Note: I don't know that we're going to enter the RtR Lottery this year, with the economy being what it is and our summer schedule already filling up with volunteer projects. But we will be training; the MS-150 is always on our calendar. In addition, The Lizard was #503 to sign up for the Triple Bypass when registration opened January 1, and he's got a few more races on his 2009 wish list. My own personal new year's resolution is to do something every day in January. If I can make it that long, maybe the habit will be established, and 2009 will be incredible!
I saved 150.5 miles of driving by walking to and from the park and ride every chance I got. I also biked to work on national Bike to Work Day in May and biked to work all week during Colorado's Bike to Work Week in June. (And won a bunch of cool prizes for doing so!) I did more walking to work than I hiked this year!!!
I biked a total of 1,824.8 miles, the best I've done since my surgery in 2004. The Lizard did nearly 5,000 miles!!!!!
I climbed 5,322 flights of stairs in workouts in 2008. That does not count living on a third-floor apartment and all the times I use stairs instead of elevators at work and anywhere else I go. That translates into 65,035 feet in elevation gain. Can I say I climbed a 65er??? That's two-thirds of the way up Oly Mons!
And now for my biggest accomplishment: I shot 24,853 photos with my new D300 in 10 months!!! The Lizard filled the memory card of my old Fuji twice. Ha ha ha ha ha! I beat The Lizard at something!!!
2 January
cross country skiing, Grand Mesa
5.9 miles, my first time on groomed track
3 January
hiking, Colorado National Monument
6 miles
4 January
hiking, South Platte
2 miles, lugging the monster rental lens one last time
5 January
stairs at work
first time since December 10, first time more than once since November 4
60 flights non-stop, 40 flights by tens
Also, first time ever using the new ipod I got for Christmas!
LOVE it!!!
6 January
stairs at work
40 flights non-stop
7 January
stairs at work
60 flights non-stop twice
8 January
stairs at work
60 flights non-stop, 20 minutes on treadmill for 1.2 miles
I really struggled with stair motivation today. I had to force myself.
9 January
20 sit-ups
20 minutes of aerobics
Ran out of day today.
10 January
cross-country skiing
6 miles, Slate Creek
11 January
two-mile walk (to catch the sunrise)
10.4-ride to Chatfield and back
The Lizard got 32 miles.
12 January
stairs at work
60 flights non-stop
13 January
stairs at work
60 flights non-stop twice, WITH The Lizard!
(who did 75 and 75 while I did 60 and 60)
The good news is that my time has dropped from 22 minutes to 18!
14 January
40 sit-ups
I don't suppose an emotional workout qualifies, does it?
15 January
one-mile walk
16 January
stairs at work
60 flights twice, non-stop
17 January
cross-country skiing
6 miles, Washington Gulch
The Lizard got in probably an additional mile skinning up a hill
and practicing skiing back down on his AT skis six times!
18 January
50 minutes on treadmill,
including .5 miles backwards
19 January
wanted to do a 30-mile bike ride,
but 60 mph gusts inspired me to do yoga instead
20 January
50 sit-ups,
first time since surgery in 2004!
21 January
one-mile walk,
60 flights
22 January
29 miles, commute to work by bike,
first time in winter!
23 January
five-mile walk,
60 flights
24 January
two-mile walk
25 January
resistance training,
20 flights of stairs (not at work)
26 January
three-mile walk in the snow,
60 flights, 40 flights
27 January
50 sit-ups
ran out of day again
28 January
stairs at work,
60 flights
29 January
three-mile walk
30 January
resistance training,
stairs at work,
60 flights
31 January
seven-mile hike, Barr Lake
21-mile ride to Chatfield, hill four times
The Lizard got 30 miles
NOTE: I DID IT! I achieved my new year's goal. I won't record daily entries anymore,
but I will continue to focus here on rides, hikes and stairs. I succeeded in making this a lifestyle change;
I now look for creative ways to get in some kind of activity, even on days when I can't squeeze much in.
Best of all, this is the first year since I started heavily biking that I won't have to get myself back in shape after winter.
Mission accomplished!
1 February
27-mile ride around Chatfield and back
The Lizard got 30 miles
The Lizard also signed up for the Mount Evans Hill Climb.
After studying the route, we decided not to jump into this year's RtR lottery.
(So I changed the title of this page to something hopefully more appropriate.)
Anyone who did get up to check out the 2009 route in the middle of the night got a big surprise.
Apparently the site was hacked. For about 15 hours, all it said was, "It works!"
4 February
stairs at work
60 flights twice
6 February
stairs at work
60 flights, 40 flights
8 February
14 mile bike ride to Chatfield,
The Lizard got 30 miles
11 February
stairs at work
60 flights twice
12 February
stairs at work
60 flights twice
15 February
36 mile bike ride to and around Chatfield,
The Lizard got 43 miles on his Dino Ridge loop.
I didn't clear more than 31 miles last year until May 11.
I did 40 miles on April 15 in 2007.
I think I'll be up to 50 miles by the end of March this year!
16 February
Back-to-Back Accomplishments!
60 flights three times, first time this year,
The Lizard did 74, 76 and 75 flights!
18 February
60 flights two times,
The Lizard did 74 and 60,
plus a 30-mile bike ride in strong winds
21 February
7 miles hiking,
Lost Creek Wilderness,
almost made McCurdy/Brookside Pass
22 February
The Lizard did 45 road bike miles
to Conifer and back
23 February
stairs at work,
The Lizard did 60 flights twice,
I did 45 and 40 flights
24 February
The Lizard did 31 road bike miles
to Titan and back
10 March
8 miles cross-country skiing
near Wolf Creek Pass
12 March
stairs at work
60 flights, 40 flights
14 March
I did 51 miles from Downtown to Titan and back.
The Lizard did 51 miles to Conifer and Titan and back.
We did it! We reached half centuries before the end of winter!
15 March
The Lizard did 20 mb miles in Waterton Canyon and on the Colorado Trail,
which is still muddy and snowpacked in places.
17 March
The Lizard did rb 30 miles to Titan and back,
wearing green. :)
21 March
9 mb miles, Barr Lake (and FOUR flats)
The Lizard got 32 rb miles to Titan and back,
I got 25 rb miles to Chatfield and back.
22 March
The Lizsard did 45 rb miles to Conifer and back.
24 March
The Lizard did 30 rb miles to Titan and back
and experienced his fifth flat of the week.
It's been a Flat Tire Festival!
30 March
stairs at work
60 flights, 40 flights
1 April
The Lizard did 30 rb miles to Titan and back.
4 April
Date Night!
The Lizard and I both did stairs twice at work
60 flights, 60 flights
7 April
The Lizard did 30 rb miles to Titan and back.
8 April
The Lizard did 30 rb miles to Titan and back.
10 April
The Lizard did 30 rb miles to Titan and back
and then did 21.2 miles to Chatfield and back with me.
11 April
We did 9 mb miles at Barr Lake
with only two flats this time,
and one was mine!
13 April
36 flights, 12 at a time, carrying empty boxes.
The Lizard got 45 rb miles to Conifer and back.
15 April
stairs at work,
60 flights
19 April
The Lizard did 30 rb miles to Titan and back
while I did 21.2 miles to Chatfield and back.
20 April
The Lizard did 45 rb miles to Conifer and back.
21 April
stairs at work,
60 flights, 45 flights;
The Lizard did 30 rb miles to Titan and back.
22 April
The Lizard did 26 rb miles to Chatfield and back.
24 April
The Lizard did 30 rb miles to Titan and back
while I did 20 miles to Chatfield and back,
last half of the ride in the dark. Definitely a different kind of ride!
29 April
Black Wednesday for me.
The Lizard did 30 rb miles to Chatfield and back.
30 April
stairs at work, 60 flights twice;
The Lizard did 30 rb miles to Chatfield and back, most of the ride in the dark.
1 May
The Lizard big time Owied!!!
6 May
stairs at work, 60 flights twice
9 May
I did 40.2 rb miles in my most creative Chatfield Loop to date,
first short-sleeve ride of the year,
and the route was very similar to what I'll be doing in Elephant Rock.
We'll be missing the Buena Vista Century for a couple of reasons,
and the Ironhorse Classic is out as well.
The Lizard may not be able to do Elephant Rock,
but I think I'm ready.
15 May
Heaven!!!
16 May
equivalent of about 140 flights of stairs
while carrying many, many boxes
17 May
equivalent of about 70 flights of stairs
while carrying many, many boxes
19 May
more stairs and boxes
20 May
even more stairs and boxes
21 May
still more stairs and boxes
22 May
stairs and boxes galore
23 May
stairs and boxes, and a moving van, too
24 May
more stairs and boxes in the rain
25 May
The end of stairs and boxes!!!
27 May
60 flights, the traditional way
28 May
60 flights, the traditional way
29 May
The Lizard got 32 rb miles up Deer Creek Canyon and back,
his first time back on the bike since injury!!!
30 May
36 rb miles,
our first ride from the new digs!!!
6 June
27 rb miles,
Deer Creek Canyon
7 June
62 rb miles,
Elephant Rock
8 June
60 flights,
getting back to a normal schedule!
10 June
The Lizard did 27 rb miles,
Deer Creek Canyon
13 June
I did 36.1 rb miles up Deer Creek Canyon,
non-stop for the first time ever;
The Lizard did 45.6 miles because he kept riding ahead (faster)
and then coming back and joining me for a while.
15 June
I biked to work and back, 62 miles,
and The Lizard did 31.7 of them with me.
I did 60 flights of stairs, too!
19 June
Six miles up Pt. 12,896,
and The Lizard did 22 mb miles up and down Engineer Pass.
22 June
The Lizard did 50 rb miles in a hilly, climbing Conifer loop.
24 June
27 June
28 June
30 June
1 July
4 July
5 July
6 July
8 July
10 July
11 July
That's it for this year! We definitely will be riding, hiking and climbing more, but we've got boxes to unpack, quilts to finish and websites to build, so this year's version of the training journal is going to take a long and well-deserved break, and we'll be back in January with hopefully an actual Ride the Rockies training journal! (2010 Lottery: Please draw us; please draw us; please draw us!)
bikemaster: snowcatcher at att dot net
I biked to work for Bike to Work Day,
30 rb miles each way,
and The Lizard and Ferenc each got 32 rb miles
Dodged a mean electric storm
and picked up some great schwag!
So fun to be caught in a bicycle traffic jam!
The Lizard and I both biked 75 MS-150 miles;
The Lizard was the first rider to reach Fort Collins,
and I had my second-best time ever!
Held my team's pace for 19 minutes!
The Lizard did a century,
and I did 75.
Real estate agents should not be allowed
to use red arrows during major cycling events!
(Yes, that means I took an unauthorized detour...)
The Lizard did 27 rb miles,
Chatfield Loop
The Lizard did 40 rb miles,
Deer Creek Canyon and Conifer;
I did 60 flights of stairs non-stop.
The Lizard did 30 rb miles up and down Squaw Pass,
and I did 18, first time ever non-stop!
The Lizard did 50 rb miles,
Deer Creek Canyon and Conifer.
The Lizard did 30 rb miles,
accompanying me halfway on my way to work;
and I did 60, all the way to work and back.
Also did 60 flights of stairs.
The Lizard did 30 rb miles,
Chatfield loop.
The Lizard did 30 easy rb miles,
last ride before THE biggie!
The Lizard was 23rd across the Triple Bypass finish line
with 121.2 miles in 8 hours and 36 seconds!
© 2005 Deborah and Brett Atkinson