Friday, December 10, 2010

Nationals race update

Well Nationals are over for me. It wasn't as good as I had hoped but I did race and was able to even though I broke my hand just 3 weeks ago! Thank you Dr. Weil and Kelly!! I didn't even know 3 weeks ago if I was going to be able to ride let alone race and I did it!

It was cold with lots of peanut butter mud and big cold mud puddles. I wore more clothes then any race this year and I was perfect for temp. My feet got cold towards the end but really overall no major issues with the cold. I think it was a high of 40 degrees today with about 15-20mile hour winds so with the wind chill it was really cold.

I warmed up under Todd Andersons tent. Thank you Todd for always showing up so early to get a good spot! I got to the start about 10min before the race start. My call up wasn't so good because of my not so good TT the day before. I was on the 3rd of 4 rows of girls. We took off and right at the start the girls on each side of me came into me and I had to hit the brakes. I wasn't going to fall with my hand so that set me back to 25th position right off the start. Then we turned onto this hard mud section that everyone was just riding all over the place. I got stuck behind a lot of girls and had to slow down, no choice there. I was watching the front group just walk away. It was frustrating but what can you do, that is racing.


So I decided to just put my head down and use my technical skills to pass girls. I got a couple right away and then started getting one or 2 girls every lap. I was making good ground but could only get up to 17th. I was frustrated, but very happy that I could just be out there racing.

My hand hurt a bit, not the broken bone but my wrist got sore from being in the brace and my overall strength was weak at times and boy was it hard to pick up my bike over the barriers and stairs. But overall a good day, I am on a redemption though for next year so watch out ladies, I am going to come back stronger and healthy next year!!



Thank you to everyone that supported me over the season and at the race today. I heard so many people cheering and it was inspirational!

Holden raced at 9:30am this morning and boy was it cold. He was so nervous again. He had a good start but was off the back and started getting cold. There was this huge mud puddle that totally soaked his feet and he started crying. He was so cold. We just encouraged him to finish and not worry about where he finished. He was so concerned because he was last and I just tried to tell him how proud we were of him. He hung in there and pushed through and finished the race. He ended up in 20th place in the Junior 10-12 year olds. I can't tell you how proud of him I am, he really pushed through a hard mental place today and grew up a little more. What a great kid!!

Ok now it's time for a break from riding for a few weeks, I will hit the gym and try to build up all the muscle I have lost and get ready for this MTB season.


Kristi

Nationals update

We have been in Bend OR now since Wed. The weather has been pretty decent with mostly blue sky's but the temps are below freezing at night and there is a couple inches of snow on the ground in most places so the early races and TT's have been on frozen mud ruts or ice.

Holden and myself raced our TT's yesterday. The TT's are new this year, the idea is to use the TT times to call people up by fastest to slowest on race day. But the TT course it at a different location then the race and it is covered in snow and frozen. Where the race course is all mud.

Holden went first in the morning, he was so nervous!! I was nervous to because it was really icy and I didn't want him to fall and get hurt or loose confidence. He had a couple moments where I thought he wasn't going to ride it, but he bucked up and did it. I was so impressed, he took off and was looking awesome. There was this spot that was a shorter downhill section that he was going to run but in the race he rode it and looked awesome!! They had the little guys just do a very short course which was a great idea. He came through the finish and said he thought he was going to throw up and that he couldn't breath. I told him that is what racing at altitude does. We were so very proud of him!! He finished in 13th place in the TT out of 20kids so he will get a 2nd row start this morning in his race.



I started the TT and I was doing good. But I am not a great short distance all out TTist so I knew this was going to hurt and it did!! About half way through there is a false flat section that goes into a run up covered in snow. I pretty much dies there!! My legs and lungs just couldn't handle the short hard effort. I pushed the best I could but lost some time and finished 11th out of 19 girls that did the TT. There are about 30-35 girls registered in my race so a lot of them opted out of the TT so that will give me a better starting position for today's race. I race today at 2:15pm and will let everyone know how it goes. If my legs are with me and my hand let's me go hard I think I will do really well on this course, it is really muddy and very technical which suits my riding style.

It poured down rain last night so it will be even more technical today.

Kristi

Monday, November 29, 2010

SCX #7 Monroe Finals

GetAttachment.aspx.jpg GetAttachment.aspx.jpgI had to make a pretty big decision on Sunday, if I would try to race with my brace because I was in the lead for the series overall and didn't want to loose it. I knew that I would have a hard time shifting and braking with the cast but I decided to give it a go. I couldn't just let the title go without fighting for it. 


So I did some math, thinking that Mel Lewis would win on the day. And she was sitting in 2nd overall so I had to finish at least one place behind her to keep the title based on the points. So I_ knew it would be very tough as Mel is racing really strong right now, but I had to try.


Unfortunately my race sucked, I was able to ride and my hand did ok but my legs weren't there. Combo of maybe to much training on the windtrainer that week and the fact that my body is still trying to heal the bone after only 1 and a half weeks from surgery!. I think I finished 7th or 8th, I managed to hang with Mel and Kristi Kelsey for the first couple laps but then my legs just gave out. 


But Kristi Kelsey won witch, I didn't take into factor, which took some points away from Mel who finished 2nd so that made it so I was still able to keep the overall title by a few points!! I couldn't believe it. I thought Mel would get it since she finished so far ahead of me, but I had enough points from the races I won to keep the title. 


So I am the MFG and the SCX overall Cat 1/2 winner!! Can't believe it, what a season. Now time to focus on getting this hand healed up and get ready for Nats!!


And a HUGE Congrats to Corrie Middleton, who races on my husbands team, Collision One, who won her race to earn the overall title for the Cat 3 women. That is Corrie and myself above enjoying some Champagne that my husband bought for us. So awesome, what a weekend!


And a huge Shout out to my son Holden, who is only 9 years old, placed 17th in the overall Junior Boys 10-12 series. That is just about mid pack with fields sizes of over 30 for most races. Nice work Holdenator, you rock!!


And a huge thank you to my husband Chad, who without all his help on a daily basis I wouldn't be able to do what I do. Thank you Chadly, I love and appreciate you so much!!


Kristi

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Broken Hand update

A lot has happened since my last post. I went in for surgery about a week and a half ago and had to have a plate and lots of screws in the bone to hold it together.

I wanted to give a huge THANK YOU to Dr. Wayne Weil, M.D. at Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle in Wallingford and Ballard.

Dr. Weil did an awesome job on my surgery, so good that I was back on the bike the day after my surgery on the trainer and back on my bike outside 1 week and 3 days later!

Kelly my hand therapist custom molded a plastic cast to my handle bar so I could hold on and ride and Dr. Weil was very supportive an encouraging for me to get back out racing soon.

I saw Dr. Weil one day after I broke my hand on a Monday and he had me in surgery, cramming me in between surgeries, on Tuesday by 10am! Amazing, they bent over backwards to get me in as fast as they could.
Dr. Weil said "ever day counts" and boy was he right!

Thank You again Dr. Weil and your awesome staff, I had the best service ever and a great surgery!

If you need a good surgeon check out one of the many specialists at:

Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle
2409 North  45th St
Seattle WA 98103
206 633 8100

Kristi

Thursday, November 18, 2010

UW Emergency Room



Here are some pics from my 6 hour ER visit.

MFG #6 Woodland Park Finals

Woodland Park was the finals for the MFG series and going into the race I was in the lead for the overall series but only by 2 points over Jenni Geartner. So I had to beat her in order to win the overall. I was a bit stressed out when I woke up that morning knowing that I wanted to win the overall so bad.

We arrived at the park to a great course that was laid out well and it had rained all night so the grass was wet and with each race it was getting muddier and vert slippery. I was super excited as this would really suit my technical skills and give me a bit of an advantage over Jenni.
I took off hard and fast at the start because it was muddy and very slippery and I knew Jenni was nervous and riding more timid. So I got a small gap right after the first corner and then tried to kill myself for one full lap. My gap was growing. On lap 3 I unfortunately got to close to a wood stake that was holding the course tape up and it grabbed my 4th finger and bent it sideways as I kept riding. I knew right away that it was broken but I wasn't willing to quit and give up my win and overall title. So I forged on. The first lap of the 3 to go wasn't to bad because I had adrenaline rushing and it helped hide the pain. But the next 2 laps killed me! It was my right hand so it hurt to shift and brake and I couldn't pick up my bike with my hand over the barriers. So I held back the tears and fought through it and held on to my lead. My husband said not only did I hold onto my lead I increased to win by over a min!

So overall a crazy day! I was in the UW Emergency Room for 6 hours! Great service but boy did it take a long time. There is a good chance I may be done for the season. Kinda sucks but I will see what they will let me do.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

SCX #5 Maris Farms




The morning of this race was very exciting. We pulled into the parking lot and got stuck in all the mud in the parking lot with old Chevy and the trailer. Chad's excellent driving got us out and we found a dry place on the pavement to park. That was a sign of what was to come for the course conditions. This race was held at Maris Farms in Buckley. This is a pumpkin farm and corn maze type of farm and we were racing through the pumpkin patch. Very cool, but very muddy!! We are talking mud over your ankles and one puddle was half way up my shine. Very deep think mud.


I wasn't 100% back to normal from the flu shot but I was much better then last weekend. There was a girl that showed up from Bend OR and she got around me on the run up with the barriers. I stayed with her into the deep mud sections and tried to stay with her. She was riding all the mud but the long run section that nobody could ride. So I decided I was going to try to ride everything. I got caught in one section and had to get off and run and she pulled away a bit from me there. So I felt that is was better to try to ride since she was doing that. So the rest of the laps I rode most everything in the mud and then tried to run as hard as I could in the mud section that wasn't rideable to keep her in sight. But we got caught into the guys pretty fast in that race and it really played a factor. She got around some guys and got better lines and that got her a gap while I got stuck behind some guys and then messed me up. But that is part of racing so what do you do. I tried hard to get her back but just couldn't close the gap. She had just a bit more power then I did. If I would have been 100% I think I could have won. But again what do you do. And on the 3 runs/rides in the grass, I was able to ride the first one, then run the 2nd and ride the 3rd and then run the barrier run. So that seemed to flow pretty well for me.
I just didn't have the snap that I usually have after the run ups where I try to attack for 20-30secs. That I think was because I wasn't totally healthy yet. That is where I was struggling the most in the race.


Overall a great race though and it is good to know that I am almost back to normal, last weekend really messed me up. That was hard to get through.


Holden raced and had to do one lap on the same course that we did. The mud for him was over his ankles the whole time and up to his knees in one section. He raced awesome, he attacked the last run up and told Chad at the top that he thought he was going to puke!! And then he attack the last hill to the finish with everything he had. He did awesome, so darn cute to watch.


Chad didn't race today as he injured his foot at work the week prior so he had to take a week off to let it heal. He rode yesterday and it was hurting again so he is on his way back to the Doc to see why it didn't heal up. Hopefully it will get better so he can race this weekend.


On to the MFG series finals this weekend at Woodland park in Seattle. Very cool race venue, I am excited. I am praying for rain so that it gets crazy muddy. I am in 1st place for the overall but only 2 point over Jenni so I have to beat her no matter what this weekend or I loose the overall. So this race will be very intense for both of us. No mistakes!! I will let you know how it turns out.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

MFG #5 and SCX #4

Not to many good things to say for my weekend of racing this last weekend!

It all started with getting my flu shot on Thursday. I got my shot and it was no big deal. But Friday I went out for a ramp up pre-race ride with Chad and I couldn't keep up with his easy warm up pace. I was tired and my muscles hurt. I should have taken this as a sign!

Saturday we went to Evergreen High School for the MFG #5 King CO cross race. I was tired again and once the race started I knew I was in for a world of hurt. Right away my legs were on fire and I couldn't hold my normal race pace. My heart rate was lower then normal too. I tried to hang with Jenni but couldn't and eneded up in 3rd behind Jessica and over 2min behind Jenni. I was so upset, knowing I lost some of my ground in the overall for the MFG series with Jenni winning and myself finishing in 3rd.

So I got changed and helped Chad out in the pits. At least Chad had a better race and finished in 10th in his age group! So that made the day better.

We went home and got everything all cleaned up and off to bed early. I didn't sleep well and woke up very tired again.We headed to Tacoma to race the SCX #4 race at Fort Steilacoom.

I warmed up and knew that Sunday wasn't going to be any better. My muscles hurt again. So we started and I got into 2nd place off of Jenni's wheel and held on there for 1.5 laps but on the long hill climb my muscles gave out and I had to quit. I don't quit races! This was really hard for me, I knew I had to quit because my body just couldn't continue but it was so hard on me. I went back to the trailer and laid down and tried not to get to down.

So overall a really bad weekend for me. I really think it is all a reaction to the flu shot. I had a low grade fever on Mon and am getting better today. But no other symptoms then fatigue and low grade fever. So hopefully I am getting over this and I will be able to come back this weekend at Maris Farms.

Kristi

Monday, October 25, 2010

MFG #4 Pacific Raceways


Ok so what a race. It poured off and on all day, and it was cold. The course was very muddy, but wet mud so it was a bit easier to ride then the mud a Beverly. The course was actually really fun and I really liked it.

When we lined up to start the race the rain was pouring and the wind was starting to pick up. We had about 8 or 10 cat 1/2 women, with Wendy Simms from Canada (has been Canadian national champ before, very fast) and Jenni Gaertner from ID and Jessica Culter, Ann Knapp, and a few other gals that I am forgetting. A good strong group.




It was raining so hard, it was hard to see when we started. Wendy got the whole shot with Jenni and myself on her wheel. We dove off the pavement into the grass/mud and started slipping and sliding. It was so much fun. The 3 of us started to pull away, and I passed Jenni and got on Wendy's wheel. I stayed there for half the race and even passed her on the technical downhill section but she got me back in the deep mud. I tried to stay with her but she pulled away from me and I lost contact. I was so happy though to be able to stay with her for as long as I did!!
I stayed riding hard and held onto 2nd. It was such a great race for me, I really was riding so excited and couldn't believe I was able to stay on Wendy's wheel.


Holden didn't have such a great day though. He missed his start, so he was very upset and Chad and I had to basically force him to get on the course to just do one lap and have fun. It didn't matter where he finished for us we just wanted him to get out there and have fun. He however was so upset and was crying. I think he was more confused because he has never missed his start before so he thought that meant he couldn't race at all. So once we got him on the course he warmed up and was having fun finally. But there was this plywood ramp that the promoters built and it was cool for sure but the little kids should have been forced off their bikes and not allowed to try to ride it. Holden tried to ride it and almost made it but didn't get to the top and rode backwards down the ramp (about 45 degree angle) and ran his back right into one of the hand rails and was hurt. He was screaming because his back was cold and he hit the pole hard. Chad was there and ran over to get him. While they were there another little guy tried to ride it and didn't make it and fell over and one of the faster juniors rode right over the top of the little guy. They just should have had the 10 and under kids go around it. Anyways Holden had to quit and was pretty sore but we worked it out and he was better by the evening. Rough day for him!!




Chad on the other hand finally had a better race. We think maybe he had a cold or something that affected his muscles over the last couple weeks because he was having a lot of issues but this race was much better. He had a great start and was in like 6th or 7th and held that for a bit and slide back a few but stayed strong and his legs felt much better. He finished 11th I think, so much better day for him.




For the SSCXWC it was Wendy and Kari going at for the title. Kari is the reining SSCXWC so she wanted to win it again. But Wendy got a better start and was off front and held onto it for the whole race and won the title. I was excited, Wendy really is an awesome gal and it was cool to see her win both races. Bummer for Kari though, I would have loved for her to keep the title so it stayed in Seattle. Maybe next year!!


A lot of costumes and funny stuff and a lot of beer was drank during the SS race. It as a blast to watch and really was crazy to see what some of these people were wearing.

Overall a great day of racing, it was so much fun!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

SCX #3 Silver Lake


Another great race under my belt. We raced on Sunday at Silver Lake Park in Everett. Nice and close to home, it only took us 25min to get to this race. So nice!!




It was sunny but cold, we set up camp right on the bank of the lake and it was beautiful as the sun was rising and the fog on the water. It was the perfect fall day for cross racing.




I raced at 1:30pm so it had warmed up a bit and was perfect temp. The course has a very long sand section that runs along the bank of the lake. It is very deep sand that moves and changes every time you ride it. In the practice laps I was able to ride the sand section but during the race it looked like I would only be able to ride about 3/4 of it and then jump off and run.




We started right into the sand, so the whole shot was very important on this race. I got the whole shot and lead through the sand. I had to jump off and Ann Knapp passed me and I jumped on her wheel. About half way through the start lap I took a grass turn pretty tight and felt my rear tire start rubbing my frame. I jumped off and though my rear wheel had come out but realized my rear tubular had rolled just a bit so I popped it back on and finished the lap. Unfortunately I had fallen back to about 5th or 6th position. So I had a lot of work ahead of me to get back up to the front.




I got to the pits, and thanks to my wonderful husband my bike was ready for me and I grabbed it and jumped on. I had gotten back up to Ann and was in 2nd so I started working to pass Ann when I realized that my rear clincher was slowly going flat. So I had to back off just a bit, and get back to the pits. I got back and again thanks to my awesome husband my bike was ready for me with a new wheel and I grabbed it and was off again.




This course has a lot of short power climbs so I knew I was going to have to kill myself to get in front of Ann. I passed her and then hit it hard to get some ground. I was riding the sand really well and running ok so I managed to put on some time every lap there and then slowly increased my lead to about 50secs and came in with the win.




Wow what a day, 2 flats and still got the win. That race hurt a lot because I had to fight so much to get my 1st place back. And it was so awesome to see Ann and Dale back out racing. This was their first race back out and I am so excited to have them back. Ann is one of my favorite racers and is a huge inspiration to me. She has paved the road for all of us racing cross now, it is an honor to have her out at the races!!




Holden raced also, and after a rough morning (I think he woke up on the wrong side of the bed) he came around once his cousins and Aunt and Nana showed up to cheer him on. He ended up having a great race and was really happy when he finished that had raced.




Chad also raced and unfortunately just wasn't a good day for him. He has been so busy with the 2 fire depts that he works and volunteers at that I think it is starting to take a toll on him a bit. He will come around so watch out everyone, he is on a roll to kick some butt!! This weekend will be his day, I can feel it!!




We are racing at Pacific Raceways this Sunday and it will be crazy. After the MFG races, it is the Single Speed World Championships so it will be crazy. I am not racing in it but will be there to watch the craziness. I am rooting for the current SPWorld Champ Kari Studley to win again. SO let's cheer for Kari!!




Kristi

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

SCX #2 Beverly Park




Wow is all I can say about Sunday's race. The rain gods opened up the sky and rained so hard all morning/afternoon. Thank you rain gods!!

When we arrived at 8am it was starting to rain, the grass was wet but not to muddy yet. As the morning went on it rained harder and there was so much more standing water on the ground. There was a one point a small river running under the True North Trailer. My poor dog wouldn't even sit on the ground it was so wet.

The first couple races of the morning were on wet grass, but since the first couple classes are the biggest numbers of racers every lap they raced the grounds got softer and the mud started to form. The good thing was that it was still raining so the mud was very wet and not sticking to bad to the bikes.

I got out and did a warm up lap around noon and my bike was muddy but it wasn't collecting to bad at that point. Holden raced first, and I was concerned that he wasn't going to have any fun and get frustrated out there. I told him that he had to relax and just have fun and be OK with getting off and running in the mud. And boy did he do that, he was so darn cute. He was running in mud that almost up to his knees and he was having so much fun. He had a smile on his face and when he finished all he could say was "I love mud!" I love it, definitely a future cross contender for sure. And he was able to ride all the downhill slippery mud sections, he has awesome bike handling skills.

Chad went next, it continued to rain until about the first 3rd of his race and then the sun started to come out and actually started to thicken the mud up a bit. It was starting to stick more to the bikes so I was starting to get a bit nervous about just how hard the course was going to be to ride. Chad had a great start and got the whole shot and was first up the run up. He looked awesome! As the race progressed it got slower and he fell back a bit in the standings, but rode strong and even with a crash about half way through he held on and finished in the 20's.

I went next, and boy was the mud even thicker! I started out and decided not to go all out because we start and go right into a run up so I didn't want to blow up on the hill. I was 2nd at the top I think and then got on and started using my technical skills to move away from the rest of the ladies. I absolutely love epic conditions because it requires great bike handling skills and a very strong mental game. My two strengths. I worked hard the first lap and started getting a gap on 2nd so I decided to change my focus to seeing how far I could get up into the single speed guys that start 1 min ahead of us. I was passing guys like crazy and really having a lot of fun despite how hard it was to push through the mud.

After the first lap came into the barriers and realized just how heavy my bike was when I went to pick it up. Holy cow at least 10lbs heavier in 1 lap!! Luckily my awesome husband was in the pits ready for me and I was able to get a nice new clean, light bike!! It felt amazing to be on a lighter bike as I knew I had to switch every lap. And that I did, Micah and Chad were so busy in the pits with mine and Corrie's bikes to clean each lap. But it made the world of difference and was a huge part in my big gap over the other girls. With 2 laps to go I flatted just coming off the track into the grass. I slammed my rear wheel on the curb, I was getting tired and just didn't pull up enough and pinch flatted. The funny thing was the mud was so thick I didn't even notice it was flat until I went through the finish area and made the hard right had turn and realized the tire was flat. So I ran up the hill and got a new bike, and managed to increase my gap to almost 2 mins and won the race.

I really had so much fun, I love the mud. I just hope we didn't do so much damage that we won't get to go back there. Thank you to everyone that spent their Sunday evening racing and laying grass seed. You are all awesome and so appreciated!!

Sunday is Silver Lake park in South Everett. I love this course to because it is more of a MTB style course so I can use my skills again. I will let you all know how it goes.

Kristi

Thursday, October 7, 2010

MFG #3 5 Mile Lake Park, Federal Way

On Sunday we got to race at a brand new venue. 5 Mile Lake Park in Federal Way. Thank you to my husband's fellow team mate and good friend Dave Pearson on Collision 1 for introducing this park to the MFG team.

The park is small but they used every inch of it well and it really was a fun course. Mostly flat but lots of corners and even a long sand section on the water. I really enjoyed this course and hope we continue to race here in the future.

We drove down to Dave's house Saturday evening. Dave and Corazon were nice enough to put us up for the night at their house that was all of 4min ride time away from the course. Awesome!! We slept in their living room on an air bed and boy was it comfy! And Lucky, their dog is now one of my favorite dogs. So cute and so darn fuzzy!

We woke up Sunday morning and the guys ran over to the course to set up camp. I packed up our stuff and Chad came back to get me and we made our ritual stop at Starbucks for coffee and off to the course.

I got out and did a easy ride on the course with a client of mine and right away I knew I loved the course and I just knew it was going to be a good day. I raced first out of the family. I lined up and we had 10 ladies I think in the 1/2 Cat. We took off and I got the whole shot off the start with Jenni Gaertner right on my wheel. We pulled away a bit from the rest of the ladies and I kept pushing hard knowing Jenni has a strong road backround and I knew this would be a good course for her. So every time I could I got up an attacked and used my bike handling skills to take the corners fast and not have to slow down.

I managed to get gap so I sat in for one lap to catch my breath and then hit it hard again till the end. I got the win, and managed to move up through half of the field of guys that started a couple min ahead of us. My legs just felt amazing, no pain. I love those days when it all comes together on race day and you feel like you are on a cloud. It was a great race for me and I had so much fun. Jenni had a crash with a couple laps to go so Jessica Culter got around her to finish in 2nd and Jenni in 3rd.

Holden raced next, he raced this one without me riding with him. He was awesome, so strong and he really like the course also. I had a friend tell us that he attacked the run up and ran it faster then any other kid!! I am so proud!! He had so much fun after the race he did another lap to cool down. That is great, he is really starting to love racing and wants to know when he gets to have one of my bikes as a hand me down!

Chad went last on the day. He was hoping for a great day, with a great week of training in the books. But unfortunately the legs just weren't there for him. He started out in around 15th off the start and then just didn't have anything to move up. He finished in the 20's and was pretty bummed out. But there always the next race. Watch out Cat 1/2 35+ guys, he is on a mission this week to redeem himself. And it was awesome, our good friends Katy and Chad came down to watch us race. They are firefighter friends of ours, it was fun seeing them at the race!!

Ok we have SCX #2 at Beverly Park this Sunday. Another course I like it has a great downhill technical section that a lot of people freak out on so my bike handling skills can come into play again!!

Kristi

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

SCX #1 Evergreen


Last week was a very crazy week for me. Chad was in Florida for a FOOLS fire conference and my mom, Holden and I went to Vegas for Interbike. What a great time we had, thank you to Craig and Cycle U for send me.

Interbike was awesome, almost to big and very over whelming. But there was so much cool stuff to see. I spent around 4-5 hours there and didn't see it all. I even had George Hincapie sign a couple posters for Holden and Chad. He was very quite, you could tell he didn't really want to be there.

I then left Interbike and met Holden and mom out on the town at New York, New York. Vegas still isn't the best place to take kids, but they have Disneyfided it so there are a lot more things for kids to do and see. The hardest part was keeping him from seeing all the pamphlets they hand out with the mostly naked girls on it. It was a quick learning lesson for him, and kinda embarrassing for me.

So we got back on Friday from Vegas. My legs were so tired, I was on my feet all day for 3 days. Literally on Thurs I left at 9:30am walking and got back at 11pm walking. Very sore legs and feet but it was worth it!!

I got up Sat and did my opener workout, or race ramp up workout to get the legs loosened up and they were tight. We then went to Holden's soccer game where unfortunately they lost again! They are trying though and we are see improvements for sure. There is a win in their future!!

I took the rest of the day easy and then got up Sunday and headed down to the race just me and Holden. Dave P helped me out and watched Holden so I could race. Even though he said he didn't really do anything, it was just nice to know someone was keeping an eye on him.

It had rained in the morning so the course was a bit slick but not to bad. I decided to run my tubular Grifo tires and they were perfect as usual. We had 10 ladies on the start line which is good, the numbers keep going up each race.

We started and Lee Smith got the whole shot and I was on her wheel. I shot around her after the track and was off in first place. The girls were breathing down my back on the run up, so I had to try to push it a bit even though my heart rate was through the roof. I got a little gap on the downhill and then held it for the whole race. I managed to move up and increase the gap every lap and work my way up about half way through the single speed guys.

I felt pretty good, my legs were still not totally recovered from Vegas but overall a great race. I love racing at Evergreen, it is such a fun course.

We finished, Holden didn't race because he was just to tired from partying it up in Vegas so we headed to the airport to pick up Chad. Boy was it good to see him, I missed him a lot while he was gone.

So what a great week, lots done in a short period of time. I am back on a more normal schedule this week so hopefully Sunday's race will be awesome. I will let you know how it goes.

Kristi

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

MFG #1 Finn HIll Kirkland


What a day!! Sunday was the first MFG race of the season, Kick off to Cross race and was sponsored by my team, Cycle U!

I spent the early part of the morning helping run registration and get things organized with the team volunteers. There were a lot of things to cover and our Cycle U team stepped up and helped make this race a huge success!

So of course I had a crazy morning and was behind on eating and getting my warm up in. So I did the best I could and got in a quick lap and got the tire pressure dialed in on the new Crux and jumped on the trainer for a quick 20min warm up. I wasn't feeling all that ready but I got to the start and gave it everything I had.

My legs were ok for the start, I got on Jenni Gaertner's wheel and sat there up to the first hill turn around and then took the lead. I held that for a short period of time, when Kari Studley came by me. I tried so hard to stay on her wheel but my legs just weren't warmed up enough and locked up a bit on me. I had to settle in a bit in hopes that they would open up by lap 2. So Kari was getting a good gap on me, and Jenni was bringing me in so I decided I had to give one lap as hard as I could to drop Jenni. It worked, I brought Kari back in a bit but just not enough. So I kept up the hard effort and stayed pretty consistent through each lap and held onto 2nd place.

Overall a good race, having not raced any Road or Mountain this summer I was a little nervous as to how I would do in these first few races. But I am pleasantly surprised how good I feel and I think this is going to be an awesome season for sure!!

My husband had a bad day, on Sat the day before the race he ran 220 floors in one of the building down town in support of 9/11 and all the fallen firefighters and police officers. So his legs were a little tired and he just couldn't get them work for him. And he had a really bad crash that sent him flying so he was pretty beat up. But the Tower climb was for sure more important! He will be back in a couple weeks to kick some butt for sure!

And my son Holden had a great race. He race without us this time, and did 2 full laps. He is so darn cute and just loves all his supporters out there on the course. He had a blast and we just need to teach him to shift!!

We will not be at the races this weekend as we will be in ID. Chad's dad is getting married so we are traveling over there on Sat to share in their day!!

Good luck to everyone that is racing, it is going to rain so plan for mud!!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Labor Day Cross


Cross racing is officially under way!! We raced the first cross race on Monday and it was a great day for cross racing. The temps were cool and the course was nice and tacky and fast.




I raced first out of the family, and it started out awesome. I got the whole shot and lead till the run up, where Kari Studley passed me. She had a better stride up the steep hill/stairs and made a couple seconds on me at the top. I jumped back on and caught back up with Kari in the technical sections. We were together going into lap 2 and I was feeling pretty good. I was very nervous having not raced anything since Dec so I was pretty happy with where I was at.


We hit the stairs again and Kari got another gap, this one was a bit bigger so I was pushing harder to catch back on her wheel when about half way through the lap I hit a rock and pinch flatted. I had to run half the lap so I fell all the back to last and then ran into the pits where Chad and the Collision One guys helped me get a new wheel and I was back. My calfs were on FIRE from running the so long so I got on and just gave it everything I had.




I didn't catch back up with my group but managed to get back about half the rest of the fields. So a bad result but a good run workout for sure.




I then did 3 laps with Holden. He was awesome, he had such a great attitude and road further then any other cross race so far. It is so much fun riding with him and watching how good he can handle his bike.




And Chad raced last, he got the whole shot also and then continued to have a great race. He fell back a bit but held on for a good fight to finish 5th. Best season opener race for him so far.


So again a great weekend for the Berg's.


Next race in this Sunday the 12th at Finn Hill Park in Kirkland.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Seattle to Portland Ride

On July 17th a group of 12 of my friends and myself headed out on the Seattle to Portland 204mile ride.

I have this great group of friends that have all gotten into riding in the past year or so. They all decided that they wanted to try the STP and we were excited to help. One of the girls, Laura works for Edmonds Family Medicine and the Doctor there purchased custom Jerseys for all of us to wear on the ride. We were know as team EFM!

We headed out at 6am on Sat morning, and headed out for the long day ahead of us. The team goal was to ride 150miles on Sat and 50 on Sun. Our Hotel was in Kelso WA 150 miles from Seattle. So we had to get there to get to our beds!!

Unfortunately one of the gals on the team hurt her knee a couple weeks before the race so Many couldn't ride. She graciously offered to drive the support rig, the True North trailer, for the whole weekend and she watched out son Holden also. What a great gal!!

So Mandy and Holden would drive ahead and meet us every 25ish miles so we had food and water. We really lucked out because the weather was only about 75 and overcast for most of the ride so it was a lot easier to stay hydrated.

After a very long day in the saddle, about 10 hours total ride time with 13 hours out, we all made it to Kelso. Everyone was so darn amazing. A lot of the people who rode the 150 had only ridden up to 60-70miles prior so this was going to be a big challenge and every one of them did it and did it well!! I was so impressed and proud of everyone. It was so much fun to see every one accomplish such a huge goal.

We all went out for a great dinner and of course drinks at Azteca next to the hotel and then hit the hot tub.

The next morning we all slept in, and headed out for the last 50miles around 10am. Every one's butts were very sore but we got rolling and we rocked it, everyone rode hard and we all made it to Portland. It was awesome only having 50 miles to go on the 2nd day. Would definitely do that again for sure. We all rolled in together as a team at the finish. We looked awesome and very professional!!

We stayed in Portland that night and went out for pizza. It took like 1.5 hours to get the pizza but once we got it, boy was it good!!

We woke up Monday morning and my mom, husband, son and myself all drove the trailer home and everyone else rode the train home. That was a 7 hour train ride, crazy!!

Conrats to everyone that did the ride, it was a blast to be with you all and I really am so impressed!!

Kristi

Winthrop Trip

I have been a slacker on getting all my posts added. This is a little late but here we go:

On July 7th we headed over to Wintrhop to do some camping in the True North Trailer. Chad's dad lives over there with his soon to be new wife, Sandra. We went over there to hand with Larry and Sandra and get in some good MTB riding for a few days.
The weather was awesome, in the 90's each day. We stopped in when we got there to see the Robertson Family and catch up with them since it has been years since we have seen them. It was great to catch up with them. They are such great people!
Then we had a great dinner that Larry and Sandra made, Lasana!!
We got up the next morning to head out and ride up at Sun MT with Holden but Chad realized he forgot his shoes. So he had to borrow a pair from the Robertson's and then we got to head out and ride.
Holden did awesome, about 10miles off road in the heat. He burned out a bit the last couple of miles but what a trooper. He has such great handling skills, I hope he sticks with bikes because has the gift of picking good lines. He must have got that from me! :)
Another great night with Larry and Sandra, and then we got up and I went for a great 2 hour ride up to Chickadee and around Sun MT area and back. Chad and Holden went into town and got some shells for the shot gun and went up in the hills to shoot it. You know guy stuff!!
We head out and had to get home. It was hard to leave, I love Winthrop so much!!

Monday, June 14, 2010

1st Place 5K Berry Run, Marysville WA

I have really been having a lot of fun this off season trying out my running skills. After my 1/2 marathon I decided to keep running going a couple days a week this year through cross. Normally I would stop running and go to riding everyday but with the crummy weather, and me really liking the running this year I decided to keep it going.

So I decided to try out a 5K. I have never raced a 5K before so pacing this was what I was the most worried about. I knew I could average 7:50min miles for 13 miles so I knew I had to try to go for under 7min average for the 5K.

I lined up on the first row, because this wasn't a chipped or timing system race, it was just a mass start so I new I had to get up there with the fast guys to set my pace. The gun blew and we were off. I was hauling, a bit faster then I probably should have but it felt ok. I ran a 6:30min mile for my first mile and knew that was fast for me, so I slowed the pace to catch my breath for the 2nd mile. Down to a 7:30min mile and then for the last 1.2miles I picked it back up again and finished the 5K in 21:15.

I was so happy, and it really hurt that last .25 trying to sprint into the finish, but I did it. And the pay off was 1st in my age group, 30-39 women. I was so happy and probably finished in the top 30 out of everyone, and there was some fast high school cross country kids there so I was pretty happy with my overall too.

The race was up at the Plant Farm in Smokey PT about 5mins from my house so it was the perfect race to do. And it was totally flat, so I could just kick it fast and hard.

My son, 8 year Holden ran the 1mile race for his first running race and he got 3rd in the 8 and under boys. I was so very proud of him, running it in under 11 min!!

And my mom was in town visiting and decided 15min before the start to run the 1mile race with my son and she ended up winning her age group, 60+ women.

What an amazing and athletic family I have. We all had a blast, and I will for sure run another one!!

Kristi

Saturday, April 17, 2010

1st place in Wenatchee 1/2 Marathon




Well 1/2 Marathon number 2 is in the books. I ran the Wenatchee 1/2 Marathon today, this morning at 8am. This is my 2nd 1/2 Marathon ever, the first was the same weekend last year here in Wenatchee. Add Image

Unfortunately I came down with a really bad head cold 2 weeks ago and that sidelined my training for the past 2 weeks. I had to take 7 complete days off, and just was able to get in a 4 mile run last week without coughing. Good news I was able to get all my training in before the cold minus my longest run that was going to be 10miles. I was only able to get in an 8 mile run 3 weeks ago so I was a bit nervous not knowing what my body was going to let me do today.

I got to the start at 7:30am. I love the runs because there is a lot less stress for me then my bike races because I am just doing these for fun and the challenge so I don't have as much pressure going into this event. I got on about the 4th row of the start and started out at about a 7:30 pace for the 1st mile.

Last year I ran a 1:44 overall so that put me at an 8min mile pace so my plan was to take off some time this year and improve my overall time. So I was pacing myself and I felt good and was surprised to see my first mile was 7:30. I was a bit nervous wondering if I started out to fast but I really felt like I was at the right pace and felt good so I stayed on the pace.

The course in Wenatchee is beautiful, I highly recommend this race, we run on the paved trail that runs along both sides of the Columbia River. Really it is just beautiful, the west side is mostly flat and surrounded by green fields and the east side of the river is more desert like with lots of sand and very rolling, with some 6-8% grade shorter climbs and downhills. So you get a mixed variety of everything on this course. We run out half way and then turn around and come back.

I felt awesome for the first 3-4 miles, mostly flat kept my 7:30 pace and then we hit the hills. I love the hills, I love running uphill so this was a great section for me. I worked this whole last 4 months on getting better and running downhills because that is was killed me last year. I did great my knees were happy and I was able to carry a much faster pace on the downhills this year. I hit the turn around and still was feeling really strong. So I kept on it, and thanks to my mom, husband, son and niece for giving me a bottle of G2 every 3 miles!! They made it so I didn't have to mess with the feed zones and get a better exchange and keep my speed. And they were awesome cheerleaders.

I got through the rest of the climbs and was starting to get a bit tired, I was keeping track of my pace while running and on the flats for the last 3 miles I started to struggle a little bit, still keep a good pace but the legs muscles were starting to get tired. My son and husband were on bikes and at 3 miles to go they started riding with me, we passed a guy on the ground and my husband (a fireman) stopped to see what was up and the man was in a bad state of dehydration and bonking hard so he stopped to help. My son stayed with me and helped keep me moving and rode with me for the last 3 miles cheering me on.

At one mile to go I tried to pick it up a bit knowing I was getting close to my last years time and I wanted to beat it so bad. So I picked it up, it hurt pretty bad but I pushed through it and I came through the finish in 1:42:32. So I was a min and a half faster then last year!! YEAH I did it, I improved my time. I was so happy not knowing what was going to happen with being so sick in the past couple weeks.

I finished 6th out of all the women, awesome and 1st in my age group, 30-34 years old!! I couldn't believe it, I won my first 1/2 marathon!! I don't think of myself as a runner but now I guess I have to consider that!!

Thank you so much to my mom (Sue), husband (Chad), son (Holden), niece (Alyssa) for giving me fluid to keep me hydrated and for cheering to keep me going. I couldn't have done it without them.

So for those of you reading this that maybe have gotten motivated, please pick something in the next couple months to challenge yourslef and sign up for it. By signing up it gives you something to work towards, every 3-4 months plan something, that will keep you motivated and wanting to improve throughout the whole year. It can be anything, just something to challenge you and make you grow as person!!

Life is short, live it fully and constantly challenge yourself to keep growing!!

Now it's time to start focusing on riding again and getting ready for another great Cyclocross season!!

Kristi

Saturday, April 3, 2010

HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

I have a very big announcement to make regarding my sponsor for the 2010 season!

I have joined up with my employer, Cycle University of Seattle for mountain bike and cyclocross racing for the 2010 season.

I am very excited to get to represent who I work for and to help advertise this awesome business and to give back to my great boss, Craig Undem for everything that he has done for me over the past 5 years.

I have worked for Cycle U for almost 5 years, I am the head women's cycling coach, Director of all our Teams at Cycle U, I am helping manage the Sandpoint Cycle U location and I am also a personal trainer. I love working for Craig and Cycle U and am very excited to get to wear our new colors/kit this season.

I will be riding the Specialized TriCross bikes this year. Cycle U West Seattle location is a Specialized bicycle retailer and I am very excited to get to ride these awesome bikes. I currently am riding on the Specialized Amira women's carbon road bike and am loving it. It is so amazingly stiff but comfortable. I am hoping to get a Specialized Epic MTB bike for racing on this season but my main priority is to get my cross bikes.

I will also be representing Northwood Trailers again for the 2010 season, thank you to Lance and the True North and Northwood family for all of their help and continued support. Check out the website at www.truenorth.me and see how amazing the True North Trailer is. It is so perfect for all outdoor activities and especially great for racing!!

I am still looking for some more individual sponsors, like sun glasses, casual clothing and of course cash sponsors. I will be having a custom kit made with Cycle U's colors but can add additional sponsors to my kit. So if you have an interest and would like me to sport your equipment or want to help out with some cash, please contact me at 425-327-6125.

Again thank you to Craig and Cycle U for this awesome opportunity, look for me in the new colors at a race soon!!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

One last Cross Race-Chilly Cross

One last cross race of the season. I have to admit I wasn't all that excited to race in Jan, 4 weeks after Nationals. I had only ridden my bike twice since Nats, have been doing some running and stairs but basic stuff.
But once we got to the race site in Bellingham at Cornwell Park, I was actually really excited to ride the bike again. The course was really fun, the park is beautiful and it makes for a great cross course!!
I did a warm up lap and surprising my legs felt pretty strong. Very well rested, but strong. This particular series is very small, but really run well and they have great courses. Everyone should check them out next year and add them to your list of races. Well worth the drive.
There were 5 women in the A/B race. More then I thought, so thank you to the ladies that came out! They lined us up at the back of the Master B and B men. We all started together, there was maybe 30 people total.
So when the gun went off I tried to get through as many guys as I could. It worked by the end of the first lap I was half way through the guys. I really was feeling awesome so I kept up the effort and passed a lot more guys. I am not sure where I ended up in the men, but I know I was in the top 5 to 10 for sure. And I won the women's A race.
It was really hard getting motivated to race in Jan but I am really glad I did and would do it again next year.
What a year, time now to get the road and MTB bikes in order and change the mental focus. Can't wait already for cross in 2010!!

Kristi