Planning for 2009

It is a good time to take a few step backs and do some planning for the 2009 season. I've found some great races that I am looking forward to in 2009 - my tentative plans include:

Indie Series Race #1 - Seattle (April 4)
NW 24hr Solo Championships - Spokane (May 23/24)
Test of Metal - Squamish, BC (June 20)
Canadian Nataional 24hr Solo Championships - Canmore, AB (July 25/26)
Cascade Cream Puff - Oakridge (July 12)
8 hours of Independance - Solo - Philomath (July 4th)
High Cascades100 mile race - Bend (Aug 22)
La Ruta - 5 day stage race - Costa Rica (Nov 10 - 14)

Whooo hooo!

Back to challenge La Ruta in 2009

Ever since I completed La Ruta in 2004, I have always wanted to go back and 'race' it. The first time I rode it, the goal was simply to finish, and I was happy with that. Since getting into racing and getting into better shape, I have always wanted to go back and see what I could do ... well, it looks like 2009 is the year.

They now have 5 stages, yes, I said five - check it out: http://adventurerace.com/web-ruta/registration-09.htm. Less road, more dirt, more singletrack, and more climbing. What more could I ask for? Frase got our plane tickets to Costa Rica for Christmas - all that is left to do is register for the race ... oh, and train of course! We are both going to do the race and are very excited!

It's almost a year away but never too early to start planning!!! 2009 is going to be a great year!!

Who says seattle doesn't get SNOW?

Well, whoever it was, was wrong! We got snow ... and it is still on the ground. OK, it was only about an inch ... but it covered everything in white (and the roads in ice). Walking outside you get that wintery crunch/squeak sound that reminds you that it's winter.

The slopes close by got about 4 feet ...sounds like a snow day is in order soon! It definately feels a lot like Christmas ....

Another great day, another great ride

Today was a beautiful fall day (not raining!!) and I took full advantage of it. My partner in crime today was Yvonne and we decided to try something new - St Edwards Park. It was a blast. Not a tonne of climbing (600 ft in 2 hours) but loads of fun twisty single-track with loads of roots, log piles, skinnies, and bridges.

We got totally lost, turned around, and confused but it was a great time! I love these fall days in DECEMBER where you can ride outside. The trails at St Edwards drain really well so the riding was pretty dry too! What a great day. It was one of those days where i had to say 'I love living in Seattle where I can ride outside in December!'.

I definately got my dose of fresh air and sunshine today!

Turkey Dinner

Well, I made my first turkey dinner last weekend - for US thanksgiving. It was delicious ... I love to cook so that part was fun too!

We started the day with a late breakfast. After breakfast I got the dinner stuff all set, popped the turkey in the oven, and then ventured out for a 3 hour ride (what is turkey day without a ride??). Coming home to a house smelling of cooked turkey and yummy fixings was an amazing way to end the ride!

We are still eating turkey (sandwiches, left-overs, you name it) but I am feeling prepared for Christmas - I'll be making turkey dinner for 9 of us on Xmas day!

Anyone want some turkey?

Time to set some goals

For the past few weeks I felt like I was just 'going through the motions' training wise. I've been on my bike and I've done some good rides ... but my focus and drive just weren't there. This past weekend we had a 4-day weekend due to the US thanksgiving ... and I had a chance to catch my breath - and realize what I was missing.

I have goals for next season but hadn't set any intermediate goals for my training. This past weekend I took some time to sit down and do this ... it's only been a few days but I feel that my focus is definately back and my drive is better than ever. I'm a numbers girl - I like to know much faster I am riding my favorite loop at Tiger, how many watts I can push on those weekday rides in the garage, and how fast I can climb to the top of Tiger West. If I have numbers to shoot for, I will work harder!

I am definately getting excited about next season. To remind myself of my goals I've made a small poster and taped it up in the Garage for those indoor rides. I also see it everytime I grab my mtb for a ride outside ... very usefull!

Christmas Tree

So tonight I got our Christmas tree ... it was pretty funny actually.

There I am, all dressed up in my work clothes with heals and a fancy coat, in the pouring rain .. picking out a tree. The tree people were getting a kick out of me! I picked out a great tree though ... here is a picture of it drying off in the Garage with the biking gear...

Let the holidays begin ... Happy holidays!

More visitors!

Yay, more visitors from the East Coast.

I haven't seen Amy in ... 3 years (wow, that seems like forever). As luck would have it, she had to come to Seattle on business and extended her trip so we could visit - it was great! Her friend Shona made her way down from BC and we had a fun dinner out on Thursday night. Friday was a lazy breakfast and AM of chatting and baking bannana bread ...

The weather was really crappy so we opted to do a bit of shopping and watch some movies while we treated the trickers. Fun times, fun times.

I have to say I am feeling pretty spoiled with all these visitors!

One last round ...

One last round at Tiger ....

Tiger closed for the season last weekend. I was sooo sad. But i took full advantage of the 'non-rainy' but frigid weather and rode 9 hours just before closing time. It was a great ride, even if my toes froze and I went WAY too hard for my own good. My lap times beat my best for the season - and it was wet! My climbing was a good 1-2 minutes faster and my descending was the fastest yet. Amazing. I have some fast times to beat next year!

It was sad but now I will have to venture to other riding spots and explore a little more. If I am lucky I'll find something just as good!

Company again -->A weekend of riding and fun

It was great to see Kate after ... 2 years (wow, I can't beleive it's been so long!). We spent the weekend doing our favorite activities ... Riding, Cooking, Eating, and Riding!

The weather co-operated and I was able to take Kate to two of my favorite haunts -- we spent about 4 hours at Tiger to give her the full tour. I don't think she was disappointed ... :-)

The next day we headed out to the famous roller-coaster ride called 'FlowTron' at Tokul East - what fun! We enjoyed it so much we had to do it a few times!

Fall riding - technical fun

We have been having loads of fun doing some technical riding at Iverson - wet roots and rocks are great to practice on. We spent a full day playing on the wet rocks and roots ... and riding our usual trails backwards to get some good technical climbing in.

Fraser is playing on a rock I am going over a small 'up and over'. I love riding my bike!!!

Fall Riding - all the way to the top

Who says it is always raining in Seattle in the Fall? Fraser and I have been enjoying some FANTASTIC fall rides ...

Last weekend we took advantage of the great weather to ride to the top of Tiger - what a view. you can see Seattle and Bellevue in the background. Amazing!

Fresh from the garden

This is our first year having a garden and I've been loving it. It's so great to go out to the backyard and pick the veggies we'll eat with dinner. I've been eating so many salads and fresh veggies!!!

Here is a picture of some of our veggies ... We grew multi-colored carrots (white, yellow, orange, and red), beans, peas, potatoes, zuchini, squash, pumpkins, corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, and radishes! Yummy!

Perfect Timing

Well, today was looking a little over-cast and I was a bit late getting started. I packed the truck and was getting ready to hop in and felt a rain drop ... splat. With all of the hot weather we've been having I hadn't checked the weather ... so I quickly went back inside and took a look at the sattelite image ... lots of green and yellow (rain and harder rain) ... but it was West of here and I was going East so I figured I'd miss it.

I headed out to Tiger to do 2 quick laps. I love that place. Both climbs were sub 28 but the descents took a bit longer as the trails were wet ... On the first lap it rained a little while I was in the woods but had stopped by the time I got out. I debated doing a second and decided what the heck and went anyway ... It rained pretty hard on my way up - which was actually really refreshing ... and then stopped on my way down.

I got packed up and headed home ... had been on the road for maybe 5 minutes and it started to pour ... I am sitting in my living room nice and warm and watching it come down in buckets outside! Perfect Timing - I had gotten the best of the day! Gotta love it when karma works in your favor!

Exercise Induced Asthma

Heat + Humidity + 2 long days in the saddle == Exercise-induced asthma

I'm lucky. I don't get asthma that often ... in fact, i only get it when it's HOT and HUMID and I've been riding for a while. This makes me lazy when it comes to taking my puffer -- I don't take it regularly - OK, I taken it maybe 4 times this season and they were all while I was having asthma issues.

This past weekend I did 5 hard hours at Tiger in 30 C heat and 70% humidity. The next day Frase and I headed out for a 75 mile road ride in 32C heat and 78% humidity. About 45 miles into the ride we had to stop. I couldn't breath ... I had really bad asthma! It was pretty scary so I sat in the ditch while Fraser worriedly waited for me to catch my breath. We took the last 30 miles pretty easy ... and I was able to make it home without another incident.

I have promised to faithfully take my puffer before every ride and to take it WITH me when I ride ...

Exercise-induced asthma is a weird thing. I kind of know the conditions that set it off ... but because they don't ALWAYS set it off ... I get lazy. I wrongly assume that because my fitness is better, my lungs are better too. I was reminded this weekend that fitness does not mean your asthma goes away!!!

On the positive side, my stomach was very happy all weekend and it seems that the new fueling strategy is going to work!!!

Calories, calories, calories!

As you know from reading my Worlds race report, I have been struggling with eating during 24hr solo races. With my fitness at a great level nothing is more frustrating than to have your stomach slow you down ... or, in my case, make you stop!!!

So, I have been asking friends, nutrition boards, and other forums ... for advise. The best advise I've gotten so far was from the Hammer nutrition forum and from Rebecca Rusch (2007 and 2008 World solo champion). The diagnosis: I am eating too much, and definatly eating too many solids.

I am a high burner so have always worried about not eating enough ... funny that this would turn into my enemy on race day. I've been training with WAY less calories (around 250 per hour) and only using liquids ... the results? So far, so good. Next weekend will be the real test. I'll plan to drink 250cal per hour and then use my beloved cliff bloks to fill in the gaps when needed.

I am sad to ditch the donuts but am not willing to incorperate them into my every day life so that my digestive system is more used to them ... and have been advised to ditch them by pretty much everyone. The chips, potatoes, pasta, hammer bars and cliff bars will remain on the menu as my solids if I feel the need.

I am really really hopeing that moving to more liquid calories and less overall calories will solve my stomach issues for long races. Only the true test of a race will tell...

The Importance of Core

This year the importance of core has been made very real to me. I have always known, like all athletes, that core is very important. What I didn't realize was just how important it can be. With increased work responsibilities, moving, and general life changes my lifestyle has changed. I no longer hang out at the climbing gym (pun intended) or go on regular kayak or canoeing trips. Cycling and hiking make up 98% of my physical activities and need to be supplemented by core... I didn't realize how much those other 'cross training' sports were doing for my core until this year!

My first race (24hr NW Norba Champs) my back got sore after 6 hours - only 6 hours - on the bike. I was shocked. This had never happened before ... After this race I integrated core exercises into my daily life - doing them every other day religously. I can now say after Canmore (where there was WAY more climbing) that these exercises have paid off in a major way. My back didn't hurt - not once - and my core strength paid off in the twisty technical sections too - i had more balance (or more ability to keep my balance) when the rain made the course slippery as heck.

So .... the lesson for the day is ... never underestimate the power of core!

All cleaned up and back on the trail

Well, it took a week ... of hosing down items in the back yard, scrubbing mud off of every peice of gear and clothing we used, and loads and loads of laundry ... but finally most of the gear is cleaned up and I am back on the trail.

Yesterday was my first ride with my new caloric/food strategy and it was a success. I won't do too much celebrating yet as it was only a 3 hour ride but it did include 3000+ ft of climbing and about 26miles of riding with lots of fun twisty single-track mixed in to keep it interesting!

The first lap my legs felt pretty sluggish but by the end of the first (30 min) climb they were back in gear and I was feeling good. It never ceases to amaze me how fast my body seems to recover from these longer races! I am not saying that nothing hurt -- there are a few sore mucsles ... but overall, I felt great and am looking forward to another 3hr ride today.

I am gong to continue to use my new food/caloric strategy for all of my rides ... the real test is in 3 weeks when I will race a 12 hour!

.. off to the trails once again!

11th at Worlds!

This year was the 10th anniversary of the 24hr World Solo event. It was in Canmore and the organizers were doing everything they could to make it a big show ... I doubt anyone was disappointed! There were more than 14 countries represented and the solo fields were very strong and deep - 200 solos in total!!

Fraser and I drove up the week before to acclimatize to the altitude and get some good laps on the course. Our generous hosts, Danelle and JF, once again let us park our RV in their driveway and shared their home with us. It was a great week! Since both Fraser and I were racing our friends Tanya and Vince came out to support us - they both arrived on Friday to prep for the weekend.

Race day started with clear skys and warm weather. The start was kaotic. They called each athlete up by name and they had bussed in locals to cheer on the racers. I don't think I have ever seen such a big crowd at a 24 hour solo race - it was crazy!

The race started with the usual Le Mans start and we were off. I started off at a light jog -- everyone was so excited it didn't take me long to land at the end of the pack. We ran to our pits, picked up our bikes and were off. To make it more exciting the organizers had a prologue lap -- the riders had to ride through downtown Canmore before getting back on the 'real' course. The crowds were everywhere ... amazing turnout!!! I somehow managed to wrap my chain (and I mean wrap - it took 5 or so minutes to get it out) around my front chain rings and had to pull off to the side just before exiting the road to get on the single track. Of course, the camera crews were there to capture it all ... and more than one solo rider stopped to see if they could help. The camaraderie in this sport never ceases to amaze me!!

Finally back on the bike I ventured into the single track and tried to control my heart rate. The excitement of the start and the crowds had raised it much higher than I wanted. I felt like i was going really really slow but kept on dialing it back, knowing that I was in this for the long haul and I had to keep it down.

The first few laps crept by uneventfully. It was hot and humid but my pace was solid and my eating and drinking seemed fine. I had passed a few girls and knew that if I kept up the pace I'd keep on creeping up in the standings. 3 or 4 hours into the race the skys opened up and it absolutely poured. It actually hailed a bit and the wind was crazy. A sign was blown over just as I was riding by it! I welcomed the rain - it was pretty hot and i appreciated the cool-down. It rained for about 40 minutes or so and then stopped ... back to the hot and humid heat ... and mud.

This is a good time to talk about the course ... The course was .... well, technical. It was canmore so had loads of climbing and fun technical descents. I loved the course when it was dry - my technical riding skills give me a leg up on the competition and I know I can descend pretty fast. There was no resting in this course -- no flats -- you were either climbing a grade that varied between 5 and 32% or you were descending an even steeper grade.

When it rained the rooty rocky descents turned even more technical and many people were walking. I've had loads of experience riding wet roots and rocks so was still rocking the descents when my wheels slipped on an off-camber diagonal root and I went flying. Luckily i landed in the soft mud and it was more of a spectacle than anything else. The next lap I changed to the mud tires and was flying down the descents once again.

The raining continued as the darkness descended. It would rain for an hour or so and then stop. It would absolutely pour at times - you had to wear glasses but put them down on your nose like a grandmother so that you could see the course and hope that no mud flew into your eyes. It was crazy. Tinker Juarez, the defending champ from last year, pulled out of the race around 10pm because he had mud in his eye and his vision was messed up.

Everyone who had 2 bikes was changing bikes every lap - the mud was just too much and shifting started to go at the end of each lap. I was glad that I had my two Norco Faze's ... that course was demanding and a FS was the way to go!

Around 9pm i had a bad lap. I had a massive knot in my stomach that felt like a pile of undigested food - my stomach wasn't co-operating. I crept in at a pretty slow pace and told Tanya that I had to deal with my stomach before leaving again. The hardest part of this is that you feel great - your legs are fresh, you are starting to creep up in the standings ... and mentally you are into the race .. but your stomach is gone. Worse yet, I have no idea how to fix these stomach issues except to wait. Time seems to be the only remedy.

I sat in the pit for 2 hours without recovering and finally conceded that i should try to sleep it off - that worked in Spokane. I ate some soup and bananas before heading to bed. I woke up a few times to check on my stomach but it got worse before it got better. Finally at around 4:30am it had stopped rumbling and the nausea had disappeared - i could race again!!!

We headed back up to the race course and I got back on the bike. My legs felt great, my stomach was co-operating and I was wishing that the race would last longer than the 7 hours I had left to ride. I pulled in some decent laps in the morning with help from bananas, ketchup chips, and hammer products ... and ended up 11th in a strong Elite Woman's field, feeling very strong. Not quite what I was hoping for but there is always the next race.

As with every one of these races I met some great people on the trails and have some fun memories.

I've been doing some research and have written to a few endurance nutrition boards ... the feedback I have gotten so far is that perhaps I am eating too much (and i always worry about not eating enough!!) and that I should not start with solids until 4 or 6 hours into the race.

I have a 12 hour race coming up in 3 weeks (http://www.teambigfoot.net/) and am excited to try this new strategy there. Look out girls, here I come!!!

My friend Tanya, who supported me for the race also wrote a report here. Thanks to Tanya and Vince for your amazing support ... and to my sponsors (www.norco.com and www.gohuckyourself.com) for their support!

Worlds -- The course!

We have had the oppertunity to ride the course a few times now and get a feel for time checks, where to eat, where to hammer, etc. It is a fun course - about 12.5 miles and 2100 ft of climbing for the World Soloists. The teams get a shorter course with less climbing.

I am looking forward to the race ... it is a good mixture of single-track and double-track ... and lots of fun fast sections. Tanya and Vince arrive tomorrow and we are looking forward to that too! Should be a good time.

There are several spots on the course that have a panaramic view - we haven't taken our camera up there yet but here is one of the great views in the Canadian Rockies.

Home sweet (!?) home?

So we are here in Canmore now ... camping out at Danelle and JF's place. They have been super accomidating (as usual) and we couldn't ask for better hosts! To make things interesting there is construction on their street right now. It was supposed to be finished over 6 months ago but ... they've made some mistakes.

It has been a challenge to get to bed early enough for our 'construction crew' alarm clock of big machines that like to back up a lot (beep beep beep).

Today we learned we had to move the trailer back 5 feet in order for them to work on the sidewalk. Here is the crew that helped us move a massive rock so that we could back up the trailer. The event gave us all a few laughs!

On the road again ...

We hit the road on July 18th to head up to Worlds in Canmore, Alberta. We got started a little later than planned but Fraser drove until about 10pm and we pulled over for the night.

The drive here was amazingly beautiful ... first through the plains of Eastren Washington and then up into the mountains of the Canadian Rockies ... Here is a photo of the road going through the mountains just inside Banff National Park.

Training for Worlds

It's been fun training for Worlds ... been able to check out some new trails and do some looonnngg rides. Here are some of the highlights:

Cle Elm (8 hour ride). We woke up to a cool rainy day and Seattle and decided that we were sick of the rain and wanted to ride in some dryer conditions. So ... we hopped in the truck and started driving East. Fraser had scoped out a place to ride for just such an ocassion. It was called Cle Elm. We drove through the mountains and out to the dryer part of Washington - about an hour and 15 minutes from our home in Seattle. The skys were clear and the course was dry and sandy - what a nice change from all the wet rides we'd had lately!

The loop that Frase had planned started with a 5 mile (~1 hour) climb varying between 15 and 30%. At the top we headed into the single-track and were rewarded with yet more climbing ... some of it too steep to ride. After about an hour and 15 minutes of climbing we were rewarded with a super fun descent. The trail was made by dirt-bikers and the berms were fun and fast. What a blast! All in all the trail was about 15 miles long and had 2900 ft of climbing.

Tolt MacDonald (4 hour ride). Tiger mountain (our favorite haunt) was closed and we didn't feel like driving the 75 minutes to Cle Elm so we opted to try a different venue. We hadn't ridden at Tolt MacDonald before and had heard it was fun.

It was! It is pretty much all single track and is a huge maze of trails - much like KLakes wrt the twisty turns but not as technical. We found a goo 75 minute loop and rode it a few times ... each loop started with a big 800 ft climb and ended with a fun descent.

Crazy Poplar Trees!

So we have a huge poplar tree just outside our back yard ... and it is that time of year when it is spreading it's seeds. I have never seen anything like it (how many trees does it want to plant???). Our backyard looks like a racoon got into a bag of tissues ... take a look:

Some of it's pockets or 'bags' of seeds are the size of baseballs - this is lookint into our neighbors yard from our back step. All of the white stuff is poplar seeds!

Crazy!

More the NW 24hr Solo Champs

Our friend Will wrote a fun write-up on the race in his blog. Check it out here http://will.sitch.org/blog-archive/2008/05/24-hour-mountain-bike-relay-race-in-spokane-wa

He also took some fun photos. Here is one of the podium shot. What a great weekend! Looking forward to a repeat next year!

Commute to Microsoft

Well, it took me a week but I am back on the bike commuting to/from work. The traffic around here is crazy and it takes me less time during traffic to bike home/to work than it does to drive (and that is taking the back roads!).

My commute is around 15 miles and has some good hills - I forgot how much harder the hills are with two paniers - and the waterproof one with a laptop inside! It is a great workout.

On the trails again - 4.5 hrs at Tiger Mtn

I had a little break after Spokane to let the body heal. I did only one ride this past week and it was a short, easy spin. This weekend was my first time back on the trails for real....

Saturday I did 3 loops of Tiger mountain with Frase - 2000 ft of climbing, ~11 miles, and about 1hr 25 minutes per loop. Our loop starts out with a 30 minute climb (if you climb up the road) up a 'fire road'. It varies from 8% to 22% the entire way up. Once you get to the single-track at the top you are rewarded with a very fast, flowy section to warm up your 'single track' legs and mind. This leads into a very technical (think cross between Klakes and Camp Fortune) descent that is fast and furious. I am learning to let the bike 'dance' under me and am getting faster and faster on the descent! For instance my climbing was 4- 6 min slower this weekend (still recovering I guess) but due to my faster descending my lap times were still 2-4 minutes faster than normal!

This technical descent drops you back onto a fire road; where you hammer a few miles of 2-15% rolling hills into another set of single-track. The final set of single-track is a twisty but relatively smooth gradual climb and some flat sections. There are some good up-and-overs in this section along with a crazy root drop off combo section that I always opt to walk. Maybe when it is bone dry ...

This section is pretty long and spits us back out on the fire road that we climbed up, where it is about 1/4 of a mile back to the car/pit.

It is a great loop to train on and we like to mix it up by changing the direction of the climb (of course, when we go to all the work of climbing up the single-track we just go right back down the single-track - not letting that hard work go to waste!!). I think it is great training for Canmore and love riding at Tiger!

To the right is one of the views from Tiger!

Visitors!

We've been lucky enough to have a few visitors to our new home in the past few weeks. The first set of visitors were from Fraser's family - his parents, Marilee (sister) and her two childern (Alex and Elizabeth). It was a real treat to see them after so long.

They arrived just in time to enjoy the hottest weekend we have had yet! We met them at the ferry from Victoria and enjoyed a nice meal here at home. Fraser planted pumpkins with Alex and Elizabeth, we visited the Seattle Aquarium, and we had a nice visit. Here is a photo of Fraser and his family on our front step:

Our second visitor was Vince! Vinny has just gone through major surgery (triple bypass) and we were happy to see him so healthy! Vinny came the week after Spokane so Frase and I were both a bit tired but he enjoyed touring around Seattle and made us a delicious fish and poutine meal (thanks Vinny -- it's been so long since I had poutine!!!). It was great to see him!

NorthWest 24hr Solo Championships - Spokane

1st Place, 14 laps, over 210 miles ridden!

Last weekend was my first 24hr race of the season ... in Spokane, Washington. I was looking forward to the weekend as Frase had put together a 5 man team (which at the last minute turned into a 3-man team) so it was going to be a bit of a social weekend as well (well, during my 2 minute pits anyway!).

Fraser and I drove (ok, he drove, I relaxed) up to Spokane on Friday morning and got there around 3pm to snag a nice camping spot/pit for the race. We were right on the course which was perfect for me. Having the trailer sure is nice ... we roll up and I can pretty much sleep right away. It is so comfortable and easy. I was loving it. What wasn't so nice was the headwind which greeted us on the way to Spokane. The wind was brutal and at one point we were getting about 4 miles a gallon!!!!! Crazy.

So, the race started at noon and Will, our friend who is living in San Francisco, drew the short straw on Fraser's team and got to start with me. He decided to use my pacing off the start and we were pretty much the last ones to finish the run (I am not kidding - there were maybe two guys behind us). All according to plan. We headed into the bike and it didn't take Will long to pick up the pace and leave me in the dust.... I was once again in my own world and in the 24hr zone.

The course had to be re-routed this year due to flooding in the Spokane river and I didn't really remember my time checks from the year before so the first lap was all by feel and by heart rate. This usually works pretty well but the weather was perfect. I'm not complaining but the cooler temperatures meant that my HR was lower than normal for the same amount of effort. I was also a little too keen on drafting and let my HR get a bit too high a few times just so I could keep a wheel. It's hard to turn off the competitive racer!!

All that to say that the first lap was a bit fast. It was 1:15 to be exact ... last year my lap times were around 1:30. Now, I know I have improved my fitness a fair amount but I also know that I haven't improved that much. But I felt great. My legs, stomach, and everything felt great. I saw Fraser in the pit and we decided that it was a bit too fast so I backed it off a bit the next lap; coming in at 1:17. I backed it off some more and finished a lap in 1:19. I finally settled in around 1:22 and was enjoying the pace.

This is a good time to talk about the pit. This race was a little different than the other 24hr solos I've done. Usually I have dedicated support (Fraser) ... this race he was racing too - in a team. He and the others on the team were doing what they could to support me while they weren't racing. Fraser was, as always, amazing. I would come in, ask for something to get charged, or fixed and the next lap, like magic, it was done. I don't think he got a moment's rest between supporting me and racing! The other guys were awesome too. When they were in the pit and I came in they'd ask me what I needed and most of the time they'd have some little cups made up (even if one of the cups had beef jerky in it - what were they thinking??) for me to choose from. They always had drinks made and ready for me. It was great.

Around one in the morning it was getting harder to eat... ahh, the stomach. My biggest hurdle! I had some potato, chatted with Frase and we and decided that I was too on the edge. After Canmore last year I have become very in tune with that line and never want to cross it again.... So. I ate some more potato and had a sleep. Yes, I slept! I was so disappointed but knew if I kept on riding I would likely not finish and worst yet, might end up very very sick. So, I had a 3 hour nap.

After 3 hours I got up, feeling stiff but determined, and decided to give it a try and see what I could do. I had some more potato (loving the baked potatoes) and got on my bike. To my great surprise and delight I pulled a 1:20 lap and was feeling awesome. I was ready to hammer to try to re-capture 1st place. I had no idea where I was ... I just knew I needed to ride. Fast.

This is a good time to talk about my bikes. This year I have two identical bikes (except the year) and was loving the Norco Faze! What a sweet ride. It was so nice to be able to flip the little switch on the rear shock and get out of the saddle to get up the short climbs ... and soooooo nice to have the shock for the rocky descents. It is not a super technical course but had loads of baby-head rocks and stutter bumps. My hands were feeling pretty abused at the end of the weekend. I didn't have any mechanicals and only swapped bikes once - to fix my race plate!

After another lap Fraser went to check the results and we realized that I was still in 1st and just about to lap 2nd. Awesome. I decided to slow the pace a little, kept on eating potatoes, bananas, and donuts, and kept on riding. I finished just after noon; safely in 1st; having lapped 2nd place.

I want to talk a little about the 2nd place woman because I felt really bad for the 3rd place woman (Janet Axelson). The 2nd place woman rode the entire race with her husband, who was also doing it solo. They come from the Adventure racing background so I am sure it is all very innocent but I still thought it unfair to 3rd place! I know I go much faster when I can work with someone else!!!

And now .... recovery is over and I am back on the trails - getting ready for Worlds. I am increasing the amount of potassium in my diet as it really seemed to help my stomach when I started eating potatoes and bananas during the race. We will see if this helps!!!

A big thanks to my pit crew, Norco, and GHY bikes - I couldn't do it without you!

Big Pile of Dirt!

So as many of you know, I haven't started yet at Microsoft! They are still sorting out the transfer of my H1B visa and in the meantime I've been unpacking the house, exploring the trails in the area, riding, and getting ready for my first race (which is in 10 days!).

To ensure I don't get too bored Fraser ordered 7 cubic yards of dirt. Now that's a lot of dirt. Here is a pic of it in our driveway:

So we are building a garden. A big garden. We have so many seeds I don't even know where to start. But first the job of moving the dirt, by wheelbarrow, from the front yard to the back yard ... in the rain. Who said I wasn't getting any core or upper body strength?? hahaha

Will post pics when some of the plants have sprouted!

Riding in the Seattle Area

So ... I was supposed to start work on April 28th but due to some glitches in the H1B transfer process this date has been moved a few times ... and I still have not started. I have taken advantage of the time off to get us unpacked (only a few boxes left - whoooo hooooo) and to get some good riding in.

There are SO many trails around where we live. I've been spending a lot of time at a place called Black Diamond -it's kind of like Kanata lakes - flat but technical. I've also scouted out another great loop with loads of climbing at a place called Tiger Mountain - last time I was there I had to ride through snow at the top - brrrr. I am hopeing it will be cleared this weekend.

I have found loads of great trails and have barely scratched the surface. It sure is nice to have the extra time off. I am feeling much more confident on the bike and on the trails and much more ready to spend 24 hours doing actual mountain biking. Spokane is only 2 weekends away!!!! Yikes!!!

The Move

Everyone knows how much *fun* moving is ... this move has definately been the most painless move so far! Microsoft pays for the move and arranges packers to come and pack up the boxes ... we just needed to be organized. I stuck around to supervise the packing and then there was just the cleaning.

We drove up to Seattle and our stuff arrived 3 days later. Microsoft provided corporate housing so we had some beds to sleep in while we were waiting for our stuff to arrive. Pretty sweet!!

So I've been in the process of unpack, ride, unpack for the past week! I was supposed to start work on April 28th but due to a glitch in the H1B transfer process, I still haven't started work. I am scheduled to start next Monday, May 12th. In the mean time I am continuing the unpack, ride, unpack routine. I am enjoying the extra time off!!!

Exciting News on the Professional Front

Well, Fraser and I have both had some excitement on the job front.

Fraser has been offered and has accepted the position of President and CEO of Pacific Suites - a product he has been working on for some time. I am super excited for him. What a great oppertunity!!!

On my end I have been offered and have accepted a Program Manager position with Microsoft .. also very exciting! I have 4 days left here at Bates Private Capital and then start at Microsoft on the 28th.

These new positions both require a move to Seattle - everything is falling into place very nicely!!

Nova Scotia Land?

Well, we have been talking about buying land and looking at land for quite some time now. Originally we started looking in Costa Rica but the crazy California mind-set has made it's way south and the prices in Costa Rica are too steep for the likes of us.

We want a large tract of land that we can develop into our own personal paradise - and to share this paradise with others. Trails of course. Loads and loads of trails. Land with a lake and close to or on the Ocean would be perfect.

My brother and his wife are also seeking the same type of land. Our roots (grew up in NS) and our budget led us to look at land in Nova Scotia. The prices are reasonable and there are several large tracts of land that meet our criteria. Above is a photo of one of the peices of land we looked at.

Costa Rica - The Surf!

The surfing in Santa Theresa is amazing but unforgiving. I spent the first two days getting tossed and tumbled by the waves. I lost a contact, got a major jelly sting across both eyes, and generally got really beat up.

By the third day Frase and I were starting to have fun. Jonathan and Caralee had arrived a week earlier and were already showing off their turns so we were pretty excited to be getting some turns of our own. We even bought our own surfboards ... I'll post a pic soon, I promise! We brought the surfboards back to the West Coast ... all we need now are wetsuits!! Surfing is good cross-training for mountain biking, right?

All I know is that my upper body was exhausted after about 20 minutes of trying to paddle out through the waves to catch a wave .. by the end of the time in CR i was feeling much more comfortable in the water. Surfing is hard work - the bigger the waves, the harder it is to paddle out.

Costa Rica - The Family

Costa Rica was fantastic - we had a whole week to hang out with the family - a treat that does not come too often! We had rented a big house for the 7 of us - Mom & Dad, Jonathan & Caralee & Kyros, and Fraser and I. We were within walking distance of the beach and the surf - can you guess what we spent most of the time doing? SURFING! A normal day went something like this: Get up and surf, eat breakfast, nap, go get fresh fish, have lunch, nap, and surf again! What a week!!!!

Fraser and I were loving the surf and even bought surfboards and brought them home ... look out!!!! Now all we need are wetsuits and we can surf here on the NorthWest coast.

Here is a pic of the whole family.

Costa Rica - The Wedding

Jonathan and Caralee's wedding was spectacular - it was perfect. There were just a few of us at the wedding and the beach was deserted. Jonathan, Fraser, Dad and I spend the morning of the wedding prepping the site ... a walk-way with little rocks and drift wood ... and Jonathan spread the flowers just before Caralee arrived. It was perfect. Here is a picture of the cutest family ever:

Another Costa Rica Wedding

We are headed to Costa Rica in February for my brother Jonathan's wedding. We are pretty stoked ... check out this picture of Kyros getting in on the engagement action!

The wedding will be a beach wedding. We are renting a house for the week while there ... right on the beach with lots of access to the waves. We are going to a small town called Santa Theresa ... a great place to surf. We are going to hang up the bikes for the week and replace them with surfboards and surf gear. Does surfing count as cross-training? :-)

Surf Shack!

We now have access to a Surf Shack in Westport, Washington. We are pretty excited ... it is a small fishing village and has waves for beginners, experts, and pros. You have to wear a wetsuit most of the year but having surfed off the Atlantic Coast in Nova Scotia (my home province!) this is par for the course!

Check out the surf ...

Sweet Ride!

New Years came with a wounderful surprise ... my new ride had arrived! It is pretty sweet ... check it out here. It is currently sitting in our living room where I can drool over it as I do my stretches. I have found that I've been stretching a lot more lately ;-)

Here is a picture of it ... I am just waiting for my new Time pedals and then look out ... it will be time to break it in! I am very excited to have two full suspensions for my 24hr Solo races this coming season!