Ride Report: Memorial Medical Center Cancer Awarness Ride

First of all, I want to point out that Foxy's Century is just a little over three weeks away!  Yikes!  After this weekends ride I felt pretty good about this - except in Foxy's all the hard stuff comes after the 65 mile mark, so even though I felt really good after 60 miles, the hard stuff will still be right around the corner.

I was really happy to be able to have an organized ride to participate during this training cycle.  When you are out on the bike for hours it is really nice to have others out there with you.

I participated in the 30 mile Memorial Medical Center Cancer Awareness ride last year so I had a little bit of an idea of what to expect.  There are three distances to participate in - a 12 mile family ride, a 30 mile ride and then the 60 mile ride.

The course opened at 7:00 am and since this was a "ride" and not a "race" you were free to take off whenever you wanted.  Not too sure how long it would take us we left the house at 4:30 am, dropped the pups off at my in-laws and headed out to Modesto arriving at 6:15 am which was good because for some reason it always takes me so long to get all my stuff together to get on the bike.  We met up with my friend's husband, J, and brother who were also riding and Kevin took off to ride with them.  My dad took off since he is super speedy so it was just my mom and I.  Samantha was running a little late and told us to take off without her but I hoped she would be able to catch up.

The course winded in and out of the back country in the central valley.  It was mostly farms and cows as far as the eye could see.  It was also incredibility FLAT!!  The total elevation gain was 216 ft.  I think there is more of an elevation gain going down the big hill in front of my house.  However, this allowed us to keep a very even speed throughout the whole ride.  We had a great time and chatted the whole way.  I noted at every rest stop how I didn't even feel tired.

There were four rest stops throughout the entire course - one about every 15 miles or so.  All were very well stocked, so much so I never ended up dipping into my stash of food I brought with me.  I ate a few bites at every stop and I think that really helped me keep my energy up.  Each stop was "themed" and all the volunteers were very enthusiastic and helpful.  The last stop was a "Hawaiian theme" and they were serving virgin pina coladas and daiquiris.  We were only 7 miles from the finish so I thought "what the heck?"  It really hit the spot.  I also over indulged in the gummy bears but rationalized at this point I have already burned over 2000 calories so why not?

Pina Colada complete with umbrella!

The SAG support was also wonderful.  Luckily we never needed them but they were very visible on the course and had we needed them it felt good to know I wouldn't have had to wait long.

There was one particularly challenging part of the course where the road was really torn up and we were riding into the wind.  It was all I could do to even maintain a 12 mph average.  This is also when a bee flew into my helmet.  I frantically un-clipped it and flung it across the road.  However, this two mile stretch was the "low part" of the ride.  Otherwise it was just another lovely Saturday morning ride.

Samantha was able to catch up with us at the last rest stop so we got to ride together for the last 7 miles.  She left 30 minutes after us and made excellent time on the course.  Kevin and J made excellent time as well coming in about 3:40, a 16.4 mph pace.  My dad was so fast he finished and started riding the course backwards until he found us at mile 47.  My mom and I came in 4:21:34, a 13.9 mph pace.  Honestly, this was a really good pace for me.  We could have sped it up but we both commented in the end it was a very manageable pace - one we could sustain for a long period of time.  I could have definitely kept going at this pace and in these long distance rides/runs it all about keeping a consistent pace and not burning out to early which I unfortunately have too much experience with.

Samantha was able to snap a picture of me crossing the finish line.

Kinda funny story, Kevin rides my dad's old road bike that he bought when I was born.  I guess in the cycling world the thing is like an antique - every time we go riding he gets lots of comments about it.  Most new bikes are made with aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber or some combination of the three.  This old bike is pure steel.  Meaning it is heavy is heck, but will last forever.  Coincidentally, J's bike was also from the 80s and made of steel.  I guess they were both quite popular out on the course.  Their tag-line - "if it ain't steel, it ain't real." 

As soon as we finished they had lunch waiting for all the riders so we got to hang out for a bit and relax before driving home.

This ride topped week 7 off at 98.5 miles and 6 hours and 19 minutes on the bike.

I will be back tomorrow to recap week 7 in running and my 70 miler (a new distance PR) that I rode today.

Whirlwind

Whew!  I can't believe it is already Friday night.  Tomorrow I will be doing my long training ride at the Memorial Medical Center Cancer Ride in Modesto with Samantha - 63 miles.

This week has been crazy busy getting settled into our new place, training and . . . working!!!  While I am in limbo waiting for my bar results I will be working at Fleet Feet part-time - can you imagine a better job than talking to people about running all day?  I can't.  I started training this week and so far I am having a great time. 

Our new place is definitely a change from what we had but we were able to fit a lot more into that I thought.  One drawback is the washer and dryer - it was made for baby clothes.  I don't think this picture does it justice, however, the spin basket is about as deep as the distance between my wrist and elbow.  I just about cried when I saw it.  It has ended up working out just fine for throwing in clothes here and there during the week but it defiantly won't fit big items like our bed sheets.  Luckily my in-laws are close so I can use their washer/dryer for things like this.

On the flip side my neighborhood has excellent running trails and I am so close to some really good hills to train on.  This week has been fun going out and exploring new areas.  So far I have logged 38.5 miles on the bike.  Sadly, only 11 miles on the trails.  The best part of moving so far though is FINALLY getting to live with Kevin again.   I still can't believe we lived apart as long as we did.  Also, it has allowed me to hang some fun new pictures I got - a little something for all of us!

Beautiful views from the new neighborhood.

4:00 am is going to come really fast.  Off to get some sleep for the big ride tomorrow.

Goodbye Sacramento

Tomorrow's the big day!  As of Saturday morning I will officially again be a resident of the bay area for the first time in 10 years.  I am excited and sad all at the same time as both places seem like "home" to me.

Tuesday morning as I sat in silence in my almost empty house I thought about everything that made Sacramento "home" to me.  In our last few months of college we adopted our very first dog together, Kassi.  We shared "custody" of her during the week since we both lived in different cities and different apartments.  When we graduated a few months later, I moved up to Sacramento and the three of us moved into a dinky little apartment in the ghetto, and I mean ghetto.  It was not until I drove back there recently that I realized how ghetto it really was, but it was ours and we made it home.  That year between undergrad and law school was one of the best of my life.  I was planning our wedding and my job was strictly Monday - Friday, 8 - 5 and when I left for the day I didn't have to think about it again until I sat down at my desk at 8:00 the next morning. 

At the time Kevin had to work every Sunday and I remember as soon as he left I would spent a few hours shopping and then the rest of the day was devoted laundry and cleaning.  We didn't have a washer and dryer in our apartment so the laundry was an all day event. 

After we got married and I started law school we decided we needed a bigger apartment so we moved into a two bedroom.  Our rent jumped from $650 to $850 and I remember thinking how in the heck we were going to afford it!  Oh how I would kill to only pay $850 now! :)

Our first married Christmas!

A year later I got my first real job and we bought our first house!  We were real grown-ups now with real jobs and a mortgage.  We adopted Griffey and became a family of four.

Watching our house being built.

We have found restaurants in Sacramento - restaurants worthy of a special trip over the causeway just to indulge in them.  We found entertainment in Sacramento - countless nights singing the 80's with Tainted Love at Harlows, endless rounds of shuffleboard and 21st birthdays at Club 2 Me, and an infamous post-holiday party at Old Ironsides in Old Town.

Out on the town!

I found running and cycling in Sacramento and have spent hours upon hours running up and down the American River Bike Trail.  That trail has seen me cry during a particularly miserable and hot 17 miler.  That trail has also seen me triumphantly power through my one of my favorite training runs to date - my 22 miler for CIM.

Running in Sac

One of the hardest things to leave our the friends we made - BBQs, sushi, superbowl parties, concerts, babies, cocktails, hours of chatting when we should have been studying.  Many will be friends for life.

Floating down the river

We have floated down the river, been to the theater, the zoo, the fair, concerts, baseball games and festivals.  We have sweated in your 100 + summers and even woken up to snow.  We laughed, cried, celebrated successes, failures, grieved the loss of a beloved pet and truly "grew up" in Sacramento.

Many nights at Raley Field

As I looked around my house I got teary eyed thinking of someone else living in it.  I will never climb these stairs, cook in my kitchen, host another party or spy on our crazy neighbors through our third story window again.

As sad as I am about all I am leaving behind, I am equally excited for what is to come - being close to family and old friends, new friends, a new career, eventually a new home, an expanded family.  I am excited to get to know the running trails and the roads.  

Sacramento gave me my twenties, my first home of my own, my first career that I am eternally grateful for having the opportunity to experience and wonderful memories and experiences I will cherish forever.

I am lucky to have two places to call "home."  

Week 5 = A Pain in My Butt

Literally - aka my sciatic nerve.

The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body.  It starts in the lower back and runs through your butt and down the leg.  "Sciatica" is the pain that results from irritation of the sciatic nerve.  Symptoms of sciatica include a burning sensation, numbness, or tingling radiating from the lower back and upper glut down the back of the thigh to the back of the leg.  Common causes of sciatica are a herniated disc directly pressing on the nerve but any irritation or inflammation can produce the symptoms.

I wish I knew what irritated my sciatic nerve.  It started about five years ago - pre-running days - when I would spend 6 hours a day sitting at work, 4 hours a day in class and countless hours studying.  I also had a weakness for 3 inch heels and wore them everyday - to work to school to the mall - you get the picture.  I had the requite x-rays and MRI to rule out any disc problems, etc and luckily those came back negative. Ultimately, the doctor came to the conclusion that it must be a result of bad posture while sitting and strain from wearing the high heels.

Kicking and screaming I boxed up my heels - luckily this is when flats were just coming into style.  This is also when I started running.  Despite the fact that the pain was so intense I could barley walk, I found sitting only made it worse.  If I could get myself moving, once I started to warm up it actually made the pain subside - it was very counter intuitive and something my doctor (a sports MD by the way) never suggested. 

Luckily, over the years the "episodes" of it flaring up have decreased dramatically but have not gone away entirely.  Massage helps, I have seen a chiropractor, done countless stretches and strength moves and don't get me wrong, they help but I have yet to find something that keeps the pain away completely.

This past month has entailed numerous hours of bending over, packing and moving boxes.  On top of that I have spent many nights in the uncomfortable bed at my in-laws house coupled with a dramatic increase in my training has all added up and this past Thursday am I woke up with that all too familiar pain in the butt (literally!).  Knowing I had a big ride planned for Friday (we were going to tackle Cantelow again) I decided not to do my run and just go for a walk instead to loosen the leg but to no avail.  Friday (around 3:00 am) I found myself awake and barley able to walk.  I tried stretching and as soon as the sun was up I tried hoping on the bike to which I could barley lift my leg to sit on the saddle.  Sadly, I had to cancel my Foxy's teammates and promptly made an appointment with a chiropractor who had been recommended to me through the local Fleet Feet.  I will have to write a post on what lead me to decide to see a chiropractor - I was very skeptical at first.

Still a little skeptical about chiropractic care in general I was nervous to see someone new.  I loved my chiropractor in Sacramento and really only trusted him to work on me.  However, the doctor I saw came highly recommended from Fleet Feet and is devoted to specializing to helping athletes.  I also appreciated his "whole body" approach to patient care.

Additionally, he specializing in something called ART or "active release technique."

"The ART^® patented method of treatment is based on scientific evidence that soft tissues develop adhesions within, around, and between them after injury.  Adhesions are naturally formed during the healing process, however, the presence of an adhesion after injury weakens the soft tissue's structure and causes it to be susceptible to future re-injury.  An injury can be a major trauma such as "tearing" of a muscle during a sporting event, however, most adhesions form from repetitive "microtrauma" in which over time small repetitive movements (activities of daily living, typing, etc.) cause injury to an area.  ART is the only technique that involves active patient movement during treatment to provide the specific and long lasting results that are needed to prevent re-injury.  ART specifically addresses the injured area by first breaking down the adhesions and scar tissue thereby allowing the area to heal and become stronger with less chance of re-injury."  Source

I was not sure what to expect but essentially it involved putting pressure on the certain parts of the area while rotating my leg at the same time.  It was like a deep, very deep, tissue massage but instead of just laying there his assistant was moving by leg at the same time.  I am not going to lie - it HURT - but when all was said and done I could walk.  I am not 100% sold on it yet as my back has since started to hurt again (however, not near the same level of intensity) but I am sure, as with other things, it takes more than one visit.  I have another appointment this week so we will see.  I will keep you updated.

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Thus, my run Thursday and ride Friday did not happen.  Saturday, between a bike malfunction and intense soreness from the ART I decided, reluctantly, to rest one more day.

In Sacramento I trained with Fleet Feet for multiple half marathons as well as CIM

9.5 miles/1:37/10.12 min/mile 

Today, Sunday, I made up my long ride.  Despite the fact I felt our course was fairly flat, Garmin said we gained 1672 in elevation.  We got an early start, or so I thought, in an effort to try and beat the heat (high of 93) but by 9:30 am I was already sweating.  I also got my very first flat tire (a thorn in my back tire) but luckily had my dad and husband with me.  I think I could change a tire at this point if I had to but it is nice to have the boys do it for you. :)  We also hit some very very windy sections out in the country where it took all I had to go 9 mph!

Around mile 34 we stopped to refill our bottles with cold water and ended up having lunch at this grocery that it about 2 miles away from our new place.  OMG - I am going to be in grocery store heaven!  I have a Whole Foods 2 miles in one direction and this place, Draeger's, about 2 miles in the other direction.  They had so many fresh and fun foods I want to try.

49.79 miles/3:16/12.5 mph average (okay, maybe the hills were more noticeable than I thought)

Week 5 Recap (most notable workouts above)
Running: 19 miles
Cycling: 85.2

All in all a great week, minus the three missed workouts at the end of the week, but I guess for a good reason.

I hope everyone had a great three day weekend.  Even though as of right now I don't have a job to enjoy time off from, I enjoyed having Kevin home all weekend.  Sunday we spent the day at the beach so I will leave you with a picture of Griffey enjoying the sand and surf.

Belated Week 4 Recap

Sorry this post is a week late!

Last weekend Kevin and I were in Sacramento putting the final touches on our house getting it ready for renters.  I don't mind clutter so much but I do hate dirt so while you might find my "piles" of stuff as Kevin likes to call them laying around, I always have a clean house.  We scrubbed the grout in the tile, dusted each individual blind, scoured the baseboards - our house is probably the cleanest it has ever been and we don't even get to enjoy it.  Hopefully, we will find good renters who will keep it up.

We had planned to come back to the bay Saturday night but had more stuff to take care of Sunday morning so we ended up staying all weekend.  Some of Kevin's old co-workers had gotten free tickets to the country in the park in front of the capital so we ended spending the afternoon with them.

It made me realize how much I am really going to miss Sacramento.  It is hard to be excited to move and sad all at the same time.

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Week 4 Recap
Running: 22.5 miles
Cycling: 108 miles

I hit all my workouts this week.  The only thing I didn't get to do was make up my long ride that I was hoping to make up from week 3, however, all my workouts were solid so I think I will be okay.

Monday

The week started off really rough with 100+ temps.  Monday, I was spent making up my long run from Sunday.  Luckily I got out there early but it was still pushing 80 when I finished.

7 miles/1:10/10:00 avg

Tuesday

Tuesday morning I went on an hour ride and worked on some climbing.  I warmed up for 20 minutes, climbed for 20 minutes and cooled down for 20 minutes.

12 miles/1 hour/12 mph avg

Tuesday was also my track workout.  I contemplated not going but since I missed my long run on Sunday I felt guilty.  When I pulled into the track my iPhone said it was 106 out.  Our workout was 1/2 mile warm up and cool down, 2 800s and 1 mile.  However, instead of working on speed, the goal of the workout was just to complete it.  It was really hot, however, I was glad I went as I know I need to improve my ability to train in the heat.

3 miles/32 minutes/10:40

Wednesday

Wednesday I met my friend Kristin for a run along the iron horse trail.  We had 4 miles which normally would have been no problem, however, we got a late start and by the time we finished the second mile it was already 90 degrees and I was dying.  We ended walking the majority of the last two miles which was fine with me because we got to chat and catch up.

4 miles/46:59/First two miles 9:44 and 9:46 respectively

Thursday

I met my mom for the same 40 mile ride we did two weeks ago.  My garmin reported 1867 feet of climbing and my pace averaged 1.0 mph faster than the last time I did the ride.  I am really starting to feel more and more comfortable on the climbs. 

40 miles/3:04/13.1 mph avg

Friday

Ahh, finally cooler temps!  A quick 2.5 mile recovery run around the neighborhood.

2.5 miles/24 minutes/9:36 avg

Saturday

Saturday I met up with my Foxy's partner in crime Samantha and one of her friends R who I also used to work with.  On the schedule was 55 miles and we rode on the American River Bike Trail.  The goal for this ride was not hills, just distance, however, mother nature had other plans.  Ever had one of those days were no matter which way you go you are going into the wind?  Well, Saturday was that day for us.  We sure got a lesson in resistance training!

55 miles/3:45:16/14.8 mph avg

Sunday

A quick six slow miles before the concert.

6 miles/1:00/10 avg

Sorry this post is really boring!  I promise to be more interesting next time.