Another fun evening with great people! It was HOT but not too humid. Since this was my last possibility to race the series I didn't want to miss. But major flare-up happened Monday and was miserable today. Rode to work this morning and seriously considered going home, but needed to get things done and didn't want to burn a PTO day. :-)
Got out of work and rode home. A friend came to visit and we rode to Eva Bandman together. I tried to talk her into racing, but she didn't bring her MTB.
I started the race, but realized the pain was too distracting and I was going to be an obstacle for the others. Still had fun, always have fun riding bikes and being with like-minded people.
Time to think and regroup.
Will add photo/video later.
peace and g'nite
it should be easier. I was told I shouldn't care. But I do, it's how I'm wired. To be standing and talking with people and have people either act like you're not there or just walk away. this too is life. c'est la vie, non?
10 June, 2015
08 June, 2015
Emotonal moment here folks
My niece got married Saturday. What a beautiful ceremony and celebration it was. The officiant recognized those that were not able to be with us including my Dad and my niece's grandparents on her mother's side as well as relatives of the groom. Tears welled up in my eyes. And I thought about Mom too. They played such good music including some Nat King Cole. My Dad loved his music and had several of his albums. He also loved Big Band and some jazz. The groom is a musician and teacher. Dad would've really liked him I think.
The bride and groom dance: Greta and Jacob's newlywed dance
Visited Mom today at supper time. (read a comment recently about the use of the word supper, definitely not a southern person). They had dressed hamburgers, tater tots, and pork and beans with lemonade. We visited a bit and I went to fill her med planner. They were still eating when I finished that and I sat with her and chatted with her table mates. Well, only one gentleman was capable of conversation. They had chocolate pudding for dessert and I got out my iPhone and showed Mom pictures of Greta and Jacob's wedding. She kept asking his name and commenting on how tall he is. She said "Greta is going to have to look up all the time to see his face." Next I got some photos of Violet, her first great-granddaughter. She repeated and repeated her name. She asked for her full name. When I said Violet Elena, she really liked Elena. I showed her a couple of videos of Violet also. She just smiled and said how pretty and happy she is. She wants to see her and I want her to as well.
Sitting here posting videos from the wedding and a post about my visit to mom and I get emotional. Happy and sad all at the same time. Life is constant change. It's all out of our control. The best we can do is love and love and love each other.
Thinking about friends who've recently lost parents and those whose parents are close to leaving this world. Then I see all of the expectant Moms and Dads and new babies on my Facebook wall and the circle of life continues.
Love your family and friends as much as you can. You never know when they won't be.
Peace and love to all
The bride and groom dance: Greta and Jacob's newlywed dance
Visited Mom today at supper time. (read a comment recently about the use of the word supper, definitely not a southern person). They had dressed hamburgers, tater tots, and pork and beans with lemonade. We visited a bit and I went to fill her med planner. They were still eating when I finished that and I sat with her and chatted with her table mates. Well, only one gentleman was capable of conversation. They had chocolate pudding for dessert and I got out my iPhone and showed Mom pictures of Greta and Jacob's wedding. She kept asking his name and commenting on how tall he is. She said "Greta is going to have to look up all the time to see his face." Next I got some photos of Violet, her first great-granddaughter. She repeated and repeated her name. She asked for her full name. When I said Violet Elena, she really liked Elena. I showed her a couple of videos of Violet also. She just smiled and said how pretty and happy she is. She wants to see her and I want her to as well.
Sitting here posting videos from the wedding and a post about my visit to mom and I get emotional. Happy and sad all at the same time. Life is constant change. It's all out of our control. The best we can do is love and love and love each other.
Thinking about friends who've recently lost parents and those whose parents are close to leaving this world. Then I see all of the expectant Moms and Dads and new babies on my Facebook wall and the circle of life continues.
Love your family and friends as much as you can. You never know when they won't be.
Peace and love to all
05 June, 2015
04 June, 2015
Louisville Short Track MTB race #2
Different course this week. There was only one log, small in diameter to clear just before a left hand turn, no big deal. The course stayed inside the wooded area and incorporated a jump that was rollable, though I wish I had the skilz to jump because rolling it wasn't fun or fast.
I rode to the course from home on my Scalpel with flat pedals. The temps were great, high 60s. Lots of familiar faces were there and a couple of new ones on the Women's C start line! I rode to the venue 1) because it seems silly to drive 2) thought it would give me a good warm-up before racing, next time add a couple of miles I think.
I pre-rode the course about 3 laps. The one thing I didn't like about the course was the hill. They put in this steep climb of about 30 feet. I made it up about 3/5 of the way during warm-up. First lap in the race I slid out and everyone passed me. Climbing that in my 5/10s was a big challenge. They have fairly slick soles, thus no traction. Maybe I should put my clip-less pedals and shoes in my bag for next week. nah I am not making excuses. I should be able to ride that climb unless it's full of others walking it. Several of the juniors passed me and some of them are very small. Not to worry, no damage to my ego there. Two of them got tangled and one smashed into a tree. They got their bikes apart by the time I got to them. The one was crying a bit and I said jump on your bike and ride, you are going to be fine! He did and I think he was just fine.
Again, I must say how nice it is to have people cheering for you. It is a huge boost even if there's no way to do better than last. I am humbled when I hear my name. People I did not think would ever cheer for me did. Still wondering about that.
Watching the rest of the races and cheering for everyone is the very best part of the evenin' for me. That and talking to folks. It's always fun to run from place to place on the course and snap photos or take some video. I did grab some video at the jump and caught a few catching air.
A friend and I chatted briefly. She said how good it was to see me making a comeback to racing. hmmm Not so sure this is what I would call a comeback. I have no fitness. I may never have any chance of being competitive again. But I love the atmosphere and hope to make some Cyclocross races this fall.
Women's A/B race start:
Men's A Race start:
I will try to post a vid and/or photo later tonight to this blog entry.
I hope everyone is enjoying their Springtime.
peace and love
p.s. the autoimmune stuff just stinks, flareups keep happening out of the blue. One started Monday evening and was no fun for last night's race. Good news: asthma and allergies seem to be better for now. :-)
I rode to the course from home on my Scalpel with flat pedals. The temps were great, high 60s. Lots of familiar faces were there and a couple of new ones on the Women's C start line! I rode to the venue 1) because it seems silly to drive 2) thought it would give me a good warm-up before racing, next time add a couple of miles I think.
I pre-rode the course about 3 laps. The one thing I didn't like about the course was the hill. They put in this steep climb of about 30 feet. I made it up about 3/5 of the way during warm-up. First lap in the race I slid out and everyone passed me. Climbing that in my 5/10s was a big challenge. They have fairly slick soles, thus no traction. Maybe I should put my clip-less pedals and shoes in my bag for next week. nah I am not making excuses. I should be able to ride that climb unless it's full of others walking it. Several of the juniors passed me and some of them are very small. Not to worry, no damage to my ego there. Two of them got tangled and one smashed into a tree. They got their bikes apart by the time I got to them. The one was crying a bit and I said jump on your bike and ride, you are going to be fine! He did and I think he was just fine.
Again, I must say how nice it is to have people cheering for you. It is a huge boost even if there's no way to do better than last. I am humbled when I hear my name. People I did not think would ever cheer for me did. Still wondering about that.
Watching the rest of the races and cheering for everyone is the very best part of the evenin' for me. That and talking to folks. It's always fun to run from place to place on the course and snap photos or take some video. I did grab some video at the jump and caught a few catching air.
A friend and I chatted briefly. She said how good it was to see me making a comeback to racing. hmmm Not so sure this is what I would call a comeback. I have no fitness. I may never have any chance of being competitive again. But I love the atmosphere and hope to make some Cyclocross races this fall.
Women's A/B race start:
Men's A Race start:
I will try to post a vid and/or photo later tonight to this blog entry.
I hope everyone is enjoying their Springtime.
peace and love
p.s. the autoimmune stuff just stinks, flareups keep happening out of the blue. One started Monday evening and was no fun for last night's race. Good news: asthma and allergies seem to be better for now. :-)
29 May, 2015
Louisville MTB Short.Track.Racing Race #1 2015
So other than an attempt at an Enduro or three over the last two summers I haven't seriously raced since the 2012/2013 Cyclocross season. I can't say it's much different since I'm not sure Wednesday's race counts as serious racing (for me).
I'm out of practice on race prep so got home, gathered my gear and bike, loaded the van and headed to Eva. This after making numerous trips back to the house for this and that. Once I arrived I felt terribly rushed to get registered and the line was growing at the reg tent, then to get my timing chip. Rush back to the van and change (have I said how common it is to see me anywhere in the USA changing clothes in parking lots? yeah, all the time). Before I turned 45 I never would've thought at almost 57 I would be doing any of these things.
I digress. The Trance is too heavy for short track racing, IMO. I had lent my Scalpel to a friend to ride for a couple of weeks and he returned it Tuesday night, all clean and ready to go. Lowered my saddle, put my pedals on and went for a pre-ride thinking I had about 15 minutes before start time. In an ideal world a minimum 30 minute ride for warmup is best for me. There were 3 logs to clear, 2 small and one not so small (but there was a ride around I discovered during the race). About halfway through the first warmup lap and my gears started wanting to shift themselves, more than needing a trim. The one climb on the course made this problem seem even worse. I rode to my van and worked on adjusting things. At first I moved the barrel in the wrong direction, but I figured that out and thought I had it right. Rode 2 more laps and went to start line.
The kids race was just starting! I had more time than the schedule said, which was good for me to calm down and watch the little ones. These girls and boys are anywhere from around 2 to 8 riding tricycles, striders and bicycles. They are all in and racing their little bums down the track. So adorably cute they all are!
Since I haven't had any fitness and long time since racing I entered the Women's C race. There were 4 of us and we were set for 20 minutes. In addition to us we had the Juniors racing 30 seconds behind us. Well, it didn't take long for several of them to pass us! I lost count but think we completed 4 maybe 5 laps and total time was less than 20 minutes. I haven't ridden that hard with my heart rate pegged in a long time! Clare was much too fast and she dieseled well out in front and I never saw her after the first lap. Leigh Ann was in 2nd and I can't remember when I passed her. Maybe about the time the first junior boy passed us. The Jr girls came around fairly early on. I wound up 2nd. Was happy the wheezing subsided by the end of the following race and was humbled by all of the people cheering for me as I rode around and around the course. I do not have the words to convey the way that makes me feel. But I do hope I can get some consistency over the summer and drop some weight. No commitments, but it would be nice to through in a cyclocross race this fall. End of the day if I never race again I'd be fine with it. But being around all the people in the cycling community is great. The mountain bikers especially are some of the most supportive around.
There are so many fun people that raced Wednesday. I'm so proud of K8 monster and another Jr I can't remember her name, Kate Dietrich, KK Santos, Laura Chism, Jennifer Hester, Mary Penta and Jenna Blandford. These women and many more are my heroines to be sure regardless of their age.
The men's races were fun to watch as well, but I will let them tell their stories. :-D
We have four more Wednesdays to race. It costs $10 each and $5 if you are a Jr and free for kids. There's a food truck, Black Rock Grille that serves up delicious burgers and fries. The kids get Popsicles after their race and I'm thinking a few people have extra brews in their coolers if you forget yours.
Come down and watch us all suffer for 20-30 minutes racing our bikes through the woods at Eva Bandman. It's free and a great family oriented time.
Peace
The others left before our podium. :-(
I'm out of practice on race prep so got home, gathered my gear and bike, loaded the van and headed to Eva. This after making numerous trips back to the house for this and that. Once I arrived I felt terribly rushed to get registered and the line was growing at the reg tent, then to get my timing chip. Rush back to the van and change (have I said how common it is to see me anywhere in the USA changing clothes in parking lots? yeah, all the time). Before I turned 45 I never would've thought at almost 57 I would be doing any of these things.
I digress. The Trance is too heavy for short track racing, IMO. I had lent my Scalpel to a friend to ride for a couple of weeks and he returned it Tuesday night, all clean and ready to go. Lowered my saddle, put my pedals on and went for a pre-ride thinking I had about 15 minutes before start time. In an ideal world a minimum 30 minute ride for warmup is best for me. There were 3 logs to clear, 2 small and one not so small (but there was a ride around I discovered during the race). About halfway through the first warmup lap and my gears started wanting to shift themselves, more than needing a trim. The one climb on the course made this problem seem even worse. I rode to my van and worked on adjusting things. At first I moved the barrel in the wrong direction, but I figured that out and thought I had it right. Rode 2 more laps and went to start line.
The kids race was just starting! I had more time than the schedule said, which was good for me to calm down and watch the little ones. These girls and boys are anywhere from around 2 to 8 riding tricycles, striders and bicycles. They are all in and racing their little bums down the track. So adorably cute they all are!
Since I haven't had any fitness and long time since racing I entered the Women's C race. There were 4 of us and we were set for 20 minutes. In addition to us we had the Juniors racing 30 seconds behind us. Well, it didn't take long for several of them to pass us! I lost count but think we completed 4 maybe 5 laps and total time was less than 20 minutes. I haven't ridden that hard with my heart rate pegged in a long time! Clare was much too fast and she dieseled well out in front and I never saw her after the first lap. Leigh Ann was in 2nd and I can't remember when I passed her. Maybe about the time the first junior boy passed us. The Jr girls came around fairly early on. I wound up 2nd. Was happy the wheezing subsided by the end of the following race and was humbled by all of the people cheering for me as I rode around and around the course. I do not have the words to convey the way that makes me feel. But I do hope I can get some consistency over the summer and drop some weight. No commitments, but it would be nice to through in a cyclocross race this fall. End of the day if I never race again I'd be fine with it. But being around all the people in the cycling community is great. The mountain bikers especially are some of the most supportive around.
There are so many fun people that raced Wednesday. I'm so proud of K8 monster and another Jr I can't remember her name, Kate Dietrich, KK Santos, Laura Chism, Jennifer Hester, Mary Penta and Jenna Blandford. These women and many more are my heroines to be sure regardless of their age.
The men's races were fun to watch as well, but I will let them tell their stories. :-D
We have four more Wednesdays to race. It costs $10 each and $5 if you are a Jr and free for kids. There's a food truck, Black Rock Grille that serves up delicious burgers and fries. The kids get Popsicles after their race and I'm thinking a few people have extra brews in their coolers if you forget yours.
Come down and watch us all suffer for 20-30 minutes racing our bikes through the woods at Eva Bandman. It's free and a great family oriented time.
Peace
The others left before our podium. :-(
26 May, 2015
May 26, 2015
Today is Violet's two month birthday. Her momma posted photos and video of her smiling and laughing. She doesn't make a laughing sound yet, but her smile moves her entire body like a belly laugh does. Yes, this Gran is very proud and much in love. Truly I wish I could see her each and every day.
Went to Mom's after work to fill her medicine planner and visit a bit. She was at supper when I arrived. The 3 or 4 men that live there all sit together at meals. Seems Georgie wanted to sit with on of these lads, but was shown a different table. One of the staff tells me later that she's had a shine on this one and says he is her husband. This happens with dementia. She never called me by name today. However, when I left the table to get more sweet tea I overheard her tell the ladies at her table that I am her oldest daughter. She needed her hair washed and I spoke with one of the staff. Seems she isn't very agreeable to having her hair done. Once supper was done I told her she had a hair appointment. It didn't take too much convincing and she was so happy to have her head scrubbed and massaged. Her hair is as long or longer than mine.
My biggest wish is for all of us to all be together and have a photo made; Violet, Heather, Amber, Georgie and me. Mom's not met her yet and she won't remember, but I want her to see her great-granddaughter.
I miss my Mom. So many times a week I want to call and talk with her, tell her something that's happening. Those days are gone. But I have wonderful memories.
Family and friends are such wonderful treasures. I'm very grateful for mine.
Happy (two month) birthday, Miss Violet!!!
Went to Mom's after work to fill her medicine planner and visit a bit. She was at supper when I arrived. The 3 or 4 men that live there all sit together at meals. Seems Georgie wanted to sit with on of these lads, but was shown a different table. One of the staff tells me later that she's had a shine on this one and says he is her husband. This happens with dementia. She never called me by name today. However, when I left the table to get more sweet tea I overheard her tell the ladies at her table that I am her oldest daughter. She needed her hair washed and I spoke with one of the staff. Seems she isn't very agreeable to having her hair done. Once supper was done I told her she had a hair appointment. It didn't take too much convincing and she was so happy to have her head scrubbed and massaged. Her hair is as long or longer than mine.
My biggest wish is for all of us to all be together and have a photo made; Violet, Heather, Amber, Georgie and me. Mom's not met her yet and she won't remember, but I want her to see her great-granddaughter.
I miss my Mom. So many times a week I want to call and talk with her, tell her something that's happening. Those days are gone. But I have wonderful memories.
Family and friends are such wonderful treasures. I'm very grateful for mine.
Happy (two month) birthday, Miss Violet!!!
24 May, 2015
Memorial Day Weekend '15
Been having wanderlust for months but wanted to be close with grandbaby #1 on the way. She came end of March.
Weather and life has prevented me from seriously gettng any fitness. First foot injury then wet trails and more flare-ups blah blah blah.
Drove to Pisgah hoping to camp at Davidson River but they were full to the brim Friday evenin. So I found an almost empty parking lot and have stayed there this weekend, when I'm not doing other things.
Went up Star Gap and half of Heartbreak ridge yesterday. Coming back down was fun but scary in a couple places.
Today I rode up Thrift Cove to Black Mountain and then up Black Mtn to almost Pressley Gap. 2+ hours to push my bike with some riding. Then ~18 minutes to ride down!
My bike and I have hiked quite a bit this weekend. I did achieve a couple of PRs which is Alway nice.
Unsure about tomorrow as another flareup has been looming since Thursday.
I have missed spending time with nature and this weekend has helped and healed some. Last fall and winter was hard for me in very many ways. I am grateful for all of it and ready for this next period of time.
I sincerely hope everyone has had good happy times.
Peace and love
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