When I can’t sleep, it means one of two things: I’m hungry for food or bloated with words that need to be written. Here are some of the late night moonlight finger tappings. |
When I can’t sleep, it means one of two things: I’m hungry for food or bloated with words that need to be written. Here are some of the late night moonlight finger tappings. |
Sea Otter, Iron Horse MTB, GoPro games, Missoula and Angel fire Pro xct: building confidence6/30/2016 I've been nervous to post about racing. I read blogs like Larissa Connors and feel less accomplished. Honestly though, that's exactly why I should talk about training, racing, and results.
This has been an interesting/incredible/challenging season for me. I am lucky enough to have LOADS more support than I ever dreamed of. With this, I've been training harder than ever. Prior to this year, I rarely rode more than two hours, and any "long" ride would wear me out for days. To put this in perspective, in the next four days, I will be riding 3+ hours each day, with intervals in the mix. If I tried to do this last year I would explode. So, with more training, I was hoping to quickly jump into races feeling faster than ever. As it turns out, more training also means my body has to adjust and I am quite tired. Even though I recover as well as I know how, it has taken my body some time to adjust. My coach, Colt, says, give it six months. This feels like an eternity. So, in races, I started the season feeling like a snail. There were moments where I swear I could have been walking faster than I was riding. It was brutal, but also humbling. I thought about all the riders ahead of me. The more I get to know them, and talk to them, I learn everyone has slow moments/races/months/seasons. I haven't talked to a single racer who has been on top of the world for the last ten years. The winners all had moments of doubt. This is reassuring, Here are some race results and short stories: Sea Otter- Insane venue, new team, having support is awesome. When I finished the race our manager (Adam Pulford) handed me a wet towel, and a clean bottle. This blew me away. I've always taken care of myself. While racing the low elevation was hard but I felt alright. The adrenaline carried me, but I didn't finish anywhere near where I wished I was. It was easy to blame elevation and the "shock to the system" of a first race. Iron Horse MTB- Kind of a fluke race.. (or so I thought) On Saturday, I rode the Iron Horse Road Race, I cramped super hard and was not pleased with my time. But, the next day, during the MTB race, somehow my legs snapped out of it and I felt great! This was a huge surprise from my ride the previous day. I finished 5th, respectably with riders I knew were similar ability to me. The home course advantage, and huge numbers of cheering locals kept me smiling the whole time. Anddddd! we rode through a bar! They take out the front window of a bar, and we ride through a beer-hand-up maze and off the back porch. It's epic. What did I learn? Now that I'm training more, I don't merely struggle through a second day of racing, in fact I feel WAY better on day two! Prior to this year, I did not have the fitness to feel great for a 1.5 hour race after a 3 hour race the day before! Ayooo training. GoPro- low point. I was traveling with the Durango DEVO team, and took the pre-ride super duper easy, On race day I was a true snail. I literally finished last, and SO far behind my teammates. My legs were tired from a long week, and today was absolutely not my day. Despite physically stopping at one point to nearly puke, I finished the race (not finishing is my least favorite thing in the world) and proceeded to lay in bed for the next six hours. Pheww, I don't even like thinking about it. What did I learn? Openers are VERY important, an easy ride the day before will NOT prepare me to race well. Missoula- I CAN DO THIS. My coach, Colt, and I looked at the workouts where I've felt best, they are all on the second day of hard effort blocks. Therefore, I went out and shredded around/did two hot laps of the course the day before. This helped SO MUCH. I finally felt like I was able to pedal and pass people! Yahoo! Also, there were very few people here, so I finished 10th (and won money and scored UCI points). I spent lots of time with Larissa Connors who continued to reassure me, I was capable of riding quickly, just to be patient. We raced STXC the next day and I felt similarly good, but Erin Huck quickly flew away from everyone and I was pulled before I wanted to be. After this though! Here's the best part, I was super nervous, but said yes to a ride with Larissa, Cole Oberman, and David Flatten. They said "It will be super easy, we're going to the very top of that mountain you can barely see in the distance" So two hours of climbing and a few self pep-talks later, we emerged on the TOP OF THE WORLD. It was sweet. Super worth it, and I'm thankful for teammates who challenge me. Ayooo 6,500 ft of climbing. Angel Fire- This is one of my all time favorite mountains to ride. The climb is punchy, long, and smooth. The descent is quick and swoopy. The race starts at almost 9000 ft. (aka perfect). For the XC race, I set three goals: 1. pass someone on the descent 2. ride with my shoulders down (instead of riding like a gremlin like I normally do) 3. finish all five laps without being pulled. AND I did all three of these!!! I passed two people on the descent, something that has quite literally NEVER happened in my lifetime. I tried to look up with shoulders down! And I was only about 12 minutes behind Chloe Woodruff who won. I considered it a success. On Sunday, we raced STXC, and I had a moment of "WOW THIS TRAINING IS WORKING" There was a steep gravel climb and felt like I could pass anyone who tried to get around me. IT WAS SWEET. I felt the strongest I have yet and finished 8th, and here's who was in front of me (proud Emily moment) 1. Larissa 2. Amy Biesel 3. Evelyn 4. Jenna Greaser 5. Alexis Skarda 6. Maghalie 7. actually unsure. I was proud of myself for this one. So there's the season, wrapped up. I have two weeks until Nationals, and I'm stoked, thankful, and feeling like the luckiest person alive to be surrounded by bikes, motivational people, mountains, and support.
0 Comments
Aero Aero Breeze Megeve Sherpa Vermont Classic
Well, I'm in love with a bicycle.
Here's the setup: Frame: Trek Top Fuel SL (size: 17.5 Virtual, 16.5 Actual) This is the smallest Top Fuel 29er, AND ITS SWEET. The low top tube keeps the center of gravity lower. which feels wonderful in corners and on technical sections. I feel super sturdy, fast, and confident on this frame. The Boost 148/110 means even more control. For me, the FS changes how I feel on descents and leaves me ready to climb my brains out at the bottom of every hill. Wheels: RideFast Racing, Livewire Carbon wheels, handmade by the nicest and most epic people in California. This small and relatively new company makes wicked fast wheels. My set, the Livewires's are a mere 1500 g, and it makes a difference. The rolling weight of a 29 inch wheel can be significant, but these wheels feel super zippy and floaty (people never know what I mean when I say floaty, just think the opposite of weighed down). They come tubeless ready with Str8 technology (I did need a compressor to pair with Kenda tires). The Livewire's feel still on downhills and immediately engage with the SPM straight -pull hubs with each pedal stroke. Also... every time I see my wheels I think about this song: Oh Wonder- Livewire Tires: Kenda Small Block Eight Pro: (29. 1.9)These tires are wicked fast. I was surprised how grippy and sturdy they are for rolling so insanely fast. They are super light at a mere 590 g. Honey Badger XC Pro: (29. 2.05) More like mud dominators. I raced in some grippy mud last weekend, and the Honey Badgers shed mud like no ones business. They were clear of mud and incredibly fast. In sketchy corners, the Honey Badger stay glued to the ground for maximum speed. Brakes and Fork: Magura Brakes, MT8 Next: The Magura MT8 brakes provide incredible modulation and are super light. So far, they are consistent and reliable. I have had no problems with their performance. I have been riding them for a few months and have not needed to bleed them or work on them more than the initial adjustment. While riding, the brakes occasionally start to rub, but correct themselves within a few minutes. I am a super fan of the MT8's, I think they preform better than any SRAM or Shimano brakes I have used. Fork, TS8 R29" 100: Magura built a light fork with a double arc and innovative thru axle system. The double arc provides accurate steering and a stable platform in technical areas. The lockout system instantly changes the fork from squishy and responsive, to stiff and ready to shred up the hill. It simply feels great out there! Drivetrain: Shimano XTR As always, Shimano is dependable and concise. The nex XTR system is no different. Shifting requires minimal effort and is responsive in all conditions (even on grindy uphills). The clutch system makes taking the rear wheel off a breeze. Crank/BB/Bars/Seat/Stem: Race Face Next SL US sourced carbon, designed and manufactured up in Canada, that's what I like to see. And more importantly, I like to look down and see Race Face working perfectly across my whole bike. It's a beautiful thing when bikes work well and the Race Face components do just that. I ride 170 crank on a 32 T ring, Turbine stem 90 mm with +-6 degree rise, Next 1/4" rise 720mm bars, and the Next SL seatpost. Pedals: Xpedo, M-Force 8 TI Super light pedals, reliable, and easy to use. It took me about a week to get used to the placement and easily clip in after moving from Shimano pedals. But with a little muscle memory, I have the pedals dialed, and they are awesome. 10 out of 10 would recommend. Grips: ESI Fit XC Turns out, these grips fit perfectly to my hands, because they were designed to do just that. The new Fit grips have three zones for maximum control. I tried them once, and now I'm hooked, who wouldn't want to hold on and ride for days when the grips beg you to do so. K-Edge Garmin Mount: New Garmin XL Mount I appreciate a nice click, and these mounts start my ride off with just that. Simple, easy to use, aesthetically pleasing, and sturdy. I'm a super fan. Soooo there's the race machine, its wicked fast and I am a happy happy girl every time I ride. Huge thank you to all of these people for supporting my pedaling and encouraging others to join me! I have never subscribed to the idea that a rider is defined by their bike. I believe results can happen without carbon hubs and without RS1. I think any person is capable of far more than any bicycle. Well, obviously.
But, even though a rider is not defined by their bike, there are some moments where a bike that is debatably filled of fairy dust makes a rider, or at least pseudo affects their mind into confidence enough to pass just one more person and move just faster enough. I’ll just say it: when my bike sold today and I went outside to clean it one last time I shed a tear. Well actually it was a lot of tears. I felt ridiculous/stupid/childish/obscene but its’ true. I fell in love with some plastic molded into the perfect cycle. My first real success in the cycling world happened on this bike. While I can’t attribute my season to the bike, I also can't say it wasn’t because of the bike. Oh no that paragraph was the cheesiest I apologize and cringe just a bit. eek. Let me start by saying I got this bike from a kind friend, just your average podium finisher in the U23 mens Worlds race in 2014. When the “dream cycle” or the “Swerks” as I called it fell into my hands, I didn’t even change the height of the seat. I raced it the next day. I didn’t change a single thing, and it was perfect. In the most cliche way, we fit together like legos and moved like a smooth machine. Painfully cliche, I warned you. I don’t cry often. But when I ran my hands over the smooth bars and they fell into familiarly worn grips I was jarred back to one crucial race moment. At Nationals, my coach whispered “take a risk” on the last lap of a brutal short track. Somehow I couldn’t feel my legs. I was moving faster and my heart rate was the highest I think it has ever been. Looking back, I am genuinely confused how it all happened. But, as I passed one last girl I didn’t think about my bike, I only thought about what was ahead. Every muscle in my body committed to hold my eyes on the top of the hill, I floated and felt like I was going to die right there, or make it to the top of one last lap and pull through with a 2nd place finish. This little bike, won with me (well almost won). It worked so flawlessly I was able to hover along trails and roads, I didn’t have to think about it and it was we created a magical team together. Not having to think about what the bike was doing, and allowing myselft to only think about moving a little faster was magic. I just knew the bike would do whatever I could make it do and it wouldn’t hold me back. Fairy dust mhmm. I call the last lap, or section of every race the “heart lap” where eating sugars, and electrolytes can help, and sleep the night before, but the main player is a desire, something far less tangible than preparing the night before can do. In these moments where movement happens without the mind telling it to, or even against every thought seering around my head. It’s moments like this where bigger things matters, more than training and more than muscle mass. The “heart laps” change things and when your body catches up with your heart as it pulls ahead coaxing you along smoothly, the fire hits and you realize, even though your body hates you at that moment, you made it to the seconds that count. The ones where pain dissipates and staying hungry for the next horizon or the finish line is all that matters. While it’s just a bike, this bike gave me “heart laps.” I knew I appreciate it, but seeing it go made my gratefulness boil up. Such a beautiful machine deserves a bit or a tribute, and although this doesn’t do it justice, my few tears which are probably still on the bars should be taken as a thank you. So maybe I am a bit defined by my bike, but I think my ability to find the “heart lap” mindset is what was defined. Thank you little Swerks, have fun out there on the trails and help some more riders succeed and find a strength they didn’t know they had. Riddle me this one: how often do you motivate yourself, workout and then immediately regret it? The beauty of working out is it gets better as you go, once you get workout clothes on and leave the house, your bound for success: so, how do I motivate myself to leave my engulfing bed or kitchen of treats? This is hard, I feel, but I promise it's worth it. While there are countless hours to waste on Pintrest or just sitting eating, working out is easy as soon as you leave the house.
Tips to leave the house: 1. Plan a specific time to workout, preferably after an activity, if you go to class with your workout clothes in hand you have already won half the battle 2. If you are working out in the morning, put your phone on top of your laid out workout clothes, then as soon as your alarm goes off, boom, instant reminder why you are getting up early 3. Put an inspirational quote on your door or mirror, well this is cheesy and cliche but down below, I will copy my piece of inspiration. I have it posted in my bathroom and end up reading it most mornings and evenings. 4. Buy yourself a popsicle or ice cream and don't let yourself eat it until you are finished working out. 5. Start your day in proper workout attire, don't take it off until you are finished working out. 6. Remind yourself that YOU WON'T REGRET IT. go run or bike or lift weights and you WILL NOT FEEL WORSE AFTER 7. Having the time and ability to workout is a privilege that billions of people in the world do not have, unilize this and appreciate it 8. Set a goal during the workout. If I run all the way to the other side of town I can stop in and get coffee and a croissant at a cute little Just remember, you can do this, you will most likely enjoy it and you will feel so much better afterwards. Here are some incredible words of wisdom.. (source unknown) The Champions Creed 1. Never underestimate your opponent. 2. Work on your weaknesses until they become your strong points. 3. Remember that a great effort usually the result of a great attitude. 4. Dedicate yourself to a mighty purpose. 5. Win with humility, lose with grace. 6. Ignore those who discourage you. 7. Work to improve your moral and spiritual strengths as well as your physical ones. 8. Remember that how you conduct yourself off the field is just as important as how you conduct yourself on the field. 9. Talent is god-given – be humble. Fame is man-given – be thankful. Conceit is self-given – be careful. 10. Don’t ask to be deprived of tension and discipline – these are the tools that shape success. 11. Do what has to be done, when it has to be done and as well as it can be done 12. Remember that when you’re not working to improve your competition is. 13. Always give your best. 14. Practice like a champion. 15. Play like a champion. 16. Live like a champion. Also here is a fun game: this is my friend who is also a Youtube blogger: funny workout post found here First off, this is my friends and she's pretty and hilarious and here yee are..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qKbfyqtyWE Hehee, have fun out there world. Motivate and make the time, you won't regret it and I will be proud of you. Thoughts on how to fit 48 hours of activities + a few hours of biking into one 24 hour day
48+(~3)=24 Because this makes sense. When I run through the things I need to accomplish in a given day, I usually laugh. Between school and biking and working and meetings, I feel like I have to cram activities into every tiny crevice. The lists are longer than Walgreen's receipts and the hours don't actually add up. Here are four things that make it possible for me (well, mostly possible) 1. My brain is akin to an OCD planner. A slightly incessant and color coded planner with a ticking clock for a soul. I work in terms of minutes, not hours or plans, but down to the minute I have my time scheduled. All of my time is not necessarily scheduled for tasks or to be places, but whether I allocate 35 minutes to talk to the roommate or 12 minutes to transition between biking and doing Chemistry, I always know where I should be when. While three and four hour rides do not necessarily schedule in easily to the college, life, all is possible. No one dictates most of our time and I feel there is always time, its always possible to fit in time to bike. So, although it is challenging, plan your day, and it is possible. Make time because time is sort of elastic as long as you have a plan. Another note: When I doubt that I have time, I think about how easily I can waste and hour and a half, in culmination of course, on simply random thoughts or activities. When I sit on my floor in a huge blanket and organize every part of my backpack or take the time to research, for over an hour, new pedal types. I realize the possibilities. The possibilities of shuffling time around to always make time to ride. And I never regret it, I don't mind the busy days.. and here is why. 2. Bike time is think time. Pedal time is problem solving time. Spin time is golden time. Power watts are figure-out-life-watts. As long as I have a few hours a day of bike time, even if every other minute is packed with homework, meetings, class, labs, and studying, if I can ride, I stay sane. Think of time on the bike not as yet another stressful activity, but a time to be alone and focus on one thing, or let your mind wander, whatever you need at the time. I find solace as my legs spin and settling into a long ride or cruising through a quiet forest should not be considered a burden of time, rather a planned opportunity. At the beginning of a ride, I always take a moment to appreciate where I am and how lucky I am to be able to bike, hehee dramatic. 3. 2 birds + 1 stone = deal Mundane tasks = multitasking tasks. I fully believe some things should be done with full intentions of doing them separately. Studying for Biology is an alone task. But biking at Zone 2 for three hours and running through Chemistry equations is pure gold (Au). Showering and thinking through an email = deal. Brushing teeth and checking email = usually they are both done halfway but I still think I can do it most mornings. Efficiency though man. When the snooze goes off the one time you allow it to, plan exactly what your going to wear. In the three minutes you have before you have to leave home to make it just one minute early, wipe down the bike chain. 5. Oh this is a big one. Okay, TRANSITION TIME. I actually schedule my day so I have the least amount of time transitioning. If it take ~5-10 minutes to bike (no car in the college life) where I need to be (always bike never walk [walking <<<--- epitomizes inefficiency]) and I go to eight different locations in a day, zoop, there goes 40-80 minutes. Eeek that looks like a lot when it's written out. It makes me shudder, not training, not learning, not talking to someone about something valuable. Just moving place to place. Do we need more convincing? Am I right ladies? I would say there were three defining moments of my 2015 Austin, TX Cyclocross Nationals experience. They are as follows: 1. During the warm up lap I had to ask my fellow teammate how to shoulder a bike. I was genuinely unsure how to hold the bars and how to heave my bike onto my shoulders. I learned from a concerned and worried rider and from watching nine and ten year olds fly past me as they ran up the stairs as my bars flapped in my face. 2. During the race, my coach Jeff just kind of looked shocked at me and told me to "Keep moving", instead of his usual inspiration and true race strategy advice. 3. When I looked at the posted results on the USA Cycling truck I watched someone run their finger down the Collegiate Women's D1 category and say "Who the hell is this Emily Schaldach girl, I've never heard of her." So, yes, placing third during this race was a much of a shock to me as it was to my coach as it was to the kind results analyst. Out of the 42 people I was hoping for top half, maybe top fifteen, if I didn't fall. I had goals of staying close ish to some riders I had mountain biked with, literally so that I could learn how to race cyclocross in that 40 minutes. Previous to CX Nationals, I had completed three races, two of which had been on my full suspension mountain bike. You could say I was annihilated, or at least smashed by the Open Women's fields in all three of these. So here's a breakdown of a very shocking race. I started in about top ten to twelve. I felt confident my lungs could stay with these riders but my strategic bike lifting and run maneuvering around off camber turns and muddy slopes was looking grim. Lucky for my already cynical attitude, it was a balmy 34 degrees, with a light rain mist and a surplus of "thick and slick" mud. Previously, we had watched the junior races and saw a solid percentage of children crying and yelling at their parents that they "just want to stop." We also saw one kid fall whack on his face seven times as his shoes slipped and his bike fell on top of him repeatedly on a steep short climb. We were all obviously elated to take on this task. Real talk though, I had never really understood how cross racers could genuinely LOVE riding and racing in mud and snow. And here I was, picking lines and trying to smile through my frozen face because this whole experience was like a game, like a very intense and high stakes Mario Kart video game. I felt like I was constantly plotting against people and pretty much shooting green shells behind me when I cut in front of people or passing people with my shoulder rubbing the tape like Donkey Kong on the off camber Rainbow Road. I gleaned a glimpse (<<<-- alliteration always) of why cyclocross racing is fun, because it's not racing its like a game or like survival of the fittest, or just survival mode when you are actually about to die. On the first lap I was lucky enough to land behind incredible riders Laurel Rathbun and Tiziana DeHorney. This was a true gift, I honestly learned how to cyclocross in this lap. I mimicked almost exactly what they did on every bend, if they ran I hopped off and followed suit. I heard the Coach Jeff Winkler voice in my head too though, "The goal of cyclocross is to be able to come out of every turn the fastest." So, I started by following talented people and found myself feeling far too comfortable. I looked ahead and say more talented riders so why not come out of this corner a bit faster. I was able to "sorry passing on your right" as mud spit up in every direction. And while race stories are fun this was a weird one, because, well I honestly was in a Mario Kart blur. One person on my team, Austin, sprinted around the course (bless him) and kept telling me what place I was in. This was a great thing. I learned I was passing people and not even really knowing how. I thought about my teammates and gave them a nice thought of encouragement and a hope their races were going splendidly. When I passed Jeff I was not feeling comfortable anymore, I could feel all the flights of stairs and all the mud sprints. But I realized, I've always like Mario Kart. And I'm pretty sure this still counted. So here I were somehow moving up and finishing third. I finished and stood very muddy and very confused, but exceptionally surprised and happy. Thanks lungs and legs and four chamber ba-bump for the help on the course out there. Who knew I would fall in a bit of high school lust with cyclocross during Nationals and it could grow (once I warmed up and took three showers and ate some cake) into a true love. Thanks to CU Cycling and Jeff Winkler, and Boulder Cycle Sport for the borrowed bike. Couldn't have done it without you. See you next fall Cyclo world, its been fun and now I know how to shoulder a bike too. Well kids, it's been quite a season. I feel like all of my training and years of riding have culminated to this season. I found myself riding far faster than I ever thought I was capable of. By far exceeding my own expectation I have been able to boost my own confidence and remember everything I love about biking.
Final results for the season: Collegiate National Championships D1 STXC: 2nd Collegiate National Championships D1 XC: 4th RMCCC Conference Championships STXC: 1st RMCCC Conference Champioships XC: 2nd Incredibly fortunate to attend a school with a supportive and encouraging team. These guys are the only reason I was able to do what I could. The hugest shout out and thank you to Jeff Winkler for allotting endless time to make 2014 the best season imaginable. You're one of a kind and I can't express enough how much I appreciate all you do for the CU team. Can't wait to see what we become. Also thanks parents for the support. Couldn't do anything without you xoxoxoxxoox Poised on the start line amid inspired racers, announcers, and exhilarated spectators,
I am oblivious to the hurricane of movement and excitement. My mind is in a familiar place of solitude and focus, although my legs quiver and muscles tense in anticipation as I stand nervously over my mountain bike. My mind is absolutely still though, past the point of meditation and focused solely on committing each nerve and muscle fiber to the race ahead. I listen to the gravely path and snaking trail softly calling my name, urging me forward with more tenacity than any spectator. Forced, calm breath stifles my impulse to fly forward and dance with the trail at this very moment. My mind waits for the racer-ready countdown to unleash my unbelievable joy, unbelievable exhilaration and unbelievable, relentless pain. |