We have started up our weekly cross practice. 

Where:  South of McCormick Place

When:  Wed. Nights

Time:  6:30 (earlier if you email me, as I can do as early as 4:30) We will adjust the time as daylight gets shorter.

~holly

I came down to Chicago Mon. night.  Kevin greeted me home with my favorite Thai takeout.  I had to go to school on Tues and interview teachers for some positions that we have open.  Wed. I am going to hit the doctors and dentist and then I will travel back up to the lake house.  Kitchen should be just about done with the exception of the granite counters.  That will hopefully be a few weeks only.  Time up there is running out.  We are doing more interviews next week and then the week after that I am back getting the classroom ready.  Wow, summer just flew by.  I am trying to spend all my time on the trails and less traveled roads. 

I caught up on some blog reading, as reading blogs on a blackberry isn't ideal.  I registered for Palos mtb. race and the Madison UCI cross races.  Fall Colors is on the Sat. of the Madison UCI race.  I wonder if I could do that in the morning and still make my 1:45 start time? Seriously joking, but I really am sad that I will miss Fall Colors. My Lobster is getting a check up and tires are being reglued.  We need to get the barriers dusted off so we can start some practice during the week.  I wonder if I can count my cross dismounts at kettle for the trees and horse gates as practice?

Kevin and I will be riding at Kettle all weekend.  If anyone is interested in joining us just shoot either one of us an email.

~holly

It has been a long time since the last blog but since I don't have an internet connection at the house in WI and don't feel like spending my time at Panera, this will have to do.

Kevin and I headed up to Wausau on Friday to meet up with our teams and to preride the course.  Kevin was riding with Team Polska in the masters team championships and I was riding for Extremely Muddy Killer Martians (Megan, MurphyKate, and Rachael) in the womens team championships.  We found our team tents(they were on opposite sides of 9 mile) and got a lap in.  The course was great;  13.5 miles of single track and fire roads with lots of loose gravel, roots,  rocks, rock gardens, and tons of dust.

Saturday morning came fast and at 10:07 I was running the crazy start to get my bike and be on my way for the first lap.  The first lap was fun but there was a lot of back up in the single track.  My second lap felt great and fast.  I decided to run some of the bigger rock gardens as it seemed faster and safer.  My third lap started at 8:40ish and it was a fun night lap that would have been faster if I didn't crash so much and have to stop and reconnect my helmet light.  My lighting system was awesome!(thanks to Kevin Wilson for the Lupine Betty Xpro with 1400 lumens) I pretty much lit up the entire course with that thing. 

(Here I am waiting to do my second night lap) Pictures by Amy D.

 My second night lap was at 2:30am and sucked.  I rode like it was my first time on a mountain bike.  It was definitely a confidience crusher. I figured out that at the pace we were going I would be the only one to do a 5th lap so since MurphyKate was the captain I told her she would have to do the 5th one.  Thankfully after some name calling(j/k) she agreed.

I got some rest and then went with Rachael to Red Bud Road to watch the finishing laps.  There were some close races going on and it was really exciting.  I was able to see and cheer on Kevin as he gave us the perfect  pirate arggg expression.  We then went back to the tents and got everything packed up.  Kevin and I hit the road and got back to the WI house and crashed.  We woke up to eat and then slept until Mon. 

It was so much fun and I had a blast with my teammates.  If I still wasn't so tired I would write more but I think I will go take a nap now.