Finally, a successful ride outside on my new bike! I was beginning to feel like this bike was more than I could handle. It really sunk in Friday evening when Kelli asked me what my plans were for the weekend. Sunday was NFL playoffs, and she didn’t want to miss them. When I responded that I planned to ride my bike for 3 hours Sunday morning, and that it should impact her at all, she hit me with the dagger: your last two rides have involved me, why shouldn’t this one?
For those of you that care and are new to my blog (as if anyone is reading this besides me), I had a flat on my last ride and she had to come pick me up. The week before that I’d had a fall on my bike and ended up at the ER with a fractured wrist. Since I’d gotten my new bike 2/3 of the rides hadn’t ended well.
I was determined that this week wouldn’t involve her at all. I wasn’t going to call for help unless I was lying on the side of the road with two broken legs and hemorrhaging internally! That would really suck, so I hoped we could avoid that! As usual it takes a while to drive to Magnolia. I hate that I have to go way out there to ride, but they really do have the best road I’ve seen: wide shoulders and minimal traffic. I saw the wind during the drive, but it just didn’t register. Why would I even think about the flags blown straight, or the signs almost blown over, I was in my car and couldn’t feel it! That ended pretty quickly once I got on the road.
I love my bike, and it is very fast, and with that come some implications. For example, the wheels are much deeper than my road bike. They cut through the wind like a knife, but they also catch the cross wind like a sail. I kid you not, that darn wind was blowing me all over the road. It would gust and I would shift 6 inches to the right, and then stop and I would shift 6 inches to the left. Anyone watching me probably thought I was drunk! Even still, I am glad I was on my TT bike instead of a road bike. I was able to hunker down, make myself as small as possible, and just cut through the wind. I can’t imagine that ride on my road bike!
I’d started the day planning on a 3 hour, 3 loop ride. In the end my time was a little short and the miles were much shorter. It was 4.5 hours from when I left the house until I got home, and I’m sure Kelli was getting antsy. But, and here is the best part, I finished the ride without needing help from her or anyone else! It’s a good road to get out there and ride, now I just need to stay healthy and keep doing it.
The pieces are starting to fall into place!
Monday, January 25, 2010
A Love/Hate Relationship
What is it about me and my new bike? It’s like we have a love/hate relationship! I love the bike, and I’m pretty sure I am faster on it than my road bike. However, my luck with this bike just hasn’t been that great. I distinctly remember being stoked after my first road test; it felt so fast. Second time out it still felt fast, until I crashed and had to come hobbling home. Four weeks later I finally was healthy enough to get back on the road. The ride was fantastic. I was hitting some amazing speeds and the bike felt great. I took a new road to extend my route and ended up going through a short stretch of gravel like shoulder. I remember asking myself if I would know it if I got a flat, then there it was. Pssshh! There was no mistaking the sound, a tire losing all its air, I had a flat.
I flat isn’t a problem for me. I carry a spare tube, CO2 cartridges to inflate the tube, tire tools, everything I figured I would need. Of course it had to be the back tire (nothing is ever easy). I still didn’t panic. I figured it would be better to work the mechanics out now, than under race conditions. I got the wheel off the bike, the tube off the wheel, and when I went to put in the new tube… disaster! The tube I’d brought was for my road bike, and the stem wasn’t long enough for these wheels. It turns out that of the four spare tubes in the garage, I’d grabbed the only one that wouldn’t work!
I still wasn’t concerned because I knew my wife was at home, armed with a map to my location (a recent tactical decision on my part for emergencies just as this), and she could come get me. Bad news, she was at home watching her beloved Cowboys in the playoffs. The only way I was going to get her out of the house before the game was over was if it was a blow out. Good news, the Vikings were spanking the Cowboys, and she was relieved to have an excuse to miss the ending.
We went over the directions, told her what to bring me, and she was off. We need to work on our communication as it took several attempts for her to successfully make it out of the house. At first she was just going to bring a spare tube and the pump. Then I got to looking for where the flat was and discovered a cut in the tire itself. I could have used a dollar bill to cover the hole so I could finish my ride. But the risk just wasn’t worth the reward. She grabbed my bike rack, picked me up, and I called it a day. It was probably an hour from the time of my first call, and when I was picked up, then another 45 minutes to get home.
That’s the mess of it all, but this story has a silver lining. When I got home I looked at my speedometer and I’d ridden at least 1+ mph faster than on my road bike! I knew this bike felt fast. Now I just need to work on the rider, and some better luck!
I flat isn’t a problem for me. I carry a spare tube, CO2 cartridges to inflate the tube, tire tools, everything I figured I would need. Of course it had to be the back tire (nothing is ever easy). I still didn’t panic. I figured it would be better to work the mechanics out now, than under race conditions. I got the wheel off the bike, the tube off the wheel, and when I went to put in the new tube… disaster! The tube I’d brought was for my road bike, and the stem wasn’t long enough for these wheels. It turns out that of the four spare tubes in the garage, I’d grabbed the only one that wouldn’t work!
I still wasn’t concerned because I knew my wife was at home, armed with a map to my location (a recent tactical decision on my part for emergencies just as this), and she could come get me. Bad news, she was at home watching her beloved Cowboys in the playoffs. The only way I was going to get her out of the house before the game was over was if it was a blow out. Good news, the Vikings were spanking the Cowboys, and she was relieved to have an excuse to miss the ending.
We went over the directions, told her what to bring me, and she was off. We need to work on our communication as it took several attempts for her to successfully make it out of the house. At first she was just going to bring a spare tube and the pump. Then I got to looking for where the flat was and discovered a cut in the tire itself. I could have used a dollar bill to cover the hole so I could finish my ride. But the risk just wasn’t worth the reward. She grabbed my bike rack, picked me up, and I called it a day. It was probably an hour from the time of my first call, and when I was picked up, then another 45 minutes to get home.
That’s the mess of it all, but this story has a silver lining. When I got home I looked at my speedometer and I’d ridden at least 1+ mph faster than on my road bike! I knew this bike felt fast. Now I just need to work on the rider, and some better luck!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Memories of Cpt. America
I’ve been looking forward to today’s run all week. I’d re-mapped my route so I got in all 10 miles, had good workouts all week, and was pumped to show myself that I really am on track for my upcoming races. Then yesterday the rain came. It hasn’t been raining hard, mostly just sprinkling with the heavier rain to come later in the day. Instead of changing up the rest of the week’s schedule and then have it continue raining, I decided to take a long lunch and get it over with. Once I stepped outside I realized I wasn’t dressed warm enough and had to put on a hat, arm warmers and tights. I don’t think they are really called tights, not when guys wear them, but they are for the legs and they are tight!
What was interesting about this run, and what kept me mentally occupied for quite a while, is how it reminded me of a particular run back in my Army days. We had this one Commanding Officer nicknamed Captain America, and it was well earned. He was very fit, and loved to take us on long, fast runs. If he was feeling frisky he would stop in the middle of the run and have us do grass drills. For those of you not familiar with the term, it is a bunch of push-ups, sit-ups, anything that would get you down on the ground. Every year we had to take a 12 mile road march with full gear, including a 45 lb back pack. His goal each year was to break the Division record for completing the march. He wouldn’t take short cuts to do it either. His marches were through some pretty tough terrain up hills and sandy trails. I digress, back to this run. It was Cpt. America’s last day. Everyone knew it was coming and had it marked on their calendar. When we got up that morning we were so excited to see it pouring rain as we knew any run would be cancelled. Not so! He lined us up in formation and started us out onto the road. I couldn’t believe it when we got there. It was raining so hard that there were several inches of standing water in the road. It didn’t matter, not to Cpt. America. We took off on a run, chanting all the way. After passing several possible early turn around points, I resigned myself to a long run with my now soaking wet shoes and socks that must have weighed 10 pounds each. We finally stopped at a large field, for you guessed it, grass drills. Only we’d gotten so much rain that it quickly became mud drills. Fifteen minutes later and caked with mud, we were on the road back home. I actually appreciated the water in the road this time as it helped wash the mud off my shoes. I don’t remember how it ended, probably with everyone pumped up from the brutal workout we had just finished.
That was 25 years ago. My run today was nothing like that. There was no standing water in the road, and I didn’t stop along the way to do front/back’s or anything else crazy. It was a hard run though, and mental toughness was the key to getting through it. I may have hated Cpt. America back then, but I sure learned a lot about myself because of him. If I saw him today, I’d shake his hand and thank him. Unfortunately I don’t remember his name and wouldn’t really want to talk to someone responding to Cpt. America!
Today was a good day to run!
What was interesting about this run, and what kept me mentally occupied for quite a while, is how it reminded me of a particular run back in my Army days. We had this one Commanding Officer nicknamed Captain America, and it was well earned. He was very fit, and loved to take us on long, fast runs. If he was feeling frisky he would stop in the middle of the run and have us do grass drills. For those of you not familiar with the term, it is a bunch of push-ups, sit-ups, anything that would get you down on the ground. Every year we had to take a 12 mile road march with full gear, including a 45 lb back pack. His goal each year was to break the Division record for completing the march. He wouldn’t take short cuts to do it either. His marches were through some pretty tough terrain up hills and sandy trails. I digress, back to this run. It was Cpt. America’s last day. Everyone knew it was coming and had it marked on their calendar. When we got up that morning we were so excited to see it pouring rain as we knew any run would be cancelled. Not so! He lined us up in formation and started us out onto the road. I couldn’t believe it when we got there. It was raining so hard that there were several inches of standing water in the road. It didn’t matter, not to Cpt. America. We took off on a run, chanting all the way. After passing several possible early turn around points, I resigned myself to a long run with my now soaking wet shoes and socks that must have weighed 10 pounds each. We finally stopped at a large field, for you guessed it, grass drills. Only we’d gotten so much rain that it quickly became mud drills. Fifteen minutes later and caked with mud, we were on the road back home. I actually appreciated the water in the road this time as it helped wash the mud off my shoes. I don’t remember how it ended, probably with everyone pumped up from the brutal workout we had just finished.
That was 25 years ago. My run today was nothing like that. There was no standing water in the road, and I didn’t stop along the way to do front/back’s or anything else crazy. It was a hard run though, and mental toughness was the key to getting through it. I may have hated Cpt. America back then, but I sure learned a lot about myself because of him. If I saw him today, I’d shake his hand and thank him. Unfortunately I don’t remember his name and wouldn’t really want to talk to someone responding to Cpt. America!
Today was a good day to run!
Monday, January 11, 2010
A cold race!
Let me preface this by saying 28 is cold. It’s cold to go outside and check the mail, but it is really cold to stand around for an hour waiting for a race to start. I know there are lots of places that regularly get much colder and those residents don’t think 28 is cold. Let me say that I have lived most of my life in Houston, Texas; my blood is as thin as water, and to me that is very cold. Also, I don’t know why anyone would want to live in a place that gets that cold on a regular basis!
Months ago, when the weather was much warmer, I convinced my wife to sign up for the kid’s race and to take a 3 year old with her. We thought it would be fun, and cute, and he would get a big kick out of finishing the race with all the people cheering. We knew he would love the medal he got at the end. We never expected the weather to turn like it did!
Yes, I had a race yesterday in 28 degree weather. That’s what the car said when we turned off the engine and forced ourselves to crawl outside and get ready. Before I relate my boring race, I should tell you about Kelli and Dillon. They stood around for 45 minutes in that cold weather to see me start my race. They then had 15 minutes to walk 2 blocks for the kid’s race. There were a couple of middle school kids there, but they thought it would be longer than 1K (probably much less than that really). They were nice and said they would run the kids run so Dillon wouldn’t be alone. That’s right, all the sane parents kept their kids at home in the warmth. Dillon was the only little kid in the race. Before the start of the race, Dillon announced that he was cold and ready to go home. He agreed that they couldn’t leave without me, but he wasn’t running any stupid race. About that time the race started: the bigger kids took off, and Dillon sat down, refusing to continue. Poor Kelli carried him, tried pulling him, and used every trick she had trying to get him going. Finally when she said she was going to beat him he jumped up and took off. I wish I had been there to see the grin on his face with all the people cheering for him. It was the best part of the day, and I missed it!
My race was much less entertaining. There were 150 people registered, but I bet less than 50 showed up. I was one step from the starting line, I figured I wouldn’t have to jockey much for space once we started. As the starter counted down, some guy came from behind me and stood right in front of me. Whatever! Did I mention that it was cold? Normally I don’t wear anything on my head as I get pretty hot. Being this cold I figured I needed something and scrounged up a tubular scarf I folded over and was able to pull over my ears. It worked great for about a mile and a half, until I started to get hot. I looped it over my arm, but it was bulky and distracting. I was trying to figure out some way to get rid of it without littering up the road. Half a mile down the road I saw a young lady walking her dog and threw it to her. I’m not sure what she did with it (she was gone by the time I came back by), but at least I didn’t feel like I was littering.
The course itself was pretty flat with some false flats and maybe and underpass or two, basically an out and back. When I made the turn at the 3.5 mile mark, the wind hit me in the face, and it was cold. I actually wished I hadn’t thrown away that scarf! I had a goal time, less than 8 minute/mile pace. I started off faster than I normally would have so I could make it. I was already tired at the turnaround, and the wind only made it worse. It was then that I realized if it was hurting me, it would be hurting everyone else and I tried to pick up the pace just a bit. There weren’t a lot of people in front of me, but I started running them down. We were fairly spaced out, and I didn’t think I would catch anyone, but the wind and false flats did their job. Catching them took a while, but as I passed each one it was like they just gave up. The end was getting close and I had one last fellow in sight. As we hit the mark for the last 2/10 of a mile he found another gear and I was unable to close the gap.
Overall I’m very happy with my time. I obtained my goal, and had run about as hard as I could. This wasn’t my target distance, and I don’t feel like I’ve been training for it. If I really wanted to do well in a 10K I would do some different training. As it is, this is more like a training run for my longer races. I do enjoy this distance though, so maybe another year I can work on them.
Thanks for listening!
Months ago, when the weather was much warmer, I convinced my wife to sign up for the kid’s race and to take a 3 year old with her. We thought it would be fun, and cute, and he would get a big kick out of finishing the race with all the people cheering. We knew he would love the medal he got at the end. We never expected the weather to turn like it did!
Yes, I had a race yesterday in 28 degree weather. That’s what the car said when we turned off the engine and forced ourselves to crawl outside and get ready. Before I relate my boring race, I should tell you about Kelli and Dillon. They stood around for 45 minutes in that cold weather to see me start my race. They then had 15 minutes to walk 2 blocks for the kid’s race. There were a couple of middle school kids there, but they thought it would be longer than 1K (probably much less than that really). They were nice and said they would run the kids run so Dillon wouldn’t be alone. That’s right, all the sane parents kept their kids at home in the warmth. Dillon was the only little kid in the race. Before the start of the race, Dillon announced that he was cold and ready to go home. He agreed that they couldn’t leave without me, but he wasn’t running any stupid race. About that time the race started: the bigger kids took off, and Dillon sat down, refusing to continue. Poor Kelli carried him, tried pulling him, and used every trick she had trying to get him going. Finally when she said she was going to beat him he jumped up and took off. I wish I had been there to see the grin on his face with all the people cheering for him. It was the best part of the day, and I missed it!
My race was much less entertaining. There were 150 people registered, but I bet less than 50 showed up. I was one step from the starting line, I figured I wouldn’t have to jockey much for space once we started. As the starter counted down, some guy came from behind me and stood right in front of me. Whatever! Did I mention that it was cold? Normally I don’t wear anything on my head as I get pretty hot. Being this cold I figured I needed something and scrounged up a tubular scarf I folded over and was able to pull over my ears. It worked great for about a mile and a half, until I started to get hot. I looped it over my arm, but it was bulky and distracting. I was trying to figure out some way to get rid of it without littering up the road. Half a mile down the road I saw a young lady walking her dog and threw it to her. I’m not sure what she did with it (she was gone by the time I came back by), but at least I didn’t feel like I was littering.
The course itself was pretty flat with some false flats and maybe and underpass or two, basically an out and back. When I made the turn at the 3.5 mile mark, the wind hit me in the face, and it was cold. I actually wished I hadn’t thrown away that scarf! I had a goal time, less than 8 minute/mile pace. I started off faster than I normally would have so I could make it. I was already tired at the turnaround, and the wind only made it worse. It was then that I realized if it was hurting me, it would be hurting everyone else and I tried to pick up the pace just a bit. There weren’t a lot of people in front of me, but I started running them down. We were fairly spaced out, and I didn’t think I would catch anyone, but the wind and false flats did their job. Catching them took a while, but as I passed each one it was like they just gave up. The end was getting close and I had one last fellow in sight. As we hit the mark for the last 2/10 of a mile he found another gear and I was unable to close the gap.
Overall I’m very happy with my time. I obtained my goal, and had run about as hard as I could. This wasn’t my target distance, and I don’t feel like I’ve been training for it. If I really wanted to do well in a 10K I would do some different training. As it is, this is more like a training run for my longer races. I do enjoy this distance though, so maybe another year I can work on them.
Thanks for listening!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Still at it...
Has it really been 2 weeks since I last signed on? I’d love to brag that I was too busy training, but that wasn’t it. While I have done everything my coach asked of me, I suspect my coach was taking it easier on me because of my bum wrist. It did end up being fractured, but by the time they figured that out a week had passed, and they just left me in my splint. I’ve been unable to swim since then, but have made up the time with running and biking.
I ran last weekend, almost 10 miles. It was supposed to be 10 miles but I missed one little section. I realized it later on and had a plan to make it up, but I had to go to the bathroom so badly I just couldn’t add anything more. As it was I ran into the house and straight to the bathroom. It was a good run though, about 8:45 pace. I will be thrilled to run my half marathon that fast.
I do have a race Sunday, a 10K. The weather is supposed to be dry, but in the upper 20’s. That might be good for a run, once I get warmed up. It is another small field, which is much easier to get going than when you are tripping over people. I wasn’t worried at all about the race, until I got my coach’s last email. She is hoping for 8 minute/mile pace. I ran my last 10K at about 8:10, and that was after being sick for a couple of weeks, so I guess it is possible. Unfortunately that 5K I did a few weeks ago smashed my confidence. That said, I am more prepared for this race than that one, and once the race starts I know I will give it my all.
My bike has been in the shop for a week, getting checked out after my spill last month. I finally get to pick it up later today. I’m so excited! Maybe I can take it back out next weekend. Of course it needs to warm up first. There is no way I’m going riding outside when it is in the 20’s!
See you Sunday afternoon after the race!
I ran last weekend, almost 10 miles. It was supposed to be 10 miles but I missed one little section. I realized it later on and had a plan to make it up, but I had to go to the bathroom so badly I just couldn’t add anything more. As it was I ran into the house and straight to the bathroom. It was a good run though, about 8:45 pace. I will be thrilled to run my half marathon that fast.
I do have a race Sunday, a 10K. The weather is supposed to be dry, but in the upper 20’s. That might be good for a run, once I get warmed up. It is another small field, which is much easier to get going than when you are tripping over people. I wasn’t worried at all about the race, until I got my coach’s last email. She is hoping for 8 minute/mile pace. I ran my last 10K at about 8:10, and that was after being sick for a couple of weeks, so I guess it is possible. Unfortunately that 5K I did a few weeks ago smashed my confidence. That said, I am more prepared for this race than that one, and once the race starts I know I will give it my all.
My bike has been in the shop for a week, getting checked out after my spill last month. I finally get to pick it up later today. I’m so excited! Maybe I can take it back out next weekend. Of course it needs to warm up first. There is no way I’m going riding outside when it is in the 20’s!
See you Sunday afternoon after the race!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
