This was todays crossfit workout:
100 partner Wall ball twists 20lbs
100 rollouts
50 GHD (Glute/Hamstring developer) sit-ups
50 GHD back extensions
100 russian twists 12 kg
100 Abmat sit-ups
100 V- up sit-ups
100 Wall ball sit-ups 14 lbs
100 floor wipers
50 GHD sit-ups
50 GHD back extensions
200 sledge hammer strikes (100 each arm)
100 slam ball 20 lbs
100 knees 2 elbows
We were suppose to do 4 rounds in sets of "25" but Mike said we could do them all at once if we wanted. I started with the hardest ones first and finished with the easier ones. The Rollouts were tough, I wasn't able to do full extention with them, the GHD sit-ups were half way with 50 of them and the full ROM for 50. My V-up sit ups suck and did the best I could. This was a killer workout and I was wiped out afterwards. It took me just about 1:20 to do the entire set. Mike was kind enough to let us just work right thru the next class that was there. There were only 3 out of 8 that stayed and did the entire thing, Sharon, Patti (her first day at CX fit) and me. It will be interesting to see how many of the other class members did it. I figured I would be pretty sore so I took some Sportlegs before the workout and then a couple of them a few hours afterwards.
Pretty lazy day after that! This was my 2nd day back to crossfit after having a 2 week break, missed it and I can really tell that I need to get back in to it!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Sept. 6th-9th
Tuesday:A little tired today... too much wine/dessert last night and then home and in bed later than I wanted. Work was uneventful and I was out of there early. Got home about 3:15 and took a little nap before Crossfit @ 4:30. Hoping to get to bed early and get in a run around the park tomorrow morning before work.
WOD: 3 x 3 min. AMRAP
-400 run
-Wall Ball shots (12 lb) 28
-400 Run
-Sumo dead lift high pull (65#) 18
-400 Run
-Max ring dips (dips on a step)
Challenge: 25 hanging straight leg lifts (to 90 degrees) & 50 weighted step-ups (50#, 25 lb in each hand) I did the 16" box as I didn't want to strain my hipflexor. My left one has been bothering me lately and I don't want to over do it.
Wed:
WOD
For time:
- 5 rounds Of “Cindy” Cindy: 5 Pullups
- 50 jump rope, singles 10 pushups
- 5 rounds Of “Cindy” 15 squats
- 40 kettle Bell swings 24/16
- 5 rounds Of “Cindy”
- 30 box jumps 24/20
Challenge: 100 v-up sit-ups
Went to the 4:30 class and it was tough, took about 20 min. for all of this. I had to do "jump pullups" for the first set and the last 2 I did it with just one band and a little hop up. I am still struggling with the pullups but hopefully I will get it soon. I just want to do 1 full pull up, unassisted!
It is nice going to the early class, I am usually home about 5:30 and tonight I made Buffalo/chile burgers. Used Cumin/garlic/and about 3 fire roasted chile's cut up and then grilled them. Not too bad but a little spicy. grilled veggies and watched the movie: "Lincoln Lawyer" which we both really enjoyed.
Thursday:
WOD
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1
- Curtis P’s 95/65
- ball slams 30/20
Challenge: 80 back extensions & 4 x 1:00 plank holds
This was a good hard workout, with a the bar I had 65lbs. From a squat, picked up the bar and brought it to my chest (just under the chin). In this position I did a lunge with each leg and then a thrust up with the bar to over my head, lower the bar to the hips and start again. Very tough and I had to take a break after 2-3 of them. Not sure I could go with more weight, maybe a little lighter next time and try to do it straight thru and get a little deeper on my lunges. The goal was to touch the knee to the ground but that wasn't always the case.
I was able to get in a :45 min. power nap before this class which really helped, for some reason I have been feeling really tired, needing at least 8-9 hours of sleep... and I am sleeping pretty good. Fixed a salad for dinner, glass of wine and watched the movie "Cactus Flower", an old 60's movie that was entertaining. To bed by 8:30!!
Friday:
Slept thru my alarm, was hoping for a 5:30 wake up and ended up waking at at 5:45 on my own. Yoga with weights class starts at 6:00am so I hustled it out of the house and made it with plenty of time. Thank goodness it is just down the street! Great class and I am always so sore after this. The downward facing dog pose still bothers my wrist but I was able to do the push ups with out too much problem.
Going for a run before cross fit, I really need to get in one more day of cross fit as I want to do it 4 times a week and the facility was closed on Mondays, always on Sundays and I am racing cyclocross tomrrow so I really want to get this one in. It should be a good class and not too taxing.
WOD
5 rounds Of:
-15 deadlift 135/95
-15 Wall ball 20/14
Challenge: 50 rollouts
WOD: 3 x 3 min. AMRAP
-400 run
-Wall Ball shots (12 lb) 28
-400 Run
-Sumo dead lift high pull (65#) 18
-400 Run
-Max ring dips (dips on a step)
Challenge: 25 hanging straight leg lifts (to 90 degrees) & 50 weighted step-ups (50#, 25 lb in each hand) I did the 16" box as I didn't want to strain my hipflexor. My left one has been bothering me lately and I don't want to over do it.
Wed:
WOD
For time:
- 5 rounds Of “Cindy” Cindy: 5 Pullups
- 50 jump rope, singles 10 pushups
- 5 rounds Of “Cindy” 15 squats
- 40 kettle Bell swings 24/16
- 5 rounds Of “Cindy”
- 30 box jumps 24/20
Challenge: 100 v-up sit-ups
Went to the 4:30 class and it was tough, took about 20 min. for all of this. I had to do "jump pullups" for the first set and the last 2 I did it with just one band and a little hop up. I am still struggling with the pullups but hopefully I will get it soon. I just want to do 1 full pull up, unassisted!
It is nice going to the early class, I am usually home about 5:30 and tonight I made Buffalo/chile burgers. Used Cumin/garlic/and about 3 fire roasted chile's cut up and then grilled them. Not too bad but a little spicy. grilled veggies and watched the movie: "Lincoln Lawyer" which we both really enjoyed.
Thursday:
WOD
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1
- Curtis P’s 95/65
- ball slams 30/20
Challenge: 80 back extensions & 4 x 1:00 plank holds
This was a good hard workout, with a the bar I had 65lbs. From a squat, picked up the bar and brought it to my chest (just under the chin). In this position I did a lunge with each leg and then a thrust up with the bar to over my head, lower the bar to the hips and start again. Very tough and I had to take a break after 2-3 of them. Not sure I could go with more weight, maybe a little lighter next time and try to do it straight thru and get a little deeper on my lunges. The goal was to touch the knee to the ground but that wasn't always the case.
I was able to get in a :45 min. power nap before this class which really helped, for some reason I have been feeling really tired, needing at least 8-9 hours of sleep... and I am sleeping pretty good. Fixed a salad for dinner, glass of wine and watched the movie "Cactus Flower", an old 60's movie that was entertaining. To bed by 8:30!!
Friday:
Slept thru my alarm, was hoping for a 5:30 wake up and ended up waking at at 5:45 on my own. Yoga with weights class starts at 6:00am so I hustled it out of the house and made it with plenty of time. Thank goodness it is just down the street! Great class and I am always so sore after this. The downward facing dog pose still bothers my wrist but I was able to do the push ups with out too much problem.
Going for a run before cross fit, I really need to get in one more day of cross fit as I want to do it 4 times a week and the facility was closed on Mondays, always on Sundays and I am racing cyclocross tomrrow so I really want to get this one in. It should be a good class and not too taxing.
WOD
5 rounds Of:
-15 deadlift 135/95
-15 Wall ball 20/14
Challenge: 50 rollouts
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Laramie Enduro
Race Report for Laramie Enduro, 72 mile Mt. bike race up in Laramie, WY.
Drove down to Denver to Kathy's house and we carpooled up to Laramie for Saturdays race. We left town about 1:45pm on Friday and hit heavy traffic right away. It didn't let up until we were past Fort Collins. It took us about 2½ hours to get to town, we went straight to the depot for packet pick-up and then on to the hotel to unload the bikes, clean up and then back to town for food. We joined a few friends, Kyle, Brian, Jeff M. and his 12 yr. old daughter Reese at the Altitude Chophouse for an early dinner. Finished up by 7:00pm, back to the hotel for last min. preperation and then to bed by 9:00pm.
I decided to have a drop bag at the 3rd aid station (the half-way point) so I put in spare tube/air/ frozen bottle of water, salt and vinegar potato chips and a few extra gels and NUUN tablets. Got that bag ready, filled up my 70oz. camelback and loaded up my feedbag and bento box with my gels/bars/cliff blocks/electrolyte tablets. I got a pretty good nights sleep and was up at 4:45am. The race started at 7:00am and we wanted to be out at the start by about 6:00am. Left the hotel about 5:45am. The temp was a bit cool, low 50's but perfect for racing. Did a quick little warm up and then on to the start.
The Open racers and single speeders started at 7:00am, sport just 10 min. behind. I was middle to back of the pack which was fine for me, I wanted to start a little easier this time around and not be so totally trashed when the last 20 miles came around as they are the hardest and where I cramped big time last year. It was going to be warm today, 85 for the high, so I needed to make sure I was staying on top of my electolytes for the day. About 15 min. into the race my left hamstring started to cramp up, crap! I started taking my Endurolytes 30 min. into the race when typically I would take them after about 2 hours. The race starts with about 500 yards of gravel road and then we hit singletrack for about 1 mile and then it goes to a double track, in the trees and downhill and rolling. So fun! hit more gravel road for a few miles and then singletrack/climbing....then about a :20 min. descent on a gravel road. We hit the first aid station at mile 16.2 (17 on my computer) at 1:01 in the race.
The next section was moderate climbing on a gravel road for about 15 min. and then some rolling hills, thru some creeks for another 30 min. or so. Hit pavement for a couple hundred yards and then back to some sweet singletrack in the woods, nice and cool and I was so happy that there was no one around me for this section. Lots of roots, rocks to manuever around and less stressful not having someone breathing down my backside. I think we stayed on single/double track until the 2nd aid station. I got to the 2nd aid, mile 30.2 (33 on my computer) at 2:29, the same time as last year but at least this year I was feeling really good! I grabbed a handful of Endurolytes and quickly left this aid station.
On to Aid station #3. Nice easy descent on a triple track for what seemed like forever! There was some fun singletrack, rolling hills, riding along barbed wire fences, some gravel road. This section seemed to go by pretty quick and within :50 min. I was aid station #3. Time of 3:21 and 40 miles. ( I didn't check my computer to see what mileage I had here). Had my drop bag so I changed out my water bottle, filled up my camelbak and tossed in 3 NUUN tablets, mixing flavors of cola (which was already in the pack) and pink lemonade...not too bad. Grabbed a handful of potato chips/gold fish/peanut butter & Jelly
bagel (1/4 of one) pretzels and I was on my way. Took longer at this stop then what I wanted but I tried not to be in such a hurry. I loved this course and was trying to really enjoy it. Kathy caught up to me here and I never saw here again. She is riding very strong these days.
On to Aid #4. Another downhill section of singletrack, rolling, thru the trees, then came more climbing, and rollers. Can't remember too much of this section but it wasn't that difficult. The hard sections were the last 20 miles. Oh, I think this might have been the section that I went flying by some guy (who didn't want me to pass him). I was on a double track and I went to pass and when I got in front of him I hit a rock and went flying in to the sagebrush. Scraped up my thigh, I recovered so quick and passed him again within about :30 sec...Never looked back but I think I scared the crap out of that guy! I rolled in to the aid station @ 4:36, (52 miles.. 55 on my computer) filled up a bottle with water, I was drinking from the bottle more than the camelbak as I didn't want to have to re-fill the camelbak the rest of the race, easier to fill the bottle. grabbed a handful of goldfish/pretzels and I was on my way.
To Aid #5. Lots of climbing on this section, started off with gravel road and climbing with little breaks every so often, then we hit the singletrack and climbed, some loose, some very steep (hike a bike sections for me), it would ease up a bit and then climb steep for a short bit. I hit the singletrack climbing at about 5:05 and pretty much climbed for :45 min. Got to the aid station at 5:50 or 5:55. I did another quick fill of the water bottle, handful of goldfish and I was out of there.
Had a flat/downhill section for about 2 miles, got to a little parking lot, rode thru that and there was a guy set up with a bottle of whiskey and some cups.... just in case I wanted a quick drink before the next tough climb. Got to the base of the last climb@ 6:02, this was ride time so total time was 6:12 or so. This was a technical, hike a bike section here. It took me anywhere from :15-20 min. to climb it and then we had some singletrack descents, some sections were a little sketchy but I was so proud of myself for riding this. Some girls were walking it and of course I wanted it to look easy and blow by them...now that I passed them I needed to stay ahead of them. I was following some guy and he asked if I wanted to pass, I said sure as there were a couple of girls on my butt. I had heard another guy yell out to the girls behind me that they were almost finished. I had no idea where I was on the course so I took that info and just FLEW down the singletrack. Sure enough we popped back on to the road by the start/finish area within a couple of min. I was able to stay ahead of them and I finished the race in 6:49 (ride time was 6:39) 12 min. faster than last year and I felt a ton better. I still had lots of energy left so it was obvious I didn't lay it all out there today. I could have ridden harder but I really enjoyed the ride.
Start to Aid #1: 1:01 To Aid #2: 2:29 To Aid #3: 3:21 (at least :05 at this stop)
To Aid #4: 4:36 To Aid#5: 5:55
Start to #1: 1:01
#1 to #2: 1:28
#2 to #3: :50
#3 to #4: 1:15
#4 to #5: :50 from the last hard climb to the finish was :37 min.
Drove down to Denver to Kathy's house and we carpooled up to Laramie for Saturdays race. We left town about 1:45pm on Friday and hit heavy traffic right away. It didn't let up until we were past Fort Collins. It took us about 2½ hours to get to town, we went straight to the depot for packet pick-up and then on to the hotel to unload the bikes, clean up and then back to town for food. We joined a few friends, Kyle, Brian, Jeff M. and his 12 yr. old daughter Reese at the Altitude Chophouse for an early dinner. Finished up by 7:00pm, back to the hotel for last min. preperation and then to bed by 9:00pm.
I decided to have a drop bag at the 3rd aid station (the half-way point) so I put in spare tube/air/ frozen bottle of water, salt and vinegar potato chips and a few extra gels and NUUN tablets. Got that bag ready, filled up my 70oz. camelback and loaded up my feedbag and bento box with my gels/bars/cliff blocks/electrolyte tablets. I got a pretty good nights sleep and was up at 4:45am. The race started at 7:00am and we wanted to be out at the start by about 6:00am. Left the hotel about 5:45am. The temp was a bit cool, low 50's but perfect for racing. Did a quick little warm up and then on to the start.
The Open racers and single speeders started at 7:00am, sport just 10 min. behind. I was middle to back of the pack which was fine for me, I wanted to start a little easier this time around and not be so totally trashed when the last 20 miles came around as they are the hardest and where I cramped big time last year. It was going to be warm today, 85 for the high, so I needed to make sure I was staying on top of my electolytes for the day. About 15 min. into the race my left hamstring started to cramp up, crap! I started taking my Endurolytes 30 min. into the race when typically I would take them after about 2 hours. The race starts with about 500 yards of gravel road and then we hit singletrack for about 1 mile and then it goes to a double track, in the trees and downhill and rolling. So fun! hit more gravel road for a few miles and then singletrack/climbing....then about a :20 min. descent on a gravel road. We hit the first aid station at mile 16.2 (17 on my computer) at 1:01 in the race.
The next section was moderate climbing on a gravel road for about 15 min. and then some rolling hills, thru some creeks for another 30 min. or so. Hit pavement for a couple hundred yards and then back to some sweet singletrack in the woods, nice and cool and I was so happy that there was no one around me for this section. Lots of roots, rocks to manuever around and less stressful not having someone breathing down my backside. I think we stayed on single/double track until the 2nd aid station. I got to the 2nd aid, mile 30.2 (33 on my computer) at 2:29, the same time as last year but at least this year I was feeling really good! I grabbed a handful of Endurolytes and quickly left this aid station.
On to Aid station #3. Nice easy descent on a triple track for what seemed like forever! There was some fun singletrack, rolling hills, riding along barbed wire fences, some gravel road. This section seemed to go by pretty quick and within :50 min. I was aid station #3. Time of 3:21 and 40 miles. ( I didn't check my computer to see what mileage I had here). Had my drop bag so I changed out my water bottle, filled up my camelbak and tossed in 3 NUUN tablets, mixing flavors of cola (which was already in the pack) and pink lemonade...not too bad. Grabbed a handful of potato chips/gold fish/peanut butter & Jelly
bagel (1/4 of one) pretzels and I was on my way. Took longer at this stop then what I wanted but I tried not to be in such a hurry. I loved this course and was trying to really enjoy it. Kathy caught up to me here and I never saw here again. She is riding very strong these days.
On to Aid #4. Another downhill section of singletrack, rolling, thru the trees, then came more climbing, and rollers. Can't remember too much of this section but it wasn't that difficult. The hard sections were the last 20 miles. Oh, I think this might have been the section that I went flying by some guy (who didn't want me to pass him). I was on a double track and I went to pass and when I got in front of him I hit a rock and went flying in to the sagebrush. Scraped up my thigh, I recovered so quick and passed him again within about :30 sec...Never looked back but I think I scared the crap out of that guy! I rolled in to the aid station @ 4:36, (52 miles.. 55 on my computer) filled up a bottle with water, I was drinking from the bottle more than the camelbak as I didn't want to have to re-fill the camelbak the rest of the race, easier to fill the bottle. grabbed a handful of goldfish/pretzels and I was on my way.
To Aid #5. Lots of climbing on this section, started off with gravel road and climbing with little breaks every so often, then we hit the singletrack and climbed, some loose, some very steep (hike a bike sections for me), it would ease up a bit and then climb steep for a short bit. I hit the singletrack climbing at about 5:05 and pretty much climbed for :45 min. Got to the aid station at 5:50 or 5:55. I did another quick fill of the water bottle, handful of goldfish and I was out of there.
Had a flat/downhill section for about 2 miles, got to a little parking lot, rode thru that and there was a guy set up with a bottle of whiskey and some cups.... just in case I wanted a quick drink before the next tough climb. Got to the base of the last climb@ 6:02, this was ride time so total time was 6:12 or so. This was a technical, hike a bike section here. It took me anywhere from :15-20 min. to climb it and then we had some singletrack descents, some sections were a little sketchy but I was so proud of myself for riding this. Some girls were walking it and of course I wanted it to look easy and blow by them...now that I passed them I needed to stay ahead of them. I was following some guy and he asked if I wanted to pass, I said sure as there were a couple of girls on my butt. I had heard another guy yell out to the girls behind me that they were almost finished. I had no idea where I was on the course so I took that info and just FLEW down the singletrack. Sure enough we popped back on to the road by the start/finish area within a couple of min. I was able to stay ahead of them and I finished the race in 6:49 (ride time was 6:39) 12 min. faster than last year and I felt a ton better. I still had lots of energy left so it was obvious I didn't lay it all out there today. I could have ridden harder but I really enjoyed the ride.
Start to Aid #1: 1:01 To Aid #2: 2:29 To Aid #3: 3:21 (at least :05 at this stop)
To Aid #4: 4:36 To Aid#5: 5:55
Start to #1: 1:01
#1 to #2: 1:28
#2 to #3: :50
#3 to #4: 1:15
#4 to #5: :50 from the last hard climb to the finish was :37 min.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Dirty Kanza 200
The DK 200 is a race that Andy and I have thought about doing for a couple of years now. It's 200+ miles of gravel roads in eastern Kansas with lots of rolling hills, heat, wind and humidity. We were told there could be upwards of 12,000 feet of climbing, enough to scare me just a little. We have each raced Leadville 100 @ least 5 times, that race has over 12,000 feet of climbing so I knew I could handle the hills, it was the 200 miles, the heat, humidity and the wind that I wasn't used to riding in.
After coming off of a great cyclocross race season, consulting a few friends, reading blogs and realizing I needed a good goal for 2011, I decided to sign up and Andy said he would be my riding partner. I remember Andy telling me a few weeks later that we needed to make sure we could ride for 12 hours or so, our races in Leadville were between 8½ and 10½ hours so he thought 12 would be doable. I then asked him if he realized that the last years winner went just over 13.5 hours? He looked at me and said "holy crap, we're in trouble"! So, from January to June I pretty much trained scared! Lots of miles, hills and gravel where we could find it, the heat and humidity would have to wait until race day. I was able to get back to Nebraska once in February to ride some gravel roads, 60 miles of wide open spaces, wind and a feeling at how easy it can be to get lost on all those county roads in the middle of nowwhere...not an easy ride. All I could think of was what have I gotten myself in to!
I wish we had some nice long gravel roads in and around Evergreen, CO but that is just not the case. I am happy to say that we did have a pretty mild winter. The roads in and around Denver were drier than usual albeit chilly for the long rides we had to do. We were able to get in a few epic rides in preparation for the DK; the White Rim trail out in Moab, UT, 12 hours of Dawn to Dusk, 18 hours of Fruita, a 200k in Boulder and Colorado Springs to name a few.
On our way to Emporia, KS:
We headed out on Thursday after a full day of work for me and drove to Hayes, KS. to break up our 9 hour drive. We both got a great night sleep and then headed onward to Emporia, another 4 hours of driving. It's getting warmer and I am actually looking forward to racing in the heat. It seems that the entire time I have been training for this race it has been cold and windy, I am bundled up so much that I don't remember what it is like to not have my knickers and knee warmers on, 2 extra layers under my jersey, booties, headband and long fingered gloves.
We get in to Emporia about noon, drive down to the High Gear Bike Shop to check it out and talk to a few folks there about the race. I am a little nervous as I am not quite sure what I am getting myself into. After speaking with Adventure Monkey and a few others I am feeling a little better about the race, the conditions, the course and fueling. I know that the training is done, now it's up to Mother Nature to see what she will throw at us in the morning. We grab a quick sandwich for lunch and then head over to Candlewood Suites, the host hotel and try to get ourselves somewhat organized and the bikes race ready. We then take our support crew (my mother and her friend Cheryl) out to dinner and try to explain to them what we are about to embark on. They have come from Nebraska to watch us race and are so excited to be a part of this. My mother enjoys volunteering athletic events (having helped at 2 olympics) and she was thrilled when we asked her if she could be our support.
We were in bed by 10:00pm and up at 4:15am, pretty much like any other race day; not much sleep for either of us. I down a protein shake, an almond butter and banana wrap and some granola/soymilk. I am not hungry at this hour of the day but I force myself to eat as I don't want to start off depleted. We have our bags and all our extra crap loaded up in the support vehicle. I can't believe how much stuff we have. I wonder if this is stuff we really need or just "think" we need. I guess it is good to be prepared for anything and since we do have a support vehicle lets just fill it up! This "stuff" that we have decided that we can not live without includes but is not limited to: spare wheels, tubes, pump, tools, water, V-8, coconut water, Red Bull, 5 hour energy drinks, Nuun electrolyte tablets, food (bars, gels, chips, crackers, turkey and cheese wraps), sportlegs, endurolytes, tums, extra clothing, i-pods just in case we got tired of each other and a cooler that will hold our camelbak bladders, bottles and ice.
We had decided early on that we would both race with a camelbak as we are so used to wearing them from all of our long rides and races. We figured there was no way we could carry enough water on our bikes or in our jersey pockets without the fear of loosing one on the rough roads, something we could not afford to do. So, for the first 2 legs we would ride with a 70oz bladder and 2 water bottles. The 3rd leg, which was to be the longest and during the hottest part of the day, we would each carry a 100oz bladder, and 3 bottles on the bike for me, 2 for Andy. We also decided last minute that he would carry a 34 oz. platypus as an extra water supply. The 4th leg we would then go back to the 70oz. and 2 bottles. We were figuring at least 1 x 24oz bottle for each hour and a little more if it was really hot.
Our goal for this race was to finish strong and try to do that together. We would stay with each other the entire day unless of course one of us had a mechanical or a total meltdown. It was nice having the ability to draft off of each other when needed, to keep each other motivated and to remind each other to drink and eat (which seems silly but the time can fly by so fast the next thing you know you are bonking and realize you are low on calories). A few years ago we raced Leadville 100 together with this same stradegy. Andy paced me the entire day and it worked out great, but then again, that was only for 9½ hours, this was to be a much longer day! Could we hang for 16-18 hours and not drive each other crazy.
The Start:
The race started at 6:00am, pretty uneventful. It reminded me a lot of the earlier years of Leadville 100, back when there were only a few hundred people who would do the race. Now that race has over 1400 racers, I am over that, I am so now looking forward to racing again with a much smaller group of talented riders. With 270 starters this year, it ss a big race for the DK200 and a perfect size for me.
The first leg is 58 miles in which we will zig-zag our way south and west to Cassody, KS, checkpoint #1. We head straight in to a headwind and out of Emporia. We are somewhere in the middle of the pack, a couple of nice pacelines have formed and we are riding a comfortable pace. It seems eerily quiet as we ride along, a few folks chat briefly but for the most part we ride in silence. I have a feeling we are all a bit nervous and secretly trying to evaluate the riders around us. There are so many strong riders out there and I think to myself, I wonder what they will look like at mile 80, mile 120, or 170???
We spent the first part of the ride with the same, large group of guys. The Chamois Butter guys are in our group, fun to ride and chat with. They were setting a nice pace for us. After about 2 hours Andy and I both needed a pit stop so we left the group, knowing that we wouldn't be able to catch up with them again. We hoped that we could find another group to work with in a few minutes, but that didn't happen.
When we were back in the saddle it was just the two of us so we started our own little paceline, Andy would pull for a couple of minutes and then I would take my turn, we did this almost the enire way to our first checkpoint, or at least when we were headed into a headwind, which was most of the time.
We would pick up a rider or two every now and then and for a short while we would have a little extra company but sometimes our pace just didn't match up with others so we were on our own once again. This first section I felt like I spent most of my time looking at the gravel beneath my wheels and not taking the time to enjoy the incredible views. The terrain was hilly and extremely green. We rode thru one herd of cattle, saw wild mustangs and miles of gravel road. Some of the hills were steep and rocky but nothing too crazy. After spending a fair number of days riding my cyclocross bike on the mountain bike trails around Denver I felt really comfortable descending these rocky roads that were ahead of us...fun! Andy and I were both riding tubeless and am so glad we did. I only had one instance when my rear tire went low on one of the rough downhills. I was able to pump it up enough to get me going again and we would recheck it with the floor pump at our next checkpoint.
My mom (support crew) and me
 |
| Cheryl (support crew) and me |
Cassody Checkpoint #1:
We made it into the first checkpoint at about 10:15, ride time was 4:10 and happy to say we made our goal of finishing all our fluids before rolling in to the checkpoint. We grabbed our map for the next section and Cheryl was waiting for us to lead us to the support vehicle. We had a crazy first stop, we had given our crew (mom) all of our crap and told them to just have things out for us. Well, that is exactly what they did. We were so totally unorganized. Andy was rummaging thru all the bags looking for his food and the lube/rag to clean the bikes. Too many bags and too much "extra stuff" lying around. I had my things a little better arranged but we both realized we hadn't given our crew enough instructions!! I don't know what we were thinking because with all of our Leadville races we have everything so organized that we can do a stop in less than 2 minutes and be on our way. Today, however, it was like we had never even raced before. I made sure we each drank a V-8, I had a coconut water and then refilled my 2 water bottles, dropped 2 tablets of Nuun in one of them, refilled my camelbak bladder and added 5 tablets of Nuun. I then grab a few handfuls of potato chips, check the tire pressure while Andy lubes the chains and within 15 minutes we were gone. We gave our crew better instructions for the next stop: Have bottles and bladders filled, more ice and have our turkey/cheese wraps ready.
My mom told us she thought that we were in the top 150 riders, not bad I thought..middle of the pack. The last thing I heard her yell to us as we were leaving was "how long do you think it will take you to get to the next stop?" I don't think I answered her, but had I done so, our next checkpoint would have gone much smoother!!!! I am sure I had told her yesterday when I was going over our goals. I wrote it down on some random piece of paper, our expected goal time for each checkpoint and the hours it would take to get to each. I was figuring on 14 mph. if we were having a good day...so, what did she do with that piece of paper???? hmm, I need to be better organized and not ignore my mothers questions!
Leg 2 to Florence:
The 2nd leg to Florence was to be short, 44 miles, I estimated 3:15 for a ride time. We had overheard someone say as we were leaving the checkpoint to keep an eye out for the first turn onto gravel, riders were missing it. Sure enough, we came upon our first turn only to look up ahead and see a group of riders going straight, completey missing the turn. Totally out of earshot we all wondered how long they would ride before realizing they had to backtrack. We once again hooked up with 2 of the Chamois Butter boys, we also rode with some guys from St. Louis and Kansas and enjoyed the nice tailwind for a bit. Once we headed west we were getting hit with a nasty crosswind so we had a nice little eschelon going, however, it doesn't work very well on really gravely roads, someone is getting a good line while 2 or 3 get the crappy lines! Well, that lasted a few minutes, a few dropped back and then we were heading North again, a nice tailwind for the next 15 miles or so, yeah! Then came the infamous "Where are we, are we on the right road, we don't see any markers" point. A group of about 8 riders were at the intersection of Rock Creek Road contemplating whether to turn or go straight. The group chose to turn and we just followed. There were no markings so we were all a bit leary if were on the correct road. About a mile later we came upon another unmarked turn that headed North, once again, no markings and a larger group of riders convened here. I had seen a few riders go North but were they lost or did they know something we didn't? We all agreed that our maps/mileage did not match up with the actual road that we were on but we needed to ride on...but which way was the big question of the day. One rider approached us from the West and said he had just ridden down the road about a mile or so and it wasn't correct so thru the process of elimination, we all headed North.
I had this gut feeling that we were going the wrong direction and I really hate it when I get that feeling. I slowed down a little, thinking all the while I was descending that I really didn't want to have to backtrack out of this if we were going in the wrong direction. I was hesitant on my riding, stopping again to recheck the map. Well, sure enough, we hit this creek bed with a number of water crossings and flags!.. I saw the flags and I can't tell you how excited I was that we were really on the right road. Amazing how relieved we all felt. Now I could get back into my groove. The water crossings were great, as I rode thru them I made sure to get both of my feet wet, they were starting to get hot and burn so this was perfect timing. We finished up this section with a few more hills, no more wrong turns and we both had drained all of our water and electrolyte drink just before the checkpoint.
Florence Checkpoint #2:
We knew that this was going to be much longer stop as the 3rd leg was going to be the longest at 60 miles and during the hottest part of the day. We had planned to eat a wrap, chips, V-8, and a coconut water for me. We wanted to make sure we had plenty of fluids in us and on the bikes before we left town. Andy wanted to change clothes, drop his arm coolers and put on a sleeveless jersey. As for me, I was sticking with what I had on. I was quite comfortable in the jersey/shorts selection and the armcoolers. I chose to wear the white armcoolers all day as I didn't want to worry about getting sunburned or a heat rash on my arms, so far so good. When there is a breeze the arm coolers really do seem to help.
Well, our support crew was a bit surprised when we showed up when we did. They had been counting riders and had told themselves when a 100 riders came thru they would start to fill our bottles and bladders. This is with the assumption that we were going to come in about the same position of 150th. Well, after 44 miles and one checkpoint past us, we had now moved up to 50-60th so of course they weren't ready for us! I kept thinking, had I told them to expect us in 3 hours it would have worked out perfectly. Lesson learned. Oh well, this added a few extra minutes to the stop but we were still able to get everything accomplished and we were in and out in less than 20 minutes... of course it seemed like an hour to me. We left with as much water as we could carry, a v-8 each and I told Andy we would drink them half way thru this section. We left at about 2:10pm and felt pretty good, Andy downed a Redbull and I had a 5 hour energy drink and we were on our way. As we were leaving town it amazed me how many riders were coming into Florence from the wrong direction... did they not see the markers/arrows taking them the most direct route to the checkpoint?
Leg 3 to Council Grove:
This was pretty uneventful for the first 45 miles. Andy was happy and cool in his sleeveless jersey, as weird as it may sound, I was enjoying riding in the heat as I don't get to do it very often. Riding northbound was great as we had a nice tailwind, which is usually nice while riding but when it is 98* it can make it seem so much hotter than it really is. I stopped to pee about 35 miles in and I thought I was going to pass out as I stood up when I finished. The heat was stiffleling and all the blood made a mad rush to my head.... hmmm, I think this this was a perfect time to open up that V-8! I was also starting to get the chills, not a good sign but I didn't want to say anything to Andy, I had this under control. I just made a point of taking extra sport legs and electrolytes every hour. Andy and I were just riding side by side now with the tailwind, passing guys laying on the side of the road, changing flats, struggling up hills etc. It seemed so many of them were riding in slow motion as the heat and humidity was taking their toll.
Once we got to a high point in the course we could see the clouds building up behind us and the temps started to cool off when the rain came thru. What a nice relief, never expected it to rain today as the forecast didn't call for it. Oh well, it felt great.. We had picked up Eric at the high point just before the rain hit us and after he left a rider by the side of the road. The guy said he was fine but wanted to rest. Eric didn't want to be out there riding solo, and I sure don't blame him. We figured the rain would blow over quickly and if we were fast enough we could stay ahead of it. It was windy but for us it was a tailwind...something was going right for us! We got onto a grassy section just as the rain really started to come down. We all worked together and we busted butt to ride as hard and as fast as we could thru the grass. It was a really cool section and we were bummed that it was raining and we couldn't enjoy it more but we knew with the rain that was coming the trail was going to be impassable in a matter of minutes. At one point I found myself unable to pedal, I stopped to pull a piece of barbed wire out of my derauiller and then hurried to catch the boys... they were not going to stop for anything! Well, mother nature had different plans for us..a couple minutes later we were forced to stop. The mud on the bikes was just too thick, the wheels wouldn't turn and the riding came to abrupt halt, we had to start walking. I think this might have been where we picked up another ride Tim. Lucky for us, we only had about a 10 min. walk in the mud until we hit a creek... yeah!
We started to clean the bikes up, at least good enough to get us to the next checkpoint. Looking up the road I was happy to see that it turned to gravel again and that we would be able to ride out of this creek bed. However, Andy was eyeing the barn that was on top of the hill. He was starting to go hypothermic thanks to the " sleeveless jersey" he had chosen to wear and wanted to hide out someplace warm. At this time the thunder and lightening was getting a little too close for comfort. All of a sudden I hear this earth shattering thunder, I look over at Andy and his eyes are so wide and looking so scared. He asked me if I was hit, (obviously I wasn't as I was still standing and staring back at him), but he was sure that the lightening had hit me or right behind me. Eric looks at us and tells us we all have to get out of the creek NOW! So, we bolt up the hill to the barn. Andy is shaking like crazy as he runs up to the house that is on the other side of the barn only to find no one at home. We hang out under their carport for a few minutes until the rain subsides just a little. Eric and Tim are ready to go, as am I but I can't leave Andy here alone. I tell the guys we will be fine and to take off while the rain has tapered off.
Andy and I hang out for a little while longer, cleaning the bikes with the water that is coming off the roof of the carport. All Andy can think about is getting in to some warm, dry clothes and I have to remind him that we are only 6 miles from the checkpoint. He isn't sure he can make it. I have seen him with hypothermia on a bike ride before and it isn't pretty. I tell him we have to go, we need to just ride as hard and as fast as we can so he can start generating some heat. I tell him that I can give him my arm coolers but he refuses. Thank goodness as I am not sure they would even fit him not to mention the fact that I don't think I could even get them off! He didn't want me getting into the same position as he was in... how thoughtful. I wasn't too cold at this point but I knew if I stood around much longer I would be in trouble.
As we were riding the last 6 miles to the checkpoint I looked over at Andy and told him there was no way I was NOT going to finish this race. This was only a blip in our day. We will get a new change of clothes, maybe take a jacket for the last section. We have no idea what the roads are going to be like but hopefully by the time we make it the the checkpoint we can get a good update. Those final 6 miles in to town were on good gravel roads but we were still running from the thunder and lightening. I feel like we were definitely one of the lucky ones out there.
Council Grove Checkpoint # 3:
We roll into town, pick up our final map and head to our support crew. They had everything ready for us, at least they did before the rain hit them. All the stuff they had organized so well this time was immediately thrown back in the car before we even showed up. So much for being prepared. The rain had pretty much subsided as soon as we got in to town. Andy started cleaning the bikes and I stood around trying to figure out what I should do next, my head in a fog. I grabbed some water and rags and cleaned as much of the mud off of me as I could and then changed into some dry clothes. We discussed the weather and what was ahead of us. The storm had blown thru, the roads going into Emporia were good and hopefully we would stay dry for the final 44 miles. We grab our V-8's, coconut water, some chips and Andy downs a Redbull and me another 5 hour energy drink. After cleaning the bikes Andy starts looking for his clothes, he wants his knickers. It's in the 70's, the sun is peaking out, he doesn't need his knickers or knee warmers. This is a guy who commutes to work in 35* weather in knickers and a vest, not something he needs today. We do put on our vests as we are both still cold, we put on armwarmers and long fingered gloves, a last minute addition to my "extra clothes bag" than I am so thankful for. We did end up ditching the vests after about 15 min. but I was not about to get out of the armwarmers/long gloves for the rest of the race.
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| after riding in the mud |
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| Andy cleaning the bikes before getting into warm clothes |
We left Council Grove about 7:15 pm, I think we were at this stop for a good 45 min., way too long but at this point we just wanted to make sure we were well equipped to finish, no matter what time we got in or weather we ran into. As we left the parking lot we looked over and saw a guy with a hose cleaning his bike...damn, if we had known about that hose we could have shaved a few minutes off of our pit stop, oh well, next time we will know to ask for a hose.
This last section was really beautiful, not like the others weren't it just that we had the time to look around and really enjoy it. Not many riders out there. We thought about all those behind us that were hit by the storm, the grassy/muddy sections that we were lucky enough to ride and impassable for those that were still out there. I was getting a little bummed that some of the riders were having a much tougher time than we were. On this leg I think we passed one gal and a couple of guys and then we got passed by a couple of guys and a tandem near the town of Americus.
The last 44 miles were relatively flat, and quite enjoyable. We turned our headlights on about 9:15 or 9:30, I just love riding at night. I was a little worried that we would have to pull out the map every now and then and look to see where our next turns were but I must say, the course was extremely well marked. I looked at the map only once the last 20 miles...something I was happy about because at my age I need reading glasses to see the small print of the maps, especially with low light. Yes, I carried reading glasses with me but I only used them once! It was so dark and peaceful out there...until I reacted with a loud " WOW"! Andy asked me what was wrong and I told him to look to his right, along the side of the road there were all these firefly's lighting up the road.....something I hadn't seen since I was a kid, it was just amazing, almost magical.
We finished together, coming in at 10:12pm, placing 23rd/24th overall.
I was 2nd female
and Andy was 3rd Masters.
We were truly surprised at how beautiful the flint hills of Kansas were, along with how hilly, windy, hot and humid it could be, we also learned, like in Colorado, always be prepared for rain (or snow for colorado)! Happy to have finished yet another adventurous race we now wonder what is in store for us next year... I will be back!
Thanks to Everyone who made this a wonderful day for all to remember. It will go down as one of my favorite races of all time! Can't wait to talk a few of my girlfriends in to racing this one with me.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Big Loop Ride
It's Friday and I have the day off and the temps should be in the low 50's, this means time for another long ride. It took me a while on map my ride to figure out a route that I haven't done before and that would give me about 70 miles. I had time for about a 6 hour ride as I wasn't going to start until the temp hit 45* and that would be about 11:00am or so and the sun starts to set at 5:30pm. Can't wait until daylight savings time, only 2 more weeks to go.
Found my loop that I wanted to do, Started in Morrison and took the bike path down to Chatfield Rez. Went thru the Rez to the south end over by the Marina and then hooked up with the Highline Canal Trail. It wasn't marked but I kind of knew where I was going. I crossed 2 sets of Railroad tracks with a bit of hike a bike in there. I was on the cross bike so I didn't have the really low gears I needed to get up the steep grade to the tracks. The highline was pretty muddy in spots, boggy in others and completely dry for sections. I had originally planned on doing a longer section on the highline but decided after this first short section that it wasn't worth riding in the muck. I stuck to the paved bike path and changed my course for the day.
Rode down to Parker on the E-470 path and then hooked up with the new Cherry Creek Regional Bike path. I had fought headwinds and cross winds up to this point so it was so nice to have a wonderful tailwind to blow me to Cherry Creek Rez. The map along the route showed me that the path was complete all the way to Cherry Creek, I was so excited. The roads around this area are very busy and I did not want to get on them. Wow, what a surprise when my path ended right at Arapahoe Rd. Without having to back track a few miles I was committed to ride on Arapahoe Rd. for about 2 blocks with the heavy traffic. Thank goodness I was on my cross bike as I rode the dirt shoulder (what little of it there was) and got off as soon as I could. Found the path once again and I was on my way. It took me 3.5 hours to get to Cherry Creek and I was feeling good. It was 3pm and I knew I had a good 2.5 hrs. to get back to my car..plenty of time.
I then proceeded thru the Rez and got on the Cherry Creek bike path that took me all the way to downtown. This took me just about an hour as the wind was winding down and other riders to help keep me motivated. I stopped at a hotdog stand and bought 2 bottles of water. At 4.5 hrs. into this ride I had only consumed 2 bottles of water, 2 bars and 2 gels. I felt good so I wasn't too worried. Took 3 sportlegs and headed south on the South Platte Bike Path down to Bear Creek. Another 30 min. later I hit Bear Creek path, took my last gel and knew this was my final section. I ride this section when I commute to work so it was a pretty easy ride, only 1 hour to go. I was starting to feel it in my neck and legs feeling a little tired but overall pretty good. Got into Bear Creek Rez. with plenty of light but figured I would stop and pee, put my flasher on the back of the bike and turn my mini headlight on. Finished the ride at 5:30, right at 6 hours with about :20 min. total of stopping. I know I could ride this faster now that I know where I am going. Some of todays ride was route finding.
Total mileage was 83 miles according to map my ride. I don't have a computer on the bike yet but Andy did inform me that it was in the garage waiting to be mounted.
Mileage: 83
MPH: 13.7
Bike Path, Park Roads: 80 miles.
Pee breaks: 2 (cherry creek, bear creek)
Food: 3 Macrobars, 3 CarBoom gels
Water: 4 bottles
Found my loop that I wanted to do, Started in Morrison and took the bike path down to Chatfield Rez. Went thru the Rez to the south end over by the Marina and then hooked up with the Highline Canal Trail. It wasn't marked but I kind of knew where I was going. I crossed 2 sets of Railroad tracks with a bit of hike a bike in there. I was on the cross bike so I didn't have the really low gears I needed to get up the steep grade to the tracks. The highline was pretty muddy in spots, boggy in others and completely dry for sections. I had originally planned on doing a longer section on the highline but decided after this first short section that it wasn't worth riding in the muck. I stuck to the paved bike path and changed my course for the day.
Rode down to Parker on the E-470 path and then hooked up with the new Cherry Creek Regional Bike path. I had fought headwinds and cross winds up to this point so it was so nice to have a wonderful tailwind to blow me to Cherry Creek Rez. The map along the route showed me that the path was complete all the way to Cherry Creek, I was so excited. The roads around this area are very busy and I did not want to get on them. Wow, what a surprise when my path ended right at Arapahoe Rd. Without having to back track a few miles I was committed to ride on Arapahoe Rd. for about 2 blocks with the heavy traffic. Thank goodness I was on my cross bike as I rode the dirt shoulder (what little of it there was) and got off as soon as I could. Found the path once again and I was on my way. It took me 3.5 hours to get to Cherry Creek and I was feeling good. It was 3pm and I knew I had a good 2.5 hrs. to get back to my car..plenty of time.
I then proceeded thru the Rez and got on the Cherry Creek bike path that took me all the way to downtown. This took me just about an hour as the wind was winding down and other riders to help keep me motivated. I stopped at a hotdog stand and bought 2 bottles of water. At 4.5 hrs. into this ride I had only consumed 2 bottles of water, 2 bars and 2 gels. I felt good so I wasn't too worried. Took 3 sportlegs and headed south on the South Platte Bike Path down to Bear Creek. Another 30 min. later I hit Bear Creek path, took my last gel and knew this was my final section. I ride this section when I commute to work so it was a pretty easy ride, only 1 hour to go. I was starting to feel it in my neck and legs feeling a little tired but overall pretty good. Got into Bear Creek Rez. with plenty of light but figured I would stop and pee, put my flasher on the back of the bike and turn my mini headlight on. Finished the ride at 5:30, right at 6 hours with about :20 min. total of stopping. I know I could ride this faster now that I know where I am going. Some of todays ride was route finding.
Total mileage was 83 miles according to map my ride. I don't have a computer on the bike yet but Andy did inform me that it was in the garage waiting to be mounted.
Mileage: 83
MPH: 13.7
Bike Path, Park Roads: 80 miles.
Pee breaks: 2 (cherry creek, bear creek)
Food: 3 Macrobars, 3 CarBoom gels
Water: 4 bottles
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
CLEAN Day 5
MONDAY
Weight: 131
Sleep: 9 hrs.
Workout: :30 spin, :30 Plyo/wts.
Mood: Fair. Not real motivated today.
Meals were about the same as usual, fruit& protien smoothie, homemade bars, quinoa with veggies & Rice/Lamb soup. feeling just okay today. Breathing seems to be fine, just had cashews today and no almond.
TUESDAY
Weight: 129
Sleep: 6 hrs.
Workout: :45 Swim @ 5:15am/ Weights 1:00 4:30pm
Temp: 5* & Snow (5")
Breakfast: Fruit & 8 oz. protien smoothie.
Lunch: Wild Rice with Veggies, Rice crackers, Rice/Lamb soup
Snack: Orange/ Walnuts with Cinnamon
I was pretty tired today, really had to force myself to hit the gym and do my weight workout. It was cold and snowy today (-3 at home). I didn't have any food with me at the gym so I was hoping I would be okay until after the workout. Got home about 6:00pm and had a couple of homemade bars. That tied me over until I was able to fix dinner. Was starting to feel a little bloated and not very hungry but I felt I should eat something after the weight workout. I grilled up chicken & potatoes with walnut oil and tumeric/cayenne/cumin spices.. very good. Also made a big batch of Cream of Broccoli Soup with Curry and coconut milk for the rest of the week. I had a little bit of each and now feel that I have overeaten! Hate this feeling, hoping that tomorrow I get back on track. Hope to get a good spin on the bike in the morning and then a yoga class after work so that will force me to not eat much in the evening.
Weight: 131
Sleep: 9 hrs.
Workout: :30 spin, :30 Plyo/wts.
Mood: Fair. Not real motivated today.
Meals were about the same as usual, fruit& protien smoothie, homemade bars, quinoa with veggies & Rice/Lamb soup. feeling just okay today. Breathing seems to be fine, just had cashews today and no almond.
TUESDAY
Weight: 129
Sleep: 6 hrs.
Workout: :45 Swim @ 5:15am/ Weights 1:00 4:30pm
Temp: 5* & Snow (5")
Breakfast: Fruit & 8 oz. protien smoothie.
Lunch: Wild Rice with Veggies, Rice crackers, Rice/Lamb soup
Snack: Orange/ Walnuts with Cinnamon
I was pretty tired today, really had to force myself to hit the gym and do my weight workout. It was cold and snowy today (-3 at home). I didn't have any food with me at the gym so I was hoping I would be okay until after the workout. Got home about 6:00pm and had a couple of homemade bars. That tied me over until I was able to fix dinner. Was starting to feel a little bloated and not very hungry but I felt I should eat something after the weight workout. I grilled up chicken & potatoes with walnut oil and tumeric/cayenne/cumin spices.. very good. Also made a big batch of Cream of Broccoli Soup with Curry and coconut milk for the rest of the week. I had a little bit of each and now feel that I have overeaten! Hate this feeling, hoping that tomorrow I get back on track. Hope to get a good spin on the bike in the morning and then a yoga class after work so that will force me to not eat much in the evening.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
CLEAN DAY 3
Weight: 131
Sleep: 8 hrs.
Mood: f. good.
Temp: Snow, about 5" this am., 8" by 4pm
Workout: 3 hr. ride on trainer.
Got up early to ride but couldn't get motivated until about 9:00am. Decided to watch some old "Coors Classic" DVD's that I picked up from the library the other day. So fun spinning to these. My legs were sufficiently trashed from yesterdays tempo ride and 3 hours on the trainer today definitely was felt. Time went by pretty quickly. I didn't ride very far but that was fine, I just really needed saddle time more than anything.
Breakfast -8:30: Quinoa with veggies & hazelnuts, cashew & apricot bar.
Ride - 10:30/11:30: 2 Carboom gels. 1/2 cashew-apricot bar, orange
Post Ride-1pm: Quinoa with veggies and lamb, a few hazelnuts
Snack- 3:30: rice crackers w/ cashew butter, pear, cashew-apricot bar.
Dinner-7pm: 2 cups of lamb/rice/veggie soup.
Seem to be doing okay with the eating, just starting to feel I want to overeat so I need to make sure to control my portions, drink more water and not obsess about eating! I have been feeling better since I haven't had alcohol or sugar for over a week now. I still feel I have weight to loose around my middle but it's only been a week. Breathing seems to be pretty good today, one more day with out walnuts and then I will add those to the mix and see if the breathing changes.
Sleep: 8 hrs.
Mood: f. good.
Temp: Snow, about 5" this am., 8" by 4pm
Workout: 3 hr. ride on trainer.
Got up early to ride but couldn't get motivated until about 9:00am. Decided to watch some old "Coors Classic" DVD's that I picked up from the library the other day. So fun spinning to these. My legs were sufficiently trashed from yesterdays tempo ride and 3 hours on the trainer today definitely was felt. Time went by pretty quickly. I didn't ride very far but that was fine, I just really needed saddle time more than anything.
Breakfast -8:30: Quinoa with veggies & hazelnuts, cashew & apricot bar.
Ride - 10:30/11:30: 2 Carboom gels. 1/2 cashew-apricot bar, orange
Post Ride-1pm: Quinoa with veggies and lamb, a few hazelnuts
Snack- 3:30: rice crackers w/ cashew butter, pear, cashew-apricot bar.
Dinner-7pm: 2 cups of lamb/rice/veggie soup.
Seem to be doing okay with the eating, just starting to feel I want to overeat so I need to make sure to control my portions, drink more water and not obsess about eating! I have been feeling better since I haven't had alcohol or sugar for over a week now. I still feel I have weight to loose around my middle but it's only been a week. Breathing seems to be pretty good today, one more day with out walnuts and then I will add those to the mix and see if the breathing changes.
DIRTY KANZA
Well, I have finally figured out what my big race for 2011 will be. Andy has talked about the "Dirty Kanza" for a couple of years now and in Jan. I brought it up to him again. We had one day to decide as registration was opening the following day and it fills up in a matter of hours. After a brief discussion we figured we would go for it and see if we could get in.
First off, let me tell you what the Dirty Kanza is. It's a 200 mile bike race, on gravel roads, in the Flint Hills of Eastern Kansas on June 4th. We do not know the route until the night before and that only gets us to the first checkpoint. We will get the next map once we check in and once again, it only takes us to the next checkpoint. Each checkpoint is anywhere from 40-60 miles, no aid stations in between and quite brutal from the reports we have read. Perfect...how could I say no to this challenge!
Well, we are in! Oh crap was the first thing that went thru our heads when we were accepted, what have we gotten ourselves into. Well, days later, LOTS of reading of blogs, reports, checking results etc. we realized that this was not going to be easy. Which bike do we ride, tires, food, we need support-who are we going to get to drive out to Emporia, KS to haul all of our stuff to each check point? The big question was how long is this going to take us. I look up results, last year 170 starters, 65 finisher and only 2 were women. Andy was thinking we could do this in about 12 hours, the look on his face when I told him that the winner of last years race was 13:30 was priceless! Oh Crap was right!!
Decisions have been made, we will ride the cyclocross bikes with a little tweaking. Some people ride their mountain bikes and even though mine is very comfortable they can be much slower and heavier. Andy will put more gears on my bike, we have already raised my handlebars up to positon me better for 15+ hours of riding and from keep my arms/hands from going numb, an issue I have during long rides. Double handlebar tape, new computer and some bigger tires. Still trying to decide on those. Now we have to RIDE. RIDE. RIDE.
First off, let me tell you what the Dirty Kanza is. It's a 200 mile bike race, on gravel roads, in the Flint Hills of Eastern Kansas on June 4th. We do not know the route until the night before and that only gets us to the first checkpoint. We will get the next map once we check in and once again, it only takes us to the next checkpoint. Each checkpoint is anywhere from 40-60 miles, no aid stations in between and quite brutal from the reports we have read. Perfect...how could I say no to this challenge!
Well, we are in! Oh crap was the first thing that went thru our heads when we were accepted, what have we gotten ourselves into. Well, days later, LOTS of reading of blogs, reports, checking results etc. we realized that this was not going to be easy. Which bike do we ride, tires, food, we need support-who are we going to get to drive out to Emporia, KS to haul all of our stuff to each check point? The big question was how long is this going to take us. I look up results, last year 170 starters, 65 finisher and only 2 were women. Andy was thinking we could do this in about 12 hours, the look on his face when I told him that the winner of last years race was 13:30 was priceless! Oh Crap was right!!
Decisions have been made, we will ride the cyclocross bikes with a little tweaking. Some people ride their mountain bikes and even though mine is very comfortable they can be much slower and heavier. Andy will put more gears on my bike, we have already raised my handlebars up to positon me better for 15+ hours of riding and from keep my arms/hands from going numb, an issue I have during long rides. Double handlebar tape, new computer and some bigger tires. Still trying to decide on those. Now we have to RIDE. RIDE. RIDE.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
CLEAN DAY 2
SATURDAY:
Weight: 129
Sleep: 6 hrs.
Mood: Good
Temp: 35* snow
Temp: 35* snow
Workout: Ride Trainer, 1:40.
:30 warmup, 2x:10 tempo (HR 143) w/ :05R. 5x1:00 fast spin, Cadence 110-120.
:30 warmup, 2x:10 tempo (HR 143) w/ :05R. 5x1:00 fast spin, Cadence 110-120.
Had a late night last night visiting family down in Highlands Ranch. Went to my nephews basketball game but missed most of it so I stayed to watch the Highlands Ranch Varsity Team play Regis. A very good game but I must say, kind of weird going to a high school game, it's been years!
I did take an hour and a half nap yesterday so I didn't feel the need to sleep in much this morning, feeling pretty energized.
Breakfast - 9:30am:
Amaranth, Coconut milk, a few walnuts, cinnamon. Herbal Tea.
Pre-ride: 5 Apricots/1 homemade bar (the carob/walnut/cashew/coconut one)
Recovery Drink: Rice protein shake (need to find something to mix this with, nasty just plain).
Breathing is a little labored, wondering if it is the walnuts, apricots or cashews. I will have to stick with just cashews for a couple of days and then add in the walnuts to see what happens.
Lunch-2:30: Quinoa with veggies and ground lamb. Cream of Broccoli soup w/coconut milk & potatoes.
Snack - 4:30: Cashew, apricot, flax, popped amaranth, brown rice syrup bar.
Dinner -6:30: Lamb & wild rice soup, couple of rice crackers & pine nuts. herbal tea.
Good ride today albeit a little short. We rode the trainers and watched the 2009 Tour de France. spent the rest of the day cooking, computer work and then watched a movie, "The Disappearance of Alice Creede". A cold and snowy day today. In bed by 10:00!
Lunch-2:30: Quinoa with veggies and ground lamb. Cream of Broccoli soup w/coconut milk & potatoes.
Snack - 4:30: Cashew, apricot, flax, popped amaranth, brown rice syrup bar.
Dinner -6:30: Lamb & wild rice soup, couple of rice crackers & pine nuts. herbal tea.
Good ride today albeit a little short. We rode the trainers and watched the 2009 Tour de France. spent the rest of the day cooking, computer work and then watched a movie, "The Disappearance of Alice Creede". A cold and snowy day today. In bed by 10:00!
CLEAN DAY 1
FRIDAY:
Weight: 131
Sleep: 7 hrs. + 1.5 hr. nap.
Mood: good, tired after swim.
Workout: :30 weights. 1 hour Swim (3,000 yds.)
My first day on the elimination diet wasn't too bad. I spent the morning cooking up a few things to tide me over for the next few days, soups, salads, bars.
I am limited to 28 foods & 8 Flavor enhancers for the next 2 weeks. These are the foods that cause the least amount of inflammation in my body at this time. Over the course of 6 weeks I will slowly be able to add other foods in, see how my body responds and then try to get on a rotational diet so I am not eating the same foods day in and day out. I was only tested for 150 foods/additives/etc. All Dairy is completely out as it showed a high reaction to both of the blood tests that I had done.
THE FOODS I CAN HAVE:
PROTEINS: Lamb/Beef/Chicken/Crab/Clam/Sole
STARCHES: White Potato/Millet/Quinoa/Rice/Amaranth
VEGGIES: Celery/Broccoli/Carrot/Cucumber
FRUITS: Papaya/Orange/Apricot/Mango/Grape/Plum/Grapefruit/Melon
NUTS/OILS: Pecan/Cashew/Walnut/Hazelnut
FLAVORS: Coconut/Cumin/Turmeric/Carob/Cinnamon/Paprika/Black Pepper
So I made up some Quinoa with the veggies listed and a sprinkling of olive oil. I know that is not on my list but I do get to add it in on the 3rd week and I didn't have anything else to use, didn't want to eat it dry.
Cooked up some amaranth, one of my favorite breakfast foods, mixed with coconut milk, walnuts and cinnamon. Learning to adjust my taste buds to NO SUGAR.
I decided to try and make some energy bars but they didn't turn out quite as good as I would have liked. Dates, walnuts, cashews, coconut and carob. I know that dates are not on the list but I haven't been tested for them either so a little cheating here. I did buy apricots today so I will change that up until I get the O.K. from my Dr. about using dates. In the meantime, these sit in the freezer.
I also made up some vegetable broth, much easier than I thought. I started off with a gallon or so of water and then added carrots/kale/onion/potato peel/garlic and let it sit for a couple of hours on simmer. Since a few of these items are not on my "list" until the 3rd week I wanted to freeze it for the 3rd week, save me a little time.
I made up a small batch of Broccoli, potato soup with some curry spice and coconut milk. Turned out pretty good.
It has been fun finding new recipes but also very time consuming. It's nice that the weather is cold and snowy so I don't feel guilty for staying inside the next few days working on this. I know that it will get easier once I figure out what I like and how quickly I can prepare things.
Breakfast 10:00am. A bar that I made. cashew, walnut, coconut, carob.
Amaranth with walnut, coconut milk, Cinnamon.
Lunch 12:30 Quinoa with hazelnuts and veggies. and small bar.
Snack: Orange, bars.
Dinner 5:00pm: Broccoli soup, bar.
Didn't feel hungry later in the evening but when I got home at 11:30 I really wanted to snack, a bad habit that I have, one of many that I hope to break while doing this elimination diet. I am going to try to make it a habit that I do not snack on anything after 8pm.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Cleanse/Elimination Diet
It's been a while since my last post...oops. I thought this might be a good start for my next round of posts. A cleaning out of my body.
I decided that I really needed a change in my eating habits as I have actually put on a few extra pounds after the holiday season. I went to see the acupuncturist 2 weeks ago to help me figure out why I have been feeling sluggish, out of sorts, bloated and unmotivated. I thought that by signing myself up for a 200 mile gravel grinder road race in early June might just be what I needed to get the fire going, but alas, it hasn't worked very well.
So, the Dr. suggested we do my LEAP test again along with an IgG blood test to see what foods are causing my body an inflammatory response. He seems to think that my adrenal glands are being over worked from foods that I really shouldn't be eating, and knowing exactly what those foods are should help. I am starting to go thru peri-menopause, not something I was wanting to have to deal with at this age, so hopefully this will alleviate my symptoms from that.
These tests are not cheap but I figured since the last time I did the LEAP test 2 years ago I actually had really good results. The problem was that after about 6-9 months my diet became worse and I was eating all kinds of junk, especially the foods that were an issue for me. I just stopped focusing on my eating habits and having terrible cravings for chocolate, sugar and almonds.
So, on Monday I started a juice fast, the 2nd one I have done this year and this time it was much easier. In the mornings I would drink 30 oz. of a Master cleanse. Water, lemon juice and maple syrup, then for breakfast a fruit juice (some combination of: apple, pear, kiwi, cantaloupe, blueberry, ginger, mango). For lunch I would have the rest of this fruit juice and then snack-dinner was a veggie juice (using: Celery, kale, beet, carrot, ginger, sweet potato, pepper, zucchini). Also drinking another 30 oz. of Master cleanse thruout the morning and a couple of cups of herbal tea.
Monday: Swim, weights. Juice. Felt pretty bloated today but not overly hungry. Last juice was about 8pm. Didn't sleep too well.
Tuesday: slept in, wanted to get up and ride but not motivated, decided to keep this as a rest day. Bitter cold @ -20. came home from work, took a hot bath and watched a movie. It was way too cold for me to get outside to sit in the hot tub!
Wednesday: Got up early with Andy and we rode the bike trainers for about :45 min. nice to spin the legs out. I didn't sleep all that great but was at least motivated to get out of bed. I also
had to make sure I had time to get in a little juicing before leaving for work at 6:00am. Today is suppose to be my last juice day but I am still feeling bloated and blah. Took a 90 min. hot yoga class after work which felt great! I really need to do that more often.
Thursday: Slept great last night. Decided to keep up with the juicing as much as I could today. I am feeling pretty good and not hungry at all. I didn't drink my first juice until noon. Busy day at work so that makes the time fly. No growling or aching of the stomach like I usually have. I did end up having a Lara bar about 3pm, very good! After work I decide to call the Dr. to see if my blood results are in. They are so I head over to his office to check them out. I will review them in depth with the Dr. in more detail in 2 weeks. I have been thru this before so I pretty much know what I need to do. No workout today, came home and watched a movie and then had some solid food, broccoli, cucumber, sunflower seeds, a few cashews with a drizzle of oil.
Friday: My day off of work. Got up early with Andy and decided to do some cooking to prepare for the next few days. Being on an elimination diet requires more time as I have to make everything from scratch and be very inventive on recipes with the limited number of foods I have to work with. At 10:00am I go lift some weights at the gym and then hit the pool for an hour with Audra. Great workout. I am feeling very good this morning but once I get home I am so ready for a nap. I take a long 1½ hr. nap. I really need to get on the bike and spin but may save it for this weekend.
I decided that I really needed a change in my eating habits as I have actually put on a few extra pounds after the holiday season. I went to see the acupuncturist 2 weeks ago to help me figure out why I have been feeling sluggish, out of sorts, bloated and unmotivated. I thought that by signing myself up for a 200 mile gravel grinder road race in early June might just be what I needed to get the fire going, but alas, it hasn't worked very well.
So, the Dr. suggested we do my LEAP test again along with an IgG blood test to see what foods are causing my body an inflammatory response. He seems to think that my adrenal glands are being over worked from foods that I really shouldn't be eating, and knowing exactly what those foods are should help. I am starting to go thru peri-menopause, not something I was wanting to have to deal with at this age, so hopefully this will alleviate my symptoms from that.
These tests are not cheap but I figured since the last time I did the LEAP test 2 years ago I actually had really good results. The problem was that after about 6-9 months my diet became worse and I was eating all kinds of junk, especially the foods that were an issue for me. I just stopped focusing on my eating habits and having terrible cravings for chocolate, sugar and almonds.
So, on Monday I started a juice fast, the 2nd one I have done this year and this time it was much easier. In the mornings I would drink 30 oz. of a Master cleanse. Water, lemon juice and maple syrup, then for breakfast a fruit juice (some combination of: apple, pear, kiwi, cantaloupe, blueberry, ginger, mango). For lunch I would have the rest of this fruit juice and then snack-dinner was a veggie juice (using: Celery, kale, beet, carrot, ginger, sweet potato, pepper, zucchini). Also drinking another 30 oz. of Master cleanse thruout the morning and a couple of cups of herbal tea.
Monday: Swim, weights. Juice. Felt pretty bloated today but not overly hungry. Last juice was about 8pm. Didn't sleep too well.
Tuesday: slept in, wanted to get up and ride but not motivated, decided to keep this as a rest day. Bitter cold @ -20. came home from work, took a hot bath and watched a movie. It was way too cold for me to get outside to sit in the hot tub!
Wednesday: Got up early with Andy and we rode the bike trainers for about :45 min. nice to spin the legs out. I didn't sleep all that great but was at least motivated to get out of bed. I also
had to make sure I had time to get in a little juicing before leaving for work at 6:00am. Today is suppose to be my last juice day but I am still feeling bloated and blah. Took a 90 min. hot yoga class after work which felt great! I really need to do that more often.
Thursday: Slept great last night. Decided to keep up with the juicing as much as I could today. I am feeling pretty good and not hungry at all. I didn't drink my first juice until noon. Busy day at work so that makes the time fly. No growling or aching of the stomach like I usually have. I did end up having a Lara bar about 3pm, very good! After work I decide to call the Dr. to see if my blood results are in. They are so I head over to his office to check them out. I will review them in depth with the Dr. in more detail in 2 weeks. I have been thru this before so I pretty much know what I need to do. No workout today, came home and watched a movie and then had some solid food, broccoli, cucumber, sunflower seeds, a few cashews with a drizzle of oil.
Friday: My day off of work. Got up early with Andy and decided to do some cooking to prepare for the next few days. Being on an elimination diet requires more time as I have to make everything from scratch and be very inventive on recipes with the limited number of foods I have to work with. At 10:00am I go lift some weights at the gym and then hit the pool for an hour with Audra. Great workout. I am feeling very good this morning but once I get home I am so ready for a nap. I take a long 1½ hr. nap. I really need to get on the bike and spin but may save it for this weekend.
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