Summer sports nirvana

In addition to fresh fruit, sweet tomatoes (which are a fruit, I know), lazy afternoon naps, summer reading, and road trips, to me, summer is also the time to enjoy the "wide world of sports".  After the annual drought that follows March (when March Madness ends, of course, and then we suffer through NBA playoffs and spring baseball), June brings a multitude of choices in terms of events and sports that I happen to enjoy.  This year, of course, is an Olympic year, so that means that our choices just quadrupled about 10 times.

So far, it has been plus/minus in terms of the individuals and teams that I am supporting, and my dedication in June wavered quite a bit.  While I celebrated that Nadal won the French Open, triumphing over Djokovic, he recently took an unexpected exit at Wimbledon.  That was so disappointing, and I probably won't follow much of Wimbledon from here on out!  Then there's the NBA, which I love to hate.  Really, all I wanted this year was for Miami to lose, which did not happen.

So, this brings me to today - July 1 marks the beginning of what I am calling "sports nirvana".  We caught some of the Olympic trials yesterday, and I started this morning with the Tour de France.  Even though some people question whether this will be an exciting Tour this year (Andy Schleck is out; Contador is banned; some riders are more focused on the Olympics rather than the Tour), I don't care.  It's the 99th year, so how could it not be spectacular?!  After watching the stage this morning, which had an exciting end, I switched the channel so that we could watch the Euro Cup final between Italy and Spain (currently, Spain is up, 2-0).  We missed ALMOST all of the tournament since we were on the road and just couldn't follow it, but catching the final game?  Why not?! 

If I keep up my Tour de France viewing, I might be sorely tempted to invest in one of these:

You can read all about this exercise bike here.  Somehow, I don't think that our family budget includes a $1500 exercise bike, so chances that I'll be watching the Tour while riding my Tour exercise bike are slim to none.  

Plus, I really should just get my butt on my own damn bike and ride!

Speaking of that...  Lest it seem that I am turning into couch potato as I keep up with the Tour and the Olympic trials, I have my own plans for the summer of sports nirvana in Boulder on August 5.  Depending, of course, on wildfire and other conditions in the state.  Seeing as Boulder 70.3 is exactly 5 weeks out, I am finding myself more nervous and excited and have seriously started to question my sanity and my ability, but I have also started to ramp up my training in a big way.  While we were on the road, I managed to keep up with my running, and I did not totally abandon biking and swimming for those two weeks.  It was, however, great to put in a 2-hour ride yesterday in the saddle followed by an easy 4-mile run.  After my bike frustration from a few weeks ago when the chain kept dropping, Sunshine has behaved beautifully, and I've been more than happy on our recent rides together.  This is positive, because I have many more miles to go before August 5!

The duathlon that actually was

So, no "Did I or didn't I" suspense here.  I finished the Camp Pendleton Devil Dog Duathlon this morning AND exceeded my expectations!  So far, it's my favorite race this year.  Okay, it is my only race so far, but despite the threatening rain and all the badasses with crazy gear that intimidate me and my own major doubts, I couldn't have been happier with the morning and the entire experience.

What a contrast to yesterday afternoon, around 1:30 pm when it was thundering and lightening, atypical natural phenomenas that almost never happen in Southern CA.  I definitely took that for an inauspicious sign.  The afternoon did not necessarily improve - we left at 3:05 on the nose, headed east, in the rain, and hit major Friday-afternoon traffic.  I think that we crawled along for the first 45 minutes, averaging around 5 miles an hour in some stretches.  Finally, the traffic opened up and we could zoom a bit more, which was great because we had dinner plans AND had to stop to buy new running shoes at REI for someone who had forgotten his (cough, cough, not I!).  Fortunately we made it down south and were not late meeting up with friends for a great dinner in Dana Point.  They had major news - Pregnant!  With twins!  Needless to say, we had a lot of catching up to do in a short 2-hour time period.

I went to sleep still worried about the weather.  The forecast indicated showers until 9:00 am, which, I decided, would be doable.  After all, I had feared torrential rains, so light showers were definitely preferable to that.  We officially hit the road to Camp Pendleton around 6:30, right after a breakfast and coffee stop that we ate and drank on the drive.  The morning was beautiful - a dramatic mix of clouds and sunshine - and we enjoyed a short but beautiful drive south, often catching glimpses of the Pacific Ocean just to our right.  For the first time all week, I began to feel somewhat optimistic about the event.  Wow, optimism?!  What a concept!  We turned into Camp Pendleton, showing off our race packets and getting the go-ahead to drive onto the base which, I think is privileged to some very nice land - lots of rolling hills and access to the ocean.

We arrived with plenty of time to spare, which gave me the chance to rack my bike, use the bathroom twice, drink plenty of water, decide what to wear (that one was complicated - leg warmers for the run or not? long sleeve shirt or not? full gloves or those that are cut off), and set up my stuff in the transition area.  Then, we waited in the car until it was closer to the start time, so we ran to the start line and put on our race faces.  No photos, but you'll have to trust me.  It seemed like a good idea at that point to think about my race strategy.  I had not articulated it to anyone, but before this past week, I secretly hoped to finish in 2:00 hours, give or take a minute or two.  I knew that the run would be stronger for me than the bike, but I hoped to bike the 18.6 miles in around an hour.  However, I had no idea how I would feel transitioning from run to bike.  So, at 8:29 am, I figured that I would just do my best and see what that meant for me.

The first run was not super fast or slow - it took us about 10 seconds to actually cross the start line, and Michael and I ran somewhat together for the first quarter or half mile.  Then, he encouraged me to go on, so I did!  Not that I sped up too much, but I kept a nice pace.  The 5k was an easy out-and-back course that offered a few nice mud puddles because of the rain.  When I ran into the transition area, my watch read 26-something which was more or less what I hoped.  The transition was probably my fastest by far (that's not saying much), and would have been faster except that I decided to take off my leg warmers for the bike portion and I had to fish my energy stuff out of the vest that I opted not to wear for the ride.  Then, I ran my bike to the mount area and hopped on it!  Okay, more like I tried to climb onto it somewhat gracefully.  It probably took me another 60 seconds to clip in.  I'm so smooth on the bike.

The bike leg actually felt really good which was all that I wanted.  I enjoyed just being able to RIDE and not worry so much about traffic and cars and everything that I have to consider when I'm normally in the saddle.  I also hoped to pass a few people, and I did, even people who had fancier bikes and clipless pedals (usually I'm ONLY passing people with the non-clipless pedals because I'm so slow). While plenty of speedsters zoomed past me, I felt good about my pace and reached the turn around at 59 minutes or so - which put me just under 30 minutes for 9 point whatever miles.  Excellent!  My confidence that I would finish in an hour was bolstered, until the headwind hit me as I headed north.  Holy crap!  The first few miles of the return trip were brutal.  Finally, we turned back east and the wind ended up behind us which was great for the final miles of the bike ride.  Except for the wind, the ride was great - nice easy hills and curves to enjoy and a pretty good road for most of the ride.  No complaints.

So, I ran my bike into transition and, for me, quickly prepped for the second run leg.  The one major fail on the bike was to eat anything, so I grabbed my energy food-things to eat on the run leg.  I also took in plenty of water on the run course.  Once I left the transition, I looked at my watch and saw that it read something like 1:35.  So, a sub-2 hour race was less than likely, but I would be under 2:05 which suited me just fine.  I also saw Michael as I headed out of the run gate, and I waved and he cheered.  Yay!  Starting the run, my legs felt really good.  I was worried that dealing with wind would have trashed my legs, but that didn't seem to be the case.  At this point in the race (yes, it really did seem to be a race for me), I just wanted to have a solid, final 5K and to leave enough 'in the tank' for a strong run to the finish line.  I hit the turn-around and then enjoyed the nice downhill run to the 2 mile marker.  There, my watch clocked 1:52:30.  Hmmm, a 7:30 final mile?  Possible but not necessarily probable.  I normally hate being a 'clock watcher', but I figured "what the hell" - if I wanted to hit that sweet spot, then I'd need to run smart.  So, I pushed myself but did not go all out until 1:58, when someone said "You're almost at the finish line" and then it was a full-on GO GO GO!  And I snuck in at an official time of 1:59:48.  My unofficial time was probably about 10 seconds faster, but I can't say that I really care because the official time brought a huge smile to my face as ran across the finish line.

So, all of those doubts about everything - well, it's not bad to have them, but it is definitely more enjoyable to come out on top!  I was so worried that my lack of racing for several months would have a negative impact, but I do think that it's been good for me to really focus on Wildflower and to not throw in a bunch of 10Ks just to do them.  Not that this race serves as an indicator of my performance, but it did boost my confidence, especially on the bike which is my major weakness.  This morning, my legs felt strong, and I am more than happy with Sunshine!  While the course was easier than what I'll find at Wildflower, the wind presented a good challenge that I managed to meet successfully.  Finally, that final run felt amazing, and I think that I'm in pretty good shape for May 6!

Final thoughts on the Devil Dog Duathlon:
- I would absolutely participate in this event again.  It was fairly small but well-organized, and while there were plenty of badasses out there with crazy gear, I loved that there were plenty of people with mountain bikes on the course, just doing their own thing.
- Being at/on Camp Pendleton was pretty cool, and the volunteers (many of whom were obviously active military) were awesome.
- I hope to never again see a guy's butt crack because there is some see-through material on his bike shorts.  Unfortunately, this was one of those situations where I passed him, then he passed me, then I passed him, then he passed me...  So, I had to see it several times, and it was like an accident on the freeway - you can't help but look.
- One of these days, I'm going to stay around for an awards ceremony to see if I do well enough in my age group.  I figured that I was in the bottom half of my age group, but as it turned out, I was in a pretty slow group and ended up doing fairly well (out of 13 people - ha!).

Once I finished, we were both ready to head home, but we did take a nice detour through San Clemente, one of the many surfing capitols of California.  It was almost noon, and my stomach had made itself known!  So, we found a great little Mexican spot, La Cocina de Ricardo (Ricardo's Kitchen, in case you cared).  I had my doubts when we pulled into the parking lot, but then we walked in and there was a customer speaking to the cashier en español - always a good sign.  And the food?  It rocked!  I had a burrito with chile colorado served "mojado" (wet - with sauce on top), and Michael had fried tacos.  I was skeptical when the cashier recommended them, but they were fantastic.

So, well-nourished and tired, we returned home.  It was gorgeous day to be on the road - clear skies and snow covered peaks.  A pretty amazing Saturday in Southern California!

(If you make it this far, good for you! That was a lengthy spiel.)

Friday fitting and Sunday ride

So, before being tortured on Friday, I mean before the afternoon run, I squeezed in a productive morning that consisted mostly of a bike fitting at a local bike store, Montrose Bike Shop.  I did feel a few pangs of guilt that I hadn't bought my bike from them, but I also have no doubt that they will be getting plenty of my business from here on out!  Anyway, I had never thought about a bike fitting, but my friend, Rachel, who seems to be my go-to bike person, recommended it.  Since I had made a sizable investment in the bike, I figured that I might as well make sure that it was a good fit for me (and if not, then I'd be screwed!).

I had no idea what to expect, not having done a fitting before, but it definitely exceeded my expectations.  Bill, the bike-fitter-dude, is a mild-mannered guy about 50 years old, and I give him credit because at no point did he make me feel judged or like the total bike moron that I am.  The experience was pretty interesting - he first asked me general questions about who/how I am as a cyclist (What is/are my strength/s?  Climbing; What are my goals for biking? Ride longer, hopefully faster; Any aches and pains? Just the knee on occasion; And so and so forth).  It was rather illuminating for me as I had never really considered these questions myself.  Then he had me go through a series of movements - stretching, bending, he pulled and pushed on my legs on occasion - to see how balanced my body was in terms of cycling.  Another surprise there - with the exception of one little exercise (one-legged knee bends), I apparently don't have major issues.  Who knew?!  He also measured my bike and made a few adjustments, and then it was time to see me on the bike.  I tried to look as professional as possible, and he made a few adjustments to the bike and asked me more questions.  By the end of the two hours, I walked out of the store with what I hoped to be a perfectly fitted bike.  Oh, I also ended up with new insoles for my shoes and a new saddle.  The insoles surprised me, but I kind of expected that I would have to fork over money for a new bike seat since in all of the reviews of the Trek Madone the most common 'upgrade' that people made was the bike seat.

Despite my body still being a bit trashed from Friday's run (my legs are "in a world of pain"), I decided that an Easter Sunday ride would be perfect since it should be a quiet day.  Also, today marks 4 weeks exactly until Wildflower, and I'm doing a duathlon this coming Saturday.  So, no time like the present to get my butt on my bike.  So glad that I spent 2 hours this morning in the saddle - and so glad that I invested in that new saddle!  The bike felt great, even with tired legs, and I was right that it would be a quiet morning.  I am definitely feeling positive about Sunshine and looking forward to many more Sunday rides.

A new relationship (I think it's love!)

I was going to mention this sooner, but then I felt shy about sharing too much too soon.  Last week in San Francisco, I developed a huge crush.  Fell hard and fast and acted impulsively.  And then I started to worry - what if this isn't the real deal?  What if I jumped too soon into a new relationship?  What if it doesn't work out?
However, after today, I think that we'll be okay.  In fact, we'll be more than okay - we're going to have a great time together, for years and years, I hope!  With that vote of confidence, I should introduce the new love of my life:

Yes, ahem, I got a new bike, and it still makes me want to do a very-excited-giddy-happy-dance!  I also kind of start to hyperventilate when I think about how much money I just invested in it, but then I think about how we, this bike and I, are going to share so much together!  

I should also say that I had no intentions of getting a bike in San Francisco.  In fact, I had put the whole "I need/want a new bike" thing on the backburner.  While I was still dropping little hints to Michael about a new bike, I had accepted the fact that it probably wouldn't happen.  Really. Then, we went out to lunch in Marin with my friend, Rachel, who is an avid cyclist, and Michael suggested that we go to the bike store that she frequents, Sunshine Bicycle Center in Fairfax, CA.  I walk into this tiny place full of gear and bikes and announce to the bike guy who approaches us, "I'm just looking.  I'm definitely not getting a bike today!".  And about 90 minutes later, I walked out of that shop, the sheepishly proud and excited owner of a new bike.  Yes, it was an impulse buy in many ways, but it was so great to be there with a friend who went out with me while I tested out 3 different bikes, 2 of them 2-3 times, and would ask me questions about how I was feeling.  She also is far more experienced than I and could look at me and give me a good assessment about the fit.  I was definitely NOT dressed for a test-ride in my jeans and Doc Marten's, but even with such sporty clothes, I could feel how zippy and tight this bike was.  A serious upgrade.  Was I ready for it?  Well, I took the plunge, partly because the price was so much better than anything I had seen in the LA area and partly because I had a huge crush on this bike.  

As soon as we pulled into the driveway at our place on Tuesday afternoon, I grabbed my other bike, my lavender and white floral Fuji*, and took both of them down to the local bike shop where they swapped out the pedal system in about 5 minutes.  And then I took my bike out (yes, it has a name, but we're both shy) for a quick spin around the neighborhood.  I was so nervous!  Definitely like that "first kiss" when things are kind of awkward and don't go quite as you planned.  Not that there was anything "off", but the chain did slip, and on the first few hills I felt a little pain twinge in my left knee.  Still, I wasn't about to give up hope on my bike!

So, I nervously (I know, I'm crazy, who gets nervous going out on a bike ride when it's a sweet new toy?) got back on the new bike today.  The first few miles were still a bit shaky - there was tons of traffic, the wind was picking up, a lot was going on with other cyclists, yikes!  And then I settled down, did a couple of nice climbs, hit some rolling hills and started to feel GOOD on the bike, enjoying how responsive it is, how powerful it feels on the climbs and sharp on the descent.  Oh, boy, this is definitely love!

So, yeah, meet Sunshine.  I know, Sunshine.  The name is kind of cheesy, but it reminds me of the store where I bought it and of Colorado and Sunshine Canyon (where I got married), and it makes me smile, just like a beautiful day.

*Side note about the Fuji.  I do feel that I could have stuck with it for another year, maybe even two.  I definitely acquired it as a "starter" bike, wanting to see if I took to biking or vice versa.  To be frank, I've never just LOVED it like I seem to already love the Trek, and it doesn't entirely have to do with the fact that the Trek is a nicer bike.  To be totally frank, the purple and white color combination plus floral detailing just never rocked my world.  So, yes, I'm pretty psyched about how my new bike feels, but to be honest, I'm just as excited about the colors which feel way more "me".  Thank goodness I didn't invest in a bunch of purple or pink cycling clothing, except the pink socks that I'm rocking in that picture!