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Slowly winter is creeping up on us in southern Wyoming.  Maybe not so much in a snow way, but definitely in a cold temperature, low wind chills type of way!  It’s slowly been driving me indoors instead of enjoying the open roads and trails on my bikes.

My first time on a trainer I wanted to bang my head into the wall repeatedly after 5 minutes.  I was using Matt’s Blackburn fluid trainer, and it just SUCKED.  Horribly.  I did 20 minutes of torture and called it quits.  Just wasn’t worth it.

This weekend we decided to head down to our local bike shop and see what they had in stock for trainers.  I read about wind trainers, and how they mimic real riding conditions the best, so that’s what I was aiming to get.  The LBS threw a road bike up on the floor model so we could try them out.  Matt liked the CycloOps wind trainer so much we decided to get two of them.  For some odd reason, I was even excited to try it out!

Wind trainers aren’t for everyone.  They are loud.  Loud actually doesn’t even begin to describe it.  The loudness is a wind noise, though, and nothing mechanical or clunky.  But if you live in an apartment, I wouldn’t recommend one unless your neighbors don’t mind hearing it.  Watching TV is also out, except maybe if you have surround sound.  Or headphones.

But what do you know… riding in an indoor trainer is still torture, but so much better now that I have this new one to ride on.  I can easily do an hour without wanting to run out into I-25 traffic, which is a good start!

So I’ve decided to compile a list of what is needed to survive the indoor trainer in my opinion:

1) Music
Since I can’t get my TV loud enough to make it worth it, I settled for the iPod and headphones today.  I really really really like to use ska music while working out.  In particular, I like a CD from a local ska-core band I hung around with in high school.  It’s just over 30 minutes long, and just has a great tempo.  I do intervals to certain horn solos and uptempo parts.  Less Than Jake also works.  I’m sure the typical rap and dance stuff would work as well, but I just always fall back on ska.  Maybe because it varies and I can turn these into intervals?  It’s just all boils down to picking your poison and going with it.

2) Towel/Headband
Does this even need an explanation?  I sweat like whoa on a trainer because there’s no moving air to evaporate it from me before I notice it.  I love my Halo handband for keeping the forehead sweat river dammed up, and always throw a hand towel on the bike for wiping up the drips the Halo doesn’t catch.  (Which leads to the question… do I seriously sweat this much when riding a bicycle normally?!)

3) Water
Yes, duh.

4) Wish to torture thyself
Even with a smooth riding trainer, the best music in the world, water, whatever, riding a trainer still isn’t like riding a bike.  There’s always a mind numbing boredom aspect to it, as you never see the wall in front of you get any closer.  Even time seems to slow down, especially if you’re a clock watcher like I am.  Some pros refuse to ride trainers (Georgia Gould! ), and I can see why…

5) Cycle computer
What’s the point of torture without seeing how long you ride or how many miles (or heartrate)?  I use a Garmin Edge 500.  Using the wheel speed/cadence sensor I can actually get a rough mileage estimate (I say rough because I have a bad relationship with the speed sensor portion of the speed/cadence sensor on both of my bikes, but it does seem pretty accurate on the trainer), which is nice.  And of course I use a heart rate monitor, so I can do my intervals or try to ride in certain zones.  Not that I know anything about training in zones, but I like to pretend I do 🙂  My files all go on Strava, which has a stationary trainer option.  Strava is great and doesn’t put the miles into your overall totals (still 145 miles left to 1000 for me this year… gotta find pavement time eventually!), but does add the miles to the specific bike (if you have them profiled).

Once I have the extra funds, I am going to try some of the Sufferfest training videos, and at least make my trainer time worthwhile.  The trainer came with a training DVD, but it’s of a crit race and is super intense for the whole thing.  I want more options, and Sufferfest has ones that mimic climbing even.

My trainer and I are going to become bestest of friends this winter, you just wait and see!  And by that I mean the type of friends that want to kill each other secretly.  😀  As much as I wish I lived somewhere where you can ride year around, it’s not possible at this exact moment so I gotta make due with a trainer like most of snow state residents have to!

It’s going to be one of those blog posts… very random and all over the place!

The past two days I’ve been out suffering on the road bike against the Wyoming wind.  It is so discouraging to be pegged, and only going 8mph against the wind.  Not to mention the feeling of a crosswind trying to blow you over on a carbon fiber bike… but I’ve been plugging through the miles, and enjoying the ride home with the wind pushing me!  In fact, today I was averaging a very nice 36mph on Otto Road coming back into Cheyenne, tucked down in the drops and trying not to think of how fast I was going (speed still gets to me on the road bike… 150mph in a car feels so much safer than 30mph on a road bike…).  Having a grand ol’ time until a semi truck driver thought I only needed just about a foot between him and I when he passed me.  Literally, I thought I had crapped my pants as I tried with all my might to keep my bike on the narrow shoulder and hoped that he wouldn’t hit me.  I knew going into ditch at 35mph would not be a fun time for me or the bike, so I held on.  Then I unleashed a verbal tirade and maybe a rude gesture  or two.  Seriously Mr. Truck Driver, you could’ve killed me.  I count this as my very first near miss while on a road bike.  So incredibly infuriating considering there was no oncoming traffic so he could’ve easily given me more passing room.  I was already riding to the right as far as I could be safely.  I wish I could’ve gotten a license plate number or company name, as I would’ve made a few phone calls… I hauled butt down Lincolnway in hopes I could catch him, but he turned onto I-25 before I could.  Sigh.  Just so scary.  Share the road people, dammit!  We all have a right to be on there.  You wouldn’t want someone running over your kid or mom or dad or grandma or whoever, so just be courteous…

*off my soap box for now.  I promise.

Onto other news… About a week and a half ago I finally got my elbow x-rayed to check out the damage from my fall in Moab.  I had an orthopedic surgeon from work check it out, and he said it was likely cracked, but you can’t do anything for a crack.  I was just toughing it out, as I am pretty damn tough when it comes to pain.  But it was to the point that nerve pain was radiating up and down my arm and even fabric from a shirt was causing pain.  Luckily, the x-rays showed no obvious fracture, and the urgent care doctor once again confirmed it is likely cracked, which you can’t do anything about, and the nerves that run along there are inflamed.  I was prescribed 500mg naproxen (Aleve) and sent on my way.  He told me I was good to keep riding my bike (like I already had been doing… ahem…), and suggested elbow pads.  I commented on how they were not my style and he goes, “Do you wear a helmet?”  “Of course I do!”  “Well, you’re already looking dorky in a helmet, what’s elbow pads going to matter?”  Geez, thanks… that’s a great way to encourage helmet use 😛

I’m guessing injuries are just going to become a fact of life for me.  I’ve spent nearly every day since May with some sort of bruise or 10 on my body, scabs, scrapes, cracked elbow… it’s just normal!  Hell, even while demo-ing the Epic last week I went over the bars and bruised my legs all up.  Smashed out my Garmin Edge 500’s screen even, so now I’m injuring inanimate objects, haha!  At least I think I’m fairly tough.  Gymnastics taught me that at a young age, which is good and bad, as I tend to ignore pain and issues.  Maybe I need to learn to stop falling off my bike, too.  That could be a start…

So I did end up purchasing some elbow pads after receiving some recommendations on MTBR.com to stop trying to be a tough chick (apparently guys don’t dig chicks with skinned elbows?!).  I settled on G-Form elbow pads as they seemed the least intrusive.  I haven’t had a chance to ride with them, so a full review will come later (but I don’t plan on falling off my bike so… review might be a ways away!).  But… I did put them on, and slam my right elbow (the non injured one!) full force into my door jam and I didn’t feel a thing.  Pretty damn cool 😀  The pad is mounted on a compression type sleeve, kind of feels like an arm warmer, but just not thermal.  The padding is very low profile.  I think I’ll try to wear them on rocky, more technical terrain, and definitely if I go to Moab again as slickrock is quite hard!

On the dietary side of things, I decided I should try out some whey protein powder and make myself shakes for post-ride recovery.  I got this awesome blender kit from GNC, which is so damn exciting.  I haven’t owned a blender in my life!  Last night I tried out 2 scoops of vanilla whey protein, 1 1/2 cup of skim milk, 1 cup frozen rasperries, and 1 cup of ice.  Results were not as spectacular as I was hoping, but it was palatable.  The recipe made 28 ounces, which is quite a huge shake, and I think that was part of the problem because drinking that much felt like eating a massive meal.  Today after my 22 mile ride on the road bike and near death experience, I did two scoops of strawberry flavored whey protein, 1 cup of mixed frozen fruit (strawberries, mango, pineapple, and peaches), 1 cup of ice, and 1 1/2 cups of skim milk.  Once again a massive shake, but pretty ok tasting.  I put half of it back in the fridge for later.  We’ll see where this leads…

I’m thinking I’m going to join the gym up the street since the weather is bound to turn nasty eventually.  I can’t believe I’m even considering this, the old me from a year ago would’ve started laughing at the idea of joining a gym!

Speaking of cold weather, I am going to end this post with this awesome link:  http://www.bicycling.com/whattowear

You put in temperature, wind, weather conditions, and if you like to be warm or cool or in between while cycling, and it makes suggestions on the clothes you should wear!  It’s fun to play around with.

A long overdue post, if I must say so myself!  On October 29th, Matt and I borrowed two ’13 Specialized Epic Expert Carbon 29 mountain bikes from the Bicycle Station here in Cheyenne, and took them down to Lory State Park in Fort Collins, CO to give them a spin.  Both of us are disappointed and to the point of hating our current bikes.  I was looking into the Specialized Fate as my upgrade, but Matt convinced me to give the Epic a try, even though I never wanted to ride a full suspension bike.  Matt has been eying an Epic for awhile.

“Whether hammering technical World Cup courses or local cross-country trails, these competitive riders want their bikes to be super lightweight, efficient and ultimately fast, for explosive climbing and nimble handling. Though the Epic is an ideal bike for racers, it’s also appealing for riders who want a short-travel bike that shreds rugged singletrack”

I could pretty much end my blog post with that quote from Specialized’s website, as it pretty much describes my experience on the bike!

I immediately noticed how light the bike was when I went to put it on the car.  24 pounds vs. my current bike’s weight of 32 pounds is definitely noticeable!  Unfortunately, the weight and nimbleness of the bike did rattle my nerves the first few miles of riding.  The bike was just so fast and responsive I felt like I was going to wreck it at every turn!  I felt like it handle more like my carbon road bike, very twitchy.  I got over this by the end of the ride, naturally.

The first thing I noticed immediately was how well the bike climbed.  I felt like I could climb for days and days on it.  I loved the gearing, and the drivetrain smoothly shifted even on climbs and under pressure.  And I discovered that I could ride switchbacks for the first time ever.  Usually I have to get off my bike, waddle around the switchback and continue riding, making any trail that has these tight corners kind of horrible to ride.  The Epic handled all the switchbacks with ease.  I was amazed.  Sometimes it is about the bike, right?!  d

I was worried that a full suspension bike would suck on climbs as it would absorb the pedal stroke.  I didn’t even notice the Epic was full suspension, honestly!  Now, I must say I had the bike shop set it at full firm.  I did not have it set up to be squishy.  The Epic also has the Brain, which I’m sure helped.  I did notice the full suspension when I would go over a rocky part, and noticed it didn’t jar me as much as it would’ve on my hardtail.  I was so impressed, and minute by minute I knew this was going to become my new bike.

 

I was riding a “medium” frame size.  I did notice some fit issues, such as the stem being too long.  I was often riding just holding on with my fingertips when it was smooth single track.  I can see how this is a difference between a women’s specific design and a men’s bike.  All my current bikes are WSD, mostly for the fact I wanted a pink bike.  Otherwise, the bike felt good, and fit me, which I can’t say for my current MTB.  I did find the saddle a bit too hard for my liking, and perhaps a bit too narrow for my sit bones.  So upon purchase I will do a BG FIT and switch to a shorter stem and perhaps a women’s specific MTB saddle that better accommodates my sit bones.  I know I am a special female case, as I am 5’8″ tall with a 34″ inseam, so I can fit a men’s bike a lot easier than most of my shorter counterparts.  The Epic is only offered in a Small through XL sizes.  If I’m on a Medium, you can gauge what body size a Small might fit.

We rode just shy of 17 miles on the Epics before the weather started turning nasty.  It all felt quite effortless.  The bike just goes and goes!  I even giggled a ton at the fact that on Strava I widdled down a 17 minute difference between Georgia Gould and I on a segment to 1 minute 33 seconds.  Granted, I know she was probably just casually riding (and heck, to my defense I wasn’t even “strava-ing” the segment, I was too busy getting use to the light weight and handling of the bike), but holy crap I love this bike!  Not saying it’s all the bike here, as I last did the segment earlier in the summer, but it has to be some of it!  And we all know how much I like seeing good results on Strava, LOL.

Matt loved his as well, and now is so excited to start racing with me.  Which leaves us hating our current bikes and neglecting them in the corner…. I think I am going to try to sell mine.  Nothing is really wrong with it, except it’s not my size and heavy and I’ve outgrown it skill and riding wise.  We have some lofty race goals for 2013, and are preparing to start training and eating right.  Now we should have the right bikes to get us there!

And goodness, there’s not an ounce of pink on the bike, aside from my Wedgie pink I attached to carry spare tubes and tools!  Losing a bit of girly, now aren’t we?!

Like it or not, winter weather is upon us in southeastern Wyoming.  I’m not the biggest fan, and definitely sad that my riding days are limited, along with warm temperatures and daylight hours.  Today I got the crazy idea to jump on the road bike, ignoring the whole 48-degrees and 15mph winds thing, and it was a great opportunity to finally use my Specialized Women’s Body Geometry Deflect cold weather cycling gloves.

The details according to Specialized:  Change your music or make that critical phone call (NOT while riding of course!) without taking off your gloves—WireTap technology makes these gloves touchscreen-friendly.  Sized specifically for women, the Body Geometry Deflect gloves offers great breathability and comfortable protection for temps down to 45°F/7°C.

Slacking a bit on updating about our trip to Moab for my birthday weekend over a week ago, but here it goes!  School and work have been crazy, so I spent the week back working 4, 12-hour shifts in a row and writing/cramming in two papers.  Slacking on some homework today so I can get this updated, before heading up for two more 12’s in a row.  Life of a nurse, eh?  (I love my job, I honestly do.  The traveling to work does get to me along with being away from home, as I feel my days at home are just spent running errands and running around like a chicken with no head.)
So yes, MOAB!!!  Matt and I wanted to go somewhere for my birthday (October 15th), as he managed 3 days off from work.  I was assuming we’d go back to Steamboat like we did last year, but he wanted to do something different.  Matt suggested Moab, and since I absolutely love the desert, it was really a no brainer!  Leave early on Saturday morning, come home Monday afternoon.  Mountain biking in the desert for my 29th birthday = beyond awesome.

This post is really just going to be a bunch of photos, as I don’t think a wordy, blow by blow description of the trip is needed!  After driving through the snow in Colorado, and playing at Doc Holliday’s grave in Glenwood Springs, we got into Moab about 3pm.  We immediately jumped on our bikes and rode 21 miles on the Moab Canyon Bike Path (even got in a little bit of singletrack as the sun was setting!).  Kicked it at Poison Spider Bicycles before heading out to dinner, where I wore my MTB shoes because they’re comfy.  Saturday was filled with riding at the MOAB Brands trails, where I managed to crack open my elbow and learned slick rock is only fun for about 2 minutes, then it gets annoying.  Arches National Park was later that night, and we watched the sun set at Delicate Arch.  I hiked 3 miles wearing Dansko clogs, because I’m a badass.  (Some guy told me “nice boots,” and I don’t know if he was mocking my hiking footwear choice, or if he really thought they were hiking boots…) Monday was recovery day, more time at Arches NP, and then the long drive home.  I was thoroughly sad to leave the desert 😦

What I do want to say is Moab is awesome if you ride a bike.  The streets are filled with cyclists, usually of the dirty kind (aka mountain bikers).  Every other car has at least a bike attached to it.  There’s big bike lanes, bike paths, and nobody, and I mean NOBODY, gives second thought to someone wearing spandex to dinner or at the grocery store.  I was just in love with the town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whew, I think that’s good on the photos.  🙂  More Moab trips will definitely occur in the future, and with both the road and mountain bikes.  Part of me wants to do the Skinny Tire Festival in March, but I am not sure how it will work into the schedule.

It just might be my favorite bike photo ever, and I can’t say why!

But seriously, my seat (or saddle for bike snobs)… that just looks ridiculous.  Totally utterly a clown bike now… and I thought the 29″ wheels were bad!

I was a bit concerned when I headed out this morning.  I got on my bike in my kitchen, barefooted, and had several inches of air between my feet and floor.  Not good, not good, not good!  It’s not my road bike, I like to know that I can be able to touch the ground if needed on my mountain bike.  With a expression I packed up and headed out for the day.

With shoes on it was better and I could get on it.  Kinda.  At least when it was flat.  More

Then my chain came off going up Meadow Trail on an incline.  Stopped and fixed that, and then couldn’t figure out how to get back on my bike.  Just too high.  More

I was feeling comfortable, though.  My knee didn’t hurt and I just merrily pedaled along.  OK, I got to thinking… maybe this isn’t so bad.  When I had to stop I could put my foot down.  It seems that the struggle is when I’m on an incline and stop, and then have to get going again.  I had to bail off the bike once because I couldn’t reach the ground with my foot and starting leaning the wrong way. 

So I’m unsure of my BG FIT fitting on my mountain bike.  Knee feels great, I love the more aggressive arm positioning, and I love that my legs can fully extend.  I don’t love that I can’t get back in the saddle on an incline and the fact my bike just looks silly with that seat/saddle up there in the outer atmosphere.  It might have to come down an inch… I just don’t think I am experienced enough to ride that high up in the sky, especially if I got onto something super technical (coughCurtGowdycough).

Ran into an issue with my shoes as well.  The insoles and shims do add a lot of bulk, which caused my toes to squish up and rub on the end of my shoe.  I’ve been wanting new MTB shoes for awhile now, so I guess this is my chance!  Definitely bringing the insoles when I go try some on.  I wanted to wait until spring for when my REI dividends came back, but it was a big annoyance on the bike today.

It was beautiful riding weather today.  I just couldn’t find a rhythm in between my saddle and toes and chain coming off and my left grip getting all wonky and the big tear I experienced on my left palm.  Sigh.  And I struggled to lay down 8.2 miles, which I found strange.  I am not sure if it is the altitude or what.  Still a good ride, and I explored some new trails, but it pooped me out.

At least it was another 8 miles added to my goal of 1,000 for this year!  🙂  And I did get to test out my new fit.  And learned my shoes are dumb.

I think I’m going to be naughty tomorrow and head down to the Bicycle Station and look at Specialized MTB shoes.  No waiting for REI dividends for me!!  Retail therapy is good, anyway…

I’ve had the chance to ride my road bike two times since my BG FIT bike fitting last Wednesday.  In summary:

My right knee doesn’t hurt anymore!!!  (At least on the bike)

When I rode on Thursday I got a dull ache in my right knee around mile 8 which continued for my 13 mile ride.  I was a little discouraged, but the bike felt good.  My butt didn’t get achy like it sometimes does, and my new insoles felt comfy.  I managed to catch the only hour window with no rain, as well, so it was a nice overall afternoon ride.

This morning I decided to step up the mileage.  I originally was going to aim for 30-40 miles, but my wandering brain got the best of me and I only rode 21.8 miles.  Right around mile 9 I felt that dull ache in my right knee, but it disappeared.  I rode the rest of the time pain free.  I didn’t even realize my lack of knee pain until I got home.  Then I was giddy with the knowledge!

So, preliminarily, I would say my fitting was a success, at least with my road bike.  I haven’t ridden the mountain bike yet, but plan to tomorrow.  Only area of concern is some mild cramping I have been feeling in my calfs and thighs after I am off the bike.  I am not sure what it is really related to, but I suppose it could be related to the new positioning of my legs when I am on the bike.

Side news… I have ridden over 700 miles for the year (708 according to Strava).  I’ve decided I want to break 1,000 miles by December 31st.  Still got a ways to go, especially with the weather growing colder and sketchier, days shorter, and my work schedule interfering with life.  It is something I really want to accomplish, however!

Bike fit.  Many people think this is just fiddling around with the saddle when you buy it, and calling it good.  Hell, I was one of those people.  I was thrown out the door with my mountain bike without any sort of sizing / fitting and took to Google to learn that my saddle should be above the handlebars.  My road bike was a different story, and I had a thorough sizing when I bought the bike, which I was impressed with.  But still, I have struggled with severe knee pain, especially in my right knee, that actually has left me hampered in my daily activities, especially the stooping and bending that being a nurse requires.  I knew my mountain bike was a mess and I knew Specialized had some sort of fitting service and that it cost a lot of money.  Finally fed up and knowing I should start with my equipment before running off to a doctor about my knee and knowing the fact that I seriously want to pursue cycling and racing hardcore, I had a BG FIT (Body Geometry Fit Integration Technology) session today at Peloton Cycles in Fort Collins, CO (which is where I purchased my road bike).

Here is my description of my fitting and my experience!  (There won’t be too many photos, so bear with all the text please)

First to get the boring details out of the way, a GOOD bike fitting does cost money.  Mine was $150 for the first bike (normally $200 but I received a discount since I recently purchased a bike at Peloton) and $50 for a second bike.  $200 may seem like a lot, but doctors, physical therapy, MRIs, etc, cost way more!  I was told my session would take about 2-3 hours, depending on how many adjustments would have to be made.  I was instructed to bring my bike shorts, a tight fitting top (such as a bike jersey), and my cycling shoes.

When I first arrived, I was greeted by Barry Schmidt, who is one of Peloton’s master certified BG FIT technicians.  He helped me get the bikes in the store and set up.  Right away I was instructed to sit on a memory foam cushion that would be used to measure the distance between my sit bones.  Barry told me that it was better to get this done before I had the padded bike shorts on.  I was then shown to a dressing room where I could change into my cycling clothing.

Barry started with my road bike, and got it hooked into a trainer and leveled up.  He took measurements of how the bike currently sat while I filled out a form with my details (name, address, phone, email, yadda yadda), riding style (I put competitive, my leisure is gone!), years of cycling (woo hoo, I got to put 6 months which made him laugh!), and goals (mine were improve racing skills and get faster and verbally I said stop falling so much as well).  Once measurements were taken Barry sat done and went through a list of body systems, starting at my head, asking about any issues with them, previous injuries, etc.  I informed him of my knee trouble, past history of a broken growth plate in my ankle which may or may not have shortened my left leg length, back pain I get on 50+ mile rides, history of compressed spine and knee injury stemming from gymnastics, and occasional numb hands on longer rides.  He was thorough and inquisitive, and did not shrug off any suggestions or thoughts I had about what my body was up to.  I greatly appreciated this!  It is always great to know you’re being listened to!

We then moved on the analysis of my body.  First, I stood in front of Barry and was told to rock back and forth until I was in my natural stance width.  Barry immediately noted that I have extreme varus on both of my feet, worse in the left.  Varus is inward angulation of a bone or joint.  I had never noticed this about myself, but when I looked down I could totally see how my ankles pretty much droop my feet inward.  This leaves me pretty flat footed while barefoot.  Barry noted that I actually have really high arches, but due to the varus it doesn’t appear that way.  The varus would pose a problem later in the 1/3 Knee Bend Test (and would explain why I was always falling off that damn balance beam back in the day!).

We continued on with my body analysis.  Barry had me lay/sit on an exam table and put me through different exercises and stretches to analyze my flexibility, strength, and body alignment.  He noted that my left hip does sit lower than my right, but however, my legs are completely equal in length!  (Out goes the shorter leg theory!).  He told me my spine is pretty darn straight, but I’m slightly swaybacked (yeah, my mom’s been on me about that for years…).  My core is pretty weak, so he suggested strengthening that, because core strength is oh so important in cycling.  He analyzed my gluteus medius muscles, and discovered that they are insanely weak, so once again suggested strengthening exercises.  Barry was very impressed with my flexibility everywhere in my body, and commented that I have nice and loose IT bands, which is a relief to me, but also bad, because I figured tight IT bands were the cause of my knee pain.  So good that they’re loose, bad that they’re ruled out for my knee issue.

I then did the 1/3 Knee Bend Test, which is hard due to knee pain and also instability caused by the varus in my feet.  Seriously, totally explains my horrible barefooted balance!!!

Finally, it was time to hop on the trainer!  First to note, my saddle is the perfect width for my sit bones, so no need to replace that!  Which I knew, because it is as comfortable as I feel a saddle can get 🙂  I got on the trainer, clipped in, and began pedaling while Barry examined me from every angle.  Immediately he noticed how my right thigh rubs on my top tube while pedaling, and that my left thigh does the same occasionally.  I already noticed this (mostly from photos taken of me while racing), but Barry pointed out that my left foot likes to point down as a pedal.  He didn’t say this was a problem to fix, just something unique that I do and that we would work with.  He stopped me and took measurements on each leg at the bottom of the pedal stroke, and also neutral.

First adjustment was to move the saddle back ever so much, from 6.2 to 6.4.  Then he placed Specialized High Performance BG Footbeds in size +++ (the green ones, the most extreme they offer for arch support) in both of my shoes and it was back on the bike and more pedaling.  He noted better knee alignment but I still was rubbing on the top tube so Barry decided to try some shims, first one, then two.  Two shims put my left leg/knee/foot in great alignment.  He was worried that two shims in my right shoe put my knee too far outwards, which could cause new problems.  With one shim, we noticed that the rubbing on the top tube was way less frequent and my knee was in good alignment.  Barry got the idea to move my cleat outwards on my right shoe about 1/16th of an inch, and that seemed to make a ton of difference!  Seriously, so nice to ride without rubbing on my pretty carbon fiber the whole time!

Barry also looked at my reach, shoulder width, and back.  We agreed that my normal position of comfort on the hoods was not quite right, and Barry looked at my shoulder width and alignment, and recommended that when I am ready I should change to 40 bars (I currently have 42) to bring things closer to what my body is trying to do.  I think that this is a great birthday gift idea (HINT HINT) and a great chance to maybe get some carbon bars!  My stem length was good, which is a big thanks to Lindsey at Peloton who size fitted me when I purchased the bike.

I pedaled some more on the new set up and agreed that it felt very nice!  The bike didn’t not need a ton of adjustments, as it is mostly all in my feet/ankles and therefore, shoes.

Shoe changes:

• Green BG Footbeds on both shoes
• 1.5 varus shim on the right shoe
• 3.0 varus shims in the left shoe.
• Cleat on right shoe moved slightly outboard

Road bike changes:

• Saddle height – 77.0 to 76.8
• Saddle (fore-aft) – 6.2 to 6.4
• Reach – 48.6 to 48.7
• Drop – stayed the same at 5.9
• Knee Angle – Left: Same at 27, Right: 33 to 32

Now it was on to my mountain bike.  Once getting the big 29er on the trainer, Barry once again took initial measurements and did some adjusting based on my numbers from my road bike, like raising the saddle about an inch.  Then the fun begin.

Oh goodness, if I didn’t have a women’s drop tube, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to pedal the mountain bike due to my right thigh!  It was even rubbing my seat post!!  My left thigh was also very inward.  It was pretty clear I was sitting far too forward, far too low, and needed my new fancy cycling foot orthotics.  Barry transferred over the footbeds and shims from my road shoes, and raised the saddle and moved it back.  Immediately the bike felt better!  He also moved my cleats on my shoes back towards the heels, which made it harder to clip in because I wasn’t use to the position, but helped align my legs better.

Bar width and reach/stem length seemed good, but Barry suggesting flipping my stem so it would put my body into a lower, more aggressive position.  I commented on how I often get low and lean over the bars to increase my power, and wished the mountain bike was more like the road bike in that position.  So Barry flipped my stem, so I went from +8 degrees to -8 degrees, and also aligned my handlebars so when they are straight so is my wheel, instead of pointing somewhere off the left (LOL,whoops).  Immediately the bike just felt more natural!

Shoe changes:

• Green BG Footbeds on both shoes
• 1.5 varus shim on the right shoe
• 3.0 varus shims in the left shoe.
• Cleats moved 0.7 aft

Mountain bike changes:

• Saddle height – 75.0 to 76.3
• Saddle (fore-aft) – 7.6 to 8.0
• Reach – 54.2 to 55
• Drop – +0.5 to -2.0
• Knee angle – Left 40 to 34, Right 42 to 32

Overall, I am very satisfied!  I haven’t had a chance to go out riding, but plan on putting down some miles on the road bike tomorrow, and then the mountain bike this weekend.  Barry said he would follow up in about two weeks and see how I feel, and told me definitely to get in touch if I run into any problems, pain, etc.  I will update this as well with how things feel.

So I need to work on core strength and also on my gluteus medius muscles.  Definitely something I should consider working on over this winter!!  Barry asked why I wasn’t cyclocrossing, and I had to explain my disdain of running while carrying a heavy ass mountain bike.  Haha.  Justification for buying a cross bike, right?

I did some retail therapy as well.  Picked up some winter gloves by Specialized, and Wedgie bags in black/pink (for me) and black/blue (for Matt).  Special ordered in another pink one so both bikes can have one.  Then I stopped by REI and picked up tire changing stuff like CO2 cartridges, levers, multitools.  I don’t know how to change a tire or tube but at least I’ll have the supplies to do so, LOL.  Got me some Big City Burrito before heading back to Cheyenne, where I stopped by the Bicycle Station.  They had Specialized arm, leg, and knee warmers which I gathered up!  (I wore Matt’s Spec arm warmers the other day and loved them, so I wanted my own!)  Can you tell I’m getting ready for winter?!

My friend just gave me her old exercise ball and told me it works great on your core so I think Ima start sitting on that while watching TV… hmm..

Anywho, that was my day and BG FIT experience!  I know I’m missing some details, so forgive me.  It took about 2 hours to do my session.  I didn’t have a lot of body issues and the road bike was already nicely set up so it went pretty fast.  Now I’m just looking forward to riding and seeing how the changes work out for me!

3 months can make!

Today I headed up to Curt Gowdy State Park with one of Matt’s friends from high school.  My chance to show a Kansas flatlander what real mountain bike trails are like!  I hadn’t been to CG since June, so I was excited to see how the trails seemed now.

Well, let’s just say this.  On Stone Temple Circuit, it took me over 1 hour 30 minutes to ride it in June.

Fast forward to September 16…

A little over 29 minutes!!!

Sure, I still had to get off the bike a fair amount to clear stuff.  But wow, the trail didn’t even seem the same!  I had the biggest smile, I couldn’t believe how much has changed in the past few months and how much my skills/endurance have grown.  I was so happy that after we rode Shoreline out and back (Stone Temple proved to be a bit too much for flatlander friend, who is not use to real mountain trails or the altitude – he still had a blast, however!), I rode Stone Temple AGAIN, except I exited off to Ignoramus to Rock ‘N Roller (and proceeded to get lost… thank goodness for 3G cell service and being able to bring up a trail map).  Ended the day with 14.68 miles, the most I’ve ridden my mountain bike on real trails (I don’t count the rails-to-trails George S. Mickelson Trail I rode in May as a “real” trail).

My knee is killing me and I’m dead tired.  And I’m going to do it all over again tomorrow.

Why?  Strava, freakin’ Strava.  I had about 14 minutes of paused time while my friend was struggling with the starting climb on Stone Temple before he turned around.  And freakin’ Strava included that in my overall time.  29 minutes became 43 minutes for the leaderboard.  Le sigh.  I wasn’t even pushing all out trying to “Strava” the trail, but I want the true time to show.  GRRRR.

And well, I’m still giddy over the fact Stone Temple is no longer a “big deal” to ride. 

Ended the week just sigh of 70 miles on the bikes.  Which might be a little bit of over doing it, as my knee is telling me right now.  I went from about 6-8 miles a week the past few weeks (due to a busy life), to 70   But it feels good to be back out cycling a lot.  I’ve found some good road routes from my house, and am learning how to navigate through Cheyenne’s crazy drivers.  What gets me is the wind here.  Don’t get me wrong, Laramie is plenty windy… but nothing like Cheyenne is!  If I see those windmills on Happy Jack spinnin’ away, I know it’s going to be a tough ride.

I start my new job later this week on Wednesday, so miles on the bike will get dramatically cut again.  So will a lot of free time, too.  I’m nervous but excited, and happy to get a paycheck coming in.  I NEED a cyclocross bike, and I’m only going to get one if I get some money, right?

 

WOW… have the last few weeks been crazy, or what?  I’ve lost track of the days, and everything seems like a blur!  I moved to Cheyenne last week, so everything in my life has revolved around unpacking and moving, leaving little time for anything else.  Now that it’s down to the odds ‘n ends, I find myself spawled out on the Lovesac more, catching up on my 2 online nursing classes and general internet activities.

Time to catch up!

#1 – Medicine Bow Peak hike August 27th
Yay, we found time to accomplish one of my summer goals!  I didn’t think the hike was going to happen because when I tried on my hiking boots I found that they had shrunk about 2 shoe sizes and there was a hard plastic thing in the toe that now squished my pinky toe on my left foot.  Ummm WTF?!  I hadn’t worn my boots since July, and I have no idea what happened to them.  (Off to Sierra Trading Post they went for a full refund…)  Finally I settled on hiking up the mountain in my trusty Pumas.  I knew I could get away with this because I climbed it 4 times as a kid in sneakers.

The hike is not bad at all, a smidge over 2 miles each way if you leave from the Lewis Lake Trailhead.  We made it to the summit in no time, where we had the pleasure of singing “Happy Birthday” to a gentleman turning 62.  He climbs it every year with a group of his friends.  Pretty cool moment!  Clouds started rolling in, so we didn’t stay long on the summit.

Matt hiked his first 12er!  And I summited for my 5th time, and first over the age of 11.  Not a bad way to spend the day!  Now I need to look for new hiking boots…

#2 – Fall is in the air!
September 2nd I rode a bit up in Happy Jack to squeeze in some mountain biking before my favorite trails are farther away.  The leaves are starting to turn yellow at 8600 feet!  Pretty darn exciting!  I loved the crisp feel to the air, making the 70 degree weather feel so much better.  I love the fall smells.  Just makes me want to spend as much time on a mountain bike up there while I can (aka before the snow flies).  I rode my standard stretch of Headquarters, basking in the sun and fresh air and yellow leaves.

I think I got too caught up in the moment, as I wrecked pretty hard.  First big wreck since my first race in June, actually.  I slid out on a corner, went sliding chest first.  Pretty graceful if you ask me!  So happy I wear gloves, as my hands would’ve been trashed!  My right upper arm lost a patch of skin, and my right leg ended up all sorts of bruised.  Worse of all my left leg got tweaked somehow, and the muscle is still sore   Lesson learned:  enjoy the moment but not too much!

#3 – Wind sucks
Last Monday I went out on the road bike for the first time moving to Cheyenne.  25mph headwinds and road bikes don’t play well together… that’s really all I have to say.  Rode about 4 miles of Happy Jack Road, and turned around and headed home (at a great average of about 30 mph, thanks to tailwind, haha).  I was discouraged.  Ugh.

#4 – Weight loss rocks!!!
I’m proud to say that I have lost 10 pounds since May.  That in itself isn’t what I am really proud of.  What makes me proud is that I did it without fad/extreme/starvation/whatever diets and without crazy death work outs in a gym.  I did it by getting off my butt, and onto a bike a few times a week and trying to pay attention to portion size.  That’s all.  Now yes, my friend did point out that my “bike rides” aren’t normal people’s bike rides, but I still think it’s something that is do-able for a lot of people.  I don’t ride 50 miles a day Georgia Gould style (her Strava always makes me feel like a lazy ass when I ride 7 miles).  I was completely sedentary and out of shape when I started.  And I’m still alive!  I like this new weight loss, too, as I’m toned as well.  I have a goal to lose another 10 pounds, and hopefully turn into a lean, mean pedaling machine.  I’m sure that’ll mean lots of time on the trainer this winter and bundling up on the road bike on dry days…

Now that I have internet again, I hope I can settle back down into normal life, and slowly get the rest of the odds ‘n ends unpacked!