MadCross

On Instructing

2012-02-07T22:35:00.001-06:00

I’ve always been a rather reluctant instructor. If you’ve been in a mountain bike or cyclocross clinic where I’ve instructed that might sound odd. Especially since I am always planning and participating in clinics. However, I generally feel like I’m not enough of an expert at anything to be teaching others. This has been especially true for skiing as I feel quite new to the sport. Part of that is probably that many/most of my training partners have been skiing for 20 years so I always feel like I’m the least experienced skier. Plus I’m not that fast (just average as I’m just a Wave 4 Birkie skier).

However, I’ve had it in the back of my mind that I might give ski instruction a try and attended a short training that the Madison Nordic Ski club held for potential instructors. That got me on the email list that the club uses to put out a call for instructors when they are providing free lessons. This last Saturday I finally heeded the call and said I would help out with the instruction at Mirror Lake. After agreeing I felt simultaneously excited and nervous. Would I seem like I knew what I was talking about, would they notice my bad technique, would they develop my bad habits, would I be discovered as a skiing fraud once they found out I’d only done 3 Birkies?

Of course the answer is no. Both Dave and I were first time instructors (although as Wave 1 Birkie skier he seems so much more legit) and so we were assigned the beginning classic skiers. That was perfect for me as I have been working the last year really hard on my classic technique. At the very least I know what a person should be doing even if I have trouble doing it myself. Of course no one thought either Dave or I wasn’t legit since pretty much everyone in our group was on skis for the first time.

It was a little bit of a tricky day to teach skiing as the snow was rapidly disappearing (it was 40 degrees) and the snow was sticky in the sun and crusty in the shade (with blades of grass and brown patches developing). However, I think everyone had fun and learned a little something. We did some shuffle drills, practiced moving our hips, indoctrinated them on double-poling, and practiced some basic striding. The area we had to work with was fairly flat but we did our best to simulate climbing and descending so they would be prepared when they headed out on their own. The goal was to practice more and talk less but I did end up talking a bit more than I hoped due to the lack of terrain.

Everyone seemed pretty enthusiastic and like they were having fun skiing so I considered it a successful day. It made me pretty psyched on skiing to be able to share what I’ve learned. Plus it was nice to be able to pay it forward. Way back in the day when I skied my first Kortoloppet I showed up at the free Madnorski ski lessons the weekend before the race because I wanted to learn how to ski up hills. They did what they could for me and it was very appreciated. Hopefully one of the people in my group catches the skiing fever like I did (it took me about 5 years but eventually I succumbed to the Birkie Fever!!).

On Volunteering

2012-02-01T21:42:00.000-06:00

It’s rare that you get to volunteer at a sporting event that really makes you feel like there is nothing else you’d rather be doing. This weekend was that event. I had the opportunity to volunteer at the International Paralympics Committee Nordic World Cup which was held in northern Wisconsin’s Telemark Resort. Thirteen countries sent athletes to compete in this event which has not been held in the USA since 2005.

What did I do as a volunteer? One of my primary jobs was working the visually impaired biathlon competition. I know you are probably thinking – blind people with rifles??? Don’t worry, the visually impaired skiers use laser rifles and you zero in on the target based on a series of sounds. And guess what, it’s not easy. As a volunteer on the range I got to try out the laser rifles and I really couldn’t hit the target unless I closed my eyes and really concentrated on the series of tones and pitches that change as you get closer or farther away from the center of the target. Truthfully I sucked and barely could hit a target.

Of course the athletes had to hit the targets after skiing a difficult and hilly course (with a guide calling out corners, etc). They would ski into the range, the guide would direct them into their shooting area, volunteers like myself would pat the ground at the end of the rifle so they could find it, then they would put on earphones which were resting on the stock of the rifle, listen to the sounds and take their five shots. Those of us volunteering would also have on headphones so we could hear them zero in on the target as well since racers are required to try and aim. They can’t just come up fire off five shots without aiming and then just do the penalty loop although if you are a bad shot and a great skier that might be tempting.

Then when the racers skied away we would make sure the headphones and rifle were ready for the next racer into our shooting area. We would also signal to the scorers that the racer took all five required shots. The scorers would mark down any misses and then signal us that we could reset the targets. It was pretty fun being right in the middle of the action.

Then on Monday I got new jobs as the biathlon was just Friday practice followed by Saturday and Sunday races. On Monday the races were 5k/10k freestyIe races with one competition for sit skiers and one for standing skiers. In the morning I got the job of being a forerunner for the sit ski racers. It had snowed about a half inch over night so Dave and I were sent out to ski in the classic tracks which the sit skiers would be using. Basically they want people to ski in the new snow so the tracks aren’t slow for the first skiers who go out. It was eye opening as to how hard the course really was when I got to ski it myself. I would not have wanted to double pole up all the hills in the 2.5k sit ski course. I was really happy to be able to stride and not have double poling as my only option.

Luckily I had a chance in the middle of the sit ski race to take a break from my volunteer duties to watch some of the race on one of the hills. It was amazing to see how strong some of the best athletes were as I am positive they were double poling faster up the hill than I was striding it that morning. But the hills were not easy for all of the athletes especially for some of the women. I think they made it up on pure determination as the hills were not made easier for this competition. Let's be honest, it kind of brought tears to my eyes a little bit seeing their determination.

Later on Monday I got to work at the finish line as athletes were coming in to the finish line. The volunteers in this job were to be ready with a blanket, the athlete’s bag of warm up clothes and something to drink if they wanted it. It was a great opportunity to get to talk to a few of the athletes and they were incredibly grateful to all of us who came out to help make the event possible. I just wish it could have been more like the finish line of the USGP Planet Bike Cup with more photographers, more reporters and some videographers asking questions. It’s not like that with nordic skiing in this country though and even more so with Paralympics nordic skiing. However, Paralympics is just like any other sport in that the question you get when you are headed to the podium is the same one you hear many times over . . . "do I have any snot on my face I need to wipe off before I get on the podium. "

Photos

Reflections on starting ski racing

2012-01-26T20:48:00.001-06:00

Every year Elver Park in Madison is host to a weeknight ski race series in January and February sponsored by the Madison Nordic Ski Club. For a number of years Dave was the race director and I assisted him with registration. However, my relationship with the Elver Park series started long before that. Back in 2004 I decided to give skiing a try by which I mean I bought skate skis, took one hour lesson and decided to sign up for the Kortie.

As luck would have it most years the midweek race series offers a 3k First Timer’s race that takes you on part of the normal race course. You do just the ball diamond loop as well as one daunting hill up to above the soccer fields area and right back down. I figured that since I had skied many a loop around the ball diamond and even though I always found that particular hill quite daunting that it still would be a good place to kick off my racing career. It was just one hill after all. I checked in with the race director who I knew well and made sure that the First Timer race was not actually a kid’s race. He assured me that was not the case. So I arrived at Elver Park at the appointed time, registered, got my bib and lined up. I looked around and noticed an interesting detail about the race . . . it was just me and about 4 middle school kids. False advertising for sure!

At the start line all the kids are getting a little pep talk and their pictures taken by excited parents. At this point it is too late to turn back so what can you do but try to ignore the fact that everyone else is a kid. The gun goes off and it’s on (well, in a not that fast but ski poles flying with little control sort of way). One of the middle school kids is out fast and puts a gap on me immediately. I am flailing away like crazy trying to separate myself from the rest of the kids. It’s not pretty but I’m doing okay on the flats. Of course, it’s only 3k so we hit the hill way too soon and I’ve got a gap on all but the star racer (probably a ringer). The hill is where the troubles begin as now I’m like a gangly foal with out of control of limbs with no idea what to do with my appendages.

The good part is that I didn’t know enough about skiing to know just how bad this was going. I finally flail my way to the top of the hill gasping desperately for breath but determined to keep those other little pip squeaks behind me. At the top you make an immediate 180 and zip back down the hill. Zipping down the hill sounds great but is fairly terrifying for the new skier as keeping those little skinny boards with no metal edges together is quite a challenge in the beginning. I don’t totally recall the downhill but there is no way that I wasn’t snowplowing to avoid the kind of increase in speed that would send me flying into the snow bank along the edge of the trail. Sure, speed is your friend but it can also bite you in the ass (literally!).

Once down the hill you are headed back towards the start line and I know I’m not going to beat the one middle schooler but I’m psyched to be putting it to the other little kids. Finally I reach the end of my 3k of race torture where all the parents are waiting to snap even more photos of their budding ski race progeny. Of course now I’m feeling a little shamed to be so proud of trouncing little kids. That’s when the inevitable peer pressure starts flowing to do the “real” race. Not shockingly I succumb and I end up signed up for the 5k race. I figure now that I’m experienced it’s time to jump into the big kid field.

That’s a shock to the system as that race is bigger, there’s an even longer hill and worse downhill. At the start people are flying out at warp speed and the poles are deadly and there is etiquette that I don’t even understand. Luckily and not unexpectedly I get dropped very quickly so I don’t have to worry about these details anymore. Well, I guess that’s not entirely true. I didn’t have to worry until the 10k racers (who do 2 laps) came flying by me but I just got the heck out of the way as that etiquette seems to work in any sport.

I can’t say that I did the Elver Park Race Series every week in my lead up to the Kortie but I did it a number of times. Upon reflection I’m kind of impressed that I did that as I was so slow that I would get lapped by the leaders of the 10k race every single week. I think not knowing what you’re doing in some ways makes it easier. No expectations – just going for it.

Unintended consequences of energy efficiency or why I miss my down comforter

2012-01-20T19:21:00.000-06:00

Just over a week ago we completed our latest home project (by which I mean contractors finished the work). Our 100 year old house is now way more energy efficient than before so now we can feel like such uber green environmentalists, right?!?! Oh wait, I think the green we had in mind was greenbacks as we’ve spent a lot of money letting the heat out of our house. We’re not new to this game actually as over the 14 years of home ownership we’ve slowly been checking things off the list -

Replace all the louvered windows because who has those in Wisconsin. This isn’t Florida people.
Improve our attic insulation beyond that of an unfinished garage
New furnace, air conditioner and water heaters because ones from the 60s just aren't that groovy anymore

This time we went all out and joined the Green Madison program, got an energy audit and did all the recommended items on the list.

In wall insulation because crumpled up newspapers just aren’t as cutting edge as they were 70+ years ago
Insulation for the basement joists and window wells because it's nice to be toasty when you're down in a stone basement waxing some skis
Insulation in the crawl space under our back room (Dave won’t have to freeze when he sits in his "man closet" any more)

The upstairs apartment renters said they could feel the difference immediately which is awesome. The unfortunate "downside" to all this energy efficiency is that our apartment is noticeably warmer as well. It was so warm that I had to take our down comforter off the bed because it was way too warm. I don’t like that. I love how cozy it feels to be under the down comforter when it is a little bit cold. Now don’t get me wrong I find it absolutely impossible to get out from under the comforter in the morning if it is cold. Really though who doesn't like to be all warm and cozy under a warm comforter when it's cold.

Why not just turn down the thermostat you ask? Here’s the thing – one thermostat for two apartments. Two apartments means two different opinions on the temperature. It wouldn’t be as bad if the upstairs apartment wasn’t a couple with a new baby so they are often up at night. Oh yeah, and he’s a medical resident so he has a variable schedule.

Of course the thermostat is in our apartment and we’re the owners so we really could just be mean and turn it to whatever we want. The only problem with that plan is we gave them a key so they could get in our apartment to adjust the thermostat during the day if they were too hot/cold.

The true victims of this story though are our cats. They are not very happy about the loss of the down comforter to sleep on all day long. They were very displeased when we put the comforter away.

Going to West

2011-11-24T17:31:00.001-06:00

What happens at the West Yellowstone CXC Master's Camp you ask? I probably could boil it down to ski, eat, sleep but that would be boring.

First off I'll start with a photo of the CXC team that went out to West Yellowstone. This is a mixture of the Master's team and the Elite team. It's a great group of people!

If you are a member of the CXC Master's team you have the opportunity to spend the Saturday - Tuesday before Thanksgiving working on your ski technique at West Yellowstone (or at Telemark Resort in Cable). Working on your technique is a great way to try and start off your season.

Our primary coach was Yuriy Gusev, the CXC Executive Director, but we also got to ski with Elite Team Coach Jason Cork and with the Elite Team members. It's really an amazing opportunity to become a better skier and get psyched up for the upcoming season.

Luckily there was plenty of snow on the trails (it snowed most days during our team camp actually). Our days would start at 9am where we would head over to the trails and we would either be skating or striding. We would head out and find a section of trail that wasn't being used by others and start doing some drills. In this photo we are skating and are about to start skiing while holding the poles overhead. We would also head out every afternoon at 2:30pm for more drills.

Not every session but 3-4 times throughout the 4 days we would have a video analysis session as a group after we skied. Yuriy would video tape us and then we would meet up as a group to go over our issues. Luckily no matter how good you are there is generally something you could do better. Of course, I'm not such a great skier so there was always tons of things to pick from for me to work on.

Some of my main issues are ankle/knee bend, being more upright, and my poling (which includes a multitude of craziness). It's hard to change your habits but the first step is knowing what you need to do.

On Monday the Elite Team was on a rest day so they were conscripted into being our coaches. It's always fun to work with the Elite Team because they are a fun group of people and they know their stuff.

The other great part is that you tend to get really specific instruction. I decided to do a Classic skiing lesson since I'll be doing the Birkie Classic again. I lucked out and got paired with the 2011 Birkie Classic Women's Champ, Jennie Bender. Jennie is not only a fast skier but also a great instructor. I first met her at a CXC women's ski camp in 2010 and I was impressed by her instruction style immediately. It also helps that she is super fun and funny as that always helps when you're trying to remake your ski technique.

Lori and I were both paired up with Jennie and we went right to work on our issues - knee/ankle bend, being upright and moving our hips. Jennie was such a fun instructor that Lori and I didn't want to stop working with her. I have to say that I love classic skiing but I have lots and lots of technique issues. However, I'm planning to keep Jennie's advice in my head and try to make some improvements before the 2012 Birkie!

What else do the CXC Master's do while they are in West Yellowstone? Besides skiing twice a day we also socialize. The first night we had dinner with the Elite Team so we could all meet each other since we have some new Elite Team members and some new Master's Team members. One night the Master's Team ordered pizza together and Yuriy updated us on CXC successes and future plans. We also went out one night together. Then on Tuesday the West Yellowstone expo opens so you can see some outdoor movies, pick up some ski posters, check out the expo vendors and watch all the high school skiers go crazy for free schwag and pro skier autographs.

If this sounds like a good time to you maybe you should join the team! There is still space for a few more on the CXC Master's team! And no, you don't need to be a great skier to be on the Master's Team - as I'm proof! Find out more here.

First Day on Snow

2011-11-18T18:53:00.001-06:00

After I decided to really learn how to ski I had this idea that the first day on snow would be sooo amazing. My first year of rollerskiing I had this fantastical idea that once I transitioned from rollerskiing to snow I would be this amazing skier. I mean really, if I could learn to rollerski then certainly I would be an awesome skier on snow. Unfortunately that fantasy was shattered in a not very pretty fashion.

That year my first time on snow was at ABR over Thanksgiving weekend and it was not my finest life moments. I was so crushed by the fact that skiing felt hard, really hard and not at all magical like I imagined it should be after "getting serious". Poor Dave had no idea what to say or do so he picked the best possible option which was leave me alone to ski in my own personal misery.

Luckily after that weekend I realized that I wasn't the only person in the world who struggled with the transition from rollerskis to snow. A much better skier than me was talking about having trouble getting comfortable on snow the first couple of days out. If only I had heard that before my sad, pathetic weekend instead of after it would have made life a lot better. I probably should have inquired about that my first season so I wouldn't have been so hard on myself that weekend at ABR. It definitely is a weekend that I (and Dave) won't soon forget!

Since then I've remembered that when you go from rollerskis to snow that the skis will seem really long, really slippery and that they won't magically do what you want. It's best to ease into it. Today I got out on the snow for the first time and the first 60 seconds were the usual - these skis are hard to control . . . oh no I'm losing my balance . . . why are these skis so slippery . . . why can't I get any kick. That first kilometer it is hard to believe you ever skied the whole Birkie.

I was surprised though that I was feeling pretty okay with everything today. I actually remembered to ease into it. I also remembered that if you fly into West Yellowstone, MT from Wisconsin that the hills are going to seem a bit harder. I'm never one to adjust quickly to altitude so I should just stop and rest periodically and remember that this first weekend is not a reflection on how my entire season will turn out. I'm here to have fun after all and I luckily I don't have to ski the Birkie for a couple of months!

Cam-Rock 2

2011-11-17T18:19:00.001-06:00

Some days you have and some days you don't. Sometimes you don't have it for very long. That would be Cam-Rock. I have to say that my head wasn't really in race mode as I was already thinking ahead to my vacation - my ski vacation. Skis to wax, cold weather gear to dig out, etc, ect.

Still it's cyclocross and the race is close by so of course I'm going to be there. I have to admit that I didn't do much of a warm up which is a bad habit that I've always had (even when I took things much more seriously). That is never a really good idea with cross.

On the plus side of this race I once again got a good start. Fast starts were my one claim to fame when I was a Cat 2 but it seems that ever since I've become a Cat 3 slow, slow starts are the norm. For the 2nd race in a row I was not the last person off the line.

I'm not going to go into another drawn out discussion of every twist, turn and maneuver of the race. Instead I will say that I had one good lap in which I was in front of my teammate, Michele. It felt like old times with me going out fast and Michele passing me later in the race. I will also say that I didn't ride the log even though I should have but my mind was saying "play it safe, you're about to leave on vacation." That was lame. To make up for being lame I remounted part way up the hill which is something I NEVER do. I always think I won't make it as I'm not someone who ever put out the big watts. It was fun though.

Of course no post about Cam-Rock2 would be complete without mentioning the muddy spiral. Watching the morning races I wondered if riding it would be the best move but I wasn't motivated to get off and run it. Luckily riding it wasn't a big deal but it was some of the slowest racing ever. Tight spiral+greasy mud does not = fast.

For the conclusion - the race ended with Michele pulling away from me, me slowly falling back and then a very unglorious finish. Still it was fun to be out racing.

Estabrook

2011-11-10T17:57:00.000-06:00

I can't say that I was totally excited about Estabrook as it doesn't play to the very few strengths I have as a race. I really need off-cambers, corners, and other technical features to even vaguely hide my lack of fitness. Estabrook doesn't have much of those but it does have lots of long straight sections. The best part of the race was probably that Heidi P. showed up as we always have fun racing against each other. I was psyched but I also knew that meant I would have to work hard. I don't know for sure who has beat who more at Estabrook but in my mind it was advantage Heidi.

After having some really horrible race starts in recent weeks I was determined to do better at this race and actually got going in a semi-decent fashion. I tried to race smart and pedal hard down the straight stretch and never let off the pedaling as we entered the grass and a couple of slight turns. I know that a lot of times it is easy to let yourself coast a little bit into that transition especially since Estabrook is bumpy so I didn't as I knew I would need every little advantage.

Right after we took the sharp right turn into the more tree lined area Kari came by me which was to be expected as I wouldn't expect to hold her off after a long straight section. That left me and then Heidi at the back of the race. I tried to work the turns to my advantage but I have to admit that the turns at Estabrook are not the flowly kind that I love but still something I can try to milk for a few seconds. By the time I hit the spiral the first time I could see that I had a small gap.

Exiting the spiral and then over the barriers by the parking lot I knew that I had to keep working on the long flat towards the woods. As I headed down into the woods I put the bike into its biggest gear to "hammer" and try to get a few more seconds on Heidi by ripping it through the woods as fast as possible. Next up is the short run-up which seemed to offer just choppy footholds. Once up and over that you hammer to get out of the woods, take a few more turns, hit a crazy bumpy stretch, make a sharp turn and then you can get another look at where the competition is. I was maintaining a slight gap still on Heidi as I headed towards the finishing stretch.

This stretch is one of my biggest nemesis on this course as it is bumpy, annoying, long, and straight. My mind is yelling at me to shift down but I told myself not to do that. Well, actually I think I did shift down and then I forced myself to shift back up and pretend to be a racer.

On lap 2 I was onto the bike path section and I could see a guy up in front of me. I realized he was just riding through the park and not a racer and I hoped I would be able to get around him smoothly. Luck was not on my side though and I caught up to him just as I wanted to make the right into the grassy, woody section. He seemed oblivious that there was a race going on and stopped right where I wanted to make my turn. I yelled out that I was going around him on the left and turning right. Luckily he stayed stopped and crisis was averted.

As I headed into the turns around the trees I was convinced that I had lost precious time to Heidi with slowing to get around him. Luckily when I hit the spiral it seemed like the gap was pretty close to the same and the race was still on and I needed to get on it!

The race pretty much went the same from there on in with me trying to not slack in the straight aways and using the spiral to judge if Heidi was gaining on me. With a couple of laps left to go the Cat 3 guys started to lap through and that is usually a sign that your place is probably not going to change. At this point you are focused on staying out of the way of the guys and not worrying about the person in front or behind you. Sure sometimes (like at the Sun Prairie Cup) when the guys are pretty much through you realize you are super close to one of your competitors still and the race is back on but that isn't the norm.

All in all a super fun race on a seriously bumpy course. It wouldn't have been nearly as much fun if Heidi hadn't been there to spur me on to race and push myself. It's great having some people to race against even if I came into the season completely unprepared. It really makes cross much more fun!

Weekend Off

2011-10-31T22:17:00.005-05:00

So what does a person do on a Fall weekend if they don’t race cyclocross. Probably nothing that sounds very exciting but still plenty to keep you busy. I love cyclocross but it makes me behind on everything else in life. If I race, update MadCross, buy groceries, cook something that will have leftovers for the next work week and do some laundry I usually don’t have the energy for too much else. With a big vacation looming I knew I needed to take some time off from racing and get some things done.

The weekend featured a few things – root vegetables, yard work, rollerskiing and a visit with my mom.

Saturday looked like some beautiful weather so I dedicated myself to getting a long over distance rollerski done since I’m headed to West Yellowstone in a couple of weeks. Last year I had done tons of rollerskiing in preparation for going to the big start of the nordic ski season whereas this year not so much. Saturday Dave headed out with me to support me in my first ski around the Capitol City loop (sans crashes as well!). I can’t believe that last year by this time I had probably done this loop almost ten times but this year it was my first really long ski. I am behind on fitness for everything it seems!

Next up was the joy of home ownership – yard work. Dave and I settled in for a marathon session which included cleaning leaves out of the gutters, cutting back our grape arbor, raking leaves, putting away the potted plants and trimming back the summer plants in my flower gardens. It always seems like it won’t take very long but in reality we probably did 3-4 hours of work and still have a little bit left (which it is unlikely we will ever do – until Spring). We did a better job than last year though so I feel good about that. Hopefully the home appraiser who will be coming soon (because we are re-financing) will be impressed by how well maintained our home is. Well, let’s be realistic, let’s just hope she doesn’t think our house doesn’t look like anyone takes time to maintain it. First impressions do matter. I bet you can’t wait to read my blog posts about home improvements. It’s been a few years since I blogged about that fascinating topic.

Sunday was all about visiting my Mom. except maybe towards the end of the visit when I told her that Dave and I were planning to go to West Yellowstone for 10 days. That was when the fun began. My mother greatly dislikes travel of any sort but especially travel in an airplane and travel to mountainous locations. Couple that with the fact that I won’t be visiting for Thanksgiving and you have one happy Mom. Normally I like to wait until the day I’m leaving to tell her about my vacation plans but I thought I should tell her in person so she could get all of her venting out of the way at one time. Okay, I’m sure I’ll hear more about as we get closer to departure but that’s to be expected.

Okay, and now on to the truly fun part of the weekend – the root vegetable part. I had quite a few root vegetables still awaiting usage from my last CSA delivery. This weekend I went to work on using them up. Friday night I made butternut squash enchiladas, Saturday morning I made carrot pancakes and Sunday night I made beet risotto. It’s hard for me to decide which of those delightful recipes to share with everyone since all of them were great. However, people ask for the carrot pancake recipe the most since it is somewhat carrot cake like (and carrot cake is sooo very delicious as well).

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
Dash of ground ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk (or soymilk with 3/4 tablespoon lemon)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups finely grated carrots

Directions:
1. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through ginger). Combine separately brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (through eggs). Add sugar mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in carrots.
2. Cook and enjoy.
3. Serve with maple syrup or with 3 tablespoons of butter mixed with 2 tablespoons of honey (the honey/butter mixture is quite delicious with these pancakes).

Double Race Weekend

2011-10-24T19:41:00.002-05:00

I've been avoiding double race weekends due to two reasons - 1. needing to get caught up on life post-USGP and 2. the fitness isn't there. However, this last weekend both the MWI Cross team and the Brazen Dropouts (Paul R.) had races so I felt like I should go to both as both the MWI guys and Paul are such big supporters of the USGP and cross in general. Plus both sounded great.

I'm happy to report that doing both was the best decision EVER. I'm just going to tell you that both days I was still DFL but it was the most fun DFL in a long time.

Saturday was a new venue at Doyne Golf Park with a great hill, some sweet turns, and a little off camber for fun. Race started off and I was instantly in the back but I was with the group which is a good sign for me. I was sitting behind one other woman and she was slower than me in the turns. Still I was kind of just sitting behind her thinking about how we should go faster because I didn't totally see a point in passing her given that I'm always last. It seemed like a waste of effort to mess with fate like that. Finally I decided that I should at least pretend to be a racer and passed her on a short little uphill. After I went around her I kept expecting her to come around me once I hit some of the longer straight stretches. Once I'd decided to start racing though I felt like I was obligated to see how long I could hold her off.

Let's be honest though I hit a point where I was kind of hoping she would just get it over with and pass me as it was seriously painful to keep in front of her. There was one short steep uphill to off camber turn that was making my legs scream in pain each time up it. However, on lap #2 I could see that I actually had a manageable gap on the woman behind me so I had to press on suffering immensely. By lap 3 I had a sweet gap going actually and by the time the first guys lapped me I felt like I was not going to be DFL.

So now you're maybe thinking I had a mechanical or something that put me back into DFL. Nope not that. So now you're thinking I just cracked and couldn't make my legs carry me up the short steep little uphills. Nope not that either. Then what??? Nothing super exciting. The woman behind me apparently dropped out with 1 or 2 laps to go thus putting me back in DFL. Still super fun race and definitely one of my best races of the season in terms of feeling like I could race and not just ride around.

Next up was the Sun Prairie Cup and I have to say upon arriving I was thinking it was a huge mistake to try and do a double race weekend. Sheehan Park is also home to a steep little hill that we ride up and run up and go around (and stand on to heckle people) and I knew it was going to hurt.

I had by far my worst start of the season with a complete inability to get in my pedals and was basically gapped on the starting stretch. Luckily the course quickly narrows up and takes some tight turns which allowed me to get back on the back of the field.
Me in the way, way back - photo by djonny mac

Once again I had one of those days where I had to race and race hard. My teammates and I were fighting hard for the back of the pack and we all felt obligated to make each other hurt. I dangled just behind my teammate Shannon lap after lap. Eventually the guys started lapping through and I stopped paying attention to Shannon's whereabouts and figured it was inevitable I would be last. But then with one lap to go the guys were mostly by us and I realized we were still unbelievably close to each other.

Then it was game on again. I gave it my all to drag myself up closer and closer and closer. I told myself it wouldn't be fair to just let a teammate have it. I had to make sure she suffered as much as me. On the last set of barriers I gave it everything I have and I really was so close but when we got to the long stretch towards the finishing pavement I couldn't close it down. I expended too much getting back up to Shannon and couldn't finish it.

Me chasing after Shannon - photo by djonny mac

I think that may have been the most fun that both Shannon and I had had in a while racing. Hopefully we can push each other to keep it up (and maybe improve for next season!).

Recipe: Basked Winter Squash with Moroccan Couscous

2011-10-21T18:57:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted any recipes in a really long time so I thought I'd throw one in to mix things up. I have a bunch of winter squash thanks to the most awesome CSA - Vermont Valley. I needed to use the oldest ones up and I had the urge to make something new. I've been trying to find time lately to try out new recipes since it is fun and tasty. Here's what I did with 2 of the squash. Recipe is thanks to one of my favorite cookbooks - Vegan Planet.

Baked Winter Squash with Moroccan Couscous Stuffing

Ingredients:
1 large or 2 medium winter squash
water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups chopped mushrooms
2 teaspoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Plash the squash cut sides down in a shallow baking dish. Add 1/4 inch of water, cover tightlys, and bake until just tender, about 30 minutes (I baked about 35 minutes but it will depend on the size of your squash).
2. While the squash is baking, cook the couscous according to the package directions. Cook the couscous with the cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, ginger and salt/pepper to taste. Cook, stirring a few times, until the mushrooms are soft, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. Fluff the coucous with a fork and add the onion mixture, raisins and peanuts. Divide the stuffing equally among the squash halves. As an FYI, I had more couscous than I could stuff in the squash.
5. Bake the stuffed squash another 15-20 minutes until heated and squash is soft and ready to eat.

Operation Race Myself Into Shape Continues

2011-10-10T22:02:00.001-05:00

I haven’t exactly come into this season with an optimal fitness for racing cross. The end of summer/beginning of Fall saw me tapering into little riding or other training. That means it is time for “Operation Race Myself Into Shape.” This is not the easiest approach to racing cyclocross but it is better than not racing.

Race one, Cross the Domes, was a serious shock to the system but the first cross race of the season is always a bit of a shock. This was perhaps more shocking than normal but one has to start somewhere. On the plus side I felt that Cross the Domes suited my strengths with some off-cambers, no huge climbs, and some stairs.

Up next for me was the first race at Cam-Rock. I actually saw my first cross race ever at Cam-Rock and then did my first cross race ever at Cam-Rock. For those reasons I do have a certain fondness for the race even though it doesn’t really fit my strengths unless it is muddy (like last year). This year people said to me “it’s a dirt crit” and “you have to be on the gas the whole time.” Neither of these things are good for me ever but especially right now.

I will put this race down in the category of a great workout which hopefully helps me build towards ski season. I was off the back from the word Go and that was that. I had a poor start and was gapped off the line. I closed in on the back some on the bumpy downhill but once the pedaling started I saw the back of the field pull away. I put in a solid effort for where I’m at right now which is really all I want to do right now. I felt strong on the run-up actually and am sad to say that my strengths are definitely not the biking sections. Any section that just requires lots of watts into the pedal are not sections I will do well at right now.

On the plus side this week did seem a little less shocking to the system than last week so I have at least mentally adjusted some to the pain that is cyclocross racing. This week’s race was a little bit hampered by my rollerskiing incident. Although once you start a cross race the pain in your lungs and legs overshadow anything else. The only time I really felt that all my scrapes bothered me was going over the barriers as it wasn’t very comfortable to bump into my elbow.

Now today, Monday, I can feel the aches and pains a bit more. I have some nasty bruises from my crash and the hand I landed on is really stiff and achey. Luckily everything looks to be healing up though and as a courtesy to my co-workers I’m well bandaged and wearing long pants and longsleeves.

Up next is FurtherCross at Badger Prairie. I’m excited to race close to home again but I can’t say that I’m a fan of Badger Prairie as it is another course where power is important. I’ll be spending a bit of time at Badger Prairie though with the race on Saturday and work day on Sunday. In between those two I’ve got a USGP Volunteer Appreciation Party and hopefully a longish rollerski. Because the Birkie is only 138 days away and so there is still time to be prepared for that.

Ooops . . . rollerski accident

2011-10-08T12:01:00.003-05:00

On a nice 70 degree Fall day like today you get lots of funny looks and random comments about snow if you go out and rollerski. You get even more funny looks if you're bleeding while you ski down the path.

Today started out like many a weekend rollerski with just a plan to do an easy, endurance ski. I wanted to take it easy since I don't have the fitness to crank out a huge, hard ski and then race cross the next day. When the weather is nice it is always busy on the path with lots of bikers out which is not a big deal except you have to pay a bit more attention as you try to weave your way around the worst cracks (because some of the cracks are the perfect size to grab your ski wheel).

Anyway, things were going great. It was a lovely day and I was out on the rollerskis. I can't say I was feeling awesome but I was just getting in some good double-poling mixed in with some kick double pole. I was about 3/4 of the way through the ski when I moved over to the far right side of the path to let some bikers go by.

Unfortunately there was a huge hump in the pavement right after the bikers went by and it was bigger than I anticipated. My front wheels rolled over it but then skis bottomed out and I lurched forward. It's like so many crashes . . . it just happened so fast I didn't have time to do anything useful to save myself. Instead I lurched forward and took a hard knock to my elbow.

Of course my first thoughts were . . . did I break a pole, will this affect my race tomorrow?!?! Luckily the pole wasn't broken but I do have a huge hole in my gloves. And I should be able to race tomorrow although it will be a little painful I think as my wrist is a little sore and my elbow has a deep gash.

After crashing I got up quickly since no one ever likes to have people seeing them on the ground bleeding. However, I didn't make it too far as I was seriously light headed and my stomach was super nauseous. I skied like 1 minute before I had to find a spot to sit down and recompose myself.

Then I got up and did what had to be done . . . .I skied back to where I was headed. You always feel great when you're rollerskiing or biking or trail running and you've got blood oozing.

Now don't look if you don't like a little blood

** Do you like how my cat wants to be part of the rollerski wound photo shoot!

Cross Racing Begins

2011-10-07T18:10:00.004-05:00

Race time is here. The USGP is over and now my season really begins. Luckily I pre-registered for Cross the Domes because I know myself. When it was time to get up on Saturday and get going all I wanted to do was sleep in, go out for brunch and just chill. However, the Team MadCross jerseys had arrived in the nick of time for the start of the WCA season and since I had the box I needed to go. Plus I'd already spent the money and I'm not one to let good registration fees go to waste.

Was I glad I went? Of course I was. The MWI guys are awesome and I knew they would again put on a great event. The course suited me and I loved it. It's my current fave course (after the USGP but I actually didn't ride that so I can't say for sure). The only problem is my complete lack of fitness which actually is behind even last year's horrible fitness. Oh well, I guess I'll be racing myself into shape again this year.

Race highlights are that my first lap went better than I expected and I was riding near my teammate Gail. That was fun. By the second lap I knew that was over and settled back behind her just far enough that I knew I wouldn't be able to catch her. I kept my eye on my usual nemesis, Heidi. We've been racing each other long enough to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. I excel on the more technical aspects but not on the pedaling. Heidi is good at the pedaling but psyches herself out on the technical parts (for no reason since she rides them just fine but don't tell her that as I need the advantage).

I have to say that cyclocross is one painful sport. If you haven't done any hard efforts in almost 2 months it will kick you in the butt. With 2 laps to go I was wondering if there was any chance the leader of the men's race might lap me a 2nd time. Unfortunately I could see where he was and knew it wasn't going to happen. On the last lap my legs were in some serious pain and I was so glad to be done.

It was super cool to be out sporting the new team kit though as I could easily spot my teammates and people were yelling "Go MadCross" which was cool.

Normally I'd post a photo now but I don't have one. All that blather about new team jerseys and now I have no photographic proof. Maybe this weekend I'll remember to have someone take a photo of my and the teammates instead of me just taking pics of everyone else.

Suffice it to say our new team kits are SWEET.

Oh yeah, and on Sunday I did a 2 hour over distance rollerski. It may be too late to be prepared for cross racing but there is still time to get ready for the Birkie!

Evolution of an Everyday Athlete

2011-07-27T22:16:00.007-05:00

The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.
~ John Dewey (you know, the early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology)

When I first started riding I simply rode. It felt like I rode a lot but in retrospect I realize that it really wasn’t that much. However, it felt like it because I was new to the world of biking and a few miles was a big deal. A few miles of mountain bike trail were an even bigger deal. I remember the first time I rode all the way around Lake Wingra without stopping and even though I realize now that 10k isn’t far back then it was a big deal. I remember my first mountain bike race (in Spring Green, WI) and I remember stopping at the top of the “big” hill to catch my breath. Back then even the idea of entering a race was a huge deal.

I spent a lot of years just riding and racing not that far or that fast but just doing it without thinking about it too much. There were successes. I’ll never forget a really cold, wet race in April in Black River Falls where against all odds I completed the race. I opted not to bail at the short race cut off and for the last 6 miles the sweep ATV rider was behind me and even asked me if I’d like a ride to the finish. I didn’t and I made it but as soon as I arrived everyone (and I actually mean everyone except Dave) left. I also will remember winning my first mountain bike race in 1992. It was snowy and cold and I didn’t really have the right clothes for the day. Truthfully I think I won because my toes were so cold that I was going as hard as I could to get back to warm them up.

Eventually I lost my desire to mountain bike race. It seemed to take up too much time, the thrill had warn off and if I was truly honest with myself I was probably tired of not being very good at it. Funny thing was that as soon as I stopped racing I started riding more. I had finally bought a road bike and that added new opportunities for fun. I took a weird turn and decided to run a marathon which as a hardcore non-runner seemed somewhat inconceivable. Of course, it was conceivable and doable. Then I started doing fast group road rides. In a weird twist I became faster than I was when racing.

Of course all of that lead me back to racing and the discovery of a little thing called training. I never really understood training. I never participated in any sports as a child or teen so I never was introduced to the concept of training. If we talked about it in physical education class I wasn’t paying attention (which was the norm for me). Sure at that point I’d done tons of racing but I’d never trained for it. I maybe rode more or less and with slower or faster friends but if someone had asked me what to do for training I would have said “ride your bike.”

However, I was suddenly overcome with a desire to be “faster” so I bought a training book. All it took was one chapter for me to realize I would never actually read it and use it. However I live in the age of the internet so I got an online coach. I became very motivated by the fact that I was spending money each month so I better do what he said. I got excited to race mountain bikes again. Then I went to a few races and quickly realized that I didn’t actually want to race mountain bikes again. I decided to throw myself into road racing. That was also a short lived experience as try as I might I never really took to road racing. It was one of those things I always felt like I was doing “because it would be good for me” and not because I was excited about it.

And then I decided to give cyclocross a try. I’d watched a race before but always felt I was much too uncoordinated and much too unwilling to suffer for such a sport. Little did I know that the wackiness of the sport would eventually overcome those concerns. I completely threw myself into the sport and in an unexpected turn of events was the Cat 4 Women’s State Champion in my first year of racing thus showing me that training does actually work.

From there I was quite hooked and upgraded to Cat 2 in a short time, overcame knee surgery and continued down this exciting new road called training. It was motivating to have a plan for the first time and do things intended to make me a faster and stronger cyclist. For the first time ever I actually did races where I employed tactics beyond just go hard as long as possible. The results were neither great nor horrible with some successes, some failures and lots in the middle. None of that really mattered though because it was fun. Racing was fun again and training was this new exciting thing.

However, although training paid off and I was “faster” the newness of that wore off. I missed spontaneity and not having a plan laid out. I felt bad for spending money when I wasn’t that committed to the cause of being faster. So I gave up the coach and gave up on training. Luckily cyclocross remained fun even without the successes brought by good training.

But then along came skiing . . . . oh sure, I’d skied a little for a few years but not much and with no technique at all. However, I realized that I wanted to ski the Birkie before I died and I wasn’t getting any younger and my skiing wasn’t getting any better. That little idea led me down a whole new path and that path needed rollerskis, technique lessons and a whole new world. It was new, it was cool and there was plenty of fun to be had. I skied the Birkie – skate and classic (thus covering all my bases). I took things differently for skiing. Training was less structured, more focused on technique and occasionally fraught with freak outs that I needed to ski X many kilometers today or all would be lost.

In all of this I realized that I absolutely love to do it all – mountain biking, road biking, skiing. I sometimes miss snowboarding and dream of buying a kayak. One of these days I'm goign to finish learning to swim. Sometimes I even like to go for a run. Who knows I may eventually get around to climbing the Grand Teton (something that was derailed by snow the year I planned to do it).

It’s been an evolution – from having no idea what it meant to be an athlete, to a singular obsession with being an athlete, to a realization that not being great at any one sport leaves more time to enjoy them all. I also realize that I may want to try being great at something again and that I have what it takes to chase that dream too.

There’s no right way to pursue your passions. For many people racing is what makes them happy or just being the fastest person on the group rides. For me it’s knowing could probably do whatever strikes my fancy on a given day – running a 5k, railing some singletrack, riding some southwestern Wisconsin hills, gliding my way down a snowy trail or leaping off a perfectly good bike to run over some barriers. I’m not the best at any of those things but does that really matter?

I guess what I'm saying is just get out there and enjoy life and don't be afraid to change direction from time to time.

Going Up North

2011-07-19T21:52:00.001-05:00

And now for a summer vacation post . . . both in June and July I went "up north" for a week. Yes, it is true I like the north. Both times I spent some time in Cable, WI and then the rest of the time in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan.

Here's some reasons why you might want to go "up north" too.

The Jam Pot in the Keweenaw has my favorite bakery items. YUM.

Lake Superior is probably my fave lake.

The top of the On the Edge trail in Copper Harbor.

The Flow Trail in Copper Harbor. I love to ride up it and to ride down it. It is possibly the trail I would most like to ride. It's a bummer it is so far from home.

CXC Ski Camp for rollerski fun. So far I've been to two camps and I've worked hard on my technique.

At 11am it was 63 degrees in Calumet, MI on July 15. LOVE!!!

Paddling fun. This time on an inland lake.

The Objibwe Trail in Cable.

Canoeing fun. Rented from the Keweenaw Adventure Company.

Namekagon Trails outside Cable, WI

Pretty lakes of all sizes.

Swedetown Trails in Calumet, MI

Makwa Trail just outside Seeley, WI

If you're a mountain biker and you haven't been up to ride the trails in the UP at Copper Harbor, Calumet, Houghton and Hancock then you need to go immediately. They are just that good. And, of course, the CAMBA trails in the Cable and Hayward aren't to be missed.

Hey, what about that Birkie?!?!

2011-04-01T19:04:00.002-05:00

Somehow the Birkie came and went and it was such a crazy time that I never wrote anything about it. All I can say is that the need to participate in democracy was greater than my need to document my 3^rd Birkie. However, I have now decided a month later to chronicle the race to keep the documentation going of my ongoing transformation into a skier.

This year was one of the coldest Birkies ever actually. Someone in the know about these things was saying he thought it was likely the 3^rd coldest. The temp was -6F when I started and I think 6F when I finished. Now it’s not like I don’t ski at much colder temps than that but I wouldn’t normally be out for such an extended period of time (by which I mean just short of 5 hours).

The evening before the race was full of discussions of what to wear. I settled in on a plan pretty early on as I’ve skied in the cold enough to have a sense of what I would need. The CXC race kit is super light (thin lycra really) so I went with warmer Patagonia Capilene 3 midweight long underwear on top and bottom along with craft boxer briefs on bottom and then just the CXC suit. For my feet it was Smartwool socks and then booties over my ski boots. For my hands it was Toko Artic Mits which are lobster claw style. For my head I had a Buff which I pulled up over my ears and put my Seeley Classic hat on top. I then slathered my face in dermatone as exposed skin in the cold is never a good thing. Then on went my sunglasses to protect my eyes. All in all I was very pleased with my choices. I was a little cold on a couple of the crazy fast downhills but otherwise good and no frostbite (which was all too common actually).

Now on to the race. I should start off by saying I once again raced Classic which for some reason always seems to come as a surprise to people. I haven’t figured out if people are surprised because I’m not that great a classic skier or if it is because the race is 4k longer or if because it takes longer or what. After doing skate one year and classic one year I currently can’t imagine going back to skating it but I suppose I will one day.

Anyway, as to the race it was good but I never really felt like it was great. I started in Wave 5 this year and it was a pretty relaxed group. Classic waves can be up to 350 people but I’m pretty sure Wave 5 was smaller than that. I wasn’t feeling super crazy Birkie Fever probably because I had spent the 2 weeks leading up to the race protesting the insanity of Wisconsin’s Governor and his budget repair bill. There’s something to say for having bigger issues than your Birkie to keep you from stressing out about racing.

I made it from the Pilot Fish parking lot on the bus to the start line with enough time to use the porta potty one last time, get my skis from CXC, get my warm ups off and into the drop bag, and get into the start pen. I didn’t have a lot of extra time but still plenty of time which really was perfect given that it was cold. I didn’t want to have too much time standing around. In the end I didn’t test my skis even though I had them waxed by CXC but instead just put my faith in them (which was warranted as my skis rocked the whole race!). And now I would like to thank Jason Cork and the whole CXC waxing crew for taking such good care of my skis!

So anyway I started out in the middle of the pack and took it pretty chill in the beginning of the race. If you’ve only ever done the Birkie Skate then you won’t really be able to understand that even being possible. Basically I just lined up with a few minutes to spare and got a nice spot in the middle although I could have gone straight to the front if I wanted. The countdown is on and I’m dancing the music being played over the loudspeaker to keep warm. I hope no video exists of this behavior! This whole time I feel a little self conscious wearing my CXC kit but I do notice one other CXC Master in my wave which makes me feel better. It’s not that being on the CXC Master’s team means anything other than you support CXC but since the elite team kits look the same as the Master’s there is a little self-consciousness that I feel when I’m wear it. I

Being so cold it was awesome to finally get started so I could keep warm. Everyone is pretty polite in Wave 5 so there were no incidents with people stepping on poles or anything. It always takes me awhile to get really warmed up and really get going so I was skiing mid-wave. Since I don’t really consider marathon distances my “thing” I wasn’t really concerned with who was passing me or who I was passing. I was just focused on getting into a groove and not going too hard in the beginning. I really start marathon races just hoping to make it.

Mostly the first part of the race wasn’t too eventful. On the powerline I gave my usual shout out to Gary Crandall (of the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival) and thought about how thrilled I was not to be on the skate course. All of us Classic skiers were just having a nice time over on our course. At 12k into the race I had the pre-requisite race fall as I made a last second decision to jump out of the tracks but then totally lost control and went down. It was really more of a sliding wipeout so I was back up fast.

Oh but I should mention the aid stations . . . so as I mentioned it was pretty cold which is never great when you are relying on energy gels. Each time I took an energy gel it turned into a real production. Last year my goal was to not spend so much time in the aid stations but get in and out efficiently. And if I do say so myself I’ve really improved. The Birkie was a challenge though. As I approached the aid station I would rip the gel off my drink belt where it was stapled. I would get it open but then I couldn’t get it out of the packet so I would be fumbling around pressing on it as hard as I could. Eventually I would get it out and get as much jammed it my mouth as possible waiting for it to warm up enough that I could swallow it. Normally you can open it, get it in the mouth and grab water fairly efficiently but with the energy gels so cold you’d have to take extra time before you grabbed water. At one aid station one of the volunteers saw me struggling and helped me by taking my gel packet and pressing down on it against a table to try and get it to come out. However, you can’t ski for as long as I was and not take the time to ingest some fuel.

The kilometer markers can seem to go by slowly sometimes. 54k is just a long way to ski. I definitely had some moments around 20-25k where I felt really tired or at least felt like it was going to be a really long day. However, I just kept plodding along knowing that these feelings will come and go throughout the race. I have to admit it’s never a great feeling when you are feeling tired and you aren’t even quite to the half-way point.

In looking at the results though it shows that in the 2^nd half of the race I started to pass people which seem to fit with my memory of the race. I did think that I sure was passing a lot of people with bibs from other waves and as it turns out quite a few from my own wave as well. However, even with the number of people that I did end up passing it never seemed congested or problematic. In some ways it probably ends up making the day go by easier to be seeing lots of people.

I can’t say that I really felt like I rocked it out though as I felt super slow going up some of the hills and at times felt like my technique had totally escaped me. (And the pictures I saw of myself prove that my technique clearly escaped me and I was skiing like I was about to give up!). On the infamous Bitch Hill (which was sans bitches this year) I herring boned up at a crawl and felt super psyched to be done with it even if I felt like I was crawling.

So the true final challenge of the Birkie is skiing across Lake Hayward. Now if you aren’t a skier you probably think that skiing across a lake sounds easy enough but this particular lake isn’t. It is several kilometers long, you can see skiers far into the distance, and it always has a headwind. When you first enter the lake there is always a friendly group of people set up cheering and at their table you can get Jaegermeister. As it happens they are set up right next to the classic tracks so it is impossible to miss. One again this year as I skied by I asked if they had Jaeger shots. They weren’t prepared for my request but quickly jumped up, ran up alongside me to hand off a shot which I gulped down while only slowing slightly. Everyone has strengths as a skier and I have determined that mine is taking Jaeger shots during races.

I know this wouldn’t be the case for most people but that shot of Jaeger made me feel just a little bit better. Good thing as I felt really worn out at this point and the lake seemed rather daunting. I was also feeling a little bummed at the lack of Classic skiers who happened to be near me at this point in time as I desperately needed a draft. Just prior to the lake I had passed a bunch of classic skiers and now the crowd had thinned. Luckily there was one guy ahead who I was able to catch fairly soon and I just sat behind him drafting the whole way across the lake. I’d like to say that I was able to double pole the whole thing but I didn’t. I truthfully was slowly striding with the occasional double pole or kick double pole but mostly a very slow stride. There was no way I could have passed the guy I was drafting as catching him was the last bit of energy I had.

After what always seems like a lifetime I made it across the lake and made the turns onto Main Street. Main Street usually gives you some more energy but I can’t say I felt a surge. I was just thrilled to be done and thrilled to have someone take my skis off for me. I will admitted to being totally wiped out.

Now I’m going to be honest and say that at first I was a bit disappointed in my finish as it was 4 minutes slower than the previous year. Truthfully I had hoped to improve. However, as I was making my way through the finish line and to pick up my drop bag I heard people being announced that were finishing behind me and it included people I had never beat before.

Of course the true test is your wave placement for next year. . . was your finish time at least good enough to be placed in the same wave or will you move down or will you move up. It’s the true test mostly because eventually you get asked what wave you are if you hang out with skiers too much. The Birkie sends out the 2012 wave placement times a few weeks after the race so immediately after the race you can only speculate. I’m happy to report that in a nice turn of events I will be skiing from Wave 4 next year. Not that it matters or anything but it is reassurance that my skiing is improving although I realized I was improving as I ended up finishing in the top 30 people out of Wave 5. I ended up in about the top third of women finishers and about the mid-point of all finishers. I think that’s great and more than I would have expected when I first decided to take up classic skiing.

There you have it – Birkie 2011.

Attitude matters

2011-02-06T14:04:00.003-06:00

This weekend I had one goal which was to ski 40k in prep for next weekend's Mora Vasaloppet and then the upcoming Birkie. In attempt to conserve money Dave and I were just planning to ski around home (what with our big blizzard it's not like we're short on snow here in Madison). One of the closest places is Mirror Lake and we hadn't skied there this year so it seemed like a solid plan.

But some days just don't go the way you had hoped/planned and attitude is everything. I think the problem started with the fact that I had originally wanted to ski elsewhere. Then the first trails we skied had beautiful tracks that were completely full of leaves. Then I couldn't seem to find the right kick wax. Then I started to have a total melt down. Poor Dave - he tried different kick waxes on his skis, trying to find the perfect one and didn't even complain when I kept switching skis. It's weird that I felt great at the Noque but all this week I feel like I've completely forgotten how to ski. And as we all know, being frustrated just makes it worse.

The first 10k were true misery as I let all these things get to me and really just wanted to give up and go home and try again the next day. However, I also know myself well enough to know that if my plan was to ski 40k on Saturday then if I left without doing that I would be miserable much longer. More miserable than just making myself do it.

In the end I switched to my waxless classic skis so I didn't have to worry about the right kick wax or jumping in and out of the track endlessly to avoid leaves. That improved my mood and I slowly turned the day around once I got into more of a rhythm. I must have recovered as Dave skied the next 15k with me even when I told him he should leave me on my own.

And yes I know that attitude is everything but it's a great area of opportunity for me. I'm going to keep working on that one.

And yikes 40k hurt! It didn't help that I wasted a lot of energy hating skiing that first 10k but still - ouch. It reminded me why I don't ski a lot of marathons, ride a lot of centuries, etc. Long distances just aren't my thing . . . give me 40 minutes of cyclocross or a nice half marathon ski race. Next weekend I've got the 42k Mora Vasaloppet and then at the end of February the 54k Birkie.

Funny story - after both my ski races this year I would think of what I would do to improve both at the race and in my training leading up to the season. Then after thinking of some great ideas I would realize that next year cyclocross season goes into January and I suddenly remember that my inability to focus on one over the other is going to mean that I have a totally schizophrenic traing that leaves me unprepared for either.

One of the good days . . . .

2011-02-04T17:09:00.004-06:00

I would like to start by saying something that may not seem true to the casual observer. I’m not really a racer. I know that seems patently untrue as I have tons of race reports right here on this very blog and you can easily find tons of race results that have my name listed. However, I often have trouble mentally getting into a real racer mode and quite frankly actually am happy when people ski away from me so I don't have to worry about trying to beat them.

I didn’t actually blog about the Seeley Classic race but I can sum it up pretty quickly. I started out in the back of the field, worked my way up a little ways, skied at a comfortable pace, took the Jaeger shot at 11k to go, continued to ski comfortably . . . . and then with about 1k to go I realized how comfortably I had been skiing and became obsessed with passing the woman in front of me. Racing for 1k is way more my thing than having to actually race for 22k.

Coming into the Noquemanon race (25k classic) I told myself that I was going to try and treat this more like a race and less like a tour. Not that there’s anything wrong with a nice tour but I wanted to push myself a bit more for a change and I knew I had the fitness to do the distance. Plus I won't lie I thought I could get a top 3 in my age group if I tried a little harder but knew if I skied my usual way that I probably wouldn’t (and the Noque gives away sweet cow bells for prizes and I wanted one).

I was placed in Wave 2 for the 25k Classic race. I, as always, lined up towards the back of the wave. Unlike faster waves our wave is full of a few people who are determined to be at the front and a whole lot of people competing for the back. The usual dance ensued where someone realized that he wasn’t at the back and then invited those of us behind him to move up. We said “no, no we’re good” and refused to move up.

Finally the start goes off and we double pole away. The start is on a downhill so it’s a little bit of chaos but I was impressed with the skill of everyone in our wave as we got off to a clean start with no pile ups or broken poles. There was some chaos as we were starting as the 50k racers were still coming through the half way point (this was more of a problem this year because the snow was slow and the 50k people were coming through later than usual).

It only takes a couple of kilometers for everyone to begin to sort out with the people their speed. There’s the usual confusion at hills as people climb at different speeds and have better kick or worse kick but still we’re settling into groups.

At around 5k I find myself skiing with a group of 2 women and a guy. I’m clearly faster on the uphills but I’m more conservative on the downhills (thanks to being traumatized the last time I raced the Noque). However, I’m also faster on the flats. So what do I do? Nothing, which is my norm. I just sit behind them skiing very comfortably – at times much too comfortably. Every time I ski up on the tails of their skis I just ease up. Of course I do think about passing them but I dismiss the idea. I’m sure that I will just hold them up and/or they will just repass me quickly as I'm always positive they are just better skiers than me.

It’s not that I don’t remember that I was going to try and put a little bit more “race” into ski race but in the heat of a ski race I generally don’t and am really good at talking myself out of it. Do I suffer from a fear of trying and being disappointed or am I just really good at channeling the person who subconsciously seems to think that if I go too hard I might not be able to finish?

On a long climb about 7k or so into the race I’m once again right on the tails of the 2 women and then both jump out of the tracks to herringbone. I’m blessed with excellent kick (story about that later) and so continue striding up the hill and get a significant gap by the time we reach the top. This brings me back into contact with the guy who had been in our group and he’s motoring along. I get on the back of his skis determined to keep pace.

The mental game starts again – I want to keep in front of those women, they might be in my age group so I must keep the gap, this guy’s pace is a little uncomfortable, I don’t think I can do it, you can do it, it’s not that hard a pace, yes it is, no it isn't, just keep going.

Luckily for me the guy I joined with was going at a much better pace and I had some tricks in my bag that he didn’t. What I mean is that he never seemed to utilize kick-double poling which was a huge mistake. The snow was slow enough that many sections that might seem good for just double poling were so much easier to kick-double pole.

After about 10k the race does get a little crazy because you’ve got 50k classic and skate racers mixed in with 25k classic and skate racers all on a trail that is a bit narrow and twisty. I felt bad for all the 50k classic skiers I passed as they had much fresher skiers zooming around them constantly. It wouldn’t have been so bad but most of the race course only has one set of tracks. Basically you would catch someone and then you would have to check and see if you could get around them without impeding a skater coming up from behind you. It wasn’t always easy because the tracks were faster than the skate lane.

Amidst all this chaos I kept telling myself to keep on it. I kept reminding myself how disappointed I would be if the 2 women I passed long before caught me and then both ended up being in my age group and I was denied a cowbell. Now it’s not like I could see them behind me or that I even knew if they were my age but it was my little mental game to not let myself ease up.

At 5k to go I reminded myself that is the same distance as the Elver race I had done earlier in the week (I tried not to remember how much that hurt). At this point in the race I’m double-poling and kick-double poling like there is no tomorrow. The last part of this race has lots of long flats and with not so fast snow it seems like a lot of effort to keep up the effort. It’s made even harder by the need to get out of the tracks to pass and the sections with 2 sets of tracks are a dream come true. I guess the cool part is that I am passing people and not being passed.

Once you get to the area near the NMU campus and the finish at the Dome it seems like forever. You are excited to almost be done but you can’t believe you aren’t there yet. All you can do is enter a zone where you double-pole for as long as you can, kick-double pole as long as you can and hope that it ends soon.

Finishing Photo

And then you’re done. It’s almost anti-climactic in a way. They announce your name as you reach the finish line, a volunteer removes your chip timer, and you summon the energy to take off your skis. It’s a good feeling though to have given a good effort and even though at times you were not pleased with your technical skiing ability at least you felt like you were trying.

Photo with embarrassing technique

Being the crazy person that I am I waited until I had gone back to where I was staying, eaten, showered and chatted with people before I started thinking about checking the results. I really didn’t want disappointing results to detract from what had been a good day of skiing. However, with a computer sitting on the kitchen counter it was hard to resist checking.

Luckily it just reinforced the success of my day as I had placed 18^th out of 68 women and managed 2^nd place in my age group. A cow bell was mine!

I’m not 100% sure who the women who were my motivators were but I think they finished 3-4 minutes behind me. They sure did keep me motivated although I don’t think they actually were in my age group but they motivated me to a top 20 finish at a race that I once swore I would never do again (and as mentioned that’s a story with funny photos of really bad technique!).

And now for the story of my wax preparation . . . the “fun” part of doing classic style ski races is worrying about your kick wax. Before the race start I joined all the other people out testing their kick wax. I was struggling to get it right. At some point I asked an older gentleman what he had on and if he liked it. I totally hit the jackpot as he had Swix VR45 on and he claimed it was great. I didn’t have that with me so I asked if he’d loan me some. I put the VR45 on in just under the foot and over the VR40 I already had applied. The funny pat was that the guy’s friend was determined to help me out as well so he corked it in for me. I don’t feel like I seem helpless but possibly I was giving off that vibe. The wax worked great so I’m not complaining!

Stupid Cold

2011-01-03T19:54:00.002-06:00

Okay, so my stupid cold that I got while flying home from West Yellowstone somehow blossomed into a month long lingering cold. Finally broke down and went to the doctor and he decided it was a bacterial infection so now I'm on antibiotics. Good news is that they seem to be working. I look forward to having good health again (and not scaring other skiers by constantly hacking and blowing snot while skiing).

Still with the impending weather doom (by which I mean rain and warm weather) I got in a nice week long block of skiing in an attempt to regain my lost fitness. Is it weird to go from a doctor's appointment to skiing at Blue Mounds?

Went "up north" for New Year's Weekend where it also was warm and rainy. Sad news everywhere really. Minocqua Winter Park didn't fare too well but ABR had enough base that they survived the rain. (I mention this because I know that is what people really care about and not what I've been doing with my time).

And yes I partied very hard on New Year's Eve. My good friend Isabel turned one year old and we had an excellent party. Truth be told she almost made it until midnight while the rest of us barely made it. For the record that did make me feel a little old.

And I would also like to say that I went all holiday weekend without once getting out my skate skis. I have now taken to telling Dave "these conditions are made for striding" . . . of course I say that no matter the conditions.

Less than 2 weeks until the Seeley Classic . . . . that is frightening to consider!

Gift Ideas for the Outdoorsy Gal

2010-12-07T17:48:00.001-06:00

This year I've decided to buy holiday presents for a few random people. In recent years I've not been doing holiday gift giving but I've decided to dabble in it a little bit this year and see how it goes. With gift giving on my mind I thought I would share some ideas in case any of you have been struggling with what gifts to give for the outdoorsy gal.

Also, I'm going to mention lots of gifts that are available locally at either Catalyst (on Atwood Ave) or A Stone's Throw (on Monroe St) as I think shopping locally is important. If you don't live in Madison then you'll have to find your own local alternative.

For the cross country skiing gal:
1. For those only looking for small items to put in a "care package" or for a stocking stuffer I would suggest good wool socks. I really love Smartwool adrenaline socks for skiing or any of the other great Smartwools for everyday/work. Rumor is that A Stone's Throw will have a new shipment of Smartwool in late this week (and I'll be there looking for the perfect pair to give as a gift to one of my fave nordic skiers). And while you're at it why not throw in a couple of pair of toe warmers with those socks for those really frigid days when a diehard skier might still be headed out to the trails!
2. Lotion. Okay, this might not be exactly what people think of when they think of gifts for skiers but trust me if you are outside all the time your skin gets dry and you need to keep it moisturized. Or maybe some Dermatone for those really cold days when you want to ensure your fave skier doesn't get frostbite (I got a touch of frostbite 2 years ago and now my nose is very sensitive to cold temps so I use Dermatone a lot).
3. Okay, so maybe you have a slightly bigger budget and want to get something nicer. I would suggest a pair of really fun long underwear. No, don't get something boring, bland but functional. Get functional and fun instead! I'm going to recommend the Isis long underwear as I have the Peony Long Janes and I wear them constantly. Now I'm lusting after the Cable Tight. These are a great choice because they work great for skiing but can do double duty under a skirt with some boots for a fun and funky look off the trails.
4. Have even more cash to spend? Maybe a new ski top would be just the ticket. It's no secret that I love a bright colored top. It helps people find me when I'm separated from my ski group (aka I've been dropped). Lately I've bought a couple of pieces from Skirt Sports which I'm really liking and think the Tough Girl Top could be great for skiing with just an under-layer. Fashion and function and available locally at Catalyst.
5. And if price is no option then you should buy that special someone a CXC Master's membership and support them becoming a better skier while also supporting great nordic programming in our region. It's the gift that keeps on giving! Or if that's too much maybe just a subscription to CXC Academy. That could still help them ski a better Birkie by helping focus their training in the months to come!

Gift for the Cycling Gal
1. If you want to go small then cycling socks are the easy stocking stuffer. I'm partial to Sock Guys socks and don't think you can go wrong with their awesome pink flame socks.
2. Or maybe a great bike tshirt is the way to go . . . then check out the Harlot Wear hoodie which is also available locally at Catalyst. I have one of these tees and it's comfortable and brings a smile to the face every time you put it on.
3. Want to spend some money and get something special? Then check out Showers Pass Women's Portland Jacket. You can get one at Willy Bikes and is another item that combines function with fashion. A really great rain jacket can make biking around town so much more enjoyable.
4. How about a bike? That would make someone very, very happy. I bought myself an Independent Fabrication road bike for my birthday and I love, love, love it. Of course, that might also fall into the gift that is out of most people's budgets. Okay, how about something more reasonable. Maybe some cycling classes or coaches to help someone reach a goal they've set for 2011? Madison has a new place for training - Speed Cycling. I haven't checked it out yet as it just opened but Gordy sure has had success with all the athletes I know that he coaches.
5. And last but not least if the gal in question is or aspires to be a bike commuter then how about an appropriate bike accessory. Some of the best items I own are my Planet Bike fenders and lights. I have a great pair of pink fenders on the commuter bike and this time of year multiple front and rear lights. You should be able to buy these at any local bike shop. Or for the winter bike commuter get her a studded tire to make her winter time riding that much easier. I've been loving mine this week. If she's not quite the diehard commuter but still likes to ride around town then get her a basket for her commuter bike; a basket is such a great way to bring home leftovers from Pasquals or a bouquet from the farmer's market!

Generally cool gifts for the outdoorsy gal:
1. Okay, so I already mentioned Smartwool socks above so I've got to come up with something else. How about a cool necklace from Just the 2 Of Us design? Maybe one that says "Oh La La" or one that says "Snow". Available at A Stone's Throw.
2. I really couldn't do a whole blog post on holiday gifts without mentioning Horny Toad clothing. I've given and received tons of great items from Horny Toad over the years. This year I would say check out the Madeira Jacket or Vest. In stock now at A Stone's Throw. Or maybe you want something a little more technical. Then check out the Mountain Hardwear Butter Hoody available at Catalyst. Very soft, comfortable and yet a technical piece.
3. A nice bag is always a treat and doesn't require you to know what size someone wears. Catalyst is caring the Queen Bee bags. These bags are super unique and handmade. Definitely worth checking out.
4. My favorite gift is always a vacation. Why not plan a get away somewhere. Maybe a winter or summer stay at the Cable Nature Lodge complete with a nice dinner. That would work for skiing or biking as the lodge is close to the Rock Lake trails and the rest of the Birkie/CAMBA system. The sky is really the limit on this one so don't be afraid to think big - like mountain biking Wales, skiing Switzerland, hiking the Inca trail.
5. And back to reality . . . maybe you could just get a gift certificate to somewhere like Catalyst, A Stone's Throw or Willy Bikes. Perfect if you are worried about size, color, features, etc.

And those are my thoughts on fun gifts to give. Good luck holiday shoppers!

West Yellowstone

2010-11-22T17:25:00.004-06:00

Yes, I missed the last cyclocross race of the season but I am enjoying my first blizzard of the winter season!

There's a few feet of snow here in West Yellowstone already I would say. We had some great white out conditions and some people are having trouble getting into town because some of the roads are closed. All that and it keeps snowing and more is expected tomorrow. It's great though as the streets are filled with people carrying skis and walking down the street to the ski trails. There are way more people walking in the street than cars. I have to remember to take a picture of people walking and skiing down the streets.

Estabrook Cross

2010-11-07T07:25:00.002-06:00

Quote of the day - Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire. (Patti Smith)

Some days you have to grab on to the desire so it doesn't escape you. Sure by all measures I should love the race at Estabrook as it was the first win of my cyclocross racing career. However, it seems as if that win was a fluke as every year since Estabrook has been a cruel race to me. I hate to say (given that I'm the current president of a road bike club and all) but Estabrook is a course for a "roadie" and I'm not a "roadie". Well, not a pure roadie.

Let me explain. Estabrook just isn't that technical. There are more corners than there used to be but they really don't decide the race. Estabrook is determined by power. I'm lacking in that. I've always lacked in that area but this year especially as I don't have a lot of miles in my legs this year and there is no faking power. I try to get by in races on years of experience. I like corners, off cambers, off camber corners, barriers, tricky downhills. Anything that does not require putting power into the pedal. All these features allow me to fake my way through racing on little preparation as the one benefit to being older now is that I've ridden a lot of different types of terrain as over the years I've dabbled in road, mountain and cross.

Today there was no faking it. The gals in the race went hard from the gun and I was gapped off the leaders pretty much on the first extremely long straight away. I held off one person for the first lap but on the 2nd lap she gunned it through the long, never ending straight section and passed me. Once we hit the pinwheel corners into a set of barriers and then another set I was holding my own again. Into the woods I gained and continued to gain on the short run up but into the straightaways she once again pulled away. And this was my race. Gain time in the dismounts and then more in the woods and run up but never enough to make a difference.

Luckily it was a beautiful day for a hard work out and a hard fought race. It's hard to complain about a day of cyclocross racing even when you come up on the losing end.

One funny thing about the day - I got 6th place and so won a merchandise prize. My prize was "energy drink" except it was a diet energy drink for your "weight management" needs. I'm not sure that 10 calories is really going to give me a ton of energy.

Next up is a race in Sun Prairie at Sheehan Park. MadCross.org has a map of the course and it looks to be fun (but hard). Also, I'm organizing a food drive at the race so if you're coming out to race or spectate bring a donation (and everyone who donates will be eligible to win some awesome prizes).

Wizzard Cross

2010-11-03T21:17:00.005-05:00

One of these days I’m going to get organized and have a plan for race day as to when to change into the bike kit, when to start the warm-up, etc. Until then I will remain slightly behind and have to rush to be ready. It’s hard to be organized though as cross is about hanging out, cheering, and snapping some photos. Sure, it’s also about the racing but in some ways the racing is just a small part of what makes cyclocross so fun. You may be cheered/jeered to peddle harder, coast less, run faster and go harder but then you get to do the same to others.

This week was the first ever official cyclocross race to be held in a City of Madison Park. Discussions about the potential for holding a race in the city have been going on now for a few years but team Magnus finally stepped up, jumped through all the hoops, went to a zillion meetings and put down the required deposit to make it happen. All I can say is kudos to them for doing it as the course was amazing. Definitely my favorite of the year so far (although I, of course, would have loved the USGP course had I raced it and not just helped build it).

So not a good warm up as usual but luckily the start was pretty mellow compared to normal. I was actually tacked on the group and even had one person behind me. After the start straight we come to some good swoopy corners which don’t require breaking except when you’re in a train of other riders. Through the corners and to the barriers and I get around another rider by carrying good speed through and getting on the bike fast. Then it’s to another set of corners where the woman I passed tries to repass me but touches my wheel and she goes down in the corner. I check if she’s okay and since she is I keep chasing the group which has now suddenly decided to put the hammer down and is flying away.

The large group pulls away but I keep focus on trying to ride hard as I now I have two riders behind chasing me. I feel good when I hit the 4 log section which requires a dismount as the logs are just too tricky to be worth attempting to ride. I’m off, over and back on in and for a moment I feel like the cross rider I used to be (ie, smoothish and fastish). Then after what seems like 5 seconds and absolutely zero time to recover you are headed down and back up to the next barrier and hill run-up.

The hill run-up is substantial although not the longest in the season but running is a bit of a nemesis for me this season (note to self – it is good to run a little during the summer even if you think every day is too hot for such an activity). After the hill came a section of several cool turns that took you down the hill, around and down an off camber section, back up, and then down. Then across the grass to the bridge crossing where someone is standing in your lane, try to yell at them to move, slow down so you don’t hit them and finally you’re headed towards the finish. Now there is a racer breathing down your neck and so try to speed up in the grass straight away. But the grass is sucking all of your momentum and you feel like you’re moving slowly and you get passed.

Keep the pace up through the turns, trying to minimize any braking and just ride the right line to carry speed. Back to the barriers and staying with the woman who passed. She’s definitely putting out more power but try to use my many years of racing to be smooth over the obstacles and take good lines. This works for about half a lap or so before fitness wins the day and she's got a good gap that won't be closed. Then it’s time for just making sure I keep ahead of the rider behind me. Thankfully years of racing against her has given me the knowledge needed to know where I can gain time – corners and obstacles – so I work those as best I can. My hill running is still a disappointment to me but I’m shouldering the bike in an attempt to at least look pro.

And then here comes the leaders of the men’s race, I get over to let them get a clean pass and they give me a cheer and then all 3 give me a pat on the back/butt. And to think I was a little nervous about racing with the Cat 3 men after many years of racing with the master’s guys. I think the Cat 3 guys are possibly more chill than the master’s.

That gives me one lap to go when I go through the finish area and now it's time to just ensure I don’t make any dumb mistakes that would open up the opportunity for Heidi to close down the gap I have. Luckily the gap has been growing and I roll in for 7^th out of 8.

Then a quick change out of the bike clothes and it’s time for some serious cheering, jeering and heckling for the next 2 races. It was super fun to be spectating the elite women’s race as there was some serious racing going on with people going back and forth throughout the race before Abby Strigel finally triumphed over Holly Klug and right behind was new Cat 2 racers Alyssa Severn and Sarah Huang.

Definitely put Warner Park on the list of places you need to be next Fall to race cross!

In this photo by Frank I am breaking many of Adam Myerson's rules of cross fashion. No skinsuit is a huge gaffe but in my defense there aren't enough people on my team to meet the minimum so jersey and shorts it is for me. I'm wearing long fingered gloves with short sleeves. My only defense on this one is that I had a house guest over the weekend and I was packing while chatting with him and so only grabbed the one pair of gloves. Ooops! The nylons are a HUGE mistake apparently. Apparently those make it look like I'm desperate to be cute, don't want to be seen as serious and am afraid of success. I have developed a huge fan base for my socks and nylons but clearly it is time to retire the look or be forever in the fashion don't column (maybe I can get away with this since it was Halloween??). Luckily you can't see how my number is pinned as it is probably all wrong from a fashion stand point (that will have to stay as is until next season as I wash my jersey with the number on for convenience on race day). My bar tape is black so that is boring. And I've never gotten around to removing the top mount brake levers which I'm pretty sure is not just a sign of laziness but also of some heinous cross transgression. However,on the positive side I was racing hard (just in case you can't tell!). I really didn't want Heidi to catch me as I was embracing success as a Cat 3.

The worst part is that I am not positive I'm a tastemaker. Wait, maybe a midwestern tastemaker (which I'm sure to coasties is an oxymoron of epic proportions) . . . I have seen others sporting some no longer ironically cool tall socks . . . and if I'm not a tastemaker it doesn't matter as I do like breaking rules. I think the handbook for women over 40 says "screw the rules" so maybe I should dig those no longer ironically cool tall socks back out!!

And Cyclocross Weather Arrived

2010-10-24T22:12:00.003-05:00

And it rained and it rained and it rained after many, many weekends of warm, dry sunny weather.

And in other news I made my long overdue downgrade to Cat 3. So technically today was my first ever race as a Cat 3 as I actually went from Cat 4 to Cat 2 many years ago when I was all serious and stuff. I like being a Cat 3 because it allows me to race just for the heck of it.

Here I am making my Cat 3 debut.

Awesome photo from Focal Flame Photography

Apparently I enjoyed the Cat 3 experience as here I am after the race.

True Weekend Warrior

2010-10-18T21:31:00.005-05:00

(Yes, this is my bike)

I would like to start my race report with a quote: Buddha said "When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky."

This weekend I had a few moments when I was having trouble realizing how perfect everything is but I definitely tilted my head back and laughed (cried) at the sky! Instead of racing here in Madison I was headed up north for a weekend of hanging out and rollerskiing with my nordic ski team friends. However, as luck would have it there was also a cross race in Ashland which was only about 45 minutes away from where I was staying. I thought that was an opportunity too good to miss so I added my cyclocross bike to my list of things to take north with me.

Friday evening I had a lovely 2 hour rollerski working on the finer points of the kick-double pole technique for classic skiing. At this point all things were going smoothly for me and I did feel like tilting my head back and laughing at the sky.

Saturday morning I joined my ski teammates for some "dryland training" - aka strength and agility work. We started off with a trail run to warm up which I sensibly set off on at a very casual pace since I would be doing my cyclocross race at Noon. It was all going fine until I caught my foot underneath a root and was launched forward with my foot still trapped and took a very hard fall. The woman who was running with me had a look on her face of complete worry but I jumped up and walked it off. That was going to hurt later for sure!

It took a bit to shake it off and it freaked me out a little bit. Anyway I finished up the run and joined in our next set of exercises which was a circuit of several "fun" activities. This included leaping hurdles, doing a set of over/under hurdles to improve flexibility, overhead ball bounces to simulate double poling, jump roping, planks to work the core, ladder agility drills, and these weird bands that you use to do strength workouts with a partner. Not exactly the way I normally prepare for a cross race but still a fun morning (although I have to admit that I was jump roping so slowly that I was being heckled).

At the conclusion of a little stretching I was off to Ashland for the cross race. I got there with plenty of time to register, pin my number on, eat a snack, and do a little warm up. The race before mine seemed to be behind schedule and so I never got out for a pre-ride. Not getting out for a pre-ride is really, really a bad idea for cross racing especially if the race is a little "old school" and appears to include singletrack, rocks and roots.

The race started with a lemans start which basically means you have to set your bike down and then run to it. They had us put our bikes on one side of the set of 3 barriers and then start on the other side. Luckily there was probably only about 15 in my start time with about 10 guys and 5 women so it wouldn't be overly chaotic.

However, even with that small group I somehow started off at the back. I quickly passed one woman, then a 2nd woman, and got on the wheel of the 3rd woman putting me in 3rd and right in the mix. Unfortunately, the woman in 1st was off and gone like a shot and I never saw her again until the finish.

The course starts with some long straightaways linked together with 90 degree turns so not pre-riding that part was no big deal. Then you take a tight gravel turn onto a bumpy, rutted grass/dirt road. I passed the woman in front of me making that turn and could easily follow the line in the bumps. Then I crested a little hill and before me was a rocky downhill to a huge mud pit with standing water. Luckily I had asked why all the finishers in the race before were muddy so I did have some idea this was out there. I had also heard that you should go left to ride it but not too far left. Armed with that knowledge I took a line on the left that didn't seem as far left as you could go. Too bad I was totally wrong in my choice and as usual was in the "too far left" category. Right after hitting the mud/water I hit a hidden root and down I go into the icky mud and freezing cold water. As I'm picking myself out of the water the woman I had just passed rides by and the woman behind her runs by. I'm left extricating myself from the muck and am now completely dirty.

My mind is now thinking "4th place is good, that's not last, I can be happy with that." But once I get going again and forget about the muck that covers my left hand and body I can see that the other 2 women are not that far ahead. We quickly hit a gravel road and I accelerate up to pass one of the women. Then we take a quick turn into some singletrack and I'm all discombobulated and go the long way around a tree. At this point I feel bad because I'm totally holding up the woman I had just passed. Luckily we quickly hit another short gravel road section and I get a tiny gap back on her. Then we turn and go over these tree roots and I'm thinking about last week's flat tire I suffered and thinking that could surely happen again.

Then we go by the area where I parked and I know we go down, around and then back up towards the parking. I see the woman in front of me dismount for the uphill and I'm wondering if it really is so steep it can't be ridden. Then I round the corner and realize there are steps and I'm thinking "holy crap I need to get off this bike quick" and then I'm off and doing the most awkward run up the stairs which were super annoying because all the steps were spaced differently and I could never find a good rhythm. And then after what seemed like 15 seconds of riding you rounded another corner to a steep uphill that once again had a railroad tie halfway up it. If that wasn't bad enough there was concrete just barely under the surface which did not make for a great running surface.

After that you went down and around the playground equipment you headed towards a sand pit. Normally I don't have anything against sand pits but this one was to be my nemesis. First time through the pit I see that the woman in front of me doesn't make it but I'm feeling confident so I go for it. Except I only make it about 3/4 of the way before I stall out and I was unprepared for dismounting as I truly expected to make it (oh, the over confidence of those who once were much better riders than they are now). This allows the woman behind me a chance to get by again.

Next up you go up and around a tree with some corners that were possibly my favorite part of the course and I'm sure were inspired by the race director having attended the USGP (insert total egotism here for surely people copy all the cool USGP course sections). Then immediately you are off the bike again for 3 barriers in a row. At this point I get around the woman who passed me at the sand pit again and take off for lap 2.

On lap 2 I can still see the woman in front of me but she's keeping a steady pace and I can hear that my gap to the woman behind me is pretty small. Through the straightaways and before you know I'm back at the mud pit. This time I pick a slightly better line and just barely make it through riding. I can hear the woman behind me have to get off her bike so I take off as fast as I can.

This lap I'm definitely doing better as I actually know where I'm going. That helps a ton and I feel like I'm distancing the woman behind me. I feel like I've even closing in on the woman in front of me. Through the sand pit and the barriers I can see that I've distanced the woman behind me and that I'm inching closer to the woman in front of me. However, when the timers yell 3 laps to go I'm secretly wishing that I didn't have that many more times around as I wonder if I can hold off the woman behind me that long to keep 3rd place. Oh, the mental aspects of cyclocross are a challenge with the mind calling defeat as the body asks for reprieve.

Starting the 3rd lap I really try to work hard on the long straightaways as they generally are weak points for me. On lap 3 I try a different approach to the mud pit but I don't quite make it and have to jump off and once again stick my feet in the cold, wet muck. But I can see that the woman in front of me didn't make it either and I'm back on quicker than her and eeck out a little more distance on her. However, she holds that distance through the rest of the lap. As I go through the end of the lap/start at the sand pit and barriers I can see that my lead over the woman behind me has grown substantially which was a serious relief.

On lap 4 I totally rock the mud pit and find the perfect sweet line that I have been looking for all day so I feel good about that. I'm hitting the roots just right to minimize flatting and have even perfected the big dip in the trail which bottoms out my tire and also threatens a flat. I'm still struggling with the right technique for the stairs and in my mind I think I should shoulder the bike but I never seem to make the entry into the stairs in such a way that shouldering happens. As I'm once again going through the sand (and never making it the whole way!) and over the barriers I realize that I am not going to be lapped and I head out for my final lap - Lap 5.

As I go through on my last lap I don't see the woman behind me anywhere so I think I've got 3rd wrapped up if I just ride clean. I can see 2nd place tantalizingly in front of me; dangling just out of reach. My mind is conflicted - should I be happy with 3rd or should I really try for 2nd. The mind is a funny thing as it reminds me that 3rd is awesome since it isn't last place (my usual spot these days). It reminds me that I've got a full weekend planned and maybe I should pace myself. No need to kill myself since I'm already on the podium. But in the end I want to feel like I tried so I keep the pressure on. I really push it hard through the 2 long straightaways and try to really seal the deal with good cornering. And there she is maybe 15 seconds up on me and I'm trying to figure out where I can make up that time.

And then as I'm rolling over the bumpy terrain headed towards the rocky downhill and into the mud pit I hear a crazy noise. As I crest the rise to the mud pit I see someone laying in the water. I realize that the noise is someone yelling in pain and that the woman in front of me is laying in the water clutching her wrist. I carefully brake as I head down the rocky terrain and stop. Not being medically inclined all I can think of to say is "what can I do". Can I help you up? I grab her uninjured arm and help get her out of the freezing cold muck. Then I pick up her bike and get her out of the mud pit. Then I ask do you want me to walk your bike back with you or go for help? She sends me for help.

Of course, once I start out to go for help I realize that I have no idea what the fastest way back to the start area is as I don't know the park at all. I feel weird just riding hard on the course since it feels like I've abandoned her to continue the race. Luckily the course quickly lead to a spot that I recognized as near the parking lot and I was able to jump off the course and ride to the start/finish. It took a moment for the people there to realize why the wheezing biker came up to the finish from the wrong direction. However, I was quickly able to get my point across and get someone with some first aid knowledge back out to help the woman.

Then I said to the remaining people at the finish that if it was okay I was going to go back out and jump on the course and finish the race. I felt like I should since I was of no use to the injured woman any more. No one seemed to disagree with that so off I went. Then I noticed the woman who had been behind me and she was already standing at the finish line. Realizing she had been lapped I finished up at a leisurely pace.

And then I was done. I saw that the woman's friends had found her and she was quickly whisked off presumably to the ER to be checked over. I don't know what the outcome was but hopefully it hurt worse than it really was.

For sure not the way I wanted to end the race as I would have much preferred 3rd than to get 2nd through such an unfortunate accident. However, I didn't have much time to reflect on the situation as I realized the afternoon was passing me by and I needed to get back to Cable. Luckily for me I had a stash of Action Wipes from the USGP so I was able to clean most/some of the mud off me before I jumped in the car. I also had some goodies form the Ashland Baking Company to eat on the drive (an exceptional bakery for sure).

By 2 pm I was back in Cable and had traded in my very wet, muddy and nasty bike shoes for ski boots and rollerskis. Ah yes, the perfect way to spend the afternoon after doing a cross race . . . working on the finer points of classic skiing. The afternoon brought 2 hours of doing ski drills up a nice little hill that got longer and longer as the afternoon went on. I can't say I was sad to be done for the day and all my teammates were not shy about giving me crap for being tired. However, I did show off my trophy to some of them and might have left out the part where I only got 2nd due to someone's untimely injury. (If you ski as poorly as me you may be tempted to commit the sin of omission to try and make your teammates think you are good at something. Yes, vanity is a sin that I shall work on for the future).

And then afternoon led to evening and the next thing you know I'm hanging out with a group of skiers and enjoying a beautiful fall evening. The barbecue is going and we're all kicked back and having a good time. And then my Russian coach, Igor, hones in on me and gets out the Vodka bottle. And somehow I get talked into a vodka shot but not to worry we'll have a pickle with it so all will be well. And no I don't totally understand the pickle. Apparently you sniff it, drink the vodka shot and then eat the pickle. It is seemingly both a Russian tradition and a way to ward off a hangover. Good think I had the pickles at hand as one shot turned into two shots turned into three shots turned into "oh no not another one" which turned into one more shot and then even one final shot. It can be hard to keep track. And, of course, because it's not like I'm not old enough to know better there was a beer in between all this craziness.

And then it was Sunday morning. Morning sure does come early some days or at least it felt that way . . . because it was dark or some reason like that. But by close to 8am I was at the CXC training facility ready to do my ski erg test. This is not a good thing especially if you're moving a little slowly. However, the ski erg waits for no one . . . the ski erg being this machine that simulates double poling on skis and keeps track of time, distance, watts, etc. Before I knew what happened I was doing my 30 second test and then way too soon my 3 minute test. Although it made me feel like my arms might literally fall off from the pain of this I actually put out numbers that were not entirely an embarrassment. This is especially true if you count the fact that a couple of the women are strong . . . as in they actually look good when they strip down to their sports bras . . . as compared to me who would not think of doing that because the puniness of my lats, shoulders, triceps, etc would be revealed (and the glare of my pasty white skin would blind people!).

After surviving that it was off for another 2 hours of rollerskiing . . . this time skate skiing just to mix up the pain. I, of course, fell within the first half hour of skiing when I pushed off on a clump of leaves or gravel or something. Luckily I fell on the opposite side of my other falls to ensure even bruising!

By the time 2 hours was up I was ready for lunch . . . which was just the fuel I needed to get myself out for a 12 mile mountain bike ride on some sweet CAMBA singletrack. I will now admit that I am not nearly as hardcore as I sound and on one of the last climbs back to the car all I could think about was the searing pain in my legs as they begged me to cease and desist.

Which I did . . . .finally.

And for the record I was totally laughing at the sky as I thought about how I was totally "living the dream" and how people have no idea how exhausting it is to live the dream. Oh sure, my co-workers all think I live some exotic and exciting lifestyle that involves bike racing in the snow and ski training camps when there is no snow and fascinating sounding things like cyclocross bikes and rollerskis. Of course, then they see me stand up from my desk and limp my way down the hallway. Then they probably realize I'm just crazy.

Back at it

2010-10-03T21:51:00.004-05:00

Oops, forgot to blog about last weekend's Cross at the Domes so here's a double race report.

Cross the Domes
This was my first cyclocross race of the season. And it was exceptionally painful with a double sand pit and a wicked evil hill climb. I was last. Not a surprise really since I ride so little and when I do ride it isn't the kind of riding that prepares you to race. It's all fun though. I can't say that I really had a good part of the race as I was off the back immediately. It was good to get one in though in an attempt to race myself into some kind of shape.

Then this weekend's Pumpkin Cross . . .
Actually had a good start and wasn't in last place. That didn't last long as before I even got to the sand pit the 1st time I could tell I something was wrong. iI was slowly loosing air pressure in my rear tire. I got off for the sand pit and checked the pressure and it wasn't totally flat so I kept going. That didn't last long though as the air was slowly leaking out and making cornering at speed less than fun. I rode up the big climb the 2nd time and went straight to the car. I guess I can't complain as this is my first mechanical in all the years I've been racing and I've always raced clinchers. At first I was thinking I could have kept going and just babied it around all the corners but when I got home I checked it again and it was flat. Maybe I could have lasted but it wouldn't have been any fun. And I can't afford to ruin the wheel as I already need to buy a new mountain bike wheel and I've been putting that off.

Rollerskiing
And on Sundays I rollerski. I did a shorter over distance skate ski last Sunday. This Sunday I will likely do 30k since I only raced 2 laps so no excuses to cut it short. This weekend I'll classic just to mix it up and since I'm striding the Birkie again this year.

And in other things . . .
When I got home from Pumpkin Cross I got started on cooking up some goodness for tomorrow's USGP Volunteer Appreciation Party. Here's a recipe for one of the items I'm making:

Fall Wild Rice Salad

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup orange juice
1 Tbs orange zest
1 Tbs maple syrup
1/2 Tbs dijon mustard
21 oz wild rice
4 oz pine nuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
2 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced

Instructions:
Cook rice. Whisk together oil, orange juice, orange zest, maple syrup, and mustard in large bow. Add rice, pine nuts, cranberries, mint and green oninons, and toss to coat.

USGP 2010

2010-09-29T20:15:00.004-05:00

I guess it's time to revive this blog even though it is possible that blogging is no longer the cool thing to do. I'm thinking I'll have something to say though as cyclocross season gets going and as nordic ski season kicks off.

So the USGP . . . how about that. There are for sure a lot of points over the course of preparing for it that I think I must be insane to use over a week of vacation time to do so much work and be stressed about all kinds of little details. But then it happens and when it comes together it is a pretty cool event. Then I hear from everyone about how much they loved it and the next thing you know I'm mentally beginning the planning for next year.

And so starts my cyclocross season . . . which I have once again not prepared for but am still feeling like I need to stay a Cat 2 since there are so few of us right now. Maybe next year I'll ride more and come into the season prepared.

And I rode

2010-04-12T11:48:00.003-05:00

I actually rode 2 days in a row this weekend and have gotten a nice start in transitioning from skiing to riding. This is probably just in time to transition back to doing some rollerskiing (which for the record I have not done yet this year).

Saturday I did 60 flat but windy miles to the lovely little village of Cooksville and then on Sunday I did 36 more hilly miles in a ride called "Tour of Nine Mounds". If I count my commute home on Friday then I got a nice 100 mile weekend. All this early season riding and I may just show up at a race before September. Maybe.

I had an awesome weekend though with all the riding along with the Henry Rollins show on Friday night and The Runaways movie on Saturday night. Add to that dinner at the Green Owl vegetarian cafe on Friday and the delicious pear and gorgonzola pizza at Sundance Theater and there is nothing to complain about this weekend . . . .well, except that it ended and I had to go back to work.

Birkie

2010-03-11T14:47:00.002-06:00

Okay, so it has taken me a lifetime to finally do a post about the Birkie but I've been busy and I got a nasty cold. I wanted to document the event but blogging motivation is not super high right now. However, how could I skip blogging about an event where I met my race goal - to enjoy the event enough to do it again.

After last year's Birkie debacle I had low expectations this year. I trained hard in Oct/Nov but then got H1N1 flu, skipped my planned trip to West Yellowstone, and generally stopped trying. At some point I told Dave that I was going to classic the Birkie as I had stopped enjoying skating. Everytime I went out to do a long skate ski I found that I wasn't enjoying it and couldn't fathom skating the Birkie again. The only problem with my plan to classic the Birkie was that I didn't know how to stride - sure I could double pole pretty well but that wasn't going to be enough to survive the Birkie.

Luckily one day in early January my brain finally clicked and just like that I could stride. Not great but enough. So I did the Seeley Classic 22k race to test out my new skill and even with a jaeger/red bull shot at the 11k to go mark I did great, felt great and most importantly had fun. That lead me to the Mora 42k classic which is mostly double poling but still was a step in building my confidence that I could classic ski a marathon distance event. That race went well and I had fun so the Birkie Classic was on (and they even put me in Wave 4 based on my Mora results).

One of the hardest parts about classic skiing is getting the kick wax right as bad kick wax can make for a long day. Luckily I'm a member of the CXC Master's Team and so the CXC team waxers would be doing my skis and I knew they would test 15 million combinations to find the secret to success (and for the record they did a freaking amazing job on the team's skis). Being a member of CXC kicks butt on so many levels (support an organization that is making a difference, get to know lots of other cool athletes from jrs to elites to masters, fast looking ski suits, good training camps and waxing at the Birkie).

I was nervous race day after having a bad day last year and realizing that 54k of classic skiing is really a big day of skiing. However, I reminded myself that if striding was tiring I could double-pole or kick double-pole or herring bone and that it wouldn't just be skating, skating, skating.

Anyway, in a nut shell the race was awesome - fun at times, really hard at times, really fast at times and totally manageable). I reminded myself to go out slow as I noticed in my other races that I have a tendency to go out fast as I am much more of a half marathon distance skier. I stuck to my plan, sometimes stayed behind slower people on the uphills to conserve energy and refused to worry about who was passing me or who I was passing. No need to get too concerned about Wave 5 passing me or too over excited because I'm passing people from Wave 3. It was an awesome feeling as my biggest problem with skating is just skiing easy and at a manageable pace.

One big area of improvement for me this season was being efficient at the aid stations. I usually would lose the group I was with as I lingered overly long going through the aid stations. This year I told myself that I would speed up and I did. I still took on enough food drink but without spending too much time.

Was it hard? Absolutely. I love the new Classic trail for the Birkie but you still have to climb a lot of hills and it is 54k. When you're skiing along and you still have 30k left to go it does seem a bit overwhelming. And at 10k to go I was feeling it and wishing I had done more than one 35k and one 42k ski for training. On the 2nd to last downhill I got wildly out of control attempting to get out of the classic track and took what was described by the people behind me as a spectacular fall complete with a full roll. However, I felt strong double-poling across the lake and down Main Street.

I felt so great that when I hit the lake I was able to do a totally "pro" jager shot hand up. Each year there is a table on the lake and they are handing out jager shots. I figured with my experience with beer hand ups in cross that I would have to take one. And if I do say so myself I did awesome. I grabbed the plastic shot glass without stopping and then downed the shot on the move (spilling some on myself), and threw the glass down. I got some good cheers from the people at the table! Jager really burns going down and unlike at the Seeley Classic there was no water to wash it down. It was fun though even if it does taste nasty.

For this race I had written "Live Fully" on the toe of my boot. It was in honor of Garett Kipp who died at 36 from cancer shortly before the Birkie. In 2009 we skied together a bit during the Birkie before he passed me up on his way to a great race. Shortly thereafter he was diagnosed with cancer. I wrote that on my boot so if I got in a tough spot in the race I would remember how great it was just to be out there.

All I can say is what a great year! I don't care if I move up a wave or down a wave or whatever. I had a good day which was amazing given my preperation and the fact that it wasn't that long ago I couldn't figure out the secret to striding. I even skied 1 second per kilometer faster this year than I did skating last year. I may be a classic specialist!

Thanks to everyone at CXC for their support - especially the waxers, the camp coaches and Yuriy. Without Yuriy's patient coaching I certainly wouldn't have figured out any part of ski technique. Also huge thanks to Dave who not only bought me classic skis for Valentine's Day several years back even though I didn't really want them but also for helping me with my classic skiing so much this year and getting me classic rollerskis. I couldn't have done it without him since he clearly has more faith in my ability than I do.

Photos

Thoughts

2010-02-23T12:44:00.002-06:00

There are days when I really want to go back to my caffeinated diet soda drinking habit. It's a bad habit but was always a nice addition to an afternoon at the office. However, I persevere.

I'm not sure if blog posting will resume or not. I have very little to say these days. Even a Jaeger shot with 11k to go at the Seeley Classic did not elicit a post. Neither did my first classic marathon. I'll commerate that with a picture today though. Maybe my first Birkie skied Classic style will elicit a blog revival.

A Tale of Two Races

2009-11-10T07:00:00.001-06:00

Saturday I was at the Whitewater race and I was riding my bike and there were other people with numbers pinned on going around the same circle at the same time. I guess that makes it a race. Hills make me hurt just thinking about riding them let alone actually lining up for a race that is almost entirely hill climbing. I'm not sure I can even explain why I would line up for a seriously hilly race against some amazingly fast Cat 1/2 Women when I don't ride my bike except at the races. There is a certain level of insanity to what I'm doing. But it's cross so I do.

I won't complain (much) about the Whitewater course as I know if I was a climber I would have loved it. I'm not a climber and even when I ride a lot I'm not a climber. I did razz Dave T. about the course but hopefully he didn't take it personally. Different course favor different kinds of riders and that's okay.

The actual race . . . We start, everyone rides away basically at the first climb immediately at the start. We go by the lap cards and it says "9". My mind reels with the horror of that concept. "This will be a great workout," I tell myself. I ride hard because to ride easy would not be possible. Luckily there are some amazing superfans on the climbs whose enthusiasm keep me motivated. They made it shockingly close to fun. I suffer through the climbing while getting some sort of perverse joy out of running the sand (which I realize was rideable but not necessarily faster ridden). About half way through the race I realize that the 70 degree temps are leaving me very parched and I wonder about the likelihood of a beer handup. As luck would have it one appeared thanks to Cale from Team Pegasus. It was well executed and through some miracle I had enough momentum to not tip over while taking a quick drink even though it was the top of a painful hill. As I approached the 1 to go lap I could see the 40+ leader coming so I slowed and slowed and slowed. Then I stopped along with Pegasus's Katy and feigned a mechanical so we could get lapped and not have to do another lap. There was just no need . . . the placings weren't going to change and we'd both had beer handups already so why climb those hills again?!?! And don't say "for pride" as that is clearly not a concern this year for me. I was happy to be done and go do some superfanning of my own!

Whitewater race looking to see who might be lapping me now

And then came Sunday . . . very quickly after Saturday and with tired legs. Amazingly I got up and out of the house with enough time to photograph some of the first race. So you know how sports psychologist types are always telling you to visualize success. Guess what? That's not what I was doing. I was visualizing a painful race all by myself off the back just like last year. It's ironic that I would feel that way about Estabrook since the first cross race I ever won was Estabrook.

Estabrook brought out some additional Cat 1/2 Women racers with 9 total. I didn't get a great start but kicked it up a notch moving off the grass and onto the bike path and passed Rachel. This is not uncommon as Rachel starts slowly but usually speeds up quickly. I was doing my usual go hard for a lap before moving into last place thing. I was enjoying the corners after the first barriers and hit the spiral with a decent gap to Rachel. The four barrier section was painful especially followed by the grass to pavement straightaway. I know the race course well enough to know you can really go all out in the woods so I always try to maintain lots of speed through there.

As I completed one lap I was happy to see that Rachel hadn't caught me. That motivated me to keep going hard. I actually shifted up on the pavement section and did my best impression of someone who can drill the straights. When I hit the corners after the first set of barriers I even stood up and sprinted out of some of the corners. I felt like it was 2006 and I was serious about cross. The great part about the spiral section in the course was I could see how much distance I had on Rachel. Not a lot but enough. Still I expected her to be behind me and passing any second since that is how it always goes down.

Around lap four I actually started to wish she would catch and pass me as this racing thing was starting to really hurt. My body was not accustomed to having to race hard this long. It's funny how the mind starts to have strange ideas as you're hurting. At first it thinks that there is no way I can beat Rachel but lets have fun and see how long I can hold her off. Then it starts to hope that she will catch me so I can stop suffering so much and let the race play out like it usually does. Then it starts to realize that if I really work hard that I might beat her and not be last at every race so let's keep this together. Then the mind starts to crumble a little and thinks we can't keep going like this. It's too hard. We're not prepared. Then as the laps get down to only a few to go the mind is conflicted . . . yes, no, please stop the suffering. Then finally with one lap to go your mind realizes that indeed you will be beating someone today so go hard but don't do anything stupid but go hard just in case.

And that's one of the things that is so cool really . . . sure it's about you and other racers but it's just as much about you against yourself. It was nice to be racing at all and racing against Rachel even if I heard she was recovering from illness. After so many DFL's I'll take a second from last any way I can get it.

Running the hill at Estabrook

All photos from djonnymac

Halloween Cross

2009-11-03T21:31:00.007-06:00

I didn't think I'd be racing Halloween Cross so I did a hard week of ski training leading up to it. Then the promoter told me that next year they would once again offer equal prize money for the women's categories. That was what I wanted so on Friday when I found out I put the race back on the schedule. I hastily threw together a costume (which was Ana Killingspree of the Reservoir Dolls roller derby team).

I have to say that having not ridden my bike for two weeks but having spent a lot of time rollerskiing and one night of running hills I knew that my usual last place finish would be assured. I had one good lap where I rode with the Cat 3 women in the race but my legs just never got in the game. However, every person counts in the women's field so I went, I paid my entry fee, I stood on the start line and I rode around in circles.

The funny part of the race is that I felt really pathetic for not bunnyhopping the coffin barrier. Last year I did (although it was just a 2x4 so it was mentally easier) but this year I opted to just pop my front wheel up on the coffin and riding over it that way. On the preride I was thinking that I should bunnyhop but I told myself to play it safe. My mind reminded me that I had only ridden my cross bike 4 times this year and that in 3 weeks I was flying to West Yellowstone to ski. This was no time to show off skills that might not be so sharp. This is funny because I felt really lame the whole race but I later found out that very few women were riding it all.

Here is a little video from the start of the Cat 1/2/3 Women's race. I like footage from early on as I have not yet started to totally suck.

This is also from Lap One at the coffin obstacle where you can see that I am lame and didn't bunnyhop but I also didn't get off the bike. Thanks to Steve and Heather for the videos!

Canceled

2009-10-25T21:36:00.004-05:00

My busy weekend of double cross races came to a screeching halt on Friday afternoon as I took call, after call, after call, after call to discuss the potential cyclocross race cancellations. In the end it really is up to the land manager as you can't make them allow the race to go on and the race promoter has to negotiate that with the conditions in mind. I just offer advice as to what can be done to notify people, reschedule, etc. I know cross isn't supposed to be canceled for bad weather but we also don't want to loose venues. It is just bike racing after all.

Here's the thing though - I love to race cross and was looking forward to it. However, I suddenly felt like some magical extra weekend in the year had been created and I could do whatever I wanted. It was tinged with a little sadness as I know that I will have to miss at least one of the rescheduled races (November 15). Yet it was so relaxing to have an unexpected free weekend.

I did lots of little things many of which were boring such as laundry, cleaning and the usual home chores/errand running that had been put off forever. I also cooked including some yummy blueberry muffins which I look forward to enjoying this week.

I also got in a much needed visit to my mother at the nursing home. Cyclocross season has been hard as I haven't visited her as much and when I do visit it has been post-race for a quick dinner and then I'm off. She was, of course, excited to hear of the race cancellation but I did force her to look at photos of me racing the last few weeks. She refers to cyclocross as that sport where you jump over things. Now she knows it also involves running while carrying your bike. Hopefully she doesn't tell the nurses where I am on the weekends as they likely would consider any description pf cross as a sign of increased dementia. Perhaps I need to print out and post a photo in her room to show that is what I am actually doing.

This weekend I also carved our pumpkins. I kind of thought Halloween was going to come and go before I got that done. I also got in a nice 2 hour rollerski. It was nice except that I ripped a hole in the knee of my favorite Patagonia tights. I planted a pole between my skis on the very last little uphill. I know better than to wear my good tights and now I'm paying the price. I also did a painful 5k run on Sunday.

Dave, however, was off on his own adventures with his father. He was up north where it snowed.

And he had a very lovely time hanging out in the duck blind with his father and his father's friends.

CX Double

2009-10-20T14:53:00.003-05:00

The weekend in words . . . .
Two races
Two DFL finishes
Plenty of suffering
Funky socks
Fun with the teammates
And two beer handups!

The weekend in photos . . .

Badger Prairie downhill (Photo by Joy Trip Project)

Over the barriers in suffer mode (Photo by Joy Trip Project)

Up the annoying and hateful steep climb (Photo by djonnymac)

Taking the beer handup at Cam-Rock (Photo by Marty Larson)

What more can I say?

In Focus

2009-10-16T07:30:00.000-05:00

Beyond the focusing problem that plagued my camera lens last weekend and forced me to send it in to see if it can be warrantied I've been having trouble focusing on training. Heck even exercise beyond biking to work and back seems to have been lost along the way this summer. I've been feeling really, really out of shape . . . and then I remember that compared to the average American I'm actually doing alright. But I'd like to do better again.

Luckily I've refound my athletic focus and have put in 2 solid weeks of training. It feels good (well, in a painful way) to be back on track. Of course, I've totally given up on even pretending I will have any fitness for cyclocross and plan to just go out there and tough it out. Instead I've focused in on the ski season and have become motivated to get back into some semblance of shape. Recently I've done some very painful double pole sessions, skate and classic intervals and this horrific drill of skiing with an exercise band around the legs (which is incredibly exhausting). One of the other gals at ski school even commented on how I've gotten stronger lately . . . really I've just gotten motivated. It makes a difference.

However, cyclocross has not been abandoned and planning is underway for the 2010 cyclocross season for the Capitol Velo Club. We've got some changes and improvements planned for the team and if I weren't already on the team I would be begging to be recruited. It's going to be that awesome . . .

Cross Racing Day

2009-10-13T21:36:00.000-05:00

Life can follow a familiar pattern. Get up, find yourself totally disorganized. Search wildly for a jersey, matching shorts, arm warmers, knee warmers, leg warmers, undershirt, wool socks, bike shoes, earband, helmet, gloves for all types of weather. Find yourself already behind schedule. Find your camera and your video camera and pack up your laptop. Eat breakfast. Look at watch and realize you are still behind schedule. Grab a few random snacks and realize you are woefully under prepared for the day.

Finally load bikes and get in the car and hit the road. Feel a sense of relief that your new car has a plug in so you can charge the batteries of your camera and video camera. Important things that seem to have fallen off the radar until the moment you need to leave the house.

Spend the entire trip in the car convincing yourself that you do want to race and that you are not going to back out now. Not after going to all the trouble of finding all your riding gear and throwing it into a bag. Daydream about not racing and wonder if that would be liberating. Or would it be depressing? Of course, it is always times like this when one questions the summer's priorities and wonders how you got here, today, so woefully unprepared.

After some deep thinking about not racing it becomes clear that racing must happen. If not now when? Next year? It won't get easier this year and the number of miles in the legs won't change. And downgrading has been taken off the table with all the injured and otherwise occupied Cat 1/2 Women it won't do to lose another to lack of preparation.

Once at the venue everything settles into a familiar routine of attempting to take some photos and shoot some video. Race preparation does happen as Dave is conscripted into mounting cyclocross tires on wheels. For the first time ever the cross bike has not been ridden until race day. Luckily one can visualize how to mount and dismount which hopefully makes up for actual practice. Surely you can't forget anyway. This was the passion. Preparation began in spring and a serious campaign was mounted with trips to Michigan and Ohio and UCI points earned. It's hard not to be nostalgic for that girl with the passion of a new convert and dreams of being competitive.

Times change. Now the dreams are of surviving and finding fitness in time for winter. However, a quick pre-ride shows that all is not lost. It is possible to get on and off the bike still. It's not smooth or comfortable but it's good enough.

The camaraderie with the other gals in the race is also a familiar feeling that one would hate to give up just because one didn't prepare. Then the race begins and for a few brief seconds you hang with the group. It's a nice familiar feeling. But so is the feeling of drifting off the back and riding around alone. Both places have been a familiar sight over the years. Neither is easy. This is cross and suffering must happen. The fun would be diminished by taking is easy and off the back or in the mix it is still a tribute to screaming legs and lungs. An idea comes - why not run the hill? Running feels more familiar than riding.

And eventually it is all over. You're left riding the course by yourself and you know you only have to do the hill once more and then the barriers and then you're almost done. And because the world is a funny place you're placed in 3rd in the provisional results instead of last. You can't help but think of how funny it would be to not say anything. The teammates would be quite surprised and think you must have been doing secret training camps in obscure locations in a plain jersey where no one would recognize you. Alas though the truth wins out and you demand to be placed correctly at the bottom of the field.

And then you take more photos and you curse your camera lens for deciding to stop working. But you try not to think about what this means - will it be fixable, will it be under warranty, can you afford a replacement, what about next weekend?

Then it's into the car where once again you love the new car features and you plug in your laptop and download photos. And by the time you arrive at your mother's nursing home you've already sorted and organized almost all the photos. Efficiency feels good. Sore legs and tired lungs feel good. You dream of reclaiming your fitness in time for the Birkie. Maybe the time and motivation can be found now. Late but not too late.

After what seems like a lifetime but is really just one really long day you find yourself back at home with bags to unpack, photos to upload and videos to create. How can so much chaos be created in just one day? Then you realize that this is a furlough week and your services are not required at work on Monday. There will be time to unpack and do the laundry. Take the camera lens in and maybe even relax.

Holy change of plans batman . . .

2009-10-08T15:41:00.002-05:00

The race director at Grafton is awesome and has comitted to equal prizes for all the women's category in 2010. It was all just a big misunderstanding this year and I apologize for thinking he was purposely giving the women lower payouts. I should have handled it better but I didn't and for that I'm sorry. I am happy to have it all solved for the better as I do think this race will be pretty fun and I guess people actually care about MadCross coverage. The Grafton park looks to have some nice terrain and an Irish punk rock band, too. I don't want to miss that (the band, not the hills). And it was nice to hear so much support for women's racing from all kinds of people who hadn't noticed the unequal prizes until I pointed it out.

This has caused a shift in my plans (and poor Dave's too). We had been planning a nice long weekend in Hayward going mtn biking. That is easily cancelled as I hadn't actually gotten around to booking hotels. However, Dave is already committed to going to Eau Claire to help his parents with some stuff and they are picking him up tonight. Now I have to figure out when I'm retreiving him . . . skip the Saris Gala and get him Friday night or make the drive from Grafton post-race.

I will say my tenure as WCA Cyclocross Liaison is probably coming to an end . . . .

I don't mean to make people mad

2009-10-05T07:30:00.001-05:00

but maybe I will. Or maybe people don't care. Or maybe they do. I guess I'll find out.

Two of the Planet Bike WCA CX Series races will not be offering equal prize money for the women. I'm quite frustrated by this as after quite a number of years of equity we've now taken a step backwards. In the case of Grafton they are a new race and I will give them the benefit of the doubt that perhaps they were confused or unaware or something. Velo Trocadero were part of a discussion among the promoters that took place early this year about the issue which I thought had been resolved that the WCA races would continue the tradition of equality. Turns out I was wrong. Unfortunately as the WCA Cyclocross Liaison there is nothing I can do as WCA only makes recommendations for categories, start times, payouts, etc. So that means that as the CX Liaison I will be spending those two race days doing something else besides going to the cross races.

However, as the person who pays the bills and does the updates for madcross.org I will not be providing any coverage of those races as that is the only leverage I have. Obviously plenty of other people will take photos and shoot video at those races and people will still get their weekly cross fix. My photos and videos are not nearly at the level of the people coming out these days anyway so it's probably not a huge loss. However, I won't be providing links to those sites so people will have to find them on their own. Maybe someone will be upset with me and set up a competing website called wiscocross.org or something. Maybe people will agree with me and there will be an overwhelming call for equality in prizes for the women in our series. Maybe people won't even notice the lack of coverage. Maybe the promoters made an innocent mistake and will change things for 2010. I don't know.

I probably should talk to the promoters about why they made this change but I haven't had the energy and time and that is why I'm looking for a replacement for the WCA cx liaison job next year. I just don't have time to do the job justice and clearly we need someone with more time to invest in the job. Anyway, I plan to write something up to put on madcross later this week about the lack of coverage but thought I would mention it here first. I already mentioned it on Facebook and Twitter as soon as I saw the flyers so it's not a secret.

Frankly after 20 years of working on this issue I can't believe we still have to battle over equal prize money. It is 2009 or 1899? However, I know people are sick of me talking about it so listen to Georgia and Katerina instead.

And yes, I do realize that perhaps it is hypocritical of me since the USGP only pays equal to the top 3 elite women and I'm one of the Regional Directors now in that series. I had a big chat with them about the issue before John and I agreed to give our races over to the series. However, it's not like the USGP used to pay equal beyond the top 3 and they stopped. Instead I've been working very closely with them to increase the equality beyond top 3 for all 8 of the races and I have hopes that we can make an improvement next year.

Anyway, this weekend I'm going up to Hayward to do some mountain biking since I won't be at the cross race. Luckily I got into see Lee at Unwin Wellness & Chiropractic this morning and my back is feeling much better. I'm going to try and take it easy for a few more days in hopes that I recover fully and don't have any more muscle spasms. However, after my appointment with Lee I was super psyched to finally feel like I could stand up straight and did not have to hunch over because my back was so tight and sore. I'm hoping this means I will be feeling good and can get in some riding this weekend and maybe a little rollerskiing too. Then hopefully I will be back to cross racing for the Cam-Rock/Badger Prairie double weekend!

Reflections on the USGP

2009-09-29T11:33:00.002-05:00

I think I am still too tired for a truly coherent post about the USGP so here are my random thoughts -

Wisconsin volunteers rock. All day Tuesday and Sunday post-race were rainy and miserable but the volunteers kept working. We also had enough people to fill a zillion different jobs over the weekend. And everyone was really great even if someone was not very nice to them. I like that about our cross scene! The head UCI Official wrote in her race evaluation that gets sent to the UCI that our volunteers were top notch.

Here's a pic of John and I - tired but still happy with the great event. This truly was a huge event to organize. We agreed to give our race over to the USGP last December and by January we were meeting and the planning just kept on rolling through the year. It was a hard year for sponsorship dollars but I'm hoping all of our good publicity will pay off for next year (and hopefully the economy will improve). We also have a ton of little things we can do better and some ideas for bigger things. Plan to be back!!

Erwin Vervecken is super nice and funny too. I had the good fortune to have dinner with a group that included him and sat next to him (after elbowing John, leaping over tables and generally pushing down elderly folks). We had a nice chat about random topics - his kids, the difference in the economy of Belgium and the US, American slang (up your alley, wicked good, and many more) and I taught him to say "dig in" instead of Bon Appetite when food was served. He is super personable and seemed to really enjoy his stay here. He also said very good things about the course (and that was on Saturday when he didn't win).

An interesting fact about our race is that the head of the UCI Cyclocross, Peter van den Abeele, was in Sun Prairie. He hasn't been to many US cross races so it was an honor (and a stress) to have him in attendance. We wanted to make sure we were following the rules so he didn't think US cross was not ready to one day host a World Cup or that we shouldn't have C1 races. He definitely made some favorable comments which was good. He also like that in the US there were lots of racers not just the elites and juniors.

What happens behind the podium curtain (also known as plastic tent sides)? My job was to make sure the riders didn't wander off, that they got water, a moist towelette and towel, and that they knew when to step out to the podium. I also was in charge of making sure the media and fans weren't back there intruding when we were doing the elite racer podiums.

Another question I get a lot is how the Most Aggressive Rider is chosen. The USGP has staff that are positioned at various points on the course and they watch the race unfold and then confer with each other to make a decision. On Saturday John and I stayed out of it but on Sunday we did offer our opinion over the race radios. I think Alison and Tristan were excellent choices.

I guess the biggest question I get is about next year . . . . and yes the USGP plans to return to Sun Prairie. We definitely have some improvements to make for next year and we will start planning immediately so we can do that. Putting on an event like the USGP requires year round work but I think it is a good thing for our local cyclocross scene.

Right now I'm looking forward to getting back to my life . . . and maybe I'll get my cross bike together in time to race Lapham Peak.

Work Continues

2009-09-17T12:59:00.002-05:00

It's all craziness for the USGP these days (well, except for a few converstations with Maria from the CXC ski team to help her with a trail run she is organizing).

The biggest thing right now is trying to finalize host housing and volunteers. I could use a few more host houses but Ericsson and I are going to offer our houses if they don't come through.

Volunteers are a little more stressful and I feel like no one is going to speak to me after this is all over. I've been personally asking (begging) friends to take shifts. Saturday is looking fairly good although I could use some more people 8am-Noon especially. Sunday isn't as good and I need people for lots of shifts throughout the day. Know anyone??

All the supplies are starting to arriving. John got 1200 plastic stakes delivered to his office the other day. I am probably the most hated person in the neighborhood by our UPS man as I have heavy boxes arriving everyday. This week has seen the arrival of Clif Bar fencing and some seriously heavy boxes of Stanley banners. I owe that UPS man a beer! Lots and lots more to arrive so I should leave something out for him soon.

This weekend I have to get the merchandise prizes all organized. Two big boxes from Planet Bike, some great items for the women from A Stone's Throw, and boxes expected from series sponsors like Selle Italia, Schlamm, etc.

I still don't have my own cross bike put together but I won't be racing until the 1st WCA race so it really isn't a priority.

Friday Update

2009-09-11T15:01:00.003-05:00

Things are rolling along here in US Gran Prix of Cyclocross land . . . . .

Today I confirmed local announcers to assist Richard Fries over the weekend. Saturday will be Brian Rybarik who announced one day last year. Sunday will be Kelson Danielson who announced at the Levis Trow WEMS race this year. I hope Richard is prepared . . . .

Things are coming along for the other volunteer jobs. However, we still have jobs to fill so speak up now before I have to hunt you down and hassle you! I will do it!! At the Run for Snow this summer a spectator asked the water stop volunteers how they happened to end up working the race. They all looked at each other and said we're here because we know Renee. Ah yes, to know me is to eventually succumb to volunteering at an event. I do appreciate it. I really do!!

This afternoon/evening is meetings with the speedway, with the caterer, with the sponsor. Tomorrow is the bike shop to discuss the Friday night event and then supply buying. Two bazillion zip ties, paint, tape, rope . . . Home Depot here we come!

The only problem looming on the horizon is when I have to break the news to the USGP people that I won't be available every day the week before the event. Work obligations that can't be broken beckon and even though they expect John and I available 24/7 that week it just isn't going to happen. Luckily I've arranged for Dave to stand in for me on those days and pick up the slack. It's really not glamorous being married to me (because I bet everyone thought it was!!).

More later.

Let's begin blogging again

2009-09-10T14:31:00.003-05:00

With cyclocross season and ski season on the horizon I've decided to bring the blog back to life. Right now life is all about the USGP's Planet Bike Cup. We're at that point in the event process where everyone is freaking out. This year more than most as the USGP doesn't really know us as we haven't been through putting on a race together yet. Of course we don't really know the USGP either. It's a new relationship which hopefully will get easier as time goes on. Add to all that the presence of all the heavy hitters at the race including Erwin Vervecken and stress is high. Normally I do pretty well with that but I'm not at my most "zen" right now as my mother's health continues to be a rollercoaster and it is taking its toll on my patience and calm. I have to save all I have for the 5-10 phone calls I have with her each day which doesn't leave much calm for everyone or anything else.

Lots of USGP excitement though with Page and Compton riding for Planet Bike, Alison Dunlap out of retirement and back to cross racing and now Erwin Vervecken is coming to town. I can't even begin to imagine how exciting the racing is going to be. I'm excited that Wisconsin cross is going to have this kind of show to kick off our season!

It's been a tough year with mostly "no" coming from potential sponsors . . . well, they actually said "we're not sponsoring any new events this year" or "our marketing budget has been significantly cut". That has been very stressful for me. And John has been stressing over the major changes we're making to the course (more on that later). We make quite a stressed out pair but luckily Michele and Dave are still putting up with us as we make their lives stressful too.

In the stressful moments though I realize that this is all good even with things that aren't going perfectly. Ever since I saw Tristan having to travel all over the country to get UCI points and get known on the national level I've wanted to have opportunities for our top riders right here at home. Now we have that and they get to race local and the locals get to see how awesome our very own riders are. It makes it all worthwhile.

Expect more updates from this blog as we head into fall and winter . . . . the two best seasons!

Letting go of the past

2009-07-22T13:24:00.003-05:00

I've always said that I'm not that sentimental. I don't have anything against being sentimental but I've never really thought that I was. Yet I've been fooling myself and have been hanging on to my first car. For 19 years I've had it stored but without a real plan or reason but because I just couldn't bear the idea of parting with it.

So as my regular blog readers know (are there any left?) I decided that this was the year I would tow it out of storage and get it running again. I had this idyllic vision of recapturing my lost youth by resurrecting the car and taking it out for the occasional spin. Just the memory of the sound of the dual exhausts brings a smile to my face.

However, in the back of my mind I kept reminding myself that this crazy plan might not work out. And unfortunately that is the case. I've decided that the cost to get my car running again is not worth it for me and where I'm at with my life. The cost is just outside my comfort zone given that new problems will likely arise which will add to the cost, there will be no end to restoration work that could be done and the biggest obstacle being that I have no where to store the car and have to rent a garage. Luckily I had established a cost point in my head and made myself promise not to exceed that. The mechanic I've employed in this endeavor gave me a very thorough cost estimate and it exceeds my willingness to pay by about $2000.

The temptation is there to throw good sense to the wind and do it anyway. However, I've decided that it is time to put my youth behind me and sell the car. I'm not going to deny that this has been a hard decision for me and that I won't shed some tears when I sign over the title to someone else. I'm hopeful that maybe I can at least find someone who will restore it and not just someone who wants to buy it to sell off the parts. However, as long as I find someone who appreciates classic AMCs I will be happy. And if I can't find that then someone willing to pay the most money will suffice. I have to go from sentimental to business person now.

I feel like cars have taken over my life and that I'm getting rid of two cars that have made me very happy. As if parting with the Javelin wasn't enough I'm also preparing to get rid of the Jeep. The "cash for clunkers" deal is official tomorrow and Dave and I have already starting trying to reach a decision on what to purchase for our next car. All these car decisions are giving me a headache but as I told Dave the other day "sometimes it is best to just rip the band aid off as fast as you can." You just have to do it and get the pain over with and move on.

I'm trying really hard to make selling the Javelin a happy positive thing though and plan to put the proceeds of the sale towards an Independent Fabrication road bike with a paint job that is an homage to my car. I figure I should buy another vehicle that will be with me hopefully as long and will hopefully be as cool.

The truth of the matter is that I have awesome memories of this car and some funny senior class photos. That's what matters. It's not the easiest decision I've ever made but it's the right one. The same goes for the Jeep. It hit 200,000 miles the other day and it's not worth anywhere near the $4,500 we can get with the new auto rebate program. It's time to move on and have both of them be just a happy memory of cars I once owned.

Some Pics

2009-06-24T14:00:00.003-05:00

The awesome group of gals that let me come out west and ride a century with them.

Riding the century.

CAMBA Festival of the Trails after getting completely soaked while riding the Rock Lake trail.

Lot's Happening

2009-06-23T13:00:00.002-05:00

I feel like cars are on my mind a lot lately. First off is the Cash for Clunkers that will soon be implemented. Yes, that means that in the very near future Dave and I will no longer be driving our distinctively colored lapis blue Jeep Cherokee. It's about to hit 200,000 miles and since it isn't worth much we'll be taking advantage of this offer. Everyone likes to ask us what we're going to buy to replace it but we have no idea. At first my list was super short (to the point of including virtually no vehicles) but now it includes a zillion as none of them seem very different or that exciting of an option. I'm also open to suggestions as long as the car fits the following profile:

under $25,000 and preferably closer to $20,000
excellent repair history
excellent safety record
gas mileage of at least 20mpg (but I would like better than that as 20mpg is seriously lame)
room for stuff especially event promotion stuff so the Smart Car is out even if it is cute
good for winter driving
it would be nice if you could put 2 bikes inside or 4 pair of skis again ruling out the Smart Car
it would be even better if it were union made in the US

As if trying to decide on what car to buy wasn't already more car related thinking and planning than I can handle I'm also in the process of resurrecting my 1969 AMC Javelin. It appears that the DMV is satisfied that the car is owned by me and is not stolen, made up of chop shop parts or a salvage vehicle. Now we go to the next phase of car resurrection. I think that I will be getting it towed out of its current storage facility right after July 4th to a mechanic here in Madison. I truthfully can't believe that I'm doing this. On one hand it is ridiculous as what am I going to do with this car once it is running again. I've never wanted to be a two car family . . . and as second cars go this one is highly impractical (what with its 343 4-barrel engine, high cost of maintenance, cost of renting a garage space in my neighborhood, and car insurance that limits where/when/how much you drive it). On the other hand it is really ridiculous to just keep paying to keep this car in storage with no plans. Oh well, mid-life crises are not supposed to make sense, right?!?!

In other life activities I did ride a century a few weeks ago in Utah. I actually felt pretty good during the ride but my legs have taken forever to recover. It was awesome though as I got to ride with some pretty fun gals. I also went to the Cable Festival of the Trails where I got to mountain bike on the always awesome CAMBA singletrack. Perhaps one day I will download the photos off my camera and post them.

Other than that I've been spending a lot of time visiting my Mom at her nursing home which is, unfortunately, a 3 hour drive away. However, given the doctor's prognosis it is time well spent (although she has luckily already lived longer than her doctor expected). Because of that I have ended up not getting to most of the events I had planned to do this summer but I'm fine with that. Some things are more important than riding and racing. I've had some good times with my Mom . . . like when I tried to explain to her that the century was just a ride with friends not a race. She asked me why I was going then. That made me realize that average people think I'm obsessed with racing even though I felt like I don't race that much anymore. Clearly my doing "just a ride" was confusing to my Mom.

Other than that I've rollerskied a little but not much. I've learned to swim but have a long ways to go before I have any confidence that I'm not going to drown. I've gone running at least once a week . . . just enough to ensure that it is always painful. I've got lots to do for the USGP which is coming up way too son. Things are, however, rolling along well for the trail run I'm organizing at Elver. The Women's Dirt Retreat is this weekend and Alison Dunlap is back in town for that. My house is in desperate need of cleaning and organizing. The book I started on the airplane ride back from Wyoming is no farther along that it was when I deplaned in Madison. However, my flower garden is looking great and hopefully survives the hot weather.

Okay, there's my update. Don't expect to hear much from me again for awhile. I think I'm going to go just to photo updates . . . but then I have to actually download my pics.

"Swimming" at the AmericInn

2009-06-01T22:34:00.002-05:00

I post this merely to show that I have made some progress from refusing to put my face in the water to some not so great swimming that has dubious technique. However, this proves that I have indeed actually been taking swimming lessons and not hanging out at some bar for an hour and then spritzing myself with chlorine- scented cologne.

My Sunday

2009-05-31T22:24:00.008-05:00

Got up Sunday morning and decided to go for a run. I have a fave run that I do quite a bit . . . you start off down the block and I'm always suffering immediately because it takes me awhile to get in a rhythm. I try to distract myself by looking at the houses in the neigbhorhood . . . look for which student rentals had a party the night before and look at the landscaping on the nice houses. Next thing you know you're going up the hill to the Vilas Circle where I never get tired of looking at the beautiful homes. Once you're up and past the circle then you're in the "other" part of Vilas Ave. You know, the nice part where there aren't any couches on the porches or broken beer bottles in the yards. Once I get to Vilas I'm usually feeling better and part way down I cut onto the bike path that goes along the park and run on the gravel on the side of the path. Off the path and onto Edgewood Drive where I like to duck onto the trail that parallels the road. Down the stairs, onto the wood chip path, watching out for the roots and tree stumps. Up and around the fallen tree, duck under another tree, say hi to the dog walker. Up the tree branch stair steps and eventually back onto the road. Then it's up the hill to Monroe Street and running in the grass still wet with morning dew. Wonder why I run this hill so much but it's actually not too bad a hill as it's very gradual. Then it's finally to Monroe Street. Pound the concrete sidewalk and realize that it only feels like I'm still going uphill and finally to the top and around the bus stop. Take a turn and there is a little downhill before the annoying uphill to the top of Edgewood. It's short but feels steep and it's a weird intersection where you can't see the traffic easily. Then it's down, down, down. Decision time . . . which way back home. Today it's down to the park, across the bridge. Along the lake. Watching out for goose poop. See all the people fishing. Pass another runner and smile. Check out the lake and see a couple of canoers but no swimmers even though the lake is calm. Over to the zoo where people are waiting for it to open. Back onto the sidewalk and wondering why I took the longer of the possible routes as it no longer feels like a good idea. Cross the street to the hospital. Watch out for crazy, lost drivers there. A few more blocks, must keep moving. Almost there. Finally the last intersection and it's my block. Stop to chat with the neighbor and then check in on the progress of my flower garden. Nice run!

A good start to a day . . . .then it's on to chores and errands. Like laundry. Boring but necessary. Stop off at A Stone's Throw to see what just came in and chit chat with the staff. Pull myself away and finally get on with my day. Which basically means heading off to Hayward and driving, driving, driving. Grow weary of the 3 cds I brought but keep driving, driving, driving.

Running late as always I arrive at the AmericInn with storm clouds looming and darkness all too close. Throw on my bike clothes and sprint off towards the Hatchery Creek trails. My legs are opposed to the lack of warm up but I try to ignore them as the dark clouds move closer. Pass by Rosie's field of Chequamegon fame and keep pedaling to the singletrack. Finally arrive but there's no time to slow down as the clouds loom.

Remember why it is worth it to rush as the Hatchery Creek singletrack is the perfect post-long drive ride. No big climbs and lots of fast swoopy turns bring a smile to the face. Too bad the rain starts up all too soon. In the woods it's just a sprinkle so I push forward and get to the second junction and turn back. I keep the pressure on as I don't want to be stuck out in a downpour. It's not that warm and the rain is making it dark faster and I already didn't have too much time. All too soon I'm back to the trailhead and out of the trees it is obvious that it is raining harder than I thought. Put it in the big ring and pedal furiously back to the hotel. Arrive wet but happy.

Dry off and then decide to get wet again . . . head to the pool and practice my swimming. It's the first time I've been in a pool all by myself. No other swimmers, no instructors, just me and the water. It's a little weird at first but the max pool depth is a generous 5 ft. Definitely a shallower 5 ft than my usual pool. Wonder if I'll ever be comfortable swimming. Keep trying going back and forth doing my drills trying to remember what I'm supposed to be doing. Try not to choke on water too much. Relax.

Now it's late . . . and it's still the off season in Hayward so the brew pub is closed, pizza place closed, even Perkins has closed. Off to the grocery store for a salad, chips and cookies. I'm
starving.

My "training" is on track

2009-05-20T15:46:00.005-05:00

A long time ago I signed up for a century that is to take place in Utah in a couple of weeks (it's a women's century called the Little Red Riding Hood). In reality I signed up for it because some cool chix I know invited me and I totally wanted to hang out with them. However, I also had this idea that I would do a ton of cycling this spring and be completely prepared.

It's funny how things don't turn out and life gets in the way of plans. However, I have stopped worrying about my lack of training as I googled "training for a century" and found a plan that has made me realize that I'm fine. The plan calls for the longest training ride to be 65 miles. Luckily I managed to survive 64 miles last Sunday and was planning to do something like that again this weekend should I have time (now I know I don't even need to).

Of course the training plan did call for ramping up the long ride from 25 to 30 to 35 to 40, etc, etc and I went from 30 to 30 to 40 back to 30 to 30 and then to 64. It may have also called for a bit more midweek riding than I have done but it wasn't that specific so why worry about it. Besides why do all that intermediate training if you can just tough it out, right??? If 65 miles is your longest ride before a century then you're going to need to know how to tough it out anyway so why not practice that.

Glad I did that google search as I know feel so much better about my training . . . or my lack of training . . . or my crazed cross training . . . or something. Frankly as long as I get to hang out with my totally awesome "mountain gal pals" and I get a margarita (hint, hint) then I can tough out most anything.

Cross Training Gone Awry

2009-05-15T07:57:00.003-05:00

I think that to consider what you do cross training that you need to pick a primary sport. I have been having trouble with that though so given that, I'm not sure if I can actually say that I've been cross training. Can I even say that I've been training if there is no focused goal? I think that I've abandoned training and am just exercising. A subtle but important difference.

Here's the thing - In the last week I've biked once, run twice, been to the swimming pool twice, did one strength workout, did one rollerski/ski plyometrics workout and did one trail workday. It's funny because I would consider myself either a cyclist or a skier but I did more running and swimming. Wow, it's clear that I have no focus . . . . and it's very clear that riding a century in 3 weeks will be unbelievably painful.

I probably should make an effort to change those workout stats but I figure this weekend I will swim once, bike once and run once. Hmmm . . . . what does this mean? Probably that cyclocross season is going to start very painfully for me if I don't start riding more.

Swimming

2009-05-12T17:38:00.002-05:00

Water is wet. Sometimes it isn't I suppose like when it is cold and it freezes into ice or snow crystals. I like water when it is actually snow crystals. That's the best. I know what to do with that. Wet water is more of a conundrum. I like to drink it. It can be good for bathing. My plants seem to like it when I remember to douse them with water.

To be surrounded by lots of wet water though is a totally different matter. I've spent nearly 40 years avoiding that. It was easy when I was a child as there was no pool in my neighborhood and the creek near my house wasn't even knee deep. Oh sure there was the occasional trip to the nearest town that had a pool. My brother would sometimes ask to go and I was usually stupid enough to tag along. Not sure why as I always hated it and the day was marked by my brother sneaking up on me about a zillion times and holding me under the water while I thrashed around. As an adult I just stayed out of the water.

At some point I made a vow to myself that I would learn to swim when I turned 40. I don't think I ever told anyone that so it would have been easy to get out of the promise. No one would have called me out. I guess that's not my style though as I started to think more and more about it as the days to 40 grew less and less. Eventually I decided to ask for a recommendation on a instructor so I could live up to my promise.

Still it would have been easy to never go farther than that . . . . lose the email, never find the time, forget . . . . a zillion excuses exist to not face your fears. However, deep down I knew that I wasn't the same person who failed miserably at trying to learn to swim 20 years ago. Age gives you the ability to face your fears better as you've had to many more times. Age makes you realize that you can do things that are difficult and you also realize it's okay if it is hard and you struggle to learn and it will even be okay if you can't do it. This knowledge makes it possible to take the first steps toward conquering a fear -- a fear that really is pretty inconsequential in the scheme of things. You can face this so you send the email, set a date and move forward.

That doesn't mean that on the day that has been set to start the process that you aren't crazy nervous. You have the nervous stomach like you might get if this was your first big race and everyone around you seems to be more prepared. You're hit with the strong desire to back out and maybe even run and hide. But you don't because you know that you want to do this and no matter the outcome that it will be better to try.

Fast forward a couple of months and it's hard to believe that you actually felt so nervous the first day you went to the pool and committed yourself to learning to swim. It's almost funny . . . I mean it's just you and one instructor so I'm sure he'd notice if you were about to drown . . . not to mention that the practice pool has a maximum depth of 5 feet so you can just stand up when the going gets tough.

And you're going and you're taking the challenge and every week poses a new challenge but the kind of challenge that leaves you feeling exhilarated afterwards. It's hard to imagine that you would be so excited after each lesson. Not that things have become easy. Forty years of fear and loathing don't evaporate that quickly. But there is progress and it is exciting. More progress than could have been imagined. In the best case scenario it seemed that 8 lessons would get you to floating . . . hopefully.

To think that in that time you would be able to link together a series of freestyle strokes that would take you across the practice pool . . . that actually would have been unimaginable. Yet that is where I'm at. Not that the strokes are pretty or that they are easy. The style of swimming is frenetic at best but it is swimming. It is also very scary. Somehow the brain easily and quickly forgets that you're in 5 feet deep water with a swim instructor standing close by.

Instead the mind is racing and the heart is pounding and all you can think is that you need to link all these movements together while taking in air and not freaking out about the water in your nose. It's such a crazy intense feeling and you're trying to stay relaxed in the water all the while your brain is screaming out at you that you're going to die. And you're turning it off and just making yourself do the strokes and you get to the end of the pool and you pray that you don't have to do it again. It's too hard. It's too scary. You can't do it. But then you do it one more time . . . and again . . . and again. And it's exciting and you can't believe that you were really swimming.

Still in the back of the head it can be hard to believe that you will be able to recreate those moments. But you want to so you visualize yourself doing it and you think about the motions and you think about trying to be relaxed. And the next thing you know you're excited at the idea of going to the pool and giving it another try. The mind still thinks that you've plateaued and this is it and that maybe you won't make the next step in the process. Still you know you've thought that before and still you've made progress.

It's an exciting adventure . . . and it's fun . . . and it's scary . . . and it's heart racing, gasping for air . . . insanity. And it requires a good coach who is part swim instructor part relaxation expert and part psychologist.

That's swimming for me . . . people ask if I'm going to do a triathlon. That still seems scary and like something that is far off in the future. I hope to get there as it will be a statement of how far I've come. I'm starting to believe that I will one day at least be able to go kayaking or canoeing without worrying that someone will have to save me.

A full update

2009-05-08T12:39:00.006-05:00

Sometimes life seems complicated . . . or at least busy which maybe just makes things seem more complicated than they really are.

On Monday I wanted to be at the Capitol Velo Club ride as our ride leader was injured and couldn't do the ride. Luckily we had a good group who didn't require a leader so I just did a small part of the ride with them before heading home so I could make it to my neighborhood association meeting. At the meeting I worked very, very hard to not volunteer for anything and was successful. It was a challenge though as I fear that people are trying to overly gentrify our neighborhood. I want it to stay funky although I'm all for making it safer but it can be a fine line. I had to leave the neighborhood meeting a little early so I could make it home to meet prospective new tenants. That was a huge success as they loved the apartment and they seemed super cool and they took the apartment immediately. That was the least complicated thing ever!

Tuesday was a long day of meetings at work on exciting things like billing, environmental reviews, historic issues and other exciting federal topics. Afterwards though I made it out to ski school and had my first night of rollerskiing in 2009. That didn't go perfectly as I also had my first rollerski crash of the season. It was the stupidest thing. I was rolling into the grass to scrub my speed before starting down the biggest of the hills at Badger Prairie. However, right where I was headed into the grass was a huge pile of dog poop. In my attempt to not hit the poop I went down and scraped up my knee. I looked like a huge dork skiing around the park with a bloody knee. Luckily I had plans to go to Pasquals that night so I drowned my sorrows/embarrassment with a margarita. I couldn't get too carried away with the margaritas though as I was meeting there with Yuriy to try and finalize plans for the trail run I'm organizing that will benefit CXC athlete development. (If you are a runner please put Aug 16 on your calendar).

Wednesday I was off to Sheboygan at 6am for an all day meeting on Law Enforcement and Safe Routes to School. Left Sheboygan and headed up to Two Rivers to my mom's nursing home as they were holding a care conference. Being the naive person that I am I thought that a "care conference" would have to do with managing her health care between the nursing home staff and the hospice care staff. However the meeting was actually about how to ensure that all my mom's bills get paid before she passes away. Walked into a bit of a minefield with that one as I wasn't prepared for that particular topic. Luckily I can think fast and decided the best plan of attack would be to be very nice but to be a bit of an airhead and just not answer all their questions. I wanted to buy some time which was wise as it gave me time to look over all the bills and realize they were trying to mislead me a bit. It makes me really excited about my own healthcare needs in the future. After all that I was able to get home with enough time to get to the swimming pool and work on my swimming drills for 20 minutes before the pool closed.

Thursday I was able to get out on the Capitol Velo Club ride. Luckily for me I made the ride and no longer have any delusions that I am in shape. I got totally schooled and spent a lot of time chasing, chasing . . . still chasing . . . . screw it I'm not making it up to the lead group . . . drop back. I did take control of the ride briefly where I asserted myself as the "ride leader" and set a nice manageable tempo at the front. However, when we hit the hills on the way home it was all over and I lost control of the front again and the hammer went down and the suffering began. I'm glad that I've got some teammates with good fitness though!

Thursday was also the day that the Governor announced his plans for state employee furloughs. In the next two years I will be getting 16 unpaid days off. The Governor also announced an anticipated 700-1,100 layoffs for state workers. My job is paid completely with federal money which makes my layoff highly unlikely (especially since federal rules require the state to fund my position if they are to receive the funds).

This weekend I'm packing in as much as possible.
Tonight I'm going to the Becker Law Office sponsored plant sale which benefits local organizations such as Porchlight, Second Harvest Food Bank, Access Community Health Centers, etc. Don Becker is a great guy who supports lots of great things from skiing to cyclocross and lots in between. I guess tonight I'll also be doing some gardening depending on what I buy!

Saturday I want to get out to the trail work day at Blue Mounds State Park and help with the start of a new trail loop. That will take up the morning. I also need to go to Richland Center where I store my 1969 Javelin. In order to re-register the car the DMV told me I am required to submit pictures of the inside and outside of the car and the engine compartment. I also have to have a law enforcement officer certify the VIN number. I also have to write up the background on the vehicle and provide any documents I can find from when it was last registered. I'm not sure I would have decided to get it going again if I knew how much work would be involved. Apparently if you don't keep your car registered you have to prove that is is not a "junk vehicle" and since the title has been lost I have to have law enforcement certify the VIN number.

Sunday is Mother's Day so I'll be traveling back to Two Rivers again. I have a swimming lesson Sunday night as well. I'm thinking maybe if I get up super early I can get in a short run so I get in some form of exercise.

Next week I'm going to try and psyche myself up along with hopefully a few CVC teammates into doing the WCA road race on Saturday. I hate hills but it is a super short race so I'm hoping I can make it.

Nothing to say really

2009-05-04T13:52:00.003-05:00

So I realize the blog has been dormant for 3 weeks now and that I've likely lost any readers I may once have had. However, which is worse . . . no posts or posting when you have nothing to say. I'm sure there are many different opinions on that but today I've decided to post even though I really have nothing to say.

I have ridden a little but certainly not a lot. Last week I did ride my bike three times - the Mad FORCs Tuesday road ride, a very slow ride with 22 middle school kids and a Sunday trip to the Kettles to mountain bike. Riding at the Kettles confirmed my lack of bike fitness as it seemed to take a lifetime to complete the whole John Muir, connector trail, and Emma Carlin.

Ski School has started back up and I went once last week for the strength and flexibility testing. That was painful! I suck at push ups but I am not too bad at dips and I have moderately decent flexibility. Generally I have much room for improvement between now and winter. This week I hope to get out for an initial rollerski to fully kick off the start of the ski training season.

Other activities that are happening include planning for a trail run I'm organizing for August 16. I hope to finish up all the city paperwork this week so I can submit it for approval to have the run at Elver Park. Speaking of Elver Park I volunteered to be a part of a committee that is working on gaining approval to build some mountain bike trails there. I'm super excited about this opportunity and hope that it happens. More on that to come if all goes well.

USGP planning is in full swing and they will be back in town for another meeting later this month. Dirt Retreat planning is also in full swing and entries are starting to arrive in the mail and Alison Dunlap will be in town for that event again this year.

So to sum up . . . . I'm training very little -- just enough to stay healthy but not enough to get fast. All my events are moving forward. Oh yeah, and my swimming is progressing along and I foresee that in the not so far future I will actually be able to swim.

Mid Life Crisis

2009-04-15T22:01:00.001-05:00

Since I'm fast approaching my 40th birthday I've decided that I deserve a mid-life crisis. To raise money for that I'm selling my Powertap (the whole setup - wheel, hub, etc). If you are in the market for one mine hasn't been used very much and I'd love to sell it to you!

My plan is to use the money to resurrect my 1969 AMC Javelin. I've located a garage to rent that is near my house and have talked to a local classic car restoration shop about feasibility and costs. I have no idea what I will do with it once it is working again but it seems like a nice mid-life crisis project. I told Dave that after one year if it turns out to be completely impractical that I will sell it and buy a custom built bike with a paint scheme that will remind me of the car.

Dave suggests that perhaps I shouldn't blog while under the influence of drugs so that's it for tonight (I had dental surgery today . . . and they give you a few drugs for post-surgery). My jaw aches now so maybe he is right.

Favorite Items

2009-04-07T06:46:00.002-05:00

In looking back at winter I found a few items that were mainstays for me and since people frequently ask me about what to wear for things like skiing or biking in the winter I thought I'd post about a few fave items. Because it's never too cold . . . you just need the right gear!

Patagonia Guide Pants - How much do I love these? An unbelievable amount! They are soft shell in the front and have stretch material in the knees/back and best they are full zip. They also breathe really well so you can wear them in a fairly wide range of temps. I wear them with a lightweight pair of long underwear and that is good enough for really cold ski nights. If I warm up because we're skiing up hill six at Blackhawk or something then you can unzip them a bit to let in some air as needed. I feel like I wore these almost every night this winter.

Mountain Hardwear Transition Jacket - After trying out many different jackets I finally settled on this. It's breathable and is great on windy days. I bought it to wear on cold nights skiing over other layers and it worked great for that. However, it has also become a favorite for bike commuting this spring as it works great on windy days and with a really wide range of temps. One big bonus is that the orange color is highly visible and will work next year during hunting season when I'm out rollerskiing on the Cap City trail as well.

Toko Artic Mitts - I wore these so much this winter it was crazy. I love them because inside the lobster mitts is the softest fleece which makes the gloves feel like little warm pillows for your hands. These really are for cold days/nights of skiing but this year had an abundance of those so I wore these more than any of my other gloves. I highly recommend checking these out if you're a skier.

Smartwool socks - I have all sorts of smartwool socks . . . for work, for hiking, for skiing, for everyday life. I wear the adrenaline socks for skiing and I have a lucky pair with pinkish/purple trim that I wear when I ski race. I also wear some heavy smartwools for my winter bike commute when the temps drop low.

Craft Boxer Briefs - It's amazing how the boxer brief can really make a light pair of tights work in a range of temperatures. I don't like to be too warm in a ski race and so I usually tend to want to wear my lightweight tights. However, I'm not anxious to be cold either but if I pair the craft boxer briefs with my lighter tights I'm almost always fine. I think I've worn that combination for almost every skate ski race I've done over the years.

Shebeest wind front tights - I'm on my second pair of these as I wore the first pair out after many years of frequent use. These are awesome for cold weather rides and can also be used on the coldest of days skiing. Powerstretch fleece with a wind front. Back before I got into skiing so much and used to ride more in the winter these saw constant use. The fit is great, the fabric is great and they make winter riding so much easier.

Marmot "Original" DriClime Windshirt - This is for those nights when you just can't bear to go out skiing because of the cold. Pair the windshirt with a lightweight underwear top and you will be fine. I've owned my Marmot windshirt for a zillion years and it still looks new too so one will last you a very long time. I've worn this on some pretty cold nights skiing and it really does keep you warm and my main concern has been being too warm. It's just that good. It has a nice cozy interior that is not bulky. I like the cut of it too as it isn't too short and it has a hemmed edge that won't ride up. I think everyone should have one in their closet.

Sporthill 3SP tights - These tights are amazing in a wide array of conditions and I almost always go for these when I'm worried about being cold but I know it is too warm for the cold weather tights. These tights are really great at wicking and handle the wind well. I have the ones that are a more casual fit for those days you don't want the tight tight. I raced the City of Lakes classic race in these tights and it was warmer than I expected but I never got too sweaty. Be warned though - they are a pet hair magnet so keep your lint brush handy!

Horny Toad cashmore fleece - This is for after the cold day of skiing or biking. Nothing is quite as cozy as some cashmore fleece pants or a top. Put those on and make yourself a nice hot cup of tea and hatch some plans for another day of skiing or biking.

This and that

2009-03-23T07:00:00.001-05:00

I think spring is a fabulous time of year because you can actually do it all. Last weekend I was skiing at Minocqua and this weekend I was out riding my bike. In between I've gone running, done a little biking, ordered some classic rollerskis and spent some time at the pool.

However, let's talk about swimming since that is by far the most exciting thing I've been doing. My first swim lesson was an experience all in itself. It's been almost 20 years since I've tried to learn how to swim and although I signed up for these lessons of my own volition I was really regretting it the afternoon before my first lesson. I was incredibly nervous. However, it was my gift to my self for my 40th birthday (which is coming up this summer and why not give yourself a gift of something that you need but don't really want).

Luckily the first lesson went much better than expected and I even signed up for 5 more lessons with Mark at SwimFast. I'm sure I'll need more than that but that was what I thought I could afford and hopefully I can get to the point of not needing private lessons. Luckily I did progress beyond what he expected at my first lesson given that I told him I had a fear and intense dislike for water.

This last Friday I went to the pool to practice and amazingly I already was progressing. At my first lesson I could only float across the little practice pool if I used a flotation device to help. By Friday I could do what I referred to as "swimming laps" which really was just floating and then kicking with my legs to get across the mini pool. However, that is more "swimming" than I've ever done so I was psyched. However, I still don't feel comfortable in the water but I'm progressing.

Yesterday I had my 2nd swimming lesson and Mark was suprised that I how far I'd already progressed since lesson 1. Of course that meant I had to work more on stuff I don't like and can't do. We spent a lot of time working on breathing out while under water and worked on the technique needed to be able to do the freestyle stroke. Mixed success with that as I seem to always breathe in some water through my nose when I'm doing that. We also worked on floating on my back which I absolutely cannot do yet without some type of assistance. Good times.

Really the worst part so far is just trying to find a time and place to swim in between my lessons so I can practice. Well, that and the water . . . but I keep reminding myself that if I learn to swim I can start saving to buy myself a kayak or at least a kayaking trip. I'm going to need to know how to kayak when I retire to the shores of Lake Superior when I'm 60.

Great Bear Chase . . . well, really Great Snow Chase

2009-03-13T20:04:00.000-05:00

No snow in Madison. Rain in the forecast. Let's go NORTH! The Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is one of my fave places and I plan to spend some serious time there one day (if I can ever afford to retire). I'm always game for a reason to go there and the Great Bear Chase is an excellent reason.

Plus after my Birkie race being less than stellar I had to do one more ski event. Although it is a 6.5 drive and you enter the eastern time zone and it was day light savings weekend I love the Keweenaw Peninsula enough that even those things were not a deterrant.

To ensure that my Birkie experience was not repeated I decided to sign up for the 26k classic race. The thing with me and classic skiing is that I only know how to double pole and how to stride up steep hills. I stride very poorly most of the time and I don't like to herringbone. I also don't get out classic skiing that often. I did do the City of Lakes classic race though and I did get out the weekend after the Birkie to classic ski in Wausau (which was to ensure that I still knew how).

Sunday morning came super early given that we had to set our clocks back 2 hours (for the time zone thing and the daylight savings thing). I'm not a morning person AT ALL so my love of skiing and ski events must be huge because I got up at 6:45am which felt like 4:45am to do this race. I was way too tired to be nervous like I was at City of Lakes though so I ate a big breakfast with no problem and stumbled through getting ready and getting checked out of the hotel.

I probably should have gotten up a bit earlier as Dave and I didn't really have a lot of excess time but thanks to Shannon dropping off our clothing bag we made our start. I lined up in the back like I always do and I couldn't hear the pre-race talk or the announcer say we were about to start. Out of nowhere a gun sounds and we're off.

I'm trying to throw down some good double poling but the back of the group is congested and I'm finding it hard to maneuver around the people in front of me. I keep thinking I can get around on the left . . . no on the right. No, I'm still stuck behind everyone. Finally I get an opening and I'm able to move up a little bit. The race has a fairly flat start until you get out to the actual ski trails where you have to go up the sledding hill (a cruelly steep but thankfully short hill). I flounder like a wobbly duckling up the hill with my poor herringbone but manage to stay in front of most of the people I had passed double poling.

Once up the hill you have 8k of trail that trends downhill (as you head in the direction of Lake Superior). There are some little uphills but this is a pretty fast section. I always have trouble in classic races knowing exactly where to ski. Track or the skate lane?? Of course this is exacerbated by being a poor strider and a strong double poler. I find that I'm frequently catching people when we're double poling but as soon as the terrain is better suited to striding people are pulling away from me or I'm holding them up.

The first 8k I'm in a group and we're going along nicely. I'm doing what I do well and they're doing what they do well but it all evens out to be about the same speed. Before long we're at the 8k aid station where the thing that always happens to me happens. That is that everyone kind of cruises through grabbing what they need on the move and I just stop. Yes, I stop. I sometimes tell myself that I will be like everyone else but I never am. I can't seem to stop myself from stopping.

I just cruise in and find my Gu. Open it, eat is slowly, get some water. I just generally am not in a big hurry to leave. A this point I am dropped from the group. It never bothers me enough to speed me up though and it happens at every race I do. Many times the day before the race I tell myself that I will not linger so long in the aid stations but come race day I still do. I'm not sure I have a great racer mentality.

At this point although my group has dropped me I'm still quite happy as the leaders of the skate race haven't caught me yet. The first group catches me at about 10k into the race. The second group catches me on a sharp downhill with a tight left. That was a bit exciting but I took my turn as tight as possible and everyone made it around smoothly.

From here on in I skied with very few other classic skiers and had lots of skaters coming by. On the upside I got to see quite a few people that I know which was fun. On the downside I quickly turned into a bit of a "classic ski grouch" as I hated on skaters who were skiing on the tracks or knocking the little ice chunks on the trail into the tracks. One woman who was skiing in a big group planted her ski pole in the tracks and I skied over it. I sort of felt bad but not totally since she was totally not paying any attention to me.

A number of skaters passed me and said "nice job". At the time I found it somewhat annoying as in sounded to me a little like they were really saying "keep it up you poor classic skier who is moving along so slowly." However, in retrospect I was likely thinking they were saying that because I thought I was so far back that they felt bad for me. In reality they may have actually just meant "nice job" since I finished 9th overall in the women's race. Luckily I didn't say anything snarky back to them like "Nice job to you too." Apparently I need to be less sensitive but after my Birkie you might also think that the "nice job" statements had some sinister subtext.

Anyway, what else can I say about this race? I double poled and double poled and then double poled some more. On occassion I would stride but it would always feel so slow that I would double pole some more. Once in a great while I would throw out a little kick double pole. On the hills I mostly had to herringbone. Although I acutally like to stride up steeper hills I chose the wrong kick wax for the day so it was pretty tough to do anything but herringbone.

What went wrong with the wax? Well, I went with hard wax (Toko base binder ironed in with Toko Blue and Toko White, if you must know). Those are great waxes for the temperatures we had. However, the tracks were glazed and so I needed to go with klister. I didn't really want to apply klister in our hotel room so I talked myself into believing that hard wax would be fine. Luckily it wasn't a huge deal. It would have been nice to have the right kick wax but I wasn't overly bothered during the race.

Anyway, later in the race I caught up to a couple of guys. We went back and forth a bit with me double poling by them and them striding by me. With only a few k to go a guy caught me and passed me going up the last substantial climb of the race. It was long and kind of off camber and I was kind of tired of herringboning at this point.

Of course, I catch up to him after we go over the top. However, he pulled away from me on the long downhill (and I thought my skis were fast but his were faster). As we head up the long straight trail towards town I can see him and one other guy and as I'm double poling I'm slowly reeling them in. The first guy I catch actually gets out of the tracks and lets me by. That took me by surprise as I was planning to jump out to get by him.

Finally I pull up behind the guy who passed me and I'm right on him. I couldn't decide if I should pull out and pass or not. Finally I do. Of course, as soon as I pull out, pass him and get back in the tracks we hit a couple tiny little uphills into town and I feel instantly like I might be holding him up. (Truthfully I think getting passed by a girl made him speed up his double poling). Finally I see we're about to round the corner into downtown and I start double poling like I'm a sprint racer in a SuperTour race. I totally felt fast at that point and was throwing down with the best double pole form I've got. And with that I sprinted across the line to finish my last race of the season with a big smile on my face.

Totally fun day and just an all around excellent race. After the race you can use the showers at the high school which is a bonus. Then they serve a huge lunch complete with UP pasties (and they have vegetarian) along with a huge array of donuts and cookies. After all that they hand out the awards. At first when I saw that I had won my age group I assumed I was the only woman 30-39 but there actually were 3 of us. And the coolest part was that I won a sweet little wooden ski that they made as trophies for all the classic race age group winners.

And with that came to the end of a very long season of racing when you consider that cyclocross is just over when ski racing begins and before cyclocross there was mountain bike races and trail runs. Now it's my off season and I look forward to doing a little more skiing, starting up with some running and getting out on the bike and some swim lessons. However, no races for awhile and definitely no structure . . . just fun.

Summer is looking good . . .

2009-03-06T06:53:00.002-06:00

Although I am still in full on winter/ski mode things are starting to shape up for quite the interesting summer season! I officially gone from vaguely disinterested in summer to excited.

The big excitement is that one of my friends asked if I wanted to join her and 2 of her uber cool friends to do the Little Red Riding Hood ride in Utah on June 6. How could I say no to an all women's century with 3 super awesome women that I would love to spend more time with?? Luckily the website claims this is not a century with tons of climbing but I think I'm going to have to log a few more miles on the road bike this spring than I did last year.

This should get me off to a good start as I prepare for the Chequamegon 40. I finally decided that I should return to doing the 40 mile race instead of the 16. I swore to myself while I was skiing the Birkie that I would not do that but I changed my mind. I need to revisit those climbs but this time in the opposite direction. It will be my 10th time doing the 40 mile race this year and my 15th time doing Chequamegon . . . . well, if my entry is chosen in the lottery. I'm going with a new strategy this year though. I'm going to line up in the back and just ride easy. That will make it more fun hopefully and will ideally leave me a little bit more refreshed (important since the USGP is the next weekend and I'm going to be BUSY).

Another potential spring/summer development is swimming. Yes, swimming . . . something I doubt anyone expects to see in my plans. For those that don't already know, I don't know how to swim and am terrified of water. However, I've always kind of had it in the back of my head that I would learn to swim when I turned 40. I think I said that because that seemed like a far distant event. Well, this summer I'm turning 40 so I asked a friend for a recommendation of an instructor and I just sent him an email. I might still find an excuse not to try to learn to swim (again) but at least I've got a potential victim (I mean instructor).

I'm also going to be buying classic roller skis . . . exciting, I know. I want to work more on my classic technique this summer as there is so much to learn. I borrowed some last summer a few times but this year I'm going to need my own if I'm going to put more emphasis on that. And, yes, that does mean I'm sticking with ski school. I'm still liking it as I've still got so much to learn.

Add to that a few fun mtn bike races/events, a vacation to Jackson, WY, some great events I'm organizing and hopefully another short trip up to the UP to mountain bike and summer is looking pretty sweet. I need some more skiing before that happens though!! This weekend the Great Bear Chase and then hopefully at least one more ski trip up north just for pure skiing fun.

Living up to your principles

2009-03-05T06:25:00.001-06:00

A lot of times it can be hard to back up your beliefs. Take for instance supporting a program that helps homeless people get back on their feet and back into housing. Sounds great and like something you would want in your community. Let's say that program is buying an apartment building that will house 12 formerly homeless men. Still sounds great and exciting to hear that so many people can be helped by a wonderful program. How about if it was on your block? What if it was 2 doors down from your house? Theoretically I think many people would still support it and think it sounds great. (You would, right??).

How about when it is a real proposal and not just theoretical? I'm not going to lie and say when the first postcard came in the mail saying that this was proposed on my block that I jumped with joy. I had some concerns. I had already been thinking that it might be wise to look for a new house and sell our current one as I was worried that we were over improving for our neighborhood (especially given some changes that will be coming in the next 10 years or so).

However, I went to our first neighborhood meeting about this and heard from the director of the program about how the facility would be run. Plenty of questions were asked and good answers were given. I walked away from the meeting feeling better and emailed our alder to say that I was supportive of the plan. I have to admit that I also walked away from the meeting rather annoyed with some of the people in my neighborhood (especially those that seemed to live fairly distant from the property) who seemed highly opposed.

Last night was the second neighborhood meeting and I knew that it was going to be quite a meeting. The local newspaper had run a story and our neighborhood listserv was alive with comments.

Contrary to what it may seem and some people might think I am actually very sympathetic to people's concerns and especially to the couple who live right next door who have young children. I live in a very old neighborhood where there is little privacy as one house's windows generally look into the house next door or at the very least into each other's backyards. If I had young children I likely would have concerns about 12 formerly homeless men living next door who probably include some recovering addicts, some people with mental health issues and some people with criminal backgrounds. I don't have children but I would presume you would wonder how this will change your day-to-day behaviour and how you would handle this. You buy a house expecting to deal with (potentially) rowdy undergrads and now you have something different.

However, I am not sympathetic to the landlords who own property nearby but don't live in the neighborhood. One seemed to think that instead of the lovely tenants he has now that he would have to rent to young male partiers as no one else would live there (as if the current residents have never had a party!). I just don't agree with him and was super annoyed by his tone. I also don't agree with all the people who think our property values are about to plummet if this project happens. Sure if everyone decides to sell and move suddenly but I think we'd eventually recover even from that. I also don't understand why our neighborhood can't continue to develop into a "family" neighborhood (whatever that means) even with this housing. At most I would think it would impact people deciding to move to our block or maybe the block behind us but not the whole neighborhood.

At first I wasn't going to say anything at the meeting last night. I felt like I'd already shared my opinion with my alder and it hadn't changed since the first meeting so why take up more time. However, a 3 hour meeting will eventually beat you down until you have to say something. I was also annoyed that some people were making it seem that they were speaking on behalf of our part of the neighborhood (when it was really a small group that had formed to fight this after meeting 1). I just couldn't sit there and let it appear that everyone on our block was opposed to having transitional housing nearby.

I've lived in our house for over 15 years now and so I'm aware of the good and bad of our neighborhood. I'm not unaware of the challenges that face our neighborhood. However, I also have a lot of faith in our neighborhood and our resiliency. I really do think we can make this work. I know that some people feel that our neighborhood already shoulders more social service agencies than most other neighborhoods so we shouldn't be expected to take on more. Someone mapped the various types of housing (single, duplex, apts) and the social service agency programs in our neighborhood to help illustrate that. I can't help but think that given our neighborhood's long ago history as the melting pot of Madison that perhaps it's appropriate we have more social service agencies.

One tv news station was there last night and shot some footage including a couple shots of my wonderful block in case you'd like to know more (or at least know as much as you can learn in a 10 second news piece).

Oh yeah, and when I got home I warned Dave that we might be neighborhood pariahs for a while (not that we were ever wildly popular as we are the weird biker/skiers who painted their house trim purple and have drug out our yard landscaping project out over many, many years). I also let him know that we were now morally obligated to live in our house forever if the transitional housing proposal happens.

Photos, photos

2009-02-27T12:00:00.002-06:00

Here's a few more Birkie memories thanks to my friend Ruth.

Here's the 10 of us that stayed together for the Birkie. I've been staying with some combination of these folks ever since Dave and I first caught Birkie fever. Well, for the record it definitely started as merely at Kortie fever but both of us have now succumbed to the full blown Birkie fever.

If you're going to wax your husband's race skis then you better make sure you've carefully read Toko's waxing recommendations. Actually Dave did most of the waxing himself but I usually apply the kick wax as that is my specialty in the Bell-Callaway household. I'm about to apply the Carbon Base Wax Green that Toko recommended and that worked very well for Dave.

Here I am attaching my Gu to my bib. I'm in deep thought as I consider what Gu flavors I want and when I want them so that they are attached in an order that will make them easy to remove at the right time. For the Birkie I experimented with safety pins instead of stapling and I have to admit that I prefer to staple my Gu to the bib. In the end I went with 4 vanilla gu, 1 plain gu (for mid-race in case I needed a flavor change, which I did want) and 1 espresso love (for the last aid station).

Here we are at about 7am as we headed out from our cabin. This is car 2 for those of us in waves 4-6. Car one left close to 6:45am and the wave 1 starters got there with not a lot of time to spare.

Here is Shannon, me and Ruth at Como Field waiting to board the bus to Telemark to start the fun (well, the suffering actually in my case).

Good times!

Life Post-Birkie

2009-02-26T09:13:00.002-06:00

You'd think now that the Birkie was over that life would be quieting down. Not yet though. I am, however, looking forward to the off season as going straight from cyclocross to skiing is a bit exhausting.

This week has been busy as Monday and Tuesday I went to ski school. Monday we just skied easy on our classic skis. I took easy to a whole new level as I was quite tired. We spent as much time chatting as we did skiing luckily so I survived. Tuesday though Yuriy seemed to think it would be good for us to do some intervals. The long intervals were okay but my legs were still feeling it. We did 5 really short sprints after our long intervals and those were super fun. I'm a horrible sprinter on skis but it's something we don't do a lot of so it is a fun change of pace. I don't think the Super Tour is in my future though! Luckily my bike commute did a lot to loosen up my legs so I was actually feeling better than expected.

Wednesday I went over to the Unwin Wellness Center and got a massage from Lee. Once he set to work on my leg muscles I got to relive some fine Birkie moments over again. I tried not to squirm too much but my leg muscles were in desperate straights but I think it was just what I needed to recover.

Wednesday night was the volunteer appreciation party for the Madison Winter Festival. It was at an Irish pub downtown called Brocach. Good times ensued there as a huge number of volunteers did the Birkie so we traded stories. Afterwards I hit up dinner at the Brocach for their tasty vegetarian shepherd's pie and some good stories ensued from the little group of us who stayed on to eat.

The other thing that has been happening is that I've just started planning for a trail run that I'm going to organize this summer. It will be a fundraiser for a member of the CXC Elite Team. I want to get involved with their "adopt an athlete" program and so this will be my way of doing that. I think the team is doing really great stuff and I'd like to support that. Skiing is such an an under appreciated sport in the US so those of us with a passion for it need to get involved. I don't have a date picked out for the event yet but I will hopefully be able to hold it at Badger Prairie County Park and it would be a trail run and walk and then I would like to do a pursuit competition for people who want to run and then do a short rollerski time trial.

I think I will do one more ski race and then I will get some down time to get caught back up on my to do list. I'm behind on my CVC and FORCs duties and we need to get things finalized for spring/summer including our Women's Dirt Retreat with Alison Dunlap. I also have a nice to do list for the USGP that is desperately needing my attention. I'm caught up on my WCA duties right now but since we're going to monthly board meetings that won't last long. I need to get my trail run dialed in and on the schedule. Luckily I'm not much for the early season road racing so I have some time now to focus in on everything. I think my first bike race will be the Cable Off-Road Classic on May 16 which gives me plenty of time to ease back into riding. That race is so much fun that I can't believe I haven't done it in a couple of years.

Making Memories

2009-02-23T14:30:00.009-06:00

Take the Challenge, Ski the Adventure, Live the Birkie

That's the slogan on the Birkie website and I think I accomplished that. If all else fails I certainly made some memories over the weekend. It all actually started on Thursday when I got to ski with Bjorn Daehlie as part of the MS Society's Ski for the Cure. We did some skiing and then adjourned to lunch together. Bjorn was super cool, very friendly, answered everyone's questions, posed for a million pictures and brought all of us hats from his clothing line.

Me and Bjorn post-ski (note the cute hat he gave me!)

However, the bigger story is about the actual Birkie and it is quite a story. The night before the race I finished my waxing and got out my sharpie marker to write something inspirational on the toe of my left ski boot. I wrote "do what you can do" based on something that Bjorn Daehlie said. For me it meant not to worry about what you can't do but instead focus on doing what you are personally capable of accomplishing. It seemed like a good fit with what I had written on the toe of my right ski boot - "believe".

Saturday morning came around much too soon and before I was truly ready we were out the door, in the car and on our way to Como Field. Once there we got in line for the bus, waited not very long and then were on the bus and on our way to Telemark Resort. We got there in a comfortable 40 minutes before the start of my race so I had plenty of time to change into my ski boots, hit the bathroom one last time, drink some energy drink, get to the start line, change out of my warm ups, get rid of my drop bag and be at the start with just the right amount of time.

Soon the gun fires and my wave is off and double poling. It's always a bit of mayhem at the start with all the nervous energy, poles flying and everyone jostling for position. I started on the left and double poles in the tracks for quite aways since I do okay with double poling. Everyone is always in a rush to skate but it is quite possible to keep up double poling and is less risk of having someone break your pole.

The first couple kilometers of the race are fairly flat but always congested. However, it isn't long before you start hitting the infamous powerline climbs. The first 9k are the same for the Kortie and the Birkie so I had done this section before. I just reminded myself that I just needed to survive the climbs on this section and that it would get better after the two races split and there was less congestion. At the first aid station at 4.5k I drank part of a cup of energy drink and most of a glass of water.

Through this section I felt pretty good or at least as good as you can when you see the big climbs looming in front of you. I never felt like I was holding up the lines of people climbing and was keeping pace well with the people lined up in front of me. I'm not going to claim the climbs were easy but I didn't feel totally spent. At the 9k aid station I had a Gu and a couple cups of water and was relieved to have that part of the race over and was looking forward to reduced congestion as the Kortie and Birkie split off.

The next section takes you up to the highest point on the course in the area of Firetower Hill. Through this section I'm feeling as well as I had hoped. It's hilly but I knew this would be the case as I knew there was some climbing to do after the race course split. I just keep plugging away and I'm feeling pretty like I'm holding my own with the other skiers around me. At the 13.7 km aid station I once again go for a cup of energy drink and a cup of water. The aid stations were total pandemonium with clear cups strewn everywhere that would invariably catch on your ski tip and then you'd have to get them off.

One of the things that I was worried about was the downhills on the course. However, things were going pretty well as although the downhills with corners were chewed up some and had some snow pile/luge run like characteristics they weren't as bad as some years. I successfully made it down "hecklers" hill where the snowmobilers hang out cheering all the crashes. I was nervous and I had one dare devil skier come flying by me at mach speed showing off but I made the corners successfully thus disappointing the skiers.

I think it was through the next section of hills that I started to notice that my right quad was painful on any steep hill. Knowing that I had a long ski still to go I just took it easy up the steep hills and just settled in behind other conservative skiers. I decided not to worry or even think much about the occasional sharp pain in my quad as I wasn't sure what it meant. I hoped it would go away eventually. As I was approaching the 4th aid station I was thinking maybe I was at "OO" but it was just the Boedecker road crossing. At this aid station I had another Gu and more water before setting off for "OO".

Finally I reached "OO" where a number of spectators gather since it is easy to reach. It's nice to see the crowds and the thinking is always that the course "gets easier" after "OO". I wish that I could concur with that statement but although the hills are not as bad it is negated by the fact that you are already really tired.

Unfortunately by the time I got there I realized that I was in trouble as my leg pain wasn't going away but instead was getting to be a more frequent problem. At this point you're 22.8km into a 50k race which is disconcerting when you're already suffering from leg pains. I did the only thing I could think of to do which was eat another Gu and drink more water and keep skiing.

Through the next sections I just kept taking it easy. My leg pain was more pronounced on steep hills. I did my best to take advantage of sections where you could V2 and also got into a good tuck and ride the glide up the rolling hills as best I could. However, every time I would come to a steep section requiring a good V1 my right quad muscle would have sharp digging pains.

At the 31.8k aid station I had another Gu and some more water and just kept moving forward. At this point my mind was a bit concerned with the pains but I just kept trying to tell myself that this part of the course was "easier" and the hills not as steep so as long as I took it really, really easy on the remaining steep parts surely I would be fine. Well, my mind was thinking that sometimes however my internal dialogue was a bit more dominated by -

"I'm never doing this again."
"What was I thinking signing up for this when I hate hilly races."
"I'm so also never doing the Chequamgon 40 bike race again as I hate these hills."
"Remember to never do this again."
"And I mean NEVER AGAIN."
"Where is the next d*amn kilometer sign? Surely I missed it because I've been skiing forever . . . oh wait there it is and it just took a lifetime to get 1k."
"Remember never, never again sign up for this h@llish event."

Finally I got to the 38.1 km food station where once again I had some Gu and some water before trudging back out. I set out reminding myself that I only had 12k to go. That's not so far and surely I could get up B*tch hill somehow even with sharp shooting pains in my quad. So I set out again. However, as I started up the first sizable climb out from that food stop my quad was shooting with pain so I stopped about 1/4 way up the hill and pulled over to the side out of the way. I thought perhaps if I stretched it just a little it would be better.

HUGE mistake. As soon as I started to stretch my quad it started spasming uncontrollably. At this point I'm totally freaking out. I'm staring down at my quad muscle and I can see the spasms as my quad jumps up and down. It is horribly painful and I'm a 1/4 way up a hill with many more to come. I must have looked horrible as people were skiing by asking me if I was okay, if I needed help, if I need a Gu. All I wanted was for the race to be over. Having never before suffered from cramping during a race I wasn't really sure what to do. So I started to massage my quad and eventually that made it stop spasming.

There I was pulled over part way up a hill with intense pain in my leg and 12k still to go. I truly thought I could not go on and would not be able to finish the race. As I massaged my leg I could see the toe of my boot where it said "do what you can do." As skier after skier passed me by I realized that was exactly what I was going to have to do. I told myself that I was going to do what I could do even though it now looked like what I could do wasn't very much. I started back up the hill in a slow and awkward manner. I was doing some sort of strange blending of a V1 and a slow walk but I got to the top.

As I skied along massaging my quad as I tucked on every downhill and did my little ski walk up the hills I reminded myself that I was lucky to not live with pain all the time and that I was lucky to be doing this race (of course, at this point I was thinking of it as this f*cking race). My mental mantra truly was "do what you can do" interspersed with "finish this race so you don't have to ever do it again." Every chance I got I would V2 as that seemed to not hurt my quad. Every hill I would find someone going really slowly up the climb and just ease my way up behind them. The best part was the couple of times my left toes decided to cramp up at the same time my right quad was cramping up. However, I just kept plodding along cursing the kilometer signs that seemed to take forever to go by.

As I got to the bottom of B*tch hill I was really nervous about how painful it would be to ski up. I focused on the women at top who were dressed up in costumes for the occasion and just kept going one ski at a time. I made it to the top with no more or less pain than I had been suffering and headed off towards the last rest area.

I think as I skied along I was just sort of in my own private pain induced haze. I could see the Prince Haakon 8k skiers were now on the trail and I wanted to hate them. It's not that they were particularly in my way or anything but I hated them for skiing along so fresh and carefree while I was suffering my own private h*ll. Too bad they were so nice though as some of them would call out encouragement when they saw a full Birkie skier. I really couldn't hate them after that.

Finally I got to Rosie's field and I knew I was getting close. Right after Rosie's field you get to Hwy 77 and the 44.3 km aid station where I downed an Espresso Love gu and water with hopes that the caffeine would somehow see me through to the end. I psyched myself up for the climbs that Dave told me come right after that and set out. At this point I knew I would make it one way or another but I really wanted it to be over. I also was finding that no matter what technique I used I was having cramping in my right quad and I could feel my left quad starting to consider cramping as well.

I just kept plugging away and hoping that I would soon get to the infamous lake crossing that leads to town. However, first it was up and up and up to the top of the hill outside town. I had a passing thought that we had probably reached a very scenic overlook but I was too tired to care. Finally you're dropping down and you know you're heading toward the lake.

Once I got to the lake I remembered my bold statement that I would V2 across the lake. I feel a slight resurgence of energy as I realize that I've only got a 2k before I get into town. However, it was a short spurt of energy as I realize that my quad no longer likes to V2. I try alternating V1 and V2 but the wind is killing the small amount of energy I have left. I realize that I need to draft and I see a guy not too far in front of me who looks like he would have broad enough shoulders to pull me along. I psych up to catch him and throw down the best V2 I've got left in me to pull up behind him.

Sweet relief! I tuck in as tight as I can without being a total jerk and alternate strong double-poling with no-pole skating to stay right on him. At one point he's passing several skiers and I think about drafting someone else but realize my mistake and have to give a little bit of V2 to stay with him. I feel bad for not working with him but I just can't. I tell myself that when we get off the lake I will be polite and not pass him going up Main Street.

What a liar I am though. He pulls me the entire 2k across the lake and I contribute nothing but supreme annoyance as I desperately hold on to his draft right off the back of the tails of his skis. Then the minute we get off the lake he slows down from the effort and I go by him in my desperate attempt to reach the finish line. Instead I focus all my attention on getting into town, through all the sugary snow and onto Main Street. Once there I feel nothing but sweet relief as I alternate V2 and V1 up the street as I listen for the announcer to say "Renee Callaway from Madison, WI". I even hear a few Madnorskis call out my name.

I cross the finish line and try to comprehend how to exit the finish area. There are all these little lanes marked with numbers. I'm standing in front of a lane numbered 11/12. My brain is foggy and I can't decide where to go so I just stand there. Finally I have an epiphany that the numbers relate to how many Birkies you've completed. I slowly shuffle over towards the lane marked "1" and get my medal. I notice that at this point many people have removed their skis but I just pole through the lane and finally after that I contemplate if I can bend down and undo my skis and still stand back up. It seems like a 50/50 chance that if I bend down I won't get back up. I wonder if any of the people milling around would notice or even help me back up. Finally I just decide to risk it and I bend down and take off my skis. Luckily I am able to pick them up and stand up afterwards. As I start to wonder where I need to go now Dave arrives and helps steer me towards the bag pickup.

Luckily Dave was there as he takes my skis and poles and helps me navigate the finish area. He steers me towards the bags and finally I get to the Wave 5 bags. Then I get steered towards the changing tent where finally I get to sit down. I think it took me a lifetime to change my clothes as I was moving so slowly. Dave is waiting when I come out and he steers me towards the finisher's tent and he gets me some energy drink, rolls and bananas. I finally tell him I need sugar so he gets me a soda. The whole time I'm sitting there basically totally zoned out a very nice older couple are trying to converse with me. He did the 8k race and he seems excited to talk to a Birkie finisher. I hope that I made some sense. In reality it wasn't until Dave and I went to the coffee shop where I got some bean soup and a Chai tea that I was able to again function like a normal human being again.

And since many of you are probably curious I actually did not cry at the finish line. It was close but the moment was just never right. However, I was on the verge of crying several times . . . either from the exhaustion or the drama of things not going as I had hoped . . . but I remained surprisingly composed and slightly delirious.

And because I don't have the good sense to listen to myself I plan to ski the full Birkie again next year. I guess I've got the "Birkie Fever" . . . . I wonder if you can get immunized against that?

Winter Fest Weekend

2009-02-17T10:51:00.004-06:00

This last weekend was Madison's Winter Festival at the capitol square. It's always a busy weekend for me as I'm the chief of photography. Basically I spend the whole weekend racing from event to event trying to capture at least one good photo that can be used for publicity later. It's inevitable that I'm on the opposite side of the square from where something important or noteworthy is happening. This year I started work Friday immediately after work and didn't get dinner until the conclusion of the 100 meter sprint competition. Then Saturday I was back at 8:30am and there until the conclusion of the high school team sprints and then home to sort photos. Sunday was basically the same. Monday more photo sorting and uploading. Tonight I hope to finish uploading and then at some point some final sorting of photos and burning to a DVD for the organizer.

Anyway, here's some photos that capture the fun from the weekend.

Friday about 6pm the dump trucks start arriving with snow. Ironically it was actually snowing on Friday night which made it feel like it should be Winter Festival.

On Saturday there is a kid's ski program and a bunch of the elite team skiers come and help out. Many of the kids have never skied before so it is pretty crazy at times. Here's CXC Team member Brian Gregg skiing with one of the kids and offering pointers.

On Saturday the races were freestyle events and it was sunny and warm so the snow was wet and mushy.

Here are Bryan Cook (L) and Brian Gregg (R) from the CXC Team who won Saturday's SuperTour Sprint Relays. CXC is our region's elite team and because of that the local favorites so it was great to see them take the win.

This year was the first year to have running races and the kid's races were super cute. This little kid is enjoying the free hot chocolate that was available post-race. It was so funny listening to the kid's tell their race stories after the event - some with excitement and some with the tales of suffering.

On Sunday there was a cyclocross race, Cyclo Frost, that was a first time event for the festival. I guess the event director heard Dave and I talking about cyclocross so much every fall that he better add it as an event.

The weekend also features lots of high school racing action. Here is a shot from Sunday's classic sprint qualification event that was held in the morning. I really love the high school racing as it is fun to see so many kid's so excited about skiing. The Madison team has tons of girls on it which I think is pretty sweet!

Here's the SuperTour classic sprint team relay event. I love to see the elite races especially the classic events as they can really double-pole and I appreciate the work it takes to be good at that.

Next up - Birkie Weekend.

Everything starts for me on Thursday as I've been selected as one of the lucky skiers who gets to ski with Bjorn Daehlie. If you raised $2,500 in the MS Society's Ski for the Cure you automatically got invited to ski with him. The remaining slots were given out in a lottery (every $250 you raised got you one lottery entry and I ended up raising $1,000!). On Thursday we get to ski with him and then have lunch. Raising the funds was something I really wanted to do and getting to ski with Bjorn is just a nice little added bonus (his Mother has MS so that's why he has come to do this). Since I'm going up early for that I'll also get to watch the elite sprints which happen on Main Street on Friday which is something I always enjoy.

Friday we'll go to the equipment demo as I want to try out some Salomon boots and skis as I'm thinking of upgrading my classic boots (mine are at least 12 years old). I also want to get new skate skis next year as I've had mine a long time and they have some significant scratches.

Saturday is race day!!! I start at 9:05am central time so think good thoughts for me. I'm hoping it all goes well and that I enjoy myself. I'm looking forward to getting my finisher's medal on Main Street.

Mora Photo

2009-02-13T16:11:00.002-06:00

Here's a nice photo that Shannon took of Dave and I after I finished. Those are some long poles I've got there.

The funny story of my ski race

2009-02-09T07:31:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was the Mora Vasaloppet. My first ski marathon. 58k of fun. I was a bit anxious about this race as 58k is a long ways to ski and much farther than I've skied at one time before. However, the race in Mora doesn't have any really big climbs or really big downhills so it isn't an intimidating race from the perspective of terrain.

Race Highlights -

Tall poles
Skiing backwards on the course
Friendly aid station stops
Finishing 58k

So there I was standing in the back of the start area just 5 minutes away from the start. I'd taken the bus from town, made my stop at the porta-potties, drank some energy drink, stood by the wood fires, and finally taken off my warm up pants and jacket and gotten rid of my drop bag. After all that I took my skis and poles over to the start area, found an spot at the back (technically in the area for those planning to ski a time of 4 1/2 hours), put on my skis and strapped on my poles.

After putting on my poles I felt that something was wrong. As I planted them in the snow they just seemed wrong. However, they looked like my poles . . . yellow and black Toko poles. However, as I contemplated them I realized they seemed really tall. I stood them up next to me and the were as tall as me. I looked at them closer and closer and I realized that they weren't my poles. With a sinking feeling I realized they were Dave's skate poles not mine. My mind was spinning like crazy with this information. In the end I realized that I was in Mora, MN and my poles were back in Madison, WI and that instead Dave's identical (except for 7 inch longer) poles were with me.

At this point they are announcing that we're just minutes away from starting the race. My mind races with what to do. I'm set to start a race with poles that are 7 inches too long and it is a 58k race which I already thought was a stretch for me. First thoughts are whether I can even do this. Should I quit and try to get a ride back to town? Maybe I should just do the 35k. Maybe I could skate the whole 58k with no poles or maybe I could hold the shaft of the poles. As they started the star spangled banner I looked down at the toe of my boot where I had written "believe" and realized that having the wrong poles was just a minor set back. I could do still do this.

And with that decision the race starts and 900 skiers stream off the line. I can't say that I made a tremendous start. I moved up some from the back but even double poling felt awkward. Before long people started skating (too soon if you ask me but that's a blog post for another day) but I just kept double poling. I was determined to not skewer anyone with my too long poles and double poling seemed the least likely to get me in trouble.

Luckily after about 1/2 mile the 35k and the 58k race split. And with that split the track went from intensely congested to basically empty since about 2/3 of the freestyle racers at the Vasaloppet do the 35k. Once the split occurred I was able to have a fairly uncongested track to practice poling. I quickly realized that as along as I remembered to raise the poles up high I would be fine. Of course I also quickly realized that my arms were going to get really tired doing that.

The first part of the 58k course was a bit of a surprise to me. A few years ago I had done the 35k which was basically flat with one significant climb. The 58k has some rolling hills in the first part of the event although nothing huge. It's a nice blend of terrain that lets a person use all of the various ski techniques. It was also pretty nice as you felt like you had the trail to yourself back where I was. There were people around but you were only passing or being passed on occasion.

The first aid station was at 8k and it felt like you got to it really quickly. It seemed pretty fast so I opted for a quick glass of gatorade and a glass of water to chase it down. Then I was on my way again as I knew the next aid station was only 5k later. At the next aid station I made a longer stop as I stopped for a Gu and some water. At this point I was getting used to the poles and on the long flat sections could get into a rhythm. Sure I once and awhile would totally mess up the poling but other than feeling like a dork it was working. The high school boys at the aid station told me my shoulders were going to get really tired skiing with such long poles. You could tell they thought it was funny that I had the wrong poles and was going to have to ski 58k that way.

The next section between aid stations was 13.5k and I spent most of it just watching for the signs that told you how many kilometers were left in the race. I was especially interested in getting to 35k to go as somehow in my mind it was important to get to the distance of the shorter race. I felt pretty good in this section and it was cool to see the signs go by for 41, 40, 39, 38, etc.

As the numbers went by I was definitely ready for the next aid station as I could tell my energy was going down. At 31.5k you finally get to the next aid station. This was the funniest stop and I doubt I'll soon be forgotten by the people volunteering. At this point in the race I'm skiing all by myself and as I approach the aid station there isn't any other skier there so all the volunteers are watching me as I ski toward them. As I approach I pop off my right pole from the hand grip like I had done at all the previous aid stations to make it easier to grab my Gu and my water. However, for some reason I thought it would be even more efficient if I also released my left pole from the grip. I had forgotten that Dave's poles had a problem and if you pulled up the release tab it sometimes came completely off the pole.

Of course, this is what happened to me. The yellow tab that holds the grip on completely came off and fell into the snow. So with all the volunteers watching I had to stop, turn around and ski back to where the yellow tab was laying in the snow. Once I turn around again and start skiing back towards the aid station they are all staring at me incredulously. I made a joke about not being sure if I wanted to continue on before I explained my situation and asked for some help getting the tab back into the slot on the poles. Needless to say I spent a bit of time at the aid station between turning around, explaining to a guy how to fix my pole and then finally downing some gu and water.

During the next section of the race I surprisingly skied with a group who had caught up to me as I hung out at the aid station. It was a good group and we each had our strengths and weaknesses that made us of similar speed. I would say that I was the best hill climber and would catch them on the inclines. One woman was strong on the flats but fell twice on the downhills (where each time I would have to almost come to stop to avoid hitting her). Another guy was fast on the flats as well but was slow on even the mildest incline. Another woman was moderately good at everything but I would usually gain some ground on the uphills and downhills. Another guy would speed up and slow down a bit but overall I thought he was the fastest of our group as he always was just ahead of us and would speed up when we got closer to him.

At one point we passed a road crossing and one of the people sitting there either volunteering or just watching asked my group if we were the last skiers. I laughed and told him we sure close to that. However, the one woman was right behind me and she was a bit upset by that comment. She fumed about that for a while as we skied by. I thought it was funny and wished I'd have told him that we certainly weren't in the lead.

As we skied on I finally passed the one guy just after a slight uphill where he had alternated a little V1 with some singlestick skiing while I was V2ing the hill. I passed him somewhere around 26k to go probably. I passed the one woman soon after that when she fell on a downhill and then I didn't see her again. The other woman who was more of an all around skier started to slow on one really long flat section and I double poled by her and fully expected to have her stay right behind me. However, she didn't and I skied away from her and didn't see her again either. The one faster guy I eventually caught as well. I skied behind him for awhile but he kept slowing down so finally I passed him and never saw him again either.

By about 22k to go I was skiing all by myself with the whole trail to enjoy and no one to worry about being in the way of behind me and no one to worry about in front of me. It's a weird feeling to be in a ski race and to have a beautiful trail all to yourself. It was kind of cool though. However, I was starting to feel tired. By 20k to go I was breaking down the race in my mind. At first I was telling myself to just think of it as 2 10ks or maybe 4 5ks or maybe just focus on clicking off 1k at a time.

As I was approaching the second to last aid station I could see one guy up ahead of me on the trail as there are long straight sections where you can see a long ways. Finally I get to the aid station where all the volunteers offer me things . . . blueberry soup, banana, orange, gatorade, water. I ski up to a friendly gentleman offering water and gatorade. It was pretty funny actually. As soon as I stop he tells me to think of him as my personal assistant and to just let him know what I want. I let him know I'll want some water. He's got that so I tell him I'll want it in just a second as I rip my Gu off my bib where it was stapled. He offered to open it for me but I told him I'd do it. He was awesome and I definitely spent a bit more time than needed chatting with him.

Finally I was off with around 15k to go. Seeing the numbers on the trail dipping below 15k was pretty sweet. I knew that was doable even though I was starting to feel a little tired. Once again I just skied along by myself with the occasional sight of the once skier in front of me when I would hit longer straight aways. This section had lots of little inclines and lots of times I would throw in some V1 skiing just because I was getting tired from all the V2ing and just needed to do something different. There were also plenty of sections where the sun had warmed up the snow and the skiers before me had sunk in leaving potholes in the snow to be avoided. There were also plenty of road crossings and driveway crossings where I just double poled through the dirty, slushy snow.

As I got closer to the finish I also started to see skiers from the 13k event that started later in the day. Some of the more beginner classic skiers were still out on the trail which made it nice as I had people to say hello to as I skied along. I even got some encouraging words from them once they realized I was a 58k skier.

As I got close to the last aid station at 7k to go I had almost caught up to the guy in front of me. At the last aid station I had a very friendly high school boy assisting me with my water. At this aid station I pulled out my Espresso Love Gu which packs twice the caffeine of regular Gu. My plan was to save this to the end so I could finish (and maybe even finish strong).

At 7k to go you know you're getting closer to town as there are more houses but yet it sort of feels like you're never going to get there. I just kept focusing on clicking off 1k at a time. Soon I had passed by the 5k to go but the next kilometer seemed to take forever. All I could think of was "where the f@ck is that town already". Yes, I was ready to be donee.

Finally with 2k or so to go you can see the water tower which is sweet relief. At this point it is just me and the 13k classic skiers heading into town. Somehow I had gotten in and out of the last aid station faster than the one guy who had been in front of me. Finally you get to the lake and you can hear the bell in the bell tower ringing which signifies you've almost made it. I hit the lake and force myself to V2 across what seems like a very long expanse. I try to pick up the pace when I see that there is a big group of beginner classic skiers ahead of me and I really want to hit the embankment up into town before them. If I don't I'm pretty sure we'll all come to a halt as they try to herringbone up it since it is a bit tricky and I knew it would have powdery, loose snow. Luckily I get there before the group and there is just one woman starting up it. It's plenty wide so I go the right and am impressed with how much easier it is than I remembered from last time. I guess that goes to show that my skiing has improved!

Once up the bank you are onto the streets of town. I break into a V2 as I start up towards the turn onto Main Street when I hear a loud burst of cheering from Dave, Shannon and Jim who have already finished their races and showered and are waiting for me to arrive. I keep up my V2 as I make the turn onto Main Street, I hear the finisher announce "Renee Callaway from Madison, WI" and the finish line person tells me that I've finished in 4 hours and 17 minutes.

All in all a pretty good day . . . . even with the pole mix up. I can assure you that I will be doing something to my poles so they are easier to differentiate from Dave's!

Next up the Birkie.

Ski for a Cure

2009-02-04T11:35:00.001-06:00

Yes I'm still looking for donations for the Ski for the Cure . . . if I can meet my goal of $500 a very generous local skier has offered to match that $500. I assured him the chances of that were slim but I'm going to try. Even $5 would be greatly appreciated to get me to that goal!

Because I Can

2009-02-02T12:02:00.004-06:00

"Because I Can" is what I wrote on the toe of my classic ski boots the other day. At ski races it is really easy to go home with the wrong boots since they all look alike. When I was writing my name on the boots I decided to write some words of encouragement. Those words came in handy at the City of Lakes Loppet this weekend which was a harder race than I had realized when I signed up.

I decided to sign up for the City of Lakes Loppet as I thought the idea of an urban ski race seemed pretty cool. The race finishes on the Mall in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis and along the way there from Wirth park you cross through some neighborhoods, over the interstate and across some lakes as you head to Uptown. For some reason I decided this would make a good first classic style race. I've been interested in doing a classic race but also reluctant as I am not a confident classic skier.

The other thing with classic events beyond just the need to be a good skier is that you need to be a good ski waxer. I've had plenty of experience waxing for good glide but waxing for good kick is a much trickier matter. At first it was seeming to be easy with predicted highs in the low 20s but, of course, that wasn't to be. The warmer it gets the trickier it is to kick wax. Once you get to the upper 20s and into the 30s there is a different kick wax for every one or two degrees.

Waxing in the hotel room

So on to the race . . . .

I was pretty nervous on race day and had this feeling that I was not yet ready to do a 25k classic event and I was very jealous of all the people milling around who were doing the 10k tour. The tour starts 5 minutes before the classic race and Dave and I got into the starting area with less than 5 minutes to our start. Dave got up into a good position but I lined up at the back.

Once the start was off it was a bit of pandemonium. Ski races frequently start on fairly level ground which allows everyone to double pole until everyone starts to spread out. This race started at the bottom of what appeared to be a tubing hill so there was very little double poling before everyone was going full on. In the back it was chaotic enough that there was no striding going on and we were all pretty much doing the herringbone in a chaotic packed group of flailing skiers. At the top there was instantly a bottleneck as we made our way into the first corner up and around the tow rope machine.

Then it was 8k of insanity. It was all up and down steep, twisting hills. At this point in the race Dave told me he was thinking about how unhappy I likely was at how difficult this race actually turned out to be. Luckily I was too busy trying not to die to have any thought in my head. Add to all this that my glide was really fast for the first part of the race and at every downhill I'm catching up to the people in front of me . . . but every downhill has people crashing that you have to slalom around. I was too busy trying not to crash myself to be unhappy.

Not that I didn't crash in this section. On one really fast downhill there was this crazed chain of events with people skiing off the trail on one side and one guy down in the middle. I come zooming down, stay on the trail, narrowly miss the guy who falls in front of me and then just as I'm starting up the next hill I get off balance in some uneven snow and down I go.

The other parts of this section were all evil hills that were not always conducive to striding. They were either too congested, too steep, too icy or had too deep of powdery snow. That means you have to break out the herringbone. This is bad for me as I tend to do very little practice of the herringbone as I don't classic ski a ton and when I do I gravitate towards trails with hills that aren't super steep.

This lack of practice was bad for me on a couple of levels. First, because it was hard for me on some of the tougher climbs to herringbone well. Second, because on two short occasions I broke into a bit of skating because under pressure my mind has trouble remembering how to herringbone. Yes, I'm just going to admit it now and risk disqualification. It was no secret because the second I broke into a skate a woman behind me screamed out "no skating". As if that wasn't bad enough as soon as she could catch up to me she skied up to me and started lecturing me.

I guess the urban race brings out more of the urban personality. I got her to apologize though. I gave her my sob story about this being my first classic race and how I'd never even classic skied 25k at one time before and how I barely know how to herringbone. Then she felt kinda bad and apologized and let me know she only yelled at me because someone skated the hills at the Mora last year and won her age group. To make her feel even worse I told her that I wasn't too worried about that and I only hoped I was good enough to finish the race. Then she felt so bad she told me I was a really good skier. (Her worries were somewhat justified I suppose as I ended up 4th in my age group and was highly relieved not to be 3rd after all that.). Since this drama went down at probably 4 or 5k into the race I was highly paranoid the rest of the race that I would once again be on auto pilot and do some skating at some point. I wasn't sure how far behind me she was but I felt like she was surely watching me. I probably brought some sort of dishonor on the Madnorskis since I was sporting the jersey.

So the first 8k of this race is crazy with ups and downs and turns and 180s and lots of people still together. You wind around the park like crazy and go by the start area a couple of times and use the tubing hill. Finally you head out onto the golf course. It's pretty crazy because you can see other parts of the trail and not being familiar with it you aren't always sure if the people you see are in front of you or behind you. This was another section where I had a spectacular wipe out. We crested up a hill and there was a long downhill. I thought of jumping in the tracks but for some reason I just started down the hill not in the tracks. Huge mistake as there were huge clumps of powdery snow and one took me down hard. Luckily there was no one around me at this point so I just popped back up and was going again in like 5 seconds.

After the golf course you go by the start area one more time and finally head out of the park and start making you way towards Uptown. I was hugely relieved as my memory from the map gave me hope that the worst was behind me.

Not that there are not hills as there are particularly in this area called Quaking Bogs. There was one particular hill that was deep with powdery snow that was a pain to herringbone. There were also some fun ones that were icy and annoying to not slip out on as your herringboned up. On the plus side though is that the later uphills and downhills are not as congested so seem a little less difficult or at least less stressful.

Here's the thing though. I was really worried about the striding part of the race going into it. I'm not great at striding and the weather/snow conditions made the choice of kick wax difficult. In the end though those things were not that important. The vast majority of the race was spent using the herringbone to get up hills because they were either steep, icy or had very deep powdery snow. The rest of the time you were double poling. I did actually stride some but not as much as I anticipated. My kick wax wasn't great but then I doubt anyone's was. I would say I had good kick in the middle of the race. My wax was a little too cold for the start but once that layer wore off I was good for awhile but then it got much warmer than I expected towards the end and I didn't have a bottom layer warm enough for the day.

It really didn't matter at the end of the race though. There are a bunch of really long flat sections mostly on lakes at the end. You just had to double pole all of it and once in a while you could throw in a kick double pole. Of course not everyone was doing that. Lots of people were trying to stride these sections and I was passing people like crazy. I kept having to jump out of the tracks so I could get by. I was really surprised by that but I guess all those Wednesday night double pole drills I've been doing really paid off. I would say that double poling was the one thing I did better than the other people around me. I was getting tired of double poling but I just kept focusing on good technique. Luckily I was passing people so it was easier to stay motivated as clearly it was the fastest technique.

It was great to reach Uptown and I felt better than expected. I also finished amidst crazy cheering and fanfare . . . I'd like to say it was for me but the winners of the 35k freestyle race finished just as I did.

At the finish

The rest of the weekend was pretty awesome as well. It was gourmet fun actually which is the beauty of the urban ski race. Saturday we hit Birchwood Cafe for lunch then French Meadow Cafe and Bakery for dinner. Post-race we walked the mile back and forth to Pizza Luce since I had to have some Baked Potato pizza post-race. We also got to do some other fun stuff like go to Gear West so I could buy a new ski bag. Hit the Lush store for wonderful smelling bath products and drool over expensive furniture at the Room and Board outlet (which was conveniently located just down the street from the race parking lot). I love Mora, MN and am looking forward to next weekend's race there but it won't have all those amenities.

Silent Sports article(s)

2009-01-30T10:26:00.003-06:00

I'd like to comment on the ski technique article in the last Silent Sports (and if you don't ski this will all be meaningless to you so skip to the very end). I feel like the author is trying to make a good point in that you should use the ski technique that is most appropriate to the terrain. That is a good point and there is a difference in what an elite skier will do vs a strong amateur vs a more recreational skier. Each technique has its place and trying to V2 up a steep climb is not efficient but neither is using the V1 on a flatter or very gradual up hill. I feel like the author does a disservice when he says that most parttime skiers won't have the balance for the V2. I personally think that not learning to V2 is like not learning how to shift into all the gears after buying a new 20 speed road bike. Why wouldn't you learn? Not to mention that some longtime skiers struggle with balance while some people seem to have naturally good balance.

And I'm saying all this as someone who only learned how to V2 last year and is still refining her technique. Personally I find that being able to V2 allows me a chance to recover if I've been doing a lot of climbing and so mostly doing the V1. It is a relief to change it up and can feel relaxing after a lot of V1 climbing. Also, as I've gotten more practice with the V2 I find that I can just keep using the V2 if the terrain is a more gradual incline and still feel comfortable . . . and fast.

I know a lot of people read Silent Sports (or they should!) and I don't want beginner skiers to get the wrong idea that somehow the V2 is too hard to learn or is too tiring to really use. And if you're a skier struggling to learn the V2 please sign up for one of the Madnorski free lessons and request Don Becker as your instructor (tell him I sent you to learn the V2). If you can V2 some but want to really refine it and can afford lessons that aren't free then contact Yuriy and pay for a lesson because if he can teach me he can teach anyone. Don't just write off your V2 as useless because you timed yourself and you were faster doing the V1. Instead learn to do both well so you can "switch gears" on the skis.

Okay, end of skiing rant! If you find any of this useful or intriguing please feel free to donate to the Ski for the Cure on my behalf!!

One more rant regarding Silent Sports . . . . how much did I enjoy the letters to the editor this month taking on Bill Hauda and his anti-vegetarian rant last month? Totally loved them. I know Bill so I know that he loves to rile people up and that's his style. A couple of doctors wrote in and did a great job responding to his article. Much better than I would have (since I would have probably also wrote some equally provocative rebuttal). I wish they had the article online so I could link to it.

This weekend I'm off to do my first City of Lakes Loppet in Minneapolis and I signed up to do the classic race (my first classic race ever!). I have lots of fun planned for the weekend including a post-race stop at Pizza Luce. I will also be hitting up some other yummy restaurant stops on Saturday pre-race as well as shopping for a new ski bag at the local outdoor stores. I'll try to actually update my blog post-race with something of interest like choosing the wrong kick wax, falling or running over someone who has fallen, sore hip flexors, arms falling off from double-poling, etc.

Cold One

2009-01-14T22:29:00.003-06:00

It wasn't the warmest evening ever to go skiing but it was manageable. And on the upside the snow was like sand paper so it was super easy to classic ski up the hills. Too bad we were supposed to be doing double poling drills tonight and some glide would have been nice.

24 Hours of Telemark

2009-01-14T14:57:00.003-06:00

Another year of the 24 Hours of Telemark has come and gone. Once again I had so much fun and also suffered an appropriate amount.

This was my first time doing the 12 hour race instead of the 24 hour race and it was an interesting experience. Obviously doing the 24 hour race takes a toll because you don't get much sleep but with 6 people on the team you do get nice breaks throughout the day for recovery. Doing a 4-person 12-hour team you get to go to sleep at night which is sweet but you don't get much time to eat/recover.

So about the race . . . . I went last on the team so I had plenty of time to eat and pick out the appropriate ski clothes for the temperatures. It was -17 F when we woke up but thanks to the sun it warmed up really quickly and was quite nice during the daylight hours (maybe a high of 15 F). It got nice and cold again though as soon as the sun went down.

My first set of two laps went pretty well. The first lap was spent figuring out when I could V2 and when I could V2 alternate and then trying out jumping in the classic tracks for the downhills. I'm going to tell you now that the fastest downhill was scary fast in the tracks. The first time down them I was a little intimidated by how fast I got going but luckily it is a straight shot so I knew I would be fine. My first two laps I also had a little extra motivation because Jack Hirt started not too long after I did and I didn't want him to catch me since he has only skied a few times. (And I did hold him off!) The thing about the first two laps was I remembered just how tiring the course is as it is almost entirely climbing or descending in the tracks. The course just doesn't have that many flat sections and with fast tracks that beat skiing down the hills. Plus with the cold temperatures the snow is slow for skating (think skiing over sandpaper).

My second set of laps were much tougher actually. Part way through the 2nd 5k I realized that I hadn't eaten enough or maybe I just hadn't eaten the right things. I felt like I was really dragging and my energy wasn't where it should be. The 2nd part of the course (which comes after a long gradual climb up to where the volunteer station is) was really tough as the climbs were really sucking all my strength. One particularly steep hill had the slowest snow of the course as well which really adds to the second part of the course. I was really looking forward to getting in and making up a bottle of energy drink.

My third set of laps was a bit more laid back as I was under strict instructions to not come in before 8pm (I got in about 3 minutes early but I timed it fairly well). We had made a team decision to all do 7 laps instead of pushing it and making 1 or possibly 2 people do 8. It just seemed more fair especially given how cold it was. Plus it wasn't going to make a difference in our overall place. It was nice to take it easier and check out the scenery especially since the moon was unbelievably large and had a beautiful halo around it. You really couldn't ask for a more picteresque setting. The only downside was how painfully cold the downhills were now that the sun was down. Before flying down I would pull up my balaclava and try to minimize the amount of cold air on my face and in my lungs. As it was the cold air gave all of us a nice dry hacking cough for long after the race was over.

My last lap was just a 5k and I had 30 minutes to kill which was much more time than is needed to do the loop. I stopped in several spots to just take in the beauty of the moon and I never hustled to pass anyone. As it was I still finished a few minutes early and got to stop and chat with the teammates until I saw the clock show that 12 hours had passed.

At the conclusion I was craving pizza (which we didn't have with us) but I'm clearly a lucky person as the post-race party had pizza (even veggie pizza!). That was the perfect conclusion to the evening . . . well, that and the fact that I won a Horny Toad fleece jacket in the raffle (ironic since I race on the Horny Toad sponsored team).

That night after lots of chatting and giggling with the gals we got some very glorious sleep. In the morning we woke up and ate birthday cake in bed (it was my teammate Rebecca's bday), packed up the room, and headed to Rock Lake where we classic skied another 15k (which put us each at 50k for the weekend which was the same as we did when we raced the 24-hour category).

All in all a totally kick butt Girl's Weekend!!

Ski Thoughts

2009-01-06T12:23:00.004-06:00

Here's some random thoughts on my personal journey to learn to be a skier garnered from the last few evenings of ski school. (For those that don't know anything about skiing see here for descriptions of the V1, V2 and V2 alternate or stop reading now).

1. It's funny how you think you're doing something which you are not doing. Case in point . . . last night we were doing intervals up Hill 1 and 2 at Blackhawk. Yuriy was watching all of us and pointing out things to work on improving. He told me that I needed to pole at the same time on both sides when I was V1ing up the hill. My initial thought was "that's what I'm doing" but, of course, I actually wasn't. That gave me something to distract myself from skiing up those hills as I worked to correct my timing which was off. I had distinct improvement by the time we were done.

2. It's funny how a well-timed comment can really improve your skiing. Not unlike the V1 poling comment, on Monday we were doing double poling drills at Elver (which was a sheet of ice and fit for nothing else). Yuriy was skiing with me and let me know that I needed to spring up more after poling as I was waiting too long before I brought my poles back up. I could immediately feel the difference. I feel like it totally revolutionized my double poling (which is really the foundation for all poling).

3. It's amazing how sometimes when you least expect it you figure out something that has been plaguing you forever. The V2 alternate has been my nemesis. I could never seem to get the pole to skate timing correct. However, last week Monday we were skiing at Blackhawk and it was rather icy and I was not motivated to be there. We were doing these annoying drills where you ski on one ski almost to a stop which I was not loving because it was too icy for my liking. Then we did this drill where we did the arm motions of poling without poles and I was sucking at the drill. As we started our next drill of doing the ski drill with the pole drill Yuriy gave me a "special" drill (which happens a lot and I always think of as the remedial learner drill). However, the drill he gave me was exactly what I needed and suddenly the timing of the V2 alternate all started to make sense to me and I could do it. I was throwing down the V2 alternate at Minocqua every chance I got last weekend. It felt good to finally be able to get the timing down and feel like I really can do the V2 alternate.

4. This won't mean anything to people who don't mountain bike at Blackhawk Ski Club but I have to post it anyway. I would like to note for the record that last night I skied up Hill 6 at Blackhawk Ski Club all the way to the fence line for the first time. I would also like to be on record saying that it isn't any easier than riding up on a bike but it wasn't any more difficult. Skiing or biking up that hill is just plain painful. I did have one advantage over some of my ski school mates though in that I knew what I was in for when we started up. A couple guys didn't realize that once you get to what appears to be the top you have to make the slight turn and keep going up until you reach the real top of the climb. For once I actually got to pass people as they stopped to regroup while I toughed it out and skied it all the way. Yuriy claims that climb is worse than any of the Birkie climbs which I would like to believe but people always like to tell you stuff like that and then it ends up not being true. (Like that the half Noquemanon race is all downhill . . . sure it is, except for the climbs).

The cool thing about skiing is how much there is to learn to really be an efficient and smooth skier.

Holiday Recap

2009-01-05T14:32:00.002-06:00

I guess I took a vacation from work and from blogging this holiday. Here's a recap for anyone who cares or is bored. After Christmas Eve I kept plenty busy . . .

First up was Christmas visiting my Mom at the nursing home where she is recovering from breaking her hip. What I took away from that is an even stronger feeling that nursing home workers need to be paid better. I don't know how they do it day in and day out. On the way to visit Dave and I did a little skiing at the Greenbush trails. After visiting my Mom we went to Door County and skied at Peninsula State Park and the next day skied at the Reforestation Camp outside Green Bay. No real big days of skiing and we ended each day with good food so fun times with a little bit of exercise.

Then back to Madison where Dave went to work and I didn't. I stayed home and painted the living room (well, 3/4 of the living room). It was long overdue and I figured I'd already arranged the time off so why not put it to use.

For New Year's Eve we went skiing at McMiller as we had to go over to the Bike Doc to pick up the new skate boots Dave had ordered. Conditions were better than I expected (I always expect the worse I think). That was probably the highlight of New Year's Eve as we had no plans since we had originally planned to be gone. New Year's Day was really uneventful then we went to Minocqua on Friday and we skied a ton on absolutely perfect trails. Skiing at Minocqua reminded me of how awesome skiing can be. We skied just a little Friday when we got there. Then Saturday I skated 35k in the morning by myself which completely wiped me out and then got out after eating lunch for 10k of classic skiing. Sunday I did some easy skiing of my fave trails in the morning and then did a little classic skiing in the afternoon before heading back home. The trails were so amazing that it was hard to leave.

The biggest highlight of my week was actually last Tuesday when something finally clicked in my head and I figured out the V2 alternate. The timing of the pole plant has been plagueing me but Yuriy had me do this drill that finally clicked all the synapses in my brain into understanding. This whole skiing thing would be a lot easier if I weren't such a slow learner about anything that requires coordination. Oh well, I make up for it with tenacity.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-25T11:31:00.002-06:00

Christmas Eve was delightful

Started with Apple Waffles

Lots of snow shoveling

Skiing at Olin-Turville

Dinner was Pumpkin Strata, Italian sytle dressing, mashed potatoes with mushroom gray and cranberry sauce.

A game of Up Word and then we watched War Inc.

Can't we get along???

2008-12-19T13:29:00.004-06:00

I mean really, we all race cross. People think we're dorks. We do something that is really hard to explain. Then people have to be drunken idiots. You don't have to be a Page fan but do you have to be obnoxious? I didn't see the melee that went down when Jonathan was being interviewed as I was standing in a different spot when the interview was happening. However, I have met Jonathan, Cori, Cori's brother-in-law, and lots of other members of their family. They are all really nice. I just don't really see why you would start something when all they did was ask you to stop heckling. Is that where cross racing is headed with lots of rowdy hooligans? Rowdy fun is fine but hooliganism is not necessary.

I do like Patrick O'Grady's article on the whole thing especially the line "And if the wife of the guy you heckle can take you, you’d best keep your piehole shut."

I've got nothing against enjoying a beer while you spectate but if you're the kind of person who becomes a mean/stupid drunk maybe you should limit your consumption.

Yes, the USGP is coming to town

2008-12-18T11:10:00.003-06:00

Cyclocross Magazine published the early calendar for next year's cross season. As you can see the Wisconsin race is joining the USGP. It wasn't an easy decision to make the move to the series as their are pros and cons to being a part of a series versus being a stand alone race. However, I'm excited for our decision and I'm excited to be working with the USGP staff. I think it will be great for the cross community and will be an exciting weekend.

Huge thanks to everyone who made this opportunity possible - John Ericsson my co-race director, the whole race staff, all the volunteers, the racers who came out, the fans who came out or stayed after their race, all of the awesome sponsors, Bob at Planet Bike, Jonathan Page for lending his name to the event and giving it cache and also to Tim Johnson for apparently saying good things about the event to the USGP staff.

2009 should be quite a year for cross!

Is nothing a secret in the internet era?

2008-12-17T16:07:00.004-06:00

That's all I'm saying. For now . . .

Cross Racing Wrap Up

2008-12-17T13:29:00.002-06:00

Yeah, so I went to Kansas City and did this little race thing called Cyclocross Nationals. Good times that. I guess it warrants one last race report before closing the door on 2008.

Standing on the start line at nationals is actually pretty cool. All year I've been at start lines and it's a pretty casual deal. I don't really get overly stressed given that I've been at this for awhile and in the local elite women's races it's pretty clear the general finish order.

I wasn't exactly nervous on the start line but it does have a special feeling and every time I stand there I really do wish that I had the fitness to be in contention. The first year I went I was just starting to get sick, same thing the second year. Last year I was just getting over a horrible case of the flu. This year I just didn't ride my bike or train for cross. I always stand there wishing things were different as the officials line us up, the announcer is getting everyone pumped and the music is going. It makes you want to be a contender for a podium spot even when you're hopelessly ill prepared.

I got a bad start and I feel bad for whoever was lined up behind me. Luckily Sydney Brown was right next to me so hopefully they all jumped on her wheel as I was at the back of the field immediately. It was obvious that I hadn't raced in a few weeks as I didn't have that burst you need to get off the line fast. That wasn't really the end of the world though. That came when I got over to get out of the way for the 45-49 year olds who started 30 seconds behind us and integrated our field in probably within the first 2 minutes of our race. I got over just as I was making a tight turn and I knew that line was dangerous as it was rutted. However, I wanted to get out of the way of the podium contenders and in the process I snagged a stake with my handlebars and went down. By the time I extricated my bike and was back up and going not only had all the 40-44 year olds passed me but also the entire 45-49 year old field. I also had to do the whole race with my brake/shift lever all askew (luckily it still worked but it was awkward). Not really the way I had hoped things would go. After getting up and going again I focused on a woman I know from MN and started chasing her. I knew if I caught her I wouldn't be last as I knew she was in my age group (and racing to not be last is what I know best).

To make a long story short I did pass some gals and two of them were in my age group so I made my goal of not being last. I raced in very muddy and slippery conditions which is usually good for me. Unfortunately the vast majority of the race course was a very long, very muddy uphill that required a lot of power which I'm lacking this year due to too much skiing and running. However, I would say that I was really strong at the off bike running sections and could really make time there. Too bad for me it was a bike race not a running with your bike race. I even had random people in the crowd comment on my awesome running.

It was a good race though as there were a ton of people cheering for me and it was hard to tell I was at the back of the field as there were about 70 women on course at the same time as we had the 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-65 and 65+ women all out there. That was super cool!

Will I go to Nationals next year? I had been saying that I was done after this year . . . . but it was fun and it was so awesome cheering on all the Wisconsinites and we had lots of them. Including podium finishes from tons of people including Diane Ostenso, Sarah Huang, Anna Young, Kaitie Antonneau, Kristin Wentworth, Ashley James, Sarah Lucas, Sam Schneider, Emma Swartz, Jordan Cullen, James LaLonde, and, of course, Jonathan Page. Plus just hanging out with all the other Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois riders. Everywhere you turned there was someone you knew.

I'm including a couple photos of me running as I might as well show off the parts where I was doing well. The photos of me riding are not nearly as impressive.

Photos by (appropriately enough) Lanterne Rouge

Giving

2008-12-04T12:15:00.004-06:00

I've been meaning to post for awhile now about the button for Birkie Skiers for Cure that is now on my blog page. I've thought for awhile now that if (or maybe when) I skied the Birkie I wanted it to be about more than me just skiing. Now that I'm for real skiing the Birkie I've signed up to raise funds for the National MS Society. Hence the button which you can click to easily make a donation on my behalf. Truthfully I've always avoided doing fundraising events as I hate to ask for money. However, pursuits like skiing and biking are very self-centered pursuits and I really do want to give back to important issues so this is my little attempt to do both.

SO if you would be willing to donate even just $5 I could at least make it a little ways towards my $500 goal. $10 would be even nicer but even $1 is fine by me.