Sometimes you just suck

The first Utah cross race was last night and I put together a pathetic performance. I new I would struggle with a Friday night race as the fatigue of the work has but to a peak but I had no idea I would feel like that. I just could not get me legs going, up the hill I was turning squares, on the soggy flats I had to stand up, and I felt like I was riding someone else's bike. I started fast as usual but did not have the legs to keep going, who fades in a 20 min race (shortened for daylight)? Last night I hardly slept and at around midnight I was in full on cold sweats with a fever, I guess the swollen nodes where for real. Feeling a little better this am, or maybe it was just seeing Eva's smile. Hopefully with some rest I can whip this and be back to myself, maybe I can even be ready for a trip to glouscter.
Anyway, today is Rosies birthday so we have celebrating to do. Eva and are putting together a breakfast in bed. I will try not to dwell on being crushed last night.
enjoy your weekend

powerless on the tarmac

I'm on a roll updating the blog.
Saturday night we headed up the the Harvest Moon Festival in Ogden. Rode around in circles for an hour listening to a bunch of sissies bicker, I haven't missed much focusing on the MTB. Sometimes I wish mountain bike racing was not so hard, then more of these road boys could go to a race without having to argue. I must say that some of those guys can go seriously fast on flat smooth ground, not me. All in all I got a good work out and paid for trip.

Linde talked me into racing the cross bike in Poki this am, it was a good season opener. The course was tough, all on slow bumpy grass with some good hills. I did my first barriers of the year. The fields were impressively sized and it was good to see my buddy Feldman. I also won an EPO blanket and mug plus a little cash. Still need a little work on the old cross bike but I should get it polished up this week, then I should start seeing some new ones.

93 Dodge Caravan

So on the drive up to snowbird this morning for the PT conference it's just bustin down snow like a mid winter dream. Just past Tanner Flat (anything but flat) traffic comes to a stop on the nearly snow pack road and and up ahead we see a highway patroller standing outside of his SUV turning people around due to the road conditions. As the cars turn around we start moving again and pull up beside him with the window down, he takes one look at the van and says "anyone without chains or 4-wheel drive needs to turn around". We said thanks and continued to drive as I say to Tom "He obviously has no idea what a 1993 Caravan can do in the hands of the right driver" The roads become snow pack and we continue to rally up the 10% grade when we come upon this jacked up, over treaded, F350 crew cab who is stuck in the gutter because he thought he could turn around anywhere in his fancy 4 wheeler, surely he felt silly when his moms minivan just went by him like it was on snow tracks. We made it to the bird and parked in a lot full of 4-wheel drives.
Never underestimate a minivan!

drag race to no where

So today I was sitting at the light at the bottom of emigration on my ride home and noticed these cars in a battle for position. They were all stopped at the light but merging from in front and behind the zoo. As the the anticipation of a green light builds they just kept inching forward in attempt to cut the other one off, all so the could be one car length further up the canyon than the other one, classic. I laughed out loud. Tomorrow and Saturday I will be sitting on my but at a physical therapy conference up at snowbird. Then the harvest moon crit on Saturday night. This time of year I am normally very confident and ready for cross season, this year I don't know. I have not had the feeling of power and grace yet and am still struggling to find my cross legs. Hope things come around soon because confidence is half the battle.

Same old thing, just colder

Because sager forgot to remind me about the tour de suds I rode up big mtn and over to east canyon resort on the cross bike in multiple snow storms. Passed a few guys TTing up the pass and saw Ali warming up on the trainer, looked like fun. On the back side on the pass the snow was 8-10 inches deep and had downed a large tree across the road, it had been winched over to clear one lane. Being on the cross bike I forgot a water bottle and had to drink out of the frozen spring. It was a good time and I forgot how much I enjoy riding with cold feet. The afternoon was spent running some errands and we made a stop at Ohrans where we found twinkle toes O'Connor trying on some new shoes, show up for the local cross races and you will see what I mean. Eva graduated into the forward facing car seat which we picked up at Babies-r-us, I would not recommend this place on a Saturday

Today has been November like cold and I thought for sure I was missing a cross race somewhere, nope still mid September.

cross weather- a little early!

Future cross star honing her barrier technique

The last couple days I have been hanging out with little Eva after work while Rosie gets stuff done. It has not been good for my training but man that little girl cracks me up. Today the water has been coming down, good for the new grass and plants but bad for the morale, I prefer the indian summer. I got out for a quick lunch ride on my old cross bike and managed to dodge the rain for most of it, I am still dialing in my position on the bike and as soon as I get it right my new ones will be here and I will start the process over. What's with no day of registration for the Big Mountain hillclimb, do they think this is the tour or something? I found out today and my decision has been made for me. I guess the road geeks don't want the mountain bikers (who are used to day of Reg) to show up and crush. So maybe I can get comfortable on the cross bike tomorrow. I have been kicking around the idea of manning up and finishing my doctoral project this fall, if I wasn't teaching and doing labs this semester I am sure I could do it, but that just might put me on intellectual overload. Will see.
Enjoy your weekend

DMV

Rallied through westside traffic to the DMV tonight for some flat land intensity. It was a good workout but I was a fish out of water doing my first crit/road race of the year. I stayed near the front and kept the pace up even when it was not in my best intreast. I did not commit to the sprint as a couple guys were up the road a few seconds and just rolled in. My fitness is not ready and I am little behind in cross prep from years past due to my landscaping escapades but who knows maybe a slower build up will help me in the long run.
time for bed

prep- not the v-neck sweater variety

Rosie is back from her adventures in Az and man is it nice to have her back. Eva was a little bent she left and gave her the cold shoulder at first, but she has warmed up.

On the training front I have been trying to work a little intensity into my commute this week and burned a couple loops up the hill today. Feeling better, but that does not always mean
faster. I hope to hit up the DMV tomorrow for a little leg speed, my first crit of the year, surely I will be squirrelly.

check out my latest landscaping projects, note the trail entrance on the right side

been putting these together one step at a time

as soon as I get some brake pads I will get these mounted up on the cross bike for some testing, the sods looking good so maybe I can hop some barriers on the front lawn, or maybe not.

where does the time go?

The past week has been a blur, I have been way to busy. Tuesday we went Bananas for Eva's 1st b-day. The sod of the hill got a good workout from all the kids running up and down it, hopefully sod responds similar to bone, tendon, and muscle and adapts to a certain stress (wolfs law). I think the past year with Eva has been the best of my life, amazing.

Thursday we dropped Rosie off at the airport for her trip to Az with her girlfriends, it's been a dady daughter kinda week. I am kicken it at the Gillespie farm right now and got in a ride with Rog and Bryan this afternoon. We rode to Sundance and then South Fork, I think I am starting to feel better and hopefully with a few more weeks of training should be ready for cross, to bad my new bikes won't be ready, but I possibly will be sporting the new SRAM goods, will see.

Sounds like Dr X is doing well after his ablation yesterday and will be crushing it in no time. I guess we need to get a cros practice going. Ohran got locked out of his house today and called me looking for a spare key, which is in Rosies car, with me in Provo. Maybe he is sleeping in his hottub tonight.

Just got back from the nursery with some new plants for the yard, I would tell you what I got but I can't spell em. I will snap some pics after planting.

While on our ride today Bryan got a call from his wife that she was going to the hospital- to have a baby! He raced home and made with a little time to spare. Congrats another girl, 6lbs 9 oz.

Gotta run, I am going to bottle some peaches tonight and prepare for winter.

that time of year

back on the bike

Friday I took Eva out for a ride in the trailer for a break in on the bike. She needed a nap but it took her an hour to fall asleep, thus extending my ride time. I put in some good climbs dragging that trailer.

Saturday I hooked up with Sager for some backcountry riding, could not have asked for a nicer day. We did the Jeremy-Kimball-Crest-Millcreek-Elbow Fork-Lambs-JS back to Jeremy, BG back Emigration loop. If you have not done the lambs DH your missing out, its a brake burner and well worth the granny climb up Elbow. I am not quit recovered from soding but it was good to be back on the wheels. Sager came face to face with Bull Moose and then coming back to EC I ran into a cow and baby. They must no summer is winding down.

You should see me new cross wheels.