Sunday, June 30, 2013

TN State Road Race: Hard and Hilly!

Cat 1/2 podium: Amanda 1st, Liz 2nd, Kat 3rd

Saturday was the annual TN State Road Race. The venue changes every year, but the gist is the same: The person who wins the race earns a jersey and the right to call herself the current road race champion. The 2012 state road race was in Oak Ridge (I was 3 of 6 Cat 3), and the 2011 state road race was in East Tennessee (I was 12 of 15 Cat 1/2/3). This year's race was the Cookeville/Avery Trace Road Race. I did not compete in this road race last year because I had been racing at the Tour of America's Dairyland the previous week and the next day was the 2012 State Crit. But that didn't mean I didn't remember it.

Cat 3 podium: Cali 1st, Stephanie 2nd, Martha 3rd

Remember it I did! In early June of 2012, we had previewed the course. In addition, I went along on race day to support the team, but I watched everything from Todd's car. This year was a different story because I was on my bike, on the road, not in a car. We got to the first of the 3 short climbs, and I remembered why, the previous year, it had been a quick decision of mine to not do the race. This year, however, I was already committed and just told myself, You have to do this. You can do this. You are already out here, and you are still with a group, so keep going. My goal going into this race was to make it through at least the first 17 miles with the group and then ride hard, hopefully with someone or some people, for the remaining ~40 miles.

Cookeville/Avery Trace RR

The first climb went well for me, and I descended (down the tricky, pot-holey, wet, shadowed, fast descent) with the group, which at the start was 14 Cat 1/2/3 women (9 Cat 1/2 and 5 Cat 3). On the second climb, I was leading (and thrilled about it!). I thought, This is GREAT! If they let me lead this whole time, I can go at my pace up a hill forever! Close to the top, Liz got a little anxious and came around me, but I think it was simply for the sake of not being behind someone, not for the sake of pushing the pace. I made it up most of the 3rd climb with the group but fell off slightly and found myself with Jes, Martha, and Stephanie. My first thought was that I would be stuck with them, but then I decided to attack and bridge up to the rest of the group. I did, but so did they (because the first group slowed up). We all rode together until that climb around mile 17. I began the climb with the group but was unable to stay.

Eventually, Missy and I ended up together (she waited for me to catch her) and rode really well together. I was happy to have someone to ride with, as was she, and we made a good team: she pulled up all the hills, and I descended first and pulled on a lot of flats. This entire time, from ~Mile 18 until ~Mile 41, we could see Parri, Stephanie, and Martha ahead of us; we also knew that Jess, Jes, and Leah were behind us. We would have loved to have caught the group ahead of us, and a few times it felt like we were gaining on them. Then the next time we looked, we were holding steady and not making up any ground. Parri is strong, so that was probably part of it :-)

Eventually, at the climb at Mi 41, it really looked like we could catch them, and Missy climbed at her pace and I at mine. I thought for sure she'd finish with those three, but we both ended up staying in no-man's land by ourselves. I could still see her (and Parri and them) the rest of the way in, but I never could get close enough to catch them. I never saw Jes and them behind me.

The finish of the lead group came to a sprint -- Kat did some hard work to lead Amanda out, and Amanda did her job winning that sprint and the race. Kat was 4th, Catherine was 5th, and Cali was 6th. Woot! I was 11th; as I was finishing the final 15 miles, I was counting riders wondering if there was any way I could make top 10. But seeing as how Missy and I couldn't catch Parri's group even though we were working together, I knew there wasn't any way I could catch them by myself. So I couldn't move up. Bummer!

My main goals for this race were to finish, stay with the group for at least the first 17 miles, and use the day as a good long training ride and a half-Ironman-distance-bike time gauge. My time goal was 2:50, which, if doubled, would mean a 5:20 Ironman-distance-bike time. Louisville is significantly flatter than this, and I finished in 2:47. Woot!

Stats: 2:47:42, 55.18 miles, 19.7 mph (45.3 max), 167 bpm (192 max), 11/14 and 8/9 Cat 1/2

Preliminary results are here.

Here's what the course looked like last year:

2012 Cookeville Road Race route
Sunday I met Val at the MFY for a long run. She and I did 4.5 miles together (10 min/mile), and then I ran another 5.5 by myself (8:30 min/mile) for a total distance of 10 miles, time of 1:30, and pace of 9:09. Considering how tired my legs had been after Saturday's race, I was thrilled that I could hold 8:30s steady for that long (and I was actually really close to steady on the hilly MYF 6-mile loop I did clockwise: 8:26, 8:22, 8:27, 8:35, 8:37).

My normal Sunday bike-cleaning looked like this today:

Little Blue getting cleaned
Normally BB would have wheels and it would be much easier to clean. However, I was also working on changing wheels/brake pads and I wanted to clean it outside (it's amazing how dirty a bike can get on the top of a car!), so I had to improvise with a bike stand. This worked for today!

Friday, June 28, 2013

Publix Trips

Tons of veggies! (There are 6 more boxes under the turkey burgers.)

I guess I don't shop much during the summer, being gone racing and on vacation -- it's been a while since I've shared a grocery store trip! Here are my two quick trips (one big and one small) from this week.

Publix Trip (6-27)
Item (Quantity)  
Regular Price 
(multiplied)
Sale Price  
Coupons
Final Price  
Green Giant
veggies (12)
1.99
(23.88)
BOGO
(11.94)
4 x $1/3 MQ$7.94
Lloyds BBQ (2)5.99
(11.98)
BOGO
(5.99)
2 x $1/1 MQ$3.99
Jennie-O turkey
burgers (2)
8.59
(17.18)
BOGO
(8.59)
2 x $1/1 MQ
2 x $1.50/1 PQ
$3.59
Powerade (2)5.85
(11.70)
BOGO
(5.85)
--$5.85
Chocolate Milk1.09--$1/1 dairy PQ$0.09
Mission chips3.993.49$0.55/1 MQ$2.94
Venus razor10.17--$5/1 MQ
$2/1 PQ
$3.17
Cover Girl eye
pencil
5.49--$1/1 MQ
$2/1 PQ
$2.49
Totals: 22 items$85.48$52.61$14.55 in MQs,
$8 in PQs
+$4.15 tax
$34.21 total
(saved $51.27,
or 60%)


During the 6-27 shopping trip, I was behind a lady in line who spent ~$38 on her few groceries. I noticed that she had an item for which I had a matching Q, so I set the Q on the item and the cashier scanned it. I happened to check the screen as she was paying and noticed that she saved a total of 80 cents: the doubled value of the coupon I'd set out. It almost hurt to see so little savings on a shopping trip. Even if I hadn't used coupons, I'd have saved nearly $30 on this shopping trip--it SO pays to shop the sales!

Saved a lot -- woot!

Publix Trip (6-25)
Item (Quantity)  
Regular Price 
(multiplied)
Sale Price  
Coupons
Final Price  
Eat Smart
veggies (8)
2.50
(20.00)
3/$5
(13.34)
--$13.34
OM hot dogs (2)5.69
(11.38)
3.99
(7.98)
$1/1 MeQ
2 x $1/1 PQ
$4.98
Florida OJ3.893.00--$3.00
Quinoa (2)3.49
(6.98)
2/$3.49
(3.49)
--$3.49
salt shaker2.49----$2.49
VitaminWater1.500.88--$0.88
Totals: 15 items$46.24$31.18$1 in MQs,
$2 in PQs
+$1.88 tax
$30.06 total
(saved $16.18,
or 35%)

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

NC.com Crit #5 (Tired Legs!)

Start line from the front

Start line from the back

On the move!

Tonight's race was hard. My legs were quite tired, more so than I was expecting. I'd done a step mill workout in the morning, which is my typical pre-crit workout, and it was only a little rough, so I was expecting an OK race, but it wasn't quite that. The course was slightly different tonight, where instead of turns 2 and 3 being left-hand turns and turns 4 and 5 being a quick left-right turn, turn 2 was a sweeping 180 and turns 3, 4, and 5 were eliminated.


I had a couple good attacks, but I didn't have much after them. This means that I missed the break (AJ, Katie, Cath, Cali, and Jess) and couldn't bridge up to Leah, so I was behind all them in a group with Kristi, Kathy, Shannon, and Jes. We all worked together pretty well, but we couldn't do too much because we all had teammates up the road. However, we should have done much more than we did, because we knew we were going to get lapped and I didn't want to get lapped! The officials couldn't figure out whether (or when) we were going to get lapped, so we saw 5 to go twice and didn't ever see 2 to go (we got caught on AJ's last lap). I had been hoping to A) get away from my group, B) bridge up to Leah, C) not get caught, and D) out-sprint the others in my group.

Early in the race, we were all together

Belladium all together

Kristi and me

Turn 2 -- sweeping 180

When I finally knew getting caught was inevitable, I just attacked. I knew AJ couldn't work with me, but she could go at my speed, so I picked up the pace at the line with 1 to go. AJ also went on the attack, and once I realized that I had enough separation between me and everyone else, I let AJ and Katie sprint it out (while I watched and stayed out of the way) and came across the line shortly behind them. Although I crossed the line 3rd, I actually finished 6th due to having been lapped and because Jess ended up not finishing.

It was still a fast and hard race (everyone agreed with that after!), but I had been hoping for slightly better and less tired legs than what I got. Time to rest up for the state RR on Saturday!

Race #5, 6-26-13: 29:26, 10.92 miles, 22.3 mph, 183 bpm, 6/23 and 4/5 Cat 2sRace #4, 6-19-13: 29:48, 11.89 miles, 23.9 mph, 186 bpm, 5/19 and 3/4 Cat 2s
Race #3, 6-12-13: 28:48, 10.73 miles, 22.3 mph, 189 bpm, 2/18 and 1/3 Cat 2s
Race #2, 5-29-13: 30:39, 11.31 miles, 22.1 mph, 2/18 and 2/4 Cat 2s
Race #1, 5-22-13: 35:36, 12.88 miles, 21.7 mph, 4/14 and 2/3 Cat 2s (incorrect time and mileage)

Photo source

Psalm 139

Psalm 139, one of my passages for the year, was in today's Daily Audio Bible reading, and it is one of my favorites. It is a constant reminder of how much God loves me simply because He made me -- He loves me (and you) so much that He sent Jesus to earth as a man to teach us, to die on the cross in order to pay the penalty for our sin, and to rise again to show that He, as God, could conquer death. Amazing.

Psalm 139 (NKJV)

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
20 For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

Additional references:
John 3:16
Romans 6:23
1 Corinthians 15

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Push Up Count (and finally, a long-for-me swim!)

After the three days of the Tour of America's Dairyland that I did, I needed a rest day, so Sunday was it. It helped that I was driving all day and didn't have time to ride or run! On Monday, I'd hoped and planned to swim, but with rain threatening and chances of lightning, I couldn't get in the pool when I wanted to, so instead I spent some time on the elliptical at my apartment complex's workout room (all the while wishing we had a step mill there and then wondering why I didn't go to the Y where I knew there'd be at least one).

Tuesday early morning I got on the bike for an early morning recovery ride. I'd hoped to ride a little harder than I did, but I needed the slow-ish spinout and just a little bit of time enjoying riding. Here's my route:

Tuesday morning east/west ride
Although I didn't ride them, I found a few new roads that I will be trying out...love me some adventures on the bike! Tuesday afternoon I got in the pool at MFY and swam a GREAT 1600m. That tripled my average monthly "mileage" and it was pretty slow (~2:09/100m; 34:24 total)), but it was longer than I've swam in a long time and I really didn't get tired during the swim at all. I'm contributing that to the push up challenge I started with Will and Iron Will Sports and Fitness at the beginning of this year: On January 1, I did 1 push up; on January 2 I did 2 push ups, on January 31 I did 31 pushups, on February 1 I did 32 push ups, and so on through the year. Except that I made it to June 15** before I simply couldn't continue adding 1 push up per day while riding my bike well -- my arms were getting more and more tired every day (stronger, yes, but tired as well), and I wasn't able to use all my strength to hold my handlebars while climbing because they were achy/sore/tired-tired-tired. So my plan to continue for the year is to go by month: On July 1, I'll restart at #1 and continue through #31, and then I'll restart on August 1. Thirty-one is still quite a challenge, so it's not easy!

Also I've finished a few more books on my reading list, but I still have a few to go to complete 2013's list. Of course, I keep adding to it, but there's nothing wrong with that! I recently finished The Winner's Brain, Firehouse, and The Penny; I recently added How to Be a Best Friend Forever and How to Get a Date Worth Keeping (both sound like fun books, huh? :-)

** June 15, although day #167, was my day 165; I didn't check a calendar every day to see what day of the year it was; instead, I went by months and date in that month. So June 15 would have been 5 x 30 + 15 =  165 even though it was really day #166. In total through June 15, given that I skipped a couple, I completed 13,208 push ups (some military style, some girl style, some wall push ups, some railing push ups, but all push ups). Had I completed all 166 days' worth and not skipped any days, it would have been 13,861 pushups ([166 x 167] / 2).

What are you currently reading?

What's on your 2013 reading list?

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Tour of America's Dairyland III: Grafton

Today's race in Grafton was very hard and short for me. My goal was to stay in better position than I'd been in the previous races, and I succeeded for about 14 minutes. In the 60-minute race. After that, I got dropped from the field and rode another 8 minutes with someone else before we were pulled.

The one course with a hill...not too long or high, but definitely tiring!

Women Cat 3/4

3 pages of results...that's how you know there were a lot of women!


Shorewood (6-20-13) stats: 52:14, 20.74 miles, 23.8 mph, 183 bpm, 52/59 P/1/2
East Troy (6-21-13) stats: 53:59, 22.67 miles, 25.2 mph, 183 bpm, 57/71 P/1/2
Grafton (6-22-13) stats: 21:52, 8.25 miles, 22.6 mph, 170 bpm, 68/76 P/1/2

2012 ToAD posts:

East Troy (6-22-12) stats: 36:38, 14.4 miles, 23.6 mph, 17/33
Grafton (6-23-12) stats: 42:22, 16.55 miles, 23.4 mph, 7/54
Waukesha (6-24-12) stats: 39:39, 15.05 miles, 22.8 mph, 182 bpm, 12/34
Greenbush (6-25-15) stats: 59:41, 20.01 miles, 20.1 mph, 164 bpm, 2/43
Schlitz Park (6-26-12) stats: 40:32, 13.87 miles, 20.5 mph, 177 bpm, 7/39
Fond du Lac (6-27-12) stats: 1:00:20, 21.3 miles, 21.3 mph, 166 bpm, 4/39
Sheboygan (6-28-12) stats: 36:48, 14.31 miles, 23.3 mph, 184 bpm, 1/37

Friday, June 21, 2013

Tour of America's Dairyland II: East Troy

Me and Isaiah!

Mom and Dad with my nephew Isaiah

Family after the race

On the line and ready to go!

Uncle Ron, me, and Aunt Robin before the race

I felt like today's race was one of the fastest I've ever done. The majority of the race, we were single-file or two-wide. The longer the line (64 women tonight!), the faster the pace. A few times we were bunched up, but it didn't last long. I started at the back and finished at the back, but I had a good conversation with Todd about strategy for tomorrow. I am super thankful for a team director who knows what he's talking about! Hopefully my  results look a little better tomorrow.

The course was slightly different than last year's and not quite as technical. That helped make it fast. And keep it fast. Here's the course:

East Troy course

Shorewood (6-20-13) stats: 52:14, 20.74 miles, 23.8 mph, 183 bpm, 52/59 P/1/2
East Troy (6-21-13) stats: 53:59, 22.67 miles, 25.2 mph, 183 bpm, 58/64 P/1/2

Post-race smiles

Hard to get good position

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Tour of America's Dairyland I: Shorewood

This is the first year I've been able to do the 1st of 11 races in the Tour of America's Dairyland: The Shorewood Criterium. It was a fast and busy crit, with 60 women on the start line. There were a few attacks by single riders, but not much action from the teams besides chasing the attackers, so we were all together for much of the race. The announcer called 4 primes in a row, with 8 laps to go, and on the 4th and final one I just could not stay on with the field. I rode two laps mostly solo but passed 3 girls during that time, and then I was pulled with 2 laps to go for a slightly shortened race. It was fun to watch the finish, but I would much rather have been in there with them!

Shorewood course, counterclockwise

Shorewood (6-20-13) stats: 52:14, 20.74 miles, 23.8 mph, 183 bpm, 52/59 P/1/2

Random pictures for the day:

My rental car, a Chevy Captiva

Part of my drive; it wouldn't be a drive up north without a few tolls

Chi-town! And traffic...of course!

2012 ToAD posts:

East Troy (6-22-12) stats: 36:38, 14.4 miles, 23.6 mph, 17/33
Grafton (6-23-12) stats: 42:22, 16.55 miles, 23.4 mph, 7/54
Waukesha (6-24-12) stats: 39:39, 15.05 miles, 22.8 mph, 182 bpm, 12/34
Greenbush (6-25-15) stats: 59:41, 20.01 miles, 20.1 mph, 164 bpm, 2/43
Schlitz Park (6-26-12) stats: 40:32, 13.87 miles, 20.5 mph, 177 bpm, 7/39
Fond du Lac (6-27-12) stats: 1:00:20, 21.3 miles, 21.3 mph, 166 bpm, 4/39
Sheboygan (6-28-12) stats: 36:48, 14.31 miles, 23.3 mph, 184 bpm, 1/37

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

NC.com Crit #4

Tuesday's ride
My plan on Tuesday was first to ride easy with the Tuesday night Healthways/Cool Springs crew. But while warming up, I decided I'd rather ride easy solo, recovery style, and just enjoy the night. I was doing pretty well until mile 9, when someone passed me wearing a kit I didn't recognize and then slowing down. I figured he'd passed me while doing an interval, and I kept waiting for him to begin another because I was staying with and catching up to him. Eventually I just asked for a ride and introduced myself :-) Patrick was a non-local, hence the unrecognizable kit, but he was enjoying the roads and I rode with him the rest of my way back to my car. We rode mostly easy, so it felt like a mostly recovery ride.

Wednesday we started hot and stayed hot. AJ, Cath, Cali, and I were attacking often, and eventually AJ, Jes, Katie, Cali, and I ended up in a break that stayed away. And we lapped the field with about 3 laps to go. Cali and I led out as much as we could, and AJ took the sprint finish for 1st place. I finished 5th, Cali was 4th, and Cath was 6th. Not quite as dominant as last week but still definitely fun!

Race #4, 6-19-13: 29:48, 11.89 miles, 23.9 mph, 186 bpm, 5/19 and 3/4 Cat 2s
Race #3, 6-12-13: 28:48, 10.73 miles, 22.3 mph, 189 bpm, 2/18 and 1/3 Cat 2s
Race #2, 5-29-13: 30:39, 11.31 miles, 22.1 mph, 2/18 and 2/4 Cat 2s
Race #1, 5-22-13: 35:36, 12.88 miles, 21.7 mph, 4/14 and 2/3 Cat 2s (incorrect time and mileage)

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Weekend Projects

I am house-sitting this weekend and decided to do some projects that require a garage. Or at least are easier done in a garage and air-conditioned house!

Kat, Cali, and I went on a nice ride Saturday, and I rode a few miles Friday as well.

Friday's ride

Big project 1 -- tinting my car windows

Excess tint. Thankfully it was precut!

Saturday dinner

"Drop-in Child Car at It's Finest!"
Hopefully they're not teaching grammar.

Big project 2 -- cleaning and switching cassettes

Saturday's ride
Sunday's Ride

Friday, June 14, 2013

Running Questionnaire

1. Would you rather run a 5k or a marathon?
Definitely a marathon. Something about the distance is challenging, taxing, yet fun.

2. Would you rather run in the heat of summer or the icy winter?
Heat of summer, no question. On that note, here I go for a run in the 85*/58% humidity temps!

3. Would you rather have new running shoes or a new running outfit?
I think a new outfit. I like having new shoes, but they always take a little time to get worn in. An outfit you can run mile in without incident.

4. Would you rather run alone or in a group?
Usually I prefer to run alone.

5. Would you rather run next to someone in a race who tries to talk to you constantly or someone who breathes heavy and grunts?
I would go with the talker and 1) not always respond or 2) ask them to let me focus.

6. Would you rather run a race because of the convenience (location, price, travel) or the swag?
Both! I like destination races, but I also like races that have good swag!

7. Would you rather run a race with a group of friends or by yourself?
Solo, since I like to focus. That being said, I'd like to have a group of friends all do the race so we can chat about it after.

8. Would you rather run a PR but result in an injury or finish strong and missing a PR?
For this one, I'd rather finish strong and injury-free. As much as I'd like to run fast, I'd also like to continue running.

9. Would you rather eat a big meal the night before or a big meal after a race?
I'd eat the big meal beforehand. I rarely can eat anything after races. I do well to get in some chocolate milk and water when I'm done.

10. Would you rather be chased by a swarm of bees or a pack of dogs?
Neither! I'd probably least hate the bees, though, because although they can do a lot of damage, it's typically less severe than what dogs can do (unless you're allergic, that is!).

11. Would you rather bike 100 miles or run 100 miles?
Today, I'd rather ride the 100 miles. Ask me again in August, and I'd say run 100 miles. Focus!

12. Wear TOO many clothes and then have to carry them because it’s too hot or wear TOO little clothes and endure a little coldness?
I'd rather wear too many and carry them.

13. Would you rather run without your GPS or without your Music?
I can go all day without music. In fact, I can't remember the last time I ran with music.

14. Would you rather run socially or run competitively?
I'd rather run competitively for a while.

15. Would you rather start a race in the front or in the back?
I like both. Starting in the back of the race and passing people makes me feel fast. Starting in the front and knowing I'm being chased by tons of people makes me work harder.

16. Would you rather run a race to raise money for a charity or in remembrance of someone?
Not really committed to either in this case.

17. Would you rather have an awful race experience and PR or have the time of your life and NOT PR?
I would definitely rather have a grand old time and not PR. Experience!

18. Would you rather run on the right side of the road during a race or the left?
During a race, I like to run on the right side, since when I run on the road it's typically on the left side. This would help align my hips!

19. Would you rather shower and take a nap after a long run/race or shower and be productive?
I usually shower and then get stuff done, so that's what I prefer.

20. Run with your significant other or your friends?
No SO, so I choose friends or solo :-)


Your turn!

1. Would you rather run a 5k or a marathon?
2. Would you rather run in the heat of summer or the icy winter?
3. Would you rather have new running shoes or a new running outfit?
4. Would you rather run alone or in a group?
5. Would you rather run next to someone in a race who tries to talk to you constantly or someone who breathes heavy and grunts?
6. Would you rather run a race because of the convenience (location, price, travel) or the swag?
7. Would you rather run a race with a group of friends or by yourself?
8. Would you rather run a PR but result in an injury or finish strong and missing a PR?
9. Would you rather eat a big meal the night before or a big meal after a race?
10. Would you rather be chased by a swarm of bees or a pack of dogs?
11. Would you rather bike 100 miles or run 100 miles?
12. Wear TOO many clothes and then have to carry them because it’s too hot or wear TOO little clothes and endure a little coldness?
13. Would you rather run without your GPS or without your Music?
14. Would you rather run socially or run competitively?
15. Would you rather start a race in the front or in the back?
16. Would you rather run a race to raise money for a charity or in remembrance of someone?
17. Would you rather have an awful race experience and PR or have the time of your life and NOT PR?
18. Would you rather run on the right side of the road during a race or the left?
19. Would you rather shower and take a nap after a long run/race or shower and be productive?
20. Run with your significant other or your friends?


I got this questionnaire from Running with the Hayneses, who got it from Olive to Run.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

NC.com Crit #3: Team Belladium Sweep!

Anna (4th), Kailin (2nd), Cali (1st), Valerie (for Catherine, 3rd), AJ (5th)

Team Belladium rode awesome tonight, and I had so much fun in this race that I abandoned my initial plan and rode much harder than I was planning to. My plan had been to ride easy (top 5) in the women's race and then ride hard in the men's race. Instead, I rode off the front nearly the entire women's race and lasted only 1 lap in the men's race.

In our race, Amanda attacked early, with Cali and Jess going with her. When we caught them, I attacked and Anna bridged up to me. I want to say this was around lap 3 of 18 or so. Anna stayed with me for quite some time but eventually dropped off, and I was by myself until Cali caught me. Periodically, I'd look back (or up or across, as crit courses allow for high visibility) and see what was going on behind me. I knew pretty much where everyone was except Cali -- I never saw her until she was on my wheel. Then I second-guessed myself and wondered if I'd missed anyone else in my checking. She said she was the only one, so we rode on. I think this was with maybe 4 or 3 to go.

I was in a groove, so I said to her that if she could take the win, she should go ahead. She did, and she won it! I wasn't in danger of getting caught by anyone and finished second. Anna had stayed away from the field, and Catherine had bridged up to and passed her, so they were 3rd and 4th. Amanda was in the field the entire time because a few of the riders (especially Jess) were stuck to her like glue and not letting her get away. So she won the field sprint to take 5th. Woot!

Race #3: 28:48, 10.73 miles, 22.3 mph, 189 bpm, 2/18 and 1/3 Cat 2s
Race #2: 30:39, 11.31 miles, 22.1 mph, 2/18 and 2/4 Cat 2s
Race #1: 35:36, 12.88 miles, 21.7 mph, 4/14 and 2/3 Cat 2s (incorrect time and mileage)

Post-race smoothie to cool me down!

Racing at 6:30, starting the men's race at 7:10 (in which I lasted 1 lap this week thanks to the hard effort in the women's race), running errands, charging my car and riding home while it charged, and having to do laundry made for a late night and made it hard to get to sleep. That just might be typical for Wednesday race nights. Hopefully I can make up the sleep over the weekend!

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Florida 2013

Here are some pics from my recent vacation to Florida with the family.

Birthday cake. The candle sang!

Sisters' families; more family
me with Isaiah; Isaiah and Caleb
me with Isaiah; 3 generations: Caleb, Gramps, and Dad

Amazing Race game pieces, Belladium football, Rummikub, and Shuffleboard

Rays stadium inside and out, Tropical Storm Andrea note, alligators

I ran a lot (44 miles over the first 10 days of the month) and worked out a couple times. Otherwise, we chilled, sat at the pool and ocean, walked a lot, went to a Rays game, went to an Alligator Attraction in Madeira Beach (I've been to that beach before in 2009; race results here), had a little birthday party (Amazing-Race themed, planned by my sister, where I had a bunch of challenges), ate at Big Olaf Ice Cream, ate at The Salty Dog, went to Kohl's, ate a lot, and basically ate often.

Some of the challenges from my birthday were the following:

  • Dive for 30 pennies in 30 seconds
    • My mom threw in the entire bag and I got them in about 3 seconds :-)
  • Carry both nephews for a quarter mile in less than 3 minutes
    • This turned into treading water with Caleb for 1 minute because Isaiah was gone
  • Do 30 pushups in 30 seconds or less
    • Attempt 1: 29 push ups because my dad asked me a question in the middle
    • Attempt 2: 33 push ups
  • Do a backwards triathlon (optional haha!)
  • Score exactly 30 in one round of shuffleboard -- either 3x10 or 2x8+2x7
    • Dad and I played a game, and I could never get closer than 2x8+7 or 2x7+8
    • I used all 16 and did a rolling 4 -- still couldn't accomplish this
    • Finally used all 16, in any order, and accomplished it -- after a lunch break!
  • Walk with Aunt Judy (and accomplish a few subtle things)
  • Draw an updated phone for Uncle Ed and Aunt Lucy
  • Beat Gramps in a game of Rummikub
  • Get these phrases from their respective common speaker without using key words (like Taboo)
    • Mom: Someone can help you with that!
    • Jean: Waiting for Guffman
    • Mike: Turkey hunting
    • Lucy: Shark! There's a shark in the water!

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Rockabilly Gran Prix Race Report

RR start, team meeting, during the race, and podium

Friday night we headed to Jackson, TN, for the Rockabilly Gran Prix races. Our road race started at 8am, bright and early (and dry). It was a 3-lap circuit, with each flat-to-slightly-rolling loop at ~10.5mi each. After ~1mi of neutral, we started attacking. I went first, but I then got dropped pretty quickly after getting caught. That definitely was partly a result of my Friday birthday workout.

Somewhere around mile 7, I caught Karah and she and I rode the remaining 23 miles together, alternating pulls and hoping to catch anyone else. Around mile 27, we caught Megan, another Cat 4 rider, so I told Karah I'd lead her out for the sprint if she could pretend we were teammate and she'd stay in a good position. She did and stayed on my wheel for the sprint. Karah played it perfectly, but Megan made it too easy unfortunately.

Twice within those final 3mi, I had the girls pull through. Karah knew the plan but Megan didn't (obvsiously), so I just said, "Pull through and I'll come back to the front." She did, but then she kept wanting to lead or, worse, ride next to me. I didn't want to say too much, but I did say, "Use the girls you're with...don't do too much work!" She did too much work and wasn't able to stay with us for the final 200m. Karah did awesome and I'm proud of her effort even if she isn't my teammate.

Speaking of teammates, AJ, Parri, and Cali made it into a 6-woman break, from which they finished 1st, 3rd, and 4th. Kiki, Anna, and Shannon were in the next group and worked together to set Kiki up for the Cat 4 win/bonus. Score! I finished 14/22 overall and 4/4 Cat 1/2.

The TT was not great for me. I was on my road bike and had gotten in a decent warmup, but I just did not go super fast. Like almost 2min slower than AJ, who won. She was on a TT bike, but I still shouldn't be that far behind.

RR Stats: 1:31, 31.53 mi, 20.6mph
Lap 1: 30:50, 20.5mph. Lap 2: 30:17, 20.9mph. Lap 3: 30:33, 20.4mph.
TT Stats: 14:33, 5.00mi, 20.6mph
Crit Stats: 28.54, 10.59mi, 22.0mph

Our crit was, again, super early, and it had rained most of the night so we were really hoping for dry roads and no rain. We got it! 21 women lined up for this race, and we had 7: Amanda, Cali, Anna, Kiki, Shelly, Catherine, and me. We had the luxury of numbers, and we used it to our advantage.

Early in the crit

Cath and I weren't a threat to the overall (AJ, Cali, Pam, and Marda were all pretty close), so we were aggressive from the start. We got chased down by mainly Marda, Jess, Stephanie, and Shannon, but with 4 laps to go I attacked and no one came with me or chased.

I knew I'd have to work hard to stay away for the remaining laps, but I also knew that if I didn't, Catherine had my back and the other girls would help Amanda maintain her overall lead. Finally, with 1 to go, I knew I'd stay away. My effort those last 4 laps included attacking (standing up, even) the 2 hills on each lap to either maintain or increase my gap. It hurt.

Finishing off the front, Amanda sprinting, and Omni podium

Jess started chasing and my teammates picked up the pace to set up for the sprint, so my lead at the finish ended up being only a few seconds. But it was a lead nonetheless, and I came away with the win. Amanda won the field sprint for 2nd, Cali finished 5th, Kiki beat another 4 and won the Cat 4 omni bonus, and everyone else did her job and raced smart.

Any win for Team Belladium is a win in my book, but a 1st place for me is also a nice feeling.

(Pics from here and from Catherine.)