So, it has been a while since I posted on this blog; however, it is not because I have not been out on my bike. As a matter of fact, about a week or two ago, I had a rather excursion on my roadie which frustrated and yet made me laugh. That is what I will share now that I have insomnia and a stomach ache. This should take my mind off both ailments.
Ok, here goes nothing...I hope anyone brave enough to read this blog enjoys!
About a week ago, the weather was decent enough to commute to work again on my bike. The week started with my hesitation that the roads were truly good enough for my roadie (I'm a little protective of the gal even if she is my little Snm). So, I took out my mountain bike the beginning of the week and all worked fine and it was determined the roads were good enough for my roadie. The next day I changed it up and ran to work instead of the bike again giving things one more day to clear up maybe get swept or something even though I had determined the day before it would be okay to road ride. Of course, I had to give it one more day as I had a doctor appointment and did not want to chain my roadie up outside the hospital.
Finally, Thursday came and I broke out the roadie. The commute in to work was busy but easy as it is mostly downhill the whole way. Where the adventure began was on the way home...uphill. My day of work ended at 6pm and I changed in to my cycling clothing. Finally around 6:15/6:30 I was ready to take off on my bike for home. As I headed up my first good sized hill, I began to wonder whether I had remembered my phone. When I got to the top of the hill, I stopped to check my bag only to find I had forgotten it at work. There was no way I was going back to work to get it and have to come back up the hill I had just climbed. So, I continued home thinking of how I was going to wake up for work the next day.
Next, as I hit a relatively flat spot, I shift in to the big ring. Only, it does not want to go. So, I try to shift back down. It is stuck in limbo! I change the gears in the back which finally gets it to jump into the big ring, and I push out the next few miles. Then, I come to my next good climb and try to shift out of the big ring...Nothing! Not even an attempt to go down. It is broke! Ok! I guess I'm riding home in the big ring uphill! I could go low in the back but not in to the granny gears. Does that knock me from my bike? Nope! I continue on figuring I'll have to grin and bear it! I make the biggest hill of my ride with a little strain but not as much as I feared I would need and the light at the top could have stopped me, but it was in my favor! Thank you light and those watching over me!
From there, it is pretty easy sailing for home in the way of climbs. So, I am feeling pretty good about myself. Only, it is at that point which my headlight goes out and plunges me in darkness. Patches of car headlights blinding me from oncoming traffic and street lights casting weird shadows lit the way home. At this point, I am telling myself if one more thing happens on the way home I am done; however, I am also thinking how can that be since I do not have a phone to call my husband and let him know what is going on. So, I continue on, flinching at every rock I skip out from under my tires as it sounds like I popped a tire.
Luckily, I did make it home and took the easier hill at the end versus the major one which always has me wishing there was a gear easier than the easiest of easy granny gear. I did not have to stop and get off my bike other than the one time to check for my phone, which was still at work. Everything worked out just fine and gave me quite an adventure to chase anything else that was bothering me away from my mind. It also gave me a sense of accomplishment and a little bit of a drive to take my next day off and try to learn a little about bike maintenance. Maybe I should get my bike technician friend to teach me a thing or two about caring for my bikes.
Currently, I am down 2 bikes for shifting purposes and the third one just needs to be cleaned up and lubed. Time to get out the Zinn book of bicycle maintenance. One of my co-workers also told me of a bunch of YouTube videos that help guide through fixing problems. I guess I have my work cut out for me. Maybe I will just take it in to work and have the bike shop take care of the problems! It is time for an all around tune up after all and could use a little of their love!
Why do anything yourself when you can pay others to do it for you! :o) I guess knowledge is power so learning would not be a bad thing in this instance! We will see how self teaching works this time around.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
To Train or Not To Train?
This morning came rather early as I layed in bed waiting for my alarm to tell me it was time to get up, put on the bike gear, and head out for a 40+mile bike ride before an 8 hour day of work. Having an appointment in the middle of the ride made it harder to decide not to do the full 40miles (which by the end of the day will have turned into 50miles). So, I rumbled out of bed and tried my hardest to stay focused. I really wanted to sit at the table and hope for someone to talk to me on Facebook or email or something.
As I sat there checking my email, I could hear the small mutterings of my mountain bike..."I'm down here in the dark ready to play!" I could not ignore it and moved slowly towards my closet to pull out my Super Grover Jersey and Bert & Ernie Socks, but what bottoms to wear? I have gel bike shorts or I have my red bike skort. The bike skort has a hole in the inner thigh of the shorts and therefore rubs my thigh fat on the bike seat and thus chaffing! Being the fashionista that I am, I went with the bike skort. The gel shorts give me a horrible camel toe and that is way more embarassing than thigh fat rubbing!
So, finally, out on the mountain bike heading over Green Mountain or at least it felt like I was going up over it versus along the side of it. It was a beautiful brisk morning and my legs felt tired. Any hill made me think I was going to fall over and my mind often asked the bike to take care of me as it went back to bed. Occasionally, I found myself having to shake the sleepy thoughts out of my head and refocus! Luckily, I did make it to my appointment, I think on time, but still do not know. From there it was on to work.
I have travelled the course to work along the Platte River Bike Path maybe a billion times in a variety of different styles (road bike, cruiser, mountain bike, running, walking, etc.). So, it is familiar. Today, I played the build self-esteem game where I think of all the things I have done along the bike path from my first long run to rollerblading with a friend to walking with my sister. That path has been a major part of my life here in Colorado and it made me giggle a little.
As I went along, I found myself constantly longing to be on one of the road bikes that kept passing me as though I was standing still. Actually, I wanted to be on my road bike, but had to be careful not to say that too loud or my mountain bike would have thrown me off due to jealousy! I still worry he may try to do that next week during our 100 miles & 12hours together. We will see. I'll butter him up all week and show him special attention. That should make him happy!
Finally, I made it to work and found it difficult to want to unclip and go inside despite my tiredness. I guess when it comes down to going to work or staying outside and playing, I choose the playing part. Unfortunately, I did take the inside route this time so as to shower before work. Forty miles of trail dust and stink might have chased away a few customers even if I do work in an outdoor retail evironment! It was a good thing to have gotten out on the mountain bike and trained. I am feeling more confident every day as the inevitable mountain bike race approaches. Look out Lance Armstrong! I am going to take you down! Ok, I will just watch in awe as you barrel down from the turnaround at the Leadville 100 MTB race, and I try to jump out of your way without getting hurt!
As I sat there checking my email, I could hear the small mutterings of my mountain bike..."I'm down here in the dark ready to play!" I could not ignore it and moved slowly towards my closet to pull out my Super Grover Jersey and Bert & Ernie Socks, but what bottoms to wear? I have gel bike shorts or I have my red bike skort. The bike skort has a hole in the inner thigh of the shorts and therefore rubs my thigh fat on the bike seat and thus chaffing! Being the fashionista that I am, I went with the bike skort. The gel shorts give me a horrible camel toe and that is way more embarassing than thigh fat rubbing!
So, finally, out on the mountain bike heading over Green Mountain or at least it felt like I was going up over it versus along the side of it. It was a beautiful brisk morning and my legs felt tired. Any hill made me think I was going to fall over and my mind often asked the bike to take care of me as it went back to bed. Occasionally, I found myself having to shake the sleepy thoughts out of my head and refocus! Luckily, I did make it to my appointment, I think on time, but still do not know. From there it was on to work.
I have travelled the course to work along the Platte River Bike Path maybe a billion times in a variety of different styles (road bike, cruiser, mountain bike, running, walking, etc.). So, it is familiar. Today, I played the build self-esteem game where I think of all the things I have done along the bike path from my first long run to rollerblading with a friend to walking with my sister. That path has been a major part of my life here in Colorado and it made me giggle a little.
As I went along, I found myself constantly longing to be on one of the road bikes that kept passing me as though I was standing still. Actually, I wanted to be on my road bike, but had to be careful not to say that too loud or my mountain bike would have thrown me off due to jealousy! I still worry he may try to do that next week during our 100 miles & 12hours together. We will see. I'll butter him up all week and show him special attention. That should make him happy!
Finally, I made it to work and found it difficult to want to unclip and go inside despite my tiredness. I guess when it comes down to going to work or staying outside and playing, I choose the playing part. Unfortunately, I did take the inside route this time so as to shower before work. Forty miles of trail dust and stink might have chased away a few customers even if I do work in an outdoor retail evironment! It was a good thing to have gotten out on the mountain bike and trained. I am feeling more confident every day as the inevitable mountain bike race approaches. Look out Lance Armstrong! I am going to take you down! Ok, I will just watch in awe as you barrel down from the turnaround at the Leadville 100 MTB race, and I try to jump out of your way without getting hurt!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Big Wheel Keep on Turning
It has been a while since I have posted. I guess it is because there have not been any biking adventures. Sure, I have been on my bike a lot as I have finished up some heavy duty running races, but nothing too exciting. Although, I guess one might think the Moonlight Classic to be exciting.
What is the Moonlight Classic, you ask? It is an annual event in Denver where hundreds of cyclists come out to ride their bikes around Denver in the dark. Well, what is so exciting about that, on might wonder? The fun is the areas the course takes you through. Some people stop at bars and kind of do a pub crawl on their bikes for the evening. Also, the whole event starts as early as 10:30pm and ends around 2am. This year they made it a closed course so there was not suppose to be traffic on it. At the same time, they took us down one of the major streets where they only shut off a couple lanes for us. People get dressed up for this event and decorate their bikes as well. It is quite the showing.
A year ago, Houston, TX had their first Moonlight Classic where they closed off a 5mile loop course along one of their busier streets. There were no businesses along the route but the course was nice and open and somewhat dark. It was fun because we made it fun, but there were people out there doing circuits and wizzing by us. Also, there were not any people dressed in costumes or with bikes decorated. So, they still have some work in Houston to make it as fun and interesting as Denver! Although, I did not do the ride this year in Houston, so maybe it has changed up a little.
Anyway, other than the Moonlight Classic, there has not been a whole lot of cycling. I was suppose to do a 50mile mountain bike race this past weekend, but I traded it for a 50mile trail run. The trail run I figured would be easier! Don't ask me what I was thinking! Now, it is time to prepare for my 100mile mountain bike race in 3 weeks. I have only been on trails twice and am a little nervous. At least now I am not as afraid of my mountain bike with its clipless pedals as I was in the beginning. I have resigned myself to being okay with not finishing the race if it means I might get too hurt for the 100mile trail run. So, it takes a lot of the pressure off from being the best.
The next few weeks will be filled with time on the mountain bike either commuting to work throwing in the long way to work occasionally as well as a souple more trips on trails. There are so many beginner trails near my house I have no excuses for not getting out there and riding the trails. It is not like I am going to be done with my bike after the 100mile race. I have an adventure race to ride 12miles in a month after my 100miler! So, the bike will still own me but I am learning to have a little more control and not give it all to the bike!
Headed to work today on the mountain bike despite having 2 cars at my disposal and just finishing a 50mile trail run on Sunday in under 12hours! Hopefully, I can keep my head about me and remember to clip out when I stop. Thank goodness my friend will be joining me enroute to work. A few more bumps and bruises give me character. As long as I do not injury myself I feel pretty blessed to have the ability to ride in this beautiful state and city!
Until next time...keeping the wheels a turning!
What is the Moonlight Classic, you ask? It is an annual event in Denver where hundreds of cyclists come out to ride their bikes around Denver in the dark. Well, what is so exciting about that, on might wonder? The fun is the areas the course takes you through. Some people stop at bars and kind of do a pub crawl on their bikes for the evening. Also, the whole event starts as early as 10:30pm and ends around 2am. This year they made it a closed course so there was not suppose to be traffic on it. At the same time, they took us down one of the major streets where they only shut off a couple lanes for us. People get dressed up for this event and decorate their bikes as well. It is quite the showing.
A year ago, Houston, TX had their first Moonlight Classic where they closed off a 5mile loop course along one of their busier streets. There were no businesses along the route but the course was nice and open and somewhat dark. It was fun because we made it fun, but there were people out there doing circuits and wizzing by us. Also, there were not any people dressed in costumes or with bikes decorated. So, they still have some work in Houston to make it as fun and interesting as Denver! Although, I did not do the ride this year in Houston, so maybe it has changed up a little.
Anyway, other than the Moonlight Classic, there has not been a whole lot of cycling. I was suppose to do a 50mile mountain bike race this past weekend, but I traded it for a 50mile trail run. The trail run I figured would be easier! Don't ask me what I was thinking! Now, it is time to prepare for my 100mile mountain bike race in 3 weeks. I have only been on trails twice and am a little nervous. At least now I am not as afraid of my mountain bike with its clipless pedals as I was in the beginning. I have resigned myself to being okay with not finishing the race if it means I might get too hurt for the 100mile trail run. So, it takes a lot of the pressure off from being the best.
The next few weeks will be filled with time on the mountain bike either commuting to work throwing in the long way to work occasionally as well as a souple more trips on trails. There are so many beginner trails near my house I have no excuses for not getting out there and riding the trails. It is not like I am going to be done with my bike after the 100mile race. I have an adventure race to ride 12miles in a month after my 100miler! So, the bike will still own me but I am learning to have a little more control and not give it all to the bike!
Headed to work today on the mountain bike despite having 2 cars at my disposal and just finishing a 50mile trail run on Sunday in under 12hours! Hopefully, I can keep my head about me and remember to clip out when I stop. Thank goodness my friend will be joining me enroute to work. A few more bumps and bruises give me character. As long as I do not injury myself I feel pretty blessed to have the ability to ride in this beautiful state and city!
Until next time...keeping the wheels a turning!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Good Morning!
So, the title of this page is Owned by my Bike...I guess I must be if it dictates my running routes as well as my sleeping behaviors.
Yup! It is 3:30am and I am crawling out of bed to ride my cruiser in the dark up hill both ways to work. Oh! Wait! It is downhill on the way to work and uphill on the way home. Oops! Anyway, one might be asking why so early. Well, it is Denver's Bike to Work Day and I am working the REI breakfast station. The commuters in this city get to be overrun with potential followers of their behaviors today. For one day each year, we as a city support people's attempt in having a healthier lifestyle. No wonder Denver is one of the fittest cities in the nation!
What happens today is about 6:30am there are a number of tables on the side of the numerous bike paths throughout Denver (not sure if Boulder is part of this as well today) hosting breakfast products. Usually, REI will get donations of bagels from Panera Bread and some coffee from Starbucks for the commuters. We then pitch in with some orange juice sometimes as well as a few other snacks.
This year, I am pleased to be part of the Denver Flagship's station. In the past, I have been part of the Lakewood REI's station which is smaller and not at a major confluence of trails. I have been warned by our outreach team that I will be busy this morning so no time for falling asleep! That is a good things since I think I fell asleep about midnight last night and now I am awake at 3:30am. What I won't do for my bike!
Well, it is time to get on the good old cruiser and make my way into the city for a morning of commuters outfitted for the ride. Myself, I am dressed to the nines in my dress and flip flops ready for the perfect morning ride of comfort! I love cruising down the hill! Off for another bike adventure!
Yup! It is 3:30am and I am crawling out of bed to ride my cruiser in the dark up hill both ways to work. Oh! Wait! It is downhill on the way to work and uphill on the way home. Oops! Anyway, one might be asking why so early. Well, it is Denver's Bike to Work Day and I am working the REI breakfast station. The commuters in this city get to be overrun with potential followers of their behaviors today. For one day each year, we as a city support people's attempt in having a healthier lifestyle. No wonder Denver is one of the fittest cities in the nation!
What happens today is about 6:30am there are a number of tables on the side of the numerous bike paths throughout Denver (not sure if Boulder is part of this as well today) hosting breakfast products. Usually, REI will get donations of bagels from Panera Bread and some coffee from Starbucks for the commuters. We then pitch in with some orange juice sometimes as well as a few other snacks.
This year, I am pleased to be part of the Denver Flagship's station. In the past, I have been part of the Lakewood REI's station which is smaller and not at a major confluence of trails. I have been warned by our outreach team that I will be busy this morning so no time for falling asleep! That is a good things since I think I fell asleep about midnight last night and now I am awake at 3:30am. What I won't do for my bike!
Well, it is time to get on the good old cruiser and make my way into the city for a morning of commuters outfitted for the ride. Myself, I am dressed to the nines in my dress and flip flops ready for the perfect morning ride of comfort! I love cruising down the hill! Off for another bike adventure!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Mountain Bike Challenge
So, each year since I hiked the Appalachian Trail I have needed to find a challenge to keep my feet planted in one place. This year I am attempting the LeadWoman events in Leadville, CO. I currently reside in Denver, CO so I will not have too much of an issue with altitude. The events for the LeadWoman are as follows with the following cutoff times:
11 July Leadville Marathon - 8.5hrs
25 July Silver Rush 50 Mountain Bike Race - 4hr halfway point
15 August Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race - 12hrs
16 August LT 100 10k - no cutoff other than darkness
22-23 August Leadville Trail 100 Run - 14hr halfway cutoff with 30hrs overall.
For the most part, I am not worried about the running events. Instead, I am more concerned with the mountain biking events.
Since I was a wee one, I have had trouble staying on my bike. I think it is because I get so consumed by my surroundings that I forget to pay attention to what I am doing. All the broken bones in my body (coller bone & 5 ribs) have been from falling off my bike. So, one can see my trepidation in taking it to the trails. The funny thing is when I was younger I use to take my ten speed bike out on the trails in Michigan all the time and jump tree roots and such. Where did the confidence of that child go over time?
Anyway, I have had a lot of support in getting myself trained/taught on the mountain bike (Novara Bonanza) I bought last September to do an adventure race (The Bearable Adventure Race) near my home. Needing to go between running workouts and biking workouts, one evening I was talking to my husband about running to work the next day (9miles). He suggested I bike to work on my mountain bike as I needed to start feeling comfortable on it. It was the best idea in the world. The story and photos of that journey will be posted later. Then, I invited a couple of friends/co-workers to help me out with the 100 trail run, and they offerred to help me with my mountain biking skills as well. So, yesterday, I had my first lesson from one of those friends. That story and photos will be told later as well.
With that being said, that is the whole purpose of this blog at this time is to record my adventures as I prepare for becoming an avid mountain bicyclist. My husband better buy extra life insurance on me because I am going to become a wild LEAD woman this year! Stay tuned for the adventures I promised and many more beyond that as I head into LeadWoman 2009!
11 July Leadville Marathon - 8.5hrs
25 July Silver Rush 50 Mountain Bike Race - 4hr halfway point
15 August Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race - 12hrs
16 August LT 100 10k - no cutoff other than darkness
22-23 August Leadville Trail 100 Run - 14hr halfway cutoff with 30hrs overall.
For the most part, I am not worried about the running events. Instead, I am more concerned with the mountain biking events.
Since I was a wee one, I have had trouble staying on my bike. I think it is because I get so consumed by my surroundings that I forget to pay attention to what I am doing. All the broken bones in my body (coller bone & 5 ribs) have been from falling off my bike. So, one can see my trepidation in taking it to the trails. The funny thing is when I was younger I use to take my ten speed bike out on the trails in Michigan all the time and jump tree roots and such. Where did the confidence of that child go over time?
Anyway, I have had a lot of support in getting myself trained/taught on the mountain bike (Novara Bonanza) I bought last September to do an adventure race (The Bearable Adventure Race) near my home. Needing to go between running workouts and biking workouts, one evening I was talking to my husband about running to work the next day (9miles). He suggested I bike to work on my mountain bike as I needed to start feeling comfortable on it. It was the best idea in the world. The story and photos of that journey will be posted later. Then, I invited a couple of friends/co-workers to help me out with the 100 trail run, and they offerred to help me with my mountain biking skills as well. So, yesterday, I had my first lesson from one of those friends. That story and photos will be told later as well.
With that being said, that is the whole purpose of this blog at this time is to record my adventures as I prepare for becoming an avid mountain bicyclist. My husband better buy extra life insurance on me because I am going to become a wild LEAD woman this year! Stay tuned for the adventures I promised and many more beyond that as I head into LeadWoman 2009!
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