Fitness Training News

Thursday, May 26, 2011

PBP Dates to Note. As posted on the SIR and RMCC websites, these are important dates to take notice of:

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2011
Important PBP Dates from Mark Thomas (of SIR)

Mark Thomas reminds us of the following important dates for PBP aspirants. See lots more info like this on the PBP Wiki.

May 29
Preregistration for riders who rode a 200km ACP brevet (or longer) in 2010
Starts midnight Paris time, so 3PM on 5/29 for west coast, 6PM on 5/28 for east coast
June 11
Registration begins (presumably midnight Paris time, so afternoon of 6/10 in US)
Preregistered riders start final registration
Non-preregistered riders may also register if there are quota spaces available (likely)
June 19
Pre-registered riders lose their priority space if not yet registered
This may free up national quota to allow more non-preregistered riders to register on June 20
July 17
Registration deadline
Riders who registered without all of their 2011 brevet homologation numbers must provide them by July 17
More registration info at the ACP PBP Registration page. # posted by Michelle Grainger @ 2:41 PM 0 Comments

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Riding forward to recover from PTSD and other injuries.

As I begin to realize that my dream of going to PBP is likely going to happen (Steve and I have now qualified), it seems it comes with more emotional and physical work than I thought it would take. Not that I thought it would be easy. No. As a coach I know that the work required to come back after so many injuries and mental stress is not easy. But, I thought once I qualified I would feel more confidence about getting to Paris and riding 1200km in 90 hours or under. Two steps forward, one step back. Guess it's better then two steps forward and two steps back. I just have to get this weight off of my shoulders. The weight of the monkey that seems to be sitting heavy, waiting for me to fail. To not get stronger. To not feel accomplishment. To not feel like I'm moving forward. And yet, I AM moving forward. I just am not the same. Hhhmmm, not the same. Why do I feel compelled to be the same?

I guess the easiest way to heal and move forward is to give up the past. If I really want to start over, I need to stop the continuous thoughts of "I'm not the same as I was" and " I'm not as fast or as strong as I was". Of course I'm not. I was hit by a truck, I got cancer and I had multiple surgeries to repair the accident damage. So why do I continue to think I will be what, who, and where I was? Because I am human. I want hope. Hope and determination of that hope is the driver of this cyclist, this athlete, this human. I want what I remember to be me. I felt like I was superhuman. Well, that's what I thought. I never gave any physical endeavor much thought. I just went and did it. And most of the time succeeded quite well. Not like I didn't have to try. Or that is wasn't hard. I pushed myself all of the time. I could always do and be better. The very thing that is driving me to Paris now, is the monkey that sits on my shoulders. To give it up now would be to give up my dreams. If I give up my dreams, I let the accident win. The system wins-not me. Not on my terms. So I continue to pedal. To look forward. To have hope that one day, although not the same as before, that I will be comfortable on my bike. Comfortable with less strength, comfortable being different than I was. Comfortable with the wind in my face and the views from the seat of my bike. I miss that feeling. I miss the parallel to life that riding brought me. The bike moves forward. Life moves forward.

It's hard to leave behind what you know. # posted by Michelle Grainger @ 12:59 PM 0 Comments

Monday, May 9, 2011

A little humbulness goes a long way to get you to PBP. The last qualifier for Paris Brest Paris--------DONE! Now let the work begin!

And, oooohhhhhhhhh, was it a painful ride for me. I guess I would say it is kind of bittersweet. I had to work hard for my final PBP qualifier. I would love to say I enjoyed myself throughout the day but it was a very difficult day for me. A little humble pie seemed to be served at every control and every hill we rode up. Most of the hills are between 7 and 11 %. (Garmins have great purpose).

The Black Forest 300KM is one of the most beautiful Brevets. It takes us on rolling roads through horse farms and past huge houses nestled against the foots hills west of Denver, and south down to towns with names you only hear about when there are major snowstorms; Larkspur, Palmer Lake, Black Forest and Elbert. This 300 KM is mainly above 7,000 feet and has just under 10,000 feet of elevation gain. You hope for no rain throughout the day, as it will turn to snow (as we found out last year) but this usually means good stiff headwinds for most of your scenic riding.

I am so very lucky to have Steve at my side for all of my rides. Mentally I'm not quite ready to ride all of the Brevets on my own and physically not quite ready to pull my own butt around. So many thanks for a loving and strong and patient husband and best friend. I could not and maybe would not be willing to chug along to get my butt to Paris if you were not helping me so much. Not to mention the many friends, like John Lee, who also help me reach my goal of riding in PBP this year.

A great finish well before dark and a perfect pre-ride. with a good message for the actual day of the Brevet-the dirt road section on Hodgen is short and ridable. Please buy a lot of food at the control in Black Forest. The BBQ and hospitality are awesome and they are looking forward to seeing all of you on Brevet day. Eat eat eat!

A not so pretty photo of me at the finish. It IS the finish and with all of my whining about how hard it was and what things hurt more than I would have liked...I can still smile. I am now qualified!

The day after: A little humility goes a long way.

Woke up in a not so good mood. Yesterday just didn't go as I would have liked. I didn't feel much joy. Hmmmmm. Then I started to think about everything. Everything about the last 23 months.

I am so very fortunate that I can still ride. I can still go after my dreams. That I can actually see how very hard this is for so many people. That I still have a gift. I still have two legs, two arms, hands, a brain. For goodness sake! It may all be much harder than I ever expected but doesn't that show me how very lucky I was for so long? I was so able to do so much? That I could do so many things? And now, to still be able to go after my goals/dreams, to be able to look at this all and realize how lucky I was and how lucky I still am. Yup, learning a little humility today. To be able to look back at what so many people said after the accident, the cancer and the fires. "How lucky you are to be alive!". I couldn't quite get "it". I only saw what I'd lost, not what I still have. Hmmmm, I think I'm beginning to see what I still have. I have a lot. I have love, a life, friends and family. Yup, I DO have a lot. I also have a lot to learn-humility/humbleness. # posted by Michelle Grainger @ 12:44 PM 0 Comments

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Qualifying for PBP. It's the time of year, that comes every four years in a Randonneurs/Randonneuses life. If you want to make it to PBP http://www.paris-brest-paris.org/pbp2011/index2.php?lang=en&cat=presentation&page=statistiques you must do your qualifying Brevets.

If you listened to your RBA, you did some of the pre-qualifying Brevets last year and were able to get on a "holding" list. This list allows you to get through your qualifying Brevets, this year, with some calmness and not have to keep your eye and finger on the computer screen's red registration button as the sign up day gets closer and closer. You and 5999 of your best Brevet riding buddies. I was one of the lucky riders. I was able to get in my 600km Brevet just before taking a 9-10 month break form riding to work out the kinks of several accident related injuries. Doing the 600KM Brevet (ACP, of course) allowed me to pre-register on April 17th. At least I have a little time to finish up my SR series and get my mind and body ready for PBP-a goal of mine for more years than I can remember. The very goal that seems to be helping propel me forward as it is harder and harder to keep rehabbing and riding and working and mentally preparing for PBP. Like the little engine that could! I can, I will. Well, because to stop now, would seem like quitting. And I am not a quitter. Life, like riding is something we do to get us to the next goal-the next thing. Like a long Brevet or ride, things always change. My hope is that the riding gets easier, more relaxing. Less painful, and becomes what it once was for me, a great way to see life and the world. I think I can, I think I can, I can, I will, because quitting is not my option.

So, making the come back after so many injuries is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I knew physically it would hard but I didn't think it would be such slow progress. I know, I tell my clients and athletes to keep moving forward. To be patient. I can, I will!

So I needed a diversion. A diversion from riding on the roads I know so well. The rides I would time myself on (once a racer-always a racer). So I asked Steve if he'd like to go on a mini vacation to ride somewhere different and do a Brevet qualifier, too. We began looking for something that would be at a lower elevation than our home town or where we sleep at night. Not hard to do as we live at about 7,000 feet. We also needed some Brevets that had a little less climbing than home. This would give me the best possible riding and success. Wenatchee, here we come.

We headed for Wenatchee Washington. Land of many many orchards. Here would be a week of rides, social get-togethers and the NW Crank.

When Steve and I started looking around for a Brevet week, or at least the option to do a 400KM and a 600KM Brevet in one week, we jumped at the chance to go and ride with the Seattle International Randonneurs at the NW Crank week of rides. It seemed the perfect way to celebrate our 19th anniversary and test out my riding legs after such a long winter off the bike. It helps that the elevation of the start and finish of these rides is about 6,000 feet lower in elevation than where we lay our heads at night.

Our biggest decision was not who to give the pets to for a week or what to pack for different weather conditions, but was whether we should go buy fenders for our bikes. We know some of the RMCC Brevet riders have fenders on their bikes but Steve and I have declined to add them to our bikes (at least for now). We are very aware that is can be very impolite to ride with people in rain and not have fenders... but decided to trust that we would be treated as inexperienced guests and I can say, we were not disappointed. We were treated like the dry inland riders we are. Lucky for us (or really our new riding friends) we only encountered a handful of rain drops. I now own a brand new pair of quick release Race Blade fenders. I'll be ready for that rain now!

The Brevets during the NW Crank Week Apples, cherries, and pears. We saw fields of winter wheat brown and done and the new sprouts of the coming summer wheat. We rode along the Columbia River and saw incredible mountain lakes, like Lake Chelan.

Our new friends at SIR (and, of course the promoters of NW Crank) did not disappoint. We had a wonderful vacation and even more satisfying rides. We made great new life long friends and people we hope to see in Paris or Brest, or along the way.

Steve and I would highly recommend going next year and getting in some early season miles, Brevets, or just great scenic rides. P.S. bring fenders-maybe.

Bonne Route!
Michelle and Steve

# posted by Michelle Grainger @ 1:06 PM 0 Comments

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