Winter Term: Done

After a steady completion of final after final, my Winter Term is for all extensive purposes over. I have to say taking 20 credits wasn't as bad as I imagined. Granted most of my classes functioned a little differently with the work load emphasized in different places, but overall not a horrible experience. The weather has been off and on this week with random downpours and bouts of sunlight.


Typical manic Portland; can't make up its mind to save its life.

I've mostly recovered from my brief bout of sickness, its always a weird feeling re acclimating after being bed ridden for a couple days. The real test will be this weekend. I'm not sure how people fair doing 30 mile bike races and what not after being sick but I'll see soon enough.

I hope I don't die

the end

Sickness

I has it.

And have had it for the past four days.

Lame

S&D III

Spand and Deliver #3: Half Messenger/Half Road Race. Alley Cat

If there is any indicator to how I've improved since last year, (coming up on almost exactly last year now), this is it. I did this alley cat last year and got DFL, attributed mostly to my lack of coordination between checkpoints, but either way by the end I was more tired then I had ever been and in last.

Things I learned during the race last year

- do the checkpoints in the right order
- try not to fall
- how to descend Mt Tabor correctly

Things I acquired from last years race

- DFL
- A Candy Bar
- A Nickname

Concluding thoughts: no expectations, have fun.

Banana #1

Today was the first race in the Banana Belt series for OBRA. I suppose it was my first race of the "season" and overall I did fine considering I've never actually done a road race before. 19/31: slightly below mid pack but I mainly attribute it to the down hills I had to deal with 2/3 through the last lap. I had kept a pretty good pace but after failing to keep on on a very sharp turn down a monster hill I lost the pack and had to sprint just to keep up. Again, descending is something I'm not very good at but I mostly attribute it to the fact that its hard to be steady in any situation when your gangly, and 6'3.5", this isn't including the fact that it was going down a wet hill at 35mph and having to make a 90 degree turn. So overall I didn't do horribly. I would have liked better if I finished higher, but for a first road race that wasn't too bad.

On a slighter more ironically positive note it rained almost consistently through my race and for the most it didn't really bother me, I can thank the Cross Crusade for that one.

As far as road racing in general, its something I need work on so I suppose I shall continue to proceed.

Thats all for now?