Yet another trip Up North

It has become a family tradition to head North for the summer bookend holidays. This Labor Day weekend we followed suit packing up the camper, the bikes, pancake supplies, and some special edition Fat Tire Amber Ale then pointed the truck North on US-31.

New Belgium Brewing "Pedaling Straight to the Great Lake State"

As we approached Ludington we saw a rather startling site:

Wind Turbines. This picture does not impress the gross stature of these beasts. I don't plan on starting a debate on this issue, all I'm going to say is that I was startled by the physical, unnerving reaction I had to the large, unmoving turbines. I wondered if this is what it felt like to watch the first power-lines be erected nearly a century ago?

Onward North!

Our final destination was Traverse City. We parked the camper at one of our favorite campgrounds Timber Ridge Resort.

Our home

Why is it one of our favorite campgrounds you ask? I'll tell you why:

Mountain Biking: you can ride from your campsite to the VASA Single Track trail. And/or you can ride the VASA Pathway (two tracks and cross country ski trails). We keep several copies of the GTMTBA Traverse Area Trail maps in our camper, they are extremely helpful when navigating the trail system in Traverse City. You can order your own copy here.

Really, that's the only reason it's our (i.e. Mom and Dad's) favorite campground. However, the kids have a few reasons of their own:

• The Swimming Pool
• Planned Activities such as crafts, games, dodgeball
• The Candy Cannon
• Glow Parade 
• Bike Go-Carts
• Playground
• and the Bike Park (the kids can spend hours here)

VASA Single Track

GTMTBA Trail Map : VASA Pathway

Saturday morning, after making half-inch thick, saucer size pancakes for the family, I kissed them good-bye and rolled out in search of the VASA (this is where the GTMTBA map comes in handy). To get to the singletrack from Timber Ridge you have to navigate first the Timber Ridge Trails, then the VASA Pathway, across the power lines sand pits, and onward to the single track. 

My Garmin map: riding from Timber Ridge to the Single Track

The VASA is close to 13 miles. Riding from Timber Ridge and back makes it approx. a 16 mile ride. 

There's not much climbing, only 283 of elevation. It makes for a fast and flowy ride. 

An 11 mph average is decent for me, especially since this was only my third time riding the VASA in as many years. I was happy with my morning jaunt in the woods.

The trail had more sand and erosion than I remembered but it was manageable and allowed me to practice the "neutral" hand grip and "heavy" feet stance. This technique has immensely improved my ability to ride through Michigan's notorious deep sugar sand. 

There is one section of the VASA that I have always found unnerving. It's a tight, narrow, gradual descent with 180 degree turns. Imagine trying to navigate a 29er through a life-sized paperclip chain—that's what it's like. Typically I wobble and weave through the turns, bumping into trees and putting a foot down here and there to steady myself. This time, however, I was pleased and surprised to find myself steadily and confidently rolling right on through. 

Why the change? Remember a couple of weeks ago when I participated in the Muskegon Lip Dub? Well, we had a lot of down time to kill between practicing and filming. The police had blocked off the roads with narrowly spaced bright orange cones. What better way to spend my time than by doing bike drills? I utilized the orange cones and practiced tight turns on bike. This short amount of practice reaped a significant improvement in my bike handling skills.

I even managed to snag QOM on Strava for the VASA Single Track Climb segment. Although I suspect that's only because there are a whole lot of women in Traverse NOT using Strava. 

Stay tuned for more Up-Northness coming your way tomorrow! . . . 

What I've been up to

1) Participating in Pure Michigan's / Rob Bliss State-wide Singalong

Crowds gathering and preparing to shoot our scene for the video.

Sporting my Love Muskegon shirt

My bike wanted to be in the lip-dub too, so I brought her along.

My friend Roxane messaged me to let me know that there is a big close up of my head on WZZM13's coverage! Check it out HERE. (I'm about 40 seconds in). I'm so relieved they didn't show my snaggle-tooth side.

2) Riding Owasippe. Yes, Owasippe is OPEN. So go ride! Watch out for the sand pits and snakes.

3) Taking the Snoose (age 6) on "training" rides for Peak2Peak. She really wants to do this mountain bike race, and, as her mom, it's my job to set her up for a positive experience. Even though we've had weekly mountain bike rides with the Family Mountain Bike Club, we've never tested her "endurance." First priority on our P2P race preparedness checklist was to do an 11-mile bike ride.

Pre-Ride

Climbing the hill to Lake Michigan.
Sage: "I didn't tell myself 'I think I can,' I told myself that 'I know I can.'"

That's the smile of a girl who discovered that
she is "stronger thank she thinks she is and can do more than she thought she could do."

 Snoose even asked to ride a couple of extra miles for a total of 13. I'm so proud of this girl! Up next is 13 miles of single-track. We'll be hitting the VASA in Traverse City this weekend. If you see us out there, say "hi!" And, if you think of it, give this kid an encouraging word to help her along.

4) And then there's getting ready for the new school year. Things are going to change drastically in our household. Not only is Snoose going to school full-days but my job is changing and I'll no longer be working from home. In fact I won't be home in the mornings at all to help the kids get ready.

To prepare for some of these major changes, the kids have been practicing their new daily routines.

The Snoose's daily routine

Bear's routine—it would be so much easier if he could read!

Snoose has her routine down-pat. She is independent and enjoys getting herself ready in the morning, making her own breakfast, etc. Bear, on the other hand, loves to be catered to. He thoroughly enjoys having someone brush his hair, get him dressed—it's like a spa treatment to him. I've never seen a kid so willingly open their mouth for a teeth-cleaning. He could spend hours having his teeth brushed.

It's been a frustrating week and a half trying to get Bear to do these things for himself. But, I believe, we are slowly making progress . . .

What haven't I been doing?

1) Cleaning my house. Boom! We hired a cleaning service and it is the best decision Chad and I have ever made over the duration of our marital union thus far.

This change means that Chad gets to hear less nagging and I get more time to ride. Everyone wins!

Training Schedule and Sweet Potato Quinoa Burgers

This post is brought to you by wasted time attempting to register for Iceman . . . 

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Limited time only: Get your Free Traverse Area Trail Map by applying for a free GTMTBA Membership.

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I did something this week I haven't done in a long time: I looked at my training schedule.

Today's workout is a run. I was apparently feeling VERY OPTIMISTIC and just a little overconfident when I put this together. Because I am supposed to run 7:30 minute/1 mile intervals. Hahahahahaha!!! 

3/1 Run: 2 mile warm up, 2x1mile @ 7:30 pace, 1/2 mile between, 1 mile cool down = 6 miles

This is classic Heather. I set the bar really high. I don't have expectations of actually achieving that goal, but I try my darndest. And as a result, I work harder than I would have and go farther than I thought possible. 

My training calendar is not from a coach, a book, or a website. I briefly looked into coaching or paying for a training schedule, but every sample schedule I looked at required 5-6 days of riding and several of those rides are 2 or more hours long. It's not realistic for me to plan multiple 2+ hour rides a week.

I make it up myself, loosely basing it on a build for 3 weeks with a 1 week recovery. However it is mostly scheduled around my work, family, volunteer commitments. In a typical week, I accomplish about 80% of my planned training. If you have kids, you understand. Especially young kids that seem like they are always sick and waking you up three to four times a night, every night . . .

Lean in close, shhhh, a little closer . . . I'm going to share my fancy-schmancy, coveted training schedule with you.

• Bike for 45-80 minutes Wednesday and Friday
• Run for 30-80 minutes Tuesday and Thursday
• Strength Training for 15-30 minutes 2x a week (any day I can squeeze it in)
• Run for 90-120 minutes on Sunday

Very scientific stuff. I ride on the trainer following a Spinerval or Sufferfest Video for at least one of those rides every week, year 'round.
Why do I do that?

• My time is limited. There is no room for a flat, a broken chain, detour, etc. If I have 45 minutes, that is all I have and I want to spend as many of those minutes as possible on the bike. 
• It's a controlled workout. There is no stopping for a traffic light, slowing for a turn, or coasting down a hill. I'm working for 100% of my alloted time.
• There is 0% chance of getting hit by a car.

This week I made Sweet Potato Quinoa Burgers (I apologize for the crummy pic). The recipe made about 20 patties. Since no one else in my family will touch something so organic, I packed them as pairs into the freezer. It will make eating healthy while camping this summer a cinch! Just grab a bag and go. While the family is feasting on hot dogs and burgers, I'll have my own, healthy, alternative burger. They are bit dry, so I do recommend serving them with the curry mayo or ginger ketchup (recipe provided with the link above).

New Season

Last fall I decided to test my legs and Cat. up to the Expert/Elite field--feeling just a touch way out of my league. I like challenges. Especially far-reaching ones. I find no shame in racing against dedicated, amazing, FAST women and coming in DFL (dead-fudgin-last). That's what I call fun. Standing on a podium means nothing without first overcoming the impossible challenge!

There was a bit of nervous banter among the women, the normal down-playing and throwing out of excuses "I'm recovering from an injury" or "work has been so busy, no time to train!" It's the same at every race. You'd be hard-press to find someone brazen enough to admit they've trained like hell and are ready to mow anything over that gets in her way. I digress . . .

Most everyone knows each other because, lets face it, women mountain bikers are a select group—especially at the Expert/Elite level. I was a new face and it was noticed. I was taken-aback when one person asked who I raced for. Myself! was all I was able to mumble. It got a good chuckle (most, if not all of them race for a team). Then before I knew it, the gun was shot and it was time to race.

I have thought about that moment a lot, especially recently. Because this season I will be racing for more than myself, I'll be representing the Grand Traverse Mountain Bike Association.

I am really excited for this opportunity. Traverse City has fast become one of our family's favorite places to visit. We find ourselves returning season after season. There are many great things about Traverse City that we love, but, admittedly, one of the main reasons we find ourselves there so often throughout the year is the Mountain Biking--for everyone in our family.

Between the Bike Park at Timber Ridge Resort and the VASA Single Track trail system, there is something for everyone in our family to enjoy. We traditionally close our frequent visits with a family bike ride along Grand Traverse Bay and have spent many days cruising along the TART Trail System.

I am thankful for the opportunity to represent a place and an organization that has given our family so many great memories already. It's going to be an exciting and fun season racing for GTMTBA!

For more information on the Grand Traverse Mountain Bike Association (GTMTBA), please visit their website.
Click here for information on getting your own VASA and TART Trail Map, courtesy of GTMTBA