Snow in March

not just the weather is messed up

The crew gave me a hard time that today was defiantly one to bog about.. so I kind of have to. lol
We went back and forth about riding this morning with the final go around 9ish. We met up at Seward Park - of course we were running late. But Col and Bryan were nice enough to wait for us. We started with a 4 mile run just in case the weather turned bad we could still bail on the bike ride. The run went well - did not quite get 4 miles but ran for 34 min or so and felt good.
Luckily when we finished running the weather was agreeable so we changed and headed out for a 2 hour ride. It was chilly but not to bad - I of course had toe warmers in though. Kyle and Bryan rode their singles and cruised along - it was very impressive. Col and I took it easy and I really just enjoyed being on my bike. We did most of the Mercer Island loop then felt we had enough time to continue onto the south lake Washington loop. Te temp warmed up enough that i was pulling my glove off every onec and while and finally just gave up on wearing a hat under my helmet.
I got a flat front tire as we came into the Renton area, Col helped me change out the tube and we were back rolling pretty quickly. The guys were really good about waiting for us at key locations so we were back as a group as we rolled through Renton. Col was trying to make sure she got to a pedicure appointment , and there were dark clouds coming so kept moving in hopes of beating the rain home.
We were riding on the Perimeter Road at the south end of the lake down by the Renton Airport. Col and Kyle were out front and Bryan was in front of me on the right. We came around the corner and there was a Renton police car in the oncoming lane. For some reason I was on the outside edge of the lane and I must have sort of panicked and locked up my brakes - my rear tire skidded out and then I over corrected and totally lost control. I just wanted to get away from the car and I wound up on the ground twisted up in my bike screaming and crying all at once. I see a blur of navy blue of the car right by my head and I closed my eyes and just kept screaming so that everyone would stop and know I was down.
Of course the crew stopped and came to help me immediately. Kyle checked me over while asking what hurt, Col tried to get me to calm down and breath. Other than that it was a complete blur. They made me stay laying in the middle of the road. My head and and elbow hurt really bad. They put a blanket on me and the weight of it hurt my elbow. they supported my neck so I could lay my head down, and they made me open my eyes so they could see if I had a concussion I guess. I felt I could sit up and I did not want to be laying on the street anymore. At this point the fire department showed up and asked me questions and checked me out. they offered me a ride in the ambulance and if I wanted to go to the hospital - really did not want either. I wanted to just get on my bike and ride back - we did not have that much further to go and I felt it would be the best thing for me and the crew.
I think I seriously freaked out the cops in the car. But I have to say this - if you are going to crash - crash in front of a cop car. the ambulance was there sooo fast lol. It was not their fault at all - it was all mine and I even stayed in my lane the entire time but I was very close to being under the car when I landed. I was very lucky.
I did ride the rest of the way back mostly with only my left hand on the handlebars - I had a hard time finding a comfortable position or my right hand that did not make my elbow hurt. But even so I made it back to the park - up and down a hill or 2. Of course it started raining before we got back which sucked. Also my rear tire was flat when it got put in the truck at the end of the ride..

Once back I finally looked at my elbow and it is scarped up and a bit swollen.

I tore a tiny hole in my favorite blue jacket and broke a bit on my helmet. My head has a tendor spot but nothing to bad - I think my handle bars or something hit my helmet. But not to bad all and all. And now a couple hours later I don't see any other bruises. My neck is sore. So I have been icing both my elbow and neck through out the rest of the day. I'm pretty sure I did not brake or crack anything but will be keeping a close eye on my elbow the next day or so and if it gets worse I will be seeing a doctor. I think I was very lucky and will recover quickly. I may need to work on my bike handling skills some though so I feel more in control and comfortable.

Now I'm not sure I will be skiing tomorrow or swimming. I'm going to see how I feel in the morning and go from there. Saying that I am seeing at least 2 in of snow outside - yes it is March and there is 2 in of snow in Bellevue. IT IS CRAZY. Were is spring - I want spring.

the opposite of heat training

I felt like it was November again.. Tonight Col and I met up to run and IT WAS SNOWING! and pouring rain at the same time. It was very very wet and cold. I was happy I brought my rain jacket with me - just in case this morning - otherwise I would have been even more wet. My hands, legs and feet were cold with in minutes and never really warmed up. The worse was the first couple of miles the wind was blowing the snow into my face and I had flash backs of coaching ski racing - standing on a mountain freezing. The savings grace was we did intervals so at least I got to warm up a tiny bit each time we picked up the pace - though it made me not want to slow down between pick ups. I am so glad tomorrow is my rest day and hopefully by Friday this crazy weather will be over.
That said I'm looking forward to the idea of getting up into the mountains to ski some fresh snow this weekend ;)

what is the deal

Tonight I took my single out for a ride and I was flipped off, honked, and yelled at by multiple drivers. Now I would understand this if I was riding in the middle of the road or did not stop at a stop sign but no I was riding on the white line or on the shoulder the entire time. I used proper hand signals when I was turning, I stopped at stop signs. I have no clue what the deal was. Do people need to go back to kindergarden to learn how to share and respect other people.
Ok I'm done. It was just really frustrating and made my ride way less fun.

spring is here

Which just means the weather has become more inconsistent and I never know what to wear - but I'm very happy to see sun more.
It has been wonderful I have managed to get outside on my bike the last two Saturdays - last week was very very wet and this week was sunny. It is way more fun than sitting on a trainer and I'm slowly getting used to my new flight deck and bar end shifters. I don't change gears as often and I should or used to but I'm getting better as I spend more time with them on the road. The best part with the new set up I'm already feel better down in my aeros which is amazing compared to last year when I barley ever used them. I have also been pleasantly surprised at how well riding is going - I was able to hang with the group for the entire ride and still had energy at the end. I'm looking forward to adding a midweek ride in so I can get some more time on the bike and continue to build on how good/strong I feel now.
In general I'm struggling to get enough sleep and I have a soar throat that won't go away (probably because I'm not getting enough rest). Even so training is going well - at least I'm getting everything in. Last week I had 9:39 as total time, Swim Distance 4550 yd, Bike Distance 36.09 mi, Run Distance 17.01 mi. I also had 2 hours of pilates and a very painful massage to try and help loosen my right side.
Ok time to get that much needed sleep so I can survive this coming weeks training schedule. Happy Easter :)