Oh where oh where has October gone, Oh where oh where can it be??
I'm too dang busy right now I suppose. Anyways, back from more travels to the Bay this weekend.

First I want to back-track a few weekends - October 14th to be exact. On this day I completed my first century ride - The Best Buddy's Hearst Castle Challenge. You'll be happy to know I made my goal - I rasied over $1,500 and was able to bike a full 100 miles along the beautiful Pacific coast Highway 1. This has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. In fact, my own personal list right now contains three places including Palionessius on the island of Kalymnos in Greece, Cinque Terre in Italy and Highway 1, Big Sur, California. I could sit here and write a novel about the route and it wouldn't do it justice. So instead I'll talk about the ride...

So I borrowed a hard shell bike box from my co-worker Harold. I decided (being an empowered woman) that I could take apart my bike myself. I almost succeeded. Unfortunately, the guys at my favorite bike shop down here (Black Mountain Bicycle) didn't sell me a proper pedal wrench. I had to bring in the frame and have them remove my Speed play pedals. Ah well. I succeeded in tearing down the bicycle, packing in the bike box, carrying down a flight of stairs, loading into a Nissan Sentra, unloading at long term parking, loading on to shuttle and checking into Southwest air, with the bike. Woo Hoo! I felt strong! I took the 1.5 hour flight on Thursday (oct. 12) up to the Oakland Airport - ahh beautiful Oakland - where Ally picked me up. We loaded the bike box and supporting three pieces of luggage (it takes alot of gear to bike!) into her Honda and drove to San Francisco.

We headed to North Beach for some carb loading at my favorite Italian place in the City - Ideale. SOOO good. From there we headed back to Ally's house in Russian Hill and carried the bike and three pieces of luggage up to the third floor where she lives. I was able to get the bike completely put back together in under an hour! Woo Hoo! The only thing I couldn't quite get was the aero bars. Oh well. We drove the bike to Kevin's in the hope that he could do it and were briefly accosted by a drugged out bum on the street who asked Ally to run over his toes. Luckily we survived, but Kevin was unsuccessful in his attempts to install the stupid aerobars.

On Friday we both awoke pretty perky and excited and walked to work for a half day of work - woo hoo! It was good to see all of my old co-workers in the City and I probably spent half of the morning talking rather than working. We left around lunch and went back to Ally's to retreive out gear and Ally's trusty Honda. After a brief stop at Subway for lunch, we were on our way! We decided to take the coastal route (17 to Santa Cruz and then to the 1) down to Monterrey, but ran into a lot of traffic. It was beautiful nonetheless and we were happy!

We got to Carmel to the Chateau Julien (a quaint little winery) to pick up our race packets for the next day. Just as we were walking up, Russell, Katie and her Dad, Jim pulled up. Good timing! We then all drove back to Monterrey to our hotel to unload all of our crap. That night we met up with some of Katie's co-workers in Carmel at a quite Italian place - I think it was called Il fornio or something like that. It was delicious, but I was TIRED. After dinner we quickly retreated back to the hotel and were in bed by 9 (the first time in years).

The alarm went off at 5 am. I don't do mornings, but I was excited so we bolted up. It takes awhile to get everything in order (i.e. bike shoes, outfit, helmet, water bottles, bike tires, all that jazz). Once we were ready we headed back to the Chateau Julien for the free breakfast. The breakfast was yummy - it was dark and cold and everyone was still half dead. Good times. After a brief key scare, during which Allison thought she locked her keys in the car, we were ready to go! We headed to the starting line where the first lady (Maria) and Arnie's son Charles gave the official go ahead to begin.

What can I really say about the ride? I had the time of my life! So much fun. I biked with Allison the entire time. We sang, we talked, we were silent. We stared at the ocean. IT was great. The first break was at 18-miles. We were golden. We also ran into Russell there (hence the picture below)
After the 18 mile mark, the riding got tough. We started to hit all of the hills. Still very fun though. Our music library included everything from Frank Sinatra to Tesla. Good times. WE kept clipping along down the coast along the 1. At times it didn't even seem real. All like some sort of movie set. The ocean and cliffs were right there. Our next stop was at about 42 miles or so. We were still feeling pretty good. At this point though my neck and back where a little achy. I didn't have any Advil so of course I approached a cute boy at the rest stop and asked him. He was nice enough to give me his last two. Ally and I downed some food and gatorade and we were ready to be on our way! We were still going along pretty good up to the next stop at 62ish miles or so. Up and down, winding here and there is how it goes. SO much fun. ON the downhills you just crouch down on your bike and let it rip. I don't know how fast I was going, but Ally's computer registered 39 mph on some of the downhills. I can only assume (since I was riding with her) that I was at about the same. There is nothing like riding down one of those hills on a windy and narrow road that abruptly ends on one side to some massive cliffs above the mighty Pacific. Absolutely breathtaking.

After the 62ish mile rest stop the going gets tough. You hit a massive double hill starting around mile 75 or so and continuing to about mile 85. You climb almost 1,000 feet, drop about 800 and reclimb another 800 feet (steep). We were tired. At one point we reached a false top (thought we were at the top) then turned the corner and were climbing again. It was fun nonetheless. Good thing we both have a granny gear. I don't think I could have done that hill without it. Here is the picture we took at the false top after 80 miles or so! (look how happy we are that we think we are at the top!)
After the monster hill we were good. Ally got a bee in her glasses, which caused her to crash into the cliff. When I stopped to see what had happened, I got off my bike and realized I was shaking and completly unsteady. This made it a bit un-nerving racing down the hill. Needless to say we stopped at the final aid station at mile 85 so I could get some sugar. I was good after that. The final 15 miles were gentle rolling hills and we were busting it out pretty fast - rolling right along. At some point you can see Hearst Castle ahead in the hills and we were so excited! We finished up the century in a bit over 8 hours. According to Ally's computer this was just over 7 hours of time on our bike (an hour or so was spent at the 4 aid stations and posing for stupid pictures)... We were ecstatic! When you get done, there are wonderful hot portable showers where you can stand in pure bliss and steam for a few minutes. After getting cleaned up, we treated ourselves to a free massage - also very nice. Then is was time for the party!

We took the party bus over to Hearst Castle ranch where the fun begins! All you can eat, all you can drink - private concert (this year was Third Eye Blind) and we got to meet celebrities such as Carl Lewis and California's First Lady - Maria Shriver. Excitement. Because I was so dehydrated, I got sauced in no time. I left the party after the concert at 9 or so, center piece in hand and new hat from our friendly bike mechanic. We rode the party bus back to our hotel in San Simeon where I passed out by 10 in full clothing. Great. I also missed the karioke. It was a great day!

We woke up the next day and had a huge breakfast and then drove up with Russell, Jim and Katie back to Carmel to retrieve our bikes and Ally's car. It was a fantastic weekend. Once we got back to SF, I was able to tear the bike down and repack in record time - hurray!!

Anyways, this bike event gave me confidence that I can complete the bike portion of the Half Ironman in March. WOo Hoo! If anyone is interested in taking part next year, let me know. I definitely plan to bike Best Buddies again!

After the century ride, it has been back to the grind. I've started up my strength training regime again. I'll describe it in more detail later, but as of now, it is 3 phases - each phase has four weeks assuming you complete lifting on 3 days per week. I am on Phase 1, week 1. After I complete the 3 phases, I plan to ramp down to 2 strength routines per week. There simply won't be enough time with all the endurance work I need to complete to stay on task for this thing.

Well, I need to get back to work. I will write more later. I have a funny story from the gym last week. Hope you are all well and happy training! :-)

Goal #1 -

Before I can focus on the Ironman, I first need to focus on another large goal of mine - A century ride. That is right - 100 miles on my bike. This is going to take place this weekend (10.14.06)! This weekend, I am going to bike 100 miles along Highway 1 (alas) from Monterey to San Simeon (ending at Hearst Castle) for the Best Buddies foundation. I'll spare you the details of my fundraising - (I did raise over $1,3000) - Thanks to everyone that helped me (special kudos to my blogreader donators Markie and Kara!!). https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=146257&supId=136374796++

Anyways, moving on... So I'm flying up to San Francisco on Thursday night with my road bike and dearest Ally will retreive me and my bike from the airport. On Friday we're heading down to Monterey sometime after lunch and on Saturday - think of me. I'll be clipping along for a good 7-10 hours. I have no idea how long this thing will take me!

This weekend was not such a good training weekend - Saturday I did a beach run (my favorite). Because I live only 4 blocks from the beach, I have the luxury of running down there whenever I choose. It is a great run down Pacific Beach down to Mission Beach. Good times. Then I drank some beer and watched Michigan State lose (again). sigh. I figure though, I need to shape up my nutrition in the coming months and unfortunately, I should probably cut down my beer consumption... ) -:

Sunday, I spent alot of the day tweeking my bike - The alignment was funky and the tire was rubbing up against the brake pad in a funny manner making it an unsmooth ride. I guess I wasn't meant to get another good ride in.

So I'm going into this century ride with one 44-miler under my belt - woo hoo. Last weekend was the Tour de Poway. I have referred to it as the Tour de Roadkill because of the all of the dead wildlife I saw.

Anyways.... That is it for now. I need to actually use my lunch break to eat... Hope all is well!!

I'll admit it - I'm a bit obsessive. OK, maybe sometimes alot obsessive. I've never considered myself much of an athlete, though I've always been pretty active and considered myself a runner since the age of 12. Running is my outlet. I find running to be the ultimate dose of Xanax. When I run, I am free - Nothing can hurt me, and no matter what, when I stop I usually feel better. It doesn't matter that I am uncoordinated, can't throw for shit or follow simple steps in an aerobics class. Yes, occasionally this lack of coordination causes me to trip over a root or sidewalk and bloody my knee, but no big deal. Running is a part of me, my religion if you will.

A few years back (oh, wow - actually 8 now that I think about it!!) I decided it would be a good idea to run a marathon - for most average people, this is not a good idea. Running, especially on roads and for great distances is just not good on your joints, especially your knees, and especially for women who have average sized hips. And yes, I consider myself an average person so this was probably not my best decision ever. I won't get into the anatomy of it all, but after my marathon, my left knee was not the same. For awhile (6 years to be exact), I periodically suffered crap runs - My knee would often pop out and throb and pulsate for no reason (other than the marathon I had completed 6 years prior). I had lost my sanity. I decided to do something about this.

Picture this - 2 years back - I had a good job and good insurance. I decided to "fix" my knee. With the help of an excellent orthopedic, and one short and sweet surgery, my knee became the "bionic knee." I was overjoyed when only 8 weeks later, I was able to run again. This man, full of wisdom, told me that if I continued to run and log the kind of mileage I typically enjoyed, I could expect similar problems in the future.... EEEK!

A triathlete was born.

Growing up in a separated home has made me a child of compromise. Thus I compromised with myself - Still continue to run, just not as many days - supplement running with another activity and continue to be a bit OCD. Ok, maybe a triathlon wasn't a natural choice simply because I wasn't a strong swimmer or cyclist (hell I didn't even own a road bike at the time), but those of you who know me also know that I LOVE a good challenge.

Now move along to 2005 - New demons in my life to deal with - I bought my first road bike and put the peddle to the metal up the hills in Marin. Who wouldn't love training if training involved riding over the Golden Gate bridge every weekend? This combined with running continued to be my daily dose of Xanax I so desperately needed. I next threw in the swimming. I'll be honest - it was ugly. But Wildflower 05 came and went and I survived and came out as an addict. The year passed with Donner Lake in the summer and another Wildflower in 06. I did more swim training and became much more proficient in the water. My 06 race was better than 05....



This brings me to present day. I'm in San Diego now. To be honest, I've never felt so alone in my entire life. Each day is a new rollercoaster of emotions - up and down, up and down. Excitement followed by disappointment. Opportunity followed by tragedy. And I need more. I'm not satisfied. For this reason, I have decided to once again challenge myself - to accomplish something I once considered impossible. So one day at work, I signed up for the Half Ironman - Even though it is a "Half", I consider it a lofty goal. If I can do this, than I can do anything.
Check it out: http://www.ironmancalifornia.com/info.php

Now that I have spelled out my goal on paper for all to read, it becomes more real. This is my life. I will not spend the next 6 months at home on my couch crying because I don't know anyone in SD. I will be out on the road, on the trails and in the ocean training my heart out. I will pound out everything negative that has happened and that which will continue to happen, because I am strong enough that I will never let it get me. Run away? No. I will run over all of this negativity. And on March 31, 2007 I will reach my goal. I carry with me a piece of everyone that I have come across, good and bad. You will all be there with me every step of the way.

I am starting this new silly little blog, mostly for myself - to put it all down on paper. If you're so obliged you can read about all of this training - good days and bad - and see how it all pans out. I already know how it ends....