The Joy of Mountain Biking

Yeah, fucking food requirements seem to vary all the fuck over the place for different fucking folks. I did a fucking six hour race a couple of fucking weeks ago with only one fucking bite of a fucking Clif Bar during the fucking thing and a fucking breakfast of most of a Turkey fucking Sausage & cheese on an English fucking muffin from fucking Wawa and a little fucking water beforehand. Drank 8 fucking bottles of fucking Osmo, though. Who the fuck knows?
 
I seem to be somewhat picky about what I eat on race day. After various combinations, I’ve settled on just eating a toasted sesame bagel with cream cheese a few hours before my race and then eating a gel. Maybe that could work for you (if you haven’t tried it yet!)

Good job getting out there!
 
MissJR said:
i can't eat breakfast at 5 am. i can barely eat breakfast at 7:30 am.
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So eat at 4am.

My wife ran four years at Rutgers on their cross country team. She would wake up in the middle of the night, throw down a bowl of pasta/oats and go back to bed (talking race day). It wasn’t easy for her but it it really helped if it was a early morning race. That was motivation alone for her to continue the routine.
 
^^^ ummmm... yeah.... okay. (Edit: the post this was pointing to has since been deleted)

well then. moving on.

kingdom trails: i needed this trip so fucking badly (as evidenced by recent outbursts against NJ Transit). i really just needed to get the fuck out of NJ. (actually. i need to get the fuck out of NJ long term but that's another post for another day.) It was only a few days but it was sorely needed. mentally, it was a total mind reset. i don't think i really looked at my phone much. i wasn't on any stupid schedule. no one was arguing with me about any stupid fucking ads. i woke up when i woke up. i ate when i was hungry. i chilled out in a hammock when i wanted a nap. it was fucking awesome. i could physically just feel all the normal tension in my body disappear. and i got to hang out with a bunch of awesome fucking teammates. just riding during the day and chilling by the fire at night... and talking and laughing... eating good food.... watching the stars come out at night. this was just fucking awesome. we also found out some friends we met while on vacation in DuPont area last year were at KT too... so we were able to meet up with them and ride a little with them. Steve (not to be confused with my Steve) is also photographer and was also using this trip to take some photos (see bottom of post).

physically (the actual biking part)... well... i wish i was a little bit better off in that department. about two weeks before the trip, steve came down with a nice chest cold. which meant the timing was perfect to get me infected just in time for the trip. fucker. and i'm hoping that if i get sick, i get sick sooner rather than later. but nothing for two weeks. then he leaves a few days early to go meet up with a friend of his before KT and then it hits. two days before i leave and i'm getting ready for bed and my sinuses get all inflamed and my nose drips and my throat is sore... i message him that i'm going to kill him for getting me sick. i wake up the next morning and the sinuses are fine and the nose isn't dripping and the throat isn't sore... but there's that chest cold pressure in my chest and i start to sound like i smoke a pack a day. fuck. fuckity fuck fuck fuck. i'm going to kingdom trails sick. somehow though, nothing really materializes except for this pressure in my chest. which still isn't great but at least i'm not holed up in a house while everyone else is out biking. the first two days at KT are really hot and humid and i normally don't do well with the heat and humidity... add this minor chest thing and i... well... suck. one day, i couldn't even catch my breath very well... shallow breaths and stuff... jenny d. (who also happened to be up there) stayed back with me and kept an eye on me (thanks, jenny!) and the crew got me back to home base (otherwise known as the ice cream shop). the other days i felt better, but i was still super slow and couldn't keep up. sigh. unfortunately, it took me to the last day to feel more comfortable with the trails and i realized i should probably do a "lone-wolf" day like capers does. go off on my own and go at my pace and venture where i want to go and all that. ah well... next year.

and, of course, this amazing buzz was fucked when i returned to NJ. this state is fucking killing me. how do you know when it's time to throw in the towel and hope that REI or Trader Joe's in another state is hiring?


photo: https://www.instagram.com/sbmphotography/

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Jeezus, I thought i was some kind of negative force of energy, but reading your stuff, I think you have me beat.

i get some people are stuck where they are and change is hard but may I recommend that you figure out how to find some kind of "zen" (for lack of a better term). Yeah, VT is great but alot of what you speak of is because you are on vacation and don't have to worry about your daily crap. There are hidden gems everywhere in NJ and you just need to find them. It also helps to learn how to make something out of everything. Find a way to find an escape in an empty parking lot (wheelie / manual between cracks?, endo and back pedal, mindless skills crap that will help your mtb'ing), or jumping off curbs, riding down stairs, anything to escape the normal day-to-day.

or not.
 
@stb222

first... i think i use writing as a bit of catharsis... a little bit of releasing pent up yuckies... and organizing my thoughts and all that jazz... so i'm sure i sound a lot whinier than i really am. at least i hope i'm not always so whiny. (yeesh) but, NJ has been getting to me... and i've been doing this commute for 12 years now and it's really getting to me... or at least i'm realizing that i have other priorities in life and i'm due for a change... whether that's just reorganizing and changing things in NJ or a more drastic move to say Richmond or something, i'm not sure yet... the NJ paycheck affords me lots of fun stuff but it also comes with a price. :/

second... sometimes i feel like i'm jinxed with vacations... i get sick or hurt a lot for some reason. it's like my body doesn't know what the fuck to do with itself when i'm not on some tightly regulated schedule. for example: i went to NOLA for a long weekend one year to see Steve and his friend off on a bike tour. i got really sick and wound up spending most of that time sick in a hotel room only to come home and have to take two more sick days. i'm pretty sure people thought i was hung over from mardi gras.

third (and last)... i really could use some manual/wheelie/skills practice. if i can't be fast in a race, might as well make sure i get a cool photo of me doing a wheelie at the finish line at least! ;)

EDIT: also... steve's very into getting out of NJ too... so there's that...
 
MissJR said:
@stb222

first... i think i use writing as a bit of catharsis... a little bit of releasing pent up yuckies... and organizing my thoughts and all that jazz... so i'm sure i sound a lot whinier than i really am. at least i hope i'm not always so whiny. (yeesh) but, NJ has been getting to me... and i've been doing this commute for 12 years now and it's really getting to me... or at least i'm realizing that i have other priorities in life and i'm due for a change... whether that's just reorganizing and changing things in NJ or a more drastic move to say Richmond or something, i'm not sure yet... the NJ paycheck affords me lots of fun stuff but it also comes with a price. :/

second... sometimes i feel like i'm jinxed with vacations... i get sick or hurt a lot for some reason. it's like my body doesn't know what the fuck to do with itself when i'm not on some tightly regulated schedule. for example: i went to NOLA for a long weekend one year to see Steve and his friend off on a bike tour. i got really sick and wound up spending most of that time sick in a hotel room only to come home and have to take two more sick days. i'm pretty sure people thought i was hung over from mardi gras.

third (and last)... i really could use some manual/wheelie/skills practice. if i can't be fast in a race, might as well make sure i get a cool photo of me doing a wheelie at the finish line at least! ;)

EDIT: also... steve's very into getting out of NJ too... so there's that...
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Kinda figured the writing was a release, I can relate to that....whatever keeps you sane...
 
MissJR said:
the NJ paycheck affords me lots of fun stuff but it also comes with a price. :/
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Another common misconception from someone stuck in the tri state area, if the cost of living is lower, the wages can be lower without hurting your pocket.

I'd rather make 80% of an NJ salary and be happy then make that extra 20% and be fucking miserable

NJ property taxes were $7k a year for our non-ac shoebox, now our NC taxes are HIGH for the area at $2k a year.
Been here for 3 years now? I write myself a $5k check every year without even getting out of bed.
 
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What isn't worth it? We aren't talking about one of those rest stops off an interstate where they have the concrete building for a gas station bathroom.

-You're right, NJ lifestyle is way different, people will actually hold the door for you down here, smile and say hi, and are much more relaxed down here in Uptown ;)

-Plenty of jobs outside of the tri-state area, not sure why people think that anything outside of those 3 states means you have to work at a gas station or on a farm.

-Family events, you got me beat, we will miss the big Christmas parties and what not, but we also went for a hike on Christmas Day without jackets and it was quiet enjoyable.
Commuting sucks here too, plenty of traffic all around Charlotte.

Life is short, enjoy it before it's too late!
 
Guys--

Please remember this is MY blog. MY voice. I'm more than happy to get feedback on stuff I write, but don't start making this another male dominated forum thread. There's already way too many of those around here.
 
MissJR said:
Guys--

Please remember this is MY blog. MY voice. I'm more than happy to get feedback on stuff I write, but don't start making this another male dominated forum thread. There's already way too many of those around here.
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I didn’t realize. Thought it was actually about the joy of mtb. Removed my posts from all the whining. Later.
 
MissJR said:
Guys--

Please remember this is MY blog. MY voice. I'm more than happy to get feedback on stuff I write, but don't start making this another male dominated forum thread. There's already way too many of those around here.
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We aren’t looking for an argument, and certainly not a gender one. IMO there is so much one sided commentary on the internet already, hopefully Mtbnj doesn’t become that. However, if we overstep our bounds, by all means, let us know.
 
stb222 said:
We aren’t looking for an argument, and certainly not a gender one. IMO there is so much one sided commentary on the internet already, hopefully Mtbnj doesn’t become that. However, if we overstep our bounds, by all means, let us know.
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Some stuff was already deleted. It's all good. No worries.
 
Do you become more stressed when vacation is coming because of hard deadlines?
or even soft commitments, like a first draft needs to be out-the-door before ya go?

What about skipping meals because of work?

my neck would hurt from tensing-up it when trying to meet
multiple deadlines. Do you have a physical place where you hold stress? (ie grind teeth?)

I have no idea if it relates to getting sick, other than becoming self-aware by thinking about it, and maybe releasing it....??

as far as NJ
undertaker-sitting-up1.gif
 
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Just catching up here a little. With the food, early eating thing, I never used to be able to eat early either. But as I started to ride more and more and then train, I had no choice.
I had to force stuff down just because I knew I had to have something in my belly before anything resembling an effort.

Nowadays, it's easy. My current go to is waffles made with whole grain mix and instant oatmeal and blueberries. ( Plus butter and syrup because I don't ride to NOT eat the good stuff. )
The menu is always evolving but the constant is that I always eat early now. It just took some practice and habit forming...and not just on race day.
 
PPP race recap to come plus some miscellaneous ramblings... But I just want to say that I've NEVER not finished a race. No matter how long it took me and no matter what issues I had. Today was no different. So a big fuck you to my gashed tire for trying to fuck me up.
 
MissJR said:
PPP race recap to come plus some miscellaneous ramblings... But I just want to say that I've NEVER not finished a race. No matter how long it took me and no matter what issues I had. Today was no different. So a big fuck you to my gashed tire for trying to fuck me up.
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2:51 fucks/non-fuck words ratio.
Hoping you can rally in your recap.
 
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