First Ride On The New Board

Headed up to Sunapee yesterday to try out the new board and bindings. OMG! What a huge difference! The new board is an Arbor Push and I picked up a pair of Salomon eLite bindings on sale at REI. Sweet! Absolutely perfect conditions - sunny, warm (40-ish), perfect snow and no lift lines. Only complaint is that today I sound like Cartman, "Ow! My ass!" due to moron skier who rode up the chair with me and then turned right in front of me as we got off. Clueless.

My initial impression came on the first chair ride up the mountain - it's significantly lighter. My left leg wasn't getting that "huge piece of gear hanging off my foot" sensation. Second impression, a fresh coat of wax makes a board VERY slippery (duh). Now I know why I had a bit of trouble keeping up with Frank and The Columbian on some of the flat traverses in Tahoe. I was slightly worried about doing tight turns with the board since it's 5cm longer than my old one. After I slid a few feet further than I expected off the chair (due to the new wax), I had a narrow trail to take ride to connect up to the runs I wanted to do. The board handled great. Hit one of the wider trails and pointed it straight down the mountain - way smoother than my other board at speed. Nice! My turns seemed better, the board tracked better and even on the steeps, held a great edge. No, I did not go into the terrain park. I am starting to think about building a small jump in the park near my house to work on getting some air and landings. I had a blast the few times I inadvertently went flying off a few small bumps. Would love to get better at it. Another foot expected in NH today. Hmmmm....throw the Treo in my pocket and head up again later in the week? Tempted.

Winter Riding - Inside

I couldn't take it anymore - the trainer was killing me with boredom. Generally, I can keep myself occupied for 1.5 - 2 hrs. I can even tolerate Coach Troy. But given that I have trouble focusing in general, I would really space out on a trainer. Looking for a bit more excitement, I decided to switch to rollers. I didn't think S would appreciate me throwing a set of rollers in one of the upstairs hallways so decided to go for the new e-motion rollers from insideride.com (a.k.a. rollers for idiots). These rollers float inside a frame on giant elastics so the bike is allowed more movement and really does feel like riding on the road. It's also way easier to stand out of the saddle and sprint (I would definitely biff it big time doing that on normal rollers.) I'm really enjoying the challenge of learning something new. I've done about 50 miles or so on them so far and it's making my inside training way more fun.

The new rollers also inspired us to clean up the basement a bit and put down a new workout floor in the area we've been using as our mini gym. Almost finished - just waiting for the bevel edges pieces of the flooring to be delivered.

More Winter Riding

Hard to believe, but I haven't boarded with TCB (a.k.a. "Frank") in over three years. We kept talking about it but never got it together. Finally, the stars aligned and due to business travel to the west coast, we made plans to head to
Tahoe for the weekend.

Gotta love packing a snowboard bag for a business trip. No, Gracie didn't managed to get stuffed in there. Fortunately, United hadn't instituted their new policy of having to pay to check a second bag.

Wanting to avoid the crowds, we decided we'd play hooky on Friday and left San Jose Thursday evening. The Sports Wagon was stuffed with both of our snowboard gear, my 10 days worth of luggage, Frank's suitcase and spin stuff (she had to teach spin class before we headed out.)

We drove as far as Auburn that night. Well, Frank drove, I slept. Spent the night at the local Best Western which had make-your-own-waffles (including regular and individual mini waffles) for breakfast. Yum.

After breakfast we headed to Sugar Bowl. It felt SO good to be out of those long days of meetings followed by dinner/events with coworkers. It was a perfect day - sunny, blue skies, warm and little wind. This was my first time at boarding there. The snow was decent snow (yes, I'm getting spoiled by all the snow on the east coast this year) and it was great to try out some new trails. We kept it easy and I managed to not let Frank into talking me into hurling myself down some of the black diamond cliffs - we'd save that for later in the weekend. ;-)

The Columbian joined us on Saturday since he was also out west for our work meetings. We decided to board Homewood because we'd had a previous epic day there and plus the views of the lake from the are just incredible. I'd forgotten just how incredible when on my first run down High Grade I caught a glimpse of the lake out of my peripheral vision, felt like I was going to fall right off the slope and into the lake and almost biffed it. IMHO, that is the most spectacular view from any ski slope I've ever encountered.

Awesome day of riding. Got my own chicken sandwich for lunch (usually split one with Frank - it's tradition) but we were both too hungry. And it seems that all the leg work in the gym is paying off. My legs lasted through most of both days of boarding without a problem. :) Followed up the day with some pinot and great Italian food at a small place called Fiamma's in Tahoe City. Yum.

Winter Riding - Part Deux

Ok, winter riding - THAT'S what I'm talking about! Valentine's Day brought me something extremely fun. My new Arbor Push. I've been lusting over this board for a few months. And despite what the Columbian says, I don't just buy myself whatever toy I want. In fact, I blew my snowboard dispensable income on new rollers (post on that coming soon) instead thinking I'd get more use out of them.

Thanks, Sweetie! Let's ride! :-*

Winter Riding

Being an East Coaster, I'm pretty much used to working out during winter months. I've slogged hundreds of miles through snow and slush and over ice while training for the Boston Marathon. I like playing in the snow - snowshoeing, XC skiing, and snowboarding. But typically, when it comes to riding, I call it quits when the roads have been made slick and narrow by our winter storms. Add to that the ouch factor of a 20mph headwind and fuggetaboutit - I'd rather go to Abusive Spin Class (I REALLY need to write a post on that.)

But - riding in the woods - totally different game. No headwind (I can't ride fast enough to generate one and the trees block the natural wind) and with the snow and ice, it's so damn hard I'm generating more than enough heat to keep me and any squirrels close by nice and toasty.

In order to facilitate some of this off-road, crazy idea of riding on snow and ice covered trails, I sprung for a new set of Nokian Extreme 294 studded tires. My bike looks totally buff with them (even with its girly pink new derailleur cables I put on this fall.)

Of course, after I finally mounted them I had to fly off to the 70 degree weather of the Bay Area and saw people riding in shorts. I wondered yet again why we subject ourselves to living here. It's gotta make us tougher and better riders, right? ;-)

Weather + New Gadget = Riding

Given the lovely forecast for tomorrow and the fact that today was sunny and around 40 degrees, I figured if I wanted to get out and ride, I better. We'll be buried under a foot of snow tomorrow which is fine - I like skiing, boarding, and snowshoeing. But - this Christmas, Santa knew what this gadget girl would really love. A Garmin Edge 305. And I just couldn't resist trying it out. Besides being Gadget Girl, I'm also Data Girl (I think I was the only one in my MBA class who loved our semester of statistics.) So I threw one of the extra mounts on the Tsunami (which is still covered in nasty Kansas City mud) and headed out for a nice 30 mile first ride of 2008. OMG did I feel slow! I know I was riding my 'cross bike complete with knobbies but still.... Ran into Cathy and Mike on their tandem near the asparagus farm which was great for catching up and catching my breath. I was very happy when I rolled into Lexington Center. And yeah, before I even jumped out of my sweaty clothes, I uploaded the ride. You can see the ride data here. Time to crunch some numbers! And the best part, now I'll be able to find those hidden trails that Cathy takes me to. :)

The Flip

Today we were off to Johnny D's Uptown Lounge to meet PFFC for jazz brunch and our annual, always after Christmas, present exchange. I love brunch there especially the combos. Despite my size, I can out eat anyone if the the food we're eating is carbs. Pasta, waffles, pancakes, french toast, etc. Once, we ran out of batter and killed a waffle iron as I ate two 6 ft rowers under the table. Today, however, since I'm still feeling like I ate too much over the holidays, I refrained from the carbs but I did indulge in a Parrot Mimosa. After all, it was Christmas!

And speaking of Christmas, PFFC out did herself. We now have a fun little video camera, The Flip, to shoot all kinds of crazy stuff to post. Love it. And yes, those parrots in the video are our drinks. If you drink two of them, they give you the bird. The bird glass could have been fun for work. Maybe I should have sucked down two.

But in all seriousness, I work with lots of video at work and have at my disposal cameras ranging from professional cameras that you see newsmen carrying on their shoulders, to HD MiniDV camcorders to the "helmet cam". This little gizmo is really quite well done from it's ease of use of the camera itself to the simplicity of its included video editing software. Fun stuff!

Miss December

My friend and fellow mtn bike racer, Stephanie (a.k.a. Luna Chick) is Miss December in the current NEMBA calendar. Love it. Best part, though - when asked what her dream bike would be, she answered, "Any bike that'll let me beat S in the Root66 Race Series." Game on! Should be an interesting season. Glad I'm not in their category any longer. :)

What? Do I look like I'm 12?!?!?!

I decided to burn a PTO day yesterday and do some boarding. Headed up to Sunapee for nice day of playing in the snow. Three times while riding the lift, I had someone ask "Why aren't you in school today?" I realize I'm short and the baggy boarding pants and purple board with pink and white flowers don't help but really, I haven't been required by law to be in school in almost 30 years. I'm trying to take it as a compliment.

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.