Timing is everything!

The race at Lewis&Clark is only two days away, so today, I had planned to go out there to get one more ride in.
I wanted to wait until the afternoon, to give the trail a chance to dry out some more, since we had all that rain.
I had a few things to do today and kept thinking:"what a gorgeous day", when everyone I talked to told me about the rain that we are supposed to get.
By the time, I had eaten, walked the dog, loaded the bike and my bike gear on, I saw those dark clouds to the east of us....scheisse! I jumped in the car and made a run for L&C.
On the drive over there, I kept looking in the rear view mirror and watched it get darker...
I was determined to get one lap in, so when I got there, I got my bike out and started riding.
Once one trail, I couldn't see the sky, so I just hoped for the best and enjoyed my ride. A few times, I thought, I felt some drops, but I guess, it was sweat (or fear:D)
I actually had a good ride. I didn't break any speed records but I did more sustained climbing and that is what L&C is all about.
I only got attacked once by the mosquitoes and got my spray out and reapplied some more.
So slowly but surely, I made it back up the hill towards the monument and by the time I got the the parking lot: it started raining...and it rained hard. Hopefully, we will still have a race!?!?!

31st of May 1958

Do you know what happened on that day? Don't worry, it's not really an important day in history, generally...personally, for me, it is!
It is the day, my parents got married 49 years ago!! SO without that, I wouldn't be around:D

So, I say HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

Pre-ride L&C

Power Toys and Power Sprints

I meant to go outside today to finally take a picture of each of my hostas, so I can start keeping track of my collection, but when I did my morning garden walk, it started raining again.
Well, no pictures of my hostas, but Mr. Whiskers got an extra walk today:)
The pictures show him by the way with a power or record toy, bought for around $ 2. A little hedgehog with a squeaker AND even after 5 days, the squeaker is still "alive"...

I had Physical Therapy (PT) again for my neck and my shoulder. I had a bike crash about a year ago and it keeps bugging me so I finally went to the Doc. Now I have PT three times a week.
It's fantastic! I can ride hard, crash (like I did Sunday at L&C) and they take care of it:)
Massage, Stretching and Heat = Heaven

Worked until I jumped on my Roadie to go out for Power Sprints, that is get your RPM up to 100-130. Not that hard, but the reps get you after a while, so now I am sitting here with tight legs and a tight neck again:)
Well, Friday is my next PT appointment....

So tomorrow, I will try again to get a hand on my hostas.
Plus I want to go out and Pre-ride Lewis&Clark.

Oh, and whoever does those rain-dances, would you please stop! We have some races to ride.

Road Ride

As you know, I am a vivid gardener and every gardener likes rain...but enough is enough.
I had things to do during the day. Amongst them was a job interview. Cross your fingers! I really want to start working again.
Martin left to fly to Boston and by the time I wanted to ride it rained...
NOT AGAIN, our MTB trails will never dry out and the bugs will grow to monster sizes....argh:(

Well, after checking the weather pages, I waited out the rain and hit the Keystone afterwards.
Not a very exciting ride, but good enough to get my workout in. I even explored a new road with a longer hill to ride back home. Yes, I am actually looking for hills.
Saturday's Lewis & Clark race is looming out there. It is such a hard course to ride. It kicks my behind every time I try t ride it. I call that place also a confidence-sucker. So don't go there if you need a booster:) But it sure will show you your place in the MTB world.

Memorial Day

Today, was a lazy day. Martin got up early and went to Swanson to work on the trail. After he got back he mowed the lawn and I went out side and checked my flowerbeds.
Everything looks OK. I put some "deer-off" on the plants, weeded, some and put some seeds in some pots. This year, I won't seed much. I am seeding some Lavender, white Echinacea, hardy Hibiscus and some sunflowers. If the hardy Hibiscus turns out, I will have something to share. They produce blooms as big as dinner plates!
But my new project is in the above picture, right behind Mr. Whiskers.
All those ground covers, up to the first fence post will be torn out
and replaced by my added on Hosta cllection:)
Martin was so sweet to shred and mow that part, so I only have to
to do the digging.
It will double that Hosta bed in size and I am excited about that.
I will also much it to see how that has an effect on the soil quality.

one pedal stroke at a time

I decided to start my own race blog to keep track of all the scheduled races, results and what not.

Check it out, it still needs some work, but I think it looks pretty nifty:

one pedal stroke at a time

Enoy!

Took my Blur out for a Ride at L&C

Martin and I went over to Council Bluffs to ride Lewis & Clark. I have to say it again, I think that place is the hardest one to ride. For me it is a confidence-sucker, meaning it sucks all my confidence out of me:( I don't have problems with the down hill parts, but there are so many technical climbs, steep, narrowly curving around, over roots, and what not...
Martin took his time and stayed with me and told me a lot of technical tips, how to ride certain spots and I was more than grateful to get help with that.
I had one crash, that actually hurt, because, I fell on my left elbow (maybe I should start writing down my crashes like other people keep track of their miles ridden. That would give me at least one high number) and it hurt:(
I could also feel the TT from yesterday in my legs, so I started to use the small chain ring in the front some more. That helped, but it didn't make me faster.
Well, whoever rode that trail, knows, how great it feels to get back up on the parking lot.
I kinda had a bad feeling when I looked at Martin and yes, I was right, he wanted to go another loop...
Knowing, I need the training, I went along and I actually were able to ride more than the first lap. That was cool!
About halfway into the lap, I let Martin take off. He was going much faster and I wanted to do it at my pace. SO off he went and I concentrated on picking a pace that I could keep up to make it through. I still couldn't ride 100% but I got closer to it and that was a great feeling but that place is still taking EVERYTHING out of me. I went to the car and relaxed in the sun for a bit until Martin came back from his 3rd lap. Good for him!!! Sweet was also that I ran into two German girls, one of them living in Omaha. She took my email address and phone number. I am hoping to hear from her. It would be nice to get to meet some more Germans. She said that they are having a get-together once a month. That would be kind a nice to meet some more of "my kind":))

riding-racing-riding-racing-RIDING

Today, is the first day of the race weekend in Beatrice, NE and I am not there:(
I am a bit disappointed about it but I have my reason no to go. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do...
The advantage. I could go to a party last night and didn't have to feel bad about having that extra glass of wine and I could sleep in today.
So, I put that race behind be and though, I could use the time to ride at L&C but it had rained in the morning so the trails need a day to dry and I looked at my training log and I saw that I had an alternative work out scheduled in case I wouldn't race: a 30 min TT, race condition, all out and I can tell you: IT WAS PAINFUL. I haven't downloaded my heart rate monitor yet, but I think, I have gotten faster. Cool!

Today, I didn't do anything in the yard, but admire my labor from yesterday. I had planted bout 30 plants and moved some more. I took pictures, but they are still in the camera.
Yes, I am lazy today:)



















I created a new blog to keep track of my racing schedule and the results.
I called it:
One pedal stroke at a time

Seven-little-known-facts

I have been reading this one blog Up in Alaska for a while now.
Actually, it was one of the blogs, that inspired me to start my own blog. I even went back and read the blog from the very beginning and I realized, that what I would write now, would still be "there" later...
Anyway, I found the blog because, I have been always fascinated by cold climates. I don't know why, but whenever someone writes about living in the arctics or such a listen up. Well, on top, when I found out, that Jill the author of the blog is a bike rider, she had one my full attention.

One of her resent blog entries was about these famous seven-little-known-facts and I left a comment with seven of mine.
While I was reading my blog comments about my garden I came across a very important fact that I have to share here:

I absolutely HATED gardening as a child!!!!! Believe it or not. It is true:) You can ask my parents. They still can't believe, that I have a garden like this and actually enjoy working in it.

just a few of my collectibles

...to be continued and added on:)

Mow Grass/Safe Gas/Burn Calories

R&R DAY

(the laziest dog ever....)

AHHHH, I had my day off today, that is OFF the bike and yes I missed it but my body was ready for a break.

I got a special treat today or say treatment. I started physical therapy for my neck and shoulder pain and that felt sooooo gooood. I had forgotten how relaxed one can feel:)
They did some massage, stretching and heat. NICE!

Afterwards, I was so sleepy that I needed some caffeine to wake me up again.

All relaxed, I hauled some plants around the yard and did some digging. I planted some more plants (I finally got a blomming peonie:), moved some others and took some pictures:(Hibiscus)












(Hosta)



Today was also a SAD day. Today it has been a year since my little girl Chelsea passed away.
I hope she is having fun now in Doggy Heaven and finding lots of occasions to play fetch, her favorite game...

First Place at Swanson River City Shootout

As some of you might know, I am riding a Santa Cruz Blur and I LOVE this bike! Anyway, this morning , Martin said: " ride like a blur", so I did and that's why I like this picture:)
My pace was almost at a the 10 mile mark and that is F A S T for me.
and that is why I got one of these handed over in the end: A nice medal with a big one on it:)
Some more action-shots, thanks to Martin. The one one the left was at the very beginning of the race, where I had a great sprint and was first to enter the single track. On the right, just another
CCShot fighting hard for her "money"



























The beginner podium. Yes, this wasn't a race to just how up and the girl in the red HighGear jersey actually road on a cyclocross bike and beat me at Tranquility a month back. Today, she had no chance of reaching me, since I had my afterburners on for the whole race.

We are safe!!

I have this sign in the front yard to scare everyone away!!

more yard work

Iris

I planted some perennials and some lilly bulbs plus I dragged all my "tropical" plants outside.
Tropical means in my case, that they are not hardy in Nebraska and would freeze to death.

The days after...

Monday night, I went to ride the Chica ride but my legs were still pretty sore from Sunday, plus my neck and my right shoulder, that I had crashed on didn't let me enjoy the ride.
So I let all those female speed demons do their thing and just rode "my" bike for a while at my pace. I say "my" bike, because I was giving Martin's Intense another try and I have to admit, it is growing on me. It does climb better and reacts quicker than my beloved Blur.
Might have to race that one on Sunday...

Today, I had a long a waited appointment at a physical therapist for my neck. I have been having neck problems for a while now and my recently intensified training with up to 7 rides a week doesn't help it. So, I finally went. The guy was really nice and very pro-sport!
He gave me stretching and strengthening exercises for my neck and my shoulders and told me not to crash anymore...sure!
AND, I will have massage THREE times a week:) Hey, if that won't help then what.

Back home, I pulled out my Roadie (I named my road bike) to do some hill sprints and almost spilled right in our drive-way. There is a gap right in the middle of the drive -way going down towards the road and I decided to take exactly that line...deedeedee! That was the closest, I have gotten to crashing on my road bike, schoene scheisse!
My hill sprints, I did right at "my" hill. We live at the beginning of this long and very steep hill. It is always a show in the snow, because people get stuck with their cars all the time.
Anyway, this is from now on velocc's hill (of pain).
But to my surprise, those sprints weren't as painful as I had thought. My legs are getting stronger. Great feeling:)
After my sprints, I went for a "stroll" on the Keystone and got blasted by the wind. Don't you hate that, that you have to turn your IPod up, just to drown out the howling of the wind.
I rode for another hour and came back home, with this good feeling of having my workout done for the day.
I also took pictures of my plants, but I haven't uploaded them yet, so that might be tomorrow's post.
Well, now it is late and Mr. Whiskers tells me, he needs his beauty sleep, so I better wrap it up for tonight and write some more tomorrow.

Let the Battle begin....

Let the Battle begin...., originally uploaded by veloCC.

Check out some more pictures

A Royal Battle for Six Hours and Twenty-seven Minutes

The Platte River Marathon has its name for a reason: Battle Royal.
My battle lasted 6:27 hrs and it was a looooooong time.

I don't think that there were as many riders this year than last. Last year, I had teamed up with Nicole Koch, but this year, I decided ("two wheeled bike junkie" that I become) to do it alone. Cons, well it is a darn long time to spend on a bike but I could take a break whenever I felt like it and I did, trust me I did.

They started with a Lemond-start, at least I think that is what it's called. Everybody lays their bike down and then you do a running start...
I took my time since I know what was coming: that monster hill to get to the single track. I rode a race in Germany and they called a hill like that "the knee-breaker". I think this hill deserve that title as well.
Well that hill didn't break my knees but showed me something else pretty horrible. My legs were tired, heavy, I don't know what, but not in the mood to take me through this course for the next six hours. I told myself not to panic. Maybe my brains just told my legs to take it easy to preserve the strength?!?
So I just kept going (what else would I do) and hoped for better legs. After all, I was doing this for fun:)
I think lap one was the slowest lap, I have ever done in there. I walked a lot and I didn't feel great about my "out-put" but at least physically, besides the legs, I was fine. I drank enough water and magic potions (don't worry, just good old sports drinks) and consumed my 60 grams of carbs an hour. Worked like a champ!
Lap two was a bit better, but still more work than it should have. I crashed on that lap pretty hard. Adding to my bruise-collection as I call it and scratched up my right arm pretty good in something..."Grass Rash"!?
After a short bike check, it wasback in the saddle and off I went.
All in all, I think my riding was the best during that lap. I got more confidence on my bike and rode more stuff.
It was still good to get to the start/finish line, oh that reminds me of THE GULLY, if you have ridden there, you know what I am talking about. It is normally the last fast run out of the trail, but not this time. The huge rain, that we has last weekend was still standing in there.

This is a picture off Cornbread's blog. I had to post it. First of all, you see the mud and second of all, made it laugh me so hard. That's Paul, looking for some sun-glasses and a water bottle...

Anyways, once you got through there, you were almost done, at least with lap two.

Same routine, another water bottle and some gels and withstanding the temptation of various offered lawn chairs to rest for a moment.

Lap three, like in pain level triples? All of a sudden I got cramps and had to get off the bike and walk them off. I just kept drinking and refueling in hope to make them go away.
Not much to say about that lap, other then I started feeling the hours in the saddle or walking and pushing my bike. Still, I kept looking at my watch to see what time it was. Would I make it back in time for lap four? Would I ride another lap, over 5 hours into the race?
The "two-wheeled-junkie" that I have become, decided still halfway into lap three, YES, I WILL ride another lap....crazy eh!?!
I did make it in time to ride my fourth lap. That lap was done by pure will power. I just pushed through all the pain and exhaustion.
AND after 6:27 hrs, I crossed the finish line for the final time....YEAH!!!

How good it was to get off the bike:) Martin, Mr.W and I just stayed around until the final results got posted and who would have thought, I made 3rd in the Women's Open Class.


Compared to the other riders, my four laps aren't all that great. I rode super slow and walked a lot, but I did stick it out until the end and that's great. I am trying to live by my motto:

RIDE YOUR OWN RIDE

So there is still room for improvement, but I am trying (hard) and that is what counts!

So much for this year's dream to become a leg-model.
Battle Scars. Painful yes, but proudly earned:)

Battle Royal and with Blog

I will write soon about my race. I rode for approximately 6 and half hours , in the higher 80ies lower 90ies, I think two countable crashes (will explain later what I mean about that) and ended up on the podium...yeah! Third!!

As for my blog. I tried to change it to another template. Something "cooler" and messed EVERYTHING up. So bare with me.....

Battle Royal

I can't believe that I am actually doing it but this race is on my schedule: Battle Royal and I am giving it a try. Hey, SIX HOURS at Platte River, no big deal, eh?!?!?!?!?
What did Sydney call "us" the other day: "Two Wheeled Junkie Club".
I am afraid, she has a point:)
See you all out there and if I start to look really miserable, please remind me, why I am doing this....

Flower Power

My latest addition to my selection of plants is this orchid. They are fickle plants, but I like the challenge. They only bloom once a year, but then for several weeks. This one just started. Let's see, how long this one will bloom. I feed it special food.

Outside, I have been spending several hours on my flowers beds. Cleaning up the spring flowers, spreading some new dirt and get rid of some weeds....that reminds me, I still have a whole box of bulbs sitting in my sun room that need to be planted, I guess that will be tomorrow's job.
Oh, and then my favorite, mowing the lawn, my two-hour-work-out. Yes, we do have a big yard! I did that today.
I also have one flower bed that needs to be "build". The stones need to be set around it and the soil loosened up and then I have to figure out what to plant it it. Maybe veggies......


Tonight, I went for a ride on the Keystone. Oh my God, those underpasses are messed up from the rain. They are dry now, but they must have been totally flooded.

I also had a Doctor's appointment today. I have been having neck problems from a MTB accident last year. It has been bugging me now more since I ride more and I finally decided, I need to do something about it. First he said, I should stay off the bike for a while...NOOOO!
So we settled on physical therapy, which is fine by me. Hopefully that will help my neck!