WT: Winding Trails or Wicked Terrible? an exercise in pedaling through gritty pudding

We needed the rain.  I've been wishing for it for the past two weeks, but on race day?  I wouldn't have minded a little less of it until my race was over, and the amount we had for the first lap was actually beneficial to the course.

Winding Trails has come a long way as a race venue in the past 5 years.  It isn't my favorite course because there is nothing technical about it, but it's fast and fun.  The sections of single track that they've incorporated over the years are tight and twisty, which means you have to plan your passing for the fire road sections or else hang on through the single track and hope the person in front of you isn't going to do something dangerous (like hit one of the very nearby trees - easily done in fast and/or slippery conditions).

The first lap was insanely fast and the traction was prime.  I had a good start, for once, and stayed with the rest of the girls for a bit.  In fact, after the first lap, I could still see two of girls ahead of me.  The other two were already taking a good lead.  I barely used my brakes except to avoid cornering into a couple of trees, but the fire road sections were awesome because there was no need to slow down.  The climbs felt great.  None of them were anything worth really calling a hill, but I can remember being really out of shape a few years ago and suffering out there.  This time I felt strong and fired up.

By lap two, though, the course was starting to grow soupy.  I was immediately reminded of how crappy a Renegade tire is, and that's what I still had on the back of my bike.  (All of the tires that I want are currently out of stock, so I'm not-so-patiently waiting for one right now).  Anyhow, the loss of traction turned me into a granny out there.  By lap 3 and 4, I was getting accustomed to the slipping and sliding, so I rode a lot more recklessly, but I think my poor performance on lap 2 was probably a really bad thing. During lap 3, I had been reeling in the 4th place girl, it had me motivated, but when I finally caught her, she was getting off her bike to drop out.  She said she had no brakes left, and I was really bummed.  It's tough to motivate yourself to try to catch back up to people you can't even see.  The only thing that was motivating me after that was the thought of keeping the Cat 1 girls off my back.  I'd already been passed by one, and I didn't want Susan Lynch to beat my time again (she is kick-ass awesome, but I need to be faster than her for self-esteem reasons).  My other motivating factor was getting myself warm.  I couldn't feel my feet, and my thumbs were so numb that I was having trouble shifting; my bike wasn't shifting well as it was because of all the grime caked into the chain.

I'm chalking this race up to another learning experience.  I wanted to quit, for sure.  It was soooo cold out there, and absolutely miserable, but finishing was a must.  Also, I think the fact that I've called that race course a wuss course so many times is the reason that it rained so much.  It's all my fault, I tell you, and I'm sorry.  I will try not to call a race course easy ever again if that means it will refrain from becoming covered in gritty pudding.

I should also add that because I was so cold and wet, I only drank a half a bottle of liquid the entire 2 hours.  Fail.

what do you do in your moments?

Ever hear the saying, "Live in the moment"?

I feel as though that's been a motto that keeps finding its way back into my mind lately.  It's funny, but I want to write blog posts on a regular basis - like once, maybe twice per week, and then I end up trying too hard to think of something to write about and of course, end up writing nothing.  I'm starting to realize that it's the topics that either creep up on me gradually, or the ones that I write because I'm fired up about some injustice in the world, that really seem to work.

So this time, it's one of those posts where I've been waiting around while the thoughts crawl through my mind.  I've let them worm around one another and go round and round again, and even now, I'm not sure if I'll get the thoughts out the right way in writing, but I'm going to try anyways because I was presented with a little bit of free time today.

It's living in the moment that many advocate for, but very few seem to be able to really do.   We get wrapped up in harping over the past or over-planning for the future, and then we realize that the future has come and gone right into the past without us ever really relishing the present.  The present can be used any way we want to use it.  We can be angry in the moment - mellow, thoughtful, rude, cynical, jealous, etc.  We can spend our entire present worrying about things that we can't do anything about in the future, or we can stew about regrets or other things that we can't change about the past.  The only time that we can ever really do anything real is in the present.

It could be argued that we can't ignore the past and that we would be setting ourselves up for failure if we were to avoid planning for the future.  This I agree with, but like anything, there has to be some sort of balance.  To live well in the present, we should be using things we've learned in the past to presently do and enjoy things that will move us in a good direction for our future.  If we do things in the present that are positive, we shouldn't have regrets in the future.  The past, present, and future all go together, but the only one that is truly a gift is the present. (yes, that pun was fully intentional)

So, here are some things that I've been doing lately that have really helped me to feel the gift of the present:

• Take a walk.  Really feel the way you body moves you along.  Be grateful that you have strong muscles that move you along and lungs that can breathe in air.  If you can't walk, do what you can to enjoy whatever motility you have.  
• Feel the sunlight on your skin.  Obviously it's not a good idea to lay in the sun for long hours at a time, but our bodies need a little bit of sunlight on a daily basis.  Be grateful for photosynthesis because without it, you'd be dead.
• Enjoy the smell of something delicious before you eat it.  Take the time to taste your food while you eat it.  
• Listen to the person talking to you.
• Just sit and think somewhere that it's quiet.  No phone, no music, no book.  Just you.  Maybe write things down.  
• When you're working out really hard, enjoy that burning feeling in your lungs.  It might hurt, but it's progress.  

Anyhow, I could go on and on about ways to really enjoy the moments of your life, but I'm not going to bore you with all of the ones that I've been thinking about lately.  What's important is taking time to really enjoy what's happening right now.  Be grateful for the present.

Another early season race done...

Quick and Boring post because I have schoolwork piled up...

Hopbrook Dam is a climbers paradise.  If there's one thing that stood out in everyone's mind after they raced yesterday, it was "that climb" that never seemed to end.  It started off with a steep run that was only rideable for me on my pre-ride and my 3rd lap.  The first lap had too many people clustered together still, the second lap had a rock in the way, and the 4th lap had some goofy dude at the top making me laugh.  Good thing I don't mind laughing.  Anyhow, right after that steep part, there's a long fire road that has some steep pitches here and there and keeps turning corners only to reveal more incline behind it.  As soon as you're at the top, it goes down a little on some windy single track, and then it starts climbing again, and right as you are finally cresting, there are some rocks on the trail that force you to pay attention and dish out some more energy.  Brutal.  4 X Brutal, to be exact.

Lucky for me, Kelly Dolan kept me moving.  We were within a bike's distance of each other for most of the race, but a mechanical took her out of my sight somewhere around the end of the third lap.  I talked to her at the end, and we both seemed to agree that we need to ride some hills before the next race.

So, as for a finish time, I was within ten minutes of the winner, so I really can't complain.  Those girls were f-ing fast!  I refuse to discredit myself with a second to last finish because I am racing against the best of the best now.  Not only that, we had a damn good turnout.  Across the board (all categories), we had more women racing yesterday than I can recall seeing since I started this crazy lifestyle.  Kudos to the women who kicked my butt because you all push me to go way faster and way harder than I ever ordinarily would.

Thanks to Thom Parsons of Cycling Dirt for getting this photo of the results, which I stole:

I had a blast with my teammates yesterday!  Everyone did really well.  A blog posting on the DAS Racing site will be up as soon as possible, so be sure to check there soon.  

Spring Break Was Not a Break...

With spring break crashing to an abrupt close, I'm finding it necessary to channel all of the forces I can muster for 6 more weeks of focus.  I still have a lot to do in the next six weeks.  I may have mentioned this before, but 5 classes plus 2 labs is like taking 7 classes (a lot of freaking school time).  ECSU estimates that for every hour spent in class, there should be two hours of homework...  so, 21 hours of class means 42 hours of homework per week?  Crap. 

Anyhow, I spent my spring break working at both the post office and my firewood job, and I took on the joyful task of painting the kitchen, the living room, and the hallway - purple, green, and green respectively.  Also, for the entire week, the weather hovered above 60 degrees during the day with glorious sunshine, so it was almost like being on vacation someplace really nice.  The weather, and the fact that I was "on break" made it tough for me to follow my training schedule, so I just rode outside as much as possible and enjoyed myself.  Back to work with the plan tomorrow (rest day, thankfully).

I capped off the break with the first race of the mountain bike season today.  It would figure that the beautiful week would have a forecast of rain for the race, so I thought the best option would be to bring my 26er with the grippy tires.  The course had lot of wooden bridges and roots that would be pretty greasy with wet weather.  The 29er (yeah, I have that option now) would have been faster and less brutal, but the tires on that bike are not something I'd have been comfortable with on wet wood.  As luck would have it, the course was bone dry.  I would have been fine.  I managed a 3rd place finish.  It wasn't my best race, but I certainly left as much as I could on the course, and did a fun lap with some of the guys afterward.  I'm tired and look forward to sitting on my butt at school tomorrow.  

*girl stuff to follow...

So, I blogged about this topic before, but I gotta say, being a female is rough.  I had a feeling I was going to get a visit from my least favorite aunt today.  I even calculated the day based on the classic method of counting the days out on the calendar, and it looked grim.  Crossing your fingers for it to hold off a day or two doesn't work, just in case anyone was wondering.  Aunt Flo arrived right on time, first thing this morning.  Needless to say, I was feeling very under the weather for the race.  Biologically, what do guys have to deal with?  Spontaneous boners?  Balding?  Poor them.  

Preaching a lil', but I'm not sorry

confidence
noun
-the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust
-the state of feeling certain about the truth of something
-a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities
-the telling of private matters or secrets with mutual trust
-a secret or private matter told to someone under such a condition of trust
THESAURUS: trust, belief, faith, credence, condition, confidentiality...

To me, a relationship of any kind, whether it be a friendship, a marriage, or a business alliance, should be built on a mutual confidence towards one another.  There should be no question that anything discussed in private would be passed along without permission.  When that's done, it implies that the person who broke the confidence can no longer be trusted.  Thus, whatever relationship existed (friend, marriage, alliance) is no longer intact because its foundation has been destroyed.  Rebuilding something like trust is probably one of the most difficult things to do.  That's why so many relationships end after a partner cheats, or a friendship falls to pieces after someone purposefully shares information that was given to them in confidence.

I'm writing about this because I think it's important that we all evaluate ourselves and our habits.  Are we being the kind of friend or partner that we want in return?

I think it's important to consider integrity.  Not just in our relationships with others, but in all areas of our lives because there's no room for the alternative.  Integrity can be defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.  There's really no room for the alternative if you want anyone to trust you or find you worthy of their time.

A Meditation About Motivation...

I've been asked a lot lately, "Liz, how do you stay so motivated?"
My lazy unthinking answer has been, "Golly, I just don't know."  Ok, maybe my answer isn't exactly that hokey, but I usually mumble something about it being tough, but I just do it.

Well, I've been thinking about it, and I have a LOT of things that keep me motivated.

#6 Fitting into my favorite pair of jeans.  I SURE DO know that that's kind of shallow, but I don't really care.  Nothing beats being able to fit into a nice fitted pair of jeans... especially a pair that you couldn't fit in a few years ago.  That's motivation enough for me to eat well.  Never mind the feeling of mental clarity and overall goodness that comes from good nutritious food.

#5 A good job that I enjoy, someday.  Yes, someday, when all of this school stuff is done with, I hope to have a job I love.  No, I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, but I have ideas, and I'm moving in a direction of progress rather than sitting around wishing things would get better on their own.

#4 Balance.   Having lots to do is, in and of itself, a HUGE motivator.  Finding that sweet spot where you are just managing to fit everything in while still allowing yourself some downtime to blab on your blog is key to the balance equation.  If you aren't scheduling yourself a little downtime, do it.  You can motivate yourself in knowing that you have a scheduled break.

#3 Do what you love and love what you do.  I LOVE to ride and race my mountain bike.  While I don't have tons of time to be doing that right now, I am putting in enough time training indoors to make the few rides that I get outside the most amazing rides ever.  Yes, I get disappointed that I miss lots of good rides, but it's knowing that I have other priorities that I also love (school, family) that keeps me optimistic.  There are still plenty of things that I have to do that suck, but finding the positive aspects of those and really focusing on them makes them much easier to bear.  Delivering mail?  It's monotonous and mind-less, but there are good things about it that make it less awful.  Of course, the paycheck is one of them. :)

#2 Friends and Family.  The people in my life who believe in my ability to succeed are a huge motivator to me.  Whether it's an acquaintance, a close friend, a family member, or my little girl, I have a network of people who never fail to lift me up when I'm down or drop an inspiring line or two my way.  Thank you!

#1 Life is short.  My mom, an amazing woman, mother, artist, teacher, nature-lover, (former cycling enthusiast), has a degenerative brain disease that has left her a very far cry from the person that she used to be.  She lives in a nursing home and can no longer form sentences to speak let alone do any of the things that she used to love doing.  I miss her terribly.  Yes, I know, I'm lucky to still have her in my life, but it's really hard to see her the way she is now.  What's most tragic about this is that she's young.  This all started in her early forties, and it happened fast.  I've learned so much from this.  When I say life is short, I'm acknowledging that it's too short to waste doing trivial things that you don't love.  If there's something you don't like about your life, you should do something to change it, because someday you might not be able to.  Even if you were to die next week, wouldn't it be better to know that you took a few steps before that in a direction that makes you happier?  I might be swamped with stuff to do right now, but I'm moving my life in directions that make me happy, and in turn, the people around me are happy because I'm less miserable than I could be.

So yeah, I'm motivated.  I definitely have my down days, and I absolutely have moments of self-loathing, self-doubt, and defeat.  But, it eventually passes.

thirty-three days

...until the first race of the season!

You know how some people say, "I'm ready as I'll ever be"?  Yeah, I've said it myself a time or two.  It makes me think though.  Sure, you can't really be any more ready than you currently are, but in preparing yourself for something, you can put in more effort than you normally would... then you're MORE ready than you would have ever been...

Okay, that's talking in circles, but cycling is all about circles.

I've mentioned before how I've got only a teeny tiny itty bitty amount of time in my day to train.  Somedays, an hour is really hard to justify if I am behind on schoolwork or my daughter wants my company. That being said, if an hour is really all I have, then I need to make every minute of it count.  These past few weeks I've been going all out on focus and intensity (work ethics that I learned in high school marching band), and I'm hoping like hell that it's going to pay off.  In thirty-three days, we'll find out.

Just in case anyone didn't know what I was doing for training, I'm going to break the cyclists code and tell you, flat out, exactly what I'm doing.  Go to this link and it's right there.  That's it.  I follow the plan, and when it has advanced options, I do them.  If I feel like complete crap, I might skip a workout and add a little bit onto another day.  There's no need to do any "secret training" because it isn't about whether we are doing the same thing or not, it's about what we're putting into it.  I've got my marching band skills that I put in, how bout you?  All joking aside, I just thought I'd share that info because it would be rude not to.

First race on the schedule?  The King of Burlingame Time Trial.  I haven't done this race before, but I did some pre-riding there with my teammates the past two years.  Rumor has it that the course is going to be different this year, and I'm hoping that they're adding more technical stuff.  Time trials aren't really my thing because it takes me so long to warm up, but it'll be over quick enough that if I blow myself up a little bit, I shouldn't have to suffer for too long.

The following weekend is the first official race of the Root 66 Series.  It's technically a local race because it's in CT, but it's still a hike.  The race is at Hop Brook Dam, and if you're thinking of doing it, make sure you register in advance because they aren't doing any registration at this venue on the day of the event.

Final thought on this completely random blah blah blah blog...
I caught the 29er bug.  I want one.  Don't get me wrong, I love my Dragon, but when I see how effortless those big silly wheels roll over everything that I have to muscle over, I get a bad case of wheel envy.  I'm hoping that there are still some left in my size when I can actually come up with the money, and I'm hoping that's before August and the Hampshire 100.  It sure would be nice to have some big wheels for that one...  we'll see if the money tree I planted puts out any fruit by then. ;)