All American Clash Races Illinois Version

One class and one walk was all that I had time for this week.  It was a jam-packed week of meetings, hair appointments, packing, and racing.  Yes, I could have drug my sorry butt up early, but sleeping was not great this week, so any sleep I could get was needed.  

Ollie update:  Sigh.  She's not only reacting to cars and birds now, but she is also eating poop.  This little dog and her weird tendencies.  Add that to Boom's weird peeing issues and Stella's 13-year-old senile brain and we have quite the mixture of crazy.  

I also got my hair done and this time I had a significant amount chopped off and I got some color put in.  I LOVE it!  She didn't' go as dark as I wanted but she explained why, and it made so much sense.  I have loved all of my hairdressers over the years, but she really explains the science behind things, and I appreciate that so much.  She does amazing things with my very limp, very thin hair and makes me feel so much better about my hair.  I am currently doing Nutrifol and Routine shampoo and conditioner to try and help with my thinning hair and I do feel like something is happening.  To be continued.

Okay last but certainly not least, the race.  I will try and not write a novel.  

We drove up Thursday night late and didn't get to the hotel till almost 2.  God bless my hubby for driving all night and God bless Josh Marshall for hauling our cars yet again.  We truly have the best racing fam ever.  

Friday was practice day.  I hate practice day.  We stay out there all day and change and change and change and then the race day dawns, and everything changes again.  We ended the day with a cook out with our racing fam and then beers and pool at the hotel.  Perfect end to the day but passed out fairly early thanks to the night before.  

We raced both Saturday and Sunday.  I could write a book about each day and the awesome things I saw out of Andrew.   I need to start writing them down every day because I love all of the little things.  On paper, it wasn't a great weekend other than a podium only because his teammates car broke again.  

I know in the game of racing, luck is always a possibility towards a win but dang it, I wish Andrew's teammate's car would stop breaking right before the finish.  He was smoking fast all weekend in both cars, and I was so glad Noah took two podiums this weekend on Sunday.  He totally deserved it as hard as he drove.  Back to my kiddo.  Here are the things I am super proud of:

1.  Starts.  Amazing starts.  Not backing down, driving two wide for multiple laps and getting down when he could to get in line.  Even when he was on the outside he would battle for position.  If you saw his starts in years past, you would know why I am SO excited about his starts.

2.  Not letting anyone intimidate him.  There are some awesome older drivers in heavy and he never lets them get to him.  They are all super-duper nice to Andrew and for that I am thankful.  They could be pissed he is so much younger, but they just let him be one of them.  He even went toe to toe with the kid who wins every single race and didn't back down.  

3.  Driving on a track that was super hard.  This track leveled the playing field for all drivers.  Every driver had issues at one point or another and the track changed from the heat to the features every single day.  He was fish tailing and sliding all over the place.  Old Andrew would have been terrified and in tears.  New Andrew thought it was fun and hit the wall several times and bounced right off.  I am still shocked.  

4.  Learned what driving a lose car means.  He tried so hard to keep it straight coming out of turns 3 and 4 and he would fishtail in his white car over and over.  He never quit.  

5.  Held his line and didn't let slower cars pass even though they were being super aggressive.  There was one car in heavy 160 that had a lot of confidence, but her car just didn't' have the speed.  She tried several times to put a move on Andrew and he just wouldn't let her.  The old Andrew would have given up and let the car go.  The new Andrew battled.  

6.  He led several laps and even when he knew they were coming because we couldn't get enough speed out of the white car, he tried as hard as he could to stay ahead for as long as he could.  He drove both cars as hard as he could.

Again, on paper, not successful but the old Andrew versus the new Andrew is so different and I am HERE FOR IT!  I love everything we are seeing, and I want to see more!  Andrew even mentioned he wants to travel more and go to more tracks, and I never thought I would see this day.  

Also, glad my parents got to see the new Andrew.  They've seen the old Andrew, and they were pleasantly surprised.  They got to see him get podium as well as make lots of awesome racing moves and get a 4th in a very tough class.  

And on Sunday Tony's mom and stepdad drove up to see him race.  While those were probably his worst races of the weekend, he still had good moves and good things for them to see.  

Ready for a week of peaceful and easy and no travel.  Have a great week y'all!

Back to School Time

Okay time, you can slow down.  Back to school time is always a sad and happy occasion around here.  A is to the point now where summers are pretty chill for him other than racing and weights.  I used to load him up with camps and opportunities for art, but now that I am working full time in a lab, I just can't take off and shuttle him around like I use to be able to.  Other than getting back to a go to sleep/ wake up routine, it isn't a huge difference to our family going back to school.  I do always get sad because I feel like he is growing up so quickly and the changes in his appearance and personality happen daily.  I am also sad because thanks to his ADHD, we fight getting up and getting ready every morning tooth and nail.  Simple things like take a shower, brush your hair, brush your teeth become huge fights.  I hate that part of getting back to a routine :( I hate the yelling, the fighting, the anxiety it creates in me as we are late almost every single day.  We've tried every hack, every trick in the book to make things easier but nothing works.  This is the part I hate, the part I dread about this time of year.  On to nicer happier things though.

Well, this one isn't that hugely happy.  We were headed out to do our normal first day of school pics and Ollie door bolted resulting in us chasing her all over the neighborhood.  Thankfully a guy stopped, had a dog, and slowed her down long enough for us to catch up with treats and catch her.  I'm writing this on a Sunday, and she has gotten out 4 times this week, 3 time with well-timed door bolts and one time we have no clue how.  I'm really perplexed as we have worked so hard to make a relationship with her and build value in us to her and it's just not working.  It's very frustrating and even Andrew has picked up on it and said why doesn't she love us mom like our other dogs.  We really need to get started with dog sports so we can increase our relationship and try and deepen that bond.  I have been letting her run lose some on my running route and only because she can run full out and is super tired so easy to catch.  Thank God she is cute.

I did two strength classes, three walks, and one run this week.  The heat returned and I have so much going on right now with meetings, and early morning experiments, and such that I just couldn't pack in any more runs.  Plus, with the night race, I was physically exhausted all day Sunday and with the dogs not letting me get any extra sleep, just felt horrible all day.  I did get one four miler in and it was glorious.  I sure do love running when I can fit it in.  I eagerly await cooler weather when I can run whenever, and I don't have to worry about heat stroke with me and my dogs.  

A couple of quick things to end on.  We had a new nutrition place open in Wamego, one I had been hoping would open for the last couple of years.  It finally opened and I have loved going over to get protein shakes and energy teas at lunch.  The problem?  Holy moly, it's expensive!!!!  I can easily spend 25-27 dollars on just a tea and a protein shake.  I have found a combo that is much cheaper, around 15-18 dollars but still.  Ouch.  I was hoping this would be my go-to lunch place as my microwave dinners just aren't cutting it lately but at that price, I don't think it's financially feasible to do so.  Sigh.  

And to end on the bestest of notes.  We had yet another night race. I am not sure how we slipped so many into the schedule, but yeah.  The last one wasn't the greatest with the adults acting up and we had some issues with passing but this week was a little better.  Heavy 160 was amazing with him pushing his car and giving Madden a run for his money for a little while. We took the ratcheting hub off which allowed him to drive with more confidence.  He even made some very smart racing decisions by not lapping the field as he was far enough away from the first-place car, and he knew that there was the potential for a wreck.  

In Heavy 120 Tony tried to completely unlock him and it didn't work so well as it scared Andrew and while he tried really hard to get it together, it allowed the other car to pass and get a half a track away.  Andrew was super sad because he usually beats Noah in this class and he thought it would be and win, but he figured out really quickly to never assume anything.  A good lesson even though it was hard.  I   love his new confidence and competitiveness.  It's cool to see.  

Y'all have a great week!

Back in time?

Two 3-mile walks, two strength work outs, and 2 runs this week!  Who am I?   The weather changed and cooled off and it was glorious!  Not going to lie, walks are making me so happy lately, even if Ollie pulls like her life depends on it and tries to catch birds in midair.  

Of course it's going to heat back up next week.  Sigh.  We may be back to just walks as we have a super busy schedule with school starting back up.  Water pig as I have been calling her is good to go as long as we have some water on the route.

We went to an 80s night as well at our local brewery.  While it was overall kind of disappointing, it was fun to dress up in my most favorite era.  I even dusted off some leg warmers and my cassette earrings and rocked that side ponytail.  We were going to have a lab outing at the event, but only one other couple showed up, but the band was good, and we had some good beers.    I really wish my favorite local brewery had some sort of food, even if it was just appetizer stuff, and also a patio.  We headed to another brewery later that did serve food, but they had been slammed and were out of all meats.  Huh?  Okay, chips and salsa it is.  Oh well, still fun, just not what I had hoped for.  

Let's end on racing!  I will bullet point this to make it short and sweet.  

• Andrew drove his butt off in Heavy Honda getting a second place in both the heat and feature.  It was so cool to see his newfound confidence come into play with a faster car to boot.  While he still couldn't beat Madden, he sure did try with some passes on Mad dog himself!  Remember Madden races nationally and had just won a whole bunch of awards at a huge national race just last week.  Did Andrew let that bother him or intimidate him?  Nope!  Win!
• Andrew wanted to try ratcheting hub in both cars with it being cooler out and the track changing rapidly through the night.  While he did have some spin outs and finished off of the podium, he still had some super-fast times and pushed his car.  Win in my book!
• Andrew was not happy about losing. No, he isn't a sore loser, but to see him have emotion about not getting the place he had hoped to place is a new thing!
• He's super excited about trying again this week with even more different set ups!
• He's super excited about the next clash race.  He even said they are better than me, but I will give it my all to try and beat them.  Who is this child?????
• I was really disappointed in how some adults act.  We had a bad call in Minnesota, but we didn't scream and yell or pout or talk about leaving the club again.  We just told Andrew that is life, move on, do better next time and sometimes the calls don't go the way you like.  Life is certainly never fair, and it never will be.  

Have a great week y'all!  School starts, another night race happens, and we might get to go see some dirt racing Friday night!

A week of Recovery?

Two walks, one work out class, and one yard mowed in 100-degree weather.  Does the mowing count because if it doesn't, it should.  Since it's been so hot and I am not training for anything, I am not running in this mess or on a treadmill.  I run because I love to run, and those two things suck the joy out of running period.  Here is a rundown of the other fun stuff we did this week despite the heat.  

How about Taylor Swift Bingo at my new favorite brewery, 785 Beer Company in Topeka?  Yes please!  We had a winner at our table, had some yummy food and beer, and sang our hearts out.  We want to do more singing bingos in the future!

We also had our annual lab get together and we had so much fun.  Lots of laughs, beer, good food, and getting to know each other.  Also, I love corn hole and wish I could play more and get better.  My offense is good, my defense sucks.  

We also took a trip to Osage City to celebrate our nephew's first birthday.  The drive down on 99 through the scenic by way is absolutely gorgeous this time of year.  

I had some great baby snuggles and I wish we lived closer so I could be more involved in his life.  He's going to be an amazing athlete if he is anything like his daddy and I am here for it!

And since we were so close to Emporia Kansas, we decided to bop over to Radius Brewing Company.  While I did love their beer, their food was eh.  We did get to do some antique shopping and found some really awesome shops to come back to next time.  

I only had one beer since it was lunch time, and it was a Hazy IPA that was to DIE for!  Checking all the great breweries in Kansas off my list.  

Ended the night with some yummy brisket and live music plus a bottle of my favorite Rose with my BRF.  We had great conversations about all things.  That is what I love, being able to talk about even difficult subjects that we disagree with and walking away with maybe new viewpoints.  

Sunday was about resting and relaxing with a hot walk thrown in.  Since boom boom has way more hair, he has stayed home these last couple of hot walks, but naked Ollie gets to go!  As long as we find water at some point, she doesn't care about the heat.

Have a great week y'all!  I am looking forward to some racing under the lights at our home track.  

All American Clash Race 3 and 4 in Minnesota

This week was kind of a wash for working out. I got one strength and one walking session in and zero running.  Oh well.  It's hot and I had crap to do.  

This week was all about traveling to the All-American Clash.  We went last year and had limited success, but a ton of fun.  We had learned a lot last year and were excited to go back and try some things we learned.  Plus, Andrew is just a different kid this year and much more competitive and the heavy classes are usually a little bit smaller, thus a little more manageable.  

We didn't get as much track family time this year and for that I am sad.  Usually, we all head back to the hotel at night and the kids swim their hearts out while we drink and talk.  We only got that one night and I miss that.  

We did get to the mall of America for a few hours and Andrew found the Lego set he had been wanting.  We got to see a little bit more of the mall this year, but still only probably a tenth of it overall.  You could seriously spend a whole week there and spend a small fortune and still not do everything.  

Practice day was a wash just like last year.  We tried set up after set up on the white car which is heavy Honda (HH) and nothing worked.  We didn't get any power; we couldn't get any more speed no matter what we tried.  We finally honestly gave up.  The Heavy 160 (H160) seemed good to go, so one practice session and done with it.   It's so frustrating to go year after year and just not see any changes or success in the Honda class.  I hear this is a common problem with Hondas and why many families move on to different engines, but it's so dang frustrating for us and for Andrew.  

It also doesn't help when your micron keeps dipping out and you can't get good data.  You can always hand time with a phone, but it can be a little off.  Sure, you notice big changes, but we are dealing with changes in the 0.000 range and that can be I hit the button wrong difference.  Plus, even though this track looks the exact same, they don't run near up to the wall like we do in Topeka for Honda and if you do, you scrub speed where at our track, it helps make your pattern more even and faster.    

Day one was a long one!  We had two heats of heavy Honda since there were 10 cars and Andrew was in the second heat.  Again, we just couldn't find speed.  The feature was much the same, no speed even though he tried.  That is on us and probably the dang engine that has been giving us signs it's ready to be done and needs love.  

Heavy 160 was a little better, however his teammate Noah had engine issues that didn't allow him to finish, so Andrew got a podium.  Not the way we wanted to win at all but what a cool trophy!

I just love this picture because even though our day wasn't the best speed wise, he learned SO much in both classes and had a great day overall.  We ended the day with pizza at the track and cupcakes to celebrate a sibling's birthday.  He really wanted to go swimming that night, but we were all sunburnt and exhausted and opted for a night in the hotel room, Olympics, and bed.  Someone had decided to build his Lego creation he had gotten at Mall of America at 4:30 am that morning and while that someone had slept all day in the trailer, that someone was still super tired.  

Side note, I had hoped I would just get to watch and not have to actually work since it isn't my home track BUT they needed someone to take weights and win photos, so Shanelle and I jumped in and helped both days.  I had learned my lesson last year to keep my face covered (I roasted my forehead last year and then pealed for weeks), but I thought I had enough of a base tan and SPF 30 on just in case (that was reapplied multiple times).  Neither helped and as I type this I am in still in pain.  OUCH.  I think the next track in the series also will need us to help, so I am advocating for a large umbrella if I have to stand all day and watch every single race for win photos.  I am doing everything in my power to keep this from peeling, but I feel like I am losing this battle for sure.  

One last note about day 1.  That night as we were all lying in bed, Andrew quietly asked what he needed to do to win.  He said he was tired of getting last place. I was shocked as he normally doesn't get that upset about losing, especially if it is equipment failure.  His dad and I talked to him about the pattern first off, but also the fact that most if not all of the other kids were older and running either free or on a ratcheting hub.  Dear readers, I can't exactly explain what that means but it's something about the rear tires.  Andrew likes to run locked, so his back end isn't squirrelly and that makes him slower somehow as the tires fight each other.  Tony and Andrew agreed to at least try ratcheting and see what happened.  Previously I will add, when we have tried this, it has really freaked Andrew out.  Again, for him to say he wanted to win is a big step for him.   I think he has gotten a taste this year and he wants it and for that I am so excited!

Day 2 started out again with a last place in the Honda heat race as he figured out the looser car.  He would start dead last in the feature P10.  I watched this kid work his way up to 5th at one point!  I saw passing!  I saw bravery!  I saw him spin out once and then come back and drive like he has never driven before!  He even got a call on him as that he caused a wreck and had to go tail end and worked his way back up to 6th.  He was going to finish 6th and the 2nd place car who had spun out and was at the tail worked his way back up and passed him on the last lap.  I will take it.  He battled the entire class because once again, he did not have the speed he needed and or wanted but still saw much faster times with a looser car.  For him to trust the process, to trust that we said his car would come to him was HUGE!  I am super-duper proud, and I think that confidence he had in that big class passing those older kids and battling is going to pay off big time.  It may not be a podium win but it was a win in my book.  

This also happened!  Noah, Andrew's teammate got 3rd in heavy Honda!  He also had battled his car really all year and finally found the speed and confidence he needed to get in the mix.  

Heavy 160 was a repeat of the day before, however, Andrew found some speed and challenged the 2nd place driver in the heats and stayed right there with 1 and 2.  While we hate that Noah had engine problems again, it was pretty cool to see Andrew get confident and push the car even though the other kids were ratcheting, or free hubs and Andrew was locked.  We again got third due to Noah's engine going away and another podium.

My overall take aways from the weekend:

1. Andrew battled and got delt a bad call but battled back no matter what.  The old Andrew never would have battled in the first place if he thought he didn't have a fast car and especially if he was sent to the back.  Yes, there were some DOT cars that got put behind him that gave him some positions, but he held them off and again the old Andrew would have gladly let faster cars pass to ride in the back if he perceived they were "better".  

2.  Andrew found some confidence in his fastest car (heavy 160) and pushed and could have passed for 2nd place but didn't.  Why is that good you ask?   The 2nd place car was an older kid that while Andrew's car was faster, would have possibly wrecked him to keep 2nd place.  I felt like it was better to let him know he was there and hope for a mistake that true didn't come, but still.   Sometimes parking it in the pits in one piece is the best solution.  

3.  While we battled set up, I never heard him whine or complain.  He just went out each time and pushed the cars as hard as he could to give his dad the most information.  

4.  This is my biggest one.  I saw and heard two things really that I have never heard him say or do.  One, he watched several races to get a feeling for lines.  He really saw this time how you can change your line to prevent passing, but not block, and that every track is different so drive them differently.  He also verbally claimed he wanted to do better and wanted to win and when we told him what he needed to do, he wanted to try it.  He has never been a fan of free or ratcheted hubs and would previously cry.  Is this the turning point for him? I've seriously waited for 6 years for this moment because I knew it was in there.  Let's hope it stays for the rest of the season.

Overall, it was a great trip minus the success on paper I guess you could say.  I know people have a hard time understanding how I can get excited about last place finishes or no podiums, but my kid is different, and I celebrate baby steps, not giant leaps.  We had fun with our friends, got to relax a tiny bit, didn't kill each other on the drive up and back, and saw so much good in all of our racers.  I can't wait to be back at our home track soon and see what this newfound confidence and speed looks like!  I also can't wait to come back again next year and see what all Andrew learned looks like a year later with even more confidence and age.   

Have a great week y'all!