mmm....dirt

With the gym routine taking 4 days out of my week, riding has been put on the back burner...I've mostly been riding on our new trainer. Finally, today we hit the dirt! We took Jackson and Porter out to Blankets Creek for about an hour and a half. I think they were just as excited to get back on the dirt as we were! Eddie was riding my Jabberwocky again, but lucky him.....he had a nice little present waiting for him when we got home!! He'll be training on a reactor green Vassago Bandersnatch this winter..I actually love the color! I think he'll be using their rigid fork.

After our ride, we still had our gym workout to do. I prefer lifting in the morning, but luckily I have Eddie to motivate me in the evening when I don't feel like doing much.

This weekend will be the Cartecay Bikes Chilly Dawg ride followed by a day of exploring one of the last sections of the Trans Georgia route! I'm sure it will involve a bit of hike-a-bike and sketchy stuff....but I'll try to have some fun too :) If you know me, you know I hate hike a bike!

Addictive Cycles has Vassagos in...and they're selling like crazy!! Better not stall any longer.......

mmmm beer

Yes..I'm still training hard, but I have recently discovered Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale..and d@mn it's good!! I'm drinking one now.....mmmmmmmm.

If Eddie and I don't drink too many, Eddie is going to take my measurements for my custom Beyond Clothing that will be coming soon. I am really excited because my winter school schedule is going to require a lot of training at night. I'm also planning on some long training rides on sections of the Trans Georgia route soon, so the Beyond gear will definitely come in handy there!

What do you think of this, eh? The white doesn't stain! I love it.

random pics

These were taken by Carrie Tyrone right after my crash at the 24HOCS. I thought there would be some good crash action in the pix, but not really so....oh well, I guess that's better anyway :-) But, at least you can see the smooth line on the left (that I knew I should take) and the messy line on the right...the one I did take at first. D'oh!

why the dragonfly

I stole this from Misty...

The Dragonfly represents a wild and free spirit. It is the power of light. It inhabits two realms: air and water and passes the influence of both these elements to the wearer. Living in an aura of fantasy, the dragonfly's fluttering wings inspire thoughts of fairies and butterflies. Native American belief: The dragonfly spirit means you must consciously make an effort to express your hopes, dreams, needs and wishes.

So, I guess that's why. The dragonfly plus the singlespeed cog just called my name! I love it..I can't stop staring at it. Also, I'm not sure why..but I'm happy to be back in Georgia and excited for the time to train...school is almost over for the semester. For some reason I have an overwhelming sense of motivation...I just hope it lasts!

Inked

If you already read Danielle's blog, you already know....

But we finally followed through on our plans to tattoo ourselves together this past weekend! Yes, we had been planning on it since last July. We both had our designs picked out and wanted to get it done in Grand Rapids, MI. However, I only make it there a couple times a year, so Thanksgiving weekend was a good time to do it. It's funny, we both originally (and separately) picked out the same design...but not that surprising since we both show up at races dressed alike all the time :) Then, I found another design I liked from the Jen Green website and my graphic designer neighbor Edward changed it up a bit for me.

We had a big night planned and it lived up to it. We had a great time...and the Marks (Hendershot and Hekman) even showed up. Here's some pix...sorry most are duplicates from Danielle's...but we didn't bring our camera.

It looks like I'm smiling...but really I'm in a bit of pain here. I'm surprised I didn't crush my Starbucks coffee cup!

Sweating a bit here...BTW...venti coffee is not such a great idea when getting tattooed...especially after starving for 4 hours!!

The finished product...thanks to Joe at Mos Eisleys.

At this point I was really ready for a few pints of Founders Ale, but Danielle was up next :) I'm awaiting pictures of her final product. Her design was from the Twin Six Fly T...which will also be my next one..whenever that is!

Eddie and Scott decided to get a head start on the beers, and this is what they looked like when we finally arrived! :)

Here's Eddie and I at Founders Brewery. That's the Freedom T...one of my new favorites...

And, of course Danielle and I showing off our Ts after a few beers

Half of the crowd...me, Juli, Danielle, Blair, Rich, Hekman

Don't ask...Danielle likes to sleep in swim goggles...pink ones too!

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! We woke up to snow today in Michigan..

I just finished a short but grueling indoor ride...now off to the gym because they close at 1pm today. My sister and her boyfriend are coming intown at 6pm today, so it'll be a late dinner for us.

Enjoy the holiday!

aaah..made it to the land of good beer

Bells and Founders, that is! Two of Michigan's finest claims to fame. I'll get to indulge a bit on Tuesday in Ann Arbor, and then again on Friday at the new Founders Brewery in Grand Rapids. In the meantime, I'm being good...my new eating plan is working like a charm, I'm ready for a new week of strength building, and the riding has been short but consistent. We decided to leave the woolie boolies and balaclavas back home and just bring the rollers to ride indoors up here. I'm really not ready for the torture called riding your bike in Michigan in the winter. Apparently it's only fall...but I don't believe it...not by the feeling I get when I leave the cozy indoors!

OK, time to do some work...now I'm working on a nutritional plan for Eddie. It should be interesting to evaluate how he eats (and drinks...everyone knows his love for his beer :)

It's about to get really cold

Eddie and I, and our dogs are heading to Michigan for a week, for Thanksgiving. We'll make a stop in Ann Arbor and hit my favorite place Ashley's...we're also going to visit Danielle and Scott on the west side. We have something fun planned for Friday...and don't worry it will be documented in the blogosphere. The weather is looking frigid so I think this time we will pack up our road bikes and our new Rock and Roll trainer so we can spin indoors. We're not riding much right now, still focusing on the gym routine. I think Eddie's scared that my legs are as strong as his...but he insists his are still faster. Maybe that's true...but I'm working on it :)

Oh, and I hear the famous Mike Livingston will be coached by Eddie for 2008! And, I also hear he may be pulling the trigger on a Vassago?? ...Titanium, maybe?? I hear Mike's big goal is to finally beat me next year...hmmmmmmm....just kidding, Mike ;) Now all Mike needs is a blog! Hint hint.

Beyond Clothing

This is awesome! I'm going to be sportin' some nice Beyond Clothing gear in 2008 :) Thanks to Dan and the Beyond Clothing crew for choosing me to represent them..I'm really excited!

Here's an idea of what I'll be wearing:

- Cold Fusion Womens Jacket

- Steel Action Shirt

- Cold Fusion Soft Shell Pants

- Grid Pant

It's getting cold around here, so I'm quite happy about this. Stay tuned for my reviews!!

OK, time to go to the gym...day three of the killer strength training plan...so far so good. Eddie and I are both a little sore...but not too bad. The good news is my legs are stronger than I thought..and the bad news is my upper body IS as weak as I thought!! :)

Uuuugggggh.

Sometimes I just can't stand the forums...people can sit there and act like they are experts about everything if they want. They knock products they have never tried, make assumptions, and even trash companies..honest companies...companies that have made it to where they are out of love for the sport of mountain biking. Why trash a company that has good people, good design, and the customers' well-being in the forefront of their mind when any decision is made? I just don't get it. How much have these flamers given back to the sport..besides complaining? I wonder. Sometimes it's really frustrating.

Cycling News

Eddie and I will be new diarists for Cycling News! Check out our interview here.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CLICK ME

All I have to say is THIS IS MY DREAM BIKE. I can't believe it's being released much sooner than I had thought. I might cry I'm so happy!!!!!!!!!!!! TI 29er SINGLESPEED with WETCAT Geo..is there anything better than this??? NO! I think not!



edit: Dirty Spokes has posted their 2008 race info. They have a points series next year, which looks cool. Good for them for bringing a fall enduro back to Conyers!

Rolling again

Back on the bike today! I feel rested, and ready to begin a new phase. I jumped on the rollers this morning for a bit, I was a little rusty at first (mainly because I had the bike backwards on the rollers...yes it's been awhile). Once I finally got that figured out (thanks Eddie) I was rolling...some one legged stuff, mostly just spinning and focusing on pedal mechanics. It was funny, my ipod was right where it left off during the night at 24 hours of Clear Springs when I called it a race. As soon as I turned it on, all my feelings and emotions from that night came flooding back into me. It was kind of nice, though, because even though that was just one week ago, my mental state is much more relaxed and focused now. I just had to smile.

In the gym tomorrow!!

SSWC 2008 BRING IT ON!!!

The dates have been announced

I think our plan will be direct Fools Gold 100 & 50, fly to San Fran and visit my sister and relax...race SSWC...stay a couple more days and drink lots of wine, and come back to ATL with a nice hangover.

Who else is going?


*pic by Yvette Tolson

Oh yeah....

Cody from Addictive Cycles has a blog.....and look what he has to say! This guy was on "another well-known brand" 29er before this...so this makes me happy to hear. Sounds like their whole MTB team will be on those next year. Beware...the devil is taking over the trail in Georgia!

..and speaking of hating cold weather...and having to train a lot over the winter...look what we're getting!



Take realism and your workout to a whole new level with the only trainer that delivers natural side-to-side motion. With this unique, lateral motion, core muscles are engaged to maintain balance. So now you can simultaneously workout both technique and power— especially during out-of-the-saddle hill climb intervals. Get on. Give your expectations a workout.

mission: get HUGE

As far as I'm concerned, this is a great week to take off the bike! It's cold as hell outside! Well, in the morning and evening, at least...I am one of those that loves summer in Georgia...so this is cold to me.

I'm starting to work with a Dietitian, yes I could do it all myself, but realistically..I won't make time for a plan if it's for me, and it is nice to be accountable to someone other than myself, too. She's actually one of my peers in Grad school and will be helping me to reach my goals safely and effectively...and it's free! So, why not.

My goals? To get HUGE! Just kidding. My muscular structure does not lend itself to bulking up..I have long lean muscles..they are just pretty small. So, I'm focusing on strength building on and off the bike for the first time (usually I just do it on the bike). My goal is to drop more body fat and increase lean body mass by my first 24 hour in April 2008. It takes a lot of focus, and it's kind of tedious to record everything I put into my mouth for three days..but that's the only way to do it. I already eat pretty well, but there is always room for improvement. This is going to be the key..I know it! I still have some work to do on the mental side, but my coach is pretty good at helping me with that side of it.

Ergon News Release

2007-11-07
Husband and wife combo wins with Ergon
The endurance combo of Namrita & Eddie O'Dea (Atlanta, GA) have finished off yet another successful racing campaign. Both racers saw many podium appearances in the Southeastern USA and across the ... Details >>

Interview with SCAN

Check out my interview with the Sports Nutrition practice group of the American Dietetic Association.

24 HOCS Results

Posted here

Congrats to BrouSSard for a mighty strong race! It's annoying to me to look at my lap times after the fact and realize they really weren't as slow as I thought they were. Take out the time I spent in the pits eating and putting on warm clothes, lights, etc..my "worst" lap causing me to end my race was probably not much longer than the 4th or 5th lap. Geez. Well, I ended up 10th overall with my measly 7 laps.

I think next year we might race this as a Vassago team! I definitely cannot add another 24 solo to the 2008 schedule with 4 Granny Gear races and 24 Hour Nationals already in there.

Moving on

I have strict instructions from my coach to not think about a bike for the next week. This will be hard...so I might not post much this week unless something unforseen and really exciting happens. I don't think this is bike related, well, maybe it is...but next week starts the 3 month strength training plan courtesy of the strongest woman I know that races a bike. Hopefully, it will have me pushing big gears when I'm done. I haven't lifted weights in several years, and I think it's what I need. Next year's races will have more climbing so I need to be ready if I'm going to be racing the gearies. Eddie and I will both be spending some time in the gym and joining the Winter Bike League rides that start Dec 1.

Oh, I guess that was bike related. OK, I'm off to go try to think of other things now!

24 HOCS, or WTF was I thinking

I should have listened to that little voice inside my head that's been telling me for the last 6 weeks NOT to do another 24 solo...I'm in offseason dammit, just enjoy it! But nooo.....I thought I could go from "offseason mode" of halfass training, halfass recovery, halfass nutrition to coasting through a 24 solo..on a singlespeed none the less. Whatever! Did I learn a lesson!

The course was awesome, 9.6 miles with 980 ft of climbing per lap. Now, for someone that trained on flat stuff all year and has been doing leisurely 3 hour rides on the weekend for the past month...that climbing seemed tough after 60 miles of it.


So..my brief and ugly "race report":

The Start:
They announced the teams would start 15 sec. before the solos, so once the teams left I went to line up with the other solos. Except, they yelled "Go" while I was still going over there so I was facing the wrong direction! Ha. So I quickly turn around and head into the woods 3rd or 4th. The course starts with a long tech descent and I was holding my own until my bottle kicked out at the bottom of the descent...(recurring problem I have with the rigid bike). Dang. I thought about leaving it there but then luckily I got smart and pulled over to grab it. Unfortunately, it had dropped to the other side of the trail so I had to wait for ALL the other solo riders to go through...now I am in last place. I kind of laugh it off and keep going. I pass a bunch of people on the next climb and ride the rest of the lap pretty fast until the last descent..I knew the line was a switchback around a bunch of deep ruts. Now, I don't know what went through my head when I decided to find a faster line and skip the first switchback..because it sent me directly into the rut inside the 2nd switchback...the rut was big, probably 2 foot drop with ugly roots and nastiness at the bottom. As soon as I saw this I tried to correct my line...only to result in me sitting in the rut with my bike. The best part? The race photographers got it all on film! Great!

The rest of my laps for the next 6 hours were great, I was cleaning all but the steep hike a bike sections and feeling good. I was in 3rd or 4th place overall. Then, around hour 7 everything disappeared..no power, no endurance, nothing. I longed for gears to get me through the steep pitches but I was stuck with one. That last (7th) lap was the longest hour and a half of my life. I had to walk everything that resembled a climb. It was depressing. I kicked myself for even coming out to race.

You can hide in a 6 hour, even a 12 hour or 100 miler...but not in a 24 hour. Basically, I learned that unless I'm 100% committed to preparing and racing come hell or highwater...don't even go. So, yeah, I learned it the hard way...but I'm so relieved I can take a mental break now with nothing else hanging over my head for the season. I have huge plans for next year, and I guess that's been on my mind more than this 24 hour in Mississippi.

Thanks to Brian Coleman, Ty, and all the Ridgeland Cycling folks...your trails are awesome and I hope to be back someday...could you move it into Sept or Oct, though?? :) I don't think I'll ever race in November again!

Thanks to all my sponsors, especially Vassago Cycles, for an amazing year...I am completely happy with everything I've accomplished..and can't wait for next year (after a little break, of course :)

Thanks, to my husband Eddie, for everything he did for me this weekend...I owe him huge. I know, I should have listened to Harvey and gone to the party at Razorback.

Day 2, preride 2

Much MUCH better today! The course is really beautiful and a lot of fun. It's a lot of fast benchcut narrow sidehill stuff that I'm not used to, but I guess I will get better at it. BrouSSard is here...looking to be the main "competition". He's faster than me, but it's a long race so anything can happen. Eddie worked his tail off today getting the bikes setup, so now the main obstacle is to find a decent meal tonight. Google restaurants in Brookhaven, MS and I promise..you won't find much ;) Everyone is really nice and helpful here, and the race should be a good one. If you ever have the chance to ride mtn bikes in the deep south, you should definitely check out the Clear Springs trail system.

Day 1, preride 1

It took us waayy waaaaay waaaaaaaay longer to get here than I thought it would. We finally arrived at the Clear Springs TH after dark. No one was in the parking lot, and I was hesitant to ride alone in the dark with a bunch of half (or less) charged batteries. Luckily I convinced Eddie (who is still sick) to jump on my Jabberwocky and ride with me. Let me say, I hate riding at night...I am so night blind. The only way I can do it in a 24 hour is that I've been riding the same trail all day so I basically can ride it in my sleep. Today's ride pretty much sucked. I couldn't see any roots or ruts..I need to figure out how to best set my lights up. Usually they aren't that bad but today I just didn't have any depth perception..maybe it's because it was a totally new trail for me also. Combine that with the fact that I was super stressed that my dogs were going to run away and get eaten by a large animal....ugh but they arrived back at the car safe with us. I did hear some large animals in the woods, though!! Unfortunately, there is not much to eat around here and since we didn't get back to town until 10:30pm, we had to eat TACO BELL. I sure hope I don't regret that tomorrow. Anyway, I think tomorrow will be better. The trail seems really nice, a lot like sandy rooty FL riding, but with climbing. I actually think my SS gear I already have on it will be fine. Bye.