Ever make a goal so BIG it scares you???

It's December 27, 2012.  The New Year is just around the corner and everyone seems to be thinking about their resolutions.  You know the usual: lose 50#, get healthy, start exercising, run a marathon, run a 5K, get a better job, start college, graduate college, find the right mate...  The list is endless, and I'm sure you have made at least one of those in your life time.  Or maybe your resolution was something BIGGER or completely different.  How many times have you made a resolution and NOT stuck to it.  For me the answer to that question would likely be the same amount of years I have been aware of making New Year's Resolutions.

I actually don't believe in making those anymore.  Why?  Because inevitably, like 99% of the people out there, I forget about them.  However, I am great at setting goals and following through.  I make goals all through out the year, and my big scary goals usually have little goals to achieve while I'm working towards the big one.  In my opinion that is the only way to get it done!  So while you are thinking about what you want in your life for the coming year, here is something to keep in mind;  keep it SMART:  Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time bound.

This 5 tips in setting goals will help you (and me) keep us focused on what is important and where our energy should be focused. So several months ago,  I decided to sign up for the Fuller Center for Housing 400 Mile Spring Ride.  It is SPECIFIC.  It is MEASURABLE.  Given enough time to train it is ACHIEVABLE and REALISTIC and it is certainly TIME BOUND.  I gave myself 6 months to train; which was plenty of time. And inside of this HUGE goal were several little goals: Learn to change a tire and do basic bike maintenance, ride a certain amount of miles a week working up to larger numbers to get my saddle ready for the long ride ahead, raise the amount of money I am committed to raising, and things like that.  Simple, right?

It was a HUGE goal to set, but with 6 months time, it was certainly attainable.  Then something happened.  I wanted to run again.  I decided I wanted to become an ultra-marathoner and I wanted it NOW. Ya, I get like that.  I am famous for making a decision like that and doing it with little to no training just to say "I did it".  I decided to start "running" the mountains around town to get ready for this 50K race that is in January.  I gave myself less than 2 months to train for a 50K race.  I just had knee surgery in July and haven't even done any walks longer than 6 miles!  What was I thinking?  I did 9 miles up in the hills. I did 10 miles up in the hills.  I was doing great. Then I did 14 miles on flat and boy was I hurting. Then I did another 6 miles up in the hills and felt great.  But my knee was beginning to hurt again.  And I lost my training for my bike ride.  I lost focused. I can't stay focused on TWO HUGE GOALS at the same time.   Did this 50K in January fit the SMART goals process?  Not so much.  I know I could do it, but I would pay a hefty price for it.  Was I willing to put my body through that.  Was it the smart thing to do?

While also making a decision to do this 50K in January, I also decided I wanted to do 12 long foot races (a mixture of marathons and ultra marathons) this year.  That is a tall order.  That tall order also had me doing a marathon in Florida just 1 week before the 400 mile bike ride.  Yes, I am crazy.

Yesterday my head, body and heart had a meeting.  They decided that I was crazy.  It's one thing to set a BIG SCARY GOAL that excites you and makes you feel alive while you are achieving it. It is something completely different, to set goals that set you up for failure or worse....INJURY!  So last night, I discussed this with my amazingly supportive hubby.  We agreed.  No ultra marathon in January.  I will remain focused on training for my Spring Ride.  No marathon a week before I do 400 miles; I need to save my legs for 400 miles of bike riding.  I have 3 other chances to do an ultra marathon this year.  I will train properly for them, AFTER my spring ride.  I will get in the races I can get in and if it equals 12, then great.   If not, that is okay too.  My health comes first.

So there you have it. The perfect example of setting HUGE SCARY GOALS then giving yourself the benefit of re-evaluating in a healthy way.  It is perfectly okay to set a goal and then think about it again and re-evaluate.  It is perfectly okay to set a SMART goal and find yourself coming a little short of reaching that goal.  It's not the destination, its the journey that counts. So as you look at the New Year coming around, it might help to keep these things in mind.  Be patient with yourself.  Listen to you intuition.  Find someone you trust to bounce ideas off of.  And never be afraid to re-evaluate and learn from your journey!

Have a very Happy New Year!!!!!  Here's to following our dreams!!!

PS:  There are only a couple of days left to make your tax write off donations for this year.  Please consider donating to Fuller Center for Housing.  You can help me reach my donation goal and help someone reach their goals of living in a safe, comfortable house at the same time!   You can donate here.

Off Wheels Training

This week was quite the adventure in a different kind of training!  The Fuller Center for Housing Spring Bike Ride will be more than just a 400 mile bike ride. There will be a day on that adventure where we will spend the day working with the Greater Blessing Program helping to repair homes to make them more livable and safe for the residents.  So this week's training was spent working in a house that needed lots of work and TLC.

One of my best friends, Kristina, bought her first home.  I am very excited for her for so many reasons. She is a single mom with 3 amazing children. She does not have a college education. She has over come some crazy situations.  She works in management in a big-ish company; she got there by hard work and proving herself.  She constantly focuses on making the lives of her children better.  And she saved up money to buy her first home all on her own!  She went round and round with the banks for a year for this house; it was a short sale and it took quite a toll, but she stuck to it!  Finally, the deal closed and she was able to get in and make some repairs that were needed before she could move in.

As this was her first house, she really had no clue what and who to trust.  It is a big house and the whole thing needed a new paint job.  It needed new flooring. It needed a new range, new sinks, wall paper torn down, sprinkler system repaired, gas fireplace repaired and some serious deep cleaning!  Did I  mention she was a single mom with 3 kids and works a full time job?

So last week, I spent 4 days with her in her new home.  My first task was to pull down the wall paper in the bathroom.  Trial and error and it took all day.  It had me facing one of my biggest fears in home improvement.  My husband jokes with me about learning to change light bulbs in the house.  No.  I am not THAT mechanically challenged; however I am deathly afraid of ladders!  Light bulbs tend to be on ceilings which I can not reach without a ladder; so I let him do it.  But last week I found myself face to face with a 2 whole walls, floor to ceiling, of wall paper and it all had to come down. I couldn't really leave the stuff at the top; that wouldn't be right.  So up on the ladder I went.

All week long I found myself climbing ladders of various heights to reach the tops of walls and trim around the windows.  I think I was actually becoming kind of comfortable. At least that is my story and I am sticking to it!

While witnessing the change taking place in Kristina's home, I learned a great deal about home make overs.

1) There is a tool for everything.

2) When it comes to tools, what you pay for is what you get. Spend the money on good tools...especially paint brushes and rollers.

3) Learn to manage the people you ask to help and don't let them manage you.

4) Get second opinions and second quotes.

5)  When someone volunteers their services, it might be best to seriously consider this; it could save you lots of money in the long run.

6) Fabric softener is a fantastic and inexpensive way to remove wall paper.  And it does double duty; it makes your hands feel amazing!!!!

7) 30 second dance breaks are a must!

8)  The right music to work to really does make the work much lighter not to mention change the energy in the house you are working in.

9)  HAVE FUN!!!!!  Let the paint get in your hair and laugh!

After a week of home improvement at Kris's place, I got to spend an hour at the Boise Bike Project for Volunteer Orientation.  During the orientation, they gave us a brief over view of their amazing program followed by a quick tutorial on the ABC's of bike maintenance.   Once again I walked away with some new knowledge.

1)  Everything has a tool but not every tool works for everything!  Even though a tool might LOOK like it will work to take the pedals off of the cranks, there is a better tool called a pedal tool. Use it!

2)  Once again, I learned that its okay to get dirty. Expect to get dirty and smile while you do it!

3) I learned how to check the chains on bikes to make sure they are not worn out. This was probably the most exciting thing for me. I instantly had to go buy a tool so I could check out my own bike chain!

4)  I also learned more about the quick release tires that are put on bikes these days.  How do you know you are putting yours on correctly, and what happens if you don't.  My husband laughed at me last night as I walked down the bike isle at Target and checked all of the quick releases on the front tires!  

I learned a bit more that I won't bore you with and I am looking forward to learning even more as I volunteer there.  For right now, I am totally excited to own my very first tool (No I have never owned my very own screw driver.  But wait..I did own a hammer.) It is the tool used to check a bicycle chain!  And I am happy to tell you, that my bike chain is perfectly healthy!

Between working in the house (tearing down shelving, pulling wall paper, painting, working with power tools) and volunteering at the Boise Bike Project, I am feeling rather mechanically inclined. I am a long ways from being a real bike tech or a proficient handy-woman but I am so  much closer than I was a few weeks ago!  This week's training was invaluable and I am feeling a bit more prepared for my adventure in March!

I can't believe it's only 4 months away!  I am so grateful for my friends who have donated thus far.  My personal goal is to raise $2000; however, in order to take place in the Fuller Center for Housing Spring Ride, I really only need to raise $750.   As this year is coming to a close, if you are still looking for a tax deduction please consider donating to this cause.  Join me in helping a family live in a safe home.  Anything and everything helps.  

Thank you for following me in this adventure!  To find more information on the Fuller Center for Housing, the Bike Adventure, or to make a donation to my $2000 goal, please click here.

Motivated...Lunatic....maybe both!

Who's up for a little 60 mile bike ride???  C'mon you know you wanna go!!!!   I sure wanted to do!  Last night I  pulled up mapmyrun.com and plotted out a 60 mile ride.  I would leave my house in Boise and ride to Nampa and around Lake Lowell and back through Nampa and head back to my place in Boise.

I took a look at the weather.  It said a high of 43 with afternoon showers.  I checked the hourly forecast and it said it would be cold in the morning with showers starting around 2:30.  Okay, I can deal with this.  I have rain gear.  I posted my plan on Facebook and my Bunco friend, Hair Stylist extraordinaire (who happens to live just off the route I was taking in Nampa) offered to make me a yummy lunch.  Sweet!  Couldn't ask for a better pit stop!!!

This morning, I made sure to get up early and make a GOOD breakfast.  Gotta fuel the body properly if you are gonna work it this hard.   I put on my warm clothes including my rain gear.  I packed my hydration pack with extra warm gear (just in case) and my snacks, money and ID.  I checked my tires; they were all good to go.  But my tummy was giving me a different vibe.  And it's cold out there!  I checked the weather channel again it had changed.  It still said a high of 43 with a humidity of 51% and it said snow at 9am with rain at 10am and again at 2:30.  Le Sigh.  I wasn't feeling well.  Something was telling me to stay home curled up on the couch where it was warm.  Then there was this nagging feeling that *something* wasn't right.

Really?   I made all the plans, I checked and double checked everything.  I often get this feeling before a big work out.  It's so much easier to stay home than it is to get out there and push my body.  So, I did what I have done every other time...I went anyway!

I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED!!!!!!!!!  There is a reason we have an intuition and we really should listen to it!

The bike ride started out like any other bike ride.  Ya, it was a bit chilly but it was all good.  In the distance, Bogus Basin was covered in snow to the North and the Owyhees were covered in snow to the South.  I live in such a beautiful place!  I made it all the way to Nampa and started heading to the Lake. I even did one of my amazing "I'm doing nothing" falls.  Seriously? How does that happen?  It was a comedy of errors, only this time no one was around to see it.  Back up and at it again, to the Lake I went.  The roads looked familiar and I had sweet memories and flash backs of the Lake Lowell Marathon.   Not gonna lie, my toes had gone numb and I could no longer see the Owyhees and the snow was blowing in.  Brrrrrrrrr.  I made a turn and that wind was blowing right at me.  The ride was getting harder and slower.  Much slower.

I had stopped to message Shannon to let her know that I was going to be late.  With her, "Keep it up.  I"ll see ya when I see ya" message, my spirits were boosted.  Sometimes something so simple can work wonders.  My spirit was lifted and I was ready to hit it.  But something wasn't right.  No matter how hard I peddled I felt like I was peddling through a sandy beach, and believe me I was FAR FAR away from anything warm and sandy.  I stopped again, to get my granola bar thinking maybe I was just low on fuel.  I looked up and saw the snow blowing vertical to the street.  Ugggg.  What little time I had my fingers uncovered, they were hurting from the cold wind.  Moving was the only thing that was going to keep me warm.  I started again.  But, wow!  It was HARD!!!!   I peddled some more.  I found myself questioning my sanity.  What was I thinking???  How am I going to do a 400 mile bike ride in a week if I am struggling so hard at 30 miles?  What was wrong with me today?  Was it the cold?  Was it the 20 miles on skates last night?  I stopped again for another bite of my bar.  I was at 34 miles.  I had another 6 or so to get to Shannon's house.  That is when I noticed it.

Tires aren't supposed to look like that are they?

A freakin' flat tire!!!!  And before you ask. No.  I have not learned to change a flat yet, and NO I do not have the standard "Flat Fixin' Pack" on my bike, and YES I am way far away from home and its snowy and COLD outside!  

I called Shannon and thankfully she could come pick me up.  When she got there, she said, "You have more motivation in your little pinky than I have in my whole body."  I had to laugh and my reply was, "No,  just more insanity."   Now, before you argue with me and say, "Don't put yourself down", take a look at this definition:

in·sane

   [in-seyn]  Show IPA

adjective

1.

not sane; not of sound mind; mentally deranged.

2.

of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a person who ismentally deranged: insane actions; an insane asylum.

3.

utterly senseless: an insane plan.

"Utterly senseless:  an insane plan"  Yup that pretty much describes my 60 mile ride today:  not feeling well, cold, snow and rain in the forecast AND I was woefully unprepared for a flat tire that would of course happen miles away from civilization!!!!

Thankfully, Shannon could pick me up and take me back to her place and feed me amazing, hot Irish Stew with a glass of red wine to warm me up.  Gratefully, my hubby could take some extra time off of work to come rescue me from Shannon's place in Nampa and get me home safe and sound.   I have been home for a little over 2 hours and I'm STILL cold!!!!!

BTW, I checked my tire.  No holes.  No prickly stickers.  I aired it up and it seems perfectly fine.  I have no idea what caused  my flat tire.  But you can rest assured I will NOT be going out again without learning how to change a flat or with at least a pump to pump up some weirdly flat tire with no visible reason to be flat!  Lesson learned.

So Yes, I'm a Lunatic, but at least I'm a motivated Lunatic!  Now if I can just learn to discern between the "I don't want tos" and my actual intuition :).

Thank you for following me in this adventure!  To find more information on the Fuller Center for Housing, the Bike Adventure, or to make a donation to my $2000 goal, please click here.

Santa's Little Elf and Tandem Bike Riding..a Team Building Exercise

This past week has been kind of a crazy week for me.  I did that long bike ride on Monday, but really haven't done much ON a bike since then.  (Gonna have to rectify that this week.)

However, some really great things happened..some centered around bikes some not.

First, I would like to celebrate the fact that I am finally cleared from knee surgery!!!  I am now allowed to run and do Zumba to my hearts content.  However, I need to be mindful as my knee will still take a little bit more time to heal (at least this is what my intuition is telling me).  I did get in some great running this week and some great dancing without pain, so this is exciting!!!

I also had the great opportunity to visit my favorite dance studio here in town...Ophidia Studio.  I needed a "pick me up" and decided to take a Hula Hoop Dance Class.  I have been trying to recapture my childhood with the hula hoop for years, but for whatever reason, the visit to the dance class did the trick!  What ever, Donna, the teacher told me, stuck and the next day I pulled out my daughter's hula hoop and WHAM, I was hoopin' it up!!!  Yay!!!

I'm not sure if I have mentioned, but along this journey of training for the Spring Ride of the Fuller Center for Housing, I am also volunteering with the Boise Bike Project (BBP).  The Boise Bike Project is a non-profit organization that recycles old bikes, refurbishes them, and gives them away to children and refugees.  They also sell adult bikes at inexpensive prices.  The whole idea is to encourage the community to get back on the bikes and enjoy the outdoors.  BBP is gearing up for the Christmas Children's Bike Give Away and they sent out an email asking if someone could pick up 4 bikes from a local Walmart.   I gladly responded and called Walmart to make the arrangements.  They didn't have 4 bikes, they had 12 bikes!!!!  I drive a Subaru Legacy and have a bike rack that holds 3 bikes.  This was gonna be a fun afternoon!  Here's a question:  How many bikes can you put into a Subaru Legacy????  The answer is 7!

I was so blessed to be able to pick up these bikes and deliver them to BBP. It was a gorgeous snowy day and it totally made me feel like Santa's Little Elf!!!  I can't wait to give these bikes to the children!

The other amazing thing that happened this week is that my friend, Kurt, gifted us with an amazing tandem bike!!!  When he asked me if we would be interested in the bike, I was all kind of excited and had grand dreams of long bike rides and picnics in the park with my hubby.  Sounds romantic, doesn't it?  Ya, I thought so, too.  However, I was not prepared for team building experience that was ahead.  Tracy and I have ridden a tandem bike before (years ago).  We rented one in San Fran and rode across the Golden Gate Bridge. I was so out of shape, I actually had to get off the bike so that my husband could ride the bike up the hills by himself.  This time around, with our own tandem bike, I am the one who is in shape and my hubby is working towards that direction.  It was decided I would take lead with this bike since I am stronger.  Today, we finally got on the bike for a longer ride than round our 1 street subdivision.  What I got today was a lesson is listening, being observant, truly FEELING what was going on on top of the bike and making adjustments when necessary, being a gentle leader and being patient.  It was a great experience.   Though because of Tracy's long body, I do believe I will be riding in the back seat from now on.  He just doesn't fit in the back seat of that tandem bike.

Easy Road? What Easy Road?

Last night while mapping out possible routes to ride on Mapmyrun.com, I gave myself 2 choices.  A 30 mile ride to the city of Nampa or a 60 mile ride to Swan Falls Damn (through the desert).  I posted on Facebook my 2 choices and my friend, Day, replied with, "I"m surprised you are even asking.  When was the last time you took the easy road, Lady??"

I didn't see Day's reply until this morning, but last night I remembered a route I have been wanting to take.  For years I have wanted to take a road called Hill Road that runs along the foothills of Boise.  It's a street I have not spent much time on and an area of town I have never seen.  And I won't lie, this route was sounding a bit shorter than 60 miles and I liked that idea.  I really kinda wanted to take that "Easy Road" today.  Some days are just like that.

This morning, before my ride, I started to map out my route.  It was looking like a little over 30 mile route which would include a massive hill that has been mocking me!  It's one of those hills that I have seen cyclists ride and think.."Man they are crazy!"  I actually did half of the hill last Friday for my friends 40th birthday run celebration, but the whole hill was still mocking me and since it would be towards the end of my ride I knew my legs would be a bit tired.  I decided that hill would make up for the "short" ride.  So maybe it was only half of the "easy road".  Ya, I can justify just about anything.

It was a beautiful day for a ride!  Just gorgeous!  And it seemed like lots of other cyclists thought the same thing. I must have seen like 50 of them out for rides today..and on a "school day"!  The ride along Hill Road was beautiful. I saw lots of houses I have never seen before and some just amazed me! This one property was older and the house was built into the ground. It was very interesting. It had one little level (looked like one room) that was above ground.  I wonder how dark it is in that house.  I saw another that was adding some kind of addition to their older home and it looked like it would look like a hobbit hole when it was done.  It was pretty cool.  My least favorite part of the ride was the part where I had to ride through downtown Boise.  Just not my favorite.  But it did get me to Subway for my lunch time refueling!   I have seen all those advertisements for Subway using Olympians and athletes and they kinda make me laugh cause honestly I don't think Olympians are eating at Subway.  But today, I had to take a picture cause it kinda hit home today.

"The official Training Restaurant of Athletes Everywhere"    I'm an athlete, and I'm training and I'm eating at Subway.  Does that put me in the same ranks as Michael Phelps?  Ya, I don't think so either.  But for some reason today, it just struck me as appropriate in a funny way.

Back on the ride, I hit the greenbelt (my favorite place to ride).  At about mile 25 or so, it dawned on me, that I could do another 25 miles.   There would be no "Easy Road" for me today.  I was going to ride 50 miles AND take those blasted hills that are mocking me.  This will be my longest ride yet!  I calculated what changes needed to be made to my route to make this happen. It would be a simple extension (out and back) trip before hitting where I was originally just going to hit those hills.  It also meant that instead of taking the one road straight home, I would hit old familiar roads with more hills up in the desert near my home.  Yup, I was gonna make this happen!

I know I have probably said this many times. But I truly live in one of the most beautiful cities in America!  Boise is blessed to have an amazing Greenbelt system that makes bike riding so  much fun!  Here is a picture to show off just some of that beauty.  It's a shot of the Boise River and an old Dam/Power House.

It's beauty like that that refuels my soul for what is to come.  Those dreaded hills!  I took pictures of them, but I don't think the pictures do them justice!

Just about the time you get to the top of the first hill, you see the next one which is even steeper and curves to the left and keeps going up!  Ya, its a fun one, alright!  But I have to say that with my new clip peddles, these hills are so much easier to take!!!!!  I LOVED it!  And while I was heading up that last hill, the song "I Got This" came on my iPod.  Yup, I had it...and I was just gonna keep on going to reach my 50 mile goal!!!

Later on in my ride, I hit several more hills and I was so tired, but I remembered what I was training for and just how blessed I am.  While most people spend their day sitting at a desk, standing behind a register, cleaning up after people, teaching our children or any other number of jobs out there, I get to spend my day riding my bike 50 miles!  I get to spend it in the glorious sunshine and autumn leaves.  I get to spend it training for a 400 mile bike ride that will help other people have safer homes to live in!  Yes, I may be tired.  My legs may hurt.  My bum may be a bit sore from the saddle.  But this is NOTHING compared to people who are living in substandard housing. This is NOTHING compared to people who struggle every day just to keep a roof over their head.  Its NOTHING compared to the struggles of the people who live in poverty.  And THAT is why I am riding my bike 50 miles today!  I am riding for THEM.  I am training for THEM!  And that thought gives me the strength to keep on peddling up those hills.

Yes, in life we have a choice. We can take the Easy Road or we can take a road that is much more challenging.  You can choose to ignore the needs of people who struggle and live your life in a  happy daze of cluelessness OR you can wake up and look around and see that people are suffering.  By making yourself uncomfortable, by making even small sacrifices in your life, you can make a HUGE difference in some one else's life.  Which road are you going to take today?   I guarantee you, the road with more challenges..the road that helps others is so much more rewarding than that "Easy Road"!

There are so many ways you can help others, but if you feel lead to, please consider helping me raise money for the Fuller Center for Housing.  The money you donate will go towards their Greater Blessing Program in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to help repair homes for those who can not do it for themselves. To find more information on the Fuller Center for Housing, the Bike Adventure, or to make a donation to my $2000 goal, please click here.

Thanks for reading my blog and supporting me!  It means a great deal to me!  Have a great day!

Just When I thought I Was In The Clear...That Is What I Get For Thinking!

Finally, after a week of rain and ugly weather, Boise got some perfect cycling weather.  To be fair, I would have gone for a ride in the rain, but I was so busy last week getting ready for a Jimmy Buffett concert, I just choose not to ride and rain sounded like a good excuse!

Today was my first real ride with my new clip peddles and shoes.   Clipping in and unclipping was easy!  I remembered to be conscious of my clips when coming to stop lights.  I did great!  

I decided to make this a "short" ride of 26 miles.  All of my leg muscles are working a bit differently with the clips.  It felt like I was riding on my tip toes and my toes were falling asleep.  This is going to take a bit of getting used to.  So I figured turning around at 13 miles seemed like a fair plan.

I rode my bike from my house in SW Boise to Kuna, just passed the city park and over the rail road tracks.  I pulled over onto the unpaved shoulder just before the entrance to a day care.  I remembered to unclip and I stopped safely along the road.

That's when it happened.....

I turned my bike to face the street.  My right foot was clipped in and ready to start peddling as soon as this white truck passed me. But the next thing I knew, I was falling to my right side.  I was clipped in, my head phones were in my ears and they were plugged into my iPhone which was in its case mounted to my handle bars.  I was tethered to that bike and down I went!  I landed elbow first then right leg on the rocky shoulder.  Thank god, I was wearing 2 layers of long sleeved shirts and my bike tights!  Even with all of that, I still managed to break the skin on my elbow and scratch up my knee and get bruising on both.

I know, it's not alot of damage, but it could have been much worse, especially if I had landed on my left knee that is still recovering from surgery!

Remember when I said I had been waiting on that white truck to pass?  Ya, I fell right as it was getting to me, and it just kept on driving (Thank God!)  Once I realized I wasn't really hurt, I started laughing and thanking the gods that "no one saw me".   I imagine that watching me get untangled would have been quite the sight.  Just as I was back up on my feet and examining the "damage" done to my right side (making sure I hadn't ripped my clothes and such) I heard a lady from behind me ask if I was okay.  OH NO!!!!  Someone saw me!!!  I turned around and laughing replied, "You know that moment when you wish people hadn't been watching.....  Ya this is that moment.  I'm great, thanks for asking."  Then I saw her turn to someone I could hardly see behind me through the bushes. It was the lady who works at the day care who came out to check on me.  What?  How did she even know I had fallen?  My best guess...I had screamed and made quite a racket when I fell.  I waved and smiled to let her know I was okay and then off I went. Clipped back into my peddles I started my ride back....feeling like I had just passed my initiation into the realm of cycling.

Now that I have THAT over with, the rest should be smooth sailing, right?  Right!

Thank you for following me in this adventure!  To find more information on the Fuller Center for Housing, the Bike Adventure, or to make a donation to my $2000 goal, please click here.

A Different Kind of Training Day. Who'da Thunk????

Last week after riding my 45 1/2 mile ride, I decided that I need to go to the chiropractor. My lower back had been hurting for a little over a week (since my first longish bike ride).  I wasn't certain if it was the bike ride or the lumbar strengthening exercise machine at the gym that caused the pain, but after my long ride both my friend, Kurt, and my Chiro told me that I need to make sure my bike is fitted properly. My Chiro said that even a millimeter off can cause some issues.  Well, I can't have that! If there is one thing I have learned from being a marathoner is that you gotta take care of your body and make sure you are using the right gear. And form is pretty much everything!  

I had NO IDEA what this would entail.  I had been in that shop a couple of times talking about getting fitted for a new saddle (seat) but no one ever mentioned to me what goes into the "getting your bike fitted" routine.  I thought I was just going to waltz in there and have him measure my seat and adjust its height and be done with it!  I guess I should have gotten my first clue when I went in on Saturday and the technician told me that he couldn't do it on Saturday cause they were too busy and that I should come back at 11 am on Monday (an appointment).  

I brought my bike into the store today with the idea of scratching off some of the "must get" items off of my shopping list for the Spring Adventure.  I would get a rear view mirror and maybe a saddle. That was it.  However, my visit to the bike shop ended quite differently.   First, the manager of the store got me into a pair of Specialized ( a brand name) ergonomic hand grips. Yes!  No more hands falling asleep! Then we picked out the mirror.  Then Eric the technician came out and saw that I did not have clip peddles and asked if I was looking at getting those in the future.  (Those are one my "must get" list, but I was not looking at purchasing them today.)  He explained that if I am going to get fitted, it is best to have my saddle, clip peddles and shoes first.   Okay then......    To the wall of shoes I went. Oh ya, I wasn't wearing socks, so I HAD to buy a pair ( a girl can never have too many amazing socks)!  My new socks are so cool!  (Being a runner will turn you into a sock freak, just a warning to the wise.) Eric helped me find the right pair of Specialized biking shoes; he informed me that they fit small so up to a 9 1/2 I went. They fit perfectly AND they were on sale!  YES!!!!  I had no idea that the right biking shoe was just as important as right pair of running shoes!  The way the insole fits has a huge part in how your foot works with the peddle and ads to your efficiency and speed.  Wow!  I had no idea!

Now I have the right shoes and socks.  I need the peddles.  Oh the choices!  Ultimately what it came down to was me being a novice clip peddle user.  I wanted something that was as user friendly as possible.   I really was kind of throwing myself at the mercy of the bike experts and allowing them to choose for me and teach me along the way.  I really wish my big brother, Matt, lived here.  He used to be a serious cyclist back in the day. And if it wasn't for him, these name brands that people were throwing around at me would all equal to "Huffy" to me. I wouldn't have known the difference!  But when Eric suggested Shimano clips, I knew the brand name.  (Thank you, Matt, for being an excellent example when I was a kid!)  I ended up with Shimano clips with closed bearings.  (Thank god for my roller derby days and learning about bearings for my wheels!  I understood the importance of closed bearings.)

With socks, shoes and peddles picked out, it was time to get fitted for a saddle. Is there anything more awkward than talking to man about the soreness a woman feels while riding bikes?  It's not my sit bones that hurt; let's just make that clear!  The pain I have been feeling has been up front (as the nice young man pointed out.....) "in my pubic bone area".  Ya...awkward!  He had me sit on this gel saddle seat that measure my butt imprint!  Awesome!  Just what every woman wants to know.."how fat is your arse?"  Okay, it wasn't that bad.  It has nothing to do with how wide your back end is, but rather how far apart your ischial tuberosity bones are.  "What are those?"   I'm glad you asked; here is your medical moment brought to you by Wisegeek.org:

"When a person is in a seated position, his or her weight typically rests on a section of bone called the ischial tuberosity. There are two of these bony swellings, sometimes called the sitting bones, located at the front of the superior ramus of the ischium, which is the lower back portion of thehip bone. The gluteus maximus muscle lies over it when a person is standing; however, when he or she sits down, the muscle shifts to a position behind it and the tuberosity bears the majority of the weight.

The ischial tuberosity is an attachment point for several muscles and ligaments. Three of thehamstring muscles, the semimembranosus, the biceps femoris, and the semitendinosus start there. The adductor magnus, a large muscle in the thigh that lies next to the hamstrings, also originates at the tuberosity. The sacrotuberous ligament connects it to the sacrum."

While I was sitting there letting the gel form around my sit bones, he tells me that sometimes it takes a few tries to get it right.  People often think they are sitting centered on the gel piece when in reality, they are not.  "Great, "  I thought!  "He is gonna have to keep looking at my butt imprints until I get it right!"  Awkward!  Thankfully, I'm a pretty centered person and I got it right the first time!  With the measurement taken, Eric was able to lead me to the right size saddle.  Dolce Sport Gel that has gel for my sit bones and cut out up front for my pubic bone area.  Whew!  

With all of this put on my bike, it was time to make the adjustments necessary.  I hopped onto my bike which was stationed on the stationary spinner.  I learned how to use  my clips and he started taking note of how my body looked while in the saddle. What it came down to:  my bike seat had been at least 3 inches too short.  My frame is too small so he changed out the stem for my handle bars and extended them out another inch.  He tilted the front of my seat down a little to relieve more of that front pressure.  With these adjustments, my legs will be able to get full function, making me faster and keeping my knees healthy (great since I'm 12 weeks post op on my knee.)  Also, my back and my wrists will stop hurting.  My body will be working more efficiently and I will be faster!  Yes!  

Like I said, I had no idea how much was involved in this process.  It was certainly much more than just raising my seat!  I learned a great deal about the way the bike riding process should work and how the bike and the body should work in unison for the best possible experience!  I will count this as a great training day!

45 Miles, Bugs and HIlls...the makings of a great day!

Today I set out to ride my furthest distance yet.  Since I moved her to Boise and started hanging out on the Boise Greenbelt, I have always wanted to do a ride or walk or run from the entrance at Glenwood all the way to Sandy Point Beach at Lucky Peak.  I thought one way it was like 21 miles, but when I pulled up Mapmyrun yesterday, I found out it was only like 15 or so miles one way.  I wanted to get in 40-42 today.  So I decided I would just ride from my house to the entrance of the Greenbelt at Glenwood and then do the out and back.  I figured it would take me somewhere between 3-4 hours.

I brought plenty of water and packed 2 individual packs of raw almonds for my 1/2 way point snack. I dressed warm and I was ready to go!

The ride on the city streets to the greenbelt was busy and no so fun, and it gave me a great shot of the 2 hills I have been afraid of since I moved here.  Whenever I saw a cyclist ride up them, I called them crazy.  I knew today was going to be my day to join the crazies, and joy of joys, it was going to be when my legs were tired from riding 40 miles.  But I had a couple of hours before I had to worry about that.

Finally I reached the greenbelt.  My legs were feeling very sluggish today.  I wasn't sure I was going to make my 12mph limit, but I just did the best I could do.  When I got into Julia Davis Park, I was greeted by this beautiful creature:

How can you be anything other than happy when you get to see a Giraffe while you are out riding your bike?

Back on my bike, I kept on pedaling to the half way point.  There are parts of the greenbelt that are VERY bumpy and are not fun to ride on.  My tush hates those parts!  Finally I made it to the midway point and hopped off my bike to sit on a rock and relax a bit while I ate my snack.  I was so grateful for the time off of my bike.

Snack time over, it was time to get rolling again.  Back across the bumpy path.  I think today was recumbent bike day.  I saw like 5 of them on the green belt. I wonder if those bumps on the path would be easier to handle on one of those things.  I also saw this bike that I think was a tandem bike that was customized for this lady.  She was sitting in what would be the back seat of the bike but she had control of the bike and in front of her was a storage platform where she had a big ol' plastic tub sitting and her big dog was in side of it.  I want on of those!  Too cool!

Finally I made it to my lunch stop!  My Fit Foods.  This is a chain of grocery store/healthy food places where you can buy prepackaged (refrigerated) healthy meals to either take home or cook there in the microwave and eat.  I chose the Hawaiian Chicken; it was yummy!

While I was there I got to talk a little bit about why I am riding my bike and training.  I think when I throw my huge fundraising shindig, I will ask them to donate something, bring samples and have a booth there :).  

Anyway, after my lunch, I had 10 more miles to go.  I put my feet on the pedals and just got moving.  I wanted this ride to be over with.  This is the first time I felt like riding my bike was work.  I blame it on 2 workouts yesterday (a 6 mile walk and then an hour at the gym where I also did cardio and leg stuff). My legs were toast before I even started my ride today!

Then on the last 4 miles of my ride, I had 2 very steep hills to ride up.  I have seen people ride their bikes up them and thought they were crazy (and amazed at how fit thy were)!  I have seen people get off their bikes and walk up those hills; that is exactly what I would have liked to have done today.  But, where I would have been if I had quit? Nooo..gotta keep pedaling.  The first hill I came to, I passed a family and when they saw me riding, they cheered me on.  "Look at her go!  You go girl!"  That gave me the boost I needed to make it up. I wanted to show those kids that everything is possible with a little hard work.  The 2nd hill, I passed a man riding down and I thought to myself,  "He is gonna have to come back up...or maybe he already has and is enjoying his way down..but either way he knows  how I feel."  He smiled at me as we passed each other. Once I made it to the top, I realized I am one of the crazies now!!!

Oooohhh..I just checked my email and Runkeeper (which is the app I use on my phone to keep track of my time and my activity) sent me this:

"Congratulations!

This is a RunKeeper FitnessAlert to let you know that you achieved the following milestones with your most recent cycling activity:

• Farthest distance
• Biggest elevation climb
• Farthest distance in a month
• Longest duration in a month
• Most calories burned in a month
• Fastest average pace in a month
• Biggest elevation climb in a month"

I guess Runkeeper thought I was "crazy" too. My elevation gain today was 2,072 feet!!!  Go me!!

One last thing before I close today's blog. There is a topic that has been on my mind ever since I started riding bikes or even running, but it really hits home when I'm on a bike. It's so important, I had to make a video:

Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must take off these biking tights and make sure I have that blasted stinger out of my leg!!!!

Thank you for following me in this adventure!  To find more information on the Fuller Center for Housing, the Bike Adventure, or to make a donation to my $2000 goal, please click here.

Moving Up In The Pack

Last year I spent a great deal of time running.  I ran 4 marathons, 4 half marathons, 1 10K and several 5Ks.  I am a certified "Back of the Packer".  What does that mean?  It means I'm slow!  Most of my marathons are spent by myself away from any pack of runners.  I was running 13 minute miles which is a little over 4 miles per hour.  My fastest marathon wast 6 hours and 29 minutes.  My slowest marathon was over 8 hours (in Honolulu). However, the Honolulu Marathon is geared for walkers and racers of ever ability so there were ALWAYS people around me during that race.

Anyway, being a back of packer means that you are always worried about meeting that finish line before a "sweeper" comes and carries you away. Sometimes it means you  have the sweeper hovering behind you, sometimes rather uncomfortably. It's not like you don't know you are slow, you don't need the reminder!  Of course, they are there to make sure you are okay as much as they are there to encourage you to keep on going and push yourself.

My very first marathon in 2006, I literally had the police officer following me for the first 13 miles.  I was in last place and he was there to make sure I was safe.  He was very sweet, but Wow!  Talk about feeling a bit strange.  The thing is, I knew what pace I needed to run in order to finish in time.  I had 8 hours to finish this marathon and the pace I was keeping would have me finish just under that 8 hours. I finished at 7 hour and 57 minutes and I wasn't even last.  But I DO know what it's like to be followed by the sweeper.

Then there was my stint as Fresh Meat for a roller derby team.  In order to draft onto a team, you had to be able to skate 25 laps around the track in 5 minutes. While I was Fresh Meat, I wasn't able to do this. I was 30 seconds behind.  Last spring as I was losing weight, running and roller skating for fun, I decided to go out to the derby track and try my 25 laps in 5 minutes. Sure enough, I was able to do it with a few seconds remaining. I did it again last fall and cut off 15 seconds.  I was finally fast enough!

Now I am training for the Fuller Center for Housing Spring Bike Adventure.  I know they have sweepers in these rides.  The sweepers are part of the cycling team. A rider is designated as the sweeper, and it is their job to start last and cheer on/support the ones that are going slower.  I have heard stories about the sweepers.  One of my friends was a sweeper last summer.  I know their hearts are in the right place, but I can tell you I do NOT want to be the person they are having to "sweep up".

Being a back of the packer, I completely understand that everyone runs their own pace and their own race. You should never compare yourself to the runner ahead of you or behind you.  It is YOUR race, but there is ALWAYS that little bit of you that sings a song of joy when you pass a runner or lets out a curse beneath your breath when you get passed.  And I know what it feels like to have people waiting on you!  In joining this adventure, I have decided that I want to be a middle of the packer!

I am a Weight Watcher's member and I track all of my food and all of my exercise activity. For bicycling, there are a couple of options to track.  One of them is "Greater than 12 mph" (which is greater than a 5 minute mile).  This is the standard I work hard to hold myself to when I am training by myself or with other avid cyclists.  Some of my miles are slower and others are faster, but over my 35 mile rides, my average is about 4 minutes 47 seconds per mile.

I decided to ask my trip leader for the Bike Adventure, Melissa, how fast they would like us to ride.  Her answer was 12mph!  Sweet!!!!!  I'm on it!!!!  The Adventure is in 6 months!  By that time, I would like to be sustaining a 3 minute mile.  That is a good goal, and I think it will keep me from being chased by the sweeper :).

When I think about this goal, this is the song that comes to mind:

Here's to moving up in the pack!!!!!!!!  What are you doing today to make you "faster better stronger"?

Thank you for following me in this adventure!  To find more information on the Fuller Center for Housing, the Bike Adventure, or to make a donation to my $2000 goal, please click here.

The Up Hills of Life

Usually my Sundays are reserved for hiking with my husband or going to the gym with the husband.  Whatever I decide to do; its with my husband.  I try to keep my long bike rides to during the week.  However, I knew that rain was coming this week and yesterday was so gorgeous, I decided to head out for some hill training.

Just outside my door and around the corner are some amazing steep hills. It's pretty much up hill for 9 miles!  There are some down hill stretches, but for the most part, it is UP UP and UP!  I decided to take this route.  Up S. Cole Road.  Turn left onto Hollilyn and go up some more (but not nearly as steep).  Then at the stop sign/end of the road turn right again onto Pleasant Valley Road where it is an immediate steep up hill, up and over the bench of farm land.  This part is so steep for a mile or so that it actually turns a 2 lane road into 3 to give the up hill direction 2 lanes.  Then you get to the top and you keep going on that road for a bit and there is this beautiful steep downhill that gives way to another very steep up hill and that is the last of the up hill for this ride until the last 7 miles!  This ride was a total of 35 miles that I did in under a 5 minute mile pace, but with all of this up hill I only  had an elevation gain of 1369.  I guess the gain was just steep, not long.  Tell that to my lungs that had to keep stopping along the longest hill!

It was truly a beautiful day for a bike ride and I loved every minute of it.  I took several short videos during my ride, but this is the one that stands out......

It dawned on me while I was on this mile long steep hill that I just wished it would be over with.  I couldn't see the end.  All I could see was that this hill kept on going around a bend.  Having taken this road several times on a car and once on a bike, I knew that at some point this hill would end, but its not always like that in life, is it? Sometimes we find ourselves fighting this "up hill battle" and it feels like it is never going to stop and we wish and wish with all of our might that it would just come to an end and we could coast for a bit.  We get so wrapped up in the toil of the up hill, that we don't see the gifts of that moment.  We don't see the strength we are building.  We don't see the beauty around us. We just keep our heads down and keep pushing. But what would it be like if we held our heads up high and smiled and recognized the gifts in THAT moment? I'm willing to bet that the joy we would feel would be amazing and suddenly that hill would not seem so impossible!  As much fun as the downhills are, its the up hills that make life so much more enjoyable!

Thank you for following me in this adventure!  To find more information on the Fuller Center for Housing, the Bike Adventure, or to make a donation to my $2000 goal, please click here.

NOTHING is impossible. The very word says I'm Possible!

Funny thing happens when you run or ride a bike for long distances.....you have plenty of time to think!    I know that from running, you can either think, "I can't do this anymore." Or..you can choose to say, "Just keep putting one foot in front of the other."  You can also choose to think about the sorrows of life or the joys of life.   I know from personal experience, I have done both all in the same run.  Being a "back of the packer" in a marathon with a 13 minute mile pace, gives you LOTS of time to think, so , yes, I have had plenty of time to think about both the sorrows and the joys.

Today as I was riding my bike for 3 hours, I had plenty of time to think as well.  I started my ride thinking about how tired and slow my legs were feeling.  "Am I really going to make this long 32 mile bike ride today?"   I just kept riding.   One of my long "straight" stretches ended up being a long slow climb up hill. My legs were feeling it.  "I can just turn around once I get to the intersection. I don't have to keep going.  No one would fault me.  I mean, after all, I did just do my longest ride 2 days ago."  I just kept going.  I rode through that intersection and found myself on a high way where the speed is 55 mph.  I was NOT going that fast, but I was peddling my little heart out.  Up another hill.  As I got to the top of this hill, before the decline, I had the most gorgeous view of the mountains ahead of me and the river bottom ahead and below me at the foot of the mountains. The trees were peaking up over rooftops of the homes in Columbia Village and their leaves were changing colors. It was a spectacular view and took my breath away.  More importantly, it gave my perspective the much needed kick in the arse it needed!  And wheeeeeeeeeeeee  I went down the hill on the highway.  I still didn't reach that blasted 55 mph, but I tried my hardest!   Then I got to jump off the highway and onto our Greenbelt.  Riding along the Boise River is one of my favorite things to do. And this time of year with all the leaves changing colors its just glorious!  It even made the head wind up the hills a joyous experience!

I finally made it 12 miles to my turn around point (not half way point, but turn around point). It took me quite a bit longer to make it that 12 miles than 12 miles took me 2 days ago.  At this point, I was at a 6 minute mile.   But the hard part was over, with the exception of a couple of killer hills at the very end of my ride.  So I thought I would stop and take a few pictures to show you just how gorgeous my play ground is!

By this time, my mood had shifted. My self talk and changed.  And my speed had picked up!  Having accomplished what I thought would be so incredibly difficult, I was feeling really great about myself.  AND I was hungry!!!  I had 20 more miles to go and my stomach was growling.  I didn't pack any snacks. Poor planning on my part.  But the only way I was going to get to food was to keep on peddling!

The ride back through Boise along the greenbelt was beautiful as always.  I love meeting people along the way and greeting them with a smile and a "have a great day"!  At mile 24 my hubby called and wanted to know if I wanted to meet him for lunch.   Umm...did I mention how hungry I was???   I agreed and changed my planned route to take me to food..glorious food!  I knew I had about 6 more miles to go at 5 minute miles at this point so I started to book it.  I hit my exit off the greenbelt and headed to city streets.  It had been 6 years since I had taken this path and did not remember that it was UP HILL!  Oy Vey!  Keep peddling...and fast.  Must get to food!  Once on the city streets I just kept going, and I remembered, "Oh!  There is that HUGE hill at Overland and Orchard."  Well I have always wanted to try that hill on my bike. For the last 10 years these hills have been taunting me and telling me they were impossible!  Finally, I reached Overland Road and turned right and there it was, my nemesis!  Shifting down in gears, putting head down, I kept peddling.  My quads started quivering and begging for mercy. My heart rate jumped.  I was panting and sweat was dripping.   (For my marathon friends, this is the equivalent of putting a blasted hill at mile 25!)  Finally!  I made it to the top.  This hill is NOT that long, but its steep.  Gulping water down, I knew I only had about  1 1/2 miles to food, glorious food!

My husband and I made plans to meet at Pollo Rey for fish tacos and I was booking it!  Yummy!!!  He called once he arrived.  We had planned it pretty perfectly. I was less than 1/4 of a mile away. I just needed to cross this horrible intersection.  I waited patiently for lights to change.  And then I sprinted to the restaurant.  We started the ordering process, I picked up my cup and started walking to the soda fountain, when my husband tells me to stop.  He doesn't have his wallet!  Oh vey!  I didn't either!  No glorious food for me!  My quads were crying out for a rest.  I was just under 2 miles from home.  So back on my bike I went.  Peddling home..finishing up my 32.21 mile bike ride in just under 3 hours.  We picked up the wallet and the car and went back to Pollo Rey.. I wanted my fish tacos!!

Anyway, after eating and settling down.  I was basking in my bikers high (which I never thought I would accomplish on a bike like I do when I run) and it dawned on me.  NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!  Like Audrey Hepburn says, "Nothing is impossible. The very word says I'm Possible."   We are coming up on 10 years living here in Boise.  And for years I have told myself that "this is impossible"  "that is impossible".  Running a marathon is impossible. Run 2 in 15 days is impossible.  Riding my bike up hills is impossible.  So many things.  But today, I rode my bike 32.21 miles with my highest elevation change yet...1,618 feet.  You can choose to let your fears and negative self-talk keep you back, or you can choose to face them head!  You can choose to reach your goals and set new ones!  You can choose to break through the barriers of life and ask "What's next?"  You can choose to stand at the bottom of a steep hill and say, "Bring it on!"  So, my friends, what do YOU choose?  What big scary things are you going to look at head on and say... "I'm bigger, stronger and meaner than you!  Bring it!"  I'll be right here cheering you on!

First Day of Training

I am 8 weeks post op from a knee surgery on my left knee so I am still trying to take it easy, but I need to get started on getting my mileage in.  So I decided with a quick 26 miles on our beautiful Boise Greenbelt!

I had an absolute blast riding!  I came across a group of 10-12 senior citizens riding their bikes.  They were so cute!  I yelled "Hey Gang, on your left" as I was about to pass them. As I passed the last gentleman in their pack said, "Keep up your speed!"  And I zoomed right on by, focusing on keeping my speed under 5 minute miles.  After I reached the half way point of my ride, I decided to head back and take a different route where I came across the same group of senior citizens.  They were all smiles.  They had been riding a long time.  Very impressive!

I also saw some beautiful trees that were changing colors. The greenbelt still has plenty of green trees, but some were starting to change and it was glorious!

I also had a hug epiphany.  While I was riding it dawned on me that I have come so far in my health.  I may be doing a juggling act with the same 8 pounds for the last 6 months, but I have done so much!  In the last year I have run 4 marathons, 4 half marathons and several small races.  I have done pole dancing.  I became a Zumba fitness instructor. My whole life has changed and I'm a bonafide athlete!  I'm so grateful!



Thank you for following me in this adventure!  To find more information on the Fuller Center for Housing, the Bike Adventure, or to make a donation to my $2000 goal, please click here.