Week 19: Trudging along

Saturday long Ride - Ride with Roberta for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

I had a 6 hour ride on my training schedule and I was trying to find a group to ride with when I got an email about a 100 mile ride/fundraiser event for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society being put on by Roberta Gonzales (a local TV celebrity. Channel 5 News) I knew she was fast from reading a report she had written on IM Lake Placid, but I thought, what the hell? It is a TNT event there should be some other slow people.

Uh, wrong.

Here is the group shot before we took off. Nope, not a slow one in the bunch. Well, except the round one on the end in the pink.

I got there early and when all these skinny guys on expensive bikes started showing up I panicked and almost bailed. I was even texting Southbay Girl telling her I wanted to bail.

The fast guys were actually VERY nice and a couple of them were at Grizzly Peaks Century the weekend before and were very impressed that I had stayed to do 74 miles. They had packed up and left when it started pouring at the start.

Roberta Gonzales was gorgeous and as sweet and energetic as a person could be. She is being awarded the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Woman of the Year Award. Which is HUGE honor.

Roberta and I at the regroup. Taken to prove to my mother that yes, I was riding with THAT Roberta Gonzales.

You know you are gorgeous when 4 men pull over to change your tire for you.

Fortunately, I saw one of the ride leaders from the Cinderella Training and she told me that she was coming off an injury and she and her friend were going to be slow and I could ride with them.

Hale-fucking-leujah!

They had decided to cut off a 10 mile loop from the beginning of the ride so that the rest of the group would not being waiting at the too long at the regroup. Our ride would be about 84 miles and the rest of the group would be doing 94. I would have preferred to ride the full 94, but versus being dropped instantly and riding 94 miles alone, I would take 84.

Me and my crew! Thank you Pat and Al. You rock!

As seems to be my norm lately, I started my Garmin late and I only recorded 81 miles of the ride, but I got all of the climb. 5,011 ft of climb to be exact, most of which was between miles 20 and 45.

The elevation profile for the ride.


Al and I head up the first long climb together...


It wasn't long after that he looked like this. (Hint: The little dot waaaaay up the hill is Al. The person waaaay back holding the camera is me.)

Overall I am feeling much stronger climbing. I am not setting any land speed records, but I feel like I can climb just about anything.

There was not much shade cover and it got a little warm, but my new Neutrogena SPF 70 sunblock seemed to protect me pretty well and I got away with minimal redness. Unlike Rage, where I burned so bad, I was branded with my race number for a week. Apparently, magic marker has A LOT of SPF, as the race number practically glowed white surrounded by bright red. My students thought it was HILARIOUS and referred to me as "Ms. 581."

Horses sunbathing on the side of the road.


Climbing in the full sun while taking a self-portrait. Mad skillz!

All in all, it was a great ride and when we got back Roberta treated everyone to a delicious Mexican buffet.

My ride buddy, Al and I after lunch.

Sunday Long Run - The long anticipated threesome at Garin!

I was invited by the lovely Jo Lynn to join her and her adorable Boomer on a trail run early Mother's Day morning. How could I say no?

Damn dog never stops moving. This is the best shot I got, but I had to put it in because he is absolutely A-DOR-A-BLE!!

Let me start this report with some more Blogland truth:

Jo Lynn often reports that she is slow. Jo Lynn is NOT slow. She, in fact, joins the ever lengthening RBR list of Big Fat Blog Liars.

My picture is sucks and is all blurry, but it has that "Cybil Shepherd Vaseline lens" effect that a woman of my age and sun exposure appreciates.


Here is Jo Lynn's much clearer and much more historically accurate picture. I look like I am suffering, and I am.

Now, we had planned to do 10 miles, however, after about a tenth of a mile I was hoping that Jo Lynn, our little trail bunny, would have forgotten that minor detail. She is incredibly hot, so she must be stupid right? WRONG. Damn it! Why do I keep meeting these smart AND beautiful women?

She kept trotting along like we were on a Sunday stroll while I huffed and puffed next to her intermittently stopping to check the side of the trail for my expelled lungs.

In my defense, I present Exhibit A:

Elevation profile for our run. Total 1900' ft of climb

We did get to see some of my beloved cows up close: In honor of Carolina John who shares in my bovine love (not as creepy as it sounds) but did not have his camera on his last time out (again, not as creepy as it sounds):

This big boy could have cared less as we ran right by him.

It was a great run and we had a blast even if my bootay was seriously screamin' from those hills. And if the lovely, trail bunny will have me, we will definitely be running together again soon!