14 Sept 2013

Lizards Under the Skillet - Lawrence, KS

65 mile route, painted on the road as 62, ended up only being 60 miles.

Looking back... Recap of my first century ride in 2010

I meant to right this shortly after the ride rather than two weeks later, but better late than never. I had the idea to do this century ride about 3 weeks before the event. I’d had the idea before of completing this distance and as fall approaches, I wanted to challenge myself once more before the cold sets in and training is reduced until the following year. The Harvest Ride in Ukiah was the only thing within reasonable driving distance, and so that is how this particular ride was chosen. Prior to the race, I was reviewing maps and trying to find out about the course. For a little while it almost seemed as if this was the first year this ride was taking place. It was a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Ukiah and I finally realized I could look and their site and by using the “past events” link I found out this was at least the fifth year of this ride.

The ride took place on Sunday, October 3^rd. We drove down to Ukiah the day before and went wine tasting at Navarro Winery in Alexander Valley. On the way there and back we traveled along Hwy 253, which was a section of the ride. I thought this was going to be the large hill for the ride and the rest wouldn’t be that bad. And while the first part of that statement was true, the latter was not… the hills never stopped.

The Start/Finish was at Fetzer Winery. We got there a little after 6:30am. There wasn’t an official start to the ride, you just kind of start when you’re ready to and it was recommended to start as early as possible. It was dark when we arrived, but starting to get lighter by the time I checked in and was ready to go. It was around 7am when I started.

The first ten miles showed a small preview of the hills to come. It took a little over an hour to travel eleven miles to the first rest stop. I met up with a few riders here. We determined there were about 20 of us riding this distance (three of us were girls). There were rolling hills and a few flat sections as we continued along Hwy 128 towards Boonville. This portion of the ride was definitely quicker than the first section. Our second rest stop was at Anderson Brewing Co. Again; I met up with the same riders. This is a pattern that would continue throughout the day. We would meet up at rest stops, ride together for a bit, they would move ahead of me, but we’d meet up again. It was comforting knowing that I wasn’t completely by myself and that I’d see them at each stop.

Next came the big hill. I’m glad that we drove over it the day before so that I knew what to expect. While in the car I was telling Mark, I can handle that, it’ll be a challenge, but I can do it. In reality, I was terrified of the challenge before me. But I took my time and made it up the incline. Online it said that it was going to be around 4% grade, it was actually 8% most of the time for 8 miles! But of course getting up that 8% meant there was going to be some fun going back down. When I checked my odometer after this section of the ride, it showed that my top speed was 39.5 mph. Yikes!

At mile 50 was our third rest stop was at a bike shop in Ukiah. I arrived here around 11:15am. At this time, Mark would have been checking out of the hotel only a couple blocks away. This rest stop had the best food at it and was my favorite out of the six. The next section of the ride was a little tricky because it took you, what seemed like, all around Ukiah. I know the plan was to get you onto some less busy roads, but it made for slow riding. The other challenging thing about this section was that sometimes there were pink arrows on the road telling you what way to go and other times there were signs on posts. You never knew where to look and I didn’t feel like holding my map the whole time, luckily I was with other people and I let them do the navigating.

The fourth rest stop was only 9 miles away at Barro Winery. We decided not to stop at this one and continued riding. We headed north out of Ukiah and again it became a little tricky, looking at the map became a necessity because there were lots of turns. The fifth rest stop, felt like it took forever to get there. This was kind of my breaking point. I was tired of the endless hills, my knee was starting to hurt and I wanted to be done. With the help of one of the other riders, we adjusted my seat slightly and this helped with the knee issues.

This next section of the ride felt like it took forever. My inner cane toad was very upset with me. I made it to the sixth and final rest stop and the other riders were still there! It was around 2pm and I knew that Mark had been waiting for me since 1. I used one of the other rider’s phone and called Mark to let him know I was only 10 miles away. Soon as I hung up, the other riders were getting ready to go, I grabbed some rice crispy treats and left with them. I probably could have used a bit more rest, but I was wanted to be done and didn’t want to be riding alone. The final 10 miles finally offered a flat course! However, the wind had picked up and given that I had already ridden 90 miles it was impossible to keep my speed up. I made it back to Fetzer around 3:30pm.

Total I spent 8 hours and 18 minutes riding. My max speed was 39.5 mph and my average speed was a little over 12 mph. The week before the ride it was over 100 degrees in Ukiah. The weekend of the ride it had cooled off and the weather was in the mid 80s. It remained cloudy until 10am and wasn’t too hot for the rest of the ride. On October 3, 2010, I successfully completed my first century ride. While I do not plan on doing this course again, I do plan on doing more century rides in the future.

Ironman Kansas 70.3

10 minute miles... I have arrived!

First time averaging 10 minute miles.

First time running 4 miles without having to stop and walk.

Overall a good training day.

Oh, and it started with a 10 mile bike ride.

Finally above 70

It was finally above 70 degrees today! I went for a short 10 mile bike ride today after work.

Swim Bike Run

TNT Training- 40 mile bike and 8 mile run

TNT Training - 40 mile bike followed by an 8 mile run. Averaged 16.2 mph on the bike and 11:49 min miles on the run. Felt good during the ride. It was a nice route with some nice rolling hills. However, I wasn't ready for the cold- it was 34 degrees outside when we all gathered at 6am. Took a mile or two for my feet to defrost on the run. Felt decent during the run- mile 5 I started to have issues with my asthma. It's a constant mental battle (one that I am determined to win!) Coach Jen recommended that I try breathing through my nose while on the bike that it will help my lungs to not become as restricted. That will be my focus this week. Overall good day, and the weather ended up being pretty nice.

April 6, 2013- TNT 40 mile ride

March Recap

Still doing a good job at logging the miles and being consistent. Ready for some nice weather so I can get some more green on there. (Green = bike riding)

103rd to Mission- 15 miles

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TNT Brick Workout- 20 mile ride/ 7 mile run

Today was a brick workout at Shawnee Mission Park. It consisted of a 20 mile bike ride and a 7 mile run. I did not break any speed records on the ride- there were a lot of hills and it's still early in the season. On the run I was 13 seconds faster per mile than I was last weekend when we did the 8 mile run. 13 seconds faster after having just ridden 20 miles!!!

Temps were in the 50s. Winds were low. Overall a great day to be outside!
Go Team!

I went for a run today...

The email said we would be running as long as the temps stayed above freezing. Woke up this morning and it was 34. Game on. We met at 7am at Indian Creek Trail (119th and Quivera). The plan was to run 4 miles, turnaround and run back for a total of 8 miles. There were water stops set up at miles 2 and 4 and 6. I managed to maintain a constant pace throughout the entire run. It took me a mile to "warm up" and to find a rhythm for my breathing... I stayed strong until about mile 7 and started to have trouble breathing. I should have used my inhaler then instead of waiting until the end. But I pushed through and finished strong. Overall felt good, and excited that I made it to mile 7 w.o any problems since last year I would use my inhaler every 4 miles.

pictures- yesterday and today

TNT Training Ride- GO TEAM!

Map and data from today's training ride. 95/Nall to Mission/151st- 20 miles

Team in Training- I need your help!

My Fundraising Page

b/c I love graphs...

Feb Training Totals

January 2013 Training Recap

Heisenberg

Today's Bike Ride: 27.12 miles

Team in Training

With the help and support of my parents, I joined Team in Training. They have a triathlon team that I will be training with in preparation for my full Ironman. Even though I'm training for my own race, I am excited to be part of the team and looking forward to having other people to train with. We have training sessions every Saturday. Last week we ran, today we had a swim clinic. I think next week we are running. These people are a bit more hardcore than I am... already training outside... I prefer to stay indoors when there is snow on the ground! I'm hoping to keep this blog updated on my progress as I train. My training log to see my actual workouts can be found at http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/index-weekly.asp?memberid=108828 Go Team

You're a Triathlete When...

From: http://triathlonhumor.com/you-know-youre-triathlete-when/ I bolded the ones that apply to me... :) You failed high school chemistry but you could teach a course on lactic acid. While at the gym, you change clothes as fast as possible because it feels like a transition. You wear your heart rate monitor during sex. You bring bottled water to a party so that you’re properly hydrated for the next morning’s long run. Everyone else at the party also brought their own bottled water because you don’t have a social life outside of triathlon. Everyone showed up by 7pm and left by 10pm. You know you’re a triathlete when you wear your bathing suit under your work clothes to make a fast transition from work to swim on your lunch hour. Your girlfriends are insanely jealous of your tan legs. Until they realize that the tan stops at your bike shorts. One of the criteria of a vacation is that the hotel has a spin bike, pool and there’s running trails nearby. Baggage for any out of town trip includes running gear and goggles. 90 degrees is too hot to mow the lawn but not to go on a century ride. You know you’re a triathlete when you consider Clif Bars one of the four food groups You wake up at 5 am but don’t get to work until 9. You think there are only two seasons during the year, triathlon & marathon. The inside of your car looks like a going out of business sale at Sports Authority. You consider work, recovery time between training sessions. You know you’re a triathlete when you have a water bottle when you drive your car. You spend your 2 week annual vacation at a training camp. You know exactly how much protein each energy bar has. Your legs are smoother than your girlfriend’s. You use race shirts to clean your bike. You know you’re a triathlete when you take more showers at the gym than at home. 6:30 am is sleeping in. You have everything needed in your car to swim, bike or run within 5 minutes notice. The one “suit” you own has Xterra written on the chest. You catch yourself about to blow a snot rocket while walking around the office. You know you’re a triathlete when you take ice baths! You can plow through a whopping plate of pancakes and sausage and go back for seconds with a clear conscience. You don’t mind your spinach in liquid form. Your cologne of choice is chlorine. You consider ‘bonking’ a bad thing. You know you’re a triathlete when your house and office is littered with half full water bottles Your bike costs more than your car. You shout “on your left” when passing people in the aisles at the grocery store. You use the words “only” and “10k” in the same sentence. IM no longer refers to ‘instant message’. You know you’re a triathlete when you use the words “easy” and “long run” in the same sentence. You not only eat gels, but you know the best flavors for every brand. Your bath towel is never dry. Your wife no longer thinks it’s strange that you keep a heart rate monitor at your bedside. You take two showers a day. You know you’re a triathlete when you think the ultimate form of wallpaper is all your racing bibs. You have a vanity license plate with the word “Kona” in it. After you meet someone and they tell you they race, you go home and check online to see what age group they’re in and what their times are. You plan vacations around where your next race will be. You feel like you took the day off because all you did was swim 3000 yards. You know you’re a triathlete when you show up to work on Mondays with faded race numbers written all over your arms and legs. About half the shirts you own have at least a dozen logos on the back of them. There is a group of people in your life about whom you are more likely to know how fast they can swim 100 meters than their occupations. There’s a separate load of laundry every week that is just your workout clothes. You don’t giggle anymore when someone uses the word ‘Fartlek’. You know you’re a triathlete when your bike is in your living room (possibly mounted on your trainer). A car follows too closely behind you and you accuse them of drafting. Your friends cried during The Notebook; you cried during the television coverage of the Ironman World Championship. Your husband/wife is looking forward to the day when you will slow down and just run marathons. You see no problem with talking about treatments for chafing or saddle rash at the dinner table. You know you’re a triathlete when nobody believes you when you say “I’ll never do an Ironman”. You have peed outdoors more times in the last year than you did in your first year of college. You call a 5 mile run an easy day. You shave way too many body parts for a guy. You spend more money on training clothes then work clothes. You know you’re a triathlete when you clean your bike more often than your car. Your car smells like a locker room. You have far more pairs of shoes in your closet than your non-tri wife does in hers. You go for a 5K cooldown run after a 5K race just so that you can call it a training session. You have to explain to your co-workers what “splits,” “bricks,” and ‘LSDs” are. You know you’re a triathlete when people see your ’140.6′ sticker on your vehicle and ask what radio station that is. You’ve forgotten how to drink out of cups. When asked how old you are you answer 30-34. When people praise you for being able to run 15 miles you feel insulted. You purchase your new car to match the color of your bike. You know you’re a triathlete when your car purchase depends on whether your bike will fit in the back. You consider sprint triathlons as group training sessions. You reach for a snack, and its a Clif Bar. You pass people in a crowded hallway and say “on your left.” You plan your wedding to not be during race season nor to interfere with your training leading up to race season.

Ironman Louisville

I signed up for Ironman Louisville! August 25th- 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, 26.2 mile run

Training update

Bike on the Brain

On track with my training

Week three of official training and I feel I'm on track. Have been focusing on riding my trainer and weights. Next week I will add swimming and maybe some runs either on the treadmill or indoor track at the community center.