Last Post of 2007

I squeezed in a 2 mile tempo run this afternoon. No more training till 2008. Goodbye 2007. It was a light training year. I did two "big" events in '07: The Relay in April and the Nike Women's Marathon in October. Surprisingly, I didn't do a half marathon. Towards the end of the year I started my cycle training for my century ride, which I am amped about! In April, Brenda passed away. She was more than just an honoree I knew from my first TNT season and did my first marathon with. She was a friend. She is my personal connection to the cause forever.

Thank you for taking the time to read the blog this past year. Hopefully 2008 will bring more entertaining training adventures. Be safe and I hope the new year brings you great health! Afterall, a smart running coach once said "Your Health is Your Wealth."

R.R.D.

R.R.D. is my new acronym for Rough Riding Day. I'm not sure what it was. It just wasn't my day. I woke up at 6:30 am to prep or not prep for the bike ride. Due to the rainy weather, our buddy ride in Dublin was still up in the air. The decision to ride was all up to our head coach, Cyd. I called the Cycle hotline at 7:00 am and according to the message, the ride was a go. I'm still puzzled why it's not a given we train in the rain. My rationale is what if it rains in Solvang? We're gonna have to ride anyways. Might as well get use to it. Well, it's a blessing to just wake up and if fortunate to be healthy and able to ride, why not do it?

the brave (or crazy) souls that turned out

We rolled out at 8:45 am. The first 5 miles went good. The road was still wet from the morning rain and it was cold. The rain definitely left a lot of debris all over the bike lane. I ran over some of it by accident and in an instant, I knew something was up. At the stop sign, I stopped and checked the tire pressure. It was low. The tube deflated. The rest of the group waited as I did the change. I felt bad. Coach Lorraine checked my tube and there was one tiny hole puncture. A thorough check of the tire revealed there was a tiny thorn through the tire and its tip punctured my tube. It then took me an eternity to try to pump the tube back up with my hand pump. I think i'm going to invest in some CO2 cartridges. The poor group was all cooled down by the time I finished. Only I was still warmed up because I kept pumping for air. We eventually got going and we were on our way to Pinole.

stupid flat

After a quick potty break, we were ready to go climb Palomares Road. The climb started out okay, but it started to look really ugly as it kept going up and up. The climb got steeper as we went up. During one steep stretch, I had to rest 3 times. I just did not have it today.

Today's ride elevation chart

that sudden spike is what got me
(pic courtesy of Jennifer Jay's Garmin)

I was frustrated I could not keep it going. I was winded and my legs were exhausted. I could not figure it out. That is until at the rest stop. I checked my watch read 10:30 am. I had gone over an hour without eating anything and I probably should have drank more. I'm pretty sure my lack of liquid and food consumption had something to do with my struggles. Note to self: Don't wear all black. Apparently I disappear like a ninja.

Mentor Steven, Rita, and myself climbing

After climbing and climbing, we finally saw the top and was ready for the descent. The descent felt great although it was cold. I should have known it was going to be cold when I saw Captain Steve Z. put back on his jacket. I'm such a rookie. The way back to the start was a bit of a struggle. Already I was already beaten and battered, of course the last 5 miles of the ride was a steady incline up Dublin Canyon Road. It just kept going and going and it was getting old quickly. I just followed Captain Steve and imagined him pulling me through. I cheered with glee as we hit the peak and finally descended. We finished the 28 miles just before noon. Elevation gain of 3,928 feet. I was tired afterwards. It was one of my toughest rides this season. I was disappointed with my performance. It just wasn't there for me today, but I stuck it out and finished it. Afterall, I should be thankful for being healthy and even being able to ride at all. My clothes and bike ended up all dirty. Even mud got on Brenda. I'll have to clean her up before the next ride.

Maxx Wendell

Maxx Wendell
August 20, 1986 - December 6, 2007

Maxx Wendell passed away from Peripheral T-Cell Hepatosplenic Lymphoma on December 6, 2007, at the age of 21, after fighting the bravest, hardest battle of his young life.

As you probably have read from my earlier post, our ride group was named "Team Maxx" in his memory. I've been reading through the journals updated by his family during his time in treatment and after his death. It's definitely heavy stuff and is a reminder that cancer can strike anyone at anytime. It's just an unbelievable thought that Maxx this time a year ago, was a healthy college student and now he has passed on.

Maxx's Caring Bridge website: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/maxxwendell

BIG thank you for contributing to the cause in the quest to rid cancer:

• Mabelle D., - ultra-dedicated Team Positive Alum!
  

Burnin' that X-mas Fat.

I ate too much last night. I paid for it this morning. I feel a little better since I just completed 50 minutes of cycling: 15 warm 4x(3 mod/2 easy) 15 cool.

BIG thank you to my latest contributor to the cause:

• Carol W., - my super rad Team Brenda mentee and she's doing it all (run, hike, ski)..next cycling, right? :o)
  

Should Have Known

Christmas morning and I planned on doing a 9 mile run. What was I thinking? Internal clock woke me at 6:00 am. Did my usual running prep and went outside at 7:00 am. It was freakin' cold. It was definitely in the 30s and the sun was still slowly rising. Outside was like a ghost town. No cars. No people. Extremely quiet. Iron Horse Trail was completely empty. Only me running down it.

Did I mention how cold it was? I was smart enough to wear gloves and my skull cap, but I still opted to run in my running shorts. Bad mistake. My legs were freezing. The only way for me to keep them warm was to keep on running and not stop. I've never had a run where my water and electrolytes got colder as I ran longer. The run coming back up was even worse. There was a headwind and the coldness penetrated through my gloves. I finished my run in 1 hour 20 minutes, but fell short of my 9 mile goal. I think I finished around 7 miles.

Merry X-mas!

Last night I strength trained the full body and did the usual sit-ups. Tonight i'm taking a rest in order to start x-mas morning with a 9 mile run.

Merry Christmas y'all!

Pic courtesy of TriSanta

The Tale of Two Halves

Had a buddy ride this morning in Livermore lead by Coach Beth. Woke up around 6:30 am and got to the meeting spot around 7:56 am. After second-guessing myself about 5 times if I was at the right location, I stayed put and saw people rolling in around 8:30 am. I guess the meeting time had always been 9:00 am. I could have sworn it was posted as a 8:15 am arrive time and 8:30 am ride. Whatever. It was a pretty freakin' cold morning. When I stepped out of the car, it was 36 degrees.

me and teammate Gil

We didn't begin to ride until 9:10 am. The first 6 miles was getting out of the concentrated area in downtown Livermore. Jeez, it was cold. My face felt so numb for the first 10 miles. You probably could have slapped me silly and it would not have hurt. We eventually made our way toward the windmills at Altamont Pass. Yup! We were going to get up close and personal. You guessed right, we had to climb!

a drink before the climb

That first climb was killer. It didn't look bad at first glance; however, when I started going up, I knew I was in big trouble. I think I went up too fast up and quickly realized I was in for a big bad beating. I was breathing very deep and tried to muscle it with all my might. It's interesting that when the going gets tough, all these excuses begin to go in your mind telling you to quit and to make you think you are way in over your head. I didn't quit though. I sucked it up. I thought of Brenda and her motto "Because I can." I pushed on even though my body felt like it was going to spit up blood. I caught up to my mentor Nanditha and when the surface ever so slightly leveled off , I stopped so I could get a breather and a sip of water. I got on my bike and attacked the second part of the climb. My legs were still exhausted. I could see the teammates in front of me stand up to push them up and over; however, I wasn't able to muster the energy to get off the bike seat. I just cranked it one pedal at a time. I eventually fell into a breathing pattern and it actually got a little easier. It then became a manageable climb. I don't remember much after getting to the top. I think the windmills were pretty close by. I did remember the fun downhill part where I descended at a speed of 36 mph. Made it to the bottom at the stop sign where we re-grouped.

going up to see the windmills

Coach Jeannie then led our group out to get to the pitstop, 8 miles away at Wente Vineyards. However, there was one very steep hill we had to go over. Jeannie went up it with ease, but I knew my own level, and knew it was gonna be a toughy. I started spinning like a mad man and about 1/3 of the way up, I could feel the instant burn on my legs and they were screaming in agony. I was already in the easiest gear. No more gears left. I knew I wasn't going to go anywhere if I sat on my butt and pedaled. I decided to stand up to pedal and what do you know? It was a helluva lot easier. My first time standing up and pedaling. I should have done this a long time ago. Got to the top and drank some more Cyotmax until the rest of the group caught up.

Then it was back down, which was hardly a reward. The descent went by so quick that we got severely ripped off. We then got onto Tessa Road and a few miles later made it to Wente for the pitstop. I ate my powerbar and refilled my bottle with bathroom water. I figured it was fine. Afterall, i've been in some marathons where they served nasty fire hydrant water. I survived that.

me and teammate Rachael at Wente

After the stop we went on an out and back course. Going out was a minor incline and coming back was an easy descend. On the way out, we saw three deers cross the street. On the way back, there was a dead deer on the side of the road. You'll never know what you see riding.

The rest of the ride was pretty much a gentle descend, which made it nice and comfortable. My riding direction paper got loose from the clip and it flew away. Fortunately, Merla knew where she was going so I followed her. We made it back around 12:44 pm and finished 35.41 miles. Elevation gain of 2,261 feet. The first half of the ride was a struggle. The second half was easy. Despite my climbing issues, I still think i'm getting stronger, physically and mentally. I was also able to successfully get the water bottle off my cage while riding. Yes, small victories. I definitely feel like my cycling is improving with each ride. I know it takes time. There is no substitute for experience. I'm a pretty patient person.

buddy ride group

Foto Friday

Back in June of this year, an inspiring quote from John Kellenyi, TNT’s New Jersey Chapter, was on the lips of thousands. His motivational words made it onto a Starbucks Coffee Co. cup "The Way I See It" #259, fueling the dreams of coffee and tea drinkers everywhere.

Beat up

Body feels pretty beat up. I took it easy today by just doing sit-ups and stretching.

BIG shout out to sponsor of the day:

• Olivia L. - My running partner in crime!

Inspiration #2

Tonight I did upper body weights. Then I stationary cycled for 60 minutes. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Hoyts, this week I bring you Shrimp Louie:



BIG thank you to my latest sponsor:

• Monique M. - super awesome Team Balance & Team Brenda Alum!
  

8 mile

Not the Eminem movie. I finished my 8 mile run tonight in the freezing cold. It took me 1:25:14. I guess I shouldn't complain since I was anticipating to run in the rain. No rain, just puddles. Got my shoes wet, but fortunately the wick socks saved the day. Then I came home and did sit-ups.

I'm Over 50%!

Yesterday I ran for 32 minutes. Tonight I did some upper body strength training. Then I hopped on my bike and stationary trainer to do 15 warm 3x(3 mod/2 easy) 15 cool. That would be:

15 minutes warm up
3 minutes moderate
2 minutes easy
3 minutes moderate
2 minutes easy
3 minutes moderate
2 minutes easy
15 minutes cool down

Total: 45 minutes

Then I did sit-ups.

BIG gracias to my latest sponsors:

• Sharon C. & Simon S. - constantly supporting me either from L.A., Portland, or now Daily City (^_^)
  
• Rocky & Claudia R. - marathoners, duathlete, triathlete, cyclists, motherhumbucker
• Yvette S. - mega-dedicated TNT marathon mentor
• Ray L. - Team Brenda Alum and Nike 2007 marathon roommate

I'm officially over the half way mark of my minimum fundraising goal. Thank you to all who have donated and thereby making this possible. I truly appreciate it and never take for granted when you continue to support me and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society event after event. I value each donation and am humbled by all your generosity. Thank you! Now it's time to meet the goal and exceed it!

Team Maxx Rides Strong!

This morning's ride started on a sad note. Honoree Sheryl's friend Maxx, who we dedicated our 3 bears ride to last Saturday, passed away this week at the early age of 21. Maxx had Leukemia and because his immune system was so weak, he caught pneumonia and was not able to have his transplant. Our riding group was still nameless and we felt it was appropriate to name our group "Team Maxx" in his memory. We dedicated today's ride to Susan, a TNT Coach, who is fighting for her life with cancer. Unfortunately, the cancer has spread to her lungs and it's not looking well. Please keep her in your thoughts.

Today's ride was in the Sunol/Calaveras Reservoir area. Prior to our ride each Coach from the various groups gave out spirit awards for last week's 3 bears ride. Guess what? I was the recipient! Much thanks to Coach Beth for the nomination and helping me transition into the world of cycling. It's definitely feeling less foreign. The same props goes to Coach Lorraine for helping me out.

After awards were passed out, we listened to a clinic on nutrition. Sounded very much the same as marathon training except eating "real" food part. We gathered into our groups and were ready to head out. After a 5 mile steady ride, we stopped to prep for the 10 mile ascend. It was quite an ascend. Fortunately, it wasn't anything steep like last weeks hills. Nevertheless, it was still a climb, a long one at that. However, I didn't have to breathe hard at all. I was able to keep a conversation at a good comfort level. The view going up was amazing. I couldn't believe I was riding so hight. There's no way I would have been able to run up all this. Cycling was a much better option.

While we were going up, there were some short minor descends with "S" curves, which helped with the recovery. I used this opportunity to practice riding the curves and getting into my drops. I'm still not comfortable getting into that position. Another thing I was practicing was trying to reach for my water bottle in my cage. I know. It sounds silly; however, i'm not all that great with riding with one hand and when you are thirsty, you need to drink something. It's important to stay hydrated.

When we go to the top, the SAG stop was ready for us. It was actually perfect timing because I was getting sick of going up. I munched on a Nature Valley peanut butter bar, ate some Sour Cream 'n Onion Pringle chips, and had a slice of watermelon. The other groups had fun with "The Wall". It was a nice descend and an even more challenging ascend. It was an optional part of the ride. Since Coach Beth said it had no training value, we didn't ride it. I was with her.

The ride back was going back the same way we came up. I won't lie, I was worried with the descend. I always seem to not have any control and my hands had cramped up before. Now I had to worry about not falling over the cliff and dying. Some parts had guardrails, but it's very possible to slide underneath it. Legitimate concerns I think.

Anyways, the descend went pretty good. I was able to play with switching my small ring to the big ring and I think i'm understanding how to use it better. Although I had one hiccup. During the change, my chain locked up and I couldn't pedal forward. I was slowing down as I was going up the small ascend and fortunately I had the presence of mind to clip out before I was at a standstill. I stayed on the side road until Honoree James saw me stranded and helped me fix it. Thanks to the rest of my group for asking me if I was okay when I was standing on the side of the road.

The rest of the descend went well. I was able to lift the correct leg up for the respective turns on the "S" curves and did an okay job with lining up the turns. I still need more practice. I felt I had a lot more control this time going down and was very pleased with the outcome. As you can imagine, going down was a lot faster than our ride going up. It probably took us 4x as long to go up. At the bottom of the hill, we had finished 25 miles. We took it easy for the remaining 5 miles. By the time we got back to the start, I was shocked to see it was 1:30 pm. I shouldn't be surprised. I was already warned that the longer training rides will be ending near dinner time. By the end of the ride, my lower back was a little sore. I guess that means more sit-ups and core work.

BIG thank you to my latest contributors toward my fundraising efforts:

• Vivian and Warren C. - extremely supportive relos
• Anna Y. - my special overseas donor
  

Shout out Friday!

Schedule calls for an easy 30 minute ride today. I'll do it in just a minute. However, I must give some shout outs to today's awesome $ donors!

BIG thank yous to:

• Michelle C.- Team Balance mentor and TNT triple crowner!
• Patti O. - Awesome Team Brenda mentor and my other running partner at Nike
  
• Irene C. - who has sponsored in all of my TNT events!

Hey! let me shout out to you! http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/plee100

Stationary

Did sit-ups and spent 45 minutes on my cycle trainer.

BIG thanks to Clay and Mishie for contributing to the cause!

IronTeam?

After spending an evening speaking with TNT Alums at the TNT Holiday Gathering, i'm more inspired to think about joining the IronTeam. Well, not anytime soon. I mean I have not even done a "real" triathlon yet (just a fun one). To be honest, I have been thinking about the Ironman quite a bit during the past 2 weeks. The Ironman is the ultimate test of endurance and of the human spirit. Crazy right? I mean, I vowed I would never do a full marathon again and I say I wanna do this? The 17-hour cut-off is a concern, but if you don't try...how will you know? If there is one program that can train someone from scratch to finish a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile ride, and 26.2 mile run, it is Team in Training. Best of all, it's for an important cause. Because I have my health and because I can, there is no reason why it cannot be done. However, I shouldn't get ahead of myself right now. Let's see if I can complete the 104 mile ride in Solvang first.

Continue to support me so we can all help others:

http://www.active.com/donate/tntgsf/plee100

Brr!

After work I headed to the Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal for my "long" run of the week. My self-set mileage calendar called for 7 miles. The first thing I noticed when I was outside was that it wasn't cold at all despite all-day winds. My car's outside temp gage said it was 50 degrees so it was perfect running weather. I debated about wearing my running jacket, but ultimately decided to just wear it. About a mile in, it started to get cold. It wasn't particularly windy, but the temp felt like it dropped 5 degrees. About a mile later I was at the wooden bridge and decided to cross it. Instead of going towards Bayview Drive, I felt adventurous and stayed straight on Fernside Boulevard.

For the most part it was a dark and boring stretch. However, there was this one cross street, Thompson Avenue, that was very much alive. Every home on the block went nuts on Christmas lights and decorations. So nuts that the sidewalk was packed with families just strolling along admiring with amazement. I wanted to see what the hoopla was all about, but I knew if I did, I would have stopped running. So I just ran by it. I ended up at the High Street Bridge and decided to turn back. During the last 2 miles, there was a great night view of the SF skyline in lights. By the time I got back to the ferry terminal, my fingers were frozen and I completed 6.75 miles. Still short in distance, I ran around the parking lot 4 times to finish with a total of 7.25 miles and time of 1 hour 20 minutes.

Intervals

Nothing exciting to blog about today. Did sit-ups. Did 30 minutes of upper body strength training. Used my bike trainer to do some intervals: 15 warm 3x (2 mod/2 easy) 15 cool. 42 minutes of blood, sweat, and tears. Ok...maybe just sweat.

3 Bears of Pinole

I met the team on Saturday morning for our ride. Prior to our ride we had a clinic on climbs and descents. There was so much to remember that I hoped I retained most of it. We gathered back into our riding groups when I realized I left my riding shades at home. However, Mentor Edna had an extra pair and while they are not my normal style, I was happy to have Edna vision for the day.

The ride started out relatively easy for the first 3 miles and then we encountered Mama Bear, the second "hardest" climb of the day. It was a straight shot up, moderately steep; however, you could see the top...which is not necessarily a good thing. I was probably up 1/4 of the way before I kicked into my easiest gear and from then on it was left to my body to keep pushing. I probably wasn't going faster than 4 mph and it was just trying to get one stroke after the other. Just taking in deep breaths with each stroke. At that point, I just reiterated in my mind "mind over matter" and it worked. I was at the top and at the first SAG (Support and Gear) stop. I was huffing and puffing while riding in, but could hear the other groups cheer us in. I told Peni, "Mama Bear got nothing on me!" I then told myself to shut up because Papa Bear probably heard that and was gonna lay the smack down on me. I scarfed down potatoes, a quarter of a PB sandwich, half a banana, and water in about a minute or two until Coach Beth said it was time to go again.

Next came the descent. What goes up must come down, right? So I hopped on my bike and was beginning my descent; however, I could not figure out why I could not clip myself in and then I felt it. I had mud underneath my shoes from the SAG stop, but I could not stop. I was going down crazy fast. During the same time I was wondering why my left hand was so damn cold. Then I saw. I forgot to put on my left cycle glove which I took off to eat food. Great, all this was happening right before I was reaching Papa Bear. At the bottom of the descent, I pulled over and stopped. Edna was behind and asked if I was okay. She waited while I tried to clean out my shoes. It took a while but I was able to clip in while climbing.

Papa Bear was pretty crazy, especially after just tackling Mama Bear. I was on my easiest gear about a 1/4 way up and could sense it was gonna take a while. Unlike Mama Bear, Papa Bear was not as steep, but was a longer climb. I was struggling, so I pulled out the chemo card to get me through it. It worked up until I saw someone from a different group stop about a 1/4 way up Papa Bear. My alternative was to go around them, but I could not muster enough strength to pull around them. So I stopped. I took a quick water break and tried to get back on. For whatever reason, probably lost of focus, I could not clip in. There was almost no more mud on my shoes; however, when I heard it click, it was not secured in. I probably spent a good 3 minutes trying to get in. It truly pissed me off. I finally got one in and decided to just pedal up to the top. Much props to Edna for waiting for me.

I got to the top and could see another crazy descent. I just let it ride and I was blowing down like a mad man. I felt a bit out of control and had to feather my brakes. I could see myself inching closer and closer to the others of my group in front of me and I was passing them one by one. My hand grips were getting extremely sore from just pressing the brakes. About half way down I was done with descending and wanted it to end. Of course I couldn't stop so I held on impatiently rode to the bottom. At this point, I noticed my cyclocomputer was messed up. There was no way I was going down at 6 mph. I wonder if the high speeds messed up the magnetic detection? Finally at the bottom I had to stop. My hands were so sore that they were cramping. I tried to shake it off so the blood could flow. After a minute I was back to normal and I rode one more incline (Goldilocks?) to get to SAG stop #2.

Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and I think Goldilocks was done. I think most of us where fatigued and were going a lot slower than we normally would be riding. We had Baby Bear left which consisted of two short climbs. I still found something in myself to kick Baby Bear's ass and soon after we made it around back to the start. First thing I thought after I stopped...YEAH! I did not fall and man that was a good ride. We did about 23 miles, but it was the climbs and descents that made for good practice. I'm feeling more comfortable with the cycling thing. There's definitely a lot to take in and I still need lots of practice.

Team in Training 20th Anniversary

History of Team in Training

Wednesday Workout

I cycled 30 minutes on my trainer tonight while watching the W's destroy the Bucks. Note to self: Always wear bike shorts when cycling, even indoors! I then did sit-up sets.

Well, i'm pretty nervous about this weekend's ride. We will be riding Bay Area's well-known 3 bears in Pinole. Apparently there are three hills named Mama, Papa, and Baby Bear. In addition there is an extra kick which some call Goldilocks. Sounds like a fairytale from hell if you ask me. This ride will have the most climbing per mile of any of our team rides. Over 23 miles, we'll climb about 2500 feet. That's roughly 1/2 of the climbing of the Solvang century but over only 1/4 of the miles.

Tuesday Runnin'

I was anticipating rain, but it was pretty dry tonight. Just had to worry about a few puddles. So it looks like Tuesday nights will be my "long" run for the week. Works better in my training schedule. I completed 6 miles in 1:05.

The Trainer has Arrived!

The mat and block for my stationary bicycle trainer arrived today. After spending probably too much time figuring out how to assemble the trainer itself, it was ready to ride! I guess I did an okay job since I was cycling in one place and did not crash into my couch. So I cycled for about 30 minutes while watching the Warriors lose the game in OT. Afterwards I did sit ups.

Meanwhile this cycling sport is raking up the bill. I spent more money at Sports Basement this weekend. Not good. TNT has to stop giving away those 20% off coupons like free money! I picked up some Cyotmax, full finger riding gloves (the short ones don't work in the cold-found out the hard way), subzero skull cap, wool socks, and lube stuff. Cycling is dangerous. It can get you bankrupt.

I Get Knocked Down, But I Get Up Again

I Get Knocked Down, But I Get Up Again. That was Brenda's go-to song.

Saturday morning, I headed out to Sports Basement at the Presidio for our team ride. The team spent a better part of an hour having a bike maintenance clinic. The clinic was followed by our team ride. The ride was from the Presidio to Lake Merced, Great Highway, into Golden Gate Park and back. We got in our groups and as we headed out from the Presidio, there were an unbelievable amount of stop signs. Stop signs are annoying because I have to unclip my shoes, which increases my chances of falling. After what seemed about a mile of stop sign riding , I saw the steep climb we were about to embark on. Of course there was one more stop sign to get through before we immediately turned right to face the hill from hell. It's not fun to start a climb from a stationary position. The fact that I was not warmed up (because of all those stop signs) contributed to my struggles. It wasn't a pretty sight. I huffed and puffed and was probably going at about 4 mph. My thighs were burning, but I made it up to the top with the help of Coach Beth motivating me from behind. Whoever said cycling is easier than running is wrong.

me after stopping at a stop sign

We got out of the Presidio and ended up riding a bit in the City. More stop signs. Yes, annoying. However, the stop signs in the City are more deadly because trying to stop yourself while descending or climbing a hill mid-way is absolute insanity. I managed to do okay. Somewhere around 34th Street , we had a long descend and I was riding my big chain. As we came to the stop sign, I unclipped and made a right turn onto Clement. Little did I know, we would be going up a hill after the right turn. As I tried to pedal a little more to switch to my small chain (to go up the hill), I soon realized I was not going anywhere up the incline. I was at a standstill position and with nowhere to go, I tried to unclip, but it was too late. I knew what was going to happen next.

I was falling to my left and I tried to brace myself as best as possible while I was going down. I felt my left elbow and left knee breaking the fall. My mentor Nanditha heard my screams for dear life and she turned back. I was in the middle of a travel lane. Fortunately the cars on the street had to stop at the stop sign and didn't run me over, but my mentor came back to direct traffic to go around me.

My knee felt banged up and I tried to gather myself. Coach Lorraine and Honoree Captain Stephanie asked if I was okay. I thought I was okay until I felt a slight spasm in my upper middle back. I tried to determine if I could continue. I definitely wanted to continue. They said let's try to ride up. I didn't respond as I was still trying to catch my breath. They suggested walking the bike up. We did and then I felt the spasm intensifying. I particularly felt it more while I was breathing. I felt again while I was coughing. I told them this and they suggested to have the SAG car pick me up. A part of me wanted to continue to ride. I was trying to fool myself that I was okay. Then Coach Al's "Don't Let Ego Overrule Good Judgment" came into mind. Deep down I knew I wasn't going to be able to finish the ride and having the SAG car pick me up was the right thing to do. I only finished 5 miles of the 23 mile ride and I was deeply bummed the rest of the day that my ride was cut short. However thanks to Coach Lorraine and Captain Stephanie for being there for me.

I got back to Sports Basement and stuck around for the team potluck. I managed to get some ice for my back thanks to Melissa. By the end of it, my back was feeling better. After speaking with everyone else in my group, they all said I didn't miss much. Supposedly I rode the most difficult part of the course and the rest of it was so-so. I talked to Coach Cyd on how I should proceed with my training. She said to wait till tomorrow morning to see how I felt. If I was still in pain, I should go see a doctor or chiropractor. If I was okay, I may be able to ride.

Towards the end of the night, by knee was burning up. I figured I bruised it from the fall. I woke up this morning and it was still burning up. I iced it a bit and it felt better. The good news is my back is okay. I met up with the Jennifers this morning for an easy ride (since they cut their Saturday ride a bit short) and we managed to get in 16 miles. I was happy to be back on the bike.

This cycling this has been pretty difficult thus far. Definitely not what I expected and I have had moments where I asked myself if this sport is for me. It's funny because I had this same experience when I started running 2 years ago. I didn't quit then, so I won't quit now because if it's as rewarding as running, it is certainly worth sticking around to the end for.