tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91079601406181492782024-03-13T14:11:44.418-05:00Yeah - It's all goodIf anything in this graphic causes confusion, ignore the entire product.aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-66837108267123019392010-09-12T19:47:00.005-05:002010-09-12T22:26:19.033-05:00Hi!Once again it's an "Oh yeah - I have a blog" moment. It helps that it's football season again, so as Double A watches the game I'll do some typing and reviewing what's been happening in my oh so exciting life.<br /><br />Earlier in the summer I commented that we had no big travel plans besides maybe Arkansas for a race. Well, we did go to Arkansas at the end of June for the <a href="http://www.dltevents.com/calendar/off-road-mountain-bike/627-3-legged-dawg.html">3 Legged Dawg</a> race. The guys DNFd - Double A flatting in the 1st lap and The Klye just having one of those bad race days, both deciding that it just wasn't worth fighting the heat & humidity for a "just for fun race".<br /><br />While I wasn't having the best time out there myself, I was in TSTS (Too Stoopid/Stubborn To Stop) mode and just couldn't find a good reason to stop. It didn't help that Double A dumped a shockingly refreshing bottle of ice cold water on my head when I came through the feed zone and told me to keep going. Maybe next year we'll remember how humid & miserable this race can be.<br /><br />There was one upside to the Arkansas race, while we were there we watched some friends compete in an off-road triathlon. Well apparently the idea of doing an open water swim followed by riding/running off-road appealed to the boys and the next thing I knew they decided they wanted to do an off-road tri.<br /><br />It didn't take long for them to find a local race and they had a little over a month to train for an event the includes a 400 meter swim and 5 kilometer run. Our pool is not designed for lap swimming and they were soon looking for a new place to swim. Luckily the pool at SMU is open during the summer and the boys started putting in laps there followed by a bike ride around White Rock Lake. A little bit a running around the neighborhood and they were ready.<br /><br />Almost.<br /><br />I suggested practicing transitioning between each sport. One Sunday afternoon was spent with the boys doing a couple laps in the pool, running to the driveway to put on cycling shoes and helmets, jumping on the bike for a quick spin around the block, then returning to the driveway to take off the cycling gear and change into running shoes. A few repeats of this and they felt comfortable with going from swim to ride to run. The only thing left was to do the event itself.<br /><br />August 15th rolled around on the calendar and with a 7am start, we were up oh so early and on our way to Loyd Park at Joe Pool Lake, the site of the event. The guys found their spots in the transition area and set up in the dark. Others we knew showed up and before long the sun was starting to rise and the guys got in the water to warm up for the swim. Check out the sexy swim caps - the different colors designate which wave the racers start in.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs306.snc4/40617_422036196772_668806772_5067886_8079631_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs306.snc4/40617_422036196772_668806772_5067886_8079631_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The sunrise was not much more than a colorful morning sky when Double A lined up with the first group to hit the water.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs303.snc4/40477_422036471772_668806772_5067906_2122857_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs303.snc4/40477_422036471772_668806772_5067906_2122857_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A few minutes later The Klye's wave was ready to go<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs299.snc4/41313_422036736772_668806772_5067922_3742503_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs299.snc4/41313_422036736772_668806772_5067922_3742503_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Open water swim is a whole new game<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs299.snc4/41313_422036746772_668806772_5067924_7545618_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs299.snc4/41313_422036746772_668806772_5067924_7545618_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />and very physical as there is "kicking" and "punching" as every one tries to out swim each other.<br /><br />Before too long the guys were out of the water <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs159.ash2/41313_422036756772_668806772_5067926_7287911_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 360px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs159.ash2/41313_422036756772_668806772_5067926_7287911_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs299.snc4/41313_422036766772_668806772_5067928_5839988_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 360px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs299.snc4/41313_422036766772_668806772_5067928_5839988_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />... and on the bikes<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs126.ash2/39628_422037066772_668806772_5067950_8020682_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs126.ash2/39628_422037066772_668806772_5067950_8020682_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(Hmmm - do you think he can take her?)</span><br /><br />Now is this is the part the guys should excel in. What placing they lost in the swim should easily be made up in the bike leg and this will also give them some time "to lose" in the run. While not a challenging mountain bike course - it was a mowed/flagged patch through the trees and fields - it was not without it's perils: thorns. When the guys rode the trail earlier The Klye pulled five thorns from one of his tires.<br /><br />I really expected to see The Klye come out of the bike leg either ahead of or right on Double A's back wheel. Double A came in first and was off for his final leg<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs246.snc4/39628_422037076772_668806772_5067952_2167949_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 360px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/h%20s246.snc4/39628_422037076772_668806772_5067952_2167949_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It wasn't too long before I saw The Klye coming in with a full head of steam, then he was off<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs266.snc4/39628_422037081772_668806772_5067953_1026358_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 360px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs266.snc4/39628_422037081772_668806772_5067953_1026358_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Now I had a bit to sit and wait for the run to finish. 5k is a little over 3 miles, figuring the guys would run a 9 minute/mile at best I had 25 - 30 minutes for them to come in.<br /><br />First in was Double A<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs266.snc4/39628_422037091772_668806772_5067955_4133955_n.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs266.snc4/39628_422037091772_668806772_5067955_4133955_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />and not far behind The Klye<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs246.snc4/39628_422037096772_668806772_5067956_281356_n.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs246.snc4/39628_422037096772_668806772_5067956_281356_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Now before you go congratulating the old man for putting it to the punk kid... Double A's wave started 4 minutes before The Klye's, so the finish time difference was 1min7sec. Not quite a stomping. Oh yeah - The Klye also had a flat, which he stopped once to air up and then again to put in a new tube.<br /><br />Final results had The Klye finishing 24th overall and 2nd in his age group. Double A finished 22nd overall and 2nd in his age group. As a bonus Double A also won the Overall Grand Masters Male (the guy that won his age group had the fastest overall time, so he won the Overall Male).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs309.snc4/40771_422036101772_668806772_5067880_6339585_n.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs309.snc4/40771_422036101772_668806772_5067880_6339585_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Next up - what I did on my summer trip...aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-53409791479992782742010-07-04T19:56:00.003-05:002010-07-04T20:33:58.694-05:00Free Garmin?Keeping my fingers crossed!<br /><br />I started following the blog of <a href="http://www.dcrainmaker.com/">DC Rainmaker</a> when I was contemplating replacing my Polar computer/HRM for a Garmin. His product reviews are pretty darn in-depth and answered a lot of questions that I had.<br /><br />Thanks to his <a href="http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2009/11/garmin-edge-500-in-depth-review.html">reviews/comments</a> I used my <a href="http://akakathy.blogspot.com/2009/12/wow.html">refunded deductible</a> (thanks to the Arbitration Forum that decided the other guy was 100% responsible) to purchase the Garmin Edge 500.<br /><br />Now that I have this new toy, I'm thinking that I want one for <span style="font-size:40%;">cough, cough</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> running. Step 1 was looking at the Garmin site to see which model I might be interested in. Step 2 was to go back to DC Rainmaker's blog to see what he had to say. Lo and behold... he's holding a <a href="http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/07/garmin-forerunner-110-giveaway.html">giveaway contest for a Garmin Forerunner 110</a> (which just so happens to be the one I'm considering).</span><br /><br />Someone has to win... right?aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-30578751440860548762010-06-01T21:21:00.004-05:002010-06-01T21:56:22.119-05:00I'm back!Quick synopsis of the last couple months:<br /><br />Bikes, Work & Sleep (more sleep please!)<br /><br />We just finished up the 2010 TMBRA State Championship Series. While no one race was outstanding, my best race was at Double Lake in the Sam Houston National Forest. Unfortunately no new State Champions in the family this year, BUT I did earn this<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Bike%20related/?action=view¤t=P1030623.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Bike%20related/P1030623.jpg" border="0" width="420" height="300" alt="2010 Spring Series"></a><br />Consistency in the "old lady" class does have it's merits. <br /><br />No big travel plans for the summer. Maybe going to the 3 Legged Dog race in Arkansas.<br /><br />In other news, I took Shimano to the groomer for a real summer cut. He went from this<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/?action=view¤t=P1020256.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/P1020256.jpg" border="0" width="420" height="300" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />to this<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs283.snc3/27809_395927066772_668806772_4376760_4677008_n.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 420px; height: 300px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs283.snc3/27809_395927066772_668806772_4376760_4677008_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />which is better than what I did to him last year.<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/?action=view¤t=P1020569.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/P1020569.jpg" border="0" width="420" height="300" alt="Photobucket"></a> <br /><br />Well, that's about all for now.aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-92108043033899894062010-04-14T14:08:00.005-05:002010-04-14T14:21:21.777-05:00Somethingneeds to go here.<br /><br />I know that and there are things that I want to put here.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">BUT...</span><br /><br />I just haven't found the time <span style="font-size:60%;">or put forth the effort.</span><br /><br /><em>Busy/Lazy Syndrome?</em><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Maybe</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:75%;">this weekend.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:60%;">Just don't hold me to it.</span>aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-28037847702169994882010-03-07T19:46:00.003-06:002010-03-07T22:44:30.910-06:00Sometimes you just have to run through the woods like a crazy person.My next big adventure included a new twist... running!<br /><br />A lot of people run for exercise. They run long distances and get a "runner's high" where they can keep going through the pain even to the point of hurting themselves. I can honestly say that I am not one of those people (although some may say that describes my cycling addiction). Two or three days a week I attempt to "run" a couple of miles in the mornings with the dog, but it is more of jog with a lot of walking. So far, I haven't been able to run non-stop for a mile.<br /><br />So why, oh why, would I sign up for an event that includes running? Well, maybe it's because I've never been known to step away from a bad idea? (Within reason, that is.)<br /><br />Last February year a friend of mine, Jen, did an off-road duathlon (run, ride, run) at Tyler State Park. It stayed in my mind as something a little different to do. As this February started to roll around I thought about doing the <a href="http://www.steelsports.net/events.aspx?id=310">du</a> with Jen. Since we still had been getting a lot of rain and the local trails have been closed, I was looking for a chance to hopefully ride a dry trail and maybe even see if I could run a little, ride my bike and then run a little more. Unlike the Super Six, I wasn't going to do this rain or shine, so I was keeping a close eye on the weather forecast. As the registration cut-off was getting closer Jen and I kept debating whether or not to sign up. We finally decided that the rain was going to hold off long enough and registered for the event.<br /><br />So with a running resume of "maybe a mile" I signed up to run 2.5 miles off-road, ride my mountain bike 11 miles, and then run another 2.5 miles off-road. 1 out of 3 is good... right?<br /><br />The race didn't start too early, but since Tyler is 100 miles away and Jen lives along the way I stayed the night at her place. Saturday morning under cloudy skies we drove to the park. The closer we got to Tyler, the lighter the sky was looking and there was even a hope of some real sunshine for our day.<br /><br />We get to the park and not surprisingly I see several people that I know, including the event photographer <a href="http://jerearnold.smugmug.com/Sports/Heartbreak-Duathlon/11288239_q84D6#793139677_pJinc">Jere Arnold</a>. We sign releases, get our numbers and then start getting ready. The air is a little cool and crisp so it is decision time as to what to wear. Long sleeves or short sleeves? Base layer? Leg warmers? Whatever I choose I would have to stay with throughout the event. I decided to start off a little chilled, knowing that the run would warm me up.<br /><br />Knowing that running was not our strength, although Jen can run further that I can, we staged at the back of the group. No point in getting run over. The back of the pack was a good place to be as others took off at a run, while I was shuffling along using Alan's race strategy of "start slow, then taper off". Before long I was asking the sweep runner to please come around me. Concentrating on forward movement, I <a href="http://jerearnold.smugmug.com/Sports/Heartbreak-Duathlon/11288239_q84D6#793214126_cpeos-A-LB">ran</a> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>when I could and walked when I couldn't. Towards the end of the run section I was actually closing in on two other women (also passed by the sweep runner). Having a rabbit that I might actually be able to catch, I picked up the pace a bit and passed one lady and caught up to the other. We walked together for a bit, then I picked it up to impress everyone by running off the trail and to the transition area (69th finisher of the 1st run).<br /><br />A change of shoes and donning of the helmet then it was time to get on the bike. My sweet, sweet bike. <a href="http://jerearnold.smugmug.com/Sports/Heartbreak-Duathlon/11288239_q84D6#793251596_G93ab-A-LB">Riding</a> trail is much more enjoyable than running and I was soon passing other riders. The majority of the trail was dry and I was relishing riding dry dirt and passing others. I finished the cycling portion (35th in the bike leg). It was a little disheartening to see people finishing their 2nd run, and the event, while I was just coming in on the bike - one of those being a 13 year old.<br /><br />Once again, back to the transition area and time trade the bike shoes for running shoes. This time around there was a lot of walking and very little running. I'm sure you'll be surprised to find that I was re-passed by some other runners, I know I was surprised that I wasn't passed by almost everyone else that had not already finished. Although I was slower on the 2nd run, I <a href="http://jerearnold.smugmug.com/Sports/Heartbreak-Duathlon/11288239_q84D6#793301177_QhJsV-A-LB">finished</a> that leg 59th... faster than 10 others, some that were just finishing their bike leg as I was finsihing the event - I know <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> feeling! My overall finish was 50th.<br /><br />While the run was painful, I think this is something that I might just have to try again. There is another <a href="http://www.dirtydu.com/">duathlon</a> in November, don't know if I'm up for that one - we'll have to see.aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-73648925818836995862010-02-23T21:11:00.005-06:002010-02-25T20:55:29.557-06:00Super SixA couple of weeks ago I was chatting with Kyle late on a Friday afternoon and whining about another weekend of riding the mountain bike on the road. He was signed up to do the <a href="http://www.terrafirmapromo.com/events/dirty/">Dirty Dozen</a> on a 4-person team the next day and I was jealous that he was going to ride dirt - even if it was going to be muddy. Being the person that he is I got "Come down and do the 6 hour!" as a response. We went back and forth with "I can't - not enough notice"; "Do it!"; "Dad will get mad if I get my bike dirty"; "Do it on the SS!"; I can't....; Yes, you can...<br /><br />A little bit later I was talking to Alan and told him that Kyle was trying to talk me into coming down and doing the race. Expecting support in my decision to be a responsible adult, instead I heard "Why not - go ahead". o.O "Really?" "Really!" "I shouldn't." "If you didn't want to do it, you wouldn't of said anything, so go." With that final comment I finished up what I was working on, straightened my desk and bid the ladies at work a good weekend, then hauled butt home to load up and head back down to the ATX. When I got home I found Alan getting things together for me, so no question about him being OK with this.<br /><br />With the late start I got the pleasure of sitting in rush hour traffic and adding an extra hour to the drive. It was a bit late when I got to the apartment, quite late by time we called it a night and ridiculously early when the alarm went off 4-1/2 hours later. Before the sun was up we had made it to the ranch, found Kyle's teammates and scored a sweet parking spot close to the transition area.<br /><br />The race has a Le Mans start where all the racers have to run to their bikes. One of Kyle's teammates was holding my bike for me, which was nice. The only problem was that I didn't know where she was in the group of other holders. I finally found Kim and tried to jump on the bike and forgot that it's a 29er and didn't throw my leg up high enough. I finally got on the bike without falling over, barely, and just hoped that this wasn't an indication of how the day was going to be. I only had one other "oops - wrong bike" moment when I went to shift gears that the single-speed didn't have.<br /><br />The first lap was pretty uneventful, just riding the course and getting the hang of a bike that didn't have gears. The trail condition wasn't too bad; water in the low spots and some sections that were definitely mushy. I went straight into the second lap getting comfortable with the bike and knowing what I could and could not ride and where I needed to save up some energy to get up and over. I was feeling pretty good and planning on a little break after finishing the lap. I was coming up on a little rooty down, less than a mile from the finish, when next thing I know I'm off the bike, going over the bars and then hitting the ground - hard. I catch my breath, do a quick assessment (good thing the ground was soft!) and get going again.<br /><br />Time to take a little break, get some food, change out of my now muddy jersey, put on dry socks and head out on lap three. While some sections of the trail were developing some deep muddy sections that you had to keep your momentum up or you were going to get bogged down, other sections where actually drying out and looking quite nice. The third lap was pretty uneventful, when I got to me previous crash site I got off the bike to walk down and about that time another racer passed me and next thing I see is his feet in the air. OK, so walking that wasn't such a bad idea. I finish the lap and take another little break for food and fresh drink.<br /><br />Back on the bike for lap four, the mud pits are getting deeper and longer and I'm starting to feel riding a bigger bike without gears. I'm getting a little tired and am riding a little more cautiously... which is not always a good thing. If you look at this picture of <a href="http://www.bobcat13photo.com/Terra-Firma-Promo-Adventure/2010-Dirty-Dozen-and-Super-6/Solo-Female-6-Hour/11137141_ZZndi#785561301_2XTty-A-LB">me</a> you'll see a tree on the side of the trail. Well on the 4th lap, I hit a root or something because suddenly I'm traveling in a direction not of my choosing. I see the tree approaching my face quickly, I get my hand up to take the brunt of the impact (better than my face!) and then the bike and I tumble off to the side and land in a tangled heap. I guess it was dramatic enough looking of a crash that several people stopped to make sure I was OK. Once I find out that no one had a camera running I assure everyone that I'm alright and get free of my bike and back on the trail. I finish that lap (once again walking the 1st crash site... and seeing someone else crash there) and head for the pit.<br /><br />I vacillate over whether or not to go out for another lap, finally I decide that going out will only lead to another crash and I call the race done after four laps. I finished 5th out of 7 solo women for the 6 hour race and I was 3rd of the three of us that did the event on single-speeds. If I had continued for a 5th lap I probably would of finished 4th overall and I may have been able to move into 3rd if I could have done a 6th lap... but shoulda, woulda, coulda - I didn't, so it doesn't matter. As Alan said - I can always redeem myself next year.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bobcat13photo.com/Terra-Firma-Promo-Adventure/2010-Dirty-Dozen-and-Super-6">Assorted race pictures</a><br /><a href="http://k-to-the-j.blogspot.com/2010/02/dirty-dozen.html">Kyle's race report</a>aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-39942565343458025422010-02-20T20:18:00.005-06:002010-02-22T21:19:50.910-06:00Getting closer...Fast forward a week.<br /><br />We made a road trip to the ATX with plans for some bike riding and to take Kyle out to dinner to celebrate his 21st birthday.<br /><br />Oh, wait... let's back up a bit. While we were eating our post-TueNightCX/ST dinner with Amber and Mack, Amber mentioned that the <a href="http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=526605">Big D Stair Climb</a> was coming up and since the guys have been doing stairs for training they should enter the event. Of course it soon turned into a <span style="font-style: italic;">I'll do it if you do it</span> challenge. Within a few minutes both of the guys had agreed to do the event that next Saturday morning. (Prior to this Alan had done 50+ flights of stairs, but it was 16 flights up/down at a time. Neither of the guys had done a straight run of 52 flights or 1020 steps).<br /><br />Come Saturday morning we were up early and head downtown to meet up with Mack and Amber and then it was on to the Fountain Place building. The guys registered, put on their numbers and timing chips, then <a href="http://gigglesandgrins.smugmug.com/Events/Big-D-Climb-2010/11023225_XGVkQ#778641746_ZsKMk">lined up</a> for their turn at the stairs. Not knowing how long this would take - Alan was shooting for a time in the 8 - 13 minute range - Amber and I found a place to people watch and wait for the guys to race up and then come back down.<br /><br />After a bit the guys showed up and then we were off to breakfast. Official times would not be posted until later and we needed to eat before driving to Austin. Alan and Mack did tell us that they were not passed by anyone and that they made steady progress through the "climbers" that started ahead of them. Alan sprinted the final four floors, through the door and then took a well earned <a href="http://gigglesandgrins.smugmug.com/Events/Big-D-Climb-2010/11023225_XGVkQ#778631072_4w8ra">break</a> before coming back down.<br /><br />OK - back in the ATX. We met Kyle at his place, changed into riding clothes and head out for a road ride that started in downtown Austin<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S4NCt0evRgI/AAAAAAAAAGY/tLUAvvc7o4w/s1600-h/AJ_KAJatCapital.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S4NCt0evRgI/AAAAAAAAAGY/tLUAvvc7o4w/s320/AJ_KAJatCapital.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441266129742808578" border="0" /></a><br />and meandered to the west to Bee Caves Road and finally to the Cuernavaca neighborhood loop. A nice 40ish mile ride which Kyle says is flat for Austin. Well, flat in the ATX does not equal flat in the BigD. It was a good workout ride for me and although Alan was hurting the first part of the ride (go figure), he got his cycling legs going and we had a good ride back finishing up with a ride through campus.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S4NC_269XHI/AAAAAAAAAGg/ejAsBoOm3W4/s1600-h/AJ_KAJride.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S4NC_269XHI/AAAAAAAAAGg/ejAsBoOm3W4/s320/AJ_KAJride.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441266439635688562" border="0" /></a><br />While enjoying some post-ride/birthday <a href="http://www.ironworksbbq.com/about-us.asp">BBQ</a> for dinner, Alan got a call from Mack with the results from the stair climb. Alan's time was 8:52 (yes, that's 8 minutes and 52 seconds!), which placed him in 20th overall of 600+ climbers and 1st in his age group.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm getting closer to a bit more current events. Hopefully, I'll be writing about February events in February!</span></span>aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-14202566358360147882010-02-14T20:24:00.002-06:002010-02-14T21:43:08.113-06:00Moving forwardFast forward a couple weeks and we are now well into January.<br /><br />We had been hearing about a new event - The Red River Riot:<br /><br /><i>The course will be a unique combination of singletrack, dirt roads, gravel roads, Jeep roads and as little actual pavement as we need to tie it all together for well over 100 miles of off road greatness for the strongest of the strong.<br /><br />Staging, mid point and finish will all take place at the historic Breaks at Bar H mountain bike ranch. From there we will ride approximately 50 miles of dirt roads, etc through the toughest terrain we can find. Riders will return to Bar H as the mid point for a lap of singletrack and then proceed out for another adventurous 50 miles throughout the Red River Valley. Only the toughest will be able to make the cutoff times and return for final lap of singletrack (probably at night) at Bar H.</i><br /><br />We kept hoping for some dry trails, but decided that if there wasn't any rain in the forecast we would drive up for this. Alan would do the full 100+ and I just wanted to beat the 1/2-way point cut-off with plenty of time to contemplate doing the full distance.<br /><br />The forecast for Saturday was a chance of rain, with the rain to hit later in the day. We made the drive up Friday night. If it was raining in the morning, we would head back home, if not we would drive out to the ranch. Saturday morning was overcast, but no rain - so off to the ranch we went. A few sprinkle drops on the way out, but not enough to turn around. The dirt road into the ranch was in good shape and it wasn't raining so we changed clothes and put on our race numbers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs239.snc3/22639_264357459908_663924908_3053360_3305641_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 453px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs239.snc3/22639_264357459908_663924908_3053360_3305641_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Everyone gathers for the pre-ride instructions. Since there had been rain recently, the ranch singletrack trails were too wet to ride, so the event would be on the road only. <br /><br />The recap of the event was best said by the promoter:<br /><i>122 riders set out at 8am on a gorgeous Saturday morning for the First Annual Red River Riot. By 8:01 am the rains came down and didn’t let up until the middle of that afternoon. After all was said and done only 10% of the starters completed the full 105 mile course mostly made up of dirt roads through the scenic Red River Valley.</i><br /><br />For the most part, the roads weren't that bad. It was messy, but with the exception of a couple sections it was still very rideable. Although my goal of reaching the mid-point cut off with plenty of time to decide to not do the full distance, turned into just get back to the ranch... it would be a bonus if I finished before the cut off.<br /><br />I made it back to the ranch, with plenty of time to debate going back out...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs219.snc3/22639_264360854908_663924908_3053443_2468579_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 453px;" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs219.snc3/22639_264360854908_663924908_3053443_2468579_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> NOT!<br /><br />I was surprised to see Alan at the car, already cleaned up and changed. Ends up that the mud was playing havoc on his drive train. His bike was shifting gears all on it's own, so to avoid further damage he called it a day.<br /><br />More pictures of the event can be found at <a href="http://www.shootric.net/p941801611">Ric Ceron's</a> website.<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><br />All for now, it's time for bed.</span>aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-9427216004374109392010-02-11T20:54:00.005-06:002010-02-11T22:05:52.497-06:00Ooops!Wow - it's already February! I keep meaning to write stuff then I get sidetracked/lazy/distracted and nothing gets done. I'm going to try to get things caught up, from our White Christmas to now. It may come in bits and pieces, but lets see what I can do.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" >White Christmas, 2009</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S3TGpNJ0fEI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/qxTi28x2FKU/s1600-h/Christmas_Eve_2009__in_Dallas.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S3TGpNJ0fEI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/qxTi28x2FKU/s320/Christmas_Eve_2009__in_Dallas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437189061350816834" border="0" /></a><br />This picture was taken on Christmas Eve and if you look you will notice something that is very peculiar for Christmas Eve in the Big D. See that white stuff on the ground? Yeah, that. It's called snow.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">From the news of the day:</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">According to the Weather Service, it has snowed on Christmas Eve only a couple of times, but not enough to officially measure. Here are the highlights:</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">• 1943: Flurries fell for about a half-hour.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">• 1955: The high was 88 degrees, a record.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">• 1975: After continuous cold rain most of the day, there was a trace of flurries.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">• 1983: The low hit 7 degrees, a record.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">• 2002: There were flurries but no accumulation.</span><br /><br />The snow on Christmas Eve led to an even more eventful White Christmas, which the area hasn't seen since 1926. (History: A prolonged snow event began on December 23 when 4-6 inches of snow fell from Brownwood to Comanche. On Christmas Day, 6 inches of snow fell across Dallas and Collin County. The official climate site at Fort Worth recorded 2 inches of snow, but the Weather Bureau office in Dallas measured 6.4 inches December 24-25, 6.3 inches of which fell on Christmas Day. Much of the snow was gone by the afternoon of Christmas Day.) Unlike the snow of 1926, this snow lingered for several days.<br /><br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/?action=view&current=P1030250.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/P1030250.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="400" width="320" /></a><br /><br />And what would a White Christmas be without a special gift from Santa Claus...<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/?action=view&current=P1030252.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/P1030252.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" height="320" width="400" /></a><br />and what better on a White Christmas than a new white bike?<br /><br />I know, I know... you're thinking that last thing she really needs is a new bike. That was also my thought, I have my mountain bike and a road bike. I'm not interested in track racing, so what else could I possible need? Apparently Santa thought that my "stable" was missing a single speed bike with 29" wheels and Santa being Santa, well - he fixed that problem.<br /><br />Well, that's all for now... more later. I promise.aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-11260801569193150162010-01-06T22:17:00.004-06:002010-01-07T09:48:15.697-06:00SeattleLast year I had the brilliant idea of trading in the gifts under the Christmas tree for a family trip and the guys seemed to like the idea. When I started looking around at trip options and cost I found that I did not have enough time to put the trip together within the small window of time that we had to take a trip. So that idea was put on the back burner.<br /><br />This year I was a little more organized and started pitching the idea of a Christmas trip in the fall. I was looking for locale suggestions and threw out San Francisco, New York City and Seattle as a starting point. Well, Kyle jumped all over the idea of going to Seattle with "go-go architourism!"... so Seattle it is.<br /><br />Between work, end of semester exams and coaching responsibilities I found some "free" time that fit within every one's schedule, then I scoured the Internet to put together a package deal. Before too long I had three round trip tickets, hotel room on the water, even a rental car... just no plans beyond whatever Kyle wanted to see.<br /><br />We stayed in a hotel that was literally on the water...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VBZbVQq6I/AAAAAAAAACI/BnZ8lTyZyKU/s1600-h/P1030167.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423813231327095714" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VBZbVQq6I/AAAAAAAAACI/BnZ8lTyZyKU/s320/P1030167.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VCLhoI4vI/AAAAAAAAACQ/Q6f27J5F24w/s1600-h/P1030183.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423814092010349298" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VCLhoI4vI/AAAAAAAAACQ/Q6f27J5F24w/s320/P1030183.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs145.snc3/17244_1200098412826_1539510213_30633483_5748962_n.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: pointer" border="0" alt="" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs145.snc3/17244_1200098412826_1539510213_30633483_5748962_n.jpg" /></a><br /><br />We saw the things Kyle wanted to see...<br /><a href="http://www.empsfm.org/">Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VAhsHmZ_I/AAAAAAAAACA/7DGnJFbx_68/s1600-h/P1030142.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423812273760528370" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VAhsHmZ_I/AAAAAAAAACA/7DGnJFbx_68/s320/P1030142.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=branch_central_building&branchID=1">The Seattle Central Public Library</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VDibv73EI/AAAAAAAAACY/yjikgjMQ67o/s1600-h/P1030171.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423815585081056322" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VDibv73EI/AAAAAAAAACY/yjikgjMQ67o/s320/P1030171.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VEOC541qI/AAAAAAAAACg/GfQGtPdeH1I/s1600-h/P1030172.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423816334326159010" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VEOC541qI/AAAAAAAAACg/GfQGtPdeH1I/s320/P1030172.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VFeWM-lHI/AAAAAAAAACw/jayutgyvdaA/s1600-h/P1030173.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423817713896035442" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VFeWM-lHI/AAAAAAAAACw/jayutgyvdaA/s320/P1030173.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Wandered about the <a href="http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/visit/osp/AboutOSP/default.asp">Olympic Sculpture Park</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://dianhasan.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/seattle-olympic-sculpture-park-wa-3.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: pointer" border="0" alt="" src="http://dianhasan.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/seattle-olympic-sculpture-park-wa-3.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VJBWE6o-I/AAAAAAAAAC4/-4FR5pjY1-8/s1600-h/P1030153.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423821613692527586" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VJBWE6o-I/AAAAAAAAAC4/-4FR5pjY1-8/s320/P1030153.JPG" /></a> <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Split, 2003</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VJf-EyCBI/AAAAAAAAADA/9DJLbiWvZGc/s1600-h/P1030155.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423822139825457170" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VJf-EyCBI/AAAAAAAAADA/9DJLbiWvZGc/s320/P1030155.JPG" /></a> <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Typewriter Eraser, Scale X</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VKKIfzTTI/AAAAAAAAADI/8MLaLwaXCJY/s1600-h/P1030156.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423822864177646898" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VKKIfzTTI/AAAAAAAAADI/8MLaLwaXCJY/s320/P1030156.JPG" /></a> <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Eagle</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VKjX1bi8I/AAAAAAAAADQ/_PVYmgFLtwI/s1600-h/P1030158.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423823297791626178" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VKjX1bi8I/AAAAAAAAADQ/_PVYmgFLtwI/s320/P1030158.JPG" /></a> <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Eye Benches</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VK6QMb9hI/AAAAAAAAADY/8YboDJ9ScGM/s1600-h/P1030160.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423823690877629970" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VK6QMb9hI/AAAAAAAAADY/8YboDJ9ScGM/s320/P1030160.JPG" /></a> <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Schubert Sonata</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VLqbAVKKI/AAAAAAAAADg/mog3TViBVfQ/s1600-h/P1030212.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423824518413363362" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VLqbAVKKI/AAAAAAAAADg/mog3TViBVfQ/s320/P1030212.JPG" /></a> <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Father and Son</span><br /><br />We walked around and saw what there was to see...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs125.snc3/17244_1200098452827_1539510213_30633484_774633_n.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 275px; CURSOR: pointer" border="0" alt="" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs125.snc3/17244_1200098452827_1539510213_30633484_774633_n.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VRmEjU6VI/AAAAAAAAAEI/so6nT12k_O4/s1600-h/P1030194.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423831040736422226" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VRmEjU6VI/AAAAAAAAAEI/so6nT12k_O4/s320/P1030194.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VSCTvzGfI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/L5yNu94BAvg/s1600-h/P1030163.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423831525851601394" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VSCTvzGfI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/L5yNu94BAvg/s320/P1030163.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VURbhfsqI/AAAAAAAAAEg/E3j7xdss6jE/s1600-h/P1030242.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423833984660386466" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VURbhfsqI/AAAAAAAAAEg/E3j7xdss6jE/s320/P1030242.JPG" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Some sections of Seattle are quite hilly</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VTa4NTX0I/AAAAAAAAAEY/yAiUbGrCgO0/s1600-h/P1030164.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423833047467515714" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VTa4NTX0I/AAAAAAAAAEY/yAiUbGrCgO0/s320/P1030164.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VVbYCbhDI/AAAAAAAAAEo/455TnXpxwUM/s1600-h/P1030189.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423835255035102258" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VVbYCbhDI/AAAAAAAAAEo/455TnXpxwUM/s320/P1030189.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />... and we did the touristy stuff...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.spaceneedle.com/discover/funfacts.html">The Space Needle</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VNVBGcw3I/AAAAAAAAADo/etejCFoPu7s/s1600-h/P1030196.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423826349705708402" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VNVBGcw3I/AAAAAAAAADo/etejCFoPu7s/s320/P1030196.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VPEbmMMSI/AAAAAAAAADw/wVpm0H-j4Sk/s1600-h/P1030198.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423828263783641378" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VPEbmMMSI/AAAAAAAAADw/wVpm0H-j4Sk/s320/P1030198.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VPiUAsSvI/AAAAAAAAAD4/-hMOoS6JzMY/s1600-h/P1030200.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423828777143388914" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VPiUAsSvI/AAAAAAAAAD4/-hMOoS6JzMY/s320/P1030200.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VP5E5ECiI/AAAAAAAAAEA/AFD9Bx5Nh6E/s1600-h/P1030204.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423829168221850146" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VP5E5ECiI/AAAAAAAAAEA/AFD9Bx5Nh6E/s320/P1030204.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.argosycruises.com/publiccruises/locks.cfm"><br />Locks Cruise</a><br />The cruise left from Elliott , through Pugett Sound to Shilshole Bay, through the <a href="http://www.nws.usace.army.mil/PublicMenu/Menu.cfm?sitename=lwsc&pagename=mainpage">Hiram Chittenden Locks</a>, into the Lake Washington Ship Canal and ended in Lake Union. We were the only passengers booked, so we had a private tour and the run of the boat.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VV6tHzIXI/AAAAAAAAAEw/ufUaya5UR_w/s1600-h/P1030213.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423835793270710642" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VV6tHzIXI/AAAAAAAAAEw/ufUaya5UR_w/s320/P1030213.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VXI59gxkI/AAAAAAAAAE4/Gmxbe-GzARM/s1600-h/P1030223.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423837136747021890" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VXI59gxkI/AAAAAAAAAE4/Gmxbe-GzARM/s320/P1030223.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VX2RUN4qI/AAAAAAAAAFA/bN5H7inzo_A/s1600-h/P1030225.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423837916110381730" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VX2RUN4qI/AAAAAAAAAFA/bN5H7inzo_A/s320/P1030225.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VYKfLLcyI/AAAAAAAAAFI/MWiFfKZuv4c/s1600-h/P1030226.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423838263427953442" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VYKfLLcyI/AAAAAAAAAFI/MWiFfKZuv4c/s320/P1030226.JPG" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Drawbridge!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VYgSf8lKI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/eu9H8rlnaUk/s1600-h/P1030229.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423838637982520482" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VYgSf8lKI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/eu9H8rlnaUk/s320/P1030229.JPG" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">The Locks!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VYvdhgQsI/AAAAAAAAAFY/nSFMIrCGWtQ/s1600-h/P1030217.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423838898639880898" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VYvdhgQsI/AAAAAAAAAFY/nSFMIrCGWtQ/s320/P1030217.JPG" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://787firstflight.newairplane.com/ffindex.html">Boeing 787 Dreamliner</a>'s maiden flight</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VZCHmLXTI/AAAAAAAAAFg/SDXY0B4jd88/s1600-h/P1030234.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423839219171417394" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VZCHmLXTI/AAAAAAAAAFg/SDXY0B4jd88/s320/P1030234.JPG" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">one of the Jacques Cousteau Society boats in for work</span><br /><br />...and we ate.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VZZd0GlaI/AAAAAAAAAFo/JygZ3izHwBc/s1600-h/P1030235.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423839620272395682" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VZZd0GlaI/AAAAAAAAAFo/JygZ3izHwBc/s320/P1030235.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VaK8Iu_UI/AAAAAAAAAF4/5xEJ3lYthOQ/s1600-h/P1030236.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423840470225583426" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VaK8Iu_UI/AAAAAAAAAF4/5xEJ3lYthOQ/s320/P1030236.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VZralLyqI/AAAAAAAAAFw/x136uhPqsH4/s1600-h/P1030237.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423839928642161314" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VZralLyqI/AAAAAAAAAFw/x136uhPqsH4/s320/P1030237.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VacyU-4qI/AAAAAAAAAGA/n8hOGxvdchE/s1600-h/P1030238.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423840776830247586" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0VacyU-4qI/AAAAAAAAAGA/n8hOGxvdchE/s320/P1030238.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0Vapmcot6I/AAAAAAAAAGI/fIA7Y0Llr3Y/s1600-h/P1030239.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423840996979423138" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XYXiQQcH49Q/S0Vapmcot6I/AAAAAAAAAGI/fIA7Y0Llr3Y/s320/P1030239.JPG" /></a><br /><br />We had a good time relaxing, goofing around and having fun together.<br /><br />Oh yeah, and drinking a lot of coffee!<br /><br />What's in store for next year?<br /><br />I dunno, maybe...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/usa/new-york/new-york-city/images/new-york-city.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 239px; CURSOR: pointer" border="0" alt="" src="http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/usa/new-york/new-york-city/images/new-york-city.jpg" /></a>aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-27886469291842352152009-12-22T20:30:00.002-06:002009-12-22T20:31:23.854-06:00Tease!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs037.snc3/12439_204383221772_668806772_3257278_7323926_s.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 97px; height: 130px;" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs037.snc3/12439_204383221772_668806772_3257278_7323926_s.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-3475714139166271242009-12-03T21:30:00.004-06:002009-12-28T21:22:56.879-06:00Wow...it's December already. What happened to November?<br /><br />Quick update - still nothing really happening.<br /><br />As for racing, we finished the TMBRA Fall Series up the first of November. The race in Ruston LA is a omnium style stage race. Instead of just the cross country race on Sunday, we also had a short track and time trial race on Saturday. The trails and the stage race format makes Ruston one of our favorite race venues. Unfortunately, the weather stayed consistent as the other TMBRA races and it had rained before race weekend. My racing on Saturday consisted of a fairly decent short track race and a pretty pitiful time trail; with hopes of returning to decent racing on Sunday.<br /><br />Sunday rolled around and I just couldn't get motivated. As time to get the "race face" on rolled closer I was less and less motivated to change clothes, let alone line up. After deciding that I had a major case of the "Ehhhhh - I don't wanna's" I left the bike on the car and took up position in the feed zone.<br /><br />The highlight of the day was when Alan came through between laps and pulled up to me with his mouth open. I had a mini PayDay bar already unwrapped (I was planning on handing it to him), so I crammed that in his mouth with one hand while giving him a fresh bottle with the other. As Alan was riding off, I heard someone comment about how smooth that looked and how long did it take us to get that down. Told him that was the first time we've ever done it.<br /><br />The next and last race was in Smithville (home of <span style="font-style: italic;">Hope Floats</span>). This course was changed up as everyone was going to race one big 20 mile loop. For us and the Cat 2 racers, the distance was normal race distance; it was shorter than what the younger Cat 1s race; BUT, double the distance for the Cat 3 racers.<br /><br />My race was pretty lackluster, but I wasn't last (YEA!) and I finished the series in 5th. If I had raced the cross country race in Ruston, I may have finished the series in 3rd or 4th, but I was still good with my decision to skip that race.<br /><br />Next up was the Mellow Johnny's Classic race at Lance's Juan Pelota ranch (yes, <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> Lance). Not being a big fan of racing the Texas Hill Country terrain I had signed up for pre-riding the course, but not racing. Kyle was taken out of the race by an <a href="http://k-to-the-j.blogspot.com/2009/11/news.html">accident</a>, so I had the option of taking his race entry. After riding the course I decided that although it was fairly Kathy friendly, I still had a case of the "I don't wanna's" so I gave up Kyle's race entry. Alan had aggravated something in his shoulder/chest, so he gave up his race entry also. For the first time that I can remember, we left the bikes at home and were at a cross country race as spectators.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Now for something completely different:</span> While going for my morning latte fix last Friday, I had the unfortunate experience of opening my car door only to find it attached to the front of a Prius.<br /><a href="http://twitpic.com/r625f" title="Share photos on twitter with Twitpic"><img src="http://twitpic.com/show/thumb/r625f.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="Share photos on twitter with Twitpic"></a><br />My car is currently at the body shop waiting for a new driver's door. While there, they are going to also take care of some mystery dents (I love parking lots!) in the back quarter panel and assorted door dings that the car has acquired over the years.<br /><br />Hopefully I'll have more to write about before 2010.aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-13023938387973004672009-10-26T20:49:00.004-05:002009-10-26T22:05:01.226-05:00Ehhhhhhhhand that pretty much sums it up.<br /><br />Lately it seems like we've have more overcast, dreary, rainy days that not. 7.17" of precipitation in September and already 7.52" for October and we still have a couple more days to go, with more rain forecasted for the end of the week. Blech! I know we've had some gorgeous sunny days, but those just seem so far and few between lately. <br /><br />I've also been slower than normal to adjust to the cooler weather of Fall. Motivation to get up in the mornings to walk/run has been hard to find. It takes a lot just to get out of bed knowing that it's in the 60s, or cooler, outside; throw in some moisture and it just ain't gonna happen. If it wasn't for the dog I would never get up early until summer comes around again. <br /><br />All of the rain leads to mud, which means little to no mountain bike riding except racing. While we are still racing, it has been in less than stellar conditions. In most cases race day has been nice, but the course has been sloppy. Wet trails lead to messy bikes and crapped out chains. I seriously think it would have been a good idea to buy a case of bike chains before the season started, as it seems like we have needed to replace the chain after almost every race.<br /><br />We have one more race in the Fall series. Then the guys are racing the Mellow Classic (benefiting the Lance Armstrong Foundation) which will be held on Lance Armstrong's ranch west of the ATX. Would it be too much to ask for two dry races? I hope not.<br /><br />In November Alan will start coaching another Team in Training group for the Ouachita Challenge in March. While I am not participating in the event this year (been there, done that, got the zip ties); I will be on the training rides.<br /><br />Here's to sunny days and positive attitudes... Cheers!aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-47982708268964270362009-09-24T20:06:00.003-05:002009-09-24T21:51:08.844-05:00Hey, that's mine!I started to write something up last weekend, but then I got busy, distracted, rode my bike a little and then forgot what I was going to do. So here's a mish-mash recap.<br /><br />The first race of the TMBRA Fall Series was at <a href="http://www.campeagle.org/#events-campeagleclassicmountainbikefestival">Camp Eagle</a> was Labor Day weekend. As the course did not have a high *KFC rating I was not going to race, but I did pre-ride the course. I survived 99.99% (walking when necessary), but managed to go down on the part of the course that the 10&under kids race on. Yeah, I can ride a bike...<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Fall%2009%20racing/?action=view&current=P1020903.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Fall%2009%20racing/P1020903.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="420" height="300" /></a><br />No worries, that kind of thing usually cleans up to show just a small scratch or two, the type that makes you wonder where all the blood came from.<br /><br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Fall%2009%20racing/?action=view&current=P1020906.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Fall%2009%20racing/P1020906.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="420" height="300" /></a><br />Or... maybe not. :~/ I'm happy to report that I re-rode the section without inflicting further damage on by body.<br /><br />Since I wasn't racing, I was called on to do feed zone duty for Alan & Kyle<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Fall%2009%20racing/?action=view&current=CampEagle_handoff.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Fall%2009%20racing/CampEagle_handoff.jpg" alt="Camp Eagle hand off" border="0" width="420" height="300" /></a><br /><br />Post race relaxation<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Fall%2009%20racing/?action=view&current=CampEagle_postrace1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Fall%2009%20racing/CampEagle_postrace1.jpg" alt="Camp Eagle" border="0" width="420" height="300" /></a><br />Kyle was smiling for a <a href="http://k-to-the-j.blogspot.com/2009/09/camp-eagle-09.html">reason</a>.<br /><br />The following weekend was the next race at the Huntsville State Park. The weather seemed to be suited more for ducks than mountain bike racing. We contemplated upgrading to something a little more appropriate for the trail conditions<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Fall%2009%20racing/?action=view&current=P1020922.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Fall%2009%20racing/P1020922.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="420" height="300" /></a><br />But decided that wouldn't pass USA Cycling specifications.<br /><br />This race was one for my memory book.<br /><br />A bad start, followed by a dismal first lap. Things started clicking at the end of the lap and I moved up from 6th to 3rd in less than 1/2 mile. Now the challenge was to keep moving fast enough to hold my position and put a time gap between me and everyone else without blowing up.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs254.snc1/10116_133961852604_782302604_2546446_4190985_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 401px; height: 604px;" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs254.snc1/10116_133961852604_782302604_2546446_4190985_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Picture courtesy of <a href="http://cyclepics.net/">Kevin Tokarski</a></span><br /><br />I felt like I was managing to hold a decent pace, until I heard some riders coming up from behind. Thinking it was Pro/Cat 1 guys catching me I called out, imagine my <strike>surprise</strike> horror when the voice that responded was female. I went into panic mode, picked up the pace and pedaled like the hounds of hell were on my wheel <span style="font-size:78%;">(now, if I can just figure out how to do that every race)</span>.<br />Women - Cat 1 - 40-49 <br />1 - Diana........1:33:8.00 - Bicycles Inc/Trek<br />2 - Catherine...1:34:58.00 <br />3 - Kathy........1:43:43.00 - Matrix RMB<br />4 - Tanya........1:44:21.00 - Team Hammerhead<br />5 - Lisabeth.....1:45:4.00 - Bikesport/ION<br />6 - Cynthia......1:51:18.00 - Bike Barn/Gary Fisher/Subaru<br />7 - Pamela.......1:51:41.00 - Mad Duck/Max Muscle<br /><br />As for the title of this post. <br /><br />A couple of months ago I was at the grocery store. After perusing some of the fresh fruit, I turned to add my selections to other items already in my shopping cart... which wasn't there! I knew where I had left it. It should have been right behind me. <br /><br />It. Was. Not. There. <br /><br />I looked around, just in case I had been the one to wander off. Nope, still no cart with my stuff in it. I look again and I see my cart (I know it's mine, because my eco-friendly cloth bags are in bottom basket) being pushed away by an older gentleman. By time I figure out what has happened, he is already the length of the produce section and several aisles away. I really did't want to go running through the store yelling "Stop, Thief!", but I did want my cart back. <br /><br />I finally catch up to the man and politely inform him that he has my shopping cart. He looks at me like I'm crazy, then looks into the cart and realizes that it wasn't his. We laugh about it (which I can do, now that the cart is back in my possession) while we both walk back to find his cart, which was no where near where mine had been.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />*<span style="font-weight:bold;">K</span>athy <span style="font-weight:bold;">F</span>riendly <span style="font-weight:bold;">C</span>ourseaka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-29593992346042812102009-08-31T21:01:00.008-05:002009-09-01T21:43:09.863-05:00KetchupHmmm, it's been a month since I've posted anything. I'd like to say that I've been so busy that I haven't had time, but that wouldn't be true. Now, I have been busy... but busy with the mundane ins and outs of daily life. You know - exciting things like work, laundry, riding my bike, and sleeping - which pretty much sums up my day.<br /><br />Not much can be said about work, can't really complain about my "boss" as I'm married to him. Well... I guess I could if there was something to complain about. <br /><br />Laundry: sort, wash, dry, fold/hang, repeat. It's one of those things that is never, ever caught up. Spend all day getting it done and the next morning there's more... sigh. It's the same with dirty dishes - never ending.<br /><br />Sleep. Sweet, sweet sleep. Never seem to get enough of that. The down side of semi-serious competitive cycling is that the weekends of sleeping in and lazing around are a distant memory.<br /><br />Guess that leaves cycling. Surprised, aren't you? While everyday riding/training is fun and I look forward to the weekly rides with my girl friends, racing is what I really enjoy. Which is funny, because I'm not that great of a racer; but, if there's a mountain bike race in the area you will most likely find me lined up.<br /><br />We've already had the first of the DORBA/N Texas Series races, which is held at local trails. That race went well, with both the AJ and I having good races.<br /><br />Then a couple of weekends ago, The AJ & I road-tripped to Houston for the weekend to see friends, ride some new trails and do one of their local races. The race was fun and I was happy with my results, even if I did lose it on a bridge and slam myself violently to the ground. After a few unladylike comments I got the chain back on the front rings and continued with my race, catching and passing the lady that passed by while I was doing my impersonation of a flounder.<br /><br />Last week, even with a sore shoulder, I kept thinking about how much fun the race had been and the knowledge of a 2nd race at the same location kept tempting me to make a return trip to settle my grudge against a certain bridge. The AJ wouldn't be able to go, as he had a welding/fabrication project that he had been hired to do and needed to get finished up. I made a few phone calls, found a place to stay, and with kitchen pass in hand I hit the road last weekend for a return trip and a chance to redeem myself.<br /><br />Conditions were great for the race - cooler temperatures, lowish humidity (for Houston) and most importantly dry bridges! Although my race time was 6 minutes faster, everyone else's was faster, too. While I didn't improve on my race results, I was not caught by the lead men and I crossed all the bridges without falling down... YEA! Cool video taken of the race, I'm even in it!<br /><br /><object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6349406&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6349406&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/6349406">Battle of the Brazos Mountain Bike Race: 08/30/09</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user786693">Paul Sedillo</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p><br />Thanks to KarmaBiker race pics are <a href="http://www.karmabiker.com/MTB-Racing/YCX-MTB-8-30-2009/9461577_23E2v#634928809_Ca7Zf-L-LB">here</a>, <a href="http://www.karmabiker.com/MTB-Racing/YCX-MTB-8-30-2009/9461577_23E2v#634930213_reTpr-L-LB">here,</a> and <a href="http://www.karmabiker.com/MTB-Racing/YCX-MTB-8-30-2009/9461577_23E2v#634931535_bJ3uF-L-LB">here</a>.<br /><br />The Fall TMBRA season will be starting soon, so with that and the DORBA races I'll be able to get my "race fiend" fix for the next couple of months. <br /><br />All for now... my comfy pillow is waiting for me.aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-91865414938546540252009-07-31T19:53:00.002-05:002009-07-31T21:32:16.885-05:0049A couple days ago I celebrated 49 years of existence. <br /><br />I know people that contemplate the life they've lived either on their birthday or at the start of the new year. Are they were they dreamed they would be? Met the goals they set? <br /><br />What about me? Am I where I dreamed I would be, met my goals in life? <br /><br />I couldn't tell you because I don't ever remember thinking that far ahead. It seems that I'm one of those that just float along; but, floating along seems to have worked for me. I do good to make plans for tomorrow; so I'm not going to worry about what's going to happen next month, let alone the next year. Although there have been a few bumps and bruises along the way, so far I am very happy in how my life has turned out and given the chance I don't think I'd change a thing. <br /><br />I've been happily married to an amazing man for 3/5ths of my life (he's the one that has been steering the boat) and we have a wonderful son that is the best of both of us. I didn't go to college, but I've been signing my own paycheck for nearly 25 years. While I can't retire anytime soon, I can pay off my credit card balance every month and still put some money into savings. My friends range from business executives to college students. <br /><br />My biggest question in life is who is the old lady in the mirror? <br />Because in my head I'm still in my early 20s.<br /><br />Obviously I'm not much of a deep thinker either.aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-28348722596486020542009-07-26T20:56:00.004-05:002009-07-27T21:52:46.796-05:00MTB Nat'sPictures from the trail<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/?action=view&current=Scott_preride1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/Scott_preride1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="420" height="300" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/?action=view&current=SolVista_trail.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/SolVista_trail.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="420" height="300" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/?action=view&current=SolvVistaSnglTrack.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/SolvVistaSnglTrack.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="420" height="300" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/?action=view&current=Valley_by_trail2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/Valley_by_trail2.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="420" height="300" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/?action=view&current=View_at_Overlook.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/View_at_Overlook.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="420" height="300" /></a><br /><br />Colorado - a nice place to visit, but don't think I'd want to live there. Which just confirms that there is something "wrong" with me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">DFL > DNF > DNS</span></span><br />Well, I've been thinking about the race and over a week later I'm still trying come to terms with myself and the ride. It's not like I was expecting to win or anything like that. I was hoping that even if I wasn't competitive with the other ladies in my group that at least I could hold my own and not be too far off the back... yeah, right.<br /><br />Pre-race nerves or just posing?<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/?action=view&current=KMJ_StartLine_1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/KMJ_StartLine_1.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="300" height="420" /></a><br /><br />From what everyone keeps telling me, just finishing is a big accomplishment - especially for a flat-lander that has never ridden at altitude. I guess even the lady from Tucson had a couple thousand feet head start in acclimation.<br /><br />Anyway, enough of the pity party.<br /><br />The race was hard - as it should be. Here's a link to the start of my race that was taken by cyclingdirt.com, see if you can find my in my moment of glory:<br /><a href="http://shar.es/x5hH">Cat 1 Start Women 7 | 2009 USA Mountain Bike National Championships Cat 1 on CyclingDirt</a> <span style="font-size:78%;"> Posted using <a href="http://sharethis.com/">ShareThis</a></span><br />Alan's race is start is Cat 1 Start 9; Kyle's is Cat 1 Start 1; and, if you watch the Cat 1 Start 8 (15/16) they pan around the corner and show the rest of the climb.<br /><br />Speaking of Alan, here's a couple pics of him on the stupid, steep descent on the Patriot Trail section<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/?action=view&current=AJ_Patriot2_4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/AJ_Patriot2_4.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="300" height="420" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/?action=view&current=AJ_Patriot_5.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/AJ_Patriot_5.jpg" alt="AJ Patriot downhill" border="0" width="420" height="300" /></a><br /><br />I'm off my bike because the racer in front of me is off...<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/?action=view&current=KMJ_Patriot_5.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/KMJ_Patriot_5.jpg" alt="KMJ Patriot downhill" border="0" width="420" height="300" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">...yeah, that sounds good, it's all her fault I didn't ride this!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">In closing</span><br />Portable recycling taken to a whole new level<br /><br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/?action=view&current=sweetcar2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/sweetcar2.jpg" width="420" height="300" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br /><br />Maybe the bottles could be melted down and used as a Bondo substitute?<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/?action=view¤t=sweetcar.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/sweetcar.jpg" width="420" height="300" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-38301025370656158492009-07-25T20:48:00.002-05:002009-07-25T20:50:38.778-05:00Been there,done that and have the t-shirt; but, not a story yet. <br /><br />I know it's been a week since the "big" race and I haven't written anything yet.<br /><br />I will...<br /><br /><br />soon.<br /><br />Maybe tomorrow.aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-14434543464976651082009-07-17T21:23:00.002-05:002009-07-17T21:46:45.437-05:00Less than 12 hours to go...until the start of the USA Cycling MTB National Championship Cat 1 race.<br /><br />Sigh... why am I doing this?<br /><br />I'm a back of the packer in the Texas races (although my times have been getting better) - BUT, these other ladies don't know this. Are they as nervous as I am?<br /><br />Oh well, tomorrow morning will be here soon enough. All I can do is try my best and just hope that it will be enough to keep me from embarrassing myself... sigh.aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-69846535943238732072009-07-13T21:59:00.004-05:002009-07-14T00:04:14.091-05:00Looking for my happy gearWe made it to Granby after a little stop-over in Arvada. We spent a couple days with Bob, an old buddy of Alan's, and his family. Got in a little ride around the neighborhood Friday, which wasn't so bad. Saturday we hit a 6 mile out-n-back trail (Lair o' the Bear).<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/?action=view&current=P1050265.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/P1050265.jpg" alt="Lair o' the Bear _4" border="0" width="320" height="400" /></a><br />Although you'd think it's pretty obvious, it took doing this ride for my brain to wrap around what Colorado trails would be like. Before we started our ride I asked Bob about how long he thought the ride would take... 6 miles, out-n-back would be 12 miles, so an hour or so?<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/?action=view&current=P1050267.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/P1050267.jpg" alt="Lair o' the Bear _2" border="0" width="400" height="320" /></a><br />Well, about an hour later we made it to the turn around point. The way out was more climbing than descending, so the trip back had more fun down hill runs and didn't take quite as long.<br /><br />We had some good times getting caught up and watching the kids. They have a houseful with a teenage son, a preteen son and triplet daughters (you never know what life is going to throw your way). Anyway, they have a awesome backyard set up with a sidewalk that circles a fort/swingset which makes a great roundy-round. The kids chase each other in circles on bikes, Kettcars and skatebaords. There's also a half-pipe in the yard... cool, huh?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs188.snc1/6300_103278446772_668806772_2245944_3741028_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs188.snc1/6300_103278446772_668806772_2245944_3741028_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Sunday it was back on the road and on to Granby, we took the scenic route through a canyon<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/?action=view¤t=P1020691.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/P1020691.jpg" border="0" width="400" height="320" alt="Clear Creek Canyon _5"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/?action=view¤t=P1020697.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/P1020697.jpg" border="0" width="400" height="320" alt="Clear Creek Canyon _9"></a><br /><br />Coming into Granby<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/?action=view¤t=P1020709.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/P1020709.jpg" border="0" width="400" height="320" alt="Granby"></a><br />view from the hotel<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/?action=view¤t=P1020710.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Colorado/P1020710.jpg" border="0" width="400" height="320" alt="hotel veiw 2"></a><br /><br />Today we did our first ride of the course for the National race. Mountain bike National Championship races are held at ski resorts. Which means lots and lots of climbing. This course starts with 145' of climbing in .22 miles (12.48% grade), the next 4.5 miles continue up for another 880' before you hit the top of the highest climb, total ascension per lap is about 1460'. Alan and I only have to do two laps, Kyle gets to do three... being old does have some perks. <br /><br />The whole time Alan has been telling me not to worry about the climbing on the course, just find my "happy gear" and keep the pedals moving. After finishing the ride I told Alan that there was something wrong with my bike - I couldn't find a "happy gear". Although I was whining and crying during the ride, most of the climbing really wasn't too bad. More long grinding beat-you-down climbs than the short power climbs that we have in Texas. I'm hoping it was more lack of oxygen than lack of leg power that was slowing me down (please, please let it be better by Saturday).<br /><br />There were some very pretty views along the course and I'm planning on taking a camera with me the next time out.<br /><br />That's all for now, more words and pictures to come.aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-6797098122878627042009-07-09T22:58:00.002-05:002009-07-09T23:22:03.377-05:00Just a quickie<span style="font-family: georgia;">I haven't posted anything in a while. I could say it's because I really haven't been doing anything worth posting about since race season is over and that would be partly true. Work, riding, life and sleep seem to take up most of my time. It's all the same old, same old of everyday routine and who really wants to write, let alone read, about that.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Although race season is over, training has actually picked up. One of my riding buddies made a comment along the lines of <i>I've never seen you really train before.</i> Well, I've never attempted racing at the </span><a style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.solvistanationals.com/">Mountain Bike National Championship</a><span style="font-family: georgia;"> before, at least not until this year. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Not that I'm expecting great results (others in my family have that burden on their shoulders), but I would like to not embarrass myself. So I have been listening to my "advisor" and training, including doing the painful things like intervals. While I think I am riding stronger I have never done long extended climbs or ridden at altitude (7900' +/-). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Well, I will soon find out what it's like and will have something new and exciting to write about. I think I'll also get to experience </span><a style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.fatcyclist.com/2009/07/07/a-scientific-explanation-of-why-cycling-hurts/">pain pellets</a><span style="font-family: georgia;"> at a whole new level.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wish me luck!</span>aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-15250949321630635112009-06-22T21:13:00.003-05:002009-06-22T22:02:41.430-05:00It's not the heat...It's the humidity.<br /><br />This is from the <a href="http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KLIT/2009/6/21/DailyHistory.html">weather history</a> for Little Rock yesterday<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Temperature:</span><br />Mean Temperature.....85 °F <br />Max Temperature......95 °F <br />Min Temperature......74 °F <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Moisture:</span><br />Dew Point............72 °F <br />Average Humidity.....65 <br />Maximum Humidity.....94 <br />Minimum Humidity.....36<br /><br />Then I went to this other cool <a href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/jkl/?n=heat_index_calculator">website</a> to calculate the Heat Index, which has this to say about Heat Index:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">What Is Heat Index?<br />Heat index (HI) is sometimes referred to as the "apparent Temperature". The HI, given in degrees F, is a measure of how hot it feels when relative humidity (RH) is added to the actual air temperature.<br /><br />The following equation approximates the heat index. There are many assumptions made to produce this, far too many to list here. The equation was obtained by multiple regression analysis and there is a ±1.3 degree °F error.<br /><br />HI = -42.379 + 2.04901523T + 10.14333127R - 0.22475541TR - 6.83783x10<span style="font-size:78%;"> -3</span> T<span style="font-size:78%;"> 2 </span>- 5.481717x10 <span style="font-size:78%;">-2</span> R<span style="font-size:78%;"> 2</span> + 1.22874x10 <span style="font-size:78%;">-3</span> T <span style="font-size:78%;">2</span>R + 8.5282x10 <span style="font-size:78%;">-4</span> TR <span style="font-size:78%;">2</span> - 1.99x10 -6 T <span style="font-size:78%;">2</span> R <span style="font-size:78%;">2 </span><br /><br />where<br /><br />T = ambient dry bulb temperature degrees Fahrenheit<br />R = relative humidity </span><br /><br />Yeah... whatever. More importantly there was a calculator that you could plug in the numbers, click on the "Calculate HI" and it magically gave you the Heat Index. The answer was an invigorating 103 degrees.<br /><br />Take that 103 degrees and place yourself in some hilly woods. Let's add a little more by imagining there's a breeze, but you can't feel it. You're almost there: you are hot, it's humid, there's no breeze. Are you drenched in sweat yet? No? How about one more little thing to make the experience complete, 1.5 - 2 hours of physical exertion! Sounds like fun, huh?<br /><br />There were about 10 of us that ended up making the trip from Texas for the 3 Legged Dawg race in Little Rock. While just surviving the heat/humidity seemed to be a major accomplishment, most of the group made it to the podium.<br /><br />It was a fun trail and except for the added misery brought on by the high Heat Index issue it was a fun race. I'm glad we made the last minute decision to go, just wish we had a portable a/c unit to mount on the bike.aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-36575697574299771602009-06-19T20:51:00.002-05:002009-06-19T20:54:45.730-05:00Planning? Who needs planning?8:51pm Friday - decision is made to drive to Arkansas for a mountain bike race.<br /><br />Spur of the moment non-planning rocks. Gotta go pack.aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-32913109633622774532009-06-12T09:56:00.005-05:002009-06-12T10:01:24.201-05:00Hmmm, I may know someone like this<a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/?action=view¤t=Pearls.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Pearls.jpg" width="400" height="140" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9107960140618149278.post-49767473854404972812009-06-11T20:10:00.005-05:002009-06-11T22:03:17.745-05:00Time to catch upLet's see... what kind of exciting things have I been doing lately?<br /><br />The AJ and I road tripped to Alabama for the Bump & Grind race, which this year was part of the <a href="http://www.mtb-uscup.com/">UCI US Cup Mountain Bike Race Series</a>. It's amazing that in the 9 hours it takes us to drive west to Terlingua, TX we can drive east on I-20 and leave Texas, drive through Louisiana, Mississippi and half-way through Alabama... but I digress. We are joined by Claire from Austin for the drive and weekend of racing.<br /><br />This is my third trip to <a href="http://www.bump.org/oakmountain">Oak Mountain</a><br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/scenery/?action=view&current=P1020590.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/scenery/P1020590.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="380" height="440" /></a><br />and my second attempt at the race, which is a twice around a measly 17 mile loop that includes 600' of climbing in about 3 miles. The first year I passed on the racing as t<a href="http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/orderpage.aspx?pi=03TC00BL030037&po=37"></a>he distance and Open Women's class didn't sound too appealing. Last year I lined up, but shamefully didn't finish the race. This year was my chance to redeem myself. Although it was still an Open class (all Cat 1 women 19+ race together), I wanted to finish what I started and get up that climb both laps.<br /><br />The day before the race we did some driving around Birmingham and found a neat little neighborhood on the side of a hill. How would you like this for your driveway?<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/?action=view&current=P1020573.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/P1020573.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="380" height="440" /></a> You can see the roof of the house hiding in the trees next to the trash can.<br /><br />We also found a nice collection of cars in the parking lot of the mall<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/?action=view&current=Lotus4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Lotus4.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="320" height="240" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/?action=view&current=Lotus2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Lotus2.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="320" height="240" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/?action=view&current=Lotus5.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Lotus5.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="320" height="240" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/?action=view&current=P1020588.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/P1020588.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="320" height="240" /></a><br /><br />My race was more of a ride (Claire kicked butt, winning the Open Women race), but I did finish and did not have the slowest two lap time (hey - gotta go for the little victories). While I did have some mechanical issues with my chain (thanks to a combination of sand and water) I did ride up most of the Red Road climb. I think I could have made it to the top if the chain had not given me problems. "<a href="http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/orderpage.aspx?pi=03TC00BL030037&po=37">Proof</a>" I was there, as was <a href="http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/orderpage.aspx?pi=03TC00BL030023&po=23">The AJ</a>.<br /><br />After our race we stayed to watch the Pro race, which was made all the more exciting as we knew 4 of the Pro men racing. To add an extra dose of excitement, two of our friends were racing single-speed bikes.<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Bike%20related/?action=view&current=P1020605.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/Bike%20related/P1020605.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" width="360" height="400" /></a><br />Mitch finished in the top 3rd of the Pro Men, and Will was right there with him until he flatted towards the end of the race.<br /><br />As a parting note, it's important to color coordinate your polish and helmet straps<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/?action=view¤t=cid__imagejpeg_0.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/cid__imagejpeg_0.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br />Too bad I don't have the SUV that completes the ensemble<br /><a href="http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/?action=view¤t=cid__0606091625-01.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/xcDirtyGirl/cid__0606091625-01.jpg" width="320" height="400" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>aka Kathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11075700081798265998noreply@blogger.com2