Thursday, June 9, 2011

Bike Ride Take 2/Zensah Sports/Sugar Slip with the Green Girl

You lucky readers today, my space bar key is stickier than double sided tape and I have to slam the damn space bar key to get a space between words for your viewing pleasure, and it's annoying.  And ridiculous.  So I'm going to keep this post super somewhat short.  OrmaybeI'lljusttypethisentirepostallasoneword,that'dbesocool.

I checked 3 times to make sure I wasn't running a fever before I registered for THIS.  Yes, this weekend will be take 2 of the bike ride from hell - please pray all bike parts remain intact during my ride for me (when I took my bike in yesterday to have it checked out and the poor bike guy from Sunday was totally cringing when he saw me back again the guy said, "Well, you do have a slight bubble in your tire...." I was like, WTH, get ride of it for crying out loud!!!! Turns out, bike tires are super pricey (imagine!  Like everything I've bought for this biking adventure is expensive) and he assured me I'd be okay.  I'm sure he went to bed last night praying he was right rather than see my face in there again on Sunday with an exploded tire....oh the wrath of Jill failing another bike ride is something he fears.  This ride isn't my first choice in organized biker rides, but somewhere God forgot a couple mental screws in my brain and I feel the urge to get this bike ride done NOW and the monkey off my back.  And as my PT said, "I choose the city ride where hospitals are in abundance." fun-E!  So,will I do the 62 or the 100 miler?  I'm not sure, I will assess the girl bits, back, feet (why are my feet tingling/burning all you cyclist out there??), butt, hip flexors at the critical decision point where the 100-milers turn to add on the extra miles- and make the decision I'm sure I'll regret.  You all know my psyche well enough by now to know which distance I'll try to do, but let me know what you think cuz I love reading your thoughts!  Okay, let's get this damn bike ride done once and for all!!!!

Thanks, Jenn and Max!   Max, maybe we should change that to
"Don't break a derailleur" ?
The generous people at Zensah.com sent me this really awesome running bra to try out. Maybe they felt sorry for my heel saga and knew I was starting from scratch from the running - normally I don't indulge in the product reviews, and let's face it, talking about my size As isn't the most exciting thing, but I heard such great things about their products and thought sure, I'd be happy to try it out.  I actually rarely wear a regular sport bra, I much prefer the piece with the bra built into the tank top when I run - less pieces of clothing to worry about; but cycling brought a whole new ballgame to the attire and these long bike rides seemed like the perfect opportunity to try the Zensha bra out.  All I can really say is I LOVED IT.  No irritating seams, very stretchy to contour to the shape of my body (ever changing! bleh!) and super comfy; I will certainly be sporting this black beauty for my 100? 62? mile bike ride on Sunday.  I encourage all you chicas to check them out, they are awesome (and they have compression everything for your running needs). Thanks, Zensah - I'm off to buy a pink one today!


The Running Green Girl is in town for a work pow-wow.... you know what that means: too much Mexican food and a lot of girl and running blogworld gossip chit-chat.  After we stuffed our guts to the nauseous point, I got the brilliant idea we needed to hop on the 16th street mall shuttle and grab some frozen yogurt.
LOVE this girl - we have so much fun together!
It was D-LISH!  Problem was, I sorta took on Amanda's 10-day sugar-free challenge and yesterday was day 9 (day 8 for normal people but for people who can't read their calendars correctly and start a day early, it's day 9). Whoops. Totally worth the slip, but no fears, I plan to keep up the sugar-free challenge- last week brought some much-needed weight loss and I feel noticeably better.  I've also been reading a lot on the topic of sugar bringing on inflammation and hello heel pain - this better be doing wonders for your inflammation!!  So I'm back on track sans sugar....though I can't help but think if I actually succeed this stupid bike ride Sunday, a sugary toast will be mandatory!

I have so much more to write but this keyboard is making me manic - I have lots to share on my running and am hoping PT man will be able to video my new mid-foot striking, God knows you are sitting on the edge of your seats in anticipation to see that. 

So signing off for now....hoping you'll all hear from me again.....

43 comments:

Kate Geisen said...

Love that sign! But hey, lady...YOU didn't fail that bike ride, your BIKE failed. Get that straight. I know you'd have finished for sure.

What's your longest ride so far? If you've logged a couple in the 60's range, the go for the century. If not...well, it'll be a long day anyway, but I'd think twice about it. (That said, I did a century last year with a lot less training than before my first year's, so it's doable).

Yea for weight loss and feeling better! Booo for sticky space bars. Good luck on your ride!

C2Iowa said...
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Marlene said...

Good luck with the bike race redemption. No doubt you can do it so let's hole the bike of yours holds up!

I don't have any Zensah sports bras but I do know their material and it is sooo soft & comfy!

C2Iowa said...

Looking forward to the video.

Bonus - The cartoon pic does not show blood!!

Fingers are crossed for you.

Big Daddy Diesel said...

WTH!! Your bike is NEW, you havent had it long enough for a bubble or warp in the tire!!!!!!!

My vote is 62 or as I like call it, metric century. 100 mile rides are a whole other beast, they are more about mental toughness then physical ability. You will hit a mental wall around 70-85 miles and hate everything in life, especially your bike.

Kandi said...

Good luck on your ride this weekend! I can't really offer any advice on which distance to choose since I am not much of a biker. But I think I'd be tempted to try the 100.

One Crazy Penguin said...

I know that yogurt shop!

Mary is awesome. I got to meet her at the Princess half marathon and it was a blast. Jealous that you guys got to hang out!

I'm excited to see which ride you pick :)

Christi said...

Do the 62-miler! Trust me you will enjoy it a lot more at this point and we don't want to add any new injuries.

Have fun!

Amanda@runninghood said...

This was a perfect length for a post that I can get through while cooking lunch for my kiddos. Otherwise I end up having to read and comment way later and then sometimes I forget. :) So that sticky space bar proved to be a good thing for this reader. :) Hey hey, I got something from Zensha this week too...a loose racing/running tank...pretty cool. Can't wait to try it out to write a proper review but love it so far. They knew not to send this girl a bra since I'm president of the tiny tittie committee! But shirts...I can do shirts.

Love that you are registered for this! You're awesome...such a go get 'em type of gal!! Jenn and Max make the best signs!! HOpe your "thingie" works this time!

NO sugar, I think I could do this but I didn't sign up for the challenge. ) Good luck to you girl! Love your more frequent posts...nice to read! xo

A Prelude To... said...

You're going to have the BEST ride...I can just feel it!

I remember the days when I could just wear the shirts with the built in bras. Ahhhh...the freedom of less clothing. Alas...with weight gain game big(ger) bazoombas...so I'm totally in the market for a new sports bra...I might have to check this one out if I don't win the other one on my list today.

Patrick Mahoney said...

Do the metric. They are the perfect length....

Jennifer said...

I had tingly feet because my shoes were on too tight. I loosened them, but only after riding a bit and now it never happens. Also could be bike fit, have you had a real good fit by your bike pro?

XLMIC said...

Make the turn…don't follow the crowd…be a mold-breaker ;-) Feel great doing and happy to be there! Lucky you getting a free sports bra…those things are so pricey. And what fun to have fun blogger meet-up :)

Anonymous said...

FINISH STRONG!!! :D

xo

Jason said...

Way to go in getting back on the 'horse' or bike. That is awesome.

Listen to your body and that will help you make the decision, but make sure you LISTEN to it.

Petraruns said...

Hey honey you're going to rock that century (my ladybits are painin' just thinking about it). With a bra like that there's only the rest of you to worry about - may the wind be at your back my love!

Big hug and well done for getting straight back out there! VINDICATION!

Emz said...

I
freaking
adore
you.

Love the photo of you and GGirl. So jealous. I need to move to COLORADO!!

Love Zensah. Love the girl's new "holder"

Christy @ My Dirt Road Anthem: A Runner's Blog said...

Good luck on your ride, I haven't been on my bike in three years and I tried to dig it out by the tire somehow manged to get bent.

Adrienne Langelier, MA said...

Good luck with whichever ride you decide! What a, nice, I mean brutally honest sign LOL...be safe:)

ajh said...

I might have to go check out that sports bra. No seams speaks to me.

Have fun and of course nothing will go wrong. Bring along the bike shop guy to ride with you as your personal sag wagon fixer upper.

Char said...

You go Jill! Bite off more than you can chew!! Go the 100.

Julie said...

So glad you'll be riding with me! Reading all these posts on do the metric you'll love it are making me think twice...oh wait I'm sure it's more then that..about doing the full century. :) But at this point I know for me it's just something I have to try, hate myself after or not.

Jess @ Blonde Ponytail said...

Yes! Take 2!! You got this Jill!!! SO fun you got to meet up with Mary!

Will be cheering for you in your new sports bra!! woot-woot!

The Green Girl said...

Jill! It was so good to see you. You made me feel right at home here in Denver. ::hugs::

I had so much fun catching up with you and sharing all my Moses stories with you. ::smiles::

Good luck this weekend. I will be with you in spirit as I try to redeem myself at that 5k that kicks my butt every single year. Heh!

Liz said...

Good luck with the bike ride! Looking forward to hearing more about the running.

Teamarcia said...

Yay for the redemption ride! So glad you're doing it and I know you're gonna rock it in that ninja bra.
How awesome you saw the GGirl! So fun!

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Kathrin said...

Some ideas to prevent tingly feet:
1. loosen the shoes up after the first 30 minutes
2. check cleat alignment, they should be in line with where the bone is sticking out to the inside of your feet (I don't know how that bone is called)
3. check screws of cleats: if you used the "long" screws to attach your cleats, it's possible that they transfer heat to your foot and cause hot spots
4. put insoles in your shoes, there are a lot of nerves going through the ball of your foot and most bike shoes come with flimsy insoles. i got some insoles at walgreens for 10 bucks and they made all the difference for me

Good luck for your ride! ;-)

RunToTheFinish said...

fingers and toes crossed for your ride!!!

Aimee said...

Yay for doing the Denver century! You're going to do great!

Yay for a new sports bra! It looks like a great one!

Yay for blogger meet-ups! :)

Black Knight said...

Good luck on your ride this week end.
Reading your post I understand that I need a yogurt now! rrt (rrt was written by my cat who is walking on the keyboard).
And I am with Aimee "yay for blogger meet-ups"!

Anonymous said...
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Unknown said...

NO SUGAR? What fun is life without sugar? Oh, you have GREEN GIRL, new race plans and summer vacation to keep you happy. Who needs sugar???
Can't wait to see that hot video...
xoxoxo

Tricia said...

the bra sounds great, as does the get together :)

elaine said...

Bike race tomorrow? Best of luck!

Irene said...

I never knew Zenzah made sports bras!
I'll have to try one.

The question remains... When you go back on sugar will you be bouncing off the walls? Just wondering.

PS: I have friends who nixed sugar and have done well. They've noticed more sweetness in fruits and other "natural" foods.

Jenn said...

Damn, first I missed this post and now your riding around on your bike damaging your privates and I didn't even get to wish you an official good luck! Well, at least I'm thinking of you right now while your racing:)

No sugar-I've made it through this 10 day challenge before. I am A MAJOR FAIL here in my taper though. Seriously, I have taper pigitis. I had no idea about the inflammation relation though!

Anyway, I'm so sorry I missed this, I'm wishing you the VERY best! GOOOO JILLLLLL! Love you

Anne said...

Yay for a redemption run...nice of you to give the bike a second chance :) Have a blast girl!!!

Anonymous said...

This is so exciting! I'm so happy for you! Congratulations!

Anonymous said...

P.s. Jessica is Anonymous...sorry!

Chris K said...

Hi, it's Chris K. Remember me? I've made it down to the "R's". So, Green Girl seems very nice. She is definitely the most philanthropic runner I know. You, Jill, are the coolest.

I'll now go read your most current post to see if you updated us on the bike ride.

Knee compression sleeves said...

Great effort! Wishing you all the best in your endeavors and always keep an eye at the compression equipment you are wearing, it better be good!