Kauai Hiking and Beach Adventures

Two days in Kauai is not enough! Just when I started to feel relaxed it was time to pack up our bags and head home. We had a great, but very long (4.5 hour) hike on the Napali Coast to a beautiful waterfall, some time relaxing on the beach, snorkeling with the masses and outstanding dinners. It was hard to find a beach where the water was calm enough to enter and the wind wasn't creating a constant blast of sand...we did succeed in finding one and I even took home a little sunburn. Next year there might be a little scuba diving involved in our Hawaii adventures if I can muster up the courage to overcome my anxiety about it. Until next year Hawaii...

Xterra Worlds Photos

Xterra World Championships

It's been a week since the showdown on Maui and I'm finally home and caught up enough on life to write a little race report.

After a smooth but long travel day we arrived Thursday evening and went straight to bed. Friday and Saturday were race prep and lots of lounging around for me while Doug went exploring the entire island on his bike. Saturday my mom ran/walked the 5K and in the process ended up breaking her ankle. It is clear that I get my determination and toughness from my mother. I witnessed her finish the race and walk around on what I kept telling her was "just a sprained ankle" for 2 days until she went to the doctor and learned it was broken.

Sunday I was up early and ready to go! I got in a good swim warm up, which turned out not to help the cause as I had one of my worst swims yet. I did get a clean start with minimal boxing moves involved. On the first lap I ingested a big mouth full of saltwater and felt a bit ill the rest of the swim. The bike was dusty and more congested for me thanks to my less than stellar swim. I can't say much about the bike other than it was OK, not fast, not feeling horrible, just OK. I came off the bike safely and had no mechanicals (thanks to my awesome mechanic and better half). I was told that I came off the bike in 9th place and was feeling great. After passing 3 girls on the run I thought I was in 6th place and coming into the finish was within seconds of what I thought was 5th. Turns out I was chasing Lesley who was in 7th and I would have to settle for 8th place. I was very happy with my run! The few cross country races I did in the last month helped me get my run closer to where it should be. The women's field was amazingly fast and a huge congrats to Shonny on her victory! I went 4 minutes faster and was faster in ever discipline but only managed to be one place closer to the podium.

A huge thanks to all my sponsors who have helped me out this season, Specialized, GU, Genuine Innovations, USANA, CycleOps, Nathan, and Avia! I truly believe in all the products I use and I'm fortunate to have companies that have been willing to support my mission to be one of the best Xterra athletes out there.

After a few days of hiking, snorkeling and relaxing in Kauai it was back to reality and being reminded about what is really important in life. My dad had a weird issue with his thumb while we were in Maui and went to the doctor 3 times there but got no answers. When he got back to Denver he needed emergency surgery to remove a rapidly spreading infection in his thumb joint. While my athletic endeavors are an integral part of my life nothing means more to me than my wonderful parents. Heal up mago and pago!

Xterra USA Championship Pictures

My race sherpa and daily supporter zipping me up

Out of the water

Bike and run photos thanks to Gene Murrieta

Xterra USA Nationals - A Missed Appointment

Last Thursday my race sherpa, good friend Brian and myself departed in the dark to get to

beautiful Snowbasin, Utah for the Xterra USA Nationals. The drive was uneventful except for almost running out of gas, almost being the key word. We arrived in time for me to do my first interview for Xterra TV...I wore my finest shoes for this:

I was feeling very ready to race and had some great mountain bike results from a few weeks prior that had my confidence high. Race day went well and I learned some lessons. I came out of the swim in about the same position I normally do. The swim was more calm than last year. I was only punched in the face once and was able to stick with a small group most of the swim.

I quickly started to move up on the bike. Snowbasin is the ideal course for me, it's at altitude and is mostly uphill. I picked off several women and found myself holding on to Shonny's wheel longer than I ever have when she came by me. I lost a little bit of focus on the top loop of the bike. They switched the bike course from last year and we climbed more single track than before. I was getting flustered trying to pass people in this section. Lesson one, be more aggressive when passing and stay focused. I came into T2 in 4th and struggled through the run. I don't know what it is with me and this course but my legs seem to cramp on the run. I didn't resort to walking like last year but was unable to climb the hills well or maintain a good turnover. Lesson two, I can't depend on my running history to get me through races anymore, I need to run more. Renata and Christine passed me in the last mile of the run and I was unable to hang with them. I ended up 7th overall and the 2nd American. It was a close race with 4th-7th being separated by less than 2 minutes. Congrats to all my Melrad teammate, especially Mel for her big win!

I was certain that I could get a podium spot this year and I am finally within striking range. So, I missed my appointment with the podium this year but I'll be back next year! And, it's not too late to have a break through race at Worlds...

Thanks to all my sponsors Avia, Specialized, GU, Profile Designs and Nathan. Also, a huge thanks to Doug and Katherine for all their support on race day!

Wow

Wow, it's been a few weeks since my last update and lots of good things have happened since then.

First, Doug and I defended our co-ed team victory at the Firecracker 50 on the 4th of July. We went a little faster than last year despite me getting stuck behind a train of slower men and a small crash when my back wheel slid out on a downhill switchback. My new Specialized Era is great and bounces back each time there is an "operator error".

The next weekend took us to Telluride for our good friends wedding. It was an amazing weekend with some fun mountain bike rides, a long run in the woods where I did not see anyone else, delicious food, tasty drinks and me busting out my moves on the dance floor. Not too many people get to see the party like a rock star side of me but Brian insisted that I party and I did not let him down. I can't believe that I have lived in Colorado my entire life and never made it to this beautiful place, thanks Brian and Katherine for giving me a wonderful reason to see Telluride!

Last weekend was a much anticipated weekend for me, the Xterra Mountain Cup. I had a great swim in my Profile Design wetsuit, coming out of the water 4th. I quickly moved into 1st on the bike and was just waiting for Shonny to pass me. Shonny caught me about the same place she did last year and I tried to hold her pace for a while until I realized I would need to still be able to run afterwards. I came into transition in 2nd and maintained my spot until the end. I didn't feel awesome on the run but was strong enough to have one of the faster run splits. It was great to have my parents at the race to watch me. I wouldn't be the athlete I am today without all their encouragement! Thanks to all my sponsors...Avia, Specialized, Profile Designs and GU for all the support and great products!

2 weekends, 2 podiums

We spent the last two weekends in Winter Park racing on some super fun trails. Two weekends ago was the Hill Climb...5 miles all up hill on the service road. It was my maiden voyage on my new Specialized Era and despite my seat being too high, which lead to incredible leg pain I still pulled off a 3rd place finish. Word to the wise, if you think your seat is too high, it probably is...lower it so you can walk the next day. After getting a quick bike fit during the week from Ryan Ignatz at Colorado Multisport I was ready for another weekend of racing. This past weekend was the Super Loop, an 18 mile race with fun single track, not so fun road sections into a head wind and a good bit of climbing. With my seat at a better height I moved up one step on the podium to 2nd place. Winter Park has such fun trails...it has become my weekend haven (in both Smmer and Winter) and we are saving our pennies to some day have a cabin in the woods there. After the race there was a wine and chocolate festival at the resort that I was excitied to attend but after seeing that tickets were $10 for 10 little tastes it seemed like a waste of money.

This weekend it is the Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge. No I'm not crazy enough to do the whole 50 miles by myself. For the third year Doug and I will be racing as a team and gunning for the win again while our friends drink beer and taunt us. Should be fun!

I think I can breathe now

Life is back to being hectic again now that I am no longer part of the 9.?% in this country. I applied for my job on a Monday, got a call to interview Tuesday, interviewed Wednesday and again on Thursday and less than 3 hours afterwards I had a job offer, which I accepted after a long bike spent weighing my options. That left me with only 3 days to switch from unemployed mode to crazy, busy, why do I do this to myself mode? I am working for Imagine! (yes, there is an exclamation point after the agency name) as a Foster Care Placement Worker. Imagine! is a wonderful agency that provides services to people with disabilities. I am responsible for managing 14 kids in 7 different foster homes. I've had a super busy 3 weeks of trial by fire and lots of learning on my own. I'm finally starting to feel adjusted to rising with the sun and having the days planned to a T.

On the training side of things I have had some solid consistent weeks all around. I'm looking forward to all the upcoming mountain bike races now that the snow in the high country has finally melted. We ventured up to the Teva Games and Doug talked me into doing both the mountain bike race and 10K trail race. When you show up to the start line with Georigia Gould, Katie Compton, Heather Irmiger, Kelli Emmet and little Amy D you know you are in for a hard day. I was climbing very well and pulled off an 11th place finish in a super stacked field. Right after the race Doug forced me to get in a good cool down (rather than my normal I'm done get me off this bike routine), eat some food right away, sit in the frigid cold stream and then lay down in the plush hotel bed the rest of the day. I'm convinced my focus on recovery really helped as I was able to pull off a 5th place in the 10K trail run on Sunday and felt pretty good too. However, the picture says it all, "hardest 10K in my life". They literally ran us straight up and down the ski slopes and most people, including me, were relegated to fast hiking. The girl behind me was an amazing downhill runner and once we started to head down to the finish her long legs took off. There really is an art to running downhill fast and I wish I was gifted in this area. This was my first year at Teva Games and I'll be back for sure next year! This weekend is the Winter Park Hill Climb, yard work and hopefully our first ride of the year in Nederland.

Hand is healed, summer is here

My hand is almost as good as new! I did a local mountain bike race Sunday, well, it was more like an hour long short track, lung and leg busting suffer fest. The hand was great but a little sore by the end because the course was super bumpy. Doug and I both ended up second in our races. We got beat by local legends the Hogans, yes they are older, 45ish, and super fast...they blew us both apart! It felt good to ride hard and beat my legs up again after my early season break I took while healing my hand.

And finally, after a relentless Spring, Summer seems to be here in Boulder! My veggie garden and wildflowers are sprouting, we had to sleep with the window cracked and I even wore shorts one day. I'm looking forward to lots of good Summer adventures...the Firecracker 50, our good friends wedding in Telluride, possibly a mountain bike adventure from Denver to Durango on the Colorado Trail and lots of good local racing! I won't be heading to anymore Xterra Cup races until Beaver Creek...it doesn't make financial sense for me right now. My plan of peaking in late Summer and Fall has proven successful the last two years, so I'm trying not to worry too much that I'm not feeling super fast or fit right now...it will come, especially now that there are races to do every weekend if I want, yeah Summer!

To Each His Own

Each day it becomes more clear to me that I am no good at being a full time athlete. I need and crave balance in my life and I have been lacking this since I became unemployed. I miss the days of getting up with the sun to do a workout before hurrying into a nice skirt, doing my hair and putting make-up on, eating on the go, endless meetings, court hearings, and driving all around to schools and homes to see clients. I think I have fixed my hair only a handful of times and maybe put makeup on twice in the last two months. I miss my bubbling coworkers and the view of the courtyard garden from my office window. I even sometimes miss those challenging days when clients were angry and said 'not so nice' things to me.

It is in my nature to give to others and help people work through their issues in order to achieve their goals. I have had many people tell me that this is a great chance for me to focus solely on Xterra or maybe even move into a different career. Truth is, I don't want to be just a professional triathlete and I really don't want to switch careers, I am passionate about what I do both as social worker and an athlete. I know that leaving the agency I was with was necessary for my professional growth and my mental well-being...things were going downhill in a hurry. Now the hard part...I have to have patience and wait until a new opportunity comes my way. It baffles me how I can be so calm and patient with clients but I struggle to be patient with myself. I am confident that something good will come out of all this but somedays the unknown simply drains me. I know many people (especially in the "Boulder Bubble") find it crazy that I actually want to work a stressful full-time job and don't understand how someone could be unhappy not working. Well, as my mother always said, "to each his own".

Xterra West Championships

If I had to describe the Xterra West Championships in two words it would be hot and painful. I knew very well that my fitness is lacking, it is April afterall, and snowing as I write this. I got beat up at the start of the swim, goggles knocked off and a few mouthfuls of toxic water but after things settled down I was able to get in a groove and came out in 5th place. I know my legs are still waking from hibernation and considering this I was doing fine on the bike, only being passed by the speedy legs of Shonny and Renata. And then came my big spill. There was a slippery pipe we had to get over and I had no issues with this when I prerode the course but at race speed this proved disastrous for me. My rear wheel slid out and I went down hard. I caught my fall with my right hand and instantly knew something was wrong when I could barely grab the bars, shift or brake. Wherever it was possible I rode with one hand and was determined to finish...yes that is the crazy competitive athlete in me. I shed some tears while riding and let out a few screams of pain at times. My real freak out came when I took my gloves off as I was coming into transition and saw how swollen my wrist was. On the run I realized it was unlikely that I would catch anyone and I could not see anyone close behind so I put it on cruise and finished in 8th place. I immediately went to the med tent and of course started crying because the season just is getting going and I have never had a big injury.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out...Paul for lugging my bags and bike around, Mel for making my bed, Becky for giving me some wine "to make the pain go away" less than 30 minutes after I finished and for tying my suit so I could lounge by the pool, and Will for driving fast back to Boulder. Also, huge thanks to Doug who has stepped it up around the house to help me...he even cleaned the toilets!

Despite losing the ability to use my right hand (yes, I am right handed) I'm glad I went to Vegas since I had the chance to meet all my wonderful Melrad teammates, Shawn from Avia and Dan from Nathan. It was also great to see fellow racers and soak up some sun. Now, hopefully I can figure out how to keep training through this. On Tuesday the doctor could not tell for sure by looking at Xrays if the hook of hamate and pisiform bones are broken or not and wanted me to get a CT scan. These bones are apparently very difficult to see in Xrays. Hopefully, by next week I will have a more definitive answer and treatment plan.

First race of the year

For the past several weeks I've been battling an IT band issue that only hurts when I ride. After taking some time off the bike and getting some serious massage from the "king of massage", Jeff Staron, I needed to test my leg out before going to Xterra Vegas. We ventured to the Front Range Mountain Bike series race #2 in Arvada. Rain, mud and cold was the theme of the day, especially during my race. I had a good start and got to the singletrack in 3rd. I moved up to 2nd quickly and then somehow got what appeared to be a rusty bike spoke tangled in my cassette. After stopping to wrangle the rusty metal out I had dropped back to about 7th. I regained my spot in 2nd after another lap but was never able to catch 1st. For my first race and really my first real effort of the year I was quite pleased. I was not pleased with the rocks and mud flinging in my mouth and the rain smacking me in the face. I think the worst part of the day was that Doug had just cleaned my bike and I was able to ruin all his hard work in about 2 minutes, sorry babe.

Xterra Vegas is in 5 days! Am I ready? Sure, I'm ready to get some sun, have some fun and race as best I can this early in the year. No expectations or pressure for this one, that comes in July and October...

Cuteness

These pictures of my nephew made me smile. I love this lil guy, especially his bareback style on his rocking horse from Aunt Sara.

Moab Smiles

This picture about sums up our rides in Moab! Other than being caught in a blizzard riding on Thursday the weather was great and we got in some long, fun rides. The wind decided to kick up every night making for some less than ideal camping and sleeping conditions. I was convinced on two nights that the tent was going to blow away with both of us in it, luckily the trusty Marmot held up through it all. The best day by far was riding my favorite trail Porcupine Rim. We ran into Tom and Bobby from Boulder on the trail and rode with them. Thanks for letting me steal some of your pictures Tom and for making me realize that Doug is indeed a freak because he rides stuff that most people (including other males) think is insane. I was able to climb surprisingly well considering that I haven't spent much time focusing on climbing. Then there is the decent...so fun! On the long decent I just get into a rhythm and have some speed that carries me over ledges and through sections that would have made my cry three years ago when I started mountain biking. Doug often would look back and say, "did you ride that"? I think he was quite proud when I continued to say "yeah" and had a grin on my face the whole time.

The Jeep Safari was going on while we were there, which wasn't much of an issue on the trail since they go about 5 mph. Most of the Jeepers were super nice. I was offered hot chocolate or whiskey when were riding in the blizzard. Not sure why I didn't take either, surely it would have returned some feeling to my hands. The stuff the Jeeps do is quite impressive and fun to watch! The Audi tried to get in on the fun when Doug had to rally it over some rough sections to get us in and out of the campsite. Not quite as impressive as the Jeeps but pretty good for the low rider. Until next time Moab!

I can't believe in two weeks I will be heading to Vegas for my first Xterra of the year. I tend to be a late season performer but I'm excited to see how I stack up this early on and to see what I need to focus on in the next few months.

Be kind to yourself

My good friend and teammate Becky posted this on our Melrad team blog http://melrad.com/2010/03/24/meet-my-friends/ and I was left speechless, ok a tear might have even rolled out of my eye. I am known to be pretty hard on myself, perhaps perfectionistic is the correct word. Since becoming unemployed I've struggled to find balance and shift the priorities in my life. It took a friend of mine to shake me from my fog with her amazing words and remind me that I need to be patient and kind to myself. There will be plenty of time in the future for me to have hectic weeks and there is no limit to the things I can do in my career. But for now I need to slow down, have an extra cup of coffee and be kind to myself everyday.

Biathlon

Doug tried his hand at biathlon in Snow Mountain Ranch last weekend and now I've got this "I'd like to try this" bug. I got out for a great 2 hour skate ski while Doug was helping score the first wave and waiting for his wave to start. Doug shot better than most people, no surprise there, and for his first season on skate skis he did awesome! The Colorado Biathlon Club is possibly the most friendly organization I've come across lately. Everyone was cheering for Doug even though they never met him and somehow I must look like I should be racing because I was asked about a dozen times, "why didn't you race today"? This summer there is a mountain bike and trail run biathlon that I might have to jump into. I'm hoping they can put some beer cans up really close to me for my targets since that seems to be what I am capable of hitting. I think we are done skiing for the year and need to get a little more focused on long weekend rides now that Spring is almost here. Probably won't happen this weekend though since it is supposed to snow up to 12" tomorrow...Spring in the Rockies always keeps you guessing about what the day will bring.

Crossroads

I thought about posting this last week and refrained. As the month comes to a close and my decision has been made, I'm ready to share.

It's no secret the US economy is in horrible shape and if you work in a government agency you've probably felt the impact of huge deficits in one way or another. I'm at a crossroads with my job right now. For the last 3 months my agency has started the process of forcing major structural changes in an effort to better meet the needs of the families we serve. Hours are changing, well functioning coherent teams are being uprooted and shifted around. I've been anxious and angry for 3 months...what will my job be, when will I work, who will my supervisor be, why are they fixing something that isn't broken, is this really going to help better serve our clients?

Three weeks ago it was announced that 25 employees would be laid off. Our workloads and the nature of our work is such that the loss of 25 employees coupled with monumental structural changes has me (and many other people) scared. Then a week ago we were told that employees can accept a voluntary layoff. What ensued was a week of sleepless nights and contemplation about one of the toughest decisions I've made in my 29 years.


When very knowledgeable people that you trust in your agency say, "if I could I would" and "I don't blame you and I support you" it speaks to the negative climate. So, here I am with 4 more days of work and then...

No, I won't abandon the field of social work but I will study for and take the licenced clinical social worker exam, take the Colorado school social worker exam and continue to explore the few job possibilities that are out there right now. Oh, and I might have a bit more time to train and finish some home projects. I think I might be able to sleep tonight!

Offseason Happenings

Just in case anyone cares...I'm still alive and have not completely abandoned my blog. The last few months have gone by too quickly. It's time to start focusing on training again and I'm getting excited for the upcoming season. One thing I may do a bit more seriously than my competitors it really embrace my offseason...I'm an expert at it really. I took several weeks of no training, ok maybe more like 3.5 weeks afters Worlds and then about a month of simple "exercise" with no agenda. January marked the start of my "start to train" and now it's "let's get a little more serious mode". Most exciting news is that I was asked to be part of Mels rad racing for the upcoming season. I'm really looking forward to being on this team with awesome sponsors and great teammates. Thanks Mel for giving me this opportunity!

Doug and I have been doing lots of home improvement projects this winter. We insulated the attic and crawlspace to. We have ripped down some wood paneling, painted some walls and are getting ready to tackle a kitchen update. It is a slow process but rewarding to be doing it all ourselves. I had one construction injury...smashing my foot with a hammer while trying to get a nail out of the baseboard. No broken bones, just tissue damages that took a good week to heal. I wish I could say we've had some awesome skiing but there has been a serious lack of snow at the resorts we ski...oh well, more time to work on the house.

Here are a few pictures from the last few monts. We spent Christmas in Bradford, PA for the second year in a row with Doug's family. Yes, I'm in love with a redneck and he loves when I shoot beer cans! If Doug could learn to skate ski fast we would for sure be headed to the next Olympics for biathlon...

My man and his dad shooting

Me shooting some beer cans at the gun club

My new ride...watch out Mel!

Getting ready to insulate the crawlspace with toxic spray foam