I've been remiss, busy, absent

Last entry was when I hit a deer, that was on a Tuesday. Got the rental car and was moving forward. Thursday afternoon I managed to wreck the rental car as I exited the parking garage. The same garage that I have parked in for at least 7 years now. I've blamed it on thunderstorms and it being a car I'm not used to. If I'm honest with myself, I was preoccupied.

Friday and Saturday were booked for moving. Big change, lots of change. Still too much to discuss here. I've still not smoked a cigarette, haven't really wanted one. Boy I could've copped out so many times over the last week or two now.

I miss some people that were prominent in my life a year or so ago. Maybe someday I'll work those relationships back to what they used to be, maybe I won't.

I've not followed my training like I should've. Hope that I can get this regimen back soon. I need it.

"I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end." I'm ready to see those days again.

Another exciting day in the life

I hit the snooze until 5:55, get up, fix a bowl of 5 minute oatmeal (no microwave stuff for me!), dress, put my clean bike gear in the car and take off for the day. Driving down Route Rd, listening to 84 WHAS and all of a sudden the face of this dear is looking at me through the windshield. Not time to think or react, THUD. A knot rose up my throat and I felt like throwing up. I'd been booking about 50 mph. Quickly I gather my wits, slow down, and pull over. Put on my flashers, get out of the car and walk to the back and look behind me. There's nothing in the road and I don't see a deer anywhere. I walk around the passenger side and to the front. The headlight is busted and the bumper dented.

What's funny is, the whole time I'm driving on to work I'm thinking how I should be all wanting a cigarette. Stressful event, right? nah, I felt sick to my stomach and the thought of tobacco smoke in my system too just made it worse. YES!!!! So much more free than I was before.

The rest of the day was calling the bodyshop, work, insurance company, work, taking my car to the shop, getting picked up and taken to the rental car place, renting a car, going back to work. Other events are happening, my brother calls and says Mom has been scammed.

So much more tell, but it's late and I'm pooped. Hoping to get out to Shelby county right after work tomorrow and ride the road course we are racing on Sunday. 66F and sunny should make for a nice 20 or 30 mile ride I'm hoping.

Always something

It's been a good ride for the last 20 months of going tobacco free, in a physical sense. I am so much more fit, though I still have work to do. It's also been a roller coaster, because going through a lifestyle change also affects your emotional well being and relationships with others. On a personal level I've learned quite a lot about myself and a few other people, too.

I now know much of my disappointment is my own doing. I had the preconcieved ideas of how people would respond in certain situations. That doesn't happen. The nice thing about tonight is that all these small events took place and normally would have triggered a "I want a cigarette" response, Didn't Happen! woo hoo

I rode Tuesday Night Worlds last night. Fun and hard workout. Had a couple of the guys giving me tips through the park. Nice people. I made it to Rudy Lane before being dropped. bitched myself out all the way to River Road. Flew down Blankenbaker but have misplaced my puter, so I am riding blind. Probably the best thing too.

Not sure what I'll work in for the weekend. Will ride tomorrow if it's not pouring. Need to work in some other tasks, too. No races this weekend, but a road race next weekend. will be different from the last 2 weekends of racing. Nice to have a week of rest in between.

Race day #2

Started out by taking a whole benedryl last night at bed time. Woke up, ate oatmeal and took a half a benedryl. Packed the car and met the ladies at 10 am. The plan was to take another half benedryl when we arrived in Lex. I forgot :-( By the time remembered is was 20 before start time. The morning was cool and had some winds whistling around the course. Temps were low 40s and skies were cloudy and grey. We rode the outside of the course to get a feel for it while races were taking place inside the loop.
15 minutes before race time I realise how warm it's gotten, so I change my long sleeve jersey to the short sleeve, but still wear a compression knit jacket and tights.

Long story not so short, I hung the first two laps. The loop was listed at 1.2 miles, my puter registered more. It was a gradual uphill on the start/finish side. Once at the top of the hill it bore right and levelled out. Then a sharp right turn and downhill baby! I had it up to 30 mph at one point. I still suck on hills. May always suck on hills. I keep thinking I should just have taken the downhills and gone with the wind when I could. The undulation in a group is what wears me down. Sometimes there's breaking, even on the downhills. What's with that? They attacked on the uphill and I hung twice, third time just shot out the back. My own fault.

They said they would put up a sign with # of laps remaining and I kept looking for it. Finally, on lap 5, the rest lap me. Talk about depressing, but I knew it was coming. It had to. I'm just thrilled it was only one and not two. :-) Beginning lap 6 the sign is up with 4 to go. ARGHHHHH I looked at my puter and I'd just completed 21 minutes. this was to be a 35 minute race, it took me 40 to complete. I tell myself, "you are over halfway there". "You can do this". My lungs are starting to fill and try desperately to relax. Focus on exhaling. Take a drink. Blow the nose. Relax the shoulders and focus on the legs going up and down, up and down.

Several people on the sidelines were yelling my name, cheering me on. It was quite motivating. I tried to keep positive thoughts and shuned the negative as long as I could.

It took an hour after the race finished to stop wheezing and coughing. I took a half benedryl once back to the car. Taking a whole one now. Have a 8 o'clock Rogue ride in the morning, so hoping to rest sound and easy.

I have a lot of work to do, a whole lot. And it's all good. I love riding and enjoy all the people I've met riding. Peace

Benedryl to the rescue?

I hope it is. I took a half a caplet about 9:30 this morning and everything dried up very quickly. Since I eat numerous times throughout the day I wasn't worried about getting too sleepy. I realised about 3:45 that I hadn't taken any more and so I took another half. I've had a coughing spell here and there but all in all am breathing easy.

I'll take a whole one at bedtime and another half as soon as I get up. Tomorrow is criterium in Lexington. Dry day in the forecast with a high of 60. Much different from last Saturday, however more is blooming and getting greener with each day.

Tomorrow's goal is to keep the lungs working and ride to the finish line. Haven't gotten nearly enough time on the bike to think I can do more. There's a 70 mile ride at sunrise on Sunday morning I want to join. Have to get through tomorrow first! :-)

Asthma reared it's nasty head again

Went to Long Run Park for the first race in the Spring Series. Rain and 36F were the conditions. Rain was steady for the hour leading up to the women's race and during. I warmed up by riding out of the park for a bit and then jumped on the trainer. We were all soaked to the bone well in advance of the start. I was feeling good and got out of the blocks very well and fast, passing numerous women before cresting the hill. As I hit the backside and the gradual uphill I lost momentum (as is typical) and was passed by many. We came around and I pushed up the hill crossing the start line and sprinted to the top again. When I hit the backside on the 2nd lap my lungs shut down. It was like a wall was at my breast bone and no air would go deeper. I tried relaxing, slowing my spin, shifting to easier gears, long slow deep breaths, but nothing was working. I'd taken 2 puffs on the inhaler 40 minutes before I started exerting on the warm up. Didn't have it on my body for the race, but left it in the car. Needless to say I abandoned the race, which I am not proud of or happy about.

Tuesday, I rode worlds, got my arse handed to me and had some sniffles and cough but nothing problematic.

Last night I went to the park to ride and within 15 minutes the asthma started again. I was wheezing and choking and miserable, but the legs felt great! I signed up for Saturday's race, but am worried that I'll have another attack. Need to think seriously about what I can do, maybe benedryl at bedtime Friday night. I'm just not sure. I've not had issues for over a year like I have Sunday and Wednesday.

Crossing my fingers

Tuesday Worlds

So I left work and headed straight to the park. Aired and geared up and took a warm up lap, up Dog hill and Hogan's then around toward's Seneca. All it took was Dog hill to get the lactic acid built up in my quads, but had most of it worked out by the time I arrived at Cycler's. I didn't count, but there were at least 30 to show up. Tracy, Oli and I were the only women to ride. Teams represented were Texas Roadhouse, Bolla, Barbisol, Humana, Twin Spires, BC/TL and Rogue.

There was a full moon on Tuesday and the temps were about 78F at ride start. I was happy that I almost made through the park before I got dropped the first time. Amazed the I hung with them up the hills. I chased through the neighborhoods between Seneca and St. Matthews Ave before I caught up with them, thank goodness for traffic lights. Got dropped fairly quickly on Rudy lane, caught back at Brownsboro Rd. One more drop on Blankenbaker, though I kept them in sight quite a ways. I was flying down Blankenbaker about 32 mph, but couldn't catch them at River Rd. Perry joined us on his fixie. That man can spin! I hung on his wheel best I could.

Glad I was in the back. There were two mishaps on River Road. I only saw the aftermath. Perry and I pulled off at the second one as there were several stopped. I took off again, tried my best to grab a wheel, but those headwinds were tough. Webguy came around and said, "grab hold!" which I did for a few hundred feet. Again the headwinds pushed me back. Those guys were squirrely, lots of testosterone. I can only imagine how intense it gets as people pick up their fitness over the next months.

There are 5 Cat 1/2/3 women racing on Saturday and 9 Cat 4s. As someone said, I'll finish in the top ten! :-) Just need the experience. Only expectation is to hopefully finish.