SMILE

you know you love it!

I do love it.  However, after sorting through race photos from the cape adventure I often don't smile.  I look so damn serious.  I need to lighten up.

Looks like fun.  Why not smile?

While racing I remember the spectators and children bringing a smile to my face.  I remember Selene bringing a smile to my face when she told knock, knock jokes when the going was rough.  I remember smiling when we looked up and the views were majestic.  During those moments of smiles all pain, dread, and effort seemed to disappear.  Energy was restored and I felt empowered.

I'm going to use this technique a lot this season.  I already started it while doing my intervals yesterday.  It wasn't too hard when a friend drove by me 4 minutes in to a 12 minute effort.  It must look ridiculous when you are by yourself and you are killing it to get nowhere.  It made me smile and it made things easier.  As I continued my training I found myself riding through the Gettysburg Battlefield.  I forgot that tis' the season for the tourists. I looked extra ridiculous flying through the battlefield.  I did my best to say hello to those I passed and offered a smile.  Before I knew it I was done and it felt good.  Regardless of what anyone thinks I love it and I'm gonna smile.  It is empowering.

Next week I will be racing the Cohutta 100.  I am the most prepared I have ever been for this race.  My training has been so different this year from any other year.  Some times I have to wonder what in the world I was thinking the other years going into the 100's with half of the fitness I have today.  That doesn't matter now and I can't wait to get out there and kill it.  I may not be number one, but I will be stronger, faster and feel great trying to be.

Oh, and it will be hard not to smile while I am riding this super awesome bike.  Thanks team CF and Specialized.

I had a dream....

that I rode my bike in South Africa for a week.  It has been about a week since the race finished and it is really hard to believe that it all happened.

And happened it did.  It was the single most amazing event I have ever completed.  The enormity was hard to not get lost in.  I listened to those I trusted that I would be humbled and that everything done to prepare may not be enough, but I can only truly know what they meant now that it is over.  The experience as a whole has changed me as a mountain bike racer.

As I told my cupcake friends, I have a whole new appreciation for the phrase "Harden the "f" up!"

To race with the best of the world was humbling yet inspiring.  Each day was a physical as well as mental challenge.  Selene and I raced well together and we met each day with all we had to give.  Selene
outlines our lessons learned in her blog.  Check it out.

Since my dear friend and partner is also a professional writer, I can't help but borrow some of her words. This is the best description of what each day had in store for us....

"Though there are some fast roads and a few breathtakingly speedy descents, much of it is Bataan Death March slow. Imagine an army of ants with watermelons on their backs painstakingly weaving their way over jagged cloud-kissing mountain ranges as far as the eye can see and you get a pretty good feel for a few hours of the day."

The other hours were spent twisting thru fun single tracks, winding our way between orchards of apples and grapes, running ridges heavily scented of curry and spice, rolling on village roads lined with children cheering us on, and being amusement for spectators at wineries.


It was great fun.  Now I am back in the grind and working on recovery.  Coach Chris has me resting and riding easy for a couple of weeks.  It should help let all the efforts and training sink in and allow for a great fitness boost to begin the NUE season.  


The song Firework by Katy Perry was played each morning while we were waiting for the gun.  I can't help but feel like that firework. It has ignited and it is brighter than the moon.  

I am in Africa

This is often a thought I have each day.  Not that the surroundings aren't a reminder.  It is just weird.  Racing each day is usually enough, but then throw in the fact that it is being done in Africa just blows your mind. Probably because my head is just not right.  It is a weird space to be in at this point in the race.  Easy tasks like filling water bottles becomes a research project.  How much water how much nutrition, wait how long is today.

Today is what they consider a rest day, but don't be fooled a time trial is not rest.  Each day has been truly a test, with yesterday being an ultimate one.  The spanish pro Hermida and other pros tagged it as being the hardest stage in cape epic history.  And it isn't even the longest one.  After today we have two long days:  89 miles 7700 ft of climbing, 74 miles 8858 ft of climbing and then the last day brings a mere 42 miles 5577 ft of climbing.  How will we come down from all of that.  The plane flight home should be interesting.

The race has such a great vibe.  There are so many people from all over the world here.   So many different languages are being spoken however most speak English.  A shame I don't know a different language.  Being from the gender that fills only 10 percent of the race, ladies are treated well.  I love to hear the voices of many accents saying "hello ladies"  or "well done ladies".  Speaking of being treated well, we are so fortunate to have the support of Specialized here at the epic.  We have a great team of mechanics that dial in our bikes for the effort of the day.  My bike has been a dream.  I thought I would miss 29'r wheels here, but I don't.  The 26'r Era rolls perfectly.  The Brain suspension is so pleasant to ride.

Additionally we are also being taken care of by Jenna.  She has been massaging our sore muscles each day.  I couldn't go on without it.  And then there is our sweet angel Antoinette.  She has been driving the RV and doing odd house chores for us.  It has been a dream.  It is all you can do to get the rest and food you need each day without other details to bother with.  Especially since after each stage you are so turned around and can't really function all that well.

The above photo is from Saronsberg.  It was the first race village.  Magnificent backdrop.

This is a photo of of the shower station.  Again look at the background.  Amazing.  It was like beautiful paintings on the walls of our camp.

A picture from the prologue.  Gorgeous.

The next two photos are for fun.  On our way to the prologue we pitted the RV for to inflate tires.  To our surprise (at 7 am) there were two beautiful women outside of there car with their music blaring an awesome beat and them dancing away.  Too much for Selene and I.  We had to join them.  Just part of the surrealness we have found on our adventure.

What about the racing you say.  Well that is for another day.

Ciao!

Ready?

Or not.

Regardless it is around the corner.  I am putting the last touches on the fitness, pulling together logistics, and starting to get excited.  While anticipating what is to come, I can not help but reflect on how much I have enjoyed the front end of this amazing trip.  The training has been tough, but very rewarding.  Going out in crazy cold conditions were worth the effort and provided for some truly beautiful, serene riding moments. To keep things motivating, I also traveled to meet my teamate Selene and was able to experience great new places to ride.  One ride took us to a Pagoda in Pa and another took us to the pine barons of NJ.  There was no training camp or warm weather locales, but I found out that I didn't need that.  I can train through the winter without much travel and get all the goods in.  I feel like I have already taken a trip to new lands and now I am leaving on another.  It seems to some that I do the same thing each year, you know, ride my bike. In no way is it just that.

March seemed so far away....

What better time than now to begin spilling out words.  It is March as you know.  In 20 days I leave for Africa, which you may not know.  How do I feel about this...well it is hard to explain.  I want to be excited and I do believe I am beginning to get that twinge.  It seemed so far away and just something I exclaimed and something I went out in the nastiest of conditions to train for.  Now that something is becoming more real by the minute.  It has been a crazy journey so far and I am sure its true amazement is yet to come.

This is hard

Being a counselor I am a good listener.  It is hard for me to be the talker.

20 years of Michaux Maximus

I haven't done all 20, but there was a fellow out this weekend that had.  Thinking back the first time I did do the Maximus was its first year in 1990.  I remember it being super challenging for me with terrain that I had not encountered before.  At that time I was still in undergrad in Salisbury, MD, the sandy flat lands.  From that point on I knew that I wanted to ride in Michaux whenever I could and boy would I love to live there.  Low and behold my wishes came true.  Michaux has been my local riding ground for the past 20 years. It was not until 1996 that I actually lived amongst the forest, but until then I made a trip to the forest often.  For the last 6 years I have lived outside the forest, but still remain in close proximity by bike or car.  It is a 85,000 acre forest that begs to be explored.