Countdown 60 days....

Holy crap!!!! 
It is now 60 days until the Michigan Titanium race.



So what comes to mind?:

1) Am I going to be ready?
2) How should I taper?

Well, I think I'm on track for the bike portion of the race. But I'm struggling with if I will be ready for the swim. I've been swimming regularly, but only 2 times a week. Then with the bronchitis I was out of the pool for two weeks and then back only once a week. But as of this week trying to get in 3 swims a week. As any working woman or full time mom knows, finding the time is a struggle. Wish I didn't have to work, take care of a house and run errands. Life would be so much simpler.

Three weeks ago I was supposed to start back with my swim coach once a week. But between early morning conf calls and poor weather I hope to see her Thursday. Also been trying to get some open water swim practice in the mix. But there again the weather hasn't been on my side. Chicago has had a lot of storms in the mornings and evenings. We are at the point of too much rain. Go figure after last year.

I do have an open water swim race July 12th. This will be a good test to see how I fair at 2 miles. I'm curious to see what my time is, how I feel after the swim. I also plan to get in a 30-40 mile ride post swim race. Figured it would make for a nice brick workout.

As far as tapering. This will begin about two to three weeks before race day. Putting in a little less miles and intensity on the bike will be key. So difficult for me as I really love being out on the bike. Not sure how much I'll reduce my swimming distance prior to race day, but will reduce intensity and not stress my body so much. The key during tapering is to let your body rest, recover and repair so you are stronger come race day.

Wow, 60 days. It's both exciting and daunting.

Enjoy the ride,
Sheri

Century of the Month - Celebrating the Summer Solstice

As part of my training program I have targeted to ride at least one century a month. As you recall my last one was in May during the Horsey 100 in Kentucky. Yesterday I completed one up in the Kettle Moraine area of Wisconsin. It was one of our club rides called the City of Os. It's a beautiful ride on quiet rolling hills in Southern Wisconsin with about 3500 feet of climb.

The regular route is 88 miles. A few of us decided to add a few more OOs and go for a century. Why not? It's just 12 miles more. Sounds like nothing but we had a little rain towards the end of the ride and at the official end there was lightning. We hemmed and hawed and decide to hunker down on the porch of the LaGrange General Store and wait it out. It took longer than we expected for the storm to pass and our enthusiasm was starting to wain. It's also really hard mentally to get back on your bike when you are done with the "official" ride.

But I'm glad my friends and I decided to tough it out and head down the road for 12 miles. And as luck would have it, we saw the sun for the first time that day. Was it a sign? We had lucked out with cool and overcast for most of the day.

Outside the LaGrange General Store. Not a glamor selfie, but what do you want after 101 miles and getting caught in the rain?

As we pulled into the parking lot for the second time that afternoon I panicked. One of my friends said he thought the LaGrange General Store closed at 5pm. It was 5:05. I drive an hour and a half, bike 101 miles just so I can have this awesome turkey sandwich and a peanut butter ball post ride. The General Store is a haven for cyclist both mountain bikers who do the local trails and roadies. Everything is fresh, homemade and awesome....or does it taste so good because I'm exhausted and famished? Or maybe both.

Well they didn't have to see a grown woman cry. The store was open to 8pm. So I got my sandwich and dessert. As yummy as I remember from last year.

It was a great ride. Stats are below. The one thing that went wrong was my nutrition. I didn't eat enough so was close to bonking at the end. Honestly I thought I did have enough but calculating calorie input, not good.

Total miles: 101
Elev gain: approx 3,500 ft. (everyone's Garmin read different so an avg)
Avg Speed: 16.4 mph
Total calories consumed during the ride:  575
Total calories burned: 3,230
Strava Suffer Score: 197 extreme
QOM awards: 1

This past week was a tough training week. Tuesday I hadn't planned to ride with the fast guys in our club. But somehow ended up doing intervals for 49 miles. Thursday had planned to take it easier but ended up doing more intervals for 44 miles. Saturday the century. Today was 45 mile ride where I planned to do more of a recovery ride. But we had some great long stretches and ended up averaging 17.2 mph.

Looking forward to getting into the pool tomorrow and resting my quads.  Still very happy with how training is going on the bike. Need to start focusing on the swim. There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. Who would think 24 hours isn't enough.

Also need to start figuring out my century for July. 

Enjoy the ride,
Sheri

Vermonster's first Time Trial

I got up at 545am today, still hacking up a lung from my ongoing battle with bronchitis, ate breakfast and headed off to Wisconsin to race in the Bong and a half time trial. The temperature was 57 degrees, overcast, with an 18+ mph winds gusting from the north. Not the most favorable conditions. As I pulled up to registration all I could see was a lot of lean men in skin suits, wearing time trail helmets, and unloading very expensive time trial bikes from their cars. Oh crap, am I out of my league?

It's been two years since I last did a time trail and about 5 years since my first. I quickly remembered not to be intimidated by all the 0% body fat bodies, team uniforms and aerodynamic everything. I was there to ride my own ride and do the best I could do...not compare myself to everyone else.

I was quickly greeted by very friendly volunteers at registration and we all had a good laugh when it seemed my registration showed me being 31 yrs old. Maybe in dog years. Also my fellow competitors in the parking lot were smiling and greeted me with a friendly hello and "have a good race."

I got my bike ready and headed out to warm up before my start time of 9:01am. I had an hour and wanted to get in 10 miles or so in. I headed down the road into the wind. That was a rude awakening. The 18+ mph gusts were knocking me around. I was a little leery hanging out in my aero bars, but eventually I got used to it.

It was 8:50am so I headed over to the start and got in line. You go by bib number and they send you off every 30 seconds. You chat with your fellow cyclists, down some GU, and checkout each others equipment...bikes that is. Okay, some of the guys were nice to look at in their skin suits. But then this older guy, with about 40 pounds to lose, squeezed into a skin suit, wearing a TT helmet approaches me. Why me? He goes "What's my number?" I just rolled my eyes because his bib number was "69". I told him his number and said "you just wanted to hear me say 69 didn't you?" He plead innocent. But it made for a good laugh and cut the tension.

It was soon my turn on the start line and off I went. I was hoping to average 19mph for the 30K, but to be honest I didn't know what I could maintain. I tried to keep it over 20 mph as much as I could. It was easy with the tail wind but definitely more challenging with the head and cross winds. Turning the corners you almost got blown over.

At one point in the race I heard this loud noise coming up behind me. Many of the bikes have a solid rear wheel so they can sound like a car or even a freight train coming up on you. I had to smile as this one tandem passed me. I was honored to see them fly past. This was a very special team and the only tandem on the course. The man in the back was blind. He has a sighted rider in the front. I can only imagine the freedom he feels when he gets on a bike. I know the joy I feel so I'm sure it's 1000 times more joyful for him.

I crossed the finish line pretty spent but felt good about the race. Final stats were:
Avg. speed - 19.7 mph
Max. speed - 30.6 mph
Distance - 30K
kJ - 578
Avg heart rate - 164 bpm
Avg cadence - 79 rpm (Very exciting as I've been trying to increase this number)

I did bring home some hardware. Second place. But truth be told there were only 2 women in my age group. As I've written in a previous post, how can we get more women in the game? Today's race was dominated by men. I'd say 95% of the 160 entrants were male.

I'm thrilled I got up early and went out and raced a good race. Vermonster proved to be a great ride, can I compare her to California Chrome? My next race is July 12 which is a 2 mile open water swim. This will be a good test to see how prepared I am for August.

I appreciate everyone's Facebook posts, texts, emails and calls. Your encouragement and friendship mean the world to me.

Enjoy the ride...I did today!
Sheri

When is doing a Bong and a half legal?

Oh, it's not what you think....yeah as kids we'd drive past the sign for Bong Recreation Area and always snicker. But it wasn't until I started doing the time trials around this Wisconsin state park that I discovered it was named for Maj. Richard Bong a WWII veteran aviator.

There are three time trials during the summer that follow the roads surrounding this state park. The first one was in May and called the Single Bong. The one coming up June 8th is called Bong and a half. Then in August the Double Bong. Yep I'm giggling just typing this.

The Bong and a half race is a 30k time trial and as the name indicates you go one and half times around the state park. The course is fairly flat with a few rises but nothing major. There are right hand turns which is good because the course is not closed to traffic.

I have a love hate relationship with time trials. I really enjoy getting out there and hauling butt for 18-25 miles at a clip without any drafting from another rider. (It's different if it is a team competition...2 person or 4 person). The hate comes in when you have to drive an hour or two to get to the race and you only ride 18-25 miles. It seems like a waste, but deep down I know it is great training.

I'll be racing in the Masters age group category. They do have Cat 1-4, but I don't qualify. That's fine with me. I'm not out there for the bling...heck I got my Horsey 100 Century Pin already. I'm out to go as hard as I can and hope to average a good speed. I'm hoping I can do 18-19 mph avg over the 30k course. At least that's my target goal.

So on June 8th I'll do a Bong and a half and it's all legal. And I will inhale...actually I'll be gasping for air on the course leaving it all out there. You want to cross that finish line with nothing left in the tank...or you weren't 'going hard enough. Wish me luck.

Enjoy the ride.
Sheri

Pedaling, Pins and Ponies

Just returned from a fantastic weekend in Georgetown, KY (outside of Lexington) for the annual Horsey 100 invitational. As it's been for the past 5 years that I've attended, a fantastic two days of cycling through the rolllllling hills of horse country. The weather was spectacular in the 70s and low humidity. Kentucky's growing season is about a month ahead of us here in Chicago so the peonies and hydrangeas were in full bloom and the rolling meadows were peppered with brood mares and their foals.

Okay, so from my last post I was on the perverbial fence about doing the century route on Saturday. Well with a lot of positive feedback and encouragement...also feeling the stars were aligned, I went for it. And yes I completed the full 107 miles and 7,000 feet of climb.

The Trip Summary
I treated this as a training ride not going hell bent and not yackin' & slackin' either. Being forewarned that in past years the elevation gain was 8000-8500 ft, I needed to pace myself and ride my own ride. So that's what I did and rarely drafting. It was a good simulation of my August race, not the hills, but the solo riding with no drafting allowed.  

I was shocked at the male/female ratio on the century route. It was about 85% men and 15% women. But what was interesting, the women were of all ages, many being triathletes. I felt proud to be one of the few women attempting this challenge. And I really want to thank several of my dear cycling friends who encouraged me and showered me with positive affirmations that gave me the courage to not only attempt it, but finish.

As a result of finishing this ride so early in the season, I have the confidence going forward that I can be successful at the Michigan Titanium race in August. It was really a confidence booster beyond words.

There was a second day of riding this morning. Tired legs and a honey do list waiting back home, we opted for a 37 mile ride. They said at registration this was the flatter day. But as I knew from previous years, there's Kentucky flat and Illinois flat. Heck there was 2000 ft of climb and most was in the first 20 miles....Yep Kentucky flat.

Received my Century Ride pin. What I wont do for a piece of jewelry.

The Nutrition
Since this was an invitational, there are fully stocked rest stops about every 20-25 miles. However, at mile 51 they were out of food!!! I always try to carry some GU and a bar with me just in case. I rationed what I had because I was afraid of getting to the 71 mile rest stop and they'd be out of food there, too. The route from 51 to 71 included a lot of climbing so I was hoping not to bonk. There are no convenience stores out there in farm country.

When we got to the 71 mile rest stop I received my century pin since only the 100 mile riders use that rest stop...the others stops are shared with other routes. And thank goodness there was food!!! I was worried a volunteer at the stop would have to be sacrificed.

I had taken Salt Sticks prior to the ride. That helped with my electrolytes and sodium. Also watered down my Gatorade because all that sugar upsets my stomach.

All in all my nutritional plan worked well. But note to self, next time take more GU and bars than you think you need. I bet I could have sold them for $5 bucks each.

The Equipment
As expected I took my new Domane on the trip. Her first century. The electronic shifting on the Vermonster was awesome. I was constantly shifting due to the terrain.  Not only the ease and swiftness of the electronic shifting was so wonderful, but the fact that I could shift under load was very helpful. With a regular cable shifting system, you have to back off from the pedal pressure when you shift. Not so with electronic.

The electronic shifting allowed me to have shifters on the aero bars and the handle bars. I used them both and was glad to have them in multiple locations.

The aero wheels were also a plus. They roll like a dream and you just fly down the descents. When I hit 35 mph I had to start breaking. Not knowing the roads, I didn't want to wipe out. Some of the descents had quick turns at the bottom and in past years people have crashed. I wanted to live to ride another day.

The seat was a new Specialized brand racing seat which I only had 60 miles on before heading to Kentucky. It was pretty good but I do have to say my sit bones are sore. I need some more saddle time to break it in. Really hoping this one is a winner.

Elevation map of the 107 mile route, 7000 ft of climb.

One more ride tomorrow before I take a break and hit the pool on Tuesday and a 90 minute massage with Alison on Wednesday night. Then back on the bike Thursday night.

I'm thrilled with how my training is going and how this weekend panned out. I was scheduled to do a century next Sunday, but it's looking like rain. So I'm glad I seized the day, listened to my friends and went for the pin. What a wonderful weekend of pedaling, pins and ponies.

Happy Memorial Day and be sure to thank a Veteran for their service.

Enjoy the ride.
Sheri

When does it go beyond training and become a brutal challenge?

My training phase has moved out of the "building a base" phase and into building endurance and speed. The last few weekends I've put on a lot of miles on with some 55-68 mile rides. I'm feeling good heading into Memorial Day weekend.

This weekend I'm going to Georgetown, KY for the Horsey 100 sponsored by the Bluegrass Cycling Club. It's been a highlight of my riding season for about 5 years now. Usually the weather is pristine compared to Chicago on Memorial Day weekend. It also provides some beautiful scenery with the route flanked with multi-million dollar horse farms, while providing some challenging rolling hills. I remember joking my first year "Oh look, another hill. Oh look, another hill." But now I know what to expect and just enjoy.

Past years I've opted for the 78 mile route...86 miles last year when I got lost. At least I scored a QOM on a Strava segment during my uphill bonus miles. This year is trending to be different. Training for my Ironman AquaBike race I have scheduled into my training a century ride once a month in June, July and August. My June century was to be the MCBC's Udder Century on June 1st. That's a week away. But now I'm leaning...or should I say being pushed...to do the 104 miles in Kentucky. Well it is actually 108 since we ride to the start and back from our hotel.

I'm hearing mixed reviews about how hard the 104 mile option really is. I equate it to a fish story. The climbs and elevation gains started small and now are getting bigger and bigger. Below is the elevation map for the ride.

Total elevation over the 104 miles is said to be about 8,500 ft. Yikes. So at what point does this go beyond training and become just a brutal challenge? To be honest I'm still on the fence...it's a pretty white horse farm fence, but still on the fence. I am leaning towards doing the full century. The weather forecast is sunny and mid 70s with 5 mph winds. Yes, I need to take into account the winds.

The guys I ride with who did the century last year said "you gotta do it for the pin." I guess you get this silly pin when you complete the ride. I'm thinking from the sound of this challenge, I'll treasure that silly little pin.

Well wish me luck. If all goes as planned...108 miles Saturday, 51 miles Sunday and 47 miles Monday. So how many calories will I burn so I can inhale a Lou Malnati's pizza Monday night?

Enjoy the ride,
Sheri

In search of the perfect saddle

Sorry for the short hiatus from posting, but the weather in Chicagoland got a little nicer and I've been out riding, gardening, and basically outside as much as possible. About a week ago I hit 1000 outdoor miles for the year. I seem to be running 350 miles behind last years mileage. But with the crappy winter I think this is a good base.

I'm enjoying my new bike a lot. I think the two features I like the most are the electronic shifting and aero wheels. Having the shifters on the aero bars and the bars is very nice. I find I shift a lot more and keep my cadence higher than when I ride my other bikes with manual shifting. Not that it takes that much more energy to manually shift, but you can shift under load with electronics which is not advised for manual types due to the use of cables.

The aero wheels are really nice. I do feel a difference at speeds above 15mph. They roll nicer, smoother and really pick up speed on the flats and downhills. I'm not sure how much they help on the uphill. The Domane seems to have better power transfer than my other bikes so not sure what to attribute to, the wheels vs the frame.

Anyway, the last piece of the puzzle has been finding the right saddle. The saddle is one of three touch points on the bike. You have the handlebars, peddles and the seat. You should be comfortable in all three areas...no numbing, hot spots, sores or aches. But I haven't been so lucky yet finding the right saddle.

Since getting my new bike I've tried over 10 saddles and I'm still on the fence on this last one. It's an Adamo which is very different than any other saddle I've tried. It is u-shaped with no nose. It's designed so you are sitting on your pubic bones and not your sit bones like a regular saddle. Thus there's a "toughening up" period. If you think about it, you never put weight on your pubic bones so it's a pretty sensitive area with tendons and nerves. I made the mistake of taking some longer rides right off the bat. I can say my soft tissue was just fine, but I was "bruised" on my pubic bones. I did call the manufacturer and asked about this problem. I was told it was too many miles too soon. That I should take many short rides and build up. So I've been swapping back and forth between my two road bikes.

I honestly thought I was alone in this journey of finding the perfect saddle. As I talked to the sales folks at local bike shops, my riding friends and reading articles...this problem is very common. I guess it isn't talked about too much since it is pretty personal and not common practice to discuss your soft tissue and genital  areas in mixed company. But as you open up about your problems in finding the right saddle, everyone seems to have a story and either found the perfect saddle or are still in search of nirvana.

I leave for Kentucky in a week and a half. I'm a bit concerned because of the miles I'll be putting in. I am actually toying with the idea of bringing two bikes so I can have two different saddles to use.

If you too are in search for the perfect saddle, check out this article that may be of help. There are books out there too. But once you find nirvana, the ride will be awesome.

Feel free to share your story in finding saddle nirvana. Love to get suggestions for the perfect saddle.

Enjoy the ride,
Sheri