"Don't Stop Believing" Journey to Ironman

"Bye Bye Bunny Rabbit"--A Mini Morality Play About Riding with a Power Meter

I had me an encounter with a bit of a trash talkin' biker chick this morning. (It was 6 a.m., and waaay too early for such stuff, but so be it.)

Today my workout was warm up, then 2 x 17' at Functional Threshold Power (FTP). This are tough, hard, and fast intervals. Love 'em! Around a bend in the road, I blow by two women. I could see they are riding well, but I was doing my fast thing so I passed them easily. I regrouped with my husband during the 4' interval, and they begin to close the gap.

Shortly after I started my second 17' we came to a small hill. They closed the gap a bit more, as I could see them out of the saddle hammering. I just rode my watts, and was able to take off down the hill leaving them to recover and coast (I make a mental note of this.)

We then get to the next bigger hill, and I just KNEW what would happen. I dial into my watts and keep it there. They hammer. They come by me breathing like freight trains, standing. As they pass me, the one in the back looks over and says, in not too too friendly a way, "Bye bye bunny rabbit."

Bye, Bye????? Bunny What????? They're using me as a rabbit???? I don't think so! But I knew I'd make them toast in short order! This particular we were on hill does not go to a downhill, but climbs you up to the flats, so you have to keep pedaling--there's no coasting at the top. So I listen to my coach's voice in my head, and I just keep my watts smooth and steady.

As we finish the hill, I've got plenty left to just keep on riding, and at FTP speed at that! They, of course, hammered the hill, are spent and are busy heaving and recovering. I pass Miss Big Mouth first. Take THAT! Then the alpha-female comes next. You should have seen the look of shock on her face when I just smiled and flew right on by. I just rode until they were mere specks behind me in the distance.

My work with Endurance Nation has taught me how to ride with power, and how to ride smart. We don't spike our effort and red line it on hills. We keep it at FTP or a little over, and stay steady. While everyone else needs to recover from all that wasted energy climbing, we just keep on pedaling right on down the hills or through the flats. You drop so many people that way, and keep yourself strong throughout a long race. I know my training partners at EN have recounted this scenario numerous times, and it is writ large at long-course races. Happens constantly. People hammer, we don't, catch them and pass them on every downhill. It was my first experience with how easy it is to leave people behind after climbing. Nice!

Anyway, here's to riding smart and hard, and not needing to do any trash talkin' myself. Just keep smiling and the riding do the smack down for me!

Training in the Hills of Maine!

Just back from two weeks of training in the hills of Maine. Here's a photo essay of a typical training day! I'm featuring my Endurance Nation training garb, as an homage to the great results I've been getting with this program! More on that later.

Your friendly Endurance Nut (let's call her EN) provides a guided tour of a day in her life in Eden, Paradise, or Triathlon Training Heaven--aka Mount Desert Island, Maine and Acadia National Park. (BTW, it’s great to check in again after almost two weeks of being unplugged—no Internet, cell phone, or TV.) Anyway…your tour begins…

EN welcomes you to the Northern Neck Mount Desert Isle, Maine.

We’re 1.3 miles down this dirt road. EN and her DH started coming here about 25 years ago. In the old days, the road was not so nice. You dodged one pot hole and hit three.  I loved it.  You can’t see it here, but even this little road has some, um, challenging (read: sucking) little hills.

Here is Great Long Pond, which is about 25 feet from the back door. The “pond” is actually a 7-mile long swimmable lake. The land across the lake is owned by Acadia National Park, so it will never be developed. You best swim early in the morning when the lake looks like this. By the afternoon on many days, the sea breeze sweeps across the long fetch of the lake and turns it into “the roiling, boiling cauldron of death,” sometimes with major whitecaps.

The lake is home to nesting pairs of loons. They are amazing to watch and listen to. To us, they are the sound of summer. (Except you might want to shoot them at night. They are L-O-U-D.) We also have hummingbirds everywhere. They’re wonderful, except at 5 a.m. when they sound like B-52s swooping low. Wild Maine blueberry bushes fill the yard.  We pick them for breakfast. This is our view from the deck.

EN Bikes the Hills: Cadillac Mountain Hill Climb—From Sea Level to Summit

There is nothing here but hills—big ones, long ones, steep ones—constant up and down, up and down. EN cannot get enough! She is seen here atop of the favorite hill of all, Cadillac Mountain (Caddy). EN especially likes the long climb that goes from sea level to the summit. She rides it as many times as possible while up here. EN has climbed to the Cadillac peak on her bike, what? 50 times? More? But this year, EN made it up +3’ faster than ever before! She was very happy. You can see the gorgreous vista behind.

This screaming descent on the bike is so incredibly beautiful.

After a 50-minute Funtional Threshold Test and the Caddy Climb, we were feeling pretty good. So what does any self-respecting EN do? Climb it again! Just because we can do cool sh*# with our fitness! Very sweaty on this hot day, but happy.

EN and hubby atop Caddy. (My photographer.)

Park Loop  and Sargent Road
Park Loop Road is a 19-mile loop through Acadia National Park. Most of it is just two lanes--both one way--so there is no issues with cars. Just climbing and vistas. These pix don’t really do it justice.

EN

Here's a history lesson. The roads in Acadia don’t have guard rails, but are lined with these big granite stones called “Rockefeller teeth,” after John D. who donated all the land. (No EN gear today—too windy and chilly. Park Rangers warned us not to climb the mountain on our bikes lest we be swept over the side!)

Take a look at these roads in Maine. So many of them are like this. Not a pothole in sight. Yeah baby, no problem screaming downhill at 40 mph in the bars! Boobs to the tube! Wheeee!!!

Eagle Lake Carriage Path

After all that riding fun, EN does her brick run on one of the carriage paths in the park.

EN has tons of fun in Maine, but still has to hit the grocery store far too often!

Finally, EN gets a bath and a rest, (Certainly, no washer or dryer here!)

And after a week on the dirt road, it’s the perfect EN rolling billboard! It says it all!