Busy week

We had an interesting weekend of racing. Saturday's course was at a private farm outside of Walla Walla, with the race taking place in the late afternoon. The course had some tricky singletrack, a barn filled with saw dust and Halloween decorations, a 12 foot high A-Frame ramp, and a bridge. While the course was unique, I wouldn't say it was a true cyclocross course.

I started my race and rode the first few laps at race pace. My back started to feel a little tight, so I backed way off and was passed by all the women behind me. I just finished the race, worried that my back would tighten up through the evening. Upon crossing the line, I noticed that Ted was already by the car. He was distraught because he had run over a little girl. The little girl somehow ran onto the course, directly in front of Ted. By the time he saw her, it was too late to completely avoid her, so both he and the girl went down. Ted felt awful, as did the girl's parents. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt - just shaken up. It was just one of those freak things, and a complete accident. Ted didn't finish because he wanted to make sure the girl was okay. We had a great dinner that evening, so that helped!

My back was really no worse yesterday morning, so I decided to really race full-out. I somewhat regret not racing harder on Saturday because I think I probably could have. I was just being overly cautious. I went hard from the gun yesterday and held the lead until the finish. It was cool because Mara Abbott, the current professional women's road race champion, showed up for both races. Chances are good that I'll never be able to beat her on the road, but at least I was able to beat her in a 'cross race. Ha!

Ted's racing didn't go much better yesterday, as he crashed a couple times. He's hoping for a better weekend here soon because he's really had some bad luck.

This week is going to be busy for us. I started my new part-time lab position today, which is very chemistry-based. We are going to a Modest Mouse concert on Halloween and Ted's parents are coming for a visit Friday. Throw in cyclocross practice and other daily workouts, along with a few miscellaneous appointments, and it's going to be pretty packed. Most of it's fun, though!

Animals, animals, animals

What is up with my animals? If it's not one who is sick or injured, it's the other. A matter of weeks ago Hitcher had a nail stuck in his paw. Today, little Pazza had to go in for a ruptured, infected abscess on her tail.

We first noticed a bump on her tail about a week ago, but didn't think much of it since it wasn't visible and didn't seem to be bothering her. When we eventually tried to look at the bump up close, we discovered a foul odor, so the possibility of infection popped up. Since we're racing again over the weekend, I decided to take her in today. Sure enough, they shaved a section of her tail to reveal an open, infected wound. They cleaned it and put one stitch in to encourage healing, and she's on antibiotics for a week. Poor little thing. I got her a new ball at Shopko tonight and we played fetch for a while. Our friend Ben, the future veterinarian, will check in on her over the weekend and give her the antibiotics.

Our weekend in Walla Walla should be a good time. Mom and Dad are heading over to watch us race and we'll have a good dinner tomorrow night at Whitehouse-Crawford. I just hope I can race. Still not sure about that. I plan to start tomorrow, and then I'll quit (or at least walk), if I have to. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, though!

New Team for 2008

I will be racing for a different team on the road in 2008

Just stuff...

Kisses

This is one of the funniest things Hitcher does. Everytime this heater kicks on, he immediately hangs out in front of it, letting the hot air blow his ears. We don't know how he does it because it is hot!

My back isn't any worse, but it isn't a whole lot better either. I got a massage yesterday and wasn't overly impressed, so I tried someone else today. The girl today was really good. I'm staying off my feet as much as possible. I really want to race in Walla Walla this weekend, so I'm trying to get it better ASAP.

Rusty and Deborah are in town for a few days too, and they'll be spending a day wine tasting in Walla Walla. Normally I'd go, but I'm not sure it would be great for me to sit in the car for 4-6 hours, so I'm not sure if I'll go.

An ad for my personal chef service is running in our local paper here today, so I'm hoping that will get me some more exposure. In addition to that, I am starting a part-time position on Friday. I'll be doing some lab work at WSU for a wildlife biology project. I haven't worked in a lab for a couple years, so I feel super rusty. Plus, my background never has been in chemistry.

Hmmm... what else? Ted and I are going to Chicago for Thanksgiving. While there, we'll do a couple cyclocross races in Iowa. Then we'll spend Christmas back here. Wow, is it that time of year yet?

Aches and Flats

It looked like it would rain all day, but it never did.

Ted at Farragut State Park near Coeur d'Alene

Me racing in Missoula Saturday night.

We spent our weekend in Missoula, Montana and near Coeur d'Alene. First up was a cyclocross race in Missoula last night, which had us racing under the lights of a stadium. It was only about 40 degrees, and most of Ted's race had rain, so we were cold! I raced first and it was really not a course suited to me, with rocky, technical terrain and almost no power or running sections. By the end, my back was super tight and sore, though I did catch a few women.

Ted's race didn't really see any better luck, as he flatted his just-glued sew-up before the race even began. Then, on his first lap, Ted crashed pretty hard going down a slick muddy descent, leaving him with sore hands and a need for another wheel change. He finished out his race, but neither of us was in the best mood last night.

My back began bothering me last Wednesday evening. There wasn't anything traumatic that happened to it, but it was feeling tight and sore. We contemplated whether we should even make the trek to Missoula, and sure enough, my back was pretty bad after last night. It's the same spot that has plagued me a few other times now, and you can see that the muscles are causing my spine to curve to the left. I really wanted to race today because I was still in the running for the overall win at our series, but I sat it out today. Most likely, I am now out of the top few places overall for the series now, but it's better than setting myself back further. I just can't believe I have such a bad back at such a young age. I think I will try to go to a masseuse tomorrow.

Ted raced today on what was a new, and very bumpy, course. Everyone was complaining about their backs after the race, so I know I made the right choice to sit it out. Once again, during his warm-up lap, Ted flatted, so he wasn't very enthusiastic from the get go. Admittedly his head wasn't really in it, so he just rode the race to do it.

Best Sitter

With the prize for best sitter.
Soaking up as much sun as possible.

Don't tell Ted!

Hitcher dog graduated from basic dog obedience class for the second time tonight. For the majority of dogs, they recommend that they retake the basic class after their first time, so it's not like he failed the first time or anything. I mean, he did get a diploma. He is now ready to go into the advanced class, so he has definitely improved.

For the last class of the series, the dogs play games in class to win prizes. The handlers walk their dogs in a circle until the instructor gives the command to sit, at which time the last dog to sit is eliminated. The last dog in the circle is allowed to pick out a squeaky toy prize.

The first time Hitcher went through the class, he finished in the middle of the pack, for both the sit and down competitions. When the winning dogs were allowed to pick their toys, he went crazy, howling and not understanding why he couldn't play with the squeaky toys. It was really pretty embarassing. This time around, I was determined for Hitch to win one of the competitions and get a toy, so he and I practiced every day. Ted said there was no way he would win, but Hitch proved him wrong tonight and was the fastest sitter in class. He picked out his toy and played with it for much of the evening. I'm actually a little proud!

Results and photos

Results from today's race can be found here. There were 85 racers:
http://www.emdesports.com/Results/2007_INWCX.xls

And photos are here:
http://athleticpix.studiocart.com/storefront/gallery_prints.cfm?startrecord=1&keyword=0&CFID=928053&CFTOKEN=cf7a411bf263337a-4E4B0E27-0B43-1F0E-1CF4EF0B1035432D&jsessionid=bc30a0e1483d$1B$7F$A&tracker=Ji81PideNU0pCg

Cyclocross is fun!

Ted, Stephen, Hitcher, and I drove to Spokane this morning to do the second race in the Inland NW Cyclocross Series. It was held at Valley Mission Park, which is a course both Ted and I really like, and the turnout was really good. It looks as though the sport of cyclocross is just growing in our area because, so far, the numbers of racers seem to be much larger than in years past. Of course, I'm sure the beautiful sunny skies and upper-60s temperatures encouraged some people to show up.

Side note: Ted and I have realized that we should have shortened the length of the junior races in Pullman last weekend. It never occurred to us until we heard that the juniors would be doing 30-40 minutes, rather than the 55 we had them do. Oops. Like I said, we were a little rough around the edges.

Ted and Stephen's field had over 20, while mine had only 4. While all the other categories seem to have blossomed, the women's field may even be smaller than in years past. We need more ladies. Cyclocross is a blast! Anyway, Ted and I both felt better than we did last week, which is not surprising since we actually got a warm-up and drank something before the start. Ted finished toward the back, but he's happy with it. I started out slowly, riding in 2nd or 3rd for the first 2/3 of the race, but got a second wind and picked it up dramatically. I caught the other woman ahead of me, so I ended up winning.

My new bike felt good. I'm still not used to the SRAM shifting, but I'm getting better with it. I was definitely faster on the run-ups, which was at least partially due to the lighter bike. In fact, I just noticed that for the first time since I started racing 'cross, I do not have a bruised, sore shoulder. I do, however, have a very sore right knee. I don't know exactly what I was doing, but I was carrying my bike strangely up the run-ups, so it was leaning very far forward. At least twice I bashed my right knee on the spokes. It's swollen and turning shades of red and purple. I learned eventually, though, and started carrying it in a better way.

I'm already excited for the race next weekend. Cyclocross is fun!

Ahrens Whole Shot

I rode my new Ahrens Whole Shot today and I'm really liking it. I was a bit disappointed this evening when Ted and I were the only ones to show up for our weekly cx practice - I wanted to show off my new ride! It felt great on the grass and going over barriers. I noticed the biggest difference when I shouldered the bike. This bike is almost 4 pounds lighter than my LeMond, and it makes a big difference. Overall, it just feels more responsive. It is a slightly smaller frame, and the frame is aluminum vs. the steel LeMond. I think it'll be a fun ride, and I really look forward to racing on it on Sunday.

We got confirmation that we have season tickets for the WSU Cougar basketball season, which I am super excited about. We'll go to 13 or 14 home games. The basketball games are so fun! The first one is on November 9th, though we may go to an exhibition game on November 4th.
My battery is about to die, so that's it for now.

My Beautiful New Cyclocross Bike

This is my brand new Vanderkitten team cyclocross bike. The frame and fork just arrived yesterday, and Ted kindly spent all night building it up for me. It was made by our awesome team sponsor, Ahrens, out of San Jose, California. I haven't had a chance to ride it yet, but I'm taking it out for a spin here in a little bit. Very exciting!

Pullman Cyclocross Results

All results for the series will eventually be posted here: http://www.emdesports.com/Race_Flyers/2007_cyclocross.html

Men A


1 Kevin Bradford-Parish Redline 30 points



2 Mike Gaertner Vertical Earth 26 points



3 Eric Anderson Vertical Earth 24 points



4 Shawn Howard WAR 22 points



5 Doug Krumpelman Vertical Earth 20 points



6 Tony Aleto Baddlands 18 points



7 Mark Knokey Axley USA.com/Emde Sports 16 points



8 Jerry Long Homegrown Racing 14 points



9 Mike Sirott Spokane Rocket Velo 12 points



10 Chris Kelsey Spokane Rocket Velo 10 points



11 Stephen Howard WSU Cycling 10 points



12 Gabe Varela Vertical Earth 10 points



13 Ryan Baldwin Unattached 10 points



14 Dan Rud Emde Sports 10 points



15 Soren Klingsporn Allegro Cycling 10 points



16 Mirko Mayes WSU Cycling 10 points



17 Ted Chauvin Hagens-Berman 10 points







Women



1 Jenni Gaertner Vertical Earth 30 points



2 Allison Beall Vanderkitten 26 points



3 Erika Krumpelman Velo Bella/Kona 24 points



4 Lorena Brown University of Idaho Cycling 22 points







Men B



1 David Goode Spokane Rocket Velo 30 points



2 Jesse Avotte Emde Sports 26 points



3 Theo Propst Cyclesports 24 points



4 Jon Kinzer Unattached 22 points



5 Chris Huck University of Idaho 20 points



6 Graham Christensen Vertical Earth 18 points



7 James Barton Unattached 16 points



8 Jesse Bruya Unattached 14 points



9 Kevin Spiegel Recycled Cycles 12 points



10 Keaton Crook Vertical Earth 10 points



11 Jeff Brown University of Idaho Cycling 10 points





Masters Men 40+


1 Rocky Crocker WAR 30 points


2 Alan Petrie Spokane Rocket Velo 26 points


3 Shawn Letson WAR 24 points


4 Wright Alcorn USKH 22 points


5 Joel Wright Wright Financial 20 points


6 Rich Sherwood Vertical Earth 18 points


7 Steve Rapp Allegro Cycling 16 points


8 Glen Copus Emde Sports 14 points


9 Joseph Myers Emde Sports 12 points


10 DeWayne Kirk Unattached 10 points


11 Mark Monroe Two Wheeler 10 points





Junior Men


1 Travis Monroe Vertical Earth 30 points


2 Brice Turnbull WAR 26 points





Junior Women


1 Tatum Tyynismaa Rad Racing 30 points


2 Carli Wilson WAR 26 points


3 Taylor Tyynismaa Rad Racing 24 points





Total Rookie Men


1 Michael Austin Allegro Cycling 30 points


2 Brian Turnbull WAR 26 points


3 Chris Avey Allegro Cycling 24 points


4 Tom Heywood WAR 22 points


5 Mike McKinney Unattached 20 points





Total Rookie Women


1 Amy Anderson WAR 30 points


2 Julie Kelsey Spokane Rocket Velo 26 points


3 Ann Kendall Spokane Rocket Velo 24 points


4 Wendy Stredwick Vertical Earth 22 points





Mountain Bike Men A


1 Ben Rhodes WSU Cycling 30 points


2 Louie Fountain Unattached 26 points





Mountain Bike Women


1 Penny Hulbert WAR 30 points


2 Noel Fountain Unattached 26 points





Mountain Bike Men B


1 Chris Eagon Allegro Cycling 30 points


2 Ken Wilson WAR 26 points


3 Tim Thomas Unattached 24 points


4 Craig Savage Unattached 22 points

2007 Pullman Cyclocross Race

Pullman Cyclocross Photos, all courtesy of Michael Costello.

A shot of the spiral, which consisted of 3 in-going and 3 out-going spirals.

Me, entering the "spiral of death," unable to stay in touch with race winner Jenni Gaertner.

The "spiral of death" was Ted's idea. It took 2 hours to set up, but was well worth it.

One of the race promoters, suffering after a long morning of course set-up.

Kevin Bradford-Parish, the Men's A winner made our heinous "run-up" look too easy.

We ladies had to suffer too. A 'cross run-up, Palouse-style.

The shorter, and easier, of our two run-ups.

We had a pretty good turnout.


Our race went off fairly well today, though there were some times when we were scrambling. We were pretty shocked with the turnout of 65 racers, as we would have been happy with 40.

Rollercoaster Day

Today's been a bit of an up and down day. The cool part of the day was when I got a new car. My little Ford Focus was starting to have more and more problems, along with a soon-to-expire warranty, so we (being Mom, Dad, and me) decided to trade it in. They drove up to Pullman today to go to a dealership in Moscow. We began this process last week, so we had a good idea of what we were looking for today. None of us actually expected to drive a new car off the lot today, but that's what happened! I'm now driving a brand new Toyota Rav4 and I love it. I'm going to get a roof rack for it, and then it will be complete. I think it will be a perfect bike race car. Plus, I think it looks cute. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Ted and I were playing fetch with Hitcher in the yard this morning right when Mom and Dad arrived. I heard Ted yell that Hitch had hurt himself, and I discovered that Hitcher had stepped on an old nail. It was sticking out of his paw. Ted pulled it out and I called the vet. They suggested I bring him in, which Ted kindly did. Ted called me later to say that he was going to be put under to have the paw cleaned. Anasthesia always scares me with my pets, so I could barely eat any of my lunch. Was it necessary for them to do it? I don't know. He's home and awake, which is all I really care about. He's super groggy, but just fine. I decided today that I definitely need to get another dog because I need to have two to split my love between. That way, if something happens to one, I will still have another one. Ted says I can get another dog... as long as I'm willing to get another boyfriend also.

We're working on our race also. I keep thinking we're forgetting some crucial element, but hopefully not! The forecast looks decent, so I think it'll be a lot of fun. I'm off to have a cup of tea and sit with my groggy pup.