Author Archives: 11315miles

Mileage Recap ~ 1 – 12 January…Bikes and Knees

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Happy Sunday everyone!  Hey, hey two weeks in a row blogging!  Awww yeah, I’m on a roll.   One of the things I missed about living in Phoenix is the weather never was to cold to train outdoors.  At least it wasn’t unbearable.  So, training happened year round outside.  Unfortunately, NoVA doesn’t have that same weather pattern.  This weekend was a different story.  The temps were in the 60s and 70s, so I wiped off the bike and pumped up the tires and took badd kitty out for a spin.

It was a normal overcast day but the wind was off the charts.  The gusts were so strong I teetered every now and again.  The Potomac was choppy reminding me of the ocean.  That didn’t stop people from being out on the trail.  I road all the way out to National Harbor.

My average speed was 12.1 and I had some good sprints and peaks at about 18.2.  Which is good ~ lol.  It was a good ride and my bike performed as it should.  I do apologize to the guy I almost hit head on.  I was passing someone on a hill.  After I passed her I started to fiddle with my phone that was attached to my arm.  I wasn’t looking and the next thing I hear is this guy screaming.  Look up and I barely missed him.  Yeah.  :-O  Look I kept going and said I was sorry.  Truth be told, he would have gone into the woods off a very narrow trail.  Yeah…that would have cost me a few Hail Mary’s fo sho…but it didn’t happen.  I know I should pay attention to the road and not the phone.  But damn, I didn’t like the song that was on….  I’ll stop while I’m ahead.

Any hoo…. went out for a walk today which was hotter and more better!  Got on the trail early for a little walk.  I noticed right away the trail was wet and slippery.  There are a lot of trees so leaves on the ground add a greater risk.  There are a few turns that are pretty tight.  They scare me a bit when the trail is normal.

Right before a heavy curve.

I’m walking along, listening to music, heading uphill past the curve.  I’m not really sure what made me turn around because I didn’t hear anything!  I look and there is this poor guy and he totally wiped out on the curve.  I rush over and I can just see the the embarrassment in his face.  I reach down and unclip his foot out of the pedal, pick up the bike and start digging the mud out of his handle bars.  “Are you okay?”, I ask.  I look at his knees, no blood, just a bit of a bruise.  Sheepishly he said, yeah, I hope my bike is okay.  Oh damn.  I busted out laughing at this point and said, yeah you’re a true cyclist.  Little did he know he was speaking to the Queen of Crash.  He thanked me for stopping and soon he was back on his way.  I was glad I was able to assist a fellow cyclist.

It got me thinking about how we place material objects above our own body safety at times.  I will admit, every time I have fallen I have checked the damage on my bike FIRST, then checked the knees etc.  I imagine if it was a bad fall, that wouldn’t be the case.  The reaction could be a couple of things:  1) cost of the bike (nothing worse than seeing a scratch), 2) love for the bike, or 3) hey, I’m still breathing ~ “tis merely a flesh wound”!

Either way, I will be the adult in the room and say it should be the other way around.  Okay, enough adulting!

Stopped to take a morning photo on my walk:

Always so beautiful.

I had 1 run, 2 walks and 1 ride.

My mileage came to 34.14 with 3774.91 miles gratefully remaining.  Happy Miles to You!!  #thatPower  I’m alive…

 

 

 

 

 

Three tips for cycling faster in 2020 — Tempo Cyclist – Tasmania

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Speed. We all want it, even if we don’t admit it. I’m not as fast as some, but I’m not slow either. I’ve learnt a thing or two over the years about speed. Apart from pushing on those pedals a LOT harder (still important) there are other ways to eek out a little more speed. […]

via Three tips for cycling faster in 2020 — Tempo Cyclist – Tasmania

Monday Motivation…Intentions Don’t Matter

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Came across this today from Christian Mihai site: https://cristianmihai.net/

“Remember, people will judge you by your actions not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold but so does a hard-boiled egg.” – Maya Angelou

One of the unknown surprises of having my blog are readers  who reach out to me about my content I post.  Maybe it causes them to think about a certain subject differently and have a new perspective.  Learning to judge people by their actions was one of the hardest lessons for me to learn in life.  LOL  I was raised on the old adage your word is your bond sort of thing, but I have learned along the way that words are cheap and actions matter.  You can tell a lot from a person by what they do, not just what they say.  I have applied this principle and have become a lot quicker to let go of things and people because of it.  Happy Miles to You!!

Mileage Recap ~ Nov – Dec…Happy New Year

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Getting sh*t done!  Happy New Year my friends!  Glad to be back blogging.  The holidays seem to sneak up on me faster than ever 🙂  I’m always a step behind it appears, but you know it’s all good.  No reason to stress out about these things, because that’s not what the holidays are about.  It’s about friends, famdamily and throw in a little reflection for good measure.

I always use this time to reflect over my running stats Excel spreadsheet.  Yes, I am that “girl”.  I keep track on my Garmin and also a spreadsheet.  I am going into my 7th year of this journey.  How’s that for some dedication.  I do wish at times it would go a bit faster, but let’s face it, life happens…and that’s a good thing.

I don’t make resolutions.  I stopped doing that a long time ago.  Not because I didn’t keep them, it just didn’t make sense to me to wait for a date to start a task or goal.  There is no better time to start then right now.  So why wait until the 1st of January?  I guess it’s symbolic of renewal and new beginnings.  I get it.

I’m satisfied with my miles for 2019.  There is a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.  If I were to use the present metrics of years past it looks like two more years.  I’m hoping for 1.5.

2019 had ups and downs.  I was diagnosed with Spondylolisthesis.  It’s not lost on me that suck and spondylolisthesis both start with the letter S. That being said, it doesn’t and won’t stop me from moving forward.  Getting older is awesome, but there are some drawbacks….LOL!  How’s that for a cup half full.  I went through the painful shots that helped some and finally opted to work on strength exercises and less intrusive ways to deal with the pain.

Goals for 2020

~ I really want to look out of the DC area for rides and runs this year.  Maybe throw in some hikes.  Looking to get out of my comfort zone and try something different.  I’m loving the Centuries ~ even though my MO is getting lost and falling.

~ Working on strength to keep the lower back in check.

~ Cycling out of the country…hmmm any suggestions?

~ Keeping up with my blog.  Still not digging my layout.

November and December were pretty average months.  I did complete the Cider Ride (55 miles) in November with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA).  Nice supported ride through the DC area and out.  Served warm cider at various stops.  Would have been better if it was hard cider, but then that might have been a mess.  A happy mess, but a mess regardless.

Total miles for 2019 ~ 1417.77

Total miles completed so far ~ 7505.95 out of 11315.

I have 3809.05 miles gratefully remaining in my journey.  I hope this post finds you slaying your goals.  Life is good.  Life is a gift…don’t waste it.  Happy Miles to You!!

2020 be like:

 

 

 

 

 

Mileage Recap ~ 1 – 31 October…Boo Miles

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Happy Sunday everyone!  This year is quickly coming to a close and I am closing in on all this mileage recap.  This post will cover the month of October.  I’m one of those people who find beauty in every month.  October is one of my favorite months because it is the beginning of change in the weather, harvest and festivities!  I love how the seasons change.  I love the crispness of the air, changing leaves and Fall smells.

I finished October with 44.67 miles.  It was a combination of walking, running and riding.  We have had a bit of raining weather, so riding has been at the minimum.  Looking forward to getting in some good miles.  I have 3921.07 miles gratefully remaining in my journey.  I hope this post finds you well!  Happy Miles to You!!

 

 

 

Mileage Recap ~ 8 – 30 Sept….Breaking The 4k Mark!

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Happy Sunday everyone!

Posting my recap from September.  Not a bad month.  Did a lot of walking and had one long ride (24.66).  I’m still running, walking and cycling.  Just need to keep catching up with the count.  The best part of this post is I have broken the 4k mark!  Those Mommy miles (as my friend Kevin affectionately calls them) are piling up!  I like that phrase Mommy miles.  I laugh every time I say it!

Feeling good and looking forward to finding another event to participate in for 2020.  Any ideas or thoughts?  Please pass them my way.  I went out for a small run (I know) this Saturday and the weather was just perfect.  Should have taken the bike out, but just felt the need to hit the pavement instead.

Hmmm….proof of life?  This recap saw 38.45 miles.  I have 3965.74 miles gratefully remaining!!!  I feel so good with this and I’m not done with this year’s tally.  I hope this post finds you loving my shitty selfie!  Happy Miles to You!!

 

 

 

Monday Motivation….Dangle That Carrot!!

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Different things motivate me from time to time.  A week ago I get this text and I don’t recognize the number.  Those are always fun.  After reading for a bit I realized it was from the owner of my yoga studio I attend.  She mentioned I had taken 31 yoga classes this year and asked if I could make to 50 classes by the end of December.  If I did, I would get a free gift.  Hmmm.  She didn’t tell me what it was, but I was already texting ~ heck yes!  Mostly, because it’s cold now and cycling is going to move to a crawl…and hey, I love yoga.  If you haven’t tried yoga, you should.  Not just saying that because I have my certification.  It really is great for the body.  It has helped me get through many pains and injuries.

I’m up to 32 classes and I’m taking another one tonight 🙂  I feel I will be able to make the 50 class challenge.  Stay tuned.  The motivation is strong with this one!

Happy Miles to You!

 

Mileage Recap ~ 26 Aug – 7 Sept…The Reston Century Recap

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Happy Sunday my friends!  See, I’m being a good blogger.  Probably because I see the light at the end of the tunnel and I’m excited about finishing these miles.  I feel like 2020 will be a good year, one of pushing to get this done.  I’ve been doing this a long time and I’m happy to be on the down tick.  I’m still catching up on calculating my miles, so bare with me just a bit.

Finally, getting around to the Reston Century recap.  This was my second attempt at completing a century ride.  Some people were racing, I was riding 🙂 My first Century was in Tuscon, Arizona about two years ago.  I love the challenge of the century ride.  It’s challenging for mind, body and spirit from the time you start training to ride completion.  I try to train as I would ride during the event.  Meaning when you feel like crap or are having a bad day…you still push through to the best of your ability.

The Ride:

Beginning:

The Century was hosted by the Reston Bike Club.  Good club in NOVA with plenty of different ride events throughout the year at different levels.  The ride started at the square in downtown Reston and it was a rolling start.  Parked about 6 am and went to pick up my cue sheet and moved out smartly with my riding buddy at 6:30 am.  Roads were marked well and I was ready to go at 6:30 am.

Because this is so important ~ more for my memory if anything else.

 

About 15 miles in was the first rest point.  Unfortunately for me, I thought the two portos on the side of the street was the stop….so I stopped.  Yeah, that happened.  Got on my bike to find the REAL stop about a mile down the road.  If you’re thinking hmmm…yeah this sets the stage for later in the ride.

Happy start!

Middle:

For the most part the route was pretty level and easy to follow.  Got up to Purcellville, VA for another stop.  This is where the peel off was if you didn’t feel the full century ride.  Fueled up on some water and food and said goodbye to my riding buddy.  He decided that he only wanted to do 84 and not the full 103.  Off I went alone.

Three quarters of the ride at miles 65 – 80 were the hills.  They were the steepest I have ever climbed and took a lot out of me.  I had to walk one hill towards the end and in true Laurel fashion I fell on one.  It wouldn’t be a ride if I didn’t fall at least once.  I wish I could say I was cruising along and skidded out and fell.  It just sounds so much sexier, but no…no.  Also, what I’m known for is just toppling over.  That’s what happened here.  I lost steam and just tipped over.

Because…there is no reason to post this photo. LOL!

The ride that never ended….

Got past the hills and also, true to form, found myself alone.  How does this happen?  There are hundreds of people on the ride, but yet I’m by myself.  Was following the arrows, until I got to some town and saw a women scrubbing them up.  I yelled at her…okay I spoke loudly…and asked why she was scrubbing up the arrows.  She mentioned the city didn’t want them on the street passed 5pm.  She pointed me in the right direction and I kept going.  Now what happened after this is hard to say.  I know what you’re thinking ~ you got lost.  Annnnndddd, yes I did.

I ended up in another city.  I’ll be honest, I don’t even remember the name of the city now.  I was riding along and saw two women and I stopped to ask which way was the Reston Town Center.  They both looked at me like a deer in the headlights and just said I was 20 miles from Reston.  Uh….How.Did.This.Happen?  Yep, I was 20 miles off course.  Needless to say I was a bit devastated.  I was following the yellow arrows and for some reason I got turned around.  Both the women told me to call an Uber, but I just couldn’t do it.  I needed to finish.  Then I saw this other cyclist (not in the ride) and he started me down the right path.

 

Not too happy.

I ended up doing about 122 miles instead of the 103 and I still wasn’t finished.  The pic above is a far cry from the starting photo, but then again it was a Century plus!  Once I was on the right path I had three interesting events happen.   I stopped at this BBQ place on the trail and saw this:

Met one of the previous deputy’s of NASA Dr. Michael D. Griffin.  He rode with me for a few miles before telling me his bike isn’t made to go that slow.  Yes, he said that….

Then a skunk ran across my path and I nearly hit an women cycling towards me.  Sigh.

The good news:  I finished 103 miles under the 10 hr mark.  My last Century was 10:02 so this was good for me.

The bad news:  I didn’t finish at the proper place, I called in and had a friend pick me up at the Green Lizard, a bike shop on the route.  Well, it’s all good and I continue on and can’t wait to do better at the next one.

My mileage for this two weeks only came to 4.65.  There was some serious downtime happening!  I have 4,004.19 miles gratefully remaining in my journey.  I hope this post finds you thankful!  Life is truly good.  Happy Miles to You!!

Because I love pavement…

 

 

Mileage Recap ~ 19 – 25 August….Age Is Just A Number ~ Or So I’m Told

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Happy Sunday my fellow 11315ians!  Hmmm, I thought that would sound much cooler when I read it aloud, but hey I’m going with it.  As you can probably see, I am far behind in my blogging.  It is November and I’m just now talking about August.  And just to show you how lazy my collective blogging skills are at the moment, this should be the big post ~ the Reston Century.  Alas, I will have to get that on the next round as I try to pull those tidbits of adventure from my brain.  I’m reading “get your Sh*t together” by Sarah Knight.  Maybe there will be something in there I can use to stop dallying with the unimportant sh*t in life and get down to brass tacks.

My Nana used to have this magnet on her fridge that said “screw” the golden years.  Every time I would open the fridge I’d see the magnet and get a slight case of the vapors and thoughts of oldness would swim through my mind as I would contemplate….. is it really that bad, does it really suck?  Sometimes she would walk in the kitchen and I would question “screw the golden years” she would look at me in the eyes and laugh then promptly say yes.  I was in my teens at the time and would collectively sigh a breath of relief as I looked in the bathroom mirror checking to see if any wrinkles were starting to show up…no…everything on the body seems to be, uh, in place…whew!  Ok, ok good I still have time. Fast forward and I am now 52.  For the most part, I don’t feel my age.  I have a few pains every now and again, but all is well in Laurel Land.

But something funny happens when you segway from your 40s to your 50s.  You start hearing the battle cry ~ age is just a number!  Some people say it so vehemently that I feel hmmm what are you trying to tell me?  Almost like I need to do something really bold, just so I can say…hell yes, it is a number bitches ~ watch as I jump out this window head first!  Yeah!  That’s what I’m talkin’ bout.  Age, don’t got nothing on me…can someone please get me an Aleve™ as this sh*t will surely hurt in an hour.

Has there been some slowing…meh sure, but it hasn’t been that bad.  I like to look at it as a state of mind.  I’m WINNING!!!  Some people if you mention age they just get crazy, it seems to happen at 48.  You’re getting closer to 50 and there is a bit of panic, but you’re not full blown crazy yet.  You see it on the horizon and you’ll be dammed if you go gentle into that good night. Hell no, someone get me a Tik Tok account STAT!

Getting older is grace, elegance, humor, joy and experience all rolled up into a tight little California roll.  Get them chopsticks and dig in…because something tells me the last half is going to go faster than the first half.  It’s the way of things.

During this week in August I did some heavy mileage because of the Century.  As I said earlier that recap is coming.  I was able to get  120.17 miles with 4008.84 miles gratefully remaining.  I went out for a walk today and Fall is slowly making it’s way to Winter.  There was a slight breeze in the air; leaves were dancing on the air as I took this 52 year old body out for a walk.  52 isn’t bad ~ I’ve lived 21 years longer than my mother did.  Guess I would say it’s pretty damn awesome.  Be well, be happy and celebrate the lines and the changes.  Happy Miles to You!!