I have moved...

I have been working for over a week in hopes of not having to post this post, alas here it it.

The Tough Chik blog has moved. The new URL is http://toughchik.wordpress.com.

I would LOVE it if you would follow me over there.

Thank you!

Change VS Routine

My husband would always tease me that I hate change. "Woooo, change...baaaddd..." And I recently had an Ahh Haa moment (Oh, Oprah...I miss you so!) and discovered that it isn't that I hate change, that isn't it at all. I moved to LA from Dallas not knowing a soul or even vising the state with my husband of 6 months with a smile and excitement. I left a 9 to 5 (maybe not by choice) to start my own business with optimism and enthusiasm. These are not the actions of someone who is afraid of change. I have attacked new sports like a wild, crazed woman...I mean the San Francisco Full Marathon was my first race ever (not even a 5K). Ok, so maybe I am a smidgen insane.

The fact is that I strive on routine. I am at my best professionally, physically and athletically when I have a routine. Even though I had a soul crushing 9 to 5 desk job, it was a ridged schedule where I woke up at the same time, had a morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack and a gym routine. Now that I am running a business and my schedule is a little more flexible, you would think that this new freedom would be liberating...not to me...

I like lists, schedules, expectations and agendas. Some may call this organized or Type-A or (the less appealing) anal but it is me. I was discussing this with my mom and she said it is the way I have always been. She has always referred to me as "cautious", especially as a child. One of her favorite stories is that when she had her first meeting with my kindergarten teacher, the teacher told her that they were concerned with me because I didn't really play with the other kids on the playground...I just stood by and watched. My mom told the teacher not to worry, I was just checking everything out and I would be out there when I felt comfortable. Which was true, a few weeks into the school year, I was just another kid on the playground.

I don't really know if that cautious personality has anything to do with my love of routine, but they are two big aspects of my personality. Even when I am on vacation, I am always happy to get back to my routine, my food, my bed, my schedule. Don't get me wrong, I love time off and I don't go into a tail-spin if something interrupts my day, I just find comfort in structure.

As summer begins and all of your kids are off, how has your routine changed? Do you thrive on routine like me or are you more of a free spirit? I have a theory that folks that participate in runs, races, triathlons, etc. tend to be like me..."a little type-a". I think we are attracted (or not intimidated by) the rigors of training. Thoughts???

ALC final toughts

First off, thank you to all of you comments about my wisdom teeth. I guess I shouldn't have waited until I was in my, ummm, mid-thirties. Thanks to ltlindian, I am now rinsing my mouth with salt water and now I really hate Patrick. Sorry Patrick, but running THAT day? I hate you.

So back to ALC, I have dragged this on long enough and now I will wrap it up in a little bow.

Final numbers:
Miles: 546.7
Climbing: 22,800 ft
Days: 7
Nights in a tent: 6 (5 too many)
Showers in a trailer: 6
Visits to sports medicine: 3
Lbs gained/lost: +1 (WTF)
Cookies consumed: 8 (hence +1 lb)
Gallons on Powerade: too many to count
Visits to port-o-potty: do you really want to know? I don't...
Tough Chik jerseys worn: 6

Things I did right:
1) I forgot casual socks (only brought cycling) but after my shower each night I just put on the socks for the next day. One less thing to pack and one less item to think about the AM.
2) Brought a new outfit for each day. Some people did laundry on the ride and didn't bring 7 jersey/short combos. For one thing, it is one more thing to worry about and I had a hard time getting my "quick drying" camp towel to dry before I packed it. Can't imagine trying to get a chamois to dry.
3) Trained - one guy told us he went on one 15 mile training ride and a spin class! WHAT! The average Joe can't roll off the couch and ride 545 miles. And if you can, you won't enjoy it.

Items I packed and didn't use:
1) Food - they had plenty and I was too lazy to pack mine up each morning
2) My own electrolyte powder - see 1
3) Makeup - yeah I didn't care about looking cute...way to tired
4) A book - to tired or busy with other "activities - i.e. cycling" to read
5) Long sleeved jersey - base layer, short sleeve jersey and arm warmers were a good combo for me. I did use a wind breaker and rain poncho as well.

Item I wish I had:
1) Cleat covers - I was digging dirt and mud out of my cleats at every rest stop
2) A better way to charge my phone - the solar charger didn't get enough sun at camp and I had know way to charge while riding
3) Lip protection - I had chap stick in my overnight bag but not on the bike. Big mistake.
4) More/Better costumes - When in Rome...
5) Air Mattress and Sheets - We had 2 sub-zero, arctic, polar, igloo-type sleeping bag that cause me to sweat my you-know-what off every night. I figured that our 2 huge sleeping blags and sleeping mats were probably just as big, if not bigger than an air mattress, pump and sheets.
6) Hotel key - I am glad we camped the first time, I really think you get the full experience by camping every night. Next time I am going to "princess-it" and stay at a hotel 2 or 3 night, just to get some good sleep.

If you are considering doing this ride, let me know! I will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. I was a great experience and I am so happy we did it! I will definitely do it again, maybe not next year (I have other goals I want to accomplish), but again.

Ok, Ok, I was wrong...

I was going to post my final thoughts on ALC, and I still plan on that, but I had to get this out there.

I was wrong.

I don't like to admit that I was wrong, I mean..who does? But in this case I am freely admitting that I WAS WRONG, WAY WRONG!!!

I grossly underestimated the pain and recovery time of wisdom teeth removal. Yeah, sorry it isn't anything more dramatic like I was wrong about Global Warming or Organic Produce. I was wrong when I thought I could get my wisdom teeth yanked on Friday and be cool by Sunday, Monday at the latest. So here I sit on Wednesday morning, eating my umteenth bowl of oatmeal on a strict regime of Vicodin and prescription strength Motrin. (don't get too excited, it is barely enough to take the edge off of my aching jaw)

On the ALC ride, in passing I mentioned to my hubs that I was getting my wisdom teeth pulled on the following Friday.

Marc: "What!"
Me: "I am getting my wisdom teeth pulled, are you going to be around? I might not be able to drive home.."
Marc: "What! No, you won't be able to drive home and yes I will be around."
Me: "It is just teeth, I have had teeth pulled before and it was no big deal. I will be fine."
Marc: "Oh, okay..." (in a voice like I am crazy...)
(scene goes to black)

Fast forward one week to dentist office
Receptionist: "Are you scared?"
Me: "No."

X-Ray Tech: "Are you scared?"
Me: "No."

Dental Assistant: "Are you scared?"
Me: "No? Should I be"

Friday was a blur, I think I was awake about 8 hours all day. Saturday I woke up to cheeks like a Chipette and headache that would put any Champagne hangover to shame.

Finally after I broke down on Monday night, (I haven't been able to work out since the Ride! I had severe tendonitis in my knee after the ride and then this, so NO physical activity in over a week and a half and the pain meds might make me emotional) my husband looked at me and said what did you think that it was going to be like?

I don't know really, I guess I just thought that when I had my teeth pulled in junior high (baby teeth pulled for braces) it wasn't that big of a deal. I thought after emergency surgery on my arm with 2 metal plates and 24 screws, teeth weren't that big of a deal. I guess I just didn't think.

My husband was baffled. See, I research everything and it is very unlike me to not have this all planned out. The surgery its self, the recovery time, etc. I didn't spend any time researching any aspect of the procedure.

I am still in a lot of pain, is this normal? Have you ever had this procedure and still in a lot of pain 6 days later? I have a post op appointment on Friday, so hopefully I can find out what is going on.

AIDS Lifecycle 10 - Recap days 6 & 7

DAY 6 Lompoc to Ventura (86 miles, appx 3,500 ft climbing)
By day six the aches and pains of sleeping on the ground surrounded by loud snoring men and the toll of averaging 80 some odd miles a day being to creep up on you. I overheard many conversations of people describing themselves as "cranky" and I was accused of being less than amicable on an occasion or two. I will admit it, I was grumpy BUT I was not alone. Even for seasoned cyclists, this is not an easy ride and add camping and no/little/poor sleep, it will wear on even the most up beat of people (at least that is my excuse). The amazing aspect of this ride is that even when you aren't feeling great or in a bit of a funk, there is always someone or something to snap you out of it.

Today that was the City of Santa Barbara (or possibly the Santa Barbara Chamber?? - I am not sure who to give the credit too). Each year Santa Barbra sets up there own rest stop for us completely separate from ALC. They are happy that we are creating massive chaos in a highly tourist trafficked area?? In all seriousness, they appreciate what we are doing and want to show their gratitude. Even though there are boxes and boxes of snacks at each rest stop, they are the same boxes and boxes so a little variety is pretty exciting. We had ice cream and table of topping, cookies, pastries and the freshest fruit cup! In my normal cycling would I EVER (like never ever) eat diary on a ride, I honestly can't tell you the last time I had real ice cream. I rarely treat myself to frozen yogurt, but I ponyed up to a big bowl of Mocha Chocolate Chip with chocolate syrup. The rest of the day was pretty flat, so I wasn't too concerned.

Santa Barbara Rest Stop - Day 6

I left Santa Barbara in a sugar comma and craving an apple like none other. I love apples, eat at least one a day and now I was on day 7 with out an apple, so I was Jonesing.

Rest Stop 4 Day 6

At camp that night was the candle light vigil and it was a very moving and beautiful ceremony. I am lucky enough to not know anyone (or know that know) with HIV/AIDS but I was surrounded by people holding photographs of friends or relatives that they had lost. You could hear the sobs of those who the wounds were still fresh and the anguish on the faces of those who have struggled with the lost for decades. I am glad I stayed up to witness the ceremony (trust me, 9:30 was way past my camp bedtime).

Day 7 - Ventura to Los Angeles (60 miles, appx 2,000 ft. climbing)

Today was filled with a lot of "this is the last time...", some with a sigh of disappointment but mostly with a sign of relief.

"This is the last time I will fold up the wet tent."
"This is the last time I will have to drag my luggage to a U-haul across wet grass."
"This is the last time I will brush my teeth using a water bottle and my water source."

You get the idea. We decided to ride day 7 together. Marc and I had ridden the whole ride together, but Molly was not with us. We felt it would be a great way to end the ride. That lasted to the first rest stop, I was good in theory but didn't work for anyone. Molly was being pushed past her comfort zone and Marc and I were getting antsy watching all the other cyclist pass. We mutually decided that it would be better to just meet up with Team OC and the Starbucks along the route and ride in together. But we were able to get in some fun photos before we departed.

Day 7 was cold and misty, like many mornings along the coast in June. We rode along the coast through Malibu and watched dolphins in the surf, pretty amazing. We were then routed on to a multi-use path along the beach to Santa Monica. In Santa Monica we had to get off our bikes, walk down a flight of stairs, take a tunnel under PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) and the take a flight of stairs up the other side. Before the flight of stairs down, was a ramp. I picked up my bike, started to walk down the ramp and slipped and fell hard on my backside. My only "wreck" of the week and I wasn't even on the bike. I was okay, a little shaken up and embarrassed but I was fine to finish the ride.

The closing ceremony was great with a speech by Jane Lynch of Glee and a board member of the LA Gay and Lesbian Center.

WE MADE IT!!

Cheerleaders at the finish line

Closing Ceremony

Jane Lynch

It was a great ride and I really challenged and enjoyed myself. My next post I will give you my final thoughts, reflections and what I learned.

THANK YOU to all of my supporters, I couldn't do it without you!

AIDS Lifecycle 10 - Recap days 4 & 5

I failed to mention that on Day 3 my right knee really started to bother me. I went to sports medicine at lunch and they looked at my knee. The volunteer PT (I can't even begin to explain how awesome these volunteers are) told me that my inner right quad was weak and the strained muscle was pulling on my knee cap. She stretched me out and told me to stretch at every stop and visit the sports med tent at camp. I took a few ibuprofen and continued the ride.

DAY 4 - Paso Robles to Santa Maria (98 miles, appx 4,000 ft climbing)
Devastation...my trip computer is no longer working!! I think the battery is dieing and I am not getting my data consistently. This really bums me out because I feel so accomplished at the end of a ride when I scroll through the stats of a ride. I didn't realize how much I also rely on it to pace myself.

This was my favorite day of riding, I LOVED IT! Today we had a climb titled the "Evil Twins" but the name was much more scary than the climb. At one point I even asked Marc "Was that it?", but I am a climber and we live in a very hilly, mountainous area so we trained with a lot of climbing. All of the climbing resulted in some fun and fast decents plus some wicked fast flats. At one point we had a great pace line going and the train speed across the gorgeous farmlands (although we were riding way to fast to enjoy them). Yes, I was the only chik involved and I loved every minute of it! It was so much fun and the highlight of the cycling portion of the trip!

Day 4 was the continuation of Marc's mystery flat, he was NOT a happy camper. The tire was flat when he got to his bike in the morning and once again he took off the tube and tire and check everything and NO evidence of the culprit of these flats. So, we aired it up and went on our way. It was a slow leak and after rest stop 1 he would have to pull over every 5 miles or so and air up the tire just to make it to the next rest stop. Finally at rest stop 2, I believe, he got the the 5th tube that held air for the rest of the ride.

Marc at the mechanics tent at Rest Stop 2

Day 4 was also the half way to LA, they had a bunch of signs you could stand next to and take your photo, but it was cold and Marc was still having flat issues at this point so we didn't stand in line for the photo op. Instead I just climbed on a rock and took this photo without the sign, but trust me...I was half way to LA.

Pinky and I are half way to LA!!

Another fun photo...

Rest Stop 2, Day 4

DAY 5 - Santa Maria to Lompoc (42 miles, appx 2,300 ft climbing)
Day 5 is Dress Red Day (or Red Dress Day) on the ALC ride. Everyone is encouraged to wear red and most end up wearing a red dress. I was really amazed how much people get into this and what they are able to ride in! The route was changed from previous years due to a terrible headwind that wiped everyone out, so instead we climbed! In my opinion, these were some of the more difficult climbs of the ride and since they were new, we had no warning or scary names to associate with them. If the route stays the same for next year, I am sure they will be named. This ride was exactly like the riding we did when we lived in the South Bay of LA. If you have ever ridden in Palos Verdes, it is just like this, so we were right at home. This was Marc's favorite day of ridding. It was nice a short, but all the climbing really did a number on my knee. The previous night I went back to sports medicine and they looked at the knee. I was told to come back in the morning to get taped and that is what I did. The K tape or Kineso tape helped but I was still hurting. This was a fun day full of fun costumes, enjoy!

I am not sure if the guy in the right rode in that, but I wouldn't be surprised...

Check out the guy on the left's shoes! He raised his seat and had a cleat in one, so he could only upstroke with one leg...amazing...

I thought this group was so cute and with the hats on their helmets, but they were freezing....it was not warm...

Marc and I at Rest Stop 2, Day 5, obviously very under dresses (newbies)

Stay tuned for the last recap, days 6 & 7!!

AIDS Lifecycle 10 - Recap days 1-3

As most of you know, last week I rode from San Francisco to Los Angeles, 545 mile, over 7 days. This was the 10th AIDS Lifecycle fundraiser and we raised a record 13 million dollars, making ALC 10 the single largest HIV/AIDS fundraiser on the planet! Day 1, Sunday the 5th marked the 30th anniversary of the first 3 reported cases of HIV/AIDS in LA.

This was my first ALC (AIDS Lifecycle) and I really didn't know what to expect. We had a brunch back in December where one on the TRLs (Training Ride Leader) told me it is the worse vacation you will want to take over and over. When he said that, I thought it sounded pretty harsh but now I know what he meant. More on that later...

I tried to blog from the road and I started out pretty good, but as fatigue set in and my phone battery died, so did my messages. I am going to try and recap my ride but to be honest, the days are starting to run together.

There are many aspects of this ride, one the riding itself, two the charity/fundraising component and three the community and life on the road. I will start off with the first 3 days, so this won't be too long!

Here is Marc and I on Day 1 on the side of the road, that is not lip stick...chapped lips!

The cycling was fantastic! I am a die-hard Texan and like most Texans, I love my state BUT California is amazing and beautiful. This ride gave us the opportunity to see parts of CA that you normally wiz by on the freeway. We had climbing and flats, rollers and some great descends, a little bit of everything and normally you had a taste of all of it each day.

DAY 1 - San Francisco to Santa Cruz (82.5 miles, 5,307 ft climbing) - Due to a route change Day 1 was a little more difficult than years past. We had over 5,000 ft of climbing which was right up my alley. Rain threatened us all day but never showed up. I was on a strict regime of DayQuil and Advil Cold & Sinus and felt pretty good until the last 20 miles when I started to fade.

Each day we typically have 4 rest stops and a lunch stop overflowing with snacks, PowerAide, medical services, mechanical services and port-o-pottys. Each stop had a theme with amazing people cheering us one and of course entertaining us!

Rest Stop 2 Day 1

Rest Stop 3 Day 1


Day 1 was also the start of the camping adventure. I am not much of a camper, a trooper but not a camper (hee hee). So this was the part of the adventure I was dreading the most. After you drop off your bike at bike parking, you have to walk quite a distance to your assigned U-haul to pick up your luggage and tent. Then tramp across a camp ground to your assigned 8' x 8' plot of grass and set up your tent (all in your cycling shoes & cleats). After the first few days it became routine and not a big deal.

Tent City - Not the best photo, but you can see the hundreds and hundreds of tents. With 3,000 cyclist and volunteers, that would be roughly 1500 tents!

DAY 2 Santa Cruz to King City (107 miles 3,200 ft climbing) - Santa Cruz was bit of a logistical challenge for us. We had to utilize a bike path and were only allowed to release 100 cyclist at a time. We were parked near the front of the parking lot, so it took us a little under an hour just to get out of parking and another hour and half to get out of the city due to all the lights.

ALC traffic jam - Santa Cruz

Many cyclist had issues completing the route in time. Each day the route was open from 6:30 AM to 7:00 PM. Which seems like a lot but once you add the all the traffic and length of the route (107 miles) many did not make it (plus Day 1 was pretty tough if you are not use to climbing). Marc and I made it back to camp around 5 PM but Molly was 5 minutes in front of the sweep! She made it and we were sooooo proud, we were told over 700 cyclist took a bus to camp!

Day 2 was rough on me, the hardest day for me. We had some harsh cross winds and rollers that wiped me out. Plus I think the cold wasn't helping me with my recovery from day 1.

Rest Stop 2 - Day 2

There is a local woman know as the Cookie Lady, who bakes cookies for all the cyclist and passes them out at a rest stop. I LOVE COOKIES and this was a huge motivation on a day where I wasn't "feeling it"

Cookie Lady and Shannon AKA "cookie monster" - BEST.COOKIE.EVA!!!


DAY 3 King City to Paso Robles (67 miles, 2,500 ft climbing) - Day 3 included a climb called Quadbuster, a little steep at times but we had much much more difficult climbs on our training rides, so we were well prepared. Day 3 was also the start of Marc's mysterious flat problem. It started on the 101, where we rode on the freeway on the worst concrete possible. It was so broken up that your body just rattled down the road.

Marc with his flat on the 101 as a semi speed past.

He took the tube off and checked the tube, tire, rim...nothing?? So we aired it up and went on our way.

Day 3 was also filled with warm hearts and giving souls. We rode through the small town of Bradley, CA (population 120) where the students host a fundraising lunch each year. They grill up burgers and hot dogs to raise money for their sports programs and the ALC riders were eating it up (figuratively and literally). Our final rest stop of the day was at the oldest mission in CA. For the past 3 years ALC Rest Stop 4 took up donations for the mission. Last year they raise $3,000, more than the annual budget!

Rest Stop 4 - Day 3 accepting donations for the mission - and yes that is a pregnant man in a leotard with a pack of smokes in his top. What else would you expect to see at a mission?

Mission Photos

Stay tuned for the rest of the trip, next up Days 4 & 5!!!