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!

Good or bad, racing is upon us!

With February ending on a very sad note in our household, I wanted to cancel any and all plans that we (or I) had already made for the next few weeks, which included the first triathlon of the season and also an organized bike ride.  Michael, however, convinced me that I should go to Palm Springs for the Desert Tri for a number of reasons.  Some of these included: a. I had already paid for it; b. my coach would be there.  I still had my doubts, partly because I was still feeling so sad about Milo, but also because of the weather (stormy) and because of my shitty running over the past month.

When Saturday morning rolled around, we had already committed to heading east, and so we did, driving through plenty of rain.  The negative thoughts continued to roll around in my head, even as we pulled away from the storms.  By the time we reached the desert, it was actually gorgeous - dramatic clouds and light, but not raining.  It seemed that all of my doom and gloom and worry about the weather was for naught!  I met my coach there and we ended up riding one loop of the course, which is extremely flat.  Then I traded bike shoes for running kicks and took it slow and easy for about 10 minutes.  I was not feeling confident about the run at all and even broached the subject of how to prepare to walk the marathon in an Ironman with my coach (I'd been reading up on it, and there is plenty about a run/walk strategy but not much about a walk strategy; no doubt she was thrilled to be working with someone who just broke down physically so easily - sigh.  Add to that, the fact that I fell right in front of her on my bike because I couldn't unclip.  Seriously, it's been YEARS since that has happened - how embarrassing!).  

Despite the slow run, I felt good about having a practice ride/run, and we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in Palm Springs, which is kind of a weird place.  Maybe CA is just full of strange places?  I'm not sure, but it ranks up there in terms of a strange combination of people.  Plus, who would have come up with the idea of the desert as a great place to build a town/city?  And populate it with golf courses that need tons of water?  

After dreaming on Saturday night about only completing one lap of the run because I was so slow (nice anxiety dream), I managed to get up and get all of my gear and other crap together, making it to transition with plenty of time to spare, or so I thought.  There would have been plenty of space on the rack except that some people were taking up a luxurious and ridiculous amount of room.  What the hell?!  Also, a bunch of port-o-potties ran out of TP, which was kind of funny because then it was obvious who just needed to pee and who had other "business" to take care of.  

Fortunately, I did take care of everything and by 7:30, I was down at the start, waiting with the other pink-capped ladies for my 7:42 wave to go off.

Photo - Thanks to Beth Walsh

And we were off!  I actually enjoyed the swim - the water felt great, there wasn't tons of contact, and when I popped my head out of the water, I could take in the desert - it was a pretty course!  I wasn't very fast but made reasonable time, and, after struggling a bit to get my wetsuit unzipped, I was soon on  the bike!  

I knew, from the day before, that it was a flat, flat, flat course, which does not favor me (I kind of like hills to push up and then cruise down).  Since my running was shot anyway, the plan was to really push it on the bike, something that I have NEVER done or tried to do.  Armed with my handy-dandy heart rate monitor, I focused not on MPH but on heart rate.  I can't say that I enjoyed the ride all that much, especially considering the packs of people drafting off each other, but I felt good about the fact that I stayed focused!

Finally, the run - never have I dreaded a run so much!  I hadn't thought about it too much on the bike, but managed to at least start out running.  And then I hit mile 2 and then mile 3, rounding out the first lap while slowly chugging along.  On almost any other occasion, my splits would have sent me into a frustrated state, but I was just happy that I was still running (or jogging) and that the miles were actually sub-10.  Amazing!  I started the second lap, fully expecting to slow down and walk, but somehow, my leg tightened up but never to the point of pain.  I even picked up the pace on my last mile and cruised over the finish line, a far happier camper than I had expected.  

Photo also thanks to Beth Walsh

My overall age group ranking is nothing to write home about, but this race bolstered my confidence way more than I had anticipated, and I was grateful to be outside, swim, bike, running in a really beautiful place.  There wasn't much more that I could have asked for, at the end of the day!

Milo: A tribute

Just over 5 years ago, we lucked out with two amazing dogs: Milo and Gus.  Over the past years, we've shared many moments and adventures with them, and they have filled our lives with much laughter and happiness and our hearts with joy.

Mike and Milo - One of our early walks with him - a bit too hot and too far, but he was such a trooper.

Milo and Gus came as a well-balanced pair - Gus relying on his cuteness while lacking brain power, Milo being a bit too smart for his own good at times (always sensing when we were leaving on a trip days before it happened and then worrying whether he would go with us or not).  He was an affectionate dog, coming over to give us love on a regular basis.

And so, it was with profound sadness that we lost Milo last week.  Our life feels much emptier without our very good boy.

My words can't express all that we felt and feel about Milo, but John Muir puts it quite well:  "Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way."

Milo - You certainly made our life better, and you will always have a place in our hearts. 

Currently: Love/hate

While this is a bit late, the topic of love (and its opposite) seems timely with Valentine's Day just past us and all.  Despite the fact that I usually feel quite bah-humbug about the 14th and all the clichés that go along with it, I also often find that we celebrate something around mid-February.  Last year, for instance, we signed a mountain of paperwork to close the deal on our house and went out to celebrate that event - it was actually the 15th, but everyone still assumed that we were out for V-day.  Speaking of home ownership, this year, we felt like celebrating something since we wrapped up the last of our 2013 home improvement projects!  Woo-hoo!  And please interpret the 'we' in that statement as loosely as you will - Michael began what seemed to be a simple kitchen painting project back in the summer, but stripping the previous paint and then sanding and then painting and then sanding again became less than "simple".  We finally decided that we just wanted the job finished, so we followed up a colleague's recommendation and hired a guy who finished up the kitchen and also painted the bathrooms.  Done and done!  So, heading out on Friday night to drink a toast to the end of home improvement projects (for now) was a logical move.  We also drank to the fact that we would NOT be embarking on any major projects in 2014.  Shew!  I realize that some people love the challenge and gain a sense of satisfaction when they complete a major home project, but we have learned, over the past 10 months or so, that we are not fixer-upper-types.  I would much rather spend my Saturday outside, away from our house, hiking, biking, running, doing something, almost anything other than staying at home, working on the house.  (General maintenance is something quite different, and Michael tries very hard to keep a tidy house despite the challenges that I present to those efforts of his on a daily basis!)

Now - for the love: well, I wish that I could say that I'm feeling the love in all things swim/bike/run and life in general, but that is probably not the case.  However, I do feel that I've met my goal to be more consistent in February.  I am slowly logging in more hours, at least in the pool and on the bike, and the elliptical and I have become friendly, even though we're not "in love"!  I have yet to try out aqua jogging, but that may very well be in my future once my aqua jogging shoes arrive this week.  I know, I know, aqua jogging shoes?  Apparently they are amazing.  I'm not expecting miracles, but if aqua jogging will allow me to keep up my running fitness, then I will take it!

But back to what I *am* doing - on the bike and in the pool.  I had my first lactate threshold 'test' on Friday and that was a terrible experience!  Only 20 minutes of the test but I seriously dreaded the experience all day long.  Once I started the actual test, the suffering passed by fairly quickly and my max heart rate completely surprised me.  I'm a bit depressed because it's a good wake-up call for me - I just do NOT like to push it on the bike!  I now, unfortunately, know that I could/should be working a lot harder.  And in the pool?  I'm also still feeling slow, but I just hit a new personal distance record of 3300 meters on Saturday.

Running and I are currently on a hiatus, thanks to a bit of quad tendonitis - not nearly as common as other types of tendonitis, as far as I can tell from the Internets.  So, that is a big "hate" at the moment - I feel like a jilted lover or something and I want to yell "Why don't you love me like I love you?".  Okay, that's rather silly, and I'm trying to be patient and deal with this situation like a grown-up.  And I'm also trying to look at the big picture and not panic.

So, that's a good motto for the moment: Be an adult and don't panic.
We'll see where that takes me!

January flashback

I know, I know, it's February, and I'm actually quite excited about this shorter month.  It already seems to be moving at a faster pace, both for school and also for that training-thing.  But I thought that I would back up to January because I dug around and got some photos and also because it felt like such a strange month.

Not 'weird' or anything truly exciting, but it was not the month that I expected.  What did I expect?  For some reason, I did not think about what I would actually be doing in January but thought of it in general terms as a new year, a time to really focus on training, and blah blah blah.   The reality was that January ended up being more of a challenge and there was way less consistency than I expected, so I did NOT settle into a routine at all.  Some of that was due to things like getting a cold, which I did not anticipate (fortunately it did not wipe out for days on end, so I consider myself lucky because a lot of people were not that lucky).  I also traveled a lot - returning from Boulder at the beginning of the month, going to Carlsbad/Encinitas, and then also taking a quick trip to Texas.  While I tried to be active during some of these travel days, it's not the same as following a plan at home.  Plus, I was super sore following the Carlsbad Half-Marathon - a good sign that I really pushed myself, but I had a light week after that race because I needed to recover.

Here are a few snapshots from the month:

This was an awesome beach around Encinitas - we're actually going back that way in March and we can't wait!

A post-race photo with everyone!  I think that our dogs were officially grumpy and ready for a nap at that point.  I was too!

Ah, the trainer.  I made an "upgrade" to the bike - aerobars!  I thought that I would have to learn how to ride all over again, but it hasn't been that challenging, and I even put in a 50 miler with them!  But a decent amount of my saddle time is on the trainer.  Still, time in the saddle is time in the saddle.

I usually dread February for different reasons, but I'm actually excited about consistent training and getting in the yards in the pool and the miles on the bike.  Running and I are currently on a hiatus, but hopefully we'll make up soon!

Being bold

January has been a funny month, not quite rounding out like I envisioned it would, mainly because I think that I should be doing MORE, now, already, but I'm also cautious of going too hard, too much too soon.  At times, June 29th feels like the months away that is is, but at other moments, it seems to be right around the corner.

Ever since signing up for IMCA in August, I've mentally thought about the "why" and how to answer that question.  Ultimately, I cannot come up with a great reason - or maybe not a simple one.  As a friend said in an email, "Ironman is nothing if not inherently irrational", so I'll chalk up my empty response to that element of irrationality.  I can say that once I dipped my toe into the triathlon world a few years back with Wildflower, the experience hooked me and perhaps it is inevitable to want to go longer and to know how that feels.  I also think that I took the right approach for myself, to not sign up immediately for an IM distance but to build up my endurance and my experience and to try to improve and grow and learn, little by little, in different ways.  Perhaps one is never truly 'ready' to take on a bigger goal, and you just have to go for it, but I think that I am more prepared than I would have been a year ago.  When I finally registered, I'd been sitting with the idea for well over a year, which was plenty of time to mull it over, consider the pros and cons and also contemplate the different races (full Vineman? Whistler? what else is out there?), and to finally pull the trigger.   Even after registering, I was filled with doubts - and I still am.  I'm excited about this particular race and course - I had no desire for a super flat and fast course and I also did not relish the idea of training all summer long for IM (too much free time to dedicate to training and thinking about the race would probably do a number on my mental state).  I'm certainly looking forward to the race and chose CdA in part because of the beauty of the area, and I'm also excited about the roadtrip that will be a part of the experience.  

My two greatest fears are injuring myself and that I'll get a big fat DNF.  I'm currently dealing a bit with fear #1, and that second fear, well, it certainly is a possibility.  But I also decided that fear of a DNF shouldn't prevent me from attempting to realize a bold, audacious goal.  There is always risk involved when you do something that you care about.  Recently, I've felt fairly safe in a lot of ways, and it's good for me to get out of my comfort zone and learn a bit more - about going longer and about myself.  

Finally, when I read the email from my friend (who finished her 9th IM in November), her parting words really clicked.  She says "If you have ever even considered an Ironman—DO IT.  It’s painful, silly, ugly, and insane, but you’ll never be the same again.  And chances are, when it defies all logic, you might even find yourself standing at the start line again."