Super-D and Short Track

2 events, 1 good, 1 not so good. The Super-D wasn't until 3 PM today, so we just chilled out and watched TV all morning. I was excited that women's tennis was on so I could watch Serena Williams and Justine Henin duke it out. I used to be a pretty serious tennis player in high school, so these ladies are my former heroes. For those of you who don't know, a Super-D is supposed to be the downhill portion of a cross country race, ridden on XC bikes. The Super-D course here at Nova was less than traditional, being all smooth and flat with a couple short, punchy climbs. Needless to say, it was like racing ANOTHER time trial. My Scott Contessa Scale was a great bike for this course and I have been really happy with it. I have never felt so great riding a bike. The super-d was a sufferfest. I probably went harder in that than the TT yesterday because there was absolutely no place to recover. You had to be on the gas the entire time. I had a great time, but I should have pre-ridden it a few more times. When you are doing four events, you really have to pick and choose what you pre-ride or you can tire yourself out fast. I got 6th, just 10 seconds off the pro podium. I was frustrated, but I did the absolute best I could. Next time! :) Oh yeah, numbers for you. Avg HR: 201. Max: 211. Git it. The times for the Super-D ranged from 19-23 minutes.

Trying to keep the legs happy in between events. I know I'm an enginerd, but I can't get this rotated right.

Short track start. I stole this pic from cyclingnews.com

Cycling news story: http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtb.php?id=mtb/2007/mar07/NORBA_1_07/NORBA_1_073

The short track was also very non-traditional. My short track was at 7:30 PM(it is usually during the day) in downtown Fountain Hills. Part of it was on the road and part of it was on a flat, old construction site with tons of loose rocks and some bumps that were short and tall. I got back from the Super-D at about 4, and tried to recover the best I could. Judy and I rode up to the course about 2 hours later, and I was hurting pretty bad from my 2 anaerobic efforts over the past two days. I guess it's time to start training. I felt my Go Fast kick in and was ready to roll. That stuff really gets me fired up and is a great pre-race energy drink. It tastes great too, much better than Red Bull. I always love the short track, but I have a lot to learn. The announcers called us up based on our overall natioanl short track results from last year. I'll set the scene because I know a lot of my readers have never actually been to a national before. 70 girls. Spectators lined up on either side of the start chute. Loud techno or classic rock and a guy screaming on a microphone. The announcer calls us up one by one and we get to roll up to the start individually. I was suprised to get called up in the top 30 and got to line up in the second row. I felt really intimidated because I was right behind Shonny Van Landingham's wheel(national champion). the first row are all the fastest women in the country and the world. All I could do was smile like an idiot. The speaker announced 2 minutes to go, 1.5, 1, 30 sec, and then counts down 10. The spectators are banging on the sides of the start chute and cheering so loud that you can't even hear the announcer so you just listen for the whistle. Anyway, the race was fast. Brian said that I was in the third chase group which is super exciting! I was unfortunately not aggressive enough and was letting people by, thinking I would pass them on the next lap. I was sitting in and not really putting out a maximal effort. Before I knew it I got pulled(if you are about to get lapped, they pull you out. Pretty much everyone but the top 10 get pulled) I'm not sure what place I got, but I learned that next time I need to be hungrier for it. I'm not happy with being so lame, but I learned my lesson. I don't know what place I got yet. Brian did AWESOME. He was in the top 15 and pretty much with the lead group consisting of all the top guys in the world for awhile...until he crashed out really hard, but he pulled it together. I would put the photo of his mangled knee, but I know you all probably dont' want to see it. I think he still got top 25. Good job!

Tomorrow is the XC at 1 PM. I'm still buzzing hard off the Go Fast, so I am FIRED UP and ready to go hard tomorrow. I actually feel like I deserve to be racing with the pros last year. Last year as my first time as a pro was rough and I was doubting myself a lot. Now if I only I could get more confidence for the short tracks....

Sorry for the lack of photos. All my friends race pro so there is no one to take sweet actions. Anyone want to start coming along as our personal photographer? I hear the ice bath calling my name. wahhh.

Time Trial

Today was the TT and it was a great time. We rolled up to the venue this morning to get our numbers and whatnot. I still hadn't received my 2007 license in the mail by the time that we left for AZ, so I was hoping there wouldn't be any trouble. When I told the woman at the reg. table that I didn't have my license, the officials told me that I needed to print something out proving I had one. Fortunately the hotel had a computer and a printer I could use. thank you comfort inn.

We got all our stuff and went back to the course, and prerode the TT one more time. The men's field was pretty big(all of them had to go off before staging pro women), so I ended up getting a super warm-up-- like TWO hours! I need a long warm-up and usually the Looney style is barely having 20 minutes to get ready. I was worried I'd have the leg funk at the start, but was getting stoked. I was really excited in the start chute. Last year I was always scared out of my mind at the start. I'm sure I'll be like that at the XC, but for today, I was feeling happy. :) I felt really good at the TT. It felt so great to go as hard as I could and challenge myself. Of course I made a few mistakes and didn't attack a rocky downhill as fast as I wanted, but overall I'm happy with how I felt! It was the best I have felt all year and I was having such a great time. I was making the suffer face, but was smiling on the inside! Now I remember why I love racing. It's also great to be around other people who race from around the country because it reminds you that you are not alone in your quest. And now a tidbit I know some people will find funny or interesting. My average HR was 200 for 25 something minutes. Sweeet. If I die, at least I'll die having fun. :) I ended up getting 20th which I'm stoked about. The guys had some rock star performances too. Brian especially getting 18th AFTER having a self-claimed mediocre performance. Not bad! After that I spun around and then prerode the Super-D. After all was said and I done, I spent like 4 hours on the bike today. I may be really paying for it later in the weekend. I did a couple of 7 minute ice bath intervals tonight to try and help the legs out a little.








Brrrr... the secret to ice baths is wearing a wool hat and a jacket to keep your core warm. However, it makes a big difference if your legs are destroyed.

I also wanted to mention "the stick." google it. It's a self massage stick that is really awesome. Tomorrow we have the Super D and the short track in the evening. I'm looking forward to chilling out in the morning tomorrow. Wahoo. Check back Sunday morning for a new post.

Nova Norba National, pre-race day

After facing crazy winds coming down I25 to Albuquerque with 4 bikes on the roof, we finished day 1 of the trek to AZ. What should have been a 5.5 hour drive slowly turned into 8 hours. Brian and Ryan stayed in Santa Fe with a friend. My dad showed up in style in his Z06 Corvette to take me to ABQ where my mom made a delish lasagna. My dad and I killed a bottle of this really awesome wine. It was called "Red," made in Sonoma, 2003. It was a mix of three different berries. Speaking of wine, I'm sipping on a very flavorful merlot out of a hotel plastic cup.

anyway, the boyz picked me up in the morning and the drive to Phoenix went really smoothly. That is, after they fixed a flat tire before they picked me up. We zoomed along the highway happily at 80 mph versus our heinous 60 the night before. We even gained an hour of time because AZ doesn't have the lame daylight savings. The little Honda was totally loaded down and there was barely room for me to even sit in the back seat. the 29'er wheels were huge and we didn't have room for 2 of them, so we TIED with clothesline and bungee corded the wheels to the bikes on the roof.

We rolled into the Comfort Inn in Fountain Hills, AZ, but not without difficulty. Yuki (the other guy staying with us) flew to the race and got there early. The man couldn't find our reservation so I had to talk to him in the car. I said, "YOU were the one I talked to when I made the reservation." He finally found it. The guy spelled my name wrong. Okay, I know Looney is kind of a crazy last name. :) However, people always mispell it AFTER I spell it for them because they are just in disbelief.


Let's go ride dudes.

We went to the race site and prerode the TT course twice. It's a 6 mile loop that makes you dizzy there are so many turns with a couple gnarly downhill sections, and a few short climbs. It is going to be a fast sufferfest. I have done this race twice, but the beautiful landscape never ceases to impress me. It is like racing in a botanical garden. After tearing up some singletrack, we went to good 'ol Safeweizer(Safeway) and tried to find organic food. We did pretty good and made some awesome dinner in the room. Brian got some wine from Trader Joe's the night before, but we were sans wine opener. Ryan was genious enough to open the bottle by pushing the cork in with an 8 mm allen. yeah boy.

So yeah, tomorrow is the TT. The weather is pleasant. Did you know it snowed like 10 inches in boulder today? SUCKAS! It's very nice to be on vacation. I couldn't be happier-- nice weather, bike racing, good friends, food. yeah baby. I'm stoked to race tomorrow. The legs are feeling better although I am outta shape! ;) It's going to be sweeeeet. I can't wait!!!! I love bike races.



This the side of a porta-potty. Bizarre. A little gorilla...


Photos of/around the TT course

















Making some yummy dinner in the room. The special









Ryan getting the Vino situated.

Off to Arizona

It's been a nice week in Boulder and all, working in the lab, enjoying the sun (well some of the time, we've been getting clouds and rain on and off), but it's time to go tomorrow.

I'm still a little weary about going to the race because my legs feel like rotten meat sticks. I did a hot lap at Betasso today and went super hard on the connector almost losing my breakfast. That is really nothing compared to the anaerobic hell I'll have to endure this weekend. Nervous... I shouldn't be nervous though. I don't really have any expectiations for myself this early in the season. I have hardly done any intensity, so Nova will be a good starting point! :) My goal is to have a good time, enjoy the heat and sun, see all my pals, and rip it up the best I can! However, come end of May, I wanna be killing it. I have almost 2 months to get there. Send good leg karma my way, I'm gonna need it!!!

If our hotel has free wifi, I'll have pics and updates during the weekend.

Trip to ABQ

It was great to go home. I got a lot of things sorted out, had a nice time with the fam, saw a few friends, ate GOOD food, and rode my bike. For those of you who don't know what the ABQ foothills looks like, here are some photos. The mountains are desert-y on one side and lush/forresty on the other side. They are great.











I just got back from a long ride and my grandma didn't care how bad I stunk. I tried to warn her as she was hugging me. haha

Ever since I was a kid, my dad would pick up the turkey and make it flap its wings, jump up and down in the sink, and cluck. You can't break tradition!

The turkey clucks no more.

me and Grandpa!

Mmm.... fooooood.

I had a really hard week and I'm glad it's over. Lots of school, and other things that aren't so happy. Next week is Nova Norba National. I'm WAY out of race shape right now, but it should still be a good time!! :) I leave on Wednesday and will keep you updated. for results, check cyclingnews.com under Nova Norba National next weekend.

Back Home!!!

Sorry it's been so long... so I'm doing pretty well now. I have basically been sick on and off for the past 5 weeks. It doesn't really bode well for the training, but I'm starting to come around again. I had a pretty bad sinus infection and had to take antibiotics. I get those stupid things sooo much. The doc told me to do sinus rinses, and if you have allergies/sinus issues, I HIGHLY recommend this. My mom does it now and will never go back. I felt good for a week, and then I started coming down for another infection so I pulled the plug on training for awhile. I went back to the doc and now I'm on Zertec for allergies which is the catalyst for all this BS! It takes a week to kick in, so hopefully in a few days I'll feel as good as new.

I got to take the new mtb out on actual technical trails the other day. My friend Steve Wentz, badass pro DH'er went with me as "coach" and made sure I learned how to ride my new carbon hardtail. He wouldn't let me wuss out and gave me some great tips which I am eternally grateful for. :) All I can say is my new Scott Contessa Scale is really a sweet ride. On the descent(which was pretty gnarly and rocky), I could barely tell the difference from my full suspension bike from last year! I also put my new SRAM X-0 on there which make the bike even more gorgeous and lighter. Sorry for the lack of photos, I forgot my camera. Next time. It's been nice and warm in Boulder lately. FINALLY!!! I even got to ride in shorts this past week.

I decided to come home for a little break from life today(although I have to do work while I'm here of course). I love coming back to Albuquerque. I always get a big grin on my face at first site of the Sandias (which quickly fades with all the bad drivers!) I've been really busy with everything going on, but busy is better than bored!! I'm lucky to have such a fun family. :) There really is no one like the Looneys...trust me!!

I'm really excited to get some solid rides in the foothills all weekend. yaaay!! I'll bring my camera so you can see what I mean. Nova Norba National is exactly 2 weeks away. (it's in Arizona, the last weekend of my spring break) I'm feeling anything but fit right now, especially after 2 weeks off the bike, getting crappy sleep, and not feeling well. But hey! Maybe 2 weeks is enough time to get my fitness back. I know it's in there somewhere....

Struggles

I know I usually don't get too personal, but I thought this quote is very appropriate:

"Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance. Leave no room for regrets."

I admit I have been struggling in many aspects in my life, questioning everything I'm doing, wondering in what direction I should go, where my feet are going to land, and if it's going to be a crash landing. I guess that's what being young is all about.