Systems Clear

It has been eight weeks to the day of my dramatic little bike wreck in Dewey Beach. It seems fitting that on Friday my orthopedic doctor announced that it's time to head to PT.
After another set of x-rays and an exam, he confirmed that the bone is growing solid and my avulsion fracture has stayed in place vs separating. In summary, my bones are strong enough that I won't do more damage to them.
It's surprising that that little chip on my shoulder, and a mushy shoulder bone can cause this much pain.
To be honest, it still hurts like nobody's business --- esp at night.
The Doc says that my arm is weak, inflexible and has some scar tissue. He's confident that getting worked over by the PT for 4 weeks should make me as good as new.
Back to normal...looking forward to that day.
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Survey says?

Why is it that more often than not when you go to your doctor's office to hear some sort of important news there always seems to be a delay getting to the punchline.

First, you wait in the lobby. Then you wait in the exam room. Then other folks come and go. Then the doctor comes in and then leave and then comes back again.

This was my afternoon appointment.

Let's do this in the reverse order. The fantastic news --- NO surgery or likely rehab. Yay!!!!!!!
As I waited for the ortho to review my MRI images in another room --- I decided to go through my written file and read what the MRI folks said b/c of course after hours of pouring over internet research I am now a medical intern.

What did catch my eye was a reference to image #14.

Soon enough, the ortho was back and we were all looking at mysterious image #14 on the big screen.
Apparently in addition to the small chip on my arm there is some strange shadowing on the ball of my shoulder. As the ortho explained it to me ----

• My outer core is intact and looks strong (the chip is below the ball)
• The shadowing confirms that there is some mushiness and weakness inside the core --- similar to if you punched a honeycomb. Main piece would stay intact, but inner combs would be messy.
• 4-6 weeks of rest; in and out of my sling is the recommendation --- with an emphasis to get out of the sling and be a little active, but within reason and never straining my shoulder w/o proper support.

I am psyched!

Mom (my official chauffeur, partner-in-crime and medical buddy) and I decided to celebrate by buying an obscene amount of wine, cheese, crackers and fancy chocolate.

I may not be 100% today, but we have a plan. Watch out...I'm coming back stronger than ever.

Just like the pros

When I saw how tore up my forearm, knee, leg and hand was after the bike accident we did a little research on how best to care for these wounds.

First, we learned that hydrogen peroxide may not be as good of a friend as we assumed. Apparently it can be harsher on your skin when used regularly.  Second, I used tubes of neosporin to keep everything clean and drying up.

Third and most importantly, I used these cool "second-skin-like" bandages that keep everything tightly covered, but also allow the wounds to breath. They are called Tegaderm...and they are AMAZING.

Lots of rave reviews from cyclists on The Tour who said it was great for road rash and other gashes.
After 10 days, my wounds look fantastic!

T-minus 30 minutes to launch

That's how I felt as I was positioned in the MRI machine this morning --- but more on that in a bit.

What is totally baffling is that I spent my childhood aggressively playing numerous organized sports (soccer, swimming, tennis and volleyball) and was always hanging out with kids whose regular conversations went something like this:

• "Wanna build a ramp out of boards or snow and jump our bikes/skateboards/sleds over them?"

• "Wanna pull me behind your bike while I hold on to the seat while I'm on my skateboard?"

• "Wanna race down the street on our bikes while I sit on your handlebars?"

• "Wanna go exploring in the park/woods/creek?"

• "Wanna run around the neighborhood playing a monster game of flashlight tag?"

• "Wanna climb those fences/trees?"

In all that time I may have skinned by knees, but I never got seriously injured --- and yet later in life this old bag of bones seems to be a magnetic for injury. Figures.

So back to my Mission to Mars that's a courtesy of this bike wreck.

If you've ever had the pleasure of having an MRI you know what I mean. After removing every piece of jewelry and donning a lovely hospital gown I shoved ear plugs in my ears, got positioned on this sled-like bed and was rolled into position.

I kid you not, I felt like I was heading to the Moon w/o the proper training or gear.

The loud buzzing and beeping took some getting used to, but somehow I just closed my eyes, kept very still and in a way meditated to the sound of those buzzes and beeps. In no time the 30 minutes was up and I was heading out the door with my CD full of cool looking images.

Unfortunately, I couldn't convince the tech to tell me anything. I'm just going to have to wait until next Wednesday to learn the results. It's like discovering your Christmas gift early, but you can't figure out how to effectively open the box to see what's inside.

I'll take a Dark and Stormy

Even the most positive person has a down day and I think it's only to be expected that today is the day I was wallowing and feeling sorry for myself.

Today it rained from morning until night --- dark and storm and dreary. I've basically been stuck in bed since Saturday, I haven't gotten any physically activity since then and it is clear I won't be racing at The Nations Triathlon this year.

Today was also the day I headed to my orthopedic surgeon to discuss my busted up left arm. You may recall that the folks at Beebe Medical called me yesterday to insist that I see an ortho since after the fact they saw what appeared to be a chipped bone on my film.

After another painful and restless night that required painkillers to induce sleep, I was starting to feel beat down. The news from Beebe only helped to push me further down.

With all this as a backdrop I arrived at the doctor's office. After another set of x-rays --- and let me tell you the pain of getting that updated film was kinda awful --- it was clear that I had chipped my shoulder. Who would have thought that what appears to be a minor bone chip could cause this much pain!

The doctor then did a series of strength and flexibility tests to both my arms.

The good news --- I was stronger and had more range than he would have expected.

The bad news --- during a resistance test he was concerned with my performance and level of pain as I brought my arm back down into a neutral position. This plus the location of the chip gave him concern that I may have damaged my rotator cuff --- a much more serious injury that would require surgery.

Whaaaat???? F-ing surgery?! Now the thought of that freaked me out.

I'll find out more tomorrow after my MRI and follow-up with my ortho.

Now the danger of the unknown and having more time than you'd like to think and analyze is that you can start spinning...and that's what happened tonight.

All the "what if's" and "why me...again" started racing around --- all completely unproductive time sucks I might add. Though, I do wonder what lesson all this is intended to teach me. I've had my fair share of "coming back from adversity" stories that I would hope that I've sufficiently learned those lessons.

Given how far I've come to train for Nations and my other fall events, I have to admit that I am crushed at the thought of losing my momentum and separately missing out on the opportunity to compete, but obviously there is a reason for all of this b/c I just can't accept that life is just this f-ing random.

So after tonight --- or more realistically tomorrow after I hear the prognosis --- I'm shutting down this pity-party and harnessing my energy in a more positive direction.

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I should own stock in Neosporin

It's day three and I continue to see improvement. My road rash is drying out, which means it's itchy and a bit oozey. Lovely.

My deeper cuts are healing nicely as a result of bathing them regularly in Neosporin and keeping them covered. Check out the front of my left leg and the back of my left arm....looking so much better!


[Front of left leg]



[Left forearm]

I'm pleased to report that though my left arm muscles still hurt like crazy my range of motion is improving. I may grit my teeth, whimper at times, throw out a few curse words and move as slow as molasses, but I definitely notice improvement. I'm still not able to extend my arm fully to the side or lift it above my waist --- but that's a heck of a lot better than 48 hrs ago!

My goal is to not only rest it, but also keep getting blood in there by carefully but regularly moving it. Move it or lose it I say. I've noticed that the result of trying to be "active" is that I get really tired, really quickly. Note to self...don't over due it.

As time goes by I continue to notice little things that remind me how bad this crash and the related slide was and how freaking lucky I am. A few new observations:

. While taking a shower I noticed that the bottom of my platinum wedding band and engagement ring have noticeable scratches and dings from sliding on the asphalt

.  More bruises have appeared on the right side of my body --- legs and arms --- where I must have slammed on top of the bike.

. The tape on the left side of my handlebars is torn/sliced away from the sliding

. The front of my aerobars are deeply scratched from slamming into the road

. The side of my left tri shoe is scratched up from the sliding

. Looks like my bike's back rim is twisted from the wreck too

All minor things, but in totality a little freaky.

I know that the goal will be to get back out there as soon as I am physically able. I am not going to let this incident hold me back and will continue to ride hard, but this experience will ensure I continue to ride smart.

The Day After

A day after the accident and I'm definitely feeling sore and tired.

My wounds look better due to regular and intense cleaning. Here's a pix of my left hand. It looks way better, though you can't see all the scrapped pink road rashed skin. It may be painful...but at least it's healing. Let's just say that I have my own mini-pharmacy set up in my room with drugs, creams, tape, bandages and gauze.

I've also noticed some soreness on some of my fingers. Must be where my fingers got jammed during the fall. I'm also starting to see more bruising on my legs and arms where I'm guessing I slammed against the bike during my fall.

In all seriousness, I'm most concerned about my left arm's range of motion. I am confident that it will be better soon...but it sure is frustrating right now. It really hurts like crazy.

I'm learning to do a lot of things one-handed, though I doubt I'll be blow-drying my hair or getting fully dressed on my own for a little while. Oh well...better just build time into my schedule in the morning.

I slept a lot today. I did force myself to get up, take a shower (I've mastered the one-handed shower) and get out b/c I couldn't stay in the house any more, but that resulted in getting tuckered out pretty quickly.

I keep rethinking the accident and wondering what I could have differently. Obviously I could have been further away from the cyclist in front of me; I could have not looked back that second time to check on the advancing cyclists; I wonder if I really did have enough room to somehow safety shift slightly to the left and around Diana before the other cyclists were in range...at the end of the day...it doesn't really matter --- but this is the shit you think about when you're sitting around wishing you were playing outside.

Here's to hoping that every day continues to bring noticeable improvement!
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Guardian Angel

As I was laying face down partially in the northbound lane of Coastal Highway this morning there was a split moment that I thought, "this could really be bad." Thankfully I had a guardian angel looking out for me.

This morning during a group ride I had a freak accident with another cyclist that resulted in a lovely trip to the ER. The good news is that I've continued my streak of never breaking a bone and other than some painful bruising, some gnarly looking cuts and road rash I'm really no worse for wear. As the doctor said in the ER --- it is incredible that I literally walked away from the accident.

The story goes that I hung back and decided to help out a fellow rider, Diana, who was new to cycling. I guess I can't help myself. I remember the frustration of being new, trying to understand all the bells & whistles and feeling frustrated. I've also greatly benefited from the kindness of others and I truly believe in the adage that you should pay things forward.

As we tackled the Indian River Inlet bridge (which is terrifying at times) we celebrated our success by rolling along toward Dewey Beach to meet up with the rest of our crew.

Diana was a bike length or two ahead of me so I could watch her and give her some pointers. As I turned to check out who was coming up behind us I noticed that two rockstar triathletes were gaining on us fast. I yelled out to shift to the right to let these folks pass. As I looked back again to check their position I didn't realize that Diana had correctly shifted right, but had also slowed. As I turned my attention forward I now was in the dangerous position of being too close and my front wheel was now dangerously too close and parallel to her rear wheel and pedal.

I made a split second decision that meant that I would take my chances trying to recover myself vs. probably saving myself from serious injury but likely taking Diana out and causing her harm.

I was able to slow, but given our speed and proximity I ended up going over the handlebars. Though some of this is still a blur I've pieced together that:

• As I tried to slow and maneuver to safety my wheel got a bit too sideways. and I went over the handlebars

• I wasn't able to safely unclip in time

• My forearm and then shoulder slammed into the pavement as me and my bike fell back to Earth

• I then started sliding across the pavement still tangled up in my bike

•. My helmet and sunglasses saved me from a serious head injury and facial lacerations (looking at the scratches on my helmet and across my left lens I am immediately aware how bad I was sliding)

• I stopped sliding partially in the northbound traffic lane of Coastal Hwy

I remember hearing someone scream, "Roll out of the road! Get her out of the road!". I soon realized that the two rockstars who were behind us quickly were on the scene and took charge.

I yelled out that I couldn't roll or even move myself to safety. I now know that it was the shock, I was a bit out of it and the pain was incredible. I (and others) initially thought I broke my collarbone or shoulder.

One of the cyclists carefully rolled/pulled me out of the road, while the other grabbed my bike. The woman gave me a quick medical assessment and we were glad to discover it wasn't my collarbone, but getting a set of x-rays would be imperative.

I'm not gonna lie --- I was bleeding, I was scared, a bit in shock and I was in pain. The left side of my body took the brunt of the crash and it just hurt. My hand, forearm and leg were bleeding and felt raw. I could feel the blood dripping.

Someone had the sense to grab water bottles and start cleaning all my wounds. Folks took off their bike socks and used them to stop the bleeding. A guy stopped and gave me three Advil. The most creative thing was when Diana tore her own pants and made a sling for my arm.

As we waited for a ride to the ER I was again impressed and grateful for all the people who stopped to offer assistance. I was also grateful for Diana --- she kept me laughing and stayed with me the entire time. I was even more touched when Diana placed her hands on my good arm and said a beautiful prayer asking that God watch over me and ensure that I was kept safe.

Luckily, soon enough we were headed to the ER where I learned that I had again escaped serious injury --- no broken bones, no stitches. Not to minimize the situation, but I literally limped away just with some soft tissue bruising/damage between my left shoulder and elbow and lacerations on my hand, forearm and leg.

I'm on IR for at least a week and racing at Nations is likely not in the cards this year. Though I am disappointed I know that I've worked hard this summer toward my fitness goals and I don't need an official time to confirm that I am a winner and would have crushed my PR.

Most importantly, I am so very grateful for the guardian angel who was watching over me today and for having the chance to take a potentially horrible situation and making a very good new friend.

Of course...least I forget...how's my bike?! I haven't done a full assessment yet, but I think considering the day she's had...she looks pretty good. It's likely I have a bent back tire or something like that b/c the rotation feels off.

All in all I am one lucky chick.
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Shake Rattle & Roll

There's a reason I didn't move back to Southern California --- and it's not really just the traffic. I'm not good with natural disasters that are considered common place. Similar to how I would find it hard to live in the hurricane or tornado belt.

After living through Hurricane Isabel and her path of destruction that caused my house to temporarily be condemned, the last thing I wanted to deal with was an earthquake --- and a 5.9 at that!

After dealing with the moment of stress associated with the quake I was later grateful that I brought the Cannondale to work and was able to knock out a 35.86 mile ride at Hains Point after work. While cars were cramming the streets trying every which way to just get home I was zooming along heading to my favorite loop. The monotony of the ride on a beautiful summer day was just what the doctor ordered.

Now...off to track the path of Hurricane Irene as she marches her way to Florida, up the Carolinas and eventually to the Eastern Shore beaches. Lovely.

Shuttle Shuffle

There are a handful of cities I absolutely adore --- San Francisco, London, DC and of course NYC. This morning when my alarm went off at 4:00 am I was reminding myself how much I love NYC. I was on the 6:00 am shuttle to LGA due to a last minute conference call that required me to shift to the earlier flight.

Since I needed to get some bike miles in this week, I planned to ride at Hains Point upon returning from nyc. This sounded awesome in theory, but at 4:00 am and under the cover of darkness as I packed my gear in the car it sounded ridiculous.

As the day ticked away and as I shifted from meeting to conference call to walking the halls of our nyc office I was really looking forward to my ride and hooking up with some DCRRC dudes at the loop.

Unfortunately my plans blew up when I missed my flight back to DCA. Boo!

The good news was that I hopped another flight and as luck would have it the pilot got us in early. Yay! As I de-planed I almost gave him a high-five....but that wouldn't have been appropriate.

In 2 and a half inch heels I motored through the airport and to my car. I zoomed over to Hains Point and was running to change in no time flat. A group of dudes parked in front of me thought the whole thing was hilarious. What's the deal with dudes being so easily amused anyway?

I was able to get a few good loops in before it got really dark and luckily I had my blinky light.

One reference point --- as the sun goes down the bugs come out and when you're on your bike it's inevitable you get a little protein snack on the backside of the loop. G-R-O-S-S!
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A tad excessive

There are times when you just have to admit that you've gone too far and I'm here to tell you that I've been there...and then some this weekend. You be the judge.

Gold's
This morning I met a friend from the old neighborhood for a spin and core class at Gold's in Rockville Town Center. First of all, there are some serious athlethes in that joint. The spin class was amazing. My friend told me that I would love the instructor and she wasn't wrong. We killed it for 60 minutes. She played great music, did not let up the intensity, had a good sense of humor, loved long walks on the beach...wait...that's someone else. Seriously, best quote of the day was, "You are all athletes and we are going to work out like serious athletes so let's go!"

Right after spin we shifted to the next studio for a very intense 30 minute core class. I wasn't sure what to expect, but had been warned that it would crush me...and...mission accomplished. I was a puddle after class. Unfortunately since I was new they put me toward the front...which didn't really make sense to me. The "good news" was that one of the crazy fit instructors was taking the class too and was working out right next to me. She basically coached me through all the exercises that I wasn't familiar with. Nothing like being exhausted and having a free personal trainer analyzing each if your moves. Didn't she realize that all I wanted to do was take a nap on the mat...and not do side planks?!

Hot Yoga
Since the deal is that it's preferable to take your second class within 24 hours of your firs class tonight I headed back to the Takoma Park studio for my second hot yoga class. I'm still not sure about it.

The good news is that tonight's instructor was really good and I liked her a lot better than the guy last night...even though she seemed to be obsessed with eagle abs.

Tonight's class was Super crowded. Me and my new Indian buddy grabbed mats in the back and prepared for the class. I still can't get over the heat --- 105 degrees, 60-80% humidity and sweating through 26 poses. Surprisingly I think I am fairings much better than the other newbies who seem to have to take regular breaks. I definitely was challenged at times and at one point I realized that my fingers were starting to wrinkle as a result of the moisture. Now that just doesn't seem right.

I think I might be one of Those folks who prefers a more flow/power class vs. all this sweating.

Me Time

[View from my park bench.]

I think that most Washingtonians can agree on one thing --- we all have a tendency to take advantage of our lovely city. We don't mean to, but it's easy enough to say, "oh, we'll do that another time."

In contrast, hordes of tourists regularly descend on our city visiting the sights, taking in an exhibit and snapping pictures of everything they encounter.

So, when my lunch date fell through I picked up a sandwich and walked the three blocks to Lafayette Park. I grabbed a shaded park bench and enjoyed a quiet lunch while I watched the world go by.

The Park is great for people watching --- govt-clubbers, interns, tourists, bikers, runners, skate boarders, protesters and little kids meeting their working parents for lunch on the lawn.

On a day like this, Washington is almost perfect.

We Be Jamming

Tonight after work I headed over to Hains Point to get in some extra miles on the bike. I had planned to get in a good ride the night before, but I got wrapped up talking on the phone and as a result was only able to get in part of my ride before the sun went down. I didn't want that to happen again tonight.

I hauled out of work and to Hains Point just in time to experience life in the last lane --- or riding with the DC peloton! My goodness they are a big group and fast. It was just like a scene out of Breaking Away. I could hear them buzzing behind me; they swarmed all around me; then they dropped me. For a solid five seconds when I was riding with them I felt wickedly cool.

Overall, the 32.20 mile ride was good. I added some speed work again on the backside of the loop.

I was feeling a little off tonight. My right upper arm is still very sore (from what...I have no idea) and I was feeling a bit drained. I realized mid-ride that I have not been eating enough and it was obvious when my calf muscles started to cramp up.

A couple stories related to drafting.

First, during one of the sprints I linked up with three riders who were speeding along the backside of the loop. I got on the last riders tire and was amazing by how much pull that created.

Second, during my last "work lap" I decided to stop being lame and just jam down on the pedals. As I was rolling I felt off and thought maybe there was something wrong with my bike. As I took a peek over my shoulder I saw that a chick had tucked into a spot right behind me.

Now that pissed me off because I have to expend enough energy to haul my own ass around the loop and now I was pulling her around. I whipped my head forward and just starting jamming on the pedals to see if I could drop her. We ended up racing around the loop in this tight formation. It was awesome!

After the loop I slowed, she rode along side me and thanked me for the pacing. I found out that her husband races with a team and she gets out whenever she can to ride. She encouraged me to check out the Greenbelt Race Series on Wednesday nights. She said I was fast enough to hang. That was good to hear and an interesting event to check out. She said it's mostly dudes, but there are a handful of chicks.

She was fun and pushed me...no surprise that I got her contact info and plan to include her on ride meet-ups in the future.
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DC really is biker friendly

There was an article on MSN this morning about 10 US cities that are considered biker friendly.

Drum roll please...and number 10 was Washington, DC!

I can see that. The city, in particular former Mayor Fenty, really pushed to add bike lanes throughout the city, brought major events to the city (running, cycling and triathlons) and the rental bike/share program has really taken off. I can't tell you how many red rental bikes I see regularly cruising around town --- and there's even a rental stand in front of my office!

Here's a picture from my ride yesterday. When I left Hains Point I cruised up to check out the new Pennsylvania Ave bike lanes --- and let me tell you that they are very cool. Wide open and well marked. There are even traffic lights for the bike lane.

Good job DC!

Go big or go home

[Pix taken with my Blackberry while riding.  Impressive!]

Often I commit to things that are so much better in theory --- and today's ride was exactly that.

Since The Husband had to geek-out at work for a few hours in advance of his trip to Hong Kong I decided to grab the Cannondale for a spin at Hains Point.

That little spin ended in an epic circular adventure --- 42 miles of loops on the 5k and 10k loop. Kinda cool and kinda stupid at the same time. That's how I like to roll.

After a 5k warm-up I started doing six VO2 max intervals on the backside of the 5k loop. It felt good to crush it. I was amazed to max out at 27.6 mphs during the second interval. That is my fasted yet! It was all downhill after that --- maxing at 23/24/25 mph respectively.  Still very happy with those numbers.

I cruised around after that to just get the blood pumping and to get some miles in.

At nearly the three hour mark I was starting to get really hungry and my legs were getting tired. I headed into the club house for some snacks and as luck would have it I struck up a conversation with a couple who live near me! I was impressed with the epic adventure they were on --- riding for 5-6 hrs through MD, DC and VA. Very impressive!

When I finally abandoned Hains Point I headed up and around tourist central (White House, Washington Monument and Smithsonian).

My city is really spectacular...and I was thrilled to finally have an opportunity to use the Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes. They are awesome! Good job DC!

All good things must eventually end

So Friday has come and gone...which means that I packed up the truck and headed west.

To say that it was a sad day was an understatement. I had such an incredible experience. --- meeting wonderful people, trying new things, training hard and just living a more quiet and selfish life. It was heaven.

It was the last time I would wake up early, gather my things, kick off my flops and walk over the dune at Atlantic Street for daily HipAHA bootcamp. The good news was that the last workout didn't disappoint. Lots of core mixed in with cardio blasts (suicides and dune runs). Good...good times.

After class they made a little announcement about my departure (tear), they gave me a very nice card and we headed over to Perks for our last after workout coffee break and gab-fest.  I am really, really gonna miss this group. They pushed me hard, they were a lot of fun and they are just good people.

Friday was such a gorgeous day at the beach that after class all I wanted to do was grab my bike for One-More-Ride....but I knew that if I did that then I'd never get home and since I hadn't finished packing I knew I had to just stop living in denial and get moving west.

As I jammed all my gear into the truck, I wondered: (1) how did I originally get all this shit here and (2) I sure have a lot of shit --- most of which I never even needed.

On my way out of town I said good bye to my neighbors and as I headed over the Rt 90 bridge I made one last glance over my shoulder at the shore to say "goodbye good friend...I'm gonna miss you." If I didn't admit a tear came to my eye as I thought about the wonderful "summer camp" I've had over the last two months then I would be lying.

T-minus 48 hours before I have to do my hair, make-up, put on real clothes and shoes...and be a grown-up again.

I'll always keep a piece of this time in my heart and a jar of sand from Atlantic Street on my desk.

T-minus 24 hours to reality

[Today's crew showing off the fruit of our labor]

So in just a few short hours I will be packing up and heading west...to reality...my real job...a schedule (that's predetermined by someone else)...and responsibilities.  Though I am really going to miss my life at the beach I do miss home too.

Today I spent time jamming more things in before heading home.

Biking
I knew when my alarm went off at 5:00 am that I shouldn't have gone out last night and that last beer was a bad idea...just as I had thought when I ordered it.  I somehow got up, got organized and out the door with biking and SUP gear because it was a two-fer kinda morning.

We all let at Becka's temporary house on the beach for some interval biking on Coastal Hwy.  The plan was to complete the following:

• high cadence warm-up to North Bethany Beach
• five 5-minute intervals at race pace (90-95%) with 2-minute recovery in between
• high cadence cool-down back to Fenwick

The weather was a bit dreary this morning and as we headed out I was glad that I had a hit of Diet Coke before the ride to help wake everything up.

I'm not sure exactly what was going on, but the moment we started the intervals I was like a rocket.  I had a good feel for the bike and my gears and was launching into the front position very quickly.  Somehow I had the energy and strength to stay in aero while I jammed down and up on those pedals. 

It was incredible.  I was cruising and setting a crushing pace.  It was as if I was possessed.  I think the truth was that I knew this was my last ride with the crew and a good fitness test.  Doc says I passed with flying colors. :)

SUP Bootcamp

[Last time paddling in to Coastal Kayak.  Insert tear.]

After grabbing more caffeine and chit-chatting at the local coffee shop we headed over to Coastal Kayak for SUP bootcamp with the HipAHA crew.  As has been the case all summer, the class was sold out.  Go Lori!

Coastal Kayak was jammed with tons of people since folks were renting stuff and there were two tours getting ready to launch.  All this meant that parking was a bitch and we ended up helping set up the newbies on their boards --- which included hauling the gear out of the storage shed.  Nice.

Overall it was a hard workout.  We paddled out toward Fenwick and did a bunch of resistance exercises using the bands.  My arms are sore, but I actually have the muscle definition to prove that I've done some actual work this summer! 

The wind turned on us and we enjoyed a nice, hard paddle back down the Bay.  It was a little sad knowing that next Thursday morning I will be land-locked at my desk without a paddle.  I do not doubt that I will be inundated/ tormented with regular updates on all the "fun stuff" I'm missing.  With friends like that...

Last Saturday!

[Hanging at Coastal Kayak]

Today is the last Saturday at the beach before I head back to work on August 8th.  I can't believe that I'm almost back to sitting at a desk all day.  It has been a glorious two months.

Today I jammed in a bike ride and another SUP adventure.

Biking
I hooked up with Lori for a 90-minute aerobic ride along Coastal Hwy.  Northbound we were fighting the wind which was a nice resistance workout.  We knocked out 26 miles.  We would have finished up a bit faster if we didn't get trapped in a gated community.

When we got to the Indian River Inlet we decided not to go over the bridge and head to Dewey Beach since the traffic northbound was bumper-to-bumper and we we nervous navigating the bridge with that much traffic.  Instead we headed out to the point to add time and mileage.  Unfortunately as we tried to exit the community's big iron gates were closed and we couldn't get out.  We looked everywhere for the pedestrian button...and couldn't find it.  UGH!  Lori ended up climbing over the gate, while I pushed our bikes over the fence and then climbed over the gate --- all while wearing bike shoes.  Pretty impressive...and embarrassing.  I'm sure there were folks watching us from their fancy balconies and laughing at us try and get out of their community.

The sad part of the ride was we came upon a group of cyclists holding another rider and pouring water over him.  Appeared that he was suffering from heat exhaustion and had fallen over.  Luckily there were a lot of good Samaritans on bikes/motorcycles/cars who stopped to offer assistance and their water bottles.  We were glad to see the emergency vehicles on the scene pretty quickly.  Very scary stuff.  It is easy to under estimate how hot is out there on Coastal because there usually is an offshore wind that masks how hot it is, but without shade biking on the dark pavement can be brutal.  Hope that rider is ok.

SUP-ing
On to better news, I introduced another person to the wonderful world of SUP-ing --- my dad.  Go Dad!  I brought him over to the folks at Coastal, set him up on a Hobie and we were off.  He got up pretty quickly.  He only fell a couple times, but the wind was also stronger today so we had to fight our way home.

Selfishly, I was able to try out my new Oxbox carbon fiber paddle...and let me just say...it is AWESOME.  Very light and kick-ass looking.

Chris cut it taller than I'm used to so that it's a better set up so that I can use it later in the ocean to surf.  Similar to a carbon fiber bike, it is cut to fit the rider.  Chris wanted to check out this set up before adjusting it any shorter.  It took a little getting used to since it is longer, but it felt pretty good.  I'll plan to keep this set up a little longer to see how I feel after a few more outings.

Wrap-Up
I had grand plans to hit the beach with my dad late in the afternoon, but I got wrapped up hanging out with my neighbors on their boat...and that was all she wrote.

Another day in my personal paradise.  I am bottling up each and every one of these moments.  I am so very lucky and I am reminded of that every day.

Living in the big ring --- 26.5 mph!!!

I have clearly come a long way from the days of barely hitting a 16 mph max on the Cannondale.  I have a new max --- 26.5 mph BITCHES!!!!

I headed out earlier this week for a solo interval ride along Coastal Hwy. It was hot and humid and sunny and windy...all-around wonderful.

I definitely feel stronger and more confident on the bike. Adding the aero-bars, I think, has been that "next thing" that has helped to push my speed to the next level --- getting in the right position, cutting the wind and focusing on the push/pull.


It is *possible* that I could have hit 27 mph on this ride, but I can assure you that if I did the wheels would have immediately fallen off this bus.

Flat Tire!

How many HipAHAs does it take to change a single flat???

Well, last week it took three riders, two tubes and a friend playing "the sag car" to stop by and provide assistance.

B. hit some glass during an interval ride and as we slowed to recovery pace we all wondered, "where the heck is B.?????"  Turns out she was a quarter mile away sitting on the side of the road.

As luck would have it, none of us have ever had to change a tire...BUT I have seen it done enough times that I felt confident enough to try.

I was able to get the old tube off, the new tube on, the new tube slightly inflated and then struggled a little to get the tire over the new tube since it was tight in a few spots.

Just as we have everything going peachy, I inflated the tube w/ my CO2 cartridge and it was just shy of totally inflating the tube.

L. grabbed her CO2 cartridge and started filling up the remainder, but the CO2 came out faster than expected and WHAM...the tube POPPED!!! That sucked.

Luckily a friend was nearby and drove over an extra tube (since no one else had a spare that fit her wheel) and a manual pump.

Within a few minutes we were back on the road and all thankful it wasn't a rear tire flat...now THAT would have been stressful.