Second Time in My Life…

… that I’ve ridden 30 MILES AT ONE TIME.

It was hard the last 7 miles, I struggled. But I ride at MINGO CREEK COUNTY PARK because it's paved & there are hills. The first 20 miles were good -- right on pace for 10 miles in 60 minutes... I discovered that peanut butter crackers did better than granola bars. Coconut water was GOOD. I don't like the taste, but my recovery was quick.

After my ride you couldn’t have bribed me to climb stairs. I'm not even sure I could do it backwards. I don't hurt, I'm fatigued. Shower  ASPERCREME & Tylenol. Triple date night.

I wore sunscreen. Sport, 70 spf. I don't think it worked, I may have to re-apply at some point during the race. I didn’t feel like it worked well enough.

The last three miles, I've got to get better fueling when I’m riding. I'm going to try coconut water instead of the sport drink. I need more after 20 miles. Maybe it's time to invest in sport gels.

I’m burning a lot of calories/energy & not replacing it. It really showed in my last 10 mile times because I was riding the same course. My body is rebelling because I need more calories.

Maybe there's a buffet on one of the RACE LOOPS??

And you know what? I know I mess around and joke: I’m just going for a 30 mile bike ride, but this is SERIOUS athletic stuff. Maybe it's time to really treat my body that way?

My problem is, I EXHIBITED THE SAME SYMPTOMS about mile 25 with LOW BLOOD SUGAR. It's from extreme exercise. It's not really a WALL. It's a medical problem I've got to deal with if I'm going to make the second half of my ride without being taken to the hospital.

I feel it when I begin to get COLD and clammy. Then I become panicked and disoriented.

Don't get me wrong, I put myself out there today in those conditions ON PURPOSE. Because that's most likely what I'm going to have to deal with. I need to combat these medical issues NOW.

Even if I start at 6:30am and take refueling/resting stops every hour, I'm still going to be riding at NOON.

Here's the fun part of today: the down hill? I had it up to 29.8 mph and the Park speed limit is 15 mph!!!!

It's not so much the monotonous-ness of a "loop", but the terrain is lethal. I won't encounter those type of hills in Indiana OR Illinois. I tense because I know the hills are coming and there's no WAY to avoid them. I just slog through it the best I can -- I know it's helping make me stronger. But hills should be for SHORT mileage. Runners do them on Off Running Days.

I even blew the chain after mile 12 shifting on a hill. I had to fix it and I was surprised how quickly it went back on.

I realize all this IS making me stronger. But as the mileage gets higher, I also want to avoid injury. I was really pushing it yesterday on those hills & knew it would be easy to blow a muscle as easy as the chain.

Do I feel ready in 19 days to do 50 miles? No.

But I’m not afraid.

In the meantime, I’m hoping to get out there next week for ONE MORE LONG 35 mile ride before I taper…

Quick Update & Recap…

… I have been lucky over the July 4th Holiday to actually get about 27 miles [three different rides 10:33 -- 7.13 -- 10.55] outside on the roads of Indiana.

I’ve found that I actually enjoy riding there more than in PA.  Not because they’re completely flat, which, they are NOT, but because it’s the type of course where I’ll actually be riding my 50 miles.

I gotta be honest – just the thought of it scares me a bit. I have doubts sometimes that I’ll actually make it. But I’ve got a plan set in my head that no matter how long it takes me, I will take a break every hour – stop and get off the bike, shake out my legs. Make sure I get enough protein and water/drink to continue and keep my sugar levels up to keep riding.

Beyond that? It’s pretty much a crap shoot and I’m not going to think about inclement weather or WIND. [Which, to be honest, I’ve come to hate more than hills.]

Because of the area rains/storms/flooding, I wasn’t able to ride for the past few days outdoors.  All the safe places I can think of to ride more than 3 miles are either soggy wet mud or I couldn’t get to them due to road closures from flooding clean up. [PHOTOS FROM LOCAL FLOODING DAMAGE]

I did put up a quick 6.01 MILES tonight on the stationary bike. My body wasn’t happy about that – I actually wanted to do 10 miles. [My behind was so objective, I think I need body glide!]

I’m going into tech/production week, so my outdoor time will be limited again. But I’m going to try to get in as much mileage as I can – every time I crawl on whatever bike I can pedal, I’m getting stronger…

Milestones…

… are every where in our lives.

I hit some pretty big ones this week and I’m not done yet.

Unfortunately, the weather has been less than cooperative, so I’ve done my mileage on the stationary bike indoors.  The good part about that is it’s given me the opportunity to catch up on some of my Netflix addictions. BORGIA, Drop Dead Diva, Grateful Dead: Anthem to Beauty, and Arrested Development. [I know, I’m slow…]

While you might think that’s a LOT of neflix-ing, it was also a LOT of riding.  In fact – I’ve put up 152.5 miles for the month of June. [38.2 this week and I’ve got to get in at least 12.25 more miles before June 30th.]

Including my LONGEST RIDE [22.59 MILES] since my last bike race June 16, 2012.

All inclusive with running/walking/biking – I have put up over 900 miles since I began this journey in March of 2011.

That’s to Grandma’s house and back!!

Literally. She lives in New York…

Busy Training Week…

… and I’m proud to say, most of it was outdoors and on my REAL bike!

But I got in a quick 5.25 MILES ON MY NEW STATIONARY BIKE. Right after I was trying to move it up the stairs into the house and it slid backwards and hit me in the head. OUCH. At least it was only my head.

I’m somewhere between Week Four and Week Five of training. I worked on adding up the Week Five short distances [22.5 miles total] 6.81 MILES, 8.84 MILES, and 3.05 MILES TOTALING: 23.95 miles for Week Five.

And the Week Four long ride: 20.95 MILES.

Week Four is officially in the books [40.5 miles], I’m working on Week Five [45 miles] and trying to fit in a long ride [22.5 miles] between the horrendously Hot/Humid Summer weather and a rehearsal/travel schedule.

My goal is this – try to put up the short mileage on the stationary bike while watching dvd’s, Netflix and running lines.  The long mileage, I feel like it needs to be outdoor real-time on the bike.

I put up 41.3 biking miles last week…

I’m Not Sure…

… but for the most part, June 2013 is shaping up to be a banner month.

I always love a good challenge. This HALF CENTURY is no different – let’s meet this HEAD ON and try to finish it in style.

Okay, at my age? I’ll just settle for finishing with all my body parts in tact. Or at least as much in tact as I can keep them these days.

Already for June – I have already racked up 73.02 training miles!  Not as many outside on the trail as I would like – but hoping more since I finally had the GEAR CABLE FIXED at PRO BIKES in the SOUTH HILLS earlier this week.

Today’s quick ride on the stationary bike at the gym was MY FASTEST 7.01 MILES YET!

I still need to finish the run of this production weekend for NUNSENSE and then I’m hoping to get my Week Four long ride of 20 miles in the books.

One way or another, I’m going to keep this training moving forward…

It’s a Work…

…in progress.

I’m a little behind on Week Three Training because of the repair that needs to happen on my bike.

Last week, I decided to help ease the back strain of my mountain bike handlebars and modify them to cruisers. This will help me sit in a more upright position when riding.

It was really an easy process and took minutes.

Even with the fact that I’d put the hand brakes on backwards and needed to reverse them, it was an easy process.

Replacing the torn strap of my bike rack – also simple.

These were all things I could do with my limited ‘repair’ skills. I just needed to find the ‘minutes’ to do them.

Until I went to lift my bike to the bike rack on my car, turned the handle bars with too much torque on the gear cable and busted it. [It’s the one on the left that is busted.]

I’m smart – but I also know my frustration levels can be off the charts. I’m taking the bike to a repair shop to fix the gear cable.  Otherwise, I’m READY to ride!!

Which finds me back at the gym on the stationary bike until I can get to the bike repair. [It’s ride-able, I just have long mileage to put up and there’s a HUGE difference between riding over 10 miles and having to WALK over TEN MILES pushing your broken BIKE.]

I finished up WEEK THREE - DAY THREE: 17.53 MILES.

Bring on Week Four!!

When in Doubt…

… pedal it out.

As much as I enjoy riding outside on the trail, I have been satisfied with the challenge of working on dialogue for NUNSENSE while I put in my weekly mileage.

You wouldn’t think it would keep me interested, but talk about using BOTH sides of my brain?

More than anything, I think it keeps my brain occupied so that I’m not looking every two seconds to check my speed or mileage.

“How many more miles? Too many!”

Today was one of Week Three’s SHORT RIDES 9.53 MILES.

I would love to be able to get the long ride [17.5 miles] in on the trail – but my bike needs some modifications [new handlebars] and I have to replace a strap on my bike rack. This week being production week – I’m not sure that’s going to happen.

In which case, I’ll be back at the gym racking up some more mileage…