Thursday, June 22, 2006
The Drive
You have this routine--when to eat, when to train, when to sleep, and it is ALL you are doing (you fit in the rest of life in there somewhere), you get used to it, and even though you are tired and things hurt from time to time, you come to accept that this is the way it is, and it makes your life feel simple and under control, and you don't even have time to make stupid decisions like do I really want that piece of cake because there is no question the answer is NO I AM IN TRAINING and you are going full speed and people think you are nuts and call you Crackhead or want to know why would you do this you're not going to win the race are you and they say they never see you except wet or wearing skimpy clothing and you are going by in a blur but then you go run with one of them and they can't keep up and then they know that what you do has made a difference RIGHT NOW and you feel good about it and remember back to when that person was someone you thought was so much faster than you and they have been running for many more years than you and you don't even think you're fast but you are and people tell you either you look good or you look skinny and some even recognize that it's just that you are lean and you smile at them no matter what and you keep up the routine it feels good in an odd sort of way and you realize that you haven't even tapped into your body's POTENTIAL if only you didn't have a damn job but then again it's all so sweet because the focus of training carries over into the job and people wonder why you are like a laser beam no matter what you do and for all the hyperactivity you have learned to become so CALM and understand the value of patience and it's easy to stand in line every now and then because good things come to those who wait and you are used to the inconvenience of your body hurting or needing to be fed and you have reframed "inconvenience" as "opportunity for growth" (which it is!) and you hope you can figure out a way to reap all these rewards someday without engaging in THE ROUTINE but you aren't certain it's possible so you read and read and find out that many other endurance athletes are EXACTLY LIKE YOU and have this constant struggle with the TRAINING WORLD vs. the REAL WORLD and doesn't the real world suck while the training world is all pure and nice and INSIDE YOUR HEAD even though it's your BODY doing the work and then you get to the point where you aren't sure you can separate the two and you think you've made the BREAKTHROUGH which is not the ability to go faster but the ability for your MIND to keep up with your BODY isn't that funny you thought it would be exactly opposite but see we are crazy people and have discovered our bodies are much less limited because we know how to train them whereas training our minds seems counterproductive (at least according to some books we are just supposed to let it happen without too much invervention) so you keep going and sometimes you wonder if you are depressed or whether that mind of yours is leaking into your TRAINING consciousness and whether that is a bad thing or not so you entertain the thought and you just let it go which really is what MEDITATION is about so you can feel good that you aren't really shutting out thoughts by keeping up the THE ROUTINE you are learning how to have thoughts and let go of them and oh wasn't the point of the TRAINING to RACE but then you do the race and it's BANG GAME OVER and only then do you realize that the point was NOT THE RACE it was the journey and you try and shift into a lower gear and you have fits and starts with your body and your mind because your body likes THE ROUTINE as much as your mind does but you hold back and you notice subtle differences like I am not sleeping normally and I don't have a good sense of when, what or how much to eat and you forget to mix your bottles and your schedule is all thrown off and you think you feel like crap and are getting slower but it's just your body adjusting to REAL LIFE and doesn't it suck if that's what REAL LIFE is I don't really want it but everyone tells me I should try and so I keep trying and I find myself falling back into THE ROUTINE just maybe a little less of it and then things feel better but why do these things that aren't important keep cropping up and making me think about them it's just not fair but at least I am fortunate in that I KNOW what THE ROUTINE is and I can always go back to it whenever I want even though my body gets older because it REMEMBERS and when anyone asks me how I can keep up THE ROUTINE but then they see me smile like the Cheshire cat they know and then they say they are so amazed to see what a person can do and that I seem so happy when I'm doing THE ROUTINE and somewhere along the line I must have figured out how to turn THE ROUTINE into my REAL LIFE so I guess the secret is to always have the THE ROUTINE but maybe not so much of it all the time, yeah, that's the ticket, and it still takes some adjusting to but we can handle it, but right now, all of a sudden, your mind is free to wander and think (some would say too much), you have TIME to make those ridiculous decisions like should I eat this or should I accept this invitation and you start to second guess yourself and you get out of THE ROUTINE and life is no longer simple and there are too many possibilities and you have no immediate goals so you tell people "I'm just out to have fun" when deep inside you know that the pursuit of "fun" is as silly as the pursuit of "happiness" because fun and happiness are fleeting sensations that exist momentarily but you don't learn anything from them--what you learn from is when you are hurting, when things are going down the toilet, when you are putting yourself on the line not to have fun but to have consequences and to have to make HUGE decisions like can I keep putting one foot in front of the other until the finish line and how am I going to get through this muck when I am frightened and then you realize you can't call it by any other name except THE DRIVE.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Weekend Report and Weekly Workout Totals 06/12/2006-06/18/2006
I left for Mount Horeb (I keep forgetting you can't abbreviate it as "Mt." Horeb; mapquest reminded me of that), Wisconsin around 1:30PM on Friday, after tidying up my house. I also managed a short swim in the morning, and I actually cut it short! On Thursday I ended up doing a split-up duathlon--I dropped off my car for a brake job and ran home (3 miles), a few hours later I biked 1:30, including some FT intervals (yeah, baby, and they felt GOOD), and then later I ran back to pick up my car (another 3 miles). I also squeezed in a :30 abs/core workout. So I felt a little sluggish in the water on Friday morning, and just said fuck it, I don't need to swim 8,000 yards this week!
I was flying on up north/west on I90 until Belvedere, Illinois (just south/east of Rockford), where I hit a traffic snarl due to tollway improvements and bridge construction that added about :40 to my trip.
When I was just past Madison, Wisconsin, headed west to Mount Horeb, my phone rings and it's my friend, Cindy. I instantly sensed she was nearby and instead of "Hi" I said, "Where are you?" She, her husband and son had just arrived in Madison. She was going to ride Horribly Hilly. I was so happy to hear from her and to know that we could ride together. I actually don't remember driving while I was talking to her. I'm not usually a phone/drive person, but it worked.
Aside: Cindy used to live about 1.5 miles from me. She and I did our first Ironman together. It was so awesome to be able to show up at one another's house to run or ride or swim or whatever. She now lives in Michigan, and I am such a slug I haven't been to her house since she's moved. I need to fix that transgression.
The forecast for Saturday was hot and humid, AND WINDY! Yeah, baby. It seems that many of the times I've been up that way in the summer that those are the conditions. Cindy and I have ridden the Ironman Wisconsin course in those very conditions in training and racing. So you sort of expect it.
Anyway, Cindy and I chatted awhile and we wondered if another set of mutual friends who live in Madison were riding. I thought they were supposed to, and I thought we should all ride at least the first leg together (since I had planned on continuing on the 200K course whereas everyone else was going to do 100K). Later that evening, Cindy confirmed that Lisa and Vicky were riding 100K, and we were all going to meet at the start at 7:30. Rumor had it that another friend, Michiko, would be riding as well. There was one training ride that all 4 of us had done a few years ago, where when other riders would come by us (and there was a 5th woman, Ruth, who we have lost track of), they'd ask if we were an "all women's cycling team." As opposed to what? Like groups of women don't ride together? It became a joke the entire day. We'd ask one another, "Hey, are we an all women's cycling team?" It just struck us all as funny. You see plenty of packs of guys, yet nobody assumes they are a team or anything. Just guys who all happen to like to ride.
Anyway, I didn't get much sleep Friday night. One, because my hotel neighbors were a little noisy, and two, I woke up around 1:15 and just lay there awake for about an hour and a half. Funny, I wasn't nervous or anything, HHH isn't a race or anything, but I guess the 200K jitters were setting in.
Saturday dawned warm and humid. I lubed up my entire naked body with SPF 30, had some mediocre coffee from the nearby Kwik Trip, Glycoload, and off I went. I parked and Cindy called to say she was at the chip pickup. I rode down there and found her easily, and then Lisa and Vicky rolled into line (we sort of cut in, sorry folks, but the line moved quickly). The plan was we would all more or less ride together the first 25 miles. Vicky admonished me several times that "this isn't a race." Hell, I had no idea what I could do on the day. I wasn't crystal clear that I wanted to do 200K with the heat and all, but that was my intention as we started. Someone else I know up in Madison, Rob, managed to spot me at the chip pickup, and we had a one-armed hug while on our bikes.
We had lots of chatter and laughs and it was good to be riding with friends, with no time or speed goals, but just to have fun, even though the ride is somewhat of a sufferfest. During the first climb, my legs didn't feel weak, but they didn't really enjoy the climbing (there's a 2 mile climb in the first 8 miles of the ride back almost to where you start in Mounds Park--before we started up it, I ceremoniously flipped it the bird), and the humidity was oppressive, and the winds were blowing steady 15-20MPH with gusts to maybe 40. I got asked a few times how I was faring having done an Ironman 3 weeks ago, and for the most part I felt just fine. Sluggish, but fine.
Somewhere during the first 20 miles I thought it would be more fun to just do the 100K and then I'd get to hang out with Cindy and possibly Lisa and Vicky as well for the afternoon. That seemed like a good plan to me, and I had nothing to prove, having done the 200K twice already. Also, in my "slacking and not training" mode that I'm trying to be in, I figured doing just the 100K would put me around 15 hours of "not training" for the week, which was plenty. And then, if I felt like it, I could get in a run or swim on Sunday once I got home. This seemed like a grand idea to me!
When we got to the first "stage" station, lo and behold, I spotted Michiko, and someone else I know, Mary. It was like the ladies reunion! The day was getting better and better. We spent far too long at the first station, but none of us cared. We were more or less ambling. Now, I pulled into this first station last, because, as I said, I was feeling sluggish. So I guess there was still a little quad fatigue from Brazil left over. I think I was helped somewhat by riding my road bike, too. That granny gear saved my ass!
I had forgotten that the reason I know Mary is through Michiko. Mary is the only one amongst us who hasn't done an Ironman. She actually doesn't do multisport races anymore, but she's one helluva cyclist.
We rolled out of that station to embark on the next leg of the day's journey. It was not bad at all--there were many miles of basically flat sections, and even though it was windy, I didn't mind at all. I can ride all day on flats into a headwind (that's basically what Brazil was). I started feeling stronger as the ride wore on. There was one nasty climb in Stage 2 called Barlow Road--I remembered it from the last 2 years. It's one of those stair-step climbs. It has 3 steps, and people were walking their bikes! I never know if I am going to make it up these things, but I know how to force my muscles to relax into the effort, relax my breathing, and then when necessary, I channel people to get me up and over. Saturday it was my mom, sometimes Gilberto Simoni (I have no clue why I picked him), and once it was Chuck Norris. Barlow Road really pissed me off, it sucked so bad. So for several miles I tried to come up with a description of how badly it sucked, and then it came to me. I had to share my revelation with my friends, much to their groaning chagrin: Barlow Road sucks like a crack whore who's run out of money and needs a fix. How's that for analogy?
Cindy and I pulled out in front of the ladies and pulled into the next and last station first. Cindy got a cable adjustment to her bike (they were new and stretched), we talked and laughed, and then prepared for the assault on Pinnacle Road, which is right out of the aid station. I think Vicky and Lisa left first and seemed to get well ahead. Cindy and I were climbing about the same pace. Pinnacle Road didn't seem nearly as bad as I remembered it. Of course, I remembered it having 100 miles of nastiness under my belt from the last 2 years, whereas today it was maybe only 45 miles (I had no computer on my road bike, which was fine by me). Don't get me wrong--it still sucked, but it didn't suck as badly as Barlow Road had sucked earlier, yet I knew there were more nasty climbs up ahead.
Shortly after Pinnacle, I left Cindy behind, but knew she'd be OK. She was cramping, probably (sorry if you're reading this, Cindy) from being out of shape, even though I knew she could tough it out. She had talked of calling her husband to come get her, but I really hoped she wouldn't resort to that. She is one tough cookie (ironically, on an all-pink bike, including her matching Hello Kitty water bottles), and I knew she'd figure it out.
I caught up to Vicky and Lisa, and I was just feeling better and better, and stronger and stronger. So I said a few words and then passed them up and kept going. There were some sweet stretches where you could really open it up. I actually used my biggest chainring (my road bike has a triple) a lot during the day, as long as I wasn't climbing or directly into a headwind. I passed a lot of people on this last leg. Some were just stopping to rest in shade. Some were stopping to get plain water to cool off. As I saw this, I thought to myself, "It's not getting any cooler out, it's not getting any less hilly, and the wind isn't dying down, so I might as well keep up the effort and finish this bitch."
There was another fairly nasty climb going into the town of Barneveld. I remembered that I didn't like the town from the past 2 years because of the way we entered it. And then once you're there, you can see the top of the f'ing Mounds Park (which is, by the way, the highest point in the state of Wisconsin), and you just keep seeing it and know that at any time, you will be climbing up that sucker one more time, only you get to do the final 900-ft. (which seems like an eternity) climb that is very steep to the finish line.
So you are being taunted by some flat to rolling roads, all the while looking up at the looming finish. The ride takes you slightly away from the park, of course, so you have plenty of time to think about what you are doing and what you are about to do, because you had better be ready, because it's a lot harder the second time up. It was more interesting to me this year because I didn't know the mileage or where I was or how fast I was going, so I literally had to stay more in the present moment. I think training with a power meter has taught me to sense my effort level and to know when I'm slacking and to pick it up. I also looked at the calories I was burning (by my HRM), and it seemed I was putting out about the right amount of effort for a ride like this. But in thinking about the 200K (which I was quite happy to not be doing), all I could think was that the 100K is not that bad at all. And/or I am pretty strong. Let's go with strong, OK?
I ride up to this woman (who it also happens knows some of the women I've already mentioned) who has been trading positions with me all day. She looked to be around my age and really strong, so there. I did let her go, though, as we approached Mounds Park.
When I saw the sign that it was Mounds Park Road, I had temporary amnesia. Because I couldn't remember how far you go before it really starts to suck. In starting the climb, it didn't feel that bad, but that lasts maybe 3/4 mile, and then it's hell, and you know you have 1.75 miles to go! I always tell myself that if I really need to bail and walk, that there's no shame in it. You see some fit looking men who are walking. That's the thing about this ride--it's all about managing your effort, and all my training rides (and runs, for that matter) generally increase in effort over the duration of the session. So I'm very familiar with needing to push myself late in the game, and this day was no exception. I kept feeling stronger, and even though Mounds Park Road was a grinder, about 1 mile up I just decided, fuck it, I'm not getting off my bike, I can do this, I feel GREAT! In fact, when I'd go by another rider, and they would ask me how I was doing, I would say, "Actually, pretty good!" And I truly meant it. Hell, I could think back to 3 weeks ago when I felt rotten, so by comparison, this was a picnic!
Even though my road bike weighs a few pounds more than my tri bike, I am still a featherweight rider, and that pays off in spades on all the climbing. I could literally feel how light I was and know that my legs had only to haul my 112-pound body up that stinking hill!
There are 2 or 3 places during the climb where it flattens just enough to give you a little reprieve, and if you are pacing yourself correctly and staying fully in the moment, you can really feel like you are getting a huge rest, and so I did. I passed people in these sections, too, because they had gone too hard in trying to climb, and when you do that, you will have trouble recovering when you get the chance (the secret to triathlon racing, if you ask me).
During the last .25 mile, I know I wasn't smiling, even though there were people lining the hill to cheer us on up. It felt like I was barely turning the cranks, but #1 I wasn't stopping and #2 I was not going to stand up. I saw Rob again, coming down the hill (I wondered if he was just going to ride home), and he encouraged me as well. I think I managed to smile at him, at least I hope I did! It really was a day of appreciating many wonderful people that I know.
That last 900 feet sucked, but again, not as bad as it sucks if you ride the 200K. Up and over, and I was finished! My riding time was 5:03:48. That was fine. I figured if I had done the 200K it would have taken me about 10 hours, but this way, I could wait for friends to finish, get some eats and drinks, and have a nice evening.
Even though it wasn't a race, I was first across the line of the "all women's cycling team." I am also the oldest of the group. I wasn't racing everyone else, but just doing it how I do it. I felt great, my legs felt just fine, and if I had brought my running shoes, I could have run right off that ride. But this turned out to be a week to hold back. The 100K ride just isn't that hard, if you have decent cycling fitness. The 200K ride, though, I would want to not be coming off an Ironman race, and I can do it just fine. So maybe next year I'll do that. Oops--I'm registered for a silly 300K ride that is much the same course in August. I still don't know if I can finish it, we shall see. My plans are subject to change!
Not too long after I finished, put my bike in my car and walked back to the finish line, the "winner" of the 200K ride came in. What an animal! His wife was photographing people at the finish line. I think he did the 200K in maybe 7 hours? I talked to him once he got off the bike. Nice man. STRONG man!
After all members of the "all women's cycling team" were in, we relaxed in the park and ate and drank. I think I had 4 beers--this time they were from a brewery in Madison, as opposed to the last 2 years where it was from the Grumpy Troll brewery in Mount Horeb. Whatever it was, it was good! I also ate a hamburger with onions, salt and cheese. And an ice cream cone. I can't remember the last time I had an ice cream cone. I guess the hamburger was my token McDonald's replacement (which I traditionally eat after an Ironman but wasn't close enough to one in Brazil), and it wasn't even greasy.
Since I had a hotel close to the park, I offered that all the girls could shower up there before going home or wherever. Lisa and Vicky left to go to a cookout. The others came back to my hotel and showered. Michiko and Mary drove back home, and then I went to dinner with Cindy and her family. We had a great time--we ate at Heiney's in Black Earth. Cindy's son, Matthew, has quite the adult palate, as he ate the sashimi grade tuna steak rare. He let me taste it, and it was awesome. I had Steak Wisconsin, which is a big hunk of sirloin with a big wedge (not silly little crumbles) of bleu cheese on top. More beer, and I was one stuffed girl!
So the weekend turned out to be an impromptu reunion of the All Women's Cycling Team, a time for me to dial back on my effort yet reconfirm my strength, a stroke of good fortune for my friend, Matt, and as it turns out, I did just enough training on the week.
Bonus, it turns out Cindy will be in my area next weekend and is doing the same sprint race that me and Lora are doing! We will have some fun! And I'm pretty sure my friend Matt is coming to watch--another thing--Matt also called me on the way up to Wisconsin, and he is NOT going to Kuwait. I am SO happy for him!
I passed out around 8:30PM, but then my neighbors (from Canada, it turns out) were making some racket, so that kept me awake for maybe 1/2 hour. I awoke at 5:30, wanted to sleep in, but figured it would be better to drive home early and avoid traffic.
I left Mount Horeb at 6:30AM and hit zero traffic back to home and made it in 2.5 hours. When I got home, I suddenly realized that I am very tired. So I made a good choice yesterday. But life presented me with such good options, I don't think I could have gone wrong! So I just laid around today, and will recoup for a good, solid "slacker training" week.
And how, for the first time in 4 weeks, I think, here are some training totals, like I care:
Weekly Totals 06/12/2006-06/18/2006
Swim: 8150 yards in 2.92 hours; 19% of weekly workout time; approx. 1020 calories burned
Bike: Approx. 142.63 miles in 8.15 hours; 53% of weekly workout time; approx. 3702 calories burned
Run: Approx. 20.6 miles in 3 hours; 19% of weekly workout time; approx. 1820 calories burned
Strength: 1.37 hours; 9% of weekly workout time; approx. 343 calories burned
All Sports: 15.44 hours; approx. 6885 calories burned
Sleep: 8.04 hours avg./night
Stretching: 1.15 hours
Season Totals 09/12/2005-06/18/2006
Swim: 328028 yards in 115.65 hours
Bike: Approx. 3516.34 miles in 202.73 hours
Run: Approx. 1109.78 miles in 175.22 hours
Strength: 57.32 hours
All Sports: 550.92 hours; approx. 244838 calories burned
Stretching: 59.86 hours
Season Weekly Averages 09/12/2005-06/18/2006
Swim: 8201 yards in 2.89 hours
Bike: Approx. 87.91 miles in 5.07 hours
Run: Approx. 27.74 miles in 4.38 hours
Strength: 1.43 hours
All Sports: 13.77 hours
Sleep: 8.48 hours avg./night
Stretching: 2 hours avg./week
Goals from Last Week:
Accomplishments This Week:
Goals for Next Week:
I was flying on up north/west on I90 until Belvedere, Illinois (just south/east of Rockford), where I hit a traffic snarl due to tollway improvements and bridge construction that added about :40 to my trip.
When I was just past Madison, Wisconsin, headed west to Mount Horeb, my phone rings and it's my friend, Cindy. I instantly sensed she was nearby and instead of "Hi" I said, "Where are you?" She, her husband and son had just arrived in Madison. She was going to ride Horribly Hilly. I was so happy to hear from her and to know that we could ride together. I actually don't remember driving while I was talking to her. I'm not usually a phone/drive person, but it worked.
Aside: Cindy used to live about 1.5 miles from me. She and I did our first Ironman together. It was so awesome to be able to show up at one another's house to run or ride or swim or whatever. She now lives in Michigan, and I am such a slug I haven't been to her house since she's moved. I need to fix that transgression.
The forecast for Saturday was hot and humid, AND WINDY! Yeah, baby. It seems that many of the times I've been up that way in the summer that those are the conditions. Cindy and I have ridden the Ironman Wisconsin course in those very conditions in training and racing. So you sort of expect it.
Anyway, Cindy and I chatted awhile and we wondered if another set of mutual friends who live in Madison were riding. I thought they were supposed to, and I thought we should all ride at least the first leg together (since I had planned on continuing on the 200K course whereas everyone else was going to do 100K). Later that evening, Cindy confirmed that Lisa and Vicky were riding 100K, and we were all going to meet at the start at 7:30. Rumor had it that another friend, Michiko, would be riding as well. There was one training ride that all 4 of us had done a few years ago, where when other riders would come by us (and there was a 5th woman, Ruth, who we have lost track of), they'd ask if we were an "all women's cycling team." As opposed to what? Like groups of women don't ride together? It became a joke the entire day. We'd ask one another, "Hey, are we an all women's cycling team?" It just struck us all as funny. You see plenty of packs of guys, yet nobody assumes they are a team or anything. Just guys who all happen to like to ride.
Anyway, I didn't get much sleep Friday night. One, because my hotel neighbors were a little noisy, and two, I woke up around 1:15 and just lay there awake for about an hour and a half. Funny, I wasn't nervous or anything, HHH isn't a race or anything, but I guess the 200K jitters were setting in.
Saturday dawned warm and humid. I lubed up my entire naked body with SPF 30, had some mediocre coffee from the nearby Kwik Trip, Glycoload, and off I went. I parked and Cindy called to say she was at the chip pickup. I rode down there and found her easily, and then Lisa and Vicky rolled into line (we sort of cut in, sorry folks, but the line moved quickly). The plan was we would all more or less ride together the first 25 miles. Vicky admonished me several times that "this isn't a race." Hell, I had no idea what I could do on the day. I wasn't crystal clear that I wanted to do 200K with the heat and all, but that was my intention as we started. Someone else I know up in Madison, Rob, managed to spot me at the chip pickup, and we had a one-armed hug while on our bikes.
We had lots of chatter and laughs and it was good to be riding with friends, with no time or speed goals, but just to have fun, even though the ride is somewhat of a sufferfest. During the first climb, my legs didn't feel weak, but they didn't really enjoy the climbing (there's a 2 mile climb in the first 8 miles of the ride back almost to where you start in Mounds Park--before we started up it, I ceremoniously flipped it the bird), and the humidity was oppressive, and the winds were blowing steady 15-20MPH with gusts to maybe 40. I got asked a few times how I was faring having done an Ironman 3 weeks ago, and for the most part I felt just fine. Sluggish, but fine.
Somewhere during the first 20 miles I thought it would be more fun to just do the 100K and then I'd get to hang out with Cindy and possibly Lisa and Vicky as well for the afternoon. That seemed like a good plan to me, and I had nothing to prove, having done the 200K twice already. Also, in my "slacking and not training" mode that I'm trying to be in, I figured doing just the 100K would put me around 15 hours of "not training" for the week, which was plenty. And then, if I felt like it, I could get in a run or swim on Sunday once I got home. This seemed like a grand idea to me!
When we got to the first "stage" station, lo and behold, I spotted Michiko, and someone else I know, Mary. It was like the ladies reunion! The day was getting better and better. We spent far too long at the first station, but none of us cared. We were more or less ambling. Now, I pulled into this first station last, because, as I said, I was feeling sluggish. So I guess there was still a little quad fatigue from Brazil left over. I think I was helped somewhat by riding my road bike, too. That granny gear saved my ass!
I had forgotten that the reason I know Mary is through Michiko. Mary is the only one amongst us who hasn't done an Ironman. She actually doesn't do multisport races anymore, but she's one helluva cyclist.
We rolled out of that station to embark on the next leg of the day's journey. It was not bad at all--there were many miles of basically flat sections, and even though it was windy, I didn't mind at all. I can ride all day on flats into a headwind (that's basically what Brazil was). I started feeling stronger as the ride wore on. There was one nasty climb in Stage 2 called Barlow Road--I remembered it from the last 2 years. It's one of those stair-step climbs. It has 3 steps, and people were walking their bikes! I never know if I am going to make it up these things, but I know how to force my muscles to relax into the effort, relax my breathing, and then when necessary, I channel people to get me up and over. Saturday it was my mom, sometimes Gilberto Simoni (I have no clue why I picked him), and once it was Chuck Norris. Barlow Road really pissed me off, it sucked so bad. So for several miles I tried to come up with a description of how badly it sucked, and then it came to me. I had to share my revelation with my friends, much to their groaning chagrin: Barlow Road sucks like a crack whore who's run out of money and needs a fix. How's that for analogy?
Cindy and I pulled out in front of the ladies and pulled into the next and last station first. Cindy got a cable adjustment to her bike (they were new and stretched), we talked and laughed, and then prepared for the assault on Pinnacle Road, which is right out of the aid station. I think Vicky and Lisa left first and seemed to get well ahead. Cindy and I were climbing about the same pace. Pinnacle Road didn't seem nearly as bad as I remembered it. Of course, I remembered it having 100 miles of nastiness under my belt from the last 2 years, whereas today it was maybe only 45 miles (I had no computer on my road bike, which was fine by me). Don't get me wrong--it still sucked, but it didn't suck as badly as Barlow Road had sucked earlier, yet I knew there were more nasty climbs up ahead.
Shortly after Pinnacle, I left Cindy behind, but knew she'd be OK. She was cramping, probably (sorry if you're reading this, Cindy) from being out of shape, even though I knew she could tough it out. She had talked of calling her husband to come get her, but I really hoped she wouldn't resort to that. She is one tough cookie (ironically, on an all-pink bike, including her matching Hello Kitty water bottles), and I knew she'd figure it out.
I caught up to Vicky and Lisa, and I was just feeling better and better, and stronger and stronger. So I said a few words and then passed them up and kept going. There were some sweet stretches where you could really open it up. I actually used my biggest chainring (my road bike has a triple) a lot during the day, as long as I wasn't climbing or directly into a headwind. I passed a lot of people on this last leg. Some were just stopping to rest in shade. Some were stopping to get plain water to cool off. As I saw this, I thought to myself, "It's not getting any cooler out, it's not getting any less hilly, and the wind isn't dying down, so I might as well keep up the effort and finish this bitch."
There was another fairly nasty climb going into the town of Barneveld. I remembered that I didn't like the town from the past 2 years because of the way we entered it. And then once you're there, you can see the top of the f'ing Mounds Park (which is, by the way, the highest point in the state of Wisconsin), and you just keep seeing it and know that at any time, you will be climbing up that sucker one more time, only you get to do the final 900-ft. (which seems like an eternity) climb that is very steep to the finish line.
So you are being taunted by some flat to rolling roads, all the while looking up at the looming finish. The ride takes you slightly away from the park, of course, so you have plenty of time to think about what you are doing and what you are about to do, because you had better be ready, because it's a lot harder the second time up. It was more interesting to me this year because I didn't know the mileage or where I was or how fast I was going, so I literally had to stay more in the present moment. I think training with a power meter has taught me to sense my effort level and to know when I'm slacking and to pick it up. I also looked at the calories I was burning (by my HRM), and it seemed I was putting out about the right amount of effort for a ride like this. But in thinking about the 200K (which I was quite happy to not be doing), all I could think was that the 100K is not that bad at all. And/or I am pretty strong. Let's go with strong, OK?
I ride up to this woman (who it also happens knows some of the women I've already mentioned) who has been trading positions with me all day. She looked to be around my age and really strong, so there. I did let her go, though, as we approached Mounds Park.
When I saw the sign that it was Mounds Park Road, I had temporary amnesia. Because I couldn't remember how far you go before it really starts to suck. In starting the climb, it didn't feel that bad, but that lasts maybe 3/4 mile, and then it's hell, and you know you have 1.75 miles to go! I always tell myself that if I really need to bail and walk, that there's no shame in it. You see some fit looking men who are walking. That's the thing about this ride--it's all about managing your effort, and all my training rides (and runs, for that matter) generally increase in effort over the duration of the session. So I'm very familiar with needing to push myself late in the game, and this day was no exception. I kept feeling stronger, and even though Mounds Park Road was a grinder, about 1 mile up I just decided, fuck it, I'm not getting off my bike, I can do this, I feel GREAT! In fact, when I'd go by another rider, and they would ask me how I was doing, I would say, "Actually, pretty good!" And I truly meant it. Hell, I could think back to 3 weeks ago when I felt rotten, so by comparison, this was a picnic!
Even though my road bike weighs a few pounds more than my tri bike, I am still a featherweight rider, and that pays off in spades on all the climbing. I could literally feel how light I was and know that my legs had only to haul my 112-pound body up that stinking hill!
There are 2 or 3 places during the climb where it flattens just enough to give you a little reprieve, and if you are pacing yourself correctly and staying fully in the moment, you can really feel like you are getting a huge rest, and so I did. I passed people in these sections, too, because they had gone too hard in trying to climb, and when you do that, you will have trouble recovering when you get the chance (the secret to triathlon racing, if you ask me).
During the last .25 mile, I know I wasn't smiling, even though there were people lining the hill to cheer us on up. It felt like I was barely turning the cranks, but #1 I wasn't stopping and #2 I was not going to stand up. I saw Rob again, coming down the hill (I wondered if he was just going to ride home), and he encouraged me as well. I think I managed to smile at him, at least I hope I did! It really was a day of appreciating many wonderful people that I know.
That last 900 feet sucked, but again, not as bad as it sucks if you ride the 200K. Up and over, and I was finished! My riding time was 5:03:48. That was fine. I figured if I had done the 200K it would have taken me about 10 hours, but this way, I could wait for friends to finish, get some eats and drinks, and have a nice evening.
Even though it wasn't a race, I was first across the line of the "all women's cycling team." I am also the oldest of the group. I wasn't racing everyone else, but just doing it how I do it. I felt great, my legs felt just fine, and if I had brought my running shoes, I could have run right off that ride. But this turned out to be a week to hold back. The 100K ride just isn't that hard, if you have decent cycling fitness. The 200K ride, though, I would want to not be coming off an Ironman race, and I can do it just fine. So maybe next year I'll do that. Oops--I'm registered for a silly 300K ride that is much the same course in August. I still don't know if I can finish it, we shall see. My plans are subject to change!
Not too long after I finished, put my bike in my car and walked back to the finish line, the "winner" of the 200K ride came in. What an animal! His wife was photographing people at the finish line. I think he did the 200K in maybe 7 hours? I talked to him once he got off the bike. Nice man. STRONG man!
After all members of the "all women's cycling team" were in, we relaxed in the park and ate and drank. I think I had 4 beers--this time they were from a brewery in Madison, as opposed to the last 2 years where it was from the Grumpy Troll brewery in Mount Horeb. Whatever it was, it was good! I also ate a hamburger with onions, salt and cheese. And an ice cream cone. I can't remember the last time I had an ice cream cone. I guess the hamburger was my token McDonald's replacement (which I traditionally eat after an Ironman but wasn't close enough to one in Brazil), and it wasn't even greasy.
Since I had a hotel close to the park, I offered that all the girls could shower up there before going home or wherever. Lisa and Vicky left to go to a cookout. The others came back to my hotel and showered. Michiko and Mary drove back home, and then I went to dinner with Cindy and her family. We had a great time--we ate at Heiney's in Black Earth. Cindy's son, Matthew, has quite the adult palate, as he ate the sashimi grade tuna steak rare. He let me taste it, and it was awesome. I had Steak Wisconsin, which is a big hunk of sirloin with a big wedge (not silly little crumbles) of bleu cheese on top. More beer, and I was one stuffed girl!
So the weekend turned out to be an impromptu reunion of the All Women's Cycling Team, a time for me to dial back on my effort yet reconfirm my strength, a stroke of good fortune for my friend, Matt, and as it turns out, I did just enough training on the week.
Bonus, it turns out Cindy will be in my area next weekend and is doing the same sprint race that me and Lora are doing! We will have some fun! And I'm pretty sure my friend Matt is coming to watch--another thing--Matt also called me on the way up to Wisconsin, and he is NOT going to Kuwait. I am SO happy for him!
I passed out around 8:30PM, but then my neighbors (from Canada, it turns out) were making some racket, so that kept me awake for maybe 1/2 hour. I awoke at 5:30, wanted to sleep in, but figured it would be better to drive home early and avoid traffic.
I left Mount Horeb at 6:30AM and hit zero traffic back to home and made it in 2.5 hours. When I got home, I suddenly realized that I am very tired. So I made a good choice yesterday. But life presented me with such good options, I don't think I could have gone wrong! So I just laid around today, and will recoup for a good, solid "slacker training" week.
And how, for the first time in 4 weeks, I think, here are some training totals, like I care:
Weekly Totals 06/12/2006-06/18/2006
Swim: 8150 yards in 2.92 hours; 19% of weekly workout time; approx. 1020 calories burned
Bike: Approx. 142.63 miles in 8.15 hours; 53% of weekly workout time; approx. 3702 calories burned
Run: Approx. 20.6 miles in 3 hours; 19% of weekly workout time; approx. 1820 calories burned
Strength: 1.37 hours; 9% of weekly workout time; approx. 343 calories burned
All Sports: 15.44 hours; approx. 6885 calories burned
Sleep: 8.04 hours avg./night
Stretching: 1.15 hours
Season Totals 09/12/2005-06/18/2006
Swim: 328028 yards in 115.65 hours
Bike: Approx. 3516.34 miles in 202.73 hours
Run: Approx. 1109.78 miles in 175.22 hours
Strength: 57.32 hours
All Sports: 550.92 hours; approx. 244838 calories burned
Stretching: 59.86 hours
Season Weekly Averages 09/12/2005-06/18/2006
Swim: 8201 yards in 2.89 hours
Bike: Approx. 87.91 miles in 5.07 hours
Run: Approx. 27.74 miles in 4.38 hours
Strength: 1.43 hours
All Sports: 13.77 hours
Sleep: 8.48 hours avg./night
Stretching: 2 hours avg./week
Goals from Last Week:
- Um...I didn't really have any
Accomplishments This Week:
- Made some wise decisions about holding back on training
- Returned to full-strength strength training
Goals for Next Week:
- I gotta sleep more. 8 hours is not enough!
- I need to get my stretching back to 2 hours weekly.
- I want to do really well in the sprint triathlon. OK, so I have an ego. Fine, I'm over it. I want to do REALLY WELL. And I'll have fun at it! I am ready to go really hard. My perspective on effort has changed again, post-Brazil.
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