Surviving the Century

The Santa Fe Century is full of lies.

David, looking strong enough to pull me up the hills

Race officials lied when they called it a 100-mile bike ride (it's actually 103.9). David lied when he told me it was an easy ride (it's actually the 2nd hardest thing I've done in my life). And I lied to my body when I said, "no, silly kneecaps, you're not about to explode. And I'm sorry rear end, but I think you're over-reacting to the fact that we've been sitting on a bike saddle for 7 hours now."

But, lies and all, I almost doubled the furthest distance I've ever biked in one day last Sunday.

The scenery was beautiful (people come from all over the west to do this race). And it was so cool to see amazing cyclists doing what they love, and to be near so many people who nod in approval when we tell them we're training to bike across the country - like it's the most natural thing to do in the world!

Feeling deceptively good
at the 2nd Rest Stop

Another thing that amazed me was the variable in speed caused by the tandem. 40+ mph on the downhills comes much easier for us than single bikers, and I think the guy who caught our wake down the steepest of those hills got quite a thrill ride as he drafted his way down behind us. Our speed and weight also carry us further beyond the hills, allowing us to coast for very long periods of time. We didn't suffer too much on the uphills either (a fair amount of my own stubborn competitiveness might have been a factor there).

103.9 miles later, with the windburn
and grease stains to prove it!

All in all, we're feeling more confident than ever that we might actually be able to finish this crazy trip we're embarking on. If you want to see the stats of our ride, you can check those out here.

Looking Fast!

You don't need to go fast to look fast if you have the right photographer! My sister, Deziree, took these awesome photos of David and I, and now I'm hoping to use some of them to personalize this blog. Check out the full reel at Dez's Blog.

Double Loop! What Does it Mean?

Double Loop! What Does it Mean?*

The Camping

Our test-run camping trip this weekend with Matt and Karen Holmes was a HUGE success! All the amazing gear we were gifted over the winter from our wonderful friends and family finally made it out of its plastic wrap and into practical use. The sleeping bag liners and inflatable pillows did the trick for a chilly spring night in the mountains, and our cooking set was both adorably-lightweight and actually useful! All in all, we're feeling even more confident at the prospect of camping our way across the country.

The Ride

Round Two of our preparations this weekend was a 55-mile bike ride in the mountains of New Mexico. We did our standard loop route... except twice. It was a total of 5,500 feet (1 mile!) in elevation gain. Sure, we also lost 5,500 feet, but I'm telling you, when you're cruising along an empty NM 4 at 30+ mph, bragging to your husband how much you love being a cyclist now, you quickly forget the whole "what goes up" thing.

Just imagine this x2.

As I told David a number of times throughout the last part of the ride, I really believe that it was the hardest thing I've ever done - even harder than running a marathon. I am not too proud to deny that I whimpered at the base of a few of the more daunting hills (so about 80% of the time). One of my least favorites is the hairpin turn between Bandelier and White Rock. There's nothing like losing 300 feet in an immediate drop only to have to make it up on the other side of the canyon (see pic below).

After 4 excruciating hours, 2 entire camelbaks, 5 minutes resting face down in a ditch, some senseless giggling from the backseat, and a promise that as soon as we got home I would spend the next hour lying on the couch making zombie noises, we made it! Our legs were numb and neither of us could eat because we were nauseated from dehydration, but we made it! Santa Fe Century - here we come!

I don't think of them as hills, so much as pain in it's purest form.

*If you're a faithful YouTube follower, you will immediately get the reference in the title of this post. If not... well, there's always this link (if you wanna waste another 4 minutes of you life).

Dog Jog 2012

Cross Training

Here's us at the finish line last year.

Don't know if you knew this, but it's not particularly easy to switch back and forth from running to biking. You'd think "in-shape is in-shape, after all." Besides, the motion of running is fairly similar to that of biking... but you'd be wrong. Just ask my husband, who has to listen to me complain about the soreness of previously neglected muscles any morning after I switch from a more highly favored form of exercise to another.

For example, there is something about the free form style of running that hits more minor balancing muscles in the hips, feet, and ankles - especially after hill training. And so the story of my training has been these last few months as I've attempted to prepare for both our Cross Country trip and a few races I have planned for the summer.

The Race

Which brings me to the quads, which I've found to vary in soreness based on sheer speed. Yesterday, for example, Latah and I competed in our 3rd Los Alamos Dog Jog. Or should I say, Latah pulled me to a speedy 2nd place, with a time of 22:25 - a 35 second improvement over last year. And, because my husband talked me into a short 12-mile bike ride once we got home, my quads are now so hopelessly sore, I've been hobbling up and down the stairs like (as my sister puts it) a hunchbacked gorrilla who's been ostracized from the rest of the clan for being lame and walking weird.

But of course, with great challenge comes great reward! Latah and I brought home a $50 Pet Pangaea gift card, boutique quality dog treats, and a $25 gift card to the Running Hub. Add to that the free t-shirts and the $25 Second Street Brewery gift card Deziree earned for carrying her pathetic (borrowed) pooch across the finish line, and I think we made out quite nicely :)

100 Miles

Things are becoming more and more real as our plans come together:

David in the 2009 Tour de Los Alamos

Travel Prep

I bought two one-way tickets to Portland, Maine this morning! So we're definitely getting there, but we'll be relying on our own two wheels to get us home. Also, I took a "100 Places to Visit" quiz this morning and discovered that the Portland Head Lighthouse is a must-see on that list, which will be #37 on my list!

Supplies

We used our REI member coupon to order me a touring saddle, so certain parts of me are definitely looking forward to enjoying. We'll also be in Albuquerque this week for David's Professional Engineering exam, and we'll celebrate his successful completion of the test with a trip to REI to SPEND OUR DIVIDEND!

Training

In Los Alamos, "The Loop" is a popular route for cyclists, as well as a standard unit of measurement for training. It's 30 miles, mountainous, hot, and finishes with a huge uphill climb. The Tour de Los Alamos, a local race we hope to do as training, published this map of the Loop course.

We hope to complete two consecutive loops in preparation for the Santa Fe Century (100 miles). David tells me that if we can master the mountainous terrain of the high desert, the rest of the U.S. will roll under our treads like butter.

The Story So Far...

T-minus 145 days until David and I find ourselves in Portland, Maine with nothing but our bikes, our tent, 3 changes of clothes, and a map to Portland, Oregon. We threw this blog together not only to document that adventure, but to tell the story of everything that came before.

My hope for this Spring is to make a post to this blog once a week with training updates, victories and defeats, and hopefully enough humor and adventure in between to make it all worthwhile. I want to do a photo shoot with my sister soon so we can have some original, bike-related pics to post as well. To help her with ideas, check out Just Another Photography Blog.

In the meantime, you can check out our tabs, including looking at the training we're doing, checking for updates on a potential charity sponsorship, or perusing our route (who knows, we might be passing right by you!)

Waiting Out the Weather

Sitting at home waiting for the snow to stop so we can get a training ride in. We've been shackled to our indoor bike trainier for two months and we're becoming a little anxious to test out the new gear we got for Christmas.

Photo stolen from my sister and used without permission. Thanks Dez :)

This is what winter in New Mexico looks like, i.e. the warden in front of our house that imprisons us to train within the Great Indoors. And since we're on the topic on my sister, Deziree the Amazing Photographer, here's a shameless plug for her photography blog.

-Leanne