Fletcher Flyer
On a whim I decided to sign up for the 50 mile ride for the Fletcher Flyer. It is a local mass bike ride with 4 route distances… 30, 50, 62 and 100. The course is described as “relatively flat”. Somehow in my optimism I translated this to mean FLAT. When you live in the foothills of the mountains there is not a lot of flat at all so anytime that word makes an appearance I get happy. It seems like a lot of the cyclists I have met over the past few months love to “climb”…. ride hard up a mountain. Not me… I love gently rolling hills.
I did see that in the area there were no “climbs” so I felt pretty good. Per MapMyRide, to be considered a climb the grade must be “For any climb to be rated (receive a climb score/category) it must be at least 500 meters in length with an average grade of 3% or more.”
I would bet there several hills on this ride that fell just a bit shy of that definition! Nothing I couldn’t handle – in fact I did my very best to attack every hill.
The first 25 miles were the most difficult. There were a lot of turns, lots of little hills and a ton of people. There was not a lot of room to move. Plus, there seemed to be an inordinate amount of new riders (haha… listen to me!). Seriously though, I do not how to hold a line and ride my bike straight. I know that if I brake going downhill (which I really didn’t do too much today for once) that I should move to the side. I know that, just like walking, if riding side by side with one or more people I should be aware of the space I am talking up and allow people to easily get around. Now, since I am new too, these are issues for me. I am sure more advanced riders just go around. For me it is just stress.
I just have to share the experience I had with two women cyclists. They were in front of me for a while talking and not maintaing a good line or a consistent speed. I could never get around them because of other cyclists and traffic. THey were annoying. At mile 6 they were already complaining. They were pushing a big gear, too… which means they where pedaling slow and hard all the time. No cadence AT ALL. (Again, who the heck do I think I am 
)…
I FINALLY get around them, then a few minutes later they are back in front of me. Seriously, just like those annoying drivers. They got in front of me and slowed down again to talk. I wanted to scream.
I go to pass them and say to the first girl, who was falling behind the other “passing on your left”. She moves over. Next the other girl – she is riding the yellow line so to pass her I will have to go in the other lane. “Passing on your left”, I say, hoping she will move over. She doesn’t move. She laughs and the other girls says to her, “you are so bad”. She giggles.
But, I get around them again and have a clearing so I go as fast as I can to get some distance. Which, isn’t far since I hit another pod of people and we are getting ready to go uphill and make a right hand uphill turn. This is hard enough as it is, but in a crowd it is even hard. I am focused and maintaing a good cadence of about 90 RPM’s. I am preparing for the hill and the turn.
I hear a voice to my left just a bit behind me, “you are pedaling to fast”. I see it is one of those girls (the one that giggled), but I assumed they were talking to each other. She gets right next to me and looks at me, “You need to get in a bigger gear – you are pedaling too fast and you are not even going uphill yet”. I was so shocked that she said that. I really didn’t even know what to say. I wanted to make a smart comment but we were not even 10 miles into the ride and I really didn’t want to deal with this all day. I looked at her for several seconds, and not in a friendly voice said “thanks” and sped up.
The hill was upon us. I was not going to let her pass me. I really had nothing to worry about it. About half way up she was done.
I spent the next several miles riding as fast as I could to get some distance. I did not want to spend the next 40 miles dealing with them and it work. I never saw them again.
The rest of the trip was nice. After the 25 mile mark the crowd really started to spread out and I spent a good amount of time riding by myself. I was sunny and beautiful outside and I enjoying tackling the hills and going fast downhill. I made four scheduled rest area stops. Three of them were very brief – just enough time to fill up my water bottles and shove some food in my mouth. At the rest stop at mile 30 I took a few more minutes so I go to the bathroom and stretch. It was the break I needed to finish strong.
All in all I had a great day. I really love riding with the large groups (after they spread out!). I love the support at the intersections and having a marked course. There was a good bit of traffic, but I have to say the cars did a good job getting around everyone.
I have been saying that one of the reasons I like cycling so much is because it is so much easier on my body. I still believe that, but I have to say that 50 miles is not without some pain. Surprisingly, the most pain is still my feet! I thought that I would not have foot pain on my bike, but I do. Before I do any significant distance again I am going to have to figure out what to do about that.
Total riding time: 3:53
Rest time: 19 minutes
Random Thought
I love listening to podcasts… lately the main topic has been about swimming. I have to absorb everything I can from podcasts, books, websites, my coach…. I want to be good at this and not flounder (haha… I bet flounders are good swimmers).
Anyways…
On the podcast I was listening to today there were a couple of interviews with age-groupers who started swimming as adults and how they were able to conquer their fears and embrace the water. While I don’t think I have any FEARS, I do certainly have some uneasiness in the water, especially the open water. It was good to hear how they succeed in their goals.
Lots of things were said in the interviews but one thing stuck out…
“Persistence is key. Freedom is the reward.”
So true! Some of us may not be fast and may not ever win anything in a race, but FREEDOM is the reward. The knowledge that I can do anything I want. I can sign up for any race and do it (with the proper training and guidance). I just can’t help but think back to 2009 when I was starting my blog and contemplating my first 10K. I was so afraid to sign up. 6.2 miles. I was afraid. Obviously I broke out of that fear, but not without a big pep talk from John. I remember like it was yesterday.. “it’s only 3 more miles”. (At the time I had only run 3 miles).
Now I have the freedom (mentally) to do whatever I WANT to do. It’s a nice feeling.
Memorial Day Sprint
What a weekend! Memorial Day weekend always marks two big events…. Katheryn’s birthday and Memorial Day. I love seeing my beautiful daughter and love celebrating her life. I always treat it like a holiday because it is! 23 years ago she was born and my life was forever changed. I love being a mom and I love raising my daughter. She is growing into a strong and independent woman and I am so proud of her and I want her to be proud of me. I know she is. I am looking forward to July 7th when we run a 5K together!
This weekend is also special because it is Memorial Day. A day that we are supposed to remember all those who have fought for our freedoms and gave the ultimate sacrifice. I am one of the lucky ones… my father fought and came back to start a family. I don’t ever want to forget that so many people were not as lucky. So many young lives have been lost in wars.
Last year I devoted my day to doing the “Memorial Day Murph”… a workout honoring a fallen Navy Seal. This year I did my own little triathlon. It didn’t raise any money and there was no fan fair, but while I was swimming, biking and running my thoughts were with those who have served and have given the ultimate sacrifice.
I am lucky to be able to do the things I do. I have a loving and healthy family. I have a good job that allows me to pursue my dreams. I am appreciative everyday of all the love and support I have in my life!
Happy Memorial Day!
The “Security Board” is GONE!
For the past couple of weeks I have been doing great in the pool. Despite the fact that I still fall apart a bit when I am trying to swim FAST, I still got the hang of it.
It has been a very different experience in the lake. Before tonight I had been in three times and all three times I have kept a death grip on my little green kick board. It is not big and I am actually surprised it holds me up, but I never wanted to let go.
This past Sunday I swam at the lake with Katie and some of her triathletes. They make it look so effortless. Smooth. Fast. Graceful. After I floundered around a bit I got out and sat on the deck and just watched… trying to get into my head what I need to do.
Fast forward to today. I showed up at Cynthia’s house with my kick board in tow. The nice thing about her dock is that it is in a little protected channel… no waves or boats flying by. We could swim from her dock to one directly across from her. I didn’t measure it, but it looks longer than 25 meters, but not quite 50 meters. The first couple of laps I kicked with the board and watched Cynthia swim smoothly… she has this down pat, too, like the others.
Then, because she is SO AWESOME, she said she would hold my kick board and swim next to me while I swam. Amazingly I was able to do it. It was so nice to know she was there with my “security board”.
After one lap I knew I could do it. We ditched the board and did laps. Back and forth from dock to dock. I really got into the flow and felt great.
I really think I will be ready for my triathlon on June 10th!
A View from the TOP
Some weeks everything just clicks and this was one of them. Every single workout was a good one and I had some pretty big accomplishments.
The whole week was great – but this weekend was especially so…
Friday started off great… I took the day off of work so I had the whole day free to train and do whatever I wanted. I still woke up before dawn to get to the pool early. The scheduled workout was for endurance. I was to swim as long as I could without stopping. After some warm-up laps with the kick board and the pull buoy I was ready. I started my watch and started swimming. Speed was not important – I just needed to keep going. Back and forth in the 25 yard pool. I was focused on my breathing and really trying to keep my head down when I took breathes. After a couple of laps I really got into the flow and really did a good job turning around at the ends of the lap and pushing off. I pressed the lap button on my watch at the end of each 50 yard lap.
I felt so good. It was almost effortless. No choking or gagging. No gasping for air.
After awhile my nose plug started to feel like it was slipping and I started getting on odd twinge in my left shoulder. I decided that I should stop when I was ahead… before I started having real issues.
I checked my watch.. it was hard to see the numbers through the wet goggles but I could see that I swam 43 minutes! After some cool down laps I got out to tabulate the results (yes, a nerd in the water, too).
25 laps! 1,250 yards! .7 miles!
I think I got this swimming thing figured out! Now to work on speed.
After my fantastic swim I headed to get a massage and hair cut… it was great – just what I needed.
Next up – the bike ride. John and I had a date on the Saluda Grade. We went all the way up – further than I did a couple of weeks again. This time all the way from Harmon Field to Saluda. It was great, even though I had to stop a couple of times. The hard week of training was catching up in the afternoon heat. John waited for me at the top (yes, he beat me because I had to stop to rest! I could actually go a bit faster uphill that he could) hehehe… I should confess that he was on an old mountain bike with the big knobby tires.
Once again I was dropped on the downhill. I HATE going fast downhill but I really need to figure it out. Once again he kindly waited for me…. once on the flats again I showed no mercy and flew by him. I beat him back my several minutes but cannot call it a win until he doesn’t have to wait for me anymore. One day!
No rest for the weary. I was up bright and early Saturday morning to join some friends for a run up White Oak Mountain. A lovely Switchback laced mountain run. I had never been up it on foot before, but since I signed up for a mountain run in July I need to train.
The elevation gain was 1,558 feet. That doesn’t sound like much considering what I hiked in Colorado last summer, but it was tough. 3.7 miles of fairly steep switchbacks in tiring. My strategy was to walk/run from telephone pole to telephone pole. That latest about a mile or so before the run part became less frequent. By the end there was no running at all:)
It took me an hour. It took the fast people 40 minutes. Now that I know what to expect I think I will be able to run more next time. I honestly thought it was longer so I felt the need to pace myself and conserve my legs. I really didn’t need to.
Last but not least, I had another bike ride on Sunday. 25 miles with fast intervals. My favorite type of workout. The problem is that the weather wasn’t cooperating. More rain. It seems like all it does is rain lately. I would not let that deter me. I wanted to finish this training week strong. For the first 5 miles the rain mostly held off… just a little mist, nothing bad. As soon as I started my intervals it started coming down. I was soaked before too long. At 20 miles I was thinking about stopping, but, heck, I was already cold and wet – what did it matter? I kept going. I stopped when my watch said 25 miles and changed into dry clothes. I was cold but it was fun. There is a certain amount of joy in getting a great workout done in the soaking rain.
Let’s hope for another great week!
It’s who I am!
I curious thing has happened to me these last couple of months… I have found joy in my workouts. Real happiness about what I am doing. A couple of years ago when I started all of this I was filled with fear and anxiety. Worrying about how I look and what people will think… worrying about failing. I was focused on weight loss – exercise was a means to an end. It works and I lost a good bit of weight in the process. I still need to, but it is not the driving force anymore. What is? I like it.
I like training. There, I said it.
I look forward to my workouts. Heck, even yesterday on my REST day all I could think about was riding my bike. I wanted so badly to ride and ride and ride. I think that was the first time I ever didn’t want to rest! (I did rest).
Today was local trail race that I had signed up for because my friend Caroline was in charge. It is a nice race near home, but I am not a huge fan of trail running. Even though it is hard I wasn’t really dreading the experience. I was going to be out on a beautiful day with my friends running through the woods. That is pretty nice!
John surprised me and showed up half way on the trail. He notified me that I was 7 minutes behind the leaders so “pick up the pace”! haha
Naturally I had to try to go a bit faster. I passed the girl in front of me and ran hard until I got out of sight… then I had to catch my breath. haha
Up and around and through the woods and back down.
Am I smiling?
One more mile with one more big hill to go.
John again surprised me at the finish telling me to push hard and finish strong – I did.
Finally!!!!! I can swim!
It has been a long hard month of swimming and I finally had a break thru! Well, I say a month, but in reality it was 9 lessons – 8 in the pool and one in the lake… I have been trying so hard to figure this out. Katie was so patient and tried new techniques every session to try to help. I just couldn’t seem to get it. I tried everything I could think of…books, articles, videos, different goggles, different ear plugs… fins, kick boards… I felt like I knew what to do but my body wouldn’t cooperate.
I could not breathe. I breathe everyday all day long and have been for 43 years now. I walk, run, hike, cycle…. I breathe a lot. I huff and puff. I take in a lot of oxygen. But for some reason exhaling under water was physically impossible. I could get a little air out but not a lot.
Par for the course, I figured I had mental issues. Something deep down in my pysche was not letting me swim. I don’t remember having any childhood swimming trauma. I don’t ever remember nearly drowning. I didn’t feel afraid. Why couldn’t I get this!
Well, lo and behold, it wasn’t pyschological at all. It was physiological.
I went into Dicks Sporting Goods yesterday (which is odd since I am usually an Academy girl) to buy yet another pair of goggles and a nose clip. These two devices would surely save me. While I was looking a 20-something year old Dicks Sporting Good employee asked if I needed help. Naturally I replied, “yes, you can help me learn how to swim!”. As luck would have it she was a collegiate swimmer and we talked a bit. I told her what I was doing and the things I have tried and how I just could not breathe.
She simply said, “take out the ear plugs”. She explained that is might sound odd but some people cannot exhale while their ears are plugged.
I bought my fancy new goggles and nose clip anyways and headed out. Armed with those and yet another new swimming book I was going to figure this out. Only two more lessons in the pool with Katie. I had to swim.
The rest of the day at work (between e-mails and questions… I DID work, by the way)… I practiced some breathing techniques from the book and practiced my flutter kick while sitting in my chair. I even stood up once and practiced my arms. (I have an office… it’s ok).
Before bed I visualized me successfully doing all these things in the water.
4:15AM. The alarm goes off and I jump out of bed (really!) So excited to get to the pool. I wanted a good hour before Katie got there to warm up and figure this out. I did a series of warm-up drills from the book – bobbing, kicking and such. Just trying to get relaxed and get a feel for the water before the moment of truth.
Here I go… big breathe… under water… EXHALE… the water comes out effortlessly! I do a few bobbing laps with the kickboard. Put the kickboard down and get the fins. Same thing… I can exhale.
I do this for awhile and 6:00AM is fast approaching. Katie will be appearing very soon. Kickboard and fins aside. I am going to swim without any devices.
SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!
She comes in and I believe she is shocked. I am swimming! All the things I have been learning have come together. I am so relieved!
Now I just have to build my endurance and improve my techinque. I will be ready for my first triathlon before too long! Yippee!!
A weekend of firsts
I had a great weekend – full of challenges and fun. I got to do two things for the first time and had a blast!
First, Saturday morning, I went to participate in the Climb Against Cancer. A local man does an event each year on his bike where he climbs the Saluda Grade 10 times – it is a total of 84 miles up and down a 4 mile road with grades averaging a 4.8% incline. He raises money for programs focusing on cancer “survivorship”; one is the Livestrong Foundation and another is the local Gibbs Cancer Center. It felt good to be part of this event. After hearing him speak about cancer and these two charities I knew I had to make it up the grade at least once.
Susette and I started off just a little before 9:00. The first two miles were uphill but very gradual. Another girl joined us – she had already done one lap and was gearing up for a second. About half way up she told me that was the warm-up – get ready for the climb. I stopped to take a drink of water and she kept going. Susette and I started off together again but then she quickly was out of sight.
One pedal in front of the other… I was going pretty slowly but at no time was there ever a section that I thought I couldn’t handle. Thankfully traffic was light and in some areas where it was a bit steeper I was able to snake a bit. Up and up I went.
I was almost near the top when I saw Susette coming back down – yippee! I was almost there. She turned around and finished with me. It felt so great to be at the top!
Now the hard part! Getting back down. I am not a speed-demon. I do not like going fast downhill – I feel out of control. But there was only one way back to the car. It took up 40 minutes to get up… about 10 to get down!
I tried not to constantly break, but it was hard. Constant twists and turns made it impossible to relax. About half way down one of my worst fears… going fast and in a curve I hear a dog barking! OH no! I hearing dogs on my ride. I am scared to death of them coming at me. THe barking continued as I sped up. Where in the world is it coming from? I am on the side of a mountain with a cliff on my left and a drop off on my right. Low and behold… the dog is in a car that is behind me… hanging out a window and barking at me. Quite unnerving.
This proceeded for a few minutes. Since the roads are so curvy the car couldn’t safely pass. They were holding a good distance behind me and didn’t really bother me at all… except for the dog. It was as if I was being chased! Finally in straight away and they got around. I never got a view of the pooch but I was happy he was gone.
Finally at the bottom, after my forearms and hands were cramped from braking I hit some nice flat road where I was able to pedal and go fast. I rolled into the parking lot to see Susette waiting for me. It was a great ride!
Here is the grade… on the chart it doesn’t look that impressive – but it is
http://www.endomondo.com/embed/workouts?w=oqnFonLZmOE&width=580&height=600&width=950&height=600
I drove home with a smile on my face. Another affirmation… if I can do this then I can do anything:)
Next challenge for the day… hiking down the Green River to watch a very unique duathlon. John and I along with my friend Kathryn and her family met at a trail head along the Green River in Saluda. We were going to watch the kayak portion of the kayak/bike race called Jerry’s Baddle. A fundraiser for Lou Gehrig’s disease.
We hiked and rock scrambled to get to a great viewing area. One kayak after another went by – it was very exciting to see them go through the rapids. After watching several we hiked back out to drive to the transition area where they get out of their kayaks and get on their bikes. A 26 mile road race that includes several miles of steep switch backs. Shortly after we got there the first finishers came in – 1 hour and 5 minutes to do 26 steep miles. Incredible. Another racer we got to see was legally blind! He raced the kayak then got out and got on his bike. Very inspiring!
After a bit John and I hopped back on the Harley and headed down the mountain. I was pooped.
Sunday started off with a nice trail run with friends. We are getting ready for a race next weekend. The trail is tough on it’s own but the miles on the bike and the trail made my legs tired. It was hot and I was happy to be done with that race.
After some grocery shopping and some housekeeping my last event for the weekend was coming up… swimming in the lake.
I was a bit nervous and plunge time drew near. I had to meet Katie at 3:30 for my first experience in the lake. I got there and got my gear on ( I need more stuff for swimming then I do running or riding!). I grabbed my kick board and slowly eased myself into the cool water. It was not as cold as I expected so that was good. Soon we were off. She was on her paddle board watching over me while I kicked away.
After a bit the I heard the words I had been dreading. “Put your face in the water”. Uhg. I did a couple of times. “Ok, this time, put your face in the water and I want to see bubbles”. I had to breath. The hardest thing in the world to do. I did it. A couple of little bubbles surfaced. She wanted more… always more…
I managed to do it a few times and got a bit more comfortable. Then, as expected…. “use your arms”. Up until now I had a death grip on the kick board. Now I had to use my arms to stroke. So difficult, Stroke, kick, breathe…. look up at the sky, ear to shoulder, breathe, look at turtles, things floating in the water, can’t see the bottom, water in my nose, water in my mouth… choke, choke… breath….
So exhausting… yet fun.
I want to be a triathlete so bad! I want this more than anything I have wanted. WHY is swimming so hard!
Finally we get to stop and I hop on the boat with Cynthia to watch over the fast swimmers swimming the whole lake. We get to protect them from drunks on boats and teenagers on jet skis not paying attention. These swimmers are amazing. They swim for an hour without losing a beat. One day…
A horsey kind of weekend
I had a fun weekend full of being with friends, riding bikes and looking at horses…
All week I had planned on going up to Black Mountain to ride a training ride for my next big adventure – the Cycle to Farm Ride on June 23rd. It is a metric century – 62 miles long, with lots of hills. I signed up for it while I was on my high from the Assault… heck, I couldn’t make it up one hill, why not try three! That’s just how I am.
As Saturday drew near I started getting more and more nervous about the ride. It was a 24 mile group ride with a three mile climb on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Self doubt set in until I just decided to skip it all together. I opted to do my prescribed workout in a familiar area with my friend Cynthia. The moment I made that decision I felt better. We went out and had a good ride.
I didn’t quite make all my miles because I ran out of time… had to get back for my next date – Steeplechase. My first ever. Rumor has it everyone just stands around and gets drunk, but I was really curious about the horse race.
I got to see the horses and even won on a bet – $20! After two more losing bets I stopped and went home with $10…well, Now that I think about it the entry was $10 so I basically broke even.
It was fun hanging out with my friends. Now that I am training for three sports the running has taken a back seat while I get my cycling and swimming up to speed. Being a triathlete takes a lot of time!
Today I was supposed to run 8 miles. I have had to run 8 miles for the past few weeks and I am sick of running 8 miles. I slept in and basically decided I wasn’t going to do it. I was going to clean the house and get things in order for another busy week. IF I happened to feel like running later, then I would, but I doubted it.
In between cleaning I would get on the internet (why rush the cleaning?) About 11:15 I got an e-mail from the girl that leads the training rides for the Cycle to Farm ride. She said the social ride is still on for 1:00 today. I forgot all about that ride… a nice 12-14 mile ride at a 10-12 MPH pace. this would be a chance to meet her and to get a taste of that area. I loaded up my bike and headed out. It was an hour drive, but I wanted to go to Earthfare any ways and from there it is only another 20 minutes or so.
There were only three of us; Jen, the leader, her husband and me. It was cold and damp but hopefully would be a good ride. Right off the bat we were going up a hill. I realized half way up that I didn’t do my inhaler. I could really tell that I was sucking wind. I was hoping this wouldn’t last.
Well, up and down the hills we went. Nothing terribly steep, but enough to keep my pumping.
The route with really nice with light traffic. The scenery was really pretty and after the first couple of miles I was able to relax and enjoy the ride. On the way back we got a special treat. Some horses were out on the pasture and we stopped to watch them. After a few minutes they ran up to us. It was beautiful.
Here is the route: http://www.endomondo.com/embed/workouts?w=mwNZDc4QZaY&width=580&height=600&width=950&height=600
Assault on the Carolinas – 60K
What a ride! I had a great day… everything went perfectly from the start.
We got up to Brevard about 7:30 and got our packet with our number. It wasn’t a “race” but I was going to treat it like one! After all, who wears a number just to RIDE? After meeting with Katie and some of the other Malone Coaching athletes we lined up at the start. (I had a picture, but it won’t load). It was a pretty amazing sight. 1000 cyclists lined up to ride. I was a bit nervous about the start since we would obviously being going pretty slow for a while. I was thinking of some crowded runs (Cooper River Bridge) where people are shoulder to shoulder for the first couple of miles. I was worried about being pedal to pedal with people and knocking people down. No such thing happened… everyone seems to know what to do so I just followed. It took me three minutes to get to the start line (unlike the 30 minutes in Cooper!).
We were off. Although the roads were not officially closed, there were police at every intersection holding back the cars and letting us pass. It was such a different experience going through town with the support than it was the other week. People were lined up at the side of the road cheering. It was all very festive.
The first 8 miles are pretty hilly. I knew I had to do a lot of spinning leading up to the big hill – Walnut Hollow. I didn’t want to tire myself out before the real challenge. After that I was going to push as hard as I could.
All went as planned. The first rest stop came right before the big hill. I had already decided I was not going to stop. I have been practicing my hydrating and fueling on the bike and didn’t need the support. I put all my gels in a flask so I could easily get what I needed. I fueled on this ride just like I do my long runs… 20 minutes, 40 minutes, 60 minutes and every 30 minutes after that. The system worked perfectly and I never bonked.
The hill. Walnut Hollow. I felt it before I saw it but I was intent on staying relaxed and enjoying the experience. At this point I was still in quite a pack of people and there was a bit of traffic. I focused only on the few feet ahead of me. I didn’t not allow myself to look up the hill and see the incline. In my head was my favorite trainer song… “Put Your A$$ to Work” by LMFAO. I focused on pulling up and using my glutes and hamstrings so my quads wouldn’t get burned out. I was completely focused on controlling my breathing and my pedaling. The were some people cheering near the top and blowing horns. It was so much fun. Some people around me started walking. I kept pushing. All of a sudden my pace was slowing quickly and I was surrounded by others going slowly. A car passed. I needed to weave but I couldn’t. I lost my focus and started to worry about my surroundings. I didn’t want to “stall fall” and couldn’t push any hard. I yelled “stopping” and pulled myself off the road.
The cyclist right next to me did the same and she asked if we could walk up together. We didn’t have that much further to go! But we walked at a good pace and made it to the top. I didn’t waste any time – I took a drink and got back on the bike and flew down the other side of the hill. The magic was about to happen.
I felt great and we were nearing my favorite part of the route. After a couple of miles of glorious downhill, which I am quickly learning to embrace, we were in the valley… by a river. The most beautiful stretch of road you can imagine. The sun came through the trees perfectly and the road is gently rolling. The crowd had thinned so I could just relax. By “relax” I mean put the hammer down:)
I got in the highest gear I could while maintaining good cadence. 18, 19, 20 MPH… There is nothing better than going 20 MPH under your own power down in a valley by a river. Just say’in.
This went on for miles. Around curves and down more hills. Past pastures and cows. Fisherman.
We soon had to start going up some little hills but I was not just going to ride up them. I was going to attack each and every one of them the best I could. I shifted perfectly and used my momentum to get up most of them effortlessly. Everything was coming together! I had this figured out!
At mile 20 I was at 1:38 – just 8 minutes off my normal 20 mile time on “flatish” terrain. I had this thing in the bag! When I asked Katie the other night what I might finish in she said 3 to 3.5 hours. I was on mark to finish way before that. Since we road this course the other day I knew what was coming. A few hills, but nothing I couldn’t handle if I kept my pace. I was going to go as fast as I could as much as I could.
I did start having some problems with my shorts. I felt very uncomfortable and needed to adjust. The skirt I wear over my cycling shorts was bunching in a very uncomfortable way and I couldn’t fix it on the bike. I decided to stop at mile 25 so I could finish strong. It was just what I needed.
Every mile passed perfectly and I stayed on my mission. I wanted to come in under 3 hours.
There were a couple of more decent hills in my way. FOCUS. Heels down, upper body relaxed. Pull.
2:41. I crossed the finish line. It was amazing! I couldn’t stop smiling. I cannot wait to do that again.
