I know myself well. I don't like surprises. Correction. I like surprises if I know about them. This is both the beauty and the curse of being a control freak. My husband refers to it as my "neuroses". RAAM is 9 days for everything to go right...or to go wrong...and so in training for RAAM, my goal is to be as prepared as possible. (Photo of a card Leary gave me after the first day of riding.)During RAAM, each rider on the team will cover approx 750 miles (assuming the total 3,000 mile distance divided by 4 riders). My plan is to get as close to that 750 mile mark as possible during training so I can experience what that type of mileage feels like and also learn what works well or may potentially fail (sore neck, sore butt, bike pants that work or don't work, etc.).
My RAAM training consists of a 3 week cycle/rotation which includes: 1 week of "quality" (speed work, hill repeats), 1 week of volume (pure mileage), and 1 week of recovery (go to my favorite spin and yoga classes, catch up on all the DVR recordings from the past 2 weeks, eat, and sleep).
The week of April 11th was my biggest volume week to date with 5 days of 100 miles each day. Here is a brief summary of how it went.
Mon (4/11) - 100: Here I Go!
I spent the prior weekend mentally ramping up for this week and Monday's ride kicked off what was surely to be a long week. I rode solo and headed out from home towards Creedmoor (south east of Austin). I hadn't ridden in the Creedmoor area for several years and was amazed at how some roads were completely unrecognizable thanks to the new toll road system. But then some of the familiar things were still in place like the smell from the Texas Waste Disposal and Landfill, the Creedmoor General Store which has been there since the time of the old wild west, and the area where every road is named "Turnersville Road" -- seriously! When I got home around 7:00pm, my husband immediately handed me an Odwalla Super Food juice mixed with a big dose of vitamin B liquid. No crabby "carby" moments here!
Lessons Learned:
-- Start doing more neck and upper back strengthening exercises.
-- Got chamois cream?
-- Don't be lazy with post-ride refueling. Eat, eat, EAT!
Tues (4/12) - 100: Fickle Fitzhugh
I intentionally put the Fitzhugh ride on the second day because this was going to be hilly, hilly, hilly. I love riding Fitzhugh because it's tough and I've had some of my most mentally and physically difficult workouts on this long stretch of road from Austin heading west to Johnson City. If Fitzhugh ever feels good, I am immediately suspicious. I was out there riding with what felt like very little effort after yesterday's 100 miles. The hills kept rolling towards me and I enjoyed every one of them. For the record, I much prefer hills to flats! I came up to Pedernales Park, rode the 3 miles in to the guard station and paid $2.00 for 16oz of water from a vending machine (talk about supply and demand), hit the 50 mile mark, and then turned around and headed back for home. HELLO HEADWIND! I knew the ride out was too easy! It was oddly comforting to struggle on the way back. That's what Fitzhugh is all about. I stopped to take a photo of the Texas Hill Country and sent it to my Dad. I had my GPS turned on on my phone so my Dad was literally tracking me from his laptop. It was nice to have the feeling that my Dad was with me even though he is in Minnesota. Home was a welcome sight on my return.
Lessons Learned:
-- Pool soaking feels FANTASTIC after a long, grimy day of riding.
-- Putting chamois cream in shorts at mile 70 really gives me something to look forward to. Hoo Ha Ride Glide brand is minty fresh and feels awesome!
-- Neck and upper back are starting to relax and the hills felt better than the flats yesterday.
-- Meat night ROCKS! Leary baked potatoes and grilled two small fillet mignons. My muscles appreciated the extra protein!
Photo: Texas Hill Country on Fitzhugh near Pedernales State Park.
Wed (4/13) - 40/60: Stops and Starts and Interviews
Today's ride had to be split because I had two mid-day interviews. So I rode 40 miles in the morning and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise over Mansfield Dam as I headed to the Arboretum area in the north central part of Austin. Legs are starting to feel consistently tired but no problem climbing up Steiner Hill. I got back home and then drove out to Decker Lake for a Team Ride Red interview with YNN News. I racked up a whopping 2 miles as they filmed us riding up and down the roads. I decided not to count that as part of my 100 miles for the day (smile). I ate in the car on the way back home, had a phone interview for a potential work contract (which I took while wearing my bike shorts and a spandex bra -- THIS is why I will never do video phone conferencing!), and finally got back on my bike around 3:30pm to finish up the 60 miles.
Lessons Learned:
--Keep up with the protein. I dumped a can of tuna into a baggie and took it up to the pool and ate it while I soaked. 30 grams of protein in one shot. It smelled bad but tasted good!
-- Stay on top of sore spots by stretching and rollering out kinks with a foam roller or tennis ball. Knots are starting to accumulate!
-- Don't think about what I'm doing. Just do it. It was a hard push to get BACK on the bike for the 60 mile ride so late in the day. I won't have a choice during RAAM.
Thurs (4/14) - Off (aka: Just In Case Day)
I build in this day as a "just in case" day in the event weather or life got in the way of the rides on Mon, Tues, or Wed. I took advantage of this day to sleep in (10 hours!), continue to eat, and do some much needed laundry!
Fri (4/15) - 100: Low Batteries and WIND!
Today was the toughest day of the week. I felt ready to go but the wind was really bad with sustained 15mph north winds, gusting to 25mph. My friends Julie and Jim offered to ride with me today (plus Dad was there via GPS). Thankfully!!! We met at CC Mason school in Cedar Park and headed north up to Leander, Liberty Hill, Mahomet, over to Florence, down to Andice and back to Cedar Park (aka: the "Cedar Park Fever" bike route). We had solid headwind for the first 30 miles and it was tough. Julie wasn't feeling all that great and turned around at Liberty Hill so it was just Jim and I for the remainder of the ride. I definitely felt leg fatigue on this day and didn't have my usual strong power climbing even the smaller hills. I was steady but didn't feel strong. After mind numbing long stretches and getting blown all over kindgom come, and trying to avoid buying a box of chicken at the Florence gas station (because the fat and salt just smelled so dang good!), we enjoyed a 30 mph "push" tail wind as we blew back to Cedar Park. Jim split off and rode home while I road back home as well to hit the 100 mile mark.
Throughout the ride my technical gear was complaining about the wind but in its own way. My cyclometer flashed "low battery" about 20 miles into the ride. I just swapped out the battery a week ago! Luckily it hung in there for the rest of the ride but the display would start to fade until I banged on it with my hand. Then around the 3 hour mark, a digital voice in my iPod started intermittently saying, "Battery low". It kept this up for about 2 hours before finally dying during Barry Manilow's "Copa Cabana". I rode the remaining hour listening to the wind howl.Lessons Learned:
-- No matter wind, hills, plague of locusts, or dust storm, just keep moving nice and steady.
-- Again, Hoo Ha chamois cream at mile 70 ROCKS!
-- Dealing with the wind is more mental than physical.
-- Turning up my iPod and listening to disco music helps take my mind off of the wind.
-- In order to remove layers of sunscreen and dirt requires a serious loofah scrubbing in the shower! Photo of dirt, sunscreen, and sexy bike tan lines after Friday's ride.
-- This was a tough training day but one of those benchmark days when I can say, "Well at least it's not as bad as the time we rode in Cedar Park!"
Photo: Happy Easter from the Texas Hill Country! Taken in Cedar Park.
Sat(4/16) - 100: Red Poppies and Cookies with Friends
I intentionally picked an organized ride to finish out the last of the 100 mile rides for three reasons: 1) the likelihood of bailing now was slim to none because I actually paid money to ride, 2) aid station support and route provided, 3) Leary and friends would be there for company.
The Red Poppy Ride started in Georgetown and by 8am we were off. Fred, John, and Lori kept me company and before too long we were split from our larger group of friends including Leary, Danny, Kim, Marc, Laura, Richelle, Barrett, Tammy, and others. The wind was light coming out of the south and while temps started out pretty cool where arm warmers were definitely required (and numb hands were an issue), it warmed up nicely by 9am. Aid stations were about every 15 miles so we enjoyed home made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cookies, and water refills. Usually I don't have a strong urge for cookies but Fred wore his Cookie Monster bike jersey and I think I was getting subliminal messages. Each time we stopped I ate 3-4 cookies plus I'd stick a couple in my jersey pocket. This came in handy when we were in the middle of nowhere and Lori said she could really go for a cookie. I reached into my pocket and VOILA - cookie! She was very happy. Despite getting a little turned around in the last 9 miles, we finished around 2:30pm. Leary and Danny were already done and enjoying some post ride festivities which included an announcer greeting riders as they finished and large bin of grilled hot dogs for riders to enjoy. The thought of a hot dog at mile 10 sounded terrible. At mile 50, maybe. By mile 102, heck yeah! So with a Mexican Coke in one hand (thanks Danny!) and a hot dog in the other, we celebrated our 100 mile ride and my 500 mile mark. That evening Leary took me out for some great TexMex at Maudies and a nice cold Shiner beer. Sore, tired, and happy -- what a great way to end the week! Lessons Learned:
--After 500 miles I still want to ride and don't hate my bike -- a good sign!
--Recovery food and fuel is critical to keep going, keep going, keep going.
--Good friends are awesome!
Photo: Lori, John, and I at the end of the "100" mile Red Poppy Ride.
Sun(4/17) - I Miss My Bike
Each day this week I would put my helmet and bike shoes next to the front door since I would be riding again within 12-18 hours. But when we got home from riding on Saturday, I felt a little sad as I put my helmet and bike shoes in the closet knowing I wasn't going to ride on Sunday. I could have ridden more, but the plan was 5 x 100 and I ended on a really great note with yesterday's ride. I'll have another long mileage week before RAAM but for now, I will enjoy my accomplishment and not tempt the fates.
