Doing the Tao

The Red Bike has served, on occasion, as a metaphor. A chariot of sorts where all things are an adventure.

I am now suffering from a hip injury, brought on by the over-training to complete a triathlon. Make no mistake, my first triathlon was worth it! Three weeks off of the bike has been extremely difficult though. Not only the stress of lack of exercise, but lots of life changes as well.

I am grateful for a new source of energy and reflection. My wonderful husband of 28 years introduced this source. We are now "Doing the Tao"... The Tao was written more than 2,500 years ago by Lao Tzu. The premise seems to be most needed today. Big thanks to Dr. Wayne W. Dyer for his translation of this important work to the 21st century.

道德经道德经

Verse One: LIVING THE MYSTERY
The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The Tao is both named and nameless. As nameless it is the origin of all things; as named it is the Mother of the 10,000 things.
Ever desireless, one can see the mystery; ever desiring, one sees only the manifestations. And the mystery itself is the doorway to all understanding.

Every day presents a mystery. I commit to allowing the mystery to unfold. Avoid controlling every situation, as control is impossible and does not allow me to enjoy the mystery.

Some rides are better than others...

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/25799010

this one wasn't really one of them.
There are times when a ride is great, some even make the awesome ranking. Others are simply putting in the miles. This was one of the latter.

Tri-newbie training schedule

http://www.trinewbies.com/tno_trainingprograms/10wtp.pdf

Just found this training guide for a tri-newbie.
My challenge is DAILY consistency, and not allowing work schedule to get in the way. I need some discipline to get out of bed early and do some running at lunch time.
Think I'll give that a try over the next couple of weeks.

11-week training calendar should be just about right!
Think I'll start today

Just getting started...Tri-training

This is a year of "tri-ing" something new, and testing my physical self. My good friend, Barb Ray, recommended (actually challenged) us to sign up for the Ramblin Rose all-women triathlon on May 23rd in Raleigh.

One thing that occurs when you are "raised by wolves" is that you have no control over your actions when you are dared to do something. Then, when you say you're going to do it...there is no turning back. This is one of those times...signed up immediately for the event, and now have started training.

The first step was to haul out the old clothes for training, and learned something about Lycra. It really should come with an expiration date! The old (very old) Speedo bathing suit blew out after the first swim workout, then the runng tights did the same thing! Must have had some crazy thought many years ago with regard to this Triathlon training, and bought some gear to start training. Oh well, have started making some investments...suit for swimming, running shoes and today I'll go invest in some new running tights.

Garminconnect will prove useful so that I can track some of the training.

Learned why they call transitions a BRICK.
Saturday bike ride was fun and strong. Put on the running shoes and took off at a slow jog. Kept the Garmin with me out of curiousity and noted that even at a 5-6MPH pace, heart rate was over 160! Hamstring cramped and had a tough time. This should be interesting!

Red Bike gets a make-over!

Gosh, what a week! Started the week with a trip to one of the most beautiful resorts on earth.

Ended it with a huge surprise...major bike upgrade. This bike almost rides itself, it's so smooth!

Went for a ride today and had a chance to realize the difference on one of my normal training rides. Here is the garmin report for the ride. Yes, the Garmin was part of the gift, and I'm tripping on all the reports that come from a simple upload to Garmin Connect. The Garmin is the Edge 500. I've wanted one for years, and was not disappointed. Have not yet figured out the HR feature, but it's only day one.

I'm no gear-head, so not sure just how to list all of the improvements, but I do know the effect:

Compact Dura-Ace gear system that added several climbing gears. Did my normal route (photos of the route available in earlier post) and wondered if I could get through the "3 Ugly Step-sisters" without coming out of the seat...no problem!

Handlebars are a big improvement! Flat plane for much more comfort and handling, and easier to get down on the drops, which I needed in today's wind gusts. Shifting is soooo nice. Smooth and effortless.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the WHEELS! Feeling like I slice through the wind. Do notice the side wind a lot more and need to stay alert with the gusts we had today.

I know I'm leaving out a lot.

The bike came in the nick of time, as we train for a sprint triathlon.

Did a 18 mile ride, and a couple of mile jog.

I am no runner, and a "used to be" swimmer.

Event in May, so this should be interesting!

In closing, if this is what it means to turn 50...bring it on!

Taking some time to learn

It is the time of year to consider some resolutions...end of December; a little time off and setting some healthy goals.

Normally, I would be setting training goals that would eventually lead to overtraining injuries. Well, with age SHOULD come wisdom, so this year the goal is to be smart about training by doing some research first.

Since it is late December, training should be focused on building a base. Focus should be on aerobic endurance, cross training and the hitting weight room. To this end, I've spent this week doing 2-30 mile rides, a couple of spin classes, the first time in the pool in over a year, and daily yoga. I could really get used to this! Ending each evening with yoga is proving to relieve my chronic back and hip pain. It is also helping my shoulder tremendously. One year ago I was sporting a sling after rotator cuff surgery. Another reason to commit to a base-building winter.

I bought a book called The Cyclists Training Bible. To tell you the truth, it wasn't the resource I was looking for, but I'll keep looking!

Consistency for the next 8-10 weeks should build a solid base from which to begin preseason training.

My next step is to schedule a fitness test at our local club. I have been resisting this as an unnecessary step for the last year. Everything that I read points to the need to understand not only my fitness level, but more importantly, my anaerobic threshold. Understanding the point at which I am burning more glucose than fat and building up lactic acid will help guide my training plan. More to come on this.

Once I get the fitness test, I'll invest in a new heart rate monitor so that I can train using my heart rate. I dug through our drawer with all of the discarded gadgets, plugs and a myriad of old cell phones. Found the Polaris watch with the chest strap. Yes! Then tried it out and realized it just doesn't work anymore.

Hoping my reward for all of this effort is an injury-free year of serious cycling!

Getting out in the wet and cold

Its the day AFTER Christmas and all through the house, people are moaning from eating too much!
Time to get out for a ride on this Saturday morn. Today it feels less like fun and more like a chore.

Okay, so I'm no poet.

At 8am on Dec 26th, off to meet the Moms on Bikes for a 30 miler. Funny how 45 degrees feels colder when there is also a light mist of rain and a breeze. Still, got in a solid ride and my legs are reminding me just how long its been since we all rode together.

Looking forward to several more while we are off from work.