I tried to make some changes to my blog and lost my race schedule. I'll get that added soon since I still have three races left.
If there is anyone who can help me add some features, like pictures, and are willing to help, let me know.
Enjoy the weekend!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Living a life of luxury - very temporarily
We spent this past weekend with my brother Mike and his family on their new houseboat. We had a great weekend spending time with his family, my sister Cathi and her family, and enjoying the Mississippi river. It was very beautiful and I think I found my new endurance sport. 
I'm off Thursday for a long weekend at the Perala family cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I'm really excited because I'm taking 4 days of vacation which will be my first significant chunk of time off this summer. Plus, we've gotten to know a fellow mountain biker who lives up there and he's going to show us a new local trail. I'm was planning on doing a 5 hour training ride and wanted to be able to mountain bike. Our friend said we wouldn't have any problem putting together a 5 hour ride on some fun trails. I'm excited about exploring some new singletrack up there. Other than that I plan on reading books, resting, trying some new recipes and most importantly, enjoy some time with Kevin and his Mom and Dad.
Enjoy the holiday weekend!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Riding with the big girls
This weekend Kevin and I got together with a group of friends and their families for an annual camping weekend in Wisconsin. This was our 4th annual event and it's always a fun time. Our plan was to go on a group ride with kids and families Saturday morning, a faster, longer ride in the afternoon and a leisurely canoe trip on Sunday.
We went for a great family ride in Saturday morning along the Elroy Sparta Trail. It was great morning and beautiful weather. If you haven't been there, it's a nice trip for kids.
That afternoon a group of us went out for another longer, faster ride. I was a little apprehensive because as we left I realized just who I was riding with -- all the guys and 1 woman were Ironman finishers and the other women was amazingly strong and a master swimmer. I was still recovering from my 12 hour race and wasn't sure if I would be able to keep up. I got dropped on the first climb but they waited and then the fun began. I was drafting behind one of the guys and my goal was to stay on his wheel as we crested a hill. To my surprise I was still on his wheel on the other side and off we went on a straight away with the wind at our back. I managed to stay on his wheel the entire time and when we got to a stopping point to regroup he commented that his speedometer clocked us at 29 miles per hour! I know I haven't been that fast on my bike in a long time.
We then broke up and the guys went to do a longer, hillier ride while we three women headed on a loop back to the campground. This part was even more fun. We rode in a paceline, helping each other and were going at a pretty good pace - much faster than I normally ride. I was so excited that I could keep up as well as really push my road riding to another level. It was one of the best road rides I've had. We drafted each other on flats, some climbs and some really fun downhills. I felt like I was on a roller coaster!
The next day was a leisurely canoe trip down the Kickapoo River for about 4 hours and it couldn't have been a better end to the weekend.
The next few weeks I will be busy with travelling for Labor Day. I also have 3 endurance races in a row in September and I'm really excited about those challenges.
Enjoy the rest of summer!
We went for a great family ride in Saturday morning along the Elroy Sparta Trail. It was great morning and beautiful weather. If you haven't been there, it's a nice trip for kids.
That afternoon a group of us went out for another longer, faster ride. I was a little apprehensive because as we left I realized just who I was riding with -- all the guys and 1 woman were Ironman finishers and the other women was amazingly strong and a master swimmer. I was still recovering from my 12 hour race and wasn't sure if I would be able to keep up. I got dropped on the first climb but they waited and then the fun began. I was drafting behind one of the guys and my goal was to stay on his wheel as we crested a hill. To my surprise I was still on his wheel on the other side and off we went on a straight away with the wind at our back. I managed to stay on his wheel the entire time and when we got to a stopping point to regroup he commented that his speedometer clocked us at 29 miles per hour! I know I haven't been that fast on my bike in a long time.
We then broke up and the guys went to do a longer, hillier ride while we three women headed on a loop back to the campground. This part was even more fun. We rode in a paceline, helping each other and were going at a pretty good pace - much faster than I normally ride. I was so excited that I could keep up as well as really push my road riding to another level. It was one of the best road rides I've had. We drafted each other on flats, some climbs and some really fun downhills. I felt like I was on a roller coaster!
The next day was a leisurely canoe trip down the Kickapoo River for about 4 hours and it couldn't have been a better end to the weekend.
The next few weeks I will be busy with travelling for Labor Day. I also have 3 endurance races in a row in September and I'm really excited about those challenges.
Enjoy the rest of summer!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
I've been tagged
I was tagged by Janet awhile ago and forgot all about it.
If you could have any one — and only one — bike in the world, what would it be? I don’t have a “dream bike” but I have been very keen on the Superfly and other 29er geared bikes. I would also love to have bike for general commuting and a new road bike. Once I have both of those, my bike posse will be complete.
Do you already have that coveted dream bike? No. If not, are you working toward getting it? If you’re not working toward getting it, why not? Yes, I’m working to get it. Plans for both are in the works in the next three years.
If you had to choose one — and only one — bike route to do every day for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why? Part of being a well-rounded, thoughtful human being is to not limit your self. If I had to choose I would pick a trail at Michaux State Forest.
What kind of sick person would force another person to ride one and only one bike ride to do for the rest of her / his life? Someone who never has any fun.
Do you ride both road and mountain bikes? If both, which do you prefer and why? If only one or the other, why are you so narrow-minded? I ride both but would almost always choose to ride the mountain bike. It’s my first true love after all. Road riding is good in the spring when you can’t ride on the trails.
Have you ever ridden a recumbent? If so, why? I tried a double recumbent in a parking lot once because I was curious if it would work for my sister who can’t ride a bike because of disabilities.
Have you ever raced a triathlon? If so, have you also ever tried strangling yourself with dental floss? Yes and yes.
Suppose you were forced to either give up ice cream or bicycles for the rest of your life. Which would you give up, and why? That’s even more unfair than the question about riding one trail only. I wouldn't give up ice cream or biking because luckily I understand the concept of free will.
What is a question you think this questionnaire should have asked, but has not? Also, answer it........Did you have a kickstand and reflectors on the first mountain bike you owned? Yes but they came off very quickly.
You’re riding your bike in the wilderness (if you’re a roadie, you’re on a road, but otherwise the surroundings are quite wilderness-like) and you see a bear. The bear sees you. What do you do? That will never happen.
I'm supposed to tag three other people. I don’t know three other bloggers who read my blog so this could be interesting: Nicole, Lunatic Biker, Dana.
If you could have any one — and only one — bike in the world, what would it be? I don’t have a “dream bike” but I have been very keen on the Superfly and other 29er geared bikes. I would also love to have bike for general commuting and a new road bike. Once I have both of those, my bike posse will be complete.
Do you already have that coveted dream bike? No. If not, are you working toward getting it? If you’re not working toward getting it, why not? Yes, I’m working to get it. Plans for both are in the works in the next three years.
If you had to choose one — and only one — bike route to do every day for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why? Part of being a well-rounded, thoughtful human being is to not limit your self. If I had to choose I would pick a trail at Michaux State Forest.
What kind of sick person would force another person to ride one and only one bike ride to do for the rest of her / his life? Someone who never has any fun.
Do you ride both road and mountain bikes? If both, which do you prefer and why? If only one or the other, why are you so narrow-minded? I ride both but would almost always choose to ride the mountain bike. It’s my first true love after all. Road riding is good in the spring when you can’t ride on the trails.
Have you ever ridden a recumbent? If so, why? I tried a double recumbent in a parking lot once because I was curious if it would work for my sister who can’t ride a bike because of disabilities.
Have you ever raced a triathlon? If so, have you also ever tried strangling yourself with dental floss? Yes and yes.
Suppose you were forced to either give up ice cream or bicycles for the rest of your life. Which would you give up, and why? That’s even more unfair than the question about riding one trail only. I wouldn't give up ice cream or biking because luckily I understand the concept of free will.
What is a question you think this questionnaire should have asked, but has not? Also, answer it........Did you have a kickstand and reflectors on the first mountain bike you owned? Yes but they came off very quickly.
You’re riding your bike in the wilderness (if you’re a roadie, you’re on a road, but otherwise the surroundings are quite wilderness-like) and you see a bear. The bear sees you. What do you do? That will never happen.
I'm supposed to tag three other people. I don’t know three other bloggers who read my blog so this could be interesting: Nicole, Lunatic Biker, Dana.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Yeah!
This was my 4th time racing at the 24 Hours of 9 mile. My first race was on a 3 person relay team doing the 24 hour event. The second was a duo for the 12 hour event and the third and fourth were solo 12 hours events. This by far was my best race of the 4 and I'm really excited. I rode for 13 hours, completed 7 laps (99.4 miles) and got second place in the 12 hour women's solo category.
Even though I was worried going into the race because I hadn't been feeling good all week, I had a plan and was determined to stick to it. The plan included four goals: 1) pick a reasonable pace on the first and stick to it; 2) follow my nutrition plan; 3) only stop for water, food and bathroom breaks; and 4) maintain a good mental attitude. Goal number one was key because I tend to completely blow myself up on the first lap going as fast as I can making the rest of the race even harder than it is.
Here's a blow by blow of each lap:
Lap 1 (1 hour 33 minutes): It's a running start (about a 1/4 mile run) to the bike. I took my time because I HATE running. I got to my bike and got going. I had no idea how long it would take me to do my first lap but I had planned about 1:30 - 1:45. It was easy to keep this pace because I got stuck behind a string of riders in the tight singletrack. It was a fairly casual pace and I didn't try to pass anyone because it helped me keep goal #1 on track. I talked with some riders around me and enjoyed the trail. Before I knew it, I was back to the start/finish. I loaded up on energy drink and gels and talked with my friend who was helping me out. I felt great and definitely felt I could have done that lap a lot faster which was good because that meant I didn't tire myself out.
Lap 2(1 hour 39 minutes): I started drinking my energy drink and things went downhill after that. My stomach was feeling really icky and I thought I was going to throw up. I saw my friend Carrie at this point and she definitely was the highlight of that lap with her support and cheers. I rode for about an hour and things got much better after getting the energy drink through my system. (I stopped the energy drink after that and realized a lot of my stomach problem during races was that). I even continued my good karma by stopping to help another racer fix his flat tire.
Laps 3-5 (approximately 6 hours): These laps were great even though I was getting slower. I felt really good and had a great mental attitude. There were some ups and downs of feeling crappy but overall I ate consistently and really enjoyed the course. This definitely prepared me for my last two laps.
Lap 6 (2 hours 7 minutes): It was now time to put on my headlights and I figured I would have about 45 minutes of daylight and 45 minutes of darkness on this lap. I was definitely getting tired and I really wanted to be done. I kept thinking about how I wish I hadn't told my friend who was helping me that I wanted to get 7 laps in and how I really just wanted to sit down and be done. I turned my headlights on and after about 15 minutes they went completely dead which totally sucked. I was really tired and having to ride in the darkness (I had a small backup light but it helped only marginally) was not any fun. This is when the mental games started. I wanted to quit so badly but a couple of things motivated me - I wanted to stay in third place, I wanted to ride 100 miles, and I had planned on getting in as many laps as possible and I still had time for a seventh lap. Plus, just as I was finishing my sixth lap, I saw my friend Kim who asked if I was going out again which I replied "yes." Way too many reasons not to go out so I did.
Lap 7 (2 hours 16 minutes): Worst lap of the seven. I was unbelievably tired and completely freaked out that my other lighting system would die and I would be out in the woods for two+ hours with no lights. It was on this lap that I almost started to cry because I was smelly, incredibly sore and tired and could barely keep going. However, I stayed on track and finished that lap. When I got done, my friend announced that I got second which made the last lap worth it.
For my non-biking friend and family who might read this I'm sure you're wondering why I do this to myself. There are lots of reasons but to put it simply, I get to ride on some great trails and be outside, challenge myself like I've never challenged myself before and in the end I feel stronger, more confident about myself, and more at peace with my world.
I had a bunch of friends racing and they all rocked. Janet, Nicole, Kim and Dana got 2nd place in the 12 hour women's relay category. Lynn, Josh, Carrie, and Barry got 1st place in the 24 hour coed relay category. Thanks to all of you who cheered me on. It definitely kept me motivated!
I don't have many pictures but here's a few.
Even though I was worried going into the race because I hadn't been feeling good all week, I had a plan and was determined to stick to it. The plan included four goals: 1) pick a reasonable pace on the first and stick to it; 2) follow my nutrition plan; 3) only stop for water, food and bathroom breaks; and 4) maintain a good mental attitude. Goal number one was key because I tend to completely blow myself up on the first lap going as fast as I can making the rest of the race even harder than it is.
Here's a blow by blow of each lap:
Lap 1 (1 hour 33 minutes): It's a running start (about a 1/4 mile run) to the bike. I took my time because I HATE running. I got to my bike and got going. I had no idea how long it would take me to do my first lap but I had planned about 1:30 - 1:45. It was easy to keep this pace because I got stuck behind a string of riders in the tight singletrack. It was a fairly casual pace and I didn't try to pass anyone because it helped me keep goal #1 on track. I talked with some riders around me and enjoyed the trail. Before I knew it, I was back to the start/finish. I loaded up on energy drink and gels and talked with my friend who was helping me out. I felt great and definitely felt I could have done that lap a lot faster which was good because that meant I didn't tire myself out.
Lap 2(1 hour 39 minutes): I started drinking my energy drink and things went downhill after that. My stomach was feeling really icky and I thought I was going to throw up. I saw my friend Carrie at this point and she definitely was the highlight of that lap with her support and cheers. I rode for about an hour and things got much better after getting the energy drink through my system. (I stopped the energy drink after that and realized a lot of my stomach problem during races was that). I even continued my good karma by stopping to help another racer fix his flat tire.
Laps 3-5 (approximately 6 hours): These laps were great even though I was getting slower. I felt really good and had a great mental attitude. There were some ups and downs of feeling crappy but overall I ate consistently and really enjoyed the course. This definitely prepared me for my last two laps.
Lap 6 (2 hours 7 minutes): It was now time to put on my headlights and I figured I would have about 45 minutes of daylight and 45 minutes of darkness on this lap. I was definitely getting tired and I really wanted to be done. I kept thinking about how I wish I hadn't told my friend who was helping me that I wanted to get 7 laps in and how I really just wanted to sit down and be done. I turned my headlights on and after about 15 minutes they went completely dead which totally sucked. I was really tired and having to ride in the darkness (I had a small backup light but it helped only marginally) was not any fun. This is when the mental games started. I wanted to quit so badly but a couple of things motivated me - I wanted to stay in third place, I wanted to ride 100 miles, and I had planned on getting in as many laps as possible and I still had time for a seventh lap. Plus, just as I was finishing my sixth lap, I saw my friend Kim who asked if I was going out again which I replied "yes." Way too many reasons not to go out so I did.
Lap 7 (2 hours 16 minutes): Worst lap of the seven. I was unbelievably tired and completely freaked out that my other lighting system would die and I would be out in the woods for two+ hours with no lights. It was on this lap that I almost started to cry because I was smelly, incredibly sore and tired and could barely keep going. However, I stayed on track and finished that lap. When I got done, my friend announced that I got second which made the last lap worth it.
For my non-biking friend and family who might read this I'm sure you're wondering why I do this to myself. There are lots of reasons but to put it simply, I get to ride on some great trails and be outside, challenge myself like I've never challenged myself before and in the end I feel stronger, more confident about myself, and more at peace with my world.
I had a bunch of friends racing and they all rocked. Janet, Nicole, Kim and Dana got 2nd place in the 12 hour women's relay category. Lynn, Josh, Carrie, and Barry got 1st place in the 24 hour coed relay category. Thanks to all of you who cheered me on. It definitely kept me motivated!
I don't have many pictures but here's a few.
Friday, August 1, 2008
I leave today for Wausau, WI for the 24 Hours of 9 Mile. I will be doing the 12 hour solo option. I'm really excited about this race because it's one of my favorite courses - not a lot of climing and really fun singletrack. Plus, my last several races have been short ones and I much prefer the long ones. I have to admit that I'm a bit nervous because I haven't been feeling so hot all week. I don't seem to have too much snap in my legs and they have felt tired every day since Sunday. I'm working really hard maintain a good mental attitude and not worry too much but it's getting more difficult now that the race is fast approaching. Today I plan on drinking as much water as I can, eat as much healthy food throughout the day and try to get a good night's sleep. Hopefully it will all come together tomorrow.
I definitely should have some good karma coming may way. The last two weeks, when out riding my bike at some local trails, I found some car keys. Luckily both owners were in the parking lot when I returned from each ride and I was able to return the keys directly to them. It feels great to do good deeds. Maybe that will help this weekend!
Anyone interested in looking at how I'm doing, click this link for real time results.
Wish me luck!
I definitely should have some good karma coming may way. The last two weeks, when out riding my bike at some local trails, I found some car keys. Luckily both owners were in the parking lot when I returned from each ride and I was able to return the keys directly to them. It feels great to do good deeds. Maybe that will help this weekend!
Anyone interested in looking at how I'm doing, click this link for real time results.
Wish me luck!
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