TNT Death Ride Team 2010

It truly was an honor to ride on behalf of Team In Training in the Death Ride on July 10th. After speaking with my team mates regarding their post-ride thoughts, at some point during the ride, each of us questioned ourselves, wondering if we were going to finish. But we were all finishers, completing the event to best of our abilities. We came together as a team and supported each other throughout the day. We were easy to spot, all wearing our lavender TNT jerseys. We became known as the "purple team" where the countless spectators along the route, even in the outskirts of Alpine County, were all shouting "GO TEAM!" as we passed. The spontaneous acknowledgement of the LLS mission was gratifying and pushed me along. It meant so much to me to hear a team mate shout my name, encouraging me as s/he passed by. Complete strangers would yell out my bib number, and say "You GO girl!" And the best part of all, was coming in to the finish, having completed ALL 5 passes, to the Team in Training tent where I was greeted with cheering and hugs from the TNT staff, coaches and team mates. What an honor!

On the drive home, it felt like I had been away for a long, long time. The fullness of event day: the people, the scenery, the emotions, and the grueling physical journey, just overflowed my mind. Though I am glad to be home, I will miss my team mates and hope we have a chance to share the road again soon.

There's no turning back now!!

Ready or not...

In the final days before the big event, I've taken an inventory of my cycling experience in the last 5 months. As part of my training, I've cycled over 2,200 miles for a total vertical distance of approximately 170,000 feet (not to mention the 3 flat tires, a worn out chain, busted front axle, and countless bad hair days). At the same time, our team has managed to raise over $100,000 for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, a worthy cause!

Needless to say, I have spent most of this week organizing my STUFF, drinking lots of water each day, taking a little extra vitamin C, getting to bed a little earlier than usual, and enjoying the euphoric feeling of "Taper Week." Mixed in with all of that is some anxiety, I must admit. But I am even more grateful to have the good health and determination to complete this adventure. I can assure you, foremost on my mind are those for whom I do this: our team honorees, and those loved ones who have been touched by blood disease. They are Andrea, Dave, Dennis Diane, Donna, Gayle, Maria, Mark, Robyn S. and Vern; and for those who have passed: Hank, Jack, Darren, Elizabeth and Mary Mac. I ride for them all.

Only two more weeks...

Last weekend we completed the final long training ride that took us up (and down and up again) Mount Tamalpais in Marin County. We then headed up the coast and looped back for a total of 116 miles and 11,000 feet of vertical distance. We were blessed with great weather and a tail wind when we needed it. But I was most grateful for the hooplah and cheers from our team mates when our group of riders pulled into the parking lot at the end of the long day. It was very satisfying. =)

Here's my ride

Wait, that's not a bike....

Sometimes it's a relief to get my butt off the bike and do some cross-training. So there I was, hiking with my daughter as she rode Mooney in the Tassahara Valley. It was one of those perfect days. =)

Three-Peat

For our latest ride, we climbed Mount Diablo 3 times yesterday, 63 miles, 10,000 feet in 7 hours. The route started on the south side, climbed to the top, down the north side, climbed to the top, down the south side, then climbed one more time. We planned our nutrition and hydration well and focused on keeping a steady, easy cadence for each ascent. I also practiced descending in my drops (thanks to my buddy Kurt for convincing me to do this more often) and am getting better at it, I think. We kept moving, only taking a short breaks for water and bathrooms and we ate on our bikes, except for a very short lunch stop after the second summit. All in all, it was great, as we had enough power left to go all the way up the summit each time.

Even though it might seem a bit redundant to climb the same mountain multiple times in one day, each ascent was distinctly different, both physically and mentally. The balance of mind and body must be able to adapt to the current situation, where at the beginning of the ride, an athlete will rely on a well nourished and rested body, but as muscles become more tired over time, the mind must be able to take over (in my case, Irish pigheadedness) and push the athlete through the event. So each ascent requires a different strategy and I found myself breaking up the ride in my mind as I planned how to tackle each part of it, just like I would for a triathlon. It worked!

I checked my log and as of today, I've completed 1,500 miles and over 100,000 feet of vertical distance on my bike since February 1. Lord knows, I've had my share of bad training days, but I am feeling better about being ready for the ride in July and couldn't do it without the support from my family and friends (and my Irish heritage).

A Little Cobb Salad...

Every weekend as I hop on my bike I keep telling myself, "maybe NEXT weekend it will be warmer!" Our ride last weekend was 70 miles in the East Bay where we started from Pinole and rode through the rolling hills of Martinez, Orinda and Moraga up to Oakland Skyline and Grizzly Peak. I honestly thought I had overdressed, but later realized I needed every stitch of clothing to stay warm that day.

But enough about clothes. Let's talk about FOOD. My favorite subject.

Nutrition is very important, especially when riding for long distances. SO the first thing I do when I look at the route map for the day, is where are the SAG stops. When and what will I get to eat? Then I fill my pockets full of things like power bars, electrolyte tablets, gel shots... you know, emergency type stuff. It's like being a squirrel planning for the long winter. I own an "emergency" powerbar that has travelled over 500 miles with me this season, still waiting to be consumed.

I noticed that experienced cyclists tend to eat constantly. Meaning that if you have to stop at an intersection, there's enough time to stuff something in your mouth and keep the calories going. I really admire those cyclists since I have yet to master the ability to ride and chew at the same time (I am usually gasping for air). So I really look forward to those SAG stops and stuff my face with peanut butter sandwiches, potatoes, oranges, and almonds. Then the squirrel instinct kicks in and before I know it, my pockets are drooping with calories.

During triathlons (swim-bike-run), there is little opportunity to eat so most will try to replenish their calories while they are on the bike. I have seen some athletes take a powerbar, unwrap it, break it up into little gooey pieces, and stick them on the top of the handle bars of the bike, like wads of gum. They do this before the race even starts.

The most fun though, is the post-race "recovery" meal. I usually start thinking about this during the final miles of a ride, if not sooner. Actually, I think about food A LOT. The post-race meal should be consumed shortly after and will help replenish the tired muscles (uh huh). Invariably, my eyes are bigger than my stomach as evidenced by the photo of a Cobb salad that is the size of truck tire. Caloric intake is serious stuff.

Ordinary People

I need to mention a couple of very courageous people in today's entry: First of all you might recall Hank for whom we dedicated a training ride. Sadly, Hank passed away after a valiant battle against Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. :-( Hank had maintained a website describing his cancer journey so please pay tribute to him by reading his story, and I know you will be inspired.

The other person is Jo, a fellow TNT participant who had to drop out of the Death Ride group LAST year due to a devastating crash during a training ride. She was lifted from the crash site by helicopter and she doesn't remember the tragedy to this day. After her recovery, she not only got back on her bike, she returned to the SAME ride where she had crashed before and FINISHED safely after mastering a very precarious descent. WOW!

What an honor to be among such a great group of people who manage to inspire both in person and in spirit. Team in Training is truly all about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Last weekend our team ride took us from Orinda, up into the Oakland hills on Skyline, turning south to Castro Valley and then coming back on Redwood for a sunny, crisp, yet beautiful 50-mile loop. We actually rode into the Oakland Zoo for a short stint. The training rides have us riding in groups with similar riding ability so I was kinda hoping I'd get assigned to a group with a few ladies like myself so we can talk about our cycling stuff, our kids, and admiring the landscaping.

So, there I was with Karen as my coach (thank goodness! she's GREAT). But the really cool thing about Karen is that she's good about keeping the group together. In fact, when I ride with guys, they usually drop me (that means I can't keep up and they don't wait). So when Karen was introducing us to each other at the start of the ride, I realized something...except for me and Karen, the rest of the group is ALL GUYS. So guess what me and guys talked about? Our stuff, our kids, and admiring the landscaping. Go figure! =)

I love Etta James, except at 5:00 AM

I'm finding myself naturally waking up earlier, sometimes due to the birds chirping as the sun rises, but mosty due to my darling CAT (Etta James) pawing on my face to remind me that her food dish is empty. Whatever the method, it's a sure sign that DAYLIGHT SAVINGS is coming soon! I get excited about this because it means I'll be able to get more cycling miles in after work and I can toss my indoor cyclop-trainer back into the closet. YIPEE! I am so glad I live in Northern California - cycling HEAVEN!

So I kicked off the beautiful Spring weekend by hopping on my bike and riding up Mt. Diablo - TWICE. Yup, twice in one day. What was I thinking? Well, one of our TNT coaches who had completed the Death Ride last year said that I should have a goal of riding up/down Mt. Diablo 3 times in one day to prepare me for my event in July. A couple of weeks ago, I was able to assault Mt. D 1-1/2 times. Yesterday, my Mt D 2X route consisted of almost 5 hours of solid riding (only one short break to eat) in 51 miles and 7,000 feet of climbing (according to the hand-held GPS). I might have gone a little faster except that I was so captivated by the contrast of the California poppies blooming against the bright green landscape. Absolutely gorgeous!

So after all of that exercise, and swaggering through the rest of the day, I went to bed a little earlier and was determined to SLEEP IN. I closed my bedroom door and plopped into bed ZZZzzzzzz.......

Apparently, my cat knows how to open doors, because at 5:00 AM SHARP, she was licking my closed eye lids, trying to get me to open them. Then comes the velvety soft paw tapping on my cheek, and repeating this until I roll over and pull the pillow over my face. The cat does not give up and starts walking on my body pushing the weight of her tiny paws into me as if she is churning butter. So I give in to the relentless Etta James, thinking of all of the elaborate ways to baracade the door next time.

The Double-Door Technique

On February 27th, the Death Ride Group completed an All-Team ride in beautiful Marin County. Our route started in San Rafael in a steady rain (we ride rain or shine) out on Lucas Valley, then looped out north and back through Point Reyes Station and Olema for a total of 65 miles. Some of the roads were familiar to me but some were new, and of course, everything was absolutely gorgeous.

After the first hour, the rain transformed into partly sunny skies that seemed to make the lush green hills illuminate. The Bay Area is still caught somewhere between winter and spring and somehow we managed to experience it all in one day. The photo taken shows our little sub-group climbing out of the valley to start our loop north. There were plenty of very furry cows (not pictured), all depicting the trademark of happiness in cheese factory country.

Ok, by now there's a burning question in your mind: where are the bathrooms? And so you start doing the math...."65 miles, drinking one bottle of water per hour... riding for at least 4 hours... hmmmmmmmm..." So first, let me reassure that the kidneys don't stop working, and is actually a good indication that a rider is staying well hydrated. The only problem is, the bathrooms aren't always there when you need them. So let me explain the double-door technique.

We have SAG support on our rides (if they show up when they're supposed to). When no bathrooms are in sight (and I'm including bushes in the criteria), you hope to God that the SAG car is a four-door. You simply open the two doors on one side of the car, and voilà! You have a stall! Needless to say, this is not on the side of the car in full view of the road, and I don't have a picture to support my explanation. So trust me on this one: when you have to go so badly that you can't even think about getting back on your bike, you really don't care about finding the perfect spot. And since we're all family on these rides, everyone around you understands and will help you pull it off. =)

Thank god for Lycra!

One of the benefits of getting into a hobby like cycling is that you have an excuse for buying some REALLY COOL stuff. I thought it was just me, but when I talk with my cycling buddies, we talk about our STUFF. We get excited about trying out a new pair of socks. "How warm will my feet be today with these new socks...I can't wait to find out..." is what we are thinking. I will spend extra time inspecting every inch of Sports Basement, looking for those hidden gems as if I am plowing a field (they actually re-arrange their store every week or so. On purpose). Even more fun (for me) is ORGANIZING my stuff to make certain I have all of my stuff when I need it. And then having all of the right pouches, and zip-lock bags to keep my stuff in. So I took a picture of my stuff to get you excited too. Perhaps only cycling people will look at this photo and start drooling, or admire my organization, so you'll have to take my word for it.

But the coolest thing of all, especially for those of us who really need it, is LYCRA. Those cycling shorts are made of a fantastic body shaping material that gives us some hope of at least looking like we have a "hard body." My tushie would have a tendency to hang over the back of my saddle (sad but true) but Lycra cures that problem INSTANTLY. It's a miracle.

Bike to work, work to eat, eat to bike

The weather this week was absolutely GORGEOUS, so I decided to ride my bike to work on Wednesday. To save a little time, I took BART in the morning with my bike in hand, apologized to my co-workers all day about my "natural" look (the hair and body sprays did NOT help much at ALL), and then planned for the right time to leave so that I could get home by dark.

I ended up leaving a little later than I had hoped, but I was fairly confident I could make it... so off I went! Everything was fine until I took a few wrong turns in the twisting streets of residential Oakland (I was admiring the beautiful homes and landscaping and got lost), but a nice neighbor walking her dog pointed me in the right direction.

Shepherd Canyon was my route of choice, looking like the quickest way up and over the Oakland Hills. "Quick" in this case meant "lots of climbing" so I found myself tapping my Irish pigheadedness all the way up the hill (1,084 feet to be exact). Once I reached Skyline, it was a fast drop into the cold and rapidly dimming town on Canyon, so I rode like a "bat outa hell" to beat the sunset. I made it home just in time to immediately hop in the car (still wearing my cycling clothes) and pick up my daughter from her drama class =)

I'm not sure if I was that successful with reducing my carbon footprint that day, as I am certain my carbon dioxide output still contributed to global warming (with apologies to Al Gore), so some day I will figure out the math...

For Hank

Our latest training ride brought us to some beautiful weather in the East Bay. We rode 50 miles from Castro Valley, through Sunol and to Calaveras and back. We dedicated this ride to personal honoree, Hank, who is having a particularly rough time right now with treatment and is in the hospital. The group put together a banner that was signed by all and will hopefully brighten his day, reminding him that there is an army
of TNTers out there training in honor of him.

Ride + Rain = Bad Hair Day

Our first group ride with Team in Training (TNT) was held yesterday in beautiful Mill Valley. We rode 25 miles with some mild climbing and views of San Francisco and the area bridges. It was quite a sight!

After a brief overview and safety check with the TNT coaches, we were rolling while the sun was still shining. By mile 10 we had started a climb up and over the hill and we started to see a little rain. The saying goes, "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes." I thought of son, Ian, my Eagle Scout, and how he described the "11 essentials" for surviving outdoors (the 11th item is DUCT tape, btw). I was wearing all of the proper clothing, of course, which worked quite well until I got back to parking lot and took off my helmet.

So the 12th essential is a HAT to quickly cover any evidence of a coif mishap. Luckily, I didn't let my son down, and came well-prepared.

Flatliner.... NOT!

By now you might be wondering what in the heck has Tere gotten herself into?? So I've included a link to the Death Ride elevation map... it kinda looks like something you'd want to see on a heart monitor: no FLAT LINES! Today I am supposed to do some endurance training so I will put my bike on the trainer and spin spin spin... but first, some coffeeeeeeeeeeeee...

Above the fog

The first day of training was a cold foggy morning in Walnut Creek. After a BIG cup of Peets, I was on my bike and heading up the mountain. By the time I had passed the 1000 ft. elevation, I was completely shrouded in clouds as I watched cyclists within 50 feet ahead of me disappear before my eyes. Passing above the fog at 2000 ft. I continued to Juniper where I stopped to take in the sun and the view. Reaching into pocket, I realized I had FORGOTTEN my CAMERA, so I used my phone to take a picture. Somehow I didn't save the picture (my bad) so I have no way to prove that I rode 25 miles and climbed 2,500 feet except my legs are a little stiff now. Time to stretch!

GO Team!

It's the LAST day of January and I'm starting my training for the Tour of the California Alps, also known as the "Death Ride." The cycling event is 129 miles in California Sierras and the route covers 15,000 feet of climbing over three mountain passes: Ebbetts Pass, Monitor Pass and Carson Pass. Though I've been cycling for a few years now, this will be my first experience with Team in Training to raise funds for the benefit of those living with blood cancer. Training with a group and a common purpose will add motivation and diversity as we'll complete our training together over the course of the next 5 months.

Please share my journey by checking this blog often. If you feel the urge, you can also make a donation by going to my fundraising page at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/TourAlps10/trothu