training on the trail

i was pretty bummed that i had to miss a good ride on saturday so that i could teach class, but it was all worth it since a bunch of friends came to class and then we had a great day on the trail on sunday. we ran into amy on the trail, and made a new friend along the way! denise came with me, and completed the whole trail! its so much fun to have so many people enjoying this sport! the trail was nice and shady, and i kept my speed down so i could chat with friends. overall it was a really great way to spend a sunday morning, especially since i had to rush home to catch a plane to jersey. such is life! can't wait for the dollar ride next weekend! how am i ever going to ride 52 miles in one morning??

time = 2:21:09

distance = 31.15

avg speed = 13.24 mph

trek bicycles mandarin

so bob roll was supposed to show up for a ride with the jax community, but of course he bailed at the last minute. everyone was upset, but i was cool because i really just came to ride! today was nice, after yesterdays tough workout we took it easy and rode at a nice, easy pace. no elevated heart rate, but plenty of time in the saddle. we rode through neighborhoods in mandarin, which was great because it was really flat and shady! definitely the best scenario for a recovery ride. i rode with john and karen again, and met up with denise - who turns out to know a ton of my friends already, and is a member of the hammerhead triathlon club...so of course i need to join now! we all gabbed away for the whole ride, just enjoying the nice day (it was only 88 today) and the easy pace. this week i'll be working on getting my strength up to par, and scheduling my next massage.

time = 1:48:34

distance = 26.12 miles

avg speed = 14.44 mph

sponsor = http://abcbike.com

bike fitters

it's that time again! thankfully the weather was slightly cooler, there was a breeze and a few clouds, so we didn't overheat on the first half of the ride. the way home was a different story, where an apparent headwind knocked away my energy, along with a brutal game of catch-up after realizing my team took off and didn't notice i was missing. of course, having free beer and burgers at the end of the ride made up for it! overall i felt great, had a tough workout and can't wait for tomorrow!

time = 2:09:02
distance = 34.33 miles
avg speed = 15.69 mph
today's ride sponsor: bike fitters http://www.bikefitters.com/

champion cycling - arlington

today we rode with the champion cycling shop in arlington. i was very excited to see so many riders, and we had motorcycle support! it ended up being a great convenience since one of the girls with us blew out a tire. the sun was out today; needed plenty of fluids and got lots of sun. we only did 27 miles today, but the good news is that 27 miles doesn't hurt like it used to! i guess that means i'm actually improving?? the one thing i did notice is that my car really does smell like a locker room...you know what i'll be spending the afternoon doing!

time = 1:52:01

distance = 27.17 miles

avg speed = 14.55 mph

sponsor = champion arlington http://www.championcycling.net

time for wonderwood again

today we did 36 miles - over the wonderwood bridges too! yikes! i got my first flat tire (such a pain!) we rode the ferry across the water again, but this time we went all the way to big talbot state park. i have to be honest, i didn't think i would make it the whole way. the wind was picking up, and my legs were sooooooo tired. luckily i had a great team that stuck with me and kept me motivated to pull through. i sure am glad they did! can't wait for next weekend!!

time = 2:30:18

distance = 36.03 miles

avg speed = 14.38 mph

returning to baldwin

i was able to recruit a new friend to the ride this morning! and get this...she actually had fun!! we met the bcbsf team at 8am at baldwin trail, and pedaled for almost 25 miles (see picture), making my total 41 miles for the weekend. not too bad! the weather was perfect, the rain held off, and thanks to bob we had a jolly good time!! see you all next weekend!

time = 1:53:01

distance = 24.52 miles

avg speed = 13.01 mph

back in the saddle

well its been about 3 weeks since i last rode the bike, thanks to a much-needed vacation in michigan! i met two friends down in ponte vedra around 8am, and headed down a1a. we encountered some rolling hills, periods of shade, and many, many cyclists. it's so refreshing to see bicycles outnumbering motorized vehicles! the ride itself was great; very challenging for me and a walk in the park for our leader :-) after 2 tough cycling classes this week, i was feeling a bit under-powered and lacking in energy. we ended up completing 16 miles, a small amount but a nice good stretch for me to get back into gear. planning to ride again tomorrow, so i am not too worried about the low mileage. definitely going to pick up some energy gel for tomorrow!

time = 1:06:55

distance = 16.25 miles

avg speed = 14.58 mph

wonderland

today was my first true ms150 training ride with the bcbsf cycling group. you know how dedicated we are when we agree to meet at 8am on a saturday morning. approx 15 people showed up for the fun; an excellent number for a long ride. we started at the publix on monument road, headed over the wonderwood bridge to the ferry, took the ferry across the water and continued towards amelia island. i stayed near the back, and spent most of the day with a smaller subgroup, moving around 15 mph. we ended up covering around 30 miles, the most i've ever done. the feeling of fresh air, sunshine, and interesting conversation made the time go by pretty fast. i don't think there is anything that could have made the wonderwood bridge any less painful. i definitely wished there was a small motor attached to my bike that i could just turn on for a few minutes...i've never been so jealous of motorcycles as i was on that bridge. one interesting observation - riding with a group is a full body workout. riding the bike is difficult enough for me, but then you have to add in all the hand and verbal signals, and you realize exactly how tough a group ride really is! imagine my relief when the small group leader I was with turned around and said "we're going to turn around and head back early, you can catch up with the big group if you'd like". yeah right! i will turn around early thank you very much!

ms150

today i registered for the ms150, a 150 mile bike ride from st. augustine to daytona beach to benefit ms. i am definitely nervous, as i haven't ridden my bike even a fraction of this distance. we are also required to raise some $$, which is usually harder than the training itself. i joined the team at bcbsf, so it will be great to meet a ton of new people in town and get some great exercise! now if only i can find some way to avoid the never-ending series of crashes i seem to enjoy due to my lack of ability to quickly clip out of my pedals!!

baldwin trail

so i've decided to think about registering for the ms150 with the bcbsf cycling team. in order to make a decision i arranged a bike ride with my friend amy this morning to get back in the saddle after a winter hiatus. we met at the baldwin trail, with a goal of riding 20 miles, at any pace we could hold for the duration. it was a beautiful morning, partly sunny and cool (for florida of course). as we took off, we discussed how neither one of us really felt confident in our ability to ride for 20 miles without complaining at least a little bit. we broke into stride after the first 1/2 mile, and started to get into it. around mile 0.8 (yes, that is correct), we came to a stop sign on the trail, prepared to coast right through it - afterall, there is never any traffic on the trail! at the last minute we spot a car coming around the corner at full speed, simultaneously yell "CAR!" and frantically clip-out of our fancy pedals. this is when we both also simultaneously fail to clip-out and fall in opposite directions, at the same time that the car speeds past us. my friend has a bloody knee but i am a skilled bike crasher so i land smoothly in the grass. we look over, realize we both fell at exactly the same time, and burst out laughing. it's going to be a long, hard day.

the remainder of the ride follows this generic pattern - 7 miles of rain, followed by 13 miles of wind. the last 5 miles of the ride were particularly difficult, as i began to feel that i hadn't eaten in weeks. our conversation turned to nothing but food, and i devoured that granola bar i left in the car a few weeks ago, even though it was mostly melted. it took every remaining ounce of my energy not to pull into the wendy's hamburger drive-thru on the other side of the street. i went home thinking that it's better to start out with a bad ride so there is plenty of room to incrementally improve. this is what we novices tell ourselves all year long. i think i'll sign up for that ms150 afterall.

total miles = 20.04

country music half marathon

in true slacker fashion, i find myself at yet another half marathon, looking back on the past 4 months and saying "man, i really should have run further/faster/more consistently before today". the good news is that we are staying at the marriott at vanderbilt university, and i'm pleasantly surprised to discover that the starting line is located in the hotel's front yard. no lines at the porta-potty for me! the race was very entertaining - 30,000 runners, bands every mile, beautiful nashville neighborhoods, and plenty of spectators! the highlight of my experience was meeting a really sweet girl in the last 2 miles of the run who was running her first half marathon, and was so overcome with emotion and pride that as she approached the finish line, she starting crying. i ran to the finish line with her, which made this race the most memorable finish for me (with the exception of the record-setting finish set by joe-the-puker at the river run a few months ago; not sure what could ever top that). finish the day off with a 2-hour nap and a post-race concert, and i'd call that a terrific saturday! my whole entire body hurts, yet i'm surfing the web in an attempt to find the next big event to register for. i guess a little torture is good for you now and then.

ing georgia half marathon

today was the ing georgia half marathon, in atlanta. for some reason i actually thought it would be a good idea to drive to atlanta the day before, and drive home immediately after the race (without a shower!?) i really believe that i must have been hit hard in the head. it's 6-hours one-way, and i'm experienced enough to know that after completing a half marathon, your legs are virtually useless for hours--so why in the world did i think it made sense to jump in the car after crossing the finish line?? i will probably never know. anyway, i did make it home safely, and i did finally get to take a shower...although the ride home was nothing to write home about. the race itself was great, there were so many runners, we did the same staggered start as the peachtree road race, and nancy ran with me the whole time! she is truly my hero- she hadn't ran in weeks, much less trained for a half, and just decided to do it with me anyway! i would recommend this race because it was fun, had lots of spectators, and good scenery.

2007 river run 15k

i love it when a plan comes together! the old crew managed to find a free weekend, and everyone came down to jax for the river run! we had so much fun, especially at the after party at my house...nothing beats a great dinner and red wine after a long run, followed by hilarious laughter as they broadcast the finish line festivities - namely "joe the puker" and his big debut!! :-) the only thing that could have made this weekend more fun is a few pieces of furniture at my place. "check out my new house, isn't it great?" "yeah really, i love the lawn chairs in the family room with the tv on the floor, that's really a nice touch".