Sherwood Hills

I was still coming off being sick this week, and wasn't sure if I would to to this race. My blood pressure has been low. On Monday is was 70/40 and my husband was determined I need to go to the hospital. After calling Arantix-Doc he decided I could wait for medical attention, I needed to see a doctor soon and there would be no riding of bikes. I didn't feel up to riding, so for the first time staying off my bike was not to much of a challenge. My first ride of the week ended up being Friday. I decided if I could ride my bike to work and back without any major set backs then I could go to the race. It worked out and so the next morning off to the race we went.

The morning of the race I felt good. There was a small showing in our division, perhaps because of Mother's Day weekend. I am not quite sure why, but the weather was perfect for a race. We waited and bantered a little bit at the start, and then it was our time to go up. I started off the line great, and then got into a pace. I knew Jen would be up soon, and sure enough she was. We talked for a movement as we rode. Jen made a comment she was on the wrong side, and right at that moment I got smacked in the face by a branch! I let her know she was not on the wrong side. About 1/2 a mile into the race I all of the sudden quit breathing. Jen heard me gasp and asked if I was okay, I let her know asthma and we continued on. From that point on I kept having problems breathing, and when I could breathe it burned my throat. I am guessing this is what happens when you do not ride for almost 2 weeks.

It didn't take long for Jen to pull a little bit ahead of me, but little by little she pulled away. I just couldn't get my legs to go. My side ached during most of the race--it wasn't bad, but it was annoying.My legs and body just did not seem to want to work. By the last hill of the race I actually geared down to my granny gear. I was tired and felt completely out of shape. I thought I was up to par, but by the time the race was over I realized I was not. I don't know if it was because I have been sick, or if it was because I have been off my bike for close to 2 weeks. Perhaps it is a combination of both. It was good to be out, and I love racing, and the trail was fun. So despite the semi-poor riding I had a good time. It's always great to be on the bike.

At the start chatting it up.

Off to a good start.

Mandy waiting her turn at the start line.

Mandy is off to a good start.

Finishing her race.

Happy to be done with my race.

Mandy on the podium.

Me, Jen & Sally podium--Sally was off watching the race.

Happy Mother's Day

I will write about the race tomorrow, but today I write about Mother's Day. My day started early. At 6:30 am I heard the thump, thump, thump of little feet. There was definite movement and definitely some planning going on. Every now and then I would hear the clank of dishes and then more running. I was surprised at how early it was, as getting anyone up before 7:00 during the week is quite the struggle.

At 7:30 am Mandy shows her cute little face into the bedroom bringing me breakfast in bed. There was so much excitement on her face I thought she would explode. Breakfast consisted of yogurt, milk and scrambled eggs Mandy had made herself. The eggs looked a little runny, but I gave it a bite hoping I would be able to eat them. Unfortunately I had to send them back to the kitchen for a little more cooking, but the second time around they were great. And Mandy's secret recipe was scumptous.

After breakfast Mandy couldn't wait to give me the present she got me--a small box of chocolate and a card that plays music and has a message. I think I like the card the best as it has Mandy talking on it. Mandy also gave me the present from Royce. I think she was more excited than anyone over Mother's Day which is what made it so much fun. I received the royal treatment for the day and had fun being with the family. The thing that makes Mother Day so much fun is having kids and being their mother.

Less than 5 miles

I am glad I went, but I probably shoudn't have. I am still recovering from being sick, and no it is not the h1n1. Due to rain the race course was changed from 11 miles to 3. It was quick, fun and I am soooo lucky as I probably would have died riding 11 miles.

I have been sick since Wednesday and on Friday I ended up in the doctors office where he told me I had a sinus infection. I can't believe how much it takes out of you--who would have thought. I still think it should not make me so tired and worn out, but oh well it has. Because of that enjoy the pictures as I am too tired to write.

Arriving at the course. Gloomy looking.
Puddles on the course - uh oh.

Mandy waiting to get started after an hour delay of the race.

Mandy finally on the start line.

Mandy working the course.

Mandy racing.

Mandy after the race. Only a little bit of mud splatter.

Waiting to move up to the start line.

At the start line.

After the race.

Not too much mud.

Mud on the shoes.

My cool husband cleaning my bike while I rest.

I Rode With the Deer

I was going to write about my ride yesterday up to Squaw Peak, and how I thought I was doing so great in my middle cog until on the steepest part I saw I had been in granny. How embarrassing, and I was crossed chained unknowingly for a very long time. However on the steepest part I changed to my middle cog, and completed the climb in my middle. I don't think that is saying much though. Anyway, I am not going to write more, because I had the coolest thing happen to me on my ride this morning.

This morning's ride started like any other. I got up, looked at the temperature, left and met the guys on the hill. This morning Steve & Eric were a little bit behind us, but I was not too worried as they are fast and always catch us. However today that was not the case. Kerry and I got to the top of the hill and they were not behind us. I took off up the trail and let Kerry know I wasn't waiting as I was sure they would catch me since I had decided I needed to climb in my middle clog the entire time today.

I made it to the top and waited. Before long Kerry showed up. The guys were not right behind him, but were close. I decided to go ahead knowing they would catch me on the down. For today this was a good decision. On my ride down the trail I ended up riding right into a herd of deer. Normally the deer are below, above or to the side, but today there was a fawn bounding right in front of me on the trail, and the rest were close by to the sides. I stopped watch, it was such a beautiful sight seeing them so close to me bounding through the brush and on the trail. After watching for a few minutes I took off, and right to the side of me a couple of deer were bounding. I kept riding as they continued next to me until they went into the brush and I went a different direction. I couldn't have asked for a better ride this morning.

Don't Get a massage

and then go immediately for a bike ride. I had a massage early this morning, and was going to ride later this afternoon, but the weather was not going to cooperate, so we rode right after my massage.

When we arrived at 5 mile pass it was raining, not hard but more than a sprinkle. We waited about 5 to 10 minutes and the rain stopped. We got out and got our bikes ready. The mud around the car was thick and stuck to our shoes. I was crossing my fingers the trail was not as bad as the mud around the car.

Mud stuck to my shoes while getting my bike ready.

We took off up the trail, and as luck would have it conditions were pretty good. The trail was well drained and tacky. I struggled to keep up with the group as we rode. My legs did not want to work and pedaling was much more difficult than it should have been. My body was very angry at me for any physical exertion after having such a relaxing massage. It could not figure out how to function. The worse part was when we came to the hike a bike. Two things happened here my body could hardly tredge up the hill, and the second was it was muddy. I had mud caked on my shoes, and at the steepest part I started to slide down the hill backwards. I actually had to go off the trail to stop from sliding. At the top I had to clean off my shoes and a little bit of my bike, and then we took off.

The single track turned out to me a little bit muddy, going down rocks and mud flipped onto my face. Then on the flat more rocks and mud flipping, but it was so much fun to go so fast. The flat towards the wash nice and tacky, but right before the wash we were surprised by a mud bog. I was riding fine one minute and the next I was slipping and sliding all over the place. I came to a spot where I had to walk my bike and by the time I go to the good stopping point my rear tire had so much mud on it, it would not roll. I stopped and took the mud off--there had to be at least 20 pounds of mud on my bike. After clearing the mud I took off and then was stopped quickly by sliding and mud bog again. This time it did not take as long to clean my bike. Then down the wash I went.

Normally down the wash I would take the best line, but this time the best line was whatever rocks I could find. Riding over the rocks helped with getting the mud off my bike. The was was so much fun, I can't wait for race day to ride it again. At the bottom of the wash we cleaned our bikes and waited for Tim. He had decided to ride the wash again. Which was fine, since I passed him going up as I was going down. I was quite the lagger today.

Tim at the bottom of the wash after his second run. Apparently the second run got rid of all the mud on his bike.

The rest of the ride was great and there were no more mud bogs. I still went slow and my body felt fairly trashed by the time we got to the car. I am hoping it is due to the massage and not being out of shape. At the car we waited for the rest of our group who arrived about 20 minute later. Right after they got there it started to rain. We lucked out, we only got one lap in but we stayed dry.

Dave checking out the storm coming in.

Getting the bike cleaned off.

When I got home it took a while to get the mud off my bike, apparently the mud at 5 mile is more clay than mud. I am crossing my fingers conditions for the race are better than today or I may end up needing to invest in a high pressure washer.

The mud mess I had to clean up.

No More Lights!!!

I went riding this morning at 5:30. This is actually fairly normal, but today I opted for no lights. The first of the ride was dark, and I was a little nervous that I had made a poor decision not taking my lights. But it turned out fine, by the time I got to the trail I could see fine. It was a blast riding without lights and actually seeing the trail. Next time I will take some pictures, I never realized how cool the view was as the sun starts to rise.

On a side note. The other day I was riding to the Provo River Trailhead. On the way there was construction on the paved trail/sidewalk that blocked off people going by. I had a choice to ride up on the grass hill, or get off my bike and walk around. I chose going on the grass hill. The workers looked at me and Jen (BTW Jen was with me) like we were nuts. We rode, and found our place to get back on the trail. There was a construction worker there so I checked if we could get back on there. He indicated yes, and then being very polite told me to me careful as I was dropping on to a little dirt and pavement. I thought it was nice of him to be so polite, but it made me laugh as that was probably the easiest mountain bike riding I would be doing for the day.

Oh My Seat (Butt) Bones

Normally I like to tell of the fun I had on the trail. And this weekend I had a great amount of fun. I mountain biked and road biked and had great fun riding with friends. However, there will be other times to tell of my fun. Today I am going to share in my weekend woe, or more to the point my bruised butt bones. Sorry if I offend anyone, but it is what it is

My husband informed me that I do not have butt or seat bones. But I disagree, because the bones I sit on are bruised and sore, therefore they are my seat/butt bones.

This weekend I learned the importance of a good saddle. I did 2 separate rides Saturday. The first was a small mountain bike ride. We rode up Squaw Peak, and then up roller coaster road to Dragons Back, down Dragons Back to the trail and home. I did this ride on my WSD saddle and was comfortable the entire time. Distance only 24 miles, and I felt really good and ready for my next ride--a road ride out to Lincoln Beach.

The ride to Lincoln Beach was a slow to moderate pace and only 36 miles. I have done this distance and more on my mountain bike without any problems or any soreness, but today on the road bike ouch! Let me say that again OUCH!!!

I do not have a WSD saddle on my road bike. The saddle is not a stock saddle, it's one I bought, but now that I have been spoiled by my other saddle is it the most miserable saddle I have been on, and it brings tears to my eyes--the tears are not tears of joy.

During the entire road ride I had to keep shifting around, and it did not matter how much shifting I did I was not going to be comfortable. Eventually I began to feel a burning sensation, I thought I was on fire! After that I became numb. This is not so bad as you can at least finish out your ride, but you really have no idea of how sore you are until you are done. Well, unfortunately I found out just how sore I was before my ride was done. The last couple miles we ended up on a gravel paved road. The vibration of the road took away all numbness. I don't think I could have gotten off the road soon enough.

Since my numbness was now gone I could not wait to finish our ride. Thank goodness we only had another mile or so to go. By the time we got back I more than ready to be done. I had a great time riding, but it is now time to buy a new saddle for my road bike--and to think all winter on the trainer I thought the pain was from the trainer...now I know.

A Cruel Joke

There will be no riding on the mountain bike for a couple of days.

I Was Tricked

This morning I woke up to 39 degrees outside and a recovery ride--one that I was looking forward to. Since it was a recovery ride I knew to dress a little bit warmer than I would for a mountain ride-since recovery rides are on road they tend to be a bit cooler than a mountain ride. I mentally had set my body and mind in to recovery mode, so a short, cool ride was on the brain.

At the meet site Todd was the first to show. He too was ready for a good ride. We waited a bit, but not too long, when Eric showed up, and then we started to ride. Steve had just gotten up and he would catch us soon. Being a recovery ride it meant we would see him soon, as riding on the flat road it is not hard to catch us. As we started to ride Eric told us Steve had emailed the night before and wanted to do a mountain ride today since rain was planned for the rest of the week. I made some comment about a recovery ride, and then said a mountain ride would be a good recovery ride, and expect me to go slow, so slow it was-a mere 4 miles an hour up the hill, usually I go 7 to 8 mph up this hill. This was slow, slow enough I was able to have a conversation without dying trying to breathe.

It was a great time riding on the mountain today. The trail was tacky from the previous rain storm, and there was a small herd of deer watching as we rode up the hill. The morning light came quickly this morning and we were only a third of the way to the top and could see most of the trail without our lights. Today I was not near as tentative riding as the last time on dirt, I felt much more comfortable riding and the brakes were used to help with my riding not to keep me from crashing. And I actually could see the guys in the distance, today they were not going to stay clear ahead of me--only a little bit ahead of me.

I may not have been prepared mentally or clothing wise for a mountain ride, but it was one of the best recovery rides we have had. And as far was being tricked for the ride, Steve ended up getting the short end of the stick, since he was late he had to catch up via a mountain climb instead of a flat ride. Sorry Steve, I guess next time you change the ride you will get up on time. ;-)

Squaw Peak - South Fork

All week long I have been wanting to ride Squaw Peak, but time and weather did not cooperate. Today was the day rain or not I was going to ride Squaw Peak Road. The big decision before the ride was whether to ride skinny or fat tires. I chose fat tires mostly because I did not want to take my bike off the trainer. With this decision I was off.

The weather was not so bad. It was cloudy, overcast 51 degrees and no wind--a good day for a hill climb. Starting up Squaw Peak road I immediately jumped in to my small cog. The last time I rode up Squaw Peak I had to be in my granny gear. As I rode I realized granny gear was way to easy and switched up to my middle cog. This was a great feeling, because last year the idea of riding up Squaw Peak in my middle cog was inconceivable.

Since the gate was closed going up the road was great. I could ride any part of the road and did not have to worry about cars. The road was fairly clear for about half way, and then there started to appear snow patches here and there. I was able to scoot around the snow without any problems, but as a I got further up the snow started to cover the road more and I ended up hiking over three spots until I came to the point where I could no longer ride. From here I turned around and rode down.

One of the obstacles on the road.

End of the road. I was not going to hike a bike on this section.View on the way down the road.

I had put on my windbreaker for the downhill, but I should have put on my ear warmers and gloves as it was brrrr cold coming down. At the bottom I still felt the need to ride, so I took off to South Fork. On the way I crossed over a section where there had been an avalanche. I think it will be awhile until this section is cleared.

Going up South Fork I did not feel as strong as I did on Squaw Peak. I was still in my middle cog, but some of my kick had gone, but I persevered. Up ahead I saw a roadie, and thought it would be cool to catch him, however my legs did not agree. As I went up it started to sprinkle just a bit, but not enough to deter me and cause me to turn around. I continued all the way to the end, and this time I put on extra gloves, ear warmer and wind breaker.

Deer eating by the side of the road. I took this while riding, looks just like the ones when I am standing still....blurry.

The ride down was not near as cold as Sqauw Peak but it was very, very wet. The rain had picked up and I ended up riding all the way home in the rain. When I got home I was soaked to the skin, but very, very happy. There is nothing better than a good long ride.