We did it! Race for the Cure Part Deux
If you were reading my blog last year you may recall that I decided to go out and learn to run again. I hadn’t run since high school and as a 30 something adult it wasn’t super easy to get back into running shape. I kept it up though and now I can say that I’m finally beginning to feel a bit like a runner. I competed in my first 5k last October in the Komen Race for the Cure. My husband dutifully tagged along and took photos and cheered me on. In May of this year, when a coworker was diagnosed with ALS, I decided to run another.
This time my daughter joined me. (I know she doesn’t look thrilled, but that’s just becuase teenage girls do not enjoy having their photos taken early in the morning, she actually had fun….but don’t tell anyone).
Again, my husband drove us to the race and photographed our finishes. It was after this race that he said that he too would like to start running, and so he did. I broke out the couch to 5k app again and we took off around the block. At first, he was a little overweight and miserable. He hated running, I mean really hated it. I’d prod him up the hills and force him to jog a mile and he’d grumble along beside me. Eventually he would get up and have his sneakers laced and ready to rock at the same pace as me. He purchased a new pair of running shoes and his own headphones for his ipod. He was keeping pace with me down and around the lake and back. He was running 2 or 3 miles now without any complaining. We signed up for the 2011 Komen Race for the Cure and he picked up his training. Some days he even beat me out of bed and more often than I’d like to admit, he put on his shoes and took off while I was laying under the covers grumbling about my alarm clock and nodding back off to sleep. As we approached the day of the race we took a long run together. He smoked me. I tried to keep up, but he was just too darn fast. Now a lean, mean running machine. On race day we both woke up at 6am and dressed for the cold weather. He drove us to the parking lot and we both whined a bit about wearing shorts in 40 degree weather. I still don’t have the proper running kit, I run in my two year old Gola tennis shoes that I wear for everything. I did grab some actual running shorts from Goodwill and I wore those. We wore our downhill jerseys because they are lightweight, breathe and wick away sweat. I grabbed gloves and ear warmers. We noted that the real runners were wearing tights and vests…good to note. I pulled my white gym socks up to my knees. I may look like a dork, but it’s nearly impossible to look fashionable when you are running anyway. I coach him on not taking off to run too fast, set a good pace and stick to it. I warn him about the crowd surge when we first take off and that people will clump for the first half mile, so be patient and stick to the rear. Once you hit the one mile marker it’s safe to start passing people. There’s a big hill in the middle I warned him (he still hates hill climbing) and wished him luck. I told him I’d try to keep up with him, but I knew that I couldn’t. We hung together for the first mile or so and then he put on the gas. I turned on my Endomondo to track my pace. The first mile was crowded and difficult to get a steady pace. My first mile was the slowest as I jockeyed for position and walked a bit trying to move forward as the crowd initially surged and then came to a complete stop. I ran a 10:14 mile. Not bad for me, but not race pace either. The second mile was faster as I broke free of the crowd and really started pushing. I ran it in 9minutes flat. In the final mile I caught up with the faster pack and got choked in the crowd again. My knees and ankles burned from the overtraining that I had done in the two weeks leading up to the race. In fact, the Sunday before I took off on a seven mile jog. Not smart. I know some people run this distance for training all of the time, but I’d never run further than 4 miles, so this was not a good idea. However, I finished strong and I felt good. All told, I ran the 3.18 miles in 30 minutes and 13 seconds. I averaged a respectable 9:30min/mi pace. Not as good as last year, but about what I expected. My knees and ankles screamed and I hobbled off to find Jamie, tendinitis screaming at me to knock it off. Jamie and I met up and shared some water and swapped tales of our big race. He finished in 28 min and ran a 8:47 pace average. As he stood there looking svelte and accomplished I was proud. He ran his first charity race, hopefully the start of a long and healthy lifetime of running.
Did you run at the Komen 5K? If so, tell me about your experience in the comments below. Feel free to link to your blog, your Facebook or your Endomondo. I’d love to hear all about it. Congrats to everyone who competed in this year’s Race for the Cure.
Filed under Doing Good, Local to Baltimore, MD, Uncategorized | Tags: 5k, breast cancer, charity, donation, exercise, health, Komen, Maryland, October 2011, Race for the Cure, running, weight loss | Comment (0)The Hamilton Crop Circle
I love Kickstarter so much that I want to share my exuberance with you each time I support a new project. I’ll try to regularly pledge my support to a project that I find personally meaningful. This time I’ve chosen to support the Hamilton Crop Circle.
This project is near and dear to my heart because it’s happening in my very own neighborhood and it supports urban gardening and sustainable food sources. The project also seeks to educate children on producing their own homegrown vegetables which could lead to a healthier lifestyle for city youth. I also love that this gives children life skills as well as providing them with safe, healthy activities that really help them to engage with their communities. There aren’t enough good things that I can say about this project, but Baltimore City really needs more opportunities to these, so I’m happy to pledge my support because I believe that every little bit really does matter and that it’s personally beneficial to focus on positive activities and energy in the city. The people of Baltimore never cease to amaze me with their ingenuity, kindness and community support; keep up the good work Hamilton Crop Circle. So reader, check out the details of the project at kickstarter or on the Hamilton Crop Circle Blog or their website; pledge your support or find a similar opportunity in your city to promote or fund. Thanks!
Filed under Kickstarter Project | Tags: Baltimore, DIY, donation, eco-friendly, HamiltonCropCircle, Kickstarter, Maryland, natural, sustainable | Comment (0)I Survived My First Downhill Racing Season!
- Women’s Cat 2/3 Podium from the Gravity East Series: Launch Bike Park @ Spring Mountain, PA
The end of the Gravity East Series came and went with a mighty, muddy splash. I am happy to report that I finished up the season healthy and fully recovered from my mid-season broken digit. I did not suffer any additional injuries beyond the expected bumps and bruises, for that I am very grateful. Unfortunately, many of my friends did not have the same experience and I’m wishing a speedy recovery to full health for each of them. What an amazing experience it has been! I have learned many new skills, overcome deep seated fears, made many new friends and stood at the peak of many beautiful places. One of my favorite parts about downhill mountain biking are the amazing views you get from the lift and occasionally, in the starting gate just before your race run, the view can be awe-inspiring and an excellent reminder of the natural beauty that is possible in the world. By the end of the season I had learned to gaze out about the trees, peak and valleys and sometimes even the clouds, take in long, slow, deep breaths and feel comfortable with my place in the world. When I began to let go of my anxiety, my fear of heights, my terror of hurtling downhill at ever increasing speeds, whizzing past trees and rocks and really just enjoying the experience of moving through space I was able to feel the wonder, the sense of empowerment and the amazingly good fortune that I have. I spent my summer traveling to some of the most beautiful places along the East Coast and spent my time with friends enjoying a sport that few people in the world will ever try; how wonderful! My husband and I travelled together to many of these events and I even had the opportunity to exercise my independence and strike out on my own to prove my mettle as well. We started at Snowshoe Bike Park in the beautiful, steep and rocky West Virginia in the beautiful Allegheny mountains. We raced in Western Maryland, and traveled north to race at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Festival alongside the best professional racers in the world at Windham, New York.
We watched history in the making as Aaron Gwin was the first American to win a DH world cup on American soil in more than a decade. My husband had his photo taken with his favorite rider, Steve Peat and we experienced the thrill of watching the professional riders blast past us as we walked down the course. After a rocky start to the season I worked my way up near the top of the podium to a respectable second place against the largest field of girls I would race this season. I missed first place by seconds as I fell near the bottom of the course breaking my finger and fumbling with my bike in the rocky trench that caught me. The last race that I participated in before budgetary concerns began to cast a dark shadow over the rest of the season was at Seven Springs bike park in Pennsylvania. A fun course with a tricky drop off in the middle caused a bit of consternation among the ladies racing in my class. I left the resort without ever taking the plunge and vowed to practice the skills required to allow me to begin facing these with more confidence in the future.
Unable to fund the very long trips north I skipped the races at Sugarbush and Killington, while the Highland race was rescheduled due to flooding and devastation left by Hurricane Irene. We rejoined the circuit as they headed south again to Launch Bike Park in Spring Mountain, PA where I took my first and only win of the season. The course was short, steep and rocky with no ability to make up time if you put out a foot, bobbled the rock garden or crashed. After many disastrous practice runs through the treacherous rock garden, that claimed several riders and their bikes in those two days of practice, it all came together in my race run. I was able to keep it together and pilot my bicycle over the slippery boulders while keeping the rubber side down. My confidence was short-lived however as I trekked off on my own to attend the 2011 USA Cycling Mountain Bike Gravity National Championships in Beech Mountain, N.C. The long drive, the unfamiliar terrain, the constant drenching rain and a touch of the flu left me feeling unsettled and out of sorts. Thick, deep, slippery mud covering the course made conditions an absolute nightmare and I struggled to ride my bike down the challenging terrain. On several of my practice runs I managed to hug many trees and spend a fair amount of time getting to know the grass as I rolled around in the mud trying to mount my bike, which felt as if it had been covered with olive oil. It was exhausting, exhilarating, humbling and entertaining all at the same time. My very good friend and best in our class rider made it look easy and became the new national champion, while I was truly happy to just finish the race. I may have been the first loser on the podium, but I felt encouraged by the strength, determination and stubborn will I was able to summon just to cross the finish line with my bicycle and I uninjured.
The final race was slated for a somewhat local mountain that I had the opportunity to race once the year prior. Local legend Neko Mullaly was charged with building the course and his vision was to create a world cup feel to the run. The course was steep, with enormous jumps that even the pros struggled with. Slick and steep rooty sections winding through the woods with yet another rock drop to challenge the less skilled riders like myself. Wet and slippery traverses across the open, grassy mountain slopes combined with loose, chattery shale steeps and a final slalom of nerve-racking, steep, grassy switchbacks prior to the final plunge to end the course. My goal was to take the leap and ride the drop in the middle of the top loamy woods section near the middle of the course. It was pitched downward and 3-4 feet high and about a bike length of distancebetween the drop off and the transition. I ride a freeride bike with a steeper head tube angle and only 6 inches of travel on my single crown fork as opposed to the preferred downhill race bike with a dual crown fork and 8-10 inches of travel to make up for any lack of skill and absorb the force of any nose-heavy landings. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough speed on my first attempt and I “stacked it up” a bit landing on my front tire at a very steep pitch that was prepared to toss me over my handlebars. The rebound was set incorrectly on my fork and my front suspension compressed and did not return as expected. In an unusual gymnastic maneuver that I hope never to repeat and wish I had on film, I was able to throw my body backwards and literally sit on my rear tire. I “rode it out” and as the tire buzzed my shorts I was able to bring my bike to a gentle stop off to the side and take a minute to breathe. That was a good scare. I don’t yet own a Leatt brace due to the cost and a friend and fellow mountain biker experienced a severe neck injury earlier in the season in a similar accident. I was lucky. The second time that I decided to try the drop my friends and husband accompanied me. My husband went first, but experienced some difficulty and landed awkwardly from the drop. He pulled off to the side and rather than focusing on the upcoming feature I looked over at him and grabbed the brakes. By the time I pulled my consciousness back to the danger ahead I was moving too slow to safely land and I screamed like a girl, and hugged a tree just at the drop off and my bike sailed over the edge catching my shin guard and dangling precariously. My friends and husband watched me in an equal mix of horror and amusement as I disintegrated into full girl and had to be helped down from the ledge. I was shaken. If nothing else though I am determined, or stubborn. I returned the drop later that day and executed the timing perfectly with the help of the local winning female pro rider, Anne Galyean, who gave me the confidence to give it another whirl. I can’t thank her enough for the kindness, patience and support that she showed in helping me overcome my fear. I was so excited that I literally turned cartwheels through the parking lot, shouting “I did it!” to my friends and fellow mountain bikers to many high fives and a chorus of congratulations. To tell the truth, it was a small drop and from what I hear possibly the easiest on the East Coast, but for me it was a huge accomplishment and a great way to end my season. Ultimately, I finished last on the course, despite taking the drop and riding it clean, but apparently I just need to learn to let go of the brakes. I felt like I had a strong run and I was happy with my finish, even if it was last. I finished third in the series overall and was so happy for my friends; we’ve all come such a long way. Congrats to all of the Gravity East Riders and I can’t wait to see my friends out on the mountain again next year.
An extra special thanks to my sponsors, who were very generous in sending me goodies to keep my energy and my spirits up out there on the hill. Thanks to Raw Revolution (organic live food bars) and Monster Energy who supported the sport of downhill mountain biking this season.
My First Downhill Mountain Bike Series: The Gravity East
If you have read my blog posts over the years you may (or may not) have notice my increasing involvement in mountain biking. Three years ago I purchased my first bicycle as an adult and learned how to ride (sort of). I grew up in the country, St. Mary’s County, Maryland where we had plenty of corn fields and even a major highway, but I didn’t have anywhere to ride a bike. My house was perched atop a steep hill that overlooked route 5, the main highway that ran North to Charles County and South to Calvert. I had one set of elderly neighbors on one side and acres of corn rows behind the house. All of this was bordered by thick forests (the woods) with streams (cricks) to play in. In the morning I went outside and ran amuck all through the corn and trees and enjoyed digging for fossilized sharks teeth and whale vertebrae in the water. My parents did buy me a 10 speed bicycle, but I soon learned that it wasn’t much fun to pedal around in our small grassy backyard and someone quickly stole it from our backyard anyway. To make a very long story short, two-wheeling was just not part of my childhood and I had not developed the interest as an adult.
My husband however, had ridden bikes his entire life. He was jumping his bmx bike from homemade ramps and tearing around on dirt bikes and graduating to motorcycles as he grew. In college he attended Frostburg State University in rural Western Maryland where he took up cross country mountain biking (XC MTB as we call it). These were all natural extensions of his love for the outdoors and adrenaline pumping extreme activities like snowboarding and skateboarding. Again to summarize, he was a practiced natural on two-wheels.
Years later when we moved in together and settled in, the urge to ride the local trails called to Mr. Jones again. I agreed (reluctantly) to try out mountain biking with him. On our very first mountain biking trip together we “shuttled” a trail down Reddish Knob and fell in love. I also tried a 25 miles “chill ride” through the George Washington National Forest and was thoroughly uninspired by the tortuous experience. I quickly learned that there were two types of mountain bikers, those that get off on the torture of pedaling up the mountain and those that get their fix pedaling down. I and Mr. Jones fall squarely into the latter camp. It’s not that I don’t enjoy a bit of xc riding, but I will never be someone who feels challenged by or excited about climbing up and over that challenging and technical root ball or spiky rock garden clad in spandex and a tiny aerodynamic helmet, clipped into my pedals sat upon a lightweight and frame. Don’t even get me started on riding a single speed bike, those guys are nuts! Rather, I will regard xc mountain biking in much the same way as eating my veggies. It can be satisfying, but mostly its because I know that it’s good for me. Cross-country riding improves your endurance and general fitness and can teach you very important bike handling skills, but for me, it’s just not that fun. Where I really shine, is when I get to don my armor (flak jacket and shin guards) and a full-face (moto) helmet. I swing a leg over my burly rig that has flat pedals, a seat that is largely unused and a handful of gears that exist only to propel me faster when I prepare for a jump or drop or traverse the flat to head to my next trail. I look for the steep chutes and I too look forward to mastering the root balls and rock gardens, but in a completely different way. Downhill mountain biking is a completely different animal and one that I find challenging, empowering and just plain fun. When I get to the bottom of the trail I toss it into the back of a shuttle truck or onto a ski lift and do it all again. You still need plenty of endurance and loads of skill because the risk factor of making mistake is significantly amped up, but at the end of the day when I’m beaten and exhausted I still keep going until I literally can’t hang on any longer.
As a wedding gift Mr. Jones bought me my first bike for downhilling. It’s actually a freeride bike that is more of a cross between cross country and downhill racing rigs. This is where my previous story about a lack of experience or skill come into play. Most people work their way up to the insanity of downhill. As also mentioned previously, mistakes = pain. Despite the armor wrecking down a rocky and steep mountain never feels like rolling about in a field full of marshmallows. It always ends in at least a bruise, and often times worse. I can admit that there was more than one occasion that I cried. When I started I was constantly covered in hematoma and I even broke my hand. In fact, did I mention that I’m afraid of heights and I occasionally get vertigo and the whole thing scared the hell out of me? Anyway, I’m a determined girl and I really wanted to recapture the fun and exhilaration I felt shuttling down the now seemingly tame Reddish Knob, but on a larger scale. Fortunately I’m stubborn and a little crazy. I’ve always been a bit of a tom boy and imbued with a sense of accomplishment thanks to my family who told me that I could do anything and I was naive enough to believe them. Last year was my first year really learning to ride. We rode at our local shuttle hill and took a few trips to nearby ski resorts for practice. I entered a small number of races as a beginner rider where many portions of the courses were well above my skill level. The risks were great, but the rewards greater. Racing forced me to overcome my fear, to try new things and to increase my knowledge of terrain and technique. I had intended to complete two racing series, but Mr. Jones was seriously injured and I wasn’t about to continue biking without him. I was mostly going because he enjoyed it and it was a challenging, but fun way to spend time together. Mr. Jones had already purchased a bike specifically for downhill mountain bike racing before his energy, so he greeted the beginning of this year’s racing season with renewed interest and vigor. I agreed to take on the challenge because as a woman there isn’t a lot of pressure, very few women compete in this sport. Just surviving to the bottom of the hill is often enough to earn oneself a trip to the podium. Having lots of friends and even strangers heaping adulation and showering you with medals and gifts can be a pretty strong influence on your willingness to continue in a sport that is male dominated, dangerous and expensive to boot. For all of the praise and patience I have been shown, I am very grateful. The series in which Mr. Jones and I have chosen to compete this year is the Gravity East. There are others, but the rigors of following a single series all over the East Coast from North Carolina to Vermont is likely more than I can handle. I suspect there will be many dust bunnies and piles of laundry accumulating as I work during the week and escape early on Fridays only to return in the wee hours of Monday morning and then do it all again. During the week I will have to keep up my cardio exercises for endurance, weight lifting for strength and cross country riding for skills. In my “spare” time I will squeeze in the responsibilities of daily life and sneak off on my bi-weeks to practice jumping, dropping and increasing my skills. I will compete through fatigue and injury against myself and the clock. Others will compete on the same course and for the same prizes and status, but it’s really about pushing myself and less about comparing myself to others. We are all apart of the fringe, so we spend our time helping each other, encouraging and teaching new skills and having fun together. We take our racing seriously, but not at the expense of camaraderie. It’s survival of the fittest at the extreme. As I embark on this journey I’m a little excited and a lot terrified, but I know I’ll come out of this with new friends, once in a life time experiences and a new sense of accomplishment. Stay tuned for photos and results.
Filed under Uncategorized | Tags: Blue Mountain, cross country, dh, downhill, drops, East Coast, extreme, Gravity East, Highland Bike Park, jumps, Killington, Launch Bike Park, Maryland, mountain biking, mtb, New York, PA, racing, Roots and Rain, sc, series, Seven Springs, shuttling, ski resort, Sugar Bush, Windham, Wisp | Comment (1)The Great Maryland Lawn Mower Event
This year we decided to redo the back yard. It had once been grass, that was then dug up an turned into a bicycle pump track. Unfortunately this led to a lot of mud. Combined with muddy paws and shoes all over my kitchen floor it was more than I could bare. So finally, after two years of filthy floors Mr. Jones agreed to convert back to a regular old lawn. We’ve decided we’d rather spend our time doing things that don’t involve constantly digging in the backyard anyway. So..back to mowing the lawn. We have an old hand-me-down gas mower that is a complete overkill for our small city yard. We’d consider switching to electric, but it’s been cost prohivitive given that our goal is reducing our debt, not increasing it. Luckily for us Baltimore City is again hosting to ‘The Great Maryland Lawn Mower Event’ on August 14. On Saturday morning Mr. Jones (who has already pre-registered here) will be trading in our old mower for a shiny new Neuton CE 6 battery-powered mower. Best yet, this mower which retails in the $400+ range is available at a substantial discount for only $175. (They also have the CE5 available for $135 if you don’t need the larger cutting deck). This is a great opportunity for all Maryland residents to put a dent in their pollution output without banging up their wallet.
More on the Neuton CE6:
Cut a 19″ path with our larger model. The Neuton CE6 Mower gives you the powerful performance of a gas mower with convenience of DURACELL® battery technology. There is no gas or oil to spill and no engine emissions to pollute the air. Neuton is the only mower powered by DURACELL®. With 360 watt-hours of battery energy, it has plenty of power to mow through even tall, wet grass. The Neuton CE6 mower is ideal for lawns up to 1/3 acre (about 15,000 sq. ft.) on a single charge. If you need more time, just drop in an optional spare battery and keep mowing!
Filed under Environmentally Focused, Events, Products, Shopping | Tags: Baltimore City, Battery-Powered, Camden Yards, eco-friendly, Electric, Lawn Mower, Maryland, sustainable, thrifty | Comment (0)