Date: Sun, 20 Oct 2002 21:03:45 -0700 Subject: Friday notes... (kinda long) From: gayathri First the bad news: I broke 3 nails during the day. Darn it! The good news is I did it at the racetrack, pulling off and on my leather gloves getting back into the swing of things and preparing for next season. Packing for the track is always stressful -- more so when my bike wont work -- the battery was dead dead dead... *sigh* We pack the truck with the bike hooked up to the battery charger. Steve takes care of that in the morning while I stumble around at 5 am. I'm so not awake... We get to the track and I'm still not awake. We get to the track with time to spare, and head on in to register. The rider's meeting takes forever as always. BORING boring boring... except I notice two faces that look awfully familiar. Erion Racing's Formula Xtreme riders Roger Lee Hayden and Jake Zemke are there! oh COOL!!! I'll get to watch them run in the Racer's class... I also see Kawasaki's 600 supersport rider Tony Meiring, who used to race with us a few years ago... whoo! takes a while to get set up. Turns out my handlebars are bent wrong, and the control positions are driving me nuts. I miss the first session getting that set up, but figure that's ok, rather get it all set up right. I slide into my leathers and am so happy they fit as well as they do... realize tho, I forgot my silk leggings, so I have to wear them with no protection between my sensitive skin and the leather/liner. oh well... Second session, Steve hops onto his trusty MrPototahead and and promises to catch up to me, to lead me around for a lap or so. I go on out in Advanced, thinking I'm gonna suck so bad out here they'll put me down in SuperStreet (the newbie/slow session) I dont want to be in the slow session 'cause its really crowded, and I dont mind getting passed inside and outside. Plus this way, Steve could work with me. I really wanted his help. Getting on the bike wasnt too hard. Getting on the track wasnt too bad. Turn 9 was bad. I kept losing my breath. It was hard. hard hard. I kept whispering to myself, "The trick is to keep breathing...." I'd been listening to Garbage on the way to the track. Finally, I'm doing ok, and Steve catches up to lead me around for about 2 turns. He's too fast. :( I get sad, until I'm in turn 4, and hear this BIG bike behind me. I figure if I stay on target, they'll get 'round me in the exit. And they do. And I notice "Hayden" on the back of the familiar looking Erion racing colours. I start HOWLING in my helmet, "This is not happenin'! I'm not really riding on the track with ROGER LEE!" when Jake Zemke passes me... and I just about crash in turn 5 'cause I'm totally not paying attention to what I'm doing and watching these two guys... I'm still howling in my helmet all the way into turn 8... how cool was this? Riding on the track at the same time as some of the nation's best. (and in Jake's case, cutest!) I get the bike turned in turn 5 and head on over the hill. Steve catches back up (he pulled in and pulled out) and leads me around some more. We get into turn 8 and 9 and I'm watching his line and following him rather then listening to the horrified voice in my head. Come in all jazzed. I'm still slow, I can tell by the bike feeling funny in turn 4 and 5 (the suspension isnt happy with my slow speed.) I'm TOTALLY jazzed about the fact that those guys were on the track with me. I ask Steve to follow me first next time to make sure I'm not getting in anyone's way. And to also figure out what I'm doing wrong. This is when he's the BEST... I'm so glad he's around to help me out. The next session, he follows me to make sure I'm not being stupid on the track, then after passing me, I end up losing him almost right away as Roger Lee gets in our way. :-p He finds me again and helps out some more... I'm finding big empty spots on the track and just calmly working on being smoother and finding the lines. Half way thru, I no longer need to remind myself to breathe. Then I watch again as Roger Lee goes by me like I'm going backwards between 1 and 2 with the bike all outta shape from the acceleration... back end's wriggling like mad. Its very different seeing it from this perspective vs seeing it on SpeedVision. Neato! Jake passes me in turn 5 on the inside, but totally cleanly... Next thing I realize I'm in an empty spot again and "No Souvenirs" by Melissa Etheridge is running thru my head. Hello, hello this is Romeo Calling from a jackpot telephone Shame, shame but I love your name And the way you make the buffalo roam Oh fly, fly I guess this is goodbye Oh you packed up your heart And you left no souvenirs.... This is good 'cause I'm relaxing, and hanging off more aggressively thru turn 2 and 4 and 9. I start to lose concentration, and come off a little early -- just as Tony Meiring also comes off -- he's going thru turn 9 faster when his leg off the pegs then I can go full out. :-p I'm doin' a wild little snooopy happy dance when I come in, able to get into and out of my leathers on my own, I'm too thrilled. First, I go thru my ENTIRE cell phone listing to see if I can call ANYONE who'd 'get it', when I said, "OH MI GOD!!!! you'll never believe who I'm getting to ride on the track with!!!" Unfortunately, Sarah B's fone number isnt in my cell. :( 3rd session: I calm down enough to nap 'til the next session, and head on out. My legs are feeling strong, tho I can tell the ankle's starting to not be happy. I promise that I'll elevate and ice it when I get back. (Next time, remember some zip lock baggies!) Telling the pain to shut the fuck up, I get my head back to concentrating... and another Garbage song starts to run thru my head... (http://azlyrics.com/lyrics/garbage/temptationwaits.html) You come on like a drug I just can't get enough I'm like an addict coming at you for a little more And there's so much at stake I can't afford to waste I never needed anybody like this before Yea, baby -- this is when I'm happiest, when I'm on the bike, and things are running well. Sometimes, there are moments like this with people, but I love the bike best, 'cause its all about me and I dont have to worry about what and how the other person is dealing with it. Me, breathing, living, alive in the moment. Completely... until of course, some guy "breaking in his engine" lets go of a HUGE CLOUD OF blue black horrible smoke in front of me. *Cough* *cough cough* oh no. I knew I shouldnt have skimped on the asthma meds this past week. My chest closes up, and I cannot breathe. Its so tight I think I'm going to explode. I get out of the racing line and put a foot off to slow down into a clear bit of space and think slowly about drawing in a breath or two... my lungs clear up and I get back into the groove, but the damage is done, I gotta pull in. I get in so early there isnt anyone around to put me up on the rear stand. this is bad 'cause the inhaler is in the truck. Worse comes to worse, I'll lean the bike against the truck, but the exertion of moving the bike with me on it is making my lungs tighten up more. *calm down, silly girl...* I logically remind myself that making me crazy will make it worse and then GurlZBike and I will land on our sides 'cause I wont be able to keep it up... I manage to hold the bike and get off of it cleanly (oh thank goodness!) and keep breathing, counting in the breaths and blowing them out evenly while I lean over, balance the bike against my thigh (which is feeling pretty ropy strong and tense these days) and grab the rear stand. Damn men and their upper body strength. this is nothing for them. I balance the bike, get the STUPID fucking piece of SHIT rear stand I HATE and LOATHE under the swingarm. (Did I mention I hate this rear stand?!?) and lever the bike up... Stumbling now, taking off my helmet and gloves, I find my inhaler and take two deep hits and fall over in one of the chairs... *pant pant pant* Ouch. my chest hurts. :( and my ankle hurts. and I'm a BIG FUCKING BABY!!!! I start to think about the track and how much fun it was and how much I'm loving it and put my feet up again to rest the ankle and I fall asleep for another hour... Back on the track again, I'm just having a ball -- lines are cleaner, smoother, faster. I'm going into turn 8 wide open, going into the evil turn 9 with a wider and wider line each time. Turn 2 makes my right thigh ache, but I'm holding on with my left leg and elbow and leaning my body off more and more. (I have to lose more weight. Must drop this waist...) 'Til Roger Lee passes me again, and then a bunch of total squids pass me inside outside and upside down trying to keep up, in turn 5. One guy fucks up the inside line and would have clipped me if not for my COMPLETELY keen powers of observation that told me he was fucking up as he passed me and I had already moved to be out of the way (and to dive under if he kept fucking up...) I let 'em go by 'cause there will be a BIG blank space for me to work again, but then my foot cramped up. (Not enough potassium or calcium again darn it!) just as I put my hand out, Tony Meiring passes me and squidboy catches up and pats his tail section telling me to follow. I can't. ow. foot is trying to be a ball in my boot. Ow ow ow. (I'm still a BIG FUCKING BABY!!!) But the session's been near perfect, and my lungs are still sore, but I can breathe, and I'm not lung tired, just leg tired. I come in, singing in my helmet: Cut my tongue out I've been caught out Like a giant juggernaut... ..... When I grow up I'll be stable When I grow up I'll turn the tables (http://azlyrics.com/lyrics/garbage/whenigrowup.html) I get off the bike and get the boot off and rub my foot. Wonder if the massage therapist is there. I end up walking it off, and heading down to see if any pictures got taken. The one that I got is AWESOME: http://world.std.com/~gayathri/GIF/oct_g_r.jpg The #95 is Roger Lee Hayden. :) I remember him passing me in turn 4, so I'm totally stoked. I get back, and I'm still bouncing around like a mad woman and Steveyracer is laughing his ass off at me. I've forgotten to mention that halfway during the day, a former top 10 plate holder, Kevin President, who also brought out his kidlet Miles. I havent seen Miles in TWO years. He's grown a lot and turned into a TOTAL monkey! Great coordination, really smart little kid. He was too much fun to hang with. When we were packing up, he helped, and did a pretty good job. The best was watching him jump around and be his little monkey self. I wish I had a camera to catch it. (MUST GO BUY a CAMERA!) It was good seeing Kevin again, and Miles is still a total little cutie pie. Anyway, dinner was great, margarita was great. Drive home was _awesome_. We took the Crest and the moon was out. I loved it.