The End of Cyclocross Season: 2012 World Championship in Koksijde, Belgium

You know that expression, “why don’t you go pound some sand?”  Well if you want to see what that looks like, watch the Cyclocross World Championship race this weekend.

The cyclocross season officially wraps up at the 2012 World Championship Race in Koksijde, Belguim.  You can get a schedule and article here.  Sand dunes are the dominating feature of the course and if you’ve ever pedaled through sand, imagine for a split second how these racers are going to feel.  If you need some visual stimulation, check out this video.

It took some searching but I finally found a URL for live streaming coverage.  I watched it last year as well and the lack of English commentary does not lessen the excitement.

The two cyclists I’ll be cheering for are Tim Johnson of Cannondale CyclocrossWorld  and Jeremy Powers of Ralpha Focus.

Both men are from Massachusetts and I’ll be watching them from the home state.  J-Pow just won the National Championship and is having a great year, it will be fun to watch him.  And as always, I’ll be rooting for Timmy loudly.  Here are a couple of pictures of these two American pros (and former teammates) in action from the Gloucester Gran Prix, Day 2, 2011.  Powers won that race, by the way.  And Johnson took second after leading for 95% of the race.  They had some sand to contend with there too, on the coast of Gloucester, but nothing like what they are racing in Belgium. I wish them both good luck at the Worlds.

–Karen

Balancing Act: Running vs. Cycling

It’s winter in the Northeast and despite some pretty warm temps, I haven’t really been out on the bike.  I have been running a lot, and going longer and faster.  Running has never been a true love like cycling, but I have grown accustomed to it and appreciate the efficiency of the workout.  While I have no plans to replace cycling with running, I am trying to strike a balance between the two sports.

Here’s why:

• Running is easier to fit into my schedule and requires less prep time and less equipment.
• I can run from my office and have immediate access to the bike trail or long country roads along the cornfields and tobacco barns.
• Being able to run allows me more choices in participating in events.

I have been spinning on the trainer some–and after all these years I am actually taking some pleasure in doing so.  I find I can spin longer with all the running miles in my legs.  I’m excited to get out on the road or trail to prove the running a great supplement to my overall fitness.

I have developed a few nagging injuries from the higher impact of running.  My left shin is tender and sore.  My right foot occasionally will singe with a bright spidering pain radiating from the ball of my foot if I step just the wrong way.  My right knee is snapping and wobbly, and I occasionally have pain in the back of my knee.  All of these injuries are minor yet troublesome, and I can only think the bike may provide some relief to the high impact of running and bring my workouts back into balance.

I think at one point over the last couple of years, I simply burned out on the bike–specifically the road bike.  I primarily rode the mountain bike last year and really enjoyed getting back to riding in the woods again.  I had 4 LIVESTRONG events in 5 years and I used these events as a way to focus my rides for a greater purpose.  At some point this stopped being a motivator and started being a chore.  That’s not what cycling should be.

That’s why I’ve been running more, and mountain biking almost exclusively the last 18 months or so.

Now I feel more ready to return to road cycling again, and I’m looking forward to longer rides of 40, 50, or 60 miles.  I want to continue mountain biking, and get out on the cross bike some more–especially to explore those fire roads in Franklin County. All and all I finally feel I have a job that will allow me to more fully enjoy both sports on a more regular basis, and I plan to take full advantage (I already am!).

–Karen

Cycling Snacks: Nutella & Coffee

While I haven’t exacting been doing much cycling lately (unless you count the trainer, which I’ve started hitting with unexpected enthusiasm this winter), my healthy appetite hasn’t diminished a bit.  Like most cyclists, I worship Nutella.  But I didn’t discover it through the cycling community.

I had to take a bite before I could manage a photo, it looked so good.

Nutella was introduced to me at an event at my son’s preschool a few years ago.  Refreshments were served, and among them–Nutella on graham crackers.  I had never had Nutella before and was vaguely familiar that it was some alternative spread of some sort (note: “alternative” when it comes to food in my book means “funny tasting”).  Out of politeness, I tried the Nutella/cracker combo and realized, almost immediately, all the years of enjoyment I had lost by not knowing about this fantastic product before.  I had lost, literally decades.

I am now making up for lost time.

And what goes better with Nutella & Graham Crackers then a cup of coffee?  I always doctor mine with a little Swiss Miss cocoa, because chocolate is the primary ingredient in my diet.  Lately, I’ve started roasting my own coffee to boot, which had made this snack even more enjoyable.  –Karen

Snack time.It's ok to snack on fresh roasted coffee beans too. I promise.

Putting the “Sip” back into Sip, Clip and Go!

Crafted with love for me at Espresso Vivace Roasteria on Yale Street in Seattle, WA.

When we started this blog, it was to celebrate our love of two complimentary areas of infatuation:  cycling and coffee.  Over the course of the last 5 years (yes!  5 years blogging about all this!) the cycling has definitely taken a front seat to coffee.  The poor, unsung hero coffee.  Admittedly I drink coffee more than I ride bike.  Perhaps I’ve taken it for granted.

No more.

I love a good cup of coffee–it’s a vital part of my morning ritual.  I’m a little bubble gum about my coffee–I always dump a packet of Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate cocoa mix into every cup to make it my own mocha concoction.  If out & about I patronize chain and indie cafes alike. Until last June part of my work responsibility was operation of a cafe inside a chain bookstore.  And I’m not going to romanticize that experience; running a cafe is hard work. The reward is selling a great product to a group of customers as serious and passionate about getting a consistently good cup of joe or a crafted espresso drink.  I love coffee. but I’m a generalist:  I like the universal.  That niche shop in Amherst is a little too strong for me–coffee enthusiasts swear by its quality and committment to coffee perfection, and turn their noses down to Starbucks.  Other people find Starbucks too strong.  Different strokes, different folks. Coffee is good and great, and I like mine just about how most of the country likes it. Except sweeter, with the Swiss Miss patch.

Cycling and coffee seem to fit so well together, and most of my cycling buddies won’t start their rides without an infusion of caffeine to power their rides. Other friends like to mix the cafe experience into their ride (I couldn’t do this, I’m not that leisurely about my workouts to pause for a latte). In my 30′s, I always had a hot cup post ride, especially during chilly weather.

How do you take your coffee with your rides?  Do tell.

Thanks for playing.

-Karen

Fat Tire Weather

I’ve been fooled. 

Last winter we were buried under a few feet of snow by this point.  The last few winters have been pretty standard New England style winters–harsh, cold, and plenty of snow and ice. I finally broken down and bought a new pair of skis to re-enter the sport of skiing during the off-season.

But this year?  We’re all scratching our heads.  We started with a ridiculous snowstorm on October 29 with major tree damage, downed limbs, split trees in two, dropped live power line and rendered most of my valley without power for 4 days (some went as long as 9). Since then we’ve had one cold day–otherwise we’re hanging out in the 40′s, which is really no big deal.  I should be riding my bike more–really, there is no excuse.

The best winter riding when there is an absence of snow is mountain biking, in my opinion.  The ground is hard and fast and the trails are relatively free of foot traffic.  But here in New England, we are still–yes, still–cleaning up after the freak Halloween snowstorm.

Fortunately, the cycling community here is active and went to work quickly on one of the best network of mountain biking trails in the area.  Bachelor Street is well-known by the MTBers in the area as *the* place to ride.  A few weekends after the storm, I was out for a road ride with my friend Gail and we met up at Bachelor’s dirt parking lot as a central location.  We were both surprised to see a small group of mountain bikers chatting post ride by their cars.  We asked how the trails were out there–expecting everything to be a hot mess, when we learned they were out clearing the trails for rides, and reported a long list of clear trails.  We thanked them for their dedication–it’s folks like them who give freely of their own time all for the love of the trail.  Most of us hadn’t even finished picking up our yards and this group had already cleared miles of trails on one end of the Holyoke Range.

Although I haven’t been out to Bachelor this winter–I know it’s in good shape, and will think of that little group of men and women, happily chatting by their cars on a cold November day after one of the most talked about New England storms of my lifetime.

Good Start to 2012

I got a mountain bike ride in to kick off the new year–it was nothing crazy–a gentle spin in Nonotuck Park.  For January in New England, it was bright and sunny and a toasty 47 degrees.  I was the only mountain biker out there–dodging dog walkers and people striking out with their New Year’s Resolutions to be more active (I was in good company).

We’ve had a bit of rain the last few days and the trail was a perfect soft  & crunchy mud.  The roots were extra slick and I took it pretty easy. I have been running a lot lately, and I’ve developed a few injuries related to the extra running. I have pain in the ball of my left foot that seems to point to metatarsalgia. I have pain at the back of my right knee which presents itself when I extend the leg in a very straight manner.  And on my last run, I started to have pain along my left shin–not shin splints either…I have tons of experience with that and this felt sharper and more painful than shin splints.  So getting back on the bike seemed a good idea to give the joints a little break.

In other news I actually spun on the trainer the other night.  And I’m not bitching about it, either.  Dare I miss, I might have missed the trainer?

Yeah, I’m sure I’ll regret saying that.

So I’m pushing into 2012 with more momentum than ever before in terms of workouts and fitness.  That’s the good new.  The bad news is I’ve put on 7 pounds with my new job.  7 months.  7 pounds.  Gah.

I sit all day at this job.  I’m online all day.  I’m writing, researching, communicating, and learning a TON.  That’s all really great, but I have acquired the 7 lbs, and the sitting has resulted in some back pain and a pinched nerve as well.  Geez this post sounds like I’m complaining a lot….but here it is people, sitting is really bad for you!  I had no idea how bad!  I’m sorry if I was unsympathetic to all my friends with desk jobs.  Now I know better.  The job is great.  The sitting is bad.  I have the name of a massage therapist to free the trapped nerve.  I miss the trainer because I miss being active.  Sad but true.

Additionally, to deal with the extra love around the waistline, I’ve registered at My Fitness Pal.  This is a FREE version of weight watchers.  It’s a very handy tool to log your meals and workouts and offers a social component to keep you motivated if you need it.  You check in on your weight every week just like WW, with no monthly fee–no fee at all.  It’s pretty cool, and just what I need to keep me on track.

-Karen

2011 Wrap Up

It’s hard to believe we’re almost to the end of another year.  This has truly been a transformative year for me personally.  I have changed careers leaving behind a job I had for 14 years.  This change has allowed for other areas of my life to finally balance out.

Last year I rode my mountain bike–a lot.  I started running more than ever, and participated in two 5Ks for charity, plus participated in the off-road duathlon Mud, Sweat and Gears.  I skipped LIVESTRONG this year, and while I didn’t miss the trip down and back to Philadelphia, part of me missed the sheer difficulty of that event.

I bought a cyclocross bike.  This should be a highlight, but I’ve barely touched it, and am thinking I could have taken a second vacation with the money I spent.  But I have many more seasons in me yet–and while I do not plan to race the ‘cross bike, I’d like to finally do some of the gravel roads north of here in Franklin county and southern Vermont.

Things I missed about this last year were long road rides–I think my longest was 30 miles, which is really not long at all.  I’d like to get back to doing 40-60 mile rides with more regularity.

So in the spirit of the coming 2012 (you’ve surely heard this is happening), I think a bucket list is in order.

1. Rockbuster Duathlon April 22, 2012
2. Derrill’s Race Early May 2012
3. Warrior Dash June 9, 2012
4. D2R2 Randonnee End of August, 2012
5. Mud, Sweat, and Gears September 29, 2012

As always, this list is subject to change.  But if you know me, I’m a girl who likes to have a plan.  But one of my guiding mantras is best stated by General Eisenhower, who said “Plans mean nothing, planning is everything.”  That said I reserve the right to change my mind, add events, subtract events, or dabble in extra curricular sports.  If this is to be the last year on earth, let’s spin our way through it legs screaming, a little muddy, wearing a big grin.

Happy Christmas and Cheers to the New Year!

–Karen

Cross Training

It’s been quiet here at this blog for a while, but that doesn’t mean I’ve been slowing down any.  I made it to the Gloucester Gran Prix and had a blast taking loads of photos.  I got some really good ones too–JPow and Tim Johnson battling for first on day 2.  It’s all in the books now but with a light rain falling and muddy conditions, JPow took it after Tim led for almost the entire race.  I’ll post those soon.

The day before Gloucester, my brother & I did the Mud Sweat and Gears Duathlon in Ashland.  You can read about that here if you’re interested.

But in the last two months, I haven’t been on the bike much.  What I have been doing is a lot of running.  We had a freak snowstorm just before Halloween–a foot of snow–that brought down thousands of trees and millions of branches throughout this region–and we are still cleaning up. Power was out at my house for 4 days. Hiking is still prohibited locally due to the devastation.  The roads are clear (kind of–a month later and I’m still jogging around piles of branches stacked roadside), but running is easier than biking right now–easier and quicker.

So the bad news is I haven’t been biking much.  The good news is I’m running a bunch more and getting faster, and slowly going longer and further.  I entered a 5K for next weekend, the Hot Chocolate Run in Northampton.  If I can keep the running going as long as the weather allows, the more fitness I can preserve through the long winter months.

-Karen

Photo: Mud, Sweat & Gears

I just got pics from the Mud, Sweat & Gears event.  Nuvision Photography provides photo services for these races, and they have a pretty cool philosophy regarding sports photography.  Check out their site for more info.  I’m pretty pleased with the result:

Downhill: Mud, Sweat & Gears 2011. Ashland, MA

I’ve spent some times analyzing my performance numbers as well.  Having results from 2009 gave me a good benchmark to work from.  My time was 1:02 slower this time.  Sure, we can blame it on the mud and loose sand, but I didn’t lose a minute to that.  My first run was 38 second faster than 2009.  My second run was 3 seconds faster. So the good news is I’m running faster.  Yay!  I hate running, so this was a marked improvement.  My strength, the bike–is where I lost 1:43!!!  If you read my last post, I noted my struggle early in the bike portion. I strongly considered abandoning. I have determined my electrolytes were out of whack due to some dehydration.  I was mostly worried about nutrition but I should have been focusing more on my Gatorade consumption.  I was really crawling at one point, and after I got some Gatorade in my system, I started moving again.  Next time I won’t make that mistake.

–Karen

 

Mud, Sweat & Gears Report 2011

Whew!  What a weekend!  Saturday October 1st was FIRM’s Mud, Sweat & Gears Duathlon–an off-road race I had done once before in 2009. This time, I talked my brother into doing it with me.  It was a damp day, after a week’s worth of rain. My only hope was to beat my time from 2009, which I realize in retrospect may have been a foolish goal considering the difference in weather/course conditions.

Run 1

My brother & I started together and stayed together through the first run.  We hadn’t discussed staying together through the race and I expected that not to happen at all.  We floated toward the back of the pack, in the last 5/8 of the field and he arrived at the bikes a bit before me.  I was slowed down by my glasses and gloves.  He asked if I wanted him to wait, and I waved him on with an annoyed “Go!”  I sucked down a chocolate goo and jumped on the bike after him.

Bike

The bike ride starts off easy on pavement before hitting a rocky, sandy, double-wide trail.  Part of the trail had eroded away from all the rainfall we’ve suffered in the Northeast.  The course brings you out across an aqueduct and then back the way you came, riders on the right and left on opposite sides.  Steve had turned the corner and was heading back to the woods as I was heading out, and we passed each other, giving each a little high-five (which was really cute–my brother is a big lug with a hidden sweetness to him).

Next, I re-entered the woods for the hilly section.  Now, I always, always feel great on the bike.  Which is why I was so surprised when I started to feel abnormally fatigued.  Then dizzy, then nauseous. I started to slow down–significantly.  I was struggling, and confused about that, but more concerned that I wasn’t even one lap through the 3 lap bike portion.  I started to think I would have to abandon I felt so sick.  What was going on?  I decided to start sipping my Gatorade, which I hadn’t done at the first transition.  I perked up a bit and the sick feeling passed.  All of the sudden, I was racing again.  I started to pass people, feeling stronger and pushing it wherever I could.  I became annoyed when I got hemmed in by some less daring descenders on the one really good hill. I was going to make it through the race and maybe, maybe beat that time.

Run 2

Now I’m feeling really good.  I guide the bike to the next transition and I notice the signs that instruct riders to DISMOUNT right before the sensor pad.  I didn’t want to do the wrong thing, so I came to a stop and tried to quickly dismount before the pad.  Something went really wrong at that point and the next thing I knew, I had completely fallen off my bike.  I crashed.  Sort of.  The bike fell on me and my leg really got whacked by my front tire.  Race workers were right there and they looked as shocked as I was that I had just fallen over for no particularly good reason. They asked if I was ok: “Yup, just a little disoriented.”  I responded as I picked myself up and hurried off to the transition station.  “Drink some water!” they shouted.  I changed shoes and the throbbing began.  I wondered how wise it was to run another 2 miles.  I pressed on–slow but sure, and a bit sore.

I finished slower than my 2009 time, which disappointed me, but I noticed I did finish ahead of more people this time.  My brother just kept up the pace through his race and he took 1st in the Clydesdale category (little brother is about 215 lbs), and I took 2nd in my age/gender.  We both got medals to impress our kids and a small prize (Steve got sunglasses, I got some cycling socks).  All & all a fun race.  We’re looking forward to Rockbuster in April 2012 

–Karen

PS-I need to examine my nutrition and fluids intake.  A few hours after the race, I suffered an incapacitating headache that rendered me useless for the rest of the day.  I had the same experience after LIVESTRONG last summer.  It’s been suggested that I haven’t hydrated properly, that I may have some hypoglycemic issues, or my electrolytes are amuck.  I welcome opinions–since I’d like to keep abusing myself with events like this, but I’d rather not struggle after I cross the finish line.