My Trials With Cycling

So I have been riding a bike since I was in kindergarten and I distinctly remember the whole process of learning to ride a bike. I was fine with the whole training wheel thing and was not going to have those long. I finally got to the point that they were removed and I was free. And then there was a the falling. I never really got hurt I just remember that I fell a bit but then got the hang of it.

I bring this up because I feel as though I am learning to ride a bike all over again. Only this time it is a lot more frustrating! I am not sure about the rest of you out there but I am new to the cycling thing as far as training. races, exercise thing. I recently got a new bike through a grant from the AKP Foundation which I couldn't be happier about. The bike itself is great, light weight, easy gear changes, hybrid tires, regular handle bars instead of road bike handle bars (which I love about it). However as part of the grant they also got my cycling shoes and clip pedals.

At the time I thought was great because I know that is what most people use while cycling for the reason I will be cycling for.

I got all this stuff in December which is not the ideal time in Massachusetts. But I started using the shoes during spin class so I would be used to them. Boy way that the biggest joke I ever told myself. I was used to having them on my feet however there is no other option of getting used to them then actual riding on the bike out on the open road so to speak.

Last weekend I went on my first bike ride with a friend on mine. Now mind you everyone I know that rides with clip in shoes had already warned me that I WILL fall as if there was no getting around it. Well I like many others live in my little world of denial where nothing like that ever happens to me.

0.02 miles into our trail ride guess what happened? If you guessed that I feel you are the lucky winner! Now this trail is also paved so needless to say I have the scrap/bump/bruise to prove I fell.

It actually looks much better in this picture than it actually was. So I had landed on the wrist/palm and then elbow because my feet were as you guessed still attached to the pedals. It was painful but it was however definitely because I am not used to the shoes and my brain is not trained to remember unless I am thinking about it. At the time I was thinking about the fact that my hydration pack was leaking so badly it was pouring water down my back. I of course did what any other child or person would got back and up and got on the bike. After I dealt with the hydration pack of course. We continued and I did well with thinking about unclipping and being ready for a stop. we came to the first of two major intersections that cross the trail we were on. I had unclipped my left foot and was actually standing on the ground with it. However in an effort to unclip my right foot aparently the motion was too great and you guessed it again I fell over. figured I had to even it out, one on each side. that wasn't as bad probably because I was some what closer to the ground.

Luckily those were the only two falls I endured during my 10+ mile ride that day. However the recovery from the first fall was quite a few days, which although it was my arm interfered with my training because it hurt too much to swim.

So now we fast forward to today. I was feeling much better, not really any more pain, the bruises are starting to fade. I thought I can do my ride outside today. I rode from my house to the Y, about 1.5 miles. It turned out to freezing so I decided I would just ride home after the road race I was doing and hopefully ride later in the day when it was slightly warmer.

After the race I get ready and start out. I had to stop at the end of the parking lot for traffic and again my left foot was unclipped standing on the ground and yet some how my right got stuck, threw my balance off, and my bike tipped which also took me with it because my foot was attached. I managed to bend my ankle & knee in a way which I am sure is not good for them and of course braced the whole thing with my hand. But again I got up and got back on the bike and rode home.

So here I sit on the couch trying to get warm from the cold yet having to ice my hand.

The ice is wrapped in a towel, while I try to keep layers of blankets between my fingers to keep them warm.

Here is the thing when you would fall as a child yes you might of had the same outcome of scraps, bruises and bumps but they didn't seem to effect you the same as they do as an adult. It is frustrating because I know I need to ride more out on the road to really get used to using the shoes and training my brain to do it subconciously. But now I am starting to develop a fear of actually going for a ride because of the falling. I am really torn here. It is much easier to ride with the clip in shoes but with the higher current possibility of getting hurt. I am seriously considering going back to regular pedals but I am unsure.

I would love to hear from other cyclists on their thoughts and how you got through the transition to using the clip in shoes.

For today I am putting off my ride but will get back on the bike again!

Tri Mania Expo

I found out about the Tri Mania Expo very late. I got an email from Max Performance because they had a booth at the expo. I had no idea such an expo existed so I looked into it. This was Thursday and the expo was Saturday. I got Sara to go with me so I registered. It was hard to believe there was this whole expo with seminars and it was free!

I did also take a look at the clinics they were offering as well. There was only one that I was interested in called eating to peak. However it started at 8am which meant I would of had to out of the house by 6:30 to get there on time. I decided against that, leaving at 8am was  early enough.

We got there at about 9:15 and headed in to the seminar room. There they were talking about the science of training which turned out to be quite interesting. But the one at 9:45am is what we were
really there for, The triathletes guide to weight loss and weight management by Nancy Clark. It was fantastic!

I already knew that weight loss relies mainly on diet and not exercise. But I know I was one of those people that thought 'I have increased my training so much why am I not loosing more weight.' This reminded me that I need to focus on what I am eat as well as my training.

I loved that Nancy took the time to explain how to cut calories and still have the energy you need to train. 

I also had no idea how to figure out how many calories you burn without additional exercise so this part was also extremely helpful! All in all this was a fantastic seminar and I definitely learned a lot of new things that will help with my training.

After the weight loss and weight management seminar there was another seminar about preparing for a triathlon swim. Sara and I both decided that was something we would be interested in staying for as well. It was lead by Rick Lil. As the seminar got started we quickly learned that it wasn't going to be what we thought it was. I then read the whole description of the seminar and realized that it was dealing with the mental/anxiety part of the swim. Which don't get me wrong is a very big part of it but not what we thought we were going to be hearing about. We thought it was going to be more of play by play on how the swims were going to go. But that is what you get for not reading everything. It was still helpful to learn about how to learn to figure out where your stress or anxiety is coming from and how to deal with it in a way that will help you get through the swim.

After that there was a break and there weren't really any seminars that we wanted to go to until later in the day so we headed down to the expo.

I learned a lot from the seminars but the expo was what I was looking forward to the most. Although I have done one triathlon I am still a newbie and really don't know all that much or have all the appropriate gear so this was the place to be!

We walked in and there was a crowd of people but it wasn't overly crowded which was nice. We were only about three booths in when I spotted the Leukemia and Lymphoma Societies Team In Training booth. Since I had been an honored hero for two of their training teams I figured I would take a look at what races they were starting teams for to see if there were any I wanted to do. One the immediately caught my eye was the Tufts 10K For Women. Since I had started this whole "racing" lifestyle everyone I have talked to (well all the women I had talked to) raved about the Tufts 10K. I really wanted to do it BUT it is held on Columbus Day and that is a teacher training day at my school and they don't let you have the day off. So I wasn't going to do it. Sara talked me into it with the argument of the race will always be on Columbus Day so sooner or later I will have to take that day off. So I signed up and then of course played the same trick on her and so now we are signed up together. I think this will be fun!

We then moved onto another booth that was online training/coaching for athletes of all kinds. Sara was interested so she was talking to them. Not that it isn't something I would be interested in but unless someone wants to sponsor my training there is no way I can afford to have coaching. But they sounded great!

I started to think about how I should tweet that we just join TNT and realized I didn't have my phone. Now I have never lost my phone and since this was a huge expo I figured it was long gone. The only saving grace in my head was that I could use find my iphone and at least maybe get it back or delete everything on it (which would suck royally). The only place it could be was in the seminar room so we left and headed back up there; in the middle of them talking to Sara I might add.

As we were walking along the hallway we looked at all the little places we stopped. but of course I noticed this right when a seminar was letting out so we were basically going up stream. As we were walking along a man asked us if we were looking for a cellphone. I of course said yes and he told me that he had told one of the volunteers about it and they should have it. Ironically enough he recognized me from being up there earlier. Sure enough I walked in the they had it sitting on the table. I was so thrilled!! I guess there is still good in this world and not everyone is out to just take things. So now that that little crisis was averted we headed back to the expo and Sara finished with the online coaching.

There was some great things there

We got this calendar that actually has a lot of the races on it for you. The good/bad thing was that once we looked through it we found a bunch more that we wanted to do!

There were also lots of place giving out free samples!

I have never tried either on these. The Aero Shot sounded interesting it is basically just a very fine powder that you suck into your mouth and it dissolves almost instantly. I will definitely let you know how that one works if I use it during one of my races.

Max Performance was also there and they were giving away a wet suit which would have been great to win. Tim one of the race directors was there and we got to chat a little as was Megan one of their swim instructors. I was also able to saving $10 on my registration to the Title 9 Women's Triathlon in Hopkinton this fall which is always a plus cause we all know how expensive this can be. I loved the experience with Max Performance last year so I am looking forward to doing not only the Title 9 but also the Mass State this year!

We also met a lot of teams and clubs that were around the area which was cool. There were several that sounded like they were fun and also more low key. As in perfect for me because they were more focused on offering training but in a go at your own pace kind of way. I was really interested in Dreamfar Triathlon Club but all their trainings I am already booked and they are in concord so that wasn't overly exciting but they were so nice I would have seriously considered joining them.

I also found a place that I could finally get some stuff that says triathlete etc. So of course I bought this for my car!

I also got a triathlon license plate holder cause why not make the car complete? The best part is that I really don't look like what most people think of when they say triathlete and neither does my husband so we get some funny looks but hey I did it therefore I am a triathlete!

For those of you who know me you know I LOVE the color purple so when the people from Hero Triathlon told us we could take a swim cap I just had to get this one. Who doesn't need an extra swim cap? The why not wear one that says be a hero? I have already worn mine during one of my training swims this week.

I then found something I thought was too good to be true. It is called Choffy! Now when you think about Choffy you might think it is some kind of gourmet coffee or something. I know I certainly did. However I couldn't have been more wrong. It is actually brewed chocolate. Well actually brewed cocoa beans to be exact. I could not wait to try this. They added french vanilla creamer to it which gave just enough sweetness/flavor. It was really good. I am really upset that I didn't buy some while we were there cause now I have to order it to get any because there is no store or distributor here. But I have to say if you ever get a chance to try it go for it because it really is good!

The most upsetting thing that because we registered so late we were not one of the people that got a swag bag. HOWEVER at 1pm if there were any leftover they were giving them on a first come first serve basis. Sara and I were first in line, which aside from being the most likely way to getting a bag we also got to chat with one of the volunteers who as it turns out is also a blood cancer survivor and had done a race with Team In Training. So needless to say we ended up with a swag bag and it was filled with some fun stuff...take a look!

All in all this was a fun experience and I will definitely be going back again. Hopefully as I get more into triathlons and get more comfortable with my own abilities I will be able to get involved with the competition parts as well.

Thanks to everyone at Tri Mania for arranging this. Of course to all the volunteers cause lets face it with everything relates to theses kinds of races, etc they wouldn't be possible without and this certainly wouldn't have been either. and last but certainly not least all the vendors and presenters for the seminars. I learned so much and feel like I am more prepared for my adventures ahead of me!

Always Keep Pedaling!

This has a back story as most of my adventures seem to. I went to the young adult cancer survivors conference at Dana Farber in Early March. While there I met Jon Wilson a fellow cancer survivor but also the founder of AKP (always keep pedaling foundation). The foundation offers grants to cancer survivors to get out there and challenge themselves after diagnosis. You can apply for a grant for adaptive equipment, training sessions, or other adventures.

Shortly after I went I decided I wanted the Title 9 Sprint Triathlon to be my challenge. There was only one problem I don't have a bike to use to train or ride for the race. I also don't have the funds to get my own. I thought of AKP and went to take a look at their site. I ended up submitting the first application and then the second. Unfortunately something went a miss and my application was never received (probably something on my end, it usually is user error) so when I email Jon in mid July asking about it he kindly had me to them again and said the review committee would be meeting the end of August to make a decision. But that in the mean time they were hosting a bike retreat the weekend of August 10th in Vermont. I was very hesitant to even consider going mainly because biking was my least favorite as well as least successful triathlon sport. But some how I convinced myself that I had to at least try worst thing that could happen is I wouldn't be able to do it and would walk or get back in the van.

I am thrilled I made the decision to try it! There were a few of us from about the same area that were able to arrange a carpool so on Friday morning we headed out for our adventure!

About 3 hours later we arrived at our fantastic accommodations! We would be spending the weekend at the river road barn. It had a gorgeous view of the mountains and of course a pool!

We were greeted by Els (a friend of Jon's as well as a member of AKP's board and fellow cyclist). She was kind enough to show us around and get us situated. Jon arrived shortly after 

and again checked in with us and gave a little run down of how the day was going to go. Everyone else proceeded to arrive for the next couple of hours. We all gathered together and went over what we were going to be doing for the day as well as the weekend. 

Vermont biking Tours was kind enough to donated not only all the equipment we needed for the weekend but a guide, vehicle, gas, etc. for the weekend! So Chris our guide from VBT went over the bikes with us and got us all fitted. This is the point where I almost freaked out a bit. Els showed us the maps on our bikes of the course we would be riding and at the top it had the mile 17.9.

 I honestly might have stopped breathing for a moment. I have not ridden more than 12 miles outside and almost 18 miles on the first day SCARED me! But I reminded myself that I needed to try so I got myself all ready. After doing all the waiver signing and such we headed out!

I am pleased to say that I survived all 17.9 miles well actually it ended up being 18.3 miles because we missed a turn. I'm not gonna lie I got off and walked a handful of time but I always got back on the bike and I never got back on the van. That was a win for me!

When we got back to farm we headed to the pool, where I discovered I had forgotten to pack my bathing suit, but I improvised! While we swam Jon, Els and Simon (Els's finance and Jon's long time friend) got dinner ready. Then it was time to eat!

Smoked Salmon, pasta salad, asparagus and salad. Although it was not my normal dinner it was still very good. After dinner some stayed up and played games but I was tired and just laid down on my bunk.

Day two was just as much fun. We had the pleasure of being able to do a yoga class at 8:30am. I was thrilled to have this offer. So we all were up and in the gym for 8:30am.

It was nice to have a good stretch after Friday's 18 mile ride. I was also happy to know that my yoga abilities had improved. I was able to pretty much keep up. It was both energizing and relaxing at the same time!

Then Jon's mom was kind enough to come and make us breakfast. I don't know about you but I love blueberry pancakes! 

After breakfast we all got dressed, collected our gear and then Chris our VBT guide did a gear shifting clinic for us. 

He was fantastic the whole weekend. Sharing his vast cycling knowledge, providing assistance with the bikes, giving us snacks and of course rides when we were tired.

Jon and Els then gave us all our maps of the days course. Today was only going to be a 13 mile ride however it started with a 3 mile 750 ft climb. They gave us a choice we could do all 3 miles, 2 miles, 1 mile or start at the top.I really had a lot of thinking to do, in the end I decided to do two miles. I did end up walking some of it but I did it none the less. 

The rest of the course was mostly down hill. We were able to stop and an old query and go down to take a look.

It was quite beautiful. We did some minor rock climbing, some people went swimming in a small pool between rocks and then we got to eat lunch there. Then Jon uttered the these words, "Do you guys want to do some more or are you all done?" We all felt pretty good so we said, "Let's do it!" he did warn us that there was one hill, we later discover Jon's idea of a hill and ours (yes as a group) are VERY different.

We rode for a little while longer and then turned onto a side road and started our climb. I rode maybe 1/6 of mile up and then just couldn't do it anymore. My Garmin was blinking at me that my heart rate was over 185 so I got off and walked. Chris once again came around checking to see if we were ok if we wanted a ride up. I refused to ride I was getting myself up the mountain. That's right it was a mountain not a hill! :)

There were a handful of people behind me. I got back on my bike and rode the last little bit to the top. As we waited Chris came driving up with everyone who was behind me in the van I was thrilled that I made the decision to do it myself!

Before we left Jon told us that he had something special to show us after our ride. So we piked back into the van and left for our second adventure. Chris pulled over, we climbed over a guardrail and walked through a field. My first thought was, 'ok this is the part where we are all murdered.' I could not have been more wrong, Jon is a teacher as his full time job and he took to see where the Vermont mint used to be. He told us all about the history of Vermont becoming part of the colonies and therefore the mint was no longer needed. It was really beautiful!

At dinner that night Jon invited some friends of his. They were also cancer survivors, they were married and both of them had been through cancer. Their story was astounding yet inspiring. I loved that they were there and we were able to chat freely. They were perfectly willing to answer all our questions.

The next day was Sunday August 12th. 

I thought it was very fitting that our final course for the weekend was on the two year anniversary of my diagnosis. I had come so far since then and this was the perfect way to display that! We got an early start because we all had to head home after. Again we had a choice at what course we took. We could either do a 12 mile course or a 21 mile course that went into New York and back again. 

Once again I adopted the I need to try theory so I decided to do the 21 miles! It was a great ride! I was thrilled when I got to the New York border. I knew I could do the rest! I continued on and we all stopped and ate lunch at a cute little covered bridge! Even though I was in the group that was in the middle of the pack we got the bridge first because Jon had missed a turn so his group did an extra couple of miles.

It was beautiful there and great atmosphere to eat lunch. There were actually some people there on vacation from the Boston area I thought that was pretty funny. 

After we were done eating we got a group shot on the bridge. We are a good looking group if I do say so myself!

We headed back and finished our 21 mile ride. We might have completed this adventure but it definitely gave me the confidence to keep searching for new adventures!

I really can't thank Jon, Els, Simon, Chris, Andrew (another friend of Jon's), the river road farm owners, VBT and everyone else involved with AKP enough for this weekend. As I said in the beginning my challenge was to train and complete a triathlon. Before this weekend I was overly worried about my ability to complete the bike portion of triathlon. By Sunday I was completely confident that I will be able to successfully complete the 10 mile bike. My famous last words to Jon were, "you made me hate biking a little bit less this weekend!"

Else and Simon were actually getting married the following weekend. I don't very many people who would give up the weekend before their wedding to do something like this. But that is what this foundation is made up of great people who care! Please be sure to check out their site, donate and of course spread the word to other cancer survivors. This is an experience I will never forget!

Take the road less traveled by it is usually the most fun!

Spintastic

I have many friends who have taken spinning class and honestly there is a pretty even split between those you love it and are addicted to it and those who just don't like it. I normally do Zumba on sunday mornings which I absolutely LOVE! But this week our instructed is on vacation so the class was not being held, in an effort to find something to replace it I started looking at the class schedule at the Y. For both yesterday and today the only offering that I was remotely interested in was spin class. I opted to do a swim routine yesterday and do spin today. 

Since I decided to take spin I decided I would ask for some input from others as to their experience so I would have a little heads up as to what to expect. After posting this on both facebook and twitter I pretty much got universally that I would have a sore butt, bring lots of water and a towel. So I prepared myself as best I could the night before and went to get a good nights sleep. A few people suggested I should go get a gel seat cover but unfortunately I did not have time so I just had to hope I would be able to take it for the hour class.

Fast forward to this morning. I arrived early in hopes that I could let the instructor know I was a newbie and get help setting up my bike. However the 8:30 class I was there for the door got unlocked to the studio at 8:25 due to some printer issues apparently so everyone rushed in and got their spots. I ended up in the last row which secretly I was happy about cause I really didn't need anyone watching me attempt this.

 I actually did very well setting up my bike. It ended up not being that difficult but then again I know the basics as far as how much bend in your legs and how far you should be leaning to the handle bars so that was good. It wasn't until we were about a minute into the warm up song that the instructor asked if there was anyone new. I was the only one therefore the spot light was on me, literally because I was directly under the ceiling light! ironic. She said it looked as though I had done well setting up my bike and that most importantly just go at my own pace. 

I am sure glad I listened because let me tell you had I kept up with everyone else it would not have been pretty. I did well until about 25 minutes in. I was keeping good pace and doing well with the sitting/standing intervals. But then I started getting these waves of nausea. I couldn't drink anymore water for fear of it becoming more than just nausea, but I pressed on.

At about 47 minutes I got an extremely strong way of nausea so I really dialed it back. Everyone else was standing and I was lowering gear, go figure! But I didn't give up just because the resistance was lighter didn't mean I wasn't still getting some kind of workout so I was ok with this.

I did recover after a few minutes and was able to step back up to the challenge for the remaining 5 mins and then we started our cool down. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the cool down not only meant going slower but also doing upper body stretches while riding. Then for the last 2 minutes we got off the bike and did leg stretches. I love that this was included in the class!!!

I had started a little earlier than the actual class while I was trying to setup my bike so I got in an extra 3 minutes! I was very happy with 27.1 miles considering the longest I have ever gone on any stationary bike is 12 miles which means I more than doubled that!! 

The best part is that the instructor did such a good job of alternating between sitting and standing my butt doesn't even really hurt that much! I will definitely be visiting a spin class again!