The Official Notice of Me Having Lost IT
Spring has arrived early in Seattle, and all of us outdoor nuts are loving it! This is what we put up with the 11 months of winter for.
A couple of weeks ago 2 of my friends ran a marathon up in Vancouver, BC, so 2 of us took our bikes up there to ride around the course and cheer them on. That was after I hiked 11 miles the day before. We had a blast—and it was a great way to get me back on my bike after my little accident...
Along with great weather, Spring brings snow melt, which means high rivers which are perfect for white water rafting. My friend (and Captain) has 2 white water rafts (and a kayak), and is frequently looking for a crew. I'm always game, so I get a lot of invites. In fact, with the weather, and her crew needs, I've managed to go out 4 times in the last 2 weeks. The great news is: I am not regretting the choice I made recently to buy a pfd and water-specific helmet (I love my brain).
All of this leads us to my ridiculous main event. After buying Teach's bike (yeah, killer deal) and upgrading to clipless pedals (yes, they're as scary as they look, at least at first) I went on a (short!) 30 mile ride one beautiful Saturday afternoon. Why did I go on a 30 mile bike ride? Let me tell you why. We call it the "Apple Century Ride." That's right, 100 miles, in one day. I had to prep for that, right? To be honest, 30 miles is not preparation for 100. But, it was going to have to be good enough! It should be pointed out, here, that I had my new road bike set-up less than 2 weeks before the ride.
The longest ride I've ever been on was 32 miles, so I was pretty positive that there's no way on this green earth I was going to be able to ride 100 miles in one day. The trail was 50 miles one way, and then turn around and ride the same 50 miles the other way. The good thing about this was I didn't have to commit to the full 100. If at any point I was sure that if I went much further I couldn't repeat my efforts I could turn around and be safe. With this in mind I set my goals in the realm of attainable: (1) make it to the 25 mile turn around (they had two events—50 miles and 100 miles); (2) make it as far as I could be certain I'd make it back. (Of course, all of this with the caveat that the event has a number of vans that ride the length of the course making sure people are ok, and if you can't go any more, or need help of any kind, they'll do what they can to help you, or take you back to the finish line if that's what you need).
After I reached the 25 mile mark I felt so good that I decided I would definitely go on. But, "until I can't go anymore" is a really lame goal. Thus, I decided it needed revising. 3 of my friends (Cyclist, Teach's husband, and Cyclist's old roommate, Redneck) had also signed up to do the 100 mile ride—and there was no question that they would do the whole thing. They are much stronger and faster riders than I, so they were long gone by the time I got back on the road. I figured we would pass each other soon enough. Thus, my new goal: ride until I passed the guys. That goal kept me on the road for another 18 miles. When I finally passed them I was glad, but—oddly—felt that I had enough to keep going. However, I knew there was this massive hill that I'd never make it up. (This, here, isn't self-doubt—it's realism. That hill was *terrifying*) I rode to the next mile marker, so I'd know exactly how far I had gone, and then turned around. All told, including the ride to the starting line from our hotel, and then back to the hotel afterwards (2 miles each way) I rode 90 miles Saturday!
I met and rode with some really nice people along the way. Some people I didn't even meet, but they encouraged me, including the guy who flew past me around mile 75 going double my speed who called out simply, "Looking good 5-1-2!!!" (the number on my jersey) I got a number of encouragements like that, and would have reciprocated, had I ever passed anyone.
However, my favorite riding companion was the middle-aged guy who followed me out of the last rest stop (we had 25 more miles left). He caught up to, said a few encouraging remarks, and then moved quickly in front of me. He was close enough to me, and I needed some company at that point, so I scooted up to him. We rode together for 2 or 3 miles before he dropped behind me to let a car pass. When he moved back up next to me he gave me some great compliments (nice cadence, good speed, good pedal strokes), and a few pointers on my technique (mostly, that I'm putting too much weight on my hands). Before I could get clarification on one point, though, he was gone. 20 miles later at the finish line, I was lying on the grass reveling with my friends about the ridiculous ride, when that guy came up to me, "Congratulations!!!" he shouted over the crowd, "you did it!!!" He flashed me a huge smile, and a thumbs up, and was gone again.
The best part of everything? I'm tired—like I had a really ridiculous workout—but I am not in pain. I was pretty much planning on not being able to walk Monday, but I was just fine. Ok, that's not entirely true. My bum is a bit sore (but only when I sit on hard surfaces). Do you know what they make bikes seats out of??! I'm not sure, either, but I'm pretty positive "hardness and pain" are on the list some where.
So, you ask, "what's next?" The STP, baby! Which, is really what this ride was training for. If I couldn't do 100 miles in 1 day, there's no way I could do 200 miles in 2 days.
Oh, and I totally need to figure out how to not lean on my hands so much. My left pinky is still numb/tingly, and my right wrist is sore.
A couple of weeks ago 2 of my friends ran a marathon up in Vancouver, BC, so 2 of us took our bikes up there to ride around the course and cheer them on. That was after I hiked 11 miles the day before. We had a blast—and it was a great way to get me back on my bike after my little accident...
Along with great weather, Spring brings snow melt, which means high rivers which are perfect for white water rafting. My friend (and Captain) has 2 white water rafts (and a kayak), and is frequently looking for a crew. I'm always game, so I get a lot of invites. In fact, with the weather, and her crew needs, I've managed to go out 4 times in the last 2 weeks. The great news is: I am not regretting the choice I made recently to buy a pfd and water-specific helmet (I love my brain).
All of this leads us to my ridiculous main event. After buying Teach's bike (yeah, killer deal) and upgrading to clipless pedals (yes, they're as scary as they look, at least at first) I went on a (short!) 30 mile ride one beautiful Saturday afternoon. Why did I go on a 30 mile bike ride? Let me tell you why. We call it the "Apple Century Ride." That's right, 100 miles, in one day. I had to prep for that, right? To be honest, 30 miles is not preparation for 100. But, it was going to have to be good enough! It should be pointed out, here, that I had my new road bike set-up less than 2 weeks before the ride.
The longest ride I've ever been on was 32 miles, so I was pretty positive that there's no way on this green earth I was going to be able to ride 100 miles in one day. The trail was 50 miles one way, and then turn around and ride the same 50 miles the other way. The good thing about this was I didn't have to commit to the full 100. If at any point I was sure that if I went much further I couldn't repeat my efforts I could turn around and be safe. With this in mind I set my goals in the realm of attainable: (1) make it to the 25 mile turn around (they had two events—50 miles and 100 miles); (2) make it as far as I could be certain I'd make it back. (Of course, all of this with the caveat that the event has a number of vans that ride the length of the course making sure people are ok, and if you can't go any more, or need help of any kind, they'll do what they can to help you, or take you back to the finish line if that's what you need).
After I reached the 25 mile mark I felt so good that I decided I would definitely go on. But, "until I can't go anymore" is a really lame goal. Thus, I decided it needed revising. 3 of my friends (Cyclist, Teach's husband, and Cyclist's old roommate, Redneck) had also signed up to do the 100 mile ride—and there was no question that they would do the whole thing. They are much stronger and faster riders than I, so they were long gone by the time I got back on the road. I figured we would pass each other soon enough. Thus, my new goal: ride until I passed the guys. That goal kept me on the road for another 18 miles. When I finally passed them I was glad, but—oddly—felt that I had enough to keep going. However, I knew there was this massive hill that I'd never make it up. (This, here, isn't self-doubt—it's realism. That hill was *terrifying*) I rode to the next mile marker, so I'd know exactly how far I had gone, and then turned around. All told, including the ride to the starting line from our hotel, and then back to the hotel afterwards (2 miles each way) I rode 90 miles Saturday!
I met and rode with some really nice people along the way. Some people I didn't even meet, but they encouraged me, including the guy who flew past me around mile 75 going double my speed who called out simply, "Looking good 5-1-2!!!" (the number on my jersey) I got a number of encouragements like that, and would have reciprocated, had I ever passed anyone.
However, my favorite riding companion was the middle-aged guy who followed me out of the last rest stop (we had 25 more miles left). He caught up to, said a few encouraging remarks, and then moved quickly in front of me. He was close enough to me, and I needed some company at that point, so I scooted up to him. We rode together for 2 or 3 miles before he dropped behind me to let a car pass. When he moved back up next to me he gave me some great compliments (nice cadence, good speed, good pedal strokes), and a few pointers on my technique (mostly, that I'm putting too much weight on my hands). Before I could get clarification on one point, though, he was gone. 20 miles later at the finish line, I was lying on the grass reveling with my friends about the ridiculous ride, when that guy came up to me, "Congratulations!!!" he shouted over the crowd, "you did it!!!" He flashed me a huge smile, and a thumbs up, and was gone again.
The best part of everything? I'm tired—like I had a really ridiculous workout—but I am not in pain. I was pretty much planning on not being able to walk Monday, but I was just fine. Ok, that's not entirely true. My bum is a bit sore (but only when I sit on hard surfaces). Do you know what they make bikes seats out of??! I'm not sure, either, but I'm pretty positive "hardness and pain" are on the list some where.
So, you ask, "what's next?" The STP, baby! Which, is really what this ride was training for. If I couldn't do 100 miles in 1 day, there's no way I could do 200 miles in 2 days.
Oh, and I totally need to figure out how to not lean on my hands so much. My left pinky is still numb/tingly, and my right wrist is sore.
posted by granola girl at 10:13 pm
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