NorCal Training Ride: SF CAT 2 Training Ride #6: Woodacre (58.6 miles)

This Saturday's ride was pretty amazing.

I found a new route to get from my place in the Mission to the Sports Basement in the Presidio, without climbing hella hills and getting too winded. I took Polk from SOMA and ended up pretty much down by the Marina near Octavia before I even knew it. At 7:30am on a Saturday, it's a pleasant ride!

From there I met up with a big group of ALC riders and prepared for our journey into Marin. We ended up just north of Fairfax, CA in a small town called Woodacre after a long ride through towns like Larkspur, and Ross. Cute and quaint little towns. It's wierd biking past places that I have only seen through the windows of cars. It makes me feel really good about how far I've come in just a short amount of time on long-distance riding. We rode past Good Earth market in Fairfax and I just gay gasped at how cool that was. Once past Good Earth, we quickly approached White's Hill, a long stretch of steep hill that was built up as pretty grueling. It was definitely a doozey, but before I knew it, I had reached the summit in my lowest gear possible, and then I cruised all the way down to the bottom super fast. It was glorious. Another accomplishment!

On this ride, I ate a good solid breakfast of oatmeal and a breakfast sandwich from Starbucks. It was great fuel that took most of the day to burn off. I also stayed more hydrated throughout the ride. Stopping for beverages, refilling my water bottles at each rest stop. All in all, I felt more prepared for this long ride than I did last week. And the results showed. I cycled almost 59 miles, which is more than the last week. I also didn't experience any major muscle fatigue or cramping on the way home. Bonus!

I came home from the ride thoroughly exhausted still. I napped for a few hours and then somehow managed to find my way out to a club downtown with my fiance dancing to house music at Monarch. Amazing that I could even summon the energy to get myself dressed after that!

Here's a pic of me as I was biking home. I'd already completed 51 miles and was making my way back to the Mission via Presidio/Golden Gate Park/Panhandle. It was a perfect day for a long bike ride. Not too hot. A bit of an ocean breeze everywhere. I couldn't help but smile. :)

February update

So, a couple different milestones have happened since my first post.

1. I got my bike professionally fitted to me by Ari at Bespoke Cycles (http://www.bespokecyclessf.com/). If you've never had this done before, and consider yourself more than a casual cyclist, I highly recommend it. Wow, it was informative and very helpful. Ari began by taking measurements of my bike and fitting them with his Retul fit computer. We discussed my goals , ie: what do I want to do with cycling, we discussed my body type and body awareness. Overall, it was a pleasure to partner with someone so knowledgeable about fitting someone onto their bike!

At the end of the session, he raised my bike seat 4 cm's and moved the seat position 1.5 cm's back from where it currently was sitting. He also tilted my handlebar set down 2 cm's. These all seem like miniscule adjustments, but they have made a WORLD of difference...like, HUGE. OMG.

2.  Holy eff! I completed my first half-century this past Sunday! This was my first time ever riding to 50 miles in one trip. With my new fit, I decided to push past my comfort zone and see what my body and my bike could do for each other. And, I made it. It is basically exactly 50 miles from my house to the Full Paradise Loop in Marin and back to my house in the Mission.

I feel very proud of this achievement, and yet this is only the beginning of the crazy mileage gains I'm about to embark on. My friend Steve congratulated me and quickly prompted me with "Pretty soon 50 will be your benchmark!" Geez, let me relish in this, will ya? ;)

I learned some things along the way and also will make some adjustments next time while riding this distance. On some of the training rides I've been on, I hear the motto often: Eat before you're hungry, drink before you're thirsty. These words have never been more truer than they were on Sunday. During the ride, I could literally feel my body shutting down when I wasn't hydrating. I was feeling "empty" like when a car is running on fumes. My right quadricep began to cramp. It was no bueno. So, I'm packing more snacks next time.

I'm also still getting used to grabbing my water bottle from my bike frame while in motion. Seems like a simple process and I just need more and more practice. But while slipped in to clipless pedals, navigating roads at 15+ mph, I'm still a bit weary. So, I may try riding next time with my Camelbak so I can always grab water on the go.