I didn't realize that my complaining about never being able to find quarters for the laundry would actually pay off! Many thanks to Nancy for sending a roll of quarters my way. Now if only complaining about exams yielded a similar result. Would you come take my exams for me?
Wow, I can't believe I just said "yielded a similar result" on my blog. I've spent way too much time today typing up formal technical reports. In fact, I've had so much school work to do that I had to skip my ride today! I hate it when school gets in the way of my training.
10 more days till the end of semester and counting...
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Cycling Goals
After 56 days off the bike, I'm finally riding again. I've started thinking about next season and my goals for 2010. Here's what I have so far:
(1) Have tons of fun with Morgo and the new teammates
(2) Get my bra cup size down to an A (aka lose some weight)
(3) Win
(1) Have tons of fun with Morgo and the new teammates
(2) Get my bra cup size down to an A (aka lose some weight)
(3) Win
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The Normal Life
24 days off the bike and counting...
It didn't feel so strange at first. I just noticed that I had more free time, free time that I spent doing things other than laying with my feet up against a wall.
Then I noticed I wasn't eating as much. In fact, my weekly grocery bill went from about $75 to $50 or less. And that made me realize that I spend heck of a lot of time (1) being hungry, (2) thinking about food, (3) not being able to think about anything but food, and (4) eating food.
So far, one of the best parts of the off season is that there's a TON less laundry to do. When you think about it, the non-athlete goes through about half as many clothes as I do. Food is pretty good-tasting, but laundry is never fun. Especially when you have to spend as much time as I do searching for quarters to run the washer and dryer.
Not everything is getting better though, now that I'm off the bike. I have to admit that along with the decline in the amount of food I eat and laundry I do, the number of times I shower each week has taken a turn for the worse. In my mind, if there's no sweat then there's no shower. But I'm gradually learning that that doesn't rule doesn't really hold past two days or so.
Other things:
I've lost a little weight
Had time to go mountain biking for the first time in two years and the third time EVER.
I only crashed once.
And this weekend, I'm about to participate in my first mountain bike race: The South East Collegiate Cycling Conference Championships! Wooooooo!
If I can get motivated enough, I might actually try to document this race with my digital camera. Then there will be pictures for my next blog!
See ya!
It didn't feel so strange at first. I just noticed that I had more free time, free time that I spent doing things other than laying with my feet up against a wall.
Then I noticed I wasn't eating as much. In fact, my weekly grocery bill went from about $75 to $50 or less. And that made me realize that I spend heck of a lot of time (1) being hungry, (2) thinking about food, (3) not being able to think about anything but food, and (4) eating food.
So far, one of the best parts of the off season is that there's a TON less laundry to do. When you think about it, the non-athlete goes through about half as many clothes as I do. Food is pretty good-tasting, but laundry is never fun. Especially when you have to spend as much time as I do searching for quarters to run the washer and dryer.
Not everything is getting better though, now that I'm off the bike. I have to admit that along with the decline in the amount of food I eat and laundry I do, the number of times I shower each week has taken a turn for the worse. In my mind, if there's no sweat then there's no shower. But I'm gradually learning that that doesn't rule doesn't really hold past two days or so.
Other things:
I've lost a little weight
Had time to go mountain biking for the first time in two years and the third time EVER.
I only crashed once.
And this weekend, I'm about to participate in my first mountain bike race: The South East Collegiate Cycling Conference Championships! Wooooooo!
If I can get motivated enough, I might actually try to document this race with my digital camera. Then there will be pictures for my next blog!
See ya!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Almost Home
The first week of summer, I went to Alabama. The next weekend: Colorado for Collegiate Nationals. Then Delaware and Maryland, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Idaho, Oregon, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Illinois. I was supposed to be racing in Indiana today, but didn't because I got sick. Tomorrow, however, I'm finally headed back to Gainesville!
And it's a good thing, too! I've been off my bike for a few days now, and in place of riding I've taken up eating large amounts of Wisconsin's famous custard. Yum yum. If I weren't flying home tomorrow, I might consider staying here longer until, perhaps, it became "too late" so to speak for my growing bottom!
Home means it's time to start getting serious again. Looking at my class schedule, it's hard not to slip back into serious mode. I'm not sure how much I'll be joking around when I'm taking exams in classes called "Compressible Flow" or "Controls of Mechanical Engineering Systems."
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Elite Road Nationals
Thanks to Sean Weide, I now know how to link YouTube videos to my blog. That means more blogging excitement for everyone!
The first video is from the U23 Criterium on Sunday. Sam and I broke away from the group 13 laps into the 35-lap race. And if you do the math correctly, that means 22 laps off the front by ourselves! We'd planned all along to break away together; we just didn't know that the right moment would come so early in the race. Ally and Rachel had attacked and were dangling off the front while the other girls tried to bring them back. I was itching to do something, but knew I had to save my energy for the right moment. Luckily for us, the break came back in the most technical part of the course. We were able to attack and get a gap pretty easily.
From there, it was pure pain. We held it at around 28 to 30 mph down the home stretch and 25 to 26 on the back stretch. The only place where we slowed was on the slight rise through turns 3 and 4, the corners we initially attacked through.
The pack chased surprisingly quickly. I kept waiting and waiting, hoping and hoping for the moment when they gave up, but it didn't come until 4 laps to go. Jack said he was surprised by how organize the chase was. With 10 laps to go, I began to question if we'd be able to make it. The gap was staying consistently at about 15 seconds.
Having Sam there with me really helped both mentally and physically. When we made the initial jump, she yelled at me "GO GO GO," and I knew that meant we'd made the right move. When the pack realized they weren't going to catch us, the gap went quickly from 15 seconds to 30 seconds all the way up to over a minute and a half. Crossing the finish line was the best feeling in the world. As Jack told me afterward, this was one of those races that you never forget.
And this is an interview the day after I won the U23 time trial. I was asked if the victory had sunk in yet.
The first video is from the U23 Criterium on Sunday. Sam and I broke away from the group 13 laps into the 35-lap race. And if you do the math correctly, that means 22 laps off the front by ourselves! We'd planned all along to break away together; we just didn't know that the right moment would come so early in the race. Ally and Rachel had attacked and were dangling off the front while the other girls tried to bring them back. I was itching to do something, but knew I had to save my energy for the right moment. Luckily for us, the break came back in the most technical part of the course. We were able to attack and get a gap pretty easily.
From there, it was pure pain. We held it at around 28 to 30 mph down the home stretch and 25 to 26 on the back stretch. The only place where we slowed was on the slight rise through turns 3 and 4, the corners we initially attacked through.
The pack chased surprisingly quickly. I kept waiting and waiting, hoping and hoping for the moment when they gave up, but it didn't come until 4 laps to go. Jack said he was surprised by how organize the chase was. With 10 laps to go, I began to question if we'd be able to make it. The gap was staying consistently at about 15 seconds.
Having Sam there with me really helped both mentally and physically. When we made the initial jump, she yelled at me "GO GO GO," and I knew that meant we'd made the right move. When the pack realized they weren't going to catch us, the gap went quickly from 15 seconds to 30 seconds all the way up to over a minute and a half. Crossing the finish line was the best feeling in the world. As Jack told me afterward, this was one of those races that you never forget.
And this is an interview the day after I won the U23 time trial. I was asked if the victory had sunk in yet.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Nature Valley Grand Prix Diary
To follow my progress at the Nature Valley Grand Prix, click here
As of yesterday I'm 14th in GC and Best Young Rider!
As of yesterday I'm 14th in GC and Best Young Rider!
Friday, May 15, 2009
The Big Summer Question
It is officially summer. The stress that comes with exams and nationals is long forgotten. I'm traveling the country and, for once, don't have to bring along my text books. Don't get me wrong, though, my life isn't completely stress free. Each morning, I wake up with a serious question to consider: should I ride and then watch TV or watch TV and then ride? haha. Yes, this is the essence of summer. Better enjoy it while it lasts.
Friday, May 8, 2009
My Apologies
Alright, alright....so I know I haven't updated in awhile, and I'm sorry. My sister has given me enough grief about it to account for everyone who has ever been upset about my infrequent blog posts - alright, maybe that's not so many people - but still. I guess it was just a surprise to me that my sister actually reads my blog enough to get upset when I haven't updated it. Maybe the problem here is I don't talk to my sister enough. Sometimes my frequent blog posts and the Team Type 1 Twitter updates are they only way she can be sure I'm still alive! How tragic! Actually, just today my mom was telling me a story that'll give you an idea of how the family copes with my constant traveling.
Before today, I hadn't called home in a few days because I was busy traveling and preparing for collegiate nationals. Wednesday morning, my parents dropped me off at the Orlando (MCO) airport, and that was the last they heard. Of course they'd asked me to call when I got here, but there was so much going on that I didn't have time! It isn't that uncommon for me to forget to call them so they didn't freak out, but I'm sure they couldn't help but imagine the wreckage of my airplane or the wreckage of my rental car or the wreckage of the airport shuttle! But as my dad always says, if they don't hear from the highway patrol men or the news guy, they just assume I made it there safely. They hadn't heard from either, and I DID get here safely, so their assumption was correct, as always.
This morning, they go on a bike ride with one of their friends who informed them that not only was I safe and sound in Colorado, but that my legs were also "feeling good." How did she know this when my parents didn't? We can all thank Sean Weide, the TT1 media superman, for keeping the fans updated on the status of my legs via our team Twitter. So yes, my parents sometimes hear about my doings from other people first, but I think of it as a blessing that they can be so laid back (or at least pretend to be) while I'm off roaming the country and potentially breaking bones.
ANYWAY...
I got 3rd today in the Division 1 road race behind Carla Swart (Lees McRae) and Anna McLoon (Harvard), both whom I race against on the professional circuit. They're both very strong riders, Carla especially, and I suppose if I have to lose to someone I guess I'm glad it's her. The three major factors we had to cope with in this race were the wind, altitude, and hills. It was windiest race I'd ever done (I found myself practically coasting on an uphill we had such a strong tail wind - of course this meant that the head wind was absolutely brutal). On the decent toward the finish, I thought it was going to pick me up and throw me over the guard rail (something that actually happened to a girl in one of the chase groups). The altitude was rough on me, but I coped better than I did last year. At the end, it came down to a group of four. Carla and Anna came in a bit ahead of Melanie and me.
Now I am "home" at the host house. We're staying with a really nice couple. I've been lucky with host families so far this year. Will post pictures from South East Crit Series when I get back!
Before today, I hadn't called home in a few days because I was busy traveling and preparing for collegiate nationals. Wednesday morning, my parents dropped me off at the Orlando (MCO) airport, and that was the last they heard. Of course they'd asked me to call when I got here, but there was so much going on that I didn't have time! It isn't that uncommon for me to forget to call them so they didn't freak out, but I'm sure they couldn't help but imagine the wreckage of my airplane or the wreckage of my rental car or the wreckage of the airport shuttle! But as my dad always says, if they don't hear from the highway patrol men or the news guy, they just assume I made it there safely. They hadn't heard from either, and I DID get here safely, so their assumption was correct, as always.
This morning, they go on a bike ride with one of their friends who informed them that not only was I safe and sound in Colorado, but that my legs were also "feeling good." How did she know this when my parents didn't? We can all thank Sean Weide, the TT1 media superman, for keeping the fans updated on the status of my legs via our team Twitter. So yes, my parents sometimes hear about my doings from other people first, but I think of it as a blessing that they can be so laid back (or at least pretend to be) while I'm off roaming the country and potentially breaking bones.
ANYWAY...
I got 3rd today in the Division 1 road race behind Carla Swart (Lees McRae) and Anna McLoon (Harvard), both whom I race against on the professional circuit. They're both very strong riders, Carla especially, and I suppose if I have to lose to someone I guess I'm glad it's her. The three major factors we had to cope with in this race were the wind, altitude, and hills. It was windiest race I'd ever done (I found myself practically coasting on an uphill we had such a strong tail wind - of course this meant that the head wind was absolutely brutal). On the decent toward the finish, I thought it was going to pick me up and throw me over the guard rail (something that actually happened to a girl in one of the chase groups). The altitude was rough on me, but I coped better than I did last year. At the end, it came down to a group of four. Carla and Anna came in a bit ahead of Melanie and me.
Now I am "home" at the host house. We're staying with a really nice couple. I've been lucky with host families so far this year. Will post pictures from South East Crit Series when I get back!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Redlands Crit Day
Woke up today and checked the email. Went for a ride with the team at 9 to spin out the legs. Got back and relaxed. Left for the crit via bike at noon (it's all downhill into Redlands from the host house). Got set up with the radios during team the team meeting. Warmed up on the trainers next to the port-a-potties.
Mechanic, Chris, is standing next to me while I'm on the trainer. He says: "have any of you been to the bathroom yet?" Routine pre-race question. "No," I say. "Well everyone is reading about you while they're in there."
Come to find out, our media guy posted this inside the port-a-potties so people could read about us while they pooed. Not sure how I feel about that.
Then I raced. We did well as a team. Led Kori out for the first sprint and covered some attacks. Got a flat tire, went to the pit, got back in. Covered another attack. Then got swarmed and rode the last few laps at the back. Alison got top 10. Kori is doing well in the sprint competition now.
Went home, showered, stood in the freezing cold pool as an alternative to an ice bath. Saved a lady bug from drowning. Tortured an ant by encircling it in a ring of water and slowly making the ring smaller and smaller. Thought about the convection heat transfer coefficient between my legs and the water and tried to increase it my moving around.
Got a massage.
And now I'm here, about to go to dinner with the team at another host house, the one some of the staff are staying at.
All in all, a very good day.
Mechanic, Chris, is standing next to me while I'm on the trainer. He says: "have any of you been to the bathroom yet?" Routine pre-race question. "No," I say. "Well everyone is reading about you while they're in there."
Come to find out, our media guy posted this inside the port-a-potties so people could read about us while they pooed. Not sure how I feel about that.
Then I raced. We did well as a team. Led Kori out for the first sprint and covered some attacks. Got a flat tire, went to the pit, got back in. Covered another attack. Then got swarmed and rode the last few laps at the back. Alison got top 10. Kori is doing well in the sprint competition now.
Went home, showered, stood in the freezing cold pool as an alternative to an ice bath. Saved a lady bug from drowning. Tortured an ant by encircling it in a ring of water and slowly making the ring smaller and smaller. Thought about the convection heat transfer coefficient between my legs and the water and tried to increase it my moving around.
Got a massage.
And now I'm here, about to go to dinner with the team at another host house, the one some of the staff are staying at.
All in all, a very good day.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Delicious
http://www.bonkbreaker.com/
Kept me going before, during, and after the stage today. Basically, they're awesome.
They come in three delicious flavors:
Peanut butter and dark chocolate
Peanut butter and jelly
Peanut butter and banana
and my favorite is the peanut butter and dark chocolate. To answer your question: No. Nobody is paying me to say this. They really are good!
Today's stage was awsome for the team. Kori was in a break for a good while and Alison moved up into 3rd in GC. The 30+mph sustained winds made it brutal, technical, and sketchy, especially on the 1st lap when we still had all 140 riders.
My legs were on-and-off today. I could go hard for forever, but I had trouble going up the second climb after resting on the decent from the first. I'd start pedaling and my legs wouldn't do anything until about halfway up. I think I need to do more interval training.
Tonight, looking forward to a lovely dinner with the team at the host family's place. The host father, Kevin, is grilling swordfish and salmon for us! I've never had swordfish before, and I can't wait! Also, there's rumors of a chocolate cake for desert. I love food.
Kept me going before, during, and after the stage today. Basically, they're awesome.
They come in three delicious flavors:
Peanut butter and dark chocolate
Peanut butter and jelly
Peanut butter and banana
and my favorite is the peanut butter and dark chocolate. To answer your question: No. Nobody is paying me to say this. They really are good!
Today's stage was awsome for the team. Kori was in a break for a good while and Alison moved up into 3rd in GC. The 30+mph sustained winds made it brutal, technical, and sketchy, especially on the 1st lap when we still had all 140 riders.
My legs were on-and-off today. I could go hard for forever, but I had trouble going up the second climb after resting on the decent from the first. I'd start pedaling and my legs wouldn't do anything until about halfway up. I think I need to do more interval training.
Tonight, looking forward to a lovely dinner with the team at the host family's place. The host father, Kevin, is grilling swordfish and salmon for us! I've never had swordfish before, and I can't wait! Also, there's rumors of a chocolate cake for desert. I love food.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
I belong
a long way from here...
That's the first line of the Sheryl Crow song I play on my ipod every time I head out on another trip across the country. It's true really - I get antsy if I stay in once place for too long.
Just got back from the Prologue at Redlands - seriously, I just got back. I'm sitting here in my chamois at our host house looking at the pet lizards in their glass aquarium in front of me and the Darth Vadar figurine on the dresser next to them. I'm staying in a young boy's room.
I don't know yet what my time was in the TT, but my legs felt awesome. I was chasing Emilia Fahlin of Highroad, and I don't think she gained that much time on me. We'll see... Alison, my team mate got 4th, so she'll be our GC rider. I'm going to bust my butt tomorrow.
Alright, gotta go shower and get a massage!
That's the first line of the Sheryl Crow song I play on my ipod every time I head out on another trip across the country. It's true really - I get antsy if I stay in once place for too long.
Just got back from the Prologue at Redlands - seriously, I just got back. I'm sitting here in my chamois at our host house looking at the pet lizards in their glass aquarium in front of me and the Darth Vadar figurine on the dresser next to them. I'm staying in a young boy's room.
I don't know yet what my time was in the TT, but my legs felt awesome. I was chasing Emilia Fahlin of Highroad, and I don't think she gained that much time on me. We'll see... Alison, my team mate got 4th, so she'll be our GC rider. I'm going to bust my butt tomorrow.
Alright, gotta go shower and get a massage!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Spring Break: Touring the South
First stop: Exit 62 in Georgia for a Moe's burrito only to discover that they have a new menu with smaller portions. I don't like change and I definitely don't like smaller portions of good food, especially when you have to pay more for them! I was stunned and thought about crying and begging the burrito artist to make me a good old fashioned "Moo."
Second stop: Clemson, South Carolina for a South East Collegiate Cycling Conference race and party. I won Saturday (yay!) and got to celebrate by going out Saturday night. Here's some photos that I'm going to put up here to make me feel better about myself. I can look back at them and say: See! I did do things other than ride, sleep, and recover while I was in college.
Here's one for Heather:
Team Florida: we take the party to the roof.
The moon bounce! Even better after a margarita (so I hear).
Me doing the Medusa.
Sunday's course was on a car racing track. Would have been more exciting if the turns were banked. I won again thanks to some luck and brains. I didn't have much strength to back myself up. I'm definitely going to need this week of training in the mountains to prepare for Redlands.
Bike racers like to race everything. This was the perfect opportunity:
Next stop: Highlands, North Carolina.
Second stop: Clemson, South Carolina for a South East Collegiate Cycling Conference race and party. I won Saturday (yay!) and got to celebrate by going out Saturday night. Here's some photos that I'm going to put up here to make me feel better about myself. I can look back at them and say: See! I did do things other than ride, sleep, and recover while I was in college.
Here's one for Heather:
Team Florida: we take the party to the roof.
The moon bounce! Even better after a margarita (so I hear).
Me doing the Medusa.Sunday's course was on a car racing track. Would have been more exciting if the turns were banked. I won again thanks to some luck and brains. I didn't have much strength to back myself up. I'm definitely going to need this week of training in the mountains to prepare for Redlands.
Bike racers like to race everything. This was the perfect opportunity:
Next stop: Highlands, North Carolina.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
A Guy Gave Me His Phone Number! He's 40 years old. Yay?
Winning the Lake Mary Criterium: JC 1st, JK 2nd. Just like the old days.This weekend, I did the Sanford and Lake Mary races. I got 5th on Saturday, which was kind of disappointing. I won the Lake Mary race on Sunday, though, so that made up for it. I really like that course, and my legs felt good. There were attacks at the beginning, a break went, we stayed off, almost lapped the field, and I won the sprint at the end...all the same ol' race stuff. You know how it goes.
I definitely want to congratulate Michelle Blake for winning the women's category 4 race. You can read her account of the race as soon as she posts it by clicking on the link to the right. She's the "Bottle Rocket."
Anyway, I warmed down a bit after the Sanford race on Saturday. Actually, I wasn't supposed to be warming down as much as I was supposed to be doing a bit of extra training. I did a couple laps around the block, and immediately got distracted by the men's category 3 race that a few of my friends were in. Who wants to train when you can sit leisurely on the curb and watch others suffer?
So there I was sitting on the curb when the nice police man who was corner marshaling for the race, struck up a conversation with me. He was fit, looked to be about 40 years old, and seemed genuinely interested in what the cyclists were doing out there on the course. I explained some tactics to him, answered some of his questions, and told him a bit about the Florida racing scene. He said he watched my race, and had pegged me as the one who would win the field sprint. Well, I didn't win that day, so I guess that goes to show how much he knows about cycling. It was a good conversation, but there's only so much I can talk about cycling before I start to go crazy. So I made an excuse, hopped on my bike, and pedeled away.
A couple hours later (my friends had finished their race, and we were packing up the car to go back to my house), I see a car pull up out of the corner of my eye. I don't really take notice of it until I hear my name called..."Jackie!"
I look up. It's a police car, and in it is the police man. I guess I must have told this guy my name, but I don't remember doing so.
He beckons me over, and hands me a white slip of paper through the window.
"Here you go," he says. "Good job today, blah, blah, blah."
And I say something nice like "blah blah blah" back to him. Meanwhile, I'm taking his card, registering what's going on, and thinking to myself, "Naw... he is NOT doing what I think he's doing, is he?" Next thing I know, I'm holding a business card with two numbers on it. One of them handwritten. Aw man...
I don't know what else to say so I say, "Thanks! Good luck with your blah blah." He drives away, and I look back down at the card in my hand.
I look up again, and my friends (three guys my age) are looking at me inquisitively. "I think he just gave me his number," I say, astonished. And then it hits me. "He just gave me his number," I say again. "And he was OLD...." They had all seen him too. And after a pause, they all start cracking up.
So I guess there's a first time for everything.
Monday, February 16, 2009
And The Racing Begins...
10 out of 10.
That's the score I'd give last weekend if it were judged against all other weekends so far in my life.
It was the weekend of the Swamp Classic, the first race of the season, and I wasn't sure how I'd feel on my bike. Well, after winning the USCF and collegiate time trials, getting second behind my team mate in the collegiate criterum, and going on to win the women's Pro 1, 2 criterium, I think I can confidently say that I'm ready for the 2009 season. My performance was sort of a relief to me. I'm coaching myself this year, so if I fail there's no one one else to take even a fraction of the blame.
But the 1st 1st and 1st places were only half of what happened. Outside of the racing, me and my team mate, Morgan, each gave pretty lengthy television interviews. We talked about Team Type 1, our sponsors, and our message. I also met a little girl who has diabetes, and I got to win a race while her and her parents were there watching. Knowing they were there was really what helped me overcome the pain and give it that extra kick at the end.
And if you were unfortunate enough to see me in the days after the race, you'd know that I had to overcome A LOT of physical pain. On top of the muscular pain, my legs were feeling jello-y. Weird feelings in my legs are always the first indicators from my body that something is going wrong. My legs start to feel weird if I stay up too late, walk a lot, eat something different, sleep to much, or drink a few sips of wine. That's right, my legs (not my fingers or lips) start tingling after only a couple ounces of alcohol. So my legs were feeling weird today, and I knew it was the 'I'm getting sick' weird feeling. And because I wasn't feeling my best, my mind was starting to turn on me as well. During the race, my thoughts went something like this: "what the **** am I ******* doing here. I need to get my ******* **** ***** self *****home to bed *********. My legs feel like ******* ****. Can we slow the ***** **** down." I don't care if you're the sweetest person in the world, if you're miserable in a bike race, you're thinking the exact same thing.
After crossing the finish line, I pedaled home from the race, showered, crashed into bed, and stayed there for 60 hours in a pile of tissues and sweaty sheets. I owe a big THANK YOU to the friends who took care of me and the young girl for giving me the strength to win.
I took the Dade City weekend off because I was still recovering from the illness.
I'm not the champagne bottle-opening expert.
February 16th was my birthday! The big 21! I told my friends they could throw me a party under one condition: everyone must be gone by 11pm so that I could go to bed with minimal negative effects on my training and recovery. Heather arrived at 8:30 with some flowers, chocolates, and a bottle of wine. By 8:35 my legs were tingling. By the time everyone else got there at 9, I was laughing and carrying on and ready to hug a East Gainesville hobo if that's who happened to come stumbling through the door next. We had cake and talked, and everyone was out the door by 11. My senior citizen version of a 21st birthday party was a success! It was awesome!
That's the score I'd give last weekend if it were judged against all other weekends so far in my life.
It was the weekend of the Swamp Classic, the first race of the season, and I wasn't sure how I'd feel on my bike. Well, after winning the USCF and collegiate time trials, getting second behind my team mate in the collegiate criterum, and going on to win the women's Pro 1, 2 criterium, I think I can confidently say that I'm ready for the 2009 season. My performance was sort of a relief to me. I'm coaching myself this year, so if I fail there's no one one else to take even a fraction of the blame.
But the 1st 1st and 1st places were only half of what happened. Outside of the racing, me and my team mate, Morgan, each gave pretty lengthy television interviews. We talked about Team Type 1, our sponsors, and our message. I also met a little girl who has diabetes, and I got to win a race while her and her parents were there watching. Knowing they were there was really what helped me overcome the pain and give it that extra kick at the end.
And if you were unfortunate enough to see me in the days after the race, you'd know that I had to overcome A LOT of physical pain. On top of the muscular pain, my legs were feeling jello-y. Weird feelings in my legs are always the first indicators from my body that something is going wrong. My legs start to feel weird if I stay up too late, walk a lot, eat something different, sleep to much, or drink a few sips of wine. That's right, my legs (not my fingers or lips) start tingling after only a couple ounces of alcohol. So my legs were feeling weird today, and I knew it was the 'I'm getting sick' weird feeling. And because I wasn't feeling my best, my mind was starting to turn on me as well. During the race, my thoughts went something like this: "what the **** am I ******* doing here. I need to get my ******* **** ***** self *****home to bed *********. My legs feel like ******* ****. Can we slow the ***** **** down." I don't care if you're the sweetest person in the world, if you're miserable in a bike race, you're thinking the exact same thing.
After crossing the finish line, I pedaled home from the race, showered, crashed into bed, and stayed there for 60 hours in a pile of tissues and sweaty sheets. I owe a big THANK YOU to the friends who took care of me and the young girl for giving me the strength to win.
I took the Dade City weekend off because I was still recovering from the illness.
I'm not the champagne bottle-opening expert.February 16th was my birthday! The big 21! I told my friends they could throw me a party under one condition: everyone must be gone by 11pm so that I could go to bed with minimal negative effects on my training and recovery. Heather arrived at 8:30 with some flowers, chocolates, and a bottle of wine. By 8:35 my legs were tingling. By the time everyone else got there at 9, I was laughing and carrying on and ready to hug a East Gainesville hobo if that's who happened to come stumbling through the door next. We had cake and talked, and everyone was out the door by 11. My senior citizen version of a 21st birthday party was a success! It was awesome!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Love and Cycling Survey
I've got a question I'd like answered. I thought I knew the answer, but now I'm not so sure, so I thought I'd ask you, the cycling world, and see what you came up with.
I wouldn't be thinking about this right now if I hadn't gone to Publix today. You see, I'd forgotten it was Valentine's day, that us, until I walked through the doors and had my eyes bombarded with the pinks and reds of flowers, balloons, and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. I was fine at first, but some time during that 30-minute shopping trip Valentine's Day got to me. I can still see the line of guys at the register waiting to purchase the roses they picked out. None of those roses were for me. There wouldn't be any boxes of chocolates or candlelight dinners when I got home.
So that was it. Now I was depressed. And I was even MORE depressed by the fact that I was depressed in the first place. Why was I letting a made-up holiday get to me!
Now I'm here at home thinking back to a couple separate conversation's I've had with professional and cat 1 cyclists about life, love, and cycling.
Here's the question we have: Is it better for a serious cyclist to date another serious cyclist or someone completely outside of the sport? And if it's better to date someone outside the sport, how should we go about meeting people outside the sport if we spend all our time on our bikes?
If you haven't had this dilemma well then, I hate to break it to you, you're probably as serious a cyclist as you thought you were.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Pictures from Camp
When you sign with a team you can never know for sure what you're getting in to. Of course you know what your contract says, what they'll be providing for you, and what races you'll be doing, but there's really a lot more to it.
I flew out to California not really knowing what to expect. I knew I was supposed to meet a shuttle at the Santa Barbara airport which would take me to the team's hotel, but I didn't know much beyond that. What would I'd be doing while I was out there? If you asked me that before I left, I would probably have told you I'd be riding all the time. Well, I was wrong. Camp was an eclectic cross between a buisness conference, a diabetes camp, and a cycling camp. If we weren't in meetings, at photo shoots, or on our bikes we were trying to get some sleep!
In the meetings we learned about the history of the team and our title sponsors, Lantus and Apidra. My teammates' glucose monitors beep to tell them if their blood sugar is getting either too high or too low. Phil Southerland would be speaking to us, a glucose monitor would beep, and he would pause and jokingly say, "Stop interrupting and get your blood sugar under control!" It was such a positive atmosphere.
Below is a guy from the camera crew who was filming the filming for a documentary about the team.
I also got to meet my team mates who are all amazing cyclists and amazing people. Two of my team mates, Morgan and Monique, are living with Type 1 diabetes. They are living proof that people with diabetes can do anything a normal person can - even be a professional bike racer! Below is a picture of Sam and me. Sam's the youngest one on the team, but she can rock a sprint like the best of them!
Out on a training ride!
Getting pretty for the camera!
Monique and Me between shoots.
And this is what I had to leave when I came back to Florida. I was sad to go, and even more sad when I realized how much school work I'd have to do after being absent for ten days.
But right now, Redlands is on my mind. It's time to train.
Oh, and be sure to follow our men's team in the upcoming Tour of California!
I flew out to California not really knowing what to expect. I knew I was supposed to meet a shuttle at the Santa Barbara airport which would take me to the team's hotel, but I didn't know much beyond that. What would I'd be doing while I was out there? If you asked me that before I left, I would probably have told you I'd be riding all the time. Well, I was wrong. Camp was an eclectic cross between a buisness conference, a diabetes camp, and a cycling camp. If we weren't in meetings, at photo shoots, or on our bikes we were trying to get some sleep!
In the meetings we learned about the history of the team and our title sponsors, Lantus and Apidra. My teammates' glucose monitors beep to tell them if their blood sugar is getting either too high or too low. Phil Southerland would be speaking to us, a glucose monitor would beep, and he would pause and jokingly say, "Stop interrupting and get your blood sugar under control!" It was such a positive atmosphere.Below is a guy from the camera crew who was filming the filming for a documentary about the team.
I also got to meet my team mates who are all amazing cyclists and amazing people. Two of my team mates, Morgan and Monique, are living with Type 1 diabetes. They are living proof that people with diabetes can do anything a normal person can - even be a professional bike racer! Below is a picture of Sam and me. Sam's the youngest one on the team, but she can rock a sprint like the best of them!
Out on a training ride!
Getting pretty for the camera!
Monique and Me between shoots.
And this is what I had to leave when I came back to Florida. I was sad to go, and even more sad when I realized how much school work I'd have to do after being absent for ten days.But right now, Redlands is on my mind. It's time to train.
Oh, and be sure to follow our men's team in the upcoming Tour of California!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Team Type 1 Camp
If you've been wondering where I've been since I disappeared off the face of the earth over a week ago, click here. This link will take you to the TT1 blog which has pictures from a school visit we did yesterday. I'll write more later, but overall it was a really fun experience!
More pictures and stories to come once I get back!
More pictures and stories to come once I get back!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
We're Crazy and We Know It
Several of my cycling friends have told me how hilarious this book is. I've never read it, but it's really something I'd like to get my hands on. Apparently, it was written to explain to the non-cyclist why we cyclists do some of the weird/crazy/obsessive things we do. A good gift for your disapproving spouse? Eh, I'm not so sure. But it will definitely be a load of laughs for you!
New Semester, New Season, New Team, New Year
Something good is beginning; I can feel it.
I was getting pretty bogged down there between exams, base training, and signing season. Could it have something to do with the five TI-89s I took to carrying around with me? Yep, that's just how much math I had to do.
Don't let the smile fool you. Nothing that requires that much computing could possibly be so fun.
The signing season was exceptionally stressful this year. I got four offers, which seems fine when I say it like that, but it certainly didn't go down as smoothly. I tried to play it safe, keep my options open and watch out for myself, but crises kept happening! Sponsors were getting anxious as the banking crisis began to unfold and several pro teams (Cheerwine, Aaron's, and Verducci as well as Toyota United and other men's teams) lost their sponsorship. Normally the economy doesn't affect me drastically, but after a particularly stressful evening in October where I was on and off the phone with different directors I thought to myself: dammit! Now I HAVE to vote!.
I finally signed to Team Type 1,and I'm super excited to race for a team with such a positive message. You can see our roster and check out the website if you click on the TT1 logo to the right.
I can tell this year is going to be great. I'm going to be doing a lot of traveling (see my race schedule) including a team training camp in California. I'll take pictures for you! I'm enrolled in interesting classes with enthusiastic professors. I'm registered for Heat Transfer, Power Transmission, Mechanics of Materials Lab, and Geography.
I also wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all you cyclists out there! Your racing age is now one year older than it was last year! (which means I'm racing age 21! eeeeeeekk! Don't look at my wrinkles!) I've only just come to terms with my gigantic thighs! I don't want to have to start thinking about wrinkle cream too!
I was getting pretty bogged down there between exams, base training, and signing season. Could it have something to do with the five TI-89s I took to carrying around with me? Yep, that's just how much math I had to do.
Don't let the smile fool you. Nothing that requires that much computing could possibly be so fun.The signing season was exceptionally stressful this year. I got four offers, which seems fine when I say it like that, but it certainly didn't go down as smoothly. I tried to play it safe, keep my options open and watch out for myself, but crises kept happening! Sponsors were getting anxious as the banking crisis began to unfold and several pro teams (Cheerwine, Aaron's, and Verducci as well as Toyota United and other men's teams) lost their sponsorship. Normally the economy doesn't affect me drastically, but after a particularly stressful evening in October where I was on and off the phone with different directors I thought to myself: dammit! Now I HAVE to vote!.
I finally signed to Team Type 1,and I'm super excited to race for a team with such a positive message. You can see our roster and check out the website if you click on the TT1 logo to the right.
I can tell this year is going to be great. I'm going to be doing a lot of traveling (see my race schedule) including a team training camp in California. I'll take pictures for you! I'm enrolled in interesting classes with enthusiastic professors. I'm registered for Heat Transfer, Power Transmission, Mechanics of Materials Lab, and Geography.
I also wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all you cyclists out there! Your racing age is now one year older than it was last year! (which means I'm racing age 21! eeeeeeekk! Don't look at my wrinkles!) I've only just come to terms with my gigantic thighs! I don't want to have to start thinking about wrinkle cream too!
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