IM Boulder - Training!

While I signed up for IM Boulder in August of last year (crazy?!), I only now feel that I am 'officially' training for that particular race.  I've only just realized the blessing of St. George 70.3.  While it wasn't my "A" race, it did keep me more or less on top of my training and I've found that I need some sort of mid-way goal, or I have this year, at least.  Last year, I think that I wrapped my mind around IM Coeur d'Alene and made that THE goal, but this year, there is so much going on with me life-wise that an intermediate or mid-way goal really helped.  Otherwise, the 'base training' probably wouldn't have ever happened!

However, base training has officially ended and I'm now building - and I miss the base training!  I know that I shouldn't compare myself to other people, and I try not to, but I'm really "comfortable" at around 10-12 hours of training a week.  Once I start to train over 12 hours, I really do feel it.  Also, my recovery from St. George didn't even last a full week!  I was back to a long tempo run and then a long brick (4 hour ride, 80 minute run) a week after the race.  Last Sunday, I thought to myself - "You're not in Kansas anymore".  Okay, it's lame to quote the Wizard of Oz, but I was officially out of my comfort zone with that workout.  I really did try to have a positive attitude, but I started the running with heavy legs and I ended the run with heavy legs.  It was about 10x harder than the St. George run was!

This week, plenty of ups and downs and new challenges.  I felt equally blessed and cursed on Saturday to ride part of the Tour de California Stage 7 course - up GMR (Glendora Mountain Road) which I'd done twice before, but then, for the first time, I kept climbing up to Mt. Baldy Village. The Tour finished at the Mt. Baldy ski lifts, but it was the COLDEST RIDE EVER - so the two other ladies and I riding together made a group decision - to not climb the extra 1,000 feet to the ski lifts.  Even though we didn't make it to the ski lifts, it was a  fantastic ride up to Mt. Baldy Village, and it was amazing to see so many cyclists and fans of cycling in Southern CA.  If I had been better prepared (had more clothes) and had more time, I definitely would have stuck around to see the pros go through, but it was a great ride no matter what.

 This is before we started climbing - and it looks like I have something weird growing out of my helmet, but not so!

Finally, on Sunday, I had my first double-run day EVER.  I actually thought that it was a mistake on my schedule until I read the information about said run.  Nope, not a mistake.  Honestly, the afternoon run felt better than the first run of the day, so I decided that double run days might be okay.  However, this is all new territory for me, which maybe is the point?  Yes, I managed an IM distance race last year and loved the experience, but now that I know that I can do the distance, pushing a bit more and going a bit harder is the challenge.

And, if that's not enough, taking in sights like these should be both the means and the end:

Huge shout out to CalTri and Harrison Shao for the Epic Ride on Saturday!

Bonding with "the Bat" (aka The Sweet Ride)

So, the Sweet Ride (the Cervelo) has an official name - the Bat.  When I first had my eye on the Quintana Roo and a few other bikes, a part of the appeal, other than the price, was the color - black.  As much as I've liked my Trek, I haven't loved a white bike.  I realize that this is the most insignificant detail when it comes to purchasing and owning a bike, but I really liked the idea of a black bike, in part because I already had a name that I thought would stick - the Bat.  But then, I ditched the idea of the QR and opted for yet another white bike because of minor things like fit.  So, I considered other names for it, but somehow, once I started riding the Cervelo, the Bat seemed even more accurate because of how compact I feel when I ride.  So, the name has stuck.  It's even better in Spanish and is actually one of my favorite words - Murciélago. Also, there ARE albino bats and such a thing as an Honduran white bat, so maybe "the White Bat" isn't too silly.

This is not a real bat.  Source.

Anyway, the Bat and I have been spending some quality time together, and things have improved since our first outing (meaning - I haven't fallen).  However...  I realize that I sound like a broken record, but it is taking me a while to get used to everything about this bike.  I've adjusted, more or less, to the shifters being at the end of the bars, and the new saddle has greatly improved my riding experience, but it's still hard for me to get out and ride more than 2 hours at this point.  I think that I've been accustomed to a much more comfortable ride, one that let me ride in several different positions and to ride more upright, obviously.  With the Bat, it's hard to sustain any position other than aero (at this point), and I'm not super strong in aero.  My final point is that I don't think that I'm a faster cyclist on the bike even though everyone else whose blog I've ever read has raved about how they suddenly became speed demons with their tri bike (the Internet lies!).  So, I envisioned suddenly riding 1-2 mph faster without much effort, and I haven't found that to be the case.  Mind you, I'm comparing my current times to those from May and June, when I was actually in decent cycling shape.  Okay, maybe that's an unfair comparison?

So, the adjustment period continues.  As does finding all of the right 'gear' - hydration system/s, bento box, places to put/carry my tubes and other necessities.  I haven't been able to simply swap everything that I had for my Trek, and I continue to shop around to find the stuff that works for me and for the bike.

I definitely don't mean to complain.  After all, I've actually been putting in time in the saddle since this purchase, so it's motivated me to get back some of my bike fitness!

And you can see how different my fit is.  Michael now says that when I'm riding the Trek it looks as if I'm on a carriage.

We'll see whether or not I'm a faster cyclist with more time on the Bat, but I have noticed a difference on the run.  While I'm not running tons of miles off the bike at this point, I am faster, and not because of my fabulous run fitness these days.  It still feels just as hard to run off the bike, especially the first mile, but when I look down at my pace, it's faster than I would expect.  So, this might be a very exciting development - but I'd better learn to ride long on the Bat.

A new sweet ride!

So, last Saturday, this happened:

Although it would seem to be an impulse buy, that isn't the case.  First of all, I've been looking at tri bikes for the past 18 months.  Maybe even 24?  While I really do like/love my Trek and have no regrets about 'racing' my first irondistance event with a road bike, as I thought about 2015, it seemed like investing in a tri bike wouldn't be a waste of money.  I didn't want to be one of those people who buys a tri bike for one race and then never rides it after said race.  Plus, my road bike really is a good bike, so I was conflicted about adding yet another bike to my growing collection.  

After many conversations, I felt good about the decision to commit to a tri bike, so then I started looking around seriously - mainly online, but looking to buy, not just to look.  Then, two weeks ago, when we went to Tijuana, I stopped by Nytro, a shop in Encinitas that specializes in triathlon, and did some serious shopping. Going into this process, I wasn't considering a Cervelo at all, but was looking at Quintana Roo.  So, they got me on a Quintana Roo after taking my measurements, and made some adjustments and then more adjustments, and then I went out for a ride on it.  I didn't ride very far, in part because I was so nervous about riding!  It was a completely different experience - I'm so used to the fit and feel of my Trek, and while I was still riding a bike, I found it difficult to relax and get comfortable on the bike and I couldn't climb on it at all (also, I was nervous about falling or something, scratching the bike and then having to buy it!).  While I really wanted to like the QR, I had serious doubts about buying a tri bike after that test ride.  

Meanwhile, the guys at Nytro had set up the Cervelo for me, so it was ready for a test ride.  I spinned on it in the store, and it immediately felt better than the QR.  So, I took it out for a longer ride (but was still freakin' nervous!).   I wasn't ready to buy it at that point, but I put a refundable "down payment" which took the bike off the floor.  

After thinking about the bike for much of last week and reading a ton of reviews about the P2, we then went back south last Saturday (I realize that I live in the LA area and yet I bike shop in other cities - don't ask).  I took the bike for a LONGER ride which was good; I was less nervous so I could enjoy the ride quite a bit more.  This definitely helped me make the decision to pull the trigger and buy the bike!

The maiden voyage:

And then, last Sunday, I decided to get out and enjoy the sweet new ride.  It was a gorgeous day - perfect for a ride.  And things were going well as I rode along PCH from Malibu to just south of Point Mugu (during said ride, I realized how out of biking shape I am!), and then things felt off - maybe a flat tire?!  No, how the hell could I get a flat on my first ride on my new bike?  But, yes, I did have a flat tire.  

I stopped, pulled over and checked out the tire - of course it had to be the back tire.  And, somehow in all of my flustered frustration, I ended up toppling over, still clipped into the bike!  I've definitely fallen over while clipped in, but it's been a while and I've never gotten as scraped up as I did last Sunday!  The one positive is that I had the foresight when I bought the bike (with 650 wheels) to get tubes, just in case I got a flat.  So, we managed to change the flat fairly quickly and then finished up the ride.  At that point, I felt quite deflated - not only was my elbow banged up so it hurt riding aero, but the saddle was KILLING me.  

(While the bike was still a maiden; that is, before I fell while clipped into it)

Fortunately, the scrape has healed, and I'm none worse for the wear - nor is the bike.  And the saddle was no surprise - trying out the bike, I was about 99.9% certain that I'd need a new saddle.  After Sunday's fairly short ride, I knew that I either had to become a nun or get a new saddle.  The first option was out, so, I took it to the bike store here to inquire about different options.  When I rolled in the bike and explained my woes, the salesguy said "That is not a good saddle for women".  Good to know that I'm not the only one!

This past week, I rode the bike several times on the trainer (first time on the trainer since June, cough cough), and then Michael and I went out and rode the San Gabriel River bike path today.  This, by the way, was after an aborted attempt to go to Joshua Tree to ride yesterday.  We turned around at Highway 62, the road that leads to JTree, because the wind was insane - we even took the bikes off the bike rack on top of the car because the gusts were so strong.  So, the ride today was a welcome change from all of these mishaps - I did not fall, it was fairly stress-free, and I was able to really appreciate the new bike!  I'm still not super fast and need to get used to riding aero, but I feel that I can accelerate quickly and easily, without making a huge effort.

I still have plenty to learn as I acquaint myself with my new bike (whose name I'm deciding on), and there are other decisions to make, but I can say, without a doubt, that it is a sweet little ride!  

Taper time!

Peak week officially ended today, and I am so excited about the taper (at this point)!  I know, a lot of people complain about tapering and the madness that it can induce.  To be honest, this might be the first time that I've followed a solid training plan and been able to fully appreciate a taper, so the taper crazies may yet come my way.  I know that it's early days yet to be excited about stepping back from training, but I think that I'll be busy enough preparing for our trip and also doing the usual beginning-of-summer-things like getting a haircut, going to the dentist, meeting friends for lunch, and taking care of a few loose ends from the end-of-the-school-year so I shouldn't go too nuts.  Additionally, a friend who has completed multiple IM races gave me advice that I loved to hear: "Sleep.  A lot."

As for peak week, it ended up being more hours than I would have expected, mainly thanks to a long brick workout on Monday and a crazy long ride yesterday.  Throughout my weekly training plan, the word "last" peppered the descriptions of the workouts, and that helped me get through each workout and also really commit to each one.   Friday, I clocked in my last really long swim, and while swimming 4,000 yards still challenges me, I remember a few weeks ago how I wanted to take a nap immediately after a 4,000 yard swim.  Now, I think that I might, just maybe, be able to go on a ride and then run a bit after that.  Ha!

Yesterday, I especially needed the push to get up at 5:00 am after a much later night than expected, but if I hadn't committed to the ride, I probably would have stayed in bed for at least another hour and done a different ride.  However, I somehow managed to get out of bed and head out on one of California Triathlon's "Epic Rides" for 2014, meeting up at 6:30 am!  Despite not feeling 100% (so bad of me to have a late night!) and feeling quite nervous about the ride, it was well-worth all of the suffering.  And suffering there was, as we climbed the Angeles Crest Highway until it hit Highway 39, when we (or I) had a not-so-speedy descent.  The ride was pretty amazing, especially the first half, and I felt good on the climb.  I also tried to take in as much of the scenery as I could - I'd never even driven that far on the 2, so it was a real treat to experience it on the bike and to appreciate the wildflowers, yucca and amazing views.  There was some car traffic, but as we climbed higher and higher, that really thinned out, and I loved the sense of remoteness as I pedaled along on my bike.

Here we are climbing - it was a beautiful day for a ride!  Yes, I'm overdressed which was fine for the first part of the ride, and then I shed my layers.

And at the summit of the climb - looking forward to the descent.

I definitely slowed down at the end, and as I meandered thru one community after another for the last 15-20 miles, I took it easy with the stop signs, stop lights and traffic.  The last thing I wanted was an accident 2 weeks before IMCA.  I finally finished the ride in over 7 hours, with 90 miles and about 9,000 feet of climbing.  Even though this was shorter than the 112 miles I'll tackle in Coeur d'Alene, I think that this ride was harder than what I'll confront there.  Or so I hope!  

Today, then, I tackled the last long run with 4 1-mile intervals at a faster pace.  My legs were sluggish when I started out the run, but they loosened up, and the intervals actually felt pretty good.  I was so happy that it was the last run AND that I was able to run!  During so many of these longer runs, I've thought back to February/March when I could barely run a few miles without pain and when I envisioned myself walking the entire ironman marathon.  While I still might end up walking some or even most of the marathon, I've tried to appreciate the solid training runs that I've been able to experience and, quite often, enjoy.

One other random note - I haven't had a super crazy appetite, except for yesterday after the ride when I felt like this:

Source

And I devoured almost everything in sight.

I acknowledge that this week would have felt far more unmanageable had I been working, so my summer schedule probably helped me avoid a total peak-week-meltdown.  Instead, it was a nice culmination of training (wait, maybe that is the race?), and while I wasn't speedy on the ride yesterday nor on the run today, I felt pretty good, all things considered!  Even a month ago, I think that I would have questioned whether I could put in the time and/or distance that I managed to cover this week, so all of this training has been an interesting experience, surprising me time and again, usually in a positive way!  Going into the IM training process, my biggest fear was getting injured and not being able to put in the miles, especially on the run, so I've been thankful to end the major build and peak weeks feeling tired but healthy.  

And now - here's to resting, getting in some recovery time, and prepping for the race!

Ojai Valley Century - Hitting 100

Finally, 100 miles on the bike!  When I signed up for Ironman (back in August!), I knew that I wanted to hit 100 before the race - preferably a few more miles over the 100-mile marker, but I would content myself with that milestone.  May was the month of going long, as training ramped up, and I found a century that worked with my schedule - the Ojai Valley Century.  Perfect!  I would be ready to go on May 24 to ride, ride, ride.  There plenty of reasons to be excited about this ride.  First of all, it was in a beautiful setting - Ojai, CA, which many people describe as Shangri-la.  Also, it had multiple options - I opted for the more challenging century, and Michael would tackle the metric century.  Also, the rides looked great with a nice mix of climbing and some speedy flats, mountains and also the CA coast.

Not a bad place to ride!  Source

One small issue - the ride was NOT last Saturday, May 24, like I had thought and planned but this past Saturday, May 31.  Oops!  Fortunately, I discovered my gaff well before we got up to Ojai on the 24th - that would have been quite a comedy of errors.  We planned to leave early Saturday morning, and after looking at the website numerous times, I finally noticed the date at around 4:00 pm Friday afternoon on the 23rd.  While I was quite frustrated with myself for screwing up something so obvious, we were able to adjust.

Sooooo, Friday afternoon, I returned from the annual multi-day, end-of-the-year camping trip with kids (a good trip but not relaxing), picked up my final exams to grade, and then I prepped for Saturday's ride!  The prep mainly involved water bottles and food, but I also double checked supplies of tubes, CO2 cartridges, sunscreen, chapstick and other random items.  

A pre-5:00 AM wake-up call came early, but I managed to get out of bed without the snooze button.  After coffee and breakfast and loading up the car, we were on the road before 6:00 am and arrived in Ojai between 7:15-7:30.  Because I participate in more 'races' than organized bike rides, it always fascinates me how relaxed the atmosphere is for a ride.  Mind you, I'm not trying to win anything, and rarely do I get an early start, so it is probably a different experience for the more serious cyclists.  We finally pushed off around 8:10, staying together for the first mile.  After that, Michael followed the metric ride, and I began the long, slow climb up Highway 33.  It was a beautiful ride and not too hot at that point.  I must have been one of the last people to hit the road (or so it seemed) because I felt as though I was totally alone, with the exception of two cyclists behind me.  I knew that our first aid stop was around mile 14-something, so I assumed that the climb would end there, but not so!  It ended a mile beyond the aid station, so I kept trucking along.  I don't know how people stop a mile before a climb ends - I just want to get to the summit!  Well, I finally got to our turn-around point and documented the experience:

Seriously, I'm happy to be here!  Don't I look cheery?

After that, we retraced our route.  So, rather than 12 miles climbing, we had a 12 miles descent - now that was fun!  And I even passed a few people!  After that out-and-back, we headed west to the ocean. We had another challenging climb before hitting the coast and cruising along Highway 1/101.  I briefly stuck onto a group's wheel, but then they pulled over which was a bummer - I had hoped to cruise to our lunch area with them.  I tried to stay focused on that stretch and keep a high cadence, catching the occasional glimpse of surfers in the water.  After a quick bite to eat at mile 60 in Ventura (sponsored by my favorite store, Patagonia), I continued on with the ride.  By that point, I had caught up with enough people that I no longer felt alone.  We continued further south and then took a left, heading east - passing the fields in Oxnard and a lovely auto plaza and then through residential areas and then more fields.  At that point, I wasn't quite on a guy's wheel, but he was being a good leader and taking care of me, signaling and gesturing to let me know what was up ahead.  Once we caught up with another group, he took off!  I felt great about my pace until mile 83 when I HAD ANOTHER FLAT! That was the first one of the day but jeez, I'm so tired of them!  I was close enough to the final SAG stop that I aired up the tire and cruised to the stop where I did some of the work and then a SAG volunteer got to work on the tire!  I was a little nervous that I had a slow leak in the tire and not the tube, so I worried that I wouldn't finish the final 15 or so miles.  Fortunately, the tire stayed plenty inflated, allowing me to finish out the ride - one long push before cruising down into Ojai Valley for the finish.  I did start to feel new aches and pains around the 90 mile mark, but I also knew that the final 8 miles were downhill or relatively flat, so I kept chugging along until I returned to the start!  I was still just a bit short of the 100 mile mark, but after a few loops around the "city" blocks, the Garmin clicked over to three digits.  Woo-hoo!  I was DONE!  The ride advertised 5,300 elevation gain for the century that I did (there are 2 century options), but I thought that there was a bit more than that.  I don't always trust my Garmin, but it confirmed my suspicions, clocking around 6,400 feet of elevation gain.  Either way, that was a good training ride for Coeur d'Alene!

Michael had finished earlier, obviously, but had waited for me to eat (I don't know if I would have waited for him...).  I initially inhaled the food, but then slowed down and couldn't quite finish my ice cream.  Overall, I would give the food on this ride 5 out of 5 stars - I tried to stick to my "nutrition" for most of the ride, but there was an abundance of fresh fruit at all of the stops, and I did enjoy the lunch break at mile 60, quickly eating half a sandwich, some pretzels and taking oreos for the road.  One of the stops had popsicles too!  And the post-race food was excellent and servings generous.

In addition to the SAG stops/food - also stocked with sunscreen - I would recommend this ride for other reasons.  First of all, there are lots of options with varied terrain.  Again, Michael did the metric century, and he really enjoyed his ride.  The final plus of the ride is that it is a good community event.  While it was a smaller event than the Solvang Ride I did in March, the support on the course was great.

I'm not sure if an ironman is in my future in 2015, but I definitely plan on doing this ride again - along with Solvang!  I'm looking forward to experiencing these rides without the pressure of "ironman training".  I have a hunch that it will be a different experience - not better, not worse, just different.  

2 weeks, 2 rides, plenty to learn

Shew, this was my last weekend with an "event" until Wildflower!  As much as it's been fun to pack the weekends with race, ride, ride, I am looking forward to a steadier approach to the weekends.

After the excitement of the Desert Tri and then last weekend's awesome Solvang ride, yesterday's Malibu Canyon did feel a bit more low-key, except for the 4:20 wake-up call.  As soon as my phone went off, I thought to myself "I don't want to do this", so I hit the sleep button and enjoyed 9 more minutes of bliss.  When the alarm rang the second time, I managed to drag myself out of bed and I was at Zuma Beach in Malibu by 6:15 so that I could pick up my ride packet.  Then I went back to the car, drank coffee and waited.  And waited some more...

Zuma Beach - Not a bad place to wait around

I had signed up for the Malibu Canyon Ride just a few weeks ago, mainly because I had a free entry and figured it would be a good experience.  Plus, it was a local event.  After last weekend, when I *loved* everything about the ride, I was looking forward to this one as well, but the course profile made me really nervous.  In fact, I had initially planned to ride the metric century but dropped to the 50-miler because I felt so intimidated by 8,000 feet in 62 miles (in comparison to 6,000 in 50 miles - gulp). As people kept arriving and I was soon surrounded by a population of spandex-wearing individuals, I figured that it was time to get down to business and get ready to ride!  I was still unsure of my ability and how the day would go (nice personal vote of confidence), but I saw quite a few people whom I knew which, for some reason, bolstered my spirits.  I don't usually sport too much "team" apparel, but I did for this ride, and it was nice to identify other CalTri people.

Teammates - Sort of...

The start was a bit more organized than Solvang - only because I was actually there for it - and the 100-milers went out first.  Around 8:30, the metric century and 50-milers got our start.  We were off!  

We headed south for the first few miles on PCH, and then swung left up Latigo Canyon (Latigo means "whip" in Spanish - yes, it definitely whipped plenty of people's butts!).  That was the first climb of the day - and it ended up being the easiest one too.  I enjoyed it, except for the part when the road was a bit narrow and tons of Porsches cruised by us, apparently on their Saturday ride.  The second climb was a beast - I felt like crying at least twice, I definitely cursed it on multiple occasions, and I probably would have unclipped and walked if I could have done so without falling over.  Also, during the second climb, we had crappy road conditions - on part of the ascent and part of the descent.  It wasn't as bad as last weekend, but it did not make for an enjoyable ride for part of the way.

This is somebody else's image - he sent it on to me; my Garmin only read 6,200 elevation gain; regardless, it was a long day of climbing!

I hit PCH at mile 42, and if I'd had an easy left-hand turn, I probably would have headed straight back to the finish line and my car.  But, there was a ton of traffic, I didn't feel like stopping and dealing with it, so I hung a right and cruised along PCH for a few more miles before heading back to the car.  Which got me to 60 miles!

Last week's and this week's rides were vastly different - in the experience and the terrain (except for some of the bumpy roads that I did not enjoy).  Both were beautiful rides, although I did prefer the wine country of Solvang and, on the whole, the consistent ups and downs rather than the crazy-hard climbs of the Malibu area.  The people doing this week's ride were much more "serious" about it all.  But I had significant take-aways from both of these experiences.  First of all, I am no longer intimidated by the whole group ride dynamic - I'm not fast, but I can hold my own, especially when I'm climbing!  Also, same as last week, the hardest miles were not at the end but somewhere before then.  By the time I'm at those last 5-10 miles, I start to feel better - probably because I know that I will end soon - and I relax a bit on the bike.  Finally, a major take-away from both of the rides - I need to get my fuel in order!  I feel that I'm just not very smart about eating and drinking enough before I start the ride and also during the ride.  Again, peanut butter and jelly, which I kind of dislike in general, is a great go-to food/fuel, so that has been a nice discovery.  However, I need to carry something salty, like pretzels, because I find myself craving salt like crazy.  Also, along the same line, I should include salt tablets in my bike-bag or bento-box.  Just put them in there and pop one or two on occasion.  It was a very warm day (I cannot believe this weather!), and I did not feel prepared for that.

Finishing this ride felt like more than an accomplishment than last week's - it was a harder ride, physically and mentally.  But, I also had some major rewards at the end.  Wading into the Pacific Ocean was such a treat for my legs!  Also, I was still craving salt, so stopping for a coke (in a glass bottle) and BBQ Fritos to keep me "up" for the drive home - a total win.

Not quite "sideways" in Solvang

And that's a good thing since the point of the weekend was not to re-live scenes from Sideways but to have our own epic experience at the Solvang Century Ride (and Metric, which was our plan).  This was one of those events that I thought about doing last year but I just did not feel prepared, not even for the Metric or Half-Century.  This year, however, we signed up in January after a round or two of margaritas with someone (Hi Rob!) who rode it last year and convinced us that we should definitely ride it this year.  The funny thing is, I had already made reservations for us back in the fall, so I guess I was already planning on the ride!

Solvang is a little town north east of Santa Barbara that makes the most of its Danish heritage.  I'm not sure about windmills and Denmark, but Solvang would have you believe that they are an essential part of Danish architecture!  The last time we were in the area was a few years ago, just passing through, so it was a chance to return to the Santa Barbara area and enjoy the weekend!

Our get-away was reminiscent of the week before, when I kept changing my mind - should we stay or should we go?  Michael, again, voted for the weekend away, and I was easily convinced to go but still a bit skeptical about the ride and whether it was a good decision to go away two weekends in a row -  living on the edge!  And while I feel that I'm paying for it a bit today, what a great weekend!  We did have to make some adjustments in terms of our plans.  We took Gus up with us, and he has been one stressed out doggie since Milo's passing - freaking out every time we leave him.  So, Michael opted to hang out with Gus while I rode.  Not the ideal solution, and I totally owe him for taking care of Gus on Saturday and for letting me have the experience of the Solvang ride, but we were also happy to know that Gus was okay.

Despite participating in triathlons for a few years now, this was my first organized ride - not race, and I woke up on Saturday somewhat nervous about the ride but nothing like I feel before a triathlon.  Talk about a stress-free morning!  I kept reminding myself that there was no set start time and that I should just enjoy the experience.  That, fortunately, was not hard to do at all!  There was great energy as people wandered over to the official start line and took off - whenever they wanted (again, this was such a novelty to me).  Also, there was a greater range of bikes, attire and people which made me feel so relaxed.

Once I finally settled on what to wear (arm warmers, check, vest, check...), gave myself a little pep talk about riding solo, I took off - over the start line, through the quaint streets of Solvang, just riding along...  The first 24 miles or so were really great - easy rolling hills, nice roads, beautiful countryside.  Some sights were memorable - I passed an ostrich farm, Alma Rosa, a winery that we visited our last trip up here, and also an Icelandic horse ranch (they are so small and cute!).  Others just blur together - the vineyards and rolling hills.  I felt good when I hit the first SAG stop but also didn't mind getting off the bike for a pit stop, eating some fruit and I also grabbed an Uncrustable to snack on.

At that point, I felt great and actually regretted that I hadn't signed up for the full Century, and my good spirits - mental and physical - stuck with me until about mile 38.  At that point, we were riding along a stretch of farmland and different parts of my body were going a bit numb.  So, it was with relief that I hit the 2nd SAG stop - where I took another Uncrustable and ate more fruit.  Less than 20 miles of the official ride, easy stuff!  Ha!  I did not realize that right after the SAG stop, we would hit a major climb and deal with crappy road conditions.  After creeping along for 2 miles or so (hey, at least I didn't walk my bike!), I felt like I was inches to bonking, and I started to curse myself for being such an idiot and for not fueling properly.  Fortunately, the climb evened out for a bit, so I unclipped, drank the rest of the bottle of Osmo that I had and ate a few gels.  That seemed to help tremendously, as I finished the climb and started the downhill.  Sadly, the downhill, which I had anticipated with pleasure during the climb, ended up SUCKING.  Most of the roads on the ride were pretty good, but this part was sub-standard, to say the least.  I white-knuckled it for the entire descent but made it down safely, which was no mean feat (apparently one rider lost control on the descent).  Things finally evened out around mile 50, and from there to the finish line, I relaxed and enjoyed those final miles. It was hard to ride past our motel to get to the finish line and then ride a few miles back to our motel, but, hey, I wanted an "official" finish!

 Once I met up with Michael and Gus, who had enjoyed their morning by touring all of Solvang, we were ravenous, so we filled the rest of the day with lunch, a nap, a walk, and dinner.  And plenty of good beer, especially at the Firestone Walker Taproom in Buellton.  

This is not an official finish line photo but I was done! We had lunch in Los Olivos, and Michael took this quick photo of me - to remind us both of my past life in 4H.

Technically, this ride was part of Ironman training, but I had SO MUCH FUN.  It did not feel like training, or maybe it reminded me that training and racing do not have to be work, they can and should be fun.  Ooh, what a concept - training and fun are not mutually exclusive!.  Even the challenging climb and tricky descent left me feeling happy about being out there, riding my bike.  It's hard to describe what a treat the ride was or to articulate the why?  Maybe it was the scenery?  Or sharing the experience with random people who were also ridiculously happy to be out biking on a lovely Saturday?  Or just being outside, on two wheels, in a beautiful part of the world?  I'm not sure, but I'm already looking forward to the Solvang (Metric or Full) Century in 2015!

Easy riding in Boulder

No, not that kind of riding, although he is obviously enjoying life, rolling past us somewhere in Utah.

This is more our speed!  As per usual, we've enjoyed the great roads and easy routes that Boulder offers to all sorts and levels of cyclists/bikers.  I wasn't too sure how happy my legs would be post-Vineman and at altitude, but about a day after our arrival, we were heading north of town, enjoying rolling roads and country vistas (lots of cows and barns!), and I was pulling Michael and his brother on the uphills and catching a wheel on the descents.  The weather has been gorgeous, so that has encouraged us to hit the roads on two wheels.  Michael's brother will usually take us on some great loops in the morning that he knows well and with which we are somewhat familiar by this time.  One of the best rides of the visit was an afternoon jaunt which took us south.  It had rained earlier in the afternoon, so we had pretty dramatic views of the Flatirons post-storm.  The last part of the ride took us through 'downtown' Boulder - our guide told us that it was the Tour de Boulder as we rode along the University of Colorado campus, by the Pearl Street Mall and through fun neighborhoods with older houses.  We'll miss these rides, but Breckenridge awaits, as does Vail Pass!  And biking at an even higher altitude! 

Taking a break in Hygiene, CO

Still not a "real" cyclist, but...

Last Sunday's non-race proved, once again, that my cycling skills leave much to be desired.  However, I have worked on them, really, and there have been small tweaks and moments here and there recently that "up" my would-be cycling chops, in my eyes at least!  And I do think that, year after year, I have improved on the bike, but incrementally rather than by the leaps and bounds that I would prefer.  So far, this year has been the year of the solo rides.  Because I'm still a bit self-conscious about my slow pace, I hesitate to join group rides.  And, because Michael's knee continues to sideline him from riding, my go-to partner from last year has been conspicuously absent on most of my longer rides.  I have found, however, that there is something relaxing about meandering along on the bike.  Perhaps this is why my speed isn't improving too much - I often tootle along rather than try to grind my way through a ride.

Still, I've hit a few milestones in recent weeks that I consider movement, inch by inch, to being a real cyclist one of these days.  First of all, I finally peed on the bike.  I know, too much information, and I'm not about to wax poetic about the experience or include details every time it happens, but being somewhere in the El Sereno part of Los Angeles and not a good stop in sight, the best option seemed to be to just pee on the bike.  The other milestone was my long ride today - 48 miles and about 4,900 feet of climbing according to the Garmin (so probably 46 miles and 4,500 feet, but whatever)!  Like my long run on Thursday, I was dreading this ride, and then before I left, I told myself how lucky I was to head out on a nice Sunday ride.  It was long and hot and slow, but mentally, it puts me in a good place as I think about the Vineman bike leg.  The route, Lower Big Tujunga up to Angeles Crest, is familiar from two rides in 2012, but this was the first time this year I'd ridden it and the first time going it solo.  It is a hard but wonderful ride as it feels so far away from Pasadena or Los Angeles but is easily accessible from the front door of our house.

I'd like to imagine that I looked something like this:

Source

It was a long slog to the 2 (Angeles Crest Highway), especially with all those moments when I thought that I was almost there to only be disappointed as the road continued up, up and up.  I was happy to finally make it to the ranger/pay station - especially because I had a surprise in the form of Michael and Gus and Milo who had driven to that meeting point, making sure that I arrived safely and also trading a cold bottle (of water) for my empty one.  That was a nice break, but after refueling and stretching, I was ready to head on down.  I had survived the hardest part, and the descent was 9 miles of sheer fun!  Although a group of Porches passed me by on the climb up, it was early enough that there wasn't a fleet of sports cars or motor cycles zooming down, so that made the trip down, down, down much more enjoyable.  

In REAL cycling news, the Tour has started, and I missed today but definitely enjoyed the end of yesterday's stage which included some unfortunate bus manoeuvrings and a crash that involved some of the top sprinters - these were unrelated, by the way.  I love Phil and Paul who said that the bus situation was an 'embarrassment' for Corsica and also repeated what they say for every single stage "We've never seen anything like this!".  But a bus getting stuck - they probably haven't.

Source

I'll probably miss more of the Tour this year than I would like (sad that I didn't plan my summer around watching TV from 4:30 - 8:00 am every day for 3 weeks), but Michael just sent me an excellent live feed from Australia that will probably be my go-to source when I can't see the stage.  Or maybe when I can!

Speaking of the Tour, after enjoying the Road ID commercials for much of last summer, I finally broke down and bought one, thanks to a hefty coupon that I had hanging around the house.  Seeing as I do run and ride alone for the most part, it's probably not a bad idea to have something with my name and at least one emergency contact number.  While I can/should include that information no matter what, I never did, except for my driver's license when biking.  So, I'm now more or less identifiable, should a mountain lion attack me on the JPL trails.  Hmmm...  That seems like cold comfort!

Back in the saddle

It was a great weekend - just what I needed to fully re-energize and recover from all of the travels and to begin to focus on the 2012-2013 academic year.  To kick off the weekend, I managed my first post-Boulder race work-out on Friday with a spinning class, which was the perfect reintroduction to the wide world of sports/fitness.  During the school year, I can't normally go to an 8:30 am spin class during the week, so this was a last hurrah for the summer, and Rod, the instructor, had us working with heart rate monitors.  Obviously this is an effective tool for training, and it made me think about yet another investment for the future but not the present.  I definitely pushed myself during the class, but focusing on my heart rate was a change, rather than just try to decide what it meant to me when the instructor says "You should be at a 5 in intensity".

The spinning class set a nice tone for a weekend full of cycling adventures.  And some misadventures with the news about Lance Armstrong breaking and dominating much of the cycling world news, despite the fact that 2 major races were going on (the USA Pro Challenge and the Vuelta a España).  I think that I read all of my free articles at NYTimes.com between Friday and Saturday just to see what experts had to say, and obviously there is no consensus but plenty of buzz about it with opinions all over the place.  We also spent many hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday watching coverage of the USA Pro Challenge which concluded yesterday.  Saturday's race ended in Boulder, and we wished that we could have been a part of the throngs of people out cheering for the cyclists (Michael's brothers were there - I was rather envious!).  I've become a huge Jens Voigt fan, not because of this Road ID commercial (although I do like it), but his tenacity and his motto "Shut up legs".

In addition to reacquainting myself with certain muscles that I hadn't used in awhile, we satisfied our Mexican craving on Friday at Amigo's, a favorite, especially because of their pitchers of margaritas. We celebrated the birth of a special little lady, and we also celebrated the fact that her mom could drink with us again! Over the pitchers (as usual), a friend proposed the idea of joining him on his weekly Sunday morning brunch ride.  It seemed like a great way to get back on the bike - a no-pressure, social ride.  Yes, please, sign me up!  Yesterday morning, we rolled out around 9:00 am, heading east to Pasadena and then further east to the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area, a part of LA that we had never, to my embarrassment, explored.  I knew of its whereabouts, that it did exist, but biking there - that never crossed my narrow-bike-experience-mind.  Rob led the way, fortunately, because we traveled along surface streets, through towns that I usually associate with an exit on the freeway: Arcadia, Temple City, Irwindale - where were we?!  And then, after hitting a fairly industrialized part of the eastern landscape of the LA area, we made a few turns and suddenly connected to a bike trail!  It was a great day for a ride - calm, for the most part, and I saw, in much closer detail, parts of LA that I usually ignore or dismiss.  The bike trail around the Santa Fe Dam was a beauty - well-maintained and also well-used.  On the return, we traveled a different course, hugging a bit closer the Angeles National Forest as we headed to Pasadena via Sierra Madre.  Our lunch destination was another old favorite: Lucky Baldwin's where we restored our energy with some food and brew!  I also learned that a post-ride IPA beer is a great recovery drink, but then the 5-miles or so uphill to get back home don't feel quite so good.

The Sunday ride was the perfect way for me to enjoy Sunshine again and to get my legs spinning without too much pushing and pulling thanks to a relatively flat route.  Rob, our fearless leader, kept a kind tempo - he stressed that it was a relaxed ride which I appreciated.  For me, this might be one of my favorite rides of the summer, probably because I had such a different attitude going into it.  I have enjoyed the fact that Michael and I spent time on our bikes when we were in Oregon and Colorado, and we loved our explorations up and down PCH this summer.  However, many (all) of those rides served a fairly singular purpose - train, train, train.  I focused on speed, mph, elevation gain and loss, and on miles, mainly on miles, as I needed to add more each week to feel prepared.  So, the rides had more to do with going a certain speed and distance and less to do with enjoying the experience of riding.  Yesterday's ride was truly about exploring the city and sharing a Sunday morning (and part of the afternoon) ride with friends.  It made me think about cycling in a different way, one that is less about using it to push myself and more about fun.  I would like to add miles this fall, but more than anything, I'd like to shift my approach to cycling in general and go on rides not because I *have* to but merely because they offer possibilities of fun, socializing and exploration.

So, it is good to be back in the saddle, in both a literal and figurative sense, and I can't wait for my next ride!

Biking in Boulder

This is the annual "ode to biking in Boulder, CO" post, more or less just like last year when I wax, poetically or not, about how I could truly become a "biker chick" here and maybe take up a few other athletic/outdoorsy endeavors while I was at it.  Since that does not appear to be likely (not any time soon, at least), I'll continue to enjoy the time when we do bring our bikes and ride, ride, ride (for us).  Since I've started to taper, I can't do anything too crazy, but we've been on our bikes three times since Friday.  I believe that is a record for me - especially in terms of sheer pleasure while riding.  I hate complaining too much about the "rough" life that I have biking around Pasadena and LA - there are definitely worse places to be!  However, it is just so easy here to hop on the bike and head out for a nice, 20-mile out-and-back or a 25-to-30-mile loop along rolling hills and country roads.  Plus, while there are PLENTY of crazy, intense cyclists around, most people on the road seem quite friendly.  While I certainly can't keep up with most of them, I've enjoyed Sunshine quite a bit on the trip!

Case in point - on our first ride, Friday morning, Michael ended up with a flat tire (good thing we both practiced changing tires this summer!), and as we stood there fiddling around with the bike, every single person or group that passed by us asked us if we needed help or if we had everything that we needed.  Talk about nice!  We did have all the supplies and most of the skills, although it ended up that we couldn't do much for the tire because the sidewall blew out.  Although Michael had to abort his ride on Friday, we then got up early Saturday to ride with my brother-in-law and a friend of his.  Michael, his brother and I were more or less well-matched, but the friend was a GREAT cyclist - it was fun to see him ride!  We started with a climb up Old Stage Road in North Boulder.  The climb really wasn't terrible, but with the altitude (still, yes), I thought that my heart was going to jump out of my chest!  Still, once we hit the first little "summit", the climb continued but the incline eased up and was actually a ton of fun!  So much so that I descended part of the true summit to climb a bit more - crazy, I know.  And then the descent was even more of a hoot - a long, easy grade with a terrific shoulder so I felt safe the entire time.  Ideal!  Finally, today Michael and I went along the Boulder 70.3 bike route .  We were familiar with parts of the route, but it was nice to ride through the loop once, especially because there are a lot of places with those pesky false flats!  It should be a great ride on Sunday, so I am getting ready - and getting plenty nervous!

Obviously, my word doesn't count much to call a place a "Cycling Mecca", but Boulder IS where Team Garmin trains.  I realize that most of their cyclists are probably elsewhere right now (like London), but it was pretty exciting to see what I decided *had* to be the team car - or maybe just David Zabriskie's or David Millar's or Tom Danielson's car?

At any rate, Michael humored me with this awesome shot as I posed by the car (in the rain).  We had just been to a bike shop to get his tire fixed, so I look like I'm part of the cycling community - or pretending to be a part of it, at least!

Numbers, numbers, numbers

As opposed to "words, words, words" (Hamlet).

I don't consider myself much of a numbers person.  Math was not one of my better subjects for a variety of reasons, but I now regret that I resigned myself to being a non-math person without much of a fight.  Not that I would choose to be a math or science person - I've always gravitated more to language and the written word, but I probably would have benefited from a bit more left-brain work when that part of my body was still developing.

But, while I find my natural affinity lies with language, numbers play an important role in my life and work.  This is both a win/lose situation, setting me up for moments when I can clearly see "progress" based on numbers and other moments when I can see "failure" because of those tricky little digits.  Often, the separation between progress/success and failure is minuscule, yet I interpret it as a huge gap that I can't ever bridge.  Also, I evaluate and/or define myself based on certain numbers.  This is not inherently problematic, especially when I am evaluating the numbers and thinking about what they mean without applying a deep, personal significance to them.  However, these little numbers can lay a trap for me (or I lay a trap for myself) when I define myself by a 4, 3 or 5.  Or other numbers, for that matter.

To get to the heart of the matter, numbers have been on my mind for much of the spring and summer as I've been training for various events.  Additionally, as a teacher, they are not far from my reality during the school year - nor during the summer, when the ever-lovely College Board releases AP scores, and a number represents or summarizes students' and teachers' work over the course of an academic year.  All that work, reduced to a student's performance in a 3-4 hour period.  Not being a student, I cannot speak to their reaction, but there is usually a certain amount of anticipation and then either relief, excitement or disappointment that follows the release of the scores.  Now, I don't consider myself to be a 'master teacher' at all, but my students, on the whole, have performed quite well - usually better than I expected - on the AP.  This year, however, I felt a sharp twinge of disappointment when I saw some of the scores and the overall student average.  This has prompted me to turn a critical eye to my teaching and my expectations over the past year - perhaps I was not rigorous enough?  Very possible. Perhaps the class size affected the performance of the students?  Also possible. Perhaps several students just had a pretty bad day?  Also possible.

There are, in the words of Donald Rumsfeld, many known unknowns here.  It is tempting to lay it all at my own feet, blame myself and suddenly condemn myself as a terrible teacher.   I could also reduce the entire classroom experience that I had with these students to their performance on the AP Exam.  I am, however, trying hard to take it in stride.  Yes, I care more than is comfortable for me (this kept me up half the night), but ultimately I need to see these numbers as information.  They are not an indictment of me as a 'terrible teacher' nor do they reflect poorly on my students who were, on the whole, a lovely group of people.

As conflicted as I feel about my students' AP scores, focusing on numbers in terms of running and biking often brings a sense of triumph and accomplishment or allows me to assess my ability and/or performance.  I caved back in May and finally bought a Garmin, despite my preference to "run free".  I decided that it would be good to actually know how far my run or bike ride was rather than more-or-less estimate the distance, taking a laissez-faire attitude to my training and competing.  I now find myself completely addicted to the Garmin and its wonderful data collection-abilities!  What did I do before Garmin?! Why did I even bother running?  Now, as much as I enjoy the reports that Garmin generates, again I find that I need to proceed with some caution when I review the numbers.  Yeah, it's great to finally hit an average of 18+ mph on the bike (still slow, but getting there) and I love looking at the elevation gain/loss diagram and knowing that I climbed 1,900 feet during my ride on Thursday, but it doesn't mean that I'm necessarily a better biker or runner.

I would like to keep in mind that, before I'm too addicted to watching the numbers rise (or fall, depending on what the numbers are), just like my students' AP scores, there will come a time when these numbers disappoint me for one reason or another.  I'll have a bad race.  I'll get older and stiffer.  Life will happen, and my times will go down (or up, depending on the definition of that) and my mileage will shrink.  So, I'm trying to refrain from defining myself by a X:XX minute mile or a 10-mile run.  Instead of seeing these numbers as an easy way to define myself, I'll try to keep them in perspective and use them as a good resource to evaluate myself and my abilities.  Just like my students' performance on the AP - a good resource to evaluate and assess myself and the curriculum.

Shew, these were a lot of words dedicated to numbers! No wonder I'm going a bit crazy!

Now, to end with a few concrete numbers from the week:
- Miles run today: 10 (double digits!)
- Blisters on foot: 1.5 (I had one and then another sort of formed on top of it; kind of gross)
- Walks this week with the dogs: 12-ish
- Fireworks viewed on the 4th: 0
- Loads of laundry since we returned last week: About 8
- Letters that I need to write: 5
- Hours spent watching Le Tour: Oh, let's not go there...

June - a time for ends and beginnings

I'm back from the annual school camping trip - annual for me, at least.  Some people go on more than one trip per year with different classes, but this is my sole commitment.  I tend to feel conflicted about the trip, as it's usually tons of fun, offering a variety of activities, such as a ropes course and surfing, and a great setting, but it is also exhausting - precisely because of the activities and the setting.  I return from it feeling either windburned or sunburned or both and physically tired after late nights (for me) and long days spent outside.
This year, everything about the trip went smoothly - kids were great and the weather was perfect (not too hot, not crazy wind, sunny and pretty mild), so I have nothing to complain about.  After all, the trip the did showcase plenty of highlights.  Perhaps more importantly, the trip offers a moment to get away from work and life - while still working - and think about the year, about the students whom I teach and the school where I work.  It also, for me, signals that the year is drawing to a close.  There are many endings to the year and this is merely one of them, but it might be my favorite moment to spend time with colleagues and students and reflect on the year.  Nothing like early morning walks to the beach to appreciate life.
Even with all of the excitement and beauty, I fully welcomed the return trip home yesterday.  On cue, June gloom appeared yesterday morning - after days of lovely mornings, low clouds gathered around the campground and hills and hid the coast, which made it a perfect day to run, even with a creaky knee.  And then I was more than ready to return home. Upon crossing the threshold of our house, I dumped out all of my dirty clothes (or all the clothes that I took with me which were dirty, whether I wore them or not), showered and took a nap in a comfortable bed.  Civilization at its best!
This weekend, despite grading and school obligations, like graduation, has felt like the beginning of summer.  It is a bit warm in these parts, but the morning sun did not welcome us until almost noon - probably because we went to Malibu for an early, open water swim (me) and a fantastic ride on the coast (both of us).  I almost bailed out on both of those when, as we were driving north on PCH from Santa Monica to Malibu, the rain started to spit down on us.  Yes, I would be getting wet for the swim, but a cold, wet ride did not appeal.  Despite those reservations, we were both happy that we ventured west on an early-ish Saturday morning and stuck to the plan.  After the ride, we hit Lilly's, a place that we discovered a few years ago just by chance and return about once a year.  The breakfast burrito hit the spot - we split one and I'm sad to say that I wolfed my half down in about 2 minutes.  While I had to return home to grade exams, it was a wonderful Saturday morning and made me feel that summer is here, whether the calendar says it is or not.
For us, the summer will be busy with visiting friends and family and traveling near and far, depending on one's definition of those distances.  I am also daydreaming of afternoon naps, plenty of reading, hikes and walks and afternoon cocktails.  The months are full of promise, yet a part of me already senses that the months will pass too quickly.
Still, before the days grow short again, cheers to summer!

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!

Getting lost on a ride

It's been a funny week - I'm still going through a cycle of insomnia but I've managed to function throughout the week.  Last night wasn't too bad, but Monday night was pretty hellish - I woke up at 1:11. Or at least that's when I looked at my phone, hoping that the time would be either a few hours earlier or later.  No such luck.  Tuesday night I mercifully slept until 4:00 or so.  At that point, I just stayed awake until 5:00 am and then I went for an early morning swim.  It was so strange being at the pool when it was dark but also a cool experience to swim outside, in the dark, yet feel perfectly safe and more relaxed than my daytime swims.  During the day, there is such a hustle and bustle - swim team! dive team! water aerobics class!  regular swim classes!  crazy intense people!  not great swimmers who refuse to circle swim! parents swarming! That morning, I actually had an entire lane to myself for the whole 35 minutes and everyone seemed so focused and also meditative. Of course, by 9:00 am, I felt more than ready for a nap which didn't happen.

Today was a gorgeous spring day, and although I debated going for a ride versus a run versus doing nothing, I managed to talk myself onto the saddle and out the door (not in that order).  I figured that if I went out for 20-30 minutes and decided that I wasn't feeling it, I'd head home.  At the very least, that would give me 40 minutes or so of movement. However, once I was on the bike, it felt great to enjoy the afternoon's warmth as I moved in and out of the shade.  I planned to follow a pretty typical path, zooming (for me) along some local streets and then head down to the Rose Bowl for a few loops.  However, as I was headed towards the Rose Bowl, I decided to challenge myself and take a back way that would include a nice climb or two.  I was definitely meandering down a road that I felt confident that I knew slightly from a ride about a year ago.  At a certain point, I had to turn, so I went left and shot further downhill.  Suddenly, I saw an overpass that did not look at all as though I was in Pasadena or anywhere that I thought I was.  And, it wasn't!  Not that I ended up in Santa Monica or something crazy like that.  But I had managed to land in Glendale, not too far off track, but far enough that I cursed myself and my terrible sense of direction.  What was worse, to me, was that I had enjoyed a tremendous descent to get to this point, so now I was heading uphill for a few miles!  I initially felt pretty frustrated with myself, and then I decided to think about the situation - Chevy Chase and Linda Vista, the streets that were/are so familiar but not really, are very bike-friendly and offer some fun parts that wind around the hills.  The uphill trudge was, indeed, a trudge, but it is good to remind myself that climbing builds character.  Also, I don't suck at it!  Finally, it was kind of cool to suddenly find myself unexpectedly in a different part of town.  Had it not been a Thursday with lots of obligations and 'to-do' items hovering over me, I would have taken my time and pedaled around until I hit the familiar haunts of Eagle Rock.  Even though I couldn't reap full benefit from my off-track experience, it's good for me to remember that surprises in life are good.  I also realized from this experience that biking does offer more opportunity to explore and to get lost than running does.  While I often stick close to the usual paths and routes, being able to wander, even if just for an hour, is such a relief from the usual schedule and close attention to the what and where at all times.

On a final note, it was definitely more of a challenge and less repetitive than the ride that I had planned, and there is nothing wrong with that!