Had a great weekend with my mom. As I was laying in bed yesterday morning, I realized that this was the first weekend that I have been home since I got back from the dessert! The first one was spent on a mini TDY. The second was on a real TDY to Denver. Next was the bike ride and then last weekend was the triathlon. And when I was home during the week on my R&R I let Jack sleep in and got up with the kids. So yesterday was my first sleep in in 5 weeks! It was great!
My mom was in Maryland for three weeks helping out her aunt after she got sick. She stopped in here on her way back to FL. Yesterday she helped me lay out a couple of flower gardens and look for plants to fill them. I wrote down tons of ideas and will go buy them next weekend and then plant them. Today, we spent several hours buying curtains. It took 3 different stores and there's one I still need to make a decision on and go back and get, but the downstairs is mostly done. Or it will be after I buy the rods and Jack puts them up and then I actually hang the curtains on them! Which will not happen until the gardens are done.
Oh well.... work is good for the soul.
Thanks, mom!!!!!!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Century Ride- 100 miles in the saddle!
So as I was writing about the triathlon, I realized I never told you the story of the 100 mile bike ride last week.
I was going to go by myself, but jack decided to come up with me, so we left the kids home under the supervision of our neighbor. We drove up together and he dropped me off in Salisbury and then he kept going on up to Ed's house where he was going to spend some time while I did my thing. I had gotten a hotel for 2 nights and was prepared to stay by myself, but I managed to get a friend and her friend to sign up with me. But at the last minute, the friend cancelled because she could not get back from Hawaii in time and at a reasonable cost. So it was me and the lady I never met. Her name is Jamie and she's a Navy nurse and it turns out we got along great! The longest ride she had ever done as 34 miles and she was planning on doing 100. On a new bike she had ridden once.. It was a hybrid, not even a road bike built for distance.
We went to the expo Friday night and I bought some bike stuff- some I needed and some I didn't! Of course. Jamie did the same thing.
Then the morning of the race came. We were up bright and early and ate a nice big breakfast. Then we were off. We started at a bout 0745. She is a slower rider and I tried to stay with her, but she told me repeatedly to go on if I needed to. Well, eventually I needed to because my butt was killing me! Turns out, that when you ride too slow, the feet don't put enough pressure on the peddles and the butt and arms take all the force. I had to go and when I did, I felt much better. There were rest stops about every 20-25 miles and I waited for her at the first one. She got in about 25 minutes after I did. After that, we agreed to just ride separate. Good thing, too! The half way point was Assateague Island and that's where she decided she was done. It was actually about 66 miles and she took the sag wagon (sometimes known as the loser cruiser!) back to the campus. Oh yeah- the race started from and was hosted by Salisbury University- my alma mater. I have not been back since I graduated in 1990- wow, it has changed! More buildings and dorms. Amazing. Anyway, she had given me the truck key, assuming I would finish before her, so she had to wait for me to get there. The good new is that I was way ahead of her and it only took me an hour to get back after she arrived.
The ride was absolutely beautiful- we traveled on these back roads through small towns, woods, and fields. Just gorgeous scenery. I started to get a bit tired at about mile 70, but the good news is that I didn't feel any worse at mile 100 than I did at mile 70. And I wasn't sore at all. Even the next day! This was my first century ride and it was great. I'm looking forward to doing another one. Next year, I want to do the RAGBRAI- it's about 450 miles across Iowa and you do it in one week. the Air Force has a team every year of over 100 people and I can get permissive TDY to do it (instead of taking leave, they let me go, but on my own dime.) We get an Air Force cycling uniform and it's a recruiting mission-we talk to people and hand out stuff. That would be a blast! To ride a bike for a week and talk about the Air Force- who could have a better job?!?!?!?
I met several people on the Salisbury ride. It was a great atmosphere. We'd ride and talk and whatnot. At Assateague, we saw some wild ponies- 2 adults and a baby. I got pics. We stopped for about 30 minutes there and I walked around in the ocean, sat on the sand, ate some food, and then we took off again. The next pit stop had pie and ice cream for snacks- yum! I burned about 5000 calories that day, so I was not concerned with what I ate!
We came home and went out for crabs- YUM! I ate about 14 or so and drank a few beers, then crashed in bed. Got up the next day and Jack picked me up and we headed off to Rachel's house. Stayed with her on Sunday and then headed home Monday morning. It was a wonderful weekend.
So far since I got back, I have been busy every weekend and all week. Mom is coming next week and we may go to the fair, but other than that, we are staying home!
I was going to go by myself, but jack decided to come up with me, so we left the kids home under the supervision of our neighbor. We drove up together and he dropped me off in Salisbury and then he kept going on up to Ed's house where he was going to spend some time while I did my thing. I had gotten a hotel for 2 nights and was prepared to stay by myself, but I managed to get a friend and her friend to sign up with me. But at the last minute, the friend cancelled because she could not get back from Hawaii in time and at a reasonable cost. So it was me and the lady I never met. Her name is Jamie and she's a Navy nurse and it turns out we got along great! The longest ride she had ever done as 34 miles and she was planning on doing 100. On a new bike she had ridden once.. It was a hybrid, not even a road bike built for distance.
We went to the expo Friday night and I bought some bike stuff- some I needed and some I didn't! Of course. Jamie did the same thing.
Then the morning of the race came. We were up bright and early and ate a nice big breakfast. Then we were off. We started at a bout 0745. She is a slower rider and I tried to stay with her, but she told me repeatedly to go on if I needed to. Well, eventually I needed to because my butt was killing me! Turns out, that when you ride too slow, the feet don't put enough pressure on the peddles and the butt and arms take all the force. I had to go and when I did, I felt much better. There were rest stops about every 20-25 miles and I waited for her at the first one. She got in about 25 minutes after I did. After that, we agreed to just ride separate. Good thing, too! The half way point was Assateague Island and that's where she decided she was done. It was actually about 66 miles and she took the sag wagon (sometimes known as the loser cruiser!) back to the campus. Oh yeah- the race started from and was hosted by Salisbury University- my alma mater. I have not been back since I graduated in 1990- wow, it has changed! More buildings and dorms. Amazing. Anyway, she had given me the truck key, assuming I would finish before her, so she had to wait for me to get there. The good new is that I was way ahead of her and it only took me an hour to get back after she arrived.
The ride was absolutely beautiful- we traveled on these back roads through small towns, woods, and fields. Just gorgeous scenery. I started to get a bit tired at about mile 70, but the good news is that I didn't feel any worse at mile 100 than I did at mile 70. And I wasn't sore at all. Even the next day! This was my first century ride and it was great. I'm looking forward to doing another one. Next year, I want to do the RAGBRAI- it's about 450 miles across Iowa and you do it in one week. the Air Force has a team every year of over 100 people and I can get permissive TDY to do it (instead of taking leave, they let me go, but on my own dime.) We get an Air Force cycling uniform and it's a recruiting mission-we talk to people and hand out stuff. That would be a blast! To ride a bike for a week and talk about the Air Force- who could have a better job?!?!?!?
I met several people on the Salisbury ride. It was a great atmosphere. We'd ride and talk and whatnot. At Assateague, we saw some wild ponies- 2 adults and a baby. I got pics. We stopped for about 30 minutes there and I walked around in the ocean, sat on the sand, ate some food, and then we took off again. The next pit stop had pie and ice cream for snacks- yum! I burned about 5000 calories that day, so I was not concerned with what I ate!
We came home and went out for crabs- YUM! I ate about 14 or so and drank a few beers, then crashed in bed. Got up the next day and Jack picked me up and we headed off to Rachel's house. Stayed with her on Sunday and then headed home Monday morning. It was a wonderful weekend.
So far since I got back, I have been busy every weekend and all week. Mom is coming next week and we may go to the fair, but other than that, we are staying home!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
triathlon!
Did my first triathlon in about 18 months today. it was awesome! I signed up for it months ago while I was still in Afghanistan. Despite the fact that I prefer the longer distances, I prudently signed up for the shorter one since I knew it i'd only be back about 3-4 weeks when I did it. I wasn't concerned at all about the run or the bike- it the swim I was worried about- they did not have a pool in Afghanistan. This was my first open water swim in competition. i only had 2 goals today- do well on the swim and go hard the whole way. My stretch goal was to place, but I knew that was a long shot.
The triathlon was at Hickory Knob State Park in western SC. I've never been in this part of the state before- it's pretty hilly- that will be a factor later! I left after work and drove here by myself . jack and the kids came later since they went to the football game. I nearly ran over 2 deer and saw several on the side of the road. i checked in and got to the room. Got all my stuff ready and set the alarm for 0630 (for an 0700 packet pick up time). Miraculously, i was able to fall asleep and did not wake up until 0200 when Jack and the kids arrived. Heather's boyfriend, Mike, is also staying with us for the weekend. He gets a mattress on the floor- on James' side of the bed! We got hem all settled in and then I was out like a light again. I woke up at 0600 and was all antsy and couldn't get back to sleep. So I got up and got my stuff together and went and picked up my number and then picked up my timing chip and got my number and age written on my arms and legs. Then I went to the room and got all my gear and got it set up in the transition area. You set up the bike and all the bike and run gear. I then went to breakfast and ate a big one! Finished about an hour before the race was due to start. I saw a guy sitting by himself and asked if I could sit with him. Glad i did because we hada great conversation for about an hour. Then I went to get my wetsuit on.
We made our way down to the lake. First, the International distance took off- that one was twice as long as mine. Next, the Sprint folks made our way down and jumped in. The water was about 76 degrees- not nearly as cold as I thought it would feel. I waited my turn and then off we went! The swim was only 500 yards, but it felt a lot further. I ended up in the back of the swim back, as usual, but by the end, I think I was about 3/4 back- not bad for only swimming the last 3 weeks! If you have never swum with 50 people all vying to be in the front, you cannot imagine what it is like. I have heard of people freaking out and hyperventilating and my goal was to stay calm and swim smooth. Arms are flying, feet are kicking. I got kicked in the head a few times, but no big deal. I didn't like it went a couple of women wrapped their arm around my neck and didn't seem to get it off fast enough, but I later did the same thing to someone else. The other difficult thing is staying straight. I swim pretty straight, but I'd lift my head every 5-7th left sided stroke and take a quick check of the marker to make sure I was still headed towards it. by the time I got there, I was starting to pass some people. I passed more and more by the time I got to the end and then got heaved out of the water. I had to go up a huge steep hill to get to the transition area- I speed walked it. There was to be no running up that hill for me! The swim was 500 yards and I think it might have taken me about 20 minutes.
Once I got to the transition area, I stripped off my wetsuit and dried off a bit, threw on my bike shoes and socks, helmet, gloves, and jersey and took off! i could hardly breathe, but I settled into a nice rhythm. I got passed by a few women on the uphills, but no one, not even the men, passed me on the downhills! I got up to 33mph at one point. I noticed that a lot of people would coast down the hills, but not me! I down shift and lay on the peddles and go down as fast as possible. the only good thing about uphills is the down on the other side. There was one really bad one where some people were getting off and walking- there was no way I was walking. I ended up in one of my easiest gears doing about 5mph, but I never stopped! I was hoping to maintain 20 mph, but with the hills, it ended up being 15mph over the 10 mile bike course. I can live with that!
After the bike, you jump off BEFORE the line (you get disqualified if you go just one inch past the line while still on it), then ran the bike up the hill back to my spot in the transition area and stripped off my bike shoes and helmet and gloves and jersey, threw on my running cap and shoes and took off! I ran in my bike shorts and sports bra. My first mile was amazing! I felt great! I think the way to do well on my PT test will be to ride 10 miles and then jump off and run! My goal was 10 min miles over the 3.2 mile course, and I averaged just under that. I was so excited! Especially given the horrible hills. I about fell over at the end, but it was great.
The family was actually at the end of the bike and the run to see me. It's the first time they have ever seen me race. My finish time was 1:31.47- about 10 min slower than I was hoping for, but that is accounted for by the hills on the bike. It was so much fun racing again and talking to people and just the whole festive atmosphere. they pulled pork bbq sandwiches, baked beans and brownies after the event- yum. I only ate a little and was full, but after my shower, I was hungry again, so I ate some more.
All in all, it was a great day! So happy I did it!
Oh and break though on my compulsiveness- publishing this without proofreading! Hope it's OK!!!!!!!
The triathlon was at Hickory Knob State Park in western SC. I've never been in this part of the state before- it's pretty hilly- that will be a factor later! I left after work and drove here by myself . jack and the kids came later since they went to the football game. I nearly ran over 2 deer and saw several on the side of the road. i checked in and got to the room. Got all my stuff ready and set the alarm for 0630 (for an 0700 packet pick up time). Miraculously, i was able to fall asleep and did not wake up until 0200 when Jack and the kids arrived. Heather's boyfriend, Mike, is also staying with us for the weekend. He gets a mattress on the floor- on James' side of the bed! We got hem all settled in and then I was out like a light again. I woke up at 0600 and was all antsy and couldn't get back to sleep. So I got up and got my stuff together and went and picked up my number and then picked up my timing chip and got my number and age written on my arms and legs. Then I went to the room and got all my gear and got it set up in the transition area. You set up the bike and all the bike and run gear. I then went to breakfast and ate a big one! Finished about an hour before the race was due to start. I saw a guy sitting by himself and asked if I could sit with him. Glad i did because we hada great conversation for about an hour. Then I went to get my wetsuit on.
We made our way down to the lake. First, the International distance took off- that one was twice as long as mine. Next, the Sprint folks made our way down and jumped in. The water was about 76 degrees- not nearly as cold as I thought it would feel. I waited my turn and then off we went! The swim was only 500 yards, but it felt a lot further. I ended up in the back of the swim back, as usual, but by the end, I think I was about 3/4 back- not bad for only swimming the last 3 weeks! If you have never swum with 50 people all vying to be in the front, you cannot imagine what it is like. I have heard of people freaking out and hyperventilating and my goal was to stay calm and swim smooth. Arms are flying, feet are kicking. I got kicked in the head a few times, but no big deal. I didn't like it went a couple of women wrapped their arm around my neck and didn't seem to get it off fast enough, but I later did the same thing to someone else. The other difficult thing is staying straight. I swim pretty straight, but I'd lift my head every 5-7th left sided stroke and take a quick check of the marker to make sure I was still headed towards it. by the time I got there, I was starting to pass some people. I passed more and more by the time I got to the end and then got heaved out of the water. I had to go up a huge steep hill to get to the transition area- I speed walked it. There was to be no running up that hill for me! The swim was 500 yards and I think it might have taken me about 20 minutes.
Once I got to the transition area, I stripped off my wetsuit and dried off a bit, threw on my bike shoes and socks, helmet, gloves, and jersey and took off! i could hardly breathe, but I settled into a nice rhythm. I got passed by a few women on the uphills, but no one, not even the men, passed me on the downhills! I got up to 33mph at one point. I noticed that a lot of people would coast down the hills, but not me! I down shift and lay on the peddles and go down as fast as possible. the only good thing about uphills is the down on the other side. There was one really bad one where some people were getting off and walking- there was no way I was walking. I ended up in one of my easiest gears doing about 5mph, but I never stopped! I was hoping to maintain 20 mph, but with the hills, it ended up being 15mph over the 10 mile bike course. I can live with that!
After the bike, you jump off BEFORE the line (you get disqualified if you go just one inch past the line while still on it), then ran the bike up the hill back to my spot in the transition area and stripped off my bike shoes and helmet and gloves and jersey, threw on my running cap and shoes and took off! I ran in my bike shorts and sports bra. My first mile was amazing! I felt great! I think the way to do well on my PT test will be to ride 10 miles and then jump off and run! My goal was 10 min miles over the 3.2 mile course, and I averaged just under that. I was so excited! Especially given the horrible hills. I about fell over at the end, but it was great.
The family was actually at the end of the bike and the run to see me. It's the first time they have ever seen me race. My finish time was 1:31.47- about 10 min slower than I was hoping for, but that is accounted for by the hills on the bike. It was so much fun racing again and talking to people and just the whole festive atmosphere. they pulled pork bbq sandwiches, baked beans and brownies after the event- yum. I only ate a little and was full, but after my shower, I was hungry again, so I ate some more.
All in all, it was a great day! So happy I did it!
Oh and break though on my compulsiveness- publishing this without proofreading! Hope it's OK!!!!!!!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Seagull Century This Weekend!
So this weekend is my first 100 mile bike ride. Jack and I are leaving tomorrow and driving up to MD. He will drop me off in Salisbury and then I will stay with some friends from Friday until Sunday. After that, checking out to go to my Rachel's house. Heading back home on Monday. I hope I can still walk Saturday night!
I have been looking forward to doing a ride this long for quite awhile. Jack sees no point in it. But I do! What a challenge! Driving 100 miles is boring as heck, but I'm hoping that riding will be fun. The furthest I have ridden in the past is 54 miles, so I hope this goes well!
I have been looking forward to doing a ride this long for quite awhile. Jack sees no point in it. But I do! What a challenge! Driving 100 miles is boring as heck, but I'm hoping that riding will be fun. The furthest I have ridden in the past is 54 miles, so I hope this goes well!
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