First Pack

My nerves were out of control. I was even shaking a bit. I kept telling myself to calm down and chill but self talk did nothing. I finally got on my bike and started to pedal. The pedaling helped calm me down a bit but I was still a mess. I stopped on a hill and peered across the river at a group of cyclist gearing up at the Fort parking lot. I tried to squint to see who was riding, what kind of gear they were putting on and what kind of bikes they were riding. As I continued to analyze I continued to get more and more nervous. I said to myself “this is ridiculous, you are over scrutinizing, over thinking, and totally blowing this whole thing out of proportion.” See, the group of people I was analyzing was the group that I spinned with all winter long, my Midcoast Triathlon Club friends.  I know these people pretty well and I loved riding with them indoors all winter long. So what had changed? We were about to ride outside which is a whole different animal from riding indoors. You may wonder what the big deal. Haven’t I ridden outside before? Yes, I have ridden outdoors for many years, I have raced outdoors for many years!!!  So what in the world is the problem? Great question. It’s simple: I was about to ride outside for the first time ever in a group much less a group of Ironmen and women!!!! For a little peon like me, riding with Ironmen and women is a big deal. I feel like I have, in some way, finally arrived. I have strictly been a lone rider and never road with groups. So a group ride was very intimidating especially with men and women who have completed a number of ironmen and train like crazy. I was stepping on new ground and wasn’t sure how I was going to perform or fit in.

  If I haven’t made myself sound totally absurd and out of control all ready just wait. It gets worse. I came up with a game plan. I would wait on the top of the hill until the group left. Then I would speed down, and at least stay close enough to see which direction they were going to ride. If I could catch up then I could ride with them. If I couldn’t catch up then I would do my own thing. I was able to barely catch a glimpse of their neon riding vests as they powered up Maine Street. As I continued to following them from way behind I decided it was time to hammer down. As a gained on the rear group I began to get nervous all over again. I kept telling myself if I caught up and passed the rear group I would have to go all the way and try my hardest to catch up with the front pack. Many times I told myself to stop but something else was pushing me forward. I passed the rear group and pushed hard to catch up to the front pack. I gained on them slowly and finally caught up. I only caught up with these Ironmen because they were taking it easy, thankfully. In the lead was Tom, Dominique, Kathy and Erik. They were so welcoming. Dominique filled me in on group riding etiquette which I was clueless about. I am very grateful to her.

  In the end I had one of the best rides ever. Group riding is totally amazing. For the first time ever I was able to draft…what a feeling. I have been on several group rides since and have enjoyed all of them. If my stupid nerves had gotten the best of me I would have missed out on one of my favorite training routines, group rides. Currently I ride with the group every Wednesday and Friday morning. I hope to catch up with them on the week-end too. It’s a bit of a problem since I don’t train on Saturday and the group does their long rides on Saturday. But somewhere down the line I am sure they will do a long ride on Sunday, until then my long rides are solo.

Smiles, Alicia

What to Or Not to Expect

Click, click…I was attached to my bike and it moved effortlessly with me everywhere I went, even into the ditch. Well, not really, but it sure felt like I was going to hurl myself into the ditch and still believe it will probably happen. What I don’t want to happen is an all out end-over-end crash while cruising as fast as my little legs will go downhill. So what’s the big deal you may ask…it’s called aerodynamics. Being in a tucked position with your elbows close together in the aerobars doesn’t give you nearly as much balance as the good old typical road bike position. I am making it into a bigger deal then it really is but it is honestly the only thing I am adjusting to on my tri bike. Everything else about my tri bike is far superior to my aluminum frame road bike. I absolutely love my Specialized.

  I wasn’t sure what to expect on my first ride out. I have heard so many mixed opinions. Some say that tri bikes aren’t as comfortable as road bikes, while others say tri bikes are way more comfortable then road bikes. Before my first ride I was of the opinion that the tri bike would be faster but not as comfortable. I was right and wrong. The tri bike is faster AND way more comfortable mostly due to the fact that I was specifically fitted to the bike. I have never been fitted to a bike before and never knew the importance of having it done. If you haven’t been fitted to your bike I highly recommend it. In fact, it will make your riding experience a whole lot better. It’s worth the extra cash.

  As I continue to ride my Specialized I will continue to update you on all significant experiences. See you on the road.

Smiles, Alicia

A Visit From Russ

 Alarm went off, packed my bag, threw a piece of gum in my mouth, filled my water bottle and ran out the door. I drove down the highway in the pouring rain, reached the YMCA, ran in the building, stuffed my belongings in the locker, got my suit on and jumped in the pool. I reviewed my swim routine and started my warm up. I was right on schedule. Everything was going as planned. The more I got into my routine the more I got focused. Then something exciting happened. My faithful swim coach, Russ, jumped in my lane. Bless his heart, he got up super early just to swim with me. It meant the world to me. He watched my stroke, gave me some awesome tips and then lapped with me, over and over and over again. He pushed me, he encouraged me, he totally made my day. After awhile Russ got out of the pool and watched my stroke some more from the pool deck. He again encouraged me and gave me some more tips. When I started to lose my focus he would yell at me and refocus my attention. It really helped me push and work hard. I can get a bit lazy in the pool and really need Russ there to keep me on my toes.  It was so refreshing to meet up with Russ again!!! It had been a month since we met on the pool deck…way too long. Thank you Russ!!! I look forward to our next swim!!!

Setback # One

About 3 weeks ago I woke up in the morning with a slight sore throat. No big deal, I thought. I will just be sure to drink lots of water, eat healthy, and sleep. The sore throat slowly continued to get worse, at which point I figured I was getting my usual spring cold. It wasn't too much longer until I started to get a runny nose and cough. A week later I still had the same symptoms so I began to think I actually had allergies not a cold. Then I got a fever and a terrible cough. Next I started to tell that I had fluid in my chest. My cough was terrible sounding and my fever was annoying. I would totally soak through clothes and then I would freeze. I lived in the shower it seemed like.   Come-to-find-out I had developed bronchitis and since I waited too long to see a doctor I also got an ear infection. My mom got bronchitis as well but treated it ASAP so as to avoid the ear infections (smart lady). Two weeks later I still feel sick'ish.
   It's been a rough 2 weeks. I haven't been able to train at all and I can tell I have lost some of my cardio fitness as well as muscular strength. I feel like I am going to have to start my training all over again. It's such a frustrating feeling. Deep down inside I know I won't have to totally start over but it's still discouraging to feel the setback!!! I am sure this is just 1 of more setbacks to come in the next year of Ironman training. The important thing to remember is to keep going. Don't let setbacks get the better of you. Learn from them and use them to fuel the fire within to push harder and reach higher.
 So, setback number one, I can't wait for you to be history and to look back at the mishap and see how much you fueled my fire.
  My hope is to start training again this coming Monday. Hopefully by the end of the week-end I will finally be feeling 100%.
Stay well everyone.
Smiles, Alicia

The Ride: Specialized Transition and Bronchitis.

I had mixed feelings when I went to the store to finally pick up my first ever tri bike. I was excited and yet also hesitant spending that kind of money on a bike. It's important to mention that I did get an amazing deal on the bike but spending more than a couple hundred bucks is alot of money for me.
  It has been a dream of mine to get a tri bike for years. I never thought it would come true but would spend time dreaming about the moment. I always imagined myself being out-of-control excited and not able to sleep at night. That isn't exactly what happened. I was excited but was coming down with bronchitis. My first ever ride on the bike lasted about 5 minutes and ended with me gasping for air. I love the bike but just wish I could ride it. I haven't been able to train for about 7 days now due to the bronchitis. I just wheeze and sneeze and cough and hack and so on. It's miserable. I feel like all my hard training has gone down the toilet. Real bummer!!! Oh well, as soon as I get better I will push on!!!
 More about the bike...the bike is full carbon fiber and I ordered a special seat post to fit my body type and I ordered a female seat. Jay, the guy from the bike shop, fitted me to the bike and made many cuts on the bike to make it fit just right. We spent lots of time getting on and off the bike before bringing it home. He did a fantastic job meeting my needs, and making the bike comfortable. The bike isn't close to the top of the line but it's just perfect for what I will be doing. It is fully capable of giving me a great ride at Lake Placid!!! Yahoo!!!
  As soon as I get rid of this bronchitis I hope to hit the road and start conditioning again for my trial Lake Placid ride this summer.

  By the way, I bought the bike at Center Street Cycles. I love the shop and highly recommend them. We bought Tuck's first Specialized bike there and way back when I bought my first pink bike there. Pretty cool to keep going back to the same shop. Support locals!!!!
 I will write about my first ride as soon as the ride happens!!! I hear the first ride is painful, the second is sore and the third is fantastic!!! I will keep you up-to-date.

 For now I continue to make nasty noices with my cough...go away already bronchitis!!!!!!!! I don't hate much but I hate you bronchitis.

Smiles
:-)