i say, BURRR it's cold in here!

Brookshire! About 10 miles west of Katy -- past the part where I-10 becomes 2 lanes. That's like 1/3 of the way to Austin! QUITE the ways to go to ride 40 miles in the high 30/40-degree weather!

It was a pretty good ride. I didn't keep up with the paceline that averaged about 16 mph. I did, however, have a riding buddy -- Wendoline, a fellow new hire. We kept each other company while averaging 13-14 mph in the first half and slowing to 11-12 mph when we faced a strong headwind and some hills.

Wendoline had some pretty good times being the only true rookies out there. We practiced multi-tasking on the bike. I reconfirmed the fact that I have a hard time pedaling and steering while trying to get, drink from, and putting back my water bottle. Wendoline had similar problems, but they were accentuated when she attempted to multi-task while going up a hill. Good times, good times.

So just how cold was it? Take a look at my car's thermometer. I did not want to get out of the car. If you look closely, you can see raindrops on the windshield.



I reacted like any other Houstonian would to 41 degree weather. I bundled up like crazy! I wore 5 layers on upper-body: 2 long-sleeve tees, jersey, arm warmers, and a wind breaker. I also wore gloves, a ski mask, leg warmers, and skiing socks. On top of that, I put some toe covers over my AWESOME new silvery blue cycling shoes!



Even after all those layers, I couldn't feel my toes during or after the ride. I think it took a good 15 minutes for me to get the blood flowing to my piggly wigglies.

Well at least I didn't get lost or chased by dogs this ride. It actually was a very organized ride. I just hope it gets warmer within the month!

the worst ride ever!

*Le sigh*

I would have to say today's ride out in Hockley, TX (~40 mi. from downtown) was pretty disheartening for the following reasons:

• It was 30-something degrees. Must I say more? I don't think the cold affected me physically as it did mentally. Totally psyched me out and got me started on a bad attitude. I found it difficult to go nearly as quickly as I went the week before in Rosenberg where I averaged 16 mph.
• I got chased by dogs not once, but TWICE. The first time I was chased by two hunting dogs that circled my bike. I don't think I've ever sprinted so fast in my whole entire life. My cadence probably went up to 150 rpm. I wanted to spray them with water but I had no water in my water bottle. The second time I was chased by a dog that backed down when yelled at.
• I got lost not once, but TWICE. I was lucky the first time I got lost because a couple of other cyclists made the same mistake by missing a turn. Good thing because my map had fallen out of my pocket. I wasn't so lucky the 2nd time. Another cyclist and myself missed a turn which resulted in a 10-mile detour. THAT was the most discouraging part of the ride. The road to get back on track felt like it was a 45 degree incline (it really wasn't that bad) and there was a HUGE headwind. I tired so quickly and was relieved when a SAG vehicle found us. Ends up we were the only ones left on the road. I didn't finish the ride -- we still had 20 more miles to go! It's all good though.. I still rode for about 36 miles.

Anyhow. On a more positive note, I'm thankful for friendly SAG support. It's so great to have volunteers come out in the EARLY morning, far, far away in the cold. That's fantastic.

I also got "my" bike from this:

to this:

Hoorah for fold-down seats!

On ANOTHER positive note, as of Friday, I have raised $1135! A *HIGH FIVE* to my supporters! Thanks to you, I have reached my goal of exceeding $1000! (Don't let that stop you, my potential contributors!) I have received AMAZING support from my family, friends and coworkers -- it's a really good feeling. It's quite motivating and I will keep on keeping-on despite today's experience.

Hopefully it will warm up next weekend. I miss the 60s/70s Houston winter weather we've been getting. Cheers to a good ride next weekend out in Brookshire!

and it begins...

I've decided to create this blog to record my trails and tribulations of training for my first MS150. This way you guys, my (potential) contributors, will feel you're getting some sort of ROI. ;)

So Kiet, founder and captain of my cycling team, has been kind enough to lend me one of his many expensive bikes. No pressure, clumsy girl. Better not mess this one up! So I picked up the bike in my mother's SUV, took it home, and tried to find a way to fit it into my coupe.

Look at how HUGE my car looks when I lower the back seat!


Looks like an SUV, right??? I used 2 approaches: from the trunk and from the passenger side. Trunk failed off the bat because the pedals got in the way. I got so close going through the passenger side, but alas, the handlebars would not allow it. Woe is me, right?

I'm going on a training ride tomorrow morning out in Rosenberg. Let's see how the hills and the high 40's/lower 50's weather will treat me tomorrow!