Collegiate Nats. Look at that snow!
My parents. This is how they normally dress.... afterall my mom is Lebanese and makes KILLER baklava. J/k... halloween
Awwww, my grand-parents are so cute!
What a hunk!
Adam and I
Friday, December 23, 2005
Some pictures since I've been slack
Collegiate Nats. Look at that snow!
My parents. This is how they normally dress.... afterall my mom is Lebanese and makes KILLER baklava. J/k... halloween
Awwww, my grand-parents are so cute!
What a hunk!
Adam and I
Pimpin Ain't Easy
I am home now...it's been so great to not be studying 15 hours a day. I managed to get through finals without jumping off the first FlatIron. I got home about a week ago and started training again... I'm putting in 17 hours this week. Last week was 14. It's been awesome being able to ride my bike again and even Adam rode with me a couple times. For him, riding with me is like taking a little kid for a walk! My heart rate at any given time on the bike(up to a point) is 40 beats faster than him. Honestly I think he just goes so can ride behind me. ;) I need to get base miles in before my living hell begins Jan 17. Yes, 3 classes, training, and research. I can hardly wait. I wish I could just be a bum for a few months...hell, forever! It's been 60 degrees here and I've been getting spoiled by my parents, and getting to see Adam. My mom made some baklava. mmm. It's a good thing I'm riding so much or I'd be a blimp. I have to start thinking of studying again soon...yes, I have to take the PhD Prelim although I could give a crap about it. Good times. I am moving when I get back to Boulder. It will be awesome to not live in little Mexico although I was starting to learn the words to all the spanish songs! This new place is under the control of the university called, "family housing." Only grad students and older people can live in them and there is a 1 year wait list! The rent is about $60 more a month, but the apartment is bigger, has a huge balcony, a real kitchen(opposed to my matchbox I'm supposed to call a kitchen), cable TV, internet, and a local phone line. Sweet. I'm thinking of buying a digital camera...I can keep you more updated when that happens.
I'm going to Texas next week to party with my awesome cousin. We always have so much fun together... hell yeah! She and some of her friends rented a cabin for new years. Actually it's a gang bang with just the two of us and 100 football players. just kidding
my bro, my cousin, and I
Story of the day......One night I went with my parents to see this thing called "the river of lights." My mom was in a hurry to get there due to the rumored heavy traffic. We stopped by my grandparents house first (they generously lent me their car for the time I'm here. What would I do without them??) and my dad had a drink. My mom was distressed because she was already in a hurry to get there. We drove down Central to the Botanical Gardens and what do we see? A parking lot... everyone was trying to go see the lights and the traffic was herendous. There were also idiots trying to cut through parking lots to get in front of us. My mom was having a fit, especially when we saw they were turning people away. It's amazing to me how freaked out people get about lights! Lights! Electricity! WOW! We had to go park somewhere else and the guy had told us to take this little train. There was a big crowd of people waiting, and we see this small train-like thing moving down the track at about 3 miles an hour. The attendant kept yelling at us to get back. This train moves slower than a senior citizen with a walker and a hip problem... I think I would be able to get out of the way if it looked like it would hit me. They let about 5 people on and the train slugged away, going in the wrong direction... if we actually took the train, it would have taken like 30 minutes. People started to get angry...including my mom. Everyone was chanting, "Let's just walk." The walk took all of 5 minutes. It's amazing how lazy people are that they would wait 10 minutes for a train that moves the same speed they walk, and goes the wrong direction first so you end up waiting like 30-40 min! My dad paid 6 bucks for each of us to get in. It was nice, but not as spectacular as the Querque builds it up to be. There were people milling around, screaming children, the works. The end.
I'm going to Texas next week to party with my awesome cousin. We always have so much fun together... hell yeah! She and some of her friends rented a cabin for new years. Actually it's a gang bang with just the two of us and 100 football players. just kidding
my bro, my cousin, and I
Story of the day......One night I went with my parents to see this thing called "the river of lights." My mom was in a hurry to get there due to the rumored heavy traffic. We stopped by my grandparents house first (they generously lent me their car for the time I'm here. What would I do without them??) and my dad had a drink. My mom was distressed because she was already in a hurry to get there. We drove down Central to the Botanical Gardens and what do we see? A parking lot... everyone was trying to go see the lights and the traffic was herendous. There were also idiots trying to cut through parking lots to get in front of us. My mom was having a fit, especially when we saw they were turning people away. It's amazing to me how freaked out people get about lights! Lights! Electricity! WOW! We had to go park somewhere else and the guy had told us to take this little train. There was a big crowd of people waiting, and we see this small train-like thing moving down the track at about 3 miles an hour. The attendant kept yelling at us to get back. This train moves slower than a senior citizen with a walker and a hip problem... I think I would be able to get out of the way if it looked like it would hit me. They let about 5 people on and the train slugged away, going in the wrong direction... if we actually took the train, it would have taken like 30 minutes. People started to get angry...including my mom. Everyone was chanting, "Let's just walk." The walk took all of 5 minutes. It's amazing how lazy people are that they would wait 10 minutes for a train that moves the same speed they walk, and goes the wrong direction first so you end up waiting like 30-40 min! My dad paid 6 bucks for each of us to get in. It was nice, but not as spectacular as the Querque builds it up to be. There were people milling around, screaming children, the works. The end.
Monday, December 05, 2005
I'm not a racist, I hate everyone. Oh, I'm bitter too.
Hello, hello! Well, if you haven't heard from me, I have been in the land of engineering. Yes, yes... for the past 6 days, I have been studying or doing homework for 10 hours a day and I'm not exaggerating. I just finished the longest homework assignment of my life. FORTY pages. Scary, isn't it? Words of advice, I don't recommend engineering grad school. Get out while you can! So I have finals next week. I have a take home that I get on Wed. The homework that was 40 pages was the practice take home, which took over 30 hours. So Wed. I get a take home that will take 30 hours due Tues(11/12). Also on Tues(11/12), I have a final at 7:30 AM for 3 hours followed by another 3 hour final and then have to turn in my take home exam right after. In 5 days, I have a take home exam and two finals to study for. If you hear about a suicide in the news, it could be me. Meanwhile, I am living in little Mexico. I don't know if I've mentioned my apartment, but I feel right at home being from New Mexico and all. Boulder is known for not being very diverse. However, I get the culture baby. The mexicans in the apartments behind my parking lot blast their mexican music, jamming out to the tuba and shit while the apartment below me has like 5 people living in a one bedroom. I live in the boulder ghetto paying 550/mo. I'm starting to learn the words to all the songs so if I go to Mexico and sing karoake, I'll be all set. The tuba lovers have no job because they are probably illegal immigrants, and all sit outside in a row and watch me. I didn't realize they watched me until Adam pointed them out one day. I was working on my bike outside in shorts and sure enough, they were all enjoying the show. I make sure to keep my blinds slightly closed. So I go from little mexico to little china... my lab at school. Well, little china with a few people from india. I am in the minority and these bastards will not stop studying. They are hard core. There are sleeping bags and pillows under some peoples' desks and that is no joke. These enginerds are there at all hours of the night. It's quite impressive and highly alarming. No wonder these brainiacs are killing the curve. It's their fault I am going to fail out of grad school. I need some fat, no neck fratties in my classes to fail tests so I look better. Anyway, enough of that.
I haven't been riding much. Lotsa running to relieve the stress. I had a panic attack this weekend and couldn't breathe. It was fantastic. I'll start training next week when I go home to da Querque. I can't wait. I can actually SEE my boyfriend instead of talk to him on my new shitty cell phone. This phone is super static-y. It doesn't work worth a damn so I'll return it when I get home. Bastards. I can't wait to get to da ghetto. It'll be nice to see the fam too. I'm working on pictures. The internet I'm stealing in my apt. is superslow so I can't download pics very well. Until next time, ta ta! Wish me luck... hopefully I won't be too below average on my finals so I can pass and not be put on probation.
Quote of the day: "I can see Blue! He looks glorious!"
I haven't been riding much. Lotsa running to relieve the stress. I had a panic attack this weekend and couldn't breathe. It was fantastic. I'll start training next week when I go home to da Querque. I can't wait. I can actually SEE my boyfriend instead of talk to him on my new shitty cell phone. This phone is super static-y. It doesn't work worth a damn so I'll return it when I get home. Bastards. I can't wait to get to da ghetto. It'll be nice to see the fam too. I'm working on pictures. The internet I'm stealing in my apt. is superslow so I can't download pics very well. Until next time, ta ta! Wish me luck... hopefully I won't be too below average on my finals so I can pass and not be put on probation.
Quote of the day: "I can see Blue! He looks glorious!"
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Story of the day
Once upon a time there was a below average wanna-be enginerd doing her impossible homework at a coffee shop. She had been depressed and gloomy for several days due to her below average performances, but decided to sit in the sun and hope that the rays would cheer her up. Sure enough, with the mountain views and fresh air, she started to feel better. Unfortunately her homework would take many hours to complete, and alas, it grew dark. She moved inside by the window. There were many different breeds of homo sapiens at the coffee shop... fratties with huge necks and backwards hats, foreign exchange students, persons with various laptops, the couple on their first date, the group of girls analyzing their relationships..... These were her companions for the baffling journey of the day...completing her power homework without going insane. Over the course of the semester, she had fallen down the rabbit hole. Instead of down Dante's Inferno, she went deeper down the rings of angst and mania.
The heavy-hearted run of the mill girl looked up and saw the most herendous coffee shop companion of all. He was very round with about 100 keys connected to his belt, walking to the counter with a cup of steaming joe in his sweaty, pudgy hand. Then her attention focused to his head. She was temporarily blinded by an appalling, grisly haircut. The hobbit had his head shaved all around to the skin except for a curvy mushroom top hair cut. The thick blonde tufts of hair fell on his fat head only along the top portion of his skull. In the center of the golden lilypad atop his head was a bald spot. Maybe if he grew it out thick all around the bald spot and shaved around the sides of his head, the ladies wouldn't notice he was balding. Or maybe his collection of keys were his pimptastic tool to attract the ladies. Or maybe it was the fact that his head looked like a large fallus. The engineer girl found this harder to conceive than her torturous homework. He exited the coffee shop and out into the darkness.
The heavy-hearted run of the mill girl looked up and saw the most herendous coffee shop companion of all. He was very round with about 100 keys connected to his belt, walking to the counter with a cup of steaming joe in his sweaty, pudgy hand. Then her attention focused to his head. She was temporarily blinded by an appalling, grisly haircut. The hobbit had his head shaved all around to the skin except for a curvy mushroom top hair cut. The thick blonde tufts of hair fell on his fat head only along the top portion of his skull. In the center of the golden lilypad atop his head was a bald spot. Maybe if he grew it out thick all around the bald spot and shaved around the sides of his head, the ladies wouldn't notice he was balding. Or maybe his collection of keys were his pimptastic tool to attract the ladies. Or maybe it was the fact that his head looked like a large fallus. The engineer girl found this harder to conceive than her torturous homework. He exited the coffee shop and out into the darkness.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
I'm a below average nerd
My fanclub party of one has requested I update my Looney days more frequently, so here we go. I am a below average geek. Yes friends, below average. In my UNM undergraduate days, I was considered to be the curve wrecker and people would yell at me when we got our tests back. I believe the Colorado air has been killing off my brain cells(or maybe it's all the chocolate I've been eating), because nowadays, I can't get above average... maybe because this is graduate school and everyone is a lot smarter than me. Why do people have to take school so seriously? I need better grades, so maybe I should make friends with all the enginerds and use their brain power for homework, and take them out partying the night before an exam...or maybe I could simply place a laxative in their water bottle before the test...or make them some "special" brownies so they are paranoid during the exams. All are ploys that I am considering to help me get through grad school. If any one of you would like to assassinate all the smart people at school, please do so, but leave me someone to help me with my homework. Homework that totures my soul and makes me dream about pages of textbooks with equations. Enough about the hell of my own making... on the better things.
NATIONALS. Yes, one week from today, I am off to PA. Some would call this a training race in Pennsyltucky where amateurs race their bikes(Josh Bezeckny...but he's only joking). I call it mud and rain. Last year was a very wet, painful race which will be repeated this year. Except this year, I hope there is a spot on the podium for me. I had conference finals in durango this past weekend and was troubled because my legs would not work at all. I could barely pedal...so I am spending the week getting 9 hrs of sleep every night and trying to stay off the bike. Keep your fingers crossed for me... there will most certainly be a race report and photos from the race. And after that, I can party and go running a lot. yeeahhoooo.
For fall break, I went to da Querque and was reminded of just how ghetto it can be. There were low rider trucks with dubs and chrome rims as far as the eye could see! It was good to see my family and Adam. Adam even took me to Durango despite having a nasty virus. He rode behind me in the XC when my legs were pieces of lead. What a grrreeeatttt boyfriend! :)
Bel-Air has been treating me well...the beautiful surroundings and great riding are the only things keeping me from dragging a sharp object across my neck. :) Ski season is right among us and all the native Coloradoidians are buzzing about it. If anyone would like to donate some $$$$ or some chronic for me to sell so I can get a pass, please feel free to send it my way.
Next post...nats.
NATIONALS. Yes, one week from today, I am off to PA. Some would call this a training race in Pennsyltucky where amateurs race their bikes(Josh Bezeckny...but he's only joking). I call it mud and rain. Last year was a very wet, painful race which will be repeated this year. Except this year, I hope there is a spot on the podium for me. I had conference finals in durango this past weekend and was troubled because my legs would not work at all. I could barely pedal...so I am spending the week getting 9 hrs of sleep every night and trying to stay off the bike. Keep your fingers crossed for me... there will most certainly be a race report and photos from the race. And after that, I can party and go running a lot. yeeahhoooo.
For fall break, I went to da Querque and was reminded of just how ghetto it can be. There were low rider trucks with dubs and chrome rims as far as the eye could see! It was good to see my family and Adam. Adam even took me to Durango despite having a nasty virus. He rode behind me in the XC when my legs were pieces of lead. What a grrreeeatttt boyfriend! :)
Bel-Air has been treating me well...the beautiful surroundings and great riding are the only things keeping me from dragging a sharp object across my neck. :) Ski season is right among us and all the native Coloradoidians are buzzing about it. If anyone would like to donate some $$$$ or some chronic for me to sell so I can get a pass, please feel free to send it my way.
Next post...nats.
I'm a below average nerd
My fanclub party of one has requested I update my Looney days more frequently, so here we go. I am a below average geek. Yes friends, below average. In my UNM undergraduate days, I was considered to be the curve wrecker and people would yell at me when we got our tests back. I believe the Colorado air has been killing off my brain cells(or maybe it's all the chocolate I've been eating), because nowadays, I can't get above average... maybe because this is graduate school and everyone is a lot smarter than me. Why do people have to take school so seriously? I need better grades, so maybe I should make friends with all the enginerds and use their brain power for homework, and take them out partying the night before an exam...or maybe I could simply place a laxative in their water bottle before the test...or make them some "special" brownies so they are paranoid during the exams. All are ploys that I am considering to help me get through grad school. If any one of you would like to assassinate all the smart people at school, please do so, but leave me someone to help me with my homework. Homework that totures my soul and makes me dream about pages of textbooks with equations. Enough about the hell of my own making... on the better things.
NATIONALS. Yes, one week from today, I am off to PA. Some would call this a training race in Pennsyltucky where amateurs race their bikes(Josh Bezeckny...but he's only joking). I call it mud and rain. Last year was a very wet, painful race which will be repeated this year. Except this year, I hope there is a spot on the podium for me. I had conference finals in durango this past weekend and was troubled because my legs would not work at all. I could barely pedal...so I am spending the week getting 9 hrs of sleep every night and trying to stay off the bike. Keep your fingers crossed for me... there will most certainly be a race report and photos from the race. And after that, I can party and go running a lot. yeeahhoooo.
For fall break, I went to da Querque and was reminded of just how ghetto it can be. There were low rider trucks with dubs and chrome rims as far as the eye could see! It was good to see my family and Adam. Adam even took me to Durango despite having a nasty virus. He rode behind me in the XC when my legs were pieces of lead. What a grrreeeatttt boyfriend! :)
Bel-Air has been treating me well...the beautiful surroundings and great riding are the only things keeping me from dragging a sharp object across my neck. :) Ski season is right among us and all the native Coloradoidians are buzzing about it. If anyone would like to donate some $$$$ or some chronic for me to sell so I can get a pass, please feel free to send it my way.
Next post...nats.
NATIONALS. Yes, one week from today, I am off to PA. Some would call this a training race in Pennsyltucky where amateurs race their bikes(Josh Bezeckny...but he's only joking). I call it mud and rain. Last year was a very wet, painful race which will be repeated this year. Except this year, I hope there is a spot on the podium for me. I had conference finals in durango this past weekend and was troubled because my legs would not work at all. I could barely pedal...so I am spending the week getting 9 hrs of sleep every night and trying to stay off the bike. Keep your fingers crossed for me... there will most certainly be a race report and photos from the race. And after that, I can party and go running a lot. yeeahhoooo.
For fall break, I went to da Querque and was reminded of just how ghetto it can be. There were low rider trucks with dubs and chrome rims as far as the eye could see! It was good to see my family and Adam. Adam even took me to Durango despite having a nasty virus. He rode behind me in the XC when my legs were pieces of lead. What a grrreeeatttt boyfriend! :)
Bel-Air has been treating me well...the beautiful surroundings and great riding are the only things keeping me from dragging a sharp object across my neck. :) Ski season is right among us and all the native Coloradoidians are buzzing about it. If anyone would like to donate some $$$$ or some chronic for me to sell so I can get a pass, please feel free to send it my way.
Next post...nats.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Bad bad blogger!
I have been a bad blogger. :( Colorado has been great! The weather is nice and I get to ride my bike and do stuff outside. I'm also learning how to rock climb. School takes a lot of freaking time and is really hard! I have three exams this week and am trying to stay sane. I've been racing collegiate and it's fun! I am heading to PA in a few weeks for Nats and am hoping to bring home the gold, but we'll see. Wish me luck!
The road riding here is phenomenal...tons of gorgeous climbs in the mountains with streams right next to the road. Tons of climbing rides too. I love it! The mountain biking is about 20 miles away, but that's do-able. I have a race in Golden this weekend and it's super technical. I broke my derailleur hanger just riding the course. ahhh. Right now it's pretty nice because all the aspens are changing. It's also that time of year where you have to send out your resume for sponsorship. Titus has been great to me, but I'm also applying to other teams to see what I can get. I can't wait to get my pro upgrade for next year..wooo hooo. The big time. haha
I've met some cool friends.... I mostly hang out with my neighbors, Dan, Gabe, and Matt, but I've also met some cool girls! My neighbors do lots of cool, fun things so I'm glad they are conveniently close by! I have friends through school too, but I miss all of you back in da Querque! I promise I'll have more interesting and frequent blogs again. I'm still trying to get used to this!
I'm coming home next week for Fall Break. Adam is going to take me Durango for the actual weekend b/c we have conference finals. I can't wait! I can't wait to see Adam too...it's been so long. Long distance relationships work, but you have to want them to work. That's a note for those of you who think they do not ever work. There ARE some cute CO boyz though. muhahahahaha ;) I won't deny it!
Anyway, I gots to go to bed, just wanted to let you all know I'm still alive! I don't really miss Albuquerque too much...just the people. That's YOU! More another day.
The road riding here is phenomenal...tons of gorgeous climbs in the mountains with streams right next to the road. Tons of climbing rides too. I love it! The mountain biking is about 20 miles away, but that's do-able. I have a race in Golden this weekend and it's super technical. I broke my derailleur hanger just riding the course. ahhh. Right now it's pretty nice because all the aspens are changing. It's also that time of year where you have to send out your resume for sponsorship. Titus has been great to me, but I'm also applying to other teams to see what I can get. I can't wait to get my pro upgrade for next year..wooo hooo. The big time. haha
I've met some cool friends.... I mostly hang out with my neighbors, Dan, Gabe, and Matt, but I've also met some cool girls! My neighbors do lots of cool, fun things so I'm glad they are conveniently close by! I have friends through school too, but I miss all of you back in da Querque! I promise I'll have more interesting and frequent blogs again. I'm still trying to get used to this!
I'm coming home next week for Fall Break. Adam is going to take me Durango for the actual weekend b/c we have conference finals. I can't wait! I can't wait to see Adam too...it's been so long. Long distance relationships work, but you have to want them to work. That's a note for those of you who think they do not ever work. There ARE some cute CO boyz though. muhahahahaha ;) I won't deny it!
Anyway, I gots to go to bed, just wanted to let you all know I'm still alive! I don't really miss Albuquerque too much...just the people. That's YOU! More another day.
Friday, August 26, 2005
I'm in Colorado
I know, I know! i've been crappy about updating my blog. So I've been in Boulder(Bel-air) for a week now and I love this place! There are bike paths everywhere and lots of beautiful surroudings. It almost reminds me of a European town in that a lot of people walk, take the bus, or ride their bike, there is a lot of outdoor cafes, and most people here aren't really fat. I think Boulder is rated one of the top 10 more fittest towns. Sweet. :) School is ok... I will start work and getting homework next week. I'll let you know how it is then! There are so many great places to ride around here! I'm sure I'm overtraining myself. haha I have met some interesting little enginerds. This one kid has been emailing me all summer because he remembered my name from a result 2 years ago and saw I was coming to CU. I finally met up with stalker boy and he was your typical enginerd. Short black jean shorts, a tshirt too small that says engineering on it, and a nasal voice. nice. I want to hit that! ;) haha I'm sure he's very nice, just not my style. He even invited me over for homemade brownies. awwwww. Poor guy. I have met a couple of cool people too... I'm going to a party tomorrow night put on by some guys that work at the bike shop, so maybe I can make some cyclist GIRL friends there. I swear, the engineering dept here has no girls. I have one other girl in my 30 person medical devices class. She's all goth too, I'm even afraid of her!
So now I'm just lonely on a Friday night. :( I miss my family, friends, and Adam. You guys are the best!!!! Well, that's all for now. Sorry it's so boring!
So now I'm just lonely on a Friday night. :( I miss my family, friends, and Adam. You guys are the best!!!! Well, that's all for now. Sorry it's so boring!
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Moving trucks can race too
I went to pick up the moving truck last night with Adam. I decided to be brave and drive that beast of a vehicle back home. At a stop light, this eclipse pulled up next to me. He was acting all cool, so I decided to race him when the light turned green. I floored that big boy and it went baby. I took down that eclipse! Adam was driving behind me and said he saw black puffs of smoke coming out of the exhaust every time he shifted. Take that bitch... a moving truck beat your lame ass!
Today is my last day at Sandia. I'm outta here. Peace out Bushies. That's right...the majority here loves Bush. I'm going to the land of the anti-bush. Sweet.
Today is my last day at Sandia. I'm outta here. Peace out Bushies. That's right...the majority here loves Bush. I'm going to the land of the anti-bush. Sweet.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Moving this week!
Well...the countdown is almost over. Thursday is the big day! I'm trying to get all my crap packed and my very dirty apartment clean. Tomorrow is my last day at Sandia. YEEEAHHHOOOO after 3 years. today I did a ride to the crest in the very thick mist. It was pretty interesting b/c you got wet just being outside. Towards the top of the mountain, there was all this thick fog and you could barely see in front of you. Gotta get my last rides in da Querque!!! It's funny... all you have to do is move and EVERYONE wants to hang out with you! I should move more often. Next race isn't for awhile... next weekend. I'm missing Blast the Mass this weekend. It sucks, but I guess I should get settled in since I start school on Monday. NOOOO!!!! I'm pissed! I was going to do a race in los Alamos this weekend, but the weather was supposed to be bad. I didn't go and I would have won 200 bucks and the weather was nice. @#$)@#$(#$%@$#&%&@!!!
Friday, August 12, 2005
Utah Norba National
Oxygen... or lack thereof! This was the theme at Brianhead Norba National in southwest Utah. We left Thursday night and pimped it in Tina's red Jeep Liberty on the drive to Flagstaff where we camped for the night. We finished the remainder of the 10 hour drive on Friday after a little pre-race ride to open up the legs. We had lots of rain on the way to Utah... it was ominous and we kept praying that it wouldn't rain at the race. Adam and I pitched our tent in the camping area by the race venue. It was pretty wet when we arrived, but we went in the trees and had this amazing view of the mountains.... sleeping at 10,000 ft. Now THAT is good for recovery!! Not all of us can live the Kabush lifestyle of staying in nice condos and getting leg massages every night!! We ate some *gourmet* pasta for dinner and realized we didn't have a car to put our food in since Tina was staying in a hotel. We looked around the campsite and saw very large turds... it was either from a very unhappy human who gave birth to a very large baby brown boy or a bear. We decided to make friends with someone so we could keep our food in their car. The guy we made friends with had just gotten back from Iraq! He was on the front line and told us about it a little. Quite a culture shock to go to the quiet mountains in Utah.
The cross country was on Saturday at 3:30 PM. I was stoked not to have to wake up at 5 AM to race, but was a little concerned with the time since it was raining every afternoon. I was looking at my bike and my rear tire didn't offer any clearance for mud. I kept bugging Adam to go with me down to the race venue so I could get a tire for my bike. Titus was not at the race, so I went to the Kenda tent since we are sponsored by them. I told the guy about my situation and that Titus wasn't there. He said rudely, "I don't even know who YOU are!!" Damn!!!! One day you will, bitch...and you'll be sorry. I got a tire for pro deal and had to hunt down some Stanz, but it turned out aiight. Around 1, the skies grew dark, and it was raining on the mountains in the distance. Now some of you know this, but for those of you who don't...it gets freaking cold when you are racing at 10-11,000 ft and a storm moves in. It gets dark. the temperature falls dramatically. The trails become treacherous with slippery rocks and your bike stops working. It's not fun. And on top of that, me and all my New Mexico buddies were not prepared for the worst. It had been 100 degrees at home the week before, so we did not bring extra warm clothes for the bike. I kept saying, "I know it's going to rain. I just know it." To my surprise and delight, the weather seemed to clear up. There were actually a lot of expert women in the start chute and I was feeling a little intimidated. It's scary when everyone has been training and racing, looking fit, and YOU have only trained 2 weeks out of the summer and the last big race you did was in May. The start went up a steep pavement road for about 2 miles. I was feeling pretty good and was passing a bunch of people. It turned off onto a pretty steep dirt road for another 3 miles and then single track. The actual singletrack at the race was very nice, but before I knew it, I was turning off onto yet another dirt road to climb up to 11,082 ft!! I was in 3rd at the moment, but saw my competitor up the road and red lined it to catch her. To my dismay, the climbing was not over at the road. We turned off onto a steep singletrack hill. My eyes were starting to bug out of my head from lack of oxygen and my legs were totally blown. We were only half way through the course... mile 13. I had to keep going, but at that elevation, I was being slapped senseless in the hurt locker and on my way to the land of Crackatoa(Adam's new word!). Fortunately, there was a lot of downhilling after that. It was kind of sketchy because it was steep, muddy, and wet from the day before, but I managed with my Titus Racer-X! I tell you!! That is one sweet bike. With 5 miles to go, I glanced over my shoulder and saw a girl in my field 20-30 yards back...the same girl I had passed on the fireroad. I did not want to lose 2nd place at a national. I did not want a repeat of the last weekend losing by 5 seconds. No way. So the last 4 miles I pushed myself to the limit. I felt like puking several times because I was downing too much water at once. I thought I was so close to the end...but those last 4 miles had what seemed to be an endless amount of climbing. Just when I thought I was done with one hill, there would be another and I was just trying to mash it out in my granny gear. I just had to keep my legs moving. I finished the 26 mile race that went between 9500-11,100 ft, thrilled with my placing considering I hadn't been training or racing. I compared my times to the pros and at least I know I won't be getting last next year! That night we got to hang out with Olympian Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick! It was so cool being in the presence and talking with someone who is the best in the country and has raced all around the world. She was also a very nice person!
The next morning was the short track at 7:30 AM. My nightmare began around 12 AM... I had been lying awake for 2 hours and sleep was nowhere in site. There was a redneck convention going on down the road. We saw it... trucks, four wheelers, and mullets as far as the eye could see. "Go to sleep!!" I kept telling myself. 1 AM...almost went to sleep but redneck man keeps yelling, can't get comfortable. I have to wake up in 5 hours to get ready to race. 2 AM... pllleasse. I need to sleep! 2:30 AM... finally! I slept. I woke up at 5 AM and was worried I wouldn't wake up to my alarm in an hour. 6 AM...alarm is going off, I feel the exquisite pain of waking up at the crack of dawn with about 3 hours of sleep under my belt, a cross country race still fatiguing my legs, darkness, and cold. I managed to get ready, but not without whining. I managed to get in a good warm up and was pleased to see that the short track was actually a little technical. The race started on time and there were 15 women in my field. We were doing 17 minutes plus three laps. I never have a good start in these things, so was at the back on the first lap. On the first technical section, a girl in front of me STOPS suddenly and gets off her bike. I am forced to do the same. Because of this fact, I spent the rest of the race playing catch-up. The 3 girls at the front were working together, not nearly as hard as me. I worked my way up to 4th and was desperately trying to get up there. I couldn't quite get around them and ended up with 4th in the short track. If only that stupid girl had not STOPPED in front of me. Then I would have laid the SMACK down! ;) That's bad news in a 20 minute race. Oh well! It was still fun. Tina drank a Budweiser at 8 AM immediately following the short track. You go girl! She proudly put the empty can in her bottle cage and rode around. The 10 hour drive back wasn't much fun, but the memory of the trip was GREAT!
The cross country was on Saturday at 3:30 PM. I was stoked not to have to wake up at 5 AM to race, but was a little concerned with the time since it was raining every afternoon. I was looking at my bike and my rear tire didn't offer any clearance for mud. I kept bugging Adam to go with me down to the race venue so I could get a tire for my bike. Titus was not at the race, so I went to the Kenda tent since we are sponsored by them. I told the guy about my situation and that Titus wasn't there. He said rudely, "I don't even know who YOU are!!" Damn!!!! One day you will, bitch...and you'll be sorry. I got a tire for pro deal and had to hunt down some Stanz, but it turned out aiight. Around 1, the skies grew dark, and it was raining on the mountains in the distance. Now some of you know this, but for those of you who don't...it gets freaking cold when you are racing at 10-11,000 ft and a storm moves in. It gets dark. the temperature falls dramatically. The trails become treacherous with slippery rocks and your bike stops working. It's not fun. And on top of that, me and all my New Mexico buddies were not prepared for the worst. It had been 100 degrees at home the week before, so we did not bring extra warm clothes for the bike. I kept saying, "I know it's going to rain. I just know it." To my surprise and delight, the weather seemed to clear up. There were actually a lot of expert women in the start chute and I was feeling a little intimidated. It's scary when everyone has been training and racing, looking fit, and YOU have only trained 2 weeks out of the summer and the last big race you did was in May. The start went up a steep pavement road for about 2 miles. I was feeling pretty good and was passing a bunch of people. It turned off onto a pretty steep dirt road for another 3 miles and then single track. The actual singletrack at the race was very nice, but before I knew it, I was turning off onto yet another dirt road to climb up to 11,082 ft!! I was in 3rd at the moment, but saw my competitor up the road and red lined it to catch her. To my dismay, the climbing was not over at the road. We turned off onto a steep singletrack hill. My eyes were starting to bug out of my head from lack of oxygen and my legs were totally blown. We were only half way through the course... mile 13. I had to keep going, but at that elevation, I was being slapped senseless in the hurt locker and on my way to the land of Crackatoa(Adam's new word!). Fortunately, there was a lot of downhilling after that. It was kind of sketchy because it was steep, muddy, and wet from the day before, but I managed with my Titus Racer-X! I tell you!! That is one sweet bike. With 5 miles to go, I glanced over my shoulder and saw a girl in my field 20-30 yards back...the same girl I had passed on the fireroad. I did not want to lose 2nd place at a national. I did not want a repeat of the last weekend losing by 5 seconds. No way. So the last 4 miles I pushed myself to the limit. I felt like puking several times because I was downing too much water at once. I thought I was so close to the end...but those last 4 miles had what seemed to be an endless amount of climbing. Just when I thought I was done with one hill, there would be another and I was just trying to mash it out in my granny gear. I just had to keep my legs moving. I finished the 26 mile race that went between 9500-11,100 ft, thrilled with my placing considering I hadn't been training or racing. I compared my times to the pros and at least I know I won't be getting last next year! That night we got to hang out with Olympian Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick! It was so cool being in the presence and talking with someone who is the best in the country and has raced all around the world. She was also a very nice person!
The next morning was the short track at 7:30 AM. My nightmare began around 12 AM... I had been lying awake for 2 hours and sleep was nowhere in site. There was a redneck convention going on down the road. We saw it... trucks, four wheelers, and mullets as far as the eye could see. "Go to sleep!!" I kept telling myself. 1 AM...almost went to sleep but redneck man keeps yelling, can't get comfortable. I have to wake up in 5 hours to get ready to race. 2 AM... pllleasse. I need to sleep! 2:30 AM... finally! I slept. I woke up at 5 AM and was worried I wouldn't wake up to my alarm in an hour. 6 AM...alarm is going off, I feel the exquisite pain of waking up at the crack of dawn with about 3 hours of sleep under my belt, a cross country race still fatiguing my legs, darkness, and cold. I managed to get ready, but not without whining. I managed to get in a good warm up and was pleased to see that the short track was actually a little technical. The race started on time and there were 15 women in my field. We were doing 17 minutes plus three laps. I never have a good start in these things, so was at the back on the first lap. On the first technical section, a girl in front of me STOPS suddenly and gets off her bike. I am forced to do the same. Because of this fact, I spent the rest of the race playing catch-up. The 3 girls at the front were working together, not nearly as hard as me. I worked my way up to 4th and was desperately trying to get up there. I couldn't quite get around them and ended up with 4th in the short track. If only that stupid girl had not STOPPED in front of me. Then I would have laid the SMACK down! ;) That's bad news in a 20 minute race. Oh well! It was still fun. Tina drank a Budweiser at 8 AM immediately following the short track. You go girl! She proudly put the empty can in her bottle cage and rode around. The 10 hour drive back wasn't much fun, but the memory of the trip was GREAT!
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Duathlon
The boredom is palpable. Me, at work for a whole 2 hours and already bored out of my freaking mind. So now I will entertain you with a brief race report from Saturday.
6:45 AM: my alarm is waking me up from a comfortable, relaxing sleep. I wake up feeling tired and all I want to do is sleep...but I get up. After eating my common race day breakfast of oatmeal with fruit, honey, and almonds ( and a VIVRAN), I got my stuff together and loaded my car. Since Adam and I are the last minute couple, I decided I would be an hour early to this race and get a real warm-up unlike my usual drill of barely getting to the race in time for a half ass warm up. I handed my duathlon bag with my running shoes and water bottle to a race volunteer and double-checked my start time. My watch said the time was 8:21 AM. His response: "oh... about 8:40. They moved it from 9:15 you know." That gave me about 10 minutes to warm up. I was in street clothes, my bike still in pieces in my car. I tossed the bag at him and ran down to my car, chami-ed up lickety-split and hopped on my bike for a lightning speed warm up. I rode down the road at ski area and started to ride back up. My legs were in pain: aching and sore. "Oh great, now I won't even make it and the chodes will be in front of me" I thought. I went back to the area of the start feeling very apprehensive and looking unpoised. Originally, the mountain bike race was supposed to start at 8:30, but I saw Damian still riding around. I asked him about the start and he told me they moved it AGAIN and everyone was starting together at 9. I was relieved that I would have more time to warm up and that these pained pieces of lead called my legs would open up a little.
The start was a mass start...very unlike what I'm used to. Normally they have the starts with men and women separated, and then even more separation of race classes. So here we all were together, chode and pro alike, getting ready to attack the narrow singletrack of a start. I also caught a glimpse of my competition... 5 women in all. One of who was Jessica Kiesel. She is a pro who was invited to marathon worlds last year. "There goes winning," I thought. I decided to get on the front line and was happy to get a good position on the singletrack in the start. Of course, there were two guys in front of me holding me up, but the trail was so narrow that there was no place to pass. I finally came to a part where I could squeeze by the first guy, but the other guy tried to stop and let me by. The poor guy didn't move off the trail and almost caused me and some other man trying to pass to wreck. I pushed myself. To my surprise, I was ahead of all the women including Jessica. I checked my watch at the pond... my time was 3 min faster than normal. When I had to run extra technical sections, I felt a pain in my diaphram and wave of nausea would hit me. I kept going... I wanted so bad to be the first woman up the mountain. Compared to my heinous warm-up, I felt suprisingly good during the race. I checked my watch at the top. 1:11. I was delighted to set a new record for myself and hurried over to the transition area where I slipped on my running shoes and tried to tie them quickly. About a minute had passed and I saw Jessica hop off her bike. I started to run, but my legs were so tired, I could barely move them and had to walk. The run was very very bad. No one would ever guess I used to run marathons... my stride was uneven, I couldn't get a rythym. I think Jessica must have put some time on me for the run because my legs would NOT move! I changed shoes and got back on the bike, knowing she would be right behind me. Since I hurt my wrist, my descending skills have gotten relatively bad. I knew that my timidity would cost me. I managed to hold her off despite the fact that on the small climbs, my bike was shifting by itself to harder gears. I could hear her shifting up the trail aways. With 3 miles to go, I was riding a loose climb when my bike seized up and I fell over. Thank goodness I was wearing my wrist brace. I kept trying to get started again, but the trail was too loose and steep, and my bike was in the wrong gear. I started running with it, but Jessica passed me. I chased her down the remainder of the switchbacked, narrow trail, but couldn't quite get there and she beat me by FIVE seconds in a 2:20 race! I didn't mind...we are friends and she earned it! Good job Jessica! :)
On another note, a very horrible creature was on my balcony this weekend. A huge moth was attached to the wall of my balcony. I looked outside and saw the beast. Immediately my knees went weak and my stomach started to turn. I closed the blinds so I wouldn't have to look at it. When Adam came over, I sent him out to scare it away since he is too nice and wouldn't kill the bastard. I ran through the apartment and out the front door in case the moth came inside. Adam told me he pet the thing b/c it was so hairy. He said it was all squishy, and when it flew away, the moth was a little startling. Moths do not flutter. They are kamikaze machines aimed at my head to send me running... and about 6 years ago a moth sent me running toward my parent's house, hitting my foot into the door, slicing a big whole and getting stitches. I know they have teeth just for me! AHHH
This weekend is the National in Brianhead. I'm still debating going, but will probably end up there. I need some results. wish me luck!
6:45 AM: my alarm is waking me up from a comfortable, relaxing sleep. I wake up feeling tired and all I want to do is sleep...but I get up. After eating my common race day breakfast of oatmeal with fruit, honey, and almonds ( and a VIVRAN), I got my stuff together and loaded my car. Since Adam and I are the last minute couple, I decided I would be an hour early to this race and get a real warm-up unlike my usual drill of barely getting to the race in time for a half ass warm up. I handed my duathlon bag with my running shoes and water bottle to a race volunteer and double-checked my start time. My watch said the time was 8:21 AM. His response: "oh... about 8:40. They moved it from 9:15 you know." That gave me about 10 minutes to warm up. I was in street clothes, my bike still in pieces in my car. I tossed the bag at him and ran down to my car, chami-ed up lickety-split and hopped on my bike for a lightning speed warm up. I rode down the road at ski area and started to ride back up. My legs were in pain: aching and sore. "Oh great, now I won't even make it and the chodes will be in front of me" I thought. I went back to the area of the start feeling very apprehensive and looking unpoised. Originally, the mountain bike race was supposed to start at 8:30, but I saw Damian still riding around. I asked him about the start and he told me they moved it AGAIN and everyone was starting together at 9. I was relieved that I would have more time to warm up and that these pained pieces of lead called my legs would open up a little.
The start was a mass start...very unlike what I'm used to. Normally they have the starts with men and women separated, and then even more separation of race classes. So here we all were together, chode and pro alike, getting ready to attack the narrow singletrack of a start. I also caught a glimpse of my competition... 5 women in all. One of who was Jessica Kiesel. She is a pro who was invited to marathon worlds last year. "There goes winning," I thought. I decided to get on the front line and was happy to get a good position on the singletrack in the start. Of course, there were two guys in front of me holding me up, but the trail was so narrow that there was no place to pass. I finally came to a part where I could squeeze by the first guy, but the other guy tried to stop and let me by. The poor guy didn't move off the trail and almost caused me and some other man trying to pass to wreck. I pushed myself. To my surprise, I was ahead of all the women including Jessica. I checked my watch at the pond... my time was 3 min faster than normal. When I had to run extra technical sections, I felt a pain in my diaphram and wave of nausea would hit me. I kept going... I wanted so bad to be the first woman up the mountain. Compared to my heinous warm-up, I felt suprisingly good during the race. I checked my watch at the top. 1:11. I was delighted to set a new record for myself and hurried over to the transition area where I slipped on my running shoes and tried to tie them quickly. About a minute had passed and I saw Jessica hop off her bike. I started to run, but my legs were so tired, I could barely move them and had to walk. The run was very very bad. No one would ever guess I used to run marathons... my stride was uneven, I couldn't get a rythym. I think Jessica must have put some time on me for the run because my legs would NOT move! I changed shoes and got back on the bike, knowing she would be right behind me. Since I hurt my wrist, my descending skills have gotten relatively bad. I knew that my timidity would cost me. I managed to hold her off despite the fact that on the small climbs, my bike was shifting by itself to harder gears. I could hear her shifting up the trail aways. With 3 miles to go, I was riding a loose climb when my bike seized up and I fell over. Thank goodness I was wearing my wrist brace. I kept trying to get started again, but the trail was too loose and steep, and my bike was in the wrong gear. I started running with it, but Jessica passed me. I chased her down the remainder of the switchbacked, narrow trail, but couldn't quite get there and she beat me by FIVE seconds in a 2:20 race! I didn't mind...we are friends and she earned it! Good job Jessica! :)
On another note, a very horrible creature was on my balcony this weekend. A huge moth was attached to the wall of my balcony. I looked outside and saw the beast. Immediately my knees went weak and my stomach started to turn. I closed the blinds so I wouldn't have to look at it. When Adam came over, I sent him out to scare it away since he is too nice and wouldn't kill the bastard. I ran through the apartment and out the front door in case the moth came inside. Adam told me he pet the thing b/c it was so hairy. He said it was all squishy, and when it flew away, the moth was a little startling. Moths do not flutter. They are kamikaze machines aimed at my head to send me running... and about 6 years ago a moth sent me running toward my parent's house, hitting my foot into the door, slicing a big whole and getting stitches. I know they have teeth just for me! AHHH
This weekend is the National in Brianhead. I'm still debating going, but will probably end up there. I need some results. wish me luck!
Friday, July 29, 2005
Honk if you hate SUVs
Bikin' in the Florence countryside... no big, stupid SUVs here! Actually, the bikes Jess and I rented were total beaters.. they even creaked when riding over the cobblestones and weighed 35-40 lbs. We even got lost and rained on! Good times!
Garden at Versailles in France... no wonder theFrench people were pissed during Louis XIV. They're starving
and living in poverty while good 'ol Louie Louie is living
high off the hog spending tons of money just to cut
all the trees in a square shape!!!
Now for today's entry....
Ahhhh...the wonderful pasttime of driving in da Querque. I'll set the scene... a crowded, slow-moving freeway littered with HUGE suburbans, Sequoias, Hummers, Escalades, Ford F350s... oversized gas guzzlers with their fat, bloated counterparts driving solo to work at a whooping 8 miles to the gallon. And don't forget the W04 sticker stuck to the back window. But wait! They can't leave the house or back their beast of a vehicle out of their driveway without getting on their cell phone. On the way to work, the walrus drivers must stop by a gas station to get their FIRST 44 oz Big Gulp of high fructose corn syrup ridden Coke of the day. Don't worry, Mr. Walrus will get a refill at lunch and yet another on his way home when he has to refill his gas tank since he used 15 gallons just driving to work. And yes, the car companies now make over-sized cup holders to accomodate the gallons of soda these over-sized people guzzle every day. Soda and gas seem to be the staples of the gluttons-- driver and SUV. After he gets home, fattie will sit down on his couch resting a beer and a huge bag of pork rinds on his big belly to watch reality TV. Back to the road!! This hippo of a driver owns the road, or so he thinks...blatantly changing lanes without regard for any of us environmentally conscious people with small cars. He blocks your view and his other SUV buddies block your peripheral view and all drive 10 mph below the speed limit. Dammit... and don't worry, I won't fail to mention that Mr. Walrus waits till the last minute to change lanes before his exit, cutting off the person in the lane next to him, causing a whole slowdown and a series of braking red lights to send me into a raging frenzy. I don't want to leave out the trucks with the viper engines and spoilers. Now THOSE are cool.
There is also a whole other breed of drivers out there. Oh yes, let's not leave out homeboy in his low-rider cadillac with the bumping stereo. My favorite is when they have the hydraulics in the back so the rear end of the car will bounce up and down. THAT is sexy. To complete the picture, I will add orange barrels... everywhere. The freeway and every road you would take to avoid the bad traffic on the freeway is under construction. One lane. There are lines of cars with their blinkers on as far as the eye can see. The roads you'd take to even get on the freeway have the on-ramps blocked off. You try and go to another road to get on the freeway only to find there is a no left-hand turn sign so you can't get to that on-ramp either. Even the parking lots are under construction. Apparently our city planners aren't too bright. Maybe those Big Gulps are going to their head.
With all that said, it's okay to have an SUV if you are not using it to commute 40 mi to round trip alone in your car to work every day. If you actually USE it to carry sports equipment or even your whole litter of children on the way to soccer practice, it's forgiveable. However, if you have a large vehicle with just yourself inside and a bike rack ON THE BACK or ON TOP, you are a chode. "Hey everyone! Look at me! Look at my bike! I drive an SUV and don't put stuff in it! I'm so cool!"
Anyway, I will quit here. There is only so much angst one person can take in a day. Tomorrow is the duathlon where I will be in the hurt locker for a good while. You'll hear about that in my next entry.
Ahhhh...the wonderful pasttime of driving in da Querque. I'll set the scene... a crowded, slow-moving freeway littered with HUGE suburbans, Sequoias, Hummers, Escalades, Ford F350s... oversized gas guzzlers with their fat, bloated counterparts driving solo to work at a whooping 8 miles to the gallon. And don't forget the W04 sticker stuck to the back window. But wait! They can't leave the house or back their beast of a vehicle out of their driveway without getting on their cell phone. On the way to work, the walrus drivers must stop by a gas station to get their FIRST 44 oz Big Gulp of high fructose corn syrup ridden Coke of the day. Don't worry, Mr. Walrus will get a refill at lunch and yet another on his way home when he has to refill his gas tank since he used 15 gallons just driving to work. And yes, the car companies now make over-sized cup holders to accomodate the gallons of soda these over-sized people guzzle every day. Soda and gas seem to be the staples of the gluttons-- driver and SUV. After he gets home, fattie will sit down on his couch resting a beer and a huge bag of pork rinds on his big belly to watch reality TV. Back to the road!! This hippo of a driver owns the road, or so he thinks...blatantly changing lanes without regard for any of us environmentally conscious people with small cars. He blocks your view and his other SUV buddies block your peripheral view and all drive 10 mph below the speed limit. Dammit... and don't worry, I won't fail to mention that Mr. Walrus waits till the last minute to change lanes before his exit, cutting off the person in the lane next to him, causing a whole slowdown and a series of braking red lights to send me into a raging frenzy. I don't want to leave out the trucks with the viper engines and spoilers. Now THOSE are cool.
There is also a whole other breed of drivers out there. Oh yes, let's not leave out homeboy in his low-rider cadillac with the bumping stereo. My favorite is when they have the hydraulics in the back so the rear end of the car will bounce up and down. THAT is sexy. To complete the picture, I will add orange barrels... everywhere. The freeway and every road you would take to avoid the bad traffic on the freeway is under construction. One lane. There are lines of cars with their blinkers on as far as the eye can see. The roads you'd take to even get on the freeway have the on-ramps blocked off. You try and go to another road to get on the freeway only to find there is a no left-hand turn sign so you can't get to that on-ramp either. Even the parking lots are under construction. Apparently our city planners aren't too bright. Maybe those Big Gulps are going to their head.
With all that said, it's okay to have an SUV if you are not using it to commute 40 mi to round trip alone in your car to work every day. If you actually USE it to carry sports equipment or even your whole litter of children on the way to soccer practice, it's forgiveable. However, if you have a large vehicle with just yourself inside and a bike rack ON THE BACK or ON TOP, you are a chode. "Hey everyone! Look at me! Look at my bike! I drive an SUV and don't put stuff in it! I'm so cool!"
Anyway, I will quit here. There is only so much angst one person can take in a day. Tomorrow is the duathlon where I will be in the hurt locker for a good while. You'll hear about that in my next entry.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Mean post...
This was our super ghetto hostel in Paris. Coed, 8 people in one
room, ONE shower with no curtain, 2 toilets for the whole floor(that
didn't always work), dirty noisy, curfew...it was big pimpin.
My work environment has changed in the past few days. Instead of hiding in my computer lab/conference room office, I am now supposed to drive way out into the middle of the base away from human civilization and mingle with lifeforms only known to the bizarre and twisted. Who knows what they do out there in that small, hot, dark building.. I worry that they will try and inject me with some nerd juice. I already have enough of that in my veins! Yesterday I went out there and was stuck all alone with creepy guy. Yes... we all know him. The 40 year old guy who likes to hit on women half his age... his act was carried out by asking me my plans for the weekend, how serious I was with my boyfriend, trying to make body contact, counting off on his fingers all the qualities about me he finds perfect. Nice... maybe me and his 5 year old daughter will hit it off. You know, because the age difference between us is less than me and her father. It's quite disturbing that I am required to work with this person...every day. Today I had to meet some people in the boonies at 8 AM. I waited around forever until the first alien showed up. He was 15 minutes late in a mini-van and I believe he was the distant cousin to Jaba the hut... wearing a Nascar shirt. Nice. I followed the hobbling figure to the room I was in yesterday, only this time, we were not alone. I felt beady eyes upon me when I walked in only to find nerds of every size and shape. Their eyes squinted as the light of day shown briefly in the room. Then the door closed and I was isolated. No phone, no internet...just me, some pocket PCs, and the creatures with pocket protectors. My job today consisted of helping Jaba's cousin take measurements on a container and hearing him breath hard after he bent down to check readings on the machine he picked up in his meaty hands. He told me that he used to race mountain bikes and be a running back for football. Hmm... I don't know about that. I don't think he could run if there were 2 dozen krispy kremes in the next room. I managed to escape for lunch and was not happy to come back. The creepy guy from yesterday was there performing full throttle. For some reason, he felt that he needed to pull my hair, bump into me, and grab my wrist. I was just hoping that the contact would not turn me into one of them... and that he wouldn't be grabbing at anything else. Who knows out there, maybe they were planning an engineering gang bang. After lunch, I told them I wasn't doing anything there to help and I was leaving to go to my office. I have to go back to the cave in BFE tomorrow. Wish me luck. If you never hear from me again, they took me to their home planet where resistors grow on trees and there are engineering glasses sold in every corner store.
On another note, it has been windy as shiznat here. I attempted to ride the south foothills last night on my mountain bike and had to fight a 30 mph head wind up EVERY climb. I use the wind as my excuse that I could only finish ONE lap and am grossly out of shape. I'll be lucky to survive the duathlon this weekend. Today Ehasz, Adam, and I are going to ride Sandia. Since the duathlon comes down King of the Mountain, I have to pre-ride it coming DOWN. Hopefully I don't break my leg or knock out some teeth. Hmm, maybe that would be a good thing... maybe the enginerds would no longer stare.... or maybe they would like the appeal of no teeth. Hmmm...
Monday, July 25, 2005
Rubber side down... check!
Europe tidbit #1: Budapest.... very nice!
Europe tidbit #2: This is our gondola driver in Venice. What sad times are these when gondola drivers in historic, beautiful
Venice talk on the CELL PHONE while driving.
Sandia ski area this weekend. Me, my mountain bike, and the trail all together. Finally! It had been a month and a half since our last rendezvous when I wrecked and sprained what seemed like every tendon and ligament in my wrist. A month before that was my last wreck-free ride, right before the day my knee was split open. Two months without mountain biking or racing had me feeling pretty timid, especially when I was strapping the brace on my wrist right before my ride..still not fully healed. I rode up the mountain at a leisurely pace, trying to enjoy it. My technical skills seemed to be there until a steep rocky descent I have ridden a million times. I got off my bike, shaking my head, and walked down. This seemed to be a recurring theme today. I was getting closer to the top and remembered that it takes about 2 weeks to reacclimate. I had been at sea level for almost a month and a half, so by the time I finished, I was leaning over my bike. Everything was getting very bright and started to spin. I just leaned on my handlebars and it passed. I felt horrible... it was a very discouraging day. How in the world would I race my last Norba National as an expert in just 2 short weeks? That meant that I must come back the next day and have a better ride. Sunday morning, same place. I decided to push myself today and prove that I am still a mountain biker. I was pretty happy with my performance. I felt great and was tearing it up! I was still feeling timid and begrudgingly walked my bike down a few descents and felt incredibley sheepish. Next time I'll do it... it's just that when you feel like you are going to crash, you probably will. I only had one small spill going up and around a sandy switchback, but it didn't hurt. At 1.5 miles to go, I started feeling the altitude once again and my legs started complaining about the lack of oxygen. "Next weekend you will be acclimated!" I told them. I rode the trail 10 minutes faster on Sunday and felt much better about myself. Once my blood cells are back to a mile high and I just let loose on the descents, I'll be riding great! 2 weeks? No problem! :)
Next weekend is the off-road duathlon at Sandia Peak. I have never done a duathlon before, so hopefully it will be fun! I haven't been running much since my marathon days, but I just hope I have enough to sustain me through the run and enough snap in my legs to make up the time difference. I will ride up King of the Mountain to 10,000 ft, run 5k way up high, and then ride down. Sunday is the Sante Fe Prison Loop road race... not sure I'll do that. Maybe I'll ride the Winzor trail on the mountain bike. I just want to go to Santa Fe to hit up Trader Joe's!
I can't wait to slide back into the tail end of the race season. This summer has not been the best for my cycling resume!
I got my new apple computer in this weekend. It's sweet! I turned it on and had a big question mark dwelling over me, but the OS is pretty easy to use. There's my claim to nerdom.
I met the most annoying man I have ever seen last week. I was in a meeting at work and this man had to correct EVERYTHING. He was trying to correct the presentation. When the presenter finished, the lame chode said, "Shouldn't you defrag the disk?" Later in the government van, the super engineering nerd said, "Umm.. maybe you should get some gas soon? Why are there hail dents on the car? Are you going to get that fixed!?!" Now my friends, if you know me, you know that I laugh... a lot. It took everything in me not to laugh at this guy... it also took everything in me not to backhand him!
More Euro stuff tomorrow!
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Monday, July 18, 2005
J'aime Le Tour!!!
Well I got home just in time. The Tour was very thrilling to watch this weekend. Thanks to Cameron and Tiffany, bums like me can go over to their house and watch OLN on their big TV...I'm not the only bum over there! ;) Seems like Ullrich, Basso, and Armstrong are always at it. I won't complain! I think it's sooo great that Hincapie took the win yesterday. That guy definitely deserves it.
Nothing too eventful has been happening. It was nice to be home on the weekend. I got to see my parents for awhile and also chill with Adam... we even got to pimp it by the pool yesterday! I had to go to my aunt's house yesterday for my little cousin's bday party. The things you do for your family...it's not my favorite thing in the world to go somewhere where there are tons of children all under the age of 6 running around and screaming. It's the best birth control there is! My biological clock is NOT ticking (see Adam? No worries!) But hey, at least I got free cake. Everyone ate the cake for the children because my aunt decided to make chocolate and chili cake. Hmmm, what's wrong with this picture?
I booked a moving truck for the big day next month. Money, money, money... why don't I have any? Oh wait, I know the answer to that one! ;) I need a page like Matt Shriver... donations. http://www.mattshriver.com/ I'm not nearly as badass as him though. I could even make them tax deductible. Any takers? ;)
Nothing too eventful has been happening. It was nice to be home on the weekend. I got to see my parents for awhile and also chill with Adam... we even got to pimp it by the pool yesterday! I had to go to my aunt's house yesterday for my little cousin's bday party. The things you do for your family...it's not my favorite thing in the world to go somewhere where there are tons of children all under the age of 6 running around and screaming. It's the best birth control there is! My biological clock is NOT ticking (see Adam? No worries!) But hey, at least I got free cake. Everyone ate the cake for the children because my aunt decided to make chocolate and chili cake. Hmmm, what's wrong with this picture?
I booked a moving truck for the big day next month. Money, money, money... why don't I have any? Oh wait, I know the answer to that one! ;) I need a page like Matt Shriver... donations. http://www.mattshriver.com/ I'm not nearly as badass as him though. I could even make them tax deductible. Any takers? ;)
Friday, July 15, 2005
YE, I'm alive
Well, I'm back from the land of the stinky and hairy! :) Europe was a great time.. maybe if you're lucky I will write about it sometime and show some pics! Overall it was such a great experience although I am very happy to be back in da Querque where there are mountains, open space, my very own BATHROOM, and big grocery stores!! Being out of the country actually made me thankful to be American despite all the hangups I have with our country including the fact that we have an ignorant stinky monkey sitting in the white house. I have to say, I was going through some definite cycling withdrawals and getting the angst because everyone was racing BUT me! Unfortunately, my wrist is still not up to snuff so I can't mountain bike for awhile. I am going to go to Brianhead, wrist healed or not. I need another Norba Nat on my resume or Titus is going to disown me. Next year it's on! I can't wait for the race season. Hopefully I can do some damage for collegiate racing.
I move in just a MONTH. It's crazy. I'm poor, I'm moving. That's what I think about. It sucks to be back at work rotting away, but it's nice to sit on my ass since I was walking like 10 hours a day! I didn't get to hear much about the Tour when I was in Europe. I guess a lot of those chodes are above it. I can't wait to watch some of it. Hell yeah! Maybe there will be a shot of Jan Ulrich's butt. MMM MMM OH JANNY! ;) ha
I am about to buy a laptop for grad school...see, told ya I'm poor! I'm going to get a Powerbook. I've always used PCs, but it's time to move on to something else. No more Bill Gates! I am stoked it's FRIDAY and I get to leave work in ONE hour. I am really looking forward to riding this weekend, seeing the fam, and of course ADAM!
Hopefully Monday I'll have some digital pics and maybe a few stories for yous. LATA!
I move in just a MONTH. It's crazy. I'm poor, I'm moving. That's what I think about. It sucks to be back at work rotting away, but it's nice to sit on my ass since I was walking like 10 hours a day! I didn't get to hear much about the Tour when I was in Europe. I guess a lot of those chodes are above it. I can't wait to watch some of it. Hell yeah! Maybe there will be a shot of Jan Ulrich's butt. MMM MMM OH JANNY! ;) ha
I am about to buy a laptop for grad school...see, told ya I'm poor! I'm going to get a Powerbook. I've always used PCs, but it's time to move on to something else. No more Bill Gates! I am stoked it's FRIDAY and I get to leave work in ONE hour. I am really looking forward to riding this weekend, seeing the fam, and of course ADAM!
Hopefully Monday I'll have some digital pics and maybe a few stories for yous. LATA!
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
a little more about the cruise...
Ok, so I am tired of telling people about the cruise so chances are that if you are important to me, you've heard something about it!! ;) I'll briefly tell you about the other two places.
St. Marteen: This island is half French and half Dutch and it looks like Northern New Mexico(oddly enough!) My dad and I did an excursion here together. It was called the "Loterie Farm Treetop Adventure." We got to swing from the trees and down zip lines in the rain forest. It actually was fun, but not worth the money. The best part was that the workers were begging for tips at the end. They were totally laying on the guilt trip, saying this guy dropped out of school and to do everything you can to help him, blah blah blah. And ultimately, we got back on the bus and we saw the same guy getting into a brand new red Mercedes. The people in general on this island were pretty rude!!!
Bahamas: The Bahamas... ah yes. We got off the ship into pure chaos of herds of cattle, er, people, blindly wandering around looking for their excursion guide. There were these huge men screaming in burly voices the name of the excursions until everyone got organized. We took a ferry to a coral reef and went snorkeling. Well, before the ferry left, there was this big, fat, pink redneck guy who was having a fit b/c his family wasn't there yet. They finally showed up and he started freaking out and yelling at his family at the top of his lungs in front of everyone. Of course, I had to be the one sitting next to him. He was acting like such a baby and his daughters fiancee and him almost got into a huge fight. they had their fists up and the fiancee was yelling, "I have NO respect for you!" It was exciting!! It's funny to watch rednecks fight. YEAH! Maybe they'll kill each other and there will be two less Bush supporters in the world!!!! :) The whole way to the reef, fat redneck man had his arms crossed like a 2 yr old. The reef was cool, lots of neat fish. The water was choppy from the tropical storm and someone saw a 4 ft shark. I wish I saw it! On the way back to the ship, this guy all of a sudden started walking next to me, trying to git it.. I was NOT wearing any revealing clothes, just a tee shirt walking along. This guy starts striding beside me yelling, "your breasts are beautiful! Wow! Look at them! Are they real?" and repeating himself over and over. "You come back at 9 o'clock. I will buy you a drink and you will not refuse," insisted sthe extremely annoying creature . I sped up and was walking pretty fast, but he would not go away. After a few minutes, i finally looked at him and started waving in his face and saying, "buh bye....... buh bye......" until his nasty ass retreated. Damn! I went into a shop moments later and this other guy looked me up and down and said, "Wooooowwww." GOD! Have some freaking tact! At this point in the cruise, I had had it with idiotic guys. what does he think? I'm going to rip off my clothes and do him right there? JEEEZ!!! After that, I hightailed it back to the ship. I was so sick of that shite!
I may write more about the cruise in a month or so when I get back from Europe! YEAH! I actually have a notebook with the funnier highlights from just chilling on the ship, and there are quite a few good stories. I leave for Europe tomorrow for 3 weeks. I'm going to Paris, Hungary, and Italy. It should be a GREAT time! It'll be nice to get away from doing nothing at work! ;) ha My wrist is getting better... I actually rode this morning. Yep, got up at 5:30 AM. It was actually nice since it wasn't a million degrees out. And yes, if you are wondering, chode man was out at 6 AM. I was chilling, enjoying the morning and this guy has to try and pass me in his freakin' aerobars. He went by, bobbing up and down, glancing back occasionally. Whatever. Gimme a break...I can't get away from these guys...not even at 6 in the morning. I am looking forward to my trip, but also looking forward to getting back and TRAINING and RACING again. Seriously, this season has been a total crap shoot with me busting my knee, traveling, fracturing my wrist, and then traveling again. Next year it's on. those bitches better enjoy their time now b/c it's all over for them!!!!
I found a place in Boulder. That place really is freaking ridiculous. Standard price for a 1 bedroom is 600-800/ mo...and that is for a hole in the wall. I saw a ton of 470 sq ft apartments for 600!!!! DAMN. I found one that is a little older, but it's 560 sq ft for 550/mo. The big move is Aug 17. Should be cool,but a HUGE change. Change is good, right? I am looking forward to living in a community that is all about cycling. SWEET.
I'll see you guys in 3 weeks. Hopefully I will be a little more cultured when I get back instead of a guarded American. ha!
St. Marteen: This island is half French and half Dutch and it looks like Northern New Mexico(oddly enough!) My dad and I did an excursion here together. It was called the "Loterie Farm Treetop Adventure." We got to swing from the trees and down zip lines in the rain forest. It actually was fun, but not worth the money. The best part was that the workers were begging for tips at the end. They were totally laying on the guilt trip, saying this guy dropped out of school and to do everything you can to help him, blah blah blah. And ultimately, we got back on the bus and we saw the same guy getting into a brand new red Mercedes. The people in general on this island were pretty rude!!!
Bahamas: The Bahamas... ah yes. We got off the ship into pure chaos of herds of cattle, er, people, blindly wandering around looking for their excursion guide. There were these huge men screaming in burly voices the name of the excursions until everyone got organized. We took a ferry to a coral reef and went snorkeling. Well, before the ferry left, there was this big, fat, pink redneck guy who was having a fit b/c his family wasn't there yet. They finally showed up and he started freaking out and yelling at his family at the top of his lungs in front of everyone. Of course, I had to be the one sitting next to him. He was acting like such a baby and his daughters fiancee and him almost got into a huge fight. they had their fists up and the fiancee was yelling, "I have NO respect for you!" It was exciting!! It's funny to watch rednecks fight. YEAH! Maybe they'll kill each other and there will be two less Bush supporters in the world!!!! :) The whole way to the reef, fat redneck man had his arms crossed like a 2 yr old. The reef was cool, lots of neat fish. The water was choppy from the tropical storm and someone saw a 4 ft shark. I wish I saw it! On the way back to the ship, this guy all of a sudden started walking next to me, trying to git it.. I was NOT wearing any revealing clothes, just a tee shirt walking along. This guy starts striding beside me yelling, "your breasts are beautiful! Wow! Look at them! Are they real?" and repeating himself over and over. "You come back at 9 o'clock. I will buy you a drink and you will not refuse," insisted sthe extremely annoying creature . I sped up and was walking pretty fast, but he would not go away. After a few minutes, i finally looked at him and started waving in his face and saying, "buh bye....... buh bye......" until his nasty ass retreated. Damn! I went into a shop moments later and this other guy looked me up and down and said, "Wooooowwww." GOD! Have some freaking tact! At this point in the cruise, I had had it with idiotic guys. what does he think? I'm going to rip off my clothes and do him right there? JEEEZ!!! After that, I hightailed it back to the ship. I was so sick of that shite!
I may write more about the cruise in a month or so when I get back from Europe! YEAH! I actually have a notebook with the funnier highlights from just chilling on the ship, and there are quite a few good stories. I leave for Europe tomorrow for 3 weeks. I'm going to Paris, Hungary, and Italy. It should be a GREAT time! It'll be nice to get away from doing nothing at work! ;) ha My wrist is getting better... I actually rode this morning. Yep, got up at 5:30 AM. It was actually nice since it wasn't a million degrees out. And yes, if you are wondering, chode man was out at 6 AM. I was chilling, enjoying the morning and this guy has to try and pass me in his freakin' aerobars. He went by, bobbing up and down, glancing back occasionally. Whatever. Gimme a break...I can't get away from these guys...not even at 6 in the morning. I am looking forward to my trip, but also looking forward to getting back and TRAINING and RACING again. Seriously, this season has been a total crap shoot with me busting my knee, traveling, fracturing my wrist, and then traveling again. Next year it's on. those bitches better enjoy their time now b/c it's all over for them!!!!
I found a place in Boulder. That place really is freaking ridiculous. Standard price for a 1 bedroom is 600-800/ mo...and that is for a hole in the wall. I saw a ton of 470 sq ft apartments for 600!!!! DAMN. I found one that is a little older, but it's 560 sq ft for 550/mo. The big move is Aug 17. Should be cool,but a HUGE change. Change is good, right? I am looking forward to living in a community that is all about cycling. SWEET.
I'll see you guys in 3 weeks. Hopefully I will be a little more cultured when I get back instead of a guarded American. ha!
Thursday, June 16, 2005
UGHH, I'm such an IDIOT!
Aiight. So the cruise was a BLAST!!! I have tons of funny stories about idiots everywhere including my cabin boy calling me drunk very early in the morning and a man chasing me in the bahamas b/c he thought my breasts were beautiful. So that's a taste... the cruise went to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and the Bahamas. I'll break it up by location...
Puerto Rico: we docked at 2 and we took a bus to the rain forest. My whole family went on that excursion. We were on this crowded bus with this annoying as hell little brat in the front who I wanted to throw out the window. Her big, fat mom had no discipline for her so she continued to annoy everyone on the prolonged bus ride due to bad traffic. An hour and a half later we rolled up in the rain forest. It was beautiful and lived up to its name(yes, it was raining). We only got to stay there for 40 min but got to hike around and see a waterfall. I also had to hike up beside the waterfall and retrieve the crying brat I talked about earlier b/c her mother couldn't make it. The whole bus ride back, the bus driver was fantasizing about food and pointing out every kmart and jcpenny on the way.
St. Thomas: ahhhh... so I did this excursion without any of my family and there were 8 other people. We took a ferry to the island of St. John to take an eco-hike. On the way there, the ferry driver was pointing out these huge houses owned by michael jordan, madonna, kenny chesney... rich bastards! St. John's is 2/3 Caribbean National Forest and also a pretty small island. There is school up to middle school, but if the kids want to got to high school, they have to take a 45 min ferry ride in all sea conditions to St. Thomas. We arrived at St. John's and there was this beef jerky vagrant guy standing there with torn up clothes and a walking stick. He was to be our guide and was a very strange individual. For example, he said, "That glop you put all over yourself to protect from the sun is damaging coral reefs. Never touched the stuff." Well, obviously. We saw tons of hermit crabs, anols(lizards), a mongoose, and there are also wild donkeys on the island. The hike was lush and green, but it was a joke. We went to Honeymoon Beach...the 7th rated beach in the world rated by National Geographic. It was very nice until it started raining and we had to leave(after 40 min). After that we toured a sugar plantation/resort and took the ferry back to St. Thomas. As we were pulling up, the Kon Tiki Party boat was next to us manned with my brother ready to party by himself! (I went on that thing like 4 years ago..it has huge jugs of unlimited rum punch). I got off the ferry and some guy asked me if I wanted to go on the Kon Tiki for free. I was STARVING b/c I missed lunch, but who can turn down free rum punch? So I hopped on the boat...it was pretty fun. It took us to a beach to hang out for 45 min and then on the way back the party started. The bartender liked me so he was filling my cup halfway with rum and then adding spiked rum punch to it....so after a few of those and no food in my stomach, I was completely incoherent and barely made it back to the ship. these guys I met let me call Adam on their cell phone although i can hardly recall what I said to him. I took a shower and fell asleep in my towel on my bed until my brother came in and then I actually went to bed and slept 2 hours, managed to get up for dinner, left halfway through, and went BACK to bed for another hour to get up at 11PM to catch the nightlife on the cruise ship(no one goes to bed before 1). I was so hungover and didn't drink for a few days after that.
I'll write about the other two places tomorrow. I came back and my first time out on my mountain bike in a month, I had a bad wreck and almost broke my ribs except my hand broke my fall...so now I'm in a brace with a possibly fractured and badly sprained wrist so it kind of hurts to type. DAMN. I can't seem to stay healthy... my knees also hurt from the damn exercise bike on the ship! I'm off to Europe next week for 3 weeks.... needless to say, I am not going to have much of a race season this year.
More tomorrow or later today.......(since I have SO much to do at work. I literally sit here every day with nothing to do except listen to the buzzing of the fluorescent lights and the soft hum of the computers slowly sucking the life out of me!) Pics MONDAY!
Puerto Rico: we docked at 2 and we took a bus to the rain forest. My whole family went on that excursion. We were on this crowded bus with this annoying as hell little brat in the front who I wanted to throw out the window. Her big, fat mom had no discipline for her so she continued to annoy everyone on the prolonged bus ride due to bad traffic. An hour and a half later we rolled up in the rain forest. It was beautiful and lived up to its name(yes, it was raining). We only got to stay there for 40 min but got to hike around and see a waterfall. I also had to hike up beside the waterfall and retrieve the crying brat I talked about earlier b/c her mother couldn't make it. The whole bus ride back, the bus driver was fantasizing about food and pointing out every kmart and jcpenny on the way.
St. Thomas: ahhhh... so I did this excursion without any of my family and there were 8 other people. We took a ferry to the island of St. John to take an eco-hike. On the way there, the ferry driver was pointing out these huge houses owned by michael jordan, madonna, kenny chesney... rich bastards! St. John's is 2/3 Caribbean National Forest and also a pretty small island. There is school up to middle school, but if the kids want to got to high school, they have to take a 45 min ferry ride in all sea conditions to St. Thomas. We arrived at St. John's and there was this beef jerky vagrant guy standing there with torn up clothes and a walking stick. He was to be our guide and was a very strange individual. For example, he said, "That glop you put all over yourself to protect from the sun is damaging coral reefs. Never touched the stuff." Well, obviously. We saw tons of hermit crabs, anols(lizards), a mongoose, and there are also wild donkeys on the island. The hike was lush and green, but it was a joke. We went to Honeymoon Beach...the 7th rated beach in the world rated by National Geographic. It was very nice until it started raining and we had to leave(after 40 min). After that we toured a sugar plantation/resort and took the ferry back to St. Thomas. As we were pulling up, the Kon Tiki Party boat was next to us manned with my brother ready to party by himself! (I went on that thing like 4 years ago..it has huge jugs of unlimited rum punch). I got off the ferry and some guy asked me if I wanted to go on the Kon Tiki for free. I was STARVING b/c I missed lunch, but who can turn down free rum punch? So I hopped on the boat...it was pretty fun. It took us to a beach to hang out for 45 min and then on the way back the party started. The bartender liked me so he was filling my cup halfway with rum and then adding spiked rum punch to it....so after a few of those and no food in my stomach, I was completely incoherent and barely made it back to the ship. these guys I met let me call Adam on their cell phone although i can hardly recall what I said to him. I took a shower and fell asleep in my towel on my bed until my brother came in and then I actually went to bed and slept 2 hours, managed to get up for dinner, left halfway through, and went BACK to bed for another hour to get up at 11PM to catch the nightlife on the cruise ship(no one goes to bed before 1). I was so hungover and didn't drink for a few days after that.
I'll write about the other two places tomorrow. I came back and my first time out on my mountain bike in a month, I had a bad wreck and almost broke my ribs except my hand broke my fall...so now I'm in a brace with a possibly fractured and badly sprained wrist so it kind of hurts to type. DAMN. I can't seem to stay healthy... my knees also hurt from the damn exercise bike on the ship! I'm off to Europe next week for 3 weeks.... needless to say, I am not going to have much of a race season this year.
More tomorrow or later today.......(since I have SO much to do at work. I literally sit here every day with nothing to do except listen to the buzzing of the fluorescent lights and the soft hum of the computers slowly sucking the life out of me!) Pics MONDAY!
Monday, May 23, 2005
I'm better!
All right! My knee is functional once again. I get my stitches out Wed and it feels ship shape today! Looks like I can do the Iron Horse road race afterall...I'm not going to push it and do the mountain bike race because with my luck, I'll wreck on it and be in a world of hurt. It was actually kind of cool having a weekend to do something different. I actually went shopping-- I am DIRE need of regular clothes, especially nice clothes. I also played my flute which I have played maybe 3 times in the last 5 years. It was really nice...it's amazing how quickly it all comes back.
Anyhoo....going on the cruise NEXT WEEK. Can't wait!!! I wasn't excited until Friday last week. YES! Ok...just wanted to give you a quick entry. I don't really have anything fun to say. Oh yeah... I do! What is UP with men remembering me from Defined??? All of these freaking men always come up to me and say, "did you used to work out at defined? I recognize you." I have no idea who these old men are and why they are even asking...they could think to themself, "there's that girl from defined." Why do they feel the need to let me know that they recognize me? It is highly alarming.
Anyhoo....going on the cruise NEXT WEEK. Can't wait!!! I wasn't excited until Friday last week. YES! Ok...just wanted to give you a quick entry. I don't really have anything fun to say. Oh yeah... I do! What is UP with men remembering me from Defined??? All of these freaking men always come up to me and say, "did you used to work out at defined? I recognize you." I have no idea who these old men are and why they are even asking...they could think to themself, "there's that girl from defined." Why do they feel the need to let me know that they recognize me? It is highly alarming.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Boo hoo
WAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't ride, I can't race, I can't run, I can't swim, I can't hike, I can't drive, I can't WALK. Booo hoo. Yes, yes. I have split my left knee open and can't bend it or else I'll pop the stitches. That's right, stitches. How did I do that, you ask? Did I fall off my bike? I wish that were the reason.... no, friends. I have fallen down chasing someone in a drunken stupor. I graduated Saturday! Yay for me! With graduation usually comes a graduation party... a party that includes classmates, some good, some bad, and some that like to slap you on the ass. And if you know me well, you would know how I react to that. I want to kick their ASS! So yes, I attempted to... started running in sandals that I normally trip just walking in, and went down on asphalt. I grabbed my knee and as I retreated toward the house, Adam and Erik said, "Are you okay?" "Sure, I'm fine!" I said until I looked down at the bloody mess of a knee. "You have to get stitches" they told me. Adam was driving me to the ER when I broke down in tears, "I won't be able to ride my bike!! I won't be able to race! Wah!!" :( :( We got to Lovelace and had to wait a couple hours. I FINALLY got in. "You've mangled your knee pretty bad" the doctor tells me. Grrreattt. The worst part of the experience was the numbing of the area. Poor Adam, I was squeezing the life out of him due to the pain. They stitched it up- only 4...and I say only because I ripped all the skin out of the center of the abrasion so there was no sewing it back together. dammit! So yes, I will be stagnate until Wed. of next week. I did take a picture of my open knee, but I think I will spare you because it is pretty nasty. They took xrays and there is no bone or cartilage damage which is good news. It is pretty miserable, I will admit. Not being able to drive, having a really hard time getting on the toilet, limping around. Not fun. AND my arm hurts really bad b/c of tetanus shot so it's hard to push myself up. At least I'll be done with my antibiotics in 2 days. AHHH. I'm such an idiot. I may still try to do the IronHorse road race a week from Sat. We will see what doc says. I'll let you know.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Thursday, May 12, 2005
A RANT-- this is too funny not to share!
I got this website and I HAVE to put it on here. It is freaking HILARIOUS, maybe one of the funniest things I've ever seen because it is SOOOO true. You can see the frustrations us cyclists deal with and a daily basis:
RANT: Minuteman Trail: People Who Suck
Reply to: anon-70245362@craigslist.org
Date: Tue Apr 26 05:26:05 2005
I know this is a rant but whatever, I put it in the rant section also. Every once in a while I take an easy ride on the Minuteman bike path. By the time I am done I swear never again. A month later I don’t want to go to the fells and repeat the same mistake again. I know the bike path is for everyone but HOLY SHIT there are some really annoying people on it.
1) Two-A-Breasters: There is a reason the bike path has a yellow line. You ass wipes ride (or walk) side by side and hog the whole thing. Get with the program! The only good thing about you are your screams of fright as I blow by you without warning.
2) Queer-Eye-For-The-Biker-Guy: I realize that it is possible to buy an entire suit made from Spandex. It is also possible to beat off with a cheese grater, that doesn’t necessarily make it a good idea. If you were you going fast enough to make wind resistance an issue I might be more understanding but you are usually granny-gearing it as you swerve around trying to adjust your $200 sunglasses. Spend less time buying expensive crap and more time riding.
3) Slow-And-Lowers: Do you know that you can adjust your bike seat so that you don’t look like a bear riding a mini-bike at the circus? Take the 30 goddamn seconds to raise the freakin’ seat. Your back will thank you and you’ll be able to break 12 miles per hour with out blowing out a knee cap.
4) Sky-Bar-Enders: Bar ends ARE NOT for getting your hand six inches above the handle bars. They should not be pointing straight up in the goddamn air! If you don’t know exactly why you would want bar ends then YOU DON’T NEED THEM. They are not a convenient resting place for your chubby hands. They are for getting your weight forward during a STEEP TECHNICAL CLIMB. I hope impale yourself on them after you hit a tree because you couldn’t reach the brake lever in time.
5) Richie-Dick: Yah you, the guy with the $3000 full suspension big hit bike poking along the bike trail. The biggest hit you have ever taken was when you got butt raped by the guy who sold you that bike. YOU SUCK! You are the same dumbass who buys a Hummer so you can gun it when you roll over some construction on Mass Ave. You buy a sweet bike and then ride it on freakin’ pavement. I know you have never hit the trail cause’ there is NO DIRT on the thing. Not a spek. Plus you look like a pussy. Either take it off pavement or give it to someone who will.
6) On-Your-Late: Ok there is absolutely nothing wrong with a well timed “On your left” but here is the thing. The whole point of saying it is to warn the rider in front of you that you will soon pass them. Not that you are already next to them on their left side! If your bike is next to mine, IT’S TOO FREAKIN LATE. If we were going to collide we would have. You screaming “On your left” in my ear at that point will only increase the chances of me making an error and crashing into you. Just pass you re-tred.
7) The HFS (Huge Fucking Stroller): HOLY SHIT! Are you running a cloning lab? If your stroller needs a brake it’s too damn big. Take your kids to the playground and play some tag or something. Jesus, there are bikes flying by at 30 miles per hour. If one hits you your kid will fucking die. I know you think the world will stop for you and your precious little angels but get a clue. Three words “Severe Head Trauma”.
8) Woof-Woof-Splat: Keep your dog on a leash you ass. First of all it’s the FUCKING LAW. Second of all your dog is dumb. So dumb in fact, that it will run in front of my bike to eat some piece of shit left by another jackass dog walker. I WILL hit your dog. I will not get killed or hurt somebody else trying to swerve around Fido. I almost died last year trying to avoid an unleashed dog and will not repeat the mistake. I love dogs but I like my unbroken bones better. Take responsibility for your pet.
9) Roller Bladers: You all suck ass, flailing your arms wildly as you coast along on you roller skates. YES they are roller skates and thus, quite lame. I don’t care if the wheels are “inline”. You jackasses suck so hard I have to break you down into sub-categories of suck.
9.A) Newbi-Tard: You people are ridiculous. You are all decked out in helmets and pads. You mostly look terrified as your (usually fat) ass careens down the very slight grade of the trail. Here is a hint. If you don’t know how to STOP then it probably isn’t safe for you or anyone else for you to be on the path. I swear one of you is gonna fall in front of me and get an imprint of my front sprocket on your fat thighs.
9.B) Pack Of Newbi-Tards: See above but clustered together, literally hanging onto each other for protection. You are worse than the individuals. You take up the WHOLE TRAIL so nobody can pass. Heed the dirty looks you get and go find a freaking parking lot. I hope to kick one of you as I ride by and watch as you all fall over in a flabby whimpering heap.
9.C) Hot Chicks With Skimpy Outfits: The only reason you suck is because you are fully clothed and make me slow down to check you out. Other than that you rock.
9.D) Super Sweet Doooods: You guys are sooo fucking gay it’s not even funny. You think you are awesome as you take up the whole trail gliding back and forth in super sweet slow motion. I dream of you flying off the trail and getting wrapped around a tree.
People Of Mention:
Having been on the path more than a few times I have come to recognize a select few people who require special attention.
The kid who shot me with a plastic BB gun: I saw you hiding behind the bush well before you shot me. You were lucky I was going fast when the yellow BB hit my chest and thus had to slow down a little before leaping off my bike and chasing you as far as your back yard. You were scared shitless which is good because you could kill someone doing that shit. If I ever see you again you won’t be so lucky.
The 35 people who rode by me pretending I didn’t exist as I asked for a spare tube or a patch kit after blowing both of my spare tubes: You all suck ass. A very nice lady eventually stopped and gave me a patch. I know I was covered in mud but come on people. I always stop and ask people if they need help, common freaking courtesy.
The Decked Out Intense Midget Woman: OK you are not actually a midget but you do look very small. Or perhaps you look small in comparison to the mounds of crap attached to your mountain bike which is too big for you and I am sure has never left the pavement. Not only do you fall into categories 2, 4, 5 and 6. You were also one of the 35 jerks who didn’t help me. In fact you looked me in the eye and didn’t even slow down. I KNOW you have every sort of tool and tube imaginable packed away in your various slings and packs yet you rode by as if I were invisible. You look like a goddamn scuba diver with your neoprene outfit and mirrors sticking off of every available part of your bike. I see you on Mass Ave. from time to time in the morning on my way to work. You look retarded. And why do you hang a huge plastic bag from your bar ends?!?!?! It looks like your gear makes you waterproof to the depth of at least 15 meters. What are the bags doing? Worst of all YOU ARE SLOW!!!!! God you are slow. Jettison some of your useless shit and maybe I won’t blow by you 4 times in one ride.
Tubby Guy On The Tiny Road Bike: I’ve only seen you a few times. Once I passed you through an intersection not knowing that this would enrage you so much that you would be forced to almost hit me as you sprinted past me sneering. I must say I was impressed, you hauled ass dude. I’m guessing you didn’t keep it up very long tho. If I hadn’t been on the tail end of a five hour ride I would have raced.
Gay Guys On The Tandem Bike: I am assuming that you are gay simply because I don’t know any straight guys who would go in 50/50 on a bright yellow tandem Cannondale and then ride it regularly in spandex forgive me if I am wrong. I haven’t seen you guys in a year or so. You were my arch rivals. Holy crap you were fast. One time I kept up with you (on the downhill) for a few minutes and almost died. I swear you would slow down until I got close and then take off again. I salute you, you bright yellow bastards. Oh and good call making the one eyed guy ride in back.
People Who Rock: Yes there are some people who rock! I’m not a total asshole.
Hard core road bikers: Holy crap you guys (and gals) are fast as hell, keep it up.
Mountain Unicyclers: I’ve seen you in the fells and there is only one word for you BADASS!!!!!!!!
Messengers/Anyone on a fixed gear with no brakes: You know it but I’ll say it anyway. Elite.
Trials Riders: I wish I had skills like that.
Little Kids with Big Helmets: You rock, two thumbs up!
See you on the Minuteman!!!!
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
BLAH
G-ya. What up? Well, I am trying to pass time because I have nothing to do at work today. AHHHH. Such is the life as a Sandia intern. Anyway, Sierra told me about this website called thefacebook.com. You register and make a profile and you can see people from different schools including your high school. I saw several people's names I know on there. Dang, I hated some people. haha However, there were some cool ones that I contacted. They will probably be highly alarmed at my photo. All these girls had these glamour pics-- all dressed up, make up, hair done up smiling pretty. I put a pic of me after a muddy, rainy mountain bike race where I am flexing my muscles, I'm muddy, and my leg is super bloody from a wreck. Yeah! Git it! >:oD
I did the Tues night crit last night. I ended up getting third, but it was fun anyway. It was super windy out!! I decided to make an attack and Carolyn Donnelly went with me. For those of you who don't know, Donnelly is this ex euro pro woman and is very strong and very tactically smart. I was a big idiot and pulled her around for an entire lap and hopelessly tried to get on her wheel as she rode away from me. Go figure. I rode alone for awhile until Nina the Baum caught me and we rode together for the remainder of the race and she outsprinted me in the end. Sweeeeet... I was like, "oh yeah! I need to shift when I'm sprinting!"
This morning I rode into work...of course there was a chode man trying to go fast. He went a different way and missed a light so then he was behind me. I KNEW the guy was sitting on my wheel. I HATE it. It makes the hairs on my neck stand up and I get the ANGST. So I decided I wasn't going to take his shit so I turned around and said, "Do you mind not sitting on my wheel?" He got defensive and said, "I wasn't, I was like 3 ft back." Whatever chode, I saw you behind me you loser. So I said, "I don't really care, I just don't like people just sitting on my wheel so go ahead." The dude, who was already chode-style in his drops started hammering it, butt bouncing up and down, head cocked to the side. What is wrong with these people? At least acknowledge the fact that you are back there. Next time, I'm gonig to start blowing snot rockets back...after all, since they didn't say anything, how can I know they are back there?!?! GOSH!
I did the Tues night crit last night. I ended up getting third, but it was fun anyway. It was super windy out!! I decided to make an attack and Carolyn Donnelly went with me. For those of you who don't know, Donnelly is this ex euro pro woman and is very strong and very tactically smart. I was a big idiot and pulled her around for an entire lap and hopelessly tried to get on her wheel as she rode away from me. Go figure. I rode alone for awhile until Nina the Baum caught me and we rode together for the remainder of the race and she outsprinted me in the end. Sweeeeet... I was like, "oh yeah! I need to shift when I'm sprinting!"
This morning I rode into work...of course there was a chode man trying to go fast. He went a different way and missed a light so then he was behind me. I KNEW the guy was sitting on my wheel. I HATE it. It makes the hairs on my neck stand up and I get the ANGST. So I decided I wasn't going to take his shit so I turned around and said, "Do you mind not sitting on my wheel?" He got defensive and said, "I wasn't, I was like 3 ft back." Whatever chode, I saw you behind me you loser. So I said, "I don't really care, I just don't like people just sitting on my wheel so go ahead." The dude, who was already chode-style in his drops started hammering it, butt bouncing up and down, head cocked to the side. What is wrong with these people? At least acknowledge the fact that you are back there. Next time, I'm gonig to start blowing snot rockets back...after all, since they didn't say anything, how can I know they are back there?!?! GOSH!
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Graduation!
I graduate on Saturday! woo hoo!! :) I was officially done with classes last Thursday and had NO finals. Lucky me. I don't really have much new news which will be a huge relief to most of you since my past two entries were LONG!! I don't remember is I said, but I am going Europe for 3 weeks next month! It should be really fun-- going to France, Hungary, and Italy. Hopefully I'll get to catch a mountain stage of the Tour de France and maybe rent a bike and ride to the beach or something. My parents are also taking my bro and I on a cruise the first week of June. June will be a busy and FUN month!
I haven't done much racing since the Gila. I decided last weekend to NOT do Galisteo- a flat, windy road race..instead I rode to the crest. My legs are still pretty tired from Gila... Damian gave me a hard training week last week b/c I'm trying to peak for the Iron Horse over memorial day. I'm doing the road race(ride from Durango to Silverton) and then the mtn bike race. FUN! So this weekend is graduation and next weekend is a race in Gallup- a crit and a mtn bike race. Hopefully I can win some money!
I did a little bit of partying last week... downtown Friday night, I saw some people I knew. They would say, "Sonya? Is that you?? You never come down here! Wow!" I must say, riding after a night of drinking is complete misery! Now I remember why I don't party too much. Hence, I will be in misery for my rides this weekend as well, but after that I'll go back to not going out. Gotta get fast!
I went to Los Lonely Boys and Ozomatli last night with Adam. It was really fun! There was a very eclectic crowd-- lots of hoochie mamas, homies, normal people(what is normal anyway?), white trash, old women in tight clothes, sleezballs.. it makes it interesting b/c you can laugh at all the funny quirks people have.
See ya next time!
I haven't done much racing since the Gila. I decided last weekend to NOT do Galisteo- a flat, windy road race..instead I rode to the crest. My legs are still pretty tired from Gila... Damian gave me a hard training week last week b/c I'm trying to peak for the Iron Horse over memorial day. I'm doing the road race(ride from Durango to Silverton) and then the mtn bike race. FUN! So this weekend is graduation and next weekend is a race in Gallup- a crit and a mtn bike race. Hopefully I can win some money!
I did a little bit of partying last week... downtown Friday night, I saw some people I knew. They would say, "Sonya? Is that you?? You never come down here! Wow!" I must say, riding after a night of drinking is complete misery! Now I remember why I don't party too much. Hence, I will be in misery for my rides this weekend as well, but after that I'll go back to not going out. Gotta get fast!
I went to Los Lonely Boys and Ozomatli last night with Adam. It was really fun! There was a very eclectic crowd-- lots of hoochie mamas, homies, normal people(what is normal anyway?), white trash, old women in tight clothes, sleezballs.. it makes it interesting b/c you can laugh at all the funny quirks people have.
See ya next time!
Monday, May 02, 2005
Stage 2 and 3 of the Gila
Alrighty! I think I gave you enough time to digest my previous long entry. So here I go talking about the crit and the other road race. So the night before the crit, I took an ice bath for recovery. It was funny, Adam Zimmerman's family(who we stayed with) were looking at us like we were from another planet and kept saying, "You are going to take an ice bath? Really???" My race was at 8 AM the next morning... far too early. I woke up feeling not too rested. I didn't sleep well the night before because I was nervous about someone wrecking me in the crit. I didn't really enjoy the crit although I normally think crits are pretty fun! It seemed the whole race I was getting bumped off peoples' wheel and would get pushed to the back of the pack, have to work hard to get back up near the front only to get pushed back again. I guess that's where road racing experience comes into play. I was taking the inside lines on all the corners for the first half of the race until someone in the pack made a sketchy move and made the person next to me almost wreck me and I almost hit the curb. After that, I was a chicken and was taking the far outside line. I almost got dropped a couple of times because I was working so hard and riding in the wind a lot just because I hate riding in a pack!! On the last lap, I got out in front with a couple people and took the final turn WAY too wide b/c I was nervous and then thought the finish line was much closer than it was and started sprinting about 15 seconds too early. If ONLY I had waited, I could have come in like 2nd! Instead, I just finished with the pack. The whole day I kept thinking, "GOSH! I'm such an IDIOT!" in a Napoleon Dynamite fashion. Brian Boitano would not be proud of my race performance. haha I didn't mind so much and didn't lose my GC position. However, the girl in 3rd for the GC won the crit gaining 30 seconds on me to tally it up to being a full 3 minutes ahead. The girl who was in 5th in the GC got 3rd in the crit receiving a 5 second time bonus putting me only 1 second ahead of her. I knew the next day would definitely have to be a good day. I spent the rest of the day trying to rest the legs and watched the pro women and men's crit. By the evening, my legs were feeling pretty sore. Nina and I put a HUGE bag of ice in the tub that night, and the water was so cold that the ice wasn't even melting in the water. That was the longest 7 and a half minutes of my life, but it sure did help!!!!
Stage 3 began Sunday morning at 8:45 AM. This course had by far the most climbing compared to the road race on Friday. Nina kept saying it is a good course for mountain bikers, so I just hoped she was right and tried to save my energy until the climb. The pack rode together the entire way until the climb(which I think from start to finish is about 18-20 miles). The pack was going soooo slow through for the whole race(except the climb). Nobody wanted to take a pull. At one point, I was in the front of the pack, pulling, and I slowed way way way down because it was someone elses turn and no one would go in front. I moved over to the side of the road until someone moved up. There was this CRAZY girl in our group. She didn't want to pull anymore, had a confrontation with someone, and tried to WRECK her! She lined her back wheel up next to the girl's front wheel and tried to swerve over and actually hit the wheel. Fortunately, the poor girl did not go down. That was VERY uncalled for, especially since this girl was in last place overall. She probably just started racing and this crazy girl was trying to wreck her. The crazy one also elbowed this girl earlier too. Yikes! The crazy one also purposely slammed on her brakes when there were people behind her. She could have hurt the entire group and was really being quite ridiculous, especially since it was only the 3,4 race!!! STUPID ROADIE! There were a few attacks, but all were shut down except for one in the beginning of the race where 2 people got away. I knew we would probably catch them on the climb anyway. At one point, Jane Gagne signaled for me to go with her on an attack. I was a little unsure if I should go since we were getting close to the climb and her teammate was in 2nd for the GC. I thought maybe she was trying to tire me out before the climb so they could attack. I went with her and over a cattleguard. My heart stopped. I heard a loud hissing sound, but kept sprinting forward. Fortunately, it was not a flat...I don't know what it was. Another girl(the crazy girl who was 3rd at the moment in the GC) went with us, but the pack shut us down. Soon after, the climb started and split up immediately. There were the 2 who broke away early in the race somewhere up there, and four other girls. Three of them were ahead of me in the GC. I tried to go slow and steady since I knew that 20 miles of climbing is a LOOOONG way. I eventually picked everyone off except for the race leader and one of the girls who had attacked before. I passed a sign that said 15 miles to go and was cursing to myself. My legs were starting to feel tired. I kept going, but at about 8 miles to go, a girl passed me. She was not a threat to the GC, but I still didn't want her to beat me. She passed me on her ZIPP wheels(they are pretty much the lightest wheels you can find and are $1500 a set! Imagine that!!! I wish I had some! ha). I passed her on a descent, but at 2 miles to go, she caught me again on the climb and we were battling it out. At 1 km to go, I couldn't pedal anymore. I totally detonated and she went ahead. At 500 m to go, I kept looking back and only hoping that no one would come up behind me because I had absolutely NOTHING left in my legs and could barely make it across the line. I missed third in the stage by 27 seconds! Oh well!! I ended up putting about 3:45 minutes into the girl who was 3rd overall in the GC and beat her to get on the podium finishing 3rd overall in the stage race. I was very happy about that!!!
Today, the only sore part of me is my back...I tweaked one side of it. I almost wish I had another race to do today. It's so fun!!!!! This weekend I may go to Nathrop for a race, but they are forcasting snow. I am not going if that forecast remains. I don't need anymore bad weather!!!!!!
On another note, Thursday is the last day of my undergrad. YEEEEAHAHHHHHHOOOOOO!!!!
Stage 3 began Sunday morning at 8:45 AM. This course had by far the most climbing compared to the road race on Friday. Nina kept saying it is a good course for mountain bikers, so I just hoped she was right and tried to save my energy until the climb. The pack rode together the entire way until the climb(which I think from start to finish is about 18-20 miles). The pack was going soooo slow through for the whole race(except the climb). Nobody wanted to take a pull. At one point, I was in the front of the pack, pulling, and I slowed way way way down because it was someone elses turn and no one would go in front. I moved over to the side of the road until someone moved up. There was this CRAZY girl in our group. She didn't want to pull anymore, had a confrontation with someone, and tried to WRECK her! She lined her back wheel up next to the girl's front wheel and tried to swerve over and actually hit the wheel. Fortunately, the poor girl did not go down. That was VERY uncalled for, especially since this girl was in last place overall. She probably just started racing and this crazy girl was trying to wreck her. The crazy one also elbowed this girl earlier too. Yikes! The crazy one also purposely slammed on her brakes when there were people behind her. She could have hurt the entire group and was really being quite ridiculous, especially since it was only the 3,4 race!!! STUPID ROADIE! There were a few attacks, but all were shut down except for one in the beginning of the race where 2 people got away. I knew we would probably catch them on the climb anyway. At one point, Jane Gagne signaled for me to go with her on an attack. I was a little unsure if I should go since we were getting close to the climb and her teammate was in 2nd for the GC. I thought maybe she was trying to tire me out before the climb so they could attack. I went with her and over a cattleguard. My heart stopped. I heard a loud hissing sound, but kept sprinting forward. Fortunately, it was not a flat...I don't know what it was. Another girl(the crazy girl who was 3rd at the moment in the GC) went with us, but the pack shut us down. Soon after, the climb started and split up immediately. There were the 2 who broke away early in the race somewhere up there, and four other girls. Three of them were ahead of me in the GC. I tried to go slow and steady since I knew that 20 miles of climbing is a LOOOONG way. I eventually picked everyone off except for the race leader and one of the girls who had attacked before. I passed a sign that said 15 miles to go and was cursing to myself. My legs were starting to feel tired. I kept going, but at about 8 miles to go, a girl passed me. She was not a threat to the GC, but I still didn't want her to beat me. She passed me on her ZIPP wheels(they are pretty much the lightest wheels you can find and are $1500 a set! Imagine that!!! I wish I had some! ha). I passed her on a descent, but at 2 miles to go, she caught me again on the climb and we were battling it out. At 1 km to go, I couldn't pedal anymore. I totally detonated and she went ahead. At 500 m to go, I kept looking back and only hoping that no one would come up behind me because I had absolutely NOTHING left in my legs and could barely make it across the line. I missed third in the stage by 27 seconds! Oh well!! I ended up putting about 3:45 minutes into the girl who was 3rd overall in the GC and beat her to get on the podium finishing 3rd overall in the stage race. I was very happy about that!!!
Today, the only sore part of me is my back...I tweaked one side of it. I almost wish I had another race to do today. It's so fun!!!!! This weekend I may go to Nathrop for a race, but they are forcasting snow. I am not going if that forecast remains. I don't need anymore bad weather!!!!!!
On another note, Thursday is the last day of my undergrad. YEEEEAHAHHHHHHOOOOOO!!!!
Friday, April 29, 2005
Racing is fun???
Hello! Sorry it's been so long... I guess I better start at the beginning by writing up a *SHORT* race report from High Altitude since I haven't told you about it yet. So here goes....
We left last Saturday for Cloudcroft with Chris Casey and got down there while it was still light out!! Amazing, amazing. After setting up the tent(in the light!), we sat down to relax and drink a beer. We went to bed pretty early that night and were nervous because the weather was supposed to be bad the next day. I can't get away from bad weather. The weekend before, remember, was the hail storm on the crest. After about 20 minutes, I was STILL awake and heard this growling. I listened a little longer only to realize that it was a rythmic sound... the sound of a man at rest... it was the infamous snore of Chris Casey. I had heard many stories about this phenomena, but never experienced it first hand. I woke up a lot during the night; in particular, at 4:30 AM I woke up to rain. I was upset and really had a hard time sleeping after that. We headed to registration, bright and early, and I hesistantly handed over the 35 dollar registration fee. When it started snowing and the doppler predicted the weather to only get worse (at 9000+ feet), I tried to get my entry fee back. They wouldn't give it to me!! In all honesty, I think they should have called the race because the trails were destroyed. I didn't want to start, but the only thing that made me do it was Damian, my coach. He was in his van getting suited up for the race, big white teeth gleaming, pumped up and ready to go. "C'mon guys, this is mountain biking!!!" he said enthusiastically with a grin on his face. Chris, Adam, and I all looked bleakly at each other and decided to give it a whirl. I gave Adam my ski gloves to wear because he has poor circulation in his hands and feet. My other gloves were made for 50 degrees and my hands were cold before we even started. I only could hope they would get warmer. My warm up was up the road and back in the snow. We were all sitting at the start, soaking wet, and shaking. The race started off very fast and I got dropped on the pavement hill up to the singletrack. My legs would not go. Not in the cold. Not without a warm up. About 20 ft onto the mud bog of a singletrack, I couldn't even feel my hands to shift. I heard my moms voice in my head, "If the weather is bad, don't do it. What for?" This time her advice actually got through my normally thick skull and I decided to quit. Riding back down the pavement hill was painful in itself. My hands hurt SO bad, and when they started to dethaw they really hurt! This lady(who also quit) and I had coffee and an egg sandwich in a coffee shop while everyone else was suffering. I felt so bad for Adam. I went to the finish to watch for him. I saw a muddy, wet, almost unidentifiable figure coming across the line and it was him. I am so proud of him for riding in those conditions and for getting SECOND PLACE!!!! He is much tougher than me. Adam, you are truly badass and I always want to be like you!!! I do not regret quitting though because right now, I am at the Tour of the Gila in Silver City, NM. I made the mistake of going for a run Sunday night(after not running at all for 3 months) and am still sore today(Friday) from it. Stupid! Stupid!! I am kind of discouraged with my early season so far. At the Nova Norba National, I was winning the x-country only to get directed off the course by a sign pointing the wrong way for TWENTY MINUTES. I wrecked at Coyote Classic in the beginning and STILL have cactus in my leg (and it still hurts too). And now I quit High Altitude. Some great rider I'm turning out to be. It's okay...it can only get better!!! :)
So now you are probably wondering how the Gila is going. This is the biggest road race in NM and is known for its wind and brutal climbs. This is my third road race ever, so I have been pretty nervous going into it. The descents are steep with lots of sharp, 180 degree turns. I have heard horror stories of people wrecking and breaking a collarbone or femur, and going to the hopsital. Being a Cat 3, I had the option to pick between the 5 day pro race (Cat 1,2,3) or the 3 day race (Cat 3,4). I took the advice given by many to start with the three day. Today was the first stage which was a 64.8 mile race. I could not find the start and arrived 15 minutes prior to it. Between trying to get my spare wheels(which both had flat tires) to the sag vehicle, forgetting my number and having to make a new one, and getting my bike ready, I had less than 3 minutes for warm up. There are 15 women in my field (a little smaller than I was hoping, but oh well). Among them were women I have heard about because they are fast so I was a little intimidated. The race started with a curvy descent. I let a lot of women in front of me because I was feeling timid. Ten minutes into the race, I heard this horrible sound of metal scraping asphalt. I looked back and saw the girl who was a mere 3 ft behind me on the ground. She had gone into the corner too fast. Truth be told, I almost took the corner too fast. After the descent, we began to climb...up, up, up. The pack began to break up, but I managed to stay with the lead group of 7 other women. Let me tell you, warm up is important. By the top of the climb, my legs were filled with lactic acid and I got dropped from the group. Fortunately another woman got dropped at the same time as me. I got by her and was very happy to do the next descent alone. This was the one where everyone wrecks and as KY said, "There is an ambulance on every corner Sapillo(the descent)." I was a weeny going down, but made it through without wrecking. At this point, I was very discouraged because I was by myself on a flat road and knew I had a 50 some mile ride to do alone. I put my head down and started to time trial, hoping to run into someone. After about 15 min, I ran into a woman named Jane Gagne who used to ride pro in the 80s and had actually won the pro race. Later, we ran into her teammate Diane. We all rode together through the valley, taking turns pulling. Eventually we started climbing again. My legs felt TERRIBLE. I consider myself a decent climber, but I was still trying to pull and eventually I couldn't go anymore. I kept getting dropped by the two women and was fighting myself to catch back on. With about 17 miles to go, I heard a hissing sound and saw a tube on my tire. I stopped to check it out, thinking I had a flat. I don't know what happened, but it wasn't a flat. By that time, the two NMVS women were 30-40 feet up the road and I was flailing to catch up. We were 5th, 6th, and 7th position. My goal was to get a top 5 in a stage at this race, so I fought so hard to catch back on only to get dropped again. Evenutally it flattened out a little so I was able to stay with them and help pull again. There were a few more climbs and by the last one, I had drinken half a water bottle and started to feel suprisingly good in comparison to 45 minutes before. I decided to attack mid way through the last climb. It was super windy and I was worried that I would detonate, they would catch me, and I would end up in 7th. I kept saying, "go! go! go!" to myself and kept a decent gap on them. Then something wonderful happened. I looked up the road and there was another woman. "A chance for 4th!!!" I thought. I caught up with her and was cheering her on so we could work together and she would stay with me. I was taking longer pulls than her because I was feeling stronger, and was worried that this would be bad in the end. "Great, she's going to come around me in the end," I thought. I think the small amount of time I spent on her wheel helped because at 500 m to go, she said, "I can't go any faster!" So I came around her and pushed it to the end. At 250 m to go, my legs started to cramp and I fought it the best I could, hoping she wouldn't catch me. I was ecstatic to get 4th!! The only problem is that I have some knee pain right now and I'm worried about the rest of the race. Tomorrow is the crit... 13 laps. Should be a good time. At least I have experience with crits! I really want to get top 5 in the overall GC. I would be excited to get that!!! :) See you later.
We left last Saturday for Cloudcroft with Chris Casey and got down there while it was still light out!! Amazing, amazing. After setting up the tent(in the light!), we sat down to relax and drink a beer. We went to bed pretty early that night and were nervous because the weather was supposed to be bad the next day. I can't get away from bad weather. The weekend before, remember, was the hail storm on the crest. After about 20 minutes, I was STILL awake and heard this growling. I listened a little longer only to realize that it was a rythmic sound... the sound of a man at rest... it was the infamous snore of Chris Casey. I had heard many stories about this phenomena, but never experienced it first hand. I woke up a lot during the night; in particular, at 4:30 AM I woke up to rain. I was upset and really had a hard time sleeping after that. We headed to registration, bright and early, and I hesistantly handed over the 35 dollar registration fee. When it started snowing and the doppler predicted the weather to only get worse (at 9000+ feet), I tried to get my entry fee back. They wouldn't give it to me!! In all honesty, I think they should have called the race because the trails were destroyed. I didn't want to start, but the only thing that made me do it was Damian, my coach. He was in his van getting suited up for the race, big white teeth gleaming, pumped up and ready to go. "C'mon guys, this is mountain biking!!!" he said enthusiastically with a grin on his face. Chris, Adam, and I all looked bleakly at each other and decided to give it a whirl. I gave Adam my ski gloves to wear because he has poor circulation in his hands and feet. My other gloves were made for 50 degrees and my hands were cold before we even started. I only could hope they would get warmer. My warm up was up the road and back in the snow. We were all sitting at the start, soaking wet, and shaking. The race started off very fast and I got dropped on the pavement hill up to the singletrack. My legs would not go. Not in the cold. Not without a warm up. About 20 ft onto the mud bog of a singletrack, I couldn't even feel my hands to shift. I heard my moms voice in my head, "If the weather is bad, don't do it. What for?" This time her advice actually got through my normally thick skull and I decided to quit. Riding back down the pavement hill was painful in itself. My hands hurt SO bad, and when they started to dethaw they really hurt! This lady(who also quit) and I had coffee and an egg sandwich in a coffee shop while everyone else was suffering. I felt so bad for Adam. I went to the finish to watch for him. I saw a muddy, wet, almost unidentifiable figure coming across the line and it was him. I am so proud of him for riding in those conditions and for getting SECOND PLACE!!!! He is much tougher than me. Adam, you are truly badass and I always want to be like you!!! I do not regret quitting though because right now, I am at the Tour of the Gila in Silver City, NM. I made the mistake of going for a run Sunday night(after not running at all for 3 months) and am still sore today(Friday) from it. Stupid! Stupid!! I am kind of discouraged with my early season so far. At the Nova Norba National, I was winning the x-country only to get directed off the course by a sign pointing the wrong way for TWENTY MINUTES. I wrecked at Coyote Classic in the beginning and STILL have cactus in my leg (and it still hurts too). And now I quit High Altitude. Some great rider I'm turning out to be. It's okay...it can only get better!!! :)
So now you are probably wondering how the Gila is going. This is the biggest road race in NM and is known for its wind and brutal climbs. This is my third road race ever, so I have been pretty nervous going into it. The descents are steep with lots of sharp, 180 degree turns. I have heard horror stories of people wrecking and breaking a collarbone or femur, and going to the hopsital. Being a Cat 3, I had the option to pick between the 5 day pro race (Cat 1,2,3) or the 3 day race (Cat 3,4). I took the advice given by many to start with the three day. Today was the first stage which was a 64.8 mile race. I could not find the start and arrived 15 minutes prior to it. Between trying to get my spare wheels(which both had flat tires) to the sag vehicle, forgetting my number and having to make a new one, and getting my bike ready, I had less than 3 minutes for warm up. There are 15 women in my field (a little smaller than I was hoping, but oh well). Among them were women I have heard about because they are fast so I was a little intimidated. The race started with a curvy descent. I let a lot of women in front of me because I was feeling timid. Ten minutes into the race, I heard this horrible sound of metal scraping asphalt. I looked back and saw the girl who was a mere 3 ft behind me on the ground. She had gone into the corner too fast. Truth be told, I almost took the corner too fast. After the descent, we began to climb...up, up, up. The pack began to break up, but I managed to stay with the lead group of 7 other women. Let me tell you, warm up is important. By the top of the climb, my legs were filled with lactic acid and I got dropped from the group. Fortunately another woman got dropped at the same time as me. I got by her and was very happy to do the next descent alone. This was the one where everyone wrecks and as KY said, "There is an ambulance on every corner Sapillo(the descent)." I was a weeny going down, but made it through without wrecking. At this point, I was very discouraged because I was by myself on a flat road and knew I had a 50 some mile ride to do alone. I put my head down and started to time trial, hoping to run into someone. After about 15 min, I ran into a woman named Jane Gagne who used to ride pro in the 80s and had actually won the pro race. Later, we ran into her teammate Diane. We all rode together through the valley, taking turns pulling. Eventually we started climbing again. My legs felt TERRIBLE. I consider myself a decent climber, but I was still trying to pull and eventually I couldn't go anymore. I kept getting dropped by the two women and was fighting myself to catch back on. With about 17 miles to go, I heard a hissing sound and saw a tube on my tire. I stopped to check it out, thinking I had a flat. I don't know what happened, but it wasn't a flat. By that time, the two NMVS women were 30-40 feet up the road and I was flailing to catch up. We were 5th, 6th, and 7th position. My goal was to get a top 5 in a stage at this race, so I fought so hard to catch back on only to get dropped again. Evenutally it flattened out a little so I was able to stay with them and help pull again. There were a few more climbs and by the last one, I had drinken half a water bottle and started to feel suprisingly good in comparison to 45 minutes before. I decided to attack mid way through the last climb. It was super windy and I was worried that I would detonate, they would catch me, and I would end up in 7th. I kept saying, "go! go! go!" to myself and kept a decent gap on them. Then something wonderful happened. I looked up the road and there was another woman. "A chance for 4th!!!" I thought. I caught up with her and was cheering her on so we could work together and she would stay with me. I was taking longer pulls than her because I was feeling stronger, and was worried that this would be bad in the end. "Great, she's going to come around me in the end," I thought. I think the small amount of time I spent on her wheel helped because at 500 m to go, she said, "I can't go any faster!" So I came around her and pushed it to the end. At 250 m to go, my legs started to cramp and I fought it the best I could, hoping she wouldn't catch me. I was ecstatic to get 4th!! The only problem is that I have some knee pain right now and I'm worried about the rest of the race. Tomorrow is the crit... 13 laps. Should be a good time. At least I have experience with crits! I really want to get top 5 in the overall GC. I would be excited to get that!!! :) See you later.
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