Race Report: Cyclocross National Championships 2009

Racing!!! Cyclocross!!!

It has been an AWESOME season. Every course I do gets better and more funner (that's right — more!).

Aside: Some day I will have to explain to my high school AP Language teacher why I have added this non-standard comparative form of "more fun" to my lexicon. For now, it is to emphasize the fact that each race course provides more mirth or more enjoyment than regular fun. It's the ultimate fun.

Cyclocross Nationals was no exception. The eventual women's winner, Katie Compton, called it the most technically challenging course she has raced all year. And I agree with her. Though this is the first time I've ever "raced against" her.

Here's how it went: My starting position was 62 out of 100-and-something. That's 62nd on the line. Meaning, in a starting shoot that only accommodated about 7-8 riders across, I was in about row 8. That's a lot of peeps ahead of me, just at the start. But, at least I wasn't 100 and something... for all the good it did me.

A distant horn signaled the start of my race. I'm sure the women on the front clipped in and hammered the first straight away... my start was more like a gentle, building roll out. About 100 yds down the stretch, after crossing the eventual finish line, the course takes a sharp right, hops the curb, jumps up a short rise, takes another sharp right as it descends down a technical, rocky, muddy, icy slope. Can you say, "what!"? As soon as the leaders hit the curb, the whole field of stampeding women slowed, came to a stand-still, and eventual pile-up. I wouldn't have expected anything less. In fact, I planned on it (see following pic) and therefore kept to the outside. What I didn't plan on was the woman-in-front-of-the-woman-in-front-of-the-woman-in-front of me (got that?) crashing into the boards. I had to much momentum going up the hill, bumped the woman's wheel in front of mine as I was back-pedaling, and dropped my chain. Doh. My bad. I bent over double, to rearrange my chain, hoping noone would nip my butt with their handlebars (it was probably to high in the air for this). And as I straightened up and jumped on my rig, I was in dead-last.

The Women's start: No, not crowded at all!

Do-over. The best part about my rookie move? I got to attack the course, have fun, take the best lines, and pick off people one by one...

The course was still monstrously slick from the combo of mud, wet rocks, icy ground, and snow. And with all the hairpin turns, the off-camber climbs and descents, it was a bike handlers dream. I was thanking my stars the whole race that I routinely practice riding muddy singletrack.

So, around and around I went, eventually catching up to women I knew from racing locally, some of the Sunnyside Sports riders, a few River City Bikes team members, my nemesis, among others. The weirdest and coolest part was that each time I took a lap, the course kept changing a bit and the best line would move to different points in turns and straightaways as 100+ riders tore it up. There was one particularly nasty section that came right after a 20-stair climb (which I took two-at-a-time, of course). At the top, I had to mount fast (minds out of the gutter), before barreling down a small off camber, icy slope. Just after the slope, the course angled upward (again off camber) jumped over a lip and swung through a velodrome-style 180-degree turn. Under the wheels was nothing but close-cropped icy, grass, slick as a BICed bald man's head!

This particular spot on the course (nicknamed "cowbell alley" by me as it was the part of the course that competitors lined 3-5 people deep ringing sonorous cowbells) has three (3!) memorable moments of mine from the race.

Memorable Moment #1: The pre-race pre-ride. The course opened for general riding at 9:00, before the collegiate men's race. But, the sun had only come up an hour earlier and had not yet thawed out the frozen course. My plan was to gingerly proceed around the course, testing lines and turns and riding difficult sections twice, generally getting the lay of the land. Then, I would go back and attack these parts at race pace, warming up in the process. As I approached cowbell alley, my wheels gave way and I gently slipped down the slope on my side, almost in slow-motion. Thankfully the course delineation had been removed by race organizers as so many cyclists in previous races had taken just such a spill and gotten tangled in it (the most gruesome one was a guy who had hit one of the wooden posts, getting a ginormous splinter of wood in his shin in the process). I was unhurt, but I got up and rode it again with more speed, successfully climbing over the lip. And then just past the lip, I almost came to a dead stop. For there on the course was a frozen blood puddle, presumably from the raucous "Clydesdale Cyclocross Championship of the Universe" the night before.

Memorable Moment #2 The Save and The Save II. I approached this section with less ginger and more pepper during the race than I did on that first lap in practice. It just seemed easier to ride fast. But, a successful speedy negotiation also involved balance, the right line, no obstacles on the course (ahem, other competitors), and cojones. On the first two laps, I clipped in fast and took the slope at speed. I had a narrow miss with another rider on the second lap, but we both held our lines well. Then lap three, I was starting to feel the course, maneuvering well up the through the field and getting more aggressive with the terrain. I took the steps two at a time, right into a pack of three other women. My remount was really fast in order to stay ahead, but I slightly missed the foot plant on the pedal, and my right foot went in front of the chain ring (in between the frame and the crank arm... ouch!) instead of clipping in. I pedaled through and kept trying to clip-in while pedaling on this section... well, I pushed so hard to clip in on the right foot, that I pushed the bike hard underneath me just as I was coming over the lip on the off-camber stuff. I would have gone down super hard had my weight no been lifting up on the bike at that moment, and I was able to swing the front wheel around to line up with the rear.... that near-miss-great-save got a huge "whoa---yeah!" cheer from the crowd on this corner. And I had to breath through my heart attack. That was The Save I. The Save II was a little less dramatic, but no less heart-attack inducing. Real quick, on the last lap, I almost ran over another racer when she crashed on the corner right in front of me. I hate running over other people. I managed to avoid her and keep myself upright (multi-tasking).

Memorable Moment #3: The money hand-up. For some reason guys love to try to get racers to take their hands off the handle bars at the most treacherous and technically difficult part of the course. It used to be for beer hand-ups. But ever since these were banned in open competition, spectators have taken to holding out dollar bills. I'm no stranger to this spectator-sport. Early in the season at Barton Park Cross Crusade #8, I expertly plucked a Washington that was positioned in the mouth of a beer bottle lemon-wedge-Corona-style without spilling the beer or face-planting in the mud (see pic).

$1-smile at Barton Park Cross.

But, I was still a bit surprised to see fists-o-cash being thrust out on the Nationals course. I had no intention of trying for the money on this section... until I saw Fuzz-guy (enthusiastic spectator and oft- times racer who wears a sniper suit in costumed races) holding up a twenty.... even I - safe Suzy - would crash for a $20. I reached out, bobbled, grappled for the bill, got it, shoved it down my decolletage, and managed to stay upright through this entire exchange. It only takes a little monetary motivation... I'ld be an easy pole dancer.

Heading into the velodrome turn after coming over the lip.

In the end, I achieved my two modest goals for the race, finish in the top half (I was 48th) and not get lapped. I had an inkling how close I was to get lapped, as I could here the cheers for Compton as I neared the second to last of my promised laps. The chip-timing tells the story; my fourth lap was by far my fastest as I raced to outrace the leader on her last lap. Turns out I had a minute+ cushion, but you can never tell on the twists and turns of a cyclocross course.

So, major props to friends and fans that yelled themselves hoarse, worked their wrist muscles to fatigue with the cowbell, and stood around (drinking beer) for three days in the cold to cheer on all the Pacific Power Blue Sky riders. I had three teammates travel to Bend with me even though they weren't racing. And I had four teammates who raced and placed well in their respective categories.

Also, props to Mathowie for the race pictures. I couldn't help including some pictures he took of the "super" fans:

Race report : Pychocross #2, cyclocross on half-marathon legs:

This is the continued account of the two-in-one-day-of-racing. I'm going to keep it short. The focus of the day was the half-marathon. The cyclocross race... cool down?

On a very Oregonian afternoon (clouds, damp, rain, mud), I brushed the cobwebs out of my sore running legs and mounted my 'cross bike for it's last race before Cyclocross Nationals. Ideally, this would have been a tune-up race. It would prove to be more of a skills challenge then I bargained for.

For one, my nemesis materialized at the starting line. Later she would explain that she is working to qualify for the Pro Elite Women's race at Nationals... deservedly and totally understandable. But that meant that this race would hurt. Alot.

I had some trouble getting my core temp up, and I had long since lost feeling in my toes and nose before the stat of the race. My start was lackluster, and my quads groaned into action. Within seconds I was on off-cambor rocky terrain that gave way to cakey mud. More quad groaning. Then a minute and a half into the race, I encountered the eight pack... I saw it, and I couldn't decide whether to shoulder or carry the bike. An eight pack. Eight. Barriers. Huh. Going over them as smoothly as possible, I realized that we had to negotiate this obstacle an extra time as the finish line was just up ahead. Yeah, I was right. This was going to hurt.

Hitting the 8-pack at the start.

A quick concrete section and then I encountered a single, high wooden barrier. After jumping back on the bike (looking down) and taking two pedal strokes to clip in, I plowed right into a sand volleyball pit. Cruelly, the course crossed the pit on one side, flipped a bitch and proceeded across the other side. I took the wrong line, the wrong turn radius, and the wrong simultaneously two-footed bike-straddling dead-stop that caused me to dismount for a third time in less than four minutes on the course. Oh, but that's not all.

I rounded about on a mud/dirt road, only five seconds behind my nemesis. We entered rocky single-track, with hidden logs and sticks beneath the leaf-cover. The course dropped into a dry creek bed and looked as if it would continue straight. Instead, I came to a complete stop, almost endo-ing over the handle bars as I realized my nemesis had made a 180 up a left-hand muddy run-up. Dude... I scrambled up the slope in traffic (two other women passed me here). And immediately entered single-track that wound, whipped, and ripped through the back lot of trees and briar bushes.

I passes one woman on the single-track as she negotiated a dropped chain. Then, I was caught by complete surprise by a submerged dip that buried the front wheel. It was only by the strength of my arms that I managed to plow through the giant puddle and up the chain-breaker hill that followed.

More single track, more turns, one more barrier, some stairs, a couple of 180s... and it was time to do the whole course over again. I worked my way up into 2nd, but I kept losing five sconds here and 3 seconds there to my nemesis. It was on the fourth lap that she exited my field of vision and I was left to consider just how badly I wanted to make chase. I wanted to, but I took a vote among various body parts, and both my legs voted "no" and that was the end of that.

I managed to make the barriers look easy, but everything else in the race was a trial. And I mocked myself by dismounting just before the finish, humbly tripping and stumbling over the line carrying my embattled bike.

In all fairness, yes, I did race a half-marathon that morning... but, Nemesis, you still would have wiped the floor with me. Such was your mastery of the treacherous course and your late season fitness. Props.

Cheers! USAC Cyclcross Nationals race report coming soon!

Race, Race, and more racing!

It's still going on. The crazy continues. But, I think I finally hit my limit a few week-ends ago. Here was my brilliant idea... Half marathon in the morning. Bike racing in the afternoon. Hmmm.

Well, the half marathon went like this:

Who's brilliant idea was it to eat mexican food the night before a big race? Now, I don't have a nervous stomach, but occasionally there are problems (I am an athlete after all , and one of our favorite conversations is bowel movements :-). And there were problems this fine morning. But, I had no time to dwell. I swallowed some loperamide with my oatmeal and coffee and packed the car. Running bag, cycling bag, lunch, and bike. This could be awesome.

I was running the EWEB Run to Stay Warm, a half marathon almost entirely contained on the bike paths bordering the Willamette River and flat-flat-flat, at least to my Colorado/Missouri way of thinking.

My plan: run 6:52/mile, possibly speeding up to 6:45 per mile at mile 9 if I felt absolutely fantastic. This was my public goal. Private goal was to win and set a PR. Who says I don't set 'em high?

I started out at my 6:52 pace with friend, running buddy, and pace-king Gerhard. And for the first mile, we hit this pace perfectly (I think; there were no "official" mile markers on the course). And strangely I was aware that I was the first woman. Hmmm.... but that would change.

About 1.5 miles into the race, still very much in the pack, and still very much running my pace, three women swarmed around me. One, I actually recognized as a really good local marathoner and another as a major competitor that I had come up against in my other forays into the Eugene running scene. Oh-boy. This could be good. I felt great, and after all, I was in a race. I looked over at Gerhard, gave him a little half-smile and a shrug and settled in with the three women.

Me and the other women in a pack... Gerhard's in the blue shirt off to the right.

It went like this through mile 4, when I actually watched the marathoner's arms relax and her pace began to slow. It was at this moment that the competitor put on a surge, and the third woman took off with her (I had already surmised that they were running together). For a split second (more like 10 seconds), I hesitated and let them slip away. I shook myself out of my stupor, adjusted my pace (sort of, they slowed almost instantly after their surge), and stayed about 15-20 seconds behind them.

It was about this time that I caught up to "The Beeper". He was wearing a NYC marathon shirt and looked smooth, so I knew he was legit. But he was wearing a heart-rate monitor that must have been set with a max heart rate that he was exceeding. Because, every 10 seconds or so, it reminded us all with a strange bird-like chirp. At first I thought I was being stalked by a bird and kept looking into the trees along the course. At one point I spotted him trying to correct it, to no avail. For a bit, I was making it my mission to try and drop him. But he was exactly my pace, and its incessant but regular chirping was keeping me in focus.

Waving at the camera... (that's the Beeper next to me).

Around 45 minutes, I could feel my energy ebbing. I downed half a Clif shot (with caffeine, yeah!) and a few gulps of water. Ten minutes later, I was back in action. And around an hour, I surged and passed the two women in front of me. I was feeling great, and I knew that my move had worked because I heard one woman whisper to the other behind me a soft "go ahead". I willed myself not to look back, but from the footsteps, I knew I had cracked one. I made a second surge about three minutes later, and then I was alone with the beeper (he came with me... doh!). I had about three miles to go at that point (I guessed from the creek path mile markers). This whole time, I had picked up the pace to about 6:35/mile... and I kept pushing it through the next two. On the last mile, I could feel the heaviness creep in, my form start to give way, and my feet start to hit the pavement a little harder. But, I fixed my smile and muscled my way to the win. Egads.... I won! I won! I won! And it was a new personal best at 1:27:54.

Coming in for the finish, Baby!

Of course, after the finish, I felt great. And in my stubborn runner's brain, I secretly thought, I could have broken 1:27. I could have. Next time. I had a cyclocross race to get to.

To be continued....

Race Report: Cross Crusade #7 and SSCXWC

Race day number two in the, now-infamous, "Three in one week-end" race week-end was even muddier than day one.

I loaded up the 'baru with the newly assembled roof rack, complete with clashing red bike tray (my car is a maroony-red color). I borrowed my friend Chapell's singlespeed (remarkably exactly my size) and placed it in the trunk and put the Felt F1X on top

The second day of racing brought very similar (mud, rain, wind) conditions, only this time there was no relief inside buildings, the first race was 15 minutes longer (1 hr. total), and the mud was deeper and pervaded the entire course. The terms "stuck in the mud" "peanut butter" and "OMGWTF" come to mind when describing how hard it was to churn through the terrain. The competition was stiffer, and I ended up somewhere in the middle of the pack almost instantly (thanks to the fact that I didn't get a call-up... boo!).

No matter, because it was delightful playing in the mud with my bike. I've learned not to be afraid to ride someone's wheel through a pancake-y mud puddle... though I come out the other side nicely peppered. And, I managed not to wreck in the mud, only by the slimmest of coincidences. At one point in the course, you crest a tiny rise and the course proceeds along an off-camber section at the bottom of which is a fence. The mud was so slick, that it was only a matter of pedal strokes before you actually slid down the embankment and came shoulder to chain-link with the fence and were forced to dismount, shoulder the bike, and run this section. Well, a fast guy was passing me at this exact moment, and he being heavier than I, slid faster down, his front wheel catching my rear wheel, sending my bike onto the ground and me flying at the chain-link fence. I thought I was going to face-plant in the mud. But before that could happen, his arms impossibly shot out, encircling my waist and holding me suspended in the air above my bike. We stood entangled so for a moment before “thanks” and “good jobs” were exchanged and then we were off and running up the mud slope. Thank you, nice guy... That was that race.

Within ten minutes of finishing, I needed to have a wardrobe change, a bicycle change, fix my broken mountain biking shoe (a bolt that held the strap on had gone missing during the mud-fest… thank god for duck tape ☺), down a Cola Clif Shot (caffeine required!!!)and line-up for pre-race instructions. I jumped into a giant puddle for a “bath”, grabbed my borrowed singlespeed bike, and took off for the car. I needed to strip off my muddied PacPower speed suit and put on a pink dress and matching boa. This was standard race attire for the SSCXWC (don't question it). Imagine 250 men and women in recycled Halloween costumes, riding singlespeed bikes around not-your-average-muddy-cross course. There was a bacon hand-up, where spectators offered popcorn and bacon to the riders. A ride through a “thunderdome”, in which people in swings above the riders used foam clubs to try and knock us off our bikes. The course, in addition to the barriers and run-ups, had a shortcut purported to cut 40 seconds off your ride. To take the short cut, I would dismount, hand a guard a dollar, and run through a school bus front to back, slap a "stripper" on the butt, and exit, remounting my translocated bike.

I musn't forget to metion the three "Borat" riders, one of which I got to "draft" off of for a half lap. That was nice. There was also a section were an enebriated fan ran out in front of me with beer in hand and pants falling down, yelling "follow me, follow me, I'll show you the line" before slipping and face-planting in the mud... I almost fell off my bike laughing.

The actual race part was a little confusing. It was hard to tell men from women between the mud, the costumes, and the mayhem. The men got a slight (3-second) lead on us to get to their bikes (so we wouldn't get trampled? I forgot to mention that at the start, bikes are layed in a field and we have to run and find them before hitting the course). And I hit a bottle-neck at the first set of barriers. A few laps in, I realized I was sort of surrounded by other three or four women racers and we started to have fun with it. Passing and re-passing as each of us found good lines through the mud and turns. I had no idea how I finished (very sure it wasn't first), but that really wasn't the idea of the race. The idea: Awesomeness and Fan-funking-tastic-time.... see the write-up/video on Wend Magazine for a full description of what I am talking about.

Wrap-up: Thanks for the cowbell, the bacon, the jiffy-pop, the beer hand-up, the drunkin' mooning, the crash-save, fantastic friends for coming to watch and cheer (you know who you are!!!), the mud, my first time ever riding a SS (on a borrowed bike no less...props Chapell), my team (I forgot to mention the role that my teammates had in helping me make the wardrobe change... many hands, and strange looks). In the end I was 12th in the Crusade, 3rd in the SSCXWC, and cameod (heckled) in cyclocross magazine....

"Visions of a Golden Speedo keep her going"
Photo courtesy of Janet Hill @spotshot photography

Race report: OBRA Cyclocross State Champs

Teammate Todd Dye captured by OregonVelo

The picture says it all... Giant mud puddles, foreboding skies, flat and fast racing at the Willamette Valley Cross Series #3 and the Oregon State Cyclocross State Champs.

I thought I would get lucky on this one. While I was loading the car, the skies were clear. I wasn't even wearing a jacket. And my last thought was, I should "probably" put the water proof jacket and the rubber boots into the trunk. Yep... I would need 'em.

I arrived early enough at the Oregon State Fair Grounds to watch the the Men's Bs and juniors race. The coals were hot and dead meat was simmering on the grill in no time. And then the sprinkles started. Then the rain picked up. Then the wind started whipping around. And then it was time for my race.

I had pre-ridden the course, so I knew what I was in for: riding in and out of stock buildings to provide some relief from the rain/wind, a deep sand pit that required a timely dismount and run-through, muddy 180° turns, loose sawdust, a gravel patch, and the piece de resistance... the indoor BMX track. And mud.

Lots of mud to be exact. Serena Bishop, the leader on the first lap, went down in it on a turn and promptly dropped a few places. I nearly slid out so many times, I lost count. The worst bit turned out to be the entrance/exit of the sand pit. The sand was so deep and heavy that your feet were lost in it. The pavement after the pit was a slippery mix of sand and rain that turned the remount into a cartoon-ish version of someone running on marbles.

I lost some time at the start of the race because of a crappy line in a mud pit. Within half a lap I was firmly in third, chasing 1-2 (Serena and Alalia Berry of Gentle Lovers) about 40 seconds ahead of me. Each lap I kept carving out more of their lead, especially on the straight-into-the-wind sections where they slowed, jockey-ing for position. It looked like they weren't working very well together on the straights, with Serena in front most of the time. She would later tell me that they could "feel" me getting closer on each lap. I am intimidating that way.

Eventually I caught them (with tremendous cost to my poor legs). And for a brief time, I pulled ahead. But they both had the advantage of knowing on which sections you could gap a rider (I had done almost the whole course solo). And Serena made a brilliant move just before the sand pit that put her firmly in first place. I was forced wide on the gravel section (into a terrible line) by Alalia cutting the corner on me. And so in the end, my chase was for naught as I finished in third. Though I did provide some excitement for the spectators with my chase and catch!
Big muchos gracias to my team (for cheering) and Felt... Pacific Power/Blue Sky Team purchased some Felt bikes to encourage more women and juniors into cyclocross this year. One just happens to be my size and the newer model of my Felt F1X, the F75X. So, I got to dirty up a bright and shiny clean white bike (check it out below)! The geometry was identical to mine, but slightly lighter. The result was that I got to really throw this bike around in the mud on the course! Excellent.

Results: ended up third in the state among Women's A, second in the WV series, and a podium cameo on Velonews.com!

Getting ready to run through the sandpit... oregonvelo was there.

Ignite Corvalis 2, a.k.a my Thursday Night

I'm checking out my twitter feeds yesterday afternoon. I notice a number of tweets from a "Beer Bus" mentioning that many people from Portland are actually on a bus with beer and wifi that is Corvallis-bound. My first thought was "they have to offer Portlanders beer to entice them to come to Corvallis". But then, I became curious as to what exactly they were coming for. Answer: WIN09 and Ignite Corvallis 2. Click the link to find out exactly what was going on... but I was very interested.

I had seen twitter-fuss about Ignite Corvallis 2 about a month ago. From the website I got the impression that this was the MOTHER of all WIBC events (for the newbies, that is "Wouldn't It be Cool", WIBC). Basically, people from the community get 5 minutes to present a 20-slide powerpoint that is on a 15-second timer. The topic: anything that you feel like talking about. Presentations need to be compelling, entertaining, punchy, and not-necessarily-meaningful. I really wanted to give one (I'll hold my subject for the eventuality that I will get to present someday)! But, I had missed the call for applications. And at the time, I put it beyond the back of my mind and that was that.

Then I see the message about it being last night! A mind-check of the things I have to do suggests to me that there is nothing that can't be put off until tomorrow. I love it when this happens, makes me feel so important (not!). I peace out of work around 6:00 and head over to WIN09... conveniently located on OSUs campus for my walking pleasure. At WIN09, I munched on baked brie, chicken skewers, made a salad out of the dipping veggies, and perused the room for interesting people to talk to. I met a guy who works for Korvis Automation, a company that makes Affymetrix machines (very interesting to dorks like me). He was excited that I knew more about the technology than he did (in all fairness he was an engineer from a different arm of the company and was also great fun to chat up). I received some yummy treats (pumpkin chai cupcake) and unsure-of-the-yumminess-factor treats (bacon cupcake) from a woman that is trying to open Rocket Queen Cupcake shop in downtown Corvallis (still needs a little financing).

After the poster session/chattyhour, it was time to set Corvallis on fire... er, Ignite Corvallis 2. Most presenters did not disappoint. One guy offered a Masters in IT in 1,680 characters by boiling down the 12 classes of his Masters program into 12x140 character tweets (I now have a masters in IT :-). Another guy introduced us to "train porn"... the cult practice of trainspotting, no, taking good pictures of trains. His was especially entertaining because every slide could have been turned into a "that's what she said..." moment, by design. Even the mayor got up there for his 5 minutes... comparing our community to a garden (not a huge stretch of the imagination given the number of gardens in this community!). Other memorables included a woman talking about her mid-life crisis spent couchsurfing around Europe and a guy who compared social networking to sex with a funny yet clear message that the best social networking (sex) is achieved by giving, listening, learning, relinquishing some control, and ending everything you say with the words "in bed", as if you were a fortune cookie.

All-in-all. Funny, fantastic night... amazing to be surrounded by so many people who embrace the WIBC spirit! Sorry you missed it? Ignite Portland 7 is Nov. 18. And even better, there will be a Beer Bus w/wifi going up from Corvallis. I'll try to post info about this when I hear it. And I hear that Ignite Corvallis 3 is in the works. They probably need help making it bigger and better... so get your proposal ready!

Week-end preview

I have an epicly fun week-end coming up. More funner that I had two weeks ago with the race double. How's that possible you ask... because I have three races this week-end! Three times the cyclocross fun.

On Saturday, I have the Willamette Valley Series #3, a.k.a the OBRA State Championships. Word on the street (and by street I mean the race flyer) is that the course will be coursing through three buildings... interesting! There will also be Belgian Waffles and Belgian Fries on hand and a Hopworks Beer Garden adjacent to the course. I feel some more heckling coming on. Hopefully the beer tent won't be next to a jump so I won't be shamed into attempting it and faling flat on my face like last time!

On Sunday, pull your socks up, because I am going to race at Cross Crusade! This CXfest is probably one of the most attended CX events in the Northern Hemisphere. It is being held at the Portland International Raceway this week-end. Last year, I raced at the PIR when the USGP came to town. But since, I will be leaving town (to have early Christmas with the Sister in Las Vegas) that week-end, this is my only chance to toss myself among the motocross bumps.

Did I say three? Oh yeah. Within ten minutes of my glorious finish on the Cross Crusade Course, I shall don something pretty and pink and hop onto friend Chapell's single-speed CX bike for the magic of the Singlespeed Cyclocross World Championships (SSCXWC). Cool.

Reporting back: Part 2 Mac Forest 15k

Thought I would post this before another awesome week-end began, commenced, convened, took root, you get the picture. It's been almost two week, which is just long enough for my hip flexors to loosen-up, my black toe-nails to fall off, and my bruises to turn from nice deep purple to yellow.

Sunday morning. Post-cyclocross crash. Post-early morning mocha. No rain! Actually, kind of sad about this. I joined Dave, Stacey, and Syd at Dixon for a carpool out to Peavy Arboretum (how very green of us). At the race site, I ran into friend's Jeff and Meghan, at which point Jeff informed me that he was going to run with me the entire race (yeah) and Meghan told me about a famous ultra-trail runner woman that was entered (not Meghan). Oh (eyebrow raised)?

They were playing funky-town music over loud speakers to get everyone in the mood. Syd and I got our groove thing on while waiting in line for the Johnny-on-the-spots. Before I knew it, race time was here. I lined up near the front, pretty sure I would be finishing in the top 30 or so.

And we were off... the first part of the course (as you can see from the elevation profile) is somewhat mellow looking. It goes along a fire road for about a mile before diving into single track on Calloway Creek Trail. Then the ankle twisting turns and undulating little ups and downs begin. Jeff was nowhere to be seen, but I settled in with a cute tall guy from Eugene named Rob (he's married and we are now FB friends). He would catch me on the downhills and I would lose him on the ups.

Then the real "up" begins. Someone asked me a couple of weeks before the race if it was hilly. I replied that it was less "hilly" and more just "hill. Again I refer to the elevation chart. My race plan from the start was to run slightly too easy on the first few miles so that I could really work the giant climb to the top of Powderhouse Trail (1300'). And that is exactly how it worked. I missed Rob weakly-jokingly calling out "wait for me", but instead eased into my uphill mojo, passing numerous people. Leaving them to wonder how I was doing it.

Then the downhill started, and here is where I suck. My high center of gravity, long stride, Morton's toe, sense of personal safety all prevent me from letting loose down Bonsai Trail (refer to the 1100' to 500' nose-dive that the course takes which, despite the drawing, does not involve a negative slope or any sort or rappelling). Jeff passed me near the top, with a "I didn't think I was going to catch you" and "Come with me". Yeah, I'll work on it.

Here's the thing.... my realistic goal was to complete the 15K sufferfest in 1:10:00 and to feel really good on that awful last steep climb that comes in the final mile. And I felt great. The PF was a tiny bit sore, thanks to an ankle bauble at mile 8. But, I felt awesome, and I hauled into the finish line, almost catching a few of the myriad that passed me on Bonsai. And I finished in 1:09:36, 32nd overall, and 4th female.

And I had an awesome time. Even more awesome was the noodles and tomatoes and cheese sandwich that I had for lunch and the Sunday afternoon football game that I watched through my eye-lids (napping) that afternoon!

And guess where I got the picture of the elevation profile? The sadistic race organizers who came up with this course put it on the back of the race shirt. Guess they figured if they put it with the course map, no one would race.

Reporting back: Part 1. Battle Creek Cross

Dude. That was a great week-end. Epic, really.

But it started out normal. A Starbuck's Mocha (or Tall non-fat signature hot chocolate mocha w/ light whip). A little "light" reading in the form of a non-"Twilight" vampire novel called the Historian (I highly recommend it BTW). Afterward, I mosied on over to see a sightly disappointing Strands 5K (I won't go into it... but so much more could have been done to promote this had anyone really focused on the local running community... maybe that wasn't the point?).

Then it was off to the races!

I pulled up to the Battle Creek Cyclocross race with the dregs of my mocha and cheered in friends Matt and Matt and Brent as they completed competing in the Men's Cs. Then while watching the Juniors show us old fogies how it's done, I started the coals for a BBQ lunch. You see, I miss the Saturday tradition of tailgating at football games, and it being Mizzou's homecoming, the loss was particularly poignant and almost palpable. So, I loaded up on burgers, brats, apple-chicken sausage (it's a staple), condiments, and sauerkraut. It was perfect. Tailgating cyclocross is almost as good as a football. Almost.

Time to race.

All the ladies race categories are on the course at the same time in the Willamette series, and thankfully, my race was only 45 minutes long. At the line I had my game face and my game socks on.


The race went something like this: We all went out hard. Some harder than others. By the start of the second lap, I was 20 seconds down from 1st, 20 seconds up on 3rd, and that's pretty much how the race went.... with the exception of a few antics on my part. Ahem. To be fair, one of said antics was the direct result of egging and ribbing from my teammates, but I get ahead of myself.

The course was flat and fast (golf course), with off-camber twists and turns, a little weaving through the trees (and roots), two sets of barriers, two sand pits, and a nice, big 2 ft ledge that you could either ride up if you brought your cajones or dismount/remount on if you brought your preserve-personal-safety-non-cajones. I tackled most of this like a seasoned crosser... except the ledge. If I could have practiced it before hand, then maybe it would have been doable. But, every time I came around (7 laps total), I couldn't do it. Despite my teammates best cheering efforts (and I was super-psyched to have them there). But, what I could do on the second to last lap, was the bike wave:




Well, on the 7th and final lap, with a healthy cushion between me and third place, I decided to go for it... and by "it" I don't mean what actually happened:

Like I said. I went for it. Wouldn't it have been cool if.... Thanks to all my Pacific Power Blue Sky teammates for the various pictures and video and cheering and BAR-point mongering and grilling. You people rock.

Race week-end

Back from Switzerland and at it again.

Today, I'll be an athletic supporter at the Strands 5K in the morning. Later, I am the official "Dead Meat Chef" at the Willamette Valley Cyclcross race... orchestrating the post-race grillin' up of beast parts so's everyone on my Pacific Power/Blue Sky team (and others) can get their RDA of nitrates and other performance-decreasing substances. Sauerkraut anyone?

In the afternoon, it is my turn to tear up the golf course. The bike is race ready again, thanks to cycling buddy Denny. He used up his yearly quota of expletives while replacing my cables last week. He had to remove my old grimy bar tape that had congealed with the handle bar. It took hardcore paint stripper to get that stuff off.

After that I submerge the lower half of my body in an ice bath, watch OSU kick USC's a$$ in football, and continue to carbo load for Sunday's adventure: the sufferfest known as the Mac Forest 15K trail run. I'm trying to break 1:10, for the 9.whatever course if that gives you any indication of how hilly and hard it is. And, to make it even better.... It's been raining sinks and stoves every other day, and race day is supposed to be another wet one. Do you think I should put the spikes in my shoes or just hope the waffling on the Brooks Cascadia's (I've got the pink ones, of course) is enough to keep me from slipping to my death?

I'll report back.

Fuel

The 30-yr old metabolism is a slowin' down. And it turns out that what would have previously passed for a solid dinner the night before a key workout, is in fact a "work-out derailler" now.

The story: Monday Night Football. Nachos and Beer. Or course. You've got your protein from the chicken and cheese, veggies from the salsa and jalapenos, and some simple sugars from the yeast. What could possibly go wrong. Let me tell you. I think I spent more time sprinting behind the bushes then actual sprinting at my Tuesday morning workout.

As I ramp up the training for my fall half-marathon and cyclocross awesomeness, I am seriously considering a foodie makeover. I have settled on a few rules that might help.

1. (obviously) No beer or nachos before hard running days (probably okay before hard cycling days).
2. Fruit and veggies at every meal.
3. Meat (mostly chicken) is best limited to small amounts and only three nights a week (sad... my midwest farmer ancestors are turning in their graves).
4. Ice cream... gotta have it. It is the reason I run! But, not to be had within an hour of bedtime and definitely not before hard run days.
5. Don't forget the vitamin.
6. ... And the water. I started up with the Nalgene again (bis-phenol-A be-damned), discovering that I have been consuming less than a liter a day of the clear stuff (not counting when on runs and rides and swims). This became really obvious when I was in Colorado last week-end... non-stop cotton mouth.
7. Cook... I have lots of good food at home. Less preservatives, more Vs and Ms.
8. And this one is really kinda important. Start some social eating.... i.e. I went out to lunch with Al on Friday to talk shop. We were heading toward the Monroe strip and I benignly asked what he wanted to eat... "Sandwhiches?" To which he goes, "ah, no... I want to sit down and eat. I don't want to walk while eating." WHAT? Apparently, I have a reputation for taking a walking-lunch (as opposed to a working lunch). Heading out the door with sandwich in hand, on my way to the gym, or to enjoy a few minutes of sunshine. But, walking (and sometimes riding my bike) while eating. I'm thinking I do this more often than not. As a triathlete, I am constantly eating while running or biking... it's part of the training. Apparently I have taken it to the next level with at least one or two meals a day "walking". In addition to my walking-lunch, I eat breakfast while standing on the slant board or walking/riding into work (this last is usually a Clif Bar). I often eat dinner standing at the kitchen sink or while driving on my way to somewhere. Snacks are on the go or while training. I DON'T SIT DOWN! So, in order to get myself to eat actual meals most of the time rather than on the special occasion I am going to engage in more social eating whenever I can, prefereably with good friends. Inviting people over for home-cooked food (or inviting myself over... sorry friends!). Actually sitting down at the coffee shop. Sometimes eating with strangers... like my recent experience at the airport.

Aside: I was sitting at a four-person table at the airport. One after another people kept coming to steal the chairs. When the last chair was about to be whisked away to another table by two gentleman, I politely suggested that they dine with me (it was more like a squeak and a frown and a long, drawn-out "we-e-elll"). They did and we had a very nice dinner as travelers meeting on route to stop and sit and eat and not walk.

Those are my new rules. I'm sure I'll break 'em and find exceptions as it goes. But I am thinking about this and trying to be food healthy and give my digestive track a break. If you have any ideas for me, let me know!

Race Report: Cross-Over Stage Race

A Cyclocross stage race... a 3K time trial, a 30-minute gravel and parking lot criterium, and a 1-hr long course race that wound around a 3-mile course. Of course!

Day one showcased the time trial and the criterium race. It was raining on and off and a litte on the cold side. Someone asked me how my time trial went... my response "I blinked and I missed it!" Or, more accurately, I was breathing too hard to notice I was riding a cyclocross course. 5 minutes of pain, a few "I didn't think it would be this hard" thoughts, a dismount/ bridge crossing, an uphill finish and I was done. Now, I know how 100m runners feel when they warm-up for an hour and a half for a 10 second race. Good thing there was more racing to be had!

Crit-style cyclocross racing is something I was wondering about. Would there be a barrier? How would that work out in a crowd? How much of a draft could I expect while going 13 mph on a gravel road, all the while, backing off in order to see and avoid big rocks and potholes? Answer: no need to worry! All that crit racing over the summer, and my tactics were honed. I made a move on the second lap that turned into a big move. I stayed off the front so successfully that I won a prime lap! Then, I melded myself back in with two of the women in my category. We hung around each other until two laps to go. I punched it on the uphill and used my advantage on a blind gravel corner to gap the two women. It was enough to stay away and get another 39-seconds in the "G.C." to my closest competitor.

Day two brought sunnier skies, warmer temps, and my first taste of what the rest of the season will fee like.

Aside: The powers that be have switched up the Women's A racing... pulling us out of the slot that had all female competitors (including beginners) on the same course at one time, and thrusting us in with the Men's A field. No need to rub your eyes. You read it right. I will now be on the course at the same time as the elite men. Excellent. This also means, our race is longer.... 1 hour now (up from the 45-minutes we competed at last year).

The long course was contested over a three-mile loop for 1 hr. Dismount/remount does not even begin to describe the amount of running and hopping on and off the bike that occurred during each lap. (see video below). Each lap had a slightly uphill asphalt section, followed by a mole-infested (think giant pot-holes and loose dirt) field and a log jump. Immediately after the log, there was a tiny bridge and a vicious run-up (carrying the bike, of course). Next came the undulating single track, the four log barriers spaced just far enough to make getting back on the bike in between futile. And lest you think for a moment that momentum was to be had on a downhill, there was a nice big log to break it up. After a stint on pavement, there came more barriers, a slippery bridge, and a ditch just deep and steep enough to make you think you could ride it... but no! I wound up and down sweet single-track, barely missed some berry pickers and their dog who weren't aware a race was going on (what?). Then came the sand/mulch bit with the water hose jump. And finally, the stair climb. I'm tired all over again just thinking about. It was epic.

Result: I won :-) And I need to practice my barrier dismounts.... I almost sent myself arse-over-applecart into a rasberry stand on a later lap. I also got a little overzealous when tossing my back onto my shoulder... knocking my pedal around and into my right kidney. Good thing there are two of those!




Are you ready for 'cross stage racing?

On the eve of CX...

What's happening? Big changes happening this week-end! Lot's of transitional stuff. Some welcome, some not so.

First thing: This is officially my fourth week of running. I am still doing everything my PT has laid out for me to do (takes 1 hr + a day!). This has been super hard as my gym closed for three weeks of cleaning! Three weeks. What kind of gym closes for three weeks? I'm forced to be creative (I hate that). I am using my front stoop for "box jumps". I incorporate my lunges and hops into my runs (what is that strange girl doing in the park???) I have converted my living room into a yoga/ plyometrics gym. And my torture collection that includes The Stick, the foam roller, the extra-long yoga mat, Trigger Point tools, and the slant board have become my living room furniture. I don't sit and watch TV any more. I foam-roll and watch TV. Stick me!

Thing 2: It rained this morning. First hard rain in a long time. I went running anyway. This is a "rest" week, so I dragged a slower, "shorter" runner into the Mac Forest for a training run (his first run in the forest). When I called him, it was pouring. He asks, "Do we run even though it is raining...." Um, yeah. You want to go running in the rain this time of year because it is warm. Acclimate yourself to the rain in warmer weather and you will be more likely to head out when it is just plain awful and all the sensible people are sleeping-in. If you don't run in the rain in Corvallis... you never run.

Third thing: Cyclocross is here! Tomorrow I ride in the first (and only, I think) Cyclocross stage race in the Pac Northwest. I have no idea what to expect, other than some typical craziness and debauchery following. The event is held over two days. There is a 3K time trial and a 1K-30 minute crit on the first day. Day two is a "cross country" style ride with a really long loop course that we will fly around for 1:30. Egads! That's not a typo. I'm hoping there is a feed zone of some sort. No place to put a water bottle on a cross bike!

Fourth thing: Cash for Clunkers... I no longer have my clunker. But, I also no longer have any cash. Instead I have a sexy new Subaru Forester. It is ridiculously new. We are talking, 65 total miles on the odometer new (that was seven days ago....now there are slightly more because I can't stop driving it). It has been a major struggle to bike commute. I only managed it one time this week. Better start soon before it really starts raining or I'll never ride to work again (see previous advice for running in rain)!

Things that make you go... hmmm

Just now I tried to send a NYtimes article to a friend of mine through the on-line forwarding service. You know the one: Click the button that says "E-mail this". And instead of interfacing with your e-mail application and popping out a new message window, you get to laboriously cut and paste your friend's address into the little blank, type a short (limit 200-300 character usually) message to inspire your friend to go and read it, and then try and decipher some ghost-like wobbly mix of characters that make you cross-eyed just looking at them:

What does that say... is that an "x" or a "k" at the end of that word that I am hoping begins with an "R"? I failed this one, and the next one. But, on the third try I successfully convinced the computer that I am not a computer.

Now I just hope that my "e-mail" from the website isn't shuttled to junk mail, or worse, spam!

Portland Freshwater Triathlon: Ripping off the band-aid.

What better way to get back into triathlon than to do a triathlon? At least that is what I hoped. My first road triathlon since limping across the finish line at the Duck Bill Thrill. My second longest run since aforementioned limping (longest on pavement). The foot felt solid and I was comfortable enough in my swim/bike fitness to feel like I wouldn’t make a fool of myself. Cool.

Just to make sure, I rolled out my Splish business suit for the occasion. And I meant business! This time last year I hit the line of the Portland Tri during my most successful triathlon season as a professional, and arguably in my best 10K run shape ever. And I got second. By six seconds. So this year, my race plan went something like this: Win.

Not a good goal, or a super realistic one, but at least one guaranteed to motivate me beyond my current fitness level and ensure that I had a little fun along the way. Kids, don’t try this at home. You can NEVER control who is going to show up on race day (Portland Tri 2008 is a good example). And you should never hang your race goals on the performance of anyone else… that said. I wanted to win, still.

The 7am (gasp) start necessitated a sleep over at friend Matt’s house in Portland. I dragged fellow former OSU triathlete Brendan Tracy along with me from Corvallis (carpooling to the race was in keeping with the sustainable "green" theme). After a completely uneventful packet pick-up, we headed to Noodles & Company (my favorite) for some Pesto Cavatappi and giant rice krispie treat. It was still so early, and rather than go back and meditate at Matt’s apartment, Brendan and I went to see the new Tarantino Movie, Inglourious Basterds. Nothing like a little blood and gore and word-class dialogue (not to mention “killing Nat-zies”) to get us pumped up.

5:18 am found us both eating granola cereal and frozen blueberries that we scored at the local Portland Co-op, Food Front. I was afraid I would have to race caffeine-free, but an over-worked barista opened up the Starbuck’s kiosk in the Marriot for the race (thank you, woman-in-green-apron!)

Aside: And Happy 20th birthday to Starbucks... Pacific NW customers get free coffee tomorrow morning! That's Aug. 27....

And we're back: I set up my transition like I had been doing it all summer… and courtesy of the intrepid young-man next to me, a large baby-powder mark in the grass indicated where I was at when running down the lane (incidentally, when he made said mark, a gust of wind powdered my entire transition, towel, shoes, race skirt, and bike… I smelled nice the whole race!)

The Swim
We were starting off a dock in the downtown Willamette River… and also exiting out of the water without a ladder onto the same dock. At the pre-race meeting, the organizer had tried to describe the acrobatic exit to the swim that would involve planting a foot on a submerged 4x4 piece of wood, grasping rope webbing like you see on pirate’s ships, and hauling yourself over the railing. I was slightly suspicious that this heeve-ho wasn’t going to be as easy as she described. So, as soon as we were cleared to go out on the dock after the first wave of men went off, I jogged down the gang-plank, jumped in the water and promptly swam back to practice my pull-ups. It wasn’t bad, but it also wouldn’t be pretty if more than two-three people tried to get out at the same time.

The start was excellent… I pushed off the dock at the 3-2-1-GO! Lucky me, as I started the far-away buoy I realized it was positioned directly in front of a bridge pylon. Extra cool, since the buoy was white and so were the 150+ caps of the guys I was trying to catch. I latched on to the feet of two red capped women before I noticed they were veering off the chosen path, no probem. We were coming into swim furniture at that point (sorry slower guy-swimmers... you rock anyway) and I decided to "stay the course". Sure enough as I rounded the turn, I was in front of both red caps (not for long). The way back to the dock was a bit more difficult, with swirling eddies around the bridge pylons that we crossed under and a slight current... but I still managed to hit the dock in second... my exit wasn't pretty, but it was speedy. I figured that I had a pretty fast swim. Confirmed by the baby-powder guy who transitioned right along side me... his comment "wow, that was fast". :-)

The Bike

This course rocks! It has 500 ft. of climbing on each of three loops, technical descents, and a flat and fast (especially in aero) approach to the transition that was lined with spectators. And it goes right through the middle of downtown Portland! I love city triathlons (I've raced in Chicago and New York City, never in downtown Denver, what's up with that?)... you have a real opportunity to show off the sport! What can I say?... it was fun. And thanks to Gordie at Northwest Multisports, I was rockin' a pair of Zipp 808s... the sickest tires that my Orbea has ever had on it. Next to these things, my race wheels might as well have been made of wood. I don't think she (my bike is a she) will ever be the same unless I get her at least a pair of new 404s. Gosh, so demanding!

Anywho, I zipped (oh, so punny) around the course, leaning into the turns and trying not to pass too close to the racers that were obviously doing there first triathlon (the sprint race had a beginners only wave). I think I was a pretty considerate passer, except on one section that was on an open road. I apologize to this woman profusely. I thought you heard me say "on your left". I am so sorry if I freaked you out.... but must avoid cars!

The Run

At this point, I know I am in the lead (race plan is working!), but I have no knowledge about how far... and my most uncertain leg (I'm very punny tonight) was upon me. No where to go but on-ward. I pulled on my race belt and "poser triathlete" hat, slid my feet into my Brooks and eased into the run. First time for everything... the easing part. I decided to start off at a pace I know I could handle and build from there. The run was two loops with two bridge crossing per loop and long straight-aways along the riverside bikeway. There were two spots per loop were I could easily gauge if anyone was bearing down on me with me being to obvious. I took full advantage, but really I was just out there running my own race! I started with ~6:50/mile and gradually sped up until I was pulling in 6:25s with a very respectabe finishing sprint. Along the course I got a ton of comments on the suit, including "nice suit" "great tie" and "you look ready for the office". And thanks to the fact that I had my name on the front, people knew I was coming and could cheer as I passed.... I think I like that. Probably going to keep putting my name on the front in the future.

Afterward

The theme of this race was sustainable... participants could off-set the gas they used getting to the race with an optional purchase of clean energy. Everything was recyclable, compostable, post-consumer materials. My trophy for winning was a steel hull of a ship (cool?). The race shirts were made from bamboo. Even the finish line was "living". Finishers received those cool aluminum water bottles. And I know this doesn't count as "green", but the post-race BBQ was excellent. And for all the doubters... The Freshwater Trust is trying to develop the Willamette River as a recreational body of water. I'm sold! Woudn't it be cool to have regular swim competitions in the river as long as the bacteria levels are safe?

If you are in the area, come out and try it next year. The race seems as though it tripled in size from last year, to 580 people. That's classy. Here's you parting shot: 1-2 finish for Splish ladies as Courtney Brown hailed from Seattle and took a strong second place!

If you want to pics of the "business suit" in action click here until October 15, 2009.

Race Report: Xterra Portland

You ever tell somebody that you do triathlon, and they ask "like Ironman?" And, if you are like me (someone who admires the achievement, but adamantly demurs at the mere suggestionthat I do one), you say "sort-of" and leave it at that.

Well, Xterra triathletes might have me one-upped. They tell someone they are doing a triathlon and get asked "a regular one?" Nope, an irregular, unregular, not-so-regular, off-road adventure that resembles a road triathlon, really, only in the swim, maybe.

I've been following the Xterra Portland Triathlon on Facebook since the group's inception. And, despite my ill-advised first-ever Xterra tri (Crested Butte, CO 2006, swore never to do another Xterra again), I've been gaining confidence on my mountain bike after moving to Oregon (go figure that one) and felt it was time for another go at this format. And to those of you following along, I've been eagerly anticipating the healing of my PF, which finally started happening two weeks ago (yeah!)

So, last Wednesday morning... I make the decision. I'm doing it. But, it's been so long since I've done a multisport event. In my nervousness, I actually packed my stuff on Thursday night (not my usual MO) in preparation. Friday night, I put everything in the car except my uniform and warm-up clothes. Set my alarm for 5:30 am (gasp), and went to bed happily.

Fast forward to race day, and you would find me in bed at 6:30 am!!!! What?! Yeah, slept through the alarm. Classic.

No worries, I actually built in an extra hour to get there and get situated. No time for coffee brewing and breakfast, though. Not to worry, again. I called in a phone order to the Starbucks as I was heading out the door. "Get me a latte with one raw sugar and a perfect oatmeal with all the stuff." They put me on hold for a second, then came back to ask when they should have it ready. I told them to start making it right then and I would be there. Awesome. I walked in the door as they were putting the lid on the latte. I guess they weren't sure if it was a prank or a speed test from their manager (can I get a Mr. Potato Head on the side?).

Light traffic on the early morning backroads meant I actually got to Hagg Lake with plenty of time to set-up and warm-up (so much for teaching myself a lesson). I reunited with friends Cory, Marissa, Paris, and Dave from Corvallis (Cory, Dave and Paris were racing, Marissa was acting in her official capacity as super fan). Even bumped into current Xterra Pro and former flame Will Kelsay for a little Boulder-ite reunion.

Pre-race

Clearly, someone (me) has not been reading the manual, or subscribing to the yahoo group, or following the twitter (not sure there is one) about the changes made to water temperature and wetsuit legality. Long and short... I was swimming in my sports bra and bike shorts. No wetsuit for pros. I took about 5-seconds to complain... then I put on my "I'm a Winner not a Weiner" (or whiner) swim cap and headed down to the water.

The swim

I started way off to the left on this one. Out of the way of kicking, wetsuit-clad swimmers. Knowing I was going to be much slower than my amateur counterparts owing to the buckets of water that would fill my sports bra as I swam around the buoys. If there was ever an argument for bigger knockers... I actually swam much faster than I anticipated, not that I wouldn't have appreciated having one of those slick one piece speed suits for the race (ahem.. wetsuit sponsors... I may not swim super fast, but I LOOK like a swimmer!).

The mountain bike

My transition was slow, mountain bike shoes with mechanical closure, and a snaffoo with getting jersey top on wet body. I was off on the first leg, the biggest extended climb of the race and also the longest bit on concrete. It started off a lot like a road triathlon. But as soon as we hit the singe track, that was where the similarity ended. Mountain biking is so much more about the finesse than the speed, power, and endurance factor. After about 20-minutes of rolling twists and turns, roots and rocks, I was enjoying myself, but realizing that in all my practice, I was riding my mountain bike and not racing it. Oh well, I was still having a blast. The single track was similar to the best Oregon has to offer. Tacky pine-needled trails, slick bridges, off-camber roots on uphills and downhills, short steep "gulps". My two favorite parts: A section through a lake-weed field where I couldn't even see my bike beneath me and a stream crossing followed by a nearly straight-up embankment that required you to get off your mountain bike and climb cyclocross-style. And I don't know if this was intentional... but as I got more tired toward the end, the trail actually got more technical! With mud and slick ascents and descents. At one point, I almost missed a turn and was in danger of careening straight into the lake!

Somewhere along the line, two of the women pro racers passed me, but I barely noticed for all the fun I was having out there.

The run

What can say? It's trail running. My favorite. The footing was great in some places, terrible in others. I rolled three ankles (ha!). A few jaunts on the road, and a double loop in which you saw other racers. And a fun fast finish bursting out of the woods in time to run a 1/4 mile across the boat parking before finishing in front of the race pavilion.

The aftermath

Burgers, cookies, music, comparing scars and crash stories (I played pinball with my shoulders among the trees on a tight section and ended up with matching scabs). A sweet awards ceremony and pro prize purse presentation (say that three times fast) presented by Strands. I'ld do this race again. If you think this might be a cool thing to do next year, I'ld mark your calendar and register early. The race sold out two days before the race this year. It'll be sold out a lot faster next year!

Race ready

Ok, maybe not ready. But I am racing! Xterra Portland at Hagg Lake on Saturday. I picked an off-road triathlon because it offers soft surfaces and the potential that my slowness on the run will be less noticeable in the technical terrain post-mountain bike riding.

The deciding factor: I went on a 48 minute run last Sunday and my foot/PF felt good. No early run stiffness or painful stretching of the plantar. No ankle rolling. No shooting pains on sharp turns. Even managed to run downhill without curling my toes under or putting on the breaks. Also absent were the post-run arch cramps (though this could be do to my pre-run ibruprofen).

I kept it easy by playing Sarah McLachlin on the iPod and focussing on keeping my breathing easy. I picked a trail in the Peavy Arboretum that would allow me to bail at any point in my planned 50-minute run... thanks to the several cross trails and loops that form the Calloway Creek Trail system on the NE corner of the research forest. The only thing... I got tired. Fast (or slow?). It's going to take a bit to get my endurance up again.

But, I am racing! And better yet, I am planning on racing for real in the fall. I have my eye on one of two Half marathons in the late season. Amica Insurance Seattle Half Marathon or a Half Marathon in Eugene that Gerhard mentioned. The Seattle one is great because it would allow me 6 weeks of base building (which I desperately need) and 4 weeks to work on speed before a week or two tapor. What do you think? Of course, there is always cyclocross... there was no question there.

Regardless, find me at the Xterra Portland Triathlon this Saturday morning, the Oregon State Crit Champs this Saturday afternoon (I realize these are the same day), and the Portland Freshwater Triathlon on Sunday the

Week-end awesomeness: Sisters, OR

A little background: Week-end awesomeness was enabled by new friends Tracey and Bill who astonishingly opened up their home to me while I was visiting Central Oregon. Sadly (for me), they were off camping for the week-end, so I didn't get to hang out with them much past dinner on Friday night. But, I will be going to visit them and Sisters again soon because, as I found out, the hiking and MTBing in this kitschy town that the hardcore adventurers usually pass through on their way to Bend (me included), is in fact a hidden mecca of camping, hiking, and riding (they even have a bike shop). So, my original plan of hiking the South Sister and MTBing the North Fork in Bend (impossible until Aug. 15 anyway), utterly changed in favor of less traffic-y, but no less epic, Sisters-area adventure.

Stage 1: Three-Fingered Jack Hike

The mountain as seen from Canyon Creek Meadows.

Because I was a short drive from the trail-head (so I thought), I got up a little late, taking my time with my blueberry oatmeal and watching the most tired people in the world ride their bikes up Mont Ventoux. When I finally did get started, it was around 9 am and already promising to be a scorcher... good thing I was heading for higher climbs!

I took a few wrong turns in the woods (revealing my utter disdain for following directions... to be fair though, all the roads have names like 1232 and 1230 and 1234, and they all look the same). I finally found myself at the primitive campground beside Jack's Lake and at the trail junction that included Canyon Creek Meadows. After begging bug spray off of an obliging couple camping beside the lake... I motored out. My long legs ate up the trail, passing people who managed to get to the trail before me. I'm also kind of a silent walker, nearly causing one woman to keel over when I announced my presence so close to her. She politely asked that I wear bear bells to warn other hikers... hah!

Looking the other way in the Meadow

About 2 miles in, I encountered the Meadows (pictured above). The picture doesn't do it justice... a stream babbles through the meadows and thousands of butterflies dance among the purple, orange, and yellow flowers. I pushed on, through the trees to come out on the tree-less shoulder of Jack. Here, I encountered four glaciers, an unforgiving gravel scramble to a bumper of sorts, a mountain lake, and the incredible views in all directions, including the snow-capped peaks of Mt. Jefferson, the three Sisters, Broken Top, and the wonderful high desert forests surrounding Bend and Sisters, OR.

I played around at the top bouldering like a 7-yr old on a playground until I encountered an actual 7-yr. old. He belonged to a posse of two dads and four kids that had spent the night in the Meadow on their first overnight backpacking trip ever. We chatted about the hike, the scenery, what I was doing up there (also if I hiked with band-aids/mole-skin, etc... not this time), and also the meals that they planned on cooking while up there. I told them about my hiking trip-essential frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwich that was the perfect melty-ness by the time I was ready to eat it. Also, suggested a few easy to hike/prepare meals (burritos, eggs in a Nalgene).

Time to head down... There was a snow-field that looked as if it were the perfect pitch for a butt-sled. And would cut 150 yds (distance, not vertical) off our descent. Never would have done this if I were alone... but these guys (Jake and Dirk) seemed enterprising and ready for some fun, so I sneakily suggested that this might be a fun way to get down. I must have looked smart or responsible because Jake asked me if I would let my kids (!) try it. In all reality and really, I would have. Two words... Cold! and Wahoo! My butt did get a little soggy, but it was dry in minutes in the dry mountain air and, at least for a bit, provided some nice air conditioning.

The hike back to the car was uneventful. I took a sightly different way home, heading on a connector to Wasco lake before cutting back through a burn. This was by far the less traveled way to reach the Meadows and I was glad I had taken in when I saw the number of cars at the parking area when I got back.... I leap-frogged about 20 people, at least!

The rode less-traveled went through a very silent burned section of trail... gave me pause.

If you do this hike... start earlier than I did... 8:00 am would have been ideal. No need for a 4-wheel drive vehicle to get to the trail-head. Also, DO NOT FORGET BUG SPRAY! Also a good idea to charge your camera batteries (notice all my pics are from the iPhone). Lastly, the best time to do this hike is late July early August... and early and you will encounter a lot of snow on the trail (I only encountered a little). Any later and the flowers will be gone. Have fun!

Stay-tuned for part 2 of week-end awesomeness!

Going in circles

I didn't start off going in circles. Nope. First, I bolted from work right at 5:00 pm (gasp!). I ran/hobbled (foot still boloxed) to my car where I had stashed Dean the road bike and sprinted to Brent and Pam's house to meet them.... we were supposed to leave at 4:45 (whoops!). Because you see, after a five-year retirement and a solemn promise never to do another criterium race, I was on my way to another crit race.

I had good reasons, for racing that is... if I didn't get some more OBRA (Oregon Bicycle Racing Association) points, I was going to spend another season languishing (sandbagging) in the Cat4 women's division. A source of embarrassment and derision.

We drove down the I-5 to the Eugene house of one of Pam's teammates on Therapeutic Associates. There we be-spandexed ourselves, grabbed extra water (for the 90+ temps and the 45 min pre-ride to the race), and bike posse-ed to the crit course. Over bridges, across highways, through residential neighborhoods, and along the bike path (where one "funny" resident thought we looked hot and lovingly diverted his water hose to soak us as we rode by... good thing the iPhone was safely stashed). Finally arriving just in time to watch the first race go off... a "practice" crit for newbie riders consisting of just 6 laps.

Following Pam along the bike path and displaying mad skills to take

an iPhone picture while riding a bike!

At the sign-up, it didn't take much convincing for me to register for both the Women's B and A races... for one thing, there was potential for more points toward my upgrade to Cat3 if I finished well in both races. And the critical mass for scoring a women's race is 5 riders (of which there were only 4 at that point and Pam really needed the points to keep her standing as the state-wide points leader... she races far more than I do!) So, not only did I break my stand against crit racing... I did it double time. Oh well.

I don't pretend to know tactics, but from years' of racing I've gotten pretty good at knowing how long it will take me to catch up to someone and how long I can sustain my top-end. As well as being able to recover my breathing pretty fast. All of these things came in to play!

The start of the B race was cake as every rider struggled to clip in. A Poplolly (the host team) hopped off the front first, but I grabbed her wheel and we went around a few times until the pack got organized. There were three prize primes (races within the race where if you win a lap, you take home a small prize). I sprinted for the first one and thought I had, but was a half a foot too sow. The pack surged and slowed until the second prime where I was going head-to-head with another Poplolly, this time easing off the pedals as I had my race plan set in my mind. The third prime came on the 5th-to-last lap of the 16 lap race... I sprinted down a single-woman break away to take the prize and kept going! I settled into my time trial position, practicing holding a fast line around the curves, managing to stay ahead until the final line... Sweet! But, dude... I was wiped!

I got to recover about 15-minutes between races, refilling water bottles in between. The A race started fast and just kept getting faster. Break after break... it was like the B race on crack! I chased down some... while I confusedly watched the girl's with teams (Pam included) alternatively block, lead-out, and break throughout the race. With 15 of the 20 laps completed, a prime was announced and I selfishly "helped" chase down a break away to get a chance at the prime... I closed pretty well into a head wind on the back stretch, passing the break and keeping going. I rounded the final bend and surprisingly held off any final attacks in order to take the prime. Brent —super fan extraordinaire — yells out "Great! Now work together to take it all." What? I looked behind me to find Pam on my wheel and the group gone. She and I hammered for the next couple of lap until lap 19 when she said "Sunny, I need the points." To which my response was "Oh-gasp-kay-gasp-cool." And with that and one lap to go, she jumped off my wheel. She gapped me by about 20 yds and we both mostly respectably soft-pedaled to the finish line to take 1-2. Very cool.

The aftermath. We still had to ride home in the dusk. Pam's teammates took us a super-cool, different way home that wound through downtown, past UofO (Hola, Ducks) and along a bike path that took a bike-bridge over the Willamette (wow!). And as night fell, we arrived back at our car and their house.

A little on the caloric-deficient-side after my 45-mile, 2:45 ride that included essentially an hour of zone 4, I was ready for some ice cream. We rolled into dairy queen on the way home. Brent pulled up to the drive-through and patiently waited for the trash can to take our order. When it appeared that the tinny voice would not in fact materialize from the DQ wrappers and napkins he tried to stealthily pull up to the actual intercom... Pam and I were not fooled!!! LOL.

After all that, I managed to get a few more points to bring my grand total for the year to a paltry 18. On the way home we figured I needed two more points (sigh) to get my upgrade, even after the seven I earned that night. You might be hearing about another criterium, soon.

Wish they gave points for cyclocross!!!

Shout out: Tom Zirbel racing in the Cascade Classic Stage Race in Bend, OR. I'll be out there this week-end to cheer him on in the Crit and Sunday Road Race!