An Amazing Weekend!

What an amazing weekend! Racing, reminiscing with old friends, rest and relaxation, good food, good beer, great riding, could you ask for more?? I couldn't. I was completely exhausted last night, and there is no way I could much less move than blog. Friday and Saturday were busy with the blues festival and good food and pre race prep for Justin.

Sunday we get to the resort, we ride from town, I pull Rylee. Justin did great, he said he just didnt want to get last, well he didnt get last and he definately hurt pretty good, this is his first race since last year after breaking his leg, the break involved two weeks of waiting before surgery, and many months of physical therapy, there was always the chance that he would never race again. He said the leg felt great. I am sooooo freakin proud of that guy! He knows he still has some work to do, but going into this stuff with realistic goals, knowing you arent going to hit the podium at first, knowing you have to train right and effectively, he did just as we knew and know he could gauge his fitness. Racing makes you stronger, it pushes your limits, you break through some walls you put up. Hopefully I can do the next race in a few weeks. I should practice what I preach.

While at the race we ran into old friends from 'cruces, Matt and Josie, they totally killed it and had podium finishes. That was cool to hang out, drink some beers and catch up and it seems they are doing good and things are pretty much the same as they always were in 'cruces, which isnt bad. Her mom and her mom's friend were super sweet and really enjoyed Rylee which was nice because Rylee was kinda gettin' cranky.

After all that we capped it off with some r&r at the hot springs. My legs feel pretty good today, and Justin said his did too, the waters there are supposed to be healing and I think they are.

There were 680 racers yesterday, despite Deer Valley going on in Utah. The Colorado races always do well, this race series always does, plus you don't have any sanctioning bodies, like USA cycling intervening with race fees and stuff like that. Plus the race give you free beer and food afterwards and that is always refreshing.

Well, this is a good training week for me, I am riding a long road ride tonight. I will get pics if I remember. And here are some pics from the weekend, I had to include Gavin's popsicle tongue pic and this cute one of Rylee, she is so adorable, but she is the diablo inside....dont let the cuteness fool you, its a front...haha!@!!
Peace! xoxoxoxo Angie

Get yer 'stash on..

Well, this looks fun, but unfortunately, it may take me a while to grow a 'stash, but for you guys out there, here is something that looks fun. Someone needs to grow a Chuck Norris stash, that would hands down get my vote..

The mountain states cup Colorado state championships are going to be held at Sol Vista (Sol Survivor), which, is basically in my back yard. They have some seriously sick downhill action going on over there and you can take the ski lift up and come down. We ride up and then have fun on a lot of "private" trails. It is perty, perty up there.

So this is a fer sure race for me, it is Aug 1-3, the same weekend as Crankworx's which is at Winter Park resort, so that will be one fun weekend of racing 'round here. Blast the mass in Snowmass is in a few weeks, I need to see how I feel, I was so sick, and now on antibiotics, which I did not want to do. I just dont feel like I did a few weeks ago, it feels like the medicine sucks something out of you and your performance.

I have to push, push myself and it takes like an hour for me to feel warmed up, do you know what I mean?? And it seems to get worse the older I get. Cyclists make me laugh, so many gripes and whines and sometimes overanalytical stuff, type -a- personalities, sweating the small stuff, it is really true, but I do it when I start training and I think everyone does because you have to see where your weaknesses are so you can overcome them, find your assets, your strong points so those dominate and peak in your racing and then you see your potential increase! I need to lose 10 lbs, 10 lbs of leftover baby weight, I lost 40 lbs, so that was good, I just need to be a light little person on my bike so I can fly (climb) over the big humps (mountains).

It is not easy, but I am revving up the metabo and I am hungry all the time, small/tiny/minute meals, veggies, protein, it is hard to do this when you are training. Your body needs fuel, but you restrict yourself at the same time, you need protein for your muscle food, it is just so dang confusing how to do this and still have energy to ride hard. Oh well, just ranting here...Hope everyone has a great day...I will try to get pictures of this weekends shenanigans, so much going on!!
It is a perfect 65 degrees out right now, it will warm up to 75-80, perfect weather at 9000ft elevation.
Justin rode his bike on the 40 mile commute into work this morning, I hope he made it in okay...

Massage is good for you!

Hello, well, I had to plug how good massage is for you. Not only for athletes, but also for those that endure the daily stresses of life and it begins to manifest in the body as headaches, tired achy muscles, irritability, stress. Massage can for a moment take those irritability's away and rejuvenate and relax the body, the mind and the soul, and you can forget about the daily hassles and focus on yourself for a moment. Well, my job, as a massage therapist, is to help facilitate healing, which the individual is the healer, i just help. Anyway here is a pic of Justin getting ready for his leg massage. Since he is an athlete, the overuse, the irritation by lactic acid, fatigue can all be reduced by massage. I know he notices a difference as opposed to doing nothing. It improves performance and it also promotes recovery. Massage + rest + effective training = fast/winning results.
These are just my opinions, based on actual clients...and most professional cyclists receive massage as part of their training. Oh, and here's a random pic I took today of some roses on my kitchen table.
Peace.

Denver

Today I had the "pleasure" of spending the day in Denver at the dentist office. I hated it and I know why, because I knew it was gonna mean a root canal or worse, anyways, my fears became reality, so I will be back in the office to fix some stuff. So we left Winter Park early and then spent the day in Denver after the dentist. We went to WalMart, which is like fantastic. When you live in a mountain town, actually a resort destination, food, gas, well basically everything is inflated in price. So every so often we make it down into the city. We only live an hour or so away from Denver, but it feels like you are in your own special world and wonderful place when you live in the Fraser Valley. I looooove it here, whenever we go to the city, I just cant wait to get back home, the city freaks me out, its so fast, everyone is in such a freakin' hurry, parents are yelling at their kids in the store, people are rude, it just sucks. Anyways, glad to be home. I have nothing really interesting to post today. I will put something interesting when I can. Justin is doing the second race of our series, there were 600 racers last time, so should be fun, I will watch and then Snowmass in a few weeks. Okay, more to come later....

Hangin @ the lake

We drove a bit up the road to the lake today to relax and bake in the sun, but there was no sun. We decided to have our picnic in the car and watch the hail pelt the car, it was kinda scary for a minute. We finished our grub and took a quick walk on the "boardwalk", it was amazingly beautiful despite it being freaking cold. Funny thing is, it was super crowded, I guess the tourist season is in full swing. I cant imagine how busy it is on the weekend...grrrrr...that is not my idea of fun... I was kinda bummed we didn't get to make any sandcastles or get the yummy chocolate dipped ice cream cones they sell right off the "beach". Oh well, we'll go another day, it's so close, but definitely not on a weekend...Here's some pics of the day and the family, and I do look pretty fug...

Sunday Fun

Sunday was so much fun!! Justin and I rode hard and long, another great day on the bike. We rode to the resort, went up the jeep road and did a big old array of trails until we hit the backside of Alco and went down from there into Fraser. Basically we did the race course for next week race. Minus a few spots but, it was a great ride, lots of climbing. My lungs feel good, totally fine with training at this altitude. The legs need some work, as far as power, but I am working on that. Anyway, here are a few pics from yesterday. Now I am headed to the lake for a little r&r, I'll try to take some pics...Oh here's a picture of Gavin on his bike. He loves to ride, if he could ride all day he would! It is so cute and totally cool!!

Bears and Wildflowers..

Here are some pretty pics of the area I live. I am sooo lucky. I know this! Well, the first pic is on top of Berthoud Pass yesterday. If you want a good climb and elevation, you can ride from my house all the way to the top and then ride down. You can also snowboard or ski up here in the winter time, it is an amazing place for backcountry stuff. This place is littered with bikers, road, mountain and downhillerz and the place is very bike friendly, as we are bike capital USA, its trademarked or something, I think...Today was a hard day for me. I am feeling the effects of being sick and so I didnt do a real long ride, but I am pissed I forgot my camera, because the wildflowers are out and there were so many along the singletrack. I will try to remember next time. Oh and I awoke this morning to a big ol black bear in my yard. Daisy, my yellow lab scared it off, Daisy walked around all day today like she was queen shiz or something, it is cute. Oh and there is a baby fox that likes to hang out in our yard too, I would rather meet the baby fox than the bear. xoxoxo angie

It's all in the hips

Today is a complete rest day for me, no riding, no nada, just a nice chill day. Im hangin' out at home and gonna leave soon to do a mingle with other therapists in the valley.

Anyway, the greatest thing happened today! I FINALLY went to the chiropractor and got my hips adjusted. This has been the lingering little problem of my life since I had Rylee. Well, if you dont know me, Im kinda tiny. I am 4'11 and a HALF, and my daughter was basically 8 lbs when she was born. Well, you might think that is nothing, but for little old me, squeezing her out really did a job on my hips and they have basically been "out" for a while. It has really affected my riding, but I am on the road to recovery, and with adjustments and lots of massage, I should be back to normal soon. So, I am not sure I will do the next race at the end of the month, I will just see how I feel and decide then. But one thing I am looking forward to is the Urban Assault race in July in Ft Collins http://www.urbanassaultride.com/inside.php?page=ftcollins&s=1
It is gonna be the shiz, especially with Justin as my partner.
It has been fun riding with him, he is very patient and I think that makes it more enjoyable and it is funny watching him punch baby trees (inside joke), anyway, life is good, hows yours???? Oh and Im doing this little thingy called Women, Wheels and Wine July 6th, it is gonna be a blast, just me and the ladies gettin' a little R&R, but on the bike, and they give you swag and wine, can't beat that!!! haha!!
Oh, its freakin' warm up in dis beatch, but 75 degrees is really perfect, what am I complaining about!!!

Future Food Network Star

Today Rylee and I practiced our cooking skills, she really hammered out a delictable creme brulee, it was nice, then we shared a glass of vino, dont worry, it was grape juice and it was good. She is such a fun little gal. Anyway, aside from that, I didnt work today and we are all fighting off some nasty cold.

Now that I am officially in training mode again, I forgot the demands and the sacrifices one must make. But I am super motivated and really, really excited. I have a plan to do my first race towards the end of June and start at my prior level of expert, I have high goals and a plan, so I am super ready to go. Justin is working on his coaching certification and I am volunteering myself to be his first client. He has such a wealth of knowledge and really knows how to do it, so I am glad he is pursuing this. He is so amazing, I know Im gushing. Anyway, today was an off day from the bike, and it sucks, I am getting a lot of rest and doing some pliometrics and core shiz on the the off days, I am just starting to get serious again, so I am definitely in pain mode, but with lots of rest, anything is poss...

I am thinking I should post his super zexy scar. Yeah, Im gonna do it. Well, it is really looking good, because the camera didnt really pick it up. The guy had a major surgery, killed the knee, broke the tib and femur, it was major disaster, carnage in that leg, so after three weeks of letting his leg "unswell" from the size of a bowling ball, bones all movin' around in there, bruised and pretty just plain unsightly, he had his surgery and spent a good long three days in the hospital. Of course, we had to have him get his care in Denver, no good places up here for that stuff, but they did a great job and even did cartilage grafting, a new treatment, only like 7 people in the world have had this type of thing, but he seems like he is good. The great thing about living here, is that there are so many top docs that treat cyclists and sport injuries and get these crazy people back on the trails and the slopes. Pretty amazing stuff. So the whole point is that this amazing guy of mine is my inspiration, he really could have just stopped and no, he snowboard all winter long, crazy shiz too, stuff that would make you pee your pants, but he persevered, he is on the bike, kickin ass again, and is still as fast as he ever was. So kids, never give up, dont let the little things get ya down, and most of all love each other, cuz havin' that gets you through a lot of shiz in life. I fo' sho' know that!!! Oh and I am glad that he isnt shaving his legs anymore, I think the hair is hot, it is totally manly, instead of pansly....There is also a pic of the view outside our bedroom windows, kinda cloudy, but nice and warm today.
Angie

Mud, Sweat and Gears

Today Justin and I had the best ride! We rode for three hours and rode an elevation gain of 3000 ft., oh and in case big dave ever links up to this blog, sorry, I forgot my power data on this ride, but maybe next time... haha

Anyway, we rode some amazing stuff, some places I cant really say where they are, but they exist, so I got a great shot of Justin going over bridges over the logs. There were many of these and they were a blast to come down. After living in the desert and riding the same trails over and over, I am just over stimulated with the trails out here. They are abundant and offer any kind of riding you want. By the end of the ride I was covered in a lot of mud, there were some places where the snow has just barely melted, so it was pretty slippery in some places. It was hard to stop and actually take any pics because it was too much fun to stop and bother, but I did get a few, here they are...

And, Happy Fathers Day, to the best dad in the world, Jim McIntyre and of course, my wonderful husband, who actually puts his kids first in every way in his life. Thankyou for that Justin, you're the best! Oh and our entire family is sick, so there was no racing to be had Saturday, but we will. Justin thinks I should race, and I am kicked his ass today, so maybe he's right.....

Angie

Is it Fall or Summer???

Here are some images of my ride this morning. After yesterday's storm it feels basically like fall, right before the first good snow. Crisp and brisk. I wore leg warmers, ear warmers, my marmot rain jacket and a fleece and I was comfortable. I also was mad because my mp3 player wasnt sync with napster, so it wouldnt work, but it is sync 'ed now. Whats on your ipod? I will tell you when I have more time what Im listening to. So the first image is sunken bridges, it is so cool, you ride over the bridges, then you do a nice get your heart rate up climb. Then eventually you hit the jeep road and I took that up for a while and hit Zoom, a super fun and fast downhill that was a bit muddy, but it made it much more challenging. Then I went left and hit chainsaw and it end at the jeep road I started at, so it was a nice loop. Didnt see a soul out there, but I see bikes and riders everywhere in town. The last pics are the jeep road on the way home. It was so much fun, but freaky deeky because I kept freaking myself out, I would hear stuff and it would be a bird or a falling branch. Im kinda a 'fraidy cat when by myself. Justin is out of town and I kept thinking if something ate me, maybe someone would find my shoe someday. Well, after that I went to work and now I am one tired person and that is why this is rambling. I hope it's warm tomorrow.

Bored

Today on the way to taking little Rylee to daycare, we had the "joy" of driving through a mini snow storm. As you see, she is so sick of snow, she tried to take her little Patagucci jacket off. So now, I wait for the sun to peak through so I can go ride and then I'll go to work for a bit. Here are some fantabulous pics of a june snow in the rockies, please stop already!!! There is a mtn bike race this weekend, I hope that the resort isnt to snowy, but it will make the fun and interesting factor go up a notch...plus Im not racing, just spectatin'..So as I wait a bit more I get to play on the computer and update this thing for the massses

Pics of the fam

Here are some pics of the fam, Justin took that picture of me after a great ride last week, exuse the dirty faces, kids like to get dirty, Daisy jumped in that creek, she loves the water...

angie