Roan Moan

I headed to Bakersville this morning to try my first century at Roan Moan. My parents came too and spent the morning hiking around Roan Mountain after I started biking. 

It was very foggy and cool at the start. I was glad for my jacket that I brought in case the top of Roan Mountain was cold. I ended up wearing it the whole time since it wasn't super hot and I got cold on all the descents. 

The day started off well with beautiful scenery to drive through as the fog lifted.

My plan was to ride straight through to the sag stop at 70 miles to simulate a race, so I brought some new nutrition to try out (I got inspired by the Tour and bought a bunch of new bars from The Feed). 

The first climb, Pumpkin Patch / Iron Mountain really wasn't too bad, and I was feeling pretty good around mile 20. I ate my first snack (Kit's organic cherry and pumpkin seed - tasty, filling and easy to open with my teeth). 

A few miles later we biked into Elizabethton, TN, so I did stop quickly to get some decent pictures.

After Elizabethton I ate my second snack (Breeze bar, nut-free sunflower - not bad, a nice change from all the sweet stuff, also easy to open with teeth... but I might try a different flavor next time) and started up the second climb, Ripshin Mountain. That climb was really tough, and long. I think it was about 5 miles and 1200' of elevation gain. Near the top, I passed a girl and she said my front tire looked low. We were at mile 60, and I wanted to try to push it to the stop at mile 70. I stopped quickly to take a picture of the lake and she caught back up. 

We rode together for a while and she said it was looking worse, so we stopped and it was totally flat. CO2 got me rolling again for a while, and we headed onto a nice road that follows the old railroad grade, but it was flat again when we got to the rest stop. I had made my goal, though - 70 miles in 4:49 for an average of 15.4 mph, which considering there was about 7500' of elevation gain I was happy with. That should be a similar amount of climbing to what we'll have in China. 

I was kind of OK with just being done at the rest stop, but they had a tube and my new friend changed it for me without me even asking, so after a homemade cookie, some orange slices, and some M&Ms we were back on the road. 

After about 3 miles I noticed I couldn't stay with them... yep, flat again. I wanted to try to make it to the next stop at mile 78, but by 75 I knew there was no way. 

Luckily, a fire truck came along then and gave me and my bike a ride to Carver's Gap, the top of Roan Mountain, where my parents were waiting to take a picture of me finishing the climb. Oh well, maybe next year! Thankful for the great sag support and the rest stops having tubes. 

Still training

I haven't taken any fun pictures to write about lately, but training is still moving along! This past weekend I only had a long run and swim - no long bike because I'm doing a century (!!!) on Saturday. So Saturday I actually had time to clean the house, make zucchini bread, and get my hair cut. :) I had planned to run first thing Saturday morning, but it was raining and I figured if I was free all day surely I could find a 90 min gap... but no. Every time the radar looked clear, a new shower developed. So I finally did my run in the rain, which I'd been avoiding since my soggy marathon - it's much less miserable when the temperature is in the 80s, not the 30s! Then I headed down to the lake Sunday morning for another nice open water swim. 

This week has been a little lighter on the bike as I'm trying to taper a little for Saturday, but about normal for the running and swimming. Just a run and swim tomorrow and then the ride Saturday to go this week - then we will be off work for a week, with family coming to town, and a recovery week too!

We've also been working on logistical stuff - sent off a package today with our passports and visa applications (and our final payment for the hotel in Weihai too...)! Hopefully all will go smoothly and we'll get our passports and visas soon! 

Long ride Sunday

Yesterday my friend Amanda and I did a virtual half marathon (which just means you run the 13.1 miles whenever and wherever you want) for AHC. We finished with 13.13 miles in 1:59… running to her twin 2-year-olds at the end. :)

Since I ran yesterday, I had to bike today, but most people do their long rides on Saturdays, so I had trouble finding people to ride with. Luckily, my friend Dale and his friend Scott were up for 40ish miles to the Flat Rock Bakery with a lot of climbing via Mt. Olivet, but I still wanted to do a bit more than that, especially since I've got the Roan Moan century on the calendar for 2 weeks from yesterday. I was a few minutes early getting to the start and they were a few minutes late, so I was able to fit in about 9 before we started up the watershed. It was a pleasantly cool morning considering that the high today was in the 90s, and a nice ride up the watershed. Mt. Olivet was longer and harder than I remembered, but finally we made it to the top, then meandered around on Pinnacle Mountain Rd back to 225 (remind me never to do that descent again) and up to the bakery. At the bakery I got a yummy tartlette thing with kale and peppers and potatoes to eat then and an almond croissant for post-ride refueling and we headed back down the mountain. We got back to the cars after around 45 miles (for me) and I headed out to add on a few more. I remembered some people talking about sunflowers on the Ride with George and I figured we must have missed that part when we got lost, so I decided to try to find them.

Success!

After that I found my way back around to Banks Rd to try that climb again. This time I made up the first 2 steep parts, but barely. After my run yesterday and the 57 miles of biking I had already done, my legs were too tired and I decided to walk the last little bit to the top. I think I'll have to go back with fresher legs one day this summer. :)

All in all, 65 miles with 5000 feet of climbing. Not a bad day!
http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2999641

Riding with George! (well, kinda...)

George Hincapie lives in Greenville and has done a lot for the sport of cycling here. He and his brother also bought a closed hotel and restaurant on the way up to the mountains and renovated and reopened it. So tonight, they decided to have a ride and party to celebrate the Tour, so I figured, "why not?" and headed up the mountain after work.

I got to Hotel Domestique at approximately 5:27 for a 5:30 roll. Luckily I had my cycling clothes on under my dress that I wore to work, so it was just shoes, helmet, gloves, sunglasses, water and a quick sunscreen. I grabbed my bike and ran toward the start - it felt just like being in transition in a tri. By the time I got there the ride had just barely started and I easily found my friends... but I didn't even catch a glimpse of George. I took some pictures of the crowd - I'm sure he's up there somewhere.

About 10ish miles in my group lost the main group. After trying 2 roads unsuccessfully, we found someone who at least told us how to get back. He said Banks Rd had a nice climb... how right he was. I wasn't prepared when we made the left turn and couldn't get into a more suitable climbing gear. I was pushing and pushing, trying to stay vertical, but eventually I just got too slow and fell over. Luckily an uphill crash at 1 mph wasn't too bad and my bike and I were both OK. Apparently I can't quite do a 14% grade in the big ring from stopped. :) It leveled off about halfway up though and I was able to get in a better gear and get going for the 13-14% push to the top. Then a long down, another climb, some valley and back out to where we had come out. Our "unofficial" route was 16.8 miles with a decent amount of climbing.

Back at Domestique, there was a tour watching party. I just wanted to eat all of the food, but I did get George to sign my copy of his book and take a picture. :)

Overall a nice night! And I think I need to do some hill repeats on Banks Rd one day soon.

Saturday ride to Pendleton with friends

I didn't actually have a 61 mile ride on my training plan for today, but my friends had planned a ride to Pendleton with a stop at a yummy bakery, so I figured, why not? I was pretty tired from yesterday, but it was a pretty ride with good people on a gorgeous day, so I'm still glad I did it. :)

When we got to Pendleton, the bakery was closed for the holiday weekend, but at least there was a farmer's market.

Tried to get some rest this afternoon so I'll be ready for my run and swim tomorrow! 

New 5K PR at Furman and other 4th of July training

Since it's the 4th of July and I already have festive nails, and since I had run, bike AND swim on my training plan for today, I decided it was the perfect day to try out my Team USA uniform.

For my run workout, we decided to do the Red White and Blue Shoes 5K. What a perfect day! It was pleasantly cool at the start with beautiful skies. This is a really great 5K - a fast, flat course with great volunteers and a festive party atmosphere. After some pretty fast runs in my last few tris, I really wanted to see what I could do, so I went out fast and just tried to maintain it. For the whole last mile, I was thinking PR. 

And I got it! By 2 minutes!!! Woohoo!

After my run, I still had a bike and swim planned, but I hung out for the awards just in case. :) I finished first in my age group, and got some team prizes with Michelin in the Corporate Shields division too. Once that was done, it was onto my bike and up Paris Mountain, then back down and the rest of the way home on my bike. I got home at noon and needed to do a 30 minute swim before the pool closed at 12:45, so I headed over to the Y. Had to wait a few minutes for a lane and got in at about 12:13. Finished my 30 minute swim with an even mile (2:00 per 100! making progress) at 12:43, right before the lifeguard blew the whistle to close the pool. Perfect timing! Now time to enjoy cookouts and fireworks. :)

Race day (and 4th of July) nails!

My friend Erika recently started a Jamberry nails business. I'm not much of a nail person (I've only gotten 1 manicure ever and probably painted my nails a total of 10 times), but when I saw the red with white stars I thought it could be fun to have Team USA nails for China. And she apparently thought the same thing because she tagged me in a post with a picture of all of the patriotic options. :) So, she decided to sponsor my race day nails!

I got them in the mail tonight and I decided it was perfect timing to go ahead and try them for the 4th.

So fun! I'll let you know how they hold up to triathlon training. :) If you're interested in Jamberry, let me know and I'll get you in touch with Erika.

In other news, my husband convinced me to adjust my training schedule a little and make yesterday and rest day, so we cooked dinner together and took a walk in our neighborhood. Today it was back to running in the morning and biking after work. Biking again tomorrow!