River Gorge Omnium, A Killer Bicycle Race

Village Volkswagen of Chattanooga River Gorge Omnium

My cycling team Mystique 2012

The River Gorge Omnium is put on by our home cycling club the Scenic City Velo and sponsored by Village Volkswagen of Chattanooga. Staged in the beautiful Chattanooga valley, this is the largest bicycle race in the state of Tennessee. Taking place in late August, the race consists of 3 events; a time trial along the Raccoon Mountain Reservoir on Sat morning, the Lynskey Sunset Criterium that afternoon & a road race that finishes with a 4 mile challenging climb up Raccoon Mountain Sunday morning. The race had over one thousand entries this year, so it's great for the city's tourism. Cyclists who participate range from professional to toddler's in the free kiddie crit.  It's one of the best events for local racers & my favorite part of the race season. Due to recent clavicle fracture from bike crash, this race report is told from the volunteer perspective, from the sidelines. Normally, I would be racing...

At the time of writing this, Mystique Women's Cycling Team falls between 2 rivaling men's cycling teams. Our Title sponsor is Hub Endurance, a local bike shop that specializes in high end bikes, coaching & the works, who also has their select group of athletes that race for Team Hub Endurance. Mystique is  also sponsored by Scenic City Velo, who's title sponsor is Krystal, also one of our sponsors. So, we ladies get the best of both worlds & race in neutral territory, for now.

                                        Friday: Packet stuffing & packet pick-up party

The busy weekend began for me around 11:30 on friday with packet stuffing. The race director Bill Parsons was very organized & efficient. With the help of some SCV volunteers we had over 1000 race packets stuffed with bib numbers, bike frame numbers, swag, maps & instructions all labeled & alphabetized ready for the packet pick-up party that started @ 5pm. This included free beer & socializing with local racers. I missed the party though, had to go home & ice the shoulder after all the repetitive motion of stuffing packets.

Saturday: TT & Crit

 My husband & I got to the race site at 6:30 am to help set up. We did not get home until after 11 pm, 16 hours later. Volunteer responsibilities included anything & everything. From gopher to guest announcer, we ran our butts off but were happy to help.

Coaches advice: "don't suck"

Where else can you see men in pointy hats
& spandex in questionable positions?

Jenny on her way to the podium

The TT is my favorite race of the year. Feeling bummed about not racing it due to my fractured clavicle, but happy with being there to support my team mates. A time trial (TT) is a race against the clock. From point A to point B, racers take off in 30 second intervals, racing for the best time. Its 4 miles with a climb, but the descent is wicked fast & then levels out onto this amazing rim road with fantastic views. (The TT Course ) Riders try to get as aerodynamic as possible to increase their speed. Disc wheels, skinsuits & aero helmets are all part of the plan to win.
Mystique had 2 riders on the podium, 2nd & 3rd place in the women's 123 race, the 1st place went to Pro racer Jacki Crowell of Exergy 2012.

Cat 3 Krystal call ups

Later that day, at the criterium, downtown Chattanooga came alive with fast paced pedaling. When I explain what a criterium is to my coworkers or family who've never seen one, I can never do it justice. A crit, short for criterium, is a short race, usually less than a mile, that takes place on closed city streets. Racers start together & try to be the first across the line. There are tactics & crashes. It's high intensity. Since a picture says a 1000 words, above is a random youtube video of the twilight crit last year. Dark & dangerous, crits are notorious for having crashes. Wheels get crossed, pedals get clipped in turns & mayhem ensues because of the fast pace & close proximity of the racers. When done correctly, it's a lot of fun. Stephen got to race the crit, something he had been looking forward to all year.

Cat 4 Krystal call ups

The slight uphill on the crit course

Stephen near the front

 I spent a good portion of the next 8 hours helping the race director with registration & packet pick up. For the 2 women's races, I helped announce with the emcee, a challenge because of my glossophobia. But it allowed me to call up my teammates to the line before the race & give them some much deserved recognition.
 Everyone came out to see the race. We had local homeless dancers that kept the crowd entertained between races. The music was pretty awesome ;) One pregnant & chain smoking spectator asked how she could get into the race, seriously. Another bystander asked if he could borrow a bike, so he could try his hand at racing. Normally, I wouldn't suggest a crit for your 1st race ever. 

Mystique's wonderful sponsors

Mystique had several ladies racing in both the 4's races & the 123 race. Everyone looked great out there. The races were super fast & had the most primes out of all the races, thanks to our great sponsors. Some of the ladies won over $200 just in primes.There were a few crashes, but Mystique ladies kept it rubber down, thankfully. The Exergy racer lapped the women's field. I would expect no less. The night finished with the Pro race, won by Ty Magner of BMC/Hincapie Devo team. I did not actually get to see much of the race though since we were busy tearing down the registration booth & cleaning up a lot of trash.

The River Gorge Road Race

There is a short & a long course option. Both are extremely challenging. This is the short course map. Amy Philips of Mystique won the QOM on Murphy Hollow!

Mystique at the starting line

It always kills me & I end up blowing up on the climb. Wasn't really sorry about missing this one.

You haven't lived until you've
been a course marshal!

Bright & early Sunday morning, more registration & race volunteer stuff. Started at 7:30, ended at 3pm. Somehow the race organizers were short on course marshals, so, yup, you guessed it, 4 hours in the sun wearing an orange vest trying to keep locals from running over cyclists as they raced down the mountain. It was nerve wracking! 

Some motorist driving a BMW told me flat out she would run over any cyclist who got in her way then she hit the gas with me standing in front of her! Thats just an example of the many "mean" people encountered that day.

A Team Type 1(cycling team) support van nearly ran over my team mate Melissa who was also volunteering as a course marshal. Guess they figured better to hit her than one of their racers who was on the road at the same time.
A Krystal racer who is also a professional photographer took some amazing pictures. You can see some of the suffrage taking place on the climb. Dan Henry's photos. He's an amazing photographer & we are lucky to have him & his wife Crystal as part of our team.
Results for the weekends races are posted on the TBRA website, http://www.tbra.org/racearchives.php#class2

Temperatures topped out in the 90's, everyone suffers in this race, even the one's not racing! After spending 30 hours on my feet, volunteering for the race, I spent the next 2 days wrapped up in ice on the couch, sick from the heat. I think my titanium plate overheated & burned the surrounding tissue.

Overall, the race was a phenomenal success.It's great to be a part of such a high class event. I will never take races for granted after this. They require many hands & heads. Volunteering is a thankless job. Nobody really cares about what's going on behind the race while they're racing. We assume the roads are going to be safe & so on. So next time you are racing your bike, hug a volunteer! With my new awareness regarding what goes into a race weekend, I will be sure to spend more time giving back to the cycling community, to help make our world a little better.

Side note: Megan Rogers of Mystique won the TBRA jersey along with all the other possible junior jerseys. She's had a great season & is off to race for King College next year. I'll  miss racing with her. Go Get em Megan!

The reward at the top of the climb is the view.

Whines & Wailings of an Injured Triathlete, 3 weeks post clavicle fracture

I can't even do yoga, because to achieve balance you need 2 arms!

This week, I chose to skip the Chris Robinson Brotherhood concert that I had been looking forward to for months because I felt like I wasn't ready, my body needed rest & I was in pain. If I can't go to a concert, then I'm not ready for much of anything. It was a hard decision & one I regret. Boohisss.

I feel like a wuss. If I compare myself to practically everyone who
 has anything to say about their experience with this injury, I'm "off the back". In cycling terms it means I'm in last place or trailing behind. But just to document my progress, here's where I'm at.
 I'm up to walking 1 hour a day without difficulty. I can drive now & do OK grocery shopping. But, by 1 oclock in the afternoon, I find myself in dire need of a painpill & a nap because the upper left quadrant of my body aches, throbs & burns. Today is the first day that I have put on a sportsbra, the incision is still rough & a bra strap digging into it is near unbearable. 
This is much improvement from a week ago, but friends would have me believe that racing a sprint triathlon next week should be doable & that trainer sessions & treadmill workouts, perfectly fine. So, I'm sitting here looking at my bike mounted on the trainer waiting for me, taunting me, daring me. I can hear a small voice telling me to get back on the horse, or bike in this case, but a stronger feeling doesn't want any part of it, because of the pain, along with the dreadfulness of the fact that it's the trainer. So, I think for today, my bike can sit there, until tomorrow when I will face it again.

The doctor would have me in a sling doing no kind of activity for 3 more weeks. Some think this is very conservative, including me. But, from my years of working in the medical field, I know my injury was pretty severe as far as clavicle fractures go. Right now what hurts the most is the deep tissue in my back, around my scapula, the left shoulder joint & my neck, from wear the muscles were ripped apart. My spine is completely out of line, causing my hips to hurt when I walk & my low back is constantly in spasms. But my chiro won't touch me until my surgeon clears it. Understandable. 
The road rash is closed up, but there will be scarring. 
The dog owners homeowners insurance is covering my accident, holding them liable for their dogs being out. At least we have that.

I'm not working, because I can't use my left arm. Light house work irritates it greatly, so thankfully the kids are helping out more than usual.
 So why do I contemplate pushing the activity level?
1. A years worth of fitness is fading as I type.
2. I'm afraid to gain weight. My metabolism is used to burning 2-3 workouts a day. Ugh. Plus the 2 races that have already been paid for looming ahead.
3. I'm a driven individual. Sitting idly is not something I'm comfortable with. This week I've completely redecorated our living room, the bonus rooms next.
4. I thrive on sunshine, fresh air & going anaerobic. Without these things, I don't feel like myself.

 Ok, so that sucks, but I'm a survivor & Im blessed. Things are going to continue to improve & Im going to continue to heal by doing things the way Im supposed to. To start with, gonna go to the gym & sit on the stationary bike & see how that feels. Maybe tomorrow I'll mount Bones (my Argon 18) for a ride & say a prayer of thankfulness.
If you have anything helpful to offer about this type of experience, I would love to hear about it. Comment or email me, I could use it.
Cheers.

Back to School

Traditionally, I would have gone on a celebratory 6o mile bike ride through the mountains & in my version, it is always sunny. That is how I like to spend the first day back to school. It's a token to me, after spending the summer busily trying to entertain two cherubs. But not this year. No, this year I spent my non-sanctioned holiday on the couch. Ironically eating Reese's Pieces & watching several episodes of Prison Break, numbed with pain killers. It's 2 1/2 weeks since my crash & I cannot believe that I'm still down & out. I've never been "out" this long. During both pregnancies I was active, working & walking up to delivery. 2 weeks after my babies were born I was back in the gym, lifting & riding the bike. This is just crazy. The pain still burns in my neck & arm, I'm bound to a  sling & restricted to do anything FUN. Each day, I tell myself, just lay low, you'll feel better tomorrow. But tomorrow comes & I don't feel much better.The year of 2012, my 2 beautiful daughters start 10th & 4th grade. Yes, they are growing up. Long gone are the toddler  & baby days, and that's quite alright with me. I enjoy people who are independent, even my own children. Ha! Guess the effects of no exercise for 2.5 weeks is making me a little grumpy?

But, I realize how lucky I am. I have 2 great girls, a husband who loves me & a chance to recover from what could have been a lethal accident. So, truth be told, as much as I would have loved to have gone on that bike ride in the sun, couch surfing today wasn't all that bad. There are many miles to be ridden in the future once I'm healed. I'm thrilled that I was there to walk Emma into school on her first day and to pick her up after school & hear about everything that went on. Being "mom's taxi" today, as we drove from school to home, back to school, to the library, to school again, to swimming, back home....you get the picture...well, it's a blessing. One that was almost taken from me when I crashed. Thank the Lord for all these blessings. I am happy to be alive. I am regretting eating this Reece's Pieces though.

My Sunrider story of regeneration

“Let Medicine be Thy Food, Thy Food be Thy Medicine” Hippocrates

                                                                                                                           
The purpose of writing this story is simply to help others find improved health. Robyn     

     Here is the reason for my blog title. I could not do what i love to do without Sunrider. I receive no sponsorship from this company. I feel so strongly about their products that I recommend them to anyone interested in improving their health or athletic performance.
    Regeneration is the process of renewal & restoration. Proper nutrition is necessary for the body to regenerate. The alternative is to degenerate. As a nurse, I see degeneration of health every day. Most of today's common illnesses could be prevented with proper nutrition. Look around, the society in which we live does not make it easy to eat properly. Fast food? Just try to eat "healthy" at any restaurant. Let me know how it goes. I was aware of this before being introduced to Sunrider foods. Nutrition was my favorite class in nursing school. But knowing something & actively practicing something every day are 2 different things.
  So what does Sunrider do? It begins with ;Nourish, Balance & Cleanse. This allows the body to regenerate. Sunriders philosophy of regeneration:

Principle 1: The body heals itself with proper nutrition
Principle 2: The body is designed to obtain its nutrition from whole Foods
Principle 3: Each individual must accept responsibility for his/her own health.

    As an athlete & mother, regenerating my body to be stronger than it was yesterday is pretty important. It's the whole concept behind why we train, to become faster, fitter, stronger. Sunrider made perfect sense to me.

    So, we were introduced to Sunrider 12 years ago, by a family member. I was excited about the info because I knew the concept was correct, if the product truly lived up to the hype. My husband & I agreed to try the products for 3 months. (according to ancient Chinese philosophy, it takes 3 months for the body to balance). After those 3 months we would decide if the benefits warranted continuation with the product.
    We drank the Calli tea every day, to cleanse. We ate the Nuplus every day to nourish. We also ate Quinary to balance. We simply added these foods to our normal routine for 3 months.
    Interesting things began to happen. My coffee addiction almost instantly disappeared. In fact, coffee tasted terrible & I could hardly stand the taste of it after a week(unfathomable to this java junkie). My energy levels normalized, no ups & downs, no 2 pm sluggishness. The same for my moods. One of the biggest things I appreciated was the mental clarity that came. It was like the fog literally lifted. I felt like I needed to keep a notepad & pen with me at all times because I kept having these great new ideas, my inner childhood creativity came out to play.
   Something else that occurred was pretty shocking. After the first month, my body started to have cleansing symptoms. It was weird & not for the faint of heart. Toxic waste was eliminated. My whole neck & face broke out into what looked like hives for 10 days. It was a raised rash. It did not hurt, but it looked uncomfortable. My body was detoxing in a way I never knew possible. Candida (yeast) was exiting my body, where apparently it had inhabited for a long time. Other people have experienced this same symptom. One friend who is a cancer surviver, experienced this cleansing over her entire body. Candida thrives in an acidic environment,(as do tumors, cancer & bacteria) it promotes growth. As the body begins to alkalinize, Candida can no longer survive.
   See, in order for the body to balance, it has to clean house first. One can not be balanced when it is full of toxins. We live in a toxic world. The air is polluted, our water is full of garbage & even our dirt where our food is grown is not pure. So our bodies are bombarded with harmful elements, even with our best efforts to eat "clean". That's why I will never be without my Sunrider products. Once the house is clean (body) the body can begin to rebuild itself, stronger & healthier. It even had the ability to cure itself of disease. It's true! No drugs allowed or needed.

   After 3 months, my husband & I looked at each other & answered the question, "Is it worth it?". We both agreed instantly, YES! Not only did he share the health benefits that I was experiencing, but because of our improved mental, emotional & physical state, we were grumbling with each other less. Less arguing? Wow, sign me up!
    So over the years I have consistently used the following products. Sunrider has a lot to offer. You can check out their website http://shop.sunrider.com/home.asp  to see their complete line of products. Honestly, I can't afford to use everything I'd like to. But, here are the Sunrider foods that I will always use:
Calli: It's the highest grade green tea on the planet. If you don't know the benefits of green tea, just google it. This story is long enough without me going on about that. But this green tea is special.

When Calli is prepared, the tea leaves are soaked so that virtually all the caffeine and tannic acid is removed. This is very important for people who are sensitive to caffeine.  It's full of antioxidants, important for everyone, but unique to athletes such as myself. Calli feeds the liver and the kidneys to do the job they’re intended to do. Calli nourishes the liver. Feeding the liver increases it's function to eliminate toxins that come from our food or the environment such as mercury and other heavy metals. It alkalinizes, cleanses & promotes mental clarity. I can attest to all those things.

NuPlus: fills in nutritional gaps. Its super concentrated nutrition & easy to digest. I use it before or after workouts or as a breakfast on the go. It's uniquely formulated; contains naturally occurring bioflavonoids, antioxidants, amino acids and other beneficial phytochemicals. Ingredients avoid chemical isolates, preservatives, added swenteners and fats. It is naturally low in fat and cholesterol 

It is a fundamental block in the regeneration process. Remember, the goal is to be stronger tomorrow than we are today, & so on.

Sportcaps: All I can say, is I could not live without my Sportcaps. Strenuous training has gotten me through 2 full Ironman distance triathlons, marathons, ultra-marathons, endurance mountain bike races & everything in between. This is the best recovery product I have found. Ive tried lots of popular products, this is a staple in my routine. I call it "my secret weapon". Well, I guess the secret's out now. Currently I am taking the sportcaps to help recover from my broken clavicle so I can get back to training & racing. If you are interested in knowing more, feel free to comment or contact me, I'd be more than happy to share.

Kandesn Skin Care Products: The cosmetic industry is a world to itself. I use Kandesn because its as pure as the food products & my skin loves it. You can research for yourself or contact me with questions. It's the bomb, just sayin...

Sunrider is a multilevel marketing company. I do not work the business. I do not have time for it. (I'm a trathlete & mom & nurse= no extra time) That is why I have provided links to the company direct. However, if you think you are interested in becoming part of the Sunrider business (it does offer financial benefits), I will be more than happy to help you. Just let me know.

My Sunrider family in Mexico after IMCOZ

Shattered bones, not dreams

Healthy & happy before the crash

     On July 29, 2012 my husband & I, together with a few friends were on a long training ride. They were training for IMKY & I was training for Augusta 70.3. Stephen & I decided to cut the 100 mile route short & headed towards home while the others continued. We were traveling down CohuttaBeaverdale Rd near Dalton, Ga & were moving at a pretty good clip (40mph). I was riding my Blue TT bike & was mid interval when a dog ran out in front of me. With zero reaction time, I T-boned the big dog & flew over the aero bars.
     What I remember is the pain, fear & screams that came out of me. My head hit first, then my left shoulder & I rolled over into the ditch. Once down, I couldn't move & was scared because the burning pain in my neck was so severe, I had never felt anything so painful. A man came to my side first, then there were 2 & one called 911. My eyes remained closed the entire time and I never saw anyone who helped me. Since Stephen had been riding ahead of me, he did not know I was down. A passerby in a car informed him that his wife was "back there in the ditch" & he came back to help me. The pain in my neck overpowered everything & I could not move my left arm. I was teetering in & out of consciousness, shivering and in shock.
    When EMS arrived, the first thing the paramedic said was "from the look of her knees, this isn't the first time she's fallen off a bike". I remember being offended by that. Really dude? I'm lying hear bleeding to death & you're cracking jokes? In the end though, I am thankful to these paramedics because they got me to the hospital & gave me much needed IV pain meds.
     The dogs (2 dogs together) had run out of an open gate in a fenced in yard. The property owners were out of town, but had painters painting their home & the gates were open. A neighbor commented that the dog owners owned "too many animals". Stephen got the name & # of the dog owners for future reference.
     Once at Erlanger hospital, I received more pain meds, xrays, CT's, blood tests & assessments. I was left to wait the results of the tests on a back board, for 4 hours & in a C collar. We asked a few care givers about the weird puncture wound on my neck, but nobody seemed too concerned about it. I was finally discharged with an RX for pain meds & instructed to follow up with an ortho specialist that week.
It was poor medical care.
       The next day I was able to see a specialist who said I had a compound fracture, the weird puncture wound was where the clavicle had ripped through my muscle & skin. He said that the doctors should have arranged emergency surgery because of the risk of infection. So, he scheduled me for surgery that day. 8 hours later I was waking up in Phase 2, (where I actually work) with a titanium plate & 8 screws in my clavicle. The care I received at Memorial was superb. Everything happens for a reason, I believe that. Not sure what the reason is, but there's got to be one.

     12 days of recovering from surgery finds me here, still healing. The pain is a constant ache. Road rash is still there & will leave permanent scars. The doctor says I can not ride, run or swim & basically can't do anything that requires movement or sweat for another month. As much as this disappoints me, I know how lucky I am to be alive. Though my new ride is trashed, there will always be another bike to ride. My family & friends have been wonderful. Plus, the Olympics have been on & my couch time has had no shortage of entertainment. My face is bruised & head concussed, but thanks to my helmet, Im alive.

     I do hope to be able to run the ING NYC marathon as planned,(I am raising $$ for the Make a Wish Foundation) Link to fundraiser though Im missing out on 7 weeks of key training :(. But the Augusta 70.3 is probably not going to happen. There's always other races to do though, not sweating it. My focus now is on doing everything I can to heal quickly & properly so I can get back to doing the things I love to do.

Mountain Madness 70.3 Triathlon Race Report

     May 5, 2012 I participated in a triathlon consisting of a 1.2 miles swim in pristine Carter's lake, followed by a 56 mile bike ride that ascends Fort Mountain, a 3300 ft climb over 4 miles long at the halfway point & then a very hilly 13.1 mile run. Appropriately named, the Mountain Madness 70.3 Triathlon posed quite a challenge for a few hundred athletes. Basically you don't sign up for a race like this & just "wing" it. Everyone here was well trained, ready to conquer this race.

      Athletes were required to leave their bikes in transition overnight before the race. When I got into transition race morning, everything appeared to be in order. I pumped the tires, applied the body glide, Garmin & sunscreen & prepared to battle it out. 

 SWIM

      The swim was a good one. I quickly got into someone's draft & found my rhythm, sighting the large buoys through the fog. The rising sun made it hard to see as we turned the final buoy towards shore, I had to just sight off the person in front of me. Not having a strong swimming background (taught myself to swim @ age 26), I was pleased to come out of the water & into T-1 in 6th place. Transition must have gone pretty well because I exited T-1 in 3rd place, ready to tackle the challenging bike course.

     BIKE

      56 miles of hills. Tough course. This is where the race gets interesting. A steep hill immediately outside T-1 shot my heart rate way up, but before I was out of the park I had overtaken one of the 2 girls ahead of me; my friend Jenny (who had the fastest swim time overall). Not only was this a hilly course, the road conditions were less than perfect. Because of the rough ride, I lost my Hammer gel flask (all my nutrition) within the first 10 minutes. It fell right out of my jersey pocket! Ugh! I tried to stay calm & pedal on. But by mile 10, while crossing a one lane country bridge, I lost one of my water bottles. Fell right out of the cage! So, now as I turn onto the climb, someone yells that I am in 1st place. Awesome! I think. But, without my Hammer gel, I know my time is limited. 

     The climb up Fort Mountain is breathtaking. Literally, especially at race pace. My goal for the climb, was not to win the coveted QOM jersey, but to keep my HR down with a steady controlled effort. And,  about 1 mile from the top, I was passed by not 1, but 2 women. Strong women! Head down & focused, I kept up my effort until the turnaround.

     As I eased into my aero position & began to shift down for speed, is when my right shifter fell apart in my hand. Going >30 mph, down a 4 mile descent. Not good. Again, trying not to panic, I held the shifters together with my right hand & maintained control of the bike, attempting a safe descent off the mountain. It was nerve wracking.

Shifters hanging by a thread do do much good

     Once safely at the bottom of the mountain I stopped to regroup. At this point, I had 2 options; quit & try to find a ride back to transition, or continue on the bike course best I could & see what happens. I chose to keep going, without gears. The ride back was difficult, I managed to actually pass one of the ladies who had climbed passed me with my steady big gear effort. The climbs back into T-2 were HUGE teeth gritting, out of the saddle grinds. But I made it. & I was thrilled to hear I was in 2nd place! Really inconceivable! :) But this motivated me to stay in the game & so through T-2 I ran, onto the insanely hilly run course, to run a half marathon.

 RUN

    This run is really unbelievable. Heres the 2 lap course Crazy Run. I had grabbed some gels in T-2 & was trying to regain my fuel level for the run & drinking H20 at each aid station. The weather was unforgiving, hot (90's), sunny & humid. But when it was all said & done, I managed to hold off all but 1 competitor, the same chick who passed me on the climb,whom I later passed, ran by me on the 2nd loop. This placed me 3rd woman overall. Once over the finish line, I kept right on running straight into the lake to cool down.

    The race was very well run & it was it's inaugural year. There was plenty of support & volunteers. The massage tent & post race BBQ were icing on the cake to complete the experience. I would definitely recommend this race to anyone wanting an extra level of challenge. It was quite easily the hardest 70.3 in America, because of the elevation gained & conditions.

Mountain Hardware

 After further investigation, it was determined that the reason for the mechanical was that the bike had been knocked while in transition, prior to the race. Unintentionally I am sure, but still a lesson was learned to always check ALL pieces of equipment race morning. I don't know if I would have picked up on it or not, either way, it sucks. But thats the way it goes sometimes.

2012 Race season in a nutshell

2012 planned to be a year of hard training with a few races thrown in. With the help of my coach Jamie, from Hub Endurance, I mapped out the year to include 2 70.3 triathlons with 10 bike races in between, finishing the year with the NYC marathon in November. This master plan was the framework for a 2 year build into next years Ironman season.

1st race on Blue Triad SL (photo by Tim Anderson)

A Mystical podium sweep

The season started with the Tundra Time Trial in North Ga on Feb 18. (only 2.5 weeks after being hit by the car). Results were 1st in cat 1-2, but I was disappointed in my time, capable of much better speed on a good day. It was the first of many races to come with my Mystique teammates.

A ski trip for spring break did no favors as far as bike legs go...just sayin, not recommended.

 Thanks to Hub Endurance & a recent crash, I would be racing on 2 new bikes. An Argon 18 Gallium Pro is my road bike of choice & a Blue Triad Sl my time trial & triathlon bike.

I named it "Bones"

The race season got underway in March & April. I participated(though never felt super strong) in Tour of Tuscaloosa, Hell of the South, Aaron Schafer Memorial RR & TT leading up to my "A" race of the year, the Mountain Madness 70.3 triathlon in Ellijay, Ga on May 6.

Returning to the sport of triathlon after years of bike racing is something that excites me, but running can take the snap out the bike legs, which explains why my race performances were less than stellar. But this race report deserves its own post, so, It will be included in a following post. I did get on the podium though, 3rd woman overall.

Mach 10 hardware

After a busy first half of the season, time off was relished. The family enjoyed a vacation to the beach, I worked on trying to find my running legs & spent time working & hanging with the kids. Not one to sit still for long, I raced the Mach 10 sprint triathlon on a whim, (last minute decision). Its like the oldest running triathlon in the south or something & I had never raced it, but wanted too, so I did. Results could have been better, walked away with 5th female overall & 2nd in AG. It was FUN.
A few more bike races followed: the Cookville crit & RR with more mediocre results. Bike racing is the most humbling sport. Not to torn up about it though, because I have bigger long term goals & these races are just for fun.
Plans to finish the season with Oak Ridge & River Gorge cycling omniums, as well as Augusta 70.3 were halted last week when I T-boned a big dog on a training ride. That too, will get it's own well deserved page.

Hit By a Car, Survivor & Cycling Advocate

                                           The year 2012 started with a BANG!
     That is, I was struck by a car while riding my road bike on Jan 28. It occurred around 4 pm, a teenage driver claimed he "never saw" me because the sun was in his eyes. He hit me from behind, front right bumper hit my left leg & my left elbow shattered his passenger mirror, flipped me several times before I hit & slid on the pavement of the road. Thank GOD there was not a car behind him, or I would have been dead. This was a close enough call.
     The driver did stop & lucky for us both, I was not severely injured. Police & EMS arrived, I refused to go to the hospital, in obvious shock, stating "Im a nurse, Im ok." Stephen, My husband was riding a bit behind me & rode upon the scene & assessed the situation. He called my folks to give me a ride home. Meanwhile, he discussed the situation with the cop. It was highly probable that the youth had been texting while driving, thus did not see me. The cop Cleveland, Tn cop "Walker" refused to check the youth's phone, claiming this was an "accident", & "no harm was done".
                                                                    WHAT?!?!

MaryJane's last dance, pre-crash.

What about the 3 foot law! It was obviously broken. It definitely felt like an injustice that this police officer was advocating for the driver & not the victim of the "accident". It was discovered that the youth's brother worked for the Cleveland, Tn police also. Hmmm, wonder if that had anything to do with anything>? But, being in the shock that I was, I chose not this battle & went quietly home to heal. My bike (Mary Jane/ Cervelo S2) was totalled though. Thankfully, insurance covered the materials that were damaged. My injuries were minor; road rash & bruises, so I didn't have to miss work. I was even able to ride the next day. Looking back though, that was lunacy. But, I had some races coming up...
    The crash did have some residual effects on me physically. I will forever have a scar on my ankle where the road took the skin several layers. My sleep was disrupted after the crash too, not being able to sleep for months took a toll on my recovery & my fitness.
    However, I still have all my bodily functions & another day of life, so I consider myself very lucky. What I would like to come out of the experience, is awareness. For people to be aware that there is a 3 FOOT LAW & that if it is not upheld, consequences follow. Though the cop did nothing to enforce the law, I wish he had, in order to raise awareness for fellow cyclists & the drivers who share the road.
    For drivers, please remember that the cyclist you see on the road, is not just a nuisance, they are someones mother, a father, a son or daughter. We are people, human beings with purpose & passion. If I were an animal, I bet you would swerve to avoid hitting me, instead of intentionally buzzing me or getting angry that I exist. Just a thought.