2016 race season wrap up-TAKE TWO and Happy New Year!

This post should be labeled Happy Holidays and while I wish everyone a very Happy Holiday season,  my 2016 race reporting is (surprisingly) not done yet!

Shannon and I made the last minute decision to bookend 2016 with another stage race.......in Cuba!

New race season stats:  1100+ miles and 100+ hours of racing.  Holy crap! 

We learned about the Titan Tropic at Interbike in September.  Titan Tropic is a second year event and this year would be the first year Americans were competing.  Who could pass up an opportunity to race bikes in Cuba?  Not us!

Coordinating and preparing for an International stage race on such short notice was a bit challenging, however every opportunity to travel and compete in events like this feels like an opportunity of a lifetime.  I was incredibly grateful to be traveling to Cuba and I'm pretty sure I was beaming the entire week!  One of my favorite aspects about International stage racing is the anticipation of arriving to a new country.  This definitely takes me out of my comfort zone because I'm a planner and preparer, however I have learned to embrace the unexpected during these trips.  In some respects, knowing that I have to be flexible with my normal 'plan' takes a bit of the pressure off!  The adventure component of this trip increased to a 12 with the passing of Fidel Castro.  We arrived on Day 7 of Cuba's 9-days of mourning.

San Marti airport in Havana was small and security was lax.  There was a crowd of people outside the airport and we quickly found the race representative coordinating our transfer to our hotel.  We were also greeted by Havana's Old Cars.

The outside of San Marti Airport

 Our hotel in Havana became Titan Tropic race central for a few days

 Our first afternoon in Havana we went for a townie ride exploring the city.  I was surprised by how safe and clean the city was.  While there weren't bike lanes, the cars for the most part were respectful. 

One of my favorite things about stage racing is that your fellow racers become family by the end of the week.  Titan Tropic was no different. 

 We found the ocean.  The sunset was amazing.

 The pre-race meeting was very official.  There was an English translator,
however it seemed some of the information got "lost in translation".

On transfer days-days we raced to a new location-we loaded our belongings up
into this truck to meet us at the new destination

The race provided us with bottled water for the week.  

I get thirsty and got to know the water distributors well.  

Race bikes resting in the racks before the first day.

Gearing up for a week of exploring Cuba by bike! Shannon and I raced in the Mixed Duo category.  We have to stay within 2 minutes of each other throughout the race and work together to go as fast as possible.  What this looks like is Shannon carrying most of our gear to keep me light and fast.  I draft off him when appropriate and he even gives me a push to help me accelerate-usually when I'm trying to grab hold of a group to draft.

Home is where you ride to.  In this case it was Soroa, Cuba.  Another thing I love about stage racing 

is the anticipation of finishing and seeing our home for the night.

This tree is 600+ years old.  It was breathtaking and much more beautiful in real-life

The Americans know how to recover from a long stage in Soroa. 

Giving my bike some love....

 Just another morning gearing up to race my bike with rad people in Cuba!

 The Americans performed quite well.  Tinker Juarez finished 5th overall and Kevin Hines 10th!

Some of the Americans.  We always welcomed morning clouds.
They would give way to the scorching sun midday.

Locals cheering for us from horseback.
Horses were the primary mode of transportation in the remote parts of Cuba. 

Scenes from the saddle:  a local smoking Cuba's finest export

More scenes from the saddle:  Ox are used for most of the heavy farm work.

The finish in Vinales

Accommodations in Vinales.  Despite the snoring, I actually slept quite well in the tents....
Vinales was also my first experience with dump ditches......

Tree ornaments.  I'm pretty sure nothing dried the entire week with the humidity. 

Our bathing accommodations made from palm leaves

The famous mogotes in Vinales.  Vinales is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

Smiles for Miles

This photo captures the reality of a stage race; I'm pocketing a Honeystinger waffle in my cheek.  Proper and consistent fueling is key to successful stage racing! 

This is quite possibly my favorite photo EVER! 

On Day 4 Shannon succumbed to stomach issues.  He vomited multiple times throughout the stage and couldn't eat for 24 hours.  I had to push/pull/drag him to the finish.  The Titan Tropic medical team took excellent care of him, giving him a liter of fluids for dehydration and Rantadine for his stomach.  He was able to race strong and defend our lead for the final day of racing.  

Me pulling Shannon for once.  

Just riding along....in Cuba! 

Cuba has excellent dirt! 

After just over 21 hours of racing, we finished 1st place Mixed Duo.

Teamwork makes the dreamwork.  

We finished on the beautiful white sand beaches of Caya Jutias.

The most beautiful finishing venue ever! 

Here is a video that Titan Tropic by Gaes made summarizing the week.  

Shannon and I can be seen at :18, :28, 2:12

.....and here's a video that Shannon and I made.  Check it out!  

I traveled to Cuba wanting to race hard, but also wanting to experience and learn about the Cuban culture.  This was our 4th stage race racing Mixed Duo.  Shannon and I have the teamwork pretty well dialed.  With the exception of the occasional snafu; like when Shannon almost took me out by hooking my handlebars, or when he ran me over when I crashed, we worked together flawlessly.  I think we are even better racing partners than we are riding partners because we shut up-there is no time for husband/wife bickering- and focus on working together to go faster.  Sharing the race experience is very special to us.

I found Cuba to be a charming country to visit.  Cuba is beautifully diverse, both the landscape and the people.  Cubans are proud of their country and very welcoming of Americans.  While I gained a better understanding of the country, there is still so much I don't understand. 

What I know for sure is that this experience whet my already damp palate for more international stage racing.  Cheers to 2017.  May it be full of health, travel, bikes, and adventure!    

2016 race season wrap-up

I recently wrapped up my 2016 mountain bike race season.  This one was special for so many reasons.

It started with a trip to Chile for the 6-day TransAndes stage race.  This happened to coincide with with the 5-year anniversary of my original breast cancer diagnosis.  I have already written about this trip so I won't repeat myself, but Chile was quite the memorable experience.  I hope to duplicate the adventure many times in new (to us) countries!

After Chile, I didn't miss a beat and pushed through 8 more months of racing.  Total stats for the season were approximately 800 miles of mountain bike racing in ~80 hours!  4 wins and lots of podium finishes.  While the season results were great, I am most proud and pleased that my body held up beautifully.  I did not succumb to a single illness or injury all season....not even a cold.  I am grateful for good coaching and nutritional support.  I am most grateful for a body that has been poisoned by chemicals, radiation, and surgeries, yet keeps bouncing back.   I love this resilient body of mine!

It would be misleading to say that nothing has changed with my body from cancer treatment.  I have had two rounds of chemo (2011, 2013), radiation, and countless surgeries.  I need to take lymphedema precautions and some body parts don't work the same.  I was also forced into surgical menopause at the tender age of 38 which comes with its own set of challenges.  I continue to take a cancer medication that depletes my body of estrogen and thins my bones.  However I have not been good at just accepting the new normal.  I strive to defy it and push my body to be its old self.  

While I don't like to give unsolicited advice to others, here are a few mantras I find useful for myself:  

Never give up.  Never give in.  

Be kind to my myself. 

Winning lies in trying more than results. 

No excuses.

Find peace and happiness in what I do everyday.  

My short off season will be full of beautiful Fall mountain bike rides, skills practice, hiking and trail running with Dizzy, weight workouts to balance out the imbalances from the repetitive action of riding/racing my bike for thousands of miles this year, stretching, and after a long season of training a welcome lack of structure.  

Spending time with my BDF during the off season

Here are some memorable photos from the season:

 On the start line of the Park City Point to Point  

My final race of the season

75 miles, 10,000+ feet of elevation gain.  8.5 hours race time. 

 Crossing the finish line at the Park City Point to Point in 6th place Pro Women

 Shannon and Me after Pierre's Hole 100k in Grand Targhee, Idaho

 On my way to the win at the Wasatch Back 50.  Jordanelle in the background

Top step of the podium for me and my Pivot Mach429SL at the Wasatch Back 50

Moab Rocks Stage Race

Last year the Moab Rocks Stage Race was on my radar for what was supposed to conclude an epic 2013 of mountain bike racing.  With my axillary recurrence, and subsequent do-over of cancer treatment, it did not happen.  In fact, the day that I was supposed to be traveling down to Moab for the race I was three weeks out from finishing chemo and getting my 'dry-run' (which means practice session) for radiation.

So being the determined and stubborn person I am, I decided way back in 2013 that if I was able and healthy, I would race Moab Rocks in 2014.  I suppose it was a pretty lofty goal considering I hadn't done a stage race since 2009, recovery after races has been difficult since my original treatment in 2011-let along three consecutive days of racing- and it was yet to be seen if I could even race competitively after my second round of treatment.  But, I have found that daydreaming about being strong and fast and racing hard helps get me through the darkest days of treatment.   Never give up.  Never give in.  Never quit! (note:  my mantra was borrowed from a good friend:)

Fast forward to summer 2014 and I had every reason to be stoked.  First and foremost, I was healthy and had returned to a competititive level of racing. However my consistency wasn't quite where I wanted it to be for a stage race, which as trivial as it sounds in the big scheme of things, I admit was a bit frustrating.  Despite this, I  accepted my current fitness for what it was and had no big plans of changing up my Fall training plan until I ran into friend and coach, Sarah Kaufman.  I suddenly had the epiphany that I wanted Sarah to coach me in prep for Moab Rocks, so I started on her plan, and haven't looked back.  Sarah had just two-and-a-half months to prepare me for my 'A' race, and while I had a fairly solid base, it still wasn't much time.  She put together a solid program with plenty of hard workouts, a strong emphasis on recovery, and even fit in my mandatory weekly trail runs and weight workouts to support my bone health.

The program was clearly working as I could feel myself getting stronger and more consistent with every race I did.  The week before Moab Rocks my bike got a final tune at Go-Ride and I felt ready. That said, you never know if everything will come together as planned for a peak race let alone three consecutive days of racing.

My beautiful Pivot 429 Carbon ready to race.

Build:  Stans NoTubes Race Gold wheels, Continetnal Mountain King Protection tire (front), X-king protection (rear). Rock Shox World Cup 100mm travel.  Enve flat super wide bar.  SRAM XX1 28x11-42.  Xpedo M-Force8 pedals.  Bontrager -17degree stem.  Ergon SM3 Pro saddle and GS1 grips.  KS LEV dropper post.  Shimano XTR brakes.

I usually don't go through the play-by-plays of a race as they are often mundane and boring, and perhaps my play-by-plays will read as mundane and boring, however IMO Moab Rocks was some of the closest and most exciting racing of my career, so here goes!

Stage 1:  Porcupine Rim:  Stage 1 started in town and climbed 20 miles up Sand Flats Road before descending down Upper and Lower Porcupine Rim trails.  The 'neutral' start didn't exactly feel neutral as my heart rate shot up pretty quickly.  My plan was to maintain a steady pace up the climb, however light it up a bit if needed to hang with a group.  Sand Flats Road gets steep pretty quick and I was expecting to get shot off the back as soon as this happened; instead the opposite happened.  I started passing people despite maintaing a comfortable pace.  It was exhilarating.  As things flattened out I was able to match the accelerations to hang with the group, and soon enough we were cruising along at a comfortable pace.  As we neared the 10 mile mark, the group started to splinter, but drafting became less of an issue as the road pitched up.  I rode the remainder of the road with my new friend from Minnesota who was on a super awesome retro 26" hard tail spec'd out with v-brakes and ~60mm of travel.  At this point I wasn't sure what position I was in with the women standings, but thought perhaps I was in the lead.  It didn't last long though as we hit upper Porcupine single track I flailed around trying to follow the trail and was soon passed by Canadian Margie Smith.  I plugged along, not knowing exactly where the finish was, and was caught off guard when another Canadian Jen Schulz passed me.  I finally arrived to the remote finish in 3rd place overall, 2nd Open Women just 45 seconds out of the lead.

Stage 1 Open Women Podium: Me, Jen Schulz, Pepper Harlton

Stage 2:  Klondike Bluffs:  Stage 2 started ~15 miles outside of Moab.  We left beautiful weather in Moab and just 15 short miles away arrived to 25 mph wind gusts and threatening skies at the Klondike Trailhead.  Fortunately the rain held out, but the wind persisted throughout the stage.  We started on a dirt road a couple of miles from the Klondike trailhead.  While the pace was manageable, it was complete mayhem in the group with people getting blown off their lines by the strong wind and ruts galore along the road.

Each day of Moab Rocks was a bipolar combination of jeep roads and rocky trails. 

 Here on Stage 2, you can see the dark clouds behind us.  

You can't see the crazy strong winds blowing us around!

I focused on staying safe and holding the wheel in front of me, however soon found myself in a small, incredibly lazy group.  Pepper Harlton was glued to my rear wheel and none of the guys in the group seemed too enthusiastic about taking pulls as well.  For the most part I was stuck out front with a crazy side wind, not sure exactly what to do.  I went fast.  I went slow.  It didn't really matter.  Finally we arrived to the Klondike slick rock trails.  It started with a nice long traversy climb and I caught my breath before getting into a climbing rhythm.  By the top of the climb I had a nice little gap on Pepper and was riding with my friend Ken from Salt Lake.  He encouraged me to get on his wheel.  Suddenly we realized that there were no more course markings the way we were headed.  We could see some racers ahead, we just couldn't find the trail.  Note to self: keep your head up and don't follow blindly!  Our little diversion allowed Pepper to catch up and the two of us proceeded to ride the majority of the stage together, taking punches and swapping positions.

One of my favorite photos.  

Me being chased by Pepper Harlton on Stage 2 and I'm smiling!  

It was so fun out there! 

I caught her wheel on the final big climb of the stage and we started the Alaska downhill together.  She made a mistake, which didn't happen often, and I scooted around and followed a guy down the rest of the descent.  I quickly learned how much easier it was to follow someone on slick rock descents instead of having to focus so hard on trying to follow the faded dotted line.  Toward the bottom of the descent there was a blind turn into a short, quick, steep ledge.  The guy I was following and I were both in too big of a gear and got stopped.  Pepper cruised up the ledge and was gone before we even got on our bikes, the perfect attack, except soon after she missed a turn, lost a lot of time, and any hope for a stage win.  I rode strong and consistent to the finish where I was told I was the first female to cross the line.  There was so much mayhem on the initial road section that I didn't know where I was and was psyched to finish first overall, however I was also bummed that Pepper had made a wrong turn and we couldn't sprint it out to the finish.  I got over that pretty quickly; it's not every day that I win a stage!  I enjoyed the moment, and then directed my attention to preparing for the final stage of the race.

After Stage 2 my bike donned the Open women's leader plate!

Every single day the scenery was breathtaking!

Stage 3:  Magnificent 7:  My solid stage 2 performance put me into the Open women's lead, however less than 4 minutes separated me from 2nd place which really isn't too much time.  Although barring any mechanicals and/or wrong turns, I was confident that I could maintain that lead.  I was now on the defensive with very strong women ready to capitalize on any mistake I made.  I had a plan for the final stage that included going hard on the jeep road climb to try to create a gap and then smooth and steady on the rocky sections with my eyes glued to the dotted line as to not miss a turn.  My plan was off to a great start as I immediately got a gap going up the first climb, as we descended down the back side of road for the first time I ran out of gears on my 1x11 and couldn't go quite as fast as I wanted too; this probably wouldn't have been too big of a deal except I ended up coming to a complete stop at an intersection to make sure I didn't take a wrong turn.  At this point Margie passed me with Pepper on her wheel.  I hopped back on and followed them for the next mile or so finally catching them as we headed into single track.  Margie led, I followed, with Pepper on my wheel.  We rode together for the next 10 miles.  Margie rode fantastic lines and it was fun following her wheel, however at some point I decided that I could go a bit faster.  I am not sure why I decided this, because it absolutely wasn't necessary to maintain my overall position, but I passed Margie.  I had just started to build a small gap when my front wheel got caught in some sand and I crashed.  I jumped back on the bike, a bit shaken, and took up the caboose of the girl train.  We were soon spit out onto a jeep road with big rocks and drops.  Still a bit out of sorts, I crashed (more like fell over:) two more times and watched as Margie and Pepper rode away.  I took some deep breaths, knowing that I needed to get my head back on straight to maintain my overall position.  For the next 8 miles or so of rocky downhill trail, I rode steady and smooth with my eyes once again glued to the dotted line.

Carefully following the dotted line.  You can see the faint yellow marks on the slick rock.  

Difficult to see when racing hard and seeing stars instead of lines! 

Toward the bottom of the descent I came upon Pepper who was just getting back on her bike.  I shot her a, "you're kidding" as this was her third mishap in as many days.  We then came out onto the jeep road for a flat section before the final climb and descent to the finish.  I decided to sit on Pepper's wheel and attack on the climb.  At this point I really couldn't find any sense in pulling her around.  She was going really slow.  It was excruciating sitting on her wheel.  So I attacked a little before I planned and got a gap pretty quick.  It felt like I was attacking so hard up that final climb, but after three days of racing, it was more like a turtle race.  I pounded my pedals all the way to the finish, however it ended up being anti-climatic as Pepper flatted again and finished minutes later.  In the end, I won the stage and the overall in the Open Women category and finished 2nd place overall women.

Women's Open overall podium:  Jen, Me, Pepper

I really feel that this race was a turning point in once again having confidence in my body to race at an elite level.  Although I have had more than a lifetime's share of health set-backs, I am once again in awe of my body's ability to bounce back.  

Now, one week later, I feel like I am just starting to come out of my stage racing withdrawal.  I plan to give my body plenty of time to recover, race a bit of cyclocross this Fall, and prepare for an epic 2015.  Stay tuned!

Tips for staying fit and healthy while undergoing chemotherapy

Chemotherapy was not easy.  In full disclosure, I had some really bad days.  I still do.  But I had many more good days.  My primary goal while undergoing chemo was to live life to its fullest.  My goal as a competitive athlete (who hopes to compete again),  was to maintain fitness and to stay healthy.  For me, the two goals were completely intertwined.  Now that I am over two months out from my final infusion, I can say with some certainty.....GOAL(s) MET!

Although I am certainly not an expert, and realize all women experience chemotherapy differently, I feel like I now have enough perspective on my experience to share my personal strategies for meeting my goal of staying fit and healthy while undergoing chemotherapy.

1.  Keep moving.  There is quite a bit of research that supports the importance of exercise during chemotherapy, however I don't think it is emphasized enough.  In my experience, exercise is the single most important way to feel better during chemotherapy.  Somedays it may be a short walk and/or stretching.  Others it may be a 2-hour mountain bike ride.  Doing something always felt better than doing nothing.

2.  Keep a log of how you feel each day over your first infusion cycle.  For example, Day 1 post infusion I had minimal fatigue.  This was a good day to take advantage of a nice mountain bike ride.  Days 2 & 3, I felt like dirt.  I would plan to take the dog for a walk to get outside and then stretch. That's it.  Day 4 through Day 7, I started to feel better physically each day, however I still only tolerated bland food.   Each proceeding day I would feel a bit better until my next infusion.  I would plan exercise and meals accordingly.

3.  Have simple goals and try not to compare yourself to pre-chemo performance.  I put away my heart rate monitor and bike computer.  My exercise goals became very simple.  To maintain conversation pace and to keep my rides under 2 hours.  In my opinion, a heart rate monitor is useless for monitoring zones during chemotherapy anyhow.  My zones most likely changed daily.  As for keeping my rides under two hours, I noticed that if I rode for more than two hours, I would feel fatigued instead of invigorated.

4.  Try not to set yourself up to feel bad about yourself.  No matter how much fitness you are able to maintain during chemotherapy, you simply are not going to feel as strong as you did before.  I tried to ride with people who were not out to do hard training rides, but content riding at conversation pace.  Pushing myself hard to keep up was not a goal of mine during this time, while being dropped hard was bad for my fragile self-esteem.  My husband was especially generous in that he would always let me stay a wheel length ahead.  No matter how slow I was going, this little trick helped me think I was strong.

5.  Eat healthy.  During chemotherapy I started experimenting with a mostly vegan diet.  A vegan diet is not for everyone, but eating healthy meals really does help improve energy and you need energy to exercise.  Eating healthy also helps prevent weight gain.  It is well documented that most women gain weight while undergoing treatment for breast cancer.  Through exercise and a healthy diet, I was able to maintain my weight throughout chemotherapy.

6.  Eat something.  I found that the first week post-infusion I only tolerated bland food such as toast or pasta marinara.  My options were to eat a less 'healthy' bland diet this week or not eat.  For me, eating was always better.

7.  Do what you love.  Obviously I love riding my bike, but I feel most alive and free when riding awesome singletrack.  Anticipating a fun ride made it really easy for me to get out and exercise even on bad days.  In fact, riding singletrack provides such an endorphin rush to me, that I would often forget, for just a moment, that I was undergoing chemotherapy.

8.  Take care of your body.  I did acupuncture throughout treatment and had some incredible cranio-sacral sessions at the Cancer Wellness House.   I really think these sessions helped me stay strong and healthy allowing me to exercise and maintain fitness.

Well....that's it.  Those are my main tips for staying fit, healthy, and for me, happy, while undergoing chemo.

Now, if I could only figure out how to stay happy (and not cranky) while following post-surgical precautions........