's bigger than I remember....hope that dirt's tasty in case I bite it big time... popped the front wheel...chainring hits the log...pedal...over! And still upright! Such a rush of adrenaline that I was still riding that I had a good sprint for the 1/4 mile to the finish. Took 2nd by 6-8 seconds or so. :) Won the race series for the season. More importantly, really improved my bike skills this season. Stuff that scared me silly in the spring is totally doable now (with a little guts and much trepidation). Looking forward to taking it to the next level next season.

I'm off for two weeks now - but when I return, it's full throttle on 'cross (Amesbury should be my first 'cross race of the season. So psyched!)