Women's SSCXWC12 Start Line

I got an email about a month ago from Shimano's new secretary saying "I've bookmarked your blog...I can't wait to read it" and thought in my head "efff....I guess I should update it."  Now is a good time as I am procrastinating packing for our impending ferry and trip to Bend, Oregon  for a double header USGP weekend.

The last couple months have flown by with tons of cross racing, getting all of my 2012 orders finished up with the awesome shops I work with, and sales meetings in Denver for Pearl Izumi Fall 2012/2013 Run apparel and shoes - wait a minute - 2013?  Has 2012 even gotten here yet?  It hasn't, but most of the time I have to ask.

Drew in his super sweet SSCXWC Costume

Some of the highlights for this cross season have been......

Remembrance day 5K Relay - This was a running race.  I don't do running races (or haven't since I was in high school avoiding another semester of awkward gym class by running for the Varsity cross country team).  Drew and I got suckered into doing this race because our overactive group of friends started trash talking.  A 23 min off-road 5k later and I felt like I had suffered through a 2 hour cross race and had stuck knives into my quads.

November 12 Surrey Cross Race - Ok, I'm really just throwing this race in here to show how bad ass we are that we did a running race one day and then a cross race the next day.  The weather here was super-cold, super-wet and the course super-slippery....which (besides the super-numb hands) made the day super-fun.  After taking the hole shot, realizing I am not fit enough to MAINTAIN the holeshot and drifting into second, then crashing on a slippery off-camber to settle in for 3rd behind Jean Ann Birkenpas and Sandra Walters.  One of my better-feeling races of the season!

SSCXWC2011 - Drew didn't win again, but we had an amazing "qualifier" ride through San Francisco (one of my favourite cities!) A rainy day for the race, some amazing meals with our good friends Hannah Ziadeh and Ryan Nestle, and then a beautiful day of site-seeing that included a cable car ride, Coit tower, and a walk through China town and Little Italy.  For the racing part, I finished up 7th just ahead of Rachel Lloyd, and just behind some fast pros and local heros....

My Warrior costume for SSCXWC

Since SSCXWC I spent a few days at home in California catching up with my family and eating some amazing Thanksgiving dinners.  Afterwards, headed back up to Vancouver to race Provincials....apparently the 3 days of stuffing myself with delicious home-cooked meals was NOT the answer for a good provincial race, however, Drew (who headed home after SSCXWC to work, detox, and starve himself skinny for the race) won the Provincial title.  For the record, this means that he won Mountain and Cross Provincials....both firsts for him, and both on a Marin!

At the Coit Tower in San Fran - Thanks Hannah! 

Now, after two weeks at home in Victoria, lots of paperwork and work catch-up, we are heading to Bend this weekend for our last weekend of racing this year, and then back home for a slew of Christmas parties....and then off again for Christmas - Never a dull moment around here!