August Metric

A break in the humidity happened just in time for me to get my August metric century with a few days to spare! I rode X6 and started off very well, but mid way my feet got very sore with a pins and needles sensation and it killed my tempo. I also ran out of water and was painfully dry as the weather was still pretty hot.

Jeff kept me company for much of the ride, joining me 22 miles in and, fortunately, with eight miles still to go, Jeff took the turn to the house, grabbed some water and brought it to me in the truck. What a relief!!

At Sachuest Point, I stopped short to get a photo of this buck with velvety antlers. He wasn't at all frightened, even walking toward me a little! This is the closest I've gotten to a deer out there as they are usually out across the field more.

Garmin actually shut off on me during the ride, but I managed to notice pretty quickly and you can see I still got a distance of 63.30 miles. With the crazy pains in both feet and being dehydrated, my speed ended up at 14 mph overall...which was disappointing especially after a fairly zippy start to the ride. Oh well, I just don't do well in summer weather!

I'm really looking forward to the fall and starting to ramp up mileage again. I had a good 20 mile X6 ride today. I think the next metrics will feel a lot better, assuming we don't have early snowstorms or something!!

My Ground Hog Day Metric

Given the number of times I doubled back, looped around and cris-crossed my route, I began to feel a little like Bill Murray repeating his day in the famous movie. But it was a beautiful, warm day and I was outside, so I didn't mind. After all, the trainer has been far more repetitive!

When I woke up this morning I felt lousy, but once I had coffee I felt a lot better and more optimistic about a long ride on my cross bike. I took it very easy which I sort of had to in most places anyway considering all the water on the roads in many places or mounds of sand or even some slush still. I wanted to pace myself to finish.

Eighteen miles out, I was so pleased to see my friend Lynn riding towards me. I had a feeling I'd see her as we have similar biking habits. She had time to do 11 miles with me. I was by myself again until 41 miles out, when I saw two men coming along in the opposite direction. As we got close, one of them waved and called my name and I realized it was one of my regular ride buddies out with his friend who I'd met once before. They waited up as I turned around and I decided to ride with them for as long as I could keep up. Keep in mind I was on my cx bike with knobby tires and they were on road bikes! My pace picked up as I rode with them. At my 58 mile point, I started to tire and let myself fall off. I knew I could turn for home at that point with plenty of miles to count toward my goal for the day, so I didn't have the incentive to keep going anymore.

February Metric Century
64.98 miles
4:23 hours
14.8 mph average
+3,126 feet elevation
stops no longer than waiting for a light or for turning to meet up with friends
fuel (this is embarrassing) a Gatorade (I *know* I was bad about eating *again*)

Today's ride was actually my 2nd outdoor ride this month. Yesterday, Jeff and I did 20 miles. I now have some proof that the trainer riding is working. I'm not sure I've gotten any faster, but I've at least maintained and I think I have improved my cadence, muscles and aerobic capacity even if it's not showing up in my speeds yet. Keep in mind, the roads are in bad shape out there, so I don't think anyone is out there pushing for full speed this time of year.

The only thing that I felt I might have lost from all the indoor riding is the mental stamina for dealing with the puddles and potholes and wind, etc. Yesterday seemed hard and I really had my fill of all that stuff within 10 miles though I kept going. Today didn't seem as hard that way, but it was a lot warmer and I had more company and conversation to distract me!

1/12 Carpe Diem

I have been so worried about having good enough road conditions for my January Metric Century Challenge ride! I wanted to get out there for it on the first possible day. I checked and compared three weather forecasts last night and was feeling optimistic about getting an outdoor ride today, maybe even the century. I decided that if I was able to go around my short loop once, I'd do laps of it 'til I got the necessary mileage. I know it's not adventurous, but felt I had to not be choosy about a route and just do it. It was wet, quite slushy in spots and windy. Fortunately the temps weren't bad, about 40F. I rode my cx bike and decided at the outset to just go at a comfortable pace (I'm good at 'saving' myself, must get better about working harder!). It took a long time and as the temps dropped in the last hour, my soggy legs got cold and I was getting stiff around my neck and shoulders as my collar let a draft in. My right foot had gotten wet in the first 3 miles, so that was very cold and my pedaling got pretty slow. But hey, it's January and I got in a big outside ride. It's more miles in my legs and there's lots of room for improvement! So, I'm not going to complain any more about it! Actually I'm pretty happy about it and enjoyed being out there =)

Here's the elevation profile for the ride. You can see my repeated laps...

January Metric Century
63.47 miles
4:38 hours
13.7 mph average
I didn't get off the bike at all, though I did pause to make a quick phone call once. I did dab and shuffle over some icy bits, straddling the bike still. So, no real breaks.
Felt good 'til the cold started to really get to me for that last hour.
Oh, probably should have eaten something! Only drank a Gatorade.

This pic shows the trickiest bit and it was very dim like this for the whole ride.

Dashing thru the snow...

...for one last ride of '08.

'Dashing' is a little bit of an exaggeration as we averaged just 12.1 mph over the 20.13 mile ride. I'm not used to riding on snow, so I was taking it easy, learning about snow riding and having a very fun time!

When we set off, the snow was just beginning. The temps were at 22F for the whole ride. The wind speed was variable, 8-20 mph.

We paused at the boat landing where I snapped this pic of Jeff.

The grasses along the beach were crispy with frost like this.

As the snow built up on the roads it became more and more like pedaling on the beach sand, soft and grabby.

Another pic of Jeff...can you believe I was operating the camera with my lobster gloves *on* and pedaling one handed in snow!

I didn't realize it at the time, but I had icy bits sticking in my eyebrows! I had to give up on my glasses about 3/4 of the way through the ride as they were foggy and gloppy.

Ahh, pristine snow! I absolutely love having the 'cross bikes so we can do a ride like this.

Jeff and I will spend the rest of the day snug at home as the snow continues to build up and blow around outside. We were hoping to do a New Year's Day ride tomorrow, but it looks like we may be snowed in at home instead.

Happy New Year! Hope you are happy and safe tonight and throughout '09!

1 More Before the Storm

X6 is home from the shop and feeling great. It got new brake pads and chain and all tightened up. It's shifting beautifully! I love having both my bikes feeling like new again!

I went out for a 20 mile spin on X6 this morning before the snow. It was dim, cold and there was a fairly steady wind out of the north. I thought this view was interesting, almost abstract. In the foreground is a bit of icy marsh that runs between the road and beach. The gray band of sky keeps fooling me into thinking it is the ocean/horizon! The clouds like that over the sun are a sure sign of the snow to come.

I'm not sure when I'll get outside for a ride again...I may be on the trainer some.

Snow and Sand*

(*Well, most of my ride was on pavement, but I did ride a stretch of snow covered grass and the sands of 2nd beach.)

This morning I was reading blogs and building up motivation to venture out into the cold. I find the blog Up In Alaska is often what sends me out the door with my bike. After seeing the weather she goes out in, really, what do I have to complain about?! Anyway, today I gained motivation from Jill writing the following:

And yet, for all the times I remember reluctantly gearing up and wheeling my bike out into the blah weather, I don't recall a single ride when I came home and thought "I wish that never happened."

I feel the same way. So, keeping that thought in my mind, I bundled up and headed out with my 'cross bike. I snapped a picture as I was having second thoughts in the driveway.

The temps during today's ride ranged from 18-23F with a windchill ranging from 8-15F, one of my coldest rides ever. My Nuun had a block of ice in it within the first 5 miles. My toes felt like ice cubes. I don't have covers for my cx shoes, so I was just in double wool socks. By 10 miles out, my feet were really uncomfortable and I was thinking the rest of the ride was going to be pretty difficult.

But then, coming down the hill at the end of 2nd Beach, I looked down the length of the long, wide beach at low tide and got an idea. Beach Ride Time! I'd never done it before, though I've thought about it for some time. Instantly I forgot about my cold feet and felt perfectly fine out there. I was pretty tentative getting out onto the beach as I really didn't want to fall over in front of people sitting in their cars in the parking lot. They already seemed to think I was pretty insane and falling down would have looked ridiculous. So, I dabbed and picked my way over the deeper softer sand and then got pedaling for real out on the flat, packed sands. Oh, it was sooo fun!!

These two pics were taken in the same spot, first looking one way and then the other.



Would you believe today was my first day on the beach this year?! Hot summer days didn't get me there, but give me a December day with single digit wind chill and I'm out there, apparently!

Here's the frozen water bottle shot. The camera lens was fogging up from suddenly being warm in the house.

I ended up doing 21.36 miles in all and after the first 10 miles managed to stay warm. I probably wouldn't have been cold at all with booties.

Goddard Park RI CX Races

NBX G.P. of Cross / Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross 8...Lots of pics!

Jeff and I made it to the park in time to see the Cat 2/3 Men and the UCI Elite Women and Men.

Some Cat 2/3's make the change from fast pavement to grass. Note the tree in the right foreground. I tend to put a tree between me and the racers in places it looks like they may go wide!!

Cat 2/3's on a long grass section.

Elite women at the barriers.

Women leaders coming out of the sand into a run up.

I thought this was a pretty good picture from my little point and shoot. It's Rebecca Wellons chasing, eventually placing 4th, though she was leading the series overall.

Wellons again, on a run up.

Amy Wallace on the run up.

Elite men through the barriers.

Elite men tackling a run up.

Just after the mount after the above run up.

Elite men on a surface I thought looked like fun!

Elite men.

And, this is what happens when I am a bit too zoomed in as they go past, but I kind of like how these pics came out! This is the winner, James Driscoll, with his Cannondale bike.

I'm not sure who this is, but I like the look/color of the bike!

It wouldn't be a cross race without the Devil and the Ape Man!

You can click on any of the pics to see them full sized. Hope you don't mind the picture heavy post! I have so much fun at these things and end up taking a bunch of pics.

I noticed Until the Snow Ends riding with his bike cam, so I assume he'll have race video posted in a few days.

Edited to add: link to bike cam footage.

Wednesday Night Lights

I finally heard about a weekly cx training race not too far from home...just as it's wrapping up for the season! Jeff and I drove over to *watch* tonight and ring some cowbells and see what it was like. There were quite a few people there and it was fun under the lights!
Lining up at the start:

Riding toward a run up:

One set of barriers:

These people really earned an extra slice of pie at Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow!

Rainy Day Ride

I rode X6 in the rain today to stick to the 30/30 challenge! Can you see how wet it was? The rain picked up as soon as I started my ride and has let up a little since I got home! I did 21.32 miles.

I did see some other people outside today and probably should have been dressed like them!

Maybe I'm crazy, but I actually really had a blast out there. I think I was able to have fun because it was so warm, around 60F, so being soaked wasn't a problem.

Confession

I know I did a whole post earlier about it being a rest day, but at 4:00 I was stir crazy enough to hop on the cx bike to pedal a loop to the beach and back. The weather was dramatic to say the least! There were patches of sun, showers and lots and lots of wind blowing at 30 mph. It was a real treat to see the wild and frothy ocean though. There were some fragments of double rainbows too.

I only did 14 miles, so it was still sort of a rest...

Here I Am, At Last

Sorry for being a neglectful blogger lately. I have been in the doldrums following the death of my grandmother and have been derailed from my biking for awhile. Fortunately, it is winter, so I haven't been missing too much!

Jeff and I got back on the bikes today for an easy ride with friends in Old Saybrook, CT. As you can see from the pics, it is a beautiful area. Part of our ride crossed a golf course in Fenwick, the community in which Katharine Hepburn had a home on the water.









After the ride, Chris and Debby hosted a party for watching the final stage of the Tour of California!

I'm not sure I'm back to blogging on a very regular basis just yet, but I wanted to let you know I'm not gone forever!

1/12/08 Weekly Ride Report

The weather warmed up and the roads were clear this week, so I got out 4 days on X6 for a total of 96.71 miles. It felt great to be out again, though I got a bit saddle sore the first day. I doubled up the padded bike shorts and tights the next days and felt a lot better!

Today, Jeff joined me for a ride and I played around with the video feature on the camera to make this little movie of the ride.

RI 'Cross Race

I had a great time Saturday ringing a cowbell and cheering for racers at the 6th Annual W.E. Stedman GP of Cross: UCI Cat. 2 - Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series Round #6 & Rhode Island State Cyclo-Cross Championships. This is a *very* picture heavy post, but I hope you enjoy them!

Having just gotten a 'cross bike of my own, I was really excited to see so many women racers. They make it look easy!

A pedestrian bridge crossed the course near the start/finish line, so spectators could get a neat view of the fields as they started out on the pavement.
Cat 3/4 Women

Elite Women

Elite rider, Anna Milkowski, finished 1st.

Elite women on tough runup with Hannah in pink.

Mid-air mount, Hannah again!

Elite racer, Rebecca Wellons, stayed on the bike and powered up one time. Though this strategy was probably not as fast as dismounting and running, it was fun to watch! She finished 2nd.

The men's fields were a bit larger and included the Masters,

Cat 3/4's,

and Elite's.

The course was a little snowy for the first racers.

The Master's queue up.

Juniors and Cat 3/4 Women tackle the sand.

Slippery mud on this turn tended to cause a bit of a bottleneck and a few people went down here.

One of the best spots for watching as they twisted around the trees.

Many had to 'dab' with one foot on this corner.

Another view of the course with the Elite Women riding.

The Elite Men working together.

Ready and waiting in the pit.


The results of all the races are posted here.