WNR Report

Nine riders showed up for a ripping good, fast ride between Kipp and Brutus on the North Country Trail last night. I was having so much fun that I forgot to take any pictures, boo. I'll try and get Sarah to snap some at the race down at Hanson Hills this weekend. Other than that there's not much to report: Ride, Sleep, Work and repeat. Take care and have a good weekend.

13.1 MILES

From Sarah:

I ran in my first ½ Marathon this past Saturday. The day was perfect for Northern Michigan. With the start close to the light house on Old Mission Peninsula, the race started at 7am and it was around 40 degrees, sunny and the water was like glass. I fueled up with a power bar bagel, good protein and carbs, a gu and lots of water and only one cup of coffee.
I wasn’t really that nervous, for some reason I knew I could do it, it may hurt, but I was going to do the 13.1 miles.
The race started and I ran slow at the beginning, a lot of people passed me. I was able to run to mile 9 without walking and I actually felt good. But, I didn’t want to push it, so I grabbed an orange and a few pretzels from the most amazing aid stations and after a second, I knew it was the wrong thing to do. I was starving. I didn’t eat enough and my energy was going down. I decided to walk for 2 minutes and rest a bit and after that, I would run 15 min and walk 2. This seemed to work because I made it to the finish with a smile on my face and the time of 2 hours and 35 minutes and that is about an 11 minute mile average. I even got a medal at the end! Even though no one was there to cheer me to the finish line, I had a lot of people cheering for me in thought.
First of all my husband, Pete. He made it possible to go to a great personal trainer this past winter and I was able to strength train my body in preparation for the run. And he also gave me his two cents once in awhile and we all know what that is……
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!” and the like!
Thanks to Scott Conti for training me into a running machine and yelling at me when I ate bad food.
To my running partners, Denise Simon, for when it was freezing and making me get up and run, even on the ice! And even Hugh joined me for a run when Denise was out of town. Also Kelly and Lacey for picking up for Denise because she went to France. These girls made it possible to get my miles in and it was actually fun!
There is something to be said about partners and friends to help you along. There really are days you want to say, “Well, I can just do my miles tomorrow”, but since someone else is counting on you, you go.
If I can train for 5 months and endure the pain and sweat, so can any of you. Because in the end, it feels so amazing that you accomplished this feat!
Next, Mackinaw Island Lilac Feast 10K.
Sorry honey, I will mow the lawn first!

WNR Report

The Ride of Silence last night went off without a hitch, in spite of extremely inclement weather. I believe it was 38 and raining when we set off from downtown. I'm guessing we had somewhere in the vicinity of 30 riders representing a very broad spectrum of the local cycling community. The local police and the sheriff's department even sent out representatives to lend a hand with logistical/traffic related issues. All in all, a good ride for a very good cause. Hopefully next year we'll have better weather and an even better turnout. Next week's WNR @ Kipp Rd. Be there or be square. Have a happy holiday everyone.

The Race That Never Was

The list of reasons (excuses) that riders had for not returning to the 2nd Annual Team Terpening 3 Day Race was long and varied: just got a new job, moved away, out of town, had to work, hadn't been riding, etc. I still managed to have a good time though. I was the only rider for the TT on friday evening. That was fine because it gave me a chance to do a longer TT, thus gathering important data for further work with my new power meter. After a 30 min. warm up, I put the hammer down for another solid 30 minutes of all out effort. I ended up doing just under ten miles with an average heart rate of 164 and average power of 283 watts. The weather on saturday was pretty abysmal for this time of year, windy and 40 degrees. Still, Benson made it out for the ride (remember he just got run over by a car last summer, so what was your excuse again?). The only other rider to join me was a new one. Tom skied on Sarah's team this winter, and we'd been trying to get together with him off and on throughout the spring. It was his first ride of the year, so Chris and I took it easy on him. We did a really leisurely lap on the Loop and around Pond Hill Farm. We got in an hour and a half, thus justifying the Bell's beer to consumed afterwards. I had no takers for the sunday morning ride, and so I rode alone. I'm really getting way too used to riding alone, and I hope I'm able to tolerate Hugh's company on rides when he returns from France in a couple of weeks. Sunday ended up being 23 miles on the mountain bike with just over 3000 ft. of climbing in under 2.5 hours. I followed up the ride with a little upper body workout by helping Sarah plant a new pine tree and moving some dirt around. So, I've come to the conclusion that the stage race format may in fact be intimidating to some of our fellow riders. I'm going to give it one more go next year with more of a friendly festival theme. So far, I'm thinking no race numbers/times/results. Maybe have some games: bobbing for tubes, wheelie contests, log ride contests, etc. (I'm open to suggestions here). Hell, I'll even do a kid's ride sunday morning if anyone would be interested. So put it on your calenders right now. The weekend BEFORE memorial day 2009: 1st Annual Team Terpening Mountain Bike Festival. By the way, I gave out something way cooler than a t-shirt this year. Now you're gonna have to do something special to get one. Ride of Silence this week for the WNR, let's all get out and represent.

WNR Report

Another WNR has come and gone. Had a good crew out for the ride at Boyne (Benson, Doug, Kurt, Sherry, Sarah, Seth and I) . With a little preride action, I ended up with 18.2 miles in about 2.5 hours with breaks. The shoulder is still nagging in there, but I can sense pain free riding on the horizon. On a brighter note, my legs are really starting to come around, and I should be able to get some quality hours of saddle time in before my next round of serious racing in June. There will be day of registration for the informal racing events this weekend, so come on out if you're so inclined. Next weeks WNR is the 2008 Harbor Springs Ride of Silence. This is a ride held across the country and the world in honor of cyclist injured or killed while riding on the road. The ride will start in downtown Harbor Springs in the parking lot adjacent to the municipal tennis courts at 7:00 pm. The Ride of Silence is similar to a funeral procession. The ride will be slow (max 12 mph). There will be no talking, only silence, to remember our fallen brothers and sisters. Join cyclists worldwide, Wednesday May 21st in a silent slow-paced ride in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways. Email me if you have any questions, and I can put you in touch with Benson. Otherwise, I hope to see everyone with a bike there. Over and out.

Niko Joins The Team

Niko turned two yesterday, and Sarah and I decided the perfect present would be a shiny new bike.


Not without your helmet little buddy.


It's got a nifty handle/steering device until he figures out how to pedal/steer on his own.


We tooled around the driveway for a bit, and Niko really seemed to enjoy his new toy. Welcome to the team little man. We then had a really nice Mother's Day Dinner to round out the weekend.

While not nearly as exciting as a two year old with a new bike, I had a pretty good weekend riding.
Saturday: I got in 50.56 miles on the road bike in 2:58:14. Averages: Heart rate 136. Speed 16.8 mph. Watts 187.

Sunday: I was looking to get in another three hour ride, but the legs just weren't cooperating. Ended up settling for two hours on the mountain bike with an insane amount of climbing.


That's all to report for now. WNR @ Boyne this week. I'll be heading out at five for some hard intervals beforehand if anyone wants to join me. Until next time then.

Rigid 1X1

Had a good turnout for the WNR this week in spite of the less than stellar weather. Benson, Matt, Scott, Sarah, and I rode the Loop; and with the exception of a few downed trees, the trail is in pretty good shape. It was my first trip out on the singlespeed with the steel fork, and it actually felt pretty good. It's also super light set up that way (a hair under 22lbs.), so that's nice. The weather's looking pretty good for this weekend, and I'm planning on riding saturday afternoon and sunday morning. Give me a call if you want to tag along, and I'll give you specific times and places. In other bike related news: Niko (my nephew) turns two on sunday, and I just finished building up his first bike. It has three wheels and a bucket on the back to haul stuff. I'll get some pictures of him and it on sunday.

Lastly: I had an anonymous poster inquiring about the 3 day event. Friday night is a short time trial on the road. Saturday is a longish marathon mountain bike race. Sunday is a shorter cross country mountain bike race. This will be the second year I've organized this event. Last year we had a pretty good turnout with appox. 20 riders turning out for one or all of the events. So far this year attendance is looking a little low. A lot of people seem to have scheduling conflicts. To the anonymous poster: if you'd like detailed info., let me know who you are and get me an email address. Then I'll see about getting you an evite.

Take care everybody. Have a good weekend, and happy mother's day to all the moms out there.

2 Weeks

Apparently two weeks is about how long it takes me to recover from a hundred mile mountain bike race. I went out for a good solid three hour ride yesterday, and I felt just about back to normal. I left the house around 12:30 yesterday and rode over to Boyne where I was meeting up with Doug and Kurt. Seth was also there, and the four of us cruised the singletrack for about an hour. I left them at the bottom of the north peak and headed north to hook up with the North Country. I rode north on the trail until Middle Village Drive and then headed east and home on the North Loop. All in all it was a great day on the bike. My shoulder is only slightly nagging now, and the legs feel really good. WNR @ Headquarters this week. Hope to see you there.

WNR Report

Had another good group last night for the ride. I was joined by Benson, Secret Steve, Matt, Seth, Scott, and Jess for a good spin on the North Country Trail between Larks Lake Rd. and Robinson Rd. The trail is in pretty good shape, and last night was the first ride I've had since the Cohutta where I actually felt half-way decent. The legs felt really good, and my nagging right shoulder is probably back to around 70% or so. Said shoulder is also keeping me out of the Fort Custer race this weekend as well. I've got a big month of training laid out in front of me, and I'm hoping with a couple more easier rides this weekend I'll be ready to start back up with intervals and such next week. I got an email from Doug this morning, and he and Kurt are planning on riding @ Boyne this sunday at 1:30. I'm thinking that's probably going to fit into my schedule so come on out if you're free. The more the merrier. WNR next week at Headquarters. Over and out.