Road to Bike Across Kansas

My goal for this year is to ride a century before the cold weather hits. I’m still gearing up for BAK next year, and feel a century is a great way to build my confidence.

I’ve done some looking around for some training guides. I’ve gotten books out of the library and read them, but everything is soooo complicated. It’s like I’m training to go to the moon, not ride my bike 100 miles. I know it’s a long way, but I am a work at home mom and need something simple to get me prepared for this journey.

I recently found the Century Training Guide. It’s an ebook, so I ordered it and it came right to my computer (which I love). This training guide is very thorough, but it’s very simple.

He starts out the guide by telling you what a century is and then goes into the equipment you’ll need and how to prepare for the ride ~ the right clothes, bike equipments as well as a fantastic bike kit list ~ which I found invaluable.

He then gets into the training. He offers some high tech ways to train as well as some lower tech ways to do the same thing, which I really like because I don’t really want to spend a lot of money on high tech devices. (Well that’s not really true, I’d love to spend them money on them, but it’s not in the budget right now!)

He shows you not only training on your bike, but also weight training to get well rounded fitness and strength. I think this is really important, because I think my big foot issue last year was partially due to only working out on the bike, and not stretching/working other parts of my body. (Hoping to avoid the foot thing this year).

The on bike training is very thorough, but not too confusing. He breaks things up into “zones” which can be measured by heart rate (or perceived exertion if you don’t have a heart rate monitor). Each zone has a certain purpose and you workout in each zone on specific days for specific times. This allows your body to stretch its limits, but also have time to recover ~ which is really important.

I really like how the training is really easy to understand and it feels like something I could actually DO! What I REALLY like is at the end of the book he offers 3 workout charts. He lays out which zone you should be working out, for how long and when ~ but for 3 different fitness levels. So even if you are a super beginner (like I’m going to be after a super lazy winter) this century training will work for you as well.

After the training section he goes into nutrition ~ which is huge to make it through 100 miles on your bike. He lays out a very sound nutrition plan ~ to use through training as well as the day of your ride.  He also includes an entire section on vegetarian nutrition ~ while I’m not a vegetarian, I thought it was an excellent addition to the book.

All in all this century training guide is very thorough, but what I like best is it is simple enough as not to be so overwhelming I just put it away. This is  century training I can do! Which is great, because then I might actually do it. If you’re looking for a straight forward guide to learn how to train for a century I highly recommend it.

photo credit: sanchom

After a few days of email and youtube tag I finally got together with my Crossfit Trainer and she ok’d my form on my squats so I could get going on my Tabata Squat assessment.

What are Tabata Squats?

1 word?

Hell.

More than 1 word?

It is 8 rounds of squats. Each round lasting 20 seconds, with 10 seconds of rest between each round.

The goal is to do as many squats as you can in the 20 seconds.

Only the number of your lowest round counts. Dang.

My first Tabata Squat workout:

It didn’t go as badly as I thought it would. I quite frankly thought my number would be 0 ~ as in I can not squat once at all in the last round. That was not the case however.

While only the lowest number counts I want to keep a record of how I’m doing so I can gauge my progress over time.

Round 1: 8
Round 2: 8
Round 3: 8
Round 4: 9
Round 5 8
Round 6: 8 (seriously feeling the burn)
Round 7: 7
Round 8: 8

So the number for my first Tabata Squats workout is 7.

If you want to see Tabata Squats for REAL. Go to Crossfit and watch this video: ” Tabata Squat Demo-3 Flying Ladies” Just scroll down toward the bottom of the page ~ they’re in alphabetical order.

At this point in my Crossfit training I am getting up to a base level so I can start doing the WOD (workout of the day). My trainer is sending me my workouts at this point and I’ll post what I’m doing here.

If you are more fit than I  ~ and most people are lol…

You can go to CrossFit and look at the WOD there and just do it yourself.

I’m really looking forward to starting to do my workouts for time and getting in the game with everyone else.

On a side note:

Paleo eating is not as hard as I thought it was going to be. I have also given myself a little room to not be perfect, and not be 100% ALL the time. So I eat a little cheese on my eggs. I had a sugar cookie when Hanna and Ryan made them. I don’t want to completely deprive myself of the holiday festivities ~ and I figure if I do a little better today, than I did yesterday then I’m good to go.

I’ve found some great Paleo blogs and I’m having a great time finding new Paleo recipes and cooking new Paleo foods. Ryan is not quite so gung ho ~ but as long as I feed him some kind of non vegetable carb on the side he seems fine to go along with the game.

If you’re doing Crossfit I’d love to hear from you ~ I’d especially love to hear about when you first started ~ your experience, and progress.

So yesterday I was hunting all around the net for some good Paleo recipes. I found some great websites offering quite a few Paleo choices. My favorite of which is Everyday Paleo. I love how she is a busy mom of 3, and makes eating Paleo look easy enough for everyone to do, and the food looks fantastic!

I also found a Paleo Cookbook. I subscribed to his list and received a fantastic Paleo shopping list. It really helped me open up my mind to all the options that really are available. He also sent a quick recipe and it looked delicious.

I decided to make it for lunch, although the recipe looked a little off to me. I’m not a huge fan of dill and the recipe called for a LOT of dill. I also wasn’t sure how many it was supposed to serve, so I broke it down to where I felt it would be good for one person. Here it is:

Sweet Potato, Bacon and Egg Salad

1 sweet potato
2 slices of bacon
2 boiled eggs
2 tbsp mayo
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp of dill

Chop the potato and put it in water to boil. Cook your bacon til it’s nice and crispy. Boil your eggs while you do the potatoes if you don’t already have some boiled.

When the eggs, potato and bacon are cooked crumble the bacon and chop the egg. Mix them all together in a bowl. (I only used about half the sweet potato. I’ll save the rest for later)

Make the sauce ~ combine the mayo, lemon and dill and pour over your salad. Stir to mix.

Eat it up ~ YUM.

I’m liking this whole Paleo thing so far! If you’ve got other Paleo sites or recipes I’d love to hear about them.

Hey Ya’ll, I’m back. I know it’s been forever. I’ve been sitting here in windy old Kansas feeling sorry for myself that I can’t get out and ride, that it’s too cold, too windy, too dark, too whatever.  This does not lead to fitness, nor does it lead to completing BAK in 2011.

Yesterday I talked to a friend of mine in Minneapolis, she’s a certified Cross Fit coach and is in the process of opening her own CrossFit gym with her husband. She’s really excited about it, and her enthusiasm got me curious, so I took a look.

It looks scary as hell ~ but really fun and challenging at the same time.

If you’ve never heard of cross fit it’s based on functional movement ~ a lot of police forces, and the military use this or similar training.  It also uses serious muscle confusion to keep your body working for you.

Each day Cross fit puts out a WOD (workout of the day). These workouts are timed ~ the faster you get through them the better. This gives you not only a great strength workout, but cardio as well. You can read all about it at CrossFit.com.

So today we had our first real “consultation” and we talked about nutrition, life and of course the workouts. She gave me a run down of the “assessment” and I’m frickin skeered. I’m thinking to myself ~ now wait a minute, I can ride my bike 36 miles ~ but I don’t think there’s any way in hell I can do all this!! And it’s just the ASSESSMENT???

It really got me to thinking about overall fitness, and how important it is going to be in addition to bike fitness. I am also getting interested in doing some mountain biking, seems there are some really nice singletracks around these parts ~ but again ~ I suck with the cold weather and the wind.

So this winter I’m going to really focus on my overall total fitness, getting stronger, getting fitter and I’m going to do it with Crossfit. I will ride my bike when I can (hopefully it will be more than the last month or so), but my primary focus is to build a base level of fitness so I can be in good shape come spring. I think I can do that with Crossfit.

One other really fun thing about Cross fit is since everyone is doing the same workout each day (you can scale the workout to your ability, but everyone from Army Ranger to Grandma does the same workout) everyone at the gym puts up their time ~ and it becomes even more motivation to push through and do better with each workout. I really like this aspect of it, and I’m really glad that even though my Crossfit Coach is in Minnesota she’s putting together something that will help me get involved with the other people in her gym.

Today I’m putting together some medicine balls, and trying to get some better foods in the house. The assessement is on Friday ~ figure I will need a couple days to recover before I have to work out again, so better to start on Friday.

I’d love to hear what you think about crossfit as well as what you are doing to maintain and develop your overall fitness!

It’s good to be back, and I’ll be here more regularly now that I’m back on track.

photo credit: Lee Sie

Well it seems official ~ fall is here. The leaves are starting to change, the days are getting colder and the nights are getting downright COLD. Not only that it is getting rainy and the wind has been blowing full tilt for a week now. All of these things make me less than eager to get on my bike, even though I really want to go for a bike ride.

So I’m in a bit of a quandry.

It’s not like this type of weather is going to go away or get any better, for that matter, for the next 4 or 5 months. So what am I going to do with myself for the next 5 months?

I was reading Fat Cyclist’s blog this morning and he apparently intends to just let all his hard work and fitness go to hell eating twinkies all winter. I just can’t really handle that. I’ve worked hard in the last couple months to get myself in good enough shape to meet the goals I had set for myself. I just can’t wrap my head around letting it all go south and having to start over again in the spring.

Here’s the deal though ~ I hate exercise. Yeah, I don’t really consider riding my bike exercise, it’s just this fun thing I get to do to get some peace and quiet and alone time. It doesn’t much seem like that when I think about riding on a trainer in my living room with my toddler screaming and running around and me having to watch out she doesn’t put her fingers in the spokes.

So what’s a new bike rider supposed to do in her first off season?

Oh ~ did you think I was gonna have a big plan?

Not so much.

I do think I will get a trainer.  I would like to do more yoga. I would like to do more weight bearing stuff.

Hmm… these sound like the ideas I’ve been having for the lat 30 somthing years lol. Therein lies the problem. How do I actually get motivated to do all this stuff? I have an elliptical trainer and a full gym in my basement, but I haven’t been down there in a couple years. It’s not like the opportunity is not here, I just can’t get motivated enough to do it.

I am hoping to get a new road bike around Christmas time this year. If I got a trainer maybe I could set a mileage goal I had to meet before I can get my new bike?

I also recently picked up a training guide for centuries ~ maybe I could do the training involved on the trainer. That might be fun ~ maybe I could even start a contest with some cycling friends of mine ~ most winter miles?? Maybe I could even set up a way to do a century in my living room?

OK ~ I’m starting to see possible ways I can get motivated, and I really think most of it is going to have to be on the bike. It’s definitely not the same as having the wind in your hair and blowing in your ears, but I think I can make it work.  The alternative is letting it all go to shit and starting over in the spring, and I’m REALLY not feeling that.

So it seems the first order of business is to get a new trainer and eek out some space where I can ride it.  I’m gonna start looking at Craigslist today.  Know what’s really funny? My husband was trying to get me to buy a trainer a month or so ago. I kept telling him “I don’t need a trainer! I’m gonna ride outside”. Ha ha ha ~ yeah, I forgot what a wuss I was about being cold.

What keeps you motivated and in shape through out the winter? Is there something we can do together? I’m game, if you can think of something. I’m ready to stay in shape ~ I’m loving how I’m looking and feeling ~ and oh yeah, I really haven’t mentioned this at all but I’ve lost 12 pounds so far since I started riding my bike. That feels GOOD!!!

photo credit: JoshuaDavisPhotography.COM

Biking is a strenuous sport, especially when you decide to take on long distances. Long distance cycling can lead to a lot of different aches and pains in quite a few areas of the body.  What it comes down to for a lot of these pains, especially in the beginning,  is that you are using muscles in a way they are not used to being used.

To solve this problem you can do some things to condition your muscles, which will help eliminate the pain biking may cause, but you can also use stretches to help alleviate muscle aches and pains you are already dealing with.

I was reading a bike blog the other day, Bike Carson, he had posted a video from Luke Wold (of Wold Fitness in Carson City)  about some stretches you can do to help prevent low back pain after a long bike ride.  The video was great, and the stretches have definitely helped, even though I haven’t experienced a lot of low back pain, I could tell the muscles the stretches were targeting were, in fact, really tight.

What was really cool was I asked about my crazy toe cramps after the Walnut Valley ride and Luke (the guy that made the video) was kind enough to respond with some exercises I can do to strengthen my toes and feet, as well as some things I can do to help alleviate the foot pain.

Here’s what Luke had to say:

Hey Jackie,

Toe and foot cramps are really common in cyclists. This is because of weakness in the feet.

See, if they wear a stiff cycling shoe, they crunch their toes up trying for some extra power. If they wear regular shoes, their foot flexes and works some muscles they don’t normally use.

To strengthen the muscles of the toes and feet, I like to have my clients work out in their socks. This has an added benefit of fixing a lot of knee problems.

Think of a foot next to a shoe. For performance and health, which of the two should be stronger? A great foot will do good in a crummy shoe, while a great shoe can’t make up for a weak foot.

I’d prescribe:

- sock/barefoot walking and warming up when doing land-based exercises
- Massaging the whole sole of the foot with a tennis ball
- taking your shoes off at your desk and crunching a towel up with your toes, then spreading it out and crunching it up again
- adding in some calf raises where you really focus on pointing down your great toe, this trains the flexor hallucis longus, which seems to cramp the most
- making sure to drink enough water

Have fun riding!

~ Luke Wold

PS – For you really hardcore types that want a KILLER calf exercise, try one-legged hops holding a dumbbell on the same side as the working leg. Hop hop hop!

I thought it was great that he was able to give me some real suggestions to help with this problem, when I’ve pretty much heard “get cycling shoes” from everyone else. I’ve been doing the toe exercises ~ it’s pretty easy since I sit at my computer desk every day. Now I find myself grabbing things with my toes all the time, whether it’s sand when I’m out playing with Hanna or the dog who’s laying on my feet. My feet are still kind of achy, but I think that’s because I’ve been giving them such a workout the last few days.

You really should stop by Bike Carson it’s a pretty fun read, and I love to check out other places in the country where people are riding. It’s so interesting to see the different landscapes and environments people get to enjoy. So make sure you check it out, and here’s the video on back stretches to prevent the lower back pain bike riding can cause.

Finishing Walnut Valley Metric

I have to say Sunday morning I was very jittery. I was pretty nervous, not only about the ride, but about the details of getting registered, getting my little one taken care of, and all kinds of other things I made up in my head. Mostly I was worried about my feet causing such a problem I wouldn’t be able to finish the ride.

My mom showed up about 7am. She took the little monkey and we headed over to Winfield. (I forgot how quiet it is without a 3 year old in the car lol). When we got there I started getting really excited seeing everyone there, and all the bikes. I was glad to see there were other people with mountain and other non road bikes. There were a few recumbants as well as two bikes where the rider laid on the ground and pedaled with his hands. (which was pretty cool to see ~ I biked behind one for a while and was concerned about cars being able to see him, but he had someone riding right behind him)

I went to the sign in place and registration was quick and easy. Then I had an hour to wait until the ride started lol. So much for that concern. I got my first (of many I’m sure) t shirt. We hung out in the parking lot, taking some videos, and I checked out a lot of bikes. (did a bit of drooling as well)

At 9am everyone gathered and the ride started. Dang I have never seen so many bikes in one spot in my LIFE!! I was kinda nervous getting started and getting in everyone’s way. I tried to pick a spot near the back, but those speedy riders came out of no where!!

(no the girl crashing at the start is NOT me)

Once things started going and the speedy folks passed me (which didn’t take long) I just started enjoying the ride. We don’t live far from Winfield and I assumed the terrain would be similar to ours. PHEW was I WRONG. At one point I thought I’d come over and ride the route in a car. I’m so glad I did not. I am also glad I didn’t have a good working definition of “rolling hills” when I decided to do this ride. If either of those things had happened I’m quite sure I would never have agreed to do it.

As it happens they didn’t happen and I quickly found myself facing hills bigger than I have faced thus far, and one right after another. I could not believe how many hills they found so close to my house. Where I ride you get a hill, then some flatness, then another hill ~ you have some recovery time built in.

I noticed I was riding much faster than normal, and I kept hearing everyone’s online voice in my head ~ about riding my own ride, not pushing it etc etc. Well,  it all felt really easy, even the hills for the first 10 miles. I figured it was adrenaline or something.

or something

The something goes by the name of WIND!! It didn’t really feel that windy (but it never does to me when I’ve got a tail wind lol). So I’m riding along and doing ok, I’m feeling good, I’m taking the hills. My feet are starting to hurt. I’m not looking at my odometer because I don’t want to look down and see how far I have left to go. I did watch the time. My goal for the ride was 3 hours. My feet were starting to hurt a LOT. I was, at one point, wondering if I was going to make it. At that point I came up over a hill and realized I saw BIKES (yeah, I hadn’t really seen any the whole way lol). I thought to myself, OMG I’m catching up to people. NOPE. It was the first SAG stop. I had never been so happy about a banana and solid ground.

After a few minutes I got back on and my feet were ok. I was good. I rode a few more miles and took the next turn. BAM. WIND.

OK. OK. OK.  Yeah, at that point I really did start saying that to myself. I then started telling myself I can do it, it’s gonna be OK, I really can do it!! I just lowered my gears, spun it out and it went ok. Again at one point I was starting to think my feet were not going to allow me to make it. Wouldn’t you know it, I came over another hill and there was the second SAG stop!!

Another banana, a nutrigrain bar, big glass of water, walking on flat ground stretching out my feet.  A few minutes later I was ready to go. I realized I was over half way there. The second SAG was at 20 miles. Only 15 miles left to go.  A short way down the road was the split between the 35 and 65 mile rides. I took a right and followed the blue 35 mile arrows.  The wind seemed to lessen a little bit. The hills were big and winding, but they were fun because the downhills were really winding as well and I’d never done that before. The scenery was absolutely AMAZING. I had no idea we had such amazing scenery around these parts.

I finally got, what seemed like, down a mountain ~ but considering I live in Kansas it probably wasn’t, and ended up back in town. The arrows got a little confusing at times, but I figured it out. I finally checked my odometer and realized I was already at 31 miles. YAY. I stopped and called my mom to let her know I’d be back in a few minutes and to look out for me so I could have video of me finishing my first ride.

As I rode down the street, back toward the place I had started just over 3 hours earlier I felt a huge sense of accomplishment, and joy. I did it. Alone. By myself. Just me, myself, the wind, my bike and my aching ass feet. By the time I rode across the finish line my feet felt like one huge charley horse of toes. I actually felt like my toes were curled and disfigured (which I’m sure they weren’t because they went back to normal quite quickly when I started walking). But I did it.

The end was somewhat anticlimactic. There were no people, well, just my mom and my daughter who promptly asked me “were you nice to your friends today?”. ahh. We went out for lunch, and I felt absolutely no guilt over my chips/salsa and chimichanga.

photo credit: Mi Pah

This is it, this is what got this whole shebang started.  I decided to do the Walnut Valley Metric two short months ago when I first got back on my bike. I thought it would give me the motivation to keep getting on the bike (although now I see I didn’t really need the extra motivation but can’t wait to ride this ride).

I’m a little concerned about a few things:

1. I’ve been having this crazy foot pain the last week or so.

2. The weather report is now forecasting 85 degrees and 15mph winds. (and we all know how much I love the wind ~ NOT)

3. Getting up,  getting Hanna taken care of and getting there on time.

4. How to get my packet and all the logistical stuff of a ride ~ just first time jitters.

Those are the things giving me a little nervous jittery feeling in my stomach today, but all in all I think it’s mostly jittery excitement that the day has finally come!

Here’s what I’m doing to be prepared for tomorrow:

1. Finally got tubes. Will be taking 2 with me (just in case).

2. Drinking lots of water today to get hydrated ~ I’ve been a little lax on the water lately and think it may be contributing to some of my muscle issues as well.

3. Packing all Hanna’s stuff today. She’s going to the ride with my mom, but will need stuff to stay busy.

4. Getting food and stuff together. I’ll be taking a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, as well as a banana. (It’s only 35 miles, not sure why I’m freaking out ~ I’ve already ridden 30 so I know I can do it ~ and without all this fuss lol.)

5. Get the water backpack ready for tomorrow. I’ve debated on taking just a water bottle, but I seem to stay better hydrated with the backpack because I don’t worry about falling off my bike mucking around with the water bottle.

6. Cooking a yummy dinner tonight. I think we’ll have Shrimp Marinara with Whole Wheat Pasta and Salad.

7. I made banana nut pancakes this morning and there’s plenty for tomorrow before the ride ~ just stick them in the toaster.

8. Get some money so I can pay my entry fee ~ gotta remember that, I don’t think they’ll take debit cards lol.

9. Lay out clothes for tomorrow so I don’t have to think at such an early hour of the morning.

10. Go to bed early and sleep well!!

So that’s my big plan for the day. If you see something I’ve forgotten or totally don’t even know about please feel free to add it in the comments ~ I can use all the help I can get.

I will be giving my mom the video camera and a camera so hopefully tomorrow night I will have video/pictures to share!

Wish me luck!

A couple weeks ago my husband was looking through some cycling forums trying to find a solution to his seious butt ache problems. In the forum someone talked about a conversation he had heard between a lady and Lance Armstrong. She asked him how he rides without his hiney hurting, and his reply was.

Lady, my ass hurts every day.

This whole idea of riding through pain intrigues me. You know pain is one of the reasons I hate exercise. I hate lifting weights because I can’t move the next day, aerobics gives me plenty of aches and pains, and it seems easier to quit than to suffer.

So what makes cycling so different?

Really ~ I’m being serious.  The last two rides I’ve done my feet have not only been numb, but they have been in serious PAIN. I’ve had this weird foot thing before where it feels like I’m walking on 10 inch chef knives every time I take a step, and this is what it feels like every time I push the pedal down one more time, and yet I keep doing it.

I have not gotten off the bike. I have not put the bike back in the barn.

In fact, I have actively gone out looking for solutions. I’ve bought cycling shoes. I have bought new sneakers. Robert told me his foot numbing was helped my a new seat ~ and I’ll be looking into that soon.  I’m making an appointment with my kinesiologist to deal with the foot pain issue.

Spending all this money to fix this issue so I can keep riding.  What it is about cycling, and cycling now that has me so enraptured I’m not only willing to be in pain, but willing and ready to spend money to solve the problem so I can ride even MORE!!

I don’t know. I think it’s about the freedom, the solitude, the fresh air, the confidence I have gained, the joy it gives me to know I created all that power to get myself, this bike (and many times a toddler and a trailer) home, even when I thought I might not make it and contemplate whether I’ll need to call someone to pick me up.  I have never felt this way about a sport, or exercise before.

I have always looked for the easiest, and most simple reason to stop doing, I have never gone out looking to do more.

There’s something magical about cycling. You can feel it just talking to other cyclists. You can feel it when you read the story of someone else’s ride. You can feel it when you get together, the anticipation of a good ride with a group of like minded people.

There’s something about cycling that helps you get through, whatever it is that’s going on in your life, even if your butt does hurt every day.

I don’t know if people are like this about other sports ~ I imagine they are, but it’s like a whole new world has opened up to me since the day I decided to get back in the saddle again, and even though my feet hurt and I’ve got a pain in my ass I LOVE it!!

I went out and grabbed my bike today to put it on the bike rack. Where’s the first place you grab when you grab your bike? Yep the seat.

Here’s what I grabbed.

You know what’s really funny? When I showed my hubby the pictures he actually asked me if I found the frog BEFORE  or AFTER my ride.

Now come on ~ I think I would feel a frickin frog in my butt for 18 miles~ RIGHT???