Nature at The Nigh House

Whether it's turkeys strutting their way across our yard. . . . . .

NOTE: This picture is a dramatization - I was not fast enough to catch the one ACTUALLY walking through our yard. . . .

"Baby Deer" snacking on our delicious brown grass. . . . . . .

Or a creepy walking stick trying to mate with our cedar siding. . . . . . . .

There's always something fun & exciting to see at the Nigh House.

Whew!

One service call later. . . . . . . . .and we're sitting as cool as two ice cubes again. In fact. . . . . . .it's almost a litte cold in here.

Sweet.

Why Today?

In the middle of a week of temps that are going to be in the 90's. . . . . .

Why is it that our air conditioner picked TONIGHT to go out?

If you need me. . . . . .I'll be searching for a cool place since it's already 80 in here.

Sunday night already?

I don't know where the weekend went. I didn't even go to 24-9 and somehow I lost the weekend.

Yesterday Shooter came over and we got out for a nice endurance ride. We rode about 2:10, dropped Captain after about 45, then picked up the pace. Of course he was slowing us down (yeah). Managed a little over 18mph average without working TOO hard. Of course I did pick a flat route. . . . . . .

Today had me up at the crack of dawn to get ready to depart to ride Crystal Ridge at 8:00am with a few peeps. I hate morning rides. . . . . .so riding with others was a definite. Somehow I left my heart rate monitor chest strap behind. . . . . .so I had no data. I also discovered you can't pause my HRM when there's no HR. I lost my time. . . . .and guesstimate a ride at about 2:25ish. Hit the climbs a little harder. . . .then again it's impossible to climb those stupid climbs at CR without hitting them harder (at least for me), and tried to be "one" with the rest of the trail without killing myself. Overall a good time, other than the sharp stabbing pain in my appendix (that's what I'm calling it. . . . .although it was probably just gas).

The boys spent some time this weekend on my fork. I've been telling them for weeks (maybe even MONTHS) that it isn't working correctly, I can barely hang on during rough descents, and it decides it's going to wash out on me a lot in corners (as evident by my recent face plants). I keep hearing about how "wonderful" this stupid fork is, but as of this moment, I hate it. I don't care if it IS "smart" enough to lock it's self out. . . . . .I have YET to dial it in. After changing the rebound quite a bit, today's ride was a little better. Of course now it makes this strange squeaking, crunching, bird-like sound. A sound I've never heard with any of my other bikes. . . . .so who the hell knows what it needs now. GGGrrrrr. Sooner or later I'll get that puppy dialed in. . . . . .or I'll get a new bike. One of the two.

Off to the Sandpiper Inn for all-you-can-eat broasted chicken in a bit. Yummy!! I should be hungry by then. . . . .so I plan to stuff myself. I'm thinking of lobbying for a Clydesdale category for women. . . . . . .

All the Drama. . . . .

This year's Tour de France offers drama upon drama. The latest drama was somewhat of a surprise as the leader of the tour was pulled from the tour and fired by his team for suspected doping.

I think it's interesting that every OTHER sport has "athletes" popping pills, injecting steroids and "enhancing" their performance without so much as TALK of testing for these substances, yet cycling is the one sport that has the balls test. How many football players, baseball players, "pro-wrestlers", etc would we see pulled from their "sport" if they put even 1/10th of these doping control procedures into play? What if each of these "athletes" had to account for their where-abouts 24 hours a day and be available for random drug testing on a daily basis. Would the future of these sports survive?

Kuddos to cycling for stepping up to the plate and cracking down on these illegal activities. . . . .and shame on the rest of our athletic professions for looking the other way.

Maybe Rasmussen IS guilty, maybe he ISN'T. The point is he didn't follow the rules put in place to control this issue. . . . . . . .and he failed to follow those rules MORE than once. If you're going to race in the Tour de France, you have to follow the rules. And if you don't. . . . . .you have to be prepared to face the consequences.

An Action Packed Tuesday

Yesterday made for an action packed day. Tuesday mornings are occupied by work. . . . .meetings & the tour of all our new listings. After that I headed out to Cedarburg to do some volunteering.

I arrived during the women's race and was glad I wasn't racing. Those women looked pretty darn fast. Worked "turn #2" for the Masters & Cat 3 races, which was uneventful (thankfully). The Cat 3 guys did 45 laps. I would have to think one would get dizzy riding that many laps.

After all that excitement I headed out to Beechwood to catch a mountain bike ride with some peeps. I had forgotten how much CLIMBING that course has. While the first lap was supposedly a "tour" lap for those of us who hadn't been there since they made changes. . . . .it was an all out effort for me. Starting at "race pace" without ANY warm up is not a strong point of mine. I thought I was going to puke as I saw my HR climb past 182. But we toughed it out and then decided to set out for a second, easier lap.

Somehow on that second lap I managed to biff it and launch myself over the handlebars. That's something I haven't done for a while (at least a month). Came down on my knee, rolled onto my coccyx, jammed my left quad into something. A couple scratches & bruises, but no blood really. I guess it looked cool though. . . . . .and that's what I was REALLY going for.

We continued on and I rode ahead of one of my peeps on a hill climb, and waited for her down around the bend. I waited, and waited. . . . . .and finally went back to find her. She had experienced the wrath of "the CRAMP" which sent her into a tree which caused her to yard sale it wrapped into her bike, which caused "the CRAMP" to come on even stronger. I can totally sympathize with "the CRAMP" after Green Bay. Holy cow those hurt! A bit battered we decided to bag the rest of the 2nd lap. . . . . . 90 minutes of climbing would be good enough for the day.

Back to the parking lot we went to chat with the Big Ring boys and hang a bit. Overall it was a fun ride. I'm going to try to put it on the training plan for next Tuesday. I seemed to have lost a bit of my "climbing fitness". I need to find that again, before the ski hill races. Hopefully it's not too far away.

A typical Monday

For some strange reason I was SUPER sleepy and SUPER un-motivated today.

Guess it's just a typical Monday.

Party All Weekend!

Well, it was a good weekend overall.

Friday night had us celebrating down at Squirt's house. She made us spaghetti and the best cherry chip cake EVER (my favorite cake. . . .next to cheesecake).

Saturday we headed down to do the WEMS race at Crystal Ridge. I was SOOOO excited to be able to use my BUTT muscles again. . . .it was awesome. The coccyx is still a little sore. . . .but it doesn't seem to be holding me back too much anymore. Now I just have to work on gaining back the fitness I lost during that brief "intermission".

The WEMS race brought out a bunch of WORS peeps. It was a mileage vs a timed race this time around. . . .so the 30 miles took me about 3:30. It was nice to ride at a little easier pace, vs killing myself. It gave me time to work on my "skills". . . . and use my body wisely. There were only 2 of us gals who were "woman" enough to show up for the 30 miler. . . . . .so I managed to pull out a 1st place on my birthday.

Sunday offered up b-day celebrations with my family for a brunch at our house. . . . . .a nice little recovery ride. . . . .and then another celebration with some more peeps.

Yes, Captain was there too. . . . . .he just took the picture. He got stung in the arm by a bee at the 3 hour and I think he didn't want anyone to see how much bigger that arm was. It looks a little freakish. . . . . . .

Now it's almost bedtime and the weekend is over. The body is tired, but it sure doesn't feel ANYTHING like it did after Green Bay. THANK GOD!! Hopefully tomorrow won't be too bad of a day after. . . .the day after.

Gonna try to be a "competitor" again.

I had so much fun at the LAST race. . . . . .I figured what the heck, let's go do another 3 hour race this weekend. I rode once this week. . . . . .I'm ready.

I think my coccyx can take it. . . . . .I hope.

No prescription painkillers this time. . . . . .hopefully no cramps. . . . . .and finally, a WHOLE lot of single track with a couple killer climbs. Sweet. Now THAT'S what I call a race.

Crystal Ridge. . . . . here we come.

Ready for bed

Yeah, it's just that kind of day.

I've only been up about 90 minutes, and I'm ready to go back to bed.

But, my muscles are feeling better. MUCH better. Still sore. . . . .but much better. If the sun ever comes out this morning, I'll go test them on the bicycle. Perhaps the 3 hour at Crystal Ridge on Saturday MAY still be an option. We'll see. . . . . . . .

The day after, the day after - also known as Tuesday

It seems sometimes after a hard race, Tuesdays are worse than Mondays. I think that's the case this week, as I feel like someone clubbed me in several areas of my body.

My quads are sore to the touch where my full-blown cramps set in. My hamstrings are tight, my glutes are sore, my calves feel achy, my abs are tired, even my hip flexors are sore. A simple act such as bending my knee hurts all the muscles in my legs, especially my quads.

My coccyx is angry, my bulging discs are even MORE angry and my sciatica is acting up. Even the muscles all the way up my back are tired & achy.

My ability to cope with stress is at an all time low today. . . . my socialization skills are lacking (which is HIGHLY unusual for me), I'm hungry even though I just ate, I feel like I need a nap and I just want to sit and stare at the TV.

Never underestimate the damage done to muscles that cramp. While I don't understand all the "medical mumbo-jumbo", I DO understand that when you experience full-blown cramps. . . . . .it's gonna take a while for your body to repair itself.

I love Tuesdays after a hard race. They remind you that you are ALIVE. How nice. Gggrrrr.

What I learned this weekend

It was again, a weekend full of lessons.


I learned. . . . . .

1) My glutes are my "strength". They're my strongest muscles which is why I climb so well. . . .and why i'm better at shorter power bursts.

2) Your Coccyx (technical term for your tailbone) provides the attachment area for 9 different muscles, including your glutes.

3) When your coccyx is hurt. . . . .accessing those 9 different muscles and using them to their full potential is very tough. . . . . and rather painful.

4) Taking a prescription painkiller to ease the pain of a bruised coccyx is not a bad idea. . . . .unless you're racing. Then it's a TERRIBLE idea.

5) I believe it's the acetaminophen properties within these prescription painkillers that can wreak havoc on your intestines for prolonged periods at a high heart rate, causing extreme stomach discomfort even vomiting.

6) When you can't use one group of muscles because they're painful, your body automatically compensates to find another group of muscles it can use. . . .thereby limiting the amount of exertion on the damaged ones.

7) When your body loads on muscles it doesn't usually use to stack the load on. . . . .they fatigue at a much quicker rate. Doing a marathon race in this state is not a good idea.

8) When your muscles reach extreme fatigue, they start to cramp. Again, your body adjusts to use OTHER muscles to lighten the load on the now-cramping muscles. . . . .which fatigues them even quicker and sends you back into this cycle, until your body has no more muscles groups to try because they're ALL cramping.

9) It is extremely painful, but not impossible to continue riding your bike once you start cramping.

10) It is possible to lose almost all feeling below your waist, for a short period of time, while you're riding. . . . . .while your body is trying not to cramp up solid. I think after a certain amount of time your body just turns the pain off. Unfortunately the pain doesn't stay "off".


While this wasn't a stellar race weekend for the Nigh's (Captain ended up losing the contents of his stomach after his race as well), it was a great weekend for many of our peeps. Kudos to CK for tying his best finish ever (and for almost taking me OUT as he passed me - thank GOD I have skills). . . .great job to Christine for her BEST finish ever (3rd overall). . . .Nice one to Squirt, who said this wasn't the kind of race she liked and therefore she almost didn't even DO this race, but she ended up finishing 3rd overall (out of 17+ expert women). . . . .nice job to Ron who looked well rested and FULL of zip when he passed me to finish 5th in the expert men. . . . . and all the other peeps who fared well for the weekend.

Another race down. . . . .6 more to go. LOTS more opportunities to pull out GOOD, painless, flawless finishes.

I'm alive

Haven't done an update in a few days. . . . .not much to update about.

Tried a couple EASY mountain bike rides this week. . . . .while they could have gone worse, they also could have gone a lot better. This weekend will pose and interesting series of events. While I've got next to no training over the past 2 weeks, a marathon race will be rather challenging. On top of that. . . . .I'm not able to do hills very well yet. . . .thankfully it's a rather flat course.

BUT, I'm already registered. . . . .I've already paid. . . . . . so I might as well try, right?

After all, it's only a "bruise". It's not like I broke anything. Although sometimes it sure feels like I did. :-(

A Birthday Shout Out!

Happy Birthday Super Fly!!

I hope it's full of wonderful surprises!

A better day

Yes, I'm having a better day today.

Sorry for the dump yesterday. I'm a "deep, emotional" type person and I usually keep all those emotions inside. Once in a while they just bust their way out, whether I want them to or not. THOSE are the days that are BAD to have a blog.

Yesterday allowed for some low key activities. Got some "errands" done, ate lunch at the Texas Roadhouse, watched the tour coverage (parts of it we watched 3 times), took a nap and other fun filled activities. I even painted my nails! I haven't done that in a LONG time.

Today has me catching up with a long list of things. . . . .some of which I've needed to do for weeks now, but never took the initiative. I'd like to cross this crap off my list once and for ALL.

I think I'll wait to try this. . . . . .although there are plenty of days when I feel like I'm ON this bike. . . .I think yesterday was one of them.

Happy Monday!

Having a blog is good thing. . . .and a bad thing.

It's a good thing when all is well in your life, when you're upbeat and happy, when things are going well and going your way. It's fun to share the positive moments. . . . .people like the positive moments. It's fun to share funny pictures, reach out and make humor to lighten up everyone else's day. It's fun to post goofy pictures of yourself, of friends and sometimes family. It's fun to poke fun of others in a joking way. . . . .and then see them poke fun of you on their blogs. It's good because you can reach out to others who you wouldn't normally get to reach out to. . . . and in their own strange little cyber way, they're there for you even though they don't necessarily know you. It's fun to talk with others who have the same passions about what makes us most passionate. . . .about the different rides we take, about the different people that are out there. . . .about good things in general.

It's a bad thing when you're not feeling 100%. When you wake up and feel bad that all your peeps are out riding and you are just starting to be able to walk again without a stabbing pain in your butt/back. It's bad when you feel like some of them avoid you because you're not who they want you to be at that moment. It's bad when you feel like you have to put on a happy face and tell everyone it's ok, it could be worse, at least nothing's broken, because you know they don't know how to be around you otherwise. When you have to hide any pain or discomfort when they're around so they'll not mind being around you, or feel bad for you. It's bad when you start to feel this sick feeling in your stomach because this was supposed to be YOUR year. . . . .the year that last year was supposed to be before injuries took you out. It's bad when you get angry at yourself for feeling these stupid little feelings when there are people out there who have it WAY worse. . . . . .some of them aren't even on this earth anymore to complain. I'm sure they'd LOVE to be able to feel pain again, just to be alive.

Blogs are good things. . . . . . .blogs are bad things.

People who don't know you judge you based on what you type. People get their feelings hurt, or take offense when you type how you feel. Sometimes mini-wars are started. Sometimes we're just gently reminded that we're not "supposed" to share everything we're feeling and that some things are private. Sometimes people read deeply into them and decide they're the "thing" you're typing about when in reality they may have nothing to do with it. Then sometimes when it's really ALL about them, they're too wrapped up in their own needs to understand you're reaching out for a little help.

Life is really one big blog.

You can never make everyone happy no matter how hard you try. And sometimes you try so hard you get burnt out. Sometimes people get angry at what you say because you just don't say it the way they want/need to hear it. You can be cruising along in life happy as can be, having everything going your way and then suddenly it's all taken from you. I hope that's a day I never have. . . . . .a day that ends it all. Bumps, scrapes, cuts, bruises, bulging discs, even broken bones at least let you continue on to share all of the good and bad things life (and blogging) have to offer. . . . which is really a gift.

To be able to use your blog for "good". . . . . . .and once in a while to express the "bad" feelings is really a gift. I'm glad I'm so lucky as to be here to complain. . . . when others don't have that gift any longer.

Yes. It could be MUCH worse.

Humorous Signs

It's a day to post something funny. . . . .because I don't feel funny.

Here's my attempt at avoiding a "deep blogging episode". ~you're welcome
****************************************************************
TOILET OUT OF ORDER. "PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW"

In a Laundromat:
AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT.

In a London department store:
BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS

In an office:
WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN

In an office:
AFTER TEA BREAK STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD

Outside a secondhand shop:
WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?

Notice in health food shop window:
CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS

Spotted in a safari park:
ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR

Seen during a conference:
FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1 ST FLOOR

Notice in a farmer's field:
THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD, FOR FREE,> BUT THE BULL CHARGES.

Message on a leaflet:
IF YOU CANNOT READ, THIS LEAFLET WILL TELL YOU HOW TO GET LESSONS

On a repair shop door:
WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR - THE BELL DOESN'T WORK)

The 4th

Yesterday was a low key day. We hooked up with some peeps for a nice leisurely road ride. 1:15 into the ride Shooter hit a stick (more like a freakin' LOG), which sent her flying off her bike, unfortunately into my path. I ended up running over her (sorry again) and landing square on my tailbone.

My first (and hopefully LAST) road crash. Had to call a ride home. . . .there was no way I could get back on the bike.

Went to the Dr today for an x-ray. Didn't get the results back yet. . . .but it's likely not broken, fractured or cracked. . . . .although it sure hurts enough!

Got some Vicodin for the pain. If it's a bruise Dr said it should heal itself in a week or two. I'm counting on that to be the issue. I actually landed on my "bulging discs" which scared the crap out of me. Hopefully, the impact popped them back in! We'll see. :-)

I'm in good spirits though. I'm alive. . . . .I'm in once piece. . . . .and all is well. I can tolerate pain, as long as it's not in my mouth. :-)

Finally. . . . .my weekend update

Sorry for the delay. I wanted to download my pictures to see if I had any cool ones to post. . . . .and now that I've done that, I see that they're all strange and I don't really have any to share. . . . . .par for the course I guess. I then went to type this into my blog, and accidentally typed it into my REAL ESTATE blog. . . . .I'm sure my clients would have fun reading a RACE update. DUH.

ANYWAY. . . . .

Friday had us pulling out of the big WB around 1:30pm. It was nice to be on the road at an early hour, since we had SOOOO far to drive (about 4 hours). We had decided to hook up with some peeps and stay at a place called "Elmer's RV Park". We were a bit nervous. . . . .but it was everything we had hoped for. Elmer was about 87, sat on his "porch" (which was the awning under his double wide trailer) watching the traffic on Hwy 12 pass him by, and arose at about 6:00am each morning raring to get at "his chores". Really surroundings don't matter much to us. . . . .we're trailer trash when we camp anyway and we pretty much stay in the camper, so it's all good.

Pulling into the parking lot at the Chippewa Valley Firecracker brought back a rush of negative energy from last year's race. I remember it was at the height of my back issues. . . .my fitness was fading. . . .I crossed the finish line in pain and feeling thoroughly defeated, hyperventilating and doing the "girl thing" and crying. I KNEW this year had to be better.

Christine and I headed out for a pre-ride together and right away encountered the short, steep rocky descent we were warned about. Of course, having heard about it, I was already freaked out so we walked down it and decided to come back later and try to ride it (which we did). We ventured on and Christine stomped my ass through the trail. I wasn't feeling "one" with the bike. . . .or the course. . . .and while I tried NOT to look at the steep drops off the sides of the trail, it was hard NOT to. Never-the-less, my technical skills have come a long way in the past year so while I knew I might not ride it the BEST I could. . . .I knew I could at least ride it.

I hoped my less than stellar riding would be a sign of better things to come, so I put it out of my mind and enjoyed my pre-race dinner (chicken, pasta & garlic bread), relaxed, enjoyed some R&R by the fire with the Alterra gang and hit the sack early.

We awoke early Sunday, which allowed me to get some extra caffeine in my body (sweet), and it gave us ample time to pack up and get to the course in time to see the Virgin off for her race. All & all I was calm, feeling somewhat "normal". . . . . .and feeling like I was ready to try and rock out. I tried not to think of my past races this year. . . . .the past is not always an indication of the future and a few good results does not insure another. Each "win" has to be worked for, and earned and I was ready to give it my best shot.

We lined up next to 6 day runners, all "looking" like they were from MN. Don sent the last wave of men off in front of us and all 6 day runners pulled up to the line without an invite. Right then I knew it was going to be a smack down. I was going to have to pull out the guns. . . . .if I had them. In the end, I had them, they just weren't fully loaded. . . . . .but now I'm getting ahead of myself.

Don yelled GOOOOOOO, we took off. No one was moving, so again I was out in front. I don't know why I'm such a fast starter. . . .probably because I worked really hard on it for about a year. . . . .but I knew I didn't want to be in front on this one. I settled back and let one or two gals pass me (of course it was a couple of those dang MN girls). I jumped on their wheel, already hyperventilating as the pace in the front was insane at that point. I kept my fingers crossed that the single track would come quickly before I passed out.

We hit the first downhill and of course, one of the day runners (MN?) sprawled herself across the rocks blocking the trail. I hopped off, ran past her and remounted. It's a good thing I practiced riding that hill since I had people sprawled in front of me on BOTH laps and had to run the stupid thing twice.

We hit the single track and I managed to catch my breath a bit. Lost a few places on the next set of flats (my weakness). . . . . .gained some on the small climb (one of my strengths), dumped out of one set of single track in about 4th place with Sonia on my tail. She offered to do some of the work on the flats, and I took her up on it. She hopped out in front and pulled like there was no tomorrow. I couldn't hang with her. She was too strong. I let her go. . . . .along with another girl and dropped back with the hopes of catching my breath and gaining my time back in the single track.

Unfortunately one little mistake after another ended up costing me too much time and energy and when I caught up with the slower men, I didn't have the extra I needed to give on the flats to get around them. I played cat & mouse the WHOLE rest of the race with more than one sport rider. I'd crawl up their BUTT in the single track, we'd dump out on the flats and they'd leave me like I wasn't moving. We'd dump back in single track and I'd be on them again. . . .and over and over. Luckily at least one sprawled himself out on the trail and I managed to get by him.

After a bit some of my peeps caught me and motivated me to give it my all again. We rode together nicely, cheered each other on and pushed each other to get to the finish as quickly as we could. That's the one thing that's cool about most of the Sport women. For the most part they're really motivating. Most of them don't try and block the trail if they make a mistake. . . . .they don't get angry and yell at you if you make a mistake in front of them. . . . . .they apologize if they mess you up. . . . .THOSE are the kind of people I like to ride with. The kind who make racing enjoyable. Thankfully I've gotten to know a bunch of them.

You know. . . .the kind who trade places with you throughout the race, talk you through the tough sections, let you suck their wheel when you need to, suck your wheel when they need to. . . . .then welcome a sprint to the finish. And that, indeed, is how this race ended. After Scout and I came out of the last section of single track on the wheel of a gal who was just a bit slower in the single track, but fast on the flats. . . we lined up to sprint it to the finish. Spectators were cheering everywhere. 3 girls neck and neck, out of the saddle, huffing and puffing, hammering with EVERYTHING we had. We took the other girl, and I thought I might have a chance at Scout. . . . .but she shut me down and crossed the line about a half a bike ahead of me. I looked down at my HRM it read 194. Ouch, that hurt like hell. . . . .but it was awesome.

There ended up being 41 Sport women who finished the race. I took 14th. Not my best race, not my cleanest riding, not my best feeling (I wanted to throw up on more than one occasion). . . .but definitely some of my best competition. They were simply better. Awesome job gals.