81 miles on carbon

Almost everyone I know was nursing their hangover on Haloween morning. I, along with my good friend LaVerne decided to take a Halloween Ride! :) This was my first long ride in several months and I was ready for it. I have a new bike, I was hydrated and had a good breakfast. The minute I hopped on my bike I knew my behind was going to complain today. I had ridden approximately 25 miles the day before and this new saddle I have is pretty darn stiff compared to nice, soft, cushy seat that I am used to sitting on. I believe this specialized ruby saddle I am riding is called a performance saddle. It is probably super light, but it super stiff! Probably 12 miles into the ride, my butt felt red and swollen. ha ha. Of course the carbon did quiet the noise from the road and I think I am really going to enjoy the new bike. However, I may be searching for a new saddle soon. I believe we spent 5 1/2 hours in the saddle, wow! We went from Ahwatukee to Laveen to Maricopa. Stopped to have lunch there and used the bathroom and then rode home and hit Pecos just for fun. What a great ride, but boy was I tired and ate all of the calories I burned. Oh well, I guess that is why we ride.. I was on a riders high for the rest of the night... and slept like an angel....

Todays Ride

Today we went out to Paradise Valley and took on some challenging hills. It was 27 miles of hills. This was probably one of my favorite routes; challenging but I knew it was strengthing my lungs, heart and legs. Exactly what I needed. One of my goals is to become better and bike handling skills along with increasing my speed. Should be possible now that I have a brand new carbon bike. :) Tomorrow is another day of riding! :)

Untitled by dtrigirl at Garmin Connect - Details

October Weather

I can't believe it has been 5 months since I have blogged. Guess I let training for the half marathon consume and hey, I told you I wasn't much of a writer, right? So, let's see if I can update my blog in a few short paragraphs:

Running: After many long hours of trying to learn  how to run without feeling like my lungs were going to explode. I am proud to say that I finished my first half marathon at Disneyland! Two hours and 41 minutes. What a wonderful experience. I am very happy that I chose this location to do my first half marathon. What a sense of accomplishment with close friends. Well, the bad news is that after the half marathon, I developed a severe tendonitis bilaterally. Since the beginning of September I have been off the running regime. :(

Swimming: Well, there is really not much to say about my swimming. I became discouraged as my swimming drills were fantastic, however when I tried to put everything together it somehow fell apart. Swimming is my nemesis and feel that you have to be part amphebian to be a good swimmer. However, I guess I need to try it again. So, November 3rd I am going to give it one last try and pray that my inner mermaid surfaces.

Cycling: My cycling adventure slowed down during my half marathon training. However, I have discovered during this adventure that cycling is my favorite of all three sports and have decided that I really want to focus on this one sport. Thus, I have invested in a carbon fiber bike. Originally it was going to be a pinarello fp3, however things didn't work out. So, I ended up with a specialized amira expert. The difference is AMAZING!! I can climb like a billy goat and I am really looking forward to working on speed work in the next few months and possibly doing my first time trial. I also purchased a garmin for my new bike which I love!!

Vacation!!

So, I am sure you are all wondering if I fell off the wagon again, nope! I was in L.A. living the good life. I was there for almost 2 weeks doing absoloutely nothing. Well, that is not necessarily true. Let's see, I ate, learned how to play xbox, went to disneyland, ate somemore, got up late, etc. You know do all the things you don't get to do when you have a real job. It was glorious!!! I, of course did not want to come home to the harsh reality of working, training, and paying bills, ugh! I really wanted to stay and live in the castle at Disneyland! Where all my dreams would come true... So, let's see, I arrived on Sunday afternoon - the 9th of May. I worked 12 hours shifts on Monday and Tuesday. No exercising as my allergies or a small cold got a hold of me.

Training with Triathletes..

April 15th - I went swimming again holding my head up high although my shoulders were killing me. I warmed up with 4 x 25's, ouch! Swimming is tough! I don't know how those triathletes do it; swimming lap after lap with 15 second rest in between. Maybe, one day I too will have super lungs.

April 17th - Today was the ladies anniversary ride - 45 miles around S. Mtn. We were also going to take pictures today at 6am. Wow, what an early start. I arrived around 0540. I was soo sleepy. The day started off  with beautiful pictures and great conversation with women who are quickly becoming my best friends and training buddies. I was concerned as I had not been on my bike for two and a half weeks. However, the wind blowing in my hair and the familiar sun kissing my rosy cheeks was unforgettable. I had missed it so much more than I had anticipated. The first 24 miles I was surprised as I was keeping a 18-20 mph pace, which is unheard of for me. Especially with my asthma - I was in heaven. Until I heard this unfamilliar crash and very familiar voice scream. My whole body froze for a minute. Then, I went into auto pilot. The next thing I knew I was dialing 911, expressing my concern for a dear friends well being. Explaining that she may have a dislocated shoulder. We were in an ambulance and off to the hospital. She currently has a broken collar bone, but is on the mend. My heart aches for her as this was an accident caused by yet another driver which ran another cyclist off the road due to not being able to share the road. :(  Needless to say, no further training on Saturday or Sunday.

April 19th - I think I was still exhausted and missed swimming. However, I did make it to pilates which kicked my butt. Wow, do I need to work on my core. It has gotten pretty soft over the last few months.

April 20th - I did swim this morning and was frustrated. I was working on slow exhales and quick inhales. Easy for the coach to instruct as he is not the one in the water! We worked on me getting my hip out of the way when my arms come down to complete my stroke. I just figured I had big hips. When I worked on this drill it messed my whole swim technique. I need to really work on this drill!! I also ran 3.5 miles in the evening. It was a very slow 3.5 miles, but I did it and I was pretty proud of myself! I think I may actually be a tri girl someday. I am also making some lifelong friends in the process!  My life is changing everyday...

Training Update

The week after my MS 150 I was like a newborn. All I did was eat & sleep. I could not catch up on my sleep and I was constantly tired; this went on for about a week and a half. I think I might have done a few yoga/pilates classes. But, I couldn't muster up the energy to go to swim classes. I am finally getting back into the swing of things. April 5th I was to lazy to get up to swim, so I have felt horrible and went to pilates. Wow, I was sore for days. April 6th - I actually got my lazy butt out of bed, late of course but made it to swim lessons, yippee! The evening of April 6th,  I decided that I needed to give running a whirl. If I going to be a tri girl, better learn to run. The next day I thought my shins were going to fall off! I developed the worst shin splints ever! The second day was worse. I was walking around work like a bad John Wayne extra. This is when I knew I needed to visit a real running store and purchase my very first and I am sure expensive "running shoes". Since I couldn't move very fast I decided to rest on April 7th. April 8th, I swam for a little bit on my own to practice my breathing technique. April 9th - I was late to swim lessons again, but I crawled out of bed! April 10th I was tired again, so I rested after working a 12 hours shift. April 11th- I ran with my new saucony's in the canal (on dirt) and was able to walk/jog 2 miles. What a difference; my shoes were so springy. Kind of like tigger, so worth the money. My feet were a little sore the next day, but no shin splints! Wahoo!

Something Amazing happened on April 14th. ----- I woke up and went to swim lessons and I began actually using my arms like pole vaults to propel me thru the water. I actually started what my coach called a 3-1 sequence. I actually was able to swim laps for the 1st time today. I could not believe it - I was like a kid in Disneyland. I didn't ever think I would be able to swim a whole lap. Now, I am swimming multiple laps. Of course I had to stop after every one because I was out of breath, but what an amazing feeling!
It is official -I am no longer afraid of the water.

Pics from my MS 150 -

                                        This picture is the 1st day with LaVerne leading the girls

Me & Laura Lee  - 1st day

Lunch time fun & yoga stretching. I think I am trying to give my chips away. lol

Waving at the camera! :)

Eww.. we have how many more miles to go? after lunch!

Day 2 - the girls that pulled me. Julie, Stef, Sarah, & me.

Our 2010 MS Ladies Team