Winter Wonderland

The snow started flying yesterday and hasn't stopped yet. Here are some pictures from today, I will post more later.

A night of giving back

Last year, thanks to my classmate Debbie I was able to take part in a thing called 'Fantasy Flight'. This year I wanted to make sure I went back. See what happens is this, Horizon Airlines puts on this event that allows underprivileged children a chance to have something they may not have been able to, Christmas. They take 50-60 children and bring them all out to the airport, give them a crazy amount of gifts, coats, sweatshirts, toys, dinner, food, candy and fun. They get to meet us-the elf's as well as Santa himself. We bring them all out to the terminal, feed them dinner and then the fun begins. They board a plane and head to the 'North Pole'. Once they land all of us are there to greet them and bring them into the north pole. Once inside they play games, eat more candy, and most importantly get to tell Santa what they want for Christmas. Once they have talked with Santa they then get a HUGE bag of gifts, something they may not have been able to get if not for this event. After the fun we all gather round Santa and Mrs. Claus for a telling of The Polar Express. As if this wasn't enough, they then get in to stretch limos for their ride back downtown to meet their parents. This is definitely a high light of the holiday season. To see the looks on these kids' faces is truly a great thing.

This little boy was so cute, as soon as he saw Santa come through the door he took off at a full on sprint and was the first one to him.

Story time.


This says it all.

DONE, For now.

Today marked the last day of the fall quarter. To say this week was crazy would be an understatement. This quarter of classes for some reason was a killer and finals week proved to live up to the rest of the quarter. 3 days, 6 tests. All I can say is holy crap! But yet here I sit, Friday night and I have made it through, not without a few missed heartbeats though. Monday was a regular day, classes and one final lecture. Tuesday started the finals, it was pretty good though, I had my Ther Ex class and had both the written and lab practical to take. I feel pretty good in this class due to its orthopedic nature and instructor-she has made it by far the most fun class we have had yet! It helps though that I have a background in the ortho setting:) The lab went well, I missed 1 and a half points, DANG, Almost a 100%! Then a bit of a break, if you want to call it that. I had a few hours before the written so I headed up to meet some classmates and we spent the time studying the material. Once I was done with that test I went home, a bit drained. The good part was that Wednesday I didn't have a test so I didn't HAVE to study that night. I tried a bit but it just didn't work out.

Wednesday though I woke up and headed out to the library to get in some study time. I spent a good part of 3 hours there and felt pretty good. Thursday would bring my pediatric lab and written. I was trying to over prepare for this one so to speak due to a history I have with my instructor-I won't go into that here because this would turn into a huge post. Lets just say if I'm not perfect in this class its not good enough. I went into Thursday a bit stressed but feeling pretty good. Well, that's not how I left the lab. I passed but not with the score I wanted or my instructor wanted. Then on to the written, that one went really well I ended up with a 94%.

As if that wasn't enough for the day we had one more 'test' that afternoon, all be it not really a test. We just had to get up and present a SOAP note on a patient we had seen in our recent clinical rotation. After that day I have to admit I was completely toast. I came home and just couldn't get in to study mode. I waited a bit and had some dinner and then hit the books one more time.

Today was my orthopedic final, which I felt pretty good about. I went in early today and got together with some of my classmates. When I filled in my final answer on that test this morning it felt a bit like a 100 pound weight was lifted off of my shoulders. This week was crazy but it is now over and I can enjoy a bit of a break-3 weeks actually. So now I feel like I can relax, get back on the bike, and re focus again. I welcome the break, it will be good. After this I have two more quarters and that's it!

The messed up mind of an athlete

With the turning of the calendar we now find ourselves in December. One holiday of overeating down one to go. The calendar now tells me that racing is over for the year and the next few months. Next up, rest, recovery and enjoying some workouts that don't involve the bike. A few weeks ago while in the middle of the cross season I would have said no way I don't want to stop racing, now though I am ready. The strange thing though and I have to admit the messed up part is now that I am officially on my rest month I am feeling a bit guilty about not riding. WHAT THE HELL!!!!! Why is it that I want to so badly take some time off and not have the pressure of following a strict workout schedule I am feeling like such a slacker. I know I need the time off but have all these stupid thoughts rushing through my head like 'I need to ride tonight, other people are riding and getting stronger'. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID.

When I received my December plan from my coach I looked over it and was pretty happy with what I saw. The first few weeks called for some of the normal plans that I have been doing followed by the much needed rest. My fall quarter is wrapping up and I will be having finals starting next week. So I called my coach in need of some clarification as well as guidance in my recent thoughts/feelings and overall how to approach this month. The great thing about my coach is that she is also my best friend. I know that I can talk to her honestly and openly and get a honest response. Most of all though I can almost guarantee that she is having the same feelings. After a long conversation she has once again put my mind at ease.

The words that she said that made me really come to terms with the battle in my head were 'ride if you want to ride, don't if you don't want to'. Resting really is just as important as the hard training that I put in. The harsh reality of it all is that next month the long base building miles begin again in order to be prepared for the road season in April.

This was the harsh reminder of what is to come. Fortunately it was all gone by the next day. I welcome the snow in the mountains (that way I can go snowshoeing) but would rather it just stay there and not down here.

My plan for today-ride (maybe) run (don't think so) have a beer (that I can do). Here's to rest:)

The End Of Cyclocross

The podium at Riverside Finals. Renee 1st, Liz 2nd, Me 3rd, Diana 4th and Noel 5th

The creative trophy for the overall points. 3rd was the smallest rock and 1st the largest. Seems to me someone needed to clear some rocks out of their yard:) Creative idea though and unlike any other trophy I have received.

This past weekend marked the final race in the Inland Northwest Cyclocross season. We were once again out at Riverside State Park. Two weeks prior we were out there for a race and I didn't fair so well so I was a bit unnerved about this one. After last weekends race I had done the math (as well as every other lady in my division) as to what it would take for me to take 3rd overall. Going into the weekend I was sitting in 4th 2 points out of 3rd. So basically I needed to win the race and the 3rd place gal to finish at least two places behind me.

The start of the race brought the typical pre-race nerves and all that goes along with it. The trips to the bathroom were put off though due to the horrible-and I do mean HORRIBLE stench of the bathrooms at the park. I honestly started to gag as I walked into the bathroom. So, that made me feel even more nervous.

From the gun I knew that like last year I would have to get a good start and either be in the lead or top two. We took off and Renee got the hole shot but I was right on her wheel. The start is a slight uphill for about 1/4 of a mile (which is not my strength) so I knew being on her wheel is right where I needed to be .Renee is very strong on the road so I knew if I could stay with her for the start I could probably pass her somewhere else on the course. I was able to do just that on the first off road section. Taking the lead I had to remind myself again to stay clam and not to make any mistakes. I wanted to get as big of a lead as I could through the technical stuff so that once we were back on the road I could have a decent lead. I knew that if I only had a few seconds on Renee and the rest of the gals I would surely loose it on the uphill road section. Going into the second time on the uphill I noticed I had a good lead so I just pushed on the pedals and put my head down. The next two laps I was able to peek back a few times and noticed that my lead had grown which was to my surprise! I knew going into the final lap I should be able to hold on to the lead. The last time up the run up I was able to again peek back and notice there was no one around me all I had to do was get back on the bike and finish it up!

I crossed the finish line and quickly turned around to see where everyone finished. Even if I won and Diana came in second I would still loose 3rd place. I watched Renee cross the finish line next and knew I had taken 3rd overall. It was a great way to finish the season and wouldn't have changed a thing. I missed one race in Walla Walla and was still able to finish top 3 so I am very excited. Overall I have seen the rewards of my hard work over the last year. I love cyclocross and riding but am now looking forward to some time off of the bike. I am excited to start some snowshoeing, weight lifting and other things instead of riding. I of course will be still riding but just not as much.

So here's to the off season!!!! Cheers!

And so it begins.....

Tonight was the start of what most of us that ride on a regular basis dread, riding the trainer. ARGH! With the changing of the clocks and the fading daylight comes the fading of the opprotunities to ride in the daylight hours. Without a decent light, for now, I am left to ride inside on the trainer. Tonight was typical for me and the first few rides on the trainer, short and painfully boring. I made it about an hour and then just couldn't do it any longer. I was able to get my workout in though so its not all bad. Really ridng the trainer isn't all that bad for me sometimes, right now it does allow me to review some of my school notes or catch up on some of the shows I have recorded over the week, so guess I should look on the bright side.

As I sit going nowhere fast Itry and remind myself how much I love riding my bike and hate not doing well once the spring rolls around. In order to be ready for the season next year I know a certain amount of trainer time is required. I am hoping to mix in a few other workout options this winter, snowshoeing, running, etc. Maybe even get a few friends together for some group trainer rides:) we might as well try and make it fun right!?

Well, since I have put my time in tonight on the trainer, I am now going to sit back and relax a bit, not homework, no thinking, just relaxing.

First Clinical Rotation

Today was the start of my first clinical rotation. I will be going out to Valley Physical Therapy every Wednesday for the next 4 weeks, although I am excited to finally be out in the clinic I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed to be going to not one but two out patient clinics. See I have been working in a out patient clinic for the past 4 years and on and off for the past 9 years. I was really hoping to get some more experience in other settings. But to my surprise today was GREAT! Now that I think about it, it may be that going somewhere I am comfortable for my first rotation is probably a blessing. I was able to jump right in today and not be the least bit afraid. The funny thing is the clinic I was assigned to is a place I have worked in the past. Although the therapist is different from when I was there (it was 7 years ago) everything else is still the same. My clinical instructor was great, allowing me to do many things I didn't think he would let me do on the first day. I was able to do massage, (which since I am a massage therapist I would hope they would feel comfortable with allowing me to do) joint mobilizations, along with some other modalities that I do on a regular basis. It was good to do some of these things since we have a check list of items we need to do before the rotation is over.

I am so excited to finally be at the point in my education that I am out in the clinics and getting my hands on real patients. Working on each other in the classroom is fine but for me to really learn it I need to feel it for real. The next few weeks are going to be exciting and probably at times a bit scary but I am really looking forward to learning as much as possible.

Finding Center

Finding center, a hard thing to do when life gets busy and out of control. Things haven't really been all that stressful in my life as of late but when they are I know I can always get on my bike and suddenly things get a whole lot better. The last few weeks have been spent more in bed coughing, puking or sleeping then on the bike and that has caused a bit of stress. The first two races of the cyclocross season were this past weekend and like I said before I spent maybe two or three hours on the bike over the past two weeks, so I was not looking forward to them. I was able to limp my way through the first race, I was feeling better but hard efforts were just not in the cards. I pushed as much as I could, the legs just didn't want to react the way they usually do. Like I said though, I got through it and not a whole lot worse off. Sundays race was much better, although I was a bit unsure of that after Saturday. I was pleasantly surprised when I started the race my legs had somehow come around. My lungs had even decided to show up to the race, LOL. The course suited my style of riding and things worked out pretty much the way I wanted. I came in second, which was good, not a win but much better than I had expected.

I have stayed off the bike since Sunday due to more coughing and sneezing etc. I got back on today and as I sat here tonight I realized just how much riding my bike does me good and helps me to stay calm, find my center. There is really no other time like when I am out on my bike, I am able to get out there, think about nothing or everything, whatever suits me. When I get done I feel better physically and mentally. I realize again how thankful I am to be able to ride my bike and enjoy it so much and have great friends because of it. I only hope there is never a day where riding my bike doesn't do all of these things for me.

Cyclocross Season Is Here

This weekend marks the first two cyclocross races of the short but fun season. Normally that would mean I would be very excited and yet a bit nervous. (Gotta love those pre-race nerves) This time however, I am really just nervous. See, I have been sick for a good portion of the last two weeks and now as the day creeps closer and closer I am yet to be at 100%. This week brought a nasty head cold that I just can't seem to shake. It started Sunday and has gotten progressively worse over the week. Today (Wednesday) was the first day I got on the bike since the weekend, the week before I got almost zero time in due to food poisoning. I was a bit afraid of getting on the bike today but in all truthfulness, I think I would have gone mad had I not got on the bike today. I told myself if I just went out really easy and listened to my body I would be fine. I told myself if you don't feel good in the first 15-20 minutes then just turn around, its not worth it. The first 15 minutes were a bit disheartening, sore throat and a bit of coughing. I thought, hmmm, 5 more minutes. I felt better by the 20 minute mark and kept going, easy. I was out for about 45 minutes and felt pretty good. I didn't do anything hard though in fear of making life miserable.

As I sit here tonight I feel pretty good, no worse than earlier so that has to be a good sign. I talked with my coach and told her of my doings, a bit hesitantly:) and she didn't seem to object so.... Normally this minor sickness would not be something I would blog about, or even really worry about, I would just not race this weekend and try again next weekend. This year though I really want to do well at cyclocross. It will be my second year and I would really like to win my category. Last year I won a race and came in second in the total rookie category. This year I will bump up to the 'women B' category and would like to win races as well as the season. So I feel like missing two races this weekend wouldn't really put me in a position to do that. Guess all I can do is go out and see how Saturday goes and then decide on what to do Sunday. Until then its drink as much water as possible and take those vitamins and keep my fingers crossed.

Misc. Pictures

Just a few pictures from my recent ride out at Farragut State Park

Hey, hold on a second, this isn't my bike.
Think I will be turning around NOW.

With the weather quickly changing to more fall like conditions, it is raining as I type this, I thought I would put up a few pictures of one of the last really nice days we had. I spent this past weekend on my bike as much as possible knowing that the sun would be leaving us soon. All of these were taken out at Farragut State Park. My mom and her friend were going out to ride their horses so I loaded up my bike and went along.

School is back in full swing and I have my first tests starting tomorrow. I can see the mileage I put on my bike slipping out of my fingers. I should be spending this time right now to study, but oh well, I will get to that in a few minutes.

Back to School

So today was my first day back in school. This is my second year in the two year Physical Therapist Assistant program out at Spokane Falls Community College. I am excited to get going and of course, finish. I think this year will me a much better and dare I say it, fun year. Last year I remember coming home and just crying. I was so overwhelmed and some what scared that as soon as my best friend asked me how my first day went I just started crying. This year I came home feeling very good about things.

I think the pure fact that we all already knew each other and our instructors, the classrooms etc. made it much easier. We fell right back into the swing of things, kicking off the day with lectures and lab. My classes are therapeutic exercise, introduction to orthopedics, and a pediatric class. I am looking forward to all of them, but especially the peds class.

I was able to do all of those stupid little things that end up being a pain like get a parking pass, get all my books etc. today so that was great to get out of the way. All in all it was good to get back into class and see everyone again, I am glad to be back in a way. I am excited like I said to get started so I can get done. The one bad thing about being back in school is gonna be the time I won't be able to spend on my bike. It sucks but at the same time I know it will be worth it. I was able to figure out a way to do both last year and I think this year will be a little bit of a lighter load in school. My biggest fear last year was that I would not make any improvements with my cycling due to the fact that I was unable to ride. I found though this year that I still made huge improvements and did well. So I guess that will be the case this year and even if I don't make HUGE improvements this next season, after this school year I will be done with school and be able to keep a more 'regular' workout schedule.

So, wish me luck, one more year!!!!

A Day on the Hiawatha Trail

This weekend a few of my aunts and uncles and mom and dad and me of course, went up to ride The Route of the Hiawatha. The trail is an old train rail that has been turned into a fun and easy bike ride for the entire family. Being a train rail the trail is a 2% grade and you start at the top and ride downhill the entire way. Some make it a bit more challenging by riding back up, we didn't do that but I did think about it. Should have, when you get to the last pictures you will see why I say that:) This picture is the beginning of the ride, right ahead is the start of a 1.8 mile long tunnel, pitch dark, water dripping down from the top, and full of mud! It was fun but VERY cold way to start the ride.


Me at one of the first tressels overlooking some great scenery. We really do live in such a great part of the country!


The view coming out of a tunnel.

A family rides out of the tunnel pictured above.

Mom and Dad


Everyone:my uncle Doug, aunt Alice, uncle Oly, aunt Sharon, Mom, Dad, Uncle Alan, Me, aunt Diana

A great shot of my cross bike with a great back drop!!!!



The pre-ride meeting. I thought we only had to do that at races:)

Dad and me.

Mom and me.

Loading up the bikes for the shuttle ride back to the cars.

Okay, so this picture may look a bit out of place. However, its not. This guy hit our bus on the shuttle ride back up the mountain. He was out getting firewood and came flying around this corner and hit us in the bus pretty much head on. Our driver saw him coming, stopped, but the guy was coming so fast he couldn't stop. We were on a narrow forest service road and there was no where for him to go but up the embankment and into our front end.

We ended up having to call the head guy of the Hiawatha Trail, the police and all other buses to alert them that they would have to try and squeak by us on this corner. We ended up waiting over an hour then the boss said go ahead because the police were unable to get there for who knows how much longer. They took all of our names address, and phone numbers along with a statement and then got us on our way. Now you see why I should have just rode back up to the top. I probably would have got to the top before the bus and would have had a decent workout! Oh well, now I have this story to tell:)

The damage to the bus was minimal, a few scratches, the truck however didn't fare so well. That's some expensive firewood that guy went up into the woods to get.

Labor Day Weekend

I went down to the Tri-Cities for my aunts birthday party, but found out some of my friends were also down there for the Titanium Man Triathlon. Lucky me, I get a weekend of watching a race and spending time with my family. The Coeur d' Alene Tri Club had a strong showing with 5 members running the race, then Mike and me riding around on the course to watch and take pictures. Mike's son, Taylor, 3rd from the right, did very well. I think he won his age division but haven't checked the results yet. I had to leave before results were posted but from what we could tell he won his division.

This weekend also marked my first few rides on my cross bike....that was a bit of a slap in the face. As I rode along the tri course with Mike I quickly realized the increased rolling resistance of the cross tires versus road tires. I can usually hold on to his wheel fairly easily, this ride that was not the case. I had to work a bit harder to stay within even a few bike lengths. Oh well, it was fun, nice to be back on that bike as well. I am looking forward to cross season for sure!



Me, waiting for those we knew to come through this section of the bike course. This gas station was about 8 miles into the course, which was surprisingly hilly!

A quick shot of the bikes resting next to the gas station sign.

My cousin Jared and his wife Jennie at my aunt's birthday party.

My cousin Nicole, Aunt Ginger, and Uncle Tony.

My cousin Nicole's new cat, Tyson. Why is it when you're allergic they can't seem to leave you alone:) He was so cute though I couldn't resist having him snuggle with me.

My mom was trying to take a picture of me, well just had to make a face at her:)

I have the BEST FRIEND anyone could ever ask for.

Tonight is Monday which for the summer has meant the Monday Nite Diva Ride leaving from Vertical Earth and led out by my best friend Jenni. For the last few Mondays the number of women showing up has decreased which was to be expected due to the fact that the racing season is pretty much over for the women that show up for the ride. So today when the rain started to fall neither one of us expected too many to show up. As you can see we were right! Yep just the two of us were there. Which actully turned out to be really nice. See we don't really ever ride together just the two of us, I think maybe this was only the 2nd or 3rd time. I love riding with the group don't get me wrong but it was really nice to just ride with Jenni and have the chance to just talk. With a race one the schedule for tomorrow we didn't really need to do much of a ride so we took off and were able to chat about the day and catch up. We haven't had much of the chance to talk the last few days due to both of us being busy so I think it was really good for both of us:)

Once we were done I realized how much I really enjoyed the ride tonight regardless of the weather and once again thought about how blessed I am to have such a great friend. Not many people are lucky enough to have a best friend that they can honestly and truly tell anything to without being judged for it. I know that no matter what I tell her she will be there to listen and tell me I'm being stupid or to just get over it, or say no you're right and I will do the same for her. Tonight was one of those rides that may have not been 'the best workout' of the week but it was one of the best for us to vent and talk:) So Jenni, THANKS, I had a great time riding tonight and as always feel so blessed to have you and your family in my life!

A day of riding, eating, and relaxing...

Our first stop for the day and out came the phones.
Okay, everyone off the phone lets keep going:)

Mike showing us his fancy bike, hey maybe we should have rode this one!

So today a friend of mine put together a little bike ride on the Trails of the Coeur d' Alenes, we all met out at the Snake Pit Bar and Restaurant around 9 am and headed out for Mullan roughly 25 miles away. The trail is an old railway that was used back in the day for moving the silver out of the mines. Cleanup has meant cleaning up waste from the silver that has penetrated the ground and putting in a trail for cycling, walking, etc. The ride takes you along I-90 through Kellogg up to where we turned around at Mullan. Heading out you are on what appears to be a nice flat easy going trail. The pace was typical heading out, not too fast but fast enough to get a good workout in. We stopped a few times to regroup, none of us were out to race and a few in the group had never ridden as far as we were going to, and even one had a brand new bike that she had never been on. The first 15-18 miles were like I said good, then the last 6 or seven I noticed myself slowly loosing touch with the lead group I had been riding with all day. I started thinking 'what the heck is going on', I wasn't feeling that pop in my legs, started to slow down and kind of was worried. I had been eating, drinking and doing everything I needed to for a ride that would end up being close to 50 miles. Once I got to the turnaround at Mullan, the rest of the lead group waiting for me and the handful of others behind me, I said 'what was that all about?'

Turns out that final stretch was a false flat, which was one of the things that went through my head as I felt my speed and cadence decrease. So once we were all at the turnaround point and fooded up I took off with Mike and Curt for what I knew would be a fun return trip. It didn't take long for us to break away from the others and get a great paceline going. It was so much fun to work with them and clip off the miles at what seemed to be a really fast pace. My computer wasn't working so I wasn't sure what speed we were going but Mike and Curt said they were hovering around 24-26MPH. That right there made me once again think of how much I have improved over the past year, I would have never been able to participate in a paceline of that speed for that long last year!

Once back at the car we all headed over to the Snake Pit for some much earned beer and food. Although the service left something to be desired, the food was excellent, along with the company. Then back to Mike and Leanna's house for more beverage, relaxing on the couch watching the Olympics, BBQ and the hot tub! What a great way to spend the day!