About a week and half ago on a Thursday night Dan and I went on a ride with our friends Tamara and Brian Nelsen that we shall call the "Tour de Vine"... we rode from Bloomington to White Oak Vineyards for a tasting, then out to Mackinaw Vineyards for a glass or two (they have NEW dry reds this year!! Cody's Round-Up Red and Cole's Classic- yum!!) then we HAMMERED home to get in before dark. The Nelsens brought a backpack full of cheese, bread, and chocolate, which were great snacks and accompaniments to the wine! Not a bad 47 mile ride! :)
Of course, instead of going a full 100mi like a good athlete, I stopped at the Lake Road Inn with my favorite
After I finally got home, it was CAMPING time!! Dan had gone out to help his parents with their remodeling for a little bit and get the RV, while Steve and I loaded up his car and set out for Clinton Lake. Dan was running a little behind, so we stopped at this local dive bar...
Once Dan got back, we grilled up some dinner and enjoyed some drinks around a campfire :)
We got up early the next morning- Dan and Steve went fishing, Winston and I went hiking!
After we got back, I decided to finish off the week with a shorter ride :)
So now this PAST weekend, we decided on Friday to head up to Rockford with the RV so that Dan could compete in the Rockford Olympic tri with his friend Steve! We had friends Kevin, Missi, and Adam that were competing as well. We had a lovely dinner at Sam's Ristorante, which boasted a beautiful dining room and live music (we thought it was just a pizza place! It could use a better wine menu though.) then camped out at Rock Cut State Park.
The race venue was cute- there were no more than 120ish competitors, so it had an easy-going, laid-back feel. You can read more about the actual race in Steve's blog.
While they were competing, I took Winston to the nearby "dog park" in the State park... it was awesome!! It wasn't your traditional glorified fenced-in yard... there were several miles of grass trails in a wooded area with swimming ponds and more- he LOVED it! I took my hybrid bike and cycled along with him so he was able to cover more ground :)
After the guys finished, it started DOWNPOURING. Luckily, we were able to hitch a ride with Steve and his dad in their huge van to our campsite- thanks!!
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| Happy bday Missi! |
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| Daddy!! |
After lunch and a nap, the weather cleared up and I went for a little jog/walk (more on that later)...Rock Cut State park is beautiful!! Besides the rolling (paved) hills that they used for the tri and other road races, they had some great trails as well.
Once we packed up and headed back south, I convinced Dan to stop at the Illinois River Winery near Starved Rock State Park in Utica- very cute little place! They have some dangerously delicious fruit and dessert wines...we really liked the Port (port wines are usually thick, sweet, and have a high alcohol content...be ready for it!) and of the course the Norton... :)
We arrived at Moraine View State Park (Dawson Lake) in the evening and set up shop- Dan's parents and his aunt/uncle were also camping there as his family had a Father's Day cookout planned for the next day. Unfortunately, it stormed pretty good that night (which was great for us...we slept VERY well!), so the big cookout was post-poned. Dan's sisters still came out that the afternoon and we all had a nice little celebration ourselves :)
We keep the RV at his parents' house, which is out in the country, so again, I finished up the week with a nice 40mi+ ride back home :)
Which gets us to my next topic- biking!!
The week before last I rode 6/7 days, and ended up with 237 miles of riding. Not too bad! My legs felt great, but here's the problem: SADDLE SORES. There's something going around this year. I don't have anything that needs to be lanced like some athletes have experienced recently, but it's just an overall unpleasant chafing experience that cut my mileage goals short. I also skipped time trials this week due to them. They HURT just when my clothes rub against them when I'm walking!
I've ridden an Adamo saddle for 5 years, and so far nothing has compared to the relief that it provides to the ladybits...the saddle doesn't have a nose, and directs pressure to your sitbones. It works beautifully. However, it is WIDE... and the chafing I'm experiencing is on my inner thighs (If I'm wearing a swimsuit, you could see them).
Uuugh...The reason I switched to the Adamo is because the nose on traditional saddles brought me to tears....but I'm going to TRY them again. Luckily, my LBS Bloomington Cycle and Fitness has 3 saddles that they have for demo- Last week they put a Specialized Women's Oura Expert Gel saddle on my bike
I tried it for 3 rides, stopping every ~10 mi or so to adjust the saddle, but could not find any relief. It solved the chafing issue I had with the Adamo, but the perineal pain especially in time trial position, wasn't tolerable for me. I'm sure this saddle is fantastic for some women, but I think I'm going to have a harder time adjusting because I haven't had to deal with ANY soft-tissue pressure in so long!!
The next saddle I'm hoping to try is the Cobb V-Flow Plus...they have an outstanding return policy, which is good news for me during this trial and error process... if that doesn't work out, my friend Chris recommended the saddle try and buy program from competitivecyclist.com... if you have any other suggestions, please send them my way! :)
So, my foot has NOT healed up well since the surgery I had in December. It is tender to touch, it is still painful to run, and it occasionally even locks up on me. It has been over 6 months- normally full recovery from this surgery takes 2-4 months. I had an MRI done, and got my results back last week. Good news- there is nothing structurally wrong. The achilles tendon and other connective tissues are fine, joints are fine, etc. The problem is NASTY scar tissue. All the pain I'm feeling is "OK"- it needs to be broken up. Ouch. There is nothing more the doc can do for me at this point. More graston, stretching, exercising, and anti-inflammatories indefinitely...until it doesn't hurt anymore. Ugh.
So running is sort of "back in the picture"... At Rock Cut SP I jogged/walked 4.5 miles...it took me 48 minutes with 35min of jogging total. My general strategy was 3min jog/1-2min walk w/ stretching/skipping/etc. I guess I'll build from there. It "locked up" a couple times, but I'll learn to deal with it before it goes away completely. Funny...2 days later and I am SORE from it! My calves/quads/hip flexors haven't been worked like that in awhile, ha.
As far as racing goes, I'm pretty bummed. Buffalo Springs 70.3 is out (will be able to race it next year), and I'm working on getting out of IM Louisville as well without throwing all the money I spent on the race down the toilet. At least I'll still be able to compete in the Lake Evergreen tri next month as a relay and REV3 Dells in August as an Aquabike or relay!! Thank YOU awesome race organizers for looking out for injured people!! :)
1 comment:
I had the same seat and too think it is wide. My coach used a zip tie to bring it in a little and that has helped! Try that!
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