Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Cassandra: Mom and I are in the process of coming up with our last blog post about the STP, but in the meantime I wanted to let everyone know that we did finish! It was actually pretty remarkable that we crossed the finish line in Portland considering mom had terrible IT-band pain and I got stung by 9 wasps while peeing in the woods. Both things happened on day two. But I am so proud of us, and especially of mom, for sticking with it. We made some amazing memories and had some very good laughs. And we achieved our goal! Look for the full-length STP post coming soon!
Friday, July 13, 2012
Carol - Friday night. It's hard to believe that tomorrow night at this time we will have completed half of our goal. I slept in this morning in anticipation of not sleeping well tonight (due to excitement). The rest of the day was spent on last minute errands and packing. It was not an overly busy day so I had time for reflection upon this journey.
Nineteen years ago I made this same journey with my dad. I don't believe I prepared well for that ride since the girls were young and I couldn't leave them to go train. However, I was younger then too so I probably thought it wasn't critical. I was wrong I know because I haven't spent any time on a bike since then. When Cassandra asked me to ride the STP with her I really hadn't thought about the consequences. I didn't realize that it would take a while to feel comfortable balanced on a bike again much less to lock myself on to my bike peddles with clips. I knew I'd have to train but I forgot about the huge time commitment (Fifteen to twenty hours a week). I hadn't though about the possibility of falling off my bike. All I really thought about was what a privilege it is to have your daughter want to achieve a goal of this significance with her. I am truly honored to be riding with her this weekend.
We have cleaned our bikes and chains, filled the tires with air, filled our water bottles, dropped our overnight bags off and carbo loaded at dinner. Our matching jerseys are laid out with our bib numbers and it's now time to get a good nights sleep. I'm so glad we have documented this journey so we can both look back in time and remember all the details of this wonderful adventure; the many hours training in our living rooms because of rain, hours on the road alone and with each other, the waggle of the feet when we're getting ready to stop, peeing on the side of the road, and yes I did spit in Cassandra's face (not on purpose). We will continue to document through our ride this weekend too but for now my hope is for fair skies, no rain, a tail wind, and a safe ending to this wonderful journey where we will be celebrating with friends and family at the finish line.
I love you Cassandra! Thank you so much for wanting to create such an amazing memory with me.
Mom
Nineteen years ago I made this same journey with my dad. I don't believe I prepared well for that ride since the girls were young and I couldn't leave them to go train. However, I was younger then too so I probably thought it wasn't critical. I was wrong I know because I haven't spent any time on a bike since then. When Cassandra asked me to ride the STP with her I really hadn't thought about the consequences. I didn't realize that it would take a while to feel comfortable balanced on a bike again much less to lock myself on to my bike peddles with clips. I knew I'd have to train but I forgot about the huge time commitment (Fifteen to twenty hours a week). I hadn't though about the possibility of falling off my bike. All I really thought about was what a privilege it is to have your daughter want to achieve a goal of this significance with her. I am truly honored to be riding with her this weekend.
We have cleaned our bikes and chains, filled the tires with air, filled our water bottles, dropped our overnight bags off and carbo loaded at dinner. Our matching jerseys are laid out with our bib numbers and it's now time to get a good nights sleep. I'm so glad we have documented this journey so we can both look back in time and remember all the details of this wonderful adventure; the many hours training in our living rooms because of rain, hours on the road alone and with each other, the waggle of the feet when we're getting ready to stop, peeing on the side of the road, and yes I did spit in Cassandra's face (not on purpose). We will continue to document through our ride this weekend too but for now my hope is for fair skies, no rain, a tail wind, and a safe ending to this wonderful journey where we will be celebrating with friends and family at the finish line.
I love you Cassandra! Thank you so much for wanting to create such an amazing memory with me.
Mom
Carol - Saturday was our last short ride. Cassandra and I had planned on riding again on Sunday but we decided to concentrate on final preparations first. We made a stop at REI were I bought a bike rack for the car. I've decided that I would enjoy my riding a lot more if I didn't always have to start from home and ride through traffic. Once we have finished the STP I know I won't want to ride hills "just for the fun of it". I'm hoping this strategy will keep me riding more. After our stop at REI we continued home to the list making. I'm sure we've thought of everything plus some. It's hard to believe that one week from today and we should have finished our goal. Wow...we sure have logged the training miles. I have officially put enough miles on my bike to have ridden to Mexico.
Carol - July 5th. Cassandra was home so this is our last longer training ride. As usual I get frustrated having to head out of town. I get tired of all the stop signs and construction etc. that comes with heading out to the country roads. Also, I knew that Rich could not meet us at a stopping point so we would have to ride the last 2.5 miles of our ride uphill.
After finally clearing town and its traffic we headed out to Ferndale and then the outskirts of Lynden. It was nice to have wonderful weather and such beautiful scenery. We rode past lots of raspberry fields (which we were tempted to sample from) cows, horses, old barns and homesteads. Cassandra of course had to stop and pee constantly (I hope this isn't necessary on the STP) and I had to stop and drink and eat a lot. However, even with those obstacles we were able to keep a decent pace. I'm sure we will be riding a little bit slower on the STP due to the massive amount of bikers.
I'm excited to get our lists made and make our final plans later this weekend.
STP - here we come.
After finally clearing town and its traffic we headed out to Ferndale and then the outskirts of Lynden. It was nice to have wonderful weather and such beautiful scenery. We rode past lots of raspberry fields (which we were tempted to sample from) cows, horses, old barns and homesteads. Cassandra of course had to stop and pee constantly (I hope this isn't necessary on the STP) and I had to stop and drink and eat a lot. However, even with those obstacles we were able to keep a decent pace. I'm sure we will be riding a little bit slower on the STP due to the massive amount of bikers.
I'm excited to get our lists made and make our final plans later this weekend.
STP - here we come.
Cassandra: Today is Friday the 13th and the last day before the STP! It seems like it took forever to get to this point, months and months of training rides and looking ahead with anticipation. I couldn’t sleep very well last night for thinking about this weekend.
Although our training rides have decreased in the last week as we’ve been resting our muscles, our logistical preparations for this weekend’s ride have really ramped up. We started last weekend by finalizing our jersey choice for Saturday (matching). Mom had picked out a pair of very cute white, pink, and black jerseys for us and luckily the jerseys fit both of us well. So, we will match both days of the STP, wearing our black-and-white mother-daughter jerseys on Sunday as we cross the finish line. After we got our clothing finalized, it was time to make a packing list for the STP. We divvied up things like patch kits, tire levers, toiletries, and camping gear so that we could bring as little as possible. Then we wrote down things that we simply could not forget, like cash for the food stops and earplugs for sleeping in the tent and extra pairs of socks. Mom took over the food preparations, having picked up gel and sports chews and Nuun. We have gotten lucky, though, because Nuun is a sponsor of the STP, so we will get free electrolyte drinks at the rest stops. But we wanted to have some extra to be prepared.
This week I picked up the few things I needed to, like sunscreen and cash and our race packets, and then last night I spent a good hour and a half packing. It seemed like it took forever to get out the camping gear, empty a duffel bag to put it all in, and organize my biking bags. On top of that, I needed to pack a bag for the night and day we are going to spend in Vancouver at Uncle Mike’s house and buy a ticket for Amtrak to get back to Seattle. Whew! This morning I finished things up by sewing velcro circles on my fanny pack to keep the extra straps out of the way. It was such a little thing to do but it took me over an hour!
Now that most of the preparations are over, I am getting excited for tomorrow morning. I know mom is kind of nervous about the STP, but I am not. I guess I figure it is going to hurt no matter what, so I will get through the hurt when it comes. I love biking and am so excited that the weather is supposed to be amazing this weekend, but I know that riding 204 miles in 2 days is probably going to be painful. I am not looking forward to the pain, but I am looking forward to so much more. I can’t wait to see what the starting line is like, and what it’s like to ride with 10,000 bikers. I am probably most excited to hang out in the midst of so many bikers in Centralia, all of us bedecked in spandex. I want to feel the collective excitement of so many people on bikes! And, of course, I can’t wait to see the finish line and feel how proud I am that mom and I have accomplished something so cool.
This has been a great challenge so far and I think this weekend is going to be the crown jewel in our time. I feel really lucky to have a mom who wants to do fun and difficult things together, and I really believe that this time spent together has been way better than discovering a love of biking, getting in shape, or biking 204 long miles. That’s the good thing about memories. They’re great, but they’re nothing compared to the people we share them with.
Go bikers go! Portland, here we come!!
Although our training rides have decreased in the last week as we’ve been resting our muscles, our logistical preparations for this weekend’s ride have really ramped up. We started last weekend by finalizing our jersey choice for Saturday (matching). Mom had picked out a pair of very cute white, pink, and black jerseys for us and luckily the jerseys fit both of us well. So, we will match both days of the STP, wearing our black-and-white mother-daughter jerseys on Sunday as we cross the finish line. After we got our clothing finalized, it was time to make a packing list for the STP. We divvied up things like patch kits, tire levers, toiletries, and camping gear so that we could bring as little as possible. Then we wrote down things that we simply could not forget, like cash for the food stops and earplugs for sleeping in the tent and extra pairs of socks. Mom took over the food preparations, having picked up gel and sports chews and Nuun. We have gotten lucky, though, because Nuun is a sponsor of the STP, so we will get free electrolyte drinks at the rest stops. But we wanted to have some extra to be prepared.
This week I picked up the few things I needed to, like sunscreen and cash and our race packets, and then last night I spent a good hour and a half packing. It seemed like it took forever to get out the camping gear, empty a duffel bag to put it all in, and organize my biking bags. On top of that, I needed to pack a bag for the night and day we are going to spend in Vancouver at Uncle Mike’s house and buy a ticket for Amtrak to get back to Seattle. Whew! This morning I finished things up by sewing velcro circles on my fanny pack to keep the extra straps out of the way. It was such a little thing to do but it took me over an hour!
Now that most of the preparations are over, I am getting excited for tomorrow morning. I know mom is kind of nervous about the STP, but I am not. I guess I figure it is going to hurt no matter what, so I will get through the hurt when it comes. I love biking and am so excited that the weather is supposed to be amazing this weekend, but I know that riding 204 miles in 2 days is probably going to be painful. I am not looking forward to the pain, but I am looking forward to so much more. I can’t wait to see what the starting line is like, and what it’s like to ride with 10,000 bikers. I am probably most excited to hang out in the midst of so many bikers in Centralia, all of us bedecked in spandex. I want to feel the collective excitement of so many people on bikes! And, of course, I can’t wait to see the finish line and feel how proud I am that mom and I have accomplished something so cool.
This has been a great challenge so far and I think this weekend is going to be the crown jewel in our time. I feel really lucky to have a mom who wants to do fun and difficult things together, and I really believe that this time spent together has been way better than discovering a love of biking, getting in shape, or biking 204 long miles. That’s the good thing about memories. They’re great, but they’re nothing compared to the people we share them with.
Go bikers go! Portland, here we come!!
Cassandra: (Sat July 7) Today we decided to take it easy, per the STP training guidelines. Because of the beautiful weather, we headed to Lake Samish for a nice, short loop ride. We arrived at the parking lot of the county park at around 11:00 am, which was perfect timing because as soon as we parked everyone else showed up and there was a long line of cars looking for somewhere to park. I had never done the Samish loop before, so I was excited about that. I was also excited because Dennis was riding with me and mom. Before jumping on the loop around the lake, we biked over to Camp Lutherwood and looked around for a minute. I got to show Dennis where I went to camp as a kid, and where mom worked many years ago. It was funny to see it after many years. It looked much smaller than I remembered!
We got back on the road and settled into our 7.5 mile loop around Lake Samish, looking at the pretty houses as we biked. We weren’t concerned about speed but still kept a decent pace. It was fun to just look around. We had almost completed the loop once when I heard mom clear her throat; she was riding just ahead of me. All of a sudden I felt a mist of spit cover my face. It was so disgusting. I can’t believe mom actually spit in my face. When I shouted up at her she had a good laugh. A bug had flown into her mouth and she had been trying to get it out, not thinking at all about how I was behind her.
After circling around twice, we came to a stop back at the county park. We loaded up the bikes but relaxed for a few minutes in the grass near the lake. I put my feet in the water, which felt amazing. It was the perfect way to end our last ride before the STP!
Our ride in numbers:
Total miles: 15.05 miles
Average speed: 13.6 mph
Max speed: 23.4 mph
Total time: 1:06:18
We got back on the road and settled into our 7.5 mile loop around Lake Samish, looking at the pretty houses as we biked. We weren’t concerned about speed but still kept a decent pace. It was fun to just look around. We had almost completed the loop once when I heard mom clear her throat; she was riding just ahead of me. All of a sudden I felt a mist of spit cover my face. It was so disgusting. I can’t believe mom actually spit in my face. When I shouted up at her she had a good laugh. A bug had flown into her mouth and she had been trying to get it out, not thinking at all about how I was behind her.
After circling around twice, we came to a stop back at the county park. We loaded up the bikes but relaxed for a few minutes in the grass near the lake. I put my feet in the water, which felt amazing. It was the perfect way to end our last ride before the STP!
Our ride in numbers:
Total miles: 15.05 miles
Average speed: 13.6 mph
Max speed: 23.4 mph
Total time: 1:06:18
Cassandra: (Thurs July 5) Mom and I did our last long training ride today. Kelsey was at dad’s house but headed to Bellingham, so we knew our window to bike would be in the morning. Last night we got to bed late because of the 4th of July fireworks, so we slept in a touch before hitting the road around 8:45 am. We didn’t have to follow a cue sheet, since mom knew the roads well enough to direct us from memory. After jumping on Lakeway Drive and taking Yew Street, we wound through Bellingham the back way, trying to avoid traffic. It seemed like it took us forever to get out of town and towards Ferndale, which is where we wanted to ride. We hit light after light after light. And road construction, which was a first for me. We had to wait while a girl in an orange vest flashed us the ‘stop’ sign and finally, when we were allowed to go, we led a single-file line of cars through the construction area.
Finally we broke free of the city streets and settled into a better pace on roads that didn’t have lights every 100 feet. We biked north, past a berry farm, into fields that were full of raspberries and horses. Mom wanted to stop and pick berries, but it seemed like field workers appeared every time we wanted to slow down and eat, so we continued on to Wiser Lake.
Although we were riding on nice country roads, we almost didn’t make good time because I had to pee so darn much. I don’t know what my body had going on, but I had to pee every 15 minutes or so. We counted that I peed 5 times in the first 2 hours of riding: twice at gas stations/stores and three times in various fields. Honestly, at this point I prefer peeing in fields because it is so much faster. You don’t have to wait in line or waste time flushing. You just drop your pants, pee, and then pull your pants back up. And then you get back on the road.
We turned back at Wiser Lake, on the fringe of Lynden, to head back to Bellingham. But a couple of stops were in order, first to eat a Lara bar on the side of the road and then to eat berries and our sandwiches at the berry farm. The fresh strawberries we picked out tasted so good! It was warm out and the sun was shining so brightly on us ... all we both wanted to do was stretch out on the grass and take a nap!
The way back to Bellingham was pretty uneventful, except for the hills we hit on the way home. Yew Street and Lakeway don’t look terrible from a car, but on a bike they can be painful. I remember when I was living in Bellingham after coming home from Guatemala. I decided I wanted to bike commute to the gym, in downtown, but gave that idea up after my first bike ride back up the hill to go home. Although I am in better bike shape now, the hills still hurt.
We might do another ride this weekend ...
Our ride in numbers:
Total miles: 45.97 miles
Average speed: 13.6 mph
Max speed: 25.6 mph
Total time: 3:21:52
Finally we broke free of the city streets and settled into a better pace on roads that didn’t have lights every 100 feet. We biked north, past a berry farm, into fields that were full of raspberries and horses. Mom wanted to stop and pick berries, but it seemed like field workers appeared every time we wanted to slow down and eat, so we continued on to Wiser Lake.
Although we were riding on nice country roads, we almost didn’t make good time because I had to pee so darn much. I don’t know what my body had going on, but I had to pee every 15 minutes or so. We counted that I peed 5 times in the first 2 hours of riding: twice at gas stations/stores and three times in various fields. Honestly, at this point I prefer peeing in fields because it is so much faster. You don’t have to wait in line or waste time flushing. You just drop your pants, pee, and then pull your pants back up. And then you get back on the road.
We turned back at Wiser Lake, on the fringe of Lynden, to head back to Bellingham. But a couple of stops were in order, first to eat a Lara bar on the side of the road and then to eat berries and our sandwiches at the berry farm. The fresh strawberries we picked out tasted so good! It was warm out and the sun was shining so brightly on us ... all we both wanted to do was stretch out on the grass and take a nap!
The way back to Bellingham was pretty uneventful, except for the hills we hit on the way home. Yew Street and Lakeway don’t look terrible from a car, but on a bike they can be painful. I remember when I was living in Bellingham after coming home from Guatemala. I decided I wanted to bike commute to the gym, in downtown, but gave that idea up after my first bike ride back up the hill to go home. Although I am in better bike shape now, the hills still hurt.
We might do another ride this weekend ...
Our ride in numbers:
Total miles: 45.97 miles
Average speed: 13.6 mph
Max speed: 25.6 mph
Total time: 3:21:52
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