Pains, er, Paynes Prairie

We are lucky to have a fairly bike friendly city here in North Central Florida, as many roads have dedicated bike lanes. However, I still am not super comfortable biking on a street, even in the lanes. Just last week, a cyclist was killed at 11pm by a speeding driver.

Luckily, there are dedicated bike paths around town! One is the Archer to Gainesville path, which I normally walk or run. I am going to tackle it tomorrow, I think. The second path is from Gainesville to Hawthorne, running sixteen miles. The path starts in Gainesville in Boulware Springs park, and runs through and next to Paynes Prairie Preserve, a Florida State Park. There are other state and local conservation lands, but I haven't gotten that far! Just a note, it is so super dry here in NCF, that the cypress knees were in dry dirt instead of muck/swamp. I was sad for all the wildlife.

The September tri has a 15 mile cycling portion. I am so thankful Florida is the flattest state in the country! I haven't gotten a chance to scout out the area where the triathlon is being held, but I definitely will before the race on September 30. I really appreciate riding without cars, so Craig and I went for a ride this past Sunday morning while the kids were otherwise occupied. My first thought was to make it at least ten miles. It turns out that when I go all in, I go all in. We ended up riding 14.4 miles in 1:20. There were a couple of stops, because my tire was scraping my brake pad, there was a really tiny baby fawn sans mère on the side of the path, and we needed to catch our breath at the halfway mark. (I will admit to having paused the Runkeeper app during our breaks.) We ended up averaging 10.76 MPH. I was using my trusty beach bike (even though it has 18 gears) and Craig had his hybrid.

I'm hoping to average 15 MPH during the tri itself. I have no idea what normal, amateur triathletes average during the cycling portion. We had someone on a serious carbon-fiber (I'm assuming) bike with thin, fancy wheels zoom by us. There is a small hilly section on the trail, going uphill on the way back, and I felt like someone walking a brisk pace could have beat me up those tiny hillocks. (I can't even dignify those as hills!) I've decided to get Craig's road bike refurbished for the actual race. I figure training on my behemoth bike will make the road bike seem like a breeze.  

Back in the (Bike) Saddle, Again

     Cycling seems to be a sport that is easily picked up after not doing it for a while. You never forget how to ride a bike, right? I'm very lucky that my town is fairly flat. In fact, most of my state is flat. I'm hoping that the 15 mile bike portion is on a fairly flat surface. I will be going to check it out in the next month.

     I have a crazy, enormous beach cruiser for a bike. I hate hunching forward, so I invested in an upright 18 speed bike from one of our local bike shops. It's a LIV Cypress DX W. It has nice fat tires, a nice big seat, and I can sit upright. I'm sure this is not the bike I'm going to be racing on, but it's a nice bike to regain my cycling balance. I've been biking in 3 mile bursts, to and from my parents' house. (My mother had a knee replacement and I'm making breakfast for both parents until she's up and walking.) I hope to start taking longer rides when the kids go back to school after spring break.

Remember, always wear a helmet. I see so many parents who enforce helmets for their kids, but refuse to wear one. It's stupid, hypocritical, and can lead to brain injury. Just fix your hair when you get to your destination. No one cares, anyway.

Here I Go AGAIN

     I seem to stop and start this blog every few years. This time, though, I'm REALLY going to complete a triathlon.

      What's the difference this time? I'm a 45 year old, mildly (?) obese woman. I had a life changing surgery in August, 2016. Some would call it elective, I call it necessary for my continued health. I had a breast reduction! 2.5 pounds were removed from each breast. That's a full five pound sack of potatoes removed from my front! The difference in my ability to move around is amazing. It used to be so difficult just to stand up from a seated position because my chest was so heavy. Now I can run short distances in only a bathing suit top (and bottom.) Before, I used to have to put on a compression bra which made it difficult to breathe, because it was constricting my chest so much to keep me from bouncing everywhere. I still weigh roughly the same, but my movement is so much freer.

     I've actually paid for a tri registration! I'm going to compete in the Crystal River Triathlon Series Race #3 on September 30, 2017. I figure this gives me at least 5 months to train. The 1/4 mile swim should be a breeze. That's about 16 laps in a 25 yard pool, and I can bust out at least 26 without even trying. 15 miles biking on a flat Florida road should be ok. It's the 5k running that I'm starting to dread. I can walk for miles and miles and miles, but running is something I've never done successfully because of my chest. I have a couch to 5k program I've started and abandoned so many times. I'm going to ease into running by starting a 15 second run, followed by 45 second walk to get my blood pumping.

     My little secret is that I am, in fact, insanely competitive. I like winning. I used to swim competitively as a kid. (Shout out to Flourtown Swim Club and Plymouth Whitemarsh Aquatic Club!) I am entering this tri as a novice, although I could also qualify as an Athena. Athena is a nice term for heavier than 150 pounds. Since I am heavier than 150 pounds, AND it's my first time, I decided to compete as a novice. Will I win my category? Let's hope they take age into consideration when awarding novice medals!

     Thanks for following my journey. See you next time!