Adventures of Sock Monkey

Dog Days

2008-08-19T11:36:00.004-04:00

My dog is going crazy - doggie dementia is what I call it. Canine cognitive disorder is what the vet calls it. That paired with a tumor, my 12+ year old dog is going crazy. In the process he is slowly driving me crazy. Crazy due to lack of sleep because his symptoms become most active at, oh between midnight and 3 a.m. (I think after 3 he has usually worn himself out - or perhaps I just pass out by then, so I have no idea when he actually settles down). Crazy because I can do nothing to soothe him. Crazy because he has gone from being my bestest buddy to a most insufferable enemy - and that in turn makes me hate myself because he can't help his behaviour any more than I can help but be upset that I am lacking sleep.

Not sure where this is going, I just needed to vent....

Poor Buddy.
Poor me.

There are people starving in the world, global warming, lack of clean drinking water, pollution, incurable illnesses...reminders that my problems are very minuscule comparatively speaking.

Must Have Carbon

2008-08-15T11:55:00.012-04:00

Somehow it has become apparent to me that I am not cut out to work in excess of eight hours a day. If I do, however, end up in the graces of 'the man' for such an extended period of time, it is most necessary for my mental well being (as well as the mental well being of those around me) that I have enough energy or the time to exercise, eat properly and sleep well. If the latter goals are not met, the results are most disastrous.

This week my life has been lacking all three of the most essential aspects which make me a happy and easy going individual. Good food, sleep and riding bikes.

Just short of a breakdown, I knew it needed to be remedied. Yesterday after working only an eight hour day (what a concept) I finally got to ride the carbon bike that's been parked in my basement for the entire week. The thought of it leaning against that cold cement wall, sitting idle, made my stomach churn with pain not only for the bike but for myself who needed to ride it. In fact, T$ had to make the sacrifice to take it out for a run on Tuesday just so it wouldn't grow cob webs on it. Such a travesty should never be allowed to happen! No worries, I have made amends with the bike gods and rode it last night. And what a ride it was.

The bike is on loan to me from one of our reps - what a great gesture, really. It's his own personal bike and he let me use it. Nice. The bike climbs like a champ, even with a double crank. I didn't think I could handle it, but I climbed up most things that I would with my triple. Perhaps it was the lighter weight carbon frame that helped me climb, perhaps it was just me feeling the need to get more than four days of aggression out of my system. Regardless, the bike was a billy goat and I was a more mentally sound individual afterward, as a result. It's going to be tough to go back to riding Boris and his heavy, hard-tailed, alloy-framed self. Oh well at least I will have the memories of the Sweet Carbon Cannondale to get me through my next bought of work-related-life-enjoying-depletion. Now to work on the good food and good sleep part...

How I Feel Today

2008-08-13T20:43:00.000-04:00

Weekend

2008-08-08T16:21:00.002-04:00

The Rochester Omnium began today - one of this city's (very) limited redeeming events. Can't wait for tomorrow nights crit! That and riding the course for the Suicide Six course on Sunday morning...and what a course it is. Yikes. Well, those are my exciting plans. Have a great weekend as I intend to do just that!

Tagged A While Ago

2008-08-05T10:47:00.008-04:00

I am slow...so I was just reading Alaskan Julie's blog and realised that I was tagged, oh like over two weeks ago, to fill out this questionnaire. Better late than never, right?

If you could have any one — and only one — bike in the world, what would it be?
Oh man, this is a most impossible question for me to answer, seeing as how I am quickly on my way to becoming a bike hoarder. I can't see myself spending the rest of my life on only one bike, I just can't. There it is the ugly, cold, hard truth in writing on the inter web for all to see. I feel so naked right now...

If you had to choose one — and only one — bike route to do every day for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why?
Once again, there is no only one...does one 'area' count? Like if I said I would ride somewhere, like say, the Alps for the rest of my life - is that one route? :-D

What kind of sick person would force another person to ride one and only one bike ride to to do for the rest of her / his life?
Evil, sadistic, vile...

Do you ride both road and mountain bikes? If both, which do you prefer and why? If only one or the other, why are you so narrow minded?
I do ride both and proudly, I might add. While I am a far cry from a true roadie or an h-core downhiller, I have found that, this summer especially, I am totally obsessed with mountain biking. In fact, I think I will be buying a new mountain bike well before I can muster up the funds for a new (Cervelo?) road bike...but then there is also the Big Dummy in my sights for an impending road trip (in the Alps?). Back to the 'If you could only have one bike' question - NEVER!!!! (insert evil laugh here). I will hoard bikes like most women hoard shoes. (more evil laughter).

Have you ever ridden a recumbent? If so, why? If not, describe the circumstances under which you would ride a recumbent.
I have. A friend of mine rides and I tried it last year. Not for me, but it sure was a comfy ride. If you could install a tv tray in front of you and eat while you ride, I would be adding a Rans to my hoarding dream list!

Have you ever raced a triathlon? If so, have you also ever tried strangling yourself with dental floss?
Ewwww. Why oh why would I ever want to jump into a filthy pond and try and make my way through the throngs of wet suits while the struggle for each breath makes me feel like I am drowning? The answer? I wouldn't. I don't like to swim. I should rephrase that, I love to swim, or float, or just be in the water. However the whole flapping your arms and legs about in a hurried manner to reach some sort of finish line just doesn't appeal to me. It makes me feel like a fish out of water - ironic, I know. Perhaps this is why fish have gills and humans have lungs.

Suppose you were forced to either give up ice cream or bicycles for the rest of your life. Which would you give up, and why?
I have already given up ice cream due to my lack of dairy digesting enzymes (sad, sad day for me), therefore this is a no brainer!

What is a question you think this questionnaire should have asked, but has not? Also, answer it. My question is... If you could ride your bike on any planet in the Solar System, which would it be and why?
A question of whether or not I should be doing this at work...I got nothing other than that. If I could ride my bike anywhere else in the solar system, I pick Earth. We can't breath on the other planets. Fish out of water syndrome all over again.

You’re riding your bike in the wilderness (if you’re a roadie, you’re on a road, but otherwise the surroundings are quite wilderness-like) and you see a bear. The bear sees you. What do you do?
I will calmly start by coaxing him over to me, kind of how you would call to a stray cat. Ksss, ksss, ksss. Then once he has lumbered over to me I would share my Clif shot bloks with him. Bears like Cran-Razz, right? After this, I am most certain, we will become fast friends. Subsequently, I would have to decide what to name him...perhaps Bernhard or Isiah - do bears like to be called Isiah? Nah, maybe Ezekiel...yeah. Then I would jump back on my bike and pedal off as Ezekiel would wave his big, burly paw good-bye to me. Until we meet again, E-Z (that's my nickname for him).

Who Needs Cake?

2008-08-04T13:47:00.004-04:00

Happy Birthday to me! This is my birthday present to myself...well, in my dreams, anyways. I spent the better part of the morning and an hour and a half last night on this:Couldn't think of a better way to spend my birthday. Yes, it was yesterday. I pretty much hate my birthday and try to run away to the woods each year to hide from the gruesome reality that I am one more year older and none the wiser. I figure if I hide, age won't find me thus leaving me in a perpetual state of youth. Yeah, youth - our inevitably, forever fleeting friend. When I was younger I longed to be older and now...well, I would never want to be younger again, only to allow my body to feel great each day and for my skin to never wrinkle (hey, I am a woman - isn't that what we all want? That and a great pair of carbon cycling shoes to match each bike?..oh wait, that's just me). I think young, I act young, people tell me I look young, but why do my knees tell me exactly how old I am each day. Oh well, I suppose glucosamine/chondroitin regimen it is.

Aside from my emotional melt down Saturday morning, I think my birthday weekend went quite well. I usually am a cranky/miserable mess a few days prior to and especially on the day of. Previous years of crankiness have been remedied by stifling my misplaced anger with a bottle of Goose, Dom or whatever was being served at Sali's on special. This year, however, I didn't drink - at all - on my birthday. Bear with me as I am still in shock about this. It is still quite an odd feeling, but in a way, I think I kind of like it. However, I most certainly didn't handle my 'messy' thoughts as positively. This all became painfully obvious Saturday at around 8:30 a.m. The day progressed to a slightly more numbing, bordering normal, feeling until finally in the evening I came out of my funk. (An amazing dinner with a handsome man and a playground adventure might have had something to do with it). I hate letting my mind get away with itself like that, but sometimes it's just how I operate. It tends to try the patience of the people closest to me...sorry T.

In all reality my birthdays are always just fine, no matter what I end up doing, it's my mental state that takes a nose dive. For some reason I have this irrational view on my age as if my body's mileage counter will click over and simultaneously the engine will quit all the while I will realise that the warranty had expired. In other words, I just don't want to ever wake up old, fat and unfulfilled. But then I reevaluate my actual life and it is completely not that way at all. I have an amazing life and lots of opportunities to improve upon the things that don't fulfill me at the moment. So, it all comes down to me fucking with my own head.

No matter, all those thoughts were a long lost memory last night as T and I rode through Dryer by the light of our TriNewts. Right before we rode out we stopped at the top of the hill and turned out our lights - it was amazing how each star so brightly speckled the night sky. Best birthday candles ever!

Money Wasting Hilarity

2008-08-04T13:12:00.002-04:00

This is what happens when you have some extra cash, an unnatural relationship with your cat and predictably no friends...

For more information on how you too can make your cat look ridiculous, please go to: http://www.kittywigs.com/

Hurricanes and Bathrooms

2008-07-31T12:40:00.013-04:00

Last night I stayed awake until sometime after 2 a.m. with Sergei huddled underneath my legs in the bathroom while I read a book. I felt I needed to make the sacrifice of precious sleep to be there for my bestest bud - why you ask? Because he needed me. Earlier in the night I was so frustrated with the damn dog that I just wanted him out of my sight. I think the guilt of being so angry with a dog (who can't reason with you or tell you why he is behaving in a neurotic manner) was part of the driving force behind me sitting in my bathroom into all hours of the night.

Sergei is deathly, inexplicably afraid of thunder storms. Last night we had something to the comparative equivalent of a level 5 hurricane (is that such a thing, level 5? whatever it was violently powerful!). Needless to say, he was an absolute mess. He must have sensed the impending storm well before our meager human minds could have thus behaving like a nut in the evening...which subsequently led to my growing frustration towards his behavior. He woke me up around 11:30p.m. to let me know the storm had arrived. Most nights I would put him in the bathroom alone and go back to bed. He usually just wedges himself under the claw foot tub and stays there until morning. But last night I decided I needed to be there for him as he has been for me for the past 11 1/2 years. So there we were camped out on the tile floor in my bathroom...what a sight I am today.

Quite some time ago I read somewhere (most likely some cheesy email forward) that in one's life the one person who should never let you down most likely will. I learned this painful lesson, it seems like several life times ago, when I was still a child. For some reason it is one of those lessons that has reoccurred throughout my life with several different people. Sometimes those disappointing events turn out to strengthen the bond of the relationship and at other times they create such a chasm that not even time can remedy the fracture. As a child, you have no control over such things, nor do you truly have the emotional maturity to fully comprehend the enormity of the situation. You tend to be more ego-centric, blaming yourself, trying so desperately to fix what you never had the power to destroy in the first place. Taking this pain into adulthood can be costly even devastating. No worries, many years of alcohol consumption and counseling set me right...just joking...sort of.

Anyway, I find as an adult we have control over these events to some degree, or at least the wisdom to either fix the problem or know when to say 'fuck it' and walk away. Looking back - when I was younger it was so difficult for me to allow anyone inside the self-created, thick barriers that it was just as easy for me to walk away. In fact, I have found that I walked away from so many relationships, be them both platonic as well as intimate, without so much as a glance back. Even into my adult years, I can still justify these 'walks' with the fact that I just can't handle drama in my life. Knowing that I have the knowledge and experience of my past behind me, it is still too much for me to handle emotionally. But there are people in my life that have figured this out about me. Or perhaps they just know that despite my Ice-Princess-I-don't-give-a-shit facade, I do have feelings behind it. These people stand behind me despite my occasional slips (and sometimes falls) in life. I tend to have that 'I can do it myself' attitude which for the most part I can. But I find that in the hardest moments, I need my friends, my family, my support system.

I decided to quit drinking a while ago, well almost 2 full months ago. Aside from the fact that I want to become a faster mountian biker - I figured it was about time. The wake up call came when at my friends' engagement party/celebration I decided to take myself on a walk in the foggy rain at some un-godly hour. That would have all been fine, however, I don't recall any part of that walk. In fact I don't really remember much during or after dinner. I vaguely recall playing trivial pursuit (and winning). For me alcohol has been part of the fortification of my facade. I have known this for years, but I still never saw it as a problem. I still am not sure if it is, but I think for now, it's best that I stop and see how life progresses without it. I am slowly letting my friends know that this is how it is for me...be it for now or for always, I suppose time will tell. For the most part I find all of them to be surprisingly supportive. (I do miss going to the B.F. with JuJu after climbing, but I think I am doing something good for myself so I hope she and the boys in leather at the B.F. understand). I also have to thank T$ for his support in this endevour as well, although I think our addiction to caffeine has been elevated to a whole new level. (Perhaps taking stock out in a coffee company can assist in funding our trip to Europe :)

I am also finding these strange realisations within my own mind that are incredibly powerful yet frightening all at the same time. You know when you're sick and can't taste things all too well? Then when you get better your taste buds regain their ability to let your body know how great the food you're eating is...it's kind of like that. This awakening of senses - but in your mind. Very odd, but kind of cool and at times of course it does make me question so many things that I never really had the energy to deal with. The conclusion is that I still do not require drama in my life, I still love my friends and family unconditionally, I still consider Sergei my favourite dog, I still love to ride my bikes, climb rocks and trees and spend time with people that have been there for me through it all and hopefully will continue to. I just hope I can be there for them as well, even if it means staying up all night reading in the bathroom.

Back From New Paltz

2008-07-22T13:13:00.020-04:00

Awosting Lake in Minnewaska State Park

Peter's Kill - Gunks

Jockey Hill - Catskills

Sock Sighting!

2008-07-17T15:16:00.004-04:00

Sock Monkey is on his way to Beijing, China then to Mongolia. He is currently waiting for his flight in style at a JFK bar/lounge...where apparently he is being corrupted by a couple of rowdy drunks. Oh wait, no - that's the new owner of Sock and her team leader for the trip. That's right, the person I entrusted Sock's life with - drinking and carousing. I wish I was with them...have a great trip guys!!!

Feeling Better

2008-07-17T08:21:00.006-04:00

Ok, so today I feel loads better...or at least I do for now. I think the epic ride yesterday most certainly put things into perspective.

Wednesdays are regularly ladies night at the shop. These rides are led usually by my co-worker Sam or myself (when I can get there). The pace is slower than I would like, but the women are super cool and the rides prove to be a good time, regardless.

Yesterday, I was the only woman that showed up. So Sam and I decided to head out for a nice ride to Mendon Ponds
Park - at a bit faster pace. The ride started out great despite my legs being so sore from my run the night before. (A painful reminder that I need to be more consistent with my running). We cruised and chatted enjoying the warm summer breeze and much needed sunshine. We went through the park and began to head back towards the shop when we heard thunder in the distance. No worries the sun was still out and the clouds seemed to be miles away. The next thing we know the sky opened up and bolts of electricity started flying over our heads. The thunder strikes were directly next to us. I felt as if my ear drums would rupture with each clap. The rain came down with such intensity that I struggled to get my feet to churn the pedals. My shoes collected rain water beyond saturation point. Not to mention my drenched chamois - I don't remember being in diapers, but I can now only imagine...gross. The wind was so strong it was blowing us all over the road. Which wasn't hard because of the hydroplaning action of our tires. Despite the feeling of complete mortality and the harsh realisation that at any moment we could be struck by a lightning bolt we were both laughing hysterically the entire time (in between screams, of course).

By the time we reached the shop the rain had subsided, the sun was back out from behind the dark clouds and there was a most brilliant rainbow in the eastern sky. Both Sam and I were wringing out our gloves and jerseys laughing at the brief yet harrowing experience we had just been through. I think the boys at the shop enjoyed seeing two women come in absolutely soaking wet. Definitely feeling better today.

Another Day

2008-07-16T13:47:00.003-04:00

Today is anther day - not much better than the last but here it is. I don't know why but I am having a hard time lately with something. I think I know what it is, but I am not 100% certain I want to face it. I think there will be a point (very soon) where I will need to. I'm just not ready to do it yet.

So until that point I will try and remain positive and look forward to my adventures coming up this weekend. The Gunks - please provide solace to me.

Tomorrow T$ and I will head out to the New Paltz area for some climbing, riding and hanging out. There is definitely some anxiety associated with this impending trip, I am however forcing myself to believe it will be amazing...and I know it will. I just wish my head wasn't so fuzzy with my personal crap.

I also know I need all of my focus to ride well and climb hard. For me any physical activity I engage in must be paired with focus. Without focus I end up making stupid mistakes, which in turn makes me feel like I am failing...or I just end up hurting myself. Either way - it's no good. So, tonight, I am on a mission to clear my head, shed my anxieties and go into tomorrow with a refreshed mind and positive outlook that is ready to kick some ass. Any ideas on how to do this? Today I'm drawing a blank...

Hamster Wheel

2008-07-14T15:55:00.006-04:00

I feel restless today. Not the usual I-can't-sit-still-ooh-look-shiny-my-mind-won't-stop-running restless (which I deal with on a daily basis), but rather an unsettling restlessness. It's as if I can't find my keys after I've already torn the house apart. Or even more vague when you're searching for something so long that you've already forgotten what it was that you were seeking in the first place. The latter scares me. It makes me feel as if all efforts put forth are all in vain. Fruitless. Perhaps it's due to some sort of unfinished business that has me unsettled. Or perhaps it's just something that is missing. Fulfillment. It's such a hard goal to attain - especially when it's not clear what the end result is or should be. Running in a wheel like a hamster. Does the hamster know it will never reach any particular destination? Or does it just decide 'hmmm I think it might be fun to run in place for a while'? What if it has just given up on trying to reach whatever it once set out to achieve and broken-willed it has conceded to running in a wheel out of boredom. Today, I think I feel as if I've conceded. I don't know. Maybe I need a good ass kicking ride to clear this out...yeah.

Recap of the Great Life

2008-07-09T17:48:00.006-04:00

Holy crow! It's been forever since I have last posted...what have I been doing that has prevented me from writing? I can't even recall - I'm sure it was fun however. I know the Fourth of July holiday came and went during my hiatus.

A side bar: I hate that holiday. Not because I am un-patriotic. I love my country as much as the next person (with all of it's leadership issues and all) but I hate Independence Day. With a passion. I think it has something to do with the obnoxious fireworks going off into all hours of the night for the week preceding as well as into the entire weekend following the actual day. Really!?!?! Why!?!?! I need to f--in sleep! I would just start to dose off and then *BOOM* a bomb would go off in my back yard. This was going on all weekend well past midnight. Makes my blood boil thinking about it still. Then there is the fact that my older dog gets absolutely neurotic when exposed to loud noises. Well, as you can imagine, he was ready to crawl out of his furry skin by the end of it all. I even bought an all natural calming supplement for him - didn't work. I think the poor guy is now in desperate need of doggie psycho therapy. I think after the rockets red glare waking me up every five f--in minutes, I need some psycho therapeutic drugs. Ok, side note over.

Now continuing on with the attempted recollection of where have I been...I really don't know. I know I have been riding alot...and working alot. I am finally off of one project (sort of) and back in the office more (sort of). This actually all translates to the fact that I don't have as much spare time during the day due to me being sent to different sites daily. Which in all honesty is a refreshing change to my daily duties that have occupied the past two years of my working life.

So, yes, riding. That was the only saving grace of the Fourth. T and I had a lazy morning which included sleeping in past 6 a.m. and a very delicious meal of homemade multi-grain pancakes then a superb evening of riding trails which lasted well into the night. We got back to Rottenchester around midnight? I actually don't recall but it was late. During our ride the fireworks from the surrounding towns were going off creating a most eerie reverberation in the valley below the trail we were riding. I can only imagine from below it must have seemed as if the town was under attack from an unforeseen enemy - because that's what it sounded like from the trail above. Quite unnerving.

The rest of the weekend was spent with the usual - market, bike shop, riding...what a great life, right? Sunday we even rode twice (the later ride included an epic ride out in the pitch black night as we wisely left our TriNewts at home) - great life indeed! Aside from the dozens of mosquito bites acquired Sunday night, it was a super fun ride (after I got over the fact that I couldn't see a damn thing in front of me). That's all I have to report, sorry for the short recap but time is limited and my brain hurts from absorbing large quantities of information for the past two days. Now it's off to ride tonight by the light of a TriNewt, my favourite way to clear the clutter in my head. What a great life I say again.

How Low Can I Go?

2008-06-25T12:06:00.004-04:00

I am hypoglycemic. I have been my whole life. Those who know me know enough to have small amounts of food on hand to shove into my mouth when my blood sugar takes a dive. Those who don't know me - well, they pretty much don't want to know me after I've hit my glycemic low. I have no control over my reactions - it just happens. I know somewhere in the recesses of my mind that I am behaving irrationally but my present self doesn't give a crap and just wants caloric intake immediately.

This morning I had a scheduled OSHA physical. For my line of work it is required that I get poked, prodded and punctured annually. So not only do I get to partake in the joys of a 'girly' annual each year, I get to have this additional defiling of my body as well. Good times. Anyway, for the blood analysis it is a requirement that one fasts for a minimum of 10 hours prior to the appointment. That's right - a 10 hour abstinence of food. To be blatantly clear, that's 10 hours of no calories going into my body. None. You see where this is going?

Arriving to the facility where my physical was to commence, I was already hungry (translation - I was f--in' starving and ready to gnaw off my own arm). To reiterate, the reason for my lack of caloric intake was to fulfil the requirements of the blood work panel. So I figured, as any smart person with a low blood sugar level would, that they would take blood first so as to allow the (victim) patient to eat a small snack to recover prior to getting the rest of the three hour exam completed. No, that would make way too much sense. Instead they decided to (torture) run a battery of other tests and examine me first. By the time I was done with the actual physical I was pail, freezing, shaking and ready to kill and/or dismember someone.

Just to paint a more vivid picture into the minds of all (2) of you who are reading this. Some of the symptoms resulting from one having a drop in their blood sugar include, but are not limited to: negativism, irritability, belligerence, combativeness, rage. All of those where bestowed upon the staff at Strong Occupational Health facility this morning. It was not pretty and I am not proud. I am certain it will take them quite some time to forget me. Perhaps by my next annual exam the events of this morning will be brushed under the rug...or perhaps they will remember me well enough to know that my blood needs to be drawn first thing upon my arrival. God help them if they forget the latter.

Cinderella?!?!

2008-06-23T09:20:00.004-04:00

I know, I know - I haven't been writing as much lately. I can attribute my lack of documentation for my daily life to being super busy at work, riding too much, spending too much time with T (not that I'm complaining), dealing with my neurotic animals...but in all reality I think it really comes down to not having a whole lot to say.

Well, that has changed as my search for new carbon mountain bike shoes continues...here is my dilemma:

I need new bike shoes*. Yes, need - "a condition requiring relief; anything that is necessary but lacking; to require; the quality or state of being necessary, unavoidable, or absolutely requisite; inevitableness; indispensableness."

[*I am a woman - when I say I 'need' new shoes it usually means I only want them because they are pretty, shiny, etc...in this case, however, it is a true case of necessity as my old shoes are pretty much shot.]

Knowing that my foot can only fit comfortably into Specialized shoes, that is the brand I chose to research. I would love a pair of Sidi's, however they are made for slender European feet - I have the most unfortunate genetic make up as to have wide, sturdy, Russian feet. I know, too much information. This prelude is, however, necessary for the latter part of my ramblings.

So I have been researching and to only find that women's shoes have no options for width (if they did, I would buy the Sidi's) and usually only one color option - which is seems to always be a light color (baby blue, silver, white). For mountain bike shoes?!?!?! White? Silver? Baby F--in Blue?!?!?! This for some reason is making my blood boil. When I went to the men's section - they had width options and color options to make a girl green with envy. So unfair! We are women! We need color options! It is in our genetic code! Most men don't care about f--in color - give them standard black and they're happy as long as it's a good quality shoe. Aargh!

My only option now is a silver shoe...sigh, the sacrifices we must make. Well, I suppose they will look nice for perhaps the first 10 minutes of their inaugural ride. So, be on the look out for the girl on the trails with mud encrusted everything but her shiny silver slippers...if I drop one in the woods, will prince charming show up at my door step on his two wheeled (Soma) steed?

Race Recap

2008-06-16T13:49:00.029-04:00

I survived the Harcore 24 with minor cuts and bruises as well as a second place finish for our team. Good work to all the members that contributed to the epic run through the torrential storm that tore through the first half of the race - making for a slippery, muddy and a very rutted out course!

I had no idea what to expect from this as it was my first time in a 24 hour mountain bike race, but I do know that I had the time of my life! I never imagined in the midst of such a physical beating that it was possible to have such an incredible time! Even my lap during the heaviest part of the rain storm on Saturday, while Boris and I were slipping and sliding (and falling), I couldn't get rid of the huge smile on my face. I kept trying not to smile as the mud and dirt kept getting lodged in my teeth, to no avail - even today I can feel the grit in my mouth.

We arrived late Friday evening during a most intense thunder storm. On the drive down blinding lightning bolts struck in the surrounding valley. The rain came down with such force we had to pull over for minute due to lack of visibility. I have never experienced a storm so formidable yet exhilarating.

We ate dinner with T$'s team (The Night Crawlers - they came in second in their group as well - good work guys!), they strategised for a bit, then it was off to bed. Roughly eight, much needed hours later we got up to pre-ride the course. I felt as if I could have slept longer but the race started at noon and we needed to get out to the course asap. We ran through the first part of the course which didn't seem too bad - except for all the f--in climbing. Without my first cup of coffee it was rough, but at least I knew what to expect in terms of where I could get some speed without having to come to screeching halt before making a 90 degree turn uphill - of which there were plenty. We got back, showered (yes, I know I would just be dirty again later - and how! But for a brief moment I needed to feel clean), ate some of the most delicious frittata this side of the Rio Grande, then got the bikes* and ourselves ready.

*Boris looked so tough with his number tag on...and even more tough after our first lap caked in mud.

The race set off at noon. T was the first rider on his team out of the gate and as expected he did an amazing job hanging with the big boys - he is wicked fast and getting faster each time out! After he completed his first lap my anxiety was somewhat quelled by the huge, muddy smile on his face.

I was the third rider for the fifth lap (our leader and second each did two laps) and got caught in the heaviest part of the rainfall that day. Good times. It was actually very good, except for the fact that I had to ride a bit slower than I wanted to due to my bike and I sliding around each turn and wheels spinning out on the climbs. Even with lowering my tire pressure it was so hard to get any kind of traction. Through one of the double track sections I was hauling in my highest gear coming around a turn when Boris and I slid out - not any old fall and slide, oh no - this was like a slip and slide on my right side at high velocity. The high grass at the edge of the track stopped us, we popped right up and back on track we went. I couldn't help but laugh for a good minute after that. My shorts, jersey, helmet, every inch of me and my bike were caked with mud and completely drenched throughout.

Towards the end of the lap, Boris wasn't even shifting properly anymore due the extensive amount of grit that gunked up in gears. For a brief moment I though a single speed would have been nice - that moment was very brief, indeed. I only need to get my thighs meatier (and much, much stronger) for that!

The entire race I slept for roughly two hours - and did I sleep. I don't remember a thing except HF waking me up at 2a.m. to get ready for my next lap. I popped right up and immediately threw on my riding clothes, grabbed Boris and my gear and headed down to the area where the riders came through before the mile long climb into the last section of single track. (Once you saw a rider come through there you pretty much knew that you had on average 20 minutes before your lap). So I sat at an inviting campfire, drank some cowboy coffee (the best I've ever had!) and waited to see if my team member would tell me whether or not he was riding two laps or done after that one. He finally came through and screamed that he was done after that lap. Ok then, I was ready - full of caffeine and two hours of sleep.

I got my handlebar light ready and my helmet light on - in case I needed to communicate with martians - that thing was so f--in bright! Got tagged in and off I went.

Now, just so it is known, I have never ridden trails at night before. Never! Everyone kept telling me how much more difficult it is, how much scarier it is, how you need to focus more. I fell in love that night. I am buying a NiteRider TriNewt and I am going to ride every night that I physically can. I found that lap to be the best trail ride I have ever experienced - EVER! I focused just fine, in fact all I could focus on was the line ahead of me - the periphery disappeared and it didn't matter. I felt so comfortable cruising through there, that I was certain my lap time would be faster than during the rainstorm...and it would have been until I came upon a rider in distress.

I know...it was a race, but I couldn't leave the poor guy, that's just bad karma. I ended up (wasting) adding over 30 minutes to my lap because the guy jammed his chain in between his cassette and hub - that's right - into it, I mean embedded. Not sure how he managed to do it, but it was in there, and it wasn't coming out. After about 20 minutes of removing the back tire and trying to pull it out (to no avail) we ended up breaking his chain and he was forced to coast out. Lucky for him the majority of the that trail out was downhill. So I tried to make up for lost time, but there was no use. So I just figured on having a fun ride out as fast as I could go without dying.

That was my last lap, so the rest of the race I spent cheering on my team, T and the rest of his team, as well as all the other riders. I must mention one rider in particular that deserves it - I don't know her name, but she was the only female solo rider and I truly commend her on her drive and ambition. At the end of it she completed 11 laps, or roughtly 88 miles (granted the male solo winner completed 19 laps and 154 miles - but he was built like a brick shithouse. So as impressive as that is in itself, I feel she deserved some props of her own). Good work, Sister!

The day ended with awards, food, sun (at long last it stopped raining!) and finally much needed sleep. I can honestly say, I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend and I can't wait until the next race!

2008-06-15T12:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Anniversary Stephie and Kelly!!!

HC24

2008-06-13T11:25:00.006-04:00

Hey it's Friday! That's the best news I have heard all day...well except that it's Friday the 13th, which really means absolutely nothing to me other than the fact that people are paranoid. To me it's just another day but more importantly IT'S FRIDAY!

Later today I get to load up two mountain bikes, piles of gear and food into my Kia rental then drive out to Naples for the 24 hour race this weekend. Aside from the fact that El Fuego won't be making this trip (to the Kia's street cred - it can actually hold at minimum two bikes when the seats are folded down) I am super psyched to be a part of this race.

This will be my first (and hopefully not last) 24 hour mountain bike race. My original team was disbanded as the members are all proud parents and realised that the race was on Father's day weekend. That put the kibosh on team 'Old and Slow'. I was kind of disappointed but seeing as how I now have a new found network of bikers, I was then chosen as backup for one of our shop teams. To boot our shop decided to have a corporate team, so I will now be riding with them provided no one gets hurt on the first team. Ah to be desired by the biking community...I only wish my skills were on par with that - but no, I am a handicap, a requirement for the one girl per team rule. That's ok, I know I have what it takes...especially after fueling up race day with T's amazing Universally Renowned Buckwheat, flax seed, honey, pb pancakes! (Update: the breakfast menu, I have just been informed, has been changed. We will now be fueling up on Cutler's World Famous Fritatta's). You'll see Boris and I crushing the course!

Wish us luck!

PCT

2008-06-12T10:24:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to throw a shout out to my friends Rivka and Dan who have taken a 6 month (?) sabbatical to hike the Pacific Coast Trail. To any and all interested their exploits, they can be lived through vicariously here. I wish them well on their journey and a safe return home!

They give me inspiration for my 'Someday-soon-bike-trip-through-Europe-with-T-$-and-our-Surly-Travelers-Checks'...and I can scam some good ideas off their supply list :)

Happy trails, Guys - we miss you here at the ROC!

Cataclysm and Lights

2008-06-09T09:49:00.007-04:00

The last few weeks have been more than eventful, to say the least, and as a result my blogging activities have been neglected. Since, well...since my life began, I have been running around with my head cut off and there seems to be no end in sight. I say this repetitively that most days I wouldn't have it any other way, but once in a while a girls gotta have a day off. Be careful what you wish for...yikes!

I was granted an involuntary day off last Friday as a result of a most unfortunate occurrence that morning. I wanted to write about it as well as the events which resulted in my declining mood throughout the entire day just to clear out my mind/conscience/etc. however, I chose to keep them all private as I felt (and still do) that best. No worries to those who are concerned - all is well in my realm. On the upside I did use the day to attend to some much needed housework and spend some quality time with my doggers as they have been completely abandoned now that it's biking season.

I sometimes think that I was some sort of horrible person in my past life. Why in the midst of such great times do most unfortunate events occur? Is it a test of one's mental stability or toughness? Are these just a random one time occurrences that have no purpose what so ever? Is this perhaps just how life is? Friday was a definite test of my emotional strength as I felt the entire day was collapsing slowly around me. I am not sure of how to put it other than that, but I kept forcing myself to realise that the next day would be better. It had to be.

Poor T had to deal with my cathartic release that night - not sure how, but he made me divert my thoughts to other things. Good, bad or other wise, it was much needed. Saturday was most assuredly a new day and I awoke feeling 100% better. I knew I would, but I think sometimes it is so hard to get past the severity of present events to actually believe that there is a point beyond them.

The public market was in order for the improvement upon my weekend as well as the replenishment of fresh food in my pantry (which had been as neglected as my poor animals lately). I find the market to be like a Saturday morning vacation. Usually I abhor crowds but the market is one of my few exceptions. I actually look forward to waiting in the coffee line at Boulder. Each weekend I crave to be amongst all of Rochester's denizens struggling through the crowds to get that perfect bunch of bananas or those sweet, fresh grapes. To wait for my egg and bagel sandwich to be cooked while I absorb all of the wonderful smells in the cheese shop (that in itself is a beautiful torture as I can't actually eat the cheeses). Of course, the best part of this weekly adventure, are the people I experience it with (you know who you are!).

After the market it was off to work at the bike shop - always a good time to be surrounded by beautiful two wheeled eye candy. The day ended with an amazing dinner and a roof deck chair 'party' in the warm summer breeze. There is always a light at the end of each tunnel, it's just that some tunnels seem to go on forever into endless darkness...but each time, without fail the impending light appears. I think sometimes in the midst of my personal misery it's easy to forget that and even easier to fall into the dismal spiral downward. As time goes by I just try and remember that those feelings are temporary. Sometimes it is easier to convince myself of that than others...and sometimes I need the help of friends and family to remind me. I am so thankful for the latter.

Memoirs of Maine

2008-06-05T10:23:00.009-04:00

2008-05-29T15:47:00.002-04:00

Ok, so it has been a crazy week and it is only about to become more so...I am leaving work in a few moments (provided no further world shattering events occur - it seems this is the theme today). I will go home and pack my gear (because I had more important things to attend to last evening). Then I will ride my bike for a distance of 10 miles in one direction to run 3.5 miles in a circle to bike home an additional 10 miles to shower to get into a car and drive roughly 630 miles to the inner depths of Maine. This is my life. I have chosen to live it this way. I therefore must accept full responsibility for the fact that I might lose my mind at some point in the (very) near future. Have an incredible weekend! If I am sane, I shall attempt to recap the past few weeks sometime in the next week. If I am in an institution, however...well...the ramblings and writings might be more interesting....

Car Shopping

2008-05-20T07:00:00.001-04:00

I drive a Subaru. When purchasing a vehicle I often look for several pertinent aspects in said vehicle. These include but are not limited to: good gas mileage, storage space and cargo room, compatibility with a roof rack, "dog friendly" interior, and all wheel drive (for those I-feel-like-going-off-road moments on the mountains during a snow storm).

Many years ago I found that Subaru provided all of these necessities in one shiny, affordable package. Now it is time for me to trade 'up' or just get a newer car because poor El Fuego is reaching the end-of-his-useful-life span. Doing more research lately on different car manufacturers and models, I am firmly standing by the Subaru. Their wagons offer me exactly what I require in a vehicle. Several of my friends however had pointed out when I purchased my first Subaru that it is "Unofficially the Official Car of Lesbians"*. Sweet! I didn't believe them at first, but upon further research their claims have been (unofficially) affirmed. Hmmmmm, well, I am a single, early 30's female with two dogs in tow....YIKES!

*(Just a disclaimer, I have nothing against lesbians, in fact I have several people very close to me that are lesbians, however I am not a lesbian! I am, however, comfortable in my sexuality therefore I really find this more amusing than anything.)

Chatting with C.B. about my car troubles (by the way he used to drive a Subaru, as well - does that make him a lesbian?!?! - oh wait....) he found it amusing that I wanted another Subaru after all the flack I got about driving El Fuego. In order to solidify my decision in choosing to purchase another Subaru, C.B. sent me the picture below for encouragement. Good times.

32 Flavors

2008-05-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

squint your eyes and look closer
I'm not between you and your ambition
I am a poster girl with no poster
I am thirty-two flavors and then some
and I'm beyond your peripheral vision
so you might want to turn your head
cause someday you're going to get hungry
and eat most of the words you just said

both my parents taught me about good will
and I have done well by their names
just the kindness I've lavished on strangers
is more than I can explain
still there's many who've turned out their porch lights
just so I would think they were not home
and hid in the dark of their windows
til I'd passed and left them alone

and god help you if you are an ugly girl
course too pretty is also your doom
cause everyone harbors a secret hatred
for the prettiest girl in the room
and god help you if you are a pheonix
and you dare to rise up from the ash
a thousand eyes will smolder with jealousy
while you are just flying back

I'm not trying to give my life meaning
by demeaning you
and I would like to state for the record
I did everything that I could do
I'm not saying that I'm a saint
I just don't want to live that way
no, I will never be a saint
but I will always say

squint your eyes and look closer
I'm not between you and your ambition
I am a poster girl with no poster
I am thirty-two flavors and then some
And I'm beyond your peripheral vision
So you might want to turn your head
Cause someday you might find you're starving
and eating all of the words you said

- Ani DiFranco