Remember how I couldn’t look behind me or drink my watterbottle while I rode my bike….not anymore, I mastered BOTH skills throughout my century yesterday.
Let’s start from the start. I woke up grumpy. It was rainy and cold outside and I had no desire to workout for the next rest of my life, by myself (Billy had his LSAT class so he couldn’t come) and in the cold and wind.
I ate two bowls of Frosted Flakes and a PB sandwich and drove down to the start. I had bike problems at the starting line, I was shivering and we ALL went the wrong way for the first two miles up a CRAZY hill that made my heart cry. And then my eyes cried a little, I know, I am such a girl.
I decided that moment that I needed to make the BEST of the situation whether or not the wind was trying to ruin my life.
I started talking to people around me and tried to learn everything I could from different veterans that I rode with. By mile 15 I found my groove and my whole attitude changed.
I loved every single moment.
Especially the food part obviously;) Laffy Taffy’s > than chomps/shot blocks because they taste a trillion times better and the jokes on the back are awesome.
The best ‘trail mix’ I have ever made.
I know I don’t normally drink SODA (especially pepsi/coke due to my previous ADDICTION) but that Pepsi has NEVER tasted so good.
There was also pretzels galore, fruit by the handfulls and cookies that were consumed. While running I never get really hungry but I couldn’t believe how hungry cycling made me especially becuase of all the effort I was putting into digging through the wind (drafting scares me).
The scenery was TO DIE FOR. I couldn’t believe it. Our world is incredible.
Note to self: When your aunt tells you it is a flat course, do not believe her. Yes, there was a lot of flat areas but at least 8 crazy hills with people walking their bikes up them.
I did end up with a flat tire that took FOREVER to change at mile 80 because I forgot to bring a spare tube (not the best thing to forget) and I did spend about 15 minutes total at lunch and the other aid stations but I was on the bike for about 5 hours and 56 minutes.
GUESS WHO LEFT CLASS EARLY TO SURPRISE ME?!?! My best friend. He found me at mile 85 and I cried happy tears when I saw him.
Awful form, I know but my back was getting tired and was having a hard time holding my head up.
I took my favorite beta alanine before the ride and my leg muscles never felt fatigued…..a combination of the beta alanine (prevents hydrogen buildup) and being too busy having fun = no muscles screaming.
And I finished!
Animals within 4 feet of me during the ride.
1. Rattle snake. 3 feet long. Not being dramatic here, everyone was freaking out about it.
2. 5,000 grasshoppers and I only accidently ran over 3,000 of them.
3. Baby goats, the cutest things I have ever seen.
4. Cows. Way too many of them and they stunk SO bad but at least it helped me SPRINT to get away from the smell.
5. A dolphin at mile 98 on the 40% incline. Okay, maybe that was just my deliriousness but I swear I saw one.
COOLEST FINISHING MEDAL EVER and asesome Garmin tan line right?!?!
And the best news of all….I LOVED IT. As soon as I got home and before I showered (to Billy’s dismay) I was already looking up for another century to sign-up for. Um, dare I tell you that an Ironman next summer crossed through my mind at least 4 times a mile……
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Have you done an Ironman? Have you ever thought about doing a full or a 1/2 ironman?
What is one of YOUR fitness goals?!?!
Favorite laffy taffy flavor?!?!
-Grape
What has been your favorite race ‘medal’? Have you ever gotten anything different than the classic race medal?
you kick SO MUCH butt it’s just insane! and more than anything, i love that you LOVED it. so often people talk about races/sporting events and how they HATED every moment of it… and it’s like.. wtf. that’s a horrible way to live!
anyway, you rule :) well done!
will you be sad to hear that i’ve never had laffy taffy? :( cos i feel sad telling you that!! it’s not sold here = lizzi is sad.
BUTTTTTT grape is nearly always my favourite flavour in everything! and apple! does it come in apple flavour?! cos that would rock my world.
Wow! This sounds insane and so much fun! Love the finishing medel :)
Never commented before, but just wanted to congratulate you on the fantastic ride. You have such an amazing attitude towards all things in life. You truly inspire me every-time I read your blog. You exude such confidence and I can only thank you for sharing your adventures through your blog.
I’m one of your readers all the way from Australia and am attempting my first 1/2 marathon in 21 days!! (the Melbourne Marathon Festival). It is one of my fitness goals.
I have no clue what ‘laffy taffy’ is! Not sure if you can get it here in Aus! I swear that we have less than 1/3 of all the food products you can get in other countries. I guess that’s what you get when you live on a huge island continent at the bottom of the world!
VICTORIA!! Thank you so so so much for your comment, you absolutely made my day! AUSTRALIA…that is awesome, I want to come visit. I am SO excited for your first 1/2 in TWENTY-ONE DAYS!! Will you PLEASE let me know how it goes and I need to send you some candy from America:)
Wow, you make me want to do a Century :) I have a brand new road bike and itching to take it out!! I wonder if there are any in Canada!?! :) Congrats on the accomplishment and I am kinda jealous of your medal!!
you are my hero!!! seriously Janae you are so inspirational!!! My fitness goal is to do my half that is in 2 weeks in under 2 hours!!!hopefully I can do it!!!
Favorite laughy taffy? green apple? or strawberry?
And my fave medal was one I got after my first half cuz I was so proud I did it!!!
My magic 8 ball, just told me that an IRONMAN is in your future.
haha! this just made me laugh really hard.
I trust your Magic 8 ball! How about we do it together!?!?!
Dolphins in Utah, makes total sense! I see whales in upstate NY all the time at the end of my long runs ;)
Awesome job Janae – you will be an Iron(wo)man some day, I just know it!
AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME job!!! I am so proud of you. You are definitely an inspiration to me! Your husband rocks for surprising you!
Amazing job!! I am absolutely loving your refueling choices… swedish fish? Yes freakin please :)
One of my fitness goals is to actually take a REST after the fall racing season is over…my body needs it
My favorite flavor is Strawberry!
Way to go, Janae! : )
I would like to do a 1/2 Ironman someday, but I’m not an especially strong swimmer. I’m super s.l.o.w.
One fitness goal is to lift weights more often!
Laffy Taffy is one of my all time favorite candies. I love cherry and sour apple flavors.
I think my favorite race medal is from my first marathon (San Francisco). A couple of the smaller races I’ve done have given coffee mugs and/or pint glasses which I actually use, so that’s nice.
Your bracelet is lovely!
Wow… seriously, you rock :) Congratulations!
Congrats on your century ride! I struggle to bike 10 miles, so 100 is awesome!
YOU ARE FREAKING AMAZING!!!! Congrats on your awesome ride!!!! And I love that Billy was able to surprise you during the ride- I bet that totally pumped you up at that moment :)
You rocked that race, how awesome are the snacks. Never heard of Beta Alanine before reading your blog … but then again I’ve never done anything to warrant needing it, mmmm I must rectify that one day :-)
Well done x
This is so amazing!! I am heading out for a 20 mile run this morning (my first ever!!) and I am so inspired! I am totally going to think of you when I am out there!! You are so awesome :)
I’ve never commented here but read your blog daily. I’ve done two Ironman races and a bunch of half-IMs and you definitely are creating a good base to do either. I hope you can experience one of these eventually! Way to go on your century. Is your neck and upper back sore today? Mine is always a mess after long rides.
ALLISON!! Thank you so much for commenting! It made me so happy! TWO IRONMANS and a bunch of 1/2 IMs….you are my HERO!! Any advice for me. YES, my upper back is crazy sore and so are my hips, is that normal?
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear it went well for you :) I can’t imagine biking that far!
One of my goals is to run a half marathon next year. I’m working my way up from 5ks, and I’m hoping to do a 10k next month. I’m dealing with a possible stress fracture in my foot right now, so I don’t know how that’s going to affect my timeline, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from you, it’s to let things heal! :)
You totally just inspired me to do a century. I’m cutting back on running due to a few stress fracture earlier in the year, and I’ve been looking for something to get my head back in the game! Awesome job!
DO IT DO IT DO IT!!! Girl, I know what you mean about cutting back on running and the bike is a great way to enjoy being active and avoiding injury!
Congrats! Ironman Louisville August 26, 2012 will be my first Ironman – do it with me!
My bro lives there….I really might have to. What training plan are you doing? Have you done a 1/2 yet?
Any sport that includes Laffy Taffy is good to me! Congrats on finishing a Century ride, you amaze me! I have never thought about an Ironman before…let me finish my marathon first, would ya?!
I am in love with that “medal” bracelet you got for finishing, how beautiful!
Congrats!!! Sounds like a great day!
I just did Ironman Louisville and am doing Tremblant next year, and possible St. George. You will LOVE it and you should do it. (ps. I stress fractured my femoral shaft in April while training for Lousiville, so I totally related with your injury! )
Hey Brandi! I have done Louisville and St. George. I have a RR on St. George and LOTS of thoughts about how to train/race for it better since I think I learned from my mistakes! Feel free to shoot me an email!
YOU TWO ARE MY HEROES!! Any tips for me? You had a femoral stress fracture too…..we sound a lot alike. If you ever want to email me about your IM experience, PLEASE email me!
I have never even heard of a century ride. AWESOME job you must feel amazing!
Loved your cute outfit!!
You are awesome! Great job ):
Banana Laffy Taffy is the best!
I have thought to doing Tri’s or Ironman’s BUT I am not a swimmer at all…. I am running my last planned half marathon next weekend and don’t know what I am going to do after that, to be honest I kinda feel lost!
I might scale back my running a bit to focus on weight lifting more, my upper body strength is pretty weak!
Congratulations!!! I’m so glad you had such a great time and what a perfect example of what a difference an attitude adjustment can make :D
I have never done a full iron though my first tri was an off-road half iron (not the best one to start with!) If my hubs or a good friend wanted to train for and compete in one with my I think I would be up for it! You and Billy should do one together! :D
Congratulations girl!! What an accomplishment! Most importantly, you had fun and loved it! Way to go!
ahhhhh CONGRATULATIONS! you are incredible! ummmmmm I REALLY want to do an Ironman some day. But first I gotta get a bike and more importantly…learn how to swim ;) I KNOW you could do it though!
Ahhh, congrats, Janae! You are AWESOME! That must have felt so great to cross the finish line at the end!
Favorite Laffy Taffy flavor = banana!
Congrats girl! Glad you enjoyed it! Love that race medal – stars are my favorite!
xoxo from Trinidad
Girl you are my hero! Nearly 6 hours on a bike would do some damage to my lady parts and I’m not quite cut out for an Ironman at this point in my life, but I do love the idea. Maybe one day I will learn how to swim correctly and buy a bike that didn’t cost $100 from Target and hit a tri, but for now I’m just planning on KILLING it in the running area. Favorite fitness goal would for sure be a 2:45 marathon by 2015.
Can’t wait to watch you crush it in the Ironman one day!
Janae this is SO awesome and I am SO proud of you! You could totally be an Ironwoman :) my goal is to be one before I’m 30…so I still have 8 years!
You simply did just AWESOME!! What a great ride! I’ve not done a century, but I got closer this year with an 83 miler. You ROCK!
* I’ve done several 1/2IMs and they are fun! An ironman is not completely out of my realm of possibilities at this point.
*I want to run a sub 4 marathon and sub 2 1/2 marathon. Those are what I’m sticking with right now.
*banana and grape!
*I love my Winter Predictor medal because I WON THE RACE…not by crossing the finish line first, but by guessing my finishing time down to the last 2 seconds. It’s the ONLY race I’ll ever win :D
Ironman! Ironman! Ironman! Ironman! Ironman! Ironman! Ironman! Ironman!
Congrats! Looks super fun!
I lovee your kinda carbo-loading! I would love to run a half marathon! Physically I know I can do it, mentally I’m not so sure…that might be because a majority of my runs have to be done on the treadmill- Mumbai isn’t the most ‘runn-able’ city!
Janae! I am so proud of you!!! You are so amazing!
Never, ever, have any desire to do an ironman. EVER.
fitness goal? sub 4 marathon. ;)
fav laffy taffy? banana! YUM! or green apple.
AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING JOB! Congratulations! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I’m so excited that you’re thinking about an iron-man, I’ve been thinking about half of one in my head lately. Hmmm.
Banana laffy taffys are my favorite! PS The food looks awesome at your race..much better than marathon food! ha
You know how I feel about the Ironman distance!
I feel like Ironman training is actually much better for your body than marathon training (having done all of it a few times!). Knock on wood—I always end up injured when I am doing run training, but I just keep getting stronger Ironman Training! And it is SOOOO much fun! I can’t even tell you how awesome an Ironman finish is! Seriously!
Want any ideas for races? Lots of them of the M-dot brand sell out REALLY fast, but there are some other fantastic races that you can actually still sign up for :-)
Do it! Do it! Do it!
That is what I am thinking….I have heard that people get injured a LOT less while training for tri’s and I am all about that:) Please email me any tips/race ideas etc that you have for me, I would love it!
Not sure if my comment showed up, but I am ALL for you doing an Ironman!
You are pure awesome sauce! You did so awesome, congrats on such a huge accomplishment :) :)!!!!!!
ps. tears in my eyes when I read that B-town show up to surprise you… that is the sweetest! my best races are the ones where I can see hubs at the finish line :)
OHHHH! Thank you so much Lori, and you are so right about the best races are when the husbands are at the end!
Congratulations!!!! From all the responses (including me), maybe you should organize a Hungry Runner Girl Century? I’d come from Wisconsin for that. :)
My favorite medal is probably my first from the Green Bay marathon. We get to run around Lambeau Field at the end, and so the stadium is also on the medal. (My little 5k medal from yesterday is kind of special though, too:))
We really should do a big race all together, that would be so much fun!
Congrats! I’ve actually decided to do my first ever HIM next summer! You should do one too and then we can be virtual training buddies :) SO…..do you live cycling as much as running now?!
WOW you are such a beast!!! 100 miles in less than 6 hours, that’s freaking incredible!! So glad you had fun and are already thinking about the next one hahaha. I’ve never done or thought about an Ironman….I think I should probs just run a marathon first (breaking 3 hours is my biggest future running goal!)
Congrats, that’s such an awesome accomplishment!! The scenery must have been beautiful, especially with the baby goats and cows. I love running in the country near my family’s summer cabin by all the farms. PS: Go for the ironman!
You rock! That is the coolest medal too. If anyone can do an ironman, it’s you. My fitness goals after having a baby (which is due in less than a month) is to get back and shape and start running again. I would love to run a half by the end of 2012.
Oh girl you WILL!!!! I know it:) can’t wait for baby pics on your blog, you are SO close!!!
Great job Janae! You did amazing! Very cool medal!
Congrats, Janae! You did awesome and it’s great that you loved it so much. I LOVE that Billy left early and found you. LOVE. ;) Have a wonderful Sunday!
You’re a rockstar!
I’m not suprised your back and shoulders hurt by the end of that: just 40 miles kills mine.
I would LOVE to do an Ironman but being useless on both the bike and swim legs rather rules it out ;)
My favourite medal was the one from the Liverbird Marathon I ran at xmas last year: it was shaped like a Christmas tree!
xxx
You are so freaking awesome!! Congratulations on finishing (and seriously, that IS a sweet medal).
Fantastic job! I have zero desire to do an ironman. But if you want to, do it! Watch the ironman special on hulu, it’ll either get you pumped, or terrify you.
Ahhhh thanks for the recommendation! I will watch it during my next run!
Phenomenal!
THANKS ALECIA!!!
I have never really considered an Ironman of any length. The swim scares me.
One fitness goal for this year is to break a 30 min 5k. Sounds like it should be easy but I just haven’t been able to get there yet.
Most of my finisher medals have been pretty typical.
Laffy Taffy fav was fruit punch. I am not sure if they even make that flavor anymore.
CONGRATS on the ride. Sounds amazing. Were there people around the whole time? Was the course one big loop or several circuits?
The Kidless Kronicles
Wag More, Bark….
Girl!!!! You will get your 5k goal, I know it! There were a lot of people for the first 60 miles but then it really thinned out and people went there own pace! There was an out and back sort of thing and then a ginormous awesome loop!
I’ve been considering a half ironman!! I wish I had friends who had crazy thoughts like I do so I could talk one of them into doing it with me! Congrats on yesterday, that’s awesome!!
Do it do it do it! We could be email training buddies:)
OHMYGOSH!!!!! You stinkin rocked it! I felt so proud when I read this.
I think it is absolutely amazing that you have turned your running situation into something so great with biking! It may not be the same feeling as running but dang girl you did awesome!!
Sara!!! Thank you so much, your comment meant a lot to me:) hope you are having an amazing Sunday!
Janae!!! im so freakin excited that you had a GREAT time on this race. you are my fitness IDOL!
I really really really REALLY want to run a marathon next year. I feel like ive been kind of scared that im not ready for it yet but im MORE then ready now. I guess the distance is a bit daunting but sometimes you just need to face your fears head on!
Girl!!!! I know you can do it!!!!!
Yeah! SO proud of you. Boise 70.3 is a great race and thinking about it for next year. Also thinking about Ironman AZ in 2012…but I need training partners.
Seriously, let’s do it. Not even joking!
That’s so amazing!!!! Proud girl over here and I LOVE YOU TOO :D I love your century ride outfit choice, I love hot pink :) Anyway, don’t have too much to say this time but CONGRATS! I hope you do an ironman that would be cool
You did it!! I’m so proud of you, wildly impressed, and inspired to set some goals for myself! Seriously, amazing. I hope you are taking it 100% easy today. :) I like green apple laffy taffy….and watermelon!
You are sooo amazing and inspiring! I am so glad he was able to come see you I can so picture you crying cause I would do the same thing! So proud of you. You rock!!
Sooooo I definitely just signed up for a century AND convinced my dad to do it with me. They better have legit food like yours!!!
OMG YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SO SO SO SO HAPPY FOR YOU I KNEW YOU WOULD ROCK IT!!!!! awesome girl SO SO AWESOME!!!!<3
That is awesome! Good job! You made me want to get into bike races! I need to buy a road bike first though, and that could take awhile because I think buying a house sometime in the near future takes priority, but someday I will have a road bike. A half ironman is definitely one of my future fitness goals. I recently took swimming lessons because I had never learned to swim and I want to do a triathlon someday.
YOU ARE SO AWESOME!!! There are so few people who could have endured that entire race. You should be SO proud of yourself girl! And Billy – what an awesome husband. Definite points for him showing up to support you!
Congrats girl, you are a superstar! You rock so hardcore, amazing :) Loved the recap, I just can’t get over how awesome you are, you would dominate an Iron Man if you did one for sure!
Awesome job! This looks so fun! I can’t wait to do a century.
And YES I can’t wait to be an Iron(wo)man! I’ve given myself two years and I will do an Ironman. I just have to decide which one I want to do!
Ahhhh how about we do the same one?!? What ones have you been looking in to?
That’d be so fun! I really haven’t looked into which races yet, although Vineman in Sonoma might be fun because that’s where I’m from and my family would be able to come cheer me on!
Great job!! LOVE the bracelet!! It takes a lot to get our minds out of a funk and choosing to enjoy the challenge in front of us – way to go!!
You are amazing!!! Love you girl ;)
Wanted to add: The Beta Alanine Bottle I read says, “May cause birth defects”!!! So, be VERY VERY careful about birth control if you’re taking this stuff!
CONGRATS!!!! love you finishing ‘medal’- that is so cute :)
You ROCKED it…and I knew you would!!!
I definitely think an Ironman is in your future, no doubt. You are so full of so many talents! Congrats again :) I hope you are having LOTS of frozen yogurt with swedish fish today to celebrate!
So proud of you Janae! You rock :D
My goal, besides CONQUERING the marathon I’m doing in THREE WEEKS is to learn how to bike/swim well and do a tri.
Apple is the best flavor of laffy taffy. Banana is naaaasty!
I use to eat banana Laffy Taffy as my fuel for long runs until my dentist told me to knock it off. I think it was worth the whopping 2 cavities I had. Seriously!? I have only 2 cavities and you want to axe my Laffy Taffy!?
Congrats! That’s a seriously awesome accomplishment! Honestly, an Ironman or even a half ironman, doesn’t sound the LEAST bit exciting to me. I think I’ll stick to my half marathon’s, I can handle those and they’re just enough effort to make me feel awesome after training and completing them :)
Yay! Congratulations on your first Century! I agree that there are definitely moments while you’re out doing certain things *running forever/biking forever* and you realize that God is good, and creates so many wonderful things. *eats laffy taffy in your honor*
WOW, thank you so much Carissa. When you talked about realizing that ‘God is good,’ I got the biggest goosebumps. Thank you for writing that!
WAHOOO!! Way to go & kick butt!!
I am doing a half-ironman next year, that is my next goal :) Wheeee!! And yes, Grape is BY far the best Laffy Taffy flavor. In fact, I had one today after church!
My fitness goals are to be healthy. I want my life back. Also, I just started thinking about doing a bike race/event while I was reading about your ride. Such an inspiration, Janae ;)
Banana is my favorite. I knowwww. It’s so gross and nothing like a banana that I love it.
And my half marathon gave out mugs for beer with the medal. Idk if that counts
Um, girl….YOU SHOULD DO A BIKE RACE/EVENT!!! You would do amazing. Praying that you are getting healthy ASAP!
OH and congrats on finishing and that dolphin was definitely real. HAHAHA. i love reading your blog.
CONGRATS ON YOUR RACE!! You should be so proud, girl! :)
Oh my gosh! You are so amazing! Congrats on the race!
I LOVE Laffy Taffy. I think strawberry and green apple are my favorites.
I’m doing a Half Ironman in two weeks! I am super nervous, especially about the bike. It’s my weakness. You would kick butt in an Ironman!
Two weeks……ahhhhh you are my hero! I can’t wait to here all about it!!
Congratulations, Janae! What an accomplishment. My fitness goal is to BQ someday. Hopefully in St George in 2 weeks! Then it’s on to tackling other goals like an ironman. Sounds like there enough people interested that we could form a hungryrunnergirl team!
You are going to bq in st George and I can’t wait to hear all about it! Um, how about we all sign up for the same IM and use the same training plan and cheer each other on….you in?
I am totally in!
I’m so impressed with your ride! That’s awesome! My fitness goal is to run a triathlon outdoors.
CONGRATULATIONS JANAE!! This is such a milestone! I love how you took us through your mental talk and how to reframe your thinking and become productive AND positive!
I dig ANY Laffy Taffy flavor…seriously, so freaking good! This has to be such a special “medal” that you can wear daily without feeling awkward! ha!
I already know you will be an IM! :) Destined!
Wow, congrats on your ride!! Such a great accomplishment!
I completed my first ever Ironman at the end of August, Ironman Canada! I have done 6 1/2 Ironmen but the full distance was the most amazing experience of my ENTIRE life! I’m 29, from Canada, married 3 years and I wanted to do something for me before we started having a family. It took about 7-8 months to train for it properly and it took me 14 hours and 56 minutes to finish. I’ve never been so proud of myself in my entire life.
I promise you, that if you want to do an Ironman, now is the time! You will discover so many things about yourself and you’ll walk taller and feel like you can do anything after you’ve crossed the finish line. The physical part is hard, of course, but the mental part is the toughest.
I’ve been reading your blog for the past year or so and reading all about you, your accomplishments, your focus and how you put your heart into your training, you would do wonderful if you did an Ironman! DO IT!
Your comment made my day!!!! I want to be you….. Seriously!!! You are so right, now is the time! How did u find your training plan? Should I do a bunch of halves before the full? Thank you so much for your sweet words!
I think if you had one half under your belt it would help as you would understand the difficulty of a half and that would prepare you mentally for the full. You know your body can do it when you step up to the start line, 100%, so being prepared mentally is what I found was the biggest help.
I used the training plan below in the beginning and then I ended up finding a great group close to home that I could train with too. Both my parents have done 5 Ironmen a piece so I’m also pretty spoiled having them to train with. http://www.triathlongeek.com/index.php/trainingplans
If you want to see some pictures from my race so you can see the setup, the people, and the the day itself you can shoot me off an email and I can give you my husbands website where he’s posted all the pics :)
You’re going to do SO wicked!!!!
OH MY GOODNESS!! Girl, thank you SO SO much for the link. Your parents have done 5 IM’s each, that is the coolest thing ever. Um, I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE your husband’s website link so that I can see all of the pictures!
i still can’t believe you biked 100 miles. you are just straight up amazing! that is soooo sweet that Billy came to ride with you!! you have such a sweet hubby!
i hope you have an amazing recovery this week! you are so awesome, it’s amazing the strength and endurance that God gives our mind and body
wow J!!! congrats and great job!
Way to go Janae!!
So so proud of you girl! Congrats!!! You are seriously super women. Wait to go!!!
Congrats on the ride, you are AWESOME!!
YAYYY!!! CONGRATS!!! I love all the pics of food and am so beyond jealous that’s the medal you got for riding! Best laffy taffy flavor is strawberry, but I did just eat a grape flavored Ice Pop and that was super good.
YAY YOU!!!! I am so happy that it went so well, and that you were finally able to participate in a RACE again, even if this was a different sort of race. That is also the coolest race medal I have ever seen – so cute and so much easier to wear on the reg and brag about than an actual medal, which are unfortunately awkward to wear to normal social events…
Thank you so so so much Diana! You are right, it was so so nice to be racing again!!!
Congrats on finishing and loving your first Century ride! I am training for my first marathon, the Honolulu marathon. I am really excited! This might sound crazy, but I want to do a century ride. I know I should take each goal one at a time and finish this marathon before I start thinking about a century ride! Now I do not own a road bike (or any bike for that matter), and I do not have any bike apparel. I do not know about tires and what to do when one goes flat. Now I know I should rent a bike and test it out first, but I do teach spin classes, and have been taking spin for 5 or 6 years now. I was hoping you could give me some good advice on road biking and century rides. Thanks a million, and congrats again!! Get it girl!
HONOLULU MARATHON!!! You are so lucky, I want to do that one so bad. Whatever girl, do whatever goals you want to do whenever you want to do it. I should do a tutorial on changing tires. YOU TEACH SPIN, you definitely need to do a century. Maybe we should plan a big one to do all together!
Uh just let me know when this race is, and I will train. I am moving back to the mainland next summer, so I will be closer.
Congrats!
What a fabulous accomplishment. I can’t wait to do a century one day!!! I did my 20 miler this weekend and by mile 14 was definitly considering the half IM…love the idea of it…not sure when I’d fit in the training.
What makes me laugh is that 3 years ago I wold have told you I’d NEVER do a marathon or a triathlon and I’m hoping to have accomplished both by the end of next month!
Wahoooooo!!!!!!!!! Good race day- in spite of the weather, thank goodness! You are a rockstar. Seriously- I can’t believe you rode 100 miles yesterday!
You’re totally doing an ironman. Are you kidding me?! You are made for this!
Me, I have no interest. I can’t swim. Like, at all. I think it has something to do with having zero body fat and sinking like a rock. I’ll cheer you on though! I have an uncle that has done 8 or 9 full ironmans and he loves them. He’s about 60 and he does at least one every year.
That is the coolest medal ever!! Congrats on a great century! You should totally do an Ironman. My husband and I are just getting into the idea of triathlon and we aren’t ruling out a half or full in our future. Go for it!
I have never commented before, but I love reading your blog so I thought a congrats was in order!!!! 100 miles is something to truly be proud of! :)
Julie!!!! Thank you so so much for your sweet comment! You absolutely made my day!
I’m so glad you had a great time after a rough start. Isn’t it crazy how a long bike ride can start out feeling like you want to die and then ends up being great just a little while later? I always remind myself of that at the beginning of any long ride when I want to cry and go back home.
You know I’m going to say GO FOR IT about an Ironman. :-) The training really is easier on your body than just running. With all of the issues you have had with running I think it is a great idea! :-)
Girl!!!! Thank you so much! You are such a great example to me. Where did you get your training plan from? How long should I plan to train for?
I did that race too on Saturday. I also thought it would be more flat than it was, but I still loved it! And that was some crazy wind! My favorite part was Goshen Canyon, that was so cool.
Oh my goodness!!! I wish we were able to meet up!!! Seriously that canyon was amazing…. Wanna go on a long ride together sometime?
Congrats on completing a century ride! You are amazing!!!
Love all the food! Great job!!
Congratulations!! My boyfriend and I (1) love biking and are planning to do a century together, (2) love eating and never have to plan to eat massive amounts of food, (3) love to travel and take race opportunities to do so, and, thus (4) are putting this on our race calendar for next year.
Erin!!!!! Ahhhhh we have to do a century together, pretty please! That is so awesome you and your man bike together!!!
Congrats on being completely and utterly amazing! I’ve only blog stalked you for about a year but I knew you would dominate…there is something about you and crazy long distances that just mesh!
Heidi!!! Wow your comment was so nice! Thanks for brightening my day!
I LOVE that “medal!” man.. they should all be things we wear from day-to-day.
..or maybe I should just start wearing my medals all day every day. maybe?
IM PROUD OF YOU! although I know you’d dominate. you always do. ;)
Congrats a thousand times – way to crush that ride!! So awesome to read your blog and follow along through the tough times of injury and phenomenal moments of triumph – this is definitely one of the latter.
Great job!
CONGRATS!!!! u freaking rock!!! wow, u leave me without any more words, u rock…haha.
PS-that is the best finishing medal i’ve ever seen, we need to get those mainstreamed into running races. :)
I was wait and wait for this recap…. And then I realized I missed it! Congratulations! Love love love the bracelet…. Kinda jealous
Hi runner girl , i am reading your blog for the first time and really love your spirit.
I haven’t run any marathon yet but have started preparing for one. I normally run 8km five days a week and did a 140 km cycling tour to a beautiful hill station (Khandala and lonavala-u may not have heard about these , dey are in india) and i also came to know difficult is cycling on those steep inclines.
your blog has really inspired me to push more km or miles and enjoy that.
I am thinking of puting a big poster of you in my room for inspiration.