Ghost is Fixed! and a Recap of the Week

Thank God the repairs to my beloved ghost were not intense or costly. The bike shop called Thursday afternoon to tell me she was finished. Of course, I wanted to know if there was something specific that caused the problem (since this is the second time in like 3 months). Joe, the bike mechanic and guru, explained that the derailleur limits were out of whack and the chain had been rubbing against the spokes. When I asked how that happened he said, "some people feel the need to tinker with things they shouldn't". Well excuse me Mr. Bossy, I didn't tinker with shit. That's what you get paid for. Anyway, she's back and I had a good week.

So close to breaking 100!

Monday
Went to body pump, per usual. Added some weight on a couple of lifts and boy oh boy did I feel it Tuesday (and Wednesday...and Thursday). I'm really liking this Monday night routine. I don't really have to think about it at all. Just get my butt there and the workout does itself.

Tuesday
I've already gone into detail about Tuesday's ride so I'll spare you this time. I'm still miffed.

Wednesday
Went to Cherokee with Rania and had a great little walk/run. We set out to run but...some days you're just not feeling it. We walked most of it but we walked almost 5 miles so I'm not sweating it. It was hot - and sweaty - and the walk felt good. I love our little weekly run and vent sessions.

Thursday
I snuck out of work early to go get Ghost and head out for a ride. I couldn't remember what I had on tap for the night so I tried to go for an hour and a half. To my surprise I banged out 21 miles! I can remember when 21 was my long ride. When I picked up Ghost I bought some new cycling shorts so I tried those out. The difference between cycling shorts & Tri shorts is insane! Sooo much more padding

Friday
After work Hubz and I hit the Tennis court. I was playing pretty good but man, Hubz was on fire. I lost in a tiebreak for the first time this season. Oh well. If we'd played another set I would've won ;)

Saturday
I've been riding on the weekend with my friend Jessie who is training for IMLou. She and a group training for another century were headed out to do the infamous "Pancake Ride". Earlier in the season the Tri Team had done the ride and I'd been told it was a little too advanced for where I was on the bike. Well, I'd definitely improved on the bike since May so it was time to give it a shot. They call it the Pancake ride because there's a little diner called the Chat and Nibble about halfway that folks stop and get pancakes at. Jessie had a big brick to get done so she wasn't stopping so, neither was I.

We headed out from Tom Sawyer a little after 8 a.m., which felt late to me. Also it was a little crisp to start, which was nice. I had on my new cycling shorts and stocked up my new Tube Bag.

The last time we'd done any serious mileage I'd totally bonked on nutrition so I was determined to bring the whole grocery store with me today. The first few miles were through a little city that was absolutely beautiful. The first 15 miles, actually, were lovely. We went through a lot of rollers, but the kind that follow right after the downhill of the previous one so they hardly feel like hills. By the time we hit 25 I was starting to feel 'over it'. I was in a pretty negative headspace so I just tried to talk my way out of it, which mostly worked. Luckily we were close to the turnaround at that point. We pulled into a gas station across from the Chat and Nibble and had bathroom and water breaks. This was clutch. I really needed to pee, first off, but what I needed more than anything was a break from the bike. My new cycling shorts were super padded, which was nice, but the chafing was still an issue. Good god, how can something be that uncomfortable? Oh well, nothing to do about it. Proceed on!

Before we took off I asked Jessie, "I think based on the elevation chart the back half is easier, right?" She nodded and said she thought she remembered that. Boy were we wrong. I can't find them on the elevation map but there were a few serious damn hills on the back route. Some grown men hills. Not cool. Around mile 40 I was fed up. We were going along at a pretty quick clip though and had some good downhill segments so I just decided to break it up into 5 mile chunks. Before I knew it we were heading back into the park, 57 miles in the books! We averaged over 13.8 mph which is incredible to me. Im stoked.

Sunday
Today I knew I wanted to take Ellie for a walk. Hubz went early this morning and when he got back it seemed too hot. By the time I was ready to take her, I  wanted to run. I laced up and headed out not knowing what to expect. Oddly enough, it felt good! It felt good to be running. I did whatever felt right, which included walk breaks every 4 minutes, and came back after 2.5 Then Ellie and I did another loop of the park. Perfect recovery from Saturday's ride.

All in all I'm super happy with the week. I'm getting stronger and stronger on the bike which is exciting. I still don't know if I'm actually doing the OKHT Century in September. It's the same day as the firs home football game, so we'll see. If anything, I'm still riding and that's nice. Im happy to be on the bike and, quite frankly, happy to be following Jessie along on her goal to become an Ironman. Who knows what adventures are in store. I'll just keep peddling away.

Happy Running!