Queen of the Road

I finally got my new bike professionally fitted at Orange Cycle today. They set me up with my bike on a trainer and took all sorts of adjustments. Then my bike was adjusted and given a few new parts to make the bike fit me better. After two hours I left with a bike that felt like it was made just for me! If you have any issue with your bike or have a new one, I definitely suggest a professional fitting! It was reasonably priced, too ($60).

This afternoon I took my shiny new toy out for her first ride!!! She is fast!! The bike felt seamless and light. It was just begging to go fast! I averaged 18-20mph easily.

I was on such a high I passed every cyclist in my way. It was funny because I passed two very fast cyclists right before a big bridge… I passed them and made it up and down the bridge- and then had a mild asthma attack!! I was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma but it’s came under control with all my training. But today I was wheezing and taking little breaths… it was terrible! That’s what I get for being cocky ;)

Before my biking adventure I had naner-PB-oats and sweated through a great 90-minute yoga session with Ryan and Katy. The oats were very un-photogenic so we’ll leave it at that :)

Then Ryan and I said goodbye to Katy  and headed to Infusion Tea for some lunch!!

I’m happy to report everything was great. Good service and perfect portions!

Ryan and I split the Milton Salad and Pesto Panini.

This is hands down my favorite lunch!

I love spending time with Ryan :)

After lunch I had my bike fitting and then went to three grocery stores to restock our kitchen! To hold me over I had 1/2 bottle f High Country Kombucha, a dark chocolate square and a ton of Costco samples :)

For a second snack before my ride I had an apple with some blueberries (and an unpictured glass of OJ).

Is it weird that I had a cup of mango salsa for a snack after my ride? It is delicious.

For dinner I was planning on a big, veggie-full salad but after my ride all I was craving was oats- AGAIN! I gave in since it’s good fuel for my long run tomorrow morning.

   

What is your favorite lunch?

My New Bike is Home!

Today was wonderful. I started the day with a light breakfast of two bananas served banana soft serve style! Breakfast is normally big for me, but with yoga just an hour later I wanted to keep my belly light.

Then Katy, Ryan, Caitlin and I had an awesome 90-minute power yoga session at our favorite College Park Yoga.

Then we had lunch at Infusion Tea! Megan and Meghann met us for lunch.

Last time I went to Infusion Tea I had a little rant about their service and portions going downhill. The portions were much better today, but the service was still pretty curt. I’ve taken your advice and sent them a friendly email.

I went with my favorite- tempeh chili with 1/2 a Milton Salad. Delicious!

After a quick stop at Costco with Katy for Larabars only to find out they don’t carry Larabars anymore, I came home to find my new bike delivered!

The puppies modeled so you could see how large the box was!

The bike was all wrapped up and packed in a box. I was so determined to try to put it together by myself… but there wasn’t a chance!

My part of the operation was unwrapping everything and laying it out. And for that I deserved a fruit pop.

Then I called in the big guns: David!

Turns out how I thought the pieces were supposed to go together were all wrong!!

It’s funny- I loved my old bike, but now my eyes are only for my new, shiny bike!

Bike #1 is a Specialized Vita. It’s a hybrid- a road bike body with straight handle bars. It’s a great bike for commuting with a smooth ride but more upright handlebars for easy maneuvering.

Bike #2 is a Specialized S-Works Tarmac. It’s 18 pounds and heavenly. It’s an all-out road bike so I can use it for my Ironman 70.3 in May. It was double my budget but I think it’ll be worth it :) I have to take it to a bike shop to have it properly fitted. I can’t wait to take it for a good ride!

I took Bike #1 out for a 25 mi. bike ride. Before I left I had a granola bar.

For dinner I had just what I wanted- naner oatmeal with lots of PB! I finally restocked my PB stash at Costco earlier so it was totally necessary that dinner included it :)

Tonight I’ve been sipping tea- with soy milk and raw sugar of course!

             Do you ride a bike? What’s your dream bike?

Bike my Drive

I can hardly believe it.. some pictures of actual food!!

Morning started with naner PB oats and OJ…

During the day I had veggies with hummus, an apple and a sweet potato with veggies.  I had to eat dinner at work.. I didn’t get home until 7:30 p.m.! I had some salad with raspberry dressing, veggies and more than one roll :)

I also munched on the kitchen pantry when I got home. Whoops!

I’m still working on eating healthy while sitting at a desk for most of the day.

__________________

Yesterday I talked about the post-marathon exercise blues.

Another thing keeping me in the exercise slumps is these long work days! Our office works four 10-hour days… which is great for 3-day weekends but terrible for exercise! I don’t belong to a gym and I’m doing everything I can to avoid that. I’ve always done my cardio outside, but I keep indoors when it’s dark out for safety. As a result I’ve been missing all my cardio workouts Mondays-Thursdays.

:(  Cardio is like a drug to me and I miss it!

Instead of just joining a gym, I’m thinking of all the ways I can beat the darkness and evening tiredness. I’m going to wake up extra early Mondays and Wednesdays to run in the morning (still dark but less scary)… and I’m going to bike to and from work!

My drive to work is 12 miles and takes about 30 minutes in the car with traffic. I think biking will take about 45 minutes each way, and it’ll take care of my workout!

Tomorrow I am going to by a headlight, an extra tube and a kit in case something happens while I’m riding. Tonight I’m checking out some articles and blogs for tips about riding your drive. I’m especially loving this article as an all-around guide to commuting by bike.

I’ll keep you posted!

Any tips for biking to work? Have you ever tried any forms of alternative transportation?

 

Thank you Ross for your donation to my Team in Training fundraising campaign!! I’m almost to 40% of my goal!!

Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned from Today's 35-Mile Ride:

1. Lace underwear and 35 miles in the seat do not work.

2. Running out of water AND every single cooler on the trail (because I stopped and checked every one) being empty is not cool.

3. Tom's Natural Deodorant (you know, WITHOUT antiperspirant) will not leave you feeling fresh and glamorous.

4. Caramel ice cream is not a good pre-workout snack. Ugghhhh.

5. A whole packet of Emergen-C is not meant to be ingested with only one tablespoon of water (see #2).

6. Maxi-padded spandex shorts down to my knee are most unflattering. Thank God I'm not single!



Friends Met Along the Way:

1. Turkey
2. Deer
3. Armadillo
4. Mr. and Mrs. Turtle and all their friends
5. BIG bad rattlesnake

Thoughts from my 40

Yesterday I set a new record on my bike. Last week I mentioned to David I was considering doing my first 40-mile bike ride- and he didn’t think I could do it! So I did 40.5 yesterday :)

My ride:

40.5 miles

16.9 mph average

around 2 hours 20 minutes (might be a few minutes off..)

approx. 1,900 calories burned (!!!!)

I did half on a local park's bike trail and half on a trail next to an expressway. It was nice having such different scenery throughout the ride. On my path I saw a deer, armadillos, turtles and birds of every color!

I love running and there will always be a special place in my heart for the feeling of my feet hitting the pavement. But cycling was a nice alternative with my shin splints. As it turns out, it’s completely addicting.

During my ride I thought of how biking is different from running. Here’s what I came up with from my personal experience:

-Biking is more expensive (umm, the bike- and upkeep)

- You can carry more things with ease on a bike

- Biking is tougher to prepare for (I had to break down my bike in my backseat)

- Biking is pretty much road bikes for road and mountain bikes for
rougher paths (with running you can take one pair of sneakers through many different environments)

- Biking will take you farther. The sights I saw on my 40 mile ride were beautiful and vast. With running I could see much less during one long run.

- Biking requires more equipment- helmet, goves, special shoes, etc.

- I think bikers are just as friendly as runners- instant connections

- Biking is easier on your body. My bad knee didn't start hurting until 2 hours into the ride- and I was pushing myself hard.

- I feel safer on my bike (riding away from something 20mph is pretty good)

- Biking is just as addicting as running!

Are you dedicated to more than one form of exercise? How do you balance it? Or do you prefer one main form of exercise?

ps- I tried the Vanilla Bean GU halfway through my ride. I didn’t think I’d enjoy it but it was awesome! Tasted like cake icing, really. I felt so much more energized immediately! I felt like I could go for 50 miles! I’ll definitely be buying more GU gels.

Total-Body Trail Ride

Holy workout!

David and I just returned from a two hour cross-country trail ride and it was tough!

(You might remember last month we hiked the same trail- Little Big Econ.)

We usually take our road bikes out on paved trails, but today David persuaded me to borrow one of his bikes and tackle the woods!
Twists and turns, narrow paths, huge roots popping up everywhere, inclines and drop-offs... It was quite a workout!

I actually felt the burn in my shoulders and abs as well as my legs. It was definitely more about total body strength than cardio today for me. Your body and mind have to be 100% in the ride.

For the past few months David and I have made a habit of getting in a long workout on Saturdays. Sweating outside together sure is a nice alternative to watching TV all day!

Are there any activities you love to participate in over the weekend? I want to tackle kayaking and volleyball next!

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Oh, Pictures, How I Love Thee

Saturday night I had my good friends Danny and George over for dinner and a movie. Everything was pretty normal until someone suggested we don't have many pictures together. When that picture turned into 'wait! this is how you take a myspace pic!', we knew we'd lost our minds.

Remember the standard myspace pic? Ha! To do your own, just very dramatically look deep into the camera. And always hold the camera a foot in front of your face or into a mirror.

David's cat Kitty:

As a graduation gift I picked out this bike and love it. I can definitely feel the difference between this hybrid bike with road tires and my old mountain bike from when I was 15!