Highlights and Lowlights- Week 1

I am going to recap the highlights and lowlights of each week. It has already been one week into the 4K. 62 more days to go until we reach Portland, OR! It's weird how my perception of time has changed since starting the 4K. This past week has felt like a month since I have been staying in different places every night and have seen so much and done so much. Back home, times flies when I am on the same schedule everyday and a week goes by in a blink. There are still many weeks left of the trip, and I wonder if time will start to pass by faster once we get into a routine. 70 days is a long time, but I know that when I'm in Portland, I will wonder how this summer went by so quickly. I want to savor every bit of this trip, make it last. I am loving being able to ride my bike every damn day, despite the difficulties my team has had.

Highlights

Rest day in Pittsburgh- After a much-needed full night's rest, I went into Pittsburgh to explore the city. My favorite was visiting the Andy Warhol museum. We also had a dinner donated to us, catered by TGI Friday's.

Food upon endless food- Our hosts have been really great providing us with plenty of food. Our stockpile of food is getting kind of ridiculous. The amount we are receiving is more than what we are eating, so some food has been wasted, which hurts my heart :( I have been eating continuously since the start of the ride. We have water breaks every 15-20 miles or so, and there are plenty of snacks. Also, at dinner, there are always TONS of amazing desserts and I can't say no to homemade pie :P

Going for a run- I got to run on Day 7 when I had van duty and didn't ride. It felt great to be running again, and I am going to try to run whenever I have a day off.

Going through the abandoned tunnel in Pennsylvania- I admit, I was scared and a bit frustrated at the time when we were going through the tunnels because it was really dark, chilly, the road conditions were absolute shit, and we had a bunch of mechanicals and had to stop frequently. I am still glad we went through them in retrospect, because we freaking rode under two mountains and that's pretty bad ass. 

All the climbs in the first three days- Some people hated it, I really loved it. We climbed a few mountains going through Pennsylvania. It was hard, but it was also very rewarding to go through that challenging terrain. I personally love to climb because it's when I feel the most powerful getting over hill after hill. For a lot of my teammates, it was kind of like being thrown in a cycling boot camp since they haven't had much (if at all) hill training and were inexperienced with shifting properly on rolling hills. The best part was a three-mile descent into Ligonier, PA on day 3. 

Lowlights

Getting rained out on Day 8- Supposed to be a 72 mile day from Canton, OH to Mansfield, OH, but we got caught in a thunderstorm. It was down pouring, and it was just not safe to keep on riding. I got loaded into one of the vans, and got driven the rest of the 50ish miles. First day that I didn't finish a ride. Bummer.

Riding on gravel and dirt trails- Just say no to gravel. It is terrible for road bikes and highly uncomfortable and terrifying going downhill on a gravel road. Also, on day 8 when it was raining, we had to ride a few miles on a muddy trail. So not fun and terrible for the bike. I got off and rerouted as quickly as possible.

Read More

My Cross-Country Route and Mail Drops

Today is the day that I finally get to meet my 4K for Cancer teammates! I will be cycling with these 27 people for the next 70 days, and I am certain that we will bond like family by the end of the trip. So excited :D

A few weeks ago, I posted a schedule of our route, including all the cities we will be cycling through. I was curious about how the route will actually look like, so I used MapMyRide and entered in ALL the cities (yes, it kind of took forever). The actual route will vary since the exact roads we will cycle on may change. However, this will give you a rough idea of where we will be going. Apparently MapMyRide doesn't allow you to save routes over 1000 miles long, so I took screen shots. The ride will be a bit over 4500 miles.

Note the zig-zagging nature of the route. Going from coast to coast in a straight line is well under 4000 miles, but we're taking the long way. And the harder way (apparently going west to east is easier because of tailwinds). After we hit Illinois, we are taking a sharp north-ward turn up to Chicago to meet with another team (going to Seattle, I believe). When we get to Wyoming, I think we are also making a detour into Yellowstone because heck, it's Yellowstone. I've been to Yellowstone many times when I lived in Idaho Falls as a child, so I can't wait to see it again!

Click on the map above to see the route in detail. 

Throughout the trip, we will have mail drops where riders can receive mail, care packages, cards, etc. (hint hint: I love food). Mail is awesome, and I would greatly appreciate anything I receive! A little note of encouragement will go a long way to motivate me during my trip :)

Just replace the "% 4K Rider's Name" with Joanna W.

Day 14 6/14/2014

Chris Ewing
℅ 4K Rider's Name
3318 Hampton Creek Dr
Lousiville, KY 

Day 33 7/3/2014

Pastor Becky
℅ 4K Rider's Name
701 5th St
Arapahoe, NE 68922

Day 39 7/9/2014

St. John’s Episcopal Church
℅ 4K Rider's Name
1419 Pine St. 
Boulder, CO 80302

Day 45 7/15/2014

4K for Cancer
℅ Rider's Name
800 23rd St. 
Rawlins WY, 82301

Day 56 7/26/2014

River of Life Family Worship Center
℅ 4K Rider's Name
390 North 11th East
Mountain Home, ID 83647

Read More

T-minus Four Days

Happy Wednesday! This week is going by too fast. As much as I am excited about cycling across the country with 4K for Cancer, I am also nervous and a bit sad to be leaving. I want the trip to start already, but at the same time, I am going to miss a lot at home: family, friends, my bed... oh yea, and definitely my Vitamix.

Last night, we had a crazy thunderstorm. I was planning on going on a training ride with the bike club, but obviously that didn't happen. I stayed home and watched the storm, instead. There was hail and our power went out for a minute.

Since I haven't ridden my bike in two days, I went out for a ride this morning. I rode my usual 21 mile route, and then added some extra miles in the neighborhood to make it an even 30. I rode through the back country roads, and some parts were really covered in debris from the storms. So many leaves, twigs, branches, and trees in the road. There was also a lot of sand and gravel littering one part of the road from the flooding. 

I was pretty thirsty and hungry when I got back, so I rehydrated with salted watermelon. Does anyone else put salt on their watermelon? It's really delicious, I swear.

For my last few days at home, I am trying to make the most of it by spending time with my family and seeing my friends before I leave. Later today, I am going down to Silver Spring to meet up with a friend from college and get Ethiopian food. I haven't seen her in over a year, so it'll be so nice to catch up with her before I leave! Tomorrow, I am hoping to actually do the club training ride, though the forecast says rain :( Crossing my fingers! Thursday night, I'm meeting up with another friend for dinner. Then it's the 4K Tribute dinner in Baltimore on Friday night, and training all day Saturday. Saturday will be my last night with my family. Since they are coming with me to Baltimore and staying the night, we can have one last family dinner before sendoff on Sunday. 

Now I just need to finish packing! Packing is hard :(

Read More

Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard Ride

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you are enjoying the long weekend. I certainly am! Going on a picnic and hike today.

One year ago from today, I bought my first road bike on Memorial Day weekend and went on an inaugural ride with my dad. This Sunday, I went on a ride with a friend to a local mountain and tasted some wine at a nearby vineyard. What a way to commemorate my first year of cycling :)

We started at noon and were treated to some great weather. Blue skies, sunshine, and a few fluffy, white clouds over the countryside.

I can see Sugarloaf Mountain from my house, about 15 miles away. Although I've ridden by it many times, I've only climbed it once before. There is also a vineyard that I have passed by and never visited. My friend hadn't been either, so on Sunday, we decided to (finally) pay a visit.

Before we wined, we climbed. It's a nice climb with a bunch of switchbacks, about 400 ft gain with an average grade of 6%. My legs weren't feeling that fresh, and I didn't want to kill myself, so I took it easy.

When we reached the top, we took a breather, enjoyed the views, and took some pictures.

And of course, I had to take a selfie ;)

We descended, and it was time for wine! The vineyard was packed with people enjoying wine, having picnics, and listening to live music. We parked the bikes and headed to the tasting tent. $10 to taste all 8 wines, not bad. We started with two whites, a rose, three reds that were progressively fuller bodied, and two dessert wines. I really enjoyed the Cabernet Franc and Stomp, a sweeter wine that tasted like red berries. They use that in their sangria, which I unfortunately didn't get to try. I still had 25 miles to ride!

I am going back to the vineyard to pick up a few bottles of wine and try the sangria. I don't think sticking wine bottles in my water bottle cages is a wise idea, so I'm going to drive there next time.

This ride was the best idea ever. I can't think of a better way to spend the afternoon.

Read More

At the Speed of a Bike

When I go out for a training ride or a run, usually my goal is to go as fast or as hard as possible. Training for races makes me focused on the numbers: hitting a certain pace during interval training, averaging a certain speed, getting PR's in every race. Sometimes I feel like a slave to my Garmin. I've been taught to be competitive, always striving to do my best and become better, faster, stronger.

On Thursday, I went out for a ride, but with a different mindset. I slowed down my pace to fully enjoy the ride. I soaked up the scenery. I stopped to take pictures. Twice.

As I am about to set across the country on my bike, I want to set my intention to really be in the present. It's going to be a long, 4400 mile journey to Portland. It's not about getting to the destination, it's about the journey along the way and I don't want to rush through it.

I have to admit that I am pretty competitive on the bike. This past season, I've been training to compete in races and focused on getting faster. However, this summer will be different. I am going to slow down, stop for pictures and goof around at random roadside attractions. Ride side by side with my teammates and roll along at a conversational speed.

It's going to be incredible seeing this country at the speed of a bike, feeling every mile from my saddle. I'll be passing by cities, small towns, countryside, mountains, plains, and forests stretching from the east to the west coast. I want to soak in every inch of it.

One more week.

Read More

Tour de Montgomery County Farm Country

One thing that discourages a lot of beginner cyclists is sharing the road with cars on high traffic roads. I consider myself very lucky that I have access to low-traffic country roads right outside my house. Although farm country is just a few minutes away, I actually live in the suburbs and have access to both city and countryside.

On Tuesday, I took my GoPro with me on my morning bike ride. I wanted to make a video showing the beautiful country roads that I frequently ride on. Now that it's almost summer and the trees are in full foliage, it truly is gorgeous. Every time I ride these roads, I feel incredibly grateful for the spectacular scenery. Makes my rides very enjoyable.

Here's the route that I rode with the elevation profile. You can see my ride on Strava HERE. 24 miles of forests and fields.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the views :) [HD recommended]

Do you live in the city, suburbs, or countryside?

Read More

Richmond Road Race Recap

So I did it: I survived my first cycling race and didn't make a fool of myself. I wanted to see what racing was like, and I got my first taste of it on Sunday, May 18th.

Before I start with my race recap, I want make a few disclaimers: 1) I am very new to racing so I'm not the best commentator on how the race played out. I can only give an inexperienced racer's perspective 2) the field split (a bunch of ladies were in the lead group, and I was in the slower one) so I didn't get to see how the "real" race unfolded.

I am coming up on my first cycling anniversary (Memorial Day weekend), so I have been road cycling for less than a year. After picking up the sport relatively quickly, I was thinking about racing early this year. I had no idea how to begin racing and how it all worked. Also, I am still pretty inexperienced in riding with a group and needed to learn some skills. Luckily, I had a friend who races and was willing to give me some pointers. With his encouragement, I jumped the gun and decided to give racing a try this season. I figured that now is as good of a time as any. I've been training hard this season for my duathlon and 10K, as well as cycling more, so the fitness was there. With the cross country trip this summer, I would only have time for one race, so I might as well get my feet a little wet.

I chose to race the Richmond Road Race, which is two 22-mile laps in the countryside (actually ended up being a bit shorter than 44 miles). Although the race site was a 2 hour drive, I decided to do this race because the start time was at 12:20, so I wouldn't have to leave the house ridiculously early. Also, I am not confident enough to race a criterium just yet. Taking fast, tight turns in a large group is something I need to work on.

43.5 miles, 1063 ft of climbing

I must admit that I was really nervous leading up to this race. It's scary to be the newest kid on the block and unsure of what to expect. All the other ladies in my race were on teams, and probably have years more experience with cycling and racing. I felt like a total noob and tried to figure things out by watching and learning. My goal for this race was to hang on and not get dropped, get a feel for what racing is like, and try to have a good time out there.

I'm 525

There were six races with staggered starts. The first three races were in the morning, and the last three started at noon. The women's race was the last to go, at 12:20. We had a small field of 26 women. The pro/1/2/3 and Cat 3/4 men were out on the course with us, with a 20 and 10 minute lead, respectively.

The races had a rolling closure, so there were vehicles in front of us and behind us to direct traffic and give us the full use of the road. That was really great so I didn't have to worry about cars and I could focus on keeping my poise throughout the race.

The start was pretty chill, and we rolled out of the parking area onto the roads. My plan was to stay comfortable at the back of the pack, sit behind someone's wheel, and conserve my energy. The pace was very relaxed for most of the first lap, much to my pleasant surprise. I felt like I was hardly working at all, and the first 20 miles went by so quickly. The strongest girls attacked on the climb coming up to the end of the first lap. Eleven girls rode away, while 15 of us were left behind to chase. I had expected the field to split and wasn't surprised that it happened when it did.

My group tried to work together briefly to chase down the lead pack, but the gap just kept getting bigger and bigger, so we eventually settled down. We rotated through the paceline, and I did some work in the wind, trying to keep up our speed. I did a good job conserving my energy for most of the race, so my legs were ready to work hard. I had also fueled and hydrated pretty well, and was only taking in calories from my sports drink. I had a few gels on me, but didn't use them.

With about five miles to go, I, as well as (I think) 6 other girls, put it into high gear and dropped the rest of them. I was committed to riding the last few miles hard and race with these girls. Having ridden the first lap, I knew exactly when that final climb was and how hard it was going to be. And this time I was getting tired. I was ahead of about three girls on the climb, but I just couldn't keep my speed up and got passed by two girls. With 1km to go, I was hurting but stayed with it. When I saw the 200m sign, I sprinted as hard as I could. Five girls were ahead of me, but I kept my sights on them, rode hard, and passed one before crossing the finish line, coming in 16th.

I seem to have pretty good luck with "first" race experiences: half marathon, full marathon, duathlon, and now my first road race. I really couldn't have asked for a better day. The weather was absolute perfection, the course was beautiful and just challenging enough. I didn't get dropped and held my own throughout the race. I didn't come in dead last (which I was afraid of!) and did pretty well, considering this was my first race. Despite the nerves, I'm really glad I have this experience under my belt. Time and time again, I learn to not let my fear get in the way of doing the things I want to do. Being the most inexperienced one is tough. It's freaking scary and intimidating. But I remind myself that everyone had to start somewhere. It might as well be now, rather than later. 

Read More

Training Log 5/18 and Miscellaneous Adventures

This past week, I was preparing for my first road race on Sunday. I was originally planning to do two training rides with the cycling club, but we had some sketchy weather this week. I didn't want to get caught in the afternoon thunderstorms, so I rode on my own earlier in the day. On Thursday, I cut my ride short, which was luckily a smart decision because it started raining right when I got back home!

My road race on Sunday was in Richmond, Virginia, which is about 2 hours away from where I live. Thankfully, the women's race didn't start until 12:20, so I didn't have to get up at a ridiculously early hour. It was 44 miles (actually a bit shorter) through the Virginia countryside. We had perfect race conditions, and the course was beautiful. I had a great time, and I'll post a more detailed race recap in a bit.

Other adventures I had this week was going mountain biking with a friend on Wednesday. I used to MTB, but haven't been in more than 4 years. I love it, but I only have an old, not so great MTB. Both me and my bike survived the trails, and I had a blast! On Saturday, I also went stand up paddleboarding for the first time. I bought a Livingsocial coupon for a three-hour lesson. Check out the GoPro video that I made!

Monday- 75 mins vinyasa yoga

Tuesday- cycling 21 mi, avg 18.1 mph

Wednesday- cycling 25 mi, avg 17.9 mph
                      MTB 6ish miles on singletrack

Thursday- cycling 12 mi, avg 18.3 mph

Friday- 75 mins vinyasa yoga

Saturday- stand up paddleboarding, 3-hr lesson
                 7.3 mi shakeout ride, avg 18.2 mph

Sunday- 43.5 mi road race, avg 20.8 mph

Totals

Cycling- 108.2 mi + 6 mi MTB
Running- 0

What a week! And now I am exhausted and ready to pass out. Got to get to yoga this week to stretch out those tight muscles.

Read More

I (Finally) Went Mountain Biking!

Although I have only been road cycling for almost a year, I basically grew up on a bike. My parents tell me that I learned how to ride a bike, without training wheels, when I was 2 1/2 years old. Ever since I can remember, I knew how to ride a bike. In first grade, my dad bought me a mountain bike for my birthday that was too big for me. I eventually grew into it, and started taking it on the trails. My dad, brother, and I would ride a trail around a lake at a local park. When I moved to another neighborhood, there was a park called Schaeffer Farms just down the road with some really great single track and I started riding there. My brother and I both got Mongoose MTBs, which at the time I thought were pretty sweet bikes. Little did I know what a good MTB was... Anyway, it served its purpose and I loved riding it in the forested trails.  

source

In those early years, the park was kind of an undiscovered gem, but lately, it has become super popular. On the weekends, I see so many vehicles loaded with MTBs going down the road past my house that lead to the park. It's a shame that I live so close to such great trails and I rarely ride there. I used to spend my summers riding the single track back in middle and high school. 

Recently, a friend that I cycle with got a MTB. She had never ridden off-road before, so I suggested that we ride at Schaeffer Farms. I got my old Mongoose ready and prayed that I still remembered how to ride on single track. The shifters also don't work that great. And the brake pads are wearing a bit thin... It had rained the day before, so the trails were a bit muddy and slippery. Not the ideal conditions for my friend to learn how to MTB, but she did fine. We had a blast and survived without a mishap. I took my GoPro with me and mounted it on the rubber part of my handlebars. Unfortunately, that was a bad idea because of all the vibration from the trail, and most of the video is nausea-inducing. I should have used my helmet mount, which I will do next time! 

Here's what I salvaged from the footage:

Have you ever gone mountain biking before?

Read More

The Logistics of Cycling Across the Country

In less than three weeks, I will embark on a cross country cycling trip with a team of 28 other riders. There's a lot of planning and logistics to coordinate such a huge trip, so today, I'd like to share a bit on how the ride will work.

The Support

Our ride will be self-supported in the sense that there will be no other people outside of the riders that will be there to provide support. We will have two 15-passenger gear vans that will be driven by teammates as we rotate through the responsibilities. The vans will carry all of our gear (1 duffle and 1 backpack per rider), food, water, and bikes/riders when needed. During the day, one van will set up water stops and make sure that the riders have everything they need. The other van will be dropping off the gear at the host and secure food donations. They also chalk the route so that riders won't get lost. The ride is a huge team effort, and when you're not riding, you're helping to take care of those who are.

The Leadership

The leadership team does a lot of work months in advance before the trip to make sure that everything runs smoothly.

1. 2 Ride Directors- keep the team mentality strong, ensure that everyone fulfills there responsibilities, communicates with the Ulman Cancer Fund staff

2. 6 Leg Leaders- two leg leaders per section of the trip will be responsible for determining a safe route. They will also secure hosts and food donations throughout their leg of the trip

3. 1 Service Coordinator- communicates with cancer centers and coordinates service events

4. 1 Public Relations Coordinator- responsible for press releases, create social media presence, and makes our mission more visible to the public

5. 2 Mechanics- helps with bike maintenance and repairs, because obviously that is crucial as we are riding across the country


Food and Lodging

For the entire ride, we will be relying on the communities we travel through to donate food and provide us lodging. In the past, teams have gotten generous donations from fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, Subway, Chipotle, etc. and gift cards from grocery stores. Places such as REI and local bike shops might give donations or discounts on gear and nutrition. We'll have to be flexible and not picky about food, and we'll probably eat anything and everything we can get. I'll definitely be hungry!

The places we are staying are usually in churches, gyms, and host families' homes. We might have to stay at camp sites if we are far from civilization, such as cycling through the national parks. Most of the time, we will be sleeping on floors, which is why I'm glad I just bought a sleeping pad!

Staying Connected

Although I'll be on the road, I am still hoping to stay in touch with friends and family, keep this blog up to date, and receive mail along the route. I should be able to get wifi at most host towns, if not at the place we're staying at, then probably at a Starbucks or McDonalds. I'm not sure about cell phone reception in the more rural parts of the route, but I will at least have it for some of the route. Having my smart phone with me will be invaluable because I can look up maps, check important emails, make calls in an emergency, and communicate with the van drivers.


Do you have any other questions about the logistics of my cross country trip?

Read More

The Weekly Chase 5/13, a Road Race, and Fundraising

My first cycling road race is this Sunday, only 5 days away! I am slightly panicking, but I keep telling myself that everything will be okay, I won't have a mechanical, and my legs are ready for this. I really have no idea what to expect, since I've never raced before. The race is in Richmond, Virginia, which is pretty far. I'll be making the two hour drive on Sunday morning, and since it starts around 12pm, I won't have to get up crazy early. The race itself is a 22-mile loop that we do twice, for a total of 44 miles. The field is small, and so far, there are only 9 women. My friend will be racing in the Category 4 men's. It would be a lie to say that I am not nervous, but I am hoping for the best! At least the weather will be nice.

Also, I can't believe that it's already mid-May and that I will start to ride across the country in two and a half weeks! I am getting more and more excited as June 1st approaches, and I can't wait to meet my 28 teammates who will be riding with me from Baltimore all the way to Portland. 

Before I go on the trip, however, every rider needs to raise a minimum of $4500. Part of the funds will cover the ride expenses, but most of them will go to support young adults with cancer by providing patient navigation services and awarding college scholarships. My brother recently made a generous donation to my fund, and I am now so close to my fundraising goal! I have been making deposits with my own money since I've been struggling a bit to make all the fundraising deadlines, but with my brother's donation, I am less than $100 away from meeting the minimum before the May 15th deadline. 

Although it makes me uncomfortable to ask for donations, I really need all the help I can get for a final push to meet the minimum. Even a small donation of $5 will help reach my goal and allow me to go on this amazing adventure for an incredible organization. Click on the image below for my donation page, as well as my profile explaining why I want to cycle across the across the country.

And now it's time for another Weekly Chase!

Goals from last week:

1. Get my cross country cycling gear together- I've been shopping around at local bike shops, REI, and Amazon for gear and cycling kit. I recently ordered a bunch of stuff off of Amazon that I will need for the trip, but I still have a few more things to get such as puncture resistant tires.

2. Go on two club rides- I went on a club ride on Thursday and Saturday. The Thursday ride was pretty hard and I got dropped halfway. Well, that's the reason I join these rides, to challenge myself and get stronger.

3. Go to yoga three times- Only went twice this week, again. My weekends were packed and I didn't have time to go to my usual class.

4. Run for fun- Not only did I run, I ran twice, PLUS one was on the trails! Both were enjoyable, though the trail run was hot.

This week's goals:

1. Reach my fundraising minimum by May 15th deadline- I am blown away by all the generosity I've received since I started fundraising in February, and I've already raised over $3000! That's incredible, and I am so close to meeting the fundraising minimum. I can do this!

2. Go on two training rides- I want to try to make it to two club rides this week before my race on Sunday, but that will depend on the weather. A lot of afternoon thunderstorms this week :(

3. Catch up with friends- Since I will be leaving my hometown soon to cycle across the country and then move to Boston, I want to spend some quality time with my friends. I'm getting a bit sad that I will be leaving!

4. Do my first road race- I just want to have a good experience. And not finish last.

Read More

Training Log 5/11

I got a solid week of training for my cycling road race coming up in a week. I had originally planned on doing training rides on both Tuesday and Thursday, with the fast paced group that slightly intimidates me. However, on Tuesday, I got stuck in traffic and got to the ride start 6 minutes late. Unfortunately, the group had already left. I was pretty angry with myself for not accounting for traffic, so I drove the 30 minutes back home and did a short ride from my house.

I learned my lesson and made sure I was early for the Thursday training ride. It was challenging, but a good, hard workout. On Saturday, I went to Virginia to ride with another bike club, and rode with the "B" group, which is slightly less fast than the "A" group, but not a leisurely ride at a "C" pace. The group used rotating pacelines for part of the ride, which was good practice for me. It's amazing how much energy you save when working together! At the midway rest stop, my legs were still feeling fresh. If you're not familiar with how pacelining works, here's a video:

I also went on two short runs this week. On Friday, I spontaneously decided to go for a trail run in the woods near my house. It was a bit hot and I regretted not bringing water with me, but I really enjoyed running in the woods for a change of scenery. The hills were a bit tough, and I was completely soaked in sweat afterwards!

Monday- 75 minute vinyasa yoga

Tuesday- cycling 11 mi

Wednesday- running 2.75 mi

Thursday- cycling 29 mi, avg 18.7 mph

Friday- 75 minute vinyasa yoga
             trail running 5.5 mi, avg 9:06

Saturday- cycling 47.8 mi, avg 17.9 mph

Sunday- cycling 30.5, avg 17.8 mph

Totals

Running- 8.25 mi

Cycling- 118.3 mi

A lot of hard riding this week. I need to get to yoga class tomorrow to stretch out those tight muscles. And foam roll more.

Read More

Doing Stuff that Scares Me- Cycling with the Men

Lately, I've been living by this philosophy:

I've never jumped off a cliff, but I am pushing myself out of my comfort zone to get faster on the bike. The local bike club has training rides every Tuesday and Thursday, and I have been trying to go whenever I can. The group is mainly men. Big men with huge muscles and nice bikes. And some of them race those bikes. The pace is fast, and sometimes the group splits up into two or three groups, when the fastest group splits off and the rest of us can't keep up. Needless to say, I was pretty nervous when I first joined this training ride. I also didn't know the route and didn't have a cell phone on me, so that was an extra incentive to keep up. Luckily, I stayed with a slower group and made it back just fine.

I am still a bit intimidated to ride with this group, but they are all friendly and willing to give me advice. Today, I went on a 29 miler and tried to stick with the fast group. I rode like a noob and blew myself up on the hills (there were a lot of hills) and couldn't keep up. I could also blame the heat and feeling dehydrated from the start, but I won't.

I got dropped at around mile 15 with one other guy, and we stuck together for about 5 miles. The route got hillier, and that's when I took off and dropped the other guy. I wasn't 100% sure of the route, but since I had ridden it before and I didn't want to wait for the guy, I was 80% confident that I could feel my way back. Besides, I had my phone on me to check the maps, so I decided to ride the 10ish miles back solo.

I ran out of fluids with about 8 miles to go, and it was kind of miserable. My legs weren't that fatigued, but I could feel my whole body had to exert more effort. My pace slowed way down, partly because of the thirst and partly because I was working alone. It's so much easier to ride in a group because you're not pushing the wind the whole time.

Luckily, I remembered the roads and made it back without getting lost. I went straight to the car and guzzled my other bottle of water. Next time, I will bring two on the bike. I am glad that I went on this ride, and next time, I will learn from my mistakes.

Speaking of comfort zones and such, I want to try my hand at my first road race which is coming up very fast on May 18th. I have little more than a week to train, and I am planning on doing the two training rides next Tuesday and Thursday, as well as a longer ride (hopefully) this weekend, though it might rain. To be honest, racing kind of scares the shit out of me and all the doubts start flooding in. It also exhilarates me, so I want to do this. Whether I'm ready or not.

What is one thing that you do that scares you?

Read More

How I am Training to Ride 4,400 Miles Across the US

I am kind of in denial that it is already a week into May, and my cross country ride will begin in less than four weeks. I will be setting off across the country from Baltimore with a team of 29 young adults. For 70 days, we will be riding and spreading awareness for young adults with cancer, visiting cancer communities and providing our support and optimism. For 70 days, we will be blogging about and sharing our cause and stories to anyone who meets us. For 70 days, we will be helped by strangers, friends, and family who will give us food to fuel our ride, a roof over our heads, and a floor to sleep on. At the end of our 70 day journey, we will arrive in Portland, Oregon to be reunited with our family members and celebrate our incredible feat. After 70 days, we will all be changed by this profound experience, enriched by the bonds we made as a team and the connections we made all over the country.

So how am I preparing for the journey of a lifetime? It will no doubt be physically strenuous and something I've never attempted before. The first step is to be in good physical condition. Since I have been training for running races one after the other since May 2012, I feel like I am currently in the best shape of my life. I started cycling at the end of May in 2013 and I have come a long ass way from being a complete noob on a road bike. I didn't even know how gear shifting worked (I used to exclusively mountain bike)! Group riding is also something that I picked up in the past year. My first real group ride was actually my first century ride in September 2013. That wasn't the smartest thing to learn during a century, but I learned pretty damn fast. Since then, I've been riding with various clubs to work on my group riding skills.

This spring season, I have put in a lot of hours training for my first duathlon, PRing in the 10K, and racing my first cycling road race. I've been trying to do longer rides on the weekends to get comfortable in the saddle for hours on end and build my endurance. I've done high intensity training sessions to increase my VO2 max. I have the peace of mind that I have done everything I could to physically prepare for this trip. I think my body is as ready as it ever will be.

Preparing my body is one thing, but mentally, I'm not so sure. I am still worrying about a bunch of little things. Like getting all my bike gear that I will need. And how I will keep blogging from the road, and getting the lease signed for my Boston apartment, preparing all the paperwork for dental school in August, figuring out how to raise $2000 more to meet the fundraising minimum. I get stressed and overwhelmed thinking about these things, and feeling the time crunch. I just need to breathe and just get this shit done. I will be prepared by the end of this month. I will have time to deal with dental school stuff on the road.

Just breathe. 

More posts about 4K for Cancer:
From Baltimore to Portland: The Route I'm Riding

Read More

From Baltimore to Portland: The Route I'm Riding

The Journey

I haven't written much about the journey I am taking this summer, but I am embarking on a trip of a lifetime in only one, short month. Starting June 1st, I am cycling from Baltimore, MD to Portland, OR with a team of 29 college-aged riders to support young adults with cancer. We will be riding 70 days and arriving in Portland on August 9th. This ride is organized annually by the incredible organization, 4K for Cancer, and each year we are growing to include more teams and get more people involved. There is even a running team that is going from San Francisco to Baltimore!

Our mission is to get passionate young adults involved in the fight for cancer through community service and support.

The Route itself is a work in progress, and each leg leader will be deciding the safest roads to take during the trip. The cities we will be riding through have been decided, since we need to contact host families, churches, community centers, etc. to ensure we have a place to stay.

Throughout the trip, we will have service days where we visit cancer patients, deliver chemo care packages, award scholarships, and share our stories. In total, we will have 10 service/rest days and 60 riding days.

I am incredibly excited to be able to tour this beautiful country at the pace of a bicycle. There are a few cities that I've visited or have lived in (Idaho Falls), but so many more that I've never been to. We are going to be relying on the kindness of strangers for a roof over our heads, a floor to sleep on, and all the food we will be eating. Almost everything we need will count on donations! We will meet a lot of generous and kind-hearted people from all over the country and listen to their incredible stories about battling cancer.

How you can help

If I am riding through your hometown and you are interested in learning more about the 4K, I would love to meet you! Please let me know and I can pass along information about the events that we will host in different cities. Even knowing that I am passing through a reader's hometown will bring a smile to my face :)

Riding 70 days across the country is no doubt going to be physically and mentally strenuous. Words of encouragement and positive vibes will help me tackle those rough days (climbing the Rockies, hello!). I will try to be blogging on the road, posting brief updates and pics when I can, and writing longer posts on rest days. There will also be mail drops along the road, so even a brief note of encouragement will make me super happy! I will share the addresses for the mail drops once I get more details on that.

All the participants in the 4K for Cancer this year are incredible, and we've already raised over $700,000. A large percent of that goes directly to patient support services (over 80%), so we are really making a big difference! Each participant is required to raise a minimum of $4500 before the start of the trip, and a lot of riders have already exceeded that goal. I am still seeking donations to meet the fast-coming deadline, so if you are able to make a tax-deductible contribution, it would help me tremendously. No donation is too small (or too large!)

Click to view my fundraising page

Am I riding through your hometown? 

Read More

Training Log 4/20

This past week, I was on vacation in Disney World, so I wasn't expecting much in terms of workouts. Our flight to Orlando was on Monday night, so I was able to go to my yoga class in the morning. The best time to squeeze in a run was in the morning, since I knew that I would be too exhausted after a day of walking around in the theme parks.

The resort I stayed at, Caribbean Beach Resort, had a small lake with a foot path around it. The loop was about 1.15 miles, and I ended up running the same loop for all of my runs. It was flat, and the view was gorgeous.

On Saturday, it was pretty hot and humid when I went out for my run. I am so not used to 70 degrees and humid after this winter of training in sub-freezing temperatures. The humidity kind of got to me, and my 3 mile progressive run was at a hard effort. 

Monday- 75 mins vinyasa yoga

Tuesday- rest

Wednesday- running 1.5 mi, walking around Disney World

Thursday- running 3.75 mi, avg 7:35

Friday- rest, walking around Disney World

Saturday- running 3 mi progressive (7:45, 7:25, 7:07 pace), 2 mi recovery (8:00 pace), total 5 mi

Sunday- cycling 10.25 mi, avg 18. mph

Totals

Running- 10.25 mi

Cycling- 10.25 mi

(weird, my run and bike mileage is exactly the same)

I have one week to get ready for my 10K on Sunday! This is my goal race for the season, and I really want to break 46 minutes. That's a pretty big PR (1 minute 32 seconds faster from my previous 10K) and I'm not going to lie, I have some doubts about whether I can hold a 7:24 pace for 6.2 miles. However, the course has a 190 ft elevation drop. Also, given my history of surprising myself with my race day performance, I realize that I should set higher expectations for myself. I can do this!

What are your current goals? Are you looking to PR or finish a new distance?

Read More

Hagerstown Duathlon Race Recap

I've been running for about two full years, and have been cycling for a little less than one year. This spring, the next logical step seemed to be combining both sports in a race and I decided to enter myself in my first duathlon. I prefer longer distance races since I'm better with endurance than with speed. However, I could only find a sprint distance race that worked with my schedule. 1.9 mile run, 10 mile bike, 3.1 mile run. Not too bad, right?

When I registered for this race, I looked at the previous year's results and figured that I would probably do pretty well. It's a small local race with a small field, about 140 participants. Last year, I think there were 3 people in my age group, and since age group awards go 3 deep, an AG place is automatic. This year, there were 8 in my division. I figured that if I could average a 7:30 pace on both runs and 18 mph on the bike, I would have a shot at placing.

I would say that training for a sprint distance worked well with my other training goals this season. I am focusing on building speed for the 10K and becoming a stronger cyclist for my cross-country ride this summer. I have definitely seen improvements in both areas. I knocked back a few brick workouts and practiced my transitions a few days before the race. Never had I felt so ready to race, and I was so excited to try my best!

The night before the race, I made a list of all my gear and laid it out, checked my bike and loaded it in the car. I went to bed early and set my alarm for 5:40 am. The race site was an hour away, and I wanted to get there by 7:45. I like to wake up about an hour before I have to leave so I have plenty of time to drink coffee, eat breakfast, do my morning business, and double-check that I have all my gear.

When I arrived at the park where the race site was at, I headed to packet pickup to get my bib and swag bag. My dad, brother, and cousin came out to support me, and we milled about and took some selfies. There was a kid's duathlon and a 5K before the adult's duathlon, so we had some time to kill. 

I racked my bike in the transition zone and laid out my helmet, shoes, and water bottle. I decided to leave the bottle off my bike, to reduce extra weight. I planned to take a swig during T1 and T2. 

Laying out my stuff. I was hoping that I wasn't forgetting anything, and I felt like a total noob. I observed how other people placed their gear, and copied them.

We saw the kid's duathlon start, and then the 5K. As the 5K runners started to finish, we headed to the starting line to wait for the 9:30 start. It was a mass start, which meant the farther back you are, the more you have to run. I placed myself near the front, which made me kind of nervous to be with all the fast-looking people. There was a count-down to the start, I mentally prepared myself to focus on the race, and we were off!

Because I was up front with the speedy people, I started off going at a sub-7 pace. I spotted a girl going about my pace, and I tried to stick with her. The 1.9 mile run went by really fast, and I finished with a 7:02 split. I've never ran that fast in a race before!

I like this photo! Still feeling good on those fresh legs...

I went into T1 feeling calm and pretty good. I put on my helmet while simultaneously taking off my running shoes with my feet. I put on my cycling shoes, took a swig of water, and grabbed my bike. Off for the bike!

I would say that I'm stronger on the bike. I'm not a very fast runner, compared to athletes who run track. A sub-7 minute pace is super fast for me! However, my strength on the bike is where I can gain some time on the faster runners. I passed quite a few people, and only a handful passed me. The bike course was mostly flat, with some rolling hills near the end. I was feeling very good on the bike and was breathing very evenly. I finished in less than 31 minutes, averaging about 19.5 mph (they messed up the timing for T1 and T2, so I don't have accurate splits for the bike). As I rolled into the transition area, my dad started yelling at me that I was the 2nd woman! That really got me excited and I flew off my bike and into my running shoes as quickly as possible.

The first mile of the run was pretty painful. My legs felt like cement and were getting pretty sore from the lactic acid buildup. Although I felt like I was just crawling along, I was averaging about a 7:10 pace. At the midway point, I realized that I was actually 3rd woman. Placing was still a possibility, but I knew that the 4th woman was close behind! My pace was slowing down as I was getting more fatigued, and it was a struggle keeping up the pace, let alone going faster to widen the gap. As we got closer to the finish line, I was over taken and I knew that I didn't have it in me to sprint. I finished the 5K in 23:03 at a 7:26 pace. Still super fast for me, but not fast enough to get 3rd overall.

You can see me in the back of the photo, so close from the 3rd woman! I was only 8 seconds behind.

I finished in 1:08:00, placing 40th overall, 4th woman, and 2nd in my division. For my first duathlon, I'm pretty darn proud :)

So glad to be done!

During the awards ceremony, I was actually named 1st in my AG, since the 3rd woman was also in my age group. I forgot about that, and was pleasantly surprised! I've never stood on a podium for anything before!

The other two girls were representing Georgetown. Looks like we all match :)

Overall, I had a really great experience! Multisport races are hard and I am in awe of duathletes and triathletes. I hope to race more in the future, and eventually get into triathlon!

Read More