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All the places racing took me in 2007:
Arizona (Phoenix)
California (Visalia, Exeter, Fresno, LA (Torrance/Carson)
Colorado (Ft Collins, Boulder, Cherry Creek, Durango, Morrison, Denver, Golden, Deer Trail, Colorado Springs, Longmont, Idaho Springs, Salida)
Kansas/Missouri (Kansas City)
New Mexico (Silver City)
Oregon (Portland, Kaizer)
Wyoming (Laramie, Albany [Pop.15])
12-28-07: Today is Rob's birthday! Poor guy, he has a birthday only three days after Christmas AND his sister's bday is the same day so growing up he really got the shaft on birthday presents!!
The Hottman Christmas was in Omaha, Nebraska this year. We all converged on my dad's brother's family on Monday afternoon and left on Wednesday morning so it was a fast and furious celebration. Shown here, my dad and my grandma Jane:
The Hottman girls, Tiffany, Jessica and Heather, showing their Under Armour shirts that Rob and I gave them. Seriously, watch for them on the cover of a CD someday (soon), they are incredibly musically talented:
At this morning's spin class, RaNae brought me the cutest gingerbread house -- for dogs (thank you!)!! Phoenix was very excited as you can tell:
I let the pups take nibbles:
In other news . . .
Last week I had an (un-expected) interview with a Denver Law firm and was offered a job. However, I was told that "cycling would have to go." Huh? Seems I've managed to pick a profession that makes work and cycling mutually exclusive. Luckily, they were willing to take a rain check so I can still give this season a whirl. I also received an exciting email from the FBI asking me to come in for the Phase I exam in a couple weeks. As you probably know, that's step one of a thousand, but it's a start; I don't expect I'll be asked to attend the academy any sooner than 2009.
I'm already doing pushups and pullups to get ready for the physical exam component. Ok, not really, that'd be a bit premature. It's really hard to be a formerly-very-strong-person-who-is-now-a-wimpy-cyclist. When I go to the gym, I THINK I'm still strong and lift the weights that I USED to lift and then I find myself incapacitated for about a week from soreness. Oops.
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12-22-07: so my first week of retirement concludes with almost 15 hours of actual ride time. I looked back over my 2007 training log and discovered there were only a few weeks I was able to get in that kind of riding while I was working. Now, I'm hoping it'll be a weekly occurrence!
Rob and I decided to take a "family photo" for our Christmas picture of 2007. After about 20 retakes (we set the timer on auto and Rob had to jump across the rocks each time to reset the camera while I wrestled with the pups), we finally came up with one where all 4 of us were looking at the camera. I am sure it was quite a spectacle to observe ;)
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12-19-07: It's very encouraging to me that within just 3 days I've logged more ride time than I've been able to do on a weekly basis these past few months while working. I am excited about actually coming into a season with more miles in the legs. It was cold and windy today, but the sun was out so I can't complain!
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12-18-07: click here to watch my dog exercise using a fitball, it's hilarious. On day #2 of my "retirement," I went on a bike ride at the warmest part of the day. There are still spots where the snow was packed or it was icy (ie anything in the shade) but overall the roads were clear.
12-17-07: It is a Monday morning at 9:15am. I am not at work. I am at home, drinking coffee, working on my laptop, in sweats. Life is good.
I can't say this enough --> if there is something you aspire to achieve, or to be, you need to do it. Live your life according to YOUR plan and not the way the world expects you to live it. Yes, it's scary. Things like health insurance and retirement savings are always good reasons to keep slaving away at "the day job." But it is SO worth it, to go out on a limb and try something else. As I see it, if it's a success, it's a huge success, because you bucked the system and won. If it's a failure, at least you tried and you'll live your life knowing you tried. Is it scary to be intentionally unemployed? Heck yes. Might I regret it down the road? Possibly. But I'll know that, wherever it is I end up, it's because I put myself there, not because I merely went where the system sent me.
I talk to so many people who are MISERABLE at their jobs. Does having a GREAT job make your entire life great? Not necessarily, but it sure is a start. If you hate what you're doing 40, 50, 60 hours a week, it carries over into every other aspect of your life. Into your marriage, into your friendships, it affects your health and your mental wellness too. Too often, we live in fear of "making our boss mad if we leave," or "creating a gap in our resume."
I tell my clients all the time, "If you don't make time for yourself, no one can do it for you. And if you don't make yourself happy, no one else can." I think we have to work hard at not merely going along with the norm and instead, to challenge ourselves to ask "what is it that I truly want?" It is so cliche' but it's true -- we only have this ONE LIFE to live. It really is up to each of us to make the absolute most of it.
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12-16-07: I am looking for a local accountant here in Denver, preferably someone that works with small businesses. If you are one, or know of one, please contact me at meghottman@hotmail.com. Thank you!!
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12-13-07: tomorrow is my last day at work. Sometimes departing a place where you're comfortable is bittersweet, but tomorrow will simply be sweet for me. I am ready to move on. I am moving on to the world of mediation and to motivation (in spin classes, cycling/triathlon coaching and telephonic wellness coaching) as well as to pushing myself with my own training and the realization of my goals. We welcome referrals! www.coloradomobilemediation.com
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12-10-07:
Carol "tagged" me and this is what you do when you get tagged: you tell 5 things about yourself and then pick fellow bloggers to tag and then they post things on their blogsite, etc. I'm not sure how this started, but I'd imagine some bored cyclist during his/her offseason made it up and I think it's a clever way to pass blog time until the season begins again.
So. 5 things you probably didn't know about me, but now you do:
1. I don't eat red meat. In high school PETA got ahold of me and I was a die-hard vegetarian for about 7 years. When I got into weight lifting in college I decided I'd better add some fish and poultry back in but I still don't do the red meat thing. My reasons are complicated so I won't get into that here.
2. I was born during a blizzard. That's not a big deal, until you consider the fact that my birthday is in mid-May.
3. I met my now-husband Rob when I dropped my race license at a crit in 2003. I wasn't even supposed to be at the crit because I'd just done a 1/2 ironman the day before and then was out all night at a friend's wedding. But, something told me to go to the crit. I went, dropped my license, Rob picked it up and the rest is history. We were married at a bike race 2 years later.
4. I didn't buy my first road bike until I was 22 and didn't race until I was 23.
5. I ran 3 marathons inside of 12 months. My knees didn't really like that. That's when I stopped being a runner.
I'm gonna go ahead and tag some of the gals on the DFT team with blogs so you can learn a bit more about them, too: Dawn, Michele, Robyn, Julie and Erin. Of course, this assumes that they read my blog, because if they don't they won't know they've been tagged. I suppose that's half the fun?
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12-9-07: these past 5 weeks have nearly done me in. When I gave my notice at the beginning of November that I was leaving my job, I anticipated my last day would be mid-November. So, I began picking up some part time work and additional responsibilities. Instead, my last day was "pushed back" to December 14, so while working full time I have had all of my new part time gigs going on as well. Add the bar exam application (example of a question on the app-- "list every address you've lived at for the past 10 years and the name and phone number of a neighbor at each of those addresses"), starting a new business, and a 50+ person clothing order to the mix (which NEVER goes smoothly) and you get a very stressed out Megan, right in the midst of the holiday season.
However, in five short days I'll be stress-free (well, I should say, low-ER stressed); I can put my current full-time job behind me, and I will have time to focus on my training and my pursuit of a career that really makes me feel good on the inside. I hope to have the new business I'm starting ready for announcement very soon and you better believe the first place I'll start advertising is right here ;)
The final talent pool attempt starts tomorrow out in Carson. I really wish I was there instead of here, but I decided it didn't make much sense to try and hit the pursuit time in December when I knew my fitness would be lacking. Still, I want to wish the best of luck to the people trying their luck one last time for the 08 talent pool. Lots of good racing is going on over in Beijing on the track, although it sounds like everyone is getting sick.
Sorry I never have pictures on my blog, I know that's boring. Here's one just to spruce things up a bit -- it's my friend Andres. This photo officially made him my hero.
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12-5-07: today's shooting in Omaha, NE is the first shooting nationwide that had impact on me personally. It's where I spent the majority of my high school, college and law school years and I have family and lots of friends that live there. So when I heard about the shooting at Westroads mall it scared the crap out of me. Not that any other shooting in the country has been more or less important -- they're all scary. I just didn't have any connection to those cities. But the one in Omaha definitely got my attention. My mantra lately has been "life's too short" and I guess today's incident illustrated that. Just another reminder to tell your family and friends you love them every time you can!
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12-4-07: I want to wish a speedy recovery to team member Michele, who was just in a bad car accident. She missed her marathon as a result of the injuries she sustained but we are so grateful she's ok and on the road to recovery.
I got this from mom (they're emails called "Healthy Reflections") and it was so timely for me -- I wanted to pass it along:
Becoming the person you want to be
Take a look at your priorities and your goals. Where did they come from? Are they the products of soul-searching, self-analysis, and careful planning? Or are they a reaction to pressures from other people? Did you find them within yourself or within the pages of a magazine? The answers to these questions are important because they tell you if the person you're becoming is someone you want to be. Here's another way to look at a goal: do you want it, or do you just think you should want it? It's not easy to follow your own direction in life. But it's more possible than you may think. Question everything. Every priority in your life needs to justify why it's there. If you can't come up with a good reason that actually comes from YOU, maybe it doesn't belong.
To be nobody but yourself--in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else-- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
- EE Cummings, poet
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12-1-07: 2 tricks that allowed for blissful rides in the cold today:
1. Take some of those foot warming packets (normally used by skiers) and place it on TOP of your cycling INSIDE your shoe covers. That way it warms the toes but doesn't cause pressure (as it does when the packet is placed INSIDE the shoe).
2. Break up long rides into multiple short rides. Today we did 2x1.5 hour rides, coming home and warming up and changing between rides, and it worked out great.
While it's tempting to scratch the outdoor riding altogether, I remembered today what last winter was like, where I would've been outside in -10 degrees if I could've but the streets were always covered with melting snow or ice. So -- now that the streets are clear, it's worth riding outside even though the temps leave a bit to be desired.
2 things I would not survive without:
1. Pearl Izumi lobster-claw gloves
2. Under Armour heavy-duty longsleeved turtle neck (base layer)
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11-30-07: Lesson: when you live in a condo building with secured entries (ie all exterior doors are locked) and you take the dogs out at 415am, bring a cell phone or keys or both. BECAUSE: when the door that you carefully propped open with a rock decides to close (because your little dog is anxious to get back inside and she bumps it) you will find yourself locked out, at 415am, in your pajamas, with 2 dogs, in the freezing cold.
Yes -- this was me this morning, panicking because I had no way of getting in, nor of letting the gym know I would not be making it to teach spin class at 530.
THANK GOODNESS the paperman showed up 15 minutes later.
Visual image for you to ponder: As the paperman shows up and begins to let himself into the building, here comes this frantic girl in her pajamas, hair mussed, and 2 crazy dogs chasing after her. The first thing he hears from her: "ohmigosh am I glad to see you!" [I think I scared the man half-to-death].
Long story short, crisis averted and I made it to class with time to spare.
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11-28-07: results are in (thanks for participating if you voted):
Results:
Yes
60% (9 vote(s))
No
40% (6 vote(s))
11-25-07: DFT club ride today departed at noon with temps in the 50s and the sun shining. 2 hours later, we were descending under cloudy skies and in temps much, much lower. All of us nearly froze to death. It turned a really fun ride into one of the rides you SWEAR you can't end fast enough. Here's Rob warming up his NUMB toes, slowly, when we got home:
Day after t-day when I suffer from a turkey hangover: and yes, I had to work . . . Even though I felt like a complete sloth. I swear, too many calories can be hazardous, especially when you're not used to eating that many carbs in one sitting.
So -- 51. That's the final headcount on the team/club for 2008. Somebody pinch me, I am so happy! Three years into this adventure and the fun continues. Have I mentioned how excited I am for the season to start?? And thanks to Squadra and team member Dawn's help, we'll be sporting our new 2008 threads in mid January. Talk about "on time."
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TURKEY DAY 2007: I couldn't stand the thought of passing up a work-free day mid-week without at least attempting to ride, so I put on every piece of cold weather gear I own and braved the 22-degree temps. I lasted only an hour and a half before my toes were so bad I had to head home. Even with 2 pairs of shoe covers on, I could not get them to warm back up. But other than my face and toes, everything else was warm and I was glad to get out for a spin before I proceeded to consume WAY too many calories for dinner at our friends' house this evening (pics coming soon). I spent much of today realizing how much I truly have to be thankful for. The list is quite long and I feel so lucky. Life is good.
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11-21-07: kudos time in the customer service department. As you probably know by now if you've been reading this blog awhile, I am a BIG proponent of paying people that provide good customer service, every compliment in the book when I can.
We are placing our team/club clothing order in a week and we've been working with SQUADRA again this year, after our positive experience with them in 2007. But this year they have even gone a step beyond and I cannot say enough wonderful things about them, their service, responsiveness, quality of product, you name it. We work with Don on the graphics side and Greg on the sales side and these 2 guys have REALLY made life easier on us as a team working to get our clothing order assembled.
After shopping around and talking with 5-6 other companies, the clear choice for us was to return to SQUADRA and I just wanted to publicly thank them on this website for all of their help. I highly recommend them!
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11-20-07: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! Knowing her, she'll do a 50-mile bike ride today!!
If you're looking for that special something to serve for Thanksgiving, I just got this suggestion by email:
" bustergophechiduckneaealcockidgeoverwingailusharkolanbler (a bustard stuffed with a turkey, a goose, a pheasant, a chicken, a duck, a guinea fowl, a teal, a woodcock, a partridge, a plover, a lapwing, a quail, a thrush, a lark, an Ortolan Bunting and a Garden Warbler)."
You may want to start your shopping now.
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11-19-07: I forgot to write about something really strange that happened on our group ride yesterday. Towards the end of the ride everyone was just taking it easy, riding their own pace so we were all spread out. This rider apparently catches on to the back of our group and then decides it's his job to put his hand on the two gals' butts that were in back and pushed them for quite some time (apparently under the impression that they were dying or something). Ok weird but the gals admitted to secretly enjoying the push because they got to recover a little bit.
So then the group is back together and we're making our way back to where the cars are and again, the pack stretches out a bit so what does he do? U-turns to the back of the pack and again -- same two girls -- his hand on their butts, pushing them (not just for a second either, we're talking uncomfortable minutes). So I'm riding near them this time and I observe this and think to myself, "never in the the years I've been riding, have I witnessed a complete stranger repeatedly push women when they did not ask for help, nor were they struggling." Ok so now we're almost back to our original meeting place and he takes off and rides with the front folks and so these 2 gals and I are chatting about how totally bizarre this behavior was and lowandbehold, for a THIRD TIME, this guy comes back and does it to them again.
Now - should I have said something to him when it wasn't my butt he was pushing? Should these women have said "uh, no thanks dude?" Or is it just common enough practice that you (a) only push people by the butt if you know then (b) always ASK if they want a push first and (c) usually only push one time, not THREE TIMES!!! It was quasi-creepy and I felt bad because I think the girls were a little weirded out. So --dude out there that likes to push women who are perfectly capable of pedaling their own bikes thank you very much -- STOP IT!
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11-18-07: last night Rob and I had the rare opportunity to get all dressed up. My friend Casie and her husband were throwing a little cocktail party so we had a reason to dig out our dressy threads (which more or less collect dust in our closet most of the time!). No one there recognized me without my tevas.
Today we went on a DFT club ride with some of the Denver folks. It was a really fun, low-key ride that gave us the chance to get to know one another a bit better.
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11-17-07: new DFT website record: 642 hits today as folks check out our elite squad -- that's incredible!! I'm hoping by Monday at the latest, the club team info can be posted as well. We've got OVER 45 people on our team/club in 2008!!! I am inspired by the number of people investing in their health by trying out new sports!
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11-16-07: ok I am not gonna lie, the time change is killing me. The days I pack my bags to ride in to work haven't worked out because it's been too cold -- like 23 degrees (my limit is 30 degrees) -- and by the time I drive home from work it's dark so I can't ride outside at night either. I liked it better when it was dark in the morning and sunny in the afternoon! Oh well. In a month the days start getting longer again.
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11-14-07: tomorrow is the last day for people to join the DFT club and I must say, based on the response we've had already, the numbers are far-surpassing my expectations. It's really exciting to see us expand into more states and grow our membership as we approach our 3rd season! How-to-join info here. I am hoping that I'll be able to reveal the elite team and club team rosters on the website along with our AWESOME sponsor lineup, VERY SOON!!
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11-12-07: Veterans' Day today which means no work for Megan. Rob's the one that should have the day off since he's the veteran but no such luck. So I did some riding this afternoon but waited just a bit too long; about an hour into the ride the temps really dropped as the cloud cover thickened. This picture says it all (note the white middle, ring and pinkie finger). I hate being that cold on the bike. I guess it's time to drag the lobster claws out of their hibernation.
I realized today that we have 4 kennels, but only 2 dogs. That's because one kept getting bigger and bigger but we always thought she was "done growing" so we kept buying "one more kennel." So we have 2 for sale if you want one. Email me at meghottman@hotmail.com
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11-10-07: I woke today with good intentions: I planned to race the CX race this afternoon because my qualifications were met: it was nice outside and the race was here in town. However Rob and I and our friend Chad took off on a ride this morning and it just went longer than expected and I was still riding home at the time my CX race was scheduled to start. oops. I think it was for the best though, because on Wednesday I accidentally took out my life's frustrations on the weights and I am STILL paying for that little endeavor (i.e. I could barely walk on Friday).
It was a good ride today-- we took a different non-mountain route that had us down south in and around Chatfield res. After living here over a year that was my first time in that part of town, funny how little exploring we've done!
here's rob and chad from the back as we approach the base of Deer Creek Canyon.
We decided that if Rob was a vehicle, this is what he'd be ;)
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11-7-07: I thought I would share some of the encouraging emails I received when I was trying to decide what I should do, in case someone out there reading this page is also in need of inspiration to make a change in their life:
"The decision you are in the throes of making is just that...your decision. Your first obligation is to live a life that maximizes your potential which does not necessarily mean meeting someone elses deadlines. If it is a matter of honoring your word and worrying about burning bridges, taking on the risk and opportunity of living a life that aligns your skills and passions will garner you much more respect in the future than staying somewhere after you have already decided to move on. The energy and excitement in your 2 weeks announcement email was electric! This is not a rash decision, but one that you have spent a lot of time and energy on. It felt right, because it was. Since I left the cube world, I have had not one regret about the decision. In my case, I'm still not quite sure what I want to do, but I knew I had to get out of the corporate life to allow myself to find out. You on the other hand have a plan and ambition and dreams. I see no regrets in that!"
"WOW!!!! GREAT DECISION!! I was hoping you would go with this, even though I never said anything. Without kids and a home you have SO many opportunities in front of you and this is the PERFECT time to do them. I am envious of your freedom, even if it is a little scary. But, you know what? Excitement and adventure IS scary. That's what makes it fun! And, you'll always have your law degree behind you when you are ready to be stable again. There is plenty of time to be stable."
"So now you have made a great, new decision for your lifeand I want you to know that we will all be behind you in whatever you decide makes you happy and we will LOVE you every step of the way. You will always be able to go back if it is your desire because of your abilities and your work habits etc. I will continue to pray for you as always and hope that God's blessings will shower upon you so head up and on with your new life. "
"Here’s our quote of the day: “Sometimes persevering is not the wise choice. Especially when you are racing in the wrong direction.” J How do you know when to hang in there in a tough job, and when to start circulating your resume? How do you know when to keep trying to make a relationship work, and when to say goodbye? How do you know when to start over with life. When you play scrabble and need to toss in all your letters, you're allowed to start over because you can't make anything out of what you've got. How do you know when to move to another town and start over? We are not quitters! We would not have gotten this far in life if we were. But sometimes persevering is not the wise choice. Especially when you are racing in the wrong direction. In his play, The Wild Duck, Henrik Ibsen uses the metaphor of a hunting dog who relentlessly dives under water for a duck that has fallen in the weeds, until the dog himself is in danger of drowning. How do you know when to keep going after the wild duck, and when to leave it buried? Sometimes we are drowning in our failure. Sometimes we are drowning in our success, becoming so much less than we use to be, and than we want to be." http://www.natpresch.org/sermon.php?d=2000-03-12%200000
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11-6-07: one component of my "new adventure" will involve my work as a wellness coach for USCW. Please click here to watch a brief video about what we do!
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11-5-07: many of you that've been reading along in my musings for the past couple of years know that I'm a "waffler" -- I've vacillated between the legal world and the world of health and fitness(including bike racing), always indecisive, always putting off the "big decision." My hesitancy to commit to what I love and pursuit of things I did not love, was based in large part on what I call the "societal expectation that you hate your job." I mean truly -- isn't that what we learn? College, job, work work work work, retire. THEN live. I think the statistics are pretty depressing -- maybe 10% of the working force actually love their job and feel challenged and satisfied by their work? Shouldn't we ALL love our job and feel satisfied by it? 2080 hours/year spent doing things we don't really enjoy, just plugging away day by day until the magic day when you've saved enough to quit your job and join the retired folk. THEN, and only then, do you get the freedom to pursue your passions.
Nope. Not me. Today I decided to stop waffling.
We've only got this one, small life, to live. It goes by fast and opportunities can pass you by, just that quickly, if you don't step out on a limb and take a chance.
Today I decided to take a chance and pursue my dreams and passions. I might regret it, I might not. This is new, unchartered territory for me but it is exciting. When I am older, I will be able to unabashedly say that I "lived without regret." To me -- that's what life should be.
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11-4-07: today was not such a great day. Rob and I both woke up sick -- headachy-chills/sweats-very dizzy. It was awful. We kept looking outside at the beautiful weather (75 and sunny!) and that made us even more miserable because we were both looking forward to doing a nice long ride today before the week gets away from us. So instead, we were inside watching re-runs of movies we've already seen far too many times and trying to choke down a sip here or a bite there to get our energy back. We're both hoping to goodness it's gone by tomorrow b/c we're both looking at marathon mondays at our jobs.
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11-3-07: today was a great day. I didn't have to wake up early and rush off for anything, DFT member Julie Hurley is making her way through her first IM as we speak in Florida, and I got to enjoy a nice 3 hour ride with some DFT members/prospective members on a gorgeous day. Rob brought his camera along and tooks photos of our ride which included Lookout Mountain:
(l-r, Hillary, Amanda and Sarah) approaching the pillars
Amanda smiles as she drops me ;)
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11-2-07: don't forget to set your clocks back an hour on Saturday night!
Post II: I decided that post about clocks from earlier was just outright lame. This page needs some color. So here are shots of Melissa and Monica, two Kansas City DFT-ers tearing it up at a CX race last weekend. They rock!
See how much fun she's having -- Melissa even has a chance to smile!! (huh, where's all the sand? is that just a boulder thing? if it is, that's good because I think it's mean to make people ride and run in the sand).
Monica's all business (nice bike Monica!)
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11-1-07: one of my co-workers just shared this with me. Seriously!?!? Talk about a GIANT chink in the armor for Lance in my book.
ok, but then I got this in an email from Melissa and it brightened my day!
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10-31-07: happy halloween! I decided to re-use my costume from 2003 (5 halloweens ago!) when I went as an FBI agent and Rob went as Kenneth Lay (Enron):
. . . except I made a few minor adjustments. Today I am wearing a shirt that says "Ozzy pit crew" on the front and "Fargo sheriff" on the back and I have warrants falling out of my pockets. Why? I found this very obscure piece of news yesterday and found it so funny I just had to model my costume after it. It's funny for two reasons -- one being that it happened in Fargo ND of all places and two, that people actually fell for it:
"About 40 people heading to the Ozzy Osborne-Rob Zombie concert at the Fargodome won't make the show. They were caught up in a sting operation set up by the Cass County sheriff's office. The department set up a phony pre-concert party at a local bar, and invited people with outstanding warrants. About 40 people showed up, and were arrested." Apparently the sheriffs dressed as members of Ozzy's crew, complete with shirts bearing skulls and crossbones - -except one of the eyes of the skull was a sheriff's star. Clever. Eh?
So that's what I am for halloween.
You know -- they say costume selection tells a lot about a person. What does it mean that I've been an army ranger, GI JANE, an FBI agent and now a sheriff? Hmmm . . .
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10-29-07: I am so sore today from running in the sand. Results are in from yesterday's adventure: http://www.americancycling.org/results/2007/oct/boulder-cx3.html
For some reason they placed me in the CAT 4 category even tho my USAC lic shows me as a CAT 2 track (same as road, I assumed?). Guess ACA does it differently. So I'm back to starting from scratch and working my way up!
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10-28-07: remember how I was bragging that I'd made it through a season without crashing? Well I took care of that today (if you count tipping over in the sand as crashing; technically it should count because I actually broke the skin twice). Yes, I finally worked up the courage to do a CX race. Apparently everyone else did too -- there were about 60 women there today. I waited for them ALL to start before me so that I would not risk messing up anyone's race. Then I just focused on working my way up the pack, one rider at a time. I don't think I passed that many though -- I was mostly preoccupied with staying upright.
This is me "pre-riding" the course (notice I'm not riding) and laughing out loud saying to Rob "I am so screwed when this race starts!"
I think on the first lap I tipped over about 4 times, then next lap 2, and then 1 and then finally was able to make it through the last laps without crashing. In a nutshell, it was 45 minutes of hell for me. You have to remember -- I've been mountain biking less than 5 times in my LIFE. Off-road handling skills -- I have none. Lara K (lipton) won and at the very end of the race she passed me so when we finished it looked like I was in 2nd place. But I wasn't. Thankfully, her passing me saved me having to do another lap ;)
Rob took photos when he wasn't laughing his butt off at my rotten mounts/dismounts. Ask Carol Hutton about how bad they were -- she videotaped my graceful mount and I think the tape is like 7 minutes long.
The trusty Trek X01 -- (And, FYI, Creighton University also goes by "CU" so no, I'm not pretending I graduated from CU law school. You just can't see the Creighton on the top of the frame. People ask me about this all the time so I thought I'd fill you in.
Running uphill in sand in bike shoes pushing a heavy bike is hard
As you can see Rob didn't move around the course very much so you're seeing the same part of the course from different angles. There was also an uphill obstacle (uphill dismount) and a boat ramp used as an obstacle that made things interesting.
It was pretty fun. I'd race next weekend but it requires a UCI license and I don't feel like spending $90 on a license that expires at the end of this year. so I'll wait until another sunny day for my 2nd CX race!
Super-stud Andi Burnam has really been tearing it up on the CX scene - she's a fellow KS-transplant and cool chic so it's awesome to see her smoking the competition!!
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10-27-07: not a good week for Megan as far as training goes. In fact, I think I set a new record low: 4:50 total training time since last Sunday. That's what happens when I'm in trial all week and things go from 3x12 hour days to 5x10+ hour days -- paired with the days getting shorter and veloswap, etc it was a downward spiral. I don't think I've trained less than 5 hours in one week since . . . well, I don't know when.
It gave me pause because it's not what I want.
I think I've finally reached the point where I'm ready to say "I'd rather be flat broke than continuing to be a mediocre athlete." Maybe someday I'll be sick of being broke and I'll want to invest myself in a "high-power legal job" but for now I've got new resolve with what I want my life to be about. And it doesn't include 5 x 10+ hour days.
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10-26-07: does this ever happen to anyone else? you go like a year or more without any flats and then within a span of a couple days you get like 5 flats and blow through your entire tube supply? I think it's safe to say I need new training tires on my bike. good thing veloswap is tomorrow!
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10-23-07: reminder: anyone can join our DFT club, regardless of where you live! Men and women are welcome -- whether you are a runner, cyclist, swimmer, multi-sporters, adventure racer, track racer, CX-er, MTB-er, you name it! The deadline to sign up for our club is November 15, 2007. Click here.
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10-21-07: waking up to snow: VERY BAD. Checking your mail and getting the official registration of your trademark: VERY GOOD. Our DFT logo is now a federally-protected trademark for the next 10 years!
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10-19-07: "hey, that's my bike!"
My parents are here so we'll be doing some fun riding (weather permitting? snow?) and then checking out veloswap next weekend.
Part II: do you have any idea how lucky I am? I have two parents that enjoy riding bikes, and have the good health to do it! I am truly blessed. I rode with dad up to Evergreen and back and then we hit the trails with mom -- while it was super windy here, the temps were nice and warm. It's pretty cool, I think -- that my parents taught me to ride a bike as a kid and now I can help them ride as adults. Makes me happy ;)
here are 2 shots mom took of dad and me riding up 74 towards Evergreen:
And -- I'm sorry to bring up track nationals again ("geez Megan, Move on already!") but Liz is a phenom writer and this is a must-read.
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10-18-07: since I don't have much to report right now, I thought I'd get all philosophical on you. Actually, I just wanted to pass along this tidbit my mom emailed me:
The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.
- William James, philosopher and psychologist |
Living a Meaningful Life
Looking for meaning? Having trouble figuring out how to make a difference? The answer may be closer and simpler than you think. Ask yourself: If I were gone tomorrow, what will I be most proud of having left behind? The answer will be different for each of us, but it may tell you something about why you're here. Your answer can be as involved as a foundation you helped start, or as simple as a favorite picture that you took. Something will be here when you're gone. What would you like it to be? What one thing would tell the world what you were all about? Maybe it's your child. Maybe you're already working on something that could turn into one of your greatest accomplishments. If so, give it your all. The more of yourself that goes into it now, the more people will be able to see you later on.
Some really cool opportunities have presented themselves to me and I am trying to decide if I have the courage to pursue them. It's always easy to talk about the "what-ifs" but when it comes down to being a reality then the safe path tends to look even safer. But sometimes "safe" = lame. Sorry, I know I'm not making much sense.
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10-16-07: a must-read by Colby -- racer turned USAC coach turned racer again.
And . . . maybe it IS time for Megan to take an off-season. I want to quit while I'm still ahead--while I'm still hungry and thirsty for this sport of cycling . . . so that 08 can be much better than 07. . .
Sigh. I am CLEARLY not good at making decisions.
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10-15-07: I've decided block training should be renamed "rubber mallet" training.
That's because your legs feel like they've been assaulted by a rubber mallet by the time you get to the end of the block (but of course, that's the point). I know, block training isn't typically part of "off-season" or base miles season, but that's because I haven't given up hope on December's talent pool just yet.
After all the track-specific training I've been doing the past 2 months, it felt good to get back out on the roads. It's that time of year again when you have to pack 1/2 of your wardrobe to go out and ride here in CO. Ear warmers, shoe covers, a dry pair of gloves for the descents. A bag to put it all in while you're roasting your butt off on the climbs. Too many layers on the way up = sopping wet mess when it's time to come back down. Cloud cover seems to make the temps drop by 30 degrees, but when you're in the sun you swear it's 80 degrees. So it's really hard to dress appropriately.
I can't say I'm a big fan of fall. I like spring and summer. I can see snow on the mountains from my patio and I am not happy about that. Even though I've skied my whole life (albeit, infrequently because I grew up in the midwest), I haven't been one time since we moved here. Mainly because we can't have TWO mega-expensive hobbies but also, the risk for injury is very real and would not be worth giving up cycling for, in my opinion. But if it's another winter like last year I think we may need to take up XC skiing or something else besides "mind-numbing hours on the trainer" like we did last winter.
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10-12-07: "PROPS!" To Lakewood Lube and Repair! I picked up a nail in my car tire and was losing air in a big way. I stopped in and even though they were swamped, they plugged my tire, charged me a mere $10 and sent me on my way in less than TEN MINUTES! Ladies, I know you'll agree with me that when it comes to car service, it tends to invoke a sense of dread -- because you know you're gonna get ripped off or even if you don't, you feel like you are because we weren't born with that magic "car knowledge" chromosome or gene that men seem to possess. So -- these guys are GREAT, friendly, locally owned. Bad customer service can make a day turn sour but great customer service -- as rare as it is these days -- is a day MAKER!
And while I'm "plugging" . . . a website that's quickly making its way into my top 5.
What is NOT up for me this weekend: CX racing. I know I said I would try it, but the races last weekend and this weekend weren't local and I don't think I need to be traveling for CX at this early point in my CX adventures -- so, maybe next weekend. But only if the weather is nice. I'm not only a "local-cx-er" I'm also a "fair-weather" CX-er. And before next weekend I am sure I can come up with a few more criteria (is plural criterium?).
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10-10-07: school continues for me in Team Director 101. I made the silly, silly assumption that you can take people at their word and rely on promises. I know they mentioned something about that being a bad idea in law school but I must've been asleep in that class. I'd love to drag this particular company's name through the mud on this forum but I won't. Suffice it to say that if their business practices continue they won't be around much longer anyway; their own conduct will be their undoing, they don't need any help from me. No worries though -- every step backward has led to 2 steps forward and this was no exception. Big things happened for our team today and I cannot WAIT to announce it all very soon.
Also -- I want to plug a new company that has a vision I completely believe in. Every company out there can benefit from these services -- just think, reduced drag on health care, less sick days . . . Be sure to tell your CEO or boss about it and tell them I sent you (I'll be coaching for them very soon). If you ARE the CEO or boss -- what are you waiting for!?
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10-9-07: look at this adorable face . . . c'mon, you know you want a t-shirt! Click on the store button to get one!
Many thanks to MITCHELL CLINTON for taking (and sharing with me) the photos he snapped at track nats:
10-7-07: reports from the last day of racing reveal that Cari (and Liz) won the team sprints --wahoo! And Brent Stein took 3rd in the men's kierin, so that's great news. We drove straight through and arrived home late last night -- apparently old man winter came while we were gone; there was snow in the mountains and more coming down as we came back towards Denver.
Here are the pics Rob took of my pursuit last week:
My pre-race pep talk with Coach Des:
Watching as they load my bike into the start block:
Getting clipped in and ready:
"deep breath"
And I'm off . . .
"huh, my splits sure are slow . . . I wonder why . . ."
Here's a pic of Des and "Blatchey" laughing about something, I can't remember what though:
Ok so mentally, here's where I am, now 3 days post-race-debaucle. If I'd known pre-trip what I know now . . . I still would've gone. Rob and I had a terrific vacation, we met lots of great folks and got to know other associates much better. Yes, it was expensive, but without races as reasons, I'm not sure we would travel.
December offers one final chance to make the time cut -- aka, the talent pool. And yes, in case you're wondering, I would really like to make it into the talent pool. So I suppose if you ask me where I go from here -- that's where.
Mom sent this and I thought it was worthy of passing along:
Become a "Bounce Back" Believer -- By Liz Noelcke, Staff Writer
Bounce back. Reevaluate the goals you should have set for yourself at the beginning and retool them as necessary. Goals should be realistic and specific, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be flexible and are allowed for minor impediments. Instead of looking at your project as a disaster or failure, view it with success. Instead of focusing on a possible unsatisfactory performance one single time, take a moment to sit back and reward yourself for all that you have accomplished.
Above all, don’t live with regrets. Approach
