A Letter to Nacho

Dear Nacho,

I am so sorry I have neglected you these past couple months. October was all about preparation for the Wicked 10k and November has been overwhelmed with school work. Now it is so cold and windy, I doubt you even want to go out for a ride now. You give me the evil tire every time I walk through the garage, and yes, I feel very guilty.

I feel like such a bad bike owner for not taking you out, but I promise as soon as it gets less freezing we will go out for many long rides. But don't worry, I am going to pull you out of that cold garage and get you in my room. After the holidays, I swear I will buy a trainer so you can come upstairs in the warm and get moving. We will spend long "rides" in the toasty room while watching the Real Housewives and eating popcorn. So while you are cold and frozen right now, soon, very soon you will move in my room for the rest of winter. I promise not to do this to you again, I hope you will forgive me!

Sincerely,
Stephanie

Le Tour de Femme

Finally, the post you have been waiting for… le Tour de Femme recap! I have been having so much fun biking that I was dying to go on another organized ride. So I made a little trip to Raleigh earlier this month to take part in this awesome women only ride.

Before I get started with the actual ride, let me tell you a little something about topography. I live at the beach and constantly ride on flat land, like really flat land. The only “hill” I have ever been on while riding is a highway overpass during the Elizabeth City ride. I think I have used two gears since I have owned my road bike… literally the highest point in Virginia Beach is a grassy mountain (hill) made out of trash (Mount Trashmore, google it!). So I’ve made quite a few trips to Raleigh, and I know it is soooo hilly there (remember this is coming from the girl who thinks a mountain is a grassy bump made of trash). Let’s just say I was a tad nervous to learn how to actually use my gears on the open roads of Cary.
Anyways back to the ride. The night before we all went out to the ladies night at the bike shop to pick up our packets. That was a fun time, cupcakes hello! Enough about the bike stuff… let’s talk about the cupcakes… chai vanilla and some kind of Guinness chocolate… yes please! Alright focus, the ladies night was fun, but we didn’t stay too long. They had some contortionist girls that were kinda freaking me out! We also had to stop by Target so I could get some extra layers because all I brought was a sleeveless jersey… I guess I forgot that it is fall and it is cold in the morning. Opps!

So the next morning we get out to Cary, grab some coffee and get ready. After an almost deadly safety pin incident, (I will never let my sister pin my number on again!) we made our way to the start. This was very exciting; you could feel the positive energy flowing as we waited to start. The ride was for an awesome cause that is close to my heart, so it was great to see all the ladies that support cancer research.

After the hard-core 60 milers take off, we were on! Let me tell you, the start of the ride included police escorts that allowed us to go through stoplights. Awesomeness! I felt so cool. I could see the pissed look on the car drivers that had to wait for us…. Haha! Love it! Well once we get out of town, I was feeling good, riding a nice pace and all in all feeling awesome. And then. We arrive at our first mountain.

Holy moly, my thighs have never burned so much and I have never seen my speedometer hit single digits while putting forth so much effort. I felt like I was moving in slow motion, women were grunting, and some even stopped to walk. Oy vey, it was ugly! Then to make things even better… the photographer drives by and takes pictures of us. Greatttt, I’m sure those photos looked awesome! Well after what felt like an eternity, I made it to the top. Woohoo! But then there is something that I didn’t even think about when it came to these hills.

Yes it was difficult to go up the hill, but there is another side to that hill... that is a decline. Well for most that sounds great, go down a hill really fast and give your legs a break. Yea that’s fine unless you have never hurled yourself down a hill on a little bike going a million miles per hour! Oh my goodness that was terrifying!! I felt like such a baby, but the whole time I kept thinking “OMG I’M GOING TO DIE, I’M GOING TO HIT A BUMP AND GO FLYING! AHHHHHH!” Well obviously, I did not die going down the hill, but it was definitely scary! It’s going to take me a while to get used to that.

The first half really felt great, I was getting used to the hills and having a lot of fun. We had a rest stop at 15 miles which included Gatorade, Luna Bars, PB sandwiches, and a porta potty with hand sanitizer station next to it (can you tell this is a ladies only ride?) Then we set off for the rest of the ride.

The second half was just as fun… the weather was awesome and I was feeling good. Then all of a sudden, I just notice I was going really slow… like slow motion again. I was so confused, I felt like I was working hard, but not going anywhere and I wasn't going up a mountain. I also notice that my sister is not going much faster than I am, so I’m like what is going on? This is when I was introduced to the gradual hill. Probably worse than a mountain because the pain lasts a really long time! I mean really, come on… gradual hills go one forevvver and are now my archnemesis. Again, once we got over that I was feeling good again.

After a short trip through Apex (got a little scared that we took a wrong turn when I saw we were in Apex, but I trusted my leader Jen) and headed back through Cary to the finish. Coming around the corner to finish was awesome… cowbells ringing, people cheering… it was awesome! Far cry from the Elizabeth City ride where there was no one but my parents and grandparents at the finish, and the actual finish was a spray painted circle on the ground, bummer!

After we finished, I managed to get myself a nice little massage (my shoulders were a bit tense after hanging on for dear life going down those hills) while the sister got some acupuncture. We then proceeded to eat our weight in Greek food (mmmmm hummus and pita) and enjoy a beer. O don’t forget the cake.

All in all the ride was AMAZING! I learned how to use more than two gears and ride up hills (and go down them), it was awesomely organized and the people were amazing. I had so much fun and cannot wait to do it again next year!

Oh how far I've come...

This past weekend my butt was glued to the seat of my new bike! Saturday I went on a short 16 miler at the Dismal Swamp, just to get the feeling of the road bike and try to get used to the new position on the bike. The next day I set out to do another short ride, but ended up doing 30 miles! And I have to say I felt amazing after the ride! It is so amazing to think about how far I have come this year as far as my fitness goes. Back in April, I did my first organized bike ride in Elizabeth City of 33 miles. While I managed to finish it… I was definitely struggling towards the end (like the last 10 miles!) and took a big ole nap after I finished the race.

During the Elizabeth City Race... don't let the smile fool you... I was tired!

Fast forward to this weekend, I finished 30 miles no sweat! (Well a lot of sweat, but you know what I mean)

Feeling good after my 30 miles this weekend!

Now I am sure the new road bike helps, but I also have to think about how far I’ve come in these past 5 months. I have managed to lose 20+ pounds, which surely helps to lighten the load! I can now ride for 30 miles at a steady speed without wanting to die after. I never could imagine I’d be where I am today earlier this year. Back in January/February, I was at a pretty low point personally, emotional, and physically I was the heaviest I have ever been in my life. I knew there could be only one way to go… and that was up. It is amazing how sometimes it takes getting to the bottom in order to work your way back up. I have found new inspiration through my family and have managed to turn my life around to the positive. I am now having so much fun riding and running… something I would have never imagined months ago. All I know is I have come a long way in these past 8 months and I can only imagine how things will be a year from now.

New Addition to the Family!

So there is a new addition to the James family...


That's right! I made a decision and brought home the Trek 2.1 wsd today! I am so excited and super happy with my choice. I could hardly sit through work today because I knew I was going to get it as soon as I got off. So I arrive and my main man, Aaron, pulls down the bike to give it a once over before I go home. Then he asks if I want to get water bottle cages and he will install them for me. Well of course! So I start to look at the the cages and was trying to decide between two... one was $7 and the other $10... I was sitting there staring at them, kinda stressing about which one to get. Then I realize I was stressing out over a 3 dollar difference when I about to drop a grand on this bike! Come on! So I got the nice ones, in black since they didn't have purple :)

So my new bike is safely home and in my room for me to stare at all night. Now I just need to decide on a name for it... hmmm. I will take it for its first spin tomorrow at the Dismal Swamp... so excited! Although Lexi looks very curious and a little bit jealous of the new addition to the family...

Road Bike Shopping Part II

The road bike shopping continues! Yes, I am supposed to be studying and grading right now... but shhhh, I'll get to it. The next stop on my shopping journey...


Since Saturday, I have visited Bike Beat three times and they have been super helpful each time. The first time I stopped by it was really on a whim, just to see what they had to offer. One of the guys, Aaron, gave me a great overview of what they had to offer within my price range and sent me home with a Trek catalog to begin my research. Initially my price point was at the very lowest of the entry level bikes, but after some more research... it increased. I definitely learned you get what you pay for. So a few days later, I dropped in just to see what they had in my new price range... and went back home to research more. I have quickly learned bike shopping involves a lot of research! More research than my previously posted Vygotsky essay! So I finally narrowed it down to these two Trek bikes...

The 2.1 wsd and the 1.5 wsd.

And that brings me to today. I went by to see Aaron to give these bikes a whirl. So I went in and he started to fit and measure me. Very scientific and precise! While he inputted my info into the computer, I was almost soothed to sleep with their calming classical music... don't worry I woke up and was ready to ride! Once he adjusted the 2.1 and I gets on the trainer, I start riding (is it sad I worked up a sweat?) Then he makes some more adjustments... mainly on the seat which was super uncomfortable at first! Finally everything was in its place... except my posture... I am a hunchback rider. Maybe that explains why I am always sore in the shoulders after rides. He said that my body posture will change once I start riding on it... so hopefully that will work itself out.

So then I took the bike out on the open road... or around the building. At first I was a bit wobbly and almost ran into my car. Opps! I'm sure he was thinking.. does this girl know how to ride a bike? Get her off that thousand dollar bike! Well, riding a road bike feels quite a bite different than a mountain bike. Once I got myself together I took off around the building. The bike felt really nice and smooth. Tested shifting gears and the brakes... well I tried the brakes out right away when I almost ran into my car. But I really liked it... okay kinda loved it... just one loop around the building and I'm in love... uh oh, I'm in love... that was too easy. I had to get off before I started riding home.

So we went in to talk details and figure out what they have in stock. Well turns out Trek just released their 2011 bikes... which means they won't be able to order anymore 2010 bikes, which is what I have been researching this whole time! Then I find out the one I was test riding was the last one in my size in the 2.1 and the 1.5 isn't even available! Eck!

Well I know I really love this bike and after a lot of research it seems like a solid choice for my first road bike. But I wanted to sleep on it to make sure I am not rushing into anything or buying just because it is the last one available. So Aaron nicely put a hold on the bike for me until tomorrow... so I am going to sleep on this one and think about it all day at work tomorrow and we will see what happens!

Road Bike Shopping Part I

So I began my road bike shopping and researching this week. I have visited three bike shops, but I will begin my journey with the third one I visited.

I got my lovely mountain bike from Conte's and I was extremely happy with the help I received when buying that. I returned because I knew they had a giant selection of bikes. So I go in with my Mom to take a gander at their selection and walked out with a ton of information! We walked in an were instantly greeted by someone and he began to answer some of my questions and gave me lots of information about group rides. He began to show me a couple bikes and then brought on another sales person to continue to help us. The second salesperson began to tell us about the two different bikes, both were Specialized Dolce, one was around $900 and the other was well over $1,000. A touch over my budget, but it was worth looking at. After giving us more information he brought over the fitter, Danny, to get me on the bike to test out. Danny actually sold me my mountain bike, so I knew he would be super helpful. Then the second guy had some parting words for me "Don't ride the expensive bike, you are going to want it if you get on it." In my head, I'm thinking, no worries.. I'll be fine... I know my budget and I am definitely going to stay within it! Well Danny set up the more expensive bike on the trainers for me, only because the cheaper bike was too small for me, so he wanted to make sure he could fit me properly. So he sets the bike up and answers all of my questions along the way. And then I get on the bike. and fell. in. love. Uh oh.

I just did a badddd thing. I test drove the BMW when I am on a Hyundai budget. Of course I am going to want the BMW! It has better parts, looks better and feels so gooood! The only thing the cheaper one has going for it is that it comes in purple.

The whole time Mom just shook her head and said I told you not to get on that bike! (Well she said that after we left the store... I do not remember these objections while I was in the store!). So I ended up leaving so I could research these two bikes and determine if I should go ahead and bite the bullet and get the bike I really want. Walking out of the store I thought... I don't need textbooks this fall... I don't need to eat for the next month... Lexi can get a job... I can make it work.

I still have a many more bikes to test ride and lots of research ahead of me before I make my decision, but I really like the Specialized and it is definitely on the list.

What't more stressful than finals?

Well I am officially making the switch to a road bike. I've had some great rides on my Giant Boulder, but it is time to make the change to a big girl road bike. But now I am quickly learning how stressful it is to figure out my way through all of the options that road bikes have to offer. There are so many questions that are asked of me...

What kind of riding do you want to do? Is this your first road bike? Do you want to do races or just organized rides? Do you plan on doing triathlons? How much do you want to spend?

Agh! This is more stressful than the two finals I have coming up this week. There are so many options and the more bikes I see the more confused I get (and the bigger my budget gets). I have been to three bike shops so far and the guys at the shops that helped me have been uber helpful and have given me lots of information. Once I do more research I will be posting about my final choices and the stories that come along with trying them out, but til then my mind is swirling with thoughts of bikes, tires, carbon, aluminum, brakes, fit, shift, ooo my! I have lots of researching and pondering ahead of me, but hopefully it will all pay off with an awesome new bike!