Live Fearless

Retro blogging - Levis Trow WEMS race.

2009-11-08T21:12:00.018-06:00

I generally don't participate in WEMS races as it's really not my style of racing; I'm not into being on a mountain bike for 6 or 12 hours at a time (not yet, anyway). But I headed up to Levis Trow in July to help out with the race that the Chain Smokers were putting on. I only slept a few hours on that Friday night and was up at 5am to serve racers breakfast, then I spent a number of hours working timing. After a nine hour "work" day, I suited up for the 25 mile solo.

Race Director Jason

Peter and me

Running in a mountain bike race is hot garbage.

Kent caught me on the second lap and smoked me.....even with a bum knee.

Kelson and Jen

Kelson on the mic. He also announced Day two of the USGP cross race. Maybe it's time for a career change?

The usual look of panic and pain on my face.

Smiling? This is a rare event; I must have been finishing.

1st place. Nothing like being a big fish in a small pond for a minute or two. Getting a bi-monthly smackdown in WORS races teaches you to appreciate small moments like these.

The best part of that weekend was not the race, but it was the Sunday Chain Smoker course tear down ride. We cleaned the course and ripped some of the most fantastic singletrack that I've ever ridden. The sidewinder trail has to be one of the most intimidating trails around. I would easily put Levis on par with riding in Colorado.

Can you believe that these views are in WI?

Todd, Jen and myself posing by a large rock......giddy as hell......even though there wasn't enough chamois cream in all of Wisconsin that could have helped the chaffing that racing and riding at Levis gave us. The Sunday ride was worth every bit of chafe and I would easily label it my most epic ride of 2009.

Halloween.

2009-11-08T21:03:00.002-06:00

I didn't get to rock my costume at the Washington Park CX race, but I did get to rock it at various parties in the Mad City.

A Wisco Summer in November.

2009-11-08T17:38:00.008-06:00

A good weekend of giving a co-worker a proper Pedro's margarita send off into a new job in a new city, road riding, team party with prizes won, bonfire lit, cycling stories told, and some short-sleeved singletrack riding at the Kettle. I even managed to drop a few hung over dudes.....they must have been more hung over than myself. Time to reel it back in.

Plotting, planning and scheming for 2010

2009-11-01T21:34:00.024-06:00

I'm the opposite of most people. Every August I seem to get depressed and irritated with every aspect of my life. The days get darker earlier and the end of summer is nearing. As winter and spring roll around, I snap out of it and get really excited for the cycling year that is ahead of me. I blame this nonsense on living in Wisconsin. One would think that after 33 years, I should have adjusted by now. Planning the next year helps turn my sadness around.

It's time to start using my gym membership that sits idle from May to October each year. This week I'll begin weight lifting and attending Pilates class. I need to really work on my back problem which stems from the soft tissue damage in my quad that I received from Treadfest 2007. Getting old sucks.

The diet down is on. Weighing and measuring food really sucks, but it's the only way to accurately track what is going into your body. And I like getting the weight drop done in a quick amount of time during base training.

As usual there will be plenty of trainer riding going on. But I tend to burn out fast - especially if the rides are more than 1.5 hours long.

Lights and high top boots have been my top purchases this fall. My pansy-ass is going to have to suck it up because I need to do some outside riding to maintain my sanity.

And of course, I'll have to change it up with some winter sports action.

Another ski trip out to Alpine Meadows in Tahoe would be nice.

WORS 2010. Game on people.

Race Across The Sky

2009-11-01T22:49:00.004-06:00

I saw the movie Race Across the Sky. It really helps you understand what a special event the Leadville 100 is. And well it is very easy to get swept up in the emotion of that movie, I don't think I'll be applying anytime soon. One thing I know about myself is how bad I suck at altitude and this race is held at over 10,000 feet. Plus I think an Ironman might be an easier event. I would categorize Leadville as one of those things that maybe I'll do before I'm 40.....or maybe not.

Check out Chris P.'s and Rebecca C's (Oct 23 entry) Leadville 100 experiences. If you think you are tough enough, think again.

My Chequamagon - Part II

2009-09-23T20:31:00.011-05:00

Photo by skinnyski - second row on the right.

Sub three hour tour and 35th female on the day (other years a sub three hour might have placed you 20-30th....but not this year). Days later I found out that I rolled 40 miles on a mildly separated shoulder (1.5 months later and it still hurts.) Two times the daily dose of Vitamin I saw me though. I missed my top 25 goal, but hit my better than 3 hour goal. Considering the bloody mess that I made of my body, I was pretty happy with my race. It's not all that bad when you can take down a beer at the finish line after ripping 40 miles of fire roads.

Photo by skinnyski

And I actually got to pedal up fire tower hill. A few years ago I can honestly say I wasn't fit enough to make it up. I'm already stoked for next year.

USGP Cyclocross

2009-11-01T21:25:00.004-06:00

I hit up the USGP CX event. Unfortunately I couldn't race since the doctor called my season over. Here a few pictures.

Full gallery here.

My Chequamagon 40 - Part I

2009-09-20T19:50:00.035-05:00

2009 marks my 4th trip to Hayward, WI to race in one of the largest and craziest events that we have in the Midwest. I did the "40" in 2005 and 2006. I was denied in 2007 which actually worked out very well for me. Due to my injuries last year, I raced the "Short and Fat" and secured my entry into this year's race.

If you have never had the Chequamagon experience check out this video from last year's race.

Thursday night I drove up to Spooner, WI, checked into my hotel room and immediately got acquainted with the 24 hour hot tub and pool. I topped off the night with a few adult beverages and some HBO. A little alone time was nice after the last two insane weeks I've had at work. Friday afternoon I met up with Peter, a fellow ChainSmoker, at the Telemark Resort in Cable, WI to ride the Ojibwa trail.

Photo credit

Now riding this trail the day before the 40 is NOT the wisest thing to do; I'll admit that. But you can't drive 5 hours to a place like Cable, WI and not ride the fantastic singletrack that is part of the CAMBA Trail System. It's seems so wrong. So that is exactly what we did.

Things were going well and we were cruising though the singletrack. Peter and I pre-ride at the same speed (or he is nice enough to slow down for me). After following Peter through the Ojibwa trail for about an hour, I took the lead. We hit some fast downhill doubletrack and I was flying. At the end of the doubletrack there was a huge berm/lip followed by a small drop. I didn't see it right away, but when I realized what it was, I thought "I'm FUCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!". And I was.

It was too late to lay on the brakes because I was going over the handlebars if I did. So I tried to scrub a little speed off as I went over the sharp lip. There I went flying through the air, higher than I'd ever been in my life. In that split second, I started to contemplate a few important things. 1. Wheelchairs are not for me. 2. If I get out of this alive, I might just give up mountain biking. Many people sit on the couch while watching tv and eating potato chips. I can do it too. 3. Please let my bike be ok for the race tomorrow.

I proceeded to fly over my bike and smash into the ground harder than ever could be imagined. My knees were completely bloody. I landed on my shoulder and chest. My head bounced off of the ground. And my elbow impaled my stomach. Then I realized that I couldn't breath. I tried to get up. Peter pushed me down and told me not to move. He was sure I broke bones - maybe my collarbone. I started to panic. Why couldn't I fucking breath? Did I collapse my lung? Shit, we are in Cable fucking Wisconsin, there is probably not a hospital here (sorry, I have a potty mouth, I know). How the hell am I going to get out of the trail system? I'm going to die here. After about a minute of irrational contemplations, I started to calm down, realizing that I had just knocked the wind out of myself. Duh. Years of playing competitive soccer should have taught me this. But I guess in all the years of getting the wind knocked out of me, I've never had a blow this hard. (Even the time I collided head on with a goalie. I knocked her out, broke both her shins and scored a goal all at the same time. I momentarily was knocked out and had the wind knocked out of me. I still blame her. She was the aggressor and came at me with all her might. I was 110 lbs of goal scoring bad-assness back then.)

I got up, started to walk it off and assess the damage. The bike was ok. The rider had two blood knees, a stomach that hurt from being jabbed with her own flying elbow and a swelling arm/shoulder. It appeared that I'd live to ride another day, just maybe not in the 40. Peter and I started making our way back to the Telemark. We tried to take a short cut and ended up lost (of course). Finally after almost a 2 hour "pre-ride" we made it back to home base where I tended to my wounds, picked up my packet and headed back to my hotel to re-figure my Cheq 40 strategy. If crashing my brains out wasn't enough excitement for the day, a deer jumped out in front of me on HYW 63. My Dodge Dakota came within inches of hitting this terrified female deer. I may have even hit its back leg. My heart ended up somwhere in my throat as I veered completely off the road while driving 60mph, then righted myself back onto the HYW. Do you ever think the Universe is trying to tell you something?

Here is my knee, partially cleaned up for your viewing pleasure.

Treadfest.

2009-09-17T10:46:00.029-05:00

The last few weeks of life have had me mostly living at work, sleeping very little and eating like total shit or not eating at all. With motivation and expectations at an all time low and back pain at an all time high, I really wasn't that excited to head to Lake Geneva, one of the more technical races in the WORS series.

There were about 20 women at the start line which is a hearty number for the 1:30 race. Don said GOOOOOOOOO and we were off. I climbed up the hot, exposed ski hill, made my way through the dusty, sandy singletrack and found myself thinking about the rock garden that was to come.

The legendary rock garden is Lake Geneva's spectator centerpiece. It is lined with people yelling, screaming and taking photos....all waiting for the inevitable carnage to ensue. Now, the rock garden is really not that difficult of a piece to ride. You need to set your nerves aside, take some momentum into it and roll right down the middle, then try not to break your neck on the descent. Sounds easy enough, doesn't it? Unfortunately the consequences for not riding it perfectly are substantial - falling in the rock garden could mean serious damage to your bike and body, everyone you know will have witnessed your crash and will have posted the photos come Monday morning and you will most likely be run over by others behind you, trying to ride the rock garden.

With all these thoughts dancing around my head, I sat on the wheel of Brenda ZT as we made our way on Lap 1 up to the rock garden. About this time the Comp men started to catch us. As we passed the "CAUTION" sign, there was dude who wanted to pass us on the drop. I told him to wait. These are not words you will usually hear out of my mouth (those that know me, know I'm super easy to pass - just let me know you're there, don't cut me off, or crash me and we're all good....call me crazy but it is generally not good idea to ask for a pass in a section that requires a CAUTION sign). Brenda ZT hit the rock garden and slowed, which cause me to slow a little and sure enough, the dude made a super sketchy pass as I entered the the garden of many large, bruise worthy rocks. I was off the bike, pissed as hell and maybe even uttering a few unkind words (sorry spectators). Making your way down that hill on foot is awful and dangerous with non stop traffic barreling down a "room for one only" descent.

During that episode a few elite women had passed me, so I spent the rest of Lap 1 expending all my energy trying to regain my position and trying to let go of my anger. I am very happy to report that on Laps 2, 3 and 4 I rode the rock garden cleanly and managed to avoid any permanent physical, emotional or psychological damage that one receives from having a mishap there.

Photo by Velogrrl

I have a history with heat exhaustion - one episode at Alterra last year and one at Subaru Cup this year. It happens on exposed ski hill climbs on super hot days. I know this about myself. Knowledge is power. So when I started climbing the exposed ski hill on Lap 2, I could feel it coming on. It was just a stones throw away - the chills, the intestinal upset and yucky feelings. The result? I slowed way down, dropped it into the granny gear, started drinking more and hung on as best as I could. I did this for Laps 2, 3 and 4 and finished the race in 2 hours and 36 minutes for 11th on the day. I'll take it.

Photo by Velogrrl

Thanks to everyone for all the cheers and encouragement. I had a great time at the race and was super excited just to cross the finish line.

Photo by Gary

Well, I'm off to the Chequamagon 40 today. A top 25 finish is the goal but perhaps it's too lofty or assuming. There are many unknowns and things that will be out of my control. For instance, am I going to get run over by 1700 people because I have preferred start and got tangled up one of the many crashes that traditionally happen? And will I have the mental patience to avoid crashes for the first 25-30 miles. If my memory serves me right, it's mass chaos for the majority of that race.

For those of you going, I'll see you at the finish line at the Telemark Resort. We'll be dusty, sweaty, sore, happy and hopefully in one piece. Come have a beer with me.

Stump Farm

2009-08-31T21:58:00.019-05:00

Photos by Velogrrl.

After a little deliberation, I headed to the WORS race in GB instead of the Palos Meltdown. Ripping 35 or so miles a few weeks out from the Cheq 40 seemed like the right thing to do. I was also excited for what is essentially a road race on the mountain bike with some single track to boot.

The start was the typcial frenetic pace for the holeshot to the singletrack. I felt decent, but I didn't put the hammer down hard enough (unfortunately it seems like I've lost a little on the flats compared to earlier in the season.) and someone who is much slower in singletrack slipped in ahead of me. That is all it took to create a gap...once we went from leadout to singletrack back to double track, the top 8 women were gone. The remaining 6 of us were left in the dust.....left to duke out the remaining 30 plus miles. In retrospect that is where the biggest mistake was made....I should have at all costs threw it down harder on the lead out. Losing the drafting train on this course pretty much equals game over.

So I spent the next few miles blowing myself up trying to be the "front of the back". Once I accomplished that mission, Regina showed up and we were off. At a certain point in the first lap she was ahead of me and tearing my legs off. But I made myself stick on her wheel at all costs. My legs were on fire and my back was in some serious pain. I debated packing it in, but my seatpost had slipped as the race continued which eased the pressure on my back. The comp men started to pass us about half way into lap 1. The King of WORS made his way past me and then took down Regina just in front of me. I picked my jaw up off my top tube, thought "Holy Shit!" and cruised around the carnage. Luckily everyone was ok.

Regina caught back up with me and we rode lap 2 and most of lap 3 together. The back and forth was a total ass beater.....I kept trying to rip the singletrack as fast as possible, but there was no shaking her. On the home stretch in the third lap, Regina disappeared. A comp rider informed me that she had dropped her chain. What a total bummer and not the way I wanted it to end. A sprint finish after 35 miles would have been super sweet. So I just threw it down with everything I had and rolled in 9th for the day. Definitely a decent finish, but also a little disappointing as I can't seem to turn the pedals any faster to move my way up the Elite womens' food chain. I fully realize that Rome wasn't built in a day, but a podium finish would be really, really nice. On a positive note, I did ride the singletrack well. It's not the most technical, but you gotta take the small victories when they come your way.

Also mad props to Lori S. Winning the overall and beating Rebecca C. on her home trails is a huge freaking accomplishment.

Border Battle.

2009-08-21T21:06:00.019-05:00

All photos by Velogrrl

The my race can be summed up in one word - "blah".

A few of the low lights were:

1. Blowing myself up on lap one trying to hang with a stronger rider on the flats.

2. Almost getting pushed off the first bridge on lap one. Someone had fallen off and was remounting at the bridge exit point while I was riding it.

3. Eating it myself at the bridge on lap two for really no good reason.

4. Riding laps two, three and four with pain in my hip/ass from biting in on the bridge and subsequently feeling disheveled and pissed at myself for the rest of the race.

5. Feeling super sick on lap two (maybe the enduralites?).

6. Having the top elite men catch me on lap 3 in the freaking tightest spot on the course. I just pulled over....when I started pedaling again, a few more top elite men came out of nowhere and whizzed right by me. This caused me to suddenly shift my weight in an attempt to once again get out of the way. I ended up tipping over while clipped in and laying in the bushes. It wasn't pretty. And while I know I'm not gunning for a top spot, I do hope all the elite men appreciate the courtesies that are given to them. And I hope they at least had a good laugh while I kicked it in the bushes.

7. Too much braking.

8. Driving solo for 3.5 hours back to Madison while in a pissed off mood. At least I didn't get a speeding ticket.

9. Skipping 4 hours of scheduled training this week cause my hip/ass hurt.

The highlights? There were a few:

1. I held back a lot on the climbs. I think I can let loose a little more because I'm fitter than I think.

2. I felt slightly less unraveled on lap 4, pulled my head out of my ass and kicked it in the ass.

3. I had a decent pre-ride on Saturday and had a good time riding my bike.

4. While sifting through pictures this week I noticed that a few Comp men had also fallen off the first bridge. This somehow lessens the blow to my ego and all the ass pain I've been having.

I think the look on my face says it all.

Next up: Part of me would like to do the Palos meltdown, but I'll be heading to WORS GB. It should be a good test of my fitness and will be a good race leading up to the Cheq 40.

2009 Race Season in Photos

2009-08-08T13:36:00.057-05:00

All photos by Velogrrl, Rusty, Superfly, Gary and Holly.

IOLA

A slow start....nerves danced around in my stomach...GOOOOO!!!!! and the pedal was missed.

Looking good on first quarter of the lap.....until I crunched my left hand between my bike and a tree. Writhing on the ground as all the Elite ladies passed me is not the way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Writhed a few more times on the ground that day.

Smokin Spoke

Drafting on the lead out. Had a decent race but my back was shredded by the second half and rode the singletrack slower than desired. Navagating the singletrack with the Comp men was tough....cut off and forced off my bike a few times.

Jumping on the Comp train. Thanks for the pull fellas.

Wausau

Fucking miserable - muddy, rainy, windy and cold. 40 degrees in June in Wisco. WTF. Back still shredded from Smokin Spoke and from churning 9 mile mud; pulled off to stretch the back and to DNF but got talked into finishing the race. Thanks Michelle.

Subaru Cup

Nothing like going from 40 degree temps to 85+. Heat exhaustion in the XC race. Took it easy in the Super D and had a respectable finish behind Lisa in the Short Track.

Getting the race done early in day has it benefits - kicking it friends.

Women's Dirt Retreat

Got to be an instructor at the Dirt camp.

And got instruction from the likes of Alison Dunlop. We will be seeing her shortly at the Wisco USGP races.

The Firecracker

Had a good ride...until I didn't. Took a spill the beginning of lap numero dos and had hydraulic brake fluid all over my left hand. Life as a chemist has taught me that brake fluid is not miscible in sports drink....but in the thick of it, that is how my hand got rinsed. Yard saled it two more times. Lost a handful of confidence and spots in the overall. Additionally a select few of the Comp and Junior X men created moderately frustrating situations.

These rocks can Suck It Trebek. It was this chica's last race as a Wisco resident. And I had good company for three hour ride home.

Levis Trow

More on this later. It's so beautiful there that it deserves its own post.

Alterra

Here you can see a Comp man who hit my wheel, pushed me off of my line which nearly forced me off my bike.... not the way you want to start this heart busting climb. Comp dude (whoever you are) I forgive you cause shit happens during racing.

I'm a pretty chill chick and try to be as smooth and gracious in the singletrack as I can be. I certainly forgive many of the stupidities that happen because I'm far from perfect also. And the majority of you are great guys who are generally skilled, safe and super polite. But if you happen to be the 25th Comp dude that day who bumped into me because you don't know how to pass, knocked me off my bike because you are riding outside your ability, shoved me off my line because you think you have the right to the best part of the singletrack or almost crashed me because you didn't think to call your pass....I may lose it and explode at your ass. So I apologize in advance for any unkind words that might fly out of my mouth during the rest of the summer.

Racing in singletrack is getting better as the summer progresses even when dehydrated and hungover. WORS 2009 to be continued.....

Alterra

2009-08-04T22:13:00.009-05:00

Picture by Velogrrl

I can't seem to get my shit together this year with bikes, life or blogging. Somehow half a WORS season has passed me by and I have failed to get excited enough to blog about it. Maybe because the last few months of racing have consisted of mediocre results, face plants, crashes, hitting trees, smashing fingers, sore backs, poison oak and heat exhaustion.

My race at Alterra just was what it was. It began with an embarrassing start as my foot missed the pedal and I almost ate grass. You would have thought it was my first race ever. Lap one was spent expending my energy trying to make up for my slow start. Rode with the Comp men for the second and third laps. Nothing too exciting, but I was pleased that I was smooth in the singletrack for laps two and three. Not to mention that I stayed upright for the entire race. Mediocre result. Blah. That's what I get for partying for the last two weeks with my California pal, Brooke.

Picture by Velogrrl
Climbing never gets easier. You just go faster up the hill.

Thanks to the Alterra team for putting on a great race and also for lengthening the lap. My legs were very happy to only climb up that damn hill three times. Last year I remember climbing it four times. My head almost exploded, my legs hurt, I got the chills and realized I had my first case of heat exhaustion.

Two weeks of debauchery.

2009-08-04T22:49:00.010-05:00

Riding and bike racing took a back seat for the last few weeks as I had a friend in town from California. We partied like rock stars, lived on junk food, got way too much sun and slept very little. After her better than two week stay in Sconnie, thankfully Brooke headed home last Friday.....cause my liver couldn't take anymore.

Easter Sunday and the Resurrection.....of my Blog.

2009-04-12T21:38:00.013-05:00

It's time to wake this thing up!

My training officially started at the end of February (late, I know) but the miles have been piling on. This weekend was no exception. Friday night was a quick ride though Waunakee. Saturday I rolled from my home on Madison's northside to Poynette and back. This ride can be found in the Bombay Bicycle Club Routes and it's fantastic. The Pros - not too many hills, very little traffic, lots of farm animals/wildlife (including llamas), beautiful countryside and there is a gas station at the half way point for Ritz Bits and the restroom. Cons - lots of loose dogs who think cyclists are really snausages dressed in spandex.

Today I found myself heading to the kettles to ride 27 miles of Muir to Emma goodness with a few partners in crime. I'm certainly not where I want to be fitness wise, but I'm ahead of the curve compared to last year (with my first mountain bike ride of the year being the Expert Race in Iola....yikes.) The traffic in the parking lot was low due to the holiday but we still saw a few familiar faces. Unfortunately there were no pictures taken but it's always best to leave the camera in the car on the first mountain bike ride of the year...as the rider is a little sketchy.

27 miles of pure magic.

My off season in photos.

2009-02-08T22:39:00.012-06:00

Clean bikes packed away for winter.

Uh Huh Her in Chicago with Amelia

New Toys

Riding in place.

X-mas at the folks.

My photogenic hubby; x-mas at the in-laws.

A little bit of this, but not too much.

Ryan's 30th Birthday Bash.

Wors 2007....

2008-01-08T22:27:00.002-06:00

Didn't happen for me.

2007 was a shit year. I was seriously injured in both Wors Races #2 and #3. I had a compressed ulnar nerve in my left hand and some pretty serious soft tissue damage in my left leg. It is now 2008 and I'm still nursing these injuries. The doctor said it might take a long time to get over the leg injury (as in years). I'm really worried about the compressed ulnar nerve. It was doing well in October, but one cold night ride in November has set me back months. I'm 20lbs overweight (I don't recall ever being this fat in my entire life), I'm loosing muscle mass by the week and the only cardiovascular exercise I get is when I use the stairs at work. In addition I started a new job this year that causes me more stress that I would like, my husband lost his job, we had thousands of dollars worth of vet bills and car bills, and my dog was seriously attacked at the dog park. I recently admitted to myself that I've been depressed due to my lack of exercise and/or lack of motivation. 2008 can only be better.

My husband did get a great new job. Unfortunately it takes up all his time and I only see him a few hours every week. This should make it easy for me to start my base training, if I could only snap out of my funk. I have yet to renew my cycling license. Maybe if I spend the $90 on it, that will light the fire that I need in order to get prepared for Iola.

Maybe I'll do that tonite...

It's Done.

2008-01-08T23:03:00.000-06:00

License #: 242850

Mountain Racer Active 12/31/2008
Categories
Endurance/XC Expert

Road Racer Active 12/31/2008
Categories
Road Cat 4

USAC Racer Active 12/31/2008
Categories
Cyclo-cross Cat 3

Let it begin.

Vacation Friday.

2008-01-11T23:20:00.000-06:00

I woke up at 7:30 this morning, fully realizing that I didn't have to go work. Unfortunately I had fully realized the four glasses of wine I had pounded the night before, while watching Kitchen Nightmares, had left me with a sulfate headache. Even a hungover day away from work is a thousand times better that a sober day at work.

The dog and I headed to Oconomowoc for a visit with our holistic vet. After a few hours of driving, walking around the farm, meeting and greeting people, cats and horses, and a bit of acupuncture, we headed back home for a leisurely afternoon nap.

It's off to the bike swap tomorrow morning. I'm hoping to see a few familiar faces as it serves to pump me up for the 2008 WORS season. A trainer ride on Saturday and a trip to Zoned 4 Fitness on Sunday should make it a successful weekend.

Chipotle Exile

2008-01-20T22:00:00.000-06:00

Picture Left: 2008 and 20lbs heavier.

After months of hibernation from cycling life and exercise in general, I've concluded that I'm at the fattest point of my life. Last month I tipped the scale at a whopping 142 lbs. Considering that my racing weight in 2006 was between 120-125 lbs (which is what it should be) and considering it is now January, I think I have a pretty major problem on my hands (in addition to the not so minor problem of not having any serious training under my belt since May 2007).

I'm not sure why I didn't notice this situation in the months leading up to the present. Too many enjoyable trips to Chipotle and daily imbibing of wine, coupled with zero physical activities are most likely to blame. Not to mention wallowing in my (still present) injuries really made it easy to not care about anything other than consuming tasty chicken burritos with a side of guacamole.

Picture Right: 2006 Phillips (thanks Amelia) was a skinnier time.....

This problem became a reality during Christmas. My mother casually mentioned to me that perhaps my jeans are a little tight. I thought to myself, are you kidding me? My jeans aren't that tight. Shit, are they? The female youth of today are perpetually packing themselves into jeans which are so tight that a shoe horn is necessary for removal. I guess I'm now a member of this not so exclusive club. Crap. I'm officially swearing off Chipotle.

Once a person has fallen so far down into the well, its hard to climb out of it. Last year I started this blog as a way to chronicle my first year of racing mountain bikes as an expert. I guess this blog has tuned into a diary about a fat girl who had to claw her way out of a 50 foot well. The question is: Will she drown or will she make it?

Picture Left: My best friend and worst enemy.

Knowing that my situation is very dire, I formulated a very exacting plan that would make my return to racing somewhat less embarrassing.

Step 1 - revamp the nutrition. I ponied up a small sum of money and purchased a sports nutrition pla n. Along with this plan, I acquired calorie counting software that would track my progress out of the world of the fat into the world of the thin. Bottom line - I don't get to eat anything that I want and I will be measuring/weighing out all my food. I hope this doesn't turn me into a bitch.

Step 2 - Spend a few weeks getting back into the swing of things. This means riding on the trainer, pilates and spin classes at Supreme Fitness and Zoned 4 Fitness, and some weight training at MATC Fitness Center (saying "fitness" three times in once sentence makes me feel stronger already). I have to work all the aches and pains out of my system and remind my body how to work.

Step 3 - Hire a cycling coach by mid-february and do what they say. Coach TBD.

This week's status: 4.5 hours of exercise including a trip to Zoned, no fatty foods and 136 lbs on the scale.

To be continued....

Another Year Older.

2008-02-11T23:20:00.001-06:00

Today is my birthday and I've been feeling overwhelmingly sad. I'm really not sure why. Maybe it's working at a job that doesn't give me the satisfaction which I crave, maybe it's my semi-permanent injuries that I have to tolerate or maybe it's my current lack of fitness. Can you say Seasonal Affective Disorder? I'll put money on that...

Turning 32 has been quite uneventful. A boring day spent at work followed by a trip to Texas Roadhouse to eat a little prime rib with the hubby (but its back on the diet tomorrow). I thought I'd get outside and exercise the dog a bit. Unfortunately it is so damn cold that the Pepper didn't even want to go on a walk. She convincingly told me so by lifting her front legs off the ground like a prairie dog and shook like a leaf. Scrap that idea. Jeff had his bowling league tonite, so that meant I was spending my birthday alone. After eating a huge prime rib, I thought maybe a Pilates workout was in order. A hour-long Pilates class at Supreme Fitness last Saturday, followed by some cross country skiing with Ryan and Wendy sent my body into serious disarray. Every muscle in my body still hurts.....can you say two day recovery! Scrap the Pilates idea. I guess that leaves a little blogging and some vino! Happy birthday to me...

Dinner for one, as usual.

2008-02-14T21:40:00.002-06:00

Another night, another dinner alone. The typical life of a chef's wife. People who watch the Food Network think being a chef is all glamor and excitement. The reality of the situation is it's stressful, it's often working sixty hours each week, it's working nights and weekends, it's not taking vacations because you have to work, it's not interacting with your spouse because you are too tired to deal, it's not celebrating holidays and other important days with family or friends (yes my husband is currently sitting in a bar de-stressing from his crappy day at work on valentines day....not that we celebrate it, but thats pretty typical of what happens in our house), it's giving up the work-life balance that most people strive for, and it's eating fast food because you don't cook at home or because you are sick of fine dining (yes, my husband eats at McDonald's). You get the point.

A little known secret outside of the Bach household is that I do most of the cooking. It is probably for the best because Jeff and I are of very different philosophies when it comes to the preparation of food. He believes that fat is flavor and food should be cooked in fattening ways. I believe that fatty food items should be rubbed directly on the thighs because that is where they end up when I eat them. Give me the low-fat or no-fat version and I'll eat it. Then again, if I were 140lbs and 6 feet tall, I'd be slathering my gravy all over my potatoes too.

Speaking of low-fat, my nutritional plan has been going well. Though as you can see from the picture above, I'm not totally rigid about this diet thing. I refuse to give up my wine entirely, so I try to keep it to one glass per night (I have been known to throw down a half or full bottle on my own every now and again). I'm currently down from 142lbs to 132lbs. Once my training takes off a little more, I'm sure the rest of the weight will drop right off.

Unfortunately my injuries are going to be a major issue for 2008. My doctor is concerned about my wrist/ulnar nerve injury. She said things like, "This isn't typical", "Some people have to get surgery, though we should try to avoid it", "This might be a chronic problem for you"," You might have to change sports". I told her "I figured it wasn't typical problem", "I agree, I won't be having surgery","If this is a chronic problem, I'll just ice and tape it","I won't be changing sports". It's a good thing she is a cyclist so she understands my lack of logic on the matter.

Besides the wrist thing, there is still a very large bump (or the more appropriate description might be - divot) on my quad from my accident at Lake Geneva. It hurts when I pedal my bike and when I pedal faster it hurts even more. It hurts when I get up in the morning and walk around the house. I guess I'll just have to endure all the hurting. Maybe in 2-15 years it might go away. We can't be too certain. It's a shitty hand of cards to be dealt, but I'll be playing them in 2008. I personally think it would "hurt" more to sit on the sideline again.

The final piece of my plan has fallen into place. I pulled the trigger and hired a coach.....Rachel.

I can't wait to get started.

Solo Saturday

2008-03-01T22:27:00.012-06:00

Today was the first official ChainSmoker ride of 2008. I opted out as I'm not yet ready to blow myself up by riding with a bunch of pumped up Comp and Expert guys who are sick of riding on their trainers. 14 ChainSmokers rode the capital city trail which was pretty much covered in ice. Apparently almost everyone crashed at least once during the outing and they stopped at a bar to kick back a few pitches of beer in the middle of the ride. I'm not sure if the crashing was attributed to the ice or beer though.....that's up for debate.

I wisely decided to head out to Gov. Nelson to do a little skiing. This was a solo adventure as Ryan and Wendy were up at Devil's Head/Lake for a little snowboarding and nordic skiing. I spent about two hours skiing around the park, checking out trails and jamming to tunes on my iPod while trying to keep my heart rate at a reasonable level (Zones 1-2). As I found out, keeping the heart rate in check is hard to accomplish when you are a cross country ski hack. After all, today officially kicks off the beginning of my training program. Since I have yet to spring for a power meter, my training program is entirely heart rate based.

It is also hard to stay in your training zones when a 45+ year-old, caravan-driving lady throws down the cross country ski gauntlet. She passed me, offered up a competitive smirk, and subsequently left me in the dust. I wanted so badly to throw down and put her in her place, but the alarm on my HR monitor reminded me that today was not going to be that day. How sad does your life have to be when you want to race a recreational skiing mom-type at a state park to feel good about yourself. I really need the WORS season to start.

I found a few cool trails in Gov. Nelson. This is one of the prettier lookout points; you can see a nice view of the capital.

Another nice view. You can see Westport and Madison's north side.

It looks like skiing might come to an abrupt end tomorrow - 40 degrees and rain in the afternoon. I might try to get one more round of skiing in at Cherokee Marsh in the morning. Then it's two easy hours on the trainer.

Happy base training!

-RB

What have I been up to lately?

2008-03-23T22:30:00.001-05:00

Building a pimpin' commuter. More to follow later this week.

Flippin' Wisconsin

2008-04-14T00:49:00.019-05:00

Why do I live in this god forsaken state? I ask myself this question every winter. But when summer rolls around, I soon forget about all the cold, shitty weather that I spent months enduring. It's like I somehow have a bout of amnesia. Summertime in Madison, WI has that effect on a people. It makes you forget about all the below zero wind chills, all the $300 MG&E bills and all the cycling hours that were logged indoors. On Saturday I found myself on the trainer for two hours, waiting for my bout of amnesia to come, pissing and moaning with every pedal stroke, cursing the city I live in. It's almost enough to kill my love of racing....but not quite.

Sunday was a little better. I wondered over to the Research Park crits. Seeing as my high end fitness hasn't been worked on yet, I decided to spectate instead of race. The Women's 4's had a pretty small showing due to the cold weather. I could only take about an hour of watching races before I was frozen solid. Next I headed over to my brother's house to defrost a little and address some of the issues that my race bike was having. I literally had to clean the cobwebs off the mountain bike - that's how long its been. Ryan helped me dial in the shifting, which is something I can never seem to properly do on my own. After tinkering around for a few hours, I headed back to my side of town and got ready for a three hour burner. Leaving for a ride after 4pm on a cold day is not the smartest (a.k.a. warmest) decision that has ever been made but I had a decent time (frozen feet not withstanding). I battled the cold and windy conditions in the rolling hills of Waunakee on my trusty cyclocross bike. The wind was an ass-beater and had me cranking up those hills at a whopping 7 mph. Suffer now or suffer later I guess...

I'm officially on vacation now. It should be a fun week of cycling, tinkering, exercising the dog, eating and drinking wine daily. Some of the best vacations are the ones where you just stay home.