Utah Cyclocross Series #11 - Draper, UT

What can I say about today except that I woke up feeling like I wanted to go back to bed. PERFECT feeling for race day. Ugh. Yeah, gotta love those days...or not. It is clear to me why I felt like that since I have been through the ringer with my mom and dads health these last few weeks.

Plus today is also the day that dad is going to a nursing home for good. That is a hard pill to swallow for all of us, mom included, but its out of needing to keep mom healthy and give dad the proper care that he requires now. Decisions like that command a lot of attention and I know where my focus has been for that very reason.

But I dragged my arse out the door anyway, after packing all my crapp-ola up the in the car for my two races today. I was to do the A Women's race and then the A Men's race. "Ugh" again at that thought.

Anyway, the one thing I forgot today for the race was my sunscreen. Who the heck knew I was going to need sunscreen on December 6th in Utah to protect my wicked Irish skin from getting blasted with rays? Not me....so I got burnt. Nice.

The course was really mountain bikey with lots of singletrack. There was even a nice run up that had barriers at the bottom as well as at the top so the spectators could see us ready to blow a lung as we jumped over that last barrier before remounting.

I was pleased with my performance today but I knew I wasn't all there. I won which is great but what really matters to me is how I FELT on the bike and I felt like shizzle. I felt flat, and not fast or quick or really with it even. I don't like that feeling and it better change by next Sunday for Nationals in Kansas!

And, because I was feeling so bad I decided to listen to my body and skip the A Men's race because something wasn't right inside. Normally I can handle having my arse handed to me too but today I don't think I could have handled that mentally. My mental energies have been focused elsewhere and therefore it was time to "give a girl a rest" and go home and chill.

Oh yeah, and I won some money today from Sly who was there handing out the cash. I am rich!


I would have won a preem also but I was busy with self talk trying to motivate myself to ride harder off the front because I was so sluggish. But because of that I didn't realize that $20 was up for grabs until it was too late. Whoops.

Here is Sly again, trying to do the same thing by giving Lance some cash at Cross Vegas. That pic showed up in Pro Cycling magazine.