Turkey Day Solo

This morning, I woke up determined to catch up on housework, homework, laundry, mail, and basically everything I’ve been ignoring for days, maybe weeks.  By the way, if you haven’t received a reply regarding your Facebook message, email, text, or phone call, be assured that I have a sticky note on my desk with your name on it.

My good intentions took a nosedive as soon as I opened the front door to take out the trash.  What a beautiful day.  No, make that Capital Letter, Underlined, Beautiful Day!  The temperature was perfect, the sun shining, and a steady breeze carrying the faintest scent of autumn.  This was just too good to pass up.  I can do housework on rainy days, I argued with myself.  I didn’t have to argue long….myself didn’t put up much of a fight.

I grabbed my mountain bike, all my gear, tossed the trash in the dumpster as I passed by, and pedaled happily toward Turkey Mountain.

Riding alone at Turkey Mountain is not something I do very often anymore.  And I usually let everyone else map out the route.  To me, there are just too many choices.  I’m like a kid in a candy store.  I want to go here…no there…and I want that too, I can’t decide!  So on the way over today, I tried to mentally work out where I would ride.  By the time I reached TM, I still hadn’t come up with a plan.  So I decided to just see where I landed.

The first place I tackled was the newest trail with the tabletop jumps.  I had ridden this once with Sharon, and it was time to try again.  I locked out my rear suspension and dropped in.  The first couple of jumps are usually pretty sketchy, but as I get warmed up they get better.  I like the table tops because you have a sort of safety net.  And I need that safety net.  But on a 29’er, I feel like a Clydesdale in a steeplechase in that section.

I came out on the bike path, crossed over to ride Lo Chi, and then climbed to the top of Turkey.  I decided to ride Tree Hugger, since I needed to work on my cornering.  Tree Hugger is just the place to do it.  It’s a slightly downhill single-track, curving its way through turn after turn with trees hugging the trail all the way down.  The ride back up is an easy, gradual climb, making this the perfect place to practice my turns.  I am determined to put the Squid nickname behind me.  I want a nickname that signifies determination…perseverance…speed….recklessness.  Anything but Squid!

I rode Tree Hugger five or six times, getting braver and faster each time.  Deciding to stop while I was ahead, I moved on to Millennium, the North end of Hi Chi, then on to Jelly Legs.  I popped out on the Snake and made my way back toward the parking lot, looking for the trail that Sharon had told me about, a trail that bisects the Snake.  Sure enough, I found it and rode through.  I couldn’t believe I had never noticed this trail before.  Very sweet and fast.  This would be a great one for the Slademan to ride when he comes to visit, if I can pull him away from a book. 

Soon it was back to the parking lot and onto the paved path home.  Man, I felt so much better after getting out for the day!  Time for a shower!  While pedaling along on the ride back, I concluded that mountain biking is like taking a mental shower.  Forget the water, soap, and shampoo.  Rinse your mind in adrenaline, and scrub your worries away with a little fear and exhilaration!

Now to catch up on at least one or two things, and then get ready for my Swing Dance lesson tonight! Fun, Fun! 

Disappointment and Anticipation

I had to work on Sunday, so I didn't get to race.  But winter night rides are beginning soon and that should provide plenty of entertainment!  Headlamps, mountain bikes, rocks, and trees.  Roll the dice, baby!!
My friend, Sharon won the race so congratulations for her first win!!  She thanked me profusely for not showing up.  LOL!  She claimed her new glasses caused her to hit a tree.  And this photo is hilarious proof.  Yes, that's a tree branch hanging out of her bike shorts!

And congrats to her son, the Mac Attack, for his first win.  Look for him in the pros some day.  He is awesome.

Keystone

Tuesday morning began like any normal day.  I did a pretty mean home weight workout, and then received a call from my #1 riding buddy Sharon.

        “Want to ride the race course at Keystone today?”  Since I was still pretty revved by my morning workout, I readily agreed.   “Sure!  Come pick me up on your way.”  Enthusiasm should always win out over common sense, in my opinion. 

A mountain bike race would be at Keystone this weekend and I had missed riding the course with the LunaChix earlier in the week, so pre-riding the course today wouldn’t be a bad idea.  I’m still not sure if I’ll be available on race day, but just in case…

                

        We loaded my bike in the van and drove out to Keystone trail.  After riding Turkey Mountain so often, this would be a welcome change, I thought.  Plus, Sharon informed me that they were omitting the “expert” loop from the race.  Sweeeeet!

We began the first lap with Sharon setting the pace.  The first sections were not too bad, although there were several tight turns.  Sharp, slow turns are my weakest point on the mountain bike.  I will volunteer to go over, up, or down almost anything, but don’t ask me to do a tight turn, especially if sand is anywhere in sight.  I made the unfortunate mistake of confessing my weakness to the guys at the Trek store recently.    Jeff immediately offered a little trivia on the subject of turning.

        

        “Do you know that squids can’t turn?  They can only go in straight lines,” he informed me.   I still don’t know if that’s true, but Devon jumped in immediately and officially declared that I would hereby be known as “Squid”.  Great!  Remind me never to confide in those guys again.

So the first section I could use some practice on.  But the best was yet to come.  One of the first of many hurdles we encountered was a dry creek crossing, followed immediately by a technical uphill climb.  Sharon was unsuccessful on the first attempt, as was I.  So we walked our bikes back, studying the possible lines for the next attempt.

 

Sharon and I have a tried-and-true system worked out for conquering obstacles.  She carefully studies the lay of the land, assesses the angles, and tries to figure out the best line that offers even a remote chance of success.

 

“I think if you went around this, then veered quickly to the right, and then up the middle, don’t fall off the cliff on that side, and make sure you get up enough speed to get your front tire over that….”  It’s brilliantly simple.  She maps it…I ride it.  So far it has worked out well. 

In fact, after once declaring a downhill section to be impossible, I noted that it had a slim possibility of success if only a certain, annoying little tree wasn't blocking my path.  She immediately wrestled the sapling to the ground and I rode the section successfully, hence our saying when faced with a difficult obstacle.  “If you’ll just hold back that tree, please….”

She mapped this one out perfectly and we were able to ride it successfully on the subsequent attempt.  Next up was a really tough one…a very narrow gap between two large boulders which would require unclipping at least one pedal to squeeze through.  Immediately following the rocks, we were faced with a rough creek crossing, then a very sharp right turn up a steep hill.   The difficulty we encountered was not being able to get clipped back in fast enough to be ready for the loose, rocky uphill climb on the other side.  After a lot of studying, I was finally able to ride it, but only by veering off the trail on the other side and sort of straightening out the turn a bit.

Obstacle three was even tougher…crossing a difficult rock garden, followed by a downhill U-turn to the right, then another rock obstacle where one really needed to be attached to one’s bike.  I finally conquered that one after several attempts by powering through the first rock garden with breath held, fingers mentally crossed, then unclipping my right foot and using it to maintain balance on the turn.  I had to get clipped back in quickly, though, to get over the next few rocks.  Whew!  This is the course without the ‘expert’ loop?  I do not want to see the expert loop anytime soon!

One more difficult spot awaited us…a long, technical climb that required what I call, “just gutting it out”.  Concentrate on turning the pedals, staying upright, moving forward, and letting the chips fall where they may.  There was only one rock on the climb that neither of us conquered, but we figured a little adrenaline on race day would probably provide the solution.

We arrived back at the parking lot and decided to do a second loop.  This time we knew where the most difficult spots were and would try to be better prepared mentally.  We joked that we should post warning signs before each tough section.  At the most challenging spot?  Maybe just a picture of praying hands.

 

So now my goal is to find a coworker willing to switch days with me.  And that may prove more challenging than any bike ride!

Warrior Dash 2011

Today was the day!  Warrior Dash had finally arrived.  My mountain biking buddy, Sharon, had talked me into yet another crazy event and now all those weeks days hours minutes of training were going to pay off.  After all, I had run at least one mile, maybe two, in preparation for this outrageous event.  I was ready!  Besides, who could stay indoors on a beautiful day like this?  Our friend Lisa had bailed on us for a real race, so it was just the two of us today.

Wrong!

Our attire was a result of a last minute trip to the Salvation Army store.  For a mere $17, we had all our disposable clothing and we were ready to go.  We met at my house and rode our bikes to Turkey Mountain, saving the $10 shuttle fee and a certain attack of motion sickness for me, I’m sure.

The Turkey Mountain parking lot had been transformed.  Live music, beer, and lots of sights to see.  Some were so wrong…

And some were just right!

RIGHT!

We took our obligatory before photo, fresh and ready to run.  This was going
to be a blast!  We were in the 12:30 start wave, and took our places in the crowd.  After what seemed an eternity, a enormous plume of flames shot into the sky ahead of us, and we began to slowly move forward.   After following the paved bike for a bit, we turned into the woods and onto the mountain bike trail.

We decided early to drop to the back of the pack.  This would enable us to take pictures and goof around without holding anyone up.  At least, we said it was a conscious decision.  Maybe we decided as we dropped back.  Either way, getting to the back of this pack was almost impossible.  There were some seriously out-of-shape people in this fun crowd.  For the first mile, we listened to the extremely labored breathing of a woman directly behind us.  We tried moving ahead of her or dropping behind her, but somehow she kept turning up near us again, literally breathing down our necks.
 

Our first obstacle was the Road Rage, a collection of junk cars and old tires.  We grunted and groaned our way up and over the cars and through the tires, heart rates increasing with every step.  Wow.  This was a full body workout. 

Barricades & Barbed Wire

Next up were the barricades, alternating with barbed wire fences.  The race site had optimistically instructed that you hurdle the barricades and crawl under the fences.  I think “hurdle” was a bit too strong to describe my technique.  The first few might have had vague hints of a hurdle, but by the third one, it could better be described as a pathetic slither.  And if you haven’t crawled under a barbed-wire fence in a while, let me tell you, it’s not as easy as it once was.

Rubber Ricochet

The Rubber Ricochet wasn’t too bad since we didn’t have a lot of people swing the tires at us.  However, that didn’t seem to help Sharon stay on course.  Of course, nothing does…

The Cliffhanger was next.  Described as rappelling down a steep ravine on the website, a slight alteration in plan had developed. We were actually rappelling up the ravine.  Fortunately, it really couldn’t be described as steep.   That was an easy one.  No sweat.  We then turned left onto the Lo Chi trail.  Sharon and I are very familiar with this terrain from a mountain bike perspective.   But today it didn’t seem to flow quite like it did when you were attached to the pedals.

Chaotic Crossover

By now, we were back in sync with the gasping woman again.  I gained a little reassurance when I saw the medics up ahead.  At least help was nearby if she needed it.  Because up ahead was the first challenge with some real teeth to it—the Chaotic Crossover.  An elevated platform with cargo netting stretched across.  What made this an awkward crossing was that as you were stepping down, someone else nearby was also putting weight on the ropes, causing a seesaw motion that really threw you off balance. 

After a brief rest stop for water, we began to climb up.  There was no speed involved here at all, since it was now single file.  This was more like a very crowded hike.  A very crowded steep hike.  As we passed by, a guy was off to the side of the trail. He was trying to be unobtrusive as he lost his breakfast or lunch.  Or maybe he had one of those giant turkey legs and beer before the start.  Whatever it was, he helpfully called out advice to us as we passed by.  “Know your limitations!”

I had to laugh.  If we haven’t learned them by now, it probably wasn’t going to happen.  Next up was a girl, sitting down with a couple of medics tending to her with oxygen.   We continued to the top and gratefully some level ground.

The Deadweight Drifter awaited us next.   Thank goodness it had rained recently or this could have been really bad.  Not only would we have been choking on dust up to this point, but the pond would have been so stagnant and shallow we could have walked over it.  The water was cold, though, so I had to just hold my nose and go underwater all at once.  I am still not a cold water person and slowly wading in is just torture.  This obstacle was actually a blast once you acclimated to the water.  After a post swim photo, we were off to the Cargo Climb.

The Cargo Climb was just too much fun.  We lingered there to take a few more photos.  Next up were the Deadman’s Drop and the Giant Cliffhanger.  Neither of these lived up to their names, although I did see a girl take an amusing tumble from the Cliffhanger.  But she was OK, no damage done.

The route then took us down the trail known as the Lip Buster.  At the bottom, Muddy Mayhem!  A pit full of mud!  How much more fun can you get?  I managed to get in a great slide and then mimicked swimming across the rest.  Had I know this area was being broadcast on a giant screen in the parking lot, I might have taken a more ladylike approach.   I could have stayed here all day!  We emerged onto pavement again, with a huge crowd behind the ropes, watching the action.   They were all so clean!  And here I was, standing in an inch of slimy mud.  I stomped my foot down firmly and watched the mud splatter a few in the front.  That got such a response that I pretended to slide my foot to throw mud over everyone.  I didn’t, but judging by their cheers, I think they would have enjoyed it.

Finally, the Warrior Roast.  I attempted to snap a photo of Sharon jumping over the flames, but didn’t time it right.  By now my camera was so dirty that I couldn’t see the screen, it was point, shoot, and hope for the best.

After rinsing off, we picked up our belongings and made our way to the beer tent for our free beer.  I hate beer, but since I had officially earned this, I was required to drink it.  We milled about a bit longer, then grabbed our bikes and headed back.

This was a great event.   I would highly recommend it for the sheer fun factor.  But if you want to place better than we did, don’t stop to goof around and take pictures.  We placed 3049^th and 3053^rd out of about 7500 entrants.  Yes, while I was graciously entertaining the troops and taking photos, Sharon deviously passed me in the ranks.  No wonder she had that smirk on her face as she jumped the fire!


 BUT THERE'S ALWAYS NEXT YEAR, TRAITOR!! 

Making her break for the finish line

What?? You're Still Here???

Sorry old blog.  I had almost forgotten you.  But here you still sit, faithful, loyal, patiently waiting.  So now that I've found you again, I think I'll resume my posts.  So what if a couple of years have gone by?  I'll start with tomorrow's race...The Warrior Dash.  

It is described as as "a mud-crawling, fire-leaping, extreme run from hell.  This fierce running series is held on the most challenging and rugged terrain across the globe.  Warriors conquer extreme obstacles, push their limits, and celebrate with kick-ass music, beer, and warrior helmets."

How could this go wrong?

....in too many ways to count...

Hmmm...

Isn't Life The Most Wonderful Thing?

The Temptations of Tulsa Time

Living on Tulsa Time is pretty sweet, I’ve found. I miss my family, of course, but there are so many things to fill the hours. So many choices…so little time! And unfortunately, moderation is not my strong point.

The first temptation is road cycling, naturally. I purposely chose my living quarters to be right along the bike path. I can practically step out my door and onto the River Trail to ride or run anytime. It is one sweet setup, I guarantee. And you can always find someone interesting to ride with or a sweet wheel to latch onto.

Also, the Wednesday night ride begins just across the river. The WNR is both a ride and a social event. After the ride, everyone sits around visiting and consuming alcoholic beverages, if available. Fortunately, my friend Scott brought wine for me which resulted in my first intoxicated ride home on the bike. Thank goodness I don’t have to ride on the streets!

The second temptation is mountain biking. So far I just haven’t had time to include a ride on Turkey Mountain. I’ve been told that it can be very technical and you can find yourself in some precarious predicaments if you don’t know the trails…and I don’t. Fortunately, I met Heidi, one of the Luna Chix, at the Wednesday night ride last week. So I’m sure that I’ll be hitting the trails with the Luna Chix very soon. Since my next adventure includes riding from Durango to Moab on a mountain bike in August, you would think I would be practicing a bit. But, as I’ve said before, common sense and moderation are not my strong points.

The third temptation is running. The Fleet Feet store conducts a coaching program for various runs throughout the year. I signed up last week to train for the Route 66 Half Marathon. The sign-up instructions stated that, in order to join this group, you should be able to “run four miles without stopping”.

Since I don’t run very often, I paused a moment to consider this before filling out the form. My final, convoluted conclusion was that just because I don’t run four miles without stopping, doesn’t mean that I can’t run four miles without stopping. Right? Isn't that what they really mean?

So I attended the first training run on Saturday. The humidity level, just short of rain, combined with the heat to create an atmosphere surprisingly similar to warm maple syrup. I made the five miles without stopping. Very impressive, I thought at the time. But today, instead of being outside moving, I’m sitting here wincing with every movement. The sounds I make when I'm forced to change positions must have the neighbors close to dialing 911.

The fourth temptation is swimming. One of the perks of St. John employment is the use of the health club at a discounted price. Gary, who works at the front desk, took my photo for my Health Club ID. Gary is undoubtedly the worst photographer in the entire history of photography! In my photo, I appear to have been on a 10-day drunk, followed by a serious, near-fatal illness for several weeks.

I am forced to surrender this hideous ID card every time I check in for a workout. When I return to pick up my ID card, Gary inevitably searches the counter for my card saying, “Now where is that annoying photo?” Funny guy, that Gary!

In addition to the weight workouts, spin classes, and yoga, the health club has two swimming pools. Since I’ve never been much of a swimmer, I imposed on my triathlon friend, David, to teach me the basics of swimming.

David’s patience was put to the test on swim lesson day, I’m sure. The first thing we learned is that I cannot swim a single lap without a nose plug. It never fails that water migrates up my nose to the most painful spots imaginable. So now I wear a nose plug when I swim. Also, the water seems to have a love/hate relationship with my ears. It loves to plug them up and I hate it! So I also have earplugs. A ridiculous orange swim cap and goggles complete the picture. Thank goodness I’m past the point in my life where I care what people think about my appearance!

David informed me that I had pretty good speed “for a beginner”. I tried to pretend that it was due to some inborn natural physical ability and talent. But deep down inside, I knew that it was probably a result of my wide, flipper-like feet. They’re like propellers in the water!

And the best thing about swimming lessons is learning that the health club also has a hot tub!!!! It’s hidden away behind a glass wall near the therapeutic pool. I don’t think a lot of people are aware that it exists and I usually have it all to myself. It’s HEAVEN after a 12-hour shift! And Life is GOOD!

Hiking is another temptation that competes for my time. Teressa and I hiked Turkey mountain with the local Outdoor Club on my first week here. I joined the group and attended the annual picnic. Interesting people indeed. I received an invitation to hike the Northwest Trail in Oregon next year. Something to think about for sure!

One of the guys I met at the Wednesday Night Ride informed me that the rowing club has a beginners class. I’ve seen the rowing club members in action, early in the morning, gliding up or down the river. Working in unison, they are the picture of cooperation and teamwork. I want to do that!

Now, if I can only figure out a way to fit 48 hours into a 24 hour day…

Montana Mania

Last winter, I visited my friend Kyle in Montana. Our plans included skiing, hot springs, and snowshoeing.

The skiing was great. I took lessons on one day, but they really didn't seem to help much. I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that downhill skiing is just not my thing. It's nice for the first couple of runs, but unless you're really able to spend a lot of time at it, it's really not very challenging or exciting.

The scenery was beautiful, though!

And Kyle loves skiing! And he was extremely experienced and able to handle anything...even backwards...downhill...holding a camera!

My favorite part of the entire trip, though, was the snowshoeing trek up to a former fire watchtower, West Fork Butte. These former watch towers are now used to house overnight travelers on the mountain. The hike up was long and arduous. There were times when I thought I could not force my legs to take another step.

The snow was extremely deep and the Moose tracks were evident everywhere, although we never actually saw one.

Finally, we arrived near the summit and the sign directed us up toward the peak.

Kyle gathered firewood for enough fuel to get us through the night. My reward was a warm fire, good food, and the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in!

The hot springs are another attraction on the trip to Montana. They are actually located just across the border in Idaho, I believe. Kyle walked down to test the temperature on these pools and they were perfect!

The view was a little hard to stomach at times...

But the overall experience is satisfying indeed!

On the return trip, rather than picking my way carefully on foot, I couldn't resist sliding the nature slide. 

When we met these girls and showed them the video, they returned to their car to gear up and do the same thing.

Another bonus of the Northwest? Ding Dongs in foil wrappers! Yes, there is a difference! I emailed this photo to Shaina and receive the reply..."You better bring me some of those!"

The Ding Dongs didn't last long. I think I ate a whole box full on my return trip.

I can't wait to go back!!