Bike to work has it own inherent problems.  Like taking clothes, avoiding cars, and road construction.  On this morning commute I had clothes at work.  But avoiding cars wasn’t so easy. Don’t worry I still avoided them.  Just closer than I wanted to.  Same with the road construction.  Actually they go hand in hand.  While on my way, I came upon a sign “Loose Gravel”.  Common in Sonoma County, I wasn’t worried.  50 feet later there wasn’t any loose gravel, there was no road.  It was just dirt.  Bumpy, rocky and unpacked dirt.  Not much fun on a road bike.  Thank god it only lasted 200 yards or so.  Cleared that hurdle, next came the cars.  Most like Trucks.  While descending, less than 1/2 mile from the “Loose Gravel” (Dirt), I found the crew driving up the hill.  I was already very cautious because of the fog and potholed road but I don’t think the crew thought that anyone else would be on the road.  They barely gave me any room to pass.  Aside from those two hurdles the ride was good. Most of the drivers gave me room or waited to pass.  Which is always nice.

Next challenge, getting home.

I’m not one of those non-athletes that turned to running or cycling in the midst of a midlife crisis or moment of enlightenment. I basically started playing soccer the moment I could walk and stumbled upon ultimate frisbee during my college years. Both sports were played at a very competitive level that were mentally and physically demanding…and yes…both required a lot of running. As for cycling, that happened for a couple of different reasons: 1 – My husband cycles and wanted to get me on a bike, 2 – I blew my knee out playing soccer (of course) and riding a bike was good rehab for me. Basically, being physically active has always been a part of my life so I didn’t turn to either of these activities to all of a sudden find the athlete in me. Yet, what I have discovered is that these aren’t the reasons why I do those things.

So why do I run? Well…to answer that one I would also be answering why I ride.  I run and ride because I can. Yes there are thousands, nay, millions of others who can do these things too, but there are countless others who cannot. There is, however, a difference in riding your bike to the store or for leisure and riding your bike for hours on end. The same can be said about running. Running a mile is actually a pretty big deal given the numbers of people who cannot even do just that. But there is a big difference in running that 1-3 or even 5 miles as your way to stay fit and running miles on end to complete your first or 20th half marathon or marathon. It is that difference that keeps me going. The challenge of pushing my body to and past its limits and the feeling of success at the end of an 85 mile ride or 1/2 marathon are a key factor in why I do what I do. I can do it and I can do it in a way that keeps me pushing further and harder. There is always another challenge around the corner and preparation to be had in order to get there. It is those things that keep me going. Two years ago I could barely ride my bike 20 miles before dying, and two years ago there was no way I thought I would have 5 half marathons completed and a full marathon looming in October. But the “because I can” goes a bit deeper than that.

Running because I can means just a bit more to me than riding because I can. Like I said earlier, the answers are the same yet different. This is where my answer to why I run diverges a bit. While I run because I can, I also run for all of those who cannot. There are friends and family who cannot do what I do. Some are a bit older in age and taking on the kinds of runs I do would do more harm than good. Some are a bit out of shape (some more than others) and although they may get to this point of activity themselves someday, right now they aren’t there. Others are just no longer here with us – taken from us painfully and far too soon. I run for them – all of them – for so many reasons. I want to inspire others to see past their obstacles and do the things they want to do whether it be something physical like running a marathon or mental like moving on to a better job or life. I want to run for my friends who have gone who inspired me one way or another. They should be here running or doing whatever they want too, and I am angry and sad that they no longer can. I guess you can say that I run both in their memory and because of my pain. I run for those who have helped mold me into who I am. And while they may not be able to run half or full marathons, I want them to see that I can do these things because of the strength that they gave me. Yet while I run for those who cannot, I also run for myself.

Running provides the opportunity for quite a bit of me time. So does riding, actually. With running I can run away my stresses, my anger, my disappointment. It is physically demanding in a different way from riding and it is a good outlet for me to expunge the negative thoughts, the bad feelings…well…just all of the icky stuff. I suppose there are times where I am literally running away from things, but when I come back – and I always come back – I have a clearer mind and heart. Riding is much the same, but it provides a whole different perspective. Climbing that one hill to get to the awesome descent, and amazing views puts life in perspective in a different way. I haven’t gotten to the point where I can completely solve my life’s problems while on the bike, but I can gain a lot more clarity.

Ok. I think you have a clear picture of why I run and ride…as crazy or sane as the reasoning may be. And by this point you may be a bit curious as to why – since I ride and run so much as it is – I don’t do triathlons. The answer to this is simple…it requires me to swim. Don’t get me wrong, I love the water and I do swim, but I swim for fun and not with a purpose. Maybe I’ll venture into the tri world someday, but that would have to be when I can fit yet another sport into my already crazy schedule.

Unlike last year where I knew all the people on the team, this year I was a random pick-up on a team that has been doing this for 12 years. Yes, I signed up to spend 30+ hours of my life with random strangers running 200 miles. The potential for disaster was definitely high, but I am happy to say that it was an awesome experience. After doing this for 12 years this team definitely had the logistics and routine down pat. Seriously. There was never any concern that we would be late anywhere or miss a hand off because they just knew exactly where to go, and exactly what everyone needed. Besides that, they are an awesome group of people. The vibe of the team reminded me of my early frisbee years with the dressing up; the cheering before, during and after games; and the unspoken nature of always playing your best and giving it everything without sacrificing the fun. Needless to say, I felt right at home with a bunch of strangers from the beginning.

From the moment Dave and Jeremy left me with my new friends at Bad Ass Coffee along Mark West Springs Road the whirlwind ensued. I should have known just how well tuned this team was from the moment we stopped at the grocery store not too far from the start line. We grabbed ice for the coolers, sandwiches and other snacks for the road and still made it to the start with plenty of time. While Phil was checking us in, the rest of us embarked on the challenge of decorating The Beast (aka, Phil’s minivan which served as “Van 1″), and Van 2 (which was actually Lisa’s Ford Excursion). Lots of window paint, tinsel, and strands of lights on the roof racks later the team took a couple of pics then headed off to cheer Vlad as he kick started our actual relay. Once Vlad was on the road Van 1 said bye to Van 2 and we were off!

Heather created Van 1's passenger side artwork

The Flying Hubcaps before the madness began (Front Row: Jason, Dave, Vlad / Back Row: Jim H, Jim S, Phil, Craig, Eileen, Peter, Heather, Me, Lisa)

An 11:30 am start was 3 hours later than the start time Sweet Tooth got last year. That difference combined with the fact that we had amazing weather meant that it was already really warm outside when we started. Vlad and Jim both got their runs done ahead of pace which meant that I was on deck earlier than anticipated. At around 12:50 I was off an on my way. My first leg (leg 3) was pretty flat and boring since it just followed along the Silverado Trail. In the end I ran 4.1 miles in 33:26 which was about 2.5 mins faster than originally estimated. I was happy to be done and out of the heat of the sun and set about to recover and get ready for my next leg.

Map of Leg 3

Making my way along Leg 3

By the time Van 1 finished it’s first set of legs and handed the “baton” off we were right on schedule…seriously. We headed into the church that was hosting Van Exchange 1 and settled in for a bit of their spaghetti feed before heading back to the house to shower, stretch and rest before embarking on our second set of legs. What I can say is that I could already tell a difference between how I was holding up this year compared to last year. I am not sure if it was because I am in far better endurance running shape or if I figured out how to refuel and hydrate more properly, but by the time we rolled out of the house to head towards our next set of runs I was feeling pretty good. Sleepy, but pretty good otherwise.

As we rolled in to the Cheese Factory for Van Exchange #2 darkness had descended and the temperature was falling quickly. It was a clear night, which was beautiful, but it also meant that it was going to be a cold, cold night. Pretty much right on schedule, again, the last runner in Van 2 handed the baton off to Vlad and we were off again! Since I was runner 3 I had a bit of time to continue to prepare for my next leg. In this case it was sleep. I was so exhausted and it was well past my bedtime so I was pretty much asleep the whole time Vlad was running. My rest time was soon over, however. The minute Jim hit the road I started to get myself ready for my night time adventure and 51 minutes after that I started my second run.

My second run was definitely cold, but it was also screaming fast. Leg 15 has a major downhill in the middle and after climbing my way to the top of the descent I just opened it up and let my body fly. Man was it fun flying as fast as I could down the hill in the dark with only my head lamp lighting the way, but it also took its toll on me too. In the end, I ran the 6.5 miles along Sir Francis Drake Blvd in 55:03. I killed my estimated time by nearly 7 minutes and managed to hit a sub 6 min mile at some point and time on that crazy descent. Once my run was done it was time to get in dry clothes and try to recover as best I could for my last and final leg which was less than 9 hours away.

Map of Leg 15

After our second set of legs were done Van 1 headed back to Peter’s house near the Embarcadero to catch a few hours of sleep…oh and to eat some (Korean) Juk. By this time last year I was really suffering even before we made it to Bea’s house for our abbreviated rest stop. Not only was I hydrated properly the thought of food didn’t make me sick. Although I wasn’t totally hungry I knew I needed to eat something and the Juk was the perfect thing. It not only warmed me up, the rice was easy to digest and the chicken that was in there gave me the protein that my body needed. After having a small bowl and cleaning up a bit I curled into my sleeping bag and slept as best and for as long as I could…which wasn’t for long really.

About 2.5 hours of sleep later, it was time to wake up and get ready for our last set of runs. I admit that I definitely could have used more sleep, but I was thankful for what little bit I was able to sneak in. Based on the awesome view we had from Peter’s perch, we were in for a treat that day. It was a clear, beautiful morning in the city which meant two things: It was going to be a gorgeous, sunny day and it was going to be warm. All we could do was hope that we could get our runs done before the heat really kicked in.

Morning view of the city

We met Van 2 near Cañada College and got our last set of runs underway 7 mins ahead of schedule. After some rest we were all refreshed and ready to kill it. Now it was this time last year that I asked Dave to take me to the hospital. I am happy to say that it was definitely not that way this year. Not only did I *not* want to go to the hospital, I actually felt pretty good. Don’t get me wrong, I was sore from my previous two runs (especially the massive down hill from my second run), but I was ready to get my run started and over! Both Vlad and Jim killed their estimated last paces and I was hoping to do the same. If you take out the 2 mins I stopped at the stop light because…well…I was happy for a bit of a break…I ran my last 5.6 miles of leg 27 in 48:56(total elapsed time was 50:20) which was still ahead of my 52 minute estimate. Just as quickly as my relay had started it came to an end when I handed the green bracelet off to Phil. When all was said and done I had an average of 8:30 min/mile over my 16.1 miles and I had run all 3 of my legs in a 20.5 hour span. Despite the rookie maneuver that caused a nasty bit of chaffing on my legs during that last run, it wasn’t a bad day of work in the end. Seriously…not bad at all…

The map of Leg 27

In the end, the Flying Hubcaps finished the 2010 Relay in 29:55:45 which was only 5 minutes slower than was originally estimated. It was a tiring experience, but it was also down right amazing at the same time! The best part was probably the surprise I got when Dave and Jeremy showed up all the way down in Davenport to bring me home. Those two are so awesome in how they support me and I know I would never be as successful in these endeavors without them.

So thanks to the Hubcaps for welcoming me into their running family and making me feel right at home. And thanks to Dave and Jeremy for their support in making this awesome weekend happen!

Flying Hubcaps @ the finish of The Relay (Front Row: Peter, Heather, Vlad, Dave / Back Row: Jim H, Me, Jim S, Craig, Eileen, Lisa, Phil)

The 100+ participants for this year’s Ft. Ross adventure all converged on Occidental. There were a lot of familiar faces in the crowd, though some were more famous than others. That’s the thing with the Hoppers – you never know who’s going to show up! All I know is that as we started to line up for the “start” Levi and his crew came rolling in and right to the front. Like I said…some faces were more famous than others. At pretty much 10 am we were off, and quickly at that. The first part of the ride took us down Bohemian Highway (or BoHo to us locals) and the pace was furious! We were up around 30+ miles per hour down the slight descent that had a couple of curvy spots until we made our first left onto Moscow Rd. From that point, I did all I could to stay attached to the back of the main group but a 25+ mph pace is a bit out of my comfort zone over a long period of time. I held on until we were about 3/4 of the way down Moscow and once Dave and I made the turn onto 116 Shannon and Renee had said that they also had enough and we were off the back and doing our own little ride.

The climb up and along Ft. Ross was tough, but not as bad as I had pictured in my head. It wasn’t easy by any means, but it was totally doable for me which was a relief. The views were beautiful and the road was pretty empty for the most part. After refueling at the intersection of Ft Ross and Meyers Grade we started our adventure down Meyers Grade. After you roll along Meyers for a bit you hit a really long descent which can be fun if you know what you are doing. The road is smoother and wider, and there aren’t many sharp curves so you can pretty much open it up … at least to a realm where you’re comfortable. All I know is that I topped out at 48.5 MPH at some point and time down that hill which is the fastest I have ever gone…but man was it fun! After we re-grouped we made our way down Hwy 1 where after surviving that gnarly wind we stopped at the gas station in Jenner to reload our water bottles. This is where things kind of went awry for me.

Dave had a last minute request on Friday to do something for work over the weekend. I will spare you the details but let’s just say in the end he was told he was off the hook for Saturday. Well, unfortunately, that didn’t hold up. It wasn’t just because they called him although there was another plan in place, it was also because he chose to let the calls interfere when they weren’t supposed to. But again…no need to dig into that or dwell on it because what’s done is done and what happened was not fun. Needing to get back home sooner instead of later Dave felt that we needed to abandon the Hopper route. We said goodbye to Renee and Shannon and after much indecision on what way we should actually go, Dave selected Willowcreek. While Willowcreek to Occidental was the shorter way to go, it was NOT the fastest route. Let me put it this way…Willowcreek is mostly gravel or dirt and is NOT meant for a road bike…oh…and it is mostly up hill. Six miles of unpaved craziness uphill did not go well for his hope of cutting the ride short. Let’s just say that neither of us had a good ending to that ride.

When all was said and done, my abbreviated Ft. Ross Grasshopper was 47 miles with 4700′ of climbing. Yes…it was basically 1000′ of climbing per mile…OUCH! The part of the Hopper that I did do was totally awesome and a lot of fun and I can’t wait to tackle the King Ridge version in June. And really, in a better frame of mind, Willowcreek would be an amazing ride. It is tough on a road bike, but it was also absolutely beautiful!

(Thanks to Ronnie for the pic of me tackling my first Hopper. You can find more of Ronnie's pics here: http://www.veronikalenzi.com)

Thursday, March 25th – Sharks vs Stars
We started the birthday celebrations a day early by heading down to the Shark Tank to watch San Jose take on the Dallas Stars. With the 1-5 road record, and the 6 game skid before they finally beat the Wild in Minnesota on Tuesday, I was a bit weary about their chances against the Stars. Luckily, it seems as if they’ve been able to the right the ship since they posted a 3-0 win! Nabby got the 50th shut out of his career, we saw a good game with awesome spectators as our neighbors, and the Sharks put together a 2 game winning streak. LET’S GO SHARKS!

Friday, March 26th – The Actual Birthday Day
So Friday @ 8:55 am meant that I was officially 36 (errr…-6). As far as my actual birthday activities went I only knew two things:
1 – Dave had “stuff” planned for me at 8:30 pm
2 – I was going to pamper myself with a pedicure

Item 2 is pretty much a no brainer in terms of what happened. It’s not the fanciest of places nor the fanciest of pedicures, but I love going there to give myself a little love. Really…the price is just right for a bi-weekly self indulgence. Item 1, however, is another story.

What the “stuff” turned out to be was a 4 course off menu meal at Bistro29. Dave made all the arrangements and gave Brian a list of things I like (mushrooms, seafood, steak, etc.), notes on things I don’t like (lamb, pork, etc.), and, most importantly, instructions to have fun with it. All I can say is WOW! It was one of the most amazing meals I had. I could try to express it in words, but I think in this instance a picture is truly worth a thousand words. Just know that I was blown away by all that they did for me and all that Dave did to set it up!

Brian was the master behind all these wonderful creations!

Saturday, March 27th – Bday Brunch
Saturday rolled around and there really wasn’t supposed to be any birthday activities…at all. Really. Nothing planned, in my mind, other than the dinner with Dave and my birthday ride. Boy was I wrong. My alarm went off early because I was supposed to go for a run up in Annadel. Well…needless to say…after that yummy meal, the glasses of wine and the lillet chasers that didn’t happen. So Dave and I lounged in bed a bit before heading over to Hanks to have brunch with our friends. We hadn’t seen our friends in quite a while and I knew we were free Saturday which is the only reason why I tried to arrange something with them. Well, true to their nature and Dave’s I got treated to a really yummy brunch complete with a California Benedict (my favorite dish from there) and a good cup of diner joe. Yum! And they brought me bday gifts which was totally unexpected but greatly appreciated.

After brunch a case of the lazies set in, but I managed to force myself out for a run before we headed over to Riviera. Dave and I saw it this way: neither of us wanted to cook, we would have to grocery shopping to get whatever it was we finally decided we would cook up for dinner, so it would really be easier if we just went to Riviera. I know…like we really needed an excuse to go hang at our favorite restaurant with our friends. But I must say, it was amazing as always and I went to bed with a full and happy belly.

Sunday, March 28th – King Ridge Bday Ride and Surprise BBQ Dinner
Now on to the really fun part of the birthday weekend…my suffer fest up and along King Ridge. It is partially true that each individual climb on King Ridge isn’t completely awful. The thing is…you combine all 7-9 of them together and that is what can break you. Really…there are a lot of climbs that when combined into one ride will work you to the core, and if you don’t know what to expect it will take you by surprise and break you.

So a group of us met in Monte Rio early to complete the 55 mile ride. Some folks rode in from Santa Rosa, and some from Occidental, but the majority of us started in Monte Rio. Despite the forecast of rain and the chilly temps in the beginning it was another beautiful day up on the ridge and along the coast! Really, the ride was awesome and I am so grateful for all the folks who came out…especially Vin who came in from Sacto!

Look who made the trip out and whose wearing the rainbow stripes!!!

The NorCal Ladies

Now…Dave had told me that he had a surprise for me on Sunday and I thought Vin coming in (which I didn’t know about) was it. How wrong I was. After being distracted by Shannon and Lauren (which I learned later was all part of the plan), I arrived home to a surprise BBQ! There I was…totally stinky and nasty from the ride then run and there before me were two rooms full of awesome friends. People have asked me if I was surprised and my only comment to that is…do you think I would have come home that nasty if I had known?!? So after a quick shower I headed back downstairs to join in on the massive feast and just overall great time that was unfolding.

A small example of the feast

Happy birthday to ME!

A very special thanks to Rita, Luca, and Brian for helping prepare such an amazing feast; to Shannon who made the best red velvet cake (from scratch & for the first time ever) that I have ever had; to all my friends who came and made the end of my bday weekend so awesome; and to Dave who made me feel like the most loved and luckiest person in the whole wide world! He makes me feel that way all the time, but this whole bday bonanza was something else!

OK, it’s true. Despite what I used to say…I REFUSE to grow old gracefully. Screw that crap…seriously. I am going to fight it tooth and nail and stay as young as I can for as long as I can. I mean, let’s not kid ourselves. It’s not like I don’t take care of my responsibilities because I do, but I think I just refuse to be defined by a number. For some reason people hear 36 and they think I am this older domesticated person. Ha! Don’t make me laugh. While it’s true that I have become a bit more domesticated with the newly found love of cooking and of course taking care of Jeremy, I am far more active now than I was back then. I may be a few pounds heavier now, but I can definitely say that I am in far better all around health.

So as I turn 36 today I am embracing the fact that we can’t stop ourselves from aging according to a calendar, but that we are as young as we believe we are.

Happy birthday to me!

Last weekend marked the first organized cycling event of 2010 for me: the Solvang Half Century. I have been to Solvang before – actually many times when I was a kid. But when I think of Solvang I only think of the main part of town with the shops, the windmills, and the bakeries. Until last weekend I had never explored the outer laying areas of Solvang so I never realized just how pretty it is down there.

Many of you may be asking why in the world I drove all the way to Solvang to ride in a half century, especially when I do that up here on a weekly basis. Well…the answer is simple: Solvang is pretty much in that midway zone between here and San Diego and the Solvang Half Century was the one ride that my friend Alice could make this Spring. Since Alice got her bike last year we have been trying to find a time and place where we could ride together. The only problem, San Diego is at the bottom of the state while I am up here in the northern end. I mean really, it makes it a bit hard to coordinate a weekend ride when there is a 9-10 hour drive difference in houses. So Solvang it was.

After a very rain and very long drive down (for me) Friday evening, I was very happy to see the bright sunny skies Saturday morning. It was a bit chilly and windy when we left the hotel to check ourselves in right before 7 am, but I was excited because it was going to be a beautiful sunny day out there. After driving in (and passing hoards of cyclists already on the road) and finding a parking spot, Alice and I got ourselves geared up on the road to check in. I’m not sure how nervous Alice was since this was her first organized ride, but I was a little nervous as we were getting ready for our adventure. Not because I didn’t think I could do it, but mostly because I didn’t know what to expect in terms of how situations would be. The one thing I learned from the Gran Fondo: When you get a ton of cyclists together of varying riding skills you often end up in very chaotic and unpredictable situations. I was worried about how I was going to navigate Alice through everything safely.

We checked in, went back to the cars to drop some stuff of and then headed back to the start line. According to everything we had read, the half century was supposed to start at 9 in waved starts. What ended up happening is totally different. It seems as if people just started whenever they wanted to. After waiting around for a little bit we just decided to hit the road and get our adventure underway. When we started the ride we were told we would face head winds until about the midway point, and then we would have a great tail wind pushing us back in. Sadly that was not the case.

Me and Alice pre ride

Despite the brilliantly sunny weather, the wind decided to make its presence known. For pretty much the entire ride we had to battle 15 mph winds. The head wind was one thing, but the cross winds – for me because I am still on Dave’s TT frame – were another. I did my best to shepherd Alice through the crazy winds but riding in a head wind all day means your pretty much riding up hill all day so it was tough. Toss in some in experienced or just scary riders and it was a pretty stressful day in the office…but a good day. In spite of all that, it was pretty darn amazing. The scenery was beautiful with the bright green hills, the vineyards and gently rolling terrain; and seeing Alice tackle her first ever organized with a smile and excitement was awesome. After a little over 3 1/2 hours and 51 miles we rolled into the finish line. Not only were we excited about being done and Alice’s accomplishment, we were treated to a visit by Brynne and she brought wine down with her to celebrate the end of the ride.

Enjoying our ride

Brynne and Alice

Enjoying our post ride wine

So…

- Thanks to Brynne for coming in and hanging with us after the ride, and treating us to some fabulous wine.

- Congrats to Alice for an awesome first ride.

- Thanks to all the police and volunteers that made the event possible.

I look forward to returning next year and doing the FULL century.

The idea was to attack Sweetwater from Westside Rd (this map actually shows our approach to Sweetwater backwards). Dave had said that coming in from Westside was the easier way to get up and over the climb. Since then, however, I have heard from several other folks that they think Westside is the harder side to climb. Given that I haven’t done the climb from the River Road side I can’t really say who is right, but based on the descent down to River Road I can only imagine it hurts no matter which way you go.

After swinging by to get Rita and Margie, I headed to Riviera to meet everyone else (Margie got a pinch flat so I had to roll on without them). We were a small little group of 5 when we started, but man we punched it out the gates. We picked up Laurie on the way out at the end of Slusser and rolled our way along to Westside and eventually the turn off to Sweetwater. Now Rita and Margie had rolled ahead when the rest of us made a pit stop after crossing Wholer Bridge so after saying good-bye to Laurie (it was an off day for her so she wanted to keep it flatter) Lauren, Terri and I made our way up Sweetwater. From everything we heard the actual climb up Sweetwater was only 1.5 miles long. The only problem we had was that none of us knew where the climb began. After climbing up a bit and then rolling down and along some more we finally caught Rita and Margie. Rita confirmed that we hadn’t even hit the climb yet so we all settled in for the eventual adventure. We finally hit the base of the climb and the pain ensued.

Norcal ladies making our way along Westside

Supposedly Sweetwater has an overall gradient of 11% but what that doesn’t tell you is how steep some of the individual sections are. All I know is that I had a tough battle against gravity as I climbed my way up to the top. There was one section close to the middle of the climb that pitches to about 17% (or slightly more) and goes through a couple of switchbacks that way. Unfortunately for me, by the time I hit that section I was already pretty tapped and I couldn’t keep my heart rate down. Combine that with not knowing the road and I freaked out a bit and stopped midway up to ward off an asthma attack. I no longer carry my inhaler with me since I have learned to read my body and anticipate when an asthma attack may come on and I can usually slow down or ease up to keep it in check. That wasn’t the case up this climb and mentally I threw in the towel after freaking out and came to a complete stop. About 45-60 seconds later I recovered enough to try climbing again and after a few failed attempts I finally got going up hill again. It was slow and painful and my legs were tired, but I finally made it to the top.

View from the top of Sweetwater

After we all regrouped back at the top we started or twisty, crazy descent down the other side of Sweetwater towards Armstrong Woods and River Road. Not only did the road curve down the hill with hairpin turn after hairpin turn in a couple sections, the rain was waiting for us on the other side. Not wanting to extend our torment in the rainy weather our little train hauled it back down River Road into Santa Rosa as quickly as we could. A 20mph pace may not be quick to a lot of people, but after climbing Sweetwater my legs were tired and it was a tough battle to keep it going. But it was all well worth it because after 3 hrs and 51 mins of total ride time, Rita (very unexpectedly) treated us to a post ride lunch at Riviera. On the way back she had said how she wished she had her keys because she would treat us to lunch, and as it turned out luck was on our side since Jose was already there working.

So this is where my 57.54 mile Sweetwater adventure ends. Thanks to Rita for convincing me that I wanted to do this ride and for treating us to lunch. Thanks to Lauren, Terri, Laurie, and Margie for joining us on this adventure. And thanks to Dave and Jeremy for driving SAG! I still don’t fully understand why they drove SAG, but I appreciate it. The support and comfort knowing that they were back there in case anything happened was huge! Besides…how do you think I was able to get all these pictures? Until next time…

In the world of Northern California cycling there are two very well known races that occur in Berkeley: The Berkeley Team Time Trial (TTT) and the Berkeley Hills Road Race (BHRR). While they are two separate races, they both occur on the same route. The only difference between the two races is that the TTT has you complete the approximate 19 mile course once while the BHRR has you completing 2-4 laps depending upon your racing category. You may think 19 miles is a piece of cake, but when it comes to this course…well…the bears will do you in. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the ride profile before reading on…

With the TTT looming this weekend, a few of the NorCal ladies wanted to head out and do a training run. Although not everyone who went down plans on racing the event (me being one of them), it was a good opportunity for team bonding. I have long heard the horrors of the route from Giampaolo, Dave, Luca and Rita; I even witnessed Dave’s pain when he tried to complete the BHRR two years ago. What I have come to learn is that nothing can explain the joys and pains of that course like riding it yourself. I will say this: I hate the bears and Goldilocks is a bitch! Seriously, I completed 2 laps on the course (with about a 20 min break in between them) in 2:32:45. It was 38.34 miles of fast and furious descents coupled with approximately 3200 feet of painful climbing. Yes…that is 1600′ of climbing PER 19 mile loop! The only thing that kept me going up Papa Bear the second time around was the knowledge that I would hit a totally fun 40+ mph descent on the other side.

All of the talk of pain and misery aside, it was still pretty darn fun. The day was clear and warm, the reservoir was beautiful, and it was just an awesome experience. It’s true that I realized that doing the TTT was just not for me, but I may try to tackle the BHRR in May after I’ve been able to get more miles and climbs in my legs. Thanks, NorCal ladies, for such a fun day!

NorCal Ladies in Berkeley (Courtesy of Renee C.)

I will summarize my first half marathon of 2010 like this:

1. Shannon is quick! She started out at a 7 min mile pace. I am proud of myself for showing some sort of self control since I slowed myself back down to a pace that I knew was more realistic for me. But congrats to her because she finished 2nd in her division with a time of 2:00:18!
2. While the mud and huge puddles made things fun and interesting (especially the creek of mid shin deep water), I think it was harder on my body in someways. My ankles were very sore from trying to hold myself up and to keep me running straight although the slippery mud wanted me to do something else (like fall).
3. Changing your watch to track things in kilometers without realizing it is a bad thing. Since I thought it was in miles I figured my GPS was not working properly and had to resort to guesstimating how many more miles were left based on my knowledge of the trails and how much time had elapsed.
4. Proper training can indeed make a difference. Was I fully trained? No, but I was definitely closer to where I should be pre-race than I have been my past 2 half marathons. Then again, I don’t think any amount of training will ever make running up Canyon and Marsh easy.

In the end I finished my run in 2:31:59 (at least according to the official results) which was good for 16th in my division. I am not quick like Shannon, but it was a good 13.29 mile run for me! So…

- Thanks to Lauren for helping me train for this event. You are running it next year!
- Thanks to Shannon for not only training with me too but for picking me up and bringing me to the race
- Thanks to Dave and Jeremy for cheering me into the finish line. I love and appreciate the support I get from my family!

With this good start I am now looking forward to the Windsor half marathon in May and the first half of the SFM in July!

Kicking it into the finish line