Curse you Fizik!!

So, you develop this product, and refine it, and everybody loves it. Everybody. And then, you change it. WHY?!?

I know you changed your saddle a year ago, and I'm a little slow in getting around to complaining, but the fact is, I'm still mad that you changed a good thing.

Although, the pink and white is a hot look.

Cyclocrossing Goals

Inspired by Colin, I've decided to post some of my goals for cross season so that I will supposedly feel obligated to meet them. As usual, I probably put way too much thought into this.

Cross:
-Two weeks of focus for Gloucester
-develop some leg power by riding my bike
-Increase mileage to more than zero miles a week

-Gloucester: (I would like to meet any one of these tiers of goals, 3 being most likely and 1 being least likely)
-Tier 1 goals(exceptional):
-5% back from leaders
-Top 20 placing either day
-beat Pauline Frascone, Melody Chase, or Perri Mertens (relatively random
names)
-Not get lapped by Lynne Bessette (or anyone else)
-Tier 2 goals(reach):
-10% back from leaders
-Top 30 placing either day
-beat Hannah Kirshner, Meg Bilodeau or Marci Titus-Hall
-Place as well or better on second day
-Tier 3 goals (almost realistic):
-13% back from leaders
-Top 40 placing either day
-beat Allie Kenzer, Sue Mclean, or Erin Duggan
-Place as well or better on second day
-All three tiers: ride cleanly, smooth technique, put on time in runups, ride intelligently/draft the flats, start relaxed not too hard, move up from there

-Other CX races:
-Top 20 in a VERGE
-8% back in a VERGE
-top 5 at any race
-Get better at riding runups/stop being scared of trying it
-Get better at riding flats fast (or maybe just riding fast?)
-No DFLs, or DNS, DNF (unless there is a DAMN good reason)
-No pressure, remember that I'm not training for this, so why expect results
-stop going out too fast and then fading

I've got skiing goals too, but they're less interesting since they're all about training and time trials at this time of year. So we'll stick with cross, and see if I can reach any of these goals. Stay tuned...

Amesbury Cross

Not really much to say about this one. I got there at 9am with CTodd so he could race the master's 3/4, and rode around a bunch, did a lot of laps on the course. Then Bruce let me play around on his singlespeed, why don't any women race on singlespeeds? They're so much fun! I want one! All told, maybe 2-2.5hrs on bikes. Did I eat anything? No, I was too busy running around cheering people on. Driving home, I was sucking down the second half of a water bottle and I realized that was all I'd drunk all day...

The race starts, we hit the first off road section and suddenly I can't see shit because of all the dust. Came into the barriers in the midst of things, then slowed down a little since I wanted to ride negative splits, or something like that. Then people started going past me, and while at first I tried to tell myself that I was just going to ride my own race, I quickly realized I felt weak. Really weak. And then I realized I hadn't eaten anything since that oatmeal I had for breakfast at 7am. And then I ate a gu, because I had one in my pocket. I figured I would just ride slow until the sugar kicked in.

Then I realized my heart was doing what I've always called "the fluttery heart syndrome", its sort of an arrhythmia thing that happens once every couple years and always freaks me out, and the only thing to do then is to sit down until it passes. So, I sat down. Jen, Josh and Giulia happened to be standing there and kind of freaked out as well, especially when I told them I'd just counted 45 beats in 10 seconds... So, I sat there for maybe 5-10 minutes, and then it felt normal again. I figured, well, I may as well ride out the lap, I'll see how I feel after that, I liked the course enough that I kind of felt like continuing to ride. Lynne Bessette had passed me when I was sitting in the dirt, then some more fast people, I started riding again just after Rebecca Wellons went by, and slowly got lapped by the rest of the field. I decided that I didn't feel like finishing last, and I knew that the girl in last hadn't been moving that fast when she went by me, so I started "racing". With 1 to go I caught her, so I kind of coasted through the last lap.

Overall, a sucky race, and entirely my own fault. But I had some amazing ice cream afterwards. I'm sensing a theme...

Pictures coming.

Observations on a quiet Friday

1. The legal side of the office always has a full candy jar
2. They deleted the track that I normally run at. Now its all just dirt and construction stuff.
3. Leaves are changing colors, falling down, September is almost over (where did THAT month go??), and yet, its 75 degrees and humid outside.
4. I have a blister on the palm of my hand that is the size of a dime
5. I get to race cyclocross this weekend!!!!


And some more pictures from last weekend. The running ones are from the relays, I have that confused look on my face of the "where the f*** am I!?" variety... cross pictures thanks to Sarah and Josh.





As you can see, everyone else uses flashy orienteering clothing. I wear spandex so ripped that I have to wear it backwards so my knees don't stick out.

HELLO little white Honda!

I apparently can't get away from white hondas. The one I had before my old car was also a white honda. Each time, I've been getting a smaller one...

So I have a new car. I can now give other people rides to races too! Its a little white civic, and its so quiet! I'm just psyched to not be searching for cars anymore, that was incredibly stressful. Here's to a long and happy car-life for my new car!

Does having MA plates automatically make me a Masshole? Or do I need a MA license too to fit in that category?

Goodbye, little white honda

Goodbye, little white Honda. You treated me well, I'm sorry I didn't do the same. We had some good times together, you and I. Remember that time we drove to Rumford and you couldn't make it up any of the hills because there was so much snow on the road? We made it, though, and there was even more snow on the roads going home but you handled it just fine. Man you were good at getting back onto the road. Remember that time coming back from Farmington when it was raining so hard and your tires were so bald that we couldn't go faster than 35 mph? Remember all those trips to Clarkson? Tug Hill? Colby? Vermont? You've carried me many miles, and all of them safely.

I'm sorry I let your engine overheat so many times. Miraculously it still works, and you have no major mechanical flaws. I hope someone buys you and continues to love you, with perhaps better attention to details, like your leaking oil and coolant. I'm sorry I haven't fixed your exhaust system, but you didn't really want your exhaust going through those confining pipes, did you? I'm sure you'd be a lot happier if you could have a full tank of gas, too, but you're the one who decided to rust a hole in your tank. Maybe your next owner will replace your shocks and your broken windows, or fix that broken door handle. But I can't take the ringing ears after long trips anymore, or the lack of radio stations because you lost your antenna.

I hope you are happy in the rest of your life. I'm sorry I won't be around to pack you full of skis and bikes and intrepid friends to go on adventures, but I'm sure someone else will take full advantage of your large trunk and good gas mileage. Thanks for all the good times little Honda, you've treated me well.

Lucky Underwear

So, cyclists generally don't wear underwear when riding. Chafing, saddle sores, extra seams, chamois cream, vanity, whatever, name your reason, they're almost all valid. This is not really a problem at all, except when it comes to lucky underwear. How are you supposed to have a good race when you aren't wearing lucky underwear?

And this, my friends, is why I ski faster than I bike.

I bet those are Kristina Smigun's lucky underwear