This weekend was a big training weekend - my last big one before NW 24hr Solos Champs.
I did 200KM in 6hrs on Saturday (yes, 200km) - I was toast at the end. My legs hurt. It hurt to walk down the stairs, walk up the stairs, do I need to go on? All I could do was sit and eat the food that my wonderful husband cooked for me. He just got back from a week in Moab mountain biking ... more on that later.
So Saturday night I was sitting and eating as much as possible knowing I had another 6 hour day in front of me. And admitedly woundering how I was going to do it.
Sunday morning I got up and got ready for my ride. I took off for Tiger, ready for any weather that may greet me. It was pretty freaking cold at first ... I had my warm leg-warmers on, my 'downhill' shorts, three layers on the top plus a vest .... and of course my little hat. I love my little hats - they keep my ears happy! Off I went. Tiger is a bit unforgiving. You start up hill .... for 30 minutes straight. The first fifteen minutes I wasn't sure I could ride for 6 hours. Then I decided that I'd eventually warm up and even though my legs hurt I could keep on pedalling. Once I got into the single-track I was convinced I could ride as long as I wanted :) I love single track!!!
It ended up being a fantastic day. The sun even peeked through for the last hour of my ride. I did 4 loops of Tiger plus one of Iverson for a total of 80km on the mountain bike. Not my fastest laps ... but not my slowest either.
All in all I am feeling ready for Spokane! I am also ready for my recovery week this week :)
Monday, April 27, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Sea Otter Race Coverage
I was pretty stoked to find some great coverage of the Sea Otter races here. Check it out - they have a full length video of the short track and interviews after the XC race. They also have great coverage of the road and dh events. Very cool!!!
If you are looking for a way to get motivated, they also have some great coverage for other events - I love this site!!!
If you are looking for a way to get motivated, they also have some great coverage for other events - I love this site!!!
Tiger: 1, Monilee: 0
Tiger mountain opened last week (April 15th) so i just had to head up on Sunday to check it out ...
The climb to the top was pretty dry which seemed promising. Getting close to the top I started to see patches of snow ... hmmmm ... not so promising. Into the single track and there was about 1 mile of snow followed by a nice dry spell (it was pretty weird actually - it was sooo dry). And then the fun started ... lots of water and wet. Tiger is so rocky and rooty that when it is wet it is like riding down a riverbed. I forgot just how abusive this trail is on your body.
So, i was flying down the wet rocky downhill when ouch - what was that? A rock bit me! Have you ever had a rock bite? This rock was big too so it did not mess around. I have a nice blue shin and it took a fair chunk of skin off my leg.
I opted to take the power line back (more hills and no single track) for the bottom part of the loop ... Timberline is always wetter than the top of the mountain - it does not drain as well. It was fun to get back to my favorite haunt but I'll give it a few more weeks to dry out before I do a longer ride there.
Tiger (well actually rock): 1, Monilee:0 I expect this score to change drastically over the summer :)
The climb to the top was pretty dry which seemed promising. Getting close to the top I started to see patches of snow ... hmmmm ... not so promising. Into the single track and there was about 1 mile of snow followed by a nice dry spell (it was pretty weird actually - it was sooo dry). And then the fun started ... lots of water and wet. Tiger is so rocky and rooty that when it is wet it is like riding down a riverbed. I forgot just how abusive this trail is on your body.
So, i was flying down the wet rocky downhill when ouch - what was that? A rock bit me! Have you ever had a rock bite? This rock was big too so it did not mess around. I have a nice blue shin and it took a fair chunk of skin off my leg.
I opted to take the power line back (more hills and no single track) for the bottom part of the loop ... Timberline is always wetter than the top of the mountain - it does not drain as well. It was fun to get back to my favorite haunt but I'll give it a few more weeks to dry out before I do a longer ride there.
Tiger (well actually rock): 1, Monilee:0 I expect this score to change drastically over the summer :)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Gear Review - Bike shorts: Ibex Marino Wool
As part of my partnership with Samammish Valley Cycles I've signed up to do some gear reviews. This is my first 'official' gear review and I am looking forward to the next one. I like testing new gear!
First up on the list is bike shorts - Ibex Marino Wool. I've always been curious about wool for bikeing shorts so when I saw a pair of Ibex knickers at Sammamish Valley Cycles, I just had purchase a pair so I could try them out.
I wasn't disappointed.... I tested these shorts in three conditions: Wet and windy, dry and warm (not hot, warm), and indoor riding. I figure this gives me good insight into what these shorts are and are not capable of. Here is the deal (I've rated it out of 10)
Wicking: 8.5
These shorts wick sweat and keep you dry. They do a great job - even better than the spandex-based material that most of my other shorts are made of. They aren't quite as good as the Segoi RS shorts made of the thin mesh-like material - but better than I expected for a thicker material.
Temperature regulation: 9.5
This was the most outstanding feature by far. I never got hot or cold in these shorts. The temperature I wore them in varried by almost 20 degrees celcious but I did not get cold or overheat. Bottom line: wear these shorts for any ride where you may have variable weather (think: TransRockies, LaRuta, TransAlps, etc).
Bum comfort: 8.25
There is only one pair of shorts that gets above an 8 for bum comfort in my books - the Segoi RS. That said, this pair came in pretty high. The shammi is very comfortable, does not rub in the wrong places, does not have too much padding - but has enough.
Other features: 10
I loved the fact that the knees had a wind breaker patch to protect the joints from getting too cold. This feature alone gets a 10 in my book. I also liked the fit of the shorts and the overall comfort deserved close to a 10.
Summary: If you are looking for a new pair of shorts to transition from winter into spring, look no further! Wool gets 2 thumbs up in my book - not only is it supurb for performance, it is environmentally friendly too!
First up on the list is bike shorts - Ibex Marino Wool. I've always been curious about wool for bikeing shorts so when I saw a pair of Ibex knickers at Sammamish Valley Cycles, I just had purchase a pair so I could try them out.
I wasn't disappointed.... I tested these shorts in three conditions: Wet and windy, dry and warm (not hot, warm), and indoor riding. I figure this gives me good insight into what these shorts are and are not capable of. Here is the deal (I've rated it out of 10)
Wicking: 8.5
These shorts wick sweat and keep you dry. They do a great job - even better than the spandex-based material that most of my other shorts are made of. They aren't quite as good as the Segoi RS shorts made of the thin mesh-like material - but better than I expected for a thicker material.
Temperature regulation: 9.5
This was the most outstanding feature by far. I never got hot or cold in these shorts. The temperature I wore them in varried by almost 20 degrees celcious but I did not get cold or overheat. Bottom line: wear these shorts for any ride where you may have variable weather (think: TransRockies, LaRuta, TransAlps, etc).
Bum comfort: 8.25
There is only one pair of shorts that gets above an 8 for bum comfort in my books - the Segoi RS. That said, this pair came in pretty high. The shammi is very comfortable, does not rub in the wrong places, does not have too much padding - but has enough.
Other features: 10
I loved the fact that the knees had a wind breaker patch to protect the joints from getting too cold. This feature alone gets a 10 in my book. I also liked the fit of the shorts and the overall comfort deserved close to a 10.
Summary: If you are looking for a new pair of shorts to transition from winter into spring, look no further! Wool gets 2 thumbs up in my book - not only is it supurb for performance, it is environmentally friendly too!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
It's official ... the 2009 race season begins
Well, it's official. The race season has started. What better way to start then amidst a raging downpour in 9 degree Celsius?
The warm up: Warming up was challenging but I had my dandy water proof cycling pants and jacket and was determined to wear them until I absolutely had to take them off. I found some cool bike trails close by and wondered around them for a while - it took at 15 min for my core to feel 'warm'. Brrrr. After that I wondered back to the race venue. I wasn't seeing any riders and that made me nervous. I asked around and found out that you can ride the course as long as you get off the trail when you see/hear racers behind you. How cool! I hoped on the course and rode the last mile or so ... very soupy. I was glad I had my mud tires! Finished the lap and headed back to the car. More lube for the chain and time to ditch the waterproof gear and head up to the start.
The race: There were around 6 women in my category and the race started with a big countdown. 10 seconds of bliss where my legs don't get it and I am at the head of the pack ... 10 seconds later I am dead last. I passed two girls on the first descent going mock2 (ok, that is a slight exageration - but it felt like mock2) and caught up to another one. I liked her pace and decided to keep her in sight and see what happened. Somewhere on lap2 I was sure I was going to puke. I wasn't used to going this fast and my breakfast, eaten 4 hours prior to the race, seemed to be threatening a re-appearance. I kept going as hard as I could, telling myself that I hadn't puked yet and I should keep going until I did. I never did.
I kept the girl in from of me in sight for the first 3 laps (there were 6 laps in total - about 20 miles). Every time I got ready to pass I'd yell 'on your left' and she'd pick up the pace. It was pretty amusing and I was happy to have someone to push me. On the forth lap though she was starting to slow and I attempted to pass several times - each time she'd put on the gas and I wasn't able to make a pass. Through the start/finish area I was right on her wheel. I let her pull me for about 10ft and then i put the hammer down and blew by her. My strategy was to pass so fast that she wouldn't be able to draft. It worked. I didn't look back, my legs were burning and I was determined to put as much distance between us as possible. i knew i only had 2 laps left - and they were taking about 20 min each. It was time to hammer. The last two laps were bouts of pain and glee as i hammered up the hills and then flew down the other side. The downhills were fast and furious - I found out that I am pretty comfortable going very fast down wet muddy hills.
I was on my own for the last 2 laps and was picking up time. I finished in 2 hours and 6 minutes, 6 minutes behind the leader and 5 min behind 2nd place. Not awesome, but not too bad. Oh, and I put a good 10min on the 4th place girl. My lap times went something like this:
- 19 min (shorter 1st lap)
- 22 min
- 23 min
- 23 min
- 21 min
- 20 min
The warm up: Warming up was challenging but I had my dandy water proof cycling pants and jacket and was determined to wear them until I absolutely had to take them off. I found some cool bike trails close by and wondered around them for a while - it took at 15 min for my core to feel 'warm'. Brrrr. After that I wondered back to the race venue. I wasn't seeing any riders and that made me nervous. I asked around and found out that you can ride the course as long as you get off the trail when you see/hear racers behind you. How cool! I hoped on the course and rode the last mile or so ... very soupy. I was glad I had my mud tires! Finished the lap and headed back to the car. More lube for the chain and time to ditch the waterproof gear and head up to the start.
The race: There were around 6 women in my category and the race started with a big countdown. 10 seconds of bliss where my legs don't get it and I am at the head of the pack ... 10 seconds later I am dead last. I passed two girls on the first descent going mock2 (ok, that is a slight exageration - but it felt like mock2) and caught up to another one. I liked her pace and decided to keep her in sight and see what happened. Somewhere on lap2 I was sure I was going to puke. I wasn't used to going this fast and my breakfast, eaten 4 hours prior to the race, seemed to be threatening a re-appearance. I kept going as hard as I could, telling myself that I hadn't puked yet and I should keep going until I did. I never did.
I kept the girl in from of me in sight for the first 3 laps (there were 6 laps in total - about 20 miles). Every time I got ready to pass I'd yell 'on your left' and she'd pick up the pace. It was pretty amusing and I was happy to have someone to push me. On the forth lap though she was starting to slow and I attempted to pass several times - each time she'd put on the gas and I wasn't able to make a pass. Through the start/finish area I was right on her wheel. I let her pull me for about 10ft and then i put the hammer down and blew by her. My strategy was to pass so fast that she wouldn't be able to draft. It worked. I didn't look back, my legs were burning and I was determined to put as much distance between us as possible. i knew i only had 2 laps left - and they were taking about 20 min each. It was time to hammer. The last two laps were bouts of pain and glee as i hammered up the hills and then flew down the other side. The downhills were fast and furious - I found out that I am pretty comfortable going very fast down wet muddy hills.
I was on my own for the last 2 laps and was picking up time. I finished in 2 hours and 6 minutes, 6 minutes behind the leader and 5 min behind 2nd place. Not awesome, but not too bad. Oh, and I put a good 10min on the 4th place girl. My lap times went something like this:
- 19 min (shorter 1st lap)
- 22 min
- 23 min
- 23 min
- 21 min
- 20 min
Yeah, so can you tell that I wasn't quite warmed up? I am happy with my effort though. It was a solid ride.
Thanks again to my sponsors at Norco Bikes and Samammish Valley Cycle who provide me with great bikes and gear! I couldn't do it without you!
All in all, a great day playing in the mud! Welcome to the 2009 race season!!!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Food, food, and more food.
This past weekend I had a big training weekend ... The thing with longs rides is that they creep into (ok, they take over) your normal 'eating times'. On Monday I had a recovery day and just couldn't eat enough. I had 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners, along with my usual snacking throughout the day.
This whole week I've been chowing down ... maybe it's due to putting in the miles on the trails - i am not sure - but I am still super hungry! I'm rolling with it - my body obviously is trying to tell me to eat more so I'm good with that (and no, I am not pregnant).
I am not complaining though ... yummy!!!
Back to my tortellinis!!!
This whole week I've been chowing down ... maybe it's due to putting in the miles on the trails - i am not sure - but I am still super hungry! I'm rolling with it - my body obviously is trying to tell me to eat more so I'm good with that (and no, I am not pregnant).
I am not complaining though ... yummy!!!
Back to my tortellinis!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)