Hippo Cross(ing)

Hey, check out these fancy cloth race numbers!

The Pope gave me an extra day off tomorrow so I can write this race report tonight. Hippo Cross(ing) was new this season so I didn’t know what to expect, BUT all of the cool kids were racing and it was less than an hour away from my house so I registered. 

The guys at the shop put the finishing touches on my Super X the night before the race. While adjusting my saddle, the torque wrench snapped and part of it lodged into the bolt. We kept our fingers crossed that the saddle was on tight enough and in the correct position. 

When I got to the race I saw a couple friends who told me that the course was bumpy. That was an understatement. It was so bumpy that the piece of torque wrench dislodged itself during the race...that was the good news...the bad news was that the saddle was not on tight enough and I finished the race with it in an EXTREME nose up position. 

Aside from the course being bumpy it also had some tough climbs, followed by downhills. All in all it wasn't looking like this would be a good race for me. I had a decent start which was something that I wanted to improve on and I rode up the set of tiny stairs (which terrified me) EVERY LAP!!! I did not do well on the down hills, coming to almost a complete stop on every one before turning to face my next ascent, which didn’t do much to help my cause. 

After the race I went back to the car to change and eat a peanut butter and banana sandwich. I missed the podium photo but it was worth it because the sandwich was really good. I still got my payout for coming in seventh, which was pretty much where I expected to finish. It covered my entry fee and I’m content with that. 

There was a pig at the race and I wanted to take a selfie with him, but by the time I finished my race there was yellow caution tape, restricting access to his pen. That was disappointing. Also disappointing was the fact that I did not realize that it was National Pancake Day until later that evening. I ate a pancake today but it wasn’t the same. 

Next weekend is my team's sponsored race Caffeinated CX. Spoiler Altert: I'm going to ride my mountain bike.

My 41st Year

Charm City, WhirlyBird, HPCX, Crossasaurus Awesome, Swashbuckler (swashbuckler tattoo), Fair Hill, Kutztown, Nittany...MAC Series Champion...Focus, cantis for life, Batsto, Elephant Swamp, Parvin...Asics, Swiftwick, 2XU...Orange Theory Fitness, base, push, all out, splat points...CX Nationals, Heritage Trees...CLIFF!! Austin Texas, cupcakes, beer, fish tacos, pancakes, pizza, ice cream...lemon water, candy crush...The South Jersey Brewery Tour...Lunacy, Forgotten Boardwalk, Village Idiot, Spellbound, Glasstown, Tuckahoe...Katz Coffee, Chemex, Americanos...Hunter Hayes, Chick Radio, CCM Happens, Hozier...Opportunity Barks, off, jolly ball...disc brakes, cygolite, commuter...life in the slow lane...tabata tuesday...New Hampshire, Presidential Traverse, Lakes of the Clouds, Madison, Adams, Jefferson, Washington, Monroe, Eisenhower, cairns, AMC...Greek yogurt, grass fed whey, wawa gobbler, Noosa, Oreo thins, Rexy’s Pizza, Bonk Breaker, ProMix Nutrition...Osprey, Brooks, Superfeet...Glacier National Park (is on fire), Two Medicine, Bowman, Kintla, Polebridge, Running Eagle Falls, Dawson, Pitamakan, Triple Divide, The Highline Trail, Swiftcurrent Pass, Avalanche Lake, Piegan Pass, Siyeh Pass, Hidden Lake, Ptarmigan Tunnel, Iceberg Lake, Grinnell Lake, Grinnell Glacier...T@B, Huckleberry Pie, trail running, Shea-Toe, Ptarmigan Village...At-lame-ta, Phila-dumphia...Franklin Fountain, Franklin Square, my 25 pound nephew...riddle me this, sandbagger, upgrade, Cat 2, masters have more fun...lost pines, the winds of change...another trip around the sun.

Mill Creek CX

I spent most of the night having dreams about forgetting something. The first time, I got to the race and forgot my bike. I woke up, went to the bathroom and back to sleep. Then I forgot my socks...rolled over...they were calling my race and I wasn’t dressed. I tried to put on my shorts and they were inside out...I woke up and decided to make some coffee...so much for sleeping in.

It’s been a busy week as far as bikes are concerned...a commuter cx bike and a race cx bike are in the works, along with some parts being swapped and my road bike being readied for sale...I was at the shop from early afternoon until close three days last week. As a result, my CAADX is built up for commuting and there are million bike parts in my living room. 

I’ve never done a 1/2/3 race in NJ. The start time (12:06pm) doesn’t suit me well as I am accustomed to racing in the morning. The length of the race (45 minutes) is also longer than I’m accustomed to. BUT this was less than half an hour from my house and much closer than my other options for racing this weekend. Surprisingly, only five women pre-registered. With an additional two day of registrations, the field size grew to seven. It was announced that everyone would get paid. Not a bad deal!

The sun came out for our race and it got pretty damn hot. When I passed the line and heard “three to go” I did the math in my head. This is going to be a long ass race...and it was...52 minutes (for me) which was 20 minutes longer than last weekend at Nittany. 

Lap four is where it started coming undone. The leader was well off the front and the two women I had kept close started to pull away. There I was, on a windy, open field in NJ, navigating twists and turns, a few off cambers and some barriers...no one to chase, no one pursuing me. I did my best to keep it steady and finish where I thought I would...fourth.

Those extra 20 minutes of racing gave me reason to celebrate with an excellent seasonal from Long Trail Brewing Company. Cheers! 

Nittany CX

Being even less prepared that last year, I couldn’t think of a better way to begin the cyclocross season than a double race weekend at Nittany. This year the MAC added a women’s 40+ Masters category, which I was extremely thankful for because I am FAR from UCI material.

The vibe at the starting line was much more relaxed and friendly. It made for a pleasant racing experience that did not lack competition.

Saturday was flat and fast, which played to my strengths and a third place finish. Late day rained altered the course dramatically for the second day of racing. The turns were slick and there was a large mud pit not far from the start. On the first lap I was forced to dismount and run, which put me in chase mode for a good portion of the race...but as I like to say “I’m not a starter, I’m a finisher” and my endurance enabled me to fight back to a fourth place finish. 

Overall, it was a pretty good weekend. It was nice to see everyone from the CX community, people who are like family to me for the next few months.

When I got home I took the dog to the field and drank a Pumking. Then I ate a kick ass burrito. Tomorrow won’t be very pleasant, but the bikes are clean and there’s another race to look forward to next weekend.

0 of 10

Race participation is (obviously) a component of being on a race team. In my case, I need to participate in a minimum of ten races per year across all disciplines.

For the past two seasons I competed in a series (PACX, then MAC). This year, I just wanted to do the ten races that were closest to my house.

I registered for Granogue CX, which was about 40 minutes away. Then I found out that my brother (his wife and my nephew) would be visiting that weekend. It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time. I would be racing in the morning and home early in the afternoon.

They arrived on Saturday evening. It was the first time he had been home in two years. Almost one year to the day he had major surgery for cancer, he was here with my 9 month old nephew. They were tired and immediately went to bed.

I was up early the next morning and arrived before the races began to preview the course. Something didn’t feel right. It could have been that the venue was new to me...or that I didn’t see any familiar faces...or that I didn’t feel comfortable on my bike...or that I really just wanted to be home with my family. Any way you cut it, my heart just wasn’t in it. I packed up my bike and headed home to spend time with my nephew. CX can wait another week. 

There are more important things in life.

sans goals

Over the course of the past several years I’ve had discussions with significant others, friends, family and even strangers about the direction my life has taken. Twenty years of education and two Master’s Degrees later, I find myself working at a local gym for $15/hour. I am happy and I love what I do. It’s not a career, it’s a job and it doesn’t define me. I’ve moved away from concrete goals and more toward the abstract. I do what excites me.  I invest myself in the things that I am passionate about. I don’t worry about where I will be in a year or even six months from now, but instead focus on the present and being happy now.

I am not a competitor. I never have been. Near the end of last CX season, my anxiety level was at an all time high. What started two years ago as something I was doing for fun had become a source of stress. The pre-race ritual, the warm up lap, the starting line...it had all become too much, to the point where I had considered giving up racing entirely. 

Then I read an article on breaking free from goals. The author mentions that goals are artificial and constraining. They make us focus on the future instead of the present. But most of all, with goals, you are never satisfied. Goals are a way of saying, “When I’ve accomplished this (or all these goals), I will be happy then. I’m not happy now, because I haven’t achieved my goals.” This is never said out loud, but it’s what goals really mean. The problem is, when we achieve the goals, we don’t achieve happiness. We set new goals, strive for something new.

Here’s to a season full of accomplishments without goals.

runner back!

I started running before my freshman year of college. Due to injuries, I stopped running outside after college. Since then it’s been all treadmill. At times, I considered trying to run outside again, but it wasn’t worth getting hurt.

While tallying my miles in Glacier last week, I realized that I would be close to the century mark. Jill had been sidelined after only two hikes, but was being SUPER supportive of my desire to hit 100. I did my best to move quickly on the days she was waiting. 

The hike to Avalanche Lake is short and easy. I downed a liter of water and hit the trail without a pack. What started as a fast walk turned into a jog with a few hard efforts. The rolling terrain was perfect. I finished in an hour and 5 minutes.

Back at the car, I mixed a protein shake and stretched...unable to wipe the smile off my face...I wanted to do it again!

My first hike on the Highline was on an overcast day. The morning of August 11th was sunny and beautiful. We stopped at Logan Pass on our way to Many Glacier. It was a little over 7 miles to the Haystack and back so I planned on being gone for two hours. I unpacked the gear from my Osprey pack, then filled it with a liter of water and couple of shot bloks. 

I passed two large groups and was on my way. For the most part I had a decent view of the people in front and would call out as I approached to pass. Some made funny comments to which I replied “Huckleberry Pie, Huckleberry Ice Cream, Peanut butter Pie, Beer...just paying for my food sins!” I made it to the Haystack in 49 minutes, but figured the return trip would take longer because I am unaccustomed to running that distance...wrong...46 minutes later I was back in the parking lot, hooked on trail running. 

Who wants to join me?