Amblus Loves Bikes

Race Amnesia, Part II

2010-11-10T13:11:00.000-08:00

Second short-track race report here:
http://www.bodiesinmotivation.com/2010/09/race-amnesia-part-ii/

Also, Bodies In Motivation where I've been blogging will be closing in a month or so, so I'm going to add those entries here and (fingers crossed) continue to write here about cycling and fitness. This is mainly a bike blog, but I'm sure the three of you won't mind occasionally reading about weight lifting, right?

Sorry, honey, I have to work late, Part II

2010-09-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

I’m happy to say that all the things I did wrong last week didn’t apply to this week at all:

- Get a good night’s sleep. Check

- Eat a reasonably healthy lunch. Check

- Don’t get all edgy and nervous. Check

I was much more relaxed physically and mentally going into this one, plus I’d heard that the course was going to be a lot of downhill singletrack and not as much gut-busting climbing. This made me happy because, while I’m not much of a climber, I can go reallyfast on some of the downhill sections. The course was a bit shorter than last week (maybe a mile and a half? I’m bad at estimating distance) and it was FAST. It went something like this:

Confusing zigzag pattern up and down the big field, long stretch of field down to the trailhead, fast fast trail around the edge of the field, down a hill, up the bridge with the stairs, across the walkway, more up-and-down singletrack, out and around the parking lot, down a really twisty switchback, down a long fast straight decent that ends at theconcrete bridge, across the bridge, a right onto fire road, over the cobbles and a right across the dam bridge, around the walkway and UP THE HILL OF DOOM. Then a quick left, ride down stone stairs, bunnyhop up a stone ledge, then another horrible steep climb up to the race start. Then again, then again.

Oof. On every lap the fun ended where the Hill of Doom began. It was paved, but long and steep and endlessly horrible. (Did I mention I don’t like to climb?)

First lap: I got a decent start and dropped into the trail in a good place. Unfortunately that place was somewhere behind 20+ other riders and the trails were all a haze of dust. Like last week, I couldn’t see, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t swallow. Awesome! I stayed behind a couple of riders who were going slower than I felt like I could be going, but it was fine because I needed the time to gather myself back together and relax into a steady pace. I passed them before the twisty switchback (love!) and freaking sailed down it and also the long awesomely fun oh-my-god-I’m-going-too-fast decent after that. The decent ended at the concrete bridge and the dude in front of my chose to walk, so I passed him and rode right across.

Then, I made my first mistake. The section of road between the gravel fireroad and the dam bridge is pretty wrecked from the last hurricane - buckled asphalt, cracked pavement and giant rocks, with a thin strip of cobblestones to the very left edge. That thin strip is the only clean line across and I missed it. I ended up standing in a pile of rocks while everyone behind me passed me in a blur.

I realized pretty quickly what that meant - I was going to have to catch them all at the Hill of Doom or not at all. So up I went, red-faced, panting and mad as hell. I caught, I passed, I thought I might die. (I didn’t die.)

Second Lap: It went better and it ended up being my fastest lap. I rode alone for most of it and took the switchback down so fast that some dude ahead of me pulled over to let me past. I think I was freaking him out. I was feeling great until I hit the Hill of Doom for the second time and where I thought I might die the first time, I was SURE I WOULD the second time. I think that four or five minutes was possibly the worst I’ve ever felt in any race, ever. I vaguely remember a friend cheering me on as I hit the second part of the climb but I was so close to stopping that I couldn’t even spare the energy to acknowledge him. I didn’t stop, though, instead I went for my third lap.

Third Lap: At this point it was after 7pm and the sun was setting. I kept seeing lights through the trees and eventually realized they were the street lamps around the lake. The wooded trails get dark really fast and by the time I hit the switchback I was riding more from memory than sight. I spent the entire lap dreading the climb at the end and wracked my brain for a way to make it suck less.

Then I remembered something from an article I read years ago, which is sometimes all you need to make it up a climb is a better attitude. I stole a mantra from that article and spent the entire climb chanting (out loud, mind you) “I LOVE TO CLIMB. I LOVE TO CLIMB.” And, while it didn’t actually make me love to climb, it did force me to breathe more deeply and pace myself more evenly up the hill. I made it up the first hill, rode down the stone steps, did the saddest bunnyhop up the curb and began my final slow ascent up the steep grass hill to the finish. And I finished, red-faced and shaking, but I finished.

I came in 4th place in women and 27th overall, which means I beat nine dudes. Yeah! Oh, and the guy I beat last week, Mr. You Could’ve Used A Harder Gear? Didn’t even show up.

Sorry, honey, I have to work late.

2010-09-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

It was a lot to do after a full day’s work and a not-full-night’s sleep. The night before the race I did not sleep well at all, maybe three hours tops. I woke up that morning in a Benedryl haze feeling less than awesome. I dragged myself to work, drank way too much caffeine, had an unhealthy lunch that my stomach did not love and, around 3pm, realized I was nervous. Crazy, green-around-the-gills, stomach-clenching nervous.

It was stupid to be nervous because this was just a small, casual, training race. No prizes, no crowds, nothing but trails i ride all the time and a group of riders I mostly know. Stupid to be nervous, but OH I WAS ANYWAY.

Because it was being run concurrent with a cyclocross race, there was a confusing start that zig-zagged up and down a large hilly field before the two groups split, the mountain bikers (men and women together) hitting the single track for a two mile short loop, the cross racers cutting back towards the field. I’m a bad starter in any kind of terrain, but man, I do not do great on steep grassy fields. Despite starting relatively slowly I still entered the woods sucking wind, nauseous, and feeling like I was going to die. The usual sprint race feeling.

The entire first lap felt like this:

NONOOOONONOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I couldn’t breath, I couldn’t swallow, I could barely see for the dust, I felt like ten different kinds of awful. I did manage to mostly hold my position (near the back) as we dropped into the trail, crossed a bridge, up a steep climb, sharp left, up and down some fairly intense singletrack, around to the switchback on the very top of the hill, down the hill, a sharp left onto the short gravel fire road, across that cement bridge (the one I posted about in my last entry), up another long climb, up a short switchback section, down and around the parking lot, back into the trails, more up and down roller coaster type stuff, up a hill, across a walkway, back down the trails, onto another walkway, ride down some stone steps, bunnyhop up a stone curb, ride up a stupidly steep hill, around the cones and back in for another lap. Or something like that.

I did three laps, the first two were both at about 17 minutes per lap which is pretty slow comparatively, but, while I’m familiar with the trails and can ride them pretty fast, some sections were super dusty and I was afraid of slipping out and going down hard. (Hi! This is foreshadowing.) I am also not the best at climbing and tend to pace myself slower than I probably should in a race.

My second lap was much better, overall. I was feeling a more recovered and was definitely more collected. I rode everything clean and barely saw another rider. I was pretty much expecting to be lapped by the leaders at any point, but this didn’t happen until my third lap and it happened at the most awkward spot imaginable:

Yeah. The edge of that turn is just a drop down a steep hill. Luckily those guys are REALLY fast and know how to pass, but I was still all, “wha?” and slightly shaken. I got to the bottom of the hill, took the sharp left to the fireroad, hit a patch of gravel and went down like a ton of bricks. Is that not the uncoolest way to crash in a race? On a patch of gravel? On the fire road? I was MAD. Not to mention filthy and bleeding, but I picked myself up and got back on and just kept going. I just wanted to finish this thing. I think I messed up my derailleur when I went down because I couldn’t seem to stay in my middle ring and had to ride the whole second half of my last lap in my granny gear. But I finished, and I didn’t come in last.

At several points during the race I remember thinking how much I absolutely was NOT going to do the final series race next Wednesday. No way. Not a chance. But afterwards, as the pain wore off and stories got bandied about I found myself saying things like, “Well, next week I’ll know to avoid that spot.” And the guy who was behind me for the entire race (who I beat, mind you) mentioned that I seemed to be spinning too fast when I could’ve been in a harder gear. ORLY? Thank you, dude, for telling me how to beat you more next week. I call this phenomenon “race amnesia” because if it didn’t happen nobody would ever do more than one race, ever.

So yeah. Banged up and bruised but already plotting next week’s torture session.

Where the hell did I go?

2010-08-12T06:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry, if its not already blatantly obvious, this blog is on hiatus. However! I'm now blogging about all manner of fitness-type stuff (including cycling) over here at Bodies In Motivation:

Sweat Becomes Her.

Hope you'll click and read!

Nine-Hour Race Report

2010-08-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

Short Version:

It was fun but anticlimactic.

Long Version:

I should start by explaining that mountain bike mile is not the same as a road bike mile, so when I tell you the laps were 6.2 miles long please don’t think that is necessarily an easy distance. See, the course where the race was held is famous for it’s gnarly roots. It’s a wooded, rooty single-track course with short steep (rooty) climbs, steep (rooty) ravine drop-ins and a fun (to me) dirt mogul section near the end. It’s technical, is what I’m saying. So, while i could probably do 6 miles on flat pavement pretty quickly, this 6 mile course took me anywhere from 40-45 minutes to complete. (Which is pretty slow, but my main goal was to not crash. And I usually crash on this course.)

So! After a night of not very good sleep my husband and I got up painfully early Saturday, packed up the bikes and gear, and hit the road. The race course is about 30 minutes away and we made good time. We joined our friends under their team tent to set up camp and then we went down to the registration tent and got our team numbers:

That’s us, team Bitey Badger.

The race worked like this: Each team of two rides laps in whatever sequence they like and the team with the most laps completed within the nine-hour time frame wins. We were not in it to win it, I should put that out there right now. We were competing against folks who do nothing but train for endurance races so there was no pressure on us. We were gonna lose! And it was going to be fun.

My husband started first and completed three laps while I sat around all antsy and impatient. Then I went out and did two. My first lap felt slow but it ended up being my fastest. My second lap was clean, but I got a stitch in my side which went from annoying to really painful to annoying again. It slowed me down, but I didn’t stop. I finished the lap and went in to eat while my husband went back out for two more. I looked really pretty:

Pretty gross, I mean.

My third lap was fine, I think. I get the race amnesia where I forget about the pain and suffering immediately afterwards but I do remember being halfway through the lap and realizing I was digging the ride. I wasn’t riding fast but I felt pretty good overall. I was relaxed and enjoying the challenge until about 2/3rds of the way through when I started to feel a little twinge in my right knee. Ugh. My husband did another lap while I rested and then I went out for lap four. My knee started hurting pretty badly and I had to pedal gently to give it a break. Gentle doesn’t really cut it in a race, but I finished the lap in 45 minutes. My husband went back out while I tried to figure out what to do. My knee was not feeling good and even though I otherwise felt capable of riding at least one more, it wasn’t worth making my injury worse. I was disappointed, but we weren’t in contention so there was no point in pushing it.

My husband completed two more laps and had a bad crash on the last one. He’s fine, but it was the race-ender for him. So we finished 11 laps between us and were happy to call it a day and break out the beer. The best part was hanging out under the tent between laps, trading race stories with our friends:

PS. I’ve since self-diagnosed my knee pain as an IT band issue, so at least I know why it hurts and how to fix it. Apparently ramping up your distance all sudden-like is a bad idea. Oops.

PPS. I took Sunday completely off and thought I was recovered enough yesterday to go lift weights and I was SO NOT. Note to self: two days of rest post-race. I mean, really.

Two Sundays.

2009-09-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

I've been slack about updating, but here's the thing: we've been riding the same trails all summer long and there's only so much you can say about doing the same thing over and over again. I will say this: I'm not sick of it yet. Really! Even though it's the same 16 miles, there's always some element of nature or humanity or weather that makes it new and different every ride.

Yesterday we dragged ourselves out for an afternoon ride, still feeling slightly hungover from a late Saturday night out. The weather was glorious. It was just picture perfect yesterday and even though I felt stiff and hadn't been on my bike in a week, I was anxious to get outside.

September is probably my best month on the bike because I have the springtime slog behind me and a summer's worth of fitness still hanging in. (I also have a mysterious patch of poison ivy in a place on my body where poison ivy has no business. WHY.)

We started on North Trail, crossed the pedestrian bridge, rode the lost trail around the far side of Belle Island, hit Buttermilk and then did the loop of Forest Hill. Kenny wanted to take the road home from there but I wanted to take the trail home, a suggestion I began to regret because man, was I tired. I make mistakes when I'm tired and ended up missing a few tricky sections. No injuries or bloodshed, thankfully.

We also rode last Sunday (same trails, opposite direction) and I actually remembered to bring a camera! Woo.

Somewhere in Forest Hill Park:

Kenny saw this branch seething with tiny white bugs:

Oh, that is the grossest thing ever:

The climb known as Heartbreak Hill. Oof:

One of the ravine whoops in Forest Hill:

What's that up ahead on the trail?

Why, it's turtle business time and we interrupted:

Sorry little dudes.

This switchback is one of my favorite sections of Forest Hill:

Kenny going down the hill on North Trail:

I love the crazy giant monster kudzu shapes:

The End!

Race Report: Camp Hilbert

2009-06-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

Amateur racers. We drag ourselves out of bed at 6 am on a Saturday and haul ourselves to a race we have no chance of winning. It's either a noble rage against cosmic meaninglessness or, like, way more fun than mowing the lawn. (Bicycling, March 2004)

Having finished the Urban Assault race, feeling all good and full of endorphins and post-race amnesia, I blithely stated OUT LOUD that I'd probably be doing the Camp Hilbert race in June. At the time, June 28th seemed a long, long ways away. Or, you know, yesterday. Oops.

I didn't train for it so much as I just rode my bike every chance I got. This isn't a terrible strategy for me because nothing makes me a better rider than riding. If I go too long between rides I get more fearful and cautious and start avoiding some of the more technical sections of trail that scare me. If I ride a lot those sections still scare me but I ride them anyway. So there, trail.

Anyway, I registered for the race on Friday and felt good about it in general. I hadn't raced (or ridden) Camp Hilbert in a couple of years so I couldn't really remember much about it, specifically. For me, ignorance is bliss. If I don't know what parts to be freaked out by, I can't be freaked out by them, right? Right.

(Note: Camp Hilbert is the site of my disastrous Very First Bike Race back in 2002. I entered the Sport category because I'm stupid and then rode the entire thing in my small chain ring. I came in dead last, went home and slept for the rest of the day. )

Early Sunday morning and the weather was perfect. Perfect! Warm but not hot and slightly overcast. We ate breakfast and loaded up the car. Kenny proved that it is completely possible to put two full-suspension mountain bikes in the back of an Avalon:

Impressive! I was feeling okay, aside from flashes of pure fear when I thought about the race start. I hate the start. I'm usually fine once I'm in the woods but the start always sends me into red-lined horror. It's the part that leaves me panting and panicked and I'm always afraid if I go out too fast I'll blow up immediately.

We drive out to Camp Hilbert, gear up, pee 200 times (me) and before I can even blink, I'm lining up with the other Sport Women. Wow, that was fast.

WE GO. The start was blissfully downhill on a gravel fireroad that led around to the left and then down into the singletrack. It's fast and I manage to go in with the front four or five women. We hit the woods and I'm panting and winded, but handling the fast, twisty trail just fine. We head towards the bottom of the woods near a creek and there is a small disaster- a sideways (and giant) root has taken hold of my friend Malissa's front tire and she crashed. A flat takes her out of the race before she'd even got started. Totally sucks. I rode on and tried to pace myself. Donna is behind me and Amy ahead, though (I think?) at one point Amy pulls over and lets me pass (I think. I always get confused as to who is where.) She stayed behind me for the whole first lap (hey, that's my trick) pacing me and never quite letting me pull away. I felt TERRIBLE for most of the first lap. I rode everything and never stopped, but I felt like I was dying. (This is the part you conveniently forget the minute the race is over, which is why anyone ever does more than one race, ever.)

I rode the whole first lap clean and Donna passed us right as we started into the second lap. I was starting to settle in and feel better when I came to the root section that had taken out Malissa. For some dumb reason instead of taking the left line (like I had in my first lap) I went straight into it and my tire caught the root and over I went. I managed to do one of those weird flying dismounts and landed on my feet, but it didn't matter. I was shaken and Amy got her opportunity to pass me. Go Amy! She earned it.

She was gone by the time I got back on my bike and got myself going again. I settled back in and was concentrating on catching her when I hit the little tiny mud-slicked bridge that was right before the steepest climb in the race. I hit that bridge and my bike slid off it like it was covered in ice. I landed in the underbrush and had to push up the hill. Not a big deal, but I lost a fair amount of time.

After that, I just rode. I just rode my bike and enjoyed the fast, whippy trails and pushed as much as I was able. This was the first long race I've done since September of 2007, so I just didn't have the race endurance that comes from, well, racing. So! I finished a very respectable 4th place and I'm happy with that. Funny, the 1st - 4th lineup is the same four women as my last race, but with a few places rearranged. I was in good company, for sure. Donna came in 2nd place despite the titanium plate she just had screwed into her collarbone after a crash in her last race. I was a little worried that she was back racing so soon, but, um, I shouldn't have been. That plate just made her faster, I swear. Andrea won both races and she's so fast I never see her after the start. She gets out in front and stays there. Solid.

Sport Women podium.

Kenny rode with the early group and came in 7th, which is admirable. His field is way bigger than mine. He was happy, I think. We watched the noon start:

Go Paula!

the iPhone doesn't so much do speed shots.

And then packed the bikes up and went home. And immediately took naps because that's all we were good for. And that's still kind of how I feel today. Bleh.

sweaty and gross.

Kenny chilling with my bike.

Race Report - Urban Assault 2009

2009-05-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

(photo courtesy of Ben Madden: www.title9photo.com)

I wasn't going to do it. No way, no how. How could I race when it had done nothing but rain for weeks? And then I got a cold? The race was fast-approaching and I'd barely gotten more than one ride a week in, if that. It was a bad idea. A BAD IDEA.

My friends Paula and Malissa were both signed up, so on Tuesday I joined them on a practice run of the course. I felt pretty good to be out but definitely could tell I wasn't recovering after climbs as fast as I would like to be.

The, on Thursday I went out with Kenny to join Paula on a slow last-ride-before-the-race ride. I felt great. Legs were strong, lungs were hanging in, my confidence was up. But I wasn't racing, no way was I ready. At one point I confided in Paula that I didn't want to race because I didn't want to embarass myself by coming in last. Paula stopped her bike and looked at me like I was crazy. Then she started working on me and by the end of the ride, I was on board. I was racing? Oh, shit. She totally missed her calling as a motivational speaker, or something. That woman could talk anyone into anything.

Kenny wasn't so sure, but he wasn't quite saying he wasn't going to do it. (He did it.) I was pretty certain I had no choice. Paula was right - this race is on our home course and there's no reason not to do it. None at all. Except for the PAIN.

The start of the race had a few things going for it:

1. Unlike previous years, Sport Women got their own start. No lumping us in with beginner men, a practice I loathe. I don't enjoy dodging spazzy, nervous newbs.

2. No Lemans start! Woo! I firmly feel that all bike races should start on bikes. If I wanted to run, I'd sign up for a duathalon.

3. Noon start! I hate it when my race starts at 9am and my husbands doesn't start until noon. That's your whole day, right there.

The short course started at Tredegar, followed fireroad up and around to the Lee Bridge, across the bridge, down to outdoor stairs (nine, count em, flights) more fireroad, up another set of stairs (again, nine. flights.) then finally singletrack down the southside of the James River to the Boulevard bridge, across that bridge and more singletrack on the north side to the finish. It was about 8 miles. It was a death sprint.

There were ten of us in Sport Women and I only knew one other person in that category, so it was hard to know what I was up against. We started fast (well, they started fast) and I was too afraid of blowing up to try and keep that pace right away. As soon as we were up on the bridge, though, I put it in my big ring and started picking them off. One, two, three, four passed on the bridge. I think there must have been a couple of girls behind me, but I'm not sure.

On the bridge (thanks Billy!)

We dropped down to the the stairs and I had one girl right on my ass. We trotted down the stairs with our bikes (ugh) and hit the fireroad. I passed two more on that stretch and was feeling winded, but not too bad. Then, more stairs. Carrying a bike upstairs is way, way harder than carrying a bike downstairs. By the time I got to the top and was facing actual, real singletrack, I felt like I was going to explode. I was sucking wind and my knees were wobbly, but I got on my bike with another rider right behind me. The first real technical obstacle was a rocky creek crossing that I've never been comfortable with, so I jumped off to run it rather than risk crashing. The girl behind me was much closer than I thought and I nearly de-biked her. Eek. I apologized and jumped back on to head down the trail as fast as I could manage.

On the next creek crossing I bobbled and got out of her way so she could ride it, but somehow our bikes got tangled and we both floundered. We got loose and she continued on, asking over her shoulder if I was okay. I was, but I couldn't actually talk at that point, so I couldn't answer! I think she thought I was mad, but no way, man. That's just the way racing is! I got back on and headed up the trail, starting to feel a little better and more recovered. This section of trail is really, really technical and it also on a steep hillside, so you really need to be sharp and pay attention. I rode everything fine and headed up the hill to the second bridge crossing.

There was another girl who was riding with me and passed me at one point, who was riding a singlespeed with amazing dexterity. I think I managed to weeze, "You're kicking ass on that thing!" because damn, that is impressive. She and I traded spots back and forth a bit, depending on hills. I think I finally caught her after the ramp on northside and rode behind her until we hit a climb in northside, at which point I passed her again. Then she rode up behind me and started to ask to pass and I decided to put the pedal down and just use up everything I could to get some distance between us. At some point on the northtrail I also caught the girl who I'd gotten tangled with and passed her. She told me afterwards that she was so impressed that I managed to come from a deadstop to catching her that she felt like I'd earned that pass! I don't know about all that, but thanks! Those two ended up sprinting together to the finish moments after I finished, which was pretty exciting.

I crossed the line not having any real idea of what place I was in, but I felt like I'd ridden a good race and I'd put everything I had into it. I checked around and, woo! 2nd place. Not to bad! The girl who won was someone I never even saw. I think she must have taken the lead immediately and just kept it the whole race. That is impressive, for sure. So, here's the top four lineup (from the right: me, 1st place, 3rd, 4th)

(very cool photo courtesy of Ben Madden, who you should check out at: www.title9photo.com)

And here I am with my prize-winning razor! It was one of the items in the backpack I won. I was the only one who got a razor and I think everyone was totally jealous. Who's hairless now? That's me.

Kenny finished his race handily in 14th place (his field is way bigger than mine) and Paula unfortunately had a mechanical and couldn't finish. Totally sucks considering she was the reason I did the race.

So thank the lord that's over. There's another race at the end of June I'm considering, so apparently I've drunk the Kool-Aid. We'll see.

Sunday Ride is Teh Awsum

2009-04-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

I spent most of last week down and out in tooth-pain misery, so when Sunday turned out to be sunny! and! warm! I was dying to get out and ride. Never mind that my husband had ridden in (and won!) a race the day before and was tired, we were GOING TO RIDE and I wanted to do AOTT. YEAH. I was ready. In an unexpected move of non-introvertedness, we planned ahead a bit and met up with some bike friends and teammates we don't get to see very often.

They were a very chatty bunch (seriously, you guys talk a LOT) but that made it fun and I got to catch up with my friend Lisa, who is going to confuse people by wearing my cool Twin Six jersey in the photos we took. That's Lisa in the houndstooth, for a change. (To be fair, she owned it first. She has good taste.)

So, we met up at Crossroads and I took a couple really grand photos:

(anyone need orthodontics? Glad I managed to get that in the shot.)

We started in Forest Hill which is...hard. Lisa and I were feeling less than speedy, so we took our time in the back of the pack for a while. Here's Lisa coming off the steep switchback:

We finished Forest Hill and moved on to do a section of Buttermilk and Belle Island:

(talking.)

(more talking.)

Richard riding the stairs!

Then we fought our way across the pedestrian bridge (always my least favorite part of any ride) and headed down the Northbank trail to meet up with Joel.

I don't have much commentary on the ride but I really enjoyed it and was surprised at my relative lack of suffering. I was tired at the end but my legs felt strong and I was just so happy to be out riding.

I love Powhite in the springtime...

2009-04-06T08:35:00.001-07:00

I rode my bike! More than once! I actually have a backlog of photos, so I'll post today about a recent ride and yesterday's ride will go up later this week (I promise! I swear!)

The beauty of Powhite Park, the small wooded hillside sandwiched between neighborhoods, wetlands and highway, is that it stays dry as a bone even when it's wet everywhere else. A few weeks back we got the usual gang together for a casual ride. The day was beautiful and we all were just so happy to be OUT. In the sun! After I took a couple of my famously bad photos, Kenny took the camera away from me and saved the integrity of my blog by taking some really sweet action shots.

This entry is really all about the photos because a Powhite ride is usually just about getting out the cobwebs and having a good time. I remember feeling pretty good. I was pretty slow, but I wasn't suffering. There is one pretty gnarly climb right up the middle, which was nicely documented:

I don't always make it, but I did that day. This photo shows how steep it really is (hopefully Paula won't kill me for posting this):

We also enjoyed some of the new trail features:

I'm still heartbroken that my favorite switchback climb was sacrificed for it, but the new stuff is lots of fun to ride. I'm slow to accept change, what can I say.

This is my favorite drop-in to the ravine run:

Whee! Don't we all look happy? What a nice day:

Why I Suck at Updating

2009-03-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

1. Up until last week, it rained every weekend for a month and a half.
2. How many different ways can I bore you by describing an hour-long ride at Powhite park?
3. How many different ways can I bore you by describing a two hour ride on the Buttermilk trails?
4. I have other hobbies too, some of which I write about on my other blog.
5. The only time I get comments is when my three readers are annoyed at me for not posting.
6. I don't like to ride in the dark, in the cold, in the snow, or in the rain. That's what the gym is for.

SO, now it's spring and I might actually get to spend some quality time on my bike. Also, the Urban Assault race is scheduled for May16th, and depending on how I'm riding, I might actually enter it. (I SAID MIGHT.) There are other race possibilities, but for some reason Sport Women always get completely bitch-ass punished with 9:30am start times. Now, if my husband's race starts at noon and I have to start at 9:30am, (which means leaving the house at 8am to get to the course with time for a warm-up because it will be freezing cold) this means I have to stay there ALL DAMN DAY. I don't know about you, but I have other stuff I'd like to do with my Sunday afternoon. Stuff that doesn't involve freezing my ass off while sitting on a pile of leaves wishing I had a hot shower and some real food. It's real glamorous at the bike races, as I'm sure you know.

Now, last Sunday was an exception in that the sun was shining and it was not cold. We did a fairly casual loop of the river trails and did part of the Forest Hill section backwards, which I don't like, but always fall for. Backwards is harder and has less fun-payoff, but at least it changes the way you look at the trail. You can't cheat by using the line you always use, if that makes sense.

So, Kenny suggests we do the trail backwards and I'm suspicious, because backwards is harder, right? Kenny's all, "Sort of, but it's easier in the beginning." This is not true. It's less heinously steep, for sure, but it's not exactly a rollicking good time.

Unfortunately I lost quite a bit of whining cred by dragging Kenny to the gym with my all those rainy Sundays and setting him up for a weight lifting routine. Once your husband sees you dead lift your body weight and hoist a 30lb dumbbell over your head real fast, the jig is up. He knows you're pretty strong now, genius. Time to shut up and pedal. Dang.

Maybe I'll bedazzle my frame with that: Shut Up and Pedal.

PS. If you've harangued me for a new entry, how about leaving me a comment? Tell me what bike-related event you're looking forward to. Or, what you had for lunch or something.

Dead Weight

2009-01-30T10:17:00.000-08:00

YOU GUYS. I think it's going to be in the 50s and not raining on Sunday which means I'll get to brush off the cobwebs and ride my bike! I'm so excited. I think I really needed a few weeks away from riding to really get excited about it again. I've been really enjoying spinning classes lately which is always a bad sign - it means I've forgotten what a real ride feels like.

In the meantime, shall I bore you with more weights talk? Last night I deadlifted 115lb. I deadlifted Jennifer Aniston. This is HUGE for me, considering that a year ago I couldn't even begin to pick up the 70lb pre-set bar at all. I couldn't even conceive of it. My goal is to deadlift my bodyweight and I'm pretty close to that goal.

I was feeling pretty great about this last night until I looked over and the skinny dude next to me was deadlifting FOUR HUNDRED pounds. Sheesh. Whatever. Showoff.

I'm currently working on strength gains, so I'm doing four sets of four reps. Four reps isn't much, so you really have to lift a lot to make it work. I'm stuck at 25lb dumbbells for my dumbbell bench press. It's just too much of a jump to 30lb weights - I can't get them lifted in place. I wish my gym had smaller increments because I can't see how I'm going to make that leap.

Have I bored you enough yet? Anyway, I PROMISE I'll come back to you with a ride report after Sunday. I am determined to spend some time on my bike. In the meantime, check out the photos my husband took the other day when it was all icy and foggy:

Deep Dark Cycling Secret

2009-01-22T05:31:00.000-08:00

Here's a secret: I don't actually like to suffer.

Which is why I have a 40 degree rule when it comes to outdoor cycling. I am...what is the word? A wuss. A WUSS. I don't like to be cold, my joints don't like it, my lungs don't like it, my toes don't like it. DO NOT WANT. On New Year's Day I broke that rule and went out with the group for a cold, cold ride, regretting it almost immediately. I don't really have the right gloves or shoes for cold weather and ten minutes into the ride I couldn't feel my fingers (which is grand when they are what pull your brake levers) and I couldn't feel my feet, also important.

I whined, just a little bit. But I stuck with it and eventually everything warmed up except my toes, which just went completely numb, solving that problem. We didn't stay out too long and I was 100% relieved to get back into the warm house full of post-Christmas cookies and whatnot. Gah. I haven't ridden since then. I learned my lesson. I am not currently training for anything and I have two gyms at my disposal, so why suffer?

I don't want to dread the idea of riding my bike, so instead I've been working really hard at the gym. I've been taking three spinning classes every week and continue to lift weights three times a week. It's been enough to keep me fit and the spinning, while not a perfect substitution for riding, at least keeps those muscles going and keeps my bike butt from going soft.

The saddest part: that the photo above? That was taken in DECEMBER. Not long before Christmas. It's so sad that one day it's warm enough to go out in short sleeves and two weeks later the high temperature is 20. What is that? Bleh. Hurry up, spring.

More weight, please.

2008-12-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

Hi! So I got a really interesting comment from Jennifer after my last post asking about weight training and gym boredom. I feel you Jennifer, because for the longest time I only took classes at the gym - any solo workout requiring self-motivation was really hard and really boring.

Here's the thing with the weightlifting I've discovered:

1. Most machines are completely bullshit useless. Those Nautilus machines? A waste of time. Now, they're certainly better than nothing, but unless you are a 6 foot tall man, they aren't going to fit you correctly. Also, why would I spend an hour isolating small muscle groups when I can do full-body compound movements (that work EVERYTHING) in half the time?

2. 20+ reps of anything is too many reps. I can't count that high and I get bored. 6-8 reps is a whole different story. I know I can't squat much weight 20 times, but I'm certainly willing to challenge myself for 6 measly reps. That's practically nothing! I should put more plates on the bar. This is how I think: 4-6 reps is a fun challenge, 15-20 reps is pure torture. (I should add this: I used to do B0dyPump and really loved it, but you can only lift so much weight for such high reps. Eventually you top out and need to go heavier and slower. That's what I did.)

3. Getting strong is fun, but being strong is awesome. When you start lifting as a weakling (which I was) and then six months later you can bang out a set of tricep pushups, it feels fantastic. it's even better when you can pick up a really heavy box without even thinking about it. I still have a long way to go, but the changes motivate like nothing else.

4. For a cyclist (especially for a mountain biker like me who doesn't get in long endurance miles) there is no better winter workout than weighted leg work. Again, no press machine, no stupid leg extension machine, do the real work that will allow a full range of natural motion and will force you to work ALL the supporting muscles in your legs, not just the big ones. I'm talking about squats, lunges and step-ups. My hill climbs have gotten so much better since I started lifting.

5. If the gym bores you but you know you have to build some muscle and improve that bone density (Hi, Jennifer!) please consider a program. For me, doing a program is like having a trainer tell me what to do, but it's cheaper and less flaky. I have my exercises, my reps, my instructions, I just need to go and do it. I really recommend The New Rules of Lifting for Women because it's a great place to start and will give you a base of knowledge about lifting like nothing else. I also like that the first six weeks of workouts only takes about 30 minutes each. (Hint: if it seems too easy, you aren't lifting enough weight.)

6. If a program is too much commitment, that's okay. You can always do something like this:

Working out in a dilapidated one-room shack

or if you're a beginner, this:

A weight-lifting routine for beginners

PS. If you saw Jennifer's comment and wondered what story she was talking about, it's here.

Who even counts November, anyway?

2008-12-03T11:14:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I missed a month. I haven't been posting here because, as I've said before, it's hard to write about riding the same trails over and over again. I have achieved a few small milestones, though. You know that crazy cement bridge I swore I'd never ride? Yeah, I ride that now. It wasn't a momentous thing, I just kind of rode it one day and ever since then I've felt obligated. I can also ride down the big insane ramp thing, but not so much up it. That just seems harder than it's worth right now. Maybe in the spring.

We've been riding on Sundays, my usual winter ride day, weather permitting. I've been enjoying doing the longer rides (2 1/2 hours is long for me, shut up) with the old gang even if it means I'm hobbling around for the rest of the day. It's worth is to get the fitness in, to get out in the world, to get warm even when it's cold out. Last weekend it was cold and raining, however, and I don't play that. I didn't even leave the house last Sunday.

As for other stuff, I've finished The New Rules of Lifting For Women program and started a new one called Power Training. It's very similar but I get to pick my own exercises which I like because I'll be damned if I ever do another front squat/push press. Hateful. I am required to do front squats which are also hateful, but not as much.

My most recent workout looked something like this:

Squat Jumps - 4 sets of 5 reps
Romanian Deadlifts - 60/6, 65/6, 75/6, 85/6
Dumbell Row (single arm) - 20/6, 25/6, 25/6, 30/6
negative chin-ups - 2
assisted chin-ups - 60/6, 60/6 (meaning, I had the assisted machine set at 60lbs, so I was lifting my body weight minus 60lbs. Woo.)

Then I did a bunch of ab work and 20 minutes of high intensity intervals on the stepmill. Then I scraped myself off the floor and went home for dinner. The End.

Did you think I'd forgotten?

2008-10-13T12:45:00.001-07:00

Stop being so grumpy about the lack of posts. I really just haven't been riding anywhere new or exciting. No races, no adventures, just the usual one or two rides a week on local trails. If we didn't have such nice trails around here I'd be forced to go elsewhere, but what can I say? I'm a lucky girl.

We did have one weird thing happen at Powhite last week. K and I were squeezing in an after-work ride and when we got to the top of the hill we heard the sound of gunshots from the neighborhood off to the left. It was one gun, shot after shot after shot. NOT what you want to hear in the middle of a park in the middle of the city. What the hell? It was worse that we couldn't even tell what direction it was coming from or if we were near enough to worry. Bullets gotta come down somewhere. We scrammed out of there and made it home safely.

The light is fading fast, isn't it? A month ago we could ride until 7:30 without having to worry about lights or reflectors and now we have to leave for home by 6:45 because the woods are too dark to see the trail. I have no interest in night-riding (and no funds for a good headlight) so after this week it's going to be weekends only. Sadness. Back to spinning class for me.

It was a great summer, though, and I can ride Northtrail -> Buttermilk -> Buttermilk Heights with my eyes closed. I know all the secrets! Now, if I try to ride it in the other direction it's a totally different trail, so maybe that's what I'll work on this winter. That, and riding Forest Hill again. Too much poison ivy for me.

Here are some photos from, um, August that I should have posted in...August:

Helmet hair at it's finest:

OMG UPDATE.

2008-07-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

My bike is getting plenty of use this summer, in case you've been worried. I've just completely run out of ways to write about riding the same trails week after week. My husband and I are boring creatures of habit and we're generally pretty happy riding the local trails over and over again. It's almost never boring except when it is.

I can say with absolute authority that I have LOVED not worrying about training for races this year. Just riding to ride has been so much more fun. (Now, I'm not saying I'll never race again, just not right now.) I'm doing decently well with my riding this summer and I think the weight-lifting has only helped me to be a stronger cyclist - I'm certainly a better climber for it. I'm on Stage 6 of the lifting program I've been doing since February and this stage is focused on working towards doing a chin-up. I can tell you with great confidence that I am nowhere NEAR being able to do a chin-up, but then again, I've never tried before. Even chin-up negatives (where you start at the top of the bar and lower yourself) are stupidly hard for me and I hang there like a sad, limp frog. But I try.

In other news, Kenny and I did actually, honest-to-God travel somewhere different to ride when we had some time off a few weeks ago. Naturally, forgot the camera, so no pictures. We went to Freedom Park in Williamsburg for the first time. Man, those are my kind of trails - no crazy stuff, no scary climbs, just miles and miles of twisty fun single track. We were the only ones out there except for a herd of deer and one adventurous turtle. We spent the afternoon riding and cleared out every single spiderweb for the after-work ride crowd. You're welcome, folks.

And now, here's the other kind of riding I've been doing.

Urban Assault, Paula style

2008-06-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hi kids! Last weekend was the Urban Assault race, the race I won last year. My friend Paula races Expert and she did the race this year even though I declined. She's adept at winning (though she'll protest this until she's blue in the face) and this race was no exception. This girl races to win, rather than my lame strategy of racing-to-maybe-finish. Anyway, because I did not attend, I asked Paula to be my guest blogger today! Here's her race report:

I’m not generally the blogger type but since a few of my teammates have written about their recent Xterra/Urban Assault race experience, I thought I would give it a go. It was HOT HOT HOT on Saturday. Given the temperatures over the past several weeks, I thought I would have been prepared. I guess saying to myself and many others that “the heat doesn’t bother me” came back to punish me with a vengeance. So much for positive thinking…!

There were only two of us in my category but I came to realize that this had no bearing, whatsoever, on my pre-race jitters. There could have been 20 of us, and it wouldn’t have made a difference. That being said, nerves all aflutter, we were off! I, like Brad, almost bought it over the first berm. Now Brad, being in the beginner category, had an excuse, I did not. I should have known better but I was already on the right side and would have had to go around the whole field of one other person to get into a position in which I didn’t have to launch over the berm. Thinking I would lose precious time doing this, I thought I was playing it smart to go right over the berm.

Continuing the race, down the gravel road…hmmm, everyone says this is where you can gain precious time, being a roadie and all. Well, when it feels like it’s 110 degrees out and you are gasping for breath, this may not be the case. Who knows, I managed to pass a few people and climb the stairs, 9 flights. (I had counted them before, I was prepared.) I wasn’t prepared for my first crash though. I had 12 feet of clearance after I crossed the bridge. Normally, this is not an issue. For some reason, I looked right at the concrete wall and my left handlebar clipped it. Don’t ask me why, perhaps hyper anaerobicism (my new word).

Down I went, with a group of Sport guys behind me. Oh well, what good is a crash if there’s no one to see it? Continuing on, I manage to almost make it up the steep clay hill (my definition of “almost” being over the first big hump), out to Riverside drive and down the dreaded rocky descent. I hate this descent, but phew, I made it down, no, on second thought I didn’t, out of nowhere some guy decides to pass me on the inside, takes the turn too wide and plows into me.

Never asking me if I am o.k., the guy gets back on his bike and pedals away. I yell a few choice words after him, I mean the adrenalin and all…they weren’t real pleasant but I got my point across.

Back on my bike, yikes, what is this horrible pain in my side? Have I fractured a rib? Will it puncture my lung? I’m short of breath, I’m dizzy…no maybe that’s just the heat. “I guess it’s not excruciating pain I say to myself” so I decide to continue on. On to Forest Hill, this was pretty uneventful although my ribs are feeling the climbs. I reach the end and, given that I did an endo there last year in front of the crowd, I decide I will not give them a show this year. I prudently dismount to go back into the tunnel. O.k., I’m past most of the real technical stuff, now I can really start to gain some time.

Ouch, what is this pain in my legs? Am I cramping, has my newly-deflated lung robbed my muscles of the precious oxygen they need? Drink, drink, drink I say forgetting all about the two Cliff shots that would have been of great benefit, I continue on. Down that gravel road (again) up the stairs, this time clearing the concrete wall with ease. I finish Buttermilk, cross over the Nickel Bridge, Northbank….legs are really starting to cramp but I am reaching the end…I pick it up here, I mean I want to look like I rode the race that fast the entire time as I cross over the finish line. The heat is excruciating but I am done! Some guy I have never seen before comes up to me with a bottle of COLD water and tells me this is the last one there is…I am too stunned to thank him as much as he deserves…I am finished. (Until next year that is!)

(Note how she doesn't mention she won? That Paula. I'll have photos to post as soon as PhotoBucket stops freaking out. )

She updates!

2008-06-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

Don't mess with me! I'm covered in poison ivy and spider webs.

I can't believe how long it's been since I added an entry. It's hard to keep up with both blogs and keep finding new stuff to write about, especially since I'm not doing any racing this spring. Last year at this time I was gearing up for the Urban Assault and even though I'm not in any shape to race, I'm still a little sad to be missing it. Not sad about paying $40 to suffer for half and hour in the 90 degree heat on trails I normally ride for free, however. Not sad about that at all.

But, I have been riding! I swear! All of it local because gas is just too expensive to justify driving all over the place just to ride a bike, when we have trails so close to home. Powhite park is always an easy option and a favorite of mine unless I'm the first rider of the day which means getting liberally frosted with spiderwebs. Those spiders freaking HATE my ass. My favorite trail is a tight uphill route with lots of switchback turns, which is prime real estate for spiders. I usually make Kenny go first because I'm selfish.

We've also been hitting the river trails quite a bit, though you have to be really careful to stay in the exact middle of the trail because it's all POISON IVY EVERYWHERE. I know what it looks like now but that doesn't mean that every green leaf doesn't also look like it. I'm convinced that every leaf that gently brushes my leg is poison and...gross. It usually is.

Anyway, just a quick update to let you know I'm still a-riding. I'll take my camera out and get some new photos up soon.

See? I always make him go first.

Stuff and Stuff

2008-04-25T10:38:00.000-07:00

Hey! Last night the weather was beautiful and we were feeling lazy, so we rode over to Powhite where the trails drain well. They were dry as a bone! Nice. The ride started out the way most spring rides do, with both of us whining about our legs hurting. The first twenty minutes always suck - it hurts a lot and it's hard and you wonder why you didn't pick a sport like bowling, where you can play and drink beer at the same time. But, as almost always happens, as soon as we both warmed up we started feeling good and enjoying ourselves.

Kenny had a flat (in which the entire valve of his tube sheared off. Dude, how does that even happen?) and after he fixed it we ran into a couple of guys who'd never ridden there before and were a little lost. I love that about Powhite park - it's not directional and there are no maps or arrows. It's so small that you can't really get lost for long, but it does help to know the good trails to take for a flowing fun ride. Kenny told them to follow us and we had a nice little mini-group ride. They were appreciative of the tour and it felt so nice to relax and not be under any pressure to train. Just riding for fun! So much better.

That's it. No great stories, just a relaxed after-work ride. I did finally upload photos from our downtown ride a few weeks ago. certain parts of the downtown trails empty out at Tredegar and on Belle island, so that's where I took photos.

Here's Tredegar Iron Works:

And what it used to look like:

Here's me looking serious for no reason:

Very pretty view from Tredegar down to the James River:

Some of the group:

Weird new rock formations on Belle Isle:

Cool, huh? This used to be a rather sketchy downhill run, but they rerouted the trail and filled it in with all these big rocks. The best thing about this hill is that Kenny found a photo of what it used to look like from the top way back in the day (by day, I mean 1865):

Same hill! Belle Isle has been, among other things, an Indian fishing village, a Colonial-era race track, and a Civil War prison camp. It's a strange little place.

Sorry, kids.

2008-04-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

I'm here! Still alive! I just took a break and it ended up being a lot longer than I thought. I have been riding, but not a lot, as the weather has not been cooperating. God, could it rain more? No really, COULD IT?

I did recently make the decision to not bother with racing until fall, if at all. I've just got too many other things pulling for my attention and I need biking to be a relaxing thing, not another source of stress. As for rides, its mostly been the usual local stuff and I've really enjoyed the last few rides I did. The weight lifting program I'm doing has helped a lot with general strength, though my endurance has suffered over the winter.

I have photos in my camera from a group ride I did a few weeks ago but I've been so busy with craft show stuff that I haven't uploaded them yet. However, Travis was cool enough to take some pictures:

Jay and Kenny both got flats right here:

Headed up the hill from Buttermilk North:

Me at the back trying to catch the pack:

Blah Blah Blah

2008-02-08T07:15:00.000-08:00

I just couldn't keep that embarrassing whine-fest as my top entry anymore. It's too pathetic. Wahhh, I had a bad ride! My toes were cold! Time to move on. I skipped last weekend because I had other projects going on but I felt a twinge of guilt about it because it was fairly warm-ish and sunny. Oh, well. Then, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the weather totally slapped me in the face with spring-like temperatures about which I could do nothing. Desk-job-blocked.

This Sunday I think I might go out for a short ride, perhaps solo, just to get my mojo back. There's a group organizing to go back to the park where we rode two weeks ago but I'm not quite ready to have my spirit broken again, so I think I'll pass.

In the meantime, I've decided to do something about the extra bits of pudge I've been carrying around and I went and bought myself this:

It's good stuff. I want to have muscle and this is the way to do it - lift heavy and stop dicking around with all those tiny muscle exercises, Barbie weights and endless cardio. I'm still doing cardio, just focusing more on intervals and less on reading the latest Britney Spears saga whilst dreamily ellipticalling my legs in a lazy fashion. I'm also jacking up my diet with more protein and fiber and less, you know, crap. Less crap is really key, apparently.

So that's where I am now. Probably when the weather gets warmer and the days stay light longer I'll focus more on the cycling, but for now I'm working towards muscle and lots of it.

Not My Proudest Moment.

2008-01-28T13:29:00.000-08:00

I rode yesterday and I don't really feel like writing about it but I guess I will. I'll just start by saying it sucked. Or, rather, I sucked.

It was a group ride out at a park where we don't get to go very often so I was actually looking forward to it. I haven't ridden my bike in a few weeks and thought it might be fun. So, see, my attitude started out okay, I swear.

We arrived and it was much colder than it felt when we left. The sun was out but it was not warm. At all. I really don't do well in the cold which is why I avoid winter riding, but I really had missed being on my bike so I put on a bunch of layers and decided to go for it.

I knew I was in trouble when we hit the first climb. I asked my legs to dig deep and got nothing back. Static. Crickets. Bad. The first loop we did was an easy one, just to warm up, and I was already floundering. I rallied a bit towards the end of the loop and started feeling a bit better, but my legs still felt pretty leaden.

We headed for a more advance long loop of singletrack and I fell to the back of the pack because I was afraid of holding back the faster riders. I got dropped again and again and again. They'd wait up for me, I'd catch up, and then off they went and I was still struggling. I should really never get all the way in the back because without the push-pull of the pack I have no chance in hell of keeping up.

About five miles in I got a second wind and rode with a couple of other people for a bit, but then it was back to Dropsville. I remember looking up and seeing the back of the rider ahead of me completely disappear from sight and got really depressed. So much of this is mental and riding alone for miles and miles when you are chasing a group is so draining. It's different from a solo ride where your time is your own. When you get dropped you never forget that the group is up there...somewhere, and the longer it takes you to catch up when they stop to rest, the shorter your rest time will be.

So miles of slogging through winter-sad trails, with nose running, toes numb, legs cramping is not my idea of a good time. I was probably a pain in the ass but I was mostly frustrated with how quickly I've lost any cycling fitness and how hard I'm going to have to work this spring to get it back. Damn. Hell.

I was dragging and exhausted for the last mile (I think we did fifteen miles?) and Kenny came to scoop me up and lead the way back to the car. I was too tired and frustrated to do anything but climb off and sit dejectedly in the car while Kenny put my bike on the rack. Sitting there completely rung out and embarrassed, I cried. I have very firm rules about there not being any crying in mountain biking, but yesterday was what it was. I guess you have to have a bad ride now and then so you appreciate the good ones? I'll try and remember that.

PS. On the way home Kenny stopped and bought doughnuts and that helped A LOT towards improving my mood.

OKAY, FINE.

2008-01-09T12:58:00.000-08:00

HI. WHAT IS HAPPENING. I know, I am slack, but sometimes a girl needs a break from the old blog ball-and-chain. I have been riding but not very much. I was hoping for a great deal of riding over the Christmas break but that didn't happen because it literally rained every other day and around here you get a stick in your spokes for riding wet trails. Besides, who wants to clean a muddy bike? Not me (or my husband.)

So, yeah, there have been a few rides, but nothing to brag about. I went out by myself on Thanksgiving day and endo'ed over a log, this log:

like, ten minutes after I got there. I landed with the palm of my hand firmly on a very knotty root which hurt A LOT. I contemplated calling for a ride home because gripping the handlebar wasn't really a fabulous option, but instead I stood in the woods and swore a lot until it stopped throbbing so much. I had a really Technicolor bruise to show for it. It hurt for weeks afterwards. Nice.

So, there have been a few other rides since then, but today I'll just tell you about the one we did last weekend. A friend of a friend of a friend has some land out in the country and he did what any crazy person would do - he built a six-mile loop of single track. NICE. A bunch of us were invited to help break it in last Sunday, so off we went. The weather was unseasonably warm which was a nice plus.

The trails were of the "rolling" variety and you know what that means - OW. It means it never ever lets up. That six mile loop was hard work, all of it. There was one great section of big dirt lumps (I think it was originally used for dirt bikes) but other than that, I worked and worked and worked some more. There was no coasting, no rest, just legs and gears. The ground was spongy and power-sucking, which made it all the harder. I hadn't a chance in hell of keeping up with the fast group but really, who cares about speed in January? Not me. Which is good because I'm fresh out, kids.

I had a great time, though. We did two laps and I rode with some nice women and men and it was so much fun to ride somewhere unfamiliar and new. And by new, I mean the trails were NEW. There were no defined lines so you really had to negotiate every inch of it on your own and hope for the best.

My friend Billy was kind enough to take some pictures for me since I forgot my camera (thanks!)

Group shot:

I look thrilled about this action shot:

This was the BEST. This sign was at the bottom of a hill right where the trail took a hard left:

And the thrill of finishing a good ride:

Neglected.

2007-11-26T07:01:00.000-08:00

It's been a month since I updated but it's hard to update a bike blog when you haven't been riding your bike. The past month has been a flurry of craft shows and stomach virus fun, so there has been no riding unless spinning class counts and I don't think it does.

HOWEVER, this past week featured a couple of unseasonably ridiculously gorgeous short-sleeve weather days, so I did a couple of solo rides. On Wednesday I took myself out to ride most of the big loop (skipping a section I don't feel comfortable riding alone) and, because I knew it was going to be a casual slow ride, I also took my camera. This is less exciting than it seems because I couldn't take any action shots, just pictures of the trail and whatnot. I rode for a couple of hours at a steady pace, just having fun and not pushing myself too hard. Sadly, my photo skills are not good enough to really capture how ridiculously balmy and beautiful it was that day, but hopefully you'll get an idea from my little travelogue below:

Where It's At.

2007-10-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

Hi, I know. It's gonna be a bit slower around her for a while because my riding schedule has narrowed to one ride a week, if I'm lucky. Sadly, with an 8:30-5pm work schedule I don't have enough daylight coming or going to ride during the week, and night riding does not appeal. Don't even try to convince me because I don't care. The woods at night is no place for me.

That leaves Sunday and the occasional Saturday to ride, which is okay. I'm ready to slow down on the outdoor cycling and focus on other things, like weight lifting and spinning. Assuming I don't have conflicts, here's my current schedule:

Monday: yoga class w/ super-excellent and hilarious instructor. (I think I have a girl crush on her.)

Tuesday: 20 minute cardio warm-up, 1 hour of free weights

Wednesday: spinning class

Thursday: 20 minute cardio warm-up, 1 hour of free weights

Friday: off

Saturday: spinning class and weight lifting class (or mountain bike ride)

Sunday: mountain bike ride (weather permitting)

I don't always achieve all of it and Saturdays are hard because of craft shows and whatnot, but on the whole it's been working so far. My gym is great for the classes but the weight rooms sucks ass. Sure, it's big, but it's also dark and poorly laid out. I also hate the staring eyes of the weight room guys who seem to think I'm either an interloper or their own personal entertainment. Gross.

To remedy this I've started going to the very swanky (and free) gym on campus. For some reason college guys don't intimidate me at all. I consider them beneath notice and just march in and do my thing. It helps, too, that the weights room is big and light and well-designed. I went on Tuesday night and while I was lifting there was a cardio dance class going on in the glassed-in studio. It was all hip rolling and jazz hands and I could barely drag my eyes away from the horror of it. Dance classes are my hell and I'm impressed by anyone who willingly submits to such outlandish torture.

ANYWAY, i did ride last Sunday, all by myself. Everyone else was busy or feeling under the weather but it was a GORGEOUS day so I took myself over to Powhite and rode for an hour, mostly through some stunningly gross spiderwebs. It was fun though - I don't get to ride alone very often and I like that I can ride whatever pace i feel like and stop whenever I want. I am perfectly happy in my own company that way.

Race Report - Poor Farm Fall Cup

2007-10-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

First I'd like to say I felt like total and complete crap yesterday and I think maybe I'm getting too old for this or something. I'm not sure that high-endurance sport events are for me. My body hates me. So much.

So, the race: Sunday morning I got up pretty early because my race start was 10am and I needed time to drive to the course, warm up and pee about 800 times. The good thing about an early race is that the porta-johns aren't yet completely disgusting and it's over before the main event so you can enjoy yourself afterwards while everyone else is suffering. The bad thing about an early race is having to get up early and deal with the temperature shift/what to wear issue.

There were six women signed up for my race, including me. Two of them are women I'm friendly with, both of whom have beat me in past races, though I beat them both earlier this summer in the Urban Assault. We take turns! (I should probably pause here to say that female racers are among the nicest women ever. I think it's cute when you pass someone in your field and they cheer you on. It's all in good fun, which I appreciate!)

I was concerned about the start, because apparently we were in the same wave as all the beginner men. This burns me up because, really, would it be that hard to give us a start of our own? We really have to fight through an adrenalin cloud of nervous, spazzy beginner men? Apparently, yes.

The start was a total mess, as I assumed it would be. The beginner men field was huge and I got in the back so I wouldn't get trampled running for my bike. When the horn went off I had to fight through a cloud of panic, dust, falling dudes, bikes clanking, shoes (!!) flying off feet. We all raced for the entrance into the woods and at that point things came to a grinding dead halt. I was near the back of the pack and had to, no shit, wait in line for my turn to enter the trail. I lost a good minute or two right there and it shows in my lap times.

The course was really tough - very fast and twisty at the beginning and end with all the climbing (mostly short, steep lung-busters) in the middle. It was my kind of course though, as I really like the twisty stuff. Because of the lack of rain the trail was really loose and dusty, which made for some spectacular spills, luckily none of them mine.

The beginning of the singletrack, once I got in, was a dusty rooty switchback turn that continued into the woods. I rode with a couple other women who'd also gotten out of the gate slowly and we worked our way through the crowds until things thinned out. Some of the beginning men were great and some of them were incredibly rude and spazzy and would rather pass like a douchebag than to suffer a couple of minutes of riding behind a woman. I think I yelled a few clipped comments about MANNERS and CALLING YOUR PASS. Hmph.

Eventually I was running in what I thought was 3rd place but I now know was 4th. I was the only woman in sight and only halfway through my first lap. I hit the first big climb and that slowed things down considerably. I started to lose momentum and had to really push myself to keep going. It's hard to race when you have no idea where the rest of your group is or how far ahead they are. Wah wah wah, I finished my first lap and passed by Kenny and a bunch of other teammates and friends, one of whom yelled about the leader, "She's only two minutes up!"

Uh. Great? Ha. I remember thinking she might as well be two hours up because no way could I gain that kind of time without strapping a small motor on my bike.

I continued into my second lap and less than halfway through I saw (what I thought was) #2 through the trees. Well, shit. That means I have to race now. I chased, I caught, and just as I was reeling her in another Sport Woman (actually #2), who'd been sidelined by a chain malfunction jumped in between us. Now I was chasing both of them! Looking back, it was really kind of fun because in most races I'm completely alone. I stuck to them like glue and they switched spots but we all stuck together and damn, the woman in the lead put the pedal down. When we passed other riders we passed as a unit - it was hilarious. We hit the final section of flats and were all three going flat out. I considered passing #3 but she was going so fast that I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it. I decided to wait and when we came out fo the woods for the last long run across the field to the finish line, I passed her. In true form she cheered me on and urged me to go after #2. I went.

People. I have never ridden so hard or fast in my life and right as we were coming to the chute I caught her. Woo! Unfortunately, there was another male rider right next to her who inadvertently blocking my pass. She and I crossed the line nearly at the same time and our lap times were identical, but she was still a bit ahead of me. I was pleased anyway and happy to take third place. When we were all across the line the three of us laughed and congratulated each other for a job well done. Dang.

First lap: 38:39
Second lap: 36:35

Kenny started at noon and had a great race too - he finished 9th out of a huge field of 34. Sweet!

Afterwards we went home and both promptly felt like we'd been hit by a truck. Yesterday also sucked, but today I feel fine. I still don't even want to touch my bike for a few more days, though. Yuck.

Condensed Race Update

2007-10-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

Hey! I'll post a full blow-by-blow tomorrow but for those two of you who might be wondering, I survived the race and came in 3rd. It was a hard effort and I'm suffering aplenty to because of it. Ow. Anyway, details and pictures tomorrow so check back!

Yes You CAN.

2007-10-12T08:09:00.001-07:00

Hi there. What up? Here's what's been going on:

- sad after-work rides squeezed in until the last possible second of daylight vanishes.
- spinning classes, le sigh.
- a final race of the season, can someone please hold me.

If we hit the trails at 5:45pm we have exactly an hour of light, so we've been heading over to Forest Hill to extract the most amount of suffering possible in that hour. It's nice though, because you do it and then you get to go home and eat dinner. I feel like I've nearly conquered Forest Hill this summer and I can ride every inch of it if you don't count that cement bridge, which I don't.

On Tuesday I left work early to join a weekly ride out at Poor Farm Park, where the race this Sunday is being held. I did a fast 45 minutes with my usual group and then reconvened at the parking lot to try and hook up with a medium-paced group. I lost out on that because I suck at paying attention and they left without me. This left me with the beginner group which I was grumpy about at first, but then I made some new friends and began to enjoy myself. We spent some time practicing a few tricky uphill sections and I think I'm pretty comfortable with most of it. Kenny and I are going to go back out on Saturday to ride the actual course, though, so don't quote me on that. Poor Farm holds the record for "Most Decrepit Little Bridges" and I don't know which ones will be included.

In the meantime, I've been back on the spinning bike at the gym a few times a week, just to keep the legs in a pedal-turning kinda mood. I actually, no shit, took a class last Friday at 6:15am. IN THE MORNING. It really wasn't bad at all because I was too out of it to really understand what I was doing until I was doing it. However, for the rest of the day I was both hyper and starving, so it may not be the best plan going forward.

Last night I took a class from a very nice woman who, unfortunately, really wants some class participation. Now, I'm not vocal in spinning class mostly because I'm trying very hard to focus on the music or my cadence or what is on TV that night or what I'm wearing to work the next day. Important deep thoughts, people. I do not "woo!" I do not feel like I need to give the teacher verbal pats on the back every ten seconds. I'm working here, lady! She really wants it but she won't be getting it from me. On top of that, she talks a lot in a very loud voice and likes to bellow things like, "YES YOU CAN. YES YOU CAN!" during sprints. Um, I guess I already am? So, she's right I suppose.

It's gonna be a long winter.

A Few Words about the White Whale

2007-09-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

Have I talked about the White Whale yet? I feel like I have, but what the hell. The White Whale is your own personal Moby Dick - that hill/bridge/climb/decent that continues to be unrideable for whatever reason. It haunts you and it remains just out of reach. I have a few of them, and one of them is the cement bridge that leads to the Forest Hill loop. I can now ride every other element in the park but that bridge. Mallie commented in my last entry to ask why I don't ride it (a valid question, as I do ride stuff that's much more technical) and here's my answer:

1. It scares me.

2. It's a 9 foot drop if you screw up.

3. At the bottom of the 9 foot drop is about 6 inches of water and a whole lot of rocks.

4. Getting on the bridge isn't straightforward - there's a big cement slab that you have to shimmy around, so the approach is from the side and you have to make a hard left to get on the bridge.

5. The bridge (which is only about two feet wide) has a raised center, so you feel like you're perched on the very tippy-top of it. This is a bad feeling.

Really, though, it's mostly a mental thing and a healthy fear of falling. I have actually ridden it a couple of times from the other direction (which is straightforward and also downhill so you have some momentum already) and it was pretty scary, but doable. I just need to conquer my fear and do it because I know I physically CAN, I just don't. I've gotten complacent about walking it and it never occurs to me to try to ride it anymore.

I'm a pretty cautious person in general so most of the technical aspects of mountain biking require quite a bit of courage for me. I should also mention that while I always loved to ride a bike, I was not a terribly athletic person for a good chunk of my life. I was overweight, sedentary and a smoker in my twenties, so at 35 I'm still learning the fearlessness most active people cultivate early on. Trust me when I say, it's harder if you start at 28 than if you start at 18.

Okay, so last night we eked out the remaining after work daylight and met some friends for a fast lap of Forest Hill. I always promise myself that I'll not try to keep up with the rider ahead of me or try to drop the one behind me (if there is one) but I can't help it - I have to try. I felt good and it was good to try. Towards the end I hit a section of the trail that's usually a breaking point for me if I'm tired - two uphill, rutted-out switchbacks in a row. They are the last tough section before the flats.

I headed for them and automatically started to slow down. Then I took a quick mental inventory and discovered that nothing really hurt - knees were good, lungs were good, legs were fine. I went for it and gritted it up those nasty little climbs. And took off afterwards like I was in a race. It was fantastic and I finished out the lap feeling strong. I actually have a race in a couple of weeks and I really hope this is how I feel October 14th. Fingers crossed.

Summer is Over. Wah.

2007-09-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

We've actually been riding quite a bit but I've been lazy and not updating. Yesterday we meant to go to a ride/picnic gathering but I thought it was at Poor Farm Park and, uh, it was at Pocahontas State Park instead. Oops? So, hey, we got in a couple good laps at Poor Farm yesterday and then went back home for lunch. Mostly we've been trying to make the most of what after-work daylight we have left so we've been riding the Buttermilk Heights trail to Forest Hill and riding the never-gets-easier lap there. I know I've talked about it before - it's a three-four mile loop that is really technical and has a lot of climbing. It's also got a great set of whoop-de-doos (basically a trail that drops into and out of a deep ravine repeatedly, so it's sort of roller-coastery. Fun and scary.)

Here's the cement bridge of doom at the beginning of Forest Hill. I refuse to ride it:

An action shot at the top of a whoop:

The outside edge of this switchback turn goes straight down a hill. It took me weeks to get up the nerve to ride this:

Forest Hill is always a gut-wrenching challenge but the last quarter mile is all super fast singletrack so if you have anything left, it's fun to use it up there. It's a nice reward after all the climbing, for sure. I'm sad that this is probably the last week that after-work rides will be feasible. I don't night-ride so it's gonna be spin class at the gym for me. Bleh.

What, You Thought I was Kidding?

2007-09-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

Every time I start an entry I'm consumed with guilt because of Jill. Dang it, girl, why do you have to make hard look so easy? It makes my bitching about the weather sound ridiculous. You're a tough cookie and have all my respect because even if I was brave/crazy enough to bike and camp alone ...in the rain...in Alaska... I would have been on the next ferry back the minute I discovered all my food was soaking wet. Also, if I had to put my food in something designed to be BEAR PROOF I'm pretty much staying in a hotel.

I'm not a camper, though, and I'll be the first to admit it. Camping sounds like organized discomfort to me. Hell, I don't even like picnics. Really, I just mostly hate being wet, cold and uncomfortable more than just about anything. I'll take a humid sunny day, please! (Now, go read Jill's blog. It's way more interesting than mine.)

Now that I've got that off my chest, can I just up and admit that I know I'm a photo tease. I KNOW. I'm also now well aware that my husband and I approach mountain biking photography very differently. My method: pause briefly to snap a quick shot of something vaguely scenic. Kenny's method: stop and set up an action shot, direct wife on the exact spot on which to stand and the exact moment at which to push the button, all the while ignoring the eleventy billion mosquitoes that are happily feasting on her legs.

I took one (JUST ONE) scenic shot on our first trip out with the camera and Kenny mentioned that if the memory card ran out of room for action shots we could delete it. I got mad and told him that little nugget was going right in the blog. (AND HERE IT IS. HMPH.) He apologized and my pretty picture stayed.

Anyway, below are some shots we took last Sunday at Poor Farm Park near Ashland, VA. I should mention that MTB photography is really frustrating because the camera tends to flatten out hills, so even if it's really rad in person, not so much in the pictures. You'll just have to take my word for it, I guess.

It was a pretty day:

You can tell I took this shot because I managed to get the cell tower in it:

Kenny is not defeated by big roots:

This one looks steep but it's even more ridiculous in real life:

Roooooots...

Oh, tiny wooden bridges. How I dislike you:

Sweet drop-in:

This is at the bottom of a really steep descent. I swear:

We are fast on the flats, yo:

Pretty! Aren't you glad someone didn't delete this?

Amblus Blog: Now with 50% More Excitement!

2007-09-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

Seriously, how boring am I? I have been riding, but it's all the same local loop in different directions. It's always hard, it's always hot, I get poison ivy and the mosquitoes love me like I'm made of creme brulee. (Which, judging by the size of my thighs, I am. Hmph.)

Anyway, today we are actually packing up the bikes and driving a whole 20 miles out of town to ride, AND, I have a brand new shiny Camelbak-pocket-sized digital camera, so I can take many shiny pictures with which to amuse all two of you who read this. Aren't I thoughtful? More later!

Ad Nauseum.

2007-08-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have been riding but I haven't been posting because how many times have I ridden the big loop and then posted about it? More than once. We just get lazy and don't like spending money driving all over tarnation when we have great trails practically in our back yard. So yeah, we've been riding the local loop pretty often and it's still great and challenging every time. Lately we've taken to riding it counter-clockwise which, even though it's the same trail, down becomes up and up becomes down and it's freshly challenging even though it's the same old trail. Funny thing - I can ride rickety bridges if the yawning chasm is on my right side, but not so much on my left. Most of the obstacles that freak me out are man-made, which is pretty funny. Big jaggy river rocks? No problem. Narrow but sturdy plank bridge over a ravine? Big problem. It's all mental, but still. Don't love the bridges or ramps.

So, here's a quick run-down of what we've done lately:

Last Saturday: Big Loop. I honestly don't remember a lot about this ride, but I think we had fun. I do remember that I finally, finally nailed a difficult switchback climb in Forest Hill that has always given me grief. Hmph.

Last Sunday: We went to Powhite where there are approximately 800 trees down from the last big thunderstorm. We soldiered on, though neither of us were feeling super-fantastic that day. It was a relief to go home. One cool thing did happen during that ride - we heard a tree fall! If you are in the woods and a tree falls, your ass will hear it. It shook the ground, y'all. We went and found said tree (it fell across a particularly fast section of trail, natch) and it was rotten through. I'm glad not to have been under it when it fell.

Tuesday: Big Loop, counterclockwise. I was very shaky riding Buttermilk Heights West to East (see above) but had a grand time riding the Northtrail back to the bridge for a change. I felt GREAT during this ride, which was so nice. I love it when my spring and summer riding pays off into fall. Love it.

Yesterday: Big Loop again. See above. Highlights include meeting the cutest Welsh Corgi, ever. His owner is a friend of Kenny's and also a mountain biker. It was a solid ride.

Shout Out: I just want to send my good wishes and fast healing to my friend Matt who has a bad road bike crash yesterday. Rest up and take care, Matt!

Hot As Balls, that's why.

2007-08-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

A quick update since...one person missed me! I've been on vacation the result of which has made me feral and unable to concentrate on things like work and writing. And other stuff. It's also hot as balls out so there hasn't been much riding at all either. Kenny and I went out early last Sunday and two hours later we though we were going to die. It went like this:

ride ride ride climb climb climb. Stop. Pant. Drink. Pant. Sigh. Moan. Drink. Ride ride ride. Lather, rinse, repeat. It's bad. Today the heat index is going to be 109 degrees. This is patently unfair but I guess that's what I get for living in the south.

While on vacation we did get in a couple of good rides slightly further afield - we went to Poor Farm Park and spent a couple of hours on our hardtails getting the shit beat out of us, but it was fun and fast. Hurty on the back, but so so fast. At one point while riding a fairly sketchy downhill section I heard a rider behind me and when I braked a very little bit to slow myself down on a particularly crumbly section he yelled, "No braking!" because apparently he was riding WAY TOO CLOSE. Yeah, even bikers tailgate. I snarked back, "Gimme some room then!" and he backed off. Later he apologized quite nicely so I let him live.

Later that week Kenny and I packed up the bikes and drove out to York River State Park which has some incredible trails. The terrain is quite a bit different than at home - much more hilly but in a fun roller-coaster way. If you go across the street to where they hold the Tidewater Challenge this roller-coaster thing gets way out of hand and isn't quite as much fun. Actually, I think that's a private course, which is just as well. It's freaking hard. We spent a few hours at York River and had a grand time, as the weather was still behaving itself at that point. Now, not so much.

So that's it for now. Probably no bike stuff until this weekend because heat stroke just ain't my thing.

Cute Girl Stuff

2007-07-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

I think I've bitched before about how annoyed I get with the quality and type of women's cycling gear that's generally available. The local stores are generally very bad about carrying a decent selection and what they do have is considered "seasonal." No, really. I once got in an argument with a sales guy who was trying to tell me that the women's shorts were out of of stock in March because they're seasonal. So I guess only men ride in the spring? Loser. Anyway, there's a new bike shop in town and not only do they carry women's stuff, they carry COOL women's stuff. So excited! They have Shebeest which I love, but also a brand I'd not heard of before, Twin Six.

I bought a Twin Six water bottle:

And a pair of Twin Six socks because I can't resist skulls, not ever:

I know I was all anti-pink before, but with the skulls, it's somehow okay. The thing I want the most is this crazy houndstooth jersey, but it's a little pricey. It will belong to me one day soon, just you wait.

I AM SO F'ING ITCHY YOU HAVE NO IDEA.

2007-07-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

Hi there. Where have I been? Not riding. Instead, I spent the last week working a conference that my department was hosting and it was really hard and involved many hours of being and I did not ever get to go home except to sleep. (Add to that, a lovely case of poison ivy the like of which I have never experienced. It's like I took a big handful and dabbed it all over my legs. I am PRETTY, let me tell you.) Now the work madness is over and I can get back to my regularly scheduled slackness and also ride my bike.

The weekend before last Kenny cleaned up and repaired our hardtail bikes so we could have options, like. I, shamefully, had not ridden my hardtail since last spring. I know! What is my problem? Not only that, I rode it in a muddy race and then put it in the shed with nary a backwards glance. I am Satan to bikes. I have no excuses, I'm afraid.

Anyway, look how shiny they are! The red one is Kenny's Mongoose and the blue is my very first mountain bike, a Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo.

Too Hot.

2007-06-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of updates - I've had a fantastically busy week at work (uh, not that I write these entries at work because I totally totally don't! That would be wrong.) and haven't had the time to update. I have done a few rides since I last posted, but nothing too crazy:

Sunday: We drove out to Pocahontas State Park and met up with Jared and the Head Lummox for some old school mountain bike action. It was a beautiful day and I was feeling spry for most of it. The red trail (very, very technical) was my Waterloo, however, and I was glad to go home and eat lunch after that.

Tuesday: A decent but hot ride on the big loop. It was the first ride this season where I actually felt the heat holding me back. It was so freaking hot. Stupid humidity. Wah wah wah.

Last night: An easy ride at Powhite with Kenny. He made me lead which hurt at first but then I started to get into it. We only rode for an hour but it was a nice way to end the day and I felt great right up until I had to take a cold shower because our furnace was on the fritz. Brisk, y'all. I'll just leave it at brisk.

This weekend the weather is supposed to be insanely nice, so I am definitely going to have something to write about next week. In the meantime, you should watch this video that Jared made from Xterra weekend footage. It's good stuff.

Post-Race Rides

2007-06-22T06:36:00.001-07:00

After Saturday's race, I didn't even want to look at my bike for a couple of days. I was happy to leave it and go to the gym for a little air conditioned, poison-ivy-free workout fun. I did a free weights class on Monday and a spinning class on Tuesday, but by Wednesday I was ready to get back outside. Kenny and I did a casual ride of the Loop - North Trail, Forest Hill, Buttermilk Heights, the usual thing. On the North Trail we ran into another group - one of whom recognized me as the WINNAH. Woo! Pretty funny.

There was nothing super remarkable about that ride, but at least this time nobody yelled, "SLUT!" at me. I think I forgot to mention that, didn't I? Last week on the way home from one of our training rides some random dude in a car yelled that at me. I'm flattered, dude, really. I mean, who does that? What was it about my dirt-encrusted self that tipped him off to my slutty ways? Hmph.

I will say that riding down around Belle Island and the river is sometimes like riding into another dimension. Where do these people come from? The place was crawling with weirdos and after we past the third half-dressed arguing hillbilly couple, we'd had enough and hit the fire road before anymore craziness came our way.

Yesterday was an easy ride at Powhite because I had a newbie friend along with me. It made me remember how scary and hard it is when you first start riding trails and also made me realize how far I've come in the past seven years. She was ready to head back after 30 minutes and I was just getting warmed up for the good stuff! Heh, assuming she's still speaking to me, we can save the rest of the trails for another ride. I remember very clearly my first "long" ride and how I practically crawled onto the couch afterwards with my helmet and bike shoes still on. Hey, if it was easy everyone would do it.

Race Report: Kicking Ass and Taking Names

2007-06-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

Heh, I'm such a freak and you'll see why in a minute. I'll just say this: you know that skinny girl who drives everyone crazy because she's always talking about how fat she is? Clearly she has issues, but she makes you want to slap her anyway. I kinda think maybe I was that girl this weekend. I'll start at the beginning.

Thursday: After work we pre-ride the course with a small group of friends who are also doing the race. I beg everyone in my best whiny tone to please take it slow. I just want to go easy and work on last minute sections that cause me pain. This is a seriously technical course with lots of possibilities for painful mistakes and I really want to nail it down. We go too fast anyway.

Friday night: I'm starting to get nervous and my legs are pretty sore from the pre-ride we did on Thursday night. Kenny and I went out and did an easy ride at Powhite just to loosen up the legs. We eat a good dinner and go to bed early. I have completely f'ed up anxiety dreams that have nothing to do with racing. Nice one, subconscious.

Saturday morning: Dread, fear, loathing, breakfast. I choke down breakfast because I know better than to skip it. My stomach is really unhappy about the whole thing and I'm feeling really, really nervous. We suit up and ride the North Trail down to Brown's Island, pick up our race numbers, talk to a bunch of friends and then ride over the ped bridge to Belle Island where the race starts.

My start is at 11am but it's clear pretty quickly that things are not running on time. The waiting is truly the hardest part. I'm feeling green around the gills and keep riding my bike in circles just to keep moving. I check out my competition, nine other women, and note that at least three of them have beat me in the past. I note the muscular thighs on one woman and sigh with resignation. This is going to SUCK.

Meanwhile, I find out that the hilltop/crazy descent that I'd worked on and worried about all week has been cut out of our race. This means a faster start, but a less tricky one too. I calm down a little. Finally, we line up our bikes, walk back to the start and wait for the word.

We're off! It's a running LeMans start which we all hate a lot, but I got to my bike, got on and started about fifth back:

(my friend Billy took this photo - that's me on the right in the yellow and black jersey)

The race started on a fast stretch of single track that went around the northeast end of the island. We lost one of the women almost immediately - she rode a log too fast and went down. I was still holding on near the back - I'm not good at going out fast. At all.

After that section we crossed over a wooden bridge and rode a river rock and cement section right next to the river that led up to the death stretch - a nearly two mile stretch of gravely fire road. I hate this section because going fast on a gravel road is not my thing. Long sprints SUCK. I geared up into my big chain ring and cranked as hard as I could. The front pack pulled away from me and another rider passed me but I kept them in sight.

The next obstacle was an outdoor cement staircase that you have to carry your bike up - I think it's nine flights and it smells like pee most of the time. I loathe the staircase. At the top I got back on my bike and crossed over the the little bridge that leads to the next section of singletrack - Buttermilk Heights. (The Heights is short but really pretty intense. Its four big hills with rocky creek crossings at the bottom - so three of those. One section involves a rooty steep descent that immediately leads to a steep uphill river rock (giant flat rocks) climb that you really have to hit just right, but I'm getting ahead of myself.)

Once on the Heights I started in for the serious work. This is where I was going to win or lose this thing. I know these trails really well and I had my line already set. By now I was starting to breathe better and my legs felt good. I go for it. I passed a few women on the more technical sections, especially the tricky river rock uphill. I think I remember yelling a warning to the beginner men stragglers, "I'M COMING THROUGH. I'M RIDING STRAIGHT THROUGH!" Man, I was bossy out there! It couldn't be helped, I just had nightmare visions of one of them stepping off their bike right in my path. They moved out of my way pretty quickly.

Towards the end of the Heights I ended up behind my friend Mary, who I was pretty sure was running third at that point. She was slowing down a bit and I offered encouragement, though I knew I'd need to find a way to pass her. Women's races are funny that way - there aren't many of us so we are all supportive, yet we're still pretty competitive. A little weird, but it usually works out.

I finally passed her on the last hairpin turn leading up to the Boulevard Bridge and I cranked it, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. Ahead of me, I saw Francine, a very nice girl who soundly beat me last year at Camp Hilbert. I went after her and passed her right after the bridge. In true Francine form, she was cheering me on. Hee! So cute. We headed around under the bridge and started on the first section of the North trail. We met up again at the big steep ramp (which can be seen in that slide show from last year) and most of us ended up walking the steepest part. At the top of the ramp there was a bit more trail and then we had to ride on the street to get to the final stretch - the North Trail. I passed Francine again on the road and at that point I was pretty sure that the only person in front of my was my friend Cristy. Cristy who I'd ridden the course with just a few days before. Cristy who won the race last year. Crap! I had to go find her.

I dove into the North Trail like my ass was on fire. This second of trail is pretty fast and twisty and I've been riding it on a regular basis for a year. I know this stuff cold. I finally caught up with Cristy who is also pretty darn fast. We rode through the first section together, across the bridge to the the new part, which has a roller coaster feel and banked up hairpin turns. As we headed for the largest of these turns I was opening my mouth to tell her to slow down (I'd taken that turn too fast in practice and skidded out) but it was too late - she did the exact same thing and over corrected. I made sure she was okay and then passed her.

It was all on me from then on. I hauled ass, people. I don't think I've ever ridden so fast in my life. I was in front, IN FRONT, and I actually got to yell, "race leader, coming through!" to one of the beginner men who was standing on the trail. I had no idea how far behind me Francine and Cristy were, so I hauled ass, for real. I climbed the last dusty climb, rode my new line over the rocks to the ramp-bridge thing, geared up to my big ring and rode hell-for-leather for the finish line. And won the damn thing. First Sport win ever. My time was 41 minutes, 9 seconds a big improvement from last year's 45 minutes, 06 seconds. Here's a shot of me on the podium being a dork:

Unfortunately, due to sloppy and misleading trail markings, Kenny and a bunch of other racers took a long fork instead of a short cut in once section of Buttermilk and it hurt his placing. He still came in 9th which is damn fine and I'm proud of him. Our friend Ethan returned to racing after years of retirement from the Jr. NORBA circuit and took 3rd place in the single speed category. My badass friend Paula placed first in Expert Women which surprises me not at all. She's part of why I have the skinny-girl syndrome I was talking about way at the top of this (incredibly long) entry. Because I'm so used to riding with her and her husband and Kenny, all incredibly fast and experienced riders, I often feel poky and slow, when in fact I'm not, it's just because I'm judging myself against a bunch of freaking experts. Hmph.

Here's a great picture of Kenny navigating one of the really technical sections:

I was really very touched by how nice everyone was and truly appreciate all the hugs and high-fives I got. It was also nice hearing my name being shouted from the crowds, so thanks, shouters! That was the best. I also got a good pre-race pep talk from the Downhill Lummoxes who take all the credit for my win. They can have it, because they were awesome. It was a really great day.

24 Hours of Blather.

2007-06-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

Did you know there are 24 hour bike races? Think about all the things you do in a 24 hour span and imagine instead of all those things, you were riding a bike pretty fast in the woods. Never say never, but damn. I don't know about all that.

Speaking of races, I got one in two days. I know I've talked about it before and it's really not a big deal - a fast 8 mile sprint on really technical trails. Fun! I came in 3rd last year but this year it looks like the competition is a bit tougher. I never have grand expectations about these things, but I still feel like barfing when I think about it.

After last week's crappy rides I took myself out alone on Sunday morning to do a solo ride on the Forest Hill section and Buttermilk Heights. I felt great. I have no idea why I felt so much better, but it was a great ride and very peaceful to be totally alone in the woods. It was a satisfying ride.

Monday and Tuesday were rained out (freak thunderstorms with HAIL and shit) but last night the weather held and we all met up to do the longer version of the race. Again, I felt really good and strong and I kicked the ass of a couple of sections that had been scaring me. I love overcoming the fear of a certain descent or log crossing or whatever. It's empowering.

Hey look! It's the stupid Big Loop I'm always blathering about:

To see some really good photos of the course I'll be riding, click here and then click on "Check our photos of preparation for the Xterra East Championship." (the second box down on the left.)

Ouch. If the weather holds I'm going to ride the short course tonight and work on a few sections that piss me off. I'm racing, y'all! This should be good, I hope.

Noodle Legs Strikes Back!

2007-06-08T13:06:00.000-07:00

Awww, yeah. Last night I did the exact same ride with the exact same people and guess what? It was agony! Totally. However, I was able to push through it a bit more and did a lot better. I really had to dig deep for it and at one point remember thinking, "I'm going to make up this goddamn hill even if my legs fall off."

My legs did not fall off and I did make it up the goddamn hill. It was a lot hotter last night though, so I'm pretty sure that's at least part of the agony-feeling. I felt like ASS when I got home but a good shower and a semi-good dinner helped. A glass of wine helped a lot too. Hey, I need those restoring carbs.

This weekend I'm absolutely skipping the race and doing craft crap instead. Next Saturday, however, I think I'm going to do the Urban Assault mountain bike race. I did it last year and came in third (You can read about it here), so I feel like I need to try again. The problem is, every time I think about it my heart starts beating really fast. I am going to have a race-induced heart attack one of these days, I swear to god. Anyway, the Urban Assault is the day before the Richmond XTERRA, an event I do not participate in because I can't run or swim. Heh. It takes place on the downtown trails that run along the river (the "big loop" I'm always talking about) and the more advanced race includes the Forest Hill loop. Unfortunately my race doesn't include Forest Hill - it's an eight mile death sprint instead. You can read the course description here.

Basically it's all familiar trails but they're very narrow and technical and some of them are perched on a hillside so there's not much room for passing unless you want to fall to your death. FUN. At least it's over pretty quickly either way, eh?

Have a great weekend, kids!

Noodle Legs

2007-06-07T07:25:00.000-07:00

OMGGGGGGGGGGG. Here's my definitive decision on the race this Sunday, based completely on my ride last night: NO TO THE HELL TO THE NO.

It's sad, really, how hard this can be sometimes. I work out more than most people I know and I ride pretty consistently and still, STILL! It's so hard. Not always, but last night for sure. It was a perfect evening - warm and sunny but not too hot or humid. I took Tuesday off so my legs were freshy-fresh and still, it was so insanely hard. We met up with some friends do to the long race course (for the Urban Assault race which is next Saturday. I'm still considering that one.) and I thought, perfect! I ride these trails all the time and I'm rested and good to go. We started out and I thought I was going to DIE. My legs felt weak and sluggish, I was gasping (gasping!) for air and I felt all give-upish. Never good.

One of the women who was riding with us usually races in my category, so when we hit Forest Hill I decided to make a valiant effort to keep up with her. I did, too. I dug a little deeper and started feeling a bit stronger and I stayed with her for the entire thing. However, when we finished that section and stopped to rest, my legs felt all shaky and noodley. Shit, this was bad because we had quite a bit more trail to cover. Noodley legs = doing something wrong.

I finished but I felt very bonky near the end and dropped pretty far back. Kenny, bless his sweet heart (I married him for a reason!) came back to scoop me up and I did make it home. I felt like complete ass, though. Why is this? What am I doing wrong? I'm going to ride again tonight to find out because I love the pain, apparently. I am a glutton for punishment.

Funniest EVER thing that happened last night:

We were (IN A VAN) down by the river waiting for our ride buddies and ran into another friend of ours. While we chatted with him, two incredibly ripe be-mohawked squatter guys wandered our way, one of them toting a forty. We ignored them and continued our polite conversation while behind us, the two guys decided to try to hop the incredibly high chain link fence that separates the train tracks from the fire road where we were standing. One of them tried, failed. Tried, failed, tried, hurt his hand and gave up. All of this is happening while we're still chatting and pretending that delinquents weren't trying to hop the fence behind us.

Finally, the guy with the squirrely mohawk walks up to us and very politely inquires as to whether there's a hole in the fence anywhere because he'd never seen a real train caboose before and just had to go check it out. He then was very careful to make clear to us that he wasn't, absolutely no sir, WASN'T going to hop the train or anything. I actually laughed at that point and told him we weren't the train police and wouldn't tell on him. He looked so worried! We told him where the fence gap was and he went on his merry stinking way.

Kids today, I swear.

I am So Screwed.

2007-06-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

There's a race this Sunday (2nd in a series of 3) and I just don't know how I feel about it. I did the entire series last year and did pretty well, so I think I'd just been assuming I'd do it again. I missed the first one back in April because I was sick. This one, well, I have a lot of reasons why I probably shouldn't do it, but I just can't make up my mind.

Pros:

- I rarely get to ride this course.

- I'd be able to gauge my progress against last year's time.

- I won't feel like a quitter.

- I like racing! I always feel accomplished afterwards even if I also feel like puking.

Cons:

- I have to do a craft show all day outside on Saturday (which is always exhausting)
- This means no race pre-ride.

- There's an organized women's ride on Saturday, which means all of my competition will get to try out the course in advance.

- The race is at 9:30am Sunday and the course is a 30 minute drive so I'd have to get up at ...ugh. Early. I'd have to get up early.

- Sunday afternoon I have a Craft Mafia gathering to attend, so I'd have to leave immediately after the race.

- This means no post-race nap.

- It's been raining buckets for the past few days, so I haven't even ridden since last week sometime. Maybe Thursday? I can't even remember. That's not good.

- It's going to be ridiculously hot this weekend.

- $30 I'll never see again.

WAH.

Sweet Dirt Tan

2007-05-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

Yeah, hi. I've gotten in several decent rides since my last entry but they tend to blur together because we ride the same trails pretty often. Last night (and last Thursday night) Kenny and I went to Powhite and spent a happy hour and a half riding familiar but still challenging trails. The really nice thing about Powhite: it's soft. When you crash at Powhite you sort of bounce off the dirt. Kenny and I have both had spills in the last week with barely a scratch between us. See, roadies, dirt is good! Pavement, that's what'll mess you up.

I did get crazy f'ed up last night, however, by some kind of prehistorically thorny bramble frond that was oh-so-innocently waving itself across the trail. I hit it and then Kenny hit it and we both shrieked like little girls. DANG ALMIGHTY that shit hurt. It dragged itself across my upper arm and I have freaking SEVEN big scratches. What the hell kind of devil weed was that? It started to swell up and when I complained Kenny told me I should be happy, as now I would have superpowers much like Spider-man. I asked him what kind of powers, exactly, was I going to get from a bunch of thorn scratches and he said I'd be KILLER on the turn tables. And then made DJ scratchy noises. Two turn tables and a microphone...

I mean, damn, if that's not incentive I don't know what is.

As part of our holiday weekend we went on a big group ride which started out really great when I loudly accused the organizer of giving us crap directions to his house when in fact my husband read the directions wrong. Sorry Jay! I just hate being late - it makes me cranky. As a group we did big loop but in the opposite direction from what we usually do. It's really hard the normal way but much, much more challenging backwards. Oy. I think it was about 2 1/2 hours, all told.

It was a good ride, tiring, but good. I felt like I'd accomplished something by finishing it and, as a bonus, I actually rode across the concrete bridge which scares the living hell out of me. Yay for that. I hate that thing but I didn't want to walk when everyone else was riding. I just stared really hard at the other end and chanted, "don't fall don't fall don't fall" quitely under my breath.

One more bonus: I got a sweet, sweet dirt tan. For the uninitiated, a dirt tan is what happens when the trails are dry and you are not. Let me demonstrate in pictures:

Dirt tan:

The true contrast:

Okay, hands up, who wants to make out with me?

A Ride for Jonny Z.

2007-05-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

I had a crummy day yesterday and wasn't in the mood to do much of anything but doing nothing always makes me feel worse, so Kenny and I did a big-loop ride after work. I felt okay starting out but then we hit the bridge and, damn. I hadn't ridden across that bridge since an acquaintance of mine tragically (and somewhat mysteriously) fell off it while riding his bike home a few weeks ago. The guard rail is a solid five feet high. I don't understand. I've been messed up over it and having weird dreams about it and was dreading being back on it.

The spot where he fell was covered in flowers and pictures and it made me cry. We stopped for a few minutes afterwards so I could pull myself together and I looked up at the sky and around at the beautiful afternoon and made the firm decision to just ride and enjoy the day as the gift that it is. Sometimes that's the best you can do, you know?

And it worked. It wasn't the fastest I've ever gone and I didn't overcome any new obstacles, but I fully enjoyed being outside, feeling the setting sun on my skin, wreathed in the smell of blooming honeysuckle and marvelling at how green everything is this time of year. Oh, and we saw a beaver! It hauled ass to get away from us and, I have to tell you, there's nothing funnier than a beaver hauling ass.

On the way home we took the winding uphill route via Riverside Drive and I was just plodding along (which is what I do on paved uphill surfaces) when I heard a strange whirring noise coming up fast on my left. Before I could even process it two road cyclists had passed me like I was standing still. I yelled to Kenny,

"Dang! I was wondering what that noise was. I guess that's what fast sounds like, huh."

The road cyclists got to the top of the hill and dammit it if they didn't turn right back around and go back down the hill.

"Heeey...did they do that whole climb just to pass us?"

"Yes. Yes they did."

"Losers."

Anyway, it was what I needed. I don't know that I'll ever cross that bridge again without thinking about Jonny, but that's what keeps someone's memory alive, is it not?

Yesterday Was Excellent...

2007-05-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

So why do my legs feel like ass? I did my usual overzealous gym workout on Saturday and when I woke up Sunday my hamstrings were all, HERE WE ARE. Ouch. This did not stop me from driving with Kenny out to Pocahontas State Park to join a group ride. Whee! This is one of my favorite places to ride, hands down. It's loopy and technical and doesn't have a whole shit ton of climbing. Perfecto.

The first 20 minutes of the ride were pretty typical - painful and making me wonder for the 800th time why on earth I was doing this to myself. Then my lungs adjusted and my hamstrings unstrung a bit and I was good to go.

We did a lap of the green (easy) trail and then rode the whole Lakeview/Lakeview Too trail. I think we probably did 12-14 miles total (which sounds so ridiculous in road biking terms but mountain biking is quality over quantity, people! Plus, the pace is much slower.)

I rode pretty much everything except a couple of sketchy looking creek crossings. I was sort of trying to explain myself to someone in the group, saying the rocks looked really slippery and she was all,

"They really aren't. Actually, these crossings are the easiest of any I've ever done."

Oh...kay. I feel better now? Thanks for the boost! I did ride this funky little drop-off that I deliberately skipped the last time I was out there. Kenny missed me riding it so I did it again just to prove I could. Hmph.

The star of the day was the weather - it was in the high 70s and sunny with none of the suffocating humidity that I know is coming. When we got home from the ride we were both completely useless but it was still so pretty out! We both spent some quality time lolling around in the back yard with the cats just to get some extra nice-dayness in. I took pictures of cats because they were all being extra cute but I forgot to upload them. I'll try and add them in tonight.

The Evil Ivy.

2007-05-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

The biking season has officially begun and I know this for serious because lo, I have my first tiny dots of poison ivy. I used to be one of those jerks who was all, "I don't get poison ivy!" like my skin was super-special and resistant to the lowly poison weed. Not so. Last year I noticed an itchy patch on my arm and it took me days, DAYS, to figure it out because I am dumb. Duh. Now I have several tiny patches on my legs and one tiny dot of it on my arm. It's going to be a long itchy summer, my friends.

So last night I got a ride in! I wasn't going to because I was really exhausted and jetlagged, but Kenny told me he was going to join the weekly "Mellow Monday" ride at Powhite park and I decided to tag along, even though I doubted the "Mellow" part. I'm like Charlie Brown with the football when it comes to so-called easy rides. They lie, people. Almost always, they lie.

But I was pleasantly surprised. A bunch of guys showed up (Lisa? Why has thou forsaken me?) and it was truly a nice easy pace. Not snail-slow, just a nice noncompetitive ride with a bit of chatting and some stopping to try various obstacles. I made it over one of the bigger logs I'd been leery of, which was a nice confidence booster. I really enjoyed myself and was SO GLAD to get out in the fresh air. Twelve hours in airports and airplanes will do that to a girl (travel hell details can be found at http://amblus-amblus.blogspot.com/).

Hey, I suck!

2007-05-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't been updating because of something you said.

Actually, that's not true. I haven't been updating because I haven't been riding and it's hurting me greatly. I have had one thing after another preventing me from having a little bike fun, but I hope to be back in the saddle next week. I do have one ride from a few weeks ago that I haven't documented, but you know, it goes like this:

Big Loop, ow, pain! Fun! Ow! So slow! Yay for dinner!

More soon, kids. I promise.

I don't play well with others? Shut up, you.

2007-04-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

My friend Skeezix just commented on my last entry that she's tired and trying to motivate herself to ride after work. Me too, my friend, but after wrestling with it for a while I decided tired wins today. My legs need a break after the insane amount of over-work they got this weekend.

Saturday started with a BodyPump class at my gym (free weights + music + perky instructor=Ugh) followed by many errands (fueled by peanut butter M&Ms) followed by an hour and a half ride at Powhite. I was satisfactorily worn out after that and happy to settle down with some fish tacos and a glass of wine. A good day.

On Sunday we drove out to a nearby state park to participate in an organized group ride for women. At least, that's why I went. Kenny came along to ride with the other men who showed up to do their own ride, which is great because it's a girl ride! A ride for girls! So why did I end up in a group with two men? This always happens and I DO NOT GET IT. I like men, and they're generally polite and easygoing, but if you have a penis at a women's group ride, maybe you go ride with other men that day, you know? But I didn't say anything because I think people already assume I'm a bad sport (which I am) and I'll chalk my other petty issues up to being a bad team player (which I also am.)

I will say this: A beginner belongs with the beginner group, regardless of gender, because what I don't need is some roadie on his be-panniered mountain bike wobbling and crashing in front of me. It makes me really nervous. Also, stop buzzing my tires, dude. (I'm sorry, did I say I was going to keep my issues to myself? Hahahaha.)

Please note: I love beginners. I was one of them for a long time, but if you are one, ride with the beginner group! It will be more fun for everyone.

ANYWAY, issues aside, it was a simply gorgeous day and we all settled down and had a really good ride once the group dynamic had sorted itself out. The trails out at Pocahontas Park are some of the best I've ever ridden - swoopy and fast and technical all at the same time. Brilliant trails that I could ride every day and never get tired of. Sigh.

Today I think the legs need some rest, so instead of riding I'm going to tend to my garden.

Look! Baby broccoli:

Lummox

2007-04-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

I'm so incredibly bored. It's the slowest time of the week - the hour and a half before being set free for the weekend. SO DONE. I did, thankfully, get some riding in this week and I hope to get a couple of rides in this weekend. On Monday I managed to coerce my friend Lisa into riding with me at Powhite and Kenny came along to stretch his race-battered legs. It was a jaunty hour of me being fresh as a daisy and taking on all the spiderwebs because I was the leader. An easy ride, but just what I needed to get back in the swing of things. Plus, Lisa and Kenny are both good company and don't seem to mind how slow I am on the hills.

On Tuesday I packed up all my bike stuff (full size grampa car = mountain bike fits in the back seat!) and, after work, drove the 20 miles out to Poor Farm park for the weekly group ride. I was wise enough to pick a slightly slower but still challenging group and felt pretty good, though I'm suddenly being all wussy about the logs this season. I used to ride anything and I don't get why I'm all log-shy for no reason. Hmph.

One of the members of Tuesday night's group was a woman about my age who just started riding about a year ago, weighs about ten pounds, and seems to be able to kick my ass. How unfair is that? Maybe she just rides a whole lot more than I do, but it seems like there are some people who are genetically meant for sport and others who are genetically meant for reading a book in the dusty corner of the library. I'm very clearly in the latter group, but for some reason I just refuse to accept it. I don't know that I was ever meant to be an athlete, but I can't stop trying. It's what makes me a true Lummox.

What, I haven't told you about the team I'm on? Team Lummox! No, kidding. It started when our friend Scott, nicknamed "Lummox" because of his gangly stature, made himself a jersey with a logo he designed and a picture of a big lummoxy creature on a bike with Bettie Page flung over his shoulder. We all joked that he should start a team and make his design the official jersey. So we did. Team Lummox is all about not taking yourself too seriously. It's a team for people who wouldn't otherwise be on a team. Our Jersey completely kicks ass, assuming you have a sense of humor about that kind of things. Here's what it looks like:

And this is printed on the back:

The first race I ever won as a Lummox was because I was the only one in my category who showed up. THAT is a Lummox win, for realz. I mean, what can you even say? At least my race time was faster than some of the beginner men, I guess.

Have a good weekend, kids! Go ride your bike.

Here I am! I'm here!

2007-04-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I've been busy helping to organizing an indie craft show (I know, what don't I do? Aside from math?) and I think I've gotten two rides in since my last entry. TWO. The weather was also part of the problem:

Look how sad our bikes look:

Wahhh. I know, poor me. Every time I complain about the weather being too cold or wet or whatever I think about Arcticglass and I cringe because, dang. I am a wuss. A big loser wuss. But you knew that. I've never made a secret out of what a fair-weather cyclist I am.
ANNEEWAY, here are the two sad rides:

Ride #1. Last Wednesday I did the big loop with our usual group of way-faster-than-me friends. Most of them were planning to do a race yesterday (the one I missed, sadly) so they were training. I? I was suffering. And weezing. Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad but I certainly felt slow and was certainly sucking wind. Also, I felt heavier than usual, like my frame had been filled with buckshot. Or my bike's frame had. Anyway, it was mostly really hard for a good long way. When we got to Forest Hill (five-ish miles of hills with a super twisty flat section at the end) most of the group decided to do the whole thing without stopping. I opted out of that nonsense and said I was just going to ride it at my own pace...until one of the group remained oh-so tantilizingly within eyesight of me. At one point he stopped to removed a branch from his wheel and I stopped too, just to be nice. Then he took off and suddenly I decided to not let him go. I chased him pretty consistently through the hills and totally up and caught his ass in the flats. Yay! It about killed me, but sometimes you just need a goal. I think he was probably unamused.

Ride #2. The race yesterday was at Poor Farm Park so on Saturday Kenny and I went out there and rode the course. It was the same story for me. Suffering for the first thirty minutes of the ride and full-on action when I got to the flats. I love going fast, what can I say? I will bust a gut to go fast, but not so much to climb a hill. Climbing a hill has no thrill for me unless not dying counts as a thrill. Sometimes it's nice to climb a tricky technical hill and make it all the way up, but it's more fun to catch some sucker on the flats who'd previously assumed you were too slow to ride with. What? Yes, it's me! That girl you assumed was a slow thing has just caught and passed your ass! How are you? Now excuse me while I go cough up a lung.

PS. My very own husband came in 8th place in that race! How excellent is that? I'm proud of him! It was a tough course and he is awesome.

It's because I don't love you.

2007-04-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

The minute out houseguests left, the VERY MINUTE, I got a cold. It's like the second I let my body relax it has to go and let in the germs. Hate those jerks. Anyway, there's been no riding or working out of any kind this week and I can actually feel myself getting softer. It SUCKS. See also: driving torrential rain in the forecast this weekend doesn't make things look any better. Guess I'll be cleaning my poor neglected hardtail this weekend. It's been mud coated since, oh, last April. God, I am the worst person alive. I can't believe I just admitted that. Sigh.

Virginia: 28 Seasons, Nonconsecutive.

2007-04-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

Seriously, this weather thing is OUT OF CONTROL. I can't even handle it anymore and my skin is freaking out. Sorry about the lack of updates - four days off work and a houseful of guests has thrown my schedule way far offffff. I did get to ride my bike a few times, I just didn't get a chance to write about it. It went something like this:

Tuesday: (High temperature: 83 degrees!!1) Kenny and I did the big loop after work. Nothing noteworthy, but it was fun.

Thursday: (high temperature: 63 degrees) Our house guests went out to sitesee, so I rode alone over to Powhite park where a backhoe almost timbered a tree right on my head. Apparently the city is doing some work on the sewer lines that run through the park and this involved ripping up trees and letting them fall, oh, just wherever, and lo be warned the stupid mountain biker who might happen into it's path. I was riding the dips in and out of the ravine when I heard the construction and glanced up to see a sapling falling out of the sky. I removed myself from that section of trail rather quickly and stuck to the other side of the hill. Jerks.

My solo rides are rarely that strenuous because I have a tendency to stop and look too much. I did have to stop and pee once too, which might be my least favorite thing about mountain biking. peeing in the woods is fraught with peril if you're a girl. Nobody saw me, probably because I was so far off the trail it's amazing I wasn't actually in Australia.

Sunday: (High temperature: 50 degrees) Laden with the weight of four days of eating out, drinking too much booze, and freaking out over the SNOW we got on Saturday morning, Kenny and I layered up and slogged our way over to Powhite (again) because we couldn't face the rigors of the Big Loop. We rode for about an hour complaining about lead-filled legs. It was hard and I felt every cookie, every glass of wine, I'd consumed the night before. It's so unfair, really.

If I didn't hate emoticons, I'd have a sad face here.

2007-04-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

I really do hate emoticons because I think they dumb down people's writing. If you can't write without using one (or it's evil cousin, Internet Shorthand)perhaps it's time to reconsider your skillzzz and maybe work on how to portray your current state of emotion using actual, real, non abbreviated WORDS. It can be done, I swear.

What? This isn't my other blog? Holy crap, where am I? Right! Bikes! Sorry, I don't have any bike news because I haven't ridden in four days. FOUR DAYS. I feel sad about this, but the weather on Sunday was gloomy and dreary, not to mention sort of cold. It wasn't actually cold, just... not warm. We've become so incredibly spoiled in the past two weeks by the nice weather that the idea of having to wear a jacket to ride just made us grumpy. I went to the gym instead which was bleak, but easy. I usually do about 45 minutes to an hour of various cardio stuff (elliptical, that stride runner thing, treadmill, gauntlet, whatever doesn't bore me) and then pretend to do abs and stretch before leaving.

For weight workouts I've been doing this BodyPump class, which I like but it's limiting. I'm entirely frustrated with the constant crowd in the freeweights area, so I've given up trying for now. I also have a weird sort of thing with weights and cycling - I think lifting is great and can only be good for me, but if I work my legs too hard it KILLS my ride. How do other cyclists deal with that? I might have to research it.

Lord, I'm dull. Anyway, it's supposed to be warm and sunny today so I'm definitely going out on the bike tonight. The rest of the week looks like more bleak coldish weather, so I don't know about that. I have a few days off, so I should really just suck it up and do it anyway, I suppose. Bleh.

Dropped and Picked Back Up

2007-03-29T11:19:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday nights there's a group ride out at Poor Farm Park, a really nice systems of trails about 30 minutes up the road. This is usually an easy drive unless you leave right at 5pm when everyone else in the rest of the world is also leaving work and pushing their way up 95. Oof.

Because of this I don't often make it out for this ride, but the weather on Tuesday was so freaking globally WARMED, that I couldn't resist. I paid for that lack of restraint, people.
Now, when I arrived, two groups formed for this ride - a beginner women's group and a "fast" mixed group. My friend Paula was riding fast and I didn't want to be left out. I'm also not a beginner, so it would've been a little unfair of me to tag along with the slower-paced ride. But lo, I was spanked anyway.

The woman who led the fast ride is as nice as she can be but she is a devil on the bike. A DEVIL. She took off like a bat out of hell through the flats and I held on mid-pack like a champ. I really did fine for quite a while, but after the third steep climb my legs were screaming at me and in my pain-fogged state I picked a bad line and stalled out mid-hill. Dang. This means going to the back of the line which is so, so much harder. It seems like it would be less pressure, but you don't have that group-pull anymore and it's easier to get dropped. (Also, when you're in the back and the group stops to rest, they only stop until you catch up, so YOU never get to rest. It stinks, but that's the way it is.)

And oh, how I did get dropped. We hit a deeply muddy hill and I finally had to get off and push. When I got to the top of the hill, they were gone. Gone, and three possible choices for which direction. This is bad group ettiquette, but I picked the fast group, they didn't pick me. I did find and catch up with them only to get dropped again when the trail branched and I picked the wrong direction.

This was pretty much the theme for the rest of the night. Ride fast on the flats and catch them, only to be dropped on the climbs. Gotta work on those climbs, I guess. It was really frustating but I'm sort of used to it by now. Most of these folks have years and years of cycling experience on me, a fact that I have to keep reminding myself when I'm feeling sucky about my lack of skillz.

Last night was also beautiful weather-wise and though I'd really intended on going to the gym, I just couldn't face being inside after being at a desk all day. Kenny and I decided on an easy-parts version of the Big Loop and in the middle of the pedestrian staircase on the fireroad we ran into a couple of friends (hi, Lisa!) who were heading back the way we'd just come. Perfect! This was our ticket out of riding Forest Hill, so we followed them back, did a loop around the top of Belle Isle and rode the North Trail the other way back home. All in all we were only out an hour and a half, but it was a relaxing ride and sure beat the hell out of going to the gym.

Spring Cleaning, Spring Training

2007-03-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

Don't you love when you write an entire entry and Blogger eats it? Damn. I'm never as witty on the second go round.

So, as I said in my last entry, there was riding on Sunday. It was a gorgeous day - 65 degrees and sunny. We spent the morning being good and making up for our homeowner slackness for the past, oh, three years, and did stuff around the house all morning in preparation for house guests who are coming to stay in a little more than a week. I really don't want my extended family to know the level of filth we normally live in, so stuff had to be done.

We managed to get a lot accomplished and celebrated with an afternoon ride. Our usual Sunday posse was out on their road bikes (not me. Hate traffic.) so we did our usual big loop, just the two of us. Poor K. Always having to ride with me. We're boring and could have packed up the bikes and driven somewhere different, but it's so much easier to just jump on the bikes and go, you know?

We did all the usual trails and crossed the loathed pedestrian bridge which was filled with weekend weirdos - all walking four-abreast and laden with dogs and radios and coolers and the like. We try so hard to be respectful and yield to pedestrians, but when they're rude and gross, it gets harder and harder. Hate. Ped. Bridge.

We finally got to the peaceful and painful Forest Hill Park trails. I've talked about the trails before, but not really the park. It's a big expanse of fields, with an inner ring of hilly woods. At the bottom of the ring is a big stone walkway that circles what used to be a lake and is now a weird swampy area. I miss the lake - they drained it a few years ago after the last bad hurricane, I think. Too much flooding. Forest Hill originally was an amusement park (which closed in 1925) and it still has a sort of haunted decrepit glamour about it. The park time forgot. I love it, even if the trails make me hurt. And they did. Forest Hill was also the location of the coolest thing we saw on yesterday's ride:

I was riding up a switchback turn and heard something moving fast to my left. I turned my head around and stopped dead - two deer were hightailing it at full speed through the woods. I'm not sure what set them off but it was fantastic to watch them go. So cool to see something like that in the middle of the city.

Anyway, I did much better than on Thursday. I'm still a little horky but it didn't slow me down as much. Please don't misunderstand - I'm still SLOW, just not as slow. Kenny made me lead on the way home and I found that I ride much better (technically and speed-wise) if I've got a little pressure behind me. I'm much less likely to walk something I don't like the looks of if I have someone behind me. It makes me a better rider and I really should take the lead more often. There, I said it. Now I have to do it.

It's going to be 87 degrees tomorrow (!!!) so I think that means I have to go ride. I'll let you know what happens.

More Whining

2007-03-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. It's 80 degrees out and sunny and I got to ride my bike and all I could do was wheeze and complain about it. Well, I had to wait and get my breath back first, but then I complained, bitterly. I'm allergic to whatever devil seed is currently in bloom right now and it's making me REALLY CRANKY.

You know how when you have a bad cold and you can't breathe and you're completely out of breath and all heart- palpitatey after climbing a short staircase or something? That was me last night after every hill climb. Little ones, big ones, didn't matter. I was weezy and miserable and SLOOOOOOW. So, so slow. Apparently those lungs really come in handy with the cardio stuff, huh? It was so annoying because it was such a perfect day and I could barely hack the exact same trails I rode two short days ago.

The final nail in the coffin was the long hill coming off the Boulevard bridge on the way home. It was the last climb of the day and I was tired and winded. K. and our friend P. (who are both damn good cyclists) decided to get it over with quickly, while I was just concentrating on turning the pedals. I put my head down to get my weight forward and when I looked up they were freaking HALFWAY UP THE HILL. I'd barely touched it. I could only laugh or cry and I wanted to do both at the same time.

Home was lovely - beer, burritoes and a hot shower. I was exausted and in bed by 10pm. I think the next ride will be Sunday, so for all one of you who's reading this, look for the next installment on Monday. Woot.

A Stitch in Time

2007-03-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

Woo, so yesterday K. and I decided that it was warm enough and we were recovered enough to try that riding thing again. I actually took Monday off from exercise (which is unheard of for me) because I wasn't feeling too spry. Yesterday my spry was back so we hit the trails after work. We did the "big loop" we often do (cross Boulevard bridge, ride Northside trail, cross scary ped bridge, ride Belle Isle loop, cross smaller ped bridge, ride fire road to Forest Hill, ride Forest Hill loop, limp home.)

This time we skipped the loop on the top of Belle Isle because there were too many people and dogs and strollers everywhere and we decided to give that time to a slow lap in Forest Hill. Now, Forest Hill is a thing. It's a few miles of mostly pain. It will hurt you. You will either be going right straight up, or right straight down, with some curvy stuff in between. The last quarter-ish mile is all flat fast twisty stuff which I LOVE. I could do that all day. I sometimes take the turns too fast and crash, but it's totally worth it.

Anyway, we ride the big loop and somewhere in the middle I start to get a stitch in my side, something that generally only happens to me when I try to do something stupid, like jog. I almost never get a stitch from mountain biking and it was really absurdly painful. We got to Forest Hill and I decided to suck it up and keep riding. The stitch was very much still there and hurt more when I hit a bump, which is pretty much all you do when you're riding on rooty singletrack. I mean, it's made of bumps! ow. ow. OW. Ow. ow. ow. OW. Like that. Then it stopped worrying about the bumps and just hurt more when I breathed, which, um, I couldn't really avoid doing. Dang, that hurt. But I finished the lap! I am no quitter and we got a good hour and a half ride in last night. That was sweet. (I did some Internet research on the stitch and apparently the pain is caused by my liver bouncing off my spastic diaphram. Awesome, if by awesome I mean gross.)

Coolest thing seen last night: There's this narrow little singletrack that runs between a fence and a tree-covered hillside that takes you to the fire road. It's mostly unoccupied because there's a wider river-access trail further down the hill. However, last night there were GOBS of people on this narrow cut-through, most of them wan, be-studded punk rock kids who made me all nostalgic. When we were clear of them I looked over at K. and asked, "Do you think they realize they're, like, outside? During the daytime?"

Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh.

2007-03-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

That's how I feel right now. Something is BLOOMING and I am an allergy nightmare. Ah, spring. Which isn't until tomorrow. This was made very clear to me yesterday when we went for a very, very brisk Sunday ride. In my mind I thought it would be a brief it's-cold-and-we're-all-still-sick kinda group ride but oh ho ho! Joke's on me.

Because of the torrential rain on Thursday and Friday, we decided to go to Powhite Park, which is about a mile (or so) from our house. Powhite is special for a few reasons: it's really nearby, it's not terribly popular, it drains like crazy. When every other trail in town is mushy, Powhite is dry as a bone, mostly because it's a small wooded park on the side of a hill with a tiny wetlands at the bottom.

I have no idea why it's not more popular, as it's the perfect little storm of fast flats, hill climbs and technical stuff, including a fun series of ravine drop-ins. It's also never crowded and you won't usually get spit on by hikers and trail runners. Here is a short list of cool stuff I've seen at Powhite:

- snakes
- a whole herd of deer
- beaver-chewed trees
- a snowy owl pouncing on a squirrel (that wasn't cool so much as horrifying)

Anyway, we have a regular group of friends that we ride with on Sunday and we all froze our asses off riding over to the park. I think the high was maybe 50 degrees and it was windy. I'd make a lousy road biker because I hate riding into wind. And near cars. We got to the park and did a warm-up lap that felt like slow death. Legs full of ball bearings. It was the kind of warm-up where I kept checking to make sure I didn't have a flat tire, so slow was my bike.

Ha, don't you love how I blame the slowness on my BIKE. THAT WOULD BE ME. Anyway, after a few laps I started feeling a lot better and we rode at a good pace for another hour. I led the group for a while and that felt good too, though I always over-compensate. Eventually I started getting pretty tired and the consensus was that we'd do one more lap. We did, and then they kept going, right past the gate. Wah? Wah! They missed the gate! It's RIGHT THERE, PEOPLE. OUR TICKET TO LUNCH.

I was (regrettably) getting a little whiny and also a little bit closer to bonk territory than I'm comfortable with. We hit a hill that I can normally climb pretty well and I was so far behind the group that I felt like I was going in slow motion. We rode another lap, and another. I started walking stuff I normally ride because I was so tired I was afraid I'd crash. We finally headed home and I was completely glad I'd skipped the race last weekend because clearly I was not anywhere near race-ready. I am soft, people, and it is sad. We were out for two and a half hours and I felt like I'd been hit by a truck when we got home. I can't wait until the weather gets warm and I can get to that perfect summer bike fitness where you feel like you can ride forever. I miss that.

Apparently I'm only happy when it rains.

2007-03-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

Another ride oh my God. When I got off work yesterday it was starting to get cloudy and the forecast was calling for showers and/or thunderstorms. F that noise, I said, lets ride anyway. So we did. Before we left we fortified ourselves with a square of uber-dark chocolate that made me me sputter "Whereth tha thugar??" Seriously, I like dark chocolate but maybe with slightly more or even some sugar? Just a little?

For this ride we knew our time was limited so we rode down to the bridge and stayed on the Southside. We traveled on the Buttermilk Heights trail (where a tired dog drooled on my leg) to Forest Hill Park and rode a somewhat short-cutty lap there. As we were riding, the clouds got darker, the temperature dropped, uh, a lot, and the wind started to pick up. It was really really cool. We were in the woods when all this was happening and it was dark and spooky in a good way. All weirdly still and blowy at the same time. Shockingly, we were pretty much the only people there. Wusses!

Ah, but, the minute we finished up at Forest Hill the skies opened and it began to rain. Then it rained harder. Then harder. We had a short ride home from Forest Hill park back to our house, maybe two miles, but it feels a lot further when you're cold and soaked to the skin. It was worth it, though. I had K take my picture when we got home. I'm not dry:

K cleaned off the bikes and showers were taken and a healthy dinner was prepared:

Isn't that ridiculous? It was good, as were the brownies we ate afterwards. BROWNIES. Dang, they were good.

A ride! A ride! Not even kidding!

2007-03-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was completely sucktastic for me and K was still feeling a little hork-y, so when we got home from work we decided to do a mellow "easy parts" ride (read: we did the big loop sans Forest Hill). The weather was glorious yesterday and I could feel my body sucking in the vitamin D all crazy with the lack of warmth and sun. It could be 80 degrees every day for the rest of my life and I'd be okay with that. (Actually, that's not true but right now it feels true.) Anyway, we got suited up (SHORT SLEEVES YAY) and rode from our house to the Boulevard Bridge, rode across the bridge (rebels!) and down to the North Trail. Almost immediately we ran into a few friends and being that it was a casual ride, we spent a few relaxed minutes catching up and then continued on our way.

One of my favorite things about a casual ride (as opposed to a training ride or group ride) is that you can stop and be all, "Look at that! Isn't that cool?" and you can stop and dig the view without anyone getting annoyed with you for holding up the line. Cool things we saw yesterday:

- one of the Maymont bears
- a fat groundhog hauling ass up a hill
- lotta rednecks
- beautiful sunset
- our friend Glenn's 29er

We continued on across the ped bridge (hate) and rode the top of Belle Isle before heading over to the fire road. We then contemplated riding Forest Hill, then wisely decided there wasn't enough daylight left and rode back to the bridge on the Buttermilk Heights trail, which I lurve. I do, Heights is the bomb.

So that's the first after-work ride of 2007 and it was a really good one. It cleared my head of the crap I'd dealt with earlier in the day and I slept like a baby last night which is the best benefit of all.

Bike Brain

2007-03-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

Bike Brain: You can't ride, so you obsess about the bike stuff you'd like to buy. For my husband this is usually some sort of component but I'm not interested in components, unless it's going to make my bike 10 pounds lighter and also involves a small motor that makes it go faster as well. Really, I'm not mechanic-minded and as long as stuff works, I don't care what brand it is or how many grams it weighs or whatever.

That said, I do want to look cool. I recently decided that my bike socks weren't nearly fancy enough and they didn't seem to be sending the message I had in mind, so I bought these:

Apparently the message I'm trying to send is: I miss art school, but whatever, I like them and I think they're cute without being the least bit girly. I don't do girly on my bike. There will be no frills, no pink, no cuteness of that ilk on me or my bike. I like my shoes black, my jersey subtle, my sunglasses dark. It's actually a good thing I like my bike shoes black because GOOD LUCK trying to find a pair of women's mountain bike shoes that aren't dorky and sneaker-esque or, just as bad, $120. There are approximately 8,000 different options for men and like, two, for women, both out of stock. Therefore, I have to buy boy shoes that don't...quite...fit, but at least they're black and basic. And they go with my skull socks.

Because nothing sucks more than a blog with one entry

2007-03-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

There will be more coming, but in the meantime here's some of my old D-land entries that involve bike stuff:

Bike Racing in 12 easy steps:
http://amblus.diaryland.com/061108_33.html

a few nice pictures here:
http://amblus.diaryland.com/061218_13.html

Thoughts on the whole 18 hour race thing:
http://amblus.diaryland.com/060816_14.html

Urban Assault 2006:
http://amblus.diaryland.com/060620_22.html

Poor Farm Spring Cup, 2006:
http://amblus.diaryland.com/060427_39.html

Because I need another blog like a hole in the head.

2007-03-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

Hi, it's Amblus and apparently I'm bored and need another stupid blog. This one is going to be all my mountain biking and cycling-related crap because maybe it'll actually get updated unlike my Diaryland nonsense. We'll see.

Yesterday was the first race of the season and I...was not there. Between the time change, the new REALLY early start time for Sport Women (wtf?) and a hacking cough I can't seem to shake, it just didn't seem like the time to start getting competitive. See also: hadn't been on my bike in nearly two weeks. Spinning class, while a nice diversion, isn't the same thing. Spinning amuses me because it's the exact opposite of what you actually do in real life. I once complained to the instructor that the "downhill" sections didn't make any sense to me because who pedals rillyrilly fast downhill? Why aren't we pretending to coast? I got a dirty look for that one.

Anyway, I did do a short ride yesterday just to get back in the game - we did the North Trail, Belle Island and I did half of Forest Hill before I had to leave to go to a meeting. As I suspected, my chest congestion was SUPER F'ING HELPFUL on the hill climbs. *hork*

It's supposed to be beautiful later this week, so hopefully I'll get out after work one day, now that daylight savings time has come, robbing me of my precious sleep.