Thanksgiving in Moab

We spent Thanksgiving this year in Moab with some of our friends. We had three days of amazing mountain biking. There's not much to say about the weekend except that I am now an official mountain biker...I know many of you did not know that I was faking it, but I was. Not anymore though because I am official. I was able to ride more , drop more, and climb more than I ever have before. We did Slick Rock on Thursday, it was chilly but a lot of fun. Then Thursday night is snowed a bit so we decided to do a little sandier trail so we did the Sovereign Trail which was the first for all us. Okay the climibing on that trail was freaking bonkers for sure...but once you got to the top it was a total rush. Below is a pix of me on Sovereign. My friend Paul who was with us is an animal and while climbing to the top he stripped out his free wheel which means he has no power. The wheels can't turn with out the free wheel...so he ran up any incline and rode his bike down. He was still faster than me most of the time. Then he and I got to a level portion of the trail and we started towing each other with three tubes tied together. I t took a little practice to get used to it but it was pretty fun and we were out of control. Then on Saturday we did Porcupine Rim, again that was my first time on that trail and I loved it. I loved dropping down stair cases of rocks . Climbing up the staircases were a little tricky, but I really got the hang of going down the slabs of rock. I like it because you have to stay really focused on what your doing because if you aren't you crash. I like trying to pick out the right line to take , and near the end I started picking out harder lines to take. Yeah I guess I just had to grow a pair. It was a great weekend and I am completely converted to mountain bike on Thanksgiving. We did it last year and loved it, and now this year was just as much fun. We had our great friends meet us there; Paul and Titus. They made the camping experience all the better too. Sovereign Trail

Our pulley system.

Holiday Run

I have started to organize a race. This race is a little different. It is on Christmas Morning, or Christmas Eve. The cool part about the race, is that it is up to you to decide on your own distance and route. Since most of us are in different parts of the country we obviously can't be together for the run, but we can run on the same day. I have started a blog to track the runners who are signing up.

If you have never done anything like this, please give it a try. It will hopefully be a little challenge, and something you can do to stay active during the holiday season. You know try to keep the holiday weight away.

Check out the blog
Holiday Run

Sign up the run...you will be great. It will be so much fun if you get your family and friends involved.

You can sign up for 1 mile walk, 5 k run, 10 k 13.1, 26.2, 55.4 or whatever it doesn't matter the distance...just do something that will challenge you. Hopefully you will have a good time.

The login is
Christmasrun or christmasrun@gmail.com
password: runnersworld

Also let me know what you think of this idea.

FMRBRSRP seeking FMRBRSRP

I'm thinking about putting an ad in the paper in hopes of finding a girlfriend.

FMRBRSRP* seeking other FMRBRSRP* enjoys long bike rides, grueling runs, polar swims with snapping turtles, sarcasm and sass. Will train** and commit to any race you offer.

I need to find some cool girls to kick it with, but I don't want to find friends that don't like to do everything I do. They should at least do some of the things I like to do. Otherwise our friendship just won't work. I have enough good friends I can talk to about life and such, but I need a training partner who I can have slam*** nights with. She will need to be tough and have a great sense of humor...otherwise she will dump me. (it's happened before)

Seth has been getting me numbers from mountain biker women. He's such a good guy. He will talk to any woman who has a bike to get their number for me...wait a second...that doesn't sound right. I think he's alright though.

I have a couple numbers and emails so I am going to start making some first dates happen here. Wish me luck...it's like starting all over. I have this awesome girlfriend who would do anything athletic with me...but she doesn't live in Logan yet...we thought the long distant relationship would work but it hasn't. It's been pretty hard on both of us. Until she moves out here so we can continue making each other wake up too early in the morning and bringing the rain to every work out I have to make new friends...friends we can share.

I'll let you know how it all goes.

*Female Mountain and Road Biker Runner Swimmer and Racquetball Player
**training may not actually happen
*** hours and hours of crazy work out in the middle of the night

Night Mountain Biking

Last night I went mountain biking at night for the first time. I thought I would be a little freaked out by biking single track at night, but I loved it. It took on such a different feeling. I don't know how to explain it...it was like riding in the dark. Yeah that's exactly how it was. No, we had lights on out bikes and helmets...but it was still exciting. You didn't exactly know what was ahead of you so you had to be quick to adjust. I thought I rolled over a lot of stuff I normally would have avoided had there been more light. I think I am hooked, it's a great time for Seth and I to bike together esp. if we have had long days and ran out of day light.

Big Sur

This weekend I did a Half Marathon in Big Sur California. It was great, I really need to start looking at race profiles. This race was straight up and down for the entire race. It didn't feel like a race it felt more like an adventure. It was fun I got to run with my Dad, Sister and some friends.

Great Run

Late this evening I had a great run - I ran up Green Canyon and the colors of the trees are changing right now. I wish I took a picture, but the reds were so vibrant and cooling. I just loved it, the air was moist and the soil was soft. It was a perfect run. I am going to try to go back up tomorrow and take a picture. Utah really knows how to age gracefully.

This weekend I am going to run a half marathon with my family in California. I really couldn't not be more excited and proud. I am proud of my family for stepping out of their comfort zone and try something new. I hope they enjoy the rush of the race and sign up to do another one. This race is in California and you run through the Redwood forest and ocean grasslands. It is going to be a great weekend.

Lotoja - Part 2

It was time to line up for the start of the race. I registered as a Cat 5 which meant I got to start earlier, but I started with the men. I was in a pack of 50 men, so it was kind of cool being the only woman in the group.

Logan - Preston 34 Miles

This leg of the race was of course the easiest part, we were in a good size pace line, the roads were flat, and everyone was fresh. We weren't going as fast as I thought we would so I was pretty happy about that, I think we averaged about 23-24 mph. We hit Preston, most of the group fed on the fly which meant they did not stop to get water or food, it was in a bag they grabbed while riding by. This was the last I saw of my group. Captn' (father-in-law), Scott (Seth's cousin), and I all stopped to get water bottles and food. Most everyone else kept riding.

Preston -Montpelier 46 Miles

This part of the race is where things start to get a little sucky. So we didn't have a group to ride with anymore so it was just the 3 of us. Then somehow the Captn' fell off the back, I don't know when it happened I just looked back and he was gone. We had a plan that we would wait for each other at the top of the climb. That's right we had a pretty big climb ahead of us. Anyway I will just summarize what happened.

Climb begins - Eugie slows down - Scott takes off - Jay the Dentist past me - just about everyone past me - I hate guys - the climb was long and took forever - I finally get to the top - I didn't feel well - waited for the Captn' - no one else waited, Captn' and I by ourselves for plentysix miles to go - suck - descent - fast - we were flying to Montpelier - feeling better - stopped feeling better - feel like crap - slowing down - get in to town to the feed zone - grabbed new water bottles - sat in the middle of the road while Scott's wife lathered me down with sunscreen.

Montpelier - Afton 45 Miles

Don't remember much - climbing - wind from all directions - a lot of climbing - some steep climbing - I wanted to vomit for the rest of the day - body hurts - legs cramping - what is going on with me?

Afton - Alpine 35 miles

Again don't remember much - didn't talk much to Captn' - I couldn't spare the calories - I hate riding my bike - playing mental game on my bike to keep my on it - stopped on the side of the road - laid in the grass - heaven - everything hurts - met another woman on the ride and she told me this was harder for her the natural childbirth - okay not afraid of labor.

Alpine - Teton Village 47 miles

I hate riding my bike - hate it - scenery was beautiful but who cares - I'm in hell - I hate riding my bike - I kept going slower and slower - I stopped eating - contemplating crashing to get me off this bike - no just stay on and finish - roll into Jackson - Oh we must be close to the finish - no - not at all - still so far away - turned right to go to Teton Village - I must be close - nope again - where the hell is the end of this race - I want to die - I hate biking - I am selling my bike - don't anyone talk to me - finally I think I see something - nope nothing - how long is this final stretch? - who planned this course? - why did I do this? - I now can see the finishing line - Captn' made me sprint to the finish - I hate biking - Thank heaven it is finally over!

Teton Village - Recovery

There is something about Lotoja that makes people lose their desire to ride their bikes. Once you cross the finish line there is a bike path to the parking area it's about .5 miles away. No one rides their bike there, everyone walks their bike back. It's crazy. I felt sick that night of course and I was pretty hungry the next day, and the day after that. I am feeling much better about my experience. I actually think I may do it again one year. Seth wants to do it next year on a Tandem. We will see about that.

All and all I can't believe I did it, sure I was a little disappointed in how poorly I performed and I am not exactly sure why I had such a bad day. I suppose just finish the race is an accomplishment all in its own rite. I'm happy I did it, and I feel that I no longer have anything to prove. Thank Heaven!!!

Lotoja - Part 1

Okay I think I am ready to talk about it. I finished lotoja 2 weeks ago or something like that...or maybe it was just last weekend...I don't know everything has kind of been a blur. If you are interested in what could have been the last few moments of my young life please read on.

Let me give you some quick description of the course. For 206 miles you will meet 7,000 feet of climbing, wind from all directions, false finishes (the race actually ends in Teton Village 10+ miles pass Jackson), rough roads, and plenty of opportunities to get off your bike and call it quits.

Pre-Race Party
The pre-race party was awesome...it was probably my favorite part of the event, the pre-race party started the night before. We had all the pirates over for a fun pasta dinner. I made these sweet pink cupcakes with the Jolly Robert's on them....they were awesome!

I woke up early and got a light ride in before the start of the race. I felt good, that was the last time I felt good for the rest of the day. Awesome....

be continued......

Hell in a Handbasket

I did it. I will be able to tell more about later...but the important thing is that I did it. It was probably to most definitely the most painful experience of my athletic career.

Eve of Victory or Disaster...

Tomorrow is the big day. There's a lot riding on this race...mainly my pride. I am starting in a pack of 50 riders...and I am the only girl in the pack...that's right boys you better bring it. Nah I'm just kidding I don't want anyone to bring it.

Today to kick off the festivities we are going to have a huge pasta party at the house. There are going to about 25 pirates at the house. Okay so even though I am riding I still need to be a good hostess...so I am going to make cupcakes with pirates on them....

Okay well i need to get cracking.

Lotoja - The Calm Before the Storm

If you have been a devotee to this blog then you are familiar with my 'doom and gloom' attitude toward any of my athletic events. You where with me when I did my first marathon...then my second...then again when I did the half iron man....and during all those events I was sure I was going to die each time. This next race is no exception...no exception indeed! Saturday I am going to do Lotoja it's a local bike race with just about 1000 riders. It starts in Logan Utah and finishes in Jackson Hole Wyoming, that's right Wyoming the Cowboy state...tough mothers come from Wyoming - watch out for them cowboys. It's going to be about 206 miles on a bicycle. I am thinking it may take me about 11-12 hours...I know for those of you that have done it already it's no big deal...but for me it's a big deal...so big in fact that I don't even think about it. Thats right I try not to think about it at all. I do have a simple game plan...it's as follows; Wake up early Saturday morning...eat breakfast...get dressed for a normal Saturday bike ride...start biking...don't get off 'til it's dark. That's all I have for now. Yeah if I think about it then I start to get an ulcer. All and all it should be fun.

Native American Fry Bread

I just made this for dinner tonight and it was so good.

3 cups flour
1 T b powder
1t salt
3 T butter
about 1 cup warm milk or water (I used milk)
vegetable oil for frying

1. In a food processor, combine the flour, b powder, and salt. Pulse a few times to mix. Add butter and pulse. With the motor running, slowly pour in the warm milk through the feed tube, adding only enough liquid and processing only long enough for the dough to come together into a ball.

2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Shape into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 20 minutes.

3. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. On the lightly floured surface, roll out each portion into a round about 1/4 inch think. In a heavy sauce pan or a deep , heavy frying pan, pour in vegetable oil to a depth of 3-4 inches and heat to 365 degrees or so. Add a dough round and fry, turning once, until puffed and golden, about 1 minute on each side. Using tongs, transfer to paper towels to drain; keep warm. Serve warm.

After all of that I top with taco goodies. Enjoy.

Life Aquatic

Here is the story of our lives.

Official Pose

Five Years

Today Seth and I have been married for 5 years. We have been having a fabulous time making a beautiful life together. My life is good, but with him it is so much better.

Home

We are slowing making this house a home.

California Trip

Check out Seth's blog for details here

Tour de California Pirate Edition

My hubby and I are heading out to California to go road biking up along the coast of Nor Cal. First we are going to stop in Panguich Utah for a 100 mile bike ride. Then we will drive out to California, and there the riding will begin. Since I am in ultra crunch time to get in shape for Lotoja I better get on my bike and stay on my bike. I am not allowing myself to bail on any ride...even if it takes me all day to finish some of these rides. All and all I am really excited to go on this trip...so I better go and start packing.

Moots Moots Moots

I am now going to begin my initiation to be apart of the illustrious exclusive forcible Salt Sea Pirate Team. It's a pretty hard team to get into, so for the next month I am going to be out though a series of 'tests' aka 'rides'. In the next 8 days I will be riding more than 500 miles...2 of those days I won't even be riding. Then a few weeks after that I will have the ultimate test to see if I am worthy to be on the team. I will ride a 204 miles bike race in one day at high altitude, climbing over three mountain passes all the while being chased by rabid dogs who shoot bees out of their mouths when they bark. It will be very intense to say the least. I am not in the best biking shape at the moment...I am very nervous about all of this, but one of the teams motto is 'never show weakness' that and 'don't come in last place', so no matter what my physical condition may be I will finish that race and I won't be the last one to cross the finish line. Why do all of this for some team...well I do it for the shwag. Check 'er out;

Fresh Corn with Parmesan Cheese

Since Corn is in season right now I thought you may want to try this recipe. Enjoy, but really nothing beats fresh corn with nothing on it.

1/2 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ears yellow corn, husked, halved crosswise
Heat the oil in a heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until tender and fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and cool. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese and stir the rest into the garlic mixture, along with the parsley and salt.

Cook the corn in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the corn to a platter. Brush the cheese mixture over the hot corn and serve. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese on top of the corn.

Flight Of The Conchords - The Humans Are Dead

Vino

Vino crashed today, but it does not keep him down. He's still going to win.

Pirates Plunder and Pillage the Roads of California

This August the Salt Sea Pirates from all over the nation will gather in San Jose to begin their epic journey through space and time to find the true meaning of the pirate code - ayarrg. Yup the pirates are gathering to form a pace line in their awesome baby-blue Lycra cycling kits. If you are living in Northern California keep an eye out for us. We have a week long biking trip planned out for August we are going to be riding about 400 miles in 5 days. The best part and absolute worse part about this week will be that the rides are mostly vertical. Oh yeah we are climbing California. We are going to be Climbing Sierra Road in San Jose, Mt. Diablo in Walnut Creek, The Wall in Peoria, Panther's Gap in Weott...oh my goodness just writing all this down is making my body reach lactic threshold....it's going to be an amazing grueling adventure. I can't wait!

I want to be like Vino

I haven't written much on my blog since the crash. That crashed did something to my biking psyche. I am having a hard time getting back on my bike. I have tried a few times but since the crash I think I have put in maybe 80 miles. Yeah that was a month ago. My goal is that this week I will get over any hang up I have about the bike. I don't really know what's going on with me...I am just maybe a little burnt out. Well that was June and June is over. We are going to be all about biking in July...come on it's the tour month! Vive Le Tour!!! This is the best month out of the year. Each morning is filled with cycling. We watch cycling, then we talk to our friends about the cycling we just watched. Then we all go riding together, but this talk is a little different everyone ponies up their own predictions about the next day of racing. July is great. I am so going to tear it up on my bike. I will start tearing it up like Levi, George, but when I get serious and crazy I will tear the roads up like Vino! If you don't follow cycling like most people let me tell you about Alexandre Vinokourov who everyone calls Vino. He is possessed - he attacks when he's tired, when his hungry, when he's full, while he's eating, he attacks on the uphill, on the flats, he attacks his own team mates. He is out of control and we love him for it. It because of riders like him that make the tour what it is.

I want to be like Vino.

The picture above is of Vino courtesy of Graham Watson.

Swim Bike Crash Run Quit

This past weekend I competed in my first Half Iron Man in Burley Idaho. This race was specifically chosen for me because the swim was in a river...yes a nice moving on it's own river. Since the swim is my weakest link I need all the help I can get. On the morning of the race they bus you a mile plus up river, then you jump in and swim to the first transition area where you hop on your bike and ride into the sunset...or to transition 2 where you drop the bike grab your running shoes and you are now running your way to the finish. That is how most triathlons work...well mine was a little different than ideal. I did the whole swim portion, then I hopped on that bike just like I was told...I rode as hard as I could for 55.94 miles...unfortunately the course was 56 miles long. I crashed like .06 miles from the transition area. Let me back track this crash about 15 yards before I crashed I hit a ditch/gutter something that was crossing an intersection...I didn't see it coming - so I hit it hard, I think I hit it so hard I pinch flatted my front tire. Since this all happened so quickly I didn't even noticed I flatted. To get to transition 2 you make a small right turn...when I went in for this turn I was slowing down and turning just then my tire rolled off my front wheel rim. Yeah talk about Joseba Beloki 2003 tour injury...I slammed down on the ground pretty hard...I cracked my helmet and hit my face on the ground then I left a lot of skin on the road. If you know me you know how stubborn I can be so I grabbed my running shoes and tried to go for the run...well I made it about .5 miles before I turned back...my body was hurting...and mentally I'm not sure I was all there. So that pretty much sucked in a big way. I'm still shocked I went there to finish and I left as a 2/3rd winner. I'm pretty anti triathlons right now...so in a week or so I am thinking if I want to try again later in the summer.

Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries

This is a very tasty treat. With berry season coming up I thought it may be a good recipe to have around.

1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatin
3 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup honey 1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch salt
2 cups assorted fresh berries

Place the milk in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over. Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes to soften the gelatin. Pour milk mixture into a heavy saucepan and stir over medium heat just until the gelatin dissolves but the milk does not boil, about 5 minutes. Add the cream, honey, sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour into 6 wine glasses so that they are 1/2 full. Cool slightly. Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours.
Spoon the berries atop the panna cotta and serve.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo and Lemon Spaghetti

This dish is a fabulous summer time dish. I mix the Shrimp Fra Diavolo and Lemon Spaghetti together for a get combination.

1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons
1 medium onion, sliced
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
3 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leavesToss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a large plate; set aside. Add the onion to the same skillet, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, if necessary, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic, and oregano. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture; toss to coat, and cook for about a minute so the flavors meld together. Stir in the parsley and basil. Season with more salt, to taste, and serve.

Lemon Spaghetti 1 pound spaghetti 2/3 cup olive oil 2/3 cup grated Parmesan 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons) Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon lemon zest 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leavesCook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

Swimming in a River

As many of you know I am training for a Half Iron Man. On Saturday I had a great day full of Biking and Running, we even went kayaking. While we were kayaking I decided to hop out and swim a bit in the open water. Yikes! I hated it. When I swim in the open water I don't know where I am or how far I've gone...it is a miserable experience. Swimming is my weakness in all triathlons - it's a huge weakness. So with 19 days left until my race I am going to go swim in the lake everyother day. It's a good thing I found a triathlon that will let me do the swim portion in a slow moving river.

This Last Year Will be Pretty Hard to Top

I would have named you KingsleyMe Warming up for the Louisville Marathon

Me - BritBrit - Niknik at the Finish Line

Potato Gun

Snow Biking

Duathalon Pre-race

Moab, Utah

Ok Go Dance Party

Seth Eating His Words

The Women in My Family

Seth and His Friend Riding in Missouri The Boys and Their Bikes

Me with 2 extraordinary women

Pictures of My Life

Botanical Garden in Oregon
Riding

Me - Sister