Things That Almost Make Me Crash + Good Training Food

I am exhausted. I cannot believe I only have 2 more weeks to prepare for this ride. TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY I'll be an hour or so in to a 5+ hour day of biking - the first of five such days. That is terrifying.

This weekend I biked 42 miles on Saturday, and 38 on Sunday. On Sunday I realized that there are 3 things that consistently make me almost fall off my bike, or crash into other cyclists. Those three things are:

1) Pretty houses: Biking around the lakes in Minneapolis, it is impossible not to notice all the ridiculously beautiful homes around you. By "homes" I mean "mansions", really. They are amazing. When I see one I particularly like (every other house, roughly?) I start day dreaming about how I'd decorate the house I'll never own, with all the things I can't afford. I would do a bang up job, let me tell you - if I don't get killed by oncoming traffic first, that is.

2) Cute animals: Biking around the lakes also involves seeing quite a few ducks. And where ever there are ducks there are....DUCKLINGS! There is a little pond that I ride by often, and I have been watching the ducklings grow each week. First there were 5 and now there are only 3. I know that probably what happened to them isn't as nice as this, but I imagine they are off at duckling boarding school or something. Or maybe their parents split up and 2 of them decided to go with their dad? Anyway, in addition to ducklings there are the bunnies who sit along side the trails munching on grass and being all adorable. I always stare at them too and then nearly run some child off the trail. Woops!

3) BUGS! EEK! This is my least favorite reason for almost crashing my bike. Without fail, each and every ride my safety is compromised when a bug (or 17) attaches itself to my shirt, or flies down the front of my shirt, or lands in my hair, or ends up in my mouth. EEK! I cannot handle this. Yesterday I had to pick a beetle-like thing out of my sports bra. Not long after that I felt something land on my head (in the spaces of my helmet), and I actually found myself hoping it was bird poop! It wasn't. So instead of stopping, I just took off my helmet quickly while riding (look ma, no hands!) and starting fishing around in my hair. Instead of gently removing the poor thing, I smooshed him into my hair. It was not pleasant for me, but even less pleasant for him. Again, woops!

At any rate, while Andrea mentioned that her legs are shaping up nicely, I cannot say the same. This could be because as soon as I got home, I cooked and then devoured a giant tub of pesto pasta with sundried tomatoes and tofu, and then baked 2 different kinds of delicious vegan layer cakes:

Vanilla cake with fluffy lemon frosting

and Double chocolate with chocolate frosting:

Yeah, that might be part of the problem. It's hard to say, though, really...

-Mindy

Things I've Learned While Training for TRAM

When I told Steff that I would, in fact, sign up to ride 300 miles in 5 days with her, there are a number of things I didn't know....things that might have swayed my decision. Here are a few of those things:

1. I had no idea how expensive fancy bike gear and special outfits were! Or maybe I did, but I thought "I don't need those silly things! I have shorts and t-shirts - good enough!" Wrong. Turns out those padded shorts that look comical on even the fittest cyclist are necessary - and spendy. It also turns out that if you buy those shorts too big, you will end up regretting it.
2. Enter: Chamois Butt'r lotion. Yes, this is a real thing, and yes, it is what it sounds like. It's cream that you rub all over the insides of your shorts to avoid chafing. It, too, is not cheap. The verdict is still out on whether or not this is as necessary as the shorts themselves.
3. Those gloves you see bikers wearing? Not just for show! As it happens, your hands get very sore from holding on to the handlebars for hours on end. I now own a $25 pair of gloves that are supposed to remedy that, but really only serve to reduce the pain, not prevent it. They do make me look pretty hard core, though, and that's worth $25.
   
4. I did not know that once I convinced Jeff to join in on the fun he would start using me as a water mule. Because he has replaced his water cage with a water bottle sized iPod speaker (see where his priorities are?), he has no place for his water. That's where the pockets on the back of my shirt come in. On a number of occasions, he has almost run me off the road trying to retrieve his water without stopping.
   
5. I drink more water than any human being ever in the history of the world (this may be a slight exaggeration). I base my bike route on the number of places I can stop to refill my water bottle. I ration oh-so-carefully from stop to stop so that I don't turn into a Thirsty Monster. Occasionally Jeff's water mule has actually consumed his water instead of just carrying it. Today I ordered a CamelPak hydration backpack thing, which should help the situation.
   

That all said, I totally would have still said "yes" when Steff asked if I wanted to do this. It's a challenge, but it's fun. Tonight I did a 27 mile ride after doing 33 miles on Saturday and 20 on Sunday. My legs are a little sore, but I think I'll be ready by July 26th. I THINK. Fingers crossed!

-Mindy

Oh, Beautiful Lake Superior

I have been pretty ho-hum about my training. I am a procrastinator by nature. I was this way in middle school, high school, college, and now follow the same patterns in work and parenting. It usually works just fine for me, although my darling husband, Erin, may say otherwise.

I am quickly realizing that procrastination will not work for this biking situation I have gotten myself into. Procrastination is obviously my Enemy #1, but I have found another enemy, one cloaked in the beauty of water and rocks.

I've done some rides, but no more than 30 miles at one time. I would like to argue that the 26 mile ride along the Scenic Highway from Duluth to Two Harbors counts as AT LEAST 35 miles. It was hilly. It was windy. It was no fun at all. My only inspirations were the well-defined calf muscles my riding partner sports. I thoroughly enjoyed drafting off of him and thinking about what my calves could look like if I were to ride my bike a little more.

I also did a 15 mile ride along Lake Superior from Judge Magney State Park to our hotel in Grand Marais. From the car it looked like it would be a beautiful ride. The lake on my left, wild flowers in the ditches to my right. However, I feel like the Lake might have something against me. Could it really have been all up hill? And could the wind be blowing very forcefully against me the whole way? Oh, and thank you, Lake, for the wonderful drizzle. I really needed that to cool off in the 50-ish degree weather. Also, could any of you who may walk your dogs on this stretch of the highway please pick up any doody your precious animals may leave? It distracts me from hating the Lake so much, something I need to devote all of my energy to.

I finished both of these rides along the beautiful Lake Gitchi Gummi and felt like a better person for it. But I am so grateful for the TRAM Ride being nowhere near this lake that hates me.