Relieved!

[maillotpois]

With my first double of the year in 2 weeks, I have been so worried about not being able to get a good quality long ride in with all this blasted rain we've been having. But today I did it! 117 miles. And if you can do 117, you can do 125. And if you can do 125, you can do a double! At least that's the conventional wisdon I used to train with last year. Last year before my first double, I did 2 rides over 125 miles. This year, it just hasn't worked out. Of course my first double this year (Solvang) is 2 months earlier than last year (Davis).

Anyway I am mostly relieved I got a good ride in - with NO rain! It is pouring now as I type but I DON"T CARE!!! :D And there was snow at Pt. Reyes. Snow! On the side of the road!!! :eek: Wild!

And I proved something we all "know", but sometimes don't really "know" - it is WAY harder to ride with strong wind. Tuesday I did 65 miles of the ride I just did today in TERRIBLE conditions - super windy. I felt awful. Today it wasn't nearly so windy and I felt great. I really managed my nutrition well today which is something I have a hard time doing riding on my own. I can just forget to eat till it is too late. I was really pleased with how that went today. I downed an entire flask of banana hammer gel (conveniently stored in my bra in the place between where my boobs would be if I had any... :p )

Okay, speaking of managing nutrition - I gotta go eat something!!! I hope everyone got some good rides in!

[slinkedog]

Good for you! This weather is just insane. But the mountains were so beautiful today!!

I'm in awe of you that you can ride that far, especially alone. You're amazing!

[Veronica]

Yay! I'm glad you got in a good ride. Keep your fingers crossed for me for tomorrow.

V.

[maillotpois]

Yay! I'm glad you got in a good ride. Keep your fingers crossed for me for tomorrow.

V.

Thanks! Good luck tomorrow. We want a full report!

[maillotpois]

Good for you! This weather is just insane. But the mountains were so beautiful today!!


Thanks - and true! From TIburon, I could see snow capped mountains in the distance (I think it was Hamilton). Stunning!! Almost makes me feel like I went on the father-daughter ski trip with DH and DD! ;)

[Veronica]

Well right now 6:30 AM it's pouring, so it's unlikely I'll be able to do a long ride today. :mad: Looks like a long date with Coach Troy will be in order.

V.

[maillotpois]

Bummer! It is on and off here right now. I am just so shocked that it was clear yesterday. I got totally lucky.

Have "fun" on your Coach Troy date. Sorry about the rain. :(

[Veronica]

You know, I'm just not too worried about it. My longest ride has been 95 miles up Mt. Hamilton. That had more climb than the 200 of Solvang will have. I feel like I'm in the best shape of my life. I think I'll be okay even without a double metric under my belt.

Are you starting at the earliest start time? We are. I'm hoping for 14 hours total time, but that could be pie in the sky. :)

V.

[maillotpois]

I am sure the Hamilton loop was way harder than Solvang, just judging from the terrain of the Solvang century last year. You'll be fine. Your intervals are worth more than throw-away miles on the road, as you know. I'm just sort of a head case about the whole double metric thing.

I always start at the earliest time! Something about knowing I have a little leeway is very helpful mentally. (We started Mt. Tam double at 4:45 or 5 am, but we finished before dark!) Your 14 hour goal should be do-able. (Though a lot may depend on the weather.) I don't know what to expect time-wise for this early in the year. And also, I am not riding with Mike so my time will be slower than what he and I would do together. We did Davis in 11:30 total time, and I would expect 12-ish for Solvang IF he were with me and we were working well together. As he won't be, my expectations are much more modest, and I am liable to be a little more relaxed. He started out Davis like a team time trial, and I was really worried it was too fast, but we ended the same way (we hooked up with another friend of his and our last 40 miles - all pretty flat - were 22 mph average) and felt good over all. (He also always pushes me to go faster on the hills that I would otherwise, and we're both good on the flats/rollers.)

I notice that I have real ups and downs throughout the day - I don't notice this quite as much for a century, but the swings are really noticeable in a double. When I am feeling low, I force myself to eat/drink and maybe pull th epace back a bit. It is also interesting to see what hurts - this tends to change over the course of the day! I am so excited for you doing this first double. I found it was really a great experience. A bit like my first marathon, which was fun (but then all the rest were terrible - and with doubles, the rest have been fun too. Which proves my theory that running just sucks.)

It might be nice to ride together for a bit, and perhaps we could plan to start out together? But I also know that a double is something you really have to do at your own pace. (Unless you are riding with your spouse! :D ) It's just like what we coach the Death Ride folks: If you try to ride with someone, your paces will vary but you will have times where you are either riding too fast or slow for what you should be and in the end, your overall time will suffer. For events where time matters, that can add up. Time at rest stops is also huge. I tend not to stop much and always try to get in and out quickly. I expect I will probably "hook up" with people along the way. My 508 partner isn't doing the ride, so I will basically be on my own, which will be an interesting experiment.

At the very least I would love to get together the night before.

[Veronica]

We'd love to have you ride with us. We ride to my heart rate. :p It keeps Thom from pushing too hard at the start. I'll PM you with my cell number, that way we can hook up the night before. We're staying at one of the Solvang hotels. I can't remember which one.

I just want nice weather, no rain and light wind.

V.