But, this is just a season, and I expect to emerge smarter at some point.

Treating my body like a living machine that needs to be maintained, strengthened and and trained has made me more aware of what I eat. Especially since I’m working on finding and reaching my “race weight.”

At first I didn’t really notice how training was changing what I wanted to eat. But slowly that the desire to chow down on a big hamburger after a hardcore workout sesh was going away. Not to say that I still don’t crave a huge slab of red meat after some workouts, but I know that eating that or really anything greasy is going to make me feel sick, slow, and heavy. Instead I started wanting balanced meals that gave me protein and veggies.

Probably the biggest challenge to overcome when it came to my diet was breakfast. I’ve never really been a fan. Eating heavy, hearty food first thing in the morning was not something that appealed to me. Instead, an apple or yogurt was enough! Ha. Thankfully I’ve been able to start eating something that looks like a real meal in the mornings. I want to fuel correctly in the mornings (oatmeal all the way!) so that my metabolism knows it’s time to start firing, I stay full until it’s time for a snack (love me some snacks like Raw Rev bars, fruit, carrots, or corn chips) or lunch and feel more energized all day! That is so important not just as an athlete but as a student. I actually miss my morning oatmeal breakfast if I can’t get it! I noticed this while traveling to cx nats. Next time, I’m packing my breakfast!

Currently my eating focus has been on making sure I eat when I need to, not starving myself, and not eating too late in the evening. I hate going to bed on an empty tummy, so I have to be careful and think about when and what I eat in the evening.

Probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned when it comes to diet and eating habits, is that appetite follows your body. If you’re taking the time and effort to workout, make active choices for your body, the food part of it will follow. It’s counter-intuitive to spend time and energy on the treadmill or on the bike only to go home and eat potato chips, hamburgers and mac & cheese. I still love all those things, but I love filling my body with healthy food that aids and enhances the time I spend training.

I also recently discovered MyPlate on Livestrong.com. It’s awesome! It helps track what you’ve eaten and the exercise you’ve done, as well as tracking the amounts of protein, fat, fiber, and more!

So, train well, eat well, be well!

BioWheels Asheville is one of Mars Hill Cycling‘s sponsors. Through that connection, I went to them when I was shopping for a legit mountain bike this summer. Since I’m still a baby cyclist, I still sometimes feel out of my element in bike shops. But this wasn’t the case at BioWheels! They are super helpful in recommending bikes based on your riding needs and answering all and any questions.

It took about a week for my bike to arrive at the shop after we ordered it. When I went to pick it up, they made sure the fit was correct, and I was on my merry little way!

Now, the best thing about BioWheels, in my opinion, is their service and maintenance. Any bike bought in their store gets free “Bio-tunes.” As I was breaking Jamis in and getting used to how she rode, I must have been in there once a week for about a month getting things looked at and tuned up. I got my bike tuned up before every mountain bike race this season, with a special tune up before heading to nationals (they even packed it up for me!), and didn’t have any mechanical during any of my races!

BioWheels also stocks Hammer Nutrition, other nutrition products, bike accessories, clothing, parts, and maps and guidebooks.

So, if you’re looking for a friendly little shop, with helpful employees and a great service department, check out BioWheels! They’re located in Asheville, NC, Cincinnati, OH, and online!

I want to acknowledge the people, sponsors, and products that helped get me and the rest of the Mars Hill Cycling team to cyclocross nationals and get that team gold!

Spin-Tech Training — I can’t say enough about Spin-Tech. They are just awesome! Without Spin-Tech I really doubt that I would have made it to two national championships, upgraded from category B to A within a few weeks, or have the confidence to race at the level I’m at, all within six months of starting to ride for Mars Hill Cycling and seriously start training.

Thanks to O’Neill for the heart-throbbing, lung-bursting, muscle-screaming workouts and to Frank for the refreshing, feel-good about riding workouts! Spin-Tech also loaned us two Scott cross bikes (one for me, one for Mariske, they also served as pit bikes during the guys race), and trainers to warm-up on. Thank you so much for the equipment!

DeFeet – DeFeet has become one of my go-to favorites for anything wool-related. As a picky sock-wearer, I’ve been delighted with everything I’ve tried, be it the thin Wooleator or the thick Woolie Boolie (This is my fave sock). They also make amazing gloves what can be worn as a liner or on their own. At nats, I wore the glove by itself and it was perfect for keeping my fingers warm in the 34 degree temps of my race while offering a little cushioning for all the bouncing over ruts. The arm warmers also are amazing, warm but perfectly regulating body temps. I think everyone needs to have a pair of DeFeet armwarmers at least!

Raw Revolution is always present at Mars Hill Cycling events. They are a great sponsor and make organic raw food bars. We got to try the new Super Greens bar in Tropical Banana. I loved it! While I don’t care for some of the flavors with more nuts (it’s just me, I don’t like peanuts or cashews in any form, no matter how healthy), I really like the banana. A couple of these after racing are the perfect thing to to start the body on recovery and fill that space between racing and eating a real meal.

A huge thanks to our hosts for the week, Brian and Carolyn Cassel. They were more than welcoming, and it was so amazing having a house to come back to after racing. I felt so at home, and Brian even gathered a group of their friends to cheer for us as we raced!

And of course, thanks to our awesome coach, Hugh! Without his hard work, direction and encouragement, we would not have made it to the top of the podium!

And thank you to Mars Hill College for supporting the team!

And check out all our other sponsors who have donated funds, gear, and their time to help get us where we are… National Cyclocross Champs and the Number One ranked DII team in the nation!

And I can’t forget my wonderful husband, who encourages me and puts up with me taking off for days to race with my team. I love you Kyle!

I’m so excited for what 2012 brings, I’ve definitely had an amazing start to the year. With such wonderful support, an awesome team, incredible sponsors, I’m only looking to go up!

After an intense men’s race this morning, we found ourselves in first place in the team omnium for Division II! The rest of the day was spent in giddy excitement as we watched the elite men and women’s races, cheering and heckling with attitude.

This morning us girls swapped roles with the guys are they prepared for their race and we played the role of support team. The course was drastically different from yesterdays conditions, starting out frozen and fast.

Tim had a great start despite a early mechanical, and made his way up to 2nd place. Corey had the misfortune of being wrecked in the first turn but came back with awesome power to take 8th after breaking his shifter on one of the climbs and having to finish out with one of the spare bikes. Micheal battled the slick and muddy conditions and performed well for a roadie with a 24th place finish. It was intense watching the race from the pits and seeing the course start to deteriorate into a slick muddy mess.

After the awards ceremony, we also chased down Jeremy Powers and Ryan Trebon for a photo with the team! They are both super nice guys and a huge shout out and thanks to them both for posing with us!

Jeremy Powers, USA National Cyclocross Champion

Ryan Trebon, Cyclocross Nationals 2nd Place

MHC Cyclocross Team

With our amazing hosts for the week, the Cassels!

It feels so great getting the national championship as a team! I get to ride with the most amazing kids ever, and being a part of this has been incredible!I’m also really pleased with my performance this weekend and am coming away from this nats weekend hungry for my own successes and podium finishes, eager to keep training and gaining skills!

My deepest thanks to our amazing Sponsors! Without you we would not be here, getting all sorts of awesome results! Thank you to our amazing hosts this weekend, the Cassels! Having such a wonderful place to stay for sure influenced us for the better!

All photos by Mikey Keith

We arrived on Thursday afternoon, and after meeting and greeting our newest member, Mariske who had flown in from South Africa to start the year at Mars Hill, we headed out to check out the course conditions. We’re staying about 1.5 miles away from the course, at the hospitality of the Cassels. They gracious opened their home to us and have been the perfect, no, better than perfect hosts.

It felt great to get back on the bike again and actually ride! We were able to get a feel for at least the design of the course, if not the conditions. It was extremely muddy, with frozen earth under all the mud. Definitely caused some mountain bike nationals flashbacks for sure! The course conditions have gradually gotten better over the past couple of days, despite being re-frozen every night.

Before leaving for cross nats, I had decided that my goal for this race was a top 10 finish. But after being out here and riding the course a good bit and feeling really excited and positive about the race, I decided that top 8 was a better goal.

The women’s race was Saturday at noon. The ground had thawed out nicely after the juniors and master’s races, leaving some really soggy icky spots, but also creating some areas that where compacted down and pretty fast.

The biggest part of my worry for this race was the start on a long paved section. I am a mountain biker, so long flat things aren’t my strong-suite (yet!). But I got a great start, and according to Hugh was in the top five for at least half a lap! There were a couple hard climbs, which I had made about 50% of the time during practice laps due to the lack of traction in the mud. But with the better conditions, I was able to clear each one easily. Not really quickly, but strong and steady. Maybe it’s because my roots (or wheels, ha ha ha) are in mountain biking, but I take climbs seriously. After all, that’s half of mountain biking right there, and I better do that well

Photo by Mikey Keith

I went out hard and kept the hammer down for the first two laps, settling in to bring it home on the final two laps. I did get pulled since the leaders where several minutes ahead, which kinda threw me off. I wanted that last lap to see what I could do and who I could catch!

I ended up 7th, which is amazing to me! It’s exactly where I wanted to be, and it feels so great knowing that I put it all out there and performed at the top of my skills and fitness! This is easily the best race of my short racing career!

Mariske took first in her first cyclocross race ever! We’re really excited about the strength she’s bringing to the team, not only in mountain bike, which is her specialty, but in all areas as has been proven today.

Photo by Mikey Keith

Stephanie and Lacey took 11th and 12th after battling the tricky mud and a mechanical.

Overall, Mars Hill Cycling is currently number 1 in the DII team omnium! We’re cheering on the guys tomorrow and will see where we are after that, though the top step of the podium is our goal for sure!

I do want to thank all of our sponsors, hosts for the week and everyone who has helped me and the rest of the team get here! It’s been amazing and I’m so lucky to be able to do this cycling thing!

Big thanks to Defeet which kept us all warm and dry today and Spin-Tech for the loaned bikes for Mariske and I, as well as all of the amazing training over the past six months!

And thank you to the crew here and USA Cycling for putting on this great event! The course and entire event has been amazing! Also, the spectators here are the best I have ever had the privilege of racing in front of!

My biggest goals for 2012 definitely revolve around cycling for the most part. After all the fun and accomplishment I’ve had this fall, I’m charging on to bigger things (better fitness, skills, results) in 2012.

Academically, I’m motivated and excited about what 2012 will bring and of course am aiming to maintain my 4.0 gpa (oh yeah baby!).

Personally, I want to keep growing, learning to love and give, work hard, do my best and continue to nurture the qualities and values that matter to me.

So that’s it in a nut shell. If you’re curious about the specifics, keep reading. But if not, I’ll get over it.

• Race 1-2 Charlotte Winter Short Track Races
• Race 1-2 Charlotte Summer Short Track Races (as part of training for fall mtb season)
• Top 10 finishes in cross county and short track in fall collegiate mtb season, as well as at Nationals
• Do dual slalom, 4X, and downhill gravity events at collegiate level
• 4.0 GPA Spring and Fall Semesters
• Attempt five 5k’s (only as supplement to cycling training, spring/summer)
• Top 10 finishes in collegiate cyclocross
• Race 2-3 NCCX series races (includes NCGP), with top 15 finishes
• Make something every week (bake, cook, whatevs)
• Take multi-vit on the daily!
• Simplify

Yeah, I got this. Feeling good. Ha, powering through like a boss. Yeah yeah faster. check out that cadence! Those days off were good for me, feeling awesome! Yeah, okay. Push push push faster. Whew! That was ok! I got this. Don’t start too hard though, you always do that. Okay, get that cadence up….. and here we go again. Yup, still good…but….got this push it faster power power power. Ew. That spaghetti doesn’t feel good in my tummy. Whatever, that’s lame. No excuses! That’s a nice burn, clean that crap outta those muscles! Yeah! Power power power. Ah, heart! *Cough* Ow. That’s okay, recover. Ah yes!

[Middle of workout]

Fuuuuuck. Ow! Damn it, cadence! No excuses, remember that old guy? Seriously! Faster faster faster. Come on rpm. No…. up not down! GERRRRR! Wow, my heart is literally going to explode (in Chris Trager from Parks & Recreation intonation). No excuses! Come on, faster faster. Why isn’t it going faster? Oh, cowbell! Faster faster! Yes…good rpms. NO!!! Stay up damn it! Fuck this. Ow. Breathe breathe breathe. Stupid lungs. Come on. Okay, going to own this one! Get that cadence up…awesome! Okay…and now! GO! Settle in, maintain maintain. Come on legs! NO! FASTER! FUCK! Ow, my crotch! I’m never going to road bike ever. Come on…. stupid Madison WI. Fuck Madison WI. No excuses no excuses. AGH! Ew, I feel sick. No excuses, seriously! Push it, no excuses, gotta fuck Madison WI up! Ow. Fuuuuck.

[End of workout]

Uuuuuuugh. Almost done. Breathe breathe breathe. Push push push. Faster faster faster! Good heart rate. But still ow. Seriously, spaghetti not a good lunch. Owwww. Fuuuuck. Come on! P’own these! GERRR!!!! LAME!!! NO excuses ever. Come on…. ahhh! Wow, I feel sick. Maybe I’m not racing right… I never feel this bad after racing. Whatever. Wow….. okay just going to breathe and not vomit. Okay…. whoa. Yeah! Done! Ha!

***

Despite the misery, I know this is good for me. I’m glad for the opportunity to get such awesome training, and I know it will help me perform my best at ‘cross nats in Madison. But thinking about my inner dialogue from my interval session this evening was amusing after the fact. Training and racing require such a strong mental fitness in addition to the physical. I’m definitely working on finding what works for me and keeping it empowering.

P.S. Be sure to check out the link on the old guy reference. Mind blown!

The highlight for sure has been cycling! The team is so much fun, I think we deserve a spirit award for how enthusiastically we approach everything! There is a lot of motivation and encouragement from everyone, so thank you for that! It’s been really great, especially being the baby biker that I am. The support from the local cycling community has been incredible as well. Of course, I have to mention Spin-Tech again! They always go above and beyond and are such good people!

I enjoyed all of my classes too! Coming from community college to university, I expected harder work, but not much more than that. However, the teachers that I’ve had this semester are of such high-caliber! They are more similar to my favorite teachers at Blue Ridge, who are knowledgable, experienced, and have a genuine concern for their students. I’ve enjoyed being in the classes, taking part in discussions, as well as the higher expectations that these teachers have. It’s very refreshing after three years in community college to have that level of instruction, as well as being surrounded by students who comprehend instruction and aren’t going through a mid-life crisis. To anyone in community college, I say this: it does get better!

To top off the excellent instruction, I’m enjoying the feeling of accomplishment that comes from a 4.0 gpa for the semester! Yay!

My school experience is a little strange, I’m married, commuting and a transfer. But it hasn’t really mattered. I’m glad for that since I want to take advantage of every opportunity I’ve given at Mars Hill.

 It’s been real y’all! See you in January!

Mtb Nats was amazing, but CX Nats will be even more incredible since riders of all levels will be coming, not just collegiate. Definitely looking forward to watching to pros battle it out.

So aside from finishing finals and my first semester at Mars Hill, I’m training for yet another nationals. Gotta keep that Number 1 ranking for Mars Hill Cycling!