Headed to socal last friday night after an ass-kicking training week (super happy with the intensity level) and excitedly yet nervously entered into "his" world of speed and strength. The time was so much fun and made me realize the part I'm missing in all this training...motivational workout buddies, and someone who is so far ahead of me in their knowledge of working out that my mind can just go into "follow" mode instead of "reasoning" mode. We rode a short easy 5 mile ride on friday night and enjoyed a yummy Italian dinner and a good movie.
Saturday morning we headed out with both of his ultra nice road bikes (i refused to try out his new top of the line ride as ignorance is bliss...i'd rather be content with dog food than the dainties of the rich...lol! Though, his old bike is still insanely nice too and i enjoyed riding it). We rode with the Orange County wheelman who excel at the short bursts on the hills and recover speedily on the descents for about 35 miles. I had a blast! Brian of course would go from the very back to the very front and pull the group in a heartbeat on THE UPHILL!! I just smiled as he cruised past and noticed everyone pedal faster as he swirled by!! I loved that!! After the ride we drove down the oceanside to Dana Point for a super yummy lunch on the water and great light fun and funny conversation mingled with motivational pep talks in which "B" always does so well.
Once back to his house we went out for a quick easy 2 mile run which felt wonderful! Legs were a little fatigued from all the ride accelerations but once they warmed up it was a nice spread out brick. Then, we hit the gym and he actually went SWIMMING!!!! It was so FUN to watch and he turned out to be a way better swimmer than he claimed! When my turn came I sucked air as I did 20 25's of fly and by the end I could hardly get both arms out of the water! He kept saying, "don't stop at the wall!! Keep going!!!" Somehow, he motivates me beyond no end!! While sitting in the hot tub we were able to catch our breath and then on with more B-BOOT camp...upstairs for a speedy spin workout...short but HARD! He had us spin with rpm's between 95-125 at different points in a 12 minute period!! The whole time he talked me through it and again, i was motivated! I loved it! So much fun! THEN...he INSISTED that I run a 7 min mile on the treadmill. He INSISTED!!! So, believe it or not...i was motivated and while i didn't want to, i shut my fat mouth and did what the man said. He stood over the treadmill with his stop watch and coached me through it...sooooo damn helpful! He gave me tips to get through it and i did...drenched by the end and sucking air but i felt so great when i was done!!
After the workout we had a yummy steak and rice dinner, hit blockbuster, got a skinny cow ice cream some popcorn and had a blast watching a movie...man, life is so much better when you work harder than your perceived limits. Then, resting mode is soooo much more enjoyable! I think that's my favorite part of it all...work hard then splurge in rest mode! Otherwise, too much resting mode is FREAKIN BORING!!
Sunday we went to church...and I LOVE his church!! It was even so much fun to dry and curl my hair and put make-up on! I giggled at his questioning on the way to church, "do you feel all pretty now??" lol!! Of course i did...99% of the time i feel like a smelly dirty boy with no makeup hair pulled back and training clothes. I can work like a horse, smell like a man, but i'll always LOVE being girlie!! Church was wonderful and felt like a warm blanket around me to praise God with my own family...people i don't know but have instant strong bonds with because of likemindedness...and that don't come often on the day to day!!! After church B took us on a 30 mile hilly ride. I felt pretty good but im in a different mode than he is. I always workout in conserve mode...going for the long one. Whereas, he works out in go hard and fast with quick recovery periods and so as you can imagine it might lead to a frustrating ride for either one of us. I stayed in my own game which i have done pretty well this year. He'd hold up for me and a few times i drafted behind his massive wall like body (against the head wind which was against us the whole time) and cruised at like 30 miles an hour not even on such a steep downhill either! That man is a workhorse and i love how his drive inspires me! At one point he got a flat too!! (did i mention how ive been riding for 2 years and never had a flat before?) well he taught me how to change the flat and while my hands are weak i now feel ready for my flat which im sure will take place in france!! Murphy's law!!! We got super hungry so we went and had a yummy yummy lunch and even split a BIG FAT MUD PIE afterwards and enjoyed every bite while excitedly watching the crazy NASCAR crashes!! Then, we headed back to the beach had a sweet devotion time of reading the Bible and praying together while watching the sunset with a school of dolphins JUMPING and SURFING the waves...they were EVERYWHERE!!!! We topped off the night with a late night dinner on the pier with seared cajun ahi tuna, and clam chowder soup. We ate outside under a heat lamp as the waves crashed below...i can't even tell you how fun that was!!!
Monday, we busted over to starbucks and then hit the airport to come back home. While my body wasn't super sore i was so glad i got those "Brian" workouts in as they will be crucial to my performance in france. I'd be sooooo much better in June had I incorporated more of his boot camps into my training!! He is just awesome!!! I even came home Monday and hung out with family and then went right in for a night shift at work!! Nice!!!!
ONWARD!!!
J
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Gaining momentum...
Well the beast is only eight weeks away. I'm starting to get excited about my training. Have been training with some fun friends and loving every second of the "fun" part for the first time!! I can't believe what a difference it makes to enjoy beautiful Sonoma county with such fun people, and swimming (my greatest dread), also with fun friends! The weather has been to die for!! The past two days has been 95 degrees and just wonderful to train in!
Two days ago, I went on a 55 mile ride (tons of climbing) with three other guys and me. We climbed Trinity of which I zipped up to the top...Amazing! I almost died but still...amazing! Then, we headed out to Napa and grabbed coffee and gabbed in the warm morning sun...full of laughter, teasing, and fun talks! Then, we headed back to Glen Ellen by route of the town of Sonoma. As I said my goodbyes to my buds I headed for a mile further to my car. Just as I left them I went from 24 mph to a DEAD stop miraculously avoiding a face plant...still can't believe I didn't go down!! As I surveyed my bike for the damage, I saw that I literally cracked my back derailer IN HALF!! And it went into my back rim. I threw my bike over my shoulder and walked a mile back to my car.
During the ride I felt many things fly into my helmet...a common thing, bugs, leaves, dirt, junk etc...So, in my car, as I drove down the rode to go home I suddenly heard..."BZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!" and felt something crawling furiously all over my head! I looked in the mirror and saw a BIG BLACK HORNET!!! I was at a stop sign trying to get it out, but it was a stubborn ass and wouldn't leave! So, highly anxious I pulled my car off to the side, jumped out and started shaking my head but still the idiot wouldn't get out. After such a ride my hair was quite a disgusting matted mess that I'm sure he was relentlessly going to settle there in what seemed to be a luxurious hornet nest...wonderful! So, I started jumping up and down...no luck....started screaming...no luck. Then, a couple of cars driving by the scene must have thought, "that girl is CERTIFIABLE"and crazily started honking their horns as they drove by (grouchy old women)...which of course only pissed me off!!!! So, at this point I'm on the side of some road, jumping up and down, vigorously shaking my head while swatting my hair, screaming and now flipping honking drivers off as they go by all while a hornet is trying to make a home on my head!!!! NICE!!!! I was finally able to hit the F'er out and I miraculously didn't get stung! I jumped back in my car and realized I gave myself an asthma attack...calmned myself down, wiped away the tears and went back home to my sweet sister who was waiting to go swim with me.
So, after an amazingly traumatizing experience I wanted to go straight to the bike shop to calculate the damages...and it was quite an expensive mishap!! So, in the 95 degree heat I went out yet again to the trails and ran for a 45 minute steep climb. (Did I mention I saw a black scorpion I saw there the day before???) The run was good, my legs were a little tired but it was the first time of the day upon reflection that I could begin to giggle at the bike/hornet trauma. After the run Emma and I went to the pool and then had a really yummy roasted chicken dinner with the BEST SALAD!! UGH!! SOOO GOOD!!!!
I feel like with the newly offered sponsorship, my return to riding with all my friends in the club, the beautiful weather, the upcoming beasts (gotta a half beast in two weekends...wildflower) and the fun races to follow the beast (required to do six races with the sponsorship and have to upload photos to a website) that I'm finally gaining the momentum I've been waiting for. I know for sure that the IM is not my race...it's too crazy...too obsessive...too self absorbed...but I'm excited to find my race and once I do...I know I'll KICK ASS!!! The sponsorship is really about bringing athletes to their potential, at least thats the impression I got from our national conference call...even moreso than promoting their product...well of course that's a part of it. They picked 175 of us out of 2,000 applicants accross the US. Some of these athletes are about to go pro and kept talking about when they "podium" and I wanted to say, "yeah, uh, my goal is just to finish???"
Anyway, I must conclude that nothing in life is worth it unless there is fun involved...and for the very first time this year, honestly, in all my training since last August, I'm finally HAVING FUN!!! May you all have fun today in whatever is before you!!!
Lots of E-HUGS,
Jen
ps-God rules!!!
Two days ago, I went on a 55 mile ride (tons of climbing) with three other guys and me. We climbed Trinity of which I zipped up to the top...Amazing! I almost died but still...amazing! Then, we headed out to Napa and grabbed coffee and gabbed in the warm morning sun...full of laughter, teasing, and fun talks! Then, we headed back to Glen Ellen by route of the town of Sonoma. As I said my goodbyes to my buds I headed for a mile further to my car. Just as I left them I went from 24 mph to a DEAD stop miraculously avoiding a face plant...still can't believe I didn't go down!! As I surveyed my bike for the damage, I saw that I literally cracked my back derailer IN HALF!! And it went into my back rim. I threw my bike over my shoulder and walked a mile back to my car.
During the ride I felt many things fly into my helmet...a common thing, bugs, leaves, dirt, junk etc...So, in my car, as I drove down the rode to go home I suddenly heard..."BZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!" and felt something crawling furiously all over my head! I looked in the mirror and saw a BIG BLACK HORNET!!! I was at a stop sign trying to get it out, but it was a stubborn ass and wouldn't leave! So, highly anxious I pulled my car off to the side, jumped out and started shaking my head but still the idiot wouldn't get out. After such a ride my hair was quite a disgusting matted mess that I'm sure he was relentlessly going to settle there in what seemed to be a luxurious hornet nest...wonderful! So, I started jumping up and down...no luck....started screaming...no luck. Then, a couple of cars driving by the scene must have thought, "that girl is CERTIFIABLE"and crazily started honking their horns as they drove by (grouchy old women)...which of course only pissed me off!!!! So, at this point I'm on the side of some road, jumping up and down, vigorously shaking my head while swatting my hair, screaming and now flipping honking drivers off as they go by all while a hornet is trying to make a home on my head!!!! NICE!!!! I was finally able to hit the F'er out and I miraculously didn't get stung! I jumped back in my car and realized I gave myself an asthma attack...calmned myself down, wiped away the tears and went back home to my sweet sister who was waiting to go swim with me.
So, after an amazingly traumatizing experience I wanted to go straight to the bike shop to calculate the damages...and it was quite an expensive mishap!! So, in the 95 degree heat I went out yet again to the trails and ran for a 45 minute steep climb. (Did I mention I saw a black scorpion I saw there the day before???) The run was good, my legs were a little tired but it was the first time of the day upon reflection that I could begin to giggle at the bike/hornet trauma. After the run Emma and I went to the pool and then had a really yummy roasted chicken dinner with the BEST SALAD!! UGH!! SOOO GOOD!!!!
I feel like with the newly offered sponsorship, my return to riding with all my friends in the club, the beautiful weather, the upcoming beasts (gotta a half beast in two weekends...wildflower) and the fun races to follow the beast (required to do six races with the sponsorship and have to upload photos to a website) that I'm finally gaining the momentum I've been waiting for. I know for sure that the IM is not my race...it's too crazy...too obsessive...too self absorbed...but I'm excited to find my race and once I do...I know I'll KICK ASS!!! The sponsorship is really about bringing athletes to their potential, at least thats the impression I got from our national conference call...even moreso than promoting their product...well of course that's a part of it. They picked 175 of us out of 2,000 applicants accross the US. Some of these athletes are about to go pro and kept talking about when they "podium" and I wanted to say, "yeah, uh, my goal is just to finish???"
Anyway, I must conclude that nothing in life is worth it unless there is fun involved...and for the very first time this year, honestly, in all my training since last August, I'm finally HAVING FUN!!! May you all have fun today in whatever is before you!!!
Lots of E-HUGS,
Jen
ps-God rules!!!
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