Rides, Rides and more Rides

Training for Tour de Tucson

October 2011

Our cycling group has grown and we are training for the Tour de Tucson in November.  In the last month we jumped from our longest ride being 50 miles, to 65, then 71 and then 85.  We plan to get in at least one 100 mile ride in before the tour which is 111 miles.  Unlike training for a marathon, I can still walk without limping as long as I don't crash.  While ultimately cycling is much more dangerous than running, it is much easier on my body. I still love running, no doubt about it.  I've just had to cut back due to so many injuries.  Currently nursing achilles tendenosis but I can still run, just not more than about 8 or 9 miles at a time.  For now, cycling has taken over our Saturdays and we are having an amazing time seeing sights we wouldn't otherwise see.  We watch the sunrise over the mountains, see wild horses cross the roads, hear the coyotes howling to one another, and see other small animals on a regular basis.  We see other packs of cycling groups which is always fun and we are getting better at drafting as we increase our milage. 

 

Rachel and I about to go down "King Kong".   Depending on the wind, we get up to 35 mph going down this hill.  Getting back up is another story.

Sheryl and I on our 85 mile ride where we took Bush Hwy to the Beeline, over to Fountain Hills where we looped around a bit and back home.  There are five girls doing the Tour but we don't always all manage to get out together due to schedules.  Rachel, Sheryl and I did the 85 miles.   We are eager to hopefully all do the 100 mile training ride together. 

Rachel and I on going from Bush Highway to the Beeline. 

 Above: 30 mile ride in Fountain Hills. 

Matt, Sheryl, Sam, Rhonda, Andrea, Marla, Rachel

 Below: 50 mile ride in Fountain Hills

Rhonda, Sam, Sheryl, Andrea, Tiffany

 Andrea and Jodi

I am pretty stinkin excited about the Tour de Tucson and the fun experiences it will bring.

San Diego Triathlon

My First Triathlon - San Diego - Sept 17, 2011

I had the best weekend with these 3 amazing girls that I met through my swim class. 

  It is no easy job getting into those wet suits but I was sure happy to have it on in the cold San Diego Bay where we swam. I got no sleeves because I was worried I would be too restricted with them.  Then it was so cold when we got there that I worried I would freeze without them.  But once I got in the water and moving, I was glad I chose to go sleeveless.  Swimming almost a mile in the bay was an incredible (yet salty) experience.

Kari, Lori, Megan and myself before the start of the race.

 That is the bay behind us, after we finished the race.

We swam 1500 meters, biked just over 24 miles through some big hills and ran 6.4 miles (it was supposed to be 6.2 miles).  My legs are always fried when transitioning from biking to running so that was the toughest part for me.  We also weren't allowed to use headphones for any of the race and I always run with headphones so I did miss my tunes when I was running.

Lori and Kari were quite the pros at getting this bike rack and the bikes on and off.  We were pretty cozy in our little hotel room with 4 girls, our bikes and all of our gear. 

We really had such a great weekend. We had fabulous dinners, walked around San Diego (still being able to walk is a plus for a triathlon vs. a marathon...at least the olympic distance), went to a movie, relaxed in the jacuzi and got a big ole ice cream which I reserve for race days only.  I am really enjoying these girl's race trips and recharging my mom batteries.  So grateful to Mike for keeping things in order back at home and giving me the opportunity to get out and live.  :)

Cycling

After injuring my hip training for the Utah Valley marathon, I started riding my mountain bike and swimming to keep up my endurance while I couldn't run. And while I hate that I so often get injured, that injury has led me into the triathlon world that is so much easier on my body. I've always loved to ride and swim so it wasn't that I was doing something brand new but these sports have become more of a focus for me than just casual riding or swimming. Mike asked me if I wanted some really nice jewelery for our 20 year anniversary in May. And while nice jewelery is great, I really wanted a road bike so I could start training for a triathlon. So he took me shopping and we ended up getting a much nicer bike than I had anticipated. The first couple of weeks I rode alone, getting braver and braver about riding on the roads and out into the mountains and lake areas.  Now I have quite a few friends that are riding as well and we are having a blast.Bush Highway and the Usery area is one of our common riding areas. The beauty is really awesome early in the morning as the sun comes up.

We also ventured out to Fountain Hills for our first 50 mile ride. That was a gorgeous ride with rolling hills and beautiful scenery.

Here are a few of the people that I have been riding with.

Matt, Sam, Sheryl, Rhonda, Andrea, Angie