CYCLE-ESQ.

P90X

2009-11-22T09:07:00.002-06:00

It is the off season from racing so Charles and I decided to give the P90X workouts a try.This is not only a new way of working out but it is a new way of eating as well. And eating right has ALWAYS been my downfall. I love love love to eat and I eat whatever I want. I am a huge dessert fan and I love cake! So this diet thing is going to maybe kill me or at least make me very unhappy.

Yesterday was Day 1. We did Chest and Back and Ab Ripper X. The pull ups were really hard for me (only 4 and they were chair assisted)and the push ups were pretty difficult (around a 100 push ups ranging from reglar, military, wide, diamond, inverted and dive bombers). The abs were somewhat easier but only because I compared it to the prior pull up/push up work out. After the P90X workout, we went for an easy mile run. The run was a piece of cake (yum) compared to the workout.

The diet. Ugh, I hate that word. We ate very little carbs and a ton of protein and vegetables. I went to bed full so that was a plus.

This morning I am sore. My chest and sholders are tender and I can feel my abs. So, I would say it was a good work out. No pain - No gain.

Today, the plan is plyometrics and a bike ride. Working on breakfast now.....a protein shake.

2006-12-28T15:44:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posting. I have been busy and sorta forgot to update this. I have been working a ton and hitting the gym pretty regularly. I am up to 5 miles on the treadmill...not very fast but 5 miles nonetheless. It makes my feet hurt though. I have blisters on both feet from running. I think I need some new shoes maybe. My Nike Shox are only 2 years old but I guess for running purposes they are way old! So, it looks as if I'll be spending some of my Christmas money on some new running shoes. I also got a Krups one cup coffee pot which is really cool. Now I just have to find some good coffee available in pods. Any ideas??? My ipod mini was finally replaced with a new itty bitty shuffle. It is perfect for rides, for running and for lifting weights. It is so small I hardly even notice it. I haven't been riding much. I am not terribly inclined to go outside and ride when it is 35 degrees and the wind is blowing 30 mph. So, I have been on the trainer a little but nothing major. I have team training camp coming up in a few weeks so I need to get a few miles in my legs. Hopefully my running will be sufficient for now. I have some cool pictures that I will get posted shortly.

mj & Charles at Angels window

2006-10-03T09:49:00.000-05:00

mj & Charles at Angels window
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

We flew to Vegas for Interbike last week and rented a car to go visit the Grand Canyon. This picture was taken at the North Rim in front of Angel's Window. It was so beautiful! After the GC we drove up to Utah to Zion Nat'l Park. It was amazing. It was totally different from GC becasue instead of standing on top looking down, we were at the bottom looking up. We spent three days in Vegas for Interbike and I got to meet Cippo (see other picture here), Levi Leiphiemer and Dave Z. We arrived back to OKC on Friday afternoon and then I drove to Ft. Smith, Arkansas to race the Mercy Classic crits. I raced Saturday and Sunday but felt completely worthless the entire time. I guess having not been on my bike in over a week didn't really go over to well for me. Shontell took 3rd in the sprint on Saturday and Beth was in a break with Ally B on Sunday and took 2nd in the finish. My other teammate Daniele totally worked her butt off for the team and I just worked my butt off trying to hang on. I may be racing in Austin Friday night for the AMLI crit but I am a little tired of traveling and I may skip it and stay in town. It depends on how I'm feeling by then. I've been racing since last October for cyclocross and road racing since February so I'm ready for the season to be over.

Cippo at Interbike 06

2006-10-03T09:20:00.000-05:00

Cippo at Interbike 06
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

The Italian Stallion!!! One of the best spritners in cycling history!

2006-09-05T17:18:00.000-05:00

No Gateway Cup racing for me this weekend. My dad had a motorcycle accident on Thursday and put quite a damper on traveling too far away from him. He lives in Midland, TX but was in Enid for the holiday weekend. He rode his Harley up on Wednesday and was out riding with my brother, my brother's wife and another friend of his. They were on their way back into Enid around 10:00pm when some cattle were out and got hit by a semi and another vehicle. My dad and brother came up on the carnage and when my dad tried to slow down by tapping his brakes, his bike slid out from under him. I guess blood and guts are similar to ice. So, he slid a little ways down the highway at around 55 mph. Luckily, he only broke his foot and got some pretty decent road rash to show for it. His scars may actually be better than mine once they all heal. But his foot is pretty much shattered. He broke every bone in his foot and damaged one of the nerves. They operated on his foot Friday just to fix the nerve problem. The major surgery will be in the next week or so after the swelling goes down. He'll have lots of pins and screws in there holding it together. So, he is staying at my grandma's house and getting the best room service around.

Since I stayed around here this weekend, I got to enjoy all the rain we had. But I didn't get to ride that much because of it. I did a good ride Sunday morning and then motor paced yesterday. And because it rained all day Saturday, we made it to the bombing memorial museum which is really a moving thing to see. We also went to the movies and saw "Invincible" with Marky Mark. It is a really good movie and Marky Mark does an awesome job and he looks pretty dang good too. We bought a YMCA membership at the new downtown facility as well. I guess we are gearing up for the winter and the cross training and no riding outside thing. It will be here before we know it!

Gateway Cup 2004

2006-08-30T17:22:00.000-05:00

Gateway Cup 2004
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

This is a blast from the past pic. Gateway Cup is this weekend. This is one of my very favorite weekend races. Unfortunately, I think I'll miss the night crit on Friday but hopefully, I'll make it to the other three races. Saturday is supposed to be on a brand new course which will be better for me rather than the old hilly circuit course of years past. Maybe I'll have some good race stories by next week.

Hotter n' Hell

2006-08-28T16:39:00.000-05:00

I raced HHH this past weekend. I did the road race on Saturday. We started at 7:00 so we were done before the major heat set in. The p/1/2/3 women's race was 64 miles and we finished in 3 hours. It was a good race. I felt good but I didn't know the finish so I botched the final corner....not knowing we were even turning. But I finished 6th. We dropped most of girls on the overpass I guess. I looked over my shoulder and didn't see anyone behind us going into the finish. The crit went well. I felt great and was in perfect position for the sprint. I won the pack primes so I knew I had a shot. Plus I was on Stacey's (Mercy) wheel and she is a motor. Beth (my teammate) and Ally lapped the field so I was looking for a good finish. With about ten minutes to go my cornering started to get a little sketchy and I thought maybe we just picked up the pace enough to make it harder in the corners. But then I nearly wiped out and took half the pack with me when I realized my front tire was squishy. So, with 4 laps to go I hit the wheel pit. Unfortunately, I had no more free laps and was pretty much screwed. There was no way I was going to re-attach to the pack so I just put my head down and tried to finish and hold off the other girls behind me. I think I ended up 8th. But Beth took 2nd at the line behind Ally. Overall Beth took 3rd and I took 6th. We got some decent money and a few good primes so I am happy with that. Our cat 4 girl, Tammy, took the win in the cat 4 women's crit. She was totally stoked with that. It was a well deserved win for her.

Charles' luck was not quite as well as mine. He ended up doing 120 miles on Sat rather than 100 due to the cat 3 men getting misdirected and off course. Most of the guys got trailered back in to Wichita Falls by a farmer on a flat bed trailer but Charles decided to finish it out. So, 5.5 hours later,after much worry and concern on my part, he crossed the line.

All in all it was a good weekend, even though we paid $250 for two nights in a hotel that normally only costs $19.99 per night. And the wait at the only breakfast joint near the race course was 1 hour on Sunday morning. Plus, we got the opportunity to see a local townsfolk entertain himself by running full-speed into a huge wooden spindle in an attempt to knock it over. Charles learned how to get a motorcycle to stop on the side of the highway in hopes of getting some ice or water from him. And Charles' ears stayed plugged due to the lack of water for over an hour in the road race in 100 degree temps for nearly 3 hours after the race was over. So, good times....good times.

And only to come back to work on a Monday to be told I have to go get my picture taken, in a suit, for the ad that is going in the phone book. If you only knew how many times I have made fun of the attorneys who have their pictures in the phone book...I can only hope I don't have to do a cheesy commercial next!

2006-08-22T13:17:00.000-05:00

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2006/aug06/USPROcrit06/?id=/photos/2006/aug06/USPROcrit06/USPROcrit063/MZ06_2006downersGrove_06

My teammate, Shontell, took fourth at the US National Crit Championship over the past weekend.

Big Dog and Ivan

2006-08-18T19:07:00.000-05:00

Big Dog and Ivan
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

Daddy

2006-08-18T14:28:00.000-05:00

Daddy
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

This is my dad. He is on a borrowed bike because his Harley lives in Midland, Texas right now.

brice & tara

2006-08-18T14:27:00.000-05:00

brice & tara
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

This is my brother and his wife, Tara at a recent biker run in Enid. Yep, my brother and I look alike, huh?

2006-08-11T10:19:00.000-05:00

I haven't updated this in awhile because I have been busy at work and working on the house. Our cold water pipes had to be replaced yesterday so we were without running water for three days. It is amazing how much you use and need something when it is gone. Luckily, my neighbor let us use her showers! We did get the water back on yesterday and I was able to clean the house and do yard work. The front yard desperately needed watering so that was good. And we got caught up on laundry. I love getting stuff like that done.

I haven't been riding as much lately. It is way too hot! I did manage to put in some good miles last weekend and then I did the time trial at Draper Lake Wednesday night. I was pretty happy with my time. I didn't have my power tap wheel on so I wasn't able to go off power. I had to go off perceived effort instead. I felt pretty decent though so that is a good sign. Maybe I'm coming around again.

I think the plan is to head to Kansas City tonight. Tomorrow is the Clif Drive Circuit race and Sunday is the Overland Park crit, both of which are part of the Tour of Kansas City. They are usually pretty good races. I have done these races the past two years. Last year doesn't count really because I crashed on the first lap of Saturdays race and wasn't able to race well the next day. Hopefully this year my luck will be better. I have about a million cases going on right now and I have to go to three different counties plus OKC municipale court sometime between today and Monday. So, my plate is pretty full right now and I am trying to get everything done.

Jill 2

2006-08-03T16:17:00.000-05:00

Jill 2
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

This was from the pre-judging show the night before finals. She is also a professional pianist and an interior designer. Who would have guessed that?

Jill

2006-08-03T16:16:00.000-05:00

Jill
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

This is my good friend Jill in the hot pink. She recently competed in a figure bodybuilding show in Vegas. She is amazing!

Ivan

2006-07-24T16:39:00.000-05:00

Ivan
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

Thieves!

2006-07-24T16:03:00.000-05:00

I absolutely have no need for thieves in my life. I visited our rent house,which we are trying to sell,last Friday and discovered that someone busted one of the windows out and stole the window unit air conditioner. And there was glass everywhere! Then I went home for lunch today and my neighbor accross the street was histerical in her drive-way. She said someone stole her Honda from her drive-way sometime between 3:00 am and 7:00 am. Then I received a phone call this afternoon from the neighbor across the street from the rent house asking if we had a side window air conditioner. I told her yes, it is a big unit with a thermostat on it. She said, "not anymore"! The thieves returned and took that one last night. You know, it is one thing if someone took the a/c unit that actually needed it but it is something else when it is taken by thieves who are going to take it to the pawn shop and sell it. I see so many sad stories on the news about elderly or disable people who don't have air conditioners and I truly feel sorry for those folks. I would feel much better about our a/c beign stolen if I knew they were giving to someone in need. But, I am betting that is not what happened. And what is fishy.....the screen from one of the windows where the a/c used to be was next door in the neighbors yard! Yep, the same 2 bedroom house with the couch on the front porch with 12 people living there and a pregnant pit bull in the back yard! MMMMMM....I wonder who stole the a/c units? I guess I get to go over there this afternoon and file a police report. Too bad I will have to wait in the car since the house will be too hot now!

On a much lighter note, we have a new addition to the family. His name is Ivan, named after Ivan Basso, the doping pro cyclist! Ivan is a 7 week old Boston Terrier. I took him to the vet today and he got his puppy shots and he didn't even cry! He was such a good boy!

Jeff & Jenny

2006-07-20T09:22:00.000-05:00

Jeff & Jenny
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

Jeff trying to get the garter off Jenny.

MJ & Charles

2006-07-20T09:21:00.000-05:00

MJ & Charles
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

At Jeff & Jenny's wedding reception at the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs.

Quigley's Castle

2006-07-20T09:20:00.000-05:00

Quigley's Castle
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

Me in front of Quigley's Castle. I'm trying to decide if there's any relation here.

Pivot Rock

2006-07-20T09:19:00.000-05:00

Pivot Rock
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

Charles in front of Pivot Rock in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

2006-07-10T11:22:00.000-05:00

I watched this show last night on the Discovery channel about a 750lb. man. It was horrible. The guy was 38 years old and had not been able to walk or even get out of bed for 7 years. He finally had to be put in a nursing home that specialized in obese people but yet they allowed his wife and sister to bring him Little Debbies, cokes and cheeseburgers. He still could not get any type of exercise. The most he could do was get rolled over in bed. And that was a HUGE chore. So, he ended up getting an infection on his skin from laying down and the infection spread into his blood and contaminated his liver and kidneys. It was very sad. I don't know why he or his family ever let it get to that point. He was overweight his entire life. He weighed 100 lbs in first grade. I think I weighed 100 lbs. when I was in 9th grade, maybe 10th. And to top off the show, we were eating KFC while watching this. And the new mashed potato bowls, with potatos/corn/fried chicked and gravy all covered in cheese, are amazing. I felt a little guilty but considered how much I exercised this weekend, I felt justified.

I raced two crits on Saturday. The Team Undiscovered put on a crit at Oklahoma Christian University. I did the women's race and the men's cat 3/4 race. I got 3rd in the women's race and dropped out of the cat 3 race after 15 minutes. I felt terrible and completely unmotivated so I just quit. I think I might take a bit of a break from the bike to maybe get some motivation back.

Sunday we did the Draper Duathlon. This was my first ever duathlon. I have wanted to do one for a very long time but just never got around to it. It was a 2 mile run/14 mile bike/ 2 mile run. It was a ton of fun but the running part kicked my butt! I couldn't wait to get on my bike so I could "rest" after the first run. I did the first run in 13 minutes, so about a 6 1/2 mile. I passed probably 40 people on the bike leg. It was amazing and I was only going about 75-80 % of my max. I wanted to save something for the last run so I tried to conserve on the bike. And I should have gone harder on the bike becasue the last run was hard and it would have been hard regardless of how much I conserved on the bike. I felt like I was running in slow motion when I started the second run. I guess I probably was. I was in 4th place out of all the women going into the last run and then I got passed about half way through the run. So, I ended up 5th overall and 2nd in my age group. Not too bad for my first time. Andrea Rat won the entire thing....I mean she beat everyone, including the guys. I need to work on the running part a little more. Maybe I will do the Overholser duathlon in September. Surely I can get in good running form in 2 months.My legs are a tad sore today. Along with my back, my stomach and my obliques. In fact, I could barely get out of bed this morning. I guess I am getting old.....

Green

2006-07-06T15:18:00.000-05:00

Green
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

By one point........today.

The Man

2006-07-05T14:47:00.000-05:00

CYCLING-TDF2006-MCEWEN
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

is in green again!

2006-06-27T14:43:00.000-05:00

I started my new job and I really love it. I have so much more freedom here. I mean, I have on jeans today and it isn't even Friday! WooHoo!!!! Charles and I went to Lake Texoma this past weekend and had a blast. We stayed on Tim's (one of the attorney's I work with) house boat Friday night and relaxed out on the lake all day Saturday. I rented a waverunner for a few hours on Saturday and it reminded me why I loved going to the lake when I was a kid. Growing up, my dad had two jet skiis, we had a travel trailer, my aunt and uncle had a travel trailer and my grandparents had a motorhome and a boat. Every weekend, we packed up and took off to Canton Lake and sometime we got adventerous and went to Kaw Lake instead. It was so much fun. And this weekend was like a blast from my past. I would love to buy a trailer at the lake and get some wave runners or a ski boat. If that ever happened, I may retire from riding my bike. But then again, I would go insane and would get fat, so maybe I would just take my bikes with me and ride while at the lake.

Friday night we attended some sort of Oklahoam Bar Association convention at Tanglewood Resort that was supposed to be a BIG party. But that really wasn't the case. It was big but not much of a party. We managed to make it fun anyway but by 11:00, I was ready for bed. I guess I am really getting old! Saturday we layed out on the boat and swam a little then rented the waverunner. I had Charles on the back at first and then Tim jumped on with me. And I managed to throw him off two seperate times going about 40 mph. And it wasn't intentional. But it was so funny! I almost peed my swimsuit becasue I was laughing so hard. It is just unfortunate that his wife and Michele (the other attorney int he office) didn't get to see it. Charles and I drove back to OKC Saturday evening and were in bed asleep by 10:00.

Sunday we woke up bright and early, like 5:30. We had to be in Tuttle for the Oklahoma State Time Trial by 7:30. The tt was just as bad as I remembered it to be two years ago when I did it. It is 25 miles and it hurts so bad. My butt muscles are still sore. I didn't feel very good and the tops of my feet are pretty sunburned so that was not really enjoyable in my cycling shoes. I missed the turn-around point and rode an extra 10 yards passed it. Then there was a 25 mph head wind all the way back into Tuttle. I lost so much time going back. I just felt so bad and my legs were trashed. I finished about 2 minutes faster than two years ago, but I am not happy with my time. My watts were much lower than I anticipated. But I won the 1/2 women's race, simply becasue I was the only one that entered that event. But, I have the OK state TT title anyway. I guess it looks good on resumes, huh?

So, I am still training for the duathlon coming up on July 9. I ran yesterday evening and then did an easy recovery ride on the bike. My left ankle (which I broke in high school and never had it repaired) gave me a little trouble during my run so hopefully it will hold up. It hasn't really bothered me much since I quit running 6 years ago, but last night it started hurting again. I may be re-thinking the whole duathlon thing if it continues to hurt. Tonight I am doing the BLN Tuesday Nighter crashfest ride. The winds are pretty calm today so hopefully it will be a safe ride. It should be a good workout anyway!

Charles and I are selling our road bikes from last year. They are both on EBay if anyone is interested. Charles is also selling his Bianchi mt. bike and his Redline cyclocross bike as well. Here is the link for our stuff: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZleapin1QQhtZ-1

2006-06-19T12:06:00.000-05:00

I am changing jobs. I am going to a firm where I will mainly do family practice. So, if you need a divorce, child custody, etc....please let me know. Hopefully I will make a little more money and have a more flexible schedule. Plus, whatever I make, will be my money as opposed to giving it all to my boss and letting him decide when to give me a little piece of it. He doesn't understand why I need to make more money. Hmmmm, where do I began with that? I went to seven years of college and lawschool after high school and I have a license to practice law. I have been out of law school for three years and I have 4 years experience. And he wonders why I need to make more that what my legal assistant makes? Granted she has five years ecperience with this firm, but she only has a high school diploma. She has no other education or training or any type of certificate. To me, that isn't fair. He told me that she needs to make more money becasue she is married and has two kids! What the heck does that have to do with it? And what does need matter anyway? If I were a millionaire but wanted to work, does that mean that becasue I don't need the money, I shouldn't get paid fairly for what type of job I do? Anyway, I think I am worth more than what I am being paid so I decided to go somewhere else, where I will get paid more. End of story.

As far as racing.....not much is happening. I have been streesed about the job decision and change that I really am not mentally ready to race. I have the State time trial coming up this Sunday, but that is it for right now. We pre-rode the course yesterday at 75% effort and it hurt. I am not used to the tt bike and I need to make some adjustments to make it feel better. Hopefully, I can get it dialed in by this weekend.

I have been running. I'm an getting ready for my very first duathlon. It is July 9 so I have a couple more weeks to get my legs in running shape.

2006-06-13T09:55:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning I was up at 6:00 and on my tt bike by 6:30. We rode to Lake Overholser to do the third and final OKC Velo TT. The top two combined times win. The course is only 8 or so miles and is flat but always windy. It is an out and back course with a pretty sharp turn around. I really don't practice time trialing and I really don't like it much either. I am getting better though. It seems the more I do, the better I get. Go figure, huh? My goal last time was to finish in under 20 minutes. I have never done that time before. My first one was 21:30 ish. The second one I got 20:48 and was upset with myself that I didn't push harder. I waited too long to give it everything. So Saturday I was determined to get under 20 minutes. I was almost to the finish and my clock showed 17 minutes. I thought, "oh my gosh, I might get it this time". So I got really excited and started going all out. I crossed the line at 19:54. So not only did I get my goal of under 20 but I took nearly 2 minutes off my first time and 1 minute off my second time. I was stoked. The results aren't posted yet so I have no idea where I placed but either way, I am happy with my time. After the tt, we rode back home easy and then decided to go for a short run. I have commited myself to do the Draper Duathlon on July 9. I have about 3 weeks to get in running shape. We ran about 2 miles and I thought I was going to die. My legs hurt so bad. And Sunday, I could barely walk. We did a 3 1/2 hour ride early Sunday morning before it got too hot but my legs were on fire the entire ride. Every time I had to stand up on a hill, I thought my legs were going to fall off. It is true, running muscles are not the same as cycling muscles. Yesterday was a recovery ride and I felt so sluggish. What should have been easy was hurting. I am meeting Holly at my house at 5:00 tonight to ride to Norman to do the BLN ride. Hopefully I am feeling better by then. Oh and we got the rent house done. FINISHED!!!!! Charles is meeting a realtor there this afternoon to get it on the market. We cleaned it up on Saturday and it looks amazing! It is a total night and day difference from the first time I walked into that house 4 years ago. I wish I had pictures to show the before and after. It is enough to be on HGTV!

And my teammate, Shontell got 6th at Philly!!! She is awesome. She and Beth are doing Nature Valley this week. They are way more hard-core than I am.

Memorial Day TX crit

2006-06-09T14:48:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day TX crit
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

Tulsa tough sunday

2006-06-08T10:29:00.000-05:00

Tulsa tough sunday (2)
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

One of the hardest crits I have ever done.

Shontell podium Sunday

2006-06-08T10:27:00.000-05:00

Shontell podium Sunday
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

My teammates are AWESOME! They did so well this weekend. Two out of three podiums.....not too shabby!

Beth podium Saturday

2006-06-08T10:26:00.000-05:00

Beth podium Saturday
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

2006-06-06T10:55:00.000-05:00

Tulsa was for sure Tough! The races were hard but alot of fun. The courses were great, the spectators were supportive and the payouts were unheard of. Not to mention the competition was pretty impressive. The New Zealand National road champion racing for the European team, Univega, was there and won 2 out of the 3 races. Jen McRae and Andrea Hannos (McAdams) were in full force as well. As a team, we did very well. Individually, I din't perform as well as I wanted to. We won the team overall competition so that was good. Shontell took 4th on Friday night. Beth solo'd for 2nd Saturday and Shontell won the pack sprint for 2nd on Sunday. They both did really well. I managed to finish in the money on Saturday in 15th place. Sunday, I was caught behing a crash and never re-attached to the group. The hills killed my legs and it was nearly 100 degrees. I didn't feel too great but that is how it goes sometimes. I am ready for a break for a little while. I am doing some local stuff but that is it for now. No more traveling, at least for a few weeks. My life is sorting coming unraveled and racing is going to take a back seat for now. I have a job interview this afternoon so maybe some good luck will finally come my way!

2006-06-02T14:05:00.000-05:00

We are off to T-Town this afternoon for Tulsa Tough. We race tonight at 8:00, tomorrow night at 7:00 and Sunday afternoon at 2:00. It is supposed to be really nice weather and not too hot, so it should be lots of fun. I heard that the Mayor of Tulsa has declared tomorrow "Tulsa Tough Day"! So, it should be a good spectator turnout. It is supposed to be big party time as well so hopefully I am not too tired from racing to enjoy myself!

TX crit podium picture

2006-06-01T15:41:00.000-05:00

TX crit podium picture
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

This is my good friend and teammate, Beth, on the left who placed 2nd at the TX crit championships. My friend Ally B is ontop in 1st place and Jen McRae, one of the top sprinters in the US and one of the nicest racers in the world on the right, in 3rd place.

Post crash TX State Crit

2006-06-01T14:08:00.000-05:00

Post crash TX State Crit
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

Post crash just pedaling around trying to keep myself entertained for the last half of the race.

2006-05-31T13:18:00.000-05:00

I had a busy weekend and not much time to relax. We drove to Mesquite, Texas on Friday evening and arrived around 10:00 to our magnificent Super 8 motel. We shared a room with my teammate Beth and my other teammate Daniele and Conex Train's Ally were right next door. This hotel was much closer to the race course but smelled really bad. We were up at the crack of dawn for our 8:30 start time and it was already toasty warm. We had around 12 women start the race and for the first 30 minutes it was pretty calm. I got a prime during that time but everything stayed together. Another prime came up and Hannos went for it with Ally in tow. They had a good gap on the rest of us and Daniele jumped across to them. I immediately went to the front to slow it down in the corners a bit so the break would get away. There was an attack in the field on the uphill part and I pretty much blew apart. It totally caught me off guard. But that was the whole purpose of the attack, I suppose. There were only a few more laps to go so I just puttered around until the finish. We ended up with 3rd, 4th and 6th for the day. We went back to the hotel to shower and pack up and then grabbed lunch on our way back to the race course. Charles raced later in the afternoon so we found a big shade tree to relax under for the rest of the afternoon. I think it was almost 100 degrees with a 30 mph wind so for sure, a hot day.

We moved on to the Hampton Inn in Ft. Worth later and ate dinner at this crazy italian restaurant with singing waiters. The food was good but out waitress was quite possibly the worst waitress in the world! The next race was the GS Tenzing crit but was more of a circuit. It was really windy and the course was wide open with no turns. Shannon K went from the gun but the pack stayed together for at least the first half of the race. Again a prime came along and a group of 5 got up the road. I was back in the pack so I just sat on and let those without teammates in the break chase. We ended up with a win! Shontell outsprinted ex-pro Andrea Hannos! So we got 1st, 5th, 7th and 8th on the day. For dinner we met up with Big John from OKC and ate at Uncle Julio's mexican restaurant. The food was awesome and we stopped by Starbucks and hung out there for a bit afterward.

Monday was the TX state championship crit in Ft. Worth. It was the exact same course as it was 2 years ago when I won the cat 3 race and took 3rd overall. I remembered liking the course so I was excited to race. That was until I got gapped early on by a near crash and had to close that gap. Then, on the very same lap, I crashed on this really bad corner! I really don't remember what happened. All I remember is hitting the pavement. My hip bones took the brunt of the fall and I got some road rash on my elbow and the side of my hip. My bike is a little scrathed but not too bad. The worst part was the I fell on my stomach and it felt like someone kicked me in my belly. It took the wind right out of me. I got back up and took off for the wheel pit but I was hurting pretty bad. I tried to hop back in but the pack was going pretty fast and I was struggling to breathe. I felt terrible and I wanted to quit so bad. I made myself keep pedaling and finish the race. Ally ended up soloing off the front for the win and Beth solo'd in for 2nd place. Shontell almost beat sprinter extrodanaire, Jen McRae, in the pack sprint for 3rd. So we ended up with 2nd, 4th, 8th and 10th.

I have more races this weekend in Tulsa. The first one is Friday evening. I am a little intimidated by the fast corners now so I've got to built my confidence back up. Hopefully this weekend is a little better for me than last. I am happy with how my team did but a little disappointed in my own performance.

2006-05-26T10:10:00.000-05:00

We are off to Ft. Worth this evening for a fun-filled weekend of crit racing. I race tomorrow morning at 8:30. I am not thrilled to have to get out of bed at 5:00 AM in order to eat, drive to the race and warm-up but at least it will only be 90 degrees rather than 100 at that point. And I will have the rest of the day to relax and hang out at our hotel pool hopefully. I really need to work on my bad tan lines! Sunday and Monday my races are in the afternoon so it is going to a big "sweat fest" for sure. I'm going to the store before we leave to load up on gatorade and water to hopefully prevent any dehydration.

Last night was a good ride. I felt 100% better than I have all week. We did tempo for 30 minutes and then some intervals. It is so nice to actually feel good after a ride rather than sluggish and tired. And then I got to mow the front yard when I got home. More fun!!! But, the yard is looking excellent and our landscaping job from last summer looks good. I think it's the best on the block but I am just a little biased.

So, it is Friday and I am dressed up. I am not too happy about that but I have an arraingment this afternoon at 1:30. It is crazy that I have to dress up all day for a 10 second court appearance! But, it is just the perks of this job, I suppose!

2006-05-24T17:14:00.000-05:00

I got bored with the look of my blog so I decided to change the color. I wish I was a little more techinologically advanced so I could do my own design but I am far from that.

I did the Tuesday night ride last night and there was a crash somewhere before I met up with them. This is the second week in a row where there has been a crash. Luckily, I have not been a part of any of them so I have not gone down and I cannot be blamed for any of them which is even better. The ride was really not that hard but I rode nearly 20 miles against the 30 mph head wind prior to meeting up with the group. So, I was a little tired by that point. I felt pretty good but I kept getting stuck out in the wind. I kept thinking, "oh well, I will get stronger." After a few miles of the cross wind I popped off the back a bit. I recovered and pushed to catch back onto the group a few miles later. At least the ride home was easy with the nice tail wind. I am feeling a little tired today and for some reason my legs are sore. I'm thinking maybe I pushed harder in the time trial on Saturday than what I thought I did. Hopefully I start feeling better for this weekend. I am going to Dallas/Ft. Worth for three crits. The one on Monday is the Texas State Championship crit. I know powerhouse and sprinter extrodanaire, Jen McRae, is going to be there so it should be a ton of fun trying to keep her in check (if that is possible)! :-) Three of my teammates are coming up from Austin to race and Jen is bringing two of her teammates from Austin as well. We are all staying at the same hotel so that should be alot of fun and I am looking forward to getting out of town and racing some FLAT crits for a change!

Weenie Dog Races

2006-05-23T08:13:00.001-05:00

Weenie Dog Races
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

Zakk, Mom and Charles

2006-05-23T08:13:00.000-05:00

Zakk, Mom and Charles
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

Sunday my mom and my nephew, Zakk, came down and we went to the Weenie Dog races at Remington Park. It was a late Mother's Day for my mom since I was gone last weekend.

Pepper

2006-05-22T21:16:00.000-05:00

Pepper
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

So, do we look alike?

Joe Martin from cyclingnews.com

2006-05-17T15:06:00.000-05:00

Miranda
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

Joe Martin Stage Race

2006-05-15T10:39:00.000-05:00

I just got home from my very first pro stage race. It was possibley the most difficult thing I have ever experienced, physically speaking anyway! I was so nervous on Friday especially when I got to the venue and saw all the pro women and pro teams there. These are the women I read about in magazines and on cyclingnews.com and here I am attempting to race against them. I was at little intimidated, to say the least. It started out pretty fact and the descents were reaching 50 mph. The climbs were't too bad and for the first 30 miles or so I was feeling pretty decent. And then the mountain came. I got popped pretty quick once we started up Mt. Gaylor and managed to pass a few people and then once I got to the top I was cooked. And to my dismay, I still had another 30 miles to go! I had a couple other girls with me to keep me company but it was pretty darn miserable and I could not wait to finish that stage. Saturday morning came much too soon and my legs were not feeling well at all. The first small hill on the way out about cracked me. Then we rolled along for 15 miles fairly easy. And then again, I got popped on the long uphill. I managed to chase and catch back on the the pack for a little while, just in time for it to kick up again and I got dropped for good that time and did the second lap with a group of 4 other girls. Again, it was pretty painful and I was so happy to see the 10k to go banner. The evening uphill time trial was not near as bad as what I thought it would be. I kept my watts much higher than I anticipated and I felt 100% better afterward. Sunday's crit was at 11:30 so I was able to sleep in a little. My legs felt pretty good in my warm-up and I was excited to race my first crit of the season. It started out fast and I could not get clipped in at first. I struggled with that and finally took off. Gaps opened up immediately and I was chasing for two laps just trying to stay attached. The pack got away with small break off the front and many smaller group still chasing and four of us worked together for the next 40 minutes before we got pulled. The big hill killed my legs every lap but I felt good in the corners and I was able to take them pretty fast. There were a few crashes in the crit so I was happy that I avoided all of those. I ended up 64th out of about 82 women. So, at least I didn't get last and I managed to finish the race. I am happy that it is over with and I know it has made me stronger, both mentally and physically. But, I have a VERY VERY long way to go before I can be competitive with those girls. I am looking forward to some flat races in the future though! And I got my picture on cyclingnew.com for the first time. Granted I was off the back so I was an easy target but it looks good anyway! here's the link: http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos.php?id=photos/2006/may06/joemartin06/joemartin061/wprev1

2006-05-10T10:37:00.000-05:00

I did the BLN ride last night and for the first time this season, I actually blew up! I rode by myself to the bike shop at about 5:00. I had a north wind pushing so it wasn't bad at all. It's only about 8 miles so no problem. I picked up Steve and Charles at 6:00 at the shop and the we went south toward Norman. Steve decided we should go down Santa Fe to meet with the ride instead of our normal Western over to Penn route. He thought that we would be able to catch them sooner because we had a tailwind and the group would have a head wind. We went pretty hard down there and I was looking forward to catching the group to slow down! Well, we got to Indian Hill road and Santa Fe and saw a group of cyclist just as they made the turn. Sweet, we are right on time, I thought. As we got cloer to the group, I quickly realized that it was not the "A" group that we were trying to catch. So, we passed that group which turned out to be the "C" group. Yep, you see where this going, right? So, we hammered for another 5 miles or so and caught another group which again I thought was the "A" group, but to my dismay, it was the "B" group. I was so completely trashed by this point of chasing for 10 miles that I was content to sit in the "B" group and then ride home. But Charles said "no way, I'm not giving up now!" So, we continued on our chase. I could see the group up ahead and we slowly got closer. And a few miles later we were in the pack of the "A" group. I felt like I was going to vomit and was completely exhausted by this point. And the group was only getting started. It usually lights up about 2 miles after where we joined them so I knew it was getting ready to get fast. And sure enough, attacks started and lots of surging was going on. I was actually doing ok sitting in and following wheels but the second I got stuck in the wind, I could really feel myself fading quickly. The group rolled along together, for the most part, and then Smathers jumped and Charles was on his wheel and I tried to jump and go with them. And it was on the "wind side" of the group. I could not close the gap to them and I gasped for air as I watched the group roll past me. I kept telling myself, "breath, recover, spin, breath, breath" but it wasn't working. I rode easy for about 30 seconds and I thought I was recovered enough so I took off again to re-attach and I could not do anthing. My legs were like rubber and could not respond. So, I had to spin easy and try to get some life back into them. The group turned south on May to head back to Norman and Charles waited on me at the gas station. We rode back to the shop somewhat easy but we had a north/east wind to go up against. My legs hurt so bad last night and even today they are sore. So, I need to recover before this weekend so I can blow them up again at Joe Martin!

2006-05-08T16:37:00.000-05:00

I did the Tribbey Time Trial on Saturday morning...in the rain and drizzle. I did it on my regular bike because it was a hilly course and I am more comfortable on my regular bike than my tt bike. And it was 26 miles. A little too long to be really uncomfortable. I ended up with 2nd but I managed to beat some of the guys. I really started running out of gas toward the end. It is hard to push yourself for over an hour. Twenty or thirty minutes is not too bad but an hour or in my case and hour and fifteen minutes, is hard for me! I was going along pretty decent and my watts were up high and then Smathers passed me like I was standing still! And then 10 minutes later Steve S passed me like I was standing still and then I got really frustrated. I couldn't go any harder at that point because I was tired but my brain was telling me to go harder. My body just did not want to cooperate. But that is usually the story when it comes to racing and time trialing in particular. My mind says go and my legs are screaming stop!

Sunday we decked the roof of the garage at the rent house. I have never done that before but luckily Charles used to be a pro so he orchestrated things well. But my arms are pretty sore today from lifting the sheets of wood up on the roof. Now we have to put shingles on the stupid thing. I guess we're only half way there. Hopefully we can get it done this week sometime. I am getting tired of all this manual labor. It is hard work!

2006-05-05T16:17:00.000-05:00

Finally have the sewer line fixed. Finally can wash clothes. And finally have the new dryer working again. Now, the shingles on the roof are getting blown off. And my dog, Chica, keeps jumping the fence and going to the neighbors. So, my secretary, Krystal, is taking Chica because she has a big backyard with a wood fence that hopefully she can't figure out how to get over. And the rent house was reported to the city for the garage being dilapadated. This weekend we either will tear the garage down or re-roof it. Then we need carpet in the living room and it will be ready to sell. At least with the rent house sold and Chica living at Krystal's house, I will only have to put a new roof on my house. But then again, my air conditioner is pretty old. It just NEVER ends.....One of these days I will get ahead, maybe.

2006-05-04T17:10:00.000-05:00

I just got registered for Joe Martin. This will be my first pro women's stage race EVER. So, I am a little nervous already. Not really about the other women but about the course itself. The description for Friday says a "very demanding course" and it is 64 miles. And then Saturday says a "challenging course with demanding climbs". I'm not sure those are basically the same thing for both days but it sounds pretty intense to me. I am hoping I come back with all my teeth because I have a feeling they will get kicked in for sure. I have done this race two times before but once as a cat 4 and once as a cat3 and it has always been a really difficult race for me. The hills are hard and the time trial really takes alot out me. But it will be fun and I know it will make me stronger!

2006-05-02T10:55:00.000-05:00

Last night we did intervals, 5 x 3 to be exact. It hurt like heck and was really not much fun. We did these intervals around Lake Hefner and it was pretty much like racing around an obstacle course. There are two different paths that go around Lake Hefner, one for the walkers/runners and one for the bikes/skates. For some reason, every slow and scary rollerblader was on the bike/skate trail along with every jogger and dog walker. There were also various kids running around and moms pushing strollers on the bike/skate path as well. Not to mention the normal sturdy red concrete poles that seperate the lanes before intersections and the cars and fishermen on the dam. All of these things with a 20 mph north east wind just really made my 3 minte hard efforts even harder. But, on the bright side, if I am ever in an obstacle race on my bike, I should do pretty decent!

2006-05-01T15:09:00.000-05:00

It has been awhile. I have been so busy with work and working on houses that I hardly have time to do anything else. I do make time to ride, I guess. I haven't been racing much. I would like to but the money situation is a little tight right now so I can't afford to get to the races. Hopefully that will change shortly. I have been doing local stuff right now. Last week I did a local crit. I raced the B race and did decent. I think I was 6th out of 40 so not too bad. I let up alot with two turns to go. Everyone was getting a little antsy and I didn't want to crash my new bike in my first crit of the season so I let off the gas to avoid going down. It isn't worth it to me to crash while trying to win a local practice crit. So, it was a long sprint after my slow down and I managed to pass a few at the end. I think I ended up 5th overall in the month long series. Maybe next time I''l fair better. I did a local tt Saturday morning, in the rain. I felt terrible and had virtually no power. I have no idea what I finished with. I haven't seen the results but the cold, wind, rain and early start time really did not agree with me. But considering how little I practice time trialing and how little I ride my tt bike, I think it was a decent finish.

My next race is Joe Martin which starts on May 12. It will be my first pro stage race so I'm sure it will be fast and furious. My team is all planning ot be there so it should be a really fun race.

Our sewer line is finally fixed. It has only taken a month and a half so I am so happy to be done with sewer problems. And hopefully our dryer will be fixed tomorrow so we can do laundry at our house for the first time in a month. It is amazing how expensive it is to do laundry at the laundrymat....

And the rent house is near completion. All it needs is carpet in one room and the base boards on and we'll be in business to get it on the market. I sorta enjoy re-doing houses but it is diffiuclt to find the time in between riding and working. It seems I work all week and then work some more on the weekends. I guess it never ends....

The Princess Pepper

2006-04-18T21:30:00.000-05:00

The Princess Pepper
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

Little Miss Pepper with the wind blowing through her hair and working on her sun tan!

Circus

2006-04-18T21:29:00.000-05:00

Circus
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

It is a circus at my house right now. We are babysitting Magen, Charles' daughter's two dogs. So, I have a total of 5 dogs staying at my house right now.

2006-04-14T10:47:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. I have been really busy at work and have just had way too much going on. The weather is finally nice and warm and I am really thankful for that. I may be able to put away all the winter wear for a few months. The Redbud race was last Saturday and it was 38 degrees with a 30 mph north wind. We started at 7:00 AM and it was still dark out. To make all those things even better....there were only 4 cat 1/2/3 women there including me and my teammate, Beth. So, it really was not that much fun. We rolled by a school about 10 miles into the race and the sign said it was 44 degrees and then on our way back into OKC with about 10 miles left in the rae, the same school sign said it was 42 degrees. Anyway...it was cold and super windy. I felt like crap. I'm not sure it was due to the cold, the wind, the early start or the hills, but I was not having a good day. I was happy that I didn't get dropped completely. When I did get dropped, I was able to motor and catch back on...until the last climb to the finish anyway. I ended up 3rd and my teammate got 1st. I lost it at the end. I think I actually just gave up. It was one of those, "at this point I really don't care...I just want the pain to stop... kinda things!" Oh well, we made some money and that's about it. My teammate did bring my new bike up from Austin so that was very cool. I took it out last night for the first time on the Thursday night Norman ride and it felt pretty good. It will be better after a few minor adjustments but all in all, it is great! And Wednesday night I did a time trial. It was my first tt this year and I think I did pretty decent considering I am not a great time trialist and I don't ever practice it. I did the men's B race but I haven't seen the "official" results yet. I think I went as hard as I could because about 4 miles into it I felt like I was going to vomit. Then at the 6 mile point I actually did vomit a bit and I had to spit it out and luckily I had Gatorade on my bike to mask some of the taste of the vomit. Then at the 8 mile point I starting getting bad stomach cramps and I was praying that I would not full-on vomit. I made it one more mile and stood up to sprint and I was hoping to keep my lunch down. I managed to not make a huge mess but I felt like complete poop when I finished. Aaron told me I was white as a ghost and I did not look to great. So, either I got an instant touch a flu that immediately went away when I finished or I just went so hard that I made myself sick. Now that I think of it....maybe I should start practicing my tt skills so I don't make myself sick every time I have to do a tt?

2006-04-06T15:13:00.000-05:00

It is super windy today. Surprise surprise! I have to ride tonight. I was a slacker last night and didn't ride. My dad was in town from Midland, Texas for some meetings and we went to the Hornets game. I was really excited becasue my dad had never been to an NBA game before. I think he really enjoyed it! He said it was even better than a Texas Rangers baseball game. So that is big time for anything to be better than going to a Rangers game for my dad. The other reason for the excitement was becasue one of my all time favorite basketball players was in town with Golden State Warriors. I absolutely love Duke basketball and I have followed them since I was in 5th grade when Bobby Hurley, Christian Laettner and Grant Hill played. I am a huge fan. Now Mike Dunleavy is playing for Golden State and he was a superstar at Duke a few years ago. And he has, for sure, stepped his game up to the NBA level. I think he hit 5 or 6 three-pointers and had at least 10 rebounds. He put on a good show. The game went into OT and the Hornets ended up winning. It really makes me miss playing basketball. I would probably really hurt myself if I attempted to pick it back up though. I played at the Lighthouse a few years ago and had a ton of fun, but I haven't even touched a basketball in two years. Although there is a b-ball court right by my house. And I do have my old outside b-ball still. Maybe I'll head up there tonight. So, if I can't move my right arm tomorrow, you'll know why....

2006-04-03T16:19:00.000-05:00

I raced in Texas yesterday. The Mineral Wells Road Race to be exact. It is about an hour west of Ft. Worth so not a terribly long drive, but, for sure, long enough. We drove down Saturday evening and got in around 8:00. Of course the race actually started another 20 minutes west of where our hotel was and Charles started at 7:00AM. This made for an early wake up call especially with the time change...spring forward. Since only one other cat 2 chic showed up (and she was my teammate, Daniele from Austin) we raced with the cat 4 men. Because their start time was closest to ours they stuck us in with them. Another cat 3 girl started with us too but I never saw her again after the starting rollout. I was a little nervous going with the cat 4 men because there is almost always a crash. In fact, they crashed right in front of the women's race at Lago Vista a few weekends ago. It wasn't a terribly large field, maybe about 40 people. And much to my surprise, everyone was pretty trustworthy. No sketchy riding anyway. It was also super fast. From the gun, someone attacked. I have never seen that many attacks in a race before. I mean like 40 attacks over 60 miles, is alot. I think I counted 8 attacks over a span of a 1/4 of a mile. How crazy is that? At least I got my interval training in for the week! I asked one of the Bike Mart guys what the deal was and he laughed and said "welcome to cat 4 men's racing!" I felt pretty good really. Considering I only had 5 hours of sleep and a teeny tiny pee-wee size cup of coffee that morning. Daniele attacked a few miles before the steep and long Cherry Pie Hill, which was about 3 miles from the finish. I didn't even realize she was off the front until one of the guys asked if that was my teammate up the road. I looked around the pack and realized she wasn't there anymore. She was so far off the front I could even tell if that was, in fact, her. But I knew she didn't get dropped so it had to be her. Woo Hooo!!! I was so stoked for her and I really thought the guys would let her go, but no way Jose. They started chasing and we caught her about the time the climb started to really kick up. So, she and I rode in together. She let me cross the line first so I could have my first win of the season but she deserved it way more than I did.

So, my only issue with the men's race yesterday was some weird-o decided because he had seen the pros on tv pee off their bikes that he should give it a shot for the first time during a race. Good idea, right? Well, he happened to be sitting mid-pack right in front of me. Just imagine what happens when you through water out your window when you car is rolling down the highway....yeah, it hits the person behind you! I started yelling at the guys and I guess shut him down before he really got started. He quickley motioned to get out of the pack and went to the back as I so politely suggested and relieved himself there. C'mon, think before you act...

And congrats to the other Okie in the cat 4 men's race. A CRRC guy from Norman took 2nd.

2006-03-28T16:04:00.000-06:00

quigley
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

2006-03-25T08:30:00.000-06:00

It is 8:30 on Saturday morning and I'm on my second cup of coffee waiting on it to warm up a little more before I suit up to ride. I was planning on going to Lawton to ride Mt Scott a few times with Rat and Angie but I don't feel like driving an hour and a half (one way) to ride. So now I'm thinking of pre-riding the Redbud course. It has a few hills and a lot of flat stuff and then one big hill toward the finish. Now if it would just warm up. It is 40 degrees right now and supposed to be 50 by 10:00. For some reason, 50 sounds a ton better than 40. But it is sunny and looks really nice out and the winds are pretty slow too. That is always a plus and pretty rare around here. The weatherman just said...."the winds will really pick up tonight and tomorrow"..... There's a crit over by Tulsa tomorrow but the women's race is only 30 minutes. I'm not sure if I want to drive 2 hours (one way) for a 30 minute crit and then two hours back home. I will really have to think about that!

On another note.....Chica got fixed on Wednesday. The vet said she was already in heat so I have to keep her away from Big Dog for 4-5 days! She has been in a kennel in the house since I brought her home and she is going stir crazy right now. I have let her out to run around the house but she'n not potty trained so I don't trust her. And Big Dog is having a fit. He hasn't eaten since I took Chica to the vet on Wednesday. He wants his little friend back. He just sits at the back door and whines and howls all night. Poor guy.....

2006-03-20T17:25:00.000-06:00

It finally quit raining about two hours ago but it is supposed to rain all night again. There are tornado warnings for a few of the surrounding counties so it looks like yet another trainer ride tonight. I am so tired of the trainer. My friend Chad already packed his away for the summer and now he's having to get it out of storage again. It is supposed to be cold all week as well. Like 40 degrees every day. I am so ready for the 80 degree days. The riding is much better then. I thought my depression was gone but now it has returned. This weather is killing me!

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!! I wish I could spend your birthday with you but I owe you dinner next time you are in town!

2006-03-17T18:49:00.000-06:00

45 degrees and rain...argggg.It hasn't rained here in OKC for months. We are about 3 inches below average so I guess we need the rain. But the cold is another story. I could do without that. I am planning on racing this Sunday but not if it is raining and cold. Guess I better suit up and hop on the trainer now.

2006-03-17T16:34:00.000-06:00

5.97 power to weight ratio

I'm getting there....

Lago Vista

2006-03-16T16:39:00.000-06:00

Lago Vista
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

This picture is hilarious! I was talking to crap to Andrea from behind during the race so she decided to do some squirrly descent. I was even laughing in this picture.

2006-03-16T16:17:00.000-06:00

I don't think I'm racing this weekend. I had planned to race Hell's Kitchen in Arkansas on Sunday, but the forcast looks like it's going to be cold and rainy. After Walburg, I am done racing in the cold and in the rain until cyclocross season starts up in November again. So, I may stay home this weekend and do some errands around the house. The rent house is so close to being done. Maybe that will be the plan. The only problem is that everything needs to be done on the outside now and it is supposed to rain all weekend here. So, that may not get done either. I know we need the rain, but it puts a damper on my plans.

I need to take a picture of this but Chica keeps jumping the fence. It isn't like she jumps it and takes off in the neighborhood. She jumps the back fence and into the neighbor's yard. Our back fence is only about 3 feet tall so I guess that is what we get for having such a short fence. Big Dog just watches. He knows he will get in trouble if he even thinks about jumping the fence. Whenever I yell at Chica for jumping the fence, Big Dog ducks his tail and runs to the dog house. Chica really doesn't care. She is happy all the time, regardless if I'm yelling at her or not. I am going to have to do something about the fence jumping because my neighbors are going to find out soon. And I'm afraid she is going to start jumping on their massive trampoline or chewing it to pieces.

I have been riding hard. Yesterday the wind was blowing steady at 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. It was so hard going into the wind. I rode with Steve and Charles and Steve was on his new TT machine. Charles thinks it makes him look fat, but I felt bad telling Steve that!

Lago Vista

2006-03-13T18:15:00.000-06:00

Lago Vista
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

So, you see my competition was a bit tough this weekend. That is Andre Ratkovic in the front. She is one of my good friends and riding buddies here in OKC. She is also a pro duathalete. Behind her is Kate Sherwin who races pro for Victory Brewing Pro Cycling Team. And next to her in the yellow helmet is Andrea Hannos. She used to race for Rona pro cycling team and has won numerous NRC races. And now that I look at this photo, they may have been hurting a little bit, too!

LA Primavera at Lago Vista I and II

2006-03-13T15:50:00.000-06:00

I raced in Austin this weekend. Or to be more exact, at Lake Travis just outside of Austin. Both days are pretty much the same course. They are hilly courses with a steep uphill finish. I think every race I have done this year has an uphill finish. I can't wait until I have a flast fast finish! We left OKC at 5:00 and I planned to be at my teammate, Beth's, house by 10:30. That was until we encountered the massive road consturction and miles upon miles of red brake light along I-35 right before the Texas border. Two hours later, we were rolling along, once again, at 75 mph. We finally arrived at Beth's at 12:30. I was completely exhausted and all I could think about was sleep. But my coke that I drank on the way down to keep me awake, did in fact keep me awake another hour or so, until I finally fell asleep around 2:00 am.

The women's open race started at 10:15. It was already hot when I woke up at 7:30. And it was really hot by 9:00 when I jumped on my trainer to warm-up. I felt decent for the first half of the race and then Jen Mcrae attack through the start finish uphill section and for some reason, I decided to go with her. I pretty much blew myself up and ended up getting dropped when a break caught us. Jen is one strong chic. So, I rolled around in the pack for the rest of the race and tried to go for the sprint. The wheel I was on sat up right before the finish and I actually had to break and swerve to prevent steam rolling over the chic. I ended up 13th but my teammates took 4th, 6th and 8th. Not too bad.

Sunday was a little cooler and much better for me because I actually got some sleep the night before. I had a good warm-up and was ready to go. I felt good pretty much the entire race and I even attacked and managed to NOT blow myself up. A break of 4 went up the road and Beth was in it so we just patrolled the pack for the next lap or so and waited for the sprint. Daniele started leading me out a little too soon and a ConnexTrain girl, Ally Brandt, attacked and I went with her. My teammate Shontell was on my wheel and she took it it home. She took 5th and I managed to hold onto 6th. So, we took 4th, 5th and 6th. That was even better. This was our first weekend of the entire team racing together and we have some things to work on, for sure. But we still have the rest of the season to figure it all out.

We ate dinner yesterday after the race at Chuey's. It was so good but I ate way too much. At least too much to drive 5 hours. We took quick showers at Beth's and hit the road by 6:00.We pulled into the drive-way at 11:30. The traffic was pretty minimal so that made the drive much better. THere's a stage race in Fayettevill, Texas this weekend but that is another 1 1/2 south of AUstin. I don't think I can handle spending another weekend in the car.

I'll post some pictures shortly.

Salt Creek Men's cat 3/4 Circuit race

2006-03-05T19:27:00.000-06:00

Salt Creek Men's cat 3/4 Circuit race
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

I raced in Tulsa this past weekend. I did the women's race and had a bad finish and ended up 4th. Three of the Mercy women were there and Tulsa Wheelmen had a full squad. I should be happy with 4th but I also should have won that race. I felt good and just wasn't in the correct gear going into the sprint. By the time I had my gear, I was already gapped. I raced the men's cat 3 race, which was immediately after the women's race, and hung on until 4 laps to go. I was pretty happy with that. I wish I could have stayed until the finish but I was pretty spent.

We motorpaced today behind my wagon. I went for an hour and a half. I motorpaced from OKC to El Reno and then up to Okarche. The legs are starting to come around finally and I am beginning to shed a little winter weight.

And the seasonn has only just begun!

Pace Bend RR

2006-02-28T09:30:00.000-06:00

Pace Bend RR
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

Notice my new Power Tap!

Pace Bend RR

2006-02-28T09:27:00.000-06:00

Pace Bend RR
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

Sunny and warm Pace Bend road race.

rainy & cold Walburg RR

2006-02-28T09:26:00.000-06:00

rainy & cold Walburg RR
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

I thought about bringing my rain jacket and then totally forgot it. Next time I will remember for sure to toss it in my race bag.

2006-02-27T16:50:00.000-06:00

I raced in Austin this past weekend. It was my first of the season so I really didn't have a lot of expectations going into to these. I had no idea where my fitness was compared to others and I wanted to see how long I could stay in. Really that was my goal, just to stay in the p/1/2 women's field and not get dropped. I did manage to stay in and finish with the pack both days. Saturday we raced Walburg and it was cold and rainy. It rained the entire race, except the last 5 miles. It was so cold I could not feel my feet and my arms were really stiff. Jen McRae went off and we could not chase her down. Then Beth, my teammate went and made a break with two other girls. So, I just hung in the pack for the finish. I really thought I could take the field sprint but then again, I could not feel my feet or my legs. Plus, it was an uphill finish. I struggled to sprint and ended up 2nd in the sprint and 6th overall. Beth got 2nd overall so that was really good for our team morale.

Sunday was a beautiful day. It was 68 degrees and sunny. In fact I have already started my farmer's tan just from yesterday's race. A break went on the first lap and we thought it was too early and that no way it was actually going to stick. One chic was brought back in but the other girl stayed aways for the rest of the race and won the whole thing, solo! For sure, good for her! After numerous attacks, counters, breaks and pacelines, Beth, Jen and Shannon Koch finally got away on the 6th lap. The field let them go as the teams were all up the road. Again I thought about the sprint and tried to conserve as much as possible. But again, it was an uphill sprint. Actually up 2 hills to the finish. So I blew after the first hill and limped pathetically across the line. I'm not even sure what place I got. Beth took 4th and Danielle took 7th (I think). I haven't actually seen the results from yesterday so I'm not really sure.

But it was a good weekend and I had alot of fun. I was happy with my fitness and I think I am right on track for where I need to be at this early part of the season. I will be ready to rock n'roll for some flat crit action, for sure. Now I am in desperate need for sleep. We got back to OKC at 1:30 last night or in the morning and I had to be in court in Fairview at 9:00 this morning. My alarm went off this morning at 6:30 and I was not real enthused about my 4 1/2 hours of sleep. Then I got to drive 2 hours to Fairview and then another 30 minutes to Enid to eat lunch with my mom and my brother and then drive another 1 1/2 hours back to OKC. So, I am pretty much done driving for a few days. I may even walk home and leave my car at work. Not really, but that is how bad I do not want to drive right now.

Oklahoma City Gazette

2006-02-22T12:26:00.000-06:00

For all you OKC, Norman and Edmond folks.....be sure to pick-up the latest Gazette and flip to page 10! And tell all your friends too. Especially ones who get in car wrecks or who go to jail.

BRRRRR

2006-02-22T10:23:00.000-06:00

It is cold. Not so much today, but from last Friday until yesterday, it has been cold. The ground has been covered in ice and the roads are slushly. So, I have not ridden outside since last Wednesday. I have instead been riding my trusty trainer. Yesterday, I finally bought a Power Tap. Charles hooked it up last night and I rode an hour with it. We downloaded all the info on the computer and Charles analyzed it all for me. I was somewhat annoyed with the whole thing. I think maybe it was better for me NOT to know what little watts I am pushing. It was a little bit of a blow to my psyche. But I am going to race with it this weekend and then see where I am. I know I go alot harder and push myself more in a race than I do on the trainer.

We have been recording the Tour of California with TEVO. And again, I am annoyed with that. Apparantly the Gonzaga basketball game ran about 15 minutes late and pushed the race back. So, we didn't get the final sprint. I mean we got all the way to the final 800 km point where the lead outs were starting and then it was done. Recording over! I really wanted to watch Brad Huff take 4th in the sprint. But, Tevo had other plans. So, last night I set it to go 30 minutes longer than the actual program so this little mishap doesn't happen again.

And today is Wednesday. Hump day to be exact. My high school basketball coach used to always say that. I always thought it sounded funny, but then again, I was in high school so pretty much everything sounded funny. He always said that if you get over the Wednesday hump, the rest of the week is downhill for the weekend. And our practices were always super hard on Wednesday. We would go easy Monday and hit it a little harder on Tuesday and then all out on Wednesday. Thursday was easy recovery and then we had games on Friday. So, I guess I need to go hard on my bike today, just because it is hump day. And I am racing this weekend.

My teammate, Beth, raced Valley of the Sun in Phoenix last weekend. She did a little race recap with some pictures on our team web-site. So you should check it out at: austinflyers.com

2006-02-17T10:32:00.000-06:00

I have been religiously watching the Olympics every evening and last night was no different. I generally like all the events and have a tremendous amount of respect for all the athletes. However, last night I had a difficult time watching the men's figure skating. I guess it was the "long program" or whatever. But it was way too long to hold my attention. I found it odd that that these guys fell so many times. And toward the end of their program the commentators would say, "oh he is so tired". I mean don't these guys practice and train constatnly for these types of competitions? I watched Apollo Ohno in the speedskating and he was hardly even breathing. And even after the snowcross final, Seth Wescott was not that winded. Maybe I am just not understaning the whole dancing on ice thing. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't ice skate to save my life. I mean, I have never been on ice skates and I haven't been been on roller skates since I broke my arm in the 4th grade during a birthday party at Skatetown. So, I'm sure it is a difficult task. But...why so many falls? I just don't get it. Maybe it is just the pressure of competing in the Olypics that the nerves just get the better of you. Maybe I just don't like seeing guys in frilly, lacy, purple skinsuits either. Although I have enjoyed most of the other guys in their skinsuits, like Bode Miller and Apollo Ohno. Theirs don't have ruffles on them though. Although I think Bode could pull off the purple ruffles....

Team Joy Rides Team Camp

2006-02-16T12:05:00.000-06:00

Team Joy Rides Training Camp
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

This is from Team Camp #2. The elite team girls all have black helmets on. I think we are missing one more elite team girl. But I am 3rd wheel back on the right side with arm and knee warmers on.

2006-02-15T13:36:00.000-06:00

I was wrong about standing up with Power Cranks. It can be done, but it is hard. I rode outside last night with the Power Cranks on Amanda's 30 plus pound Raleigh bike with the down tube shifters and full on reflector set. It was HARD. I mean my hamstrings are so sore today and my lower back is killing me today. I rode for about an hour and then I did some up hill sprints. And they were so much harder on that bike than on my normal race bike. But I think I will get stronger from riding this one. At least that is the plan.

So, Charles left today. He is on his way to Angel Fire, NM right now. He said he is going to ride his bike but I really think he is going to ski and snowboard behind my back instead. I really love love love to ski and I am dying to try snowboarding so I am a little bitter that he is going to the snowy mountains. But I'm sure he'll have a blast.

I am hoping to get in some good riding this weekend if the temperatures are somewhat decent anyway. I may be stuck on the trainer inside instead. One of my teammates is going to Vally of the Sun in Phoenix this weekend so I am anxious to see how she does. My first race is next weekend in Austin and I am getting so excited! I want to know where I am as far as fitness compared to the other chics!

2006-02-11T10:17:00.000-06:00

http://www.oumedcenter.com/CustomPage.asp?guidCustomContentID={EAEE6907-7968-4257-A858-0FFD37AF3F73}

This is Amanda and those are her Power Cranks and her training bike. Remember her name because she's going to the Olympic in 08!

Power Cranks

2006-02-11T10:11:00.000-06:00

Power Cranks
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

The real feel temp is 15 degrees outside right now, so this is where I'll be shortly! I think the high is going to be 38....

2006-02-10T12:05:00.002-06:00

I haven't been riding much since camp. I rode easy on the trainer Tuesday night while watching Duke and North Carolina play basketball. It was an awesome game. Duke wasn't firing on all cylinders but they won anyway. So, I was happy for that. I felt like poop though on my bike. I was not really tired but I was so sleepy. I thought I actually could take a nap while riding. I cut it short with only 45 minutes because I just really didn't want to be riding. I wanted to lay down and watch the game instead. And then Wednesday, I didn't ride at all. Charles scored tickets to the Hornets v. Seattle Supersonics NBA game and I was not turning that down. Holly hooked us up with awesome seats. And it was a close game all the way to the end. Even Charles was into it...or maybe it was just the Honeybees that he was into! But it was fun. Last night I rode the trainer again. Except I was on Amanda's training bike. It is like 15 years old and weighs a good 35lbsplus it has the old down tube shifters. It doesn't matter on the trainer, but just putting this in perspective. It also has Power Cranks on it, which is the reason I am riding it. Those things are so hard for me to ride. I realized last night that my pedal stroke really is THAT bad. It used to be horrible and then I spent last winter on a fixed gear and I thought I had fixed the problems. But, there is no hiding a sloppy pedal stroke with the Power Cranks. My hamstrings are so sore today. I guess I need to be pulling up more when I pedal. Something I thought I did, but I guess not. And my left leg needs some tuning. I found out that my right leg is much stronger than my left. Who new? And one more new discovery...you cannot stand up with Power Cranks. Luckily I was on the trainer becasue I would have seriously crashed trying to stand up while pedaling those suckers. So, that is my new training toy, for now anyway. Maybe after a couple weeks it will be easier and my pedal stroke will be better. We'll see....

And I "won" my first criminal case yesterday. Even though it was in city court, it was still a misdemeanor drug charge and I got it amended to a non-drug charge, which was the objective. So, I am happy about that. Plus I got to see a friend of mine from law school while I was in court. I rarely see girls I went to school with. Usually I see the same 5 or 6 guys from law school but this was the first time to see another chic from law shcool in court doing criminal defense work. So that was cool.

It is supposed to be 32 degrees for a high tomorrow. So I am looking forward to a 4 hour ride.....(lol)

2006-02-10T12:05:00.001-06:00

2006-02-10T12:05:00.000-06:00

Team Camp 2

2006-02-07T11:54:00.000-06:00

Day two of camp started way too early just like day 1. We met at Leander High School at 9:00 for a 4 hour ride. We managed to get Joby (promoto1.com) to be our follow vehicle. It was nice to have him shield us from cars and allow us to float throw stop signs and intersections. Plus, he knows that area like the back of his hand so we didn't have to worry about directions. It was awesome to be able to shed my wind vest,gloves, knee warmers and eventually arm warmers and put them in his car instead of cramming all that in my back jersey pockets. He also made us sandwiches and had plenty of water. We had a photographer along for the ride too. He was constantly popping up in the middle of the road to snap some photos of us. Or pulling up beside me while I was at the front pulling into the massive head wind. I'm sure that one will be a lovely photo!

Our ride was pretty hard. It ended up being 75 miles and took us 4:15. But it seemed like we were out there forever. We had a 25 mph cross wind most of the ride and with 11 girls, it was hard to find an easy spot to ride in. It was also pretty hilly. Not at all like the roads I am used to riding. After the 3 1/2 hour point, I was pretty spent. I think the hills and the wind finally had taken their toll. Not to mention the lack of sleep that I had.

Saturday night we took team and individual pictures then went to dinner. After dinner we hit a couple bars. One of which was Lance Armstrong's bar/club called Club Six. It was nice at first and then I started to get really sleepy and cranky. Since I wasn't drinking, my patience level was falling fast. Then the girls started taking body shots off of random guys which I will admit, was pretty humorous. And then the dancing began. I stood and watched for a while but my legs were killing me. I found a spot at a table in the corner and sorta hid out for at least an hour. I didn't want to be the party pooper and make everyone leave. Besides, I had to drive everyone home. And that is exactly what I did. There is nothing better than driving someone else's car in a city that you have never been to when you have no idea where you are going and trying to eat a burrito from Taco Cabana with three drunk girls. Fun, fun, fun.....that's all I have to say about all that stuff. Finally we got to Beth's house in one piece and I hit the sack at 2:30 AM. Only 4 1/2 hours past my bedtime! Now you can see why I was not feeling too hot on the ride Sunday morning. I can't imagine how the drunk hung over girls managed.

I left Austin at 4:00 and made it into my driveway at 9:15. Not too bad but I was so pumped full of coffee, I had a hard time settling down. I took yesterday off and didn't even look at my bike. Today I am planning on trying some power cranks on a borrowed bike from a friend of mine. Since it is 40 degrees out today, I'll probably be on the trainer, AGAIN!

I'll post pictures of tema camp as soon as I get them.

Team Camp

2006-02-04T15:33:00.000-06:00

I'm in Austin, Texas for the weekend for our second training camp. I got in late last night and my alarm went off way too early this morning. I am staying with one of my teammates, Beth, and the team met here this morning at 7:30. We rolled out to meet the ATC (Austin Tri Cyclists) group ride. I thought, oh god...a bunch of tri geeks!!! But to my surprise it was mostly all the top pro 1/2 guys from Austin along with some pretty salty masters and cat 3 guys. It was CRAZY!!! I swear...there were 75 people on the group ride. I have never done a group ride with that many people before. Jen McCrae, our team coach, said to be sure to stay in the top 20. I thought that would be near the back but after I saw the mass of cyclist coming at us, I realized the top 20 was pretty much the front. The ride took off pretty good and then a paceline formed at the front and it was on. It was pretty hilly and I was struggling up most of the hills. But I hung on for over half of the ride and then a gap opened up and I just didn't have it in my legs to close it. So I was off the main pack of only about 15 people with 2 other guys and we were rotating and chasing like crazy to catch back on. It was tough. People were getting spit off the lead pack and literally going backwards when we went by them. Three of my teammates were able to stay with the lead pack which it is pretty impressive. We regrouped and did 30ish miles as a team back to Beth's house. It is a beautiful day and I really wanted to ride some more. I felt really good on the ride today even though I struggled a bit at first. Once I got the cobwebs out, I felt awesome. It seems like my trips to Mt. Scott are paying off.

After the ride we had lunch here at Beth's together and our team chiropractor came over and did adjustments and some massage therapies for all of us. Now I am ready for a shower and a nap. We have team photos tonight at our sponsor bike shop, Bicycle Sport Shop, and then a team dinner. I think we are headed to Lance Armstrong's club after that but I'm not sure how long I'll make it. I'm not much of a night owl. Tomorrow is a four hour ride in the Austin hill country so that should be fun. I am looking forward to riding in some more sunshine. Hopefully it will be another good day on the bike.

CARS

2006-02-02T14:54:00.000-06:00

It has been awhile. But it happened again last night. I hate cars...or I should say I hate the drivers of cars who either don't pay attention to anyone but themselves or who just really don't give s*** about anyone but themselves. I'm not sure which of those scenarios are more prevalent, but either way....it sucks for cyclists. At least my new team clothing didn't get torn and I don't have my new team bike yet so I was able to mess up my other one instead. I guess tonight I need to put on three blinkies instead of the two that I normally wear.

2006-01-31T13:55:00.000-06:00

One of my teammates from Austin came up this past weekend and we had two really good rides. We did Mt. Scott on Saturday. My goal was six times but I blew myself to pieces by going to hard the first time up. So, the next four times were pretty pathetic. I had a difficult time doing any drills up it. I was lucky to make it to the top each time. And I was so relieved when Charles said, "okay, I'm done." That was after five, so I lucked out and didn't have to waddle up that thing again. On Sunday, we rode to El Reno, up to Okarche, back through Piedmont and then home. We ended up with exactly 80 miles and we averaged, no kidding, 20.1mph for the entire four hours. Actually, we had 20.5 mph average at 3 1/2 hour mark but we were tired and needed a bit of a cool down on the way home. So, 20 mph average for four hours was dang good.Especially because there were only four of us and 3 out of the 4 were chics.Yep, that is correct. A group of four with 3 women rode faster and longer than most big male dominated group rides! I won the Okarche city limit sprint but Charles got the Piedmont and OKC ones. But, at least I got one of them.

We also had our sewer line re-done. It was such a mess, literally. But we can now flush our toilet and not worry about it overflowing! We had to work on the rent house on Saturday night...after Mt. Scott. It was like torture. All I wanted to do was eat, shower and sleep, but it didn't work out like that. But we are so close to being done with the rent house. Like maybe even this weekend.

I have training camp in Austin this weekend, but I'm not sure if I'm going. I'm also thinking about doing Valley of the Sun stage race in Phoenix, Arizona on February 17-19. But, no decisions yet. I'm sure I'll decide the day before what I'm going to do. At least that is how it usually goes!

2006-01-27T12:16:00.000-06:00

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.
-Andy Rooney

I had a bad encounter yesterday with a very mean nasty and generally unhappy clerk at the judge's office. I guess because she was unhappy she wanted everyone around her to be miserable as well. So, the above quote is always a good rule to live by but even more applicable today!

Team

2006-01-24T14:36:00.000-06:00

If you haven't already checked this out, you should do so now: austinflyers.com and click on TEAM JOY RIDES. This is my new team for 2006. I am excited about racing at the next level for the 2006 season. I have been training and working hard so I am hoping for some good results. I also just got word that one of my Austin teammates will possibly be in town this weekend to deliver my goods to me. She has heard so much about the famous MT. SCOTT hill climb that she wants to come up and give her a try for herself. So, I will be happy to show her our little cycling mecca of the world.

Riding and Riding

2006-01-23T09:50:00.000-06:00

We did Mt. Scott on Saturday. Actually we did it 5 times, which is the most ever for me. We rode from I-44 out to Scott and then climbed 5 times and then rode back to the car at I-44. We did about 3 1/2 hours and at least 2 of those were climbing. By my 5th time, I thought I was going to die. I wanted to quit so bad but I knew Charles was at the top waiting on me and that if I made it up that 5th time, I was getting chocolate cake from the Iron Star grill. That was enough motivation for me so I kept going. It wasn't fast by any means, but I made it FINALLY! And I got to eat the BEST chocolate cake.

Sunday we did the Buchanan's group ride. Actually it was not really a group at all. It was only Charles, Angie and myself. Everyone else was either mt biking or staying warm inside. But we rode anyway. Charles took off and Angie and I hung on for dear life. We finally settled into a nice rotation and made it to Paoli. We were about 5 miles short of Pauls Valley. It was getting colder by the minute and my stomach was shaking by the time we stopped in Paoli. Then we rode back toward Norman. It warmed up a little which made the ride a little more bearable. Charles and I were doing the sprint for the city limit signs and I nearly blew myself up at every one. But we made it back to Buch's safe and sound with about 3 1/2 hours at nearly 20 mph average. We were hauling BUTT! At one point in the ride Angie said..."hey, have you seen our average?" My reply was..."yeah, I'm trying to not think about that right now!" And we saw a live armidillo on the side of the road. Normally we only see dead ones. So that was a new thing.

Then we got back to the car and Charles couldn't find his driver's license. He said it may have fallen out of his vest pocket somewhere between Paoli and Purcell. So we drove all the way to Paoli desperately searching the shoulder for his license. We did get to stop at Sonic in Purcell on our way out so I could get a corn dog and Charles got his shake. We were starting to bonk so we have to get some fuel. We didn't find his license but at least we tried and I was happy with my corn dog. Except I should have ordered two!

We got home, took showers and went to bed. I slept for a few hours and then we had to go to the rent house to work. It is almost done, thankfully. We didn't finish up until 10:00, which is my bedtime and we still hadn't eaten dinner. Finally, we made it to bed by 11:00 and I was so tired. 7:30 came way too soon this morning!!!

Charles ski

2006-01-17T13:41:00.000-06:00

Charles ski
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

Charles on the lift at Taos.

Charles & Rio Grande River

2006-01-17T13:40:00.001-06:00

Charles & Rio Grande River
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

We pulled over on the way to Taos and hiked down to the Rio Grande river.

MJQ ski

2006-01-17T13:40:00.000-06:00

HPIM0387
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

This is me on the lift at Taos.

Snow skiing

2006-01-17T11:45:00.000-06:00

We went to Santa Fe, NM over the weekend to go skiing. We left Friday and came back yesterday. We skiied Santa Fe on Saturday and Taos on Sunday. I had a good time skiing. I realized how much I had missed it the last few years. Santa Fe didn't have alot of snow and only 6-8 runs were open. I think I spent more time on the lift than I did actually skiing. Taos was really icy. They had more snow and about 15-20 runs open. I watched these kids race downhill and it was amazing. There were these little kids, like 4 and 5 year olds racing down the mountain. It was awesome. They would have totally kicked my butt! It was an organized race. There were teams from all over Colorado, New Mexico and Utah there. It was some kind of junior Olympic race. There were Olympic signs up on the mtn so I guess that is what it was. I only crashed once and it was because I forgot I had skies on and I tried to walk while I was watching the races. So, I kinda tipped over. But I hear that Taos is one of the hardest mountains to ski. I have only been there twice before. One time I was 16 and I skiied only about 2 hours because it was too old and they shut down all the upper lifts and the other time I was 21 and I had a broken arm so I didn't ski at all. The greens were more like blues. Some of the greens had moguls on them and most were hard packed and super icy. But it was so much fun. My boots were rubbing on my legs and shins and I have these big "burns" on the sides of my legs from them. I don't remember ever having that problem before. Maybe my calves are just bigger now than what they used to be. We ate some really good mexican (new mexican) food that had this amazing green chile sauce. Possibly the best mexican food I have ever eaten. Plus there was a tango dance group performing during dinner. We ate breakfast every morning at Whole Foods and I am so upset that we don't have one here in OKC. Surely one of the days we will get one. Even if it were in Norman or Edmond I would be happy. They had huevos rancheros that was so good! And the bacon...oh my gosh! Well, I definately ate well over this trip and now it is time to get back to the diet (attempt to stay on some kind of a diet) and the bike training. I haven't ridden my bike since Thursday so I am feeling like a slacker. Tonight I am planning on weights at the gym and then an hour of tempo on the trainer. Sounds like fun, huh? I've got a few pictures from this weekend that I'll post later tonight.

Happy New Year!

2006-01-09T20:43:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

Big Dog says "Happy New Year!" Chica wonders why she didn't get a celebration hat.

Paris in Vegas

2006-01-09T20:41:00.001-06:00

Paris in Vegas
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

Scooter in Santa Fe

2006-01-09T20:41:00.000-06:00

Scooter in Santa Fe
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

This was taken during our summer trip to Santa Fe. We are leaving on Friday to spend the weekend in Santa Fe again. This time we are skiing Santa Fe and Taos. I haven't been skiing in almost four years so I am super excited. I can't wait!

more weights=less weight???

2006-01-06T14:13:00.000-06:00

I have been lifting weights at the gym for the past 3 months and I have been riding the trainer at least three days during the week and then doing longer rides on the weekends. I cannot, for the life of me, lose any weight. So, yesterday I decided to cut my caloric intake back and see if that works. Let me just say, that today my head is spinning and I am not in a very good mood. This "dieting" thing SUCKS!!! I will be happy if I can make it a week. There is no way I can do it for 2 months. I wanted to be down 6 lbs by the first of March, but the way I feel now, it AIN'T happening! Everyone at work thinks I am crazy because they don't understand the "power to weight" ratio that is so very improtant to being a successful cyclist. So, I am not getting much support for my diet here anyway. Charles understands it, for sure, but he has more willpower than I do and he can go for days on end without eating. I cannot do that. I ate a turkey sandwich with mustard only for lunch two hours ago and I am starving right now. I don't understand. I guess maybe it was never meant for me to understand. But tomorrow we are going to Mt. Scott, so I get to climb hopefully my butt off. And get rid of some of the fat there. And then I have my very last cyclocross race here in OKC on Sunday afternoon. Charles called earlier and said we are going to Santa Fe next weekend. So pray for snow in NM so I can have a good ski trip. We may have to venture north to Taos. I hear there is much more snow up there. Maybe I won't break my arm this time around!

Hard weekend

2006-01-03T16:30:00.000-06:00

Friday I got off work a little early. I decided to hit the mt bike trails at Lake Draper. I haven't been on my mt bike in at least four months. It was pretty good though. It was a nice break from the road and the trainer. I did not crash at all, which was a huge accomplishment. It started to get dark about an hour into my ride so I had to call it quits. I may ride in the dirt occasionally but I don't see myself doing any mt bike races anytime soon. Maybe 12 Miles of Hell, but that is about it!

Saturday we went to Mt. Scott. We climbed 3 times and my times have dramatically increased since last year. LAst year I could only go about 6-7 mph up that thing and this time I was able to maintain 9-10 mph most of the way up. After Mt. Scott we rode to Medicine Park. We ate lunch at this cool little restaurant on the river. If you get a chance check this out: http://www.medicinepark.com/ It is such a cool little town.

Sunday we did a 9 am ride from Papa's Little Italy. We did 60 miles and almost 3 hours. It was a good pace-not too fast and not too slow. It was a pretty large group so the 45 mph winds weren't too bad to deal with. Sunday night aka New Year's Eve we ate dinner at Shoguns Japanese Steakhouse with Jeff and his gf Jenny. Then we went to Sophabella's hoping to catch a good band. We were a little dissapointed with the band so we decided to hit Western Avenue. The parking situation was not good and everything look way too crowded so we decided to call it a night. We watched the new year come in on tv and then we were in bed by 12:05. I guess I am getting old!

Sunday we had an early 8 am Peter E ride from Jimmy's shop. I woke up at 7:20 and barely had time to inhale some oatmeal. So, I was without coffee at 8:00 and not in a very good mood at this point. Then Peter E made the executive decision to ride to Luther, which is quite possibly the hilliest ride we could have done. So, my mood was only getting worse. Every hill I had to climb was a little worse than the one before. It wasn't that I was hurting bad because I felt ok, it was just that it was early and I hadn't had my coffee and I was just not in the mood to do that particular ride with those particular people. So, I had my ipod cranked so I didn't have to talk to anyone and I was pretty much left alone. I think Charles could sense my good mood because he didn't say one word to me the entire ride. After everyone else peeled off, myself and one other guy had to ride back to Jimmy's up the dreaded Hefner hill and against the wind. I was so happy by the time I saw my car. I think we did 55 miles but I was so glad to be done with that ride. I raced home in my car and took a shower and then Charles and I went to eat India food. I was so tired though I didn't get to enjoy it much. I went home after that and slept for 2 1/2 hours. I was in a much better mood after my nap!

I think today will be either an easy trainer day or possibly a no ride day! I also added this little counter to the bottom of my site so I can see how many people actually read my ramblings!

R & R

2005-12-29T09:17:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a little R&R...rest and recover from the Tuesday torture fest of "Bending Crank Arms". I worked all day and then took Pepper for a walk and up to the park when I got off work. Then we went to the rent house to do a little more work on it. Thank goodness it is almost done. It was a nightmare when we first started fixing it up but it is starting to actually look livable now. Charles says it looks better now then it ever has before. Hopefully we can sell it quickly and make a little profit on the deal. After the rent house project we went to Chelino's to eat. Had some good mexican food and then home to bed. So, I guess I didn't really get much R&R but at least I did not ride, run or lift weights. So, for me, that was R&R. Back to the gym tonight and then most likely, another Spinnervals DVD or maybe the new Robbie Ventura Masters Nationals DVD that is awesome. Charles mentioned the TT bikes yesterday so I have a feeling he is going to pick up a TT DVD. So I may be really hurting tonight if I have to break out the TT bikes. They are the ultimate torture machine!

Bending Crank Arms...again

2005-12-28T10:38:00.000-06:00

I went to the gym last night for my normal weight lifting routine. I did legs a little heavier than normal and added in a few more reps. I also bumped up my push-up. My legs were tired by the time I drove home. I got on the trainer at home and Charles pops in "Bending Crank Arms" Spinnervals DVD. Wonderful! So, after my 5 minute hard effort in my big ring and my 12 on the back...my legs were toast. Then I had to get off my bike and do 30 seconds worth of squats and then hold it down (like sitting in an imaginary chair) for 30 seconds! And then repeat that two more times. Oh my gosh! Then Coach Troy made us get back on the bike and do 1 minute hard efforts with one minute off, but at the end of each one minute hard effort, we had to stand up and sprint for 15 seconds. Yeah, five of those and then off the bike again for some more squats. And that was not even the half-way point. Needless to say...I am very sore today and I am most likely going to be taking a rest day today. Even sitting at my desk right now, my legs are throbbing. If I can manage do do that workout once a week...I should get stronger. But it may kill me in the process. So for anyone who wants to suffer...check out "Bending Crank Arms" and get familiar with Coach Troy.

Christmas

2005-12-27T10:47:00.000-06:00

I had a really nice Christmas this year. Charles and I went to my grandparents' house on Christmas Eve and then I went to Enid to my other grandparents on Christmas day. I have three sets of grandparents and I was able to go spend time with all of them this year. I also went to my brother's house on my way from Enid back to OKC on Christmas night. It was a full house out there and I was so tired by that point. I really wanted to ride Zakk's new motorcycle but it was dark and he told me I would probably wreck it anyway. I would have felt bad if I would have wrecked his new dirtbike before he got a chance to. So, I'll have to go ride it when he's not around. But I had lots of good food and I tried not to overeat too much. I did a pretty good job of not making myself miserable this year.

I did a four hour ride yesterday in Norman with Smathers and Cate. It was almost 70 degrees so we rode in a short sleeved jersey and shorts...only. Yep, that is right. December 26 and no arm warmers, leg warmers or even knee warmers. And no gloves. It was awesome. I felt pretty good. I thought I would hurt because I haven't ridden outside, other than cross races, since my team camp in Austin three weeks ago. But I guess the trainer is paying off because I felt really good. Suprisingly good. Even at the end of the ride with the hills, I felt good. My heart rate was up pretty high but my legs were ok. So, I am going to keep up the trainer workouts and maybe start doing Mt. Scott on the weekends.

I am hoping to go skiing sometime over the next week but that is up in the air right now. The 12 hour drive to Colorado puts a bit of a damper on things and Santa Fe would be great but they don't have much snow to ski on. And I don't want to break my arm again due to lack of snow!

Shop til ya drop?

2005-12-22T15:10:00.000-06:00

I officially hate Christmas shopping. I have tried to do my Christmas shopping on three seperate occasions and every time, it gets worse. The mall is a nightmare and Target is even worse. I do finally have all of my gifts bought and put in Christmas bags. I cannot wrap a gift to save my life, so everyone gets their gift in a cute little bag. It is an improvement for me because I usually give the gift in whatever store bag it comes in...like the red and white Target sack or the blue Wal-Mart bag. I guess I am not that creative or maybe I just don't care about superficial stuff like wrapping paper or fancy bags. It is kind of a waste actually. I mean the wrapping paper, the box, the tape, the card and the time spent buying the stuff and wrapping it...it is not worth it. The person is just going to rip it all off and throw it away anyway, so why bother wrapping it in the first place? Who came up with this crazy idea anyway? Alot of my family are getting gift cards because I am not very good at picking out stuff for other people. I know what I like and it is usually not the same as what someone else likes. So I don't even try to decide what someone else may like. But my oldest nephew is into the Buckle store. Everything in that place is at least $100. So, my little $25 gift card prolly isn't going to get him very far on the Lucky faded and holy jeans that he wants. And my little nephew is getting a dirt bike from my brother. So my mom got him a helmet, my dad got him gloves and I got him goggles. It is going to be awesome. In fact, I am going to have to go to my brother's house on Christmas night so I can test ride the new machine. My mom saw the bike at the shop and she said it looks so big, but Zakk is 10 years old so he needs a bigger dirt bike. It is going to so much fun. I haven't ridden a dirt bike in a long time. I got my first motorcycle when I was 5 years old. It was a little Honda z50. I rode that little bike everyday regardless if it was freezing and snowing or 100 degrees outside, I was out riding it. I hope Zakk has as much fun with his new dirt bike as I did with mine. I didn't even ride a bicycle at all when I was little because I had my motorcycle instead. We lived in the country so I could ride the motorcycle in the wheat fields and at the creek by our house. The road in front of my house was too dangerous to ride my little pink Sweet Thunder bicycle on and our gravel driveway made if suck when I fell off my bike. The dirt was much easier to land on than the gravel. So, I am hoping to take Zakk's new bike for a spin this weekend.

Speaking of this weekend. It is suppoed to be 60 degrees on Sunday and 68 on Monday. Maybe I will finally get to take my bike off the trainer and ride on the rode. I have not done a road ride since my team camp in Austin. That was like three weeks ago. The trainer rides are super hard. I don't think I have ever ridden this hard during the winter before. My coach says I gotta work on my muscle endurance. So, it is big ring most of the time. My legs feel like they have grown two inches around because of the big ring. Hopefully it will be a good thing. I guess I'll find out in a few months.

The New Fireplace

2005-12-15T18:08:00.000-06:00

The New Fireplace
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

This is the newest addition to the family. It is a gas fireplace with a thermostat. It actually heats most of the house now so the heater rarely even comes on. Plus, it sorta looks real. Oh and notice my Christmas stocking on the mantle. That has been my stocking since I was a teeny tiny little girl. It has seen many a Christmas Eve's and had lots of good stuff from Santa put in it. I wonder if Santa will be able to find it now? i guess I'll have to wait and see! And Pepper has her stocking next to mine, of course. Her stocking will probably get more action than mine this year!

Camp

2005-12-12T19:00:00.000-06:00

I went to Austin over the weekend for a team training camp. It was alot of fun and I think the team will be pretty competitive this season. Everyone seemed really nice and I didn't feel like an outsider like I thought I would. The riding in Austin is awesome! The weather was almost 70 degrees and all the roads have bike lanes. And the best part....all the restaurants are non-smoking! That is such a foreign thought for OKC. I can't imagine all the crazy people, especially cyclist, who move away from Austin. Austin seems like the perfect cycling mecca. I left Austin at 5:30 on Sunday morning to make it back by my cyclocross race in OKC at 1:00. I made it back in 5 hours and 15 minutes...pretty good time. I ended up winning the women's race and I think maybe 5th out of all the B men. I flatted with 3 laps to go and I had to grab Charles' bike. His pedals are slightly different than mine and I couldn't get un-clipped for one of the barricades. So, I bit it pretty good. The crash was on the last lap, so I just finished it off easy. I felt really good, which is unusual. I guess my training camp ride on Saturday was not quite as hard as what I am used to on the Buch's ride. I finally recovered the overall women's spot now. I think I am up by 3 points. Now I have to do all the reamining races to win it.

Here's a link to the new team: http://austinflyers.com/

I just finished cleaning house and I am off to start cooking dinner! I know scary thought...cooking AND cleaning in one day!!!

Christmas lights and snow

2005-12-07T17:37:00.000-06:00

Christmas lights and snow
Originally uploaded by cyclesq.

The first snow of the winter fell today. the Christmas lights look really pretty with the snow falling.