Le Mans Race, Monterey, and Life

The Le Mans race was absolutely fantastic. Here I was, always saying, "No, no! I will never go to a car race!" and look at me. I was there for a 6-hour race and enjoyed it! Granted, this wasn't a NASCAR race (I don't know how I could handle that) and some of these cars were beyond impressive in speed, their ugliness, and how amazingly skilled their drivers are. It was an experience. The race was great overall. Lots of excitement between one of the cars that I wanted to win (it looked like a Predator, so I chose it), and between a Porsche and either a Corvette or a BMW - I can't remember who was fighting with the Porsche at the very end. The car I really liked (re: Predator) was down a lap, then caught up, had to go in the pits, was 30-ish seconds behind, then as he was catching up and was around 22 seconds behind, his motor blew. Damn! So it was the Patron car on his own. I gotta say, that was some extremely impressive driving.

We checked into the hotel and went to Bubba Gump's for dinner. I haven't been to that place since I went to Pebble Beach in 2007! The service was a bit of a dud at first but the staff apologized and got on their game. The food, as usual was great, and the company, my boyfriend, was even better.

To the hotel we went. We watched some TV and fell asleep. It was a good day!

We slept in a bit and got ready to head into Monterey. We went into a Monterey Bay Aquarium and I saw some lovely, lovely fish! This has only been my second time to that place and the first wasn't a great experience, so I enjoyed this visit to an unknown level. We saw some big tuna, the penguin feeding (cutest things ever!), their sea otters playing, some flamingoes, sea horses, turtles, and so much more. We stayed there for FOUR hours and I enjoyed every moment of it. We went out to the observatory and I took a picture of Randy and me. Ah, what it's like to take a picture with someone who actually cares about you, who is so happy and treats you well. Absolute bliss, I must admit.

After four hours of me going "ooh, ah!" over fish and random sea life, we walked a bit and sat by the ocean. It was windy as hell but beautiful. We then got into the car and drove by the beaches, where, again, it was windy as can be but absolutely gorgeous and impressive! The waves were huge! We saw some surfers and life guards training, a guy on a three-wheeled bike being pulled by a kite, a wedding, photographers doing their job and taking photos of people on the flower beds... everything was gorgeous.

After such an amazing trip, we went home. Everything was so perfect. I'm glad I went to my first Le Mans race and enjoyed it a lot. The time I spend with my boyfriend and the awesome new things he's introduced me to are so much fun!

My life has gotten so full of joy!

Finals, Crit Practice, and a Margarita

I had my last two finals yesterday. Funny, it's over in an instant. After all of the work, stress, and freaking out because you think you're going to fail everything, then you'll drop out of school, become a hobo, and nothing will ever help your poor, lost soul, it's all over. I turned in my Women's History finals into the History department at CSUS, then I went to my Anthropology class. We had two hours to do the exam. Of course, some people don't take the whole time. A few people and I got out of our seats after ten minutes. Yeah, that's how long it was.

After ten minutes, all the freaking out and stress were over. Let the summer begin!

So, after that I took my two books to get sold. $24 for books that cost twice as that, but hey, at least I get something back. I refuse to let books that I will never use rot in my bookshelf. After that, I went home, took a nap, and got ready for Crit practice with Team Revolutions.

Crit practice was great! I actually felt confident in my cornering (though sometimes I was a bit nervous, but I kept my line so I wouldn't do any stupid mistakes), and my sprints felt great. Riding in a group is feeling a lot better, but that's why my team, and I know how my team rides. I'm sure a Crit won't be too bad, but I still get nervous. Then again, I was really nervous when I first got on my bike, my first team ride, and my first cornering clinic, so I'm sure that this is something else that will be crossed off of my "nervous list." I won't be doing a Crit until AFTER the Death Ride, just in case I crash (haha!).

Afterward, some of the guys decided that they were going to ride the circuit, so I went with them. It's a fun one! Too bad I won't be racing this weekend, it all looks great, but I'll be going to my first car race every! I believe it's a Lomond race, but I'm not sure of what they're all called. I know that they turn both ways, go very fast, and it's not NASCAR. I'll learn, I promise! I'm excited, though!

Them after the ride, my boyfriend took me to Mexquite to celebrate the end of the semester, where I had one margarita and it was enough for me! Especially after crit practice. What a good margarita! I don't drink often because of my training, so it tasted even better (haha!). Then had a tostada salad and came home, took a shower, and vegged around.

It was a great day. The end of school, a nap, Crit practice, and an awesome margarita and dinner with my boyfriend. This weekend will be fantastic! I'm extremely excited!

Iowa Hill, Bike Breaking, and Accomplishments

So, after a few mishaps with my bike - Bad tires, bad brakes, broken derailleur hanger (yeah, more on that in a bit), bad knees, it seems that my cycling has finally gotten out of that little ditch and continued on.

I broke my derailleur hanger after climbing Iowa Hill in Colfax two weeks ago. Just as I was making the climb OUT of Iowa Hill into the little town, it completely snapped... and the chain went with it. Now, I don't know if it was because it was a faulty hanger and it decided to break after 3,600 miles, or if I simply had too much power on it. I broke it when I was climbing with an 11-25 cassette, so it could happen. So, after replacing the hanger and fixing all that was wrong with the damn thing (it was shifting on its own in crit practice. Awesome), and putting an 11-28 cassette, resting my knee (any pressure would make it throb like no other), I climbed Iowa Hill again. Keep in mind this is two weeks after I broke the derailleur hanger. I climbed Iowa Hill a mile per hour faster than my previous time, which is not much, but it's an improvement!

How did I get out of that mess? My boyfriend, Randy, is a fantastic mechanic and was able to make my bike into a pseudo-single speed, which allowed me to climb enough to get to my ride by Foresthill Rd. After 15 miles of climbing with the single speed, my body and mind were done. The chain had way too much tension and I had no gears, which simple wiped me out. This past weekend, however, I climbed faster than I ever have on that ride, and I will never take for granted my ability to shift on hilly rides.

I hate Iowa Hill, so I'm climbing it again on Friday if all goes well. Yeah... I hate to love that effin' hill!