Cull Canyon Buddy Ride - 50 miles

Saturday I went out to Cull Canyon with TNT.

 

It was cold as hell in the morning.  I know hell isn't normally represented as being very cold but the theology isn't really set in stone, it's just supposed to be very terrible, and being cold is pretty terrible.

They said there wouldn't be a lot of hills but none of that was true, it was all hills all the time, for 50 miles.  The good news is, I made it.

The bad news is I went home and drove my car into the garage with the bike on the roof rack.  I'll be going to the body shop tomorrow morning.

Strangely enough, no damage to the bike, just the rack and the car.  Maybe I'll post some pictures later.

Cinderella Pictures

So here's some pictures from the Cinderella, courtesy of Danielle.  Here's me in my ridiculous getup:

 

Here's a group photo after the first bridge:

Here's a group photo at the first rest stop:

 

 And here are all of our ridiculous hats piled on a table at Starbucks:

I Survived The Cinderella

It wasn't really that bad actually.  First, most of my Violet ride group was there and we all rode together the whole way, so that made it easier.  Second, I really paced myself a lot more and really took it easy, and it's surprising how much farther you can go when you do that.  Imagine that, you can easily do 20 more miles if you don't go around sprinting up hills.

Statswise, it was about 66 miles total.  I averaged 12.1 mph over 5 hours and 23 minutes of riding time.  We took about 10 million breaks (lunch, snacks, photos, waiting for people to catch up), so that was actually 7 hours and 20 minutes of total time.

There were some professional photographers taking pictures so I'll check out their websites and see what they got, but (1) they kind of cost a lot of money and (2) I was wearing really stupid clothes, so I'm going to have to weigh those factors when it comes to buying a photo.

Cinderella Tomorrow

Well, the Cinderella is tomorrow.  I've been training for 2 and a half months so I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be.  Here's what I'll be wearing.

Go ahead and laugh it up while you can.

The Three Bears Can Go To Hell

So a couple of things: I went down to REI last Sunday and got me a new Thule roof rack.  Pics later.  I got 20% off one of the components, and I got the bike holder thing used, for $50 ($130 list price).  There was also a pair of lock cylinders in the box, which is $35.  Still pretty pricey, but now I can use my trunk when I take my bike places!

Secondly, both rides were rained out again on Saturday, although I did go to the Cinderella graduation party.  We had pizza and I got to see all the ladies' eyes and hair, which is kind of a surprise when you only see them on bike rides.

This is what we normally look like.  Thanks to Danielle for the photo.

So instead I spent 2 hours Saturday morning riding on the indoor trainer while playing Phoenix Wright and then watching Shrek 4.  Watching Shrek was fine, but it turns out it's really uncomfortable to play a Nintendo DS while riding a road bike.  Maybe I will go back to the bike shop for another fit and see if they can set me up with new handlebars that will make it easier.

Fortunately it didn't rain on Sunday, so I went to the Team in Training buddy ride led by Coach Kieran.  The ride went up Bear Creek Rd. in Orinda, up some hills called "The Three Bears," which is apparently a Bay Area cyclist's rite of passage.

View from the top.

It was 37 miles total and 2800 feet of climbing.  I know that probably doesn't sound like a lot to any experienced cyclists who are probably thinking, "What, are you some kind of baby?" to which I say yes, I am a big baby.  At one point I didn't think I was going to make it, and I was cursing all the way up the climb.  This is what happens if you spend your entire life as a game-playing, TV watching couch potato, so let that be a lesson to you.

Here's a crazy person rollerblading up Mama Bear.

Anyway, the important thing is I got up all the hills and didn't have to get off the bike.  Sure, I was going at 3 mph a lot of the time, but I didn't fall off and I didn't walk.  I was actually more scared of the downhills than the climbs.

Kieran and Sara (another coach) were trying to teach me to ride in my drops (the curvy part of road bike handlebars) on downhills because it gives you more control and makes it easier to grab the brakes.  Apparently you are supposed to pump each brake alternately, so they don't overheat, and everything I was told about how if you just put on your front brake, you'll flip forward, was a lie.

Anyway, not only was I going down these really steep descents in sheer terror (because I'm a coward) but my arms really hurt at the end.  I mean, you can go down those hills REALLY FAST.  I wasn't, I was braking for dear life, probably wasn't hitting 40, but apparently you totally are supposed to if you are a normal, experienced, non-cowardly person.

After that, I took an Epsom salt bath, which is supposed to help with sore muscles and such, and then I tanked a WoW raid for the first time.  It didn't go terribly!  But I did pretty much shut down right afterwards.

Anyway, next big thing is the actual Cinderella ride, Saturday.  It's a metric century - 100km or about 65 miles.  There has been a ton of rain lately so hopefully it doesn't get rained out.  I'll be wearing a really stupid purple and white feather boa decoration on my helmet - Cinderella Violet Team solidarity, you know - so it should be pretty great, if you enjoy laughing at people.  I'll try to take a picture when I've properly drag-queened up my helmet.

Rained Out!

So Saturday was complicated and futile.

I was going to go to the Team in Training ride since I'd missed two in a row and I didn't want to make it three.  There was pretty much a 100% chance of rain, but both groups (Team in Training and Cinderella) said we were going to watch the weather and see, and they'd email final plans the next morning.

Cinderella group on a better weather day.  I'm on the far right.

So I wake up at 6:30am and check.  Team in Training ride is cancelled, Cinderella ride is on.  I guess there is rain up in Marin but not around the South Bay yet.  So okay, I suit up and head over.  We were supposed to do a 55 mile ride to Crystal Springs but crossing the bridge is kind of a bitch if you don't know when it's going to start raining, and there was a high wind advisory going on too.

So we did a modified route, and Betsy got a flat outside the BMW dealership, and she fixed it.  The BMW guys were pretty nice and offered to let us come inside and fix it but we were almost done by then.

It also started to rain, I guess that's what happens when you get a flat, you know, like when you wash your car.  It pretty much refused to stop pouring so we ended up heading back early after only 16 miles.

It's cool, though.  I ended up going up to Berkeley and buying Neversaint's stationary trainer off of him that day, and got in some spin time that way.  The Cinderella ride is now in less than 2 weeks, and while I suppose I'm ready, I'm still fairly intimidated.

I haven't ridden further than 47 miles, and the Cinderella is about 65, so... it's gonna be quite a thing.

Gap 30% Off Coupon

March 17-20, you can use this coupon to get 30% off at Gap, Old Navy, or Banana Republic, and 5% of your purchase goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, so win-win, unless you don't like Gap I guess.

http://gap.p.delivery.net/m/p/gap/gcan/gpjump.asp?p=bp/lls.html

It goes straight to the LLS, not to my account or anything, but you get clothes, and still help people with cancer!

Pushing Limits

So the last two Saturdays, we rode on Calaveras (43 miles) and around Livermore (47 miles).  Both had a fair amount of climbing (for a beginner at least!).  Near the end of both rides, I was pretty worn out.

On top of that, I've been trying to follow the official TNT training schedule, which includes trying to squeeze in 2 20 mile rides during the week, which, with my work schedule and the sun's schedule, basically involves getting up pretty early.  I tried riding to work last week (14 miles or so) but it was pretty tricky, and I had to bum a ride home because it's dark by the time I get off work.

Also, I've just gotten clipless pedals, which means, counterintuitively, that you get shoes with cleats that clip into the pedals.  I fell right off last Saturday and skinned my knee, but fortunately haven't fallen off since.  I have had some close calls, though.

Here's the boo-boo.  (Thanks to Danielle for the picture.)

Here I'm bumming a bandage off of Lori because I am a big baby.

It's really weird because I get off the bike the same way I always do, stand up off the seat, stop, and put my right foot down, and I've been doing that just fine until now.  Just seems like with the clips, I start panicking and forgetting how to do that all of a sudden.

Anyway, I can't figure out how to squeeze in these midweek long rides.  Between this and work and Cracked and WoW, I keep letting things slip.  I've got to figure something out.

Nothing Like Doing Something Very Tiring Before Your Day Starts

So I woke up at about 6am and rode 16 miles on the Alameda Creek Trail before going to work.  I tried to ride very fast but it took 1 hour and 11 minutes which is not very fast (average speed 13.5 mph I guess).

Though my time was not that impressive my level of tiredness was pretty impressive and now I will probably fall asleep before lunch.

My Bike Is Fitted

So I finally got that bike fit, and I think it was worth it.  I got clipless pedals, they adjusted my seat, my stem, and my handlebars, and I feel a lot less hunched over on the bike now.  I've got a week to practice with the clipless pedals before I go on another ride Saturday where I can fall down at stop signs.

I went to Eden Bicycles in Castro Valley and I thought they really did a bang-up job as far as customer service and bike expertise, so, you know, that's a recommendation if you are near there.  The guy even went out back with me and rode around the parking lot with me helping me practice clipping in and out.

That was in the afternoon.  In the morning, I went on my second ride with Team in Training, 25 miles with hills.  Pretty tough at times but manageable.  We were supposed to practice descending, which always scares the hell out of me, and still does.  On the bright side, Marin County is just beautiful.  We went from Mill Valley to Sausalito and Tiburon.  I was saying it's like Hawaii except cold.  And it was really cold.

After the ride (and before the bike fit) Team in Training had an Honoree Potluck, where we ate a lot of food and then heard from team honorees (people who have or have had cancer, whom the team is riding in honor of) and from a bunch of people on the team that had a personal connection to cancer.  It was pretty moving - a number of people were tearing up - and reminded everyone of why we are doing this and what a difference it makes in people's lives.

A couple of people talked about a new chemotherapy drug that their loved ones had been treated with at Stanford, and how research money from things like Team in Training had helped fund the development of drugs like that.  So yeah, everyone that donated, that's what it's going to!  Thanks again.

Snow in California???

Snow expected by Thursday night, particularly in the North Bay, where I will be riding on Saturday.

"On Friday, and at least by Saturday morning, there is a good chance there will be snow at sea level in San Francisco for the first time since February 1976."

I can't even drive in the snow.

Bike Fitting?

I have an appointment to get a bike fit this Saturday but it's really expensive.

It seems like the sort of thing you should be able to do yourself, but the only problem is I don't know what I'm doing.  Basically, by the time I get a sore neck or shoulders or whatever, I've been riding like an hour at least.  It just doesn't seem practical to make some adjustments, ride for an hour to see how it works out, and then make some more adjustments, especially since I'm just blindly guessing.

Is it worth paying a lot of money for a bike fit?  I don't even know if the neck and shoulder soreness level is just normal, and the bike fits fine.

This Saturday is my first official team ride with TNT, so I'm looking forward to that.  My mentor Sue said it's 25 miles and there will be some hills, so it sounds pretty doable.  They seem to be pretty good about making sure nobody gets left behind and moving people around til they find the right paced groups, so I'm sure it'll work out.

There is a potluck afterwards and I am supposed to bring protein that does not need to be warmed up, so I don't know what to do here.  Sandwiches count apparently.  I don't know if I'm supposed to buy or make them.  I don't even know how to make food anymore since I started dating Mike.  I guess Mike can make sandwiches.  Problem solved.

BEAUTIFUL FRICKIN WEATHER FOR A RIDE

So the Cinderella group was supposed to do 39 miles today.  Weather forecast: rain.  Also rain.  Leading up to rain.  And who doesn't enjoy a brisk ride with a face full of ice cold rain?

You know, earlier this week I was at the bike shop and I got some leg warmers (good call) and I was also looking at some long-fingered gloves, since I only have fingerless ones.  "When would I need those?" I said.  It took me an hour to feel my fingertips again after the ride.

I wasn't entirely unprepared, though.  I was wearing these fashionable socks (left: Target, right: Safeway).

After the ride, my clothes looked like this:

You're probably wondering why my upper back escaped unscathed.  Here's why:

Here's what I was sitting on:

And here's the directions I was trying to read:

Anyway, other than nearly getting hypothermia, and one of the ladies getting a serious knee injury, it was pretty fun.  (She hit a curb sideways right before a coffee stop - landed on her kneecap.  Pretty awful, I hope nothing is broken.)

We cut the ride a little short and ended up doing 35 miles.  There was quite a bit of hill climbing, but I didn't mind too much.  It's not easy, I get very much out of breath, but for some reason I get excited about being able to push myself and see what I can do.  Burns calories too!

Over the Bridge

Saturday I went with the Cinderella ride group over the Dumbarton Bridge.

I was looking for pictures of the bridge and was wondering why they were all so ugly when I remembered that it's an ugly bridge.  The up-down part is only 1.6 miles apparently.

I actually didn't have a problem with the climb, but got a bit scared on the downhill, since you have a concrete barrier on one side and a railing between you and the bay on the other side.  Marty, the ride leader, kept telling me not to think about things (like my current speed, or visions of falling and plummeting into the bay) while going downhill, but it's hard because, you know, it could totally happen.

One of the ladies hit a big old pothole, somehow stayed upright, but lost her tire, so we had a tire changing lesson.

Seeing the importance of changing a tire on the road, I promptly responded by losing my pump after the ride by putting it on my car trunk, forgetting about it, and driving away.  I'm still pretty pissed about that.

Fundraising wise, we're over the $2500 minimum, which is pretty awesome for such a short time.  I guess there are a lot of generous people out there.  I'm trying to figure out other ways to get a fundraising push, like a cancer or biking related article, or maybe some kind of youtube video.  Those are the two ways I've been able to get tons of views from strangers in the past, so might as well capitalize on it.  Better than continuing to pressure my broke friends, right?

Why I Hate Cancer

So you're probably wondering why I hate cancer.  "Does it really hurt anybody?" you might ask, if you are a crazy person.

Well, the first reason is my friend Angela.  We grew up together as kids, and I stayed with her family for two months at the beginning of 7th grade while my family's house was being built (my family's previous house was an hour away).  It was a new school, I was a dork, I didn't fit in, I was homesick, and it was a really miserable time in my life.

Angela made it bearable.  We played with Pound Puppies and made up stupid stories together, and hanging out in her room was pretty much the only time I was happy that whole time.

She was 20 and in the middle of her studies at UCLA when she got cancer.  When I talked to her, it was like old times, we joked around and she talked about what she was planning to do when she got better.  She had a lot ahead of her.  She was 21 when she died.

It didn't make any sense to me and it still doesn't.  People have things to do.  People to love.  Places to explore.  Cancer just cuts that all off, for no reason.  And if it wasn't unfair enough that a 20 year-old girl should get cancer, it's just crazy when a 3 year-old gets it.

This is Elijah.  He's the son of a friend who's really been a big help to me in my career and helped me get the job I have now.  Elijah was diagnosed with leukemia in December 2010, at age 3.  The prognosis is hopeful, but he has years of chemotherapy and other treatments ahead of him.

That's crazy, isn't it?  You know what chemo's like.  Why would a three year old kid have to go through that?  He shouldn't have to.

I know riding a bike and raising some money won't cure him or save him from going through chemo, but it's hard to just see things like that happen to people and feel like there's nothing you can do.  Raising money for research so that we can get rid of these stupid cancers seems like it's the best thing we ordinary people can do in the face of this.

Better than sitting on my ass and going, "Oh, that's too bad," right?



Oh, and if you want to do anything to help Elijah personally, his family has set up a fund to help pay for his ongoing medical expenses.  Click here to check it out.


If anyone else has any stories about why you have a personal grudge against cancer, or who's inspired you to do something about it, feel free to talk about it in the comments.  I'd like to hear about it.

First TNT Ride

So last weekend was a doozy.  First, there was a scheduling conflict between the first Team in Training sorting ride and the Cinderella ride group - both Saturday morning.  I didn't want to miss the sorting ride (that's where they figure out what pace group you should ride with for the season) but I wanted to make sure I was keeping up with the Cindys, so they were nice enough to let me ride with the Sunday group just this week.

I got in a little over my head with the sorting ride.  They had 9 rough groups to start out in, I picked the 6th fastest.  This was a vast overestimation of my abilities.  They took off right out of the gate and I lost them about 2 miles in.  Kerry, one of the coaches, stayed back with me for the whole rest of the 12 mile ride and was really supportive.  That was good because apparently it was all uphill to the halfway point, and then you turned around and came down.

I got going pretty fast on the downhills because of all the pent-up frustration at being slow as hell up the hill.  I forgot I was scared of going faster than 20 miles an hour.  I'm sure I'll remember again by next week.

Then I got home and passed out for most of the afternoon and my legs were jelly.  The next day I got up early again, this time for the 29 mile Cindy ride!  Whee!

I was afraid I'd run out of gas halfway into that ride, but it was totally fine for some reason.  Taking a lot of long breaks definitely helps.  I was still damn tired though, and passed out during the entire third quarter of the Super Bowl, allowing the Steelers to come back apparently.

Anyway, these rides are pretty brutal, but that's cool.  I like to push my limits, even if they are very low and unimpressive.  And all the ride leaders and coaches so far have been really cool and helpful people.

Oh right, and here's the fundraising page link again if you want to chip in.

So It Begins

I can't really explain why, but I started getting serious about exercise and weight loss back in October of last year.  I did the Weight Watchers thing and started hitting the gym every day.  Nobody wants to do exercise machines every day so I broke out the old bike I hadn't ridden for 10 years and hit the trail on weekends.

I forgot how much fun I had biking back then.  I thought I only liked it because I had crushes on guys that were biking and I was trying to impress them, but it turns out I actually just like biking too.

But I still like impressing people (and myself) so I wanted to achieve some kind of tangible goal.  The first thing I did was sign up for the Cinderella Classic, as well as the training program for that ride, hosted by the local bike club.  It's a 100 km ride, or about 65 miles.

The other thing is that I keep seeing people I know get cancer, and it really bothers me that I can't do anything tangible about that, so I wanted to do a ride that would benefit cancer research.  So I signed up with Team in Training, because that's exactly what they do.

The ride I'll be doing with them is the America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride at Lake Tahoe, which is 100 miles, and takes place June 5.

So far I've lost 20 pounds and have gone from being able to ride 5 miles (flat) to being able to ride 30 miles (with hills).  I still can't take my hands off the handlebars though.