RAGBRAI 2009!

Register's Annual Bike Ride Across Iowa!

RAGBRAI 2009

It was an amazing trip last week. It had ups and downs, but more ups than downs. The ride pushed me to my physical limits, but showed me that what I thought was a limit, was really something I could overcome. I smiled more on a bike than I ever have before. I ate my weight in pie!

All in all, I rode for 465 miles across the beautiful state of Iowa. This year's RAGBRAI took us through the scenic parts of southern Iowa. If you thought Iowa was flat, you were wrong! The first 2 days had so many hills that I thought my legs would give out. However, I made it up every single hill and didn't walk!

The towns we stopped in were beautiful. They came about every 10 miles along the day's route, giving me a much needed break from the bike. The communities had food and pie galore to sell to our weary souls. It was amazing how much food I could put down in a day. I loved the pie! What a great excuse to gorge myself after 9 months of dieting.

Here are some lessons I learned at RAGBRAI:

1. Announce your every move and every thing in front of you! If you were getting off or on your bike, you announced it. If a car was coming, you screamed car up to warn the other riders. I still feel a need to announce "Stopping" when I sit on the couch.

2. I'm so important that cops are at every corner to stop traffic for me. OK, I know this isn't true in real life, but I did get used to it on the road. On day 6, I was walking across a road to the showers and realized I didn't even attempt to look both ways before crossing. Why would I? The State Patrol are my personal body guards.

3. Hamstrings are nasty muscles. What I thought was knee pain, was a very tight hamstring. Stretching properly before, during and after the rides is so important now that I'm older. So sad to see what age has done.

4. Friends are priceless! Kari really helped me through this whole week. We had an amazing relationship on the bike. We would ride together about half the time. Otherwise, we were happy to meet up with each other at the next town, or at the next hill. It meant so much to see a smiling face at each stop. She helped me stay focused and never let me think I couldn't do it. She made the whole ride so much fun. We sang our way through Iowa, much to the other riders' dismay. ABBA, Meatloaf, Blondie and the Mullet Song were our favorites. Luckily, the karaoke line was too long at one of our stops so the town was spared from our vocals.

5. My husband is amazing! Greg was our primary support crew for the whole 7 days. He transported all of our stuff from town to town. He found us the perfect campsites, and roped off an area that had plenty of space for all of us. He set up the Lufkin Lodge tent each day. He cooked amazing meals for the entire team. He always met me with a huge grin and a big bear hug when I triumphantly arrived at camp. He's the most supportive husband in the world. What other man would follow his wife and friends across Iowa?

6. Weather is unpredictable! I should know this by know, being a meteorologist and all. We had temperatures in the 50s, 1/8 mile visibility in fog, rain, thunder, high winds, heat, and hail. The hail storm hit at 5 am one morning. We thought we'd seen it all up to that point, but then the hail hit. What was next, frogs and locust?

7. The Mississippi River can bring me to tears! Yes, at the end of the week, the site of the Mighty Mississippi did bring tears to my eyes. I still can't believe I did this! Me, the un-athletic girl. Me, the one who was always picked last for sports. Me, the one who finished runs last. Me, the girl who loves TV and being lazy. Me, the one who struggles to pass PT tests. Me, the girl who HATED gym class. I still can't believe I did this. I never thought it was possible. What's next?

40 Mile Ride

I knew I needed to get on my bike for one more ride before heading out to Mississippi tomorrow. I just don't think that the stationary bikes will do it for me. Plus, I HATE the gyms on Keesler. They are crowded and they stink!

So, off I went. Greg suggested I take a PB&J sandwich with me again. He said you never know how hungry I'll get. Knowing how smart he is, I packed my sandwich and hit the road.

There is this great trail between Northfield and Dundas. The whole length is about 5 miles (2 of it are on a county road). The beginning of the trail is in a lovely park, with the end just before a big highway. I did the out and back once, then took a break in the park and ate the first half of my sandwich. I was feeling great! I wanted to do at least 25 miles, but knew I could get in 35 easy.

I did the out and back again. Now I was at 25 miles total. One more out and back, then the ride home, and I could have 40 miles in my reach. After the second 1/2 of my PB&J, I hit the trail again.

I hit the trail again. Shortly after starting, my left knee began to ache. I started to visualize using only my right leg, which helped out. I found that when I started from a stop (2 stop signs on my route) then the knee REALLY hurt). When I made it back to the park, at my 35 mile point, my knee was killing me. I hopped off the bike and walked around a bit. That seemed to help, but it was still tender.

Each time I started back up from a stop there was a shooting pain in my knee. So, when I hit 40.3 miles, across the highway from my house, I got off my bike and walked it home. I just couldn't go through that pain again.

I guess more hamstring stretches may be in order next time. Also, I need to walk around more during my breaks, to loosen the joints.

Oh, the artwork is courtesy of my Great Uncle Duane Bryers. Duane is known for his Western artwork, with his painting being featured at the entrance to the Cowboy Hall of Fame! However, he got his start with his pin-up girl, Hilda, on calendars for many many businesses in the 60s and 70s. My Grandma had Hilda in her bathroom, and I will do the same with my Hilda artwork too!

35 mile ride!!

OK, I've really not been training like I should for RAGBRAI. I have many excuses, but the reality is that I'm trying to pretend this isn't happening. It's terrifying to think I'm going to ride almost 80 miles in one day. If I don't think about it then it won't hurt, right?

I realize this is not the healthiest attitude I can have. So, with the help of my WONDERFUL husband, I went for a 35 mile ride today. The longest I'd gone up to this point was 25 miles, so this was huge.

First, let me tell you that this morning I had a filling redone at the dentist. He was liberal with the Novocaine. I couldn't eat lunch before I left the house, so I packed a PB&J for the road. I also made 2 chicken fajitas for Greg to bring up to St Paul when I met him at the end of the ride. I filled 2 water bottles, and planned for 1 extra water stop.

Before I left, Greg put my old seat back on my bike for me. Last year, I thought it was my seat that made my back hurt. In a way it was... it was too far back. Once I move the new seat up, the back didn't hurt. However, I really like my old seat, so back on it went.

Greg also put on my second water bottle holder and made sure my tires were full. With all the equipment ready, and the 50 SPF sunscreen liberally applied, I hit the road.

I made it up to the next town, Farmington, in just over an hour. This is so much better than I expected. However, it wasn't a very bike friendly part of town, so I waited until I was past town to have lunch. I pulled over and dug out that sandwich. Do you know how hard it is to eat a PB&J sandwich with your mouth still feeling Novocaine? Not too pretty. I felt like my dog.

I gave Greg a call from this spot, and he was just leaving our house and headed to his parents home (my stopping point). I hoped I'd make it to the next town before he passed me.

I hit the road again. I need some water, took a swig, and it sprang out of the corner of my mouth. Ahh... Novocaine!

Well, the next town, Rosemount, appeared before me. I was just thinking about Greg not passing me, when he appeared! He is so wonderful! He brought me a new bottle with ice water. He's amazing! After a quick chat, I hit the road again. I was feeling great!

That feeling was short lived. I forgot how long it took to get from Rosemount to Hwy 55. I thought it was just a mile or 2. It was 10 miles! That shot my groove to pieces. I started to feel slow. The hills felt bigger. I needed a break.

So, I hit the Holiday Gas Station and got some Gatorade. It was nice to have another cold beverage, and it tasted so good! I was sure the last 8 miles would be a piece of cake. Not true. There were at least a dozen stop lights and everyone of them turned red as I approached. My mo-jo was GONE! It was a tough finish, and my thighs were burning. I finished though and felt good about it.

Now, RAGBRAI doesn't seem so scary. I know that I need more than a 5-10 minute break in the ride. I know I need a lot of water (I did this one right today). I know that I have an amazing husband and I'm so grateful he'll be our support crew!

Doe a Deer...

Today I was visited by a beautiful, and very large doe. She came up to eat out of our squirrel feeder at about 2:30pm. Skeeter the Wonder Dog, was standing by the screen door on the porch, looking a bit odd. As I looked over to see what was going on, I saw the most beautiful doe.

She was cautious, but seemed quite hungry. The most amazing thing was that my dog was perfectly still. In fact, he laid down at the door and watched her quietly. I guess we trained him well.

This photo isn't the best, because I took it with my iPhone, through a dirty window, but you get the idea. Amazing!

Sadness and Rides

My Grandma Alar is dying. She's had dementia for at least 7 years now. She's had congestive heart failure for many years. She now has stage 4 kidney failure. She's pretty much stopped eating and drinking. It's just a matter of days now.

Myrl Minerva Alar is an amazing woman. She raised 5 fabulous kids in very tough times. She was an amazing example of a strong and smart woman for me. She is a real role model. I'm lucky to have her and be related to her.

About 9 years ago, I had a chance to get to know her better, when I went to my cousin Sara's graduation. We shared a room, and I got a chance to spend time alone with her for the first time in my life. A year later, she came to visit me in Miami, after my cousin's wedding and before visiting my Great Uncle. It was amazing to hear stories of how she meet my Grandpa and how much she loved him. I wouldn't trade any of the alone time with my Grandma for anything!

It hit me today that she will be dying soon. Greg asked me how I was doing, and the tears started to fall for the first time. I didn't want to do anything today. I was exhausted and drained, but like Greg suggested, a little workout might do me good.

I really didn't want to go for a ride, because it give me too much time to think. However, I really didn't want to leave my phone behind. So, I went for a bike ride. It wasn't going to be for very long. I hit 6 miles and cried a few tears, but I got it back together. It was going well, so I figured 20 miles wasn't out of the question.

When all was said and done, I did 25.2 miles in 1:56! I feel very good about the ride, but now I'm completely exhausted. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.