What better way to procrastinate and spread some holiday cheer than to elf yourself?
Here's my elf-self (and my family) putting on a show for you! Happy Holidays!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9619672869
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Fall Colors
Saturday was one of those picture-perfect fall days! It was a balmy 70 degrees, sunny and crystal clear. The sky was a stunning deep blue, the mountains were snowcapped and the fall colors were spectacular! I could think of no better way to spend the day than riding my bike...Here's just a sampling of the day's beauty:
Sunday morning was quite a different scene...
The first snow of the season!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Flat Tires Suck
Well yesterday's CCTT was shaping up to be a great race... the weather was great, I finally got in a good warm-up, I felt good, and being my last CCTT this season, I had the motivation to kick some butt! Unfortunately, I got a front flat going up the hill and the race was over for me. :( I walked back toward the start for a while before a kind recreational cyclist rescued me and donated a tube and the use of his pump. I didn't have any desire to finish the course at that point (why bother?) so I just rode back to the start (avoiding crossing the finish line) and let them know that I DNF. I was pretty bummed about that because it was my last chance to get anywhere close to this season's goal. This season was really disappointing for me compared to last season. I guess I just need to train harder for next season.
And for some icing on the cake, I got a rear flat on my lunchtime ride today! Argh! I suppose it could have been worse... at least I had everything I needed to fix it. Had I forgotten to put my seat bag back on after the race last night, I might have been stranded out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but mooing cows.
Well I'm already starting to get nervous in anticipation of this weekend's Ward 150. There's no way I'll be riding 150 miles, but I plan to do one of the three loops (50 miles) plus riding to and from the house for a grand total of 62 miles (according to Erik's calculations). What makes me nervous is that I've never done this climb up to Ward so I don't know what to expect. From what I hear, it's a pretty tough climb, and with the shape I'm in right now, I predict that it will be very painful. Erik says I'll be cursing at mile 15 because it's so steep there... Joy!
And for some icing on the cake, I got a rear flat on my lunchtime ride today! Argh! I suppose it could have been worse... at least I had everything I needed to fix it. Had I forgotten to put my seat bag back on after the race last night, I might have been stranded out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but mooing cows.
Well I'm already starting to get nervous in anticipation of this weekend's Ward 150. There's no way I'll be riding 150 miles, but I plan to do one of the three loops (50 miles) plus riding to and from the house for a grand total of 62 miles (according to Erik's calculations). What makes me nervous is that I've never done this climb up to Ward so I don't know what to expect. From what I hear, it's a pretty tough climb, and with the shape I'm in right now, I predict that it will be very painful. Erik says I'll be cursing at mile 15 because it's so steep there... Joy!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Mother's Day
On Saturday, we went down to visit Erik's mom. We had a very nice day with good company and good food. We ventured out of the house for a couple of hours to catch the movie Hot Fuzz which was amusing but not a candidate for my favorites list. I probably missed out on most of the humor just because I didn't get the references to other movies. Oh well.
Today has been a lazy Sunday. After waking up and eating breakfast, Erik and I discussed going for a bike ride, but ultimately decided that a nap sounded more appealing. So we crawled back into bed and napped until it was time to get ready to go over to my parents' house for a Mother's Day BBQ. Then after we got back home from the BBQ, we napped again. Usually I'm not a big fan of naps but they sure were nice today!
The BBQ was a good time as well. It was nice to see Gran & Ivan whom we haven't seen since our wedding. It was a nice way to celebrate mother's day with family, friends, food, and sunshine. :)
Mom being silly, hanging out with Gran & Mike.
Today has been a lazy Sunday. After waking up and eating breakfast, Erik and I discussed going for a bike ride, but ultimately decided that a nap sounded more appealing. So we crawled back into bed and napped until it was time to get ready to go over to my parents' house for a Mother's Day BBQ. Then after we got back home from the BBQ, we napped again. Usually I'm not a big fan of naps but they sure were nice today!
The BBQ was a good time as well. It was nice to see Gran & Ivan whom we haven't seen since our wedding. It was a nice way to celebrate mother's day with family, friends, food, and sunshine. :)
Mom being silly, hanging out with Gran & Mike.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
CCTT Report
CCTT #4 was another CRAZY WINDY day! That type of wind is so demoralizing because you're pushing as hard as you can but still your average speed is pathetic! It's fun when the headwind becaomes a tailwind though! :)
CCTT #5 had beautiful weather... finally! Poor Erik was so bummed because he forgot his cycling shoes so he couldn't ride. He is still convinced that it was the one chance he had to run a really fast time (because the weather was ideal) but since he didn't ride, he'll never know. As it turns out, Erik and I are about the same size, which makes it pretty convenient because we can share things like clothes, shoes, and bikes! So with Erik unable to ride, I decided to try his TT-specific bike and aero helmet. The bike is a bit sketchy at slow speeds and on sharp turns because the position is so aggressive, but in the aero position at high speed, it handled better. The bar end shifters were really nice! The theory was that I wouldn't have to take my my hands off the aero bars throughout the whole race, but it ended up not being the case because stupid me neglected to adjust the aero helmet to fit my head before the race so it kept falling down over my eyes so every few seconds I had to reach up to fix it... all that probably entirely negated any aerodynamic advantage I may have gained from the TT bike and helmet. Oh well. I don't have any desire to use that gear again though... the position was too aggressive for me and I didn't feel like I could make as much power. Not to mention, my neck was SO sore afterward.
Congratulations to everyone for riding so well this week. It took me FOREVER to catch Jeanie and Marni... you girls were riding really strong!
Race #4 (5/2/07) - 31:35 - Crazy windy, again! (11th out of 21)
Race #5 (5/9/07) - 29:18 - My fastest time yet but it's hard to say whether it was a result of the aero gear, the good weather, or both. But the weird thing is that I actually felt slower this week, probably because it took me so long to pass Jeanie and Marni. (12th out of 26)
CCTT #5 had beautiful weather... finally! Poor Erik was so bummed because he forgot his cycling shoes so he couldn't ride. He is still convinced that it was the one chance he had to run a really fast time (because the weather was ideal) but since he didn't ride, he'll never know. As it turns out, Erik and I are about the same size, which makes it pretty convenient because we can share things like clothes, shoes, and bikes! So with Erik unable to ride, I decided to try his TT-specific bike and aero helmet. The bike is a bit sketchy at slow speeds and on sharp turns because the position is so aggressive, but in the aero position at high speed, it handled better. The bar end shifters were really nice! The theory was that I wouldn't have to take my my hands off the aero bars throughout the whole race, but it ended up not being the case because stupid me neglected to adjust the aero helmet to fit my head before the race so it kept falling down over my eyes so every few seconds I had to reach up to fix it... all that probably entirely negated any aerodynamic advantage I may have gained from the TT bike and helmet. Oh well. I don't have any desire to use that gear again though... the position was too aggressive for me and I didn't feel like I could make as much power. Not to mention, my neck was SO sore afterward.
Congratulations to everyone for riding so well this week. It took me FOREVER to catch Jeanie and Marni... you girls were riding really strong!
Race #4 (5/2/07) - 31:35 - Crazy windy, again! (11th out of 21)
Race #5 (5/9/07) - 29:18 - My fastest time yet but it's hard to say whether it was a result of the aero gear, the good weather, or both. But the weird thing is that I actually felt slower this week, probably because it took me so long to pass Jeanie and Marni. (12th out of 26)
Monday, April 30, 2007
It was just one of those days...
Work was work... a normal day, I guess. But then before I headed home, I had to stop in on my mom's kittens because my parents were out of town. The kittens were less than a week old... very tiny!
They had all been nursing and looked fat and happy the day before when I stopped in. But today, one was dead. Just like that! Dead! I don't understand it! I was distraught, of course, and rushed the kittens and mama cat to the emergency vet to make sure there was nothing wrong with the others that might just lead to the same fate. Thankfully, the vet said they looked healthy aside from a minor umbilical infection in one of the kittens, for which she gave me antibiotics.
Erik called just as I was leaving the vet (around 8:30 pm) wondering why I wasn't home yet. Needless to say, I was all shaken up and hadn't eaten anything since lunchtime. I told him I had to take the kittens back to my parents' house and watch over them a little longer to make sure they were ok, so he would have to fend for himself for dinner. Well instead he surprised me by showing up at their house, dinner in hand. :) What a sweetheart!
Well when life gives you lemons, it's nice to know you have a husband who will make lemonade for you. :)
They had all been nursing and looked fat and happy the day before when I stopped in. But today, one was dead. Just like that! Dead! I don't understand it! I was distraught, of course, and rushed the kittens and mama cat to the emergency vet to make sure there was nothing wrong with the others that might just lead to the same fate. Thankfully, the vet said they looked healthy aside from a minor umbilical infection in one of the kittens, for which she gave me antibiotics.Erik called just as I was leaving the vet (around 8:30 pm) wondering why I wasn't home yet. Needless to say, I was all shaken up and hadn't eaten anything since lunchtime. I told him I had to take the kittens back to my parents' house and watch over them a little longer to make sure they were ok, so he would have to fend for himself for dinner. Well instead he surprised me by showing up at their house, dinner in hand. :) What a sweetheart!
Well when life gives you lemons, it's nice to know you have a husband who will make lemonade for you. :)
Friday, April 27, 2007
Night out with the "Valley Kids"
I went down to Denver last night to visit some friends from the Vail Valley that I haven't seen in years. It was so good to see them again! We had a nice time just catching up, then we went to a club downtown where we snacked on yummy sushi while listening to a DJ friend of theirs spin some records. I definitely have to get together with them more often.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
CCTT Report
I'm racing in the Cherry Creek Time Trials (CCTT) again this year (a.k.a. KHMTT). The series is 7 weeks long with a race every Wednesday night. The course is 10.5 miles long and winds around the Cherry Creek Reservoir.
My start time this year is 6:28:20 and each week I race against the clock to see if I can beat my best time. My best time last year was 27:54 so I set a goal of 27:30 for this year. I think it's a long-shot because I haven't really done much training this year, but we'll see.
This year's results so far:
Race #1 (4/11/07) - 32:07 (13th out of 28) - I missed my start time due to a long line at the registration tent.
Race #2 (4/18/07) - 32:33 (16th out of 32) - CRAZY WINDY!
Race #3 (4/25/07) - 18:31 - WooHoo! I kicked butt in this one! Ok... not really. Due to flooding, the course was shortened from 10.5 miles to about 6 miles, which explains the super fast time. But I still moved up in my category (11th out of 24)
It looks like I have a big chunk of time to make up if I expect to make my goal... and only 4 races left to do it!
Click here for details about the race series.
Click here to see the official results.
Here are a couple of pics from CCTT#3 (Courtesy of Chris Plesko)
What? This isn't a team time trial?
I thought the race was supposed to be AROUND the reservoir...
not THROUGH it!
My start time this year is 6:28:20 and each week I race against the clock to see if I can beat my best time. My best time last year was 27:54 so I set a goal of 27:30 for this year. I think it's a long-shot because I haven't really done much training this year, but we'll see.
This year's results so far:
Race #1 (4/11/07) - 32:07 (13th out of 28) - I missed my start time due to a long line at the registration tent.
Race #2 (4/18/07) - 32:33 (16th out of 32) - CRAZY WINDY!
Race #3 (4/25/07) - 18:31 - WooHoo! I kicked butt in this one! Ok... not really. Due to flooding, the course was shortened from 10.5 miles to about 6 miles, which explains the super fast time. But I still moved up in my category (11th out of 24)
It looks like I have a big chunk of time to make up if I expect to make my goal... and only 4 races left to do it!
Click here for details about the race series.
Click here to see the official results.
Here are a couple of pics from CCTT#3 (Courtesy of Chris Plesko)
not THROUGH it!
Monday, April 23, 2007
Real Dirt
I tried really hard to wuss out of this one, but Erik wouldn't have it. Sunday was my first "real" mountain biking experience... and it was a blast! There were a few moments when I wanted to cry, but overall it was much easier and less scary than I expected. I still maintain that me + techical_stuff != a_happy_camper ... I guess I'll just have to stay on the easy trails.
I think what we rode was the Bear Creek Trail at the Lair 'o the Bear park down near Morrison. It was a beautiful day for riding, but that also meant there were plenty of other people out on the trail as well. Aside from a few not-so-courteous riders, the crowds weren't too much of an issue.
Here are a couple of pictures, again, courtesy of Chris Pleko
And of course, the most anticipated part of the day (FOOD) was quite enjoyable... we loaded up on yummy pasta at Tony Rigatoni's! We missed Chris & Marni and Mike & Jeanie at the after-feast but Chris & Marni weren't feeling well and Mike & Jeanie had to get back home to the babysitter.
Huge props to Marni for not only finishing this trail for her first time ever but for doing it while feeling majorly crappy the whole time! She looked so not-happy and I wished there was something I could do to help. I was so impressed that she stuck it out!
Thanks again to Chris & Marni for loaning me the Cannondale and thanks to Erik for suffering on the single-speed with platform pedals so that I could use his clipless pedals and shoes!
I think what we rode was the Bear Creek Trail at the Lair 'o the Bear park down near Morrison. It was a beautiful day for riding, but that also meant there were plenty of other people out on the trail as well. Aside from a few not-so-courteous riders, the crowds weren't too much of an issue.
Here are a couple of pictures, again, courtesy of Chris Pleko
And of course, the most anticipated part of the day (FOOD) was quite enjoyable... we loaded up on yummy pasta at Tony Rigatoni's! We missed Chris & Marni and Mike & Jeanie at the after-feast but Chris & Marni weren't feeling well and Mike & Jeanie had to get back home to the babysitter.
Huge props to Marni for not only finishing this trail for her first time ever but for doing it while feeling majorly crappy the whole time! She looked so not-happy and I wished there was something I could do to help. I was so impressed that she stuck it out!
Thanks again to Chris & Marni for loaning me the Cannondale and thanks to Erik for suffering on the single-speed with platform pedals so that I could use his clipless pedals and shoes!
Spring Break
Erik found this "spring break training plan" in Bicycling magazine and decided it would be a good way for us to whip ourselves into shape in a hurry. The basic concept was to do nothing but eat, sleep, ride and work for two weeks. Well we modified it a bit to fit our schedules, but here's how it turned out for me...
Friday - Carter Lake Loop ~35 miles
Saturday - Rode down to meet Chris Plesko at his race and then rode the Carter Lake Loop again with Chris, Dave Nice and Erik ~ 60 miles total
Sunday - Introduction to mountain biking with the girls (see details in another post) - I have no idea how many miles we rode but we were out there for about an hour and a half
Monday - Lunchtime ride from work ~ 1 hour
Tuesday - Day Off
Wednesday - Cherry Creek Time Trial #2 - CRAZY WINDY! Slow and miserable - 32:33 plus a short warmup (~10 min)
Thursday - Easy spin in the evening ~ 45 min
Friday - Rode down to visit Erik at work taking some scenic detours ~ 50 miles
Saturday - I was supposed to ride up to Ward with Erik but I wussed out and stayed home to do laundry instead... probably a good thing because he said it was snowing and freezing cold up there... I would have been miserable.
Sunday - My first "real" mountain biking trip... See the details in another post. ~12 miles, I think
So... I guess I didn't ride nearly as much as the training plan called for, but it was more than usual so I think it improved my fitness a little. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next time trial.
Here are a couple pictures from the ride to Carter Lake on Saturday...
Friday - Carter Lake Loop ~35 miles
Saturday - Rode down to meet Chris Plesko at his race and then rode the Carter Lake Loop again with Chris, Dave Nice and Erik ~ 60 miles total
Sunday - Introduction to mountain biking with the girls (see details in another post) - I have no idea how many miles we rode but we were out there for about an hour and a half
Monday - Lunchtime ride from work ~ 1 hour
Tuesday - Day Off
Wednesday - Cherry Creek Time Trial #2 - CRAZY WINDY! Slow and miserable - 32:33 plus a short warmup (~10 min)
Thursday - Easy spin in the evening ~ 45 min
Friday - Rode down to visit Erik at work taking some scenic detours ~ 50 miles
Saturday - I was supposed to ride up to Ward with Erik but I wussed out and stayed home to do laundry instead... probably a good thing because he said it was snowing and freezing cold up there... I would have been miserable.
Sunday - My first "real" mountain biking trip... See the details in another post. ~12 miles, I think
So... I guess I didn't ride nearly as much as the training plan called for, but it was more than usual so I think it improved my fitness a little. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next time trial.
Here are a couple pictures from the ride to Carter Lake on Saturday...
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Monkey Biking
Today Marni and Melissa took me out for a low-intimidation introduction to Mountain Biking. We rode on a trail that goes through the dog park near Chris & Marni's house and it was the perfect place for me to get used to the shifting and the feel of a mountain bike. And I didn't have to worry about making a fool of myself in front of the boys! Thanks Marni and Melissa! I had a blast and I think you sufficiently cured my silly fear of the dirt!
PS - Thanks to Chris & Marni for hooking me up with a bike to ride!
Here are some pictures...
The Three Bike-eteers!
Melissa
Marni
PS - Thanks to Chris & Marni for hooking me up with a bike to ride!
Here are some pictures...
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Opening Day
Welcome to my blog! This is the inaugural post to something that (hopefully) I'll update regularly so that I can share life's ups and downs with all of you, my loyal readers.
It seems you're not really up to speed in today's world of technology unless you have an iPod, a MySpace account, and a Blog. Well I guess now I've got #2 and #3 covered (although I'll warn you, my MySpace page is about as "default" as you can get... BORING). But I still haven't really felt any strong desire to get an iPod... or a flashy cell phone loaded with features I'll never use... or an HDTV... or a GPS in-dash navigation system... or an Elmo TMX... I guess I'm just behind the times. But hey, this blog is one step forward.
It seems you're not really up to speed in today's world of technology unless you have an iPod, a MySpace account, and a Blog. Well I guess now I've got #2 and #3 covered (although I'll warn you, my MySpace page is about as "default" as you can get... BORING). But I still haven't really felt any strong desire to get an iPod... or a flashy cell phone loaded with features I'll never use... or an HDTV... or a GPS in-dash navigation system... or an Elmo TMX... I guess I'm just behind the times. But hey, this blog is one step forward.
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