What's your happy place?

Let me preface this post by saying that I love my job. I really do. I love knowing I have some hand in shaping the future. I love the laughs that I experience every day. But seriously, after 31 kids have tapped on your leg to get your attention or you've tied 62 shoes for the tenth time today, you can go crazy.

This week I'm trying to go to my happy place.

While it's not my happy place, I stopped by a Hallmark store on the way home from work and WOW. Something about the peaceful smells, lack of loud sounds, and an abundance of Christmas decorations that completely (for lack of a better phrase) turned my frown upside down. I felt refreshed and I didn't even mind the one hour drive down 3 miles of accident traffic after that. I told the lady that works there that she just might see a lot more of me.

How sad is that?

Also, I am typing this while riding my trainer -- who knew you could start to feel motion sick from riding a bike strapped to a stationary trainer?

Must...

stop...

writing...

Roots

Happy Veterans Day!

I love a day off. Last night my sister-in-law, in hearing that I have today off, remarked that I "picked an easy gig" -- I'm not so sure about that, but I am happy to have the day off! After dealing with 31 rambunctious five, six, and seven year olds all week I think a day off now and then is necessary to my sanity.

Saturday Chris and I headed up Mt. Bierstadt to put 14er number 10 in the bag (with an attempt at #11 which didn't work out)... and our first "wintery" ascent. Who knew a 14er in the middle of November could be so nice? Anyway, I tend to steal the fun trip reports, so I'll leave this one for hubby's blog. We had a great time though!

Here are a few pictures:

Today my dad came up and tore out the last of our bushes that we started tearing out back in July or August. The guy can still swing an axe like it's nobody's business at almost 67 years old. Thanks for your help dad! Turbo and I enjoyed supervising! I also got some homework done (one day this masters will be worth it, but I sure hate doing homework again) and spent a lot of money on groceries.

Life is good.

Barrel of Monkeys

This weekend I had more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

And not even the fake ones.

More fun than a real, giant barrel full of monkeys with diapers, cigars, and unusually large hats... and seriously, what is more fun than that?

Ahhhhh, Fruita. That's what.

This weekend I learned to fly... I scared my legs into uncontrollable shaking at least five times... I fell in love with a bicycle (like, so in love that had there been a judge dressed like Elvis, I'd now have two wedding anniversaries to celebrate)... I had one of the best weekends in my life.

Here are the highlights:

After a cold night camping on Friday night, we woke up and had some delicious hot chocolate and bagel sandwiches. Chris and I noticed that Yeti was handing out '08 demo bikes for people to take on the trails and after much indecisiveness, I finally decided it'd be fun to try out a different bike. I'm glad I decided to go for it, the bike was unbelievably fun!

On Saturday we rode Mary's Loop and Horsethief Bench. The defining moment of the weekend was when I decided to ride down a super steep 15 foot long rock. As I stood at the top, trying to decide whether to ride it or walk it, I saw a small crowd gathering at the bottom to watch people ride down. I also noticed that almost all of the girls around were walking down. I knew I had to go for it. I took a deep breath, said a little prayer, and headed down. I grabbed a little too much back brake and ended up fish-tailing down most of it. Chris stood at the bottom, ready to catch me if I ate it (which was, in all honesty, a good possibility), but I rode it out and stopped at the bottom with shaky legs. Phew.

After this we had a great ride where I rode two or three more obstacles that would normally have me walking. At the end I rode down a series of ledges at a speed that would normally have me nauseous just watching. I felt good. I felt confident in the bike. I must've left my brain back in Denver.


Sunday we rode the 18 Road side of Fruita -- Prime Cut, Joe's Ridge, and Kessel Run. These trails were super fun, lots up quick ups and downs. During this ride I made my legs shake three times -- once coming down a little steep rock where I took in more speed than necessary, once riding down a super skinny ridge with a huge rut down the middle and sharp hills on each side, and my first time getting air off a little rock jump at the end of the day.

The little steep rock was fun, although I took too much speed down and that made for an interesting line. Chris made it look like a piece of cake -- both going down and UP. His bike control and skills still leave me amazed.



Joe's Ridge was, well, a ridge. Whoever Joe was, I don't know... but to be honest, he's not my favorite person in the world. I had been prewarned about this ridge. It took me three or four false starts before actually sucking up the courage to ride it. At one point I was ready to cry and walk it, but I knew I couldn't go through the whole weekend, pushing myself past my own limits so many times and walk this one stupid ridge. So I rode it. Eventually. But the important thing is that I rode it. Then my legs shook.

The last leg-shaking experience was The Jump. My face, in this now infamous picture, is a truly honest expression of fun, shock, and "oh crap"ness. I went a little fast into that jump and scared myself a bit. Then the legs shook. A lot.

So I tried it again. The second time felt a little more controlled.

Chris made it look easy!

After the ride, I reluctantly gave the Yeti back to the Yeti people -- saaaaaaaad -- and we drove home. Neither one of us were ready to get back to work and real life. Flying through the air with two wheels is addicting.

Those darn barrels of monkeys.

Go Beyond!

2007 has been a great year for Chris and I. We're planning some really fun adventures and races for 2008 and checking out some new gear for the efforts. Beyond Clothing is sponsoring all types of athletes next year and lots of their gear would be awesome for us. They've got a wide range of options and all their clothing is custom made. Ever wish your jacket fit in the torso and was still long enough in the sleeves? Well now it can be! Just in the softshell options alone, I'm hoping to try the warm and windproof Cold Fusion Shock Jacket while Chris is looking at the ultra breathable Cold Play Shock Jacket. We're both hoping to get the tough Cold Play Shock Pants as well for some winter 14er climbs. Check out their stuff and check back here after November 15th to see if we made the cut.

Chris and Marni's 2007 Adventures:
7 14er Summits!
Quandary Peak
3rd Wedding Anniversary - Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln and Bross
Mount Sherman
Culebra Peak








Chris's 2007 Results:
1st place SS, 4th overall - Rim Ride Moab
6th Place (Series Overall) - Cherry Creek Time Trials Cat 4
5th, 7th, 8th, 8th, 8th, 12th (Individual Races) - Cherry Creek Time Trials Cat 4
32nd Place - Boulder Roubaix Cat 4
2nd SS, 6th Overall - TransIowa
7th Overall - Kokopelli Trail Race
Bedrock Store - Grand Loop Race
6th Place (Series Overall) - Winter Park XC MTB Series Expert 25-29
3rd, 3rd, 8th, 9th, 12th, 14th (Individual Races) - Winter Park MTB Series Expert 25-29
9th - 24 Hours of Moab Solo Men




Marni's 2007 Results:
22nd Place (Series Overall) - Cherry Creek Time Trials Cat 4
15th, 15th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 25th (Individual Races) - Cherry Creek Time Trials Cat 4
2nd Place (Series Overall) - Winter Park XC MTB Series Beginner 25-29
3rd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th (Individual Races) - Winter Park MTB Series Beginner 25-29

Some of Chris and Marni's 2008 Events:
Togwotee Winter Classic
Cherry Creek Time Trial Series
Winter Park Mountain Bike Series
14er's - Longs Peak, Mount Sneffels, Mount Bierstat and Mount Evans via The Sawtooth

Here's to more success in 2008!

Stress makes my hair fall out

Today I found out, after getting kid #30 in my class (16 kinders and 14 first graders!!), that the school will be hiring another Kindergarten teacher to take all of my Kinders and some from the other huge class. That leaves me with 14 first graders. I started the year as a first grade teacher, got changed to a K/1 teacher, and now will be going back to being a straight first grade teacher. For a person who HATES change, this year has been a serious test to my ability to adapt.

Good news -- 14 kids, all one grade, wow! Can't beat that! Granted I'll get every new first grader that comes our way, but that's ok.

Bad news -- I've fallen head over heels in love with my Kindergarteners and hate the idea of giving them up. They are so cute and it makes me incredibly sad to think I won't get to see them every day. Now I have to redo the grade book, the homework chart, the birthday chart, the reading groups, seating, classroom arrangement, filing system, EVERYTHING... and I JUST finally got it all changed over from my previous system.

Sigh.

More change. More stress. Dang... and I was hoping I'd stop losing my hair at some point... hey, bald will be easier with a bike helmet, right?

(I should also point out that I am now 8-0 in fantasy football -- I've come to l-o-v-e Tom Brady. I had four guys score under five points this week and still won because of Brady's 41.64 points -- sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet)

Sports can be great...

If this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will!

p.s. fixed the link so it works now :)

Random thoughts

1) VeloSwap was a little disappointing this year. I got a pair of short fingered gloves for $10.00 and two pairs of hiking/trail running shoes for super cheap. Other than that, even if I did have enough money for a time trial bike like I had hoped to have, I wouldn't have found anything. I guess that's good...

2) GO ROCKIES! While the game is still about to start and I'm not frustrated to the point of turning it off, I am excited about the first World Series game in Colorado. Who would've thunk? Even if they get creamed, I'm still so excited that they even made it this far.

3) To the turds that dented our garage door with rocks last night... wow. That's really cool. I wish I was as awesome as you. May you one day grow up and learn how it feels... and may you never have my husband, father, brothers, or biking buddies catch you in the act.

4) I miss peanut butter snickers.

Fickle Love

I have watched movies, listened to music, and read poetry that eludes to the great feeling of love.

According to these reliable sources, when a loved one is not around the world loses its beauty and even food loses its taste.

Usually when hubby isn't around for dinner, I heat up some leftovers or make such gourmet dishes as cheesy rice. After a busy day and a week where I've resumed bike riding after a short hiatus, tonight I felt like eating real food despite my true love's absence from the meal.

I cooked up some delicious french dip sandwiches, complete with yummy au jus.

I sat down, by myself, to enjoy my great idea.

I took one bite... eh, ok.

I took another, and another, and soon I realized something.

Those movies, that music, those poems are right!

Even the best food loses its taste when my true love isn't here to enjoy it with me.

Despite being sad about the not-so-delicious food, I was exhilarated that I'd reached such an epiphany. I ate the food. Not what I'd hoped, but that's love's fault, right?

I took the dishes upstairs and started cleaning up. As I threw away the trash from my concoction, I realized something.

Instead of 3 cups of water in the Au Jus, I'd put in four.

Hence the not so delicious taste.

Well my love, perhaps you don't make food lose its taste as I'd previously given you credit, but you are still wonderful... unlike my dinner.

Another Plesko peformance for the books...

Right now I am in a horribly uncomfortable, yet oh so sweet feeling, Moab Super 8 bed. To my right there are Chris and his dad (Pete and Re-Pete) making this really cute half snore/half sigh thing that I've come to realize is hereditary -- oh yes, there's a picture, but unfortunately the download cable is at home. I napped for a little while, but these two have outlasted me and I'm starting to think my quest for pie may be a solo adventure in a little while. Why could they possibly be so sleepy?


Seven hours ago, Chris completed his first 24 hour race. He's done longer and arguably harder before, but a sanctioned 24 hour event where you go around in big 15 miles circles for 24 hours is a whole different ball game. Let me remind you...

I take you to Moab 2006 -- The Storm of the Century. We hauled down Dave N, Dad2, me, and Chris down in the Element and were joined by Scott and Melissa. Once down there we anxiously awaited the start of the race, with high hopes of a first try, first conquest 24 hour race for Chris. Eventually the rains began and never stopped. Without any sort of Easy-Up and a couple of leaky tents, we ended up rigging four or five tarps between cars for a makeshift (and quite crappy) shelter. Eight hours into the race and it was cancelled. Chris had been doing well, and completed five laps in a soggy eight hours. Desert schmesert.

Discouraged by Moab's lack off desertness, we headed down to Tucson, AZ in February 2007...

Fast forward to 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo -- The Great Stomach Disaster. This time Chris and I drove down alone with the poochy and met Dad2 and Little re-re-Pete (little brother Nick) for a hotish, very windy, and quite cactusey second try at a 24 hour conquest. Chris was ripping up the course until around 1 am when his stomach lost all ability to process food and Chris regretfully and painfully pulled the chord on another race. Between the borrowed Easy-up blowing away and everything being covered in a million little cactus pricklies (claiming the life of a much loved pair of SmartWool socks and a lot of hunks of dog's fur), the environment wasn't exactly our friend on this one either.

So here we are, one year after The Storm of the Century, sleeping in the same hotel, smelling of the same Moab sand, with a smaller but more experienced crew, much happier and more tired. There will be many stories told by Chris and his fellow competitors that will go down in the epic record books. The greatest story of all is not my squeemish 2am application of cold Butt'r to Chris's shorts as he drowsily and unknowingly explained that he was "hot down there" to a giggling posse of friends, but it was rather Chris's conquest over himself. I'll let him tell the story and results, but I'm happy to say (once again and in my humble opinion) that I'm married to one of the top 10 mountain bikers in the region, country, and probably the world. I'm also happy to say that the combination of Dad2 and myself makes for a pretty well-oiled crew-machine. Only a Dad can spring up with that much urgency every two hours when his son radios in saying he's hungry.

The three of us are exhausted and one of us can hardly walk, but we're all relieved and exhilarated by Chris's performance on the bike. In addition to our happiness about him, we are so proud of the Feedback team who pulled down a 3rd place in the Co-ed Pro-am category, Bill and buddies who pulled off an impressive 2nd place in the Clydesdale category, and Nicholette/Steve/Dan/guy we don't know, but will probably know soon, on their excellent conquest of their first 24 hour team race. We had a great group of home, internet, team, and new friends hanging around enjoying Moab (which actually could've passed as a real desert this trip).

Pictures of action-Chris, sleeping Chris, the Hotelement, and our WAY cool and super dialed in pit setup to come. HUGE THANKS TO MOM AND DAD FOR THE EASY-UP TENT! Your mad shopping skills were the envy of Solo Row as everyone else probably paid way too much for theirs.

Off for my own solo conquest -- PIE!

Challenge

Last weekend I found myself on Culebra Peak looking like this:

It was about 11:00 am and I was headed off of a windy, cold summit about a hundred yards behind Chris. We were walking down a large grassy hill and as I closed one of my five hoods around my head to gaurd against the wind I tried to ignore my knee that screamed with every step. I looked ahead and saw Chris and Turbo walking gleefully down the slope without a care in the world.

Eventually the "ow, ow, ow" in my head was interrupted by an interesting thought "how did I get here?"

Not here in the theological sense, but rather, how did I (a person who appreciates nature's beauty but has never been one to engulf myself in it) end up on a cold and windy 14er on a random weekend in the middle of the busiest part of the school year -- my 7th in less than three months?

Even more than simply being there, how did I end up loving being there? How could I find being wind-burned, tired, 5 hours from home, and having a screaming knee fun? How could I make it through a whole trip like this without complaining? I've never been the "adventurous" one in the family. No one would look at me or meet me and think "hard core." Pretty soon I looked ahead and saw this:


I realized I have one person to thank, or to blame, for all of this: Chris.

Then I got quite nostalgic. And here it will spew into a pre-Moab tribute to my wonderful husband:

Chris, you challenge me like no one else in my life.

From the day we met, you have pushed me to do things that I would normally shy away from. Even the way we met was a challenge to my personality. My brother invited me to a triathlon team party where I wouldn't know anyone but my brother and his girlfriend, and there would be "this Chris guy who you might like." Luckily my roommate was out of town and I, in very un-marni-like fashion, said I would go. Even now, I don't think I'd go. I'm not sure what got into me. Once there I "danced" to Nelly with that strange Chris guy (I don't dance, and I REALLY don't dance to hip-hop, especially with some random guy I just met) and as the evening progressed, I snuck away from the cops. Obviously, from day 1, you challenged me to push the limits that I had unknowlingly set on my personality.

You've gotten me to work on and drive race cars. You've given me the opportunity to learn to drive and ride on a sport bike. You taught me to run and somewhat enjoy it. You've even showed me how to slide in a car in the snow and not think I'm going to immediately die. Most recently we've learned to hike 14ers together... I've learned that I can lose footing and not slide off the mountain... I've learned the wind can blow and I won't blow away... I've learned that I'm actually not too bad at peeing above treeline. You've introduced me to the great world of biking... I've learned that I can fall and not break things... I've learned that I can go downhill above 5 mph and the bike won't spontaneously combust... I've learned that I can race other girls and not totally suck.

Without you in my life I never would've experienced these adventures and I never would've learned those lessons. While I feel good about my accomplishments... I see what you attempt, what you accomplish, what you aspire to do with your life, and
it humbles me.

Many people call you "crazy." Hey, I've even called you crazy (even my blog header hints at such). Most people see what you do and think that there's something wrong with you.

What I don't tell you often enough, is that I admire what you do. I wish we all had the attitude that you have when looking at challenges. You see an adventure, no matter how outrageous, and think "I can do that" while I look at the same adventure and tend to think "I could never do that".

Luckily for me, you tend to believe in me much more than I ever believe in myself.

Luckily for you, I tend to believe in you even more than you believe in yourself.

I know that a few rides have brought down your bike confidence this year. I also know that you can do anything you put your mind to.

I can't wait to be your crew at 24 hours of Moab again this year. Every race you enter or ride you attempt, I look at you with such admiration and pride. To me, despite what I may sometimes say, you aren't crazy. You are wonderful, smart, talented, and ambitious. Without your "craziness," I wouldn't be half the person I am today and you wouldn't be half the person you are either. I love you because of what you have accomplished and dream to accomplish, not in spite of it.

You are, and will always be, my puzzle piece. Our personalities may be quite different but it's our differences that make us fit together perfectly. Thank you for making me a better person.

Good luck this weekend in your big race. I can't wait to be there to push you out on your bike and cheer the loudest for you as you finish. I'm your biggest fan and I'm proud of you for even attempting such great things.


P.S. Remember during the race that I may be mean at 2:00 am, but it's for your own good :)

And then there was one...

Our Wednesday group is generally a pretty reliable source of weekly riding.

Lately, however, the group has quickly dwindled.

Two weeks ago we had four.

Last week we had three.

This week it was going to end up just being Chris and I on good old Marshall Mesa. Except today I'm getting sick again. AGAIN. *$&*(#()@*#$^$!!!!

My throat hurts. My ears and head are feeling like they are going to burst.

So today the group lamely dwindled to one. Poor Chris is out riding alone on a Wednesday night. I feel sad for him. I wanted to ride. I've been looking forward to riding. I didn't ride last night because I knew there'd be a good opportunity tonight. This morning I thought I'd still make it. This afternoon I had to email Chris to tell him that I, too, am now super lame and not riding tonight.

Sorry love :(

From Rockies to Rockies

Saturday night, hubby and I embarked on another great Plesko adventure. After plans got derailed due to the unpredictable fall weather at 14,000 feet, we still managed to squeek out an unbelievable weekend. We ate a delicious dinner at my sister-in-law's parents' house and then Chris drove us the 4+ hours down to some ranch gates 9 miles from the New Mexico border. We thought ahead and set up the air mattress in the back of the hotelement and around 1 am we curled into our sleeping bags with Turbo keeping watch in the driver's seat and attempted to drift off into sleepyland. Wind howling against the car and the bright almost-full moon kept us from getting any actual sleep and our 5 am watch alarm came both WAY too quickly and not quickly enough. I whined my way into keeping us curled into the warm sleeping bags until about 5:30 when Chris finally coaxed me out into the windy cold to start our adventure up Culebra Peak.

Culebra Peak is on privately owned land and the owners are not so keen on the idea of letting dogs (let alone most people) hike there. Luckily for us, a nice guy from the 14ers.com board talked the ranch owners into allowing this dogs/owners day (in completely Culebra, his dog finished 14er #53 -- nearly every official 14er in Colorado). Apparently dogs haven't been allowed to hike there in over 10 years and Turbo is one of the luckly five to summit in at least a decade. We paid our fee and took the E up a road that made even Chris a little nervous. The E is 4 wheel drive, but doesn't have the clearance or gearing to crawl over such harsh roads without scraping, cursing, and clutch-smoking. But, we all survived, including the car, and once at the top we set off to climb 14er number nine for the Pleskos.

Climb details and pictures will come tomorrow. For now, I just got home from a kickball double-header where I acutally didn't seriously suck. The Rockies are currently playing in the bottom of the 13th to catch a wildcard playoff bid. I was a die-hard Rockies fan for a few years, never missing a game whether it was on TV or just on the radio. The Rox have, frankly, sucked for many years and in those years my fan-dom, and most of the city's, has dwindled down to nearly nothing. Today it seems like back in the 90s. We actually had a radio out at the kickball game listening to the Rockies/Padres game. Everyone asked how they were doing. No one has cared this much about Colorado baseball in this town since, well, ever really. I actually listed to the game on the way home and gave up going to sleep at a nice early time to watch the rest of this game. Did I think they'd pull it out? Heck no. Especially when the Padres hit a two-run homer in the top of the 13th. And holy crap. They just pulled it out. I can't believe it. Was the call at the plate to end the game iffy? Absolutely. But oh well. No worries. I'll call it now, the Rockies will find a way to flop it in the first round. But they provided a night of hope for Colorado baseball to last another 10 years. Good job boys.

Finally off to bed. More mountain report tomorrow :D

Naked Lip

I haven't blogged in a while. Not sure why, perhaps it is because I've been so freaking busy, or perhaps it is just because I haven't had anything good to say. Hmmm... well, either way, here's an update:

I rode on Wednesday with Chris, Erik, and Steve at Marshall Mesa. It's amazing how quickly our Wednesday group has dwindled now that it is "fall". No girls are coming at this point in the year -- I think the inevitable night riding keeps some away, I also think we've entered a busy time of the year when it's simply easier to not go ride. I haven't been great at riding myself, getting over this cold has put me back to riding once a week and I can't wait to get back into it. Night riding or not, I still look forward to our Wednesday rides and hate the thought of missing them. This week we rode a trail closer to our house and ended up being the only ones at our post-ride dinner. During the ride I wore a small version of the sun on my head which made the issue of night riding almost non-existent. It's amazing what a little wattage can do to your outlook when it gets dark. I could actually see the trail! We ended up riding almost 20 miles. Going from basically no riding for the past three weeks to 20 miles was a surprisingly easy task and that made me feel good about my base fitness. I must not have lost too much fitness with the four pounds that I lost while being sick... now I'm just a lighter-weight version of myself -- haha.

(bug spray + Mesa dirt = excellent way to fake 'n bake tan)

This weekend was one of those lovely one-day weekends. I had a mandatory science training on Friday night and all day on Saturday. Booooo. It was incredibly borring but at least I'll get paid for it in November. I'll never say no to an extra $200. Between my trainings and Chris's tour-de-front-range this weekend, we realized we hadn't really seen each other too much since Thursday. So we spent the day together after a VERY early morning hair appointment in Boulder. We had two breakfasts, one at Starbucks and one at Panera. We bummed around some mountaineering store in Boulder and then came home to get my work done, clean up the house, and relax on the couch. Today I became 3-0 in Fantasy Football, beating out my own mother. Last week I creamed the TMom, and beat out my sister's family the week before. Poor Chris is at the bottom of the Fantasy Football barrel -- looks likes he should stick to bikes. Turns out my strategy is awesome -- pick people who have weird names (i.e. T.J Houshmandzadeh).

Anyway, a whole day together lead down to the basement where the closet got gutted and we got distracted by "old" stuff. We looked through old pictures, some of when we first met, some before we met. We decided we were (are?) huge dorks and it's a miracle either one of us fell for the other one. Our kids are going to make such fun of those pictures one day ("Mommy, why did Daddy have yellow hair? He looks silly"). In the spirit of dorky pictures, we decided to have a little fun with the camera tonight. Digital allows us to delete those terrible pictures, so what fun will the kids have one day always looking at pictures where the smile is just right? We created some new material tonight with some stick-on mustaches. Enjoy future children and mean-spirited friends... hehehe...




(notice the new haircut -- after having the same style since I was 18, I decided to go for a change -- not too drastic, but different at least)

(Turbo has a mustache here but he's currently trying to eat it)

Happy new week!

Lungs of steel

Lots of things to update. Of course the most important first.

I rode yesterday. If you call riding leaving a lung on the trail in between hike-a-biking and pedaling straight into rocks. Yeah, the ride wasn't pretty. I've been sick with a chest/head cold for a solid week and a half and it is a SLOW moving sickness. Luckily I'm starting to not feel like I'm going to die, so I wanted to get out of the house and ride for a change. It wasn't pretty. My legs felt pretty good and I sure had the heart for riding, but my lungs and bike handling skills didn't exactly match up. I felt like I'd never ridden a bike before. The tiniest of rocks would throw me off balance and make me get off and walk. The only time I made any sort of decent move was up a little waterbar and that was only because there was a cuteish guy standing at the top looking at me like I wouldn't be able to make it. So of course I had to prove him wrong :) I think he ended up impressed and gave me some nice encouragement. I rode 2.5 miles up Lookout Mountain and then decided to skip the last push to the top in favor of riding part way down the road and then back on the trail to the car. Riding alone in the dusk/darkishness was entertaining. I saw a bird in the middle of the trail that wouldn't move so I stopped and started to think about how to get it to move when someone came up behind me and asked if they could pass. I must've jumped about 10 feet thinking it was a talking bear. I also hit a sandy spot going slowly, paniced and grabbed the breaks, almost had a fairly spectacular slow speed crash but saved it and then had shaking legs that wouldn't calm down the rest of the ride down. Good news is I got to wear my cute new jersey for the first time! Yay!


My new K/1 class is going very well. I'm having a blast with the little kindergarteners and the 1st graders seemed to have matured a bit with the responsibility of "setting a good example". It's a challenge for sure, but I'm really loving it. Here's my funny story for the day:

Today I was reading a book and this little guy (who is classically entertaining in so many ways including his mohawk and super thick glasses) interrupts and the following conversation occurs (the kid is Y)
Y: When I grow up I'm not going to read books. Actually, I'm not going to read nothing.
Me: Oh yeah? What are you going to do when you grow up?
Y: I want to sit around and eat and play video games all day.
Me: Well, what are you going to do to make money? What will be your job?
Y: (pauses for a second) I'm going to make statues.
Me: (didn't expect that one -- usually it's a fireman or power ranger) Hmmm, well, when you get people to tell you what they want you to make, you'll have to read the note.
Y: They can just tell me.
Me: What about your video games? When you get a new video game you'll have to read the instructions right?
Y: I get new video games and I don't have to read the directions now.
Me: Well, people aren't as smart when they get older.
Y: Hmmm.


Hehehe. I met my match :D

New Beginnings?

I just want to point out that right now I'm wearing a sweatshirt, bundled in a blanket, and so cold that I just had to close all windows and doors in the house. Fall is a'comin!
***********************
Off to a new week of work. Should be quite interesting with lots of good blogging material. Due to the kindergarten class being up to 35 kids right now, there's a VERY good chance that, as of Tuesdayish, I will no longer be a 1st grade teacher but instead I'll be a K/1 teacher (again!).

Having done it before, I 'won' the opportunity to teach a K/1 and give the other English 1st grade teacher some of my kids (including, yes, the very apple of my eye that has been making the first three weeks of school harder than imaginably possible) so that I would have room to fit 9+ new kinders.

It's not *official* yet, but rather just a very good possibility. I, of course, am all for the opportunity to give the apple of my eye to a different teacher (although she is probably also going to end up in a separate school in the end), I've done a K/1 with great success in the past, and LOVE Kindergarteners in general... sooooooo... it could be a good change. It also is going to pose many more problems and complications (like, I'm not sure how I'm going to be teaching math being the only K/1 teacher, hmmmm). So we'll see.

Good thing I'm good at rolling with the punches.

"You'd never take a walk with me"

So, first things first. I haven't been to work in two days because I'm still sick. I think I'm slowly getting better, but I still have a hacking cough and can't stand up for more than two minutes without being out of breath and lightheaded. It's amazing how you can go from the peak of your fitness to barely able to walk up the stairs in two short weeks. Good thing I love being a teacher because it sure takes a toll on your mental and physical health -- especially this time of year.

The weather is feeling downright fallish today and it makes me have a serious itch to go ride. Chris is out doing that right now and I'm incredibly envious. A chill road ride with a clear view of the Flatirons, taking in the scenery and fresh air sounds heavenly. Heal, Marni, heal.

To make myself feel better for being at home I've done three things. 1) I did the strenuous task of whipping up some brownies for dessert tonight -- yumm! 2) I did some prep work for some delicious parm/rosemary pork chops for dinner -- double yummmm! 3) Downloaded the latest P!nk CD.

#1 and #2 are very me. #3 is not so much. Let me explain.

Buying a new CD, even through i-tunes, brings me back to the days of being a teenager. I'd get a few extra bucks, go to the Best Buy in the Probe, look at the CD section FOREVER and finally land on the one CD I wanted. I'd play it over and over and over again until about 3 weeks later when it'd land in a pile with the other CDs I used to play over and over and over again. It didn't happen that often, but it made driving anywhere exciting for the next few days knowing you'd get to listen to it.

Now-a-days I download the music, rarely burn it on to a CD, so therefore rarely hear it in my car. But it does make mundane tasks like cleaning or cooking more fun because I can play the music off the computer. Hence the reason I did the brownies and pork chops chores tonight despite feeling pretty crappy. I rarely download CDs -- maybe one every six months -- so when I do, it feels like a guilty pleasure.

Also, P!nk isn't exactly my normal selection. Due to the XM in my car, I've expanded my music tastes. I heard a few P!nk songs I liked, and luckily they are all on the same CD. Hence the purchase. The point of it all is still coming.

I downloaded the CD and heard a new song that I really liked. I tend to stay out of political discussions -- or any discussion that pits core beliefs against core beliefs -- as a personal choice. I don't mind other people having them. I don't really mind listening to them, I'm just not a fan of participating. I don't really have that ability to not take things personally. I think I missed that crucial step in growing up. To me, everything is personal. It's a flaw and a positive characteristic at the same time. It's what makes me a good teacher and a bad teacher. Eeeenyway, if you're not a huge fan of Mr. Bush in Washington, you might enjoy P!nk's "Dear Mr. President" song featuring the Indigo Girls. I may be a little late to the party, but it shows some serious professional, for lack of a better word, balls to be willing to put out a song like that -- it is a tasteful criticism of some things going on. I'll leave it at that.

Ooooh! Brownies are beeping! YUM!

Climb that mountain

Today I am sick. I woke up Sunday morning not feeling well, spent Monday feeling terrible, woke up Tuesday morning thinking I'd turned the corner so I went to work, and now I'm sidelined (Tuesday night) on the couch feeling like there is a rock on my chest and an elephant in my sinuses. Lovely. There's a good chance I won't be going to work tomorrow.

If I don't go to work, I won't be able to go on our Wednesday night ride. If I don't go on our Wednesday night bike ride, I won't be able to wear my cute new Twin Six "Queen of the Mountains" jersey that Chris bought me. Sad.

Anyway, before getting sick we had a great weekend with Chris's mom and sister in town. Here are a few pictures from our climb up Mt. Sherman. HUGE props to the flatlanders who overcame some altitude issues to summit their first 14er! You guys are awesome!





And now the best picture of all. Here's Chris and I if we stop doing anything active and eat nothing but twinkies for the rest of our lives.

Chris will probably make a good write-up of the climb in the next few days -- he's good at that. If I'm stuck on the couch with this darn cough tomorrow, maybe I'll post more of a narrative myself.

Adios.

Another phrase I never thought I'd have to say...

"Butts are not used to turn off lights"

Yep. Came out of my mouth. Teaching has to be the most hillarious profession in the world. Despite all of the stress swirling around my room right now, they are, in fact, still five and six year olds. Thank goodness for that.

Season Wrap-Up

Race miles in 2006: 5
Podiums: None. Actually, in that race, I got last in my class -- an anti-podium.

Race miles in 2007 (April 1 - August 31): 147.3
Podiums: 3. Two race podiums and an overall series podium.

Mmm, yeah.

I've say I've kicked it up a notch.

Yesterday I finished the Winter Park series. I raced a race that, apparently, has been ranked in the top 5 mountain bike races in the world. Armstrong even did this race in '99 (A LOT faster than me). King of the Rockies proved to be a challenge, but rather than stressing about this race, I just went out and had a good time. At one point in the race, I had a song stuck in my head and actually broke out a little dance while riding. In retrospect, I should've raced a little harder. I should've had more of a killer instinct and tried to podium one last time for the season (afterall, Chris will be making me move to Sport instead of Beginner next year, so it'll probably be a while before I have another legitimate chance at placing in the top 3). I knew I had 2nd place for the series pretty locked up (although 3rd made a heck of a showing and ended up tying me for 2nd -- good for her, but I'm still not convinced she didn't cheat). Instead of rushing, I enjoyed the ride -- all 25ish miles of it. Honestly, with more and different food, and more water, I feel like I could've ridden even more (I can say that because I didn't have to).

The first part of the race was fine -- a downhillish section on dirt road -- I let most of the pack go and then would ride up to one girl, draft for a second, then slingshot up to the next. I was having fun playing with some tactics Chris has been teaching me on the road. Could I have hammered and gone a little faster? Probably. I played a little with gearing -- what would happen if I shifted up to the big ring? What would happen if I spun faster/slower? It was fun. I smiled and tried to talk to girls as I passed them and then get a big kick out of the nasty look they'd give me for sounding so chipper. I played that game through the whole race and it was, at least, very entertaining to me. Most girls get bitter when they sit on a bike seat. I'm not sure what that's all about.

The first climb was nice -- steady but not technical, long but not steep. I got into a rhythm and hung on to the wheel of the girl who ultimately got 2nd for the race. I should've stuck with her, or passed her when I knew I could climb faster than the pace she was setting. When the hill flattened out, she was gone. It probably would've been an interesting race had I passed her at the base of the climb like I wanted to. Oh well. Lesson learned for another year.

The first downhill was fun -- I had warned Jeanie that it could be "dangerously fast", and her husband ultimately ended up eating it on that descent and breaking his collarbone into pieces. Poor guy. I guess I read that hill right.

The rest of the race sorta blends together only with snipets sticking out in my mind. I got growled at something from the trees in the middle of nowhere at some point. That was a little unnerving. I made it through the big water crossing for the first time. In the pre-ride I ate it onto my knee, the next race I got off and ran it, last race I made it 3/4 of the way through then realized I was in too hard of a gear to keep pedaling and had to get off, and this time I made it. Thanks to Michelle for her cheers and support... I think that was the best part of the race. I cleaned the nasty climb up Chainsaw as everyone around me walked it. I disliked the Serenity trail a lot. I spent the entire trail trying to think of the word that "serenity" comes from and could only come up with serentatious -- only to realize at 2am last night that it's simply "serene". It was not serentatious -- or serene -- at all. I hate that trail. I liked the rest.

And so it ended. I came off of Serenity to the trial that leads to the end and saw another racer pop off a different trail and thought I recognized our friend Scott. When I saw Chris I yelled "Is that Scott?" and when he said yes, I put it in the big ring and cranked as hard as possible to catch him before the finish line. Unfortunately, he heard I was in front of him and he put on the gas to catch me. That last push smoked me for good. But it was fun to try.

Turns out I didn't do so hot in comparison to the rest of my group in this particular race -- but knowing that leaves me very hungry for next year. I guess that's a good thing. I did get second overall for the series. Pretty impressive for not wanting to do any of the races. In the middle of this series I found a love for mountain biking. I'm no longer only in it for the delicious food afterwards. I truly love the challenge and the peace that comes with being out on the trail. I am so lucky to have such an amazing husband and great group of friends to ride with on a regular basis.

And now to the obligatory post-season thank yous:

Thank you to Chris for all of your free coaching and never ending support and bicycle maintenance. You've taught me to believe in myself, the bike, and the unknowns that make up the sport.

Thanks to Eric, Scott, Bill, Dave and Mike for always putting up with my slow-butt at the Wednesday night rides. Your encouragement, support, and sense of humor has kept me from quitting this sport on many-a-wednesday. You guys are the best people to ride with in the whole world and I'm lucky to get to tag along.

Thanks to Melissa, Michelle, and Jeanie who have made the Wednesday night rides more fun and social than simply "going for a ride." It's been nice to have girls to ride with for a change -- girls that understand that riding shouldn't just be about the length or intensity of the ride, but the fun factor plays a big role as well.

Thanks to the Feedback team for letting wear your jersey and be an honorary member of your team for the race series.

Well, that's all folks. My bike season is over. I'll still be riding, but no more racing for me until next year unless an opportunity presents itself that I just can't resist.

My goals for 2008?

Let's just say I'm going to be spending some serious time on the trainer this winter -- pregnant or not. I hope to pull out some secret weapons for both Cherry Creek and Winter Park next year. Chris and I want to do a team assault on a 12 or 24 hour at some point -- Plesko family assault involving Dad Plesko as well? I hope so! Talks have been swirling around this house of a Marni-Pugsley possibly in the future. I'm a little nervous of the whole snow-biking idea but, like everything else, I'm sure Chris will find a way to make me like it. There's also talks of a single speed in the future. Also nervous about that, but also think it will be a fun challenge. Overall, lots of great things to look forward to if the pregnant thing doesn't work out. Life right now is good, and I'm taking advantage of it.

Did I mention my kickball league starts on Monday? There should be a whole new crop of funny sports-related stories to share once that gets started... my first attempt at a team 'sport' -- Go Ovulators!