The weather was too nice not to get on the bike during the holiday weekend and both of us were bitter when we'd see emails and facebook postings about these massive rides everyone got in. I got in a couple of easy hours each day and the boy posted up 2 of the days but ... still.
As a side note, I was sad to miss Somerville - even if I wasn't sick, I'm just not ready for that level of racing yet. I'll get back there - it's a fun race when people aren't trying to run over you. Congrats to some of the locals who made a great showing. More props to the girls and guys who posted up at Liberty ... I have yet to make that race but I've seen it and it ain't pretty. I noted some solid finishes for our local stars.
Health Note: For the past month or so, I've been fighting to keep up with races and just feeling kinda run down with no known reason. There was much frustration and a few tears as I wondered where my power went. All of a sudden, right around BikeJam, things started lighting back up. I had no trouble with races, decent jump ... THERE I am!! I assumed it was because I had been fighting something (see above) and once I got it out of my system, I was ok.
Makes logical sense, right? Well, this past weekend I was talking to my super-smart friend who,upon hearing my sob story, informed me that it was probably the allergy meds I put myself on - OTC Zyrtec. I've never experienced allergies and had no idea what to do about them so I started taking Zyrtec at the advice of another allergy sufferer. Unbeknownst to me, the antihistamine in these meds absolutely KILL your performance. I had been on them about a month and stopped a week or so before BikeJam. Coinky-dink? I think not. Allergy sufferers (and drug-takers) beware: research the meds you're taking as they could be holding you back for no good reason.Ride Sally Ride was this past weekend. It was a decent turn out for the women's field, despite a lot of the rock-stars being up at Liberty to play with the big-girls on the Wall. As with Somerville above- I'd love to do it but I'm just not there yet. So, Ride Sally Ride it was.
It's a closed triangle-shaped course in an industrial park with wide, sweeping turns. This didn't stop some from bombing the inside. We all know how well I deal with that. Nevertheless, we kept it fairly fast with attacks and primes scattered throughout the 32 lap race. At one point, NCVC went off with NorthTek and I thought to myself - self, if something is going to stick, this is probably it. So I jumped. And chased. For a good lap and a half, I chased. I gained ground and just as I was about to catch, I glanced behind me to see the field closing. On one hand, it was a wasted effort. On the other, it was an awesome chase and a great confidence builder. I sat on the field for a lap or two and, as we came into the final lap, I was sitting SECOND WHEEL. We were cruising, no one was coming around. Make the first turn, all good. Make the second turn, even better - flying! About half way to the last turn, the girl in front of me SAT UP. Seriously. I almost ran over her. Then had to jockey wheels (probably didn't make any friends in that frenzy) for the finish. I stood on the pedals and sprinted for all I was worth to make up spots. End result: 5th in the 1/2s. The day is a success if you get paid and even moreso if it at least covers the entry fee. Not the result I wanted but I'm getting there. All I need is progress and I'll keep on keeping on.
Kudos to the rest of the girls in the race who kept it relatively safe and congrats to Sonja for the big "W"!
Because I haven't had a good rant in a few weeks, I submit the following:
I recently heard about how I was a menace in a race ...oddly enough, I wasn't even in the same STATE that weekend. I drove several hours for an out-of-state race only to run into someone who, when I introduced myself, informed me about my supposed nefarious nature. I have heard more than one new acquaintance comment "oh, you're not the terrible person I heard you were".
I admit, at first it hurt my feelings. At this point, it's turned comical. I'm castigated if I even mention prior race lives -no names, no critique, simply reference points - and yet these baseless rumors continue. I'll spare my readers my normal rambling and leave it at this: if you are so shallow and closed-minded that you make judgements about people based on someone else's opinion without finding out for yourself, you deserve the reputation you gain when you publicly display the aforementioned character flaws.I used to think adults were so mature but I've learned we're just bigger kids, with bigger, more expensive toys and bigger egos.Try as we might, we won't stop the middle-school-lunch-table mentality. What we can do is lead by example. Do you stand up for and stand by friends? Do you treat others the way you wish them to treat you? We can't be perfect and we all make mistakes but that's not an excuse for ignorance and childish behavior. We look at ourselves every day in the mirror - can you honestly be proud of your words and actions?
{Steps down from the soapbox}
As for this weekend, I've completely lost my mind because I actually signed up for tomorrow's Airforce race in Clarendon. I guess I still believe "that which doesn't kill you, makes you stronger". Or, as Super C-O stated after the Tuesday night Freshbikes ride: "that which doesn't kill you, makes you want to kill your husband". I can't speak to that but Super Dave laughed nervously when he heard it.
Happy Friday - see you at the races!!
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