Sailing pics!

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Love the sun!

Unlike most people around here, I love it when the temps go up and the weekend is filled with wall-to-wall sunshine! Fabulous!

Saturday morning I hit Tiger to do a light jog and test out the IT band. I made it halfway up the Nook Trail before I got concerned about the increasing steepness and turned around. It took me about 10 steps before the damn "IT snap" set in. All of a sudden, bam, and that stupid lateral knee pain snap was back. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Ok, sure, I had done some jogging on the flat trail and might have pushed it a little hard jogging uphill, but come on already. After two months of ASTYM I was really hoping to have made more progress than this. Once I got back to flatland I could barely even walk. Guess I have a topic of conversation for physical therapy this week....

Saturday afternoon I had an invite to go sailing and I spent a beautiful afternoon on the Sound. I've always wanted to go and the outing was awesome! In just over eight hours, we sailed north out of Shilshole, eventually made our way south to Blake Island, then headed back up to Seattle. The marina at Blake Island was too jammed up to allow us to stop, but it was cool to cruise in and check it out.

Sailing was just an entirely new experience. It was quiet, peaceful, fun as hell, and just a good, mellow time. There is definitely something beautiful about being on the water completely under the wind's power. I even got a crash course and got to captain for a while! Our hosts cooked chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen and we saw a school of porpoises shortly after leaving Shilshole. It just doesn't get any better than that!

I've had some trouble on boats so I was happy that I didn't get sick while sailing, but somehow I managed to get seasick once I got home! I felt disoriented, dizzy, and like I was still rocking on the water. After talking to a few friends, I guess "land sickness" isn't entirely uncommon after a long time on the water, but give me a break already! I went to bed and by morning was fine.

Sunday I skipped the Des Moines crit to give the knee a break. I don't need to push it right now. I was disappointed but it was the right decision. Sunday afternoon I headed over to Marcus' and we hit the water on the jet skiis for a few hours. Damn those things are fun! I'm getting much better and even caught some air, though I can only hope to be as good as Marcus is on them.

We were playing in the wake of the larger boats and I managed to launch myself and have a less than spectacular landing. Going down nose first isn't so good and I somehow flipped over the ski. At least I gave the people in the boat some live entertainment. I cracked my knee pretty hard on the ski and now have another bruise to add my awesome collection. Between softball, mountain biking, and jet skiing, my right leg is all sorts of pretty colors now. Ridiculous!

The lightning storm we had last night topped off a spectacular weekend. Can't wait for the temps to go up again! :)

Tapeworm hell

Last night I should have stayed home and watched a movie. Instead, I had the most horrendously awful ride on Tapeworm I think I've ever had. Two of my friends bailed due to traffic, so it ended up being me and my friend Ben riding. When I pulled into the parking lot, I found Ben standing over his bike with a confused look and figured this wasn't a good start. Performance had installed a new rear hub and cassette on his bike and somehow turned it into a fixie. Awesome.

He took a quick jaunt down to Center Cycle to get it fixed while I did a warm up and then we met up a bit later to ride Tapeworm. I knew the night was off to a bad start when I wiped out in a flat sandy area trying to practice track standing. That should have been a sign. I just couldn't get into a groove and areas I usually ride gave me all sorts of trouble. Ben was having a rough night as well, so I didn't feel so bad.

About halfway through, something felt really wrong with my right shoe. I stopped and found out my cleat had come completely unscrewed and was sliding all over the place. Naturally, neither of us had brought any tools, so I had to suck it up and finish the ride that way. As we were nearing the end, I came around a corner and crashed HARD. It was one of those crashes where you find yourself laying on the ground thinking, "WTF!? What the hell did I just run into?" Seriously, the trail was dirt. There was nothing there!

The side of the trail sloped downwards, so I took a pretty good tumble. Of course I landed right on a tree stump that bruised up my right thigh and managed to jam my handlebar straight into my calf. When I got up it was cramping so badly I didn't think I'd be able to ride. Handlebar into the calf? I don't know how that happens. Once I got up, I found the crash culprit: a little stump on the right side of the trail covered by foliage. I must have caught my rear tire on that thing and just washed out.

As much as I would like to ride Tiger tonight, I'm taking the night off. I've got my calf wrapped in a compression bandage because I have a massive knot and every time I flex the muscle it cramps. Between softball and mountain biking, this week has beaten me down badly, so I'm having doubts about racing the Des Moines crit on Sunday, but we'll see.

30 miles!

I never thought I'd actually write a blog entry to express my excitement about riding 30 miles, but here it is! Since starting physical therapy in May I haven't completed many rides, let alone any over 20 miles, so this was a big win yesterday! At the same time though, it was quite humbling.

I rode the Magnolia loop with Marcus, who is an incredibly strong rider. Once upon a time I could stick to his wheel like glue, but that's definitely not the case now. I can usually hang with him partway up a climb, then I'm blown and clunking at my own pace. It's frustrating to have lost so much of my climbing and sprinting ability, but I know it will come back eventually. I'm just happy to be able to ride again mostly pain-free.

My hip was pretty fatigued towards the end, but considering the race in Methow Sunday, all the base running I did Monday night in softball, and the ride yesterday, it held up pretty well. Maybe I'm finally back on track for racing AND the Boston Marathon!

Apology

I've noticed lately that lots more people are actually reading my blog than I realized. Go figure. Sometimes I write real stupid stuff folks!

I said something a little while ago I feel bad about now, because I wrote it while I was a bit pissy about other things going on, and I over-reacted and took things out of context that I normally would not have. Regarding the weekend in Methow, I really did have a great time, so I apologize for making it seem like I did not.

I expected to have a crappy race weekend, but not being able to race is still aggravating. I love the guys on our team, but sometimes it would be nice to have some estrogen in the house. My frustration over my inability to race and my lack of female teammates made me a bit defensive and sensitive. The bottom line is that I took a few negative comments said by one person and turned it into a much bigger deal than it was. For that I'm sorry. I really did have a great time, and I would be happy to travel with any of the guys on our team.

This blog thing is getting me into all sorts of trouble lately, geez. Since I seem to have such a large crowd, does anyone out there have any softball shin guards they're not using? I swear if I field another softball with my shin I'm going to have permanent damage.

Fun in the sun!

Thursday night code posts at work are always a crap shoot. If we're out by 10 it's awesome, but then we're expected at work on Friday. If we're there late it sucks, but then we get Friday off. Our post was running smoothly this past Thursday and I thought I'd be out by 10, but we hit some last minute snags and 10 quickly became 3. The good news: Friday off to enjoy the most beautiful day of the year!

I caught a few hours of sleep, then hit the bike for a quick jaunt around the south end of the lake with a friend from TGH. We had a great time and couldn't have picked a better day for a ride. My hip held up well and I think I got more road bike miles in last week than I have all season.

I spent the rest of the afternoon boating around Lake Washington with a friend, drinking Dos Equis, and enjoying the sunshine. Thanks for the outing! I couldn't believe more people weren't out given the gorgeous weather. After bringing the boat in, the weather was still too nice to call it a day, so we hit the jet skiis for about an hour and I had probably my best run yet. Not until later did we realize we forgot life jackets. Oops! I can't believe we got away with that one.

Saturday I packed up the dog and my mom and headed east to Winthrop for the next mountain bike race on the Indie Series. Since my mom just moved here and hasn't seen most of Washington, I knew she'd love the drive over Highway 20. She also couldn't believe the climate change going into Winthrop. Ahhh, I love Methow Valley!

I woke up this morning ready to kick some ass but damn this course was tough! Thank goodness I only had to do one loop on the lower loop of the course. I heard the upper loop was pretty gnarly and tough. I found out quickly that Friday's jet skiing taxed my hamstrings, which I rely on heavily for climbing. My Garmin registered 1600 ft of climbing in just about 10 miles.

I got a great start and was 3rd going into the single track. The trail had some fast downhill sections, some steep climbs, a few edgy areas around a lake, and some steep, sandy descents. The terrain rolled just enough to not give me time to recover, so I hurt bad most of the race. The worst part was only getting a drop of water here and there because of a kink in my Camelbak tubing. Ugh. I lost a few spots a little ways in probably because I went out way too hard. Bummer.

I hiked a bike on a few steep climbs but my legs were completely blown halfway through the race. I started singing "the wheels on the bike go 'round and 'round" just to keep myself going. Don't laugh, it's a great strategy! The last mile or so I suffered the most. The trail gradually climbed just enough to be annoying and keep the speed down. I did manage to pass one girl towards the end, so I got myself into 5th, which is where I finished. That's my best finish yet, so I'm happy with it, though a little disappointed I couldn't keep myself in 3rd.

My saddle was too low the entire race, and I could really feel it on the climbs. I almost thought about stopping halfway through and raising it, but worried too much about losing my placing so I just kept going. My hamstrings are wrecked now and I think it's partly because of the jet skiing, and partly because of the doofy saddle height. Oh well. One thing is for sure: I'm sleeping well tonight!

RAMROD is when?

A friend of mine somehow talked me into signing up for RAMROD a few months ago. I figured what the hell, and did it. I knew exactly what would happen: I would get in and he would get wait-listed and sure enough, I was right. He's dropping quickly on the wait-list, so I'm confident he'll get in.

Today I fell into a mild panic realizing that this event is slightly over a month away. Wah!? 154 miles with over 10,000 ft of climbing? Shit. I really thought I'd be trained up for this, but this year has gone so far off plan with the physical therapy that to say I'm off track would be an understatement. I guess we'll see what happens.

Last night I cruised around Mercer Island and felt good for the first time in months. My hip got a bit fatigued towards the end, but overall, I felt great! Of course, my riding partner completely annihilated me and I was Zone 4 the entire ride just sucking a wheel. Thanks for the workout though, I needed it! It was nice to be able to tax the cardio for a change. I did a brief foray into Zone 5 climbing up the east side of the I-90 bridge deck and I swear it took me 10 minutes to recover. Looks like I know what I need to work on, but just being able to ride hard last night was exciting! Woo!

The meth bust

I didn't have as much fun as I had hoped this weekend in Methow Valley. Sure, I certainly had fun watching the races, supporting teammates, and enjoying sunshine and warm weather, but overall, I was a bit bummed.

I finished the TT on Saturday with a horrendously awful time that put me in last place by minutes. No surprises there really. The hilly course wreaked havoc on my hip and I could not get my heart rate up at all. It was strange to roll across the finish having barely pushed my cardio, but knowing I physically went as hard as I could. Hey, I had fun with it, cheered on other riders, and tried to take it in stride.

I started the afternoon crit but only raced two laps before pulling myself. I hung with the pack but had no acceleration, no pop, nothing, and it was clear the morning TT had fatigued my hip more than I thought. Sunday morning I woke up incredibly sore, so I took the day off and didn't even start the RR. I'm making progress in PT and after dealing with this injury for almost three years, there is no way I want to set myself back over a race I'm not even in contention for.

So sure, racing didn't go well for me over the weekend, but I expected that and I didn't travel to Methow to race. The disappointing part of the weekend to me was being razzed by some teammates about not finishing the crit and not starting the RR. I may piss off a few people by saying this, but believe me, it's really not my intention. I was asked more than once, "So how does it feel to come all this way and not race?" I was honestly a little shocked and a bit pissed.

I signed up for Methow way back in March not thinking my season would be derailed. Sure, I knew my chance of having a good race this weekend was next to zero, and I knew I wouldn't make it through all three stages, but I still wanted to go to have some fun, enjoy hanging out with teammates, and generally support the team. I was out there all weekend on every corner, yelling for everyone. I was at the finish yelling for ALL of our guys that rolled across, even Chris Hill who finished late in the day. I love the guys on our team, and they're all class acts. Maybe I took things out of context, but it really did piss me off and put a negative spin on a weekend that would have been a lot of fun.

I don't regret going because I got to reconnect with some racing ladies I haven't seen in a while, and it was good to chat with them. To be honest, I think I will start exploring some new teams for next year. I've been with Zoka/Cucina Fresca for three years and I love my teammates, but I'm tired of having no women to train with, no women to race with, and no women to travel to races with. I will get my hip back into shape and I'll be out there training this winter. I just hope to train with some ladies for a change and stop dealing with guys' bullshit.

Methow concerns

This weekend I'm headed to Methow Valley for a stage race and although I know it will be fun, I'm not thrilled from a racing standpoint. I've had little road bike time since starting physical therapy to heal my ITBS and Volunteer Park has been my only road race this year.

The treatment is going very well and I'm seeing substantial progress. I've been able to jog a few blocks, lightly run the Coleman Park stairs, and even get back to the gym. It's very exciting, but I still have a ways to go. It turns out the problem is really in my hip, but the pain presented in my knee.

Luckily I've been able to mountain bike race and for some reason, the mountain bike just doesn't bother me that much. The climb at Leavenworth was a bit rough, but tolerable. The road bike; however, is a much different story. It doesn't take long to fatigue my hip and hills really cause havoc.

I did a 25-mi flyer around Mercer Island last night that turned into a suffer-fest. Just climbing up the east side of the I-90 bridge was tough and once I hit the hills on the island I couldn't get my hip to crank. I guess I'm using a lot of new underdeveloped muscles and stuff is still healing, so it's just not working so well.

I don't think I will be able to pull off a 40-mile road race on Sunday, but I'm hoping to do the TT and crit and just get some training and intensity. It's frustrating to be at about 50%, but the weekend will be a blast regardless. My team rented a cabin, we get free pasta all weekend long, and the weather should be sunny and warm. I'm almost tempted to pack up the Kona and take a XC spin on Sunday!

Stupid Lakers

This is a pretty funny read if you're into basketball. I especially love:

"Unfortunately, Tuesday's crowd of power players, millionaires, industry frauds, celebrities and trophy girlfriends were afraid to stand because they thought the change in atmospheric pressure would affect the Botox in their cheeks."

Oh yes, it must be the Lakers playing....

Thanks bro!

Just got an email from a friend of mine who was witness to my creek swimming escapade in Saturday's race.

"Sometimes there are moments when timing, grace, and athleticism all come together mere seconds before disaster and you astound the crowd with your amazing ability to dismount your steed and avoid the inevitable. Your creek crossing was not one of those moments. Get your cleat stuck?"

Hmmm...maybe the endo would have been more graceful. Thanks bro!

Leavenworth Bike and Brews Fest!

The Leavenworth Bike and Brews Fest took place this weekend, which is the third mountain bike race in the Indie Series. I drove over Friday night with my camping gear to secure a spot at the race site. Many thanks to the land owner who let everyone camp out -- it rocked! I even enjoyed sunshine and warm weather, making the trip completely worthwhile!

I don't even have words to describe how insanely fun this course was, but damn I'm sore today. The first 4 miles were straight uphill, then the last 4 miles were straight down. The women's beginner class had a fantastic turnout of over 20 riders, so I knew I needed a good position at the start for the climb. Until nearly halfway up I rode solidly in the top five but then lost it. My endurance isn't so great right now, so I slowly started falling back and getting passed. I'm usually a climber, so this frustrated me, but I hung in there.

Once at the top, we were rewarded with a fantastic 4-mi downhill complete with waterbars, which are perpendicular dirt mounds that help prevent erosion. The first couple I took pretty easy but then started hitting them faster and faster until I had a near death experience on a steeper one towards the end. A few more pounds shifted to the front would have endo'd me for sure, but I saved it and continued on down to take 10th place. My climbing disappointed me, but given my sporadic and limited training this year, I'm happy with my finish.

I wish I could say I had an accident free race, but the third creek crossing sent me for a shallow swim. The trail dropped down a bit into the water and caught me off guard. My weight was too far forward and then I had a big no-no and grabbed a little front brake. I tried to pull off the "jump over the front of my bike and push it under me maneuver" but got my left foot caught in my cleat and took a hard tumble right into the water. Damn that was cold! My shoulder is a bit angry at me today so hopefully it heals up in time for softball tomorrow. Ugh.

The fourth creek crossing was nearly identical to the third and I managed to do the EXACT same thing on that one too. Nice job. Too bad there aren't any photos, but maybe that's a good thing! After the race I supported some teammates, drank lots of Fat Tire, then hung out at the beer festival. After heading into town and grabbing dinner with friends, I crawled back into my tent around 10pm and slept better than I have in weeks.

Cucina Fresca had a great weekend, taking home three podium spots and several top 10s. Way to go guys and gals! Cheers to a fantastic weekend of mountain biking, drinking, hanging with teammates, and meeting tons of new cool people!