Yesterday I did my second triathlon in May.
This is a funny one because I was feeling pretty pleased with myself until I looked at my splits this morning!
Let's talk it out.
Left the house at 4:50, transition was closing at 6:45 but the race was about an hour away. Did a brilliant thing and stopped at a gas station about 5 miles from the race so I could take care of some business without a line and with a real toilet and more calm, given my wardrobe issues at the CB&I. I should always do this.
Got to the parking lot, and the race packet said it was a .5 mile walk but it must have been at least a mile because it took forEVER to get there.
Got to transition, walked in and almost immediately realized I had forgotten my running shoes in the car. Sent P back for them but it was going to be a near thing for him to get back before transition closed.
While I waited I set up my transition area, which was complicated because the chick next to me had like 10 people gathered around her talking, so I couldn't get through to my spot, then she had her bike racked in the wrong direction, but I wasn't 100% sure whether it was her or the chick on the other side - just knew someone was wrong, so had to find a ref, blah blah. Anyways, got my spot all set up other than shoes, then headed for the bathroom (again). Luckily there was a real one, and I was willing to stand in the line. Did my business and managed to re-suit myself, then went to grab the camp chairs and pick a nice spot for P. He made it back with LITERALLY 3 minutes to spare, and I got my shoes onto my towel and got out of transition.
I haven't yet mentioned the mud. It was soooooo wet and muddy. Houston has had flooding rains over the past week, and this tri was in a hard hit area. I was actually checking the website on the morning of to confirm it was still happening, the rains were so severe in that area.
So once again my wave was second to last, so after transition closed, I ate a granola bar, applied sunscreen, got my swim cap on, and generally hung out a bit. Watched several waves start and begin to finish, then headed over to line up.
The water temperature was nice. I was excited about the swim course because it was a long out, then a right turn. Bouys would be on the right, which is to my advantage. I lined up right beside the bouys, but about 4 ladies back (which was essentially the back row other than the ladies who decided to stand on the shore til the gun went off). It was a freaking madhouse this time. Lots of bodies all in the way. Lots of contact. I felt like it took forEVER for me to get some clear water. I felt pretty good though, like I was holding my own. I began passing ladies in the previous wave, and when I got near the turn it didn't look like I was too far behind the leaders of my wave. That was weird because that was also when I got passed by the fasties of the following wave. But I didn't freak out on that because that was the wave that included relay teams, and the people passing me were men. I realize now that some of this was misleading because my wave included my age group, plus the 35-39 age group, and apparently they were the ones that I was pacing, now that I look at the very disappointing results. I have GOT to figure out what is going so wrong on the swims that I am so much slower in open water than in the pool.
Swim: 16:45 for 2:48/100y
Transition, omg transition. I was actually surprised when I saw this number because I was veeeerry disappointed with this transition. Ran to area, was happy about all the bikes still there, stood on towel. Put on run belt, arm sweatband gets stuck going on because of all the wetness, lost seconds here. Put on sunglasses. Put on helmet, sunglasses fogged. Take off sunglasses, wipe with towel, put back on. Try to dry feet/clean some of the insane amount of grass/mud off them. Put on socks, put on shoes (I switched to Yankz, good move!). Sunglasses have filled with water dripping off face, take off, say out loud, "Slowest transition EVER!", clean with towel, put back on again, grab bike, head out. On the way realize that sunglasses are over helmet straps, take off again, put on correctly.
T1: 1:38 (Seriously, shockingly fast given all that!)
Head to bike mount line, 5 women spread all over road in front, have to wait a bit, but get some clear and get mounted. Had mud all up in shoes so took a while to get feet positioned comfortably on the pedal grips.
Got going and was really pleased, maintaining a nice 17-18mph speed. It was an out and back course and when we hit the first few hills I was excited about coming back because I'd get to go down them. When I hit the turnaround, duuuuuude. So disappointing. I realized that I had had BOTH a tailwind AND a downhill false flat for most of the way out. Speed dropped to a struggling 14mph. Blarg. Eventually I hit one of the turns and was able to pick it back up again. And I must say I LOVE the 12 mile bikes. Somehow that seems soooo much shorter than a 15! By the time I was back in transition I was feeling very good about the bike despite my low point on course.
Bike: 43:13 for 16.7mph
Transition was no big deal. Helmet off, grabbed a quick swig of water. Struggled to place bike on rack because of how the other ladies had racked theirs, but managed it with a little finagling.
T2: 1:06
Ran out, was pleased to find almost immediate Gatorade. There were a lot of people around, so even though my normal strategy is to walk to calm my heart rate and breathing before running, I kind of felt like I needed to run. So I ran past Preston and people, and stopped to walk where it was calmer. I had grabbed my phone, so started RunKeeper, stowed it in race belt, and adjusted hair. Then began running with a 4:1 goal, that ended up being closer to a 3.5:1.5, which I was really pretty pleased with. I'm aware that I need to work on some speed. I also think maybe getting the old garmin out would help because I feel like some of my issues are mental out on the run. It just feels like it kind of goes on forever! With a garmin on I can use the numbers to encourage myself.
Run: 35:59 for 12:00min/mi.
Total: 1:38.42
Post race: I was very very very disappointed with the post race food. They had run out of pizza completely. They had raisen and plain bagels. There were cookies which were quite good. I also got watermelon (nice), grapes (sour), and literally the most disgusting banana that I have ever eaten in my entire life. It was like the starch hadn't turned to sugar. I actually had to spit it out, it was so sick and wrong.
Then there was the looooong walk back to the car, followed by the quest for food (Taco C and Starbucks, yum!).
Ok, so the long view. I had better T1, Bike, and T2. My run was about the same, meh. My swim, blarg, so disappointing. All in all, I was really happy with my time, which is funny. Based on the differences in distances from the CB&I, I was hoping for a sub-1:40, which I totally accomplished! I just didn't get the time back where I expected it, which has me shaking my head.
Take-aways: Still need speed. SPEEEEEED! Garmin for the run, RunKeeper isn't good enough because I can't see it easily.
Showing posts with label bike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bike. Show all posts
Monday, June 1, 2015
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
MS150 Ride Report
Make that the MS70. Yeah, you read that right.
The weather leading up to the MS150 was panic-making. I read Eric Berger's weather blog and he kept making comments about how it might be a nice weekend if you weren't doing something nutty like trying to ride a bike from Houston to Austin.
Then there were buckets and buckets of rain in the days leading up to the race. By Thursday I was guessing they might cancel Saturday. Just as I was leaving my conference on Friday, they cancelled Saturday.
In all honesty - I was kind of relieved. There, I said it. After the horrible Katy Ram Challenge and Eric predicting a headwind... I was scared.
Annnnnd after a week of conference, honestly it was nice to have a day off on Saturday before I turned my legs to noodles.
BUT because I was planning on a two day ride from Houston, not a one day from La Grange, I got pretty stressy over the logistical issues on Saturday. I had reserved P a room near Austin for SATURDAY night, so I didn't have anyone to drop me off at the start. I went ahead and sent him on Saturday afternoon, then managed to catch a bus ride with a bunch of riders staying in the Omni from Austin. (Serious kudos to the Omni for letting me have a ride. They were totally awesome about it. Go stay there!!)
With that said, I got up at 3:30 on Sunday to catch a 4:45 bus from Houston to La Grange. It was a school bus, with like 20 riders and 20 bikes. It was just a tad crowded. But I am GRATEFUL. So not complaining. Just sayin'. :-) We got there at 7. I grabbed a porta potty line, then my chain was off so headed to the mechanic. Then waited around for a while, munching a bagel, for the start. It was an 8am start, and I started at 9 and I wasn't even close to last. It was kind of cool and misting as I waited, but boy that did NOT last long.
I felt GREAT! Just great. It wasn't exactly a headwind. Like side-head. I'll take it! I was riding along at a good clip and I just felt really good.
First rest stop: 9.5 mi in 45 min. Muddy, oh so muddy! Applied sunscreen and used facilities. Removed arm warmers. Ate some animal crackers. Drank half a bottle of water.
Headed out at about the same time as another team member, and he was around the same speed as me, and we went back and forth on the next leg.
Second rest stop: 23 mi at 1:45. Ate jelly beans. Drank half a bottle of Gatorade. Still feeling good.
I came upon a wreck about 2 miles before lunch where we were all just stopped in the road. Then once it was cleared, we rode like 100 yards to a light where a policeman was letting small groups through, so stopped again. At that light we turned left and immediately we were on a GIGANTIC downhill. Like mega. Like wow, drop off the world downhill. And I got so scared. We were too packed, it was dangerous. And I was thinking I wasn't the only one because everyone was braking braking braking. But then I got all freaky because I wasn't going to be able to go all the way down the hill at like 2mph without losing control. After a few minutes I gave in and hopped off and started walking it down the hill. Now THERE'S something I never thought I'd do!! Walk my bike DOWN a hill in the MS150!! Anyways, it turned out that there was another wreck and everyone ended up walking. I heard several veterans comment that they have never ever ridden down that hill because someone always wrecks there. Crazy!
Lunch stop (finally!): 33.5 miles in 3 hours (which was about 25 minutes slower than it would have been if not for the wrecks). Ate a ham sandwich. Finished the bottle of Gatorade and refilled with Cytomax. Lunch was in a big tent and thank goodness for the team because I must admit I felt like I was in high school walking into the cafeteria. I reapplied sunscreen here and used the restroom for what would be the last time for the day. By the end of lunch I was starting to feel a little rough - just very hot, like I was sunburning, and queasy. But I was worried about my team leaving, so I headed out.
Then it got bad. I really really struggled with the next section. I was at a mental low point. It was just so HOT (probably about 85 at this point, and I hadn't trained in the heat because this was really the first hot day) and my legs were feeling the shooting pain that normally waits til the end of rides for me. The wind had shifted into a headwind and worst of all it was a HOT gusty headwind. I was seriously considering sagging and/or puking. It was BAD. Then about 7 miles into the 14 mile leg, I saw a bunch of riders pulled over as we were crossing the Colorado River for like the 3rd time to take pics. I pulled over and took an Ibuprofen for the leg pain and drank most of the rest of my water trying to push the queasies down. I vaguely suspect that the Cytomax didn't agree with my stomach. Then I thought I could at least get to the next rest stop and I'd decide from there.
Fourth stop: 49 miles in probably about 4:15. I don't actually know the exact time, and this is the only one I don't know, because I felt too bad to check, honestly. I got to this stop and reported directly to the med tent to tell them I wasn't right. My pulse was ok, so they advised me to sit in the shade, drink cold water, and just wait and see what I thought. I was at this stop for at least half an hour and I did just that. Drank an entire bottle of ice water. Sat. Stretched. Called P and cried. Then when I was getting ready to walk back over to my bike, I saw a friend from the R2R training rides. I told her I had had a rough leg and she was all, "It is only 8 miles to the next stop!! You can do 8 miles!! Try latching onto us!!" And I believed her just enough that I got back on.
I was actually surprised at this point that my ass and legs felt much better. THANK YOU Ibuprofen. Seriously. I was still hot and I think dehydrated, but the lessening of the pain plus the short leg made me feel like I could get through it. I managed to latch onto Katie until about 5 miles in, and then I only had 3 to go, so I made it.
Fifth rest stop: 59 mi in 5:21. Again I spent quite a while at this stop. Sat in the shade, drank lots of water. I was still scared to eat, though. Reapplied sunscreen.
Surprisingly the first few miles out of this rest stop weren't bad AT ALL. They were mostly downhill and they kind of flew by. It was at some point in there that I realized that my tummy hurt now not because I was going to puke but because I was seriously mega hungry. So I pulled over at the top of a hill and pounded a package of peanut butter crackers with lots more water.
But then after that we started coming into Austin and oh, the HILLS!! If the day had gone differently for me, perhaps I'd have tried to ride the hills. As it was, I'd get as much momentum as I could, shift as much as I could, but when I was going about 4 miles an hour and really working hard for it, I just went ahead and hopped off and walked the hills. There was no reason to punish my body further. So that last look took quite a while. Also, coming into town there were more lights where we got held up and we had to narrow down to one bike lane, so it was definitely a little sketchier. But in the end - I finished.
Finish: 70 mi in 6:45. That 6:45 is time ON THE BIKE. I started at 9am and finished at 6pm, for the record.
I have to say that I am very proud of myself for making it to the finish under my own power. It was a near thing several times. But I got it done.
And I saw my family right after I crossed the line. And I got my pin and my certificate. And I took my bike over head pic in front of the Capitol. And then I went to EZ's and chowed hardcore on chicken and cheese fries and a milkshake and it was GOOD. Then we drove home, arriving at 11pm. Eep! Definitely the right decision to take a day off work the next day.
So here's my thing - I heard all over the place that this was a really rough ride - really bad year in terms of heat and headwind. But seriously, seriously, I don't think I could have done both days if that is what they both were like. At least not done them and finished entirely under my own power.
I'm going to have to try the MS150 again. It is just in my nature. But not next year, I don't think. It was just such a HUGE commitment in terms of prep time - essentially blowing at least half of every Saturday from January-April. So maybe sometime in the future, but not soon.
Am I glad I did it? YES, absolutely! I am SO much more comfortable on my bike than I have ever EVER been before. All those miles. There was a point on that first leg when I thought, you know, I actually feel COMFORTABLE. ON A BIKE. That has literally never happened before. I was riding along with people and I wasn't white knuckled or scared or anything. I was just riding. For me that is such a huge thing. There was one point where I took both hands off the bike. Now that was for like a second, but again, for me, HUGE! Just a massive statement about my confidence and comfort level. And also, importantly, I know of some really good local rides with shorter route options that would be great triathlon prep rides for next year! I'd love to hang out at about 40 miles, so the 20-whatever mileage in a tri feels like no big thing. And I now feel really comfortable signing up for that kind of thing. So this was a really really great experience for me overall. Nothing but positive came out of it. I am so very very glad I went on this crazy ride!
The weather leading up to the MS150 was panic-making. I read Eric Berger's weather blog and he kept making comments about how it might be a nice weekend if you weren't doing something nutty like trying to ride a bike from Houston to Austin.
Then there were buckets and buckets of rain in the days leading up to the race. By Thursday I was guessing they might cancel Saturday. Just as I was leaving my conference on Friday, they cancelled Saturday.
In all honesty - I was kind of relieved. There, I said it. After the horrible Katy Ram Challenge and Eric predicting a headwind... I was scared.
Annnnnd after a week of conference, honestly it was nice to have a day off on Saturday before I turned my legs to noodles.
BUT because I was planning on a two day ride from Houston, not a one day from La Grange, I got pretty stressy over the logistical issues on Saturday. I had reserved P a room near Austin for SATURDAY night, so I didn't have anyone to drop me off at the start. I went ahead and sent him on Saturday afternoon, then managed to catch a bus ride with a bunch of riders staying in the Omni from Austin. (Serious kudos to the Omni for letting me have a ride. They were totally awesome about it. Go stay there!!)
With that said, I got up at 3:30 on Sunday to catch a 4:45 bus from Houston to La Grange. It was a school bus, with like 20 riders and 20 bikes. It was just a tad crowded. But I am GRATEFUL. So not complaining. Just sayin'. :-) We got there at 7. I grabbed a porta potty line, then my chain was off so headed to the mechanic. Then waited around for a while, munching a bagel, for the start. It was an 8am start, and I started at 9 and I wasn't even close to last. It was kind of cool and misting as I waited, but boy that did NOT last long.
I felt GREAT! Just great. It wasn't exactly a headwind. Like side-head. I'll take it! I was riding along at a good clip and I just felt really good.
First rest stop: 9.5 mi in 45 min. Muddy, oh so muddy! Applied sunscreen and used facilities. Removed arm warmers. Ate some animal crackers. Drank half a bottle of water.
Headed out at about the same time as another team member, and he was around the same speed as me, and we went back and forth on the next leg.
Second rest stop: 23 mi at 1:45. Ate jelly beans. Drank half a bottle of Gatorade. Still feeling good.
I came upon a wreck about 2 miles before lunch where we were all just stopped in the road. Then once it was cleared, we rode like 100 yards to a light where a policeman was letting small groups through, so stopped again. At that light we turned left and immediately we were on a GIGANTIC downhill. Like mega. Like wow, drop off the world downhill. And I got so scared. We were too packed, it was dangerous. And I was thinking I wasn't the only one because everyone was braking braking braking. But then I got all freaky because I wasn't going to be able to go all the way down the hill at like 2mph without losing control. After a few minutes I gave in and hopped off and started walking it down the hill. Now THERE'S something I never thought I'd do!! Walk my bike DOWN a hill in the MS150!! Anyways, it turned out that there was another wreck and everyone ended up walking. I heard several veterans comment that they have never ever ridden down that hill because someone always wrecks there. Crazy!
Lunch stop (finally!): 33.5 miles in 3 hours (which was about 25 minutes slower than it would have been if not for the wrecks). Ate a ham sandwich. Finished the bottle of Gatorade and refilled with Cytomax. Lunch was in a big tent and thank goodness for the team because I must admit I felt like I was in high school walking into the cafeteria. I reapplied sunscreen here and used the restroom for what would be the last time for the day. By the end of lunch I was starting to feel a little rough - just very hot, like I was sunburning, and queasy. But I was worried about my team leaving, so I headed out.
Then it got bad. I really really struggled with the next section. I was at a mental low point. It was just so HOT (probably about 85 at this point, and I hadn't trained in the heat because this was really the first hot day) and my legs were feeling the shooting pain that normally waits til the end of rides for me. The wind had shifted into a headwind and worst of all it was a HOT gusty headwind. I was seriously considering sagging and/or puking. It was BAD. Then about 7 miles into the 14 mile leg, I saw a bunch of riders pulled over as we were crossing the Colorado River for like the 3rd time to take pics. I pulled over and took an Ibuprofen for the leg pain and drank most of the rest of my water trying to push the queasies down. I vaguely suspect that the Cytomax didn't agree with my stomach. Then I thought I could at least get to the next rest stop and I'd decide from there.
Fourth stop: 49 miles in probably about 4:15. I don't actually know the exact time, and this is the only one I don't know, because I felt too bad to check, honestly. I got to this stop and reported directly to the med tent to tell them I wasn't right. My pulse was ok, so they advised me to sit in the shade, drink cold water, and just wait and see what I thought. I was at this stop for at least half an hour and I did just that. Drank an entire bottle of ice water. Sat. Stretched. Called P and cried. Then when I was getting ready to walk back over to my bike, I saw a friend from the R2R training rides. I told her I had had a rough leg and she was all, "It is only 8 miles to the next stop!! You can do 8 miles!! Try latching onto us!!" And I believed her just enough that I got back on.
I was actually surprised at this point that my ass and legs felt much better. THANK YOU Ibuprofen. Seriously. I was still hot and I think dehydrated, but the lessening of the pain plus the short leg made me feel like I could get through it. I managed to latch onto Katie until about 5 miles in, and then I only had 3 to go, so I made it.
Fifth rest stop: 59 mi in 5:21. Again I spent quite a while at this stop. Sat in the shade, drank lots of water. I was still scared to eat, though. Reapplied sunscreen.
Surprisingly the first few miles out of this rest stop weren't bad AT ALL. They were mostly downhill and they kind of flew by. It was at some point in there that I realized that my tummy hurt now not because I was going to puke but because I was seriously mega hungry. So I pulled over at the top of a hill and pounded a package of peanut butter crackers with lots more water.
But then after that we started coming into Austin and oh, the HILLS!! If the day had gone differently for me, perhaps I'd have tried to ride the hills. As it was, I'd get as much momentum as I could, shift as much as I could, but when I was going about 4 miles an hour and really working hard for it, I just went ahead and hopped off and walked the hills. There was no reason to punish my body further. So that last look took quite a while. Also, coming into town there were more lights where we got held up and we had to narrow down to one bike lane, so it was definitely a little sketchier. But in the end - I finished.
Finish: 70 mi in 6:45. That 6:45 is time ON THE BIKE. I started at 9am and finished at 6pm, for the record.
I have to say that I am very proud of myself for making it to the finish under my own power. It was a near thing several times. But I got it done.
And I saw my family right after I crossed the line. And I got my pin and my certificate. And I took my bike over head pic in front of the Capitol. And then I went to EZ's and chowed hardcore on chicken and cheese fries and a milkshake and it was GOOD. Then we drove home, arriving at 11pm. Eep! Definitely the right decision to take a day off work the next day.
So here's my thing - I heard all over the place that this was a really rough ride - really bad year in terms of heat and headwind. But seriously, seriously, I don't think I could have done both days if that is what they both were like. At least not done them and finished entirely under my own power.
I'm going to have to try the MS150 again. It is just in my nature. But not next year, I don't think. It was just such a HUGE commitment in terms of prep time - essentially blowing at least half of every Saturday from January-April. So maybe sometime in the future, but not soon.
Am I glad I did it? YES, absolutely! I am SO much more comfortable on my bike than I have ever EVER been before. All those miles. There was a point on that first leg when I thought, you know, I actually feel COMFORTABLE. ON A BIKE. That has literally never happened before. I was riding along with people and I wasn't white knuckled or scared or anything. I was just riding. For me that is such a huge thing. There was one point where I took both hands off the bike. Now that was for like a second, but again, for me, HUGE! Just a massive statement about my confidence and comfort level. And also, importantly, I know of some really good local rides with shorter route options that would be great triathlon prep rides for next year! I'd love to hang out at about 40 miles, so the 20-whatever mileage in a tri feels like no big thing. And I now feel really comfortable signing up for that kind of thing. So this was a really really great experience for me overall. Nothing but positive came out of it. I am so very very glad I went on this crazy ride!
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Terry Hershey Park
So I've heard about this park - my team did most of their group riding at Terry Hershey Park, but I had never gone before. So Easter weekend P and I took his new bike out there to give it a try. And it was really a pretty neat park.
We started at the Dairy Ashford lot and headed East, and I wasn't so sure in the beginning. There are tons of little tiny hills, like 50 feet long, but they are freaking crazy steep. So I'd go at them thinking no way I need to shift, just power through, they are soooo short. Then I'd be walking. It completely changed the way I shift, let me to shift preemptively and faster. It was really good practice. But it also felt dangerous - there were lots of blind curves and tight turns and those little evil hills. So while it was great practice, it wasn't a good representation of riding on the road for hours at a time.
When we headed back west, though, the terrain was much better in terms of a more road like experience.
It is completely closed to traffic, and thus an excellent option, especially if I need to ride alone or just me and P.
I did have a flat and end up having to walk my bike back to a lot while P rode to our car to come fetch me. Glad I wasn't alone.
Oh, and also, we rode there on Easter Sunday in the morning and it was icky weather, gentle rain. I was STUNNED at how many people were out and about. I worry that it is potentially uber crowded during a normal weekend, based on that.
All in all, great resource, will definitely be back!
We started at the Dairy Ashford lot and headed East, and I wasn't so sure in the beginning. There are tons of little tiny hills, like 50 feet long, but they are freaking crazy steep. So I'd go at them thinking no way I need to shift, just power through, they are soooo short. Then I'd be walking. It completely changed the way I shift, let me to shift preemptively and faster. It was really good practice. But it also felt dangerous - there were lots of blind curves and tight turns and those little evil hills. So while it was great practice, it wasn't a good representation of riding on the road for hours at a time.
When we headed back west, though, the terrain was much better in terms of a more road like experience.
It is completely closed to traffic, and thus an excellent option, especially if I need to ride alone or just me and P.
I did have a flat and end up having to walk my bike back to a lot while P rode to our car to come fetch me. Glad I wasn't alone.
Oh, and also, we rode there on Easter Sunday in the morning and it was icky weather, gentle rain. I was STUNNED at how many people were out and about. I worry that it is potentially uber crowded during a normal weekend, based on that.
All in all, great resource, will definitely be back!
Monday, April 13, 2015
Ride Report: Katy Ram Challenge
Philosophical question of the day: How is it that you can ride a loop and yet 2/3 of it has a headwind?
I decided to do this ride at the last minute since Ready 2 Roll's ride was a loooooooong drive for me, and it was also more mileage than I wanted to commit to on the weekend before the MS 150.
There was the potential for rain, so I did an on-site sign-up. I actually have to say that it was super painless, and it was really cool because it was in Sun n Ski and they actually had the store open for business at 6am. So I was early and once I was signed up, I went shopping for (and purchased) a new trisuit! 2 birds, 1 stone, yay!
I chose the 36 mile route, again, because it is the weekend before the big weekend, and frankly, if my body isn't ready, killing it this weekend wasn't really going to help.
Well I killed it even on the 36. But I'll get to that.
Ride to the first rest stop was a little clustery for the first 5 miles or so, but then it opened up nicely. Mild headwind, no problem. First rest stop could have used more porta potties, but otherwise was fine.
Second leg was AWESOME!!! I had a tailwind and I was FLYING! It went by crazy fast and suddenly I was at the next rest stop and high on the sheer awesome.
But even at that rest stop I had a sneaking suspicion that we were looking at a headwind on the way back. Oh noooooo, I haaaaaaateses headwinds.
And I was right. That last leg was terrible. Awful. No good. Very bad. Soul sucking.
I have to say I got really ticked at this one lady, too. I'm not sure at what point she latched onto my draft (lol, hilarious, since I was going 10-12 mph, but it happened), but at some point I became aware by sounds that there was someone back there. And the road wasn't great so I was taking routes around holes and junk and she was following right on me. I'd barely glimpse her out of the corner of my eye when I was checking over my shoulder for traffic. She rode there for at least several MILES, never saying a word, just drafting off of me. I was in such a bad mental place I was wanting to scream into the wind. I was just soooooo frustrated with how HARD it was to go that SLOW. Finally at some point I just sat all the way up and was going about 9 when she popped out and flew by me, never saying a word. GRRRRRR. As I was explaining later to P, I just felt so used. There is a right way to use someone and a wrong way. The right way is to let them know you're there and chat them up a bit and help them through if they are having a rough time. The wrong way is to hide and quietly use them and then discard them when they are used up. Not cool. Not cool at all.
Anyways, I made it back but it was seriously sucky and I must say that my confidence took a hit, which isn't good leading into next weekend. But there it is. I need to just remember that second awesome leg and try to forget the rest. And cross my fingers that there isn't a headwind heading to Austin next weekend.
I decided to do this ride at the last minute since Ready 2 Roll's ride was a loooooooong drive for me, and it was also more mileage than I wanted to commit to on the weekend before the MS 150.
There was the potential for rain, so I did an on-site sign-up. I actually have to say that it was super painless, and it was really cool because it was in Sun n Ski and they actually had the store open for business at 6am. So I was early and once I was signed up, I went shopping for (and purchased) a new trisuit! 2 birds, 1 stone, yay!
I chose the 36 mile route, again, because it is the weekend before the big weekend, and frankly, if my body isn't ready, killing it this weekend wasn't really going to help.
Well I killed it even on the 36. But I'll get to that.
Ride to the first rest stop was a little clustery for the first 5 miles or so, but then it opened up nicely. Mild headwind, no problem. First rest stop could have used more porta potties, but otherwise was fine.
Second leg was AWESOME!!! I had a tailwind and I was FLYING! It went by crazy fast and suddenly I was at the next rest stop and high on the sheer awesome.
But even at that rest stop I had a sneaking suspicion that we were looking at a headwind on the way back. Oh noooooo, I haaaaaaateses headwinds.
And I was right. That last leg was terrible. Awful. No good. Very bad. Soul sucking.
I have to say I got really ticked at this one lady, too. I'm not sure at what point she latched onto my draft (lol, hilarious, since I was going 10-12 mph, but it happened), but at some point I became aware by sounds that there was someone back there. And the road wasn't great so I was taking routes around holes and junk and she was following right on me. I'd barely glimpse her out of the corner of my eye when I was checking over my shoulder for traffic. She rode there for at least several MILES, never saying a word, just drafting off of me. I was in such a bad mental place I was wanting to scream into the wind. I was just soooooo frustrated with how HARD it was to go that SLOW. Finally at some point I just sat all the way up and was going about 9 when she popped out and flew by me, never saying a word. GRRRRRR. As I was explaining later to P, I just felt so used. There is a right way to use someone and a wrong way. The right way is to let them know you're there and chat them up a bit and help them through if they are having a rough time. The wrong way is to hide and quietly use them and then discard them when they are used up. Not cool. Not cool at all.
Anyways, I made it back but it was seriously sucky and I must say that my confidence took a hit, which isn't good leading into next weekend. But there it is. I need to just remember that second awesome leg and try to forget the rest. And cross my fingers that there isn't a headwind heading to Austin next weekend.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Last week rundown
As I was waxing poetic and nostalgic last week I was wandering away from the meat of the plan. The day after tomorrow is April, y'all. We've got 3 weeks (THREE WEEKS!!!!!! EEEEPP!!) til the MS150 and one month til my first post-baby tri.
So last week I did:
Monday: 3.2 mile run with a little walking. But the distance was covered.
Tuesday: 1400 yard swim, no prob.
Wednesday: 2.25 mile run, focusing on running longer intervals and faster.
Thursday: 1400 yard swim, did I mention I love swimming? Oh, and also I woke up early so I did yoga that morning.
Friday: P90X3 MMX. I know, I was supposed to run. But I just didn't want to, and I thought it might be nice to mix it up a little. This definitely taxes my aerobic system and my legs and ass, so I figured it'd work.
Saturday: 26.6 mile HILLY freaking ride. Yes, I planned to do the 40-something route. No, I didn't do it. I just didn't want to. And I had a busy weekend and it would have killed most of the day. And did I mention, HILLS? (Btw Head for the Hills is an absolutely lovely MS150 prep ride. Highly recommend! The bluebonnets were out, it was a gorgeous day, the hills are great training, and the local fireman make a good burger for lunch after. Really nicely run.) The good news is I never walked, and I love my new brakes. The bad news is I'm still fighting my big ring shifter and I need that sucker for big hills. There were 3 hills where I ended up in the easiest possible gearing combo, going about 4mph. But I didn't walk. I win.
This week the plan is very similar, except I think I'm going to drop the Thursday swim in favor of MMX and then add back in the Friday run (but I'll switch that to Yoga if I'm feeling especially run down). I would prefer to swim twice BUT it looks like rain on Thursday, plus I'm going to have a kid-free night and swimming makes me get home later, which I don't want to do because I want to go see a movie or something. So you know I'm still sane - not sacrificing fun in favor of exercise. At least on Thursday. ;-)
So last week I did:
Monday: 3.2 mile run with a little walking. But the distance was covered.
Tuesday: 1400 yard swim, no prob.
Wednesday: 2.25 mile run, focusing on running longer intervals and faster.
Thursday: 1400 yard swim, did I mention I love swimming? Oh, and also I woke up early so I did yoga that morning.
Friday: P90X3 MMX. I know, I was supposed to run. But I just didn't want to, and I thought it might be nice to mix it up a little. This definitely taxes my aerobic system and my legs and ass, so I figured it'd work.
Saturday: 26.6 mile HILLY freaking ride. Yes, I planned to do the 40-something route. No, I didn't do it. I just didn't want to. And I had a busy weekend and it would have killed most of the day. And did I mention, HILLS? (Btw Head for the Hills is an absolutely lovely MS150 prep ride. Highly recommend! The bluebonnets were out, it was a gorgeous day, the hills are great training, and the local fireman make a good burger for lunch after. Really nicely run.) The good news is I never walked, and I love my new brakes. The bad news is I'm still fighting my big ring shifter and I need that sucker for big hills. There were 3 hills where I ended up in the easiest possible gearing combo, going about 4mph. But I didn't walk. I win.
This week the plan is very similar, except I think I'm going to drop the Thursday swim in favor of MMX and then add back in the Friday run (but I'll switch that to Yoga if I'm feeling especially run down). I would prefer to swim twice BUT it looks like rain on Thursday, plus I'm going to have a kid-free night and swimming makes me get home later, which I don't want to do because I want to go see a movie or something. So you know I'm still sane - not sacrificing fun in favor of exercise. At least on Thursday. ;-)
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Wet and Windy Ride
The forecast for Saturday called for rain, rain, and more rain. The ride forecast called for our longest ride of the season - R2R was offering 50 or 70 mile routes.
They altered the course again the day before, having us ride the 12 miles to rest stop 1, then turn around for a 24 mile route that we could then repeat if we chose to.
I was hoping I'd go for 48, but standing at the start line, cold, knowing it was going to rain, watching riders opt out of riding in favor of being SAG support.... I just knew 24 was all that was in the cards. And that is frankly ok, because I rode freakin' 62 last weekend.
Then I remembered my post about worrying about not being fast enough for tris, and I thought, ok, let's go for it, Lets kind of blow our wad today. Try to get in 60 miles of pain in only 24.
And so it was. I actually think I could have happily gone for the 48 if it wasn't so absurdly windy and if somehow we weren't riding into the wind for like the ENTIRE route (except for maybe the 2 most glorious miles I've ever experienced). It was just soul sucking. And it didn't matter how hard I freaking pushed, 12mph into the wind was all I had. All. I. Had.
The whole MS150 isn't going to be into a headwind, is it?
They altered the course again the day before, having us ride the 12 miles to rest stop 1, then turn around for a 24 mile route that we could then repeat if we chose to.
I was hoping I'd go for 48, but standing at the start line, cold, knowing it was going to rain, watching riders opt out of riding in favor of being SAG support.... I just knew 24 was all that was in the cards. And that is frankly ok, because I rode freakin' 62 last weekend.
Then I remembered my post about worrying about not being fast enough for tris, and I thought, ok, let's go for it, Lets kind of blow our wad today. Try to get in 60 miles of pain in only 24.
And so it was. I actually think I could have happily gone for the 48 if it wasn't so absurdly windy and if somehow we weren't riding into the wind for like the ENTIRE route (except for maybe the 2 most glorious miles I've ever experienced). It was just soul sucking. And it didn't matter how hard I freaking pushed, 12mph into the wind was all I had. All. I. Had.
The whole MS150 isn't going to be into a headwind, is it?
Friday, March 20, 2015
Tri Training
In the fear of the MS150, it has kind of been lost in my mind that in a fit of insanity, I signed up for a triathlon at the beginning of May.
Up until I went for that first swim, I was most worried about the swim leg, just due to general rustiness. But I swam again yesterday, and really, the swim is going to be no problem at all. I swam 500 straight, twice, the first time in 11 minutes and the second time in 10 minutes. That is basically race pace for me when I'm fully trained. I must reiterate how absolutely stunning it is to find myself in good swim shape after such a long lay off, but there it is, I'm going to try not to look the gift horse in the mouth.
So that leaves me with 2 concerns. The first is the bike. I am not at all worried about the distance. Not. At. All. However, I need to be a bit faster. Now I think I can be. What I remember of the course is quite flat, and I am hoping that if I use my philosophy that won me my 5K PR all those years ago - if I use up 75 miles of biking energy in 15 miles, surely I'll be faster than when I'm riding to go far. But I will not be clipping in this year, for the first time in a tri, so that is also a factor, since I know clipping makes me faster. What I would really love is to find a short course somewhere where I could actually try to ride a short fast ride and gauge where I am. Perhaps if the R2R ride gets cancelled tomorrow, I can make that happen on Sunday.
The second concern is the run. Once again I'm not worried about the distance. After all these years, it is amazing to say, 5K doesn't phase me. It is hard to be scared any longer of a distance when I know the worst that happens is I walk it. But I don't want to walk it, and I'm not well trained on the run right now. This morning I think I averaged 14 min/mi? Running and walking. Sooo... I have what, 6 weeks? And we know that a lot of that, in terms of weekends, will remain tied up in MS150 training. However I will have a tune up 5K on April 16, BUT I need to not blow my legs for MS150 since it is only 2 days before, so I'll be running that conservatively. What if I did two runs per week for the next few weeks, one in which I don't go 5K but I try to go faster, and the other in which I do go 5K and I try to minimize walking? Part of the problem is I'm not getting my ass out of bed fast enough in the mornings. I need probably 40 minutes to be comfortable with 5K... I'll work on that. I'm not trying to go crazy here - but if I could get a 30ish minute 5K time for the tri, that would make me really happy.
So, ok, the tentative plan for the next 3 weeks (before conference and MS get thrown into the mix):
M: Run 5K
T: Swim
W: Run for speed
R: Swim
F: Run easy
S: Bike FAR
S: Off or Yoga
I can always do a morning bike on the trainer on swim days, too, since I'm swimming in the afternoon, but I don't want to lock that in - I still am wanting to be mentally flexible and am trying to be careful not to ask too much of myself.
Up until I went for that first swim, I was most worried about the swim leg, just due to general rustiness. But I swam again yesterday, and really, the swim is going to be no problem at all. I swam 500 straight, twice, the first time in 11 minutes and the second time in 10 minutes. That is basically race pace for me when I'm fully trained. I must reiterate how absolutely stunning it is to find myself in good swim shape after such a long lay off, but there it is, I'm going to try not to look the gift horse in the mouth.
So that leaves me with 2 concerns. The first is the bike. I am not at all worried about the distance. Not. At. All. However, I need to be a bit faster. Now I think I can be. What I remember of the course is quite flat, and I am hoping that if I use my philosophy that won me my 5K PR all those years ago - if I use up 75 miles of biking energy in 15 miles, surely I'll be faster than when I'm riding to go far. But I will not be clipping in this year, for the first time in a tri, so that is also a factor, since I know clipping makes me faster. What I would really love is to find a short course somewhere where I could actually try to ride a short fast ride and gauge where I am. Perhaps if the R2R ride gets cancelled tomorrow, I can make that happen on Sunday.
The second concern is the run. Once again I'm not worried about the distance. After all these years, it is amazing to say, 5K doesn't phase me. It is hard to be scared any longer of a distance when I know the worst that happens is I walk it. But I don't want to walk it, and I'm not well trained on the run right now. This morning I think I averaged 14 min/mi? Running and walking. Sooo... I have what, 6 weeks? And we know that a lot of that, in terms of weekends, will remain tied up in MS150 training. However I will have a tune up 5K on April 16, BUT I need to not blow my legs for MS150 since it is only 2 days before, so I'll be running that conservatively. What if I did two runs per week for the next few weeks, one in which I don't go 5K but I try to go faster, and the other in which I do go 5K and I try to minimize walking? Part of the problem is I'm not getting my ass out of bed fast enough in the mornings. I need probably 40 minutes to be comfortable with 5K... I'll work on that. I'm not trying to go crazy here - but if I could get a 30ish minute 5K time for the tri, that would make me really happy.
So, ok, the tentative plan for the next 3 weeks (before conference and MS get thrown into the mix):
M: Run 5K
T: Swim
W: Run for speed
R: Swim
F: Run easy
S: Bike FAR
S: Off or Yoga
I can always do a morning bike on the trainer on swim days, too, since I'm swimming in the afternoon, but I don't want to lock that in - I still am wanting to be mentally flexible and am trying to be careful not to ask too much of myself.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Tour de Houston Ride Recap
So going into the Tour de Houston I was suffering from a confidence low. I had 3 rough weeks of training: a trainer week, a rain week with low mileage, and a hill week with medium mileage that killed me. I had signed up for the 60 mile route, and I planned on going out with the 60 milers, but I was fully prepared to drop to the 40, and actually planning on it, until the day before. When I visited Adron and his family, all of whom encouraged me to go for the 60, and his lovely wife, who reminded me there is always the option to SAG if I go for it and can't finish.
I wasn't 100% comfortable with the SAG option, so I talked with P about it that night and made him promise that if I went for it and needed him, he'd fetch me. He promised, and with that in pocket, I decided that I'd decide at the second rest stop.
The morning of the TdH I woke with a typical race day grumpy tummy. I left my house 90 minutes prior to race time, and that was perfect. I parked in Lot H, which was probably the farthest option from the start, but the only one I was sure I could get to without encountering rought traffic or road closures. That is one complaint I have: the City did not do a good job posting road closures on the website. I decided to walk my bike to the start because the roads were not closed or monitored from parking to the start (which would have been a nice touch), and we all know how I love traffic. I felt a little goofy, but it was the right choice for me.
Got to the start, visited the Honey Buckets, posed for a team pic, and got in line. They were doing a wave start, but there were So. Many. People. I just didn't see how it could possibly be really working? They didn't really give guidelines as to what speeds they were starting when, so I waited about 12 waves and then jumped in. I started at the back of my wave, as is my preference.
Everybody who drives in Houston knows the roads are crap, but WOW, you don't really know til you've had a tiny bike seat up your butt as you try to navigate the cracks and bumps without ending up on the ground. Within the first mile I ended up in a crack and my bike kind of jumped out of it? It is a miracle I didn't wipe out.
It was also sooooo crowded at the beginning, even with the wave start. Just a lot of bodies trying to settle into position in one lane. I was white-knuckling it essentially all the way to the second rest stop.
Where I decided to go for 60, like a crazy person.
It was muuuuuuuuuch lonlier after that.
Here is the quick run down on stats/food/feeling for my future reference:
Rest stop 1: 11mi, 53 min, ate half banana, drank Gatorade, used buckets, felt totally fine.
Rest stop 2: 23.6 mi, 1:53 min, ate half banana, pretzels, drank Gatorade, used buckets, felt pretty good.
Rest stop 3: 38.6 mi, 3 hours flat, ate pretzels, 4 peanut butter crackers, 2 oreos, used buckets, was starting to feel a little rough.
Rest stop 4: I don't have any clue - I missed it, as did EVERYONE around me. And that really really really sucked because I NEEDED it badly and was counting on it.
Mile 52: Saw Adron's wife and brood and felt momentarily rejuvenated from the hardcore bonking that was in progress.
Mile 56: Sweat or sunscreen got into left eye. Copious tears. Trying to ride with one eye open, right eye becomes irritated by wind. See cop up ahead, pull over to get it under control. Cop was soooo nice. Came over to see if I was ok, offered me water. I must have looked a mess - crying big fat baby tears. But it cleared up pretty quickly with some rubbing and on I went.
Mile 58: Saw Adron and wife and brood and almost stopped, but only 2 miles to go, so hey, kept on riding despite being unsure I'd be able to stand when it was over.
Mile 60: I WAS LIED TO. DOWNTOWN STILL LOOKS FAR. I. HATE. EVERYBODY.
Mile 62: Finished. 4:55 for the whole shebang.
The good: The police officers at the intersections, for the most part, were totally awesome. The signage was excellent - I was never afraid that I was lost.
The bad: The 3rd rest stop didn't have Gatorade. Or if they did, they were out by the time I got there. Either way, this really wasn't cool. This was the only station that was just for the 60 milers and it should have been the best stocked, not the worst. The roads blew. Obviously there was a problem with that 4th rest stop marking. I swear all the others had flags and cones and signs... I was LOOKING for all that. Either I went temporarily blind or they failed to mark the 4th one.
The ugly: The course ran through some really terrible parts of Houston. You'd think calling it the Tour de Houston they'd take you through some parts they would actually want people to see? Instead Adron's wife and brood got to witness a SHOOTING while watching riders go by. Seriously. Before I even knew that, I was riding along at several points remembering Adron's wife telling me I could SAG and thinking, maybe, but I sure as hell couldn't here, and I hope I don't have a mechanical. Really, really disappointing route.
But, I FINISHED!!! 6-freaking-2 miles. And my confidence is back. Yes, I was dead on my wheels by the end, but I'd only have had to go 15 more miles to be done for the day on the MS. And that will be with more time, and I think better rest stops, and more training between now and then. I'm going to be ok. I'm going to make it. And that makes me so happy!!!
I wasn't 100% comfortable with the SAG option, so I talked with P about it that night and made him promise that if I went for it and needed him, he'd fetch me. He promised, and with that in pocket, I decided that I'd decide at the second rest stop.
The morning of the TdH I woke with a typical race day grumpy tummy. I left my house 90 minutes prior to race time, and that was perfect. I parked in Lot H, which was probably the farthest option from the start, but the only one I was sure I could get to without encountering rought traffic or road closures. That is one complaint I have: the City did not do a good job posting road closures on the website. I decided to walk my bike to the start because the roads were not closed or monitored from parking to the start (which would have been a nice touch), and we all know how I love traffic. I felt a little goofy, but it was the right choice for me.
Got to the start, visited the Honey Buckets, posed for a team pic, and got in line. They were doing a wave start, but there were So. Many. People. I just didn't see how it could possibly be really working? They didn't really give guidelines as to what speeds they were starting when, so I waited about 12 waves and then jumped in. I started at the back of my wave, as is my preference.
Everybody who drives in Houston knows the roads are crap, but WOW, you don't really know til you've had a tiny bike seat up your butt as you try to navigate the cracks and bumps without ending up on the ground. Within the first mile I ended up in a crack and my bike kind of jumped out of it? It is a miracle I didn't wipe out.
It was also sooooo crowded at the beginning, even with the wave start. Just a lot of bodies trying to settle into position in one lane. I was white-knuckling it essentially all the way to the second rest stop.
Where I decided to go for 60, like a crazy person.
It was muuuuuuuuuch lonlier after that.
Here is the quick run down on stats/food/feeling for my future reference:
Rest stop 1: 11mi, 53 min, ate half banana, drank Gatorade, used buckets, felt totally fine.
Rest stop 2: 23.6 mi, 1:53 min, ate half banana, pretzels, drank Gatorade, used buckets, felt pretty good.
Rest stop 3: 38.6 mi, 3 hours flat, ate pretzels, 4 peanut butter crackers, 2 oreos, used buckets, was starting to feel a little rough.
Rest stop 4: I don't have any clue - I missed it, as did EVERYONE around me. And that really really really sucked because I NEEDED it badly and was counting on it.
Mile 52: Saw Adron's wife and brood and felt momentarily rejuvenated from the hardcore bonking that was in progress.
Mile 56: Sweat or sunscreen got into left eye. Copious tears. Trying to ride with one eye open, right eye becomes irritated by wind. See cop up ahead, pull over to get it under control. Cop was soooo nice. Came over to see if I was ok, offered me water. I must have looked a mess - crying big fat baby tears. But it cleared up pretty quickly with some rubbing and on I went.
Mile 58: Saw Adron and wife and brood and almost stopped, but only 2 miles to go, so hey, kept on riding despite being unsure I'd be able to stand when it was over.
Mile 62: Finished. 4:55 for the whole shebang.
The good: The police officers at the intersections, for the most part, were totally awesome. The signage was excellent - I was never afraid that I was lost.
The bad: The 3rd rest stop didn't have Gatorade. Or if they did, they were out by the time I got there. Either way, this really wasn't cool. This was the only station that was just for the 60 milers and it should have been the best stocked, not the worst. The roads blew. Obviously there was a problem with that 4th rest stop marking. I swear all the others had flags and cones and signs... I was LOOKING for all that. Either I went temporarily blind or they failed to mark the 4th one.
The ugly: The course ran through some really terrible parts of Houston. You'd think calling it the Tour de Houston they'd take you through some parts they would actually want people to see? Instead Adron's wife and brood got to witness a SHOOTING while watching riders go by. Seriously. Before I even knew that, I was riding along at several points remembering Adron's wife telling me I could SAG and thinking, maybe, but I sure as hell couldn't here, and I hope I don't have a mechanical. Really, really disappointing route.
But, I FINISHED!!! 6-freaking-2 miles. And my confidence is back. Yes, I was dead on my wheels by the end, but I'd only have had to go 15 more miles to be done for the day on the MS. And that will be with more time, and I think better rest stops, and more training between now and then. I'm going to be ok. I'm going to make it. And that makes me so happy!!!
Monday, March 16, 2015
Ketchup
Once again, I've been remiss.
A quick run down: The weather has been less than ideal, shall we say.
The week after the ride with Adron, I rode on the trainer because I was worried about riding in crappy weather. 2 hours on Saturday followed by 1 hour on Sunday, just to try to get my rear ready for back-to-back days. While I like being able to watch TV and read while riding, it doesn't really simulate the road sufficiently for me to feel like I'm getting in great training, soooo....
The following week I went out despite the crappy weather. It was around 50 and drizzly. I had on 4? yes 4 layers including a somewhat waterproof windbreaker and I was MISERABLY cold. R2R prides itself on safety so they modified the ride to 12 mile loops so that they could more closely monitor us in the crappy conditions and SAG us all quickly if lightning came into the area. I think they said only 200 brave souls showed up. Most quit after the first loop. I went out for a second. I actually really liked the little loop. It was a nice rural area, some hills but not crazy, only a few turns, all right handers, and able to stop at my own car for each rest stop = good stuff. This was also the very first ride where I spent almost all of my time in the big chain ring and really started trying to push on some parts for some speed. (By no means am I fast, but I did start trying a bit.) I really actually wanted to go for 3 loops but by the end of the second one it was openly raining and it just would have been stupid. I must say I was so impressed by R2R's level of support. I stopped at a stop sign on one of the right hand turns because I can get spazzy when there is traffic. A few cars pulled up behind me and I was motioning them to go so I could take my time with my remount and feel mentally comfortable and I was asked by no fewer than 3 people if I was ok in the like 2 minutes I was stopped. Now that's service! As I said this was my first rainy ride, but other than the slightly slick road and need for more layers than would be expected from the temperature, it was pretty normal. Oh! I should also say, dry clothes are needed for after. I had an hour's drive home and I didn't have anything dry. I drove the whole way with my seat heater on and my heater on HIGH, as hot as it could get, and I was still shivering with blue lips when I got home. I couldn't have known any better, but sheesh, that was messed up and probably dangerous and I need that to never happen again.
The week after that we headed to Huntsville for a little hill training. They were only offering 30 and 50 mile routes and I was totally torn because I was really hoping for a 40-something to bridge the almost-40 I did with Adron and the 60 I wanted to do for the Tour de Houston. I ended up settling on the 32 mile route, and BOY was I ever glad I did! It is the first truly hilly route I've done and it SLAUGHTERED me. It was awful. I was having a really bad time shifting, and the first rest stop wasn't until 18, so I ended up essentially stuck in the big chain ring and blowing out my quads. I stopped by the most excellent bike mechanic and he mostly fixed it. By mostly I mean he got the rear shifting completely fixed, but the front chain ring still was a total bitch when I was trying to shift into the big ring, so after trying it twice, once again I was stuck in the big ring for the rest of the hills. Oh, the hills. First, within a mile of that rest stop, there was a beast of a hill. One chick I spoke with at the rest stop said she thinks it is the hardest hill she rode in all of training last year. So there's that. It was sooooo long and steep. I think I was going like 4mph when I got to the top. Then I had to grump and plead and cajole my bike back into the big ring, arg! They called the last part of that ride the "roller coaster" and it was so totally apt. Endless upping and downing. I was almost crying by the end. Then when I had time to reflect on it later in the week it completely freaked me out, that I wanted to ride 60 miles in the TdH and I barely finished 32 the week before.
Next up: TdH recap.
A quick run down: The weather has been less than ideal, shall we say.
The week after the ride with Adron, I rode on the trainer because I was worried about riding in crappy weather. 2 hours on Saturday followed by 1 hour on Sunday, just to try to get my rear ready for back-to-back days. While I like being able to watch TV and read while riding, it doesn't really simulate the road sufficiently for me to feel like I'm getting in great training, soooo....
The following week I went out despite the crappy weather. It was around 50 and drizzly. I had on 4? yes 4 layers including a somewhat waterproof windbreaker and I was MISERABLY cold. R2R prides itself on safety so they modified the ride to 12 mile loops so that they could more closely monitor us in the crappy conditions and SAG us all quickly if lightning came into the area. I think they said only 200 brave souls showed up. Most quit after the first loop. I went out for a second. I actually really liked the little loop. It was a nice rural area, some hills but not crazy, only a few turns, all right handers, and able to stop at my own car for each rest stop = good stuff. This was also the very first ride where I spent almost all of my time in the big chain ring and really started trying to push on some parts for some speed. (By no means am I fast, but I did start trying a bit.) I really actually wanted to go for 3 loops but by the end of the second one it was openly raining and it just would have been stupid. I must say I was so impressed by R2R's level of support. I stopped at a stop sign on one of the right hand turns because I can get spazzy when there is traffic. A few cars pulled up behind me and I was motioning them to go so I could take my time with my remount and feel mentally comfortable and I was asked by no fewer than 3 people if I was ok in the like 2 minutes I was stopped. Now that's service! As I said this was my first rainy ride, but other than the slightly slick road and need for more layers than would be expected from the temperature, it was pretty normal. Oh! I should also say, dry clothes are needed for after. I had an hour's drive home and I didn't have anything dry. I drove the whole way with my seat heater on and my heater on HIGH, as hot as it could get, and I was still shivering with blue lips when I got home. I couldn't have known any better, but sheesh, that was messed up and probably dangerous and I need that to never happen again.
The week after that we headed to Huntsville for a little hill training. They were only offering 30 and 50 mile routes and I was totally torn because I was really hoping for a 40-something to bridge the almost-40 I did with Adron and the 60 I wanted to do for the Tour de Houston. I ended up settling on the 32 mile route, and BOY was I ever glad I did! It is the first truly hilly route I've done and it SLAUGHTERED me. It was awful. I was having a really bad time shifting, and the first rest stop wasn't until 18, so I ended up essentially stuck in the big chain ring and blowing out my quads. I stopped by the most excellent bike mechanic and he mostly fixed it. By mostly I mean he got the rear shifting completely fixed, but the front chain ring still was a total bitch when I was trying to shift into the big ring, so after trying it twice, once again I was stuck in the big ring for the rest of the hills. Oh, the hills. First, within a mile of that rest stop, there was a beast of a hill. One chick I spoke with at the rest stop said she thinks it is the hardest hill she rode in all of training last year. So there's that. It was sooooo long and steep. I think I was going like 4mph when I got to the top. Then I had to grump and plead and cajole my bike back into the big ring, arg! They called the last part of that ride the "roller coaster" and it was so totally apt. Endless upping and downing. I was almost crying by the end. Then when I had time to reflect on it later in the week it completely freaked me out, that I wanted to ride 60 miles in the TdH and I barely finished 32 the week before.
Next up: TdH recap.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Saturday's Ride with Adron
I got a call on Thursday from my husband's best friend asking if I'd like to ride with him on Saturday. R2R was riding in Sealy, and (we'll call hubby's friend) Adron's house is much closer than that, so I said sure.
He asked how far and I told him 30. He asked if I could do 40 and I emphatically said NO - I am not ready for that. The farthest I've EVER gone is 24. He said ok.
I've known Adron for years, and I'm friends with his wife, but I'm not really friends with him, you know what I mean? It isn't that we aren't friends, it is just when we are together he is with P and I am with his wife. But even with that said I had complete trust. I told him it was important to me that he stayed with me, helped me if I had any problems, etc, because I'm a newb. He said ok. I trusted him completely with the route. That was funny - P kept asking me where we were going and I kept telling him to call Adron. I really didn't know or care. (I'm like that with R2R also.)
So first we did this thing where we dropped his car at a park, then back to his house. He switched my pedals to put cages on, which I'm going to try. Then we left.
This ride was a number of firsts. First riding in real traffic (on the way out to lonelier country roads). First left from a traffic light (not a fan, but managed). First ride through construction (on the non-traffic side of the barrier in the gravel - got really good practice mounting/dismounting with all the stopping to walk around obstacles). First time over railroad tracks on my bike (LIVED!!!!). First time riding from Houston to Katy AND BACK. Yup. The route was a little long. But we'll get there in a sec.
Adron and his wife both asked me in the end if I learned anything. I did. I learned a lot.
I learned that I need to usually downshift a bit before stopping, because I tend to be in too hard a gear when starting.
I learned that my bike has a balance point (duh) and if I find it with both my feet on the ground before trying to start, I experience a much smoother start.
I learned that it is much easier for me to find that balance point when I'm not panicking because I'm pressed for time (i.e. at a 4 way stop with a car that won't go even though I'm motioning them to go).
I learned that (I think) the numbness in my legs is because my saddle is too wide at the rear. I'm going to go look at new saddles this week.
I learned that I should shift my grip early and often to avoid the numbness in my arms, and I finally felt more comfortable taking a hand off for more than a millisecond at a time. (I still have a long way to go, but I was proud of this one.)
I learned that I could go a lot farther than I thought, since we went 38.4 miles. But I'm not gonna lie - those last 8 miles were rough. I was making my marathon pain noise. And I think we stopped like 3 times. It really was about 8 miles too far. But we finished. And that is all that counts right now.
And lastly, I learned, and I quote from Preston's text "Adron has a poor sense of time and distance". I showed this text to Adron and he laughed and agreed. That might have been nice to know ahead of time. But he did push me way beyond what I thought I could do. And I survived.
Perhaps I even thrived because I wasn't even sore when I woke up on Sunday. At least not in my legs. My tush would have protested a saddle and my triceps hate me, but legs were simply tired, not sore.
When I got home on Saturday, I proceeded to eat ALL THE THINGS. And it was gooooood.
He asked how far and I told him 30. He asked if I could do 40 and I emphatically said NO - I am not ready for that. The farthest I've EVER gone is 24. He said ok.
I've known Adron for years, and I'm friends with his wife, but I'm not really friends with him, you know what I mean? It isn't that we aren't friends, it is just when we are together he is with P and I am with his wife. But even with that said I had complete trust. I told him it was important to me that he stayed with me, helped me if I had any problems, etc, because I'm a newb. He said ok. I trusted him completely with the route. That was funny - P kept asking me where we were going and I kept telling him to call Adron. I really didn't know or care. (I'm like that with R2R also.)
So first we did this thing where we dropped his car at a park, then back to his house. He switched my pedals to put cages on, which I'm going to try. Then we left.
This ride was a number of firsts. First riding in real traffic (on the way out to lonelier country roads). First left from a traffic light (not a fan, but managed). First ride through construction (on the non-traffic side of the barrier in the gravel - got really good practice mounting/dismounting with all the stopping to walk around obstacles). First time over railroad tracks on my bike (LIVED!!!!). First time riding from Houston to Katy AND BACK. Yup. The route was a little long. But we'll get there in a sec.
Adron and his wife both asked me in the end if I learned anything. I did. I learned a lot.
I learned that I need to usually downshift a bit before stopping, because I tend to be in too hard a gear when starting.
I learned that my bike has a balance point (duh) and if I find it with both my feet on the ground before trying to start, I experience a much smoother start.
I learned that it is much easier for me to find that balance point when I'm not panicking because I'm pressed for time (i.e. at a 4 way stop with a car that won't go even though I'm motioning them to go).
I learned that (I think) the numbness in my legs is because my saddle is too wide at the rear. I'm going to go look at new saddles this week.
I learned that I should shift my grip early and often to avoid the numbness in my arms, and I finally felt more comfortable taking a hand off for more than a millisecond at a time. (I still have a long way to go, but I was proud of this one.)
I learned that I could go a lot farther than I thought, since we went 38.4 miles. But I'm not gonna lie - those last 8 miles were rough. I was making my marathon pain noise. And I think we stopped like 3 times. It really was about 8 miles too far. But we finished. And that is all that counts right now.
And lastly, I learned, and I quote from Preston's text "Adron has a poor sense of time and distance". I showed this text to Adron and he laughed and agreed. That might have been nice to know ahead of time. But he did push me way beyond what I thought I could do. And I survived.
Perhaps I even thrived because I wasn't even sore when I woke up on Sunday. At least not in my legs. My tush would have protested a saddle and my triceps hate me, but legs were simply tired, not sore.
When I got home on Saturday, I proceeded to eat ALL THE THINGS. And it was gooooood.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Ride Report: Pedaling the Prairie
I've been off the grid for the past week (pictures to follow), and actually didn't originally intend to be back in time for my Saturday ride. But we were on the kiddo's first camping trip, and we wanted it to be a flexible, fluid thing, and when Thursday rolled around she looked like she was getting sick and started asking to see the kitties, and that was good enough for us!
I was glad because I really did want to go on Saturday's ride, so that immediately went back into the plans. This was my first official "Ride". It wasn't a race. It is hard for me as a runner to differentiate, but there were no timers, and there is no winner, so not a race. But they had packets and a start line and a finish line, and food/beer at the end, etc. So the feel of the thing was exactly like a running race.
Clothing was a major stressor for me again for this one. It was 45 and foggy at the start, slated to warm up to a sunny 60, so I didn't know WHAT to do. I ended up in...wow, 4 layers. Short sleeves with my running sleeves, 2 running jackets, and my windbreaker on top. Long pants on bottom, and skullcap under helmet. Only the fingerless gloves this time (and that was the right choice). At the very beginning, I was happy with all of that. But at the first rest stop I was flaming hot, so maybe I could have started with one less layer? I ended up taking off the skullcap and one running jacket and the sleeves at the rest stop, and again was comfortable. By the second rest stop I was ready to remove another layer, but didn't have anywhere to store it, so suffered through. Also by the second rest stop I think I'd have preferred shorts on the bottom. Hopefully all of this experience will help me begin to figure out these things better. For sure the fingerless gloves were the right option. For sure the sleeves were very smart because they could just be pulled down and didn't need to be stored. I definitely like the windbreaker for the bike. When I finished and removed it I could feel a whole ton of heat come out of there, so perhaps it would have been a better layer to remove. I'll keep learning!
So for the ride itself: I don't have anything to compare it to since it was my first, but I was impressed! They had breakfast before AND lunch/beer after! Very nice. There were real bathrooms in addition to the port-a-cans at the start. There were 4 route options: 24, 45, 55, and 70. I chose 24 (of course!). There were 2 rest stops on the route: at 8 miles and again at 13 miles. They were both well run and well stocked. The 8 mile one was super crowded because it served all the routes and the riders weren't well spread yet. The 13 one also served all the routes but everyone was spread out by then so it was far less hectic. There were hills at the beginning and end, but not bad ones. There was a hardcore headwind on the first half of the route. I was beginning to think 10mph was just how fast I was. Then somewhere around... 11? miles in, suddenly pedaling became easier. I looked down and I was going 14mph and more easily. I was confused. I puzzled over it and eventually realized it was the lack of wind, ha! I'm not quite as slow as I was beginning to think!!
For me personally on the ride: ate half a bagel and my coffee beforehand. Just wasn't super hungry. Was hungry by the first rest stop but didn't want what they were serving - need to get a bento box for crackers and oreos. Second rest stop I actually considered skipping because it was only 5 miles farther but I was glad I didn't, because I was really hungry by then and they had crackers. Also, I didn't realize it would be the last stop and I would have really regretted it if I hadn't stopped because around 18 miles in my legs were totally in WTF land. I was having some numbness, but then mentally began questioning if it was actual numbness or if it was the warm pants compressing me. It was weird.
Oh, also, I still suck at starting. I need to start off at the back of my wave. But I also need to not panic. All my starts yesterday were rough, and I was panicking, but I always found my balance and I never fell and that IS something. I can do this and I WILL get better at it.
Despite my spazziness, it was a lovely day for a ride, and overall it was a great ride! I finished and I keep improving, and that is all I could ask for!
Final stats: 23.8 miles in 1:59:30.
My splits were: 8.9 miles at 48 minutes (11mph), then 13.4 miles at 1:11 (11.75mph), then 23.8 in 1:59:30 (12.75mph). Ha, well the headwind isn't quite as obvious as it felt, but wow, I sure felt it!
Ah, one more thing: an ibuprofen right after really helps!
I was glad because I really did want to go on Saturday's ride, so that immediately went back into the plans. This was my first official "Ride". It wasn't a race. It is hard for me as a runner to differentiate, but there were no timers, and there is no winner, so not a race. But they had packets and a start line and a finish line, and food/beer at the end, etc. So the feel of the thing was exactly like a running race.
Clothing was a major stressor for me again for this one. It was 45 and foggy at the start, slated to warm up to a sunny 60, so I didn't know WHAT to do. I ended up in...wow, 4 layers. Short sleeves with my running sleeves, 2 running jackets, and my windbreaker on top. Long pants on bottom, and skullcap under helmet. Only the fingerless gloves this time (and that was the right choice). At the very beginning, I was happy with all of that. But at the first rest stop I was flaming hot, so maybe I could have started with one less layer? I ended up taking off the skullcap and one running jacket and the sleeves at the rest stop, and again was comfortable. By the second rest stop I was ready to remove another layer, but didn't have anywhere to store it, so suffered through. Also by the second rest stop I think I'd have preferred shorts on the bottom. Hopefully all of this experience will help me begin to figure out these things better. For sure the fingerless gloves were the right option. For sure the sleeves were very smart because they could just be pulled down and didn't need to be stored. I definitely like the windbreaker for the bike. When I finished and removed it I could feel a whole ton of heat come out of there, so perhaps it would have been a better layer to remove. I'll keep learning!So for the ride itself: I don't have anything to compare it to since it was my first, but I was impressed! They had breakfast before AND lunch/beer after! Very nice. There were real bathrooms in addition to the port-a-cans at the start. There were 4 route options: 24, 45, 55, and 70. I chose 24 (of course!). There were 2 rest stops on the route: at 8 miles and again at 13 miles. They were both well run and well stocked. The 8 mile one was super crowded because it served all the routes and the riders weren't well spread yet. The 13 one also served all the routes but everyone was spread out by then so it was far less hectic. There were hills at the beginning and end, but not bad ones. There was a hardcore headwind on the first half of the route. I was beginning to think 10mph was just how fast I was. Then somewhere around... 11? miles in, suddenly pedaling became easier. I looked down and I was going 14mph and more easily. I was confused. I puzzled over it and eventually realized it was the lack of wind, ha! I'm not quite as slow as I was beginning to think!!
For me personally on the ride: ate half a bagel and my coffee beforehand. Just wasn't super hungry. Was hungry by the first rest stop but didn't want what they were serving - need to get a bento box for crackers and oreos. Second rest stop I actually considered skipping because it was only 5 miles farther but I was glad I didn't, because I was really hungry by then and they had crackers. Also, I didn't realize it would be the last stop and I would have really regretted it if I hadn't stopped because around 18 miles in my legs were totally in WTF land. I was having some numbness, but then mentally began questioning if it was actual numbness or if it was the warm pants compressing me. It was weird.
Oh, also, I still suck at starting. I need to start off at the back of my wave. But I also need to not panic. All my starts yesterday were rough, and I was panicking, but I always found my balance and I never fell and that IS something. I can do this and I WILL get better at it.
Despite my spazziness, it was a lovely day for a ride, and overall it was a great ride! I finished and I keep improving, and that is all I could ask for!
Final stats: 23.8 miles in 1:59:30.
My splits were: 8.9 miles at 48 minutes (11mph), then 13.4 miles at 1:11 (11.75mph), then 23.8 in 1:59:30 (12.75mph). Ha, well the headwind isn't quite as obvious as it felt, but wow, I sure felt it!
Ah, one more thing: an ibuprofen right after really helps!
Saturday, January 17, 2015
My first MS150 prep ride!
And my first ever group ride.
I was nervous. Super nervous. 3 trips to the bathroom nervous. But I went.
I went and I met a nice man and his wife who chatted with me at the beginning. They really made the waiting easier.
I went and bought 2 jerseys and a saddlebag for cheap at the "garage sale".
I went and no one teased me about my lack of clips.
I went and I rode with the last pace group because I don't really know how fast I am any more, and I just wanted to focus on finishing. Speed isn't important. And I finished. And it wasn't.
I went and just focused on riding straight and true while 80 million people passed me and I passed only a few. But like I said, I rode with the last group, so I think they seeded themselves badly, not the other way around.
I went and ate Oreos at the halfway point. Yum!
I went and FOUGHT my way into a killer headwind on the way back. It was rough. But that is good practice. Good practice.
I went and didn't fall.
I went wearing my favorite long sleeved undershirt, a bike jersey, and 2 running jackets. I wore my bike gloves and running gloves over the top. I wore my skull cap under my helmet. I wore long pants. It was probably 40 and sunny at the start. It was maybe 50 at the turnaround and I removed my running gloves and considered taking off a jacket, but I didn't and I was SO grateful because that headwind made it colder on the way back, even though it was warmer.
I went and had one creepy moment where my left thumb got numb. Need to find a way to relieve the pressure on my hands more.
But I went! And I did it! And I am so proud of myself!
I was nervous. Super nervous. 3 trips to the bathroom nervous. But I went.
I went and I met a nice man and his wife who chatted with me at the beginning. They really made the waiting easier.
I went and bought 2 jerseys and a saddlebag for cheap at the "garage sale".
I went and no one teased me about my lack of clips.
I went and I rode with the last pace group because I don't really know how fast I am any more, and I just wanted to focus on finishing. Speed isn't important. And I finished. And it wasn't.
I went and just focused on riding straight and true while 80 million people passed me and I passed only a few. But like I said, I rode with the last group, so I think they seeded themselves badly, not the other way around.
I went and ate Oreos at the halfway point. Yum!
I went and FOUGHT my way into a killer headwind on the way back. It was rough. But that is good practice. Good practice.
I went and didn't fall.
I went wearing my favorite long sleeved undershirt, a bike jersey, and 2 running jackets. I wore my bike gloves and running gloves over the top. I wore my skull cap under my helmet. I wore long pants. It was probably 40 and sunny at the start. It was maybe 50 at the turnaround and I removed my running gloves and considered taking off a jacket, but I didn't and I was SO grateful because that headwind made it colder on the way back, even though it was warmer.
I went and had one creepy moment where my left thumb got numb. Need to find a way to relieve the pressure on my hands more.
But I went! And I did it! And I am so proud of myself!
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Cold Snap
My first official MS150 training ride was supposed to be this morning, but yesterday I got the notice that they were cancelling it since the great north sent down one heck of a cold snap this week. It is about 30 outside and not really supposed to warm up today and they decided that torturing beginners may not be the best way to start off the season. I tend to agree!
So instead I spent an hour on the trainer yesterday and thrillingly, I survived with nothing worse than a sore ass. So I'll take it!
Today I'd like to accomplish Core III plus something fun with the kiddo. DDR or yoga or climbing. Something. Something fun.
So instead I spent an hour on the trainer yesterday and thrillingly, I survived with nothing worse than a sore ass. So I'll take it!
Today I'd like to accomplish Core III plus something fun with the kiddo. DDR or yoga or climbing. Something. Something fun.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Race Planning and the MS150
The truth of the matter, of course, is I have signed up for the MS150 in hopes of curing myself from my bike spazziness. In an attempt to properly prepare myself, I'm going to ride with Ready 2 Roll to train and prepare me for group riding. Because even though I've ridden in triathlons, that is very solo, and I'm very aware that this will be very different.
As a part of that, I'm riding Pedal the Prairie and Head for the Hills. Not sure what distances yet.
I've also gotten my crazy out and gone ahead and signed up for the CB&I Triathlon. I figure the MS150 is just good training for that, right? And I have every intention of starting a regular swim program once I get the gym membership at the new job, so I'll be easily ready for that part of it, which really just leaves the run. And I can run (ok, maybe walk) 5K practically in my sleep, especially if my aerobic engine is prepped with all this other stuff. So yeah. Triathlon 2 weeks after MS150. Eep!
Probably will do the little 5K in conjunction with my annual work conference in April as a tune-up.
Am planning on the Turkey Trot, obviously.
I just realized if I do a run in January, I'll be on track to do one per month through May... hmmm.... don't want to overcommit to a race a month and set myself up for failure, but don't want to rule it out so early in the year either... maybe I'll look for a little January quickie...
As a part of that, I'm riding Pedal the Prairie and Head for the Hills. Not sure what distances yet.
I've also gotten my crazy out and gone ahead and signed up for the CB&I Triathlon. I figure the MS150 is just good training for that, right? And I have every intention of starting a regular swim program once I get the gym membership at the new job, so I'll be easily ready for that part of it, which really just leaves the run. And I can run (ok, maybe walk) 5K practically in my sleep, especially if my aerobic engine is prepped with all this other stuff. So yeah. Triathlon 2 weeks after MS150. Eep!
Probably will do the little 5K in conjunction with my annual work conference in April as a tune-up.
Am planning on the Turkey Trot, obviously.
I just realized if I do a run in January, I'll be on track to do one per month through May... hmmm.... don't want to overcommit to a race a month and set myself up for failure, but don't want to rule it out so early in the year either... maybe I'll look for a little January quickie...
So far so good!
I ended up not doing Yoga/Core II on Sunday. I DDR'd instead. That is good. The plan is not important right now. Only the every day of it.
I did Yoga and Core II on Monday morning and it felt gooooooood to do some stretching. As for Core II, here are the benchmark numbers:
Crunches: 25
Leg Curls: 12
Superman: 15
Side crunches: 15
Elbow bridge: 12
Legs up: 15
Crunches: 25
Core II was always my favorite!
Tuesday I had the day off work, and I went down to the beach and went for a nice run on the Seawall. It was an absolutely gorgeous day (sunny, 50's) and I was so happy with it and the run and just everything!
Also got my Dolce back from the shop on Tuesday and took her for a very short spin to my parents for dinner with the new non-clip pedals. Tentatively very pleased. Definitely am more comfortable when I'm not clipped in.
So this morning I rode her on the trainer for half an hour. Definitely am more aware on the trainer that I was, in fact, using my calves for the appropriate opposition movement. No clipping in is definitely more quad heavy and an adjustment. But that is ok. That is what this is all about!
Weight on Monday was 148.2. Headed in the right direction.
I did Yoga and Core II on Monday morning and it felt gooooooood to do some stretching. As for Core II, here are the benchmark numbers:
Crunches: 25
Leg Curls: 12
Superman: 15
Side crunches: 15
Elbow bridge: 12
Legs up: 15
Crunches: 25
Core II was always my favorite!
Tuesday I had the day off work, and I went down to the beach and went for a nice run on the Seawall. It was an absolutely gorgeous day (sunny, 50's) and I was so happy with it and the run and just everything!
Also got my Dolce back from the shop on Tuesday and took her for a very short spin to my parents for dinner with the new non-clip pedals. Tentatively very pleased. Definitely am more comfortable when I'm not clipped in.
So this morning I rode her on the trainer for half an hour. Definitely am more aware on the trainer that I was, in fact, using my calves for the appropriate opposition movement. No clipping in is definitely more quad heavy and an adjustment. But that is ok. That is what this is all about!
Weight on Monday was 148.2. Headed in the right direction.
Friday, January 2, 2015
State of the Union
Last night I exercised by playing Dance Dance Revolution. For this first 30 days of January, the goal is at least 20 minutes of activity per day, every single day. DDR is hard core exercise for me and it is something I can do in the evening with the kiddo around, so it is an important cog in my plan!
My bike is at the shop getting a good tune up and cleaning and new pedals. I'm having the Speedplays taken off in favor of standard non-cage non-clip in mountain bike pedals. I know that my biking won't be as efficient BUT given my general spazziness, I think I'll be much more comfortable, and at this point that is the most important thing. I can always put the Speedplays back on later!
Today I wanted a baseline run on my Core 1 routine. Here are the numbers:
Crunches on Fitball: 25
Back extensions: 10
Plank: 30 seconds
V-ups: 7
Push-ups: 10
Twists: 30
Hip extensions: 12
Crunches on Fitball: 25
Focused on form. Fitball may be a little underinflated - will fix. Oh, and feeling at end? Spaghetti.
Crunches on Fitball: 25
Back extensions: 10
Plank: 30 seconds
V-ups: 7
Push-ups: 10
Twists: 30
Hip extensions: 12
Crunches on Fitball: 25
Focused on form. Fitball may be a little underinflated - will fix. Oh, and feeling at end? Spaghetti.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Firmly on the wagon
I finally found a My Fit Foods meal that I loooooove: Besto Pesto. Nom freaking nom.
I managed to eat cleanly through to dinner Friday night, when we went to our favorite burger joint and oh, it was soooooo goooooood. At that point I wanted to eat ALL THE FOOD, so, you know, it was good. Saturday I went back on the wagon and was a good girl. Sunday I had a small smoothie at the Globetrotters show, but otherwise I stuck with the plan.
For the first time in a looooooong time, I started Monday morning weighing the same as I did on Friday morning! 139.6. Oh, yes, and I finally saw a drop!
I'm also doing a really good job of getting my 4 bottles of water per day, even over the weekend when I usually lose a bottle.
As for exercise, I started last Monday and it looked like this:
Bike
Bike
Tae Bo
Boot Camp
P90X Arms & Shoulders
Off
Tae Bo
P90X Arms & Shoulders
I am veeeeeeery pleased with this as well! Booty Barre was canceled due to weather, but I still got my workout in. WIN! And I was disappointed when Grasshopper dropped by to tell me that our 5K had been moved to April (APRIL - BOOOOO!), and I did take Saturday off, but I was back at it on Sunday, and that is also a huge win for me, since I really struggle to get off my duff on the weekends.
We also did a lot of moving work from the old house to the new one on both Friday and Saturday, which tangentally counts.
I may need to be flexible with the rest of this week, as I already know I must miss Boot Camp on Thursday, and there is the possibility of another Ice Day tomorrow. But I made it work last week, and I'm finally seeing results, so I know I can make it work again. And I will.
I managed to eat cleanly through to dinner Friday night, when we went to our favorite burger joint and oh, it was soooooo goooooood. At that point I wanted to eat ALL THE FOOD, so, you know, it was good. Saturday I went back on the wagon and was a good girl. Sunday I had a small smoothie at the Globetrotters show, but otherwise I stuck with the plan.
For the first time in a looooooong time, I started Monday morning weighing the same as I did on Friday morning! 139.6. Oh, yes, and I finally saw a drop!
I'm also doing a really good job of getting my 4 bottles of water per day, even over the weekend when I usually lose a bottle.
As for exercise, I started last Monday and it looked like this:
Bike
Bike
Tae Bo
Boot Camp
P90X Arms & Shoulders
Off
Tae Bo
P90X Arms & Shoulders
I am veeeeeeery pleased with this as well! Booty Barre was canceled due to weather, but I still got my workout in. WIN! And I was disappointed when Grasshopper dropped by to tell me that our 5K had been moved to April (APRIL - BOOOOO!), and I did take Saturday off, but I was back at it on Sunday, and that is also a huge win for me, since I really struggle to get off my duff on the weekends.
We also did a lot of moving work from the old house to the new one on both Friday and Saturday, which tangentally counts.
I may need to be flexible with the rest of this week, as I already know I must miss Boot Camp on Thursday, and there is the possibility of another Ice Day tomorrow. But I made it work last week, and I'm finally seeing results, so I know I can make it work again. And I will.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Real Life
In the past 8 days since we've spoken, I've biked 4 times and done Booty Barre (still OUCH) another time. I'm not exactly thrilled and proud of this, BUT I'm not ashamed, either. It isn't what I want it to be, but it isn't nothing. It is something, it is a start, and I will continue trying to improve.
This morning was an improvement. Yesterday morning I was totally knocked out. Slept in. Skipped my workout. This morning I got up and got on the bike. Baby steps.
Also, I may be CRAZY. Oh, heck, I know I'm totally cray cray, because I signed up for the Awesome 80's 5K on the 25th. I haven't run since October. Oh yeah. This is gonna hurt! But it looks like fun and there is a (supposedly DARTH VADER!!!) finisher's medal and I can even go with Z in the stroller and Grasshopper (who is really more like Master now that she's running Halfs (!!So proud!!) and I'm whining about a 5K) is going to be there. So, yeah. It's gonna hurt but I'm totally looking forward to it!
This morning was an improvement. Yesterday morning I was totally knocked out. Slept in. Skipped my workout. This morning I got up and got on the bike. Baby steps.
Also, I may be CRAZY. Oh, heck, I know I'm totally cray cray, because I signed up for the Awesome 80's 5K on the 25th. I haven't run since October. Oh yeah. This is gonna hurt! But it looks like fun and there is a (supposedly DARTH VADER!!!) finisher's medal and I can even go with Z in the stroller and Grasshopper (who is really more like Master now that she's running Halfs (!!So proud!!) and I'm whining about a 5K) is going to be there. So, yeah. It's gonna hurt but I'm totally looking forward to it!
Monday, February 4, 2013
I Ran This Morning!
This is the part where I apologize for still not posting the End of the World Half race report, in which I tell you that I got injured, hence why I'm all excited about a little run this morning.
This is also the part where I have decided to come (at least a little) clean about what is going on in my world. Mostly because it is my reality and it is impacting obviously my life, but also my exercise.
So, P and I aren't living together right now. We are trading weeks, one of us keeps Z in our house, the other lives in AD house. And then we switch. We are often still sharing weekends, to try to give some level of normalcy to Z. I will not go into the nitty gritty of why all of this is happening. Nor will I postulate on the future. This is the now that I am living.
So, how has that impacted my exercise? Well, I can't run in the morning when I'm at home any more, because there is no sleeping adult to leave with Z. And I'm still not sure about running at AD's house. I mean, I need to. I will. I just need to get out of my head about learning new routes in a new neighborhood, that's all. Wasn't a problem, really, because I was giving my knee a month off, but it is time to start running again, so all of this will need to get worked out.
What I have been doing is riding my bike on the trainer on the weeks that I have Z, and doing core work. I am very pleased with that. And on the weeks that I'm at AD house I've been doing P90X, all hard core like. I am also very pleased with that!
And last night P stayed over so he could watch the Super Bowl on the nice TV with DVR, so there was a sleeping adult to leave in the house, so I ran! I only went 3 miles, but I was so very pleased that I have not lost all my stamina or wind. I did 3 sets of 9/1s. And it was... perfect. I love running and missed it so much!
So there it is. Out there. For those of you who know me in real life, I'm still not advertising this, ok? But I need this blog. And what I found is that I can't censor that aspect of my life from here and still be able to really write. I know I could go private, but I don't want to. I started this blog a long time ago to document my running journey, and this freaking bumpy road that I am currently on is a part of that. I own that. It is where I am now. And hopefully, I'll be running on it.
This is also the part where I have decided to come (at least a little) clean about what is going on in my world. Mostly because it is my reality and it is impacting obviously my life, but also my exercise.
So, P and I aren't living together right now. We are trading weeks, one of us keeps Z in our house, the other lives in AD house. And then we switch. We are often still sharing weekends, to try to give some level of normalcy to Z. I will not go into the nitty gritty of why all of this is happening. Nor will I postulate on the future. This is the now that I am living.
So, how has that impacted my exercise? Well, I can't run in the morning when I'm at home any more, because there is no sleeping adult to leave with Z. And I'm still not sure about running at AD's house. I mean, I need to. I will. I just need to get out of my head about learning new routes in a new neighborhood, that's all. Wasn't a problem, really, because I was giving my knee a month off, but it is time to start running again, so all of this will need to get worked out.
What I have been doing is riding my bike on the trainer on the weeks that I have Z, and doing core work. I am very pleased with that. And on the weeks that I'm at AD house I've been doing P90X, all hard core like. I am also very pleased with that!
And last night P stayed over so he could watch the Super Bowl on the nice TV with DVR, so there was a sleeping adult to leave in the house, so I ran! I only went 3 miles, but I was so very pleased that I have not lost all my stamina or wind. I did 3 sets of 9/1s. And it was... perfect. I love running and missed it so much!
So there it is. Out there. For those of you who know me in real life, I'm still not advertising this, ok? But I need this blog. And what I found is that I can't censor that aspect of my life from here and still be able to really write. I know I could go private, but I don't want to. I started this blog a long time ago to document my running journey, and this freaking bumpy road that I am currently on is a part of that. I own that. It is where I am now. And hopefully, I'll be running on it.
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