Rain Rain Go AWAY!

[Susan126]

Did you get your 22 mile flat ride in yesterday Jessica? I did an easy flat 15 miles yesterday and my legs felt great. Today after work I plan to do an easy out and back about a 30 mile ride. Slight up hill grade on the way out (about 2% - 3%) coming back is always a bit faster! Yea, wish you could make this Saturday's CATS ride too. 73 miles should be fun.

My legs are feeling stronger and stronger. I think I will be ready for my big rides this summer. Such a great feeling!

[XMcShiftersonX]

I did get out for the 22 miler yesterday. It was okay. My back is still sore, so that was kind of painful. I think I'll take today off from riding and just relax. I might do a 32 mile ride on Thursday with my friend though, it would be at a slower pace than usual though. How are your feet doing, I know they were bothering you on the ride?

[Susan126]

Sorry to hear your back is sore Jessica. You should try Hot Yoga. It really makes all my aches and pains vanish. It's amazing. My gym offers the classes and my daughter and I usually go once a week (sometimes twice). You can really get some good stretches in when your muscles are so warm from the 105 degree temperature in the sauna where the yoga classes take place.

Here's a link to a description of the class at my gym's web site:
Hot Yoga

Well I did a 29 mile ride today after work. I think I'll rest Tuesday and Wednesday and try and ride again Thursday. My foot didn't hurt on today's ride but it really was painful the last 20 miles on Saturday's century ride. The little massage I gave it at the last rest stop helped. I don't know what's up with my right foot. Ever since I had surgery on it in 2005 it's just been acting up.

[XMcShiftersonX]

What type of surgery did you have on your foot, again? I know you said it during our ride, but I couldn't hear everything all that well while we were riding. I was reading up on proper training for ultracycling, and hot spots don't seem too uncommon. It did say if you get hot spots on your feet to take your shoes off at rest stops and massage them, so I think you did the right things. I don't know what else will help... Maybe stretch your feet and all of your toes regularly while riding.

My back finally doesn't hurt today! It was on the left, kind of in the middle of my back. I think it's just a matter of getting used to the position on my bike. I was doing a lot of stretching these last couple days. It was a sore feeling, like my back muscles had been really fatigued. Hopefully that will get better with time. I hadn't had that problem before. But then again I never spent that much time on my bike at once either.

I used to do Bikram/hot yoga a lot actually! I haven't done it in probably a year and a half now though. I've been riding my bike all year round, and then I got my gym membership in Dec. instead. LA Fitness doesn't offer Bikram, and the place I went to before is a Bikram-only place, and I didn't want to pay for both... I don't have time to enjoy both anyways! But it is a great workout and I really enjoyed it.

Also, do you know the time that we finished on Saturday? I forgot to look down at my clock at the end. Did you end up getting a massage? I did, it was great! I think I'll make it a regular thing after these long rides. I'll probably do one 15 minute one each day for STP. How long are you guys staying in Portland after the ride?

It doesn't look like the weather is going to be all that great tomorrow, unfortunately. I might just have to go to the gym with my friend instead. I was going to ride today in Tacoma with some of my co-workers after I renewed my CPR certification but the weather wasn't very nice for that either, so we skipped it!

[Susan126]

I'm happy to hear that your back is finally feeling better. Back pain is one of the worst pains. And I've had my share of painful backs. Now it seems it's my right foot's turn to give me grief. I had bunion surgery in 2005. Specifically a lapidus procedure. I've noticed after about 70-80 miles of cycling the ball of my foot, my big toe, and the top of my foot begins to burn and get painful. I have to stop and massage it and that usually helps. I hope with my increase in mileage and training my foot builds up and strengthens and that the foot pain will eventually disappear.

We finished around 4:13 or 4:23 Jessica, my total ride time was 6:43 and my cyclometer showed that I did 98.68 miles. I thought about riding around the parking lot to get that "100" but my hunger overcame me and I headed straight for the food booth! lol I was going to get a massage but there seemed to be a wait and I wanted to get home before six so I decided to leave. I should have gotten the massage. But my hubby took me out to dinner (that is after I showered and cleaned up first). Then we went home and I crashed.

I will be doing the STP in one day and we reserved a room on Saturday, July 17th at the Marriott Courtyard in Portland right near Lloyd Center. Right next to the finish! Our checkout is the next day. We may stay and hang around for a while; maybe have a late breakfast and then head back home. We'll see as the time grows nearer.

Yea our weather this week has been chilly, wet, and gloomy. But the weekend looks good again! My last ride this week was on Monday, a 29 miler. I'll be ready for Saturday's 73 miles. It should be easy after last weeks hilly century.

So did you ride or go to the gym today?

[XMcShiftersonX]

Maybe you could get a gel pad insert for the ball of your foot. That might help! Honestly, I think what hurt me the most after the ride was the bad sunburn I got on the back of my shoulders! Unfortunately, it's now starting to peel instead of turning in to a nice tan.

I actually ended up going for a spontaneous ride today. It wasn't looking too good weather-wise, but when I looked up the forecast it said it was just going to be gloomy, but no rain. My friend Amber was supposed to have come over for a ride or the gym, but she bailed on me at the last minute, and then a co-worker of mine actually texted me and asked if I wanted to come up to Tacoma for a ride, so I did. It was only 13 miles, but it had a fair amount of hills, and he rides at a good pace. It was fun!

Have fun this weekend! I'll be at work, of course... But I'm going to ask my husband if he wants to do the ride to his parent's house in Puyallup and back on Mon or Tues, which is around 70 miles and incorporates a lot of the STP route in it. I haven't done it yet, but I guess it's not too hilly, just miles.

[Susan126]

What a ride I had on yesterday's CATS ride! The rain coming down as I pulled out of my garage should have been a sign. But up north it was dry as a bone. Cloudy yes but dry. But the system was hitting the south sound and where did the ride route take us, you got it south. So instead of my Specialized carbon ruby bike (the one I've been riding on every single training ride. My high end bike) I decide to ride my new aluminum Cannondale (with the lower end components on it). Except for a few short rides on her this was the first long ride. What a difference between the two bikes. I normally ride at the head of the pack but yesterday I couldn't even hang on to the end of the pack. I was dropped. The ride leader was an awesome guy. He waited for me at all of the rest stops. Finally when we reached Ravensdale I told him and the other six riders to just go on without me. I knew the course and I didn't want to hold them up with the approaching rain. So after Ravensdale I was alone. I made it to the supermall and had only 18 miles left of the 73 when the downpour began. Riding my aluminum bike with cranks that felt stiff and wheel sets that hardly rolled and with the rain now coming down in sheets I had enough. PLUS a new saddle! I broke one of the golden rules regarding riding a long ride on a new saddle. My a$$ was raw and sore. I kept standing to releave it. After 55 miles the rain, my butt, and the bike . . . it just all got to me. So I called my husband and he came and picked me up at the supermall and drove me back to the Bellevue park and ride where my car was sitting. This ride was harder than last week's 100 mile course of the flying wheels. Lesson learned. Never ride a new bike in a training ride and now that I know it's capabilities and mine on it, if it is wet and I have to ride the aluminum bike I will move down to CTS and only ride CATS when I'm on my Ruby. I would love to upgrade all the components on my Cannondale (the wheel set, the cranks, the derailleurs, and the brakes) but I think that will have to wait until next year.

My last day of work is tomorrow, Monday, June 21st. I see there is a CTS pre-ride to check out the course for Saturday's ride and I think I will sign up and ride it (weather is supposed to be nice). 88 miles. They are stopping in Buckley for lunch! Should be fun.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Aww Susan! I'm sorry your ride was so crappy! I guess we all have a couple of those....

When is the CTS pre-ride? Do they have the same speed groups as the weekend rides? I might join in on that if I'm off.

That's cool that you're done with work for a little while. Maybe we can go on some rides together now. Because of my work schedule I end up mainly riding during the week. If we end up riding on Tuesday, do you want me to let you know? I'm not sure if we're going to ride on Monday or Tuesday.

[Susan126]

Yea it was pretty crappy but I learned a big lesson. Yes, I'm going to do the CTS pre-ride this Wednesday. It starts from Kent Park and Ride and it's 88 miles long. The course goes up to Enumclaw, into Buckley, through the back side of Bonney Lake, down into Sumner, pick up the Interurban Trail to finish. Lunch stop in Buckley. Rating is moderate which is 14-16 on the Cascade web site. It's a preview ride of the course for Saturday's CTS training ride. I've ridden with the ride leader before. He keeps a good pace and he's an excellent ride leader. Start is 8:30 AM. If the sun is out I will be there. Here's a link with more info on the ride:

Tuesday Ride Information

I'm celebrating today. My last day of work until fall. Kids are dismissed at 10:30 then staff will gather for our annual bbq and good bye presentations. And today is the official first day of summer!

Yes, we can ride together on the weekdays. Let me know the days you will be off Jessica! Will you be off the weekend we do the CATS 130 mile ride on Whidbey Island? It's on Saturday, July 3rd. That should be a good one!

[XMcShiftersonX]

Oh okay, I didn't know the ride was tomorrow! My husband and I were planning on doing a long ride tomorrow. We'd like to go on that one, but it's too early in the morning and someone has to take care of the dog!

I think we'll leave around 11am from our house, go down the Cedar River Trail, do Tiger Mountain, continue on a route that will lead us to the Black Diamond area, to the Interurban Trail, then back up probably to the Cedar River Trail again so we can go up the 140th St. hill, to our home. That will give us two really steep hills (8-12% grades), and probably about 70 miles total.

I'm looking forward to this weekend's CATS ride... 100 miles, but less than 2,000 feet of climbing! It should be pretty good after Flying Wheels. I won't be able to make it to the 130 mile ride though, I work that weekend

[Susan126]

The ride is Wednesday. I thought it was today too but my mistake. That's okay because today is my first full day off. Gee I love summer break! Anyway, I cleaned my entire house and went through my pantry and filled a large box with canned goods and food that I am going to donate to the food bank. I'm finishing my last load of laundry and then I'm going for a short ride in the sunshine. Tomorrow I will do the CTS pre-ride.

So did you and your husband ride today? Cedar River Trail, Tiger Mountain, Black Diamond, and returning on Interurban and back to Cedar River . . . now that's a good loop!

Yes the elevation for this week's CATS ride is disappointing but I'll make up for it on my weekday rides. I have a few routes I do with plenty of climbing and elevation. I hope the weather is nice for Saturday's ride. See you there Jessica!

[XMcShiftersonX]

I'm not at all disappointed that this weekend's ride has barely any climbing!! Finally, a long flat ride! My husband doesn't let me get away with that

Yes, we got a ride in, but we shortened it a lot. It was only about 40 miles with just over 2,000 feet of climbing. We left from our house, went down the Cedar River Trail, did Tiger Mountain, went down the street we came up, took lake Francis road to Petrovitsky and back home. I don't know what it is about this ride but it always kicks my butt. I've been doing it since January and it never gets easier. I think it's because there are a lot of steep climbs.

Anyways, I work on Wednesday, so I won't be there for that. But I'll see you Saturday!

[Susan126]

Jessica, you will be doing hills on this Saturday's CATS ride. They changed the route. It's now Tiger Mountain. Start is the same but they are not going to Flaming Geyser, instead they are doing a loop that is more hilly and that will include Tiger Mountain!

I did a 89.32 mile ride yesterday. It was posted at the bike club's web site. We broke up into three groups, fast, medium, and slow. I was in the medium group and our average after almost 90 miles (with quite a few STEEP hills) was 14.5. We stopped in Enumclaw for lunch around mile 48. On Friday I'm going to do a more easy fun ride, 35 miles from Kent Park and Ride to Sumner for lunch and then back. Then the CATS ride on Saturday.

Glad to see you and your husband got out on Tuesday for a ride. How long of a climb is Tiger Mountain. I've done it a few times but never can remember the total mileage. I just know it's long and steep!

Today I will be running around. I have to run up to the mall and buy some new bed sheets, a birthday gift for a good friend, and then later in the afternoon I'm going to help my daughter move some boxes and things into her new apartment. I'll treat her to lunch too.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Hmmm, I don't know how long Tiger Mountain is exactly, I always forget to look at my odometer right before and then right after... A couple miles anyways, and about half way through it kicks up from about 5% to 11% grade.