the push and the pull

It's dirty and overcrowded. People are rude and always in a hurry. The roads are packed with traffic and littered with strip malls.

I hate the way it makes me feel. It isn't remotely close to being right for me, but it is "right for right now." 

This morning, I didn't wake up on my own. At the bottom of the stairs lay the reminder of why I am here...and it makes me feel guilty for wishing I could be somewhere else. 

I live each day with the push and the pull.

So I will walk the Batona Trail again...I will walk the AT to Sunfish Pond again...I will walk on the fire road where I won't see another person for hours and pretend that I am anywhere but here.

Active Recovery

The concept of Active Recovery was introduced to me last year while training for my first road racing season. Active Recovery was to be used in lieu of total rest and be no more stressful than walking.  

As time passed I learned that rest and recovery are just as important, if not more important than hard efforts. Active Recovery became a vital component to maintaining balance in my training regimen. 

I was giving some thought to all of this last week...I took the notion of Active Recovery away from the context of training and looked at it in a new light, one which acknowledges the other parts of our being (spiritual, mental, emotional) and I started to realize that the concept of Active Recovery can be used in these spheres as well. 

Emotionally, I've been in AR mode for nearly two years...and I'm ok with that...there was a time when I gave 100% of myself and I'm sure that time will come again, just not now. Spiritually, I sat in AR mode for years, trying to figure it all out...and then I took a walk in the woods and everything made sense. Mentally, it is a challenge to put racing thoughts to rest, but I do my best to leave them behind while on the trail or on the road.

There are people who give 100% all of the time. There are people who don't listen to their bodies when they are hurting (in any of these spheres). Sooner or later it will catch up to them. 

marathon

Marathons have gained popularity in recent years. I found this interesting... 

Origin: The name Marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger. The legend states that he was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon (in which he had just fought), which took place in August or September 490 BC. It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming "Νενικήκαμεν" (Nenikékamen, 'We have won.') before collapsing and dying.

Crossasaurus Awesome

This race marked a few more firsts. It was the first time I have raced two days in a row...and...it was the first time that I received a "call up." Basically, what this means is that, due to a few strong finishes in the PA Series, I got to line up in the first row. That didn't make much of a difference once the whistle blew.

Anticipating a bottleneck at the first technical section of our initial lap, I wasn't too anxious to make a push. Once through that spot, there was a flat straightway and my road instincts kicked in...hammer! I passed a bunch of people and was in the top ten. Making my way through the technical section on the third lap, someone from behind me calls out "pedal, pedal, pedal." It was the friend I made the day before at FSVS Xross. She coached me through and I nailed that section on the remaining two laps. Pushing on and passing a few more riders, I had now moved up in to sixth. On the fourth lap, someone went down and I narrowly missed getting caught up in it. Using this to my advantage I took off and into fourth place, right on the wheel of someone with good technical skills. I followed her lines the remainder of the race, content with a fourth place finish.

A cool down, off to the car for a recovery drink and a change of clothes, then back to see the results. I was called to the podium and received a bag full of goodies. Standing with friends, chatting, I had completely forgotten the fact that I was about to pee my pants at the start of the race (which was delayed due to a protest). I made my way to the Potty Queen and, to my pleasure it was still fully stocked with toilet paper. Now THAT is a good day!

First State Velo Sport Xross @ Fair Hill

This was a MAC Series race. The 3/4 field was slightly more competitive than the PA Series, where many of the strong Cat 3 women opt to race in the 1/2/3 field. Today, they were my competition.

I warmed up on the course, then it started to rain and I retreated to the car. As appealing as a cyclocross race in the rain may sound, I was thankful that the sun appeared just in time for the start of my race.

3-2-1 Go! And the rest, well, it’s pretty much the same story...heart rate maxed and a huge smile on my face. This course had significantly more climbing than any of the others this season. In fact, the 610 feet of climbing (in 6.6 miles) is more than what I'll do on some 40 mile rides here in the South of Jersey.

On the last lap I caught another rider and was right on her wheel. It was someone I had introduced myself to and chatted with earlier in the day. As we made the turn onto the final stretch I noticed that she was slowing down. Perhaps my breathing wasn’t as loud of a warning sound as I thought it was. I told her to get moving or I was going to pass her. I can’t imagine what someone in a road race would have said to me if I did that. She appreciated the encouragement though and I decided that I would rather gain a friend than another spot in the standings.

I cooled down and headed to the car, only to discover that I was bleeding...blood running down my leg and I have no idea when, where, how that happened...got cleaned up and headed to check out the results...9^th place and the top Cat 4 in the field...that’ll do!

Rolled out and on to Starbucks...let’s make that a Grande Americano, no room...and so hot that I was half way back to the Jerz before I could even take a sip!

bird party

Stoudts Cross

Upon realizing that there'd be two whole weeks between Independence Cross and my next planned race at Fairhill, I hopped on bikereg in an attempt to satiate my newly discovered addiction to cyclocross. Not only did I find a (somewhat local) cross race, but a cross race that was at a brewery. This was going to be a great event! 

Race day was 45 degrees and overcast with wind. Superstorm Sandy had left several sections of the course resembling a mud bog. This, I have been told, is what cross is all about. I pre-rode the course, then warmed up in my car until it was time for staging. 

There were at least 30 women pre-registered for the 3/4 event with a few more day of. It was the largest field I had been in and, having waited until the last minute to register, I was in the last row to start. The whistle blew and I took advantage of the paved sections at the beginning of the course to move up a few spots. 

The first lap was pretty congested, but then we started to spread out and I got into a better rhythm (AKA heart rate was maxed and stayed there). On the second lap I went down on an off-camber section, which left some pretty nice bruises on my right leg. On the third lap, I successfully grabbed a dollar bill in the "hecklers corner" only to drop it after going off the course and crashing into a tree. Needless to say, I made some fans in that section and they were cheering loudly for me as I took my final lap. This time they had a dollar bill in a cup, which I narrowly missed grabbing with my teeth. 

My decision to have fun during cross season might have cost me fourth place in this race, but it was well worth it. I finished in 5th place (my best result for a 3/4 race), had an absolute blast and now it was time to drink good beer.

The highlight of my day came shortly after the race had ended. I was out of breath, covered in mud and my lungs felt like they were bleeding. I congratulated the fourth place finisher. We had battled back and forth the entire race. Then I looked at her and said "You must have at least ten years on me." To which she replied "I'm 18." "Oh" I said "Im 38." 

Happy to have brought a plastic bag, I placed my muddy clothes and shoes in their proper place, slipped on a pair of sweats and headed down to the brewery, where I enjoyed good beer and conversation with friends. I love cross.

Superstorm Sandy, Paleo Edition

My mom had been making ice since last Thursday. There wasn't an inch of space in the freezer that wasn't consumed by frozen water, in a variety of shapes. The GIANT turkey breast had been removed and was in the oven. In the event that the power went out, turkey would be consumed for the next several days. Every container that wasn't used to make ice was holding water. Candles, batteries, flashlights and a wind up powered radio were neatly placed on the kitchen table. The grill was bungeed down. The patio furniture was brought into the garage.  

It was Saturday. 

On the way home from Independence CX, I passed the grocery store. The parking lot looked like the mall on Black Friday. 

It was time to make my storm preparations. 

I grabbed my Petzl head lamp, charged my phone and filled my water bottles. I had recently gone shopping so there were plenty of fruits and vegetables on hand as well as an assortment of nuts. I cooked a package of organic chicken and placed it into a container with some roasted butternut squash. 

Thankfully, we were spared from the brunt of the storm. Many friends and family members were not so fortunate and my thoughts are with them as they struggle to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives.