Diana's training blog

Beautiful day

2011-08-12T22:43:00.001-07:00

Nice 12 mile rail trail ride (with a little exploratory single track thrown in).

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2011-07-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

(Wed, Thurs, Friday) June 29, 30 and July 1st - Whistler Down Hill (Clinic with Simon).

Saturday, July 2nd - 18 holes of golf (walking the course)

Sunday - Rest day

Monday, July 4th - Rode xc bike to Duthie and rode one loop on Boot camp, one on Moving on, one on Ryans and two on Step it up - then rode home. 12.93 miles. 2:24:34. 1233 ft Ascent. 1207 Desent. 1677 calories burned. Max HR 166. Ave HR 136.

Tuesday, July 5th - Tiger Mtn with Ann. 2:40:44 time. Max hr 163. Ave HR 142. 11 miles. Ascent 1500. 1749 calories. 3 mile climb took 1:20:09. Descent down Preston took 30 minutes. The rest was road and NW Timber trail.

first commute

2011-06-06T20:04:00.000-07:00

June 14, Rode with Fredrika and Soaring Eagle. 1:15 ride time. Max HR 159. Ave HR 130. Ascent 180

June 6, Today I rode to the bus stop and rode from the Seattle bus stop to work. 17 minutes total.

This was my first ride home. distance 23.16 mi, time 2:24:30:43; speed 9.6 ave mph; max speed 32.4. Calories 1609. ave hr 136 and max heart rate 163

50 miles

2011-06-05T08:39:00.000-07:00

Today's ride was 50 miles (the Lake Washington Loop).

Ave speed 12.1 mph. Max speed was 31 mph. 4029 calories burned. Ave HR 154bpm = 80% of Max. Max Hr was 173 bpm=90%.

Since I've not ridden much in 4 weeks, I decided to drop my pace back a bit and ride with Fredrika (at what ever pace she wanted to ride at...knowing if she set a high pace, I'd drop back). I'm also still having some shoulder pain - so I took 2 Aleve and 2 extra strength Tylenol which worked great for the first 40 miles - so I rode pain free most of the ride.

The pace from the beginning was great for me, I was at 79-81%MHR on the flats and 85% of MHR on the climbs. The past few rides with the group I've been at 85%MHR on flats and 90% MHR on the hills. I felt strong and rode well.

I did a pretty good job of keeping my heart rate where I wanted it - except for a couple of instances. The middle group would stop to rest (it seemed like it was before each hill- I'm sure it wasn't) and would let us pass them and then they would pass us on the hills. So every hill I was being passed by the same group...well at one point one of the riders, as he was passing me very slowly mentioned that he was passing me again - well I decided if he was going to pass me he'd have to stand up to do it - so I picked up my pace and he decided not to work to pass me.

Once Fredrika left us to head across Mercer Island, I decided to put some distance between me and the middle group (so I didn't have them passing me over and over again), and I figured it would put some distance between me and the sweep - the sweep kept talking to me and part of the time I couldn't figure out what she was saying and part of the time I couldn't figure out what she wanted; thus, I found my attention behind me instead of in front of me. So I decided to risk increasing my speed (knowing I might very well regret it when the last 5-10 miles arrived); I decided the risk was worth it - so I picked up to 85% of MHR once we left the turnoff for Mercer Island and I pushed hard - My plan was to push hard to Coulon and then drop back to my previous pace. Well the sweep caught me a little before Coulon - which I didn't expect because I thought she was the sweep - so she road with me till Coulon. I knew she would need to wait for other riders at Coulon so I let her know I was going to skip Coulon and I'd see her back at the car. I then dropped my pace back to the 80% feeling pretty sure I was still well ahead of the middle group...and I was feeling the push to Coulon - my body was not happy at this point. The sweep flew past me as I was climbing on Rainer Ave, I figured I was free to ride the rest of the ride by my self. Nope, she was waiting for me at the turn off. So I started up the road heading to the last climb of the day. At this point the sweep began chatting and I was still not hearing most of what she was saying when she asked clearly if I wanted her to ride in front of me (which makes sense since I told her when we were on the burke-gillman that I'm partly deaf and can't hear the person behind me very well) - At this part of the ride, I was just barely holding on and had to stop to be able to answer her - my frustration hit the ceiling at needing to stop to talk to her - I said I don't care where you ride, it makes no difference to me. She asked if she was bothering me and I said absolutely yes so she road on and then of course I spent the last 7 miles berating myself for losing my cool with her - I know she was trying to be uber helpful, and I realize now that I needed to say more (than just that I can't hear the person behind me) - Part of my folly was thinking that she was the sweep and if I put distance between me and the people riding my pace I'd put distance between me and her. So I humbly learn...

My second concern today was that I came close to being hit by cars 3 times - I consider myself a careful rider and yet I almost bit the dust 3 times. 1) in Kirkland, a pickup was stopped (waiting to turn left) and decided at the last minute to do a U turn and literally accelerated into my bike lane - I was lucky because there was a cross walk there and I was able to swerve onto the sidewalk and not get hit. 2) after getting off the trail in Renton a Vehicle was making a left turn in front of me (no problem) well they didn't make the full turn so decide to back up very quickly (into my path). I slammed on my brakes and missed the car. 3) on the hill climb before the descent into Seward. There were cars parked on the right. I was on the right side of the lane where I'd normally ride (in hindsight, I should have taken up more of the lane) a car decided to pass me and I had a sense that it was too tight. There were oncoming cars and I knew the vehicle couldn't take the the oncoming lane so as I heard (the motor was loud and there was no hesitation in the sound as it approached) the oncoming car approach I move as close to the parked cars as I could and barely escaped being hit. In 10 years of riding road, I've only had a couple of close calls - to have 3 in one day was a bit un-nerving.

As much as I love riding - this was not a fun ride. My goal for the next ride is to have fun.

2011-06-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 3, 2011

30 min run. I've worked late most nights this week, so I ran twice. I think I could also ride in the morning - 45 min to an hour. so I may do that one morning next week. Next week should be my last difficult work week (as far as having to work late).

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

30 minute run

Saturday, May 29, 2011

First day back on the bike

19.82 mi road ride with Fredrika. 1:37:35 Ave Speed 12.2 mph. 1264 cal. Ave HR 128 =67%MHR

It's happening

2011-04-22T08:05:00.001-07:00

My workouts are less than stellar but I'm showing up

Monday & Tuesday I hung out at bike shops- I have2 bikes being worked on. New crank & bottom bracket on my road bike. The FSA has always given me trouble and so I finally had enough on Saturday's ride. I'm putting a compact ultra on the bike.

My free ride bike needed new handle bars - both should be ready to pickup today.

Wednesday: easy 30 min run- no data because my heart rate monitor was funky

Thursday: showed up for cycle U and rode for an hour. I'm tired of being on the trainer. It is time for me to get outside more. I didn't feel up to zone 5 intervals...so i rode for an hour and called it good

Today I'm riding Grand Ridge which is a long difficult climb. Not the best ride for before the Saturday 35 miles...but it is what is on my riding partners training plan.

My goal for today is to e-mail a few friends and line up riding partners. And I need to meet with coach soon to figure out my ride days. I'm really lacking in motivation thus the riding partners will help

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2011-04-12T17:10:00.000-07:00

The first NW CUP race of the season went well. The trails for practice were fairly dry on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Thursday I made 6 runs, 5 on Friday and just two on Saturday (a rest day). We had one pre-race run on Sunday before it started to rain. The course was very muddy for the actual race with over 120 riders on the trail before we (Cat II women) raced. The Cat II Open Women's class (ages 19 and above) had 22 riders. Winner's time was 3:29:68. The last person's time was 4:52:77 (about a 1 min 23 second spread). My time was 4:14:85 for 14th place. I was very pleased with my time and happy to be in the middle of the pack. I didn't have a very good race run. The trail was slower than I expected and I lost a lot of speed in several spots and had to pedal hard to try to maintain a descent speed. What I did well was corner in the muddy tight corners and my rolling drops were excellent with plenty of speed. Another great thing was that Fox was at the race, and they fine tuned my fork and my shock; thus the bike rode amazingly well (almost like a brand new bike). I'm looking forward to the next race

Back in business

2011-04-07T20:55:00.001-07:00

My back is feeling great. I rode 4 runs (and rode well!) then I took my bike to the fox shox rep and he fine tuned my fork and he changed out the spring on my shock. Tomorrow I go for 2 runs & then he will fine tune the shock.

Looking forward to another great day of riding tomorrow!

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Location:Port Angeles

Catch up

2011-04-02T14:12:00.001-07:00

Ran for 30 min on Friday. That makes two unimpressive runs this week. I made both my cycleu classes. Plus had a decent showing for the Saturday ride. Still have 2 more rides this weekend. 3 hr clinic with Simon this afternoon and a 6 hr clinic tomorrow with Kat. Should be fun

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2011-03-31T20:52:00.001-07:00

15 min warm up
Zone 5 intervals
2 min Zone 5 interval
3 min rest
4 min Zone 5 interval
3 min rest
1 min Zone 5 interval
4 min rest
6 min Zone 5 interval

1 held my own on this set but wasn't able to do a second set
Four 15 sec spin money's

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Location:245th Ct SE,Issaquah,United States

2011-03-31T16:21:00.001-07:00

Easy 30 min run on Monday and cycle u on Tuesday

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Saturday ride

2011-03-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

I didn't get my computer started, so my numbers are not totally correct. But I did get numbers for my 5 mile test. I stopped and waited a lot which was problematic for me. I really need to be able to ride hard on my saturday rides. Having someone I can reel in is helpful! I felt strong and was able to ride Mercer Island well. Ave HR for 5 mile test was 165 bpm=86% which is about what I'm riding at for the Saturday rides. Max HR was 168bpm which is about 88% which is a little low for me. I didn't get my hr up on this ride and I think it was because I kept stopping to wait or was riding at a low hr waiting...and then my body didn't want to ramp back up. I was in my big chain ring for the 5 mile test and my knees were complaining. Thus, my goal for next week is to get my cadence up. My ave cadence was 69 rpm. I should be riding between 80 and 90 rpm and I'm not. I think it is because I'm use to pushing hard gears on the mtn. On the Mtn if I drop into my granny, I lose a lot of speed. So a goal of a higher cadence for both mtn and road. It is really helpful having an organized ride!

Fort Flagler with Deb

2011-03-23T20:41:00.001-07:00

Mountain bike at Fort Flagler with Deb
657 calories
1:12 ride time
6 miles.
We were out for about 1:30
71% ave hr
83% max hr
Bit tired today.

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Henry's Ridge, who knew

2011-03-22T20:43:00.001-07:00

Rode Henry's ridge in Black Diamond. It was mostly single track. We were out for 1:46 Including breaks.
149 (77% MHR) ave hr with breaks.
Max hr 173 (90% MHR)
Ascent 360.
1201 calories burned

There was a lot of climbing and it wasn't till we were half done that unrealized I was in my middle chain ring. I rode really well and I'm loving the new wheels.

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having trouble getting back into my workouts

2011-03-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, every missed workout at this point is just giving into lame excuses. Yesterday, I skipped cycle U because I was tired. In reality...once I was on the bike, I would have been fine. So this morning I got outside for an easy run. I haven't been to Cycle U for weeks and I find when I've missed a couple of classes, I really have trouble getting myself back there. Once I'm there, It is fine. So what I'm saying is that I'm past the physical issues...and now it is mental. One thing I realized on my run is that I need to journal my food with fitday.com. I have trouble journaling my food with weight watchers... and have had better results with fitday. The difference I think is that I'm a numbers junky and weight watchers doesn't give me real information. It gives me points...and that is it. Fitday gives me grams of protein, all my minerals and vitamins, calories, fiber, etc. So If I'm tired (which I have been very tired since January), Fitday helps me see if it is a nutritional deficiency. In all the years I've done weight watchers, I find that going to meetings helps me stay on track and gives me good knowledge...but their points system doesn't give me the information I need. Also, I know that if I avoid sugar and white flour...I don't have as many cravings. When I do fitday, sugar and flour don't fit in my food plan (because my protein levels drop when I increase my sugar and bread intake). Makes sense if you keep your calories the same. Weight Watchers lulls me into thinking I can work what ever I want into my food plan...and from experience I know I can't eat garbage and get the nutrients I need while keeping my calories around 1400. There is no new info here...just relearning....

Rainy ride

2011-03-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday, March 12, 2011

I had a great ride on Saturday. It felt good to really push. I tried to keep my Heart rate at 85% MHR including the climbs. The steep climb pushed my heart rate up to 92%. I was dropped on the long climb at the beginning, but was able to reel in a couple of riders once the climb lessened a bit. I was dropped again on the steep climb but was again able to reel the riders in. On the second half was able to reel in more riders and passed quite a few coming home. I stayed warm. My feet were dry until the last descent (and actually I had a few dry spots on my socks). I was really glad I had my fenders!

Next Saturday I'm heading to Spokane for a Down Hill Clinic. I just received my QBP order (from the BryneInvent team); thus I'm heading to the bike shop at noon to get my new stem and fork installed. Pretty excited. The bummer part is that I still have tread on my tires, but must replace them because of the wet conditions that we are having. Being safe is better than getting more miles on tires. If I want to wear out DH tires, I'll just have to ride Whistler more in the summer.

Quiet week

2011-03-04T23:31:00.001-08:00

Didn't end up making workouts this week.. Slept extra and walked. Feeling much better. Still coughing but that will last a while. Tomorrow will be an easy jog and Sunday an easy ride

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Update

2011-02-25T20:16:00.001-08:00

Went to the doctor today and she gave me antibiotics for Bronchitis. I have great hope that my lungs are on the mend.

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Tired of being sick

2011-02-25T10:22:00.001-08:00

I woke up last Thursday with a sore throat which moved into a full blown cold by last Saturday. Biggest issue is that the cold has been in my lungs for 6 days.

So here is the gig: I came down with bronchitis 2 years ago and since then I seem to have more asthma issues. So I'm going to an Asthma specialist in March. in January, I was needing my albuterol inhaler more so i started with a 110mg flovent inhaler. So I wasn't surprise when the cold moved into my chest. I'm now on 220mg flovent inhaler.

The task is:
1) get my lungs healed
2) figure out how I can work out ...not lose fitness
3) get plan to get back on track

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Sore throat...really!

2011-02-20T04:44:00.001-08:00

Seems I'm back to fighting a bug. Woke up Sat with a sore throat. I rode for 30 minutes @ beaver. Enough to pedal a bit, not enough to tax my system much.

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2011-02-17T07:52:00.000-08:00

Resting heart rate is 105 BPM

Wednesday, February 16

Run distance 1.73 miles. 30 minute run. (Using 192 as max hr) 154 bpm = 80% ave hr. Best run I've had this year. Not sure if I should be running on concrete.

Tuesday, February 15

Cycle U

14 minute warm up (163 max hr)

seven intervals (each 5 minutes long) at zone 4 with (3 minute rest in between)

first minute low zone four

2nd minute mid zone four

3rd minute high zone four

4th minute mid zone four

5th minute low zone four.

Interval one

157 (82%) Ave HR

162 (84%) Max HR

Interval two

160 (83%) Ave HR

162 (84%) Max Hr

Interval three

161 (84%) Ave HR

167 (87%) Max Hr

Interval four

164 (85%)Ave HR

166 (86%) Max Hr

Interval five (high zone was standing - I wasn't able to stand for full minute)

153 (80%)Ave HR

166 (86%) Max Hr

Interval six (high zone was standing - I wasn't able to stand for full minute)

161 (84%)Ave HR

166 (86%) Max Hr

Interval seven (high zone was standing - I wasn't able to stand for full minute)

152 (79%)Ave HR

160 (83%) Max Hr

23 min spin $$ and cool down ( 132 AHR and 156 M HR)

Monday, Feb 14, 2011

2.42 miles, 50 minutes. Ave hr 131 bpm (68% mhr). Out side on concrete

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Lake Sawyer ride

total time on out was 2:38 but actual ride time was 1:47

150 (78%) AHR includes rest periods

175 (91%) MHR

Back on Track

2011-02-14T12:27:00.000-08:00

I'm back on Track!

Monday, February 14, 2011
Started on the treadmill at 5:30am this morning, and nothing seemed to be working. My heartrate monitor was being funky, the News had way too many commercials, the fan was pointing in the wrong direction... So I turned it all off and grabbed my coat and headed outside. 50 minute easy run. It felt really good. My lungs didn't complain at all (of course I used my inhaler before I began). This was one of my best runs. I'm finding myself on concrete and I'm wondering if that is ok. It has been years since my stress fractures, yet I still remember how long it took to get back on the bike afterwards...so I'm just a little cautious...too cautious? I really am enjoying running outside (even in the rain).

Sunday, February 13, 2011
Mtn ride at Black Diamond. My lungs complained greatly for the first 15-20 minutes. I used my inhaler more than normal. Then by 30 minutes my lungs were fine and I rode well. Total ride time was 1:45 which was really good. I felt like I could continue riding when we stopped. And I had fun. I need more fun rides.

Saturday, February 12, 2011
Hiked/walked at Cougar mtn. I'm trying to get comfortable on (and learn) the trails at Cougar Mtn. Walked about 3 miles.

Friday, February 11, 2011
25 minute easy run (on pavement). I'm finding that if I don't exercise I'm a little warmer (and sweaty) when I sleep. So this run was more about making sure I sleep ok, than about my run. It is great motivation and I found that last week I walked quite a bit just for that reason.

Recovery week

2011-02-11T19:31:00.001-08:00

This has been a tough week. I've been sick two days this week. My workouts have consisted of two short runs and one walk

Wednesday - run/walk
Thursday - walk at a good pace
Friday - 25 min run (slow & easy)

off week

2011-02-03T19:31:00.000-08:00

This is the week before our big event at work. The stress has been very high. Plus, I began this week not feeling well. Tuesday night I was very sick. Wednesday I felt human again. Thursday was a funeral. I've put working out on hold for the week. Saturday I have a 14 hour work day. Thus, I'm planning an easy ride on Sunday. My main focus has been eating healthy and getting enough sleep. Something is working well, because this evening is the first that I've felt really good this week.

A tough month ahead

2011-01-31T07:58:00.000-08:00

I'm into my most stressful work weeks of the year. Last week, this week and the following week. Last year, February is where I got into trouble with my workouts...they kinda dropped off a bit. To add to this, I'm starting Monday a bit tired.

Plan for this week. Show up for all the workouts and not worry about pushing hard, especially since I woke up Sunday morning with a sore throat. I can't get sick...there is just no time for that kind of thing!

Sunday: Easy 45 minute spin
Monday: Easy 20 minute jog

Shifts and changes

2011-01-26T12:37:00.000-08:00

January 26, 2011
Work has been busy and will remain so until after February 5; thus, I'm working a lot of hours and have had to shift my workouts a bit.

Monday, January 24, 2011
Easy 30 minute run on the treadmill. Woke up late and literally jumped on the treadmill without a warm up.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011
I did 4 of six intervals at Cycle U. I'm feeling stronger on the bike! four 7 minute zone 4 hill climbs. Good workout. I'm under a lot of pressure, thus, I decided to get home early and get to bed. Didn't have heartrate monitor with me.

Wednesday, January 26
Had a great run. first 10 min at a 15m/mile pace and last 20 minutes at 16.28 min/mile pace. next tempo run I'll pick a pace between these two and see if I can hold it.

2011-01-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

Saturday, January 15, 2010

I've been overly tired the last 10 days; thus, I've been taking it easy on my workouts. Thus, Saturday's work out was an easy ride on the Sammamish Trail. 21.5 miles, 73%MHR, 11.5 MPH. It felt good to be on the trail. I do enjoy road riding. It is also good because I can keep my heart rate down. Mtn riding is more akin to interval training. I started with an easy warm up for a few miles and ended with a cool down for a few miles. I'm using the cyclocross bike as a winter road bike. It is a good bike for winter.

2011-01-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

Friday, January 7, 2011

Joined the 6:30am morning Cycle U. My legs hurt before I even finished the first interval. Running at 8:00pm Thursday and then cycle U less than 12 hours later was tough. I did three 7 minute zone 4 threshold (90-95 RPM Cadence) intervals and one 9 minute zone 4 threshold interval. At the end of the intervals my heart rate was 80-83%mhr. Stayed at the bottom of zone 4 for first 3 intervals and pushed the last 3 minutes of the final interval at the top of zone 4.

I've decided instead of getting discouraged when life gets in the way of my workouts, I'll just figure out how to work them in. So this week my second run and my Thursday ride were switched and my rest day and weekend ride will be switched. Tomorrow I'll put on some easy miles either on the road or rail trail (depending on weather). If there is snow, it will be trainer or rail trail...today I'm just taking it easy.

flip flop

2011-01-06T20:18:00.000-08:00

Thursday, January 6, 2011

I got to work this morning to discover I forgot my bike. It worked out fine because I ended up working late and would not have made it to Cycle U. So I did my run today and I'll go to Cycle U before work tomorrow.

My run felt good. 5 minute walk/warm up followed by 30 minutes alternating between 15 min mile and 15:45 min mile. around 2.0 miles. Max HR 160 = 83% MHR Average Hr 141=73% MHR

Trying to remember what I have as my Max HR. I believe it is 192 on the bike...I'll need to do some research to remember...thus, these numbers are not perfect. Interesting thing is that I'm running much faster than i've made myself run in the last year. Actually had to stop in middle of workout to get my inhaler. I'm feeling good about my body adapting to running on a regular basis.

On another note, went to the team pro deal night last night. I'm checking my budget and trying to figure out how much I need to set aside for races. Good news is there are only 5 Down Hill races in this series. Each race is around $150 due to hotel and travel costs. I plan on racing several of the xc races starting in February (these are inexpensive). Capitol Forest 50 will be inexpensive. I plan on at least one trip to Whistler this summer.

Then for the actual Pro Deals.

I want a new fork and shox for my DH bike. I think this would make the most difference in my racing/DH riding.

I'd like a new set of XC race wheels - which would be great for my xc racing.

I need new XC/Cyclocross pedals

I need new tires for the road bike

I'd like a cyclops power-meter for the road bike (I'm thinking this will have to wait). I need to prioritize according to what will make the biggest difference in performance...and that is suspension for DH and wheels for xc.

2011-01-05T06:22:00.000-08:00

Monday, January 3, 2011

Had a good run. Kept it at around 70% of MHR. 15min/ mile pace. I was aware after the run, that his is more my LSD pace and I might need to drop it down a bit for my tempo runs.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Cycle U was great. 5 sets of 7 minute Zone 4 Hill Intervals. Started with a 20 minute warm up. 5 minutes Zone 1, 5 minutes zone 2, 10 minutes zone 3. First 4 intervals I kept my watts at about 125 which is the middle of my zone 4. Last interval I bumped it up to the top zone 4 which is 131. My HR started out in the 60's% MHR and ended between 80% and 81% of MHR.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Didn't sleep well last night, and thus decided not to swim. I'll need a walk this afternoon...which might work around the greenlake area...The team has a social at Recycle Cycles where they will let us know about our pro-deals for this year. The social starts at 7:00pm which gives me time for a good hour walk.

A New Year

2011-01-01T17:33:00.000-08:00

Monday:

I've had a good time on the bike this week. It started on Monday with a mountain ride at Black Diamond with Fredrika (just one lap and an excursion out by the jump park).

Tuesday:

Cycle U with 5 minute zone 3, 4, and 5 intervals.

Thursday was a 1:40 minute ride with Deb at Beaver in the snow. I had to work hard to keep up. I rode the hills well. About 40 minutes in I was struggling a bit, so started a feeding regime (75-100 calories every 30 minutes). It did the trick. The snow was beautiful, and I didn't get overly cold.

No heat for Thanksgiving, November 25, 2010

2010-11-26T14:55:00.000-08:00

Well, Good Services had the Lennox representative out last spring to "fix" the furnace, they swapped out the motherboard (apparently the other two times the tech swapped them with other boards from the same faulty batch). Arrg. Thanksgiving morning I woke up to no heat and a cold house. There went my family and friends plan. Stayed home with the dogs, trying to get the house warmed up. Finally by bed time the house was over 60 degrees. Good Services will send someone out Monday to look at it (so this time I will be five days with no heat).

2010-09-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

Wednesday Night Cyclocross practice was awesome. I didn't run because my specialized shoes were painful to try to run in....good to know. I wont wear those for cyclocross! I felt really strong. I've only been on the cyclocross bike for a little over a month, yet my fitness has improved greatly. On the practice course at the end of the evening, I started pushing a tougher gear which was great. I rode in the women's group (Cat 1, 2, 3, & 4). I had a great time. I felt like I rode well. I really need to practice barriers (which I did practice a bit after the workout), I need to do more running (which I am) and I need to practice getting on the bike. My front derailleur isn't shifting to the large ring, so I need to work on that this Saturday. I'm also going to try to set up my tubeless wheels this weekend.

2010-09-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

35 minutes walking on treadmill (1.75 miles). Tonight is Cyclecross practice at Marymoore park. Should be fun :)

2010-09-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

Today's workout was jogging on the treadmill. 5 minute warm up followed by 18.5 minutes at 3.5 (17 min mile) followed by 1.5 minutes at 4.0 (15 min mile) then a five minute cool down.

Weights:
2 sets of 10x15 bicep
2 sets of 10x20 triceps
2 sets of 10x5 shoulder lifts
10 squats
10 lunges
15 step ups

First Cyclocross race

2010-09-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

Monday, September 27, 2010
Today was walking on the treadmill (30 minutes). I kept my speed between 3.0 and 3.5 and increased the incline (10 at the end). Followed by core and Bench press one set of 10 x 55 and one set of 8 x 55. Tonight I'll set up a set of tubeless cyclocross wheels. I've ordered a inexpensive trainer wheel for cycle U.

Sunday, September 26, 2010
First Seattle Cyclocross race of the season. I had a great time. I kept my heartrate between 90 and 93% of Max Heart rate, except for the run up (long dirt hill where you carry the bike) where my heartrate was closer to 95%. I really enjoyed racing cyclocross. Actually I really like riding the cyclocross bike in general. It is fun and a good challenge. I came in 19th out of 20 in the Masters Cat 4 (over 35) class. There were two women (one Cat 4) who started with us that came in behind me and two that were DNF. One woman was faster on the hill climbs but I have more technical skills and descending skills so we played leap frog until the last lap where I was able to pass her and put some distance between us. This was the first time I rode my cyclocross bike in the rain/mud. It took me a little while to get comfortable with how fast I could descend and be in control. So I think each race, I'll naturally get faster due to my getting comfortable on the cyclocross bike. My dismounts were fine. My mounts were not good. I don't have the strength to do a cyclocross mount after a run up or after an obstacle. More running is needed.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Wednesday night Cyclocross practice was great. I had a lot of fun. We started by running the field which was good for me. Then stretching, pushups, crunches and jumping jacks. I joined the beginning group which worked on mounts and dismounts. Then I rode the course for 30 minutes. I plan to do this every week.

2010-09-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Today I jogged at 4.0 on the treadmill for about 20 minutes and then did a few intervals two at (:30 x 6.0) and one at (:20 x 8.0). Felt really good. Followed it with upper body weights and some core.
Bench 2x10 @ 50
bicep 2x10 @ 10
Tricep 2x 10 @ 20
Lats 2x10 @ 70
2 planks
2x 10 crunches
2x 10 lower abs (leg raises)
2x10 back

tonight is cyclocross practice at Marymoore!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010 - Simon clinic at Green Lake.
The private clinic with Simon was great. He set up a few practice areas and a short course. I really enjoyed the technical aspects (especially the descents). The big learning was to use the downhill to get back up the other side. He had me initiate the turns early so that I was able to accelerate into the climb. I'm still pretty strong...which sort of amazes me but shouldn't. My downhill bike is 42 lbs and I pedal it a lot in the summer so I have really good leg strength. Simon was surprised at my climbing ability. Once we finished the clinic he set up at short course with two descents and 2 climbs and I rode it for 10 minutes which felt good. I must say, I had a great time! Simon was really good to talk with, he reminds me that I'm a really good technical rider - it is important for me to hear it, because I forget! I'm thinking I'll race this weekend. Simon encouraged me to start racing soon before the other racers get too fit...which makes sense. I'm looking forward to cycle U starting the first week of October. Before that I'm thinking I'll go play at Green Lake Monday night. Also, I forgot how busy and energetic the Green Lake area is. The energy there is great. I had a good time!

Monday, September 20, 2010
I jogged on the treadmill today for the first long jog (30 minutes). I've been walking and throwing in a few intervals this summer. I decided it is time to start jogging. Jogging at my walking pace.

September 1, 2010 - 2nd ByrnInvent Cross practice. The skills are getting there. I practiced the cowboy dismount and was able to keep up my speed a bit more.

Whistler runs 2010

2010-09-06T14:27:00.000-07:00

Whistler Runs I've ridden in 2010

Green:

Easy Does It

World Cup Single Track

Blue:

Crank It Up (2009)

B-Line (2009)

Ho Chi Min (2009)

Ninja Cougar (2009)

Karate Monkey (2009)

Blue Velvet

Devils Club (rode successfully over Labor Day)

Lower Angry Pirate

Intermediate Skills park drops (all three)

Heart of Darkness

Long Horn

Black:

Upper Angry Pirate

A-line

Freight Train

No Joke

Duffman

Too Tight

Original Sin

Monkey Hands

Joyride jump park and first drop

Double Black

Schlayer

Lower Whistler Downhill

Dirt Merchant

First GLC drop (rollable one)

Downhill skills

2010-09-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

Although I only raced in one race (I was sick during the fourth race on July 25th and then had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics the doctor gave me). I feel good about my DH skills. I've been at the Duthie bike park working on skills twice a week. My accomplishments include:

1) riding the fourth drop in the beginner drop zone,

2) riding the top of the HCL (not the drop) - the skinny and first jump.

3) riding the first drop on Ryan's line

4) riding the squirrel catcher on Ryan's line

5) getting air on the table top at the bottom of 2Hi

6) getting air on all the jumps on Luna line and air on the last table top on luna line.

7) riding the skinny in boot camp (just within the line).

8) riding the mini slayer on moving on

9) riding the entrance to Braveheart

10) riding and hanging out with friends :)

Cyclocross:

2010-09-06T14:13:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 23, 2010 I took the cycle U cyclocross clinic. Tuesday, I showed up at the team cyclocross clinic (very thankful for the cycle U clinic). I had fun meeting a few people from the team. Then then following Monday, I participated in the second team cyclocross practice. I'm having fun and needing much more practice.

Whistler

2010-09-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

Monday, September 6, 2010

Just home from Whistler. This was the fourth trip up there. I rode a total of about 15 days up there. Two trips were for Simon's clinics which were really good.

Lesson's learned from Simon:

1) dipping the outside foot on turns - outcome, I'm riding much faster

2) My dropping technique is really solid - outcome, I've got more confidence on the drops.

3) My right knee comes in when I'm tired. - outcome, I'm riding with cow bow knees more often

4) toes down pulls me back into neutral saddle - outcome, I'm not getting behind the bike as much.

5) left turns are better than right turns - outcome, I'm paying better attention to my turns.

6) pushing on the pedal (toe down) like it is a starting block (around corners), - able to carry more speed into the corners.

7) keep my body low and chest down towards the bars.

the clinics were expensive, but it raised my riding ability up quite a bit.

Labor day weekend I rode

Friday with Linda and Kathy.

We rode lower Whistler downhill. My first double black diamond. It had two steep (fairly smooth) rock faces which I rode well. I endoed and hurt my upper left thigh (in the tech section) which was fine the next day. It kept me from doing much more riding friday. So I rode crank it up (three times), rode freight train, and lower Whistler downhill. I also introduced Kathy to gin martini's.

Saturday rode with Ray, Linda, Bob, Crash, Kathleen and Stephanie.

Warmed up on crank it up. Then rode original sin, Duffman, no joke with Ray, Linda, Bob and Crash. Followed by freight train and B-line. Then rode Slayer with Ray, Linda, Crash, Bob and Stephanie. I walked a couple of rock faces, and had a great time riding. I found that I really like riding with Ray and Linda and trust them and their judgement. I rode really well. Then rode Crank it up with crash and did a run with Kathleen. I felt like I could have kept on riding for another hour or so. best I've felt on the mountain. And I seemed to get over my nervousness at riding the top of the mountain. I also rode the step up of the road and didn't just roll it, actually got air and made it to the top of it.

Sunday was a disaster (here is a bit of a rant):

I didn't sleep well. Saturday night, another rider asked that I ride Crank it up with her first thing before the park got crowded (which means right when the park opens). She wanted to meet at 9:30am. The lift opens at 10:00am so I said I'd meet her at 10:00am. I felt like I should ride with her, because others have been so gracious to lead me through challenging (for me) terrain. But I had reservations because I had not made it to the slopes at 10:00am the other mornings...and didn't want to rush. Not sleeping well, I had to force myself to get up and get ready. I didn't have time to make breakfast, so I stopped at Hot Buns and got a roll and coffee. I met up with Bob there (he was having his coffee leisurely). I had to gulp my coffee and get moving to get to the lift on time. I got to the lift a little before 10:00am with less than 1/2 the normal amount of sleep and 1/s the normal amount of coffee. It was almost 11:00am before the person I was suppose to meet had rented her bike and was ready. I don't know her well, so I tried not to be too annoyed, then her husband and another woman showed up to ride with her as well. So I missed the best two runs of the day (when there isn't anyone on the mountain), missed extra coffee, and sleep to start riding late. The other woman talked her out of riding Crank it Up and so the four of us rode very very slowly (at her pace) down B-line. So I was annoyed because she was the one that wanted to ride as soon as the lift opened and then she was an hour late getting there and getting ready. Plus as a new rider she wants someone to ride with her, but she arranged for 3 people to ride with her...she didn't need me there at all.

After that 40 minute run (it was pushing noon) I rode with Crash and Bob. They both said they wanted to ride behind me. Which seems stupid because I'm slower than them. We got to the top, and Crash takes off (I'm relieved to not have him behind me) and Bob waits for me to leave. So I start down the trail as fast as I can ride (because I don't want to slow Bob down too much) knowing that Bob is behind me. Then he passes me and cuts me off on a berm. I barely made it through the first three jumps not feeling like I had control. Apparently, he only wanted to ride behind me so he could cut me off! At the bottom, I wasn't feeling well, and I was frustrated and a bit pissed, so I went and ate lunch since it was noon. After lunch I rode a run with Silvia. I just wasn't riding well (imagine that). So then I headed to GLC for a couple of martinis, then went back to the condo and slept. It was a crappy day and expensive day. My learning was that when someone wants me to get up early to meet them while I'm on vacation, I need to say no - even if it seems selfish. If I'd slept in, I probably would have had a much better day on the mountain, plus rushing while on vacation sucks. Also, I just couldn't let go of the other person asking me to ride with her at 10am and then not being ready till 11am. I obviously need to make my expectations clear....

2010-06-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

June 21
I have bronchitis again. Too much work and home stress. Started with a sore throat on June 12. Was full blown by June 15 (peak flow 250). Went to doctor on 17 for antibiotics and steroid inhaler. I finally feel human again, although my peak flow is only 350. I'm going to take it easy for today and tomorrow and then Wednesday will be Kat skills and I'm hoping I'm better for that. I'm planning on waiting till peak flow is 400 (my normal) before I do a hard workout. So Maybe an easy road ride on Thursday. We will see.

Home stress has been a ton of projects all in half done state (due to other workers and not me). We had some Sheetrock issues with 2 electrical installations. So I have some Sheetrock patching to do.

June 16
Kat skills night. I rode the Brave heart rock garden and the structure to get onto Ryan's run. I felt really good about the night. I have to remember to look ahead and push my heals down the back side of drops. Great class.

June 10, 11, 12
The third PA race. Finally I raced. No injuries, no mechanicals. I now consider myself a Cat 2 down hill racer. I did really well. I was able to race the course instead of just riding it. I came in last out of 9 racers; but I was only 2 seconds behind the woman in front of me and 3 seconds from the women in front of her. There was only a 45 second spread in the category and I was 15 seconds from the middle of the pack. I felt really good about the race.

June 2, 2010
Rode with Fredrika (and her dog) at Sawyer. 2 hours not many miles. Easy pace

2010-05-25T07:45:00.001-07:00

May 25, 2010
This morning was 20 minutes on the treadmill (just walking with a couple of short jogs mixed in). Tonight is Cycle U. I'll miss a work function, but I need to get in a couple of solid rides this week, especially since it is going to be rainy all week. I'm guessing that today will be our testing day - I'm hoping that we didn't test last week...since I worked both Tuesday and Thursday nights. Friday, I have the electrician out to the house to finsh a project and the washer and dryer get delivered. My workout will probably be spreading bark. Saturday I'm with relatives, so Sunday and Monday need to be ride days....hope we have good weather.

May 24, 2010
Swam in the morning, and rode after work with Fredrika at Duthie. Just cross country. Rode Step it Up and Moving on. Walked a bit of flowtron. We didn't ride particularly hard.

Last week, spent a week working late (no riding) and barely did any morning workouts. Saturday was recovering from the week, and researching bathroom fans. Sunday my clothes washer died, so I spent the day researching washers and dryers. Thank God for friends with washers!

May 17, 2010
the clinic with Kat went really well. I rode the drop on Last Frontier and both switch backs on Last Frontier.

Weekends are for fun

2010-05-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

Monday, May 17, 2010
A bit tired today. Stayed up too late doing laundry. Also, my neck is bothering me a bit. So my swim was all of about 15 minutes. Tonight is a switch back clinic at Tokul East with Kat. We are going to master the switch backs on Last Frontier. If we have time, I'd love to have her coach me through the drop on FlowTron. In reality, I need to be practing drops at Duthie on the Nomad so that I'm really comfortable dropping on that bike. With the new method that Simon taught me, I'm not as wigged out about the drop on FlowTron as I was. I've Ridden six days in a row...pretty impressive considering how little I've been riding.

Sunday, May 16, 2010
Did a clinic with Kat on turns and berms. Her style is very different than Simon's and she concentrates on different things.

My big learning was pumping with my feet on the pump track like bumps. On the berms she had us concentrate on braking before the turn, getting low, looking around the turn.; then popping up to get ready for the next turn. She also had us work on Two, one, none braking.

Saturday, May 15, 2010
Ann, Rachel and I did a drop, jump and berm clinic with Simon. It was awesome. His teaching style is very simple. He said with skill on drops I should be able to drop anything at any height. That was good to hear. His major thing is to shift the hips back. The slower the speed coming into the drop the more exaggerated the hip movement.

On Jumps, he had us pay attention to our feet and really feel the bike going into the jumps. It made a major difference. Any pumping motion he is having us do is with our feet and not our upper body.

On Berms, he had us weight our outside foot and point the inside knee in. Made a big difference.

Friday, May 14, 2010
Met Fredrika at Duthie for another day of freeride. I was fairly tired and so we played on the drops, played on the jump lines and rode 2Hi. Then called it a day. I was making little mistakes that are linked to being tired. I made sure I was in bed by 9:00pm so that I'd be rested for my Saturday clinic.

Thursday, May 13, 2010
Met Fredrika at Gasworks for an easy 20 mile road ride. I felt really strong and wasn't in the least bit tired at the end. I felt like I could have ridden another 30 miles.

Loving it

2010-05-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Met Fredrika at Duthie for some freeride time. I brought my big bike. I was really apprehensive, it has been a month or two since I was out practicing. I ended up having a great time. Chris from my team was there and he did a bit of coaching. This is the second time he has coached me, the first he corrected my body position which really has helped and apparently I have integrated because he said my position was great. This time he pushed me to ride the drops faster. It was really helpful. It helped my timing; but also he explained that if you are riding faster there is less chance of something going wrong. Too slow and there is more chance for your front wheel to drop first which could result in an endo. It also makes sense to me that my issue of having the bike drop out from under me on big drops might be linked to riding too slow...

I rode the first two drops and I'm ready to move up to the third drop. I jumped (well) all the jumps on the first luna line. I cleared the last two table tops on the second line and I rode all the easy drops on the third line and rode the table top at the end. I need to work on getting my speed up faster at the top in order to get air on the first table top (2nd line) and to really drop well on the 3rd line. Also rode 2Hi twice. rode the whole run. Second line I jumped one jump really well, the rest I rolled. Again need more speed.

This morning I missed my treadmill workout because I forgot my sunglasses at home and had to drive back for them. After work, I'm riding 20 easy miles with Fredrika on the road bike. We are leaving from Gasworks. Hence the need for the sun glasses.

What's this all about

2010-05-12T07:43:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Swam this morning. Woke up with a stiff neck so I was nervous about getting in the pool. I did some massage on the tight spot on the drive in to the pool. The swim was fine. I concentrated on keeping my chin in and not flailing around my head looking for air. Swum 1000 yards. Didn't push too hard because i didn't want to put stress on my neck. I did decide I'm going to make myself 4 workouts on cards and get them laminated. So I have specific workout I'm doing. Feels good to be back in the pool.

Tonight I'm doing skills (drops and jumps) at Duthie in preparation for Saturday's clinic.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Went to cycle U last night. The work out was four 12 minute zone 4 intervals with 6 minutes in between. My usual trainer was taken (note to self - get there earlier....which of course sometime they don't open the joint till right at 6:00pm - our start time.) I chose a new trainer (in a spot that isn't covered by the overhead fans...so I was a little overheated.) I started warming up. It seemed difficult but I figured I just needed more warm up....and warm up I did. The first interval seemed really difficult. I was having a difficult time getting past zone 3; then I noticed my heart rate was high. So I decided to drop my heart rate to 80% and this put in at the top of zone one. Not sure if the trainer was off or me or both. Not sure what is up. I was definitely wheezing a bit (I checked my Peak Flow when I got home and it was a little over 400...which is normal after I've used the inhaler). It was 400 this morning with no inhaler so my lungs are fine. I've been in bed by 9:00pm every night this week...so I'm getting plenty of sleep.

I did two intervals and called it a day. Maybe it is that I'm back to a full workout schedule

2010-05-11T07:47:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Today was a treadmill day. The Podiatrist suggest I try running in small doses. So today was three 30 second jogs mixed in with my regular 25 minute treadmill time. I'm currently pain free (on my right foot) so I'm hoping I can start with a little more jogging.

Tonight is cycle U. I decreased my zones by 5% last Tuesday and it helped a lot. Zone 4 felt like zone 4 and not zone 5!. I'm hoping I can get back to two days a week at Cycle U.

I'm signed up for 3 clinics.
1) Drop clinic this Saturday with Simon (and with Ann and Rachel). I'm losing my bike out from under me on some drops; thus I've gotten timid. So I'm hoping Simon can find the issue. I'm practicing drops and jumps on Wednesday and Friday this week at Duthie. I'd like to take my big bike; but parking is an issue and I might have to ride a couple of miles to get to the bike park...riding on a down hill bike doesn't sound fun...45 lbs of bike with 7" of suspension...

2) A cornering / switchback lesson with Kat (and with Fredrika and Ann). It will be at Tokul East (on the Last Frontier trail) that has a couple of good switchbacks.

3) A 3 day downhill clinic at Whistler with Simon. I'm hoping this clinic will push my skills to a new level.

Kat's regular Thursday afternoon clinic will start up in June; so I'll get good skill work.

2010-05-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

Monday, May 10, 2010
Started swimming again. Last Monday was the first day back in the pool. Today I had a great swim. Two 25 yards, about Ten 50 yards and one 400 yards.

Sunday, May 9, 2010
Rode Duthie with Fredrika. Some freeride and some cross country. Was out for 2 hours. Actual ride time was one hour.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Cycle U. Dropped my watts by 5% and it was closer to my actual zones. I've lost some fitness and I've been struggling all month with the Cycle U workouts. Dropping my watts really helped. I'm hoping that I can get to cycle U twice a week now. I've been working too much the last month and had to work several Thursday nights.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Cycle U

April 23, 2010
Port Angeles Race weekend. Crashed on the second run of the day. Didn't continue to ride or race

Tuesday April 20, 2010
Cycle U

Friday, April 16, 2010
Tokul East. Rode Flow Tron and rode it well.

Thursday, April 15, 2010
Cycle U

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Cycle U

Thursday, April 8, 2010
Cycle U

Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Cycle U

2010-04-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

April - change of plans
The weather has been so crummy, that I'm not getting as much time on the bike as I'd like. Thus, today I start back at Cycle U for 2 days a week. I'm also planning on riding Tokul East (free ride + climb) once a week and I start up next week riding either colonnade or Duthie once a week. So I have plans...now just to implement.

March 25, 26, 27 Port Angles Race (NW Cup #1)
Spent the weekend riding the Cat 2 course. It took 3 runs before I could ride the whole thing. Crazy course with 3 drops. The second drop was the scariest and the third was the hardest. I rode well and mastered the course. I didn't race on Sunday, for a myriad of reasons. 1) my full face helmet isn't fitting well, and I had a new one on order that didn't arrive. 2) I was sick all weekend and taking 2 aleve every 4 hours. 3) my leg armor was not staying put - have new on order. 4) with not feeling well, I didn't sleep well. No sleep increases my vertigo possibilities. I was having trouble with the course on Saturday, and I figured it was from being too tired. 5) it was pouring rain - with all the other issues - it wasn't worth racing on a slick course.

March 13 Downhill clinic in Spokane
A few friends and I went to the Speedy Beaver downhill clinic in Spokane. I rode some incredible stuff including a couple of rock drops. The bigger of the rock drops prepared me for the Port Angeles course, drop two was not as long as this rock...so I figured I could ride the drop.

Black Diamond Race

2010-03-08T11:35:00.001-08:00

Sunday, March 7, 2010
I competed in the second BUDU Series race which took place at Black Diamond. I feel really good about this race. I beat one of the women who came in before me at the last race. My time was 50:05 which is a great improvement over the last race. Most of the women beat their first race time by 2-3 minutes. I beat mine by 11 minutes. This is partly due to less climbing. I was 6.26 minutes behind the women who won my category! I felt really strong and rode really well. I rode all the descents and most of the hills. The biggest deal for me was that I was in the middle chain ring (all except for the 4 hills) and in the middle of my cassette. I'm usually in the middle chain ring and the easiest gear (of the cassette). So far, this was my best mountain race.

February 21, 2010
First BUDU Series race at Dash Point
time 101:15. This race was mostly up hill. The major climb was over a mile of single track. I finished last of 5 for the over 40 women. I finished at the same time as one of the under 30-39 women and before another. There seems to be two waves of finishers (for the 30-39 and 40 and above women). I'm squarely in the second wave.

I'm racing beginner category. Last year I did one race at Seatac, which was just before my dance with bronchitis.

a thinner me

2010-01-18T20:12:00.000-08:00

My main goal this year is to lose weight and slim down. So far I'm losing about 3-4 lbs a week. Weight Watchers will not like the amount I'm losing - they want no more than 2 lbs a week. In the past I've concentrated on getting faster and stronger on the bike. This year I've decided the best thing I can do is lose weight. Thus, I'm not eating the weekly points or the exercise points. When I eat either, I only lose about .5 lb a week. So, I've decided I'd rather limit my workouts than eat the extra points.

So far, I've not been hungry. I've increased my protein to 100-110 grams and I'm supplementing with 31 gram protein bar and 23 gram protein shake. The amazing thing is that I'm down about 10lbs so far this year and I'm being very disciplined about writing down what I eat. I'm keeping my calories about 1400 cal/day (or 26 points). I'm counting workout food. Actually I'm not eating much on the bike. I may have to shift this a bit. So far my workouts are only 1.5 -2.0 hours and probably no more than 50 minutes hard. I've also eliminated sugar (except in workout food) and wheat. I think the lack of sugar and wheat is why I'm not getting cravings or unruly hunger. I'm guessing that my weight loss will slow down and will eventually become about 2 lbs a week.

I'm using Fitday.com to track my food intake. What I like is that it breaks it all down and gives you the minerals as well as calories, carbs, fat and protein. Consequently, I've started taking my vitamins again!

tests

2009-12-19T19:39:00.001-08:00

Cycle U:

Today at Cycle U was the end of the quarter test. I did really well. My 5 minute test was an average of 188 Watts and my 15 min test was an average of 165 Watts. This was up from the beginning of the quarter where my 5 minute was 135 Watts and my 15 minute was 124 Watts. My lungs were burning on the 5 minute test - for a minute or so, I thought I might not recover enough to do the 15 minute test. The best part of cycle U is the consistency of riding 3 times a week matched with measurable results.

Lungs:

I went to my primary physician to have my lungs checked out - I've been on a steroid inhaler since last spring's wonderful bout of Bronchitis. The good news is that my lungs are finally in a normal range! I'm dropping my dose in half (again - did this in summer) which will hopefully let me get weaned off the inhaler. I've only needed the inhaler at Cycle U when we are riding at level 4 and 5.

Foot

I sprained my foot last July and it hasn't recovered fully. When I was mountain biking this summer, every once in a while I'd step wrong on it and so I wasn't surprised that it wasn't fully healing. But, I haven't had any new foot "mis steps" in 12-14 weeks (since I've been off the mountain bike) and it still hasn't healed. So I went to my orthopedic doctor and he put me on prescription level Aleve and gave me a prescription for carbon fiber insoles. The insoles immediately seemed to help. So I'm taking Aleve for 2 weeks and hopefully my foot will heal. I'd like to be able to run at least a little - so I hope my foot will finally heal!

2009-11-08T05:55:00.000-08:00

Saturday was another great day at cycle U. I'm amazed what a difference it makes riding 3 days a week in the fall. I haven't been outside on a bike, but still my legs feel much stronger (in class) each week. I found out Friday that the SU pool is open at 6 am for open water swim. I'm very excited. I was wondering if I'd get to swim this year. My workout schedule is coming together (slowly but sure). This is what it is looking like. M, W, F Swim. M, W, Sat Bike. Tues, Thurs run.

Great run

2009-11-06T08:02:00.001-08:00

Today I had a great run on the treadmill. I felt really strong. Pace 3.5. 5 minute warm up, 25 minute run, 5 minute cooldown. I also learned that the pool is open for swim at 6am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday! Looks like I'll be swimming again. I'll have to drop my bike off at the office and then drive over to the pool - but that is ok.

2009-11-05T03:39:00.000-08:00

Cycle U was amazing today. definitely the hardest workout we have had so far. Three 10 minute zone four time trials (at 90+ rpm). Followed by four spin$ (15 seconds pedaling as fast as you can). I've seen an amazing amount of improvement in the 4 weeks since we started! Today's cadence was 90 rpm for the time trials and I got up to 130 rpm on the spin$.

I'm not getting my runs in on a consistent basis. It looks like I need to run when I get home (on the days I don't make it to the gym in the am).

On another note, I've ordered a Seven Mudhoney S cyclocross bike. It should be a really good road bike with cyclocross drive train and cable routing. The reach is a little shorter than on my ID8 which I think will be good. I'm planning on racing cyclocross next fall. Cycle U has given me great hope! I have no doubt I'll be stronger this spring than I've ever been. I plan to race x-country in the spring and downhill in the summer (with some cross country thrown in).

Overall I'm doing well. I finally feel like I have my energy back after finishing the MBA. I'd like to be swimming - but SU dropped their masters swim. I can't do a 5am or 7am swim. So, I'll wait till January and then figure out how to get some swimming in. Not sure a Triathlon is in my future - but I do miss swimming. I really want to concentrate on my running this winter. Running will be crucial for cyclocross.

Thumb update

2009-10-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

I started PT for my thumb yesterday. It is sore, tight and difficult to move...and I'm thrilled to be starting the process of getting my movement back. Four weeks till I'm back on a real bike.

Cycle U is pretty amazing. I really like spinning on my own bike! Of course it is great to have a commitment to ride 3 x a week reguardless of the weather.

Cycle U

2009-10-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

Started Cycle U last week. It feels good to have a riding commitment 3x a week during the fall,winter and spring. I also ordered a new bike this week. A cyclocross bike. I should have it about the time I get the brace off of my thumb and can ride a real bike. I'm hoping to race cyclocross next fall. It will be an all around bike. Descent road bike, light touring, and of course a cyclocross bike.

We did the fitness/power test on Saturday. I was really pleased. Not sure how my power compares to the world; but I kept a 89% MHR for the 15 minute test. I thought that was pretty good considering most of my riding this year has been downhill/freeride stuff.

I got back in the gym last week as well. I'm hoping to get a couple of good runs in each week.

Update

2009-10-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't been doing much...unless you consider having surgery on my left hand...much? I ended the season early with surgery on September 24th. I'm off the bike till December 3rd. I start Cycle U next week. I injured my right foot early this summer; thus I'm just now getting back to running.I started back on the treadmill this morning. All and all, I'm doing well. I'm contemplating ordering a cyclecross bike (which is either a sign that I have some ambition or no common sense at all...hard to know which).

I took 3rd place overall in the Fluid Ride cup (even though I missed the last race). I'm now thinking about my goals for next year and winter training...no major insights yet...I'll keep you posted!

Mishaps and more

2009-09-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, September 9, 2009
I'm now parking at the Connolly center (1/2 mile from the office); thus when I bring my bike to work, I ride to the office. In a rush to get out the door and make it to Tokul East by 6:00pm, I left my helmet in my office. I didn't realize I didn't have my helmet until I was suited up and ready to ride. I was really early (no traffic) so I called Ann to see if they could bring an extra helmet. They graciously drove back to Turtle Bob's house and got me a helmet. It only cost them 15 minutes. Thus, they got to Tokul East about 6:15pm and we started riding at 6:30pm. I was acutely aware that sunset was at 7:33pm (I looked it up on the i-phone...since I had so much extra time to hangout). We got about 2/3 of the way to last frontier at 7:15pm. I told Ann I didn't think we could make it down last frontier before we ran out of light. I had a headlight with me but no one had mount on their helmet or bike. So we decided to take an exit trail back to the Snoqualmie Valley Trail and leave Last Frontier for another day. As we entered the exit trail, we all realized there was barely enough light in the woods to see the trail. I followed Ann, and she graciously led the way down many drops! It was a fun descent but definitely challenging due to the lack of light. We made it to the Snoqualmie Valley Trail at 7:36pm. We were out for 1 hour and rode for 45 minutes. 35 minutes was climbing. It was a fun ride, and if left me feeling really good.

2009-09-09T07:44:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, September 9, 2009
I signed up for Cycle U for fall quarter. I've been riding freeride and racing this season, but I haven't been pedaling a bike much. So my skills rock but my fitness sucks. I think Cycle U will be good for me (if it doesn't kill me)!

Tonight is Tokul East. This will be my second time there. I'm hoping I can ride the steep switch backs...which is something I need to get better at.

September 5, 6 and 7
I had a great time riding at Whistler over labor day weekend. I had great friends to ride with and wonderful trails to ride. I worked on my drops. I am losing my pedals, so I need to figure that out. My suspension on the bike was a little soft, so I've dropped the bike off at fluid ride to get heavier springs put in.

Day one: concentrated on berms (looking around the corners, inside knee pointed towards the inside, outside chicken elbow, outside hip shifted far to outside). It was very fun. Also worked on high speed. All in the Mud and rain

Day two: concentrated on drops and jumps. I did really well. Finished by riding with Evil Bob, Ann and Mitch. I crashed twice. Once on a steep switchback on Angry Pirate and once on Devils Club. We shouldn't have been on Devil's club - very steep wood structures that were slick due to the rain.

Day three: took a run on B-line and one on Crank-it-up. Then called it a day.

Thursday, September 3, 2009
Freeride Thursday. Jumps in Snoqualmie. I wished I had my smaller bike. None the less I got some good air. My last run was very smooth and landed on the backside of the table top.

August 27, 2009
Freeride Thursday
cornering. Had a great cornering class on the big bike. Finished by riding K-line and riding the wood wall. Quite the thrill.

August 21, 22, 23, 2009
Five (Ann Davis, Mitch Davis, Derek DeYoung Cheyenne Smith, and Diana Miller) TAI racers headed to Port Angeles to go camping (oh yea, we went to PA for the Fluid Cup # 5 – camping was just one of the perks!). The weather promised mild temperatures (mid 60’s) with no rain in sight, which was a pleasant blessing on an August race weekend. On Friday (after setting up camp), Ann graciously towed me down the beginner course for the first couple of runs, giving me a good feel for the course. This was the first time I had ridden the whole PA course, and it showed my utter foolishness or profound trust in Ann not to lead me astray. Ann and I have similar riding skills so trust her I did. By the end of the day Friday, I was feeling comfortable on the course. If I hadn’t followed Ann down the course, I’m sure I would have had to get off the bike and take a look at a couple of sections. Friday, after Ann and I finished our pre-rides, we took a quick run (I walked a couple of sections) down the Sport course, at which time I was thrilled to be a beginner racer! It was fun to see the jump in difficulty from beginner to sport. After our pre-rides (and after some fun socializing with other racers) we headed back to our campsite to finish setting up the campsite and to enjoy a well-deserved meal of marinated flank steak, homemade scalloped potatoes, and a wedge salad with blue cheese and balsamic vinegar dressing. I never sleep well, the first night in a new place and that was the case for this trip. I managed about 5 hours of sleep before I got up to start the coffee and breakfast of sausage, eggs and hash browns.

The first run of the second day of pre-rides (Saturday) I was feeling really good about the course and was beginning to enjoy riding it. All of the team members seemed to be pleased with their day of riding. We finished the day with Ann’s Tator tot casserole and apple crumble cooked in Dutch ovens over the campfire. The camp ground wasn’t as quiet as it was the night before, a noisy group of campers called it a night around 4:15 am; thus a couple of us were lacking sleep.

The race results are posted at http://skibowl.com/index.php?page=race-results

Beaver

2009-08-18T07:46:00.000-07:00

I rode Beaver last night. Had a really good ride. Rode for an hour and a half. I had good energy considering the amount of climbing on Sunday's ride. Beaver is a good measure of my skill and strength even though it isn't overly technical. I was riding in my middle chain ring quite a bit.

2009-08-17T07:48:00.000-07:00

Sunday, August 16, 2009
Ann, Brandelle, Mitch, Dave and I rode a few secluded trails off of I-90. It took me 1hour 30 minutes to climb/push the Ventana (42 lbs of Ventana) up to the end of the road. Then another 20 minutes of pushing up a trail. The rest of the group didn't think Washington trail was worth the hike a bike. I disagree, it was a fun trail and a little tamer than the next trail. The next trail was Oregon (I think). It was steep in places, a little muddy, tight steep switch backs with a few big (maybe too big to roll) drops mixed in. It was a fun trail. I walked some of the switchback, partly because I was off the bike to get over a drop and then didn't have good room to mount and prepare for the switch back. The trails up there are tough; but they were really fun! It would be a good trail to ride once it drys up a bit more. I really love the Ventana! It handles the steep really well. The bottom bracket is low (which I like); but I need to be careful that I don't try to roll over something that the bottom bracket gets stuck on. Finished the ride with a stop at a garage sale where I bought a fertilizer spreader for cheap. Then mowed the law, showered and went to see a movie. Fun day!

Saturday, August 15, 2009
I've been pretty tired this week, so I headed for the spa. It was a good choice.

Thursday, August 13, 2009
Freeride Thursday was all about drops. I did well on the practice drops. I'm still nervous about drop # 2 in the drop zone. I've ridden it once on the Nomad (I think it was on the Nomad). I landed on my front wheel. The remedy is just to make sure I do a good manual off the drop. It doesn't look scary from the side or from below. From the top (as you approach ) it looks like you are going to drop into the abyss. I need to get back to the colonnade for some drop practice.

2009-08-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 8, 2009
A few us us rode Capitol Forest. I was really apprehensive not about the ride; but about the group. 2 of us live out on the East side and one in Seattle. The Seattle person suggested we carpool from Seattle. She was set on carpooling and I wanted to drive by myself. My hope for the day (because I was pretty tired going into the weekend) was that we could spend more time riding and less time commuting. I took care of myself (at least to a limited amount), all things considered. I packed enough food for 2 meals, thankfully since we didn't leave the trail head till after 7pm! Next time, I need to meet them at the trail head at a specific time. I arrived at the P&R in Federal way really early (normal for me), one person was significantly late. Then it took a while to load up and actually drive to Olympia. We made one stop on the way. A 2 hour commute took close to 3 hours. We arrived at 12:30 and as we put our gear on, I was trying to scarf down my lunch (knowing it would be close to 2:00pm before we stopped for a meal. The ride was fun; but the people interactions were stressful due to the expectations of the people. One person really was looking for a social all day event (hence the carpooling). Next time I'll drive myself and not worry about hurting someone's feelings. Also, because we carpooled from Federal Way, I didn't feel I could leave early. I didn't ride the last run; but ended up waiting in the parking lot for a hour when the other vehicle was big enough to get everyone back to the P&R...it was a weird and stressful day. I spent 6 hours commuting when it should have been 4 hours. I left home at 9:00am and got home at 9:00pm. The stress of the day outwayed any fun.

August 6, 2009
The Thursday Night FreeRide was all about the pump track and track stands. I do both well, although I'm noticing that I don't have much endurance considering it is August. What is, is.

slow worms

2009-08-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

August 4, 2009
I rode the worm with Fredrika. We took it slow and rode all of the worm. I climbed well. I was riding a bit faster than Fredrika (she is trying to take it easy these days); so I got quite a bit of rest. This was good because I could push hard on a hill and then rest. I was tired, probably from not enough sleep the last couple of nights. I rode well, but found myself over steering. I didn't try anything overly technical. Tonight we ride Sawyer. I slept well last night (about 7.5 hours); but I still feel a bit fatigued (probably due to last nights ride). We (Ann, Fredrika and I) booked a weekend at Captitol Forest (to practice the Super D course) as well as a long weekend at Whistler. I'm hoping we can ride the Super D course at least twice each day. I struggled with a couple of the Super D climbs last time (2 weeks ago); thus, I've been riding some hilly areas trying to get stronger on the climbs. The positive thing about the climbs is that they come after long descents; thus, although I stand on the descents, my legs are a bit rested.

2009-08-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 3, 2009
I can't believe it is August! Monday was a rest day, which included the dentist installing a permanent crown, a trip to the nursery and some gardening. I finally went to the nursery to pick up plants for the pots on my deck (I know, most people do this either late spring or early summer). I found a rose to replace one that died in the front yard, as well as a few perennials (I always seem to pick up a few of these). I also decided to plant herbs in one of the pots on the deck. I'm hoping the herbs will winter well. I may have to move the herb pot somewhere it wont freeze. The flowers on the front porch are stunning, those pots turned out the best (of course I planted them first; thus they got first choice of the plants). I finished by mowing the lawn. I was drenched with sweat by the time I finished. Not bad for a rest day!

2009-08-02T07:34:00.001-07:00

Saturday, August 1, 2009

I rode the worm with Fredrika. We took it easy and sessioned a few technical areas. We only rode the worm and it was plenty with the heat. We started at 2:00pm and didn't see another soul on the trail. We were out for 2 hours; but actual ride time was less. Today we are riding at 10:00am.

2009-07-31T21:28:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 31, 2009

I didn't ride with the heat, and I didn't workout. I spent the week in my air conditioned bedroom as much as possible. Tonight was my first XC ride in weeks. I really need to be riding XC at least a couple times a week. I rode Beaver with Ann and Bradley (10 years old). Bradley led and kept an overall good pace. I was able to stay in my middle chain ring most of the time. Although at the top of the first climb, my crank fell off my bike :) Disclaimer - I did not install the crank (which was installed in early June). So I put the crank back on and we rode for almost 2 hours. Tomorrow I will take it apart, clean it and re-install it. This crank takes a lot of muscle to put on; thus I may have to borrow a long handle (like 2 feet long) for the allen wrench.

Saturday, July 24, 2009

Went Camping at Capital Forest for the first time. Just one night. We (Fredrika, Cheryl and I) set up camp Friday night. Saturday, Susan and Peggy met us at the campsite. We shuttled the Supper D course. It was a blast. This might be my favorite local ride. There are steep sections, rooty, drop sections, fast swoopy sections and some quick climbs thrown in (just to keep us on our toes). Took us about 45 minutes to ride it (with breaks and re-grouping). For the race, the expert men riders are 16 minutes. Beginner women range from 24 minutes to 54 minutes. I did great on the descents, but the climbs I struggled with. The race is mid September, thus I'd like to ride it at least one more time before the race. I also need to be riding more xc if I'm going to ride (and not push) the climbs. One of the climbs was a little technical and I pushed it...so I need to be riding more.

2009-07-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Today I got in a 30 minute stair stepper workout. I'm finding I'm not getting to bed (or to sleep) before 10:00-11:00pm. I'm not having trouble getting up at 5:00am (yet) but I'm expecting to be a bit over tired by the weekend. Last night was the first time in about a month I made it to my sewing class. The thing I find amazing is how relaxing sewing is. It makes me realize that I don't relax very often. Today was the first day parking by the gym (it was $32 less a month than parking on campus) and walking to work. It is only a 6 block walk (10 minutes).

2009-07-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Today's workout was 30 minutes on the stair stepper followed by lower body weight set plus some core.

Today I bought a parking pass, it is official, my days of taking the bus are over. I decided that I missed swimming and the SU masters swim team is the most convenient place for me to swim. I'm enjoying the extra workout time this is giving me in the mornings. I can get a full hour of workout in rather than a quick 20-30 minutes.

2009-07-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

Today's workout:
30 minutes on the stair stepper followed by upper body weights.

Sunday:
Easy 15 mile road ride (out and back from Marymoore).

The weekend of great plans went out the window. I managed to catch another cold last Wednesday. It is becoming very obvious to me that my system is still fairly weak and I need to take better care of myself. Started my vitamins this weekend. Good news is that my attitude and outlook have been very positive. I have great hope for my riding.

I decided it is time to join a bike team. I'm leaning towards a team that a freind is on. I really like racing downhill and this team caters to all disciplines of mountain biking. Not sure what the benefits are of this team over others. The main benefit I see is product discounts. I'd love to find a team to train with, but I don't think it is in the cards for a co-ed team and probably not for me this year (I haven't built up much speed).

Update

2009-07-15T07:29:00.001-07:00

Swimming:
The SU pool is closed for two weeks. I'm not anticipating swimming until the pool re-opens on Monday July 27th. I may be able to sneak on swim in on the weekends (at the community pool).

Weights:
The SU gym is closed this week (so I'm not lifting weights this week although I will try for a weekend session at home).

Running:
My Right foot is still sore. I'm walking fine (for short distances). I'm guessing it will be a couple of more weeks before I can run. Next week I'll start up the stair stepper at the gym again. Not exactly running; but it is good exercise and good cross training.

Road riding:
I did a short road ride last week and my foot complained for most of the ride. The tight road shoes were a bit too much. Today I'm giving it another try. I'm taking the road bike out for a Burke Gillman ride (1-2 hours depending on my foot). I'm hoping that my foot has healed enough to road ride.

Mountain bike:
I'm riding Colonnade (skills) on Thursday, Lake Sawyer on Friday (chasing a faster rider), Tiger on Sunday (long 3 mile climb followed by fun descent). Thankfully the mountain bike shoes are very loose and don't hurt my injured foot.

Race Weekend

2009-07-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 11, 2009
I was up late on Friday night (working till 10pm) and up early on Saturday morning to meet Ann and Drive to Mt. Hood. We left Maple Valley a little after 7am. We Pre-rode the course Friday afternoon. Ann and I rode the top about 4 times; which gave us shorter lift lines and additional time on the more difficult part of the course. The top of the course is crummy gravel road with ruts, big rocks and sketchy corners. I had my first crash on the new bike and had to ride down to the bottom of the hill to straighten out my handle bars. The crash was minor; but it cost me a couple of runs. I got one last run down the full course after catching the shuttle (full of stinky guys) over to the lift. After the riding we had a quick dinner and headed back to our adequate but sparse hotel room to clean and repair bikes. It took a while to get Ann's brakes to quit rubbing and to find the thorn that was causing a slow leak in one of Mitch's tires. By the time we finished it was 11:00pm (way past my bed time for the third night in a row!). I slept incredibly well which wasn't surprising since I've been pushing too hard. I got in a solid 7 hours.

Saturday, July 12, 2009
We had breakfast at the motel (I brought a cooler full of food - thankfully) and loaded the bikes. We arrived around 8:00am and had our one pre-ride on the course. It was drizzling which made the course much better but the fog and drizzle cut down visibility. None the less I had an excellent pre-ride; but only a few seconds off my race time 2 weeks ago.

I decided to race my tires at 22 psi (25 is listed as the lower limit). By the time we raced, it was raining. Those that didn't wear goggles wished they did; and many that wore goggles wished they didn't. I kept my goggles in my coat until moments before my race began. I placed both feet on my pedals and balanced leaning on the chute. I rode the rock garden well but wished I had an extra power at the top to get my speed up quicker. I rode the first corner very well. I barely used the brakes going into the corner, leaned the bike well and looked for the straight away. Probably the best corner I've ridden. I had plenty of speed coming out of the corner and managed to get a few pedal strokes in. I didn't have a hard enough gear (I was on 5 should have been one or two harder).

The red dusty corner was still loose; and I was on it quicker than I expected. I broke hard and then coasted around the corner on a crummy line which seemed to be the reality on all the upper corners. I pedaled hard coming out of the corner and came to the Cat II cut off: where the Cat II racers made a hard left leaving a difficult turn for us through the rocks and dirt they pushed up. Again this corner came up fast and by this time my goggles were covered with rain droplets making it difficult to see. Visibility was poor. I threw my weight back and broke hard using both brakes slowing down fast but not able to negotiate any turning until I my speed was scrubbed, I took the corner as best as I could which was slow and clunky at best.

Coming out of the corner I accelerated hard trying to sit for a few seconds to give my legs a rest. I didn't carry enough speed through the next section. I'm always expecting a corner instead of the easy slight shift to the left. By the time I realized I wasn't upon a corner it was too late to pick up speed. The next corner came fast and I had to force my weight back and down as I used both brakes to drop my speed. I negotiated this turn better than the previous turns and stood up to accelerate out of the corner. By this time, I got use to focusing beyond the rain droplets on my goggles. I didn't carry as much speed past the chair lift because this was one small section of the course that we didn't get to pre-ride. I started pedaling once I was back on the road. I slowed for the last road corner (big gravel and fairly tight corner). I accelerated well to the hard left onto Nar Nar.

I rode Nar Nar well. I maneuvered through the trail well. I cut my speed coming into the corners and accelerated well coming out of them. I caught up with TJ (the last of the young male beginners) and found myself looking for a place to pass. Finally we came to a hard left with a upper and lower burm. TJ took the upper track and I accelerated through the lower track. I lost some valuable time following him; but trying to ride around could have meant a crash. I was out of breath and my legs and triceps were hurting. I came out of Nar Nar with good speed and got a few pedal strokes in before I started the descent to the finish line. I'm not comfortable standing up on a descent and pedaling. I had great speed coming down the last hill and didn't need to use my brakes. The gravel road felt very stable. I was traveling pretty fast as I came up to the water bar just a few yards from the finish line. I jumped the water bar and flew through the finish line. My time was 9.02 minutes (1.03 minutes faster than my last race!) which put me into second place. Ann came in first at 8:34 minutes. A first place at Mt. Hood is definitely possible! I really like racing downhill. This was the most fun I've had at a race.

I need to work on: fast gravel corners, overall fitness, sprinting. I've qualified for nationals. I'm not going (they are next week in Colorado). I'm guessing this may be the last time I qualify (at least for a while) assuming I move up to Sport division (where there is more competition) next year.

Weight Room

2009-07-10T12:57:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 10, 2009
I didn't get enough sleep last night, I'm thinking a lot about the upcoming race and about riding in general. I normally don't stress over riding...I hope this isn't a new habit! I swam for about 650 yards. I was tired and just tried to get some yards in. I work late tonight and then I'm up early Saturday to drive to Mt. Hood Oregon to pre-ride the Down Hill course. Then race on Sunday.

Thursday, July 9, 2009
I arrived at the SU with my right foot still sore. I decided to give the stair stepper a whirl and really liked it. Only spent about 15 minutes on the stair stepper. I then got in an upper and lower body weight workout. It will take a few more times to get comfortable in the weight room again. On the bright side, SU has really improved their weight room!

Participated in the 2 hour Freeride Thursdays clinic on rolling off objects, riding rock gardens, etc. I did really well. Rode the whole rock garden including one large drop that I've avoided in the past.

2009-07-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Day two of swimming. I paid for summer quarter. swam about 1000 yards. It is clear that I will need to swim the next two weeks (somewhere) while the pool is closed. I don't want the little I've gained this week to be lost :)

Bailed on last nights tokul E ride and took a long nap. I'm having trouble getting myself to go to sleep by 9pm so I can get up at 5:00am. I figure it will take a couple of weeks. I'm starting to think about this weekend's DH race. We leave Saturday morning, ride the course Saturday and race on Sunday.

Back on the swim team - quit the bus!

2009-07-06T12:14:00.000-07:00

Monday July 6
Today I drove to work and swam at the SU pool (Master's team). I've been looking into different gyms in Issaquah, trying to get myself motivated to workout more. Today, I decided to quit the bus! I save money and the environment by riding the bus; but I don't workout as much. I find that with an hour ride each way, I'm just not getting my workouts in. I haven't swum consistently since I started taking the bus (2 years ago). I can workout at home (before work), but only for 30 minutes. I have a difficult time making it to group rides after work because I don't get home till 5:30 (at the earliest) and thus I have trouble making it to a trail head by 6:00pm and forget the 5:30pm starts. Thus, I started the swim team again (starting summer quarter). I'm swimming 3 days this week and then the pool is closed for 2 weeks. The days I'm not swimming I'll run and lift weights. The week that the gym is closed I'll bring my road bike and ride along Lake Washington boulevard. The key for me (for the next 3 weeks) is to drive I-90 before 6am (due to the west bound lanes being closed).

I'm also bringing a bike with me to ride after work each day. I'm really excited about my decision to stop riding the bus. It gives me a full hour workout in the morning and I get home 20 minutes earlier at the end of the day (if I don't go ride). This is probably the best decision I've made in many years.

Sunday, July 5
Rode Tokul East with Ann, Mitch and Fredrika. I climbed well and realized that I need to push myself on the climbs (especially when they are not overly steep). I don't know that I can keep up with either of them climbing, but I think I could come close if I pushed myself. My heart rate was only around 80-85% of MHR. We rode last frontier. Wow was it steep! I rode really well except I walked the switchbacks that were steep and tight. I need to practice switchbacks at Colonnade on the Nomad! Then we rode Flowtron. Flowtron is a trail that traverses back and forth across a big gully. You ride down one steep side and try to keep your speed up to make it up the other side, then a tight turn and repeat about 8 times. I was fine on the riding down and back up; but the turns were difficult. I found I wanted to stop after each run and then getting started down the next one was tough. But I rode them all except one with a big drop in the middle. These two trails will definitely help me get more comfortable on steep runs. This week's freeride Thursday is on steeps and chutes.

Thursday, July 2
Free ride Thursday was all about riding skinnies and getting off skinnies. I did well (on the Nomad). We learned to vault off the bike, and I was doing great until we moved up to a skinny that was about 4" off the ground. My leg caught on the saddle and down I went. I sprained my big toe and could hardly walk the following two days. This meant I didn't ride on Friday or Saturday.

Tuesday, June 30
Met Friends (Ann, Mitch, Dennis, and Linda and Ray) at Tokul East. I decided not to ride with them (I'm a slow climber). I climbed the first road to the top (it was a ride/push deal). Then I rode half way down and crossed over to road #2 then descended to cross back to road one by the pond. My goal was just to get a sense of the place (so I don't get lost in the future). Had a good ride, the climb took me a full hour.

.

Downhill racing

2009-06-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

I had a great time racing Sunday. There were 3 women in my class (women 19 and over). We were fairly close (9:00, 9:17, 10:05). I came in third which gave me medal and qualified me for nationals. Being 3 out of 3 doesn't matter; what is cool is that if I keep racing DH I think I could get good. I'm going to stick to beginner for the season, then decide if I want to move up to sport next year. I don't see myself racing at a higher level than sport. The courses get scary technical. I also had a better time than a couple men my age as well as some of the uner 18 Crowd. I need to start practicing on gravel and high speed turns. I actually cornered better on my practice run. I also need to get use to my shifters...I didn't have a hard enough gear (several times). I also didn't pedal everywhere I should have. I'm half tempted to put the same shifters on my xc bike to get use to shifting. I have a lot to work on...but I think I could shave condiderable time off with some practice. There is another race @Mt hood in 2 weeks. Dry Hill will be another game. The other women have raced at Dry Hill. The course is very steep. I really like my new DH bike! Gettig home at 11:30pm and then going to work the next day is tough.

Down Hill racer

2009-06-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

Today we rode the cat III (beginner) course. 2.3
miles per run (3 runs). The Course was easier (by far) than dry hill. I had a lot of fun. I think I want to try racing super D (in September)

Not a total slacker

2009-06-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Update
May and June have been tough months for many reasons. 1) I've worked late many nights. Several weeks I've worked 3 or more evenings. 2) Had a housemate move in 3) still recovering from the Bronchitis. My lungs are almost healed. Still at about 400 after I've used the inhaler. I'm off the steroid Inhaler only using the regular one before my rides.

Oregon
I'm heading to Mt. Hood Oregon on Friday night. Planning to ride the race course on Saturday and hopefully race on Sunday. This will be my first Down Hill race. I don't think Whistler helped for the race. I'm expecting Mt. Hood's beginner course to be steep and not overly technical. Whistler (blue runs) were not overly steep but were very technical. I feel good that I finally have all my gear (full face helmet, hard shell chest and back protector, arm and leg armor). The Chest and Back protector was the last piece I needed to get and I was able to get a pro-deal on it through a friend's buy two at the price of one coupon (we each got one).

Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Had a great ride out at Lake Sawyer. Spent 75% of the time in the middle ring and climbed really well. 1:15 actual ride time. 1:30 time out. I didn't eat on the ride and I was struggling at the end.

Sunday, June 20, 2009
Road for 2:30 hours at Lake Sawyer. I felt strong throughout the ride. climbed well. Probably the most fun I've had on the bike this year.

Sunday, June 14, 2009
Walked in the SU graduation ceremony. It was really a good experience and my sister Karen and her husband Al came. Then we went to Anthony's for a Crab dinner. Not a bad way to spend the day! The other good news is that I lost 5 pounds while in Whistler. I changed my food plan back to what it was when I was working with the MD at Swedish. It makes sense for me. I've added whole grains to the food plan. The major changes are not sugar and no wheat.

Tuesday, June 9, Wednesday, June 10 and Friday, June 12, 2009
Rode Whistler. I had a good time and rode some incredible trails. I only had the energy for about 3 runs a day. I made several runs on upper and Lower "Step It Up" and got pretty good at jumping up onto the top of table tops. Rode B-line a couple of time. Rode many trails with ladder/wood trails and did really well on them. The Ventana rode really well. Rode "Ho Chi Min" which was over my head a bit (I walked several sections of it). Rode "Hearts of Darkness." "Golden Triangle was fun." Had fun riding "Ninja Cougar" and "Karate Monkey;" both were tough but fun. "Smoke and Mirrors" was another one that I walked several sections. But it was fun. Samurai Pizza Cat" was short and technical. "Fantastic" didn't do much for me. I rode all the blue runs that I were accessible from the lower mountain. And Blue was tough. There is a big jump from Green to Blue. I began the week on Upper and Lower Easy Does it.

Friday, June 5, 2009
Freeride Friday's featured drops. I had a great time. The coach said I was very smooth which is a great complement. I couldn't get myself off the second drop (which I've done before). My attitude on technical stuff is that I only do what I'm comfortable with and I don't force myself out of my comfort zone. This attitude has seen me progress rather quickly as far as my skills go and yet I'm always riding in control. Works for me. The Ventana likes to jump and it is a much easier landing than the Nomad which of course is easier than the Juliana. More suspension makes for an easier landing.

Sunday, May 31, 2009
Rode Tiger with Fredrika. I'm climbing slowly; but my descents rock!

Saturday, May 30, 2009
A new housemate moved in for a couple of months (June and July). I spent a lot of time trying to get the house ready. Then the toilet in the spare bathroom broke and I spent 2 nights after work trying to get it back working again. Replaced most of the insides the first night and then the flapper the second night. I'm amazed at how much both getting ready and transitioning into the housemate situation took out of me. I did a major cleaning of house, and power washed the deck before she moved in. Then I just couldn't seem to get into my normal rhythm. I'm staying up too late and not getting up early enough to work out. I haven't run since she moved in. The stress of a new housemate along with traveling right away (Whistler trip0...has left me a little over tired. What I've realized is that the timing isn't right for me to have a housemate. Also, the treadmill isn't directly under the guest bedroom but I'm sure having it running with the TV on at 5:00am would wake her up. I planned to get an extension cord for my headphones (for the TV)...but just haven't got it done. The good thing is that this was a 2 month commitment. So I have the house back to myself in August! It was a good experiment and it convinced me that I don't want a housemate.

Friday, May 29, 2009
Free Ride Friday's featured high speed cornering. This is something I need to work on.

Monday, May 25, 2009
Rode from Carnation to Fall City and back with Julie.

Tiger

2009-05-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Today's ride was Tiger Mountain. Up the fire road, down Preston and then down another trail. The climb took about 1:15 which is a lot. I use to climb it in 45 minutes (of course I was skinner then and road a significantly lighter bike). The total ride time was 2:30; but we were out for 3:40. Max 169 and average 140. My riding buddy climbs faster than I do and I descend faster. So the average includes about 5 rest breaks (one at the top and 4 during the ride) while we re-grouped. I really like riding Tiger and I climbed some technical sections for the first time. I also rolled a pretty good sized drop (first time). The ride was awesome and my riding position was really good as was my cornering technique (thanks to Kat).

Distance 11 miles; 2146 calories

Switchbacks

2009-05-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Today I ran (slowly) outside for the first time in a least a month. It was tough but felt good. Just 30 minutes. Max 146 (73%) . average 128 (64%) including warmup. Average for run was about 70%MHR 289 calories.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Friday afternoons there is a freeride clinic at the colonnade. It is inexpensive ($10) and for women only. This week the topic was switchbacks. I brought the Ventana with me and my heart sank when they said we were working on switchbacks because the bike is really big and heavy (I'm guessing it is over 40 lbs) and has a large turning radius. As it turned out I did great on the Ventana and it handled great. By the end of class we had rode most of the switchbacks at the colonnade which is pretty amazing. I'm loving the Ventana! I'm amazed at how much my skills have improved at the Colonnade!

2009-05-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

Thursday, May 21, 2009
I slept in this morning because I didn't get home till after 9pm from the ride last night and I'm planning on riding at the worm today. There is a group ride at 6pm; but I think I'll ride as soon as I get there (around 5:30pm) so I can get home a little earlier. I love mountain biking but riding after work means driving to work. Taking the bus is a bit in conflict with mountain biking and swimming.

So, I'm toying with the idea of driving in on Wednesday and Friday (and mountain biking after work) and then bringing my road bike to work (on the bus) Monday and Thursday and riding home. I could swim on Wednesday and Friday if I dropped my bike off in my office and then drove over to the pool. It is the beginning of a plan. This still allows me to get a treadmill workout before work on Monday and Thursday (and take Tuesday as a day off). It just might work :)

Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Rode Grand Ridge (or shall I say I pushed my bike up and rode down). It is a tough climb. I don't have the endurance to climb all the way up. So I push my bike up the steeper sections and then ride for a while. I pushed 3/4 of the lower half and rode the upper half. My lung capacity is at 350 now which isn't great but beats the 200's. I should be over 400. My lungs felt wooden when I started the road climb up the actual trail head; the inhaler helped quite a bit (which I used at the trail head).

Ascent 480
Ave Heart Rate climbing 82%
Ave Heart Rate Descending 65%
2 hours total (1.5 hours climbing and 1/2 hour descending)
calories 1087
distance 8.2 miles

2009-05-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

Wednesday May 20, 2009
Today was a treadmill day. I warmed up for 5 minutes, then started an easy jog. My legs complained a lot. It is obvious that I haven't been running is a while. I jogged/walked for 30 minutes. Total of 1.5 miles. Today was the last day of antibiotics for the UTI.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Today was a lift day. Mostly upper body with some squats thrown in

Monday, May 18, 2009
30 minute run on the treadmill (at 3.5). A total of 2 miles. It felt good which surprised me.

Friday, May 15, 2009
Went to a doctor in Vancouver for urinary track infection. Took most of the night to start feeling better. I started showing signs of it on Tuesday, I should have gone to the doctor sooner. By the time I sought out a doctor I was is quite a bit of pain.

Thursday, May 14, 2009 (Whistler)
Patricia and I went out for a 2 hour easy ride. heartrate below 80%. We rode an beginner trail that was beautiful

Wednesday, May 13, 2009 (Whistler)
Patricia and I went out for an easy 2 hour hike around one of the beautiful lakes.

Monday, May 11, 2009
Went to see Doctor again. My lung capacity still hasn't recovered. But now I'm in the 300's. Should be over 400.

Sunday, May 10, 2009
Rode tiger with Fredrika. The climb was tough (3 miles) and I walked part of it. The descent was lovely.

Friday, May 8, 2009
Rode the colonnade with Fredrika, Ann and Karen. I took the new bike (Ventana) and had a great time. It jumps really well (we played on the beginner jump) and then shifted our attention to the upper rock waterfall and another rock drop. I rode both really well and the Ventana handled them really well.

Tuesday, April 30, 2009
Went to see the Doctor. My lung capacity is still really low. about 260 when it should be over 400.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Beaver with Fredrika, had a great ride.

Saturday, April 25, 2009
Rode Pardise with the Luna Chix. bailed after about 45minutes. My lungs were on fire the whole time. Obviously not healed from the Bronchitis

Friday, April 24, 2009
Colonnade with Fredrika

2009-04-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

I think I'm finally getting better. I started on oral steroids on Thursday and they seem to be helping. Today was the second dirt jump clinic. I had hoped to practice much more before this event, but alas I'm been feeling poorly. Nonetheless the clinic went well. I rode off the second drop (for the first time). I also did well on the jumps. We then progressed to a switchback which I rode and then a beginner jump line which I also rode well. My hope is to get one real mountain bike ride in this week and one day at the Colonnade. The downhill bike should be ready by Tuesday, so I still need to figure out how to pick it up. Other than today's clinic, I've been laying low and taking it easy. I'm still trying not to overdo it. The interesting thing about going back to the dr. on Thursday was the lung test (my language). The previous Tuesday I took the test and managed a 260 (it should be over 400 for my age and height). I took it again on Thursday and it was only 300. a little better; but not good enough.

Sick and tired of being sick

2009-04-07T14:57:00.000-07:00

I've been home sick since Thursday. Today I went to the doctor and found out I have bronchitis. I'm now on antibiotics. I'm ready to be well and wanting to ride my bike. I'm hoping I'll be well enough to get a ride in this weekend.

Intervals

2009-03-26T06:16:00.000-07:00

Today's interval workout felt really good. Five 45 second intervals with 1 minute rest.

5.0 (12 minute pace): max HR 153 = 76%

5.5 (10.54 minute pace): Max HR 183 = 91.5%

5.5 (10.54 minute pace): Max HR 186 = 93%

5.5 (10.54 minute pace): Max HR 208 = 104%

5.5 (10.54 minute pace): Max HR 193 = 96.5%

The last interval was only 30 seconds. It made me a little nervous that my HR was going so high. My asthma kicked in on the intervals. I see this as a good thing, because normally I don't workout hard enough on the treadmill or spin bike to spike my asthma. This was a move to 45 second intervals from 30 seconds. I took a few days off of work to just R&R after finals; yesterday was the first day I felt really good.

treadmill run

2009-03-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

Today's run actually felt good. 30 minutes on the treadmill. Average HR about 68%. I forgot to look at distance. I took a few days of vacation just to R&R after finals. I'm feeling pretty good.

2009-03-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

Monday

I met a friend at the worm for a short ride. We rode for 1 hour 15 minutes. The worm is always a good workout. Max (89%) 172; ave (72%) 139 (unfortunately I forgot to turn off my heart rate monitor until 12 minutes after we returned to the car). It was a good ride. I didn't want to over do it since I rode hard on Sunday. The worm is never easy. Lots of twisty trails with short climbs and descents.

also got in an upper body lift.

Mountain biking

2009-03-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday:

Today was the first day, since my last final (wednesday), that I felt human. I've been overly tired and have had a hard time recovering from the push through finals and the hectic work week. I spent a few hours at the spa on Saturday and that helped. Relaxing at a deep level always seems to help my energy level. I also, ordered all my parts for a down hill bike, so I have that off my plate. It will take a couple of weeks before I have the parts...should be a fun bike.

Today I joined 3 other riders out at Lake Sawyer for a mountain bike ride. I worked hard. We rested a bit early on but by the end, we were riding pretty steady. Ave was 76 % of MHR; Max was 89% MHR. The 76% seems low; but this includes any stops we made and we stopped quite a bit early on. When we were riding I was above 85% all the time. We rode for 2 hours 20 minutes. It felt great to be on the bike. My skills were great and I kept up with the rider in front of me. Not bad for early season. I was in the middle chain ring except for climbs.

Friday:

I spent a little over an hour at the Colonnade working on jumping. I was jumping well by the time I left. It has been a couple of weeks since I've been to the park. I really need to go every week.

Done done done

2009-03-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

I finished my last final last night. I have my MBA! I'm done with classes!

Down hill and true love

2009-03-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

I participated in the speedy beaver's down hill women's clinic at Dry Hill in Port Angeles. Ann offered to drive, so Jenn, Marizel, Brandell and I all enjoyed our chauffeur's gracious offer. It took 3.5 hours to get to Dry Hill and another 3.5 hours to get home. I got up at 4:45am and managed to crawl in bed at 10:30pm. I took the Nomad as my preferred bike and joined the beginner group (I didn't want the pressure of trying to keep up). I decided being one of the best in a group was better than being the worst. I think it was a good decision. The first beginner trail we rode (white knuckle) was steep and muddy. I rode most of it. I walked a rock face that I had hoped we would go back and actually ride. There was an eleven year old girl that rode almost everything that I rode...she was awesome. Next was cakewalk (that is not what I would have named it). I had a tough time keeping the Nomad's speed down without locking up wheels; thus there were many times I was riding too fast down some crazy steep and rocky trails.

Our second run was on Limbo, this was more like cross country with some steeps and drops thrown in. The drops were a bit much for my Nomad, so I climbed down them. There were a few long wood bridges that I rode really well. I handled the switch backs well and when we got to the last short steep section I decided riding it had to be better than sliding down with my bike which I did on the first run. So I rode it and had a tough time keeping the bike in control, I almost missed a turn (went over the berm and then back over it again to get back on the trail) still carrying too much speed and almost missed the bridge (rode on the very far left of it). It wasn't fun! I had one fall during the day and it was on this run. I had just come down a steep section and was still carrying a lot of speed. I hit a thick muddy section and my bike slide out from under me. I knew what was happening and just laid the bike down. I came out of it unscathed.

The next run, Brook (our fearless leader) offered to let me ride her brand new Ventana El Cuervo (this was the first day she had the bike). She is definitely my hero after letting me ride her downhill rig. We rode Limbo again. The El Cuervo has 9" of travel and was a pure joy to ride. The amazing thing was it handled the switch backs effortlessly, and the braking was amazing. I could ride the steeps as slow as I wanted. I'm definitely putting bigger rotors on my Nomad! I fell in love with the Ventana bike. The difference between a great all mountain bike (my Nomad) and a true down hill bike was huge. I had originally thought the Nomad would be my Whistler bike, but it is clear that it just isn't enough bike. I felt so much more comfortable and safe on the downhill bike. It was also great to ride a bike that fit me. I wasn't sure that the downhill bikes came small enough for me. I'm looking into ordering this bike (maybe as a graduation present from me).

Our last run we rode Limbo again and I was back on my Nomad. I rode really well on the last run. The El Cuervo had increased my comfort level and I was just riding much better. By the end of the day (we only did four runs which was fine by me) I was really comfortable. I want to go back to Dry Hill but not till I have a downhill bike. The Nomad can handle this stuff, but riding it on a downhill course just increases the risk. I'm better off having more bike under me.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will probably be no workouts as I'm studying every spare moment I have. Thankfully I've managed to study 3 days (4 hours each day) + most of Sunday.

another day with no furnace

2009-03-10T06:46:00.001-07:00

Furnace guy came out last night and got the furnace going again. As he left he said "you should enjoy an evening of warmth" and that is exactly what I had. The furnace was out again this morning. The sucky thing is that if the furnace wasn't on last night, I would have left a space heater and the fireplace on; thus, the house wouldn't be cold this morning.

Today was the first time in over 2 weeks that running hasn't been a struggle. I only got in about 25 minutes + 5 minute warm up. Max heart rate was 163 (81.2%). I don't have a way to record average heart rate on the treadmill. I had a lot of starts and stops so that I could blow my nose; but none the less it felt good to run.

Sunday, March 8

2009-03-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

Cosmos is clingy today. I'm not sure what is up with him! an update on Diana. this has been a tough week. I've had a cold since last weekend but it got really crummy late this week. To add insult to injury, my furnace has been broken since Wednesday. Thankfully I have a gas insert in one of the fire places and a decent space heater. I've been running the gas insert 24 hours a day. It has been keeping the family room about 60 degrees at night and about 64 degrees during the day. The space heater has been shifting between the bedroom at night and the study during the day. So although I'm not toasty warm, I'm not freezing either. I've been dealing with this crummy furnace for 5 years. I had the furnace installed in April 2004 and it has been nothing but trouble. It sounds like the heating company is going to replace it as a lemon! About time!

Workouts: not much. Today I decided to run. I didn't have much energy, so I ended up walking for about an hour. I hope tomorrow is better.

2009-03-03T06:09:00.000-08:00

Today was a spin day. 30 minute spin with a 5 minute warm up. I need to remember to isolate the workout from the warmup-cool down as far as heart rate info goes. Max 78% Ave. 69% (with warm up and cool down). I'm hoping that today is the end of my cold. I came home from work yesterday and crashed for a couple of hours and still slept 7 hours last night...

Monday

2009-03-02T08:08:00.001-08:00

Today was a 30 minute run. I'm struggling with my heart rate monitor on the treadmill. If I wear my polar than the polar and the built in treadmill heart rate monitor differ by 10 bpm. So I'm just using the treadmill on and it doesn't give me averages etc. So I'm trying to stay consistent on the treadmill. So here it is. 30 minutes. 125 average (63%) and 135 max (68%). Pace was 17.08. I felt tired this morning and had to force myself to stay on the treadmill. my mantra was "don't touch those buttons" of course I wanted to push the stop button or at least the down arrow button.

Sunday spin

2009-03-01T11:03:00.000-08:00

Today's workout was a one hour spin. Heart rate: 139 ave (72%). 150 max. (78%). I was feeling a little tired today. I decide since I was not racing and I have a cold, I'd stay indoors.

Saturday run

2009-02-28T14:19:00.000-08:00

Today's run was either suppose to be 35 minutes or 40 minutes. Last weeks LSD run was suppose to be 35 minutes (but I pre-rode the bike race course instead). I decided on the 40 minute run because I seem to do better on longer distances. The run started out difficult. It takes a good 15-20 minutes for me to warm up. Once I was warmed up, I felt really good. 494 calories; 40 minute run 137 (69%) average heart rate; 156 (78%) maximum heart rate. One lap of lake was 27 minutes. Second half of run was at a higher heart rate. 5 minute warm up and 17 minute cool down.

Just working at it!

2009-02-28T12:30:00.000-08:00

This week has been a bit weird. During my Mtn bike race last week, I got a stitch in my side which should be no big deal; it only lasted about 20 minutes. Monday I had some pain in my right side (below the rib cage); but with lots of Aleve to deal with other pain, it didn't bother me much. Tuesday, with less Aleve, it bothered me more. Wednesday on the drive to class my side really started to bother me; and I went home feeling nauseous.

Thursday morning I was still in pain, so I decided I better go see the doc. He didn't know what it was. He said it was either a pulled muscle or gallbladder problems. It didn't totally act like gallbladder issue; but he wanted the gallbladder checked out to make sure. So Friday I went in for an ultrasound; good news, the ultrasound was normal. So today I was back at the doctor's office to hear what the diagnoses is.

I met with a new doctor, since Mr. doc doesn't work on Saturday, and as soon as I said mountain biking she broke out with a wide grin that only another mountain biker could decipher as meaning: Yea I mountain bike too. Since it isn't the gallbladder and I was mountain bike racing last Sunday, She diagnosed it as a pulled muscle and she wants me off the mountain bike for at least another week.

It was great having an athletic doctor. After she told me I should be off the mountain bike for a couple of weeks; she smiled and said that it was up to me. If I race, it means I'll most likely re-injure it and increase the time it takes to heal. It was so obvious she knows the temptation to exercise through an injury. And it was so obvious that she has personally paid the consequences of doing so in the past. She did give me a consolation prize. She said I could do just about anything I want (including road riding) just no Mountain biking. The gig is that with mountain biking you pull a lot on the handle bars (when climbing, when going over obstacles, when just riding). So it looks like I'm not mountain bike racing for a week or so. The good news is that it feels better today.

My plan for this weekend it to run today and road ride tomorrow; and be thankful it is just a pulled muscle!

2009-02-26T08:03:00.000-08:00

I took Monday and Tuesday off (no workouts). Monday I spent the whole day doing homework (nothing like a nice vacation day!) and Tuesday my crazy sleep pattern (bed at 9:00 pm and up at 2:30 or 3:30 am) finally caught up with me. The good thing is that I'm back to sleeping through the night.

Thursday:

I had a nice spin this morning about 5 minute warm up, 35 minute at 72-75% and 2 minute cool down. My legs have been really tight so I spent a 10 minutes stretching once I was done and started with some stretching as well.

Wednesday:

I missed two runs (Sat and Monday) so I decided to start with a Run. My left leg was really tight and I just couldn't get it to quit complaining. My workout was a tired 20 minutes.

First Mountain Bike Race

2009-02-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

Sunday

I iced my arm on Saturday night (for about an hour) and took some Aleve hoping that my arm would be ok for the Ride (see below- Saturday's pre-ride). My arm felt fine (of course with the amount of Aleve I was taking it should feel fine). I've been going to bed at 9:00 pm really tired and Saturday night was no different. I've then been waking up about 3:30 am and this morning it was 2:30 am. I felt fine I just couldn't get back to sleep. I refused to get out of bed and finally around 4:00 am I fell back to sleep to awake at 5:50 am. I've been getting about 7 hours of sleep for a couple of weeks which is light for this girl that is use to sleeping 8 hours. I got one extra surprise I didn't expect; I started my period. At least all the Aleve I was taking for the arm meant that I didn't have cramps! I woke up feeling crummy. I contemplated not racing; but then I immediately thought...quit this silliness you are going to race. I got up and pulled my gear together and grabbed an extra wool jersey for after the ride. I had my usual pre-race breakfast of oatmeal and I actually felt less nervous about this race (I could tell I was less nervous because I usually have a hard time eating before a race). I have a small camel back that was perfect for the race. I filled it with 1 liter of Gatorade (mixed strong) because I was fairly sure I wouldn't get to eat during the race. I ride tubeless tires and I've never had a flat on the mountain bike (the tires have some liquid in them that seals holes as they are made) so I didn't carry a pump nor a spare tube. I did carry a smaller multi-tool and my car keys.

I drank one cup of coffee on the drive to the race to make sure I didn't get a caffeine withdrawl headache. It was raining as I left Issaquah. I was thankful for Ann's instructions the day before. I would never have found the parking lot for the race if she hadn't told us that we were sitting in the middle of it on our bikes the day before. I had never entered the usually locked gate and didn't know it was the race entrance...so thank God for Ann. I arrived a little after 7:30 am for the 8:30 am race. I picked up my number and than visited with friends. There was quite a few people I knew. Fredricka came to race, Ann was there to race, Jill was there to watch her son race and Jerry was there to cheer us on. I decided not to warm up because I was a little nervous about finishing the race; thus I knew the start of the race would be tough. I also ran my inhaler dry last week and when I remembered I needed an inhaler I couldn't find my buddy (she was out warming up) that uses the same inhaler as I do. I made sure my rear shock was in the climbing (pro-petal) position. It was raining so I kept my rain coat on. I put one package of cliff blocks in my pack (which I didn't eat) and I ate one pack of jelly beans 10 minutes before the race.

Lap one:

The beginners began at 8:30 am. First the teenagers, then the men, then us women and then the younger kids. There appeared to be five women in the over 40 age group. Ann and two other women smoked at the starting line and were soon out of sight. It didn't take long for me to be passed by several of the younger kids. The first 15 minutes were pretty tough. I was having trouble breathing and my heart rate was about 88% MHR. I just didn't seem to have any umh. At the 15 minute mark I was feeling better...still not great but better. There was a sharp left turn with a climb over roots that on Saturday the rider before me didn't successfully make and thus I had stopped and not actually ridden. I was ready for it and had shifted into my granny (of course it was at the top of a gradual hill so I had already geared down). I made it over the roots (success # 1). I was overheated. I wish I had not worn my coat (first note to self) nor the very thin skull cap under my helmet (note # 2 to self). I didn't feel like I had much power and the fact that the trail was a bit muddy didn't help because I rode cautiously...I wanted to finish unscathed! My next obstacle was a long hill that I didn't have the power to make even half the way up...so I pushed the bike (I had rode up it on Saturday). My glasses fogged up something terrible so I took them off and put them loose inside my jacket (3rd note to self - don't wear glasses). The next obstacle was a very short but very steep climb. I only made it up half way (I had made it up the day before). Then came the very long climb composed of about 4 or 5 shorter climbs of varying difficulty. I pushed up 2 of these sections. Now we were at the cemetery and I knew the dreaded log was lurking somewhere in front of me. I shifted my rear shock into the neutral position (out of the climbing position). The log was lurking around a bend, I was ready for it and it was no big deal. (success # 2) I must have had trouble with it Saturday because it was a surprise. I was thrilled to be descending and I got some great recovery. I knew a drop was coming and I was able to better decide what part of it to ride down. I found the left side easy to ride (success # 3). By the time I made it to the bottom of the descent I felt really good and felt recovered. The rest of the lap was good. I felt like I had my groove. I was able to do a few of the short climbs in my middle chain ring which meant I kept my speed up and didn't have to work so hard on the climbs. A few of the expert men began to pass; but it was no big deal. Most of them said "on your left" and then I moved over a bit and let them pass (I had been nervous about passing on the trail). They didn't slow me down. Then came the sand hill (I had forgot about it). I didn't have the strength to climb it and ended up pushing up it. In actuality I don't think I have the strength when I'm rested to climb it due to the technical factor of the sand. The final stretch felt great and I was ready to start lap two.

Lap two:

I noticed my heart rate was lower in the second lap. It was hovering around 85%. I wasn't pushing but I was doing what I could. I made it up 3/4 of the long climb (success # 4) next thing I knew I was at the short steep climb which I didn't make for the second time. Then came the long hill made of 4-5 hills. I made it up all of them (success # 5). Then came an off camber muddy section that I had to walk on lap one. As I was riding the off camber section I tried to keep my speed up; as I was exiting off the section my rear wheel gave and slide 6" or so to the right (down the hill)...I was able to ride the slide out and didn't even miss a heart-beat (success # 5). The cemetery was a cinch as was the log and the drop. Ann said that we (a little heavier riders with good skills) pick up time on the technical and the down hills because many of the mountain bike racer don't ride technical trail features and don't descend well. I was well recovered again by the end of the descent. I found myself working the bike and taking advantage of small short down hill sections. I was able to push my bike down the small declines and take advantage of the rewarding extra speed the maneuver gave me for making it up the small inclines. Next came the berms. I rode them ok the first lap; but this time I rode in the middle of the berm and let speed the berm built up propel me out of the corner. (success # six). I was glad I had my odometer on the bike and knew exactly how far I had left to go. I knew I was at the end and I started pedaling harder only to see the sand hill in front of me. I had used up too much energy and didn't have much energy to try to ride the hill. Once I made it up the sand hill, I was on the home stretch and I rode hard to the finish line where Ann, Jerry and Jill were all cheering.

Stats:

Place: 4th out of 5 riders in my category (I came in 5.5 minutes before the last rider). Ride time 1:20. Ave heart rate 164 (85%). max heart rate 174. (90%). total of 1045 Kcal. Ascent 480. 45 degrees out. Ave speed 5.9. max speed 14.3. Distance 8.50 miles. The best time in my class was around 52 minutes. Ann who is entering her 3rd season of mountain bike racing and also races cyclocross (although she didn't race cyclocross this season) was about 56 minutes (3rd place).

I'd love to be under an hour by the end of the summer. I liked the course. It was hard; but much of the difficulty was that I'm not in good shape. Also I wasn't able to hold a high heart rate; but that will come with time and it is very early as the season goes.

Saturday - Pre-ride

Ann offered to take several of us new racers out to pre-ride the race course. I immediately said yes to the invitation. The course was at South SeaTac and the trails were not marked. I was impressed that Ann knew the course so well. She graciously pointed out important information and helped us to anticipate what was to come. This was invaluable! I managed to get surprised by a log that was around a bend and decided to ride over it. I made it over the log; but managed to pull something in my left arm. My Left arm hurt for the rest of the ride. I was nervous that it might keep me from racing on Sunday. I was also surprised by the amount of climbing on the course and by a few of the technical trail features (the log and then a drop that followed a ways down the trail from the log). The course was tougher than I thought it would be; so I was really glad I got to pre-ride the course. Used Kcal 844. Temperature was 44 degrees. Ave speed 5.8. max speed 14.6. Distance 4.9. Ride time 1 hour 20 minutes for one lap (including chat time and stopping which there was a lot of). The actual ride time was 1 hour for one lap). Ave Heart Rate 142 (74%) Max heart rate 180. (93%).

Didn't get my run in because I wasn't feel well after the ride and I didn't have time. My rear derailer decided to give me trouble on the pre-ride so I did tweaked it some. It still didn't work great but at least I had my granny gear.

Friday

Friday was a spin day. Ave heart rate was 119 (62%) which sounds low until one remembers warm up and cool down. Next time I'll remember to hit the lap button after I've warmed up; max heart rate was 148. (77%) total of 34 minutes. 241 Kcal. I was feeling a bit tired and I started the workout at 4:30 am since I'm waking up early (an hour before my alarm) these days.

getting the hang of intervals

2009-02-19T06:12:00.000-08:00

This morning was the first day for real intervals. It is going to take a while to get use to these on the treadmill. I did 6 intervals (1m/30s). My heart rate didn't really elevate that high, but I think it is because with a 30 sec run the heart rate monitor doesn't keep up. Ran at a 4.5 (little over a 13 minute mile). My legs complained a bit...a little bit of pain on the front of the legs. I think it is my legs getting use to it. Other than that I felt good...especially after a rest day yesterday.