Ridin', Runnin' and Playin'

Where should I start? I guess back at last Wednesday morning...when Briar and I were "Starting Again". He was hard to get out of bed Wednesday morning, but once we got to the rec center and starting running with Michele he perked up. We did the 2 mile loop through town and then did Cindy's toning class. He enjoyed it, and I deemed it a success!! I skipped swim class Wednesday because I just really wanted to watch Briar's all-star practice instead. On that note, I've got to get back in the pool ASAP. But Thursday morning Holly and I met up at the mtb trails for more exploring and learning the trails. We had a better sense of where we were, and found our way just fine, but we still only managed to get about 6 miles. These trails are very twisty and hard to go very fast on, but we are probably too slow as well. It was a good ride though, and a lot of fun. Friday I did nothing. I didn't wake Briar up because he had two friends spending the night with him, and I was just enjoying my sleep too much to get up and run the 10 miles I should have run. We went and swam all day at Michele's pool, though, and had a good day.

Michele and Amy both did the McMinnville City Triathlon Saturday. Michele once again brought home hardware in a TOUGH age group - Congrats, Michele!! I had already decided I was not going to do that one. I've already done 3 triathlons so far, and I just wasn't pumped up about this one. I figured there's plenty more coming up, and I'd rather take it easy for a while and focus more on Chattanooga coming up. I might add a later season tri, maybe August or Septmember. So, since I wasn't doing McMinnville, I decided to join my sister on her first Metric Century Ride - The Harpeth River Ride. She picked me up at 5:30 a.m., and off we went to Thompson's Station. The drive was about an hour, and I slept part of the way. When we got there, Holly couldn't believe how many people were there. And we both couldn't get over how many expensive bikes were there. I mean, like, I didn't see a single entry level bike that I was familiar with all day long. And I really didn't see very many triple chainrings either. In my quest for a good riding/climbing bike to complement my racing bike, I was eyeballing every one I saw. I've been thinking that I should get a triple to make sure I could climb anything that came my way...but now I am wondering if I should just get a double with more sufficient gearing than my QR double w/ the 11-23 rear cassette. Either way, the little QR held up just fine for this ride. There were some decent climbs, but nothing QR and I couldn't handle, by any means.

HRR Elevation Chart

So Holly and I are sitting there among all the riders before the start, and she gets really nervous. Her heart rate even got above 155 while sitting still! This probably had something to do with the fact that she had been sick with a chest cold and stomach virus the week before, though. But we take off, and before i know it, I see TriSonq. I looked at Holly and said "I recognize those calves! That's Patrick!" And sure enough, it was. We got seperated after a few miles, but I caught him at the top of the first big climb. Holly and I skipped the first rest stop since it was only mile 14, but we were good and ready for the 2nd one. Before getting there, there were some HUGE decents that scared the crap out of me. I am so scared when I get up around 40 mph, and this one ended with a sharp left turn. I braked a lot of the way, and Holly flew passed...she is good at the decents! I just figure...I mean...I have wrecked once going about 18 mph and it wasn't a picnic...I think if you were to wreck going 30 or 40 mph, you would pretty much be dead. And man, I just can't afford to die right now. Especially if I can help it. The second rest stop was fantastic, though. There was tons of food and drink, Margaritas(Holly got worried they might have had alcohol in them!LOL), and Jimmy Buffett music playing. I ate several oranges and a banana, filled up my bottles, sat around and socialized for a while, and we were off. Patrick took off ahead of us, and we didn't see him again until the final rest stop, but he was leaving as we were arriving. The scenery between the 2nd and 3rd rest stops was just beautiful. Holly was really doing great - climbing each hill and riding strong. When we got to the thrid stop, we filled up our bottles again and I ate another couple of oranges. Holly didn't eat anything here, and then she got a little tired over the final 10 miles. But she stayed focused, and we both rolled in with a total "ride time" of 3:41 something...ofcourse that doesn't count rest stop time and all. It was over 4 hours with that.

We got our picture made with Patrick, and I ate, but Holly didn't. She couldn't stomach anything, andThe post race party was fantastic. Great music and food. We got was just ready to go home. Keep in mind she's only been riding for 3 months!!! And she just finished her first metric!

She's finished!!

So Sunday rolled around and I spent all day cleaning, doing laundry, and playing with the kids. Oh yeah, and Bo and I washed his bike and both my bikes. Bo got back on his bike for the first time since the broken arm, and he did great. I think he has grown a little, making it easier to reach the ground and get started.

Sunday night I met all the girls at CB for T's and N's birthday party. While there, Michele and I made plans to do an 8-10 mile run at 4:45 in the morning. I've been having this issue where I wake up each hour the night before I have to meet someone early, and I did it again. Not fun. But I managed to drag myself out of bed and Michele showed up shortly after I got ready. And boy was she feeling rough. I can't believe she even got out of bed - but I'll let her talk about that(if she wants to). We ran an 8.5 mile loop through town at a slow, fat burning pace, and when we got back to my house Briar was up and waiting in the driveway to run the last 1.5 miles with me. Tomorrow it looks like we're going to have a group meet at the rec center for a 15 - 20 mile ride early before work. I have to get back in the pool!!! Maybe this evening. Maybe.

My next race is going to be the Chattanooga Waterfront Tri. It's Olympic, excuse me, Intermediate distance. It's a fun but challenging course, although I've heard they've changed a lot of it this year.