Fun and Exhaustion
Fun and exhaustion would be how I would sum up my weekend and really the rest of this week.
Last Friday was all about running errands for the race - PA system, food, prizes, etc. Then make sure it is all sorted and organized in some fashion. Go to dentist and be annoyed that they don't think my tooth pain is anything of concern.
Saturday at least started on a relaxing note as we had breakfast at Lazy Jane's before heading to Cam-Rock. Take photos, take video, pay attention to time so I get a decent warm up. Pre-ride the course, add air to tires, continue warm up. Stretch. Get nervous because calf muscle hurts. Race anyway. Start badly but pass a few people in the first corner. Lose contact with front of group and open up gap. Gap gets bigger and bigger. Try to stay in front of Rachel and Heidi. Lay it down in a corner trying to hammer the turns. Jump up and realize I dropped my chain. Fix chain but get passed by Rachel. Get back on bike and hammer to try and stay in front of Heidi. Worry endlessly about how close Heidi seems when we go through the shelter area. Try to go hard. Glad to finally get bell lap. Hammer, hammer, hammer . . . push it around the corners and hammer out of them. Try to remount fast. Worry during straight aways that Heidi is gaining ground. Look back over shoulder in finishing straight twice to make sure Heidi isn't back there about to sprint around me. Finish realizing that I squeaked in without being lapped by seconds. Sigh with relief. Stretch. Chat with all the super cool gals I race against. Stretch more. Change. Take photos and video. Feel good about finally racing again! Relish the feeling of having finally ridden hard.
Suddenly realize that time is ticking away and I need to be at the coffee shop where we're showing Cyclofile. Get there with time to spare actually after being a bit worried. Eat a yummy rhubarb muffin courtesy of Chuck (thanks!). Chat with cool crossers. Show movie (I like some of it but the announcer guy is rather annoying but maybe I'm just getting old). Chat some more especially with Chicago Cross Cup's Imelda who has come up for Badger Cross (YEAH!).
Leave to take extra race beer to the Crosser Party . . . can't remember address due to intense hunger. Decide it is on E Mifflin Street. Drive the length of E Mifflin Street and realize that I have no idea where the party is. Decide to abandon plan to go to party and have dinner. Eat dinner at Vientienne Inn and nearly fall asleep at table. Go home, clean up and finish working on race stuff. Go to bed at midnight.
Get up at 5am. Eat, pack car, and get to park a little later than I hoped. Start working on race course and other stuff. Get wet and stay wet. Realize that there is no way I'm organized enough to race. Realize that my calf muscle hurts and I shouldn't race. Want to race because it is muddy and because I really like the course. Think about racing even though I shouldn't. Turn down Dave's offer to take over race direction while I race. Cheer wildly when Dave comes through at the front of his race. Cheer even more wildly when he gets a gap on everyone. Cheer like crazy when he wins his first cross race!! Finally race day ends and it's time to take down the course, pack up the stuff and go home. Unpack car at home. Feel huge relief to take off wet shoes after being in them for 12 hours. Clean up. Order Hong Kong's sweet and sour tofu for delivery. Realize that I'm starving as I've eaten hardly anything all day. Start editing photos. Fall into bed completely exhausted.
Hear alarm clock way too soon. Get up, shower, make breakfast, pour tea into mug, spill tea on floor as I was holding the mug upside down. Ride to work. Change out of bike clothes in bathroom and leave helmet in bathroom. Have kind co-worker come tell me that I've left helmet in bathroom. Freak out because I forgot to email VeloNews info about race. Check VN site and realize they haven't done their cross posting for the weekend yet. Try to write something semi-coherent and get results accurate. Notice that I won photo of the week. Realize that my work To Do list is obscenely long and I'm semi-coherent. Do best I can.
Finish work. Go grocery shopping as my refrigerator is eerily empty without Organic Valley milk and stringles and Boca burgers. Edit more photos. Ice calf as now it is really sore. Smile when I think of how many gals came out for their first cross race and hope they come back and race again. Smile at nice comments people have said and sent.
Tuesday - check forcast and wonder if we can reseed at Badger Prairie if it keeps raining. Also wonder how I can travel to Chetek and back tomorrow for work meeting and still get in a workout (provided my calf feels better). Wonder when I'll find time to get all the weekend's photos and video up given the trip to Chetek, the BFW fundraiser at Saris on Thursday evening and all. Double race weekends are tough! Decide that it will all work and eat one of the remaining Stringles.
Last Friday was all about running errands for the race - PA system, food, prizes, etc. Then make sure it is all sorted and organized in some fashion. Go to dentist and be annoyed that they don't think my tooth pain is anything of concern.
Saturday at least started on a relaxing note as we had breakfast at Lazy Jane's before heading to Cam-Rock. Take photos, take video, pay attention to time so I get a decent warm up. Pre-ride the course, add air to tires, continue warm up. Stretch. Get nervous because calf muscle hurts. Race anyway. Start badly but pass a few people in the first corner. Lose contact with front of group and open up gap. Gap gets bigger and bigger. Try to stay in front of Rachel and Heidi. Lay it down in a corner trying to hammer the turns. Jump up and realize I dropped my chain. Fix chain but get passed by Rachel. Get back on bike and hammer to try and stay in front of Heidi. Worry endlessly about how close Heidi seems when we go through the shelter area. Try to go hard. Glad to finally get bell lap. Hammer, hammer, hammer . . . push it around the corners and hammer out of them. Try to remount fast. Worry during straight aways that Heidi is gaining ground. Look back over shoulder in finishing straight twice to make sure Heidi isn't back there about to sprint around me. Finish realizing that I squeaked in without being lapped by seconds. Sigh with relief. Stretch. Chat with all the super cool gals I race against. Stretch more. Change. Take photos and video. Feel good about finally racing again! Relish the feeling of having finally ridden hard.
Suddenly realize that time is ticking away and I need to be at the coffee shop where we're showing Cyclofile. Get there with time to spare actually after being a bit worried. Eat a yummy rhubarb muffin courtesy of Chuck (thanks!). Chat with cool crossers. Show movie (I like some of it but the announcer guy is rather annoying but maybe I'm just getting old). Chat some more especially with Chicago Cross Cup's Imelda who has come up for Badger Cross (YEAH!).
Leave to take extra race beer to the Crosser Party . . . can't remember address due to intense hunger. Decide it is on E Mifflin Street. Drive the length of E Mifflin Street and realize that I have no idea where the party is. Decide to abandon plan to go to party and have dinner. Eat dinner at Vientienne Inn and nearly fall asleep at table. Go home, clean up and finish working on race stuff. Go to bed at midnight.
Get up at 5am. Eat, pack car, and get to park a little later than I hoped. Start working on race course and other stuff. Get wet and stay wet. Realize that there is no way I'm organized enough to race. Realize that my calf muscle hurts and I shouldn't race. Want to race because it is muddy and because I really like the course. Think about racing even though I shouldn't. Turn down Dave's offer to take over race direction while I race. Cheer wildly when Dave comes through at the front of his race. Cheer even more wildly when he gets a gap on everyone. Cheer like crazy when he wins his first cross race!! Finally race day ends and it's time to take down the course, pack up the stuff and go home. Unpack car at home. Feel huge relief to take off wet shoes after being in them for 12 hours. Clean up. Order Hong Kong's sweet and sour tofu for delivery. Realize that I'm starving as I've eaten hardly anything all day. Start editing photos. Fall into bed completely exhausted.
Hear alarm clock way too soon. Get up, shower, make breakfast, pour tea into mug, spill tea on floor as I was holding the mug upside down. Ride to work. Change out of bike clothes in bathroom and leave helmet in bathroom. Have kind co-worker come tell me that I've left helmet in bathroom. Freak out because I forgot to email VeloNews info about race. Check VN site and realize they haven't done their cross posting for the weekend yet. Try to write something semi-coherent and get results accurate. Notice that I won photo of the week. Realize that my work To Do list is obscenely long and I'm semi-coherent. Do best I can.
Finish work. Go grocery shopping as my refrigerator is eerily empty without Organic Valley milk and stringles and Boca burgers. Edit more photos. Ice calf as now it is really sore. Smile when I think of how many gals came out for their first cross race and hope they come back and race again. Smile at nice comments people have said and sent.
Tuesday - check forcast and wonder if we can reseed at Badger Prairie if it keeps raining. Also wonder how I can travel to Chetek and back tomorrow for work meeting and still get in a workout (provided my calf feels better). Wonder when I'll find time to get all the weekend's photos and video up given the trip to Chetek, the BFW fundraiser at Saris on Thursday evening and all. Double race weekends are tough! Decide that it will all work and eat one of the remaining Stringles.
Dave on his last lap on his way to the win!
posted by MadCross at 1:58 PM
2 Comments:
So what happened to the BEER?
Great talking with ya last night have fun this weekend.
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