June 24: I have 3 days left to worry about how I’m going to ride 150 miles this weekend. If nothing else, I’ll be happy to have the ride over with so I can quit fretting about how much my butt is going to hurt, whether I can do the ride, how I’ll feel being the last one on the TriForMS team to hit the finish line, whether lunch will be gone by the time I hit the feeding station, whether it will be dark when I arrive in Ft Collins, whether Steve will get tired of waiting for me, whether I will get a flat tire, whether I will fall off my bike… oh the things I can worry about are endless!
June 23: With all the training I’m doing, I need extra calories; it’s a food lover’s dream! Though I would like to replenish those burned calories with a couple dozen chocolate glazed donuts and several tubs of Ben and Jerry’s “Everything But The” ice cream, I’m trying to be slightly more disciplined by fueling my body with decent calories. However, Connor whipped up a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies on Friday, and I’ve gotta tell you, that was a treat eating those on my bike rides this weekend! Steve is burning an unbelievable amount of calories with all his training, and trying to keep him fed is a challenge too.
June 22: Weekends are for training, eating and sleeping! Steve and I are still trying to defy the physical laws of training and see if we can make up for the 3 weeks of virtual bike riding while we were in Australia; mentally doing a ride doesn’t yield the same benefits as riding on the road.I ran 9 miles Saturday, followed by eating, and then rode 16 miles with Steve, followed by napping and laying on the couch. We rode up Rampart Range Road from home which is 8 miles up then 8 miles down. I have learned I hate riding fast downhill. I practically wore out both my brakes and Steve’s patience as I rode the brakes the whole way down. I’m still such a beginner at this bike thing; I don’t have the stability, confidence, and experience yet and still feel anxious on these rides. After Saturday’s ride, I was one downhill mile away from bronzing my new bike shoes instead of wearing them, and hanging the bike in the garage. Sunday’s 50 mile ride in Fountain, however, restored my confidence enough to comment to Steve at the ride finish that I liked the ride and by then the shoe bronzing idea had passed. As we drug ourselves home for more food and more napping, I almost felt good. Depleted, tired, fatigued….. but good. With one exception. I don’t think I’m going to be able to sit down for 3 days. That 10 square inch rock covered in leather that the bike companies euphemistically call a “seat” is like sitting on, well, a rock. After a certain point on Sunday’s ride, I changed positions about every ½ a second trying to find a less painful way to have practically all my weight supported on 2 small bones that sit atop a small rock. I tried to keep my whining to a minimum, but after the 3rd comment about my butt hurting, Steve’s supportive advice was “The good thing is, the hurting doesn’t get any worse”. I’m not sure I can agree with that….. I have thoughts of standing at my desk and in meetings on
June 19: The best way for me to describe jet lag is it’s like having your eyes open but your body and mind are asleep. I haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep yet this week, which makes swimming, riding and running a bit more interesting. I like to think of it as that extra challenge thrown in that will ultimately improve my racing (or in my case, just getting me to the finish line).
June 14: 1st day back from Australia and I am dreading my first bike ride and swim. We hauled our bikes all the way there and back and didn’t ride once. The days were too short, drives too long and main roads not good and safe enough to ride on. If we had more time to talk to locals about good riding routes, we might have gotten some riding in. It was worth it though! Now, on to getting my butt back on the seat. Rode my mountain bike on Sante Fe Trail today (16 miles) after running 8 miles in the morning. Trying to make up for 3 weeks of training all but lost is like trying to rush having a baby in 8 months instead of 9. There are just some things that take time.
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