tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70795678646859422322024-03-13T19:06:49.525-07:00Anna Fortner gives PRO mountain biking a go . . .AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079567864685942232.post-23469053782131143402012-07-12T13:57:00.003-07:002012-07-12T13:59:49.321-07:00Round Lake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After reading on websites and in guide books that the Flume Trail is
basically a freeway in the summer, I revamped our plans and decided on a
trail with two passes by a lake and plenty of creeks, knowing that
would keep the pups happy. So we headed up to Big Meadow TH again and
this time headed to Round Lake, the PCT, and back. </div>
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<br />AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079567864685942232.post-36617520875997440932012-07-10T14:50:00.001-07:002012-07-12T13:40:00.085-07:00Tahoe!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For the last few weeks, I've been riding in Tahoe as often as possible and it has been absolutely amazing!<br />
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First up was Silver Lake to Horse Thief. Well, in all honesty, I'm not sure I would recommend this ride. Last year, my dad and I did this one and we got turned around by a snow bank. And in the end, riding down the way we came up was more fun because although there was some hike-a-biking on the way up, it was nearly all rideable on the way down. But this time we didn't get turned around and that basically meant we got to do a lot more walking and walking has a way of zapping your rhythm and then your motivation.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halfway up.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dad.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmC-C5FLEbJ04LX1_pu3dhL0GiPKpO1Tv2iRSMTh21RrIqMnVjU2PHbkNKD59s4W6GZLmFMq0lpDR065UmGsKmZTPkZ8vPEJFq_KhV73V1a2yPIp9qJnj7JvZM3tl28mMbC_fVYwkM7Pk/s1600/DSCN2133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmC-C5FLEbJ04LX1_pu3dhL0GiPKpO1Tv2iRSMTh21RrIqMnVjU2PHbkNKD59s4W6GZLmFMq0lpDR065UmGsKmZTPkZ8vPEJFq_KhV73V1a2yPIp9qJnj7JvZM3tl28mMbC_fVYwkM7Pk/s320/DSCN2133.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emigrant Trail. Clearly no one told the immigrants about switchbacks. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWc-K3UTn9Gw0JgnsUQ7ULaJ_yQYhLPGCqWh-GgCnQdfAupYH7cpKL7KUHzTzv-PLbtGgm8dwQawFIQw2gpWOwT_O86xPgFtfGOuwb_fGXQBoXW03c4n7Fz4ZCG1qOGR4bKdTSvbgn04E/s1600/DSCN2134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWc-K3UTn9Gw0JgnsUQ7ULaJ_yQYhLPGCqWh-GgCnQdfAupYH7cpKL7KUHzTzv-PLbtGgm8dwQawFIQw2gpWOwT_O86xPgFtfGOuwb_fGXQBoXW03c4n7Fz4ZCG1qOGR4bKdTSvbgn04E/s320/DSCN2134.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still climbing/walking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNM8fgD4Zs9TKsdQOXa5Hl40BwdhGbq1bUnphv4nFHOzMST7msurA12b1VKsw0c5T-sTH_JIVN-1SPif3aG2taQOx1olD5O-2Mg-X_NY5qcrpSWpeG-5rbTU2n_t9V6KlPcRyPqN6D5WI/s1600/DSCN2135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNM8fgD4Zs9TKsdQOXa5Hl40BwdhGbq1bUnphv4nFHOzMST7msurA12b1VKsw0c5T-sTH_JIVN-1SPif3aG2taQOx1olD5O-2Mg-X_NY5qcrpSWpeG-5rbTU2n_t9V6KlPcRyPqN6D5WI/s320/DSCN2135.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We rode down the side of the mountain to the right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfsCDZ_P3mOvTzZ1eGypIK0_ZRkuoG5wUbbPD4-vVD-UXeMKOPq9aNY47kHVJxS01ik3onosKHnukPmrm-nwyPdfbBZfJiR5kFaBk51nmRNg8eREJjjbdsbYxOW9YRVQ7DBATG55BoFo/s1600/DSCN2136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfsCDZ_P3mOvTzZ1eGypIK0_ZRkuoG5wUbbPD4-vVD-UXeMKOPq9aNY47kHVJxS01ik3onosKHnukPmrm-nwyPdfbBZfJiR5kFaBk51nmRNg8eREJjjbdsbYxOW9YRVQ7DBATG55BoFo/s320/DSCN2136.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The snow bank that turned us around last summer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcbaFpd9MSII4cJZz2XUtXMsQLJw-JSecabYqv2c_lU7OzfM-DVm6BpD2S7F7dUO28qGZYuhX4qRan90Y7gKi0Nbz4vjfWty7H6A_bCyHiuWaImzoMPcttuVktMhVyasz_dhDWe-T7MA/s1600/DSCN2138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcbaFpd9MSII4cJZz2XUtXMsQLJw-JSecabYqv2c_lU7OzfM-DVm6BpD2S7F7dUO28qGZYuhX4qRan90Y7gKi0Nbz4vjfWty7H6A_bCyHiuWaImzoMPcttuVktMhVyasz_dhDWe-T7MA/s320/DSCN2138.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWU6_KU8SYJ05pYcJ9M6PZ_tWj8sDGpqGmK2lMhNjUmxxGENoBzAA0WmUh1mUEn8oKTOWZmINzRJ9HAo4EtAhhdXxERNpH2L3iS1bieJn9sHAf-i_kF_uIaCSmIyt9JvXTNe6KzOZOoqA/s1600/DSCN2142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWU6_KU8SYJ05pYcJ9M6PZ_tWj8sDGpqGmK2lMhNjUmxxGENoBzAA0WmUh1mUEn8oKTOWZmINzRJ9HAo4EtAhhdXxERNpH2L3iS1bieJn9sHAf-i_kF_uIaCSmIyt9JvXTNe6KzOZOoqA/s320/DSCN2142.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9,000+ feet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgww7oJiu3LL_-iVJEqdi1O6HgJOT9d0wBNrMeusP38WHKHrJQ1VLCoTGnTN57rGTKrjrjZ0WMzg__Z610T2KyaeWtT3XUYoOdryVp8W3YIKaA4x74ZP63akX00Sf4ZLCNiPfEpddWQM5s/s1600/DSCN2144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgww7oJiu3LL_-iVJEqdi1O6HgJOT9d0wBNrMeusP38WHKHrJQ1VLCoTGnTN57rGTKrjrjZ0WMzg__Z610T2KyaeWtT3XUYoOdryVp8W3YIKaA4x74ZP63akX00Sf4ZLCNiPfEpddWQM5s/s320/DSCN2144.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horse Thief. Pretty destroyed by motorcycles up top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After this ride, I decided to head to a known entity to guarantee I wouldn't be walking so I put in a few loops at Hole-in-the-Ground.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuoYvT-SKieYaK0DjpTCIrj7xQ_rytflgzu3tlZ-2OFTF5KAacfW3HvM-m_bo5ROpZI4RnldMnFLuJoAUJKwpvGS-ZjBcDTP-xygqwXvZ9vudFqFDZ1j9CtNrTwbxFlpr2yGHIwmk-Kc/s1600/DSCN2146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuoYvT-SKieYaK0DjpTCIrj7xQ_rytflgzu3tlZ-2OFTF5KAacfW3HvM-m_bo5ROpZI4RnldMnFLuJoAUJKwpvGS-ZjBcDTP-xygqwXvZ9vudFqFDZ1j9CtNrTwbxFlpr2yGHIwmk-Kc/s320/DSCN2146.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anthracite Ridge, I think they call it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ItOBo4gTfo-LrK_4c5Pb3oBJS1MmdXIiIOlAsL7b87a1h4Q3RY2euFBQx2DwRvD_VJfxJcBR-JtGcf6peALgsvxIA4npFVz44YvKYmkuBj50UT-o4pw5EwPs_8hkVOV3kmJmArazFXA/s1600/DSCN2147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ItOBo4gTfo-LrK_4c5Pb3oBJS1MmdXIiIOlAsL7b87a1h4Q3RY2euFBQx2DwRvD_VJfxJcBR-JtGcf6peALgsvxIA4npFVz44YvKYmkuBj50UT-o4pw5EwPs_8hkVOV3kmJmArazFXA/s320/DSCN2147.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ditto.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLdu7yrLKhR_1H7gChIWQa-ZQrihC6LaUwTfeM7M5KsbSludQmYjTuLJcIemkpgvnZKGrFq7F9FldJ0XUUNNrQybj3pKfsMJ8wl_ShLY9df4jpPWNdoyITfHxHiDX470Q7Ir57Savry4/s1600/DSCN2148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLdu7yrLKhR_1H7gChIWQa-ZQrihC6LaUwTfeM7M5KsbSludQmYjTuLJcIemkpgvnZKGrFq7F9FldJ0XUUNNrQybj3pKfsMJ8wl_ShLY9df4jpPWNdoyITfHxHiDX470Q7Ir57Savry4/s320/DSCN2148.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ditto.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I didn't get too many pictures of the trail because my camera fell out on the first loop, and by the time I got back to it on the second one, the battery was dead. Super fun, though, and a nice 5 hour ride.<br />
<br />
On the hunt for another 5 hour ride with some technical riding, I planned a ride that started at Big Meadow TH off 89, climbed along the Tahoe Rim Trail to Freel Peak (at 9,300 feet), and dropped to Star Lake. It was epic.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbR9GdIoudVMqckZXOa1Ts3pI7fHxkw6YOdpdCL03Q-AjNj5xeqXv5FpNFLUPp2hYnLDOV6l8-11IoxparOck-O_jOpjq_Zwgiko_waKObNPpqTynDznPCug2ii4S1WhsK_rAkFvQtrE/s1600/DSCN2154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbR9GdIoudVMqckZXOa1Ts3pI7fHxkw6YOdpdCL03Q-AjNj5xeqXv5FpNFLUPp2hYnLDOV6l8-11IoxparOck-O_jOpjq_Zwgiko_waKObNPpqTynDznPCug2ii4S1WhsK_rAkFvQtrE/s320/DSCN2154.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aspens :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQt3Qsp3VSWP-P1e_THcVG5TWFJJKmWY0XIPJoiS8M3VoIt2KTwpszvkTI6f9hQ_QGMnuJhztbA7A3Bs-VQdCK-9-0g4viY1IxSoo4Sz41uL3jpdA15ZJmKmssadXwMTO_4xMjI3MXrzo/s1600/DSCN2155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQt3Qsp3VSWP-P1e_THcVG5TWFJJKmWY0XIPJoiS8M3VoIt2KTwpszvkTI6f9hQ_QGMnuJhztbA7A3Bs-VQdCK-9-0g4viY1IxSoo4Sz41uL3jpdA15ZJmKmssadXwMTO_4xMjI3MXrzo/s320/DSCN2155.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Tahoe!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnx_iDRL3hAN6hd7U8ZzOtaOfkNWopJnqvpop2uOfUdIyUgHvQ4zfwpMcsqNhtmCLKXXMOGxAm7UEl5EYTutYBYaKUo_GXxClIfXvsb-cMC9fmQS2lz2Gt0IWe62unSfEuC9eVNMQZtzY/s1600/DSCN2156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnx_iDRL3hAN6hd7U8ZzOtaOfkNWopJnqvpop2uOfUdIyUgHvQ4zfwpMcsqNhtmCLKXXMOGxAm7UEl5EYTutYBYaKUo_GXxClIfXvsb-cMC9fmQS2lz2Gt0IWe62unSfEuC9eVNMQZtzY/s320/DSCN2156.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freel Meadow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYSh5Ks78gMbsbsRY_1Rfv8Qh9Qhv5jYNNQQuZHFemr7_48sKOkNWQwpx6UZjRzLOzjN7XStnph8S-vbIh2cUICyrYY9RYGLjNIt-vIVMRq8za0Kc6U6f7ohdek7hLPI3tfQQzboiZC4/s1600/DSCN2157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYSh5Ks78gMbsbsRY_1Rfv8Qh9Qhv5jYNNQQuZHFemr7_48sKOkNWQwpx6UZjRzLOzjN7XStnph8S-vbIh2cUICyrYY9RYGLjNIt-vIVMRq8za0Kc6U6f7ohdek7hLPI3tfQQzboiZC4/s320/DSCN2157.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More prettiness.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IsloWmecxlAh1K4vsK414Cw4CM3f5DBjU7Ioyen8rhpxJ732Rw-C0idgdLNGoDlyuyWYCOt_iBMhu002RAKa2G6zs7mcH4NEPNXz-biHdBQSZMPUaw6qGGvi8GLfP9pVWudtrQ38SIk/s1600/DSCN2158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IsloWmecxlAh1K4vsK414Cw4CM3f5DBjU7Ioyen8rhpxJ732Rw-C0idgdLNGoDlyuyWYCOt_iBMhu002RAKa2G6zs7mcH4NEPNXz-biHdBQSZMPUaw6qGGvi8GLfP9pVWudtrQ38SIk/s320/DSCN2158.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tahoe's sandy singletrack.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEfhcQX-Anv8YZOr6YdGYkhQYSrs2Vimp7Oz6Vrft_V1Oh3ZOgM-IXTHQ-E5EShEL_991pvmuXwxB1HeWqi8az0ZBh0uzzjvBUX4rVu9T-L7sTCT7UmyIdUEwqaeiaNbkqbQ6npqvPfY/s1600/DSCN2159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEfhcQX-Anv8YZOr6YdGYkhQYSrs2Vimp7Oz6Vrft_V1Oh3ZOgM-IXTHQ-E5EShEL_991pvmuXwxB1HeWqi8az0ZBh0uzzjvBUX4rVu9T-L7sTCT7UmyIdUEwqaeiaNbkqbQ6npqvPfY/s320/DSCN2159.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More of it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUJNR7CEoLwBf7S1Mz67XazT8348xqlB_aVCg2uZm45V3tWOlGEPsZh2bz6dUQIUNxBRWW_7BARYp7DwIT9BUX0dCHDpFN2D_B5xTWG0Sc_26y93_2Hg3ZqYjhmNYKTKZAo-_5piuQUU/s1600/DSCN2160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUJNR7CEoLwBf7S1Mz67XazT8348xqlB_aVCg2uZm45V3tWOlGEPsZh2bz6dUQIUNxBRWW_7BARYp7DwIT9BUX0dCHDpFN2D_B5xTWG0Sc_26y93_2Hg3ZqYjhmNYKTKZAo-_5piuQUU/s320/DSCN2160.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And more.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlqiNWG-cgU5mLiZMSaRNnVr9AWXder-Cxl0zc_ojOLI3NzANUsRm-YZ6ffMtDK1Juxnp6n2YOlipk0zemlryoEKbZaj0xLbPdHz4ChtwBjYOArX6Xl5UdkmaHVBDBsWHNShc4mjLUQ0/s1600/DSCN2161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlqiNWG-cgU5mLiZMSaRNnVr9AWXder-Cxl0zc_ojOLI3NzANUsRm-YZ6ffMtDK1Juxnp6n2YOlipk0zemlryoEKbZaj0xLbPdHz4ChtwBjYOArX6Xl5UdkmaHVBDBsWHNShc4mjLUQ0/s320/DSCN2161.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting closer to Freel Peak.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94Lv6cK2scQnH57MBRJptA_5gx-sxvxPOe4PlX28_uogFDM-UxWuA44Aa3puYF-hQJXt-1Y987b5Nmj2P6jytBYNFjSzjjc6NDXqqh7cwe6tkxIIYEQ209FaoJs72IHh9URarb3R7WTc/s1600/DSCN2162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94Lv6cK2scQnH57MBRJptA_5gx-sxvxPOe4PlX28_uogFDM-UxWuA44Aa3puYF-hQJXt-1Y987b5Nmj2P6jytBYNFjSzjjc6NDXqqh7cwe6tkxIIYEQ209FaoJs72IHh9URarb3R7WTc/s320/DSCN2162.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And closer . . .</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Freel Peak.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And another one. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnRmyXXtEBqufPgINg6CpRqwzqi5_SsTHtWAeLMV-_lKjOVz59SR63OjR3aZwos41Vq_RxJQXaCXj4XiTaUvFl87sxH66viVzG3ngdQ7hmG0B-T8unM9t0JfTvIF06mXE1fJbXmQH285k/s1600/DSCN2166.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnRmyXXtEBqufPgINg6CpRqwzqi5_SsTHtWAeLMV-_lKjOVz59SR63OjR3aZwos41Vq_RxJQXaCXj4XiTaUvFl87sxH66viVzG3ngdQ7hmG0B-T8unM9t0JfTvIF06mXE1fJbXmQH285k/s320/DSCN2166.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Star Lake.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYoZ4G4ylLA89wVrXKcVenpokO2HdPfGhUqTrUrCen3_WnPAEVk5otSap1g-zvLftFv8kBNZcbZvPKzA_GDc5zMxLi3t8hOeulTbkhyphenhyphenedmlXWDROsgshNP44cpqLeYR06IDogvKplx18/s1600/DSCN2167.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYoZ4G4ylLA89wVrXKcVenpokO2HdPfGhUqTrUrCen3_WnPAEVk5otSap1g-zvLftFv8kBNZcbZvPKzA_GDc5zMxLi3t8hOeulTbkhyphenhyphenedmlXWDROsgshNP44cpqLeYR06IDogvKplx18/s320/DSCN2167.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at Star Lake.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTKhDmYir83yTsM6e0ceB_nXM2vRTip12xgnmbMV95ajuVElo4Wf1CKxs990BlOXlZ-jR20Q-DtgxDdFZxdpH__drAazAjAOuoTv3VEDisVr9fVDe9qGmS2C3CrRhujwMvwGQiKpn-ZY/s1600/DSCN2169.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back down.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back down.</td></tr>
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In fact, this ride was so fun, my dad and I went back and did it on Saturday and added a few more miles out to Monument Pass.<br />
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In the end, with intervals on the days between trips to Tahoe, I rode for 6 days straight and 20+ hours. And though I'm sure I ate more calories than I burned, I appear to be down another couple of pounds. Hope it helps this weekend at the Tahoe 59er. Next up, Flume Trail tomorrow with the hubster and pups. <br />
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<br />AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079567864685942232.post-29879594674561357332012-07-10T13:56:00.003-07:002012-07-12T13:41:59.102-07:00SawtoothWith the school year over and the loads of grading and writing behind us, J and I headed north to the Coloma/Lotus Valley for a few weeks to enjoy the river and mountains. Our first day here, though, I headed up to 6,000 feet to race the Sawtooth Challenge. I'd never ridden this course and was pleasantly surprised to see that the course would be laps on an 8 mile course composed of really windy and technical single track and very little climbing.<br />
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I did my best to get a warm-up in but I was admittedly feeling the elevation and so ended up instead with about a half hour spin before I hit the start line. Not great. And I could feel it when we took off and one woman went off the front and I sat fourth wheel gasping for air.<br />
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Eventually, though, my legs did wake up and as we worked our way through the course I started to get impatient with the pace. The woman sitting second was clearly struggling with the rocks, something I'm really comfortable with, so it felt like every time the rocks increased we slowed way down. So finally, at a bend, I passed the girl in front of me, and a short while later, pulled around second. Eventually, too, I caught the men ahead of us and could feel some fall in behind me. Much to my chagrin, when a man in front of me bungled a technical section, the man behind me picked up his bike and ran around me, which was frustrating since I wasn't the reason we were stopped. I rode his wheel until we hit the fire road we started on and then put my head down for the short bit of uphill, dropping that guy and making up some of the ground I had lost due to my poor start. For the next few laps I just kept pushing it, really hoping to reel in the woman who had gone off the front at the start of the race. Finally, with a lap and a half to go, I saw her red jersey through the trees. Sweet! But, just as I pulled up behind her, I could feel my rear rim hitting every rock I went over. I must have burped a tired. Argh! I had no choice but to stop and put air in so I did. By the time I was back on, first was gone. I took a deep breath, told myself I still had a lap to catch her and by the time I crossed the start line and headed off for my final lap, the announcer told me she was about a minute and a half ahead of me. I pushed through the final lap, and with about a quarter mile of singletrack to go, caught first again. She looked tired and I pulled right up behind her thinking that maybe, just maybe, I could get around her before the fire road finish. But the course was windy and tight and so I had to wait for the fire road. As it neared we both shifted down, and then we were on the fire road and up out of our saddles. I was right on her wheel going into the fire road, but only had about an 8th of a mile to get around her. Sadly, I couldn't pull it off.<i> Ciest la vie. </i><br />
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<br />AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079567864685942232.post-54156095609067737982012-07-10T13:39:00.000-07:002012-07-12T13:43:31.424-07:00HammersteinIn T-minus 18 days my dad and I are racing the Trans Rockies as a co-ed duo which means that for 7 straight days of racing we need to be within two minutes of each other. In preparation, we've been doing a few 8 hour co-ed duo races which actually function very differently--we do as many laps in 8 hours as we can, but only one of us is on the course at at time--but we call it Trans Rockies prep nonetheless :). One of these races was the Hammerstein in Laguna Seca, CA.<br />
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I started us off at noon which proved to be a good choice as I put up the fastest woman's lap of the day on that one, coming in at 53 minutes, start loop included. I also had an IF over 1.0 which I was ecstatic about since I spent the month before this race feeling really terrible and while getting in the right amount of training hours, definitely coming up short on intensity. My dad went out next and I spent the break with my mom and Rosie. <br />
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My dad came in with a blistering fast lap and I was off again. I fell in behind a pretty fast guy and in the process of sticking on his wheel, I slid out in a corner, tearing up my knee and, I would find out later, busting my derailleur hanger. I hopped back on, though, and tried to make up for lost time. Then, at a steep section, I shifted down and sent my chain into the space between my rear cassette and wheel. Ugh! I had to stop, flip my bike over, and start tugging. A very nice man stopped to help just as I pulled it out, and I thanked him for his good karma. Finally, I came in and based on my time, figure I lost about 6 minutes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosie likes chairs.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is it over yet?</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Again, my dad put in another good lap, making up for some of my lost time, and I was off again. This time, I was a bit more conservative because I could feel my legs growing tired. About 10 minutes in, someone fell in behind me and for most of the lap he stayed there which proved to be a huge help as it kept me motivated. On the slog out, he pulled up beside me and said hi, and then offered to take a pull which was much appreciated.<br />
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I finally checked our standings when we made it back and we were sitting in second behind a fast couple who appeared to be ahead of use due to the man's 50 minute laps. (My dad and I were in the 53 to 56 range.) My dad and I just kept chugging and when it was all said an done, finished 12 minutes behind in 2nd. While bummed, I later took solace in knowing that the woman has the fastest course time on the Tahoe 100 course. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkt9hkDCtcxDqW8IfnMuu_W8KGeGgDQPw8_roIExwLt6tmG3M9rgLKj7GvP_eJAWG4rgX7SCUwEYHdWTz7KErNxeekT9g2OC-iBY1Y1RbgCoifzULr9z26QowXQs6mryoegMM3CDZIFU/s1600/DSCN2110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkt9hkDCtcxDqW8IfnMuu_W8KGeGgDQPw8_roIExwLt6tmG3M9rgLKj7GvP_eJAWG4rgX7SCUwEYHdWTz7KErNxeekT9g2OC-iBY1Y1RbgCoifzULr9z26QowXQs6mryoegMM3CDZIFU/s320/DSCN2110.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079567864685942232.post-63467447374905316772012-07-10T13:21:00.002-07:002012-07-10T13:21:32.479-07:00The Whiskey 50<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mountainflyermagazine.com/img/upimages/brian-leddy/whiskey_pro_2012/Whiskey_Off-Road_2012_Pros_-_006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://www.mountainflyermagazine.com/img/upimages/brian-leddy/whiskey_pro_2012/Whiskey_Off-Road_2012_Pros_-_006.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My magazine shot </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Whew. I'm finally caught up enough on work to put down a few words about the Whiskey 50. <br />
<br />
After a 4am wake-up call (again) to catch my 6:30 am flight out of SB, I arrived in Phoenix and got scooped up at the airport by my mom. I love it when my dad and I race the same races because having my mom and dad around, and their puppy Rose, makes everything way more fun. My mom and I couldn't get out of Phoenix fast enough--what a dismal city!!!--and after confusing one strip mall for another--got coffee and were on our way.<br />
<br />
The pro-rider meeting was at 12pm and so after a quick stop by the hotel to scoop up my dad, we made our way to the venue. The race takes over downtown Prescott so being at the venue was a bit like being in an alternate reality where cars and pro football are replaced by bikes and pro mountain biking. My kind of town! <br />
<br />
At check in I learned that not only was I number 1 on the pro rider roster, I would be also be rocking a bright pink number plate with the number 1. Sheesh. Having that number on my bike was little like walking around naked all weekend. Look at me! Look at me!<br />
<br />
I didn't know how to feel about the mountain bike crit set in the heart of downtown. Mountain bikes on cement? Meh. Mountain bikes on a short hard cement climb? Meh. Mountain bikes on a short hard cement climb with some of the best riders in the nation? Definitely meh. But much to my surprise when I got on my bike to warm-up, my nerves weren't too bad, and my legs felt good. The course was composed of two steep climbs separated by a brief flat (about 2:30 minutes), and a descent, (about 30sec). As a result after the searing pain of climbing, you didn't get enough to descent to recover, and thus went into each lap feeling way less recovered than you hoped to be.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85C5jRKY4sLxE-OSkxr5YW9SaWbhz8pgD7NfMiazPqdJEf6XYDDzJ3Wld1nGxJGUUfIZIymEe_AepyFwPhB6JZNgSzMQWZn23NSfgSLCR15BhSYyIBmBZcRi-Rh3mM7agXAT165pRl5Q/s1600/Me+%27n+Georgia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85C5jRKY4sLxE-OSkxr5YW9SaWbhz8pgD7NfMiazPqdJEf6XYDDzJ3Wld1nGxJGUUfIZIymEe_AepyFwPhB6JZNgSzMQWZn23NSfgSLCR15BhSYyIBmBZcRi-Rh3mM7agXAT165pRl5Q/s320/Me+%27n+Georgia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my BFF Georgia at the crit start</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsJ3pnPiLj46nTQac0GRAKfnfOVXj2tKzxmpV7S6XV0w99iGtTLKinuGDGlgE7Y6gwy-hwHF816wjxmJZHX1sRLXhXuGYbxE5x5OOsRJAO83DTGUqxevWuVt8bm_TbOdXx7CRI0R1q9s/s1600/Me+in+the+crit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsJ3pnPiLj46nTQac0GRAKfnfOVXj2tKzxmpV7S6XV0w99iGtTLKinuGDGlgE7Y6gwy-hwHF816wjxmJZHX1sRLXhXuGYbxE5x5OOsRJAO83DTGUqxevWuVt8bm_TbOdXx7CRI0R1q9s/s320/Me+in+the+crit.jpg" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing in the crit</td></tr>
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<br />
So, the gun went off, and as I pedaled I was pleased to see I was sitting in the thick of it. And as we hit the steep stuff, I was pleased to see I was holding steady. And after a few laps I was pleased to see that I was sitting with some big names and feeling strong. And, as I already posted to FB, I made my mom proud. Some folks sitting next to her asked, after they heard her cheering me on, "Oh, my god! Is that your daughter? She's riding with famous people." He he. The crowds were also amazing. A ton of people turned out and made me feel like I was in the Tour. It was a great way to kick off the weekend.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Amwf-_GKjle1Y35loJxhRGkWpZRKKWuGS698RNLkwJ6efq48vsME0aZAp9BG_qKlZgm6m6Uxx-LSgLQ4EZY4C1JOiak_8p4datvyCT6aIE-iC_A1uSXGNxmeoL44S2kupQsBl84DCow/s1600/DSCN2070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Amwf-_GKjle1Y35loJxhRGkWpZRKKWuGS698RNLkwJ6efq48vsME0aZAp9BG_qKlZgm6m6Uxx-LSgLQ4EZY4C1JOiak_8p4datvyCT6aIE-iC_A1uSXGNxmeoL44S2kupQsBl84DCow/s320/DSCN2070.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My bed buddy, Rose!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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Sunday went off, well, okay. The first few miles were on pavement and mostly uphill and as the pack really started to pick up the pace I knew I was going to have to balance my desire to be in the thick of it with the need to save something for the climb out of Skull Valley which would be 16 miles long and start at about the half way point. I seemed to find the necessary balance, though, because I picked off a few riders on the single track and felt like my legs were holding steady. By the time I descended into Skull Valley and could see the men climbing back out and then the lead group of women, I was pleased with where I was sitting. I got bottles and Hammer Gel from my folks at the aid station and then began the climb. Unfortunately, about 20 minutes later my stomach turned on me. I'd take in calories, get nauseous, spend 15 minutes recovering, and then go through the cycle all over again . . . for 16 miles. It sucked. And to top it off, I hadn't pre-ridden the final single track section and had somehow convinced myself there was literally no uphill when I finally hit it. Not true. I had cramp hill and a few others. Bummer. But eventually I did hit pavement again and rejoiced in knowing the finish line wasn't too far off. I wanted a sub 4 hour race but came in about 20 minutes after that. Oh well. I've since revamped my pre-race nutrition, opting to omit most of what I used to take in and so far so good.AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079567864685942232.post-27902859035961971542012-04-21T10:57:00.000-07:002012-04-21T10:57:18.949-07:00Killing time . . .It's Parents Weekend at school so rather than prepping to race XC today at Sea Otter, I'm in teacher mode and meeting with lots and lots of parents. Would have enjoyed doing a big loop, as opposed to the racetrack, but it's been a really good PW. I've learned that my reputation as the hardest teacher is well intact, and that, better yet, my students respect me for it. In about 25 minutes I'm off to hear read aloud the winning pieces of the Writing Contest and I'm really excited because they are stunning and the kids who wrote them are going to be really, really proud. After working so hard, often without as much reward as they deserve, it's fun to stop and celebrate the fruit of their labors.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLD1gyotzkvVnMg8JJ67qXiGbbYdLAB3gEazPWNeqFxcYUFsDCi_UsSnpkJU7jNHkcJAEimqJNFZ42DDog63Hb1_P7N-RaUeCOUa1FoyEsjo6qf1q_6JjwjniPFyZmH3f-FZe4EQxJoE/s1600/DSCN2065+%282%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJLD1gyotzkvVnMg8JJ67qXiGbbYdLAB3gEazPWNeqFxcYUFsDCi_UsSnpkJU7jNHkcJAEimqJNFZ42DDog63Hb1_P7N-RaUeCOUa1FoyEsjo6qf1q_6JjwjniPFyZmH3f-FZe4EQxJoE/s200/DSCN2065+%282%29.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what teacher mode looks like.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5zP_9t4b3ctQyiu1IYe0WnFu7cgCzlzM82jnUf0yuSGPeye7jvTJX_Z-ItAGMAvgW3Cf6b9b2OqQe4IFW7oIraW1I-qoj-QScCVwe2NLTRAFK8uhKO8VU2LLolI-gpcZzpkdOUjxdUc/s1600/DSCN2059+%282%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5zP_9t4b3ctQyiu1IYe0WnFu7cgCzlzM82jnUf0yuSGPeye7jvTJX_Z-ItAGMAvgW3Cf6b9b2OqQe4IFW7oIraW1I-qoj-QScCVwe2NLTRAFK8uhKO8VU2LLolI-gpcZzpkdOUjxdUc/s320/DSCN2059+%282%29.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See? I felt good.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Training has gone super well lately. I did another 50 mile effort last
weekend in prep for the Whiskey 50 and felt waaaaaay better than I did
during the previous 50 miler. I hit my numbers and didn't feel like I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Always a plus. Also worked on eating more solids and that made a big difference in terms of energy level, and I got a chance to practice throwing a tube into tubeless tires after I sliced my sidewall. Fun with Stans No Tubes juice. Nice. It had rained a bunch the days before and there was even snow on the mountains. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlM8xx0YXH41Ocly2ocvATQIdHIjOKR83sJblGeVPjURd1sXke0Hy4CN3yQt8qbsVjQe99u9SW3981reXs0AWJQ5QdOuKou-PKoEfrL3CqV9TEge3WL503YF01Zoqhz2WixZnj8cqEkM/s1600/DSCN2055+%282%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlM8xx0YXH41Ocly2ocvATQIdHIjOKR83sJblGeVPjURd1sXke0Hy4CN3yQt8qbsVjQe99u9SW3981reXs0AWJQ5QdOuKou-PKoEfrL3CqV9TEge3WL503YF01Zoqhz2WixZnj8cqEkM/s320/DSCN2055+%282%29.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, snow in SB.</td></tr>
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<br />
Super stoked about the Whiskey 50 next weekend. Definitely an intimidating slate of women: <a href="http://epicrides.com/pdf/wor/2012/2012_Whiskey_Pro_Roster.pdf" target="_blank">http://epicrides.com/pdf/wor/2012/2012_Whiskey_Pro_Roster.pdf</a>. All kinds of events are scheduled including a crit on mountain bikes in downtown Prescott. Hmmm. <br />
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</div>AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079567864685942232.post-53706973599472972782012-04-08T17:46:00.002-07:002012-04-08T17:47:23.848-07:00<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTf0zQCwXB1acLbO1dOGmfLU6gXdMl4tPV1K4nMfsptyoDdshh4ouh_t7NjjyQgqFsnrydarRBYiE82Bj8RtFBAPeXXZ0Vgr7_-D_uDTeUAzTQT5AzRhyBs9FYQCjEx0gpKSjoHXqmbCc/s1600/DSCN2052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTf0zQCwXB1acLbO1dOGmfLU6gXdMl4tPV1K4nMfsptyoDdshh4ouh_t7NjjyQgqFsnrydarRBYiE82Bj8RtFBAPeXXZ0Vgr7_-D_uDTeUAzTQT5AzRhyBs9FYQCjEx0gpKSjoHXqmbCc/s320/DSCN2052.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Often get props for fitting two bikes in the Honda Fit. Super aero-dynamic.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGyXAAIkpCsUjuox8Kt4xb58FeItFN92QkAhw-N0XhYet-WT_xrsdpqBviGPgeLjgDSvsgiQJ8dGt6JQdIeYcVXN3u2KzJywFzJEpNz4PkMf5h3qTDDcRMkn2pZ5i3UF_pvjcIYsaCZo8/s1600/DSCN2054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGyXAAIkpCsUjuox8Kt4xb58FeItFN92QkAhw-N0XhYet-WT_xrsdpqBviGPgeLjgDSvsgiQJ8dGt6JQdIeYcVXN3u2KzJywFzJEpNz4PkMf5h3qTDDcRMkn2pZ5i3UF_pvjcIYsaCZo8/s320/DSCN2054.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of J. Caditz :)</td></tr>
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After a 4am wake up call, drove north Saturday morning to collect my bike and race in Monterey. Was pleased to feel as soon as I got on my bike, that everything felt, quite simply, better. Thank you, K, for the re-build!!!) Knew turnout at the race was likely to be low as it's a mellow local series, and I was right. Lined up with 4 ladies and ended up with 2nd, by about a minute. As I was solo Saturday, had no one to tell me where first was, and I think that might have been the umph I needed to at least give Niner's Katelyn Hill a run for her money, but <i>c'est la vie</i>. She's a super fast chick! Was really pleased with how my body felt. Wasn't sure what to expect after last Sunday's effort and the number it did on my always-unhappy right SI joint, but only had one day of intervals this week and a couple of light spins--plus two trips to my most amazing physical therapist and some fun with Kinesio tape--so was ready to rock. The course was fun--5 laps on a loop made up of about 15 minutes of climbing and 5 of descent. The first lap was painful as it included a very steep asphalt climb that was thankfully traded for some fun singletrack for the rest of the laps (and a 35 minute delay of the start to get an injured Cat 3 racer off course pretty much cancelled out my warm-up). But laps 2 and 3 I found my groove and was putting out some good watts, on 4 I lightened up just a bit as I could feel my legs tiring, and lap 5 I just put my head down and kept the pedals turning. Ended the day with $40 bucks and a new friend. Not too shabby.AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079567864685942232.post-36609412273968703752012-04-02T20:37:00.000-07:002012-04-02T20:37:46.153-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpdkbYSKplXNDhR5otkxnR_UtiFw4y6oW3mY51HDEU8_MsrBa7AC-sEcdA4Vj1lxeHyf7q_Bj06_6lKc3h7S-d6bdg1qk3ayQt4nwrGKhSh7kilgWwOWUa4YJO8oF4avO8IwQnyrXhrk/s1600/DSCN2048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpdkbYSKplXNDhR5otkxnR_UtiFw4y6oW3mY51HDEU8_MsrBa7AC-sEcdA4Vj1lxeHyf7q_Bj06_6lKc3h7S-d6bdg1qk3ayQt4nwrGKhSh7kilgWwOWUa4YJO8oF4avO8IwQnyrXhrk/s320/DSCN2048.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from just below the top.</td></tr>
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Sunday was a spectacular day for a ride. Rain Saturday afternoon made for really clear skies. Could see all the breaks between Santa Barbara and Ventura, and even from 4,000+ feet it was obvious the waves were thumping. On tap was a race pace 50 miler, and better yet, my most favoritest riding partner, my dad, was down south to join me! <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijIhzxofTDfIEGukUmKo__NWFvlTG9VXgDjCBGqy0AoSuF-Z-zB_50kbGqi0qPeBonykhvFVGKyJ02jfTSFDK0Gv-b_cxn82QGMfXAwhnYgp0iHFCukgeVKaqX4D9NQF6nIe02_Wxnnt8/s1600/DSCN2047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijIhzxofTDfIEGukUmKo__NWFvlTG9VXgDjCBGqy0AoSuF-Z-zB_50kbGqi0qPeBonykhvFVGKyJ02jfTSFDK0Gv-b_cxn82QGMfXAwhnYgp0iHFCukgeVKaqX4D9NQF6nIe02_Wxnnt8/s320/DSCN2047.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same view, but this time with my dad. </td></tr>
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Training the last couple of weeks has been high intensity intervals on the mountain bike up Romero Canyon during the week, Thursday morning group ride, Saturday big long 5+ hour ride, Sunday 4+ hour recovery ride. But due to some other commitments on Saturday, I did the intervals Tuesday and
Wednesday, and though I was supposed to do an hour spin on Thursday to save something for the 50 miler, I did the group ride Thursday, and a couple hour spin Saturday in prep for Sunday's 50 miler. Maybe not the best move as I could tell as soon as we hit the first climb on Sunday that my climbing legs were T-I-R-E-D. By the 1.5 hour
mark I was at IF .9 and thinking, <i>Holy crap, we have 35 miles to go!? </i>And,
admittedly, I may have even shed a tear or two as we climbed and
climbed and climbed . . and climbed. The crazy strong gusts of wind didn't help morale much either. They literally stopped me in my tracks a time or two and felt like they were fresh off a glacier. But, eventually, we topped out for the first
time, and the new-to-us downhill was sweet!<br />
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I started to feel more human as we took the rolling single track back to the bottom of the climb. I even
cleared all the technical stuff in a section I hadn't managed to before. Headed back up Romero I felt strong and managed to feel that way almost to the top. But by the time we turned around for the descent, I was
cooked. Ended up with 46.5 miles and 9,000 feet of climbing.<br />
<br />
Now my mountain bike is up north in the talented hands of K of Urgent Bicycle getting rebuilt in time for this Saturday's race in Monterey.<br />
<br />AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079567864685942232.post-8722846507081023102012-03-17T16:10:00.001-07:002012-03-17T16:10:31.804-07:00<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxCGDe7fGJznerXnD78jhoytsRNcD1BlBu7whVxcMvpEnilyluO9HLkk5NA634OvcJK_CfutRtIJcliIWytnBXgyCuW5HjECavTdO-og0g2E2Ti0PJwFuVNqDyJJZGkxZaJyKdeqdw6c/s1600/DSCN2024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxCGDe7fGJznerXnD78jhoytsRNcD1BlBu7whVxcMvpEnilyluO9HLkk5NA634OvcJK_CfutRtIJcliIWytnBXgyCuW5HjECavTdO-og0g2E2Ti0PJwFuVNqDyJJZGkxZaJyKdeqdw6c/s320/DSCN2024.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Since I knew the rain was coming this weekend, I decided to take my
usual Friday rest day and do some exploring on the mountain bike in
hopes of creating some longer loops for future training. I started the
ride in pretty thick fog which was actually a really nice change of
pace. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeDQngFYxbTJmeZs_mG4g48Rvb_KW0oDj7uLlQl3sbVvIPDV1pwjAhbj4M21wVMMWocr3PbRo5jSYExNbvjPNlkYKDumKG38pHPaRFA1Kt9Q2z9dFNPNT1-zgeoX07Csw1N9QXBvgH18/s1600/DSCN2027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeDQngFYxbTJmeZs_mG4g48Rvb_KW0oDj7uLlQl3sbVvIPDV1pwjAhbj4M21wVMMWocr3PbRo5jSYExNbvjPNlkYKDumKG38pHPaRFA1Kt9Q2z9dFNPNT1-zgeoX07Csw1N9QXBvgH18/s200/DSCN2027.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eventually I popped above the fog, shed some layers, and stumbled across a new singletrack!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqzXwDOJ7S88tkr_NGVqQaJDCPznakjoJobRip19dvI6LKAdwRY79rnryijtyb7jpgjNRFZZ1z1l2QX6hQkU9zoYc7LFG0OQAlFo5X5fJoYh52hvCdzmkzaGiDr3i1MjY-nNwbmBnHGg/s1600/DSCN2028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqzXwDOJ7S88tkr_NGVqQaJDCPznakjoJobRip19dvI6LKAdwRY79rnryijtyb7jpgjNRFZZ1z1l2QX6hQkU9zoYc7LFG0OQAlFo5X5fJoYh52hvCdzmkzaGiDr3i1MjY-nNwbmBnHGg/s320/DSCN2028.JPG" width="240" /></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ARW8j6U9Nj_1o0dFtcpTItYZu00a7xioaV6vcmy4-WTyaOdR1GPZfBQFk3TwsOWwQeaGN_VPUPv7ibBggQdbE9ijHgq2AuEO8Cd_qPriEiglrHtftsPXmsSjTG_nttvTco8VHYO2ccE/s1600/DSCN2025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ARW8j6U9Nj_1o0dFtcpTItYZu00a7xioaV6vcmy4-WTyaOdR1GPZfBQFk3TwsOWwQeaGN_VPUPv7ibBggQdbE9ijHgq2AuEO8Cd_qPriEiglrHtftsPXmsSjTG_nttvTco8VHYO2ccE/s320/DSCN2025.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Underneath that layer of fog is the ocean.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK8OrbTB6UNlVvsCBpE_Ylc8S5ZUeZSCRDj0d80_jj1V_pTADA5HinQpMv0X3CH7DUE5xSX3raTUIR-Tg5h1OWENQ3UdG34dPsze8z0OXPlBQ0IBPy5NyyJrekclzrqzh8sDDSydUWVo0/s1600/DSCN2029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK8OrbTB6UNlVvsCBpE_Ylc8S5ZUeZSCRDj0d80_jj1V_pTADA5HinQpMv0X3CH7DUE5xSX3raTUIR-Tg5h1OWENQ3UdG34dPsze8z0OXPlBQ0IBPy5NyyJrekclzrqzh8sDDSydUWVo0/s320/DSCN2029.JPG" width="240" /></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjH0hN82-Y3s3T2JkK6ioX-iUvqwjSDZWZvHfNuvwWSdCAlFJVYKzF852e4KCoxbFGA2G1svmT0Bn6vOC8Q8c-31t83Vo2UqjtDvT5qCaVHnttnYjdDuR5Gnxy58VYTGjvYcUhSYTuBEU/s1600/DSCN2030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjH0hN82-Y3s3T2JkK6ioX-iUvqwjSDZWZvHfNuvwWSdCAlFJVYKzF852e4KCoxbFGA2G1svmT0Bn6vOC8Q8c-31t83Vo2UqjtDvT5qCaVHnttnYjdDuR5Gnxy58VYTGjvYcUhSYTuBEU/s320/DSCN2030.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bit of a drop off.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgYitPQvi5eSwNEsZLrPI_o2R-3jlqCXFM3hYDJS3xLspxxbVPT8Z4yhLt56aErNy-h3mZwlPRVG9fDV5YUv642XdE1BgxYmMSr9vQt3rjFNFqjMhJI7yX3oNUkWgQRfDBTBn0ZywnNs/s1600/DSCN2031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgYitPQvi5eSwNEsZLrPI_o2R-3jlqCXFM3hYDJS3xLspxxbVPT8Z4yhLt56aErNy-h3mZwlPRVG9fDV5YUv642XdE1BgxYmMSr9vQt3rjFNFqjMhJI7yX3oNUkWgQRfDBTBn0ZywnNs/s320/DSCN2031.JPG" width="320" /></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfoet4v869lszfWDGcuaMkQ7ETkqRE8X7ZnT_94fDrxTOTftp6EB-F9XT5HwAe9A07_lO23TnGR-pAGVCXnqfcwjPN2wAfN1xxLENVP7_3pKZVOmZQUitIhs2DIXGKnAEnOLvCjL4z64/s1600/DSCN2032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfoet4v869lszfWDGcuaMkQ7ETkqRE8X7ZnT_94fDrxTOTftp6EB-F9XT5HwAe9A07_lO23TnGR-pAGVCXnqfcwjPN2wAfN1xxLENVP7_3pKZVOmZQUitIhs2DIXGKnAEnOLvCjL4z64/s320/DSCN2032.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back in the direction I came from.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GNDijBtiDMP0UtzkelWrlokRJYMME1j4k0i6LTf4Chg2fWZqkw0OBKKsSVadZi52IHux1bE8CaUtEF7EmafdSITPpIxzgxVoOHRHKgoxh_iheiUhf0UXjbHc7AyiGZjzIKLAw4pDGT4/s1600/DSCN2033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GNDijBtiDMP0UtzkelWrlokRJYMME1j4k0i6LTf4Chg2fWZqkw0OBKKsSVadZi52IHux1bE8CaUtEF7EmafdSITPpIxzgxVoOHRHKgoxh_iheiUhf0UXjbHc7AyiGZjzIKLAw4pDGT4/s320/DSCN2033.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turned around when I hit the road, though more singletrack is 3 or so miles up it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIc0zgjDk_hvbF43HM_AYrjILsartv30CsqFiawRjHps-CrRXcYT-5AYXiz-ZcrBWymJFFk0VvRLCknmtwWzR4yFpDRazHYp_YnHYywlYQqjG6uYfflwKT1zm2U_7uYQQC_YDHFSHqB4I/s1600/DSCN2035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIc0zgjDk_hvbF43HM_AYrjILsartv30CsqFiawRjHps-CrRXcYT-5AYXiz-ZcrBWymJFFk0VvRLCknmtwWzR4yFpDRazHYp_YnHYywlYQqjG6uYfflwKT1zm2U_7uYQQC_YDHFSHqB4I/s320/DSCN2035.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On my way back down to the ocean. But first . . .</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYdgTkyQcCb-XgjGv6bGZgrWvelr5Vzmqr48wC6BCQsxwWAd84JLVtIvGrnXrsKQNjEsOp4xfMS0JrdUxCEiWXlRSyPxOaIVaJy2DqehDFQjipl5F4ILPwtY7BEqyzsGaTiU-gtJC6w8/s1600/DSCN2040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYdgTkyQcCb-XgjGv6bGZgrWvelr5Vzmqr48wC6BCQsxwWAd84JLVtIvGrnXrsKQNjEsOp4xfMS0JrdUxCEiWXlRSyPxOaIVaJy2DqehDFQjipl5F4ILPwtY7BEqyzsGaTiU-gtJC6w8/s320/DSCN2040.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> . . . a few self portraits.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVU496jMPBNvMTrrbx6FKcJyuCSwiw5fcZ4jRKqIKS9Wh_N5-wqBLD_FMJlubFN0_zIzVk7F-nVGAHBahTR4g7ZEl-PbvzEgM06ALD2E8Dxo7o43vvc-e9QymKOXBshwpDURmgDiW9a4/s1600/DSCN2042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVU496jMPBNvMTrrbx6FKcJyuCSwiw5fcZ4jRKqIKS9Wh_N5-wqBLD_FMJlubFN0_zIzVk7F-nVGAHBahTR4g7ZEl-PbvzEgM06ALD2E8Dxo7o43vvc-e9QymKOXBshwpDURmgDiW9a4/s320/DSCN2042.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZ9cLQ1JEWvXdKJgLu586ZDKuiJ3hsujcTegjGDdTUhA3xXt4Ih7OSKr9-6XEn_Q_Su3ShYTkBwarnGbIHjErdi7niUymTQM2JP3_6fZHrzWIoaD2q8RjnVTIHvjXLW_gYoFz7-90uWY/s1600/DSCN2044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZ9cLQ1JEWvXdKJgLu586ZDKuiJ3hsujcTegjGDdTUhA3xXt4Ih7OSKr9-6XEn_Q_Su3ShYTkBwarnGbIHjErdi7niUymTQM2JP3_6fZHrzWIoaD2q8RjnVTIHvjXLW_gYoFz7-90uWY/s320/DSCN2044.JPG" width="320" /></a>AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079567864685942232.post-12895977571815099442012-03-11T16:00:00.003-07:002012-03-11T18:30:50.090-07:00Bonelli Park PRO XCT #2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvCZPBFEgbXjQ5HwwxHdRpF2_ucaIrnqG_3b-SIvVLTPFeVpBvaLax6sOL1myxaEuFzIXHPHXFDOcW5qsl66UE2V3f_CMw-7mVeNLvXBL8DXFLciiq8hIZoOkCvTKamdPnVdPAy1REbk/s1600/Bonelli+Start.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvCZPBFEgbXjQ5HwwxHdRpF2_ucaIrnqG_3b-SIvVLTPFeVpBvaLax6sOL1myxaEuFzIXHPHXFDOcW5qsl66UE2V3f_CMw-7mVeNLvXBL8DXFLciiq8hIZoOkCvTKamdPnVdPAy1REbk/s320/Bonelli+Start.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718784379560239826" border="0" /></a>OUCH! 2,400+ feet of climbing in 15 miles is a hell of a way to begin a racing season. I haven't climbed like that at race pace in I don't know how long. Halfway through the race I had an IF of 0.96 which is high for me. (I ended at a .94 which is also really high.) The goal, though, was to have a race in which my nerves didn't inhibit my ability to ride my bike like I know I can. In these bigger races my nerves have been a HUGE problem. My heart rate climbs the closer I get to the start, and my body produces adrenaline which results in me pedaling with pure lactic acid in the legs. It's a total nightmare. But, much to my surprise, I think I can say my nerves weren't an issue in this race. Even when I was forced off the bike by the funneling of the group onto a narrow climb, I was able to run the 10 feet to the next flat, hop on, and get going without too much panic. I also, with my back of the pack start, picked off a girl a lap, and was, for 3/4 of the race, in a long line of 7 or 8 racers which meant I was in the race as opposed to hanging onto the back. My weaknesses, though, were certainly plentiful: the race was one dusty, off-camber turn after another and I simply haven't been on the mountain bike enough this season to hit those efficiently. I also haven't done enough of the steep, punchy climbs that made this such a hard course. I've done gobs of group rides on the road bike, 70-100 miles at a go, and spent plenty of time at lactate threshold on those rides, but as my dad and I are always saying, road riding and mountain biking are two very different beasts. Which is why, I think, at about an hour and ten, I felt like I'd run into a brick wall. Just had nothing left. But that's early season racing for you. Got to spend more time in the pain cave.AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079567864685942232.post-67502436735314204912012-02-27T15:28:00.007-08:002012-02-28T19:31:03.442-08:00On the Perils of Liquid MercuryOh, wow. It has been forever since I did anything at all with this blog, but it seems it's time to resurrect it as this season is shaping up to be one of the best. Though, before I jump on that, I thought it might be fun to address the compartment syndrome issue that I wrote about in my last post (written well over a year ago), and that did eventually force me off the bike entirely.<br /><br />When I was holed up in Moscow, I did internet search after internet search in an effort to understand what I was going through and what I could do about it, and I remember reading post after post written by someone in the same situation as me, alone with more questions than answers. So, here's hoping that putting some info about compartment syndrome out there might prove useful to someone.<br /><br />First off, here's some info about compartment syndrome courtesy of PubMed Health:<br /><p style="font-style: italic;">Thick layers of tissue, called fascia, separate groups of muscles in the arms and legs from each other. Inside each layer of fascia is a confined space, called a compartment. The compartment includes the muscle tissue, nerves, and blood vessels. Fascia surrounds these structures, similar to the way in which insulation covers wires.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">Fascia do not expand. Any swelling in a compartment will lead to increased pressure in that area, which will press on the muscles, blood vessels, and nerves. If this pressure is high enough, blood flow to the compartment will be blocked. This can lead to permanent injury to the muscle and nerves. If the pressure lasts long enough, the muscles may die and the limb may need to be amputated.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">Swelling that leads to compartment syndrome occurs from trauma such as a car accident or crush injury, or surgery. Swelling can also be caused by complex fractures or soft tissue injuries due to trauma.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">Long-term (chronic) compartment syndrome can be caused by repetitive activities, such as running. The pressure in a compartment only increases during that activity.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">Compartment syndrome is most common in the lower leg and forearm, although it can also occur in the hand, foot, thigh, and upper arm.</p>My c.s. was caused by cycling, obviously, and by September I wasn't capable of more than 45 minutes on the bike before the pain was too severe, and so I was jumping in the pool to swim laps, too, and boy was that boring. I missed my bike like crazy and so with no idea what else to do, I went to an orthopedic surgeon and explained my situation. Much to my surprise, his take was basically: You're a professional cyclist. You've done your research. You know your body. I trust you. When do you want the surgery? I was a little taken aback at his willingness to jump right in, to be sure. But even more strongly I felt relieved that he wasn't going to delay the surgery with time-consuming and painful procedures that would confirm c.s. And so, I scheduled the surgery for shortly after my return from my school's yearly backpacking trip. (Oddly, my compartment syndrome was a non-issue when walking.)<br /><br />Here is a couple post-surgery pictures. (I'll limit it to two as they're kind of gross):<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EWJVCCaFUbiWNzySxHR-6REUJW8zXa8cbpeS8jSz7fJUdqxoU-AO_y62ZgsOPVfxPiaobSCqJ-iCLJ12-2izHMTJP_kdTw5uR43hIhvamVikyz9v9lC5Ay28U_cTjN5eFyKzBzNA-Ik/s1600/DSCN1741.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EWJVCCaFUbiWNzySxHR-6REUJW8zXa8cbpeS8jSz7fJUdqxoU-AO_y62ZgsOPVfxPiaobSCqJ-iCLJ12-2izHMTJP_kdTw5uR43hIhvamVikyz9v9lC5Ay28U_cTjN5eFyKzBzNA-Ik/s320/DSCN1741.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713964174813353730" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhh0WSr3bLKijwtYWwIvDvkMcZ6g2EzKcFVKOg4M4jVe4ETKnHyUeOzoICGD3bq5ocknAxEFRmZoM6PXE5lJFqATki69N5CP5hrAMNkfM72fowWfPRnge0ya0FxPwnjIiQtMZfX5tLwE/s1600/DSCN1751.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhh0WSr3bLKijwtYWwIvDvkMcZ6g2EzKcFVKOg4M4jVe4ETKnHyUeOzoICGD3bq5ocknAxEFRmZoM6PXE5lJFqATki69N5CP5hrAMNkfM72fowWfPRnge0ya0FxPwnjIiQtMZfX5tLwE/s320/DSCN1751.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713964693653733746" border="0" /></a>Now, I've got little more than a white line on the side of each of my legs. What the surgeon actually did was put a long slit in the fascia covering my shin and calf muscles, thus allowing the muscles to swell as necessary. The story that circulated amongst my students, however, was that my muscles got too big for my skin. Which in some respects is true, so I didn't correct them.<br /><br />People on the internet struggling with c.s. often wondered if they should have surgery and most people who responded to their posts often said they shouldn't have it because their c.s. came back. When I read those responses, I often thought one had to be careful about putting too much stock in them as it seemed to me that if one had a successful surgery, one would be unlikely to go online and write about it. Much more likely, that person would be out on his or her bike, or running, or whatever. And until about a year ago, I would have told anyone who asked me that surgery was definitely the way to go. I was back on the bike within 6 weeks and made it through the entire next mountain bike season totally free of compartment syndrome. But then, in September of 2011, after my end-of-mountain-bike-season break, I did a four-hour road ride, and slowly but surely felt the symptoms of c.s. return to my right leg. Needless to say, I went into full panic mode. But this time I wasn't alone as I had been working with a PT on general maintenance of my body, so I was in her office a day or two later, and within 40 minutes she eliminated the c.s. again.<br /><br />And there's the rub.<br /><br />My PT effectively eliminated in 40 minutes the very pain I had sought surgery for a year prior. And this wasn't the first time I found myself wondering if surgery may have been the wrong choice. I had spent the summer between surgery and this second bout of c.s. in Bozeman, MT and while there saw a massage therapist. It was her opinion that my surgery was unnecessary as she had helped other athletes overcome various ailments for which others had encouraged them to seek surgery, ailments similar to mine. And when I asked my PT point blank if she thought that was the case, she agreed. And so, I find myself grappling with what I think many athletes do: a willingness to do whatever it takes to get back on my bike, a willingness that can sometimes do me more harm than good when it isn't tempered by patience.<br /><br />Recently, my husband shared with me an excerpt from a book he's reading titled, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Demon Under the Microscope. </span>"In 1799 . . . when the former president of the United States, George Washington, was treated for a severe throat infection, he received state of the art medical care from the best physicians of the day. They gave him a compound of mercury (a poisonous heavy metal) by mouth and injection, administered a toxic white salt to induce sweating and vomiting, applied caustic poultices to blister his skin, asked him to inhale hot vinegar fumes that burned his throat, and bled him four times, taking a total of five pints. Then President Washington died. It is an open question whether his doctors might have saved his life by leaving him alone."<br /><br />I understand why the doctors did what they did to Washington. Doing something, especially something dramatic, feels better than doing nothing, or doing something that might eventually work. In seeking surgery before ever seeing a massage therapist, or physical therapist, or bike fitter, I was doing what felt like the most proactive, and therefore most successful, thing I could. (And admittedly, that was partly a financial decision. It was much cheaper to have surgery than to pay for weekly massages or physical therapy appointments beyond my allotted amount.) But, I try to be more cognizant now of this propensity, and to be a little kinder and gentler with this body when it's not on the bike.AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079567864685942232.post-15812847978292611152010-07-25T09:29:00.000-07:002010-07-25T10:20:24.669-07:00Mountain biking in Winter Park is awesome!<br /><br />Though I was harboring some small belief that I would be able to race Nationals, it became clear when I pre-rode the course that it was a very bad idea. Rather than thinking about how fast I could hit a turn, or what was coming up next, I thought every pedal stroke, "Did that hurt? What about this? Should I turn my toes in? Out? Wait, was that a twinge of pain? Oh, crap. It was!" Plus, my upper end fitness was definitely gone, so I finally decided not to race and, I have to say, that decision came as relief. I could stop weighing the pros and cons. So, instead, I went in to support mode and ran around the course taking pictures of Alexis during her Cat 1 Juniors 15-16 race which she took 3rd in! (And though, I wasn't there to see it, Dot took 5th in her singlespeed race!) Here's a pic of us ladies next to the course.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATzEaE9GWfLDpAczPzavEUnsKZ_ay5qsb_toYX6kt2r2HB8eZOqjIrv1FuoXJQEYys4HjA2YhyphenhyphenayRq77mwSIRZUit4iV8qXgfrLKFOxDBgp9I5MXoRJ_2KbumfbRMSY8R-ULvPjDZB_k/s1600/37738_1449095660683_1031940459_1377022_6020636_s.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 98px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATzEaE9GWfLDpAczPzavEUnsKZ_ay5qsb_toYX6kt2r2HB8eZOqjIrv1FuoXJQEYys4HjA2YhyphenhyphenayRq77mwSIRZUit4iV8qXgfrLKFOxDBgp9I5MXoRJ_2KbumfbRMSY8R-ULvPjDZB_k/s400/37738_1449095660683_1031940459_1377022_6020636_s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497883205135587650" border="0" /></a>And for the next couple days I hit up the trails in Winter Park with my dad and friend Steve, pretty pleased that my leg was holding up okay, even if my fitness was lagging. Here's some pics from the rides we did.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0AWMKwl1eb3ave6MFnJUJfLExcbU87PbFBjhvmhkBeYuPdBJ3HPwURkL4e-e-hk5kEpVFifVkn-noHpOyPYzLXDYrILUPh3HZiPDpWX-Iq1296yuTgRwnwlZKsA9XN7JcsoB77Nh0Bg/s1600/DSCN1532.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0AWMKwl1eb3ave6MFnJUJfLExcbU87PbFBjhvmhkBeYuPdBJ3HPwURkL4e-e-hk5kEpVFifVkn-noHpOyPYzLXDYrILUPh3HZiPDpWX-Iq1296yuTgRwnwlZKsA9XN7JcsoB77Nh0Bg/s400/DSCN1532.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497884149039674962" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWk_8zY4_HDRPlio9Dw-AT4H4Ui4pMUzpgd_ah5byyGW_Qhc4VXNxf-6BAHLabT2ilWRHjkYJC0oRhhA1rcnJRFb3XnBSHZzECKLrQeNM5V4JRh0n48aioORGi07vyAe-I3LeZu_I9ZU/s1600/DSCN1539.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWk_8zY4_HDRPlio9Dw-AT4H4Ui4pMUzpgd_ah5byyGW_Qhc4VXNxf-6BAHLabT2ilWRHjkYJC0oRhhA1rcnJRFb3XnBSHZzECKLrQeNM5V4JRh0n48aioORGi07vyAe-I3LeZu_I9ZU/s400/DSCN1539.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497884725047005490" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SlQCkIcoXBbBzg6BvxhgZLcNqaWEGR2kh31Zx99oalGD4LNlFahycmsMRrOEAPa0ZLW706MgzN04fuzGyp_YisOO1j6wNMc3RKDdQju8IcvYvB9BWAQjPLEZ8Zv-K2Htt2SdNLa85nE/s1600/DSCN1543.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SlQCkIcoXBbBzg6BvxhgZLcNqaWEGR2kh31Zx99oalGD4LNlFahycmsMRrOEAPa0ZLW706MgzN04fuzGyp_YisOO1j6wNMc3RKDdQju8IcvYvB9BWAQjPLEZ8Zv-K2Htt2SdNLa85nE/s400/DSCN1543.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497884897514903682" border="0" /></a><br />My dad and Steve charging:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwefumWLFOPQJ0KmqCnIxzpArv4Dt0Q4KsVHboj1RwvbMuDfNMtBmQf8ycRAqJPLycaZo86LmFRkfeTcBnMhJbfR_8qYPQgYt2joSrqXi8UIL7FGfF7oS8IUDgxs4shAmAMrJ0YHyisc0/s1600/DSCN1544.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwefumWLFOPQJ0KmqCnIxzpArv4Dt0Q4KsVHboj1RwvbMuDfNMtBmQf8ycRAqJPLycaZo86LmFRkfeTcBnMhJbfR_8qYPQgYt2joSrqXi8UIL7FGfF7oS8IUDgxs4shAmAMrJ0YHyisc0/s400/DSCN1544.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497885446385052386" border="0" /></a><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqkWTM5M8QcnHHsE516E1OEimze68e9YyF0u-cgK4qbcVwxNM1hZVZV1KGXajHbus0AqnoklsDk2xUDCw4wTrclVqDEIxHKQFVlJwR7LSj5veA5jvU8vD33CYCwY9qejxYwZv4Cr7jEA/s1600/DSCN1545.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqkWTM5M8QcnHHsE516E1OEimze68e9YyF0u-cgK4qbcVwxNM1hZVZV1KGXajHbus0AqnoklsDk2xUDCw4wTrclVqDEIxHKQFVlJwR7LSj5veA5jvU8vD33CYCwY9qejxYwZv4Cr7jEA/s400/DSCN1545.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497885697699892530" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJPgGKZfzMKG2VBwGvEzzlgDWlhlL-w-rd41RqHIzIpycVDqVl_oAweW9m5c1sCoPQaAB3J-gmirKlcbnSS2N58m_3isqjSMq61Gaa2OzMhBae-sdM5BLoc5SYmJ2ceW3MP546CKM5gQ/s1600/DSCN1546.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJPgGKZfzMKG2VBwGvEzzlgDWlhlL-w-rd41RqHIzIpycVDqVl_oAweW9m5c1sCoPQaAB3J-gmirKlcbnSS2N58m_3isqjSMq61Gaa2OzMhBae-sdM5BLoc5SYmJ2ceW3MP546CKM5gQ/s400/DSCN1546.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497886059817955202" border="0" /></a><br />A very important member of my support crew . . . my mom!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIMTfghYr3Og6kD6eBfTaw1np10n1YKmNl6xpmKvq_2JEv1FgsY8mzCcci67rQqJu7gKL8eyFXymi1EsGJD_2RVv96qa4azAbqpevdeCnwQT7n9c31hA7jsXTsw9iwWl7Oy5Au08U9Mk/s1600/DSCN1535.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIMTfghYr3Og6kD6eBfTaw1np10n1YKmNl6xpmKvq_2JEv1FgsY8mzCcci67rQqJu7gKL8eyFXymi1EsGJD_2RVv96qa4azAbqpevdeCnwQT7n9c31hA7jsXTsw9iwWl7Oy5Au08U9Mk/s400/DSCN1535.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497894049093826866" border="0" /></a><br />We also did some cool stuff off the bike. One evening we drove into Rocky Mountain National Park to see the moose and elk, and to check out the views from 12,000 feet. Got some great pics.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVazJmq2NFrP4JvK1yAvFdZoBXBvNWIR-804idGBcZvtRUTdY8U1Shv8KlU05lM9OLxgdO1Pz0LCr1OtK-DxQqyb6ssBvCtDVGVM0qPVH1-P1qI0rn0MaG3bseR-oZtL7jJGznPYXj88k/s1600/DSCN1476.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVazJmq2NFrP4JvK1yAvFdZoBXBvNWIR-804idGBcZvtRUTdY8U1Shv8KlU05lM9OLxgdO1Pz0LCr1OtK-DxQqyb6ssBvCtDVGVM0qPVH1-P1qI0rn0MaG3bseR-oZtL7jJGznPYXj88k/s400/DSCN1476.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497891469944916338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT74SqARbhdDg2dJibWWuMOOI0SWLEPAG2szDUUhpde04YjodDfm-qRONz4wGDqMzVIMGs6ei_0f_T15FqrrU-euLKv2F0sYw5h05Gh7S4oxKJVo7VWWNskulXRGqyFiwLfeN88vmnXoI/s1600/DSCN1484.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT74SqARbhdDg2dJibWWuMOOI0SWLEPAG2szDUUhpde04YjodDfm-qRONz4wGDqMzVIMGs6ei_0f_T15FqrrU-euLKv2F0sYw5h05Gh7S4oxKJVo7VWWNskulXRGqyFiwLfeN88vmnXoI/s400/DSCN1484.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497891822966361874" border="0" /></a><br />What road biking at 12,000 feet looks like:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMx2oZBgLQuYuwJUhSUFz6P8xtxWUJns1QByoVVBnk4ofdp7uSR44tEb2GZp6fE5vKumIr6X-wi97HhEN1YMlFvjjaA00jhTtrSm0Al-6p8yQbK3gbmdrq6JEviJOD8gkCNNXnyosBLY/s1600/DSCN1504.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMx2oZBgLQuYuwJUhSUFz6P8xtxWUJns1QByoVVBnk4ofdp7uSR44tEb2GZp6fE5vKumIr6X-wi97HhEN1YMlFvjjaA00jhTtrSm0Al-6p8yQbK3gbmdrq6JEviJOD8gkCNNXnyosBLY/s400/DSCN1504.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497892249150665042" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsBmZBNb-5IfP-dg_H44b_36oI4Yyu9Lckt_4Xf3Kt1fti5FnxZ4U_9SHndNZqQgdujYm6D093bHT9FskBWSDlSOQ5uCdqwUgfBccOwo6myKbWt4ksq9UbeWxKnbO5mHEGlNQSYMKgDM/s1600/DSCN1511.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsBmZBNb-5IfP-dg_H44b_36oI4Yyu9Lckt_4Xf3Kt1fti5FnxZ4U_9SHndNZqQgdujYm6D093bHT9FskBWSDlSOQ5uCdqwUgfBccOwo6myKbWt4ksq9UbeWxKnbO5mHEGlNQSYMKgDM/s400/DSCN1511.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497892679134152562" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuwzF4m0qUcN72wp1apaIErAgbsJOxKsYmhJl5644IcLckx3HlTs8OjViDRfKGhUXw5FpzEg3m6qgSZJUiTMWtbScgEZS3wfxXxUPWAO9vKCl6HEa7wQ6gqWMkZXXbzFC9kCwvnq5qWI/s1600/DSCN1520.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuwzF4m0qUcN72wp1apaIErAgbsJOxKsYmhJl5644IcLckx3HlTs8OjViDRfKGhUXw5FpzEg3m6qgSZJUiTMWtbScgEZS3wfxXxUPWAO9vKCl6HEa7wQ6gqWMkZXXbzFC9kCwvnq5qWI/s400/DSCN1520.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497893388176462130" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkusLCl3MTT5h6R0g3Dbn-xTorAd5TKb9ZlH07OM3RiDlYZRSTVXPSSJ1uu0Et42wME7t_kUHc7njy-ag-WQnOJzKFp_zlCemph5Ag3iiJPbEIUCnDv4QnccsODeb1hE0hlefsWlmSLI/s1600/DSCN1530.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkusLCl3MTT5h6R0g3Dbn-xTorAd5TKb9ZlH07OM3RiDlYZRSTVXPSSJ1uu0Et42wME7t_kUHc7njy-ag-WQnOJzKFp_zlCemph5Ag3iiJPbEIUCnDv4QnccsODeb1hE0hlefsWlmSLI/s400/DSCN1530.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497893648407335250" border="0" /></a><br />And Saturday night we celebrated at the Devil's Thumb Ranch.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKLdBG9DpDT83A2jbgQiQ-QUkpPsng8-2Z-80ZFPbifywKp_4ydHtfRd4DX4lsZiNIRrHt-77QJ__lkhO_OphK65anTZrk5W-G-ndKfm_cz7roNJFJb0Sur5QoM-GUxHr18hT3AeuPa0/s1600/DSCN1551.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKLdBG9DpDT83A2jbgQiQ-QUkpPsng8-2Z-80ZFPbifywKp_4ydHtfRd4DX4lsZiNIRrHt-77QJ__lkhO_OphK65anTZrk5W-G-ndKfm_cz7roNJFJb0Sur5QoM-GUxHr18hT3AeuPa0/s400/DSCN1551.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497890641571183538" border="0" /></a><br />But we saved the best for Sunday. Starting at the base of Winter Park Resort, my dad and I rode up the left side and to the top on super fun singletrack and got to descend on the downhill trails on the front side of the mountain!<br /><br />Here's the YouTube video: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqMW6PEmWCk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?<wbr>v=RqMW6PEmWCk</a><br /><br />And some pics.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqvVuC8vxjvdSX-hAfNGCF7qt2K4xe_CykWET8qlWd71T-Nsr0TMLeUCnyu8p4P_l6d9bw_dtZ8gjVV2JuVzlDc76N0NcLSwcZwQv8RcQN1GLydhxOOfoIDlkynePKtFaUP4crk9Cdag/s1600/DSCN1557.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqvVuC8vxjvdSX-hAfNGCF7qt2K4xe_CykWET8qlWd71T-Nsr0TMLeUCnyu8p4P_l6d9bw_dtZ8gjVV2JuVzlDc76N0NcLSwcZwQv8RcQN1GLydhxOOfoIDlkynePKtFaUP4crk9Cdag/s400/DSCN1557.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497888598927262322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCu5Cyd_DG4MWL3rtNa86VZ-qaETLPLPtGbYSH0b4vukPU2ZchpukC32QCMoLOY-bjwhhXlcwoWCcalxLlpJ0gUWuAviTtTb7XGCU6cTA0V1v0Y37WuA_-ZdAPBQp8swGgdPmp9l9T0c/s1600/DSCN1559.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCu5Cyd_DG4MWL3rtNa86VZ-qaETLPLPtGbYSH0b4vukPU2ZchpukC32QCMoLOY-bjwhhXlcwoWCcalxLlpJ0gUWuAviTtTb7XGCU6cTA0V1v0Y37WuA_-ZdAPBQp8swGgdPmp9l9T0c/s400/DSCN1559.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497888957549436114" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfOjA3bVj29a2kBbz8PIzzAoYpdDr8nObZt1bBmQFm0Xhp27LuztMHtFECZpdNNgxEiewawhDclIambnhGYcK9MlZvyLDJA3gdlNJ8w3Rk2grhBOzlTEpp9lI5XsZoYfwON7I3XEG_zE/s1600/DSCN1563.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfOjA3bVj29a2kBbz8PIzzAoYpdDr8nObZt1bBmQFm0Xhp27LuztMHtFECZpdNNgxEiewawhDclIambnhGYcK9MlZvyLDJA3gdlNJ8w3Rk2grhBOzlTEpp9lI5XsZoYfwON7I3XEG_zE/s400/DSCN1563.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497889253608123810" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSpihKk0eGsiZWO8pWvZCqTMy2yx-EKiGTMQ_r5gRhlIXRqpn2Jqaz_eENfmlqQAe9QlS_fq3MXafKtOgmZ884b25L6RsUD5HsCsR9LlhQBD8D4xapuBx7BCk-3yOOPA2Qwbix8Y7sKw/s1600/DSCN1567.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSpihKk0eGsiZWO8pWvZCqTMy2yx-EKiGTMQ_r5gRhlIXRqpn2Jqaz_eENfmlqQAe9QlS_fq3MXafKtOgmZ884b25L6RsUD5HsCsR9LlhQBD8D4xapuBx7BCk-3yOOPA2Qwbix8Y7sKw/s400/DSCN1567.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497889596197384434" border="0" /></a><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJt1qlAm1M1_hTd0CN0LNIpoxKxOgGR_pNsDEBX9QcQCzoJd9MbnDRntisNYNRj2bpCl5mKpNz0eSydpHrhnMt-L9R7bDxmwDhIVvIW8xYqXChdOQCSBLIR5-mYozQ4UE-TT5ZrSA8msI/s1600/DSCN1572.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJt1qlAm1M1_hTd0CN0LNIpoxKxOgGR_pNsDEBX9QcQCzoJd9MbnDRntisNYNRj2bpCl5mKpNz0eSydpHrhnMt-L9R7bDxmwDhIVvIW8xYqXChdOQCSBLIR5-mYozQ4UE-TT5ZrSA8msI/s400/DSCN1572.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497890135925637442" border="0" /></a>I was so happy to be back on the bike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079567864685942232.post-74572371091485586662010-07-22T10:46:00.000-07:002010-07-23T08:42:17.007-07:00Well, A LOT has happened since my last post and I haven't written about it at last partly because things were so uncertain and I didn't want to think about that uncertainty so, obviously, I couldn't write about it.<br /><br />Okay, that sounds a bit melodramatic (though only because I'm back on my bike now) so let me cut to the chase: I didn't race Nationals because compartment syndrome forced me off my bike for about two weeks which cost me way too much fitness.<br /><br />I tried a couple of times to ride my bike the week after the 50 miler but when I tried to go any faster than a snail's pace I could feel the CS in my right leg. After about the third attempt at riding my bike, I hit rock bottom. There I was in one of my favorite places to mountain bike (Moscow, ID), but I couldn't. Just as I should have been doing loads of interval work, I could barely turn over the pedals. The summer I had planned for myself vanished before my eyes. But then my survival instincts kicked in. I told myself I was going to take a week off the bike and make an appointment with a doctor. A week wouldn't cost me too much fitness, I reasoned. I'd probably be so well rested I'd demolish my intervals and a doctor must have some really great anti-inflammatories that would have me up an running ASAP. Fortunately, too, my friends had a great long weekend planned so unless I was using my leg to get up from a sitting position and that shooting pain reminded me, it was relatively easy to keep my mind off the fact that I wasn't riding my bike.<br /><br />We went rafting:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHt1CmBSrHANtAN7A9YasQXKohu_LR5XivDX_SeOtxNPnHy1J5OyS2S4NWLEK5zYrilSkPRxpK7n-0CRgcp1AumIZTXe7sQdJAvSc3b-Og8M1n1yhjt7DoHor9Jib_uE5EmJqSNQsrahs/s1600/34589_1162838529187_1774586188_284578_4500439_s.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 98px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHt1CmBSrHANtAN7A9YasQXKohu_LR5XivDX_SeOtxNPnHy1J5OyS2S4NWLEK5zYrilSkPRxpK7n-0CRgcp1AumIZTXe7sQdJAvSc3b-Og8M1n1yhjt7DoHor9Jib_uE5EmJqSNQsrahs/s400/34589_1162838529187_1774586188_284578_4500439_s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496793221462660290" border="0" /></a><br />We went to Burgdorf Hotsprings (Which are incredible! If you're ever in McCall you have to check them out.). Here's a picture of the big pool, the view from the big pool, and our super comfy cabin:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qWNBs8FtH0Jgs-X6I3Ur2gaJbfuXEjJqE-CpceVVxGED_b1Uu2y7DawzfknY7_pdcIAU4h2-unDaGlPXTwOozunbL9p9TzjYYz-HqVdWaIqduS7cydQ6J3jcLjPKvIjsqVRXBUpbRkk/s1600/DSCN1412.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qWNBs8FtH0Jgs-X6I3Ur2gaJbfuXEjJqE-CpceVVxGED_b1Uu2y7DawzfknY7_pdcIAU4h2-unDaGlPXTwOozunbL9p9TzjYYz-HqVdWaIqduS7cydQ6J3jcLjPKvIjsqVRXBUpbRkk/s400/DSCN1412.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496794272328903554" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Uxe26ji4PS08H-RTVm5Kuzxm0D85sDiNswcXWbvJS6OoilSyuqm1ryor6M5DfCgz_Z1muqbCY_YHyR4emLDN6bbZguazXR1TxgGQsOZjcdSQvgermypd9q-paYN0hyphenhyphencQ0sYWfGe4Vro/s1600/DSCN1415.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Uxe26ji4PS08H-RTVm5Kuzxm0D85sDiNswcXWbvJS6OoilSyuqm1ryor6M5DfCgz_Z1muqbCY_YHyR4emLDN6bbZguazXR1TxgGQsOZjcdSQvgermypd9q-paYN0hyphenhyphencQ0sYWfGe4Vro/s400/DSCN1415.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496794427896323522" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx1vPGhRZgdw-8OrpPMebReETd4pusd7kgBA6godaa6fhlBsevdWOqHQpMHrCP6jqzpV5HyrJOI2zpQVUUYiNWC2FrL7S8ZobzrtAeeU_SqYfAVWZrVl3YdP0w6JJBmZ63ncudePdy0aU/s1600/DSCN1420.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx1vPGhRZgdw-8OrpPMebReETd4pusd7kgBA6godaa6fhlBsevdWOqHQpMHrCP6jqzpV5HyrJOI2zpQVUUYiNWC2FrL7S8ZobzrtAeeU_SqYfAVWZrVl3YdP0w6JJBmZ63ncudePdy0aU/s400/DSCN1420.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496796502807880130" border="0" /></a>And we went rafting again:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtvziOypehn7WWuv6dyOoAc6Gr3KlnhsKIrBSguX2JkbP_HwjuwmHshkTuJSS8Gik6LSbGvOEaAHCSWKp7oNs0qp8NGbzNOs9bJrXMvoWVUkrPdVgz_F4CTSCSRc8j_OWVfVQYQbcMr4/s1600/DSCN1422.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtvziOypehn7WWuv6dyOoAc6Gr3KlnhsKIrBSguX2JkbP_HwjuwmHshkTuJSS8Gik6LSbGvOEaAHCSWKp7oNs0qp8NGbzNOs9bJrXMvoWVUkrPdVgz_F4CTSCSRc8j_OWVfVQYQbcMr4/s400/DSCN1422.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496798817511482466" border="0" /></a><br />We also went to Lilith Fair:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDf51we2Qc4aVTfW_MxXwQ0hEqidERLNlpbKIkDr5zsDoyNcPH50mn6F378wDXzSRTxJ5Ktw-HBSAU8N_H0f4ric2kaQwVUSHg5KSd2jNtoOxQO2jnK3yWr4WjlG0lKYMVdL52c-9xuw/s1600/DSCN1438.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDf51we2Qc4aVTfW_MxXwQ0hEqidERLNlpbKIkDr5zsDoyNcPH50mn6F378wDXzSRTxJ5Ktw-HBSAU8N_H0f4ric2kaQwVUSHg5KSd2jNtoOxQO2jnK3yWr4WjlG0lKYMVdL52c-9xuw/s400/DSCN1438.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496799464265653730" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And when I got back I went to the doctor. I always love going to the doctor in smallish towns because the people who work at the hospital and in the offices are these really sweet older women with tons of pictures of their grandchildren and doilies all over their offices and they call you sweetie. Plus, with such a low volume of people coming through, they are super efficient. I had x-rays taken and printed about 15 minutes after arriving at the doctor's office. Plus, the doctor took her time and explained in great detail what she thought was going on and what my treatment options are. Unfortunately, this is where things went a bit sour. As much as I wanted to ignore the fact that RICE was going to be my best treatment option (short of surgery) that is in fact what she suggested I do. She had no magic potions for me. Well, except for this topical anti -inflammatory:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHuaG6G76YMJEL6oaxWIuiQQ3YzgbRwlsPYMuLlQ4p5Zz4d71xE8p5Vb3YBQ7qhbwamCxUEAndBtlwjCaMNm6y6fi7EAZzPIQSWPdkRLJM47FZgFL8aKsj1z6fRVeDdsDJDk05Pnuh1g/s1600/DSCN1441.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHuaG6G76YMJEL6oaxWIuiQQ3YzgbRwlsPYMuLlQ4p5Zz4d71xE8p5Vb3YBQ7qhbwamCxUEAndBtlwjCaMNm6y6fi7EAZzPIQSWPdkRLJM47FZgFL8aKsj1z6fRVeDdsDJDk05Pnuh1g/s400/DSCN1441.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497116673808893570" border="0" /></a>So this became my treatment regime: Wake up, turn on the Tour, work out the tightness in my shin with a tennis ball, ice, and apply anti-inflammatory. Oh, and of course coffee. Really, really strong coffee. It makes me sooooo happy. After my first cup of joe, I could take solace in knowing I wasn't alone. I watched folks like Frank Schleck crash out of the tour, and heard about all those guys with injuries like tendinitis that prevented them from even starting the tour. And that got me thinking about Katie Compton and her strange leg cramps, and now her thyroid issues. And I thought: Well, it's not like I couldn't race the Tour or Cyclocross World Championships when I could have won them. It's my first year as a PRO, and I've done pretty well, but another year of training will help me a ton, and the knowledge I've gained this year about how to prevent injury, how to train more efficiently, and how to take better care of my body will prove invaluable. So my new goal became to get back on my bike in time to ride Moscow Mt. before I had to leave and to be ready to put in some fairly long hours on the bike when I got to Granby and Nationals. In the meantime, Moscow once again proved to be a great place to recover from an injury. I went to a ton of dinner parties and got escorted home by this girl:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzDJB3g9vbrtbPjqqK5JCnYnga1HKR4mMITt2RLuaupVpT0AmvDC7L-0bPwxwstTcRLLmRdTgmag7dXnMy8_nsIRasSbc_Nm1KujvQboYjNrPTWwWIeBqkumY-qp3vv1qL4qebu1k7dI/s1600/DSCN1386.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzDJB3g9vbrtbPjqqK5JCnYnga1HKR4mMITt2RLuaupVpT0AmvDC7L-0bPwxwstTcRLLmRdTgmag7dXnMy8_nsIRasSbc_Nm1KujvQboYjNrPTWwWIeBqkumY-qp3vv1qL4qebu1k7dI/s400/DSCN1386.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497120126666546754" border="0" /></a>And I went on some great hikes:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoszsnmPHPS_cWLkIoDZYLHJgeg-bh-l-JhjGgcCNlWlVtL4mOzOCkxPDr0E_QgAYEErKwOJJ5xrMPDE8YbVPH1y7ovle1gXXgw6Md1XfCVI6zy-2Mmgi8RIimYT8Om3WtaP6AuEsmItg/s1600/38127_1163023853820_1774586188_284990_6388932_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoszsnmPHPS_cWLkIoDZYLHJgeg-bh-l-JhjGgcCNlWlVtL4mOzOCkxPDr0E_QgAYEErKwOJJ5xrMPDE8YbVPH1y7ovle1gXXgw6Md1XfCVI6zy-2Mmgi8RIimYT8Om3WtaP6AuEsmItg/s400/38127_1163023853820_1774586188_284990_6388932_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497121079163702786" border="0" /></a>The running joke, though, was that when I'm not on my bike, this is what happens:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdDp-Gmwp01gMz0KJaWnnnAoeMJQQEOTfYViKMLwtrxvIxW8fyM2f3nNXw-7-xVg5TwNAnIWFsB3a9X0F_4Q2RZ8xya8-TOCF8aFVpC9xsAU7mGWLNpz7N62iDA9heiwrOySTAdzzYdM/s1600/37610_1162856289631_1774586188_284722_1986210_s.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 98px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdDp-Gmwp01gMz0KJaWnnnAoeMJQQEOTfYViKMLwtrxvIxW8fyM2f3nNXw-7-xVg5TwNAnIWFsB3a9X0F_4Q2RZ8xya8-TOCF8aFVpC9xsAU7mGWLNpz7N62iDA9heiwrOySTAdzzYdM/s400/37610_1162856289631_1774586188_284722_1986210_s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497123014175072642" border="0" /></a>I have a sudden and intense interest in babies :) Which, I admit, is very true. But, I've got a couple seasons in me before having my own. Got to make up for this one!<br /><br />So about a week after visiting the doctor, I decided it was time to try riding the bike again. So with great trepidation, I called up my little bro and we hit the mountain. And, much to my great amazement, my leg felt great for the whole 2 hour ride!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmPRXmu_0gee0kZ5XXIdlDesXWefHsrX4ZmbPo_WmEyfB24wnbSZNCjqRK25q_XwBepYSnXmra2MDH0c9UhgAVCNPxLZ6EuMh_51bL-n3j-pJLlwjFP9EZJ5ZSaiK_Pu72HJWtxP_634/s1600/DSCN1466.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmPRXmu_0gee0kZ5XXIdlDesXWefHsrX4ZmbPo_WmEyfB24wnbSZNCjqRK25q_XwBepYSnXmra2MDH0c9UhgAVCNPxLZ6EuMh_51bL-n3j-pJLlwjFP9EZJ5ZSaiK_Pu72HJWtxP_634/s400/DSCN1466.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497124757480272450" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpX-ZTce2LcA49f4qnRbFoqskKStw2ShypnakFB-mhlFwIEkVxnNj4tJ-fnxUCYw62a0vEUxJp5c2EXzBnkje6l9XqRqapRdpOacEFZnwCtAhOwytidLDI9c-fPKzg-3bIGORJKHOOb6o/s1600/DSCN1471.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpX-ZTce2LcA49f4qnRbFoqskKStw2ShypnakFB-mhlFwIEkVxnNj4tJ-fnxUCYw62a0vEUxJp5c2EXzBnkje6l9XqRqapRdpOacEFZnwCtAhOwytidLDI9c-fPKzg-3bIGORJKHOOb6o/s400/DSCN1471.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497125026429366194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1IIoNUxE0bJreLfRENtY-mkUD1Jhp0PitVDwOHUVt1N6DL19zR8AaknqaeiNP2pgLBZ4i5CAYDkihl4_mVIROYmYFhj194Rh0GF-LsWaSbav44T-WZzZM7iSJVSzEfo1qChA-F6u51w/s1600/DSCN1473.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1IIoNUxE0bJreLfRENtY-mkUD1Jhp0PitVDwOHUVt1N6DL19zR8AaknqaeiNP2pgLBZ4i5CAYDkihl4_mVIROYmYFhj194Rh0GF-LsWaSbav44T-WZzZM7iSJVSzEfo1qChA-F6u51w/s400/DSCN1473.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497125250653841810" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZn_dxtcXmePWg5Fjl0kpKNekWVpfBbf9z9vFlSnzmLDePdwoF5nZf9mTe3Q73EzwL4RC-LBnPMSCEklQ8wqwuSXxk4uekhhMgRMN0CmiI3eTnZHAo3yfTll01Fsxwut86h4OFWdnVOyY/s1600/DSCN1380.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZn_dxtcXmePWg5Fjl0kpKNekWVpfBbf9z9vFlSnzmLDePdwoF5nZf9mTe3Q73EzwL4RC-LBnPMSCEklQ8wqwuSXxk4uekhhMgRMN0CmiI3eTnZHAo3yfTll01Fsxwut86h4OFWdnVOyY/s400/DSCN1380.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497125532621768866" border="0" /></a>And then I was off to Granby. But I'll cover that in the next post.AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079567864685942232.post-12229310108710617082010-06-23T10:33:00.000-07:002010-06-23T11:41:32.430-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqq4BYb9Xgwhvvodtf3oDDN428WsGesSXyuBEfwOKlda6CUi9sAh910r209Y95kzR_-VTq7JPA2B8ux_FNgyeBv-p3qk44r6OwhLGc_lYaMkT-IReWBNoADAbDgXMfcMpZhunQ5wpU9Gk/s1600/expman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqq4BYb9Xgwhvvodtf3oDDN428WsGesSXyuBEfwOKlda6CUi9sAh910r209Y95kzR_-VTq7JPA2B8ux_FNgyeBv-p3qk44r6OwhLGc_lYaMkT-IReWBNoADAbDgXMfcMpZhunQ5wpU9Gk/s400/expman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486023991444144002" border="0" /></a>First off, huge thanks to Oregon Velo Photography for the pics. They're awesome!<br /><br />Second, huge thanks to Dot Wong and The TEAM, Metal Mountain Bike Shop in Ventura, CA, and my coach Jason Hilimire for all the support this year.<br /><br />Third, huge thanks to my parents for joining me this weekend in OR and keeping me housed and fed. And, to my husband, who has put up with my 2 month hiatus to train and race all over the west.<br /><br />Now, on to the race report.<br /><br />I'm a cross country racer so my races are generally around 20 miles, with the occasional 29 or 3o miler. But, I LOVE mountain biking and because you can't ever have too much of a good thing, I thought perhaps I should dabble a toe into the world of endurance racing and give a 50 miler a go. And because my dad is my partner in crime when it comes to just about anything outdoors, I talked him into it as well. We decided on the TEST of ENDURANCE 50 in Blodgett, OR largely because it draws big names and where big names go, crowds follow so I had a suspicion there would be a good field of women. And I was sooo right. In fact, Alice Pennington set a very impressive new course record!<br /><br />The race is awesome. It's a TON of climbing, 7,900 feet according to my Polar watch, spread out over 5o miles of fire road and single track in the Coast Range. It begins with a neutral mass start for a couple of miles and I was surprised how good I felt. I'm sure my time at elevation in Boulder was part of the reason, but so was the fact that in a race that's going to last 5+ hours you're supposed to keep your effort in check, or at least that's what my coach says. For me, that meant keeping my heart rate between 170 and 190 bpm (I normally race around 200 bpm). So the neutral mass start was a nice reprieve from the all out starts I'm accustomed to. So I settled in to the appropriate heart rate and waited for the climbing to begin. And begin it did. 10 or so minutes into the lap we started climbing and we continued to do so for a good hour with only the occasional "reprieve" onto singletrack. I put reprieve in quotes because with the rain that had fallen the day before and the drizzle happening that morning, riding the singletrack felt like riding on ice. (Remember my earlier post where I said rain was the theme of my summer. Well, on the way to Oregon, I got stuck in Billings, MT when a severe storm blew in with a downpour, golf ball-sized hail, and 70 mile an hour winds. Then, the next day, I drove in a constant drizzle from Billings to Moscow, ID--thats 8 hours of rain across 600 miles.) But nontheless, I was having a ton of fun in the race, and was pleased with how good I felt. I soon fell in behind another female rider and found that though she was a stronger climber than me, I was a better descender and so we traded back and forth for most of the 25 mile lap. My best guess was that she and I were sitting in the top 5. Here's a pic from the muddy singletrack. Note the guy behind me is running with his bike. Sometimes that really was the better option since falling can be awfully time consuming.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NSl14dioIYEEHmDTTGscrtMcSBGbo3sPIvPyCJae09wu_H_IsafoPZk5XZfUe2eAd-Mf6VDsrzGyUnHBaRFAsdxb0erJlNLB_L17Nm3l6DLG2u9eOR52EUcd7bep-mXM8Fd5HTjZcSc/s1600/expman-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NSl14dioIYEEHmDTTGscrtMcSBGbo3sPIvPyCJae09wu_H_IsafoPZk5XZfUe2eAd-Mf6VDsrzGyUnHBaRFAsdxb0erJlNLB_L17Nm3l6DLG2u9eOR52EUcd7bep-mXM8Fd5HTjZcSc/s400/expman-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486028567537966562" border="0" /></a>Finally, I hit a fairly long fire-road descent. I didn't know how much was left in the first lap, and in all honesty, as the time my races normally end came and went, I was growing increasingly ready to see lap 2. But the descent seemed like a good time to fuel, so I backed off a bit and ate a Snickers and drank a bottle. In the end, I don't know if this was the right call or not because in the process of doing so, I lost sight of the other female rider. And, as they say, out of sight out of mind. But maybe it was the right call because a short while later, I was off on lap 2 and feeling really, really good. I stopped very briefly at the aid station to refill a bottle, maybe lost a minute there, and was off again. (Although, that's another thing I want to rethink for my next 50 miler--if there is one :) A lot of folks were wearing camelbacks which meant they never had to stop and lose precious time.) But, anyway, I was off on lap 2 and feeling super good. When I hit the backside climb, I even amped it up a bit and a male racer fell in behind me. "Nice job," he said. "You're the perfect pacer." And here's another place where I think I may have made a poor decision. When this guy fell in behind me, I felt motivated to keep pushing. For the whole climb, my heart rate was up at 190 which may not have been the right call with 20 or so miles still to go. When we finally finished the long climb, I could feel the toll the effort had taken. My legs were pretty zonked and then, about mile 40, I began to have a Scrooge-like experience. The ghosts of injuries past returned for a visit. First my left shin muscle started to burn which meant the compartment syndrome I had been diagnosed with a few months ago was back. And once this was flared up, my IT band started to tighten which resulted in a super painful pinching sensation on the outside of my left knee. None of the symptoms were constant; by keeping my heel down and pushing harder with my right leg, and sometimes unclipping my left leg and centering the pedal under the middle of my foot, I could manage the pain, but the punch to the gut the pain gave my moral was tough. I could feel my competitive edge waning and my desire to be done taking over. By this point, too, the single track was super muddy and what I would have been compelled to ride through before, I felt more compelled to run through with my leg acting up. I don't now how much time I lost doing so, if any. Soon, I also realized I didn't remember just how much climbing comes at the end of the race. There's at least half a dozen 3 to 6 minute climbs that get really, really frustrating :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-YVw0I3fogPkDuKLsH9gncaCaYtFOAc9syhh4cg9HgVbWdXTAY1HVtNNafMTRz2VuWQswWzoONfyUQZWke5c9CW7lXdARVgzl5LrkHr7LD_PdsiRk9cbF-VGuSPzssfAkoAYX6xp9-8/s1600/expman-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-YVw0I3fogPkDuKLsH9gncaCaYtFOAc9syhh4cg9HgVbWdXTAY1HVtNNafMTRz2VuWQswWzoONfyUQZWke5c9CW7lXdARVgzl5LrkHr7LD_PdsiRk9cbF-VGuSPzssfAkoAYX6xp9-8/s400/expman-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486035648111529282" border="0" /></a><br />Finally, I turned onto the final singletrack so happy to know there was only this and a mile of rolling fire road between me and the finish line. Then, another female rider came up behind me. I was super bummed because I knew my legs were pretty much done and that a mile of sprinting was likely out of the question. But I did my best, charging the singletrack and standing to push when we hit the fire road. But eventually she pulled away. I crossed the finish line in 4th, 2 minutes off third and the podium. I let myself be bummed for awhile and then got over it. 4th is pretty darn good for my first 50 miler. Plus, my dad and I took 3rd in the co-ed competition. Go us!!!<br /><br />Here's a pic of my dad charging:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqntYqZRVPeIaxBQSWsVifuqDlBOrJA1QJDBp4cEZa62vuPQVr6CguAlr9SLOXFPq2bZq_0uGQH3FdHwFQ_85JS3tXHjEocTE8SLc-36GMPX7MeepNT-Jasi2Uj6d61KjXBoEeaHWOqc/s1600/expman-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqntYqZRVPeIaxBQSWsVifuqDlBOrJA1QJDBp4cEZa62vuPQVr6CguAlr9SLOXFPq2bZq_0uGQH3FdHwFQ_85JS3tXHjEocTE8SLc-36GMPX7MeepNT-Jasi2Uj6d61KjXBoEeaHWOqc/s400/expman-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486035986894561842" border="0" /></a>AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079567864685942232.post-9447543563412349432010-06-22T14:14:00.000-07:002010-06-23T10:15:49.095-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59xPvo1ew_Iv_Stb58LlxvLvZtf5oUoymFyM8Q0V_DQ_Jg1uXoEuCzZJqtzfewd3YE2EqVES-LkGepD4NbaoqWUAloWCc6gHW85JKQtFCmtSHsXlSn1iO9Ufmp4DUamSlwsSaVHb6GSo/s1600/31159_400725708122_31628608122_4494328_4092124_s.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 98px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59xPvo1ew_Iv_Stb58LlxvLvZtf5oUoymFyM8Q0V_DQ_Jg1uXoEuCzZJqtzfewd3YE2EqVES-LkGepD4NbaoqWUAloWCc6gHW85JKQtFCmtSHsXlSn1iO9Ufmp4DUamSlwsSaVHb6GSo/s320/31159_400725708122_31628608122_4494328_4092124_s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485712772555077474" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I suppose, if one gave it any thought, that it might seem a bit strange to have my background be a snow-capped peak and raindrops, but those two things pretty much represent my summer thus far.<br /><br />It began with meeting my coach, Jason Hilimire, for a week of riding in and around Boulder, CO with the folks from FasCat Coaching. Day one, had my VO2 tested and went for a spin in the afternoon, only encountering a drizzle or two. Returned the next day for our 4 hour ride up some of the punishing climbs in the area, topping out at one point at about 10,000 feet. Boy did the lack of oxygen make me dizzy! The climbing was followed by some epic descending that got super fun when we hit a narrow canyon and really started to push one another with attacks off the front. As a mountain biker, I haven't spent a ton of time in pelotons, but I'm really starting to appreciate it. I was riding with a bunch of folks (men, mostly) who were just enough stronger than me that I really had to work to keep up with them. I haven't spent so much prolonged time at lactate threshold ever. But, back to the rain. So day 3--the day we were supposed to go for our epic 5-6 hour adventure--we awoke to rain. We convened at the performance center and, fortunately, agreed we were going out no matter what. We all put on every piece of gear we owned and decided to go hard and fast to keep warm. Oh, that was a painful half hour before I finally warmed up and could keep pace. Plus, by the end of the first hour, my neoprene booties were so wet I didn't have to work so hard to turn the pedals over; the weight of my booties were doing it for me. On day 4, we awoke to rain yet again, and though I had no desire to spend yet another wet day in the saddle, we went out. By this point my legs were pretty spent, too, so I just kept telling myself, the sun had to show up eventually, and soon I'd be making the transition to dirt where I'd be able to take my Jamis Dakota d29 Team out for only the third time.<br /><br />And hit the dirt we did. Jason and I had originally planned on a trip to Granby but because we're not from Boulder, decided to take Trail Pass Road (the highest paved road in the US). We hit the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park and were told the road was closed, but not because there was a ton of snow, rather because there were a few inches and the snow equipment the park service has is only equipped to handle <span style="font-style: italic;">feet</span> of snow, not inches. We could either wait for the sun to melt the snow or change plans. We opted to change plans, and decided to head back down to Boulder and Hall Ranch. Before we did we saw some beautiful elk!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NBSkJME5bRUYe7Wx2TVP3iD2kgXoBo4c-3u5_7m-nmFXOh-BaRysy3UrrwwjfqF9Vl7FjjRe5L8Gil07ZgEIsTfMoTWMnXVnV5FPAG3FtEga_3tPHXmEmUqvAILDzeroxdfxrDo_F3U/s1600/32124_403554924717_504079717_4071395_6746460_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NBSkJME5bRUYe7Wx2TVP3iD2kgXoBo4c-3u5_7m-nmFXOh-BaRysy3UrrwwjfqF9Vl7FjjRe5L8Gil07ZgEIsTfMoTWMnXVnV5FPAG3FtEga_3tPHXmEmUqvAILDzeroxdfxrDo_F3U/s320/32124_403554924717_504079717_4071395_6746460_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486014047348736850" border="0" /></a>And Hall Ranch was just dry enough to ride. I was so stoked to be on dirt!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWSMjTA7E6AnSEXwdUHIT2QCJQbpwrP6DNoyYQ_vdaei7fSmwHz4Fxb3jMKEhRaWJguxTIaWvMvAfR6pMISnXuIiTZ0Zr5EXomnZX9gyVbXqsf_fgeloSbgs-NMo-uqG9_zXabyjPE9w/s1600/32124_403555019717_504079717_4071400_5006920_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWSMjTA7E6AnSEXwdUHIT2QCJQbpwrP6DNoyYQ_vdaei7fSmwHz4Fxb3jMKEhRaWJguxTIaWvMvAfR6pMISnXuIiTZ0Zr5EXomnZX9gyVbXqsf_fgeloSbgs-NMo-uqG9_zXabyjPE9w/s320/32124_403555019717_504079717_4071400_5006920_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486014739869078834" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvq3B36xzNkd-dF3_r6uHLA6Rsg1kTLKRhGDCUwhIVWRWl6o0iJEzRKHC89KOhbahPvD-GGs2msN-jBYWI8cfBvc40JYyyiBN2qcAbr1BWC0LuF8r4KdHcn9tE-5K5Xr3A2vqwWxR_uxc/s1600/32124_403555059717_504079717_4071402_3911094_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvq3B36xzNkd-dF3_r6uHLA6Rsg1kTLKRhGDCUwhIVWRWl6o0iJEzRKHC89KOhbahPvD-GGs2msN-jBYWI8cfBvc40JYyyiBN2qcAbr1BWC0LuF8r4KdHcn9tE-5K5Xr3A2vqwWxR_uxc/s320/32124_403555059717_504079717_4071402_3911094_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486014923537012114" border="0" /></a>And the next day we made made it to Granby and enjoyed the bluebird day we'd been waiting for all week. Below is the nasty start climb and the climb through the aspens on the way to Patriot that I mentioned in my earlier post.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSt3NJ4ZrPgQOguiBd22J-dYvAoSyLQ7MegtPuYZgO5fvkJFYBmULtBRr-MOZPLpXU_e_Q67JO3oixUOpq2T1laMMwl9Kkfn75i6xeK3QbHgv-wFRBeQH5hBaKJ_pF6mFC4oahk1-JSY/s1600/32214_403926454717_504079717_4079216_8382855_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSt3NJ4ZrPgQOguiBd22J-dYvAoSyLQ7MegtPuYZgO5fvkJFYBmULtBRr-MOZPLpXU_e_Q67JO3oixUOpq2T1laMMwl9Kkfn75i6xeK3QbHgv-wFRBeQH5hBaKJ_pF6mFC4oahk1-JSY/s320/32214_403926454717_504079717_4079216_8382855_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486016643133285746" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7oA1oRoV6yMzezppLRoPXd5B5nfmkwjkizbDCiFXApZfuxhTF10YqNIs7Qi_aqGWGNGPwWsbQiHBEzFGmuB58cDawgwSRnveB0_Po7qMVpAcqp-QYvXurr0y8NMK0PzOVY3IUKv78daI/s1600/32214_403926614717_504079717_4079225_4111569_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7oA1oRoV6yMzezppLRoPXd5B5nfmkwjkizbDCiFXApZfuxhTF10YqNIs7Qi_aqGWGNGPwWsbQiHBEzFGmuB58cDawgwSRnveB0_Po7qMVpAcqp-QYvXurr0y8NMK0PzOVY3IUKv78daI/s320/32214_403926614717_504079717_4079225_4111569_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486016942764066658" border="0" /></a>Here's the waterfall section:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY77EzOVXV60nBkO8Aud_MWG6LRqg_GxPyNL60QGHC4x_WbHWXbKS7RdEJgCj3RzVc99BbVyrXdhX3SftaFJMtcEDoX-7_Vr1Nmqxy3IfDMW_Xfks5UT-AHMjCXGfF0INi7BESse2ZZgg/s1600/32214_403927609717_504079717_4079276_5135064_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY77EzOVXV60nBkO8Aud_MWG6LRqg_GxPyNL60QGHC4x_WbHWXbKS7RdEJgCj3RzVc99BbVyrXdhX3SftaFJMtcEDoX-7_Vr1Nmqxy3IfDMW_Xfks5UT-AHMjCXGfF0INi7BESse2ZZgg/s320/32214_403927609717_504079717_4079276_5135064_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486017413263922418" border="0" /></a>Then I was on the road again.AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079567864685942232.post-76727847121107931722010-06-22T12:52:00.001-07:002010-06-23T10:22:31.318-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmqLzamwCRZeB5Qa7XpCEkDWUd3NfmISHaUaZ4HRG4vlP3fcO6tCnzwwr3ij_-u_0Z5TA1qKG8I-PuUoFJLObGLDPSWeYVCdDhNTYAwP0MVqSPWWawypZRRdRHa2mtSpVgAauezCRU9k/s1600/6016_109077697108_673182108_2568379_4603524_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmqLzamwCRZeB5Qa7XpCEkDWUd3NfmISHaUaZ4HRG4vlP3fcO6tCnzwwr3ij_-u_0Z5TA1qKG8I-PuUoFJLObGLDPSWeYVCdDhNTYAwP0MVqSPWWawypZRRdRHa2mtSpVgAauezCRU9k/s320/6016_109077697108_673182108_2568379_4603524_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485707056918856402" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Before I get ahead of myself, I think I need to take a few steps back and provide some context for this blog and how it is exactly that at 29 I ended up racing my mountain bike professionally. It all started when I moved from Moscow, ID (where I was getting my MFA) to Santa Barbara, CA to begin teaching English at a boarding school. While in Moscow, I mountain biked a TON. All day everyday I could. With some great friends I embarked on long epic rides all over the local mountain, or a couple ranges further out where we rode from one fire lookout to another. It was, simply put, freaking awesome. So when I moved to Santa Barbara and got a full time job in 2008, I kind of wanted to curl up and die for a couple of months. The lifestyle I had enjoyed so intensely was completely and utterly gone. But, fortunately, as the shock of life after grad school waned a bit, I did get out on my road bike and discovered that road riding in SB is spectacular. In fact, riding my road bike slowly but surely started to make my life bearable, and then, downright good. In a better emotional space, I actually started to enjoy my job, and in February, my dad suggested I give mountain bike racing a try. I went up to the CCCX series in Monterey and won my first beginner race. A few months later, I won Sea Otter. And a few months after that, I won Nationals in Mt. Snow, VT. The next season I was racing CAT 2 and winning. After about 3 races as a CAT 2, I promptly made the jump to CAT 1. After a few 5th, 6th, and 7th place finishes I was a bit humbled but also excited to be facing stout competition. Slowly but surely my training started to match my desire to be a competitive CAT 1 racer and after a 2nd place finish at Big Bear, I decided to devote my 2009 summer entirely to preparing for Nationals.<br /><br />In June I went back to Moscow to hit up some of my favorite trails and to be at elevation. (Well, some elevation anyway.) I did all my training on my mountain bike, ate well, and rested a lot. I got to Granby with a couple of days to adjust to 10,000 feet and to pre-ride the course. When I rolled up to the start line at Nationals I felt good. I thought a top 5 finish might just be possible. As we waited for the gun, a few Coloradians were talking trash, asking how us lowlanders were handling the elevation, but I just took a deep breath and reminded myself of all the preparation I had done. When we finally took off, I was in the back of the pack, my legs searing with the sudden effort output it took to climb the super steep start hill. Though I easily could have started panicking about being in the back of the pack, I reminded myself that starts are always my weakest point in the race, and just kept pedaling.<br /><br />About 20 minutes in, I started to settle in and was pleased with my pace. I passed a couple of ladies, and figured I was somewhere around 7th or 8th. There's a relatively slight climb on the back side of the mountain and I told myself to focus on passing whomever was ahead of me. Turned out to be a girl from DC. I passed her just in time to hop on the shale-covered single track up the backside of the mountain. I had been climbing this section well during the pre-ride and knew that I could make up for the time I lost on the start here. When I reached the top, I was stoked to finally be hitting some downhill I could recover on. I took some hits off my bottle, and reminded myself that some technical riding was coming up, and that if I hit the lines I scouted during the pre-ride, I might just get that top 5 finish. Funny enough, not 2 minutes into the technical downhill, I had to slam on my brakes to keep from running over the lead pack of 4. I was so stoked!<br /><br />As I rolled along behind the lead-group, I grew more and more excited; it felt like these ladies were barely moving because of their timidity on the challenging terrain. Slowly I began to realize I might just be able to take the lead. I bided my time, waiting for a place to pass the lead group; I needed to choose wisely on the narrow, technical single-track if I was going to avoid a crash. Then, finally, my opportunity presented itself. On a right hand turn, the hard-packed dirt turned to dust and after about 10 feet, did a sharp left hand turn that one could easily wipe-out on if they didn't know the line. I had scouted this section of trail and rode it numerous times so I knew the line was way left and through a slot between two trees. No one else was clued in to this, and so I let go of the breaks and took my line and the lead. I couldn't believe it; I was in 1st!<br /><br />My hear rate jumped a dozen beats at this turn of events. I had never imagined being in the lead. I took another deep breath and reminded myself I was only a 4th of the way through the race; anything could happen. And a short while later it did. We hit the uphill slog through the aspens and I lost the lead to Katie DeClerq, a stronger climber than me, and then another rider, Kari Studley--perhaps the strongest climber out there that day--passed me, too. But unlike past races in which my heart would have sunk at being passed and I would have started consoling myself with a finish on the bottom rung of the podium or just off it, I reminded myself there was lots of downhill yet to come, and I was the strongest descender. So I put my head down and focused on keeping a steady pace. Finally I hit the actual top of the mountain and began the descent on Patriot--USAC's nod to the technical nature of World Cup racing. I caught Kari here and rolled up to the the waterfall right behind her. I had been planning on running it because sliding down it during the pre-ride proved more time comsuming, so without a moment's hesitation, I hopped off, shouldered my bike cyclo-cross style and charged down the waterfall past Kari.<br /><br />Back on the bike, I focused on catching Katie. It was all downhill back to the start line and Lap 2 so I knew my chances were good. Katie came into sight right before the bottom of the hill, and I caught her just as we began the climb up the start hill. I couldn't believe it. I'd never thought, let alone raced, races so tactically before. It felt like another rider was inhabiting my body. I was calm and collected in a way I had never been before. I used to whitewater kayak on some really difficult water that required a kind of self-control--an ability to keep fear and pain at bay--to navigate safely. In this race, I seemed to be doing something similar. In all honesty, I don't remember too much of the first half of the second lap. Only that Katie, Kari, and I were together for most of it, and that it wasn't until we hit the aspen climb, that Katie and I pulled away. And then I remember watching Katie pass by and thinking: <span style="font-style: italic;">I have nothing left. There's no way I can match her in this climb. I'm going to get 2nd. Damnit, I'm going to get 2nd. </span>And for awhile, it looked like that was going to be it. I went through the waterfall, and the single track that follows, consoling myself. But then, rather suddenly, I came around a corner, and there was Katie, just 20 feet ahead. I was shocked and the accompanying surge of adrenaline gave me a boost. I pulled up right behind her wheel and coughed just to let her know I was there. I stayed no more than a couple of inches off her wheel for the next few minutes, knowing full well that about ten feet of fire road were coming up and would be my last chance to pass her. When we hit it, I put everything I had into surging around her and took the lead with only single track, and maybe an 1/8 of a mile of fire road between me and the finish line. I took the remaining single-track conservatively, having realized that my front brake wasn't working anymore, and that Katie would be hard-pressed to pass. Finally, I hit the fire road splitting the vendor tents and stood up to turn over the pedals with everything I had left. I knew Katie was only a few feet behind. In the end, I crossed the finish line 1.16 seconds ahead of Katie. I could hardly believe it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhLDjMMm1QMpmQLteemsZ6QOcBJPWPWQu_lSgMvUhD6ZD2J-nGhQaZ1hmG7Si6ILjmYjK3XRQiv1zx2udgtnMggKeNJkufi06vG8vLTYXPA7XnVeJSoReIILo7ned9Zm2Io7uDARwZ-E/s1600/6016_109077647108_673182108_2568369_4362929_s.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 105px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKhLDjMMm1QMpmQLteemsZ6QOcBJPWPWQu_lSgMvUhD6ZD2J-nGhQaZ1hmG7Si6ILjmYjK3XRQiv1zx2udgtnMggKeNJkufi06vG8vLTYXPA7XnVeJSoReIILo7ned9Zm2Io7uDARwZ-E/s400/6016_109077647108_673182108_2568369_4362929_s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486019719319495602" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Now, this year, I'm racing PRO.AFortnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12073903466472917594noreply@blogger.com0