Issues in my life

I have issues. 

No really. I do. 

Jeff tells me about it all of the time. I'm not trying to be difficult - in this case. I'm just a little oblivious sometimes. I really thought he was making it up until I saw these pictures from IMLOU.

Once you see it, you actually have to believe it. Oh. My. Gosh. I am pathetic.

YEP, This is me.

Pretty much, I could be the entire graphic. I have helmet issues. New goal for 2013: PUT YOUR HELMET ON STRAIGHT. 

Lessons Learned in L'ville

Saturday morning I awoke with a lump in my stomach. I was not looking forward to the ride after my last experience here in Lousville; however, God is good and the air temperatures were predicted to be much lower today (about 89 degrees), but I also think part of my problem the first time is not knowing the course.

For some reason, I tend to have a fear of the unknown. I build it up into a much bigger issue than it really is. When we came down in June, friends told me how hilly the course is and by golly it was. By the time I was done riding, I was convinced it was going to take me 10 hours to get through the bike course which basically meant WTC was going to pull me from the course.

Having done the course once, I knew what to expect today which helped immensely. I knew the  hills were tough, but doable. I knew I had to focus on relaxing my shoulders pulling them down away from my ears. I knew I had to hydrate and focus heavily on nutrition. My goal was to get some good food in my belly early in the ride so that I could switch to more of a lighter, liquid diet later in the ride in order to prepare for the run. I wasn't planning on using Perpetuem today. Instead I wanted to try Infinit to see if was a better option for me. I filled my aero bottle and one other bottle with water while the 3rd bottle had Strawberry Hammer Heed.

After checking our tires and lubing our chains, we started off on our adventure. The first 9.5 miles were a nice, relaxed pace. Awesome Cheryl let me take the lead since she's faster than me and would leave behind eating her dust. When we hit the light to turn on to SR 42, the light was extremely long. We chatted with another biker and I decided to start working my nutrition plan of over-fueling by have a Chocolate Outrage Gu Gel. The light finally turned green and we were off spinning toward the hills.

As we approached KY-1694 about 18 miles into the ride, I had a scary thought, "I'm hungry." I never want to have thoughts regarding hunger or thirst on race day. It was time to eat. Opening a Stinger Waffle on the bike is not an easy task. I kept looking for a "Tear Here" spot, but couldn't find one and had to resort to using my teeth. Finally, the package was open and I wolfed it down. On KY-1694, you have to prepare for some long hills. Important race day notes: Enjoy the long down hill on the way out because you are going to have to go back up!!! Stay in the small ring until you see the cabin at the top of the hill. Don't be fooled by a small flat. You will lose momentum. After you turn around, enjoy the long down hill again because the hill on the way back to SR 42 is loooooonnnnngggg. Grrr. Have I mentioned I don't do hills well?

IamTri aid station map

Cheryl & I met up again at the first aid station right at the corner of KY-1694 and SR 42. Unfortunately, this aid station didn't have Infinit which through my plan for a loop. Instead I decided to go ahead and use Perpetuem and put three tablets in my aero bottle and enjoyed a bagel and peanut butter. Cheryl asked, "You put the solids in your water bottle?". Me in all my confidence replied, "Yah." Conversation closed.

The IMLOU course is not really flat. "Rolling hills".... but yes constantly rolling hills. Some areas just get worse. The next big hill section comes at you on KY-393. There are at least 4 big, long hills on this road. I say at least because in my oxygen deprived state I really lost count. Important race day notes: Stay in small ring because the hills just keep coming.

Turning on KY-146 from KY-393, the road is a slight incline through Buckner and into LaGrange. We stopped at the 2nd aid station not because of a nutrition need, but because I desperately needed to blow my nose. With Cheryl directly behind me, I didn't want to perform a Farmer's Blow and saturate her with snot. After getting through LaGrange where they were holding the Oldham County Days festival, we turned on to Ballard School Road, the road where I bonked on the last ride. There are three major hills on Ballard School Rd. and the 3rd is a doozy. I actually have to stand to climb the last hill. Luckily, the road ends with a beautiful downhill which allows you to gain speed - which is then DESTROYED when you have to take a sharp right turn on to Sligo Road which also starts on an uphill. Two strikes. Not liking Sligo Road now.

By the time we turned left on L'Espirit Parkway, I was having a pain behind my left knee. I had a hard time pushing on my left side up the hills. A left turn onto KY-153 and it wasn't long before we were at the mile 50 aid station. Thank goodness! I immediately got off the bike and sent a text to Jeff and Chris, one of the Intimidators, to see what great insights they had for my knee pain.

Pain behind left knee every time I do hilly course at abt 50 miles. Is it bike fit? Pedal stroke? Help

Chris, being the experienced Ironman triathlete, had a number of suggestions, but for the day suggested sliding back on my saddle to see if that helped. Regardless, it sounds like I will need to take my bike into Little Ade's on Monday for a small adjustment and hope it helps. The best part of this aid station was the Diet Coke and Pringles. Who would have these simple things would taste so heavenly? I also discovered that I really liked peanut butter on bagels or pretzels sticks. Tell me how I'm going to carry those on race day???

While we were re-freshing our drinks, Cheryl suddenly had a very thoughtful look. After a few moments of discussion, I came to the conclusion that we were staying at the aid station for a little bit longer since it appeared Cheryl was in the beginning stages of dehydration....sluggish legs, chills and discolored urine. We stayed at the aid station while Cheryl downed another bottle of water.

Since the air temperature was only in the high 80s and she wasn't sweating as much, Cheryl hadn't been drinking as much on this ride. Lesson learned: Dehydration on the bike can surprise you. Cheryl and I discussed a hydration plan for her. Later we decided we needed to invent an aero bottle which would yell at you if you hadn't taken a sip in 10 minutes saying "DRINK BITCH!". Oh yah. Definitely working on that product.

Finally able to leave the aid station, we took off on SR 42 planning on making the second loop so we could complete the full 112 miles. At the beginning of the 2nd loop on KY-393, I stopped to make sure Cheryl was ok before heading on. Really I was using Cheryl as an excuse. I was a little worried about my knee which had been feeling better until the last couple of miles. I knew we were facing more hills on KY-393 as well as Ballard School Road which definitely made me nervous. Because Cheryl now had to go to the bathroom (YAY!!!! FINALLY!!!), we agreed to keep going since that was the closest bathroom. No, Cheryl was definitely not going to pee on the bike. Ewwww.

The second loop on KY-393 was just as lovely as the first (insert rolling eyes here). As we turned on KY-146, I said to Cheryl "I could easily turn around and go home, but just think of the sense of accomplishment we'll have in getting the 112 miles done today and knowing what we'll be facing on race day." Hmm, the fate gods must have been listening, waiting for their opportunity to laugh at me.

Since Cheryl is faster than I am, I told Cheryl to go ahead on the bike so she could get to the bathroom and I'd meet her at the LaGrange aid station. As I pedaled my little heart out, I felt a sudden sharp pain on the front of my left knee which caused me to gasp. Tears sprang to my eyes. The pain quickly passed, but my concern was definitely growing. By the time I arrived at the aid station, I knew I shouldn't keep going. Every few minutes I would feel a pain in my knee and I could not even imagine damaging my knee this close to race day.

At the aid station (where the bathrooms were closed much to Cheryl's chagrin), I considered asking for the SAG wagon to come pick me up. I was really not sure I could make it back to the Yellow Lot. We discussed going ahead with the 112 miles, but with Ballard School Road ahead I knew those big hills could definitely hurt my knee. We decided to head back to the Yellow Lot via KY-393....ugh....I was not crazy about going back on those hills, but no matter which direction we went we had to deal with hills. Plus, we passed a bathroom at the Marathon Gas Station in Buckner so Cheryl was relieved to head back to find an open bathroom.

As we hit the hills, I consciously pushed back in my saddle which seemed to help. Miraculously, I didn't have any more pain in my knee. After KY-393, we still had the rolling hills on SR 42, but I tried to stay in a smaller gear and kept my cadence higher. I wanted to just let my legs spin, just as I will on race day, so that I could transition easier to running jogging 26.2.

We hit the Yellow Lot at 95 miles. Getting off the bike, I was curious to see how I felt....I FELT FABULOUS!!! I felt like I could actually run. I didn't feel like I wanted to crawl on the ground and take a nap. My mood, my entire outlook on IMLOU, my confidence level soared. I was actually looking forward to race day.

So what were the lessons learned from this ride?

1. I really need to stay in the small gear on the hills. (Ugh, as if I'm not slow enough already.)
2. Cheryl needs to focus on hydration. I am going to tape a note to her bike to remind her to drink on race day. I told her if I caught her on the run because she hadn't hydrated enough I was going to kick her ass. 
3. Perpetuem Solids are not meant to go in a water bottle. If you actually read the bottle (Duh!), it says "CHEWABLE". That would explain why those solids hadn't dissolved in my aero bottle.
4. My plan to over-fuel seemed to really work. I felt great. The peanut butter was fabulous....but how am I going to have peanut butter on race day? I need to find something which is just as filling and portable. 
5. By riding steady and relaxing my shoulders, I will be able to complete the IMLOU course. on time. 
6. The IMLOU course really isn't that bad...if the weather cooperates. Experiencing the course before race day and more than once is a MUST for me. 

Buying the Ironman Farm

Because I used basic math in yesterday's post, I thought maybe we would decipher a more difficult problem today. How about a word problem? Did I tell you that I love math? Mrs. Leach really was a fantastic high school teacher and I still remember a lot of what she taught us even today.

So back to our word problem. Let's calculate the speed at which one vehicle will close in on another. One mode of transportation, D, is traveling at 15 miles per hour. A second vehicle, T, is traveling in the same direction and traveling at 60 miles per hour. Vehicle T is 100 yards behind D. How long will it take for vehicle T to close in on D? Oh, and don't forget to take into account that D is traveling up a small incline and speed is slowly decelerating.

Now don't miscalculate this. An error in your math could cause you to look like a bug on T's windshield...SMASHED.

I miscalculated during my bike ride on Wednesday. I saw the bumper of a service truck come within a few feet of Dolce's rear tire. It was an error which, needless to say, caused my heart rate to spike. Just as I'm sure it also affected the driver of the service truck. Believe me, I am sure if his window had been down I would have heard more than a few choice words coming from his mouth. I was truly scared at the thought that I almost made a fatal error.

Instead of finding me in Louisville, KY fighting for my right to call myself an Ironman, you almost had to come find me buried with my parents in Oak Ridge  Cemetery. Or maybe I could convince my dear sweet husband (who will probably lecture me after reading this and then worry incessantly for the next 38 days) to bury me along side Ballard School Road in front of one of those beautiful horse farms so that I can cheer on my fellow T3 teammates on August 26th.

Thankful for God's grace on my ride, I decided the open road was not for me today. I came home via the best back roads I could find. I finished my workout at home on the treadmill. Not only did I not want to be out on the road, but I was looking to avoid the heat. A 30 minute brick on the treadmill is just what I needed to bring focus once again to my workout.

Looking like a goon, but keeping the sweat out of my eyes

As of Wednesday, my hives are slightly better. I hate to say it for fear of having to eat my words. My legs and arms are not itching much at all. The skin above and below my eyes is dry and scaly, but the redness and swelling are starting to reduce. I used the Desoto beanie again to keep my head cool during my scary ride and paired it with a headband which I pulled low over my forehead in order reduce the amount of sweat pouring down my forehead and into my eyes.

Once again, I am singing God's praises and thanking Him for watching over me today. I did indeed learn a valuable lesson: Don't be stupid.

Century Ride

Sunday morning arrived with the usual sun and humidity one would expect in mid-July.  On Saturday, we did receive some light rain, but all it seemed to do is tease the crops and provide even more humidity for us on Sunday morning. Because I'm still dealing with these chronic hives, I decided to wear my neon yellow bike shirt by Pearl Izumi as well as my DeSoto Cool Wings and beanie.

All ready to ride.

Awesome Cheryl & I decided to leave from my house and follow the hilly route which another T3 member recently shared with me. Riding from my house through Washington and Germantown Hills to Metamora should be approximately 52 miles. We were then going to hammer it back to my house and do some extra miles if we need to hit 112. With highs about 94, we wanted to get started early.

Jeff decided to join us on the first 10 miles of our ride before looping back home because he's training for another sprint triathlon in August. After Jeff turned back to ride home, we had a long stretch on Dee-Mack road which leads to Washington where we had our first pit stop. We stopped at the Casey's to refresh our drinks and use the facilities.

Our next segments meant it was time to hit the hills and HIT them we did. I tried to view this ride as a training ride. I left my bike in the big gear to try and push my legs to get stronger, more prepared for Ironman Louisville. The hills on this route are tough, but on the downhills an odd combination of scary & fun as long as you find the right piece of road. On a couple of the major hills, I had to come out of aero position. I was way too nervous flying down these bumpy hills at 34+ mph.

We made another pit stop in Metamora where I decided to stay with water. I bought a Gatorade at the last stop and it just tasted way too sweet and the flavor too strong. My nutrition plan for the day was to use Perpeteum in my aero bottle. If we were in between stops, I would refill with water from my down tube bottle so we could keep going. I had another water bottle with Hammer Heed as well as Stinger Waffles and Gu Gels in my snack sack. During the time where I didn't have Perpeteum in my aero bottle, I used the Stinger Waffles and Gu Gels to make sure I kept my nutrition up to about 250 calories per hour.

I don't really mind the Perpeteum. A lot people talk about how thick it is. Yes, it is thick, but most of the time it hasn't been a problem. I like using Perpeteum because it's readily accessible at our local biking stores.

On the return home, we stopped at in Washington again to re-freshen our drinks. We were 70 miles in and I thought I was feeling pretty good. We hit mile 80 and I felt the wall start to come crumbling down. Right before hitting Washington I started to notice a pain behind my left knee. I was concerned about whether it was an issue of pushing hard on the hills or possibly a bike fit issue. I struggled through the next few miles trying not to push with my left leg which meant my speed was greatly reduced. Cheryl & I thought we were going to try and get 120 miles in, but she was running out of fluids and I was concerned about pushing through more hills with my knee. So we decided we would have to be happy with 100 miles and headed home.

As soon as we got home, I could have laid down for a nice nap. It's amazing to me how my body automatically turns to recovery mode. However, a nap was not meant to be. I needed to go take an oatmeal bath to ward off the hives as much as possible.

Later that evening Cheryl & I went to the T3 open water swim. My legs were tired, but I simply wanted to be in the water. I was hoping the water would refresh my body, maybe even wash away the hives. Maybe?

Note the red, swollen eyelids. Not good. 

On Monday, I didn't have a lot of energy in my legs. With the launch of Body Flow 57 that evening, I decided to take it easy and make sure I had my choreography down. Monday night I taught ZUMBA,  launched Body Flow 57 and then taught Body Pump. By Tuesday morning, my eyes were red and swollen which only had the affect of making me want to cry. I thought I could handle this. It's only 40 more days. 40 days of itching my arms and legs I could handle, but the redness and swelling around my eyes is not only very uncomfortable it's very worrisome.

I've been trying to ice my eyes as much as possible, but it doesn't seem to do much except freeze my nose and sinuses. I put a call into the Good Doc today. I'm not sure what he can do for me at this point, but I need to try. Cheryl & I are debating another long ride this weekend which just means the situation is only going to get worse not better.

I'm sure the antihistamines are doing their best. It's just not clearing it up. It's like they just can't get ahead of my body. I've always said I'm a one Ironman girl. I guess my body is definitely trying to send me a message saying, "Yes, become an Ironman on August 26th because after that you need to rest....and not try to do this again."

So, if I'm not an Ironman by midnight on August 26th......I doubt I ever will be.

IMLOU Practice Route

It's the weekend and that means two things!

1. I'm celebrating my daughter's birthday. Holy crap! How can I have a daughter who will be going to college next year? I swear I am not that old, but then reality keeps smacking me in the face reminding me that YES! I am getting older. 

2. I am going to head to the hills again this weekend. Awesome Cheryl is coming up Sunday and we are going to try and do the Germantown Hills loop. Our goal is a minimum of 100 miles. The roads are long, windy and hilly. Very similar to IMLOU. I am going to focus on my uphill technique and relaxing my shoulders. I discovered I tend to tense my shoulders quite a bit when working the hills.

Yes, these hills will work to prepare me for IMLOU. 

I rode 25 miles of the loop on Wednesday. I started in Washington and made my way out to Santa Fe Trail Road. Yes, I am pretty sure this will be a great long ride route in order to prepare for IMLOU. I am prepared and ready for the challenge! Bring it on!

Breathtaking views

On the other side of the hill, I stopped to take a picture of the beautiful view. I realize I live in the flatlands of Central Illinois, but some of the views are still very breathtaking. I am in awe of God's handiwork. 

Look for a report on the loop next week....and say a prayer that all things go well. 

See you on the downhill!

Heading to the hills

After traveling to Louisville a few weeks ago to ride the bike course, I knew I needed to find a hilly route in amongst all of this crazy, drying corn. The key to the new route is HILLS and lots of them. A fellow T3 member training for L'ville shared her bike route with me. I drove the new route today and I am anxious to get out there and give it a try.

With this route, I'll have two options. If I'm looking for mileage, the best option is to leave Tremont driving through Washington up the through the hills of Germantown Hills and over to Metamora where we can stop at an aid gas station to purchase cold drinks. This option allows for 52 miles of continuous riding. The second option would be to drive to Washington and ride the Germantown Hills loop about seven times (in order to get at least 112 miles) taking the out and back to Metamora to refresh drinks.


Find more Bike Ride in Tremont, IL

Awesome Cheryl is coming up Saturday to try out the route, but I don't know if I can wait that long. My scheduled workout for tomorrow is a 60 minute bike ride. I might have to drive up to Washington and just check out the roads to make sure they are safe for us this weekend.

I'm heading to the hills!! Time to get serious about this Ironman Louisville thing.

Training Day in L'ville

Back in January, August 26th seemed so very far away. It was comforting to know that I had lots of time to prepare for this mental and physical journey I was willing to put myself through; however, time is getting short and it's time to see if I'm ready for the challenge.

Cheryl & I with Louie, the Troll

The best way for me to prepare? Experience the challenge. Ride the course and endure. On Friday, we drove down to Louisville for an I AM TRI training day. 56 days to Louisville. Time to test my metal.

We arrived in Louisville late afternoon in time to drive the bike course. Not only to make sure we didn't get lost, but to begin the mental preparation. I've read the reports about the non-stop rolling hills which begin to wear on you. And unfortunately, I have never fully developed a friendship with hills. After driving the course, Awesome Cheryl was pretty quiet. I took a deep gulp and tried to breathe.

 Instead of dwelling on what we fear, we decided it was best to get some good food and enjoy some company. We met some otherT3members downtown at a restaurant called theTroll Pub Under the Bridge. Dubbed as a unique underground dining experience, the pub is located under the bridge in downtown Louisville. Typical bar food was the norm for the menu; however, we were able to find a few healthy options as well. I had the BBQ Chicken pizza which was quite scrumptious. Over dinner, we discussed the bike route and our game plan. The overall consensus seemed to be the using your small ring and NOT trying to hammer through. With temperatures expected to exceed 100, we all knew it was going to be long, tough day of training.

The Mighty O-HI-O

Saturday morning we made our way down to the yellow lot down by the river where we offered an opportunity to swim before starting out on the bike course. Some of our T3 friends were skipping the swim and heading straight out to the bike course due to the anticipated heat. We all gathered on the fishing docks behind Towhead Island waiting for Bob and John to provide us with the necessary information to have a successful swim during IMLOU. While waiting, I took in the beautiful calm of the Ohio River and soothing view of the Louisville riverfront. Suddenly, there was a stir on the fishing docks with people scattering here and there. I am not a squeamish person by nature so please keep that in mind when I say this. The biggest, ugliest, nastiest looking spider was crawling on the boat dock. Fortunately, one swimmer had his flip flops with him and promptly sent the nasty little creature to spider heaven. Murmurs of nervousness could be heard speculating on what else could be found in the Ohio River. We heard one woman even say, "I waited until I was done giving birth to swim in the Ohio River." Yes, the water looked dirty with a film of oil and allergy inducing agents skimming over the top. BUT I was here for a mission. I was here to experience the Ohio River and nothing was going to stop me.

I jumped in the river feet first. The water temperature was ideal. Not too cool, not extremely warm. I took a deep breath and started swimming in the channel behind the island. Because I wanted this to be a great experience for me, a true confidence builder, I focused on staying relaxed and counting my strokes. Bob from  I AM TRI arranged for two kayakers to be available to support the swimmers. We were able to swim as much as we wanted for the hour time frame; however, my goal was to simply experience the muck of the Ohio River and get out on the bike course. I finished 0.42 miles and felt incredible. Very calm and relaxed. I even had a few bumps and jostles to simulate race day. Even though I only completed a quarter of the actual race day swim course, I came out of the water happy and excited.

Cheryl & I checking out the water

After rolling our bikes out of the back of my van and lots of prep work, Cheryl & I were the last two to leave the Yellow Lot and head out on the bike course. Starting on River Road, we got about one mile before our first mishap. Just over the railroad tracks on River Road, I heard a yell from behind me. I looked back to see Cheryl turning around. She lost a water bottle off of her rear bottle holder. Really, that should have been a sign for how the day was going to go.

The first nine miles of the IMLOU bike route are relatively flat, but somewhat torn up roads. About the time you turn on to KY-1694 for an out and back, you need to be prepared to face some hills. As you head out on KY-1694, you get to enjoy a large downhill where I hit almost 30 miles per hour; however, if you take a moment and follow the breeze toward those who are coming the other direction, you will feel reality hit you in the face. Enjoy the downhills. Because what you enjoy now, you must climb on the return.

After KY-1694, we decided to stop at the first  I AM TRI  aid station. I refreshed my water bottle and had a slice of watermelon before heading out on the road again. Back on SR-42, I remember thinking how I felt pretty good and thought I was handling the day pretty well. Our next turn would be about mile 30 onto KY-393. As luck would have it, I dropped my chain going up a hill a KY-393. I was a little freaked out because I had never had to fix my chain before, but I was able to quickly get it back on even though I wound up with oil and grease on my shirt and hands.

IMLOU Bike Elevation

Finally, we were chugging along again when I suddenly had two thoughts:
1) I am hungry.
2) I need to go to the bathroom. No, really, I needed to go to the bathroom.

We were just short of mile marker 40 when I suddenly saw a sign for the  I AM TRI  aid station. I quickly turned my bike and turned into the aid station anxious for some food. Luckily, they had a wonderful daddy and daughter setting up drinks with bagel and peanut butter. I thought I had found a little slice of heaven. Unfortunately, I didn't find a bathroom, but I seemed to be better with food in my stomach.

As we were going through LaGrange, luck would strike again only this time she hit Cheryl upside the face. This time she dropped her chain halfway up a long hill. Things got worse as she tried to get started again, but fell off her bike. Her chain was on the small ring, but she couldn't get her gears to switch over. Together we decided to walk up to hill until we reached a local business and use their parking lot to get everything back in order. That was actually that first time I thought we might need to call the SAG wagon. However, we are tougher than that. We were able to get her gears shifted and get back on the bike course.

Soon enough we came up on the the next portion of the course I was dreading....Ballard School Road. The turn on Ballard School comes along quickly on a downhill. The road is narrow, twisty and STEEP.  There are two major climbs on this road and by the time I hit the top of the 2nd climb I was starting to feel nauseous. Finally done with Ballard School Road, we turned right on Old Sligo Road, but both of us were nervous about whether or not we were going the right direction. We stopped at an intersection to check the I AM TRI map and I felt a wave a nausea take over. Ugh. I was getting nervous about completing the 80 mile ride. The Old Sligo Road portion of the course is relatively short because we turn left on L'Espirit Parkway and then right on 153. Finally, we arrived at the mile 50 aid station.

IMLOU Bike Course

All I could do was get off my bike and grab some water. I needed a few minutes to just sit and cool off. We caught up with another T3 member who was struggling with the heat as well. Joe tried to talk to me, but I couldn't seem to say much. The idea of forming words was just too much for me at that moment. After drinking a bottle of water, I went in search of a toilet. It was finally time to purge and purge I did. I was feeling much better at this point. After refreshing my water, we hit the road once again.

Now we were on KY-42 on the backside of the loop which for IMLOU race day, we will have to complete two times. Now that thought was daunting! However, I could only think about what I was doing in the current moment and it felt like I was doing a lot, but going no where quickly. With 30 miles left, I thought I would see the miles click away, but I could not get my speed up and going. My average speed from miles 50-60 was below 10 mph. I even stopped by the side of the road at one point to rest in the shade again. The heat was getting to me. It seemed like forever before we passed the sign for 393 where we have to turn back to start our second loop.

The final 30 miles are mainly downhill when you average out the elevation; however, when you are riding it, you feel every single hill, every single slight include, especially on a day like Saturday where the pavement was 111 degrees.

For my final mistake of the day, I missed the turn on River Road. I heard Cheryl yell behind me. We stopped in a parking lot...or I should say she stopped and I crashed. I fell and dropped my chain. If it hadn't been for the two nice families who stopped to check on us, I probably would have spent the next 5 minutes cursing.

We turned back on KY-42 and found the correct turn on River Road. Unfortunately, it always seems that just when you think you are close to home it still feels like it is so far away. The final 9 miles of the bike course were the longest of my life. I was so thrilled to finally cross over those railroad tracks where Cheryl had dropped her water bottle so many hours ago.

Back at the Yellow Lot, T3 was waiting for me cheering me on helping me cross the hurdle. Because they are such thoughtful wonderful people, they had fresh, cold water bottles waiting for Cheryl & I. I slumped into the shade behind my van and chugged the cold water.

Once back home, members of T3 posted on Facebook about the lessons learned yesterday. Here is what I had to say.

I learned a few things yesterday. 1) I hydrated well. I don't think that was an issue. 2) I need to focus on nutrition. I need to find a way to make sure I am taking in nutrition on a regular basis....maybe set an alarm or something because I lose track of time. 3) The hills are hard, not fun, but they are doable. I just need to adjust my bike expectations. 4) Pride cometh before the fall. I will not be afraid to step off my bike if the heat is like yesterday on race day. What matters most is that I finish and hopefully without a hospital stay. 5) This is an experience, a challenge for me. I've always known it would be about 80% mental and yesterday proved that. I used to say I'll be grinning from ear to ear when I come out of the water, but now I know what I'll be facing on the bike. I may not be smiling quite as much as I'm running through my game plan for the toughest part of the day. 6) Time to hit the hills...over and over and over again.



When I think back about the day, I couldn't remember what nutrition I took in or when. My plan for IMLOU is write out my nutrition plan and put it my bike stem to remind me to eat. Also, I am trying to figure out how to set an alarm on my Garmin to remind me hourly to make sure I am ingesting enough calories. As I've learned, I need to focus on nutrition not only so I can complete my bike leg, but to fuel for the marathon which is yet to come.

Bike Maintenance 101

This weekend is something I have been looking forward to dreading for a while. With assistance from an incredible group of people from I AM TRI, I will be able to ride the bike route for Ironman Louisville.  When contemplating doing an Ironman, I knew I did not want to sign up for IM-Wisconsin which is known for its tough hills. I was not looking for hills. I was looking for a nice flat course. So I signed up for Louisville.


DUH!

A dirty Dolce

The Louisville bike course has a total ascent of 2198 ft. Yah, good idea. "No hills". I guess that was back in the days of my naivety. 


As I've learned more about myself, I put my best foot forward when I have a clear understanding of what I'm facing and I have my mental game 100% turned on. So when  I AM TRI  posted several opportunities to come down to Louisville and experience the courses first hand, I knew I had to do it. 


In order to have a great weekend of riding, I wanted to make sure my Dolce was in the best possible shape. I've chosen to stay with a road bike instead of investing in a tri bike. So I've tried to make sure adjustments which will allow me to have a comfortable ride without sacrificing too much speed.
Dirty, grime and goop With temperatures expected to climb to 103 on Saturday, I wanted to get an Aero Bottle installed on the front of my bike. I spent the morning at Little Ade's in Pekin where I learned a little bit about bike maintenance.


Apparently, I am a bad bike owner because I haven't been properly taking care of my baby. I'm surprised I didn't get shamed out of the shop bringing my Dolce in looking like this. My chain was covered in red dirt. The frame covered in muck and goop. Slowly, I was introduced to the joys of cleaning a bike chain, joint and chain lub and walked out of the shop with an armful of products.

Abby cleaning the Dolce.

My little princess, Abby, came out to help me with the bike cleaning. She helped me wash and dry the frame, joints and chain. Of course, on a day where the temperature exceeded 90, she was more than happy to come out and play in the hose for a while. On the other hand, I think she's been rather bored for the last few days and having a little project probably captured her active little mind.

All cleaned up and ready to ride!

We finally got the Dolce all cleaned up. She looked all bright and shiny,  ready for some lub. This is the part where I started to feel a little nervous. What if I lubbed something which didn't require it? Using a wax based lub for the chain, I about broke my back squirting, turning peddles, wiping the excess lub off and lubing some more. I think I burned quite a few  calories just cleaning up the bike. The staff at Little Ade's explained when lubbing plan on spending 10% of your time putting on the lube and 90% of the time wiping off the excess.

Look at that shine!

Unfortunately, I had to take a drive into Peoria to visit a second bike shop to see about the Aero Bottle for my Dolce. With the clip on bars, I wanted to make sure I was getting the correct bottle for my specific needs. Luck be a lady tonight! I found the right system (in stock) for my bike; however, reading a black and white instruction sheet with 2x2 pictures explaining the details of the installation is where my patience came to an end. I decided it was time to wait for my road crew to come home from work and with assistance from a YouTube video, the bottle and bracket was installed with ease.
I was a little worried about cutting the straw on my aero bottle however.  I decided to take it for a spin with the extra long tubing just to make sure the bottle wouldn't fall off before cutting the tube. Some reviews of the Profile Design Aero bottle did mention issues with splashing, but the YouTube video made it sound as if the splashing would be minimal, if any.  Now call me crazy, but that aero bottle made a mess even with the yellow mesh properly (?? maybe ??) installed. My hands were sticky as they gripped the aero bars. My legs were dripping in a red stream from my knee down to my shoes. I'm not sure if there is anything I can do to make an adjustment and reduce the splash. The roads around the county can be bumpy, but I'm not sure I will find smoother roads to train on any time soon.

My other concern is finding the correct motion to dump a bottle of fluid into the aero bottle without dumping half of it down me and my Dolce. 

I guess I'll have to wait until the weekend to talk to the real Ironman experts to see if they have any advice for me. Maybe there is some secret devise to enable me to have fluids available at the ready without turning into a sticky bun!

Dolce: Now in Aero

Dolce with Aero Bars

While we were on vacation, I took Dolce down to Little Ade's in Pekin to get a little annual maintenance and aero bars installed. I picked her up on Tuesday after going through a one hour fitting with Mike. First, we adjusted my cleats after I told him I've experienced some numbness in my left toes on longer rides. Next we (meaning HE) adjusted the seat height and brought it forward a bit. 


After spinning a bit, Mike asked about my flexibility again. Yes, I am definitely flexible since I can put my full palms on the floor in a forward fold. So we adjusted the bar height down which will hopefully allow me to get out of the wind especially on these spring rides. I also purchased some new tires from Mike, the Continental 4000. The Continental 4000s are racing tires made from a special compound which allows the tire to grip the road easier. I can't wait to put them on, but that has to wait until I'm done on the trainer. 


All in all it was a good hour spent with Mike learning about the adjustments he was making and talking through the changes. I explained to Mike that I was willing to absorb any and all nuggets of information he was willing to share with me. Heck, I'm no fool. I need to learn as much as possible about how to be effective on the bike. 


I brought Dolce home and put her right on the trainer. I wanted to try out the aero position and make sure I wasn't going to absolutely hate it. I spent 45 minutes on the trainer that afternoon and really felt comfortable. 


The weather has definitely cooled off and I knew with the rain in the forecast for the rest of the week it was probably going to be a big trainer week. I spent another 60 minutes on the trainer on Wednesday. 


By mid-Thursday my legs had hit post-vacation mode: AKA tired & achy. I guess that's what happens when you take a week off and have to teach 2 PUMP classes in 24 hours as well as spend the time running & biking. Hmmm. So I decided to give the bike a rest on Thursday, but on Friday realized that was probably a mistake. I wanted to get Dolce out on the road for a short ride before attempting a long ride on Saturday with Awesome Cheryl. Friday morning the clouds were moving in quickly so I jumped on Dolce for a short ride. 


As soon as I took off, I knew I was going to be in trouble with the strong wind gusts. I decided to stay close to home since the weather didn't look great and I didn't want to be out in the middle of the country with tired legs and a bike I couldn't handle well. I decided to ride into a nearby subdivision hoping to get protection from the wind while I tried out my aero bars. I really do feel fairly comfortable in the aero position. I know I need to work on engaging my core more so my slight twitches don't end up throwing me into another rider. I rode around the neighborhood a few times when I suddenly decided to veer off and take another road...a little late. I came up out of aero position, but with the gravel on the road, I couldn't slow down enough. Luckily, I was able to ride into the yard and avoid a crash. I couldn't help giggling and hoping no one was looking out the window watching me ride through their yard. Sorry to whomever lives at the corner of Ashley Ct & NW Windermere Rd!


I took one more loop around and started to head home. I was worried about the wind on the way home. It wasn't coming directly at me, but it was pretty gusty and the raindrops were beginning to fall. I came to one spot on the road where the trees providing protection from the wind suddenly fell away. I swear the wind almost blew Dolce right out from underneath me. I was riding fairly close to the right side of the road. I gripped my aero bars hard and managed to stay out of the ditch, but it was definitely a close call. Only a little over 7.5 miles, but it was a good initial ride with my aero bars. I guess I now have a Dolce 2.0.