Cycling

Some of the tulip fields

Yes, I just realized that I committed to doing STP (bike ride from Seattle to Portland) this July.  So, I looked up what training I need to do in preparation for the 204 mile ride.  I have to admit that I was surprised at how many miles I'm supposed to be riding right now.  My current habit of one ride per week will need to change...soon.  Ugh!  If it wasn't for Lily babysitting me, I think I'd still be wandering Skagit county, getting lost in the tulips.

61 miles is a long way!

Elevation

Bethany was kind enough to share the data from her Garmin which shows the course and elevation.

Today, a bunch of us met in Wallingford for a nice chilly ride in the sun.  I think the ongoing joke is that we're just going out for a 2-hour ride.  Yeah, right...it never is only a 2-hour ride.  After eliminating the icy routes (some of the trails still haven't thawed), we decided to go to Alki.  We rode from Gasworks, through Fremont, over the Fremont Bridge, up Nickerson, through Ballard, on the bike trail to Myrtle Edwards Park, past the Sculpture Park and along the waterfront.  This is where we had a slight delay.  Bill took a pretty bad spill when he tried to maneuver around a crevace in the road.  He flew, broke his helmet and the ambulance came.  Thankfully, he's bruised, but okay.  His helmet is totally thrashed and it was a good reminder to make sure your helmet is in good shape and secured properly.  He would have been severely injured without it.  Plus, our group was really good at regathering and making sure everyone was safe.

After the bike ride

After two of our riders escorted Bill back, the rest of us continued to Alki.  It was an extremely clear and beautiful day.  On the ride back, we decided to take a different route (actually the others decided and I just followed).  We went back through Pioneer Square, then up the International District to Beacon Hill.  When you're around the area next time, take a look at the incline from the Waterfront to Beacon Hill...it was long.  We went through the I-90 tunnel to Lake WA Blvd, up to the Arboretum (this stretch is dangerous unless you can keep up with the cars and peddle close to the speed limit), up Boyer to Montlake, along the water, down the Burke Gillman trail and back to our starting point.  Whew, I'm tired just typing this route!  Of course that wasn't the end of it.  The remaining group was made up of 3 people training for the Coeur d'Alene Ironman, two people training for a 1/2 Iron, and me.  They still wanted to get a run in after our 40-mile hilly ride.  Crazy!  My carpool buddy, Lily, totally tricked me.  She wanted to go running and she had the keys to the car.  Everyone wanted to run, but me.  So, I said I didn't know we're running (plus, I'm not training for Triathlons right now!), so I can't run.  Then evil Lily said that she had an extra pair of running shoes in the car and we have the same shoe size.  Ugh!  I got suckered into a short run.  My legs were done and I could only run a mile, then walk the remainder back.

So, my friends tricked me into doing a BRICK (bike-run) and then they even went one step further and suggested that I may as well do a 1/2 Iron or at least a Duathlon since I'm training for it anyways.  That was really twisted logic.  Thank goodness my peer pressure is only race-related. 

Lily showing her legs..burrr!

Bert, Minera & Glen

Jim

Sculpture Park

Mel, Heidi & Bethany

Today, Mel, Heidi, Bethany and I biked the Centennial Trail in Snohomish and did the 35 mile out and back course to Lake Stevens. The trail is pretty new, wide and has hardly any people! It was a nice alternative to the Burke Gilman Trail if you want a flat ride, away from cars. The only drawback was the safety fences that we had to slowly bike around when we approached major interesctions. Fortunately, there was only was one fall during the ride.

Bethany learning a new bike tool.

How many girls does it take to fix a tire? Well, today we all learned a new bike feature or trick from each other. As semi-responsible riders, we carried bike tools, spare tubes, food, water, cell phones and instructions (since we don't know how to properly repair our bikes on the road). We really need to either 1) Attend a bike maintenance class or 2) Host a party and have an experienced biker give us a hands-on class on how to do basic bike maintenance. We are open to suggestions. We laughed that Tupperware parties are not our thing, but bike maintenance, self-defence or refresher CPR/First Aid Courses would be fun for us. We learned how to use a CO2 cartridge to inflate a tire for the first time. It was pretty funny watching us read the directions and "experiement" before fixing the problem.

Heidi on the bike

We all ran yesterday and it felt great to stretch our legs. Plus, it gives us an excuse to go out to lunch together. We're hoping to squeeze in a few more rides before winter comes.

The ride gave us time to plan out our exercise plan for next year. So
many races sell out quickly and hotels start raising their rates. It's funny how we coordinate and do annual planning for races. This is what our preliminary plan is for next year:

• Nookachamps 1/2 Marathon in January. Knowing we have to run a race in January will keep us honest during all the holiday parties in November and December.
• Vancouver 1/2 Marathon to maintain running fitness
• STP in two days. We'll stay in a hotel instead of camping.
• We'll each do a Triathlon. I'm only commiting to a sprint distance, but the others will do Olympic or Half Ironman. Maybe Seafair for me?
• Hood to Coast Relay, if we get in.
• MS 150 Bike Ride
• Nike Women's Marathon in SF.