Ouch

My ego got left somewhere along the side of the road tonight. The course was brutally hard, the other women are simply stronger and faster than me, and my stomach was cramping. Before the race started I was actually feeling pretty good, but I only managed to hang on for about 6 miles before the wind and hills completely overpowered me. I was the third to get dropped, so that's something at least. Sadly, I didn't finish the race. The stomach cramps turned nasty and I was choking back vomit on my last hill, so I decided that I had had enough. It was my first DNF, and hopefully my last.

I called Neil after I got home and he gave me some much needed encouragement. I'm revising my season goals from "podium placement" to "pack finish". I have to keep reminding myself that I'm racing way over my head with Cat 2 and 3's and they SHOULD be dropping me every race. At least I get a good workout on Tuesday nights. Oh, and one of the other women lives just down the street from me, so I now have a carpool to races. That alone almost makes tonight seem like a success.

Goals: 3 week report

How am I doing on all those lofty goals I set for myself when I first showed up in Rochester? Let's take a look.

1. Find a team I like.

This one has become kind of moot. There are no teams with women's squads in town, so I'll just stick with whoever I can find that will go on group rides with me. I've now emailed with two guys from the UofR team and they both seem enthusiastic and happy to ride, so I'll probably meet with them once they get back into town.

2. Lose some weight/fat

I didn't have a tape measure until yesterday, so let's consider this my baseline. Current measurements: Chest - 34.25, Waist - 30.5, Hips - 41.25, Thigh - 21.25
By publishing my measurements on a public blog maybe I can actually embarrass myself into making some progress. To make this goal more concrete, I want to lose an inch off my waist by the end of the summer.

3. Fix my diet

I'm quite happy with how I've done with this so far. The only pre-packaged thing I've eaten in the past three weeks has been mac and cheese, once. I'm eating produce like crazy, almost entirely whole grain breads and cereal, no sugary desserts, and so far it's working for me. I get occasional cravings for sweet stuff, but that is usually fixed by a piece of fruit or some jam on toast. I do eat my weekly doughnut on the way home from the grocery store, but I figure I deserve that.

4. Get back to regular lifting

Fail. Granted, I didn't have sneakers that I could use at the gym until last week, but still, I haven't even looked at the gym yet. I'm doing that on Tuesday.

5. Find a yoga class

There's one on Fridays at the medical center gym during a break between classes. If I can get myself signed up for the gym I will go this week.

6. Train smarter

I tried a little bit, it didn't work well. I think I should revise this goal to "ride at least three times each week" because I haven't even got that down yet.

7. Race as much as I can

I can race 10 Tuesdays for free (now that I've payed the club dues). After 10, it'll cost $1 each week. As long as I plan for Tuesdays to be a non-homework night, I should be able to do this. I might do an occasional weekend race too, but not until I can hold my own in the training races.

So, how did I do? I think I'm making progress. I've still got a long way to go, but at least I'm moving forward.

The well is empty

I haven't been on my race bike since Tuesday. The weather is beautiful, there's no real reason not to ride, but the excuses keep piling up in my head. I'm overwhelmed with schoolwork (although the mountain is shrinking), frustrated with my poor showing at the crit, scared I'll have another poor showing at the next race, and there's no one here to get me out on my bike but myself.

Then I read this. If you're ever struggling to understand why I fell head over heels for cycling in such a short time, read some of this blog, particularly the favorites in the sidebar. If you still don't get it, I just can't help you. That particular post articulates how I'm feeling right now perfectly. When I look for my motivation, it's just not there. But it will come back, maybe later today, maybe tomorrow, maybe next week. In the meantime, I'll be working through that shrinking mountain of reading and trying not to think about the race on Tuesday.

My First Crit, or, How to Improve Your Cornering

I was very nervous for my first GVCC race. What if they're all faster than me? What if I don't like anyone? What if I make a fool of myself? Many bad scenarios got replayed in my head over and over again.

When I arrived I realized my first big mistake. I had hardly eaten anything since noon. It was now 6 and my body was used to eating every 3-4 hours. This was a big problem, but there wasn't much I could do about it. We rode around the course several times to warm up. It was a 0.6 mile loop, with only two real corners. One half was slightly downhill and the other half was slightly uphill and into a headwind. Within a lap or two I realized my second big mistake. My legs were toasted from the ride on Monday. Maybe that has something to do with the crazy headwinds, but I bet it also had to do with going out dancing and only getting 7 hours of sleep before my insane first day of class. Just maybe.

I did my best to work the kinks out of my legs, but they were having none of it. The muscles were sluggish and already burning on the uphill. The race was going to be 20 minutes plus 5 laps. We started with a few neutral laps, which were nice to continue trying to coax my legs into good behavior. It didn't work. Then the racing started. At first I was fine, in the middle of our small pack (only 10 women) and breathing hard but not dying. I lost some ground on the uphill each lap, but I always do. The difference this time is that I couldn't make it up on the the downhill. After about 3 laps I was dangling off the back, gasping for air. After 5 laps, the pack was barely even in sight around the corners.

There are few things more demoralizing than putting every ounce of energy you have into just clinging to the back of the pack, and then getting dropped anyway. But, I have the voice of Neil in my head telling me over and over again, "If you get dropped, it's still good training. Just keep riding." So I kept riding. For a little while I made futile efforts to get back to the pack, but I never gained any ground. At one point someone else got dropped and I spent the rest of the race chasing her. I never caught her, but I never let her gain ground on me either. I owe her a lot of thanks, because having someone visible in front of me was just enough motivation to keep me going.

Throughout the race I also got to practice high-speed cornering. Cornering and I are not comfortable with each other yet, but I figured I might as well make the best use of my solo training race and practice. I started out taking the corners at about 19-20mph, and by the end I was pretty confidently taking them at 25mph. I call that good practice.

At some point along the way I got lapped. That was about the point that my energy reserve kicked in. Or maybe I was just mad about being lapped. Either way, my speed picked up significantly. There were only a few laps to go by then, though, so it hardly mattered. Shana ended up winning the race, and I was shocked to find out that I hadn't actually finished last. Someone else who was racing a crit for the first time had been dropped before me. That was also when I found out that in the pack had been three Cat 3's and a Cat 2. I felt a little better after that.

That race wasn't fun. There's no way to twist it around and make it seem fun. I got shelled off the back, heartily embarrassed, and was suffering badly the whole time. Luckily, I was stubborn enough to keep riding. I think I earned some respect for that, even if my bad judgment and lack of fitness were blatantly obvious. Next week it's a regular road race, and my goal will be very simple and very modest: Finish with pack.

Recon

The day before a race I always try to ride. It's my "blood volume" ride, and it seems to actually work. Basically, by riding I tell my body to maintain or increase its blood volume, rather than allowing it to drop. These increases and drops happen within a span of 24 hours, so without riding I would lose blood volume before the race. That has ll kinds of negative impacts on my racing form, so it's best to just ride the day before.

With that in mind, I decided to combine my BV ride with a little bit of reconnaissance. I checked out another of the GVCC race courses (actually, the course for next week). I rode for about 2 hours 15 minutes, for a total of almost 35 miles. Headwind all the way out there, tailwind all the way back. I don't think it's ever NOT windy in this place. Anyway, like the other one, this course is mostly flat to rolling with a couple of little bumps that I can power over easily. It'll be great for me. Any course that doesn't involve real climbing (real climbing = sustained for 1 mile or more) should work to my advantage. So far the two courses I've seen look like Cherry Pie, without the uphill finish. Note: Before that uphill finish I was in 5th or 6th place at Cherry Pie.

I realize that by saying all of this in a public forum, although not read by very many people, I will almost certainly get a severely bruised ego after racing these courses. But that's okay, I can handle some bruising, as long as it's dished out by women that are actually faster and stronger than me. Tomorrow is the first test. I've got a ride to the race, done all the training I could, and hopefully will not make a fool of myself. If only I were better at cornering...

Even flat intervals hurt

I never thought I'd say this, but I miss hills. Hills force you to be honest and push hard. When the road is flat and there's no one to make you go hard except yourself, it's way too easy to cheat. I think this is going to be a problem in the future.

Luckily, it wasn't a problem today. The weather was so iffy for most of the afternoon and I was so antsy to get out and try the new roads that Todd showed me that when I finally got out there motivation was not an issue. I had all the motivation in that world and I was ready to go ride for an hour, hammer out some hard intervals, then ride for another hour back. That was the plan. Unfortunately, the wind had other ideas.

Wind is a normal problem, especially in flat areas, but today was a special kind of wind. It was blowing from every direction at once and when it decided to gust into my face it could knock 10mph off my speed. I was pushing into it as hard as I could and moving at about 12mph. I don't like wind.

So, when I got out to the area I had decided to explore (one of the race courses for GVCC) I was already more than warmed up. But, I was there, the sun was out, my iPod was ready and intervals awaited. I turn on the music (random play started with Kanye West - Glory, good choice for intervals) and start the suffering. Three minutes, flat out as hard as I could go. The first one is always the hardest. I chose to do nice intervals today, so I let myself recover completely. Then start up again for another three minutes. Repeat four times. By the time I had finished four, I was done. Well, my legs were done. I knew they'd get me home, but if I tried for a fifth or to go exploring bad things would happen. So I headed home.

I've gotta say, it felt really good to get out there and push myself to the limit again. I had the biggest, stupidest grin on my face as I was riding home. The wind was still going strong, but it had decided to stay at my back all the way home. Nothing like riding home at 25mph despite having trashed my legs. When I got off my bike my knees were wobbly and it hurt to walk up the stairs, exactly what I wanted to feel.

One more important note for today: That course is going to suit me perfectly in a race. It'll be a few weeks before we go out there, but I should be able to rock that course. I can just hope that the crit on Tuesday will be similar. I should probably work on my cornering for that crit, too. Hmmm... maybe tomorrow.

Getting Schooled

I've been emailing with Todd, the guy that runs the GVCC. At one point he offered to show me some good roads to ride on, and I jumped at the chance. He then says, "I can swing by after I hit up the some hard training." Alarm bells should have gone off at this point.

So, at the designated time, he ride up to my house, wearing full kit and riding a rather beautiful bike (I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't notice what kind). He pulls off his Rudy Project glasses (yes, I did notice that) and introduces himself. We head south from my house, and I immediately come to the conclusion that I'm in trouble. It wasn't so much our speed that tipped me off, but I made the mistake of checking out his legs. Perfectly shaven to display a level of muscle definition that strikes both awe and fear into my heart.

We're chatting and cruising along, and I notice that my legs are burning a little. I think I'm just stiff from the ride yesterday and having been off the bike for so long. Then I glance down at my speed. Turns out we're cruising at about 21mph, before I'm warmed up. I think to myself, "I'm sure we'll slow down once we get away from traffic, and I'll be fine once I'm warmed up," so I don't say anything. Todd is continuing to chat about racing, school, and all kinds of stuff in a way that proves he's not even a little bit out of breath. I try to keep up my end of the conversation, but it comes out in half sentences, since I have to catch my breath every 4-5 words.

After only 15 minutes or so of riding, we come to an area that is made up of beautiful fields, backroads and old farmhouses. Perfect cycling country. I would have been enjoying the view, except Todd was maintaining his cruising speed of about 19-21mph. I should point out that we were riding side by side the entire time, in order to hold a conversation, so I couldn't just draft off his wheel. I should also point out that my typical cruising speed on this kind of terrain is in the 16-18mph range.

About 30 minutes into the ride I was feeling warmed up. There comes a point when the muscles just get loose and happy and I can feel the blood pumping without feeling much of a burn at all. I hit that point, and felt really good. It didn't last. About the time the good leg feeling was fading Todd says, "If I'm going to fast or too slow, make sure you tell me." Being as competitive as I am, he might as well have said, "I dare you to keep up with me." So I did. The good legs went away and the burn started to creep in.

As we turned onto my road, with Todd still chatting amiably and without sign of fatigue, I realized that I had done almost no talking for the last few miles. He either didn't notice or, more likely, was kind enough to not point it out. We got back, I thanked him profusely for coming out to show me around, and watched him ride off into the sunset. I check my computer. Turns out we had gone over 18 miles in about an hour. When you factor in stoplights, etc. that amounts to pretty darn fast. My last race in Portland was a 20.4 mile time trial that I did in just over an hour. His cool down was my tempo workout. I believe that I got schooled tonight. The great thing? I feel like I could've gone farther. Maybe those two weeks without my bike weren't so terrible after all.

My first race is on Tuesday. With luck, maybe I can do a little schooling of my own.

More progress, and a ride to Lake Ontario

Today I took Paris in to Full Moon Vista for his tune up. The mechanic there today was named Dave and he was incredibly friendly. We chatted about all kinds of stuff, and it turns out he's an RN and Respiratory Therapist, as well as a photographer and bike mechanic. Busy guy. Anyway, while he was checking out Paris I sat and drank a complimentary cup of coffee and listened to his stories about Rochester and his multiple jobs, etc. Then he'd send me off on a test ride, I'd come back and tell him what was still wrong and he'd continue wrenching and chatting. It was great.

In the midst of this, I met Shana, a very enthusiastic racer. She was encouraging and helpful and suggested that I show up to the race on Tuesday night to meet other women. There are no scheduled group rides, and not enough women on any given team for tactics to matter much in the races, so joining a team is becoming less of a priority. But, networking with the female racers in town will help me get in on impromptu rides and maybe carpooling to races.

Also while I was there, I talked a bit with Kyle, the mechanic who had worked on Johnny a couple days ago. He recognized me right away, even remembered my name, which was really nice. He helped me figure out the best route for my ride to the lake and back. Dave offered me the chance to ride with him and a friend or two that evening a 4pm, but I wanted to be back home in time to eat and go swing dancing tonight, so I politely declined. But, the invitation stands for every Tuesday and Wednesday around 4, so I'll try to join them soon if my class schedule allows it.

I'd now spent over an hour hanging out in the shop, so I finished my coffee and took off in the direction of Lake Ontario. The route Kyle gave me went through the park that contains the Seneca Park Zoo.


There was a pretty pond in the park, it looked like a nice place for a picnic. Be warned that most of these pictures were taken while I was riding, so they might not be the best quality.


After the zoo I crossed over the Genesee River on a fabulous bike/pedestrian only bridge. Portland could learn a thing or two about bike/ped bridges from Rochester. So far I've used two of them and they are wonderful.


The view from the bridge was pretty good too.


This is the path I took along the other side of the river.


The path becomes this really nifty boardwalk. I saw lots of fun wildlife along the boardwalk, including an older guy with a bike (and a beer can in his bottle cage) who asked me if I have a boyfriend. I said yes, and pedaled away.


Turtle
Swan
Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird


After the boardwalk and wildlife viewing, I continued along the river. There was a cool bridge, that I eventually went over.


Under the bridge I almost got attacked by a pair of geese protecting their adorable goslings.


I finally made it to Lake Ontario! There was a nice big park, and a nice beach, and a lot of water. There was also an ice cream place, so I'm sure the future holds many rides to the lake for ice cream this summer. It was a very overcast, Oregon kind of day. I'm sure on sunny days this place would be packed.


One last shot of downtown Rochester.

The ride home was uneventful. I did get to laugh at what Dave had called "a nice climb." It did make me drop me speed to single digits (because I was conserving energy), but it lasted maybe a tenth of a mile, at most. If that's what they call I climb out here, I might as well call myself a climber. For a few more pictures, and larger versions of the ones you've seen, click here.

Progress already

I've done some emailing and will be talking to a female racer tomorrow at Full Moon Vista when I take Paris in for his checkup. With luck, she'll be able to hook me up with some group rides. I still need to figure out whether or not to get a collegiate license from USAC and get my applications in for the GVCC so I can participate in their training races. It's all starting to fall into place :)

Time to get serious! :-D

My road bike (I call him Paris) finally arrived. I spent the day with my laptop refreshing the UPS tracker page every 15 minutes :)

He arrived in a mostly torn apart state, so I just spent an hour trying to figure out how to get him back together. It was mostly successful, and he's now in rideable condition, but his first ride will be to Full Moon Vista to get checked out and fix his shifting. And then I'll probably continue on to Lake Ontario.

The most exciting thing about having my race bike back is that I can start racing again! I've contacted the captain of the UofR cycling team and plan to join the GVCC. I also need to get myself a USA Cycling license. If I can get that all sorted out by May 24th, I just might be able to compete in the Corning Circuit Race!

If I'm going to race in less than two weeks, I'm going to need to get some serious training in first. Hopefully through the UofR team and the GVCC I'll be able to find a gorup ride or two and some ideas about where to go for training. This is so exciting!

Caitlin's 12 step guide to bike assembly

Step 1: Slice into finger while getting the box open. Get banddaid from nameless roommate to avoid dripping blood on the floor or bike.
Step 2: Assemble the bike. This is the closest thing I've ever done to a bike build. Poor thing was in all kinds of pieces in order to fit in the box.
Step 3: Discover that a tiny piece for the front brake was missing.
Step 4: While trying to make the front brake work anyway, break an essential piece.
Step 5: Yell and curse a lot.
Step 6: Find and call a bike shop that claims it'll have the parts to fit even a very old set of brakes.
Step 7: Ride very slowly and carefully using only the rear brake to said bike shop.
Step 8: Get brake fixed. Offer to pay, get turned down.
Step 9: Buy a rear rack with attached baskets, partly out of gratitude and guilt, mostly because I need to haul groceries.
Step 10: Ride home very carefully carrying rack in one hand, but able to use both brakes.
Step 11: Attach rear rack and baskets.
Step 12: Admire handiwork. Realize that 4 hours have passed and I need to eat dinner.

Now I can get around town. As Mel Gibson so succinctly put it, "FREEDOM!"

Goals

Since my original plans regarding racing and training got somewhat derailed by this move, I've got a new list of goals to work on this summer, some easier than others.

1. Find a team I like. UofR has a cycling team, but I'm going to make sure I don't just join up because that's where I go to school. There are other teams in the area and I want to check them out before I decide.

2. Lose some weight/fat. I'm near the heaviest weight I've ever been, although I'm also in the best shape I've been since my first knee surgery. I don't really care what my final weight ends up being, but I do want to decrease my % body fat and that will result in weight and inches loss. I'm guessing about 15-20 lbs, which should put me down about two sizes. I don't have a scale right now, so I'll be watching measurements and weighing myself occasionally at the gym.

3. Fix my diet. I am now 100% in control of the food I eat and the food available to me for the first time in my life. I can and will make sure that I eat healthy foods and avoid junk. Reduce fat and avoid simple sugars and I should be good. I'm also trying to add at least some veggies or fruit to every meal, and using produce as my snacks and desserts. Obviously this will help a lot with goal #2.

4. Get back to regular lifting. I didn't even manage once a week for my last month in Portland. I need to maintain all the muscle I've built and my feminine physiology isn't doing my any favors. I need to get myself to the gym, as much as I don't like it.

5. Find a yoga class. I loved yoga and it's one of the best stress relievers I've ever found. Plus it's a great workout for building and toning muscle. I'm not exactly an elite cyclist that needs to do nothing but ride and I think the added strength and energy will help me a lot. I think I can get free classes through UofR. If that's true, I'm signing up.

6. Train smarter. Mostly this involves getting a heart rate monitor. I'm not very good at the perceived effort thing, especially when I'm by myself. I have a tendency to ease up too much when I should be going all out or pushing too hard when I should be recovering. I think having a number in front of me will help a lot. It will at least help me know how I should feel depending on the goal for that ride/interval.

7. Race as much as I can. Money and time are going to become significantly limiting factors once school starts. Transportation might also be a problem. But I still love to race and will do whatever it takes to get out there and do it.

My commuter bike will be here by Friday. I'm already itching to ride.

Welcome

This will be where I write about bike stuff. Currently I don't have any bikes with me, so it'll be a little while before I write anything interesting. Until then, I apologize to those that understood the joke in the title. If you don't get it, consider yourself better off.