A legendary fail.
You may recall that back on New Years Eve, the Great Appendix Escape occurred. While I wasn't out of commission for too long, I did have to take it easy on my body for a month or more.
A month or more. Of not working out. Of getting out of the routine.
I went eased back with Gentle Yoga classes for a while, then graduated back into my regular Yoga Renew.
I started cycling in February, with a goal of cycling 1000 miles this year.
But really, it was nothing like my 4-5x weekly workouts. A mix of early-morning Dance Dance Revolution and Wednesday night Yoga and cycling evenings or weekends or mornings or whenever the weather allowed. My yoga multi-class card ran out before our vacation in Mid-April, and I haven't bought a new one yet. When Able-Bodied Boy is out of town, yoga is more difficult to get to. My work schedule changed and I have less time in the mornings to workout.
The only bright spot is that I have started jogging again, with Bella. It's a quick workout in the morning, and Bella could sure use the exercise too. I am up to about 1.5 miles, without walking breaks, and hope to get that up to 3.5 miles by the end of the year. But I can't get too serious about it, due to a minor case of pigment dispersion syndrome. But I'm going to do as much as I feel is reasonable this year and check back with the eye doctor to see if things are looking any worse.
Able-Bodied Boy's schedule changes soon, and he'll be up quite early in the mornings. I'm hoping I can start rolling out of bed when he does (5a!), to beat the summer heat and get out on the road (foot or pedal) before work. (But 5a? Really? Should I be more realistic about this?)
I have a lot of plans for cycling events this year. The Get Ready Metric tomorrow, I hope; The DoubleCross; the Shorefire Century; the Jersey Devil Century; Bike to the Bay; and the Savage Century. But I have not really been training all that hard and still only have a hundred or so miles on my bike for the year. Even all these put together (doing anywhere from 30-75 miles per ride, at a major stretch of my abilities, based on their offerings) is only 400 miles.
How do you get your butt in gear when you're a girl with very little willpower, who'd rather come home to a gin & tonic and a relaxing evening than change into workout clothes? Whose self-bribing is undermined as often as possible?
(And don't even asked if I've hopped on the scale in the last six months... I'm sure it's not a pretty number and I'm too scared to look.)
Any suggestions?
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
Showing posts with label working out: cycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label working out: cycling. Show all posts
Friday, June 1, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
lookie over there!! --->
Just did my first cycling ride of the year :) And updated my odometer over there on the right...
I'm sooooo out of shape, but the weather was beautiful and Able-Bodied Boy was nice enough to prep my bike and my boss was nice enough to let me leave work early and OH MY GOD did that feel good.
1000+, here I come!
How have you been making the most of the early spring weather?
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
I'm sooooo out of shape, but the weather was beautiful and Able-Bodied Boy was nice enough to prep my bike and my boss was nice enough to let me leave work early and OH MY GOD did that feel good.
1000+, here I come!
How have you been making the most of the early spring weather?
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
2012 cycling goal(ish)
Ok, I will admit I have not even started to calculate how many miles I did last year. (But I will before this post is done, cuz now I'm really curious).
But I'm thinking maybe, just maybe, I could cycle 1000 miles this year.
So let's say I get back on the bike for my morning rides of 10 miles. Let's say I start in April and go through October (same months I rode last year), averaging 3 morning rides each week. 3 rides times 30 weeks times 10 miles equals 900 miles. Ok, fabulous! Let's go!
But let's be honest. There are hot days and cold days and sick days and rainy days. So maybe I really only get 600 miles in on morning rides. 400 miles to go.
Well, we've got Bike to the Bay, which I'm DETERMINED to do this year for the 75 miles (will you support my fundraising efforts in August and September??). Maybe even 100. So that's 300-325 to go.
I was breezing through 30-mile rides by the fall, so let's say I can pick those back up without a long build-up period. 325 miles would only take 10 rides.
But we all know I'll push it and try to do some solo and group riding in the 40-50 mile range. One of those each month, for even just 6 months... that more than covers my goal.
And we're heading to a Bike Swap event with Able-Bodied Brother next week, where I hope to find some cheap cold-weather cycling gear. Then I can start earlier in the spring (heck, maybe even this winter, as mild as the weather has been) and ride late into the fall!
So, in looking at last year's log (because I wasn't smart enough to write the starting/finishing mileage from my cycle computer), I think I managed to get in nearly 700 miles last year. Not bad! Let's see if I can beat that and then some in 2012!
Any fun goals for yourself this year?
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
But I'm thinking maybe, just maybe, I could cycle 1000 miles this year.
So let's say I get back on the bike for my morning rides of 10 miles. Let's say I start in April and go through October (same months I rode last year), averaging 3 morning rides each week. 3 rides times 30 weeks times 10 miles equals 900 miles. Ok, fabulous! Let's go!
But let's be honest. There are hot days and cold days and sick days and rainy days. So maybe I really only get 600 miles in on morning rides. 400 miles to go.
Well, we've got Bike to the Bay, which I'm DETERMINED to do this year for the 75 miles (will you support my fundraising efforts in August and September??). Maybe even 100. So that's 300-325 to go.
I was breezing through 30-mile rides by the fall, so let's say I can pick those back up without a long build-up period. 325 miles would only take 10 rides.
But we all know I'll push it and try to do some solo and group riding in the 40-50 mile range. One of those each month, for even just 6 months... that more than covers my goal.
And we're heading to a Bike Swap event with Able-Bodied Brother next week, where I hope to find some cheap cold-weather cycling gear. Then I can start earlier in the spring (heck, maybe even this winter, as mild as the weather has been) and ride late into the fall!
So, in looking at last year's log (because I wasn't smart enough to write the starting/finishing mileage from my cycle computer), I think I managed to get in nearly 700 miles last year. Not bad! Let's see if I can beat that and then some in 2012!
Any fun goals for yourself this year?
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
Sunday, October 23, 2011
lessons from the savage 40
"They don't call it The Savage for nuthin'"
Any other tips from experience for me to take into next training season?
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
ps. my scalp is doused in tea tree oil and wrapped in a towel. it burns, but i've read it could help alleviate the flakes for a while. will post about that soon!
- Endurance vs Tolerance. When training for a big event, I thought my biggest hurdle would be my body and it's endurance. But really, it was endurance of the mind - or tolerance, as I call it - that was the greatest lesson. Several days after the event, I went to my usual yoga class. Normally, I struggle a bit in some poses, take easier variations if my muscles are feeling weak or tired, and only push as far as I think I can go. But this week, I got into those challenging, muscle-aching poses and gave myself a mental *shrug* - the pain will end at some point! Rather than punking out, I knew that my endurance was much more than I ever knew, and my tolerance for the mental and physical pain was much higher too. I was actually sore after yoga, because I actually pushed myself further than I had in a very long time.
- Chipotle is heaven. My brother introduced me to the one near his place, as he would go there after triathalons to gain back all his calories. A couple of weeks ago, when we all went to DC for a day of cycling and sightseeing, we went afterwards. And last week, we accidentally discovered one near the ride and I just could not help myself. Best. Burritos. Ever.
- Ice. Able-Bodied Brother talks about icing his muscles after an event or major training. I had never felt the need, never had muscle cramps or felt bad after my training rides, so I always just shrugged this off. After we got home last week, I took my shower and then had a little nap. When I got out of bed, I was in so much anguish. Not targeted pain, or cramping, but just overall muscle fatigue and aching. After 15 minutes of moaning and groaning, I finally decided a cold bath could not possibly be any more horribly painful than what I was already experiencing. Damn, was that water cold and awful. But three minutes later, I could walk and had no aches or fatigue any more. Who knew? Oh, wait, my brother. Gotta listen to him more often.
- The Savage 60. This time next year, I'll be ready ;)
Any other tips from experience for me to take into next training season?
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
ps. my scalp is doused in tea tree oil and wrapped in a towel. it burns, but i've read it could help alleviate the flakes for a while. will post about that soon!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
a view fro.. *huff huff huff*...m the top
I survived!!!! In numbers...
The Good
44.7 miles
3:49:30 time on bike
Average speed 11.6mph
Max speed 31.7mph
~3000 vertical feet of climbing
6th ride on my new bike (photos below!)
0 Dismounted walk-ups (awesome considering I have been known to walk in the past!)
11 mile mark (post-detour): was welcomed to join a group of men, who all stayed together until mile 19
1 Able-Bodied Boy meeting me at each checkpoint
1 Chipotle burrito afterwards!
The Bad
0 partners in crime to ride with, talk to, motivate/be motivated by, struggle alongside
20-30mph winds, in the face for most of the first 20 miles
1 Chain jump
2 episodes of tears welling up (did you not read the !!3000!! feet of climbing and !!20-30!! mph winds???)
5 mile mark: already winded
11 mile mark: got diverted for 1.5 miles with other confused riders
25 mile mark: almost gave up
The Ugly
7:00a - my phone thinks it is 1969 (aka, no 3G service, rendering it useless at mile 11 when we were lost and could have used a map)
2:00p - on the way home, we stop by Verizon and they need to wipe the phone to fix it. Ugh.
Ok, so maybe, in the moment, my phone being out of service was not the worst part of my day. When you crest a steep hill at 5mph, looking forward to the downward slide and rest of coasting at 25mph, and the 30mph winds mean you fight to go 6mph down the hill.... that's when you want to quit. But I guess the ride was a bit like childbirth... you forget much of the pain after you make it to the end.
Let me put this in perspective. The biggest hill in my county, "Burden Hill", is 90 vft of climbing. Based on that, I'd guesstimate that my 40mile ride two weeks ago was probably about 300-400 vft of climbing total. Do you remember the number for yesterday? Yup, 3000. 3000. After the first 5-10 miles, I had already done all the climbing I could have possibly ever done in a single route in my area. And I still had 30miles to go, further into the hilly countryside. Tears. Do you blame me?
Basically, I went from 5mph up the hills to 25mph down the hills. All. Day. Long. With 20-30mph winds coming from the front and the sides. Which means, when you're going 25mph down a hill, and the winds are, say, 20mph in your face, it whips you around a bit. Being on a new bike, with skinnier tires than I've ever ridden on before, I felt very unstable. Add concern about road debris (winds = leaves and nuts and sticks) which is sitting in filtered, shady sunlight (is that shadow a rock or a hole or just a shadow?!?!?), and memories of my August accident (and the scars and still-remaining knobs on my leg and chin), and other riders who don't call "on your left" and would rather just show up unexpectedly in your field of vision, and sharp curves in the road (15mph speed limit?!?! I'm going 25!!!!), and cars that may at any moment overtake/pass or come around a curve in front of you.... it was pretty much sheer terror for that first 25 miles to the checkpoint. Tears.
Ok granted, I only welled up twice. The rest of the time I was too distracted. But on those rare flats where you can go 10mph (normally 15+, but there's all that wind, ya know?), you begin to reflect on just how fucking stupid you think this whole idea was. By the time I got to the checkpoint, I knew for sure that I wasn't going to attempt the 60mile route. That additional 20miles would have added another 1500 vft of climbing, half of which would be continuing into the wind. Nope. Sorry. And I even questioned my ability to finish the rest of the 40. But I rested and got enough of a boost from Able-Bodied Boy, texting friends, and one of my rider buddies, that I figured the last half would be mostly downhill, and mostly with the wind at my back (or sides, but at least not in my face).
I was right, and even the first 10 miles of the 19 back were mostly down and mostly without any wind issues. I saw hardly any other riders (save the groups that offered to help when my chain jumped) and hardly any other vehicles. It was peaceful, without any navigational issues, and only a few wicked hills (including one in a wind tunnel, which I promptly cursed).
So, all in all, I survived, thanks to the support (in spirit) of friends and Able-Bodied Boy sticking around to help see me through. 40miles of the Savage Century, whew! Next year, I want to do other rides. I would love to do the 75mile Bike to the Bay (as originally planned), which is all flat/downhill. Able-Bodied Boy has his eye on some routes in our area (browsing them as I type, in fact). And I may try the 60miles of the Savage.
Until then, the cycling season is over and it's back to Dance Dance Revolution to keep my legs in shape over the winter months.
What hills have you conquered lately?
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
ps. i learned a lot about pre-, post-, and during nutrition and body-care. i'll have to share that at some point!
The Good
44.7 miles
3:49:30 time on bike
Average speed 11.6mph
Max speed 31.7mph
~3000 vertical feet of climbing
6th ride on my new bike (photos below!)
0 Dismounted walk-ups (awesome considering I have been known to walk in the past!)
11 mile mark (post-detour): was welcomed to join a group of men, who all stayed together until mile 19
1 Able-Bodied Boy meeting me at each checkpoint
1 Chipotle burrito afterwards!
The Bad
0 partners in crime to ride with, talk to, motivate/be motivated by, struggle alongside
20-30mph winds, in the face for most of the first 20 miles
1 Chain jump
2 episodes of tears welling up (did you not read the !!3000!! feet of climbing and !!20-30!! mph winds???)
5 mile mark: already winded
11 mile mark: got diverted for 1.5 miles with other confused riders
25 mile mark: almost gave up
The Ugly
7:00a - my phone thinks it is 1969 (aka, no 3G service, rendering it useless at mile 11 when we were lost and could have used a map)
2:00p - on the way home, we stop by Verizon and they need to wipe the phone to fix it. Ugh.
Ok, so maybe, in the moment, my phone being out of service was not the worst part of my day. When you crest a steep hill at 5mph, looking forward to the downward slide and rest of coasting at 25mph, and the 30mph winds mean you fight to go 6mph down the hill.... that's when you want to quit. But I guess the ride was a bit like childbirth... you forget much of the pain after you make it to the end.
Let me put this in perspective. The biggest hill in my county, "Burden Hill", is 90 vft of climbing. Based on that, I'd guesstimate that my 40mile ride two weeks ago was probably about 300-400 vft of climbing total. Do you remember the number for yesterday? Yup, 3000. 3000. After the first 5-10 miles, I had already done all the climbing I could have possibly ever done in a single route in my area. And I still had 30miles to go, further into the hilly countryside. Tears. Do you blame me?
Basically, I went from 5mph up the hills to 25mph down the hills. All. Day. Long. With 20-30mph winds coming from the front and the sides. Which means, when you're going 25mph down a hill, and the winds are, say, 20mph in your face, it whips you around a bit. Being on a new bike, with skinnier tires than I've ever ridden on before, I felt very unstable. Add concern about road debris (winds = leaves and nuts and sticks) which is sitting in filtered, shady sunlight (is that shadow a rock or a hole or just a shadow?!?!?), and memories of my August accident (and the scars and still-remaining knobs on my leg and chin), and other riders who don't call "on your left" and would rather just show up unexpectedly in your field of vision, and sharp curves in the road (15mph speed limit?!?! I'm going 25!!!!), and cars that may at any moment overtake/pass or come around a curve in front of you.... it was pretty much sheer terror for that first 25 miles to the checkpoint. Tears.
Ok granted, I only welled up twice. The rest of the time I was too distracted. But on those rare flats where you can go 10mph (normally 15+, but there's all that wind, ya know?), you begin to reflect on just how fucking stupid you think this whole idea was. By the time I got to the checkpoint, I knew for sure that I wasn't going to attempt the 60mile route. That additional 20miles would have added another 1500 vft of climbing, half of which would be continuing into the wind. Nope. Sorry. And I even questioned my ability to finish the rest of the 40. But I rested and got enough of a boost from Able-Bodied Boy, texting friends, and one of my rider buddies, that I figured the last half would be mostly downhill, and mostly with the wind at my back (or sides, but at least not in my face).
I was right, and even the first 10 miles of the 19 back were mostly down and mostly without any wind issues. I saw hardly any other riders (save the groups that offered to help when my chain jumped) and hardly any other vehicles. It was peaceful, without any navigational issues, and only a few wicked hills (including one in a wind tunnel, which I promptly cursed).
So, all in all, I survived, thanks to the support (in spirit) of friends and Able-Bodied Boy sticking around to help see me through. 40miles of the Savage Century, whew! Next year, I want to do other rides. I would love to do the 75mile Bike to the Bay (as originally planned), which is all flat/downhill. Able-Bodied Boy has his eye on some routes in our area (browsing them as I type, in fact). And I may try the 60miles of the Savage.
Until then, the cycling season is over and it's back to Dance Dance Revolution to keep my legs in shape over the winter months.
What hills have you conquered lately?
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
ps. i learned a lot about pre-, post-, and during nutrition and body-care. i'll have to share that at some point!
Friday, October 14, 2011
the savage
This time tomorrow, I'll either be limping the last few miles into a 60-mile finish, or I'll be scarfing some fajitas after a 40-miler.
I'm scared. I'm nervous. I'm pumped. I'm prepared. And I'm probably a bit unprepared.
Will post all about the event, and the journey to get there over the last couple months, when I have recovered this weekend :)
Anything big going on with you this weekend? You could always join Able-Bodied Boy to cheer me on at the Nottingham PA pit stop!
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
I'm scared. I'm nervous. I'm pumped. I'm prepared. And I'm probably a bit unprepared.
Will post all about the event, and the journey to get there over the last couple months, when I have recovered this weekend :)
Anything big going on with you this weekend? You could always join Able-Bodied Boy to cheer me on at the Nottingham PA pit stop!
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
Thursday, June 16, 2011
the state of the body
Well, there haven't been too many posts about weight loss or working out lately, have there?
*coughcough*
Last week I did a little scale-surfing. Didn't like what I saw, so I did it again the next morning. Even worse. Not so good for morale, let me tell you.
I'll be honest, I haven't been working out so much (as I could be). By the time the rains let up, we got the chickens and Able-Bodied Boy was out of town most of the week. So I was incorporating animal duties into the morning routine and dealing with work stresses and not wanting to leave Bella alone even more than the 10.5 hours I was leaving her as it was...
Excuses excuses. I could have been doing ab-work. I could have gone on one of my big cycling rides on Saturday or Sunday. But I didn't. Though Able-Bodied Boy dragged me out on Sunday for one of our short 10 mile rides.
And boy did I feel like an idiot. A total idiot. I'm out there cycling with him, loving every minute of it. Loving the feel of my strong legs carrying me up the long, low side of Burden Hill. Loving the breeze in my face, watching the wild turkeys haul ass into the woods. The different types of road surfaces, the horse pastures (scaring them or peaking their curiosity). But mostly loving my legs.
Why don't I do this more often?!?!
My plan is to get back into the routine next week, while Able-Bodied Boy is back in town. Then making sure I have an extra 5-10 min in the morning to take care of all our ladies and give Bella some extra love when he's out of town for the Epic Summer Leaving (3 full weeks straight!).
For those of you that comment with questions: do you check back to see if I've answered? I never do because I don't think anyone does (sometimes sending the answers privately), but I will start responding. I really wish I could reply to specific comments in a thread, and you could sign up to get notifications of those replies... Apparently there is a way to fix that by using another website to host the blogger site (or something like that) but it's far too complicated for me to start fussing with :)
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
*coughcough*
Last week I did a little scale-surfing. Didn't like what I saw, so I did it again the next morning. Even worse. Not so good for morale, let me tell you.
I'll be honest, I haven't been working out so much (as I could be). By the time the rains let up, we got the chickens and Able-Bodied Boy was out of town most of the week. So I was incorporating animal duties into the morning routine and dealing with work stresses and not wanting to leave Bella alone even more than the 10.5 hours I was leaving her as it was...
Excuses excuses. I could have been doing ab-work. I could have gone on one of my big cycling rides on Saturday or Sunday. But I didn't. Though Able-Bodied Boy dragged me out on Sunday for one of our short 10 mile rides.
And boy did I feel like an idiot. A total idiot. I'm out there cycling with him, loving every minute of it. Loving the feel of my strong legs carrying me up the long, low side of Burden Hill. Loving the breeze in my face, watching the wild turkeys haul ass into the woods. The different types of road surfaces, the horse pastures (scaring them or peaking their curiosity). But mostly loving my legs.
Why don't I do this more often?!?!
My plan is to get back into the routine next week, while Able-Bodied Boy is back in town. Then making sure I have an extra 5-10 min in the morning to take care of all our ladies and give Bella some extra love when he's out of town for the Epic Summer Leaving (3 full weeks straight!).
For those of you that comment with questions: do you check back to see if I've answered? I never do because I don't think anyone does (sometimes sending the answers privately), but I will start responding. I really wish I could reply to specific comments in a thread, and you could sign up to get notifications of those replies... Apparently there is a way to fix that by using another website to host the blogger site (or something like that) but it's far too complicated for me to start fussing with :)
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
Sunday, June 5, 2011
notes from the road
Well, I intended to go on an almost-30-mile cycle ride today. Things didn't go quite as planned.
The route I chose had me riding for a few miles into our local small town, then hopping on a local road for 12 miles (of which I'd only ever traveled 2 miles), all the way to another nearby town. Google called it 14.3 miles one-way. It would definitely have been the longest ride I'd taken to date. Not to mention that Able-Bodied Boy is out of town so my main support person for road mishaps was not around here. I was a little anxious about all of this.
So I start down that long road. A sheriff's truck passes me in the opposite direction, then a few minutes later passes me again at full speed, lights on. As I came over a hill, I saw another police vehicle on the side of the road, lights on, another mile ahead. Then another cop passed me, and I saw another one approach the group of them from the other side and they were letting cars pass in the opposite lane. As I approached and slowed, I noticed it wasn't a traffic stop, and an officer with a shotgun told me it wasn't safe for bikes to pass and to go the other way.
Go the other way? The other way? Ummm.... the "other way" out in the countryside is a 4-mile detour. What the hell?? I bemoaned it and thought it was impossible for me to handle all the cycling that day. Especially since that detour took me up one side of Burden Hill, about a 1-mile climb - not a terribly grade but since I wasn't too sure about the rest of the ride, I didn't want to push it.
But you know what? I did. I went up the hill, and back around to the other side of the incident. I continued on, up and down hills, and had the most amazing time. I passed an alpaca farm.
I passed a picture-perfect creepy bog: a slimey pit of mud, surrounded by old, craggy trees, with just enough sunlight through the canopy to illuminate the creepiness, and it looked like it came straight out of the set of Harry Potter or Princess Bride.
I passed a strawberry farm, smelling so ripe and sweet. I passed a private school commencement for their 8th graders, with hundreds of parents and grandparents in khakis and skirts gathering under large, old oak trees while all the students in suits and dresses ran around or played with the band or let parents coat their legs with bug spray.
I made it home without incident. I climbed most of the hills without problem, although one major hill on the ride back required about 100ft of walking.
32.8 miles in 2:18 for 14.2 average speed. Rock on...
Any awesome accomplishments for you lately?
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
The route I chose had me riding for a few miles into our local small town, then hopping on a local road for 12 miles (of which I'd only ever traveled 2 miles), all the way to another nearby town. Google called it 14.3 miles one-way. It would definitely have been the longest ride I'd taken to date. Not to mention that Able-Bodied Boy is out of town so my main support person for road mishaps was not around here. I was a little anxious about all of this.
So I start down that long road. A sheriff's truck passes me in the opposite direction, then a few minutes later passes me again at full speed, lights on. As I came over a hill, I saw another police vehicle on the side of the road, lights on, another mile ahead. Then another cop passed me, and I saw another one approach the group of them from the other side and they were letting cars pass in the opposite lane. As I approached and slowed, I noticed it wasn't a traffic stop, and an officer with a shotgun told me it wasn't safe for bikes to pass and to go the other way.
Go the other way? The other way? Ummm.... the "other way" out in the countryside is a 4-mile detour. What the hell?? I bemoaned it and thought it was impossible for me to handle all the cycling that day. Especially since that detour took me up one side of Burden Hill, about a 1-mile climb - not a terribly grade but since I wasn't too sure about the rest of the ride, I didn't want to push it.
But you know what? I did. I went up the hill, and back around to the other side of the incident. I continued on, up and down hills, and had the most amazing time. I passed an alpaca farm.
I passed a picture-perfect creepy bog: a slimey pit of mud, surrounded by old, craggy trees, with just enough sunlight through the canopy to illuminate the creepiness, and it looked like it came straight out of the set of Harry Potter or Princess Bride.
I passed a strawberry farm, smelling so ripe and sweet. I passed a private school commencement for their 8th graders, with hundreds of parents and grandparents in khakis and skirts gathering under large, old oak trees while all the students in suits and dresses ran around or played with the band or let parents coat their legs with bug spray.
I made it home without incident. I climbed most of the hills without problem, although one major hill on the ride back required about 100ft of walking.
32.8 miles in 2:18 for 14.2 average speed. Rock on...
Any awesome accomplishments for you lately?
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
Friday, April 29, 2011
how to road cycle on a mountain bike
You just do it.
I've had this bike for a number of years. There's a good story behind it. It was my brother's bike back in college. It was stolen, and he bought a new bike. Some months later, he biked to the local mall, and discovered his stolen bike there, locked up on the rack. The tag from registering it with his university proved it was his, so it was released to him. He gave it to me as a christmas present. Woot!
Anyway, this is the bike I've been cycling on since then; a lot more regularly in the last two years. It's heavy. And has huge heavy knobby tires. It is a Brute.
But it's what I've gotten used to. Luckily, the fork (the sproingy bit on the front wheel) is stuck in place, so I don't have to work about overcoming a soft & sproingy ride (no, I don't know cycling lingo; so shoot me). I can ride it in high winds, without actually falling off the road. I can ride it uphill and down and on the flattest, most strenuous flats. My calves are the size of tree trunks and I can ride harder and further than Able-Bodied Boy. I have mastered this bike.
So for the love of god, STOP ASKING HOW I COULD POSSIBLY RIDE THIS BIKE FOR ROAD CYCLING! Ok, these questions are mostly asked light-heartedly by other riders in my cycling club. Riders that have spent hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on very expensive, lightweight bikes riding on narrow, smooth tires. They tell me amusing stories about naive college girls trying to join their club with a hand-me-down bike from their brother and how they really want to ride with the big boys but they get left behind because they just can't handle the bike up hills.
Wonderful. That's not me. I have trained on the Brute. I keep up with ease.
Now, all that being said... I have fancy new narrow smooth road tires that I plan to put on later in the summer. I figure I'll do a bunch of training on these big ones before giving myself a break (according to, well, everyone) and put on tires that will apparently launch me to the moon or something. My goal is to get up to the 50 mile mark (what I can handle for one day's ride, with small breaks; I'm currently at 20 miles) before switching out the tires. After that, 75 miles should be a breeeeeeeze, right??
And after I reach my goal of riding in Bike to the Bay, Able-Bodied Boy is gonna get me a big-girl road cycle :-D Yippeee!!!
Do you ever get questions about something people think can't be done, while you're doing it? If so, please tell me your amusing story about telling them to go shove...
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
I've had this bike for a number of years. There's a good story behind it. It was my brother's bike back in college. It was stolen, and he bought a new bike. Some months later, he biked to the local mall, and discovered his stolen bike there, locked up on the rack. The tag from registering it with his university proved it was his, so it was released to him. He gave it to me as a christmas present. Woot!
Anyway, this is the bike I've been cycling on since then; a lot more regularly in the last two years. It's heavy. And has huge heavy knobby tires. It is a Brute.
But it's what I've gotten used to. Luckily, the fork (the sproingy bit on the front wheel) is stuck in place, so I don't have to work about overcoming a soft & sproingy ride (no, I don't know cycling lingo; so shoot me). I can ride it in high winds, without actually falling off the road. I can ride it uphill and down and on the flattest, most strenuous flats. My calves are the size of tree trunks and I can ride harder and further than Able-Bodied Boy. I have mastered this bike.
So for the love of god, STOP ASKING HOW I COULD POSSIBLY RIDE THIS BIKE FOR ROAD CYCLING! Ok, these questions are mostly asked light-heartedly by other riders in my cycling club. Riders that have spent hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on very expensive, lightweight bikes riding on narrow, smooth tires. They tell me amusing stories about naive college girls trying to join their club with a hand-me-down bike from their brother and how they really want to ride with the big boys but they get left behind because they just can't handle the bike up hills.
Wonderful. That's not me. I have trained on the Brute. I keep up with ease.
Now, all that being said... I have fancy new narrow smooth road tires that I plan to put on later in the summer. I figure I'll do a bunch of training on these big ones before giving myself a break (according to, well, everyone) and put on tires that will apparently launch me to the moon or something. My goal is to get up to the 50 mile mark (what I can handle for one day's ride, with small breaks; I'm currently at 20 miles) before switching out the tires. After that, 75 miles should be a breeeeeeeze, right??
And after I reach my goal of riding in Bike to the Bay, Able-Bodied Boy is gonna get me a big-girl road cycle :-D Yippeee!!!
Do you ever get questions about something people think can't be done, while you're doing it? If so, please tell me your amusing story about telling them to go shove...
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
Saturday, April 9, 2011
the great big new announcement!
I'm always making PLANS, aren't I? *grin*
So, on Saturday September 24th, I will be cycling 75 miles from Dover to Rehoboth Beach! This is a MS Society charity event, as well as a great goal in terms of fitness, and I'm happy to have Beth, Girl Explorer joining me :)
What does this all mean? Well, I can currently ride about 20 miles, no sweat, using a really heavy mountain bike. So if I keep pushing myself, practice good training nutrition, and do some upgrades on my bike, 75 miles should be no problem. I'll also need to raise a minimum of $250 in donations to the MS Society, so I may use this blog for the occasional fundraising; I hope you'll support me in my goal of personal fitness and help to create a world free of MS.
This is going to be a big commitment; I'll need to keep up with my training, riding at least 3 times per week (and at least one of those being a push to go further) and being sure to get out with group rides in the area to get some practice riding with others.
So, I have to ask you all one big question. Do you know someone personally who is affected by MS? If so, I'd love for you to share some of what you know. I don't believe I do, and it would make this event all the more special if it weren't just about me losing weight, but truly about the event itself and it's purpose.
Is your life touched by MS; you, a friend, a loved one? Please share their story in comments and help us all learn more about the impact we could all be having...
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
So, on Saturday September 24th, I will be cycling 75 miles from Dover to Rehoboth Beach! This is a MS Society charity event, as well as a great goal in terms of fitness, and I'm happy to have Beth, Girl Explorer joining me :)
What does this all mean? Well, I can currently ride about 20 miles, no sweat, using a really heavy mountain bike. So if I keep pushing myself, practice good training nutrition, and do some upgrades on my bike, 75 miles should be no problem. I'll also need to raise a minimum of $250 in donations to the MS Society, so I may use this blog for the occasional fundraising; I hope you'll support me in my goal of personal fitness and help to create a world free of MS.
This is going to be a big commitment; I'll need to keep up with my training, riding at least 3 times per week (and at least one of those being a push to go further) and being sure to get out with group rides in the area to get some practice riding with others.
So, I have to ask you all one big question. Do you know someone personally who is affected by MS? If so, I'd love for you to share some of what you know. I don't believe I do, and it would make this event all the more special if it weren't just about me losing weight, but truly about the event itself and it's purpose.
Is your life touched by MS; you, a friend, a loved one? Please share their story in comments and help us all learn more about the impact we could all be having...
Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl
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