Celebrate!

What a fantastically fun day! I was so nervous this morning, just before leaving the hotel for the Time Trials (TT). It was a cool morning, mid 50s and I forgot my long pants and don't have leg warmers. My lungs were clogged with asthma gook. I kept thinking; long, slow breathing, gotta find a calm place.

I picked up my packet and my number was 6! That meant I was 6th in the gate for the first race. Thank goodness I wasn't first! We got our bikes ready and I took some warm up laps - got familiar with the course now that the cones were in place. (We rode the TT and RR courses on Friday). We introduced ourselves with all the women. Nice group of people. I've never started from a 'gate' before. You have a ramp, someone holds you up while you clip in and when they say zero, start pedalling as fast as you can. Wind chill was cool, but by the end of the first lap the muscles were warm. Ears were cold though. I kept coughing the whole time and looking over my shoulder so I wouldn't spit on anyone. There were a couple of dips that threw me off while in the aerobars, but I just kept pedalling and trying to focus on the road ahead.

I was worried about the second race, it's twice the length. I wasn't sure what speed to try and maintain and not run out of gas. About the 5th lap, behind the mall, the headwind was fierce. I just kept my head down and pedalled.

The timer set the chips for the 5k for 3 crosses of the tape, but we crossed at the beginning so the times were off by a lap. Had to wait until the road race to get the accurate times. I wound up winning Silver medals in both time trials.

We went back to the room, showered, ate and laid down for a bit. Then headed to the road course. The men went first with a pace car, then 5 minutes or so later the women started. 1.2 miles from the start is the first hill, 3 women dropped me on the hill. I kept them in sight to the 2nd hill. I stood in my pedals about 1/2 way up and my left shoe clip cracked and I fell hard on my saddle. I had to stop, compose myself and restart ( in the middle of the hill). My saddle moved and the nose was pointed to the ground. Sitting was more like sliding to the crossbar. I finally made it back to the start of the race and found an allen wrench so I could adjust my saddle. I kept thinking I would just stop here. About the time my saddle was tight someone said, there's the SAG truck, if you leave now and get in front of it you can still finish. I took off. The adrenaline had drained from my body. It was all I could do to pedal for the next 2 miles. Kept changing gears trying to find a sweet spot. Somehow, around mile 6 I found my second wind and had 2 riders in my sights. I passed one on a hill and then the other at the crest. I had a great downhill and started feeling really good. The fourth hill was in sight and I saw another cyclist. She was struggling and I started encouraging her, "you're almost to the top, keep making big circles". 4 miles to go. The last 150 feet, sprint to the finish is an uphill climb. oh my goodness, I tried to stand and then sat back down, scared I'd unclip again. When they announced the finishers at the medal ceremony and said I'd won the bronze, I thought they had to be wrong. I hadn't passed that many riders, but I had.

Who'da thought last year that I would've done this? Not me! I'm so glad I quit tobacco. Now I'm going to SanFran next August for Nationals. I have so very much work to do between now and then. This has been a fantastic weekend in my life. I am so very fortunate!

Arrival

We left da Ville about 4:30 this afternoon. Took our time, stayed at the speed limit which was 70 most of the way. Ate at Cracker Barrel - I had breakfast for dinner. YUM now to be good tomorrow before the races

While riding here I started to think how odd it is to spend 3 nights in a hotel with someone I just met a few months ago. She's a sweetheart for working with me and giving me guidance.

We'll get up and have breakfast then head to registration. I forgot my letter! so we had the front desk copy D's. OMG I have become such a ditz! We'll then drive the road course and find some lunch. Then we'll ride the road course a couple of times to try and learn as much as we can.

So glad to be away from work. It's been so stressful, especially this week.

Butterflies come and go. So many friends at work have been supportive. hope i can sleep in a strange bed in a hotel!

Taper

Been tapering. No rides longer than 20 on Sunday, Monday and tonight. Will ride some loops in the part tomorrow, the clean up the bike with Dixie and leave with her. No ride on Thursday, unless it's on the trainer after we check in. It's a 180 mile drive, so not sure about the spin.

There's too much to do at work to be too anxious yet. But I do get butterflies if I think about it too much.

Wind damage is very bad here. Hurricane force winds brought down trees everywhere. Unlike a tornado that has limited area of damage, Ike took a nice big path across Southern Indiana, Northern Kentucky and into Ohio. Last I heard on the radio we still had over 200,000 homes without power, south of the Ohio River. Many of the people I ride with don't have power. But they are riding, so they can get out of their house and have something to do instead of clearing debris and sawing trees.

Seems the synthroid is working and I've not been quite so nutty lately. I hope so. fingers crossed.

Hopeful for a few things

I finally spoke to the internist and started my thyroid hormone, synthroid the first of the week. I've had a couple of those weepy days. They are so tough! No reason, but just ready to cry like a baby at the blink of an eye. I guess the progesterone won't do anygood for that.

When I rode Wednesday, my muscles ached like the flu again before, duiring, after. I took Thursday off and checked on Mom. She had laser on her eyes to stop bleeding of the macula. Tonight we did the tune=up. I feel better than I have in a long time. Legs are great! Hoping it's the synthroid that's helping. Will ride 35 in the monring. See if this holds after.

Hoping I don't get overly anxious this week with the Senior games coming up. Try not to think about it, but then it's all I think about. Go figure!

Compliments are always welcomed!

First I have to say that the holiday weekend was pleasant, even if my UofL Cardinals lost their first game to state rival UK Wildcats. They didn't have an offensive score! only a safety and ended the game with 2 points. Very disappointing.

I finally got to see the internist on Tuesday. She took more blood work and went over the lab results I had with me from my gyno visit first of August. She said that my cholesterol is very good, the HDL is well above the desired number and the LDL is well below. I have an underactive thyroid. This causes weight gain and tiredness among other symptoms. I need to call about lab results tomorrow. She will start me on thyroid hormone in a low dose and check me every 6 weeks until we get it right.

I am glad one of the symptoms is weight gain. I've been working so hard with cycing and trying to each right and I've lost weight. But maybe I'll finally drop below that 150 mark with medication. I know my body is leaner and firmer. Just feel heavy and sluggish.

I didn't ride on Sunday, Thursday and only a couple of mile yesterday, but rode each of the other days since last Friday. D and I have been cutting some of the mileage short on the downtown rides (cutting out downtown). Think I'll make sure and ride the full rides this week or add to the end to get full mileage. I still have 124 miles for the week!

This weekend is the big ride/fundraise for the Louisville Bicycle Club. OKHT - Old Kentucky Home Tour. I volunteered at SAG#2 yesterday making peanut butter sandwiches for 3 hours. It was great fun! I'm anxious to hear how many riders we wound up having. Today, D and I met up with M and a couple others to ride the 50 option out of Tom Sawyer. It was a great 48.1 miles, started with temps about 61 and was only 79 back at the park. Counting 2 SAG stops, I rode this in 3.5 hours. That's not very fast, but I wasn't very far behind D and Matt at the end, maybe 10 minutes. Was a little tense in a couple of places today. There were 4 cars on the upswing on the hill on Brush Run that just couldn't be patient. At one point one car was in the other lane, but not passing! At another point a car almost slammed into us from behind. We could hear him and we were trying to get to the shoulder, but didn't hear him slowing at all.

One bright spot was early on the ride when M, a young man about 28 asked me if I was wearing new shorts. I responded that they weren't that new, maybe had then 5 weeks. Why are you asking M, I inquired. He tells me that they make my ass look really good. This is in the company of 4 - 6 other cyclist riding down the road. I respond, thanks M! I thought it was my ass that made the shorts look good. ;-) Oh my, I could be his mother. In fact someone pointed that out. At that point the conversation deteriorated for a few minutes. I have to say that it would be nice if someone closer to my age made that compliment. I don't see that happening though.

LIfe is so good to not be smoking and to have the blood coursing through the body rich with oxygen. 12 days til the games. Starting to get a little more anxious. Not sure this ole broad has trained hard enough.