Now that I've had a few more hours to think about how things went yesterday, I'm feeling a lot better about ducking out of the ride early. I have been pushing myself to ride at the same speed Chris can, which is not smart since Chris does not have problems with asthma like I do. Add allergies and I'm in bad shape.
By doing these sorts of activities, I'm learning a lot about myself. I've learned that no matter what gradient it is, any incline is a hill for me. Yesterday I struggled through many rolling hills, many of which kept going and going and going.....I wasn't mentally prepared for rolling hills. Most people I talked to about the ride told me that it was long, but it wasn't difficult. Clearly none of them have problems with asthma! I have to do more research about topography on my own rather than relying on the words of people who are in shape.
Being on a structured ride was great for the fact that you didn't have to carry tons of food and you always knew where the next indoor bathroom would be. It was inspiring to see all of the other riders too, although I envisioned myself lassoing a towrope on to each one that passed me (there were a lot of people who passed me).
I'm taking it easy today. Mentally unwinding. The one regret I have is putting climbing on the back burner. I don't think I've gone for a couple of weeks! I really miss climbing with Chris, who now is ready to climb again, but is on his way to Texas for a conference and a visit with friends. Soon I will be back on the rock...
28 April 2008
27 April 2008
...After
Well, the ride didn't go as well as I hoped, but I'm glad I attempted it! I got to about 38 miles I think, but I'm going to tell everyone 40 :) Unfortunately my asthma kicked in hardcore and I decided that I had to stop.
The weather was pretty good for me, except for the fact that we were riding into the wind for the majority of the portion of the ride I did. Most people would say that it was pretty chilly outside (it was about 38 degrees when we started at quarter after seven); I thought it was nice.
The terrain was basically a bunch of rolling hills which my asthma found difficult to handle. I kept struggling through it for a while, and I found the rest stops quite lovely because it was a good opportunity to get some food and give my toes a chance to un-numb. The reason my toes were numb was more because I wasn't pedaling correctly, not because of the cool weather.
In a way, I was disappointed that I didn't get farther than I did, but I'm just not in good enough shape yet. Maybe towards the end of the season, I'll be able to complete a longer ride. I have to admit that I much prefer shorter rides, especially riding to work. I'm still going to do longer rides though (long as in about 30-40 miles I think). Like I said before, I'm glad that I attempted the ride, and actually the longest ride I did last season was 41 miles, so I think I did pretty good overall.
The weather was pretty good for me, except for the fact that we were riding into the wind for the majority of the portion of the ride I did. Most people would say that it was pretty chilly outside (it was about 38 degrees when we started at quarter after seven); I thought it was nice.
The terrain was basically a bunch of rolling hills which my asthma found difficult to handle. I kept struggling through it for a while, and I found the rest stops quite lovely because it was a good opportunity to get some food and give my toes a chance to un-numb. The reason my toes were numb was more because I wasn't pedaling correctly, not because of the cool weather.
In a way, I was disappointed that I didn't get farther than I did, but I'm just not in good enough shape yet. Maybe towards the end of the season, I'll be able to complete a longer ride. I have to admit that I much prefer shorter rides, especially riding to work. I'm still going to do longer rides though (long as in about 30-40 miles I think). Like I said before, I'm glad that I attempted the ride, and actually the longest ride I did last season was 41 miles, so I think I did pretty good overall.
26 April 2008
Before...
Tomorrow is the 100-mile Lakeville Ironman ride. I am nervous about it because the ride is long and I'm not sure if my body can withstand 100 miles in one day. But then again it may not have to if the weather is really crummy (meaning rain or snow). If that's the case, we're going to do one of the shorter routes.
I hope it holds off raining or snowing because I would like to have the opportunity to attempt 100. I know my lungs aren't necessarily ready for it; that's what worries me the most. I can't think of this as a casual ride like Chris since cardio activities do not come naturally or easily to me. My mild asthma gets in the way. Inhalers haven't worked for me - they make me shaky but don't help me breathe.
The only thing that I've found that helps me is if I get in really good shape. When I was in college and was working out all the time (basically running and taking a cardio kickboxing class), my lungs got in better shape. But I was always indoors. The minute I step outside and tried to run, my allergies worked with my asthma to put the kibosh on that.
I enjoy riding and I will always have to just deal with my allergies affecting my asthma which ultimately affects my breathing. It gets really frustrating though, especially because I don't want to move to a different climate. So basically this all comes back to my choices which makes it frustrating.
Anyway, I'm going to keep riding. I plan to bike to work a lot this spring/summer/fall. In addition to the bike locker I'm renting, I am also renting a locker with a shower. I am going to leave the apartment earlier in the morning, thereby hopefully missing out on hot weather, and shower when I get downtown. I'm going to try it for a couple of months to see if I like it.
Wish me luck tomorrow, and wish for decent weather!
I hope it holds off raining or snowing because I would like to have the opportunity to attempt 100. I know my lungs aren't necessarily ready for it; that's what worries me the most. I can't think of this as a casual ride like Chris since cardio activities do not come naturally or easily to me. My mild asthma gets in the way. Inhalers haven't worked for me - they make me shaky but don't help me breathe.
The only thing that I've found that helps me is if I get in really good shape. When I was in college and was working out all the time (basically running and taking a cardio kickboxing class), my lungs got in better shape. But I was always indoors. The minute I step outside and tried to run, my allergies worked with my asthma to put the kibosh on that.
I enjoy riding and I will always have to just deal with my allergies affecting my asthma which ultimately affects my breathing. It gets really frustrating though, especially because I don't want to move to a different climate. So basically this all comes back to my choices which makes it frustrating.
Anyway, I'm going to keep riding. I plan to bike to work a lot this spring/summer/fall. In addition to the bike locker I'm renting, I am also renting a locker with a shower. I am going to leave the apartment earlier in the morning, thereby hopefully missing out on hot weather, and shower when I get downtown. I'm going to try it for a couple of months to see if I like it.
Wish me luck tomorrow, and wish for decent weather!
15 April 2008
Road bike riding
This weekend was my first trip outdoors with my road bike, and it was great! Even though road bikes are typically terrible at absorbing shocks, my bike is pretty decent, partly because of that funny looking shock under the seat. It was weird for a bit being on such a small wheel, but I got used to it. I haven't tried out my cleats outside yet because I need to practice getting out of the pedal some more that happens.
I commuted to work yesterday with my road bike. It was the greatest thing ever to not have the bag on my back! And the road bike seems so much more effortless (there was plenty of effort, don't worry). After two long rides over the weekend, my legs were pretty darn tired yesterday. It truly was absolutely beautiful weather though. Perfect for biking and just being outdoors!
I commuted to work yesterday with my road bike. It was the greatest thing ever to not have the bag on my back! And the road bike seems so much more effortless (there was plenty of effort, don't worry). After two long rides over the weekend, my legs were pretty darn tired yesterday. It truly was absolutely beautiful weather though. Perfect for biking and just being outdoors!
04 April 2008
Outdoor commute
Today was the first day of the season that I rode my bike into work. I was nervous (even though there was no reason to be). I worried that I had forgotten how to ride amongst cars or that my body wouldn't be able to handle or something else. But everything went fine. My lungs weren't especially happy on the hills, but I expected that since I'm not in very good shape at the moment.
I rode my mountain bike since the streets haven't been swept yet, so I'm itching to try out that new road bike on the actual road! What I did get to try out today was the bike locker I'm renting. I have decided that that was one of the best investments I could have made. It's in a great location (in the parking ramp kitty-corner from City Hall and is a pretty much direct shot from the Stone Arch Bridge where I come into downtown on) and it means that I can leave my bike together and leave any biking gear there, such as my helmet, gloves, etc.
I'm excited to continue enjoying the weather this weekend by doing some more biking - hopefully it won't be raining all day!
I rode my mountain bike since the streets haven't been swept yet, so I'm itching to try out that new road bike on the actual road! What I did get to try out today was the bike locker I'm renting. I have decided that that was one of the best investments I could have made. It's in a great location (in the parking ramp kitty-corner from City Hall and is a pretty much direct shot from the Stone Arch Bridge where I come into downtown on) and it means that I can leave my bike together and leave any biking gear there, such as my helmet, gloves, etc.
I'm excited to continue enjoying the weather this weekend by doing some more biking - hopefully it won't be raining all day!
30 March 2008
"I have to go lie down"
As some of you may have read on Chris's blog, he's all of a sudden become holier. When he was about to go into the shower the morning after getting ice cream scooped and sewn back up, he asked that I help him take the band-aids off of his back. I start peeling off the top one, and given that I haven't seen stitches for a LONG time, it was weird seeing them on his back. Seeing those made me feel extremely bad for Chris for having to go through it. The second band-aid came off, and then the third.
I became suspicious when the third band-aid was a deep red color, but I thought it might have been because of the fact that a needle had passed through his skin several times. I was wrong. Staring back at me, at eye level, was a small "divot" (as Chris called them) which was a pit of oozy-looking blood, and the stitches were lying about haphazardly.
"It's not supposed to be like that," I said to Chris, with the horror creeping in on my expression. He tried to see it in the mirror as my vision became dark and fuzzy. "I have to go lie down," I said, just barely stumbling out of the bathroom. My life was full of green faces, sweat, and dark, fuzzy vision for the next five minutes or so. All I could think about (besides keeping last night's dinner in my stomach) was how horrible I felt for Chris because not only did he have to deal with my impression of the Green Giant stumbling and falling over, he had to deal with the fact that he would have to go in to get stitched up again.
Then he said something that made me cringe: "You know you're going to have to put another band-aid over that." SHIT. That's all that came to mind. SHIT. I tried so hard to pull myself together and go back in there to face it, but my eyes and the rest of my body decided I couldn't handle it. Luckily, Chris found a way to cover the pit in his back up, and I recovered shortly thereafter.
The funniest thing about this story was that I have seen way worse things. I have seen a guy after a drunken accident on a motorcycle with the bone sticking through his calf, and I wanted to get closer! I've seen bone popping through the forearm of a kid at a high school basketball game. But apparently these experiences could not prepare me for the site of Chris's pit. Go figure. I have to say that I laughed the rest of the day about it, and I couldn't wait to tell my dad.
I became suspicious when the third band-aid was a deep red color, but I thought it might have been because of the fact that a needle had passed through his skin several times. I was wrong. Staring back at me, at eye level, was a small "divot" (as Chris called them) which was a pit of oozy-looking blood, and the stitches were lying about haphazardly.
"It's not supposed to be like that," I said to Chris, with the horror creeping in on my expression. He tried to see it in the mirror as my vision became dark and fuzzy. "I have to go lie down," I said, just barely stumbling out of the bathroom. My life was full of green faces, sweat, and dark, fuzzy vision for the next five minutes or so. All I could think about (besides keeping last night's dinner in my stomach) was how horrible I felt for Chris because not only did he have to deal with my impression of the Green Giant stumbling and falling over, he had to deal with the fact that he would have to go in to get stitched up again.
Then he said something that made me cringe: "You know you're going to have to put another band-aid over that." SHIT. That's all that came to mind. SHIT. I tried so hard to pull myself together and go back in there to face it, but my eyes and the rest of my body decided I couldn't handle it. Luckily, Chris found a way to cover the pit in his back up, and I recovered shortly thereafter.
The funniest thing about this story was that I have seen way worse things. I have seen a guy after a drunken accident on a motorcycle with the bone sticking through his calf, and I wanted to get closer! I've seen bone popping through the forearm of a kid at a high school basketball game. But apparently these experiences could not prepare me for the site of Chris's pit. Go figure. I have to say that I laughed the rest of the day about it, and I couldn't wait to tell my dad.
27 March 2008
Excitement is building
Tonight I went to a informational meeting about the Ironman bike ride that's happening on April 27. Chris and I have decided that we are going to attempt the 100-mile route (but that might change depending on the weather). I'm really excited to get outside and try out my new road bike! I've put a couple of hours in on the trainer (and as you know if you read the post previous to this, the first time didn't work out so well).
I'm excited for spring in general, but I really need to get outside and get a feel for the road bike. I might change seats again because I really like the seat I bought for the mountain bike. I also have to figure out some other aspects to ensure that I'm not going to be putting unnecessary strain on any part of my body. More than anything I need to put in some "butt time" as the speaker was telling us tonight. Sitting on those seats for a long period of time is not the most comfortable situation, but getting your rear used to being on a seat again after having the winter essentially off helps.
I can't wait for spring and for when the street cleaners come through to wash away all of the grit on the road. By the way Mother Nature, it would be great if it stopped snowing.
I'm excited for spring in general, but I really need to get outside and get a feel for the road bike. I might change seats again because I really like the seat I bought for the mountain bike. I also have to figure out some other aspects to ensure that I'm not going to be putting unnecessary strain on any part of my body. More than anything I need to put in some "butt time" as the speaker was telling us tonight. Sitting on those seats for a long period of time is not the most comfortable situation, but getting your rear used to being on a seat again after having the winter essentially off helps.
I can't wait for spring and for when the street cleaners come through to wash away all of the grit on the road. By the way Mother Nature, it would be great if it stopped snowing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
