Tulsa Tough Training gets Tough

As one of the ambassadors for The Tulsa Tough I have made an effort to train for the event and to document it as I went along.
What I have discovered, once again, is that life happens while we are making plans.

My plan was to have a training schedule, stick to it and easily ride the metric century on Saturday of the ’09 event. I have discovered that as soon as I make up my mind to do something the Universe conspires against me to find out just how committed I am to my new goals or plan. It happens to us all. The enthusiasm, the planning, the excitement at the outset, and the first few strides towards our goal are GREAT! Then it happens…..Life Happens. Health, jobs, families, finances, and everything else imaginable suddenly throws roadblocks in your bike path saying, “Ok, what are you going to do now? Let’s see you get around this boulder! And then adds, “So what if you do get around it, there’s another one just up ahead!” And so it goes.

The Universe is challenging, to say the least. Sometimes, though, if I step back and really look at what it is sending my way I can see that if I pay attention, all of it will work out for the best. The Universe helps me check my priorities, get my life back in balance, and then, and only then will I make the progress that had been so elusive.

So all of this is for me to speak to those of you who have been planning on doing The Tough and are now feeling like you may not be able to do it. I’m here to tell you in no uncertain terms that this year you can participate! Do it for yourself. You have been wanting to, you have been attempting to train as you thought you should, but now you are questioning your ability to do what you planned.

The easy answer: Change your plan!

Adapt your plan for The Tough to fit where you are in your training, your preparedness and your mindset on the weekend of the event.

Instead of doing the Century, do the metric century, instead of doing the metric do the 50, instead of doing the 50, do the Townie, instead of doing the Townie, support your kids participation or volunteer, or simply come out and watch the races.

My point is that no matter what level you choose to participate at you have succeeded. You have become involved and engaged in cycling! And guess what….

THERE’S ALWAYS NEXT YEAR!

Life Happened to me. I got the health, family, and job boulders thrown at me unexpectedly. So I’ve changed my plan. I can’t pick up where I left off in my training, but I have revised the plan, backed off on the intensity, given myself a break, taken a deep breath and started again!

Testing I-Phone

Hey Gang,
I’m testing my I-phone blog post feature!

This photograph was taken Monday in Tempe, AZ, at the Tempe Town Lake. I rode one of the trails going north for a couple of hours. The 100 degree temps have already begun there. Many triathalons are held here. Saw a Women’s event on the Saturday the 9th.

Started the training plan

I put some thought into training for this season’s cycling. I didn’t want to do what I have done in the past. Getting in shape for riding usually meant spin classes in the winter, TBC training rides beginning in March and riding as hard as I could every time I got on the bike.  The exceptions were the first year that I took up cycling, about 10 years ago and this year.

I decided in May of 1999 that I needed to do the bike ride across Iowa. It’s been going on since 1972, I believe. I had until the end of July to get ready, never mind that I had not been on a bike for hmmmmm……about 20 years.  I worked up my own plan, did some reading, went to the bike shop a lot getting my Peugeot fixed up for the current decade and just kept getting out on it as often as possible and following my plan for each week’s mileage.  I ended up getting a new Cannondale when I was finally convinced that I needed the triple gears to get up the Iowa hills. Iowa is not flat. Glaciers did some extensive chiseling to the landscape up north along with the Mississippi, Missouri and other rivers.

I managed to get most of the week off of work. I rode 5 days of the 7 day ride and covered 350 miles. The bike ride is called RAGBRAI…The Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. https://www.ragbrai.org. I know this link isn’t active. I haven’t read the instructions yet for “links in blogs”.

From that experience I learned that desire, persistence, and determination were more important than experience. At least that is what I kept telling myself. I was right. I got through it. It was not pretty, but I did it.

The Tulsa Tough is coming up soon. It’s about 5 or 6 weeks away.  I’m not in the condition that I would like to be, but agreed to talk about my training for The Tough and help promote participation in the ride this year by letting you all follow along as I try to get ready for the ride. My goal is to do a distance that is challenging but not torture at the same time. I want it to be fun and to feel good when I’m finished.

I have been going to the Saturday or Sunday Tulsa Bicycle Club Freewheel Training rides. Hint…..you don’t have to be a member or to ride Freewheel to go on the training rides. Everyone’s welcome.  I have gone out by myself a few times for shorter rides. I’m not sure about the safety issues of riding alone. The group rides are the most fun. Unfortunately I’m not fast enough to keep up with most groups. Therein lies the rub.

How do I get faster and stronger more efficiently than I have in the past? I know that going out hard and fast with a group this early in the season doesn’t work for me. Although it is not necessary for me to ride with the group, I want to ride with the group, the group being Chain Gang. So I decided to ask a pro for advice.  Just as I suspected, going out hard all of the time is wrong. Right now training with my heart rate monitor and watching my limits are the things to do.

So that is what I did on the WNR this week.  I didn’t set any speed record, but I definitely felt better this time when I finished than I usually do. This morning I did a trail ride working on leg speed at high cadences. Saturday is the Muskogee Flower Power Ride. The plan is to do 30 miles and do them well rather than the 50 and push myself too hard. Also part of my plan, that I added, is to finish, feel great, and then enjoy the food, music and friends that will be there. I’ll have to resist the self imposed pressure to go for the long ride and stick with the plan. I’m sure that it will be worth it.

Hello world!

The Tulsa Tough is only 35 days away!  This year my goal is to simply have fun, to finish my route early enough to enjoy the rest of the day’s entertainment, food and time with friends.  I’ve got my work cut out for me. I’ll want to do a long ride, 60 or 100.   It’s always good to have a plan! Tomorrow I’ll have one. Not a lot of time left, but no problem…..I’ll just make a list and get it done.  Training tip #1….

1. Get a good night’s sleep!