Charm City CX Day 1

Most of the car had been packed the night before, so when the alarm sounded at 5am there wasn’t much to do. I grabbed some coffee, donned my headlamp and walked the pibble before taking off for Druid Hill Park. After a couple of miscues, I arrived in the correct location, pre-rode the course and picked up my number. 

The course was different this year...there was more climbing, more sand (four sand pits total), and a “fly over.” My primary concern was the sand, so I went back to that section to watch. Some of the guys in the first race were running it, some were riding it and I couldn’t tell which was faster. Last year I didn’t attempt to ride it because my technical skills sucked. Not much has changed since then, but I figured I would give it a shot and see what happens.

We were informed that the “fly over” would be removed from our race because it was too dangerous. The announcement was met with mixed reactions. While I had no problem riding it, I certainly didn’t want someone who couldn’t to come crashing back down into me. 

Every time the whistle blows it’s a blur. I’m starting to piece together these fragments, realizing that I need to be more aggressive at the start. The sand pits came at the end of each lap, after we had already passed through two sets of stairs and some brutal climbs. I stuck with my game plan and (to my surprise) successfully rode the sand pits. I knew there were four people in front of me, but only one was in sight. Eventually, I was able to pass her and shortly thereafter, another rider (who was removing course tap from her rear derailleur). There were still two laps to go. Both of the riders I passed were strong and could easily come back to pass me, but they didn’t. I crossed the line third. It was my first podium in a MAC race! 

The encouragement and cheers coming from the CAWES ladies as well as the elite women racers were definitely heard and VERY much appreciated. 

After the race, I did a quick yoga podcast, ate a peanut butter sandwich and headed south to Washington DC to visit my brother in the hospital. We talked and took a walk downstairs to sit in the atrium. It was the first time he had been outside since his surgery on September 4th and mom said it was his best day so far. Later that night, I had BFD (breakfast for dinner) and banana cream pie...and thought to myself “Yeah, it was a pretty good day."

breakfast for dinner and a root beer float

Today is my birthday. I will be celebrating it the same way that I have for the past nine years...breakfast for dinner (at the diner) and a root beer float. The diner and my choice of company vary. There have been years that I’ve gone alone.

Only a few people know the origin of this tradition. This year marks the ten year anniversary of the event that started it all, so I thought it would be a good time to share.

From 1998 to 2001 I was involved in a pretty bad relationship. Obviously, it did not start out that way. The downward spiral began when I discovered that my partner was an alcoholic.

We arrived at my parent’s house for dinner. The meal was served and when we began clearing the table, I looked around the corner and saw M in the living room. The liquor cabinet was open and she was chugging a bottle of vodka. She returned to the kitchen and offered to help, but it was apparent that something was not right. My mom told her to relax and watch TV. Shortly thereafter, candles were placed on my carrot cake and lit. My mom brought the cake to the table and called us in to sing happy birthday. M got up from the family room floor (where she had passed out), said there was something wrong with her contact lens and that she had to go home. She walked out the front door and drove home.

Needless to say, this was an embarrassing experience. I had tried to hide her drinking problem from my family because my uncle’s alcoholism had caused my mother so much pain. Now, it was all out on the table.

Two of my friends picked me up and drove me back to Philly. When I entered the apartment, her bedroom door was shut and locked. I did not see much (if any) of her during the weeks following that incident. Shortly thereafter, she moved out and I never heard from her again.

On my next birthday, some friends wanted to take me out to the bar of my choice to celebrate. It made me think a little bit about how the default setting for celebrating seems to be “Let’s grab a drink.” Personally, I can think of better ways to celebrate, better ways to spend my money and better ways to spend my time than at a bar, drinking. I respectfully declined and invited a close friend to accompany me to the diner to have breakfast for dinner and a root beer float.