I flippin' love water . . .

Let me repeat myself. I LOVE WATER. And, I'm not talking about swimming.

Allow me to explain: today we rode 75 miles. We started at 9am and expected to be riding for 4-5 hours. Given the fact that we are all intelligent women (and one intelligent man) you would have thought that we would have anticipated just how hot it would be that late in the day. Well, how on Earth could we have known it was going to be 8 MILLION DEGREES (and, no, I am NOT exaggerating -- it was actually 8 million degrees!!!) To make matters worse, when TriGirl Liz and I had about 7-10 miles left, we ran out of water. That's right. We were actually riding in the temperature of Hell with not a drop of liquid to quench our thirst. The sweat dripping down my face tasted like I was made purely of salt. And, that's when my mood went South -- and fast. I was cursing at every car that was passing me simply because they had air conditioning and, most likely, water. One car drove by and they had all these little stuffed bears in the back window and I thought "I hate that stupid car with all those stupid freakin' bears. That's the stupidest freakin' idea I've ever heard of. Stupid damn bears in their stupid damn car. Who would be that stupid?" Clearly, I had instantly morphed into the "bike bitch". The good news is that we eventually made it back and I had packed a case of water in the car. Did I pack it in a cooler with ice? Uh, no. So TG Liz and I were forced to drink hot water and pour hot water over our bodies in a last ditch effort to cool down. I swear to God, hot as it was, I was never so happy to have water. I LOVE water.


The ride, on the other hand, was fantastic. I had never ridden in that much traffic so I was a little freaked at first but, in the end, I was quite proud that I had done it. Poor Derek blew out his tire -- twice! -- and had to hitch a ride to catch up with the rest of the TGirls. It turned out that he had a hole in his actual tire and TriGirl DB had the BRILLIANT idea that he should use a dollar bill to plug the hole so the tube wouldn't push through and blow out again. What a great idea!! Her idea worked and Derek managed to finish the rest of the ride. I got back a little ahead of the main group so I ran to 7-11 and bought all the cold water they had so I could operate as the official SAG wagon. As it turned out, it was a good idea because of lot of the riders had run out of water by the time I caught up with them (again, I LOVE water!)

So, what did I learn from today? Well, 1) I am a bitch when I'm hot and dehydrated; 2) a dollar bill can save a tire; 3) there's a reason people start riding at 5 a.m.; and 4) water is the best damn thing on the planet!!!


Oh, and I guess I owe that teddy bear car an apology. Sorry.

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” John Muir



The Blue Ridge ride on Saturday was fantastic!! 70 miles with 6288 of climbing in absolute beauty. I heard a lot of people describing the experience as "awful" or "horrible" but that is certainly not what their faces were saying. I saw smiling, strong, fierce riders showing a tremendous amount of confidence and pride in what they accomplished. This was a difficult and challenging ride but it was simply AMAZING!!
Triathlon can be a lonely sport where you are out there fighting through the pain by yourself. On this ride there was A LOT of alone time! I found that as I was fighting my way up a hill, I would just commit to the journey and take the time to take in my surroundings. I wondered how long it would take the caterpillar on the road to cross it (I also wondered if he was travelling at a faster speed than me!) I listened to the sound of small waterfalls and took in the striking green canopy of the leaves. This was MY time and I spent it thinking about the beauty around me. I didn't think about my to-do list or the week ahead of me. I didn't think about any of the worries that I have at home or my busy schedule. I didn't even worry about Eagleman or Ironman Florida (which is how I've spent most of my free time lately!) When I got to the end of the ride I felt refreshed and re-energized. It was incredibly cleansing and I loved it!

Now, as far as the nitty gritty details, here is how the day progressed:

I woke up at 5 a.m. on Saturday to the sound of thunder. A terrible thunderstorm was overhead and the sky lit up with lightning. I reluctantly put on my bike clothes while Derek packed up the car. The entire time I kept thinking, "this is stupid. There's no way I'm riding in this." I mean, if it was race day, of course, I'd take on any weather challenges. But this was not race day. So Derek and I got in the car and headed out with every intention of having to turn around as soon as we met up with everyone. But, as we were driving, suddenly the sun started to peek through and I realized that we were, indeed, going to do this. I started drinking my coffee.

We got to the Blue Ridge and it was beautiful. Slightly chilly but muggy at the same time. I, of course, was a bundle of nerves. I have no idea why I am nervous for the first 10 minutes that I get on a bike. Anyway, the trip down to Otter Creek was gorgeous. The descents were fast and I managed to stay in my aero bars throughout 90% of them. There were a couple that I had to sit up and grab the brakes, though!!! We also got to ride through the exact tunnel I have put up as one of the pictures. It was very strange because your eyes didn't really get used to the dark and it was impossible to see whether there were potholes ahead or something in the road. It was a little disorienting but was really rather exciting.

The ride back from Otter Creek took a lot longer. But I like to climb so I enjoyed the slow and steady pace. I enjoyed it even more when I crested the final hill and saw Coach M cheering me into the finish. He kept saying how proud he was and I felt more proud of myself than I have in years!! You know, if I haven't mentioned it before, I really like our coaches!!!

After some more riders made their way back in, we all grabbed something to eat under the shade of a tree while we waited for the last riders to make their way back up the treacherous hill. Then it was the long, slow ride back to Richmond. During the ride home, we discovered that we rode almost as far as we were driving to get back home! Now that's very cool -- as are we, I must say!

Holding the snake . . .

First, no, Carmen -- despite the title of this post it is not a dirty post. :D Those conversations are strictly reserved for road trips up to the Blue Ridge.


Okay, I have this amazing friend Michael who doesn't only march to the beat of a different drummer -- he dances to the soulful harmony of his own personal symphony. Yes, he's very cool. Anyway, we both work as experiential facilitators at this high ropes challenge course in Doswell, VA. Our jobs ask us to help people challenge perceived limitations, conquer fears and embrace life's obstacles. What we ask of ourselves is to have each of our participants walk away with a better understanding of themselves, to recognize the power they have in their lives and to understand that changes in life -- even scary changes -- are good. Change offers opportunity for growth, for understanding and for you to choose different actions or paths that you may not have previously considered. "Choice" can alleviate a lot of the pressure and stress of life.

Many people who come to where we work are very afraid of heights. And, at some point during the day, we are going to ask them to climb and jump from a 40 foot pole. Most of the time, their companies have sent them to us so they feel they "need" to do accomplish this task. In this vain, I want to share a story that Michael tells to participants when they arrive at the course:

Imagine that you have gotten on a bus that is taking you to the zoo. The purpose of the trip is so that you can hold the snakes. Cool, yes? Well, no. Not if you're afraid of snakes. So, today, and every day from now on, I want to invite you to choose what you want to do. Yes, the bus has taken you here. But, it is your choice how you want to handle this. If you want to come out and walk to the entrance of the zoo, that's fine. See how that feels. If that feels alright, perhaps take a step inside the zoo. Hmmm. That wasn't too bad? Okay then, let's look through the window at the snakes. Oooh. Pretty scary. This may be far enough. Let's just sit here and see how we feel for a bit. Well, it's really not too bad now, is it? So, maybe you can just step inside and stand next to the snake. Wow. You're still here. Okay, so now, if you want, and only if YOU want, go ahead and hold the snake. No? That's fine. You have pushed yourself beyond whatever you thought was possible. Oh, you DO want to hold the snake? Great. Either way, the choice is yours. Whatever you choose, you will go home feeling empowered because the first choice, to get on the bus, was the most powerful. You have chosen to face your fear simply by being here. The choices you make now will only help to further your journey. Either way, the path is entirely in your hands.

This story fully encompasses my journey to Ironman. I have gotten on the bus, entered the zoo and am staring at the snake. I am nervous, doubtful and, yes, scared. I imagine Eagleman will take me into the cage and Ironman will ask me to hold the snake in my hands.

I've spent countless hours wondering if I can do it. Just last night, I doubted that I could make it through my 14 mile run. But I allowed myself to have the choice to stop. To cut my run short. And, you know what? I didn't need to. Every time I asked myself "do you really need to stop?" The answer was, "no, I think I can go on a bit more and see how I feel." I did this until suddenly I was done. Holding the snake so to speak. Albeit it is a garden snake -- certainly not the Anaconda that is Ironman!

Either way, I got on the bus.

Cyndi's Top 10 Tri List

TOP 10 REASONS I LOVE TO TRI:

10. I can eat a cookie without any guilt.
9. I get to see what the world looks like before the sun comes up.
8. My butt looks better in jeans.
7. I can finally pee standing up (albeit on a bike).
6. I know that if I ever had the opportunity to travel into space I could sustain myself for eons solely on PowerBar Green Apple Gel.
5. I can keep up with my kids.
4. I get that super "high" feeling when I pass a guy on my bike.
3. I get to learn humility when that same guy, all his friends and a good chunk of the female racing population passes me on the run.
2. Judging from the countless parts of my body that are commonly sore, I must have more muscles than I realized.
AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON . . .
1. Tri-Girls -- I am convinced that there will come a day when other racers won't be "surprised" to be beaten by a Tri-Girl -- they'll expect to.

Looking forward to a great Cinco de Mayo weekend where me and my fellow Tri-Girls will spend a weekend of racing, fun and relaxing in Smith Mtn. Okay, I'll admit, that the Tri Girl idea of "relaxing" means a sprint triathlon race followed by an easy 10 mile run but, nevertheless, there will be some point during the weekend where we are actually relaxing!! I picture it happening over a beer or a glass of wine some time Saturday night!! ahhhhh, can't wait . . . . There will be a full report (minus any Super Secret Smith Mtn. Sloshed Stories) upon my return!!