I'll be in Las Vegas, probably on a training ride.
I just had a mild panic attack.
I just had a mild panic attack.
Showing posts with label viva bike vegas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label viva bike vegas. Show all posts
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
8:52:57 - 5x5
When I started thinking about this title it boiled down to the two above.
8:52:57 is the number of hours:minutes:seconds it took to bike 95 miles.
And 5 by 5 describes how I felt after that ride yesterday. I've been back on a sci fi kick lately so 5 by 5 came to mind from my Buffy watching days. Faith used to say it and it basically meant 'all's good'
And that's basically how I felt at the end of the ride. I felt like I could keep going and be fine.
Maybe there's something to be said about the battery dying on my odometer at some random point in the ride so I wasnt focused on that, or the evil word-of-the-day: chipseal
But in the end, it was 5 by 5. Now to be realistic my middles are never perfect.
I whine and moan and want to quit after 50ish miles.
And Tanya ignores me.
And I keep pedaling.
And then I feel fine, I get my eff it surge/second wind/gift from God and 95 miles happens.
I still don't kinda believe it.
Because I remember where I was at this point last year. To say the least, I hated it all. More specifically, I hated starting something I couldnt finish. One of the most poignant yet simple things one of my old boss said to me is that back in the day (yes, paraphrased that part) a lawyers word was their bond. Clearly she was a lawyer and I'm not, but I've always lived and wanted to live by that. Simply put - I don't agree to do things I don't intend to do. Many people agreed to do stuff nonchalantly and then flake, but I've never been that type of person, so I deliberate hardcore before I agree to do things.
Last year I signed up for Honolulu and coming up to this point of the season, I was so disappointed in myself because I knew it was going to take sheer luck and adrenaline to get to the 100 finish. And I didn't have it in me. I sagged out a many ride last summer, and each time I was so pissed at myself it brought me to tears a lot of times, sitting in that sag car.
And then this summer. No-SAG 2012. And only 4 missed training rides, two being for yasi's wedding, one for my bday, and one for the hell of it but I felt insanely guilty. It's just a different ballgame.
I need to get back into spin class the next couple of weeks.102 122 miles of fun, 19 days away.
Right after I stay up all night watching this Buffy marathon.
8:52:57 is the number of hours:minutes:seconds it took to bike 95 miles.
And 5 by 5 describes how I felt after that ride yesterday. I've been back on a sci fi kick lately so 5 by 5 came to mind from my Buffy watching days. Faith used to say it and it basically meant 'all's good'
Maybe there's something to be said about the battery dying on my odometer at some random point in the ride so I wasnt focused on that, or the evil word-of-the-day: chipseal
 |
| Would've been a much prettier pic had not not gotten most of that evil road in the shot. Ah well |
But in the end, it was 5 by 5. Now to be realistic my middles are never perfect.
I whine and moan and want to quit after 50ish miles.
And Tanya ignores me.
And I keep pedaling.
And then I feel fine, I get my eff it surge/second wind/gift from God and 95 miles happens.
I still don't kinda believe it.
 |
| Right off of stage right: Hunter attempting to shoot doves....the symbol of peace.Cray |
Because I remember where I was at this point last year. To say the least, I hated it all. More specifically, I hated starting something I couldnt finish. One of the most poignant yet simple things one of my old boss said to me is that back in the day (yes, paraphrased that part) a lawyers word was their bond. Clearly she was a lawyer and I'm not, but I've always lived and wanted to live by that. Simply put - I don't agree to do things I don't intend to do. Many people agreed to do stuff nonchalantly and then flake, but I've never been that type of person, so I deliberate hardcore before I agree to do things.
Last year I signed up for Honolulu and coming up to this point of the season, I was so disappointed in myself because I knew it was going to take sheer luck and adrenaline to get to the 100 finish. And I didn't have it in me. I sagged out a many ride last summer, and each time I was so pissed at myself it brought me to tears a lot of times, sitting in that sag car.
And then this summer. No-SAG 2012. And only 4 missed training rides, two being for yasi's wedding, one for my bday, and one for the hell of it but I felt insanely guilty. It's just a different ballgame.
 |
| Also a different ballgame and much more painful...sigh |
I need to get back into spin class the next couple of weeks.
Right after I stay up all night watching this Buffy marathon.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Anderson Loop - 86miles
....I know I should write something, but I'm still unsure as to exactly what. So this could be long.
86 miles...did that!
A year ago, coming up to the Honolulu Century Ride, I wasn't confident that I'd make the entire 100. I dreaded going to the rides, and when I went I sagged out towards the end.
What a difference a year makes. I loathe failing. One of my bigger regrets is that last year when my grandma was around, I didn't finish. So I knew if I signed up this year, it would be round two of some sorts. I knew I was in a different place, and I knew I had to finish.
Yesterday, I actually felt like "Ok, I can do 100, how about that 122 route?" It's a great feeling. A crazy indescribable feeling. A oh-wow-maybe-I-am-a-cyclist-feeling.
I'm just gonna break it down...because it's my blog and I can write whatever I want.
Mentally:
Going into this ride. I had some conflicting emotions. I'm fully committed to no-SAG 2012. But I only went to one spin class this week, ran twice? and biked maybe 2.5 miles on Wednesday before I a)taught Andrea how to change a tire and b) realized I was supposed to be dogsitting and sped off to my bro's house. I did hydrate pretty well Wed-Fri. But Sat morning I couldn't sleep because I was nervous about the ride and I wasn't at home in my normal surroundings
So because I wasn't where I wanted to be training-wise this week I thought about it as a mental exercise. Vegas week won't be perfect. I won't have the greatest training schedule leading up to with with traveling, team events etc. I won't be on the best diet leading up to it, and I'll be in a hotel room. So this week...and the next 2 weeks of dogsitting will be my mental exercises. Because I love for everything to be the exact same way, clothes laid out the same the night before, cheerios and pb&j on the drive up, etc etc. And it will be impossible to replicate that at the actual ride, so I need to get out of my rut now.
But since this was a loop ride it helped me out a lot mentally because I hate surprises. Hate. And I knew kinda which hills were coming or at least the big ones. And with a sag stop at each end of the loop, it was easy to break it down to 10-ish miles at a time...8 times.
Physically....broken down by loops:
Miles 0-21.
And at every ride, I feel great until mile 3. Then my brain wakes and and screams WTF ARE YOU DOING?!? And I feel crappy miles 3-10. And then I settle into normal in miles 10+. Same thing happened today. It was nice and overcast though.
Miles 21-42ish.
Feeling great. Music is on, though I'm mostly talking to teammates on the ride. Still overcast...looks like rain...getting excited. Wasn't feeling the 82 miles I thought it'd be...definitely wasn't feeling the 86 miles. 4miles=huge difference. Rain delay would be super awesome.
Miles 42ish-64ish.
No rain. Dang it. Gotta make another loop! First ten out I listened to music and cursed speaker adapter for coming out of my ipod several times in the middle of songs I was singing. Particularly my kanye songs. I need to channel kanye's arrogance and bravado right now.
Because I know whats coming on this loop.
"Now that don't kill me
Can only make me stronger
I need you to hurry up now
'cause I can't wait much longer"
-kanye, stronger
The Wall or rather the faux Wall. The Wall and it's faux counterpart is a total bitch. Last season I hit the wall,
the faux wall,
deaths doorstep,
and probably a frog or two. Several times.
But I didn't really hit the WALL until Honolulu. Somewhere right after I'd missed the cutoff and I was dead crazy tired, sad and disappointed in myself. I knew to do this in 2012, I'd have to make the wall my bitch.
It's still easier said than done.
Luckily miles 50 on were me and coach Tanya. Things Tanya is great at:
-general badassery. Why yes it is a word according to urban dictionary. Definition is pretty accurate.
-distracting me. I don't think I was much of a conversationalist last season because I was...well breathing. But this year I can talk! About all kinds of stuff! Talking on the bike is super exciting.
-knowing that I'm just bitching in general.
Eff you rainless clouds!
Eff you wind!
Eff you hills!
What the...! Those fake deer all just moved. Are hallucinations a symptom of heatstroke!?!
And that while I'm tired and I'm not going as fast as I started off at, I'm not actually tired enough to sag out even though I'm bitching.
Miles 64ish-75ish.
It occurs to me that the advantage/disadvantage of this loop situation is that I have to say goodbye to my car yet again. Oh sweet sweet Jean Grey (don't judge my car's name), I miss/love/really appreciate you.
There was a stop and breathe break right before the final-giant-imported from Chappell Hill, hill, right before the final SAG stop. It was glorious.
Miles 75ish-86ish.
Last ten. Lately my 'eff it!' surge has been failing me, but not today. Or rather, I just went to hell with what I'm supposed to do:
-high cadence, granny gear pedaling up hills.
And just did:
-big gear, power up the damn hills separating me from my car.
So maybe it was the 'eff it!' surge, re-imagined.
It was a great finish if I do say so myself. I don't remember exactly what we were talking about riding into town, but I remember I was laughing as we rode into the team. Definitely not like last year. But reminded me of the pic I put on my thank you letters from last season
Go Team.
86 miles...did that!
A year ago, coming up to the Honolulu Century Ride, I wasn't confident that I'd make the entire 100. I dreaded going to the rides, and when I went I sagged out towards the end.
What a difference a year makes. I loathe failing. One of my bigger regrets is that last year when my grandma was around, I didn't finish. So I knew if I signed up this year, it would be round two of some sorts. I knew I was in a different place, and I knew I had to finish.
Yesterday, I actually felt like "Ok, I can do 100, how about that 122 route?" It's a great feeling. A crazy indescribable feeling. A oh-wow-maybe-I-am-a-cyclist-feeling.
I'm just gonna break it down...because it's my blog and I can write whatever I want.
Mentally:
Going into this ride. I had some conflicting emotions. I'm fully committed to no-SAG 2012. But I only went to one spin class this week, ran twice? and biked maybe 2.5 miles on Wednesday before I a)taught Andrea how to change a tire and b) realized I was supposed to be dogsitting and sped off to my bro's house. I did hydrate pretty well Wed-Fri. But Sat morning I couldn't sleep because I was nervous about the ride and I wasn't at home in my normal surroundings
So because I wasn't where I wanted to be training-wise this week I thought about it as a mental exercise. Vegas week won't be perfect. I won't have the greatest training schedule leading up to with with traveling, team events etc. I won't be on the best diet leading up to it, and I'll be in a hotel room. So this week...and the next 2 weeks of dogsitting will be my mental exercises. Because I love for everything to be the exact same way, clothes laid out the same the night before, cheerios and pb&j on the drive up, etc etc. And it will be impossible to replicate that at the actual ride, so I need to get out of my rut now.
But since this was a loop ride it helped me out a lot mentally because I hate surprises. Hate. And I knew kinda which hills were coming or at least the big ones. And with a sag stop at each end of the loop, it was easy to break it down to 10-ish miles at a time...8 times.
Physically....broken down by loops:
Miles 0-21.
And at every ride, I feel great until mile 3. Then my brain wakes and and screams WTF ARE YOU DOING?!? And I feel crappy miles 3-10. And then I settle into normal in miles 10+. Same thing happened today. It was nice and overcast though.
Miles 21-42ish.
Feeling great. Music is on, though I'm mostly talking to teammates on the ride. Still overcast...looks like rain...getting excited. Wasn't feeling the 82 miles I thought it'd be...definitely wasn't feeling the 86 miles. 4miles=huge difference. Rain delay would be super awesome.
Miles 42ish-64ish.
No rain. Dang it. Gotta make another loop! First ten out I listened to music and cursed speaker adapter for coming out of my ipod several times in the middle of songs I was singing. Particularly my kanye songs. I need to channel kanye's arrogance and bravado right now.
Because I know whats coming on this loop.
"Now that don't kill me
Can only make me stronger
I need you to hurry up now
'cause I can't wait much longer"
-kanye, stronger
| The Wall. Last year it used to happen around mile 30. This year it pops up somewhere in 50-60. |
The Wall or rather the faux Wall. The Wall and it's faux counterpart is a total bitch. Last season I hit the wall,
the faux wall,
deaths doorstep,
and probably a frog or two. Several times.
But I didn't really hit the WALL until Honolulu. Somewhere right after I'd missed the cutoff and I was dead crazy tired, sad and disappointed in myself. I knew to do this in 2012, I'd have to make the wall my bitch.
It's still easier said than done.
Luckily miles 50 on were me and coach Tanya. Things Tanya is great at:
-general badassery. Why yes it is a word according to urban dictionary. Definition is pretty accurate.
-distracting me. I don't think I was much of a conversationalist last season because I was...well breathing. But this year I can talk! About all kinds of stuff! Talking on the bike is super exciting.
-knowing that I'm just bitching in general.
Eff you rainless clouds!
Eff you wind!
Eff you hills!
What the...! Those fake deer all just moved. Are hallucinations a symptom of heatstroke!?!
And that while I'm tired and I'm not going as fast as I started off at, I'm not actually tired enough to sag out even though I'm bitching.
Miles 64ish-75ish.
It occurs to me that the advantage/disadvantage of this loop situation is that I have to say goodbye to my car yet again. Oh sweet sweet Jean Grey (don't judge my car's name), I miss/love/really appreciate you.
There was a stop and breathe break right before the final-giant-imported from Chappell Hill, hill, right before the final SAG stop. It was glorious.
Miles 75ish-86ish.
Last ten. Lately my 'eff it!' surge has been failing me, but not today. Or rather, I just went to hell with what I'm supposed to do:
-high cadence, granny gear pedaling up hills.
And just did:
-big gear, power up the damn hills separating me from my car.
So maybe it was the 'eff it!' surge, re-imagined.
It was a great finish if I do say so myself. I don't remember exactly what we were talking about riding into town, but I remember I was laughing as we rode into the team. Definitely not like last year. But reminded me of the pic I put on my thank you letters from last season
 |
| I'm totally fake smiling. Upon deaths door last year. |
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Chappell Hill Long - 65miles.
Today hurt.
Mentally.
Physically.
But more mentally
and physically will probably last through tomorrow when I'm laying in bed thinking about icing my knees or something.
Processing some of the bigger things that happened today are still ongoing, but to sum up. They hurt. They Suck. Karma, God, Flying Spaghetti Monster, whatever has a wicked sense of humor sometimes.
So with all that brewing, there was no way I was gonna SAG out today, but I sure did think about it a couple of times.
I mean it was HOT for one. 2011 summer drought hot. My ipod overheated hot. I'm pretty sure the hottest practice this season. Secondly, I didn't hydrate as I have in past weeks. I was going into this at a deficit, but determined to continue my no-SAG 2012.
So yea hills there were alot of them, otherwise I assume it'd be called Chappell Flat, and they sucked. I mean I know I've improved over the last season, because I wouldve died out there last year. Vultures would've been circling me the ENTIRE ride.
But alas despite the heat, my ipod dying, not being as hydrated as I needed to be and a few muscle cramps, coaches Tanya and Alan were able to distract me enough from riding so that first 60 miles weren't completely awful. The last five however, sprang up from the fiery depths of hell. Much like Athena sprang up from Zeus' head. Depths of hell yo.
I was gassed. Burned out. Done. At the point I'd already hit 171 on my heart rate monitor (supposed top limit for my age, 164) No longer had the ability to use my big chainring. Just thinking about how biking is stupid and evil. I was at the point of 100% mental, because I was beyond done physically.
It's at this point that I thought about two things:
1. My Grandma. Because that's why I'm doing this and fighting up a hill is nothing compared to cancer.
2. "It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything." -Tyler Durden, Fight Club
It's this point when you gotta dig deep, and just pedal to oblivion. And by oblivion I mean, my car and glorious A/C. And riding in to the awesome TNT team doesnt hurt either. They're super awesome.
Go Team.
And go Case Keenum and his NFL debut in a preseason game! Got to catch the end of that game. Go Coogs!
Mentally.
Physically.
But more mentally
and physically will probably last through tomorrow when I'm laying in bed thinking about icing my knees or something.
Processing some of the bigger things that happened today are still ongoing, but to sum up. They hurt. They Suck. Karma, God, Flying Spaghetti Monster, whatever has a wicked sense of humor sometimes.
So with all that brewing, there was no way I was gonna SAG out today, but I sure did think about it a couple of times.
 |
| Last hill in million degree hear. I swear drawn to scale. Horrendous. Clearly I'm not an artist. |
So yea hills there were alot of them, otherwise I assume it'd be called Chappell Flat, and they sucked. I mean I know I've improved over the last season, because I wouldve died out there last year. Vultures would've been circling me the ENTIRE ride.
 |
| Go Team! |
 | |
| Athena from Xena: Warrior Princess. You need to be well versed in greek mythology to read my blog. | The more you know.. |
It's at this point that I thought about two things:
1. My Grandma. Because that's why I'm doing this and fighting up a hill is nothing compared to cancer.
2. "It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything." -Tyler Durden, Fight Club
It's this point when you gotta dig deep, and just pedal to oblivion. And by oblivion I mean, my car and glorious A/C. And riding in to the awesome TNT team doesnt hurt either. They're super awesome.
Go Team.
And go Case Keenum and his NFL debut in a preseason game! Got to catch the end of that game. Go Coogs!
 |
| Dear NFL Commentators. Yes his name is Casey. However he goes by Case. Stop calling him Casey, that's ignorant. |
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Cycling for a Cure
July 6, 2012
Dear Friend,
You’ve
been with me this entire journey. You
were there last year when I began cycling as a part of Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society’s (LLS) Team In Training. You
were there with me as I raised over $5,000 for cancer research, as I biked the
equivalent of Houston to Austin four times training while last summer and in
Honolulu, and you were with me as became a connoisseur of farmers tans, dodging
road kill and sunrises on country roads in Texas.
I’m asking you to be with me
again as I continue the journey to raise
money for cancer and take on 102 miles of desert heat on Sept 22 in Las
Vegas. Will you make a
donation to support cancer research, advocacy and patient assistance?
 |
|
This past
weekend I passed the 1,000 mile mark on my bike, another milestone in this
journey.
Thank you for your support.
|
We
all hate cancer. We have all lost
someone because of cancer. We all hope
for the day when cancer is akin to polio, measles or any deadly disease of the
early1900’s that everyone feared. But we
are not there yet. The LLS uses your
donation to further research, and help make the lives of patients and their
families easier while they fight for their lives. The money raised by TNT participants
has enabled LLS to fund millions of dollars of research to help advance new treatments
and cures for leukemia, lymphoma and
myeloma, and provide critical education and support to
cancer patients and their
families. Nearly 50% of all cancer drugs approved
by the FDA during the past decade were for
blood cancers. And five of those drugs have been
approved for patients with solid tumors and others are being tested for other indications.
So
please join me again in 2012 and make a donation here and follow
my journey at britdoeslife.com.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Last Saturday's Route.
Here's a map, due to my ability to forget to start mapmyride....i dont have a nifty cool map with stats.
Though we havent gotten to working on hills, my greatest enemy, I have to say I felt great after this ride. Not 100% but I'd say 98%. I definitely wore my knees out on a few hills by not paying attention and switching to an easier gear, but that pain went away by the time we finished bbq at lunch.
Now only if i'd done yoga or something on sunday (which working from 9a-10p for an event that night wouldnt allow) or woken up and gone to spin class monday...I'd be feeling alot happier. But alas. I reunited with fitness connection today, and will wake up!!!! and goto spin class tomorrow.
Hopefully those extra exclamation point will make it actually happen.
Though we havent gotten to working on hills, my greatest enemy, I have to say I felt great after this ride. Not 100% but I'd say 98%. I definitely wore my knees out on a few hills by not paying attention and switching to an easier gear, but that pain went away by the time we finished bbq at lunch.
Now only if i'd done yoga or something on sunday (which working from 9a-10p for an event that night wouldnt allow) or woken up and gone to spin class monday...I'd be feeling alot happier. But alas. I reunited with fitness connection today, and will wake up!!!! and goto spin class tomorrow.
Hopefully those extra exclamation point will make it actually happen.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
What have I done? ! ? !
Those were my thoughts right after I clicked register.
Viva Bike Vegas, and a summer of fun here we come
