Bike Run Yoga...that's my tri 2010 Event Challenge: Commit Today!

Bike | Run | Yoga by Comfycrafter

2010 Bike Run Yoga Challenge is HERE!! 

Bike Run Yoga…that’s my tri is about being healthy and doing what you love. I personally am not a fan, yet, of swimming so my ideal triathlon would be one where I could Bike, Run and do Yoga. This year, 2009, I challenged myself to complete 12 events in cycling, running or yoga. This was 11 more events than I had done the year before! And I did it! Just this past weekend I ran my 3^rd half marathon of the year and it marked the end of my challenge.


Before this year I worked out modestly and had done some cycling and yoga but mostly PAID for yoga memberships and gym memberships with little “attendance.” I sat on the couch after work and watched tv or I would just surf the net all night. I was gaining weight and I had two choices, spend money to get new clothes or get and up and get exercising!


January 2009 started off with attendance at a Team in Training meeting in hopes of learning how to run a 5K and swim enough so I could do a sprint tri. At the meeting I phoned My friend Ginny and she somehow convinced me to run a marathon and that is how this all started.


As 2009 winds down, I’m already looking ahead to 2010 and my new challenge, 24 events in 2010! I’ve got my first one picked out, January 1 I am running the New Years 5K in Dallas, Texas.


Join me in this awesome personal challenge where you are sure to find out many things about yourself, perhaps the most important is that you can do anything you set your mind to. You CAN do it!


2010 Bike Run Yoga Challenge
How to enter:

1.      Post a Comment on this blog that you are committing to the challenge

2.      Follow the Bike Run Yoga blog

Requirements:

1. Make a commitment to the challenge (this means post a comment here and tell me you are doing the challenge)
2. Complete 24 events (Tri, duathlon, run, ride, swim, yoga or other organized event)
3. Must be a finisher at the event (we use the honor system for verification)
4. Submit your events, email address, full name and shipping address to Bike Run Yoga no later than January 5, 2011

What do you get? 


A free Bike Run Yoga T-shirt with all your events listed on the back. The events will be listed on the back with the name of the event and the event date. It will be custom made for you and shipped to you in 4-6 weeks.

Not enough incentive? 


Get paid to complete events! Buy a Bike Run Yoga T-shirt and wear it at your event. For every picture you send in with a Bike Run Yoga Shirt on and your number, Bike Run Yoga will give you $5. You must complete the Challenge to be eligible and all funds will be paid upon completion of the Challenge. If you wear a Bike Run Yoga T-shirt for all 24 events, you will get $120!


Here is a list of events I’m doing in 2010, it’s not a complete list but I’m working on it!

New Years Day 5K (Run) January 1

Too Cold to Hold 15K (Run) January 17

Big D Climb (Stair Climb) January 30

St. Patty’s Day Dash 5K (Run) March 13

Dallas Rock & Roll Half Marathon (Run) March 14

Tour Dallas (Ride) April 3

Big D ½ Marathon (Run) April 11

Too Hot to Handle 15K (Run) July

Hotter N Hell 100 (Ride) August

Tour Des Fleur's 10K (Run) September

Susan G Komen 5K (Run) October

Texas Yoga Asana Championships

Thundercloud Turkey Trot (Run) November

Mayors 5K (Run) December

Good Luck! I hope you will join me in this awesome challenge!
 
Questions? click here to email me.

I finished the 2009 Hotter N Hell Century Ride!

The morning of Hotter N Hell started off very early, 5:30 am to be exact! We had stayed at a hotel that was about two miles away from the starting line; we could have ridden or bikes or driven the car. Ginny and Andy, the two other people I went to the ride with had talked to our hotel neighbors and established riding was easier than driving so we gathered our stuff, got our bikes and headed out.

It was a cold morning, chilly really and the ride to the starting line was mostly downhill so the breeze was making the chill worse. It was still dark and very few street lights were lit along the access road. At one point a dog started barking at us, we rode by and I noticed out of the corner of my eye a glisten…it was his eye! He was chasing us! I shouted out to Ginny, “go faster he’s chasing us!” It was too early to have such a scare; we hadn’t even made it to the starting line!

As we got close to the starting line, we did what I did last year, found a side road and wait ahead of the start line and just eased in with what they call the “Scorchers” who are the fastest group. The starting line has approximately 12-13K cyclists all lined up. Not starting there is good for several reasons; I have less chance of someone knocking me over, I didn’t have to get to the starting line super early to get a good spot and more importantly, OTHERS were protected from ME knocking them over. (I’m not that great at unclipping from the pedals.) As we waiting we got to watch the Pro riders start which was pretty cool.

We noticed some non race riders were going after all the race riders had started but before the official ride had started. After a brief discussion about taking off with them, we decided that would be a good idea, start early - get done early. So off we went in the dark and chilly weather.

I started well; we were all together and going about 18 mph. But I am not the best consistent cyclist, I tend to slow down and speed up a lot. Looking down at my speedometer tends to make me go slower so I tend to just pedal and hope for the best, changing gears as necessary. After a few miles Andy and Ginny were ahead of me and I made no effort to try and catch them. I decided they knew I was capable of riding my own ride and I would see them at the end.

My strategy this year was pretty much the same as last year, ride to the 4th rest stop and stop if necessary, ride to the stop at mile 60ish, which is near Hells Gate or ride all the way to the rest stop near mile 80, then ride it in with no other stops. Well laid out plans are just that, well laid out plans, but reality rarely mirrors what is planned. The ride was absolutely packed almost until maybe mile 70 or 75. The first two rest stops were so crammed with riders on the side of the road and on the road itself we were at a near standstill going past each one. I had to unclip at each for fear of falling over and not being able to get my shoe unclipped in time. I got stopped by a train at mile 26. That was comical. Most of the riders around me were “Scorchers” so they were very NOT pleased to be stopped by a train. As the train ended, there was an ambulance coming which also delayed us a bit. Earlier there had been a man on the side of the road with a bloody head, I assume the ambulance was for him.

There were actually a lot of accidents and ambulances this year, many more than last year. Ginny said one lady was out cold at a hill they were passing and one of our hotel neighbors had a nasty scabbed up elbow after the ride, he said he got caught in a slow point and tumbled. I must have seen at least six ambulances throughout the race. Very scary.

I did well in not stopping at the rest stops though and did make it to the rest stop near mile 40. I stopped, got Power Aid and checked my phone. Ginny had sent a text asking where I was; texted I was at 40 but moving on. I assumed they were ahead of me since they had been ahead of me when we started. I stopped at mile 60ish, at Hells Gate, took some pictures and checked my phone again. Ginny said she was near the porta potties at Hells Gate. YEA! I caught up to them. So I rode around to look for the porta potties and didn’t see any. Texted Ginny back, “no porta potties at Hells Gate, going to 80.”

I stopped again at mile 80 to get more Power Aid and check to see where Ginny was. As it turns out, she and Andy were behind me, they got caught by an accident and had made a few more stops than I had. I put away the phone and noticed I was sweating profusely. I was oh so grateful for the cold wet napkin a volunteer offered me. After cooling off and eating a few pickles and bananas I got back on the road. My mantra all the way was “you can do it, just keep pedaling, you can do this.”

The last twenty miles was the hardest for me last year; this year didn’t seem as hard but it was still a struggle. The wind was terrible, the road conditions were awful with all the chipseal and my legs were very mad at me. Needless to say I managed to keep pedaling. I decided pedaling at 11 or 13 mph was better than not pedaling, my level of expectation at this point had greatly declined. I was fortunate though and managed to increase my speed to 15-16 mph for part of the last 20 miles so my overall speed was still about 15 mph.

Perhaps the best part of the ride had to be the last leg of road, I think it was around mile 90, the road became completely smooth, it was absolute heaven! And wow, could I go fast! I was cruising at about 18-20 mph! I passed the time during the last 20 miles by calculating in my head what the mileage equated to compared to White Rock Lake were I trained. “18 miles, that is just 2 rounds around the lake, you can do it….15 miles, that is less than 2 times around the lake, you can do it….10 miles, so close! Just one time around the lake, you can do it!” At about 95 there is the last official rest stop and a lady shouted out “just 5 miles left!” I had to giggle a little because I knew it was more than 5 miles, it is really 7 miles. The last 5 or in reality 7 miles seem like it took eternity to complete. But I did it! I rode in to the finish line and felt so good. I finished about 30 minutes over my time last year. Based on the level of training I did this year and the extra stops, I’m pleased with that time. I will never be the fastest or the one that can be out there the longest but I am determined to always do my best.

2009 Bike Run Yoga Challenge: Get a FREE T-shirt!

Bike Run Yoga is my idea of the ideal Tri. The real concept though of Bike Run Yoga is more about doing events you love, not what MY ideal triathlon would be. (Although the thought of what my ideal Tri would be is how the company got started.) Also, it doesn't mean those three activities have to happen in a typical triathlon event process. It is about participating in events that show off what you love to do, to challenge yourself, to promote a healthy life style and to most importantly, have fun!

My friend Ginny and I just completed our century ride and I got to thinking about all the events I had completed or was planning on completing this year and how great it would be to have a Bike Run Yoga t-shirt that has on the back a list of all the events, like a concert tour shirt, to really celebrate all my accomplishments. It is tough to complete one event be it a marathon, triathlon, duathlon, century ride, yoga competition or other event. It is even tougher to dedicate the time and energy to complete multiple events in one year. How great would that be to be get a free t-shirt that commemorates all your efforts and shows off all the events you completed in one year?

Bike Run Yoga wants to help you celebrate your 2009 achievements! Come join us in the the 2009 Bike Run Yoga Challenge! Complete the challenge and get a FREE personalized event t-shirt that lists YOUR events for 2009.  Anyone that meets the requirements below can win. You still have time in 2009 to get a free shirt!

What does that mean? It means, complete all the requirements and get a t-shirt that lists all your events for 2009 on the back; the front will be the Bike Run Yoga logo; The events will be listed on the back with the name of the event and the event date.

Requirements:

1. Make a commitment to the challenge (this means post a comment here and tell me you are doing the challenge)
   
2. Follow/subscribe to Bike Run Yoga blog (that's THIS blog)
3. For 2009, complete 12 events (Tri, duathlon, run, ride, swim or yoga event)
4. FYI for 2010 - must complete 24 events
5. Must be a finisher at the event (we use the honor system for verification)
6. Submit your events,email address, full name and shipping address to Bike Run Yoga no later than January 5, 2010

Once your events are submitted, a Bike Run Yoga celebration t-shirt will be custom made for you and shipped to you in 4-6 weeks.

As an example, here is a list of the events I have either completed or will complete by the end of 2009. Join me in this exciting challenge and show off your

Tour Dallas April 4
Big D ½ Marathon April 5
San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon May 31
Too Hot to Handle 15K July 18
Hotter N Hell 100 August 29
Tour Des Fleur's 10K September 19
Susan G Komen 5K October 17
Light the Night Walk October 18
Texas Yoga Asana Championships November 8
Thundercloud Turkey Trot November 26
San Antonio ½ Marathon November 15
White Rock ½ Marathon December 13

Questions? click here to email me.

Just Staying in the Yoga Room is Sometimes Enough

I made it to Bikram Yoga today, a big feat considering my last few days. I am in my recovery week, gearing up for the Hotter N Hell century ride this weekend so I'm suppose to be taking it easy anyway but circumstances have thrown me for a loop recently. After having a bad ride on Sunday that got cut short after a lady yelling at me on the trails and feeling under the weather on Monday and earlier today, I managed to pull myself together enough to go to yoga. I'm glad I did, even if it wasn't the best class I ever had.

Class started off well, the first three poses were pretty solid. I started to feel nauseous during balancing stick, not a nauseous like I'm going to throw up, but a nauseous like my stomach was going to be "sour" the entire class. And I was sweating more than usual and that kind of worried me. So I took it a bit easier over the next few postures and made it to the floor series.

The spine strengthing series though, is all tummy down and that was putting excessive pressure on my stomach, only making it worse! I battled through that, did half tortoise and skipped camel. I know...you aren't suppose to skip a pose. But in my defense, I was already in a comprised state. No sense pushing the envelop.

I stayed in the room and finished class so I consider that a win and a decent class. Not a great class but a decent one. A few things probably can be attributed to my class performance. One, I haven't been eating well. This happens when my life gets a little crazy, either I forget to eat or I just don't want to eat. Neither is good for having a good yoga class. Two, I wasn't in a good mental state. I was hoping going to yoga would clear my mind and give me some mental peace but I have a hard time focusing sometimes and my brain gets in the way of my soul cleansing.

Even so, I made it to class, I gave it all I could and I stayed in the room. Like I said, I am considering that a win. Tomorrow is a new day, a chance to start over and be better. Perhaps a better me is just a Bikram class away.

Namaste

Ran with Team in Training Today

I got up early today, 6 am, and ran with my Team in Training buddy Rhonda and her new Team in Training running group. Rhonda and I trained together for our first marathons in the Spring Team in Training season earlier this year and she has become a mentor this season to help others. I was planning on riding 80 miles today to prepare for Hotter N Hell next weekend but I have a kick off meeting for Light the Night in a bit and I wouldn't have been able to ride the full amount. So instead I opted to run six today and ride 80 tomorrow.

Today was a little harder than I expected. I contribute that to a few things, a little dehydrated from just not drinking enough water, not enough nutrition because in general I don't eat well and I had done zero cardio all week. The latter is probably the main reason and of course, the reason can NOT be that I am just plan out of shape. :)

I was impressed with the group, they all did a great job. Rhonda's group is much larger than ours from last season. Last season it was just Rhonda, Susan our mentor and me. This year Rhonda has 10-12 that run in her group. I think that is better, gives you more people to talk to and bond with and when you lag behind a bit it is less noticeable because of all the people!

As usually I sweated like a horse. Is that even a real saying? Do horses sweat? I think the real saying is "sweat like a race horse" or is that "I have to pee like a race horse"? Whatever, I sweated, A LOT! (This will become a running theme in my blogs, no pun intended! LOL)

Since I hadn't done any cardio workout during the week I was huffing a bit and I'm pretty sure the look on my face was not pretty. I tend to grimace when I run like I am in constant pain, even when I'm not. Which is so funny because when I do yoga I have no expression on my face, even when the posture is really hard. Different sports, different facial expressions I guess.

The lake where Team in Training runs was packed. It was such a nice morning I guess everyone took the opportunity to come out and get their exercise on. As we were coming back towards the cars I was stuck by a man that had the WHITEST teeth! His mouth was slightly open and against his tan skin his teeth really stuck out. It reminded me of the Friends episode where Ross whitens his teeth right before a big date and the glow from being so bleached. This guy had teeth like that! Made me laugh which I needed at mile 5 of 6.

Thanks Rhonda for letting me tag along today, great run. You have an awesome group of runners! Off to the Light the Night Kick Off Meeting!

Today was a 60 Mile Bike Ride and Bikram Yoga

I’m suppose to be training for Hotter N Hell (HNH), a century ride in Wichita Falls, Texas in two weeks. It is suppose to be the hottest, most grueling century ride with gusting winds and relentless sun. I rode the full 100 miles last year and didn’t think the conditions were that bad, then I read it was a mild year. So I am trying again this year and started training, if that is what you can call it, after I finished my marathon earlier this year.

My friend Ginny and I are planning to ride together. Neither of us seem to be very dedicated to any century ride training schedule we found online even though we both searched and found several we thought we could live with. Life tends to get in the way.

Today in an effort to get myself ready for HNH, I decided I needed to ride 60 miles. I planned to get up early, ride to the lake and find my friend Rhonda from Team in Training, she was my running partner in training and she became a mentor. I knew they would be down at the lake running so I thought I would ride down and find her and ride my 60.

Here is a tip for you, when you set your alarm, make sure it is AM not PM! Ugh! Amazingly I got up on my own at 7 am so I hurried and got myself ready and was on the road by 7:30 am. I made it almost around the lake before I saw Rhonda. They were running 6 miles and almost done, I was riding 60 and had just started! So off I went.

The lake was really busy, Lukes, Team in Training, other running groups, families, casual walkers, hey all seemed to be out today. I managed to ride in and amongst the people without falling which I consider to be a big feat. (I tend to fall a lot.) I rode about 45 miles before I decided I wanted to stop but I had already told everyone I would ride 60 so I kept going. Every few miles I calculated how I would finish, ride around the lake twice, ride down Lawther trail, or take Lawther twice and go around the lake once. This managed to occupy my mind for some time.

On the home stretch, only 7 miles left and I’m headed back from Lawther. That last little bit seemed like eternity and my legs were burning but I made it. Sixty miles, three electrolyte supplements, four bottles of water and one granola bar.

You may be wondering if I just rode 60 miles why I would decide to go to Bikram Yoga. It makes me feel good and I’m a little crazy. Bikram Yoga is one of those things I can do even when I don’t want to and come out feeling great and glad I went. I love feeling clean sweat running down my body, it tells me I am taking care of myself. I love watching myself in the mirror going farther in poses, going deeper and watching my body do things I never thought it could. It is hard, painful, sweaty and darn hot but it is also one of the best forms of exercise I do. It is 90 minutes of me doing something just for me.

After 60 miles on a bike and 90 minutes of Bikram Yoga, a well deserved Mexican dinner was in order. I just got back from Los Amigos in Grapevine where I celebrated the birthday of my good friend Deanne. So yummy. If you have not been there, you should try it before urban development takes over.