Team FOMO does Xterra Nationals

And the third Team FOMO trip of the season was in September to the Xterra National Championships.

Both Troy and Jeff set out in 2012 to qualify for Nationals, and in true FOMO style, they did just that! And as they were so determined to get there, the rest of us just HAD to go along, too! But given that we couldn't just go and cheer on the sidelines, the rest of us all signed up for our own events that weekend. Jesse braved the Xterra triathlon course on Saturday with both Jeff and Troy. On Sunday, the rest of us gave the 21K trail run a try!

Saturday

It was an early start to the morning. Jeff, Jesse and Troy left long before the cheering crew so they could get to T2, drop off their run gear, then head back to T1 to rack their bikes and get ready for the swim. The rest of us came directly to the start at a slightly more reasonable hour. There were the usual pre-race rituals, including a very extensive "to do" list that was followed to the letter. Then there was waiting. And what do we do when we have some downtime? We stand around and crack each other up...it's not hard, and always fun!

Early morning strategery

So as we neared the start of the race, we headed down to the water for warm ups. Jeff and Troy got in to get a feel for the water, while Jesse vamped at the water's edge. Definitely good entertainment for the cheering crew.

SuperJesse

Surveying the course (and competition)

So the cheering crew waited to see the boys come out of the water, then sprinted over to the Bike Out to cheer them out onto the bike course. While waiting for the guys to come through, we decided we needed a shot of the cheering crew...this is what happened...Oh Brian!

Gay? or GAY!

Given that the bike course was a point to point, and mostly buried in the woods with little to no access to spectators, the C Crew headed up to T2 to await the boys' arrival so we could cheer them UP the start to the run course. As we had gotten to the run a bit before the boys came through, we still decided to cheer on the participants ahead of them. The start to the run was quite a long and steep uphill, so we decided that the racers needed a little comic relief. So we pulled out our best cheers, including B-Rian's perfect cheer, featured the spinning jump move!

So as the day wore on, the temperature heated up, and the altitude definitely had its effect on our athletes. That being said, everyone raced their hearts out and showed the Xterra Nationals what they had!

Sunday

SpinnyG represents for Team
FOMO with the Age Group win!

So after a little R&R, hot tub time and a grilled feast on Saturday night, the cheering crew had their chance to race on Sunday. We headed back to the finish from Saturday, and lined up next to some pretty big names in trail running, as well as some pretty little people. There were a 10 and a 12 year old racing in the same race as us...and they were for reals! The 12 year old finished ahead of all of us girls...B-rian saved face by crossing the finish line before her (the little secret being that he pushed her into the trees in the final single track before the finish to secure his win) :-)

The big win of the weekend, though, was Sammy Sam winning her age category for the 21K trail race. Team FOMO made it known that Sam was one of us when they announced her name and brought her up on the stage. It was a proud moment for all of us.

All in all, it was another fantastic Team FOMO weekend. We ate well, laughed a lot, raced hard and had fun doing it all. What this weekend was missing, though, was a good video. Next time.

Jessica

Team FOMO does Zion 100

Given that we started this blog only 3 days ago, I have just 19 days to get retrospective posts up on all the fun in 2012! And as it relates to Team FOMO, that means a post on Zion 100 and another on Xterra Nationals (forthcoming).

Zion 100! Dana's 1st 100 mile race! An epic adventure by all measures.

First off - let's start with St. George. Our home base for the weekend. Dana and Brian were there the weekend prior as Brian was racing Ironman St. George. Go Brian!!! Sam and I took a road trip from San Francisco, where we paddled on Tuesday evening, then drove for 2.5 hour to stay in a sketchy hotel in Coalinga, CA on Hwy 5. Awesome. But, we got up the next morning and hit the road, and pulling into St. George mid-afternoon. We arrived to a warm welcome from Dana and Brian! Somewhere over the next 1.5 days, we went mountain biking on whooptie trails, went hiking, went swimming in the local college pool, went thrift shopping and watch a little league game. Good times. Then on Friday, Tina and Troy arrived to complete our crew for the adventure. We spent Friday further prepping, registering, fueling up, and relaxing.

Saturday morning starts the main event. We got up early, fueled up, decorated the cars and hit the road! We saw Dana off at the start line, caught her up at the top of the first climb, then the crew headed off to breakfast outside of Zion National Park. At this point we combined with fellow friend and runner Kara and her crew. We had a few hours to regroup at this point - grab breakfast, relax by the pool, etc. Then, we headed off to meet Dana and Kara at the first pacer drop off point. Here's where the fun began!

I headed off with Dana for about 10 miles. Then Brian picked her up for about 25 as dusk hit. Then, we hit the dark hours. Tina picked her up with plenty of headlamps and hand lights to see the terrain through the darkness. Then finally, Dana was passed back to me for the final 10 miles to complete Dana's first, triumphant 100 mile ultra marathon!!!!

Dana put all of her thoughts down on the day on her blog. It was a heroic effort on her part, and all of us who came along felt honored to be a part of the experience.

While I could put all the schenanegans down in this blog, we have a picture set that Sam put together that give you a sense of the weekend. But what's even better is the video that our crew assembled during the race of the CREW experience at a 100 mile race...Enjoy!!!

Skyping-ing

Just like we were in the same garage

So as you know, I've been spinning away in the garage for 1.5 years now, because heading into M2's just wasn't convenient for my commute/work schedule anymore. And sure, there are other instructors in Marin, but I just decided I'd rather do my own workouts in the garage versus paying someone else to kick my ass. So yes, go ahead and say it, I was being cheap!

However, born out of the necessity to 1. keep up on the latest between the Marin and Portland, and 2. keep the magic alive of the garage rain-day circuit training, Dana and I have been spinning while on a video call via Skype! So much better than just sitting on the phone, and it makes 60-75 minutes seem much shorter on the bike!

B-rian even stopped in to say "Hi"!

Jesse - you're next! You and Jeff need to set up a Skyping-ing workout. I bet it works between Denver and Marin just as well! And, if B-rian and T-roy want to join in, you boys could hook up via Google circles so all of you could connect. I guess the same goes for us girls, too!

Anyway, just putting it out there as a way to make those long, winter, indoor training sessions that are upon us a little less painful, with company from your FOMO teammates!

Jessica

Spinach? In my Smoothie?

So for the last 2 years, I've worked a fantastic morning smoothie into my pre-workout ritual - typically on Saturday and Sunday mornings. It contains all the basics - berries, almond milk, protein powder, banana (for Jeff) and some chia seeds; maybe a tbsp of almond butter if it's a big workout day. 

Now, I thought I was going out on a limb because I was putting avocado into my smoothies - for calories and for texture. Surprisingly, you don't taste the avocado (kind of a shame, really). But then, certain members of team FOMO (not mentioning names, but it might have been those who own Vitamixes) started espousing the virtues of spinach in smoothies. I was a non-believer. I think it stemmed from an unfortunate Kale shake incident in 2007 that scarred me.

That being said, today, my fellow teammates, I became a believer! I have now added spinach to smoothies for a whole week, and I gotta say, I haven't even noticed (and that's a good thing!). Now I get an extra serving of green veggies without any extra effort! Fab!

Thanks Team Vitamix for getting me an extra serving of leafy greens!

Jessica

The Basics

FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out.

FOMO Factor: The force that compels you to do something purely based on the fact that someone else is, and the activity sounds like fun. Or not. But either way, you can't miss out on what "could" be.

Team FOMO founding members: Dana, Jessica, Sam, Tina, Brian, Jeff, Troy, Jesse. Others to be added as the disease strikes them, too.