Promises Kept

I had only intended for this blog to tell of my Ride the Rockies experience.  But curiosity of my site visits had me periodically checking to see if it was read after I finished the ride.  To my surprise, I have had many visits since.  Of course, most of the hits have been due to my favorite quip of “If you see me collapse, please hit ‘pause’ on my Garmin.”  Apparently this is a big search phrase on the world-wide web.  And unless you own and use a Garmin watch or cycling unit, you wouldn’t know that you can set it to automatically pause when you stop anyway.  One of our little secrets.

After I finished Ride the Rockies I went from long endurance training to sprint triathlon mode.  When I lived in Kansas City I was on the organizing committee of the WIN for KC Women’s Triathlon.  And as a committee member, I always worked the event, I didn’t get to participate.  So when I moved to Colorado I said I would come back and race.  I started swimming laps at the local pool, I got back to running (long and intervals) and cut way back on the cycling distances and concentrated on attacking hills and speed.  I didn’t get in any open water swims – the few lakes around here were still “wet suit” cold, so I just hit the pool a couple of times a week and kept my fingers crossed.

I packed up the Jeep; talked my daughter into riding with me (and driving most of the way) and headed east to hot and steamy KC.  It was 104 degrees when I arrived, but the forecast for race day was only 92.  The good news/bad news was a thunderstorm rolled in at 7:15am; cooled us off, delayed the start for an hour and off we went into a lake that was probably 85 degrees.

My swim went amazingly well as I kept a mantra going “stay relaxed, stay relaxed.”  Transition 1 was good and next thing I knew I was riding Ruby.  I had a little trouble getting my heart rate down on the bike – was it the heat/humidity or just the pace of a sprint race?  I am talking to myself like a crazy person – relax, chill out, relax, breathe.  My ego got a boost when a (younger) rider told me I was hammering the (tiny) hills and I just thought to myself ‘try riding 3,000′ ascents on a daily basis girlfriend.”  I flew into Transition 2, changed into my running gear and started the run.  About 10 steps into it I get the calf cramp.  Then another.  Not the brick legs, calf cramps.  My heart is still hammering and once again the mental part is the hardest.  Relax, chill out, breath the hot humid air.  Don’t think about the stifling heat.  I am at the turn around and heading to the finish.  I pass a few friends, high-five them.  I cross the line and am happy to have come back to join the other 700+ women who have started this race and are accomplishing their own epic adventure.

It was awesome to have so many friends volunteering at the race and cheering me on.  So many hugs, I miss you’s and promises of future get-togethers.  I was so happy to see how the race had grown, how so many women used this as their first triathlon because it is an all women’s race and so friendly.  I am so thankful for all the people that worked so hard to make this the largest all women’s triathlon in the midwest.  And I promise myself that I will return again next year.

Ride the Rockies Days 5 & 6

My last blog gave a recap of Ride the Rockies first three days.  I took Wednesday (Day 4) off because it was a loop ride in Steamboat that I have done many times training for this event and I really didn’t want to ride it again.  Plus, my body needed a day off.

I was pretty excited for Day 5 as it went up Rabbit Ears Pass, an epic ascent in Steamboat.  I have never ridden Rabbit Ears only for the reason that I didn’t want to ride down it.  For someone who loves to go downhill fast you may wonder why.  The route is on Highway 40, a major road into Steamboat Springs.  It is the gateway to the valley from Denver and is super busy with cars, scary gaping tourists and semi-truck drivers.  Knowing that I would ride up and keep on going to Granby was all I needed to get the courage to go.  Plus, my friend and fellow Girls on the Run coach Shannon called me up to say she wanted to escort me up the pass.  We met up at the start and cruised to the top.  Eight miles and 2,400′ vertical later, I am no longer a Rabbit Ears virgin.

The rest of the 75 mile ride was rolling hills and a lot of wind.  Riders were really struggling and the aid stations were dusty and hot.  One funny story happened when my riding buddy Jens was getting a tire replaced and a tandem bike comes in to get their water bottle cage fixed.  The rider pushes his bike away and the mechanic says “you might want to take off your disc brake.”  The rider says “no wonder it was so hard to ride in the wind, that has been on for 20 miles.”  Yikes, and I thought I had a hard time in the head winds.  I had one snafu on this ride.  My riding buddies Jens & Lisa and I get separated at an aid station and we spend considerable time trying to find each other again.  But all was good when we regroup at the next station and finished the day together.

Ride the Rockies Day 5 by ckrumrie at Garmin Connect – Details

After we reach Granby and see Rocky Mountain National Park in the distance, we hop a shuttle to drive us to our hotel in Winter Park, about 18 miles away.  We discussed taking our bikes with us because the next day we would ride right by our hotels, but decide to get the full experience of Ride the Rockies and not cut the route short.  Our restaurant of choice that night was across a highway for me and the front desk clerk tells me to be careful crossing the road.  I tell him “I have been riding my bike on the road for over 300 miles, I think I can make it across on foot okay.”  Good thing for me there wasn’t any traffic because I am not sure I could have sprinted if I had too.  I wolf down my pasta and salmon like I have never seen food before – funny how burning up 1600 calories in one day will make you feel that way.

Day 6 is only 50 miles on the Route Map.  ONLY 50 miles.  I can’t believe I am thinking that.  I wake up early because I need to catch the shuttle by 6:30 and get my bike out of the corral.  I look outside and it is cloudy and drizzling.  I step out onto the balcony and it is….cold.  Good thing I ignored the weather report and brought some warm clothes.  I was bummed about the rain, but after six days, I couldn’t complain too much about one bad day.  I hit Starbucks and get on the bus.  We pass riders on the road and they look miserable. Rain jackets, booties and lots of spray coming off the back of the bikes.  I arrive at the start and take my time changing into my bike shoes, getting my gear on and get my bike.  Then the clouds break, the sun peeks through and off I go with dry skies, but it is still cold.

Clouds over the Rockies

Today’s ride includes one more big climb, Berthoud Pass, a 13 mile climb to 11,200′.  Actually the entire first 25 miles was uphill and it was a grind.  It is funny to watch all the riders shedding layers the higher we go.  I got rid of my long-sleeved jersey at the bottom of the steep part, but kept my jacket on in case it started to rain again.  It takes a lot of fortitude to ride 13 miles at around 7-8mph.  My butt is hurting, my hamstrings are cramping and my back and shoulders ache from pulling on the handlebars.  I have to gear down and stand to get the blood moving a lot.

I think a lot about pro bike racers.  How they train to make these climbs at the speeds they do.  I am proud of myself for climbing the big Cat 1 mountains knowing they will train and race on these very same roads.  I think I am hallucinating.

One great thing about this tour is being able to people watch.  I like to check out the bikes (and who is riding what).  I have seen really expensive bikes, a couple of guys on hand pedal bicycles and recumbents, hybrids, mountain bikes, tandems and even an old Schwinn 10-speed.  What I really liked is the riders with satellite radios.  The ride up the pass was pretty quiet this morning (everyone was tired) and it was great to hear some music.  Then I look straight up and I can see an aid station tent.  A rider next to me says “we’re getting close.”  I say back to him “it might as well be Mount Everest.”  I still have at least a mile of steep switchbacks and finally I summit.

Ride the Rockies Day 6 by ckrumrie at Garmin Connect – Details.     

I need food.  Now.  I go to the sandwich stand and get a PB & J.  The guy working there tells me it was snowing so hard when he was setting up that he couldn’t see 10 feet in front of him.  It was cold up there so I didn’t spend much time waiting around.  I put my long-sleeve jersey back on and head on down the road.  15 glorious miles of downhill cruising.  Big switchbacks (I luck out with no cars on them) and I fly.  I am freezing cold, fingers going numb, but I know it will all be over quick.  It is so awesome to feel the rushing air warm up as you go down.  Next thing I know I am turning onto the flat road to Georgetown.

I had a blast riding with Jens and Lisa.  We are forever bonded in friendship by spending these days together.  Jens called us Team Margarita.  I dubbed Lisa the Freakin’ Mountain Goat because she is an awesome climber.  Jens names me the Freakin’ Speed Demon because I like to go downhill fast.  I name Jens The Great Dane because, well, he is a 6’5″ Danish dude.

I head into downtown Georgetown and cross the finish line with big crowds cheering.  I am feeling good.  Another goal accomplished.  Another epic adventure in my portfolio.

The final numbers for my ride:

• 360 miles
• 23,000′ vertical
• 26.5 hours on the bike
• 7,000 calories burned
• 0 mechanicals (whew)
• 1 great time

Ride the Rockies – Days 1, 2, 3

I am very happy that the Ride the Rockies tour has a two night layover in Steamboat Springs.  I really needed this day at home.  Every muscle in my body aches and it is nice to hang out at home instead of a hotel room.  I also did my laundry and gave my bike a good cleaning.

Day 1 was an epic ride.  We left Crested Butte – and if you have never been there it is an awesome place to visit – at 7:30AM on Sunday and rolled out-of-town under sunny skies and cool temps.  Layering your clothes is a given when you live in Colorado and I was decked out in warm socks, knee warmers, shorts, long-sleeved jersey, tank jersey,  jacket, full finger warm gloves and a bandana under my helmet.  By the end of the day I was down to shorts, the tank jersey and fingerless gloves.  I had a great warmup ride and then we start up Cottonwood Pass which is a 14 mile gravel road with unbelievable vertical.  It tops out at 12,100′ and is a Cat 1 climb that is part of the USA Pro Challenge race coming up in August.  It was a long torturous climb but when I got to the summit there was a great party going on.  Music was blasting, vendors with lots of great smelling food and everyone gaping at the fantastic views.

View from Cottonwood Pass

The descent was also epic.  20 miles of downhill with the top portion steep and fast, and I do like to go fast.  I met up with my friends Jens and Lisa and we hit a restaurant for burgers and fries and called it a night.

Monday morning I head to Edwards (which is just outside of Vail).  My legs were tight, but after 15 miles they loosened up and the rest of the ride was uneventful.  A climb over Tennessee Pass (the Continental Divide) and another really fun descent.  The car traffic has been good, seems everyone is pretty cautious so I take the downhills without too many worries.  Passing people at high speeds – I hit my all time high with 44mph – is a little hairy, but thrilling too.  Some guys go by me like I am standing still and I am sure they are hitting speeds of 55mph+.  I rolled into Edwards feeling really good and after a shower, rest and repack for Tuesday Jens, Lisa and I hit a Mexican restaurant for some well deserved Margaritas.

The bottom of Tennessee Pass - Day 2

The logistics of riding on this tour is a little crazy.  I am staying in hotels, so I have a hotel bag that gets picked up each morning and is delivered to my next hotel.  Then I have a backpack that I carry my Birkies, shorts, a clean shirt and my bike cleaning kit.  This goes on another truck to be picked up at the end of the ride so I can change before hitting the beer garden and shuttle to the hotel.  Two nights I kept my bike at the hotel (they had a secure room for the bikes) and one night I left it at the bike corral outside the start of the next day’s ride.   I also wear a small biking backpack to carry Honeystinger bars and chews, sunscreen, ID, camera and to store my clothing I shed along the way.  I also have two small packs on my bike, one for repairs (tube, CO2, tools and one for my cell phone).

When I arrived in Steamboat I had to pick up my hotel bag at the finish and will have to drop it back on Thursday morning to be delivered to my Winter Park hotel.  Breakfast is pretty easy to find and there is a pancake vendor at the first aid station each day.  I eat lunch from the vendors at the aid stations.  Everything from fajitas (which smell awesome, but I can’t imagine eating them and riding), burgers, sandwiches and smoothies.  Each aid station also has water and Gatorade so you don’t have to carry a lot with you.  There are sag wagons everywhere if you have a mechanical or in case of this ride need to pack it in for the day.  The altitude and vertical affect a lot of people and they are not able to continue so they get a ride to the finish.  There are also ambulances and lots of staff cars on the road along with riders who are medics and officials so you never feel like you would be alone for long if you had any kind of problem.

Day 3 was a ride that I was very familiar with as it is the highway I take to get to my home in Steamboat if I am traveling anywhere on Interstate 70.  I knew it would be a challenging ride and boy was it.  82 miles including an 8 mile ascent.  Lots of riders were bailing out early and hailing the sag wagons like they were getting a cab downtown.  The best part of the ride is when we cruised by Stagecoach Reservoir which is only a few miles from my house and roll into Steamboat Springs like horses heading back to the barn.  My posse (Jens & Lisa) and I hit the beer garden and toast “there’s no place like home.”

Training Camp is Over

Today is my first rest day, and I already feel anxious.  Two more rest days to go and I may need counseling.  I leave on Saturday for Crested Butte, a five-hour drive to think about my adventure on two wheels.  My friends Jens and Lisa are traveling with me, so we should occupy the time with great conversation and laughs to ease the anxiety.

I have run marathons, skate skied 35k, and participated in triathlons so I know the wait is worse than the event itself. The self-doubt, worse case scenarios and the never-ending question of “why did I sign up for this” runs through my mind.

I have my packing list broken down into categories.  The kitchen table is covered in sticky notes with the categories labeled and various items laid out.  The Honeystinger bars, chews, waffles and other snacks have been purchased. Clothes are clean, bike equipment ready and all I have left to do is pick up my bike from Orange Peel where it got its final checkup and new tires.  A little anal ya think?

I got in some great training this past week with summer arriving in Steamboat Springs (we skipped spring) including this ride out Twenty Mile Road:

Twenty Mile Road by ckrumrie at Garmin Connect – Details.

My last ride was yesterday – and even though it was a beautiful day I rode on the trainer.  I guess it was fitting considering all the bitching I did about riding the trainer.  I had a bunch of stuff to do in town and I didn’t want to waste an extra 30 minutes driving to a paved road and back only to ride for an hour.      So I spent my last ride with the ladies from The View.

My final statistics from my Garmin Edge 500 since I got accepted in Ride the Rockies:

• 924 Miles
• 66 hours, 27 minutes
• 34,518′ of vertical
• 17, 023 calories burned

When I posted these stats on Facebook my brother commented that if I had only ridden another 300 miles I would have made it to Green Bay to visit.  Just another way to look at the miles put in.  I look at the calories burned and wonder why I am not a size 0.  Looking back at all the years I rode in the midwest I am most amazed at the vertical.  I can actually do a lot of the climbs and not even be bothered by them, when a few years ago I didn’t even like driving up some of these roads.

Sunday June 12 is Day One of fulfilling a lifetime adventure – just me and my bike (and 1,999 new friends).  While I’m riding I will start planning my training schedule for the WIN for KC Women’s Triathlon on July 30th.  :)

Putting in the Miles

FINALLY got in some quality rides the past week and a half including the first back-to-back rides outside.  Although it is trying to be spring here – we have had snow flurries a few days this past week – the few warm days felt great.

I tried a new road, one that is epic around here and I  finally worked up the courage to ride it.  It connects to Twenty Mile Road, which I routinely train on so off I went on my own little adventure.  Although it was a short spin – 28 miles – there was a snot-blowing 3,158′ in elevation.  My legs cooperated and I got in a great hill training ride.

Airport to Stagecoach by ckrumrie at Garmin Connect – Details.

This ride finished at Stagecoach Reservoir which is near my house and I always love the view of the Flat Top Mountains.  It is a favorite place of mine to ride horse and hike.

 

I fill in the rest of the week with rides in the area and get used to the day-after-day of sitting in the saddle.

I spent the majority of my life in the midwest riding in either cities or farmland.  Usually the biggest obstacle (other than cars) is the occasional dog that wants to chase you – or just scare the crap out of you.  Here in Steamboat I have learned to respect other animals and their tendency to hang out in the roads.  With the abundance of wildlife, my biggest problem is the cow that wonders out in the road or the open ranges.  This little guy greeted me one morning and I was glad he didn’t get scared and decide to dart into my path.

I head to Basalt, CO for the weekend to visit my daughter and ride in the beautiful Roaring Fork Valley.  I put in a quick – working in some intervals – but short ride on Saturday then head to an awesome BBQ joint for dinner with big plans for my Sunday ride.  I wanted to put in a solid 60 miler and with the temps forecasted for the 70′s I was ready.  Until I woke up to a wind alert.  25mph+ with gusts in the 40mph range.  Are you kidding me?  I wait it out for a while, then go onto plan B which was a ride in Basalt along the Frying Pan River which is famous for fly fishing.  I was told I would have some shield against the winds and the road was in great shape.  I didn’t have to worry about cows on the road but did get a chuckle out of this sign:

Basalt to Ruedi Reservoir by ckrumrie at Garmin Connect – Details.

I have had a lot of questions of whether I am ready for Ride the Rockies.  I’m not quite sure how to answer that.  Do I have in the miles I want?  Absolutely not.  Do I think I can do it? Absolutely yes.

My only fear is the pain.  And the fear of pain is worse than the pain itself.  I guess that is what I will try to deal with this week.

You Get What You Need

You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need

The Rolling Stones

I had made plans to head to the Front Range and ride this past weekend.  I needed to pick something up anyway and thought I would throw my bike in the Jeep and ride in some nice warm weather.  I consulted with MapMyRide to find some routes and had tentatively decided to ride out of Boulder towards Lyons only because I had driven it many times and thought it would be fun to re-visit on my bike.

On Friday I was checking the weather reports and was so disappointed that it wouldn’t be worth the hassle to try to ride with the forecast of cold and rain.  Yes, I am a fair weather cyclist.  I like to ride in nice weather.  I don’t mind running in cold and wet, but biking in it is no fun at all.  So I throw my running clothes in a bag and decide that a run on the Boulder Creek Path would be just as fun and bring back memories of many trips to Boulder to visit my daughter when she was at CU.  I wake up to a nasty day, 36 degrees and drizzle.  I decide to take another rest day because I just couldn’t muster up the ambition to head out the door.  Then of course, the guilt and disappointment set in.  Guilt that I am taking another day off and disappointment that I had looked forward to leaving the snowy confines of Steamboat (we had 6″ of snow on 5/10) and wanted to feel hot and sweaty and maybe even a little sunburned.

You can’t always get what you want

I head back to Steamboat where it was almost 70 degrees and sunny, but too late to ride.  Monday’s forecast was for warm temps so I am excited to get a long ride in.  As I load up my gear the wind picks up.  I drive to my start point and the weather forecast on the radio says we will be getting 20mph wind gusts.  I know that this will be great training for what can happen on the Ride the Rockies tour.  I decide to ride Twenty Mile Road again for a 50 miler and I knock it out without any problems except a lot of braking on the descents because I was getting pushed around by the wind and I didn’t want to end up in a rancher’s fence like the dead elk I saw a few weeks ago.  I needed to deal with a long ride in the wind, not a warm, sunny joy ride.

But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find, you get what you need

When you ride long distances alone you have a lot of time to think.  Sometimes, that is the whole reason for the ride; to think through problems, de-stress and just sort out your life (or make a grocery list) and today was one of those days that I needed to sort out a lot.

Why in the world did that song pop into my head on my ride?  Because so often we want something and it just doesn’t happen.  And learning to get over the disappointment or just deal with it is really what we need.

Twenty Mile Road by ckrumrie at Garmin Connect – Details.

Peg’s Posts: wishing I were there

Peg’s Posts: wishing I were there.

This is my Bike

Let me introduce you to my bike.  It is a Specialized Ruby Expert Compact and it is sweet.  This week I made an appointment with Scott at Sports Med to get a customized bike fit.  Scott spent an hour and a half measuring, stretching, manipulating, re-checking, and adjusting me and my bike.  The smallest changes will make a huge difference in my training and the 412 miles of Ride the Rockies.

Once again – and I am as sick of saying it as you are reading it – the weather has kept me inside for most of the past week and a half.  I had a day of nice weather to ride one of my favorite routes, Elk River Road.  It is a rolling road with exceptional views and it is the same road that the Steamboat Marathon and Half Marathon is run on in June.  The Marathon was selected by Runner’s World as one of the “10 Most Scenic Marathons” and one of the “Top 10 Destination Marathons in North America.”   I ran the Half last year and it is awesome.  The road heads north out-of-town and I pass huge cattle ranches and since it is spring, there are lots of newborn calves to look at.  And on the opposite side of the circle of life, and a little bizarre, I spot a dead cow elk hung up in a fence.

Elk River Road to Clark by ckrumrie at Garmin Connect – Details.

70 miles on the trainer since my last post and I still feel somewhat normal mentally.  I contribute it to my Northern Wisconsin/Norwegian upbringing.  Tough and just maybe a little headstrong.

I had a fun dinner out with friends this week including Jens and Lisa who will be joining me on Ride the Rockies.  It was nice to chat about the lack of riding outside, how we cope with the trainer and making plans for our trip.  The margaritas made it all seem doable and some of the intimidation went away with the comfort of knowing we will be together on this adventure.

For my cross training I got in a two singles tennis matches and had another great running interval session with my group from Steamboat Pilates and Fitness along with my usual Pilates Reformer session and a short run on a day after work.

My long ride finally came today.  I have blue bird Colorado skies and 60 degrees as I head out of my Reformer class onto Twenty Mile Road for a 40 mile ride.  This road is on the Ride the Rockies itinerary on Day 4 and is the best road for training with four long climbs.  The traffic consists of around 20 cyclists who are also enjoying a beautiful spring day in Steamboat Springs.

Twenty Mile Road by ckrumrie at Garmin Connect – Details.

Please Hit Pause

I saw this on Twitter’s RunningQuotes:

“If you see me collapse, please hit ‘Pause’ on my Garmin.”

 

I laughed my ass off.  I am sure my daughter will put it on my tombstone.

I am not obsessed with my Garmin devices.  Really.

I am amazed by the technology that endurance athletes have so accessible.  I remember the first Timex Ironman watch that had chrono.  How cool to be able to time a run on a stopwatch on your wrist.  As a former PE teacher I owned stopwatches that you wore around your neck.

I had hit “Pause” on my running/biking races in 1996 after the Boston Marathon.  I got tired of watching the watch.  No more training for races, only running and biking for fun.  Fourteen years later and age 50 smacking me in the face I decide to start racing again.  Luckily for me I meet my friends at Garmin through the WIN for KC Triathlon and Girls on the Run.  I had joined a Speed Training group to get ready for the Kansas City Half Marathon with my friend Rebecca (a senior copywriter at Garmin) and after every session I would ask her how far we ran, which can be tricky to add up when you are doing hill repeats and intervals on trails and delirious.  I learned about the new ways to track distance, time, pace, heart rate and calories burned.  I buy the FR60, because I don’t need anything fancier.  Until the FR110 with GPS comes out (check out the Mini Site and you will see me as a “fitness model”).  And now an Edge 500 for my bike.

Spring in the mountains means nothing.  This has been a bad week for getting outside.  I head to Grand Junction, CO to find warm weather this time.  70′s and sunshine!  I had ridden the Colorado National Monument (check out this website for the images) road last November while there for the Western Colorado Girls on the Run 5k.  My fellow coach Shannon and I took our road bikes and got in one last ride for the season.  The road is awesome.  A steep climb to start with lots of rollers and very little traffic.  The only drawback is some insanely steep drop offs and I have to keep my eyes on the center line as to not freak out in some parts.  I had a lot of wind at the top section and it kept me in the center of the road because a gust would blow me over a few feet and I didn’t want to tumble-down into the canyon hundreds of feet below.  Although one can ride a loop, I chose to do an out and back and got in some great training for Ride the Rockies.

Check out my Colorado National Monument Ride details on Garmin Connect.

The rest of the week is spent on the trainer with one 4 mile hill run in-between.  I do 20, 15 and 12 mile sessions on the trainer which give me 90 miles total for the week.  I really need a break in the weather for some long rides and my mental wellbeing.  The town is on spring break this week so I don’t get any tennis in either.  Cabin fever is taking on a whole new meaning.

Sanity and the Trainer

On Sunday I was sitting around sipping green tea (because it’s good for me) waiting for a spring snow storm to blow through and feeling guilty because I was not riding my bike.  Let me clarify – not riding my bike on the trainer.

I rode outdoors last Friday for a quick one hour round trip from town on the highway and back.  There was the usual spring winds in my face on the way out, but pushed me back on the return.  It felt so good to have the road beneath me.  It has been a couple of weeks since I have been able to get outside.  So my trainer and I have become really close.

After what seemed an eternity of riding one day – 18 miles of watching the Bravo channel – I thought about how hard it is to ride the trainer.  You are always pedaling, no coasting, no downhills, no stops.  You must generate consistent power, which can make your overall workout more intense.  It feels so uncomfortable in the saddle, hands on the bars, off the bars, a lot of wiggling around.  It feels so much longer even though I am amazed at the price of real estate in New York City as I watch “Selling New York.”  So I did some research.

According to Lance Armstrong’s coach, Chris Carmichael and other experts on different blogs, one hour on the trainer is equivalent to about an hour and a half (or 20% more) on the road.  I guess that is why my fitness level on the few outdoor ventures has been good.  Wow, do I feel better about the lack long rides on the trainer.  My training schedule for Ride the Rockies has my long ride at 30 miles this week and I was hoping to do that on Monday if the weather report holds true.

Sunshine and warm temps lead me to Carbondale again on Monday.  The weather was supposed to be nice here too, but I didn’t want to wait until late afternoon for it to happen.  I rode to Redstone again and it was a great.  20 miles at a consistent uphill of about 2-3% made it work, but the 20 mile return was great fun.  It was also my first day in shorts and I even got a little bit of a tan on my legs.

Carbondale to Redstone by ckrumrie at Garmin Connect – Details.

My Pilates studio had a running interval workout on Tuesday at the High School track so I went.  The owner of the studio is a former University of Colorado track athlete and she lead us through 6 x 400′s at a pretty good clip.  It was fun to do some speed work and she was great at correcting some form issues with me, mainly my shoulder and arm swing (which were tight after the 40 mile bike ride).  She also stresses using Pilates cues and form when running to open the ribs and diaphragm to ease breathing.  We will run again in a couple of weeks.

Another spring snow storm today…another day on the trainer.