On Monday, I rode out to the Ashworth Park trail head and rode my bike out to Clive and back. Instead of going home on the trail, I hopped off at Grand and 63rd and decided to take one of the side streets to give myself a little hill action. Worst idea ever. There were two pretty steep hills in a row and I barely, just barely made it to the top. There I was huffing and puffing and threatening to fall over.
"Oh, boy." I haven't trained enough, and I certainly have trained on enough hills. All of the bike trails in central Iowa are flat: damn you rails-to-trails! My longest day was only 60 miles, that's 27 miles less than the longest day on RAGBRAI. In short, I am going to die. I mean, there is a 1-mile long hill waiting for me out there.
Not only that, but I am pretty sure I am going to lose the RRC. Steven and I are pretty close in the point total, I did not lose 4% of my body weight. I lost 1.38% of my body weight. Good thing I have great tent putting up skills and I love to buy beer.
I would love to make a bunch of excuses, but remembering the words of Steven's father, I will desist. Instead, I will look on the bright side. The RRC got me motivated to workout when I would have otherwise lamed-out, and that's awesome. I am not as in shape as I would like to be for RAGBRAI, but according to Lexi, "well, you can't win everything or no one will want to compete with you."
Here's the final RRC Update.
Sunday: rode to the Cumming Tap with TWT, Frank, and Lexi. I had helped Frank buy a bike in the afternoon, but it wasn't ready yet, so he borrowed Lexi's back up bike: a gold-tone Motobecane circa 1976. Everyone had a nice time on our little Sunday outing, primarily because we are all motivated by beer. 17 miles: 1 point.
Monday: bike ride/crisis of confidence. 18-ish miles, 1 hour: 1 point.
Tuesday: 45 minutes of elliptical, 10 minutes core-training: 1 point.
Wednesday: 45 minutes of elliptical: 1 point
Thursday: 30 minutes indoor cycling (the Heartbreaker was in the shop): .5 points
Saturday: jogged 1 mile just to check in with the bum hip (still a bit wonky), then did a 60 minute Spin class. 1 point.
RRC Point total this week: 5.5
RRC Point total overall: 23.5
Days until RAGBRAI: 0
Miles ridden: 545
Miles ahead: 442
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Ride Your Butt Off
In an effort to kill off some nerve endings in my rear end, I made "butt time" my priority this week. I got on the bike every day: Monday through Friday. Along the way, I also got some training for my future as a competitive cyclo-cross rider. The central Iowa bike trails are a little busted. Here's the full report.
Monday: I followed GoogleMap's directions to the start of the Great Western Trail. The trail was spooky and damp after long weeks of being under water. After crossing the very busy Raccoon River, I came across a stretch of gravel, but not just any gravel, killer gravel. It was huge, sharp, and long. I hopped off and walked the bike, and then was attacked by mosquitoes: risking death either way--bone crunching falls or West Nile. A runner came by and wished me luck. 15 miles: 1 point.
Tuesday: I kidnapped the White Tiger and made him go for a bike ride. We took the GWT to the By-pass Bridge, and then turned around and got some food at the El Bait Shop. The chicken was delicious. We rode home along Ingersoll and stopped at Dahl's for coffee. It was a nice balance of urban and rural riding. 23 miles: 1 point.
Wednesday: My friend Lexi is coming along for RAGBRAI for the first couple of days. She rides an old school 1970s step-through road bike. And, she will happily admit to not having to enough miles under her bum. She says she's happy at about 10 miles an hour and has asked me very politely not to abandon her. As a fellow RAGBRAI first-timer, I feel obliged. We took the Clive Greenbelt Trail from Ashworth Park to the place in Clive where the trail flooded and was completely closed. That stretch of trail is incredibly curvy. I pretended I was in an open topped car in the Tyrolian Alps with a handsome/dangerous Italian as I took those curves. Lexi said I killed her a little. I hope not. 15 miles: 1 point.
Thursday: Took an early morning spin on the GWT; rode next to the scary stretch of gravel, cyclo-cross style, and practiced riding up the hills to the old Science Center. There were lots of scary animal noises in the woods. 16 miles: 1 point.
Friday: On Friday, I decided to toss care to the wind and take a nice long bike ride. The Heartbreak had just gotten a new bike rack and a new zip tie for the computer (which I broke almost immediately), so I hopped on the Raccoon River Valley and headed west. Conditions were great for training, I think. It was hot, nearing 90 degrees. It was windy (why does it always seem to turn in the direction I am going?).
My goal was to do 60 miles, just past Panora. But on the other side of Panora, with just a mile and a half left, the trail was really, really dirty. Not like a little dust, like straight up 3 inches of dirt. But, I only had a mile and a half to go, and because I am too pig-headed just to turn around, and too lazy to find another route, I just circumnavigated the "caution" tape and proceeded to ride, in very slippery, very scary dirt, until I got to a spot in the middle of no-where where my odometer read 30 miles. Then, I stood in the dirt, drank some water, had a snack, made some phone calls, and started home. 60 miles: 2 points.
Saturday: Does eating crawfish count?
RRC Points: 6
RRC Total: 18
Monday: I followed GoogleMap's directions to the start of the Great Western Trail. The trail was spooky and damp after long weeks of being under water. After crossing the very busy Raccoon River, I came across a stretch of gravel, but not just any gravel, killer gravel. It was huge, sharp, and long. I hopped off and walked the bike, and then was attacked by mosquitoes: risking death either way--bone crunching falls or West Nile. A runner came by and wished me luck. 15 miles: 1 point.
Tuesday: I kidnapped the White Tiger and made him go for a bike ride. We took the GWT to the By-pass Bridge, and then turned around and got some food at the El Bait Shop. The chicken was delicious. We rode home along Ingersoll and stopped at Dahl's for coffee. It was a nice balance of urban and rural riding. 23 miles: 1 point.
Wednesday: My friend Lexi is coming along for RAGBRAI for the first couple of days. She rides an old school 1970s step-through road bike. And, she will happily admit to not having to enough miles under her bum. She says she's happy at about 10 miles an hour and has asked me very politely not to abandon her. As a fellow RAGBRAI first-timer, I feel obliged. We took the Clive Greenbelt Trail from Ashworth Park to the place in Clive where the trail flooded and was completely closed. That stretch of trail is incredibly curvy. I pretended I was in an open topped car in the Tyrolian Alps with a handsome/dangerous Italian as I took those curves. Lexi said I killed her a little. I hope not. 15 miles: 1 point.
Thursday: Took an early morning spin on the GWT; rode next to the scary stretch of gravel, cyclo-cross style, and practiced riding up the hills to the old Science Center. There were lots of scary animal noises in the woods. 16 miles: 1 point.
Friday: On Friday, I decided to toss care to the wind and take a nice long bike ride. The Heartbreak had just gotten a new bike rack and a new zip tie for the computer (which I broke almost immediately), so I hopped on the Raccoon River Valley and headed west. Conditions were great for training, I think. It was hot, nearing 90 degrees. It was windy (why does it always seem to turn in the direction I am going?).
My goal was to do 60 miles, just past Panora. But on the other side of Panora, with just a mile and a half left, the trail was really, really dirty. Not like a little dust, like straight up 3 inches of dirt. But, I only had a mile and a half to go, and because I am too pig-headed just to turn around, and too lazy to find another route, I just circumnavigated the "caution" tape and proceeded to ride, in very slippery, very scary dirt, until I got to a spot in the middle of no-where where my odometer read 30 miles. Then, I stood in the dirt, drank some water, had a snack, made some phone calls, and started home. 60 miles: 2 points.
Saturday: Does eating crawfish count?
RRC Points: 6
RRC Total: 18
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Putting in the Hours
Monday: On Monday, I wasn't scheduled to work until 2 in the afternoon. My plan was to sleep in, then go for a decent length bike ride. Life intervened. I assumed that after co-habitating for more than a year, TWT and I would have it down, but moving into a bungalow all our own (well, mostly his. I am like an illegal subletter in the real estate of love) has presented new challenges and expectations to be managed. (Subtext: we were both being jerks). I chose to spend the morning and early afternoon working on our relationship and building a foundation for future cohabitational success. (Subtext: we fought).
By the time I made it to the gym, I only had time for a 45 minutes on the Elliptical.
RRC Point: 1, barely.
The rest of the week's workouts followed a pretty similar pattern.
Tuesday: 45 minutes on the elliptical, 15 minutes core
Wednesday: 45 minutes on the elliptical, 15 minutes lower body
Thursday; 45 minutes on the stationary bike, some intervals
RRC Points: 3, barely.
Friday: Things got better. I had a super-important-meeting in the morning. Then, after lunch and quick nap, I changed from nylons to bike shorts and went for a ride. I trekked out to Clive and rode my bike to Redfield again. It wasn't as fun as riding with my friend Ranger Dave, but it was a beautiful day for a ride. Along, the way, I saw this turtle, hanging out by the side of the trail, so I stopped to take a picture. I am trying not to take it as a sign of my impending slowness, but a talisman of perseverance.
The ride was about 44 miles, and took a little more than 3 hours. Because it was so flat, though, I am giving it one point.
RRC Point Total for this week: 5
It is incredibly painful to feel like RAGBRAI is looming*, rather thank feeling excited to get started. It was also incredibly hard to read about Steven's adventures in Colorado, where she is jumping off of mountains and vomiting, and not feel like a huge load of crap. She's going to run up a mountain next month, that's how hard core she is. Plus, no matter how much I love Iowa, it's hard not to feel a little mountain envy.
On the other hand, feeling bad about one's self doesn't burn any more calories than math, so I am choosing to look on the bright side. Not only did I manage to accomplish a breathtaking amount of work in the non-fitness part of my life, I also did make it to the gym every day. Participating in this challenge forced me to carve out the time, when I would have otherwise crapped-out. Now, in the future, I can look back on this week and remind myself that no matter how busy my life seems to be, there's always time for fitness.
After my ride on Friday, I thought, "mountains, we don't need no stinking mountains." We've got miles and miles of rolling hills, verdant fields, cows, red barns, big fluffy clouds, sunshine, cool breezes: Iowa's just dandy. I am excited to try to ride all the way across it.
*Last night I had my first RAGBRAI-anxiety dream. We were bivouacked on a mountain side, after trekking through some distant land, though it was also RAGBRAI and we were in Storm Lake. I realized I had forgotten everything important: bike shorts, jerseys, sleeping bag, and I had to figure out how to survive until my mom could bring them to me when we got to Algona (though I have to say, if I did forget anything, the LAST thing my mother would do is drive them to Algona for me).
By the time I made it to the gym, I only had time for a 45 minutes on the Elliptical.
RRC Point: 1, barely.
The rest of the week's workouts followed a pretty similar pattern.
Tuesday: 45 minutes on the elliptical, 15 minutes core
Wednesday: 45 minutes on the elliptical, 15 minutes lower body
Thursday; 45 minutes on the stationary bike, some intervals
RRC Points: 3, barely.
Friday: Things got better. I had a super-important-meeting in the morning. Then, after lunch and quick nap, I changed from nylons to bike shorts and went for a ride. I trekked out to Clive and rode my bike to Redfield again. It wasn't as fun as riding with my friend Ranger Dave, but it was a beautiful day for a ride. Along, the way, I saw this turtle, hanging out by the side of the trail, so I stopped to take a picture. I am trying not to take it as a sign of my impending slowness, but a talisman of perseverance.
The ride was about 44 miles, and took a little more than 3 hours. Because it was so flat, though, I am giving it one point.
RRC Point Total for this week: 5
It is incredibly painful to feel like RAGBRAI is looming*, rather thank feeling excited to get started. It was also incredibly hard to read about Steven's adventures in Colorado, where she is jumping off of mountains and vomiting, and not feel like a huge load of crap. She's going to run up a mountain next month, that's how hard core she is. Plus, no matter how much I love Iowa, it's hard not to feel a little mountain envy.
On the other hand, feeling bad about one's self doesn't burn any more calories than math, so I am choosing to look on the bright side. Not only did I manage to accomplish a breathtaking amount of work in the non-fitness part of my life, I also did make it to the gym every day. Participating in this challenge forced me to carve out the time, when I would have otherwise crapped-out. Now, in the future, I can look back on this week and remind myself that no matter how busy my life seems to be, there's always time for fitness.
After my ride on Friday, I thought, "mountains, we don't need no stinking mountains." We've got miles and miles of rolling hills, verdant fields, cows, red barns, big fluffy clouds, sunshine, cool breezes: Iowa's just dandy. I am excited to try to ride all the way across it.
*Last night I had my first RAGBRAI-anxiety dream. We were bivouacked on a mountain side, after trekking through some distant land, though it was also RAGBRAI and we were in Storm Lake. I realized I had forgotten everything important: bike shorts, jerseys, sleeping bag, and I had to figure out how to survive until my mom could bring them to me when we got to Algona (though I have to say, if I did forget anything, the LAST thing my mother would do is drive them to Algona for me).
Thursday, July 1, 2010
No Rest for the Wicking (Fabrics)
I love sleeping. If I don't get my eight hours of shut eye, my brain doesn't work and I make ridiculous statements and stop halfway through sentences. It's brutal.
In my old life, if I stayed up or out too late, I would simply send my fitness buddy a text letting her know that I wouldn't be going to the gym in the morning. Not anymore. Now, I've got the triple threat of motivation:
1. I made a commitment to Lexi to be more consistent with our workouts. Not going one day, then sloughing off the next.
2. I've got to text Trainer Gwyn with my workouts.
3. I've got to beat Steven in the RAGBRAI Royalty Challenge (RRC). The mockery and gloating and possible crown wearing for the entire week of RAGBRAI will just be too much to bear.
This morning was a challenge though. I stayed out too late with Ranger Dave. He's only in town once a year, and so his Des Moinesiac friends celebrate with a week long "Dave-Up" that involves bike rides, dart playing, and German food.
As I was brushing my teeth, I considered sending the bailout text. But then I thought about what that would do to my schedule. There wouldn't be time for a workout during the day, and if I want to win the RRC I've got to workout five days a week. I skipped Sunday, so a Thursday skip would be cutting it close.
So, groggily, I got up this morning, tied on my running shoes, and went to the YMCA. Showing up half the battle, right?
Just kidding. I did put in a workout this morning. It wasn't my best workout, but I made it happen. I was so proud of myself.
I made it through the day without being too sleepy or cranky or stupid. What's the lesson? Sleep is important, for sure. Most Americans don't get enough, and that leads to obesity and heart disease and stress etc. But, cutting it short one or two nights a week won't kill me: in fact, it makes me stronger.
R.R.C. Log
Monday: 45 minutes on the elliptical, 10 minutes core training
Tuesday: 30 minutes on the elliptical, 30 minutes lower body weight training
-Bike Ride: Clive to Redfield, 45 miles, 3 hours, 10 minutes
Wednesday: 60 minutes on the elliptical, 30 minutes upper body weight training
Thursday: 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer, 15 minutes lower body weight training
Friday: 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer, 30 minutes upper body weight lifting
Part of what gives me strength when I am working out is my super tight pants. There is something magical about tight pants, and I am not the only one who thinks so. Don't miss this video. It's a pretty accurate summary of my daily adventures at the gym.
Steven might have Jillian and her love of calculus to power her through her workouts. I've got Leslie.
Point Total: I am going to give myself 7 for our first week. Weigh in on my calculations in the comments, yo.
In my old life, if I stayed up or out too late, I would simply send my fitness buddy a text letting her know that I wouldn't be going to the gym in the morning. Not anymore. Now, I've got the triple threat of motivation:
1. I made a commitment to Lexi to be more consistent with our workouts. Not going one day, then sloughing off the next.
2. I've got to text Trainer Gwyn with my workouts.
3. I've got to beat Steven in the RAGBRAI Royalty Challenge (RRC). The mockery and gloating and possible crown wearing for the entire week of RAGBRAI will just be too much to bear.
This morning was a challenge though. I stayed out too late with Ranger Dave. He's only in town once a year, and so his Des Moinesiac friends celebrate with a week long "Dave-Up" that involves bike rides, dart playing, and German food.
As I was brushing my teeth, I considered sending the bailout text. But then I thought about what that would do to my schedule. There wouldn't be time for a workout during the day, and if I want to win the RRC I've got to workout five days a week. I skipped Sunday, so a Thursday skip would be cutting it close.
So, groggily, I got up this morning, tied on my running shoes, and went to the YMCA. Showing up half the battle, right?
Just kidding. I did put in a workout this morning. It wasn't my best workout, but I made it happen. I was so proud of myself.
I made it through the day without being too sleepy or cranky or stupid. What's the lesson? Sleep is important, for sure. Most Americans don't get enough, and that leads to obesity and heart disease and stress etc. But, cutting it short one or two nights a week won't kill me: in fact, it makes me stronger.
R.R.C. Log
Monday: 45 minutes on the elliptical, 10 minutes core training
Tuesday: 30 minutes on the elliptical, 30 minutes lower body weight training
-Bike Ride: Clive to Redfield, 45 miles, 3 hours, 10 minutes
Wednesday: 60 minutes on the elliptical, 30 minutes upper body weight training
Thursday: 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer, 15 minutes lower body weight training
Friday: 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer, 30 minutes upper body weight lifting
Part of what gives me strength when I am working out is my super tight pants. There is something magical about tight pants, and I am not the only one who thinks so. Don't miss this video. It's a pretty accurate summary of my daily adventures at the gym.
Steven might have Jillian and her love of calculus to power her through her workouts. I've got Leslie.
Point Total: I am going to give myself 7 for our first week. Weigh in on my calculations in the comments, yo.
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