Meet Black Magic....

Soooo, I finally got my road bike on Thursday from the wonderful folks at Bicycle Sport Shop. I love it, and I've named her "Black Magic." But, damn it if I didn't fall off that bi*ch TWICE already!! LOL! I had clipless pedals installed since I am comfortable using my cycling shoes on my indoor spinning bike, and I'd used them on my rental road bike a few weeks back. I thought that I'd gotten over the "newbie" adjustment period since I did well on my rental bike. Well, I was WRONG! I fell the first time trying to stop/clip-out; my reaction time was good, but my foot wouldn't disengage from the cleat. I went down to the Veloway on Saturday to practice and get used to my bike in a controlled environment. I also took a Cycling Safety class on Friday night, sponsored by the Austin Cycling Association and the League of American Bicyclists. Anyway, I'm used to falling on my bike now, so I can only improve from here. I'm contemplating doing the Lance Armstrong Foundation's Race for the Cure ride in Austin in late October; it will depend on how much practice I can get in this summer.

We had a great weekend! Our nephews came over and spent the weekend with us. We had alot of fun, though it was a bit exhausting at times. Anyway, I'm looking forward to putting some more miles on Black Magic this week. I'll post some pictures of my new pride & joy!

Black Magic - she isn't exactly purple and white, but I still love her!




Wicked Seat

Good News

I have some excellent news. Jerry (my trainer) said that since I am leaning out nicely, I can add 1 day of kettlebell workouts to my regimen, light weight only. Soooo, that means that I can finally bust out AoS NEWPORT and Firepower again, and my rope conditioning as well. I am so pumped! I'm going to do Newport this week as a tribute to my brother from another mother - Anthony C. I know that it's going to kick my butt, and I can't wait! My first show is officially 12 weeks away, so it's time to get SERIOUS and FOCUSED. I can do it!!!

I'm also going to get a real road bike this week sometime so that I can start riding outside. I am hooked!! The only caveat - I must have a PURPLE bike with white handle bars :-)

On a completely random note, I just noticed how much my home gym has changed since the picture posted on the right hand side. We added some more stuff to it, so I'll have to take some more pictures and repost. It's come such a long way; I love my little workout space!

Today is a beautiful day! ENJOY IT!!!

Urban Assault Ride - Austin, TX

We participated in the Urban Assault Ride in Austin this past weekend. It was ALOT of fun and my first time on a road bike in forever. We completed in 4 hours and 15 mins. It was a team based event, in which we had to make it to 8 mandatory checkpoints around downtown Austin and 4 mystery checkpoints. We had to map our own routes, and complete challenges at each checkpoint.

We made it to all 8 of the mandatory checkpoints and 1:4 mystery checkpoints. I actually got a flat tire while we were in route to our final checkpoint, which (of course) was also the farthest away from the starting line! I "broke down" around Dean Keeton and I-35; the race starting point was at Runtex on Riverside. We proceeded to walk and push our bikes for about 10 blocks. We found a nice family at the last checkpoint who loaded our bikes onto their truck and gave us a ride back to the starting point. We also had a swimming challenge in the lake; I did horribly at that one! Swimming in the open water lake really freaked me out, and I couldn't do it!! I tried, though :-) We also were interviewed by KXAN news; we never saw the newscast, so we aren't sure if we made the final cut or not!

I can't wait until next year. I also discovered that the bike I bought didn't really fit me right; it was evident after riding it for so long. So, my mission this week is to get fitted for a proper road bike. I'll go to the kind folks at Bicycle Sport Shop; I rented a road bike from them in early May and rode on the Veloway in Austin. They were the most professional, friendly staff I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with. If I'm going to invest in good, quality bike, I'm definitely going to them!

Here are a few pictures from the event...look for the UAR coming to a city near you. There were so many people there, and it was a great event for families too. And there really are bikes, big wheels, beer, and burritos at the finish line!

Me at the beginning of the race....



The starting line


Me trying to ride a tricycle for 2-year olds (yes, this was an obstacle)


The death of my bike...


The final challenge - a big wheel and a slip & slide!! AWESOME!

WSSC Was ON POINT!!

WOW - I am so glad that I went to WSSC! This was my first time attending in over 6 years of teaching. I've had conflicts every year until this year, and I finally had my chance to attend. It was sooooo invigorating! I was a cycling fanatic. I tried not to overdo it. I worked hard, but I think that I succeeded in NOT overtraining. I was so tempted to attend the last day of the conference on Sunday, but that would've put me over the limit.

Day 1 - Friday, May 30, 2008
My agenda was as follows:
7-8:30AM - Pure & True Endurance: A Level Up
9-10:30AM - Stage Savvy: Becoming a Superior Spinning Instructor
1-2:30PM - Crits: Speed, Power, and Mental Toughness
4:30-5:30PM - Feel the Road: Resistance Loading and Unloading

On Friday morning, I took a 90 minute endurance ride. Later that afternoon, I rode for an hour doing a ride that simulated crits. Finally, that evening, I did a ride simulating various terrains; though the ride was scheduled for an hour, I only did 30 mins.

I also did some shopping in the spinning store and picked up a new (much needed) heart rate monitor, some new cycling shoes (also much needed), and 2 cycling jerseys. The shopping was alot of fun, and I got things that I really needed.

Day 2 - Saturday, May 31, 2008
My agenda was as follows:
7-8AM: Face Your Fears
11AM-12PM: Train Like an Ironman
3-4:30PM: Involve the Students
5-6PM: Two by Two

I slightly overslept this ride and was feeling exhausted from the day before. So, I simply observed the early morning session. I knew that I needed to save my energy for the 11-12 "Ironman" ride. I enjoyed a nice breakfast and did some walking around downtown in between sessions. Boy, am I glad I did!! That ride was just AWESOME! We simulated the Ironman bike portion in Lake Placid, NY. I observed my 3-4:30PM session because I wanted to be rested for the 5-6 ride in which my friend and master spinning instructor asked me to ride with her on stage in front of the group. Boy - that was such a RUSH!! I was so pumped up with energy that I could've rode for another hour at the end of the day!

Sunday, June 1
We celebrated my brother's 27th birthday and visited some old friends from MD. My brother and I went on a boat tour. It was a nice opportunity for some brother-sister time for us.

It was a great weekend!! I'm a little tired today from the flight, but am looking forward to getting back on track with Alwyn Cosgrove & Mike Russell's Warp Speed Fat Loss program. I wasn't able to eat the way I wanted to while I was at WSSC, so I'm looking forward to getting my routine back in place.

BTW - I am so glad that Anthony C and Jen B came to visit me in cyberspace and gave their new blog addressess. I've missed my kettlebell friends terribly, and I'm glad that we've all been able to reconnect.

Holla!