NASA city- Tanasi

The first weekend in May was the fifth SERC race. It was the bonus round and the weekend before Reid's finals. So, I left Reid home to study and made the trip over to Huntsville Al solo. The forecast was thunderstorms the whole weekend. I heard that the trails in Huntsville were hard and very technical, so I was very nervous. Unfortunately, it was worse than I had expected. The course had long stretches of downhill slippery rocks, and uphill slippery rocks, and flat stretches with slippery rocks. I had a very difficult time keeping on my bike, I also forgot to turn my shock back on after the long road section. I road the second lap with my shock off. Not cool. I managed to finish the race before the thunderstorm came, it was a big challenge for me.

This is us at the start line!

It was also Anina's birthday weekend so we celebrated with cake and icecream!

A couple weekends later I made the journey over to Tanasi. Tanasi was my first mountain bike win two years ago as a beginner, however last year was miserable. It rained hard, and it cost a lot for bike repairs.

Once again the forecast was thunderstorms. I thought it was going to be a repeat of last year. But the coarse was dry and it was a lot of fun. I didn't do great but I had a good time. I was happy with the way I rode. We also got our awesome new clothing, I think it made me faster ;).

Reid came up on Sunday morning and raced. Of course he did awesome and got fourth in his category. He bought lunch.

I am taking a couple weekends off of racing, Reid and I put new flooring in last weekend- which was a lot harder than I thought, and this weekend we are going down to Pensacola for a wedding. I am looking forward to some beach time.

Twilight and Fort Yargo!

I am falling behind on my weekend blog posts!

A few weekends ago was a good weekend for me. The weather was crappy but we still had fun. Saturday morning was the twilight greenway cat 3/4 crit. Sunday was the 4th SERC race at Fort Yargo.

I thought we were going to miss the rain since it said only 30% chance of rain but the weatherman was wrong it was 100%. It was pouring when I woke up and pouring during our race. The race is a short 30 minute crit and I was hoping to finish top 3. This was my first crit of the year and I was on a new bike - I wasn't sure how I would feel on the corners. I decided that I was going to race hard- like a mountain biker, I kept attacking and they kept bringing me back. On my last attack I lucked out- there were 3 laps to go, once they saw the lap signs everyone sat in and waited for the sprint. I was able to get away, plus it was raining so I was able to make time on the corners, my bike was so smooth, I couldn't feel a bump, I felt comfortable. I went as hard as I could the last 10 minutes and managed to keep away. I was super excited I won my first race of the year! Maybe next year I'll start the big girl race.

Reid rode a tough crit in the afternoon. It poured during his race and I was happy he didn't crash. Later that afternoon, Kym, Anina and Marc met us early at out house- their pre-ride was cut short from the rain.

We made the trip to downtown in the rain to watch the big races. But not before we made a short stop to Target on our way to get rain boots. Which were great to stand in the rain.

I woke up Sunday hoping to not finish dead last at Fort Yargo. My legs hurt from the day before from the race and standing around downtown watching the festivities. As an expert my skills are no where as good as the other riders, so I decided that I would try to stick to a wheel and stay on that wheel as long as I could. It worked out well for me. I finished fifth overall and third in the expert field. I was super pumped. It was the best expert result for me so far this year! Kym and Anina of course rocked. They have been getting 1-2 all year, they are awesome!

Pics are coming soon.

Columbus

Last weekend Reid and I made the trip over to Columbus GA. We spent the night before in Atlanta with the in-laws, who made us an amazing dinner - steaks, mashed potatoes, and key lime pie. The next morning we got up super early and drove to Columbus. Reid has finals in a couple of weeks, so we decided to save time and chose not pre-ride the course. We were hoping it was going to be the same course as last year. Lucky for us it was. Unfortunately for me I didn't remember any of it.

The race for me started well. I was second wheel for the beginning couple miles. Then I lost sight of the first rider and thought I was going to make up a lot of time going really hard up the dirt road. Too bad the dirt road wasn't part of the trail and I had to turn around. I lost two spots. I rode hard for the rest of the course, it was a fun and fast race, but I had hoped to finish a little better. Oh well, there will be more races.

Tsali

Last weekend we went up to Tsali for the 3rd SERC race. I love Tsali when its dry- its fast, hilly and not too technical. We pre-road a long loop on Saturday that was about 19 miles, I was really worried that the race was going to kick my butt. I have never ridden 29 miles on the mountain bike let alone have to race it.

That night we met my teammates at an awesome cabin. Anina and her husband John made us all an amazing dinner. And, all the girls had a great time hanging out. Reid is still asking me what we were all talking about (I guess he kept hearing bursts of laughter from upstairs).

Sunday we all woke up to nerves. Kym was nervous about winning, I was nervous about bonking. So I decided it would be an excellent idea to eat everything in sight. I ate a bowl of cereal with lots of milk. That was my first mistake. Then I changed my sport drink.

At the start of the race Anina told me I had to go super hard and be at the front. So, we start going up this gradual hill, and then go into the trail which had a steep uphill. I was in the wrong gearing and couldn't make it up, I took out half the field. Opps...but no one seemed upset at me, which made me surprised. Pretty sure if we had been road racing I would have been thrown in a ditch.

After getting off the bike, most of the field had passed me and I was all flustered. I tried to make up time and got more flustered, making more mistakes. After awhile I settled in and then the crazy sport men came by. Wow, that is a lot of testosterone.

By the second lap I had caught up to two girls and passed them. I felt like I was making up good time. And then it hit me, my stomach. It was bad, I could barely move, it was all I could do to keep pedaling, and the descents were not helping. The girls passed me back with about 3 miles to go, and I was just hoping I could make it back to the finish. It took me awhile but I was finally better, I have learned my lesson and will stick to foods I can eat, and drinks I know.

I was happy with my result. I was not far behind the five girls in front of me, so I know I can do better. My teammates of course kicked butt, and are all awesome. I forgot my camera but got this picture off the race promoters website. Its some of our team at the start line.

Tomorrow Reid and I are going to Columbus GA. I am looking forward to this race, it will be smaller than the SERC races, my goal is to stay on the bike and eat right.

Chickasaw

Last weekend was my first mountain bike race as an expert. Reid had warned me how hard it is to transition from Sport to Expert, but it was tougher than I thought.

On Saturday I met Mark and Kym in Chattanooga, and we carpooled to Columbia. It is always entertaining with Mark and Kym. The weather was perfect, high 60s and sunny and trails were in amazing shape. We met Amanda, Anina, and Kelsey, and went for a fun pre-ride.

That night we went to Shannon's house in Murfreesburo, it is an awesome house. One of our big sponsors bought us dinner and Mark spent five hours cleaning our bikes. It was a fun night.

It poured Saturday night and we woke up to a muddy course. I was not happy, however, Anina pointed out that the only way I will get better at riding is in the mud is to ride in the mud.

The start was through a field and I did pretty good making it through the start. I did okay once we hit the trail, but I started to get passed. Then we hit the mud, and that was it for me. I was just trying to finish. Chickasaw is a fun course, but it is really hard in the mud. I finally finished and was really happy.

Chickasaw is about 5-6 hours from Athens so I had to hitch a ride back with Star and Amy so I could get home before midnight. I left my muddy bike with Mark and Kym, and Mark cleaned my bike again. It was super nice of him. My ride home with Star and Amy was entertaining too. Star at a chili dog and had the worst burps, I couldn't figure out what was smelling like garlic for half the ride. I thought it was me.

Next weekend is Tsali and I think most of our team is going. I am looking forward to the weekend, our team is a blast. Tsali is a big race too and the weather is supposed to be nice. It is going to be tough.

Weekday rides

The weather is getting better and the days are longer, which means good bye rollers! Woo-ho! The weeknight rides have started back up, which gives me something to do during the week and I don't have to ride alone so much.

Reid is my riding buddy so it sucks that he is gone Monday through Thursday. I have to go on my recovery rides alone. Its embarrassing to go so slow alone.

We have finally been able to go mountain biking in good weather. I think I have only mountain biked 5 times this year. Expert racing is going to be tough.

Last weekend we decided not to go to Thomaston and race. It was going to rain on Sunday and Reid had a huge paper due on Monday. So I worked Saturday morning and then we went to Fort Yargo for a long ride. As usually Reid kicked my butt. I took some fun pictures of us on the top of monster mile in Fort Yargo. It was a good time.

Peace out...

Colorado

Susie and I left last Thursday for Colorado. Our plane was delayed two hours so we got started early on the Margaritas. Susie downed two before I was finished with my first one. What a lush.

I feel like planes are getting smaller. I was stuck in the middle with Susie on one side and a 6'5'' man on the other. It was cramped. The man was really nice, even though he thought I was a sophmore in highschool. It was 4 am Eastern time by the time we made it back to Ike and Dana's townhouse (condo).

Friday I felt hungover from the lack of sleep and altitude. I am glad I live on the East coast.

Susie and I went to Colorado to visit our new nephew Evan (and to see Ike and Dana), who is of course adorable. He likes to sleep, eat, bite fingers, and do yoga.

Dana and Evan

The weather was sunny on Friday and Saturday. We went to the zoo, hiking, and running. We also played scrabble (the right way, I think). I had to teach Susie how to spell in scrabble and had to hide the dictionary from her because she kept cheating.

Susie and the Elephant

By Monday it was snowing, and we were on our way home. It was a short weekend, and I miss my amazing nephew.

Fun Weekend!

Life is Good

I am finally feeling better, my wisdom teeth are healing and I don't have dry sockets anymore. The sun is shining and its the weekend. I was suppose to work today, and I did, but I left early to go ride. I figured I am going to be 26 once, and I could work Saturdays for the rest of my life.

Last weekend was our team weekend in NC with Scott. It was a great time, and a good distraction from my awful wisdom teeth. Saturday we rode our new trek road bikes around Pisgah Forest. It was so beautiful and lots of mountains. Sometimes I am glad I live in Athens where there are no mountains. I am not a climber and Athens is a good excuse. That night we ate tons of good food and played scrabble with cards. I won the first game, Susie would have been so proud of me. After a couple more sips of wine (except for Emily) we came up with some great words. Amy was so good at the game, she even said the definitions of the words while playing. She won the last 5 games we played too.

Sunday we rode our new mountain bikes. Unfortunately the trails were not in great shape and we ran into a lot of trees. We hiked with our mountain bikes for what felt like 5 hours, really it might have been an hour. It was the never ending, but we all had a good time hanging out with each other. After our ride I stuffed my face with food and raced home to see Reid.

The weekends seem to fly by, but I am glad Spring is on its way. Susie and I are going to Colorado next weekend to see my nephew, Evan. I can't wait. After Colorado the mountain bike race season starts, we'll see how it goes.

Wisdom Teeth

Yesterday I got my wisdom teeth out. It was not fun, however the nurses said that I smiled the whole time. I think it was the medicine. The recovery is the worst. I am really nauseas, and I have slept almost 24 hours, which has just made me more tired. My mouth is still numb, I can't stop swallowing blood, and I can't open my mouth. To top it all off the weather is amazing, high 50's and sunny. I hope I am fully recovered by tomorrow so I can ride my new bike.

A week of adventures

This week has flown by...

Since I moved up to expert this year, I decided I should probably train this winter. Of course this would be the winter that it is really cold and wet. I can't remember what it feels like to ride in shorts and jersey, and every weekend keeps getting colder and wetter.

Last Saturday Reid and I rode the wbl. It was not one of the epic rides so I thought I had a chance to finish. I don't know what I was thinking. About three and half hours in my legs started cramping. Then I realized all I had eaten was an airhead-no pun intended. So I scarfed down a milky way as soon as I remembered I should eat, but it was too late. Reid had to push me up all the hills for the last 20 miles.

On a different note, my dog Flash disappeared the other day. Lola (our other dog) and Flash escaped from our backyard, and went on an adventure through our neighborhood. I got a phone call at work from a neighbor saying she had Lola but couldn't get the "black one". I drove around looking for Flash for a couple hours and had no luck. It isn't like Flash to run away. She doesn't like to be outside that much and always is beside our side. When Reid came home from school he drove around for 2-3 hours with no luck. I was so upset Flash was gone. We had yoga that night and I had hopes that it would calm me down, but all I could think of was my Flash. On my way home I told myself that this happens to a lot of people, dogs run away and I just have to deal with it. When I met Reid at home he carried out Flash like a prize, she had been waiting at our back door for us. She was very disoriented, like she had been on a long adventure. She ate two bowls of food, drank a giant bowl of water, and went to bed. I am so grateful she came home!

New Mountain Bike!!

I rode my mountain bike yesterday for the first time in 4 months and realized I am really out of shape. I love my new bike, it rides so good! I felt like I had great control on the bike and big. My bike looked so tiny. During the whole ride I told Reid how I was going through a growth spurt and that I must've grown two inches since last year. I said by the end of my growth spurt I should be about 5' 7''. Anyways, when we got home Reid checked the sizes out, turned out the bike is a smaller size than last years. Oh well... wishful thinking on my part. I guess I will always be a shorty.