Club Du, March 7th

I love it when I am off of work the day of a TCSD club race. Let me remind you all again. Free race. Free food....and if you are lucky prizes. TN and I were both off this Saturday and were looking forward to an epic day. We spent the early part the week tossing ideas about where to ride. What ride would be better than the next. Maps were out, routes were discussed. This was serious business. Disappointed though TN seemed more and more subdued as the week went on and managed to come down with another virus....

Note to all:

Exposure to sick children at a pediatric hospital

Minus: Hours of sleep

Plus: Maybe a day of over training induced by the need to drop a mountain bike that turned out to have a motor .

Equals: Getting ill.

When Friday drew near we knew Tim didn't have an epic ride, a club race, or even an easy ride in him. I offered to stay home and hang out with him but he said "One of us needs to have fun" that was all it took because I was quick to sign up for the race and and recruit friends to ride after. Tim would be disappointed otherwise. We tend to live vicariously through each other.

My neighbors and cycling soul mates, Pat and Elizabeth offered me a ride to the race with them. They even offered to climb Honey Springs road with me after. Carpooling is great because you can talk about whatever you CAN'T talk about when you are pedaling up a mountain.

Race Report: Sound of the Trumpet. Doo Doo Doo. This is ultra serious.
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Pre Race: Talked to E night before race. Confirmed she wasn't using her disk. Good....I didn't have to play mechanic and switch out my brake pads for a 15 mile bike ride.

Note: If it take more time to prep bike than ride bike....don't bother..Unless swag bag is really really good or your husband is willing to do the mechanics....remember though to use your favors wisely.

Packed: Aero helmet....(Tim insisted) and normal helmet.

Disappointed: Tim by not at least using aero helmet....I'm sure considering all the red lights I was stopped at it would have helped.

5:00 a.m. Awoke....wanted to hit snooze but knew I couldn't.

5:05 a.m. realized I was very, very hungry for 5:05 a.m.

Ate 1 almond butter and jelly sandwich on homemade bread with a 1/2 banana

5:30 stretched/sipped coffee

5:45: must not disclose

6:00 picked up by P&E....Tim is quoting some movie line....stating "I'm kind of a big deal you know" Since people pick me up to go to the race.....He says this in a funny voice...because duh! If you have to tell people you are a big deal....you aren't really a big deal.  Maybe you have to be there. It makes me laugh every time he says it. Laughing is one of my favorite things in the world. Believe me, we aren't fueling delusions with this line, only hysterics.

6:45 Ran a warm up lap...to the bathroom and back...total of 50 yds.

Chatted with Jess, Tina, and Joanne (much more important than actually warming up).

6:55 Listened to directions. Copied off Elizabeth and wrote directions on my hand. There were a lot of turns. Left and Right.....I didn't want to get lost.

7:00 Race start

Started running. Everybody in front of me was running way faster than I wanted them to....don't they know (in the funny voice) "I'm kind of a big deal" and they should slow down to where I am comfortable. Apparently they didn't get the memo. Ugh. My lungs feel tight. I can't breathe at this pace....need more room for air. Guess I'll breathe out my eyeballs. I wonder what Dr. Lichter would say about this ....breathing out my eyeballs.... Probably slow down, you fool. 6:30 pace on the Garmin. What???? I back off but breathing isn't much better. Run turns out to be 2.5 miles....It was advertised as 1.7 miles. I want my money back. Wait a minute, this race is free. I can't wait until I can get on my bike and couch potato it in the aero bars. Ahh. That will be nice. Secure spot in third after run #1. TCSD member encourages me...says that I'm doing good. He tells me in a minute I can get on my pink bike and catch all the girls. TCSD members are so nice. I say not E. I see her ahead of me. I think I better get a move on or Pat and E will have to wait for me. Oh dear.

Bike: I get on my bike. I am a little concerned because I could swear that the Almond butter and J has turned into Brick butter and J. This isn't good. PB and J didn't give me any trouble before last Sunday's century so it must be because I switched to Almond butter. I am certain it has nothing to do with the change in intensity. Nothing at all. I decide I hate Almond butter. It's foo foo and overrated. I refuse to purchase it ever again. Peanut butter tastes better. I refuse to think a half sandwich would have been better than a whole.

While fumbling through transition I see E heading out. I swear she paused and looked back at me. ....I think she was giving me a chance to catch her. It must be more fun for her to be racing...or chatting...or maybe it's like a cat dangling a mouse by it's tail before she eats it..... Just kidding, E is too nice for that. If she wanted to, she really could. I probably would if I was that fast. Maybe that's why I am not that fast...the whole Karma thing. She probably was wondering what was taking me so long. Despite having the directions written on my hand I forgot I had already made the first turn to the left and started to turn left onto the next street. Thanks to the volunteer who redirected me or I'd be in Mexico by now. I start to ride. I feel tired. I can only think of Tim's lecture at Grand Rounds. It was regarding safe legal athletic performance enhancing drugs....To think I only get lectures on drugs that convert cardiac rhythms. Guess what folks: caffeine is recommended... Well, don't go crazy on it. I'm sure there are limits. They recommended Motivator and I am don't have any ....It actually helps with fat metabolism into energy and neuromuscular contraction...I really think I could at least benefit from espresso. I decided to suck it up. Who isn't tired? Besides the fastest way to coffee is to finish.

Don't get me wrong folks but short races are about pushing. If you feel all happy...you probably aren't working as hard as you could. As long as you are happy when it over that's what matters. I love my pink bikes. Just when I think I become curmudginly I notice my bike is pink and I am having fun. I'll share a secret....sometimes I think my bikes have souls. They laugh at me. I think sometimes they sneak out and go for rides when I am at work;)

There are a bunch of stop lights. I catch up to Elizabeth and Li Anne. E and I pull ahead of Li Anne. I don't know if I am relieved I have caught up or worried because now it is my job to keep up. E and I get stuck at a few more stop lights before we return to the second run. We pass Philippe running with his bike. He has a flat. I am glad Elizabeth didn't stop to help him. Then I would have felt compelled to stop too. I knew I couldn't help because I have the wrong sized wheels....Still that would be pretty crappy, E being a good samaritan and me zipping into T2. Would have looked even worse when she caught of to me....the karma thing again. Tacky of me but I already got in trouble for racing too nice last weekend. We didn't really race each other into the parking lot. A car was parked sideways across the street .We really didn't know what was going on. It was like meeting somebody in a hallway and moving side to side and asking if they want to dance. Not such a good idea with a car.

T2: E and I head out to the run. (another 2.5 miles.)...I am happy to be running with the first place girl and disappointed because it's going to force me into ugly uncomfortable zone. I know though it is good for me though. Some guy is yelling at Suzanne about the course. Who yells at volunteers?......Crazy. If you want to do a better job put the race on yourself. If you don't like the course stay home...Trust me, nobody will miss you. Especially not the race directors. I think this guy distracts me from how hard I am working and gives me more energy to run with.

Run 2: This time it was easier....not a 6:30/mile. E and I are running. She makes a pit stop and says I'll catch you in a few. I keep running. I don't feel guilty she has stopped for a few minutes as I know she really will catch up. I also know Li Anne is coming and she runs really, really fast. I remember her from track. People don't know how fast she is because she is super nice and usually has her Labrador and kids in tow. She is the girl who runs in the front pack with all the guys ....and drops them. It's fun to watch. Soon I hear E...actually first I hear another guy....and he looks at me funny when I announce..."You caught up so fast" Sorry dude. I thought you were someone else. Then I hear E. We are gaining on Pat and she speeds up to catch him. I think he was waiting for us. I wish I could speed up too. At least I don't think I can. Soon I hear Li Anne's feet behind me. I know it is her...the turnover is fast. It hits me if I ever want to run like that I at least have to believe. Hokey yes.. but who gets fast by thinking they are slow...I tell my legs I believe in them. I put everything I have into staying as close to E and Li Anne as possible. I don't catch up. I don't think my quads bought in to that. I think I am less far behind then I would have been if I would have kept grumping at myself. At some point you have stop giving yourself the option of slowing down. I ran up the final hill as fast as I could. I high fived everybody. O.k. I am a dork but this is were the pain free fun starts. The finish. I am pretty sure I was the first to get coffee. Although it only lasted about an hour and then we were off to climb Honey Springs road.

When I got home Tim saw my medal and said "I'm kind of a big deal you know" Then he asked me what was on my hand..... the directions o.k. maybe not such a big shot.

Review/analyzation of performance: I can't tell you what my heart rate was because the strap fell down around my waist. E asked me if the strap told me I was hungry? After I transmitted the information to my computer I am sure it was trying to say that Almond butter is evil.