I Was Assassinated at the X-Trail Shootout!

What do you call a 40 year old woman careening down a steep slope at high speeds on a mountain bike? 

You call her an ambulance to take her to the insane asylum! The mid-life crisis has gone too far...

I was all prepared to enjoy a nice run today until a last minute change to my weekend training plan turned me into a registered athlete for the X-Trail Shoot-Out at Comite Park. If you are wondering what a "shoot-out" is, so was I as I was driving to it this morning. Apparently there are groups of mountain bikers who think riding as fast as you can on a 1 mile loop of treacherous trail is cause to compete with others of like mind. Each rider gets three attempts to ride the course for their best time, and that time is ranked against the other participants to determine the top three finishers.

You're Going Down, Canada

A mile sounded really small to me as I pulled in this morning. I mean really ~ I am used to riding 30+ miles on a regular basis. In fact, I rode 18 just yesterday morning. One mile? Sheesh. Please. I rode 6 on my mountain bike last weekend during an adventure race. No brainer. Hand me my trophy please.

The Dirty Mamas Do Sam Houston...

from the American Press
Interview by: Ivy Itchmebad

September 11, 2010


My colleagues in journalism have given me a lead on a story that they promise will make me famous, or if nothing else, at least provide a few laughs along the way for my readers. It is about a group of three middle aged mothers that have been working their way into the world of adventure racing through their team's, The Dirty Mamas, participation in the Gulf Coast Adventure Racing Series that ultimately culminates in New Orleans in November of this year. Since their first race last June, they have been followed and interviewed by the local newspaper closest to each event to see just what Adventure Racing is all about. My peers encouraged me to continue this trend as the Dirty Mamas entered into my journalism territory of Lake Charles, Louisiana where they were racing at the Sam Houston State Park. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into when I agreed to take on this assignment. As part of my research, I had read my colleagues work Dirty Mamas Beat The Red Stick Hard and Dirty Mamas Take Over The Spillway to gain some insight into these women. If you are not already familiar with their tales, I encourage you too to read up on their journey into Adventure Racing.

Putting the Muse in Amusement

I am starting to see a trend. The more fun I have with training, the more I want to continue; the more inspired I become, the greater and deeper my motivation to succeed is. I am slowly accepting the fact that Elite Athlete I will never be (I know, it is a slower self-realization than it is for those around me). I am just one of many age groupers out there. One of many average athletes. I do have something going for me though. One of the few things that may set me apart from others in my age group is my desire to continue with this well into my old age. Why? Because I am having fun with it. The fun is what keeps me motivated. The ability to socialize and to share experiences with others that I train with is one of the main reasons why I do this. I still want to improve my skills, and initially that was enough to drive me forward, but lately I realize that training is just something to do to fill my spare time, and if it wasn't enjoyable, I probably wouldn't want to do it. After all, I am really not that good. And let me just be brutally honest with myself... I will never make a living as a triathlete.