To Do’s

Ok, so I’ve already started riding –a little bit – but there are a few things I need to do, buy, and pay in order to have everything set up. And since I'll be using this as my training diary I’ll post it here and update it accordingly.

Some things need to be done ASAP (A), some can wait until after the wedding (W) and some are very low priority (L) and I can do them whenever.

To Do
1. (A) Fill out the registration for the Texas Tri Series
2. (A) Find my swimsuit – It’s in one of those boxes in the closet, problem is which one.
3. (A) Start swimming you lazy lazy…
4. (A) Fix the battery in my heart rate monitor
5. (A) Pick up my old bike from Maria’s and ship it to PR.

To Buy
1. (A) One or two Nuun sticks
2. (W) New (blue-ish) shoes – the ones I have got a little banged up when I fell last time and it’s not easy to release the lock, plus, they don’t go with my bike and helmet. Will need new ones before the Rookie –got to start checking bonktown.com
3. (W) Gel stuff box
4. (W) Nuun in box
5. (W) Sports beans box
6. (W) Monkey wipes box
7. (L) A trainer – probably on sale during the summer months
8. (L) New cleats
9. (L) New running shoes

To Pay
1. (A) USAT membership
2. (A) Rookie Tri
3. (A-W) Trizone’s dues
4. (W) other events in the series

New bike rack. Yey!!!

I had been debating over the idea of buying a new bike rack for a while now. On one hand I didn’t want to spend a lot of money right now, especially with all the wedding expenses adding up fast. On the other one, it was becoming evident that if M and I were going to be riding together often we needed a better way of carrying both bikes; we’ve been dealing with taking the front wheels off and stacking the bikes into the back of my hatchback, but it’s just tedious.

So, after last week’s ride I decided it was time to do it and I got myself a Saris Bones that holds three bikes. I considered getting the two bike rack, but the difference was only $30 and I know the extra spot will come in handy when we go riding with our friend Oliver or with anyone else who wants to joint the fun.

We went out for a quickie ride yesterday to test it out. Check it out.

Amazing Jody

Last season I joined a local training group called Tri Zones. It was an attempt to have a more structured training and also to meet some other triathletes in the area. Every Tuesday evening we met for the day’s workout and some socializing before and after practice. All in all, it was a great experience for a number of reasons, one of them being that it was there where I met Jody.

Jody is not your typical triathlete (if there is such a thing). She doesn’t care about riding the fastest bike or being the first out of the water. She doesn’t talk about even splits, or negative splits, or any kind of splits. She is not concerned about whether or not she will PR at the next event or if she will place in the top 10, or 5, or 3 –although, she usually does. She just likes triathlon. I mean, she really enjoys it, probably more that most competitors out there. She’s always happy to be in practice and she comes out with the funniest stories when she participates at events. She is also over seventy years old. Needless to say, she has become an inspiration and a very good motivator. I can only wish that when I’m her age I will be as active, and training with her makes me think twice before complaining about one more lap or one more hill.

A few weeks back I received news from Tri Zones that Jody and her granddaughter, Shannon, were one of the teams selected to participate in the Amazing Race 16. I was so excited! I’ve watched the Race before and I always think to myself: “I would love to be able to do that one day”, and now I actually know someone who did. So tonight, as the Amazing Race 16 premiers, I will sit in front of the screen and cheer for Jody and Shannon. They might go all the way and win a million dollars or they might get eliminated in the first round (hopefully not). Either way, Jody, it is a privilege and an honor to have you as a training mate, and I didn’t need an Amazing Race to know that you are AMAZING.

First Ride of the Year

Good weather has finally made its way to Austin and that means it’s nice to go cycling again. This morning M and I woke up “early” to load the bikes in my car and head out to the Avery Ranch area for our fist ride of the year: a 20 miler out in the hill country. We had to spend some time finding all our gear and fitting both bikes in the trunk of my rack-less car, but we managed to do it rather efficiently.

We got there a few minutes before 10 am and met with a group that is training for the MS 150. The ride was very pleasant; we went out on some of the farm roads, saw some greenery and some cattle, and for the most part we were able to just relax and enjoy the ride. It was also great to have M riding with me as we challenged each other playing catch-up every few miles. (He beat me to the finish line, but that won’t happen again ;)). And, since I usually go out by myself it was a very nice change to have other people to chat with on the way. The temperature was still a bit chilly for my taste, but I prefer that to the hundred and something degrees that it will be in the summer.

All in all, it was a great way to get back on the saddle. May this be the first of many many rides this year.

Here's the map.

Ready to Roll

Last time I rode my bike was late October last year during the cycling leg of the Longhorn triathlon. Without going into the details of that day, I’m just going to say that I fell (badly) injuring my arm and busting my bike in the process. The shifter ended up all crooked, the tape was messed up and it also got some scratches. Well, I hadn’t had the time or the need to take the bike to the shop, so I just ignored it in the garage since.

But two weeks ago something wonderful happened. It was mid January but the weather here in Austin felt like early spring: high sixties to mid seventies, beautiful sunshine, nice breeze. A sign from above –I thought – that it was time to take my bike out of its misery and finally find the time to take it to the shop. And so I did. I drove down to Jack and Adam’s with both my bike and M’s (who apparently has never heard of such thing as chain degreaser) and got the bikes a tune up. On top of that, since my tape had to be replaced I chose to change the color to blue, to match with the frame and the helmet. (Note to self: now I need new shoes to match.) Two days later, I went back to pick up the bikes and while I’m there I remember that I want one of those aerodrink bottles (the ones that say “I'm such a badass and I ride for so long that I need this huge ass water bottle”), so before I checkout Jack installs the thing on my aerobars. Sweet! I swear if people see the bike racked up they would think it belongs to some serious athlete… then they would see me and they’d be disappointed.

Anyway, it’s now cycling time, right? I mean, the bike is ready for the season and the weather is perfect, right? Not! Well, not only have we not had a single “warm” day since, I also have been struggling with a stubborn cold that won’t go away. So, the bike: ready to roll… me: not so much. I guess I’ll have to wait a few more weeks to get back in the saddle. In the meantime I’ll just keep running.