Practically Fit!

2011 - The Test of Endurance

2011-01-01T19:09:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2011. The crash at Mountain Bike Oregon (MBO) in July, removed me from the racing scene for the remainder of 2010. Multiple complications from the initial stitches kept coming up, and the wound was re-opened more times than I care to remember.

I spent the remainder of the summer and the entire fall training in the ways that I was able to given the ongoing injury, leading group rides on the road, and spending some quality time on a full suspension mountain bike I bought in September.

Now with the scar all closed up, the nerves regenerating, I have already paid for one race in 2011: An adventure race in Vancouver BC in May. This will be my first adventure race, and needless to say I am stoked. It's January 1st, which means the training season transitions from the "prep" phase to the "build" phase, for those of you who know about periodization of training programs. Essentially you map out your year based on your priority races, and you do all kinds of charting, mapping and math to figure out how much you need to train each month, each week, each day, and what that training has to look like, all the way up until the race. Sound tedious? It is kind of, and it's not kind of. It's nice to see it all laid out, and now mine is from here until June.

June is the Test of Endurance Mountain Bike Race, a race I have been wanting to do for years. Mostly because it is called the Test Of Endurance, and that alone has my name written all over it. So the plan is to race TOE 3 weeks after the adventure race, which with a little bit of tweeking to the training schedule, should line up just fine.

The only question now is, the 50 mile version or the 100 mile version. That is TBD.

Mountain Bike Oregon - 7 Stitches later...

2010-07-24T21:58:00.000-07:00

Mountain Bike Oregon - July 2010

This really is summer camp for adults on steroids and then some. You pay good money to be shuttled up 5000 feet in a school bus on a narrow gravel road, only to be dropped off at the top of any number of 20-30 mile long trails, and then let loose on a 10,000$ Trek/Ibis/Santa Cruz whatever you want carbon fiber demo bike.

Kronda and I get dropped off at the top of Apline on the first day, after we warmed up with the beginner women's ride on some flat trails out of camp in the morning, ready for adventure. Being new to MBO myself, I wasn't quite prepared for what 1500 feet of riding gain and 4000 feet of descending would really look like. We had dozens of lovely guides with us who honestly kept me alive (especially Julia from the Poplollies in Eugene). I was told there was lots of "exposure" on the ride, which being naive I thought that meant open view/field like riding (think Sincline in Hood River). Turns out that "exposure" really means you'll be on single track no wider than 10 inches across with a 4000 foot cliff to your left and a steep incline to your right. Basically you are sandwiched between death and a vertical wall of mountain with only your 10,000$ demo bike and your handling skills keeping you from sudden death.

It took all my concentration to stay upright on that ride, and breaks every 30 minutes to shake out my hands that were so sore from holding the brakes on all the descending. This is advanced riding, and I am not an advanced rider.

So day 2 I opt for another women's clinic, this time the intermediate one. The group and guides were fan-fucking-tastic, and all 12 or so of us "clients" on that ride were learning a lot. We did repeats of stream crossings, roots, climbs, descents... and had tons of guidance and support. I was on a Kona demo bike on this ride, that was too small for me and had tight pedals that I couldn't clip out real fast. That turned into a big problem when I didn't make it up a small climb covered in exposed roots, hit a big root and crashed sideways onto a big log. Not a bad crash, but of course you always land right on that sharp exposed piece of log and gash your ankle pretty badly. Our lovely guides patched me up and I rode out back to the bus, with blood all over my shoes.

Then it started to really hurt bad and I got nervous. Back to camp on the bus for me, and the ambulance guy they have stationed at camp took a look at it. "You need stiches". "REALLY?"... Ok, so we are in a small town, an hour from the nearest hospital, and we can't get to our cars because there is a forest fire and they have closed the road where our cars are parked. MBO staff Paula calls the local doc at home, and he agrees to meet me at his clinic in 20 minutes. Paula drives me since we can't get our cars, and the doc gets to work. Good thing I went because he pulled some pieces of tree out of my wound which was so deep he had to stitch a lower level, then an upper level. Super swollen ankle but he said there was "no chance" it was broken.. thank goodness.

Ice, pain meds and bandages, I can hobble walk, and soft pedal a bike... so he said I should be back to clip in pedals in about 10 days... not too bad.

In short I have to say that MBO is awesome and totally worth the money, but I think you need intermediate to advanced skills to even ride these trails, and you definitely need a nice full suspension bike that fits you. I think i'll come back in a couple years when I have lots more riding under my belt, and a much nicer bike.

Kronda can give you the run down of the longest trail here, which she rode yesterday, called Middle Fork. I was signed up for that today, but I guess that one will have to wait a couple years.

Driving the Team Truck - Elkhorn Stage 4

2010-07-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

Anne's truck keys in hand, I was ready for stage 4 - from the safety of a dry warm truck. The weather was awful, and I was on rider pick up duty. I started the day at Bella with Bev, and we sat around and drank coffee, chatting while everyone else was racing in the pouring rain. Me and my lungs were happy to be indoors.

I drove up the backside of the mountain to the finish line, and there wasn't much going on up there, so I started driving down the course backwards, heading to the feed zones. I ended up finding Anne and Jan when another vehicle was flagging me down with a Sorella jersey, and I pulled over so they could jump in. Cold and wet, they had stopped riding at one of the feed zones, and had no interest in hurting themselves any further. 3 Sorellas down, 3 still in the race. We headed to the final feed zone and waited for the women to roll by. Everyone looked good when they passed, so we drove up to the finish.

Freezing cold we saw the finish one by one, and what an impressive climb to end on. We got them changed and warmed, and they devoured some pizza while we waited for the podium.

It was nice to end the race as support car, and to get a feel for driving behind the packs. I am not sure if I will do more stage races, I am going to enjoy the rest of the summer and race less, ride more.... and see what happens.

Fudge and Thunder - Elkhorn Stage 3

2010-06-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

I decided that some local fresh fudge was in order for Stage 3....since I wasn't racing anymore. As a spectator I have to talk to myself constantly, since the voice in my head is trying to talk to the athlete inside. I don't eat sugar, but I also never quit a race, so I figured fudge was in order.

On the warm sidewalk I cut lovely slivers of fudge and screamed for my teammates who were doing well in Stage 3. Since I am the only Cat 4 Sorella here, everyone else was racing in the 1,2,3 and masters group. Jen dominated from the get go, and had already decided this morning that she was going to win, and win she did! That was great to watch, especially after Anne won the crit at Cherry Blossom, our team is doing really well this year.

My body is so tired, I can't wait to sleep. Tomorrow I will drive the team car, and be support to the rest of the team.

Flushing the legs - Elkhorn Stage 2

2010-06-19T18:30:00.000-07:00

Since I was up with the team at 7am, Anne convinced me to use the 11 mile Time Trial as way to at least flush my legs out. I asked her if that even made sense to race at 15mph, and she said yes.

So Saturday morning rec ride it was. I looked at the cows, the trains, the sky, the mountains, and I rode the 11 miles and watched all the women pass me one by one. I knew this was it for me, so I didn't really care, if anything I was just still feeling kind of sick and light headed.

I was really happy to be done and get some food and sit down. I even managed a noon time nap, which I am never able to do. I think the hardest part is everyone on the other teams trying to be nice by encouraging me to keep racing, when really I know it is not a good idea, and despite looking fine head to toe, I do not have it in me. Looking forward to watching the rest.

2 actual deer and 1 hallucinated deer - Elkhorn Stage 1

2010-06-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

I came into the Elkhorn Stage Race this year freshly out of bronchitis and asthma with my body operating at about 60% of normal. Good enough to ride, but not good enough to race. I knew that what was supposed to be my "A" race of the year, was going to be a rec ride or two, so I was prepared for less that ideal results.

I had trained for this race. I had trained hard, with a rough training plan and self imposed goals throughout the winter and spring. If I had been well, I would have been really ready for this race.

When I am sick I also focus on how privileged I am, how able bodied I am, how lucky I am to be able to race at all and have money for bikes and entry fees. With this is mind, I honor my body and I don't let myself get too down on myself when I can't do much.

Stage 1 of Elkhorn is 73 miles with some hills, some cows, some farms, some hay, and some really strong riders. They grouped the women all together, which means we started with the pros. Now, on a good day, like 110% day, I can't keep up with the pros, never mind on a 60% day. A couple miles out of the gate and the pack was racing at 24mph and I was thinking "there is no way this is happening for me....just back off". I pushed harder, backed off, pushed harder, backed off, caught on, got dropped, and finally at mile 6 I just decided to race my own race and not chase anymore.

I had Melissa from Corvallis with me, and we worked together to catch Eva from Ironclad. The three of us made a dynamic team, and we talked and laughed for 30 miles. I felt decent until mile 40. Then my body talked back: I felt slightly faint despite excellent nutrition and really weak. I was fantasizing about pulling over and taking a nap, and that is when I knew the toxins in my body were not quite gone. We had the sweep truck behind us, so I knew I could hop in the truck at any point. This is for the most part a blessing since you can quit if you need to, but partially it sucks because then I spent the next 35 miles trying to decide if I should quit or not.

I decided to just ride slower. I let Melissa go at about mile 60, since she was still feeling good, and shortly after that Eva caught back up and her and I laughed and rode slow while the follow truck offered us sour gummy worms and Pepsi. At this point I had seen 2 real deer and 1 hallucinated deer, which I took as a sign to not race all weekend. I never hallucinate although I've heard athletes who push really hard have it happen all the time.

I finished feeling crummy, Eva behind me, and the refs pulled up the finish line as soon as we crossed it. I got a ride back into town in the pick up truck that was towing the porta potties from the finish line and I knew I was pretty much done for the weekend.

The ride itself was beautiful, and I didn't regret coming all the way out here to rec ride stage 1 of a really hard race. I have learned to respect and honor my body, even when it says "I know this is your A race all the way in Baker City, but there is no way in hell you can do this right now."

I listened.

Silverton Road Race - Chasing Amy

2010-05-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

Silverton Road Race - Sunday May 16th, 35 miles
Two laps of rollers... or hills... or rolling hills.
I had two goals:

1) Race with tired legs
2) Descend well

I successfully did both of those things. 65 miles yesterday set me up to be tired, and a couple weeks of descending practice paid off. I learned how to lean onto the front wheel, descend in my drops, and trust my bike. I only got minor speed wobble once, which still concerns me, but I was able to adjust and control it. Sally wasn't so lucky, and her speed wobbles caused her to crash in the ditch. She was OK, but it is was a good reminder that speed wobbles are scary and serious.. and both of us need to figure out why we are getting them. Headset? Operator error? Bike fit?

It was a small field which was nice, but I did get dropped at mile 3.5, along with a few others. 3 or so were behind me, and I caught up to Amy from Bend. I spent the next 25 miles inches from her rear wheel, trying to pull a couple times but she was simply stronger. I slipped back about 200m with 10 miles to go, and spent the last 10 holding that 200m gap. I could see her ahead of me, but that was it, I was tired.

I was really happy with the way I was able to go down the hills. I stayed in my drops and did most of lap two without hitting the brakes at all. Progress.

I think when I race fresh, and I am not doing my own personal back to backs, I could hang on longer and actually race with the 4's. One day!

Getting called a "Faggot" while doing a Time Trial

2010-05-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

The funniest TT I have ever raced = Estacada TT

I woke with menstrual cramps and all the usual tired/sore/slow things that come along with that, and downed 3 Alleve.

Lesson number 1= don't expect to be on top of your game with 3 Alleve hitting your brain.

I had a couple nice goals, and since I had the Cervelo out I thought I could race pretty well (it is about the bike).

I was doing pretty fine until mile 12 (of 20), when a passing car decided to have the passenger lean out the window as they were passing me and yell "Faggot!" in my face. I held my line and decided that was the funniest thing I had ever been called in a race, and was happy to find out I look just as gay on the bike as I do off the bike :)

Lesson number 2= Don't let passing cars asshole screams throw you off your game

The side effect however that was my drug induced Alleve brain went on all kinds of tangents thinking about gender and queerness and drag queens.... and all of a sudden a Veloforma girl in full skin suit, aero helmet, million dollar TT bike, etc., passes me on the left, and I yell "GO VELOFORMA!". Then it occured to me: WAIT, this is a race, I'm supposed to be racing right now! I looked at my computer: mile 15. I had lolligagged for 3 miles day dreaming about gayness pretending it was a Sunday ride. Naturally I stepped on the gas and caught up to Veloforma, wondering if I should pass her back or not. Pass I did, easily, since I had just "rested" for three miles, and I put my full throttle into the last 5 miles. I held off Veloforma girl the entire 5 miles, and finished ahead of her. She must think I am a total asshole letting her pass me and yelling "GO VELOFORMA", only to immediately pass her back and hold her off on my road bike and non TT set up.

Lesson number 3= Don't cheer for a Veloforma girl when she passes you and then pass her right back.

Finish time 1hr 3 minutes... I think I probably lost 4-5 minutes in my "tangent", which means if I had actually remembered it was a race, I probably could have cleaned up at under an hour.

Too funny.

Cherry Blossom Stage Race - Stage 4 - CRIT!

2010-04-25T18:22:00.001-07:00

Stage 4 - Crit
Sunday April 25th, noon
Last stage - 25 minutes on a 1k course

I am not very good at crits. Why? I am the worlds most scared Sorella. I think I should win the scaredy cat prize. I never like riding close to racers I don't know, I don't trust the pack, I don't trust the corners... so what do I do? Drop off the back.

And that's what I did. Let's also mention again that this was stage 4, and my legs were cooked in the TT. I lasted about 10 minutes in the crit before me and 5 others that were with me got pulled. So I wasn't last, and I wasn't alone, at least a group of us got pulled... and really, I was ready to be done. I want to give a crit a descent go one day when it's not part of a stage race, and I need a series of clinics before hand:
Cornering
Wind
Peleton riding.

I am really happy with the weekend overall, and I am extra happy with my stage 1 and stage 3... those were my strengths.

I am ready to do it all again, and do it better next time.

Cherry Blossom Stage Race - Stage 3 - TT

2010-04-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

TT = Time Trial
Stage 3 = Vengeance

10 miles, 8:01 AM, Sunday April 25th, 2010

OK, so it's only 10 miles, and it's only the time trial, but I wanted to race my face off. I was still mad about not being able to descend yesterday, so I gave that TT my all. I was third out of the gate at 8:01, and I decided I had several goals:
1 - Gun it.
2 - Pass the two women in front of me and therefore finish first
3 - Get a better time than Katy (not sure why I was competitive about that one)

I think I just wanted to prove to myself that I was strong, and that my biggest set backs are strategy. I know how to ride a goddamn bike, and I know how to ride hard.

So off I went, passing the first two racers in about the first two miles, so then since I had no one to chase, my carrot was holding my lead so I could finish first. I could then pretend I won the stage, even though it doesn't work like that.

And win I did, first over the line I yelled to the refs: "I won the race!" as I flew over the finish line. I'm not sure they found it funny, but I needed a small piece of redemption.

I did well, 26th out of 36, and 41 seconds faster than Katy, not that I'm counting :)

More Party Tricks - Cherry Blossom Stage Race - Stage 2

2010-04-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

Cherry Blossom Stage Race – Stage 2 = 27 miles, 5 laps
Saturday April 24, 2010

The race of party tricks I hadn’t practiced.

“It’s like 6 Tabors” said Elise at the start line. It was more like 10 tabors with other Peletons passing you constantly in a 30 mile an hour head/cross/tail/side wind.

The party trick I hadn’t practiced for today’s stage, was what do you do on a 25mph descent with 30 mile an hour cross winds causing your front wheel to fish tail violently in front of you? OK, I am being dramatic, but I did get my first ever “speed wobbles” in a race today, and it freaked me the fuck out. It was early on in the race, on the first descent, and my handlebars just started fishtailing under my hands and I saw my body flying through the air flash before my eyes. It was not easing and I started to become convinced I was destined for a heap in the road. I was at the back of the pack, so the follow cars were still behind me, so my only consolation was that a car would be there to alert the medics.

What would any racer do in this situation? Apparently you yell out loud to yourself. Yes, it’s true, now knowing what to do instinctually I yelled: “STEADY! STEADY! RELAX! RELAX! I bent my elbows and slowly tried to slow down, and a few seconds later I was holding a line again. At this point however the race was pretty much over for me, as I was totally freaked out. I slowed way down, and realized I had no idea how to ride this Cervelo in the harsh side wind.

I rode solo and hammered up all the hills, and rode the brakes all the way down the descents. I couldn’t even work hard enough to be out of breath or tired, as I felt so good on the climbs and was literally crawling down the descents. I went through all the feelings of wanting to cry, yell, hammer, drop out, pull over, let go of my fears and gun it. But mostly I just rode pissed.

Sarah came up behind me and yelled “Zan”, and I was so angry at that moment I didn’t say anything or even look to see who it was. She yelled again “Zan”, and I think I just said “Yeah”… as in yeah it’s me, fuck this wind, fuck this race, fuck my fear being the only thing holding me back because I feel strong and fresh and ready to race…. and right now I am not even racing like I should be.

I had to do all kinds of positive self talk: “At least I feel super strong, my nutrition plan was great, my legs feel great, my breathing is great, if it weren’t for the 30mph cross winds I’d still be in this game for real." But I am in this game for real, and I finished with the goal of just using this stage as practice for riding in the horrible wind, since we did the same loop 5 times. It didn’t really get easier, but whatever, I finished.

I seriously could race 100 miles tomorrow…I want redemption. But I am blessed with this amazing strength, determination and the best team ever. There will be many teammates and coaches to step up and give me tips for descending in the wind, and for this amazing community I am thankful.

Stage 3 is not 100 miles, like I wish it were, I have an 8:01 start time for a 10 mile time trial. Time to just gun it and see what happens.

Cherry Blossom Stage Race - Stage 1

2010-04-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

Cherry Blossom Stage Race 2010 – Stage ONE – Friday April 23^rd.

38 miles total, two 19 mile loops in The Dalles, Oregon.

I went into this race with a new strategy: A Cervelo.

Having raced Cherry Blossom last year, I knew a little bit more about what I was getting in to, and had a clear goal of doing better than last year, and staying with some of my teammates. I did all the right planning, eating, sleeping, prepping, training, etc., and came in with my teammate Jen’s attitude of “OWN IT!” and Katy’s and my new quote “DUST EM!”.

I wanted to stay with Katy, but I found myself at the back of the pack pretty early on, even though I started in the middle. I got squeezed left and just didn’t feel ready to be in the middle of this somewhat large field, maybe 50 Cat 4 women. There weren’t really any surges for the first 9 miles, so I was not experiencing any yo-yo-ing, which usually kicks me off the back.

I am very specific about not trying anything new for a race, and I thought I had everything dialed in. Apparently I hadn’t tested out my Garmin water bottle in the carbon bottle cage on the Cervelo on a bumpy road at 25mph. I’ve ridden that Cervelo plenty now, and carried that exact water bottle every time… but apparently the road we were racing on today was determined to get that bottle bouncing right out of the bottle cage. I heard it a few miles in, and couldn’t figure out what the noise was until I looked down and saw my water bottle teetering on the edge of jumping ship, and I shoved it back down. I hoped that was it, but a mile later I was shoving again, and a mile later, again.

So, you can probably guess that this slowed me down a bit, and you can also probably guess that at mile 8 when I was happily going 25mph the bottle jumped ship and landed right under my back wheel. I rolled right over it like a speed bump, and stayed totally steady. Having never ridden over a water bottle before, I was glad that was a party trick I didn’t need to practice, and I managed to continue on. I caught back up with the pack, but I was down the water bottle Tyler Farrar gave me, and the one that contained my only electrolyte drink: Heed and Maltodextrin = GONE at mile 8.

At this point a few people were falling off the back, and by mile 9 I had officially been dropped off the main pack, but I was not in last place. I passed Carolyn pretty easily, so I knew I needed to group up with some other folks ahead of me. I saw Sorella Christine had also been dropped and caught up to her before the climb. We climbed together and caught Poplillies Kelly at the top and told her to grab on. Turns out she was a perfect match and the three of us worked together quite well.

I was definitely pushing my normal race pace, and we were regularly going 22-25 mph. There was headwind and cross wind in a couple places, but nothing like last year. Once we crested the climb and started the main descent, Kelly led us down with her mad descending skills and I dropped back a bit out of fear of going that fast. I was still pretty new to the Cervelo, and I kept thinking I was going to blow a tire and fly off my bike and into the pavement. Nothing like a little self inflicted fear to get you to loose some ground. At the bottom of the descent the other two were about 400m ahead of me, and I knew I needed to catch back on as we still had another lap to go. It took a couple k and all I had, but I caught back up by the start of lap 2.

Again we worked together, except my pulling days were over, and I sat and drafted while barely hanging on to their wheels for the second lap. I knew they were faster on the descent, so we parted ways there, and I gave myself a little talking to and took the hill more confidently the second time around. I pushed myself the last couple of k to the finish, but I knew the folks behind me were really far behind me, so I didn’t really need to sprint for the line as Christine and Kelly had already crossed it ahead of me.

I finished solid with lots of Sorellas at the line to cheer me through, and felt really damn good about my fastest 38 mile race ever. Total race time was 2 hrs, and given the climbs, that is not bad in my books.

Now we are back at the Rowena house, a veritable palace with the most amazing views right off the deck. I soaked my legs in the freezing ass Columbia River, ate a solid dinner and rolled my I.T. bands on the roller. My feet are up, my body is tired and brain is happy and excited for Stage 2. I can tell already that this race is going to be too short, and that I would rather race for 3 weeks straight… Tour de France anyone? Anyone?

PIR Monday nights... it's on.

2010-04-21T22:45:00.000-07:00

Early this year, the PIR Monday night race series has started. Seeing as I am racing Cherry Blossom this weekend, I decided to go out to PIR and just ride the track but not race. I didn't want to spoil my legs, or risk a crash, but I did want to be there for opening night, and support whomever else was racing.

Turns out only 9 novice women signed up to race, and 5 open women. We had Sorellas in both fields :) I did 3 warm up laps with some guy, then Nissy and I decided to mentor the Novices and ride next to them and give them tips. This was the best idea for sure, as it gave Nissy and I a chance to ride a nice 20mph clip, and stay far enough away from the paceline to feel secure that if they went down we wouldn't.

The highlight for me was that it was EASY to push a 20mph pace without a pace line... I was able to ride smooth, breathe fine, talk easily and just clip along like it was no big deal. 20mph alone into a headwind finally felt pedestrian.

Yes, you heard it: PEDESTRIAN! WOHOO!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? The asthmatic can finally clip along easily at 20mph alone and still talk/coach/give tips/hold my own line. It was seriously better than actually being registered in the race, because I was out there racing next to them and thinking to myself if I was racing I'd be OWNING this race :)

And with that, I am taking some ownership to Cherry Blossom this weekend... the race I was SO AFRAID of last year.. and this year I am feeling thrilled about. Me and my new Cervelo have some catching up to do... catching up with the fast ladies that is.

Quote for this weekend:
"Dust Em!"

Race Number 2 of 2010

2010-04-21T22:40:00.000-07:00

They call it a piece of cake.

Actually you can win a whole cake.
I didn't think it was a piece of cake, nor did I win a whole cake, but I did finish, and I finished strong with a strong leg sprint.

It was still winter... who races in March? February? Anyway, it was wet, and cold, and asthmatic. I got dropped from the main pack pretty fast since I couldn't breathe, and we got there so late I hardly had a warm up... but we made it, and we raced.

I caught Carolyn and we worked together the whole race, taking turns and passing others. We picked up a few, dropped a few, picked up a couple, dropped one, and pretty much just kept going. There was nothing too technical about it, some odd tracks, some carpet soaked into the grooves of the tracks, but we all stayed upright. Wheezing away I pushed what I could, and by the end of it I was warmed up.. it takes me a while.

I sprinted for the finish.. you know, just to practice, and to fight for my near to last spot :) I felt proud to "win my sprint" as I call it, which basically meant I was something like 4th or 5th from last, but beat the two or three ladies I was riding with. It's the small things... getting ready for the big things when the weather gets better and I can actually breathe.

Getting serious about 2010....

2010-03-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

(Suzanne with her GU)
Despite the shenanigans, serious training for the 2010 race season has begun. With a new Cervelo in tow, refined sugar and wheat eliminated from the 2010 diet, the trainer dusted off, and the Universal Sports channel acquired... things are looking up for a great road season.

With lots of base miles already in the bank, and some unexpected sunny weekends in February, I am looking forward to distance and stage racing. I really just love to ride all damn day long. It's gotten to the point where Reach The Beach doesn't sound fun unless it also includes riding home from the beach.

STP was great in terms of miles in one day, I would love to find comparable rides/races that did not involved 10,000 people piling up left and right from riding too close together. RAMROD if they let me in?

Until then it's Saturday rides, Sunday rides, Wednesday rides, anyday rides.

Press Play: 2010 race season has begun - BB3

2010-03-14T16:50:00.000-07:00

Banana Belt 3! AKA "I don't race in February, and now it's March"

Revenge on the Banana Belt! Last year it was Jeff Tedder saying "I'd be happy to never race at Haag Lake again", and me saying something along the lines of hating Banana Belt with a whole lot more swear words thrown in.

I did not want to start the 2010 race season with a DNF, and Haag is good at DNF's. I had planned on not ever racing when it was below 50 degrees, as that is when the asthma kicks in and I can't do race pace at all, never mind breathe. Thanks to advice from Dr. Judy I invested in an albuterol nebulizer this year, and since it was hovering around freezing this morning, I knew the neb was in order. At least it wasn't raining.

Anne (center in the pic above) of course had an adapter in her truck, and I was able to plug in the nebulizer in her car, and breathe in the drugs. Gittery and lungs opened, I felt ready to race. Katy and I had gotten there early enough to ride around for a good 45 minutes before the race, change clothes, pee three time, eat more oatmeal and just generally fuck around, so that helped.

The Cat 4 field was pretty big, but with Bonnie, Katy, Carolyn and myself in the mix, we figured we'd have a decent back of the pack crew. Katy and I rode together as best as we could for the first half of the race, trying to catch the Blue Sky rider ahead of us. We caught up with her and stayed as a group of three for a little while until I got dropped off the back and Carolyn caught me from behind. Carolyn and I spent the last lap together, and I was feeling it at this point. I had been struggling with my breathing the entire race, which is I think why Katy dropped me, but thanks to the warm up and the nebulizer I was able to stabilize the asthma enough to stay in the race and put down a pretty good pace.

Carolyn and I were about to get neutralized about 2k from the finish, and for some reason that pissed me off enough to sprint in front of the lead car. I held the car off for a bit, and was passed by the women 3's with under 1k to go. At this point I gunned it to avoid finishing with their follow cars, and came in right behind them, which was a great time to pretend I was finishing with the 3's.

All in all it was a decent way to start the 2010 race season, and put some good sprints in the bank. I'm feeling pretty good that with some more specialized training strategies, warmer weather and the Cervelo I should be able to win a few medals, or at least a few points.

Molly Cameron, I crown you Gold

2009-11-17T22:45:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of cross race reports to catch up on.... but right now I wanted to give some props to Molly Cameron, because there wouldn't even be any race reports from me if it weren't for Molly. Almost 10 years ago now, Molly and I were living together, and I was riding a free crappy neighbor giveaway 1980 50 pound mountain bike. This was how I got to work. I thought it was making me stronger, you know, to ride like 3 miles on a free barely ride able tank.
Molly loaned me a road bike for several months, and encouraged me to just try it out. I remember riding over small bumps in the road feeling like major potholes after a life of bmx bikes and that one crappy free neighbor giveaway mountain bike.
I decided that Molly's roadbike was indeed a much better idea, and decided I was in: I wanted to be a cyclist, and buy my first bike. I had no idea what the hell I was looking for, except I knew it needed two wheels.
Molly came with me to countless shops for weeks on end, looking for the perfect bike for me. I remember the day, Sellwood Cycle Repair, the white Redline Cyclocross Conquest in the window, my size. I rode it around the block, she rode it around the block, I asked her if she thought this was the one, and we decided it was. Fast forward to almost 10 years later, I am still racing on that white Redline.
Tim and Anne keep telling me it's too heavy, but I am not parting with that Redline.
That bike has changed my life. I have ridden on it almost every day since. I have toured across Oregon on it, ridden it to work every single day, raced Cross many years on it, and I can't even remember how many new parts Molly has put on it over the years. She converted it to a triple when I wanted to go over mountain passes, replaced the cables when I rode them to shreads, and answered her phone when I had ridden all the way to Halfway Oregon, and my gears were skipping.

Molly, that simple initial nudge you gave me and your neverending support, has brought me all the way to an Ironman.

I bought a Canondale frame on Ebay, ordered a Shimano group through a shop, and handed a giant pile of bike mess to her, and she assembled the entire thing... my first real road bike, and the road bike I am still riding.

Molly won her first major Cross Race this season, then won another, and I think another, and was all of a sudden in the lead for the series. I can tell you that Molly has been training her ass off for as long as I have known her and longer, and those 5am training sessions have been regular occurances for years. These wins were more than deserved.

A constant inspiration, she has developed a growing fan club, and it's nice to see her getting some well earned love. I know that many of you know how amazing she is on so many levels, and I think the Cross Crusade crowd was made up half of families of racers, and half of Molly fans.
We were SCREAMING our heads off for her at the last Cross race of the series on Sunday, she was jockeying for first the entire race, and right there with Sean, the other leader, the entire 60 minutes. Running up the last run up, side by side with Sean, everyone could tell there was little room for Molly to squeeze, and a tangle at the top resulted in heartbreak. I think there was a moment of silence as we all stood there as Sean won, and no one knew what to do. Congratulate Sean or cry.

You could feel the loss in the air, and it was a strange ending to a fantastic series, when my heart was in my throat and Molly was shaking hands with Sean, after she got back on the bike and slowly rolled over the finish line while the announcer said "A heartbroken Molly Cameron...."...

Molly Cameron... You are my inspiration, and the reason I am even on a cross bike.
I crown you Gold.

It's Joseph, not Jesus: Sherwood Forest Cross Crusade Week 3

2009-10-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

A seven inhaler race: Sherwood Forest. Well, it was an equestrian center, therefore a horseshit obstacle course. Horse shit was not present on the course, but lots of hills were.
I did get to pre ride the course, which is always a game of luck and timing at the cross crusades, since there are a million races going on all day long. As Molly said recently "You have exactly 4 minutes all day to pre ride the course". Pre riding is a blessing and a curse. You know what you are up against, and you know what you are up against.

I was going to be up against my lungs. The fact that the women's field has grown to 300 racers did not bother me, it was my asthma. I told Nissy it was going to be a 3 inhaler race, turned out to be 7. 4 puffs of albuterol pre race and we're off. I got staged in the middle thanks to number call ups, and all of a sudden this does not freak me out. I was not missing my usual happy place in the back, because all of a sudden I am competitive about cross.

My free wheel hub, or something like that, started to fail this week, and I work for the Community Cycling Center I get full service advice and repairs now. The advice was: buy a new wheel, spend 25$ on your already crappy wheel, ride it till it dies, borrow a wheel from Alice, switch tires and ride my touring wheel. With too many options on the table I settle on Alice's wheel, which turns out to be the wrong something or other day of. The new suggestion is go to the Shimano PIT and get them to give me a wheel. They say they only have two nine speeds, and the are out on the course, so I can't get one until right before my race. No way, it takes 5 minutes to ride from the PIT to the start, and I would miss call ups. I race my busted wheel.

Busted wheel is fine, I don't drop my chain, and I feel CONFIDENT on that course. I get asthma really really bad that I am not yelling at my friends, I am breathing for dear life. I pedal faster and jockey for position, I pass people, I actually yell "On Your Left" a good handful of times. My mouth is gaping open and I am able to tell roughly how many women are behind me on one section. It is a lot. I pedal harder. I let go of the brakes on a downhill super bumpy section and all of sudden fear for my endo life as I gain enough speed to not be able to touch the brakes since it is so bumpy.... I have to ride it out. It's fine, I'm fine, no endos for me.

I hear "GO ZANIMAL" on every turn, and even tell Tim at one point he couldn't take a picture of me when I was walking over the log. I did not manage to ever ride over that log. There are Sorellas everywhere I look, and at times I can't tell whose who. I notice two of them get mechanicals, as does my co worker Nissy. Somehow my 10+ year old Redline with a broken something or other hub manages great on one of the toughest courses to date.

Last lap, I tell myself I can do it, race hard, don't let anyone except Beth Burns pass you. I push hard. Breathe even harder. I really wish we had a Nebulizer at the Sorella tent because my breathing is getting really bad and I am having full on asthma. I feel the low oxygen getting to my head and I am dizzy. For some reason I just can't stop, thinking I may pass out at the finish I pedal as hard as I can.

39th out of 79, I cross the line and get right off the bike after I yell really loudly at some random guy on the course right after the finish line. Apparently I had enough oxygen to yell. I walk to the tent and sit right down, 3 more puffs on the albuterol and some lemonade from Shellie. I sit for a bit and regain my head and lungs which had been dangling off the back of my jersey for a minute there and manage to stand up and get on Kronda's trainer to cool down. I have to hold onto the roof rack of the car next to me for stability, but I manage to spin my legs.

Sweet victory, I told Anne I was going pro, which is my new line when I don't come in last.

On the car ride home Alice and I are talking about the Blind Date series, and I tell her that my favorite part was the light praying Jesus statue on the tight corner, and she tells me it's Jospeh, not Jesus. I don't believe her, until she confirms the fact by telling me he also lives with her, and has seen some wear from the series and now has a huge crack in him. He lights up their window at night. Ahh cross racing.

Molly Cameron won the Men's field, which rocked. We chatted with her at the end and caught up for a minute. Like old times out in the horseshit. I love racing.

Cross Crusade Week 2 - Rainier - "Get Those Socks Up That Hill!"

2009-10-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, so given that I am not a cross racer, as mentioned before, I had such a great race today at week two of the series. After mountain biking on Friday, and doing a cross training ride on Saturday with my team, I was wondering if my legs wouldn't be fresh at the race. We planned well, and Jen and I arrived with plenty of time to warm up and test ride the course. I hit the inhaler pretty hard, and took a bunch of albuterol into my lungs, to try and ward off the asthma on this dry and dusty course. There was such a huge field of beginner women, 62 racers in all, that they called us up to line by number, and I was called up about 2/3 of the way into the field. If you know me at races, you know I like my happy place at the back, since I am not fast, and so being 2/3 way back made me a little nervous, because it made me think that 20 women were therefore going to pass me soon enough, which can slow you down if they don't pass well. I sucked it up, ditched my water bottles, and off we went. Right away I felt good, and not only did no one pass me, I started passing people right away. I figured I was going out too hard, and they would pass me back... but I gained ground. I shoulder checked a couple times and saw a sizeable gap between me and the 1/3 of the pack that was behind me. This made me want to race harder. All of sudden I got really competitive and wanted to hold my position. I raced, and I raced hard. The course favored me, with nothing too technical, and a serious road style, and you know I like road style. I flew on the downhills, and even passed folks that way. I wondered who I was, passing folks on decents, and when did I learn some cross skills? I could barely breathe, and sounded like an asthmatic freight train as I passed women on their left, but I couldn't stop myself. My legs felt great, and if I had any oxygen I could have gone faster. I heard lots of cheers, lots of encouragement, and at one point I heard "GET THOSE SOCKS UP THAT HILL!", and the base of the biggest hill. I had over the knee fluorescent stipped socks, that match my fluorescent bar tape and cable housing. I was not to be missed.
I finished just as strong as I started, and knew I had at least 20 women behind me when I crossed the line. After cool down we checked the results, and sure enough, I was 35th out of 62, which is unheard of for me. Stunning in fact. So awesome that I told Anne I was going pro, and that she needed to watch out :)

Mountain Bike Trail Around Haag - Don't let any cross organizers see this!

2009-10-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

For some reason the fact that the 15 mile mountain bike loop around Haag Lake is AMAZING has been kept a secret from Kronda and I, and neither of us had ever tried it. I've raced on the road so many times out there, and swam in the lake, and run in triathlons, that my history with Haag is long and storied. We arrive on a stunning Friday, on this last weekend of sun for the year, and head out not knowing what the trail will bring. The short answer is that it includes a little bit of everything and comes with a full face smile for 2 hours straight. There is one part that truly stands out, with a nice woodsy decent, with a 2 plank "bridge" at the bottom on the hill, followed immediately by such a steep ascent that there is a rope layed on the ground from a tree at the top down to the bridge. Basically you both can't bike down the decent, nor over the planks, and definetly not up the other side. It was the most amazing cross run up we had ever seen, and we pondered how to simultaneously climb up, hold the rope in one hand, and hold the bike in the other hand. We decided that no cross organizer should be allowed to see this, and get any funny ideas about making a run up so steep that you need a guide rope to hold onto and pull yourself up. We took on the challenge and took some pictures, and continued on our merry way. I can't wait to go back, and like Alpenrose, it is relatively in our back yard. We are so lucky to live here.

My Blind Date at the Dairy

2009-10-11T18:31:00.001-07:00

After not racing on Sunday, I was feeling much better come Monday (false cold alarm, thank goodness), and was ready to race on Wednesday night when the next opportunity rolled around. Unfortunately I arrived home to find my car out on an adventure with my housemate, and I had to scramble to track him down and get him to get home, so I could make it out to the race on time. With no time to spare I was negotiating rush hour, panicked that I was going to miss the race, because for some reason I am all of a sudden totally excited to race cross. OK, let me just say that I have had a cross bike for 10 years, and have ridden it almost every day of those last ten years, and it has seen a lot of Oregon, and taken me to work every single day.... but I'm not much of cross racer. I love the road. Asthma knocks me off my bike in cross races, and so I have not done many of them in the past.
I arrive. I am almost late. 10 minutes to race start and I navigate the very disorganized and slow registration process. I love OBRA but I will say the Dairy registration was poorly done. So I had exactly zero seconds to do anything, and made it to the start line in time to go. The biggest problems for me in that scenario are no warm up (induces asthma), and no time to take my inhaler (induces asthma). Off we go, and I can't breathe. I slow down, and I know I am not in last place, so I am dedicated to staying in the race. 10 minutes, maybe 15 in, I really can't breathe and decide it is smarter to pull over at the start and grab my inhaler out of my bag. My co worker happens to be standing right there, and hands me his, and off I go again. I have no idea if I am now in last place, but I want to race. Men are passing me constantly on both sides, and I hit the brakes constantly. It was not pretty, but it was still fun. The laps were too short in my books, meaning that there were other fields constantly overtaking each other, basically there was no room to move. Given all that, it was still fun, and the light up plastic praying jesus statue on the sharp corner was priceless. I went directly over to that corner once my race was over so I could snap a few pictures in the amazing dusk light. The results were a series of quite cool blurry racers. There is one more blind date in the series, and it is a toss up really.... good time to practice cross, but the men passing constantly was a real battle. Women's field please!

Cross Crusade Week 1 - Alpenrose

2009-10-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

After a long week, and a very painful Ironman tattoo, I was feeling sick on the first day of the Cross Crusade Series; Alpenrose. Being that Alpenrose is in our back yard, and given that so many of my teammates and friends race, I went out to watch. It was a beautiful day and there were some fun additions, like these stairs, so being a cheering squad with my also sick co worker was both fun and torturous. Anne had passes for our team, so I bought all the rest of them, locking my into the next 7 races. I knew I didn't want to miss another one!

Battle at Barlow, Where Everyone Knows Your Name

2009-09-27T22:12:00.001-07:00

Battle at Barlow CycloCross Race, 9/27/09.
The series where everyone knows your name.
Let's just say that cross has a few perks. It is not my strength or my favorite by ANY stretch of the imagination, but there is a lot to be said in it's favor. Today's race was at Barlow High School. I kept thinking about one of the transgender teens I used to work with who got expelled from that school for using the women's bathroom. The Gresham school district ended up having to pay for a private tutor for her at her house, after a lawsuit which they essentially lost. Gresham tax payers had to pay for a full year of a private at home tutor because the school would not change it's dress code policy.
Anyway, we sufficiently put some ruts in their grass. I inhaled a ton of dust, rode with a huge grin on my face, and did four laps at max oxygen absorption. After telling everyone I was planning on representing at the back, I did not come in last by a long shot (well at least 6 or 7 from last anyway). The course was hot and dry, my favorite. My asthma always gets me in cross due to the running, the sprinting on the bike, and either dust or cold air, which are both hard on my weak lungs. My legs felt great, even after a hardish 60 mile ride yesterday in Hood River, so that was nice. I passed a bunch of women, and did not get passed back.
Ok, so the pluses of cross are:
Everyone gets to see a lot of you, and therefore cheer. Everyone who knows your name cheers for you, even if you aren't on their team. Everyone who is racing WITH YOU cheers for you, while they are racing, even if they aren't on your team. So basically cross is a cacophony of yelling and cow bells. You get to go around in circles on ridiculous things like railroad ties, sideways grass hills and patchy gravel paths. It doesn't feel like a race at all, it feels like a zoo for humans, an obstacle course, an adult playground. It is bizarre. And fun.
I'll be back next week, spoke cards and all.

Deschutes National Forest Bike Tour

2009-09-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

Annual Summer Bike Tour, 2009:
Deschutes National Forest, August 2009, 5 days with Katy Monster. Every summer I go on a bike tour, and I always go somewhere I've never gone before. This summer Katy and I ventured through the Cascade Lakes National Scenic Highway, or something like that. All I can tell you is that we rode up one of the most amazing roads I have ever seen... I'm talking lakes every 10 miles, rivers, streams, lava fields, pine forests, campgrounds and very little traffic. Why more folks weren't out in this scenic wonderland just a hop skip and a jump from Bend is beyond me. None the less, that was to our advantage, as it was smooth sailing most of the trip.
We drove to Oakridge Oregon, and had a blast at the bike shop there. The guys were super nice, and said they loved talking to folks who toured, because mostly they just get mountain bikers in there. It was a few days before Mt Bike Oregon, so we knew they were soon to be slammed. They let me lay the huge map on the shop floor and they pointed out all the good roads, and the ones to avoid, and basically gave us the thumbs up about our route and told us where we could park the car at Odell Lake. To Odell it was, and we parked the car and took off. We climbed some good elevation on the first day and really couldn't believe how beautiful it was as soon as you were on the scenic highway (which was not a highway at all, but rather a quiet two lane road). We pulled over many times to take pictures, and took many pictures while riding.
We camped at a quiet stunning creek the first night, we are talking REAL quiet. The 2 day we rode a nice long day up and over Mt Bachelor and seriously swam in about 5 different lakes on the way, including fully clothed in our spandex a couple times since it was so hot. We had a sweet decent down from the top of bachelor to Sunriver, where we spent much of the time riding on the yellow line in the middle of the road since there were absolutely no cars in either direction. I don't know where all the cars were, but I am sure am glad they weren't there!
We rolled into the quite awful Sunriver Mini Mall type area for treats, and got some sort of frozen something or others. We left as quickly as we arrived, and pedalled to the Deschutes River to camp on night two.
Day three we had a mission called Paulina Lakes. This involved a lot of climbing. Ok, keep in mind we have tons of gear with us, as Katy does not like to pack light, and I do not like to eat light. So we roll up the never ending mountain to Paulina Lakes and Newberry Crater at a snails pace in the mega heat of summer. We stop many times, aquire more animal bones on the side of the road, and rest at mile 10, where a moutain bike ride is about to start down the power lines called the Paulina Plunge because it follows the creek down the mountain and there are natural waterslides! No kidding!
We make it to the top, and decide to add a bunch more miles by checking out the obsidian flow and all the campgrounds on both lakes. We settle on the last campground the furthest away, and enjoy the setting sun on the stunning volcanic crater.
Day four we ride the lovely descent. Ah freedom. We decide to make this a long day and ride all the way back to the car. Basically this meant we pedalled, swam, pedalled, swam, pedalled some more and flagged down three cars for water since there were no services anywhere. We rode all day and landed back at the car at Odell quite hungry and just in time for the Taxidermy Show! Well, needless to say with my pink Veloshop shirt, and Katy's Legalize Gay shirt, we didn't hang out with the hunters. We drove in to Oakridge to check out night one of Mt Bike Oregon, and I decided to sign up for next year. We went to the local Mexican restaurant and I ate a giant burrito. SO GOOD.
Can we please ride bikes all year long? I want to tour, tour, tour...

We get up early and pay money to do an event called OUCH: Larch Mountain Time Trial

2009-07-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Sunday July 26th, OUCH, Larch Mountain Time Trial
AKA: Ahhh bike racers...
For some reason I couldn't wait for this years TT on Larch. Getting up early on a Sunday and paying money for a solo race up a 16 mile mountain, at an event called OUCH, sounded like fun. It was even more fun when my power went out at 6:45am, therefore eliminating my alarm. Waking up an hour later, it was a mad rush to figure out if I needed to rewire my whole house, or call PGE, as I sprint around the block in my PJ's trying to figure out if anyone else has power. Given that it is 8am on sunny morning, and most normal folks are sleeping... I couldn't tell if anyone had power anyway. I couldn't grind the coffee, or make a smoothie, and all of a sudden breakfast was looking like a bottle of heed. I called PGE and loaded the bike on the car. Not packed, race wheels hanging on the wall, I threw some things in the car and drove to the coffee shop. They had power, sweet. I arrive at Larch in time to use the bathroom and switch wheels. I seem to have arrived without an inhaler, rats. Climbing with asthma is not easy. Doctor Judy did not show, neither did Alanna or Maureen, so I had a minute on either side of my start time, since my two teamates I was sandwiched between weren't there. Great I thought, everyone will get to see my not so graceful fall off the ramp at the start, seeing as I have never started on a ramp before. Ernie is the countdown man, so I explain my fears, and he assures me they will not let me fall.
I go, I don't fall, and I climb 16 miles. There are very few women, yet still, they pass me. I have high hopes of enough no shows to land me a podium finish, even if I am in last place. At the top MJ awards me with a lovely gold medal on a huge yellow ribbon, and I feel accomplished with my slow time, no breakfast, no inhaler (except a couple hits off one from a random girl at the start), no alarm clock to wake me up in time, and a slight head cold slowing me down.
I feel worse on the descent so I eat a few shot blocks, and head straight to the car. A huge lunch at home helped, although I was rushed as I had to head out and lead another ride at the Q Center... all in a weekends bike life: 50 mile RCB group ride, Larch TT and then Q Cycle group ride. Stage racing this weekend apparently. Think I'll finish it off with stage four tonight, a crit at PIR.

Mark Cavendish and the Portland Velo Team

2009-07-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

The usual Tuesday ride with the Portland Velo Team, out to the Vancouver wildlife refuge and back. This week we stayed in a nice tight peloton, and I got to ride second row behind Krhea's wheel. It was a smooth calm ride at a mere 18-19mph, and Doug said it must be my presence that had a calming effect on the peloton. At the last 100m, Krhea pulled left opening me up for a "final sprint"... i asked "are you setting me up for the finish?", and he said "I've led you out this whole way"... so I went off in a mad rush fake final sprint to a dead end parking lot, where the "leaders" who were already there, announced my winning status and points. A little Mark Cavendish on the Tuesday group ride.. can I claim that as a stage win :) ?

STP in one day!

2009-07-13T15:32:00.001-07:00

Seattle to Portland in ONE DAY!!! AKA: "Eating shot blocks before 8am is not really OK"...
July 11th, Saturday, one day bike ride home from Seattle to Portland, a grand total of 209 miles.

Melissa and I drove up to Vancouver BC on Wednesday, and had a blast visiting friends and biking around my old city. There is lots of hub bub around the Olympics coming to town, so there was lots to talk about with my activist friends. On Friday we drove down to Seattle and got prepared for the big day on Saturday. 3:30am the alarm went off, and with 4 hours of sleep I sure did not feel ready to ride 204+ miles in one day, but decided I had probably done harder things in my life, and that even having the chance to do something like this is a true privilege, so I made coffee and ate a banana. We dropped the car off with a friend who was driving it back to Portland for us, and we biked 2 miles to the start line at the University. OK, it is dark out still, we barely know where we are going, and we are carrying enough shot blocks, hammer gel, and random bars to fuel us for probably 400 miles. I had no idea I could fit that much in my jersey pockets. We meet up with Ian and Brandon, and we jump in with the 5am start wave. 10,000 cyclists are doing this ride, but less than 1/4 of them are doing it in one day. We start early to avoid the "crowd".... turns out it's a crowd no matter what.

The first 100 miles was pretty much all bikes all the time, but luckily everyone was keeping a good clip and we did 18-21 mph for the first 100 miles without landing in any of the pile ups. We narrowly avoided several group pace line crashes, and a couple train track crashes, and hence decided no more pace lines with strangers. This left us essentially riding without a draft, but it was worth it for safety and sanity. Mile 100 is Centralia with a big party, lots of food and lots of tired cyclists. This is when I cried. The coffee had worn off, the 4 hours of sleep had caught up to me, and I wanted nothing more than to lie down on the grass for 3 hours and sleep, then bike the next 100 miles. Had I been alone, I would have done this....but with three others in the group, I opted to spill a few tears on Melissa's jersey, buy a mountain size baked potato from the Masons and bike back 5 blocks to the coffee shop and buy a large iced americano. The coffee shop girl was so encouraging of the STP, it actually turned my mood around. I drank the coffee faster than I drank the water, and off we were for the next 100+. This was actually the better half for me. There were much less cyclists out now, so the crashes were over, and the potato log in my belly was serving as nice constant fuel. Nothing was sore or tired, so I felt strong and less cranky. This is where Melissa bonked, and Anne Linton was right, at least we were grumpy at different times. 17 miles later Melissa needed more food, and for some reason delirium set in and she purchased a hot dog, an onion cheeseburger and cool ranch doritos. I on the other hand went straight to the coffee shack and bought another large iced americano. In her delirium she tried 3 times to feed me the hot dog until I reminded her I was wheat free and meat free... and that hot dogs were, well, meat and wheat... I told her she must be delirious, and she agreed. We did however have that to laugh about for the rest of the ride; "remember trying to feed a wheat free vegan a hot dog?".... it kept being funny all day, that's what happens after mile 100, everyone gets delirious. So hence we had a great time watching all the other cyclists do funny things, and every rest stop became a laughing stock. At the next one after the hot dog incident, the heat of the afternoon had set in, and everyone was under the garden hose and sitting on the curb. A couple old men were wearing really cool RAMROD jerseys (Ride Around Mt Rainier In One Day), and so I started chatting with them. They reminded me of the guys from Portland Velo, and they were just as funny and nice. One guy asked the older one how we was doing, and he replied "I'll make it... I'm just old and slow"... mind you they had made it to mile 130 at the same speed we had. One guy moved back onto the road, and tried to coax the other to join him and keep riding by saying "the road's over here".... to which he replied to us "we have to get Al back to the retirement home before they notice he's missing"... and off they went.
We pressed on to mile 140, where Cycology teamate Lamont had driven up to meet us, cheer us on, and bring us special order snacks. We called in our order at mile 100, and ate our fancy treats of yogurt shakes and odwallas that he had brought for us. The next 10 were a bummer for some reason, I just wanted to get to the Longview bridge. Once we crossed over it actually felt easy, and were riding fast again, although it was just me and Melissa at this point. Ian had taken off ahead, and Brandon had dropped out. I felt fine and we were keeping a good pace, it just seemed to take forever. We rode the last 20 or so in the sort of dark, as there weren't really any street lamps until Linton. We blasted past other cyclists at about 22 miles per hour for the last 15 miles... we were on a mission... we still didn't cross the finish line until 10:15pm, but it felt pretty good to roll into town and realize we were in Seattle that morning. We weren't sore or hungry, Katy picked us up and brought us eggs and odwallas, which we enjoyed, then went directly to bed. 12 hours later we woke up and ate a GIANT breakfast at noon... ahh yes... and spent the day in PJ's, watching old Ironman videos and political animation and eating lots of Thai food.
Some other highlights for me included seeing someone doing it on a skateboard!!! Someone on a unicycle!!! And MANY folks wearing Ironman jerseys from many different Ironmans. It was definetly and endurance crowd... which I hadn't gotten to hang out with since the Ironman. We saw very very few team jerseys, which surpirsed me. No Sorella jerseys, no Ironclad, no Portland Velo, no Veloce.... only 2 River City, and about 4 Hammer jerseys.... Lots of RAMROD, STP, IROMAN and custom jerseys, which was nice to see for a change.
It was an experience for sure... not sure I would do it again, but it was worth doing once. It was nice to realize that the cycling aspect wasn't the hard part, my endurance was essentially fine... it was the sleeping part that I needed more of, and the coffee part. I am ready for rest week now!

I took FIRST at PIR tonight!!!

2009-06-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

My first win at any bike race ever in my life! YEAH! I pulled what I am now going to call a "Sarah Tisdale", which is racing a stage race all weekend, then showing up to Monday night PIR and winning.
It was great. We had 17 women in our field tonight, and Jen and I pulled the first lap, then I moved to my happy place in the back, where I stayed until the final sprint. I got boxed in when the group spread out on the straightaway, and was trying for far right, but there was no way. I saw someone pull through on the far left, so I crossed the entire 2 lanes of track to get to the far left, and sure enough a clear line opened up. I put the hammer down, and my head down, and my pedals down and everything I had down, and passed all 16 other racers.... HOLY COW! Apparently that was stage 5 of Elkhorn for me, and I sure did make up for my last place finish yesterday!

Elkhorn Stage Race - Stage 4 - Dooley!

2009-06-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

Elkhorn Stage Race - Stage 4 - "Like Larch Mountain in the middle of winter!"
Sunday was the last stage of the 3 day Elkhorn Stage Race, and my teammates and I woke up at 6am to pouring rain and 40 degree temperatures. The idea of 102 miles suddenly sounded awful when the top of the mountains we were supposed to climb were at below freezing temperatures. Scrambling to figure out if the stage was going to be canceled Judy drove to the hotel where the race director was, only to discover once there, that she had a flat tire on her car. With no word on wether the race was on or not, we were trying to assess how much winter riding gear we had between us, and how many racers we could even send out based on how much gear we had between us. With Judy waiting for her flat to be fixed, I drove Anne's truck to the high school, and found out that not only was the race on, but Libby and I were both selected to submit wheels to the wheel car.
I called the crew, and we started to assemble. 5 out of 6 of us realized we could give it a shot based on the amount of gear we had, and Judy agreed to be team support and drive Anne's truck behind the women's field, so as we all got hypothermic she could pick us up. With a plan in hand, Libby and I suited up with plastic bags over our socks and biked over to the start with spare wheels in one hand and one hand on the handle bars. We were soaked by the time we got to the starting line.
Within a few minutes of all the racers huddling in the high school for shelter, the organizers decided to shorten the race. With mostly cheers from the crowd, we were told the course would be 10 miles flat, 12-15 miles of climbing up Dooley Mountain, then the finish line at the top. This sounded great to us!
The races were delayed 30 minutes so the organizers could move the finish line, and mark the 3k, 1k, and 100m marks at the top of the hill.
8:30am, the women were off, and Judy followed us. The pack of 1,2,3,4 and masters women stayed together for the flat 10 miles, then we all spread out when the climbing started. I was of course off the back with another Bella rider. We stayed together half way up the climb, then she gained about 200m on me, and held that lead to the end. So I took last, but I'll tell ya, I had Judy behind me the whole way! WOOHOO!!! I have officially decided last place rules when you have support. Judy would drive up next to me, tell me I was amazing, yell all kinds of supportive things, ask me if I needed anything, checked on my asthma, etc. At one point I took off my raincoat while I was climbing, and I knew Judy would see this and pull up beside me so I could throw it in the car. I landed a perfect shot on the passenger seat, and I felt like a pro, so I stepped up my pace. The pro men then passed me, flying up the hill like it was flat, and one of them took their vest off and threw it on the ground... confirming that I had more support than they did :)
The rest of the Sorellas did great, and told stories of the various breakaways up front, as we all crammed in Anne's truck at the top of the hill, and Judy drove us back down the hill to the house, and covered our shivering bodies in blankets and a sleeping bag. We were back at the house before 11am.
Total mileage for stage 4 - 17 miles. Oh well... we were all safe!

Elkhorn Stage Race - Stage 3 - Crit!

2009-06-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

Elkhorn Stage Race - Stage 3 - Crit "Women all stayed upright!!!"
Stage 3 was this afternoon at 4:40pm for the women, and they had all the women race together, Cat 1, 2, 3, 4, and masters... this meant all 77 or 83 or however many of us, all on a tight 6 corner 1k downtown loop. All left turns except for one right turn with a hay bail in the road covering a storm drain at the curb. All the Sorellas were determined to stay in the crit as long as possible, except for me who was hoping to stay in for 15 minutes and then get pulled, because that would beat my record from Cherry Blossom... I started at the back with my new found Bella friends, including Bev... and in predictable fashion, 4 of us were off the back on the first lap. We stayed in for three or four laps, and then we were pulled off the course because we were too far back from the main pack. Total race time for me and the Bellas: 5 minutes. The rest of the Sorellas did better... Libby lasted quite a few more before getting pulled, then Judy got pulled. Alana, Anne and Sherry all made it the entire crit! I got to take pictures of them and scream my head off, which in my opinion is more fun than risking sudden death... but, everyone stayed up, and the women did not crash! Happy we all are.. Judy just ordered us Pizza, including a gluten free one for me and Alana!
Now back to eating the gluten free brownies...
Stage 4 tomorrow, 102 miles.... How many brownies will it take to fuel us that far?

Elkhorn Stage Race - Stage 2 - TT

2009-06-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

Elkhorn Stage Race - Stage 2 - Time Trial = "If you aren't hurting you aren't going fast enough!"
This morning we raced 11 miles mostly flat, with everyone being sent off 30 seconds apart. That means it's you against yourself. They let you go in reverse order of the stage one finish... so basically me and Bev were the first women to go out today, since we came in last yesterday. This proved fun on many levels. I realized since I would finish first of all my teammates, I could take pictures of them at the finish line. So in true Zan tradition, I raced with my camera in my jersey pocket. I was actually sad I didn't have my camera yesterday, since the scenery was stunning, and Bev and I were in last place anyway, why not take pictures? So I plan on carrying my camera for the rest of the stages, especially since we don't have Anne's husband Tim here this time to be our photographer.
The time trial was great. I stayed in my aero bars the whole time, felt strong, and averaged 20mph. I passed Bev so I knew I wouldn't be last. I finished well and did indeed get to take pictures of everyone else finishing, and being goofy at the finish line. We checked the results and all the Sorellas did great, and I came in 4th from last, which is actually a huge improvement for me.
Since our rented house is 5 blocks from the course, we rode home, got our wallets, and rode back into town (a whole 5 more blocks) and got coffee at Bev's market (Bella), and hung out with her and the rest of the Bella team. We had a blast, and now we are resting for the Crit this afternoon. So far, SUNSHINE!!!

Elkhorn Stage Race - Stage 1

2009-06-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

Elkhorn Stage Race – stage 1 - June 19th, 2009

72 miles, 6000 feet of climbing, beautiful Baker City Oregon.

This being my second stage race ever, I was feeling confident and ready… I was convinced I was going to get dropped from the pack within the first 4 miles, and come in last. My teammate Shari M assured me I wouldn’t be last, and Anne assured me I would stay with the Cat 1,2,3 and 4 women for the first 20 miles before getting dropped. I thought to myself, there is no way I can hang on with the Cat 1 women for 20 miles… but I’ll give it a shot.

At the start line I talked to one of the Organic Athlete racers, you know the ones that say “GO VEGAN!” across the ass of the shorts… and we all wanted to know if everyone on the team was Vegan. The guy I was talking to disclosed that he was in love with bacon, real live bacon. We all smiled and I laughed that the vegan food store in Portland, Food Fight, was one of their sponsors, and written right across his chest.

I then went over to the Ironclad team to see how everyone was doing. For those of you following the sad news of their team, Kristen got out of the hospital on Thursday (bad crash at PIR on June 2^nd), and Kira is also now out of the hospital (double mastectomy). The entire team decided to honor Kira (who was supposed to race this weekend with them, and instead got diagnosed with breast cancer) by putting pink bar tape on ALL their bikes, men, women, everyone on the team. They also all wore pink ribbons, and pink arm bands… so picture the entire Ironclad squad with their black and yellow kits, sporting pink bar tape, pink ribbons, pink arm bands, pink leg bands, pink bandanas on their heads… it brought a tear to my eye at the start line.

And then we were off.

All the women went out together, Cat 1, 2, 3 and 4… 77 of us. This means FAST. So I hung on for 20 miles with the group, at 24 miles per hour, and was proud of myself for lasting that long. The best part was that I lasted long enough to experience my first ever group race pee. Mile 18….Seriously. Picture 77 women yelling pee break, and we ALL pull over, drop our shorts all in a row on the side of the road, and PEE!!!! Our lead car and rear car had stopped traffic for us, so a row of three trucks had to wait and watch 77 women bare ass peeing. IT WAS HILARIOUS!!!

At mile 20 we turned a nice right corner, and four of us got dropped. Now the solo race begins. I looked at the other 3 women, and decided Bev from Bella was my best bet at a mate for the 52 more miles we had to do. She was behind me so I was worried she was too slow for me, but I decided 52 miles alone would suck worse that 52 miles at a slightly slower pace with company. I had met her 4 years ago when Chane and I biked from Portland to Baker City, and we stopped at her coffee shop. So I at least knew she was very nice, but I had no idea what kind of a rider she was. It started raining so I decided to pull over, put my raincoat on and wait for her. She was right there when I was done putting my raincoat on, so I caught back up to her and we started chatting. Basically we rode the entire race together, talked, had fun, pushed hard, avoided all 3 of the crashes that happened in the main group, because we were way off the back, and couldn’t even see the main group after mile 20.

BUT THE BEST PART is that this race is fancy enough to have a sweep car…. and since the women started last, Bev and I were literally at the end of the race. This meant we had a support vehicle behind us the ENTIRE race! This is unheard of, and AWESOME! The support car stops traffic for you, tells cars behind it when they can pass us, and makes sure no yahoos in fast cars smash into us. It was great. AND, get this, since Bev is like the matron of the town, and owns the local coffee shop, she had a friend driving her car in front of us the whole race, and pulling up beside us, asking us if we needed water or pizza (I’m serious), and telling us how far to the top of whatever climb we were climbing. It was seriously like the Tour De France… well, at least I pretended it was… I mean there were two of us racing together, at the VERY BACK, and we had two support vehicles. I decided several things:
1) Being at the back sometimes is the best place to be

2) Race with a local because they have support and know the area

3) Being treated like a pro when you are actually the slowest racers out there really boosts your morale.

We raced very well, maintained a very strong pace, and finished together in 4 hours and 21 minutes.

Bev called me “the woman of the hour”, and was so happy I rode with her.

I can’t wait for stage 2, 3, and 4….

8000 feet of climbing

2008-10-05T22:20:00.000-07:00

A five day bike trip around the crater lake and diamond lake area, carrying everything we ever needed and then some more things we didn't need. Blissfull. There is not much that I love more than bike touring. Coming back from a broken navicular bone in my foot, this kind of riding was a real treat. We climbed from about 1000 feet of elevation to over 8000 feet of elevation, where there was still snow on the ground, and a warm lodge to stay in. I didn't miss the tent on the night we had a warm bed and a nice shower. Playing scrabble in front of the lodge fireplace wasn't half bad either. How many cups of free organic coffee did I drink the next morning? The Umqua National Forest, Umpqua river, and of course Crater Lake itself, were stunningly beautiful... or as Katy said "sick"... over and over, ever mile, sick, sick, sick.

A lesson in slowing down

2008-07-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

August 2006 I went to Penticton Canada to sign up for the Ironman race, and I was just getting out of what I called "the dreaded boot", which is really a walking cast... as I was healing from posterior tibial tendonitis, aka running too much! It felt a little odd paying 500$ for an Ironman race, when I still hadn't healed enough to be able to run at all. August 2007, a sucessful Ironman, no injuries! July 2008... I am walking in the boot again, navicular bone fracture, at the insertion of the posterior tibial tendon (don't worry it's the other leg this time!). It is no longer the "dreaded boot" as I once called it, it's a lesson in slowing down and healing. This will be my first summer in 8 years where I haven't raced. All my summer race plans were dashed when an amplifier fell on my foot in May... and I have been hobbling and healing ever since. This year post Ironman, is officially athletically a rest year for me, even though I work out almost every day still, it doesn't feel the same. I had sensed that nothing could compare to the ironman, and now I can sense that nothing also compares to training for an ironman. Working out for 2 hours a day feels like I am not getting in my full workout, or I am not working hard enough, or I am really lazy... and I have to remind myself that most folks don't work out at all, and the ironman training days are not these days, the 5 hour workouts are on hold. It's a nice reminder that we are blessed with the bodies that we have, able as mine is most of the time, hobbling around in a boot isn't so bad at all. I have all kinds of mobility, I have been lifting lots of weights in my upper body, and I can lay around more and dream about all the 100 mile bike rides I will still get to do in this lifetime... So this august I won't be racing any Ironmans, doing any triathlons, or running any marathons, but I will be happily watching the Olympics from the comfort of my couch, and appreciating all the things I have, and all the races I have done so far, and all the ones that have yet to come.

Gimp

2007-12-16T16:47:00.000-08:00

I am always blown away by stories of triumph and beating the odds. I'm not sure if this stems from my own perspective of having spent weeks on end in the hospital many years of my life, unable to breathe, and thus having some sort of glimpse into the eyes of what it is like to not have control over your own body, or if I'm just a softy for the underdog. This week my inspiration comes from Mark Zupan, USA National Quadriplegic Rugby player, and overall badass. His book is called "Gimp", and the cover quote is; "When life deals you a crappy hand, you can fold - or you can play".
He is one of the stars of the Muderball documentary that I have previously mentioned in this blog, which is movie worth watching many times. It inspired me to go watch the local Quad Rugby team compete last year, and donate some money to their organization.
In Mark's book he says at the end of the prologue:
"But here's the bottom line: At some point, life is going to give you a swift, hard kick in the nuts. You can't control everything that happens to you, but you can try to understand it. For me, this has been just one of the many things I've learned in this painful, beautiful, crappy, exhilarating, stupid, rewarding life that started the day I landed in this chair - which I thought was my cross to bear, but was actually my salvation."
Now his story is not all roses and candy, in fact it is a lot of alcoholism and self reflection... but where he gets to in his 32 years of life is brilliant.
In the epilogue he says this:
"After my accident, I thought life was over. I was wrong. It was just beginning. We will all face hardship, pain, difficulty, and death at some point in our short stay on this planet - every single one of us. While tragedy can be a cruel teacher, it can also lead you to understand a truth and beauty that is much greater than yourself, as long as you refuse to quit. Even when you're feeling weak, alone, outmanned, or outgunned, as long as you are breathing, then you are still in the game. Because if a gimp like me can keep playing after everything I've been through, then anyone can."
Enough said, read the book:
http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061127687/GIMP/index.aspx
And donate your holiday money to the Portland Pounders:
www.portlandpounders.org

getting back on the bus

2007-11-06T14:55:00.000-08:00

I've been asked many times "how long does it take to recover from the Ironman?", and have answered many different ways. I was up and walking and swimming the next day, biking within 3 days, and I tried running a week after.... but I would not say I was "recovered". I think our bodies are in a constant state of rebuilding, building and recovery, and there is no set time to rest that any one person can follow. I decided to just do what my body told me to do. I stopped swimming because of it's inconvenience, and stopped running for 2 months because my previous I.T. band injury and another spot below it was hurting, and added back in a lot of weight training. I am just now starting to run again, two months later, and I already have the burning desire to run all the time again, and my leg seems much better after two months off of it. I've been obsessed with the gym, and riding my bike these past two months, and in general, feeling fine. I just did whatever workout I wanted to each day for the two months following the Ironman, and let that be my recovery plan. It was nice to let go of the structure, and it's nice to feel ready to bring it back.

Ironman World Championships

2007-10-15T23:28:00.000-07:00

I got to ride about 20 miles in the Gecko Tri Club room on my bike trainer while we watched the Ironman World Championships on the big screen live this past Saturday. The announcers referred to the many Pro's dropping out as "lots of carnage"... and a truly bizarre race unfolded with lots of unexpected racers coming up from what seemed like nowhere. Anyway, it reminded me that even the pro's are fragile, and the Ironman is so technical and tactical and eventful. My favorite male racer, Jasper Blake, was one of the drop outs, and he wrote a very moving and positive piece on his blog about his race. He is my inspiration this week, and you should check out his blog:
www.jasperblake.blogspot.com

Lori-Ann inspiration

2007-09-15T00:45:00.000-07:00

My inspiration for this week has been Lori-Ann Muenzer, who won a gold medal in the 2004 olympics in track bike racing, at the awesome age of 38 years old. Her book "one gear, no brakes", is fantastic, and really speaks about what it is like being an outcast in the sports and biking world. She talks about being older, being a bigger person, being isolated, without funding, and with very little support. It was a long road to a gold medal, and a very moving one. She comes highly recommended by me, and she is CANADIAN! yeah!
http://www.rollingla.ca/

Post Ironman realizations...

2007-09-04T21:51:00.000-07:00

Being able to do the Ironman was a true gift on so many levels. In the week since the race, i have decided that race day itself is the prize for all the hard work you have put in all year; the training, the pain, the injuries, the time, the lack of sleep, the lack of dates, the lack of money in the savings account, the constant eating, the swimmingbikingrunning every day.... the race itself is completely fun.
I have also come to realize that this is my calling, and this is my community.... this is where i belong. The Ironman is an experience and a world, not just a race, and everything little horrible and wonderful thing about it clicked with me in the end, and came together full circle. Having had asthma my whole life, i never thought i could be an athlete... and i always wanted to be. Sports were always about winning, and who is best, and cheer for the champion, and we all want Lance Armstrong to win the Tour, and it doesn't matter about the other million athletes who have worked just as hard to ride their bikes in France..... The Ironman is not like that. Everyone is celebrated, everyone is cheered, everyone gets the red carpet. Those who finish last get more support than those who finish first... the goal is just to finish, not to win. What other sports are like that? This is what i am talking about!
A quote i have up at work fits perfectly for this race:
If you had fun, you won.
Enough said, i won.

My Favorite Ironman Moments

2007-08-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

Rather than tell you how I swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles and then ran 26.2 miles all in a row, in a total of 15 hours and 33 minutes, I thought it would be more fitting to share my favorite Ironman moments. The race report would basically say just that: I swam, 2.4 miles, biked 112 and ran 26.2, and crossed the finish line before the cut off time. The inspirational and hilarious moments are what really bring it all together. The whole experience, including the year or more of training, to me is what makes up an Ironman. It’s a long, committed, moving, and social yet independent race.

Section one, PRE RACE:

I started to collect paranoia stories from other competitors in the two weeks prior to the race, because everyone had some quirk that was playing out in their lives relating to being afraid of not making it to the starting line of the race, for whatever reason, after this whole hard year of training. My favorite paranoia being played out is still one of the first ones I heard, from my training buddy Deb. She works in the IT department of a big law firm, and her job is to help the employees with their computers. Well, for the last two weeks before the race, Deb decided she was not going to touch anyone else’s computer, mouse, keyboard, screen, hard drive, etc., for fear of getting germs, and thus getting sick before the race. How she managed to not touch anyone’s computers and still keep her job for two weeks is still a mystery to me, and the looks she must have gotten from the employees when she explained why she wouldn’t do it must have been hilarious.

Another thought I had was that other people also must have odd things they were thinking of doing during the race since I was planning on putting an iced soy latte for myself at mile 13 on the run, I started asking other’s what their race day quirks were as well. Sorella Karen wins that prize, when her answer to me was: “You are going to think this is really funny, but I don’t think I can make it through the whole race without brushing my hair”. She wasn’t sure if she was going to brush her hair after the bike and before the run, or during the run when her husband would hand her the brush, so as not to waste any time. I have yet to ask her which method she went with! Robert wins the runner up prize, when he told me he was going to put a single use packet of chamois cream, or “butt butter” as I call it, in his little bento box (snack box) on the top tube of his bike. I asked him if he thus was planning on putting butt cream down his lycra cycling shorts while he was riding his bike, to which he responded that he wasn’t quite sure how that was going to pan out.

The last pre race moment I will share was one that happened in the carbo load pre race athlete banquet, where over 4000 athletes and guests landed themselves in the Penticton convention center. After several moving statements by the race directors and organizers, one of my, and everyone else’s, Ironman idol was being described over the microphone. The oldest female competitor, who also holds the age group records in something like the top three age groups, is a 77 year old nun from Spokane Washington, that is relatively famous in the triathlon community, and is known as Sister Madonna. Once her story was told, the crowd exploded into cheer and everyone gave her a standing ovation, at which point she stood up on the dinner table in the center of the room. She’s a pretty awesome nun.

Section two, GOOD RACE OMENS:

Getting to the starting line of an Ironman is like working through a really hard calculus problem, there are a million and one steps, and you always forget at least one of them. It is nerve racking. Having passed most of the steps I made it into the transition area where I could check my bike tires and put on my wetsuit, and ended up walking with Jasper Blake, the winner of last year’s Ironman. I had met him a couple months earlier in Portland at a talk he gave, and we had chatted about how moving last years race was when he won and his mom was wheeled out in the finish line to great him in her wheelchair and she just started crying… as I was standing right next to her at that moment, volunteering at the finish line, I too simply started crying. So when I saw Jasper right before the race, I thought that was a good omen and we started to chat. A bit into our conversation I looked at him and suddenly said “OH SHIT!”, and he said “what is it?”.. and I had left my aero bottle full of my Gleukos drink for the ride, in the hands of my dad who was long lost in the crowds. Jasper looked at me and calmly told me it would be ok, I should calm down and that I was going to have a great race and told me to give him a hug, and that everything would be just fine. I figured a hug and some peace from last year’s winner was more than enough to at least get me across the finish line, and from then on out through the day, I had nothing but confidence. I considered this good race omen number one.

The woman who’s bike was racked right next to mine had the last name Zahn, and we exchanged a few words about having the same name, sort of, and I said to her; “Well Ms. Zahn, have an awesome race”… and after that I saw her at least four more times during the race, which is unheard of in a field of almost 3000 racers, I considered this good omen number two, and I yelled positive things to her every time I saw her.

As I exited the swim I checked my watch and noticed I had the fastest and best swim of my life, and was more than thrilled as I ran up to grab my bike bag. Someone nicely patted me on the back as I ran to my bag in that “way to go” kind of way, and I turned and it was Deb! Of almost 3000 racers, we somehow exited the swim at the exact same time, and I considered that good race omen number 3.

Somewhere up the first major pass, Richter, I noticed some chalk on the cement barrier that read in huge letters “TRUST YOUR TRAINING”. This is something that Deb has said to me many times, and is meant to encourage you to believe in yourself on race day. It was at this moment on the course that I realized not only do I know how to do this, but that this is the best day of my life. This is day that all that training comes back as one big reward, and I smiled the entire day. Good omen number 4.

The next one needs a little preface. My whole family loved (and maybe still loves) Bon Jovi back in their glory days, thanks to my teenage obsession with them, I think I just played them enough that everyone eventually gave in and loved them as well. When I got my new fancier phone just a few weeks ago, the first thing I did was get Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi downloaded to be my ring tone. Sweet. This Ironman was definitly a race for me, my Mom, who is no longer here, my sister who couldn’t make it to the race, and my Dad and his wife Jay would were my support crew and patiently watching the whole thing. My Dad, Jay and I had driven part of the bike course before the race, and turned around at what I called “The Bear”, which was a fruit stand that for whatever reason had a giant wooden bear coming out of the hillside. When I got to this point on the bike course during the race, I immediately smiled at knowing this part of the course, and recognizing the bear. As I pass the spectators at this fruit stand, I hear none other than Bon Jovi’s living on a prayer being blasted from one of the spectators trucks, at which point I yelled as I was biking “YEAH BON JOVI!”.. and happily biked up the second major pass to yellow lake. Good race omen number 5.

As I finished the bike course and entered the transition zone to begin my run, I heard the music that was blasting at the finish line right next to the transition zone, and it was none other than yep, Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi…. Blasting for me as I grab my run bag and switch into the last leg of the race. I couldn’t believe my fate! Good race omen #6.

The last good race omen, #7, came a mile into the run course when I ran passed my Dad and Jay who were waiting out front of our hotel, which was right on the course, and my Dad handed me his cell phone as I ran passed, and it was my sister on the phone! We were able to chat as I ran for a few minutes, before I reached the nearby turn around and then gave the phone back to my Dad before I ran off into the marathon. It was a real treat to see my family and talk to my sister all at once!

Section three; POST RACE:

There is nothing in my life that will ever compare to running through that finish line on my first Ironman. With my arms in the air I ran through that finishers tape and didn’t hear my Dad and Jay screaming and cheering, nor did I hear the announcer say “ZAN GIBBS, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!”, and I only know he said that because I asked my family. I was so focused on that finish line, nothing else registered.

The awards banquet the next day was extremely moving at times, bringing tears to many people. The CEO of the Ironman company, who is in charge of Ironman races all over, not just Canada, was speaking about what it was like to watch his 18 year old daughter compete in the race for the first time. He said he had done the Ironman many times, but there was nothing like watching his daughter do it the day before, and spend the whole day worrying about her out on the course: “what if she crashes? Where is she?”… and so on. He told the audience that if they had family members out on the course watching them that day, to give them a big hug and thank them for being out there, and worrying, and being their support.

The female winner, Lisa Bentley, also provided a very moving speech, including sharing one of her favorite quotes she uses to inspire people doing the race, which was “throw your heart over the mountain and your body will follow”. She congratulated everyone who simply made it to the starting line of the race the previous day, because she understood how hard it was just to make it to the start. There are so many logistics and factors that play out all year, and all of race week, that it is truly quite amazing that so many athletes do make it to the start line. I really appreciated her comments about this, and how much work an Ironman truly takes. It was a beautiful way to reflect on the past year, as well as on the previous day’s race.

On the run course their was chalk on the cement barrier by the road that read: “PAIN IS TEMPORARY, IRONMAN IS FOREVER”…. And now I can truly say, I am honored and proud to be a part of that community.

As Deb told me years ago: “I didn’t want to DO an Ironman, I wanted to BE an Ironman”.

…..and here I am…. forever changed…..and still smiling.

I AM AN IRONMAN!

2007-08-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

I did it! With a smile on my face the whole entire race (well maybe you can't really smile while you are swimming), I finished Ironman Canada in 15 hours and 33 minutes. A respectable steady time, as what I lack in speed I make up for in endurance! I felt awesome the whole time, and thought it was one of the best days of my life. I will write a longer report later, now it's time for a breakfast of champions and an ice bath!

13 hours away

2007-08-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

It's almost Ironman time, as I sit here in Penticton British Columbia Canada. The canon goes off in 13 hours and I swim, bike, and run my little heart out. I feel excited, and ready, and kind of nervous, but kind of just overstimulated, and at the same time secluded and peaceful. The Ironman is a personal race, even though almost 3000 other athletes are here doing it as well.
It's nice to be here on the lake surrounded by friends and family, and we can walk everywhere. At 5 something AM tomorrow we will walk to the start area, where I do all my last minute stuff.
Times will be posted at www.ironman.ca, and my race name is Zan Gibbs, and my race # is 2198.
I'll post my stories here, a day or so after the race!
Zanimal... :)

race inspiration

2007-08-18T15:23:00.000-07:00

I am a week away from my first Ironman race, collecting lovely bits of inspiration and well wishes... at times I feel like I am leaving for this epic journey. I got a beautiful home made t shirt from one of the teens I work with, that has a swimmer, biker and runner drawn on the front in puffy paint, and ZANIMAL ironed on to the back in big white letters. I got a beautiful card from a couple other teens, and some amazing words of encouragement from many others. I have been reminded to "finish the race no matter what happens", "in the moments I am the most exhausted to remember how beautiful it is just to be outside", and "eat a whole cake when I get back". I feel prepared and inspired, and a little bit tired, and it still seems like something I can't quite imagine. Maybe this is why I am not nervous at all.... having never done one before, I just want to enjoy the experience. The hardest parts are done, the year of constant training is over, and now I just have to make it to the race, and follow my race day plan. Sounds easy enough for the hardest race I have ever done!

finally new legs!

2007-08-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

HOOORRRAAAYYY! For those of you who read my blog about Tarver and other amputees not being able to afford prosthetic legs under Oregon's Insurance caps, there is GREAT news for amputees across the state who will be able to get prosthetics fully covered under Oregon insurance companies starting in 2008.

Here is a segment of the WWeek article, and a link to the full article:

Amputees living in Oregon got a boost last month when Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed House Bill 2517.

The new law going into effect Jan. 1, 2008, mandates that insurance companies operating in Oregon offer coverage for orthopedic and prosthetic devices, with no caps on how much they will spend on the items. And the state Department of Consumer and Business Services is also working on rules that will govern co-pays for those devices.

The bill is the product of three years' hard work by Matthew Bradley—a 30-year-old resident in orthopedic surgery at OHSU who lost his right leg in an auto accident when he was 10.

http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3337/9291/

delicate bodies

2007-08-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

11 months of Ironman training.... well, it has truly been a life of training... working this body to be able to do what I want it to do, with all of our usual limitations. 3 weeks away from the longest race I will maybe ever do, and I can tell that my body is at a sensitive state. 200 miles of city driving a week ago for work caused a short lived but painful DRIVING INJURY!!! As in, too much pressing of the heavy clutch caused pain in my patella tendon, or basically, my knee. The irony of training for an Ironman, and then getting hurt driving is simply funny. I was out for three days, which is not bad, and although still sore over a week later, I can continue training no problem. My body is telling me it is tired. Me and my legs and my arms and my core and my back have worked and worked and worked this year... and just in time to start reducing the amount of training to get ready for the race, my body is saying THANK YOU CAN WE REST NOW!! So in constant fear of getting hurt doing something dumb, like driving or walking or eating breakfast... I took the car into the shop even though it wasn't broken (I was!), and have been spending a lot of my precious free time reading magazines in bed (that seems safe enough right?). Ahhh our delicate bodies...

A Happy Half Ironman

2007-07-09T14:29:00.000-07:00

Lake Stevens Half Ironman

Adventures of the Ironman Gang of Four; Zan, Deb, Robert and Nicole

Sunday July 8^th, 2007

1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run

My finish time: 6hrs 53mins 1sec

There’s something to be said for good planning and good rest. I’d had a good recovery week prior to the race, with just a few short workouts, and lots of great meals. I think there’s also something to be said for a looming August Ironman, because I wasn’t worried about the half at all.

I pretty much had a solid plan for the race, and pretty much followed it, resulting in my best race ever.

I took almost a whole hour of my Half Ironman time from last summer, and also felt much better during the race. Mostly I felt like it was going by too fast, and I didn’t it want it to be over after all that prep work! I know the Ironman will be even worse, when you have worked for a whole year for this race that at the very most can only last you 17 hours. I have to remember my favorite quote “the journey is the destination”.

I slept a solid 6 ½ hours the night before the race, and woke up to a good calorie packed fruit smoothie and coffee with lots of soymilk. I tried to drink some grape recharge up until the race but I was so full I could only sip a little of it. We got to the race site before 5am, and had plenty of time to fuss with all of our stuff. There’s only so many times that I can lay out my bike and run shoes, and check and re-check my bike tires to make sure they aren’t flat, so I went and took pictures of Nicole, Deb and Robert fussing with their stuff and checking their tires…. Like I said before, I wasn’t too stressed about the race, and was really happy to be around some of my closest friends in some of our best moments; we all love triathlons.

THE SWIM: 38mins 55secs
For the Lake Stevens Half Ironman the swim started in waves 5 minutes apart by gender and age group, so I went out in a pack of 53 other women at 6:56am, with my good friend Nicole in that pack. Deb was in the next wave, and Robert was somewhere after Deb. Most open water swimmers know that there is just something creepy about looking down at the bottom. The coffee colored water in Lake Stevens was no exception, especially as all the things you could see below were not meant to be there; trash, rope, soda cans, large yellow plastic buoy rods…. So I tried to look away from all that stuff and find my position in the pack, when about 4 minutes into the swim I realized wait a minute, the rope is holding up the buoys, which are lining the course, which means if I swim over the rope, I have an automatic guide the entire swim, and I will never have to look up. For those who don’t swim open water, not having to look up is a huge advantage, because you lose a lot of speed and form when you constantly look up to sight a landmark to know where you are going. Having the underwater rope as a guide was the best gift ever, and as I settled into my stroke I began passing people (which I almost never do after the first 5 minute clamor for space). I forgot to look up for long enough that I even managed to swim under one of the giant inflatable orange buoys that are used as your visual landmark, and so I took a breath to the side and my face was in the orange buoy. Later I found out that Deb had done the same thing, inhaled buoy for a breath. I knew I was swimming well and fast, and I was listening to my swim coach Laurie in my head tell me to drop my fingers and raise my elbows. I started to pass men that had been sent out in waves 5 or more minutes ahead of me, and I was feeling really smug, but wondering if I should slow down. I got out of the swim at 38 minutes and was elated at my fastest swim time ever. I ran into transition ready for the bike.

THE BIKE: 3hrs 42mins 02secs
So we all drove the course in the days before the race, and as Robert put it: “They managed to find a course that is all uphill”. It was a hilly two lap course, so you had to repeat the endless hills, twice. I went out strong and my asthma kicked in really bad within the first 5 miles. I had already used my inhaler three times in the race, and I used it two more my breathing was so bad. I couldn’t tell if it was the hills, my pace, or all the vegetation that was growing in the area. I started to worry I wouldn’t be able to finish the race, but knew I’d biked harder roads on hotter days with worse asthma, so I kept going. Deb caught up to me and passed me too quickly for me to really talk to her, so I sprinted to pass her again so we could talk some more. Deb won’t compromise pace for conversation, and I always will. So sprinting a hill in a race with asthma is a dumb idea, but I wanted to talk to her and see how her swim was. She caught up again, we exchanged a couple lines and she went off ahead. I was keeping a fast pace on all the hills (and by fast I mean most people were still passing me, but I was doing well for me with my little lungs), so I was feeling good. Robert caught up to me next and did his usual yelling “ZANIMAL” from behind (my tattoos on my arms make me easily identified from behind, which I love)… and I yelled really loud back “NUH UH! ROBERT!”. He caught up and we exchanged a few sentences about the best swims we both ever had, and about that cool rope that lead us the whole way through the lake, and off he went ahead. I knew Nicole was ahead of all of us, so I wouldn’t see her until late on the run if at all. With my gang accounted for I biked my little lungs out, and my asthma got better 1/3 of the way through the bike course. My second lap felt harder but I didn’t check my watch to see if it was any slower, maybe I was just not looking forward to all the hills again, so I spent some time talking to other riders on the course, exchanging encouraging words. I drank as many calories as I could, and felt really bloated… I am usually good at sensing my nutrition needs, and even though I followed my plan of calorie intake, near the end of the bike I couldn’t tell if I was under calories or over calories, so I forced myself to drink more perpetuum even though I didn’t want it. I knew I was going to need a lot of fuel for the run, so I would rather be over in calories, in fact that is what you aim for towards the end of the bike. I had an aero bottle on the front of the tri bars that sat empty for the whole race. I was going to put water in it before the race even started, but there wasn’t any water anywhere near the race start, which is odd. I figured I’d get water at mile 28 when I was planning on filling my perpetuum drink again anyway if I wanted it. Well, I never filled it with water (I drank perpetuum and cytomax only, no water), and so there were a few jokes at the end about how I biked with this fancy aero bottle for the whole race, and it was just for show as the thing stayed empty the whole time.

THE RUN: 2hrs 20mins 05secs

I used the “port a let” as the race directors called it, in transition before the run, in hopes that I could run the whole thing without stopping for a bathroom break. The first three miles always hurt on the run, even if you are running first thing in the morning after a nice breakfast and stretch. The first three miles on this race hurt extra for some reason, I think maybe because I had just come off of 56 miles of all uphill. My feet were hurting in places they never hurt, which I was happy about, because none of my injury spots were hurting. You expect something to hurt on the run, and as long as it is not a new or old injury, you are elated…. It’s all relative really. After the first three miles I felt much smoother and got into a fast pace run. I walked every aid station to get water and dump some on my hat to keep cool. I talked to other racers as I ran, and monitored my asthma which was not doing too badly on the run. I saw Nicole first on the run, she was a couple miles from the finish and I was about 8 miles from the finish. She didn’t look so good but she gave me a double high five and I knew she would be the first to cross the finish line. Next I saw Robert and he yelled his usual “ZANIMAL!” from behind and we exchanged a few excited sentences. Then I saw Deb on the return of the first run lap, who was looking strong and about 3 miles ahead of me. We encouraged each other as we passed, and I felt great knowing my gang was all out there. I’d been cheered on by Mary Beth and Deb’s family along the course, and the kids had drawn “GO ZAN” in chalk on the run course, and I was moved to tears as I ran over it… I wanted to tell all the runner’s around me “That’s my name in chalk!!! That’s me right there!!!” I picked up the pace and ran a really solid second lap. I saw Deb again on the return of the second lap, and I yelled from down the hill “DEBBBBBIE!!!” because she was in an obvious orange tank top and easy to spot. She yelled back “ZAAAAAN!!!” and we crossed each other telling each other how well each of us was doing. She was 2 miles from the end, and I was about 4 miles from the end. I happily ran the last 3, and ran next to Sister Madonna for a bit on my last mile, one of my Ironman heroes, and we chatted for a bit until she told me to “Bring it Home!” and I sprinted the last bit, through cheers from Deb and her family that were now all at the finish line. I crossed with my arms up and a smile on my face and I gave Deb a huge hug. We had all four had a great race. I saw Robert a few minutes later and we exchanged hugs and stories of the race. Nicole had long left, incoherent and too low in calories, so her friend took her for food and we chatted later on the phone.

RECOVERY: Endless

Some more sun, a few sessions sitting in the ice bags in the grass, a couple stretches and some food… and I was feeling pretty good. I was happy more than hungry, and felt no pressure to eat dinner, because nothing sounded good. I later settled into some veggie Pad Thai, and easily ate the whole thing. Deb and I looked at the results on line, then I fell asleep in my running clothes (clean ones at least), and didn’t move or wake for 9 hours. All in all I am really happy with my race, and now I can plan for how I am going to race next month’s Ironman, with only a couple changes…. Mostly I think I’ll make sure my water bottle has water in it next time… the rest was pretty much perfect.

Lake Stevens Half Ironman

2007-07-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

This Sunday July 8th I will race in my second ever half ironman with 1400 other of my closest friends.... well... athletes anyway, three of which are my close friends; Deb, Robert and Nicole. After spending the last year managing a couple running injuries and lifelong chronic asthma, I can honestly say that I put in a lot of great training and I am feeling really good. In fact Deb usually heckles me to rest more.. that's harder for me than biking 100 miles! The results will be posted at the link below, but this blog is where my detailed race re-cap will go... some come back and visit me Monday!
http://www.lakestevens703.com/

Buy Tarver a leg!

2007-07-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

If you missed the little Willamette Week blurb a couple weeks ago about Tarver, here is the link to this amazing person's site. He is trying to raise awareness around accessibility and disability issues relating to the enormous cost of prosthetic legs for amputees. He is selling T-shirts that say "THIS T SHIRT BOUGHT TARVER A LEG" to raise 40,000$ to cover the cost of his new leg. His other lofty goals include an organization to help other amputees buy legs which are not covered by insurance. At the very least, order a shirt from him, he's my hero of the week!
www.tarverc.wordpress.com/shirts-for-limbs

It's not about the race....

2007-04-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

It's about the training....
everyone always asks what the distances are for the ironman event; 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, 26.2 mile run..... and you have to finish all 140.6 miles in under 17 hours....
but everyone I have talked to that has done an ironman, has said some version of the same thing.....the race is easy compared to the training... by race day, everything is done..
and obviously there are exceptions to this.. and a lot can go wrong on race day... but there are 364 days leading up to your ironman, each with it's own potential for successes and failures....
I have been training with a 7 month injury to my iliotibial band, that has been relentless... as in, it still hurts. mostly this has limited my running.. and it has limited it quite a bit.... as much as I hate the corporate culture of 24 hour fitness, I have been singing it's praises this year, and spending a considerable amount of time there over the last 7 months, as you can do a lot of rehab there, and a lot of simulated cross training... such as elliptical instead of running. to add a little insult to two injuries, i have had chronic asthma my whole life, and every winter it really puts me out for a few weeks to a few months... last winter i was down and out for three one month chunks, during the coldest wettest weather. with a new doctor and three new daily medications i was hoping this year would be better... and so far i have only lost three weeks to asthma... which is much better than three months....
all in all, i am enthusiastically doing all that i can to prepare... and sometimes that means things like a lot more rehab than swimming, and a lot more biking than running... but i have come to grips with the fact that this ironman for me is going to be all about what i can do... and what i can do is what i can do... and that is worth being excited about...
with the weather here getting better and long rides becoming more frequent, my mood has been elevated by some fabulous bike rides... and all i want to do is ride, ride, ride...
5 months and some to go...... and a lot more training hours ahead...
catch me in the bike lane.

Smart Snacking

2006-11-29T17:32:00.000-08:00

I always have snacks in my bag. It's kind of my Cardinal Rule... plus, I'm always hungry! Going from one place to the next, and the next, and a couple workouts in between, and riding my bike to get there, and using my brain when I am there... you get the picture, that's a lot of calories to re-fuel. I'm always looking for healthy, easy, packable snacks... that are sugar free, will travel as a bike commuter, taste great, and make me feel great. Here are my favorites:
1) Larabars - Very simple mixes of nuts and dried fruits pressed into a bar, comes in several flavors, wrapped like a powerbar, travels and tastes great with very few ingredients. I get them at New Seasons, but you can pick them up any health food store.
2) Think Organic Bars - Also simply pressed fruit and nuts into bars, but some flavors I think are more complicated and not sugar free. The cherry one is so good, and has three or four ingredients, I just stick to that one. Also at New Seasons or other health food stores.
3) Apples - Taste great, travel well, I eat one every day.
4) Hard boiled eggs - Travel well, a great protein and fat pick up.
5) Honey Stingers - Small packets of honey and electrolytes, great for long runs or long bike rides, small and easy to pack, last forever and a great way to pick up your body's glucose level if you about to bonk from low energy.
6) Odwalla bars - Some of them are sugar free and made with nice things, just read the labels and find one that sounds good. I like the super protein one, because it has 16g of protein and a nice oatmeal taste.
7) Organic fruit leathers - Small and travel great! Pure fruit, keeps for a long time.
8) Nuts, seeds, dried fruits - Always a good back up.
9) Homemade powerbars and muffins - Recipes to come!
10) Corncakes - In the rice cake section of the health food store, light, tasty, and great if you stop somewhere and grab some humus to go with them.
and the bonus # (because it is a cheater...)
11) Primal Strips - AMAZING (but they have a TINY amount of sugar in them)... the Mesquite Lime is by far the best, and it is a nice strip of wheat gluten with spices that packs a great balance of protein, salt, calories and carbs. It was reviewed in Bicycling Magazine as one of the best biking snacks, and I agree... plus it's hard to find a vegan packable protein... if they took out those few sprinkles of sugar, it would be the perfect snack food. You should feel free to eat them anyway!

Train well, eat even better....

Fighting Oppression Everywhere

2006-11-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

I remember all the times I was told I couldn't do something because I as a girl, or that wasn't "ladylike", or girls can't skateboard, or, or, or.....
I remember all the times I advocated for trans athletes to compete in certain sporting events, such as the "All Girl Skate Jam", advocated for labels and places for "other" gender options, or non gendered options in sporting events I was involved in....
And I remember how much hard work has been done, and still needs to be done, for trans and non gendered athletes to be accepted.... We live in an oppressive binary gender system, and I'm a gender drop out.
There is very little medical research that has been done on transsexuals and elite athletic performance, so there are obvious debates about muscle mass, lung capacity, effects of puberty, synthetic hormone use, etc. So far the limited studies have shown that hormone therapy can transition someone to the standard athletic levels of their chosen sex, making it "fair".
I could care less about arguments of athletic standards of "unfairness" in a context of trans athletes, not only because I think the are medically unfounded, but also because the system they are operating in is completely unfair and biased to begin with. Transphobia is far from eliminated, thus every gain in transgender equality is a step towards creating a less oppressive world for all of us. If a transsexual woman is standing at the podium in first place, she walked and raced a long road to get there, and she deserves every bit of that victory.
If you want to break it down into advantages and disadvantages... every single athlete, wether they are trans or not, has some of both.... social and economic backgrounds create athletic advantages and disadvantages, air quality at home, parental support, physical abilities and disabilities, asthma, allergies, quality of the gear you own, access to the right coaches, health insurance, climate you live in, stressors in your life, the size of the body you were genetically predisposed for.... the list goes on and on....
If you look at it that way... nothing is fair about athletic competition, and to me, that's fine. It celebrates all of us as unique, and reinforces that it can always just be about fun and personal gain, rather than standing in first place. So what if I wasn't lucky enough to have Lance Armstrong's lungs and the money to pay his coach Chris Charmichael? I'm still going to finish the ironman with a smile.

Here's another related article about transsexual athletes and sport with some more food for thought:
www.wsf.org.uk/docs/Transsexuality.doc

Transsexual Athletes

2006-11-19T18:29:00.000-08:00

There has yet to be an "out" trans athlete competing in the Olympics... and 2008 might just be that year. Kristen Worley is a Canadian cycling hopeful for the games in Beijing, and is also an out transsexual male to female (MTF) athlete. Awesome. There happens to be another amazing transsexual male to female (MTF) Canadian cyclist in the pro rankings, Michelle Dumaresq, who competes in downhill mountain biking. There is a mind blowing documentary called 100% Woman, about her and her racing career, as well as reactions from the pro cycling community. There's a link to it on the side bar, and it's well worth watching. I can also lend out my copy of the DVD.
Kristen Worley qualifies by all legal standards to compete in the female category in the Olympics, if she makes the cut.... and she is waiting to see if there is any backlash from the community.
One of the comments I hear the most, is that MTF athletes have a physical advantage, because of their "male" histories.... and this simply isn't true. This myth gets debunked by medical professionals both in Michelle's Documentary, and in Kristen's case. Transitioning from one sex to another in order to qualify for the Olympics involves hormone therapy, surgery, and a minimum of a two year waiting period after transition to compete. The basic medical science behind it is that hormone therapy shifts the bodies hormone levels to match those of the sex one is transitioning to. Male bodied people have a muscular advantage due to testosterone levels, and once these levels change, muscular mass also changes accordingly.
Here is an excerpt from an NBC article about Kristen, talking about this:

No actual advantage?
Perhaps the biggest hurdle facing the athletes is convincing critics that male-to-female transsexuals do not have a physical advantage over their competitors.

“It’s the age-old phenomenon of people fearing what they don’t know,” said Jill Pilgrim, general counsel and director of business affairs for USA Track and Field Inc., who teamed up with a physician to do research on transsexual athletes. “When a male-to-female transsexual undergoes hormone therapy, they are reducing their testosterone levels and taking female hormones. They lose muscle mass, which is the advantage testosterone gives you.”

Pilgrim said she believes the only sport in which men-to-women transsexuals might have an advantage is swimming, because these athletes gain body fat, which assists buoyancy.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10809648/

That's pretty great for NBC.... and I love that they say that Male to Female transsexuals might have an advantage in swimming, because you gain body fat.... even though all non transsexual females also have female hormone levels regulating body fat!

I know which country I am cheering for in the 2008 Olympics!!!

homemade treats!

2006-11-16T21:19:00.000-08:00

Almond Butter Oat Cookies
mix together:
5 TBS almond butter
1/4 CUP date syrup
1 TSP vanilla extract
1/4 CUP brown rice flour
1/2 CUP oats
1/4 TSP baking soda
1 TSP cinnamon or cardamom (optional)
1/4 CUP grain sweetened vegan chocolate or carob chips (sunspire brand)

Make into small, flatish dough balls, and place on a greased or lined cookie sheet
Bake at 325 for about 10-12 minutes

alternatives to sugar

2006-11-16T20:27:00.000-08:00

some of my favorite sweeteners... all helping me live a sugar free year
all of these can be purchased at New Seasons Markets, with the exception of the Carob Molasses, which I get at Ya Hala on SE Stark

1) Agave Nectar - This one comes from the agave fruit and is the consistency of honey with a milder taste. I like this one in hot drinks, on cereal and oatmeal, in cake frosting recipes....

2) Xylitol - Sounds like a chemical but it's actually an extract from a tree bark. Looks like white sugar with a gentler taste and a very low glycimic index, so it is safe for diabetics. This is my sweetener of choice for coffee, and if it were cheaper I would bake with it too.

3) Brown Rice Syrup - Thick and rich with great texture. I use this for baking muffins, cookies, powerbars and rice crispy treats.

4) Carob Molasses - Rich and dark with a strong flavor, extracted from carob beans, and that's all! This one makes great cookies and peanut sauce.

5) Date Syrup - Straight from dates, so it's quite sweet. I use it for baking and sauces.

And why no sugar? Processed cane sugar causes me lots of distress for many reasons. It is very quickly absorbed into your system, so you get a fast high and a fast low... it's horrible for sustained energy. It acts as an inflammatory in the body, and therefore makes any injuries you may have worse (such as tendinitis, muscle injury, etc.), and also inflames your bronchioles, making it more challenging to get oxygen into your blood stream, which is especially noticeable in asthmatics like myself. Sugar is an immune suppressor, meaning it weakens the immune system, making recovery from a cold much slower, and making you more susceptible to getting sick in the first place. It makes me cranky and groggy, I get the "sugar hangover" the next day if I eat it. Hmmm, I guess it's just bad news in my body, and living sugar free I feel so much better mentally and physically, have not gotten sick or had asthma, and enjoy whole natural foods so much more. There's lots of research out there about it, if you are dying for more.... there's a great sugar free blog you can also check out for a great laugh and some good information:
www.stopbeingsweet.com