We're Home!

Ken and I got home safely last evening. Photos and a full report are coming soon...

We're OFFFFFFFFFF!

I am leaving tomorrow morning for a day of volunteering before the BIG RIDE. Keep Mulletman and I in your prayers. Catch you on the other side!

(And many, MANY thanks to all of you who supported us!)

I'm As Ready As I Can Be...

Only 6 days left until the Trek. Right now I'm up to 699 training miles and I plan to ride 20+ today, and 20-30 on Sunday. I'll probably take Monday off and ride 22 on Tuesday and then rest from biking until the big ride.

I. Am. So. PSYCHED.

I. AM. Ready.

Only 2 weeks to go.

Am I ready?

For a while I wasn't sure. Doubts had begun to beat against my mind like sea waves in a storm. Especially when fellow Trekkers started ruminating on past rides:

Oh I hate the third day...the terrain is awful!

Those hills on Day 3 are tortuous!

Day 3 was the WORST!

I hear that Day 3 is the hardest because you're so tired and there's nothing but hills.

Thank you, fellow riders, for giving me somethiing to look forward to!

Last year's Trek was SO HARD for me! As you may recall, I had to bail out on Day 3...

Will I be able to do it THIS year?

I trained harder this time than ever before. I trained more often. I've ridden in horrific winds. I ridden in rain and in blazing sunshine. I've ridden next to snowmobilers with road salt and snow around me. I've purposely ridden hills that I didn't have to ride. I've gotten near the end of a ride and suddenly decided to add on a few miles. I've pushed myself to crank when I want to glide. I've made myself use higher gears than my legs were happy with. I've lifted weights and worn braces on my arm and ankle. To date I've ridden 658 miles and I expect to ride 140 more before the Trek.

So, was it worth it? Well, this past week I rode 22, 54, and 65+ miles successively. I tackled every hill and riding condition in our area. Today I am tired, but quite functional. I really feel like I could get on my bike and go again!

If I had to...

Which I don't!

So yes. Ken thinks I can do it. He was REALLY pleased with how well I rode and how good I was feeling post ride. I think my new level of fitness has taken a real load off his mind. (I'm telling you, I was pathetic last year; He was seriously worried about me!)

And I think I can do it too.

I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!

*******************
I do have a couple of areas that I'll seek to improve over the next two weeks:

1. I need to make LIBERAL use of A&D ointment for...um...chafing. I may also try adjusting my seat height from day to day to move "the rub".

2. I need to carry eye drops with me use them at every rest stop. I have small glasses with clip-on sunglasses, so wind (and dust etc.) hits my eyes with regularity.

I could wear my old prescription sunglasses - they are bigger, but they're butt ugly and they're heavier. They also invlove the trading-glasses-every-time-I-go-in-and-out game, which is annoying. Nonetheless, I'll try them on a few of my rides to see if the extra coverage is worth the aggravation.

Cute clip-ons:



Butt ugly prescription glasses:



3. I really need to work on my group riding skills.

I usually ride alone. I love the solitude! I am never bored; I can enjoy scenery, I can plot fiction, I can pray, I can compose funny and fascinating blog entries (which I promptly forget once I get home!), I can think deep thoughts about politics and ethics...well, ok, maybe not that last one.

At any rate, I so often ride alone, that I'm a little out of kilter when I ride with someone else. When my sweetie and I go out together Ken likes to let me ride in front so I can set the pace. On our Thursday ride I needed to stop and fix a problem with my shoe. I told him needed to stop BUT I didn't warn him when I actually did. He almost hit me!

Then, yesterday, toward the end of my second 20+ mile loop I suddenly heard an unexpected and chipper female greeting from behind, "Hey! I recognize that Loan Ranger jersey! Are you riding in the Trek?"

I said, "Yes" and stopped (we WERE almost to the stop sign at the corner...). She plowed right into me and then fell over on the asphalt because she was clipped in.

Ooops, I shoulda signaled that I was stopping.



I felt REALLY awful!

Fortunately, once we got her feet unclipped and untangled her from her bike, she was fine. No scrapes or bruises or broken bones or road rage.

We chatted a while and hope to see each other on the Trek, though she may opt for riding in front of me next time!

4. I need to buy some zinc oxide for my nose to go with the butt ugly glasses. I used 80 spf sunsblock, reapplied every 2 hours and STILL got burnt - especially my nose. I am extremely glad that I no longer struggle with PMLE, but my skin is still a bit on the sensitive side. *sigh*


Ok...That's all for now. This is my rest & restore day which means I get to eat many nutritious foods and not do any real work.

And yes, chocolate IS nutrtious!

A Tough Way to Log Training Miles!

It all began as a normal Groovy Sunday - Up at 5am, at church for practice by 7am, staying through most of 2 worship services, a stop at the grocery store for necessities, and home. A usual Sunday afternoon would include lunch, a nap, reading the paper, doing the crossword (I use the term "doing" quite loosely here), and maybe a family game.

But this Sunday only remianed typical until the "lunch" part.

My mom, always on a quest for more natural food products had found a new, all natural soup she loved:



Mom, bless her heart, sent me home from church with a can of this gastronomical delight to try for myself. Generally, I love any and all things mushroom, so I had no qualms at all about stirring up a pot and scarfing down every last drop tasting it. My tastebuds weren't quite as enthralled as hers reported to be, but the soup was quite palatable and made a decent lunch when combined with a banana and a whole grain mini bagel.

I washed my dishes and went upstairs to sew the backing on Swaziland quilt #3 and listen to a riveting novel on tape. I'd been working about an hour when suddenly Mulletman trotted up the stairs.

"I just talked to Mom. According to the weather channel, we're going to have thunderstorms around 5pm. So if you're going to ride today, you'd better do it now." His intense expression left me no doubt that he'd only used the word "if" to be polite. What he really meant was, Get out and ride. NOW!

It was 2pm. I looked out the window and saw...



Well, not really. But I did see trees bashing together and debris flying and shade umbrellas zooming through the sky like missiles because the winds were gusting up to 849 mph.

Or something like that.

However, being the all weather athlete I am *cough*, I geared up, grabbed my bike and headed out. Don't worry though. I stowed my bright yellow rain jacket, "Just in case".

Heh-heh-heh.

It's 1.7 miles to the end of my road and before I'd gotten there, I had a stomachache. It was similar to the stitich you get in your side when you try to run right after eating. I found it rather odd because I had eaten almost 2 hours before and neither the soup nor the sides were very heavy. I hadn't even buttered the bagel! Oh well, I thought, I'll ride a little easier and it will pass.

It didn't. In fact, if anything, it got worse.

Oh. my. aching. gut.

It hurt so bad that I had a hard time taking any deep breaths. Not good when you are out on a traing ride. In stormy weather. Far from home. With 849mph winds.

I was puzzled as to the cause for a while. But then I burped; Soup - oniony, mushroomy soup. Yum.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, the soup had given me gas.

Stupid soup!

I decided if I was still feeling miserable when I got to a certain point, I'd take the "shortcut" home. I turned off the backroads onto a main highway and BAM!!!!!!! The wind hit me full force in the face. Yes, I was riding with a severe gut ache into the headwind from Hell. In front of me was THE WIND, behind me, an ominous squall line.

I was cranking my little legs around as fast as they could go and gasping for breath and moaning in pain and I was only going, like, TWO stinking miles per hour. I was NOT a happy Groovy! I was definitely going to take the shortcut (if I ever actually, you know, got there!)!

I had already stopped 3 or 4 times to put on my jacket (it was raining) and take off my jacket (the sun came out in all its blazing glory). Now I had to interrupt what little progress I was making to put it on again so I wouldn't get injured by all the flying rubble being blown down the road. Not to mention the fact that it was starting to rain again...

After an interminable amount of time and effort and struggle, I got to my turn off. Bad move. Bad Move. BAD MOVE! (I'm telling you, it wasn't a good idea!) The first 1/2 mile of road has nothing but wide open fields on either side. They might as well have been wind tunnels!

I could scarcely pedal. I had a death grip on my handle bars. The wind was grabbing my bike and jerking it around like an angry pit bull with a trespassing chihuahua. I hit a bump and my front wheel lifted momentarily off the ground. It never came down again! (I'd always wanted to be able to "pop a wheelie", but this was ridiculous!)

Then another, stronger gust hit and that, combined with all the soup gas that was building up in my insides, took me completely airborne!



I'm not sure how long I was up there. Unlike Dorothy (BRAVE Dorothy!), I had my eyes squeezed tight shut and I was praying for all I was worth. It was a simple prayer I learned as a child; Something along the lines of, "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLPPPPPPl!

I felt a jolt and opened my eyes. I was atop a hill about 2 miles from where I'd lifted off. I started peddling mechanically, but this exercise in futility lasted only a moment before I was swept into an updraft, once again airborne.



It was a very uplifting experience.

At any rate, other than suffering severe hand and arm pain from gripping so tightly and feeling like my stomach was going to explode and sweating to death inside my jacket while being pelted with all manner of rain, hail, tree branches, errant bumblebees, and small dogs, the ride ended well.

Somehow or another the gale swept me right toward my own street again. I skidded down in the oncoming traffic lane and managed to have enough presence of mind to swerve out of the path of the approaching cement mixer. The wind was at my back now and pushing me along at a tremendous rate toward home. So I just rested my legs and steered.

I spun into our dirt driveway, pulled around the back to the garage and promptly forgot that I was wearing toe clips:



I fell over sideways with my bike and we did a graceful somersault together. A graceful somersault where I landed full force on the harshell sunglasses case in the back of my bike shirt. I now have a lovely rectangular bruise in the middle of my back.

Oh...and those rumors about me swearing when that happened? Totally untrue!

I scraped my bike and myself off the ground and limped into the garage. My butt hurt, my wrists hurt, my back hurt, my head hurt, and my stomach was killing me. Mulletman was in the basement.

"Hi!" he greeted me cheerfully. "How was your ride?"

The funeral date and time will be announced later.

*************************************

I'm on a Roll!!

Ack...that wasn't punny at all!

Well, folks. Since my last post I've racked up quite a few training miles on both my own bike and on the tandem. Since March I've logged 445 miles. It's supposed to rain today, but I'm aiming for another 22 miles before it does!

I'm leaner, more muscular, and VERY TIRED!

My asthma has been a negative factor, but I've managed to push through. Butt? Not too bad. Wrists? I've been doing some strengthening exercises that have helped tremendously. I also wear a brace just below my elbow on my right arm that seems to hold off the tendonitis.

The big up-in-the-air factor right now is the tandem. Ken and I were seriously considering taking it for the whole ride, but I don't think we are going to. First of all, it's got some serious gearing issues. It will shift just fine in the garage, but on the road it chokes up and won't go to the smallest sprocket. Not fun when we're cranking uphill or into the wind! It's also older and therefore a bit on the heavy side. Last of all, it really doesn't fit me - I have a long torso and even with the seat pushed back as far as it will go, I am still 3" closer to the handlebars (which are too low) than on my bike - so I get fairly uncomfortable after 20 miles or so. That's not a great feature when you have 50+ miles to ride!

As it stands right now we're considering riding our own bikes on Days 1 and 2 and maybe using the tandem on Day 3. I think that's the day I'll need the most help!

Once again I am rather discouraged by the fact that I am doing all this training and hard work, yet I KNOW from past experience the Trek will be very hard for me. Yet I see folks who are overweight and/or who don't train, who will sail through it. Not fair!

Oh well, I'm training probably as hard as I safely can. Whatever will be will be. I WILL give it my all!!

The fundraising is coming along in a painfully slow fashion. Again, even with all my clever pleas and internet connections and snail mail letters and personal begging and raffles etc., getting the money is like pulling teeth. Other folks seem to get their funds with no trouble at all.

Uh-oh. I'm whining and envious. Sorry!

(A quiet moment please while Sherry looks around for her thankful, positive spirit...)

OK.

-I know that the money will trickle in in time.

-I know that I will be as ready as it is humanly possible for me to be.

-I know that I am in MUCH better physical condition than I was even a month ago.

-I know that being a part of the Loan Rangers team ROCKS!

-I know that the ALA is a very worthy cause.

-I know that God will provide opportunities for me to lean on Him.

-I know that He will open doors for Ken and I to share His love.

Alrighty, folks. Enough of these words. It's time for me to pull on the shorts and gloves and helmet and RIDE!

And if you are inclined to help out...you can donate to the American Lung association of Maine by clicking the links on my sidebar.

I and my asthmatic lungs thank you!

I'm Seeing Improvement!

After that last post, I found myself brought to a crawl by the virus for a few days. So I only got in 35+ miles that week. Fortunately, my vitamin/herb regimen worked beautifully and I was back to normal after 4 days!

This past week, I got in over 70 miles. It's been bizarre. I rode Thursday of last week and my asthma was so awful I had to take an unusual rest break. I'm not going to say whether or not that was me you saw pacing around and eating a fudgesicle ...

The next day I rode with Earlybird. Earlybird is in stellar physical condition; she's a long distance runner. She's also a fast cyclist. We rode 10-12 miles and I had a tough time keeping up with her on the first half of the ride. The whole outing felt like a sprint to me!

Sunday I took a walk outside and then biked 20+ with Ken on the tandem. I felt pretty good and worked hard. We had a lovely time.

On Monday I rested, then rode 25+ miles on Tuesday in muggy 85ºF temps with loads of sunshine. It was tough ride for me - I'm not a lover of heat!

That's OK, because on Wednesday I rode 22+ in the morning and...

It. Was. FREEZING.

I was so stinkin' cold! There was an icy headwind coming from the northwest. It gave me the equivalent of a nasty ice cream brain freeze for the last 45 minutes of my ride. Ugh!

However, all this riding in different conditions is paying off. Yesterday I rode with Earlybird again. Same route. I rode it 5 minutes quicker AND I could chat with Earlybird - even on the hills - AND I didn't feel tired at the end. Woot!

My asthma has been a real factor this spring, more so than I've ever noticed before. Fortunately, I am seeing my doctor next week so we can come up for a plan to keep me, you know, BREATHING!

Breathing IS what this is all about - being fit and being able to breathe. This ride I'm training for is to raise money for the American Lung Association of Maine. You can make your tax free donation to either my account or Ken's by clicking the links in my sidebar.

My lungs and I thank you!

Goal for this upcoming week? 100 miles.

Go, Groovy!