Waking Up In Algona

We fell asleep so soundly that we didn't hear the rowdies in the middle of the night climb over the fence of the Aquatic Center and cannonball into the pool. I guess Team BodyShop (or something like that) had a little too much to drink. Apparently the police came to break everything up. I didn't hear a thing :) When I woke up, I was sore all over, especially my "sit" bones. I also had a sunburn on my back. Apparently, the sunblock couldn't save me from being exposed from 7am-5pm. My lips are also all swollen from windburn. Who needs collagen when you could have windburn! It doesn't hurt, but my lips look quite plump. I started laughing at myself when I looked in the mirror. I also laughed at my tan lines, which are the same as last year's -- a straight white line down the back. Off we go to ride 59.9 miles and meet up with our friends Pete Royer and his wife, along with another couple. I'm looking forward to meeting up with Pete. He has a support vehicle. I can finally ride luggage free, at least for part of the ride.

DAY 2 - 79 miles, 1,083 elevaton

After a pretty restful night, we woke up around 6am and started to get ready for the long day of biking. My legs were sore, but not so bad that I couldn't ride. We were out on the road by around 7:30am. Unlike last year, where we had a group that helped us out with food, we had to go ride to the first place for breakfast. The first stop was the Farm Boys breakfast burritos. The line looked like a mile long, so we skipped it thinking we'll ride to the first town, Varina, which was 16.5 miles away. But, we missed the turn off, so onward we went. We had to stop to share a half a protein bar and some water, but we finally made it to K&K for a delicious and needed PB&J along with ice-cold OJ and a banana. That fueled us forward to the big meeting town of Pocahantas, which was a beautiful town with a lot of friendly folks. This was another 17.1 miles away, so when we stopped, I was pretty tired. I took a short snooze on the grass in the park after eating a veggie pizza lunch. Then off we went to West Bend, another 27.4 miles away. This took us a while, but it was nice and flat, so the ride wasn't so bad. At West Bend, there is this incredible grotto. It's the world's largest grotto, so we stopped for about 20 minutes to walk around it (and to use the indoor plumbing -- port-o-potties, as you can imagine, are kind of yucky, especially when it feels like it's 100 degrees in there. As my friend would call it, a poop oven). We rode the last 18 miles into the overnight town of Algona. After a day of riding flat roads, getting into Algona was a challenge...steep and steady uphill, but we made it and set up camp by the Aquatic Center. Since we arrived pretty late, it was once again a veggie curry and gyro dinner. But it was nice just sitting on the curb leaning on Rick, chatting about the days events and sharing another nice night out.

DAY 1 - 68.5 miles, 3,687 elevation

Unfortunately, Rick didn't finish his projects, so he brought his laptop and files with him. He also stayed up most of the night working. This carried on into the morning, so we got off to a late start around 10am. It was hot and humid and our baggage weighed the bike down -- total weight, about 50-60 lb. I was doing okay for the first half of the day, but then my legs started cramping badly during the final 23 miles. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it and once again, I cried from the pain. I wanted to SAG it, but Rick wouldn't let me. I don't know why my legs cramped so badly. After all the running I've been doing, I thought I'd be fine. Maybe I didn't eat enough or drink enough water. Maybe I didn't realize how hard it is to ride self-supported on a hilly route. Probably a little of everything. We finally pulled into the overnight town - Storm Lake - by around 9pm. Luckily, Joe's Shower Shack was still open. Showering inside a trailer never felt better! We ate veggie curry and gyros for dinner and strolled along this beautiful little town. We pitched our tent right by the lake and fell asleep underneath the bright moon and stars. A lovely ending to a rough day. Tomorrow is going to be a long day of riding with nearly 80 miles. At least it should be pretty flat.

The Day Before RAGBRAI

Today, Rick and I made it to the starting point of RAGBRAI, Sioux City, Iowa. It wasn't as easy as we thought it would be. After weeks of sunny days with very little rain, our day started with severe thunderstorms. Luckily Rick's flight out of LGA was on time and while the connecting flight out of Chicago boarded on time, we were stuck in the airplane for 90 minutes. When we finally made it to Omaha, we had to hop onto a 90-minute shuttle to Sioux City. I was expecting a nice and peaceful ride. Maybe get a little sleep. Instead, I got to listen to a loudmouth, pompous ass who was so full of himself, I was tempted to smack him in the face. Rick kept making fun that he should take his biking helmet and smash it over his head...that's how annoying he was. I felt like I was on the LIRR where you can't get the person to stop talking so loudly on his/her cell phone. This guy was talking about how smart he is, how he is superiorly physically fit, how he dates rich and beautiful women. Luckily, the day got better once I got off the shuttle. We had lunch at the RAGBRAI Expo. To continue last year's theme of "I love pork," I had a pulled-pork sandwich. After lunch, we assembled the bike (about 90 minutes) and then we rode it down to the Missouri River, and in RAGBRAI tradition, dipped the back wheel into the river. And then, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Luciano's, where I flushed a lovely shade of red after having a watermelon martini. I can hardly wait for tomorrow. Distance 68.5 miles, total elevation 3,687 ft. This will be one of the hilliest days, so I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Running Update

My friend invited me to run a 5K with her next weekend. Unfortunately, I had to turn her down since I will be on a business trip in Chicago. I wanted to do the run with her to test my speed at 5K. I know my body is trained enough to handle a nice and easy 3.2 miles,but how would I feel if I pushed the pace. It's hard for me to push myself to run faster when I'm alone. There's just no incentive. But, when you're with a pack of people, the competitive spirit kicks in along with a rush of adrenaline. I'll try to find another event near us between now and the Sept 19 half marathon I signed up for. While I'm in Chicago, I'll go run by the lake. I'll be staying at a hotel right next to the lake, so why not. It should be lovely, but I can't overdo it since the following week is RAGBRAI.

In number news, the running log I've been keeping surprised me when I scrolled down to the total distance I've run since April. I've passed the 100 mile mark! To be exact 112.35 miles. Amazing for a person who has never really exercised regularly until a year and a half ago. I forget how many points I've accumulated, but I'm pretty sure David's far behind me :)

Less than two weeks to RAGBRAI

The bike is packed and shipped already. Our flights have been booked. My bags are almost packed. I'm getting nervous. What happens if I can't finish it?!? It's going to be a very different experience this year. No team - no Tash, Pete, Gene or Ron. Who's going to savor a pork chop with me? Well, maybe Pete. He's coming with his wife and another couple for a few days. We'll also be riding the heavier 1980s Santana tandem. And as if the additional weight of the older bike was enough, Rick wants us to carry our own bags, so all our stuff will be in panniers and on the rack. That's probably another 50 lb. I wanted to use the luggage truck, but Rick's concerned they'll lose our stuff and we'll up the river without a paddle. Personally, I think he just liked the panniers. He was grinning from ear to ear when he showed them to me. Well, they were kind of nice, but quite pricey. For avid touring bicyclists, they'll appreciate Ortlieb products. Rick has a thing for bicycle bags. The guys from last year can vouch for me :)

Running at Night

It's been hot and humid for the past few weeks. I've been wanting to run outdoors and not in the gym. I just want the fresh air and the scenery, but, I don't want to pass out from heat stroke and dehydration. So, I finally decided to try running at night. I didn't dare venture too far from my home. It's dark out here and there aren't all that many streetlights. So, off I went with my little flashlight in hand. I was quite scared at the beginning. A little bit because of the cars, but mostly because of the racoons and possums. I was also a little worried about tripping over any bumps in the road and sidewalk. But, all in all, I survived without any many damage. Total distance in the dark, 3.3 miles. By the end of it, I was dripping with sweat. The sun may have gone down, but the temperature was still in the 80s and the humidity levels close to 80%. I can't wait for it to get at least a little cooler.