Literally. And mentally.
Where did I ride? here
Ride Stats:
Total Distance: 65.77 km (40.9 mi)
Moving Time: 3:00:34
Average Moving Speed: 21.85 km/h (13.6 mi/h)
Max Speed: 52.20 km/h (32.4 mi/h)
Elevation Gain: 910 m (2986 ft)
The Ride:
I'm just going to put it bluntly - this ride was terrible. It was slightly chilly and on the verge of rain with some misting throughout. My legs felt heavy and useless. I felt like this was the worst ride I have ever ridden - though I ended up being surprised by my stats - average moving speed of 13.6 mph is NOT BAD at all!
This was a huge milestone for me - I've never ridden 40 miles before - not only did it feel like a long ride, but it was literally the longest ride of my life. I rode with C, L, and D for the whole ride - it was great riding with them. They are so positive and we kept a good pace because we had each other. When it got tough at the end we all worked together to make sure we were all successful in finishing the ride.
Talking with M after the ride, while she was in a group well ahead of us, she had a similar situation, seems like it was just a tough day to ride.
Looking forward to Thursday - hoping to have an uneventful, fantastic Thursday night ride.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Thursday Night Ride - A Mess!
I have no stats from this ride. I got stuck in terrible traffic and JUST made it to the ride. At each stop light along the way I was looking for things I could prep to be ready for the ride. The first red light I put on my biking gloves. The second red light I took my pants off - I don't make a habit of walking around in just spandex. The third red light I put on my left cycling shoe. And so on...I almost put on my helmet but figured that might be taking it a little far. When I arrived I was in such a hurry that I forgot to start My Tracks. It was probably better that way.
The ride started off okay, but then my bike started ghost shifting a LOT. To the point where I was riding alone - at the end of the pack just waiting for the first loop to be over because it was time to bail. I wasn't getting a good work out, it wasn't fun, and I was getting just plain frustrated. I caught up to the group at the end of the first loop and told G I was going to head back. He asked why and I explained my shifting issues. He put his bike to the side and started working on my bike...he was twisting and tightening things and just as he was almost done L, C, C, L & D showed up. I had thought they were ahead of me! G ended up fixing my shifting issues and we were off for the second loop. Oh it was so night to ride CORRECTLY! No ghost shifting, no turned seat. It was great.
The ride started off okay, but then my bike started ghost shifting a LOT. To the point where I was riding alone - at the end of the pack just waiting for the first loop to be over because it was time to bail. I wasn't getting a good work out, it wasn't fun, and I was getting just plain frustrated. I caught up to the group at the end of the first loop and told G I was going to head back. He asked why and I explained my shifting issues. He put his bike to the side and started working on my bike...he was twisting and tightening things and just as he was almost done L, C, C, L & D showed up. I had thought they were ahead of me! G ended up fixing my shifting issues and we were off for the second loop. Oh it was so night to ride CORRECTLY! No ghost shifting, no turned seat. It was great.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Beyond Six Flags - Group Training Ride
Where did I ride? here
Ride Stats:
Total Distance: 57.45 km (35.7 mi)
Moving Time: 2:42:43
Average Moving Speed: 21.18 km/h (13.2 mi/h)
Max Speed: 52.23 km/h (32.5 mi/h)
Elevation Gain: 908 m (2981 ft)
Max Grade: 9 %
Min Grade: -11 %
The Ride:
The focus of this ride was to ride with a group and maintain a pace. I rode with L and C and along the way we picked up K. We focused on pacelining and the pace was great. For me, I was personally trying to keep a solid pace - not going in bursts as I have in the past. This proved harder than I thought - there were times i wanted to go faster, and times I wanted to go slower. There was a hill at the end I almost didn't make it up - but thank goodness C was there to provide some encouraging words.
We did have one minor accident along the ride, there was a quick stop/slowdown from the paceline and we had a rider fall to the curb and on to the sidewalk. This is a possibility when riding in a paceline and that's why it's so important to communicate.
Also - my bike started ghost shifting at times - I'll have to have that looked at this week. Looking forward to Thursday as I hope to make the Thursday night ride!
Ride Stats:
Total Distance: 57.45 km (35.7 mi)
Moving Time: 2:42:43
Average Moving Speed: 21.18 km/h (13.2 mi/h)
Max Speed: 52.23 km/h (32.5 mi/h)
Elevation Gain: 908 m (2981 ft)
Max Grade: 9 %
Min Grade: -11 %
The Ride:
The focus of this ride was to ride with a group and maintain a pace. I rode with L and C and along the way we picked up K. We focused on pacelining and the pace was great. For me, I was personally trying to keep a solid pace - not going in bursts as I have in the past. This proved harder than I thought - there were times i wanted to go faster, and times I wanted to go slower. There was a hill at the end I almost didn't make it up - but thank goodness C was there to provide some encouraging words.
We did have one minor accident along the ride, there was a quick stop/slowdown from the paceline and we had a rider fall to the curb and on to the sidewalk. This is a possibility when riding in a paceline and that's why it's so important to communicate.
Also - my bike started ghost shifting at times - I'll have to have that looked at this week. Looking forward to Thursday as I hope to make the Thursday night ride!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
St. Patrick's Day Ride!!
Where did I ride? here
Ride Stats:
Total Distance: 33.24 km (20.7 mi)
Moving Time: 1:32:16
Average Moving Speed: 21.61 km/h (13.4 mi/h)
Max Speed: 45.04 km/h (28.0 mi/h)
Elevation Gain: 448 m (1470 ft)
Max Grade: 9 %
Min Grade: -8 %
The Ride:
Woohoo!! I'm so glad I was able to make the first midweek Brookhaven ride. I was even a little early - this gives me hope that I'll be able to make it in the future. As we were waiting to get going, my bike fell over while it was leaned up against the car....no biggie, picked it up, got on it, started the ride. About halfway into it my back on my left side really started to hurt, so did my left quad and hip flexor. I chalked it up to not working out in the morning since the time change, I haven't been able to get my lazy butt out of bed in the morning.
When we almost had the parking lot in sight, meaning we were super dooper close to the end, one of the coaches asked me if my seat was turned...and then it clicked - my bike had fallen over. I looked down and sure enough my seat was not straight, it was angled to the left - thus causing my back and leg pain. I'm a terrible symptom noticer.
Anyway- the ride was still pretty good, the weather was absolutely fantastic! Sun was out, mid-to-low 70s - perfecto! It was also great to see some familiar faces - M was there (of course - yay!), L, D, C....all good eggs. We all stayed to eat and have a beer after the ride - it was a lot of fun.
I hope I can make it next week!
Ride Stats:
Total Distance: 33.24 km (20.7 mi)
Moving Time: 1:32:16
Average Moving Speed: 21.61 km/h (13.4 mi/h)
Max Speed: 45.04 km/h (28.0 mi/h)
Elevation Gain: 448 m (1470 ft)
Max Grade: 9 %
Min Grade: -8 %
The Ride:
Woohoo!! I'm so glad I was able to make the first midweek Brookhaven ride. I was even a little early - this gives me hope that I'll be able to make it in the future. As we were waiting to get going, my bike fell over while it was leaned up against the car....no biggie, picked it up, got on it, started the ride. About halfway into it my back on my left side really started to hurt, so did my left quad and hip flexor. I chalked it up to not working out in the morning since the time change, I haven't been able to get my lazy butt out of bed in the morning.
When we almost had the parking lot in sight, meaning we were super dooper close to the end, one of the coaches asked me if my seat was turned...and then it clicked - my bike had fallen over. I looked down and sure enough my seat was not straight, it was angled to the left - thus causing my back and leg pain. I'm a terrible symptom noticer.
Anyway- the ride was still pretty good, the weather was absolutely fantastic! Sun was out, mid-to-low 70s - perfecto! It was also great to see some familiar faces - M was there (of course - yay!), L, D, C....all good eggs. We all stayed to eat and have a beer after the ride - it was a lot of fun.
I hope I can make it next week!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Team in Training Journey Quilt - 2011
The quilt is almost done - all that's left is to finish putting on the binding so I think it's time to start the quilt raffle!!
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| Just started putting the binding on! |
This is my second quilt EVER(!) and I'm extremely proud of it! The colors represent the Team in Training colors and I thought the pattern would appeal to almost everyone. I found the winding path pattern extremely symbolic and applicable to many areas in life. It also fit quite literally with the 100 mile bike journey I'll be biking on June 5th!
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| Quilt in progress! |
Donate now to help raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society AND get chances to win the quilt!
$5 - 1 Chance
$25 - 6 Chances
$50 - 15 Chances
$100 - 50 Chances
If you've already donated and would like your donation to be applied to chances to the quilt, just indicate in a comment!
The drawing will be held on Saturday May 28th.
Silk Sheets - Group Training Ride
Where did I ride: here
Ride Stats:
Total Distance: 56.60 km (35.2 mi)
Moving Time: 2:32:12
Average Moving Speed: 22.31 km/h (13.9 mi/h)
Max Speed: 54.00 km/h (33.6 mi/h)
Elevation Gain: 771 m (2530 ft)
The Ride:
The ride on Saturday was fantastic! It started off a little chilly - I was able to shed some layers at our SAG stop. I rode with M & D for the first half of the ride. We worked on riding in a pace line for a little and then spent the rest of the time chatting. We ended up spending a decent amount of time at the SAG stop because D had a flat tire and he was able to patch it. This was good to watch as I have never had to patch a tire.
The second half of the ride was pretty great too, K is one of the coaches and she joined our group. When she was leading the paceline we were FLYING, it was really hard to keep up with her - in fact, I could not. She slowed up and then we rode a more manageable pace.
I felt great after the ride - I also manged to figure out how to program the location of the church at Silk Sheets into my car so I don't have to look up directions every time - yay technology!
Ride Stats:
Total Distance: 56.60 km (35.2 mi)
Moving Time: 2:32:12
Average Moving Speed: 22.31 km/h (13.9 mi/h)
Max Speed: 54.00 km/h (33.6 mi/h)
Elevation Gain: 771 m (2530 ft)
The Ride:
The ride on Saturday was fantastic! It started off a little chilly - I was able to shed some layers at our SAG stop. I rode with M & D for the first half of the ride. We worked on riding in a pace line for a little and then spent the rest of the time chatting. We ended up spending a decent amount of time at the SAG stop because D had a flat tire and he was able to patch it. This was good to watch as I have never had to patch a tire.
The second half of the ride was pretty great too, K is one of the coaches and she joined our group. When she was leading the paceline we were FLYING, it was really hard to keep up with her - in fact, I could not. She slowed up and then we rode a more manageable pace.
I felt great after the ride - I also manged to figure out how to program the location of the church at Silk Sheets into my car so I don't have to look up directions every time - yay technology!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Quilt Journey is Almost Complete!
Since that last quilt post I have added the white border to the quilt, I also created the back of the quilt. I hope it would be all green but I apparently didn't do the math right so I added some purple blocks on the back.
After that, it was time to quilt! I layered the backing, batting and top of the quilt. I choose to stitch in the ditch around the zigzag "journey" line on the front. I forgot how difficult that can be when working with a lot of fabric. This is only my second quilt, so I haven't figured out all the best practices yet.
After I quilted the top zigzag, I went around the quilt and stitched in the ditch of the white border.
Next step is to trim the edges and add the binding!
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| Quilt backing |
After that, it was time to quilt! I layered the backing, batting and top of the quilt. I choose to stitch in the ditch around the zigzag "journey" line on the front. I forgot how difficult that can be when working with a lot of fabric. This is only my second quilt, so I haven't figured out all the best practices yet.
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| Quilting a lot of fabric on a small machine can be...interesting |
After I quilted the top zigzag, I went around the quilt and stitched in the ditch of the white border.
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| Quilting complete! |
Next step is to trim the edges and add the binding!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Slippery When Wet - Group Training Ride
Where did I ride: here
Ride Stats: (They're back!! My Tracks updated and the stats appear correct!)
Total Distance: 47.01 km (29.2 mi)
Moving Time: 2:09:16
Average Moving Speed: 21.82 km/h (13.6 mi/h)
Max Speed: 53.10 km/h (33.0 mi/h)
Elevation Gain: 627 m (2058 ft)
Falls: 0!
The Ride:
Well, I did not want to ride this morning. I could hear the rain pouring down when I woke up and I had to wake up early because the ride start was about an hour away. I was one of the first to arrive, which had me wondering if I was crazy for coming out in this weather. Today wasn't as cold as it was last time we rode in the rain - so we had that going for us. I was prepared, so I thought, I brought a lighter but more waterproof wind breaker and I had several Publix plastic bags to wrap my feet in before putting them in my shoes. This is supposed to help keep your feet dry-ish and keep the wind out too.
The ride started out very wet. It was a steady rain, and not being used to riding in the rain, I'm not used to making sure I'm the correct distance from the person in front of me so they don't spray me with their tire water. I'm glad I had my glasses, I switched out the lenses to have the clear ones, hoping that would work for blocking some of the rain in my eyes. It did, but they also fogged up a lot - which was kind of a pain. At one point, there was so much water from both the sky and the back tire of the person in front of me, that I felt it actually running down my tights and into the bags that were supposed to be keep my footsies dry. Oh well.
I rode with a new group today, S, L and C - it was a great pace. I think the rain really motivated us to go faster - I'm pretty happy with my average speed. We reached the SAG stop, which was about 15 miles into the ride, and it felt like we reached it really quickly. The rain had stopped and even though I was wet, I felt pretty good. I'm guessing that it was about 10 miles after the SAG stop whent the rain started again - pretty hard too. We had met back up with the group that left before us at the SAG and we rode very fast back to Publix.
At the end of the ride, despite not being able to feel my feet, learning that my windbreaker was in fact NOT waterproof, and being soaked and snotty from the cold rain, I felt great! 30-ish miles with an average speed of 13.6 mph - AWESOME. I wonder how much of that was motivation from the rain, and how much is actually getting better at cycling. Either way, I'll take it!
I may have felt great - but my bike on the other hand, is going to need a good wash. Good thing we had a bike cleaning clinic last GTR.
Tomorrow it is supposed to rain again. Because of this, I'm pretty sure I won't be riding in the rain again. Once in a weekend is enough for me. Tomorrow I will either set up the trainer and bike in the basement or head to the Y for a spin class.
Ride Stats: (They're back!! My Tracks updated and the stats appear correct!)
Total Distance: 47.01 km (29.2 mi)
Moving Time: 2:09:16
Average Moving Speed: 21.82 km/h (13.6 mi/h)
Max Speed: 53.10 km/h (33.0 mi/h)
Elevation Gain: 627 m (2058 ft)
Falls: 0!
The Ride:
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| Action shot of rain on my sunroof |
The ride started out very wet. It was a steady rain, and not being used to riding in the rain, I'm not used to making sure I'm the correct distance from the person in front of me so they don't spray me with their tire water. I'm glad I had my glasses, I switched out the lenses to have the clear ones, hoping that would work for blocking some of the rain in my eyes. It did, but they also fogged up a lot - which was kind of a pain. At one point, there was so much water from both the sky and the back tire of the person in front of me, that I felt it actually running down my tights and into the bags that were supposed to be keep my footsies dry. Oh well.
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| Post ride shot - in case you can't tell, I'm SOAKED! |
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| Gloves CAN dub as socks if the ones you have are soaked and you forgot dry ones. |
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| Bike sludge - my bike now needs a bath |
Tomorrow it is supposed to rain again. Because of this, I'm pretty sure I won't be riding in the rain again. Once in a weekend is enough for me. Tomorrow I will either set up the trainer and bike in the basement or head to the Y for a spin class.
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