Please don't hate me....but its 75 and sunny

Yikes! I am very very late to the party, but happy 2011! I can't believe this is my first post this year! Opps.... slacker, much?!


I hope you all had a lovely holiday season. I know I did! I got to see James for the first time in 5 months! That was such a lovely treat. Although it's super tough being apart again, I get to see him in a month which makes things a little bit easier! Long distance thing sucks, but it does make the time we have together THAT much more special.

Here's a picture from when we went to the farmer's market, and another from when we went to an all you can eat Korean BBQ place. Hey. I need all the protein I can get! haha, well, that's what I told myself as I managed to stuff my face.

Well onto the training front! I am on a streak! I haven't had a rest day since mid-December! Haha, with the Holiday Break from school and work, I have had the pleasure of working out to my heart's contempt. Does it make me a weirdo, the fact that I look forward to the holidays so I can fit in MORE exercise rather than taking a break from it? haha. Maybe I am a little cookoo.

Well anyways. Yesterday was a GLORIOUS bike training day.

Please don't hate me. I know a lot of the country is snowed in.

Southern CA? 75 degrees. Clear. Sunny. Flowers on the side of the road. Shimmering blue beaches. BEAUTIFUL. I got a tan.

It's 70 degrees again today, and gonna be 80 over the weekend.

Don't hate me. ;)

I was really excited becasue my friend from the grad program got a bike for Christmas, and wanted to take it out for a spin. It worked out perfect because I was planning for a long ride too!

She introduced me to a new bike ride, which was.... OMG SO breathtakingly beautiful.

We rode up and down one of the most expensive zip codes in Southern CA; Palos Verdes. It was a perfect morning for a ride, with the sun, ocean views, and rolling hills. I haven't ridden hills in a long time, so I was a bit apprehensive about how my legs would hold up, but since I need all the hill training I can get for the Napa Half Ironman in July (!!!!Gahhhh!!!) I went for it.

But with views like this..... I seriously did NOT even notice many of the uphills! I was literally having SO much fun marveling at the views and enjoying my new bike buddy and having such a blast that the first 20 miles literally FLEW by. BTW, my friend, who was only on her fourth ride EVER, totally kicked SO much butt! I wish I was that much of a baller rider on my fourth ride!
I mean.... seriously. How beautiful can it get? I was captivated. My friend and I schemed ways to live in some of the ocean front mansion properties along the ride. Donations for my Mansion Fund are currently being accepted, if you feel so inclined :)

I thought the hills would kill me, but one thing I hadn't realized it how much energy you can recoup and save when going downhill. The good thing about rolling hills is that after every uphill is a downhill. Coasting down the hills helped me conserve a lot of energy, and sometimes, I would even be able to get halfway up the next hill without even pedalling, from all the momentum I gained going downhill!

I have been doing rides that are flat as a pancake, and though that's nice too, you have to constantly be pedaling. There is no opportunity to stop pedaling and coast, like you can when going downhill. It's a very constant effort, as opposed to rolling hills, which is intense effort followed by less effort. Kind of like interval training, I guess. I didn't realize how much this constantly varying effort levels would keep things fun and interesting.

But of course, the views were the best part! After the first 20 miles, my friend went home, but I just HAD to take advantage of this perfect weather. After saying goodbye, I set out with the intention of doing maybe ten more miles, but it was just SO MUCH FUN I ended up doing the entire 20 mile loop again, for a total of 40 miles. Fatigue set in big time at mile 35 and my quads hated every hill for the next five miles, and I was definitely glad to give my legs a break as soon as I hit 40 miles. But dang! That was a fun ride.
I definitely will have to come back here for some major ass kicking hill rides and bricks. I am so terrified and excited at the same time. 6 months till I am a half Ironman! gahhh!

Though it's time for me to finally switch gears and start writing my paper I have been putting off for two weeks, I hope you all have a wonderful Friday and weekend! OOH! And it's a long weekend too! yay