Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Weeks 16 & 17

Here are two weeks worth of updates.

Week 16 ~ we rode 55 miles out to the San Felipe Casino. I like this ride mostly because I am familiar with it and I am comfortable with it. The ride was a good for me because I had to get out of my comfort zone as we rode in a pace line. Since I am semi claustrophobic I had to learn to trust my fellow riders who were on my wheel and I had to trust my self to get close to the person in front of me. We stayed at a pace of about 12-15mph. I think we could have gone faster, but because we were staying together the pace was a bit slower. Not that I minded. It was a great ride to bond with teammates I had not had a chance to talk to. Gina was behind me for at least 10 miles and we were chatting about kids… age, activities and our age. The whole time we were chatting, I thought she was Leanne. Yes, I felt like an idiot. Something both Gina and I will never forget.

This was also the last ride for our Honolulu team before they left… lucky dogs. So we bid them farewell at the end of our ride to be safe and have fun in the sun.

Team photo minus a few riders like Heather, Elizabeth and Scott. This shot includes our wonderful coaches and mentors.



This is a shot of our bikes. By the time we reach our half way point destination, we are glad to prop our bikes up and fuel up with the food and drink we brought.

Week 17 ~

I had been avoiding the hilly mountain rides the last couple of times the team went out. So I knew for personal reasons I had to go to this one. Destination – Moriority via Old Route 66, which means you have to go up Sedillo Hill (map is below). I woke up early and confident. It takes 45-60 minutes to get to the starting point of Tramway and Central so I had everything ready the night before. The reddish balloon on the far left side of the map is where we started. We followed the thick yellow line all the way to the big red dot. Sedillo Hill is the point on the yellow line. The red lines on the right of map is the route we went a couple of weeks agon when we went to Stanley then Moriority. Notice that the hills are minimal on the Stanley route. This ride had hills both ways.

The first mistake I made was thinking I could start strong and fast. A few riders left the parking lot a little ahead of me and I wanted to catch up and be with the "fast" group. Well, when you start behind a group of strong riders catching up to them in hard. Not only did we start the ride going uphill, we had no warm up, and we had a headwind of about 15-18 miles per hour. Five miles into the ride I was already feeling winded and my thighs were starting ache. The fast group was no where to be seen. So I decided that I would just go at a nice easy pace. Then the others riders that started behind me caught up and passed me. So now my confidence was dwindling. When I reached the rest spot at the top of Sedillo Hill, my behind had shooting pains on the right side. I think I pulled a muscle trying to stay fast going up the hills. I also started to cramp on my left side. I tought about getting into the SAG car going into Moriority because I didn't think my butt would survive another 15 miles. I did end up riding into Moriority. Again, the last rider coming in. Coach Clyde stayed with me and I just felt terrible that he had to go "slow" on the downhills.

The Moriority truck stop was a welcome sight. I ate my peanut butter and marshmellow sandwich Bailey made for me and the oranges we cut up the night before. I drank my Rockstar energy drink, I gelled up and even had a couple of shot blocks. I stretched as much as I could to get the cramp out of my left side and get my butt feeling like I could get on saddle for another 25 miles. Again, I started out good and strong. I stayed with the pack. I made it half way back to Sedillo Hill and the cramps started up again. All I could think about is "how much further". So I wimped out and got in the SAG car. I was determined not to ride in the car all the way back. So in Tijeras I got back on the bike. Tijeras was dedicating a Veterans Memorial on that day so there were tons of people in the roads as well as motorcycles. The park had a military helicopter land and two F-16’s did a fly over.

I made it back to the parking lot. You would think that if you had a headwinds all the way out, you would have tailwinds coming home. But NO. The headwinds coming back were just as miserable. I was happy that it was mostly downhill on the way back.

We will start increasing our milage this week. So far the longest I have done is 65 miles. This week it should go up to 70-75. I also realized that I had been getting by not doing a whole lot during the week. No extra ride, no stair machine and no spin bike. If I want to be stronger I need to workout during the week. I paid dearly this past week for not doing anything. I will not let it happen again.

Ed, Nick, Jan, Diane (SAG driver), Courtney and Clyde getting ready to ride.

Jan and I trying to get warm.

Moriority truck stop. I-40 is our view.

Sedillo Hill going east. No words needed. Click on the button to get a better view.

Going downhill from Sedillo Hill west.
Bikes along the road in Tijeras. They were everywhere.

The semi is actually on I-40. Since Route 66 is parallel to I-40 we could see it most of the way. Don't the clouds look cool. The ride is actually pretty boring when it comes to scenery. This is the highlight.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Week 15 ~ Easy Week

I have been plagued with sinus headaches the past week so I decided not to go on the group ride on Saturday. I did meet up with Heather on Sunday for an easy 30 mile ride on the bosque. We started at 6:30am. Although it was a bit chilly, I welcomed the cool weather. When I got home I was feeling guilty that I didn't do any hills. So, I ventured out behind our house and climbed a long hill a couple of times for a little interval training. This coming week we are going back to the Hollywood Casino. It will be an easy 55 miles.



Morning Sunrise as we are getting ready for the ride.



Heather at Tingly.

Me at Tingley.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Week 14 ~ 65 miles in the mountains

Well, after a few bumps in the road, I managed to finish the 65 mile ride. The ride took us from Frost Road and North 14 (in the Sandia Mountains) to Stanley then to Moriority and back. While it was mostly flats, the last 10 miles was climbing 2400 feet of elevation. There was a couple of times where I was ready to get into the SAG car. I managed to get a flat on the way back to Stanely. The goo in the tire kept trying to seal, but to no avail. I ended up changing it. I will be looking into thicker tires this week. I am tired of changing tires and my team mates I'm sure are tired of waiting for me.

The ride took us through some beautiful landscape... llamas, sunflowers and corn fields. The road from Stanley to Moriorty was full of grasshoppers. It was really gross knowing I must have run over more than 100. Not only did we go through grasshopper road kill, but we also saw snakes, rabbits and dead birds.

I am really starting to enjoy and look forward to my training rides on Saturdays. One reason is knowing that I am getting stronger. While my body size has not changed, knowing that the heart is getting healthier is good enough for me. I sign recommitment paperwork this week and I am very close to my fundraising goal. Please take the time and donate to get me there. Just click on the link on the side bar. Thanks to everyone who has supported me this far. Don't forget, you are not only supporting me, you and helping aid in cancer rearch and care. All donations are tax deductible.

Love to all, XOXO.
Check out the pictures below.