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May 17: Winded and a little bit toasted

On Sunday, the Rochester team, all four of us, went over to Buffalo for a big ride and to meet the Buffalo team, about eight riders. It was cool, overcast and dry and more than a little windy. Fortunately, the steepest grade was about 3%, which was the short rise leading up to a small bridge. We went a tick more than 50 miles, more than 30 of it was into either a headwind or a strong crosswind. Hills are tough, but short. The wind is relentless and discouraging. You're constantly working but not moving very fast and the moment you let up, you stop. We rode in a tight group for the last 10 miles or so, giving Krysta some relief from the wind. I am used to riding paceline, but I've never rode in formation before. We were cruising along, passing lots of riders in the last few miles. We didn't think we were going that fast and we were surprised that none of them were jumping into the considerable draft we were creating. It wasn't until the next morning that I realized how sunny it had become during the ride. I wasn't seriously burned but lightly toasted.

The big day is not far off now, about 18 days. We're starting to discuss all the logistics and details of travel and shipping the bikes and all.

This weekend, another LONG ride, 75 miles!

May 10: Working together...

Now that I have reached my goal, my trip to Tahoe is assured. One of my teammates is not yet over her goal. If you're reading and considering contributing to my effort, please consider contributing to Krysta's effort instead. I may not get credit for it, it all goes to the same place .

May 9: BIg Weekend!

We're getting close now, less than 1 month to the big day. The weather is FINALLY cooperating and the days are getting longer which make finding riding time easier. Friday night, we set out for an easy short ride but ended up doing a pretty long ride with some decent climbing. Then Saturday, we did some seriously big hills and serious mileage. 55 miles and more than 3800' of climbing (The Tahoe ride is only about 3000' of climbing over a longer distance). Just for fun, I brought a small video camera and shots a few clips. After surviving the steep climbs, even pushing away from the group on one of them, I can't say that I am fully ready for Tahoe, but I can say that I know I will be ready when the time comes.

May 4: Spinning Fool!

I hate to admit it, but I've become a fan of spinning. It's still not a replacement for the road, but it's definitely a serious cardio workout. When I started training, I could make it through the class, but the 'jumps' (repeated switching from seated to standing position) were killing me. Now, I've become much more skilled, stronger and I can pound through the class, jumps and all. It's still exhausting, but it's because I want it to be. I'm also becoming more discerning about the instructors and the differences in the style of the ride they design.

May 1: Roadside service

The day after dodging the rain, I went out in the cold crisp dawn. It's almost May, but I'm wearing full winter gear and my breath is condensing as I ride. Ugh. About 20 miles out, I flatted. Rear wheel, which is less dangerous when it happens, but trickier to fix because of the chain and the gears and all. A quick and easy patch job and I was rolling again in about 5 minutes. Another 10 miles later, I flat AGAIN. Rear wheel, again. I'm muttering to myself, searching the tire surface for the culprit and can't find anything until I look INSIDE the tire at the point of the first flat and sure enough, a tiny shard of glass has cut through the tire and lodged itself on the inside wall of the tire and cut through the tube and now the patch. Remove glass, re-patch the tire, pump up and go. Unlike the DC and C'ville, the shoulders of the roads here are covered with crud. I am guessing that's the result of the snow sitting on the shoulders for long periods of time collecting the grit applied during the winter and no really pounding rains to wash things away and the shoulders just get covered with tire slashing junk. I hate to switch to heavier tires but it may be wiser.

April 29: Over the Top!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am over my goal. So far, 78 thoughtful and generous people have helped me reach this major milestone. Of course, the final deadline for contributions is May 20th, so I am hopeful to go even a bit further before the big day arrives.

Despite an absolutely dreadful weather forecast, I optimistically got up this morning at 6:30 to peek outside, somewhat hoping to see a steady rain and jump back in bed, but instead, I saw dry pavement and lightly overcast skies. No excuses, so out the door I went, hoping to ride 30+ miles. Somewhere around 10 miles out, I started to feel occasional, tiny drops and soon decided that 10 miles from home was not a good place to be, so I promptly turned around and sped towards home. The light rain subsided just long enough for me to get back to my neighborhood and even add on another couple miles before dashing home when the big drops started to fall. It rained most of the rest of the day, so I felt a little bit smart and a big bit lucky today.

Tomorrows forecast is better, so some serious miles await.

April 25: Road Race !

We're back from vacation. Yesterday, we ran the Pike's Peek 10K. I didn't run it at my race pace, instead I ran with Lara for the whole distance. Lara ran really well and posted a personal best! Lara's brother also ran with us. He's never run a road race and never run the 10K distance (6.25 miles). He did really well, finishing about 30 seconds ahead of us.

Last week, my TNT group (there are 4 of us) went out for a hill climbing ride. 23 miles or so and about 1,700 ft of climbing. No really long climbs but some painfully steep short hills. I missed some turns and add some extra distance and of course that meant extra climbing as well. While the hill climbing was tough enough, it was just that much tougher because Lara and I did a good 6 mile run a few hours earlier in the day.

Mid-week, I snuck in a short 11 mile jaunt close to home. No time for spinning this week.

My fundraising effort marches along. I am anxiously awaiting another report from the main office this coming weekend to put me over the top.

April 12: On the Road Again!

At last! Spring has arrived and the rains subsided. Roads are dry and daylight is increasing every day. My work and home schedule don't leave much riding time and the weather has to cooperate so when everything falls into place, riding is a must. I thought I was going to sneak an evening ride in last week but things fell apart and I missed my chance. Saturday would have been great too, but we have previous commitments. Sunday afternoon, I finally got some daylight time and put in about 26 miles of rolling hills. My legs were okay on the road, but Monday morning was another matter. I climbed stairs in the office to work out the stiffness a bit.

The big day is less than 8 weeks away. I have some serious mileage to put in between now and then.

Fundraising is coming along nicely as well. A hearty, continued immense thanks to everyone for their contributions. I haven't gotten a detailed report from the main office recently, but a quick phone conversation provided me with the number posted above. I was sort of shocked and pleasantly surprised. The generosity and genuine interest expressed by people is a really affirming thing. While the actual ride is June 5th, the deadline for fundraising is May 20th, just a bit more than 5 weeks from now. I started my campaign in the first week of March, so I am about halfway through my available time. Considering my progress in the past 5 weeks, I am confident that my most recent round of letters will put me over the top.

March 29: A Run Too Far ?

Perhaps I'd neglected to mention that the ride in Tahoe is not the only event that I am training for. No, a 100 mile ride is not enough! Well, actually it is, but there are two running races on my calendar BEFORE the Tahoe ride. This is actually a good thing, as the cross-training for the run is beneficial to cycling and the races are good short term goals. The trick is that I am more focused on the riding, opting for spinning time over running time, but Lara isn't. She's more interested in pushing the road miles and Sunday, we pushed them maybe a little further than my legs appreciated. Must remember: running muscles are not the same as riding muscles. I took Monday and Tuesday as much needed and appreciated rest days. Tomorrow AM: spinning again!

My bike is out of the shop, all shiny clean and tuned up. The weather for this weekend is looking good and the clocks change this weekend too, so the time to ride is finally upon us! Yay!

March 27:

9 weeks to go and things are moving right along. I am happy to note that I am a bit past the halfway mark of my fundraising goal. This is a major milestone and I made it just in time for the official 'recommitment' date. Just making it in time would be discouraging if I'd started on time, but since I got such a late start, I've made the halfway point in relatively little time. Of course, I still have a long way to go and I need to continue working toward the fundraising goal. I'm getting a good level of response from my letters and I am constantly amazed at the generosity of many contributions. It's been a very reaffirming experience.

My training is getting serious now as well. I've made the jump to mostly daily workouts and the duration and intensity of workouts continues to increase. I'm still taking rest days (rest is important!) but being ready for back to back workouts requires a certain level of conditioning that I'm pleased to have reached. I am not in the best condition possible, but I am making great progress towards reaching the fitness I think I need for Tahoe. I've getting more 'into' spinning classes, actually preferring them to riding solo. I'm starting to appreciate the differences in instructors, too. Some just do their own thing and you're along for the ride, others really tailor the session to the group. People tell me that spinning is addictive, I can see what they mean. It's more engaging than just running on the treadmill and can be a much more intense ride than the stationary bike. More than anything, I wish they had more of my taste in music.

Perhaps the most amazing thing of this journey is that I haven't actually taken a ride on my bike yet. I've ridden it a bit on the trainer and the rollers, but it hasn't seen the road yet this year. This weekend has been the first time that the opportunity has presented itself, but the bike is actually in the shop now. Before kids, I used to maintain my gear myself, but nowadays I just can't spare the time, so I had to drop it off and pay for a long overdue tuneup.

I've also had to make some investment in gear, my stuff was getting pretty antiquated. My bike is more than 15 years old now and my old shoes are really beat up, so it was time for new pedals and shoes. My old ones were so out of date, I couldn't even get replacement parts. I am also finding that I need new cycling clothes. I didn't have that much before, and alot of what I have doesn't fit so well anymore ; (

March 22:

For the past 3 weeks, I've been hitting the gym regularly. The work is finally feeling like it's paying off. The true test will come when the weather breaks and I can get out on the road for some 'real' riding but in the meantime, I've got a long history with training on the stationary bike. They're so much better than they used to be (more sophisticated controls and better mechanisms) and combined with the iPod, I can really stay motivated and get a good workout. But trust me, it's not always a pretty sight. You don't want to ride the bike next to me. I can leave a serious puddle of sweat behind.

Just to mix things up and to keep it interesting, I've started going to spinning classes. They're not really my style, I like to go in, workout, and leave, often without saying a word to anyone. Spinning is more social, somewhat like a group ride, only indoors. The bike are different, they're still not like a real bike, but they're closer to it than the stationary bikes, and the changing of positions on the spin bike really helps to develop more flexibility and strength than just hammering away in one position on the stationary bike.

The real challenge thus far has been adjusting to the workout schedule that my life can afford. Early morning is the only time of day that I can reliably make so I've had to 'adapt'. Not so easy for a lifelong nightowl like me. I much prefer to exercise in the late afternoon or early evening. Rolling out of bed before dawn to stress my cardiovascular system even before I've has a cup of coffee just does not come naturally for me. So be it. If nothing else, it stands to remind me of the level of committment I've made to riding in this event.

The Backstory

I was asked to participate in the event just after returning from vacation, during first week in March. The big day for the ride is Sunday, June 5th, just a bit more than 10 weeks away now and I am really kicking training into gear. I got something of a late start on this venture so it's not too hard to get focused with such a big deadline looming so close.

While I have been riding, off and on, for more than 20 years, I haven't really done any serious riding since Hannah was born more than 6 years ago. It seems like only yesterday but my body seems to know otherwise.

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