JENNY FROM THE BLOCK

Bike Wars

I warmed up on Princess this morning. Granted she was annoyed as it was 0400 and I was insulting her by riding on a trainer. I yawned a few times and she was not impressed. The race started at 6:30 so I needed all systems to be a go early.

Sweet Thunder was excited when she got home. She forgets how slow she goes up hills and thinks her max speed is her average speed. I don't want to dissapoint her so I haven't explained to her the difference yet. Princess was grumpy from waking up early and a bit bent out of shape she didn't get to race. Sweet Thunder was bubbling about the fun course when Princess said " Yes, but how long did you have to wait while she was swimming?

I can't ever catch a break from that one!

Podium Girls

Today was race day, here in San Diego and in Kona. For those of you who don't know, Ironman Kona is like the Olympics of triathlon. Actually it's better than the Olympics, it's like Christmas for a 5 year old. Well, it's like Christmas for a 5 year if you are at home watching the race (on one laptop while blogging on another). I don't think it's like Christmas for the racers until the race is over:) I am proud of my friends racing today. It's fabulous. They get to do all the work and I get to share the excitement.Moment Cycle Sport hosted an Olympic Distance Triathlon. This is approximately a 1500 m swim, 40 K bike, and 10 K run. Despite completing a whole host of races, Ironman twice, I had never done an Olympic Distance. I'm told if you are not on the edge of pain and suffering you are not working hard enough. I went watchless today and just tried to push it a bit. I only had time for my Garmin or my socks in T2 so I chose socks over the Garmin. I didn't have time to put on both. I guess it worked out ok as I ended up in second in my age group. Stacy was first. She could probably have run an extra mile and still beat me but nobody else will ever know. Oops, I just spilled the beans.

Podium Princesses
Age 30-34

I really did enjoy the race, once the swim was over. The swim coarse was fine but I felt discombobulated. Everybody in my heat was swimming away from me as I splashed about. I exited the water a little bit down mentally and a lot down chronologically. My bike, Sweet Thunder, was ready to go and she picked me up. As soon as I hopped on, she began to move quickly. Her sister bike, Speed Racer, was racing and she wanted to catch up. They like to ride together. She really had fun on the climbs and descents. She is used to riding in East County. She has a lot of room to move around and the roads are smooth as silk. She just wanted to gallop all out. I kept good hold of her reigns so she wouldn't get tangled with other riders and make sure she didn't draft. She seemed to make up some time and without taking too much out of me so that was good.
I will say there are some great girls out there. Of those I know, they are really impressive, a multi-talented bunch. I wish I was motivated to race more aggressively and try to beat them. I'm not though. I'll have to settle for just being inspired by them and happy to play among them. That's what's so great about the "Idropboys" mentality. I see other women as my teammates in dropping boys. Not to pick on men but you sometimes do such funny things when we chick you.
Got to go. There are couple girls at Ironman beating the male pros. It's too exciting too miss.

Friendly Foes

I thought the guys at Moments would be very upset with my Carbo Pro antics but they fixed up Sweet Thunder and hooked me up with a new water bottle. One they swore wouldn't leak. Their interventions were very helpful. I know they were very busy getting ready for the weekends race "The San Diego Classic"

What shocked me is the fact that my bikes seem to have engaged in some sort of a cat fight. As I prepared Sweet Thunder for her trip to the cycle spa my road bike started acting up. Princess really dug in her claws. She is uppity, even to me. She said "Isn't today Wednesday? You know you could skip the club time trial and hit the Swami's ride or Wednesday World's. I told Princess I couldn't keep up with the Swami's and would get dropped. Princess flicked her handle bars to the side and said "it's not my fault you don't pedal faster". Can you believe that! Who talks to their master like that? I guess Princess is just jealous. She hasn't done Great Western plus Laguna. I tried to remind her of all the fun rides she has done, The Death Ride and a few weeks in New Zealand, a 1000 mile month when she was my only bike. She sniffled that I could at least try to pedal faster.

It's a good thing my time trial bike doesn't have kind of attitude because I don't think I could take it from both bikes. Sweet Thunder, although she is every bit as fancy as Princess, never seems to complain. Usually she doesn't even realize Princess is picking on her. It goes right over her aero bars. She just rides as far and as fast as she can without complaint. Her one flaw is that she would let me ride her until she is a bloody pulp. She's a little disappointed I didn't take her out to east county this week. I explained she needed to save a little energy for Saturday. I promised her there would be more Great Western Loop next week. She seemed to tolerate it o.k, but I know she's a little down. She asked if I could get off work tomorrow and ride her but the answer is no.

When I came home from work today I noticed the whole container of Carbo Pro was resting on Sweet Thunder's frame. I just can't trust those bikes when I am at work. Maybe it is the lack of exercise that makes them act out. I am not sure if Sweet Thunder was trying to fuel herself for the next workout or if Princess tried to dump the Carbo Pro on Sweet Thunder. What will those bikes think of next.

In Trouble Now

A few blogs ago I shared with you my rides in east county. You were probably wondering how I fueled myself to complete those rides. There are precious few support stations. Also, we tend to turn up our nose at the thought of stopping. Well it was liquid calories. Who has time to chew when faced with thousands of feet of elevation? Maltodextran was the culprit to be exact. Carbo Pro is the brand name. Yes, I could use Sustained Energy or Perpetuem, but those are sticky too. In my opinion, they taste more gross. Plus, they make my stomach blow up and hurt by hour 4. the Great Western Loop plus the Laguna Loop takes 6h30min on a decent day. That leaves 2.5 hours of tummy trouble, so I chose the Carbo Pro.

The upside to this is I was able to complete my rides with race like nutrition. The downside is so that my water bottles leaked and sticky solution got all over my bike. I knew my husband would view this a sin against bike. He would say I should have just added an additional hour of riding and headed into Julian for pie. So I didn't tell him, I didn't want to disappoint him. I cleaned the bike the best I could. I polished the frame until it shined. Unfortunately the brakes and derailleur were victims of maltodextran too. Hey, at least I didn't drown the bike in high fructose corn syrup. The brakes actually sort of congealed and lost a bit of spring, so when you release the brake it doesn't spring back all the way. I thought I was just riding recovery pace the last week or so but I guess it was brake aided.

Tonight, Tim attempted to prep my time trial bike (Sweet Thunder) for Saturday's race. He couldn't adjust the brakes or derailleur for my race wheels. As in parts would not move. Now, I am in big trouble. He said out loud all the damage I had done to Sweet Thunder and she heard him. I've been charged with bike abuse, negligence, and assault with a deadly weapon (that would be the Carbo Pro). I'm worried cycle services might take my bike away. I wrote my bike a note of apology.

Poor bike, it was custom built just for me by a couple Canadians and I mistreated it. It wasn't a bike built in a factory for any random rider. Sweet Thunder, was born because I dreamt of her. She was the in leau of a new car bike. The guys at Moment Cycle Sport spent a lot of time ( and probably lost a bit of money ) making sure she was really special. You are probably wondering why I feel so guilty. I was at least riding my bike. Something not all bike master's do which is a bigger sin against bike.

See the story gets worse. After that big ride I was tired. I didn't have much time and I had to attend a function with Tim. I put myself first. I showered and waited until the next day to clean the bike. I did my hair, put on a dress, high heels even wore some makeup. While I sipped a Merlot, my bike rotted from Carbo Pro.

Well all I can do is take Sweet Thunder to the urgent care (Moment Cycle Sport) and ask for some help. I tried to tell her it a cycle spa but she worries when she goes in there she'll be down for a few days. I tell her it's ok and there are lots of other nice bikes for her to visit with but she gets very upset and rubs her brakes against the rims. Poor bike, I think I her aero bars are hanging with sadness, sickness, and shame. I hear her pedals scratching the wall, asking for attention.

My road bike isn't helping either. She is all clean and snide. Her name is Princess and for good reason. She is bragging that she has never been treated that way. Bragging she gets to ride into Julian for pie. Bragging that she is not slopped on. In fact, she has proudly rested in a wrack for all to admire at Pannikin in Encinitas while her master had coffee. In fact, she snuggled up next to a Serotta. She fondly remembers riding all the way to San Clemente just to have lunch. Poor Sweet Thunder, she was crushed. I hope she can rally back and make it to the club TT tomorrow night.

Hot Rock Yoga

This weekend warranted a trip to Sedona for one of Tim's best friend's wedding. As usual I had a lot on my plate. Oh how would I juggle all my fun? The weekend consisted of a visit with the in-laws while attending Tim's friend's wedding, celebrating our one year anniversary (yes Tim has tolerated me for a whole year), and exploring every nook, cranny, and slot canyon Sedona had to offer. I was pretty sure I could keep up with my Ironman training. You see being a member of the Neuschwander family is pretty much Ironman training. I did worry I wouldn't uphold my weekly yoga session. ( I try to go at least once a week....doesn't sound like much but the weeks go by so quickly) I swear it prevents mental and physical injury, breakdown, and psychosis The teachers say it will lengthen the bones and regulate the thyroid;) Anyway I really couldn't see how I would fit in a session of hot yoga.

Saturday we headed out to run Soldiers pass. It was breathtaking, in part because it was beautiful and in part because it was at 5,000 ft. 5,000 ft might sound soft but you see I have to keep up with tall Tim and he has more hemoglobin than me because he is a boy. Plus he was very excited to run in such a cool place he was leaping up the hills.

I was having a wonderful time and soon we were at the summit of the trail. It would be a good day of running to log in the books but the yoga entry would be blank. What to do? I tricked my husband and father in law into scrambling up on top of a huge boulder and participating in my very own impromptu yoga class. Hah.....some people do have it all. Hot yoga and a long run on a Saturday morning. I thought I was very smart hosting hot rock yoga, however the students were real flunkies.

I demonstrate a simple yoga pose