Half-a-century ride!

Yesterday, I finally completed a 50-mile ride, a goal I have had for a few months, but have been unable (for one reason or another) to actually attempt.  What a relief!!!  It was quite painful, maybe more than I had imagined it would be, especially in my quads and my sitbones.  Last night, I ordered a new pair of bike shorts that had great reviews from women who do long rides, so I am hopeful I can take care of the sitbone issue.  The quads, well, we'll see.  A few things about my route:  there is a hill similar to Oceanside at mile 18, climbing about 400 feet over 3 miles, with another 200 foot climb a few miles later; part of the route had the WORST ROAD EVER, with frost wedges/breaks every 20 feet...thud thud....thud thud....thud thud (man, is that annoying!); very few bikes or cars on the road, even though it is Spring Break here.  I don't think I took in enough calories during my ride, but luckily, I was able to make it.  That will have to change for the race, but I think I can dial it in over the next few weeks!

It's gettin' real

We are leaving for California in two weeks.  Two weeks from today, actually.  I am starting to freak out, on the inside, where it counts.  I think I can make it, but honestly, I'm most worried about the run.  And my knee.  Will it hold up?  I've been afraid to run the past week.  What if the IT band is painful?  What if I re-aggravate it and cannot run?  Will I be able to make the cutoff if I have to walk the whole thing?  I could probably walk it in a little over 3 hours at a hustle pace.  I guess we'll see...

On a brighter note, I had a swimming lesson on Sunday, which was very helpful.  We worked on streamlining my stroke and on 1-beat kicks instead of flutter.  The kick makes it so I don't become so winded when I go hard.  And I can reliably do 1:12-or-under 50s.  I even got a 1:02 on my last 50...hooray!!!  She's really nice, but always looks a bit confused after I stop swimming, with her head cocked sideways.  If she had a beard, she might stroke it.  We had a good laugh about my uncoordinated breast stroke.  Apparently, the coordination of my kick and stroke is a bit off, and it was funny watching me try to put them together correctly :)  I feel much more confident that I'll be able to shave some time off of the swim over the next few years.  I'd like to be able to get out of the water and not have to chase people down on the bike in order to not be last.  Ultimately, I'm going to have to work on my body tolerating looooooonnnnnnnngggggg bikes and runs if I am going to be able to do a full Ironman.  But, I should probably get through this Half first...

Doc vs. Jadito Hill

I had mostly recovered from this disgusting crud bestowed upon me by my second-born, and I lined up a sitter for Sunday, so I could go on a nice, long run (11 miles).  I had everything ready, took off, and was feeling pretty good, when I came upon my first nemesis...Jadito hill, a 140-foot climb over .40 miles, the bulk of which occurs over about .20 miles.  This hill happens early in my run, and most days, I end up walking the steepest part.  It serves as a nice warm-up for the next big hill, a 100-foot climb in less than .10!  So, I'm feeling good, and I get to Jadito hill, and I am able to keep running, and I make it all the way to the top!  And I feel proud.  And I feel a little pain in my IT band area.  So, I take it easy up the next big climb, and it hurts a little more.  The next big climb on my loop is 190-foot climb over .85 miles, and about .7 miles in, my knee begins to hurt so badly, I have to walk. I try slowing my cadence, speeding my cadence, shortening my stride, lengthening my stride (DEFINITELY NOT RECOMMENDED), running on my toes, striking mid-foot, heel-striking, and nothing, nothing took away the knife-stabbing-under-my-kneecap pain like walking did.  So that's what I did, about 4 miles into my run...I walked home.  I did a total of 5.3 of my 11 miles.  And I felt defeated, and scared.  I have a half-marathon to run in 4 weeks, after I ride 56 miles!!!

To make matters worse, I had my first swim lesson last night.  I showed up a little early to warm up, but my coach arrived 15 minutes late, so I swam 18 laps.  She had me work on my stroke a bit and do some kick and speed work, which made my knee scream at me.  So, again, I felt a little defeated.  And scared.  I have put so much time and money into this race already, I just can't imagine not being able to finish.

In the battle against Jadito, I won.  I hope I didn't lose the war.