Pictures for now

I have to write a real race report very soon. There is so much to say. For now, I have to tell you.. I got 4th place and 10th Overall. I'm so stooked about that! I picked up mountain biking one month ago! I have so many people to thank... John S (bought his bike), Cale (borrowed his bike a month ago, stem, and rode with me), ML and TW (rode me scared!), BSteen and crew (pushed me to do it) and Luna Chixs (for teaching me SO MUCH!). If you don't know, I am not a "winning" triathlete. I'm always average. That's really what makes this so exciting!

You never know....

I showed up to ride with TW and ML today only to stop on the trail and have NO rear brake. That's right, I pulled the lever and nothing happened. I was missing the bolt that locks into the lever to make it work. The guys stepped up to the plate for me! Thank goodness! It has been rigged with a bolt and nut. Not bad! We rode the East loop today and it seemed to work. I went to the bike shop after the ride to see if I could fix it before the race this weekend. BUT, they don't have the part for it. SO, they tightened our FIX and I'm gonna make it happen!

Look for a full race report... I'm racing the first of the MBAA series and camping with the crew on Saturday night. It should be a RIOT! BTW, you should know I haven't camped since 2005.

Four Days of Mountain Biking

WOW! I have spent the last four days mountain biking. It all started on Thursday with a ride around an untouched park in Mesa with Toru. It was beautiful and challenging. Friday, I tried to show my IMWI Sherpa a few mountain bike techniques. Saturday, I rode with the Luna Chixs. (pictured above) I learned lots of cool tricks from those ladies. I cannot say enough good things about them! They are incredible teachers and make you feel stronger! Sunday, out to ride with the boys! They scared me but I survived. And today... I'm sore.

Happy New Year

For New Year's Eve, I went on a night hike up South Mountain. It was absolutely beautiful but surprisingly cold!! So peaceful with fireworks in every direction. We didn't even need the flashlights we brought because the Blue Moon was so bright! Fantastic! We popped the champagne at midnight and enjoyed the views until hiking back around 1 am. It was a perfect way to ring in the New Year!

Riding in rain, hail, lightining... oh my!

Well it all started with a short ride this morning... and I wanted more! I know.. I wanted to feel the challenge. I went on the fire road this morning..which has challenge but isn't technical. SO.. my friend Beth and I decided we'd go out at 1pm. We were gonna put down in a different spot that proved to be very technical. As we started out, we could see a storm in the distance. BUT it never rains here... ever! Boy were we wrong! It started as a little bit of rain... but then the lightening and thunderstorms started... next hail. Yes, you read that correctly.. hail! I am now riding my mountain bike on a technical course with hail and rain coming down on me. It was CRAZY! I think it goes without saying, that there is lots of thinking in mountain biking. You gotta pick your line.. ride the rocks, stand up and shift your weight. I can't explain the challenge added when you add rain, hail, lightening. Thanks Beth for being a great riding partner. We made it to the car and then waited for her boyfriend to come by and pick her up. SO funny.. when we called.. he wanted us to go out and ride MORE! Shake head! Awesome adventure and yes, I'm still having FUN!

Luna Chix

Yesterday and Today, I met some pretty powerful ladies. These gurls are not only great mountain bike riders but also have great personalities. They are on a mission to get more women on a mountain bike and strengthen the lives of women. How cool is that? What group of women do you know that is all about strengthening each other and not about being caddy?? I don't know many. There is one rule... No "I'm sorry.". You can't apologize for holding up the group, because that's what they want you to do. Can you believe it? They want you to ask.. how come??? how do I? and Can I follow your trail to learn?? AWESOME!

It was another successful ride for me. I ended up with one fall (just like last time). This one was me riding/falling off the bike backwards. On Wednesday, my ride mate said it wasn't possible to go backwards off the mountain. He owes me $100. I did it today and have people to prove it. HA! The great thing was, I learned how to get up some steep climbs and felt more confident on my descents. I even learned some tricks to make holding the bike easier. You can really pick things up on the mountain because your body or bike tells you loud and clear if its working. I like that!

Awesome morning! I can't wait to get back out there again. My ridemate comes back to Phoenix tonight or tomorrow.. so here's hoping I get to ride next week with him!

New Spark... New Toy

A follower of this blog saw me about a month ago and asked, will you write again? And to be completely honest. I was in the funkalicious of Ironman. I had finished something I dreamed about for two years and was stuck in the "what's next" rut. Fast forward to now.. I have a Spark again!

Today I went on my second mountain bike ride ever. On Sunday, I raced Muddy buddy with my best friend on a borrowed mountain bike. I could feel the spark, the adrenaline again, the motivation..it brought me to life! It was in all words.. FANTABULOUSA! So, when I returned the bike to shop... I said.. " I gotta do this again! I'm in LOVE! I have spark!". And to my luck.. it happened. I borrowed a mountain bike from a friend, the guy from the shop became my tour guide and walla.. Today became my second ride ever! I even asked my Ironman coach to coach me, but she said, "Nothing to it.. ride.. crash.. ride". OK! And today I did.. I rode, I crashed, I giggled, I laughed at myself, and I felt the sun on my back! It was GREAT! My sweet tour guide gave me a B today. I'll take it.. I gotta a lot to learn! I'm back.. the blog is back.. and the smile attached to my face.