I’ve got a race on my calendar! Ok, it’s not a race. Oh, and it’s not running. It’s a 102 mile bike ride! But it’s an organized ride with stops and food. I’ve got something to train for! I signed up for the TAB MARR (Toledo Area Bicylists Maumee Area River Ride). It’s August 14th, so I’m gearing up for that. My running has not progressed much, so I’m focusing on something else instead. I biked almost 100 miles this week, and ran 12 miles. Here’s what went down this week…
Mon – 16 miles biking. The river was my destination this morning. There were lots of people out enjoying the park and the views along the water.
We also taught the kids how to a stick shift on our Mustang that doesn’t get out much anymore. They did pretty good for their first time! We should have brought along some cassettes to give them the full experience. 😁
Tues – 3.3 miles running. I’m still on the every-other plan for running. Decided 3 miles seemed to be a good distance today. Although I cringe when I start my run for fear of pain, there is still no pain but “something” is still there. Today it felt like a knot in my lower abs. I continue to take it easy thinking that I’m one sprint away from making it worse. It was a hot one out there! After work I got tortured by my physical therapist again. Eeeek, enough with the manipulations!!
Ladies Ride Night. Phew, so hot! Our ride wasn’t too bad because this is more of a social ride, but for my husband on the speedy ride (20.8 mph avg), they came back as hot sweaty messes! The cold drinks and snacks afterwards really hit the spot.
Here’s our entire group this week, which was split into two groups.
Weds – Fun day volunteering. For a few years now we have helped out at the LPGA Marathon Golf Classic in our town. We are on ecology duty, which we nicknamed ourselves the “dirty trash people” this year LOL!! Our high school band boosters get a big donation for the band members volunteering at this event, and it’s a lot of fun cruising around on a golf cart for a few hours watching pro golfers. The trash pickup part is really no big deal.
TAB Windsday ride, 12 miles – this was one for the records. Let me set the stage… the radar had storms in the area, but many of us thought they would not head our way. Key points about this ride…
- I was the only woman within a group of a dozen “serious” cyclists. Much faster than me! [kind of like showing up for a group run and it’s only guys who run sub 7:00 pace for easy runs]
- They announced we would ride in one group, due to numbers. (gulp)
- Once we started I was “part of the machine” and maintaining 20mph was easy, as long as I was in the pack. I don’t ride as close as others do (drafting) but I try my best, although it makes me a bit nervous to be that close.
- It started sprinkling by mile 4. At mile 5 we headed into the direction of the storm and things got sketchy. The group splintered and it was TOUGH to maintain speed in the heavy rain and wind!
- My husband and I decided to bail at mile 6 and head back.
- We rode back in heavy rain with lighting. Eeek! Luckily it was mostly warm rain, but sometimes it hurt as it hit my arms.
We finished almost 12 miles with an average speed of 17.5 mph, with our top miles at 21.2, 21.3 & 20.7 mph!! I am so thankful we didn’t slip and also very thankful for the lights we have on our bikes so that cars can see us!! If you don’t have a flashing light for your bike, you really should get one. They are a LIFESAVER. We just bought white front flashers. Perfect timing.
Thurs – 3 miles, running. Another day, another run. This run was “meh” at best. I’m happy to be able to run, but also disappointed that I haven’t really made any progress in a week. Still feeling something odd, and very limited in what I can do. Sigh. Just trying to stay positive, so that’s all I’ll say on this one! 🙂
Moving on to something fun…. We spent the night in a treehouse!! These are the treehouses at the Toledo Metroparks and you may have seen them on my posts about mountain biking. The trail goes right past them. They are really cool! Kitchens, central air, electricity, composting toilet, a sink and very peaceful. This one was mountain bike themed and it had some really thoughtful design elements. And bark! Lots of bark inside the treehouse. So cool!!
Fri – 2.5 miles running. I did break my “every other day” rule for running, but I wanted to get a few miles in because we were at the park in the morning. I got bit by mosquitos, and was very guarded because I didn’t want to trip and rip my guts apart (yep, that’s what I fear with this sports hernia!!).
Sat – 50.50 miles, long ride. 16.8 mph avg. I have to get some “butt time” on my bike, so I planned a 3 hour ride. The morning weather was amazing and I saw a lot of people out riding.
A trip to Starbucks was earned for this one. 4,052 stars left (27 more free drinks!).
Sun – on tap for today? REST DAY! Wouldn’t you know it, I’ve got a sore muscle from my ride yesterday (of course, ugh!!). But mostly getting ready for a camping trip we are taking soon. So with this, I’ll be saying goodbye for a few weeks while I’m vacationing! Please follow me on Instagram to see some pictures of our adventure.
Need some more inspiration? I’m linking up with Deborah at Confessions of a Mother Runner and Kim from Running on the Fly for their Weekly Run Down. Check out all of the fun blogs there!
Q: Have you ever been to a golf tournament?
I went to one when I lived in Columbus OH. Tiger Woods walked past me and I was starstruck!
Q: Do you know how to drive a stick shift car?
Stick shift 4 life! I always say that my only “must” for my stepsons is that they need to learn stick. I can’t give them the tape deck experience though…that’s next level.
Note to self: look into a treehouse vacation.
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We could have blasted some BonJovi or Ratt or something! Not sure if we even have those around anymore. The treehouses were really fun. The exit slide was a bit steep on the one we had but I did go down it once.
I’ll be putting my bike in the trainer for some cross training once the fractures start healing. Looks like I’ll be getting more bike miles for a while!
Over the years, I’ve had a couple of cars with manual transmissions! My favorite was my old VW Beetle–1979? The best story was me driving back to Marquette with my sister when it broke down on the exit ramp. Apparently, the axle broke? But it was such a fun car. Everyone should know how to drive a stick! There’s just something so cool about it.
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I had several manual transmission cars growing up too. I agree – it’s a bit of a rush being in charge of the gears!! My son was definitely more interested in it than my daughter. She just wanted to learn and after she realized how stiff the clutch was (and how hard it was to hold down) she was less interested!
Yes, I can drive a stick, but I’m not very skilled in doing so. We got an old Ford Ranger (like a mini pickup LOL) several years ago…more for just hauling around stuff, but also for the kids to use for school. The oldest was gone by then, but the son and younger daughter both drove it and their friends were impressed! That TAB MARR sounds fun! I’m kind of bummed (first world prob) that I have this marathon in September, because I’m really wanting to do so much more riding. That group ride (with all those speedy men) would NOT be my gig, especially in that weather!
We used to have a beater Ranger too. It had a dent in the top of the cab from hauling lumber planks to build our deck! LOL!! That group of speedy guys was really out of my comfort zone, but after seeing that I could keep up for a bit I really want to try a faster group one of these days!
That treehouse looks so cool! What a nice little experience.
I’m sorry about the frustration with your running, that is so hard. I hope you start to see progress soon.
Yikes on that bike ride in the storm! No way for me 🙂
I’m pretty much just writing off my running for July and waiting to see how it’s going in August. I did offer to help out as a sub coach again for the fall training group so I hope I didn’t jinx myself!
What a lovely treehouse! Are you getting more treatment for the hernia, it does sound like it’s worrying you (as it would!). I remember after my stomach surgery, I was convinced I was going to go for a run and my innards were going to drop out. In fact, I made my friend who’s a nurse run with me the first time I went out! My innards stayed put but I won’t forget that worry!
Oh, and the nearest I’ve got to golf is running across a golf course (legitimately) and I can’t drive anything!
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At this point I’m just waiting to see how things are feeling in August. I’ll have a long period where I’m not running, and hopefully that will fix things up more. My visits to the physical therapist have been interesting. I know everything is connected but I really fail to see how my tight calves are affecting my lower abs. But, I like to be a believer, so I’m giving it a try.
Racking up serious bike miles girl! I would be so nervous with that group! I used to do those organized bike events they are lots of fun. Great for hot summer days. Way to go this week
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They have some really speedy cyclists around here. There is a racing group too who do all sorts of crazy fast challenges. I’ve seen some guys get pretty beat up for crashes in that group. No thanks!!
Your bike ride sounds like a fun goal! I never learned how to drive stick shift. My friend had one and I tried once in a parking lot but never got the hang of it and gave up. That treehouse experience look pretty cool!
It’s funny how rare a manual transmission is these days, and how popular it was when I was growing up. I was visiting in San Francisco and we had one – how stressful on those hills!!
Arg, I hate injuries like that- so frustrating not knowing exactly what’s going on. But what you’re doing is perfect- put your energy into training for your bike race. Maybe the hernia just needs more time.
I love the look of those treehouses!
Have a great vacation!!!
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I forgot to mention that they were designed by the guy/company for the TV show “Treehouse Masters”. They were not on the show, but their company was involved in the project. It’s a really nice addition to our parks. (oh, and they are really expensive, thus we only stayed one night! haha! But hey, it’s an experience!)
Aside from the continued weird feeling while running, sounds like a good week with lots of fun stuff. Loving all the location photos! The tree house sounds WAY cool!
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The park planners did an amazing job with all of the details on the treehouses. The drawer pills were crafted by the mill in another park. The bark was from some other park, etc. Next time we might just rent one of the tent stands (up in a tree) that were part of the park. Much cheaper!
I never learned to drive a stick shift and I am OK with it. 🙂 That treehouse is gorgeous! I would love to stay in a place like that. I am sorry to hear you have not seen progress. Hopefully soon you will. Girl, you still have that many Starbuck drinks?
This weekend was 2 free drinks to the Visa card holders, so I took advantage of that! But sadly, I haven’t been running much and those drinks were always a nice treat after a long run. Even when I use them for riding treats they do seem to be lasting forever (yay!).
I had a few cars with a stick.
Glad you are enjoying biking. Good luck with the ride.
What a cool treehouse.
Until then enjoy camping.
I do miss my little VW Rabbit with a stick shift! That was a fun car. And how about cranking up windows in cars? My kid will never get to see those I’m sure.
I was in Phoenix for work many years ago and a coworker had tickets for the Phoenix Open. Tiger was there along with the usual top contenders but the one player who made the biggest impression was John Daley. He consistently outdistanced everyone in his foursome off the tee. Unbelievable how far that guy could hit a golf ball! I grew up in the 60s when driving a stick was almost mandatory. I first learned to drive in a pickup with the shifter on the steering column and got my DL driving a stick VW bug.
I do enjoy watching golf in person, although I can’t follow the ball like everyone around me does. I just have to wait until it hits the ground until I can pass judgement if it was a good shot :). Unfortunately the last day of play got rained out at our tournament here in town.
When I got my driver’s license about 10 years ago, we were not allowed to do our test in an automatic car (They have since changed that). So I learnt how to drive in a manual, did the test and then drove an automatic. So I have not tried a manual since my test day! I wonder how I would fare now, LOL! As always, I loved your action-packed week!
I think driving a manual is a great skill to learn – but I doubt they will have many opportunities to ever drive one outside of our Mustang! Still, it can be a lot of fun if it is in a sports car.
Glad that you were able to get in more runs this week. Aside from the knot feeling it sounds like running is going well.
The treehouse looks so cool on the inside! Definitely an upgrade from our treehouses as kids, lol.
The treehouses were only built last year, so they are super nice – and being bug free is a plus for sure 🙂 Luckily the mosquitoes avoided the treehouse village area but out on the trails they were horrible!
I have been to that exact LPGA tournament in Sylvania many years ago. This year we watched on TV. How fun to volunteer. Those tree houses are the coolest!
Back when the tournament was the Jamie Farr tournament I bet. We do go every year typically because my employer usually shares free passes for entry. Always a fun place to visit.
So my grandfather tried to teach me to drive stick. It ended with him yelling, me crying, and we never spoke of it again.
Those treehouses! How gorgeous and fun! And that bike ride! Wow! 102 miles!
I volunteered at a celebrity tournament in South Florida when I was in college. And I live near Ponte Vedra, where The Players is held every year. I’ve been to that. In-person golf is kind of fun (way better than televised golf).
I’m not going to lie – there was some yelling and a cuss word or two on the first efforts of the kids trying out the Mustang!! And the cuss words were from my husband (oops). Hopefully they will want to give it another try.
I am a little concerned about the 102 mile ride now. I was sore for 3 days after the 50 miler which was quite unexpected. I’ll probably be able to get a 60 mile ride in before that day. What’s another 40 miles on top of that, right? LOL!
Glad you are enjoying biking, it helped me to recover after the femur fracture in 2007.
Love the picture with the bridge.
Never learned to drive a stick and never gone to a golf tournament: I think I have missed something in my life……
No worries – not sure you’re missing out on much by never attending a golf tournament, and probably will never need to drive a stick shift! 🙂 I’m so glad I can bike because the progress on the hernia sure is slow.
Yay for your upcoming 102-mile ride. We’re signed up for the Reston Century on August 22nd. I’m looking forward to the challenge and the rest stops complete with food and restrooms!
That treehouse looks amazing! I remember when you shared pictures from outside in an earlier post. How fun to stay in one!
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