Thru Endurance We Conquer!

One good thing about recovery days is they allow for time for bike repairs and cleaning. I was having serious issues with the shifting on the cassette during the Fruita races, so Nick and I decided that it was time to recable the front and rear deraileurs on Tuesday. I decided that I was also going to spend some quality time cleaning the bike while I was waiting for Nick to get home. When I took apart the rear deraileur and started cleaning the fly wheels, I was shocked. The bottom fly wheel was fairly clean, but the top one was just caked in grease and grime. I could hardly get it to spin in my hands, it was so filthly. Nick took one look at it when he got home and just shook his head, saying I'd lost a good chunk of time in the Fruita races because of lack of cleaning. Not that five minutes would have changed my finish place, but it was good lesson. I really need to be more aware of my equipment. We did get the re-cabling finished and changed the handle bars as planned. When I di...

Busy weekend. We drove out to Fruita for the MSC Rabbit Valley Rally on Friday. We were lucky - we actually made it out to the race site, unlike half the field for the Saturday Time Trial. A late snow storm blew in and closed the interstate Friday afternoon. But it was a blast. The course for the TT was just plain fun. A long climb up and then a twisting, rolling descent into the finish. Nick said that he could just ride that all day. I finished second in the Women's Cat 1 for the TT. The Cross Country race on Sunday was also fun. I've never ridden in Fruita so it was a new experience for me. The single track on the mesa was challenging - I could never get into a good space and just ride. There were also plenty of sections that had some consequences if you messed up. I'll love to go out and spend a week riding in that area. I finished second in the XC, and found some things to work on - like the start. It was really hot the whole weekend. Nick got one of those Camelbak Race...

Last year I was inspired to help raise money for Operation Rebound and Challenged Athletes Foundation after seeing the drive and will to succeed theses outstanding athletes exhibited at the Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3 triathlon last year. Thanks to my bad luck, I had the honor to watch several men and women from CAF competing on the same course and struggling with the same bad weather, but also dealing with physical limitations I could not imagine. And for these athletes, there was more heart and soul on display in fighting for the finish line then I had seen before. When I met the athletes participating in the 2008 Silverman through Operation Rebound, I was amazed. They had all been dealt a horrible hand, but had picked up the pieces and were moving on with their lives. The physical limitations alone would sideline most athletes. And yet, because of the support of CAF, it was time to move on, to push through the physical disability and the “I can’t” mentality. The motivation to prove th...

I'll get more about the hike later, but here are some pictures from our workout on Sunday - hiking the incline in the snow. http://picasaweb.google.com/TracyThelen.triathlete/HikingTheIncline #

For anyone thinking about doing Silverman Full or Half Distance this year, take a look at the photos from the race last year on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/groups/silverman/ There are some really nice ones that capture the power of the race.

The weather has been bad this week, making planning workouts difficult. I originally wanted to do 18 miles, increasing the pace each six. Because of the chances of snow and since I had to go into work for a few hours on Saturday, I planned to do the run then and ride on Sunday. Well, woke up to 45mph wind gusts, temperatures in the mid 20s and clouds spitting snow. So I packed my bag and headed to 24 hour fitness with the goal to complete the planned workout. I haven't been running inside as much this year as the last few years so I knew that I might not get the full distance in. If you're not used to the heat and the stuffiness of the gym it's really hard to want to run for two plus hours. I actually was surprised. I started feeling really overheated about 12 miles in and decided I was finished at 15 miles. Even slowing down wasn't working to cool off. My hair was soaked and my tank top was dripping. So I called it a day. Not as far as I wanted, but it was good heat tr...

I went for a long road ride with two of the women from the Silverman Party on Sunday. We rode from my house, down to Fountain, then did the Hanover loop out east and returned home. It wasn't the best of days - the wind was blustery and cold. The roads were perfectly clear, despite the drifts on the side of the road. There still was sand on the major roads, but not enough to make the ride miserable except in Fountain proper. I lead the group from the house to Fountain so people wouldn't get lost. The wind made yelling directions difficult. After we turned out of the wind, we started sharing the workload, often just taking the whole lane. That's the nice thing about Hanover - so little traffic. But it was still a great ride, even with the wind. I didn't get my brick run in - I was too tired after the ride and Versus had bike racing on TV. I have my priorites and relaxing with my husband and my cat watching other people ride their bikes seemed like the best option at the t...