Alright everyone, spring break is over…at least, for me, the non-training part of it is. But that doesn’t mean I’m locked into “serious training” mode! I still get to have fun and this time of year, there’s a lot of cross training going on (running, roller skiing, biking, swimming, ect.). And I still have my official spring vacation with my Mom and Sister coming up next week. We’re going to Florida, and I’m SUPER excited to spend time on the beach, go to a couple water parks, and of course visit Harry Potter World. For those of you rolling your eyes…get a life and a reality check!!! You’re never too old for Harry Potter world.
Just to spite my coach, I signed up for the Ironman Minnesota Bike Ride…the day before my official training plan started. Just kidding! I didn’t know I was screwing up the plan! Either way, it was a really fun ride. I lamented in earlier blog posts how extremely awkward I am on a bike, and how much biking really scares me. So the goal of the ride was to not only finish the 75 mile route, but to get more comfortable on a bike as I did. Turns out, 5.5 hours DOES make you a little more comfortable riding in a large group (go figure) and I also tried out clip-less pedals for the first time in my life.
Trying out the new PowerBar Blends - real fruit! Yum! Thanks PowerBar
A small footnote…I may have tried out said clip-less pedals the day before the ride, not the actual ride. I did the Ironman ride on a mountain bike. I know, I know! The whole point was to get on a road bike! But the totally awesome (and super cute) bike I was borrowing from Kris, my high school coach, didn’t work out because I wasn’t able to make it quite short enough, and I would have needed to tip-toe every stroke. But I tried it out first, and when I used the clip-less pedals, at least someone was there to watch me crash – my Dad. “You’re supposed to twist your foot out before you stop! Now quit lying there, get up”. Although if you asked him, he’d tell you that putting me on the mountain bike was all a brilliant part of his strategy for the day.
My Dad and I starting our ride
Besides the small detail of the mountain bike, the ride was exactly what I was hoping for and really, really fun. There were thousands of bikers, and ability levels and experience ranged from professionals to little kids. The last hour of the ride, I was in a bit of a time crunch, because I had to be home in time to go to my sister’s voice recital. I have a stubborn streak a mile wide, and I wanted so badly to finish the planned route, so the last 15 miles I felt like I was in race mode! It didn’t help that we were biking directly into the wind, either – and at one point I looked back and saw a chain of guys on road bikes drafting me. In my fuzzy brain state, I could only think “SHAME ON YOU!!! Drafting a chick on a mountain bike!” But later I had to laugh about it. In case you’re wondering, I made it home with exactly 10 minutes to shower and change 🙂
I had to check and see if my hand would fit through Mackenzie's earrings (it did)
Later that evening, I went to the Red Wing Nordic Club’s end of year party. It was really cool to meet the members of the club started two years ago by coach David Asp, and everyone had a fun year and learned a lot.
The Red Wing Nordic Club
