Dusting off the spandex

I was cleaning today, putting away my workout clothes that had been sitting on my drying rack for too long, and noticed that dust bunnies had started collecting on them.   That's probably a bad sign.   

Thing is, I haven't really been motivated lately.  I've blamed it on the weather, on the time of year, on other obligations, but the reality is that I have stopped making time for fitness.   The culprit, ultimately, is habit.  For the last few weeks the kind of personal stress that I try very hard to avoid has pushed its way into my life.   Suddenly, I am worrying about things I haven't worried about in a long long time, and I fell back into my old ways of coping.  Namely, sleep and food.  Productive?  No.  Easy?  So very much yes. 

However, as they say, the first step is admitting you have a problem.   Having recognized why I'm doing what I'm doing, it is up to me to find better coping mechanisms.   Rather than focus on the near term unpleasantness, I need to refocus on my goals and ambitions for the months and years ahead.   So, while it's a bit early to have New Year's resolutions, I thought I would list out my goals for 2013.   

• Ride a century fast enough to be able to get a massage at the end
• Hang with the lead group on the Tues/Thur ride (at least for a while)
• Complete a triathlon (and have other people behind me)
• Run a half-marathon (and not puke)
• Do the WI Triple Crown
• Run a 30 min 5K

Some of these are more likely than others, and I'm certain I won't be able to do them all.  Nonetheless, that's what I'm aiming for.  And unless I get my butt in gear, aiming is all I'm going to be doing.   Time to gird my loins, put on my big girl spandex, and get on with it.  

Turkey Trot Recap

My best friend, Nana, lives in Michigan.  This is a bummer for a number of reasons, but as of late, the biggest has been that she and I aren't able to do run/rides/etc. together.   She and I are both on a crazy journey to becomes fitter, slimmer versions of ourselves and it's unfortunate that as we both discover a love for a variety of physical activities that we aren't able to share that with each other.    So, when she decided she would be at home for Thanksgiving, we decided we would find a 5k to run together.   Conveniently, IRIS was holding their annual Turkey Trot in Faribault and had online registration, so we settled on that.   

Thanksgiving day dawned bright and beautiful, unseasonably warm at more than 50F.   Rather than grabbing tights and gloves, Nana and I both settled on knickers.  Actually, the same knickers, only in different colors...we are, after all, basically the same person.   The pre-registered line was very very long, which was a little concerning as we had only arrived with about a half hour to spare.   Fortunately, the organizers realized that they were running out of time, and opened the Walkers Only line to the runners.   

After we got our numbers, we wandered out to the start line and milled about in the crowd.   While standing there, we ran into several folks from the bike club, which was great.   I fear I wasn't a very good friend, though, as I failed to introduce Nana to the group.  I'm sure she's used to it by now, as social graces are not exactly what I'm known for.    While we were talking, I kept checking my phone.   Ben had mentioned that he was considering coming out to run with us, but hadn't committed for sure.   I hadn't heard from him one way or the other, and when 8:20 rolled around, I figured he wasn't coming (the race started at 8:30).   However, as I was scanning the crowd to find the start, my eyes fell upon a freakishly tall fellow.  Ben!  

The race started, and we were off.   The weather continued to be great, and we had full run of the road.   We settled into a good chatting pace and proceeded to start knocking out the miles.    We did walk a few times, but as we were just out to enjoy the day, it was no big deal.   All the fun was in being out doing the run with friends, not in racing.  (Besides, I saw the top women's time...the only thing I'll ever be racing is my PR).   

At the end, Megan was on the sidelines cheering as we ran in.  It was the first time I've ever had someone cheering my name...that was pretty cool.   We stuck around and cheered for Dave and Randy as they came in, and then wandered inside to get snacks and water.   The food choices were pretty good, if you were wondering.  Even better, however, was the fact that Dave had brought his famous Monster Cookies, which I gladly partook of (and promptly erased whatever meager calorie deficit I had managed to acquire for the day).

All in all, a pretty great morning.   Running with someone is so much better than running alone.  I look forward to doing it again.   

(And for good measure, I did run a 5k (unofficially) on Saturday :) )

Triathlete or Tri-wanna-be?

I'm having a harder time getting into the swing of this off-season training thing than I thought I would have.  I believe there are a couple contributing factors, but mostly that just adds up to excuses for not doing what I know I need to.   Part of my problem (excuse #1), is that I'm sorta lonely.   I've gotten used to being part of a pack through the summer, frustrating as that can be.  Now, with the exception of spin class, it's just me, and somehow that's just not as fun.   I don't think there's much I can do about that, other than suck it up and focus on the goals.

Goals are part the problem as well (excuse #2).   It's all good and well to say "I'm going to do a tri!", but the fact is, that is still many months off.  I am, at heart, a short term kind of woman.   I like goals that I can knock off in a matter of weeks, not months.  As such, I'm going to spend some time coming up with some entertaining goals for myself (complete with rewards, naturally).    I'm thinking they are going to range from something like 'run 5 miles' to 'follow your workout plan for two weeks'.   The rewards will be in scale with the achievement, but I find they make the work all the sweeter.

The final problem is probably the most pernicious.   While I've mostly wrapped my head around doing a tri next year, I have yet to commit to being a triathlete.    As I mentioned in a previous post, if I do this thing, I want to do it well.   Unfortunately, I'm not exactly a natural athlete.   This is hard for me, and I'm not a person for whom many things are all that hard.   This is the biggest test for me, personally.  Am I willing to put forth the effort to do this?  Am I willing to put myself forward in this manner, knowing that I may well fail?  It's a mental game, an internal wrangling to decide which version of myself will prevail.   Will I be a triathlete?   Or a wanna-be?

DOMS, my old friend

Well, my first week of off-season training was mediocre at best.   I've decided to give myself a star on my calendar for each day I complete my entire workout.   This week I got three stars.   Ouch.   The spinning is easy, but the run requires me to work on my will power a bit more.  The swimming is probably going to have to wait until I have a chance to get to the bank and/or the Park and Rec office, as I don't ever have cash on hand to pay for the daily fee.   I paid on Monday with change, but I don't suspect the teenager who was life-guarding appreciated that.

On the positive, I did most of my strength workouts in.   I say most, because I was sore enough from the first  two that I decided to give the third a pass.   In fact, on my run on Saturday (which I did do), I had ample cause to ruminate on the less than desirable side effects of DOMS.   Suffice to say, there is not a sports bra on this planet that can hold firm enough to avoid pain from sore and inflamed pecs.  

Spin class was a highlight, however.   I found myself able to maintain standing workouts much more consistently.  Also, I felt like I was getting more out the workouts in general, in part due to more endurance, and in part due to knowing when to say screw it, I'm doing something different.   All of this, hopefully will continue through the rest of the winter, and pay dividends next spring.   We'll see, I guess.

For week two, I think I will focus on strength training, until I get the swim thing figured out.   I also need to find some different core workouts, as having that many exercises that require holding for that long is just too boring to do.   Maybe some sort of circuit?

"Off" season

Well, I've spent the last few weeks chilling out and not trying too hard to do much of anything.   I've taken the mountain bike out most weekends and had some fun discovering a new aspect of this crazy sport I've decided to make my own.    In the back of my mind, however, I've been ruminating on my plans for the off-season.   I have high hopes for next season, from doing my first (and subsequent) tri, to doing some serious riding -- and all of that will require that I am in better shape than I am right now.  

Next week marks the start of my off-season training plan.   It's a bit ambitious, and I'm sure it will be tweaked along the way, but this is what it looks like so far.

Monday - Morning swim (technique), evening spin
Tuesday - Morning strength (legs/core), evening run
Wednesday - Morning swim(endurance), evening run
Thursday - Morning strength (arms/core), evening spin
Friday - Morning swim (easy swim) -- Rest day
Saturday - Morning spin, afternoon run
Sunday - Strength (core focus)

I've never tried to put together a strength routine before.   My focus is largely on my core, as I need to set that right to avoid the mid season back issues I have had the last two years.   However, I want to work on arm and leg strength as well, for power purposes.   The following is my rough plan.

Legs:
10x Squat
10x Reverse Lunge
10x Side Leg Raise 
10x Calf Raise
10x 3-way Lunge

Core:
10x Windmill
10x Knee Cross Crunch
10x Prone Snow Angels
10x Plank w/ Knee Bend
10x Exercise Ball Arch

Arms:
10x Standing Shoulder Press
10x Prone Press
Push-ups (to exhaustion)
10x Skull Crushers
10x Chair Dips

Feel free to offer suggestions if you are so inclined.  I'm very new to this.

Thoughts on moving

Yesterday, while participating in my first organized race since Track & Field Day in fifth grade, I found myself reflecting on my rather contentious history with physical activity.   See, I was never athletic or even particularly active as a child.   I was bookish and solitary, given to spending hours curled up in a chair with my current book, losing myself in imaginary adventures.   When told to go outside and play, I would as often as not take my book with me and find a convenient tree to lean against.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I was also overweight.   This made gym class something of a torment, as I felt awkward and out of place in my own skin, something that only became worse as I went through puberty.   Suddenly, in addition to having excess weight, I had these strange and embarrassing changes in my body to contend with.   Running laps and playing soccer suddenly became very public exhibitions of my awkwardness and made the notion of being active something inherently distasteful.

Anyhow, as I was running my 5k, I found myself almost angry at the wasted time of my teens and twenties.   Why, I wondered, had I missed out on so many years (and let's be honest, probably my prime years), sitting on the  sidelines becoming fatter and less active with each one that passed?    It's a hard question, and one that I have asked myself a number of times through this journey towards becoming, dare I say, an athlete.   The answers are not easy to come by as it is, I think, a complicated mix of inherent tendencies and societal expectations.  

One of the things that came to mind yesterday as I was running was the lack of knowledge of even the simplest of things that make an activity like running something other than torture.   My mother was not active, I had no female relatives to take me under their wing and tell me the way of things.  So instead, I endured countless laps around the gym and endless games of soccer and kickball and who knows what else as a large chested woman in a bra hardly worthy of the name.  I played sports in clothes that bunched and chafed, wore whatever shoes I happened to have on hand.   How much different would it have been, I wondered, if someone had taken the time to explain these things that I have learned later in life through research and the advise of friends.  

It seems a little thing, and it is.  But for an awkward teenager, already inclined to dislike physical activity, these little things left an enduring impression of discomfort and inferiority when thinking of things like running or playing sports.   That feeling endured...even as recently as last year I thought that running was for other people, smaller women more coordinated and less awkward than myself.  I'm glad I moved past it, but I can't help but regret the wasted time.   It makes me wonder about the other girls and young women out there who are going through the same experiences, developing the same aversions.   Is there a way, I wonder, to reach out to them and introduce them to a world of physical activity, of moving, that isn't tied to humiliation of gym class, but that introduces instead the joy and freedom that can be found in the midst of a good run or ride.

Workout:  Did a couple loops of Lebanon with the boys.   Autumn is the perfect time for mountain biking.

Big Woods Run - Race Recap

My first race recap!  How exciting!

As is my wont prior to new events, I didn't sleep particularly well last night.   Actually, I slept just fine until some guys decided to park outside my apartment and talk VERY LOUDLY at 3:30 in the morning.    I'm not certain why they thought having one of them hold on the truck bumper and get pulled sounded like a good idea, but I have a sneaking suspicion alcohol was involved.   Anyhow, once that woke me up I pretty much kept waking up every half hour or so until I gave up and got out of bed around 6 AM.

I checked the weather and was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't raining.   In fact, the forecast looked more or less clear for the duration of the race.   I elected to go with knickers and a long sleeve top over a t-shirt, though, just in case.    I grabbed a light breakfast, a good luck kiss from Larry and headed out the door.  

By the time I had reached the church, it had started misting.   It was just enough to make the grass, and therefore my socks, wet.   I picked up my race packet from the tent, including a real life timing chip.   The lady at registration made my day when she told me that she assumed that I had run before and was surprised when I said no.  Must have been all the spandex I was wearing.  

The 5k didn't start at the church, but rather inside the state park.  So, we bundled into a bunch of school buses and took the shuttle to the starting line.   I employed my amazing conversational skills by engaging a few of the other women in idle banter while we waited for the start of the race.    We were herded over to the starting line, where we realized that we were going to have a mass start of over a hundred people on a trail about six feet wide.   Needless to say, it was a bit chaotic.  

I sorted myself out towards the middle-back of the pack, figuring I didn't want to be in the faster people's way.   Unfortunately, that wasn't a feeling shared by everyone, so once they finally let us go, I found myself passing a large number of walkers and even some slower runners (!).   Eventually the group sorted itself, and we settled into our respective paces.   I hadn't really warmed up as much as I should have, and my body was letting me know in a myriad of little ways.   Mostly, my left ankle was pretty stiff, but I had faith that it would loosen up as we went along.

The trail was wide and mostly flat, with the biggest danger being from the many large tree roots crisscrossing it.   The mist had dissipated and the air was crisp and smelled of crushed leaves and rain.   I settled into my rhythm and called to mind the mantra I had finally settled upon.   "Breath.  Strength.  Joy."   Not quite as catchy as "Don't fall over", but it served to remind me of what I had decided was the key to my success.   Breath - I needed to keep my breathing even and in the right rhythm to avoid cramping.   Strength - A reminder that I have the strength to push through the hard spots.   Joy - A reminder of why I was there, and to smile.   Together, I figured it was a good way to keep my head in the right space while out on the trail.

The last mile + of the run was on pavement, which honestly was something of a disappointment.   Also, my shoes, which are amazing on the trail, sort of feel like running on suction cups on pavement.   As a final insult, the rain that had held off thus far started falling in earnest, driven by the rather strong southern wind.   Still, the nice thing about running to a church is that the steeple makes for a rather well defined visual target on which to focus.   So, I buckled down, started chanting my mantra and kept on moving.  

I turned into the final stretch with the hope that I was at least going to finish in under 45 minutes.   As the clock came into view, the numbers I saw were 37:15.   Seriously?  I kicked it into to gear to try and get through the line before it rolled over to 38:00 and made it!   Woo hoo!  I had finished my first 5k without walking, and had even done it in under 40 minutes.  

The final "official" time was even better, at 36:04.   That meant, in essence, that not only had I run my first 5k successfully, but that I had done it at a better average pace than I have ever managed, either on trail or road. All in all, a pretty successful outing, and I got a cool t-shirt besides.   Next up...Thanksgiving 5k!

The night before

Don't get me wrong, I know a 5k is not a big deal.    Well, at least it's not a big deal for people who are reasonably well trained at this running thing.   For me, however, a 5k represents the single longest distance I've ever tried to run at one time, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit concerned.    After all, I'm not exactly headed into this with the best prep work behind me...months of "I'm going to run" followed by biking a lot instead didn't really do the trick.   Nonetheless, I have successfully run 2.5 miles a couple times now, so I'm pretty confident that I can pull out 3.1 in a pinch.  The race schedule says that the last 5k runner should be off the course by 10 AM...I think that means that if I can't finish in an hour they are just going to let the wolves eat me.   Of course, if I can't finish in a hour, I doubt I'll have enough ego left to slink to the finish line anyhow.

To add to my concern is the forecast.   It hasn't rained for real in months (or so it feels), but tomorrow morning there is a very real chance it will be thunderstorming.  In October.   Yep, that sounds about right for how my luck goes.   On the other hand, I think this might be a good thing.   Being cold and wet should be a good incentive to put in a good time, and thus return to my vehicle and dry clothes that much faster.    That's my current working theory, anyhow.  We'll see how it goes.

I did get in one training run this week.  It was a road run, in deference to my aching spine.  Average of 12+ minute/mile, which isn't good for anyone but me, but I'll take it.   My back is a real concern for tomorrow, but I think I'm going to just take my meds and ignore it.   Well, that, and come up with some sort of mantra to get me to ignore it.   Not sure what it will be right now, but "Stay on your feet" is a front runner.

No workout data, sadly...Strava is not playing nice on my phone at the moment.

Lebanon Hills

The highlight of my weekend was a trip up to Eagan to Lebanon Hills with a few folks from the bike club for some mountain biking.   Eagan is only a 45 min or so drive away, and Lebabon offers some fantastic riding.  The trail system is well marked and designed, with a wide assortment of obstacles and trail features.  Additionally, they have recently built a fantastic trail head for the West side, complete with changing rooms and water access.

We were up there because Trek was holding a demo, but given that I was riding a 2013 Mamba anyway, I didn't bother to try out any of the shiny bikes.   I figure my bike habit is expensive enough without starting to think about swapping out bikes I've owned for less than six months.    Once the rest were set up on their demo bikes we headed out to the trail.   We did one big loop as a group (more or less), and then the boys went off to get themselves killed while Ann and I took another trip around the less terrifying trails.   

As a naturally risk-averse person, I'm never going to be the fastest out of the gate on terrain like this, however, because of the way it was laid out, I was able to go over the same bits of trail three or four times.  This was really good for me, because by the end of the day I was able to start taking stuff at speed and was clearing obstacles I had walked around before.   So much of mountain biking for me is about learning to trust what my bike is capable of doing, and slowly I'm getting there.   I've even started to see why people would want to be clipped in! 

The only downside to this rather awesome day was my back.   As mentioned in my previous post, a bit of a bad fall while running had tweaked my back, and spending a couple hours bouncing around on a hardtail didn't really help things along.   In truth, I got home, took a lovely cocktail of muscle relaxants and prescription pain killers and tried to not cry every time I moved.   I'm not at all certain I managed that.   So, unfortunately, that means a slow start to my pre-race week.  I'll be letting my body try to recover for the rest of today and do my best to get back in the groove tomorrow.

The ride 

On the brink of panic

My 5K run is next weekend, and I'm pretty much screwed.   Despite the best of intentions, I've been a slacker when it comes to the running thing, and at this point I think it's pretty much assured that it will be a long, slow slog for me.   Still, I take heart in the little things.   Today, for instance, I ran a mile in under 12 minutes.   This was mostly remarkable in that it was in the woods, where I have not been having a lot of luck getting any speed.  To make up for this milestone, I managed to wipe out on the second mile, twisting while I did so in such a fashion that I think I lost a half inch off my height when I landed on my hip instead of safely on my hands and knees.

My fitness life has been like that lately.  Highs and lows abound.  Take for instance earlier this week.   Monday evening I woke up in the middle of the night and got up to get some water.   Unfortunately, upon getting up my left leg completely buckled underneath me, for some unknown reason.   Whatever caused it left me on the ground for several minutes with my leg unable to support my weight, and residual damage from trying to stop myself from falling kept me off my feet yesterday.   On the other hand, Tuesday I hammered out a 17+ mph ride.   Ups and downs...but the ups are pretty good.

Pretty soon I need to start getting serious about deciding what to do in the "off" season.  I know I'm going to be doing some swimming, and more than a little biking to nowhere.   In addition, though, I would love to get a good amount of running in, as well as some cross country skiing (assuming we have snow).  On top of that, I need to do strength and core training.   Expect to see some musings over the next few weeks regarding off season training.  

Workouts:
2.5 mile trail run
27 mile bike ride
2 mile trail run

UP Part 4

I woke up in Copper Harbor early, well rested from crashing out early the night before and without headache.   I (quietly) got dressed and wandered outside to watch the sunrise.   I wasn't alone.  Grant was out, as was a nice man with a friendly (to me) Rottie rescue.   As we watched, a few others joined us to watch the beauty of the sun rising over the tip of the peninsula   

The boys were going up the mountain again to take some of the more technical trails, but I was interested in checking out some of the easy trails that were lower.   At this point in the trip my legs pretty much always hurt, and I knew we had a big climb out of Copper Harbor, so I didn't want to blow myself out early.   

On the mountain the day before(photo by Dave Chabot)

After breakfast we saddled up and headed out.    Approximately 20 feet out of town we started climbing and pretty much did that for the next ten miles.   As mentioned, my legs were shot, and I wasn't the only one.  It was during this climb that Ann coined the secondary definition for "false flat".   In cycling, a false flat is a term for a climb that looks flat, but it subtly uphill.   Ann added a definition for "when you keep looking at your tire to see if it has gone flat, but it's just that you are that slow".   I had a lot of false flat on that climb.

The advantage of a harsh climb is that (usually) there is an equally awesome descent.  In this case, the descent was a crazily steep hill down to Lac La Belle.   Ann stopped to take a picture of the hill and had her rear wheel lift off the road.   I actually really like photos of the road -- I think they give a good sense of the ride, and make it easy for the viewer to put themselves in the moment.   I would love a GoPro for that reason -- maybe for Christmas.

On the road to Lac La Belle (not the big descent)

After a pit stop at a county park, we set off for Gay, MI.   Despite the fact that I was eleven years younger than anyone on the trip, I'm pretty sure I was the only one not giggling like a school boy at the prospect of stopping at the Gay Bar.   I'm just going to leave it at that.

After Gay, we continued to Hancock, for a return to our stop from two nights prior.   The ride to Hancock was nice.  Ann and I had pretty much decided to take our time at this point, so we enjoyed the scenery along the way.   We took photos, posted Facebook updates and generally had a good time.  

Once in Hancock, the kayaks came out again.  As it was a calmer day, I decided to take a trip out.   Those long sea kayaks are a lot of fun, and Scott's kayaks are beautiful.   The craziest moment was when a big pleasure boat went by, sending a huge wake towards Scott and myself.  He was on a paddle board  so it was a bit more serious for him than me, but we both held onto some supports from an old pier and rode it out.

We ended the evening by going for an early supper so some of the folks could run back to Silver City and get their vehicles.    After supper we walked back, and Howie and I walked a labyrinth.   I have to say, I didn't reach any profound conclusions, but I probably wasn't in the right state of mind for it.

The next morning some of the group went for a quick ride.  In deference to our aching legs (and butts), Ann and I went for a walk around Hancock instead.   There is a fantastically beautiful synagogue near the Ramada, and we found a little park build around an old stone stairway.   It was remarkable how easy it was to climb the hills in town, despite how sore our legs were.   Walking down the hills was another matter.

Once the group reconvened, we all sorted into vehicles and headed home.   There was a lot of hugging and handshaking in the parking lot, despite the fact that we would all see each other in a few days.   It was the end of something pretty cool, so it seemed appropriate.

That should have been the end of our adventures.   Unfortunately, a few miles out of Hancock the Beast had some unfortunate mechanical issues.   There was a lot of black smoke involved, and dire diagnoses of blown head gaskets and other things that are not quickly or cheaply repaired.   The Beast was left behind, Grant's SUV gamely taking on the task of hauling the Silver Bullet (and all our bikes and gear) back to Owatonna.   

The GPS

In case you were wondering, I haven't been idle all this time.   I've gotten a couple rides and some truly pathetic runs under my belt since coming back.   Your regularly scheduled workout reporting returns starting...well, the next time I get out and do something!

UP Part 3

We had made plans the night before to go to a coffee shop prior to the day's ride.  I'm not a coffee drinker, but I enjoy the company and sometimes coffee shops surprise me with a good selection of loose leaf teas (The Black Cat Coffeehouse in Ashland, WI, for example).   I was feeling a little...off, but didn't think much of it.   We drove over to Houghton and stopped in a little coffee shop that was hiding between two buildings.   It wasn't fancy, but the cashier was friendly and what they did have looked okay.   Unfortunately, by this point my feeling a little off had morphed into nausea and the burgeoning signs of a migraine.   I tried to drink a smoothie of some sort, but probably only made if half way through before giving up.

Back at the hotel, I downed some drugs and prepared to saddle up.  I was feeling alternately hot and freezing as the migraine messed with my temperature regulation.  I had tried to eat some food, but it was sitting uneasily and every movement was making my skull pound.   I was, in a word, in trouble.    As I slowly pumped up my bike tires (trying very hard to keep my heartrate down), I tried to assess if it was going to be possible for me to ride.   I had warned Scott that I might need an assist, but I didn't want to slow Ann and the other riders down.   Still, I had come to ride and the first rest stop was only 15 miles out, so I decided to give it a go.  

The climb out of town was slow and painful, with every bump in the road echoing in my head and the increase of my blood pressure leading to a corresponding increase in the pressure in my skull.  I was nauseated and pretty much ready to give up as soon as we reached the rest stop.   On the way up the hill, we picked up Howie, who had decided to ride in the back with the girls for a while.   He and Ann stayed with me, even as I struggled to maintain any real speed.  (Thanks, guys!)

We passed a sign for the State Park that was our rest stop at about 10 miles out.   However, since we had been told the rest stop was 16 miles, we kept riding.  It turns out that was the rest stop, but we weren't the only ones who missed it.   Scott caught up with us and we had an impromptu pit stop on the side of the road.  I still couldn't eat, but I grabbed a banana in the hopes that I would be able to soon.   Again, I struggled with whether or not to keep going, but I decided to keep going, with reassurances that that rest of the route was flat.   

Outside of a town that I can't remember the name of, we ran into Scott who informed us that a few of the boys had made a stop at a local bar.   Naturally, we decided we would join them, so we rolled in and parked our bikes right under the "Bikers Welcome" sign.   It was a typical small town bar, dark and stale, with a disinterested bartender and locals who were more than a bit curious about the spandex wearing folks that had just invaded.    The others ordered their drinks of choice and I settled in, enjoying the dim surroundings.    Scanning the bar, I happened to see a rack of peanuts for sale and a light bulb went off.   Normally when I have a migraine I end up binging on something really salty.   The peanuts were calling to me, so I went with my gut and grabbed a bag.   I slammed those peanuts down and within a few moments I started to feel...better.  Not perfect, but closer to normal than I had been all day.

In fact, I was feeling so much better that when Ann headed out of town before everyone else, I rode out with her.   This was probably the best stretch of the ride, a lovely quiet, winding road and the simple joy of being out on the bikes in a beautiful day.   Eventually, as was inevitable, we were caught and passed, but it was fun being the leaders while it lasted.   The road took us along the shoreline,where we stopped to see the wave washing against a copper sand beach and then through a small town with a beautiful laminated wood bridge that we stopped to get pictures of.  

The bridge was really quite fantastic in person

Photo by Scott Duffus

Past the little town was the highlight stop of the day, the Jampot Bakery.   This little bakery is run by a monestary and had a fantastic array of jams, breads, and sweets.   Everyone got something, and there was a lot of sharing of huge muffins and cake pieces.   Sadly, by this time my migraine had returned to some degree, so I was not able to stuff myself with the truffles that were calling my name.   Next time, Jampot, next time.

We rode out of Jampot and had a fairly uneventful ride until we reached the rest of the group stopped on the side of the road.   We had reached a crossroads, of a kind, for how to get to our stop for the evening, Copper Harbor.   The planned route went along the Lake Superior shoreline in a winding route, while this new crossroad went straight up the most intimidating climb in the area, Brockway Mountain Drive.   The rest of the group decided to do the climb, Ann and I took the low route.

It was a beautiful route, and one that I wish I had felt better for.   The road took us right along the shoreline, where the waves crashed against huge boulders that littered the water's edge.   It would have been perfect for pictures, but I was tired and in pain and was a point where I really just wanted to get to the hotel and crash.   So, we rode, and before too long we reached Copper Harbor.

Because of taking the easier (though longer in mileage) route, we were among the first to arrive.   We sat down in the grass and just absorbed the sun for a while, before going to check in to our hotel rooms.   Of all the places we had stayed, I think Copper Harbor was the most impressive.   We had a view of the lake from the patio door in our hotel rooms and Brockway loomed over the town from the other side, trees just starting to blush to their autumn shades.

After the others arrived, I managed to talk myself into mountain biking despite feeling not so great.   Copper Harbor has made quite a name for itself with a network of well designed and maintained mountain bike trails that range from beginner to highly technical.   We ended up with six of us who wanted to brave Brockway, with a combination of mountain and cyclocross bikes.   The trail we took was "intermediate", a switchback route down the mountain called "The Flow".    The ride was great, though I encountered some features I wasn't quite sure how to handle.   Unfortunately the ride was not as fun for Kathy on her cyclocross bike, but she gamely stuck with it and everyone made it to the bottom more or less unharmed.  

After everyone cleaned up, we went to a German-themed restaurant that had a menu priced higher than I've probably ever been to.   We were told we had to split into groups of four, which was sort of a bummer, but when there are only two restaurants in town, you do what you gotta do.   I ordered a seafood platter, which was amazing, but also somewhat hilarious as it had crab and lobster which I had never eaten before.   Fortunately, my supper companions were able to tell me how to eat my meal.  We also shared a couple of delicious appetizers and a ridiculously tasty desert.

After we got back to the hotel, I crashed out and did my best to sleep off the remnants of my migraine.  

UP Part 2

During this trip, I decided that continental breakfasts are pretty much the best thing ever.   Yogurt, French toast, fruit, juice...all super tasty and perfect for fueling up for a long day on the road.   Silver City to Hancock was the longest day of the trip at nearly 65 miles.   It was a chilly morning, but we were hopeful that the sun would break out, so I busted out my cool new arm and leg warmers, as well as my trusty convertible windbreaker and headed out for the day.

Casey from the bike club was in the UP during our vacation, and he joined us for the first part of the ride.  In addition, Grant had joined up with us, so we were only down one rider.   The group settled into the usual breakup - fast boys in the front, and the rest clumping up along the road behind.   The first part of the ride was good, but I was feeling a bit of drag on my bike.   A quick look determined my out of true wheel was rubbing, so I opened up the brakes and immediately felt about 3 mph faster, even while climbing some big hills.

Photo by Scott Duffus

  

Ann and I were frequent companions on the ride, and this day was no different, except I had mysteriously started to drop her.   Grant was riding with us, and was chivalrous enough to wait while I kept riding, so I didn't think much of it.   However, after a while I realized that I hadn't seen them in a while and began to get a bit worried.   I pulled off to the side of the road and grabbed my map to make sure I hadn't turned off the route somehow.   Reassured, I hung out until finally I saw Grant and Ann coming along.   It turned out that Ann's rear tire had been losing air for quite some time, and was in fact nearly flat.  We tried to ride with it for a while, but before the final descent into Hancock, we bowed to the inevitable and busted out our flat changing skills.

Well, they did.  Mostly I just watched and made unhelpful comments

We rode into Hancock, crossing the super cool lift bridge and rolled into the Ramada parking lot to cheers and applause.   I choose to believe they were not mocking.  We then proceeded to bask in the sun for a while, drinking beer with entertaining names like "Dirty Bastard".   

The lift bridge

Scott, Tom, Pat and Kathy chilling in the parking lot.  

After everyone recovered from the ride, the kayaks came out.   It was pretty windy, so I bowed out as my seasickness was not something I wanted to chance.    Several others, including Ann went out.   Originally Ann was going to go out in a fold-up tandem with Dave, but (fortunately), the menfolk were unable to figure out how to construct it.    Instead, Ann went out in an infinitely more robust kayak of Scott's.   Dave, Randy, Todd and Scott also went out. 

Ann heading out

Randy about to get into the super tippy kayak

Scott on his paddleboard

That night we went for supper at a bar and restaurant called "The Library".   It was pretty awesome, and they had their own home-brewed beer and root beer.   I had a fantastic meal of Chipotle glazed salmon and then overstuffed myself with an apple dumpling.   If I am ever back in the Houghton-Hancock area, I definitely plan to go there again.

Then it was back to the hotel to sleep and prepare for the next day of riding.  

The GPS

UP Trip - Part 1

I've been quiet for a bit on this blog, but not because I haven't been biking.  Quite the contrary, actually.   Last week I went on a five day tour of the beautiful Upper Peninsula with the local bike club.   It was a huge trip, as you can imagine, so I'm planning to take a few posts to write about the whole thing.   I'm hoping to add pictures as others post them, so you might want to check back from time to time if you like that sort of thing.

On the road
I hitched a ride up to Michigan in pretty much the coolest rig ever -- The Beast, pulling the Silver Bullet.

Photo by Ann Paulson

Bikes in the trailer, kayaks on the roof and a party in the Land Rover!  We got on the road a bit after 5 PM, destination -- well, that's actually an interesting story.   See, we had reservations in Carlton, MN for the evening.   An unnamed, fantastically awesome woman in the vehicle was slightly confused as to what hotel we were staying in so we added a bit of a detour to our trip.   No harm, no foul, right?  This was also my first time ever seeing or being in Duluth.  It was a brief encounter, but she was beautiful in the night.  

Day 1 - Wakefield to Silver City
We jumped in the Beast bright and early and drove the rest of the way to our first ride location, Wakefield, MI.   The day was a bit iffy, weather wise.   The clouds proved more persistent than the forecast predicted (this was a common theme for the trip), and it was a bit drizzle-y.

It was also cold.

Nonetheless, we changed and saddled up...then promptly dismounted for lunch.   After fueling up, we set out  (for real) to our first rest stop in the Porcupine Mountains State park.    

The Porkies (as they are called, sadly), were an early high point for me.   The geography of northern Michigan is so different from that of southern Minnesota and NE Iowa, so it all seemed very novel to me.   The trees grow thick along the sides of the seasonal roads and you have the feeling of riding through a kind of secret land.    We had a rest stop at the state park, and while there the group went to explore a nearby falls.    Naturally, all signs advising people to stay on the path were ignored, despite the fact that we were all clacking around in spandex and bike cleats.

This was when I decided I was coming back to the UP

Dave being Dave

My roomie, Howie

Sadly, we had to leave and continue on to Silver City.   This was the hardest part of the ride, as there was a long, though not very steep, climb.    It also started raining again.   There was a silver lining, however.   The place we were staying for the night was on the water, so it was a fun descent down to the Lake Superior shoreline.

Photo by Scott Duffus 

Silver City is pretty much a ghost town.   The town has no gas or grocery stores and the only restaurant is in the hotel.   Still, the shower was hot, the food was good and really, what more could we ask for?  

Day 1 GPS

Centurion

I only had one real goal for this summer, fitness-wise.   I wanted to ride a century (100 miles, for the uninitiated).   I didn't have a real clear notion on how I was going to accomplish this feat, but there it was.   At first, I had a vague notion of biking solo from Decorah to Harmony and back some weekend.  However, a rider in the bike club convinced me that for my first century, I would want to do a supported ride.   Then, a few weeks ago, Maureen suggested doing the Jesse James century, and it all sort of fell into place.

Very long post after the break.

Labor Day Weekend

Holiday weekends are always fun.   For whatever reason, they seem longer even though I have three day weekends every other week.   People are relaxed, a multitude of activities await and generally speaking it's a good time.   This Labor Day weekend was no exception.   In addition to the usual assortment of activities, I hosted a cookout to welcome Larry to Minnesota.   I think I did a pretty good job of keeping it healthy and did my best to make sure I was active enough to cancel out the rest.  

Activity-wise, it was a very good weekend.  I did the Coffee Grind with the OBC on Saturday, and later took a walk through one of the nearby parks with Larry.   The Owatonna Park and Rec is having a kind of scavenger hunt through the parks this fall, and if you find all the clues, you get an entry into a drawing for some cool prizes.   It seems like a good opportunity to explore a little and is something fun to do with the boyfriend.   

Sunday I went for a run, after a long break.  I was a little concerned, truth be told.  The prescribed run was a 25 minute continuous jog, and with my back acting up I wasn't sure I could do it.   As such, I decided it would be best to do a road run as it is a little easier.   It was a very good run and I felt very good throughout about 20 minutes of it.   The last 5 minutes were not so great, but I think it was more psychological than physical.  I always have run the same route when road running in Owatonna, and it ends just about the time I get back home.   The problem (well, not really) is that I am faster than the last time I did the route, so when I go to my usual end point, I still had 5 minutes to go.   

To wrap up the holiday weekend, I went mountain biking in Rochester with my friend Ben.  We went to Eastwood again, and I had an even better time than last time.   I have new tires on my bike, and they made the overall experience a lot more enjoyable.   We did a pretty good pace, even with my needing to walk up way too many hills.   We started on the advanced trails and wrapped up on the beginner type trails.  Naturally, I managed to hurt myself on the easy trails.   I was clipping along at a decent pace, misjudged my line and scraped against a tree.   Minor, but it drew blood so it counts.  I'm a real mountain biker now! 

Workouts:

Saturday:  Garmin was acting up, so no data on that one.   Trust me, I was going real fast. :)

Sunday: 2.3 miles / 11.20 pace (!!)

Monday: 4.2 miles

Feeling good

Tonight's ride was just about perfect.  Sure, there was a pretty strong headwind for part of it, and it was a little muggy, but really, it was pretty awesome.   I had come thisclose to not going, because my head was acting up and I wasn't sure it was a good idea to up my blood pressure.   I took some Aleve, though, and it seemed like it was getting better so I went for it.   In the interests of full disclosure, I also took some Tramadol.  My back didn't appreciate the moving in process, so I will likely be riding drugged for the foreseeable future.  

Anyhow, the ride.   We headed out towards the new Highway 14 with intentions of riding it again, but there were workers so we skipped it.   Honestly, I didn't have a problem with that, as the highway is a nice ride, but I was looking for a little more challenge.   You can look at the ride for the details, but we basically did a big southern loop.   There were some mild hills and a lot of good flat road in pretty decent condition.  

Most importantly, for me, is that I felt great.  My legs were strong, I had enough fuel in me to go and I just wanted to roll.   I pulled my second 17+ mph average on the week, which is the fastest I've gone in a good while.   For this ride, I ate about 300 calories before, and I think that had a lot to do with why I was feeling good.   I also think the running might be helping my aerobic endurance in general, which is a nice side effect.  

The days are getting shorter and the opportunities for good rides, which seemed limitless in May, are starting to become fewer and more precious.  I intend to make sure I'm taking advantage when I can.

Workout:  28.7 miles / 17.4 mph average

Moving Day Weekend

Well, this weekend was a big one.  My boyfriend of several years is moving in, and this weekend was when we needed to get all his stuff moved up.   This also meant that I needed to make room for all the previously mentioned stuff, so much of the last few days has been taken up with rearranging, moving, and unpacking.   The flip side of that is no working out.  Well, not much anyhow.   I do maintain, however, that running boxes up the stairs to my apartment counts as either strength, cardio or both.

However, despite the remaining piles of boxes in my living room, I need to get in gear in a hurry.   The Jesse James century is less than two weeks away, and immediately after that is the UP trip with the bike club.   On top of that, I need to continue to make progress with my running as we lead up to October's 5k.   I have a very positive attitude right now, I just need to make sure my body can keep up!

On the tri front, I've been doing some thinking.   Specifically, I've been thinking about goals.   I know I want to do one or more tris next year, but I hadn't given a lot of thought to how I wanted to do in them.   While spending (a lot of) time in the car in this weekend, I pondered it a bit.   Ultimately, I came to the decision that if I'm going to do it, I want to do it well.   In other words, my ego really doesn't want me coming in last place.    So, once again, I need to focus and make sure I have a plan going into the winter.  I need to improve my swim dramatically, keep a good amount of base miles on with the trainer, and make sure I keep getting out to run, even in the cold.   If I can do that, I think I have a decent chance of finishing at least second to last.

I did get out for Coffee Grind on Saturday.  It was a good, fast ride.

Workout:  23.5 miles / 17 mph avg.

Best Bike Path Ever

I was unable to ride yesterday due to some delicate issues "south of the border", so to speak.   This was a fact bordering on tragedy, as yesterday was pretty much a perfect day for a ride.   Oh well.

Tonight, the Ladies' Ride set out on the new Highway 14 segment between Owatonna and Waseca, otherwise known as the best bike path ever.   It is a newly paved, unopened road.  No cars, no potholes, just nice even concrete for 13 miles.   There was a dog though...we'll let that slide.  Now, most (all?) of the others had already had the pleasure of riding this road, but I have always been out of town, so this was new to me.   Let me tell you, it lived up to the hype.

First off, we had just a bit of a tail wind on the way to Waseca, meaning that we were cruising at a 18-19 mph average without even trying.   However, even once we had turned into the wind, the road was so smooth that we were still going at a pretty good clip back.   I elected to not ride in the pace line for most of the ride, just because I wanted a little more workout.  Well that and I'm pretty bad at riding in a pace line.   Still, I did fade to the back towards the last half of the return trip to avoid upsetting my back by hammering out the miles.   

Verdict?  Fantastic ride, and it's a shame they are going to give the road to the cars.   

Workout:  30.7 miles / 16.3 mph average

Tripped up

I learned a good lesson today.   If your legs are sore (so very very sore), maybe it's a good day for a road run.   As I mentioned, Larry and I went on a rather epic walk yesterday.   This morning, I woke up with calves half the length they are supposed to be, and sitting at a desk all day didn't help.   For reference, I almost fell over the first time I stood up at work, because my legs didn't want to extend all the way.    However, I have new found motivation!  I was going to run, sore legs or not.  

I went running out at Kaplan's again, because it's just more fun when you are lost.   I could tell something was off, as my feet kept catching on things, but I'm not exactly known for lifting my feet so I didn't think much of it.   I was probably five minutes into an eight minute run when it happened.  My toe caught on a root and BAM! on the ground at a higher rate of speed than I have fallen in a long time.    Funny thing:  my first thought was, "Darn, this is going to mess with my pace for this segment."  

Anyhow, I dusted myself off, established I wasn't bleeding and headed off again.   All in all, pretty minor, though I do think my leg is going to end up bruised, as there is currently a nice lump below my knee.   I should be riding for the next few days, so hopefully my legs will sort themselves out before I do my next long run.   On a side note, this is the last week with walking segments...from here on out it's all running (jogging), all the time.   Scary.

Workout:  2 miles / 14.2 pace (ouch!)

Tech for the win

Just a brief update before I head to bed*.   Went out on Saturday for the first day of Week 6 of C25k.   I think having a run with walking breaks was fantastic after doing W5D3.   It lent me that extra confidence to up the pace a little.   My back is still bothering me, and I am getting constant side stitches (related?), but besides that it was a good run.   The run was almost ruined by the fact that I dropped the key to Larry's apartment at the end, but thanks to my handy GPS I was able to locate it.  I also hit up the trails with my mountain bike, finally finding a couple that aren't terrifying.  I look forward to coming back next year with some more experience under my belt to take on the more technical trails.

Sunday Larry and I went for a walk on the new portion of Trout Run trail.   I didn't bring my cell phone (gasp!), so no data, but by my rough figuring it was a 5-6 mile walk.   Not too shabby.


Workout:  2.1 miles / 13.4 pace

*I may come back and rewrite this tomorrow, but I wanted to get it out there in case I don't.  :)

Lost in the Woods

It was awfully windy Thursday, which was pretty much the perfect excuse to do something other than ride bike.   Given that I had pretty new shoes just itching to be worn in the great outdoors, my choice was clear.   I had decided I wanted to go running in Kaplan's Woods, which is halfway across town for me.  I keep thinking that I should really bike to Kaplan's, but for a myriad of reasons (most of which boiling down to I'm lazy), I drove instead.   Once I got there, I dialed up the must dreaded W5D3 of C25K and headed down the path.

C25K works like this: 5 minute warm up, workout, 5 minute cool down.   Well, after I had been walking for what seemed like an awfully long time, I took a look at my phone.  Sure enough, I had forgotten to turn up the ringer, so I had missed the start of the run.   Rather than cut the run short, I decided I would restart the day, and just run during the warm-up section this time, and finish five minutes early.   Plan established, I took off.

I had never really been in Kaplan's before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect.   It amounts to a bunch of very similar looking trails that loop around on each other.   I admit, I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to where I was, but I was fairly certain I had gone by a particular bridge a couple of times.   I checked the time at 15 minutes into the workout.   After that, feeling pretty sure I was somewhere near my known landmarks, I promised myself I wouldn't look again until I was somewhere I recognized.   Well, I was wrong.  Where I thought I had been doing small loops, I had actually been doing on BIG loop around the outer edge of the trail.   End result was the same, but it took a bit longer than I would have thought to get to a landmark.  

All in all, it was a good run.  Courtesy of being a little lost, I actually ran for nearly 25 minutes, instead of the prescribed 20.   I didn't move super fast, but I did keep moving, even up and down some pretty significant hills.   The only real negative is that I had a stitch in my side pretty much the entire run.  I have a very hard time concentrating on breathing out on the left foot strike and while I've read that stretching might help, I fail to understand how I can stretch the ligaments holding my liver in place.   The best part though, is that 25 minutes is the longest I have run at one time, ever.  

Workout:  2.3 miles / 13.4 pace

On the horizon

Only two of us showed up for tonight's Ladies' Ride.  Normally, that would be something of a bummer, but it led to a nice laid back ride with good conversation, so I can't complain.    There was a Tstorm watch out, but the weather stayed clear, if somewhat windy, for the duration of the ride.   

While we were pedaling along, talk came up of next year, and plans for next year's rides and runs and whatnot.   There was mention of trying to get a group together for the Wisconsin Triple Crown and I mentioned that Nana and I were thinking of doing a half-marathon in the Chicago area.   It's that time of year, I think, as the end of the season starts coming into sight, that we stop focusing on this year and start making big plans for next.

I have a number of big plans for next year.   As the blog title suggests, I am aiming to do at least one triathlon (maybe more, if I decide I like it), a few 5 or 10Ks,  a couple big rides, including (possibly) RAGBRAI.   It's an ambitious plan, but I think I have it in me.   I made a choice to focus on fitness instead of weight loss goals, and this is certainly part of it.

However, I will say, my reward for losing these next 12 or so pounds can't come soon enough....day spa, here I come!  

The workout:  26.6 miles / 15.6 mph avg

Recovery

Today was a recovery day.  My legs were still feeling shot from Saturday's exertion and I'm still trying to work up the courage to do week 5 day 3 of C25k.   It is silly, but jogging for 20 minutes in a row seems insurmountable.   More on that later.

Anyhow, it was a beautiful morning for a ride.  The rain from Sunday had passed, leaving behind that clean smell in the air that comes with rain.  It was a little muggy, but cool, so nothing this Minnesotan couldn't handle.  I had told Ann earlier in the week that I was going to ride the complete Trout Run Trail so I could show the folks back here what an "easy" trail looks like to Northeast Iowans.   The trail was only completed last week, so there was a decent portion I hadn't even seen yet.

It was a great ride at a nice easy pace.   After the first ten miles or so I had mostly gotten the lactic acid in my legs moving, which was good, as that is roughly where the first climb starts.  It is the sort of climb that looks more impressive at the top than at the bottom, partially because of the switchbacks that have been put in, presumably to keep roadies from killing themselves on the downhills.   As it stands, getting the bike down to the listed 15 mph speed limit on the curves requires a fair bit of breaking.   The climb was not as hard as I remembered, which is the most concrete evidence I have gotten to date that I am actually improving as a cyclist.  Yay!

Here is a link to the ride, as you can see, the interesting parts are in the middle.   Basically, it takes you up the bluff, down and then right back up.  I see "serious" roadies going up and down these hills all the time.  Today, I also saw a bunch of folks that fell firmly into the senior citizen category, complete with upright fitness bikes.  I'm pretty sure they were going faster than me.    It's good to stay humble.

On the running front, as of yesterday I have done 2/3 of week 5.   I have to say, I wasn't really feeling that run to start.   My legs felt like lead and I pretty much just wanted to turn around and go back to sleep.  I managed to finish, however.  Slower (and shorter?) than the day before, but finished nonetheless.   Now I have to conquer the next stage, and I'm not convinced I'm there yet.  So, in classic Jessica motivation fashion, I bought new things.   Specifically, I got these...

Sexy, no?   I damn well better do some serious running with these, or I'm going to use them to kick my own posterior.   On a more exciting note, those are a 9.5B.  If I can wear regular width in Saucony, I am in serious trouble on a shoe buying front.  

The run:  1.8 miles / 14.5 min/mile  Also, that hill feels a lot bigger than thirty some odd feet of climbing.  Just saying. 

P.S.  Saturday's ride has been linked to as well.

Tandem Tide

In a few short weeks, my years of coming to Decorah on the weekend will be over.    While this is a good thing (yay no more winter drives!), it's also sad.   While I technically live in Owatonna, a good part of my heart calls Northeast Iowa home.   I'll certainly be back, but it won't often be for the kinds of stays that allow time for riding and running, so I'm trying to make sure to get in as many as I can before the end of the month.     Saturday provided a picture perfect setting for this goal, as it was cool and sunny, with a moderate north wind.   I had the road bike in the Forester and trail shoes in my bag, and I was ready to take in as much of the day as I could.

I started out with week 5 day 1 from the C25K program, running on the River trail for part of it, so as to better prepare for my upcoming 5k.   I have to say, I really do love trail running.   The misery of running seems to melt away as soon as I step onto the rock and dirt trail.  River trail meanders along the Upper Iowa River, darting in and out of the woodlands that border it.   It was still almost chilly during my run, as the sun had not yet had the chance to warm the deep pockets of the forest, but it felt good.   I saw wildflowers and birds, heard countless critters bounding through the leaves and even had to run around a fallen tree.   These are experiences that road running has no answer for.   I didn't run particularly fast, but I felt faster and more energetic in the run.   I will say trail running makes me think that I could grow to like the minimalist shoe thing, but I still think that needs to wait until I have lost more weight.   

After grabbing breakfast and water, I got my Avail out and headed out for my ride.   Pole Line road is still closed, so it isn't possible to ride my early season loop right now.  Instead, I decided to do an out and back to Cresco, which I figured should end up around 60 miles.   The first part of this trip is a gigantic climb out of the valley, made worse by the fact that they make you do it twice.   The downhills are almost worth it though -- I hit 32 mph coasting down the first one.   The rest of the ride is actually pretty flat, as after I get to Calmar, I take the Prairie Farmer trail to Cresco.   It was when I hit Calmar I knew the ride was going to be longer, as I was at 15 miles there, and it's another 20 to Cresco.   With the ambition of fresh legs, I decided I would add on the Nature Center trail in Cresco to try and get 80 miles in.

Doping

I read a couple of interesting articles today.   This one, in particular, I found fascinating, because I am always interested in finding out more about what makes our bodies excel (or not, as the case may be).   The notion of the central regulator, or really just the idea that our bodies are designed to keep us from killing ourselves strikes a chord with me, because with the heart rate monitor I can often see that while my mind is screaming at me, my body isn't working all that hard.   Conversely, of course, sometimes it warns me that my mind is taking a vacation while my heart tries to beat itself out of my chest.   

Anyhow, this all ties into my ride tonight.   In the process of cleaning this afternoon I managed to do a bad bad thing to my back.   If you know me, you know that my lower back is a strange and dangerous place, subject to dark whims.  I've been doing a good job of keeping it appeased this summer, but whatever I did today set it off--spasms, shooting pains, the whole shebang.   Now, I was pretty upset about this, as I had plans to go riding in the evening, but I was terribly afraid that I couldn't manage it (TMI time:  sitting on the stool was enough to set it into spasms, I didn't have a lot of hope for being crunched over on a bike for two hours).   

I had resigned myself to an evening of Supernatural, when I saw Ann had replied to my Facebook post.   It's funny how it just takes that little kick to get me to do something.  So, I went into my cupboard o' meds and pulled out the prescription pain killers.   I popped one, slathered on some Biofreeze and headed out.   Now, I would be lying if I said I wasn't in pain, but it was bearable.   And after a while, when I glanced down at my computer and saw I was cruising along at 19 mph comfortably I realized a terrible thing.

I am doper.   Well, not really.  But, my mind returned to the anecdote regarding Tom Simpson and how he basically killed himself by using drugs to shut off his central regulator and over extending himself.    Now, I've been feeling a little bummed about my riding the last month or so, as it seems like I was doing better in the first part of the season than I am doing now.   It suddenly occurred to me that during the majority of the first part of the season, my back had been in pretty bad shape.  As such, I was taking a lot of pain meds to be able to ride.   Pain meds, that in their own way, alter my perception of my physical limits.   

Of course, I don't really go any faster on pain meds.   My average remains, as always, in the 16 mph range.   But I feel better doing it, which is interesting.   I figure this must be where people start that slide towards injecting god knows what into their systems.    Now, I have no intents of hunting down my local HGH dealer, but it's interesting all the same.

Workout: 39 miles / 16.7 mph avg

Incidentally, my pain meds are not a UCI banned substance ;)

Motivation

I've been seriously slacking as of late, and giving myself lots of excuses for why.  Some are valid, some are not, but regardless they are not helping me move forward with my fitness goals.   It is easy for me to come up with reasons to ride.  The biggest problem I have with riding is choosing which bike to ride and, trust me, sometimes that is awfully hard, especially when I only have so much car space to dedicate to bikes.   Running, on the other hand, is something I want to be better at, but am currently really bad at.   This creates a lot of negative feelings towards the idea of going out for a run and has resulted in something like two weeks with no runs.   Obviously, if I want to do a tri without embarrassing myself, this needs to change.

As I was contemplating this rather distasteful fact, I kept returning to the vague goal I had set for myself earlier in the year.   While I knew I was not going to be in shape for a tri this year, I had kinda sorta though that I would do a 5k at some point.   Well, vague goals are about as good as no goals from a motivation standpoint, so I decided to make this one a little more concrete.   So, I pulled up a list of races in Southern Minnesota and picked on that looked fun -- the Big Woods Run.  This race is perfect for me:  it's not until October, so I have time to train; it is a trail run, which I enjoy; and it's close to home.   So,  I've bet $33 bucks on myself that I can get my butt into gear and be in shape to run a 5k in October without shame.   Here goes!

Riding the wave of this new motivation, I did both a run and a ride today.   The run was not so spectacular on paper (or screen, if you will), but I was pretty excited because it is the 3rd day of week 4 of C25K and I was a little worried I would have lost ground enough that I couldn't do it.  No problem!  If anything, it was easier than the last run I did, though I will say it being something like 20 degrees cooler probably didn't hurt.   The ride was a mountain bike ride around the parks of Decorah.  Mostly, this ride is notable for two things: 1) I very nearly fell down a cliff after hitting a rock wrong 2) I got passed by a runner - twice.  Ouch.

Workout:  
The run:  2.1 miles / 13 min/mile pace (this is how long it took me to run a mile in high school, so woot! :P )
The ride: 5 miles / 7.6 mph avg (yeah, that was totally skewed by the 18 mph down Quarry Hill Road)

Going solo

I got an email today while I was at work, informing me that the club ride this evening would be a kind of group Rabbit Run.   The Rabbit Run, for those of  you who don't know, is basically an on your honor time-trial out on some low traffic rural roads.   Now, to be honest, I had been thinking of doing the Rabbit Run sometime, just to see how I stacked up.   Thing is, I'm 99.9% certain that "stacking up" is going to look like me at the bottom of a very large number of better times.   That doesn't really bother me, but I didn't exactly want to be the person who took an hour to do the Run while every one else finished it in 30 minutes.  

So, what to do?  I had decided a bit ago that I was only going to do one club ride a week anyhow, so I figured I'd go for a solo mid-range ride.  I headed out toward the state park and did a little 30 mile loop.   I didn't set any speed records, but as I've been more than a bit of a slacker lately, a lot of it was just getting back in the rhythm of being on the bike.   Also, it was a beautiful afternoon / early evening and I did more than a little looking around at the lovely colors of summer.

I've noticed that I'm riding more and more in the drops as of late.   I'm not sure that it means anything, but I think at a minimum it probably means I'm getting more comfortable not sitting on the brakes.   Also, I feel all pro-cyclist-y.  I will say that I have a bad tendency to stare at my wheel in the drops though...need to work on that before it catches up with me in the form of a pot hole...or worse, road kill.

Workout: 31 miles / 16.6 mph average

Work vs. Life

I suspect this is an issue every aspiring amateur athlete encounters sooner or later.   Lately, work has been trying to take over my life.  Actually, it's probably more fair to say that it has taken over my life, judging by the amount of time I've spent doing that rather than what I would like to be doing.   The problem, of course, is that there are only so many hours in the day and when one area of your life becomes over balanced...well, there's only so much you can do.

For me, the problem is especially bad, because I work in a job that has a tendency to leave me brain fried if I'm at it for too long in a day.   After working 10 or 11 hours, I have no desire to do anything but sit on the couch and let the TV do my thinking for a while.   I'm sure there are stronger people out there, those folks who come off a long day and want nothing more than to go run or bike to work off the stress, but I'm just not one of those people.   Honestly, I'd probably be lucky to not get myself run over if I tried biking after my long days at work, as I doubt I'd have the mental awareness to pay attention to traffic.  

So, what's an aspiring triathlete to do?   This week I made a point of getting out for the Tuesday ride, even though it meant leaving work earlier than I probably should have.   Also, I've been trying to fit in mini workouts when I can, like doing core work while cooking, or walking around downtown for a bit before being banished back to my apartment to babysit new code.   It's not what I want to be doing, but it's something, and I'm beginning to realize I need to take that something where I can.  

Blowing in the wind

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a ride...mostly.  It wasn't super hot, the sun was out, everything has greened up a bit from our recent rain.  Lovely.    However, there was wind.  Lots of it, blowing straight into my face at speeds that made me quite sad.    I don't mind riding into the wind as much when I'm solo, but in a group it is disheartening to see everyone zipping along at the same speed they always do while my body turns into a giant sail, and my average speed plummets into the low teens.   Fortunately, I had some lovely people who were kind enough to stick with me (and I know they could have gone faster...).  

The nice thing about wind though, is that if you plan it right (and have a little bit of luck), eventually, you get to turn around.   Last night, turning around meant cruising at 20 mph with enough lung capacity left over to hold a conversation.   That's when you think, "Man, this biking thing is pretty awesome".

Workout:  33 miles / 16.3 mph average