Yesterday was the debut of my fashion accessory for the cycling season- a sully brace.
This is the trade off for not having shoulder surgery now. Surgery would take me out of competition for 4 months. The doc thought I could be on a bike 2 months after surgery, but it would have to be a recumbent. Delaying surgery until winter was an easy choice.
The sully brace has lots of neat qualities. Not only do I need a friend to wrap all the velcro straps around my shoulder, but it instantly turns a comfortable 70 degree evening into a sweatfest. I suspect in a few days, the odor produced by my brace will keep any competitors far away from me (hopefully behind me). I also had the pleasure of accidentally folding over the elastic on my jersey sleeve when I put on the brace. The end result was a nasty elastic burn on my upper arm. It makes me look tough.
On the up side, this neoprene-fuzzy velcro device did what it was supposed to- keep my shoulder where it belongs. I would have had a rough time at Buck Hill with out it, I think. PT starts on Monday. Hopefully after some serious PT, I can retire the brace. Until then, keep an eye out for other people wearing the sully brace. I'm sure everyone will want to look as fast as me.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Avoiding the sweat
Today I decided to wear a skirt to work- I will name my outfit the Tootsie Roll outfit, thanks to Paul. Its not terribly warm out (local TV stations reported ~20 degrees F at departure time), so in an effort not to freeze my legs, I wore my ski warm-up pants over my fashionable tights- not to be confused with the running/skiing tights I frequently wear. I usually get sweaty when I ride to work, so in an effort not to get sweaty in my nice clothes, I decided to ride my bike to the bus stop, take the bus as close to school as possible, then ride up the hill to my office.
Everything was going as planned- panniers were off my bike as the bus was approaching, UPass was in my hand. I boarded the bus and rode ~10 minutes to my stop near school. Now remember, the goal was not to freeze and not to get sweaty. Well, I didn't freeze on the bus, but I sure got sweaty. I neglected to prepare for the 85 degree bus ride. So, instead of sweating on my bike, I sweat on the bus. I deboarded the bus at my stop, snapped the panniers on to my bike and started riding up the hill. Then it dawned on me. I rarely get sweaty during the 2 mile ride down Como. Its the ~0.5 mile hill that gets me. I continued to sweat until I unlocked my office and frantically tore off as many layers as possible. Unfortunately none of the kids were around to watch this ordeal. They would have been amused.
So the lesson learned today is "if you don't want to get sweaty going to work, ride a bus UP the hill, not a bus TO the hill."
Everything was going as planned- panniers were off my bike as the bus was approaching, UPass was in my hand. I boarded the bus and rode ~10 minutes to my stop near school. Now remember, the goal was not to freeze and not to get sweaty. Well, I didn't freeze on the bus, but I sure got sweaty. I neglected to prepare for the 85 degree bus ride. So, instead of sweating on my bike, I sweat on the bus. I deboarded the bus at my stop, snapped the panniers on to my bike and started riding up the hill. Then it dawned on me. I rarely get sweaty during the 2 mile ride down Como. Its the ~0.5 mile hill that gets me. I continued to sweat until I unlocked my office and frantically tore off as many layers as possible. Unfortunately none of the kids were around to watch this ordeal. They would have been amused.
So the lesson learned today is "if you don't want to get sweaty going to work, ride a bus UP the hill, not a bus TO the hill."
Monday, December 17, 2007
More epic conditions
Cyclocross National Championships, Kansas City, KS
December 16, 2007
Course description: frozen ruts with greasy mud-snow on top. Intense.
Outcome: 1 bruised knee, 100+ knots in my arms and shoulders, 37th place
Photo courtesy of Matt Kriegler
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
French Facts
1. To be a fashionable female, you must have two out of three of the following fashion pieces: (1) skinny pants (2) tall boots (3) scarf.
I have none of the above.
2. Coffee is always served in tiny Dixie cups, whether its the complementary coffee at UEGW or the kind you pay for.
3. Always say "bon jour," "au revoir," and/or "merci" when speaking to a French person, when applicable.
4. French are very proper. When they defecate in the bike path tunnel, they always wipe with toilet paper.
5. French are very inproper. Example: While I was running in Bois Bolongne (big city park in Paris) today, I witnessed the following scene: A man dressed in a sport coat and nicer jeans jumped out of his car and started peeing next to the sidewalk.
6. The Paris Metro system in hugely popular. I think its awesome too.
I have none of the above.
2. Coffee is always served in tiny Dixie cups, whether its the complementary coffee at UEGW or the kind you pay for.
3. Always say "bon jour," "au revoir," and/or "merci" when speaking to a French person, when applicable.
4. French are very proper. When they defecate in the bike path tunnel, they always wipe with toilet paper.
5. French are very inproper. Example: While I was running in Bois Bolongne (big city park in Paris) today, I witnessed the following scene: A man dressed in a sport coat and nicer jeans jumped out of his car and started peeing next to the sidewalk.
6. The Paris Metro system in hugely popular. I think its awesome too.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Racing recap
I missed posting about last weekend races- The Twine Ball Race in Darwin, and the Mill City Race at Powderhorn- due to the lack of excitement of racing at home. Both days were slow feeling due to mud and hills, but I raced hard finishing 4th at the Twine Ball and 6th at Mill City. The my cheering crowd at both races was great. My mom, brother, and some neighbor kids watched the Twin Ball race, and the entire VB crew, U of Mers, and other random people were out at the Mill City race. It was great to have such enthusiastic support.
This weekend, I traded my bike for running shoes and flew to Paris for a 5k Fun Run. I actually came to Paris for yet another gastroenterology conference, and the Fun Run was part of the conference. October has been pretty shitty!
I had no expectations for the Fun Run except to finish. I knew I was capable of running 5k (3.1 miles), even if I was 7 time zones away from home. To my surprise, I ran really well, narrowly missing my personal records (PR) in both the 4k (16:15 from 1998) and 5k (20:36 from 2000). I'm not really sure what happened, or rather, why I ran so fast. I suppose, last weekend with the run-ups, I put in some serious running interval training. I kinda want to do another 5k, just to see if I can PR.
This was a nice way to erase my memory of the 2007 5k Milk Run, which I also ran the day after I flew across the Atlantic Ocean. Flashback: I had spent all day on Saturday riding my fixie around town, using strange muscles in my quads to stop my bike. Sunday, I felt good at race start. The first 2 miles went well. The 3rd mile, which is almost all down hill, was terrible. Those fixie-stopping-muscles are the same ones that you use when you run down hills. They were so upset, that I was getting passed by old men! I ran my uphill mile (2nd mile) almost as fast as I ran my downhill mile!
Next weekend will be filled with more jet-lagged competition (I return home Thursday night): Ham Lake and Grumpy's
This weekend, I traded my bike for running shoes and flew to Paris for a 5k Fun Run. I actually came to Paris for yet another gastroenterology conference, and the Fun Run was part of the conference. October has been pretty shitty!
I had no expectations for the Fun Run except to finish. I knew I was capable of running 5k (3.1 miles), even if I was 7 time zones away from home. To my surprise, I ran really well, narrowly missing my personal records (PR) in both the 4k (16:15 from 1998) and 5k (20:36 from 2000). I'm not really sure what happened, or rather, why I ran so fast. I suppose, last weekend with the run-ups, I put in some serious running interval training. I kinda want to do another 5k, just to see if I can PR.
This was a nice way to erase my memory of the 2007 5k Milk Run, which I also ran the day after I flew across the Atlantic Ocean. Flashback: I had spent all day on Saturday riding my fixie around town, using strange muscles in my quads to stop my bike. Sunday, I felt good at race start. The first 2 miles went well. The 3rd mile, which is almost all down hill, was terrible. Those fixie-stopping-muscles are the same ones that you use when you run down hills. They were so upset, that I was getting passed by old men! I ran my uphill mile (2nd mile) almost as fast as I ran my downhill mile!
Next weekend will be filled with more jet-lagged competition (I return home Thursday night): Ham Lake and Grumpy's
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Racing in the Keystone State
My residence was temporarily relocated to Philadephia, PA for a poop conference this weekend. Luckily my bike was able to join me. Its been 3 years since I raced my bike in Pennsylvania, and I'm continuing a streak of having a good time. Saturday didn't offer any gastrointestinal learning of interest, so I headed 2.5 hours west of Philly to Pine Grove Furnace State Park for the Iron Cross Lite CX race. I would have preferred to race the 62 mile suffer-fest, Iron Cross V, that's going on today, but instead, I'm stuck inside babysitting my poster about fiber. Such is life.
The Iron Cross Lite race proved to be a good use of time and resources. Wait, when is bike racing not a good use of time? The women's elite field was only 6 riders strong, but they were strong riders, alright. I could really feel the effects of the racing format we have in MN- women 1/2/3 + Men 3/4 and 45+. Usually I start in the back of the men's pack, start out pretty slow, have to stop at the first barrier or where the course narrows, rarely see any of my female competitors... When there's only 6 women and the top rider sprints off the line, you sprint too. So that's how it started- Maria riding as fast as she could right off the line.
I settled in fighting for 3rd place and reeling in 2nd place. This turned out to be the most tactical race I have ever experienced. I didn't know you could (or were supposed to) attack in CX racing! My strengths and weaknesses were evident on this course. I rocked out my technical riding skillz (I could stay on my bike and hop a log in the woods, railed through the downhill single track, and took the tight corners faster than my competitors) and my barrier jumping/bike carrying was in good form. Unfortunately, my weakness was pedaling. Pedaling is pretty important. I think my pedaling woes stemmed from my saddle being too high. I taped my seatpost when I packed my bike, so I didn't think it was too high until my lower back informed me that there was something extremely wrong. Maybe the TSA had something to do with it...
Needless to say with pedaling being a weakness, my position slowly dropped to fourth and then fifth, but not without a hard fight. I think if I had one more lap (that's always the story, right?) I could have re-caught the 4th place woman. I actually don't know what would have happened if I rode one more lap since I was dry heaving after the finish. I have spent the last 24 hours (and counting) hacking up yellow stuff from my lungs. Guess I raced pretty hard.
I met some PA Bellas who were helpful with a tire pump, pit wheels, and, most importantly, cheering. There's nothing like racing a gazillion miles from home and having some scream your name while your barreling through a turn. Thanks!
Next up- Twine Ball CX in Darwin, MN, and Mill City CX at Powderhorn Park. It'll be good to be home!
The Iron Cross Lite race proved to be a good use of time and resources. Wait, when is bike racing not a good use of time? The women's elite field was only 6 riders strong, but they were strong riders, alright. I could really feel the effects of the racing format we have in MN- women 1/2/3 + Men 3/4 and 45+. Usually I start in the back of the men's pack, start out pretty slow, have to stop at the first barrier or where the course narrows, rarely see any of my female competitors... When there's only 6 women and the top rider sprints off the line, you sprint too. So that's how it started- Maria riding as fast as she could right off the line.
I settled in fighting for 3rd place and reeling in 2nd place. This turned out to be the most tactical race I have ever experienced. I didn't know you could (or were supposed to) attack in CX racing! My strengths and weaknesses were evident on this course. I rocked out my technical riding skillz (I could stay on my bike and hop a log in the woods, railed through the downhill single track, and took the tight corners faster than my competitors) and my barrier jumping/bike carrying was in good form. Unfortunately, my weakness was pedaling. Pedaling is pretty important. I think my pedaling woes stemmed from my saddle being too high. I taped my seatpost when I packed my bike, so I didn't think it was too high until my lower back informed me that there was something extremely wrong. Maybe the TSA had something to do with it...
Needless to say with pedaling being a weakness, my position slowly dropped to fourth and then fifth, but not without a hard fight. I think if I had one more lap (that's always the story, right?) I could have re-caught the 4th place woman. I actually don't know what would have happened if I rode one more lap since I was dry heaving after the finish. I have spent the last 24 hours (and counting) hacking up yellow stuff from my lungs. Guess I raced pretty hard.
I met some PA Bellas who were helpful with a tire pump, pit wheels, and, most importantly, cheering. There's nothing like racing a gazillion miles from home and having some scream your name while your barreling through a turn. Thanks!
Next up- Twine Ball CX in Darwin, MN, and Mill City CX at Powderhorn Park. It'll be good to be home!
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