My Lucky Day and Over The Hump - Week 7

Stress was written all over last Tuesday.

Two things brought it on: my day in traffic court and my mountain bike race.

A few months ago I got a speeding ticket. I was so embarrassed by it that I didn't want to tell anyone. This was the first time I've ever received a ticket and the first time I've been pulled over. Of course I cried during the whole ordeal, especially since I wasn't guilty. Long story short: the officer clocked me going 49, said I was going over 50, but I was actually only going 40. I had been stopped at a light 1/10th of a mile before he saw me. Not possible to have accelerated to that speed in that short of time. Oh, and I was driving our 1993 Toyota pickup truck, not exactly a speed machine.

I was determined to get out of the ticket because a) I was innocent and b) I didn't want to pay $262! I applied to go to traffic court and got my date. I had no idea what to expect. I came prepared with a map, a written speech, and questions to ask the officer. Skyler couldn't come with me since my appointment was in the middle of a work day. I was by myself and super nervous. Not nervous because I was guilty, but nervous because I was going to have to present myself in front of a judge and talk to a whole courtroom.

I arrived 30 minutes early, which was a huge mistake because I had to sit outside the courtroom for 30 minutes getting more and more nervous by the second. Finally we were allowed inside the courtroom. The jury box was filled with police officers. I tried to remember what my officer looked like, but I couldn't remember. There were a few police officers from the city of Orange (where I was pulled over), but I didn't know.

The judge had to take care of a few matters before she got to the traffic court cases. She was giving sentences for people who got ticketed on multiple occasions for not having a drivers license. They were getting sentences for thousands of dollars, probation, and even jail time. Even though I knew my penalty wasn't this harsh, I was still squirming in my seat.

It was our turn. The judge called my name first and asked me to stand up. I thought this was off because I was last during roll call. I assumed my case would be last because of my last name. She proceeded to tell me that my police officer was not present in court today so my case was dismissed. And just like that, it was over.

A huge wave of relief filled me. YES! But my day wasn't over yet. Over The Hump was back after a three-week break. Since traffic court ended way sooner than I expected, I had time to go home and take a nap before the race. That was pure heaven. I would be so much happier if I got to take a nap every day.

As I mentioned before, I lost the leader's jersey since I missed Week #6 (we were in Kauai), but I still have a chance to get it back. I was stressed about this race because the last race I didn't do that well and I worried that everyone but me was getting better. I needed to do well if I wanted a chance to get that jersey.

This night I was feeling ready to race! Partly because it had been over a month and partly because I felt invincible. The course was the same as the last race for beginners, which meant a lot of climbing. I wanted to start off strong, so when it was time to go, I pushed hard to stay near the front.




I stayed near the front of the beginner's pack for most of the race, but pulled ahead on the last big climb. That's what my endurance training is good for! A first place finish made my lucky day complete. Dirty, hungry, but so happy.