no bike-talk

tomorrow begins my last semester of grad school and thus the last semester of school i will ever have in my entire life. really. kick me or something if i ever talk about getting my phd cause this is it folks. i'm not really looking forward to the crazy busy lifestyle i lead when i'm in school, but the idea that it will be over is...i think a good thing. i say i think because it's a pretty overwhelming thought to have to be a grown up again. life inside college is pretty squishy, no matter how often i complain about being busy and tired. but i started studying for the national counselor exam and am going to start looking for jobs. it seems so far away but i think that's because by the time may is here, it will no longer be freezing temperatures and below. praise God!

i'm tired of winter. for the first year ever i just don't really care about snow. i think i might have the winter blues...perhaps i should find a sun lamp or whatever. the sun was out today and i was extatic. a good indication i need more of it. another indication is that i don't really care about talking about bikes. although i think that fascination left a while ago...when i moved into a house full of boys who rarely talk about anything but bikes. so, in this post i will not talk about bikes.

i did, however, win my december exercise competition and am hoping to begin another to get me out of my winter funk. so if any of your are interested... hopefully this can get me through until spring break when the weather is semi nice and i can stop hibernating. i think i'm getting tired of resting :)

motivated.

for the past few months i've really had no motivation to ride or really workout at all. i love to sleep and my body just can't seem to get enough. i was a little worried i had mono or a thyroid problem, but was checked and have no issues with those, which is probably a good thing. i recently went to the chiropractor because i haven't been able to move my neck to the left very well for like...a few years. plus my right side has been bothering me since i fell down the stairs at my house and knocked myself out due to the pain...oh yeah, maybe i forgot to blog about that...anyway, the chiropractor got me all fixed up and set on some herbal suppliments for my fatigue and crappy immune system. i'm still tired alot but steph says its probably because i was doing so much riding for over a year that my body needs to recover a while. otherwise, i really do feel alot better. but i was still haivng a hard time with motivation.

i'm an externally motivated person. i never realized it, but it's the reason i've never liked working out at home. if i go to a gym or have others around, i have something to compete with. mostly myself, but i just go with it. so since i quit the gym i've been having a really hard time just getting motivated to get on the bike at all. but i had an ingenious idea: i decided to have a competition with a friend of mine to see who can get the most workouts in before the new year. loser buys winner dinner. 40 minutes equal a workout. i've gotten 8 over 5 days of working out. who knew i was so competitive? i guess i should have figured that out racing lol. anyway, i'm just thankful for motivation! although i've been pretty tired this week and having to re-think my food intake. oh well, i feel better and it's worth it.

today i'll head to the trails since it's so nice out. got out there a couple weeks ago with my boyfriend to show him what i do. not sure if he really wants to try to start riding or he just doesn't want me to be able to beat him at something :) this week i'll head to his house in garnett to spend christmas with him and his family. no trainer or treadmill there, so we'll see how well i do on the rest of this competition! merry christmas everyone!

guess who's a slacker...? this girl!

"what? you quit spin class? did you break your leg?" those words spoken to me by my former roommate i caught up with a few days ago who watched my entire spinning addiction begin last year. that's right friends, i quit the gym. it's been an idea for a while for several reasons; mostly because i live out in the country now and packing to leave the house at 5:15am and take everything for the day with me had finally kicked my butt. that, and my membership was up and i was broke from vegas...which turns out was a f.a.n.tastic trip. i know they say what happens in vegas stays in vegas, but i happened to bring back a groomsman i'm pretty crazy about :)

school, work, internship and new manfriend have kinda taken up my time lately so i haven't gotten out to ride much...or even work out :( i did, however, get out at 5:30 the other morning to ride a bit in the freezing weather and promptly decided that was the worst idea i'd ever had! not only was it cold and windy, but my headband was pressing on my eyebrows and making my sleepy eyes close. not good at that hour. needless to say, i've put my bike on the trainer and have been working on trying to get myself motivated to workout alone.

well hopefully i'll get back into a good workout regimine soon and will have more exciting stories to write about. you all get out there and ride, since i don't have time to!

i'm winning i'm winning!

sunday was the riverfront mountain bike race in melvern put on by my roommate lelan. i planned on racing and going out to be supportive but and i started out the day not feeling too whippy. i hadn't slept well so i thought about calling in sick, but figured i could sleep later, riding my bike might help me out a bit.
i got there early to pre ride a lap. i'd ridden it this summer when the idea of the race was just being thrown out there, but it was literally 100 degrees...aaaaand i had bronchitis, so my memory of the trail was a little skewed. the pre ride was great and it felt good to get moving. the trail was f.a.n.tastic! pretty technical, but SO exciting! i did endo, however, over a pesky rock. wasn't moving quickly so it wasn't too bad, but i have some nasty bruises on my legs and i've been picking thistles out of my skin for the past few days. you may feel sorry for me, but there's something satisfying about being the only girl out there getting right back up to kick some butt after a wreck.
a few friends had come out to cheer me on. i was really excited to see norma jean out there! she came to ride a lap, clear the cobwebs, visit some old buddies from melver, and be my cheerleader!
race started, and i really was the only girl in my class. me and a bunch of boys. that's how it usually is lol. i let most of them go ahead of me at the beginning, but was wishing i hadn't when they were walking parts of the course i wanted to ride...and then i stopped feeling good again. let's just say i was the only one in my class doing that kind of cramping. another sense of satisfaction in feeling tougher than some of the boys!
as i passed the cheering section, i yelled, "i'm winning!" and kept giggling at myself for being clever. i felt better after my first lap and knew since i was the only girl, i'd be winning the camelback i wanted.
now, i know alot of people say talking to yourself makes you sound crazy, but i'd have to disagree. i think it's one of the most intelligent things you can do for yourself. you're objectively taking a situation into your logical mind and coaching yourself to do something better. so i do it alot on the trail. at one point i said to myself, "anne marie, just because you're not racing against any other girls does not mean you're not racing against yourself. now get in the game!" i should really be a motivational speaker :)
the last lap was a little sloppy since and was playing a little human pinball with the trees, so i slowed down a bit. i finished up and people clapped for me, which i thought was sweet. i got to hang out and watch all the sport and experts do their race, ending up for an awesome day of bikes.
thursday is fall break and i'm going to las vegas for a friend's wedding, so i won't be racing this weekend, but i think i'll be enjoying myself :)
later taters!

there aren't alot of things that make me mad...

but the combination of bikes and rain will do it every time.
a few weekends ago tim, scott, tom, randy, garret and i headed up to swope park for the kc cup. it had been raining the previous day, but at 5 that morning, we still had the green light to race, so off we went. the air was misty but i was optimistic that this would just lead to the wimps bailing on the race.
since beginners race earlier than everyone else, randy and i got there so i could pre-ride before my race. 5 minutes into the lap i was made very aware of how much rain they'd gotten the day before. and about 15 minutes in, i'd wrecked and slopped around enough to be covered from head to toe in mud...which is an awesome time to get a flat. attempting to keep from getting mud all over my ipod i worked on trying to fix it...and failed. apparently my spare had a hole in it. not cool. like i said, there aren't alot of things that make me mad, and we won't go into great detail about the things that were said to my bike, but let's just say i wasn't a happy camper.
come to find out, boys who pass you don't always think you're cute enough to help you with your flat...even on a pre-ride...maybe it was the mud covering my entire self. i knew i had about 15 minutes before the race started and had no idea how long i was gonna have to walk my bike. and then randy came to the rescue. he switched me wheels so i could hurry to the start line...which i was not looking forward to at that point.
at the start line the 110 lb girl who smoked me at bone bender greeted me with a "wow, i guess we know it's muddy". not the best way to get me started for a race. but as i started to get used to riding in the mud and still falling over, i started to enjoy it. i had to save my opponent from falling off a drop off and was laughing at how ridiculous the whole experience was.
i ended up placing 3rd that day and 1st in my division for the series, so i was pretty pleased. muddy and all.

last weekend was the ms150. this was my 3rd year to do this ride and i figure i ride 60 miles on gravel no big deal, so i should be fine. except that i didn't do any training on my road bike. 50 miles in i was screaming "anne marie, you dummy! you should know better!" and other things at my bike, but still in good spirits and team "that's what she said" forged ahead.
and then we saw storm clouds. now, this was to be the century loop, so there was no way i was gonna stop for some silly lightning. i think sometimes my experience as a lifeguard spotting lightning gives me a false sense of safetey in meteorology...eh well. we were urged to "make it as quickly as possible to the next stop" so we could find shelter at about mile 65, and a few miles later it started sprinkling...and then raining...harder...and harder...to which point we would be on a downhill going about 25 and not be able to see. all i could think about was my ipod which i've only had a few months, and our tent and how drenched they were getting. priorities, i know.
riding into the stop i really couldn't see anymore, nor did i care, all i wanted was a warm building to be in and a towel. but first i had to stop. which i didn't do well since i couln't see the curb in front of me or realize my breaks wouldn't work so hot when wet. needless to say i took a spil and was a cranky cranker-pants after that. some nice men tried to tell me how to take care of it. i politely made them aware that i was a pro at crashing my mountain bike and would be fine, but that i was just mad. my ipod however, was totally fine! thank goodness for those cover things.
they'd cut our route short, which was a good idea, but heck, if i'm gonna be that miserable, i might as well do the dang 100 miles. but the wind happened to be really cold so we got finished i didn't care about being short 9 miles, i just wanted a hot shower.
our tents were drenched, so we got to purchace new sleeping bags and sleep in the gym, but we also got to meet up with the wintles, and i got to hold baby emory...the entire ride with rain and all was worth getting to hold that sweet baby girl :)
the next day was awesome. plus, before i'd left i'd had the feeling it'd be cold, so i'd packed my head warmer thingie, so i was golden in the chilly air.
overall, it was a very meorable experience and we got to raise money for a great cause. hopefully next year it won't rain...but i'll be prepared, with waterproof sweat suit stuff from head to toe!

fall? could it be???

school and work have started back up. i really love my job. i coordinate a program to get students into community service. i think i mostly love it because of the people i work with. the other day i asked my boss if she'd hire me after i graduate to do this stuff full time if i don't get a therapy job...ya i've been questioning sitting at a desk for endless hours a week and having to do loads of stupid paperwork for insurance companies. ideally, i'd like to work for a college doing student development part-time and therapy part-time. we'll see what shakes out.

my schedule is pretty insane-o during the week i.e. on wednesdays i leave the house at 5am and get back at 9pm. but even still i've been really enjoying this beautiful weather...minus the ragweed induced allergies. seriously, this has got to be the worst year for alleriges ever!

due to being broke this semester, i didn't get to head out to colorado to see my friend wiggins like i'd planned, so yesterday i doped up on a little more allergy medicine and hit the gravel road. i'd really been needing the me-time lately and decided i'd go visit my good friend mindy in neosho rapids. but to start out i wanted to make sure i was gonna get alot of miles, so i headed to olpe first and then headed north.

on my way past hartford i saw two roadies in the distance. i figured i'd have to know them and if i didn't i'd want to at least wave. come to find out it was bobby wintle and his father-in-law! i love that in our small biking community we pretty much know who's out there. kinda makes you feel more safe ya know?

got to neosho rapids, spent some time with my friend and her new baby and then headed back home. we'd just been talking about all the weirdos in neosho rapids, so as i was on a deserted gravel road with a white van whose passengers were male and waving, my imagination got the best of me. that was the time i stopped feeling so safe. i pedaled hard and took a road i thought would be helpful in getting me out of the way and home fater; only to find it was a dead-end...and that the "scary van" was long gone and clearly not coming back to throw me in the back, leaving my bike as the only evidence of my kidnap. yeah, i'm not dramatic at all.

after finding a more direct route; that wasn't a dead-end; i passed two trucks on the side of the road that i assumed were owned by hunters. my mind again got the best of me. i know the laws about not shooting across a road but remembered the story of the teenager a few years back who was shot by a hunter from across the road. i'm not niieve enough to think everyone follows laws all the time. shoot, i don't. duh, i break speeding laws on my bike all the time ;)

as i heard gun shots, i imagined what it would be like to be hit by a bullet while on my bike: which part of my body, how i would react, whether the hunters would get me to a hospital in time, how that would effect school and work, how long i'd have to be off the bike...ok, so i'm a little dramatic :) but i blame it on being hungry.

about 15 miles out my stomach started growling. i tried to count how many miles i'd have left according to the alphabet letter road i was on as plus 3 to go south to the 120 block. but every time i counted it ended up the same number: 14...no matter how many miles i had just gone. i figured i should just focus on getting home. mostly because i had homework due at midnight and plans later that evening...it was almost 6pm.

i rolled in at 55 miles on the computer, gathered some food and hit the books so i could get cleaned up and get to the adventure monkey's first birthday party. i was 45 minutes late, but i got it all done. nothin like making the bike your priority!

Trains, planes, automobiles and bicycles

trip to new jersey was really informative but holy cow it was alot of traveling! I'm really thankful there was some fun had along with all the learning and by the end of the conference I was wishing I could stay there...I mean I is pretty great to have someone elso make your bed and meals every day!
landed in kc and wanted to kiss the ground. Flying and public transportation are wonderful but there's something about being in control of your own person by driving a car or pedaling a bike. Independence. That's what it is. And I'm a very independent girl.
i stayed that night in lawrence @ my friends Amy and joeys house, which was a good thing because I don't think I woulda made it home safely! then woke up sunday to find my way to Perry lake to race my bike!
I was a little nervous about racing since I'd been traveling so much but I'd worked pretty hard to stay hydrated so I was also just really excited to pedal again. uncle randy and the boys met
me there and brought my bike....and yes I hugged her before anyone else :)
I was able to warm up more than I have before a race and felt really good about it. Lelan was gonna be my water boy and the rest of the guys didn't race till after me so they got to be my cheerleaders! poor Tom had some uh technical difficulties so he needed to borrow my bile for his race; which meant I had a really good reason to hurry up and get finished!
the course was kinda rocky but really awesome. It was just me and another girl pretty much neck and neck but I had to walk up a hill that set me back about a minute, so I came in second out of two again lol all in all it was really fun to have such a close race :)
I made it back with pleantly of time for Tom to get my bike set up and take off. I got my instructions to be water girl and started cheering on the boys. they all did really great and I loved helping them out. I missed poor mike on his last lap though...sorry again mike!!! he didn't die but I still felt bad... Next race I'll be 100%! :)
I left the race coughing a bit and assumed I'd inhaled alot of dust, but as I've been laying on the couch most of the day hacking from the deep parts of my lungs I'm thinking it's a little more than allergies haha but I'll be back to the bike soon, don't you worry!