It's ON!

I got into RAMROD 2017! Yee haw.

It has been on my bucket list for awhile. OK I just want the jersey.

Ride Around Mt. Rainier in One Day. It’s a lottery and your chances of getting in are better on a team. A colleague of mine had a 4 person team “Hill yes!” and there was room for a 5^th.

I have been skydiving (ok tandem) but it was pretty awesome 

I have done P2P (ok it was just the weasel) but the BRS bucket list does not specify.

But there is no downgrading RAMROD. There is no hiding. Biking hills is what keeps me honest, makes me want to be a better person. Too bad that resolve lasts only about 6 hours.

I was waiting to start training until I got in. Is procrastination a comorbid condition to addictive personalilty? Gotta look that one up sometime. There are 102 training days left. Not enough to fit into a wedding dress, but maybe enough to climb 10,000 ft over 152 miles?

Running was something I could not procrastinate. But humans learn to conserve effort. After nearly 300 marathons/ ultras, I’ve mastered the skill of running slowly, choosing “easy courses”, learned how to cover distances of 50, 100 miles with only the training of the race the weekend before. After a couple 100 mile PRs last fall, I registered for Pigtails 200 (sure, never mind I DNF’d the 150 years ago when I was younger, faster). But I am also the queen of biting off more than I can chew. I TALK big.

This weekend, bike double. Vashon Weenie on Saturday, Zoo hill Sunday. I whined after which Elmer gave me a reality check. From here on I would be known as "RAM-RO".

Met ELMER at the Pt Defiance ferry. I was waaaaay overdressed, expecting the cold/ wet we had become used to but it was a beautiful, warm sunny day. Though we weren't going to do Burma Rd today, it was still a rude awakening. It was considerably harder after another winter off the bike.

We stopped to refuel at the Burton coffee stand, just in front of the Vashon Bike shop (which is in the back of a moving truck). The Burton fog- Earl Grey tea with sweetened steamed milk, genius. I was all too happy to cut the course short (skipped Evil Twin #1) to beat the traffic home.

This morning, my quads already stiff despite the advil. After a big breakfast at Glos (my favorite thing in the world),

it was hard to breathe, my clothes were uncomfortably tight.

We crept up the first climb. I start yawning which is what happens when my heart rate gets too high. Right before I start burping/ puking. I pulled over and felt my quads trembling. Wtf we weren’t even at Montreux yet! Elmer was waiting for me at the top and made the executive decision to “save us from ourselves” and change the route to the Lake Washington loop. After climbing 16% grade hills, it was luxurious to coast the gentle bike lanes with views of the mountains. Elmer noted how lucky we were, perfect weather, no flats (jinx). 

After Dim Sum (happy Easter!) I felt recovered enough to add a couple Mercer loops, of course I get a flat. I changed it myself but it shortened my plans. But still managed 65 miles/ 5000 ft of climbing for the weekend. Rather than facing my paperwork, started looking at century rides to do that wouldn’t conflict with Pigtails in May or the Inca Trail marathon in July and noted that I missed out on a 2 day ride to Mazama. Waitlist. Maybe next year?

I am seriously considering liposuction to get down to climbing weight. Or maybe hiring a weight loss coach? Whichever is most cost-effective.

Signed up for RSVP (bucket list #4).

Next up- the EUGENE OPEN is BAAACK!