All a bunch of monkeys...

This past weekend finished up the 4-race Cranky Monkey Series. The last two races, at Fountain Head and Quantico Marine Base, were far from my best, but days in the saddle nonetheless. I have to admit, sometimes it IS beneficial to practice feeling totally crappy out there, and having to dig through that to finish. And NOT DNF'ing the last two races was enough to place me 4th overall in the series points which, considering the depth of the Women's Sport class this summer, was a success in and of itself. I'll definitely stick around in Sport for a few more seasons, while I look forward to watching some of my teammates move up to Expert.

I have to say that being a part of the Pedal Shop/ODBC women's team has been one of the best experiences of the racing season. About 5 miles into the 18 miles course at Quantico, I was ready to give up the ghost. I was committed to finishing the first 9 mile lap and nothing more...content with calling it a day and quitting my first race, ever. I came up on my friend and teammate, Amy, who was also having a rough go at it, and we commiserated the rest of the first lap, both agreeing to quit after 9 miles and not judge the other for dropping out. For whatever reason, we both sailed through the start/finish area without pulling off to the side, and before we knew it, we were already another 5 miles into the second lap. We rode the rest of the course together, pulling each other up the climbs and cruising the descents, keeping each other motivated and our minds off of the frustration over not having a great day on the trails (note: Amy usually wins these races...she's extremely talented, but also been training her butt off for next weekend's SM100 mtb race). I am convinced that I would not have finished without Amy's support, and coming into the start/finish for the last time, we both agreed that this race, while performance-wise our most disappointing, was definitely the most fun and a great way to end the season. Because if you can't rely on your teammates...who can you rely on?

We are now 4 weeks 'till Tahoe, and I'm doing my best to stay focused on my training. I have the Annapolis Triathlon in two weeks, still have not been able to run since Rocky Gap, and can't seem to get myself out of bed for swim practice more than once a month. Not a great start! On the flip side, I have been spending mucho time-o on the bike, so I hope that will pay off on the relentlessly hilly Tahoe course.