SKJs

2011-12-27T11:44:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Scott and I mention each year since Kiera has been born, how much more we enjoy the holiday season. She has enjoyed learning Christmas songs, dancing to Christmas music, wearing her new princess dresses and taking care of her new babies, including giving them a ride in her new stroller. Today she and one of her babies were in a basket to emulate baby Moses in the Nile. We enjoyed visiting with family and it is especially fun to see Kiera and all the cousins play together!

I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers since falling off my bike in August. God answers prayers! I had such horrible photosensitivity and motion sickness that took quite a bit longer to get over than we expected. Scott has been very supportive and patient. Kiera is an incredibly understanding child. She would ask me everyday, "Is mommy's concussion all better?" Boppy, Scott's dad, is a Godsend; he watched Kiera while I rested and was my chauffer to and from appointments and my first week back to work in early November. I was allowed to work limited hours at first, but gradually returned to normal. The people, other than my family, that have helped me the most seemed to materialize just at the right time.(Thank you, Lord!) Dr. Pradhan, from India, got me started on homeopathy that finally helped me turn the corner and see some improvement after spending the first two weeks at home confined to darkness. Dr. Audette, a chiropractor, administered frequency specific microcurrent, to heal specific parts of my brain. My neck feels better than it has in years (thank you, Geri!) and I no longer have to do my vestibular ocular reflex exercises (thank you, Andrea!)

My first bike ride was on Thanksgiving day (how appropriate) with Scott. I have been able to run for several weeks now. I feel incredibly fortunate! I have to be a bit careful yet not to overdo, but each week I am still making gains and in some ways feel better than I have in years.

2011-12-17T07:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.publichealthalert.org/Bio%20agent%20vaccines%20Tina%20Garcia.pdf

This article is well worth your time reading..... The website is full of information you may not get from mainstream media or your health care providers.

2011-09-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

A WIN AT THE SINGLE TRACK ESCAPE

(Photo Jay Richards - skinnyski.com)

I finally notched a win in a Minnesota Series race. The only thing that would have made it better is if Sara would have also won the women's race. As it is, she is still nursing a concussion that keeps her on her back most of the day with her eyes closed. She is able to go for short walks on occasion, but she has to be very careful not to overdo it. This is the most time she's been off the bike since she started riding in 2002.

The St. Cloud race sarted pretty mellow with Barry T. taking the lead on his fully rigid singlespeed. I was content following his wheel until he pulled over and then continued a fairly mellow pace. Even though Brendan won the MN Singlespeed Championship earlier in the day, he was antsy following and decided to lead going into the singletrack. I shadowed him while Josh Tesch followed me. We rode together until the rock section on the first lap where Brendan and I established a little gap. Brendan was content to lead for a little over half the race and then I went to the front. I'm not sure I could have ridden the course any fast than I did because it seemed we were at the terminal velocity for the tight, twisty singletrack.

(photo by Jay Richards - skinnyski.com) Final section of two track

That said, I had to go pretty hard on each of the cross-country ski trail sections because whoever had the lead going into the last section of singletrack would be at a huge advantage for the sprint finish. I was able to hold the lead and outsprint Brendan for the win.

Josh ended up holding down third, Lance B. got fourth and Jake Richards had another impressive race, nailing down the fifth spot.

The Trek Top Fuel worked flawlessly once again and the Bontrager XR1's had great grip. I made sure to drink plenty of Hammer Heed, gulp down some vanilla Hammer Gel and pop some RACE CAPS before the start since I cramped so badly at Chequamegon.

Thanks to the St. Cloud crew for putting together a great course and a smooth running event.

2011-09-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

Trek Mountain Bike Demo October 1 & 2

Savage, MN

Sat & Sun Oct 1st & 2nd, 2011 @ 10:00 am—3:00 pm

Your Twin Cities Trek, Gary Fisher Collection and Bontrager Dealers will be the host of this demo at Murphy. The new MTB trail is a ribbon of dirt cut through the beautiful woods and prairies of Murphy-Hanrehan Park, traveling up and down ridges, around small knolls, and across drainages and marshes. The trail is not super twisty and has fairly long sightlines. The goal here was flow. At almost 10 miles, it is one of the longer metro trails and has some great views from the top of the big ridge on the advanced loop. On a clear day you can see the skyline of downtown Minneapolis through the trees. More info can be found at http://www.morcmtb.org/ Please note if weather conditions threaten health, safety, conditions of the trails and participants we reserve the right to cancel the event. Thanks for understanding!

For more details visit: http://www.trekfactorydemo.com/region.php?region_id=3

Location:
Murphy-Hanrehan
CR-75/Murphy Lake Blvd
Savage, MN 55378
Directions:
Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve is located just south of Savage, not too far from the Burnsville Center mall. The easiest way to get to the area is Interstate 35 (35W or 35E). Take the County Road 42 exit. Go west on CR-42, past all the malls and down the long hill. After roughly 2 miles on 42, take a left onto West Burnsville Pkwy. Shortly after Cam Ram Park, W. Burnsville Pkwy turns into Hanrehan Lake Blvd. Continue down Hanrehan Lake Blvd until Murphy Lake Road - the gravel road heading up into the prairie on your left. The trailhead parking is a short distance up Murphy Lake Road on the left.

2011-09-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

Almost One Minute Per Mile

Up until Thursday Sara was still contemplating doing Chequamegon. Thankfully she went to see the doctor on Friday afternoon and was told to steer clear of anything that causes symptoms to flair up. Essentially, that's work, exercise, reading, driving, screens, phones, etc. As difficult as it was for her, she knew competing was impossible. Hopefully her symptoms will clear soon so she can at least start riding the bike again.

I ended up having a clean start and getting into a good group: Eppens, Hall, Pattycakes, a couple others I didn't know, and eventually Jack Hinkens before Fire Tower. The pace felt perfect and I finally felt like I had my shot for a top 10 finish. I started cramping a little before Fire Tower and it was all I could do to limp to the finish. My quads and hamstrings were giving me serious grief and ended my hopes of a top finish. Looking at the finishing times, I gave up almost a minute per mile from Fire Tower to Telemark...

All in all it was a good day. It was the most fun I've had at Chequamegon even though I couldn't push hard to the finish. I don't think I went out too hard because I never was at my limit before cramping. I didn't drink much though and even gave up a bottle after OO because I didn't want to carry the extra weight.

Thanks to Gary and crew for year 29.

2011-09-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

Maplelag/Seeley Recap

photo: Eve Stein

The Maplelag stage race is a must do mountain bike race. Jay, Jonelle and crew do an amazing job pulling off a gigantic amount of races, hosting hordes of folks at the resort, feeding the competitors, etc., etc. Sara and I felt bad about not bringing Kiera along but it made for a much easier race weekend than last year. In addition, we got to sleep in a little and could recover a little between races.

Sara came into the weekend really banged up. She shouldn't have raced but she didn't talk with the doc until Sunday evening on the way home. The good doctor Swank ordered her to stay off the bike and give her ailing brain a break. She hasn't been on the bike since Maplelag and Chequamegon is up in the air. It is a major bummer seeing how she is able to push the pedals pretty good right now...

Sara ended up winning all thee races at Maplelag but she did so very carefully. She said if felt like she was riding with bifocals and the more she rode the more difficult it was to stay focused. Thankfully she was on the Trek Top Fuel so she could let the bike do all the work.

I ended up having a good weekend as well. This place is my favorite spot to race. The short track course is amazing and the new cross-country loop is fantastic. Jay knows how to build tough single track and a technical sound rider does well on this course. One needs fitness, but fitness alone won't allow a racer to win this one. Brendan put on another clinic and easily beat us all. I was down 1:20 or so after the first of two laps so I knew I didn't have a chance. He is so powerful on the short, punchy climbs and his sound technical skills leave no chinks in the armor. I know his mind was elsewhere during the weekend but he was still able to win the overall title. Doug was flying in the short track and time trial (Sara said he looked ilke the "old Doug") but my second place finish coupled with a third in both the short track and time trial enabled me to snatch second overall on the weekend.

The Bontrager XR1s worked perfectly for the conditions as did the full suspension Trek.

Sara and I really enjoy staying at the lodge and hanging out with everyone. Even Dan Swanson showed up so it was just like the old days!

Quick Seeley re-cap: Sara crashed really hard in the single track. Of course she was feeling strong and riding fast when she wacked a tree with her shoulder. It stopped her dead, bruised some ribs and rattled her brain. She limped in for the win but she went downhill health wise the week prior to Maplelag.

I ended up twisting a link in my chain about three miles into the race and wasn't able to fully trust my drivetrain. I didn't know what was wrong at the time but the drivetrain made plenty of racket and did some phantom shifting so I had to be really careful. I'm impressed that it held together and I was able to finish the race in 6th. I'm really bummed I didn't get to race Adam and Patty in the single track. Maybe next year....

For once in my life I am excited about Chequamegon!

2011-08-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

BORDER BATTLE

The White Tail Ridge mountain bike trails just keep getting better. Last year's course was great but this year's version was even better. The local club has really turned these trails into a top notch race course by adding another twisty, slightly technical descent and a technical rocky climb. Chad Sova lives 10 minutes from these trails and it is obvious that his input is invaluable when it comes to laying out the race course.

Sara sat this race out since Ore2Shore is such a long, brutal race and because we are racing the next two weekends in a row which would have had her racing six consecutive weeks. She also wants to do well at Chequamegon so it made sense to have a little break.

After crashing out at the start of last two races in a row, and having a still sore, slightly separated shoulder, I decided to lead the group most of the way up the opening climb. I cannot afford to fall and aggravate my shoulder so I had to put in a big effort at the start. I felt pretty good and settled in on the field leading into the single track. I made the mistake of following Rients into the single track and he let a gap open up. Jesse didn't bring his race legs and the added pressure of imminent fatherhood surely had something to do with this rare off day. That said, I was sitting in 6th and had to chase DB for the better part of the first lap before finally catching him and going by. DB happily sat on my wheel and recovered while I slowly reeled in Ben K. (Ben helped me quite a bit since he got off his bike a couple of times). We were a small group of three for most of the second and part of the third lap before I almost fell off one of the many bridges and got gapped.

I ended up riding alone for the rest of the race. Ben and Darrin passed a bonking Brian Eppen but I didn't have the legs to move up - probably because I went a little too hard at the start. I was busy gulping lots of Hammer Heed, Endurolytes and Vanilla Hammer Gel in hopes I could give one more push, but I couldn't muster up the energy to chase down Brian and ended up in 6th.

Like usual, the Trek Top Fuel did a terrific job and the Bontrager XR1 tires hooked up nicely. I think I would have had even better traction with a little wider tire than the 1.9 and 2.0s.

Sara did a great job getting Jesse, Ron Raymond and me feeds, cheering and taking a little video at the start. I'd upload it but our modem is shot and I can't make our wireless work.

Another great thing about this venue is that there is a daycare center on the course and it has a playground. Kiera, Luke and Ben (the Raymond boys) played after the race while Sara and Kathy (Ben and Luke's mom) went for a ride on all the single track White Tail has to offer.

Thanks to the Raymond family for letting us stay at their house and to Kathy for entertaining Kiera while Sara, Ron and I were at the race.

2011-08-15T05:03:00.000-07:00

ORE2SHORE WIN NUMBER FOUR

Women's top 3 podium spots (Sara, Chloe and Kim)

I do enjoy watching Sara compete. The Ore2Shore is the one race I consistantly do hand-ups and play daddy day care (for the Raymond family) and it is a hoot. The day flies by because I have to rally the Eurovan to four viewing/hand-up spots and the third spot is always nip-and-tuck but I always seem to barely make it.

This year I didn't see Sara come by at the first view point and I thought she either went down in a crash or had a mechanical. I waited for an extra 15 minutes before venturing on hoping that I'd missed her. Sure enough, at the 16 or so mile mark I saw Chloe come through looking strong and Sara was next about 1:30 back. Obviously, I was relieved and a little bit surprised since I missed her at the first spot but saw all the other top women. At this point Chloe was in a small group of men and Sara was in a huge group (20 or so). As it is in mass start gender mixed races, the women's race is always played out at the mercy of men. Sara knew it was better to play it safe and try to stay in her group rather than try to move up on her own because it almost always spells disaster later in long races like this. A downside to the large group this year is that it was really dusty and guys were going down because they couldn't see what was happening and this caused Sara to stop/jump off the bike three times to avoid crashes. She also would get buggered up on techincal climbs a bit so she had to run more than she would have liked.

Chloe had a consistant 1:30 - 1:45 margin on Sara until the last feed spot at about six miles to go. I wasn't surprised to see Sara in the lead at this point but I was surprised that Chloe wasn't closer to her. Sara said she passed Chloe with twelve miles to go and by the time they came through with six to go Sara was about a minute up. It turns out Choe's stem loosed up (TJ??????) and she had to stop to tighten it up.

Sara rode a smart race to the finish and kept the gap a little over minute. Considering how she's been riding the past month, it doesn't surprise me a bit that she won. The women's field was stacked and it is too bad that Jenna got a flat while in third at around the 10 mile mark. Kim Eppen rounded out the top three, and our neighbor Diana McFadden had a great ride and nabbed the 4th spot for the second year in a row.

On a side note, Sara was able to keep the keep her legs from cramping, but I'm convinced part of the reason was the Trek Top Fuel 100. It is SO nice to have a super light weight, full suspension fast bike for marathon races. Another reason was downing plenty of Hammer Endurolytes and Hammer Head drink.

Another bonus of me not racing is that Kiera gets to join us. She has so much fun playing with Ben and Luke Raymond and hanging out with Ron and Kathy. She also enjoyed playing with Ellie Schouten at the playground and during the awards ceremony.

2011-08-11T06:37:00.000-07:00

This pic sums up my race at the GHC last Sunday. I think Jay Richards took the picture and Eric O sent it my way.

My injured thumb is going to be fine in time. This is the first summer I was able to squeeze a water bottle again since injuring it Nordic skiing two winters ago...oh, well.

My right shoulder on the other hand is still pretty sore. With effort I can lift my arm over my head so I'm taking that as a good sign. Sara has me all kineseo taped up, so I'm sure that helps assist the lifting. It is separated because I have the tell-tale dip which now will match my left shoulder and make me symetrical once again. The last time I seperated my left shoulder was in 2007 on a bike ride with Sara before she tried racing. We were riding in Bagley Nature Center when I attempted to bunny hope a downed tree and totally misjudged it and crashed. A litte over a week later I finally realized I mistakingly put Sara's contacts in while coaching track at the Doc Savage meet (hence the crash because I couldn't focus quite right). This time around my only excuse for crashing is that I felt good and was going faster than normal over the rock drop I've ridden EVERY TIME without problem for 4 or 5 years.

It will be a while before I can ride bumpy tails again. Hopefully I'll be ready for the Boarder Battle in a couple of weeks.

Thanks again to Dave, Dr. Matt and J Boyce (who a few weeks ago had a horrendous 30 + mph crashed through the side window of a car that pulled out right in front of him) getting me ice asap, assessing me, taping me up, etc. I owe you fellas!

2011-08-08T07:06:00.000-07:00

A Win For Sara, Homecurse Disadvantage for Scott and Two Weddings in Two Days

I picked up this little gift in Cuyuna

The poison ivy continues to pop up in new places going on week two

Sara had another impressive showing at The Great Hawk Chase in Lester Park on Sunday. We rode the course three times last week and she was disappointed in her singletrack skills. She was able to put something together by race day, however, since she won the Pro/Expert Women's race and the Men's Comp race (by one second). Michelle Flanagan-Haag had an impressive ride and ended up second on the day. Sara is best in tough conditions so it is really quite impressive she was able to do so well on this course since it is pretty fast, flowy and smooth. She had nary a problem in the slippery sections even though she used her favorite Bontrager XR1 tires.

I on the other had had plenty of adversity. For the second race in a row I was on the ground at the start - this time 10 feet off the line. Thankfully nobody ran me over and was able to practice my passing skills starting off dead last. I redlined it and got into second place before the end of the first lap. I really wanted to ride with Brendan a little but there was no way I was going to catch him after my mishap. I was leading an old coaching buddy at CSS, Josh Tesch into the singletrack on lap two when I launched off a rock, ended up going over the bars and mashed my left thumb and right shoulder into a nasty pile of sharp rocks. It took me awhile to get going and a group of four went by while I was taking stock of my body and bike. The chase was on once again albeit much more slowly and painfully since I couldn't stand up and pedal or lift up on the bars because my shoulder wouldn't allow it. I somehow managed to ride back into third place until the start of the fourth and final lap. I came unglued early in the lap and had to soft pedal to the finish. I couldn't hold off Jake Richards and Kevin K. going down the ski trail finish and had to settle for seventh. I've never worked so hard and passed so many people to end up seventh....

Great job to Mick at the SKIHUT for putting together a terrific course and to COGGS for pulling off the second Minnesota Series event.

I will get to recover next weekend since I'm Sara's waterboy for the Ore2shore.

Dan Swanson's wedding was a hoot on Friday! Kiera loves playing with Stella (Doug and Ann's daughter) and having an excuse to eat a bunch of sugar. Two nights in a row of being up late has taken its toll on us though. I can't wait to get rid of this poison ivy so I can sleep again...

2011-08-01T06:43:00.000-07:00

Bachelor Party and Elk River Race

The entire family is blown after this weekend. Sara and Kiera stayed home while I ventured to Crosby with Harry Anderson to celebrate Dan Swanson's upcoming wedding. Doug organized a 3 + hour ride on the fantastic Crosby trail system the family company built last year and gave our group of 13 or so the grand tour. If you haven't explored this trail system, it is a must. Of course, it was super hot and humid but luckily Doug provided pretzels, cookies and Gatorade so we could press on. Dan was showing off his mad waterskiing skills once we got back to the cabin and like usual, Hollywood provide plenty of entertainment. Harry and I left early to get back to our ladies but it sounded like we missed out on some fun by not spending the night.

Sara was excited to race at Elk River on Sunday so I loaded up the car in the AM and we headed out. We dropped Kiera off at Grandma and Grandpa Kylander's house so she could play with the cousins and we continued on to Elk River.

Sara had a gap going into the powerline climb and ended up riding with fellow Duluthian, Nikolai Anikin for most of her race. She said she struggled mightily in the tight single track and did hundereds of excelerations per lap. This is one course where pre-riding would make for a much smoother, faster first lap.

I didn't know what to expect but I felt good right from the start. I tried making a sweet inside line pass at the top of the powerline climb but I had the door slammed shut. Instead of hitting the brakes I decided to ride into the tall grass and into a bunch of big boulders that were hiding in the grass. Needless to say, I was over the bars and back into 20th place or so. I had to ride harder than I wanted to for about 5 minutes and by the time I worked my way into 4th the leaders were long gone.

Sara and I were talking about how great the Trek Top Fuels worked on the rough climbs and everywhere in between. The Bontrager XR1 tires worked perfectly once again. The more we use these tires, the more we like them.

We went back to Sara's parents and watched Kiera play with her cousins. Her parents have a farm so the kids were climbing the haystack, picking rasberries, chasing each other around the yard, trying to catch the wild kittens and messing about with a variety of things. Good times and fun to watch the kids have fun.

Up next is hometown race, the Great Hawk Chase.

2011-07-19T06:06:00.000-07:00

HOT du Lac and Projects

Since we are getting new windows, I had to replace some cedar. I'm told they will blend in with the old boards in time.

Kiera and Sara went strawberry picking while I powerwashed the house.

I've got no race pictures to show... I'm sure they will surface at some point but I can't give the visual of how hot it really was. I had my full zip KUHL jersey flapping open the entire race and I still thought I was going to melt. Thanks a ton to Rosco and Dodzee from THE SHIHUT for dumping water on our heads and for the hand-ups. Thanks too to Kate Tesch for giving me water even though her husband Josh was only about 30 seconds behind me the entire race. I can't believe how many Hammer Race Caps I put down and how well the Hammer Gels/Heed worked in the rain forest like conditions.

Sara, however, seems immune to the heat because she was on fire (no pun intended). Not only did she win the women's race, she worked her way up to sixth place overall in the men's expert field even though she started two minutes back. She finished about 8 minutes ahead of the first place male comp winner. If only she could have had this kind of day at the National in Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago. Ah, bike racing and form can be so fickle (along with the timing of illness). Needless to say, Sara is pretty stoked about her race day.

I'm pretty happy too since I was able to finish and go pretty hard for most of the race. I bridged up to Brendan and Jesse in singletrack but they rode away from me on the climb each lap. I could barely see them at the start of the forth lap and they were out of sight by the fifth and final lap. I was pretty happy considering I didn't ride my bike last week but instead worked on the house. Yesterday I stained it with $85 per gallon Sickens in 90 degree heat.

No racing this weekend and then off to Dan Swanson's bachelor party at the Cayuna trails and Elk River the following day. Should be interesting.

2011-07-11T04:20:00.000-07:00

Buck Hill Debacle

Scott and I decided to go to Buck Hill because of the shorter course and temps in the 90's along with leaving Kiera at home to be watched by Grandpa. The day before the race Scott and I had to bike in long sleeve jerseys due to the cold temps(thanks to Kuhl our new long sleeve jerseys work perfect in Duluth's foggy and 55 degree summer days).

Scott felt he raced maybe a lap before he just went backward through the pack. It is tough to figure out why he is not racing well as we don't have cats anymore (he is very allergic) and he is off work for the summer. He seems to feel best early in the race season and then it seems to go downhill from there. He is more than perplexed. We have been doing a lot of house projects (Scott ripping out years of insulation) and other things that fill his day so there is very little down time, especially with Kiera.

I felt much better racing than I did at the WORS race a few weekends ago. I led up the start of the first climb, but could sense Rebecca close behind. I slowly grew my lead with each lap. Unfortunately, I did an extra lap (6 instead of 5) but have absolutely no idea how I miscounted. There are times like these that I feel I am completely losing my mental faculties. It was a very frustrating way to end an otherwise good race.

Thank God the next race is close to home at Mont du Lac. Not much chance of miscounting laps there!

2011-06-26T18:56:00.001-07:00

WORS Subaru Cup

After loading up the van, Scott, Kiera and I headed to the Subaru Wors Cup. We missed this race last year because I had injured myself and we didn't want to miss again, but Scott caught Kiera's cold earlier in the week and myself a day later. Since we'd already pre-registered we went anyway....

The course was fantastic! A lot of roots and rocks; terrain that reminded us a lot of Duluth. There were three more technical sections on the Pro course that I chose not to ride during my preride. Scott mentioned afterward that all three were "no problem and no big deal."

Our camping arrangements the night before the race proved to be a terrible mistake. There was an outdoor music concert on the campgrounds until 10 PM, then hollering kids until after midnight, etc. It wasn't too much difference from when Kiera was little in terms of lack of sleep. Scott had an especially bad night of coughing and being chilled. I didn't feel quite that bad, but am used to less sleep than he is. Ironically, Kiera had a fantastic night of sleep and didn't start coughing again until morning. She also was a little snuggle bunny in the morning so we could rest more.

I knew in my warm up that I didn't feel well. My legs were lethargic and I could tell my cold moved into my chest. Since we had come all this way, I decided to start anyway. I got a fairly good call up and relatively decent start. I could tell I was not climbing well and could have been a bit further up going into the first section of single track where the line stalled. I was in a line of riders and followed their lines through the three technical sections on the course, sections I did not ride the previous day. Other times I got buggered up by riders just ahead of me that would get caught up in sections of rock gardens. Overall, I was very pleased that I rode the technical sections better than I had been riding yet this year, but then bummed because after three laps I could tell my cold was moving further into my lungs and I was wheezing (I don't have asthma). I decided to be done at the end of lap 3 (of 5 and riding in about 12th place per Scott). Amy and Steve, both from Marquette area, along with local Duluthian, Josey, had some kinds words of encouragement after my DNF.

After my DNF, Scott decided not to even start his race. His cold was worse than mine at that point and he had run up and down the hill carrying Kiera during my race (he already got his race in for the day). We packed up the van and made it back to Duluth before dark. A bit of a disappointment after 11 hours in the car, but at least our family got to spend a lot of time together and it was really good to see a lot of our friends and other racers that we had not seen in a while. Don and WORS put on a great event. The course was one of the best National courses we have ridden.

2011-06-20T05:01:00.000-07:00

TODAY'S WEATHER AND AFTON ALPS

Heat = 80s and sun... Sara on her way to beating the heat and a WIN!

More Heat... On the other hand, I'm on my way to a DNF

Back Home = 46 degrees and light mist... I had to grab my pants, jacket and hat to unload the car once we arrived home.

Today's weather = same as most days this spring - 47 degrees and clouds

I'm not sure how Sara is able to manage the temp swings from Duluth to (insert race venue here), but she does it. Yesterday she was able to give the finger to the Afton course (and mother nature) while it completely whipped me. I started off fine but anytime Jake or Devin would surge I would immediately wilt. It's hot for everyone, so I guess I'll have to head south and start riding in the sun/warm weather or set up the trainer in the sauna if I plan to finish humid, hot races.

It was a bummer that Chloe was unable to race at Afton because Sara was really looking forward to toeing the line with her (and Jenna for that matter). While Jenna was off at Nature Valley, Chloe was at Afton, but nursing an injury. Sara is constantly trying to guage her fitness but it isn't easy to do on the mountain bike based on all the variables and inconsistant women's field. She's excited to race the WORS CUP but she is also a little hesitant because she's not sure if she's got the form to do as well as she'd like. I'd say she is 99% certain she's doing it, however.

As for me, I'll probably do it too, but it is going to be ugly if it's hot and humid. I've got my fingers crossed for cold temps and lots of rain...

2011-06-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

New KUHL Kits

Sara sporting the new kit

Kiera and I enjoy going to the aquarium now that school is out.

She really likes the boats and the slide.

2011-06-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

Kiera at Park Point on my last day of school with students.

Mankato = Heat
Sara had a good day at Mankato all things considered. Since we've been riding in pretty cold conditions (40s - 60s) and Mankato was around 91 or 92 according to the Volvo; it was rough. Thankfully the Treks worked flawlessly even as we continue to dial them in. It's tough to get them just right since we also got new Bontrager shoes and XTR pedals. Furthermore, we don't have much time to ride trails, and when we do, they have been too wet up to this point so we have been adjusting the bikes at the races and hoping for the best.

Sara tried to follow Jenna on the first lap but went down hard, sliding out on the ski hill at speed. She pushed hard the whole time but Jena was flying and trying to make time up against Jenna on her home course wasn't going to happen. Jenna's time was fast enough for her to win the Comp men race so she was moving. Sara's time was fast enough to get second overall in the Comp men's race so both of them were going pretty good.

I tried to race but I knew during the warm up it was going to be a long day. My legs didn't respond on the climbs but I was still able to ride along in the 6th spot, about 30 seconds behind Sam O., for 4 out of 5 laps. Going into the fifth lap, I started to go backwards in a hurry and was just happy to finish the race.

On a side note, this is the first time I haven't DNFed at Mankato in about 8 years. It seems like it is always over 90 down here...

Up next for us will be Afton. I'm hoping for mud or at least temps in the 70s.

2011-05-25T06:51:00.000-07:00

First MN MTB Series Race - Inver Grove Heights - Sat 21st

Once again rain and wet conditions were the theme of this year's race. Unlike last year, however, the race was not shortened and then the rain stopped half way through the race making the race course sticky and slow. The race conditions were very similar to Mont du lac last year; thick mud, slipery corners, low speeds, but unlike Mont du, the race course is relatively flat.

We picked up Doug Swanson, dropped off Kiera with Anne and Stella, and headed to the race. Thankfully, Scott got an extra set of rims ready complete with mud tires friday night. Scott pulled his mud tired out out of the car saturday morning at the race site only to find the front flat and the rear tire low. He put 30lbs of air in and hoped for the best.

Scott got a clean start and worked it way up to 2nd place by the end. His tires held too much air and cornering was a bit slick. Sara went to the front at the start and stayed there for the duration of the race for the win. Our Bontragger Jones Mud X tires worked perfectly! Thankfully, we were able to get the big chuncks of mud off our bikes for the car ride back to Doug's. Scott must have spent 3 hours that night washing the bikes, then another couple hours the next day after we got home doing some more polishing. He is meticulous about our bikes; new chains, cables, housing, and brakes on their way with the later thanks to Ron Raymond.

On our drive back to Duluth, we stopped in Forest Lake. Turns out we were very lucky to have been just north of where the tornado hit. (The paper says a funnel cloud touched down twice in Forest Lake, but didn't cause much damage with the majority of the damage was just south of us). One of my sisters and dad were with us. My dad just got out of Abbot, where he was for a few days after getting airlifted there for what initially was thought to be a heart attack (on his 72nd birthday). He was diagnosed with pericarditis and, thankfully, is doing well.

A big thanks to Anne and Stella Swanson for watching Kiera while Scott and I raced! We could not have raced without Anne's generousity of her time and Stella sharing her toys! The girls even took a bath together! Kiera is looking forward to playing with Stella again......

2011-05-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

SATURDAY TREK DEMO CANCELLED.

SATURDAY MAY 21 TREK DEMOCANCELLED!!!We’re as bummed as you, but the folks who manage the park asked us to give the trails a break.On Sunday we plan to head out to Murphy Hanrehanas scheduled. If it’s too wet to ride we’ll just hang out and talk bikes. Thanks for understanding!

2011-05-15T16:43:00.001-07:00

RACE #1 CABLE OFF-ROAD CLASSIC

(photo by Jay Richars on skinnyski.com)

I'm perplexed about my pedal problem.
(photo by Jay Richards on skinnyski.com)

Sara and I got to Lakewoods to pick up our packets and bumped into Gary Crandall, the Chequamegon director and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame inductee. It's always fun to listen to Gary's stories and hear what he's been up to. He mentioned a slideshow he put together about the Fat Tire and showed it in Cable this spring. Hopefully we'll be able to see it sometime.

As soon as I stepped out the door I bumped into Jay Richards, owner of Maplelag Resort, MNSCS race director for the Maplelag Stage Race and pro mountain biker. It was nice to catch up after a long winter, but I was bummed out to hear lymes still has a grip on him (albeit not as bad) and keeps him from racing. Jay's positive attitude and ability to be around the races all the time is proof that all things mountain biking runs in his blood.

At the start of the race it was a blustery 38 degrees according to the Volvo and the wind was howling. I was hopping up and down at the start trying to stay warm, and unbeknownst to me, lodged a rock between my cleat and new Bontrager shoe (the new shoe by the way have really slick updated buckles and "cat's tongue" fabric that keeps the heel firmly in place). Anyway, it took me until the gravel to finally pick the rock out while trying to pedal/coast and thankfully the start was pretty mellow so I didn't lose much ground.

Sara had a great start and rode with Nikolai and Tesch for almost 13 miles before falling off their pace. She was happy considering she injured her leg pretty badly less than a month ago and this was her first real test. Since we rode the Hayward end of the CAMBA trails the previous weekend with Bontrager XROs, I decided they should work fine for the race. Even though the course was pretty muddy and slippery, the tires hooked up fine for us and we wouldn't have switched over to a more aggressive tire if we had it to do all over again. It's always a little tricky trying to decide which tire to use, but we usually go with a lighter, less traction tire and hope our skills are good enough to get us through. Sara had a super strong finish and ended up with the same finishing time as last year even though the course was much slower this year. She ended up 16th overall which is considerably better than last year. We were trying to figure out how many times she's won this race and we are pretty sure this is her 8th time.

I had no idea how the race would go since I haven't done one interval workout this year. I went hard once in Moab three weeks ago, but I have yet to get any structured work in. I've found that if I try sneak in any intensity workouts at the end of the school year I get sick and have to take time off so I have race my way into shape. So, I'm pretty happy I was able to push most of the way without cramping troubles. I rode with Brendan, Todd, Chad and Tyler most of the race. Before the last section of singletrack I rode some shorter climbs steady and the group whittled down to three before I missed a turn. We were basically all back together again with 12 miles to go. I led until the 5 or 6 mile mark with Brendan following until he went by. He said he felt terrible but I still couldn't match his small increase in the pace and I ended up losing him and riding steady until Todd caught me on last section of two track before the long railroad grade finish. I gave Todd some water and he proceded to pull me all the way to the finish into a seriously strong and persistant head wind.

The new Trek Fuels are the absolute perfect race bikes. They are unbelievably responsive and fly in all conditions. Thanks Trek!

Thanks to the Cable Off-Road Classic crew for putting together another incredible course. I think there was even more singletrack this year. Can one ever have enough?

Up next is Minnesota Series race #1 at Inver Grove Heights next weekend. We will also get to hang out with Ken and Maury at Trek Demo Days at Lebanon on Saturday and Murphy on Sunday. Demos start at 10 and go until 3. See you there!

2011-04-24T07:31:00.000-07:00

Our yearly MTB trip to Moab, UT has already come and gone. We left last Thursday and returned late Friday evening. US 80 was shut down in Nebraska for about 100 miles last Thursday due to a blizzard. Rather than plow, they wait until the snow melts and then open up the highway again. The VW campervan had no trouble in the snow while plenty of other vehicles did. I'm sure we would have made it but the gates were down and troopers wouldn't allow us to give it a go. After waiting around in North Platte for four hours I decided to take a detour and made it to Sterling, CO. The roads were rough in spots, but we prevailed.

We met up with my brother Brad in Moab and ended up having the best weather ever over the 15 + years we've been there in the spring. Sara's new Top Fuel worked flawlessly and she really likes the new XTR components. She crashed really hard while pulling her zipper down and now she can barely walk and definitely can't push the pedal with her left leg so it looks like Iola is out for us. It's quite a bummer because she is getting up to speed and was making Tom Bender and me work pretty hard on the gravel road back to camp from Porcupine Rim. Tom is our KUHL team manager http://kuhl.com/ this year and he came down from Salt Lake to ride with us (and drop off soome carbon tubular Renolds wheels and Carbo Rocket - Thanks Tom!) for a day.

I ended up taking my new Superfly hardtail and it also worked perfectly. I usually ride a fully rigid bike in Moab but I sprained my thumb two years ago and since I can finally squeeze a water bottle with my left hand, I figured I shouldn't push it.

We rode a couple of new trails - Pothole Arch and Rockstacker - and they did not disappoint. I'm pretty happy anytime I have to hang my rear end over the back wheel and grab a handful of front break to keep my speed in check before launching over a drop off. We also rode in Fruita at the Loma trails on our way back home on Thursday afternoon.

Kiera and Boppy (Grandpa) had a great time on the trip as well (even thought Kiera had a cold the entire trip and she puked the last day and continues puking as I type). Buddy Bill, Bushey and Sean O'Brien also rode with us here and there during the week.

Over the six days of riding we sampled the following trails: Porcupine Rim, UPS, LPS, Hurrah Pass, Jacob's Ladder, Amasa Back, Jackson, Slickrock, Mary's, Horsethief, and More Fun. We got in almost 30 hours of warm weather riding so I'm pretty content to sit around and be lazy for the next couple of days.

It looks like the Cable Classic will be our first race as long as Sara's leg heals up.

2011-03-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

We are making hot water today. The panels were at 150 degrees and it was 28 degrees outside. The sun is pretty amazing!

We finally got our solar hot water system up and running this winter. We also put in an on-demand hot water heater in and got rid of our old hot water heater. So far we are super happy and saving money every day.

2011-03-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Sara and I are excited to be riding once again on the Trek Co-op Team. We have partnered up with Maury which means we'll be able to help out with Trek Demo rides that Ken Derico organizes. Ken's the guy at Chequamegon, Iceman and a host of other events around the country with the huge fleet of Trek demo bikes.

We are also going to be riding for KUHL, the sweet outdoor clothing company based out Salt Lake City, Utah. A former Wisconsin Elite MTB racer, Tom Bender, is the manager of the mountain bike team and he wanted a WORS presence, so we'll be hitting up more WORS races than last year to splash the KUHL brand around at some WORS events.

We'll be wearing KUHL kits when racing in Wisconsin/Michigan and Trek Co-op kits when competing in events around the Twin Cities.

We'll also be fueling up with HAMMER NUTRITION PRODUCTS for 2011. Our good buddy Ron Raymond was able to hook us up with the fine folks at Hammer. He was also kind enough to line us up with an old sponsor, OAKLEY. We absolutely love all our Oakley glasses and we are stoked to try some new eye wear this season.

2011-03-26T15:37:00.000-07:00

What's better than this?

Or this?

THIS!

Sara and I are quite excited to have our bikes already. Last year we didn't get our new bikes until the last week in June and this year we got our Fuels in February (Thanks Maury!) and our Superfly showed up at the SkiHut yesterday (Thanks Whitey!). I can't believe how easy the bikes were to put together, especially the Fuels since they have internal cable routing. Alas, no problems dialing in the new XTR stuff or getting the lock-outs set up.

I put the Superfly together in about a 1/2 hour and that includes switching the brakes around to make them normal (the front brake is ALWAYS on the right side).

Sara and I rode for about 3 hours in 25 degrees and sun this morning while my dad watched Kiera. This is probably our last weekend on snowmobile trails since the sun is getting so high, softening the trails up rather quickly. There is a lot of ice, which keeps it interesting, since I hunt for the fastest rolling, least resistant line.

A couple of weeks ago we rode in the toughest conditions possible: new snow and warmer temps. It made this year's Mont du Lac race feel easy.

2011-02-27T08:31:00.000-08:00

Scott and I got rid of our internet back in August. (Thus the lack of posts). We have been very busy with Scott just finishing coaching cross county skiing at Marshall. I helped when I could, but not as much as I would have liked. Kiera joined us a few times, but practice was her usual naptime.

Scott had this past week off, so we went up for a night to stay at Bluefin and ski the Picnic Loop. The skiing was so good! The piston bully just finished groooming before we skied the first day - perfect skate skiing. The next day there were 2-3 inches of new cold snow in the tracks to break through, but still great skiing and beautiful terrain.

The cross country skiing has been really good in Duluth this year. Scott and I did a couple of races - Nordic Spirit in Duluth and the 35k at the Mora Vasaloppet. Nordic Spirit is a great local race for us as we ski the race course trails most often. Both of us were climbing well on race day, but our skis were really slow on the downhills - not even able to keep up in the person's draft just ahead of us. I was sick and would not have raced had I not preregistered. It was nice to race Mora again as that is my hometown race. Scott had a bad day, but my skis were quite good until the last 10K, keeping up with the gal in front of me. Ski racing in the winter is more to test our fitness. Usually by mid-February I am ready to be done skiing and get back more consistently on my bike.

We have been riding mostly on snowmobile trails. Since the warm up a few weeks ago, the riding has been good - icy in spots. Yesterday, all three of us took a tumble on the ice as we got a light cover of new snow.

Kiera is doing well and very busy! She talks nonstop, except during naps. We are working on potty training, but she is mostly resistant unless there is a treat involved. Grandma bought her a musical potty chair that she will be bringing in a few days. Her potty chair had a lady bug it in and since then she doesn't want to use it.

2010-10-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

Sheboygan

Scott and I were not planning on racing this past weekend, but Claire from Trek invited me to help with a woman’s clinic and I couldn’t pass up the offer. It was really fun to get women together excited to ride bikes. I was surprised how many young kids showed up and a wide age range. We had a great time! There were about 30 women total and of those not already planning to race, a few of them decided to try the race the next day.

I have been fighting a cold all week and after the clinic on Saturday, felt quite a bit worse later that night and exhausted on Sunday when I woke. Scott and I were not sure if we would race, but since we had come this far we might as well even though my head was clogged and my throat sore. It was a beautiful day with highs in the upper 70s/low80s and sunny!

Scott’s race was going really well and he was riding in the top 4th-6th spot group when he missed a bottle and unraveled a bit. He kept it together enough to finish 10th and in the money. I finished my race and rode over to the equalizer where I luckily got to see him clean the climb and race the last bit of his race. He was a bit disappointed, but also encouraged as he was riding with really fast guys and where he belongs. I still feel bad about us having had cats for so long, we didn’t realize how allergic Scott is!

My legs didn’t feel very good on the warm up. I wasn’t feeling very well, but hoped I could race just hard enough to win. Abby led out the start, but I sprinted past her to take the Prime, then entered the singletrack ahead of her. I was able to keep the lead from then on, but didn’t have my usual punch up climbs. I also started cramping on the 3rd lap with my right hamstring almost locking up for good at one point. I slowed down, took in more water, and someone nicely raced a gel to me through the woods (thank you!!!) which helped quite a bit. Luckily, I was able to keep it together for the win!

After a long ride home and late night, I am having a great day with Kiera, playing and reading books!

2010-09-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

Scott and my race started the night before the race when we realized our rear brakes didn't work correctly and our rear wheels wouldn't spin. After 5 hrs of fighting with our brakes and Scott almost severing off the tip of his ring finger he was convinced our bikes wouldn't work and he was not racing. The morning of the race we decided to take a chance and hope to find someone at the race that could help us out. Thankfully, Ken Derico of Trek was there and was able to get my rear brake to work perfectly, while Scott had to remove the pads and race without a rear brake.

The start of the race was the best ever in terms of safety. We both got decent starts. Scott rode in the approximately 12th place for most of the race, bridging up to the lead group on three occasions before popping. Once I caught Jenna in the first few miles, I ended up in a really fast group of men that I thought I could hang with for the race and didn't realize at first that Jenna was not in our group.

Unfortunately, both Scott and I started cramping (Scott around Firetower and myself at "00"). Scott ended up 25th, a good result, but a bit of a disappointment due to where he was riding the majority of the race. He was still happy with his efforts, considering all the adversity leading up to the race.

I led the woman's race up until about 5 miles to go. I lost my group a bit earlier and then cramping kept me from tagging on to additional groups for too long. I had to ride a few long stretches of open road by myself which took its toll. I think I had a 2 minute or so lead at one point, but then obviously cratered toward the end, but able to hold onto second. It was fun to see how well I could ride as I was with really fast men and had my gamble paid off, and I was able to finish in the group where I rode the majority of the race, I would have had a great result. I still had a good result, learned a lot, and feel my fitness has come a long way from the start of the season, even with being injured and unable to race for almost a month mid-season.

Our Trek Fuels definitely were the bike to ride for this race! We used the Bontrager XR1 tires even though the reports were for a muddy race, as the course was mostly puddles and not full-on muddy throughout. Firetower was the easiest to climb compared to previously dry years, with the soil somewhat tacky.

Once again Gary Crandall and crew put on a great show even though Telemark Lodge is closed. This is a must do race for any mountain bike afectionado because the one of a kind atmosphere. Thanks again Chequamegon crew!

Up next: The final MN series race in St. Cloud.

2010-09-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

Minnesota Short Track State Champion!

photo by: skinnyski.com

Sara's finish sprint win

Once again, the Maplelag Stage Race was an incredibily fun, well organized event. The Richards crew has this event down to an art thanks to the on-site lodging, great food, and terrific company. A huge thanks to Jack Richards and his buddy Jack, Jonell, Brendan's parents and the rest of the folks that pitched in to watch Kiera for us while we warmed up, cooled downed and raced.

Sara had a great start to the racing on Saturday by taking the win in the time trial and short track. She nipped Jenna in both events which enabled her to snatch the overall stage race competion. For the second year in a row, an Elite female won the overall in the Elite Women/Comp Men's race (Jenna nabbed it last year).

Photo: skinnyski.com

In the cross country, Sara led out the field but struggled in the single track. After a few crashes she was able to settle down and ride in for second place.

I had a rough start to the race weekend. I went out way to hard in the time trial and had to soft pedal most of the race. All things considered, I could have finished further down than I did. Thankfully everything went uphill from here. I ended up 6th in the short track but finished with a little too much left in the tank. After the time trial I was a little hesitant about going out too hard, so I started in the second row and wasn't aggressive enough to stay close enough to the front.

My cross country start... Where is everyone????

Photo: skinnyski.com

This picture says it all. Went out too hard, rode with Brendan for the first 1 1/4 laps, got caught by Doug and tried to hold his wheel for too long and ended up limping home for 5th. All in all, great weekend!

Up next is the CHEQUAMEGON FAT TIRE FESTIVAL.

2010-09-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

CATCH UP TIME Seeley Classic and Lester Park Recap

Seeley:

Sara's racing is coming back after an early season knee injury. She had a very impressive ride last weekend at the Seeley Classic and hopefully this will help bring up her confidence to pre-Kiera days. She was able to ride with FAST guys, the likes of Todd McFadden, Mike Bushey, Adam Swank, Nikolia, etc. for the first five or so miles until crashing. She was going so well that she was even PULLING this group for a bit until Bushey made her ride behind him. She ended up finishing 11th overall in the race and almost snuck into the top 10, but after pulling Nikolia around for most of the race, he outsprinted her at the line. If she can ride like this at Chequamegon she'll be in good shape.

I was a little disappointed that I didn't pull off the win at Seeley. Nobody would take a pull down the long blacktop leadout so I got to buck the wind and settle in. Somebody came by me right before the road turned to gravel and that's when the pace picked up. I got on Aaron Swanson's wheel on the ski trails and he immediately opened up a gap for me and Chad Sova. We rode together for the first 9 miles of road/two track and I entered the singletrack first and shed Chad and Aaron. I was able to get rid of Chad in the small singletrack section and he would catch me after a few miles of two track. This happen on both laps and I was able to stay at the front until 50 or so meters from the finish where Chad proceded to blow by me for the win.

Seeley is a fun course and a great lead up to Chequamegon. I would prefer much more singletrack (I'd guess it's about 30% singletrack)so I'm happy with my two track/road fitness level. The Trek Fuels seem to made for these types of rough, undulating courses.

Lester:

There is nothing better than having a hometown race! I wish it would have been muddier, but I'll take what I can get. I put the Bontrager Mud X tires on the bikes and they worked fantastic! Sara rode off the front from the start and never looked back. Her mud skills continue to improve and I'm always impressed by how fast she can go in all conditions.

I ended up 4th. i didn't have much trouble stay at the front for the first lap and a half but then I started to crumble. I would pick up plenty of time in the short muddy sections but I didn't have much power on the climbs. Cody stuck to my wheel until the last half lap until I asked him to go by. I was riding way too slow and was starting to cramp. He was being overly kind and wanted to let me keep 3rd since I was leading him around the course for most of the day but I hate not earning my spot. I sure appreciate the gesture, but I'd rather race it out or limp it in, as was the case for me.

Up next: MAPLELAG STAGE RACE This is one of my favorite courses of the year and Jay and family do an unbelievable job organizing this event. If you haven't raced here, it is a must!

2010-08-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

Ore to Shore

Scott, Kiera and I headed for Marquette, MI early friday morning in order to do a short preride. The course was unbelievably dry and sandy in the last 7 miles. Luckily, we got to eat dinner with the Eppens. It was good to catch up as we hadn't seen them since last year at this race. We were a bit unprepared (all the hotels were booked) and finally found somewhere to stay (Thank You Amy and Lyle, along with Steve Ferguson). We had wonderful hosts and it was nice getting to know them both.

I didn't sleep much the night before the race and Kiera needed to share our bed for some reason. (Atypical behavior for her as she takes up so much space in bed that it is best for her to sleep alone). By morning all three of us were laying perpedicular to the normal way one would sleep in bed, with Scott getting the left over space.

I got a good start, but then got chain suck from a bad shift (and later finding out) that I twisted my front deraileur. My chain made a horrendous noise from about 3 miles in every time I was in my big ring (which is most of the race). Scott later said that I had a significant amount of added resistance with each pedalstroke. I started feeling a bit better than at the start with about 35 miles to go and got into a nice group of other riders. Somehow we managed to almost bridge up to the next group, which Jenna was in and I got within 10 seconds of her at the halfway point. I wasn't sure how hard I could push, so I tried to settle in but I kept getting slower. I finally lost my group, then got passed by the woman that got second with about 7 miles to go. I ended up third, which is still a great result. I learned a lot from the race and was encouraged by getting so close to Jenna, but discouraged I lost so much time in the last half of the race. Scott did a great job of doing race handups while watching three kids (Kiera and the Raymond boys that Kiera loves to hang out with). Kiera was really good during the race, but came unglued later on in the afternoon while eating a late lunch with the Raymonds, as it was hot, she hadn't eaten much all, and missed her nap. We decided to leave before awards as Kiera finally fell asleep in the car and it was too hot to have her sleep without the AC on.

Next weekend is the second Minnesota Series race in Duluth, The Great Hawk Chase. This is a fantastic course because it is chalk full of smooth, fast, easy to ride singletrack. See you there?

BORDER BATTLE

A bit of a late post. Scott ended up 12th after finishing a lap early and having to return to the course to complete the final lap, losing a few spots as a result. The heat index that day was 104 and it felt like every bit of it! I got a great start, but then after a panic tire change before the start due to the wet condition of the course, got a flat about a mile into the first lap. I walked back to the car, finally got my front flat tire off, replaced it with my dry tire and stan's and went to seek out a CO2 in order to air it up (pump didn't work, big air didn't work, etc). Eddie from the LCR team was nice enough to offer his CO2 and after two cartriges, got the bead to seal. I went back to the course and started my four laps. The lead women had already completed roughtly two laps so I knew I was way out of the race. But, I paid my money and the race course is really fun! I would go race pace when I felt like it and back off when I felt like it to get a harder ride in. I really enjoyed the course, just disappointed I wasn't able to really race.

2010-07-25T06:26:00.000-07:00

LINCOLN PARK MOUNTAIN BIKE CHALLENGE

The big news of the day is that Sara's knee is pain free once again! A fair amount of swelling is still present along with a lack of full range of motion, but all in all the month off of racing made a huge difference. I still can't believe she didn't break her leg...

The race course starts off with a seven minute blacktop climb that is fairly steep at times. They were offering up $50 to the first person to the top of the king of the mountain climb. Jake Boyce had the right idea by leaving his bottle on top of the climb and pumping his tires way up. He had a spirited UMD racer going after the cash as well so I sat back and went pretty hard but not all out. Jake easily took the sprint and I went by him while he was letting the air out of his tires and getting his bottle. I passed the UMD rider soon after entering the singletrack and rode the singletrack smoothly because it is super rocky and easy to flat if one is trying to really race it up on these Piedmont trails. I ended up taking the win with a nice cushion.

Sara was a little hesitant at the start because she hasn't been able to ride hard on singletrack for a month. Anytime she would hit a bump it would jiggle her knee and cause intense pain. Therefore, her singletrack skills were a little off but she still took the win.

Max, a rider that took my mountain bike camp this summer also won his division in the kid's race. Way to go Max!

On a side note, I think we both won for the second year in a row at this race because we picked $52 worth of blueberries in the AM before the race. Not surprisingly, Kiera ate way more than she picked and she sure enjoys hitting all the local berry farms for the fresh treats.

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

My L knee was pretty bad for about a week and it is still healing. I limped heavily, did the RICE thing, some estim, then added HVPC (high volt pulsatile current) towards the end of the week. Wish I would have thought of that sooner. It took almost a week for me to be able to go upstairs using my left leg. I finally (today) can go downstairs using my left leg. I tried to ride the trainer the weds after it happened, but after raising my seat twice my knee range of motion was not good enough to actually do anything but move my leg back and forth. I tried again three days later and felt like I had enough motion to attempt to ride my bike. It wasn't pretty and my pedaling was quite asymmetrical, but I managed 40 minutes of sorta riding. It felt good to be outside. Scott and I missed the WORS cup due to my injury. It would have been fun to race, especially cuz at the Chain drive race I actually felt quite good, except for my knee. I joked with Scott after the race that I crashed because my new bike is too light. I definitely wasn't used to my bike as it was only my second trail ride, and the first trail ride was to ride some of the course the day before.

Scott attempted the Mankato race this past sunday. I was bummed that my leg was not good enough to try to race. (I gave it a 50% rating that day). Kiera and I hung out and did a bunch of fun stuff, while Scott tried to race in 80s and high humidity. He felt terrible and decided to call it a day after two laps. He is not sure what was wrong as the previous week he felt like his racing was finally coming together since getting rid of our cats (he is allergic to pets).

Scott and I rode today on trail for the first time since my crash. Our bikes feel so easy to pedal, even with a bum leg. It was so nice to be able to ride with Scott (thank you Grandpa Irv!). My knee is healing up and is not as sore as earlier this week during and after riding. It is definitely still bruised. I am very lucky I did not break my kneecap as I landed so hard right in the middle of it. I just cannot belief how bruised my knee and lower leg still is.

On another note, I am sad to hear of Kyia (Malenkovich) Anderson's retirement from MTB racing. For a long time she has been the face of women's mountain biking in the midwest. We will really miss her on the race scene. I really hope we have not seen the last of her racing yet.

2010-06-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

KNEE

Sadly,we will not be at the Subaru Cup this weekend since Sara's injured knee will keep her off the bike this week. She got it looked at today and the ortho doc said he's 95% sure she didn't break the knee cap but that she must stay off the bike (and off it as much as possible) for the remainder of the week.

Good luck to everyone else this weekend!

2010-06-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

CHAIN DRIVE RACE RECAP

Sara's knee isn't looking so hot after yesterday's race. That said, she was able to ride pretty hard all things considered and luckily, was able to win another Chain Drive - her fifth in a row. The crash happened about six miles into the race so she raced about 24 miles in a bit of pain. Hopefully, she didn't do any serious damage by finishing instead of pullin out, but only time will tell. She's hobbling around and will need xrays if it doesn't get better in a few days. The crash also pulled her front derailleur cable out of adjustment and she couldn't get into her big ring so she had to ride in the 29. Our neighbor and good friend, Diana McFadden finish 2nd and Michelle Peariso finished 3rd - the same podium at the 2005 or '06 Chain Drive.

On the way to Houghton a bear ambled out of the tall grass off of Highway 2 near Maple, WI and did its best to become a hood ornament on the Volvo. Luckily, I was able to lock up the brakes and do a little slide to avoid the thing. We were pretty excited to see a bear, but it would have been a lot better if it would have just hung out by the side of the road instead of meandering across it.

Once we arrived in Houghton, we went to the Best Western to check in but they didn't have us on their registration list. After a couple of phone calls, the kind folks at the front desk upgraded Sara's free room (a perk to both the male and female winners thanks to Best Western)upgraded her to the honeymoon suite!

As you can see, we had a great view of the harbor and a mac daddy room. Thanks Best Western!

After a pedestrian start, the race finally kicks in about 2 miles out from town at the base of a pretty steep, winding blacktop climb. This year there was a prime for the men so the front of the group started ramping it up at the base of the climb before entering the single track. Mike ended up taking the $50 prime and I was fifth going into the single track and immediately a gap opened up when the fourth place ride went down, blocking the trail. I got close to Brian Matter, Mike Anderson and Chad Wells (MI guy) by the end of a short section of singletrack that spills into a bunch of undulating two track but couldn't really push any harder without going into the red. I sat up and Chris Peariso flew by so I grabbed his wheel and he pulled us up to the group. As soon as we latched on I got spit off and rode about 29 miles in time trial mode. I could see the group of four for about eight miles and spectators kept saying I was 1:30 down on Chris. I crashed pretty good going uphill with about 3 miles to go and basically shut it down and rode in. At the finish Brian outsprinted Mike to take the win, Chad was third, Chris was fourth and I ended up fifth.

All in all, it was a great day minus Sara's knee injury. To do it all over again, I probably should have talked Sara out of riding her new Trek since she didn't get to really ride it before the race. We spent an hour on the first section of single track Friday night at 7:00 PM dialing in the bikes. It's fine for me, but I think it was a little too tough for Sara. Even though they are very similar to last year's bikes, they are lighter - especially our wheels and tire selection - and that can change the responsiveness of the bike quite a bit.

Thanks to all those involved for putting together such an incredible event. This must do point-to-point course is FANTASTIC! The majority of race is single track and each year the group adds more. Furthermore, there are a ton of other trails in the area and the folks are top notch.

Kiera had a sleep-over at Grandma Sally and Grandpa Tom's house in Two Harbors. Needless to say, she was exhausted when we picked her up last night and for the first time in many months, slept until 9:00 AM.

2010-06-18T05:46:00.000-07:00

This is what Kiera's been up to when she hangs out with our good friend Mary:

2010-06-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Jay Richards and Skinnyski.com for the pics!

For more pictures, Jay's weekly skinnyski report and results, go to skinnyski.com

The last time I raced in mud that deep was at the Norba in West Virginia in 2003. I've got to admit that I love a super mucky course to race on now and again. Sara pounded out the win and even worked her way into 11th overall in the men's results, five seconds out of 10th! I ended up 2nd behind Jack Hinckens. After catching him near the end of the first lap, he upped the pace and dropped me easily and went on to take the win. Jack just returned from a stint in Europe with the US U-23 mtb team, so it's no surprise he took home top honors.

Up next is the Chain Drive this weekend in Houghton.

Sara and I got our Trek Top Fuels earlier this week so we are excited to race the new bikes.

Thanks Trek!

2010-06-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

Scott and I both raced the MN Series Dirtspanker race at Mont du Lac this weekend near Duluth. (We skipped Afton because I was sick). It rained the entire week leading up to the race. While the course, we are told, was quite good the day before the race, neither Scott nor I prerode as we didn't want to get our bikes dirty. (And Scott clean them again!) Scott did a great job of getting our bikes all set, including cleaning them (spit shine) and selecting mud tires. I was lucky that we had a set sitting around and Scott got lucky that The Ski Hut could get a 29er set in quickly. It worked out really well to still have our last year's bikes to race so we would not have to get our new ones all dirty (they just got here today! :)

The climb out of the start at Mont du Lac is always tough! Straight up the hill. Luckily this year the climb wasn't quite as tough as there is a new road up the left side of the uphill. I was thankful for the gravel. Once on top the trail dips into singletrack. As soon as I got down the hill I was basically off my bike running up the first climb and around expert riders. The course really slowed everyone down and created quite a bugger of things! The right tires on the bike made all the difference! I was third heading into the singletrack behind Jenna and Chloe. It was fun to race with them for part of that first lap. I am not too sure how much fun they were having though. Chloe fell in front of me and somehow I got around her without going down. I felt lucky when I caught Jenna, but I don't think her tires were clearing the mud very well. I didn't think it would be as bad as it was in the woods. It was like racing in thick pea soup with deep ruts in the middle down some of the off canter downhills. We have not seen race/mud conditions like this since the Norba National in West Virginia in 2003. I felt really lucky to have won this race. There were many fast and fit women and I think I mostly just got the right tires on my bike (thank you, Scott!) Skinny ski (www.skinnyski.com) has some really great photos of the race that captures the conditions quite well.

I was really happy to see Scott do well and place second overall! He has fantastic mud skills and he was saying after the race he probably should have run more as it would have been faster at times than riding. He was pleased with his race and finish. It is so nice to see him race well again. As hard as it was to get rid of our cats, it has been the best thing for Scott. He was really allergic to them. It is also nice to sleep through the night for the past month as Kiera has finally taken to sleeping though the night (about time!) As hard as it is to be sleep deprived all the time, I wouldn't have changed all the extra time we got to cuddle with the babe at night. We won't get that time back and someday she'll have a complete adversion to cuddling with either one of us!

Grandpa Irv was nice enough to bring her out to the race after she woke up from her morning nap. She was running around, making friends, getting all dirty, and basically enjoying being outside; especially while wearing her favorite green frog boots! Her and grandpa are good buddies.

Our next race is the Keewenaw Chain Drive. This race is a lot of fun and has really great singletrack! Scott and I also really like Houghton. It is very similar to Duluth, but smaller. It is also nice to stay at the hotel at the race start (Bridgewater Best Western). This year we will leave Kiera home instead of having her ride that far in her carseat. Last year she was not happy and was really fussy. We got to Houghton really late at night and were both completed exhausted before the race. It is still tough for me to leave her home.

2010-05-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

The first MN Series race (www.mnmtbseries.com) at Harmon Park in Inver Grove Heights was yesterday. Scott, Kiera and I drove down Friday night and stayed with the Swansons so that Stella and Kiera could play the next morning. And play they did! It was fun to watch the two babies interact.

On the way to the race, it was pouring rain, thundering, and intermittent lighting. By the time we got there the Sport race was delayed with our race starting just over and hour later than normal. The Sport riders were finishing with mud caked everywhere. During our warm up, we had our jackets on and I was still a bit chilly...it was maybe 60 degrees and overcast. By race end an hour later it would climb to 80 degrees and sunny. The expert/pro and comp races were shortened by a lap due to the muddy conditions. The sun came out and the wind picked up just before the start of the race. The open sections were really windy, but the course dried out amazingly quickly. Scott was a bit disappointed the course didn't stay muddy.

Scott was pleased with his race. He started in the third row and with the course narrowing down to singletrack relatively quickly, he was pleased with his 8th place finish. There was a very competitive mens field.

I was also pleased with my race finishing second behind Jenna Z. I was able to race with Jenna the first lap. She gapped me on the second lap and then slowly put a minute on me before the finish. She is fun to race with and I was very glad I got to race with her. It was really good to see so many women racing!

Kiera had a blast hanging out with Kathy, Luke and Ben Raymond. She was just shot from playing on the playground and trying to keep up with the boys! She fell asleep while nursing after the race and took a bit of a cat nap before waking up just in time for the (long) ride home. She kept herself entertained for the most part with her muscical tea pot and books. She loves all the commotion of the race, seeing all the people and animals and there was a fantastic playground right near the start/finish area of the race. She slept very well last night!

We were getting ready for bed that night when we heard a CRASH outside. We go to investigate and there are two black bears wrestling with our garbage! We have also seen near our home one very large black bear, foxes, a wolf cub last summer, a large fisher (also last summer), Todd swears he saw a cougar (I hope he is wrong), a few wolves (one while skiing last winter, another while running a few springs ago while pregnant), lots of deer (large rodents as they like to eat in our garden). We were also lucky enought to see a timberworlf on our honeymoon 12 years ago, another on our way back from Giant's Ridge a few years later and another just a few weeks ago on our way back from Two Harbors.

2010-05-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Jay Richards of Maplelag Resort for the previous photos. Additional photos of the race/racers can be seen at www.skinnyski.com

Cable is often our first race of the season. This year they put the singletrack back into the race course, with the welcome addition of a bit more than in the past. The course was in fantastic shape with a few additional mud puddles due to the recent rain and a few additional miles due to a necessary road re-route. This summer for next year they plan to add more single track to replace the re-route.

The weather was in stark contrast to last years race conditions of 35 degrees and lightly snowing. At race start it was about 58 degrees; climbing to 70 by race end. It was so nice to feel the warmth of the sun and wear shorts.

Scott raced very well, feeling much better than the two weeks previous at Iola where he did not finish. He ended up third, a good result and he was very pleased.

Sara was pleased with her finish. The race was long and hard. Every uphill felt a lot longer than it should have, but the downhills were fun. The singletrack was really fun.

Gary Crandall was so kind and was passing out water and sports drink at the end of the race. A big thanks to all the volunteers, race promoters, and race director for hosting a great event!

2010-04-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

Kiera continues to get more vocal and mobile each day!

I rode the Spirit Mountain trails the other day. The new Alpine coaster isn't going to do too much damage to the current trail system, so that's pretty good news. They are currently working on the parking lot on the top of the hill and they've basically got the straight shot return for the coaster completed already. Here are a few pics at Spirit.

2010-04-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

Scott, Kiera and I just returned from Moab, UT for our annual trip. We had great riding and stayed once again at Canyonlands Campground downtown so that we walk to breakfast and dinner. Kiera got to spend some quality time with grandpa Irv (bumpa) and Uncle Brad. I'll have to add photos once we get them downloaded to the computer. Scott is fit, while I am still trying to find my pre-baby form.

Racing season in coming up fast and we are starting to get entry's sent in. Once again we'll be going to the Keweenaw Chain Drive in June. If you have not raced this race, it is one of our favorites. The 32 mile race course has some of the best singletrack we have ridden. It is also a good time of year to assess race fitness for longer races. The Bestwestern downtown is right at the race start and where we will be staying again this year. The race finishes only about 2 miles away in Hancock (all downhill back to the start). Last year I just tried to survive this race (and the season).

More later.....

2010-03-11T16:17:00.000-08:00

WE'RE BACK

Since it's spring and riding is now in full force, I figured I'd better start the blog once the again. Skiing was stellar this winter, so I didn't get on the bike at all between November and the end of February. Once the ski trails started to deteriorate, we got out on the snowmobile trails. We only got four rides on the snowmobile trails before the warm weather took care of them too. Go figure. I suspected we'd get a month of solid trail riding in before having to resort to the soggy gravel roads...so much for that idea.

We will be riding Treks again this year so we are obviously stoked. I think this will be the 11th straight year I've raced a Trek mountain bike and 8 straight for Sara. Thank you, TREK!

We are heading out to Moab the first full week of April. It will be nice to meet up with my brother Brad who lives in Flagstaff, AZ. Uncle Brad is kind enough to watch Kiera so Sara and I can ride together like we did in the old days.

We lost over a foot of snow in the last week and had plenty of rain - even hail - the past couple of days, so it appears spring is at its finest. The weather has forced me to dust off the rollers last night and now I've used them two nights in a row. I only got a 1/2 hour in tonight, however, because the band broke that transfers the energy from the rear roller to the front. With any luck, I'm pretty sure I can repair it with some shrink tube.

2009-09-20T18:46:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all the racers at this weekend's Chequamegon! It was a sad day for me because after my DNF at Ore to Shore I was thinking it was the right decision not to preregister. I should have tried. A DNF feels better than not trying to race at all. The week before O2S I didn't sleep at all, so going into the race I just felt exhausted....I just wanted to nap at the start line (not race 50 miles)! This year has been tough racing for me as I don't get enough sleep. I had a good long ride anyway that day to make myself feel better.

Last weekend both Scott and I raced at Spirit Mtn (PowderMonkey MNSCS race). It was a beautiful day and Kiera had a handful of baby sitters as my dad and mom and eldest sister and her boyfriend showed up to watch. Scott's dad raced and then helped babysit as well (Kiera ended up sleeping during the entire race at home, but made it for the awards). Scott was 5th even after waking up with a terrible sore throat. He has been sick since, but has made the turn for the better. I won thankfully. I felt fine climbing, but like a fish out of water on the singletrack. Two weeks worth of pulling Kiera in the Chariot and not riding trail was probably not the best idea. The race course was in fantastic shape and very well marked!

Today I was riding at Spirit Mtn race course and was down by the fern gully just about to start the new singletrack cut last summer when I saw a wolverine clinging onto a tree ahead of me. At first I thought it was a bear cub, but the tail was too long. I braked to stop and the noise scared him off ... he flew through the air and I went a different way. I did not want to get any closer!!!! He is really south of his normal range, so I wonder if he was someone's pet or something that got let loose???? Crazy! I also saw a rather large bear this summer and wolf or coyote cub on several occassions while riding. I better start singing while riding...that'll scare the animals off!

Next weekend we are contemplating racing in St. Cloud. Depends upon how much sleep I get, but I would like to race more yet this season with the few races that are left.

2009-07-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

It has been tough making the time to update this blog. Scott is on facebook and has been keeping in touch with a lot of people that way. I am still trying to pay back some of the sleep deprivation from the last 10 months! Kiera is finally sleeping through the night for the past week or two now. It is amazing how much better I feel overall. Scott and I were able to ride 90 miles the Sunday on our road bikes and did another 60 mile or so ride yesterday. Thank God for grandparents that are willing to watch Kiera while we ride. Sunday was my first road ride in almost 2 years; my poor bike had dust on it! I forgot how nice and easy it is to pedal. I feel like I have just started my spring training. Too bad it is the end of July.

Our last race was the Lincoln Park Mtn Bike Challenge here in Duluth a few weeks ago. This was a first annual event complete with music, food, etc held in the park next to this beautiful creek in Lincoln Park. The start of the race was all uphill for expert riders; about 9 minutes or so. Then the course hit the Piedmont trail system that was just put in a year or so ago. It is rocky and bumpy, but a really nice trail. Better riding in my opinion at race pace than for a slow, easy ride. Scott and I both won, which was really nice. Kiera had a blast hanging out with Grandpa Irv (Scott's dad). She loves to ride on his shoulders and check out all the people and surroundings.

Scott and I were planning on racing the MNSCS race at Elk River, and even prerode the day before, but neither of us felt that great preriding. We decided instead to ride our road bikes from Scott's mom's house on raceday while she watched Kiera (see photo with Kiera and Grandma walking). Our 2.5 hr ride turned into a 4+ hr ride. We didn't realize that one of the roads we took was so long without any roads to take a short cut. So of course, we didn't have any food, no cell phone and both of us got really tired and crawled in.

My next race will be Ore to Shore while Scott watches Kiera. He doesn't enjoy the sand and I kinda like it. I expect the race to be pretty brutal for me and if I can finish that will be nice. My race speed thus far feels like it is missing a few gears this year, but I feel really lucky that I can still go fast enough to win sometimes. We love hanging out in Marquette and I am looking forward to jumping into the lake after the race. (I say that every year and then I get my toes in the cold water and chicken out. I am sure Kiera will enjoy it though!)

Kiera is doing really well. She is crawling all over the place and has been now for months. She pulls herself up and cruises furniture, the cupboards, and while hanging onto us. She loves to be part of the action and loves to see new places, people, things, etc. She can stand on her own for several seconds and can take a step while falling into me if I am sitting on the ground. She loves to use her pointer finger to point at things, and loves to take all the books off her book shelf multiple times per day. My mom just gave me a barn and farm animals/tractor, etc for her to play with. It's fun to watch Kiera make the rounds to all her favorite toys, including opening and shutting her bedroom door on her own. She just started waving bye-bye, but is pretty selective when using it.

Our little family has also been strawberry and raspberry picking, along with taking a lot of walks on the Duluth Lakewalk (photo above with Kiera on Scott's shoulders). Our garden is starting to produce peas and beans will be along soon. Our lettuce garden is still producing. Next year I hope to have an even bigger garden.

2009-06-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

The MNSCS Dirtspanker race was just over a week ago. Scott got 7th and I got 2nd. The course has a nice long climb on it that I just tried to stay steady on and not lose too much time to Jenna, but I did anyway. I stunk in the singletrack and after talking with Scott this past week realized my rear shock was locked out. Wrong race course for that to happen. Scott felt ok during his race until he started cramping on the 3rd lap and still had one more to go. He only lost one place. The rest of the week after that race I felt wasted. The course is so fun, but definitely one of the more challenging courses in the midwest. Spirit Mountain is tougher though (that race is in Sept). There is also a new race in Duluth this year at the new Piedmont trail system. It starts in Lincoln park and climbs up to the infamous Exhibition drive (in the wintertime where all the houses are all lit up with Christmas lights along the Duluth hillside). From there it will enter the new singletrack built over the past couple of years by COGGS and other volunteers.

Scott and I finally decided late in the week to go to the Chain Drive Festival in Houghton, MI. It was tough to decide between that race and Mt. Morris, but Houghton is definitely a cool town to hang out in so we chose to go in that direction. Thankfully, Scott took the initiative because if it were left up to me I would have been sitting on the couch or catching up on sleep instead of driving 4.5 hrs to the U.P. I was not excited to race as I had not ridden my bike in two days, put in a long day at work on Friday in the clinic and felt both mentally and physically wasted. Scott drove the whole way with Kiera playing nicely and then finally falling asleep while I tried to sleep, but somehow it always seems to escape me.

Luckily, a friend of a friend helped Scott find us a babysitter during the race so both of us could race. Scott later wished he would have been the babysitter and saved the entry fee and babysitting money.

The course was really fun. Since it had been two years since we had raced the Chain Drive, they have added a lot more singletrack. The singletrack is well worth the drive even if neither of us felt that good while racing. Scott was in second place until 10 miles to go. His group wasn't going super fast, but he just fell apart and couldn't push his pedals any more than an easy spin. I almost caught up to him so that tells me how bad his race was as my legs hurt the entire time while racing and I felt like my head was in a fog of fatigue. I also had way too much air in my tires in the singletrack and felt like I was in a pin ball machine getting bounced around. The rocks were still slick from the rain the day before. I should have stopped to let out some air. My skills are just not that good yet. I was very glad to see the finish line. I was thankful I still finished first as I was sure the second place woman was going to catch me. As neither of us felt stellar about our day and Scott considerably more bummed than I, we decided to head home straight after the awards.

Kiera did really well and loved the babysitter. She had a great day looking at all the people and everything. Of course when she saw me the crying started as she finally realized she was hungry and then settled in for her first nap of the day in the early afternoon. Since getting back to Duluth after sweltering in the VW van with no AC, we have been to the zoo, lakewalk, on a hike with a friend and visiting with several of our other friends and their children. It is fun to see Kiera interacting with other kids. We are thinking she'll be an extrovert and take after Scott more in that way.

2009-06-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of Kiera and her Great Aunt at the Afton MNSCS race a few weekends ago. They had a blast and it was so nice of her Great Aunt to want to hang out with her. We had a very busy weekend first by celebrating my dad's 70th birthday party in his hometown of Mora. There were a great number of relatives there...from as far as Alaska. Then we hung out and stayed at the Swanson's meeting their friends that have a 6 month old and of course seeing little Stella.

I felt better at the Afton race than at Cable by quite a bit. It is a different type of race course though being primarily singletrack at Afton, whereas the new race director at Cable took out most of the singletrack. I can tell I have not found my pre-pregnancy racing form, but things seem to be heading in the right direction. Or at least I thought so after the race. Scott didn't finish his race. He doesn't seem to do well in the heat. It was about 85 degrees and, thankfully, windy. Our car doesn't have AC, so Kiera got a bit overheated and fussy on the way home (poor kid). By the time we got home that night it was 41 degrees in Duluth. We got a better warm up this time than at Cable. However, I am more concerned with getting our babysitter and daughter all set up that I don't warm up as well as I should. Nothing like a race to jump start the system!

The Cable Classic was our first race (back in May). Neither of us got a warm up as we were trying to make sure our baby and babysitter (Michelle F-H) were all set. They had a blast and Michelle did such a great job of keeping Kiera warm and happy. The race was about 35 degrees at the start. I really didn't want to race, but since we had a babysitter I felt obligated. I didn't feel good racing, got a really slow start and couldn't wait for the finish line. There was quite a bit of singletrack missing from the race course compared with previous years and at one point in the race I got kinda bored. We really like the Hayward/Cable area and have been racing this race for years to support the area. On a high note, I did feel better racing this year than last year while pregnant. Scott didn't have a very good day. He doesn't really know why except he may have seasonal allergies. The cats have been gone from our house for about a year and he is feeling much better overall. He no longer naps everyday after school/work and has been a whole new person in terms of energy level.

As far as expectations for this season I've come to realize I shouldn't have any. Neither of us get regular sleep and thus regular training is difficult. Some days while riding I feel so tired that I am not sure that it is doing me any good except it is good to have some time to myself. Our next planned race is this coming weekend - Mont du lac MNSCS race. There has been additional fun singletrack added to the racecourse lap from last year. I hear it is really fun! I'll get a chance to preride it the day before the race as I work the days the course is open to ride (Tues). Since Afton, neither of us has felt very well and my rides are exceptionally slow with zero ability to go fast or hard. So, one or both of us may be handing out water instead. We'll see.....

2009-05-04T18:58:00.000-07:00

NEW BIKES AND KITS

I've finally got both bikes together and set up for the most part. I've got to get a reverse pull derailleur for my bike and some rim strips for our wheels, but then we are ready for the race season. I rode my Fuel for the first time on Sunday on gravel roads since the trails are still too wet. It feels very similar to last year's bike but I seem more comfortable on it - maybe it's a touch smaller????

I cannot wait to get this thing on real singletrack and give it a real whirl.

Here's a few pics of some of this year's items.

Next up: CABLE OFF-ROAD CLASSIC!

2009-04-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

My new Fuel is like pedaling air. This winter and into early spring, we were both riding my Paragon (and, for me, not enough) with little to no bike maintenance. I cannot believe how much better my new Fuel feels to pedal as well as my legs afterward. Moab was a pretty eye opening trip for me. I fully realized how out of shape and over tired I am from lack of sleep these past 7 months. My biking legs are not coming back as quickly as I was hoping. I realize now how much more I was able to train in the past and how much Scott and I trained together; especially helping one another get out the door to ride when we may have not felt like it. It is much easier now to make excuses and play with Kiera instead. She is such a great kid!

Kiera is finally sleeping through the night these past couple weeks (except I still get up once or twice to give her a nuk instead of nursing her back to sleep). Overall, I am feeling some better and better on my bike and training in general. Scott is fired up to race, whereas I cannot help but feel a bit reserved. I am starting to feel better since I have added a few intervals into my training regimen and gotten back in the weightroom. I was doing pushups, ab work, and other dumbbell exercises at home, but I realized that was not enough. I didn't feel strong while riding in Moab. Luckily, Scott lifts on his lunch breaks two times per week and Kiera and I join him for one of those times as my work schedule allows. It is fantastic as Kiera can play on the mat while Scott and I lift. (The weightroom is usually empty while we are in there so it works out perfectly).

2009-04-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

BACK HOME

It sure is nice to be back home. The drive out to Moab is pretty easy, but the return home is always much more difficult. It didn't help that Vail Pass was closed due to an accident, so we had to spend a couple of hours waiting for the DOT to clear the site and open the road again.

Kiera was quite a trooper during the entire trip. She didn't fuss at all on the ride down and she absolutely loved everything about Moab. Like the rest of us, she was a little cranky on the way back, but it wasn't too bad. We stopped in to meet Stella Swanson - boy is she cute! Kiera enjoyed grabbing at her and playing with all of her toys...

It was nice to see most of the snow melted because the gravel roads are really starting to shape up. The city opened up Skyline Road-our gravel road in the summer/snowmobile trail in the winter-last week so we now have another access road for our mountain and cross bikes. I got to enjoy these views the past week now and and there are very few cars that frequent them so that is also a huge plus.

On a side note, my brother Brad who now lives in Flagstaff, AZ, just ran his first half marathon. He has a propensity for getting lost in mountain bike races, and the half marathon was no different. However, the funniest part of the story is that as he was packing his bag for the 1/2, he included two right shoes. Instead of bagging the race, he decided to take out the insole and run the thing with two right shoes! After finishing the race he decided to jump on his bike and get in a long ride...he is quite the tough guy. He can't stop talking about how amazing the singletrack is in Flag and Sedona. Sara, Kiera and I plan on going out the end of June to check it out.

That's all for now because I've got to put together the new Fuel that arrived right before we left for Moab!

2009-04-06T08:26:00.000-07:00

MOAB PHOTOS

We rode from Canyonlands Campground yesterday and did Poison Spider. My dad took a wrong turn about 5 minutes from the top so I had to go look for him, and unfortunately missed out on one of my favorite trails, the Portal. Jesse, Bill and Sean got to ride it and like usual, Sean flatted (for the second time on the ride). It's tough to ride in large groups because the chances for mechanicals increase and it seems someone is always falling off the back. I got to ride a good chunk of Poison Spider twice looking for him and found a new way to make a loop out of Poison Spider.

Bushey ran into some people from Marquette, MI on the ride while I was searching for my dad.

It's supposed to be in the 60s today so I should be able to put away the insulated jersey for the first time!

2009-04-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

MOAB, UT

We arrived in Moab on Friday afternoon greeted by high winds, rain, sleet and a generous dose of hail. Yep, this is the Moab we remember! We figured it would be a little chilly since the drive from Denver to Grand Junction was loaded with snow, wind and cool temps. The mountains were supposed to get anywhere from 20 - 30 inches of snow so we felt pretty lucky getting the van through without any problems (other than having to stop twice to chisel the ice off the grill to allow air flow to the radiator). We didn't let the weather deter us, however, and we rode Amasa Back to Jackson's trail Friday afternoon. It's tough to start a ride in wind, rain and hail, but we were excited to get on dirt again. Sara loves the new Trek Fuel even though I didn't get around to setting it up properly before the ride.

Woke up Saturday morning to snow - plenty of snow - falling in town and about an inch accumulated on the tops of vehicles. The surrounding rock cliffs that surround the town were blanketed and the contrast between the snow and red rock was stunning. In the 13 - 14 years I've been coming out here, this is the first time I've seen snow in town (I've seen plenty of snow in the higher elevations around town, but never snow in town). Saturday's ride was a short one again due to weather, so we opted to do Moab Rim trail to the Hidden Valley hiking trail in order to get a loop in. So far, Irv, Sara, brother Brad, Jesse Reints, Nikolia, Mattable, Shamus, and Schwalbe have arrived. Mister Bushey and Veits are on still fishing in Glenwood Springs since the weather isn't great, but they plan to meet up for Sunday's ride - a Slickrock appetizer followed by Porcupine Rim.

I'd attach some pics, but alas, I've forgotten the usb cord.

2009-03-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING

Since the weather has been so windy, chilly and wet like it usually is this time of year, I busted out the rollers for an hour on Tuesday. Every once in a while it's nice to jump on them to remind myself how monotonous it is to ride the trainer. In addition, the session motivated me to commute to work the past couple of days in pretty unfavorable late March conditions (see above pic). The thing I enjoy most about commuting is that I don't have to get into a cold car and Skyline Road is so rough very few drivers are willing to navigate the pothole filled/patched boulevard.

On the ride in one morning I saw a guy jogging in a big ol' Ski-Doo snowmobile jacket - impressive. Someone is also building a house right on a cliff off the edge of the road - not impressive.

On the ride home some dude in a green minivan with a prominent Pro Life sticker gave me about about a foot of room on this desolate road. He obviously isn't concerned about life once out of the womb...

Here are a couple of more pictures of last week's storm:

Tomorrow, Sara and I are going to get in some single track riding since it's supposed to be -1 tonight!

2009-03-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

MORE SNOW!

Even though I've been sick all week - and had conferences - I thought it would be a good idea to commute by bike to work today. I've been battling a serious cold/sore throat/sinus headeache for the past six days, so the lack of riding has been grating on me. My first mistake was thinking the local forecasters would be correct about the form of precip we'd receive (rain instead of snow)so I rode Sara's 'cross bike to work with road tires on it. My second mistake was underestimating my illness and thinking I could ride it out of me. Needless to say, now the throat is worse and my ears are even more plugged than before.

In a couple of weeks, everything will be better because we'll be back here!

2009-03-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

MARCH 13?????????????????????

Sara and I did the baby swap today so each of us could get out for a ski. I cannot believe how good the skiing is for March 13! I had to drive to Fergus Falls yesterday for the State spelling bee, and on my way up the car thermometer hit -24 just north of Floodwood... I had to look a couple of times to make sure I was reading the thing correctly because that's the lowest I've seen all year and it's almost the middle of March. All of us have been battling sore throats and general malaise over the past week, so hopefully we can kick it for good over the next couple of days.

I rode the Superfly last weekend with little Narum for about six hours and that didn't help my sore throat much; however, it did wonders for my attitude and for getting my rear end in shape for Grand Junction/Fruita/Moab. We rode a bunch of stuff walkers were on, and once that stuff sets up after a warming spell, it's as rough as any boulder field the West has to offer.

Charlie Farrow left his indelible mark on some of the stuff we rode - a six inch swath the runs from one edge of the trail to the other. I kept expecting to see an imprint of the old boy in the dearth of snow, but no luck. That guy has the uncanny knack of being able to get 10 miles of riding in out of a five mile trail.

Kiera's sleeping, Sara's in the process of making bread, and I'm going to see who's playing in the State hockey tourney.

2009-03-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

Scott, Kiera, and I were in Houghton, MI this past weekend. Scott coaching and waxing for the CSS Nordic Ski Team (regional meet and final NCAA qualifier). We had one athlete make NCAAs. Very exciting! Kiera and I hung out a bit as it was below zero saturday morning until it warmed up enough to ski. I pulled her in the chariot for 2 hrs on saturday and just over 1 hr on sunday with Scott and I finally getting to ski another hr while he pulled the chariot. My legs were torched yesterday and achy at night. All three of us are fighting a cold. Off to bed......

2009-02-06T18:49:00.001-08:00

2009-02-06T18:41:00.000-08:00

Kiera is growing fast! She loves this little standing play station. I put her in this while I ride the trainer. I started riding the trainer a week or two ago consistently and finally got outside last week riding my 29er on snowmobile trails. I had a blast! I miss not riding with Scott as we mostly tag team watching Kiera while the other one gets out to exercise. Scott has been mostly skiing while I do a bit of everything - run, ski, bike, lift weights....I have been hiking less while carrying Kiera as I am finding that I need more vigorous exercise to get my shape back.

2009-01-27T18:01:00.000-08:00

So what have I been doing with my time since I am not blogging very often? Besides nursing and caring for Kiera, working, and trying to get some training in; I have been reading a ton. Really, since finding our we were pregnant about a year ago we have been reading. Some of our favorite/most informative books are the following:
"Hypnobirthing", by ???
"Having a baby naturally", published by Mothering Magazine.
"The complete guide to breastfeeding" (although I disagree that breastfeeding is painless, my left nipple still hurts from Kiera taking a chunk off of it during the first week after birth - thank God for pure lanolin).
"The vaccine book", by Sears (lists what is in and how each vaccine is made)
"Saying no to vaccines", by Dr. Tenpenny
"Vaccines, Are they rally safe and effective?", by Miller
"The vaccine Dilemma", by Murphy
"Crazy Makers", by Simontacchi
"Genetically engineered food: chaing the nature of nature", by "Tietel and Wilson (dry but informative book)
"Organic Baby", by Rider
"Happiest Baby on the block", by Karp
"Your pregnancy week by week" (I liked this better than "what to expect when you are expecting" although there was good information in both books)
and Tons of baby books by various authors.

My favorite magazines are:
Mothering Magazine
Mother Earth News
Oxygen (although I have so many magazines that I have to let this subscription go)

I like to read and be informed so we can make good decisions (hopefully); especially as it relates to Kiera and our health as a family.

Our goal this summer is to expand our garden. I did a lot of drying and freezing last summer that has paid off. What I was not able to grow, I could get at the farmer's market. This winter we are sharing a winter food share from a local farm with some friends. It has been really nice to get local (root) vegetables this way.

Training is starting to improve. I am riding the trainer, running, skiing, and lifting weights. I put Kiera in the baby bjorn when I lift weights. I am careful and I can do mostly everything I normally do, while Kiera loves looking around.

Better run....work is piling up. Looks like I'll be done reading leisure books for a few weeks!

2009-01-13T17:03:00.000-08:00

Irv (Scott's dad) babysits for us while Scott and I are both at work. Sometimes the house gets chilly, so he'll wrap her up in his down winter jacket. Goes nicely with pink? Kiera is not a very good sleeper unless she is warm...and the best way to get her to sleep is put her in the baby bjorn and go for a hike. If the sun is out I have taken her out starting at -5F with the temp rising as we walked. She stayed plenty warm as we have a nice fleece one piece outfit for her and I wear a special jacket I bought from a friend that is meant to wrap around both of us. I usually get too hot and end up with my hat and gloves off even when it is really cold. Ideally, I walk with her most days. If I don't get out I'll walk around the house until she falls asleep or take her on errands so she'll sleep in the carseat. I hate lugging that carseat around though.

My training thus has consisted of a lot of hiking/walking, some running as it is fast to get a good workout, some strengthening, and XC skiing. I was riding the trainer some up until we got good snow. I am planning to get out on winter rides once this cold snap lifts (should be by sunday) and now that I fixed the flat on my bike (from when Scott last used it). I was going to enter a running race, until I tried to do some intervals and decided to save my $25 instead. The intervals went really poorly and I am not sure what I was thinking. I am not a fast runner like I was in college.

It is definitely more challenging getting in good workouts after having Kiera. I thought pregnancy was tough! That was nothing, but at least my body feels better and is getting close to back to normal (prepregnancy weight). I still don't feel as strong in my core as I used to. Some of my friends have told me it took them up to two years to feel normal again. I don't have that much patience.

I am sure most people know that the Midwest Trek Regional Team is no longer an entity. Scott and I were disappointed, but understand with the economy the way it is. We love riding for Trek and they have been really good to me/us. I feel really lucky to have ridden for them for 5 years. Scott and I plan on racing this summer, although we have to figure out what we are going to do for bikes. We'll see.

Well, better run. I am on borrowed time and I have loads of work to do. I have never done so much laundry in my life and been so far behind on getting work for my job done.

2008-12-06T15:20:00.000-08:00

Here is Scott and Kiera while Kiera is checking herself out in the mirror. Kiera is growing and changing fast. She likes to 'talk' and kick, or as Scott's dad says 'likes to start her motorcycle' by imitating with her legs that motion; especially while on the changing table. The changing table is what we call her 'happy place'. She smiles and seems happiest when half naked.

Kiera is only eating one time per night now and then another in the early morning (5 or 6 AM ish) which is much better than the three times per night when she was smaller. Some days I feel almost normal and not so sleep deprived. Other days I feel like I am 'melting' from lack of sleep. I finally felt good running and biking just over a week ago. Before then I felt like I was just slugging along; really slow and heavy. My body is finally starting to feel more like my old self before pregnancy. I still have a few pounds to lose. The last ten has been the hardest. I lost the first twenty without much effort; it was probably mostly extra fluid.

I am mostly running because it is easier and faster to get ready, a good workout in a relatively short amount of time, and I can push Kiera in the Chariot (we have an infant sling) when it is not too cold. I have been riding the trainer some, but mostly avoiding that piece of training equipment and riding my Paragon outside when I have enough time. Timing training is a bit tricky with breastfeeding. Today I left Scott a freshly pumped bottle so I could run as long as I wanted. Good thing too. I could tell there was quite the scuffle for Scott to get Kiera to take the bottle and they were both out cold by the time I got home. They are very good napping buddies.

2008-11-02T12:23:00.000-08:00

Here is Kiera being held by Grandma Sally (Scott's mom). She is keeping us very busy! I have been trying to blog for at least three weeks now. She developed a sore bottom, therefore we skipped going along with Scott to Sheboygan. She was REALLY unhappy that weekend, but we got some special diaper cream and she is better now. Our goal was to use cloth diapers exclusively, but her bum cannot take it. We alternate throughout the day depending upon what is going on. If we go for a walk or hike, she gets a disposable diaper put on. If we are just around the house, then the cloth diapers work. I still have to try elimination communication, or EC for short. There are times at night where she wakes and is dry. It is quite amazing after she has been sleeping so long. She is 5 weeks old as of yesterday and is getting big fast. She likely weighs about 10 pounds and no longer looks like a newborn. She is also alert and awake more. She loves to put weight through her feet and look out the window. She also loves getting outside (she sleeps the entire time usually and I have figured out how to nurse and walk at the same time. I was psyched to figure it could be done).

Training for me is up and down. I went for my second run of the fall last sunday with only one jogbra on. I will never again go for a run without at least double jog braing while nursing. My mammary tissue hurt so bad after that run! It hurt about as bad as it did initially when we were first learning how to nurse and not doing everything right. I thought I got mastitis from that run (painful infection of the milk ducts), but I think I just inflammed them from the constant jarring. I got really sick the next day developing a 102.6 degree temperature that took until wednesday morning to break. I have never felt so achy, crappy, chilled, hot, etc all at the same time! It took most of the week to feel better and I finally got back on the bike saturday (yesterday). I ran again today with the proper support and things are much better. I think I'll have to triple bra next time though.

Biking is going well when I get a chance. Sometimes I am too tired to ride trail and it has been raining a lot this fall so I think I have only ridden trail three or four times total. I have a hard time believing I ever went fast on a MTB. I am still a bit heavier than I would like and feel like a fish out of water on the trail when trying to ride faster than slow pace. I try not to get discouraged and try instead to just enjoy being outside and enjoy the break from taking care of peanut. She is great, but I do appreciate my time away from her so I can look forward to seeing her again. If I get some sort of break once a day, I am very happy. Grandma Sally has also been coming over the past three saturdays so that Scott and I can ride together. We are VERY thankful Grandma Sally wants to spend so much time with Kiera!

Scott's race at Sheboygan had its ups and downs. He felt good both the first and third laps, but for some reason felt terrible laps two and four (thus losing a number of places on those laps). He definitely has been racing better this year than last and is encouraged that he feels good enough to keep him from dropping out of races but he also thinks his best races are ahead of him. The lack of sleep prior to the race didn't help (he got his first full night of sleep the night before Sheboygan - lucky guy). Getting rid of the cats was the best thing we could have done for his health. He has so much more energy now and I feel like I have a normal husband back. He used to have to nap all the time; especially after work each day. Not anymore. Now he is a work horse! This afternoon he and Todd McFadden are doing some trail work to help getting the XC ski trails ready (Magney and Spirit). Hopefully, we will have good snow this winter!

Next race for Scott may be the MN state CX race. We'll see.

2008-10-10T20:31:00.001-07:00

This has been quite a week. Kiera feeds two to three times a night. The third time is usually early morning, but then she'll sleep until 8 AM or so. She is so much fun, and a lot of work. I don't feel like I have really slept in the past two weeks, but I also think it could be much worse. She is a good baby and once asleep tends to stay asleep for a while. Her and Scott are great napping buddies. I got to take my first nap with her this week. Otherwise I had been trying to keep her in the sun and daylight as much as possible to help her get rid of her jaundice. That first week was tough and we were so concerned about her as her bilirubin numbers was just below the level where they admit the baby to the hospital to get put under the bili lights.

I rode my trainer for the first time this past tuesday. I am still tender in the saddle area, but if I sit crooked I can make it work. I was able to ride two times that day on the trainer for about a 1/2 hour each time. My first outdoor ride was this past wedsnesday. It felt sooooo good to ride outdoors and not have my belly in the way. I could breathe relatively normally. Pregnancy made me really short of breath, so it was so nice to be able to actually breath harder because of effort and not just because of extra fluid, hormones, and pregnancy-induced anemia. I had to ride the trainer again yesterday - but I made an hour that time all at once as our little peanut took a nice nap with Scott. I am supposed to not lift anything heavy while my body returns to normal, but I figure lifting some weights is Ok as long as I don't overdo it and am cautious. It is amazing how quickly I am losing my baby belly. I still have a pouch, but after two weeks I think I am on track. I lost 20# the first week, but I am sure I will lose more slowly from here on out. I only get to weigh myself once a week so I don't get compulsive about it. Thankfully, I don't crave crappy food for the most part and with caring for a newborn we often miss meals. I have figured out how to hold Kiera while nursing and free up one hand to do other things if I need to. She makes the cutest little noises and faces though that I often just stare at her.

I wish I could race Sheboygan this weekend, but my body is not feeling recovered enough to race. I am supposed to 'take it easy' for 6 weeks after giving birth to allow my body to recover, but I can tell to push it at this point is not wise. It takes a while for parts that dilated to return to normal along with some other changes. I am hoping to race the Iceman, but we'll see. I love that race!

2008-10-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

Our little baby developed jaundice this past week. Her numbers were pretty high, but not high enough to be hospitalized. We kept her in the sun; best without a diaper. This photo displays the result of taking that risk. Scott and I laughed so hard because it shot out of her like a cannon! Amazing such a small little person has such power.

2008-10-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

Kiera Esther Kylander-Johnson was born on Saturday September 27th at 4:11 AM. She weighed 7 pounds and 1/2 ounce and was 20 inches long. Scott and I cannot describe how amazing and precious she is. I never thought I could love someone so much (besides Scott). She is alert and makes the best noises; even her farts are cute. We have taken her for several walks and a hike on trail this evening. She is lulled to sleep by walking and is a very good baby. She has a bit of jaundice right now so we have to keep a close eye on her and I have been spending a lot of time sunning her in the window. Scott has been fantastic and we share as much of the baby duties as possible; except for nursing of course. Our life has definitely changed; but I couldn't imagine it any different. We are enjoying Kiera immensely.

I am a bit sore as I have a few stitches and will need some time to heal. But otherwise motherhood is suiting me very well and Scott is an exceptional father. Kiera is one lucky little girl to have such a good dad.

We have had so many well-wishes from friends, family, coworkers, and studnets (and their families). We feel very blessed to have so many people care about our little family.

2008-09-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

This summer has given me an entirely different perspective to racing. I have gotten to watch a few races and see the lead group (and following groups) go through - especially at the O2S and Chequamegon. I won't get to see that again once I am able to race again. Watching from the sidelines is ok, but I would much rather be racing. As long as I am able to get my exercise in for the day, watching is fine. But, if I cannot exercise then I get really crabby. I have gotten to see Scott race quite a bit this summer, so that has been good. I am especially glad that he is able to race and not DNF! He is still trying to get his full health back from being overly exposed to cat allergens for too many years, but he is coming around and can even pull a desent result when unable to train much or not feeling that great. I am still hoping his best results will come yet in the season, although there are only a few races left.

Scott raced the final MNSCS race in the series held in St. Cloud yesterday. After a bit of deliberation, we decided I wouldn't be going into full blown labor anytime soon (I was hoping, but sure if he didn't go the baby wouldn't come. She didn't come anyway). He didn't feel that great during the race and actually crashed once, hit a tree and reopened his hip wound from last weekend, and struggled a bit the first few laps in the singletrack. We don't have fast big ring singletrack like that in Duluth so it took him a bit to get used to the course as he didn't preride. He still finished fifth which he was pleased with given his mishaps, how much riding he has been able to do lately (he was fighting a cold earlier in the week), and how he felt during the race. Thankfully, Kyia's friends were nice enough to give him water hand-ups. It was 80 + degrees during the race. (Back in Duluth the high may have hit 60 with cold winds off the lake).

Our baby is still incubating and I have to remind myself that although I am not that comfortable, she isn't due until the 26th. We have been given so many due dates, but I think that one is the most accurate. We are both anxious and I have had enough false labor (braxton hicks) that something should start happening soon. I hope so anyay. I tried to ride my trainer last week - I made 7 minutes before I had to pee, and then 8 more after that until my belly just had had enough. My belly hangs too low to bike comfortably anymore. I rode outside for the last time on the 8th - which isn't too bad all things considered. I would need my bars to be higher to ride again and unfortunately we have maxed out my steer tube and riser bar combination height. If we lived on a good road, I would have invested in a cruiser. Trek makes some really nice cruiser bikes. Unfortunately, our road is gravel in one direction and full of pot holes and an 8-9% grade 6' uphill (15' walking) to get to better roads in the other direction. I am still hiking, walking, and lifting weights. As long as I get out everyday I feel pretty good about the day. I am excited to ride my bike again! Even to go running would be nice. I tried to take a few jogging steps (maybe shake the baby out a bit?) yesterday, but flight was non-obtainable. My legs just don't work like that right now. Hopefully, baby will come soon!

2008-09-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

Since I got to see the Chequamegon from the sidelines this year, I decided to post Scott's race recap that he sent to our Team Manager, Chris Shaw. I'll post more later, but Scott had quite the eventful day and Trek had a great showing. Read on.......

The Chequamegon Fat Tire 40 is the race to do in the Midwest. For many people, it is the only race they do all season. The festive atmosphere begins on Friday and runs all the way through the weekend. Ken Derico even brings in the big Trek trailer full of demo bikes for everyone to gawk at (and ride when the weather permits) and get a sneak peak at what to expect for the upcoming season. It’s basically a big party with a bike race going on at the same time.

Since Sara is ready to have the baby at any moment, we decided to head down the morning of the race. We pulled in to our usual spot and met up with Chris Shaw and the boys. It was an overcast day and a little chilly, although nothing like last year’s sub 32 degree morning temps. All the usual suspects and many more out of towners showed up for the big show and appeared ready to go. This race always attracts some big names and this year did not disappoint: Jonathan Page and Trek Factory riders Ross Schnell and Lea Davidson showed up to give the local heroes a run for their money.

The worst part about the Chequamegon is the start because there are so many racers in such a small area. One would think that this amount of congestion would chill racers out a bit, but for some reason just the opposite happens. We were 30 seconds into the race when I heard a tremendously loud grinding noise, rubber screeching, yelling, etc. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see Aric Harland’s cross bike come flying at me. My unsuccessful bunny hop attempt over his bike left me bruised, bloodied and confused. I quickly remounted only to realize my front tire burped about 15 pounds of pressure out. I drilled it and almost fell again attempting the left hand corner onto to Highway 77 since my front tire was almost flat. I wanted to get to Rosie’s Field before stopping, but I lost the rest of the air once I hit 77 and had to stop. I couldn’t get my air to work and began running down the road pushing my bike and yelling for a pump, co2, etc. A kind Duluthian stopped to help but his air wouldn’t work either so I began running and hollering again. Thankfully the course is littered with people that live in the area and as I was running and hollering for air, a spectator that lives on 77 said he had a floor pump in his garage. Next I find myself sprinting down this gentleman’s driveway to get to his pump. Of course, I couldn’t get the bead to seat right away and once I did I noticed a small hole in my tire. Thankfully the sealant kept the air in and my race was once again underway. As I re-entered the course I looked left for riders and I can honestly say I didn’t see any. However, looking up the road all I could see was a plethora of jerseys. I must have been darn near dead last and fully aware that my hopes for a good finish were long gone.

Thoughts of dropping out popped into my head for a moment, but I realized that I’d have to ride all the way to Telemark anyway so I might as well finish. It was surprisingly easy to pass people on the Birkie trial and gravel roads, but extremely difficult on the four-wheeler trail. I’m also thankful that Sara waited, and waited and waited for me, because without the water bottle hand-up I would have been in big trouble. Thanks Sara! Needless to say, it was a 40 mile time trial for the entire race and I was smoked by the end. It was a bummer that I didn’t have a result to show for such an effort, but that’s how racing goes sometimes.

Lea rode like the rock star she is and won the race handedly. Mike Simonson had another crash but was able to work his way up to 11th which is quite impressive. Jesrin ended up 20th in the 40 but managed to WIN the Sunday Funday crit. Ross and Zach Vestal both finished around the top 30 and it sounded like they had a good time.

Thankfully the bone-chilling, pounding rain held off until 2:00 or so, but it did put a damper on the festivities. Sara and I got to hang out at the Trek tents and chat. It was fun meeting Ross, Lea and Zach and hearing about some of their adventures this past season. My only win(s) on the day came in the form of a Rummycube game against Chief, Doug and Bob and trouncing Doug in a game of Ms. Packman!

A big thanks goes out to Gary Crandall and his crew for putting together such an organized event. Once again, thanks to Trek for their support and for the HUGE donation to the single track trail construction project that is underway from Hayward to OO! Trek goes out of its way to give back to the cycling community and I am thankful!

Jesrin and I will be heading to St. Cloud for the last MNSCS race of the year this weekend as long as Sara doesn't go into labor within the next 12 hours or so.

2008-09-06T06:18:00.000-07:00

My baby belly is getting bigger! We are 37 weeks as of this past Thursday. Thankfully, Chris sent me this new T-shirt that fits! I have finally come back around after having a bad last week. I was exhausted and had to sleep a ton from last thursday until this past thursday. I was having braxton hicks contractions on and off most of the day, with some waking me up at night, but they were not strong enough to be the 'real thing' nor close enough apart to overly concern me. I couldn't exercise much and thus have not ridden my bike in two weeks. I hope to go for a ride this weekend. Hopefully, it will stop raining!

I wasn't able to join Scott at Maplelag last weekend. Riding in a car is not comfortable and four hours one way was out of the question. My belly is too big. I was glad he finished the race. His first two of three laps was not very good for him as he felt like he couldn't race. This race went a bit better than the Border Battle the previous weekend in that he started to come around sooner and able to finish strong. His third lap he was racing, before that just trying to turn the pedals. He would like to race in Rhinelander tomorrow. He is still trying to find someone willing to go with him. Seems most people stop racing this time of year, or are taking the weekend off from racing prior to the Chequamegon, or preriding the Chequamegon racecourse this weekend. I would love to go with him, but four hours one way again is out of the question. I was just shot after traveling to and from the border battle (had tons of contractions and was exhausted the next day).

My last OB appointment went better than the one before it (I had lost 4# and 1 cm the previous visit). Now I am back up 1# and regained some of my belly girth. I was so tired and probably dehydrated the previous week (it was really hot and I was very busy with work). This last ultrasound the baby was totally fine (passed her biophysical profile with flying colors) and although my amniotic fluid is low normal range, it was up a bit from the previous visit. I have never been so nervous and concerned about baby. I have not had any problems the entire preganancy (except for the normal stuff - like heartburn, dizziness upon standing, etc) until that bad week.

We'll see when baby decides to make her grand entrance into the world. I keep telling her to 'take it easy on mom' during birth. We read to her at night - we are reading a great book called Peter and the Flying Starcatchers by Dave Berry and Ridley Pearson. It is a 5th/6th grade level book (or so). And I rub my belly a lot. I like to share with others when she is moving - especially Scott, but my coworkers and friends also. It is fun to share her with others.

Otherwise, I am harvesting our garden vegetables. I planted way too many carrots this year. I have frozen 6 # or so of shredded carrots and now make a mean carrot cake. (And still have more to harvest). I'd love to grow all our vegetables for the summer and fall. I've got a way to go.

2008-08-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

I am still biking some, at least I did last Sunday. I have been really tired this week and have needed to lay down after work most days. I have only been able to get out for short walks on the other days. I hope to ride this weekend. My last ride I was quite tired as I got up early to ride before heading down to the Border Battle WORS/MNSCS race that day. I did too much that day and ended up getting quite a few braxton hicks contractions that evening and during the night. I took the following day off from work to rest up. I literally laid in bed all day. (A rarity for even pregnant me).

As far as the race went, Scott felt bad and slow his first two laps, then started to feel a bit better for laps three and four. Finally, during his last lap he looked like he was racing. I could tell he wasn't having a good day. He was having some back pain on the drive down and that usually isn't a good sign; although I was not going to point that out. He stil ended up 13th (in what he refers to as the 'stinkhole'; as he was one place out of the money). I always feel bad for him when he doesn't have a good race or feel like he can race. Luckily he had one good lap and was able to do something. I handed out water to he and Jesrin and got to chat with some really nice people. It was fun to watch the race unfold from a different point of view, however I am anxious to start racing again.

2008-08-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

Our (last) weekend started on Friday driving over to Marquette, MI with my previous teammate Doug Swanson, his wife Anne, and Scott. We left quite early in the morning and had a pretty uneventful trip over. Doug kept us entertained with a wide variety of singing groups I had never heard of and I loved having Anne with us! Not racing gives me a bit of a different perspective and I don't get all gripped about the race ahead of time. The biggest bummer is that our men miscommunicated so that Anne and I could not bring our bikes (not enough bike trays on the car and not enough room inside). I was REALLY disappointed. Marquette has the perfectly flat lakewalk paved trail that I would have loved to ride! Anne and I walked instead. I got a nice blister from walking in Birkenstock sandals right under the ball of my foot. Lacking a safety pin in which to relieve the pressure, I used an earing post instead. It worked quite well.

I was really nervous for Scott at the start of Saturday's O2S race. I also really missed racing this race! The most of any race thus far this year. I was hoping Scott's form would come back around after fighting some mystery illness since racing at Spirit Mtn two weeks ago. It poured rain for a good half hour before the start of the race; firming up the sand(which is extensive in this race). After getting a bit lost we (Anne, Megan and I) got to the second water stop to give hand ups. I could tell by what group Scott was in that he did not feel well. I also had a feeling he would not finish the race. He raced for maybe another ten miles and then just rode until he saw me at the fourth water stop along the course. I felt so bad for him and felt terrible as he was really bummed out. We thought he had turned the corner, but after visiting Dr. Mongeon again this week, we learned Scott is fighting some virus. He is already feeling better and so we are looking forward to the Border Battle at the end of this month. I plan on going to do handups and support the Team. Hopefully, baby will wait a bit longer to come out (I'll only be 35.5 weeks along so she'd better) and I am still comfortable enough to travel (which I should be).

On a positive note my teammates took 1st and 5th. Excellent results! Jesrin got outsprinted by Doug S, but he made Doug earn it. It was really fun to watch the sprint finish. Doug also complained that he tried dropping Jesrin "like 12 times" and he'd catch back on each time.

Doing hand-ups was really stressful. Not knowing exactly where we were going added to the stress and then rushing to get to each checkpoint was stressful. I'd rather race! I have a much better appreciation for how hard Scott has worked to get to each hand-up point in the past O2S races for me! He is amazing as he made it to two more spots than I did up to the point where he dropped out. It's like the race within a race!

I am still riding. I rode about 1:20 yesterday. I could barely zip up my only medium size jersey over my belly. If my belly gets any bigger my zipper is going to officially protest or fail. I ride really slow and feel best on downhills (of course). Uphills are really slow and it feels like I am just touring along. Scott rode with me on Sunday and I appreciated the company. I doubt his HR ever got over 100 bpm. I also only ride my full-suspension Trek Fuel MTB on smooth pavement. I haven't been comfortable on my road or CX bikes all year. I feel strong lifting weights, although some of the machines are out being that I cannot lay on my tummy and my tummy is too big for me to be able to do the leg press anymore (with the machines I have available). My arms feel really strong although my strength to weight ratio keeps deteriorating as our baby gets bigger. She is now gaining the most weight each week of the entire pregnancy. This has been a good week thus far regarding energy levels and I have been fairly productive; which I appreciate.

2008-08-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

If you look closely you can see a wide band under my jersey. This is a magic neoprene band I wear around my abdomen for support while I have been hiking. I finally figured I could wear it for biking after running around and biking around while wearing it at the PowderMonkey MTB race the other weekend. I was just tickled the first ride I took. I felt so good and my legs felt great! I need to stick to paved roads and ride my full suspension Trek to keep the ride smooth enough. My belly just no longer likes bumps! I can ride up to an hour and a half with the addition of this band. I tried to go longer yesterday, but I ended up having to slow down considerably due to getting a lot of braxton hicks contractions and then had to lay down for quite sometime after getting back. I look quite huge in my kit. :) This photo was taken at 32 1/2 weeks. We are getting closer and looking very forward to meeting this active little one!

I had to add the photo of Scott with his facial hair. He kept a mustache for about a week and I couldn't help but chuckle every time I saw him. He almost never has more facial hair than a 5 o'clock shadow.

2008-07-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

The first photo is Scott and Jesrin on the podium from yesterday's race. Scott placed 4th and Jesrin 8th. Two Trek riders in the top ten! Our weekend house guest and friend, Jesse, took 7th. At the start of the race, (2nd photo) Scott got his front wheel crossed by another rider right off the start line and had to come to a complete stop right after the gun. He made up a good deal of ground on the first climb up the downhill ski run to be in 2nd position going into the first section of singletrack. By the end of that short section he was leading the race! He kept the lead until the end of the first lap (the laps were about 12 miles long with 1300 feet of climbing per lap). He looked so smooth riding the singletrack and mostly back to his old form before the past few years of DNFing almost every race. The second lap he kept contact with the leaders of the Moore brothers and he and Sam rode together. Scott has been focusing on getting healthy all summer, especially since getting rid of the cats. He has been riding, but not training as hard as he would like. He is definitely coming around. Last year at this race, he just crumbled going up the last hill and had no chance at keeping contact with the other 5 riders in his group. This year he kept his (4th) position and held off Jay Richards who came in a bit behind him. This race was his best finish all year. There were really good riders at this race that are in good racing form. For me it is really fun to see Scott's form coming back; it definitely makes it worth me going to the races (and not being so bummed that I cannot race). It is also much easier to live with a happy husband. :)

Prior to getting rid of the cats, Scott was talking about giving up racing if things didn't get better this season. He was frustrated with his constant cold/allergy symptoms and what to do about them; especially when it came to riding and racing and not feeling well. He also has way more energy this summer than I can ever remember. He doesn't need to nap all the time like he used to (I've taken up that duty as the baby is taking most of my energy - last week was particularily 'bad' with needing to lay down a lot and not getting to exercise as much. I had one of my rare days of frustration and ever more rare days where I cry at the drop of a hat - gotta love those pregnancy hormones.)

Back to the race: the local 10o'clock news had coverage of the race with Scott leading! (We contacted the local news people to get a copy of the clip to send into Trek, but the video guy wants $60 for a copy. Pretty steep fee for under a minute of coverage.)

The last photo is of Scott, my brother in law Brad (he rode 140 miles that day on his road bike), and our good friend Jesse soaking their legs in lake superior after the race. (I stood in there as well prior to taking the photo and could barely get out cuz my legs were so frozen they wouldn't move normally; my center of gravity has changed from pregnancy that I almost fell into the lake a few times while trying to get out!)

The other cool thing about the weekend was that the Dr. (Dr. Mongeon) that is helping Scott get well did his first MTB race. So did his 4 year old daughter. Our friend Sophie also raced the kids race (she's almost 8 - she also ran the weds night kids race last week the same day as going on a nearly 2 hr hike with me). It was really fun to see everyone this weekend, hang out with good friends, get a taste of what having two children would be like (we sorta babysat a bit this weekend) and learn more about how amazing the women I know that have children are! (The ones that don't have children are amazing too!)

2008-07-21T18:34:00.000-07:00

Scott led the Monday Night Ski Hut Ride tonight. Thirty-five riders showed up. That is a great turn out for a moutain bike ride. The race course for this Sunday's MNSCS race is ready to go (just need to mark it, but all the actual trail work is done). It is in the best shape of the season. The new sections have been a great addition with a lot of positive feedback from riders. I have yet to ride these sections. As Scott says, I'll have a whole new trail to ride post-pregnancy. I am looking forward to it! I'll likely be out volunteering day of the race and handing out water to some of the Expert riders (Scott, amongst others). I have had a rough go these past few days. I have been exhausted and hungry. Not a great combination for me as I like to keep busy. Laying around and napping on the couch are my two least favorite things, but seems to have replaced training the last few days. Our baby is moving a lot and shifting her position often. Sometimes it is not so comfortable and sometimes she kicks so hard that I cannot fall asleep. We have started to read stories to her at bedtime. Babies hearing is much better developed at birth than their eyesight from what I have read. I am going to update my profile (hopefully this week) with hightly recommended baby books for anyone interested. I finish up my grad class in the next two weeks and I am looking forward to having a bit more free time. My garden has been a bit neglected and I finally got some weeding done last night. We should have beets and peas pretty soon. Our lettuce is still fantastic and the carrots shouldn't be too far behind. I didn't seem to plant enough variety, but what we have gotten thus far is really good.

Scott just got done doing this crazy week-long gallbladder flush diet. Basically, he didn't eat any fat for a week (I did some creative cooking) then drank a lot of lemon juice and some olive oil the last day. He got really bad diarrhea from it and is suffering a bit, but he is done with it in enough time to hopefully recover from it in time for this weekend's race. I hope it is worth it. He is definitely coming around and is better off this year than last year. It has been a bit of a slow process. I hope he feels great once baby comes, cuz I am going to need some major relief time (and time to get back on my bike!)

2008-07-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of the newest section of singletrack on the Spirit Mountain race course. We spent the past saturday morning making this reroute in order to avoid a highly eroded section on the railroad grade. There was a nice group of COGGS members and volunteers that showed up. This section is really nice and about 1/4 mile long. Scott and most of the rest of the group made an additional one mile section in the fern gulley part of the course. I am told it is really fun to ride; the guys have been busy riding it in and hopefully the monday night ski hut ride will meet there for the next few weeks before the race to help beat the trail in a bit. My plan is to hike it sometime this week and check it out. The race course is really coming along and there is talk that the course will be two full laps for expert men with the additional new trail.

Our good friends, Mike and Michelle, hosted a baby shower for Scott, baby and myself this morning. It was our baby's first party! A lot of our friends showed up and it was really good to get everyone together before the baby comes. This may be the 'free-est' we will be in a while. We had breakfast, coffee (decaf for me), good conversation, and then Scott took a group out biking the course at Spirit Mtn while I hiked with a couple of my friends after everyone else had left. Baby is busy as ever and I have had some Braxton Hick's contractions this past week. I had quite a few on Tues and Weds, which forced me to slow down even more. I am probably done biking for a while, but we'll see.

More course photos should follow after my upcoming hike to check out the new section. There also might be preriding of the course allowed the day before the race, but I'd recommend checking out the COGGS website or MNSCS website for updates.

2008-07-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

Scott and I were likely fighting some sort of something last week. Our stomachs did not feel well (and it wasn't my cooking). Scott has been busy getting the Spirit Mtn MNSCS race course ready; recruiting other COGGS members along the way. The course should be ready to go after this Saturday's workday to finish it up. Due to a wedding the saturday before the race, preriding the course is not likely. The Spirit Mountain Director is quite adament at not seeing a single bike at Spirit during any wedding. Not sure how that works as it is public property, but COGGS cannot allow preriding on the day before the race. There are a few re-routes due to erosion, but the course is mostly the same as last year.

I have been busy resting. I have not felt well enough to ride my bike, but hiking/walking is fine. Lifting weights, too. I found a deer tick on me (unfortunately biting) this past Saturday. I was really freaked out about it. We spoke with a local infectious disease doctor and discussed my (and baby's) risk of getting Lyme's disease. Only 1-2 out of 100 ticks carry Lymes. I have to watch the area for the bullseye (other areas if it is another bacterium present in ticks, but not Lyme's) and then if I get any symptoms (headache, fever, flu-like symptoms) to go on antibiotics. (Amitryptaline, as doxicycline - the standard treatment - is toxic to baby). Problem is is that symptoms can start anywhere from one week to three months or more after getting bit. I am still leary as I don't feel like my energetic self, but I baby takes a lot of my energy and sometimes I feel the way I am feeling when baby is growing. She is sooooo busy and kicking most of the day!

Scott raced the WORS race in Eau Claire this weekend. He was in about 10th until the last lap when he started cramping. Unfortunately, due to having to ride on what I call 'salvage mode' he lost 9 places and ended up 19th. I felt bad for him as his racing is coming around, but he seems to cramp the last part of the last races he has done. He doesn't feel like he needs to drop out like he has in the past, so that is good. He is also still working with a local doctor to get rid of this fungus he has. He is getting there, but it is slow. Getting rid of the cats was a really good decision and we both sleep better from his lack of snoring. He also doesn't have cold-like symptoms (runny nose, clearing his throat all the time - which drives me nuts after a while).

Thankfully, the weather cooled off this week. Sunday's heat just about killed me and it is the first time I avoided going outside. I sat under the kitchen ceiling fan while I did my grad class coursework most of the day. I got it done, but was sweltering. I hate having to shut all the shades in the house to keep the sun out (and the greenhouse effect) as the house feels a bit closterphobic all shut up like that. Scott and I went down to Lake Superior when he got back from the race to cool down. He soaked his legs in the cold water and I soaked my ankles (the water was COLD!)

Next race for Scott is Spirit Mountain on the 27th of July, then Ore to Shore. We have a bunch of birthing and infant education classes coming up along with an increasing frequency of OB visits. I am hoping to feel good enough to get back on my bike. Everytime I go to The Ski Hut, I take the Trek Calypso for a cruise around the store. I wish we lived in a neighborhood condusive to riding a nice upright cruiser bike. I think every pregnant woman needs one of these bikes!

2008-07-03T19:22:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been very busy. I finished teaching for the summer and will work part time adjunct next year. I started working in the clinic (as a PT) two days per week. Our gardens are growning and we have been eating lettuce already out of it. We bought a scarecrow deer repellant system (it has a motion detector that when activated shoots water in an arc to ward off garden invaders). So far, so good.

I have officially entered my third trimester. Baby is constantly moving! Especially if I sit or lay down. She's kicked so hard that it has startled me out of sleep! Amazing as she only weighs about 2 pounds. I have a feeling I am going to have to walk or bike or something to lull her to sleep once she's out! This is today's picture of her progress. I can still get my shoes on without help. I am still biking, although I don't ride trails or gravel much anymore. The bumps don't feel that good, even on a full suspension. I can only ride my race bike as the handlebars are set up high enough for me to sit up without bending much. If I bend over while riding I'll get really annoying heartburn. I have been hiking and lifting weights also and I feel strong. Hopefully, that will come in handy during labor.

Scott is planning on racing this weekend. He is also mowing the spirt mountain MNSCS race course and getting it ready. I have been hiking the trails and clearing off sticks and small branches that could get caught in wheels. The trail is drying out nicely due to the good weather this past month. Should be a good race!

2008-06-25T20:49:00.000-07:00

The first photo is from the Women's Demo night at Mont du Lac (MNSCS Dirtspanker race course). We had enough voluteer riders so that we could take one or two riders out at a time to ride the trails and give advice/coaching. It was really fun and we got to meet some really nice people. The rave were the full suspension bikes, especially for the newer riders. About 30 people showed up total for the event. Unfortunately there were a few rain showers that night that may have kept our numbers lower than we had liked. I plan on volunteering for future events like this as they come up. This photo also shows my expanding belly. Thankfully, my last year's kit was a bit big - not anymore and the spandex also gives nice belly support for riding. Probably the thing I have to figure out how to tame the most is heartburn. I get it from leaning forward to reach my (already-too-high-for-racing)handle bars. Tonight on my bike home from work I really had to slow down, but it was fine on the way into work.

The second photo is of Scott while racing at Mont du Lac this past Sunday. After a slower start, he worked his way up into 5th until the last lap when he started cramping. He lost two spots, but still ended up 7th and still in the prize money. He is starting to look like his old racing self again (prior to his cat allergies taking him down for a few years while we didn't realize that was his primary problem). It is so nice not to see him DNF and back into some racing form. There was a good racer turn-out and thanks to Tom Gaier, we were able to give hand-ups for about 10 riders. The weather was on the cooler side, but the course quite slick from the recent rain. Scott unfortunately chose a tire that I have dubbed the best in snow and sand (but not mud). I didn't realize that those tires were the ones he put on his race bike. I assummed he put on the mud tires. He won't make that mistake again.

Next on the agenda - Scott plans to race in Eau Claire for the WORS race. I'll probably join him and give hand-ups. As long as I get some riding or exercise in I am quite content.

On another note, our little developing baby is kicking so hard sometimes that I can see my abdomen move! It is the best part of being pregnant. I have a feeling from her active times to not-active times that Scott and I are going to have our hands full!

We have been cat-free for about a month and I have a happier husband! (Our house is also much easier to keep clean as the fur balls in the corner no longer exist!).

2008-06-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

Monday was the weekly Ski Hut ride. We had a really nice group show up as you can see from the group photo and luckily the ride was at Spirit Mountain (basically Scott and my backyard). The singletrack on the top of the hill is quite wet with standing puddles so we stayed off of that and rode the lower sections of singletrack that were quite good (really excellent as always). We could tell we had gotten a nice amount of rain this spring as the rocks seemed a bit bigger than last year. It was really nice to be able to ride trail. This ride is a 'no drop ride' meaning the group stays together and we periodically wait to regroup. If a rider is really struggling to stay with the group one of the Ski Hut riders or myself with ride with that person and give them some pointers or just company so they don't get lost. These weekly rides are also a nice way to find out where the trails are in Duluth as we usually ride somewhere different each week and many of the trails we ride are not marked and maps do not exist.

The other photo is Bushey and myself comparing bellies. Who's is bigger is the question? I did seem to pick up Bushey's characteristic winter 'back bacon' along with my swollen belly. Pregnancy has been very interesting!

Tuesday nights (last night) is the Mont du Lac ride out at Mont du Lac ski hill on Hwy 23. I rode out with Diana from our house and then just rode back home (I didn't ride the trail as I was pretty tired from the past few days of riding). Unfortunately, my ride home was much longer than planned and I was very tired and going very slow by the time I got home. Good thing it was perfect weather out. I find going uphills I run out of patience sometimes as I have to go so slow to keep my heartrate down (and really just feel bonked anyway climbing).

Tomorrow some of the Ski Hut women riders and myself, representing Trek, will be helping out with a women's bike demo at Mont du Lac starting at 6 PM. I'll be leading a riding clinic, which will be great! We'll be going over some basic skills and riding on the trails. More photos of the event should be posted in the near future.

2008-06-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a blast. After fighting this cough and not winning for three weeks I still decided to head to Mt. Morris with Scott and our friend, Bushey to the Wors Cup. The 5+ hour ride down was pretty uneventful, except for the butt and back sweat from the lack of automotive AC. We already knew they were not allowing preriding the course Friday night, but headed to the race venue anyway to pick up packets and go for a pavement spin. This was both Scott and my first ride on our 2008 Trek Fuels - our forks came in the day before we left on Friday and spent the rest of the day getting our bikes set up. One phone call to Shaw (see new look in photo above!) and two trips to The Ski Hut later, our bikes were together and ready for the weekend.

Saturday's XC race was the hottest day we have experienced all year. Probably wouldn't be that big of a deal if we were southern folk, but us Duluthian have not seen 80 degrees yet this year - and 70s seldomly. Rain and 50 is more of what we have gotten to experience, along with an inability to get on trail consistently up to this point due to all the rain. Scott loved how his Fuel felt and handled on singletrack. "It is the best Fuel ever", says Scott. Scott finished 19th - not as well as he would have liked, but he finished in the heat and did not DNF. A positive sign that he is getting healthy. If he can continue to improve things should get better and better as the season rolls along. He has been really good staying away from diary and corn (two things he is really allergic to) along with getting rid of our cats. All I know is he no longer snores! We both sleep better and his ribs no longer bother him (I usually poke him in the ribs to stop the snoring; it actually works quite well). Our friend, Mike Bushey, didn't DNF so he was happy. But the heat really took its toll on him the last two laps. I was the water girl for the race. Pregnancy has a way of taking the fight out of me. As you can see from one of the photos above, my abdomen is swelling. "Thick" is how I like to put it. I thought it was huge until I saw a picture. It feels huge, and my rear end even bigger. No wonder why it doesn't feel that good to ride uphills.

Sunday's races - the Super D and the Short Track - Scott was 11th in the Super D and 18th in the Short Track. He suffered the entire time in the Short Track. There was a nice, slow, grassy uphill that really tried the legs and lungs. Again Scott was happy to finish this race as it was tough and hot! I hope to see him get back to his old form self when he would get top 5 in WORS races. As long as he can stay on the right track he should come around. The Super D start was 10 racers at a time with a running start to get the bikes and the battle to see who would get to the singletrack first. Scott got a bit tangled, as did other riders, but finished second in his heat and then 11th overall. Not too bad! I got to ride the entire morning, on trail mostly and had the best time riding my new bike. Up to this point I had been riding my hardtail Paragon (don't get me wrong I love this bike, but it is meant to be a winter bike only), and the Fuel is so much nicer on singletrack. I was very comfortable riding and my brain got tired from thinking before my belly got sick of the bumps. Again it was a beautiful 80+ degree day and just easy to spend the entire day outside enjoying the racing, weather, riding, and seeing friends. It was really good to reconnect and see fellow riders again. Everyone did a great job and made a good event.

2008-05-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

I've caught a bit of a cold and feel wiped out. I have not ridden in a week, thus my ability to post more than one time per month. I have been sleeping (trying to anyway) and using the Neti pot. There isn't much pregnant women can do to eradicate illness and the Neti pot seems to work better than anything else. I spent a good chunk of last night coughing and getting almost zero sleep. This illness is not helping my attempts to keep some sort of physical shape. The last ride I did I felt bonked the entire time and took a short cut home. I miss the ability to breath while riding my bike uphill. It is pretty amazing how things change and rather quickly.

Our little baby is really busy! I can feel her move off and on all day long. Scott has only felt her one time when she was kicking really hard. Being a pregnant bike racer is tough at times as I am unable to race and participation for me is not that much fun. I miss going to races and trying to go fast on my bike. I am trying to take each day one at a time and enjoy being pregnant as much as possible. It gets tougher as my belly and other body parts expand. We already have our baby's name picked out and are not telling. I have been reading Mothering Magazines and various books including Hypnobirthing, The Diaper Free Baby, What's going on in there?, and I just ordered both Having a Baby Naturally (published by Mothering magazine) and The Vaccine Book. My youngest sister and some of my good friends are essential in recommending good books. I feel very fortunate.

I hope everyone racing season is going well. Scott and I check race results and try to keep tabs on everyone.

2008-05-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

Dr. Mongeon is helping Scott get back on track. Scott is fighting some gut illness, so to speak, and this next course should help him get back on track. Scott had Giardia last year, identified by Dr. Mongeon, and once treated felt fantastic. Spring is always a tough time of year for Scott with the snow mold, pollens, dust (thankfully Scott cleans, but neither of us are that great at dusting).

I have been training as much as possible. I think I over did it a bit yesterday as today I am really tired and moving slowly. I hope to get a nap in and then a short bike ride later on. The weather has been great lately. Beautiful all weekend and now again today. Scott's brother rode back from Duluth to the Twin Cities today (he rode up on Friday). He doesn't have a car, so his bike is one of the few ways he uses to come visit. No wonder he DNF'd the Cable Classic. It took him 9 hrs to ride up the day before.

Not much else going on. Just reading a ton of baby books and trying to get things lined up for when baby arrives.

2008-05-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

The Cable Classic bike race took place yesterday. It was good to get out of Duluth. I am starting to feel a big caged and overworked. We have been cleaning our house and getting things organized for our babies arrival. Granted we have lots of time, but I already feel far behind on my motherhood reading.

I am going to focus on the good things about the race/participation event. It was warm enough at the race start - and sunny - that I could wear shorts and a short sleeve jersey. :) Luckily I stuck my arm warmers and vest into my hydration pack for the end of the race. I was very comfortable temperature-wise for the first 14 miles and riding at a decent pace, keeping the rubber side down on my bike for the entire race. At this stage in my pregnancy, I cannot afford to fall and I rode extra careful and slower especially on the downhills. I was riding my winter bike - which I love, but it is a hardtail and soooo much slower and more work than my race bike. I am still waiting for my front fork and rear shock to arrive for my new bike. I convinced Scott to ride his old Fuel instead of me and the steer tube is no longer high enough for my growing belly to be comfortable. Although, a full-suspension would have definitely been the bike to ride on this course. I don't remember there being that much singletrack last year - but I had more time to take it all in and enjoy it than in previous years. I got a lot of riding out of the saddle time during the race - I figured about 12 miles (of a 23 mile race) or so as about 1/2 way into the race my belly was very tired of the bumps. I stood on every downhill and rough section. I got to experience the race from an entirely different point of view. After riding a hardtail for this race and I can say they are much much slower on rough terrain. If the trail was baby-butt smooth, then a hardtail would be great. It was brutal on this course for me anyway. Luckily, Scott took off the bontragger rigid fork and put the suspension fork back on. Baby hates bumps and I am sure I would have had to DNF had I not had a suspension fork. Otherwise, the course was fantastic with a bit of cyclocross-type barrier action. There were high winds the night before the race that blew down a bunch of trees across the trail. I must have dismounted about 10x to climb over size-able trees! After about 14 miles I got really tired, my little 'governor' (baby) turned on the brakes and I had to slow down to mostly a crawling pace. I am not sure why. Two weeks ago I felt fantastic! This past week I have felt terrible riding; klinda bonky and low energy most of my rides. Baby must be growing or something. Other good things are that I got to see a lot of riders I don't usually get to see and congratulate local Duluthians on a great showing!

More than half way into the race it started to get cold. And windy. I wasn't working as hard so that was part of it, but it started raining after I finished. (Thankfully I had that extra clothing with me as I had to wait for Scott to ride back to the start of the race to get the van). Luckily, our good friend Ron rode with me the last mile or so of the race. I needed some encouragement at that point. I am hoping I feel fantastic once baby is out and I lose the baby weight that I have not fully gained yet.

Other good things about the day is that I felt so tired, hungry, and a little bonked that Scott and I shared some doritos and coke. I cannot tell you the last time I ate that kind of stuff (crap was the first word that came to mind). Nothing like a race to make me crave bad food. I have been really good during this pregnancy as far as nutrition is concerned and thankfully preganancy has taken away my cravings for chocolate. I have been really good at staying away from caffeine as well and gave up my daily cup(s) of coffee. The first trimester pretty much created a major adversion to coffee and I haven't gone back except for the occassional decaf from Beaner's.

Scott felt fine for the first 5 miles or so of the race and then pretty much had nothing after that. It is so odd. Maybe he is still fighting the cats? He took a short cut to bypass the finish and head to the start of the race to pick up the van. He was thinking of his pregnant wife and making sure I wasn't the one to have to ride back to pick up the van! Otherwise, he wasn't sure he'd quite make it back he felt so terrible. We need to figure out why he doesn't race well. It is incredibly frustrating for him. One thing this race helped me develop is empathy for Scott.... it is not very fun for me to race slow (as I did in this race) and I can see why he would DNF instead of forcing himself to finish when he feels so crappy. I felt really bad the last nine miles and if I knew a shortcut to get back to the finish I would have probably taken the DNF and shortcut. It is tough to stay in a race when the body is not cooperating. At least I am pregnant, have way more blood volume, some physiological anemia, and extra weight that I do not normally carry as all reasons for my inability to go faster than medium speed. Most days when I ride I go incredibly slow. I was practicing balancing while riding during this race as I would crawl up the steeper climbs at such a slow pace that any slower I would have tipped over. But, I was still happy to be outside, on my bike, and in the woods riding singletrack.

I better get to bed. Back to work tomorrow morning and baby needs me to sleep. She has been really active and I can feel her move quite a bit when I am sitting or laying down. It is really cool!

2008-05-10T11:11:00.000-07:00

Scott and I are finally ready to let people know we/I am pregnant. We are five months along and have kept relatively quiet about the pregnancy. Our first visit to the OB kinda freaked us out because the risk of miscarriage is quite high (1 in 300) for women > = 35 y/o; especially in the first trimester. Since about 14 weeks pregnant or so, I finally started feeling better. Before that I was very tired and fatigued. I napped several times a day (even at work in my office with the door shut) as I couldn't push through it. I took the pregnancy test after feeling so tired for several weeks that I either had to be pregnant or overtrained. I can feel our little baby moving daily now. It doesn't feel like too much, but it is really a neat feeling. Scott cannot feel it yet, but in another coulple of weeks baby should be stronger/bigger. So far, apart from being tired, everything is fine. We had our 20 week ultrasound and everything looks fine and normal with baby. We were very relieved. We opted not to do any prenatal testing/screening for genetic problems as it was just an assessment of risk and not a definitive test; amniocentesis is not an option we would choose (1 in 200 procedures miscarry).

I am still training as much as I can. I have been hiking/walking and running (short distances) more, but I am still biking and lifting weights. Pregnancy doesn't get in my way as far as activity goes at this point; it is more work that gets in the way - but I think most people struggle to find the balance between the two and all the other obligations. I am signed up to 'race' at Cable in a week. I am sure it will be more of a ride than anything else as my breathing is a limitor at this point (and has been as early as 7 weeks). I hope to keep riding as long as I can and it still feels comfortable to ride. I have been riding my bike with my bars up a bit higher to make it more comfortable.

Scott and I have also decided that we have to get rid of our cats. After talking with a new doctor in town, the doctor basically said to get rid of the cats as they are destroying Scott's immune system. We think that is why he has not raced well or consistently in a long time! If anyone is interested in one or two sealpoint siamese cats, please comment on my blog. They are great cats. One male, one female. Neutered/spayed, declawed, litter box trained. They love to be with people and be 'pet'. The female cat, Kissa, is real lovey. The boy cat, Bartleby, is more aloof, but hilarious and loves to be played with.

2008-05-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

Today I helped volunteer at the annual childrens helmet give away sponsored by The Ski Hut, SMDC and Kohl's. There were plenty of volunteers fitting helmets and lots of happy kids (and adults) of all ages that left with a brand new bike helmet. This was a great event to help promote bike safety. During my ride today I couldn't help but notice that about 1/2 of the riders didn't wear helmets (children and adults alike). I am not sure what they are thinking. I have worked in rehab as a Physical Therapist and after working with patients that have brain injuries it really helps solidifies the need to always wear a helmet!

Otherwise, I recently gave away my WORS All-in-One prize from winning the series last year. I won't be racing the series this year, so Trek, our Midwest Regional Team Manager, Don from WORS, and I thought it would be great to give the certificate away to a new female rider that wants to race WORS. Go to www.wors.org to find out the name of the lucky winner. I hope she enjoys the races, courses, and meeting other riders.

Today was the Iola race. Scott raced, but didn't feel very good. His first three laps were basically a ride and then he finally started feeling a bit better the last two laps. He didn't let himself DNF (thankfully). I think it builds character to finihs, but I have to admit the year we were drinking bad (bacteria laden) water I DNF'd once. I felt horrible and was going so slow that I couldn't help but think, What's the point? I really dislike racing slow.

The weather finally cleared this weekend. It was so beautiful both saturday and sunday. I was in heaven both days, getting outside, training and being warm. This spring has been the worst weather I have ever seen in Duluth. Most days are 35 or 40, cold, windy and rainy. The forcast is usually pretty crappy and then, like today, turned out to be beautiful. It is much more motivating to train when the sun is out. I cannot blame it completely on the weather, though. Work has been horribly busy and thankfully it is finals week this week so there will be a bit of a recovery period (from work) before first summer session starts. I have a lot to prepare for that, but it is much more flexible than regular class.

Better run to bed as it is getting late and Scott just returned from his trip to Iola.

2008-04-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

Spring training the last weekend in April......

Who needs Joe Friel's weight lifting advice when Mother Nature gives us all we can handle already? This is the strength maintenance phase since two weeks ago we were awarded ten inches of wet heavy snow and turned out that was our last maximum strength phase workout. Hopefully, next week we can get back on the bike again.

For those of us getting ready to nestle in our beds, our good friend and fellow rider Charlie Farrow is STILL racing across Iowa (4 AM start). To check on Charlie's progress go to www.transiowa.blogspot.com (I think). There is great commentary from the race director Guitar Ted.

2008-04-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

Here is my new bike! Scott is busy getting it put together while I try to get caught up on work so I can spend my time riding. I love the new frames!!! Just a few more things that need to arrive and I'll be ready to take it out for its maden voyage.

This years kits are really cool, too! More pics to come.......

2008-04-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Scott and I returned from Moab a few weeks ago. The weather was cold, rainy, and it even hailed one afternoon downtown (with snow in the higher elevations). I didn't get to ride as much as I had planned/would have liked, but I had a few good rides where I felt great! With all the bad weather it was a bit easier to get caught up on some reading, homework, and work (although I don't recommend that that is what vacations are for). Scott got in some really good riding with our friends Narum and Bill. We had a good group that was rounded out by Scott's dad. At 69 years old he is still riding well - singletrack and the more technical rides. Each year he seems to ride a little less, but still gets enough riding in to balance out his time in the bookstores or coffeeshops reading.

Our new bikes should be here anyday. I am looking forward to seeing what they are and how they look. There is a bit of speculation as to which frame we will get this year. They should be here anyday. This time of year is much like Christmas for us! I love it and I get all my favorite bike stuff!

For those of you that don't know and have not gone to the WORS website. I am giving away my WORS All-in-One Entry this year as I am not planning on racing the full WORS series. If you would like to put your name in (it is open to women only new to WORS so spread the word!), submit an essay as to why you should be chosen to WORS. (go to www.wors.org and submit via email). I'll pick and announce the winner sometime around April 26th so time is running out. Check the WORS website for more information on deadlines. I am hoping the winner will allow me to put some information on my blog about her season.

It is supposed to be up to 70 degrees today so I'm going to get a bit more work done and head out on my bike. My good old Paragon is newly suited with some Bontragger Race X Lite wheels and I got to give them some exercise....

2008-03-30T17:21:00.000-07:00

The past two days have been close to 50 degrees! Yesterday I jogged/hiked in the AM so that I could ride during the warmest part of the day. I felt the best riding that I have all year. I XC skied more this winter and rode less due to such good skiing conditions. XC skiing also seems harder than riding, probably cuz I use my arms alot more when I ski. Today the riding was just as good. It was warm and sunny and was completely overdressed. I am still used to dressing for winter riding - complete with the riding lobster mits and all. I road on the road both days as it is too warm to ride trails. The snow is melting fast and as long as we don't get much on the way of rain, we should be on track to ride trails by mid-to-end of April. That is pretty good for duluth.

While on my ride today I got hooted at by some guy taking note of my rear end on the bike. He must be a Fergie fan as he said something about "Bootielicious" (I don't know how to spell it obviously I don't own the CD). Not much of a compliment coming from a fat guy. (I hate getting hollared at. It is rude, disrespectful, etc.)

Scott put on the Bontragger race X lite rigid carbon fork on my Paragon along with my red foam grips. It is so nice and a bit lighter. Scott is planning on riding my Paragon in Moab while I ride his old Fuel. I need full suspension out there, while Scott can do without it.

Better get back to work and studying. Too much to do and too little time.......

2008-03-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

The cross-country skiing has been fantastic the past few weeks! Last weekend I was in heaven as both Magney and Spirit Mtn were perfect conditions. The snow was fast and the hills felt effortless. Saturday was the best I have felt training since getting really sick in January. I love spring skiing. The temperatures are warm and the sun was so nice and warm. It was really nice not having to dress for zero degree weather. The trails were pretty busy, but not too bad.

I biked a bit last week as well, but the trails are so bumpy! The freeze/thaw combined with walkers and snowmobilers chewing up the snow make for a rough ride It's still nice to get out and spin the legs though. I love my little winter (GF Paragon)bike! Scott may take it to ride in Moab when we head out here in a few weeks. We are both very excited for our trip. We have been there so many years that we pretty much know where we want to ride the entire time. I love the variety and getting on my bike early. I also love the sun and the warmer temperatures! We usually hit Fruita and Grand Junction on the return trip home. I'm planning on riding Scott's 2006 Trek Fuel as my race bike hasn't yet arrived, although we have some time before we fuel up the VW van and head out. Scott's dad will be 69 this year and has gone every year with us for the past 8 or so years. Every year when we return from Moab he'll ask, "Same time next year?"

Otherwise, as one can tell by the frequency of my posts that life and work is really busy! I am still in grad school, working full-time, and training. If something isn't on my 'to do' list it just doesn't seem to get done. I am going to try to make more of an effort. I have less than two months left in the semester and of course my workload increases with each of the next few weeks, but maybe it'll force me to be more productive!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I just got a paper published on Fibromyalgia in the March issue of Gerinotes, a professional journal. I was really fired up when I saw it as I sent in my paper two months ago and didn't hear anything back as far as revisions. My tDPT studies require me to do literature reviews, which takes a lot of time to gather the information and write the paper. I better get to work as I have another one due here in early May.

2008-02-23T12:21:00.000-08:00

I am getting over one of the worst 'colds' ever. I may have had influenza, but I am not sure. Both Scott and I were stuck in bed, him for two days and he got better within four days or so; I was in bed for about five days and up coughing most of the night for about a week. I'd then sleep all day if I could. I missed some days of work and forced myself to go in on other days, mostly because I could not miss class those days. It's been over two weeks now and I am still fighting this crude. Needless to say I have not been able to do much. Initially I could do nothing at all, except sleep all day. After about a week I could get out and walk, but then I'd have to keep my mouth covered as the cold air really irritated my lungs. I finally got out for a ski a week ago and it was so slow it was almost painful. I couldn't go any faster though, so after 50 minutes I called it a day. I had a little better ski the day after and have not felt that great since. Scott and I rode our bikes this morning on the snowmobile trails. Surprisingly, I felt ok going slow. I actually felt better riding my bike than walking up this monster hill on our loop to get back home. I'm past frustrated as I can only do what my body will allow. This is almost worse than when I was overtrained in college. My energy levels are in the toilet and I nap a lot. In the past I could usually push through being tired to get stuff done. Not with this. I have to lay down and sleep. I missed the opportunity to ski with Kim Eppen today at the Birkie. It would have been a blast! I would have held her back. Yesterday my skis were so slow that my legs felt fried afterward. I barely made it around the 10K loop. I'm doing what I can to get better. It's just taking forever!

2008-02-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

Scott and I have had a really busy month! XC skiing was fantastic until we got rain a week ago. There is still good skiing at one or two places in Duluth (Snowflake and maybe Spirit). Coaching is going well. Our men's team is having a banner year, while our women's team unfortunately suffered a few injuries - one a broken wrist. Our girls team is pretty small compared to the guys team, hopefully that will build. We have been skiing quite a bit up until the rain came. Scott came home soaked from skiing in the rain that night. Otherwise, we have had really cold weather where it is easier to ski and stay warm than bike. The rain did bring good riding conditions so this weekend we have plans to ride a bit. I love my new Paragon. Scott has been borrowing it a bit. He rode it for his 'bike skills' class as part of interim for middle school students where he teaches. He and another teacher have a blast getting the kids riding obstacle courses set up in the gym. My knobby tires work well enough that I don't need studs while riding outside. It is finally snowing today, which should make it more difficult to see the icy patches.

We will have a few new faces on the team this year. Should be interesting, but fun as always!

2008-01-06T05:06:00.000-08:00

Scott and I were gone recently for US Nordic Nationals in Houghton, MI for the CSS Nordic Ski Team we are helping coach. We had a great week. The snow conditions were great along with temps. Our athletes had a rough showing due to a flu that hit the night before the first race and then spread through most of our team. We had a few good results as well. I had not been to a US Nationals for skiing since 1994. A few of my former NMU teammates are now coaching, so it was good to catch up with them. One of the coaches for our CSS team was also a former NMU teammate. I miss ski racing a little, but still not sure if I would ever race again. The bike season is really long and in order to be a really good skier one has to train properly, including a lot of rollerskiing. I rollerskied this year with our CSS team for the first time in maybe 5 years. I have fun helping others develop ski technique.

We have gotten a ton of snow this winter so the nordic skiing has been fantastic! Scott and I have been skiing for over a month now consistently. Scott is convinced biking makes him weak and skiing makes him strong. My arms always seem pretty sore and tired from skiing. It is a very good workout!

Other than skiing and coaching I am getting ready to start the next semester. Last semester was really tough with coaching, teaching, and being in grad school. Hopefully, this semester will be a bit better. I hope the weather stays good for skiing. It is so nice to have a real midwest winter!

2007-12-21T17:58:00.000-08:00

Here is my new winter bike. I got the photo from the www.fisherbikes.com web site. I have not gotten a chance to ride it yet as the weather turned too warm and I don't want my first ride on it in the slush. It is supposed to snow later tonight and into tomorrow (up to a foot, but that much is a stretch) so give the snow a few days to set up and the temps to drop - perfect riding weather. My small Paragon geometry is very similar to my med Trek racing bike. All I do is put on a 90 mm stem and the Paragon is ready to go. It fits great and I love a 29er for winter riding.

I hope to have some in-action photos soon........

2007-12-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

It looks like this again in Duluth. We got about 12" a few weeks ago followed up with 16" more a few days after that. We were busy shoveling and then, of course, cross-country skiing since. The trails are in fantastic condition! That is why I have not blogged. We are too busy skiing, coaching, finishing my grad class, and working! It is soooo nice to have snow this early. At first there was so much snow we could only snowshoe (before the ski trails were groomed). One day it seems like all I did was shovel. It was fantastic! I love snow.

Coaching the nordic ski team is going really well. Scott and I are having a blast and we are really impressed with the athletes. We ski at various trail systems during the week and then others on the weekend as much as possible. We usually ski at Spirit Mtn and Magney - both of which are great trail systems (and connected so one can ski a lot of K in one day and not get bored).

My new winter bike should be arriving soon. A Gary Fisher Paragon 29er. Light Blue. I cannot wait to ride it! The trails are all set to go as long as I have a bike to ride. I have some new winter riding tights to try out as well. Hopefully, the snowboarders have been busy boarding on our bike trails next to the groomed runs at Spirit Mtn. They pack the trail in and make for great riding. The snowmobilers do a great job on the snowmobile trails of packing them in as well. It has been really cold here for quite some time now, so skiing is the way to go. Once it gets around 0 degrees F, it gets pretty tough to stay warm on a bike. Even at 10 above it can be tough if the sun is not out.

Work is super busy. Finals are next week for our students so there are lots of things to get done beside prepare exams, post grades, etc, etc. My grad class is pretty much finished - thank God! I learned a great deal and had great classmates of which I learned a lot from as well, but it took a lot of time and I found I had to be extremely efficient with my time and cut out other things for a while.

Well, more work to do. With the holiday season upon us and our shopping just started today, we have a lot more to do. Thankfully, not too much. Can't say I really like to shop. Hopefully, I'll get our camera out on the trails to share some cool photos. All I have been taking photos of lately is one of our two cats sprawled out and belly up in front of our wood pellet stove. Funny how one cat loves it and the other won't go near it.

2007-11-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my first ride since the Iceman. My right shoulder was killing me on Monday and Tuesday this week. I couldn't believe how sore it was. I couldn't sleep very well for a couple of nights. Then I put some electrical stimulation on it at work. What a relief! I can avoid taking ibuprofen and slap that machine on instead.

Our ride went fine along the road, my shoulder was a bit sore just putting weight through it, but tolerable. If we would have stuck to the road, it would have been fine, but we rode the railroad grade and then had to climb up Grady's downhill (part of the MNSCS Spirit Mtn course). I had to get off a few times as I couldn't pull up on my bars enough to be effective to climb the hill. I probably hurt it worse than I originally thought, but I still think it is mostly bruised. I hit the ground so hard when I fell! There was so much adrenaline at the time that I didn't realize just how hard that was. I have been running all week instead and have to hold my elbow bent to prevent jarring my shoulder. Kinda crazy. Hopefully, it will heal up quick. There was a blanket of snow on the ground when we woke, which lifted my spirits. Winter is on the way!

Scott is at the CX MN Champ in the twin cities without me today. I can't race cuz I can't hang on to my bike well enough and have good enough control of my bike. It'd be dangerous for me and for others around me as I would be more likely to lose control and not regain it. I hope he does well. He had a bit of a rough go at the Iceman. He bonked hard with 7 mils to go. He can't seem to keep his chain on his bike and after dropping it three times and then catching back up to his group, hit the wall. Once he did that he limped in.

2007-11-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

Scott and I headed to the Iceman Cometh in Traverse City, MI this past weekend. After working 1/2 a day on Friday we made it to Mackinaw City where we stayed overnight then drove the rest of the way Saturday morning. We got there in time to pick up our packets, hang out a bit, then get ready for the race.

It was mid-40s and sunny during the warm up and I got too hot, so I took off some of my clothing I was planning on racing in. I didn't feel very good during the warm-up; mostly lethargic. I could tell Scott didn't want to tell me I was going slow. My bike worked fine and Scott dialed in the shifting. I was all set to go.

This year they didn't do call-ups for women, but luckily I still got on the front row. Once the guy said "go" I missed my pedal or something and ended up behind another rider anyways. We had just gotten up to top speed when one rider cut off anther rider right in front of me, she jacknifed her front wheel and endo'd right in front of me. It happened so fast that I was on top of her flying, crashing hard, and then getting run over by another handful of women. Our bikes were tangled. I finally got up and got my seat out of another gals spokes and then got on my bike. The bars were so far twisted they were almost pointing back wards! Luckily, DJ from Clif Bar was right there and helped me turn them back. I don't think I could have done that one my own. So there I was the last woman to get back on her bike, with 27.5 miles to go and the lead group long long gone! I started picking off riders and it seemed each one took alot to catch. A few riders latched on and after about 4 miles I finally bridged up to Kyia and Heather I. I rode behind them for long enough to rest just a bit, looked back and realized a few women hung onto me. I passed Kyia and mentioned how we needed to 'drop the rest of the group'. We were together for another few miles and then I don't know what happened, all the sudden I was alone and chasing down some men in front of me. When I crashed my right shifter was bent, along with my deraileur, so I only had a few gears in each chain ring to work with. My gears would skip going uphill so I had to go up in a much harder gear than I wanted to. I finally caught up and passed fourth place and was sitting in third for most of the race. #63 and I would change places pulling, the gal behind me even pulled once. I was using way too much energy getting up hills and would lose my momentum due to my bike deciding to shift on its own. It wasn't until much later in the race (about 3 miles to go) that I realized I could go up the hills in my small chain ring (Duh) that too slowly realized solution may have cost me one or two places. With about 12 miles to go or so I started getting cold! The sun tucked itself behind the clouds. I was working hard to try and stay warm. I could see the second place woman about 30 seconds up and was trying to catch her with about 7 miles or so do go. I tried to bridge the gap and was making some progress when we hit more hills with about 5 miles to go, and realized my legs were shot. I was trying to hang in there, but the guys I was with only wanted a free ride, #63 had dropped me when I couldn't shift well enough to get up a hill and the rest of the group with him, including the woman that drafted off our group the majority of the race after I caught her. Then I dropped my water bottle and limped in as best I could. I really gave a good effort and am pleased with how hard I worked to get the place I did. It could have been much worse, or worse yet, I could have gotten seriously injured during that crash. I crossed the line in fourth, with dried blood 1/2 down my shin from a gash in my knee, my right hip bruised. It wasn't until later that evening, after the adrenaline wore off, that I started to stiffen up and assess more of the damage. We drove to Munising the night after the race, slept there (terribly as I couldn't get comfortable) and realized my right deltoid is bruised (can barely lift my right shoulder overhead), I couldn't take a deep breath cuz the left side of my back and chest hurt, and had additional minor bruising. That was by far the worst crash I have ever been in and hope to never be in that kind of heap again! The season is over for me and not exactly the way I wanted to finish it, but again I am pleased with my effort and that I didn't give up.

We were both really thankful for the Lalonde's being willing to transport some of our clothing to the finish line, for DJ getting me settled down and twisting my bars back at the start after I crashed, and for DJ and Wendy also for giving us a ride back to the start of the race where our car was parked. They also gave us my marathon overall and wors overall prizes, which they were nice enough to pick up for me at the wors awards ceremony a month back.

2007-11-06T09:23:00.000-08:00

Scott and I have been super busy (who isn't?) with teaching, coaching, and still riding our bikes some. The weather these past few weeks have been perfect for training and enjoying the fall. Today we woke to snow on the ground - about a 1/2 inch. If I were younger, I would have probably dusted off my rock skies and skied around our yard. I hear the U.P. should/is getting some snow. Should make our drive to Traverse City interesting, much less we'll see what happens for race day conditions. I am not ready for 30 or less degree weather. Our house was frozen this morning. Our cats were fighting for which one got to sit on my lap - there wasn't room for both.

Coaching the ski team at CSS is going well. Scott and I are both taking a day or two a week. I love coaching! It's fantastic working with athletes wanting to get better and fun to dust off those cobwebs of information! The athletes and rest of the coaching staff are great! Both Scott and I look forward to getting on real snow.

Bike training is going as well as can be expected this time of year. I have taken a lot of days off, started running and hiking and rollerskiing with the team to break things up. After this next race I'll hope to take some time off from the bike entirely, although I took about two weeks off after Sheboygan. I was feeling too shot, run down, and not excited about riding. It's gotta be fun!

Lots to do...more research for the next case study due. Three down and three to go for my graduate class. I've done more research this fall than I can remember. It takes a lot of time. Combine that with the lack of home internet service and thus the reason its taken me almost a month to update this blog!

2007-10-08T17:07:00.001-07:00

On saturday morning when Scott and I left Duluth it was 50 degrees and foggy. By the time we got to Chippewa to meet Doug, it was 80 degrees - hot and humid! Thankfully, we rode in air conditioned comfort (Doug's car) the rest of the way to Sheboygan. It would have been a pretty uneventful trip, except we almost had to get our preride in in the middle of nowhere. We couldn't find a gas station after the needle hit empty and all the low gas alarms no longer went off. Doug was figeting, Scott was laughing, I was trying to think of how long I could ride before I'd swelter in the heat.

Jumping out of the car in Sheboygan was like jumping into a sauna. Hot and humid. Sticky. We were greeted by Mr. Anderson offering a wet 'wonder dog' to snuggle up to. We got kitted up and rode the course a coupld of times for tomorrow's race. Scott and Doug were going faster than I wanted to go, but they'd wait for me every now and then. My legs felt bad at first, but then loosened up. Probably a remnant of the long car ride. I was not looking forward to the race next day - I had not ridden much in the past few weeks. My legs are tired and we have really been enjoying hiking in the woods instead. We got some good food that night and some good rest. The luxury of cable afforded a movie in the AM to settle my nerves before the race.

We got to the race a bit early so Scott cleaned my brakes. Amazing what a difference that made. My bike felt faster than it had it weeks! I got an OK start. I was in third going towards the prime and I wasn't going to contest it, but the gal in the lead got caught by the group and then I got around Sue to get the prime. Jenna flew by me just before the single track. The elite men were waiting to get into the single track and so we had to wait as well. Jenna got in the line of men first then myself with with a few guys between. I got around those guys to bridge back up to Jenna. It was tough to get around the men in the single track and we had to wait until an open spot to get by. We were going really fast that first lap and then Kyia got past Jenna and me running the steep up while we rode the switchback. She was flying. We were all three together as Kyia cleaned the Equilizer, while Jenna and I ran up the rest of the way and had to bridge back up to Kyia. All three of us were still together for another 1/2 lap or so. I was riding behind Kyia with Jenna in the lead. Jenna got a little gap on us so I went around Kyia to bridge back up to Jenna. We were still all together for a while, but I am not sure for how long. I was trying to drink as much as possible each lap. I felt pretty bad the first lap, but then started to feel better after that. I knew I had to be a little careful in the heat. I would get by Jenna here and there and she would attack on the longer uphill past me and get by me before the singletrack. I yelled to let Jenna know her extra tube was dangling down towards her front wheel spokes while going up the hill after the water crossing in the last lap. I told her I would not attack as she had to fix it. I rode ahead, but knew she would catch me again. I didn't know how far Kyia and the rest of the women were behind so I couldn't afford to stop. This is racing! Jenna caught back on and got by again before the last section of singletrack with the switchback. We rode together - Jenna in front, up the equilizer - both of us running and Jenna just edging me out for front wheel on the remount. I passed Jenna on the 'Sheboygan Slickrock' and got into the last small section of singletrack first. I had to get through the sand cleanly, but inadvertanly shifted down one gear too low and had to spin through too much. Jenna must have been too close and I heard her unclip. I knew I had to go right then otherwise it would be a full out sprint at the end. She is fast and can bridge a gap quickly, so I went as hard as I could and was surprised when she didn't catch me. I was pretty pleased to take the win. Fantastic competition.

On the way home we were all rockin' to 80's music. Gotta love the big hair bands and the one hit wonders.

Today after work Scott and I went for a great hike along Chester Bowl. The creek is rushing and higher than I have ever seen it with the trail alongside the creek showing signs of having been underwater.

2007-09-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were down in South Kettle Moraine for the Fall Color Festival. The 'timed event' course was changed from last year to include 10 miles on the connector and with two blue Muir loops and an additional part of the red loop the race was about 35 miles long. Scott tried out some tires that he had not tried before. They are very fast and similar to the 'crows', or as I call them 'lucky charms' (which are not so lucky as if it is slick at all - there is big risk of going down - right Charlie?) The course must have had a heavy dew, or rain the days leading up to this saturday. There were a few big mud puddles with difficulty in some spots getting around them.

Doug, Scott, and Tristan did the 30 mile race - along with about 50 other people. I rode two + loops (about 25 miles)before volunteering out with the women's clinic. I had a blast. There were 20 enthusiastic women looking to improve their bike skills. It was fun to work with the other women. I would definitely do that again! I got in about 35 miles of riding, despite having to 'work'. That was great. My legs were a bit tired from the previous day's ride in Eau Claire with Doug and Scott. They were flying through the single track while I attempted to keep up. It was really fun!

Scott didn't have a very good day - as he crashed twice due to his tire selection and caught himself about eight more times from going down. Doug won with his 1x9 combination. He was pretty fired up about it. We had a good trip down and back. We had excellent accommodations and good dinner the night before.

2007-09-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday Scott, our friend Joe and I headed to Iola to race. The about 5 hr drive was pretty uneventful. I was a bit nervous to test out my legs as I had not been on my bike in a week. My legs felt really bad after (and during) Cheq, so I took the week off and just walked and hiked instead. The fall colors are near peak and I love hiking in the woods with the leaves on the trail. McFaddens have joined us a few times, including little Bodee.

I had a nice chat with Lori S. that improved my spirits prior to warming up. The women got to start 15 sec again behind the men. I really like that format! We caught up to tail end of the men at the top of the first climb. I did not pre-ride the course and there was more sand than I remember earlier this year. The first long downhill was full of bumps and it was difficult to get around some of the men. One guy was trying to fight me for position, would get ahead of me, then slow down on the downhills. I tried to be a bit patient and finally stayed ahead of him not even half way into a lap. The singletrack was really fun and I felt I could go pretty hard on the ski trail. I was not climbing as well as I would have liked - it was like the long season was catching up with me on the climbs. Another week or two of rest should help. I led from the start of the race and was never challenged, adding a minute to my lead each lap. It was fun to race a shorter race. Michelle P. was very nice to agree to do hand-ups for Scott and I. I was so lucky that I got enough cytomax during the race as I got really not the third lap. Duluth has not been so warm lately and the upper 70s temp was a bit of a shock.

There was one section in the trail that was particularily sandy in the singletrack while riding uphill that it just sucked the life out of my legs for about 20 seconds. I almost went down once as I got too close to a sandy ledge along the singletrack, but saved myself from going down by riding sideways for a few seconds. The guy behind me was impressed. There is so much less congestion starting where the women start, which is really nice. No more fighting with comp men to let us pass.

Scott had a good ride, but chose too easy of a gear on the singlespeed. He rode a 34x19; he should have had a 34x17. He lost a few spots by not being able to go as fast as he would have liked on the ski trail portions of the racecourse. His next project is turning that bike into a 1x9.

Next off this weekend is the Fall Color Festival. Scott and my teammates will be racing. I'll be helping with the women's clinic and women's ride. I'm fired up. Should be a good time. I heard they changed the trails there some and made them even better. Should be good to see.

2007-09-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

To answer CP Farrow's comment - Scott is fired up to race Bushy's single speed 29er tomorrow at Iola. His back and hamstrings have gotten worked over this past week, but the ride is worth it. Scott already has a little tatoo to boot - that little kokapelli biker guy on his left ankle. I don't think he'll be converted to a single speed for good, but his Kelly 29er is going up for sale.