Our Saturday ride in Kennesaw was supposed to be an easy rural ride - an opportunity to enjoy the Georgia scenery in the cool September weather. We had, however, underestimated the growth in the area and were inundated by traffic - not to mention the unforgiving heat, lack of shade, difficult hills, and forceful winds. Pretty much, I can't remember the last time I've been more miserable! Haha.
We ended up missing our very first time, making my 50mi ride a full 60 miles. The good news is that I finished the full distance, even though I felt like I'd been hit by a mack truck. It's going to be a long 40 more miles!
View my ride:
http://www.mapmyrun.com/ride/united-states/ga/kennesaw/771317196
Sunday, September 23
Sunday, August 26
My First Trip to the Emergency Room
To say that I had a bike "accident" is an overstatement.....
It was my first group training ride using my new clip shoes (the shoes that lock your feet to the pedals to more evenly distribute all the energy to all your muscles), and I was still getting used to them. As we were preparing to ride, I completely forgot that I had already clipped in one foot when I stopped to say hello to a fellow teammate. When I put tried to put my left foot down, I had just enough time to think "oh crap" before my knee went crashing down onto the jagged asphalt.
Obviously, I was incredibly embarrassed... but also bleeding profusely. I looked at it briefly and saw it was pretty deep, but I didn't want anyone to think I was a baby. So, I just slapped some gauze on it and pretended it didn't hurt.
I'll skip the details of the 40 miles I biked with the injury... and the other 2 times I fell on it after that due to the fact that my loose-fitting clips kept reattaching themselves without me knowing it, even after I had already clipped out in preparation to stop. Needless to say, the third time I fell in front of the entire team, I had had enough. My handlebars swung back and whacked me in the face, breaking my sunglasses, which then slashed my face and flew off. A few choice words followed the incident, and my coach suggested we take a look at how my knee was doing.
It's by no means a cool injury story, but at least I can say I biked for 40 miles on a knee that ended up getting 4 stitches (it would have been 8, but that would had time enough to heal just enough to prevent stitches). But it also cost me 2 weeks of training since the location of the injury limited my knee movement. I'm back on the bike again, but way behind on my training - I'll be out another 2 group rides since I'll be on vacation. Please keep me in your thoughts this September since I will have a lot of catching up to do!
This is Erin, clipping out .......
It was my first group training ride using my new clip shoes (the shoes that lock your feet to the pedals to more evenly distribute all the energy to all your muscles), and I was still getting used to them. As we were preparing to ride, I completely forgot that I had already clipped in one foot when I stopped to say hello to a fellow teammate. When I put tried to put my left foot down, I had just enough time to think "oh crap" before my knee went crashing down onto the jagged asphalt.
Obviously, I was incredibly embarrassed... but also bleeding profusely. I looked at it briefly and saw it was pretty deep, but I didn't want anyone to think I was a baby. So, I just slapped some gauze on it and pretended it didn't hurt.
I'll skip the details of the 40 miles I biked with the injury... and the other 2 times I fell on it after that due to the fact that my loose-fitting clips kept reattaching themselves without me knowing it, even after I had already clipped out in preparation to stop. Needless to say, the third time I fell in front of the entire team, I had had enough. My handlebars swung back and whacked me in the face, breaking my sunglasses, which then slashed my face and flew off. A few choice words followed the incident, and my coach suggested we take a look at how my knee was doing.
It's by no means a cool injury story, but at least I can say I biked for 40 miles on a knee that ended up getting 4 stitches (it would have been 8, but that would had time enough to heal just enough to prevent stitches). But it also cost me 2 weeks of training since the location of the injury limited my knee movement. I'm back on the bike again, but way behind on my training - I'll be out another 2 group rides since I'll be on vacation. Please keep me in your thoughts this September since I will have a lot of catching up to do!
This is Erin, clipping out .......
Saturday, July 21
It's Been Half a Century
...and I feel like it! We rode through Atlanta today in a mostly urban, hilly environment - all the way to Six Flags Over Georgia and beyond! (check out the map below for those of you unfamiliar with Atlanta geography).
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ga/atlanta/625713264
I made it through most of the ride ok, but I started having horrible knee pain about 3/4 of the way through the ride. I can attribute this to several things (other than just getting old!)
Slowly but surely....
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ga/atlanta/625713264
I made it through most of the ride ok, but I started having horrible knee pain about 3/4 of the way through the ride. I can attribute this to several things (other than just getting old!)
- I am riding a Hybrid Bike (a cross between a mountain bike and road bike), which is about twice as heavy as a road bike and, therefore, puts extra pressure on your joints since it's more difficult to pedal.
- I don't have "clip pedals", which for you non bikers is a shoe that allows you to actually "clip" into the pedals (like skis) so you can use both your quads (to push down) and your hamstrings (to pull up). Without clips, I was pushing down only, creating more tension in my knees.
- My seat height was apparently 2 inches too short - that makes a big difference!
Slowly but surely....
Friday, July 20
Fruitcake, anyone?
Apparently, Claxton, GA (the location of the race) is the self-proclaimed Fruitcake Capital of the World. Who knew? The good news is that the race takes place during the holiday season, so fruitcake will be aplenty to ring in the Christmas cheer!
Get your own at:
www.claxtonfruitcake.com
Get your own at:
www.claxtonfruitcake.com
Saturday, July 14
40 Miles & All's Well!
Last week's ride ended with a bingefest of eating to reimburse my body for the calories I had stolen that day (lunch, 3 muffins, a whole row of Fig Newtons in the Walmart checkout lane, and then a hearty dinner with 2 dessert helpings).
Being a runner, I am not used to eating a big breakfast or snacking heavily along the route. Apparently, that's a "no no' in the biking world! So, I took the plunge and ate a good breakfast before my ride and stocked up on snacks along the way. What a difference! I had so much more energy and finished the 40mi ride (my longest to date) with energy to spare!
Bottom line: Biking more means eating more... this could be a bad combo :)
Check out my 40mi ride online at:
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ga/peachtree-city/597542336
Friday, July 6
35 miles & looking better in the shorts
Ah, the biking shorts. If I ever needed any motivation to keep training, the biking shorts has surpassed it all. An aching need to keep up with my teammates and train for a good cause has been temporarily replaced by the horror that is spandex.
The good news is, even though its a selfish and purely cosmetic desire, the need to "look good" in my new biking shorts has spurred even more intensity in my training. On the 4th of July, when the rest of the country slept late and then ate hamburgers, I woke up at 6am and biked 35 miles with a group of intense bikers that I had no business biking with :) They all biked 50 miles and still beat me back to the end location, but I was still happy with my biking success and the fact that I made it back in one piece.
*NOTE: Following my ride, I was so hungry, that I immediately ate lunch, followed by 3 muffins and a whole row of Fig Newton cookies. Hence, while the ride was successful, little progress was made toward bettering my biking shorts physique.
Check out my July 4th ride map at:
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ga/fairburn/566455392
The good news is, even though its a selfish and purely cosmetic desire, the need to "look good" in my new biking shorts has spurred even more intensity in my training. On the 4th of July, when the rest of the country slept late and then ate hamburgers, I woke up at 6am and biked 35 miles with a group of intense bikers that I had no business biking with :) They all biked 50 miles and still beat me back to the end location, but I was still happy with my biking success and the fact that I made it back in one piece.
*NOTE: Following my ride, I was so hungry, that I immediately ate lunch, followed by 3 muffins and a whole row of Fig Newton cookies. Hence, while the ride was successful, little progress was made toward bettering my biking shorts physique.
Check out my July 4th ride map at:
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ga/fairburn/566455392
Thursday, June 21
Common Group Ride
Hey guys - here is a very common trail that I ride. It's about a 20 mile loop fairly close to the park - and it was one of my first!
http://www.mapmyrun.com/ride/united-states/ga/atlanta/516344709
http://www.mapmyrun.com/ride/united-states/ga/atlanta/516344709
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