Miles and Madness

After 'cross.....

2009-12-08T12:01:00.004-05:00

My first cyclocross season is over. I'd say it was pretty successful. Much thanks to all of you that told me to go for it. I am so glad I did. I have been trying to sum it all up and I've come to the conclusion that CX people are all fucking crazy, especially the women. I am so ready for next year!! I am going to be one of those freaks counting down the days.....

My crash on Sunday must have been worse than I realized. I am sore as fuck and it's been 2 days. I haven't done shit except walk dogs. My ribcage is sore, my chest hurts, my knee is scabbing up, and I have bruises in spots that I didn't even know were banged up. I hurt.

I walked the dogs this morning with a friend of mine, on her church's property. We had 6 dobermans and a pit bull, all running loose. It was awesome to see them all run and play.

I did some shopping on Sunday. I found this Batman hat for Dominic. You have no idea how happy he was when he saw it. He yelled AWESOME so loud and ran in the bedroom, like a little kid. Dominic is very much into Batman (check out the Bat Tank).

*** Updated 12/8 3pm

I tried to go swim. Listen to me, don't try to swim if you have an UPPER BODY injury. Like a bruised sternum. Or whatever the fuck is wrong with my chest. I made it 1000y somehow and then got out after my CX cough came back.

Sucks ass.

Storm the Greens CX - COLD BRRR!

2009-12-06T19:37:00.005-05:00

Amanda was nice enough to drive down with me to Louisville, for one more CX race. It's only a 90 minute drive. We had coffee, talked shit, and the drive went by fast. Oh and she baked muffins and scones! How cool is that?

It was fucking cold too. Like, in the teens I think. I didn't check.

We made it down there way early so I got in a couple of practice laps. It was so cold. My toes were numb and it was sucking pretty bad.

The course was nice and flat, a few little rollers, and very worn down and ridden a lot. You could easily take lines through the "sand pit" which was frozen. There were a set of barriers that were almost knee high, impossible to jump over. I even saw one girl putting one foot on top of the barriers and then hoping over. Then there were two areas that went onto pavement. The first part went right back up off the pavement and up a little hill and into some nice twisty turns, then downhill again and onto this paved sidewalk again. Only there was a long stretch of it, and then back onto the grass and up another set of wooden stairs (3 sets of stairs plus one set of knee high barriers total) and then down some grassy hill and onto the pavement where you ended up at the finish.

The ground was frozen but as the sun rose, the course got very slick.

Suzanne had the most rockin' socks on ever.

While the cat 4 men raced, Amanda and I sat in the car trying to defrost my toes. I had on 3 layers and a Batman thermal over my baselayers. I had on 2 pair of gloves, 2 pair of socks, tights under my shorts, and a hat under my helmet (forgot a balaclava!). My toes were frozen. Numb.

Once we finally lined up, I just wanted to get this race over with.

About 3/4 of the way through the 1st lap, I went down. Hard. I came around a corner going pretty fast, and onto the pavement I went (everyone was saying to take the left side but it was slick and I bit it BAD). I went over my bars, skidded on my fucking chest, and got the wind knocked out of me. I don't know how I got back on my bike, but I did. I was HURT. I really did not think I would finish but I had to try. I knew if it hurt too bad I'd stop. But the bike was ok, so I continued on.

The chick in front of me in the picture is usually the winner of every fucking race I do (she is the Ohio Champion in my a/g). But she got a flat I ended up passing her. She got another wheel but never caught back up to the leaders. She did, however, pass me, as you can see.

Usually we only do 3 laps and I totally thought I was done when I heard the announcer say "One more lap" and I was like "are you fucking kidding me"? but that gave me the chance to pass one other girl.

I ended up 7th out of 12.

This is me showing off my boo-boo.

Good friends!!!

Suzanne's typical "after race" smile.

Tonight my knee hurts and my chest hurts. I have a tad bit of CX cough and my sternum must be bruised or something. I am going to take a hot bath now and burn my new pumpkin spice candle.

This is the last race report for a while. It's time to focus on getting through the holidays.

Thursday yo

2009-12-03T17:36:00.004-05:00

I am racing again on Sunday. One last CX race down in Louisville. Dominic has to work so Amanda is going down with me (thanks girl!). I can't wait. A road trip. I am excited, but also sad this is my last race. I really like cyclocross. A lot.

Dominic is building me an old school MTB with parts he found in our basement. We have so many bike parts down there, it's scary. He rebuilt some shifters and found cantilever brakes. He's going to paint it too. We aren't putting more than 40 bucks into it. I am looking forward to more off road riding this winter. Especially on an old beater bike.

I am convinced the off road riding is helping my bike handling skills, like tremendously. We rode fixies on Tuesday on an 8 mile bike trail. I was so comfortable riding my FG, taking corners a lot better even!

I accepted the spot on Team Kenda. The director and I talked on the phone for an hour. He started including me on the team emails. I talked my decision over with many folks (thanks Fatmarc, Aaron, BGW, Mitch, Julie, Beth, and of course, Dominic. I think I have pissed off a few people in the process but sometimes I guess you have to do what's right for you, when the opportunity arises. Even if it's selfish.

I keep thinking that the director is going to come back and say "Sorry, but we found your blog and we don't think you'd be an appropriate member of this team due to your past". My past has had a way of creeping up on me over the last 10 years.

Like the time I was hired at American Express for my first travel agent job. Getting past the "Have you ever been convicted of a felony" part on a job application is hard. It had only been 3 years since my arrest. Miraculously I got hired. Two months later, the background check officer called and told me I still had warrants for my arrest in San Francisco. I had been back in Cincinnati for almost 4 years! Luckily, all I had to do was fax in copies of my drug treatment graduation and the warrants disappeared. *the felony is now almost 14 years old.

But I digress.

So when I know it's official, and I know for sure I am a part of Team Kenda, I'll let you know. Somehow part of me feels like I made a mistake. I am not sure.

Dominic and I are getting back to some serious dieting. No sugar till Xmas. Instead of the big breakfasts we were having, it's now oatmeal, grapefruit, eggs. No ice cream, no chips. Usually I eat whatever I want between Thanksgiving and Xmas, but not this year. I need to get my discipline back!

Training has been really nice. No pressure, just spending as much time on my bike as possible. Running once a week. Swimming once a week. Or twice. Or not.

I had a great, easy 2500y swim on Monday. I had CX cough all day. I didn't do any 50's or 100's or sets of any kind. I just swam 100 lengths and got out. Felt really good.

Tuesday I rode 24 miles on my fixie and then ran 7. I had a wonderful run. I like running when I only do it once a week.

Wednesday it was pouring, freezing cold rain. Dominic and I rode for an hour on CX bikes when he got home from work. We rode at Dunhum Golfcourse. I have been walking my dogs there for 6 years and it is the perfect place for a CX race. We had a blast but it was COLD! I crashed into a tree and hurt my middle finger. It doubled in size overnight.

Today I did the Have Mercy Spinerval DVD. It's two hours. Torture. The last 30 minutes sucked.

That's all I got for now......have a great weekend.

XXOO!

CX Pix

2009-11-30T21:00:00.004-05:00

For the first time in any of my CX races, there were some great pro shots from Jeffrey Jakucyk.

What is this face all about?

They even took a picture of Dominic and Fausto!!

John Bryan CX Race

2009-11-29T12:41:00.003-05:00

We got to the race with plenty of time for me to ride the course. I was so glad. I had watched some videos of last years race so I knew it was flat and fast. I did a warm up lap. When I went through the sandpit, a bunch of sand got in my chain catcher, and that made for a noisy bike.

The course was dry, hardly any mud. A few slight slick spots where I saw one girl go down, but that's about it. Mostly flat with some tight turns, a little bit of singletrack, pavement, gravel, two sand pits, one set of barriers, and long stretches on grass.

The cat 3/4 open women and 3/4 master 35+ lined up, maybe 25 total. Some of the girls are starting to (GASP!) actually speak to me now. We started on a long stretch of pavement going uphill.

The whistle blew and we were off.

The same two girls who always win were GONE. Poof! I stayed middle of the pack and kept telling myself I'd catch them when they got tired on the 3rd lap. Haha! Whatta joke!

I made it through the sand pit and then came around to go through the second one. The sandpit had a tight turn which made it hard to ride. I went down right after this picture was taken. I landed on my right side but got right back up. The only problem - I don't jump on the bike from the right so I looked like a total retard getting back on.

I was chasing that chick in blue the entire race. I caught her on the second lap but on the third lap she passed me back.

I went down a second time but didn't let anyone pass me. I ran with my bike and jumped on and just kept pedaling.

Both chicks in blue passed me about 500 yard from the finish line. I didn't have anything left in me. I didn't even realize when I passed the finish line and I stupidly thought I had to keep going. I went through the sand pit and then this guy says "You're done".

And I said "Oh, did I finish?"

He was like "Yea, you were 6th".

It was a fun course. It was nothing like any of the 3 previous CX courses I raced because it was dry, flat, and there was hardly any running involved. The girl who won cat 3/4 35+ won the race overall and is the state champion.

I gotta a lot to learn about cyclocross.

One last thing. Somehow, I got an invite to be on Team Kenda. It's a huge opportunity. I have been thinking about it a lot. They aren't even taking anymore athletes in for 2010 but the coach offered me a spot. It's a successful team too. What to do, what to do.

Saturday night

2009-11-28T17:14:00.007-05:00

I have the night off.

I never have Saturday nights off.

Dominic is bartending tonight. I hate being around drunk people, but I guess I'll go have dinner there.

*************

It's 20 minutes later and I think I am staying in. I am a fucking hermit these days unless it involves an outdoor activity or race. The thought of going to a loud bar or restaurant makes my stomach hurt.

It's funny. A friend of mine, from back in the day (do people even say that anymore?) is in town. She's been partying it up. She's on my Facebook page and she's been posting all these pictures of bars we hung out in years ago.

I have a chance to see her if I go to a bar. A friend of ours, from back in the day, owns said bar.

And I don't want to go.

Call me lame. I don't care.

I was going to sit here and try to explain myself, but I figured what the fuck, I don't have to explain myself.

Anyways, I am fucking racing tomorrow! I have to be up at 6am! It's a good excuse to NOT go hang out in some bar.

Thanksgiving Day 10K

2009-11-26T13:07:00.008-05:00

*** UPDATED

This race reports sounds like I have a terrible attitude. I really don't!
My Facebook status:

I am seriously blessed. I have a healthy body that allows me to train. I have the DRIVE and DETERMINATION to race. My boyfriend is my best friend and life partner. My Mom is healthy. My dogs are healthy. I have a JOB!! Life is good.

************************************************************************

Photo by Amanda - THANKS!

Past results:

2004 1:04 10:25 pace
2005 1:02 10:06 pace
2006 1:05 10:36 pace (ran Ari with me that year)
2007 59:18 9:33 pace (fucked up ITB)
2008 55:38 8:58 pace

2009 56:39 9:08 pace

Top ten reasons I did not PR my 10k this year.

1. 17,000 people - mass start makes it impossible to run fast.
2. OMG, the fucking walkers. And the strollers.
3. An 87 mile bike ride 4 days prior.
4. I ate too many cookies yesterday and had to shit 3xs before starting the race, and NEEDED to shit during the race but didn't stop.
5. Have done speedwork 2xs in the last 6 months.
6. I am lazy and slow.
7. I am a sucky runner.
8. I slowed down enough to take a safety pin off my race bib, use the pin to reset my MP3 player, and pin my race bib back on. I needed music those last 3 miles dammit.
9. The hills.
10. I hate running.

I sucked today. I place the blame on all of these things, but the main thing is - I suck at running. I hate hate hate running fast. It hurts so bad. A CX race hurts worse but I *LOVE* hurting on my bike. Fuck running. UGH.

This was the 100th year of the Thanksgiving day 10K. So naturally more people signed up. Last year 11,000 people signed up. This year, 17,000 signed up. The start is ridiculous. It takes a good 5 minutes to get to the starting line. Then you start to run, and you want to run all balls out, but you can't because you are still packed in like sardines! I hate this!

I got to mile 1 in 8:49 and that was slower than last year. That didn't give me much hope to PR. I just tried to run faster and keep a steady pace. There are some people who go all balls out for 3 miles and walk the rest. I can't stand that shit either. By mile 2 I was still on an 8:50 pace and then at mile 3 my MP3 player just stopped.

I knew it needed to be reset. It takes a safety pin to reset it. I had 4 of them on my race bib. So, since I am a wuss and can't run a race without music, I slowed down enough to unpin the safety pin from my race bib, reset my MP3 player, and pin the bib back on. That was a stupid ass move, but I couldn't stand the thought of trying to keep that pace w/o music blaring in my ears.

Onto miles 4, 5, and then I see Amanda snapping a picture of me and I started wondering how long she had been finished (crazy fast, finished 42:19). I crossed the finish line and was really disappointed with my time. An entire minute slower than last year. And then I started thinking about all the reasons I sucked so bad. So I listed them here.

I am still happy to race, thankful for my strong legs that allow me to train. Some people don't have that blessing. I need to take a moment to appreciate all I have in life. I hope you do too.

I hope you all have a great holiday!

T-Day plans and stuff

2009-11-24T19:36:00.005-05:00

I swam today. It felt great to be in the pool. I love to swim. Love it. I am not super fast or anything, but my form is good, I feel good, and it feels natural. I can easily swim a length underwater. Today I swam some with fins. Sandi swam with me. It was fun. We got to chit chatting a lot. After swimming we sat in the sauna and then the steamroom. Ahhh. A nice day.

I remember during IM training, a swim was "just a swim", so it was an easy day, a recovery day. Now a swim is my workout. And a chance to give my legs a break.

Tomorrow I am going practice 'cross at Kings. I am racing this Sunday. I can't wait. Sadly I think it may be my last race. I was going to go down to Louisville on the 6th but now Dominic has to work. I may make the trip alone, we'll see.

What are you all doing for Thanksgiving? My plans are to run a 10K and PR. I have to beat 55:38 which is an 8:58 pace. It's doubtful. That night, I am working 3p-10p from home and Dominic is going to cook a small turkey. Nothing fancy.

I can't stand the holidays. I am a gigantic scrooge. I hate the consumerism and the SPEND! SPEND! SPEND! It all just makes me sick. I do not get into the spirit. I spent my childhood being told I didn't celebrate Christmas so it's never been an important day to me. I am glad I work the holidays now.

Dominic usually loves Christmas. He hasn't been as excited about the holidays this year. He is really missing Bruno, who was a Christmas puppy. Fausto continues to put a smile on his face but he misses the shit out of Bruno. It sucks.

I am off to take a hot bath now. I hope you have a great holiday and get to eat some good food.

Finally a long ride

2009-11-22T19:23:00.001-05:00

I had asked Amanda to do one more long ride with me after she got back from Worlds. Of course she was down with it. It worked out so that we could do it today, so we met down on Eastern and headed to Augusta KY. It's almost 45 miles to the ferry and then we cross over into KY and ride back down route 8 for a total of 90 miles.

I have had many 40 mile rides since IMKY and a couple 50 mile rides but that's it. I knew this was going to hurt, but didn't know how much.

The headwind kicked in about 25 miles into the ride and all of the sudden it seemed like we were going continuously uphill. Though we were on flats, the headwind was kicking my ass. I couldn't pedal over 14mph at some parts and my ass was killing me.

I like wearing a cycling cap under my helmet a lot. Super comfy.

Amanda hasn't slowed down much since Worlds ITU so she's in way better shape than me. I could hang on her wheel for a few and then the gap would come and she'd be way ahead. She'd look back and then slow down to wait for me.

It took us 2:37 to get to the ferry in Augusta which was a 16.1 average speed. Told ya I was slow ya'll.

I felt better once we got to the gas station in Augusta and had some food. Crackers with peanut butter and string cheese for me and Amanda had tuna.

The ride back to Newport was fun and I felt a lot better. My legs/ass/shoulders had adjusted to the bike and I wasn't hurting too bad. About 25 miles away from the car Amanda see's a rabbit (a cyclist she wants to pass) and in my head I was like oh no, she's going to want to chase him. And I was right. I did my best but we didn't catch him.

I had to stop for Starbursts (craving sugar!) at a gas station 10 miles from the car. Me and Amanda had on matching socks.

So once we got back to Newport, we rode to the bridge where I took off across it, and Amanda went home. We got in 87.5 miles. Averaged 16.2 or something. It was a great ride and I am glad we did it.

Need to knows

2009-11-20T10:35:00.003-05:00

* I have a huge boil on my ass. It's the size of a fucking quarter. It even hurts when I walk. I guess my ass needs a break from the bike. Or I need chamois cream. I always forget to put it on.

* I skipped my swim this morning. I woke up soaked in sweat, to the sound of the alarm at 5:45. Fuck it. Turned the alarm off and then tossed and turned for 2 more hours. Finally got up, fed the dogs, and then Dominic and I walked them for an hour. Working till 10pm. So my only chance of a workout was before work. Now I am going to be pissy all day.

* I always feel so guilty when I don't get up for my swim. It gets harder and harder to get up at 5:45am and swim as the weather gets colder and colder. Especially since I work nights. I don't know how you guys do it all the time. Amanda gets up at 4:30am for swim practice twice a week. Insane.

* Ambian only works for about 6 hours. I am now waking up at 5am every morning, drenched in sweat. My hair is wet, my t-shirt's all wet, and it's almost impossible to fall back asleep. I usually toss and turn, falling back asleep for maybe 30 minutes total before I actually get up.

* I am going to turn into a fat ass if I don't stop eating all night long. I used to have so much more discipline when I worked in an office. Now that I work from home, I have none.

Have a great weekend. Thanks for reading.
XXOO - Judi

Can someone shut her up?

2009-11-19T21:22:00.001-05:00

Saw this on Drunk Cyclist.

Riding bikes

2009-11-17T19:57:00.010-05:00

Pictures by Amanda

Trying to ride uphill with no hands.

Riding up Vine street.

Ugh.

General anxiety is worse. I have this panicky feeling every morning and I stay all uppity and anxious until I get a workout in. Some of those feelings come from not knowing what it is I should be doing. Sometimes I'll stand around and ask Dominic what I should do. Should I run? Should I ride? Which bike? Maybe I should go lift. Or swim.

And don't forget the dogs get an hour long walk in the morning as soon as I get out of bed (which is 7:30am). I still feel panicked. It reminds me of the way I felt during my peak training weeks for IMKY. That omgwhenamigonnagetmyworkoutin feeling.

After I am home and have fed the dogs, checked email and Facecrack, I decide what kind of workout I am going to do. Sometimes I plan it out in my head beforehand - around errands or running Nancy's dogs, or seeing my Mom.

Today was supposed to be a road ride with Dominic (he's been off the bike almost 2 weeks now due to work) and then CX practice in Mason. Dominic bailed on the ride due to "possible rain" and went to the Y to lift. Oh I was pissed. I threw a pan at the wall. It wasn't raining, and we could have squeezed in a 90 minute ride. So more anxiety. Dominic, please get back on the bike soon. I miss our rides.

Rollers. I LOVE my D-Motion Rollers. Love them. I rode them hard for 90 minutes (30 miles) and had a nice sweaty ride. Felt like a new person.

Changed into fresh lycra and loaded my CX bike up (it now has gears 1x9 and a new chain catcher). It started raining. Perfect. Bring it on. Oh shit, traffic. Legs getting stiff.

Finally got to Mason and unloaded the bike. This is where I raced CX the first time so I am familiar with the course. And it's open anytime to ride. Today no one was there. Just me.

I rode a lap just to warm up. It felt good to be back on my CX bike. I fucking love it. I can't explain it, it's just so much fun. The course was still very dry compared to what I have been racing on. It was fun practicing cornering without feeling like I was going to go down at every turn. I bombed down the hills and never lost my chain once! I ended up riding 5 laps and loved every second of it.

My back, on the other hand, hurts like a MF. Right side pull. Somehow I am going to scrounge up the cash for an acupuncture appointment next week.

I have been getting in some fun road rides too. The pictures above are rides with Amanda. She is super fit from Worlds so keeping on her wheel is a bitch!

I am signed up for a 10k Thanksgiving Day Race so I am going to the track tomorrow for 4x1200. Oh boy, can't wait (sarcasm intended). More riding Thursday.....

Have a great week.

Love

2009-11-14T13:23:00.005-05:00

I was going to write a post about canine nutrition. I have had a few people ask me about it so I am going to eventually write a post on it but it's not going to be today. That will be long, lengthy, and probably quite boring post to most of you, but that's ok.

I loved reading all your comments about a possible wedding between Dominic and I! As I re-read the post I kept thinking oh I should have used this picture, or I should have used that picture. So now I am going to bombard you with pictures of me and Dominic over the last 2 years. Enjoy! Or don't.

Our 1st double date with my x-BFF Emily and her husband

Our 1st Xmas

Snow storm

In transition before a race...

At a bar he used to work at.

A Father's day family get together

Breast Cancer ride chowfest

After the Thanksgiving day race 07

A make up ride, after a huge fight.

Before my 1st half ironman.

After a marathon

On a century ride

Another make up ride.

On my way to run the marathon portion of Ironman Kentucky. Had to stop and kiss him.

After the IM

Stopping at Suzanne's to visit Nani the day after IMKY.

Our 1st CX race.

I love Dominic

2009-11-12T15:48:00.010-05:00

I have never been married. I was so into my drug use in my 20's, I didn't give a shit about it cuz I thought I was going to be dead by age 30. A lot of my friends had kids during their drug use and a lot of my them also got married.

Nowadays, MOST everyone my age has either been married or has kids. But not me. Nor Dominic. I was kind of engaged once. But I gave the ring back and then he gave it back to me so I traded it for heroin.

I decided a long time ago that marriage was not for me. I was with my x for 9 years and never wanted to marry him. I hated him.

I met Dominic through our bike shop on August 14th, 2007. I had bought pedals and shoes. My bike shop folks had set me up with Dominic so could teach me how to use them. I showed up to the bike shop and he was behind the counter. He looked at me and said "Are you the triathlete?" and I was like "Yea, are you Dominic?". Wanda and Ron (the shop owners) had been trying to set us up for a training ride for weeks. It was like instant attraction. We started talking about helmets (I NEVER wore one, he didn't either) and headphones, and the longest rides we had done.

My shoes were sitting on the counter, cleats installed. I had bought the ugliest pair of tri-shoes you ever saw. I went cheap and knew nothing about shoes, so I bought Nashbar brand. They were so ugly. Silver and gold tri-shoes. I couldn't believe how ugly they were and we were both laughing about it. We still laugh about it, hysterically.

Anyways, I practiced clipping in for an hour on the trainer, and at one point, I bashed my shin so hard it started bleeding. I just kept riding. Dominic liked that. Then Ron told Dominic to take me down to the Y's parking lot and practice there. So we met over there and Dominic and I rode around that lot for a looooong time. He told me he was an x-drug addict, and I told him I was too. I asked what his drug of choice was (cocaine) and I told him mine (heroin) and then we high-fived.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

So a couple days later he calls to make arrangements to come over to my house, and make sure my bike was race ready. My friend said "The bike shop dude came to your house?"

And it's been like, crazy ever since and I love the shit out of him. Like, we are exactly alike. You know when you meet that someone. You just click. It works.

We have most certainly had our ups and downs. Some of you know just how bad. We have had some nasty fights that resulted in break ups that lasted weeks. But I think we're through that now. I think we have found our groove finally.

He's talking to me about marriage ("I want to call you MY WIFE!") and so I have been thinking about marriage too.

Please, do not tell me I need an engagement ring either. I would much rather have carbon race wheels or a dura ace upgrade. Who wears a rock to a bike race anyways? I mean, no offense to the girls out there who NEED a ring and a proper proposal and all that. I am not into it. I haven't worn make up in well over 2 years and wear zero jewelry. A wedding band is going to be a big enough pain in the ass.

So, I just wanted to share this with ya'll.

Mechanicals suck ass

2009-11-10T17:37:00.007-05:00

I had my day planned out perfect. Got up with the dogs for a 2 mile walk in the woods (they run off leash except Fausto can't yet). Came home, fed them. Got Dominic up so I could put in my order for breakfast (yes he cooks most meals for me) and then checked email, etc.

I went to Nancy's house first to run her dogs. Some of the newer readers don't know about the deal I have with Nancy. I met her when I first started feeding raw. She wanted me to run her dogs in exchange for meat. She had 8 dogs total. 3 generations of Ibezan hounds + one Jack Russell Terrier that was her son's dog. Nancy's dogs are totally chemical free. They have never had a vaccine, a heartworm pill, nothing. They are all in great shape.

I run the dogs two at a time plus an extra mile with the JRT. In exchange, I get a big box of meat for my dogs. It's a sweet deal.

After I ran her dogs, I went to my Mom's house to check in on her (down to once a week now). She's fine and really just wants me to walk Jakie when I come over.

Then it was off to Mason for CX practice. I was so looking forward to it. I had my day perfectly planned out - to run, see my mom, then ride CX. So before I left, Dominic switched my gear to 38x18. Loaded the bike up but didn't test it out or anything. Once I got to King's, I started riding around the parking lot and noticed something strange. My bike kept clicking, everytime I put pressure down to pedal. It reminded me of when I bent my hanger in that duathlon 2 years ago. But this bike was a SS. WTF. So then people start showing up. A girl who is a FB friend and who is a very fast girl, walked over to say hi and she lent me her park tool. Dominic tried to talk to me over the phone to fix it, but honestly, I did not know what the fuck I was doing. So that was it. I had to pack my bike up and drive the 45 minute ride home without getting my CX fix.

Me and Dominic have a few rules around the house. He does the cooking, and all things bike related. That's it. I do everything else. My bikes are always perfectly tuned up and ready to go - tires pumped and everything. I don't have to do a thing. In return, I do all the laundry and put it away, plus keep the house pretty clean. So tonight he fucked up. And I missed my CX practice. I did some yelling. I was pretty LIVID.

I know I shouldn't be all dependent on him for everything. I should just learn. I just don't have the patience. Plus I think I would fuck the bike up somehow. Dominic has been working on bikes since he was 8 years old. You know what I mean?

Sooooo tonight was just a let down. Like, a BUMMER. Especially when I saw those fast girls show up. I knew I couldn't keep up with them, but I could have fun trying.

I need gears. That is FOR SURE.

Sun patch

2009-11-06T15:46:00.004-05:00

What my dogs do when I am working from home......which is full time now. I love it.

For the record......

2009-11-04T18:18:00.004-05:00

Apparently Fatty doesn't hate me. After a series of emails back and forth with Elden himself, I got this:

yeah, it looks like your comment got sent to the spam can, and I honestly have no idea why -- no links, no language, and obviously all your comments on my site have been very kind. I clicked the "this is not spam" link and hopefully akismet will have learned its lesson. Do me a favor and let me know if you continue to get blocked, K? Thanks, Elden

He also left a comment on my blog!

I know I have a guttermouth. My mom tells me that all the time! BUT cussing does reduce stress. Did you know that? Even my 81 year old aunt told me "sometimes it just feels good to say FUCK once in a while". I probably cuss more than the average person. I don't have kids and I try not to cuss around the little kids that do come around. I can respect that. I HATE it when I hear a parent screaming FUCK at their kid.

Peace out-
Judi

P.S. Thanks for reading and thanks for your comments. What a trip!

Hair

2009-11-03T18:59:00.004-05:00

This picture was taken in 7/08.

I started using Sun In - when I was 12. Do you remember that stuff? My friend used so much of it that her hair turned green.

Later it was onto reds, Henna which turned my hair orange, like a clown. That resulted in a trip to Walgreens where I stole a bottle of red hair dye to cover up the orange hair.

Later I bleached my hair out. Like white. With manic panic red ends.

Later I dyed my hair purple. Which resulted in such a dark purple, people thought I had dyed it black. The purple soon faded and it ended up lavender. I was on my way back to SanFran and ended up with blue added to the purple when I got there.

After that I stayed blond except for a year where I went black. That took months of stripping before I was able to be fully blonde again. Oh, and a jacuzzi once made my hair turn green.

When I was a junkie, I would bleach my own hair and end up with 6 inch long roots. It always looked like shit. Once I got through treatment, my Mom took me to a fancy hair place and I got highlights.

I continued with highlights until just 8 months ago.

Now I have my natural hair color for the first time since 1982.

I figured I would just stay au' natural until I start getting grays. Until then, I think I like my natural hair color!!

Gun Club CX on a SINGLESPEED

2009-11-01T18:48:00.010-05:00

Nice remount!! Thanks Kristi!

You read that right - 4th place. I won mechandise! Even if it is just a water bottle!

Dominic's work called off his day bartending shift yesterday so he had time to sit around and tweak on bikes. He decided I should race on a singlespeed - since I never use my gears! Really, it was more about me not wanting to drop my front chain. I drop my chain everytime I ride and it cost me some time at Harbin park. So, making the bike into a SS solved that problem automatically. Plus we rode the course last week and I knew what gears I had used.

Choosing my gear was hard cuz I only had a few to choose from! I had a 38 or a 40 for up front. I had a 21 or a 24 for the back. I spent a lot of time in 40x26 and 40x24 on the course, so we went with 38x24.

I should tell you now, Dominic flatted. And we don't have extra wheels. So he DNF'ed. But he looked good for a while! He has good bike handling skills but he can't run for shit.

Cat 4 35+ 45+ line up.

>

The course was wicked. I guess all CX course are. Today there were some spots that you just sunk 3 inches into the ground while running.

Here is Dominic coming down a hill with a nice 180 degree turn at the bottom.

Amanda is home from ITU Worlds in Austrailia. She has some blogging to do.

Ran into my blogger buddy from Indy, Aaron who I think I "met" on BSNY comment section. He is a fastie so he races much later than me. How did you do Aaron?

Dominic's Mom came out to cheer us on.

I had a good race. I was nervous. I got called up ahead of a few other girls, and the announcer said "NICE SOCKS!". The gun went off, the juniors went before us, and then the cat 3/4 women (open and 35+) went off, then even more juniors behind us. I hate riding with those kids! My next race (11/29) has the juniors starting a full half hour later so that makes me happy!

Look at that dismount - looks like I am doing fucking ballet or something.

Some of those girls are so fucking fast. I do not have their speed, but I have the endurance. Believe me, most of the passing I did was while I was running - NOT riding.

The gearing we picked was perfect for about 90% of the course, and the rest it was really spinny. There was a nice downhill to the finish and I was spinning my legs like a madman trying not to let that girl behind me pass.

This picture is for Charlie C. Bentover the handlebars kind of pain.

CX is just sadistic. Nothing like anything I have ever felt before. My lungs are on fire, and my chest is still burning.

Thinking about puke.

My muddy bike. I love that fucking bike. I love CX. Alot.

Fatty hates me

2009-10-30T20:47:00.005-04:00

I have been reading the Fat Cyclist's updates on his amazing Livestrong accomplishments. I left a few comments this morning, and went back to look later today, and my comments weren't there. Hmmmm, I thought. Let's try a "test". So I did. Still, no comment.

I think he's blocked me. Phun tells me he's anti-swearing of any kind. So I guess that's why he doesn't want my comments, that would link this blog, to his. I think that sucks. Really. I mean, come on! I have supported him ALOT! I donated many times with money I didn't really have. I bought not one, but TWO Fat Cyclist jerseys, and did a 65 mile Breast Cancer benefit ride for Susan. I was even considering Philly next year. If I could afford the time off.

So I guess I am just bummed. He must be all clean and holy. I must be like the devil to him or something.

Whatever.

You want a little cheese with that whine?
* I am not feeling too hot today/tonight. I have thrown up twice, but am not coughing or having flu-like symptoms. If I ever do get the H1N1, I'd be fucked.

*I also have some serious sciatica going on in my left ass cheek/hip area. I need a Hot Yoga class soon. My cycling seems to be egging it on - I remember feeling it after I got off the bike at IMLou too.

Gun Club
Looks like it's going to be a tough race. Like, really tough. The course is all mud. I don't see much riding happening except in a few spots. Now, if I can just remember to pick the bike up when I run, maybe I won't look like such a tool.

Fall riding and CX racing

2009-10-27T19:26:00.004-04:00

Damn, a lot of dudes read this blog. THANK YOU! I appreciate all your comments! I love your reasons for being on a team, and your reasons for not being on a team. I think some local girls and I have some ideas brewing. I will let you know what happens. We need an all women team. That's obvious.

I am getting psyched to race again this weekend. Gun Club CX. Tomorrow night I am riding the course when they open the club for practice. Dominic is going too. I can't wait! And Sunday I will be rockin' some pink argyle knee socks with my non-team-kit wearin' ass.....

As far as Halloween goes we will not be participating this year. Dominic has to work a 15 hour shift with no break (bartending at The Dily - and then racing Sunday morning) and I am working from home. It's going to suck being home alone on Halloween. This neighborhood is scary, even more so on Halloween. I gave out candy the first year I moved here. Never again. The 19 year old g-boys who come around looking for candy aren't even dressed up. They fucked it up for all the little kids we do like around here.

We have been having some gorgeous fall weather. I went riding with Sandi yesterday. The leaves are beautiful this time of year.

I hate this bridge! I always have to get off my bike and walk across it.

Sandi has IMLou arm warmers on.

There's a pitbull in my window!

Team stuff again

2009-10-25T20:12:00.004-04:00

I love riding my bike. I always have. I was a bike messenger in SF in the early 90's. We rode everywhere on bikes. I always had a bike. In the halfway house, after treatment, I had a bike to get around on. I even rode to the methadone clinic everyday.

Then I got my driver's license back. And I got a car. And a job. And some normalcy in my life. And I forgot about the bike for about 9 years and joined a gym instead.

Nowadays I love to race. I really, really, love racing. Everytime I race, I have a HUGE goofy smile on my face. Ask Amanda. She always mentions it. It doesn't matter if it's a triathlon, or the marathon of IMKY, I enjoy it.

I ride for me. I ride for my own happiness and joy. Not to be on a team. Or to win. I like the way it feels to do a time trial and make my lungs burn. I like to go out and climb hill repeats just for the fuck of it. I like to hurt.

Why is it so imperative that I join a fucking team?

I have thought about it. I even got to be friends with some guys from a team I was considering joining. So I joined their google group list and started getting the team emails.

HOLY FUCK there are some douche bags on that team. Hell fucking no I am not going to buy your uni-sex jersey and a pair of ugly shorts with money I don't have! Is this the way it always is? New kits every year that you have to spend big bucks on? I already have nice gear. I can't afford more right now.

Dominic is totally not into it either. He rides for the same reasons I do. Cuz we love bikes. We don't have to be like everyone else and join a team, do we?

If anyone is interested in starting an all women's team, let me know. I would be all over it.

Movie Night!

2009-10-23T10:31:00.003-04:00

Dominic and I went to see Race Across the Sky last night. It was about the 100 mile MTB race in Leadville, Colorado. I have read about it on Fat Cyclist, but never realized what was involved, until I saw the movie last night.

And all I dreamt about mountain bike racing.

The scenery was awesome, the cycling intense, and the lead racers - UNREAL. I cried several times.

It reminded me of the Ironman in a lot of ways. The reaction when some cyclists didn't make the cut off - one man bawled his eyes out. How horrible would that be, to train so hard, and not make the cut off. The finish line reactions were much like IM finishes too, lots of tears, relief, happiness, pain, all of it.

One of the best lines in the movie was from a girl who had been hit by a car on her bike the year before. She had healed up and was determined to do Leadville. She said "it's not my body that got stronger, it's my spirit".

I have a huge respect for endurance cycling. It is definitely something I am going to involve myself in next year. I am looking at Calvins Challenge (can I break my a/g record of 249 miles?) for May.

Wordless Wednesday (stolen from Lily and Missy)

2009-10-21T19:55:00.001-04:00

getting on

2009-10-18T21:11:00.006-04:00

about that post below, i am sorry i was so down. it's been a rough time but things are on the up and up. thank god.

a few updates -

* my mom is doing great. she has improved so much this last week. her memory of the hospital and the weeks before are totally lost. she doesn't remember much about coming home from the hospital either. but she's getting back to her routines minus the dog. i still have the dog. but he goes home in a couple days. and we let her drive to dinner last night but she didn't do so well, so that worries me. but she isn't doing any driving yet.

this is my mom's dog when you wipe his paws off. you'd think i was killing him.

* my temper has been a bit of an issue recently. i've made an ass of myself, more often than i'd like to admit. i skipped acupuncture this month and am feeling it. today i blew up at the y because the swim director hadn't updated the schedule. i was swimming along, and was kicked out after 1000y because the lap lanes closed due to a class. the schedule did not reflect this. i had a huge hissy fit and stomped out the door.

* i got on the scale today for the 1st time since IMKY and was happily surprised by a 6 lb weight loss. i am guessing it's because of the shorter, more intense workouts - verses the hours of IM training that included 300 calories an hour. i think i have only had maybe 4 gels since IMKY. my workouts don't require them now.

* dominic and i rode our CX bikes on the MTB trail yesterday. i got my ass handed to me. it is crazy hard to do. i went down twice and he went down once. not hurt though.

* my next race is Nov 1st - gun club CX (sorry Julie and Suzanne, can't make USGP, missing out on the green monster bums me out!).

have a great week everyone.