That Special Place

So biking has this magical quality about it for me.  It takes me to a special place -- on so many levels. I'm not just talking your average Mac'n' Cheese Daily Special special.

By special, I mean:


1)  Amazing-secret-undiscovered(to me)-gawd-I-can't-believe-we-live-here-Special.

Here's a view from Hwy 1 biking south of Half Moon Bay, about 30 miles south of San Francisco.  The blue sky had just started to break thru the clouds.  The waves were a breathtaking. Even though I got up at 5:15am, I was actually in a good mood. It wasn't raining, and  I was with an amazing group of friends who all appreciate what we have. Thanks to Lin, my teammate, who's pictures I have stolen.  (Thank you, Lin!)




2) Bike-people-continually-amaze-me-as-kind-and-helpful-and-I-think-I-need-to-be-a-better-person-Special.

Here's a pic of me at the Bike Hut, this very cool hut that someone has set up.  It appears to be on an the land of an organic farm.  They offer water, coffee, tea, dehydrated fruits and veggies, dried lavender, magazines, and various other snacks, along with a sofa, benches and a picnic spot.  It's all on an honor system.  Drop you money in the cash box and enjoy!  I love that this exists, that its well maintained, and that people don't appear to abuse it.  Bikers in general seem to be such a helpful lot.  They are always stopping to help strangers change flats, to chat about the weather, or to give you directions.  It's like a special not-so-secret club. I love it.


3) Wow-What-a-Great-Group-of-People-Special

Here's my team I ride with every week for the last 15 weeks.  We are known as Jim's Harem. Jim is our ever-patient coach of 6 whiney women.  He is even-keeled, encouraging, and kind.  The ladies are crazy, wonderful, and oh-so-very special.  I have loved getting to know them all, and feel lucky to have them in my life.  I've loved watching all of us get stronger and more comfortable on our bikes.  When we summit or we crash, we do it together.  Something about riding with the same people week after week really fills a place in my soul.  Also, they like to make up songs while they ride, and asked me to sing the song on stage in front of our whole team.  And that is a whole different kind of special (Sally).


4) Here's-a-subject-you-don't-talk-about-much-Special

So biking for long distances requires a lot of time in the saddle.  And riding on that tiny little seat sometimes makes your "special" parts not feel so special. And only with ladies that you bike with can you talk about how to deal with this oh-so-special feeling.  And now I am convinced that Butter Makes Biking Better.  And I'll leave it at that. And give you a nice picture of us riding through redwood forests to wipe the special mental image you may have developed in reading this.


And there you have it. My Special Places.

Final image of teammate Betty cruising down Hwy 1.  Can't wait to go back to my special place next weekend!  Mt. Diablo  -- here we come! (Wish us luck!)

29 Days Later

Hopefully this is nothing like 28 Days later because I really hate flesh-eating zombies.   It is 29 days until my first century in Solvang, CA. 

It has been a tough month, I have to say.  The weather has been a bit rainy and cold, which is no surprise.  I've missed a few long rides, which has been frustrating.  And last week, I screwed up my neck so badly I couldn't turn my head to the right.  Definitely has slowed things down for me.  Limited riding, no driving, and no talking to anyone on my right side.  (hmmm, an aversion for the right?)

However, today is full of all sorts of things to keep me happy.  I can now turn my head to the right.  It is CK's and my first anniversary and my parents 43rd anniversary (I think). It Darwin's 201st birthday.  And the 6th anniversary of the day SF started issuing same sex marriages.  I'm still in PJs, working from home, and also have a shiatsu massage and sushi in store for tonight.  So take that, February!

Anyhow, back to training. . .  Tomorrow we head out for a 65 mile ride.  This is one mile shy of my longest ride ever.   And though I'm a bit nervous about these increasing distances, what I remember the most about the 66 mile ride was not how long it was or how hard it was, but how hungry I was afterwards.  I literally could have eaten my own liver at that point.  Hmmm.  Maybe this will be a bit like flesh-eating zombies.

Crossing to the Danger Zone

After training and completing a handful of endurance events as your basic non-athlete, I've come to recognize when I've crossed into the Danger Zone.  This is the point in training when you start to really push and tax your body, when you realize all the base work, core work, and proper nutrition really matter.   And because I appear to have the ability to forget everything I have learned, I am never able to see when this is coming and take preventative measures.

Yesterday we did a 50 mile ride from Orinda including the Pinehurst loop and the 3 bears.  It was a terrific ride.  We managed to have a completely rain free ride, the climbing we challenging, and we survived with only 1 flat amongst the 6 of us.   Through the first 20 miles, though, where the first climb was, I felt so sluggish and not all together there.  One of my teammates felt the same way.  We compared notes, and concluded that likely culprits were her glasses of wine and a cosmo, and my  beer and two manhattans I drank the night before, and my dinner of popcorn and duck fat fries.OK, probably not the healthiest of dinners on my part on any night, but the night before a significant ride, it was a really bad idea.   (In my defense, it was my birthday present night  -- we went to see Cirque du Soilel and then to Orson for drinks.)  Today my legs are super tired, I feel pretty sluggish, and it took me a long long time to rehydrate afterward.  Not a graceful recovery at all.

So the Danger Zone is really about when its time to straighten up and fly right.  I have been doing my core workouts and *trying* to get in mid-week spin classes and runs.  6 weeks to the event.   Gotta be better about  those mid-week workouts, and on Friday nights about getting more sleep, drinking less.  And gotta do better on the recovery front after the rides.  And I'll start that next week. .. since last night I drank too much beer and ate too much delicious pizza.  Hey, in my defense, it was our friends 40th birthday . . .

Hmmm. Starting to see a pattern here. Danger! Danger!  :-)

Why I Love the Y

Today at the Y, a woman joins our spin class wearing acid washed jeans with rhinestones on the pockets, thick brown leather belt, a long sleeve silk shirt, a mohair sweater vest, and sneakers with 1 inch heels.  She is wearing a fair amount of make up, and hangs her purse and winter coat from the bars of the bike. She hops on the bike and starts pedaling. The instructor does not bat an eye.  Tells her to roll up her jean leg, and launches right into classes. 

Other cast of characters include:

• Woman in grey leotard and red tights, straight from the 80's
  
• Woman with electric blue terry cloth sweatband and matching writs bands
• Man who had never been to spin class before and was wearing short short running shorts
• Woman in billowy, white ensemble, possibly form hospital, with white orthopedic shoes 

In reading this description, I can actually see people in these clothes intentionally trying to be retro-ironic-annoying.  But these people were not that at all. They were dressed like they normally dress at the gym,  mostly in their late 40s or early 50s, just going about their business. Not an ironic bone in them.  And this is why I love the Y.

Quiet Triumphs

Today after a very slow start in the morning, Chris and I headed down to Woodside (about 30 min south) for a bike ride.  Chris, even in his least fit form, is way faster and stronger than I am on the bike.   We rarely ride together because of this, and because I tend to work myself up into a frenzy alternating between "I'm so slow and pathetic" and "He's having a terrible time because he has to stop so much and go so slowly."  Self-pity and hyper-sensitivity all in one ride.  It makes me *super* fun to be with.

But today, I was determined to work on the old quieting the mind concept.  After negotiating with Chris for a long time about which route to take (his vote was for a Skyline climb - 35 miles 4000 ft of climbing), we settled on 27 miles with 2 climbs on Old La Honda (2400 ft or so), which still seemed an awful lot to me. But in the spirit of quite minds, I put aside my panic and self-doubt and hopped on the bike, happy to be riding with him.

The first climb started after 6 miles of fairly flat easy roads.  It's  about 1300 ft in 3.4 miles on beautiful, windy roads with amazing views.  It's an average of 7.2% grade, which I guess isn't too steep as these things go, but it was a tough, tough, climb for me.   It took us about 45 minutes or so to climb it.  I went through the classic hill climbing phases for me:  1) nervous 2) self doubt  3) talking to one self to calm down  4) focused 5) determined.  Hearing usually goes all wonky at this phase.  6) legs in agony and wondering when it will ever end 7) sheer will to completion 8) want to vomit.

The second climb was much less steep, but my legs and ego were shot.  The long decent back to Woodside also scared me a bit, especially with all of the traffic on the roads.  I worked on just focusing on enjoying the ride, but my self-doubt and hypersensitivity got the better of me.  "Chris is waiting again."  "The cars behind me an upset with me because I'm going so slowly."  "I'm going to crash and die on this lame ass descent." Etc.

But I completed the ride, Chris didn't seem terribly annoyed, and I climbed a hill I've always wanted to climb.  So I'd call that a physical success.  And though the voices in my head were louder than I would have liked, they seemed a touch quieter than in the past, and I'm glad we did the ride.  So I'd also call that a quiet triumph, too.  

Then I got to eat a chimichanga.  So that made the whole day worthwhile :-)

Inspirations all around

Some days, like yesterday, I feel so insignificant in this world.  Not in a low-self esteem sort of way, but rather that the world is greater, grander, and more challenging than my little bubble -- and I find it refreshing, humbling, and wonderful.

Our team did a lovely 30 mile ride up in Nicaso, which is about 30 miles north of San Francisco.  We rode to Point Reyes Station and had amazing views of Tomales Bay.  These places always make me thankful to live in Northern California and thankful to be able to enjoy them on my bike.

We worked on pacelining today, which was a whole new adventure for someone like me who has trouble walking straight, let alone riding straight.  But it definitely made a difference as we rode back in some strong headwinds.

On the ride, I learned about one of our honorees who battled cancer for some time. His treatments sounded terrible and painful.  But today he is 3 years post treatments and on his bike riding with us. I also chatted with one of our participants who, along with her husband, are training in honor of their Pops who passed away earlier this year from lymphoma.  In their journey to get to our team, they also got in shape, lost 167 lbs combine, and endured what sounded like terrible back surgery where they were not sure she would ever walk again -- all this year. Then she learned to walk again (wow).  They got some bikes, learned to ride, and joined the team.  They also live fairly far away and make it to practically every training with gigantic smiles on their faces.  Also, they are really nice. 

I started the ride in a fairly bad mood -- woke up at 5:30am, had no coffee, left my helmet at home, etc.   But by the time I left, I felt peaceful and grateful.  And my tushy didn't hurt!

Ride Motivation

So I've eaten ham for the last 7 meals.  It is the best ham in the entire world, so you can't blame me.  But it's getting a bit ridiculous.  So I'm using my ham obsession as incentives to do some serious bike training.  Whatever it takes, right?  If I eat ham, I must exercise. Today, I did a great spin class at the gym so that I could eat ham for all 3 meals.  Tomorrow, I am having dinner with a friend, so I will likely not train nor eat ham.

But first to justify my silliness or ham-illiness, you need to know the ham was just accepted into the 5th World Congress of Dry Cured Ham in Spain. The Spaniards love their hams, so they would know.  I've tried a lot of other hams, and this one deserves its place in the Ham Hall of Fame. It's a ham like no other.

Alrighty, now onto some biking updates.  We did a lovely ride in Pleasant Hill and Martinez on Saturday.  25 miles or so with some spectacular views.  I'm glad to learn more about the East Bay this season. I managed to lose a screw on my cleat at some point and was unable to clip out. We spent a good 15 min on the side of the road with me standing in my socks trying to figure out how to get my shoe off the bike.  A few clever uses of the the multitool and I was on my way again. 

Our team is divided into to smaller groups of people who ride about the same speed.  We're a smallish group of 6 ladies and our coach Jim.  This was my first ride with them so far since I've had the flu of some sort (the H1N1 status is still up for debate).  Though I serenaded my ride group with my phlegmy hacking the whole way, they still seemed to talk to me afterwards.  Anyhow, I like the small group riding, and I'm hoping to learn more about pace lines in the near future. 

Our team seems to be on the whole older than the Tri team.  This is good and bad.  The team doesn't quite have the youthful/drunken/high energy of the tri team, but I like the more mellow approach and I don't feel so old.  Actually, I really like the It's Just a Ride Not a Race mentality.  Tri's will always have a place in my heart, but this lack of the need for speed is just what I need right now.

And I know you're all wondering about the tushy.  So far so good.  Had a minor set back when I had the flu and was lying in bed for 5 days straight.  But now that I'm moving around again, I think its going to be okay on the bike.  Still seeing the Butt Doc but we're making steady progress.