California Ice Bucket Challenge!

Thanks to our good friend Myrosha, Gerhard and I got to get involved with the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. I have been really enjoying these videos, and the outpouring of support they represent, so I wasn't too upset to have my number called.

Especially because one of the neatest people I've ever met has been battling ALS for many years. He was once a fur-trader for the Hudson's Bay Company -- hence my choice in bucket -- and his stories are treasures. ALS is a terrible thing and it's time to put an end to it.

I wanted to do my challenge in a drought-friendly way. So here is my seawater version. Fun fact: Seawater doesn't freeze until it reaches -2*C, so although this water was not solid, I assure you it was COLD.

We also donated, of course, and you can do the same at alsa.org, or als.ca in Canada. Thanks to Gerhard for filming/editing our addition to the #icebucketchallenge phenomenon.

Race Report: Rim Nordic #3

With my hand feeling almost normal, I decided to put it to the test on the mountain bike for a weekend up in the Big Bear neighborhood. Pre-riding on Saturday, I noticed some aches during descents/heavy braking, but otherwise, I think I'm out of the woods.

At least physically.

Mentally, I was definitely having a tough time shaking my observation that lately, bad things seem to happen to me while I am mountain biking. So, I set no performance goals for this race, applied no pressure, and just recognized it as an opportunity to accelerate the processing my brain needs to catch up to my healed bones.

It also happened to be my first race with a "pro" license so that was an interesting dimension as well. Especially since the other pro who showed up was the one and only badass lassie, Lesley Paterson  - 2012 Xterra World Champion. An honor and privilege to share a race course with a truly elite athlete -- a quality she exemplified when after cruising to victory (she had six minutes/lap on me ...), she suited up for a trail run. That's rainbow stripes stuff. I, on the other hand, went straight for the nearest Coke and deck chair.

Warming up wasn't a problem -- it was over 90 degrees and dry out. I kept mine short opting to hang out in the shade rather than spin laps on the asphalt parking lot across the road, baking in the sun.

Nerves had my stomach in knots and nothing brought me relief except for when they finally said "go." They ran the pro/expert category together and I was stoked we had seven women to race, including my Ninja teammate Michelle! I jumped off the line, got a good couple pedal strokes in to lead the pack and then tried to find a pace that would suit the climb and the heat. Lesley stayed on my wheel for a little while, and then came around for the hole shot. I was half waiting for her and hoped to hang on to her wheel but with the heat, (and my inferior legs ... I shamelessly admit it) I had to cut our clinic short.

I settled into my pace for the rest of the climb, keeping Lesley in sight, but only just. The last I saw of her, she was punching the last of the singletrack ups. In fact, that was the last  I saw of almost anybody. Racing alone is always a tough one. But it gave me a chance to exercise my brain a bit. I felt like I had some mtb OCD or something; I had to check every line choice, corner, and obstacle ten times whereas before my various wrecks, a single glance would have told me all I needed to know.  It takes a lot of time to check and re-check your decisions, so I could feel myself getting slower. Also, did I mention it was HOT?!

By lap three, I'd made peace with the course a little more, found some flow and even some other people! I also hallucinated a car on the double track and large black floating orbs. Pretty sure the swarms of bees were real though. It was a tough day for me, but I checked off the only goal I set for myself: finish safe. (I also took home a silver medal, $50 cash money and a sweet raffle prize - yay! Thank you Rim Nordic!)

Ninjas were out in good form as well. There was a lengthy awards procedure afterwards as the cheery crew at Rim Nordic handed out medals, trophies and raffle prizes for this final event of the series. We collected a pile of hardware, including the third spot in the team overall! Congratulations Ninjas! And thanks to the La Chinas for helping me with transportation and being swell people to hang out with all weekend. Likewise to "the Three Bears" -- I'm stoked we got to get to know each other a little better and you guys are awesome. A great crew for our last Ninja Cabin weekend. Where did the summer go?

Full results here.
Series results here.

The Three Bears: John, Mark and Eric shredding the Snow Summit park on Saturday

Paige with Ninjas Mark and John, ready to rock!

Ninja Advait, looking cool and collected on the start line

Ninja Michael, thinking about our new gang signs ;)

Ninja Michelle claims third in Expert! Congrats!

My results

Thanks to the La Chinas for this tremendous find!

Champions: NPR Ted Radio Hour

Great segment, NPR! Loved this Ted Radio Hour on Champions, and as I continue to ride the narrow ridge between positive thinking and pity party while my hand heals, your timing couldn't be better.

Hope everyone takes 60 minutes to listen to this inspiring piece on "Champions." As NPR puts it:

"From Little League to the Olympics, athletic mastery plays a major role in our sense of achievement. This hour, TED speakers explore the minds and bodies of champions who achieve extraordinary feats."

Listen here: http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/331331360/champions 

High Five!

Fracture across the base of Metacarpal II - my bones!

Two weeks ago today was the crash, so that's about time for a [short] update!

Good news!

1) The scaphoid survived! So I got to bust out of the cast and cut down my recovery time
2) I am now up to typing with seven fingers
3) It's "just a little break" so healing should be uncomplicated
4) Gerhard is getting really good at pony tails
5) As of today, I seem to have made it to a world without constant pain

Why I'm still bummed: 

1) Reflexes are the devil: dropped (and caught) a bottle the other day and almost cried bloody murder
2) My braking/shifting/hanging-on digits are still out of commission ... so no racing or riding in sight (unless it's on the trainer)
3) I can only type with seven fingers

Final Score: 5-3 for keeping positive! 

What Happened?

Since the day I signed up a year ago, i have done something every day to get ready for the BC Bike Race. i was already starting to feel sad for this goal's exit from my life since it has all been so rewarding and i've met so many great people along the way. especially the ninjas!

so on the bright side, the goal has not exited from my life. we are leaning towards making a return campaign for 2015 and though i'm very sad 2014 did not turn out at all as planned, i'm already excited to use the lessons i've learned and another year of training to make 2015 even better.

it's hard for me to type so i'll keep this short but here's my version of events.

I woke up day 3 feeling a bit flat and decided to give myself permission to just do as the body wanted as the juices started flowing (or not flowing, depending). i did an abbreviated version of my daily warm up then got into the gates. i managed to sneak up a bit to grab a better position off the line since on the opening climbs, i was making good time. and wouldn't you know it, fitness kicked in and not even five minutes off the gun, i was ready to rock. had an awesome climb to the singletrack and then found a great group of kiwis to ride with.

til this day, singletrack was making me a bit trepidatious. so steep and gnarly, i was wondering if i was a mtb-er afterall. but powell river was my course. i passed a lot of people in the start wave ahead of me and i wasn't losing any time in the trails either. my bike was perfect for the terrain, and i was in that shit-eating grin state of mind. i was gleefully licking my lips at the results sheet i was confident would see me move up the standings.

our group began swallowing some riders off the back of the group ahead and it was my turn to find a chance to pass. the rider up asked if i'd like by and so i looked up to assess my answer. i was in the middle of saying not yet, i'll let you know when my front wheel found a wet root hiding in the loam. it happened so fast i had no choice but to accept a tumble. but on the way down, i saw my crash zone was already occupied by a large, hard tree stump. i knew my head was in danger and my hand came out reflexively to protect my face. it got stuck on some part of the stump or a branch ... not sure, but ......warning: cringe worthy ....... i felt all of my fingers fold back on my hand and get stuck there while my head continued its -- now slower -- trajectory to the stump. i head butted it ever so softly, but i knew it was at the expense of broken bones.

fortunately, i had the good sense to crash in front of a doctor. thank you so much Ian for your optimism, and initial exam. once rider patrol caught up, we let Ian go to carry on his race. and i tried to ride out. strike one: i couldn't get my index finger to brake. who needs your rear brake anyway? i thought. strike two was shifting. i like this gear anyway, i told myself. but strike three? i could no longer climb, so i tearfully had to let my bcbr go for this year. when i made it close to the road, i was met by the med team who are amazing, paramedics, trauma docs and mtb lovers. they were willing to let me continue, to their credit, fully understanding that its hard for any racer to give up the ghost. with a steep enduro to come, and strong broken bones suspicions, i figured i would just get something else broken. you can't imagine how hard it is to get in the waiting pick up. true empathizers, they had a cup of scotch waiting for me too.

then it was off to the hospital. xrays. fractures to metacarpal (across the joint, sadly) and scaphoid. cast applied to keep it immobilized until they can xray again in ten days. full damage will/should be visible then. probably off the bike for awhile, which is a bummer because i also just got my usac pro upgrade.

the support team has been amazing and at first i was really sad i'd let them down, but when i needed them more than ever they were/are here and now we get to spend more time together anyway. would love to share more ... especially thank yous to the race, the crew, Team Kris and everyone who has sent messages but i'm still getting used to being a lefty so that's all for now.

thanks for following ...

breakfast on my last day with the cheerleaders

the best campsite so far - willingdon beach

pre race yoga

my view from the gates

my injured paw and some amazing artwork by bcbr volunteer Jen who drove me to the horse pistol

getting my fibreglass fitted

goodnight bcbr. see you next year. 

Update: BCBR So Far

Lying in the RV with my legs up and since I'm terrible at napping, I thought I'd get some more words and photos up from our good times so far. Of course they do no justice - this event is pretty next level in every sense. 

This is my girl before our first day. In case you missed it, I drew Gerhard's birthday for a race number which makes me smile every time. Day one's stage was gnarly. If I was a hiker, I would consider completing the course an accomplishment, so steep/rooty/slippery were some of the descents/drops. With my beloved Top Fuel, I felt like i'd brought a knife to a gun fight. The North Shore is no joke and it was quite the welcome for us racers. Ok bcbr! You have my attention. ;) 

These pink ribbons are our guides on course. Despite remote trails, technical terrain and long courses, they are perfectly placed and I've never felt a shadow of a doubt that I was headed the right way. Love it. This one was photographed on our opening section day one. A little ways after this, we had a bear on the course (I could have sworn I heard him woof while preriding). 

This is an after picture ... Despite super wet weather, BC mud is very forgiving and rarely cakes up which makes it kind of fun, actually. 

Here's the Open Women's podium (my category). Day one saw Wendy Simms (2013 BCBR Champ) in third, Endurance pro Sonya Looney in 2nd and Olympian Lea Davison with the win. I came 12th. 

At the end of each stage, I've learned the procedure is: eat something, drink, bike wash (you can do it yourself or a volunteer group will take a donation to do it for you), then eat something, drink something, shower. Eat drink sit. 

Here's the bike wash. Whatever you do, don't get showered and cleaned up first. I found out the hard way it's an excellent method for getting clean clothes soaked and muddy. 

When you're bike is clean, dry it, lube it, then these fine volunteers pack it into the transport trucks to move to the next stage. The organization behind tearing down and rebuilding base camp is astounding. 

We're on the move! Our first ferry ride. Met lots of awesome people on board and ate chips with my feet against a wall so I was happy. 

We spent the night at mama and papa bear Gross's house eating eating and eating. The Team Kris RV went ahead to Powell River and the Gross family took over support crew duties like champs. 

Annnnd, welcome to day two! Sorry for the foggy pic. My phone was in my sweaty pocket ;) 

Reposed San Diego today (not pictured: my Sock Guy Arch Ride socks)

My favorite male cheerleader and me post race. 

My day was much more manageable today. Loved the singletrack though still felt a little outgunned bike wise. Dropper posts are mandatory here. Mandatory. Enjoyed the climbs and then went my own [safe] pace down the descents. Starting to get the hang of this BC singletrack but it's been a very humbling experience. Until yesterday, I was fairly certain I am a decent (maybe even good?) bike rider. Now I am not so sure, haha. 

And here is our home for the next two nights! Powell River is lovely so far. Looking forward to a 49km stage tomorrow followed by a dip in the pacific for my aching legs. The support team is headed out on a salmon fishing mission so with any luck, we'll have something special for dinner tomorrow! 

PS - blogged from my iPhone! Please forgive typos and formatting :) 

Day 0: Ready.... Set ...

Ground zero on day zero. The hour is upon us! Started the day with a trip to Argyle school for the hub bub of registration. So exciting to see all the racers streaming in and the stacks of red racer bags and yoga mats ready for us to pack up. 

Inside our race packets were lots of great goodies, but these are by far the awesomest features: top tube stickers of each stage profile. So valuable. 

Down in the staging area the kids' races got started. So cute and exciting to see little rippers. Reminded me of the Pink Helmet Posse. 

Little girls on bikes!! Yes!!

Here are the little dudes getting it done. My favourite was the kid in the dragon costume. 

Dad couldn't walk by the podium without giving it a try. 

The contents of my racer package. My number, 218 is of extra special significance because 02.18 is Gerhard's birthday! Thanks universe! 

Ran through some openers today before I got rained on again. It's been raining a lot and we're expecting to race Stage One in the mud. 

Making my fav rice cakes, of course! 

Our racer safety meeting featuring the most hilarious discussion about piss, shit and bear attacks I have ever encountered. Thanks Brooks!

Home sweet home! Final prep now underway and here's our amazing palace on wheels. Plus my trusty steed. 

And check out this crew!! Gerhard arrived tonight so our team is complete. And my brother-in-law Reinholt is here for good cheer and good vibes, too. Super excited to get rolling! Bed time :) 

Let's Ride!!