What a freaking understatement! The definition of horrible: 1 Arousing or tending to arouse horror; dreadful. 2 Very unpleasant; disagreeable. The word just doesn't do it justice. Something about the torturous depths of hell would be a better description of this ride. AND I ONLY DID 100K! There was a 200K distance as well. It would have taken me all day. The 100k took just over 5 hours of riding time and required numerous stops to rest and stretch my aching back. I have yet to meet a hill that I can't handle by standing up out the saddle. But man did some of these hills come really close. I really wish I had a few more gears. I didn't walk up any of the hills. But that's not much of an accomplishment when you have to stop every 10-15 miles to stretch your back. That gives you plenty of time to recover aerobically. I really expected my legs to be sore as shit the next day but they weren't. I took the day off expecting to stiffen up but I didn't. That's a huge representation of how much running wears out your legs since my legs were sore for two days after the 1/2 Ironman the previous weekend. And they were still out of juice when I did a midweek run workout four days after the 1/2.
Anyway, I posted the route below. If you click the "view full screen" at the bottom of the map it'll open another page. Then click the "show elevation" at the bottom of the map to see the hills. Not sure where they got the ascent totals since my Garmin said 6600 feet of climbing. The final hill up the back of the park (which we did at the beginning as well) was just sick. It was never ending and a total cardiac killer. It was like running an all out 5k at the end of a five hour workout. I stuffed my face at the finish. Garmin said I burned 4100 calories. I probably took in only 1000 during the whole ride. I also iced my back at the finish. After almost figuring things out during the 1/2, I was back to total suffering again. It must have something to do with the intensity of the ride. I'm scheduled to see an Osteopathy docotor next week.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
THOR GOD OF THUNDER...
visited my race on Sunday. It was the most treacherous race I've every competed in. Driving stinging rain, lightning, 60mph wind gusts, 0 visibility. And all that somehow led to a PR.
Earlier in the week the forecast called for 95 degrees. I'm not sure if that would have been worse than the T-storms that passed through during the race. It was raining on the drive out to Rockford but nothing major. I'd covered my seat and handle bars with plastic bags when I racked my bike the day before. I also had to use bungee cords to keep my bike from banging against the racks due to the heavy winds on Saturday. The rain had stopped by the time I got to transition on Sunday morning. We had to park outside Rock Cut State Park and walk about 1/2 a mile to transition. Usually that's not a big problem but when you're carrying your bag full of race "accessories" it can get heavy. Especially with full water bottles. As we waded into the water for the start the weather looked like it was going to cooperate. But it was just fooling with us.
This was my second mass swim start. I stayed back to avoid being swam over. The swim was two loops in a triangle shape. It was pure chaos at the first turn. I was off track to the inside and had to move across the flow of swimmers to get around the buoy. That’s a quick way to get your heart rate up. On the way to the second buoy we went through a patch of weeds that made breathing difficult since I wasn't really interested in eating them. On the second loop I tried to stay in the deeper water and avoided most of the weeds. My swim time was only a few minutes slower than my best time last year. And I was treating this as a training race so I felt good about it.
As usual I had some difficulty in T1. My wetsuit got stuck on my left heel. I almost fell over trying to get it loose. But I took my time knowing the real challenge lay ahead of me on the bike. The course was an out and back, mostly flat except for a few miles of rollers within the first and last 10 miles. The wind was pretty rough out in the open farmland roads. It was blowing between 15-20 mph. Most of the time it was a cross or a head wind. I tried to focus on staying comfortable knowing it was only a matter of time before my back started to spasm. I made it further than I expected before that familiar feeling of a slowly closing vice on my sacrum. I did my best to stretch while riding but as usual nothing really helped. I knew there was a port-a-pottie at the turn around so I decided when I got there I'd take a leek and stretch my back. I figured it was a small price to pay for some comfort on the way back. I think I lost maybe 3-4 minutes total. But then the wind was at my tail and I hammered the first few miles back pushing just over 30mph (something I never do). It wasn't long before I started to see the lightning on the horizon. I was hoping it was heading in the other direction but no such luck. The first rain drop found it's way past the top of my sunglasses and right into my eye. And then all it's big brothers came down in buckets. Due to the basic danger involved I usually avoid training in the rain. So this was new territory for me. I took it easy on the few turns on the course and just tried to keep my speed up. But the wind picked up and the gust were insane. My wife said they were making announcements at the park that the cell was producing 60mph gusts. The rain was like someone throwing a handful of needles at you. I started to feel like I was standing still trying to push through the wind. I wasn't sure how close the lightning was. At one point I was ready to bail and hide under the front porch of a farm house. But just then I saw someone out of the corner of the eye. It was a volunteer. I'd made it back to the first aid station and the volunteers were still standing out there suffering through the weather just like I was. I knew I couldn’t stop now. If they were willing to support me then I was willing to continue racing. The rain soon let up. I think concentrating on holding on for dear life helped my back because it wasn't bothering me at all. When I made it back to the rollers, there were streams of water and huge puddles in the valleys. Talk about adding some rolling resistance to the tires. The best part about the storms was the temperature drop. Just when it was starting to creep up to 80 degrees the storms rolled in and dropped the temp back down to 70. And thankfully the humidity was low or it could have become really steamy out there.
During the last 10 miles I came to a comfortable position on the bike. As long as I stayed in the aero position my back was ok. If I tried to rise up into the hooks on the rollers my back would spasm. So I stayed aero and held my breath hoping that would continue to feel ok. By the time I was three miles from the park I was mostly dried off from the wind. Of course that meant it had to start raining again. It came down pretty steady and my wife didn’t see me bike into transition. She was huddled under a small picnic shelter with a large group of other spectators. She was very happy I had suggested she bring a poncho. I know it was rough for me on the course for near six hours but I can’t imagine just standing around waiting in that weather for a few glimpses of the person you are there to cheer.
Obviously as I entered T2 I had to pee again. That took 2-3 minutes off my time. But once again well worth it. Running with a full bladder is not fun. I'd placed my towel over my running shoes which was pointless since everything was completely soaked. Surprisingly the blisters from the run weren't too bad even with wet shoes. The rain stopped within the first 2 miles of the run and thankfully held off for the rest of the race. The run was through Rock Cut. I'm familiar with the roads and trails from the winter trail race series. It would have been a much different run on those muddy sloppy trails. But the course stayed on the main road and the paved bike paths through the park. It really made for a beautiful run. There were a few hills within the first two miles, a couple rollers in the middle and two really tough hills in the last mile. Other than that it was flat and I cruised comfortably. I always feel great on the run. My legs and back loosen up quickly and I'm just happy to be off the bike. The right scenery helps too. The race was supported by Hammer nutrition so that made things real easy. I didn’t have to carry any Heed or gels or enduralytes. They had it all on the course. From the beginning of the run I started to pass people. I lost count somewhere in the 30's. I just picked them off one by one. It's just another sign that my bike or swim or both still need work. In the end I was only passed by one other athlete around mile 7. The last 5k was difficult. I wasn't that tired but after a long day it's tough to keep pushing yourself. Mentally it's easy to lose focus and start to slow down without realizing it. I tried to check my Garmin often to keep my pace up but the trees in the park were thick and interfering with the GPS signal. My run split was about 10 minutes slower than the 1/2 Mary PR from three weeks ago and 14 minutes faster than my best 70.3 last year (which had a lot more hills).
Arthur Miles
bib number: 706
age: 34
gender: M
location: Tower Lakes, IL
overall place: 137 out of 278
division place: 17 out of 33
gender place: 119 out of 215
time: 5:52:19
pace: 0:
swim: 43:34
trans 1: 2:50
bike: 3:16:47
trans 2: 1:37
run: 1:47:33
penalty: 0:
The feeling of relief as I crossed the finish line was only matched by my feeling of hunger. I immediately headed for the food. Banana, potato chips, grapes, and a Mountain Dew. I had to have my wife hold it because I knew I was eating too much too quickly. As I walked around and tried to stretch my wife and I exchanged storm stories. It was a crazy day but the police and weather service never advised the race director to stop the race. So in the end I'm grateful to have come out ok and feeling confident with my performance. Less wind and rain and who knows how much time I'll take off my bike split. This was a great prep for the race season and The Spirit of Racine in July. Next up this weekend is the Horribly Hilly Hundred (100k)… BIKE LIKE A VIKING!! Should be great practice for Ironman.
Earlier in the week the forecast called for 95 degrees. I'm not sure if that would have been worse than the T-storms that passed through during the race. It was raining on the drive out to Rockford but nothing major. I'd covered my seat and handle bars with plastic bags when I racked my bike the day before. I also had to use bungee cords to keep my bike from banging against the racks due to the heavy winds on Saturday. The rain had stopped by the time I got to transition on Sunday morning. We had to park outside Rock Cut State Park and walk about 1/2 a mile to transition. Usually that's not a big problem but when you're carrying your bag full of race "accessories" it can get heavy. Especially with full water bottles. As we waded into the water for the start the weather looked like it was going to cooperate. But it was just fooling with us.
This was my second mass swim start. I stayed back to avoid being swam over. The swim was two loops in a triangle shape. It was pure chaos at the first turn. I was off track to the inside and had to move across the flow of swimmers to get around the buoy. That’s a quick way to get your heart rate up. On the way to the second buoy we went through a patch of weeds that made breathing difficult since I wasn't really interested in eating them. On the second loop I tried to stay in the deeper water and avoided most of the weeds. My swim time was only a few minutes slower than my best time last year. And I was treating this as a training race so I felt good about it.
As usual I had some difficulty in T1. My wetsuit got stuck on my left heel. I almost fell over trying to get it loose. But I took my time knowing the real challenge lay ahead of me on the bike. The course was an out and back, mostly flat except for a few miles of rollers within the first and last 10 miles. The wind was pretty rough out in the open farmland roads. It was blowing between 15-20 mph. Most of the time it was a cross or a head wind. I tried to focus on staying comfortable knowing it was only a matter of time before my back started to spasm. I made it further than I expected before that familiar feeling of a slowly closing vice on my sacrum. I did my best to stretch while riding but as usual nothing really helped. I knew there was a port-a-pottie at the turn around so I decided when I got there I'd take a leek and stretch my back. I figured it was a small price to pay for some comfort on the way back. I think I lost maybe 3-4 minutes total. But then the wind was at my tail and I hammered the first few miles back pushing just over 30mph (something I never do). It wasn't long before I started to see the lightning on the horizon. I was hoping it was heading in the other direction but no such luck. The first rain drop found it's way past the top of my sunglasses and right into my eye. And then all it's big brothers came down in buckets. Due to the basic danger involved I usually avoid training in the rain. So this was new territory for me. I took it easy on the few turns on the course and just tried to keep my speed up. But the wind picked up and the gust were insane. My wife said they were making announcements at the park that the cell was producing 60mph gusts. The rain was like someone throwing a handful of needles at you. I started to feel like I was standing still trying to push through the wind. I wasn't sure how close the lightning was. At one point I was ready to bail and hide under the front porch of a farm house. But just then I saw someone out of the corner of the eye. It was a volunteer. I'd made it back to the first aid station and the volunteers were still standing out there suffering through the weather just like I was. I knew I couldn’t stop now. If they were willing to support me then I was willing to continue racing. The rain soon let up. I think concentrating on holding on for dear life helped my back because it wasn't bothering me at all. When I made it back to the rollers, there were streams of water and huge puddles in the valleys. Talk about adding some rolling resistance to the tires. The best part about the storms was the temperature drop. Just when it was starting to creep up to 80 degrees the storms rolled in and dropped the temp back down to 70. And thankfully the humidity was low or it could have become really steamy out there.
During the last 10 miles I came to a comfortable position on the bike. As long as I stayed in the aero position my back was ok. If I tried to rise up into the hooks on the rollers my back would spasm. So I stayed aero and held my breath hoping that would continue to feel ok. By the time I was three miles from the park I was mostly dried off from the wind. Of course that meant it had to start raining again. It came down pretty steady and my wife didn’t see me bike into transition. She was huddled under a small picnic shelter with a large group of other spectators. She was very happy I had suggested she bring a poncho. I know it was rough for me on the course for near six hours but I can’t imagine just standing around waiting in that weather for a few glimpses of the person you are there to cheer.
Obviously as I entered T2 I had to pee again. That took 2-3 minutes off my time. But once again well worth it. Running with a full bladder is not fun. I'd placed my towel over my running shoes which was pointless since everything was completely soaked. Surprisingly the blisters from the run weren't too bad even with wet shoes. The rain stopped within the first 2 miles of the run and thankfully held off for the rest of the race. The run was through Rock Cut. I'm familiar with the roads and trails from the winter trail race series. It would have been a much different run on those muddy sloppy trails. But the course stayed on the main road and the paved bike paths through the park. It really made for a beautiful run. There were a few hills within the first two miles, a couple rollers in the middle and two really tough hills in the last mile. Other than that it was flat and I cruised comfortably. I always feel great on the run. My legs and back loosen up quickly and I'm just happy to be off the bike. The right scenery helps too. The race was supported by Hammer nutrition so that made things real easy. I didn’t have to carry any Heed or gels or enduralytes. They had it all on the course. From the beginning of the run I started to pass people. I lost count somewhere in the 30's. I just picked them off one by one. It's just another sign that my bike or swim or both still need work. In the end I was only passed by one other athlete around mile 7. The last 5k was difficult. I wasn't that tired but after a long day it's tough to keep pushing yourself. Mentally it's easy to lose focus and start to slow down without realizing it. I tried to check my Garmin often to keep my pace up but the trees in the park were thick and interfering with the GPS signal. My run split was about 10 minutes slower than the 1/2 Mary PR from three weeks ago and 14 minutes faster than my best 70.3 last year (which had a lot more hills).
Arthur Miles
bib number: 706
age: 34
gender: M
location: Tower Lakes, IL
overall place: 137 out of 278
division place: 17 out of 33
gender place: 119 out of 215
time: 5:52:19
pace: 0:
swim: 43:34
trans 1: 2:50
bike: 3:16:47
trans 2: 1:37
run: 1:47:33
penalty: 0:
The feeling of relief as I crossed the finish line was only matched by my feeling of hunger. I immediately headed for the food. Banana, potato chips, grapes, and a Mountain Dew. I had to have my wife hold it because I knew I was eating too much too quickly. As I walked around and tried to stretch my wife and I exchanged storm stories. It was a crazy day but the police and weather service never advised the race director to stop the race. So in the end I'm grateful to have come out ok and feeling confident with my performance. Less wind and rain and who knows how much time I'll take off my bike split. This was a great prep for the race season and The Spirit of Racine in July. Next up this weekend is the Horribly Hilly Hundred (100k)… BIKE LIKE A VIKING!! Should be great practice for Ironman.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Madison Round 2
The conditions were much better this past weekend compared to the last ride. March came in like winter and out like a summer. The temp was in the mid 70's and the wind was gusting around 20 mph. It's a lot easier to handle the bike in the wind when you can feel your fingers. I intended to ride one 40 mile loop from Fireman's Park with the hope of somehow carrying momentum/adrenaline into a second loop. My first mistake was going for a mountain bike ride two days prior. By the end of 25 miles I felt every bump in the crushed limestone path. So I ended up starting the Madison ride with a sore back. Given my history of issues with my sacrum, that was a really bad way to start the day. VQ had an aid station set up 24 miles into the loop. By the time I got there I could barely get off my bike and straighten up. The spasms and cramps in the lower right sacrum area were pretty severe. I stretched it out for 10 minutes and then got back on track. I made it an additional 10 miles before the pain kicked in again. I was forced to stop and stretch for a few more minutes. That got me back to Fireman's Park. I started debating what to do. I'd already gained some great experience by finally getting to see the course and just how tough the hills are. But I knew I really needed to start getting in longer rides if I was ever going to build to Ironman distance. Coach Dan Shelly rode into the park after finishing a loop with another VQ'er. He asked if I was going for another loop. That was enough to tip the scales and get me back out there. Riding with Dan was far more valuable than any other experience I could get on my own this season. We rode together for the first 10 miles or so. He advised me on the power output I should be at while grinding the hills and how to save my legs for the second loop and the run during Ironman. Then my back started to flare up again and I was forced to stay out of the aero position. It still hurt while I was in the hooks but getting down into the aero position hurt even more. So the wind was slowing me way down and I couldn’t fly down the hills the way Dan was. He pulled ahead and then had to wait for me. I stretched my back a bit and we continued on. This routine went on for the rest of the ride to the aid station. We discussed my riding position and where my weight was resting. There are a few adjustments I'll certainly try before my next long ride. I was very grateful for all the advice and coaching tips I got from Dan. It certainly made all the pain worth it. From the aid station I caught a ride with the SAG vehicle and Dan rode on by himself. I knew he was hoping to catch one of the other coaches and go for a third loop so I didn’t want to slow him down any more. I might have been able to finish the loop but it would have required quite a few stops for more back stretching. And was that really worth it? Probably not. I went for a quick two mile run off once back at Fireman's park. And like always within the first half mile I completely forgot my back was ever bothering me. I guess that's the only positive, that it doesn't bother me at all when I run. The drive home was a different story since the seated driving position is basically the same as my bike position. It's three days later and I'm still sore. Sitting at work isn't very comfortable. I'm loaded up on Advil, stretching when I get home followed by ice packs. I just hope the inflammation subsides in time for the Rockman Half on Sunday.
I'm still debating whether I should be building endurance into my back with long painful rides or keeping the rides shorter while I try to strengthen and stretch the supporting muscles. Last year when I saw a physical therapist he gave me stretches and exercises that were suppose to help. They were pretty similar to the pilates class I was taking. So it's been almost a year and I've been doing pilates twice a week. The SI belt my therapist gave me doesn’t seem to help at all anymore either. It's suppose to stabilize the hip and pelvic region to keep the sacrum muscle from flaring up. I really thought once my bike miles ramped up this year I'd be ok. I've got about 90 days before Ironman Wisconsin and I'm afraid it's too late to fix the problem. More physical therapy will take weeks to show any improvement. If it doesn’t help then I'm even closer to Ironman. I guess this is how easy it can be to start begging your doctor for muscle relaxers. An easy temporary fix to get you to your goal. But I can't imagine what a drug strong enough to subdue this pain for 112miles of biking would do to the rest of my body.
It will be interesting to see how I feel after Rockman. It's suppose to be 95 degrees which may cause hydration to trump my back issues. But I'll be calling my doctor pretty quickly on Monday if things go poorly. It was much easier last year fitting physical therapy into a half Ironman training plan. It won't be as easy this year but probably even more significant.
I'm still debating whether I should be building endurance into my back with long painful rides or keeping the rides shorter while I try to strengthen and stretch the supporting muscles. Last year when I saw a physical therapist he gave me stretches and exercises that were suppose to help. They were pretty similar to the pilates class I was taking. So it's been almost a year and I've been doing pilates twice a week. The SI belt my therapist gave me doesn’t seem to help at all anymore either. It's suppose to stabilize the hip and pelvic region to keep the sacrum muscle from flaring up. I really thought once my bike miles ramped up this year I'd be ok. I've got about 90 days before Ironman Wisconsin and I'm afraid it's too late to fix the problem. More physical therapy will take weeks to show any improvement. If it doesn’t help then I'm even closer to Ironman. I guess this is how easy it can be to start begging your doctor for muscle relaxers. An easy temporary fix to get you to your goal. But I can't imagine what a drug strong enough to subdue this pain for 112miles of biking would do to the rest of my body.
It will be interesting to see how I feel after Rockman. It's suppose to be 95 degrees which may cause hydration to trump my back issues. But I'll be calling my doctor pretty quickly on Monday if things go poorly. It was much easier last year fitting physical therapy into a half Ironman training plan. It won't be as easy this year but probably even more significant.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Rest Week
Memorial Day weekend is here. What a great time to have a rest week. After last week's heavy volume it was real easy to sleep in a few extra days this week and only have one hour of training. By Thursday I was feeling pretty edgy and felt like just throwing on my shoes and going for a long run. But I understand the value of rest so I just focused on the Pilates class that day and got the most out of it. There are a few options from VQ this weekend for long rides. They're heading up to Lake Geneva and back on a 100 mile fully sagged ride. Right now that still seems out of reach for me. 50-70 miles is doable as long as my back doesn't flare up. I'll probably join the shorter group ride on Sunday and use the rest of the weekend for all those chores that quickly pile up when you're training for 10-14 hours a week… and trying to sleep the rest. Things will begin to really ramp up as June arives. Next weekend is the second VQ hosted Ironman WI preview ride. It can't get much worse than last time so I'm looking forward to it. Then comes the Rockman Half, Horrible Hilly Hundred, Big Foot OLY, and the Wisconsin Brick Adventure (WIBA) with VQ and Team EVOTRI. Those are some big weekends all stacked in a row. So I'll be sure to enjoy what is left of this rest week.
1/2 Mary PR
I skipped the Lake Geneva 1/2 Marathon 3 weeks ago. VQ was having a transition clinic so I felt that would be a better use of my time. The clinic was interesting. We rode up to Fort Sheridan and did some race pace work with a few transitions. I wish we'd actually done less race pace and just kept doing transitions over and over again. But there were too many people and shoes and equipment were piled up at the few racks they had. But it was still a fun group workout. Riding through Wilmette along Sheridan Rd. was really beautiful. It's and area I hadn't been to before. So the following weekend I felt like I needed a nice long run. It was the end of a heavy volume week for me leading into a rest week. I choose to run on the limestone bike path near Lakewood Forest Preserve. Heading north to Singing Hills Forest Preserve and back is a nice 14 mile loop. I wasn't feeling all that great to begin with but after a few miles I was in a groove. By the time I hit Singing Hills and turned around I realized I was on pace for a 1/2 marathon PR. I picked up the pace even more leaning into the wind when it hit me. Most areas of the trail were around housing developments and the wind was much less in those areas. I was feeling real good about the intensity of the effort. It wasn't until the last 2 miles that I started to fatigue. But knowing a PR was within reach was enough to carry me through. Granted this was only a training run but unofficially I dropped my 1/2 mary PR by almost 7 minutes. I eased up and jogged a nice cool down the rest of the way back to the car. Now if I can just find a way to carry that pace through the marathon at the end of Ironman Wisconsin. Maybe someday.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Ready, set, multisport!
The multisport season kicked off for me this weekend. Unfortunately it wasn't a celebratory kickoff. I ran the Peanut Butter Duathlon (formerly the Law Day Duathlon) in Rockford, IL. 2 mile run, 14 mile bike, 2 mile run. I was really looking forward to this race after the Madison debacle. I've run this race the past 2 years so I was very interested in seeing my progress. The weather was pretty rough. The sun was shining as I drove out but the clouds quickly moved in and the rain started. Getting set up in transition was interesting in the pouring rain. The trails we very messy which made the run portion more fun (for me anyway, saw a few guys covered in mud as they must have fallen). I ran near the front but made sure not to run too fast. I shot for a 6:30 pace and was right on. I came into transition and had a little difficulty with the strap of my helmet since I had gloves on. Then getting clipped into the pedals was a pain since my shoes were wet and kept slipping. I was planning to use the LT training I've been doing with VQ to really pound the bike. I was hoping to knock a bout 5 minutes off my bike split from last year. Well, I'll never know if that would have been accomplished or not. I was riding my new Zipps with brand new Vittoria tubulars. Tubulars are still new to me so I didn’t have a spare nor am I quite clear on how to change one. The bike was 3 loops around Rock Cut State Park roads. I didn’t even make it around once before I heard a loud POP and my back tire went flat. After training and racing on clinchers for 2 years I've only experienced 1 flat tire. After only 4 miles on tubulars I've already had a flat. I didn’t hit a pothole and I didn’t see any glass or rocks. Everything I've read says tubulars are more dependable but now I'm really questioning how I can complete Ironman Wisconsin on these tires. I walked the rest of the loop and met up with my wife. She felt my disappointment but was very grateful I was ok after hearing a rider went down on the slick metal track on the dam. We walked back to the start and I packed my stuff and went home. The leader was just about finishing by then. Once the results are posted I'll be interested in projecting my finish. My age group is always very competitive at this event.
So another Saturday down the drain. I tried to make up for it on Sunday with a long ride with VQ. It was my first group ride… ever! As a triathlete I'm used to long rides alone so this was a very interesting. The group was slated for 53 miles at 17-19 average MPH. There were two other groups that went out at a faster pace. I went with the slower group knowing I was going to have difficulty just finishing that distance. I doubt I would have covered 53 miles by myself. I haven't biked that far since the Lake Geneva Half last September. I probably would have headed home around 30 as the soreness in my back and neck flared up. But riding with the group (and having no idea where I was) made it easier to press on. I learned quite a bit from Joe Wrobel who led the group. He's a VQ coach and an older gentleman but he's in excellent shape since he whipped out those miles like they were nothing. I'm looking forward to riding with the group again next weekend. Then I can have an excuse to take a nap while at my mother-in-law's for Mother's Day.
So another Saturday down the drain. I tried to make up for it on Sunday with a long ride with VQ. It was my first group ride… ever! As a triathlete I'm used to long rides alone so this was a very interesting. The group was slated for 53 miles at 17-19 average MPH. There were two other groups that went out at a faster pace. I went with the slower group knowing I was going to have difficulty just finishing that distance. I doubt I would have covered 53 miles by myself. I haven't biked that far since the Lake Geneva Half last September. I probably would have headed home around 30 as the soreness in my back and neck flared up. But riding with the group (and having no idea where I was) made it easier to press on. I learned quite a bit from Joe Wrobel who led the group. He's a VQ coach and an older gentleman but he's in excellent shape since he whipped out those miles like they were nothing. I'm looking forward to riding with the group again next weekend. Then I can have an excuse to take a nap while at my mother-in-law's for Mother's Day.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Madison Round 1
I went up to Madison with VQ this weekend to ride the course. We started at Fireman's Park. I was planning to ride one loop (40 miles) but things didn't work out as planned. The ride was a complete disaster.
The forecast called for partly cloudy, breezy, high of 50. When I got up there it was cloudy, 30 mph winds and FRACKING SNOWING! The wind was so cold it created snow flurries. I was completely unprepared. No tights, thin gloves, no hat... Thankfully I had my trail running jacket which keeps me warm in all temperatures. But my fingers froze and I couldn't control the bike. One gust of wind nearly took me out on a down hill. My heart was in my throat. Shortly after that, about 3.5 miles in I turned around and went back to my car. I just didn't think I could control the bike without any feeling in my fingers. Grabbing the brakes was nearly impossible. It took nearly an hour before I got all the feeling back. I saw one other person come back in the SAG vehicle after I got back. If everyone else (around 70 people) completed the ride then I will feel like a complete wussy. It's fracking April 26th! Why the hell was it snowing! What an awful awful day. My confidence is completely shot. Round one goes to Madison. But this is a 140.6 round fight. RING THE BELL... I'm coming out swinging!
The forecast called for partly cloudy, breezy, high of 50. When I got up there it was cloudy, 30 mph winds and FRACKING SNOWING! The wind was so cold it created snow flurries. I was completely unprepared. No tights, thin gloves, no hat... Thankfully I had my trail running jacket which keeps me warm in all temperatures. But my fingers froze and I couldn't control the bike. One gust of wind nearly took me out on a down hill. My heart was in my throat. Shortly after that, about 3.5 miles in I turned around and went back to my car. I just didn't think I could control the bike without any feeling in my fingers. Grabbing the brakes was nearly impossible. It took nearly an hour before I got all the feeling back. I saw one other person come back in the SAG vehicle after I got back. If everyone else (around 70 people) completed the ride then I will feel like a complete wussy. It's fracking April 26th! Why the hell was it snowing! What an awful awful day. My confidence is completely shot. Round one goes to Madison. But this is a 140.6 round fight. RING THE BELL... I'm coming out swinging!
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