nekkie wins woooot

So "nothing" wins on the poll!  Umm until today I thought that meant that "nothing" means no costumes--like we would be wearing normal kits and shit...  but then i just realized it means naked.  Does it mean naked?  Are we racing naked?  

I must douse myself with scented oils.

Last night I had a dream that you were racing in a shopping cart. I'm not sure how it worked, but it was excellent.

T-giving

happy thanksgiving !

baltimore sounds like fun.  asheville would be a great place to explore if i had a bike...  yesterday Roz and Cooper (the dog) and I went running but didn't run a whole lot.  The neighborhood where my uncle and aunt live is super hilly... uughh     we are trying again today, mostly so we can tire the dog out so he doesn't try to steal the turkey.

I made pies: pumpkin that is actually sweet potato, and pecan.  They are vegan.  The sweet potato pie is going to be fab but the goo that oozed out of the pecan pie tasted fishy.  I think the maple syrup that we used (substitute for corn syrup) was old.  Maybe some fish got into it. 

Yesterday at the grocery store we had to cross barriers with the shopping carts in order to get to our car.  It was difficult to shoulder.

Daily lesson from Rosalind:

"have you been using sun protection?  spf 15 is not adequate for cycling outdoors.  You are going to get wrinkly and i don't want people thinking you are my mom or anything.." 

BaltimRRR

Question of the day: Why don't I live in Baltimore?

I'm currently visiting Uncle Bob and MB, who live in Baltimore County, about 15 miles outside of Baltimore proper. I got in a little more than an hour today before I realized my seat clamp was loose and I had forgotten water and food and had to turn back. Lame. But it was definitely the most exciting hour+ I've put in since riding at Bandelier. There are some rolling hills, some short steep hills and some long slow hills. It was about 40 degrees outside and the wind was minimal. It was really exciting to be exploring a new area on my bike.

In addition to riding I made pita chips and am working on the last steps of apple pie assemblege. There is also a feta/scallion dip going, the beginning of stuffing and other goodies. I have a feeling tomorrow's spread is going to be quite impressive. Thanksgiving really is the best holiday ever.

After food prep George and I made a quick store run to pick up gatorade and other last minute Tanksgiving supplies. Tomorrow morning I'm going to head out for a couple hours (with hydration!) before festivities begin.

Hrrm Natchez Trace. I agree that it would be risky. I've been kinda worried about the cold weather campingfor a while now. I do like this idea of Arizona or Texas. Honestly, not that fond of the idea of shipping my bike, but what's a girl to do? I was in the Davis Mountains in west Texas for a couple days over the summer and it was really pretty and had nice roads. I'm not sure what winter is like down there, but that could be something to look into. If we could somehow get to Big Bend that would be super super fun. All good stuff.

Happy Thanksgiving!

nachez trace brr

I think the trace might be too cold in january.  we will have to camp because there aren't too many places to stay right off the route.  Even if its in the low 40s during the day, it will be freezing at night...    i'm thinking maybe we can take the train or fly to texas or arizona and bike there instead?  the nachez trace might be too much of a gamble...if the weather is too shitty we'll have to call it off.  plane tix aren't to pricey on southwest (to arizona, texas, etc..) and shipping bikes isnt too much of a problem if we do it soon enough and stuff.  we can camp along the way for sure because it will be warm enough..  hmm  what do you think B.Chan?  I'll look into it more, for specific bike routes and stuff.

So sad news:  my doggie died.  He had to be euthanized because he had kidney failure.  I feel bad because my fam and I are in North Carolina for T-giving and Jesse is alone at the vet :-(   Oh doggie doggie we've had him since I was 12 ...  he was such a sweetie big brown doggie chocolate lab ...   Now Axel, I can empathize.  

Reporting in from Columbus, OH....

Driving sucks.

My Natchez Trace literature came in the mail a couple days ago. So I will look that over and we can compare. You're right. It is going to be really freaking cold. That's okay. We'll feel hardcore. Cuz we are. RAR!

today i might try to create a training plan in the airport. or i'll stare blankly at the moving walkway and listen to public enemy. hmmm.. actually it is time to start thinking about nachez trace! today i'm on my way to asheville, a city through which the blue ridge parkway passes. the Parkway was my first non-supported ride. we carried our gear and camped; i went with my dad and his buddy dale. i learned to feel pretty righteous on my loaded Fuji Touring when those triathlete cats on Orbeas passed us and yelled "only a little bit further!" ugh or the college boys who got their daddies to sag them in their RVs.. HA! day trippers anyway time to plan Nachez Trace. It's going to be cold. Cold. Cold. And creepy south. No big hills though, and perfect January timing for some solid foundation miles. I'll talk it up with my parents--they rode it a few years ago--and get some tips. BChan, we'll be loading up on fried catfish soon if all goes right. YacK! It'll be great.

Dec 7th costumes +

The only grrrl at the Wildcard meeting? Yay that makes us two only grrrls now yaaaa! So how much would it cost for us to order our own kits? i'll look into it as soon as i have real internet. i'm thinking of wearing my onesie to the Dec. 7th race. Adorable. Maybe I could rig some animal ears for my helmet. Dashing. I might even cut holes in the bottom of the PJ feet for my cleats so everyone gets the full affect; i think tucking them into the shoe might detract from the cuteness. Is it ok to use fake blood too? I love fake blood. Bloody sleepover, bloody X-mas morning; maybe I'll carry a box wrapped as a gift that you can put your hand in and feel eyeballs aka peeled grapes. yack..just kidding.

Today I ran more. It was not any more fun than it was the other day. I can't remember if I ran yesterday or not... Tomorrow I might run again. run run run run run nananananana stupidrun. I cant remember if I wrote this, but I'm staying with my grandma for the week. No bike; that's why I'm running. Uhh I could write a book about visiting my grandmother but it would fillup too much space on the blog and you wouldnt be able to see the badass barrier clearing BChan pic.

A friend from highschool, Megan, says she might move to Urbana. She could easily be a fastgrrrl; she's getting into triathlons and could be converted. She's been teaching bodypump classes at Gold's gym for a while. Must follow up on this...

IIIII'MMMM Excited.

I went to the Wild Card meeting on Wednesday. I was the only girl. It was awkward. But they all seem nice and I'm really excited for the cycling camp in So.Ill.

Jerseys yes. yes. So we need 8 more... who wants one. They're going to be very naice. Design coming soon.

Thanksgiving break is upon me and I'm heading out to Baltimeerrr to ride some bikes, visit the Smithsonian, write papers and oh yeah visit the fam. It should be fun though, Tanksgiving is my fav.

In more exciting news, the conclusion of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup is on December 7th at Montrose Harbor in Chicago. Naturally the crew is dressing up, but as what? Please cast your votes below. We will consider write-in suggestions, as long as they are creative, crude or otherwise make me laugh.

Btw, we've been stealing pics from Velogrrrl's Flickr site. If you're reading this, thanks Grrrl.

That's all for now, and if you are leaving town for the holiday travel safely.

last night i dreamed i was winning a road race. it was more like a cross race on a road bike. yay.

to make our own wildcard jerseys--queen of hearts---we need to order at least 10 jerseys. must find 8 more queens. ha !

bikeless

this morning i ran suicide sprints in a cemetary on grass and sprinted up a small hill a few times. it was 25 degrees out aaaaand running sucks. however, i feel a lot less sore today than after my longer run a couple of days ago. i bought a book about training and am starting to get pumped. i kind of want a powertap shhhh powertap or hot wheels? powertap? hot wheels? cross season is so fun and it makes me a bit nervous about road. but we got time..

B.Chan: We need to set some goals! Like, big goals and then more specific goals. One of them should be to Cat up to 3's at the beginning of the season. I think we need to be more specific though, like think about certain races, etc. We should also come up with a more concrete training plan. Obviously we will both have different ones...but we should work on this together. I havn't had a chance to work on our trip stuff b/c my G-ma has dial-up and I get frustrated at how slow it is...but I'll work on that after I get back.. So ya, what do you think?

props to "Sandpit Chan"

...and yes, BChan owned the sandpit as the only one in our Cat of 22 to make it through! Yes ! I was not as excited about racing Sunday because the course looked so flat. I like technical stuff and hills because wind and flatness just get me... I just feel so small and slow because there is so much ground and so much air. With a hill, at least I know where it starts and ends. It's stupid and I'll get over it because I live in central Illinois. Anyways, I finished 2nd. I finally beat the overall #1 of the series, Eileen Neville, but the Vision Quest(?) grrrl came in first. I had a shitty start but got in the front pack halfway through the first lap. Going over the barriers were sloppy but my remounts were a lot smoother. (Thats what she said). I tried to catch #1 --not counting the collegiate girl who should be pro--but it wasn't happening. I pedalled through turns and didn't brake much except for one corner where I always braked and got pissed off because I braked especially because that's where the crew was standing and shouting at me not to brake... (what?) Overall good race, fun, but not as fun as the week before. Can't wait till the one in Chicago ^_^

Now I am visiting my grandmother in New Hampshire. No bike. I ran today and now it hurts.. Today I ran on pavement and grass and did a few pathetic intervals, but next time I want to run sprints in the cemetary nextdoor because it's grassy.

I want to change my hairstyle but I have few options.

Goodnight!

BBRRR!!!!

Yesterday's race in Lansing IL was a blast. As in a cold blast of freezing wind. Miz Miles did quite well, but I'll let her update y'all on that. I finished. And realize that it is definitely time to get back on the bike. For the record though, I made it through the sand pit. Take that. Yeeaaahhhh.

$ $ $ !

update: $100 purse for women's 4's race on sunday

yay!

+ unique prizes.

PS: I <3 Poprad

this blog thing is weird.  i feel like im talking to myself.

dead legs

Because I will not be on a bike for 10 days due to a Thanksgiving time trip I have been trying to wear myself out.  Today I delivered and rode a trainer and.... legs  are dead.  That's all.

Oh!  I might get to race Sunday in Lansing!  My plane leaves at 8:30 pm from Midway, so if my crew decides to accommodate (to use Nick's word) my schedule...then....I get to race.....

We see.  ehh     

RAR!!

! ! !

yea, that's right kids..