Okay.... so a bad title... I'm only human... long day today... tried to sleep in a bit now that the kids are out of school... did not happen. It had an adverse effect... Sat or should I say lay in bed thinking of way too much... Anyway back to the biking blog!.... maybe, feeling an urge to expand general stats and verbiage perhaps into something a bit more fun to read???.... Had a crazy busy day... worked, sample sale, 3 cavities filled ( side note - not my pearls... although sad as they haven't figured out the significance of brushing???) Fedex drop to China and one to LA, USPS for a special delivery, dry cleaner, subway for the kids as it is 3:00 and apparently I forgot to feed them? I doubt I'll be getting the mother of the year award... DD for an iced coffee, considering I haven't eaten all day... Oh that did not go over well... 15 minutes into the indulgence... stomach pain!!! drill, drill, mommy falls asleep in the waiting room... no I did not snore, although I am known for snoring! Well not in public places ( that I know of :/) grocery store... the twins get a cart and I say... "get what you need I forgot the "list""..... Damn lists??? Not too bad... $66.79... oh damn, never even looked in that pocket of my wallet that has those things called coupons!!!! too late maybe next time... I'm sure they'll be expired by then as they always are!!! But after all these years I still store them there... and feel this sense of pride when I actually use them, which mind you is not very often!!!! ... I never seem to figure those out... anyway maybe next time... Hand the car keys off to the twins, so they can load the car and I can visit "josh" my keeper of the vice!!! haha.... Winology... any wine, any country.. Josh has it...Chat, chat, chat... saw you did a ride this weekend? Yup... double metric... what is that??? 2X60 miles.. plus a little more... chat, chat... He's so nice!!! great guy... perhaps that why I like the wine store so much... oh come on....hehehe... driving home... look at the clock... realize hummmmm thursday... 5:30... team ride...okay.. I'm in and I need it... Get home... unpack.. Wine- ride... wine -ride... grab the phone.. if I do this quick..... I will be committed.... quick do it before the right side of the brain starts to work( or is that the left... of hell, who cares!!) .. Hi Rob... team ride tonight? A riders or B?.... "Well.... strong A's...and a newby, but Ralphs here let me let you talk to him" Oh boy... he knows how to throw the hook in... "yes... you going west dover..... You start and we will chase you up the hill." You got it... 10 minutes to unpack groceries, suit up, helmet up and off 6:20 I go...
20 minutes later... Ken passes me.. Hi there Nicky! DAMN!!!! I didn't make it to the top of the climb!!! Ralph... Gracen... and Andrew I believe it was... He was way too fast for me to even figure out who it was??? haha... Fast up a hill??? have you ever heard of anything so crazy!!! Well finally hit the top... Gracen and I... oh and btw... Gracen ( not sure if the spelling is correct??) Adorable!!! I met him about 2 weeks ago... was his first ride.. not part of the team yet but proudly wears the jersey and I'm sure in time... he will be part of the team.. He is a dirt bike racer... Oh and you can tell!!!! He is very strong but wow....all over the place... but this last ride he looked a lot better. First time I met him... don't know how we got on the subject but I asked how old are you... He says 22, Ralph yells over.. he's 18!!! hahah!!! That gave us a few laughs!! We actually got to know each other a bit the first ride a couple of weeks ago... He's soooo young... He asked about what I do, I told him I've been in fashion for 25 years, blah, blah, blah... He says do you like it? I giggled and said well sure... But I've learned how to like life more... He replies as we start to descend... Yes, I know... I've heard of you... and we take off.... I of course... speed past him... With a newbies push them and they will push too.. although he kicked my butt on the climbs... haha...
Anyway... great ride tonight... 23 miles total 1:36 time.. 3 miles climb up pleasant ridge... then climb up rt 55 X2... Side note to Rob, if we do the alternative route the length is longer.. although rt 55 is so much better than old rt 55. Sun was setting and it was beautiful, and i'll do it again... 10 days and counting to the event that started it all for me!!!! hehe...
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Double Metric Madness - Pinnacle
I'm proud to share that yesterday I reached a pinnacle of my journey on 2 wheels :)
201.5 km/ 125.23 miles in one sitting.
This particular journey began Saturday morning 8:13am as Ralph and I set out on the "Double Metric Madness" ride. I was pleased to start that morning with temperatures hovering at about 65 degrees. Days prior to the ride, we had been experiencing a heat wave, so I was very thankful for the drop in temperature. Fuel for the adventure; one energy bar, one pack of hammer blocks, one bottle Spiz, 2 bottles of frozen Gatorade ( against my best judgement of liquids choices although it is the best to maintain electrolytes on such a challenging ride) Off we go. We traveled north up the New York, Connecticut border thru the Taconic State Park and up into Massachusetts where I once again attempted to make the climb up and into Mt. Washington State Forest. This time I'm pleased to say that I conquered it without demounting my 2 wheeled adventure machine. Although a struggle I did make it. By the time I reached the top my head was pounding from my body heat. The climb was only a mile long and honestly although hard if challenged again with it I would not be as fearful of it. That was just about the mid point of the ride and all was well. We moved forward and enjoyed the descent through the forest, hitting some dirt roads and so much natural beauty. Although I wanted to stop frequently I didn't as I knew the length of this ride did not account for extra stops along the way. We only officially stopped twice to refill our bottles ( although there was an extra stop at the end - about 7 miles to the end - but I'll talk about that later).
At about 90 miles I unfortunately started getting a stomach cramp. I had not had them on a ride in a very long time. I later realized it was probably the gatorade that was making me feel badly. I normally will do one gatorade to one water, but because of the length here I thought I would be best to do 100% gatorade.. Wrong move... The cramp stayed with me for the balance of the ride and if your a rider you understand climbs alone are challenging enough without having the pain of the cramp.
Anyway, around the 106 mile mark is about where I hit the wall. But I still had 20 miles to go and a number of hills. My knees started to ache, you could see my veins clearly as they push the blood thru my legs.. hahaha..... I realized at that point also that I had been raising my shoulders the whole ride as they started to burn!!! And although Ralph had warned me a number of times.... move hands around... don't keep them in one place... Well, I thought I was doing that, but apparently not as the palms of my hands started to have a sense of rawness to them... about 13 miles to end.. As I continue to repeat " I really don't want to do this anymore Ralph..." He smiles and says, "Let's stop and I'll buy you a ice cream cone".. I replied.... "I want to get to the finish line"... thinking back I probably should have stopped. Instant sugar fuel.. Ralph is very knowledgeable about everything having to do with long distance riding. He knew a cone would give me the little jolt I needed and we were close enough to the end that when I crashed we would hopefully be back. I would have, but at that point I started to feel nauseous, in a very bad way. I needed to get water in me and fast... so about 4 miles down we found a deli and stopped, as I pored the gatorade out I caught a whiff of it and nearly lost my cookies... ugh!!! Okay, got some water in me and back on the bike I went. Only that of the weight of my legs were turning the pedals. Not really, but it felt like that!!! As we approached each hill, I would repeat "I'm not going to make it up Ralph!!!", "we'll see"he says and you know what I actually did make it up every time, not without pain or exhaustion, but I made it. One thing though with these hills, as I normally would say I set a point in front of me on a hill, not far but just enough to get me there without being overwhelming. this time though, I only looked directly in front of me, almost at the top of my wheel. Perhaps from the lack of being able to lift my head or the fear of not being able to even make that point. Just looking right in front of me worked. Sometimes life gets completely unbearable, just take it minute by minute that's all you need to do... minute by minute.. Doesn't have to be day by day... but instead minute by minute.. and you'll make it through.
7:00 pm, almost exactly 11 hours later ( including stops) .... I make it back in one piece, hard to walk, completely physically exhausted, crawled into a warm bath applied ben gay... hehe... an aspirin, some pasta, a small glass of red wine and off I went to slumber for 10 hours. Next morning surveyed the damage:
2 blisters on my hand, one on the palm, one between my thumb and pointer finger.
Still a bit sore on my neck
Muscles in my legs still recovering slowly
A bit light headed
But overall a HUGE SUCCESS..
Although Ralph said I need to find my next goal... hummmmm not quite sure I'm ready to set that one, but probably in time!!!
201.5 km/ 125.23 miles in one sitting.
This particular journey began Saturday morning 8:13am as Ralph and I set out on the "Double Metric Madness" ride. I was pleased to start that morning with temperatures hovering at about 65 degrees. Days prior to the ride, we had been experiencing a heat wave, so I was very thankful for the drop in temperature. Fuel for the adventure; one energy bar, one pack of hammer blocks, one bottle Spiz, 2 bottles of frozen Gatorade ( against my best judgement of liquids choices although it is the best to maintain electrolytes on such a challenging ride) Off we go. We traveled north up the New York, Connecticut border thru the Taconic State Park and up into Massachusetts where I once again attempted to make the climb up and into Mt. Washington State Forest. This time I'm pleased to say that I conquered it without demounting my 2 wheeled adventure machine. Although a struggle I did make it. By the time I reached the top my head was pounding from my body heat. The climb was only a mile long and honestly although hard if challenged again with it I would not be as fearful of it. That was just about the mid point of the ride and all was well. We moved forward and enjoyed the descent through the forest, hitting some dirt roads and so much natural beauty. Although I wanted to stop frequently I didn't as I knew the length of this ride did not account for extra stops along the way. We only officially stopped twice to refill our bottles ( although there was an extra stop at the end - about 7 miles to the end - but I'll talk about that later).
At about 90 miles I unfortunately started getting a stomach cramp. I had not had them on a ride in a very long time. I later realized it was probably the gatorade that was making me feel badly. I normally will do one gatorade to one water, but because of the length here I thought I would be best to do 100% gatorade.. Wrong move... The cramp stayed with me for the balance of the ride and if your a rider you understand climbs alone are challenging enough without having the pain of the cramp.
Anyway, around the 106 mile mark is about where I hit the wall. But I still had 20 miles to go and a number of hills. My knees started to ache, you could see my veins clearly as they push the blood thru my legs.. hahaha..... I realized at that point also that I had been raising my shoulders the whole ride as they started to burn!!! And although Ralph had warned me a number of times.... move hands around... don't keep them in one place... Well, I thought I was doing that, but apparently not as the palms of my hands started to have a sense of rawness to them... about 13 miles to end.. As I continue to repeat " I really don't want to do this anymore Ralph..." He smiles and says, "Let's stop and I'll buy you a ice cream cone".. I replied.... "I want to get to the finish line"... thinking back I probably should have stopped. Instant sugar fuel.. Ralph is very knowledgeable about everything having to do with long distance riding. He knew a cone would give me the little jolt I needed and we were close enough to the end that when I crashed we would hopefully be back. I would have, but at that point I started to feel nauseous, in a very bad way. I needed to get water in me and fast... so about 4 miles down we found a deli and stopped, as I pored the gatorade out I caught a whiff of it and nearly lost my cookies... ugh!!! Okay, got some water in me and back on the bike I went. Only that of the weight of my legs were turning the pedals. Not really, but it felt like that!!! As we approached each hill, I would repeat "I'm not going to make it up Ralph!!!", "we'll see"he says and you know what I actually did make it up every time, not without pain or exhaustion, but I made it. One thing though with these hills, as I normally would say I set a point in front of me on a hill, not far but just enough to get me there without being overwhelming. this time though, I only looked directly in front of me, almost at the top of my wheel. Perhaps from the lack of being able to lift my head or the fear of not being able to even make that point. Just looking right in front of me worked. Sometimes life gets completely unbearable, just take it minute by minute that's all you need to do... minute by minute.. Doesn't have to be day by day... but instead minute by minute.. and you'll make it through.
7:00 pm, almost exactly 11 hours later ( including stops) .... I make it back in one piece, hard to walk, completely physically exhausted, crawled into a warm bath applied ben gay... hehe... an aspirin, some pasta, a small glass of red wine and off I went to slumber for 10 hours. Next morning surveyed the damage:
2 blisters on my hand, one on the palm, one between my thumb and pointer finger.
Still a bit sore on my neck
Muscles in my legs still recovering slowly
A bit light headed
But overall a HUGE SUCCESS..
Although Ralph said I need to find my next goal... hummmmm not quite sure I'm ready to set that one, but probably in time!!!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
It's been some time since I've written. Although I will say I've still remained committed to my journey. As I prepare for my upcoming races, closest one planned the PMRR. This year it is considered an official NYS road race, YEAY ROB!!!! Although with saying that the challenge becomes a bit more intense and the competition is the same. The length of the race now becomes 40 miles verse the 20 miles. It is a double mountain loop. I rode the loop the other day and had a few malfunctions, slipped 3 times off my ring going up the climb. Do you have any idea how hard it is to lose the momentum of the climb fix a chain and then get back on and push at a 16+% grade... Alright well maybe it is not impossible but... hehe... The route is hard but "easy" to me. I don't want to cry half way thru the climb and give up, like I did the first time I ever rode the climb... hahaha.. The first climb the longest and at time the hardest seem only difficult in one particular 1/2 mile stretch. I logged at points in the climb about 9 mph... which is amazingly excellent for me on a climb. Considering I despise climbs!!! They keep getting easier every single time... I only wish hurdles in life got easier after repetition... They just don't seem to... Anyway... The climb on 55 was a piece of cake!!! Really amazing... Although I had a near tragic moment that drop me to a stop, first time ever. I was at about the top of the hill, starting to slow down a bit, I would say I was going about 7 mph. At that point in the climb my lane moves to a double and the shoulder is still very generous! I hang on the shoulder where ever possible. Well an 18 wheeler comes flashing by and I thought it was over for me. I could feel the heat coming from him tires on my arms... I could hear him behind me, so I was prepared, but what I was not prepared for was that he entered into my comfort lane over my white line. I caught myself starting to jiggle a bit on the handlebars. OH shit! Too close for comfort. As I look to the right to see if the best way is to bail to the right. But I held in there and although he passed in little than a few seconds it seemed to me to pass in slow motion. Although I should be afraid making a statement out loud " YOU DON'T SCARE ME BIG WHEELER MAN" Stay on your side next time..... Okay... so just between you and I...those types of drivers do scare me... but none the less... they won't scare me off the road.. I just have to be smarted than them.
( oh was that a paragraph I just made???? hehehe) That would be a side joke as I have a tendency in all walks of my life to go on and on...... no purposeful pauses!!! So onto the last climb... this one I have to say is killer, it is shorter than the first climb but the grade is killer, I believe it hits 21%... oh and YES I have a grannie gear! Once I get the go pro back.. I will be taking you for a ride for sure... and no helmet cam... I finally got the bike attachment... hehe :D.
Okay well onto today's ride which is where I wanted to note on the blog in the first place.. haha.. Headed out for a short 20 mile ride... Wasn't going to do the mountain, just wanted to ride with momentum and strength. Perhaps in a way to get my week going although it is already Tuesday. The weather was overcast, yet the feel of the air is not moist so I thought it would be fine. Who's afraid of a little rain... hell not me... I hit the point at which I would finish the loop of 20 but today I chose to go right... I rode and I rode.... today was a ride filled with emotion. Ups and downs, in a way it took me over... I started my ride though with harsh understanding of where my life is right now... I chose to stay on the road because I needed to think. I talked out loud, I shouted at time and for a few moments I cried, and I cried hard...
I'll leave you with that... but please don't get discouraged. That's the special thing about riding and crying.... In the end your tend to figure it out, or at the very least feel better about it. As someone dear to my heart said once... You just need to ride it out... And there you have it... I'm riding it out!
Where is my journey going from here.. I do not know... I suppose it is up to my destiny... Although I have ultimate control over my life... destiny guides me ...
Side note: any followers that would like to continue to join me on my journey... I'll be moving to tumblr, details to follow -
( oh was that a paragraph I just made???? hehehe) That would be a side joke as I have a tendency in all walks of my life to go on and on...... no purposeful pauses!!! So onto the last climb... this one I have to say is killer, it is shorter than the first climb but the grade is killer, I believe it hits 21%... oh and YES I have a grannie gear! Once I get the go pro back.. I will be taking you for a ride for sure... and no helmet cam... I finally got the bike attachment... hehe :D.
Okay well onto today's ride which is where I wanted to note on the blog in the first place.. haha.. Headed out for a short 20 mile ride... Wasn't going to do the mountain, just wanted to ride with momentum and strength. Perhaps in a way to get my week going although it is already Tuesday. The weather was overcast, yet the feel of the air is not moist so I thought it would be fine. Who's afraid of a little rain... hell not me... I hit the point at which I would finish the loop of 20 but today I chose to go right... I rode and I rode.... today was a ride filled with emotion. Ups and downs, in a way it took me over... I started my ride though with harsh understanding of where my life is right now... I chose to stay on the road because I needed to think. I talked out loud, I shouted at time and for a few moments I cried, and I cried hard...
I'll leave you with that... but please don't get discouraged. That's the special thing about riding and crying.... In the end your tend to figure it out, or at the very least feel better about it. As someone dear to my heart said once... You just need to ride it out... And there you have it... I'm riding it out!
Where is my journey going from here.. I do not know... I suppose it is up to my destiny... Although I have ultimate control over my life... destiny guides me ...
Side note: any followers that would like to continue to join me on my journey... I'll be moving to tumblr, details to follow -
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