Someone's going to get beat and it's not going to be me (I hope!)

On March 19th I'm racing against Jason and Gareth (my weight lifting buddies) in a St. Patty's day 5k.

Rest assured that I'm going to beat them!!!

Below are Jason, Gareth and Rocco the dog. Rocco is the train out pain mascot and has the toughest little swagger that I've ever seen from a dog. Obviously, he is completely oblivious to the fact that he's wearing a turquoise jacket with snowflakes on it!

Anyways, back to the race. I'm not sure how all of this happened...I think it started when I found out that Gareth (in red shirt) lost a bet to his fiance and has to run a marathon in the fall. Somehow things progressed from there and now Jason, Gareth and I are all racing against each other in a 5k. The stakes are high as the winner gets free coffee drinks from Starbucks. Hence the reason why I will not lose!

I already know what I'm going to order (after I win)! Jason will have to buy me a venti, extra-hot, extra-shot, vanilla latte, and I will wash it down with a venti, extra-hot, dirty chai from Gareth. Of course, they both think that they are going to win, and both have their drinks picked out too. Someone is going to end up seriously disappointed.

One thing that I'm not going to do is show up at the start line with zero training. I learned my lesson after the New Years Resolution run. Not only did I have to run with the worse side stitch of my life, but it lasted for two days after! I asked my coach about the whole cross-training thing, and she said that a little bit of running is OK. And I've already seen the benefits from it. At snowcross I could hop off of my bike and over the barriers without feeling like I was going into cardiac arrest! It was an awesome feeling!!!

I'm only running once (maybe twice) a week, and not for very long. The good news is that I have a ton of friends who run because I can't last alone for more then 10 minutes. A complete contrast from riding my bike, something I can do for hours and hours alone each day.

Yesterday I got in a nice 4.5 miles with my running super-star friend Julie....

Afterwards we stopped for a quick soy latte...which is probably why I'm starting to think that running is fun!

I think that I'm going to keep running easy once a week, even after the race is over as it will be beneficial for racing SS at Lumberjack. Last year I raced a SS with zero training on it, and I remember going into shock the first time I had to hop off of my bike and run/walk up a few of the hills. And I know it definitely slowed my down. Hopefully this year running up the hills will seem a lot easier. But I'm also hoping that I will be a lot stronger and won't have to get off of my bike as much.

And speaking of racing SS at Lumberjack, Rick (the promoter) is going to have a female SS class if at least 5 women sign up!! So sign up ladies. The L100 is a perfect course to race a SS on!!!

Snowcross!!!

This is the time of year where we have to make our own fun, otherwise it would be very easy to sit inside and be grumpy about how cold it is. Granted, I am a cold weather wimp, but trust me when I say it's been really cold here. So cold that it almost hurts to breathe.

On Saturday temps were in the negatives when I woke up. It was very tempting to stay in PJ's and drink hot chocolate all day. However it was the first snowcross race of the year, and I wasn't going to miss it! My BFF Juli and I rode over to the race for a 45 minute warm-up, though I'm not sure you can really warm up in such frigid temps. We were under a winter weather advisory and I was really happy when we arrived at the Versluis Orchards as the roads were getting a little bit iffy.

Whenever I look at this picture I have to laugh...it's Scott directing traffic!

Photo credit: Jack Kunnen

Juli and I arrived with just enough time to sign up for the race and then it was time to line up. There were at least 50 racers lined up, and it was slightly surreal. There we were all shaking violently in our cycling shoes but ready for the first race of the season.

I had no clue what the course was going to be like and I had a few surprises on the first lap. It was a big loop through the orchard with snow boulders, a few barriers, and icy corners. Passing was very, very difficult but eventually I managed to move forward in the group. I raced on my Dos Niner and it was a good call. The snowy course definitely favored mountain bikes!!!

Here I am taking on future world cup cross racers. There were actually two little girls out on the course racing and it was awesome to see. The conditions were miserable, but they were pushing their bikes around and laughing and giggling. And the best part is that they would stop and wait for another when they got to the barriers....this allowed me to get ahead or I'm sure they would have beaten me :-)

Photo credit: Jack Kunnen

From the get-go my hands were blocks of ice, and halfway through the race I started to get this horrible feeling like someone was stabbing me in my thumb. Ouch! Once I started pedaling faster though my hands warmed up enough for it to stop hurting. Which brings me to my new rule of thumb (ha ha, get it?) Sorry couldn't resist. But seriously, whenever my hands or toes get cold I just need to remember to pedal harder!!!

I wore my Optic Nerve goggles and it was a really smart decision (pat on the back for me!) Not only did the keep my face warm, but I felt like I was in a bubble from the elements. Plus they never fogged up!!!
Photo credit: Jack Kunnen

I managed to pedal (and crash) myself to the finish line as the first female finisher, but I wasn't too concerned about results. I mostly felt like I was playing in the snow with a bunch of my friends. It was so much fun!!!

My topeak alien is still hanging out on the back of my helmet from summer!
I never was able to redline it on the course because anytime I would pick up speed I would end up riding into a snowbank. However, I was really happy with how I felt out there and totally noticed a difference in my strength. All of a sudden everything that I've been doing this winter (Lynda's training plan and strength training with Jason) came together and I felt so much stronger overall!!! It makes me excited for my next month of training!

On Sunday Scott and I went XC skiing at Pando. It was a balmy 10 degrees, but I was able to stay a lot warmer then I did on the bike. My endurance with skiing is WAY low, and after 12 miles my legs and arms were complete toast. I was so tired at the end I think I was actually drooling on the last climb.

Me....
Posing (dork alert!)
I managed to make a few tricky downhills, but I also managed to crash on every body part as well. It's definitely time to go get some serious ART therapy from Jason. He and his wife were on vacation last week and they got home just in time. Between skiing and snowcross I think I've managed to crash at least 15 times since he's seen me last. Today my tailbone had a serious meeting with the ground. Thank goodness snow is relatively soft...but my tailbone didn't think it was soft enough!

Pretending to be asleep

What you can't hear is me in the background trying to act very excited about going outside for a walk in 10 degree (feels like -6) weather. I'm all, "outside??? Wanna go outside???" and Naomi is showing absolutely no signs of interest.

Smart Girl!!!

Coming out of hibernation for a minute...

I can't believe that it's been over a week since I last updated this blog. Right now Michigan is beyond freezing, and it seems like winter is never going to end. But in all actuality, time is flying by! Eventually the sun is going to come back....right?????

This week has been pretty good training wise. I had another block of tempo intervals on the trainer, and they seem to be going pretty well. The only problem is that I'm getting spoiled by our spin class on Tuesday nights. It's really nice having people to talk to while working out. It's just not the same spinning by myself.

Other then that, it's been the same old same old. Tomorrow is going to be the coldest day of the year (negative 10 w/wind chill) and I think I'm going to stay burrowed under the covers for as long as possible. And then on Saturday I'm going to come out just long enough to race snowcross. I'll be racing with hot chocolate instead of water....most definitely!

Ok, now back to hibernating....

sweaty AND stinky

So, it's 11 p.m. and I should probably be going to bed instead of blogging. But I just got off of the trainer and need to decompress a little. I'm trying to think sleepy thoughts while drinking sleepy time tea.

Late night trainer sessions are a bad, bad habit of mine but I can't help myself. First of all, I'm a nap-a-holic. Whenever I get home from work I usually take a nap before working out. And then I wake up all refreshed and have a good workout on the trainer. It's all good except the times where my 20 min nap turns a few hours long (like today) and I end up working out until really late. Oh well, good 24 hour training, right???

And lets talk about training. In the last 2 days I've put 5 hours in on the trainer. Granted, that's not that much but it always feels a lot longer when it's on the trainer. Need...to....ride....outside....now!!!! I'm on a block of tempo days too, which aren't that exciting indoors. I would much, much, much rather do L4 or L5 intervals. But I'm following my coaches plan and tempo it is.

I'm still finalizing sponsorship stuff, but I can tell you this. I'm very, very excited about next year. As for what races I'm going to be doing...so hard to decide. The list keeps growing and growing and growing!

Well, time for bed. My trainer/tempo high has worn off and I think the sleepy time tea has kicked in!

Getting my cross training on!

My training this winter is definitely different then what I did last year. Last year I did zero cross training, and was already doing my first bike race at the end of January! Unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to go anyplace warm this winter (boo!), which means I have to suck it up and get used to training in cold weather.

The good news is that I'm able to get a full winter of strength training in with Jason. Last winter I was on my own and I will be the first to admit that I slacked off a ton in this department. Basically my training consisted of me doing a plank for ten seconds in front of the TV and calling it good.

This year there is no slacking going on!!! Just look at those monstrous arm muscles...

Even though I would rather be riding my bike, I still had a really great weekend. There was finally enough snow for Scott and I to go xc skiing. I bought a set of xc skis about 5 years ago, but probably have only been out 15 times total. Therefore I have a lot to learn!

The first day we went out to a pigeon creek and skied for about 2 hours. I always forget how much fun xc skiing is-and such a good workout! My legs were toast afterwards....

Great action shot, right? Not so sure what I'm doing in this photo :-)

Incidentally it was also our 5 year anniversary. The best 5 years of Scott's life (ha ha!)
The next day I was scheduled to do 5 hours of any sort of cardio. Sadly I failed miserably at this. We woke up really early with the best intentions and drove up to Crystal Mountain for more xc skiing. My legs were a little sore but my ankles and hands were a wreck. Clearly my ergon grips have made my hands WAY too soft (I guess I need callouses for winter), as I was developing blisters on my thumbs and palms from my ski poles. And to make matters worse my ski boots were giving me blisters on my ankles! I had to keep reminding myself that two years ago I did a bike race on the same trails with a broken clavicle. Suck it up buttercup, right???

First we hit the flat sections and got a good 1.5 hours of non-stop skiing in. There was a lot more snow up North and the trails were groomed and in good condition.

Here I am having a Powerbar moment. All I have to say is hurray for them bringing the cola flavored gel blasts back!!!

After a quick lunch we hit the intermediate trails and this is where I started to fall apart. The uphills were fine, but I think I need a reverse-ski-lift for downhills. Seriously. Anytime there was a downhill with a turn I would go shooting off into the woods until a tree stopped me!

It brought back many memories of my first year of mountain biking. I can't even tell you how many countless hours Scott spent waiting for me in the woods while I was crying on the ground or pulling myself out of a ravine. Ha!

Anyways, at one point Scott was yelling, "shake it off," but I thought he was telling me to "take it off." So I actually took my skis off, and then proceeded to drop one. Watching my ski slide down the hill without me was definitely frustrating...but also really funny!

We ended up getting a little over 3 hours in, and then had to head home so that I could go to work. Initially I wanted to get 5 hours in, but I'm sore enough after 3. I think I would be immobile for a week if I had done 5.

Now it's back to the bike for more tempo intervals. However, if the snow stays I'm planning on skiing again next weekend. I really wish I could get skate skis, but I don't need another expensive sport :-)

Spinning 101!

Last nights spin class turned me into a sweaty, whacked out mess :-) By the end I could barely count down from five.

We have a great class going, and check out what I was given last night. Twizzler jumbo packs...awesome! I have some long rides coming up and these will come in handy. Hopefully I'll be able to fit them in my back jersey pocket!

Well time for work. As always I had to do the important stuff (blog reading, eating) first and now I have exactly six minutes to get dressed and out the door. Sweet. Nothing like being rushed at 5:45 a.m.

New Years Eve Resolution Run

On New Years Eve I woke up to pouring rain, thunder and a FB message from my friend/co-worker stating that he was bailing on our "race within a race." He gave me two reasons. The first being that he did not realize that the New Years Eve run was on New Years Eve, and the second being that he knew that I would rather beat him while he was in shape, rather then when he would be struggling.

Uh huh.

Truth be told, I was tempted to bail too. I have no problem racing bikes in the rain, but running is un-fun enough. So I sat at my computer for a good hour drinking coffee and trying to convince myself to bail. But I don't like to bail on races (even if it's running) and bailing on New Years Eve just seemed especially wrong.

And that's when I saw the "shuffler" go by. There's a women in our neighborhood who runs/shuffles past our house every day. I'm not sure who she is, or where she lives, but she is at it every day no matter what the conditions are. When she ran by in pouring rain my decision was sealed...I was doing the race!!!!

The race wasn't until 3:30 p.m. so I had a lot of time to kill beforehand. I actually googled "what is correct running form?" and "what to eat before a running race." I kid you not! I did not train for this race whatsoever, but I showed up to the start line filled with google knowledge :-)

Posing pre-race in my "running outfit." Little did I know what I was in for....

The good news is that it stopped raining right before our race. In fact, it was unseasonably warm for December 31st. Almost all of the snow was melted and temps were in the low 50's! That never happens in Michigan.

After registering I meandered over to the start line. Scott kept telling me that I should warm up, and I kept telling him that I didn't have enough running endurance to waste any extra steps. That's what I felt like at least. There were 745 runners lined up, and I decided I might as well go near the front half. No point in getting trampled.

And then we were off!!!!

I decided that I was going to stick with my plan of going off really fast, and let me tell you two things...

1. Big Mistake

2. My "really fast" still isn't that fast

Not only did I feel like I was going backwards, but I developed a side stitch within the first half mile. How is that even possible? It was miserable because I had to run the rest of the race feeling like someone was sticking a knife in my side. All of my "newly gained knowledge" from google went straight out the window too regarding stride/pacing. Everyone around me kept checking their watches, and I was dying to know what time it was. However, I was breathing so hard that there was no way that I could talk.

I started to pick people off towards the end of the race, and have to thank all of my fellow cyclists friends who came out to cheer us on! It was so nice hearing my name around the course!!!!

I always say this, but this time I really, really mean it. I was NEVER so happy to see a finish line in my life.

Afterwards my mom kept talking about my expression when I finished, and I think Scott managed to capture it on his iphone. I look so awful in this photo I wasn't going to post it, but it's too good not to :-) I was completely wasted after 4 miles....

So yeah, a few posts ago I foolishly stated that I would like to finish around 25 minutes. That shows how little I know about pacing. There is NO WAY I could have done that. I ended up finishing in 27:58. 1st in my age group (out of 46), 19th o/a female (out of 306) and 108th o/a (out of 745).

And I can still feel that side stitch today. No joke! Will I ever do another running race??? Sheeeesh...what do you think?

Happy 2011 everybody!!!!

PS. Don't forget spin class tomorrow night (6:30 p.m.) at the Ada Bike shop!