Sunday, September 25, 2011

Pocono HIM pix pt 2

On 9/23 I rode the second part of the Pocono HIM course, going from Stroudsburg HS, down 191 South to the part that it joins Cherry Valley Road. I skipped the figure 8 loop starting with Kemmertown Rd. and went straight to Turkey Hill. I was so afraid of Turkey Hill, that I did not stop to take pictures. I had not been able to make it up Turkey Hill yet, and I was determined to do so. I went up half way and stopped. As I did so, this other small group of riders passed, including a woman who was huffing and puffing, but still on the bike. "If she can do it, so can I!". So I went back down the hill and biked my way back up, and completed it! Each time I succeed in one of these types of hills, I remember once again, how the most difficult part is getting past the psychological fear - basically of toppling over due to not being able to click out of the pedal. So remember, just when you think you can go no further, keep at it 10 more seconds. You'll see. Hope you like the pictures.

This is 191 S / Cherry Valley overlap ( mile 18.7 on cue sheet)

I LOVE this little building, it is on Keiser Road. This is my reward for making it up Turkey Hill.  Mile 40.6 on cue sheet






Mystical forest a little bit further along on Keiser Road.


Going down hill towards Haney Rd. Passing the rock quarry.



The end of Keiser Rd; making a left onto Haney Rd.  Mile 42.5




Same spot as above.  Hopefully they're not fracking!



End of Haney Road, right on to Bossardsville Rd.
Mile 43.5





Same intersection as above: Haney and Bossardsville




After passing the quarry again, this is an area of
mobile homes - Fawn Valley.






House on Keller Drive, mile 45.8+


Heading back down Haney going towards (and passing) Keiser Rd.


On Haney, at a point where I stopped to check my map I met up with Lisa, who was very nice, and we rode along together for most of the rest of the ride. Thanks Lisa!


This photo, I believe was taken on Fetherman Street, right before heading into Main Street.

See you on Sunday!!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Like the Tazmanian Devil

These last few days I've been able to work out the kinks of my race on 10/2. I did my long ride on Saturday where my chain kept getting stuck when changing from the big ring to the smaller one. Turns out that I've been using the wrong chain lubricant - at least according to the guy that sold me the 'correct' chain lubricant. I'm embarassed to say that I've used various liquids to oil my chain, not necessarily labelled 'for bicycle chain'. Who knew? Still don't know if it is some sort of marketing scheme, but now I put something on my chain that is labelled 'for bicycle chains'.

When I got the bicycle chain oil, I also bought bicycle gloves. I had been wanting gloves for a while and after seeing the sudden cold weather shift, I was worried about cold hands during the race. Anybody that has ridden with gloveless hands in cold weather knows that it can be a very painful experience.

This morning we had an end-of-season time trial on the bike. Three loops around the park. I put my jacket on for the first time and my brand new gloves. I started the loops. By the end of the first loop, I was sweating. My jacket felt like one of those weight loss jackets that are intended to make you sweat and therefore lose a lot of weight. ( I wouldn't mind losing weight, even if it is only temporary water weight that will show on the scale until I drink my first glass of water). I couldn't really stop to take off my jacket ( I was in the middle of a time trial you see), so I kept going, sweating, with my now unzipped jacket flapping in the wind. But then the were the gloves. My hands were sweating, and it was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. I took them off with my teeth, with a desperation of someone who is trying to go as fast as possible while taking their gloves off. I guess that is not an analogy. I was like the tazmanian devil, sans growl.

the blood blister on my pinky.

Moral of the story?: I am not wearing gloves nor a jacket during the race.
-- lemmefineout - Brooklyn

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Pocono HIM pictures along bike course

Making a right onto Hidden Lake Drive after going up to 209.  I heard they are eliminating that little 'out and back' tip, and that we will be making a left directly onto Hidden Lake. I had meant to do that, but passed it anyway.  Good thing they are changing it, because the hill to come back to this point is steep.  Mile 5.2




Turning on to Hollow Road from Hidden Lake. Note the Shawnee Ski sign on the left.
Mile Mile 9.8

It gets kind of busy here, with the intersection of roadways, but if you follow traffic rules and consider yourself a vehicle and wait for the left turn signal, you are ok.  Mile 15



This is the Visitor's Center, this picture was taken from the same spot as the previous picture. On the Bike Course map, we are in the area coming off 'Logging Rd' to 'Broad St'.

My guess is that this will be the first pit stop on the bike course.





This is viewing the turn on to 'Main Street' on the course map, also known as 611. It's then a short ride to make a right onto Cherry Valley Rd. 
Mile 15.7





View along Cherry Valley Rd.  Mile 15.7 +



Passing Blakeslee Rd while on Cherry Valley. You come back up this road a few left turns from now





Another scene from Cherry Valley Road. The oldest schoolhouse in the region. Just before Kemmertown.




Make a left here on to Kemmertown Rd, beginning the 'figure 8' set of turns on the course. Mile 22.9

  View from Middle Road.


Approaching the Blakeslee Rd left turn, which is really just bearing left.  Mile 24.5


The right side would be continuing on Middle Rd.




  The return on Cherry Valley

The famous Larsen's Lane.  Mile 26.6





I think this is the view after completing Lower Cherry Valley Rd, and making a right onto Wilkes Barre Turnpike.  Mile 35



This is a picture of "Lake House" hotel of horror, on the intersection of Wilkes Barre turnpike,  back on Cherry Valley Rd.  The view in this picture is looking back at the house after having already passed it.  So as you approach it, it's in front of you as you make a right onto Cherry Valley Rd.  Mile 35.6


So this is it in terms of pictures.  I was pretty tired, and did not take a picture of the famous Turkey Hill Rd.  Hope you liked the pictures.  Maybe you have a few of your own?

2 weeks left

Training is like gardening. You decide on what you want to grow; most likely, you think about being as organic as possible; you pick the spot; buy the tools you need. If you are looking into gardening past one season, you also have to look at the cycles of growth of your plants of choice. At some point, you have to cut back, prune, rest, rotate your crops.

Now that I am heading into the last 2 weeks before the triathlon I set out to do, I am pretty tired of the long hours I have been putting into training. It's hard to do a long ride or run, and then be wasted for the rest of the day. I have been thinking lately that I am not going to do another half ironman for that same reason. But... the jury is out until after this race; and even then, there is always next spring.

If I think of my training as needing to get better and faster, without taking any steps backwards - it is a recipe for quick burnout, and/or being a one season wonder. We all want to be better, 'badder', faster and see lack of continuous improvement as failure. I can fall very quickly into these emotional traps. I went out for an informal group ride yesterday, where within the first 3 miles, I lost the group due to going too slow. The emotional trap comes with my answer as to why was I going too slow. While riding, I thought about Lance Armstrong's book title, and I thought to myself 'it IS about the bike', 'I need to buy a new bike', 'can I buy a$5000 bike in the next 2 weeks?'. I dismissed that idea for purely financial reasons. If I had $5000, I would have bought it a long time ago.

The other reasons I am slower, aside from my 10 year old bicycle, is the fact that I am 49; or that I am female; or that this is my first triathlon season. All of these are valid reasons as to why I may be slower. The emotional trap comes if I start my stinkin' thinkin' such as 'if I'm this slow, I shouldn't be doing this'; 'I'll never finish' 'I don't know why I even started' 'people will look down at me', and the list goes on and on.

What I ended up doing was enjoying my ride alone. My stinkin' thinkin' rode along with me like an annoying companion, but I chose to ignore the conversation they were trying to engage me in. Instead, I stopped to take pictures, something that I had not been able to do during the last group ride I did as I rushed to keep up. During this ride, I also missed turns but I was armed with my home made cue sheet and my iphone GPS, so I could correct myself. I felt good about this as well, knowing that I was learning about the course itself, not just following the people in front of me.

So as I head into these next tapering 2 weeks, I am looking forward to scaling back my training. Doing more of my creative work, which has been at a standstill; skiing, hiking and who knows what else awaits!

Is your stinkin' thinkin' interfering in the pursuit of your goals? Post a comment and tell me!