Last Sunday (May 23) I rode in my first organized large ride. The Bloomin' Metric. A 100 KM (about 62 mile) ride beginning in Norwalk, CT and winding it's way through some really pretty countryside, past large estates, lots of hills for those of us so inclined (hahaha... get it?), and what seemed to be a million riders, most of them passing me at a high rate of speed.
Despite being with my team and trying to stay within a few minutes of my pals from the "Blue group" (slow), and the huge number of people around at times, I found myself quite alone. I am not complaining, I rather liked it. It gave me time to think, to take in the view and there was no one around when I let out a huge snarl because I was in the wrong gear when starting a rather large hump in the road.. okay it was a hill. (To quote Coach Bob, "It's a HILL, GET OVER IT!!!" (hahaha.... get it?)
I found people to follow, my thanks to the guy in the Dos Equis (XX) jersey, he was fun and easy to follow. and if I needed a diversion all I had to do was yell "Hey Dos Equis, CAR BACK"... and he would give me a friendly wave.
Once had my horse (okaaaayyyyy... my bike) headed down the backstretch, there were a couple of times I got teary eyed. This wasn't my big event, but it was still an accomplishment. I thought about my heroes, those that are battling leukemia and lymphoma and winning. I thought about the ones that have not won the battle, and those that don't even know that a battle lies ahead of them.
Rolling into the parking lot, finishing the ride, seeing the rest of my blue group finish filled me with pride in how far WE (yes WE) have come. But, more importantly, the ride itself, getting there was something to be savored.
Peace,
Karen
Monday, May 31, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
What I learned on the 80 mile ride
1) Don't even put your leg over the bar without a helmet on your head.
2) Always keep "Our Lady" in the bike bag.
3) Enjoy the scenery
4) I can ride over a grated swing bridge with a strong cross wind and not fall on my keester
5) Sometimes, if you look in the right direction, at precisely the right time, nature shows you something spectacular
6) I still HATE snakes, even if they are dead in the middle of the road
7) If you hit a squirrel going downhill at 34 mph... there is dinner. Tastes like chicken.
8)When you have to call 911 remember not to get frustrated because they are going to ask you the same questions twice.
9) when someone is hurt it seems like forever for an ambulance to come.
10) ICE.. In case of emergency... program it in your phone.
11) Sometimes, the people you really need are put right in front of you.. like the doctor and nurse that stopped to help.. what are the chances, I mean really, what are the chances that a doctor and nurse would be there when my teammates had an accident.
12) The kindness of strangers can be relied on. Truly.
2) Always keep "Our Lady" in the bike bag.
3) Enjoy the scenery
4) I can ride over a grated swing bridge with a strong cross wind and not fall on my keester
5) Sometimes, if you look in the right direction, at precisely the right time, nature shows you something spectacular
6) I still HATE snakes, even if they are dead in the middle of the road
7) If you hit a squirrel going downhill at 34 mph... there is dinner. Tastes like chicken.
8)When you have to call 911 remember not to get frustrated because they are going to ask you the same questions twice.
9) when someone is hurt it seems like forever for an ambulance to come.
10) ICE.. In case of emergency... program it in your phone.
11) Sometimes, the people you really need are put right in front of you.. like the doctor and nurse that stopped to help.. what are the chances, I mean really, what are the chances that a doctor and nurse would be there when my teammates had an accident.
12) The kindness of strangers can be relied on. Truly.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! I am loving my new bike seat. Yes, I used the L-word. Love, Love, LOVE my new bike seat...
The original seat that came on the bike was great on the ischial tuberosities (sits bones), but not so much on the soft tissue. The second seat I tried was better, but still not great. I kept having to stop pedaling to readjust my position, and every time I did, I would hear Coach in the background telling me to keep pedaling... how do I tell him politely that I have to rearrange my lady parts? Then.. there were the blood blisters. Not good. Unhappy hoohoo.
So, enter saddle number 3. Not the most expensive by any means, and probably not the lightest, but so far, the most comfortable. The cut away part is just in the right spot and it seems to be just the right size for my ischial tuberosities, and I like the little cut out in the back for my tailbone. I have only ridden it twice, 25 miles last night, and only about 15 tonight, but just the feeling of being on it, I know it will be fine on longer rides. And... I have a happy hoohoo.
On another happy note, fundraising is at $5820.00... wondering if I can make it an even 6K?
Monday, May 3, 2010
Decisions, decisions, decisions
Since starting this training for the Century Ride, there has been a lot of stuff that has gotten in the way.. just 'stuff' that needs me to make some sort of decision that can have an effect on how I ride, how far I can go, and avoiding the bonk. How much do I eat before a ride, what do I eat before a ride, what do I drink.. drink too much and there are too many potty stops, not enough and I bonk. What do I drink? Water is good, but I also need to replace electrolytes and I need sugar.. something I had given up along with simple carbs and replaced with complex carbs. So many decisions!
The drinking thing seemed to give me a real problem. Coaches were pretty clear, one bottle of water, one bottle of Gatorade or similar product. So, I struck out to find something I liked and would fit the bill. Oh.. and did I mention that since I am a klutz, I can not reach down, get a bottle of drink, raise it to my lips and keep the bike up on two wheels? Well, I can't do it. Practice or no practice, can't do it.. so enter the Camelbak. Yes, folks, I wear my water proudly on my back with a long tube I can just shove in between my teeth, bite down and voila! water! The Camelbak is the next best thing to having an IV pole attached to my bike.
Water problem solved.
Now, the Gatorade problem. Gatorade is too sweet, don't like it. And it doesn't like me much either. I tried G2, less sugar, still not really fond of it, I tried the powders and mixed them myself and over-diluted them a bit, still didn't work. I tried a couple of different versions and brands, all with the same effect (not something to talk about in polite company-- and you can't have that going on in the middle of a 100 mile bike ride).
Then I hit upon the perfect solution (no pun intended). A friend mentioned to me that her husband (a runner) drinks Kool-Aid. So, I picked up some of those little packages of Cherry flavored Kool-Aid, the kind you add your own sugar to (cheap!), I made up a pitcher of it, adding a lot less sugar than the recipe calls for, hmmm tasty!
Now, I just had to solve the electrolyte issue. I found a bottle of this stuff in Whole Foods, called Endure. Now, get your minds out of the gutter, it isn't what you are thinking at all... it is for enhancing your performance.. er.... I mean, it is full of performance enhancing electrolytes. There we go, back on track. It has Na+, K+, Cl-, Mg+, and SO4. 16 drops in 16 ounces of my Kool-Aid and I am good to go. So far, no bonk, no cramps and associated issues, and no Charley Horses in my legs, and it costs a whole lot less! One big decision out of the way. And.. I can put it in my checked luggage so I can make my own supply while in Tahoe. Hurdle overcome!
Summary of last Saturdays Cookie Ride:
7.5 mile, 3% grade out to Torrington.
2 long climbs with an average 6% grade (with some short sections up to 12%) on Route 20.
Over 5000 feet of climbing over 65 miles.
The fact that I finished is amazing to me.... even though I feel like it was not a complete success because I had to stop on the big hills, but I didn't walk, I just rested and then got back on and went on.
The drinking thing seemed to give me a real problem. Coaches were pretty clear, one bottle of water, one bottle of Gatorade or similar product. So, I struck out to find something I liked and would fit the bill. Oh.. and did I mention that since I am a klutz, I can not reach down, get a bottle of drink, raise it to my lips and keep the bike up on two wheels? Well, I can't do it. Practice or no practice, can't do it.. so enter the Camelbak. Yes, folks, I wear my water proudly on my back with a long tube I can just shove in between my teeth, bite down and voila! water! The Camelbak is the next best thing to having an IV pole attached to my bike.
Water problem solved.
Now, the Gatorade problem. Gatorade is too sweet, don't like it. And it doesn't like me much either. I tried G2, less sugar, still not really fond of it, I tried the powders and mixed them myself and over-diluted them a bit, still didn't work. I tried a couple of different versions and brands, all with the same effect (not something to talk about in polite company-- and you can't have that going on in the middle of a 100 mile bike ride).
Then I hit upon the perfect solution (no pun intended). A friend mentioned to me that her husband (a runner) drinks Kool-Aid. So, I picked up some of those little packages of Cherry flavored Kool-Aid, the kind you add your own sugar to (cheap!), I made up a pitcher of it, adding a lot less sugar than the recipe calls for, hmmm tasty!
Now, I just had to solve the electrolyte issue. I found a bottle of this stuff in Whole Foods, called Endure. Now, get your minds out of the gutter, it isn't what you are thinking at all... it is for enhancing your performance.. er.... I mean, it is full of performance enhancing electrolytes. There we go, back on track. It has Na+, K+, Cl-, Mg+, and SO4. 16 drops in 16 ounces of my Kool-Aid and I am good to go. So far, no bonk, no cramps and associated issues, and no Charley Horses in my legs, and it costs a whole lot less! One big decision out of the way. And.. I can put it in my checked luggage so I can make my own supply while in Tahoe. Hurdle overcome!
Summary of last Saturdays Cookie Ride:
7.5 mile, 3% grade out to Torrington.
2 long climbs with an average 6% grade (with some short sections up to 12%) on Route 20.
Over 5000 feet of climbing over 65 miles.
The fact that I finished is amazing to me.... even though I feel like it was not a complete success because I had to stop on the big hills, but I didn't walk, I just rested and then got back on and went on.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Karen Conquered the Cookie Ride
Phew!Hill after hill.. I thought they would never end. From Rt 202 heading into Torrington, to Rt 20 coming out of Riverton the hills just kept coming.
65.8 miles
Max heart rate: 178 (a little too high)
Average heart rate 115.
Max speed 31.5 (really good for 'she who is afraid to go downhill').
Feeling very accomplished.
I hit the 'dumb' zone at about mile 63, couldn't remember if I had passed the Coach or not, (I did). I hit the 'can't go another blessed foot' zone as I pulled into the parking lot, at mile 65.8, but the kindest, greatest, bestest friend put the bike on the car for me and fed me a piece of Juniors cheesecake from NYC (great to have friends like that isn't it!).
Throughout the ride, I kept thinking (pardon the language) "these hills suck", but then I thought about why I am doing this...... because... chemo sucks more.
Ready for the 70 miler next week :)
65.8 miles
Max heart rate: 178 (a little too high)
Average heart rate 115.
Max speed 31.5 (really good for 'she who is afraid to go downhill').
Feeling very accomplished.
I hit the 'dumb' zone at about mile 63, couldn't remember if I had passed the Coach or not, (I did). I hit the 'can't go another blessed foot' zone as I pulled into the parking lot, at mile 65.8, but the kindest, greatest, bestest friend put the bike on the car for me and fed me a piece of Juniors cheesecake from NYC (great to have friends like that isn't it!).
Throughout the ride, I kept thinking (pardon the language) "these hills suck", but then I thought about why I am doing this...... because... chemo sucks more.
Ready for the 70 miler next week :)
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