Finally Fat Tire Biking

As you know, my family spent the weekend at Crystal Mountain Resort. And as you also know (if you read my blog which you do because you are reading this) that I'm not much of a downhill skier. Even so, I have been looking forward to this weekend since I scribbled it on my calendar months ago. And not just because I was going to get to eat double peanut butter pancakes.

Crystal Mountain has acquired a fleet of fat tire bikes.

Here's a quick tutorial on fat bikes to catch you up to speed:

What is a fat bike?
It is a mountain (or off-road) bike that has enormous, wide, 'fat' tires.

Why does it have fat tires?
The benefit of 'fat' tires is to allow for greater flotation over soft surfaces (think beach sand or snow) and provide greater traction (larger surface area = more connection to the ground = more traction). This combination allows bikes to roll on terrain that a traditional mountain bike could not.

It wouldn't be all that far of a comparison to say fat tires are a bit like snow shoes. They provide greater surface area and allow for you to "float" better over snow (or sand) where skinnier tires would likely sink.

Fat tire bikes are growing in popularity and all the cool kids have one.

I've spent my winter pouting over my keyboard while reading status updates and blog posts of glorious fat tire snow bike rides! And fat tire rides on the beach of Lake Michigan! And racing in the Great Lakes Fat Bike Series!

(insert juvenile tantrum here)


But on Saturday I finally got to see what all the craze is about.

And it was awesome! Chad, my brother and myself each rented a bike. It didn't take long for us to warm up on a fast cruise down the road in search of the "fat tire trail" which the clerk told us was clearly labeled and yet 3 college educated fully functioning adults could not find it . . . We eventually came to a snowmobile trail through the woods and hopped on!

As long as we could manage a narrow line following the packed trail the bike handled with ease. One slip to the left or right and the tire would sink and slip in the deep wet snow. It was so much fun whizzing and zipping through the trees along a marshmallow packed trail. Crashing into white blustery snowballs was perhaps the most fun. 

For those of us with negative budgets and who are too cheap to pay $30 a month for a dataplan in order to have a smart phone that can take actual photos of said adventures to accompany widely-read and highly-acclaimed blogs posts (as opposed to my 3-minute scribbles) and therefore cannot afford another bike, being able to rent one for the afternoon was a great option to partake in the fat tire experience.

Rentals are $10 an hour or $15 for two hours. If you plan on renting from Crystal Mountain, be warned that they have only 2 'mountain bike' style fat tire bikes (one large and one mall) and at least 6 'cruiser' single speeds with coaster brakes. 

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2013, the new year and the season of fresh starts. It's hard not to feel a flutter of anticipation and hope that comes with dropping of the ball in Times Square.

Like everyone else, I have flickers of New Year's resolutions flittering around in my head. Typically this is the month where I find a new crowd of runner's pounding the pavement with me in the morning before work. I always wonder how many of them will still be out come February. Usually by March its the same few faces I've seen year after year.

Some people scoff at New Year's resolutions. The big joke is that no one ever keeps them. That's a fatalist mentality. The kind of thinking that sabotages yourself before you even start.

You know what? I LOVE THEM! The fact is, people DO and CAN change! But it is hard work. There are so many obstacles and challenges that you will face if set out to change your life and habits.

As my daughter Sage has said before "I didn't tell myself 'I think I can,' I said 'I know I can.'" Don't give yourself an 'out' or an 'excuse' before you start. You either do it or you don't.

Mountain Biking

West Michigan has recently formed its own Mountain Bike Association to better serve the needs of the region and support its local trail system. This new association is called Michigan's Edge Mountain Bike Association or MEMBA. The region includes Owasippe, Shore Acres Bike Park, Upper Macatawa Cycling Trails, and Bass River. We are hoping to build more trails! If you'd like to support Mountain Biking in West Michigan, become a MEMBA today!

Owasippe

I couldn't believe when I looked at my Strava calendar that it had been several, you read that right, SEVERAL weeks since I had ridden at Owasippe. Oops! 

So on Friday evening my parents watched the kids and I, after work, after getting groceries and being locked out of the house, followed by an hour of sitting in the camper eating microwave popcorn and watching Pirates of the Caribbean, followed by Chad rescuing me and unlocking the house, went to Owasippe. 

And because Chad had to leave work early (5:30) he decided to blow off the rest of the day and join me! Yay, Date Night! Sometimes crummy situations (like getting locked out) can turn out to be a great thing!

Here are some pictures from one of my favorite places to ride:

While taking this shot I noticed an old cabin across the pond.
I was getting the heebeejeebees  and was too nervous to get a picture, maybe next time!

It's easy to ride the trail, head down, rolling out the miles.
But Owasippe holds too much beauty,  take the time to enjoy the scenery.

Pictures previously taken at Owasippe:

What I've been up to

1) Participating in Pure Michigan's / Rob Bliss State-wide Singalong

Crowds gathering and preparing to shoot our scene for the video.

Sporting my Love Muskegon shirt

My bike wanted to be in the lip-dub too, so I brought her along.

My friend Roxane messaged me to let me know that there is a big close up of my head on WZZM13's coverage! Check it out HERE. (I'm about 40 seconds in). I'm so relieved they didn't show my snaggle-tooth side.

2) Riding Owasippe. Yes, Owasippe is OPEN. So go ride! Watch out for the sand pits and snakes.

3) Taking the Snoose (age 6) on "training" rides for Peak2Peak. She really wants to do this mountain bike race, and, as her mom, it's my job to set her up for a positive experience. Even though we've had weekly mountain bike rides with the Family Mountain Bike Club, we've never tested her "endurance." First priority on our P2P race preparedness checklist was to do an 11-mile bike ride.

Pre-Ride

Climbing the hill to Lake Michigan.
Sage: "I didn't tell myself 'I think I can,' I told myself that 'I know I can.'"

That's the smile of a girl who discovered that
she is "stronger thank she thinks she is and can do more than she thought she could do."

 Snoose even asked to ride a couple of extra miles for a total of 13. I'm so proud of this girl! Up next is 13 miles of single-track. We'll be hitting the VASA in Traverse City this weekend. If you see us out there, say "hi!" And, if you think of it, give this kid an encouraging word to help her along.

4) And then there's getting ready for the new school year. Things are going to change drastically in our household. Not only is Snoose going to school full-days but my job is changing and I'll no longer be working from home. In fact I won't be home in the mornings at all to help the kids get ready.

To prepare for some of these major changes, the kids have been practicing their new daily routines.

The Snoose's daily routine

Bear's routine—it would be so much easier if he could read!

Snoose has her routine down-pat. She is independent and enjoys getting herself ready in the morning, making her own breakfast, etc. Bear, on the other hand, loves to be catered to. He thoroughly enjoys having someone brush his hair, get him dressed—it's like a spa treatment to him. I've never seen a kid so willingly open their mouth for a teeth-cleaning. He could spend hours having his teeth brushed.

It's been a frustrating week and a half trying to get Bear to do these things for himself. But, I believe, we are slowly making progress . . .

What haven't I been doing?

1) Cleaning my house. Boom! We hired a cleaning service and it is the best decision Chad and I have ever made over the duration of our marital union thus far.

This change means that Chad gets to hear less nagging and I get more time to ride. Everyone wins!

North Country

A few days ago I rode North Country Trail. I could not believe how much time has passed since the last time I was out there. I wouldn't be surprised if it was back in the early fall of 2011.

NCT holds a special place in my heart. It's one of the trails where Chad first took me mountain biking almost 10 years ago. At that time mountain biking was a terrifying, death-defying adventure. Chad and I would only go on the trails 2-3 times a year, usually in the fall when his work schedule would slow down a bit. The leaves on the trees would just be turning dark purple, red and orange.

Getting ready at the trail head I would be covered in goose-bumps, more from anxiety than the chilly autumn air. A simple 8-mile ride would be an all day event. Chad was lucky if I could get to a top speed of 7-8 mph and I would need a break every mile just to let my nerves settle.

We'd end the ride with a stop at Heritage Farm Market for Apple Cider and homemade baked goods then cruise home listening to 10,000 Maniacs. Those were the early years.

More recently NCT has come to be one of my favorite trails—not only for the memories but because it's not a loop. The North Country Trail is "America's longest National Scenic Trail stretching 4,600 miles from New York to North Dakota, linking 7 states, 10 National Forests and more than 150 public lands." Even though time and responsibility always draws me back, there is a sense when I'm out there that I could just keep on riding. The twists and turns weave forward unlike many trails where each rotation of the crank essentially pulls you back to the parking lot.

Now that we have young kids, Chad and I rarely have a chance to ride together. It's bittersweet to ride at NCT alone, thinking back 10 years ago and our stops for Apple Cider. What was once a place of nervous jitters is now an open road of solitude, reflection and a place to clear my head.

One of my favorite pictures from NCT, US10 Trail.

Vision Quest

Owasippe

Michelle: my crazy friend (on the left) and Me (on the right)

Way back in March when my crazy friend Michelle forced me to sign up for LJ100 (she didn't exactly hold a gun to my head, but still), I knew training would be an infuriating challenge. 

Up late with my sick kiddo.

My kids are still young. They are night-wandering warriors determined to destroy a peaceful nights sleep. They're giant, slimy balls of germ infested snot that can strike you down with feverish, lung choking illness in just one spray of spittle. You can imagine how those two things alone can throw a wrench into anyone's training plan.

Ouchie.

Not to mention all the usual stuff that demands your time: work commitments, soccer games, school programs, blah, blah, blah. We all have deal with it. 

Then I mangled my hand in a freak knuckle verses disc brake rotor incident.

And dislocated my shoulder. 

Excuses. Road blocks. Whatever, they aren't going to keep me from doing what I've set out to do.

Vision Quest

A vision quest is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures.
The vision quest is a turning point in life taken before to find oneself and the intended spiritual and life direction. He or she will go on a personal, spiritual quest alone in the wilderness, often in conjunction with a period of fasting.[1] This usually lasts for a number of days while they are attuned to the spirit world. Usually, a Guardian animal or force of nature will come in a vision or dream, and give guidance for their life. (taken from Wikipedia).

This week I had what I would consider my most important training rides.  

The goal: get as close to a 100 miles on single track as I could. 

The trail: Owasippe.

It was a day I have long anticipated, knowing that I would be challenged in ways I had not yet been tested on the bike. The Owasippe trail system was the home of the Potawatomie Indians in the 19th century. I always feel a deep connection with nature and the land's ancestral history when I'm riding there. I couldn't help but think of this day as my personal Vision Quest. The way things have been going, I needed a turning point . . . 

Michelle was planning on riding all day with me. Another friend, Derek planned to ride for a few hours before going to work. Michelle is riding a sweet new single speed that, gets this, weighs 19 pounds. I'm not jealous at all. Sadly, there's been some mechanical issues that cut Michelle's ride short and she had to leave after just a lap and a half. It was a blow. I was going to miss her. With Derek only able to stay until noon, I was looking at a long day of riding alone.

Owasippe

Derek and I managed to get in 30 miles in 3 hours or riding. I switched hydration packs, ate a granola bar and began my solo journey.

Feeling decent the first 3 laps, I was surprised when my legs were slapped with fatigue just a few miles into lap 4. Losing my companions hit me harder than I anticipated. Everything was harder.

I opted for the 8-mile trail in fear that the big climbs on the back end of the 11-mile loop would be too demoralizing to recover from. 

It's funny how Fear changes as you ride. Fear in the first lap is that washed out, rutted drop. 50 miles into the ride, Fear is turning right to begin another lap instead of heading straight for the parking lot.

2 solo laps completed and I was feeling awful. I thought I had seen a moose. I was aware enough to know that there are no moose in Owasippe. Something was off with my nutrition. I kept stopping for no reason. Just sitting on my bike, wishing I was done.

And so I rode back to my car. Loaded my bike and headed home. It was only 2:30 in the afternoon. And I only had 50 miles logged. 

I had failed.

Driving home I noticed that the hydration pack I had been wearing was still full. Full! After riding 20 miles. It should have been near empty. My plan was to take in most of my nutrition through fluids, the fact that my hydration pack was full meant that I was dehydrated and under-fueled. No wonder I saw a moose! My fingers and lips had also turned pale blue, not sure what that meant, but I know that's not good!

Laying on the couch at home my head filled with doubts. If I can't ride more than 50 miles how the heck can I finish LJ100? I was heavy with disappointment. 

Munching away on my cinnamon raising toast with slathered with sunbutter, I decided there was still time to turn this day around. I brushed the crumbs off myself and set out to get in more miles. Initially I thought I would head out on my road bike.

But as I walked out the door it was my car keys I grabbed, not my road bike. I was barely conscious of what I was doing.

I was going back to Owasippe. I had a vision of Chief Owasippe (The Legend of Chief Owasippe) sitting on top of the hill, waiting for me. Where have you gone Heather? I'm here, waiting for you.

I was going to finish what I set out to do. This time I was focused and determined. 3-laps would get me 25 more miles for a total of 75. And although I could feel the fatigue of the mornings ride, I was renewed with a sense of purpose. I had found my flow and Chief Owasippe was my guide.

4+ hours of Single Track

Yesterday was a "rites of passage" for me. I attempted my first xc ride, all on single-track, that was greater than 2.5 hours. I have never attempted this feat before. And with Lumberjack 100 looming in the near future, it was a necessary threshold to cross.

The plan: 4+ hours of single track riding with minimal stops. A friend of mine met me at the half way point for the last 2-hours of riding.

I had several concerns going into the ride:

1. Will I be comfortable on the bike? Sore bottom, knee (which has been giving me fits), sore back, chaffing, numb feet, numb hands--all areas of concern for me.
2. Nutrition. I'm trying to avoid packaged gus and gels which I have used in the past. I've noticed that on xc rides that I experience moments of fogginess or lack of focus. I believe this is caused by a sugar crash. My goal is to come up with several food choices that I can easily eat on the trail and that will help maintain an even level of sugar in my system.
3. Overall fitness. XC riding is very demanding and requires the rider to be standing and out of the saddle frequently to maneuver tight turns, technical sections, attack punchy climbs, etc. Four hours into a ride am I still going to be able to attack a tricky section of trail? I didn't know.

Preparing for the ride

1) To address my concerns about being sore on the bike I:

• Used lots of Bag Balm
• Used the Stick to roll my It-Band and leg muscles, working out any knots and giving them a good stretch. That should help alleviate the pain I've been experiencing on the side of my knee and up my quad during rides.
• Wore a good pair of gloves with minimal padding. I've found gloves that are too padded do not work well for me and cause all sorts of numbness and trigger points.

2) Nutrition

• 1 heaping scoop of Endura in a water bottle for every 2 hours
• 30 ounces of water in my camel bak for every 2 hours
• Homemade Lara Bars (dates, nuts, cinnamon all mashed together in a food processor)
• Savory Sweet Potato Energy Balls

My sanctuary.

The Ride
The weather turned out to be a cool 50 degrees and sunny. Knickers and a jersey with arm warmers were the perfect option for clothing.

It was only my second time riding single-track this year and it showed during the first 8-miles. I was timid and slow. Approaching a wide and sweeping descent a magnificent owl swooped out onto the trail in front of me and landed on a branch to watch me pass. It was amazing. I had encountered my spirit guide which renewed my confidence and gave me strength. After that point my riding skills improved dramatically.

After 45 minutes I ate my first Savory Sweet Potato Ball. It was surprisingly moist and easy going down. So far so good.

After 2 hours of riding I was tired, but appropriately so. I was still standing and attacking all the technical sections and my confidence was high—I bombed down the descents and kept a steady pace on the flats and hills.

It was really nice to see my friend when I went back to the parking lot to restock my food supplies. I was excited to have company for the remaining two hours. She was all ready to go so I quick refilled my water bottles and we were back on the trail!

The trail we were on was demanding. There are very few sections where a rider will experience "flow." There are a lot of rough and bumpy miles and some technical areas as well. It was a challenging ride, physically and mentally. By the third hour of riding my low back was becoming sore. This motivated me to get out of the saddle even more and to rely more heavily on my legs to take the impact.

The fourth hour was mentally challenging. It was good to have a friend to offer encouragement and motivation. Physically, however, I felt pretty good. My legs were cranking along and I was still riding aggressively.

When we finally emerged from the woods and into the parking lot, my mileage was 1/4 of a mile short of being even and so we rode a giant circle around—must have a whole number on that odometer! I was glad to be done and overall felt good: a sure sign to me that my nutrition plan worked well.

I experienced no noticeable numbness in my hands or feet. I didn't feel a twinge of pain in my leg. My low back was sore, fatigued from the demanding ride. But this morning my back feels good. In fact, I feel great today!

Recipe for Savory Sweet Potato Energy Balls.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Barry-Roubaix 2012

I had a great day yesterday at Barry-Roubaix. The weather turned out to be great for racing, not too hot and not too cold. And there was just enough rain to make the course a lot of fun. Let's all be honest here, riding through giant puddles is super fun. And the best part was seeing all of my mountain biking friends! I have really missed them over the winter. I saw many of them on the course--most of them as they passed me by . . . Alright, getting passed didn't feel so awesome. Nonetheless, its a good thing to see friendly faces even in the midst of suffering.

I'll work on a detailed race report and post it later this week. For now, I'll just say it was a good day, a lot of fun. The only real low point for me was riding about 12 miles all on my own--not a good idea for this race. In my solitude I became so focused on hammering the cranks that I did not pay any attention to the course. I ended up riding myself right off the road into a deep, rutted-out trench filled with rain water. Ugh. Being an awesome mountain biker with superb bike handling skills (yeah, right) I was able to save myself from further embarassment and avoid what was sure to be a very sloppy and muddy fall.

Today is recovery day. I am looking forward to spending some QT with the family, working in the yard, going on a Treasure Hunt with the kids and maybe, just maybe, I'll squeeze in a short run around the 'hood. The neighborhood that is.

Hope everyone else out there had a great experience at Barry-Roubaix. Oh, and I can't forget to thank Ken and Bill at Breakaway Bicycles for fixing my flat just minutes before the start of the race. You guys saved me!

The Pain

Through an unexpected and last-minute turn of events I was able to pre-ride Barry-Roubaix course this week afterall. I was a little tense but excited, this would be only my third ride outdoors this year (I'm a fair-weather cyclist).

I have ridden the course once before, about 2.5 years ago. I remember thinking it was hilly, but I handled it. I was feeling pretty confident on the drive down.

Four of us--Matt, Jim, Jim and Myself--rolled out, cold, but ready to tackle the gravel roads ahead.

The Wall

I felt pretty good the first mile. And then we hit our first little hill. How did everyone suddenly get so far ahead of me? Why wasn't I going anywhere? I felt a bit of panic rise. I tried rationalizing away my nerves--my legs will be alright . . . they are just getting warmed up. Yup.

Nope. My legs had nothing. We'd (actually, I would, as everyone was so far ahead of me) come to the base of the hill and my brain would say "Conquer this thing, Attack! Attack!" And then I'd feel a heavy resin drain down my legs. They were resigned. On-Strike. My brain and my body were in contention, leaving me in a deep place of pain and suffering.

It was a bad, bad day.

Matt, Jim, and Jim were true gentlemen and waited for me at the turns. I wish they had not been so polite as I prefer to suffer alone. One of the things I like about Matt is he is a genuine, laid-back, nice-guy. So at every turn I would roll in and Matt would offer some sort of encouragement "you're doing great!"

If I could have spared the energy, I would have taken off my shoe and punched Matt in the teeth with my cleats.

I have very violent thoughts when I am completely depleted of nutrients.

To make things worse, the course was muddy, sticky, and hillier than I remembered. And I was way, way off my anticipated pace for race day.

As ready as I am to sell my entry to some other sucker, I know that I need to see this race through. Barry-Roubaix is the first stepping-stone in my training for Lumberjack 100. No matter how humiliated I may be by my results and performance at BRX, I will keep my eyes focused on the big picture.

Happy weekend everyone!

Training Schedule and Sweet Potato Quinoa Burgers

This post is brought to you by wasted time attempting to register for Iceman . . . 

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Limited time only: Get your Free Traverse Area Trail Map by applying for a free GTMTBA Membership.

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I did something this week I haven't done in a long time: I looked at my training schedule.

Today's workout is a run. I was apparently feeling VERY OPTIMISTIC and just a little overconfident when I put this together. Because I am supposed to run 7:30 minute/1 mile intervals. Hahahahahaha!!! 

3/1 Run: 2 mile warm up, 2x1mile @ 7:30 pace, 1/2 mile between, 1 mile cool down = 6 miles

This is classic Heather. I set the bar really high. I don't have expectations of actually achieving that goal, but I try my darndest. And as a result, I work harder than I would have and go farther than I thought possible. 

My training calendar is not from a coach, a book, or a website. I briefly looked into coaching or paying for a training schedule, but every sample schedule I looked at required 5-6 days of riding and several of those rides are 2 or more hours long. It's not realistic for me to plan multiple 2+ hour rides a week.

I make it up myself, loosely basing it on a build for 3 weeks with a 1 week recovery. However it is mostly scheduled around my work, family, volunteer commitments. In a typical week, I accomplish about 80% of my planned training. If you have kids, you understand. Especially young kids that seem like they are always sick and waking you up three to four times a night, every night . . .

Lean in close, shhhh, a little closer . . . I'm going to share my fancy-schmancy, coveted training schedule with you.

• Bike for 45-80 minutes Wednesday and Friday
• Run for 30-80 minutes Tuesday and Thursday
• Strength Training for 15-30 minutes 2x a week (any day I can squeeze it in)
• Run for 90-120 minutes on Sunday

Very scientific stuff. I ride on the trainer following a Spinerval or Sufferfest Video for at least one of those rides every week, year 'round.
Why do I do that?

• My time is limited. There is no room for a flat, a broken chain, detour, etc. If I have 45 minutes, that is all I have and I want to spend as many of those minutes as possible on the bike. 
• It's a controlled workout. There is no stopping for a traffic light, slowing for a turn, or coasting down a hill. I'm working for 100% of my alloted time.
• There is 0% chance of getting hit by a car.

This week I made Sweet Potato Quinoa Burgers (I apologize for the crummy pic). The recipe made about 20 patties. Since no one else in my family will touch something so organic, I packed them as pairs into the freezer. It will make eating healthy while camping this summer a cinch! Just grab a bag and go. While the family is feasting on hot dogs and burgers, I'll have my own, healthy, alternative burger. They are bit dry, so I do recommend serving them with the curry mayo or ginger ketchup (recipe provided with the link above).

New Season

Last fall I decided to test my legs and Cat. up to the Expert/Elite field--feeling just a touch way out of my league. I like challenges. Especially far-reaching ones. I find no shame in racing against dedicated, amazing, FAST women and coming in DFL (dead-fudgin-last). That's what I call fun. Standing on a podium means nothing without first overcoming the impossible challenge!

There was a bit of nervous banter among the women, the normal down-playing and throwing out of excuses "I'm recovering from an injury" or "work has been so busy, no time to train!" It's the same at every race. You'd be hard-press to find someone brazen enough to admit they've trained like hell and are ready to mow anything over that gets in her way. I digress . . .

Most everyone knows each other because, lets face it, women mountain bikers are a select group—especially at the Expert/Elite level. I was a new face and it was noticed. I was taken-aback when one person asked who I raced for. Myself! was all I was able to mumble. It got a good chuckle (most, if not all of them race for a team). Then before I knew it, the gun was shot and it was time to race.

I have thought about that moment a lot, especially recently. Because this season I will be racing for more than myself, I'll be representing the Grand Traverse Mountain Bike Association.

I am really excited for this opportunity. Traverse City has fast become one of our family's favorite places to visit. We find ourselves returning season after season. There are many great things about Traverse City that we love, but, admittedly, one of the main reasons we find ourselves there so often throughout the year is the Mountain Biking--for everyone in our family.

Between the Bike Park at Timber Ridge Resort and the VASA Single Track trail system, there is something for everyone in our family to enjoy. We traditionally close our frequent visits with a family bike ride along Grand Traverse Bay and have spent many days cruising along the TART Trail System.

I am thankful for the opportunity to represent a place and an organization that has given our family so many great memories already. It's going to be an exciting and fun season racing for GTMTBA!

For more information on the Grand Traverse Mountain Bike Association (GTMTBA), please visit their website.
Click here for information on getting your own VASA and TART Trail Map, courtesy of GTMTBA