JRA – Just Resting Along

Wow! It’s been two years. I really couldn’t have imagined after my last post that I would be gone for so long. In fact a mere 4 months after being run over I got back to riding and was so happy. However mere weeks after that I was so close to being squished by a bus that didn’t give way at a roundabout that slowly riding slipped away from me. And this was compounded by ongoing issues with my back.
Anyway, I am not here to dwell on the past, but to share with any of you who might still be interested after all this time that I’m back on my bikes and I love them so much. However this being back on the bikes a very very recent thing and getting back into writing about it is part of my plan for ensuring the addiction takes hold again.

Today I did something I wasn’t sure was possible. I rode up Rapaki. Now riding up a great big hill when you are unfit after being fit is very different from doing it when you are unfit and only just starting out riding. In some ways it’s easier and in others harder. For example when you start out it’s actually pretty intimidating and scary and you’re not even sure you can do it at all. My first ride up Rapaki included at least 2 lying down crying tantrums. However once you’ve been fit you know that all you have to do is just ride slow and keep going. However the other side of the coin is that there’s a voice in the back of your mind that likes to remind you that you used to be so much faster, it didn’t use to hurt, walkers didn’t use to pass you (runners yes) and the litany goes on.

Luckily for me (I guess) I’ve been so injured and through so much in the last couple of years that that voice didn’t really have a chance over the voice of complete and utter joy at being in the hills in the sun on my beloved bike. Joyous voice had a lot to say.

“Oh my god I’m riding, up a hill!”
“Wow, it is beautiful today”
“Hmmmmmm long fingered gloves are hot”
“I wish my bike computer was working”
“This bit in the trees seems longer”
“My legs are doing well”
“My sit-bones hate me”
“My *censored* hates me more, flippin ow”
“Don’t think about the pain, you’re riding”
“Hmmmmm my back aches”
“Wow my lungs don’t ache”
“Gosh it’s peaceful”
“My front rotor is rubbing a tiny bit”
“These gloves are really hot”
“Shut up thigh and keep pedalling this is awesome”

You get the idea.  A litany of thoughts tumbling over each other in the excitement of being on my bike. And over them all “You should write in your blog again”, which is how this is happening. Out of that incomplete list of brain babble there were a couple of thoughts that I did need to pay attention to, my back and my lungs. This can be difficult when you have sit-bones screaming that you are an evil witch, but they are the two things I need to really look after now that I’m a battered old woman. So while the cacophony of thoughts raged I quietly monitored my back, which ached a little by the end, and my lungs which were really good all things considered. Of course if my bike computer had been working then this whole head noise situation wouldn’t have occurred as I would have been pleasantly preoccupied with speed/time/distance maths. Off to get a battery tomorrow.

And finally I would like to share that I have at last been able to achieve Just Resting Along. This is when you reach a portion of the ride that is a little easier than the rest (or ideally a lot easier) and instead of pushing your speed up you relax. Just spin along slowly, not worrying what anyone else thinks. Relaxing, dropping your heart rate, cruising. Just Relaxing Along is freeing. Sure others may blast past as if you are standing still, but hey, you’re not. You are still moving and your Just Relaxing Along means you can ride longer than you would have been able to if you slammed yourself. JRA allows you to achieve things you didn’t think possible. Like riding to the top of a bloody big hill after no riding at all for a year.

So I’m back. Hi! I can’t wait to see where my wheels take me. I’m like a child in a candy store, but at the moment I don’t have much fitness currency.

Winter isn’t stopping me!

It is very easy not to ride during the wet, windy, cold winter days and it does become very difficult to ride any of my MTBs as the tracks are closed and muddy. However I’m not letting that stop me in my quest of skinnierness. I had my weekly weigh in this week and now I’ve lost 4.5kgs since I started Aspire and have dropped a dress size. Oh yes, that feels pretty damn good. Best of all my energy levels are getting higher and higher and I can now go for longer and longer rides without needing to eat. My endurance and stamina are back to pre-diet levels and I’ll be able to start working on speed soon. Even more exciting is the fact that my strength has improved out of sight. My upper body strength is better than it’s been in years, my core strength is really improving and my leg strength is right up there as I showed myself yesterday with some nice seated climbing. Fun.
I did almost give myself hypothermia riding for over 90mins in the drizzle and southerly yesterday, but it was still a good, if very painful at the end, ride. I felt strong and I didn’t feel lightheaded or ravenous at all. But it hasn’t been just about the bike for me for the last 7 weeks, I’ve been working out. A couple of years ago I got a gym membership. It was pretty good and I enjoyed it over winter, but I found it took the focus away from my riding. However what it did give me was knowledge of a number of free weights exercises I can easily do in the comfort of my own home. I’ve combined this with my elbow rehab exercises and I’ve got myself a nice little ten minute mini work out that I try do 3 times a day. It’s been going so well that I’ve had to get more weights to keep it challenging. Now I’ve got my strength back I can hit the yoga mat again so I’ve got a selection of nice 30 minute workouts I can chose from each morning. I try to do yoga most days and some days it not only gives me a great workout, it also sets me up for my day of writing. What more could you want, exercise and inspiration all in one go. Sounds like riding to me! I’ve got 4 more weeks of Aspire to go and I’m really excited about all the things I’ve learnt and how good I’m feeling. I give Aspire 2 thumbs up.

Mt Somers – In it for the Grins

My favourite race of the year rolled around on Sunday. The Mt Somers Classic. This race has now been running for 4 years and I’ve been in three of them (I was going to say competed, but I’ve really only competed in 1 of them). This was my first "race" back from my broken elbow and with the grand total of 5 weeks of riding after 3 months of complete inactivity while my elbow healed under my belt I was only entering the Recreational Grade this year. Luckily for me I wasn’t the only one keen for a bit of a laugh at Mt Somers and I had plenty of company for my pootle along the farm tracks and back roads of Mt Somers station (which are really gorgeous).

Strangely enough I was still quite nervous the morning of the ride, but the drive to Mt Somers with Appetite for Destruction blaring loudly from the speakers, to drown out my Axle Rose impressions, sorted my butterflies out. Heavy fog descended on to the Canterbury Plains just outside Rakaia, but this year I wasn’t too worried because it was like that last year and it cleared by the time we got to Mt Somers. This year was even better though. We burst out of the fog into bright sunshine and clear skies, it was a stunning day. How I wished I was fit, the ride up the hill would have been well and truly worth it with such beautiful clear vistas as a reward.

The posse crossing

As usual the organisation was absolutely top notch, with marshals stationed on all the approach roads and junctions around the township to make sure no one got lost. We parked up and I donned my wings. Yep, you read that right. I decided a few weeks ago that if I wasn’t fit enough to take the race seriously, then I really wasn’t going to take it seriously and decided to live up to my namesake and dress as Tinkerbell. I think you’ll agree I make a charming fairy!

It was rather amusing checking my bike in full regalia and having the man from the car next to me ask if I’d lost a bet. "Nope," I told him, "I’m just a bit special!" I managed to lose my husband right before the race, but I found my crew of Vorbettes (and Thorg) and we made our way to the start line. The usual Mexican waves were carried out and then the Experts were off, and then the Intermediates were off. Finally we were off. Surrounded by children, winding back and forwards and up the first gentle hill. I quickly realised that the 2 laps of McLeans on my singlespeed the previous day, while very fun, were not the best idea when your legs are as feeble as mine, but not to worry. I was a fairy and would be flying most of the way! Down the first wee descent on the road I passed a few little kids and could hear them say "Look, there’s a fairy!" It made looking like a fool completely worthwhile.

The sun was warming and the sleeping was good.

The race went well. It was great to be chatting with friends, playing silly buggers, going brrrraaaapppp, brap brap, down the hills and generally having a laugh. I discovered on one of my favourite downhill sections that fairy wings actually provide significant wind resistance, so they won’t be the go for night racing. Physically I really gave it everything I had (cause there wasn’t much to give), pushing hard on the downhills and spinning the up hills. The steepish gravel road climb that seemed so easy last year was bloody tough this year, but I was determined to ride everything, especially after making the river crossing, even though there were people walking all around. The lovely sweet_p on her singlespeed put a big gap on me and scatter, who was a great support, up the last hill, but as the track pointed down we reeled Dirtdiva back in and the three of us put the chase on to get back on her tail. Back on the road the three of us wer all in the big ring, riding aggressively (ha ha!) and managed to whizz past sweet_p and thorg just before the hill dropped down into the town. Woooooshhhhh, through town (again fantastic marshalling keeping the intersection clear for the riders) and then into the long grass of the finish shoot. Dirtdiva 11th, Scatter 12th, Tinkerbell 13th, Sweet_p 14th, and Thorg 3rd(burglar!). Then we all had a fantastic feed, thanks to the wives for bringing a plate, and chilled out in the sun watching the more competitive among us come home.

Post race nutrition is important! 20 tiny chocolate muffins are great, especially if all eaten at once

As usual the atmosphere was fantastic, laid back, but well organised. And best of all the proceeds of the race go to charity, with over $50,000 raised in the last 3 years. I will be back next year and back on track to reach my goal of a top 5 finish in the intermediate race. The one thing I’ve learnt from yesterday is that a race doesn’t have to be all about winning, or placing or beating anyone. If you’re surrounded by friends and equally silly individuals a race doesn’t even have to be technical or hard to be fun. The grins are why I race and they are still to be had even when you’re not very fit at all.

Dirtdiva's socks are why she's so fast

PS - Thanks to scatter for the title!

Legs of damp string

My training is taking a bit of a hammering with this darn cold. Saturday we headed out to the sandpit. I got Betty's bars cut down last week and so keen to try out her handling skillz now. It was so exciting to be back on a bike. We got to the sandpit and I ripped off into the forest at top speed. It felt so good flying between the trees. The narrower bars felt heaps better and I was hitting the corners hard and fast. Sweet. For the first 10 minutes. Then my body realised what I was doing to it. By the end of the first shot section I was ready to vomit or pass out or both. Man my lungs hurt. Silly girl. I shouldn't have gone out so hard. Needless to say the rest of the ride was more of a cruise than a blast. But crikey it was still fun. Especially when we stopped in the middle so I could practise jumping on a wee jump. Weeeeee.

Special! I had a wee play on the skinnies before we left and all in all it was a pretty good ride. Considering my body obviously isn't recovered from the virus of doom.
Later that day I went out Kaiapoi to visit my lovely friend Nici and her beautiful wee daughter. I've been painting them a painting for the nursery for about 8 months and I finished it a couple of weeks ago, finally. Biking seems to get in the way of my artistic endeavours. I'm pretty happy with it and I'm now starting a new one for other friends. Hopefully it won't take so long!I rode to work in the cold today. Man, my legs are gone. Horrid head wind on the way to work, but I still decided that I should go for a ride at lunchtime. Painful, slow, weak, string legs. Not good. I'm hoping my legs come back soon as Pete and I are racing in a fortnight and I'll need to be a lot fitter feeling than I am now.