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.

Motivation - totally worth it

This weekend served as a nice reminder as to why I should NOT succumb to my couch potato tendencies, as much as I would like to just lie around and do nothing.  On both occasions this weekend, when I wavered and then finally got out the door, I was ultimately rewarded with the chance to enjoy a beautiful day.  So, reminder to self - don't be a lazy slob!

Before I give myself too many pats on the back, I admit that I ditched a Saturday morning run, even though I was the one who sent out an email earlier in the week trying to drum up interest.  So, total fail on my part (Rob - sorry about that!).  I will say that it was nice to go to the farmers' market, walk the dogs and run a few errands.  However, by Saturday afternoon, I was regretting my decision, especially after I watched the 2012 Ironman World Championships on TV.  Totally inspiring.  Plus, the weather was gorgeous - I couldn't ask for a better afternoon for running.  So, I finally laced up my shoes and hit the trails.  I set out around 2:30 and finished around 4:00.  While I missed the companionship that the morning run would have given me, I will say that the light during the afternoon hours was just amazing - almost like something out of the Hudson River School.  I finished the run tired and kind of chilly, but quite happy that I had a few miles under my belt for the day.

Yesterday afternoon, the opportunity to be lazy for the afternoon once again presented itself.  We had plans to go camping in Malibu for the night, but more than once I entertained the thought that we could just spend Sunday en casa and then go to Malibu for a hike early Monday morning.  Somehow, we opted to get our camping stuff in the car and head west.  Once we hit the road, we were both so happy for the change of scenery.  Even though Malibu is not that far away from where we live, it has such a different feel, so it does seem that we're getting away from our humdrum lives, even if it's just for a morning or an afternoon.  We camped at Leo Carillo, not exactly a place to go for solitude! There were some younger kids having a fun night! But, it makes up for that by allowing people easy access to the water and a lovely beach to watch the waves, birds, surfers and the sunset.   This was truly LA camping - we didn't bring food but opted to grab dinner out after the sunset and then return to our campsite to drink wine and go to sleep. Which we did by 8:00 pm or so!

Overall, not a bad place for a quick jaunt, even if the wind kicked up and our tent hit our faces for most of the night!  Waking up, getting coffee and taking yet another walk on the beach was an even better reminder of why this was all totally worth it.

Back into the swing of things, sort of...

The summer months, as much as I love them, often feel a bit unreal, as if I'm stuck in some Never Never Land.  Returning to the reality of work can be a jarring experience, however, there is also something comforting about a schedule - it's the scaffolding that keeps the minutes and hours and days and week in place and defines the ebb and flow of each week.  Usually, by the end of summer, a part of me needs the predictability of a schedule to set a rhythm to my life.  That said, the beginning of the year felt rough this time around!  My mouth was disconnected from my brain during meetings, so I have no doubt that I made a less-than-coherent statement or two.  As I endured the marathon of meetings that we have at the beginning of the year, I came home feeling depressed and fairly uninspired.  Not a great sign.

Fortunately, returning to the classroom, despite the stress that comes along with the first few days, has reminded me that, yes, I like teaching.  At this point, I feel less frenetic than last week and am finding the sweet-spot in some of my classes.  I've managed to adjust to the "look professional" expectation, and I'm building back my teaching stamina -  standing (or pacing, which is mostly what I do) and talking more throughout the day.  By this week, I have a better feel for my classes, and I've already survived several school events, so the year seems to be well underway.  In other areas of my life, I'm also trying to return to "normal".  Again, I often view summer as a break from the norm.  Now, we're on a budget (although a bike fitting with lots of upgrades did not exactly fit into that so-called budget, but I think that someone else will feel more comfortable on his improved bike!), so we are making an effort to curtail many of our evenings out.  Food-wise, this seems like a good time to try to eat more responsibly, so I'm weaning myself off the caramel sea salt ice cream habit that blossomed over summer.

I have also resumed some swim/bike/run activity, but my enthusiasm definitely continues to flag.  I would not mind that so much, in fact I would probably have given myself the entire month of September to focus on school/work, except that I committed myself to the Malibu Triathlon back in March.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I definitely have racer's-remorse at this point and cannot believe that I'm supposed to 'race' day-after-tomorrow!  To be honest, I'd happily do a no-show if the race hadn't been SO freakin' expensive (again, it seemed like a good idea when I signed up).   Not racing seems like throwing money away, so that is just not an option.   I am, though, still kicking myself for blithely signing up for this race those many months ago.  At the time, it also seemed like a great way to end my 2012 triathlon "season", but I did not predict the mental and physical exhaustion that would kick my ass at the end of August.  Maybe I should have, who knows at this point?

So, with my lackluster enthusiasm in tow, I'm going into this race with a completely different attitude than I've ever had for the whopping 4 previous tri's that I've done.  To say that I haven't really trained is not at all a hyperbolic statement but is quite simply the truth - since August 6, I can count on my hands the number of times that I've swum, biked and run.  While the bike and run don't concern me too much, the open-water ocean swim could present a challenge, especially because Malibu can be rough!  If I don't completely suck at the swim, I should survive the bike/run portions (although the last time I tried a brick, I ended up walking at mile 3 - so lame).  Needless to say, I've re-evaluated my previous goals for this race - whatever they were.  I'll be happy, I swear I will, with a decent bike ride and if I don't walk during the run.

I will say that the other positive from this race is that we are going to have a mini-getaway tomorrow night (in a cheap motel, very romantic, I know) so that Saturday morning doesn't start quite so hideously early.  Also, the weather has been miserably hot the past few days, so a day in Malibu will be a nice reprieve!  Finally, it really SHOULD be a gorgeous day and course,  and maybe I'll see some famous people?  Maybe I'll even beat some famous people?!  Oooh, the excitement just might kill me.

And then, after this, I'm going to start to plan out my fall 'training'!

Happy July 5th!

Today definitely fit my definition or idea of a "perfect day", although I have had several of those recently. For instance, being lazy on Saturday, with the exception of going to the gym to watch the Paraguay/Spain match. That was a pretty perfect day (the trip to the gym was followed up by left-over tacos and an awesome nap). I believe that I took another nap yesterday. It seems that the simple things in life can make me quite happy.

While today involved a bit more planning and energy, it also involved an element of simplicity - hike to/around a beautiful spot and enjoy being outside. It seems fitting that Michael and I 'bagged' Mugu Peak this weekend, seeing as our last failed attempt was on Memorial Day. This time around we did not invite a friend with dubious hiking skills to join us but woke up on the early side for a holiday Monday and headed west. We arrived at the coast amidst a thick cloud of "June gloom" which has seemingly extended into July! On the plus side, it made for a cool (temperature-wise) hike which we both appreciated and hiking in the mist and tall grass made me think of Wales and the moors, even though Southern CA cannot possibly share much flora or fauna with that part of the world! On the minus side, we could not take advantage of the awesome 360 degree views that the Mugu Peak supposedly offers because we had a very limited visual range thanks to the gloom.

Still and all, it was a most enjoyable hike, presenting a butt-kicking challenge the first .7 mile as we ascended about 850 feet. Once we survived the initial upward trudge, the trail leveled out and we were walking on a path that cut through high grass. We looped around the valley and then headed up to Mugu Peak. The description from the blog Modern Hiker describes the experience from Mugu Peak in this way:

"When you reach the top of Mugu, you’ll be rewarded with 360-degree views of some of the most beautiful parts of Southern California — the Channel Islands, Boney Ridge, Mugu Lagoon, the Great Sand Dune, and all of the meadows you just wound your way through. All this, and an American flag to boot. Cue the patriotic music and you’re all set."

We did feel triumphant once we reached the peak, and the flag certainly added some patriotic flair to the hike. That, and the knowledge that Pt. Mugu, the naval base, was right across the way ('the way' being PCH, the Pacific Coast Highway, also known as "the 1" or "the One"). Sadly, we did could not reap the visual rewards of the peak after our hard work. Shrug. It will give us a reason to return, and that is never a bad thing! The descent was, in a few areas, a bit trickier for me with my knee. Although I am fairly strong, I still lack in confidence what I don't necessarily lack in strength, so that made a few places a bit of a challenge. Nothing that I wasn't up for, however. Ultimately, I was psyched about the hike: 5.2 miles in under 3 hours, 1255 elevation gain.

Before heading back east, we decided to take advantage of our west side stint and headed south from Point Mugu to Malibu. We ended up at a bit of a dive called the Reel Inn. Okay, maybe not a dive, but not, fortunately, an elegant or swanky locale. It offered good fish and chips and a decent bloody mary, and I did not need much more!