A day in the life of a Looney

New Year, New Bike, New Look

2008-03-03T18:44:00.000-08:00

Howdy! I'm moving my blog over to a new site...not deleting this site, but all my new posts will be at http://www.sonyalooney.missingsaddle.com/. Missingsaddle.com is a site that clumps together a lot of the pros blogs. Thanks to Curtis Zimmerman for designing my site! :)

http://www.sonyalooney.missingsaddle.com/

Beer's last stand...

2008-02-25T22:38:00.000-08:00

My cousin, quasi-sister, and best friend (all the same person!) Sierra came to visit with her soon to be hubbie, Scott this past weekend. It was an amazingly fabulous time which is always had with Sierra. I will be posting stories and pics in the next couple of days. There are A LOT! :)

My Cannondale is on its way too- the Scalpel Team mountain bike. I can hardly wait!!!

Back to the Future tribute - The Power of Love

2008-02-18T21:10:00.001-08:00

YES!

Dirt and tan lines

2008-02-16T10:35:00.000-08:00

After a fabulous week of riding in Boulder, I decided to hit the road to Albuquerque for the weekend. I have some photos, but of course, I forgot my cable to transfer the pictures so you will have to check back on Monday or Tuesday for illustrations. The weather all this week was so perfect for riding and a great way to finish up my training block. The dirt roads progressed from snowy, windy and cold to a true mud-fest minus the 0 degree wind chill. I think it's fun to get all muddy, so no complaining from me.

Slushy roads in town. No fun....

Views from my typical ride. That town at the base of the mountains is Boulder.

Dirt roads in the mountains are snow packed, but not slushy!

Continental Divide. There is usually a cloud around there in the winter and boy, the wind and snow that blow off that mountain is FREEZING and the bane of my existence.

I highly appreciated the break in the weather. The vast majority of my rides have been really long climbs for the winter. I decided that riding flat roads for hours on end is probably not going to be that useful to me since none of the races I do are flat. Plus, I hate riding the flats. It's so dull. Call me a a glutton for punishment, but going uphill (my friend Liz would laugh at me and say mountains are not "hills") is my favorite thing to do. I can't tell you how many times this winter I have frozen my limbs off. Climbing up to 8 or 9000 ft in the winter is beautiful and lots of fun, but there is a price to pay- the descent. It's already somewhere between 15 and 35 on a typical day. Couple that with zero degree wind blowing in your face as you descend on a bike at about 20 to 30 mph with wet hair (from sweating on the way up). If you dress too warm, you are guaranteed to be soaking wet with sweat on the downhill. Don't dress warm enough, and you'll still freeze on the downhill. There really is limited space in your pockets to bring extra warm clothes...so you're stuck. The Catch 22 of frostbite. That would be my biggest complaint about winter riding. In fact, I have gotten home and taken out my braid where literally thin sheets of ice fell out. Sometimes I worry that I am actually going to get "frostbike" and am erratically pulling off the road, ripping off my gloves and trying to put my hands on my back to warm up...or if my feet get cold, it's bad because there's nothing I can do. I just finished reading a book on pain medicine, and one story was how putting your hands in ice water is a great way to determine someone's pain tolerance. I would say the way my hands get coming down is analogous to putting them in a bucket of ice water...nevermind the ice baths I take during race season. :) Next to being freezing, the hunger strikes you like a bunch to the stomach. Your body is rapidly burning calories trying to stay warm. So this is how it happens when I get home...my roommates can attest and probably secretly make fun of that crazy Looney they live with. My bike is left sitting outside as I am trying to open the door with numb hands. I may utter a curse word or two, but no worry, you can't discern what I'm saying because my face and lips are frozen. Usually the first thing I do is come in from my ride, make a recovery drink, and jump in the shower. In winter, I go straight to the kitchen, make food, and sit in a hunched over with red cheeks and gnarled, frozen hair trying to chew my food. My eyes are slightly glazed over until the nutrients bring me back to life. By then, still in my wet chami, My teeth are chattering from sitting around in wet clothes and I retire to take a long shower.

Now you can see my appreciation for when we get a 66 degree day in Boulder like last Wed. I was grossly overdressed, and ended up removing arm warmers and leg warmers. I could feel the sun warming my skin and cheeks in contrast to the frozen catatonic state I'm usually in. The descent is pleasant and I don't even need a jacket. I am not screaming from pain at the cold. I laugh gleefully like a child at my good fortune and good time. When I get home, I take off my jersey to reveal a slight golden brown hue from the sun instead of red, raw, goosebumped skin.

After a ride in ABQ.

Thursday it snowed 4 inches, but I was glad to take a rest day. I was off to ABQ that night anyway and was looking forward to nice weather. Then I checked the forecast. 100% chance of snow on Friday. I was majorly bummed. Friday rolled around. not a cloud or snowflake in sight. I actually got to go real MOUNTAIN BIKING and was reminded of how much I love that sport. I was also riding in shorts in a jersey. We'll see how long my luck holds out! :) It snowed here this morning, but it's all melted off and the sun is shining.

March is rapidly approaching meaning springtime and breaking the ground of a new racing season. I can't wait to see what the future holds!

I also finally got some guts and cut about 12 inches off my hair. I have never had short hair before and when I found out you could donate it for Locks of Love, I wanted to be able to face my fear and do it. Nevermind that it took me about 6 months to muster up the courage, but at least some kids with cancer with have a little bit nicer of a wig!

The look

The damage

and the fun you can have with a cut off pony tail. Jeff came up to visit and we took many pictures mutilating the poor hair. Quite entertaining.

ELATED!!

2008-02-06T10:16:00.000-08:00

Ok, so yes, my adrenal glands are hyperactive from the latte I'm downing before heading outside to freeze my butt off on my ride...but they are pumping extra because I know I have TWO sweet Cannondales coming in the next month. --> a mountain bike and a road bike. I haven't had a road bike in a year and a half, so it'll be fun to rage even faster on the roads (compared to my Scott HT mtb I've been riding all winter...!)

I got the Team Scalpel which is shown at the bottom of my blog and the SuperSix 3 for my road bike. Click here to check out Cannondale's line up and get one for youself! :) It's always exciting to get a new love of your life, and now I'm getting two new ones in addition to my other new love of my life- my roommate's juicer. Fresh OJ and carrot juice, amen. Yes, I'm in love with inanimate objects... such is the life of a bike racer.

Aw politics....

2008-01-27T14:40:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess democrat is where it's at for me. Crazy liberals. ;)

78% Bill Richardson
74% John Edwards
73% Barack Obama
73% Mike Gravel
72% Hillary Clinton
71% Chris Dodd
71% Dennis Kucinich
69% Joe Biden
48% Rudy Giuliani
45% John McCain
40% Mike Huckabee
36% Mitt Romney
31% Ron Paul
29% Tom Tancredo
29% Fred Thompson

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

Funny that I got Bill R as my number 1 since he is the governor of my homeland, New Mexico.

Site

2008-01-12T09:12:00.000-08:00

In case you are wondering what the stance on the pres. candidates are for the election (and you probably should care), check out this site:

Grist

Sorry folks, gotta spread my environmentalist propaganda every so often. Global warming and humans mindlessly destroying the environment is actually happening. If you haven't noticed, it's been in the news and around a lot more with information as to how you can be more green. Here is a post from my other blog from October in case you're interested in simple and easy ways to go green. Make your life more green

Another quick note. Ok yes, I work 25-30 hours a week, which some people laugh at because they work double. It's very busy to train like a full time professional (especially in the winter when you have to put on big miles) athlete and to work part-time. I'm enjoying a lazy Saturday morning- sleeping in, catching up on my other peoples' blogs, reading a magazine, drinking chai. It's good to slow down and relax sometimes. I'm excited to go ride in a little bit too! ;) So this is what it'd feel like if I actually got paid to ride (minus the very large pressure of winning)! However, at this time last year, I was [trying] to train like a full time pro, going to school, had a boyfriend/relationship being upheld, and working two jobs! Amazing how we can always somehow manage time. I was able to do it, but my riding suffered from the high stress level. Turns out cortisol isn't so great when it comes to recovery. We'll see how it goes this spring with much lower stress levels and more time to actually recover!!

This actually came out of a fortune cookie...

2008-01-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

I went to a Korean restaurant in ABQ and in my fortune cookie, it said,

"Here we go. 'Moo Shu Cereal' for breakfast with duck sauce." ...in bed(b/c you had to add that to your fortune if you don't already know). WTF??

What I've been up to

2008-01-10T16:55:00.000-08:00

Albuquerque and the Sandias

I'm back to blogging after a little break. Okay, so last update was that I was really sick. I left to ABQ a few days after that for the holidays on a Wed. The antibiotics were finally working and I was feeling good. A week later I went for an easy ride. It was great to be home- dry, cold, and sunny which is great for winter riding (although I prefer warmer weather!) It was so great to spend a lot of time with my family and friends. Christmas day rolled around, a mere 2 days after I finished my 10 days of antibiotics and my throat started hurting again. I knew what was happening. I had a fever all night and a 102 fever the next day AND a sinus cold which I am just now getting over. I was feeling bad, but not even close to what I had experienced before. The CU Health Center was closed, but fortunately I had the number of the specialist I had seen at the hospital. He told me that the RNP at CU didn't give me a strong enough dose of antibiotics, and he was going to double the dosage and put me on more penicillin for 14 days. In a few days I was feeling back to normal again. I rode the entire last week I was home and put in a good 17 hour training week. It was great to do all my favorite road rides around Albuquerque since last year it was way too snowy and icy to ride anywhere! I don't have a road bike yet, so I've been riding my mountain bike on the road- slow going, but still nice. Even though I was on antibiotics for 24 days, I still had a very enjoyable December and felt really close to my friends and family.

While I was home, some fun things I did:

-worked on my car...yeah, I drove all the way to ABQ from Denver and it died in the next day in the street in front of my parents' house. Fortunately my dad is a genius at everything and helped me fix the tough old bastard.

My stupid starter was way down at the bottom of the engine meaning lots of taking it apart.

-had the best new year's ever. Some friends had a party complete with a bagpipe and guitar band...followed by lots of fireworks in the street, Mason playing Auld Lang Syne on the pipes, people belligerent and drinking champagne out of pint glasses, and some very nice New Year's kisses. ;)

First I went to a party with all our family friends with my parents

My doting parents

and then my kind of party!!

Some very fun people!

me and Jeff. No alcohol was consumed for any of these photos! ;)

More fun people

-lots of eating and quality time with the fam.

The Looneys can never seem to keep their mouths shut.

My sweet and innocent mom
and her crazy children

Christmas

My awesome, happy go lucky, fun grandma. and she's so cute too!!

Grandpa and Brian. The coolest Grandpa ever.

presents... after champagne.

ladies in red

political debate at the dinner table followed by arm wrestling. yes, I got dominated by both my dad and brother.

-lots of nice times with friends enjoying dark beer...particularly at Chama River Brewing company.

Jeff can give his medical expertise, even in a bar. :)

Cody and Brian. See, I told you the Looneys always have their mouth open.

I got back to Boulder this past Monday. It was cold and gloomy that day, but it's gotten better. I had to ride in a stupid snow-storm yesterday, but today was nice. It's a little chilly here, but I'm still able to get out and ride. No trainer-prison yet. Right now I'm doing long hours at a medium to low intensity to build up my base. I'm looking forward to getting my Cannondale road bike (not to mention my mountain bike). The bikes are so nice! I also planned my first mountain bike appearance of the year-- Nova Norba National is going to bit! I booked my plane ticket tonight! I can't wait!

It's weird to think that I'm done with my master's degree. No more engineering school for me! :) yes! It's also sinking in that I'm actually riding for Cannondale next year. Other than that, I'm working about 28 hours/week at Sunflower Solar, riding, and sleeping. Good times! Things are going very well and I'm very happy. :

Yeah...time to blog

2008-01-08T07:57:00.001-08:00

I know I'm way behind... post coming in the next few days. Check back soon!!!! :)

Worth the watch

2007-12-17T09:37:00.003-08:00

Just a little insight about where your cheap stuff comes from...

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Where have I been?

2007-12-15T21:32:00.000-08:00

Well... I have some good news and some bad news. Good first! Thursday I finished my Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering. I was elated to be done and relieved! I went out to lunch for sushi with my friend that afternoon, ignoring the sore throat I had gotten the night before. It was all downhill from there. I started getting a fever and could barely eat. On the way back to my car, I started shivering so hard I was convulsing and people were stopping in the street to see if I was ok. I managed to grab some Theraflu at the store and went home to check my temp. It was 100.6. I started feeling worse so I checked again. 101.5. I checked again 10 min later. 102.6. I checked in another 15 min. 103.5!!! I was delirious with fever, bawling, and really scared. The tylenol finally kicked in and kept my fever at a steady 101. I was doing everything I could to bring the fever down. As soon my medicine began to wear off, it'd come back in full force. I went to the doc the next morning and they said I didn't have StrepA, but some other type of bacterial throat infection. I was already spitting in a bowl b/c I couldn't really swallow, but I kept getting worse. I had to go back later to get something for the pain so I could take in fluids. A couple hours later, I noticed my throat was almost swollen shut. I hadn't been able to really speak since Thurs night. I went back to urgent care because I had difficulty breathing. They sent me to the hospital because I had an abscess on my right tonsil. My eyes popped out of my head when I saw the needle the doc was going to stick down my throat. Then he got out the scalpel and made a 1/2 inch incision and held it open with hemostats to drain out all the puss. It was pretty intense and I almost fainted.

so that's where I have been. Bedridden since Thursday, but finally showing some signs of improvement. It's going to take a few more days, but I'm getting there. I have never been this sick in my life. I wanted to thank all of my friends for taking care of me and checking on me. You guys are the best! And hey, I have my Master's Degree!! woooohoooo

We were celebrating Leslie's bday all last weekend, so I'll have to do a post on that when I have more energy. I'm going home in a couple days too. Can't wait! :)

Good quote

2007-12-07T07:26:00.001-08:00

...from my friend Nick Martin. I could not have put it better myself.

"Bike racers are simple creatures, especially mountain bikers. In an effort to prolong the real world for as long as possible, we will literally work for next to nothing for the chance to wake up in the morning and simply ride. If wealth was measured by the amount of free time one has, then as a cyclist, I was one of the richest men alive."

A lot of my friends and family cannot understand my obsession. They especially can't understand why in 1 week, I will hold a Master's Degree of Science in Electrical Engineering, why I won't go get a full time job and make a boatload of money. I can't blame 'em for the confusion...but Nick has put it ever so succinctly. My wealth is measured by my free time to ride and to travel to ride. Call me crazy, or just call me Looney. :) My ability and time to train and be a professional mountain biker tops just about anything right now.

My dream bike

2007-12-05T14:58:00.000-08:00

...that I will be riding next year. This is pretty much the sweetest bike you can get in my humble opinion. Some people have a dream car (and I do too..), but some people have dream bikes. I'd rather have my dream bike.

Gaze upon the Cannondale Team Scalpel. Cannondale Team Scalpel. http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/08/cusa/model-8VP0.html You gotta get it.

Electric Eel... ok or not?

2007-12-05T12:45:00.001-08:00

http://www.metaefficient.com/renewable-power/electric-eel-used-to-power-christmas-tree.html

It's December...

2007-12-05T09:08:00.000-08:00

That means it's time to start training for the 2008 race season. I'm really excited for next year. It's going to be my best one yet, I can feel it!! :) I'm going to keep my running regimen up for another month or two. Women build most of their bone density before the age of 26 or 27. Cycling isn't exactly the best sport for doing that, so I am trying to get as much going as I can. :) There is also a great crossover from running to cycling as far as strength. It doesn't work quite as well the other way, although overall fitness plays a huge part once you get over all the pounding. My next running race is a 10K on December 15. My goal is to break 40 min. I think I can do it as long as the course isn't super hilly.

Yesterday was the first ride I counted as new training. Dec-Jan means I have to go for long rides and go slow (meaning keeping my perceived exertion pretty low). It's important to let your body come back down after pushing it at high intensity for so long. Let the jets cool down so to speak. This phase of training is always the most challenging for me. I like to go hard. Specifically, I love going hard up hills and mountains on my mountain bike. Winter means training on flat roads at low intensity. Mentally, it's harder for me. Call me crazy! ;) Yesterday's ride was SUPER windy. I thought it was the apocalypse. ;) 40mph constant wind speed with gusts much greater than that. I almost got blown off the road a few times.

Today was the first day back in the weight room. I do weights for a couple months over the winter for general muscle strength, bone density, and also because it may help with power on the bike. I haven't determined if it actually helps, but I do it anyway. It actually felt pretty good to get back in there and avoid making eye contact with all the meatheads. :)

I have been spending some quality time with my friends. I am now cutting way way back on the drinking/partying. I'm going to keep it pretty dry for the next 2 weeks and then keep it pretty limited. In March, I'll eliminate it completely except for maybe 1-2 drinks a week (like red vino or a dark beer....!)

Jeff came up from ABQ to visit. I tried to show him Boulder a little bit-- we went hiking at Chautauqua, visited a couple of the Boulder breweries (hell yeah!), drove around in the mountains a little bit. I was bummed we didn't have time to ride so I could show him how cool the road riding is around here, and also make fun of the boulder coffee shop trustafarians. :) (I wish I was one!)

Several of my friends have said that Anne is the blonde version of me. :) We are two peas in a pod. I went down to Denver to cook dinner with her...good times.

She actually cut her tongue licking the cuisinart. You can see a drop of blood on her tongue... thats totally something I have done.

I love trail running. I like my sweet smartwool socks with capri length pants even more. :)

Albuquerque

2007-12-04T07:48:00.000-08:00

YOWZA! I'm so behind on blog posts. I'll start with the Querque. It's always great going home. Jack and I rode down together and he always makes me laugh really hard. Sometimes it feels like I never left, and a lot of times I get deja vu. This time was particularly interesting because my brother has left the nest since the last time I was there. I got to my parents' house, and everyone was there to greet me except my brother. Awww.

haha. No, my brother is not retarded. But this picture is pretty funny. ;)

Now a real photo of me and my little brother. He just turned 22 on Sunday.

My parents always hooks me up with top notch meals. My mom cooks tons of good stuff and my dad looks forward to having someone to enjoy a big, fat juicy steak with.

and then he wanted to arm wrestle. I lost very badly. On Thanksgiving, my grandpa wanted to arm wrestle. I felt bad arm wrestling a 77 year old man, and he's so cool...but I couldn't let him win. ;)

In short, my photos will let you see what I was up to. I did some work for Sunflower in the mornings leading up to Thanksgiving. We are super busy. We have revamped our website a little- www.sunflowersolar.com.

I went mountain biking a lot, and I got to ride with my shero, Nina. I'm so excited that we are teammates this year!! I finally remembered to take my camera the last day I rode. I got lucky b/c the sun was setting with a killer view!

These are the wonderful Sandia mountains. Who said the desert is ugly? And for those of you out there who are a little "confused.." Albuquerque is a mile high. It is not low elevation. This is high desert. I can't tell you how many people here in Colorado think it's low.

tough girls gone wild? Not!

This photos was taken WHILE I was riding with my camera upside down. I was having fun with photography and taking shots while moving and not looking what I was shooting at. I was pretty damn happy about this one! :)

I got to spend a lot of time with the fam. We went to my grandma's house for Thanksgiving. This year, my aunt, uncle, cousin, and her husband came from Arizona. I don't get to see them much, so it was a great time! The Looneys know how to party. I'm really lucky to have such a fun family.

Me and my beautiful mommy who is a GREAT cook.

This is the dessert she made for Thanksgiving. Death by Chocolate... no wonder I can't shed my post-race 10 lbs. grrr.

My grandparents...the coolest ones ever. They sooo fun and lively!

Me behind the wheel of 500 HP and a 7 L engine. That's niiice!

Me and my cousin, Erica.

My dad, grandpa, and his brother. They look like twins. It completely freaks me out when they are both in the same room.

Jeff and I ran a 10K on Thanksgiving. I wanted to break 40 min, but all the partying and lack of resting my legs had them ridden with lactic acid from the gun. It was also a super hilly course. There was a huge mishap in my race, but I won the women's category and got 4th in the men. Not too shabby. :)

Jeff being all roadie excited about his number. ;) haha. He won his age group in the 10K.

I finally got to see my friend Jason. His ex-gf had him under house arrest (haaa) every time I came to town. He is one of the funniest people I know.

This is Jason...

I love to go to Chama Brewing. I love that place. My brother is in the "Mug club" Jeff is sad that his mug is inferior to my brothers. haha. And notice the guy in the background with his mouth agape.

And lastly, if you make out ridiculously in a bar. I will comment loudly if I have had beer. I have had multiple beers, I WILL take your picture.

This is just a random sweeeeet wagon I saw in the parking lot. I want one!!! hehe

HOLY CRAP!

2007-11-28T23:27:00.000-08:00

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWEEEEEEEEE! That is me in shock. After many years of trying to get sponsored by the Cannondale factory mtb team, it has finally happened. A dream come true! The next morning, I woke up and really thought I had dreamt it. The reality keeps hitting me and shocking me all over again! I can't wait to ride the AWESOME new team scalpel. It's the coolest bike EVER! This is Sonya flipping a lid from excitement.

More updates later. It's been a crazy week. I'll let you know of my Thanksgiving excursions over the weekend. It was a good week at home. :)

Thanksgiving with N. Dynamite

2007-11-21T19:31:00.001-08:00

It's a little long, but pretty funny. This guy does a great job of being Napoleon. GOSH! It's basic cooking!

That's niiiiice!

2007-11-21T18:09:00.001-08:00

It's good to to be home. I have been here three days, but it actually feels like many! Vacations are never as restful as you think they are going to be, but I never said action-packed was bad! I have been working in the mornings-- we are super busy at Sunflower and I don't mind making some money while I'm here instead of a week of making a big fat zero. I rode in the foothills both Monday and Tuesday. It always feels great to get back and ride on the trails I first went mountain biking on. Plus, they seem a lot easier now because I'm used to brutal climbs in Colorado. The seemingly flat riding is a good break although there's a couple tough sections. It was pretty sandy, so it's a good thing we are getting some moisture in the next couple of days. I have been hanging out with the fam in the afternoon/evenings, and then seeing my brother and friends at night. Of course, that means not much sleep. Staying out till 2 AM is not conducive to a restful vacation, or a fast 10K for that matter. However, I did everything wrong for the half marathon (not training, eating pizza and beer the day before), so to heck with it!! I am always glad to have a good crew here in Albuquerque although a lot of my girlfriends moved away. They will mostly all be back for Xmas though. Yaaay!

It snowed 5 inches in Denver today. I can't say I'm disappointed to miss the first bigger snow of the year. I think it's going to hit us down here tomorrow.

I drove my dad's sweet corvette today. I need to drive it again b/c it's frightening to drive a 7 L, 500 HP car when you drive a lawnmower for a car. :) I thought I was being badass and accelerating fast. Turns out, no so badass. I have to learn how to really drive a race car... like let the engine re-re-rev up more before shifting. It was enough to make me sweat though!

I have been taking photos, but forgot my data USB cord. I'll see what I can do. My dad wanted to take a picture of me with his car...so here is one for you motorheads.

My dad's pride and joy. he's been taking it to the race track. suuweeet!

This one is pretty funny... I think the corvette is hotter. ;)

A little motivation to reduce your carbon emissions

2007-11-21T16:29:00.000-08:00

http://www.breathingearth.net/

Greetings from 500 miles south!

2007-11-18T22:30:00.000-08:00

Yep! Jack and I drove back to Albuquerque today. It feels great to be home is all I can say. Although I love Boulder, it's always so wonderful to have a home base and come back to the city and house that I spent most of life growing up in. Plus, most of my family is here. I miss them!!

Jack and I had a fun drive. He makes me laugh more than almost anyone...probably because we make fun of NM stuff that no one else really gets. Other stuff too. My arms were going numb while driving because I was laughing so hard. I was probably swerving all over the road too, but that is not an uncommon site in NM. ;) His sister, Nina, is one of my really good friends too. With bike racing and travel to and from NM, I feel like an honorary member of the Baum family. :)

I am still doing some work for Sunflower while home, one of the many perks of my job so I can still make some cash and be here. 10K on Thanksgiving-- should be interesting since my ankles are still killing me from the half marathon. I intend to hit up my favorite trails too. I love my old stomping grounds. Till next time!

A little more specific

2007-11-15T12:06:00.000-08:00

I wanted to elaborate a little more on some of my mountain biking tips since I realize just because I know what I mean, you may not! Just two small little comments.

When I say to lean back on the downhill, you should get in a tuck position. If you look at the photo of me on the right (the action one), you can see I am ducked down on the handlebar, my face is kind of close to the bar, and I'm leaning my butt back. When I say shift your weight back, push your butt back. Another tip for downhilling-- keep your knees bent. Don't lock them up so they can absorb more shock. Also, if you are going over rock, use your arms. push down. It helps your shock rebound at the right time and gives you more control.

Another quick tip. If you're riding through a rocky section and you lose your momentum, but you can't pedal because the rocks are too high, backpedal about 1/4 of a revolution, then pedal forward. It doesn't give you much speed, but it will help you not completely lose it.

Almost home... and home free

2007-11-14T22:15:00.000-08:00

Yep! I am really excited about going home on Saturday. I haven't been back to the 'Querque since May and all my friends, family, and sweet singletrack is waiting for me! My aunt, uncle, cousin, and her husband are coming from Arizona (to my grandparents) for Thanksgiving. I don't get to see them all that much, so it will be nice. I really miss not having my family around, especially during tough times. Me and Jack are heading down and we usually have fun. Last time we were ranking high schools in Albuquerque based on the ghetto-ness and how much street cred you get by going there.

...and home free in THREE (well four) weeks. Three weeks of classes and no more electrical engineering graduate school. I cannot wait. Never ever again will I have to take any of those classes and suffer. Then I can focus more on suffering on the bike. :) MSEE in December, then working part time at Sunflower Solar and racing in the spring. I think I'll finish up my NSCA personal trainer certification stuff over the winter too and get that up and running. I'll finally have time!

Another note. Life never ceases to surprise me. I guess that's what makes it interesting, but my optimism about the good in people was seemingly fading. I think it's coming back. We all just want to feel special,understand one another, and do things that make both us and others around us happy. That's all it is.

My dad.

I couldn't help but put a photo of my favorite place in the world. My family and I have come here every year since I was 1. Photos of the San Juans that are a familiar site in my dreams and every June always bring me peace and happiness.

Solar, now and then.

2007-11-14T13:20:00.000-08:00

HOT!

NOT.

update coming soon...

2007-11-13T17:48:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been so long. My roommate moved out, I didn't have internet, I got busy, and I have a million excuses. :)

Long story short. My half marathon that I ran 4 times to train for...went surprisingly well. I somehow thought I was training at an 8 min/mi pace, but after I looked down at my watch after every mile and saw I was funning between 6 and 6:30 min/mi, I was in shock and awe. It was really cold at the start. I went with Jamie and we left at 6:30 AM. It was still in the 20s and the sun didn't come up till right before the start.

Part of the course as the sun came up. It was in Loveland

I had a blast and midway through I even thought, "Hell. This is WAY easier than a mountain bike race." However, I made a rookie mistake and didn't drink any water. I forgot how hard it is while you're running-- I'm used to feed zones on my bike. Mile 9 is where the fun began- cramping which continued to the bitter end. My mile times were 8-9 min/mi and I lost 4-5 min overall. I crossed the line (and got passed in the last mile by a girl, shoot!) and nearly fell over. My entire body was cramping so bad I had to hold on to things to stand up. For days after, I walked like Frankenstein Gumby. I could barely walk...ask anyone. :) It was quite the scene and no fun for me. I ran a 1:33 which put me in 3rd overall for the women. I'm a little confused by the results because they did not include the 2 master's women who beat me...so I think the real result was 5th. It was such a shock and now it's got me wondering how fast I could do it if I actually trained for it for a few months. I'm running a 10K on Thanksgiving... but man! I ran today, if that's what you want to call it, and my ankles and knees were killing me. Jamie who immensely added to my fun was running the 10K. I think he won his age group and is just an all around badass. :)

Jamie. aka the black knight.

My lovely blister that still hasn't healed. I felt it coming on around mile 7. Guess I should have tried a little harder to break in my shoes.

Running races are sweet. They make you unlimited pancakes and give you cool schwag with your entry. Maybe the mtb promoters need to get a clue. ;)

Halloween is like Hanukka!

2007-11-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

I was feeling kind of burnt out on Halloween on the actual day of Halloween so I went bouldering at Boulder Rock Club. I hadn't been in almost 2 years, so needless to say, my forearms are totally sore. I think I'm going to start going every Friday to get in shape and not be such a T-Rex. Plus I know you were dying for more costume pics ;)
Brent (my roommate) completed my costume with the mug, but it got really heavy!

Me and Shade. I thought I was so clever later calling him Lamp Shade. haha

brent and I. This picture is hilarious if you use your imagination. don't worry, none of that!

WALTER! COME ON MAAAAN!! "You see what happens Larry?? This is what happens when you...."

Me, Tim,and Thurein.

Yah boyz

Many of you know that The Big Lebowski is one of my favorite movies, so when I saw someone dressed up as Walter walk in the bar, I was more than stoked. I was chasing this guy around all night screaming Big Lebowksi quotes at him. I think he was amused.

I thought Oct 31 would be the end of Halloween, but Sunflower (my work) wanted to have a Halloween party today...so I had to dress up again. This costume got its mileage. Now I'm totally sick of it! ;) No more costume pics for a year. You better enjoy it while you can :)

Hold on to your switchbacks!

2007-10-31T13:26:00.000-07:00

Waterbar switchbacks to be exact. Tuesday I headed out to Golden after teaching lab to rock my world. The Chimney Gulch, Apex, and Grubstake trails are a great time. They are rocky enough to feel like I'm working on my technical skills, steep enough for me to feel like I'm getting a killer workout, an definitely have lots of switchbacks that are steep and sharp. I love days where I feel like a rockstar on the bike, and Tuesday was one of those days. I had to go home because the sun was pretty much gone, but I would have loved to ride all night! I figured I would make a little post to remind you and me about some technical mountain biking skills. It helps me to repeat these in my head.

Downhill

1) lean back. like the rappers love to sing about. If it looks scary, shift your weight back and let the bike do the work.

2)Stay loose. The tenser you are, the more likely you are to crash. Think of yourself as water running down the trail. The more relaxed and calm you stay, the smoother you will descend. Sometimes if it gets really technical on a downhill, I feel myself holding my breath. I will exhale forcefully in short breaths as I go down. I sound like I'm in labor, but it really helps.

3) It's okay to brake. Use the front brake to control your speed, and the rear brake to control maneuverability.

4) If you're going off a huge drop off, pull up on the bars. If you drop your wheel down and it's too far, you will do a summersault and crash. I cracked my expensive helmet 2 years ago by making that mistake.

5) For rocky, technical sections-- flat, down, OR up, keep your momentum. Do not slow down!! Did you ever have a gyro-scope as a kid? -remembering that the faster it spun, the easier the gyro-scope was standing? Or a top- the kind you spin on the table. When that slows down, it falls. Same deal with bike wheels. If you are going through a rock garden and you start slowing down, it will be harder to stay up. Although it sounds scary, blast through it. If it's a flat or an up, PEDAL PEDAL PEDAL. It sounds silly to say "just pedal," but you'd be surprised to see when you stop.

6) For steep turns, take the outside. You want to turn the least amount possible, so going outside will shorten your radius. And of course, if it's uphill, don't stop pedaling.

7) Brake BEFORE the turn, not in it. Same with driving... I see people driving down the canyons, braking in the turns!

8) Don't be scared. The moment you think you can't do it, you probably won't. It's amazing how clearing something you are scared of boosts your confidence...and you riding ability.

9) Don't get discouraged. It's okay if you can't make it, or if you are riding slower than usual. It'll come back! Just have fun. That is most important thing. A lot of people (myself included) get upset when the ride isn't going your way.

If you like spanish guitar...

2007-10-30T09:30:00.001-07:00

This group is completely amazing. Rodrigo Y Gabriela. Wow.

http://www.myspace.com/rodrigoygabriela

A fun weekend

2007-10-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, my baby (ha) brother came to visit me this weekend. We had a total blast. We had our own tour de brewery and didn't even get around to all the ones we wanted. So here's the scoop.

There he is

Friday, I picked Brian up from the airport and fought the pre-rush hour traffic with all my might. No curse words were said.... ;) We went straight to the Avery tasting room. It's next to my work, so he met some of my coworkers and then we got to tasting. I didn't take any photos on Friday. Sorry. Next, we went to Walnut Brewery, and then dinner at Gondo for the yummy bottomless pasta. Les came over and we watched The Big Lebowski, MAAAN! Love that movie every time I see it.

Saturday. I made my pancake special and we headed up to Ft. Collins. We went to New Belgium, Odell's, and Ft. Collins Brewery. We took a tour of New Belgium. I am continually impressed with this brewery's efforts. It makes ME want to go work there. They have been wind-powered since 1998, are employee owned, and are making a huge effort toward the green movement. They have something called Tour De Fat where a bunch of people go ride bikes in a parade. They give you a cruiser after working there a year, and they send you to BELGIUM, all expenses paid, after 5 years to experience the beer culture. They recycle and reuse a lot of their by-products. For example, they send all the grains to farms for cows to munch on. Also, they have their own water treatment plant for the best brewing. Go New Belgium!!

You are only allowed to sample four, so it was a hard choice with all those beers on tap.

That would be cool to get in that big fridge!

samples... delish

It was super crowded in there... can you blame people for flocking to samples of free, quality beer?

Pics of the brewery itself... I was calling it the "brewery tourey" ;)

Odell's is a lot smaller, but they make some of my favorite beers- 90 Shilling and Cutthroat Porter. Too bad Deschutes is in Oregon, because I love them too. :) Odell's was a cool tasting room, much less "commerical" and townie. Ft. Collins was the epitome of a great, local brewery. They had this red beer that was killer and also their special tap for the month- a beer brewed in whiskey casks. It was interesting.

Odell's:

Their tasting room

What you get.

What happens.

Ft. Collin's tasting room

After brew-fest, we came back to my house, had some dinner, then headed out for some Halloween celebration in Boulder. It was a fun, crazy night. Pics....

What do you think? Should I go blonde? NOOOOOOTTTTT!!!!!!

Amateur poor star next door... or Quagmire. ;)

Scandinavian bar maid. My name was Franzi. :) It caused quite the stir.

Jamie and my bro. (Jamie is my fellow TA. We struggle and give students blank looks a lot of the time. haha)

Jamie was the black knight from Monty Python. Classic!!!! He made this costume himself...impressive. He even has the arm. "Your arms off!" "No it isn't!"

Me and Leslie. She was a fairy... or another idea was she was "all dressed up and nowhere to go"

Me and Chris (the guy that carved the chuck-o-lantern. He is now famous on someone else's blog). Oops, I mean me and Indiana Jones. Jah Indie. ;)

Hopefully the black knight doesn't have any black magic.

pimpin'...yeah I guess your big sister kissing you on the cheek is not really pimpin, but you know he is. :)

Sunday was more a chill day, relaxing on Pearl St, went to Southern Sun for my favorite, local brews. And today he went home. :( It was great to spend some one on one time with my brother, it rarely happens. I'm going home to Albuquerque for the week before Thanksgiving. Yaaaay :) They only have a few breweries there though. That's ok.

Saturday is my half marathon. I can run the distance fine, but the impact still makes the arches of my feet hurt, and also the tendon right under my gastroc. Eh well. I think I'm running a 15K in Albuquerque on Thanksgiving too. Then I will hang up my running shoes (well, not really..but no more races or actual training), and start training on the bike again. I am still going mountain biking my fair share despite all the running. In fact, I did some trails I usually don't do last week- Hall Ranch in Lyons and Apex/Chimney Gulch in Golden. I've been so focused on going up to Nederland that I forgot about these gems!

YouTube Chuck Norris on Conan

2007-10-27T08:42:00.001-07:00

These are a couple Conan episodes strung together. Sweet. Chuck Norris a pimp daddy. I will love anyone who is Chuck Norris for Halloween.

Chuck Norris lives!

2007-10-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm not sure how Chuck Norris jokes started, but they have always seemed to be omnipresent. there is even a guy at my mom's church that looks JUST LIKE Chuck. I can't pay attention at the Xmas sermon if chuck-a-like is hanging out next to us. Here are some great jokes. If you get tired of reading, scroll to the bottom for a funny picture.

-Chuck Norris once roundhouse kicked someone so hard that his foot broke the speed of light, went back in time, and killed Amelia Earhart while she was flying over the Pacific Ocean.

-Chuck Norris recently had the idea to sell his urine as a canned beverage. We know this beverage as Red Bull.

-If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris you may be only seconds away from death.

-The chief export of Chuck Norris is pain.

-Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.

-Chuck Norris once shot a German plane down with his finger, by yelling, "Bang!"

-When Chuck Norris plays Oregon Trail his family does not die from cholera or dysentery, but rather roundhouse kicks to the face. He also requires no wagon, since he carries the oxen, axels, and buffalo meat on his back. He always makes it to Oregon before you.

-Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.

-The quickest way to a man's heart is with Chuck Norris' fist.

-What was going through the minds of Chuck Norris' victims before they died? His shoe.

-Chuck Norris affects the price of stock quotes and land values. Wherever he is, prices drop due to the danger of a sudden catastrophe. He bought his own home for 30 cents and one roundhouse kick.

-If you spell Chuck Norris in Scrabble, you win. Forever.

-The following is a short list of things Chuck Norris cannot do: .

-If you make a list of 10 things Chuck Norris cannot do, he will appear at your house and perform them all. Your life may be forfeit.

-Chuck Norris once taught a class called "Ass Kicking 101". There were no survivors.

-Chuck Norris does not hunt because the word hunting implies the possibility of failure. Chuck Norris goes killing.

-When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.

-Chuck Norris can slam revolving doors.

-The Big Bang was actually Chuck Norris roundhouse kicking God in the face.

-Chuck Norris has to maintain a concealed weapon license in all 50 states in order to legally wear pants.

-Chuck Norris Isn't funny, stop laughing.

-Chuck Norris has an unbeatable poker face, concealed beneath an even more unbeatable poker beard.

-While a normal poker face conceals the emotion of its wearer, Chuck Norris’s poker face skips all that and just drives other players insane. As a result, the only way to survive a game of poker against Chuck Norris is to play online, and even then you still might go insane.

Play Online Poker

-When Chuck Norris sends in his taxes, he sends blank forms and includes only a picture of himself, crouched and ready to attack. Chuck Norris has not had to pay taxes ever.

-Chuck Norris was once on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and was the first to spin. The next 29 minutes of the show consisted of everyone standing around awkwardly, waiting for the wheel to stop.

-Q: What’s 30 times Chuck Norris?
A: Oblivion.

-Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

-In conversation, Chuck Norris often quotes himself, and then laughs about it.

-Chuck Norris has counted to infinity. Twice.

-February 29th only occurs once every four years because Chuck Norris wills it to be so.

-There is no theory of evolution, just a list of creatures Chuck Norris allows to live.

-Chuck Norris really likes the movie 101 Dalmatians. No one knows why.

-Chuck Norris once ate three 72 oz. steaks in one hour. He spent the first 45 minutes having sex with his waitress.

-In an average living room there are 1,242 objects Chuck Norris could use to kill you, including the room itself.

-There’s an old Chuck Norris saying: “He who has the Chuck Norris makes the rules.” It’s one of those nonsensical old sayings, since it implies that someone can “have” Chuck Norris.

-When Chuck Norris falls in water, Chuck Norris doesn't get wet. Water gets Chuck Norris.

-Chuck Norris CAN believe it's not butter.

-A man stopped Chuck Norris on the street and asked him to list 100 Chuck Norris facts. Unamused, Chuck Norris raised one eyebrow with such force that the man disintegrated.

-Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding.

-Chuck Norris once picked a fight with a duck. The duck turned out to have several 10th degree blackbelts, and was the most formidable adversary Chuck Norris ever faced. Funny how random the universe can be.

-When Chuck Norris does a pushup, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the Earth down.

-Chuck Norris can hit you so hard that he can actually alter your DNA. Decades from now your descendants will occasionally clutch their heads and yell "What The Hell was That?"

-There are no steroids in baseball, just players Chuck Norris has breathed on.

-If at first you don't succeed, you're not Chuck Norris.

I sent my friend Chris these Chuck Norris jokes, and he said, "Didn't you know? I'm carving a chuck-o-lantern." Low and behold. Enjoy. :)

MY BROTHER IS COMING TOMORROW TO VISIT! YAAAY!!!!

2007-10-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

Mindfulness

2007-10-18T13:54:00.001-07:00

"Mindfulness is loving all the details of our lives, and awareness is the natural thing that happens: life begins to open up, and you realize that you're always standing at the center of the world." - Pema Chodron, Awakening Loving Kindness

Do you feel like you have no time to get everything done? No time for yourself? I'm reading this book on active spirituality. I don't meditate or journal because I never make time for it, although it is very useful to me. I find myself in other activities-- playing guitar, running, cycling... but sometimes being still is good. You are not distracted by anything.

How do we find more time? the book makes this suggestion, and I'm going to do it too. For a week, write down everything you do during waking hours and how much time you spend. Our perception is that we are busy busy busy. Add up the hours you spend on each activity each week, whether it be emailing, watching TV, showering, talking on the phone, etc. I think it will be enlightening to see where I could easily make time. I know personally that I spend way too much time on my computer chatting with friends online, checking email, etc. Let's do it together!

The rest of this discussion will be carried out on my other blog. invigorateyourself.blogspot.com. There is a link to it on the side too. This blog, which I haven't mentioned much on here, is to give information on health and fitness...body, mind, and spirit.

Mindfulness

2007-10-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

"Mindfulness is loving all the details of our lives, and awareness is the natural thing that happens: life begins to open up, and you realize that you're always standing at the center of the world." - Pema Chodron, Awakening Loving Kindness

Do you feel like you have no time to get everything done? No time for yourself? I'm reading this book on active spirituality. I don't meditate or journal because I never make time for it, although it is very useful to me. I find myself in other activities-- playing guitar, running, cycling... but sometimes being still is good. You are not distracted by anything.

How do we find more time? the book makes this suggestion, and I'm going to do it to. For a week, write down everything you do during waking hours and how much time you spend. Our perception is that we are busy busy buys. Add up the hours you spend on each activity each week, whether it be emailing, watching TV, showering, talking on the phone, etc. I think it will be enlightening to see where I could easily make time. I know personally that I spend way too much time on my computer chatting with friends online, checking email, etc. Let's do it together!

The rest of this discussion will be carried out on my other blog. invigorateyourself.blogspot.com. There a link to it on the side too. This blog, which I haven't mentioned much on here, is to give information on health and fitness...body, mind, and spirit.

Keep on truckin...

2007-10-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

So much so, I decided to rehash my running days. The last running race I did was almost exactly four years ago, Duke City Marathon. Looking back, it is still painful. I trained for 6 months to run a 3:10-3:15 and was trained up to do it. Day before the race. I wake up with a very painful pulled muscle deep inside and underneath my right buttocks. And what did I do? Run the marathon the next day... if you want to call it that. I was in a heck of a lot of pain, but was too damn stubborn to quit. Adam came looking for me on his bike because I was 30 minutes past due. That was the transition point to bike racing. From there on out, I gave up running, and turned to two wheels.

So randomly, I decided to run a half marathon in 2.5 weeks. November 3. I'm not really ready and have only been running once a week for an hour. So let's see what I can do. I'm hoping to somehow pull of 8:30/mi... seems like a long shot, but what is muscle memory for? The reality is it will probably be more like 9 minute miles... I will have to sweep my pride under the rug. I can get fast again...maybe. :) or maybe I'm just a wimpy cyclist. :)

I finally saw Transformers tonight. That movie is so sweet. If you haven't seen it, it's totally worth it.

NYC Marathon

2007-10-11T17:47:00.000-07:00

My very ambitious and very lovely friend Anne is running the NYC marathon. She is trying to raise money for children with cancer or other life threatening illnesses. 3000 dollars sends one child to camp Hole in the Wall which is a summer camp to help these children have fun, community, and get their mind off cancer. It's a fantastic cause to donate to...so if you have some extra $$$, go to the link. Or go to the link anyway and read about Anne Donley and the cause. :)

http://www.teamholeinthewall.org/NETCOMMUNITY/Page.aspx?&pid=192&srcid=190&frsid=239

Me and Anne.

Oh yeah..

2007-10-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Forgot to add this.

Me and my friend Gabe took a little day trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. I have lived here 2 years with this in my backyard and had always been to lazy to go. It was pretty spectacular. We drove on trail ridge road, the highest paved road in the country (14k ft!) so here, enjoy the views. :)

Lots of elk in Estes Park. People jam up the roads trying to look at these guys.

Fall light...

Me and Gabe...he drove his new subaru. wha whaaaat!

Ahhh, snow! It was cold up here.

Ahhh fall

2007-10-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

Fall is my favorite time of year in Colorado. The air is cool, crisp, and fresh. I've been going up to Ned a lot to squeeze in as much mountain biking as i can before it snows. The Farmer's Almanac is saying this winter will be worse than last. I hope the farmers are wrong.

Nothing too new has been going on, just wanted to give you an update so you keep checking back! We are about halfway through the semester and I got my official letter saying I'm graduating December 21. MSEE, not bad huh? :)

I've been catching up on my social life that I neglect so much during the race season...and neglecting my fitness a little bit.

Me and Niki.

Niki's sexy face

Liz's bday was two weeks ago. She did it right and celebrated for two days! here are some photos from the event.

The lovely bday girl

Blowing up bday balloons.

Me and Leslie laughing at the nastiness of jello shots. Neither one of us had tried them...and it's safe to say we won't try it again.

Me, Thurein, and Leslie

Some of the crew

My friend Leslie and I have been spending a lot of time together as well. I got to watch her super cute dog. I usually hate little dogs, but hers is one of the cutest dogs(large or small) that I have ever seen.

She is my kindred spirit. this is the essence of Sonya and Leslie.. ;)

Little Chloe. She sat in my lap and stared lovingly up at me as I graded papers all night long...

I have been trying to adjust to life as a single gal. Different for sure... haven't been actually single in FOUR years.
Boys? What am I supposed to do with this guy?

The last couple weeks have been very eventful at work. We went to a bunch of fairs including a Localization fair in Lyons, Boulder Solar Home tour, and Resource Fair in Golden. I love my coworkers. They are so great. That is key to liking your job!! :) Xcel treated me well, but I don't miss that place one bit!! I went to an Off-Grid Design workshop this past weekend. There were a lot of characters there, but I will keep my sarcastic remarks about them to myself just in case they somehow read my blog. ;)

Our super cool booth.

My super cool people. :)

Dylan is at it again, performing. This time was at Folsom St Coffee. He has a lot of female fans...hmmm... I wonder why....

Rock out.

My legs are back!

2007-09-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

That's right! :) Thank goodness. After a month of not really focusing on the bike, my legs feel light as a feather and strong. The heavy rotten meat stick legs are gone and I have a brand new set. That's what a long rest does and I guess my weekend of mountain biking got my legs rockin! I went on a high intensity 50 minute trail run this morning followed by a 2.5 hour mountain bike ride this afternoon. I figured my legs would feel like poo after shredding them on the trails in the morning, but they felt pretty zippy. Tomorrow I'm going to hit the singletrack in Nederland once again to enjoy the electric aspens and tacky trails. Can't wait!

On another note, I am having terrible luck standing in line. For the past several days in a row, every time I stand in line, I'm stuck behind that guy with 50 million items and the newbie cashier. Examples. Saturday I was trying to buy an electrolyte drink at the Nederland Co-op. I waited TEN minutes. The cashier had to do a price check on several of the items, and there were many. If I hadn't already opened the drink and chugged most of it, I would have just left. Another example-- driving up the canyon on Sunday... it's a two lane road with no passing. I got stuck behind a train of cars going 35 where I normally go 55. all...the way... down. Today at the post office-- everyone in front of the guy who was in front me had one quick item. And what does the guy in front of me have? 10 envelopes, all which need individual postage. I was also in my bike clothes in a terrible rush to get out on my ride. So if you're being "that guy," please take a look and see who is behind you and have some consideration if they have one quick item and you have a basket full of stuff that will take forever.

And yes, if you didn't guess, I am impatient. I guess these are lessons of patience for me.

Accoustic

2007-09-24T19:04:00.001-07:00

His lips don't match the words, but this is a song I'm working on right now. I'm trying to muster some courage and some skill to do open mic night at Conor Oneills this winter!!

Lots going on

2007-09-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since you've heard from me! Lots going on, but little to talk about. I have been enjoying the fall weather and the changing of the aspens. After a one month hiatus of regular riding (other than commuting), I am doing a build phase on the bike to get me to the winter months. This winter is supposed to be WORSE than last winter according to the Farmer's Almanac. I can't imagine a worse winter, but hopefully the last one broke me in a bit. Guess I need snow tires so I can train...or just get used to sitting on the trainer. ugh. Anyway, I'm going to push my body pretty hard for about a month and then get ready to do some base in december. yaaay. I'm rejuvenated from my post-race season burn-out and am excited to race again. Maybe if I can get my hands on a cross bike for super cheap or to borrow, I'll get out there...or maybe I'll just get shelled in the race riding my hardtail. :)

Here are some photos from beautiful Colorado last week. It has been magical here.

Sunset the other day...view from my back gate.

Happy Bday to my beautiful friend Anne this weekend. Brian and I went out to dinner too and I felt like dressing up. :) I got a lot of compliments on this dress, guess I should wear it more...

These pics are from mtb ride 1 this weekend (Saturday) in Nederland. I went back on Sunday, but didn't bring my camera.

How's your ASpen? ;) hahahaha

Roof Jumping for real

2007-09-10T14:16:00.001-07:00

Napoleon would be happy learn about these "sweet jumps." check 'er out

A real post!

2007-09-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, okay...I know I can't appease you with photos forever (haha, or maybe I can?!). I decided I am ready for an off-season. For the past 4 years I have been racing bikes, I have always raced collegiate or cross, and taken it seriously. Finally I need a break. I'm loving doing my other sports that I miss so much during the spring/summer. It's also wonderful to be able to drink a couple beers and not worry about the consequences on my sleep, training, or performance.

So other than not riding my bike, this is what I've been up to:

Trail running! Yaaay, time for new trail shoes too. I'm looking for a half marathon to run next month. I used to race(running) and I'm missing it. I wouldn't do it for a good time, just for the hell of it.

Partying on the weekend and enjoying drinks with my dinner. Yeah! You got. I can't wait till beer:30 today. Good times.

Sunflower Solar: I love this place! The people are so fun and the work lets me use my creative side (Sketch-up).

TA-ing Circuits 2. It's still intimidating, but I feel better about the whole thing. I have a class of 11 or 12 undergraduate boys. Nothing I can't handle. ;) It's a good review, but man, it feels like eons ago that I took it. Karni, UNM, 5 years ago. Did that actually happen?

School: My leadership and management class is actually quite valuable. I was snickering about it when signing up, but it will actually be one of the most useful classes I will take. I was signed up for Abnormal Psych ( a pre-rq for PA school) but I had to drop it. It was total B.S. If you are in the "grad school," you get charged grad prices for all classes, even undergrad ones. Pay 1500 for undergrad psych, I think not!

Personal Training; yeah...dragging my feet on the cert. IT's a lot of studying, but I'll get there. :) I am still going for it.

Still pretty busy, but damn happy. :)

More Hawaii pics

2007-09-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

My parents came up to visit this weekend and we had a GREAT time!! Too bad it was such a quick trip. I need to go home soon. Anyways, here are some more pics from Hawaii from my dad's camera. I have a couple more batches coming, but there will be less and less each time.

Ok...so here are drunken Sonya pics. Apparently there are a lot of them.

and more random shots that aren't grouped.

the mayhem has begun

2007-08-31T23:36:00.000-07:00

The chaotic juggling of all the events, activities, and commitments that comes in the fall with starting school has begun... except this time I have not one, but two jobs for a whopping 35 hours a week. My Sunflower Solar job is going great! I love it and I know I'm contributing to something bigger than just "the man" trying to make a buck. I also got a last minute offer to TA Circuits 2. I have never been a TA before and it's been 5 years since I took Circuits 2, but I decided I was up for the challenge (and yes, it has definitely been that so far, but I'll get there). I'm enjoying my classes. If wasn't TAing circ. 2, I'd almost be free of the technical engineering stuff. My last graduate course is Leadership and Management which I am enjoying. I have decided (well, long ago) that engineering is really like pulling teeth, a painstaking process and I'm so excited to never have to deal with "school engineering" ever again. 15 weeks and counting!! Then I can just use it however I want (like management or designing solar systems...or not at all!)

I've been really frustrated with cycling lately. I came back from Hawaii and seemingly lost any ounce of fitness I had. I am able to go on long rides, but man, my legs are not feeling awesome. I know it'll come back, but I feel for all you guys out there that struggle through every ride. Maybe it's because I'm old now... My bday was Aug 22 and now I'm a ripe old cougar at 24. here are a few pics from going out that night.

Bri and I getting ready to go cause some trouble

I had to kiss this nasty buffalo on the wall to get a free drink. It was actually kinda gnarly

Me and Thurein, an engineer who doesn't fit the stereotype...good job!

Me, Chris, and the Niki

Big pimpin the Brians.

As far as racing is concerned, I'll be doing a handful of collegiate XCs to stay (err... get back) in shape. Looks like we have a good crew this year!

My car isn't really working right now. Sunday was the last time I drove it. It turned off WHILE I was driving down Broadway. Fortunately it started again, but I am not in the mood for it to break down and leave me with a pain in my arse.

My parents are coming to visit tomorrow. yaaay!

Invigorate up and running!

2007-08-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

Howdy!

I have started out very slowly and small just to see what the market for this type of thing is like. Tell all your friends, give them my website! I am going to get my own domain name for it eventually. invigorateyourself.blogspot.com

Basically it's a company to help people get healthier and happier. I want to emphasize on cycling, but offer a lot of other programs. Link it up from your websites too! :) Thanks for your support!

Hawaii photos for the omnisicent observer

2007-08-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

It would take way too long to try and write about my trip, so I figure pictures tell good stories. :)

Anaconda barfing up hippo

2007-08-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

The feet are coming out first. Crazy.

She's BACK!

2007-08-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

I am officially jet-lagged, tan, boozed-out, and back from Hawaii today. I'll be posting pictures in the next couple of days, followed by more pics from the trip in a few weeks when I get everyone else's photos. Aw, technology. I had a GREAT time and it's also nice to be back in the Boulder bubble. Home sweet home. I'm looking forward to riding my bike tomorrow too. I'll be hurting since I'm now acclimated to sea level. Blast!

Off to Hawaii

2007-08-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts and stuff. I'm off to Hawaii tomorrow morning and will be back Aug 19. Check back around then for the next update complete with sweet photos. We are going on a Looney family cruise. (yyyyyeah!!!) It's going to be great!!!!!

Quick recap of the last week. Boulder Short track finals, took 5th and 3rd overall. Some big girls showed up to put me out of my misery. I raced Winter Park on Saturday and some big girls showed up there too including world cup podium-er Georgia Gould and a frequent podium-er at the nationals, Heather Irmiger. They showed everyone how to really ride a bike. My race wasn't so awesome. I was feeling tired (my own fault from drinking too much and playing guitar that week) followed by the attack of Bonkzilla. It was really really bad this time. Very cloudy/blurred vision, splitting headache, dead legs, shakiness, the works. I knew that if I got off my bike, I wouldn't be able to get back on, so I rode like that for an hour till I crossed the line and Brian had to hold me up to get me to the medical tent where they knew nothing and could do nothing. After much watermelon, water, and freaked out-ness, I got better. I'm still feeling the effects of the bonk though. Argh. No racing till the next WP race Aug 24th and then Keystone...the collegiate mtb season starts. yeeeah. I'm looking forward to my break and I'm going to do a lot of running, surfing, getting drunk, and sitting in the sun and feeling the spray of the ocean on my face. Aloha!

Git 'er Done

2007-07-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

This sign should have read, Full Thunderstorm in Tellurain

This past weekend was Mountain States Cup, stop number 5. Telluride, CO. I was very skeptical about this race due to the lingering sinus infection I had been fighting, the way my legs had felt at the short track just days before, and my lack of preparation. I rode down with Comotion pro, Steve Iles in his sweet grocery getter. He took the hubcaps off to make it look more ghetto, less soccer mom. He claimed that the van was invisible to cops, and it picks up MILFs in the whole foods parking lot. Hmm. Neither one of us had gotten much sleep the night before, so we departed a little later than planned (830 instead of 7 am). After the 7 hour drive, we arrived in Telluride. It was pouring rain. It had been pouring rain for an hour before we got there and the rain continued through the night. That meant NO PRERIDE. I had never even done the course before, so I was not too happy about it. Instead we pimped it in our sweet condo and watched the Tour.

Pretty glum weather, but it was still beautiful and GREAT to get out of the scorching heat.

The morning of the XC was sunny (the rain had cleared out). However, the pros start was after 1 PM. I KNEW a storm was going to roll in during the race. The huge clouds building behind the mountain were an ominous giveaway. There was actually a decent sized field for the XC. I was expecting it to be thinned out due to the Norba, but there were very few people missing. About 15-20 started the race. The gun went off and I went for it. To my surprise (and horror) I was leading the field for a good 10 minutes. I was just waiting for Katie Compton to come by and actually felt relieved when she did. I stayed in 2nd for awhile, then another girl passed me. Then another, and we went back and forth for 3rd and 4th place, then she finally put the hurt on me. The rest of the race, I just tried to be smooth and not blow up. This is the steepest race I have done. the climbs are shorter, but they are straight up. Not to mention that the START was at 9500 ft. I was panting like a dog on a hot day with mucus coming out of my nose and just hanging there, and my eyes bugging out of their sockets from lack of oxygen. Coming into my second lap... I felt a raindrop. Then another. Then I heard the gentle pitter patter which was very nice. Then I heard the pitter patter starting to get faster, and faster... until it was a torrential downpour. Huge claps of thunder were eminating from the sky and the lightning was so close that you could almost feel the warmth. It got the trails totally mud bogged and all the roots and rocks were super slick. The rain stopped for a moment. Then on the third lap, another torrential storm came through. this time I was scared of the lightning. It was close and the thunder was making me scream (I don't like thunder) It did, however, give me motivation to go faster, especially at the steep, open field climb at the top of the mountain for fear of getting zapped. The downhill this time was super sketchy. It was a river. you couldn't see anything from the mud and water being flung in your face and eyes. I had my eyes open to tiny slits which mud still had no problem finding its way into. I got lapped by the top 3 pro men and asked one how far back the next girl was. They told me way back there, so I went really slow on the downhill and just tried not to wreck. I came across the line in 4th and was so happy that I FINALLY had a race where I felt decent and didn't have a mechanical. All those races that I was riding in podium spots until my bike died were behind me.

1st lap before the storm. I forgot my sunglasses and fortunately someone had another pair I could use. They look funny, almost in a solar shields type of way. Notice how clean I am.

After... not so clean, but damn happy and about to start freezing my butt off. Dave from Mafia Racing rushed me off to this pizza place so I wouldn't get hypothermia. I was washing off in their kitchen sink. Niiice.

Collin Becker making his re-appearance to the mtb scene. What an initiation race. He hung tough too.

XC Podium

Gondola ride. I have mermaid hair after races(from my hair being in a wet, salty braid), but it very quickly goes back to stick straight.

Sunday was the hill climb at 8 AM. I figured my prep. was bad already, so Sat night I endulged in a couple of Old Chubs, courtesy of Oskar Blues and Dale himself at the MSC races. Then I did hot and cold, switching between the hot tub and the river to try and eliminate some soreness. I hardly slept that night. I woke up every hour and it would take 10 min to go back to sleep. I was awake for 2 hours straight at one point. I guess I had a little too much caffeine before and during the race (1 gofast and 5 gus that had caffeine).

Warming up for the hill climb, I was NOT excited. I saw the course. It went up the technical downhill from the day before and I didn't get to pre-ride. The first half mile of it was literally straight up the ski slope on singletrack. They combined categories for pro and expert too, so I was really worried I was going to get beat by a bunch of the experts by the way my legs felt. AND my rear brake was toasted. I had no rear brake at all and there was a teeny bit of downhill. The gun went off and Katie Compton shot off the front immediately. I tried to hang on her wheel, but she was on this hybrid cross/mountain bike on the dirt road parade lap. No dice. I had put a gap on the field but lost a ton of time on the last downhill turn. Then Kelly Mattingly came by me as I was expecting. I let her go and was third to the singletrack. She and I rode together for awhile. I glanced over my shoulder and was happy I got a good spot. The steep, wet trail was too much for some people and they were getting off their bikes and plugging up traffic. Fortunately we had a huge gap on them and they wouldn't be gaining anytime soon. My legs did not feel good in the hill climb, but I wanted the podium bad. I gritted my teeth and suffered as much as I could bear. I'm glad there were no photographers because I was making some serious pain faces. I kept pushing myself, telling myself to be smooth, that everyone was in pain, and to hammer! The single track turned into dirt road at the top which seemed to never end. I kept looking past each switchback hoping to be at the top to no avail. Finally I crossed the line and was happy my extreme suffering paid off. Katie had a smokin time, beating me by 3.5 minutes and would have finished in the back of the pro MEN's field. 2nd was 1.5 minutes ahead of me, and I had a 3 minute gap on 4th.

Hill climb Podium

Neven and I in town. It's great to see your friends at the races. She ripped the DH and got 4th in the pros, a mere .2 seconds out of 3rd!

Non-cycling news

2007-07-25T22:06:00.001-07:00

That's right, I have a life outside of cycling. This has to do with careers and stuff. As some of you know, I have been trying really hard to pursue a job in the solar power industry. One company I interviewed with made an offer, but has still been putting it off which I do not understand. I got tired of waiting and applied other places. I found a much better fit and they actually made me an offer! It's called Sunflower Solar-- http://www.cosunflower.com/ The guys that work there are great, fun, easy-going, and not creepy old men (like my current job). I'm really excited to do something that I'm inspired to do (designing solar systems), be challenged, and feel good about my work environment. It's part-time, which is why I'm so amazed they hired me. It's really hard to land a part-time engineering position. So yay for me :) Here's to new direction that I want to go in.

Another job related topic. I'm starting my own company. I have been racking my brain since the spring about how to make it unique and cool. I will divulge more details soon. Basically it's a company that will help people get healthy in many aspects of their life. It's not geared toward the seasoned athlete or nutrition/environmental saavy guru. It's more for people who are new to fitness and health. I have had a lot of great positive feedback this year helping my friends and family, so hey, why not make some cash moneeeeeey doing it? I am also working on getting my NSCA certification for personal training. The test is the hardest one and I have really been enjoying the reading and studying. I am going to try and get a website going in the next few weeks and be up and running. If you are interested or know anyone interested, please feel free to leave me a comment with your email.

Short Track woes

2007-07-25T22:03:00.000-07:00

The course was really fun tonight. Unfortunately my legs were rotten meat sticks. Yes, they have returned and have been hiding since Crested Butte. I haven't recovered from being sick I guess. I felt heaps better than last week (I at least finished) but could not produce any power. It was very frustrating and I was debating going to Telluride this weekend. I have decided to take the chance that I might feel better by then. If not, I'll just slog it out and enjoy the scenery. :) I also got stung twice by a wasp while I was warming up. Once on my ankle/lower leg and TWICE (new update, just found this) on my butt cheek. Both are turning red and forming a large bump (much like the picture of the scary stings on my back a few months ago). They still hurt. Wah. I'm sitting on an ice pack. Try to send good leg vibes my way. I will need it.

Why my heart is bigger than my brain...

2007-07-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

After being sick for a couple days, Wed night short track rolled around. I LOVE the short track and I even got some awesome new short track socks that I was dying to try. I was feeling energetic and almost normal, so I decided I would go try to race, and if I felt bad, I'd drop out. If I didn't go, I'd be mad and regretting not going. It seemed like a good idea.... Warming up for the race, I was feeling pretty tired and super weak, like someone was draining my wattage before I could produce it. Lining up, Megan Monroe asked me, "How do you feel?" I said, "Like a frail grandmother! (no offense, Grandma! ;) )" I had a great start and actually got the hole shot in front of Kerry B. I kept riding on the side of the trail so she could pass, but she wasn't. Suddenly the weak feeling kicked in and I started going backwards fast. At the start of the third lap, I was feeling like I was going to faint. So what did I do? Crossed the line with my arms in the air pretending I was running. That didn't really help my legs, but it boosted my morale to show I was at least having some form of fun. I ended up dropping out about 10 sec later. Everything got really white and I couldn't stand up for very long. That was followed by violent coughing almost resulting in hurling up the pb& honey sandwich I had earlier in the day. It took me about 10 minutes to regain my strength to ride home. Liz was the unfortunate spectator, watching me spit every 2 seconds. The next day I felt crappy too...but today I'm feeling good again. No Winter Park tomorrow though... no racing till Telluride next week. Tomorrow is my last day of antibiotics. Now Brian has a sinus infection. This is bad stuff!

The new short track socks. yeye

I think my germs were so bad that it killed my new assface goldfish. Poor little guy. (Actually, I swore it was sick when I got it two days ago, and hah, it was)

AWwww... poor dead assface. (yes, he is dead in this photo)

Wah

2007-07-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

Wah, I'm sick today. Sinus infection. Fever, pressure, headaches, and NO riding for a week. Just wanted to whine. blah

Snowmass XC, Mountain States Cup

2007-07-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

Snowmass is one of my favorite races of the year. I have had my ups and downs at that course. Mechanicals, bonking, flat tires, you name it... it's one of the hardest courses on the circuit. I love the climbing, the aspens, the stream crossings, and the competition. Josh, Brian, and I headed to Snowmass Friday afternoon.

I snapped a few photos in the car through Glenwood Canyon. It's pretty awesome.

Josh just got a new car last week (a stick shift) and was extremely ambitious to take his new rad ride since he had just learned days previous how to drive a stick. I was very amused watching him suffer through it, especially when he got stuck in traffic on a big hill in Snowmass Village. He did very very well and I remember my days of learning to drive a stick. It's scary at first. We got up to the venue and spent some time out on the course.

Josh's worst nightmare...the stick shift. ;)

Start/Finish. That hill is WAY steeper than it looks.

We stayed at a house in Carbondale which was pretty much my dream house. Simple, wood, and way out in the country with spectacular views. The rest of the posse stayed with us (Alders, Nick, Blake, Josh, Yuki). Brian and I were confined to a very small double bed that made my queen look like a palace. We both woke up tired and grumpy in the morning since neither of us got much sleep. I began to wonder how my legs were going to feel and was stressing I'd have a Crested Butte repeat. After Josh's special oatmeal concoction, we headed out to the venue. Warming up, I noticed I was feeling surprisingly good. I didn't know if it was the Go Fast or the massage I got on Thursday, but I was excited. Jamie Justice has been playing massage therapist for me this summer and every time I get a massage from her, I feel amazing on the bike. I blame her being out of town for my rough past couple of weeks. ;) Anyway, back to racing.

Ok, I found a TT helmet. And you all know me, the goofball. I had to have some fun with it. I want to race the short track with one of these!

It was CO State Championships so my field was pretty stacked. Jenny Smith showed up to show everyone how to ride a bike (and she won Saturday too). Snowmass has a LOT of climbing, especially at the start. You basically go up a wall, settle, then up another wall. I decided that instead of my normal strategy of going super hard at the start, I started out fairly slow. The field was passing me and I was frustrated that I wasn't going as fast as they were. Sure enough, my strategy paid off. One by one, I started picking them off and was in 5th place, less than 30 seconds off 4th place at the top of the fire road. I let it fly on the singletrack to put time into the people behind me. I remembered a sharp right into the woods with a short, steep jaunt and a rock garden so I started getting my gears ready. When I went to pedal, JERK! I couldn't turn my crank. I backpedaled a hair. JERK. The chain was totally jammed. I pulled off the side of the trail in disbelief. I have had so many mechanicals this year, it's ridiculous. Then I tried to get it out. It was stuck between my granny gear and frame. I pulled and hard as I could, still stuck. I didn't have a chain tool with me, so I was preparing myself that I may have to quit. I felt my insides fall with disappointment. Then, out of nowhere, a man showed up in the trees. Some spectator and he pulled it out for me. I knew it wasn't allowed, but I just wanted to finish the stupid race and I had already lost about 3-5 minutes. He told me, "don't worry, you'll get back up there. It's a long race." I wanted to grab him and hug him, but instead I thanked him profusely and then hopped back on my bike and hurried away. I managed to make up several spots by the top of the lap, but I was worried about the downhill. I am STILL having wrist problems and it is really hard to hold on. Jesse Swift figured out a possible solution, but I had to wait till after the race to amend that. I was loosing a LOT of time on the downhill. A few women who I put MINUTES into on the climb would pass me on the downhill. It was very frustrating. I finished in 8th or 9th after all that. I would have loved to have a top 5, but I was really excited. I was climbing stronger than I ever have, and girls in my field were actually complementing me after the race. Now I just have to get my position dialed on the downhill!!

After the race, trying to play the part of a "tough girl"

I figure Scott would like a photo of their gorgeous Contessa Spark with the mountains in the background.

Me and Caitlyn waiting around for awards.

I have already moved my stem/handlebars to where I think they should be, now I just have to try it out. My wrist hurts today from the downhill. My wrists were bent too far back and needed to be way forward and down. Next race up, Boulder short track!!

Josh finished an impressive 3rd, and Brian got 7th or 8th after a gnarly crash. Good job guys! :) Monique also won the expert category by a long shot. Wait to go, state champ!

Dylan's Performance

2007-07-13T09:14:00.001-07:00

My good friend Dylan is an aspiring musician. He has released a CD which is available on I-tunes and CD Baby called Airport Weather. He has successfully been booking one man shows around Boulder. Last night he was at Burnt Toast. Here is a sample of his music. You should DEFINITELY check it out because he is very good. :) http://www.myspace.com/dylanjward. Hopefully I'll see some of you at his next show. Dylan's music is inspired by bands like Tom Petty and Son Volt. He has also been helping me along with guitar.

I played photographer/videographer/announcer with my sweet new camera. I will spare you the videos, but here are some pics. Burnt Toast is another hippie-like coffee shop/restaurant. No complaining here.

A fun post

2007-07-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have been having fun lately. I'm not afraid to admit it!! I went to Southern Sun the other night and to enjoy some delicious microbrews (made by So. Sun). They make a delicious Java Porter and also many very satisfying stouts. We came home and had to watch Borat because we needed new quotes. We tried to be neighborly and invite our neighbor, but he was too intimidated. Sucka!

Hmmm. I picked the onions off my salad. I was required to do something interesting with them.

Me, Liz, Allison. We laugh a lot. My favorite kind of people.

brian came over and was subjected to our intoxication.

me and Liz. She was dressed appropriately for the Sun with the hippie hair thingie.

Boulder Short Track

2007-07-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

This will be a short post. I felt a lot better this week and was definitely punishing my lungs and my legs. The course was super twisty and fun!! My professional unofficial photographer couldn't make it (Liz), so no photos. I also was asked to announce the men's race. It was pretty sweet. I played DJ too and took Sublime off the PA (who puts SUBLIME on during a bike race??) and loaded up some sweet techno to get things hotter. No photos from the men's race either, sorry. I think announcing is a good gig for me because I'm not afraid to say stupid things and be silly. I'm no Dave Tuel or Phil Ligget though!!!

Snowmass XC is tomorrow. I'm heading out in just a few minutes. I am banking on some good legs tomorrow. It's my favorite course, so we'll see how it goes down!!!

Extreme Tubing

2007-07-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

Adam convinced me to take part of the day off work on Monday and go tubing. I have always wanted to try it, but was nervous that I was going to hurt myself for racing. I came out relatively unscathed...just a few cuts and bruises. He had just bought a new tube and apparently didn't know how big to inflate it! He sent me down the worst rapids on that thing (and I got sucked under both times) until I demanded a trade. It was then he realized that my tube needed more air. Ooops. We made 3 runs down the river. It was so cold because started in the morning. both of us were shivering and shaking in our tubes. More people came to tube later, but we didn't see many going down the big rapids at the start! It was pretty fun and adventurous. Can't wait to try it again. I think this day held the record of how much water has gone up nose. I went swimming with my roommate and her friends later...and somehow kept sucking in water. Not my favorite activity.

Waterfall 1. MY response was, "we are going down THAT???? Are you SERIOUS?!?!"

Waterfall 2. Scary too. The rest of the rapids seemed like nothing.

This woman was stuck between the push-pull of the current. When this happens, you either have to try and get the heck out of there, or you will probably get sucked under.

Me and Adam...complete with dirt in my teeth. It happens even when I'm NOT racing. huh.

Extreme Tubing and Boulder Short Track

2007-07-12T08:42:00.001-07:00

coming up soon...

Nights out

2007-07-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

That's right folks. Sonya Looney actually went out to the bars. I know it's a miracle, but it happens...about 4-5 times a year. Read it and weep! I have been trying to be really good about being as healthy and responsible as I can for bike racing. Alcohol usually does not imply either one of those, so you can see why I have been avoiding it.... which also means my already low tolerance has faded to basically nothing. Last summer I had bloodwork done and the doc commented on how low my liver enzyme count was and that I must never drink. haha, that explains it all.

Friday night:

Pool party with BOTH roomies and their friends, and then off to the bars to drink some much needed margaritas. mmmm. Then I met up with Thurein (and various other engineering pals from when I worked int he Power Electronics Lab).

Liz's normal reaction to Brent.

Me and Thurein eating sushi (and Montu in the background). We went and played darts later. The boys were very alarmed with the force that I use when I throw the darts. I know you're supposed to just use your forearm. But I am an endurance athlete. I like to go hard. So I use my whole body complete with the shoulder turn. C'mon, I used to be a tennis player after all, you gotta use the core and shoulders. :)

The roommates and Sonya after 2 margs. Looks like my alter-ego was coming out. The Looney (and sometimes Son-yat) When riding home, I was saying to strangers, "Very nice! How much?"

Bri. Blah blah blah. :) This pic is fun

Saturday:
Monique's bday. I wasn't even sure I wanted to go out, but Brian and I peeled ourselves off the couch after being in a cookie coma to hit the town.

Monique and I...double trouble.

AHH, it's the cookie monster!

Some of my favorite things. My Powerbook, my SCOTT BIKES (hot hot hot!!!) and my world-famous cookies. Ask anyone, they are the best!! Come over if you want one!

Me and my sweetie. That's niiice!

Brent Milla practicing his self-photography skills. Ranno and Josh look like they are having fun in the background!

More pics of my fav. boys. They are the best too.

Brown ale, straight up. I missed my dark beer.

Ok, after FRS and ibuprofen, time to go ride off this hangover!!!

Boulder Short Track 4th o July

2007-07-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

Wed. Short Track #4. My first thought was, "Where IS everyone?" Drinking, bbqing, or firecracker 50-ing. There's not much to say about my race. I'm still feeling super tired. I was going as hard as my legs would go. Unfortunately, that speed was a speed where I was NOT breathing hard. I looked like I was doing a recovery ride and was chatting with Brian and Collin as I went by. I wanted to go harder and be tasting iron from my lungs, but my body took charge saying, "no, no no!!" I still got 2nd with not a lot of effort which makes me happy, but dangit, I shoulda won it.

I used my new camera to take photos of Brian (and the pro men's) STXC. Brian has a broken rib right now. As I was walking up the hill to watch the race, I heard four guys say, "OOOOO." That meant a crash. I looked at the field. No Brian, no Josh. I guess Josh went down right in front of Brian. Brian flew through the air and WWF styled kneed Josh in the back by accident. Both of them were okay, just minutes back by the time they got going again. They amazingly got back up there and Brian got FOURTH after all that. I am sure he would have won it had he not gone down. He's riding really strong right now and will be heading to the NC Norba soon. I will be heading to Telluride that weekend to rip my own legs off.

La photographia:

Flat irons and racing. yeye

Me and Monique. She just moved to boulder

Josh asking for MORE laps as he went by. What a sick, sick man. ;)

My OTHER boyz. :) ryan lynch and the one and only chris jung

Brian laying the smack down, the gnashing of the teeth. That is a suffer face if I do say so myself!

suh suh suh singletrack!!!!!

Sweet music

2007-07-04T16:09:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to share this with you. It's really awesome and I always listen to it before I race or do a big ride. I need to download it so I can get it on my ipod. Enjoy!!!

Happy 4th!

2007-07-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

4th o' July means I get a whole day off just to do what I want to do! :) And what do I want to do, you may ponder (or maybe you already know). I headed to Evergreen, home of sweet trails and hilly road rides. I met Steve Ruckhaus, the Cannondale rep, and we headed out to 3 Sisters so he could show me what Evergreen has to offer. Don't tell anyone, but the trails are really fun and the scenery is beeeautiiful. The trails were pretty crowded and I was happy to see that mountain biking is not dead. In fact, it's very alive. So alive, that my roommate, Liz, when mountain biking for her first time last Sunday and LOVED it! I told her it's like hiking, except you get to go faster. :) Anyway, coming back into town, Steve and I heard a marching band with bagpipes that took me back almost a decade (ugh, getting old) to my freshman/sophomore years of high school where we had pipes in our marching band show. I had a great time and Steve was absolutely hilarious. Then I came home and tinkered with my guitar for awhile...and now I'm about to hop back on the bike to show the suffer face at the short track. I'm very distraught because I lost one of my short track socks...maybe I'll just wear one. I will be sorry later for sipping on this GoFast at 5 PM. I have just been so dang tired lately.
Me and Steve on our Scott and Cannondale, my two favorite bike brands. :)

As Borat would say, "Very nice!"

Dang it, why does every single place I go this summer have orange barrels, cones, and flaggers. NO MORE CONSTRUCTION!

In other news, my digital camera finally died (why my blog has been lacking photos that I took). I got a new one last night that is really cool. I can even take videos with this one, AND I have a 2 gig card on the way. Fun for you, fun for me. :) Last night I had to take photos with my new toy...

Me and Bri. I think this pic is funny. Don't worry, brian doesn't always rock the "mexi-stash" as he calls it. haha

Brian, Liz, and Allison. We were going to hit up the pool, but it actually rained pretty hard here. It's been super hot (100!!! with NO AC...)

Me and Lizzle sipping on crys. oh wait, sangria.

Uhh... Sangria... it just put me in a cataonic state where all I could do is laugh hysterically at Zoolander. Good times!

Home sweet home...

2007-07-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

Sort of. Wah, I miss the fam. I do have the coolest family ever, but at least I will see everyone (even my cousin!!) in Hawaii next month. WOOOO HOOO. I CANNOT wait.

This is the first weekend I have spent at home since mid April. It's nice although it is 100 out right now. I rode this morning with Caitlyn up at Ned. My legs are super tired and I'm not sleeping well again... just like in April when I got really overtrained. I am proceeding with caution this week.

caitlyn, showing me who is boss.

I love the Ned trails....

Brian, Liz, and I were going to camp on friday, but we were all too tired. Instead we drank wine and Brian took videos of Liz and I playing duets (viola/flute). We are so psyched that we went to the store to get more duet books. Finally, a reason to practice my flute. After hearing the videos, I am ashamed of myself for being so lazy and must play more often! :) At least I have someone to play with now. Liz has all the pics/videos on her camera. I may add some later. (They are on her blog too)

I think Liz has had a little too much preschool time....

Me impersonating Liz's viola

Liz and I having fun. The slapping sound is a slap wrap bracelet I got at the toy store the other day. Remember those?

I have been spending the afternoon with the curtains drawn and the fan on to get away from the heat. That's right people, Boulder doesn't believe in AC. awww, now I'm caught up on the blogging too.

camping with the fam.

2007-07-01T15:49:00.000-07:00

Liz and I had to sit in construction on the way to Silverton. It was very annoying so we were excited to finally make it there after literally not moving for 30 minutes, and getting stuck behind huge trucks going super slow on a two lane highway. The rest of the photos are compliments of Liz and my grandpa. My camera has been temperamental and can't hold many photos anyway(I haven't gotten a memory card).

South Mineral Campground is my favorite place on earth, especially when my favorite people on earth are there! :) We spent time in Silverton, celebrated my mom's bday, went hiking, had fires and s'mores, relaxed, saw an 8'x8' piece of ice fall off this huge waterfall, grilled, drank good beer(my dad's homebrews!), and just had a gosh darn good old time!! :) I won't go into too many details, but I will post pics. YOu can also check out Liz's blog too which I posted the address and password a few entries ago.

My poor door. Yeah, that's a gaping hole where the lock cylinder used to go.

Who could ask for a better pal than Liz???? pretty amazing.

I love this waterfall...I have seen it many times!

Liz made me put my feet in the ice cold river. I don't mind cold water (obviously from my ice baths), but I HATE getting my feet wet when I have shoes on.

8 bucks...I shoulda bought it

This was on our hike...halfway up!

awww, my dad is so cute.

Hiking photozzzz

Liz realizes she is "Looney-ized." Hmmm...maybe not a happy camper?? Or maybe she is in shock that she is watching a marching band.

My brother doing his thing!

Ok, enough photos.. I know you've had enough. Another note about the trip. it took me NINE AND A HALF hours to get home driving solo. Liz told me there was construction on I-70, so I had a great shortcut planned out which turned into a total nightmare. Sketchy dirt roads, having to turn around after many miles of sketchy dirt road b/c it turned into 4 wheel drive 2 miles away from where I needed to be, and a VERY unhappy Sonya (yes, the drive was solo)

Crested Butte

2007-06-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

Go back one week. Last Friday.

I was super excited that I finally got to go to Crested Butte to do the mountain states cup race there. My family has an annual camping trip at South Mineral Campground (since I was 2) that I never miss, and consequently, this race always happens during the race. I decided to make the sacrifice and miss a few days with the fam to check out Wildflower Rush. Brian and I took the tough bastard (my car, the Sentra) up to Crested Butte, loaded down, but getting superb gas mileage! I was really excited to camp there too and have heard so many great things about the camping. We got suited up and pre-rode the course. My legs felt like rotten meat sticks, but I remember that at Deer VAlley the weekend before my legs had felt awful on the pre-ride and great during the race. Not to worry. As we were leaving the car, I put my car key in my jersey pocket. I usually hide the key near my car just in case, but for some reason, I took it with me. About 2 minutes from the bottom of the lap, I had an unfortunately crash. I did a sommersault in the air and my bike flew over my head. The handlebar slammed down on my knee (good thing I put the plastic ends on them or it would be nasty). I shook it off and rode down a little further. Then I decided to make sure I had everything. I reached in my pocket...ipod, check. pump, check. tool, check. car key....... car key.... (my hand frantically moving around in my pocket)....car key.... no car key. I started to freak out (because I did NOT bring a spare). I went back to the site of the crash and was searching through the grass and bushes. 3 nice people saw me and were trying to help. nothing. I rode back down to find Brian waiting for me at the car. He took one look at me and said, "What's WRONG?" I replied, "I... I... (tears starting to flow).... I crashed and... and... I lost the car key!" He acted like it was no big deal. EVERYTHING was locked in the car. I was trying to call local towing companies from the bike shop phone while Brian used Mike West's phone to call AAA. The nightmare began... AAA said they could get someone out in an hour and a half. Meanwhile we managed to break into my car with some help. I don't have a trunk latch, so I busted through the backseat to access the trunk. At least we had everything we needed to camp and race. However, I told my parents that if they didn't see me by Saturday at 6 PM, that meant something very bad happened to me. They don't have cell service up there and I was flipping out knowing that I may not be able to go anywhere for awhile. We talked to the company AAA gave us, a local locksmith (6 PM). He said that in order to make a key, he'd need the lock cylinder out of the door, and that it would cost 250 for someone to come get it. I was flabberghasted and decided that I was going to take the lock cylinder out. I changed a window once by myself and wasn't afraid to take the door panel off. Unfortunately the lock cylinder clip was difficult to get out. Brian, Andy Schultz, and I were all trying to get it. WE ended up sticking a screwdriver in the lock and prying it out. Bad idea. Andy drove me to the locksmith and it was this old man who kept telling this corny jokes. It's 8 PM by now... I didn't eat any food after my ride or drink any water, feeling weak, stressed, and tired. He is taking his sweet time and then tells us that we sort of damaged the lock and he can't make a key. He said he didn't want to file one either because it would take too long. His next instruction was to have someone make a copy of both sides of the key, trace the ridges, and fax him a copy in the morning. I knew how blunted my key was and how hard of a time it took Ace Hardware to make a copy of it. Disaster. I called Liz and she was going to a movie and said she'd call me back.

The bottom one is my key.... a comparison to show you how bad my key was...

In the meantime, I set up the tent in the dirt parking lot (not happy b/c there is GREAT camping all around). Brian and I tried to go to bed, but there were these stupid kids having a fire right outside our tent. I heard from Liz at 10 something. she found my spare and made a copy of it. She decided there was NO way that the locksmith could make a copy from the key. Liz said, "I'll just come down there tomorrow." I was in disbelief and kept poking Brian trying to tell him about my shock (he grunted and went back to sleep! haha) Liz said, "So don't worry about the key, just race well tomorrow." ...which is the opposite of what happened. I lined up at the start the next morning after getting only 5 hours of sleep, and not eating or drinking the day before. My legs were not feeling good on my warm-up either. I should have been excited to get called up in third, but I wasn't... I didn't want to be there. Not only did I not want to be there, but we were supposed to ride THIRTY miles which is about an hour longer than usual. We tried to talk the officials into a shorter race but no way. Katie Compton said, "Ok, nobody quit!" I rode the first lap at a pace I would do a recovery ride at, but that was as hard as I could go. I started out on the second lap, got up the fire road aways and decided there was NO way I was going to finish THREE laps, so I flipped it and dropped out. This is the first time I have ever quit a race other than being so injured that I couldn't. I did the right thing though.

Liz arrived a couple hours later and I was so happy and relieved. We headed to Silverton to camp with my family.

update soon

2007-06-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

I know you are dying to hear about my last weekend. It's a LONG story with some horrible times for me, hence entertaining times for you. I went to Crested Butte to do a race and then to Silverton to camp with the fam. Details to come...

In the meantime, read Liz' blog. It's private so her snot-nosed students can't get in and read about her life, but you can! Here is the log-in/password just for you: email: friendofleapnlzrds@gmail.com
password: guest123. Oh yeah,a nd the site: leapnlzrds.blogspot.com (sorry, I am too lazy to make a link...I did a 4 hour ride today and it's WAY past my bedtime...) ENJOY! her entry is spectacular complete with many photos AND videos! Some will be repeated on my blog.

Boulder Short Track #2

2007-06-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling pretty tired since Deer Valley and was debating all day whether I should do the short track today....quick review, I almost got crashed out at the start followed by a crash in front of me a few minutes later. Then I had some severe intestine-area pain that lasted an hour after (and during) the race where I was seriously contemplating the ER when it suddenly went away... I think it was from taking the massive amount of ibuprofen (800 mg 3 times a day) for my stupid knee that has been hurting over a week. The course was super fun, but my rotten meat stick legs wouldn't let me make up for my poor start and I ended up in 5th.... I think I definitely coulda been top 3 if I had better luck. Damn the bad luck!! That's ok.... I'll trade a bad start at a boulder ST for the good start I had on Sunday! A big thank you to all who were cheering me on while I was in the hurt locker! :) Also, a big thank you to my friend Liz, for supporting me and taking photos! :)

Here is a mix of pics from this week and last week's short track:

The start this week

Last week's start

Yay! Downhill!

short, steep hills. Ouch

Mountain view. As Borat would say, "NICE!"

Brian killing it in the short track

Deer Valley Norba National Short Track

2007-06-18T22:20:00.001-07:00

AFter waiting around all day for the start, Judy and I were excited when we could start playing with our bikes and go warm up. My legs were rotten meat sticks on the warm-up. After a few hard efforts, they only felt worse! I rode a few laps on the course and was dreading my fate of finishing in the back. I was cursing myself for passing on the ice bath the night before. I even was contemplating not even starting the race.

I lined up pretty much in the back and wasn't nervous. I just wanted it over! I managed to not get stuck behind a crash and was in a pretty good spot. I wasn't sure exactly how far in front I was, I figured in the 20s somewhere. I got passed by a few people after awhile but was having fun and was surprised I was keeping my position. I was digging deep on the climb so much that I could taste the blood/iron taste from my lungs. Yummy!! Then something bad happened. A girl bobbled in front of me and I had to get off the bike and start running. A few more girls came by. By the time I was back on my bike, the group I was in front of was gone!! Then I got pulled. We watched the men's race which was pretty exciting too. My heart broke a little when I saw Ross Schnell in his sweet Trek suit go down in a corner when it was looking like the podium was calling his name. His luck is worse than mine this year, but he's totally got it. We all know. :)

Judy and I began the long drive back to Boulder and got in close to 2 am. I was glad to get home and sleep in my own bed that night. I checked results today and was flabberghasted at my result. 21st. By far my best result at a national. Furthermore, I looked into the results further. I looked at the names of the people that passed me. Turns out I was riding in 13th-17th for most of the laps. I am super excited!! This is by far the best I have done so far at a national. Maybe it's the gluten and dairy free diet I have been on for 2.5 weeks!! OH yeah, I didn't tell you about my food allergy diet. I was off tomato, wine, chocolate, soy products, dariy, wheat/gluten, bell pepper, and mint for 2.5 weeks. It was really hard and I'm starting to reintroduce stuff into my diet to see what is the allergen (I have had bad heartburn for 2 years). I found that gluten/dairy free makes me recover faster and rider harder. yaaaay

boulder short track on Wednesday. Can't wait.

Deer Valley Norba National XC

2007-06-18T22:19:00.000-07:00

Friday

After waking up the painful sound of the alarm at 6 AM, I headed over to Bryan Alder’s house so we could pack up and head to Utah. We fit three people (me, Bryan, and Brian), our stuff, and all our bikes inside his four runner. The shortest way to get to Park City was through Wyoming. Remind me never to go back to southern Wyoming. It was a straight road all the way through with flat land as far as the eye could see. People in Wyoming wear cowboy hats too. The only cool thing we saw in Wyoming was that there were tons of wind generators. They would be grouped together in large numbers (like 80 or so). I wanted to get out a take some photos, but we had to keep on truckin’. It’s amazing how large those structures are and the speed at which the blades can turn.

We were very excited to finally get to Park City after almost 8 hours in the car. Brian still had to inflate his tires at the gas station that was totally packed. I have never seen a gas station so crowded. After registering at the venue, Bryan and I went to go ride the course while Brian still had to go mail his taxes that had to be in by 5. I know, all the Bry(i)an’s…so confusing. I did this race last year and I loved the course despite my horrible performance. Bryan and I were getting suited up when I looked in my bag. No bike shorts (Chami). I had packed two days in advance this time to make sure I brought everything. I even brought extra stems in case I was uncomfortable with my position on the bike. I did remember my skinsuit, so I wore that on the pre-ride. Fortunately my teammates came to this national and one of them had an extra pair of shorts I could borrow. While pre-riding, I was terrified at the aspect of having another bad national this year. My legs felt like rotten meat sticks and I wondered to myself how I would manage to pull out THREE laps at race pace. I could barely even make it up the first climb on the pre-ride!! I finally got to our condo at about 630 PM and the rest of the evening, I dreaded the race in the morning.

Saturday

Another early start to the day since our race was at 11 and you have to eat 3 hours before. Judy and I were cooking up our oatmeal and trying to get psyched about the race. I kept wondering to myself how bad I would have to feel if I were to quit, and if that is a good idea. It seems like when the faster people have a really bad day, they just drop out. I can see why in some cases, but I think maybe part of it is to save face. It’s really embarrassing to finish way behind what everyone expects of you and of what you are capable. I headed out an hour before to warm-up. My front wheel was barely turning. Figures. I had to track down the right tool to push my pads back in (the brake lever had accidentally been pulled). I usually bring all my tools, but I somehow forgot the right one for this job. Maybe it was with my chami. It was kind of stressful because I really need a full hour to warm-up and this had already eaten up some time. During my warm-up, I noticed that I actually was feeling a LOT better than the day before and dare I say, really really good? I was surprised and was interested to see how this would fare in the XC.

This time I chose the correct side to line up on at the start. There is always a crash and fortunately this time, it was to my left. I started passing a lot of girls on the climb. I felt myself getting close to blowing up, so I backed it off a little and turned it back on at the top of the climb. I was surprised to see whom I was actually in front of. I was still descending like a grandma (I don’t know what my problem is this year), but managed to hold my position. Then something wonderful happened. About 2/3 through the first lap, a man was counting our positions. He told me 25th when I came through. I was excited and managed to pass a couple more on the climb (although they passed me back on the downhill). I kept my 25th spot for half the race until trouble… brrahhhp. That was the sound of my flat tire complaining as I rounded a corner. “NOT AGAIN!!” I thought to myself. I already flatted twice at Angel Fire after having a great cross country. I quickly tried to inflate it with my CO2. It seemed to hold. I got back on the bike and suddenly my quads began to cramp and my back started spasming. I just got my bike a week ago and didn’t have the time or the cash to get a bike fit before this race. I thought it would be okay, but being in a totally different position really messed me up. My hardtail has a broken derailleur hanger so I couldn’t bring that bike. When your back and quads won’t work, it is REALLY hard to ride uphill. I started loosing quite a few spots since I was just mashing the pedals at a very slow rate. My tire felt weird so I decided to stop and check it again. A lot of air had gone out so I had to add MORE to it. I was hoping that maybe since I had stopped and gotten off the bike again, maybe the cramping would subside. It didn’t. I came through for my third lap somewhere in the 30s. Then the start hill again. I slowed down even more on purpose there, contemplating if I should finish the race. My back and quads were in really bad shape, and my knee was hurting too from the new position (I got tendonitis after last weekend and many ibuprofens later). I decided that I’m not a quitter and that I should just ride the course and try to have fun. I rode the third lap even slower, but managed to cross the line in one piece. I was pretty disappointed with my endless bad luck at these races, but happy when I thought about how I was in the top 25 for half the race, which is really a break-through for me. I know I will finish there if I have a race where I don’t have cramping or flat tires. I think I cramped because I didn’t get enough water. I was drinking one bottle per lap, but I guess that wasn’t enough. At least Brian did well! He got 18th!!!! Today is the short track and then we have a LONG drive back tonight. I have been racing short track really well this year, but I will have to start in the back. Hopefully I have a little good luck and can make up some spots.

Boulder short track 1

2007-06-18T22:17:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night(last week)!! First Boulder short-track of the year and my first boulder short-track ever. Aside from the long registration line, it looked to be like a fun course and a great time. The field actually had some really fast people. It isn’t a boulder short track if you don’t have some of the fastest girls in the country lining up next to you! Kerry Barnholt and Jen Gersbach were off the front pretty quickly. I was in third position behind them, but I just couldn’t hang on. My legs were feeling okay, but were tired from my 2.5 hour ride in the rain on Tuesday. I managed to hang on to third for most of the race until I got tired. I faded back to fifth and kept that spot till the finish. Liz came out to watch the short track and was my personal cheerleader AND photographer. I can’t wait till next week’s short track!

Photos to come tomorrow, check back :)

Ridin in the rain

2007-06-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

Yep, it rained almost all day today, but I really wanted to take my hot new Scott Contessa Spark for a ride!! It faired well on the mountain bike trails with all the wet rocks and roots. It was really beautiful in the mountains today while it was raining. So much that I didn't even mind riding in the rain. The most annoying part is that after being in the rain for 2.5 hours, my fingers were pruny for a long time after that. Ick! I've been trying to get everything ready for Deer Valley too. It's been sorta stressful because my rear race wheel is misbehaving and Stan's is leaking out around the valve. That's what happened when I flatted at Angel Fire too, so I put some new rim tape and am letting it seal. I hope it works when I try to air it up tomorrow. I'm trying to get my position set before I go too. I am getting a fit when I get back, I just can't swing it before leaving. I should be able to get it pretty close. My knee is hurting pretty bad right now from riding in a weird position all weekend, but hopefully it will go away. Tomorrow night is the first Boulder short track too!! I'm excited to go. They always have fun music and Dave Towle announcing. He is very very entertaining!!

That's all for now.

Slack!

2007-06-11T08:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I know I promised an Angel Fire update, but that just never happened. It seems ages ago now. ;) I have been working and trying to train a little bit during the weeks and very much enjoying not going to class or having any homework.

I raced 24 hours of Erock last weekend with my team (they did most of the work, I Just came and rode some daytime laps). It was still fun. I also got to try out a 29-er. It was a good time to hang out with the girls. I got my NEW Scott Contessa Spark on Friday and got to ride it all weekend! It's a sweet bike, but it feels weird after my hardtail. It rides really nice and I will get used to all that yummy travel very soon. It is really nice looking and Shep made sure to get the pink housing looking rad. (pics to come later).

This past weekend was my first weekend not racing in 7 weeks. It was marvelous!! My roommate, Brian, and I went camping at Kelly Dahl, a campground about 4 miles outside Ned. We went on some awesome rides both days. Walt, Sarah, and Miguel came up on Sunday to ride too.

I will have the full report on camping soon. All I can say is that it was so great to finally be camping again and I got to use my new tent. Liz has made a detailed post about camping, so I'm trying to figure out how you all can access those particular posts since her blog is private. We don't want any of her music students reading her blog now, do we?

Deer Valley is this weekend. I'm a little nervous taking my new bike. I think I'd take the hardtail, but the derailleur hanger is toasted and it'll be awhile before I get a new one. :( wah

Angel Flat Tire Fire

2007-05-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

Yes... I will give you the full report later, but it's time for bed now. Read it and I will weep my friends. First I flatted with 15 minutes to go in the XC. I was in a solid 10th or 11th with at least a 6 minute gap on the next person. I only lost 2 spots, but those were 2 big spots I wanted to have.

Short track the next day. Start gun went off and I had a super start. Katie Compton was off the front instantly. Gretchen Reeves and I were shoulder to shoulder, so I let her have the second spot. I'd rather sit on her wheel. Downhill we went and I felt like I was going really fast, but staying smooth. I felt something wet on my leg and thought, "oh god I hope that isn't my tire sealant." then I heard the horrible sound of air whooshing out of my tire. Puncture, wouldn't seal. That was it for the short track. I was feeling good and the field was such that I had a mere chance of getting the podium. Guess my streak is over for awhile...

Creatures in the foothills

2007-05-23T16:18:00.000-07:00

My friend Jeff and I went riding in the north foothills yesterday. I always love going back to the roots and riding the foothills. It was nice to actually have a mountain bike to ride. IN the late winter when I was here, I still didn't have a mountain bike b/c I sold mine from the year before. I had to ride my rigid cyclocross bike and was sad b/c I couldn't bomb the downhills! I was bummed not to have my camera b/c the desert is so gorgeous right now. Apparently Alb. has been getting a lot of rain, and there are all kinds of desert blooms and greenery.

There was quite a bit of wildlife on this particular ride. I was going pretty fast on a section of trail when it registered that there was HUGE snake hogging most of it. To avert it, I had to slam on my brakes and run into a bush to get as far away from it as possible. What is "it" you wonder? The biggest rattlesnake I have EVER seen. It looked like a huge python. I yelled to Jeff trying to warn him. Fortunately (or unfortunately) the snake had coiled itself up out of the trail when Jeff came by (I am not sure Jeff really heard what I was yelling). The rattlesnake had like 10 prines or rattles and was about 3 inches in diamater, and was several feet long!!! I have been seeing WAY too many snakes this year. A rattler is not who I want to run into!! I have seen them on the trails before, but NEVER that large. I was highly alarmed. In my alert state, about 5 seconds after I got rolling again, a bunny ran across the trail and scared the life out of me. I wonder if Rattler has been chomping down bunnies to get so big? After that, the sight of a root would mildly freak me out.

This isn't the actual snake we say, but the size is comparable. He was coiled up like this after I went by. He was stretched out across the trail initially.

Later on, Jeff and I were going downhill again on some singletrack when suddenly I felt a sharp, biting pain on my chest near my collarbone. I pulled over erratically to brush off whatever bit or stung me. I thought it was gone, so we got rolling again pretty fast. Suddenly I felt the stinging on my back. PING! PING! one after the other. I almost wrecked when it started, slammed on my brakes and very frantically unzipped my jersey, and stuck my had on my back. I felt some bug on my back and crushed him immediately. It stung for quite awhile after, but I didn't think it'd be a big deal. I'm not sure what it was that got me, but it did not feel good, and the little critter certainly left his mark. I have one of these on my chest, and this is his work on my back. Ouch!!!! It was like he was zorro or something making a Z. haha

That's a lot of bites..that's how long it took me to stop I guess. Now it itches. Little jerk.

The rest of the ride was fun and uneventful as far as animals go...well besides Jeff being an animal on the bike. :)

Battle the Bear report and photos

2007-05-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

A few notes...

This race was nice because it was local. We did 5 laps. I lined up in the front row, but felt insecure about being there! I was happy to place where I did because at least now I feel like I deserve to be in the front row. It's not my favorite type of mountain bike course because it was so flat! There were two very short hill sections. That was my only hope of putting time into people because I don't like the flats! Flats are hard because there is no place to recover. You have to constantly be pedaling unlike a hilly course where you get a long downhill section. I would actually force myself to sing a song out loud (a Son Volt song) on the flats to keep myself from blowing up. I blew up the first lap trying to attack and lost a spot, and I didn't want it to happen again. I was happy that I was pretty consistent with my lap times. Hopefully I can keep up my podium streak! :)

Podium shot!

It's funny, this photo was actually taken of me on my warm-up lap, hence the ipod. ;)

I like this photo a lot. Downhill section! there was a sneaky turn on this part that I almost missed a few times. I was borderline crashing grabbing rear brake to whip the back end around. FUN!

Tough Girl team photos!!

2007-05-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

Look at all my hot teammates! :) These photos were taken at Battle the Bear. For more about my team, go to toughgirlcycling.com

Kid's race

Hmm... Team blondie + Sonya

It's always a reunion!

2007-05-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

Albuquerque is not a small town, yet every time I come home, I run into a slew of people I know.

Example 1: earlier this year I was at this bar called the copper lounge. In the space of 2 minutes I ran into not ONE but TWO ex-boyfriend types (never officially boyfriends, but dudes I went on a couple dates with)

Example 2: I go out to eat somewhere and the waitress was this girl who I really didn't like in high school. I realized people change (thank goodness), but she was still as snooty as ever.

Example 3: I go out to Fox and Hound and invite a bunch of my friends. One of my other friends from high school happened to be working there (which was a plus, who invited more people I knew in high school that I liked.) Fortuitously, a large group from my undergraduate is 30 ft away playing pool. I try my hardest to be antisocial and not make eye contact. One of the guys is the one who pinched my butt at a party while I was intoxicated, resulting in me chasing after him outside into the street...followed by him diving into a moving car to get away from me and me falling down in the road mangling my knee(I took a picture of it with my cell phone, but I will spare you and not post it. It's really bloody and gory. Just because I think it's rad doesn't mean you will!!)....followed by Adam driving me to the ER where I was crying and blubbering in the car b/c I knew I couldnt do this bike race I love that was in 2 weeks. The guy who pinched my butt didn't believe me when I told him what happened. I couldn't bend me knee for two weeks...so I couldn't drive my standard and it was very hard to sit down. Let's see who else I will run into here. I stay free and clear of Defined Fitness on Juan Tabo, land of many guys who I dated and decided that it was not going to work, some I may not have been super nice to after they started acting retarded. Yes, sometimes sarcasm gets the best of me. I don't hate anyone and wouldn't hide from an ex, but I prefer not to have the awkward conversation about how I've been. Do they really care anyway? I know I don't really care about how they have been (well, except for a select few). Sorry, tantrum.

Back to the beginning of example 3...the bar was really fun. It's great that my bro can actually come and hang out, and drink me under the table any day. Yes, I confess. I had beer last night(3!, oh the humanity!), and 3 nacho chips, and 1 french fry. ;) I miss my Boulder hippie food, the green trees (and green tea), the river, my hilarious roommate, and my Boulder hippie green architect bike riding boyfriend who needs me to entertain him so he won't work 80 hours a week and ride himself into an oblivion. :)

Saturday I'm off to Angel Fire. XC is on Sunday, STXC on Monday. I'm about to go ride Sandia Peak today. My old stomping grounds....it's where I did my first bike race. I'm hoping to break my record to the top. It will be a precursor to how fast I'll be climbing this weekend. Basically I have to ride up and down the Angel Fire mountain twice. Good times. I am excited to finally do a real mountain bike race, no more of this flat crap with no rocks. Boring. I just wish my Scott Contessa Spark came in this week. I am ready to ride a dualie for a little while!

Second pro podium!

2007-05-21T17:42:00.001-07:00

just quick update... got 5th at Battle the Bear. :) Finally I had a good XC, first XC of the year where something bad didn't happen. More to come!

Got to ABQ today. yaaay! :)

Battle the Bear XC tomorrow morning

2007-05-19T17:54:00.000-07:00

I've enjoyed a relaxing week this week. I went and rode the Betasso connector this morning and am happy to report that I didn't feel like fainting. I don't know what was up with that last week, but I am doing much better. yesss

Tomorrow morning is a local race in Lakewood. I am not looking forward to getting at 6 AM to eat breakfast tomorrow (you have to eat 3 hours before your race to avoid digestion issues). I am happy to not have to travel very far to the race, just a 35 minute drive. From what I hear, the field will be pretty challenging tomorrow. However, my legs felt good today during my opener ride, so wish me luck! :)

I'm headed to ABQ on Monday to finally spend some quality time at home. It seems like every time I go home, it's a mad rush to train, see everyone, and drive home. I may actually get bored this time. I am looking forward to paying Sportz Outdoor a visit too. :) I'm staying in ABQ till Saturday, and then I'll go to Angel Fire, NM for the second mountain states cup. yaaay!! I love that race. Then I have to come home and work like a normal person. Damn, and I'm just getting used to vacation mode.

Chalk Creek Stampede...err.. Circus

2007-05-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

My first pro podium, woohoo

Last Saturday was the XC and the first Mountain States Cup of the season in Nathrop, CO. My start wasn't until 2:30 PM, so I got the luxury of leaving Saturday morning at a reasonable hour. I have never done this particular race before and I really like to pre-ride the course before I race it. I decided I was going to warm up on the course before my start. One loop was 7 miles, so I figured it shouldn't take too long. There were some expert men racing at the time, so I just stayed out of the way. I was beginning to get nervous when it seemed like I had been out on the course for awhile and the trail just kept going farther and farther way from the venue. Finally I asked someone how far we were on the loop. When he told me about half way and my watch said 2:20 PM, I started to freak out. I already had to pick up the pace earlier because I realized I should make it back with time to spare, but when I heard this, I had to go at race pace in order to make it back in time. Fortunately we were more like 2/3 of the way through, but I rolled up to the start with 2 minutes to go, disheveled, out of breath, and flustered. I reached down to get a drink of water only to find that I had lost one of my water bottles on the course, and did not drink as much water as I should have during the warm-up. since there was a neutral feed and I still had one bottle, I decided that I would just get another at the feed and would be okay with just one bottle for the first lap. There were some fast girls that showed up, but despite that fact, I had a pretty decent first lap considering how hard I had just gone to make it back in time. I was looking for the feed, and the guy had his BACK turned. I said, "bottle!" he didn't flinch. "BOTTLE!" He turned around too late after I had already past. I decided not to go back b/c I still had a little water left in my one bottle. 5 minutes later, I reached down to get a sip of water because my mouth was getting really sticky and dry. I wiffed some air with my hand where my bottle should have been. I looked down at my bottle cages in disbelief to see that my SECOND bottle was gone. There are some trees we had to hop/ride over, and a lot of people were losing bottles there. About half way through the second lap, all bets were off. I had gone 15 miles (including my warm up lap) with NO water in the afternoon heat, and still had 6 more miles to go before I could even get any water. Suddenly I started feeling really sick to my stomach and was dry heaving, and trying to hold my stomach with one hand and ride with the other. Then my legs turned into rotten, dried up sponges and at least 5 girls past me. By the time I got to the aid station, I was really angry and pulled over to grab two bottles, and downed as much water as I could. I spent the next 14 miles trying to get my legs and body to work again, but to no avail. I wanted to quit and was so frustrated that I finally felt decent at a race and then got dehydrated. I guess there is something to learn every race!

The next day was the short track. The guys and I went to Chris' condo in Breckenridge for the night. I took the coldest ice bath I have ever taken. I had a bag of 10lbs of ice, and another 6 lb bag. The water is so cold in Breck that the ice wasn't even really melting. There was just this huge 7-8 lb block of ice floating in the water with a bunch of smaller ice cubes. I got in and wasn't sure I'd be able to handle it for my normal 7 minutes, but I managed to do it. I knew the ramifications of my day would be really bad for the next day of racing... which gave me motivation to stay in longer.

BRRRR

We got up early the next day thinking our short track was at 10:30. We got to Nathrop at 9, chami-ed up and ready to warm-up. It seemed like cars were missing. I asked a guy who was a race volunteers what time the pro race was at. He told me 2:30. There was an uproar amongst us because we were so tired and had to get up at 7 AM only to wait around all day in the sun. We went up to the venue where we were even more surprised to find that my race wasnt until FIVE PM and the guys' weren't until 5:40. I looked down at my watch which said 9:30 AM. It was mass chaos. The race was very poorly organized and people were really angry to have to wait around all day in the hot sun. Some people, including the guys I came with, decided they didn't want to wait and were going to go home. I really wanted to race, I was there, I paid the money, and I wanted the points...so I went to every tent and started asking if anyone from Boulder could give me a ride back in the evening. Fortunately this pro guy, Steve, was staying for his short track and could give me a ride. To save time, the officials decided to race the expert women with us. Because my legs had felt so bad the day before and I was sitting in the sun all day, I was terrified that I'd feel horrible, much like the Firestone National short track, and that the expert women would beat me. I didn't want to feel humiliated and was beginning to regret my decision to stay. During my warm-up, I was having trouble getting my heart rate up and my legs felt like lead, despite trying to spin them out that morning. The race started and I found myself on the wheel of a woman, Dellys Star, who I really respect b/c she is super fast. I tried to stick with her, but she was too fast so I dropped back. I rode in a group with just a few other women for most of the race and tried to conserve my energy and not endo on the bumps from the mountain cross course. They were pretty big! When I saw a lot of people had gotten pulled because we were going to lap them, I was surprised that I was actually in it for the pro podium. The offical said one lap to go, so I attacked hard and turned myself inside out to gap the girls I was riding with. I managed to put a lot of time on them and was coming through the start/finish, amazed that I was going to get 2nd. Much to my horror, the offical said AGAIN, "ONE LAP TO GO!" He had said that the lap before... so my "last" lap really was 2 laps to go. I was really concerned that I was going to get caught because I definitely could not keep the pace I set on what I thought was the last lap. I managed to hold everyone off, but barely. The girl in 3rd finished only 4 seconds behind me. I was ecstatic to get 2nd and get on my first pro podium...and I got some money too! :)

Why does something always go wrong?

2007-05-12T08:44:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, i was doing my opener ride for Betasso. I warmed up sufficiently, was hydrated, feeling fine. I went hard up the first climb and my max HR was really low compared to normal and suddenly everything got really bright. I had to get off my bike and was doubled over with nausea. Then I felt like I was going to faint and couldn't stand up anymore, so I had to sit on the side of the trail. I tried to keep going, but felt the same way. I turned around and went home.

Saturday morning. heading up to nathrop in a couple minutes. I hope I can race. If I feel like I'm going to faint again, that could be bad news. I'm nauseous this morning too. I hope it's not the concussion coming back. I haven't hit my head since it happened over a month ago. Send good vibes my way, I'll need it probably just to finish. :( On another whiny note, coming DOWN Betasso, my wrists are back to the pain again. GRRRR. I just want to ride my bike and feel good. Why is it so hard?

Thanks to Yuki for the photos

2007-05-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

Yuki is so sweet and took photos of me during the Fontana short track. I don't know how I feel about the way I look in the skinsuit, but I guess it's hard to pull off skin-tight spandex while you are busting your ass!

These are the sweet short track socks. They are glittery pink. I'm NOT famous for being fast, but I AM famous for my sweet socks. ;)

Stuffed into my skinsuit

So dropped. I got stuck behind TWO wrecks in the first lap. Lame.

School... check!

2007-05-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, got back from Cali last night, woke up this morning and studied all day for my final that was this afternoon. My paper is done and ready to hand in tomorrow. YES YES YES! Free time ! It's here!! I'm not going to be running around like a chicken with my head cut off, FINALLY. Time to just work part time and ride! Now maybe I'll be fast... Nathrop Saturday!

Downtown Pain City

2007-05-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the back of the pro women's field! Today was hard, but I had fun. I felt much better than last weekend, but still definitely not feeling like I should...but I'm on my way. :) Hopefully after resting this week, I'll be ripping it up at Nathrop next weekend. I went to the venue with Nina, Theresa, and Judy. I did a 1 hour warm-up which is WAY longer than normal, but I think it actually helped. I also drank Nina's special coffee 3 hours before the race that did me well too. I know now what else to do in my warm-up...go HARDER! My race didn't officially kick off until the race was halfway over. Woops.

Anyways, the temperatures were much better this weekend, which is surprising considering the race was in a concrete wasteland. They actually called it Southridge Urban Assault. It was more like 70 degrees instead of 100 degrees. I can handle 70. There was definitely a stacked women's field, and they screwed up the call-up like usual. I got to line up in the back row in a pack of 60 women. That's a lot of chami to look at. (if you could see me rolling my eyes, you'd get my point). However, that's sort of what I deserved after how I've been finishing. I decided to take it easy at the start since at the last two Norbas, I have been exploding spectactularly after about 20 minutes. We were all impatiently waiting for the start, and listening to the obnoxious Norba soundtrack they play at every race. Seriously, I think they purchased the Monster Ballads CDs from the TV adds. It's not good...it doesn't really get me pumped. About 2 minutes after the gun(errr...beep), 75% of the field was OFF their bikes running up a steep jaunt. It's so frustrating that we are pros, yet we are running our bikes up hills. The next climb, everyone was off their bike. I tried to keep it moving and took some sketchy lines, but had to get off. I hardly noticed the graffiti and rusted out trucks as I went by. All I could see were the steep sand pits in front of me.

Then I rode like a child for a lap and a half. I was passing girls on the short, steep climbs at the beginning of the course(suffering wholeheartedly with my legs that were like mealy apples on the inside), but they were just dominating me on the downhills. I don't think I have ever descended so bad. My arms/wrists were also hurting, so that didnt help. I think I just need my dualie(my scott spark). I want to be a hard tail rider, but I'm not sure that's my calling. Maybe I should at least throw a 100 mm fork on it. I decided after I was off the back, that it was time to start going a little faster on the downhill. I had some crashes where I got to roll around in the sand, but it was still fun. One man spectator commented on my sweet dust tan. All that dust was happy to stick to my sweaty skin. I passed 2 girls on the last lap and was just starting to rumble, and then the race was over. I shoulda gone harder earlier (and been more rested). But these are all learning experiences. They say it builds character to finish in the back... I think I have enough character.

I ate good food, took an ice bath, and am looking forward to bed time. Tomorrow, short track. I'm going to try and stay in for 10 minutes before the second ranked woman in the world (Georgia Gould) comes to lap me. ;)

Rotten meat sticks, it's time to move again.

2007-05-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

tomorrow morning is the third national in the series, the XC in Fontana. I heard that Fontana was kind of a weird national, but you really need to experience the magic yourself. After driving through the heart of LA and sitting in traffic FOREVER at a very off-peak time, we were ready to get on our bikes. The freeway is 6 lanes EACH way!!! I tried to take a photo, but it didn't really work out.

We took an exit off the freeway. The road was like mangled asphalt and there were weird industrial yards on either side. Suddenly, we were in suburbia. The race course is pretty interesting. Very very sandy, steep descents with huge rutted out sections where its really easy to wash out your front wheel. You go through a junkyard and by this ghetto ditch with all kinds of graffiti. Interesting, yes.

The legs are still feeling horrible. Preriding today, I was SUFFERING up climb in my easiest gear. That shouldn't be happening. I wish I knew what was wrong. I know that I shouldn't have ridden as much as I did this week, but I'm on vacation in CA, I'm going to go have fun and ride my bike. No race is worth giving that up (at my level at least). I also pulled some weird muscle in my abs earlier this week. It's not quite my abs, maybe my very lower abs. It almost feels like a hernia and hurts really bad to walk. At least I can pedal....

I'm hoping maybe tomorrow the legs will miraculously feel better, but I'm not counting on it. I'm going to try to grin and bear it, and hopefully I won't feel too humiliated if i'm blown off the back again. All I can do is stay positive, try to enjoy it, and remember I'm trying my best. I have the rest of the year to perform at my true potential... I just need some time off. I know I sound positive, but in my head, I'm actually being super down on myself and negative. Not so good, but I'm trying to not think that way. I'm actually NOT excited to race tomorrow. :( Nathrop, the first mountain states cup of the year, is next weekend...I'm going to spend the week (after I take my final and turn in my paper) trying to relax.

After pre-riding the course, we came to our hotel. After our tiny tiny room at Motel 6, this place felt like a palace. Seriously, at Motel 6, we were crammed in like sweaty sardines with bikes and organic food. The sheets felt like paper mache, the beds were the smallest double, our bedspread had a cigarette burn in it...seriously. Did I mention though that it was the first Motel 6 every made? Obviously, gosh! The people at the front desk had messed up our reservation b/c we wanted a room with two beds. instead, they gave us TWO rooms with a king and one with a queen bed for the same price. We went from 3 people cooped up in the tiniest motel room ever (we are talking no space between the bed and the wall) to a room with a full kitchen and lots of space.

Hallelujah! At least if my legs feel like total ass, I can still feel like a pro staying in nice digs!

P.S. I decided that since I take ice baths, literally sit in a frozen tub of water up to my waist, that I could handle the cold ocean. I went and played in the 50 degree ocean yesterday. It was painful getting in, but I was swimming, trying to ride the waves, screaming like a child. I love the water!

Solo Mountain Bike Adventure

2007-05-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

I was being very dedicated and spending some quality time at the coffee shop finishing up my paper, so when I got back, the boys had ditched me on their own ride. I decided that I don't need no mans, and went to the bike shop to ask where some trails were. Solo mission. After trying to navigate through town and getting just a little lost, I found myself at Jesusita Trail. Finally, singletrack that isn't hike-a-bike! The view was breathtaking.

That at the end my friends, is big blue!

The trail did have some walking sections, i.e. boulders at stream-crossings that I had to try and hop across with my bike on multiple occassions. You try balancing on rounded rocks with carbon-soled shoes. Not the easiest task. The single track was pretty sweet and had some smooth and also some technical sections. Toward the top it got super windy and I was getting dizzy. I saw a few snakes and big lizards on the trail which reminded me that I was not alone. When I started thinking about that, I was a bit anxious and was thinking about pumas sitting in the trees looking down on me. It felt like riding in a jungle instead of mountains. It was pretty incredible once I got up high because no only does the view show you how high up you climbed and of the city, but the ocean. A rare sight on a mountain bike. The ride down was fun too, although my wrists are STILL hurting. the pain is not nearly as severe as before, but it definitely slows me down.

Riding back into SB, I thought I'd take a shortcut since I took the round about way of getting to the trailhead. Little did I know where I was headed. I rode almost all the way across town THINKING I was going the right way. I figured that since I was riding into a raging headwind, the ocean was that direction. I finally figured it out, and rode my irritated butt home.

Santa Barbara is beautiful, but it has a really weird aura about it. Brian and I were trying to figure it out. It's like the people there are empty inside. They don't seem happy, no one really smiles... almost like they are owned by money or owned by their desire to make tons of money. They can't be happy just to be. Just a little thought.

Santa Barbara (with all pics)

2007-05-02T12:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, just an FYI, check back tomorrow for more photos in this section. blogger is not letting my upload pics from my ride yesterday. I'll add them later because they are COOL!

Well, my last post didn't make it so I have to redo it. :( Oh well.

It's been a bit of a struggle to get wifi here. A lot of hotels don't have it and it's super slow in the coffee shops. The hotel next to us has wifi as Ryan figured out. Check him out.

We have been chilling in SB for the last couple of days. It hasn't been as relaxing as I had hoped since I have all this school crap to do, but it's been nice to be away from it all! :) I'm almost done with my final paper...I have about a days worth of work and I'll be done. As of Wed, I'll be done for the semester and have my nights and weekends free again. YES!

It has been actually really cold here. low 60s and the ocean water is in the low 50s. It's no fair that we were dying of heat stroke during the race, practically blacking out, and now we are cold!! It should be the opposite. I'm a little disappointed that I can't sit on the beach in my swimsuit and play in the waves, but what are you gonna do? I was debating going in, but I don't want hyperthermia. I have been a camera nazi, so here are some pics.

COLD water!

Palm trees means vacation. Too bad I have my paper to finish and a final to study for. boooooooo

Pretty flowers.

Sorry boys, no bikini shots this time. it was just too damn cold. You'll have to wait till I got to Hawaii in August! ;)

SB Mountain Bike Adventure #1

After rading Trader Joe's, the boys and I headed to a local bike shop to find out where we could shred some sweet singletrack. SB is awesome because you look to the west and you have the Pacific ocean. You look to the right and you see big mountains. Those mountains are actually only a 20 min ride away. It is so lush and green around here. The houses are all really cool too because they don't all look the same. There is tons of herbage around the houses too.

Our adventure turrned out to be not so cool because we never could really find some sweet trails. We rode up a super steep fire road only to see a dead end. We thought we had found some singletrack, but it was SUPER steep and rocky. We ended up hiking up a fair bit of it, and then rode down. That's part of the adventure I guess. The views were nice at least. I decided it's better for me to get out and move around instead of be lame. I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to proceed with how my legs have been, but I'm guessing that spinning them out is a good idea.

yeah, pretty rocky.

ryan kills the dowhnhills

Rolling out to Santa Barbara

2007-05-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

Monday was a very chill day. Brian and I hung out at the hotel in the morning and then went to add our third party to the group- the Grinch. (Ryan). This is how it should be when you have an SUV:

Loaded down...

We went to Rudy's for the fourth day in a row for lunch. We went here EVERY day. It was good, but now I'm totally burnt out on mexican food and burritos. ughhh.

They had this amazing tiger shrimp fajita burrito, but no...more... burritos....

Judy had a friend who was a winemaker so we go the sweet hook-up. We went to his winery called Kalyra and go to taste all kinds of different wines. I'm actually shocked that making wine is not a more involved, detail-oriented process.

There were barrels of wine everywhere and the guy would just open a spicket, pour it into a glass and drink it. Must be nice to be a winemaker, play outside and drink wine all day!!

Sampling a lot of different types of wine and learning about grapes.

Vineyards, everywhere!!! We actually raced through a vineyard the last week. I was going slow enough to be able to enjoy it! ;)

And finally we rolled into home sweet home. Motel 6. This was actually the first one ever made. The room is soooo small. There are three of us with bikes and all our stuff. There is really only room for one person to be up moving around at a time. 80 bucks a night. At least we are across the street from the beach. However, it is COLD here! low 60s and the ocean temp is in the low 50s. I should take my ice baths in the ocean!

Off the back...

2007-04-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

I pretty much had the worst performance in my entire cycling career this weekend. Unfortunately, the stress I had to go through to get myself TO the race managed to ruin my legs for the weekend. It was almost 90 degrees and humid outside, so it was pretty hot. We all got a little bit of heat stroke. So Saturday was the short track. I started out pretty good but suddenly my legs just quit and faster than I could bat an eye, I was off the back. All I could do was give Frosty the look that I wanted to be pulled. I just could NOT go hard. My body would not let me. The pace I was riding was one that I could talk and ride one handed. My body just would not let me. :( It was pretty embarassing riding those laps of shame, but I tried to just smile and look like I was having fun. I was laying on the ground after with people around me b/c they were worried i had heat stroke. I felt like i was going to black out and barf during the race. It was the longest short track I ever stayed in. Brian had a GREAT day and got 15th!!

I was hoping I'd feel better the next day in the XC. It was another hot one. During the warm-up, I was debating whether I should even start the race. Usually you do hard efforts to warm up, but I couldn't even do that. I started off well, but then got stuck behind a crash. I started to make it up, but then again, my legs just quit. All I could do was finish. I would try to go fast, but my legs just felt like mush. Super rotten meat sticks. Tough girls don't quit. I gotta run. We are going to a winery for a tour. More later.

Cali.

2007-04-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

If anyone has some draino that works for legs, I would love some. The vacation has been great, the racing has NOT. So I'll start with the good.

After packing my bike till almost 1 AM on Thursday night, the alarm at 5 AM was less than welcoming. I managed to pack up my stuff and get to the bus stop. I met Brian on the bus and it was about an hour ride to the airport. I checked my bike and actually felt pretty violated after that. United Airlines used to have vouchers so we could take our bikes for free. No more. They charged me 85 DOLLARS to take my bike on the plane. I slept for most of the plane ride to San Jose. We changed planes there. The airport only had four gates, and oddly enough, there was a kiosk selling laptops, digital cameras, and DVDs. We arrived at the Santa Barbara airport which seemed to be an outdoor airport. Pics from the airport:

Good old United lost one of my bags, and one of Brian's which they didn't deliver until almost 9 PM that night. That meant that we couldn't pre-ride the course on Friday. It was a bummer. Driving to the area where the race was at was really beautiful. Sorry for the quality of the pics, I took them while we were still moving. It was so weird to see the ocean just right there by the highway.

Ostrich farm on the side of the road. hmm... well, I like ostrich burgers.

We stayed in this town called Solvang. I had booked a hotel at a Danish Lodge. Brian and I rolled into Solvang and saw a place that looked like Svengaard's Danish Lodge. We tried to open the door, locked. There was a big "for lease" sign. We thought for a minute that our booked hotel was out of business. Turns out it was Schmargasboords Danish Inn. As we progressed through town, we realized the whole town is modelled after a Danish town. Our hotel was also very Danish looking, and was pretty nice.

When I was booking the reservation, the guy kept telling me I was going to love this place.

Cute pics in town. It was all old people and antique shops.

Brian and I went for a short spin the day of the XC. If you can see the trees, they had crazy branches.

Just to whine(or...wine) ...

2007-04-26T23:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's 12:30 AM at the moment... I just thought I would complain for fun. I just finished packing all my stuff and I feel like I'm forgetting stuff. Now for the fun part. Guess what time I get to catch the bus to the airport in the morning? 5:30 AM. I have to pack my car and use bungee cords to hold the trunk down over my bike box, go to the park n ride and deal with carting my crap, meaning I have to leave my house at around 5:10 AM. YOu do the math on how much sleep I'm going to get. less than HALF what I am used to. sweet.

I did go to the chiropractor and Gerrie, my new massage therapist today. Hopefully they both did me good. I feel good. :) The chiropractor assessed that I was all messed up (of course, right?), but I feel much better after she cracked my neck, back, shoulders, elbows, and wrists. She claimed that bones were impinging slightly on my nerves. I guess I'll know tomorrow when I'm pre-riding the course wassup.

Tomorrow(well today really) I will be in Los Olivios...wine country. Yes! I hope all this prep and hard work pays off. :)

The scoop

2007-04-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

So I went to TWO doctors yesterday after freaking out on Sunday night when I realized I may be walking the downhills. ahhh. First, I went to the walk in sports med clinic. The PT showed me some stretches to do and gave my these metal wrist braces to wear part of the day and at night. I have a wrist overuse problem from a combo of my recent sudden drastic increase in data analysis at the lab and riding. IT's the same thing from Nova in AZ a few weeks ago. I have ulnar nerve irritation in BOTH arms, so the stretching is supposed to maybe knock it loose. Next, I went to the med. doc to see if cortizone was an option. She said it is only an option if I don't do anything with impact since it can damage the tendons. No dice. It was recommended that I get a massage b/c possibly my muscles are compressing my nerve, go to the chiropractor (maybe the nerve prob is at the spinal level), and get PT.

Yes, in addition to my presentation due tomorrow, my exam on Thursday, my final paper project I'm supposed to be working on, my job, going to class, working on my bike, somehow packing, I have to go to all these appts before I leave. I have to do everything to get this figured out or I may not be able to race. Today I got a massage, and the guy was horrified with how tight my forearms, neck, and shoulder are. He really thinks this is the cause of it all. He put me in the hurt locker, but it felt good afterwards. I am going to try and get in with him Thursday so maybe the tissue will be loosened enough for my nerve to be free. I also have PT tomorrow and a chiropractor visit scheduled for Thursday night. I also have to go to Arvada b/c Lynn is going to help me install some new parts i got for my bike. She has the toolz. Then pack it up and head to CA. It's going to be a HUGE relief to be on that plane Friday. I can't wait. So that is the scoop. I"m doing all the voodoo I can to get my arms working. My legs are letting me ride like a pro, now if only my arms would work.

And just as a funny side note...I got a coffee in Golden the other day before my ride. IT was at a small shop that didn't look too legit, but I didn't want to support the starbucks machine. My jaw dropped as I watched her pour HERSHEY'S SYRUP into my coffee and barely steam the milk. It was NOT good. IT was like still milk (not foamy at all) with high fructorse corn syrup and fake chocolate dabbed with coffee. YUMMY.

Mountain Bicycling Practice

2007-04-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

I have had a pretty spectacular weekend, so although I'm sad to see Monday inevitably arrive, I feel like I've had my fun. I worked my butt off, but I started off too hard and then I ended up detonating, just like in a bike race. I got burnt on school, so Thursday night I went to see the new bike racing movie- 24hoursolo. It's awesome. these guys make a movie a few years ago about the dramatic point chase to get to the olympics called Off Road to Athens. Check out the details at offroadtoathens.com. Bri and I borrowed it from a friend and watched it this weekend to get psyched.

Friday I worked in the lab, then went to pick up my bike at mob cyclery. mobcyclery.com. They are a really cool bike shop in north denver. So cool, that I will drive 35 minutes to have them work on my bike. It has the feeling of a small, local bike shop without the elite snobby attitude. It is also not a huge shop (in the showroom anyway), so it has a nice feeling to it. Then, I went and rode Chimney Gulch/Enchanted Forest/Apex in Golden. I love it! I haven't been able to find the cable to tranfer pics to my computer, so I didn't take any here. I have a tiny memory card that hold 8 pics (yeah, i spend all my money on bikes). I've been having issues with my brakes and it broke AGAIN. Mob fixed it right up me though. It is no fun going downhill without a front brake. You really just can't stop. Bri and I got some really good Italian food in North Denver at this almost totally outdoor cafe. I felt like I was actually in Italy from the outdoor seating and the best italian food I have ever had!! I did get a lot of work done this weekend too. I finished one o fmy final projects. :) yaaay. Now I just have to write a 20 page research paper, study for my exam on Thursday, and finish my paper/study for a final in CA. I leave on FRIDAY!!

I did find my camera cable this morning, so after doing a load of work, I headed out to Green Mountain with Brian to rip some singletrack. It was really beautiful today. I haven't really ridden any of these trails before. They are all in Jeffco (Jefferson County) which is the Golden/Lakewood area. Unlike Boulder County, most of the trails are open to mountain bikes. I am STILL trying to find a good position on my bike. My wrists hurt the worst when I reach for the brake levers. I got a handlebar with a 17 degree sweep. It was weird to ride because it's about as wide as my top tube. It seemed to fix my wrist angle (although I need to chop it down), but the brake reach has to be fixed still. I am actually pretty certain that it has to be carpal tunnel syndrome. My roommate has an ergo keyboard for me to use, thank you thank you. I"m going to physical therapy this week. I need to do everything possible to alleviate this before SUNDAY next week. :) So depressing. Hpefully it's not so severe that I can't handle it during the racing. :( nooooo. Right before 1/3 of the national series. Perfect. I'm hoping maybe I can get shots of cortizone? I don't want to wreck and crack my head again.

I'm going to cut the blogging down even more to reduce typing, so you will probably hear from me again next week after the first CA race. I promise to bring my camera, but it's really hard to get pics during the race.

Fuentes Design is open 24 hour a day, even on rides. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know that downhill in the distance doesn't look like much, but this was the scariest downhill I have ever done! It was so steep that I couldn't stop if I wanted to. I actaully was not very happy about it.

Brian actually helped build this part of the trail when he was in high school. It was awesome.

I wonder why they call it Green Mountain....?

Busy little bee

2007-04-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts for the past 2 weeks. things have been crazy and will stay that way for 2 MORE weeks. Yes folks, the start of bike racing has begun, and combining that with school, work, and training is a lot. Fortunately, I'm done with school very shortly. AND I have just one class left until I have my master's in electrical engineering. yahoo!

What have I been doing besides healing? (Yes, the wounds are healed(well, almost), my head doesn't hurt, the whiplash is gone, and I got a new helmet). My arm was so bruised and cut up that people thought I got in a car wreck. They were in shock to know that it was almost self-induced. On the racing front, I'm headed to CA April 27 to stay out there a week. There are two Norba Nationals out there (www.norbanationals.com) that are back to back weekends. Norba Nationals are the national series for mountain biking. It pretty much doesn't get any bigger than that in the US. One is in wine country near Santa Barbara. A group of us are going to just hang out during the week since it doesn't really make sense to come back, and then fly back out a few days later. The next weekend is in Fontana. I hope to do some laying on the beach, wave-chasing, and of course, some great wine tasting. This sounds all so glamorous and fun, right?

What you don't know is the mass of work I have to get done BEFORE I leave and that i have to do while I'm out there. I'm missing the last week of classes, so I have to get my final research projects done early in addition to everything else normally associated with the school week. I have to also make up my hours in the lab for that week BEFORE I leave since the post-doc I work for is leaving when I get back and we need to get all the data processed before then. Did I mention I still have to make sure I'm training and recovering as well? I have to study for a final and finish a paper while I'm out there too. ahhhh. It's going to be great though. I can't wait! :)

I will be working at Xcel again this summer, but this time in Boulder. YES! I don't have to commute to Denver. I don't think I can handle that. That's going to put a damper on things when I'm looking for a p/t job after I graduate. Limit my options so to speak. So if you know anyone looking to hire in December part-time, let me know. I'll do whatever. It doesn't have to be EE! more like EEK! ;)

It's STILL snowing here in CO. It snows every Friday. They were forecasting a foot of snow yesterday which fortunately didn't happen. I wish spring would stay sprung.

Real quick...

2007-04-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

Today was the XC. I'll tell more about it later. I was doing really well most of the race and should have finished in the low 30s, but I crashed out pretty bad the last lap with a head injury and had to soft pedal back. I am okay though other than my entire body being pretty banged up. I had some serious issues with my handlebars too. It got to the point where I couldn't feel my wrists and would just crash. It's my fault for messing around with my position right before the race. I'm really happy with where I was before I bit the dust, so everything's not lost.

Super-D and Short Track

2007-03-31T21:36:00.000-07:00

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.