tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-111688112024-03-12T18:24:23.184-07:00Namrita's blogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger680125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-22546412988859278452009-08-03T10:00:00.000-07:002009-08-03T10:01:53.297-07:00Moving on...I will no longer be updating this blog. Instead, everything will be at http://www.namritaodea.com - see you over there!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-22132875964756977902009-07-30T06:31:00.000-07:002009-08-08T06:17:03.536-07:00drama, lactic acid, and 'crossI'm still here. I have gotten away from the blogging a little bit in favor for twitter, facebook, and..oh yeah, TRAINING. Next up for me is the Ore 2 Shore 48 mile race in the upper peninsula of Michigan. It's really really far from Georgia, but I've never been up that far and Michigan is my home state. I only know one thing about this race...it will be fast. Really fast. I think the Women's Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-18035615633803976662009-07-08T21:20:00.000-07:002009-07-08T21:26:57.188-07:00Big day, small postIn no particular order, today I:1) Passed the Registered Dietitian (RD) certification exam. That picks up a few more letters...Namrita K. O'Dea, MS, RD, LD. 2) Received the letter that I can start in the PhD program at Georgia Tech next month. I'll be working on my PhD in Applied Physiology. Another cool thing about this is that GT has a collegiate cycling team! 3) Celebrated with some really Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-11758814162152958282009-07-06T10:12:00.001-07:002009-07-06T10:17:36.948-07:00Long weekend: Days 2 & 3I actually got 15.5 hours of training in this week! That is the most I've ridden in one week (by A LOT) since March. Yes!! The next official race is Ore To Shore in Michigan on August 8. After that, it's Fool's Gold 50. The weekend rides were pretty chill...spent the weekend at Mulberry Gap in Ellijay and finally got to explore some of the Pinhoti 4/Tatum Lead area. Didn't make it to Fort Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-57250663118766425732009-07-03T16:37:00.000-07:002009-07-03T16:45:43.357-07:00Long weekend: Day 1The Fool's Gold 50/100 preride today was awesome. I only wanted to ride 4 hours (see post a few back about temporary retirement from endurance racing..) so didn't get to ride the whole 50 miles. However, it was an excellent day. The No-Tell and Black Branch trails are pretty rutted and rooty as always, but the Turner Creek area was super buff and fast. The Rotwild R.R2 hardtail really Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-30696563180662258712009-06-29T15:16:00.000-07:002009-06-29T17:09:17.171-07:00Raccoon Mtn SERC race (and why endurance racing is way cooler)I went up on Saturday evening to preride the Raccoon Mtn. race course. As soon as I pulled up to the parking lot I noticed thunder and some really dark clouds. The course was supposed to be a long 12.5 miles using all the technical sections. The Pro/Open women field was to do 3 laps for a total of 37.5 miles. I knew it was going to be hot, so I had my hydration and nutrition strategy all Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-77736492113509803372009-06-26T13:05:00.000-07:002009-06-26T17:06:22.101-07:00midlife crisis?I'm sort of being forced into temporary "retirement" from endurance racing because of my (formerly knee, now hip) issues and, therefore, being forced into short/fast/painful racing. This is definitely stepping OUT of my comfort zone as the last short/fast race I did was the Cohutta 35 over a year ago. And, before that, it was 5-10K road races several years ago. Hmmph.I'm trying to keep a good Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-45025518510305655672009-06-21T12:34:00.000-07:002009-06-21T19:19:22.726-07:00back to basicsLumberjack: 2, Namrita: 0I did make it to the starting line but did not finish. I hate that. Long story short, I took off near the front and red-lined for the first part of the first lap until I finally got my heart rate to settle down. My left side TFL, glutes, and hamstrings felt really really tight which was making me nervous so I spent most of the short climbs in the saddle hoping things Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-90755236674207056382009-06-17T12:38:00.000-07:002009-06-17T12:44:53.069-07:00naptime, pleaseThis has to be short because my daily to-do list is a mile long this week. Between the Ergon party on Monday, the REI Kliniks on Tue/Wed, moving into my new office, massage and chiropractor visits, and packing for Lumberjack 100, there has been no free time! I sure hope I can get some good sleep and a lot of napping in before the race because I really need it. My legs feel like lead and I'm Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-65198897718870438312009-06-15T07:34:00.000-07:002009-06-15T07:39:02.764-07:00busy week aheadThe weekend was pretty good, 4-ish hour ride on Saturday and another 3 on Sunday. I got to see the Gypsy Kings at Chastain Park last night..that is always a great time..thanks Ron for the invite! Tonight is the Ergon party at Sweetwater, then we have the endurance clinics at REI on Tue & Wed this week:After that, it's time to head to Michigan for the Lumberjack 100. I don't plan to do any Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-26317434793903904972009-06-11T13:23:00.000-07:002009-06-11T13:31:17.410-07:00step one: awarenessI've been battling this knee tendonitis for a couple months now..it all started with the fixed gear bike I was riding all winter, I think. I never got the bike fitted and was too stubborn to use the brakes on it (dumb!)..now, I'm paying for it as it seems to flare up whenever I try to work really hard as I did in the race last weekend. I went in to see Dr. Josh Glass again today and he worked Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-4325322924786461252009-06-10T06:57:00.000-07:002009-06-26T13:11:59.004-07:00Beginner Women's Mountain Bike Clinics- Summer Series 1Join Namrita O'Dea of 55nine Performance and Team Topeak-Ergon for a series of three 2-hour beginner mountain bike clinics. These clinics are for women only and are aimed to: Improve skills, confidence, endurance, and overall riding performance. We will cover: Bike set-up, clothing, equipment, maintenance, proper nutrition for before/during/after your rides, riding techniques (climbing, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-38880919276494134622009-06-10T06:46:00.000-07:002009-06-10T06:50:07.014-07:00Summer Women's MTB Weekend! August 21-23 in Ellijay, GASummer Women’s Mountain Bike Weekend at Mulberry Gap Mountain Bike GetawayJoin Namrita O’Dea for an all-women’s mountain bike weekend at the beautiful and cozy Mulberry Gap Mountain Bike Getaway in the North Georgia Mountains. Mulberry Gap is located in the middle of the mountain bike capital of Georgia. Ellijay, GA has some of the best mountain biking in the state and trails for all levels of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-28410037957231045902009-06-08T08:15:00.000-07:002009-06-08T08:17:47.688-07:00Mountain Biking Kliniks at REI Atlanta & REI PerimeterDon't forget about the clinics coming to Atlanta, GA next week June 16 & June 17. These clinics are not just for racers! Topics include: Nutrition, training, equipment choice, building endurance, & more...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-62067811387646058552009-06-07T13:51:00.000-07:002009-06-07T19:53:51.569-07:00Disc Burner, the Good and the BadFirst, the good:1. Great course, pretty fast with a few surprising technical bits. Lots of tight and twisty!2. Great organizers, volunteers, prizes, and event (Thanks!)3. No mechanicals (yeah!)4. Eddie maintained overall race leader for awhile, even though he missed the Lemans start, haha5. I maintained overall race leader for about 10 minutes until Andy Applegate caught me, that was a first!6. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-70478189339506784002009-06-04T18:16:00.000-07:002009-06-05T05:53:31.104-07:00back at itIt's been a weird week. No job, no school, yet the time passes...more quickly than I'd like. I have a lot of studying to do so I can pass the Registered Dietitian exam later this month. And, while I'm building my own Sports Nutrition practice, I still need a full or at least part-time job to supplement for awhile. Anyway, I had some good and some not-so-good rides this week. I'm still tired so IUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-52638796719922181702009-05-31T17:52:00.000-07:002009-05-31T18:00:07.101-07:00fun with toddlerheadsI had forgotten what it feels like to have trashed legs. After taking a long, unscheduled break from training and racing it feels good to be this tired. This weekend was all about getting getting out of the city for some hard riding. Yesterday we went to Pine Log to try out the new singletrack and I wanted to take the Rotwild hardtail down some gnarly "toddlerhead" covered ridgelines. (Note: we Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-7159622704857421402009-05-28T11:18:00.000-07:002009-05-28T11:18:32.538-07:00Lots of photos from COclicky click Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-57098335973601497122009-05-27T12:26:00.000-07:002009-05-27T12:46:15.735-07:00Gunnison Growler Race ReportWe lined up at 6:45 am or so for the neutral start. At 7:00am, a guy shot off a really loud gun (twice!) and the Ergon FJ rolled out with the 200+ racers following. I had no idea who I was up against except for my teammate Sonya Looney and some other badass looking Colorado chicks from CB, Breck, and Boulder. I was glad for the neutral start which was 3 miles of pavement to the sickly steep Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-74789249052651082222009-05-27T09:51:00.000-07:002009-05-27T10:04:59.879-07:00Gunnison Growler Pre-Race ReportThe team (Jeff, Sonya, Yuki, Eddie, and I) headed down to Gunnison on Friday. We stopped in Salida for good coffee and food and to visit the famous Absolute Bikes...cool shop. When we arrived in Gunnison it was kind of chilly and overcast and we all went for a little spin of the course. Gunnison is a cool, small town. We were able to roll out of the hotel and hit the race course in just 3 miles. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-2877702114944777862009-05-26T10:02:00.001-07:002009-05-26T11:12:02.837-07:00hello blog: Gunnison Growler quick report The Ergon FJ. Yeah, we fit 5 of the 6 Topeak-Ergon USA riders in here plus all our gear!I have a lot to catch up on! What a trip it's been so far...I'm back in Denver for a couple days before reality really sets in again. In the meantime, I'll do my best to remember all the fantastic days I've spent in Colorado...For now, I'd like to give a huge thanks to Jeff Kerkove, Dave Wiens, and the rest Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-65082319706371145272009-05-17T18:57:00.000-07:002009-05-17T19:04:38.142-07:00heading westEarly flight to Denver in the AM. I'm excited that the forecast is for 93* and sunny! It's like 50's and rainy right now in Atlanta...what??! Jason from Pivot Cycles/BH Bikes is going to be waiting at the airport (thanks, Jason!) Not sure what else is in store for the week...mostly chill, acclimate, ride easy, hang with Topeak-Ergon teammates and friends, etc. We are all heading down to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-54653501128320910592009-05-16T15:22:00.000-07:002009-05-16T15:29:05.223-07:00teaseSo after a couple rides on my new mountain bike I had to send it off. It's currently on its way to Colorado where I will meet up with it on Tuesday. I've only had three mountain bike rides since the end of March! I love my road bike but I miss dirt roads, singletrack, and gravel. I miss the solitude of off-road riding.I've done a good bit of intensity on the road bike lately, but not much Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-77748405085176595382009-05-13T17:06:00.000-07:002009-05-13T17:30:54.817-07:00random thoughts on my new bikeI hadn't ridden a 26" wheeled bike in over two years, so naturally I was a bit curious as to how I would perceive the "little wheels" since Rotwild does not make a 29er frame. Now that I have three rides under my belt, I feel like I can give a pretty fair assessment.1) Climbing: This bike weighs less than any of my HT 29ers (even my singlespeed). It climbs faster, I think. Granted, I do have Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11168811.post-45402264715737896452009-05-10T18:50:00.000-07:002009-05-10T18:52:39.084-07:00Mountain Biking Kliniks at REI Atlanta & REI PerimeterNew riders and beginner racers are highly encouraged to attend. Please spread the word!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2