Saddle Slut

TODAYS SONG (click here)

So I go through saddles like some women go through men (or wish they did)...a new one every couple of weeks (or so it seems). When I first got my Felt F75, I used the Felt Race-Lite Saddle that came on it for about a week. The thing felt (no pun intended) like I was sitting on a 2x4. Definitely not comfy! It squished all my girl parts:)

After taking off the "hard as a brick" Felt, I put my old saddle from my hybrid on. This was a Terry Liberator. Now, I must admit, this thing was kind of like riding with a pillow shoved between my legs. All big & fat (and kind of ridiculous looking on my bike). Worse, though, I couldn't get comfortable on this one either. I thought soft would be better but it's like I had sunk into the saddle & couldn't get any support. Boo!

I decided to turn to my favorite Bike Mechanic, Brian, for help & he set me up on a Devo Saddle. It was okay but I could never get as comfortable as I wanted. More squished parts & it was a little too wide in the front. My legs rubbed the nose of the saddle. I could live with it on short rides but for 112 miles followed by a 26.2 mile run - no way!

In frustration, I went home & researched saddles on the internet. Somehow (and I really don't remember now), I came to the conclusion that the Selle Anatomica would work for me. Kind of like the reputably wonderful Brooks saddles but with a cutout that I was sure would relieve the numbness I was getting in all my private parts. When it first went onto my bike, I thought I had hit the jackpot. Every part of me was rejoicing over the comfort of my new saddle. No more pain! Then....Brian & I went out for a 60 miler right after Christmas. We probably weren't 10 miles into the ride when things started to hurt. I'm sure I looked really attractive pulling my tights up, down & around trying to relieve the discomfort. The more I wiggled, the worse it got. By the time we ended the ride, I was totally raw & blistered in places where you just shouldn't be. Going to the bathroom was painful for days after. I thought maybe I had created this problem by wearing tights over my bike shorts so I actually tried the saddle a few more times at trainer tour wearing bike shorts only. No go, it's like this saddle had teeth. Ouch!

Next stop was another saddle sitting around in the garage, the Serfas Tri W. This saddle supposedly had all these really great features designed to make the female triathlete feel good (is that possible?) about sitting on a thin piece of hard material, sometimes leaning forward, for hours on end. It was engineered specifically for triathletes, had a slightly wider back area, has gel inserted in the nose of the saddle, & has an extra-long/extra-wide nose design that allows the cyclist to locate ideal comfort...

It was that extra-wide nose that did me in again. Some might think that wide & hard are what every girls' dreams are made of, but I can promise you - not so much when it comes to bike saddles. More rubbing. Maybe I should just take the hint & either lose another 10 lbs or get liposuction on my inner thighs!

Beginning to despair that I would ever find that "right" saddle for me, I decided to participate in a Demo Program that Competitive Cyclist has. For $75 they'll send you 11 of their best selling saddles to demo on your bike (read - best selling guys saddles). If, after sending them back, you purchase one, they'll give you a $35 credit. Pretty good deal considering how much I was spending on saddles. During my demo period, I tried out several of the saddles & settled on the Selle Italia SLR Gel Flow. For the first time ever, I felt like my butt & not my crotch was sitting on my saddle. Already a big improvement. Also, after several rides, life was at least bearable after I got off my bike. No more bow-legged walking for me:) I did develop some new, weird pains & bruising - especially in my tailbone - but overall I was more comfortable. Not perfect, but better.

Fast forward a few weeks to my bike fit a couple of weeks ago. After moving pretty much everything around, Marcus from Train Smart was still not happy with the way I was sitting on my saddle. He said I kept pushing myself off the back of the saddle to get my butt on the widest part. Also, even when I did this, my sit bones were actually falling on either side of the saddle. I think he was trying to tell me I had a wide ass, but I can't be sure...He was absolutely right though...the saddle was actually too narrow for my sit bones. So off I went, in search of something new....

This time I decided to take a more scientific approach & began the process by measuring my sit bones. This involved a squatting down kind of position while I attempted to measure my sit bones with a ruler. It probably sounds about as weird as it was but I at least discovered that I have a really fat ass. 153 mm across...(from sit bone to sit bone) - I guess it's no wonder that I've been having problems with saddles measuring <150.

Clarksville Schwinn, an LBS, sells them at great prices so I went over there to check them out. When I mentioned getting one to Chris (my sales guy), it was all he could do not to all out laugh in my face..."you want to put one of those on your race bike?" he asked incredulously...Well, yes, I did...after all I have spokey dokes, a bell, a saddle bag...what else would help dork me out more? Seriously though, it really did look like the best option. Clarksville didn't have any B-17's or Team Pros in stock so I decided to order from Harris Cyclery. After looking at both, I decided to go with the sportier Team Pro. Several people from the bike club use that one & at 165mm I figured it would work. I did decide to call Harris directly just to be sure & they said no way, I had to get the B-17. Apparently all 165mm are not available for the comfort of my bottom & the wider B-17 (at 170mm) would be better. I'm definitely starting to get a complex about the width of my butt!

I payed for overnight shipping & got my saddle in late Friday night. I covered it (top & bottom) with proofide & put it on my bike. I'm quite the expert at changing saddles now. Levels & allen wrenches are my friends! So, Saturday morning - the Dishonest Abe Mad Dog Century & yes, I decided to ride all 100 miles on my spanking new Brooks. I figured it couldn't be any worse than what I already have so I slapped on an extra thick layer of Assos Cream & brought along an extra pair of bike shorts in case I needed more padding. I could tell immediately that the Brooks is the right choice for my bottom! Total comfort the whole ride. Other parts of me aren't so sure but I know I have to give the saddle time to break in. Leaning forward into the aero bars definitely leaves something to be desired but all in all I feel way better than I ever have before getting off my saddle. Today (Sunday) I went out for another quick 25 miler & still feel great. No blisters or other yucky stuff so I think I may finally have it right! Keep your fingers crossed for me:) I think I'm finally ready to settle down!

Spent...

I am completely exhausted...like so tired it hurts to walk, talk & keep my eyes open & I'm only half way through my 3 "hard" weeks before I get an easy week.

It all started Monday with that long 1600 swim, I felt great after the swim but the 40 minute treadmill run right after was tough. Probably because I had run 11.2 miles the day before. Then Tuesday, Monica (my weight coach) beat the shit out of me with pushups, pullups & other sundry forms of torture. I followed it up with my scheduled bike workout. I actually felt okay yesterday after all the working out but I only slept about 5 hours last night.

Then today, I had a really hard 2500 yard swim. It included 10x100 on 2:15 which means I get 2:15 to complete each one (including rest time). Doesn't sound so bad but it was taking me 2:00 to complete each one & I was working really hard on my breathing which really raised my heart rate so the 15 seconds left over for rest was just not enough. That combined with my arms workout from the day before made the swim very challenging. (Also, I got to do the 10x100 on 2:40 last week so this was a big decrease in rest time).

After I recovered from my swim it was time to move on to running. Let me start by saying the weather was fabulous today & it's not supposed to be this Saturday so I decided to swap run days. That gave me a 12 mile run today. I went over to Seneca Park & ran through Seneca and into Cherokee making enough detours to get in my 12 miles. For anyone not familiar with the route - it was very hilly. By the end of the 12 miles I was done for (and had 2 huge blisters). Probably not my smartest move to make this change to my training plan but at least the rest of the week will be pretty easy! I've only got one 70 mile bike left, one 1800 swim, one 45 minute run & one 30 minute weight workout! Not so bad with 4 days left in the week!

Becoming a Fish

So it was just last August that I had my first swim lesson with coach Nancy. I could only swim 1 25 meter lap without feeling like I was going to die. I can still remember hitting that wall and just gasping for air. Sure, I knew how to swim - I just didn't know how to breathe.

As of the end of the year, I was still stringing together breast stroke with freestyle on my continuous swims & at the end of January I had finally strung together a 400 continuous freestyle swim (although I was totally spent by the end & couldn't have gone 1 yard more). I was convinced that I'd be doing the Ironman using breaststroke & was wondering if I would make the cutoff.

Well....yesterday, I had my longest continuous freestyle swim ever - 1600 yards. I completed it in 39 minutes & finished feeling like I could have kept going - pretty fucking incredible. For the first time ever I actually felt confident I could complete the swim portion of the race! I may not be the fastest swimmer in the water but in my usual slow & steady fashion I think I'll get there!

Just as an aside- it could have actually been the purchase of my new (much smaller) bathing suits that made me so fast. They're so tight they actually make me look 10 pounds skinnier - apparently that's how they're supposed to fit! & they're pretty colors - there is no missing me when I'm in the pool:)

Finally...

So our weather totally sucked Friday & Saturday. We had such good weather on Thursday that it was almost impossible to believe that a winter storm was actually coming. I have to say, sucky weather totally stresses me out when I start trying to get my workouts in...I initially planned to run & swim Saturday & then ride & swim Sunday. However, the weather gods had something else in mind...Friday morning it started to snow, and snow, and snow....It snowed all damn day. Unbelievable as it is, the weathermen actually got the forecast right - 8-12 inches of snow. It kind of took a little break sometime during the day but then it snowed more. It snowed all night & Saturday morning it was still snowing. All the Saturday bike rides were canceled, the Saturday runs were canceled, & I finally had to break down & join the Y since all the other pools were closed.

As I drove slipping & sliding through the snow on the way to the Y on Saturday, I was still holding out hope for Sunday. I did get a semi-decent swim in - I had the pool all to myself but for some reason I was unable to swim a straight line. No I hadn't been drinking but I felt like it by the time I got out of the pool - I think their multi-colored pool lines were creating some weird optical illusion in my head. I ruined my Motorola Q by talking on it with wet hair & then got in a weight workout before heading home. Fun times!

The city actually did a decent job clearing the roads so I was really hoping I would get to run & ride on Sunday. Unfortunately, the Sunday rides all got canceled (I'm still convinced the afternoon ride would have been fine) but Howard & Harry agreed to come out & run with me Sunday morning. We got together at 9 & managed to get in an 11.2 mile run without killing ourselves or being hit by a car (there were maniacs on the road today). After the run, we were going to celebrate Tammy's bday (another group runner), but for the 2nd year in a row, Howard brought a cake but Tammy didn't show:( We got the cake out anyway & wished her a happy bday in her absence...I think it took 6 mos last year for her to actually get some cake. Hopefully it won't take so long this year!

After our little quasi-celebration, I headed out for the club (Milestone this time) for a swim. Amazingly I had my own lane the entire time & had a great (very straight) swim workout. When I finished I had just enough time to change clothes & make it over to Betsy's Hot Yoga for a Bikram class. The place was absolutely packed! Great class though. Ever since I started riding centuries, I've been having problems with my upper back & neck hurting. I figure the deep stretching at Yoga can only help...time will tell.

So I made it through the week & somehow managed to get my training in. It took a lot of reshuffling & moments where I just didn't even know if it was going to happen but somehow it all came together in the end. The weather is supposed to be great this coming week so I hope it will all go more smoothly. Between my training, my husband's travel, my daughter's lacrosse & one of my son's basketball, there's not a lot of wiggle room when things don't happen when they should.

Squeezing It In

Right now we're under a winter storm warning & they're predicting several inches of snow tomorrow & into Saturday. This seems to be the trend lately - decent weather until just before the weekend when it snows & sleets & screws up weekend rides. This totally sucks since I was either going to do a century Saturday or a 70 miler on Sunday.

Because of this, several of us were out today seemingly trying to accumulate as many miles as possible in advance of the storm. First up was a 41 mile ride out of Westport Park. This ride is the first in a series of rides led by Larry Preble intended to help people get into shape after the winter. This was a great ride! It had almost 3000 feet of climbing over the ride and offered some incredible views of the countryside. The sun was out & the weather was pretty warm - I'm really glad I did this ride & will try to make his next one in a week.

After the morning ride, I spent a few hours running around picking up kids & stuff before heading off for a 25 mile night ride. A bunch of people from this morning were there too. We had a pretty big group & good (although cold) weather. As part of this ride, we went to the top of Iroquois Park. What an incredible view! With the relatively clear skies, you could see all across the city. The lights were great! I've run through the park a bunch of times & had no idea this top loop was up there. Like the morning ride, this one is a keeper! I won't be able to go a lot over the next couple of month's because my daughter has Lacrosse games almost every Tues/Thurs but I'll go as much as I can.

So here I am, worn out for the day but really glad I fit it all in. I'm also hoping that the weathermen are wrong & we won't get so much snow. Even if Saturday is a bust, I've gotten a babysitter so I can ride on Sunday if the roads are clear. I'll keep my fingers crossed & hope for a ride this weekend!

Pondering...

This song perfectly describes me today - Am I the Only One?

I find myself looking at my life & wondering when I changed from being a smart, successful woman to being a live-in housekeeper, laundress & chauffeur...I used to have a career, I made real money, I was successful....I guess I used to feel important. I wonder, would anyone notice if I disappeared tomorrow? Probably the kids because no one would do the laundry & they wouldn't have rides home from school, my husband maybe because he wouldn't have his resident secretary to give "to-do" lists to and possibly the Fedex guy who waves at me when I run. My kids sometimes make comments about me "doing nothing all day" & how their friends moms have real jobs. When did my husband's career so take over our lives that who I am was sucked into it too? Even my parents point out the my husband is a CFO, my brother is a DR & my sister-in-law is a CPA...they leave off there but I know they're thinking that I'm not, well, anything.

There was probably a little piece inside of me thinking about this when I signed up for the Ironman this year. No, I'm not any of those important things that they are, but I'm going to accomplish this really hard thing that they can't do & maybe, then, my they'll look at me less like a piece of furniture & more like that accomplished lady I used to be. Somehow, I doubt it. Running 2 full & countless half marathons didn't do the trick & they've all made it clear that there's really nothing I do in my life that interests them but a little piece of me hopes...and then I wonder, do I really care?

Pool Update

just a quick note on the pool...while at Milestone today, this gross guy was swimming in the lane next to me hacking up snot & spitting it into the gutters at every lap...even though I pointed out to the guard how gross & inappropriate I thought it was (you know, the water gets in my mouth), she wouldn't say anything to the guy...go figure? Good thing I had a short swim today!

I need sleep...

On Saturday I ran a 10k. Nancy (my coach) had instructed me to run it all-out so I pushed it as hard as I could - my time was 53:56 (my fastest by about 2 mins) and my average HR was 178 (really & she didn't even freak out about this). Spent doesn't even begin to say it.

I followed this up with my 2nd Century on Sunday (more details to come). It was reasonably flat (with one big hill) & I had a great time, but it seemed to take forever to get done & I was pretty tired when it was over.....BUT, there is no rest for the wicked because Nancy was putting on a bowling party for all of her athletes & their families so I went directly from the ride to the bowling alley where I met the rest of my family...

By the time we got home & got the kiddos in bed, I felt like a walking zombie - I just wanted to take a quick shower to wash off the road grit & go to bed. Unfortunately, this wasn't meant to be. Although I was in bed by 10, I never really could get to sleep & by 2, I was up again because I was sick of pretending to sleep. Nothing hurt but nothing was really right either, my legs felt weird & my brain wouldn't turn off. Watched "Little Children" with Kate Winslet until I finally fell asleep around 4. When the alarm went off at 6am this morning I was not happy.

I've been kind of dragging all day. Again, nothing really hurts (except my butt from all the time in the saddle) but nothing's right either. Did my swim this morning but struggled every lap. I was actually surprised when I finished the whole thing since I kept fantasizing about quitting. I pushed off my run until tomorrow but when I saw it wasn't going to pour down rain as forecast, I decided to try and make the outdoor Monday night "recovery" ride. Even though it was going to be raining a bit & was after dark, the ride captain assured me that he'd be there. Yeah - I felt that the short spin would do my legs good.

The rain was picking up but was sporadic as I headed for the ride start. The ride was scheduled to start at 6:45 but at 6:40, nobody was there...guess everyone was going to wuss out. I pulled out my phone to order carry-out from PF Chang's when I saw a lone rider pulling into the lot. It was Scott, the ride captain! We talked briefly about what to do & decided we both needed the ride after the century so decided to take a quick jaunt through the park. We called a couple of other guys (Perry & Eric) that usually show up rain or shine & heckled them about not coming but it looked like it was going to be just us. Just as we were about to leave, Micah (someone way crazier than us - he had actually ridden 20 miles to the start), pulled in. With 3, we were off.

So riding in the dark, in the rain, was a new experience for me. It was a little disorienting because I couldn't see the road very well & I definitely need a better headlight but it was fun. We did about 9 quick miles through the park before making it back to the lot. My legs actually feel much better but I can say that when my butt first touched the saddle it was not a good thing:) Soaking wet, I drove my tired self home, got changed, cleaned up my bike & collapsed on the couch.

So now it's time to try again...here's hoping I'll sleep tonight because I have a ton of workouts tomorrow & I NEED SLEEP!

Choppy Waters

A little complaining...

I use two different local pools to get my many swim workouts in each week. If I'm only swimming (no weight or run workouts) or I have a lot of drill work, I'll swim at the Mary T. This is an Olympic Size Pool that's part of the Louisville Parks System. Lots of triathletes swim there & I always get a lane to myself & a really good workout in. However, if I'm combining multiple workouts into one outing, I'll swim at my health club, Milestone. The actual facilities are much nicer at Milestone but they dedicate at least half the pool to water aerobics & I almost always have to share a lane when I swim. Now, I'm not so selfish that I'm incapable of sharing, but at Milestone, instead of sharing with serious swimmers, I often get to share with walkers. You may wonder how hard it could possibly be to share with a walker - right? Well, it's awful. They often jump into the lane without first telling you they're there (common courtesy), they often don't like to get their hair wet so they get mad if I make any splashes, they like to walk in the middle, but worst of all, they often hold chat fests with their friends making it impossible to swim around. When I swim at Milestone, I do my best to schedule my swims around the times when I think there's not going to be a lot of these people in the pool.

With this said, I'm sure you can understand why I go to Mary T. when I can....bad news, though, last week Mary T developed a serious leak that's going to cause the pool to be closed until the end of March. Now, while I'm happy that I have Milestone to turn to, they have apparently offered a deal to all the Mary T. swimmers to come swim at Milestone! Even on the best of days, it's tough to get a good swim in there. Now, in addition to all the walkers & water aerobics chicks, we're going to have to deal with the added Mary T traffic. I know, I'm totally selfish, but I am paying out the bucks to belong to Milestone & now swimming is going to totally suck for the next month! I have 4 swims planned this week with one of them being over 2000 meters...I'm hoping I'll be able to get it in without strangling a walker first! Maybe I'll just kick extra hard as I go by & they'll get the hint:)

Snow Biking

RIDE SONG!!! (click here)

So this past weekend, I got the pleasure of participating in a new sport for me...part skating, part skiing, part road biking - Snow Biking! Unfortunately for me, I was riding on my road bike & not one of these--->

It all started with a scheduled Century ride with the Louisville Bike Club. All week, I watched the weather forecast in anticipation of the weekend to come. It was to be my 2nd Century (100 mile ride) & we were going to an Indiana Maple Syrup Festival for a pancakes...yum! All the way through Saturday evening, the all-knowing weatherpeople were forecasting a cloudy morning followed by a sunny afternoon with highs in the mid 40's...not too shabby for late February. We had an ice storm earlier in the week so the roads were a bit of a concern but just before going to bed I got an email from one of the ride captains saying the ride was still on.

When I got up bright & early Sunday morning, I turned on the weather while I ate my peanut butter bagels for breakfast. Imagine my surprise when Mr. Weatherman started talking about the possibility of brief snow/rain showers or sleet sometime during the morning. A decent afternoon still looked to be in store but the morning wasn't looking so hot. I checked my email to see what the ride captains (Melissa & Dick K) had to say & was greeted by a mail saying that the ride was still on...excellent!

I decided to deviate a bit from my standard winter attire due to the possibility of rain/sleet - so instead of riding tights I opted for bike shorts covered with wind/rain tights & threw in a rain jacket for good measure. I also decided to try out my shoe covers for the first time ever...turned out to be a good choice.

After loading my bike into the car I checked email one more time...uh oh - msg from Dick K - - turns out he saw the updated forecast too...he was a bit concerned about the snow but decided we could all meet at the river & decide what to do once there. Off I went.

When I got to the parking lot by the river there were a couple of riders already there. Good sign since I was a bit worried nobody would show - (I shouldn't have worried since these were the famous Louisville Mad Dogs I was riding with). It really didn't look like it was going to rain, snow or anything else. It was cold out but the sky seemed pretty bright off to the west. Over the next 20-30 mins, the rest of the group trickled in. Everybody but 1 rider was game to give the day a try. When we left the lot around 8:15 we had 9 riders.

I think we had only gone about 20 minutes when Melissa got the 1st flat of the day. The roads in Indiana are wicked on bike tires since they use cinders instead of salt to treat the roads. Melissa got it changed quickly and we were off again. Not too long after, I began to feel little drops of moisture hitting my face. It was sporadic (you couldn't even see it) so we kept going. It was probably about 45 mins to an hour into the ride when we began to see the first snowflakes. They were the big fat lazy ones - the kind that usually make me want to rush out the door to go running. They weren't really sticking to anything so it was kind of fun to be riding - very pretty.

Once we turned off the main road onto the side road, things began to change. The roads were getting wet & you could see the snow starting to stick along the edges. We went over a particularly rough/slippery RR track when one of the riders decided to turn back. The rest of the group decided to go on. We were probably 10 -12 miles away from the first store stop so we decided to push on & decide what to do when we got there.....

Bad move - about 10 mins later that really pretty snow was starting to come down at a much faster pace. It was starting to stick all the way across the road & we soon had our first accident of the day. Melissa wasn't hurt & was right back on her bike but this was just a sign of things to come. We all really slowed down as our tires were beginning to slip on the road. At this point (being the chicken we all know I am) it was very tense...every curve, bump, bridge seemed like a hidden trap that would take me down. I'm certain I had a death grip on my handlebars & although they weren't really working, I felt like I was riding my brakes.

As we went on, the group became so strung out that we stopped to regather about 5-6 miles out from the store. As I came up on this stopping point, I could see evidence on the road where another rider had gone done (Chaz). He wasn't injured but made a nice, big snow angel as he slid across the road.

We all got off our bikes for a couple of minutes, tried to get some of the snow off, took a couple of pics & tried to get on our bikes to make the final push to the store stop. Unfortunately, we had stopped at the bottom of a hill. Not a very big hill but a hill nonetheless. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get on your bike in the snow & actually start moving forward uphill? VERY hard! Not only were our back tires spinning as we tried to get traction, but a few of us couldn't get clipped in anymore. When we had gotten off of our bikes, snow & ice had gotten so embedded in the cleats that it wouldn't come back out. I kind of walk/rode up to the top where I jumped up & down like an idiot trying to fix my cleats. I dug the ice out with a stick & was finally able to clip back in & get going. At this point we were about 5 miles out & it took us a full hour to cover this last bit.

I didn't know that it was possible to sustain a 5 mph pace for as long as we did...and even then we were slipping & sliding across the road. About 3 miles out I got to join in the falling fun when my bike just slipped out from under me while going down a small hill. I felt like a total idiot after my slow-motion crash & walked the rest of the way down. Thankfully Melissa & Mike K walked down with me. At the bottom I got back on but couldn't get clipped in again & now my bike was behaving badly. It wasn't shifting well before I fell but now even though it wouldn't change gears, it kept trying to shift by itself. I couldn't really pedal because the chain kept trying to jump. We were all pretty much in the same boat.

About a mile out from the store, another rider (Dick R) got a flat. He decided not to change it but to just walk in. Now you know you're going slow when someone can walk their bike in the snow wearing frozen bike cleats & still keep up with those riding - what a joke!

We finally made it to the store/restaurant - we had covered 28 miles in 3+ hours & hadn't even made it all the way to the festival:( All of our bikes were pretty disgusting & our clothes didn't look much better. Spray from the road had come up behind the bikes & we were all pretty filthy! Even my hat under my helmet was covered in muddy water.

Dick R called his wife to come get him & Mike K & I volunteered to hitch a ride back to the river to get our cars. Mike was going to haul all the bikes back in his truck & I was going to take people. While waiting we had breakfast - the store (kind of like a truck stop) was serving breakfast & even though we hadn't made it to the festival we got our pancakes & hot chocolate anyway.

By the time we finally got everyone & their bikes back to the river it was about 1:45. As I was driving home it struck me that if I hurried I could make the 2:00 Heine Brothers ride. It hadn't
really snowed over on the KY side of the river so the roads were just wet so I was hoping the ride would go off as scheduled. There were only 3 guys there when I arrived but I think we ended up having about 12 people when we left the lot. My bike had thawed in the car so it was shifting ok again...the brakes didn't sound so great but since this was a very fast ride, I didn't really need them a lot:) Instead of our morning average of around 10 mph, we were closer to 20...It turned out to be a great ride & I got about 50 miles for the day. Not too shabby, considering.

As awful as the whole thing sounds, it was actually a fun day. Misery loves company & I was with a great group of people who all kept upbeat attitudes through the whole thing. I got to know them all better & since we'll be riding together a lot of summer that's a good thing. Next time, though, I'll probably try to avoid the snow. I don't think I'm cut out to be a snow biker!

Wipe Out

Last Sunday I began my day with an awesome swim! After procrastinating half the morning away, I drug myself to the club to get in my last swim of the week. After a slightly sluggish start, I somehow got into my groove & actually pulled off a mile of swimming in 40 minutes - my fastest time ever. In addition, as part of the total swim I managed to string together a straight 400 freestyle - I was totally pumped!

After coming home & taking a quick shower, I hopped on my bike to head out for a 40 miler. I had decided to ride my bike to a Sunday Louisville Bike Club ride - which Kelly was coming on for the first time! Yeah...Although it had rained all day on Saturday, the weather was decent on Sunday - still overcast but pretty warm with the road only wet in spots (I didn't even have to wear tights).

Out the door I had plenty of time to make it to the park on time. I took a slightly hilly/curvy route & was having a great time. Almost to the park (about 20 mins before the group ride start), I turned onto a side rode with multiple sets of RR tracks. I've ridden over these tracks bunches of times so when I briefly considered walking over the 2nd set (because they were wet) I just called myself a wuss & kept going...Next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground & my bike was lying in the mud on the side of the road. I briefly remembered watching the tracks seemingly grab my front tire & take it in the opposite direction than what I was going. It was like the rails had turned into some kind of giant hand that picked up my bike while throwing me across the road. OUCH!!! This was nothing like those little clipping out accidents I'd had to date. Somehow I managed to land on my head, shoulder, hip & knee - I would love to see a video of how I managed that.

The first thing I did was to look around to see if anyone was watching. Part of me was wishing someone was so they could just take me home & part of me was desperately hoping that no one had seen my complete humiliation. After determining that there was nobody around, I sat up & took off my helmet. I had actually seen stars when I hit & my head really hurt so it was no surprise to find out that I had cracked my brand new helmet in 5 places. Bummer...Next, I checked out the visible skin on my legs & arms - skinned my left knee & scraped the part of my left thigh below the shorts but not too bad. I stood up & wow - my left hip was absolutely killing me - quick look under the shorts - it was red but no blood. Then I realized that my left shoulder was killing me. You know, the kind of stinging, burning that happened when you fell & scraped up your hands & knees as a kid. Ouchie:( I looked at my jersey which looked fine so decided not to look under it at my shoulder. I stood up, hobbled over to my bike, picking up my lights, phone, sunglasses, jelly beans & all the other things that had been thrown across the road along with my bike. OMG - I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to be at the park to meet Kelly for the ride. I figured I could stand so I should just go ahead & do the last 30 miles of my ride so I gave Kelly a call & told her I might be a few minutes late but to wait or me.

I picked up my bike (it looked like it was in one piece) & tried to hop right on & go. I immediately noticed that something wasn't right - I had knocked my saddle sideways...After straightening it up I tried again - no go, my chain had come off. It was actually difficult to fix since it had kind of gotten stuck in the front derailleur but I was able to pull it loose & get it back on. Good to go, off I went (now hurrying since I was going to be late). I did make it to the park to meet Kelly almost on time but walked over the rest of the tracks on the way there.

When I got there, Kelly was waiting with Dick (the ride captain). They, of course, wanted to see all my injuries so I got my first look at my shoulder - big mistake because once I realized that I had ripped all the skin off of it, it began to hurt more. Dick, being the helpful kind of guy he is offered a tube of antibiotic ointment to Kelly to put on it. I really think she was remembering all the times she thought I might be killing her as she rubbed it into my skinless shoulder - it hurt like a Mother F*&K@#! One day maybe I'll get to repay the favor:)

Anyway, once she had tortured me, we got on our bikes & off we went. I actually tried not to whine too much & successfully made it through the last 30 miles but I was really glad when I got home. I changed as quickly as I could (no shower that night - I was way too scared of the stinging water) & pretty much collapsed on the chair. Slept like crap because I couldn't really use the left side of my body but made it through.

So now, a week later, I'm pretty much recovered (at least pain wise). I had to skip a couple days of swimming (because I couldn't rotate my arm in a circle & the pool is saltwater) & running (because every step made my hip hurt) but now I'm back to my regular training plan. I am, of course, using a new helmet but otherwise my bike seems to be fine. My shoulder is slowly healing (one day I may have skin again) & I have a super cool bruise on my hip that gets great comments from people a the gym. Lots of sympathy & stuff! I'm a little skittish on my bike every time I see a track or anything that looks remotely slippery but I'm sure that will pass too. And now, I'm a true believer in bike helmets. I shudder to think what might have happened to my head if that helmet hadn't been there to take the impact. I can send it back for a crash replacement but may keep it just to remind myself (and my children) how useful they really are. Now, if only I can make it through the rest of training in 1 piece!

Quick

Just a quick note about my great run today - woke up feeling much more positive about things & got in an easy 6 miles in the rain...I love to run in the rain. Had some great tunes going on the Ipod, left the Polar Speed Sensor at home & just ran for fun...It was great.

Have a swim & bike on tap for tomorrow. It's supposed to be 60 degrees so I'm hoping it will be great too...

As a follow up to my last post, check out Kelly's take on the Hangover Classic:) Very interesting...

What Was I Thinking???

So I looked at the calendar and realized that there are less than 8 mos until the Ironman - what the f*&% was I thinking? When I actually contemplate what's to come I get this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach - the upside - I've told so many people about the race there's no way I'm backing out - I'm just having some brief panic attacks wondering about my sanity...

I have made some progress (kind of) since my last post...Last Sunday I actually rode 61 miles....yes 61 whole miles...thanks to Brian from Cycler's Cafe' for sticking it out with me. It was a cold and hilly course but I made it without too much problem...I did have to walk up a couple of hills - one because I didn't switch gears right & one because I just couldn't make it up:( Maybe next time. The only downside - I got a terrible blister in a place where people just shouldn't get blisters! I ordered new tights & am contemplating a new saddle. That is once experience I don't want to repeat.

I swam a whole 200 yards today nonstop - yes I know the IM is closer to 4000 but for me this is real progress...I actually swam a total of 1250 yards but took 15-30 second breaks at the end of every 50 yards. For 1 set of 200 yards & a couple sets of 100 yards, I made myself swim without breaks. My goal is to add 100 yards to this non-stop swim each week. This way I should be able to actually complete the distance freestyle...I can swim all day doing breast stroke but seem to have a mental block on freestyle.

I also ran 10 miles this week. This was my longest run since the marathon back in October & was done on a whim. On New Year's Eve I called Kelly to see if I could talk her in to running the Hangover Classic 10 mile race. After some prodding, she relented and agreed to meet me the next morning - and what a cold morning it was! Kelly even sent me a text telling me how cold it was & that she kind of hated me! The temp was in the low 30 & we had 20 mph winds. We were both pretty miserable but finished the race around 1:38. Not too shabby since we agreed to treat it as a training run.

So - I've completed my first week of real training in the new year & now have just shy of 8 mos to go. Hopefully I can keep of the progress without too many more panic attacks. I just have to take a deep breath & remind myself that 2 1/2 years ago I didn't think I'd ever be able to run 26 miles either....

Sick

I'm sick - totally full-blown coughing, throat hurting, eyes & nose running sick:( Actually I've reached the stage that every breath I take feels like lung tissue is catching on fire - not so fun - and coughing - you can only imagine how that feels.

On Friday, I found out that a friend of mine (Brian) was sick & had to stay home from work - bummer for him - but I was glad it wasn't me. I swear, it wasn't 2 hours later that my throat started to feel like it was on fire. I was sure it was just the power of suggestion but now I know that it wasn't & although he was well enough to ride in a race today, I'm still stuck in the house feeling sorry for myself. I was supposed to ride 30 miles this afternoon but I totally bailed. I'm just hoping that I get better soon. This coming week was going to be a great workout week - I had no weird things going on with the kids to make me crazy trying to squeeze in all my various workouts.

Okay - enough whining for now...I think I'll go drink some hot tea.

Hanging with the guys...

I've been literally hanging out with guys most of my life. First a long, long time ago (around 1979) when I started on the cross-country team there were virtually no girls in the sport. There was one coach for the team which consisted of about 25 boys & 5 girls. All of our practices were together so whether we were running miles on the road or through the woods, we all hung out together. No one thought this was weird. The next year on the track team, same thing. Boys & girls together because it didn't make much sense to get a separate coach for the 10-12 of us.

Around the same time I joined the high school marching band. Even though I really wanted to be one of the cute flag girls in the short little skirts, I happened to play trombone. Although I made the flag squad, the band director prevailed upon my sense of loyalty for the better of the group. We needed more brass players he said...so I gave up my coveted short skirt and joined the rest of the guys in the brass section of the band. Out of our 50 some horns, I was one of a small handful of girls in the section. Again, no one thought this was weird.

In about 7th grade, I met the person who would be my absolute best friend all the way through junior high, high school & into college. GASP! It was a guy. There was never any romantic relationship between us (even though we tried a couple of times). We shared all manner of thoughts in our many long conversations and to this day he probably knows more about me & who I was/am than anyone else around.

Fast forward to late 2004. Even though I had been running off & on by myself for years, when I decided to sign up for the Twin Cities Marathon I realized that I might need some support, camaraderie, advice...anything. I signed up for the Lifetime Fitness Marathon Training Group which again - mostly guys. There were probably 15 of us total with about 3-4 women on any given training run. Again - we ran all over the place - roads, trails, forests, you name it, we ran it. It was a great group. Some people had already run a marathon & freely shared advice & stories with those of us who needed it. Also, on our long runs, the group tended to spread out & people would usually pair up with anyone who ran their pace. Given the ratios of the group - you can probably guess that women & men usually ended up running together (by themselves) but not once did anything other than running ever come of it.

Same thing here in Louisville. The running group I belong to is made up of both men & women. We all seem to run with whoever is around (both men and women). In addition, (those runners among you will understand) we talk about absolutely everything while running (and in mixed company also). Nothing is off limits - clothes, hair, sex, babies, bikini waxes, tv, relationships, bodily functions, you name it. We talk about pretty much everything - but somehow, everyone is able to control themselves in an adult manner & not fall to the ground in a mass orgy.

So, you're probably wondering, what if the point of all this?

Well, I've recently discovered that although runners tend to be openly helpful about the sport, welcoming all comers - fast, slow, fat, skinny, boy, girl, there are some of those in the biking community who are not the same.

Now, I'd like to preface this by saying that pretty much all multi-sport athletes I've met & most of the bikers are very helpful & welcoming - going out of their way to make newbies feel included. However, it seems that there's this sub-group of guys (pretty much bikers only) who seem to have some conflicted feelings about the increasing number of women flocking to the sport.

As a specific example, I'd like to mention a locale where lots of road bikers hang out. Usually when I walk in, it's pretty much all guys - but that's often the case at the running store too. However, this is the place I go to in order to buy stuff for the sport & get my bike fixed, upgraded, etc. (CHA-CHING!) Now, like visiting Fleet Feet for running, I look forward to my visits to this place. I don't know very many bikers and I'm still learning, so when I drop in I'm looking forward to talking with others about biking, discussing the merits of certain techniques, maybe deciding on a bike upgrade, possibly even just hanging out, absorbing what's going on - others do. People even drop in here to just share a cup of coffee or shoot the breeze. Pretty normal - if you're a guy.

Apparently in this little biker world, when a woman drops in to browse, hang out, shoot the breeze, she must have some other motive in mind because she couldn't possibly be serious about biking could she? The concept of friendship between the sexes also appears to be alien. Ride together? God forbid...something else must be going on because we all know how extremely attractive people are after riding, running swimming for hours on end with sweat dripping off their bodies, salt crusted on their face, bike grease on their hands and legs and helmet hair. I know I'm really attracted to that kind of look - hold me back. Maybe it's just the fact that since these guys ride around in skin-tight spandex with girly designs on them they have to act extra manly-like the rest of the time. I don't know, but whatever it is, they need to take a lesson from the runners, multi-sport athletes and other bikers out there. The rest of us have figured out that by being as welcoming, inclusive and helpful as possible we might be able to entice more people to our sport. The more people in the sport, the more events we get to have. The more events, the more fun for all of us. I'm pretty sure there's absolutely nothing to gain by making people feel stupid or uncomfortable.

Also, if people are making subtle (and not so subtle) jokes when women walk into the store, well women will quit walking in. I can buy pretty much everything I need on the internet (and sometimes for less) but I enjoy going into a "real" store to get my stuff. FYI - triathlon is currently one of the fastest growing sports in the United States with women leading the charge. Age Group triathletes boast the highest income average of any of the "average-people's" sports out there. By alienating a sizeable portion of those athletes you obviously reduce your future income potential. We work just as hard (if in a different way) than you way to full of yourselves bikers and just want to improve like you do. Grow up boys - we're not 14 anymore & your little jokes are just not that funny. It might be hard for you to believe but our goal in life is not to get into your pants!

The State of the Union

Do you ever look around & wonder about the State of the Union? I know I do. Sometimes after reading an article, listening to the news, or just observing the goings-on around me I find myself wondering how we came to this? How did things get so screwed up? Well, let me tell you, all you have to do is take a trip to DC to understand. Between the actual travel & the city itself, it all begins to become clear.

When Kelly & I planned our Marine Corps trip to DC, we decided to fly into Baltimore & rent a car to drive to DC. Why? There were better flight times & I was attempting to minimize the amount of time my husband would have to take off of work (for the 5 kiddos). When we arrived for our 6pm Southwest Airlines flight out of Louisville, I should have taken the almost full long-term parking and the security line as a sign of things to come. Our little Louisville Airport usually has a fairly manageable security line - 15-20 max minutes to get through. However, on this night, the line snaked through the main corrals, through the secondary corrals, through the meet & greet area and down the escalator. What's up with that? Turns out that a home & garden show had been in town for the week & had just let out. Apparently everyone decided to leave Louisville at the same time.

Kelly & I gamely got into line to wait (we were at the airport with plenty of time) and were immediately hemmed in by what looked to be every attendee at the garden show. In front, behind, both sides, we were completely surrounded by convention attendees who acted like they were still enjoying the party atmosphere of what appeared to be maybe their first time away from home (or at least from the wife). This one group standing behind us kept getting closer and closer until they were practically standing on top of us. If either of us were better endowed I'd think they were trying to get a look:) Then, when we got to the point where you actually have to take off shoes, belts, earrings, jackets & practically everything else you're wearing, they thought stripper jokes were very funny...hmmm - who knew that home & garden guys were such party animals?

We finally made it through the line & were actually lucky enough to arrive at the gate where we were still near the front of the line for the "A" group. We wait, and wait, and wait some more. Finally the airline person announces that our plane should be landing soon. Wait some more - the plane arrives, the passengers get off, another announcement. There's a mechanical problem on our aircraft - something about the deicers. The mechanic is on the way. Wait some more - announcement that it should be 15 more minutes. Tick-tock. Finally, another announcement (as an aside, don't you hate it when they keep talking but only give you bad news. Each time you hear the PA come on you think - this is finally it! Time to board. But alas, it's always bad news.) We are going to switch aircraft and gates. Wow, I've never seen people move so fast. All of a sudden all those people at the back of the boarding groups see an opportunity to rectify what would probably have been an uncomfortable middle seat. People are jumping over seats, pushing around posts and each other. Something is just not right about this whole process. Good new, though. Kelly must have been a gymnast in a previous life because somehow, we end up near the front of the line again. Yeah Kelly!

Finally, we're on the plane. They give the usual Southwest spiel & we're airborne. They even offer free alcoholic beverages for all of our trouble. Unfortunately, the ride was so bumpy that they had to pick them right back up. That's okay, we made it to Baltimore in one piece & we were only 3 hours late.

Off to baggage claim, onto the rental car bus, out at the Hertz counter. We rent our gas guzzling Toyota SUV & are almost out the door. Wait - the rental car lady tells us we should take a different route than our handy dandy Mapquest directions because the highway is under construction. Who cares that it's almost midnight & pouring down rain, she's convinced that we'll wait for hours if we follow our route so we make a few quick notes & switch to hers. It's all good she says, her route will merge into ours so if we just follow our directions after we get off the highway all will work out. Right? Wrong!

We did actually make it out of the building and into our car. However, that was the last time we made it anywhere without getting lost! Who would have thought that following directions would be so hard? I've driven in Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago, NYC, LA - never a problem. I just can't seem to drive in the Baltimore/DC area. Our first error (and really just a sign of things to come) was when we turned the wrong way out of the rental car garage. The rain was blinding but we actually thought we were following directions. Their version of left at the stop sign & ours was just different I guess. After getting turned around the right way we made it onto the highway headed towards DC. Making decent time in the storm, we dodged slow drivers, fast drivers, people without their lights on & still managed (I think) to actually take the right exit off the highway. After that, though, things went quickly wrong again. We kept going, and going, and going hoping to see some magic turnoff to our hotel in Arlington. We never did find it but almost managed to hit what I think might have been the Capital Building. At that point, Kelly called Ben (her husband). She woke him up or interrupted a video game or something but he was nice enough to play along. He somehow figured out where we were & how to get where we were going. As I was continuing to move forward while he was giving directions it was sometimes tricky for him to actually pinpoint things. Street names kept changing too. We'd be going forward on a letter street only to find out that we were suddenly on a number street. This happened several times and we never actually made a turn. Go figure. Ben got us out of DC and pointed in the right direction. Yeah for Ben!

10 minutes later we rolled into our hotel parking lot. We had chosen a hotel recommended by the race travel agency that was close to both the start & the finish line. Given the room rate, I was expecting it to be a nice hotel. NOT! The first tipoff was when the man at the front desk seemed upset by the fact that someone was actually checking in & bothering whatever it was that he was doing. He finally looked up at us took my name typed a few things on the computer & we thought he was checking us in. Minutes went by - boy he was slow - before another front desk guy just apparently wandered by. 1st front desk guy told 2nd front desk guy to check us in - huh? I'm not sure what 1st front desk guy was doing but it apparently didn't involve us. (Not sure I really want to know anyway). We start over again with 2nd front desk guy & somehow manage to obtain a room key. Finally! We grab our bags from the car, drag them to the very small, creaky elevator and make it to our room. Without elaborate explanations, I'll just say that it was the first time I ever stayed in a hotel where I considered actively checking for bedbugs! Yuck! (We don't recommend the Virginian Suites in Arlington.)

Next day, we head out to breakfast and get lost - but the chocolate pancakes at IHOP were worth it. We go to the race expo (and get lost). We go shopping (and get lost). You're probably getting the gist of things. I will say that Kelly was remarkably patient when I made her read the detailed Mapquest directions over & over again - even to the point of repeating distances, exit names, etc. In our defense, it really does seem that the directions were wrong. We'd head towards a street where we were to take a left turn and there would be none. Repeatedly we'd be following directions toward the Memorial Street Bridge & we'd miss it. Now, I'm not sure how hard it is to find a bridge that was apparently less that 1/2 mile from our hotel, but we never found it. The morning of the race we were able to find the train station that would get us to the start of the race but we somehow got on going the wrong way. (We did get turned around in time). I truly don't think I've ever been so turned around in my life. This city just doesn't make sense. We got lost so many times that we began to recognize alternate exits that we would take to get back to our starting place to begin again.

Finally, the race was over & it was time to go home on Monday morning. We were leaving extra early to get back to Baltimore for our 9 am flight because we heard the traffic could be brutal. All I can say is it was a good thing because......WE GOT LOST!

Whew....

So, I know that I'm a loser when it comes to posting on a timely basis but the last few weeks have been pretty busy. It all started about 4 weeks ago when my oldest decided to come home from college for fall break. He asked if we could throw in a 5k while he was here. What the hell - the Komen Race for the Cure was going on that weekend so I was game. Ross (my son), Caroline (my daughter), some of her friends and I all showed up bright and early to do the 5k along with about 10,000 other people. It was a great race and (for me) a great time of 26:40. I'm also pretty sure that this isn't my actual time since they used a new kind of chip embedded in our race bibs. There were no mats & they had to wand us when we crossed the finish line to record our finish time. According to my watch I was closer to 25:50! My fastest ever...

I had also decided (before signing up for the 5k) to participate in my first ever multi-sport event which was a duathlon scheduled for the day after the 5k. I figured it would be nice to try out this biking/running thing at least once before winter set in. The race was actually the third in a series of three and consisted of a 10k run, 40k bike, 5k run. Now, somehow I had gotten it into my head that all these other duathloners were really bikers in disguise and while they would probably blow me away on the bike, I would hold my own on the run...boy was I wrong. The gun when off and everyone took off like bats out of hell. People were easily running 7 & 8 minute miles while I was wondering what was going on. No way these people weren't runners. I think I ran my fastest 10k ever that day. Going into the bike I was pretty far back & was concerned that I would quickly become the last person out on the course. I'm happy to report that wasn't so. I gained on a few people during the painfully hilly ride and continued to hold my own through the last 5k run. Although I was 5th out of 6 in my age group & probably in the bottom 20% overall, I was really happy with my performance. I know what to expect for next time & am determined to improve.

After the duathlon, I got a couple weeks to taper before the Marine Corps Marathon a week and a half ago. I went into the race only hoping to beat the straggler bus (I think 6:30 cutoff) and am happy to report I ran a 4:39. Only 4 minutes faster than my Chicago race the year before but way more fun. I didn't spend more than half the race wishing it was over like last year & cursing everybody I ever knew:) Also, the course is way harder than Chicago with some significant hills along the way. All in all a pretty good showing.

FYI - the trip itself deserves some commentary but I'll save that for another day.

So - now that I've caught my breath, I decided to actually update people on what's been going on. Now I only have to make it through Turkey Day! Hopefully I'll get a post in before then!

THIS WEEK'S WORKOUTS:
Monday - Swam 1 mile, Rode 15 miles
Tuesday - Run 4 miles, Spinning Class 1 hour, Swim 30 minutes, Weights 30 minutes
Wednesday - Spinning Class 1 hour, Swim 45 minutes
Thursday - Run 5 1/4 miles, Weights 30 minutes
Friday - Swim lesson scheduled + 30 minutes extra swim practice (hopefully)

Life's Little Pleasures

I just got back from doing one of my favorite things! To me, there are few things in life more enjoyable than getting a pedicure after pounding my feet and legs for scores of miles. There's this little place right outside my neighborhood that offers these incredible "spa" pedicures where Kytha (my pedicurist?) has me soak my feet and legs in hot bubbling water before she gets rid of all the dead, yucky, dry skin on my feet and toes & then gives me this incredible foot & lower leg massage. Various oils & lotions are put into play to make this an incredibly relaxing experience (it's not as kinky as it sounds) which is topped off by the bonus of getting a fresh coat of polish on my toenails. I also get to sit in this really comfy chair that massages my back, butt & upper legs. Heaven!

Now, for you guys out there thinking this is such a girly thing, let me tell you that there are a number of men who frequent the salon as well. They try to act all manly, studly like when they come in but you can see them eagerly eying the chairs as they wait impatiently for their turns. It seems that no matter how harried someone is when they wander in the door, they walk out looking rejuvenated & relaxed.

So, the next time you're out there pounding the pavement (or really doing anything else for that matter), and are looking for a nice, relaxing break - head for your local nail salon. Your toes will thank you!

TODAY'S WORKOUT: Swim 1.2 miles
YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT: Swim 1/2 mile, Run 4 miles, Bike 15 miles (it was really windy & kind of cold!)

The Bike is Scary:(

So last year,when Kelly & I were slogging through all the hot miles preparing for Chicago, we fantasized about doing anything rather than running. I'd like to say that our fantasies involved anything interesting, but alas, they only involved exercises to replace running on hard roads - trail running, hot yoga, triathlons, etc (with maybe a few thoughts about food thrown in for fun). At Kelly's urging, triathlons sounded cool - anything had to be better than all this running - and I would get to buy cool new stuff! The excitement of getting new running shoes & those very high fashion running clothes had worn off - what better to replace it with than a bike! An endless supply of new things...Also, I had come across this great new training plan for marathons. It only involved running 3 days week - yes, 3 days. I only had to add cross-training in to replace the extra running days & I'd be set. Well, that was all I needed - I told Kelly I'd do it & mentally committed. Off to the store to look at bikes - cha-ching!

Fast forward a couple of months. After looking at bikes I began to waffle. These didn't look anything like my old 10-speed Schwinn from junior high. The wheels were impossibly skinny & look - no tread. I was sure I'd go careening off the road on the first turn I took. Fear began to creep in. Then - I watched last year's Ironman coverage & fear took a firm hold. The coverage highlighted 2 different athletes both who were wheelchair division participants but had previously been non-wheelchair participants. Both had been paralyzed after being involved accidents on the bike. Uh oh - this sounded scary to me. All of a sudden riding hundreds of miles out on the roads with crazy drivers eating, talking on their cell-phones, yelling at their kids, etc. began to sound decidedly un-fun. No way - I wasn't doing this. Sorry Kelly - back to marathons for me. (Now you know how I got into Marine Corps after swearing to never do another after Chicago last year). If you've read my other posts, you probably think that I must have gotten over my fear - after all, I did sign up for Ironman next year. No - I'm still a big scaredy-cat, I just really want to do something other that run all the time. My joints just can't take it. Hobbling around the house for 2 days after a long run is really not that attractive.

Before actually signing up for Ironman, I went riding my old mountain bike to be sure that I could actually still do it. Yes - not so bad. I stayed in my neighborhood & my butt hurt like hell but I stayed upright; went forward & didn't totally freak over hills, bumps and curves. I got a little (okay a lot) tense every time a car went by & I was probably only going 10 mph but I made it. After several outings like this, I went out to get my new bike (I'll save that experience for another post) & brought it home to give it a whirl. Utter terror! All of a sudden I was way off the ground (apparently my saddle had been to low), all bent over and going much faster. The brakes & shifters were no longer in front of me on my nice upright handle bars but were way out on the bend of my new bars. I think I rode about 2 miles that first day and gripped the bike so hard the whole way that my hands hurt for hours after I got back. Needless to say, improvement was needed!

I've kept at it since then & have definitely gotten better. I now regularly ride 15-20 miles 3 times a week & usually try to throw in a longer ride (42 miles to date) once a week. I've moved out onto the real road (instead of my somewhat safe neighborhood) & actually go kind of fast on the down-hills & flats (I think I've hit about 39 mph once going down). However, I have a really long way to go. I still grip the handlebars way too hard. I tend to ride the brakes down hills. I'm absolutely terrified of my aero bars & won't ride in them around curves, over bumps or anywhere where I think a car might be. Also, yesterday, I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually walked down a hill - yes, down a hill.

Kelly & I were riding a partially new route that took us on this really hilly, curvy, bumpy back road. I was actually doing great until we came to this cross street that was supposed to bridge a creek and connect us with another road we wanted to be on. Wellllll...we got to the road and it was straight downhill with a big curve halfway down so we couldn't see the bottom. OMG - this brought that feeling in the pit of my stomach kind of like a roller coaster does. You must be kidding me! I unclipped and stood at the top while Kelly took off like a bat out of hell. You could kind of hear her scream floating up to the top as she flew down the road. Of course I couldn't really be sure she made it to the bottom since I couldn't see it. Being the good friend that I am, I knew I was at least going to have to go down to make sure she was still alive. I backed away from the grade, clipped back in and headed for the down-hill. NO WAY! I just couldn't do it. I slammed on the brakes, unclipped again & felt like throwing up - I guess I was going to have to walk down. I still hadn't heard from Kelly so in trepidation I started down. Quite honestly, it was probably more hazardous walking down this gravelly road in my cleats but I never said I wasn't crazy. I was about half way down I heard Kelly hollering up at me. At least she was alive. I finally made it to the bottom to find her in one piece. Yeah! I wouldn't have to carry her home. However, the road didn't pass through so we had to go back up. Boo! Needless to say, it was a long walk back up.

By now, I'm sure you can't believe that I'm going to actually attempt to ride 112 miles next October. What a wuss I am. However, it's not all bad. I've actually fallen off of my bike 4 times now & haven't died yet (knock on wood). Weirdly this actually boosts my confidence a little. Although not bad accidents, each one has gotten progressively more embarrassing & a little more painful. All of them involved being clipped into my pedals. The first three all happened when I was at intersections, started to go, had to stop & fell over when I tried to catch myself with my right foot. I always unclip my left foot when I stop. You'd think I'd have this figured out by now. The embarrassing part is that my audience has gotten larger each time. The 3rd time I fell I think there was a line of about 20 cars waiting with me at the intersection. I just wanted to sink into the ground.

My last fall was a little more serious. I wasn't going very fast as I was trying to figure out why my bike computer wasn't working. I was kind of looking down when I hit a bump & over I went. If my feet hadn't been clipped into those damn pedals, I would have caught myself. However, this time I really went over - both feet were clipped in & I fell hard on my hip & then somehow bounced over & scraped up my knee, hand & shoulder. I'm sure the 3 cars that stopped to witness my embarrassment were amazed that someone can maneuver that way going only about 8 mph! The bruise on my hip is extra cool - about the size of my palm & lots of pretty colors! I was even lucky enough to bruise the same hip that I'm having ITB problems with. You can imagine how much fun my 20 mile run this past Saturday was!

Anyway, again, in that weird way, I feel better knowing that I actually fell off & didn't do more damage to myself. I must be a total psycho. However, maybe if I'm lucky, I won't have to experience any more falls anytime soon. In the meantime, I'm going to continue to work on my fear management & try to relax on the bike. I'm not worried about the distance, just making it in one piece! Now, I'm going for a ride.

WORKOUT TODAY: Biked 14 miles & pulled out all my flowers for fall (really there were a lot!)

She's In!!!

----------------
Now playing: Matchbox Twenty - How Far We've Come
via FoxyTunes



So, I have this super, great training buddy, Kelly who I've been training with for 2 seasons (she's the one on the right, I'm on the left & our cohort Donna is in the middle). A lot of you know the kind of partner I'm talking about - she meets me at pre-dawn hours to get our long runs in, doesn't hesitate to change days for me when I have to accommodate a family conflict, listens to endless tales of my oldest child's college application process (and all those other unmentionables too) & she basically gets me through those long, hot summer runs when all I want to do is go home. She even ran my first 20 miler with me last year on my 40th birthday just because I needed to affirm that I could. I could go on & on but, in short, Kelly is the partner who just gets me through.

Her husband, Ben, has called me an enabler since I seem to be the one always trying to talk Kelly into doing events that she might not otherwise do - (Marine Corps Marathon '07 among others). However, I'm convinced that deep down inside she really loves doing them & just wants to see how hard I'll push before she says yes :) I enable the sign-up. She enables the summer of training because once committed, she makes sure we make it to the starting line.

Anyway, earlier this year, we started talking about maybe switching to trail running or triathlons after Marine Corps this fall. Kelly has done some tris & really likes them. Now, as you probably know by now, I always like to go for the hardest, most difficult task possible so this discussion quickly went from Sprint tris to the Steelhead Half IM then it made the big leap up to the full Ironman distance. As usual, I was the one pushing Kelly to come along for the ride because, quite honestly, I wasn't sure I wanted or could tackle it without my super, great training partner!

Committed to register for the race, we spent all of the last weekend in August volunteering in various capacities for the Louisville Ironman. We were both having a great time & things were going great until the end of the night. Our final jobs on Sunday were to be "catchers" at the finish line. Very exciting since we actually got to congratulate the finishers, give them their medals & blankets, walk them through the finish line & help them in any way they needed. However, we only got to do this for a handful of athletes before we got pulled off to man the Convention Center. This is where the athletes were to go after they left the finish area. They could get their dry clothes bags, eat, get a massage or, if necessary, visit Medical. Apparently, athletes & family were wandering over there without any real idea where to go or what was offered. We were there to take care of them.

Well, turns out that we spent most of our night escorting exhausted athletes to medical. While there were certainly many that came into the building that only needed to be pointed to food or massage, there were still lots that had reached the point of utter exhaustion, dehydration & injury, often requiring rest, medication & IV fluids to speed the recovery process along. Some even required emergency trips to the hospital.

Needless to say, watching several hours of a constant stream of athletes in all forms of medical distress can begin to wear on a person. It might even make one begin to question the sanity of attempting a race like the Ironman. Kelly is obviously way more sane than me because she ended the night with the decision to not register for the race in 2008. I, however, am apparently not sane because I was one of the first in line Monday morning to fork over the ridiculous sum required to be allowed to participate in next year's event.

Now, I have to say, I was a little bummed out. Instead of blasting through 100 mile bike rides, 20 mile runs & hours in the pool with my fave buddy, I was going to have to trudge through by myself - even in the heat of summer. This was definitely going to be dicey (am I showing my age with that word?)

So, on a daily basis I asked her if she wanted to sign up. NO!! was always the resounding answer. "Come on," I wheedled. No go, she wasn't to be moved.

Then, all of a sudden, I get this email, totally out of the blue, that she was in. Yeah, yeah, yeah! I was jumping around the kitchen like a total idiot while my flabbergasted children (and in-laws) looked on. I tried to explain my excitement but really only got blank stares. Who cares, I was excited enough for all of us. MY TRAINING PARTNER WAS IN!!! Now, all of a sudden, the thought of all the training to come didn't seem so bad. I knew I could make it through with her at my side. One way or the other, together, we'll make it to that starting line next August.

Thanks Kelly! I'm actually looking forward to participating in the torture with you:)

ps - you can click on the link above if you want to read about what swayed her decision

TODAY'S WORKOUT - Rode Bike 23 miles (with Kelly) then ran (kind of) 2 miles