Not AGAIN!!

I have a problem. Whether it be a one night get-away or an adventure across the country, i ALWAYS FORGET MY TOOTH BRUSH!! I had none this past weekend in Big Bear. I had to go to the store. In North Carolina i looked through Shelli's dad's cabinet, found nothing. In Deer Valley, i was coming up short too. Then Eli stated he was rollin to the store. Did anyone need anything? Well, yes indeed I do. He bought a two-fr. I didn't even have to pay him back. Ever since, everytime i leave this necessity at home or on the road, i think of calling Eli and asking for a hook up. this is Eli at last weeks race. He let me borrow his bike to make a trip to the car. It was a dirt jumping bike. Not good for skirts.


I am being the best model i can be here. Wearing the new hot dress Shelli gave me for my birthday and the cycling jewelery the Johnsons gave me. I am also holding a box of RAD, a new endurance drink powder. At least its brining one of my favorite words back. And it tastes pretty good.

I also won a new jersey. This was the last race of the Cal State Series (south i guess...) and i was able to win it and then snag the overall series title. sometimes i wear the jersey when i am styling my new hair cut, but not any other time. The hair cut, well you will just have to wait and see...

Sweet Success

THE JEEP IS SOLD!!!
Pictured here with a rock circle. Quite odd actually, but just goes to prove i know most everything. Adam and Chris set this booby trap up and i found it a mere 20 minutes later. The funny thing is that three fridays later, the rocks are still there!

I ran out of Spanish Rice, but won their hearts back with Churros

And this is all that was left.

Last weekend, i headed to Big Bear Thursday afternoon with 40 high school seniors. i had one job. and it was a big one. i was cooking for them, until Saturday night.

9 dozen enchilladas (potato ones, cheese ones, ones with peppers...)
3 HUGE pans of black bean salad
3 huge pans of spanish rice made from scratch
3 pans orzo salad (Thanx Christie for the recipe!)
And all the accutraments for hot dogs plus potato salad
A pancake breakfast was had with some killer scrambled eggs.

To say the least, i was pooped. my ankles were swollen, there were stains on all my shirts, and i barely ate a thing all weekend I always have the staples though: Yogurt; carrots; apple sauce; slim fast and pedialyte. Im hungry...

But it was worth it! The kids loved the food and even said it was healthy AND good. score. The churros created a feasting frenzy as did the root beer floats on saturday night!

I do have an idea though: How about a SAVORY CHURRO. Think Corn Nuts. They come without the sugar and cinnamon, so why not bake them and roll them in garlic herbs? BBQ flavor? Rosemary? Think about it...we will have a taste test sometime...later...

Who is your bed-fellow?

Timber is mine. For now. He is waiting transportation to his new home, on the lease to own option. They are completing a fence, just for him. But for now, we share many things. Frolicks, cuddles, naps, tug of war and the such. If only you could be so lucky...

Some things, are in fact, as large as they appear

I was riding with Matt one day and i kept getting this shaft of light stuck in my eye. Could it be faulty sunglasses? NO! Not the HAbervisions, they would not let me down (besides sliding, fogging, and getting dirty). I tried to move and get out of the way, but then i realized just where that glint of light was coming from.

Then on another ride, Matt was shooing a fly away with his left hand when SMACK, something hit me upside the head. Good thing my helmet was intact and ready for warfare. Otherwise, i could have been down for the count.

And this, was the culpret. A GARMIN, so he says. I was thinking calculator, GPS from way back when. But it is purely a wrist watch.


PS: Some of this could have been a lie.

I find most things funny

This weekend has been big. But, last weekend was BIGGER. So, i have to back track just a bit, to get myself up to speed.

I had a birthday. i am not one for self-promotion, aside from the fact that i have a blog that is soley centered around myself. But, i turned 28 last Sunday. The cool thing about the placement of my birthday is that Labor Day always lands near the date, so i get a holiday of sorts.

Lets start with Friday:
Yucaipa Regional Park for a picnic with the high school students and fun on the water slides, frolicking in the lake, and a snack, brought by yourself. I got dinner from friend Carrie, then hit up some church action where Zack never seems to let us down.

Moving to Saturday:
I have become addicted to riding my bike, in mass. I like to call it the coffee shop on wheels. This group is huge, fast, and extremely entertaining. I flatted. And when i abrubptly stopped to fix it, i actually had to sit on the curb because the vomit was so close. It was also 110 degrees and i was sweating like i just climbed out of the pool. Adam Hart stopped to help, which was great because i promptly flatted again. We time trialed it back to meet Matt, because all mountain bikers must stay close and be eachothers wingmen.

It was officially Hot.

The big Day:

My posie of Matt, Trevor, and Christie, and i all headed to Big Bear to do some scouting. THis was the ultimate birthday bash. Three of my favorites, on our bikes, doing what we do. The weather was about 25 degrees cooler than the furnace we call home, and the conversation selacious as usual. AS we neared the end the flood gates opened and dumped the largest amount of rain i have seen in months. The trail quickly turned into fast moving stream and i loved it! Then i felt bad because the boys were shivering and turning blue. Something to do with that low body fat percent or something. Once we loaded up we headed to La Montana for a delicious meal. Now that, my friends, is an awesome day.

Later that day, Shelli took me to a movie and gave me a pretty hot dress. My host family (who will soon have an entire post dedicated to them) hooked me up with cycling jewlery. yeah.

Then real life attacked, which left me spun out with late nights and early mornings of working on work stuff, which will create its own blog one day.

Out of Retirement

I think i mentioned, perhaps, that i retired from Coaching sports. Well, i lied. AS of yesterday, i am once again on the roster. i am currently gleaning a group of Junior High Girls for a season of wicked Volleyball. Pictures to come, stories to recap, just let me tell you this: The tears will flow, the fingers will become jammed, but our quest for pure domination begins tomorrow.

We did have an idea though. I can only put 12 on the roster. I have 22 girls trying out. Some ones gonna get the ax. I should have brought the video camera in on day one. Set up the confession room, and let the tape roll. They could try to fight for my time and give me the run down as to why THEY should remain on the team: They are popular, they can hit the ball-sometimes. They look cute in the uniform and many other viable options. Then at the end of every practice, we would come to center court in a circle, and one by one they would be eliminated, leaving only the best of the best, 12 in a row, suited up in their faded blue jerseys. Now thats good TV.

But alas, we serve, set, bump, set, run wind sprints and talk about grandious things like team work, development, playing well with others and great attitudes. Now, that, would be dull TV.

Daily Facts

DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CHILDREN UNATTENDED...

The effects of large pet, bored, in the yard, with large cardboard bike box...for the second time.

ASSERT DOMINANCE WHEN THEY ARE YOUNG


A daily battle caught on camera. we were just trying to have some QT, then he got all agro on me, wanted to walk himself and slobber on everyone.

WHY I AM OVER PAID


For the past 3 days, the majority of my work day has been spent assigning these, opening them, attempting to fix the random problem as to why they will not open. I should be 1)Teaching kids how to play 2)teaching kids geography 3)lining the fields 4)surfing the web

MY NEW HOME, don't be a hater!

I got a bit of a storage unit. When you can fit your life in this space, with room to spare, you know you are either a)poor b)just out of college c)conscious of not having too many things d)homeless e)or someone else got all the cool big items that were in your house

Sneaky Snakes no more

You would think that a mountain bike ride in the middle of the work day would go unnoticed. Oh contrare. Since Matt is "taking time off" and i am about to stop taking time off, we hit up Loch Leven for some sneaky riding. Only to run into Padgett and another guy (i forgot his name, it happens) at the country store in Angeles Oaks. Of course we chatted it up and they were obviously NOT working either, and probably should have been! After cruising some one track, we noticed a familiar SUV at the store, belonging to Edward. What's up with that? at least we were all able to line out some killer rides for the weekend...maybe someone will work on Monday.

In Other news:

Last night i felt like a Pimp. I took Dozer and his best collar to a ranch down the road. I had him run hot laps, sit, lay down, showcase his hops, and come when he was called. It felt like the circus in a way, and i feel very shallow for it! They seemed to like him, but no call back...yet.

I am the locker lady:

Yesterday I assigned over 300 lockers. This is what i know:

Some things are WAY more important than they should be
Parents are really rude
If there is a spider in your OUTSIDE locker, that is NOT my problem
If you can not open your locker, that is not my problem
If you would like a top locker, show up early, and that is also not my problem

Cool thing is that i have keys and combos to all the lockers. i find contraband. this is fun...

Tomorrow boads long road rides followed by swimming in the pool and lounging on the couch. One could get used to this. But then whose going to fold the laundry and finish my lesson plans???

Like You Don't Even Know....

A TRIBUTE TO:

The things too convaluted to explain
The elation too intense to admit to
The angst that is assumed not to exist
And all other things that when truly thought about and delved into, all you can do is shake your head, and mutter, ever so softly "LIKE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW"

Today, I was supposed to report back to work. Instead, i sat at the Denver airport and waited for a flight back home. Is it bad to miss the first day back on the job after having the entire summer off to dilly dally?

But i think i am ready to face the masses once again, smile intact and energy level on the high side.

Between searching for homes for my dogs (DO YOU WANT ONE?? THEY CUDDLE...) to attempting to sell a car and knowing that i have to find a place to live and wondering just what inadimate object i will realize i have left behind, and trying to think just where i packed all my work polos away, racing and the community it brings has become my solace.

Not just racing. Its riding the bike. My most productive therapy sessions over the past few weeks have been in the saddle. Some off the back rolling solo. Others full throttle at STXC pace led by guys i never imagined i could hang with, and then you have the meandering roll with friends.

Knowing that i have the challenges of a race to endure and conquer and to suffer through and possibly miserably fail at has been awesome. my eyes and emotions (which do exist) have been open to an entirely different realm of existance. Some people have backed off, been intimidated by another persons pains, too consumed by their own daily battles or lack there of, or simply neglected to care about the status of my existance.

BUT...there have been others. The others, as they will remain nameless except for in the deepest portions of my soul, have shown me the unheard of levels of exceptance and understanding and support that goes beyond cliches and pats on the back. They have embraced whatever emotion i am that day and showed me in a way that words only cheapen, what friends are all about.

A RUN DOWN OF THE NEAR PAST: THIS COULD BE LONG, like you don't even know...


There is nothing like a race at 9,000+ Feet!



Jeremy and I pre-riding slacker style. We rode the course Thursday and Friday, giving me the feeling that if the race just sucked, my vacation would have been wonderful still!!



Chasing these guys around the Aspen made the rides much more entertaining and hard!! I think around this corner we found Heather Holmes from Kenda, she made me hurt real bad too!!



Mom was in attendance!! She was doing her work out on the deck, and i caught her! We also made her galavant all over the mountain, but not on a bike!


This little obstacle snuck out of nowhere! Pretty boring on race day, but friday was full of down hillers doing what they do...roll over stuff.


We realized that Aspen is Palm Springs at elevation, they cruise around with Uggs on while driving huge planet killers. With that in mind, they sure do set up a nice bike wash!!



They even made sure we knew what went where!


Saturday meant race day for MATT which left Jeremy and I with the dubious distinction of doing the feed. Well we sucked at it. If you look way down in the left corner, that is Jeremy RUNNING down the mountain to a trail to get to a road to get to Matt. I was not so hot on his heels in my KEENE flops, but we made it, and Matt got his snacks!!


While HIKING back to a spot to see Matt come through again, we decided to be good stewards of the trails and pick up wrappers. OK, the yogurt was mine, but this is what we found walking about four steps. Ever heard of Pack it In, Pack It Out?!


909 Dinner Crew - Boy's, should we make it a weekly event?? Eric and Adam from PossAbilities made the treck out to CO too, and that's Matt. It was NUTS how many CA people were out there! Always cool to have good friends out at the events!!

I HAD A BIT OF A RACE

This is about 20 minutes from the end!!


This MASSIVE abrassion made me almost DNF the event. Actually, i did have a stellar endo right infront of two junior girls. rad. What a great example i am!


8 seconds from the finish. There was a big bump that went from dirt/grass to pavement, i thought about dying there.


But in the end, i was able to pull out a podium. yeeea!


But i could not have done it without these guys! James, who asked me 12 minutes before the start if i needed anything. Well, my drive train is all out of whack. Whada ya got?? Done. Worked like butter. Then there was Matt, who dutifully did my feeds, even though he was shivering and had to borrow someones fuzzy fleece! I also threw my glasses at him and on the next lap James handed me Matt's glasses, quite complex actually!


Also, whats a girl to do with a dirty bike? Make the Brother clean it! Actually, he just hooked me up. He decided not to race because he is a slacker, i mean Cat 3 road racer so he would have had to buy an expert license, or be a sport sand bagger. It was so cool to ride the trails with him, get some tips, and have all the help i never even thought of. he made me eggs on race day. what a guy.


Although i did not win the race, i had accrued enough points to win the overall series title, which was pretty cool, especially since the family was there.

That concludes the national mountain bike series. I have one more Cal State race and some covert ops, but my Expert Career is almost coming to a close! I am so stoked with how my season went and extremely grateful for all the support and help and love from everyone!!

This was a super long post with a lot of photos. i hope you read it four times, at least, and leave me a comment, because i could have been asleep about two hours ago. and remember, i do have a job, and starts tomorrow....

Neglect

In approximately 2 hours, i will begin the voyage to Aspen CO for the last stop on the national circuit. This trip will be fantastic! The parents are there, Jeremy and Suzanne, and maybe cousin Kristen and her family. Plus a huge number of SoCal racers will be rolling in. Matt, Adam, Eric, maybe Lisa, and huge gaggle of backbone riders. So why don't we just race in Idylwild of something?!

Funny things of the past week:

1. Uncle Greg, where i stay, got sprayed by a skunk while running yesterday morning.

i guess there was only one, probably more, but i forgot!!

After blowing my fork on sunday and having to wacked out rear wheels fixed, hopefully the bike will pull through for one more thrashing at the hands of a very large, steep, wet, mountain!!

Sister Sister and the Return of Lupagus

For starters, here is a shot from NC. THis is funny, probably only to me, because i had just slid/ran/hucked and chucked down some one track to come face to face with Shelli's dad, who promptly yelled that he did not come all this way to see me run. I was going SO fast...that as i jumped onto the bike i actually fell onto it, then off and in some cirque du solei fashion ended up run and leaping on landing with both feet clipping in at the same time. See how parallel my legs are? promise i don't "ride" like that. I guess you had to be there...

SISTER SISTER


My Sister Julene and her husband Rouru are expecting another kid!! Cool, except the first one made her REALLY sick for about 7 months, and this one is well on the way to doing the same thing. Things are not looking pleasant or good for the next chunk of months for her, especially with this little ball of nudity running around wanting to play!! He did however, make a funny. While the family was looking at the ultra sound he said "Look Mum, a bunny!" And that Bunny, will one day be his sibling...



It bums me out that they live in New Zealand. I know it is a nice place and all, i have googled it a few times, but it is hard to help or play or be able to eat the really good island food!

LUPAGUS
although this is not the BEST picture of the Pet, it will have to do. Yesterday i was able to pick him up and he will spend the rest of forever with me! This was in fact, a huge ray of excitement because he is by far one of my most favorite "People"! We have had some walks, cuddled, napped, and rides in the car. He has dropped some LB's due to the whole situation, so now the goal is to get him to EAT. i usually have to SIT WITH HIM to get him to eat and make him extravagent things like oatmeal with bacon, eggs, and part of a burrito. i am not of the school of thought that he should not get human food. He ate the whole bowl...well not the bowl...i would get in trouble for that one!!

Trading Spaces

NMBS Sugar Mountain, North Carolina where to begin.

This trip i did everything solo, sans all the homies, but appropriately littered with people from the past, people on parallel paths, and people that are just down right cool. Oh, and the REALLY weird ones too!! I had a challenge ahead of me so intense, i actually failed quite quickly, realizing that i am in fact, addicted to people. Phone contact does not do the trick. I need to be in your space, in your sphere, in your area. Is that weird? Thus the challenge began as i stepped into the first leg of the diverse adventure.

First Stop: Shelli's Dads House:


As i staggered into their home at 3 am, this is what greated me! A note of welcome, snacks for the morning, and a can of easy cheese (i found that myself) to put on some crackers. Since i came way too late to SEE anyone, i slept way too late too see anyone on the flip side. 24 hours of non-contact with ANYONE i knew...oy...Shelli wasn't there. So we traded spaces.

The VENUE
I headed to Sugar Mountain, a two hour drive, which ended up being the lucky number of all things that i needed to get too. I quickly found the familiar faces of Larry Longo and Sharon and i think i actually touched Larry's arm, to make me feel more normal and what not, then i went out for my preride. KILLER!! There is a HUGE mountain to climb, excellent, just what i always wanted. (For those of you who don't know me, i am being serious.) The down hill was, well chaos. Tightly woven trails with cobble stones of roots and rocks. There was a thick layer of mud covering them and then random rock drops and ledges. Insane. Not as steep or as long as those found in VT, but harrowing none the less. Then, there was RAIN i wasn't sure WHAT to do about this stuff, but i kinda liked it!

Unfortunately, it DID NOT rain on race day. I hoped it would, to spice things up a bit, but that was a no go.

After an excellent preride, i headed back to Ashville two hours of course, to meet with Haley and CO

This is Haley. She lived across the hall from me in high school, next to me and with me in college, and i lived on her couch when i first arrived in the IE. we have a lot of history...what she is holding is actually a cupcake made in a ice cream cone. Genious. We were both guests at her sister HEather and her husband Jeremy;s house
Now i know what this "Host Houseing" is all about. Dang. This was my bedroom...
One could get used to that, i also took a bath, nice...

Speaking of Haley she did a bit of art work i thought you might enjoy. This is one of about 30, so perhaps more to come...Baking With Barbie, and Ken for that matter...



Ok, focus. I did go there to RACE in fact. I went to the venue saturday night to stay with Chrissy Bono and her family. they were awesome and right on the course! Super good idea!! (Thanx Cpop!!) I ended up only sleeping 3 hours the night before the race! Shout out to Paige for waking me up at midnight with a hangup call, then my over active head got infiltrated with my over active and overly stressed life, making me awake, forever.

Race day, yehaw! i was bugged and bothered for some reason or another. But in the end, the first place girl and i rode elbow to elbow for about 40 minutes until we came to the top of the climb (yes, it was that long) and she conducted a down hill clinic, just for me. I estimated that she weighed about 90 lbs, the size of my left leg. Super cool chick, was able to be only 6 minutes out, she beat me by 15 in VT. Whats up with that?! I was totally stoked for a 2nd place.

Next, i had to break down the bike and drive to Charlotte to catch a flight. To make the VERY long story super short, i had to get a hotel and eat at Cracker Barrell ALONE AGAIN because of weather issues in Dallas. Dang. More money, more time out of my LIFE!!! Good times were had for sure!!

Just For Kicks

I put Iced Coffee on my cereal because there was no milk.

I detailed the jeep, then left it by a curb that gets watered daily.

I bought a stack of magazines (not smutt ones)and two books in an attempt to broaden my mind on this trip. But then i just felt bad because they cost money.

I packed 1/3 as much as i do for most trips with the realization that i usually only wear cycling clothes and three other things: a surrong; sports bras; the occasionals tank top.

I quit watching the tour de france, partly because i wont be around a tv for about three weeks, but also i am creating a small protest. you are the only ones who know though.

I will promise...to take photos at this event...i really wish i had a camera on my cell phone...i would have had a fantastic update last time!

If you check my blog out from another country, please let us know. i can't tell on that teeny tiny map exactly where you hail from so i can;t figure out who you are and why you are on my blog. that stresses me out.

What is this thing, called Mud??

AS i fumbled through the sloppy mountains of Vermont, all i could do was laugh. THe MOutnain Biking National Championships were held this past weekend in West Dover Vermont. I traveled with the Usual Suspects: Matt, Christie, Greg and the extended Pleiss/Miller Family.

This weekend fell perfectly inline with my therapy outline and was by far, the most fun i have had at a traveling event. I didnt win, but i smiled the whole race - maybe just in my head, or i would have gotten a lot of mud in my mouth, then i could become ill - and once again i truly enjoyed the process of suffering. I have had my bike since April: I have not crashed it. I have not gotten mud on it. As of my latest bruise count - i crashed my bike 16 times. It was also covered and clogged with sticky mud for about three days. Now that is an initiation.

This One is For Maureen: To divert myself from the self-serving antics of a blog, i am giving a shout out to Maureen Kunz. She has been hittin up the nationals and doing an awesome job. i knew she would dominate on this course because she is an all round rider who can decend and climb and have fun. Well she did. She got THREE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP JERSEYS. Cross Country; Super D; and Down Hill. Ladies, watch out. I also had a great time chattin it up with her and all the other girls in the race. Totally worth the 15 hours of travel and tribulation to get there.

As far as food goes, i eat a lot. Christies family threw down in style, home made friday dinner, brought TO us. Lunch at the campsite on saturday and a swim in the river. for once we actually SAW where we were racing, drove beyond the gates of the event into the real world that was even more fantastic than we imagined.

I am a total loser because i have not a single photo. But thats ok. maybe next week.

Tonight i rebuilt the bike, tomorrow i take it the shop. Wednesday i break it down again, heading off on my second to last voyage of the season. this time i have to fly solo, but as we all know, i can do a pretty good job of entertaining myself. maybe i will actually TAKE a book this time, so at least there is the potential for reading.

Steppin it up

I figured that i needed to update my blog before i head out on my adventures. from the little blurb on the right, i can see more people check out this blog than i assumed, or the multiple times a day i check it out myself have been adding up. none the less, i owe the masses, or myself, a bit of trivia.

Tomorrow Matt Freeman and i head to Albany NY where we will meet up with the Pleiss Family in Vermont for the Mountain Biking National Championships. No big deal or anything. After a weekend of fun an tomfoolery, we head back to the IE. With a quick respit and time to clean the bike and the kits, i will exit to the east again, flying solo to North Carolina to race yet another National event. The day i arrive "home" i don't even repack or clean anything, maybe my hair, before i head across the rockies to Boulder CO.

I will do my best, which is actually pretty good, to keep everyone posted with results and happenings and entertained with photos and anecdotes on how you too, can take over the world.

I have been laying low in Loma Linda for the past few weeks, opting not to race the Cal State Race at Rim Nordic this past weekend. Instead, i lay on the floor, droopy eyed, watching snippets of the Tour and THINKING about riding a bike, sorta fast. Lately, i prefer the simple three speeds of the Trek Lime it shifts for you and you just pedal back to slow it down!

I did branch out with some of the gals to get a pedicure. I asked Paige and Travis which color i should select, they said yellow in the spirit of the Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France and my forth coming racing endeavours. i look dead now. so if you see my pale toes, don't mock them. they could, potentially, bring me an ounce of good luck, if not just some good cheer.

Funky Friends

ARTIST PROFILE: KATIE BURLEY

I met Katie in the 6th grade. We were best pals all the way through high school and have done a moderately good job of keeping in touch ever since. Katie is crazy. In high school she was a cheerleader while her boyfriend, his best friend and myself all played on the basketball team. we publicly mocked her so much that she quit, never to cheer again. There were days that we were snowed in and we would take our snowboards off the roof, or go camping in her giant yard.

She has gone on to design school in Baltimore, MD, near where we grew up, where she became a Haberdasher. A maker of hats.



Check out her WEBSITE where you can buy a hat or have one custom made, just to your liking!!

On a bit of a darker note, you can check out her other work HERE!

I put it on this page because you can see an important element to our friendship. Back in probably 2000, we got the same tattoo on the top of our left foot. She designed and along with our friend Heidi, we were all maimed for life. But in the photo on the above link, you can see the tattoo in one of her portrayals of "Dead Girls"

Katie's art and talent is amazing and i am so excited that she is now hosting auctions, websites, and gallery shows!!

NEXT TO COME: BAKING WITH BARBIE by Haley Mann, like you don't even know!!

Disaster Averted, again

Hot, hot, hot. This is Shelli and i on the Santa Ana River Trail! look at the smog way off in the valley, sick.

I have never taken a camera on a mountain bike ride, so i am not sure what got into me today. Maybe the excitement of rising early and pedaling above the smog line, or the anticipation of taking a buddy and student with Uncle Greg on single track they have never explored before! Well not Greg, he informed us he has been riding that trail since 1985. Good to know.



Check out Shelli's new ride! Favorite part are the pink grips! We have a Specialized club, it's ok though, because i do have a Gary Fisher and a Lemond...


These purdy flowers are up above the big creek crossing on the glass road part of SART, if your not lookin, you'll miss them! Greg had to yell at us!

So, We rode up for quite some time, Greg and Spencer flipped a U before Glass road, and Shelli and i just kept going all the way to south fork. She felt pretty ill, probably the altitude, so we just sat at the camp ground and looked at our bikes for about 40 minutes. She went and asked a camper lady for some meds to cut the brain pain, which seemed to work! Then we started on the voyage back down.

Here is where the disaster was averted. I ride this trail a lot, and the last three times "bad things" have happened: Lost brake pads; broken seat post; broken seat. So i was ecstatic to actually ride the dang thing properly! We had just passed a group of riders going up then "BANG" and i felt a shot of cold air on my ankle. you GOT to be kidding me!! These tires are suspect, the second one i have blown. Its like the side wall just pulls away from the bead! This one was big too! I put two GU wrappers in it and a new tube, but that didn't really do the trick. I gingerly rode down to Glass Road where we had another encounter with helpful Strangers (thus dispelling the "STRANGER DANGER" theory).

Three guys were resting on the rocks and became very interested in our dilemma. (Who wouldn't, two chicks, you know the drill) They totally pulled through! One guy had DUCT TAPE in strips. He helped me tape the wrappers to the bead and side wall then on the outside. This made the tire totally rideable the next hour back to the car! It was a bit squishy though and i felt like i should lift my feet, like when you drive over the rail road tracks!



Needing maintenance



During Maintenance



Getting ready to load up

We were pooped. I think we were outside for like 5 hours! We still can't seem to figure out how the time flew by so quickly and why it took us to long!

Fantastic Four



I totally stole this from EMMA's Blog! This was from way back in April, at the Phoenix national race after the Super D podium. It was more like a really hard pedally time trial. ON the left is Maureen, the Vanderkitten racers who won at DV, far right Renee who won at Phoenix, and next to me a legend, Tammy House, who could be my mom (And that is a REALLY COOL THING) who won this event and i was elated and honored to be right behind her!! We just look cool, i think. like we are on a mission or something.

COMMENT OF THE DAY:
Spencer, 11th grade boy, first time on true one track, in the car to Greg on the way home, half way passed out.

"Duerksen was in front of me, just talking and talking. I hit a rock which made me stop and get off. She didn't even know. she just kept riding and talking until i couldn't hear her any more."

SOLO Ride

Things are not always as they appear.

The past few weeks have been tumultuous, at best. This past week i decided to part ways with Jason, the husband. i have landed in the flat lands of Loma Linda, with the mountains looming above, just a short drive away to some single track.

I am off track, being a PE teacher, so i don't have to go to work proper. So i may change some plane tickets and go to events early, or stay late. I will for sure head to Boulder early to see Jeremy and Suzanne before the Aspen national race in August, then its back to work.

My friends, travel buddies, sidekicks, and family are fantistic. if you ever wonder where you stand, have a crisis, and people really show you how they feel. i just hope that one day i can repay the kindess that has been shown to me. i have realized a lot, and i know i will definately continue to do that.

Yup

What a day to have a "DAY"

This could become quite convoluted and disconnected, so please bear with me! I had a bit of a race in Big Bear today, about a 40 minute drive from the good old FF. I have raced there many times and neither the trails nor altitude affect me, which is a good thing.

If the local Community College offered a course called "Listen to your inner self you retard" i would take it, twice. I could save a lot of many things by mastering that art.

GOOD NEWS: I did NOT DNF!!

Yesterday i started losing my voice, then the unwanted boogies came and my belly hurt, real BAD!! I went to bed at 9, to sleep at 12, and that is just how it goes.

This morning i had full use of 1/4 of one nostril, and could only talk softly (HUGE dilemma for me, some would welcome it though). My head was all squirly and was everything else about me.

I took Timber as my sidekick, with the idea that i would just do feed's, or pull out and take the dog for a walk. Christie and Matt told me not to race, but DUH, it was paid for, must get points.

I had a 7 minute warm up riding to the start line. My front brake was rubbing, i told myself fix it at the line. I didn't. it rubbed all day. At the line i told myself, ok, you have 300 yards. If you yak then, pull out. if you black out, quit. But beyond that, you are on your own. This was not a lap course, so no 6 miles and back to base camp. This was probably 20 something and if you quit, you still ride out.

The line boasted 5 solid pro women, 3 experts in my class, and about 5 experts in the other classes. at the start i immediately turned off my HR monitor because it was beeping the FAST beep, like you are on the LINE. I pedaled up the hill and just kept passing people. I passed all the experts, then all the pros, and thought that was weird. then i just kept climbing. The wild card pro caught me after about 15 minutes and we rode together, which was awesome! She told me i was killing it, which i told it was because i was very angry and upset.

Now here's the deal. Anger only lasts for so long. This past week or so i have dropped about 6 L-B's, (I have been trying to shed some girth for 15 months. Now that it is gone, i want it back) leaving me completely void of any sort of glycogen store. I was left with NOTHING. I had led the entire group, way out there, for about 1 hour 6 minutes. Then i didn't.

POINT of the DAY: Hold onto those fleeting things. Those glances, kittens playing in the grass, smell of fresh baked cookies. I could have totally flipped out, but just knowing that i had been THERE for that LONG will be remembered for months, and give me fuel for my next task.

The really cool thing about leading a race and then popping off the back like a reverse rocket is that you get to talk to everyone. Although i was in survival mode and my language sounded like this "Blgoadhw", it was cool to see people. AS i WALKED my bike up the second hill (i can't remember when i walked my bike out of exhaustion the last time. At least it is carbon, so it is svelte) some guys asked if i was ok. I said i just hit the wall, first time this year. They just told me i was due. Pretty straight forward. Then my friend from Sho Air caught me walking again, and he said i still looked cute, and that was the ticket.

I knew my body would shut down today, that is why i don't care. I also was glad it was a local Cal State race and that i did get points. The girl i was riding with for the first hour or so got a 2:10, i got a 2:43. I am not ashamed! As Matt F says "Suffering Builds Character" and you are given a choice to accept that, or dwell on the GINORMOUS time gap. But it's ok, pride should fall quickly, and for a bit i was riding with Chrissy Bono, who usually places first in pro, and she was way off the back because her legs were very upset. We just looked at each other, commented on the difference of scenery back there, and kept pedalling.

I was chatting with the pro winner at the awards. She said she was just killing a road race a few weeks back, then she dropped and cramped and came in 40 minutes back and as she crossed the line, the workers pulled it up off the ground!! They were taking down the finish chute when i came through today.

Like i have said many times: I will DNF if there is excessive blood; bones protruding; or a puppy that needs to be saved.

I just hope i dont STAY ill, i have things to take care of!

As usual, the people i race with are fantastic. The community that is build around mountain biking is one that is hard to find elsewhere.