Making the Best of Things

This weekend ended up being a mandatory rest weekend, instead of a race on Saturday and Sunday. This was both good and bad.

Bad, because it was due to the fact that my leg cramp issues have come back, making it almost impossible to ride a bike at the moment, and they seem to be getting worse and spreading. It's a problem, but one that I'm painfully used to. It sucks that I am, but the fact of the matter is that this is what I seem to be stuck with. Right now, I'm trying a few things, including doing a rest week now, and a 3 day juice fast to "flush toxins" (more on that later). Robbie thinks I should see a chiropractor, and my coach recommended a bike fit for my road bike, since he thinks I may just be hitting a nerve weird. My friend Blake is thankfully willing to help me with that, so hopefully the fitting will help. I'm checking into the whole chiropractor thing, but my problem is that my health insurance isn't all that great. Still, it may be worth paying for even if it is pricey.

But the good side of things meant that Robbie and I had a really nice weekend together. We went to a huge used booksale (I came out with 4 bags of books, yay!), went to a party and saw a lot of old friends, went to a poetry reading where Robbie did a wonderful job reading, got "gourmet" veggie pizza, spent a lot of time on the couch reading, and went for a nice long walk by the Delaware River yesterday, since I couldn't run or ride.

Aren't we cute?

And here's me on this awesome suspension bridge in Frenchtown at a kid's park by the canal. The bridge swings when you walk on it! Awesome. I admit, right after this picture was take, I had a "minor" freak out because my leg started cramping even though I was just walking, and I got pretty upset and frustrated. Poor Robbie, thankfully he's super-understanding and great about stuff like that.
So, this weekend was chill, but in a good way (cramp issues excluded)... It was nice to be a non-athlete for a couple days, and spend the whole weekend with Robbie instead of only seeing him for dinner.


As for last weekend, I have pictures from Bucknell:

Warming up pre-team time trial. That's right, Rutgers Cycling Women's crew REPRESENTED at Bucknell, whereas our men's team only had 2 out of the 30 or so male racers. Can anyone say "Girl Power"? (OK, we also talked about the Spice Girls. A lot.)

Sunday's crit on the university campus- 8 turns, 2 hills, one massive downhill ending in a corner, a chicane, a speed bump, and a lot of potholes. Fun!

We look like we were dubbed into this idyllic farm picture. I love Amish country. We even saw a horse and carriage while racing!

Post race hang time- we're one wild and crazy team!

I'm sure in the next 72 hours there will be more posts from me detailing why I'm very very hungry and very sick of juice. But I think in the end, 3 days of juice fast will do me a lot of good, for a few reasons.

1. the whole "toxin" thing
2. the fact that I've been eating like complete crap and I need a serious kick in the ass to get back to healthy habits
3. it's a rest week, so might as well give my digestive system a rest too
4. I'll be so much better hydrated!
5. I'm hoping the toxin thing will help flush the crap out of the muscles in my legs, getting rid of the cramping
6. I read it does wonders for your complexion, as well as attitude. And with some of the annoyances in my life at the moment (cramping, USAC issues, job, school and financial questions about next year, et cetera), I could use a serious attitude adjustment.

So, wish me luck and I'll keep everyone posted.