First Blog

Well, I've just been trying to figure all this blogging stuff out. I am definitely going to need Shannon to give me a run-down, because I am LOST!

I guess I tell tell a little about my riding back ground.... After deciding to stop playing college soccer, I decided to call Nathan so I could learn more about riding. In the past I had rode mountain bikes off and on and had a roadbike that bearly had been ridden. I also raced BMX from the age of 4-10. So I started training with Nathan In January of 07. When the summer came around Nathan asked me to go to Colorado to train with his team. I was so excited, I never thought I'd get a chance like that so soon! So that was when the real training started. The month we were in colorado was very hard for me. I'd never been out of Texas to ride so the hills and mountains just destroyed me. But I got much stronger! It was an awesome experience and I loved it. I am so thankful I got to go. After Colorado we went to Pennsylvania, they raced at nationals( I did my first TT at Nationals) and I trained. After we got back I won my first race at the Denton crits! I was very excited, and what made it even better was that Shannon won also! So long story short, I've just been training to the best of my ability and I hope this season will show my improvement! I can't wait to race.

Well, so I went to California for Christmas, I stayed in Fresno for about 5 days and L.A. for 3. While I was there I went shopping and just hung out with family and old friends. I did not get to ride much because I came up with a cold the second day I arrived-bummer! Kind of ruined my trip a bit. While I was in L.A. the last couple days I did get to ride, and it was in amazing weather and along a beautiful bike path along the beach(the picture above). Nathan also called up a friend to take me riding, he showed me some hills and other parts of town, very nice! After coming back from Cali I spent the New Years holidays in St. Louis with my best friend, Lauren, who recently got engaged. We spent some time doing wedding stuff, and the rest of the time just hanging out. But over all I had a great holiday thanks to GREAT friends and family. I'm glad to be back and riding with the gang, I definitely missed them!

So at the end of every blog I think I will include what training I did that day, a quote that describes my mood or something going on that day, and one random fact about myself.

Today's training: 55 miles (pretty chilly and windy outside!)

Quote: “Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience.” (Sometimes it is hard riding with such great athletes, and sometimes I can't keep up and I get discouraged, but I know it will come with time if I train hard, so I try to be as patient as I can.)

Random Rachel Fact: Ive lived in 10 different houses/apartments throughout my life and 4 different states, and 6 different cities