Spring training

Spring has sprung! Sort of. As the snow falls outside and cold temperatures return, I am actually taking a little time to relax and attempt to write down my thoughts from recent weeks.

I managed to continue biking through the winter, although my efforts were mostly geared towards getting out to have beers/burritos/burgers/pizza with friends. But hey, it's better than nothing, right? 

And I can't forget about donuts as big as my face!

At Glam Doll Donuts

 

I did occasionally get out and do a little fat biking now and then, but nothing I would write home about. And no racing happened this winter.

 Photo credit: Mark Woker

One thing that did happen over winter is my yoga practice flourished. There was nothing better on a cold winter day than the warm yoga studio and getting super sweaty! Wanting, and needing, to grow my yoga practice was a big reason biking was on the back burner.

But, with the thaw of our mild winter, and the early arrival of spring, things have turned back into bikes, bikes and more bikes! I have signed my contract to race for The Hub Cycling Team and am really excited for my second season with them! Along with committing to the team, I have signed up for a few races. On the list so far are the Miesville 56, Fulton Gran Fondo, Almanzo 100, Westside Dirty Benjamin (WDB) and Riotgrrravel. Miesville will be brand new to me this year, but I have rode the course before. The other races will be opportunities for me to better my times from last year. It is both exciting and nerve wracking to think about right now, because I feel very unprepared.

One of the best and easiest ways I have started to prepare was to bring my race bikes into the shop for tune-ups. Who knew how difficult it was to ride with an almost seized bottom bracket!?!? Huge "THANK YOU!" to Morgan, at The Hub Bike Co-op, for his fast, friendly, non-judgmental service! And he has been absolutely right that the tune-ups will make me "so fast!" 

I couldn't believe how hard I was unnecessarily working to ride her

On a quick side note, I have to introduce Flat Stanley. 

 Flat Stanley on his first bike ride

He was made for me, by my nephew Zach, to bring out on all my bike adventures. Flat Stanley has made it out on a few rides with me and I am hoping to bring him out more so stay tuned! It makes me so incredibly happy to hear how excited Zach is when he gets an update from Flat Stanley and me!

Alright, back to training. Over the last few weeks I have been able to gradually increase my mileage. It hasn't been super easy, but I know I just need to keep putting the wheels in motion, and get time in on the saddle. The first weekend of March, I was able to do back to back days of riding of 35 and 40 miles. It felt painfully good and my hip flexors and hamstrings have been reawakened. I definitely didn't miss feeling those tight suckers all winter. A few days later involved a rather drawn out day of riding, with many stops, for a total of 60 miles. I reached my number that day, but knew I needed to condense it all down and not take so many breaks.

I finally met my first goal of 60+ miles last week. I headed out towards St Paul with a route idea in mind that would take me all the way back over to St Louis Park before heading home. I took one long break at the Depot Coffee House for a warmup with a latte and delicious oatmeal-strawberry-cherry bar, and I ended my Friday ride with 63 miles. The wind made the ride very challenging, as I could never figure out which way it was coming from, but I am super happy I stuck it out and did it! And I kept telling myself that nothing could be as brutal as the conditions of WDB 2014. 

One thing I have forgotten from last year is how hungry and tired I get at the start of the season as I build my endurance. I am working on taking things easy and getting back into training mode. This means early bedtimes, better nutrition and fewer late nights/social hours than this winter, but I feel ready for it! I'm looking forward to pushing myself this year to see what I can accomplish and I will do my best to share my stories on the blog as they unfold :)