Half Century

Alarm

Snooze

Alarm

Snooze

Alarm

Get up

Feed the dog

Prepare and eat breakfast-consisting of toasted English muffin with homemade marionberry jam and egg, banana, water

Put cycling clothes on

Let the dog out

Pump up front bicycle tire

Rotate back bicycle tire to pump it up

Notice that back tire has a bulge in it

Flat as a pancake

Pump it up

Let the dog in

Load the bike in the car-hoping the tire will hold air

Load me in the car with all gear, food, and drink

Drive to meeting point

Unload bike

Flat rear tire

Received help changing the tube (THANK YOU!)

Decided not to wear leg warmers

Decided to wear my windbreaker

Communication throughout the ride: Going! Stopping! Spitting! Trailer! (Laughing) 8 seconds!

Cheered on TNT runners running a mock marathon “GO TEAM! WOHOOOOO!”

Started up the 4 mile climb of Hilltop

Passed like I was standing still-which I practically was at 6.5 mph (but was asked “Good morning, are you doing ok?” by the passer

C-c-c-c-cold.

Wishing I had my leg warmers, wondering how I can wrap myself around my knees to keep them warm and still ride.

Glad I had my windbreaker

Cheered on to the top of hilltop by those before me and waited and cheered for those behind me

Gathered together and headed down the other side to the end of the pavement before Arrow Rock dam

Frozen by the time we hit the bottom-I’m sure my teeth were chattering

Warmed up as we got into the more sheltered area on the way to the end of the pavement

Hit the end of the pavement and turn around.

Get out of the sheltered area of the pavement and notice that it’s a little cool, but not too bad

Start climbing the mammoth backside of hilltop

4.5mph (uugh)

Tried to get my cadence up

Burning legs

Slowed down

Cheered up to the top without sucking wind

Clapped and whooped it up for those behind coming to the top

Allison met us at the top

Downhill and flat the rest of the way back to the car

Urban assault (Group sticking together to get through stoplights downtown)

Negotiation of traffic

Crossing the street and I almost fell over while traffic was waiting

Lots of Laughing, talking, enjoying the day

Feel great

51.3 miles

4 hours 6 minutes.

12.4 Average Speed.

32 Max Speed.

Total Miles on my bike: 1317.2

1 flat tire

Blue skies smiling at me

We had a much needed and long overdue break in the weather yesterday. For the first time since we started doing our long rides in February, I started out a ride with two layers and finished with one-and bare arms. I thought about removing my leg warmers, but I had not thought about sunscreen (besides the fact, I would have blinded my entire team, AND the drivers coming up and down Hwy 16). I was SO thankful to have warmth and sun rather than rain and wind.

We started in Eagle and rode to Middleton, where we all gathered up and had a water and bathroom break. As we took off again, one of our team had an issue with his tire. He pulled over and started to fix it. The guys stayed behind and helped, and the gals decided that the guys would catch up quickly, so we kept moving. We got to Purple Sage and Blessinger where the “Shoot Me Now” hill (written about in my blog on 6/27/10) is. I stopped and looked down the hill, thinking “If Brad were with us, he’d probably make us all go down it and back up.” Jen said that she would come if I went, while Brandee and Macey said they would wait for us. Down the hill I went (I have a hard time resisting the down-it’s the up that gets me) Jen following close behind. When we turned around, I was thinking, “Why oh WHY did I decide to do this?!?!?! I hope I don’t regret it later in the ride.” (I didn’t.) Jen powered on up past me, and I settled back for the ride. Getting to the top, I pulled over for a rest, seeing that a couple of others in our group had caught up with us. It didn’t take long before we were back on track and headed on to finish our ride.

Back at the car, I felt better than I have after any long ride. A lot of it had to do with what I’m eating and drinking. I’ve discovered that I’m not doing enough of that. Asst. Coach Daniel sent out an email earlier this week, telling what he was going to eat and drink before, during and after the ride, so I tried something similar. I know I didn’t eat as many calories, still, as I should have, or drink as much as I should have, but I did eat and drink more than I ever had, and felt really good-and recovery time after the ride was much faster. I didn’t feel like I had to lie around on the couch all day. In fact, I took my pooch for close to a 3-mile walk yesterday evening. Aaaah, what a difference.

43.6 miles

2 hours 47 minutes.

15.5 Average Speed. (my fastest average speed for a ride so far)

35.4 Max Speed. (only because of the “shoot me now hill”

Total Miles on my bike: 1265.9

Catching up

Two weeks ago, we cancelled our ride on Saturday, due to a wind advisory of 35-45mph gusts. Having experienced cross and tail winds going up and down Hilltop, I was glad that we postponed until the following day.

Sunday, four of us started out from the North end of Boise, and headed toward Hwy 21 and the 4-mile climb. This ride was to be 34 miles, with the climb early on. When we got to the bottom of the hill, our assistant coach gave each of us a timed challenge to get to the top. For me, my challenge was to make it to the top in 35 minutes. Having never timed myself, but having watched my speed going up this hill, I was trying to calculate how fast I’d have to go all the way up in order to make the time. For some reason, I couldn’t make that calculation, but it kept me mentally busy while climbing. I made it to the top in 35 minutes 20 seconds. So, now I’m curious if I can beat that time. (I also beat coach up the hill. This has never happened, and I’m not so sure it will happen again. But I enjoyed the experience while I was going through it.)

The rest of that ride was pretty uneventful, other than when coming down hilltop, I put my bike in what I thought was my hardest gear and I just could not get my chain to engage as I was pedaling. I ended up coasting the majority of the way down the hill, and finally realized that I was in my middle ring. As soon as I got in my biggest ring, I was able to pick up speed and battle the crosswinds that hit me while coming down that hill.

4/9/11

Brrrr!

This past Saturday’s ride was tough for me. It was the coldest temperature that I’ve ridden in, and within just a matter of a few minutes, my face felt frozen. The first half was great (tail wind), but the second half was into the wind and I had a hard time keeping up. I think that was a combination of not eating or drinking enough throughout the ride (though I didn’t realize it until we were nearly back to our cars) and some mental warring with myself.

One thing I struggle with is losing momentum going up short hills. I was reading an article in a bicycle magazine that reminded me that there is a difference between going up short hills and long ones. Short hills, should be attacked, gaining speed before getting to the bottom of the hill, and powering up it. Long hills should be settled in to. Having just found out what this week’s route is, I have a couple of goals. Eat and drink a better amount. Power up short hills. Take control of my thoughts and start changing them.

39 miles

2 hours 50 minutes.

13.7 Average Speed.

36.8 Max Speed.

Total Miles on my bike: 1222.3

Hello, Muscle, Have We Met?

Our assistant coach arranged to do core/cross training as a team on Thursday evenings, which began tonight. There were two of us that showed up besides him, and there were a lot of laughs. Most of the giggles came from me. Some of the exercises that we did reminded me of PE in school, and some of them were completely new to me. He would tell us what we were going to do and then proceeded to show us. I’m sure that I had the deer in the headlights look every-so-often. Come to find out, some of the things we were doing were yoga exercises-which has been completely foreign to me…until tonight, that is. Macey was the other participant and she was such an encourager, and would give me helpful hints. I have never thought of myself as being overly coordinated, and I would get in a position, and then I’d crumple, fall, and laugh. I love that I can usually laugh at myself.

2 hours later, I still have legs that feel like jelly. I’m sure that I will be reintroduced to muscles that I had forgotten that I’ve met before tomorrow. This is a good thing. After all, “pain is weakness leaving the body,” right? I look forward to more Thursday evening training sessions.

Through Sun, Wind, Rain, Sleet and Hail. Ok, small exaggeration.

There were 6 of us riding on Saturday. For a crummy weather report, we all felt that the ride started out with really nice weather. Or maybe we spoke too soon.

We started in Meridian and headed out towards South Boise. Before we knew it, we were out beyond the airport., and we were still going. We were enjoying our ride, when we saw other cyclists coming towards us. As they would pass, they yelled, “GO TEAM!” I wasn’t sure what to think of that because the only article of clothing that would give it away that we were with Team In Training were a pair of bike shorts. Any other TNT clothing was hidden beneath layers. Come to find out, this was the TNT Triathlon team, doing their cycling. That was fun. It was also fun to run into another cycling teammate as he had decided to do his own ride that day. They all had just come down a hill that we were about to go up. I’ve been down this hill before, and it is a lot more fun going down, but had never gone up it, and I must say the going up wasn’t bad. Of course, it makes all the difference to have a cycling buddy riding right next to you, carrying on a conversation all the way up. (Thanks, Allison!)

When we got to Ten Mile Creek, the wind started coming up a little bit, and it started raining lightly. Because this road has very little traffic, we practiced a group pace line. We were in two rows of 3 riding side by side. The person in the front of the right lane would let off on the pace as the person in the front on the left lane would pass the right lane and then do a lane change, making them the front of the right lane. As the right lane made way for the ones in the left lane, the rider in the back of the right lane would then go over to be in the back in the left lane as soon as the third rider would pass them. The left lane would pedal a little harder than the right lane so that they could get past the riders on the right. Once a rider gets to the right lane, they get a chance to rest a bit. It was really fun, almost dance-like.

As we were doing this, the rain started coming down harder, The rain turned to snow, then…hail? If it wasn’t hail, whatever it was, it stung my cheek when as it hit me. Then, as suddenly as it started, it quit. This little cloud burst got us much more muddy than the first ride in the rain. Lot’s of mud up to the top of my helmet.

We all made it back to our cars safely, loaded up and headed our separate ways.

28.33 miles, 1 hour 58 minutes. 14.5 Average Speed. 28 Max Speed. Total Miles on my bike: 1104.53

Beautiful Spring Day

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day to ride 25 miles! Before we started out, we were told that we would break up into two groups: The Less Experienced and the More Experienced. After hearing what the More Experienced group was going to do, I wanted to jump in with them-and said so, but put in a disclaimer stating that looking at the rest of them, I’d be the slowest one. Our assistant coach (Daniel) said, “Come on with us!” So-I did. We headed towards Lucky Peak and I was able to keep up for a little while, and took a turn at leading the pace line. Then all of a sudden, I lost steam. As we kept going, I kept getting further behind. Daniel stayed with me, saw what my speed was and then he and I created a pace line at my pace.

The two groups met up and I told my group, “You’re too fast for me! I’m going over with the other group.” The More Experienced group encouraged me to stay with them, but I told them that I was going at about 14 mph and didn’t want to hold them up (they go a solid 18-22mph, and faster when they can). As I ducked under a chain to get with the other group, everyone started taking off. When we got to the Lucky Peak recreation area, we stopped, took a bit of a break, then headed up the hill towards hill top. The majority of the group that I was with hadn’t been up hills yet, so I tried to give tips about going up this hill…EAT before you start. Start the hill in your climbing gear, things like that. Our group was stopping just above the dam to regroup, and meet the More Experienced group who were going up to the top of hilltop.

Side note: I’ve been curious about how, if any, the spin classes that I’ve been taking all winter will help me with hills. This particular hill, I always end up in my granniest granniest gear and go 4-6mph. Today, I stayed on my middle ring, and found out later that I didn’t even go to the easiest gear on that middle gear! There was one point where I thought I wanted to go easier, but decided to push myself. My speed also didn’t dip below 6mph. It was typically 6.5 or 7 (still not stellar, but I felt so encouraged)!

When I got to the top of the dam, I thought about going further up towards hilltop, but decided to stick it out with my group. We waited for a little while, then decided to head back down and finish the ride. The rest of the ride was fabulous. It got to the point that I nearly stopped to take off one of three layers. But then the wind would come up and I was glad I had that extra layer on. We got back to the cars and hung out for a little while, talking about mid-week rides and scheduling those. I am looking forward to getting to know my teammates better.

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25.14 miles, 1 hour 50 minutes. 13.8 Average Speed. 31.5 Max Speed. Total Miles on my bike: 1076.2

Soaked but Exhilarated

3/5/11 Last Saturday’s ride was AMAZING! We started out by attending a potluck, listening to several testimonies of how TNT and the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society have helped people personally. I was honored to listen to people who wouldn’t be here, talking to me if it wasn’t for the funds that have gone into research for a cure for these blood cancers. Some of these people have just completed a round of treatments; some of them have been in remission for years. That Saturday was one person’s anniversary of when they found out that they had this disease, and the next day was another’s anniversary of the same. These testimonies bring home the reason that I am riding with Team in Training.

Once all of the testimonies had been given, the cyclists were told to mount up. So we all put on our layers of clothing (it was about 46°F, cloudy skies with a chance of rain) and headed out. While I was waiting for everyone, I was trying to decide if I needed to grab my sunglasses. With how cloudy it was, I didn’t think I would need them-but Allison reminded me that if it does start to rain, it would be nice to have the glasses to shield my eyes from raindrops. Good point. I went to get them (and am SO glad that I did!).

This ride was a different experience than the rides that we had done in the past. This time, instead of 2-5 of us, there were 9 of us (there are more, but a few couldn’t make it this day). I am so excited to get to know my teammates and continue riding with them.

When we started the ride, we knew that there were going to be two ride options. The first one was 13 miles and the second one was 23. After having been in spin classes all Winter, I wasn’t sure how I would be feeling on my bike and was a little doubtful that I would feel good for 13 miles let alone 23. When I started having doubts, I decided to take control of those thoughts and tell myself that I could do this. Truly, I knew that I could do it-but you know how sometimes you just need a reminder? It started to rain a little, and the roads were wet, so we all started getting that wonderful brown line up our bums and backs. At one point, I was in a position in the lineup where I was right in the middle. The people in front were way ahead and the people behind were not way behind, but there was a gap. I decided to try and catch the folks in the front. Pretty soon I hear the “whoosh whoosh” of bicycle tires being powerfully propelled behind me. Daniel, our assistant coach, looked over and said, “Jump on” as he flew past me like I was just sitting still. He was referring to drafting behind him. I tried to catch him, but the guy is F-A-S-T! That was at the bottom of a very gradual incline, and the hill caught me unaware, so I found myself gasping for breath. About half way up, I heard a spin instructors voice say, “Take deep breaths and breathe through your nose as much as possible.” As soon as I started to do that, I was able to regain breathing composure, get my heart rate back under control, and finish up the hill without any other problems.

We came to the point of the group separating, the 13-mile riders heading back to the cars and the 23-mile riders doing another loop. As the 13-mile riders departed, I was thinking with fond memories of my first ride. (See blog entry “Rubber, Meet Road. Road, Meet Knee, Elbow, and Bum”.)

We got about half way through the loop the second time and needed to add a little out and back section to get in the mileage. We rounded a corner and headed down a hill into what looked like a cul-de-sac. We circled around and headed back up the hill. It’s amazing the different perspectives of a hill. Coming down it, it didn’t seem too steep or large. Rounding that corner, the hill looked like a wall to me. I didn’t dwell on it, I just jumped out of my seat and started pedaling-“running” up the hill. For a few moments, I felt like I was doing great, keeping up speed, not gearing down, when all of a sudden, I hear, “Wanna race?” right beside me. I look over and AJ is sitting on his seat, pedaling, and passing me like I’m standing still. I had to laugh. Ah well. I have some strength to build, and some things to figure out bike-wise, still. I also have to remind myself that it’s been 4 months since I’ve been on my bike, but more importantly, I’ve only been riding since the end of last May (9 months). Towards the end of the ride, the rain started really to come down. It had been sprinkling here and there, but now, it was a proper rain. I started to wonder how I was going to get home in my car without getting the drivers seat all dirty and wet. Once I figured that out, I sat back and enjoyed the rest of the ride.

(At the end of the ride, I asked Allison to take a picture of my back, but I’ll spare your eyes.)

Coming away from last Saturday’s ride, I was pleased at how I physically felt because of the spinning that I had been doing those 4 months. I didn’t know how that would help, whether it would build strength, endurance, or what. I have yet to see if spin classes will help me climb hills, but I’m sure I’ll have that chance in the next week or two. This Saturday, I look forward to a longer ride.

Later, Saturday evening, I looked at my bike helmet and found mud splattered up to the top of it. COOOOOOL!

22.34 miles, 1 hour 31 minutes. 14.2 Average Speed. ??? Max Speed (My computer tells me 47.9 but there’s no way I made it that fast. More like 25.) Total Miles on my bike: 1051.1