Day of Reckoning

[snapdragen]

Tommorow I have an appointment with a bike fit expert. He's got a super pedigree - Physical Therapist, Pro Cycling Coach, Fitness Trainer, Bike Fit God....OK I made that last one up. Anyway, I've heard very good things about him. Not only will he help get my bike fit dialed in, he recomends a training program and all that good stuff, which I desperatly need since I'm riding the AIDS/LifeCycle from San Francisco to Los Angeles in June!

I'm excited, but also a little .... something. Not scared, just hating the shape/condition I'm in right now. This hasn't been the best year for me, and now I'm 30 lbs overweight, and haven't exercised in three months. (Except for 1 Pilates class a week)

Gawd, I hope I can fit into my spandex.......

[Dogmama]

What a fantastic opportunity you have! Focus on everything that you are going to learn and do and try to turn off the inner critic. Just tell him/her, "thank you for sharing, but we won't be dealing with your opinions right now." And then, go for it woman!

And be sure to share your experiences with us!

[snapdragen]

Whooo! I was worn out after my bike fit/evaluation. I need to get back to the gym and back on my bike.

It went really well, he tested my flexibility (need some work there!), and my core strength (awesome - thank you Pilates!) What surprised me the most, although it shouldn't, is how quickly my cardio fitness has gone down the toilet! I'll be starting off with baby steps, time on the eliptical trainer at the gym, and short bike rides.

Although my core is strong, my upper back/scapular area is quite weak. Also my hip flexors, hamstrings need work, not to mention the butt (no tight a$$ jokes please!) Quads are nice and strong, which is throwing off my pedaling, I'm not using my hamstrings/butt at all. He set me up on a Computrainer, and I could see what muscles I was using to pedal. Cool little item, wish I could afford my own! If I really concentrated, I could use all my muscles, not just the quads, man is my hind end sore today!

He made some tweaks to my saddle position, and raised my handlebars a bit. I'll be sticking with the straight bars for now, don't have the flexibility for drops (I ride a Terry Classic). The biggest change was in my cleats. He adjusted them to compensate for me turning my feet out - I could immediately tell the difference. My knees breathed a huge sigh of relief! I can't wait to get back to my normal leval of fitness and hit the hills!

So, was it worth it? Every penny! I'll probably start training with him once a week at the end of January. He thought that, along with my Pilates, and cardio work would get me back into shape by June.

Just a little plug for Curtis: www.revolutionsinfitness.com

[MM_QFC!]

Good for you, SD! Now that you've learned the whats and whys of bike mechanics and have some preliminary ideas about training, you can combine all with your goal which I presume is having a very fun and safe ride in June for the AIDS Life Cycle! You have a good amount of time to ride plenty of miles in advance, so that your training and preparation will pay off and you will be able to enjoy the entire experience. And be ready for an amazing experience! The ALC is set up similar to other multi-day AIDS with terrific support not only throughout the ride, but all of the months between now and then as well. You'll find plenty of resources to help you with the necessary fundraising, training, packing - in short, you're not alone and you won't be alone on the ride either. Besides meeting the fundraising commitment, take the time to train so that you can fully enjoy all aspects of the ride on each day. I think that Day 1 is a century or maybe a bit more in mileage, so that you want to have a ride of that length completed during your training. Also, since it's about a week long, try to plan also to ride every day for a week at least once before you have to do it on the ALC. Otherwise, it might be tough to get on your saddle day after day.
Sounds simple, and it is, but hard just the same. Just keep your goal in mind during those long, lonely training rides; you'll do it just fine I'm sure. Happy trails!
Mary

[snapdragen]

Hey there, thanks for the encouragement! It sounds like maybe you've done ALC before? I've done one other multi-day ride- CAR 7 (California AIDS Ride) back in 2000. I bought my bike in October, then rode in June. Was not the most enjoyable time, lack of training, knowing what the heck I was doing etc!

[MM_QFC!]

yep, I've been a rider on several - sent you a pm response too. Just believe in yourself; you've got all of the information you need, you've done the identical route before, so that helps and you know best how you need to train to be ready for fun! Keep us posted on your training escapades, ok? I'm sure you'll continue to enjoy great insights and encouragement here.
Mary