I'm 2-2 for successful rides at Hanson Hills: my two recreational rides there have been awesome, but my two races have been less than stellar. It would be easy to blame the conditions - both years have been cold and rainy - but that's only half of it. This year, at least, I'm in this mental funk when it comes to racing. I don't know if it's because so many other things demand my attention (busier at work, completing projects around the house, training Macie, etc.) or because I'm not racing in the same class as Mitch and my other friends (it is different not warming up with everyone and waiting around while they get ready), but I just haven't been in a very competitive, serious frame of mind when it comes to race day.
I think I'm in shape; or at least, as in shape as I've been for most other seasons. Training never gets as much attention as I'd like, but I'm getting out for a good, hard trail or road ride each weekend. I make an effort to get out during the week but sometimes that's easier said than done. Mitch needs to ride more than I do because he's much more invested in this season and I feel bad if we get home from work and both go out for a ride, leaving Macie in her crate again, so I usually stay home and hang out with her. At least my "lunchtime training" is fairly consistent so I'm holding my strength and conditioning.
Anyway, Hanson Hills: I cheered Mitch and the other expert racers on, briefly braving the rain that had started to fall. It came down intermittently during the two hours between their start and mine, but the clouds decided to open up in earnest right when I was supposed to be warming up. Well, I chose to stay dry for a bit longer and forewent the warm up. (Turns out that wasn't much of a loss...my muscles never loosened up during the whole 21 mile race.)
The first half of the first lap was a huge mental battle. It was cold. It was wet. The trail was slimy. I was tired. I could quit. I wasn't having fun. But then I realized I was being a super big wimp. Nobody likes a quitter. Mountain biking isn't easy and races aren't always going to be fun. They're a test of your physical and mental preparation, and I was failing. I made some resolutions about my attitude and training, then plugged on through both laps. I'm glad I did the race, glad I finished, and glad to have the chance to turn some things around.
Our next for-sure race isn't until August, but we have an awesome biking trip planned for July that will be tons of fun. We might try to pick up another race, too...we'll see. Michigan is having some State Games at the end of June that could be fun...
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Funny Guy
We've decided to postpone our summer vacation plans due to Chip's illness. Since he is the devil in feline form, we figure we're practically the only ones who can give him his medicine without anesthesia or massive amounts of bleeding. No biggie...we hadn't made any reservations or anything.
But the funny part was Mitch's boss's response when he asked to switch his time off.
Boss: So you're changing your vacation plans for a cat?
Mitch: Yeah.
Boss: I've got someone who can take care of that for you.
Mitch: ...uh, no thanks.
But the funny part was Mitch's boss's response when he asked to switch his time off.
Boss: So you're changing your vacation plans for a cat?
Mitch: Yeah.
Boss: I've got someone who can take care of that for you.
Mitch: ...uh, no thanks.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
One Crazy Week(ish)
I've been meaning to post a few quick pics from Zoo-de-Mack, which was was last weekend. This is the fourth year my family and I have hopped on our bikes and done at least some part of the 50-mile ride from Boyne Highlands to Mackinaw City.
Here's Mitch getting ready to leave. Macie and I dropped him off well before the rest of us started our ride, because the crazy guy decided to ride to Mackinaw and back. His first century went well, though he was pretty tired that night!
My awesome parents: Mom, sporting her new jersey from all us kids, rode all 50 miles for the first time ever.
I don't get to see my friends from high school much, so I jumped at the chance to ride with Amanda and Adrienne. We had fun chatting for the first 25 miles, then dropped into a speedy pace line after lunch. Zoom!
Before we headed home, we took Macie and Roxi (my parents' dog) to the beach for a swim.
So that weekend was awesome, but we came home to a sad situation: Chip, our cat, had barely touched his food all weekend and was looking practically emaciated. I had called our regular vet about a month ago to ask advice on getting him to eat, but she said the stress of the new dog probably decreased his appetite. By this point, though, he had me really scared so I called the Cat Clinic in Mt. Pleasant. Instead of simply stuffing them in the "cat claw" to give vaccinations, they actually put aggressive cats in the "tank" and give them anesthesia so they can do thorough examinations. Well, we got him in on Wednesday and after bloodwork and x-rays and the whole deal, they told me he had a very severe case of pneumonia. Poor kitty! They wanted to keep him overnight and put him in a room with oxygen, but they knew he wouldn't eat at the vet so he came home with us. Now he's on two different antibiotics, one of which will last four weeks, and we've been instructed to feed him anything he'll eat. So in addition to his cat food, he gets tons of treats, as much tuna as he'll eat and even some ice cream. We think he's doing better, but only time will tell.
Because of Chip's medicine schedule and the need to hand-feed him sometimes (he just needs calories!), we had to change our Memorial Day plans. Instead of spending the weekend at my parents' and racing at Bloomer on Saturday, we just went down there Sunday for a ride at Poto and some time at the lake. On the other days of this glorious long weekend, we ran errands and worked around the house. Accomplishments included:
*Buying a car! I've been driving a College vehicle for the past five years, but they're getting rid of them (and it's not really a perk...) so we needed have something by the end of June. We are now the proud owners of a 2004 Ford Explorer.
*Planting flowers! Our front walk and porch are now lined with pansies and zinneas. So bright and colorful! I'll be planting more around back this week, because I got way too many flats...
*Basement progress! Mitch and his dad hung drywall on the ceiling of the basement bedroom last week, and he mudded, sanded and re-mudded over the course of a few days. He also built a frame so we can box the beam and ductwork in with drywall, in preparation for installing the ceiling tiles in the main part of the basement.
And now the four-day week begins. I have two days of consulting sessions at work for a really cool part of our new administrative software system, and we're getting ready for a race at Hanson Hills. Woo-hoo!
Here's Mitch getting ready to leave. Macie and I dropped him off well before the rest of us started our ride, because the crazy guy decided to ride to Mackinaw and back. His first century went well, though he was pretty tired that night!
My awesome parents: Mom, sporting her new jersey from all us kids, rode all 50 miles for the first time ever.
I don't get to see my friends from high school much, so I jumped at the chance to ride with Amanda and Adrienne. We had fun chatting for the first 25 miles, then dropped into a speedy pace line after lunch. Zoom!
Before we headed home, we took Macie and Roxi (my parents' dog) to the beach for a swim.
So that weekend was awesome, but we came home to a sad situation: Chip, our cat, had barely touched his food all weekend and was looking practically emaciated. I had called our regular vet about a month ago to ask advice on getting him to eat, but she said the stress of the new dog probably decreased his appetite. By this point, though, he had me really scared so I called the Cat Clinic in Mt. Pleasant. Instead of simply stuffing them in the "cat claw" to give vaccinations, they actually put aggressive cats in the "tank" and give them anesthesia so they can do thorough examinations. Well, we got him in on Wednesday and after bloodwork and x-rays and the whole deal, they told me he had a very severe case of pneumonia. Poor kitty! They wanted to keep him overnight and put him in a room with oxygen, but they knew he wouldn't eat at the vet so he came home with us. Now he's on two different antibiotics, one of which will last four weeks, and we've been instructed to feed him anything he'll eat. So in addition to his cat food, he gets tons of treats, as much tuna as he'll eat and even some ice cream. We think he's doing better, but only time will tell.
Because of Chip's medicine schedule and the need to hand-feed him sometimes (he just needs calories!), we had to change our Memorial Day plans. Instead of spending the weekend at my parents' and racing at Bloomer on Saturday, we just went down there Sunday for a ride at Poto and some time at the lake. On the other days of this glorious long weekend, we ran errands and worked around the house. Accomplishments included:
*Buying a car! I've been driving a College vehicle for the past five years, but they're getting rid of them (and it's not really a perk...) so we needed have something by the end of June. We are now the proud owners of a 2004 Ford Explorer.
*Planting flowers! Our front walk and porch are now lined with pansies and zinneas. So bright and colorful! I'll be planting more around back this week, because I got way too many flats...
*Basement progress! Mitch and his dad hung drywall on the ceiling of the basement bedroom last week, and he mudded, sanded and re-mudded over the course of a few days. He also built a frame so we can box the beam and ductwork in with drywall, in preparation for installing the ceiling tiles in the main part of the basement.
And now the four-day week begins. I have two days of consulting sessions at work for a really cool part of our new administrative software system, and we're getting ready for a race at Hanson Hills. Woo-hoo!
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