The State Games of Michigan

      Cannonsburg, a trail where some mountains are usually underestimated as natural elevations of the Earth's surface, or hills(or at least underestimated until the caller climbs the so-called 'hill') . Packed with enough hills(or mountains, depending on your perspective) to go around, this is not the easiest of trails. Because there was no SPORT class that was 11-14, Dad put me in  JUNIOR WOMEN 11-14 .The only thing was that they reconstructed the trail, so I wasn't used to it. About a couple days before the race Meilee, Dad, some Team Troll guys, and I pre-rode the trail for the race. Because Cannonsburg was close to where some of my family from the west side live, some family came over to support Meilee and I racing.

      With no trainer, Meilee and I rode around for a while until it was time to race. It was really weird being in a group with at least one of my same gender, for I was (and still am) used to riding with boys. When we got lined up, I was feeling pretty crummy and my stomach felt like I was on a rogue roller coaster for a straight 9 hours! I only had two other competitors,  Emily and Madison, and when I asked ages, I turned out to be the youngest.

"3,"

"2,"

"1,"

"GOOO!!!"

With a kick off the ground to get me started, I began to pedal to the first hill.
      Madison was able to pass me, but I kept Emily behind me with a quick sprint on a couple flats, but within the first few turns she was gone. I had a feeling Madison was already gone, but I kept up my pace. In the beginning, it was almost all uphill, except the few downhills and flats thrown into the earthy concoction for good measure. As I did in almost all of the races that I did before, I told myself,
WHAT WOULD THE DAD SAY???
GUH-GUH-GUH-GUH-GO FASTER!!!
GUH-GUH-GUH-GUH-GO FASTER!!!
GUH-GUH-GUH-GUH-GO FASTER!!!
WHAT WOULD THE DAD SAY???
To not just get me spirited, but upbeat, too. About 75% of the way through I felt much more comfortable, I was getting more agile and maneuvering around all obstacles in my way just got much more manageable.  Soon I came to the end of my first lap, with a rip of the tasty gu pack, I ate it really quick and got it down with some water, and let my 2nd lap commence.
      To start the 2nd lap, I avoided the small mud puddle by jumping over it with a quick spring of my feet on my clip in pedals. Because I knew more about the trail than a lap before, I was able to read the trail with ease. With a pace kept strong, the tightness both internal and external began to cease and my mind felt more clear. With the shiver of good vibes running up and down my spine and back again, I felt very energy-filled. But after 5 miles of hills, flats, downhills and everything inbetween, I came against a slight flaw that taught me something that would really help in the future, and it all came from watching Dad years before... I was going up a quick hill that I didn't notice at first, so I went down 3 gears in the back, and CLICK my chain came off. Instead of panicking, I calmed myself down enough to think, so I got off my bike, got to the side of the trail and inspected my chain.
      Okay, Avery, remember what Dad did for quite a few years whenever your chain came off? Don't panic! It may be a race, but DON'T panic!!!
So carefully, I took my chain and tried hooking it back onto the gear. It took a couple tries, but when I got it I was all like,
YEAH!!! I FIXED MY FIRST CHAIN!!! WITH NO HELP!!!   : ) x 1,000,000!!!
But like at Stony Creek Marathon, now was most DEFINITELY not the time to celebrate, finish the race first!!! With some quick turns I saw Dad, swiftly Dad joined behind me for the last half mile. Next thing I know I am climbing the last hill to the finish line.............DOWNHILL!!!
FINISH!!!
      Madison turned out to be 5 minutes faster than me and Emily was 5 minutes behind me, so I got a 2nd place! Meilee got a 1st place for 10 and under girls, or 3rd place if she was in 10 and under boys and girls.


-Avery

Stony Creek Marathon

      Stony Marathon, one of my favorite races. Because of my changes in classes(from BEGINNER to SPORT class!),  I have to do THREE laps, ten miles each. I, of course, was SUPER nervous. So, yes, I knew the trail, but what if I fell, or got lost(like last year), or lose count of my number of laps(Yes I can count to three, but what if I get too caught up in the moment and forget? My head is already spinning!), or even(DUN DUN DUUUUUNNN!!!!!) DNF?!?!
       Because Meilee was racing with Dad, I was going solo again. Meilee and her BEGINNER class only had 10 miles of riding to do, or, 1 lap, so after Meilee is done, Dad was going to join me at the beginning of my 3rd lap. Instead of riding the trainer(cuz we didn't bring one), Dad, Meilee, and I rode up and down the cement hill that was nearby the restrooms until it was time to begin, which came quite quickly...

"3,"

"2,"

''1,"

"GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

With a kick of my cleat off the ground, I made my way up the small false flats in the beginning. Next thing I knew, there were packs of cyclists EVERYWHERE on the gravel hill.
      It was like the ULTIMATE traffic jam, the only place that could top a traffic jam like this would be the Iceman and the Ore-to-Shore! After finally coming out of the pack of cyclists, I made my way to the next obstacles. Sand, sand, sand! Stony Creeks specialty is and was sand with a sprinkle(more like... a GALLON)of humidity on top. Halfway through I was getting some speed, ramping my way up each hill like it was a false flat. But at one point, I was really feeling the heat!  I was really getting sweaty 3/4 of the way through my 1st lap, but I told myself there was a mocha(MY FAVORITE!) flavored gu pack waiting for me at the start of lap 2(which there was at every start of a lap, except for the 1st lap).With a hint of encouragement, I was able to keep my race pace 'till the end of round 1.
      At the start of lap 2, my legs felt very achy, but I told myself:
AVERY! You are OK. Get up and get ready for round 2! You are anything BUT exhausted and undetermined! Pretend that Dad is behind you, barking at 'ya. What would Dad say if he saw you slackin' off just cuz your tired? Huh, what would he say? 
To keep myself going I kept on saying in my head, What would Dad say? 
      By the time I got to the dry, hot area, I felt like a deflated balloon. But with the help of the tasty gu pack I was going again, but with a longer, stronger pace. Pretty soon I felt a vigorous shake come from my seat when I went through the bumpy, rock infested trail, which was about halfway through lap 2. My seat was coming loose!!! Luckily, I was able to tolerate it through the rest of the lap. Well at least it didn't start at the VERY beginning!
      So at the beginning of lap 3, I told Dad that my seat was messed up immediately. Dad borrowed a tool and straightened my seat up while I ate my gu pack. Then, we got straight to business, no hesitations. Even though the seat was tipped to far forward. Soon, the hills didn't feel as hard as they would normally, and we spun through the flats like they were downhills. Next thing I knew, Dad wasn't behind me... It was on the last humongous hill, which I pedaled like crazy to get to the top. I looked behind me an Dad was fading off into the distance.
      I      BEAT      DAD!!!   was the only thing I was thinking of, over and over. But it wasn't time for celebration yet! First things first, finish the race! I was coming into the home stretch and....................
FINISH!!!
So...Dad and I have this bet. If I beat him, he has to wear a big frilly(did I mention fluffy?)pink tutu. Cuz of me leaving him on the last big hill(/passing him), he has to wear a pink(not red, not navy blue, not yellow, not even purple, but PINK) tutu!!! Anyway, I got 3rd place and a satisfyingly won bet, who could want more?


THANK YOU DAD FOR HELPING ME ACHIEVE GOALS SO HIGH, THAT I NEED 7 THICK WEBSTER DICTIONARIES IN ORDER TO EVEN HAVE HOPES OF CATCHING MY "IN YOUR DREAMS"  WISHES.




-Avery :) 

Bloomer Park Daze

      Bloomer, a tricky trail with lots of of surprises up its sleeve. There was switchbacks, gravel patches, and on the day of the race(not surprisingly)rain. We were doing(as in my competitors and I, for Meilee was a little sick but could come out to watch and hang up)2 laps, 6 miles each. But it wasn't going to be an easy 6 miles, sure it's a fun, fast paced race, but it has some tricky spots. Because lil' Mei wasn't racing, Dad decided to chaperone me. For our Bloomer Park Daze video, Dad wanted to have unique angle for us when we were coming down the big switchbacks. So an hour before the race, Dad, Megan, and I walked up to the big switchbacks and Dad showed Megan a spot to videotape while I watched the riders maneuver around the twists and turns and the lines and curves.

      When we got back, I hung out with my friends, Sean, Porter, and Nathan until it was time to get on the trainer. When I was on the trainer, I thought about a lot of things. One was the switchbacks, and the other was the sky, which was a hue of dusty gray, so I was kinda expecting rain. After 20mins of spinning, it was time to line up. Seeing Dad behind me reminded me of good old times...

"3,"

"2,"

"1,"

"GOOOO!!!"

As the whistle blew, I pushed off the ground and began my way up the hill.
      The beginning is mainly hills, so it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. To get the ball rolling there were some switchbacks that gave me some speed. As I rode through the trail, within the 3 mile mark, I came across the BIG switchbacks.
"WE'RE COMING!!!" Dad shouted to Megan.
VERY carefully, I went around the turns and twists of the switchbacks. Soon I began to gain some confidence every time I survived an intimidating turn. WHOOSH! I went down the last switchback with a relieved sigh.
      Luckily, the rest of the ride was fast and paced. At the start of the 2nd lap, Dad took a cup of water from one of the Tailwind volunteers(without my approval!?!?!?!), and dumped it directly on my head. If you think that was unfortunate, there was much more to come. In the beginning, it began to rain, and cuz it was the beginning, the trail was hills, hills, hills! To make matters worse(as in W to the O to the R-S-T), I had dirt in my nose, eyes, and mouth(ACK!!!), plus I was beginning to hit "the wall", and the slippery mud was playin' with my gears. Against all odds, I was able to keep my rhythm with the Dad barkin' behind my back. So I told myself to push it to escape the depths of the barking Dad(which really helped, even when I felt sluggish).
      When the BIG switchbacks came( and OMG I am STILL thinking about how lucky I was), I was REALLY freakin' out. Rain+Dirt=Mud, and Me+Bike+Mud+Scary Switchback= a perfect recipe for disaster! As I was coming down(Dad yelled to Megan again), I looked at the ground expecting(okay maybe not expecting, but 99% expecting.)to see slimy mud, greeting me before my dastardly fall. Instead, I saw partially wet ground(YES it wasn't completely dry, but I mean, it's a give or take), and when I got down to the bigger switchbacks it basically dry(YAY!), as I worked my way down the switchbacks, I ceased my breathing until I got through the danger zone. Soon I came down the last switchback, and a great relieved exhale escaped my lungs and I began to breathe again. I made it a goal to keep close to the time I got in my 1st lap, so I upped my pace an got into the zone.
      Pretty soon I was a mile away from the finish(by the way, it stopped raining and the sun was coming out!Yay). As I turned a corner, I saw Sean walking his bike, which had plants and a stick stuck in the gears. I couldn't really think about what to say so I just gave a plain old "Hi." Out of curiosity, I wondered what happened, so I saved the question for after the race. After a while of hard riding, we came to the home stretch....and........................
.............FINISH!
A few minutes later Porter finished, and after I told him that Sean was still in the trail, we waited, talking to each other about some flaws we had in the trail.
      When we saw an exhausted Sean come in we shouted and encourage him to make it to the finish. When he finished, he told me that he got scratched by thorns, fell and got stuff stuck in his gears. So...yea. Cuz the awards were being finalized, we had time to hang out. Out of nowhere, Sean looked at me and said,
"You have a camera on your bike, right?"
"Yes." I replied.
"Did you get me on video?"
"Yesssss..." I began to catch on to what he was asking.
"Does you make the videos?"
"Not exactly, my Dad makes the videos,"
"Sooo... Can you put me in the video?"
"Sure! I'll ask Dad to put you in the video."
"Awesome."
So Sean, if you are reading this, CONGRATS! Dad put you in the vid above.
      Back to the race! I got 3rd place and my times were only thirty seconds apart.  

-Avery