Having a Snowblast!

Happy Friday everyone!

There have been some disappointing winters in Michigan in recent history. This year however has definitely made up for it in grand Polar-Vortex fashion—I even saw a snownado go by the house yesterday afternoon. It's not unusual for us to get a blast of snow in late October or early November. But it doesn't usually stick around with the relentless force as it has this year.

Muskegon has had over 80" of snow and we have the potential to be hit with at least two more snow storms this week. Coupled with the snow is the frigid temps. I have to say there is a part of me that is a little delighted with the arctic blast. Back in October when I was Christmas shopping for the kids I went overboard in the underwear department and purchased each of the kids multiple sets of expedition weight long underwear AND tall, thick wool socks. The kids are getting their full-use out of these items.

RT: Sage sledding LT: Bear laughing at Sage Sledding. Photos by Aunt Lisa

They have gone sledding just about every weekend. When they aren't sledding, Bear prefers to be inside. However we can't keep Sage in the house. She's either outside shoveling—for shoveling's sake—building a shelter for the animals, making snowmen, or building a stash of snowballs to launch at an unsuspecting Mom or Dad.

Dad has also groomed our very own XC trail through the yard and around to the neighbors.

Bear XC Skiing

We've gone biking . . .

Bear 

And Sage is training for a 10k (this was back on Thanksgiving, but she's been running every week since) . . .

To sum it all up, our family has been having a Snowblast this year!

Snow Shoe Running

While the kids have been making their own fun experiences, Chad and I have been hitting the trails for some quality and challenging snow shoe running. We've both signed up for RBR 25k which means we can't let what some people would call "poor conditions" hold us back from training. 

Kelly, Roxanne, and Myself getting ready to run. Photo by Roxanne

I've been able to meet friends for a couple of runs and even ventured out for solo excursions. Snow shoe running is probably my favorite of all running experiences. Mostly because I get to be out in the woods (which is also why I'm a mountain biker and not a roadie). My first snow shoe run experience was at Big Foot Snow Shoe Race in 2011. At the time I thought I had never suffered so much--of course I was an immediate fan.

Me at Bigfoot Snow Shoe Race in 2011

There is that side of me that is a bit of a masochist and finds a sick enjoyment in torturing myself. Snow shoe running is brutal. As I described it last week to my FB friends: I felt like I was running in place with 10 pound sand bags tied to each ankle for 90 minutes.

While it is challenging there is also a serene side, an escape into the wilderness and away from the cars, the lights, and the crowds. On my run yesterday I climbed to the top of a sand dune and could look out over the treetops to the ice formations on Lake Michigan. I could see all the way past where the ice broke into the blue water. It was breath-taking. Later, as I trudged along, I saw a small burrow where a rabbit must be making his home this winter. There is always so much to see and experience. 

Meanwhile my mileage is falling a bit short of my RBR 25K training plan, I'm comfortably okay with it. I run and bike and "train" in order to enjoy life and to have these amazing experiences--either finishing a race or a view from the top of a sand dune. It's not always about distance or speed. 

Clearly, it's not about speed.

(Actually, will someone please give me a kudos on this run in my Strava account? I'm feeling a little down about my pace. Thanks!)

Some quick-tips for first-time snow shoe runners:

You will get wet. The snow shoes kick up a lot of snow. Make sure to wear good running tights that will help wick away some of the moisture and dry quickly. You may also want to invest in a pair of gaiters. I have a pair of gortex trail-running shoes to help stay dry and warm.

It's a lot harder than running on the road--even a snow-covered, icy road. You may not usually carry water or GU for a 5 mile run through your neighborhood, but trail running in snowshoes is a whole 'nother beast. It requires a lot more energy. I recommend carrying extra nutrition and water for runs 5 miles or greater.

If you are carrying a water bottle in your hand (like I do) stick a toe warmer on the water bottle. Less you want your hand to freeze to it. True story.

You will be slower. Don't worry, you aren't a slower runner per se, it's just the terrain and the cumbersome snow shoes make it that much more challenging. Depending on how hilly the trails are I see anywhere from 1.5-3.5 minute pace slower than my road running pace.

It's okay to walk. Really. There might be sections with snow drifts that cause you to sink up to your thigh. Don't be a soldier. Hiking through that is challenging enough. There's sure to be trail more suitable to running just around the corner.

And have fun.

Common Mistakes I Make When Training, #2 Being Afraid of the Deep End

Part 2 of Common Mistakes I Make When Training. Read part 1 here.

2) Being afraid of the deep end.

It's funny watching my kids learn to swim. When they want a challenge they'll dart under the divider from the shallow end to the deep end then quickly pop back up safely at the depth of 3.5 feet. They are pumped from their dare-devilish flirt with the deep end. It's humorous because you know they've kept one toe safely on the shallow side and never fully plunged into the depth of the pool.

The 'face of suffering' at Iceman finish line 2011

I can easily fall into a similar rut when it comes to cycling (really, this translates to any area of life). I'll begin an interval session with grandiose intentions of plunging into the depth of suffering before coming up for air. All to often, however, I'll feel the darkness close around me and the burning in my legs and think that I've hit deep. In reality I've just flirted with the deep end.

Last week I set out to do a workout with gradually increasing intervals of duration and resistance. Midway into the set my quads burned, I squirmed on the saddle under the weight of the effort. My body was yelling 'good enough! You can back off now!' And I wanted to listen. I really wanted to.

But there was something else lurking in my mind. I recognized that dark place of suffering. I'd been there before. And when you're in a race, once you've hit that level of discomfort you don't get to bob back under the divider to the safety of shallow waters. You live in the deep end for the duration.

Finishing Peak2Peak 2012 which
proved to be a true test of perseverance.

Our bodies are amazing things. We can do so much more than what we think we can. But it is incredibly difficult to push ourselves beyond the boundaries of discomfort. However, it is persevering through that discomfort that we can finally achieve new levels of success and greater fulfillment. It is only when we push ourselves out of our comfort zones that we can expand our 'boundaries' and explore   our true potential.

When I'm training I try to embrace that depth of discomfort because I know that when it gets to race day and I come to the dark place, when I'm gasping for air and my legs feel like blocks of lead, when I am cresting that brutal climb and my body tells me to 'back off, take a break,' I can tell it to 'shut up' and then dive into the deep end.

Weekend Wrap-Up

I received some good news this morning! Even though my foot still looks like an anvil has been dropped on it (bizarrely large separation between toes and swelling in odd places) there are no more breaks! While there is obvious tissue damage and some arthritis flaring up, I received the "okay" from my doctor to resume normal activities!

Which of course means training for a 50 mile gravel road race in April.

Fortunately I am a bit of an Oracle and foresaw the clean bill of health a few days early which allowed me to meet up with my friend Kelly for a trainer ride.

Lucky for us, Top Gun was on television yesterday.
The plan was to ride until we hit 20 miles according to Kelly's odometer.

So Kelly, are we at 20 miles yet? -Me
No-Kelly

We've ridden 11 miles-Kelly

@%#^@-Me

Where are we at now?-Me

Mmmm, we're getting there.-K

We have to get there before Goose dies. I can't pedal and cry at the same time!-Me

I don't know if we're going to make it-K

Pedal, dangit! Pedal!-Me

Dangit.

And we're at 20 miles.

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!

The Medicine Ball and the Softball

Tomorrow I am looking forward to going to a strength training/aerobic class called Fierce. My friend Michelle has been telling me about it for a long, long time. A few weeks ago I finally gave in and attended and have gone every week since.

I arrived at 5:30 AM for some kind of group exercise class that I really had no idea what it was about other than its name. Michelle bailed on me that week (she was too busy vacationing at the Happiest Place on Earth) and I felt a bit like a lost and confused puppy wandering around the SLAC.

Eventually I figured out where I was supposed to be when I happened upon a group of women attached to the TRX gizmo looking like a tangled mess of marionettes. The class that morning was sparse, consisting of just myself, 3 other women, and the class instructor.

Now, I consider myself to be pretty darn strong. My thighs are the diameter of prized ham hocks. I do regular strength training. I can even do real pushups. And I'm tough. I have done a 100 mile mountain bike race afterall. I was not afraid of the TRX and all its menacing straps nor the other class attendees, in fact, I was prepared to be completely unimpressed.

The following 60 minutes I ate my words and then puked them back up. We moved from the TRX machine to the Pilates ball where we had to do Plank in 30 different flavors: plank jacks, plank with sliders on our feet, plank with sliders on our hands, plank with weighted balls arching this way and that, mountain climbers . . . Just to make it more fun, there were jumps and leaps and squats and running up and down the stairs. It was a new level torture I did not know existed.

I have heard the term "shred" used before. This is the first time I experienced it first hand. The next few days my core burned. I was rendered handicapped, I had to roll out of bed because my abdominal muscles had been so completely destroyed I couldn't even sit up. Three days later I still couldn't run.  It was entirely too painful.

Obviously, I had to go back to Fierce for more.

The next week I show up and the instructor has set up stations for everyone with the equipment we'll need for the workout; bosu ball, resistance bands, sliders, and a good size medicine ball. The instructor looks at me and recognizes me from the week before. In her bustling around she picks up a little ball, maybe the size of softball and exchanges it for my medicine ball. In front of the entire class.

Everyone had a big, heavy medicine ball for the days workout except for me and my tiny little 3 pound bean bag. It was like the dunce cap of fitness classes. I felt like I was back in my Junior year of high school in AP History when our teacher wrote everyone's test grades on the board and I always had the lowest one . . .

I told Chad about it later that night. It was embarrassing  He attempted to be comforting when he commented "yeah, but you were the only woman." Unfortunately, that made me feel worse as there were only women in the class! Even Michelle got a big giant medicine ball (I already knew she was stronger--she has big guns and all--but it still burned!).

Tomorrow morning I will be working with a little underweight bean bag, but I am making progress. My goal is to eventually graduate to a full size medicine ball this summer.

Races:
5/3 River Bank Run 25k, 5/11/13
Lumberjack 100, 6/15/13

Training Schedule week of Dec. 10:

Monday 12/03	Bike: 50 min Intervals in the indoor trainer
Tuesday 12/04	Run: 1 mi wu, 3 mi tempo, 1 mi cd
Wednesday 12/05	Bike: 50 min intervals on the indoor trainer
Thursday 12/06	TRX Strength Training / Run: 4 miles
Friday 12/07	90 minute computrainer ride
Saturday 12/08	Run: 6.5 miles
Sunday 12/09	REST

Running Mileage Total: 15.5 miles
Total Time on Bike: 1:40:00 (hmm, I should try and squeeze in an extra hour somewhere)
Total Approx Training Time: 6:15:00

wu = Warm Up

cd = Cool Down

Self-Evaluation, Week of 12/03:

Monday 12/03	Bike: 50 min Intervals in the indoor trainer	Overslept . . .
Tuesday 12/04	Run: 1 mi wu, 3 mi tempo, 1 mi cd	5 miles--no temp, just easy running.
Wednesday 12/05	Bike: 50 min intervals on the indoor trainer	Umm, I think I got in 30 minutes.
Thursday 12/06	TRX Strength Training / Run: 4 miles	Finally--Did one workout right this week!
Friday 12/07	Bike: 90 min Computrainer Ride	Went shopping in Glen Arbor. Shopping counts as exercise, right?
Saturday 12/08	Run: 6.5 miles	Spent the day in the car to go see the US Women's Soccer team defeat China at the Ford Field! USA! USA! USA@
Sunday 12/09	REST	Make-up 6.5 mile run around Bear Lake.

. 

Hill Repeats

Lake Michigan

The weather has been great for riding. Windy, but great. Look at those white-caps on the big lake!

I've been attempting to get back into a structured "training" regime the last few weeks. One workout I've added to my repertoire is hill repeats. I hate hill repeats. Probably because I stink at them. Which is why I should be really doing them . . .

Something that has resonated with me is the concept that training/exercise/activity should be done with "purpose." The purpose can be anything from relieving stress, getting faster, increasing endurance, or working on technical skills/technique.

Every time I begin to exercise I ask myself, what is my purpose? Perhaps I'm doing a casual ride with some friends. That's a great time to work on technical skills: cornering, positioning, etc. Sometimes the purpose of a ride is to simply recover. Other times, like today, it's improving my climbing abilities.

And that's the other thing: my climbing NEEDS improving. I'm a bit like a locomotive. It takes me awhile to get rolling, gain momentum. I am the picture of the Little Engine That Could. Inspiring perhaps, but not pretty and certainly not fast, but eventually I get the job done.

Highest elevation point in Muskegon County (which isn't that high)

The base of the climb.

It was a successful workout in that afterwards my legs were wobbly. I ached with the stress of a body that had been driven to its limits. After beating myself up I recovered with a nice bath and cool chocolate/peanut butter/banana smoothie.

Also, awhile back I mentioned I had won a drawing for a limited edition Exergy Tour jersey. I finally took a picture. Here it is!

I love this jersey! Not only is it a lovely shade of green, but its full zip. FULL ZIP. Every jersey should be full zip. It makes it so much easier when doing a quick-change at the trail head. Trail head you say? But that is a roadie jersey!?! I guess it is. But it's going to be seeing a lot of DIRT.

Happy riding!

Oceana County Riding

One of my biggest regrets this spring while training was that I only rode in Oceana County once.  Oceana County is chock-full of rolling hills in the form of gravel grinders--great for making your knees sweat and your legs strong.

Last week I made my return to Oceana and I was so happy to be back! It was a beautiful day, the wildflowers were blossoming, the clouds were amazing, and the hills more brutal than I remembered.

(These photos are non-subtly artistified--my camera phone takes horrible pictures).

All I could think about while riding these gnarly roads was Salsa's new Warbird. 

Maybe someday . . .

Here is the profile--about as much climbing as one can hope for in West Michigan.

Monday Funday

Maybe not so much Fun-day for me (as I have to work). But my daughter Snoose has her first day of camp today! She was  a mixed ball of nerves and excitement this morning in anticipation of the big week ahead. Camp time is bittersweet. Snoose returns home alight with new experiences and adventures that have helped her become more confident and independent. It makes me a proud-mama to see her grow, however, the more she grows the less she's my little baby.

In further news, I went on a pleasant, long ride over the weekend with Michelle and Zoom-Zoom. At some point during this ride Michelle asked me if I had gotten on the scale yet. And I had to confess, I did not. And then she accused me of lying on my blog. The nerve.

I did not lie. When I wrote 'that' I had the full intention of weighing myself in the morning. Then somewhere between when I went to bed that night and drinking my coffee the next day I sort-of, kind-of misplaced that intention. Happens to the best of us.

So . . . . . . . this morning I weighed myself.

First I braced myself, leaning heavily on the windowsill as I eased onto the scale. I watched the digits flash up and down like an unnecessarily long sequence on Biggest Loser before the scale settled on a digit.

It was a nice looking number. But I don't think I've weighed that little since 5th grade. Too much leaning on the windowsill. It was cheating.

The second time I had no choice but to go all-in. I removed my hands from the windowsill and settled my weight over the balls of my feet, resting every ounce of myself on the scale.

And it was terrible. Chad is getting fired up to get down to his race weight as well. Last night we pinky-swared that we'd each lose 10 pounds before Iceman.

P.S. I went running in my new Merrell Bare Access Arc shoes this week. I'll write about it later.

Accountability

I need to confess that its been a fight to get back into a regular training routine, especially when it comes to running. I think my body has forgotten how. For the first time this year I ran three times in one week. THREE TIMES.

Yesterday I woke up extra early so I could get in a 6 mile run around Bear Lake. 

And then I hit the snooze button.

But then I got up 30 minutes later with steely determination! Actually, it was more like a lot of sighing and complaining under my breath, stupid running. There was still time for a 3 mile run if I hurried.

I ignored my glowing computer monitor (No Facebook, I will not be tempted and waste valuable minutes of running time!), wrestled into my running gear, grabbed a water bottle and stumbled out the door.

My run was glorious for about 2 miles. And then I was bored. It was hot. Running felt awkward. Did I really used to run half marathons and 25ks? Ugh. I thought I liked running? 

Even though yesterday's run was not one to brag about, I still managed to suffer through it.

However, 

Having a training schedule has been great and its been keeping me accountable as far as exercise goes. But I can't seem to quit my snacking! If you've known me a very long time then you know that I truly struggle with my diet. And I don't mean diet as in Weight Watchers or Atkins. I'm strictly referring to diet in reference to the foods I consume.

I need accountability. The bathroom scale is usually great for this. When I know I need to get on it every morning I make better food choices. There's one small problem . . . 

I'm scared of the bathroom scale. 

It's been months again since I've last gotten on it!

So I'm putting out here and making myself accountable: tomorrow morning I will get on the scale.

I will. 

The 99%

If you want to find out more about Brown County Mountain Biking, I'm currently working on an article for the next issue of Northern Motion, so stay tuned.

AND now you can get Northern Motion Gear. Check it out here!

Summer Vacation

As you can see from my banner ^(look up), I've been on a "summer vacation" from training. You could legitimately say this vacation began on May 31st which was the day of the last endurance training ride I did for LJ100. Okay, so I know LJ100 was just a few weeks ago, but my schedule for the previous two weeks and every day after that has been clear. Spinervals? Nope, sorry Coach Troy! Sufferfests? My passport is lacking any recent stamps from Sufferlandria. Hill Repeats? Hmmm, not those either. Strength Training? Ugh. Under-Overs? . . . Running?

Well, one thing is for certain, I am awesome at taking a break when it comes to neglecting my training schedule.

Back to work.

Unfortunately, my lack of training (and lack of eating healthy training food) has left me feeling like a big'ole'watermelon.

And not as in "a refreshing treat on a hot summer day" but in the "big, bloated, hollowed-out" way.

THIS IS NOT A GOOD FEELING.

To remedy the situation, I decided it was abruptly time to END the summer vacation and get back to work. This week I've been putting together a training schedule from now all the way to Iceman!

Making a training calendar was empowering!
I was already feeling less like a watermelon and more like a Wonder Woman!

Oh yeah, I was going to DESTROY my first workout: Intervals! 

But as I began to "spin" an odd feeling crept up my legs.
It was that empty, hollow watermelon feeling. Sometimes called "flat-tire legs."

Yup, it took all of 30 seconds to completely deplete my enthusiasm.

This was discouraging.

The fact is, there are consequences for taking time off. It's not a bad thing, taking a break can be refreshing. But I can't expect to be at the same place physically as I was during my peak training for Lumberjack. 

The 99%

Training is 99% HARD work. And 1% Awesome. Most of the time you feel awful. The muscles burn, the lungs ache, and your mind tells you to quit. You have to push yourself beyond your limits if you want to become faster and stronger. But if you're willing to do the work, I promise that all the days and weeks of putting yourself through the grinder will cause something amazing to happen. All the blood, sweat, and tears shed during the previous weeks will come together in a trifecta of awesomeness. 

You'll have that ride. The one where you feel like you're flying. Invincible. The one climb that typically turns your quads into ground beef will become your b*tch. Oops, I mean, will become a mole hill! Resistance? Hah! I laugh in your face! 


But that is the 1%

You have to get through the 99% of suffering first. Once you've finally achieved that Ride of Awesomenss, well, I have some bad news: it's not a destination. It's a moment. Once that moment has passed you're right back where you started, the hard work.

As a famous cyclist once said "It never gets easier, you just go faster."—Greg Lemond.

There is good news, however. Because right now I'm starting as a watermelon.

 But after a few weeks of hard work, well . . .

I will feel (and look!) much better .

Look where you want to go.

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend. I know many people that were able to get out for trail rides Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday. Wow!

Sadly I've been battling a mild illness—I'm not sure if its allergies or a cold. After being up coughing all night Thursday and early Friday morning, I opted to not do a 5-hour training ride. A friend called me early one morning and said there was room for one more in their car if I wanted a ride to Yankee. Initially I declined, still feeling rather lousy. But the pull of the trail was too great and I gave in. It was awesome to get in a few laps of single track (even if I couldn't breathe).

Over the weekend we attempted a family ride. My daughter has been relentlessly asking me to take her on a "long" bike ride around Bear Lake (about 7 miles). With no plans on Saturday and my husband off on his 4-hour ride on the NCT, a bike ride with the kids seemed like the perfect activity.

As a mother I feel like I am constantly hounding my kids: look both ways, use your hand breaks, stay on the side of the road, etc.  Eventually I felt like our fun family ride was turning into a nag-fest and so I decided to shut my mouth when I saw her looking over there, over here, behind her, etc.

What happens when you're not looking.

While distracted by some kids playing she looked behind her, unknowingly turning her bike and riding face-first into a fence. Sage learned this weekend exactly how important it is to look where she wants to go.

Her two front teeth were knocked loose and she has a giant gash on the inside of her mouth. It's gnarly looking. Thankfully they are baby teeth and everything will heal up as it should.

She was one tough kid, riding her bike almost 2 miles back home with barely a tear nor complaint. As one of my friends pointed out (and us mountain biker's like to say), she's hardcore. 

Look where you want to go . . . 

Reflecting on her accident I became philosophical and reflective. I've been feeling like I'm hitting a wall of my own: I'm unmotivated and stuck in a bad cycle of poor nutrition and slack training. Perhaps I've been focusing too much on the place I'm at now instead of looking to where I should be going. Where do I want to be as an athlete in 6 months? A year? Two years?

I purposefully have not allowed myself to think about goals. Daily life can be so overwhelming that I have not wanted to put time and energy into thinking past the kids bedtime each day. However, it might be time to make the time. 


The last thing I need is to repeatedly and bewilderingly slam into a wall. This week I am hoping going to sit down with a pen, paper, and an open mind to begin mapping out goals for the short and long term.

Dune Running

Living in West Michigan allows for unique cross-training opportunities. One of the benefits is the abundance of sand and sand dunes. My goal was to do 10 runs up this big dune:

Is it too late in the week for April Fools? Well, I intended to do 10 runs up the hill.
But I didn't quite make it:

Three times.

It was steep.

And beautiful.

Have I mentioned that I . . .

I plan to keep dune-climbing in the mix. It will be good training for the hike-a-bike sections of Lumberjack 100. 

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend and has a good Easter.

Cramming

The last two weeks have reminded me of the only time in college when I pulled an all-nighter. I was a Biblical Lit major and while the class in itself was not remarkable, the final was exhaustive. If I remember correctly, there were 30 essay questions and 50 Bible verses that we were supposed to memorize. Fifty. And, in true 'Heather' fashion, I didn't read the study guide until the night before the exam. Ooops. I had not memorized one single verse. I remember wandering the halls of the dorm at 4 AM, mumbling "stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord . . ."

It was not a good day.

And now the mountain biking season has snuck up on me. Barry-Roubaix is just two days away and I feel ill-prepared. I've tried cramming 3 months of training into 10 days. 

I'm finding myself facing the hard fact that there is no over-night substitute for months of hard work. And as I recall, I didn't do so hot on that final exam either. 

If I were to get grades for training, here is what my report card would look like:

Pre-riding the BRX course — F

Spinerval Interval workouts — Incomplete

Cross-Training (running) — B-

Hilly Training Ride — Incomplete

Steady State Intervals — A

Strength Training — C+

Extra miles riding with the family — A++++

Shall we call this an 'E' for Effort???? 

My big plan was to do a 3 hour gravel, hilly ride on Saturday last weekend. However, my husband ended up having to work and I was unable to get out for a ride. I spent the day playing with the kids and had a nice cookout at my parents house.

Sunday, to make up for my missed ride, I was going to ride the BRX course one final time with Matt, Jim, and Jim. But that was going to be 3 hours of driving plus 2.5-3 hours of riding. I didn't want to be gone all day.

I compromised, doing a 38 mile ride along the Lakeshore Trail from North Muskegon to Hoffmaster State Park and back. It's not gravely, nor hilly. I didn't get much of an interval workout, but I did try to keep my intensity level up. Then, that evening, we took the kids on a 15-mile bike-ride to the Muskegon Channel. 50 miles in one day is near record for me, especially when considering I was towing an extra 60 pounds for the last fifteen miles.

By the way, the Weehoo is a HUGE hit. And the extra weight is an "equalizer." I don't completely disappear behind Chad now on family rides. 

My legs were trashed by the end of the weekend. 

Wednesday I have a standing lunch road-ride scheduled with a friend. Typically its a recovery ride for me, an easy pace for 24 miles. Being the genius that I am, I thought I would up the intensity and ride my mountain bike this week instead. 

What I learned is that riding a road bike at 17 mph is a nice recovery ride, but riding a mountain bike at 17+ mph for 24 miles is a freaking challenging workout.

After thoroughly destroying my legs, I am taking two days of complete rest—for better or for worse.

Barry-Roubaix Strategy

I'll admit I don't have a race strategy. I still consider myself new to xc racing even though this will be my third year competing, this is my first time racing BRX. Every race is different and full of their own unique challenges. One thing is for certain, this will be a race for the teams and the cross bikes. Even though I may not be competing for a place on the podium, this race will be an accurate gauge of my fitness going into the three months preceding the Lumberjack 100. In that respect, I do have a goal in mind . . . but that is only for me to know. I like to face my demons internally, alone, mano-y-mano and suffer in silence.

Read more BRX preview reports and interviews:

Cycling Dirt: Kim Thomas Interview

Cycling Dirt: Adam York Interview

kolo t.c. 2012 Course Preview

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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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).

Creating Memories

I have mixed feelings coming into the next cycling season. Last year was great as far as personal achievements go. I blew away my previous PR for the 25k River Bank Run--averaging over a minute faster per mile! My cycling skills improved and I even got a little faster.

But something else has snuck up on me, something surprising and even more fulfilling than reaching my personal goals--my kids aren't babies anymore! I hate to admit it, but I did not enjoy being a mom to infants. They cry, they poop, they spit up food, they need to be carried around in a giant car seat that caused debilitating pain in my back and shoulders . . . ugh. And those big eyes, well, I found them a bit creepy. Babies don't blink! It's just not normal. They just stare and stare, until you are convinced you've given birth to an alien spawn child.

Now my kids are old enough to do stuff. Taking my daughter for her first mountain bike ride this summer was one of the greatest memories I will ever have. It was amazing. This winter I started cross country skiing with my kids. I tow my 2 year old son in a sled behind me while I ski with my daughter. Its good fun. Turns out I really do LOVE being a mom.

I find myself spending more and more time with my kids and less and less time training . . . Which is not a bad thing at all. But it is a different feeling.

Creating Family Memories.
This last weekend we went up to Crystal Mountain with my brother's family, my parents, and my SIL's mom. We had a packed house--grammas, papa, aunts, uncles, cousins, dogs--the perfect chaotic mix for family fun.

We woke Saturday morning to 6 inches of fresh snow. No one in my immediate family has downhill skis. In fact, we had planned to do some sledding, snowshoeing, and swimming at the resort while my brother and his family skied. But with the fresh snowfall, the hills called to me. I really wanted to ski! Fortunately, my SIL had a spa treatment planned which meant her skis were at my disposal!

My husband and I bundled up the two kids and hiked down to the rentals where the kids were fitted and kitted for their first downhill skiing experience. Both kids took to it like naturals. After just a few short runs my daughter was asking to go on the big hills with the chair lift!

Even though I try not to worry, I just can't help but imagine all the horrible things that can happen. I am so thankful to my brother who took her up for some mom-free downhill skiing. Where I would have hovered over her in a panic, he was able to give her some freedom and wings to fly. Thanks bro!

My son, my little 2 year old Evil Knievel--it didn't take long for him to start smack talking. This was perhaps his first taste of independence. He could get on and off the Magic Carpet by himself. He stood an entire inch taller riding up the hill, doing a little dance and singing to himself. Occasionally another skier would smile and wave at him, he'd reply "I'm awesome! I'm skiing by MY SELF!" Or he'd look at me and start in "I'm doing this by my self. Not with you! I can DO this! YEAHHHHH!" and then he'd grunt and dance.

Once at the top of the hill, the race began! He could taste speed. He'd barrel towards the bottom as fast as he could. As he careened uncontrollably down the hill he'd do The Running Man.

Sunday, my husband took our daughter swimming and my son came xc skiing with me. We enjoyed having some one-on-one time with the kids. It was a wonderful weekend. I keep finding myself smiling at memories that bubble-up throughout the day.

As I scroll through facebook and see all the long training rides my friends accomplished, well, I may be getting a bit behind on the schedule, but I have no regrets with how I spent my time.

Quick and Effective Workouts

I'm a fortunate person in that I work from home most of the time. This gives me pockets of flexibility that I absolutely do not take for granted. I have an extra hour in the morning where the rest of the world is getting themselves presentable, packing lunches, and briefcases and scurrying to rush out the door.

Not me. I play with my kids, cuddle them, and gently coax them through their morning routine. Once I scootch them out the door with their dad, I do my taxing commute of descending a dozen stairs and sitting at my desk.

Lunch hour? I can go for a run, a bike ride, or both! No shower needed afterwards. There's no one here but the cats to impress. And lets face it, there's nothing I can do that will impress them.

This month, however, the trifecta of work emergencies/disasters has struck. I am finding myself working before the sun rises, through lunch, and the second my husband gets home from work, I descend the stairs and am at my desk for at least 3-4 more hours. There is no free hour to spare for training.

Which is adding to my anxiety! I have a race in 7 weeks . . . Now is not the time to be anchored to a desk. Fortunately, I have an arsenal of quickie workouts I do when I have 5, 10, or even just 15 minutes. I use those to get through a couple of days until I can get in an hour spin.

Here is my super-quickie workouts:

5-min: 50 kettlebell swings

10-min: 50 kettlebell swings, Turkish Get-Ups (6 ea. side), 50 Jumping Jacks

15-min: 50 kettlebell swings, Turkish Get-Ups, 50 Juming Jacks, Bulgarian Squats, 10 push-ups

20-min: 15 min of intervals on the exercise bike, Kettlebell swings, pushups

Getting involved in a project on the computer is great, but spending hours at my desk reaks havoc on my back. My other tip is to set the timer on my oven for 75 minutes. Every 1:15 minutes I have to get up, run up the stairs and reset the alarm. I usually do a couple of quick stretches before I sit back down at my desk. When I'm in the office, I do something similar. I keep a small cup of water to sip on while I work. As soon as its empty its time to get up, stretch, walk around and refill my cup.

And, if all else fails and I get to the end of the day realizing I didn't do a darn thing, I challenge the husband to a "Plank-off" before bed. We assume the Plank position and see who can hold the pose the longest. I always lose.

These mini-workouts mentally keep me moving forward. So I missed my 9-mile run this week, it's okay. And I missed my 90 minute trainer workout. That's going to happen. But I have not completely fallen off the wagon, I have successfully continued my losing streak in the Plank-Off last night.