TransRockies vs. Canadian Goose Hunt

Charlie is in Canada this week along with several of his buddies. They are hunting geese and duck. If you do not know, Charlie works for Ducks Unlimited and his passion is hunting.

Since we both spent time in Canada following our passion, I thought I would run a comparison.

TRANSROCKIES

1. Duration = 7 days
2. Distance = 350 miles
3. Vertical Feet = 55,000
4. Average HR = 156
5. Calories burned = 49,000
6. Calories taken in = 35,000
7. Post-ride alcoholic recovery drinks = 0
8. Risks = exposure, bears, broken bones
9. Wake-up call = 6am
10. Suffer factor = 9/10
11. Fun factor = 10/10

CANADIAN GOOSE HUNT

1. Duration = 6 days
2. Distance = 0
3. Vertical feet = 0
4. Average HR = 90
5. Calories burned = 21,000
6. Calories taken in = 35,000
7. Post-hunt alcoholic recovery drinks = 18-?
8. Risks = falling asleep in the blind and missing an opportunity, getting shot by your buddy
9. Wake-up call = 4am
10. Suffer factor = 2/10
11. Fun factor = 10/10

Seriously, though, what really matters when all is said and done is #11. We both had a great time doing what we love. And this is what living is about.

Virginia Creeper

On Saturday, we did the family thing as I drug Carly and Charlie along the 34 mile rail-trail. Nah, it wasn't that bad. They both did very well, although they both developed a mild case of "raw crotch." Luckily it was almost all downhill and we stopped several times along the way.

The weather was perfect. Mid 50's to mid 70's and sunny. We stayed in Abingdon on Friday night. Carly, being excited about Saturday's adventure, got us both up before the sun came up, around 6 am. I had been looking forward to sleeping in.

We arrived at the Virgina Creeper Trail Bike Shop and loaded our bikes on the shuttle. After about an hour ride, we arrived at Whitetop Station, the beginning of the trail. There were about a hundred other people getting started, too. It would make for a treacherous start. Within the first 10 minutes of the ride, we witnessed two crashes. Other than some bruises and blood spillage, the people involved would live to crash again.

We happened upon Bruce, Pam, Will, and Morgan at one of the 47 trestles. We rode with them to Damascus, stopping to eat lunch at the Creeper Trail Cafe, home to the world famous chocolate cake. Although the cake was pretty darn good, it was no match for my sour cream chocolate cake.

The first half of the trail is all downhill, on a 2-4% grade. We travelled through some lush forest and beautiful farmlands. Much of the trail is on private property. From Damascus to Abingdon, the view opens up considerably as you pass through many farms, sharing the trail with cows. Along this section, there are several gates we passed through. The grade was level until the last 8 miles, then it began to slowly climb at 1-2%.

Pam, Bruce, and the kids stopped in Damascus. Their journey was done. At this point, I was a bit concerned about how my troops would do, but we continued on ... Abingdon or bust. Carly had lots of energy left as every time Charlie would try to pass us, she would start mashin' and propel our tandem forward.

With about 8 miles left, I could see that Charlie was struggling. The all to telltale signs: moving the butt around on the saddle, standing up and repositioning, and spending a bit more time coasting. I was a good girl, however, and Carly and I slowed and let him take the lead.

Poor guy! After 1 1/2 years of not riding, I take him on a 34 mile ride. Actually, he was the one who offered to come, after my girlfriends bailed. He managed to suffer through. I think the last 8 miles took us about 1:20 to finish. But finish we did.

Carly did amazingly well. She pedalled the whole way on her Trail-A-Bike. She never fussed a bit, except for the time she got debris flung up in her eye from my tire. After that incident, I let her wear my glasses for the duration.

I had to keep Carly in check for the first 10 miles as she was wanting to pass everyone in front of her ... at high speed! That's my girl! No fear she had. Me, I feared the "flying incompetents," so used the brakes quite a bit.

All in all, it was a good day. Rail Trails are enjoyed a heck of a lot better when not in the middle of a hundie!

City Park Walk-A-Thon

Today Carly participated in a fundraiser for her school. The goal was to get pledges/donations beforehand and then to see how many 0.1 mile laps you could run/walk in 30 minutes.

This is Carly's race report from her mom's view. Three hours before her start time, I had her fuel up on CoCo Puffs and 2% milk. Her gym teacher had all the kids doing with 5 minutes of Movement Prep.

Carly started off smart. She walked a half a lap before she broke off into a "cheetah-like" run. She stayed pretty consistent throughout her 23 laps, alternating between running and walking. Her lap times stayed about 71 seconds.

She pitted 4 times for a 1 minute pit average. (Next year I am going to ask if I can "feed" her as I think I can get her pit times down to 5-10 seconds.) The reason she had long pit times was: she had to find her bottle in a group of 19, unscrew the cap, drink, screw the cap, and then put it back down.

Noah, her friend who is a boy, but IS NOT her boyfriend (so she says) also slowed her down as he began to tire earlier than she. I may have to work on his endurance for next year.

With better attire, i.e. appropriate running shoes, Swiftwick socks, and snug-fitting clothing for aerodynamics, she should be able to shave 3-4 seconds per lap. 5% faster, right?

No, I am not living my life through my child. If I was, she would be riding a bike!

Granddad Jack, perhaps next year you will make a flat donation rather than a pledge per lap!

Black Bear Rampage

Whew! That was a tough one. This race covered all the singletrack at The Whitewater Center, including a 2 mile paved climb and a 1 mile fireroad climb. It was approximately 40 miles. I wasn't sure how my legs would be, but I found out pretty quick as I missed my starting wave by 30 seconds. I pulled an Ursula on that one (inside joke). Jumping from a HR of 110 to 180 hurts! Anyway, I immediately knew that would be counterproductive, so I settled into my own rhythm, knowing that I had the whole race to reel my competition back in.

So as I watched the field ahead of me slowly pulling away, I noticed a few began popping off, including a rather tall guy on a Fisher. Not good for the Fisher team, especially since Mr. Gary Fisher himself was here for this race. I reeled him in and latched on. He pulled me to the singletrack where he graciously allowed me to get in front. Nice guy, I thought. (More on this story later).

I felt like I was a Super D racer today. The legs felt good on the downhills and short power ups, but any sustained climb was just brutal. I was like a 3-legged moutain goat, struggling to maintain an even pace on the climbs.

Finally during the last 10 miles, I began to feel good again. But it was too little too late. I ended up third, 2 minutes off 2nd place.

The best part was having Carly there saying, "Go Mommy, go!" Zeke and her were my pit crew today, handing me bottles along various sections of the course. Even though I was having a bad day, Carly made me smile. She was so cute in her little Castelli cycling cap.

While reliving the race with Zeke and Carly, Zeke asked if I knew who pulled me up the paved climb. I said some poor Fisher guy who popped off the front. Zeke said, "That poor guy was Gary Fisher!" Oops! Oh well, everyone looks the same when in their racing kit.

Congrats to my inspiration, Loretta Simpson, for winning the Expert class. And kudos to Susie Council for her first race back from a broken leg, to Nancy Fields for a personal best and to Cathi Cannon for finishing strong. All the women out there looked strong! Good job, ladies!

And thanks to Zeke. Carly said she enjoyed her "piggyback" rides.

Interbike and CrossVegas

Who knew that two days of walking the floors of the Sands Convention Center would be harder than a hundie? My shins are sore, my feet are going numb, and my back hurts.

I managed to meet up with quite a few companies. I have good vibes after talking to their marketing/sponsorship directors. Zeke "pimped" me up. I am anxious to see what happens for '09. I think it was good for them to meet me so that they can put a face with my proposal. And with Zeke's storytelling capabilities, they should not forget me!

CrossVegas was my first time spectating a cyclocross race. To me, it's like a short-track race on road bikes. Their was only two barriers on the whole 3-4K course. It was not technical; more of a power course. It was amazing to see how quickly the lead group broke free of the pack. And stayed this way until the very end. Lance showed up and raced ... he seems to be doing it all these days. I think he managed to get a top 10 or 15. I did not stay for the men's finish as it had been a long day for me and I wanted to escape the mass exodus.

It was good to see friends that I have not seen in a while: Krista, Danielle, Tim, and Rebecca to name a few.

One more day; I cannot wait. For this country girl, Vegas is just too much for me. It is sad that people have to come here to have fun. I want to see the beautiful green mountains of Tennessee. When I get home, I think I will need to shower in Clorox!

12 Hours of Dauset

Never give up! After 12 hours of racing, it came down to the last lap. Throughout the day, we had been sitting 2 to 9 minutes down on Team Monkey Butt. There guys were just a bit faster than us, cranking out the day laps 1-3 minutes faster. We were able to always reel them back in when they sent their woman out, as she was much slower than us. However, she did only 2 laps, so by the time night fell we were back in the hole, about 5 minutes back.

I went out on the second to the last lap. Lisa came in on her final lap quicker than I expected and I had not seen Monkey Butt's man go out just a few minutes prior to Lisa's arrival, so I thought that we were in the lead. And the plan was that if I was ahead on my lap, I would pull a double. So I hammered that lap. With two HID's blazing away, I was able to maintain my speed.

I was thinking that whole lap that I was going to have to race the final lap as well, so I was in the consevation mode, trying to carry my momentum through each and every little twist, turn, and descent. I came through the transition area just two minutes slower than my day laps.

But then I saw Kim all geared up and ready to go. Suddenly I was confused, but handed off the baton to her. Lisa was there and then I learned that we were still 5 minutes behind.

Oh, well. It was then I settled for a 2nd place. You always have those thoughts of, "What if the opposition was to have a mechanical or crash? It could happen." But it rarely does. I got cleaned up and packed up. Then we went to the finish to wait on Kim.

After Kim had been out on the course for 50 minutes and Monkey Butt for 55 minutes, we began to fidget and wonder. The minutes kept rolling by and no sign of our competition. Oh, sh!t, could they have had some problems. We began to have a slight glimmer of hope that 1st place might be within our reach.

But Kim was late as well. She should have turned a 55 minute lap, but there was no sign of Kim. Then Lisa said that if Monkey Butt was having trouble out on the trail, she hoped that Kim had not stopped to help.

Talk about nerves. Lisa was chewing her nails and keeping close tabs on the minutes ticking by. I was straining my eyeballs as each rider approached, hoping that it was Kim. Julia's heartrate was probably higher than it had been out on the trail.

Then a rider came through with just a handlebar light. It couldn't have been Kim, as she had both a helmet and handlebar. But wait! It was Kim! Holy cow! We won! We sounded like a bunch of 14 year old cheerleaders hootin' and hollerin' as we rushed over and gave Kim a big hug.

Monkey Butt had double flatted and Kim had passed him on the last lap. Then her helmet light died so she had to slow up quite a bit to see the trail.

Sweet victory!

Just 5% faster was all it took!

Mulberry Gap Women Only MTB Weekend

What a fun and relaxing weekend! Riding with women that have the same passion as I. I met some new friends, had a great time on the trail, and ate the best food ... EVER!

We were able to ride out our cabin door and even had a good warm up on the fire roads before hitting some sweet singletrack. We rode Bear Creek, and Pinhoti 1,2, and 3 over the course of 2 days and 3 rides. We covered 53 miles.

Our hostesses, Diane and Ginni, treated us like family. I have never felt as comfortable and as at home as I did at Mulberry Gap. No TV, no phone, no radio, no internet, just nature at its best! And Ginni is the best chef, one who loves to cook and make people smile the minute they take a bite! The trails were great, but I was always excited to get back to camp and see what Ginni and Diane had prepared.

My food favorites were the chicken salad, pita crisps, and the berry cobbler! I am going to give it a go at the grilled peaches sometime this week ... if I can find some decent ones.

Thanks to Debbie, Sarah, Nancy, Beth, Tina, and Namrita for such a good time. We need to do this again!