IM effort in training

Here are some pics of the bike mechanic in action. Please excuse the jungle that is our back yard in the background. We are ironman training. In December our "honey-do" list is going to disappear!

Our weekends have been flying by. Even when we it appears we don’t do much, somehow the days pass and we have accomplished so little. Unless you count naps on the couch and training hours. Saturday I took the morning off training in order to rest before our big brick planned for Sunday. While Chad rode for almost 3 hours, I cleaned bathrooms, washed and folded laundry, started trading out summer for fall/winter clothes, and various other little chores that we never seem to find the time for. We had lunch together and turned on the TV and were both soon fast asleep. But we did get up and going in time for a 3000 yd swim at Eastern Market. We did 3000 yds on Thursday also so this is a very good breakthrough for both of us. I am still swimming quite slow so I brought my fins in order to speed up some of the sessions. Chad wasn’t happy about my speedy 100’s, but he did keep up.

Saturday evening we cooked mashed potatoes, chicken and squash. Real comfort food -Yum! And we were early to crash in order to be up and at ‘em early. We were supposed to be out the door and on the road by 6 but the woman we were carpooling with called at about 5:55 and was just getting into a taxi. Chad and I were both disappointed that for once we were would have been on time to a workout with TJ. But alas…

Our workout plan was two loops of the Eagleman bike course in Cambridge, MD on the eastern shore, followed by a run. The plan was to refuel at the cars before heading out on the second loop. The first loop was incredibly tough. It got off to a bad start when TJ led the group out the wrong way. I recognized it wasn’t right and yelled out that I was going to follow the cue sheet. Chad and Kathryn followed TJ and I went out according to the route map. Almost immediately you are hit by head wind. And then there is a little break and then again, you hit head wind. One stretch of road is 12 miles and the headwind is relentless. I was trying to keep my average speed a little over 19. I figured at times I’d be able to push faster when there was a tailwind. But into the headwinds I tried to keep my speed above 18 mph. My heart rate was manageable but I tried pushing it further in order to catch up to the other three, who I assumed were several miles ahead of me, having taken a “short cut”.

At one point I saw a sign that said detour, bridge closed, but I thought I’d check it out – you never know if a road is passable by bike. It turned out to be almost 2 miles out of the way and as I turned around (you couldn’t get over the bridge) I saw Chad riding towards me. And a little further back was TJ. Turns out they were not able to follow the route they started on and had to turn around. The whole time I was pushing to catch up to them they were pushing to catch up to me!

I made it my goal to stay within visual distance of Chad the rest of the way and I succeeded, though it wasn’t easy. While he was probably riding at 75% effort, I was getting close to my max. When we finally made it back to the car (after almost 3 hours of total ride time) TJ decided he’d a) had enough; and b) he needed to get back home for family obligations. Our late start foiled his double brick. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the first to pull out. Chad had already declared he’d had enough. My coaxing was not enough to convince TJ back into the ride, but somehow Chad was able to muster the mental fortitude to take one for the team. And so after a 20 min break we rode back out into the headwind. He flatted about 40 min into the second loop and I happily hung back and held his bike while he did a quick change. And then we started and next thing I know he is so far ahead of me he is almost out of sight. We were back on that 12 mile stretch of road and although I was keeping my speed over 18 mph, it was hard. Mentally I was tired of the wind. And we hadn’t even hit the worst part – Egypt road. An 8 mile stretch where the wind is both fierce and relentless.

After we made a turn Chad slowed down and we road together for several miles. He was starting to fade so I pulled for a while. And then when we did make it to Egypt road he found a second wind and I happily drafted for several miles. Just when I thought I could ride on my own I would fade back and Chad would have to slow to pick me up again. And then we finally reached the turn and I knew we had less than 10 miles to the car. I felt rejuvenated and we took turns pulling again until we made one last right turn that gave us a wonderful tailwind. We pushed it back, going 23+ and then dragged ourselves the last couple miles through some back streets and to the park where we started. Chad had started coughing from allergies and who knows what else about half way through the second loop so a transition run was out of the question for him. And I was so ridiculously tired that I convinced myself to run and then decided not to.

That was by far the toughest ride I can remember doing. My total ride distance was about 109 miles, give or take a few because my bike computer is usually a little off. I know at 102 miles our time was 5:20. But then it took us so long to go those last few miles… I think my total ride time was 5:50 or so. It was a decent effort up to mile 100 for sure. I can only hope we don’t feel like this after finishing the bike course in Arizona. Or else it’s going to be a long and disappointing day.

Our other ride mate finished about 30 min after us and decided not to run also. So we headed to the nearest Pizza Hut for some lunch (dinner) before the ride home. With all the driving and riding it was a 12 hour day. We were pooped and in bed by 9 pm.

I have to say with all this training Chad is coming around to the concept of early bed times. While I feel bad he was so exhausted after riding more than 170 miles all weekend, I was secretly joyful (although the secret is out of the bag now) that he was as tired as me for once. Six more weeks of training and we’re done!

Sunday ride to Poolesville

73 miles; or, let's round up to 75 to make me feel better

As I mentioned, the weather was forecast to be iffy Sunday. We had planned to meet TJ at 7:30; or rather, TJ was planning to get to our house shortly before 7:30 for clip-in at 7:30. At 7:25 TJ arrives and Chad is still in bed. Not sure he wants to get up. I cajole, nag and guilt him into joining us; reminding him we can turn around or hop into a coffee shop if the weather takes a bad turn. The first 20 miles or so are dotted with perfect little coffee shops; it might actually be nice for once to pop into one and skip the rest of the ride. But I digress. Finally we get rolling at 8:15. TJ has come to expect that when we schedule clip-in for 7:30, realistically that means 7:45. So this was late even by Lewis standards. (Sorry to all the Lewis' reading this. I've just made a sweeping statement that may be unfair.)

So, in the end we rolled. And rolled. Or so it seemed. We crossed paths with a woman we see riding and running on almost every outing. I passed her on a down hill and she quickly passed me back. Then Chad passed both of us and she grabbed his wheel and I didn't take hers. Pretty soon Chad was out of sight and I was reeling the woman back in. But then I decided to take the Mountain Gate hill, which adds a mile and a few minutes to the route. I could see TJ somewhere behind me but decided to just keep plugging away. So far I was feeling ok. We all met up at BP, where Chad looked extremely refreshed and made a weak threat about turning around. We decided to take River Road and ended up rolling through a light shower. It actually felt refreshing and it was nice to have more water than grit flying into my face from Chad's wheel. But then something happened and my legs turned to stone and riding up those hills became a chore. After the second hill TJ made a break for it and all of the sudden I was chasing.

We made it to Poolesville - finally. I had barely finished one water bottle in the first 2 hours and 36 miles of riding. We agreed to meet up again at the BP. Again, I lagged the entire way, seeing TJ just ahead. Chad had long ago vanished into the horizon. At BP I decided 1/3 bottle of Infinite was enough to get me back and I didn't wait for the boys to refill; I rolled knowing they would catch me. I took it pretty easy the next several miles; let my legs rest a little and enjoy the open road - no one to chase and no pressure.

We got hit by another rain shower as we were coming through Falls Road. This time we got soaked, but it felt refreshing. My legs were still revolting though I was doing my best to stay with Chad and TJ as we came through Georgetown, Whitehurst Freeway and Independence Ave. At some point Chad said something about making me take tomorrow as a rest day; I'm not a big fan of being coached, especially by my husband. So when he tried to say something else (about what I forget now) I think my exact words were, "I think you should ride ahead of me". No, not very nice, but lucky for me he took it in stride and didn't offer anymore advice.

My total ride time was 4:03, not too far off our previous efforts at riding the Poolesville route (just under 4 hours). That made me feel good until I learned Chad's ride time yesterday was 3 hrs 40 min. Just when I think I haven't lost as much as it feels, I realize Chad has improved so much. I'm really proud of him. He has been working really hard on his nutrition and speed and it shows. He's now the most aerodynimic he's been since starting triathlon. (HS weight does not count here.) And he's strong - running, biking and swimming like never before. I could learn a lot from him. I'll have to work on my ability to take advice.

Mountain Mama: The Epic Adventure

There are two separate highlights to this story - 1) On our 4 hour drive to the start of Mountain Mama Century in Monterey, VA, Chad and I got our first flat IN THE CAR. Unfortunately I didn't have the forethought to take pictures while Chad and Phil changed the tire. But here is a glimpse of the damage.

We ended up getting the tires changed at Wal-Mart in Staunton, VA. The guys helping us couldn't get the new tires installed properly so it ended up taking 2 1/2 hours! We finally left a Staunton a little after 9 pm - we didn't home until after midnight.
So, now that I've told you how the story begins and ends...

2) Phil, Laurel, Chad and I decided to give Mountain Mama Century a run for the money. It starts and ends in Monterey, about 200 miles south west of DC. And it climbs 9 mountains in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. It's a crazy ride. The four of us caravanned out, enjoying Cracker Barrel for dinner, a snooze at the Holiday Inn in Staunton and then an hour drive to the start of the ride. It was pouring and lighting and thunder were crashing on the mountain tops as we drove towards the start. The ride was beautiful and eventful, considering we got the flat about 20 min into the drive.

After an hour delay we got rolling at 9. The rain had stopped though the roads were still pretty wet. After a tenth of a mile to get out of the school drive, we took a right up our first mountain climb. It was awesome. We ended up getting caught in a short line of traffic, the last driver of which was a real a$$. She was hugging the white line so none of us could pass her on the right and nearly took out a bunch of us with her rearview mirror when she took a broad corner. At the 15 mile mark we took a left and headed into Sugar Grove for our second mountain climb.

This second climb was steep, but shorter than some of the other climbs. Probably a mile up. And then it was followed by some rollers. One of the highlights of my day was passing a group of guys on this climb, one of which commented "I thought those time trial bikes weren't any good for climbing". I responded that 650 wheels are great for climbing, but was really pleased when he finished with "Guess it all depends on the engine". Darn right it does!!

There were 7 rest stops on the ride, which generally came at the bottom of the big climbs. We had some nice riding through valleys where I was actually able to ride in the aero position. Though the hills were 8-9% grade and sometimes more. I ended up taking in too many calories early on. I was drinking a water bottle with Infinit or about 200 calories about every hour 15 minutes. And I ate a peanut butter sandwhich at every rest stop. I was scared to run out of fuel on the climbs, but by the 5th rest stop I couldn't take in any more food. I was drinking a bottle of water and a bottle of Infinit mix about every 2 hours or so, trying to keep the fluids in at least.

The scenery was beautiful. All the pictures are from our drive in and out. We didn't bring any electronics with us because of the wet roads and the fact that we forgot plastic bags. We passed through some really small towns, but only passed a couple stores or gas stations. This is definitely not a place you could plan a route and count on stopping every 20 miles at a store to reload your drink. The volunteers were great and the food was plentiful.

The climbs were all tough, but the one that hurt the most was the last one, which starts going up at mile 95. There are probably 20 switchbacks; just when you think you have reached the peak, you see the next corner ahead. Chad and I were climbing together for most of this. There was a group of motorcyclists hanging out at one of the scenic overlooks and I asked if they had a tow rope. I was mostly kidding; in large part because I'm not sure I could stay upright by getting pulled by a rope. And then, finally, we began the descent back into Monterey. Chad quickly sped by me and I didn't see him again until I pulled up to the car.

After cold showers and pulled pork sanwhiches we were on our way to recovery. Except for that 3 hr stop at Wal-Mart. We both had red eyes, sunburn and that exhausted look you get when you've had a fantasic, but really long ride.

Riding out the demons

I'll let Chad give you his take on today's ride. But here's mine. 6:30 am departure from the Hill; 4 men, 2 women. No warm up - right into it. We get about 10 miles in and there is short but steep ascent and then a nice descent that takes you on to the long straight away that is McArthur Blvd. The men hammered the ascent and even if I could have kept up, they all have at least 15 pounds on me and would have lost me on the descent. I could see them in the distance, getting further and further away.

Behind me Laurel was having a tough day due to her asthma. I thought about slowing to wait for her, saw the guys pulling even further ahead and decided to push ahead as best I could. I'm not sure at what point I started to get angry. But it had something to do with feeling guilt for not waiting for Laurel (I'm generally open to slowing up for someone) and frustration that I lost the guys so early in the ride.

So when we get to the top of McArthur, where it meets with Falls Road I see Chad ducking into the woods and Laurel waiting in a driveway. TJ was right behind me and Phil and Andy had gotten lost in a neighborhood that we ride through for extra hills. Split second decision to keep riding. I was riding by myself anyway, so I yell to Laurel, "I'm gonna keep riding. See you later". And off I go. I wanted to keep my HR averaging about 150 - once it got above 154 I could feel my legs resist - still tired from Total200. (I know, I know, could you stop talking about it already?!) At one point I looked behind and saw a lone cyclist in the distance. I had a feeling it was TJ but I wasn't about to stop and wait.

TJ eventually caught up to me and again I made a conscious choice - tell him sorry, I'm riding out the demons and I'm not very good company or just keep riding. I kept riding. I had a feeling he was riding out his own worries. Or maybe he's been married for 12 years and he knows when a woman needs some alone time. Haha!

As it turns out the other 4 did the same loop as us but in the opposite direction so we did see them at one point. And at the BP where we stopped to refuel they came in a little behind us. Apparently they'd been discussing my anger. But they didn't understand the root of it - mere frustration that I couldn't hang on. It's a bang to the ego, seriously. I won't be doing any racing until mid-September this year so I have until then to get dropped every weekend.

But what was really going through my head as I was rolling up and down River Rd was the wanted ad I would post on the DC Triclub forum.

Wanted:
Strong female cyclist looking to podium in her age group for cycling partner. Must be willing to start at the crack of dawn. Strong hill climber preferred.

But for me it's not about the man-woman thing except that I happen to ride with a bunch of strong male riders. So really, a more appropriate ad:

Wanted:
Cycling partner looking to get a 5:45 bike split at fall ironman. Early risers and hill climbers preferred. Any one looking to start a ride after 8:30 am need not apply.

Now in all seriousness, my husband is probably spot on for the job. Unfortunately, he's just a tad faster than me. And in a group of guys he has an ability to power across a gap that I lack. And he's a mountain goat.

So anyway, Phil right away asks me what I'm angry about. And you know that also riled me up. If I was a man that didn't wait and I just kept riding you'd be like, dude doesn't want to stop. But because I didn't stop, I'm angry. So what if I really was?!

I won't hash and rehash. Let's just say that I'm gonna keep doing the ride with the same people and my goal is going to be shorten the gap until one doesn't exist. Lofty goal, I know. But you have to start somewhere.

Total ride time: 3 hrs, 55 miles.