2012 Icicle Metric (or close to it)

Melissa and I headed out early Saturday morning for Newark, DE.  That is the home of the University of Delaware's Fightin' Blue Hens and the Icicle Metric bike event hosted by the White Clay Bicycle Club.  The morning started out on the milder side and dry.  In years past, the event has always lived up to its name with very chilly temps, but this year found us leaving off our booties and winter cycling jackets.   We had checked out the weather forecast which called for rain or showers for part of the morning, but didn't sound like a wash.  The staging area is a U of D parking lot and we were greeted there by volunteers at the registration tables.  You were given the choice of one of the clubs water bottles or a nifty cue sheet holder.  We both opted for the holder which worked wonderfully.  You can check them out at www.cueclip.com  By now it had become overcast and we went through a few minutes of indecision on what to wear.  We started out together heading out of town on some great back roads.  At around mile 4 Melissa announced the first few rain drops of the day-I was hoping it was just from a few foggy areas nearby.  But.....she was right and the rain followed us out of town.  I headed out on the 100k route and spent quite a bit of time riding through puddles and water sitting on the road.  Melissa followed the 50k route and we planned to meet up at the rest stop which was at mile 35 for me.  The rain would ease up at times but just wouldn't stop.  The wet conditions made it difficult to take advantage of some great downhills and was especially annoying when I started feel water in my shoes.  For a brief moment earlier in the van I thought of my cycling rain jacket, but for some unknown reason I never tucked it in my back pocket.  Luckily I had a few layers on including knee warmers and arm warmers and the temperature stayed on the milder side.  Still, it was wet and showed no sign of clearing up.  I made a deal with myself that if it stopped raining and looked brighter by the time I got to the rest stop that I would continue on the 100k route-if not I would head in on the 50k route.  My fuel for the day was PowerBar IronMan Perform lemon lime drink, water and a PowerBar Double Latte Gel.

I pulled into the school for the rest stop and easily found Melissa.  Normally this spot is jammed with riders, but you could see the effects of the weather with just a handful of riders there.  I grabbed a PB&J sandwich, filled a water bottle and headed out with Melissa.  The weather was still crummy and I was going to finish on the 50k route.  There is a pretty good downhill a few miles out from the school. This was when I knew I made the right decision....The rain hitting my face at this point felt more like sleet!!!  I kept saying ouch the whole way down!!!!

Melissa ended up with a 36 mile ride and I finished with 44 miles.  We each changed in the van and the dry, warm clothes were very welcome.  Lunch was next on the agenda and we headed straight to Iron Hill Brewery.  Hot soup and a great homemade black bean burger with a side of fries made the day complete.  We also got to watch some of the NCAA Women's b-ball games while there!!

Happy and dry at the start!

We both really like this ride which meanders through DE, PA and MD and offers some great scenery and challenging routes.  We will be back again next year and I think I will hope for cooler temps and no rain!!!

My new ride!

Emotionally Recovering from an Injury

In 2010 I was on track and training for IMLP. During March of that year I noticed some tightness behind my knee and shook it off as a tight hammy or something in that area.  I started getting pain on the medial side just below the knee and at the top of the inside of my lower leg.  I kept stretching, using the stick and icing.  Then came a run when I had to continually stop to stretch followed by swelling on the lateral side of the knee.   I still feel the "uuugh" of that happening.  Long story short, I had a slight meniscus tear, but that wasn't the problem.  I also had Pes Anserine bursitis and that was the pain on the medial side.  I went through PT as well as Prolotherapy injections.  My training suffered as I missed several weeks in April and several long runs and bikes that I would have had on my schedule if healthy.  Still, I was feeling confident and made it to the start line feeling good.  My thought was to get through the bike by the cutoff and run/walk the marathon.  I had a good swim (for me) and followed my plan on the bike-pain free.  Unfortunately I was stopped at the 104 mile mark on the bike and told I wouldn't make the time cutoff.  The lack of long training left me a little short on the power end and my race was done.Fast forward to 2012.  It is March and I am training for...you guessed it...IMLP!  The year started off with some Achilles issues on the opposite leg that have greatly improved.   And how about that knee?  I struggle more with my head and feeling as though I am still "testing" it to see if it is OK.   I can't say that I am waiting for it to hurt, it is more so that I am celebrating each week that it feels good.   But at moments I also find myself thinking "if I can just get past March feeling strong and pain free."  But will I be doing the same all through April?  And May?  Maybe it won't stop until I reach mile 112 and the Olympic Oval in Lake Placid and start to put on my running shoes.  I can't wait..... 

Wow, what an exciting day!  I have started to Blog!  The road has been very kind to me and I hope you will enjoy reading some of my thoughts along the way.  As a triathlete, runner, hiker, PowerBar Team Elite member, Team in Training member, birder and long time musician and singer songwriter, I have put in many miles.   Today is the start of a new journey!  Thanks for coming along for the ride!