My longest ride until
then was 65 miles during a heavily supported Bike MS ride. That was in 2013, a
year after having had Jason. I had signed up in 2011 to participate in Bike MS
at a Lavaman Pre-race expo. The Bike MS Hawaii: Go Big or Go Home Ride covers
the entire Ironman course over 2 days, and I figured it was a great way to experience
the ride, just in case I ever wanted to do Ironman. Candice the race
coordinator even gave me a pair of cycling socks to seal the deal. July of that
year I found out I was pregnant with Jason. The lingering hope to still
participate in the August race was quickly dissolved after having Jason on
April 20th. I had no idea what the demands of motherhood would
entail, but still felt guilty that I kept the socks. So the following year Al
and I signed up again and competed the event, becoming Top Fundraisers on
behalf of my mother-in law and support crew extraordinaire Susan, who was
diagnosed with MS several years ago.
Riding 65 miles one day and then 55 the next was a huge
accomplishment for me. Before getting into triathlon it was hard to even get me
on a bike. My dad was the cyclist in our family. He would go on long rides with
his brother, my Uncle Brett. It’s amazing my parents found the time to take
care of four kids, run their own business, and still get in all of the extras
like playing their own sports. It’s important to find time for the fun stuff,
and my parents set great examples of finding balance in that way. It was
probably a lot like what my life is like now.
My childhood biking experience was riding mountain bikes around the neighborhood
or while camping. Choosing to ride was never my idea. You can ask my husband, who
went on a ride with me while we lived in California. We still joke about
that outing because I could hardly make it to the park and back without
throwing in the towel.
When I moved to Hawaii I immediately started working at The
Club in Kona, one of the gyms in town. As an employee we could take as many
fitness classes as we wanted, so I tried everything. I’ve always been into
exercise and I enjoyed yoga classes, Body Jam, and Spinning. Tina Walters
taught a 90 min spin class that knocked your socks off. She is a former
professional triathlete and mother, and now runs a massage school in Kona, Medical
Massage Therapy. One day I asked her, how far do you think we ride in class? “Oh,
about 25 miles,” she told me. Isn’t the bike for Lavaman 26 miles? Hmmm…. And a
triathlete in training I became at that moment.
I signed up for Lavaman and began training. The gym hosted a
Lavaman Workshop for people new to triathlon. I borrowed a mountain bike from a
fellow employee and went on Tina’s bike training which included riding on the
road, learning how to shift, and how not to draft. I had no clue what I was
doing, but was able to keep up, although I was last in the group. I didn’t
care, and I prefer the back so would I have nobody around me. I still like a
big bubble of space. Eventually I went to a Cycle Station to look for road
bikes but being an anti-cyclist I opted to stick with the mountain bike and my
tennis shoes for my first triathlon. After all, that might be the last time I
ever rode a bike, I figured. The tire didn’t even fit in the designated racks when I got to Waikoloa,
being too fat, so I staged my transition area by the fence. The second transition for my first triathlon
was super-fast. I just got off that bike and ran.
Eventually I bought a used rental road bike, Betty, from
Bike Works and used that until getting my tri-bike this year, Baby Blue. Clip
shoes only came in when Bree Wee offered me a pair of her old ones, and they
actually fit. (I still currently use her bike shoes.) I’ve even worked my way
up to wearing a tri-kit. My first long ride I wore bike short liners under a
pair of bike shorts for padding. I even used that combo for Bike MS and
for Honu last year, changing in the tent for the transitions. After using my
Swim Bike Mom kit from Tri*fe I will never wear bike shorts again.
I eventually learned how to change my bike tire, how to
shift properly, and the little tips and tricks of racing like not inflating
tires to full PSI to avoid bursting a tube in T1 as the sun comes up over the mountain.
I taught Lavaman 101 camps and helped other people change flat tires too.
As I set off to ride my first 80 I had a great plan. I
prepped my gear, worked from 6-8am and was about to leave Trunk Trainers when
Jeff texted me to go for 100 if I could. I didn’t have any “real food” so I got
a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from Pink Mocha and a banana, and set out to
Scenic Point. I parked and was planning on doing laps until I got my mileage
in. My car was my aid station and I could do hill repeats on scenic hill, a two
mile incline that is one of three main hills on the Ironman course. I arrived later
than I wanted to, just before 9am, and pulled my bike out of the back of my
car. A little group of Coffee Talk Riders were taking a break, and I chatted
with Gerd and Jan before getting my gear on, putting my fuel and water on my
bike, and setting out. Halfway down scenic hill I couldn’t remember if I locked
my car, and scenic can be a targeted location for theft. It's a tourist stop
and a little isolated when no cars turn in, so I turned around to make sure it was
locked. Then out toward town, looped back after Four Seasons, and out to Hapuna
I went. Until I hit Waikoloa. If it seems like a hectic start, it was.
25 miles into the ride my phone rang. Being in a safe spot on the
wide shoulder, I pulled over to check it. Lexie was at home watching the boys
so Jeff could work, and the gym was being rented for a private yoga class. Even
when I’m out on the road I am still mom and business owner, and must be
available, just in case. Work call. Back on the bike, but this time something
felt different. The shoulder along the Queen Kaahumanu Highway is bumpy and
raised, and sometimes it’s hard to find a smooth ride. I think that is why so
many cyclists risk life and injury riding on the white line. I am always paranoid
I have flat tire when I don’t, but I stopped to inspect my tires anyway. Front
looked good. Back had a big split right down the center. Uh Oh. I think through
my options. Number one, call Velofix. Nick might be available to come out and
fix it. Call Jeff. That would be the end of the ride. Blue Hawaiian Helicopters
was less than a half mile away. I had thought of stopping there already for a
bathroom break. For the past 10 miles I was checking the landscape to
pull over for a pit stop, but the barren landscape left little coverage.
Blue Hawaiian it was. I limped over to the office, one foot
clipped in and the other ready for anything. One of their agents, Dominic,
agreed to give me a ride over to Bike Works Beach and Sport in the Queen shops
about 5 miles away. I was back in business. Another example of the spirit
of Aloha in action.
Here’s where the average part comes in. Zach, my very
qualified mechanic started firing off questions. That is, after he told me I
rode that tire for all it was worth. How old were the tires? Um, I don’t know,
I got the bike used and didn’t have the history. How much did I inflate the
tires that morning? Well, ya see, I was distracted and forgot to pump them up.
Did you know you can lose 10 PSI per day from a bike tire? My front tire (which
was fine) was a 45 PSI. It’s supposed to be 110. Oops. What kind of chain oil
do I use? Chain oil? To keep the chain healthy you need to oil it every third
ride. Every ride if possible. My chain was dry.
So I’m not a bike mechanic. And I don’t expect to know
everything about bike maintenance. But I realized I need to pay more attention
to my bike and its upkeep than I have in the past. Not just for it to last as
long as possible, but for safety. The tire was split and bulging out the side.
If it had blown while I was going 25 MPH down Scenic Hill (yes, an average
Ironmom, I go that slow) things could have gotten ugly. If the chain breaks, I could
swerve and crash. I was feeling pretty incompetent and growing more and more embarrassed,
as Janet, the shop owner, an acquaintance, and a role model for me was sitting
there witnessing my inexperience. And I am supposed to be doing Ironman this
year. Not just doing, preparing to teach others triathlon too. I should know
this stuff.
We wrapped things up, added two water bottle holders to my
seat (I was going to bring the boys out there the next day to get the holders anyway),
and was on my way for the rest of my ride. I didn’t have time for the 100 due
to the 20 minutes it took to get the sandwich, and the 35 minutes for the tire
mishap, but at least I got to use the bathroom in the food court. I ate a
banana and honey stinger waffle while I waited too.
I finished my ride with a new tire, both tires inflated
properly, with a freshly oiled chain and confidence nothing else looked like it
could break at any moment. 7 ½ hours from the start of the training day, $160, and a few
bike maintenance lessons later, I was finally headed home. On the way I ate the
extra banana and PBJ.
I had mixed feelings about the day. In one way, I was proud of riding 80 miles for the first time. On the other hand, I was out there alone, and something really bad could have happened because of a few easy things I could have done to prevent a crash. I was being pretty hard on myself until I realized, it’s ok to not know something. I do know a lot about cycling. More than I ever thought I would. I have done my homework, and there are a few lessons I’m getting to now. And we learn more every day.
I feel like I am still in denial that I am actually a
cyclist. I would never call myself that. I call myself a swimmer, runner, and
triathlete. But never a cyclist. Even though I can get on a bike with clip
shoes, use aerobars, and ride 6+ hours. I guess I felt like an annual tune up
would be enough, and deal with things as they come. Or someone else would tell
me if I should do something more. I have gotten away with 10 years of doing the
bare minimum on the bike. But now I can’t afford to forget something. With
Ironmom training, you have to take all safety precautions.
So as I prepare for the rest of my training I will have
buddies out there with me, or someone to follow behind me with a vehicle. Dot
has volunteered to follow me this weekend for my first attempt at 100 miles. This
time I will be more careful with my pre-ride prep to do whatever it takes to
make it to the starting line 100% ready to go.
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