nightraining

the sharp lunar crescent

cradles my bike

in this crisp, clear night.

the cool air silently surrounds me

until my shoes meet their pedals

with a reassuring click,

the gears barely making a sound

as the wheels swiftly spin me homeward.

Putting It Behind Me

The Mt. Hood Cycling Classic came and went. There were many notable parts, like my fantastic home stay and host family, the weather gods that mostly smiled on us for the hard stages and my fabulously horrible results. But now I'm working on putting that behind me, and looking ahead at the next two months or so. Here's what's on tap:

Banff Bike Fest - 4 stages over 3 days in Canada's gorgeous Banff National Park. Need I say more?

Hailey Criterium - Since I'll be in Boise to help Sammy celebrate his birthday over Independence Day weekend, we figured we'd get in some local bike racing, too.

Boise Twilight Criterium - This race is known for its searing temperatures and big crowds in Kristin Armstrong's hometown.

Cascade Cycling Classic - The name says it all - lots of climbing in and around Bend, Oregon, in this epic National Racing Calendar stage race.

After that, I'm going to try something I've been thinking about doing for a long time: triathlon.

Beaver Lake Triathlon - A short, sprint-distance tri with an "easy" swim, a climb-y bike, and a little bit longer run will test my abilities to make the most of transitions - and see how I measure up against my coworker, Ben!

Lake Stevens Triathlon - An Olympic distance triathlon that is going to be quite the challenge, but I'm excited to see how it goes.

Stay tuned!

Intermezzo

For a wrap-up of last weekend's race, hop on over to my team's blog. It's a pretty good summary of how everything went down, and panned out.

As we drove into Walla Walla on the first day of the race, I found myself thinking, Man, wouldn't it be nice to hang out here for a while after the race is over and just ride, drink wine and chill? Then I realized - I was already planning on doing that! Perfect. So on Sunday, instead of heading back to Seattle, my job and real life, I spent 3 extra days in beautiful Walla Walla with my teammate Cheryl, a Walla Walla native, before heading down to the next weekend's stage race, the Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic. I kicked off the week by partying Sunday night with the Whitman cycling team, then proceeded to ride every day, enjoy the perfect weather and even watch a sweet documentary about human towers, with live Q & A hosted by an actual participant.

But my favorite memory from the week?

Tasting some local wine with Sam & Cheryl, then meeting up with Timbah for the best sauna experience I've ever had, grabbing Walla Walla sweet onion burritos at La Monarca, and polishing them off sitting on the edge of the quad on Whitman campus, watching intramural ultimate frisbee. I'm not kidding about the sauna, either - there was something almost transcendent about it - is that possible?

The next morning, we headed down to The Dalles, Oregon, after stopping at Andy's for some local, inexpensive asparagus and sweet onions. The amazing drive is mostly spent right along the Columbia River, and we were treated to fantastic views of the valley, green hills, rock formations, Mt. Hood, incredibly long and colorful trains and of course the river itself. We also passed one of those tree farms - the ones that are almost hypnotizing with their rows and rows of trees that if you look down the rows to the end, appear like stop-motion photos that barely seem real. There's also something satisfying about the fact that these farms help alleviate clear-cutting of forests.

Once we made it into town, we joined Lang, Phil and Kennet for a quick recon ride of the Stage 2 circuit race course - a great way to shake off the 3-hour drive and stresses of traveling, and enjoy the beautiful weather.

This is the life. Now to figure out how to live like this all the time...suggestions?

I Can't Sleep

I can't sleep because I keep playing this weekend's mistakes over and over in my head. I can't sleep because I keep thinking about what I have to do to get stronger. To get smarter. To podium. To win. To do my teammates proud.

I can't sleep because my boyfriend gets home from Redlands in 24 hours or less. I can't sleep because my room is a mess but I don't have the energy to clean it. I can't sleep because I keep getting hungry again every hour. I can't sleep because I'm constantly thirsty.

I can't sleep because I keep thinking about life. About change. About living life to its fullest. About setting new goals. About setting real goals. About setting scary goals.

I can't sleep. But I have to try. Eventually, I'll get there. And then morning will come, too soon.

Early Season Ready

Finally feeling recovered from the lingering cold virus.

Finally really itching to get some more good training in.

Finally ready to find out where I stand among my peers.

Finally ready to stop the traveling for a while.

Let's DO this, 2010!

Sickness and Schedule

Two things that have thrown me off my training lately.

I've been traveling a ton for the last month or so, and as anyone knows, that really throws a wrench in training plans. Some of the travel was actually for training, but some of it has been pure vacation - and thus not as productive for the legs or lungs.

Then, the day I left to go catch some Olympics in Vancouver, I came down with a nasty cold. And now it's just lingering, with this annoying cough that won't give up, which likes to emerge most when I'm trying to sleep or exercise. And intervals? Don't even think about it.

So I'm feeling like a fat, lazy blob, and have no idea what this is doing to the great training I thought I was getting earlier in the winter. At least I've got over a month before the bigger races get started.

Training Camp

Our First Steps in Santa Barbara

First Ride, Amazing Views in Every Direction

UCSB Campus Parking

Second Ride, View of Lake Casitas

Largest Ficus Macrophylla in the Country

From Underneath

Santa Barbara Mission

Last Ride, View from Mountain Drive

Rad Hippie Bus

Goodbye, Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara Forecast

I think I can handle that.

Wanted: Recovery

Phew! My legs are TIRED. Hard training has left my quads feeling like bricks - both in weight and touch.




Santa Barbara Training Camp in 4 days! I think it's time for some rest and active recovery, how about you?

Maybe More Days Are Like Saturday Than I Thought

Last weekend, we took a short trip to Walla Walla, home of Whitman College, Clarette's and magnificent riding. Unfortunately I didn't take any fantastic photographs, but I did go on two fantastic bike rides.

It was foggy. It was damp. It was chilly. It was hilly.

But the company, lack of automobiles and smooth pavement more than made up for all that. And even made the fog and hills kind of fun.

Friday: 3.5 hours, out to Waitsburg, then to Dayton, then back up the "Elevator Shaft" and into Walla Walla along Rte 12 to make it back before dark.

Saturday: 4.5 hours, out to Waitsburg again, then onto the loop for the Tour of Walla Walla Friday road race course, and back to Walla Walla along Middle Waitsburg Rd., also the final climb for the final road race course in the Tour of WW.

Good. Hard. FUN.

THIS is what riding a bike is all about.

Can every day be like Saturday?

No, I don't mean, "Can every day BE Saturday?" I mean, "Can every day be like LAST Saturday?"

It was such a great day on the bike. Rode with the team. Felt strong the whole way. Even on the hills, pushing till the top. Even at the end, when I knew my body was tired, strong till the top of the last little climb to my house.

I can smell the finish lines of the coming season. I can see the competition. I can feel my fitness coming. I just need race days to be like Saturday.

But better.

What do the voices say?

It is SO easy to tell other people to do the right things. Especially in training.

Listen to your coach.
Do your intervals.
Record your workouts.
Eat the right macronutrients.
Get plenty of rest.

That last one is a doozy. Probably the easiest one to ignore.

With so much to do - a full-time job, a full training schedule and a social life - it's difficult to get enough sleep, slow down or admit that it's time for an off day. The voices in my head go back and forth, arguing these points nonstop. Just like I keep having to tell them, "No excuses," I also have to ask them, "What are your true priorities?"

Just this morning I found myself reassuring my teammate that a few days off the bike are better for getting over being sick than getting back into training too soon, while at the same time convincing myself that I should get on the trainer tonight even though I feel a cold coming on.

Luckily, I have a coach. I like to think that, for the most part, I do what my coach tells me to do. And today he told me to rest.

Ok, Coach. You win over the voices today.

Fake It Till You Make It

Right? I think I've been doing that my whole life, so why stop now?

Thus, on Saturday I rode with a certified pro - well, I don't really know if they get certificates, but he certainly gets paid to ride his bike. I didn't crash him out, which I count as a success.

And in a few weeks I'm going to start leading an indoor cycling class, just like another pro I know, and a few other aspiring ones as well. Luckily it's really hard to crash someone out on a trainer.

So I think this counts as fakin' it. No real plans to "make it," but like I said, it's going to be a breakout season. I can smell it.

Or maybe that's just my grimey jersey. Uff.