Celebrating the Victories ~ Great & Small

Oh boy! What. A. Weekend.

Saturday morning: My alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. While a moderate portion of the Team would go on to complete the Tierra Bella Century Ride in Gilroy, the other half of us drove over to meet Mentor Margaret for her 50-mile ride, touring the wineries and vineyards of Napa Valley. (We Bay Area IronPeople are so spoiled with our scenic bike courses.)



50 miles. Ok, have never ridden this far. I've come close. But either a bike crash, shortage of nutrition or time cutoff has stopped me. Not to mention my fears, anxieties and the mental walls that have been put up as a result. This would be a new feat and milestone for me and all I could do was just not be nervous or afraid.

Coach Mike and I carpooled together from the East Bay and the morning had already been shaping up to be a gorgeous day in the North Bay. Coach Mike was in our trusty SAG vehicle and Coach Sedonia was there to sweep the course and ride with me.

Off we went and not even a 100 yds in, we were surrounded by breathtaking vineyards. As far as the eye could see, were acres of vines and fantastic wineries. We also passed by peaceful and placid Lake Hennessey.

Whenever I could, I'd attempt to drink on the bike. Yes, attempt to take my hand off the handlebar and balance, while trying to hydrate myself all at once. For someone who wasn't born riding a bicycle (like many of my teammates!) it takes so much coordination; you'd really be surprised. The last time I tried to do this, I lost my balance and smacked my head into a pole and scraped my leg up. But alas, duty called. And I need to be able to successfully fuel while riding, otherwise I would be stopping every 15 minutes. A few successful sips and I felt proud :) Sedonia and I got to really talk and catch up, making the ride that much more enjoyable (and far less lonely). She also reminded me to celebrate the small victories.

We made a few stops, whether to use the restroom, peel a few layers as the day heated up, or fuel up some more. I had caught myself taking larger-than-usual swigs of my super-concentrated bottle of Carbo-Pro and Gatorade mix (I had calculated this out to be 250 calories per hour, i.e. 750 calories over the course of 3 hours). But it turns out, this may be too much for me.

Something in me must have neglected to notice that I was likely taking in more calories than needed during a shorter duration of time. Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way. By about mile 25 (when I found myself getting a little impatient), I also felt kind of full. Like the liquid nutrition wasn't doing it for me, sloshing around and not agreeing with my tummy. [I've encountered this before during some of my bike/run bricks but had always assumed it was because of the transition, using different muscles, and moving around so much during the run -- that I was bound to become nauseous after all that activity.] But this feeling was back and it wasn't going away. Sedonia encouraged me to continue on, and concentrate on mind over matter. But this was proving difficult.

A few minutes later, we were approaching Ink Grade. Little did I know, I was heading for 4.5 miles and 1110 feet of climbing. [I've decided, sometimes, it really IS so much better when you don't see it coming!] Nice and shaded, and starting off with some great conversation, Sedonia and I started to climb. Again, just the fact that I could carry a full-on conversation while climbing astounds me, after looking back on my first hill climb on the bike this season. But once we had taken a few breaks in our talk, my stomach started to gurgle and churn some more. Coach Mike and IronMel were in the roving SAG up and down the grade, which was great ~ to see their friendly faces. Plus, they've always got a good joke or two to lighten the mood. However, my body just wasn't having it. By this point, it had taken everything in me not to toss my biscuits all over the place. Each time I'd pedal, I felt like all the food and nutrition I had been taking in, moved a little and it was close to unbearable.

But I couldn't get sick. I couldn't give up. And I wasn't going to make a fool out of myself on the bike in front of my teammates. Not this time! I climbed and climbed and before I knew it, Sedonia and I reached the top and were greeted by Mike and Mel parked along the side of the road. I was just relieved to take a rest for a couple minutes. After finding my bearings, we trudged on. My stomach still wasn't getting any better but I left myself little choice. I wasn't going to get into the SAG car. At this point, even if it was going to take me all day, I was going to keep riding until I NO longer could. Whatever creaks, pains, aches came on... I would deal with them and see what happened. But it was going to take a LOT to get me off that bike and walk away from the 50-mile challenge.

More than midway through, I realized that I had forgotten to start up my Garmin timer (and distance tracker) on the bike. I must have stopped it during one our refueling stops and never hit 'start' again. Which meant my time and distance recorded were probably an hour and something like 10 miles off. But in truth, all I really needed to know was my heart rate (our workout plan for the ride was to stay within Zones 4 and 5a, meaning we should have been exerting a considerable amount of effort and pushing it extra hard in small spurts when we could. Our effort levels are best determined by monitoring our heart rate, which is what I'd been doing all day, and it worked like a charm). With all the pushing (and pulling) though, I felt my legs starting to cramp up.

Despite all the unknowns and unanticipated 'monkey wrenches' thrown into the mix, Sedonia (and my own conscience) were continually there to remind me that not everything can be planned. And it's how you deal with all those mishaps, accidents, and imperfections that makes all the difference and it builds the character and maturity needed to complete an Ironman. I took it all with a big fat grain of salt and kept on going. Nausea, cramps and all :) I smile now, but it was near hell at the time!

And then, came the descend. Sedonia gave me ample time and notice, which was comforting. I prepared and went for it. [I had overheard Margaret refer to it as a screaming downhill earlier in the morning, but tried to ignore the jitters when I'd heard that.] To my surprise, as scary as it COULD have been, I took it with gusto and enjoyed the ride. I curved with the road, followed my momentum, got comfortable in the drops and made sure to keep my mouth shut (bugs, etc.). And it was exhilarating! Still fighting the nausea, but at least I wasn't pedaling hard and could give my stomach a bit of a breather.

By the end of the descend, I caught up with Mike again, who thankfully, brought me a pack of Rolaids. I'd hoped they'd do the trick instantly, but to my dismay, weren't as fast-acting as I needed them to be. Alas, I did what I could in that moment and kept on going. There was talk of a "homestretch" but I didn't want to get too excited yet (for fear that meant I was still 20 miles away or something). The day started to get even warmer, still no sign of reprieve from the nausea, but I took in water in little sips when I could.

When I felt more queasy and restless, I'd look around me. More vineyards, and with the sunshine beaming down on the leaves. Wineries and tasting rooms that were of a Tuscan-style architecture. Valleys and valleys of trees and gorgeous wildflowers. I just took in everything about the day and embraced all it brought me. We must have also seen 10-15 Ferraris and Lamborghinis zooming down the road. It was a picturesque day in the Napa Valley and despite the "imperfections" with my bike ride, I just couldn't have asked for more.



Soon after, we were back in Yountville and pulling up into the park. I had just completed my first 50-mile bike ride.

Popped a couple more Rolaids and got into my recovery drink, and soon, my leg cramps dissipated. It took another hour or two for my stomach to normalize and get comfortable with solid foods. I got home, stretched, foam rolled and headed to bed nice and early. The next day, Sunday, would bring loads more of new adventures...

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Sunday morning: My alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m. I thought it was Monday morning and said to myself, Time to get up for work. My body instantly felt the fatigue and mini strain from the day before and I was immediately reminded today I had a bike ride. A 60-miler.

Without even letting any doubts or worries creep up just yet, I kept moving forward. Into another pair of bike shorts, packed up another super-concentrated mix (I had decided to mix the same exact amount but plan to only take *one* small sip every fifteen minutes, and over a duration of 4 hours instead of 3). Headed out the door by 6 a.m. to meet the carpool in Walnut Creek.

This time, we were bound for the Vineman Course in Sonoma County, where 80% of my Team will be doing THEIR big Ironman race at the end of July. It was a great opportunity to get a preview of their bike course.

Those of us that rode through Napa the day before were in store for more views of California's Wine Region. Although I'd had a taste, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious and anxious to see whether I could do it again and go even further on the second day.

Honoree Captain Liz and I pulled up to Windsor High in the town of Windsor (just north of Santa Rosa) and I was delighted and mightily impressed to see our counterparts back from their Century Ride in Gilroy (that's 100 miles) and ready for 60 miles one day later. Hats off to you all, Tierra Bella Finishers! It sparked some inspiration in my mind and despite their vast knowledge and cycling experience ahead of mine, I thought I might be able to push it a little more too for my second consecutive day of cycling.

Same setup as the day before: Mike would ride SAG (also in addition to Belinda and Meenu -- thanks, ladies!). And Sedonia sweeped. There was no need for a jacket or ear warmers starting out, since it was already starting to warm up. I was sleeveless all day, baby, and it was fantastic. Before I could let any fears creep up again (noticing a pattern?) I pushed off and pedaled my way into the start of our long day ahead. I hung in there for a bit with the gals (Erin, Patty, Sandy, and Mary), and yes -- drank from the bottle again while riding, almost immediately starting out! At one point in the beginning, we were even pacelining among the shaded areas which was fun. I'd never actually ridden in a group or in line with others so it was great to have the extra company out there, with Sedonia right behind, calling out our turn-by-turn directions (which was a MAJOR help; this course was not as straightforward as others we've ridden in the past).

We had a nice groove going in our paceline but something happened up ahead and I didn't know exactly what it was. The front of the line just stopped abruptly but thankfully I had enough reaction time (and no oncoming traffic) to move aside and slow down. One of the girls had abruptly stopped, and I don't think she knew there was a line of us directly following behind. As I looked forward, I saw we were approaching a bridge and a turn so I wanted to downshift. And just as I downshifted -- bam! I dropped my chain! I was bummed (as the rest of the girls rode on past me), and a little nervous because I was in a busy intersection with no shoulder. Thankfully, Mary was just behind me and helped me to the side of the road into a somewhat-safer spot. I had remembered in the past that Mike showed me how to get the chain back on the ring, by pushing down on the rear derailleur. In an instant, it was back on and I wasn't feeling as disheartened. So I hopped back on but realized I was still in a hard gear! Darn! It caught me off guard when I went to push off and I had a bit of a scary, wobbly start. It was a little frightening because I felt rushed for time, wanting to catch up with the girls; trying to find my balance; and timing it just right with the oncoming cars zooming by. I took a few deep breaths, told Mary I just needed to get my head back on straight, and when the time was right, pushed off and was back on my way.

Despite my small disappointment in losing my rhythm with the girls, I believed timing was on my side. Because just as Mary and I made that turn after the bridge, Sedonia & Mike were there to warn us to downshift to our easiest gear. A short, steep climb was there to greet us just after the turn. Had we not stalled and stopped where we did, I could have had an even tougher time not being prepared for that climb. So I think it all worked out for the best.

By this point, I was regularly hydrating with my electrolyes/carbs while on the bike... balance - bottle out - sip - bottle in. Every fifteen minutes. The trickier part was pulling out my water bottle from the other cage (directly under the saddle). As you can imagine, my bike frame is pretty small, so fitting not one but two 22-24 oz. bottles is difficult, let alone trying to take them in and out while riding and keeping your eyes on the road.

But I was determined, focused, and careful -- and I did it! I was now successfully riding and drinking from both bottles and was NOT afraid! Cautious and took my time, yes, but I was slowly beating my inner demons. And it gave me real comfort to know I didn't HAVE to stop just to take a sip each and every time. And I think my intake this time made ALL the difference because my stomach had ZERO issues. One small sip every fifteen minutes, followed by a couple sips of water, trying to finish a complete bottle of water every hour.

I stopped to refill my water a couple times, as well as to readjust my pesky new cadence sensor on my rear wheel (it moves if I roll over a rock or something, and slightly hits the cadence monitor -- making a steady "metronome" noise). When I stopped, I also took the opportunity to pop an Endurolyte (salt tablet) as well as open a pack of Shot Bloks so I'd have something to chew on every now and then.

We rode through more scenic views of Sonoma County ~ truly among the vineyards, and I imagined how exciting it'll be for my teammates to ride this course for their race. We had a couple headwinds come through, but I didn't mind them much. I think if we didn't have the occasional breezes, it would have been swealtering with the sun beading down on us. Mary and Sedonia were there to keep me company, get the conversation going, sing a few songs... it was pleasant. I'd been in front and really tried to push myself on the flats, cranking up the gears and pedal through the rolling hills. It was supposed to be a "recovery ride" from the day before, so I was very watchful of my heart rate, but tried to keep the cadence up and my power consistent.

A few of my observations for future rides included making sure I do a full pedal stroke and pull up with my hamstrings. I felt the results of mashing down with my quads a bit, leaving some pressure on my feet and an extra tight left calf. Sitting further BACK on the saddle for more 'seating comfort'. And checking / relaxing my shoulders often and regularly to prevent that pesky neck and shoulder strain on my left side. I had to take moments to stretch and roll my head around when that area started to ache and flare up.

After one more pitstop at the Jimtown Store, we set out for Chalk Hill Road, ending in a 6% grade climb. My left calf was still bothering me, and I still felt that strain in my neck, but that was the worst of it. My mental state and spirits were UP and I was ready to conquer whatever came my way. I also made it a point to not get swept up with (or even look at) the time, or mileage on the Garmin (I didn't stop it at any point this time; I just let it run so it could capture all the data, which I'd examine later).

The sun was bright and strong, but I would continue to hydrate and fuel and soak up everything about the day. I truly was feeling on top of my A Game. There was a short climb before Chalk Hill's steeper grade, which Sedonia warned Mary and I was not the infamous Chalk Hill (so we wouldn't be disappointed later!). When the real hill did greet us, we all went for it. Mike and Nate roved back and forth, even filming us climb. To my own astonishment... I never reached the Bite-Me Zone or 'Tourette's phase' (so termed by BK) that I've been accustomed to experiencing. I've reached MANY a grueling stage during my bike rides. It has sort of become inevitable. Where I'm done, over it, and ready jump off the bike and run the other way. But this time, that point never came. What gives? I thought.



The climb of Chalk Hill was done and I distinctly remember having the biggest smile on my face as we rode by Belinda's and Mike's cars as they took photos, video'd us, and cheered us on. I actually had the energy (and attitude) to smile, be happy and sincerely feel good about what I had done and looking forward to what was up ahead.

After a few more turns within the Vineman countryside, we were heading back into residential territory. More sips of the fuel and Gato (and even one successful attempt at grabbing the Shot Bloks from my back jersey pocket!) and I was flying high. Patty had caught up to us (as she unfortunately missed a turn, but found us) and we were all on the last leg of the ride. I had officially beaten my farthest distance, reaching over 50 miles and we were home free.

Back into traffic (and after learning my lesson to downshift all the way when anticipating stops), and with my cadence sensor tick-tick-ticking its way round and a-round, we were this close to reaching the end, as Mike would show us every few minutes in his roving Mini. I had a surge of adrenaline rushing through me and hung with Patty. I picked up the pace whenever I could and made sure to keep fueling. I could feel, see and taste our finish approaching. One more turn and there it was -- Windsor High. At the end of my first 60-miler.

I was now 1000% sure that my nutrition was on-par and just where it needed to be. Not only had I been devoid of cramping, nausea, a bloated stomach or any GI issues -- I was WALL-FREE, had absolutely NO angry/grumpy/bite-me moments and it was a true testament of a well-executed nutrition plan! Not to mention, a great training schedule AND the help and support of my Teammates! I was on Cloud 9 and couldn't have been more pleased or proud of my performance. To think... all of this was actually possible after everything I've been through with the bike! I felt amazing and was even shocked to see my electrolyte/carb mix bottle more than half full by the end of the day. Just goes to show all the extra calories I overloaded myself with the day before, and within a much shorter timespan. I followed-up with my recovery drink and a cold-water bath when I got home.

I still have a tender left calf issue going on, which I've been attending to (foam rolling, stretching, and maybe some ice tonight). I just want to make sure it's treated ASAP to avoid any muscle pulls or further injury down the line ~ especially with a 10k marker run, followed by a 5k race next weekend. I'm a bit fatigued as I write this, but just couldn't have asked for a better day or culmination to my weekend o' cycling.

A total of 110 miles over two days. I've eaten well, have gotten the rest, will continue to recover this week, and am feeling fantastic. It shows me all the more that not only can my body do this, but my heart, mind & spirit can and will get me to the finish.

Thank you to all the volunteers, staff & teammates who helped make this huge milestone of a weekend possible for me. You all r-o-c-k.



***
Week #23 Workout Summary: [Bike Focus Week]

Swim: 0 hour and 0 minutes
Bike: 10 hours and 30 minutes
Run: 0 hours and 0 minutes
Core/Strength: 0 hours and 15 minutes
Total Workout: 10 hours and 45 minutes