RAGNAR Vegas & CX RACE in SoCal

I realize that almost all of our vacations are based around either a bike race or a running race of some kind. Well it just turns out that this year, we planned a trip to Oceanside with Meg's family, and then it worked out that Meg could go a couple days earlier and run RAGNAR in Las Vegas with a bunch of friends. We could pick her up in Vegas and keep driving to California. We could spend the week in Oceanside with the in-laws and then i could do a Cyclocross race in San Diego before driving back to Utah.

We came down and saw Megan at her second exchange and then went and stayed with my favorite Aunt Barb for the night. We woke up the next morning to homemade waffles and lotsalaughter.

We went and saw the ladies finish their 195 mile run and drove to CA. It was much prettier than megan had anticipated since you did a giant circle around vegas starting in Valley of fire, heading to Lake Mead and then down and around, ending up at red rocks casino.

We spent a wonderful week having a great time in Oceanside. We had to be out of the Beach House by 10AM saturday morning, so that was just enough time to drive down to Balboa Park, clean up some kids throw up in the back seat, warm up, and do a couple of races.

I really take for granted the CX scene we have here in Utah. You can sign up for whatever category you want and don't have to have a racing license. The fields are huge and growing. Going to California, i was confined to race with the cat 3-4 field since i am technically a Cat 4 cyclocross racer. I figured i would do 2 races, not knowing what the fields would be like, how big, how competitive etc.

I started with the Masters 35+ 3/4 race which only had 12 guys line up. I missed the hole shot and settled back into 4th place to see how the competition was. After a lap, i had worked my way into second. I attacked on a long, hard, muddy section and got around front. I kept the pace high and stayed there. Around the corners i could see a gap starting to open so i drilled it some more. By three fourths the way through the race, i couldn't see the 2nd place guy anymore. I eased up a bit knowing i was going to be racing again after this race was done. Now i know how Bart Gillespie feels.

The 3/4 race started right after the masters race was done, so i had time to pin on a different number and get back in line. This field was a bit bigger with around 20-25 guys. I started and dropped into 4 th place again. we rode like this for a lap, but i could tell this was a lot faster pace. On the second lap, the guy that was sitting in 5th came around me on a corner that there wasn't room for 2 bikes and ran me off the road. I am fine with racing aggressively, but don't run me off the road only to ride the same speed as i was that early in the race. I passed and dropped him a lap later while another guy and i were swapping 4th and 5th place as the first 3 riders were 10 seconds up the course. Most of the race went like this until about a lap and a half to go. I realized at this point that it was now about 2 o'clock. I had breakfast at 8 o'clock, which consisted of a bowl of frosted flakes and a couple of donuts. This is the point where i dropped from 4th place to 10th place and was just glad to get in the car and make the 7 hour drive to St George.

The good news was that for winning the Masters race i did get some socks, a water bottle, a gift certificate to a bike shop in San Diego that i would never go to, and some beer which i also gave to the 2nd place finisher.

Megans First REAL Triathlon

Megan has done a few triathlons, but they were more of the informal, neighborhood triathlons on the 4th of July where you show up in the morning and everybody decides what distance they are going to do.

Before

After

I can really only take megan's word for it if she did the olympic distance or not.

She claims she did a 1500 m swim, 40km bike and 10k run in 3:06. She looks as fresh in the after picture as the before picture. For all i know she could have taken a couple of pictures in the transition area and then went to the spa for the morning.

I wasn't there to see her. When i did my first open water swim, she came to see me and even almost got our car towed because she was afraid i was going to drown. 100 yards into the swim, the thought did cross my mind. I got my swimming merit badge when i was 13 years old, they didn't have other people hitting and kicking me during my swim. This video shows how to properly train for an open water swim.

Bunny was supposed to do this tri so megan took bunny with her.

The big 3-0

Conversation at dinner last night.

Me: Do any of you know what special day it is tomorrow?
#2 excitedly: Yes! it is uncle G G's birthday.
Me: You're right. Is it anybody else's birthday that we know?

blank stares and crickets chirping

Me: Do any of you remember that it's your mother's birthday?


I guess i am not very good at building up for birthdays.
The kids were all disappointed that there would be no singing gorillas with balloons.

At least they remembered Jeremiah's birthday.

Happy 30th Megan

Top of Utah Half Marathon

Another fun weekend vacation in a crappy 1 star motel to attend a race of some kind.If you can't read the giant sign that was made, it says "WOW, MOM!"

The #1 fans gave out lots of sweaty high fives at mile 9.

I have commented to Megan several times about how biking is superior to running and you can easily tell by looking at the peoples faces that are doing each sport. Runners almost always look like they are in pain and on the brink of death where cyclist, on the other hand are usually smiling and look like they are having a great time.
In this picture, Megan made a conscious effort to make it look like she was having a good time.

It's amazing the lengths she will go to to get an hour and forty seven minutes to herself. It was a new PB.
In order of appearance from left to right:
1.The Clydesdale who decided to forgo any running the whole week before and instead supplemented his training with several homemade cookies every night instead.
2.The wife of the clydesdale who did a great job on her first ever half marathon
3.axl rose's much faster and much cuter female counterpart
4.The bake-a-holic
5.the suburban cowgirl who finally got a pair of real running shoes
6.the running sixpack who is 9 weeks great with child
7. the sucker husband that had nothing better to do on saturday morning.

Guest Post - RAGNAR, Wasatch Back Relay

Hey, it's me, cyclist's wife. Since the only blogging I do is recipes, the cyclist was kind enough to let me take up a page or two over here. I think he thinks that if I put the experience in writing, I'll stop gabbing his ear off about it. (Haven't stopped talking about it since.) Anyway, I thought my cookies and cakes would feel a little self conscious around this healthy stuff. (I don't think they know that I run).

Our mascot: to all you who have been asking, yes the cyclist designed it, and no it wasn't me who posed.
Heather, Erin, (two of my Sis-in-laws) and Me pre-race

I just got back from the funnest weekend I've ever spent without the cyclist. Eleven incredible women and I ran in the Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay.


The general gist of this relay race: 188 miles, 12 runners, two vans, 36 legs from Logan to Park City. I was in van one, runner three.

Van One at the Start Line

We started out the race on Friday at 10:30 a.m. in Logan. We weren't quite prepared for the heat of the day (we moms generally have to run before the kids are up). As each girl ran, the van would leap frog them. We'd drive about 2 miles ahead and wait with water and cheers. That first leg we poured more water over our runner's bodies than we poured into their mouths.
We ran from Logan, through Providence, Nibley, past the Hyrum Reservoir, up and over Avon Pass and down into the Ogden valley where we passed the wristband off to our second van.

Heather pounding it 7 miles up Avon Pass

While van 2 ran their six legs through the Ogden valley, we went to dinner.
We met back up with our ladies at about 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Snow Basin resort. We donned our reflective vests and headlamps and prepared for our second leg through the night.


We ran through quiet towns (with the exception of my team's excited honking) and ended up at East Canyon at about 1:30 a.m. We were exhausted. We drove the hour and a half to the South Summit High School and crashed on the gym floor.

heading to the high school to "sleep"

I was so worried about sleeping through the next exchange, that I only slept for about 30 minutes (surprising, considering how soft a gym floor is.) We left the high school at 6:30 to meet van two at the Oakley Rodeo Grounds.
We were still exhausted. Mentally, we were tired and our legs felt like lead. We were just glad that we were embarking on our last runs. We knew if we could just make it through these last miles, we could rest. Unfortunately, my last leg was also my hardest and longest. The rest of my van had their easiest runs left.
I started in Francis and ran 8 miles to Jordanelle Reservoir. I had pre-run this course the weekend before, so I knew what I was in for...a nice gentle down hill into a beautiful valley, followed by a three and a half mile climb.

I won't tell you the mantra that was going through my head. It's not really an "out-loud" word.

The cyclist and my girls drove up to cheer me on and help me up the hill.

me and #2

We finished our legs in Heber. We were so relieved. Now van 2 just had to make it to Park City (by way of a 3000 foot climb up and over Guardsman Pass). The run over the pass has been nick-named Ragnar: "in mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits and favored by the gods."

The two ladies from my team (Holli and Hilarie) that ran up that hill fit that description. They were my heroes. Very little of the road was paved and it had been raining on and off all day. They were running straight up a muddy,muddy road. My van followed and we watched in awe.

28 hours after we started, we met up with our last runner and crossed the finish line as a team.
Can you see those clouds?! They let loose about five minutes later. We were soaked. Thanks to the cyclist and girls for sticking it out!

Van One at the Finish Line
We don't look too worse for the wear, unless you consider the fact that we're missing Lindsey. She had to rush home right after she ran her last leg.

Me and the ladies from Van 2 (I wish there was a way to cram all of us into a school bus or something so we could stay together)

Mom Therapy at the FINISH! Check out the socks and those smiles! What an exceptional bunch of women!
hilarie, rian, julia, pilvi, alycia, erin, andee
me, holli amy, heather

I have been on a complete runner's high since the second we finished (actually it started when the whistle blew and Erin led us off). I can't believe that we ran 188 miles without a hitch. No injuries, no major complications. We did lose Heather in the middle of the night (sorry Heath, we know it was hard to take off that wristband when you were so tired ;) ). And some of us saw a lot more of a strange man that we wanted to (word of advice: LOCK THE PORTA-POTTY DOORS). We all stayed on pace and actually finished almost an hour faster than we wanted to. (How does seventh place in the women's open division sound?)
I have never had that much fun on a race in my life. I think about it almost constantly, I have looked at my pictures a hundred times, and I can't believe that we have to wait a whole year to do it again! Baby steps to June 18th 2010. Thanks ladies! Couldn't have done it without you.

Confessions of a Bake-a-Holic Exposé or Happy Birthday Megan

The life of a recipe blogger is very glamorous one. You get invited to all kinds of parties and receive compliments and accolades for your delicious creations. All the photos look Delicious and perfect and the recipes sound effortless. Almost like they were just thrown together with a few ingredients that were laying around the house.
But behind the cremé brulee and royal icing is a darker side. A side hidden from the public eye. A side they don't want you to see.

Rewind 11 years, to a beautiful newlywed bride and her clueless husband. They had both lived at home up to the point where they fell in love, bought a house, remodeled that house and then got married, all the while going to school full time, running a small business and managing a bank branch.
Never having had to shop for groceries before their marriage, they spent most of their grocery money on fruit snacks, tapioca pudding and and thin mint girls scout cookies. Eating out a lot, they relied on Sunday dinner invitations for any home cooked meals. They got the bulk of their nourishment from pizza and milk shakes.

Occasionally there was a home cooked meal, but it usually consisted of rounding up whatever was in the fridge and did not smell rotten and then either making it into a stew or some sort of pasta sauce to throw on top of over cooked spaghetti noodles. A couple of real standouts that come to mind are a neon green Lima bean pasta and a carrot pasta sauce that was choked down only because it was Sunday and they couldn't go to the store and buy something else to eat.

After the Bake-a-holic's husband gained 25 pounds in the first year they were married, they decided to change their lifestyle and eating habits.

Fresh fruits and vegetables started to make regular appearances in the fridge. Whole wheat bread replaced Twinkies. Fruiti-O's fruit snacks where no longer considered a recommended daily fruit allowance, and french fries were not considered a healthy option because they were made from a vegetable. Things really started to turn around for the couple. They added an active, exercise element to the mix and started to actually become somewhat healthy.
But that was all about to take a drastic turn for the worse. It all changed when the Bake-a-holic found out she was going to be doing a little baking of her own. She found out she had a bun in the oven. Now she was eating for two. Her husband didn't want her to feel bad about gaining weight, so he gained sympathy weight with her. Always eating double portions and having a tough time keeping up with the exercise schedules, especially when the bake-a-holic would get so sick that she would throw up so much that she would get dehydrated and have to go to the hospital for an IV to replenish her fluids.

The baby finally came. A healthy baby girl. Although with childbirth, the first 7 lbs were easy to lose, the rest of the weight was not as easy. Especially for her husband. Mix that with a lack of sleep, always having goldfish crackers on hand and having whole milk in the fridge and you have a recipe for disaster.

Fast forward to 2009.
The bake-a-holics is now chasing 4 healthy girls around and being active. She runs like a gazelle. She has been collecting recipes and cookbooks for the last 10 years and turning out food that tastes really, really good. Staying barefoot, pregnant in the kitchen for all of those years has really paid off for her culinary skills.

It is not always as glamorous as the photos make it appear. There are recipes that don't work. There are meals that don't get eaten or are complained about. Occasionally there are kitchen fires.

Sometimes there are whole wheat breadsticks that look more like pooh than food.

At times, the kids complain when home-made macaronni and cheese is made for dinner because they want the "REAL" mac-n-cheese. The kind that comes out of a box and is orange.

We have had our ups and downs which admitedly are all my fault, but I have become incredibly spoiled for really great food and a beautiful wife who makes it for me.
Thanks for not leaving me.

Happy Birthday