B.Chan is on the Grand Tour d'Universidad and will be back Sunday.

I am sore! All weekend I turned Hillsboro over & over & around in my head...then I cooled off..

D.Penn and I made an epic trip to AmKo (asian grocery store) to pick up all kinds of good food. We're on this pizza and somen (noodle) kick. Not together. One night we make pizza, the next calzones, the next noodles, the next noodles... like that. Our most recent pizza variation was a calzone stuffed with kale, sweet potato, black bean, cilantro, red peppers, yellow peppers, poblano peppers and pineapple. I'm often doubtful of Dan's combos (like black beans on pizza), but they always seem to taste delicious. Tonight we made noodles topped with oyster mushroom, snow pea, burdock root, red and yellow pepper, with salmon and kimchee and vegetable dumplings. We've eaten a whole jar of kimchee since Saturday night.

Monday I woke up early and discovered that M.I.A. makes the best beats for intervals!  Tuesday I mistook many reps of the one-leg leg press and lunge matrix for a great idea...and to top it off, I rode through the 25 mph wind to the Centerville loop for some little hills.  Yesterday I rested because I could barely walk.  Today I took advantage of the windless air and rode to Centerville again then back through Mahomet, trying to keep my cadence super high because I'm a natural born masher.  Also practiced cornering for a few minutes, but I should return to that for a longer session at higher speeds.  Tomorrow I hope my legs feel more spritely so I can get in some more intervals.  

My sister's bike was stolen (she left it unlocked in her front yard...) so she is hoping to get a Gary Fisher Simple City!  It's the ideal bicycle for a fashionista who rides to school & work every day in four inch heels and a zany outfit.  She can fit groceries and Hello Kitty paraphernalia in the front basket and the internal 8 speed hub is virtually maintenance free! Wicked!  <3>

Re: Attack or Get Off the Front

I raced stupidly.  (Stupid at bikes..)  But Hillsboro is nice; the course was fun & I was totally fit for it...

Beginning of the race:  Chat chat chit-chat chit chit chat chit-chat.  Behind a girl who can't clip in.  Grr..  I couldn't move up.  Girls were squirrelly & talkative.  No drafting, no pace lines, 11 mph, braking on hills, braking down hills, braking on turns, braking...

B.Chan launches an attack.  I think it wasn't easy.  I stayed behind, int he main pack, we caught up...I tried to launch an attack.  It wasn't a good attack really.  I stayed on the front.  Oops.   I got tired, I got on the back for a bit, I fell off.  Road the rest of the race alone, came in 3 seconds behind the main pack.  Tired.  End of race.  Got 15th.  (Field of 35).

Pros:  I am definitely stronger than half the field.  Actually, I am confident that B.Chan are in the top 10 strongest girls if we race smart.   Probably the top 8.  ACTUALLY I know we can win if we race smart.  And if we get our sprints down.  

 This was a huge field of women; this means women's cycling is getting bigger and more popular.  = more fun!

On the starting line, I felt confident and was able to calm my nerves.  I was focused on the race.  

Cons:  I HAVE TO GET OFF THE FRONT!  I have to put all my energy into staying in the pack if I am about to fall off!   

Do not get frustrated if things are annoying and slow at the beginning.  Move up--just ease people out of the way.  Claim a position and defend it.  Get in a place where I don't have to brake on corners and hills.  If I move up carefully, people will get out of my way unless they want to crash.  

Do not waste energy.  Think and REACT.  

It was just the first race.  I learned a lot.  The way I raced yesterday is like a profile of my personality...it's a pattern typical of any of my first endeavors... it's something that's always disgusted me a little.  It's a combination of over-zealousness and frustration out of bounds: it just needs to be tamed with some smart pleats, some nips and tucks.  It's always helpful to think in tailoring analogies..   

Ill figure it out; I'm more confident now than yesterday after the race, and much less disappointed.  In fact, I am really excited!!!

P.S.     To the Unmentionable Cat.3 woman who told Becky and I, after Chan mentioned that she just raced in the 4's, that she would be pleased at the development of a new Cat. 3-4 category because she "could take out any of the 4's":       Bring it!!!!!!  Do you remember 'cross season?  Do you remember how I took you out every single weekend?  I read your blog....I've seen your numbers... I consider your catty remarks to be unexceptional.  

Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front.Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front.Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front.Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front.Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front.Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front.Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front.Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front.Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front.Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front.Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front. Attack or get off the front.

mua ha ha..

Got ya Mr. French !  (but thanks for the kind encouragement)

I love bikes!  

Yesterday after work B.Chan, Axel & I took an hour recovery ride.  This is Becky's and my rest week.  I hope to be in good form on Saturday, and will begin interval training thereafter.

I'm reading Joe Friel's newest edition of The Cyclist's Training Bible.  The 4th edition differs from previous versions in that it talks about POWER !  Endurance is my strength.  Broadly speaking, Force and speed skills are my weaknesses.  I'm pretty excited to begin doing intervals and I hope to see some changes soon. 

I really need to learn how to better analyze the data from my powertap..  the program Training Peaks WKO+ would help.  Does anyone know if it's possible to share this program?  B.Chan and I were thinking about that....but we don't know if it would work.  

We got a Surly Long Haul Trucker in at the shop.  I blogged about this bike on the shop's blog (it's new..and weak...but we're gonna try) and I'm just generally excited about it.  Yay Touring !!

  

A note to my friends:

Hi everyone who reads this blog--B.Chan, Karl, Wildcard, Mike the bike carrier specialist, Ms. Moon, Axel, George...

I'm new to racing, as this will be my first real road season, and relatively new to your whole bicycle riding cult.  Now I own five bikes and have more cycling clothes than street clothes.  When I'm not riding I blog about riding, I work at the bike shop, delivered for JJ all winter on bikes, and I spent my spring break riding bikes in sunny So. Ill. ..

But guys, I've had enough.  

I'm sick of being punchy 4 nights out of 7.  I'm sick of hanging my delicate clothing to dry.  I'm sick of the tan lines.  ...Not being able to fit into my old pants, spending the money I make at the shop AT the shop, measuring my self worth in watts, waking up early to ride, getting greasy newb marks on my leg, crying in American Flyers, those bike-obsessed boys at the Shire.. the list goes on and on...

SO I am selling my bikes and bike stuff and buying an SUV.  I'll follow this email with a list so you all can place your bids.  Poprad, X-Caliber, I'll throw the fixie and the touring bike together as a "hipster special", and B.Chan, I'll cut you a deal on the Mad One...  again, a more complete list later.  Frankly, I just wanna get rid of this shit.

I didn't know I was this weak at heart, but hey...what's a girl to do.  At least the "old" men we met on the road on that first day of training camp stand a chance at Hillsboro, if they can keep B.Chan at bay. 

Forthcoming: Our account of the Wild Card Cycling Training Camp

We need time to work on our detailed and formal account of the training camp.  For now, let me provide an unorganized and informal write-up:

Saturday the 21st of March I took the train to Carbondale and visited my parents in Marion for the weekend.  I did one short more intense ride and a couple of longer rides.  Monday, I picked B.Chan up from the train station and we departed the next morning in the Eurovan.  This is what I wrote while sitting in the van at Ferne Cliff State Park after our first ride together:

B.Chan and I are living the pro life. We parked the Eurovan at Ferne Cliff State Park and took off on a 56 mile loop through the rolling hills of Little Egypt. We passed through Vienna and Dixon Springs, riding by The Chocolate Factory and Hogg's Head Winery, then through Glendale and Tunnel Hill and back to our sweet van. We took cold sunshowers in the woods and scrambled into the van to cook dinner just as it started raining. Tonight we had my mom's tofu/veggie burgers with tortillas & red peppers that we bought at Aldi (the cheapest and best store everrrr!) and some tart cherry juice because, apparently, it is better than aspirin at relieving muscle pain. It poured all night and we got soaked brushing our teeth in the rain. Now it's almost 10 and we decided that it's late enough to sleep.

The riding today was awesome. Hills were rolling and you could usually get enough momentum to barrel into the next one--no cold starts for the most part. There were some long hills though, which I am pretty good at. However, during the first mile of the ride I realized that B.Chan is fast as hell on the shorter hills, and I made it my personal goal to at least stay with her. She's definitely looking strong. By the end of the week I hope to have improved on the shorter hills. I'm tired tonight and we are going to be careful not to burn out too bad before the Wildcard weekend.

B.Chan's and my riding styles compliment each other pretty well; she's got the fast twitch muscles and I've got the slowwww ones. I can climb forever but she can sprint up the hills fast. We're going to be a good team...once we learn some tactics.

The Eurovan is an amazing vehicle. It has everything except a hot tub and, surprisingly, a tarp.  We can't wait to meet up with the rest of the club at Lick Creek all dirty and road loopy in our VW van on Friday... 

It rained all that night.  The next day was a bit cooler (arm warmer weather) and we set out for a ride at about 1:00 with Vesselin Velev, who was down in Carbondale.  We intended on taking it a little easier.  I was concentrating on keeping my cadence high, and of course keeping up with B.CHan as she bolted up steep climbs.  We rode toward Moscow, through Dongola, up route 51, turned off to go toward Rocky Comfort road, which we rode for what seemed like forever, and then down a gravel road for about five miles to get back to Goreville and then our camp.  Rocky Comfort is anything BUT comfortable.  It is hill after hill after hill.. and we didn't know we would be riding it again with Wildcard on Sunday.  We were punchy as hell when we got back from our 4.5 hour ride that night.  Spaghetti and falafel tasted amazing.  Our abilities to make contractions were at their prime.  It is sickeningly contagious.  Sicagious.

Thursday we rested.  B.Chan wrote a paper and we hung out at my sister & Lonnie's house.  That night we stayed at my parent's house.  I must be missing a day... ?  Well, that day we rode.  Hills.  Lots of hills.

Friday we met with the Wildcard group.  There was much Van-envy.  (Venvy).  We set off at noon for a ride.  It was fast, and I got dropped in the first few miles.  I wasn't feeling great, and unconfident in my riding ability.  The climb up Bald Knob was great though.  I was completely warmed up by then, and I concentrated and took the climb at my own pace but pushed it... I ended up doing well I thought.  When we got back to the van I was ready to sleep....completely spent.  That day I put out my best power!

Saturday was the cold and rainy century.  We left with the "slow" group.  I love riding in bad weather, as long as I am moderately warm while moving and if I have enough food.  There is something so raw, grim and dangerous about it that gets me really pumped up.  It's twisted, but when everyone is miserable I sometimes get a rush of adrenaline.  At Eddyville some people turned back, to finish an 80 mile ride.  Larry, Q, Nick H and I went on to Golconda to complete the century.  I felt fine, though I knew I was slower than the guys.  Right before we reached Eddyville I flatted, and discovered a hole in my tire.  The tire was a piece of crap that I should have thrown away a year ago...  it didn't help that I packed an extra tube that had a hole in it.  I fixed the flat (thanks Q!!!) and put a dollar bill in the tire.  When I got going it kept making this thumping noise, and I didn't know if it would be a problem because I don't have much flat experience.  Karl came along in his car right then and picked me up...  I could have ridden, but with the flat and tornado warnings I thought that getting a ride wasn't too big of a deal.  Q finished his first century that day though, with bad weather and a headwind both ways--awesome job !

Sunday we rode out at 9 down Rocky Comfort Road toward Giant City and Makanda.  I felt great!  I only climbed the steep ass Makanda hill once, but on the way back to the camp I went as hard as I could.  I kept attacking on the hills until my legs just couldn't take it anymore.  My legs kept filling with lactic acid and then it would drain away and I stopped feeling them at all, and then they would fill again... it felt brutal.  I guess I never really go all out.  Now I want to ride until I completely pass out, just to see ...   When we got back to the van we got our stuff together and left, back to my parents house to eat, shower, and get a ride to the train.  We were spent.

Such a great week/end !

FAST GRRRLZ FINISH 1st

This weekend the Illini Cycling team journeyed to South Bend Indiana for a road race on Saturday and a crit on Sunday. We had a pretty good turn out with nine of us racing on Saturday and 7 on Sunday. We only got mildly lost and rolled in to the Quality Innat about 2am local time on Friday.

So after breakfast (including a magic muffin, despite Tony Vo's advice!) we rolled out the race which was just over the border in Michigan. The women's B race was 30 miles that was pretty much flat and windy on the first half and had some sweet rollers on the back half. The pavement was pretty torn up and pot-holey so we had a 3 mile "neutral" roll out.

I really had no idea what to expect from this race. I had put in a decent week of training last week but hadn't been sleeping a lot/eating well thanks to thesis writing. I figured at the very least I'd use the weekend as good training. I led pretty much the first 10 mile lap, and took it pretty easy. I felt strong but wasn't ready to try anything. We came through the second lap without much action. All the regulars were up at the front (although Indiana was off at training camp): Purdont looked strong, as did Ohio, and St. Louis. We got to the ripped up pavement section, and just as I was leaning over to tell Morgan that it would be a good place to attack the next lap, Purdont attacked. I followed, as did pretty much the rest of the field. No one seemed to want to pull that long, but Morgan put in a hard pull as did Purdont and then I was up at the front again.

I don't really know what happened at that point, but after a descent and then one of the longer "climbs" I looked around and was all alone. I literally looked back, realized no one was there, and said out loud to myself, well now what the f*** do I do?! The whole solo-break thing really isn't my style. At all. But I was feeling pretty strong, so I figured I'd at least make everyone hurt a little to catch up to me. Before I knew it I was through the second lap, into the third and still by myself. I won the race and ended up putting about five minutes between myself and the second place girl and a lot more time on the rest of the field.

I was happy about this for a couple reasons: For one thing, winning a race is always a good confidence booster and I felt pretty strong through it. Secondly, one of my goals for the season is to work on my mental game. I tend to ease up when I get uncomfortable in a race or hesitate, which has cost me in the past. But yesterday I just kept telling myself that I had climbed much bigger hills before (I guess a summer in the Jemez and riding with WILD CARD will do that!) and that everyone else was probably hurting just as much, if not more than myself at the time.

Today was the "safety" crit-- 3o minutes in a circle with a hill on one side. I felt pretty good considering yesterday's effort, but spent way too much time jacking around at the front of the pack, instead of staying neatly tucked in, like Miss Morgan Moon (M3????) who ended up winning! I knew I was being stupid, but I kinda didn't care. Which is weird because usually I'm really competitive and would have tried to pull off the double V. But I had a lot more fun pushing the pace at the front. I won at least one of the primes (big whoop in a 30 minute race, eh? hahha. not.) and placed in the others. I revved up for the last lap, knowing that Morgan was tucked in some where. I was really hoping to lead her out, but alas no luck and she went off on her own while I sat up. I think I probably ended up 7th or 8th or something like that. Schwhatever-- I raced well up to that point, and there are bigger fish to fry....bwahahaha!

Ummmm, so I'm really really really excited about SoIll and Wild Card training camp and hills and GETTIN STRONG!!!!!!!! this week. I'm taking a train down tomorrow night and then Miz Miles and I are going to roll out. RAR!!!!

FASTGRRRLZ!!!

Good news from B.Chan today (!!!) but I'll let her tell it ..

Marion, IL; parent's house.  Went out for 24 miles today with Dale and got in more hills than I would in Champaign (not saying much), but it's just a sneak preview of what is to come!  I am itching now to ride harder...I have a good base I think and now need to work on intensity.  I'm not going nearly as hard as I can.  Today I wore the heart rate strap for the first time--found it in a pile of Dan's stuff that I cleaned up while he was gone--and it was really cool to see.  My heart rate was almost up to what my max was during the VO2 test, and I know I could have worked harder.  This week I anticipate some epic rides and upon returning to Champaign some more intense rides with intervals and such.  Yippeeeee  ("That's what SHE said" is an appropriate response to this post.)

Tomorrow I'll ride with my parents.  80% chance of rain...

hi it's a good day

*Please listen to TLC's "waterfalls" while reading this blog.  Feel free to grab a beer and a taco.

Last day delivering!  Good day.. I delivered to the kid who lives in the room I used to live in last year--loved that apartment--and saw a bike shop regular who "reminded me to do my homework".  obviously been reading the Champaign Cycle website...Suckaaaa !  One lady who I talked to while going into a building promised to come into the shop to check out the bikes and reminisce about riding as a kid.  Made lots of cash which helped pay a chunk of my layaway at the shop.. yippeeee!  Now I have to pack up my stuff because I'm heading to SO.ILL tomorrow.  My family is having a joint birthday party for my dad and my sister's boyfriend's son (baby Lonnie) so it should be fun.  Then bikes bikes biking cycling bikes riding ride ride bikes hills!

Today I brought home:  fizik bar tape in bluuuue *hot* *hot* *hot*

Bontrager RXL gloves with no padding that are made with bamboo fibers among other stuff

Bontrager race lite pro tubulars  *hand made* for the wheels that will never come

Pedro's Go! chain lube - biodegradable & green !

..and a patch kit 

stuff stuff stuff.  i keep getting rid of stuff and then i just get more of it.  tonight I'm packing and wrapping bars.  D.Penn is off riding in Asheville with is Bro (i'm so jelly....) & I already miss the baby troll..  

WHHEEEE!

Thesis is done. For now at least.

I'm off to the races. Wish me luck, kidz.

p.s. Who keeps voting for opening a bike shop?!

R'Deeker

Congraxel!

You're theek's R'deek! *

After admiring fastgrrrlz for a few months, Axel launched his very own fastboyyyz blog, which definitely deserves R of the W status.  Go axel!  Gaxel!

*these are contractions.  learn it.  love it.

I apologize for the long and boring entry the other day.  Ugh.

Oh oh, THESIS WEEK !  The senior thesis is a project that undergrads can choose to do in their last year.  During the fall semester you do research and propose a topic, and this tends to shift around a bit... and during the spring semester you write a long paper.  Mine was very short, at just over 50 pages.  You work with an advisor or two, some of whom provide a lot of assistance, and some of whom just say "go have fun!" and leave you to freak out by yourself.  You get a couple of credit hours each semester for this, and in the end the paper is awarded with Honors or High Honors and I think there's even a higher honor  ...can't remember, and things might have changed.  So yeah..  It's awesome because you get to choose what you want to study, you develop relationships with professors, get a tiny taste of grad school.... but it's also a little bit of hell.  

So I sympathize with B.Chan..  last year I wrote a senior thesis that was due in its final form a couple of weeks after spring break.  I had the entire spring semester to write the paper, and besides that only had 3 classes to worry about...  still I procrastinated and ended up starting the paper on spring break.  I sat at my parents dining room table for at least 8 hours a day writing and eating peanuts...  ugh I got a few pages done.  Somehow though, the thing worked itself out a few days before it was due, and I finished it.  (My advisor was happy with it too.)  B.Chan, you'll do it!  We seem to share the same unhealthy and desultory method of getting stuff done.  

BIKES.  Yesterday the fastgrrrls rode into a brutal north wind toward Sadorus (does a north wind blow FROM the north? this is what I am assuming.) B.Chan turned around, and I kept going toward Ivesdale.  It was so gorgeous that I rode to Bement.  I didn't have much food and no $$$ so I turned around and was pretty hungry when I rolled up to the Shire.  Good ride; hot tan lines.  Today I delivered and got off an hour early so now I have plenty of time to study bones.

Tonight D.Penn and I are invited to dinner at the home of a bike shop regular.  She is going to teach us how to make yogurt!  Details forthcoming.  

Looking forward to training camp!  Every hill is going to be Snake Alley...  

Thesis Week

So the first full version of my honors senior thesis is due this Friday. As in, like, less than two days from now. So naturally, I have been doing everything but working on it. I woke up this morning and went on a ride with Axel. Then I went to art class. Now I'm thinking of taking a little nap while my wheat bread rises. Ugh. I need to get sh*t done. I guess a trip to the library is in store...

My big question, though, is where are all those thunderstorms that were predicted for this afternoon?

I'm getting really excited for racing. Notre Dame is this weekend. Wild Card Training Camp in SoIll is next week !!!!! Hillsboro is in two weeks. And way off in the distance are the Memorial Day weekend races. I'm pumped! If only I could channel this energy into writing.

Okay, that's enough complaining for one day. Time to take a nap.



(Kidding! Kidding!)

LIKES AND GRIPES TUESDAYS!!!

Is it really Tuesday already? I'm such a slacker.....

LIKES

1. Recycled soda can earrings from the B.Lime store! My mom got me a pair while she was here over the weekend. They're pretty cool, but watch out or they'll cut you in the jugular!
2. High School Musicals [not to be confused with Disney's Highschool Musical] Especially those that are Barry Manilow themed and have really awkward high school boys who can't sing cast as leading roles.
3. Yellow pedals. The Fuji got a make over!
omg B.Chan...so cute.  Now I really can't wait to make over my tutti-frutti schwinn after delivery season is over.  

4. This morning I was so excited to write my lengthy list of gripes, but now they are mostly gone!  Yay Likes!  Found out what's bugging Powertap and soon he'll be alright.  Pearl Izumi is going to take a look at the bibs that have a color-running problem and probably replace them.  I know more bones than I thought I did.  Let's see... my list of gripes is ever so trivial; they're nothing a friendly customer service representative cannot fix.

5. Cardinals.  They tweet out my window and remind me of my grandpa :-)

6. Aw guys, I pretty much like everything right now!  Chocolate labs hanging their heads out of car windows, spring rolls, tweeting birds, my bike, riding with B.Chan, Ivesdale, the sea history museum of Sadorus, spring rolls, spring rolls, dry flaky salt and dust stuck to my face, new tan lines, the lacrimal bone..

GRIPES

1. STILL WAITING FOR SCHMOWER TAP!  waiting for wheels...waiting for wheels....wait--
2. Corned Beef. We don't get along. In fact I've vomited every time I've eaten it. I wish I didn't like reuben sandwhiches so much....
3. Being stuck inside doing homework while its sunny and beautiful outside. Wasn't 4 months of winter punishment enough?!

4. Foot pain.  The bone (metatarsal?) proximal to the medial phalanx protrudes and becomes inflamed when I ride.  Today is the first day I noticed it to any great extent, and it was pretty painful.  My grandma has bunions, so maybe that's what it is....but I thought only old people got those.  Bummer.  I'm going to get some shoes that fit better.  Anyone looking to buy a used size 41 Sidi road shoe?  They're comfy, I promise--as long as you don't have um bunions..

5. SILLY CAT KEEPS STEALING MY HAT!  Oliver, you stupid kitty... no matter how high I put it, you find a way to get it and drag it around the kitchen floor.  Grr.  And quit climbing in the toilet, too.  (I know you sleep on my pillow when I am gone.)

Thursday is my "Skeleton Practical" so I am slacking on the blog...  The body has a lot of bones.  I like the Sphenoid bone.  It looks like a bat.  Thoracic vertebrae look like bats!  Wicked!

Saturday we went on our first after work ride of spring.  We all got cold at the end.  I had stayed up too late the night before (hanging out with Mat Braun, HEYOOOO!) so I wasn't feeling too hot.  On Sunday, D.Penn and I showed up a minute late for the 10:30 Druber ride but no one was there.  We waited until 11:00 and decided to leave..must have gotten our times wrong.  It's a good thing we missed it though, because B.Chan and Axel were locked out of the house.  I thought they were just taking advantage of the springy day, but they actually had no keys and were in a time crunch.  Just as we let them in, Axel's ma showed up to pick them up to go to the younger siblings' Catholic school production of a Barry Manilow themed musical.  (PLEASE Axel, more about this!!!)  Axel's mom brought him fresh eggs in a cute wire chicken basket that B.Chan much admired.

Penner and I decided to ride out to Kickapoo.  We left around noon and had a gorgeous ride out, fueling ourselves with delicious home-made energy bars!  Next time they need more calories I think...more nuts!  I took a spill at Kickapoo while trying to cross a small waterfall, and got pissed off for the next 15 minutes or so.  Powertap stopped working (still doesn't work = Major Gripe.) and my new-ish white bib shorts got all muddy & bloody.  I cheered up though because we had a nice tailwind on the way home and really cranked it.  yippeee!  Then we shmoothied (shower + smoothie) and rode over to Crane Alley for an IPA and dinner.  Good day and rode about 80 miles.  Yesterday I rested while Axel rode 140 miles.  Mad props to that crazy boyyy.

I feel like I have a lot of prep to do before our Southern Illinois Spring Break '09.  I need to come up with some ride maps & routes.  Any suggestions?  I don't think it will be too difficult, but I do want to prepare.  Also, I need to get together patch kits, tires, tubes, etc.  I guess there is still plenty of time.

Yesterday I ordered some new gloves and a black Giro Atmos.  Pink just isn't stealthy enough.  

Highschool boys are funny.

B.Chan, en route to yoga on a sunny Friday afternoon, clips along on the South Quad bike path. Suddenly, she comes upon a group of high school students leaving the ACES Open House Tent.

Boy in backpack: Justin, you're walking on the bike path.
"Justin"(loudly, obviously disgruntled): Who gives a shit?!
B.Chan (winks at boy in backpack as she whizzes by on [Awesome-ed.] Fuji): Heads up.
Justin (scowls): Oh.

Scene

READER OF THE WEEK!!!!!

This week's Reader of the Week Award goes out to
Erik Martin
for his great taste in bikes, beer and blogs.

Thanks, Emart.
Themart!!!

B.Chan and I had a fun ride yesterday.  We rode south toward the town that is southeast of campus, and then turned west toward Pesotum.  We were going to turn around and go back toward campus on first street but I said "the weather is perfect!" and we kept riding west.  Of course, it started pouring right after I said that.  It was in the 60s and the rain was pretty warm, so it was actually really refreshing.  Usually I don't try to push Miz Chan to stay out later than she is planning, because she's actually got school and a million other things to do besides ride all the time, but I was happy she wanted to keep going.  The storm was in the southwest skies and the sun was beginning to set.  You couldn't really see the campus power plant smoke/steam stack in the distance because of the mist.  We had rear lights and B. had a front light and our cell phones were safe in baggies so we were set.  I love riding in the rain if it is warm enough!  Even the wet chamois isn't too big a deal, but I guess I'm just gross like that.  We rode back through Savoy and got home just as it  was getting a little too dusky to be seen.  We got 40 miles in and we pumped ourselves up by talking about racing!  When I got home D.Penn was making a delicious stir fry and we shared the last piece of chocolate peanut butter cake :-)  Oh, and I had a mad craving for PBR.  

Now it is back to 40 degrees and I'm going to go deliver!  

tuesday's LIKES & GRIPES

likes:

1.  Deep Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting.  Eating this cake is like dying by choking on gooey fluffy Reeses cups and going to the luxurious land of chocolate & peanut butter.  Possibly the easiest, most delicious cake ever AND approved by Ma & Pa Penner.

2.  60 degree weather & sleeping with the window open!

3.  American Apparel's boy's undies in purple.  If I were a boy I would wear them.  Purple underwear is cute.   

4.  Axel's hot new BMC frame !!!  

5.  The ride that B.Chan & I went on today in the rain     wheeeeeeee

gripes: 

1.  60 degree weather... AND STORMING WITH WINDS AT 100 MPH SO I CAN'T RIDE MY BIKE OUTSIDE ANYWAY UHHHHHHH

2. Waiting for *******.  (!!!)  And waiting for B.Chan to wait for powertap.  The recurring waiting theme in general.  

back on the bike & VO2 max finaaaaally

Awesome job b.Chan, at bikes and at grad.school !  i think you should go to oregon.  we can race 'cross together :-)

So I've finally recovered fully from being sick and I kind of wasted the weekend in terms of riding... Saturday I worked at the shop.  It was super busy and I had a great time--I love when people are excited about bikes, or when they buy their first bike..ahh it really can be a fun job sometimes.  However, I didn't get to ride Saturday, and that sucks...  D.Penn and I went to bed so late Saturday night, and then woke up early to help Scot move.  He has so much stuff.  A million bikes.  About 20 boxes full of spokes.  Insane.  I will never own that much stuff.  At the same time, Scot's material life has a cool museum-like mystique that I really like!  Sunday was hella windy--we saw a tree fall on a house--and we were tired, so we didn't ride.  I hate not riding on Sunday, so next week it's on!

Today I went for my third test with Lindy and finally got my VO2 results.  I am pretty thrilled with my max score!  It was a great mood booster after being off the bike last week and wasting the weekend.  No excuses now...  My Wingate intervals (whatever they're called) kinda suck.  I'm not used to doing sprint intervals and it's not my strong point, so my fairly low max power didn't really surprise me.  It's ok though because intervals are the next thing I'm going to concentrate on in my training.  I feel as though I don't even know HOW to go all out so it's just a matter of learning and pushing myself.  Lots of room for improvement, but at least I don't feel doomed to failure due to shitty genes.  Thanks Mom & Dad :-)

Oki tomorrow = big test = must study.  Yuck.  Tonight Sir Penner and I are making vegan enchiladas and a vegan chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting for his parents.  Trying to convert them...

Season Opener!!!!

So today was my first collegiate race of the season. It was hosted by DePauw University in Green Castle, IN. This is one of my favorite courses because its really well organized, not too technical or difficult and its usually great weather.

My race was at 9:30am Indiana time which means I had to leave with Morgan at 5:00 this morning. Not fun. I stayed over at her house last night so we could have the car pre packed and just hit the road in the morning. We stopped at the cupcake place shop in Monticello on the way to Bement where she lives. Morgan is quite the hostess: she made a kick ass stir fry for dinner (Delish!) and she's got some really sweet cats.

We rolled out of bed at 4:30am this morning and were on the road by 5:01am. We listened to "What White People Like" on the way. I, apparently, am very white.

So the race: I got in a good warm up and I was feeling pretty good. Sat at the line and got cold. And then we were off. There was a crash about a third of the way through the first lap of the race and I was on the lucky side of it and got into a break with three Indiana girls and Liz from Tati/UCVC. I held on to that through the first lap and barely into the second, but I wasn't feeling too hot at that point. Well, actually, I was feeling too hot- by that time it was probably almost 70 degrees and I had my pearl thermal arm and leg warmers on. Not good. What was even dumber on my part was that I chased by myself through the majority of the second lap in between the actual chase group and break. Needlessly expending energy. The chase group, which had 6+ girls in it caught me and we worked through the third lap.

My favorite part of the race was when the Purdont girl rode up to me and asked if I was being lapped. Betch, please. (I made sure to beat her.)

The last 1k of the race wasn't all that exciting. We just sort of sped up to the finish line. I'm definitely not in any sprinting form so I don't think I even got out of my saddle at the line. Thinking I was leading Morgan out, I unintenionally won the group sprint. No epic bike throw, just sorta motored in.

We sorta rolled around for part of another lap and a couple miles down the road I got a really strange flat on my front tire. When I got back to camp finally I checked my back tire and saw that I had 60psi and hadn't inflated it that morning. So I had raced on low tire pressure. Great.

All in all I was pleased: I ended up 6th out of 30(+?) girls and I obeyed Rule No. 1. BUT! note to self for the next race:

1. Eat more breakfast
2. In the words of Dr. K (or is it leTSK?): Attack or get off the front.
3. Always always always check tire pressure prior to racing.
4. Don't dress for the arctic.

I guess the most frustrating thing about all this is that all of my stupid mistakes are things that I know, I just didn't do. I'm just really glad I have collegiate season to get this crap out of my system.

So now I'm back, a day early. Lame, know. But in my own defense, there is a 80% chance of thunderstorms predicted for Green Castle starting at 7am and 22mph+ winds. Great for a crit, if it were to even happen. Plus I have to get some work done on this thesis that apparently is due in TWO WEEKS (eek!). Annnd to top it all off, judging by how progressively shitty I have been feeling over the past couple hours, I think I am getting the flu. Again. Great.

Oh, and I got into UPenn and Texas yesterday, in addition to UOregon, UVirginia and Cornell U. Keep you eye out for a forthcoming poll and vote in the current one. Now if only that power tap would come in....

i'm still sick.  yesterday i felt better but i guess it was a false alarm.  today i slept most of the day.  tomorrow is the big delivery day and i'm not sure if i'll be able to do it...   bummer.  major bummer.  it's a little depressing because i feel really weak.  what the hell am i going to do if i get cancer or something?  i can barely handle the stomach flu.  mad props to lance.  

good luck this weekend B.Chan !!!!!  

Please vote! (above and to the right)

Wednesday!

I thought it was implicit that my "gripe" for Tuesday was the FLU.  I'm pretty much over it now, thanks to lots of sleep and D.Penn being extra sweet and wrapping up my burrito for me to save just after we spent an hour cooking and me deciding I wasn't hungry... yea.. 

Today I got another bike kid to deliver for me at JJ and I worked at the shop instead.  I thought it best to take it easy, so long as the environmental degradation caused by motorized delivery drivers was not on my conscience.  Now I am at home and procrastinating until I get on the trainer for a quick spin.  It was so gorgeous out today, but I gotta work if I am going to ever own these and still expect to live in the luxury that is the Shire and eat fresh veggies during the off-season.  Oh oh oh...   The shop was fun today because I learned how to use the zapper gun and I set up a new blog!  (It's really still under construction so wait a day to click...)

Tomorrow I hope to ride outside.  Friday is what I am saving my energy for though...UNOFFICIAL ST.PATTY's DAY!  That means delivering 9-5 !  If you are a student and drinking yourself silly, please order a sandwich :-)  It should be fun, especially because it is going to be in the 60's !

As we speak, B.Chan is working on updating our look.  Gone are the blasé Becky and Anona: ENTER B.CHAN & MIZ MILES ... in HOT pink & black !  

Last week I was g-chatting with my grrrl Domski and she said something like "I'm going to go hop on my trainer!" and I was like ...hrmm?  This girl doesn't ride bikes..? Well, it turns out that she was INSPIRED by our blog and now she rides an exercise bike!  Props to Ms. Doman and her legs!  

..and one last note: Sprouted soymilk is not good.  Taste can be too green.  I sprouted the beans, and then ground them in my Vitamix like I do with soaked soybeans.  Then, instead of cooking them, I strained the mixture right away.  The result looks like soymilk, but tastes like ... uhh..an unpleasant green.  The taste didn't leave my mouth until lunch (the aforementioned burrito) today after I used the milk in my breakfast muesli.  Tonight I will try cooking it to get rid of the freshly-chopped tree taste and, sadly, kill some of the enzymes.  Some good DID come out of the green soymilk: I saved and dehydrated the sprouted okara to use to make energy bars!  Yum!

Happy Tuesday!

awww... feel better A.Miles!

LIKES AND GRIPES TUESDAYS

Likes:
1. The University of Illinois Library: I think this will be the thing I miss most about Champaign-Urbana once I get out of here. I am a nerd. Deal with it.

2. Brussel Sprouts: I don't know what everyone was complaining about as children. Brussel Sprouts are cheap, filling and delicious.

3. Free Espresso Royale from WPGU: I'm going to let you all in on a secret... WPGU has great giveaways and very few people call in to win them. Call in the mornings at 8:40am for free Espresso Royal travel mugs and a free coffee drink. I bet if you try every day for a week you'll win at least once....

4. Snot Rockets: I've been trying to learn for quite a while now. Last week was my first successful execution.

Gripes:

1. Hair Cuts: The whole process is just so awkward! Everyone has been there-- you have to make conversation about stupid things like the weather or pets or children (bleh). And everything goes immediately down hill when the inevitable question of what type of "product" "color" or "styling regime" I use. I generally respond with a, "Um... none of the above?". This answer is usually followed by a scolding, a lecture on the joys of "product" and a subsequent sales pitch for a bottle of $30 dollar shampoo. And then you have to tip the person cutting your hair, regardless of whether you actually like the hair cut, and they see the amount as they enter your debit card information into the computer register thing. I like to tip well for these sorts of things, but talk about tacky...

2. Unsuccessful Snot Rockets. I think that's pretty self explanatory....

3. Still waiting for that Power Tap.....

eco-friendly clothing.  Hmm..  well, i'm a fan of this sporty romper.  

I look forward to making Kombucha with b.Chan.   

Today I am feeling better.  We'll see how it goes....   I just want to be able to deliver for 9 hours on Friday and have a good ride on Sunday.  

i have the flu.

yes, it is yucky.  i've lost 5 pounds today.  ugh.  now i'm going to sleep and keep sleeping and drinking H2O until it's gone.

But YES good ride on Saturday!  Grape Creek is a lot of fun--hills!!!  There were 4 women--B.Chan, Jess, Mel, & me--so that made for a good ride in itself.  I didn't feel as strong as I have lately, but it was a hard workout and I'm not used to doing hill circuits really.  Good training.  The So.IL training camp is going to be a tough weekend, but a real treat.  I hope to feel much stronger after it also!  B.Chan did well on the hills and I think the Wildcard guys were all impressed.  

Saturday night Dan & I went dancing at C-Street with our friends Michael & Anna.  It was a really fun night, save that annoying PINK song that was in our heads for the next 48 hours (NaNaNaNaNaNaNaNaNa..).  Of course after the dancing, we went to Merry Anns and ate hashbrowns, then back to Mike & Anna's place where Dan gave Mike a 4:00 am haircut.  Ravishing..  We didn't make it to the 9:00 am ride.  Or our alternative 11:00 am ride.  Or the 3:00 pm ride that I thought might be our last chance.  We spent the night, and when we woke up in the morning Michael and Anna were making breakfast for us!  We ate potato pancakes, fruit, salad, smoothies, coffee... it was delicious.  Then we basked around all day in their cozy and relaxing home... We finally decided to brave the cold and rode home, stopping at Kamakura on the way to eat sushi for dinner.  I rarely stay up all night anymore, so it was really fun to go out with friends and have a lazy "wasted" Sunday!  

So time to sleep and get better so I can get back on the bike sooner...    grrrr to tummy flu.

Weekend

So I opted out of racing this weekend so as to not do something overly competitive and destroy my knees for another couple weeks. I'm a lame-O, I know. But instead I went on the Wild Card ride with A.Miles, Jess, and all the other Wild Card guys. It was a really, really good ride. I definitely wasn't as fresh as I would have liked, but isn't that purpose of training? Anyways, we drove out to Kickapoo and did a hills circuit. I got really twisted around direction wise and my computer froze, so I have no idea how many miles we did, but there were a couple good hills and it was a really good workout. And the best news is that my knees are still functioning one day and a little ride later, so I'm really happy.

One recovery smoothie later I went and got a haircut (check out next week's Likes and Gripes Tuesdays if you want to hear how it went) and then made pizza with Axel. We stopped on the way home from Schnucks and picked up Courier salads. YUM. The pizza was pretty tasty, too. Axel did a great job on the sauce, but my dough left something to be desired. Next time. We watched I heart Huckabees and I fell asleep.

This morning we missed the Wild Card ride because I was too slow getting out of the house (ugh, sorry!). We did a small loop, but it was really, really cold and windy so that didn't last too long. On the way home we rode through a golf course I didn't know existed and found a not-so-secret portal underneath 57. It was fun. Then me and Axel moved my saddle position around a bit in hopes that it will make my fit better on the bike. We'll see how it goes this week.

Things to Look Forward to This Week:

1. Power Tap?
2. More Grad School *Acceptance* letters?
3. Another quality week of training?
4. Racing at DePauw. (Notice the period at the end of this sentence, indicative of a statement, not a question)

Well that's all I've got for now. It's time to go read for Transportation Planning and other classes before Robin gets here tonight so I can rock out in class tomorrow. Engineers and Planners be ware. Hehehe.

Rabbits.

I've been looking at pictures of rabbits.

Put Your Hands Together

This week's Reader of the Week award goes to

MORGAN MOON

Congratulations, Morgan!!

(and you thought getting admitted to the Med Scholar's program was a big deal....)

I turn into a Cat Lady when I'm not riding my bike...

It's a weird Jekyll & Hyde phenomenon.  This morning I didn't have class, so I have a bit more free time... I entered Oliver in a cute pet contest.  If he gets the most votes he wins money.  I entered Nick's name as the pet owner, so I guess Nick gets money.  This is probably the lamest thing I've done in a long while.  

Yesterday was goooorgeous out!  Everyone stiffed me or paid in change, but the 55 degree weather made up for it.  It was warm enough to go around after work and visit friends... usually I can't wait to get home and take a warm shower.  Today is a bit rainy--even heard some thunder--but I think I'm going to wake Nick up and see if he wants to ride.  

Tuesday I left the house in a rush and only grabbed an apple, 4 figs, and a head of lettuce (with olive oil & vinegar) for lunch.  After class and lifting, I rushed home and ate super quickly so I could meet up with B.Chan for a ride at 2:30.  Forgot my water bottles of course...  Not a good ride.  I could barely keep up with Becky, and my attitude was so bad!  I turned around when I was right on the edge of bonking, and went home and ate and napped for a few hours.  Its been a while since I've let myself do that...  feels pretty shitty.  

Weekend:  1st collegiate race!  I hope B.Chan goes.  AND kicks ass.  I'll be hill training with Wildcard.  Apparently, there are hills around here.

As of yesterday I officially have 1,001 facebook friends.  Amazing.  My virtual social network is a small town.  (I really should go through and delete the friends who I met drunk on the PAR/FAR bus freshman year.)

Umm Reader of the Week?  Who's it going to be, B.Chan?  

This is the van.  

Ittt'ssss Tuesday!

LIKES AND GRIPES TUESDAYS

(A. Miles, chime in here when you wake up ;)  I'm up!  I'm up!  And eating a huge bowl of sprouted muesli!

Likes

1. Tongue Scrapers in concert with a good brushing and flossing before bed. Yes, I am aware that bacteria reproduce at a rate far faster than I can scrape them off my tongue. I don't care.

2. Pineapple. It's sweet. It's tart. And ohmahgoodness does it have a lot of Vitamin C.  Duh kids...I have a 6 inch piña tattooed on my bicep.  Love them.  Or any fruit for that matter.  In Ecuador I once ate a 10 inch long watermelon in once sitting.  Routinely, I would buy rugby-ball sized papayas and eat them for brekkie.  Yumzorz.  

3. Sunshine and temperatures above freezing in February.

4. Thinking of gripes...

Gripes

1. Certain not-to-be-publicly-named urban planners and engineers in a certain not-to-be-publicly-named urban planning and civil engineering class. Planning is supposed to be visionary. I don't want to be "That Girl" but y'all are leaving me no choice! I really hope you aren't the ones managing any city I live in in the near future.

2. Garlic breath. I have never, ever in my life had anything that I thought was too garlic-y. Good thing I have a tongue scraper.

3. Cutting down trees. As I was leaving for work this morning my neighbors were having a huge tree cut down in their front yard. Sad.

4. Running out of coffee. A word to the wise: it's dangerous to get between a Fastgrrrl and her cup o' joe.

5. The 'P' key on my laptop is all sticky. Really annoying.  The reason I didn't let anyone use my computer for so long was so that when the 'P' key stopped working, I would know exactly when it stopped and why it stopped.  Now how am I to identify what happened exactly?  What kind of goo got in there and made it stick?  Ugh.  The things I give up to be a normal generous member of this household...  

6. Federal money that is allocated for finding a cure for cancer. Of course I wish we could cure cancer...I would have to be a complete sadist to not.. BUT what about prevention?  ...keep funding the American Dairy Association  and keep feeding kids shit in public schools...make sure the interests of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association are in mind when you produce a "food triangle"...  This nation's "dietary recommendations" doctrine is killing us pretty quickly.  Ugh.  This is so frustrating.  Here, read The China Study.  Instead of finding a cure for cancer, I suggest eating plants.  It's really not that difficult.  

Welcome Fastboyyyz !

Today D.Penn and Axel launched their own blog. So if you want to hear the OTHER side of the story, check it out.

D.Penn and I had our weekly Monday adventure today (he chronicles the day's events in his blog). The highlight for me, besides stoking the tandem behind a fastboyyy 'round town in the sunshine, would have to be the vegan peanut butter chocolate bars at Strawberry Fields. Absolutely divine. Fudgy dark chocolate on top of creamy sweet peanut butter on top of a chewy chocolate brownie... oh god, so good. Like a Reeses cup, only richer and bigger. Tonight I will dream of swimming in a springform pan of this stuff.. Full of sugar--refined, which I don't like to eat at all if I can help it--and probably a lot of vegan butter substitute, which is usually just canola oil. Whatever. Someday when I am paid to ride my bike I will have an über-light dispenser for vegan peanut butter chocolate stuff installed in my downtube.

Dan also picked up these vegan hot dogs that he was pretty excited about...I'll let him tell you though. They are good--they taste like...hot dogs.

Part two of the test went well today, if a little long and boring. I quickly lost interest in the Vegan podcast because they didn't talk about food, so I switched to the Swingers podcast. It's not really my bag. I think I'll stick with BBC World News. The coolest part of the study today was seeing my heart beating with an ultrasound. It's globby and sloppy and oozey. I can't believe it keeps me alive. I heart my heart.

Tomorrow in Anatomy & Physiology we are taking the tissues practical. Everyone is freaking out. I think I'll ace it. Small potholes have become Hyaline Tissue (nose; serves as protection) and the really torn up streets are Elastic Cartilage (external ear; flexible but maintains rigidity). Fibrous Cartilage is Van Gogh; Bone Tissue is a 70s owl knick-knack at a thrift shop. Quite simple, really...

I discovered podcasts!  B.Chan told me how awesome they are and I finally got around to downloading some.  They are currently being synced to my ipod.  I plan on listening to my first podcast today, so I'll tell you how it goes.  Should I listen to learn Italian?  Kama Sutra?  BBC world news?  Vegan radio?  Democracy Now?  We'll see.  In 32 minutes I am going to be at Lindy's lab riding for one hour for her study--the second part of the VO2 max study.  I won't get my VO2 max this week, but have to wait until next Monday for part three.  Today will be fairly boring: riding for 1 hour at a moderate pace (hence the podcasts).  

Yesterday Axel and D.Penn gave each other haircuts.  Axel's hair looks great...   but Dan now has a shaved line around his ears and his hairline on his neck is about 3 inches shorter from where it would be naturally.  Axel got carried away with the clippers...  I ended up buzzing off the rest of Dan's hair and now it looks alright.  Oh I miss the days of Kiona's Kuts !!!  I miss my mohawk and the z shaved in the back... oh well, I can make pigtails now.  

LIKE & GRIPES Tuesday is almost here!  Today I will make a mental list of all the things that annoy me.  

D.Penn and Axel are going to start a FASTBOYYYZ blog.  Remember, we were first. 

funny triathlete doing ab exercises animation

Public Apology

I want to publicly apologize for cutting off the Share the Road bus this morning at the corner of Green and Neil.  I've been hanging my head all day...and I'm sorry.  

...now that that's taken care of.. um  the boy who posted the missed connection about me left a note on my bike yesterday!  It was at Parkland.  Stalker?  Hm.  I finally replied to him though.  ("so you thought I'd be slow?")

Dan Penner just asked if I wanted to ride trainers in the morning before work.  What??!?!?!?!!!  8 am: pedaling in the dark living room next to a sweaty baby troll.  Excellent.  

Unofficial St. Patrick's Day is 2 weeks from today.  This is exciting because I'll be delivering 9-5 and making lots of cash because everyone is drunk and happy to get their sandwiches!  If I'm super lucky, I'll walk out with 1 of 2 Easton deep dish carbon wheels in 2 days.  Not a day goes by when I don't think about those wheels....it's disgusting.  

Happy weekend!

This week's featured reader is...

Emily Doman!

Thanks for reading, Miz Domski!  <3 <3 <3  <3   <3 <3     <3  <3 <3       <3         <3

Today I told the two other cyclists who were waiting at the red light at the intersection of 1st & Green that we were going to take over the world.  As I sprinted off toward Wright Street, one kid caught up to me and said "You're not slow!"  Well, thanks!!!   And to make me feel even better, he left a craigslist missed connection.  He doesn't know how much this means to a fastgrrrl.. 

Dinner:  Extemporaneous Veggie Burgers made with leftover soybeans from soymilk making + green pepper, onion, garlic, spices, flaxseed, & brown rice flour (they got Nick's seal of approval!) ...más Salad made with bulgur wheat, fenugreek sprouts, lentil & garbanzo sprouts, jalepeños, & spicy lime peanut sauce...con Balsamic marinated Golden Beets...served over Romaine.  Crunchy yuM!

To reiterate point #2 from yesterday's Likes:  bib shorts.  Love them.  My new Pearl Izumi Bibs: so comfy, so hot... Pearl, you got 10 points for your Lobsters, lost 10 points for your bulgy leg warmers, but you are back up again with 10 for your bibs.  Props.  

NYTimes women's bike racing article (thanks Jess!)

FASTGRRRLZ PRESENTS:
LIKES AND GRIPES TUESDAYS

LIKES
1. Dr. Pushpa Giri. Has anyone else scheduled an appointment at McKillMe with this fine health care professional? If not, its definitely something put on your to-do list before graduation. No joke.

2. My New WILDCARD CYCLING Kit. (Image forthcoming...) I like full zip jerseys. And the bibs are very nice!
My first bibs!  I am a convert.  Who invented shorts?  Those who derive pleasure from the gut-suffocating feeling of an elastic waistband digging into the midsection certainly.. well...everyone has to get there kicks somehow.  My kicks are in bibs.  That said, I won't be selling my shorts on ebay due to low bids on used chamois.  

3. Dal. I've made it 3 weeks in a row now, each time mixing it up with different ingredients. What is not to love about stewed lentils, fresh cilantro, tomatoes, cumin, onions and tumeric? MMMMM!

4. Nick welding a hitch-mounted bike rack in the basement.   So crafty, these boys!

5. My Kreb's Cycle.  ..and everyone else's for that matter!  Making energy is so sexy.  Glycolysis and the Electron Transport Chain are on the same level.  Go ahead, strip my hydrogens!  Strip my electrons!  Give me some oxygen!  It's ATPorn and it's HOT.  

6. Sprouting.  Organic.  Local (from your own kitchen).  Healthy.  Easy.  Cheap.  Versatile.  Fresh.  Delicious.

7.  Shower  Smoothies.  I love recovering after a ride with a smoothie in the shower.  Not only is it a thrifty use of your time, but it is also more green because you can wash your glass in the same water that you are bathing in.  ha!

GRIPES
1. Leg warmer bulge: Ladies, you know what I'm talking about-- that sausage-like roll that forms on your lower thigh between the bottom of your shorts and the top of your legwarmers. Yeah, I know my quads are abnormally large. I don't need to be reminded of it every time I take a pedal stroke, Pearl Izumi.

I second that Miz Chan!  Bulge is the reason I did not wear leg warmers for the first half of last year's cross series and one motivation for increasing my reps in the weight room.... but, no matter what, I think Bulge is here to stay.  Bulge is part of the game.  Maybe we should personify him by giving him a nickname and squishing a Livestrong bracelet around his wrist.  

2. Grumpy Knees. I'm sick of taking it easy and turning back early. Get better already!

3. Waiting. This seems to be a recurring theme in my life lately. Waiting for grad school apps, power taps etc. and so forth. What can I say? I am a product of a culture that has come to expect instant gratification.

4. Obese Adkin's Diet Advocates: "I was on it for about a year and had no problems!"  Umm...okay.  Can we continue this conversation as you huff and puff after exiting the elevator, before you reach for your Diet Coke and inhaler?  (Sorry, this is cruel...but I just don't get it.)

6. The Cycling/Job Dilemma. Last summer I worked at a bar and was too tired to ride during the day a lot of times.  When I worked at the bike shop 10-6 I hung out with bicycles all day, but did I get to ride them?  No.  Delivering is perfect for the winter and early spring, but that kind of workout really isn't compatible for race season.  Races are on the weekend, but that's when people go to the shop to buy bikes.  Humph.  Someday, someone will pay me to ride my bike.  Until then...well, I am going to begin plotting my calendar tonight.  

7. Duh.  No one needs to mention winter. 

Yum yum sprouted quinoa & millet :-)

Highlights of the past few days... Hm Friday delivering was awesome: I made 35 deliveries and it all averaged out to about $20 an hour. I've been thinking about the capitalist leisure/labor dichotomy and I think I am beating it.. !

Saturday my mom and sis came to visit. Mom fell in love with Nick's kitty and Roz fell in love with the Gary Fisher Simplecity.  It was the perfect bike for her, but I still want to get that girl on a road bike.  Then we went shopping...  which was good because now I have jeans that fit my growing thighs :-)  It was good to do girly things.  

Saturday night we made tacos and played Scattergories.  It's really a dumb game...  Still D.Penn had some trouble grasping the concept of the game.  For # 1 on list 5 he thought of 8 sandwiches that started with 'R'.  Maybe he is just taking it to the next level...

Sunday, Mom, Roz and I had brekkie at Strawberry Fields.  There was a string quartet playing and we ate bread and jam and lattes.  After that I bought a bunch of new seeds to sprout: red clover, alfalfa, radish, mung bean, rye berries and hard red winter wheat.  Yay!  Growing plants!  

Mom & Roz left and I studied for my tissues practicum by drawing cells with pink and purple colored pencils.  Overall a really nice weekend!  ...took Sunday off and today (my rest day) I'll take a ride at noon.  It's the end of my rest week so it's fine to take it easy. 

AND a new reader!  My very own Emily Doman, a non-cyclist, read "every word" of our blog and loved it!  Mad props and maybe a R.W. award if the committee approves. 

To the Hipster Betch on the Green Mercier....

You are the reason people don't like cyclists. Be courteous to pedestrians, obey traffic signals, and learn how to ride a bike.

Props to Karl, our Reader of the Week! (Everyone else just chill out...you might be next!)

The weekend was nothing short of fantastic, and February is STILL teasing us with good weather! Sunday I went on the Druber ride for the first time. There were 6 of us; Druber was actually on vacay in CA, so it was me, Penner, Joe & his dad, Jess, and Broglio. The ride was super smooth and perfect pace. I told Dan it's nice to finally be strong enough to not feel like I'm flailing about on the tail of a fire-breathing dragon while trying to hang on at the end of the pack. I feel strong! I can take pulls without feeling like I'll bonk as soon as I get off the front! Yay!

Monday I went out with D.Penn and Joe and it was super windy, but we rode in just shorts and short-sleeves--didn't even need arm warmers. After the ride Dan and I made a bomb-ass stir-fry with baby bok choy, shitakes, red pepper, and bean sprouts. Yumzorz. Then we got the mmmunchies later and ate dark chocolate covered almonds like they were popcorn...

Today it was beautiful again, but I had school and lifted instead of rode. My legs needed a rest; tomorrow I'm delivering

Had a funny altercation with a car today!!! I was carrying a package on my bike and so I was awkward stopping at a red light. I stopped, but then rolled slowly forward and bumped the SUV stopped in front of me with my tire. I wasn't actually sure if I had hit the car or not, because it was so gentle--I just thought it was silly of me to get so close. The light turned green and I went through the intersection and got off my bike to walk into the strip-mall parking lot (I was going to the UPS store). The lady whose SUV I bumped pulled into a parking lot and got out and yelled across the intersection at me "DID YOU HIT MY CAR?" I kind of laughed because I couldn't believe she cared that much, and I said "Yes, I bumped it with my bicycle tire..sorry." She got back in her SUV and drove into the strip mall parking lot and met me at the UPS store. She rolled her window down and asked me if I hit her car. I said that I did, but it was so soft that I thought it was a non-issue. She said "Well, if you were in a motorized vehicle we would have stopped and exchanged insurance information! It's the same thing!" and I said "Um no, it's not really." She said "Well you could at least apologize for it!" ..and I said "Sorry I hit your..SUV with my BICYCLE!" and she said "You are a SNOTTY LITTLE BABY!" and made crying noises. I said "...Ok Maybe I am...but at least I'm not a FAT ASS BITCH!" and she drove away.

I mean seriously? I could have (should have?) just been really sweet up front and said "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to get that close; was there any damage?" but I couldn't believe she was actually thinking that I could have damaged her SUV with my BIKE! I know some people are anal about their cars, but this wasn't that special..it was just a normal dirty Mercury SUV. Stupid betch. Wish I had slammed my U-lock into her window!

Drum roll, please.....

FastGRRRLZ would like to present this week's Reader of the Week award to:



Our very own WILD CARD CYCLING Managing Director, Karl Crapse.

Thanks, Karl, for following FastGRRRLZ and for contributing lively commentary. You are a true example for FastGRRRLZ readers everywhere.

To everyone else, stay tuned this week for the latest excitement in the world of FastGRRRLZ, including (but not limited to):

1. Watching plants grow
2. Waiting for power taps
3. Eating breakfast
4. Waiting for mail
and hopefully
5. Riding bikes

Can't wait? Neither can we....

best day ever ride sun warm fun.

todays ride was so fabulously refreshing.  good ride everyone. !!!

Yesterday I went for my third and final session of the V02 Max test study thing. It sucked. I kinda want to do mine again [WITH pedals] so if any one knows of some one who's doing another study lemme know.

Yesterday was also the road season kick-off pasta party at my house. Nick made beautiful bolognese (?) and marinara sauces. I helped chop things and I got a lesson on sharpening knives. [Thanks Nick! Thick!] Lots of people came and ate food and there weren't enough forks or chairs but I hope everyone had fun!

Yesterday I decided to take random and awkward photos of the bike team throughout the season and then assemble a book. It will be called 'Race Face'. Here is a brief preview...


Some of the pictures in my book will be posed. But don't worry, they will still be awkward.



Yesterday I ORDERD MY POW POW POWER TAP!!!!! RAR!!!

Today it is 50 degrees [ABOVE zero]. And we are going on a ride. Probably a very slow ride on the way out and a very very fast ride on the way back.

Today I have to wait for my Power Tap to come in. And I have to wait for the results of my grad school applications. Too much waiting.

Ah! I am going to be late for the group ride! Catch y'all later.

springWOW !

It's warm outside! Nick even took Axel's home-made felt curtain off the kitchen window to let the sun in. Garbanzo & lentil sprouts look extra happy today; their shoots turned green from being by the window. Ah February, you tease me...

Last night's Pasta Dinner was a success--thanks Nick! Thick! There was plenty of food for all and even more booze. (Bota Box, PBR, Modelo in a can, and, my personal fave, Mickey's!)  Nick did a great job with the marinara, which, incidentally, must be a deejay's favorite sauce...

Thursday I did my VO2 max test finally.  The intensity got difficult pretty quickly... I'm not sure how long I lasted exactly, and I don't find out my score until I go for two more sessions.  Lindy, the woman who is doing the study, wants to make sure we continue to participate, so she doesn't tell us until the end.  I didn't feel as though I went as hard as possible though...it was weird.  But Lindy was excited about my numbers, so that was encouraging.

Yesterday was a fabulous day for delivering!  It was about 45 and sunny.  I feel so free riding around...it's a fun game, trying to go as fast as possible without crashing.  I'm surprised I haven't been hit by a car or crashed yet.  Yesterday the traffic was kind of heavy, which I think makes it more fun sometimes.  At the end of the day I got a big wire stuck in my tire and it flatted; I didn't have the tools to fix it either, so I walked back to the Shire.  It occurred to me that I've never been able to successfully mount my hardcases on my deep v's so I'm not sure how I would fix a flat anyways.  A few more weeks working with those 8 pound dumbbells and maybe...

Group ride at noon!  Sparkly bright day.  So excited to ride.     (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Question:  Does Parkland have a cycling club/team?  They have a "Magic" players student organization...  If they don't have one, maybe I WILL start one.  

SO delivering yesterday wasn't so bad; I wore six layers on top, 4 on bottom, 2 pairs of wool socks, a balaclava, hat, hood, lobsters, booties... I was fairly warm and the roads were finally clear. And no one used my favorite excuse "Oh, I don't have any more money on my credit card to tip you.." so it was a good day. After work I came home and made a Peanut Butter Mousse Cake. I've made the same cake probably 10 times before, all with good results, but this time something didn't go right. The mousse is usually creamy and rich, but this time it turned out bland and kind of stiffly gelatinous. I must have forgotten at least a tablespoon of PB. Also maybe I put in too much agar-agar (this makes the mousse gel a little bit so it doesn't end up like pudding)--too much of it can make things almost too stiff; imagine too-thick jello. The bottom "blondie" layer is delicious though. In any case, I'll probably have to make the whole cake again just to set things straight, By this time I'll be sick of eating peanut butter mousse cake so someone else will have to rise to the occasion.... B.Chan?

Today I have my VO2 test for real. And class. And it is 6 degrees! We're heating up! AND it's almost time to name a new Reader of the Week! Get excited.

ha !

24

is less than or equal to the number of days before Murray State, the first MWCCC race of the year. GET PUMPED.

5

It's 5 out!  5 degrees!  Fahrenheit.  Ugh.  A great day for delivering sandwiches.  I just wanted to share my excitement before I go put on 17 layers of clothing.  

On another note:  I urge you all to check out the Champaign Cycle website !  Axel is doing an awesome job revamping the site.  It actually has some relevant info on it now AND Axel's cute bio blip, and it's only going to get better.  I like.  

Who is riding the Illini Chill this coming Saturday?  It starts in St. Joe's; I say those of us from Chambana meet up and ride there together.  It is supposed to be in the 50's--that's about 45 degrees GREATER THAN 5--and if we are lucky it won't rain.  

My food update:  The soymilk turned out pretty good.  It's a bit beany tasting, and obviously does not taste as processed and refined as the stuff in the carton, but I like it.  It tasted great this morning with sprouted quinoa muesli!  (Quinoa is a delicious, small nutty grain that is a complete protein and can be eaten like rice).

10:24  time to put on all of my clothes.

rest day zzzz's; watching seeds grow...

hi all!  I found out we have another reader!  She might just get the shout-out next week    ;-)  

So today is Monday, my rest day.  I'm not going to say that I will ALWAYS rest on Monday, but lately my legs have been so sore by Friday that I think it is a good idea to rest them completely for a day.  But I am going to backtrack...  Saturday I rode the trainer and it was boring.  (Imagine?)  Sunday gifted us melting snow, sunshine, and 40 degree weather, so I went out with Wildcard.  We took it slow at first because there were still some icy patches, but then we got up to a good pace.  We did about 50 miles, which was good for the first day of February, and it sure beat the trainer blues.  I felt great yesterday actually; yay endurance.  So now sweet & sour Monday...  it's so boring !  My friends are in school, I live so far away from everything, and I've run out of stuff to sell on ebay.  My life is fairly solitary--I ride alone a lot, lift alone, go to class alone.. so the last thing I want to do for fun is sit and read alone or work on projects alone...  ugh   I need SPRING!  I need to get out of this town!  

My project lately has been sprouting seeds/grains/beans to eat.  Sprouts are so healthy (lots of enzymes and more nutrient dense than their "dead" counterparts) and they taste delicious.  Today I bought some mesh for the tops of my sprouting jars.  I'm now experimenting with almonds, quinoa, garbanzo beans, lentils, and fenugreek.  For breakfast this morning I made muesli with sprouted rye and sprouted millet, sunflower and pumpkin seeds (unsprouted), almonds (unsprouted), raisins, blueberries, flaxseed, honey, and hemp milk.  So delicious.  Hemp milk is usually more than $5.00, so I never bought it.  But yesterday it was on sale half-off at IGA ! It tastes a little bitter and nutty--perfect for everything except cappuccinos, which I think taste better with soy or almond milk.  Another project I've started is making my own soymilk.  It looks so easy to do, and it's a lot cheaper and saves packaging!  Now I am in the soaking stage.  After the process is over there are leftover soybean particles that get strained out, which can be used to make other foods (veggie burgers) or for making....baby clothes.

So tomorrow it is back to lifting, riding, and cutting my steer tube and shortening my brake/shift cables.  Monday's are good.  Mondays are when I ask myself "what the hell are you doing"...  what am I doing?  I graduated from college; I deliver for Jimmy John's twice a week, I take one class at Parkland as a pre-requisite for a degree I'll do someday, I live with my boyfriend...  My plan is to ride across the country at the end of the summer and move to Portland.  But really..I'm trying to train; I want to be good.  It's a big experiment.  It's just a new life I am trying out, but it makes me pretty happy.