New Leaf

Caleb wanted in on the leaf fun

My new car!

I replaced my 10-year-old PT Cruiser with a brand new Nissan Leaf this weekend. Woot! So far, one day in, I am loving it :-) It will be an adventure, figuring out where and when to charge it and learning its limitations. But I'm still pretty excited. No gas? Yes, please!

Girls on the Run 5K and TN State TT Recaps

Team post-race -- Amanda, Kiki, Anna, Shelly, Kailin, Cali

It was a rainy weekend. Saturday was the Girls on the Run 5K; Kaiya and I ran a 26:35, almost 5 minutes faster than our practice 5K a couple weeks ago (April 8; 31:15).

Girls on the run 5K -- Kaiya and me

Then, after I got a ton of stuff done at my house, we headed to Chattanooga. We pre-rode the TT course, had a good dinner, and tried to sleep.

Sunday was another cold, rainy day, but we set out to do our thing: 30K on the TT bikes. My time was 55:22, good enough for 5th place in the P/1/2 field. It was a strong field, and I am happy with top 5! My girls obviously did well too, as you can see in the pictures!

Cat 3 podium -- Anna in 3rd

Cat 4 podium -- Kiki in 2nd

Masters podium -- Cali in 1st

Merckx women podium -- Shelly in 1st

P/1/2 podium -- Amanda in 3rd

TN State Time Trial

This weekend was our TN State TT. I finished 5th in the P/1/2 field with a time of 55:22. This is about all I have to say about it:

http://teambelladium.com/2013/05/07/state-tt-2013/

Joe Martin Stage Race Report

Me, Kiki, Kat, Catherine, and Ashley

Kat, Kiki, Catherine, and I were all in Fayetteville, AR, this weekend for the Joe Martin Stage Race. I'd done it last year as a 3, and this was to be my first experience as a 2. That means the races start 2 days earlier and include an additional road race. Kat and I arrived at Devil's Den State Park, checked in and warmed up. My warmup was good, and after the officials weighed and measured my bike, I was ready to roll. This TT is a 2.5-mile climb, and my goal was to be faster than last year (13:22); I was aiming for 12:xx. Although I was passed by 2 riders, I kept going as strong and hard as I could and finished in 12:53. Success!

It wouldn't be a Team Bd trip without Starbucks

Swag that I'm giving to my nephews

Caves at Devil's Den

Chillin' after our TT

Beautiful waterfall

Not fast by most of the rest of the field's standards, but a HUGE improvement for me. I had my timer set for 1min, and if I felt myself letting up for any reason, I'd start the timer and push for at least 60sec. I figured I can do anything for 60sec, maybe even 180. I started the timer at the 1K sign simply because I knew that would likely be less than 3min and I needed to push hard. I sprinted (as much as possible when climbing hard) to avoid being caught by another rider. This left me in 50th place of 52 riders and ~3min down on the leader.

Happy day!

Pretty day!

After we finished, we took a little hike on a trail near where we'd parked. It was about 1.5miles long, and we took our sweet time (40min or so), admiring the waterfalls, exploring some cave entrances, and enjoying the view. Then it was off to Ashley's house to rest for Friday's road race. Kiki's friend graciously opened her house to us and agreed to host us, and we loved being in a house instead of a hotel. Plus we made a new friend...even better!

Kat TT; source

The leadup to Friday's road race was crazy. It rained, hailed, thundered, and lightninged. I had some car stuff to deal with. Kat wasn't feeling well. We were hoping they'd decide to not run today's race. But we didn't get any emails, so we headed to Walmart to meet Dori, Jess, and Joy, our ride to our race start.

The race was a 60mi point-to-point hard course. Around mile 20 was a sprint, and around mile 23 was the start of a ~9mi climb. I was with the field through the first 24mi, and I felt like I was actually racing my bike. I wasn't attacking or chasing, but I was staying in a good position and moving with the field. I could see everything, and I was with the group at the sprint.

Shortly after the climb started, I fell off the group and climbed a few miles by myself. Then I got caught by 2 ladies, with whom I stayed the rest of the day. We summitted together, each took a bottle and gel in the feedzone, and then got to work. All of us were good descenders, so we flew down the descent and quickly caught another. The 4 of us worked togther really well for at least 20mi, rotating our pace line like clockwork.

Kailin TT; source

This part of the race was fun and hard. There was no chatter, only focus. There was no easing up, only driving the pace to ensure that we all finished within the time cut. We caught 2 more within 10K to go, and we all finished together. Well, mostly together.

It was drizzling when we started, but the skies quieted and it was simply cold. Prior to the race I had called Will to ask him to pray with me. I was super nervous and wanted to race, but I also did not want to be stupid and race in hazardous conditions. He prayed, and I immediately felt at peace and was not bothered the rest of the day. I never did warm up, though, and within the final miles I couldn't shift. Which meant that it was nearly impossible for me to hold on to my group. I finished within the time cut, 50th of 53 finishers and ~12min behind the winners.

Saturday's road race start was just as miserable as Friday's. It wasn't as cold, but it was raining and had been all morning. But these ladies are professionals, and we all road hard but safely from the start. There were some attacks, but the field was keeping enough space between wheels to make me comfortable.

Sadly, though, I flatted coming up a hill 10min into the race. The Shimano guys quickly changed out my rear wheel and pushed me back toward the pack, but I couldn't see them at all. I knew that if I didn't catch them by the turn at mile 11.5, it would be a very.long.day.

After about 2min (it felt like an eternity!), the moto official rode up next to me and said to draft off of him back to the pack. For those 5min I averaged 28mph! Because it had taken a couple minutes for him to come back, I thought he'd wanted to see that I was making an effort to chase. I talked to the Shimano guys when I picked up my wheel, though, and they said they'd radioed the officials, saying I was back by myself with no police or anyone and could someone please come back for me. I thanked him profusely :-)

This is legal in these types of races, and had Todd been there, I'd have been able to use him in his car for up to 20min. Anything over 20min could result in a fine for "prolonged drafing off a team car," which happened to a few pro men and women.

I arrived back at the pack, happy to be along for the ride. There were a few more attacks before we made that first turn. I didn't do anything about them (that is, I didn't have to) except stay with the pack. Again, I felt like I was really racing my bike, which was a nice change from last weekend.

When we made that left turn at mi 11.5, I hit a wall. I thought. All of a sudden, I decided that I could not finish the race. I stopped, let everyone and the caravan pass, and turned around. I had 11.5mi to ride home solo, and 11.5mi to think.

All I could come up with for the sudden change and decision was that I had hit mental (and probably emotional) exhaustion. I knew that decision to turn around meant that I could not race the crit on Sunday, and crits are my favorite races. But it was a decision I was ok with.

I gave everything I had for as long as I could, it just wasn't long enough to last the entire weekend. I also came into this weekend knowing that Thursday and Friday were the two most important races for me: I had to improve my time, and I had to make it through the RR to have any hope of continuing the race. But I can work with 100% effort--it just means that I have to add to my endurance and mental capacity (the big fields and unfamiliar wheels are more taxing than I remembered!).

Catherine and Kiki at their crit start

But there's more to the story. I missed the women's finish while tending to Catherine, and Emma drove up to where Kiki, Ashley, Cath and I were loading the car. She had Kat in the car with her, which surprised all of us because it meant she hadn't finished. She said that around mile 15, a crash in the field pushed her into a ditch and caused half of the 45 women to go down. I am convinced that the Lord was protecting me, and He knew what I'd need to turn around. I am thankful for His continued protection! Kat was ok, but she also was not able to race Sunday's crit. This freed us up to focus on Kiki and Catherine, though, so all was not lost!

Cat 3/4 GC podium - Allison (2nd), Catherine (1st), Jess (3rd)

Kiki and Catherine had a 25-minute (8-lap) crit on Sunday morning, and they went out hard. Within 1 lap, they were down to ~12 women, and both Belladium ladies were riding smart. They dropped a few along the way and finished with 9. Catherine attacked 1 corner from the finish and climbed the hill to the finish line with a 4-second lead on the 2nd place girl and a WIN! Kiki finished with that field in 5th place, and both girls were much happier with today than yesterday. Kat and I were super proud :-)

Happy after the finish!

Sunny King Crit and Foothills RR Recaps

Anna, Cali, and Shelly warming up

Catherine warming up

Friday, Cali, Anna and I got in a short but needed and good ride through Maryland Farms at lunch. Then it was time to get everything done that I needed to before we left for Anniston, AL, on Saturday morning. I have done these races before (Sunny King Crit 2012 [2nd of 16 Cat 3/4], 2011 [6th of 36 Cat 3/4]; Foothills RR 2012 [DNF], 2011 [23rd of 23 Cat 1/2/3]).

Women 3/4 at the start line

Saturday late morning, Anna, Catherine, Cali, and Shelly were racing in the Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, and I wanted to be there to watch them and cheer for them. They all did awesome, with a leadout from Anna and Cali that put Catherine in 3rd overall in their Cat 3/4 field. After lunch, we went to the hotel for a nap. Lovely.

Women 3/4 crit results

AJ and I began our P/1/2 race at 6:20. My main goal was to stay with the field for at least 5 laps. I really had no idea what to expect; I’d watched this race last year and it looked crazy hard, and the last time I did a P/1/2 crit (Fond du Lac, 2011), I got lapped 3 times and was finally pulled. So I thought that goal was a good one. But I didn’t stop there. Goal #2 was to stay with the field the entire race, and Goal #3 was to finish in the top 10 if I was feeling good and in a good position. Besides that there was a crash right next to me on the 3rd corner of the first 4-corner lap, all went as expected for me and I was able to stay with the field for all but the final two laps.

I wasn’t in the best position for much of the race, and that was completely my fault. I should have moved up (and stayed up) every time Todd told me to, and often I did. However, some times I wasn’t able to stay up there simply due to inability and inexperience. I wasn’t willing to fight certain people for position and I wasn’t able to get far enough ahead of them that they weren’t an issue, so too frequently I found myself at the back. I could see AJ the entire time, though, and I knew she’d finish great.

When the main teams started organizing for leadouts with two laps to go, I was unable to keep up the pace and dropped off the back of the field, finishing by myself as #32 in the 40-woman field. AJ finished 13th, and I was so proud of her!

This race wasn’t the hardest crit I’ve done simply because there was not a lot of action. The women who had multiple teammates didn’t attack, and the field stayed together the entire time. It was very hard, though, and I’m glad I did it. I have a lot to learn and definitely have room for improvement.

Crit Stats: 22.35 miles, 57:33, 23.3 mph (29.5 max), 180 bpm (193 max), 32/40 Cat P/1/2
RR Stats: 47.59 miles, 2:24, 19.9 mph (44.4 max), no HR, 31/50 Cat P/1/2/3/4

Saturday morning, Cali, Anna, AJ, Catherine, Parri, and I lined up for the Foothills Road Race. In 2012 when I did this race, I did not finish, calling it a day around mile 9. In 2011 when I did this race, it was from what I remember one of the hardest simply due to the mostly uphill first half. This year, they changed the course significantly, and we didn’t really climb until mile 41. We started with the…longest…ever…10-mile neutral rollout, and we were neutralized again around mile 22. Other than that, there were few attacks, none of which stuck, and tons of sketchy riding (two crashes in one RR is two too many).

I attacked twice, and the second time two girls came with me. I thought we’d at least be able to make something happen then, but neither of them was willing to pull through to help us create and sustain the break, so we quickly got caught. That was frustrating, and T said later that I should have just asked them what they were thinking. If they were willing to chase but weren’t willing to work to create a break, what were they wanting to do? I may never know! Cali and Anna attacked too, but the field wasn’t willing to let anyone get away. This meant that we started the climb with almost 40 people (50 starters in the P/1/2/3/4 field). I got dropped on that 1.3-mile climb, and on the descent caught two women who finished with me. I beat them both to finish #31 of 50. AJ and Cath climbed great and finished 8th and 11th, respectively. Parri was 24th, Anna was 29th, and Cali was 30th.

Considering that I DNF last year, simply finishing was my primary goal for this race, and my secondary goal was to finish with a group. I hit both goals, which I called success and Will called progress. Again, I learned a lot during this race, especially that it’s OK to be aggressive when the race is as boring as it was today. Even if nothing happens, you could be tiring the others out, and if something happens you’d be golden. In this race also, position was key, and I was sometimes in the right one and sometimes in the wrong one. Closer to the front means easier to react if someone attacks, closer to the middle means that you aren’t working as hard but don’t have as easy an out, and closer to or at the back means you really shouldn’t have to work but you can’t ever get out and it takes tons of energy to move up at all.

Because of the lack of a break in the field, we were often slow and more often surge-y. This made the race more mentally taxing than anything—I felt like I needed a post-it to stick to my back that said “SLOWING” so that I wouldn’t have to say it every 3 minutes. Next year I’ll be more aggressive in this race!

Quite possibly the first time I've seen a car
plugged in to one of these (at the Franklin Kohl's)

It rained this week...a lot! My poor tomatoes.

Muscular Endurance Week 4

After a break week last week (break as in, the workouts weren't as focused on muscular endurance, not break as in easy, especially considering Team B's fun, hard weekend), we hit it hard again today. This was the same workout we did two weeks ago: warm up, spin up, four 11-minute intervals, sprint. I didn't wear an HRM today, but I know my HR was quite high, at least during the final interval.

4-18-13: Tempo; sprint: 708W
4-16-13: 11, 11, 6.5, 2; sprint: 710W
4-04-13: 11, tempo, 11, tempo; sprint: 694W
4-02-13: 11, 8, 8, 8; sprint: 684W
3-28-13: 10, 5.5, 6, 8.67; sprint: 714W

After Tuesday's class, I went to Anna's house for a little birthday celebration with her neighbors (family Jennifer, David Sr., David Jr., Caitlin, and Jonathan) and friends (Patrick and Robin). I also took a 3-mile walk at lunch -- it was a beautiful day!

Wednesday I ran to Kroger for some essentials (milk and eggs), and because it was a Mega Sale, a few nonessentials too (cereal).

Kroger Trip (4-17)

Item (Quantity)	Regular Price  (multiplied)	Sale Price	Coupons	Final Price
*Almond Milk (2)	3.14 (6.28)	2.99 (5.98)	2 x $0.55/1 MQ	$4.88
Coke Zero liter (2)	1.49 (2.98)	1.00 (2.00)	2 x $0.99/1 MQ	$0.02
*Pampers wipes (2)	2.49 (4.98)	1.99 (3.98)	2 x $0.50/1 MQ (doubled)	$1.98
Pineapple (2)	3.99 (7.98)	1.00 (2.00)	--	$2.00
Eggs	2.99	1.29	--	$1.29
*Lucky Charms	4.25	2.99	$0.50/1 MQ (doubled)	$1.99
Totals: 10 items	$29.46	$18.24	$6.08 in MQs, *$5/5 Mega Sale	+$0.92 tax $8.08 total (saved $21.38, or 73%)

Then I rode the following route, which took me forever and a day considering that I left from and rode through Cool Springs at 5pm.

I did, however, find a great new neighborhood, Cedarmont Farms, that I would love to run through because it is huge, hilly, and sparsely traveled.

Thursday's ride at T's was all tempo for me. My legs were toast, but I'd have been willing to do at least two of the efforts. Todd said to keep it tempo, and I had my HRM, so I stayed right at tempo and loved it. It was exactly what I needed. My sprint was to 708W.

Thursday's post-ride dinner.

We are racing this weekend at the Sunny King Criterium and the Foothills Road Race, and I can't wait to get  out on the road with some of the big girls in my sport.

Tragedy

Support for Boston and all the runners

A few people have suggested wearing blue and race t-shirts today to show support for Boston, the Boston Marathon, the marathon runners, and all those affected by the tragic bombings on Monday during the race. My own city's race shirt was the best one for the job. I have no good words to describe how disheartening this is. AJ and I had been watching the entire elite race, and I felt like I'd been there all morning. SR shared this Chicago Tribune News link, which tells more about what happened. Obviously authorities are still trying to figure out what happened and who caused it. All I know is that it's unthinkable, devastating, and senseless.

It also makes me wonder what is going on on the running world. The New York Marathon was canceled by a so-called "Act of God" (all things are acts of God, but natural disasters like hurricanes tend to be referred to as that because they can't be better explained). This marathon was stopped due to ridiculous and heartless acts of men. God is allowing us to make our own decisions and do our own thing, and we are choosing to not follow Him. There are always consequences for that!

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 1:18–32

My dear friend Anna's birthday presents

Newly planted poppies

I planted tomatoes and strawberries back on March 23. The tomato plants were over 3 inches tall and required replanting, so I bought a larger 3-pot planter and replanted both. Then I got a third plant, flowers, to fill the third pot once they start growing. Hopefully the two I moved still grow!

What's on sale at Kroger this week...