Heather's Century Training Journal

Sunday, March 15th

2009-03-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

Well-yesterday was THE day and it went much better than I'd anticipated. The course was incredibly, breathtakingly, beautiful, idyllic scenes at every turn. It was "hilly" but then there's the downhill portion. It was a very cold ride most of the time and we had intermittent cloud coverage with a bit of moisture in the early hours. I had built this ride up in my mind to be such a crazy, big challenge that when I reached mile 43 and still felt fresh and great-I was just struck with such awe of God and how He cares and works. Because, yes I put in a ton of work preparing, but I felt His presence in a tangible, amazing way. At various times along the route when things were getting tough, I could feel all the prayers lifting me up with wings as an eagle. I thought about the recipients of the bikes and how it will dramatically impact their lives for the better. I thought about all of you and how you care enough to partner with me in this undertaking. Compound that with the incredible scenery and I was awestruck!
Other than childbirth, this was the most mentally and physically challenging thing I've ever done and I feel SO pleased with the outcome!
Thank you again for caring and your support, I am so appreciative!!!

Totals:
Ride 103.4 miles
Time 6:04:17
Experience amazing and grueling
Gratitude immeasurable

Friday, March 13th

2009-03-13T22:45:00.001-07:00

Well folks-This is it!! I have just come from the World Vision Mobility Dinner where we learned more about the Bikes for Africa project and it's far reaching ministry! Jamie came away pumped and excited to get back into cycling-so that's a huge blessing right there!
I am so honored that you would all partner with me in this undertaking and am thrilled to tell you that I have reached my goal of $500!! That will impact so many people's lives and I am so glad that you have helped make it possible!
Please keep me in your prayers tomorrow as I ride the 103.4 miles, I'm very excited and very nervous and need to go to sleep now!
I'll put one last update tomorrow night!
Lv, Hj

Wednesday, March 12th

2009-03-12T01:03:00.000-07:00

I got my bike back, yay! Set out to go up through the foothills and focus on all hill climbing and realized something is not right with my shifter. My bike kept skipping gears or falling out of gear and rattling when it shouldn't have been. Everything was all cleaned up and pretty from it's tune-up but they obviously didn't adjust things back properly. I pushed through that though, and was pleased to see that my lung capacity is returning to normal and I was able to attack the hills with almost my previous level of vigour.
The day is almost upon us and I have raised, with your help $355 so far!!

Totals:
Ride 25 miles of hills
Lungs much better(thank you Lord!)

Tuesday, March 11th

2009-03-12T00:59:00.000-07:00

Bike was still in the shop and I needed to get things from the store, so I made the boys hoof it with me rapidly to the store and back.
This week is supposed to be a laid-back week anyway but I feel like I've already been doing that due to illness and thus can't help feeling like this may leave me a bit unprepared.

Totals:
Speed walk (bible study people are a comin') 5 miles
Doubt fight

Monday, March 10th

2009-03-12T00:53:00.000-07:00

My bike was still in the shop today so I ran 4 miles, got the boys and had them run another mile with me. They've agreed (Nic reluctantly) to do a 5k in April, it'll be Nic's second and Mason's first of that length. I find that I enjoy a tangible goal and so have set that as one for them. Jamie will run with Nic so that they can go as fast as they possibly can, and I will go with Mase at his speed. Mason loves a challenge of any sort, especially physical and is psyched and serious about this, Nic is unhappy but showing great promise already. I haven't decided yet if I'll push Logi in the race and make it a full Johnson family event-the first half is all uphill. ;0)

Totals:
Run 5 miles
Lunges 80
Crunches 100

Sunday, March 9th

2009-03-12T00:50:00.000-07:00

Took my bike in to get it thouroughly tuned up and cleaned, which will take a few days. I had intended to do this right before the century but the bike shop dude was saying that I should ride the bike a bit after they've worked on it.
Was laid up today with yucky lungs, lovely lady stuff, and sick kiddos.

Totals:
Be sick

Saturday, March 8th

2009-03-12T00:43:00.000-07:00

Today my friend, Marty, came out and we rode out from my house up through the foothills and back, trying to get in a decent amount of hills. My lungs GREATLY inhibited my ability and I was discouraged that this illness is happening now when I've been planning and training for this ride for so long, and now it's almost here and I'm not at peak performance. We met a fellow cyclist, along our route, who has done Solvang many times and he gave us some good advice and info. Everybody says to go out slowly and take your time, so that when you hit the hills and "the Wall" at the end you'll still have juice. All in all a good ride was enjoyed today, just wish I had an extra lung or two right now.
ONE WEEK TO GO!!!

Totals:
Ride 50 miles
Breathing not great

Friday, March 7th

2009-03-12T00:37:00.000-07:00

Today I set out on the bike and only made it about 5 miles as the frigid cold was killing my sore lungs. I wrestled with whether to just push through it or not and decided that I should rest my lungs. But, I still needed to do something physical so I decided to walk to pick Nic up from MOPs, where he was babysitting. I convinced mom to join me and I pushed Logi while Mason rode his bike. It's a 10 mile round trip walk and Nic was none too happy when he saw us walking up instead of driving. ;0) File it under PE for the boys!!

Totals:
Walk 10 miles
Listen to complaining boys 3 miles

Review of the X2Cycle Tandem Rack Trail-a-Bike

2009-03-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

I discovered this unique product while doing research on the Trailgator to pull Mason behind me. We needed to move him out of the Burley d'lite (which I LOVE) but he is SO not ready to ride on his own for any kind of distance.
Enter the X2Cycle Tandem Rack, which mounts on the back of a bike and looks like a storage rack for bringing along a bag or cooler but a telescoping arm comes out and attaches to another bike. This allows him to hook on and off throughout the ride as he desires, or is told to.
Pros:
Your child will not outgrow this as it works for adults too! We haven't tried it yet, but the product purports to also allow two adults to ride in tandem potentially allowing a slower rider to keep up with a faster one.
Allows Mason to hook on and off at will.
Folds up easily and is very lightweight but strong.
Didn't have the safety issues that I've found with the Trailgator.
Has an automatic disconnect if the rear rider is venturing too far to the side of the front rider.

Cons:
Pricey $120 + $10 shipping
Seems that the one being towed needs a good, light bike or it's VERY difficult to tow them. I found it more challenging to tow Mason alone with that than the two kids in the Burley.
Good communication between riders is a MUST!
Rider being towed must be old enough to easily ride and steer on their own both to stay in line while being towed and in the event that they become disconnected.
After a particularly rough disconnect, one of the bolts on the connector part on Mason's bike went missing, so now we need to go to Home Depot and find a replacement.

All in all, this product has great potential that we haven't fully explored yet!

Thursday, March 5th

2009-03-05T12:46:00.000-08:00

My body just isn't getting rid of this lung thing, which has added pressure as this is supposed to be a week to really crank it out and then start to taper back next week, so...I've just been pushing through-but not at optimal ability. So, I decided that I need to just give my lunges a break and hopefully the chance to heal today. So, I'm taking today off from exercise and I'm praying (please pray with me) that they heal up so that I can return to training with a vengeance and more importantly, that I will be totally healed and well by the century.
On a positive note, numerous muscles in my body are sore from yesterday!

Totals:
Rest and recuperate hopefully

Wednesday, March 4th

2009-03-05T12:35:00.000-08:00

Well, an interesting thing about all the cycling I've been doing; I've been working SO hard and all I have to show for it are these ginormous speed skater thighs(not that there's anything wrong with that) and less than admirable abs. I realized that I have been sacrificing my usual routines in favor of the necessary work I must put in for training. But, I decided on Off-the-Bike days I'm going to REALLY step it up! So, today I ran almost 4 miles (used the baby's inhaler) and then did my Kick, Punch, Crunch video which I haven't done in months and I loved it! I sweated so much the boys got grossed out-that's hard to do let me tell you!! Followed by much weights and band stuff.

Totals:
Run 3.89 miles
Kick,Punch, Crunch 1 hr 15 minutes
Arm curls 3 sets 15 (25 lb)
Lateral lifts 3 sets 15 (10 lb)
Triceps 3 sets of 20 (blue band)
Overhead lift 3 sets 15 (25 lb)

Tuesday, March 3rd

2009-03-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

Today I rode up into the foothills and tried to get in as much hill work as my lungs could handle. I am still fighting this chest cold thing and I can feel the reduction in my oxygen intake and it's direct effect on my cycling ability. I think Fat Girl in my head is really sick because she just would not shut-up, kept bugging me to go home and rest, not push up that hill, we've done enough, slow down already. I almost listened to her and then I saw a man up ahead on a bike, well then Competitive Girl kicked Fat Girl out and we busted it out. Almost killed me with my current lung capacity, but it was definitely a work-out!

Totals
Ride 25 miles of hills
Lunges 60
Weights 2 sets of 12 (25 lb)
Crunches 100
Sick yep

Monday, March 2nd

2009-03-05T12:19:00.001-08:00

Today, I rode out to the church and met Jamie and the wee ones there (we picked up Mase from Bball practice and dropped Nic for Boy scouts) and we rode over to the Cucamonga trail. I pulled Logi and J pulled Mase with the X2Cycle Tandem Rack, which is a wonderful invention but Mason needs a much lighter, better bike!!! He's such a little stud, he just pedals his little heart out, he never complained and whined, he wants to "train"! Anyway, because of the company (and I SO loved riding with my family!) I put my bike in a SUPER easy gear and just spun the whole way, which I dislike but is necessary for training my legs into a smoother stroke and also kept me in the same vicinity as my family. ;0) I rode back home while they drove and I cranked it to try to beat them, which I did!!! ;0) They went a different way and left after I did, but it was a good impetus to bust it out!
Hopefully, J got the bicycling bug again and will soon resume his riding!

Totals:
Spin 10 miles
Ride hard 10 miles
Family time priceless

Sunday, March 1st

2009-03-05T12:13:00.000-08:00

The chest cold that has been trying to get me for a week finally jumped me last night and so today I was forced to take it easy. I had planned on doing an easy 20 miles or so to just spin out my legs from yesterday-but my lungs said "NO"!
Good news though, my friend Marty has agreed (and I signed him up!) to do the Century with me!! So, I won't be riding 100 miles all by my lonesome, well other than the 5000 other riders.
Yay Marty, you rock!!!

Saturday, February 28th

2009-02-28T20:39:00.000-08:00

Today my friend, Marty, joined me and we went down to meet Team World Vision at the San Juan Capistrano train station. We rode from there, down along the gorgeous ocean, through State Beach, up and through Camp Pendelton, and down into Carlsbad. The ride on the way down was gorgeous and at times easy. On the way back up, the hills through Camp Pendelton and the headwinds made the ride quite a bit more challenging! It was very nice to ride with a group though and it was great to have Marty join me (and hopefully, also at the century)!! God's creation is breathtaking and I got to be out in it (sweating and working) for quite some time today! Finished up with some food and fellowship at Ruby's and then back to my sweet family!
The ride is 2 weeks from today! AAAHHHHH!!!!!

Totals:
Ride 65 miles
Fellowship lots of it

Friday, February 27th

2009-02-27T16:22:00.000-08:00

Today I went for a run and then went for an "easy" spin ride on a route, part of which I've never ridden before. I'm going riding with the World Vision team tomorrow and we're planning on 77 miles, so I wanted to take it pretty easy today, plus I've needed to step up the spinning so as to better train my legs to fluidly pedal. I went to Henry's yesterday and bought some electrolyte stuff (I can't drink Gatorade as I'm boycotting Pepsi) and energy bars. The biggest adjustment to longer distance riding has been the need to eat stuff whilst exercising. I never did that before, in fact I'd eat as little as my body would let me get away with before exercise. And, I've never been a fan of sports drinks, but it REALLY makes a difference when you're putting in so much effort! I've been learning and studying about the right carb/protein intake and the frequency with which I need to be consuming them during cycling.
My best breakfast pre-riding is a peanut butter, honey, banana sandwich on whole wheat bread. I would NEVER have eaten that pre-exercise before, but it REALLY works for me.
Ok, enough yammering on. My fundraising has stalled a bit, I think I need to step up my solicitations.

Totals:
Run 3.85 miles
Spin 17 miles
Crunches 100
Yammering lots

Thursday, February 26th

2009-02-27T16:14:00.000-08:00

Today I rode up and through the hills towing the baby behind me. Torturous is the best way to describe today's ride!! The wind just claws at the trailer, yanking it back from me only to release it and then yank it back again. Adding to the cycling torture was the fact that for three quarters of the ride I had a VERY whiny and unhappy toddler behind me, complaining and fussing. I rode as hard as I could and just could not get away from him!!!

Totals:
Ride 25 miles
Torture MUCH
Weights 3 sets of 15 (25 lbs)
Lateral raises 3 sets of 15 (10 lbs)
Crunches 100

Wednesday, February 25th

2009-02-27T16:08:00.000-08:00

Today I took an easy ride because of yesterday's length. I kept things at an easy pace but my bike computer was acting up, frustrating!!! I've come to kind of depend on it for my pacing, but I just went by feel part of the time, old school style! Not much else to report, I'm SO happy my hubby is home!!

Totals:
Ride 23 miles
Happiness lots

Tuesday, February 24th

2009-02-27T15:52:00.001-08:00

Today my mother was here so I availed myself of the free child-watching to do a long ride with LOTS of hills. I REALLY enjoyed my ride today!! I had been getting a wee bit burnt-out on all of this and the pressure of trying to fit it all in and today revitalized me and reinvigorated me AND built up a bit of confidence in my ability. I wore my MP3 player and listened to KSGN Christian radio whilst riding and it was SO nice to have something to engage my brain!! Even the staticy places where fine because I had something to listen to! I have firmly established that I truly am a multi-tasker and am uncomfortable when not doing two or more things at once. Time really flew by today and I so enjoyed myself!

Totals:
Ride 51 miles
Joy lots

Monday, February 23rd

2009-02-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

Today I went running, did 60 lunges, and had an insane "single" mommy kind of day!!! I realized at 3:46pm that Mason had his Blue and Gold dinner for Cubscouts that night at 6:00 and that he needed to bake and bring a cake for a certificate. And...that we didn't have a cake mix or frosting or anything...AND, Mason had basketball practice at 5:30! So, we SCRAMBLED and the boys made the cake, I ran Mase to church for practice, ran home, Nic cut the cakes into the desired shapes (classic Pac Man and Ghost), I frosted them and lined up the Pac dots, ran the cake to the church (fortunately the dinner was also at our church!!), signed in and all, ran over and got Mase, he changed into his Cubscout uniform, and we were in our seats JUST before they prayed!!! Fortunately, promptness is not yet something the pack excels in and Mase didn't end up missing anything! His cake won "Best Video Game Cake" and he was thrilled!! He got 7 badges and a bead toward rank advancement!

Totals:
Run 4 miles (24:23)
Lunges 60
Scramble around TONS

Sunday, February 22nd

2009-02-27T15:36:00.000-08:00

After church, I pulled Logi while I spun and we (of course) got caught out in the rain. He didn't care, he has a rain shield and was snuggly and warm in his trailer. I, however, was not dressed for rain and did care after a while especially when my wet pants started to stick to my legs on the upswing and then unstick on the downswing, over and over and over and over.....;0)!

Totals:
Spin 26 miles
Freeze a bit
Weights 2 sets of 15 reps (25 lb)
Crunches 100
Jamie miss!

Saturday, February 21st

2009-02-27T15:33:00.000-08:00

Today I had to take Jamie to the airport and then Mason to his basketball game. Nic was gone at an Airsoft war so I had no one to watch the wee ones. Therefore, I took Saturday off. It's VERY challenging to be a mom, and find the time to incorporate all the time this takes into my schedule!!!

Friday, February 20th

2009-02-21T15:36:00.000-08:00

I was wiped out from yesterday and wanted today to be a rest day, however: my mom was here and could watch the boys, J is leaving for 4 days on Sat, and the rain is supposed to return this weekend. So, the weather was too perfect to pass up and I had to go. I decided to ride Baseline out for about 25 miles and then return. The ride was actually pretty enjoyable because I was going somewhere I had never been on a bike before and that's always energizing! I rode and rode and rode, somewhere along the way the fat girl passed out and I was left with only the sound of the cars narrowly missing me. Mile after mile ticked by and at last I approached a familiar street, it was the base of a great little trail (that Jamie and I had found a few months back) that winds up to the base of Mt Baldy. So that decided my turn-around point and I headed up the trail and for home. It was a challenging ride but I'm learning to ignore the pain and just push through it and am starting to gain a little bit of hope in my ability (by God's infinite grace!!) to finish the ride before they clear the route! ;)

Totals:
Ride 41.35 miles
Hope a bit

Thursday, February 19th

2009-02-21T15:28:00.000-08:00

The kids had a field trip out in Redlands today so I decided I just couldn't' t let this opportunity pass me by. I installed the two older ones in abandoned cubicles at J's office and set out (after much delay, looongggg story) for the San Berdo trail. There was a brisk wind blowing against me and more importantly against the giant windsock of a bike trailer I was dragging along. I thought that since the wind was blowing against me on the way down that it would be at my back on the way up. WRONG!!! It was much worse on the way back up!! In all my years of exercise and all the 100's of miles (actually probably thousands at this point) I have never felt that kind of agony. I screamed out at the wind at one point about how much I hated it and wished for rain instead, it responded by blowing all the more aggressively. I tried zipping the rain shield up on the trailer; nope that didn't help at all. Total ride time was 2 hours and 21 minutes of pure torture, but I did it and Logi got a nice long nap!

Totals:
Ride 31.76 miles
Conversation with the wind fruitless
Torture you betcha'
Endurance much built

Wednesday, February 18th

2009-02-21T15:20:00.000-08:00

Today I set out to just ride a few miles and my legs were screaming! Because of my new shoes/pedals, I'm using some different muscles than before and I'm in that stage where they have not gotten acclimated to all of this yet and so they get REALLY sore very easily! I ended up only riding about 4 miles and then ran for almost 4 miles followed by lunges (necessary torture!) and some crunches. I have to admit that I'm looking forward to March 15th when I shall really rest. :) But, here and now, I work!

Totals:
Ride 4.56 miles
Run 3.87 miles
Lunges 60
Crunches 100
Torture loads

Tuesday, February 17th

2009-02-18T10:57:00.000-08:00

This morning it was raining again so I didn't get out until around 12:30. I rode for 2 hrs and 31 minutes and it was COLD! However, I am LOVING my new pedals!! They make a huge difference in my power, but they do use some different muscles than what I've been using, so my legs were really feeling it by the end of the ride. I feel comfortable with the whole clipping in and out thing now and am so excited to have them!!

Totals:
Ride 40.36 miles
Crunches 100
Lonely a bit

Monday, February 16th

2009-02-18T10:53:00.000-08:00

Today was pouring rain, great for the earth, bad for cycling. I did 1 1/2 hours on the elliptical machine followed by leg lifts using Mason. Boring-but nice to be out of the cold!

Totals:
Elliptical 1 1/2 hours
Leg Lifts 3 sets of 15 with 63 lb wiggly weight
Crunches 100

Sunday, February 15th

2009-02-16T12:06:00.000-08:00

Guess what I got today?!! It was my birthday today and my wonderful husband and boys gave me the Shimano pedals I wanted and gift cards to buy the shoes and then some. We went over to Don's Bike Shop in Rialto where Ben spent several hours with me trying on shoes, and then adjusting and getting the perfect fit on my bike. We've bought our bikes and several other things from them and they are wonderful to work with; the way customer service used to be. Anyway, Ben micro adjusted everything perfectly and my bike is SO much more comfortable!! It's amazing the difference a tiny adjustment makes!!
Because it was my birthday, my folks brought their bikes down and we all set out as a family to ride over to the Cucamonga trail. We did between 16-18 miles (I accidentally reset my bike computer en route) but it was really slow. I did spin for a while as I'm supposed to be incorporating that into my workout and I took off for a while to try out my new pedals, INCREDIBLE!!! Speaking of my new pedals, I'd heard from everyone that you WILL fall when you are first riding clipped into the pedals. So, I wasn't terribly surprised when I went to start out and immediately fell into bushes. My family was worried (and I think highly amused) but if one must fall, falling into bushes is better than most. I learned what not to do, so now I feel that I've gotten my falls out of the way and can fully enjoy my new pedals. I've been told that they will increase my efficiency by 30% and from the initial use, I believe it!
Yay, SO excited, rain go away so that I can really try them out!!

Totals:
Ride 16-18 miles
Fall dramatically
Family time enjoy
Older get

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-13T16:31:00.000-08:00

I will not be doing any exercising today. We are leaving at 2am to drive (6 1/2 hrs) up to Northern Cali where we will visit with my family and then head over for our nephew's 1st Birthday party. We plan on leaving to drive home by 7pm-crazy I know!! This eliminates any option of exercise, so I will accept it as a total rest day!!

Totals
Driving LOTS (actually I'll likely be doing lots of riding in the car)
Family lots of visiting

Friday, February 13th

2009-02-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

Today I had roughly planned to go on a 50ish mile ride with a friend, however, I didn't get in touch with him in time and it was raining this morning. But, around 11, the rain lifted so I had no excuse not to get out there. I kept telling myself to ride to a certain point or distance and then when I'd get there, I'd talk myself into continuing on. Unfortunately, the rain came back with a vengeance and I was forced to shorten my ride to a little over 20 miles half of which was in pouring rain.
I did discover that my front wheel makes a neat spinning rays thing whilst riding in the rain across new pavement. I also came up with a new invention: sunglasses with automatic wipers. I would pay money for that! I can't think how to make them not look horrifically dorky though!
Oh, GREAT news: fundraising total is up to $245. !! Thanks HV!!

Totals:

Ride 20.82 miles

Rain LOTS

Thursday, February 12th

2009-02-13T01:03:00.000-08:00

Today I went out with renewed resolve and attacked a bunch of hills nearby my house. I only did 20 miles but it took about 2 hours and it was challenging!! Fat girl in my head kept complaining so I had to shoot her; she won't be bothering me anymore. Yeah right!
I have been battling neck pain (at times fairly debilitating) for about a month now and HAVE to get frequent adjustments. I've been working to not put strain on my neck as I ride which is another challenge in itself. Today, my wonderful chiro/brother-in-law said that the subluxation is starting with my traps and then moving into my neck. Added to that is the fact that, genetically, my traps develop very easily. So, I now have the added joy of trying to focus on how I'm using my shoulders and how I'm holding my head while riding-lovely. :)
But, the downhills today renewed my love of cycling! And-on the plus side: My fundraising total is up to $195.00 Thank you everybody for partnering with me!!

Totals:
Ride 20 miles of hills
Develop a pain in the neck

Wednesday, February 11th

2009-02-12T23:47:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I've heard from several people recently, that the Solvang Century is VERY challenging! In like: "Ooh, Solvang!!". I am alternately terrified and excited about the ride...but now, I'm nervous again. What am I thinking, can I do this?
So, to that end, I pulled Logi up a bunch of hills today and just kept thinking about the 100 miles of "hills" that I'll be doing.

Totals:
Ride 26 miles (lots of hills and Logi)
Doubt in spades

Tuesday, February 10th

2009-02-12T23:45:00.000-08:00

Today I became the parent of a teenager!! Hence, no exercising other than walking all over Disneyland and California Adventure.

Totals
Feel a bit old ;)

Monday, February 9th

2009-02-12T23:09:00.000-08:00

Today was challenging because of the tempermental weather, but I finally managed to get out around 2:30 and got in about 10 miles before the rain came back. I'm thinking that the decision to do a century in March is perhaps not the wisest one. If I had a trainer, I could just hook my bike up to it and the weather wouldn't matter, but those cost around $350! Too much right now!

Totals:
Ride 10 miles
Lunges 50
Crunches 100
Weights 2 sets of 20

Sunday, February 8th

2009-02-12T15:31:00.000-08:00

Ended up being an off-day due to rain, a very sore neck, and womenly stuff. ;( I think I needed a day off though, so I'm glad I was forced to take one!

Totals:
Rest

Saturday, February 7th

2009-02-08T02:00:00.000-08:00

Today I REALLY wanted to just hang out with my family in my nice, warm, cozy house. So, I was mostly relieved when I woke up to rain. Great excuse not to go biking today right?!
Wrong, around 11am the rain let up and I knew I had to take advantage of it; who knows how tomorrow will be and I can't afford that much time off the bike.
So, I bundled up Logan and myself and we were just about to go out when the rain started coming down again. I have to admit that I was a bit excited about that! However, just as I had "resigned" myself to staying home, the clouds opened up, the sun came out, and the rain stopped. No more excuses, get out there!!
So, I pulled my sweet, singing boy up and over to the Cucamonga trail (mostly blessedly free of pedestrians thanks to the rain) and back. On the way back the clouds started rolling back in and the wind really picked up. Wind and the bike trailer do not mix well, it's akin to pulling a humongous kite behind me, or dragging a giant lineman down the road. Today's ride was not an enjoyable one for me but there is satisfaction in forcing myself to do something I really didn't want to do.

Totals:
Bike 20 miles
Realization that God is really working the weather issues out for me. Amazing!

Friday, February 6th

2009-02-06T17:26:00.000-08:00

Today is rainy off and on. As my friend Danyale would say: "It's not raining, it's spitting" so it's nice that it's an off-the-bike day. I did 1/2 hr Pilates followed by 1/2 hr Yoga (with Mason) feels SO good on the legs, aaahhh. I intended to immediately follow that with a 3 mile run but the internet was down (very difficult for Nic to do his school) and chaos reigned for a while. So, I didn't end up getting out for my run until 5:45pm when it was nice and dark and stormy. Running in the dark is nice though because then you can't see how far you have to go and it feels like you're running somewhere new. I have been running for about 5 years now and have yet to really enjoy it, but I like what it does for me in such a short amount of time.
Literally 5 minutes after I got home the rain started up again! I love the winter weather but am a bit nervous about it too because it really interferes with my training so we'll see what tomorrow holds.

Totals:
Pilates 1/2 hr
Yoga 1/2 hr
Run 3 miles
Lunges 50
Weights 2 sets of 20
Crunches 50

Thursday, February 5th

2009-02-06T16:59:00.000-08:00

The weatherpersons have been warning us that a storm is a comin' so I made sure to get up nice and early so that I could get out there and put in a nice long ride before the rains began. Mom was here to teach the boys today so I finally managed to get out of the house around 10 and headed up into Hunter's Ridge. My Baldy experience left me with the certainty that I need to work on hills not mountains. Hunter's Ridge provides a good amount of hills as you meander around through all the neighborhoods and occasional bike lanes. It was in Hunter's Ridge that I began to develop, in my mind, the idea for some type of strong, sharp thing that you would attach to your handlebars protruding out on both sides about a foot or so. If a car comes within a foot of you, it will be like their car has just been keyed. Or, if their window is open and they're in a sports car, it'll poke their eye out. I developed this product in my mind during the course of my ride (giving it a lot more serious consideration at several points along the way) especially focusing on the legality of such a product. I determined that law enforcement would probably frown on such a product but that bike cops would applaud my wonderful invention. The only downside I can see to my "Back off Jerk!" invention is the possible skewering of other cyclists you pass or who try to pass you. Sorry, I yelled "On your left!"wink wink!
It's hard on a long ride to be alone, even the fat girl in my head gave up and went to sleep after a while. But, I also enjoy the freedom of going wherever and at whatever pace I want to go. I was reminded again of why I love cycling so much!

Totals:
Bike 40.62 miles
Invent "Back off Jerk" idiot driver repellent

Wednesday, February 4th

2009-02-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

I have heard that the Solvang Century is hilly, it's a 4,500' climb over the course of the 100 miles and is rated as "difficult/extremely difficult". So, I have been thinking that I need to get in some serious hills. Jamie and I discovered a trail a few weeks back that dumps out at the bottom of Mt Baldy Rd and it looked like a really great place for cycling. The signs even tell you to watch out for cyclists, maybe they'll jump out and attack your car or something-but I digress. So, I had it in my mind to go ride Mt Baldy. I asked my wonderful husband to follow me in the car and he sweetly obliged and we drove to the base of Mt Baldy. As I was getting my bike out and looking up at the mountain I was hit with the sudden realization "I can't do this, am I insane? Like I'm going to bike up that!". But, I am also very stubborn and thus determined that I was at least going to make it up a little ways. So, I started out and at first it was great, the switchbacks provided much needed relief on the flattish parts and occasionally the scenery was lovely.
But then I hit a stretch of about 2 miles of relentless uphill climbing where every doubt I've had about doing the century slammed and buffeted me as I made my way up, up, oh man there's more, up the mountain. I realized that I was not going to make it all the way to Baldy Village before J needed to be at work and so set a point ahead where I would turn around. To add to my discouragement was the exceptionally slow passing of mileage on my bike computer. When I finally reached the point I had decided on, I had only gone 5.68 miles!! AAAHHHHH! Boy was I discouraged!
But, incredible hubsand was so encouraging and pointed out that I had just climbed around 2,000-2,500' in 5 1/2 miles and that the century will be a climb of 4,500' over the course of 100 miles. And, on the way back down the hill in the car it was nice to see how really steep and long the hill I had just climbed is!
So, today was challenging physically and emotionally, but rewarding too.
Oh yeah, and the theory that pulling Logan in the trailer is comparable to hills; total rubbish!!

Totals
Bike 5.68 miles
Be reminded yet again what a wonderful man I'm married to! Thank you Lord!

Tuesday, February 3rd

2009-02-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

Today was a spinning day (easier gear, higher cadence) to get my pedalling smoother. I pulled Mr Logi behind me in his trailer because my theory has always been that that is similar to doing some hills, and he takes a nice nap in the trailer. I rode up, around, and on to the Cucamonga trail and back; 26 miles followed by 50 lunges. I like the security of bike trails (especially pulling the trailer) however, the Cucamonga trail has way too many pedestrians and they all appear to be hearing impaired. Teaches me patience I guess.

Totals:
Bike 26 miles
Lunges 50
Patience LOADS

Monday, February 2nd

2009-02-05T17:32:00.000-08:00

Today was supposed to be my "rest" day. So, I did 1/2 hr of Pilates, 1/2 hr of Yoga, and push-ups. I was resting my legs, but then went over to my friend's and ruined that on her Wii. :) I didn't play too much so it was still ok!
I like "rest day" a lot! Especially now that there's really only one of them each week. I'm really looking forward to this coming Monday. :) I think rest day should also be "lay around, eat ice cream, and watch movies day". Somehow, I think that would not be compatible with my training regimine, the fat girl in my head is lovin' it though.

Todays totals:
1/2 hr Pilates
1/2 hr Yoga
Some Wii running and jumping thing that killed my calves

Sunday, February 1st

2009-02-05T17:23:00.000-08:00

Today being the Lord's day and all, I got up uncharacteristically early and drove out to the San Bernardino trail. I intended to pace myself and do about 25 miles at about 15-18mph, but my competitive nature being what it is, I ended up doing the whole thing 20-28mph, KILLER!!
There just kept being random men in my way and then they'd speed up a bit when they saw me coming (ooh, I hate and love that)and so I'd have to speed up too, for to leave them in the dust you see. However, I AM supposed to being doing some sprints in my training, so I believe I will count Sunday as a sprint day.

Totals:
Bike Sprints 27 miles
Church

Saturday, Jan 31st

2009-02-05T17:09:00.000-08:00

Today I went and met the World Vision Cycling Team in Irvine. We rode down to the beach and back around 32 miles. It was a very easy ride but it was wonderful being out in God's creation and the weather was fabulous. I had been more than a little nervous to go alone and meet up with this group, but they were a great bunch and welcomed me heartily. It's so cool to be a part of a team and we're all working toward the same goal!!
Well, after the ride I met up with Jamie, the boys, and the Cubscouts for an "easy" 5 mile hike. Well, the first half of the hike was a relentless uphill climb, during the last 3rd of which I carried my wonderfully whiney 2 year old. I just kept telling myself, "This is cross-training" :) Myself told me to listen to the fat girl in my head and go get a Dairy Queen Blizzard when we were done, I hope she enjoyed it.

Today's totals:
Ride 32 miles
Hike 5 miles
Eat One Dairy Queen Blizzard