Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Something Is Growing...

No matter what sport you are in love with at the time a little voice in you grows and with this voice dreams are made. You convince yourself that just taking part in the sport itself is enough but deep down you know this is not so. Your desire grows and you want more… you want to be stronger… you want just a little bit more.

This past week’s riding has been a week of listening to that voice. I have had rides that I pushed and last night I even did a “recovery ride” that I did not like so much. My legs were saying..go..go…goooo but I stuck to the plan and maintained the target pace I set. In the future I will have the recovery ride following my longest, hardest ride. Last night was a test run.

I do however realize more and more that I am on the wrong bike. Size and build are all wrong. It is doable for now but as soon as I hit the lottery or find another money tree I will be replacing it with bike that is correct to my size and type of riding. After some research I have narrowed it down to 3 types of bikes. All are built specific for woman. Just the research alone gets me very excited!

On Monday I am taking the day off and will be one of the hundreds or cyclist lining up for the Assault on Mt. Mitchell and Mt. Marion.

Brief description of course:

Just after crossing into North Carolina, the climbing starts off with a bang! As the miles go by, the climbs gets longer and harder and the corners get sharper. Bill’s Mountain comes up at about the 45 mile point. This hill has about 1000 feet vertical of climbing in less than one mile. It is the first place that we really separate the strong riders from the rest of the pack! Onward you go, still up and down with the hills while you can now see the real mountains still looming off in the distance. As you near Marion and the end of the Marion part of the tour, you will start up the final set of stair case climbs that seems to never end. Finally at the top you are on the last high speed downhill to the Marion Finish line which is very fast and has sharp curves with very steep drop off over the left side of the road.

I am really looking forward to pushing it a bit and seeing what I can do.

Until then.... keep dreaming...

Robin

13 comments:

Marlene said...

It really is a beautiful thing to find a sport that you love.

I hope you get your hands on that dream bike one day!

Holy crap, reading the description of that ride scares the crap out of me. It'll be quite the experience!

Anonymous said...

I am also super happy about my change from feet to wheels. And gee my head is smokin' so many bikes and tech questions. I hope you'll get the chance to get the bike you need soon.

Have a super ride. Your butt and legs must be killer by now!!!!!

Runner Mom said...

You are something else, chickadee!! We were talking about Biggest Loser at school today! (Not the kids...just teachers!) Jerry is the man! And Helen is the girl! Age does not always play a factor!Praise the Lord!!
Hugs,
Susan
BTW, I was NOT going to paint that tray at all. I love how it looks. Should I put plates around it? The vase is gonna get some paint soon!

Grey Beard said...

Did a recovery ride tonight - errr, a ramp-up ride I guess, after laying off for almost 2 weeks - with my friends Lourdes, Mary and Jamie who have new Ruby Pro, Ruby Elite, and Trek 4.2 Madone bikes. They all got to the same point you are at where their kinda-sorta fit aluminum bikes were holding them back.

Savor the anticipation, the dreams of better things to come, and save your $$$. By then you will be worthy of such a fine machine.

I have no worries for you on the climbs, but do watch your speed on the descents. When the road drops away on steep descents it reduces tire traction significantly.

You might want to ease the back brake off a bit so you can squeeze it all the way to the bar without locking up the rear wheel. This creates a lot less hand fatigue as the back brake is on a large % of the time on a long descent. It is used as a drag brake to keep speed in check, while the front does the fast stopping.

Good luck Robin. I look forward to your ride report. You go girl!!!
:D

Anonymous said...

Great post! The ride sounds challenging, but you can handle it. I hope you are able to get your bike soon.

Wes said...

Not sticking to the plan is a failure to focus. It will also sabotage subsequent training days. Way to stick with it!!! Mind over matter!!

Bike shopping is fun stuff!!

Shannon said...

Recovery is ALWAYS important! You're a smart rider for doing it. :)

RunBubbaRun said...

Oh Oh, there you go again with aride that start with words "Mt" on it. Sound great. I wish we had "Mt" stuff around here :)..

I'm sure you will do great out there.

But You are right, the longer races you need a bike that fits you. You can try to get a "bike fit" that might help.

teacherwoman said...

What a wonderful feeling!

ShirleyPerly said...

Wow, a Monday ride? And holy hill climbing!!

Sounds like you're gonna have fun. Can't wait to hear about it.

JD said...

Robin,
Good luck on the Marion Ride. Have a bunch of fun shopping for a new bike! That really is exciting!

I did get everything squared away for my Assault on Mt. Mitchell! I'll look for you out there. I'm going in the first wave of riders!

jd

JD said...

Hey Robin, where did you find that description of the ride? I've been looking for a description, but cannot find one for the Mitchell ride.

Judi said...

you are good at whatever sport you set your eyes on.

have a great climb. sounds very scary. ;)