4.5 days

 4.5 days. That's the time at home I got between trips. It was short, but it was awesome. I love home!

It was also incredibly busy.
1- Peak Sports Chiro visit
2- massages
3- skills clinics
4- recovery rides

1- visit from USADA
2- too dilated pee samples given (I may have been drinking a margarita.. or 2)
5+ - elk seen during USADA visit
lots- of snow falling and sweeping and shoveling

All of a sudden, it was time to leave. 4.5 days is too short. I admit, I was sad to be leaving the Cliff-e. Sad to leave JH and the furries. I'll miss them! See you in two weeks furry family.

And then this one time...

Weird. Awkward. Strange. I can't believe I'm here again.  These were all the thoughts going through my head on day 1 of Track Camp.  Yes, that's right--Track Camp.

It had been 5 years since I had been on the track. Since then, I've sold all my track stuff, and had a bad attitude toward everything track related. Yet, here I was- again. A USAC Team Pursuit camp. Just like before.

Though unlike before, I didn't feel any need to prove anything. I didn't care if I had the worst split times or got dropped in the team pursuit efforts. I was there to train, and to get faster-- period.

I am so lucky NOW teammie Beth was part of the camp too. Like everything NOW, we had a good time. We rode to and from the hotel to the track (the only ones who did this--everyone else was a bunch of slackers), we practiced bike handling skills, we laughed, we did "body maintenance" together (Travel Roller, stretch, lacrosse ball rolling, Foundation), and we drank wine together.

I have to admit, my favorite part of Track Camp was the road ride.

Though not my normal travel buddies, I had a good time with Colleen, Cari, Lauren, and Beth Bikes. Here's a Charlotte tip-- when needing a restaurant, head to Ilios Noche for dinner. Yummy!!!!

I'm thankful to USAC and to Ben Sharp for providing me this training opportunity. I still have no aspirations to be a "trackie" (especially how my crotch and body feel after only going in circles to the left (thank you Dr. Andy at Peak Sports Chiro in Boulder for fixing me yesterday!), but it was really good training-- and I avoided the snow and winter weather that was happening at home.

Thank you Beth for hanging out with me, giving me advice, and putting up with my Day 4 (and into Day 5) bad attitude.

A Week in Pictures

Wow. This past week has been amazing. Due to a lack of words other than "awesome" and "cool", here is the week in pictures. 

Got a new bike the morning of the crit. 

Won three races in a row, the GC, the Sprinters Jersey, and Team GC.

By the end of the race, our host Mom Leslie had at least a dozen bouquets of flowers.

 

The best team ever.

I used to LOVE these!! Reminds me of elementary school.

Burned the nose hairs--- and everything else.

 Having fun with the Snapchat. Alexis and Beth

 Cool menu, not very good coffee.

 Fun to see

Too Many Jersey's

Said no one ever

The Pre-race Poo

I knew today was going to be a good day when I had to poo 20 min before my TT start. Perfect. Every time I have a pre race poo (something other than the normal morning poo or 2) I know I'm going to have a good race. In fact, I get bummed out if I don't poo before a TT and if something horrible goes on and I miss even the morning poo, then my day is ruined (or at least not as good as it could have been).

Anyway, for 2 months (or something like that), I have been excited for the new TT at Redlands. It's motivated me through cold snowy TT workouts, it's gotten me excited to come back to Redlands for the 5th time, and it gave me hope of finding a new coffee shop.

Coffee shop fail. I rode into Big Bear Lake to check out the town and the ski area. Only saw a Starrrrbucks and Smokey's Beef Jerky and Coffee. Um, I don't think I'm getting any coffee from a beef jerky place...

Won today's TT (had a pre race poo) which was freaking awesome.

Somehow managed to get the sprint jersey too...

Then I had too many jerseys.. (which is a totally fine problem to have)