Instead of a bike ride this week, I competed in the Fat Rabbit Racing Triathlon yesterday with a very good result. I set a new personal record by almost 18 minutes over my previous fastest sprint triathlon time. I also learned that I need to run like I stole something if I want to finish with a respectable time in the Olympic distance triathlon I have coming up in 3 weeks. There's something about running after getting off a bike that is just impossible to me. I ended up running 11.5 miles for the 3.1 miles yesterday, and will have to run 6.2 miles in the race on 7/19.
The real story of the day yesterday was Jenni's performance. I talked Jenni into this triathlon on the way to Cincinnati in May where she was running the Flying Pig Marathon, and her stress level has been in the red since about it since that day. Well yesterday, she did exactly what I said she was going to do. She finished in 1:35:30 (almost 3:50 faster than me) and got 3rd in her division. When I told her we needed to stay around for the awards presentation because she could win something she didn't believe me, until they called her name...
Now it's back to a lot of running, a lot of bike, and some swimming to get ready for the triathlon in a few weeks, and Pelotonia in August.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Life in the Fast Lane
I know I said it last week, but yesterday was my best day on the bike. I wasn't exactly sure of what to expect this week because I had ran more during the week, and my legs felt a little tired when I woke up, but Jenni and I set out on our ride with lots of inclines (I can't really call them hills, but definitely not flat roads), some rolling hills and 3 pretty good climbs. It was our longest and hardest ride so far, and it was also the fastest. We averaged 15.5 mph over the 45 miles and Jenni had enough energy in the last mile to start a sprint. I ended the shenanigans by sprinting past her. I was happy when she said I won because my lungs were on fire and my legs were jell-o.
The best part of the ride was when we rode up the hill by the dam at Alum creek at 14mph+ the whole way. That hill has killed me in the past, and when I got to the top, I was surprised at how good I felt, and how quickly I got to the top. This hill is at the end of the bike leg of the triathlon next weekend, so I'm looking forward to hitting it again when I'm actually trying to ride fast to see what I can do.
One thing I've noticed, there are a lot of George Costanza's out playing "Frolf." These people are out there with frolf bags on their backs, some with 10 or more discs. It's crazy... I think the US Open is on ESPN 8, The Ocho sometime in July.
The best part of the ride was when we rode up the hill by the dam at Alum creek at 14mph+ the whole way. That hill has killed me in the past, and when I got to the top, I was surprised at how good I felt, and how quickly I got to the top. This hill is at the end of the bike leg of the triathlon next weekend, so I'm looking forward to hitting it again when I'm actually trying to ride fast to see what I can do.
One thing I've noticed, there are a lot of George Costanza's out playing "Frolf." These people are out there with frolf bags on their backs, some with 10 or more discs. It's crazy... I think the US Open is on ESPN 8, The Ocho sometime in July.
Monday, June 15, 2009
With a Little Help From My Friends
First off, a sincere thank you to everyone that has donated to my ride so far. I'm 1/3 of the way to my goal, and know that after a few fund raising events, I can make it to $1500.
Yesterday's ride was the best day I've ever had on a bike. I felt like I was peddling without a chain. 17mph up some inclines, and 18-19mph on the flats for a while. It was an awesome feeling. Another cool feeling is hitting 35mph+ going down hill. It's hard to believe the pro riders hit 60+ going down those "hills", but I guess that's what they get paid for.
By the time we got back to the car, we had ridden 41 miles at an average of 15mph which is pretty good, with the number of hills we had ridden. There isn't much flat road around Hoover Reservoir and Alum Creek Reservoir, and that makes for a tough ride that keeps me on my toes, but really fun, and it always feels great to get up that last real hill, where we can cool down the last 2 miles before we get to the car.
My philosophy of getting mad at the real hills worked again this week, as I got up both at the end of the ride better than I have on the previous 3 tries, so I'm going to keep doing it.
I just realized the titles of these first 2 posts have been songs. Lets see if I can keep that up for the rest of the posts before the ride on 8/29/09.
Yesterday's ride was the best day I've ever had on a bike. I felt like I was peddling without a chain. 17mph up some inclines, and 18-19mph on the flats for a while. It was an awesome feeling. Another cool feeling is hitting 35mph+ going down hill. It's hard to believe the pro riders hit 60+ going down those "hills", but I guess that's what they get paid for.
By the time we got back to the car, we had ridden 41 miles at an average of 15mph which is pretty good, with the number of hills we had ridden. There isn't much flat road around Hoover Reservoir and Alum Creek Reservoir, and that makes for a tough ride that keeps me on my toes, but really fun, and it always feels great to get up that last real hill, where we can cool down the last 2 miles before we get to the car.
My philosophy of getting mad at the real hills worked again this week, as I got up both at the end of the ride better than I have on the previous 3 tries, so I'm going to keep doing it.
I just realized the titles of these first 2 posts have been songs. Lets see if I can keep that up for the rest of the posts before the ride on 8/29/09.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Here I go again...
Hi everyone,
I've created this blog to keep you up to date on my fundraising and training for Pelotonia 2009. As you all know, I am not the most aerodynamic person on the planet, and gravity has a pretty strong hold on me, so riding 100 miles on a bike through Hocking Hills and Athens isn't going to be easy, but I know I can do it. I'm in training for an Olympic distance triathlon in July, and am throwing some longer distance bike rides in on the weekends to get ready for 100 miles on August 29.
For those that don't know, this is the first year for Pelotonia, and it's a bike ride from Columbus to Athens. Riders must agree to raise a certain amount of money based on the distance they want to ride, and 100% of the donations go to The OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center for cancer research. Another cool thing about this ride, is Lance Armstrong will be riding it as well.
Yesterday I found out that to get up hills when my legs feel like they're full of sand, I need to get really mad at my bike and the hill. Jenni and I were out on a ride and at mile 35, of this ride, there are 2 hills. I tried to take the first one, the longer hill, as fast as I could only to find out that doing that just about made me puke... On hill 2, the steeper hill, I just got mad and my mind set was as if I was fighting the hill, and I won that fight.
We also saw what happens when someone takes their focus off the road, their bike, who's around them and what they're doing for 1 second. We rode past a large group of cyclists pulled over on the side of the road, and 1 guy was down, bloody, and when asked if they needed anything, their answer was "we have it, keep riding!" After hearing that, the ambulance sirens, and seeing what we saw as we rode by, I'm thinking there was someting twisted, broken, etc, that can make me not want to get back on my bike. I hope everything turned out as good as possible for them, and that rider heals quickly.
I have some long routes mapped out and am looking forward to riding them every week. With the distances I'm riding now, each long ride is the farthest I've been on a bike. Yesterday's ride was 37 hilly miles.
If you would like to donate, please visit http://www.pelotonia.org/ride/riders_profile.jsp?MemberID=2922&RiderName=Aaron%20Hoops&SearchStart=0&PAGING.
Until next time, I promise to keep the rubber side down!
Aaron
I've created this blog to keep you up to date on my fundraising and training for Pelotonia 2009. As you all know, I am not the most aerodynamic person on the planet, and gravity has a pretty strong hold on me, so riding 100 miles on a bike through Hocking Hills and Athens isn't going to be easy, but I know I can do it. I'm in training for an Olympic distance triathlon in July, and am throwing some longer distance bike rides in on the weekends to get ready for 100 miles on August 29.
For those that don't know, this is the first year for Pelotonia, and it's a bike ride from Columbus to Athens. Riders must agree to raise a certain amount of money based on the distance they want to ride, and 100% of the donations go to The OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center for cancer research. Another cool thing about this ride, is Lance Armstrong will be riding it as well.
Yesterday I found out that to get up hills when my legs feel like they're full of sand, I need to get really mad at my bike and the hill. Jenni and I were out on a ride and at mile 35, of this ride, there are 2 hills. I tried to take the first one, the longer hill, as fast as I could only to find out that doing that just about made me puke... On hill 2, the steeper hill, I just got mad and my mind set was as if I was fighting the hill, and I won that fight.
We also saw what happens when someone takes their focus off the road, their bike, who's around them and what they're doing for 1 second. We rode past a large group of cyclists pulled over on the side of the road, and 1 guy was down, bloody, and when asked if they needed anything, their answer was "we have it, keep riding!" After hearing that, the ambulance sirens, and seeing what we saw as we rode by, I'm thinking there was someting twisted, broken, etc, that can make me not want to get back on my bike. I hope everything turned out as good as possible for them, and that rider heals quickly.
I have some long routes mapped out and am looking forward to riding them every week. With the distances I'm riding now, each long ride is the farthest I've been on a bike. Yesterday's ride was 37 hilly miles.
If you would like to donate, please visit http://www.pelotonia.org/ride/riders_profile.jsp?MemberID=2922&RiderName=Aaron%20Hoops&SearchStart=0&PAGING.
Until next time, I promise to keep the rubber side down!
Aaron
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