Happy Holidays!

Ending on a high note

(Photo from Amy)

I, finally, started getting excited about Montrose on Saturday evening. I got there bright and early on Sunday and it was cold but there was no snow. I prerode the course and was more excited. There were some technical aspects, a load of sand that was pretty rideable. You also had to go up the sled hill twice but it still seemed like it would suit some of my strengths. I was going to try to improve my overall standings in the series from sixth to fifth. It wasn't likely but it was possible.

I didn't have an outstanding start but I was doing good. I noticed Pamela Loebig ahead of me and thought I might have a chance to pass her. I noticed her getting up in the rocks under the viaduct and I was soon able to pass her right before the hill. I managed to keep her behind me and not let anyone else pass me for the race. I tend to start good but then get passed in later laps so I was considering this a small victory as was beating Pam. The Cat. 3 men kept passing me, though, and then crashing in front of me. By the end of the race, I was really getting annoyed by this. I ended up 10th out of 15. Tenth is lower than normal but we also had some fast girls show up for the race like Holly and Megan Korol. I beat Lara from MOX but there wasn't enough people in between us for me to take fifth in the series. She beat me by three points, which sucked a little but oh well. I still did a lot better this season in the series than I have in previous years so I can't really complain.

I was also signed up for the 4B race. I'm sorry to say that I was pretty unsocial in between races and spent quite a bit of time sitting in the car with the heat on. I was fine, temperature-wise, when I was riding but really fricken cold when I was just standing around. I did do one lap in between the Mens 123 and the 4A races but that was really it for my warm-up. Still, I lined up second row behind the series winner and was excited to get to do the last Chicago Cross Cup race of the season. And, holy cow, did I have a good race. At the end of the race, I knew I did good but really had no idea where I ended up. Some guys would pass me in the big sand pit -- they were running and I was riding. But, with my short legs, I think I may have ended up slower running. And, I would usually be able to get back past the guys later on. I waited for results. People would come up to me and tell me I did great or I rode the sandpit great and I would thank them but was a little confused. Then, they posted results. Holy crap, I was 14th!!! I had no idea I did so well. It was an awesome way to end the season.

Jingle CX

(Middle photo of Christopher from Nikki Cyp with other two from Tom)

Tom and I registered for Jingle Cross a really long time ago so I didn't have to feel too guilty about us taking a trip with our dismal finances. The trip part went really well -- we had heat for the whole trip as opposed to last year when we ran out of LP gas on Saturday night.

Unfortuantely, Christopher gave me a cold so I wasn't feeling real hot. I didn't have as much energy and it was effecting my technical skills a little. Still, I did better than last year. I wasn't DFL once in the five races I did. Tom was signed up to race on both Saturday and Sunday. He didn't even make a full lap on Saturday before his rear derailleur and hanger broke. On a good note, we just need a new hanger as we had switched my stuff from Shimano to SRAM last year. But, no bike for him for Sunday.

However, it did let us sign Christopher up for the kids race on Sunday. He had such a fun time riding around with all the kids before the race. He did one lap -- with a guy picking him up on his bike to carry him over the barriers. I asked him if he wanted to be done or do another lap. He says he wants to do another lap and then a kid ended up hitting Christopher's wheel and taking him down as the kid was trying to sprint past him. Christopher was crying. He didn't seem to be hurt so I asked held him and asked him if he was hurt or just scared. After a little bit, he told me he was scared and he wanted to do another lap. = ) He got loads of cheers the whole time. Probably because he was the littlest one out there -- the race was supposed to be for five and up, but they told us he could race. I was so excited for him to do his first CX race! And, he won a teddy bear. Pretty cool and definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

Woodstock CX

Photo courtesy of Half Acre's Al Thom

As I was racing, I looked up and thought cool, a banana hand-up. Then, I looked closer and realized someone was trying to handup a banana peel. Bummin'

I remembered this course from last year thinking it had a lot of climbing, a few technical aspects but not much for the two-mile course. The course was mostly the same as last year meaning I was going to just try not to be DFL. Soon into the race I realized I was beating two girls including Lara from Mox. I've begun quite a few races in front of her only for her to pass me after the first lap so I kept going as hard as possible and checking to see where she was whenever the course allowed. I managed to hold her off! 7th out of 9. I was pretty proud of myself considering the course does not suit my strengths and wondered how the heck I was going to survive the 4A's (the 4B's were originally full).

I didn't get to the start line as quick as usual as Jason had promised me a call up. But, he forgot so I ended up about third row very close to a guy on a mountainbike who said he had not been on a bike since he was five, didn't know how to shift and hadn't prerode the course. So, I tried like hell to get away from him. My legs felt like lead to start with but got a little better as the race went on. Riding through the circle-thingy, I got too close to the post where you switch directions and locked my handlebars with it. I didn't have a problem in the girls race but, of course, there were only 9 girls as opposed to 72 starters in the 4A race. Oops. I was 55 out of 66 finishers. Not great/Not horrible.

I had lots of fun talking with everyone. Christopher would have loved the parks but we kept him home since he has a cold. I can't believe there is just Jingle Cross and Montrose. I'm going to totally go into withdrawal.

Golf courses & CX

(photo courtesy of RKryszak)

I did a total of three races this weekend. All went okay, nothing stellar, nothing horrible.

Saturday was the Chicago cross race in Bloomingdale. I went there on Friday hoping to preride and helped out with the course for a couple of hours. I was totally unsure of the course. It had some great technical aspects but also a lot of power sections. I was annoyed that I didn't ride the first sandpit clean one single time in my two races. I rode the hill after the second barrier most of the laps in the women's race. It ended up being faster to run it and I have to sometimes remind myself that being faster is the whole goal. I ended up 10th out of 13. Not a great result but I still won $35.

Second race was the Men's 4B. I wasn't sure if I should race since I wanted to do the cross race in Janesville on Sunday. In hindsight, I probably should have skipped it but it was still fun. I could see Bob from Beverly Vee Pak and Mike aka Supergirl slightly ahead of me for most of the race. The last lap I was able to get past Bob which actually yielded me 30th place out of 73 finishers and 2 DNF. An additional point towards a series score. = )

Sunday was Janesville. As we were driving there Tom was reading me what Jeremy was posting on Facebook. I was not exactly jumping for joy or in excitement as we arrived to the course. The course was okay but there seemed to be a lot of gradual climbs. My legs were not happy with doing a third race after the couple of hours of coursework on Friday and racing twice on Saturday. My goal was to finish up my races in the Wis. series without an additional DFL. I was not completely sure if I would accomplish that or not. Seven of us lined up, including Melissa who just catted up and I usually am right around in 3/4 or age group races. I actually started fairly well and was in 4th for a good part of the first lap. Heather C. got past me and then I tried to dismount on the right side so I could run on the right edge after a barrier. I tipped over and another girl got past me making me sixth where I would stay the rest of the race. Sixth out of 7. So, goal accomplished. Besides tipping over, there were no huge mistakes. My average heartrate was lower than normal though. I'm guessing the two races the day before and a lack of sleep lately worrying over finances.

We'll be doing the last two Chicago races and we've already paid for Jingle Cross so we'll be doing those as well. I'll be sad to see cross season end but that will of course mean spending a little less cash. Although, I did get a dollar handup during the women's race on Saturday which meant I actually got $1 dollar more than I spent. = )

bad & good races

Above is Christopher being saying "I'm a scary ghost. Boo." in his, of course, scary ghost costume going into school before Halloween.

I did three races this weekend and it was pretty much like night and day between Saturday and Sunday. Saturday I decided to go to Whitewater even though I knew it had a lot of climbing and I'd probably get my butt kicked. DFL. 7 out of 7. It definitely didn't help that I started out in a gear to sprint at the start forgetting that almost immediately there is a steep climb. I couldn't downshift quick enough and had to get off and run. I later also took out a pole and messed up a downhill/turn stretching the tape to the point that I don't know how it didn't break. Oh well.

Sunday was the Northbrook course. Leah asked me "Is this a Gina course?" Oh, yes, it most definitely was. The sled hill was out so no big climbs -- not one of my strengths anyway. There were lots of turns, including a small wooded section, off cambr stuff, a sand pit where you went through, did a U-turn and then went through it again. I prerode it and thought "I could ride this all day."

My biggest problem lately is my stupidity. Before the race a guy told us to take the outside lines as the inside lines were getting too slick. Umm, it took me three wipe outs to actually heed that advice. I believe that had to have been how I dented my frame. I didn't notice it until going over one of the barriers in the Men's 4A. I still took 5th out of 13. Woo hoo! Without the wipeouts I think I could have nabbed 4th but Wendy from Alberto's is pretty fast so who knows. I had dropped to sixth and was able to get past a girl the last lap grabbing 5th and the last money spot. = ) Yea!

I wanted to do the 4B's but they weren't letting anyone register for it in the morning so I signed up for the 4A's assuming to get my butt kicked. The best I had previously done in the 4A's was 63rd. I was actually 36th out of 64 finishers and 8 DNF's. There was a sharp left turn to a barrier that you then had to get over a ditch and run up a short steep climb. I got passed there by the guys every lap. They have a half-foot to a foot on me in height and those steep run-ups are one of my weaknesses anyway. But, I just kept trying to pass them back anyway. A highlight was grabbing a dollar hand-up after the first part of the sandpit and actually being able to shove it in my sportsbra and make it through the second part of the sandpit. Yeah, I'm odd.

The South Chicago Wheelmen course is next Saturday. I'm undecided on doing a second race as I'd like to go up to Wisconsin on Sunday and do their race. I also have a family function though on Sunday that I have to see if I can show up late for.

CX Love

(photo of 4b race from Nikki Cyp)

I love cross.

I was bummed Halloween was on a Saturday this year as I couldn't go up to the Milwaukee race. Although Christopher had a great time. He had school parties Thursday and Friday, we went to the mall trick-or-treating on Friday, visited my mom and Tom's aunt at Tastee Freez Saturday and then trick-or-treating. He went in the afternoon with me, hung around eating candy and then went in the evening with Tom. Massive sugar buzz.

Sunday, I left them to fend for themselves and went to St. Charles. It was muddy -- which is an understatement. There was a ditch after a barrier that I desperately tried to ride in the preride. Most guys could just hop over it and I was dreading how slow I'd be slopping through it with my short legs. I lined up and had a great start. I was 4th for awhile. Diane from Planet Bike got past me as did Lara from Mox. Lara went down on a turn and I was excited thinking I'd get past her when a Cat 3 guy wiped out immediately in front of me. I never was able to catch back up with her. I went back and forth with Diane and actually finished ahead of her. I'm sure she raced on Saturday but I'll take my victories where I can get them. It was a great race for me and I was actually 5th out of 10. I won $10 which paid for my 4B race. I was absolutely soaked and changed shorts, jersey, socks and shoes.

I actually got a call-up for the 4B race, which I was initially excited about 'til Jason called up a heck of a lot of people. Still, being in front for these races is key since 70-something people is a heck of a lot more than the 10 that started the Women's 123. I had loads of fun and actually ended up 21 out of 69 finishers (with 1 DNF). Woo hoo! I avoided all the food handups, since a vegan food handup is pretty unlikely. I did take a dollar hand-up my last lap. My first money handup! Woo hoo!

So, it was crazy wet and muddy and insanely fun! I love cross and can't wait 'til Northbrook. Nats is out forseeing a miracle -- but I keep trying to scheme one up. If anyone wants to drive to Oregon in an RV with a three-year-old and/or wants to watch a three-year-old so I can preride, warmup, race let me know. = )

An anniversary, small successes & things to work on

(Photo courtesy of the Glinka's)

Saturday was Tom & I's ninth wedding anniversary. We had planned to do a small trip -- in part, to satisfy Christopher's constant requests for a trip with the RV. And, what could be better than doing a cross race for your anniversary? = ) We had figured on doing Saturday's Wisconsin race, coming back part of the way and then racing the ABD CX race in Bartlett on Sunday. The cancelled race changed that. I ended up getting a lot of work done while Tom and Christopher hung out. Then, we visited Tastee-Freeze, hung out with his aunt and cousins and stuffed our faces.

Sunday was the ABD cross race. Even though my club puts on the race, I was not looking forward to it. It's a fast course and I'm not fast. My goal was to not be last for either the women's race or the Men's 4A (I'd rather do 4B but it was full). I did accomplish both goals. I was 10th out of 12 (with 13 starters) for the Women's race and 62 out of 73 finishers in the men's 4A race. I lost a lot of spaces in the men's race right after the first set of barriers. As I went to hop on, someone hit my right leg causing me to somehow make it on my bike seat while my right leg was wrapped around the left side of the seat post and then over the rear tire. I have a nice scrape on my shin from the tire but nothing else. I did have to stop and untangle myself from my contortionist pose though. Other than that, I picked off guys one by one and was mostly pleased with my race.

Except -- there was a slight downhill and then right turn into a single barrier. I had no real issues with it in my first race. For my second race, I crashed/tipped over two out of the three times. Second lap, I went to hop back on, didn't hop high enough, got my shorts caught on the seat, fell back on the tire tipped over. What a dork.
Third lap, I went to get off my bike for the barrier, slid in the mud, tipped over. Dork.
So, obiviously, I need to work on still being smooth and keeping good technique when I'm fatigued.

Woo hoo!

(Photo from Russ)

I did three cross races this weekend in a little more than 12 hours. = )
On Saturday, I went up and did the cross race in Verona, WI. Last year, I was dead last -- in part, due to still having the Shimano brake levers on my bike and in part because there was a lot of climbing and a run-up. This year, the log was not there meaning the run-up was rideable but really tough. I was 9th out of 12 Cat. 3 women. I had a horrible start, passed a few girls with one not sticking. Not a great race but not terrible either.

I was a little nervous as to how all the climbing at Verona would do to my racing on Sunday. But, the course in Carpentersville was excellent for me. It had lots of turns, a spiral which I'm starting to get good at and a pump track! I was a little hesitant on the pump track at first but by the race I was sprinting towards it and not braking. It was so much fun! The sand pit seemed shallower. You actually had to do a U-turn. My first race, I rode it most of the time but did tip over one lap. The photo shows my determination to ride it as I suck at running.

My race went awesome. I was was 5th out of 10 girls. My best finish for a Cat. 3 or Womens 123 race. I beat a couple girls I never beat. I went back and forth with a girl. It was great.

I did the Men's 4B. I cut my warmup short to snag a prime starting spot in the first row. I really was feeling all the racing. I would make it through the U-turn in the sandpit and then wouldn't have enough energy to power through the last little bit. It was really frustrating and cost me spots. But, I still had loads of fun -- even when there was a crash that caused me to put a foot down, which immediately got ran over by a bike. I rode a little slower than the morning but still pretty strong and was getting better about picking spots to pass people. I actually got 26th out of 67. Being in the top 30, I actually got series points! So, I'm currently 7th in the women's 123 and 68th for the Men's 4B. = )

Next weekend is the ABD race and I'm hoping to do the Wisconsin cross race on Saturday but we'll have to see. It's Tom and mine wedding anniversary -- nine years. While I can think of nothing better than racing cross for our anniversary, I'm not sure if he'll agree. = )

Still a rock star but not as rockin'

(Photos from EWWhite of the Dan Ryan Woods CX. First is run-up for 4A race. Second is the singletrack to the left of the run-up. I'm so jealous of the guys who were able to ride up!)

I did a total of three cross races this weekend. Man, I love cross. On Saturday, I trekked up to Grafton. It was a pretty cool course with a wicked climb. I made it up every time which was, in itself, somewhat of an accomplishment. But, I made a lot of stupid mistakes. I didn't give myself enough time to get up there, register, get my bike in the pit, warm-up etc. I had a very brief warmup. I noticed there was too little air in my back tire. I didn't have a pump but, of course, I could have borrowed one and didn't. And, at one point I turned too early into tape. Seventh out of seven. DFL. I did have a freakin' awesome start. I could have been more aggressive a few times and realized I'm getting killed by those climbs. Still fun.

Today was the Beverly Vee Pak race. They did an awesome job. Great course. Free food -- although some vegan options for next year would be appreciated by at least myself and Dave from Flatlandia. But, still, it was awesome (I know I just used that word) to have a course so close to home AND to be such a great course. Lots of turns -- I should be more descriptive but am too spent right now. A relative watched Christopher so Tom and I could both race at the same time so he could do the 3's. We got there early to pre-ride the course, sat in the car to warm ourselves up and then warmed-up.

My start wasn't great but not terrible. That hill run-up though. Man, I need to work on those even more than climbs. Three girls got by me there. I was 10th out of 12. Not horrible and I was pretty pleased with the results.

I had signed up for the Men's 4A race as well since the 4B race was filled. Tom went to pick up Christopher. Turns out I didn't grab enough Gu's. A huge thank you and shout out to Beverly Vee Pak for giving me a gel. Unfortunately, I can't remember who gave it to me at the moment. I forgot about the whole 70+ field thing and lined up later than I should. I think I was about third row. Far enough back that I got held up by the crash that happened immediately after the start. Before the hill run-up, I think there was nearly 5 crashes. I had a lot of fun but my seat got tilted when I hopped back on the bike and got progressively worse so it was pretty much sticking straight up by the end. I lost two places near the end of the race because it is really hard to remount your bike when your seat is like that. I was 63rd out of 68. I was really cranky immediately after the race, because of my seat, but am still pleased with how I raced.

It is so much fun racing with the 4's because I end up with, almost, my own fan club. Besides the people who know me that have stuck around, I also get cheering simply for being a girl. The people at the run-up were actually chanting my name the last lap -- I wish it would've made me speedier! By then, I was dragging. I love cross. = )

(Edit: first photo is not actually the run-up but the incline is similiar.)

Feeling like a rock star

Tom, Christopher and I trekked to DeKalb yesterday for the Half Acre cross race. I was torn between DeKalb and the Wisconsin race which would have been two miles of dirt trails. DeKalb's course was slightly more than two miles, lots of grass, two big stretches of pavement. It did have a lot of turns but, with it being more than 2 miles, it was still a course for fast people.

There were only 11 girls in my race. I had a good start but a few more girls got by me -- particularly as I was trying to get over the barriers, which were up to my knees. I was 9th out of 11. I could see eighth but could never close the gap. On the new tire/wheel front, I had let out too much air in addition to my brakes shuddering. So, I cheered on the Women 4's and decided I wanted to sign up for the Men 4B's if there were any spots left.

There was a great park where we were at and Christopher was more than happy to spend more time there in addition to eating cookies and bananas from the bake sale. There were six spots left when I signed up. I socialized, spent time with Tom and Christopher and tried to eat. The only thing I could get down was a package of Clif blocks and a Gu. I did a lap before the 4A's and spun around a little but didn't really warm-up again. Not a great recipie for success. But, I did get a first row start (lining up early once I saw Bob with Beverly Vee Pak already lined up). And, I had people cheering for me pretty much all over the course. Thus, the feeling like a rock star. (And, Tom had put more air in my tires and adjusted my brakes -- Yea for Tom!) I was in the lower 30's for most of the race but gave up about 4 spots, according to Tom, the last lap. I finished 36 out of 71. There are a bunch of turns before a straight shot to the finish. I heard someone saying something like "You're not going to let a girl beat you, are you" and realized there was a guy right behind me. I sprinted, went to a harder gear, sprinted, went to a harder gear and out-sprinted the guy. Woo hoo!

Tom has had a cold so he didn't race. They changed the ChiCrossCup schedule but Tom will still have to race the 123's for us to both be able to warmup and race. We'll definitely do Dan Ryan since it's so close and Beverly Vee-Pak is planning an awesome course. We may go up to Grafton and do the Wisconsin cross race on Saturday but we're not sure yet. Hopefully, we can both stay healthy.

addendum

Thanks to Lynne for getting an awesome shot of me at the finish as I'm about to actually outsprint someone.

I forgot to mention that Christopher may have had the most fun this weekend. They redid the park there since last year and it is really, really, really nice. Lots of things to climb on, slides, play race cars and a fire truck, sand box, etc. Unfortunately, it was so much fun that he had quite a few accidents in that he didn't want to leave to use a rest room. We also got to "go on a trip," which made Christopher happy.

Good races & not-so-good races

We went to the USGP cross races in Sun Prairie this weekend. First, a huge, huge thanks to the Poppers for glueing our tires for us. Tom & I are total newbies at the whole tubular tire thing and would probably still be trying to get Christopher unstuck from a wall or something if we tried it ourselves.

I picked up Christopher from preschool in the RV and was able to meet Tom near downtown on Friday afternoon. I was able to get a decent preride in before it started raining on me. Tom rode too and had his crank come off. We went to the packet pick up and Williamson Bikes was awesome and fixed it for us, even though they were officially closed. And, they only charged us about $10. Yea!

My race on Saturday was great. I felt strong. I kept making stupid mistakes, mainly due to not being used to the tires. I know -- never race on something that you're not used to. But, the weight difference is so fricken huge that both Tom and I raced on them anyway. I was 4 out of 7 in Masters but out of all the girls I was somewhere between 10-15 I think out of 29. I was quite a happy girl.

We were able to spend the night in the grass parking area which let me get my number Saturday evening and preride Sunday's course. I knew it would be brutal.

Sunday -- well, it wasn't as good as Saturday. I think four girls I beat on Saturday ended up beating me on Sunday. I was 5 out of 6 in Masters and I think 18 out of 28 for all the girls. Not attrocious but, after Saturday, I was cranky. I was way too wussy in the turns and stuff -- I'm going to spend as much time as possible this week trying to get used to the tires. And, I only made it up the hill one out of three times. The first lap, I was almost up and my tire slipped. The third lap, I think I drifted into the tape, I don't remember. But, a 3/4 girl tried to sprint past me at the end and I got outsprinted her right before the line. Yea!

Tom's races didn't go well. He did the 35+ so we would both have time to warm-up. The announcers kept saying how it was former pros and the second fastest race of the day. But, awesome courses.

My main complaint is they had the little, little kids start before the women. Other racers saw kids crying by the side of the course and I probably scared the crap out of two of them when I slipped in some mud and crashed into the tape when I was passing them.

We still don't know if we're doing DeKalb or the Wisconsin race this weekend. But, hopefully, I'll be totally rockin' my new wheels by then.

No throwing up & not DFL

(photo from NikkiCyp)


The bugs won. I spent nearly 36 hours from Friday night until Sunday morning hoping to be well for Jackson Park. I did two easy warm-up laps and was kind of worried. Then, I did a hard lap and realized this was totally going to suck. It didn't help that everything I ingested made me want to throw up -- including water. I lined up anyway. I figured I paid $30 (on Thursday, when I still felt okay) so I might as well race. I started out okay but didn't have it in me. I also let too much air out of my tires and had some problems cornering because of it. But, like the title says, I didn't throw up and I managed not to be last. There were girls I felt like I could have beaten if I was healthy; but, of course, I'm not healthy. I shocked the people at preschool by actually driving Christopher today, came home and laid down for two hours before picking him back up. My mom's watching Christopher today so I can lay in bed and a relative may watch him briefly tomorrow afternoon for me too. Of course, being self-employed means no sick days so my income is definitely going to take a hit. As long as I don't drink anything, don't eat anything and lay in bed, I feel fine.

I was able to cheer on people after my race and Christopher got to play in the dirt with some new friends. Tom survived the 1,2,3 race. (No results yet though for his or my races. WTF?) And, I was able to give Ben my wheels which should be glued and ready by the cross races in Sun Prairie next weekend. Man, I hope I am.

lots of packages & sick bugs

My house is starting to get filled with boxes. Two small packages arrived last week and earlier this week that I'll be giving to my dad for his birthday, my new desktop arrived this week, the printer arrived last week as a somewhat cruel joke and then today I got three packages!
FedEx came with my new wheels and, literally like a minute later, UPS showed up with my small box from Cyclocross World with the tires and brake pads. (Last package was from Ex Officio -- they were having a sale and I have come to love their underwear to commute in.)

I'm so excited about the wheels and tires. But, I won't have them for Jackson Park. Julie will be glueing them for me and she is off having fun up north right now.

I'm trying to get Christopher healthy and trying to keep myself healthy. He picked up some type of bug. Diarrhea and then vomiting last night and this morning. I kept him home from preschool today, obviously, and it's been a long day and Tom won't be home until after 6 p.m. today. The doctor's office said they've been getting a lot of calls about kids with similiar symptoms. I'm supposed to give him bland things and no sugar. He's a picky eater and I had no idea how few things we actually had in this house without sugar. I was feeling crappy myself late this morning but am feeling a little better now. At least I don't have his symptoms yet. I'm crossing my fingers that I can stay healthy since the cross season is finally hear (pun intended).

I'll try to get a pic of the wheels and tires up soon. I don't have my new computer hooked up yet so I have to figure out how to get the photos downloaded to my laptop.

DNF

I hate not finishing a race. But, as I sit here sore, I know it was still the right decision.

Tom & I were originally both going to race but he's had a cold or something and decided not to which meant Christopher could go on a trip and race. We got there late on Saturday and I rode a lap. Awesome trails but, man, what a lot of climbing.

I warmed up starting a little after noon with some guidelines/tips from my coach since I tend to just pedal around, chit chat, etc. I finished in time to watch Christopher do the kids race, which was definitely one of the highlights of my day.

Lined up. Soon into the first lap I acutally passed a girl in a green jersey (possibly Hannah?). Holy crap. I lead the rest of the lap, even keeping the lead after a guy HAD to pass me up the singletrack climb, bumped me which I recovered from, and then hit me again sending me down off the trail and into the trees. Arrgh!!!! My Garmin got knocked loose from the strap and I had to shove it in my pocket. I'm such a geek that it was horrible not knowing my lap times, when I should eat a Gu and not being able to see my HR -- it makes me go harder when my HR drops.

After the rock garden on lap 2, I saw a girl in a blue jersey just ahead (possibly Liz?). Soon after I passed her and was actually in front of two girls! Wow. Then, the girl in the green jersey passed me on one of the climbs. I went into lap 3 barely ahead of the girl in blue -- I was really feeling the hills and heat. We passed Christine who was stopped. Then we came to the singletrack climb. The girl in blue was chatting with me as I felt like I was dying. My hamstring felt like it was going to cramp and I put my foot down. I shouldn't have. Oh well. She and Christine went by. I started again, feeling better actually. I rocked the rock garden -- as I had every lap -- and then started down the rest of the downhill, and crashed. I would have sworn I fell right but all of my scrapes are on my left-hand side. I got up, untwisted my handlebars and started again. But, I didn't feel right. I would've sworn my helmet was on crooked but, when I felt it with my hand, it was fine. I shook my head and it wasn't loose. But, it felt off, I felt off. I thought I could just ride it off but it didn't work. I kept having to stop. Not because I was cramping or felt like I was going to puke or because of pain (although I was in some pain). I just had to stop. Then, I would just stand there. Not good. I finally found a course marshall who directly me to another course marshall who sent me on the trail. It took forever. I finally found a sign for a cut-off for citizen/sport which I fell onto. Made my way down to the finish area and tipped over again. By then, women were finishing up. I have no idea how long it took me to get off the course. I woke up early this morning with some pain on my left side by my ribs. No serious bruises. A lot of scrapes.

So, I didn't finish, which I hate. But, as odd as it sounds, it was a good race for me. I rode that rock garden beautifully each lap. It was cool hearing people cheer me on each time. And, being in front of three separate girls at different points of a WORS race is awesome for me.

This weekend is Jackson Park Cross. I'll have to take it easy so I'm ready. Unfortunately, I won't have my cool new wheelset. Which leads to my dilemma -- 32 or 34 for what will be my new Challenge Fango tubular wheels? Julie said 34. Russell said 30 or 32. I posted on the cross forum on MTBR and got pretty evenly 32 and 34 with some 30 suggestions as well. So -- I'm looking for a few more suggestions and reasons for 32 or 34.

Failed commute & CX obsessions

I had my first flat during a commute last night. I decided to try a new route out to New Lenox for a school board meeting which should have shaved at least two miles off the commute. But, the sun was setting and I was riding west so I missed my turn. It turned into an 18-mile ride as opposed to a 14-mile ride. Still, I made it just as the meeting was starting so I was still in relatively good spirits.

On the way home, I was on the planned route, things were going good. I was going through a housing development that wasn't finished so all the street lights weren't on. All of a sudden I heard a pssst. I had seen a dead huge snake on the side of the road going to Lincoln-Way Central so I immediately thought it was a snake and screamed. I, then, quickly realized I had a flat and pulled over under a working street light. It was going good. I even thought to take my skirt off (I had shorts on underneath) to keep it from getting all greasy. Pumping up the tube was a huge pain. People kept stopping and offering me a ride home. I was in Mokena at this point, I believe, and still a good chunk from home and people were assuming I was down the block. I almost had it pumped up (after a few tries) when a guy in his late 40's, early 50's walking with his wife decided he had to help me. He let all the air out, twice at least. Then, he thought he broke the stem. Well, he didn't but he had loosened it so, when I almost had it filled again, it twisted out. Crap. I got it pumped up, I thought good enough, again and started out. I only made it less than nine minutes when I got a pinch flat. I had only a cheap light for a weight savings figuring that I'd be on lit streets. I didn't see the huge bump and, as soon as I hit it, I was like oh crap. Start walking, pull out the cell phone, Tom is of course thrilled to grab a sleeping Christopher (who of course didn't stay asleep) and go pick me up. I kept walking and, let me say, walking with a bike on Wolf Road over I-80 is not for the faint of heart. Ick.

As for CX obsessions, I now "need" new wheels. I put "need" in quotes because I obviously rationally do not need them. I have wheels. But, man, I need, need, need them. I'll look odd having blinged wheels on my Trek XO1. It would be a good deal but nearly four-figures so I'm trying to get Tom's blessing, so to speak. I figure he could use them too so it's like we're getting them for half the cost, right? Obsessions can be a terrible thing. I think Tom is going to put me in a 12-step program soon.

First day of school & other madness

The past couple of weeks have been insane. Christopher didn't have summer camp or pre-school for two weeks and started pre-school again on Tuesday. That would have been crazy enough but I decided to really try at the potty training. He was ready but didn't usually feel like going through the effort of stopping what he was doing and using the potty. My car died -- the alternator and starter have been replaced and now there appears to be a short somewhere. The car is a 1996 but we just really can't afford another car payment right now. And, now, my desktop computer is pretty much dead. It's been dying but, after yesterday late afternoon, it's pretty much dead. I was able to get it back up to get some files off it. I had last backed it up late August and wanted to make sure all the photos, etc. were on the external hard drive we have. At least new desktops are a lot cheaper than new cars.

The Meltdown could have gone a little better for me but it was still an awesome time. Cook County cut out a lot of logs the week before the race. Considering it is the technical stuff I'm good at and am not a speed demon, that made my race a lot harder. I was duking it out with Ronit, from Half Acre. I was faster in the single-track and maybe a little on the hills but she was faster on the flat power sections. She'd be right on my butt and then I'd get a little gap to see her back on my butt again. I was ahead until almost half-way through the race but couldn't stay with her when she passed. Almost every race this year, I get nauseous when I eat during a race(I had eaten a Gu a little before she got by me) . It's annoying. I stopped feeling like I was going to puke but she was gone and beat me by a few minutes. My legs started cramping going up gravity cavity for the last time but I am proud to say I didn't go in my small ring in the front and stood to climb most of the last time up the grassy hill -- mainly because Julie and Erica were screaming at me and were almost as fast running as I was trying to make my way up the hill for the last time. I did beat about five guys and passed several of them during my last lap. All in all, awesome race put on by an awesome group. I can't wait for next year.

Tom and I will likely do Lake Geneva and then switch gears to cross. Yea, cross! Tom put in to upgrade so we're still working out how we'll both do this. We'll likely focus more on the Wisconsin races with me doing Women's 3 and him doing the 30 plus or 35 plus (I can't remember which) for 1,2,3. With the Chicago series, he'd have to do the men's 1,2,3. We'll definitely be at Jackson Park though. And, I'm already registered for the Jonthan Page cross races in Sun Prairie and just registered for Jingle Cross. = )

A good week

I rode a total of five different bikes this past week and was able to ride my mountain bike three days with different trails each time. It was a good week.

My old hardtail Juliana is hooked up to Christopher's little Trek and Christopher now asks for his helmet on and to get "Mommy's green bike and my blue bike." My kid is three and already bugging me to ride. Awesome. = )

I also went to the bandit Church Cross on Sunday morning. It was a great layout and it felt awesome to be on my cross bike and hopping over barriers. I was even happy to look down and see my heartrate so fricken high. Yes, I'm insane. I opted to ride out there, which wasn't bad, but riding back home in the heat after the all-out effort was brutal. I definitely should've brought an extra Gu with me.

I should have worked this morning while Christopher was at summer camp but snuck in an hour ride on some singletrack before the forecasted rain. It hasn't rained yet which is even better since I'd like to log some more time at Palos before the race.

I'm planning on doing Downers Grove so I'll probably do the Matteson training crit tomorrow. Downers is a huge race and I'm interested to see how I'll do but it's hard for me to get excited about a road race. Now, Palos -- that I'm totally psyched for. I've been feeling good and have my fingers crossed that I can actually stay healthy for a couple of weeks.

Almost

(photo from Rusty)

First off, sorry to those I spoke to right after the race as I always tend to be cranky-- focusing on what I did wrong. In this case, I started the race freaking out about the guys having to pass me in the singletrack, particularly the first rock garden on Alpha. I kept thinking I would crash if I had a bunch of guys behind me there. So, of course, I did. I rode it super smooth my second lap. But, both the first and third lap I stopped and then tipped over to the left. Totally dumb.

The rest of the race actually went pretty good for me. I rode most of the singletrack really well. Even parts that I usually have problems with (although I did clip a tree my first lap). I would occasionally freak out and tell myself to calm down and ride smooth. I noticed Liz coming over the bridge over all the rocks as I was heading to O'Malleys Woods near the end of our second lap and looked at my heart rate monitor. When I got to her spot I realized I was only four minutes behind her. I tried to kick it up a notch telling myself to just ride smooth. Then, I tip over in the same stupid rock garden my third lap. Great, there goes that I thought. But, as I was climbing the top of the hill I saw her standing on the down hill, letting people go by (which was because she had unfortunately crashed as I later found out). I tried to kick it up again although that last part of the climb to the top is a killer. When I got to the bottom, I realized I was probably less than three minutes behind her now. I went all out and ended up about a minute and a half behind. (I thought I was less but apparently WORS timing doesn't delete the minute delay from the men's start to our start.) My best WORS finish in a long time -- not including the short track at last year's Suburu Cup. So, not bad considering it's only my third mountainbike cross country race of the year when it's probably double that for many and I'm still hacking up crap on climbs from that chest cold I had. I'm excited about the Palos Meltdown. I got out there twice last week and am hoping to get out again this week. We'll probably do Lake Geneva and then switch to cross. I've bought numerous stuff for my cross bike with my QBP discount -- Tom and I (mostly Tom) will have to get crankin' on getting it ready. I love mountainbiking but, boy, do I love cross too. = )

Back to life

I was sick all of last week. It really sucked -- especially, since I had so much crap going on last week, which I'm sure is one of the reasons that it's been more than a week and I'm still not quite back to 100%. I'm mostly better but I still have crap stuck in my lung/chest area. After climbing up a hill, I'm hacking for awhile.

I went out on a long ride yesterday evening. I rode from my house to Canal Trail and then did as much as last year's Meltdown course as I could remember, thinking it'd be better to have a planned route. It was a lot of fun but I kept getting lost on the multi-track. My mother had Christopher this afternoon so I kind of played hooky and rode back doing Canal Trail and then the course from two years ago and back. There was plenty of work-related stuff I should have been doing but I just needed another fix before it rains again.

The photo is of Christopher in his Elmo costume. He refused to wear it last Halloween and yesterday I couldn't get him out of it until he was a big sweaty mess. Christopher enjoyed his second race at Kewaskum. Me, not so much. But, it was an okay race-effort. Looking at my heart rate monitor after the race, it seemed my heart rate was too low and then, waking up the next morning sick as a dog, it makes a little more sense. Poor Christopher will not be racing at Alterra as both Tom & I are registered. But, he'll be with his fan club and will get ice cream and other goodies. The fan club may only be able to watch him part of the day though so we have to figure out if we have to take two cars or if I have to try to hitch a ride home.

Christopher's first race

It was somewhat of a last-minute decision to hike up to Eau Claire. I really wanted more single-track and Christopher had kept saying he wanted to go on a trip. Tom reluctantly agreed to come along and let me race.

Christopher did pretty good on the ride there and rode around on his bike without pedals while I prerode. On Sunday, he woke up cranky and not himself. When I said I had to sign up for my race though, he said he wanted to race too. So, we signed him up. He seemed to have fun and insisted on wearing his medal inside the restaurant we stopped at last night and to summer camp this morning. = )

I really enjoyed most of the course during the preride except for a rock garden they added simply to have a rock garden (well, that's how it seemed to me anyway). It was basically a long driveway of large rocks. I'd ride all of it but the last bit that you had to turn left.

My race was icky. I went way too hard my first lap trying to stay with the girls -- which didn't work for long -- and trying not to slow down the guys too much. My first lap was 43 minutes (which included some unintentional stopping trying to let guys pass) with a heart rate between 187 and 195 for 21 minutes. Unfortunately, I didn't know at the time that I finished lap 1 not that far behind a group of girls. That definitely would have been the push I needed but Tom didn't think to mention it to me (watching Christopher is not exactly easy). I do much better when I'm just behind someone.

I had opted to use bottles for this race and, in hindsight, I should have taken the camelback -- I went a little too easy on the long sections when I was taking a drink and ended up a little dehydrated with a little stomach cramping the last lap. I was about 12 minutes behind the next girl and also about 12 minutes longer from my goal of finishing in.

But, I thought my technical riding was really good. I'm trying not to beat myself up too much. I hadn't done a mountainbike race since the Palos Meltdown and my last WORS race was last year's Kewaskum. I'd like to do decent (decent for me, anyway) at Crystal Ridge, Lake Geneva and the Palos Meltdown. I'm planning to do Kewaskum -- more of a training race for both the mountainbike and cross races coming up. If you see me slackin' off during the race, be sure to yell at me. = )

Crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy

(If I was better at this, a link to Underworld's song "Crazy" would be here.)

I had really wanted to go to the Suburu Cup but we decided not to with Tom still being injured. I ended up being then was able to run a bike rodeo in Homewood, which are what the photos are from.

I went to the Metro 12 Hour on Saturday. I ended up being the only 12-hour girl which ended up being fine by me. I'm still getting over a cold Christopher picked up from summer camp and my body is no longer used to doing 12-hour races. But, I had a hell of a lot of fun. The singletrack was great. My bike was making these horrible squeaking noises and, by the end of the day, my wonderful Team Extreme teammates had fixed it. My poor bike is so in need of some love and maintenance. I only did seven laps with a lot of socializing in between. Riding, chilling out and catching up with people I haven't seen in ages was just what I needed. It was an awesome day.

Good deed

I decided sort of last minute to try to get a ride in before it rained. I grabbed some bike shorts and one of Tom's jerseys that were hanging up to dry and rushed to pick Christopher up from summer camp. We get to the paved trail start up a hill and Christopher says "Mommy, it's raining." Crap. I put the rain cover down and continue. It starts raining harder. Crap. So, at the top of the hill (where there is a "T" intersection), I turn us around and start back. It eases up so I decided to aim for an hour ride and go to the lake, do a little more meandering and start on the spur back to my house. I pass a guy stopped and then my mind starts wandering. I hear the "on your left" and apologize as I had been taking up most of the trail. I then get to see him crash magnificiently. The trail curves after crossing the street I was going to hop off the trail at and he took it too fast for the wet conditions. I cross the street and stay on the trail to see if he's okay, ask if he wants me to call for an ambulance as I see blood on his arm and think of Tom's crash a couple of weeks before. He says he's fine.

I notice Christopher is passed out and I have just over an hour so I decide to cruise around a little. I get to the next street and turn back -- the guy is still sitting on the ground. Hmm. I ride down a side street 'til the next busy street and turn around and come back. The guy is up but walking his bike. Turns out he got a flat. I have everything but the pump which he has. He's impressed as I start changing the tire. Then, of course, I can't get the tire back on. He gets the last bit on. Then, as usual, I have problems getting the pump off without half of the air coming back out.

Eventually, I get him on his way telling him to avoid to big bumps and I actually got 1 hour, 30 minutes in. Yea! Now, it's raining again and I'm doubting ever being able to ride my mountain bike again.

Successes

On Saturday morning, I decided to gamble and try to go up for the 12 Hours at John Muir. It looked like it might rain but it looked like there was a better chance it would rain at my house. It rained quite a bit as I was driving up there. By the time I got there, I was tired from the 12+ hour work day on Friday and not in a competitive mood. I told myself to go out and ride a couple of laps and that, if it wasn't fun, I'd go home and see my little guy and my injured guy. The trails were muddy and I just kept thinking that, if I crashed, who was going to change Christopher's diapers.

I rode with a girl a good part of the lap that was competing as part of a 12-hour team. I did one lap, stopped to fix my speed sensor and really had to convince myself to go back out. Most of lap 2 I had a guy behind me who wanted to chat -- and wanted me to find him a girlfriend. It was still muddy, I still wasn't having fun and the guy would come up beside me as I was trying to pick the best muddy, rocky line for uphills/downhills causing me to put a foot down and hoof it up the last part of the hill in one instance and get a handlebar in the quad during a downhill part. As I finished the lap, it started raining again. Decision made. It totally did not help that I was planning on ditching out early on the Friday event I had to work ,which my co-worker knew -- she then bought tickets to see some play and ditched the event completely meaning I didn't get home 'til late and didn't get to see Christopher before he went to sleep.

I went home after bailing from Saturday's race, helped Tom with Christopher, cuddled with Christopher, spent more than 1.5 hours mowing the jungle of our front yard with a reel mower. I was absolutely shocked, amused and somewhat embarrassed to see I actually took first in the 12-hour race. I believe the other girl was a young girl who took a spill during her first lap.

For the 12 Hours at Crystal Ridge, I plan on not working the night before, tucking my son in the night before and coming with my game face.

Tom's still on the mend. The pain is not as bad but he's getting back spasms from the arm sling. Two weeks down. Hopefully only four to go. It's been a very, very long two weeks for both him and me.

LCI 51207272

I have my official LCI number after taking a really, really, really long three-day class to be a League of American Bicyclists Certified Instructor. I'm co-teaching my first class on July 1 down in the Champaign area.

Other than that, my life has been even more insanely hectic than before. As I'm sure most of my few readers know, Tom broke his clavicle (I think that's how you spell it) at the Wonder Lake Super Crit. It's now been one week and one day. It's hell for him. He's in pain and in an arm sling for probably a little more than six weeks. I've been trying to help Tom out and also doing everything with regards to taking care of Christopher, the house, etc. (Both our back and front yard are only partially cut at the moment.) I've been going out of my mind. I did do the crits in Winfield this weekend and volunteered. It was nice for me to get out of the house but horrible for Tom to have to deal with Christopher for most of the weekend. I was kind of sad to not get to race 9 Mile but my plan of sticking to races closer to home has seemed to be working well for the most part -- with the exception of Tom crashing during a crit.

1st to DFL in 24 hours

I decided to do ABD's crits this weekend. I'm dying to be on my mountainbike but the races were close to home and I could race for free. Saturday went well. I hung with the pack of women (30+, 40+ and one 50+ woman) and finished 2nd in my age group and I think 8th overall in the about dozen racers. Sunday we were with two men's age groups. I couldn't hang with the faster pack but noticed no other 30+ girls were up there either. I rode with two guys most of the race, took first in my age group and got quite a few compliments about riding strong. The compliments about strong riding and the top podium spot were very rare and very nice.

Then things started to suck. We thought we had someone to watch Christopher Sunday afternoon so Tom & I could actually go on a mountainbike ride together. She said she couldn't last minute. On Monday, I had a good chance of taking the overall and getting $50. A teammate and another girl even said they were going to just ride with me the whole race to make sure I got the overall. I'm sure my few readers know where this is going. I had a horrible race. It was really windy and we had a smaller group and I can't draft for anything. I fell off our little group. My teammate had previously shot off and ended up winning the race. The other girl who was going to work with me worked with one of my competitors and, working by myself in the wind, I almost reeled 'em in but couldn't. I ended up with the same amount of overall points with another girl. Even though I had beat her the previous two days and my best placing was a first vs. her second, she got the overall. Then, I realized I lost part of my skewer for my front wheel that had been in the pit. I was told that there were no vegan sandwiches (they had a PB and J for me the day before) and I couldn't find the spare umbrella we keep in the car. Someone at least lent me a rain jacket as it rained on me for several hours being a course marshall. And, then last, I had to argue with the volunteer coordinator because she didn't want to give me one of my volunteer vouchers (which I can use for race fees). So, I was cranky. Some seemed to be annoyed I was in a bad mood. But, what a crappy day!

On a good note on Sunday evening, we briefly had the training wheels off Christopher's bike. He's "riding" the bike without pedals like a pro. We took the training wheels off his little Trek, he rode a very small distance (with me kind of holding the back of his seat), he started tilting to the side and wanted his other bike. He is sooo close! = )

[Edit: I added a photo taken on Saturday since it shows the new bike. It no longer has the white seat, which you can't really tell since my butt's on it.]

Starting to catch up with me

I've been going at a really hectic pace and this weekend it appears to have caught up with me. I did ABD's time trial on Saturday morning and then did the Vernon Hills crit on Sunday. The time trial went icky. My pace was slower than I was expecting. So, it probably was not the best idea to decide to go to a crit on the next day. The crit was really fast and I made a dumb move of starting in the front to the left which put me in the wind when I should have been trying to draft. Most of the race was basically a time-trial effort. At least, I have a rest week this week. Now, whether or not I'll actually have time to get any rest will be another story.

Home stretch

I did my last batch of phone calls this morning for LIB's Train the Trainer classes. Whew. I have another month of work for ATA (formerly CBF) which means life is still going to be insanely busy for awhile. I have not had a day off in...I have no idea. I worked a health fair Saturday morning for ATA and then covered events Sat. and Sunday afternoon for the local paper. I was sort of sad to have missed Flatlandia's race. Christopher is enthralled in SpongeBob at the moment so I thought I'd take a minute to finally update this blog.

Tom switched the handle bars on my road bike to Salsa Poco's. I love those bars. I picked up another pair (with my wonderful ATA discount) for my cross bike as well as some cool-colored grip tape for the cross bike. I keep checking chicrosscup.com and WCA to see if they have the cross schedules up yet.

I did make it out about a week ago for a mountainbike ride. Only my second of the year. I rode from home, taking part of the multi-track loop at Swallow Cliff so I only got to do the Canal Trail but it was so nice to be on dirt again. I saw lots of people that day including Ben leading a huge group.

Arrgh!

First, before I rant, Happy Easter to everyone! I had to go through the line for the Easter Bunny three times to get that photo. Christopher would squat and bark at the bunny, try to beat the bunny with his blanket and try to brush the bunny's fur with his brush. But, he would not sit on the bunny's lap or even stand in front of the bunny. I had to grab him and then tickle him to make him smile.

People are complete idiots. Two of the candidates were a man who was a teacher and then a principal for the district who is now retired and a superintendent for a different district who is retiring in June. Both seem like very intelligent guys and I think it's great they are willing to give up their time to serve on the school board (you don't get any type of pay or stipend to be a board member). I'm sure you know where I'm going with this --neither received enough votes. This woman who seems to be a complete idiot was the top vote getter. Flipping channels, we came across the meet the candidates thing on the cable access channel. Seriously, she is an utter imbecile. I'm just totally disgusted right now.

Things are still insanely busy. I'm making lots of phone calls to tell people about a class LIB is doing and still doing 15 hours a week for the other bike group besides covering meetings here and there for the local paper. I really, really need a spring break. Unfortunately, being self-employed means no spring breaks or vacation days. It'll get much easier after June 1 -- I keep telling myself.

I just did a tentative race schedule and it's depressing that it seems to have mainly road stuff on it. I'd much rather be racing in dirt but the road races are a lot closer and neither Tom or I can see Christopher handling the long trek to WORS races or Christopher actually letting me warm up. Who knows, maybe all this roadie stuff might actually make me faster. = )

I'll be doing a Fix a Flat workshop at My Bike in Tinley Park on Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. if anyone is bored. No throwing things though. = )

I'm not dead, I just feel like I'm on my way

Everything has been insanely busy -- which I keep telling myself is a good thing. I've heard about way too many people losing jobs lately. So, the fact that I have way, way too much work to do I'm sure is enviable. And, I only have to survive until June 1. But, I'm still not sure how I'm going to survive with my sanity until then.

Christopher has really been doing well on his bike without pedals. Last year, he would not even ride it. He kept pointing to where pedals would be and saying "On." Now, he's cruising around and lifting up both feet so he can coast. He just needs a little more practice, and a little bit nicer weather, and I think we may be able to start trying to get the training wheels off his little Trek.

His vocabularly is really jumping lately. He said something today like "I drink my milk. I'm thirsty" and I was in absolute shock. I'd like to say I'm a wonderful mom but it's really the preschool. The preschool had to call me on Wednesday to pick him up as he had a fever. He'd been really tired on Tuesday but I thought it was just being tired and didn't even take his temperature. So, I guess I won't being getting the best mother medal any time soon. Too bad -- Christopher really likes playing with medals. = )

I'm happy the weather is getting nicer and I can get more riding done outside. I went to the Kenosha training race last Sunday. It was a really slow pace but I was actually able to stay with the pack the whole time so I was happy. I was second for the Cat. 4's (out of a whopping three) but I think I was 5th overall. My final sprint sucked. Tom did well too and actually took 5th for the Cat. 5.

Insanely busy

Last weekend, we bought Christopher a new bathing suit. He's in a water babies class and he's been wearing a suit for 12-month-olds. It actually still kind of fits. The new one is a 2T and is almost like pants. He got to pick it out and, obviously, really likes it. He took the tag off himself and next thing I knew he was running around like the above photo -- a flannel pajama top, swim trunks and snow boots. Fashion designer is probably not going to be a future career for him.

I don't know how often I'll be posting. It's been insanely busy and will likely continue through the end of May. It's mainly job-related so the extra cash will be nice to help pay off mine & Tom's bikes. You can see Tom's bike in the background behind Christopher.

New Bike

First race report of the year

(photo courtesy of the Glinka's)

I did an indoor time trial on Sunday. I had the new road bike -- which I'll post a photo of once they get me the right seat and this hideous white one is off of it. The time trial did not go well. I was a minute slower than my goal. But, I had a cold most of last week and I just wasn't mentally there.

Tom did well though and Christopher and I got to cheer him on when Christopher wasn't racing his own bike. = )

my grandfather

Business owner, volunteer fire official dies
January 20, 2009
BY WILLIAM LEE, Staff writer
John D. Oudsteyn, a former Chicago Ridge fire official who helped start the village's volunteer fire department in the 1950s, died suddenly Sunday at his home. He was 89.
Mr. Oudsteyn and his wife, Harriet, moved to Chicago Ridge about 1950, when the village had about 600 residents. For 14 years, Mr. Oudsteyn answered fire calls from his home, racing to a large black telephone hanging from his kitchen wall. Mr. Oudsteyn was named assistant fire chief in 1974.
His wife also was dedicated to public safety, working for the Chicago Ridge Police Department for 35 years and serving as secretary under four police chiefs.
In addition to his work with the fire department, Mr. Oudsteyn was self-employed for many years, installing and repairing wells.
He and several partners purchased All Electric, which sold and serviced pumps and still exists at the same site, 67th Street and Ashland Avenue in Chicago. They opened a second business, Accurate Electric, which remains on 111th Street in Worth.
Mr. Oudsteyn was proud of his service during World War II, for which he received a Purple Heart medal. He fought the Japanese at Okinawa from April through June in 1945. A member of the 1st Battalion, 29th Marines, 6th Marine Division, he also participated in the occupation of China during November 1946.
Born Oct. 24, 1919, in Chicago, Mr. Oudsteyn grew up during the Great Depression, which his family said made him frugal.
"Growing up, my cousins and I were always somewhat both amazed and amused by the shelves in the basement filled with enough food and supplies that it resembled a store," SouthtownStar correspondent Gina Kenny said of her grandfather.
"He faced a lot of challenges during his life - financial as well as physical. He never quit trying," his daughter, Harriet Lynn Welch, said. "Every challenge life threw at him, he kept going."
Mr. Oudsteyn met his wife at a Halloween party, and they were married on Jan. 14, 1939. They were married for 67 years before her death in April 2006.
The couple's love and devotion to each other always was an inspiration to their family and friends. They traveled extensively in the United States, usually in a motor home, and around the world, including China and Australia.
In addition to his daughter, Mr. Oudsteyn is survived by a son, John; a sister, Ruth Sorgenfry; three grandchildren; and a great-grandson. Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Schmaedeke Funeral Home, 10701 Harlem Ave., Worth. The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Chapel Hill Gardens South Cemetery in Worth.
William Lee can be reached at wlee@southtownstar.com or (708) 633-6747.

(text from http://www.southtownstar.com/news/obituaries/1386884,012009oudsteynobit_.article)

Doug Thiessen

(from Maryland GOP)

Photo from the 10-year reunion held in 2001

I just found out on Saturday that Doug Thiessen died. He died Jan. 9 after an accident while downhill skiing in Penn. I went to high school with him. Being the honors/AP geeks that we were, we had almost every single class together throughout our four years there. We were on several clubs together, both played tennis, etc. I would consider him more a friend, than acquaintance although most of our hanging out was at school. I dated him briefly my senior year and went with him and my friend Christopher to a Violet Femmes concert the summer after my freshman year in college. I last saw and spoke to him at the reunion. A bunch of us all sat together at the same table talking about school, what we were doing now etc. I remember talking about his kids and how they were at his parents, teasing each other, etc.

I overdressed

I went for a 30-minute run today. And, despite the dismal forecast, I actually managed to overdress. My cheeks and nose were a little cold but the rest of me was a little too toasty. While Julie was not the inspiration for the run, she did help me convince family members that I was not completely insane and didn't need to be chained to a chair or anything to prevent me from going out.

Poor monkey

As Tom was trying to Christopher ready for bed last night, Christopher just passed out. His poor Curious George stuffed animal was almost suffocated and permanently emotionally scarred from the incident. I walked in and saw him like that and almost woke him up by bursting out in the giggles.

Still alive and not in a padded room, yet

We all made it through the holidays. Christopher started preschool again on Monday and I was excited to get a lot of work done. On Sunday evening, I went to bed feeling fine and woke up feeling insanely nauseous. I hadn't felt so sick since Christmas 2005 when I was pregnant. On Monday, I mainly laid on the bed or the floor and tried to turn Christopher into a couch potato. By Monday evening, Tom was also sick. Christopher had the stomach bug a few days before and apparently wanted to share. By Tuesday night, I was mainly better and even hopped on the trainer. But, it wasn't until Christopher went to preschool this morning (he goes three days a week), that I was finally able to catch up on some work for ATA (formerly CBF). I still have a huge amount of crap to do and have been pretty stressed.

My father is currently at Palos Community Hospital with a bad leg infection. That definitely has not helped with my stress, obviously, and has also taken out my main free babysitter, which is my mother. I'll be visiting him tonight and he'll hopefully be out by Sunday. He's pretty bored.

The first ABD indoor time trial is this Sunday in Winfield! I'll be the volunteer coordinator from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. so be sure to stop by and say "Hi!" if you come. = ) No racing for me this time. I'll be doing "testing" on Saturday so I'll just be volunteering and cheering on Sunday. Unfortunately, since my laptop hard drive had died while at Jingle Cross, I don't have any of my heart rate or wattage data from last year. We bought Tom a used PowerTap from Rick and he is now turning into a geek like me. I'm finding it pretty amusing considering all the teasing I've gotten from him.