I survived Memorial Day weekend!

Hot fun in the summertime - Sly and the Family Stone

Major holiday weekends the office closes at 1:00. So I setup the Out of Office and left for Target. Picked out a TV table, got help getting it to checkout and loaded in the van and took it home. It was "assembly required" and I had to open the box and carry each piece to the house, one by one. It took me an hour and a half to assemble that puppy, but I did it. My TV weighs a ton, but got it moved along with the componentry (as I was building the thing). So now all of the wires are hidden in the back at least and the TV is no longer precariously situated on a three legged table. 

Saturday morning I loaded up the van and drove to General Butler State park to participate in my very first mtn bike race. yeah  So, have I mentioned that we've have more than double our average rainfall for this first 5 months of the year? I was told it was "race ready". Hah, call me gullible. Never again!  ;-)   Was not my best day. Very muddy and I need much more cardio fitness before I hike with my bike like that (note to self for CX!!!!) Slugging up muddy hillsides is not something I do well, I don't even do it poorly, Embarrassed to say that I didn't even finish the first lap. HR spiked too many times, I could hear my heart beating in my ears over and over. DNF  they suck royally. I hope that is the last one for a very long time.

The Sunday plan was to ride long. The forecast was for 90F+ temps, so I planned on starting early. I got online and saw the HMBA report for Brown County State Park. Trails would be green by noon! And they had had a successful turnout on Saturday for clearing all of the fallen trees from the week's storms. I packed the car and drove up. What a beautiful day! I rode 3 hours solo. There were all kinds of wild flowers in bloom, birds everywhere, wildlife scurrying through the forest floor and plenty of hikers and mtn bikers too. This was my second time, the first was the day after I bought my bike in August. That too was solo. I rode the A, B and C trail and then climbed D up to Hesitation Point. I was havin' a hard time on a few steep climbs. (I dismount at one point and my pedal nicks my buggered knee and my whole shin is covered with blood and sweat) And then I remember! I have a triple on the Anthem. Boy that sure makes climbing a little easier for me. At the top I crossed the street and started to do one of the most difficult trails. But I looked at the time, had guests that were arriving late afternoon and turned back. Hesitation Point trail going down was definitely fun. Still technical and I had to take my time on some rocky descents. All was going well and then all of a sudden I was on my back. I wasn't too far from an intersection of trails and found other guys riding. Asked which was best way back and one of the guys took a look at my pupils, just to be safe. I was fine. But I did crack my helmet. DAMN mo money mo money. hah. I drove straight to Clarksville Schwinn and bought a new helmet. Can't ride with a cracked one!

Haven't raced road all year. Except for that TT last weekend. Should've done crits last weekend, but didn't. Monday morning I slept in a little. Ate a nice breakfast and loaded up the car. Jumped in the first race for me at the Lexington Crit. It was HOT, hard  and good. I'm glad I went. I did better than I thought I would. The CAT 1-3s lapped me 3 times. At one point I see the lap cards and they say 11 to go. My heart sunk! I was riding solo, but decided to settle down. I found my rhythm, got a good gear and cadence sequence throughout the course and before I knew it I passed a cyclist. Then with 2 laps to go I passed another. On the last lap I came up the backside and saw one more girl I could get around. The last straightaway was uphill to the finish. I put everything I had into that, downshifting and sprinting as hard as I could go, like I was vying with a lot of others (I wasn't). Now I have a baseline. I know I need tons of work. BUT I don't want to peak until much later this year. Maybe have a small peak at end of road season and then my big one late, possibly January.  I don't want to burn out. We'll see.

Three days riding my bicycle and being in the out of doors was good. In a previous life it would've been much different. Cookouts and cemeteries. While I did miss that in a way, I'm finding out how to do things in this life. It's a learning process. I'm trying to live in the present. Not in the past or so much planning for the future. When I succeed with that I am happiest. It's not easy. But who wants easy? Not me!


I hope everyone had a great weekend, too.


peace

Love fresh, clean sheets and shaven legs

Disappointment in an endeavor will hopefully create more ambition to overcome

I never used to dream. Why now? And these topics?

Fun weekend, not what I had planned

Friday evening, just in from doing my openers before Saturday's crit and someone knocks on the door and walks in. Hah! A friend I've not spent nearly enough time with over last months. He and his SO took the tour of the house, I changed clothes and then we walked to a neighborhood bar for beers. After a couple of beers we came back to the house had broke out the tequila for shots. Nothing good happens with tequila! As they were leaving I went to cross the street to their car and say good-bye. Somehow I managed to trip and fall face first into the road, sliding across the pavement and getting road rash on both knees and my right elbow. 

Saturday morning I get up to finish packing for the race. Left knee isn't as skinned up as the right but is swollen and doesn't want to work properly. I walked and walked and went up and down stairs, but it just wasn't right. No sense in driving to Frankfort and jumping into the first race of the year with a bum knee. So I stayed home, did laundry and kept my leg up. Got the call that my mtn bike was ready and they brought it to Cherokee after work as they had plans to ride. I met them there and took it for a spin. I figured if my knee was too bad I'd turn around and take the bike home. I rode from the parking lot around to bottom of Dog hill and climbed Hogan's fountain hill. Knee felt ok. So I rode around and made my way to decision point and opted for No Net. I was riding confident, even if fitness wasn't great (it'd been a bit with all of the rain since I'd been on the mtn bike).  At one point there is a downhill that is steep with root outcroppings and I decide to be conservative. I go to dismount and walk it down the descent when my left foot slips off the trail and slides down the hillside. My right leg is still straddling the bike. I'm fighting to stop and pushing my bike upwards, but I do a backwards somersault down the hillside. Thank goodness my bike gets caught in the brush and doesn't follow me. Now I have another nice scrape on the outside of my right leg and some chain ring grooves inside the back of my knee.  :-)

I decide I'm going to do a TT on Sunday. A friend I know had told me about it. Another friend was going to race it. It was my first real race (Death March was more fun) of the year. The humidity and heat was at an uncomfortable level. This made wanting to keep a good speed on the bike even more desirable. When I arrived everyone was so nice. A couple of the regulars invited me and another newbie to preride the course with them. We had about an hour before the start. I started out with them and 2.5 miles in I decide I should turn around and get on the trainer. I was a big old wuss! We all lined up and started the 20K course. Several passed me. That was motivation though. I just worked harder and harder with each one. My goal was to keep under 40 minutes and I did by more than a few seconds. There were three nice hills. My bike wouldn't downshift into my small ring. So, the last hill I just settled in and powered up. When I crested it I saw where another road intersected but couldn't see other racers or road markings. Then one of the other women passed me like a bat out of hell. I'd slowed too much and lost momentum. She kicked my arse, to be sure.

I was feeling good after when I heard my time. I was wiped out also. But I'd brought my mtn bike and drove with a friend to Muscatatuck State Park. We started out on the trails. I made it about half way around. I kept telling my friend not to wait but they would not listen. After no more than 2.5 miles I was spent. My legs felt good but heart and lungs could not keep everything running proper. I made it through Sunday without falling down. 2 outta 3 days ain't all that bad, right?  ha ha 


It was a full and fun weekend. I hope this holiday weekend soon to come can measure up. 


Good friends make life so much more enjoyable!!!


peace

Dammit

50s again and it's mid May

Put on a skirt ride tonight but no one showed. A friend came down from Cincy. She joined me on lap two. I caught a chill. Good easy ride though on my new SuperX with road tyres.
Took a nice hot bath. I may be in the poor house due to water and water heater bill.

My CSA started today with my bro. Kale and mustard greens with lettuce and radishes and onions and asparagus. Yums

I have forgotten important things I think. It's been too long so all I have is fiction

Trying but failing to live without pain relievers. Stupid hands and feet

Tuesday

So much time has passed. And I've not posted much at all.

Today was a full day at work. Then I had one of the best solo rides in a while. Intervals, 3 x 10 minutes with recovery in between. I rode to Utica. Beat the TNWs as they moved to that route for tonight as well. I had good power, felt great other than some aches and pressure points. Finally I feel like training is coming together.

I got home, took a hot bath and saw that Bob Schneider was at a local bar, Phoenix Hill.  I was so tired, but I like his tunes. So I went to see him. All by myself. Had a fun evening. Stood too much. Finally found a stool and swayed to the music.

This being solo is getting a little easier. A little. Still I long to share moments with another