Harriman

On June 11 I had the fortune to be able to do a training ride with a few friends upstate in Harriman State Park. After waking up at 3 Am to confirm that the forecast of scattered thunderstorms would not wash us out, I picked up the ZipCar at 6am and picked up my friend in the city around 6:30am who greeted me with coffee and a bagel- :) and began to follow Google Maps directions via the i Phone. We first headed through the Lincoln Tunnel and were routed through Hoboken to 1-495 due to construction- ... we drove a little through Jersey and crossed back into NY state. At the point when the exit came that was suppose to take us into the park, my friend/navigator dropped her phone under the seat and we missed the exit. Usually wouldn't be a problem, except on this specific highway the next exit wasn't for 17 miles. We were running late to meet our friends and lost. We arrived at the parking lot in the park about 45 minutes late, got our bikes adjusted a little and headed out for a "hard, tough" ride! The park was beautiful, lush green, pristine lakes, deer, geese and lots of Hills. We started looping through the park and rode up a series of 3 climbs, the first the longest, the second the steepest and the third "easy". After we ascended to the top, we stopped and decided what the rest of the ride would look like. We split into 2 groups and I was elected to ride up the Perkins side of Bear Mountain, the "easier" side. I don't know if there is anything easy about climbing a Mountain! But I did it, in my low gears and grueling burning in my quads, I was able to ride to the top. And from the top, on a clear day you can see West Point and the Manhattan Skyline, I guess that means I will have to do it again, because we had no viability. And at the top, I tested my blood sugar levels, still safely around 145. and so we rode down reaching speeds of over 40mph. The pure satisfaction of that accomplishment fuels me to ride again.
In total I rode over 35 miles of rolling hills, and my first Mountain.

Note: I was not able to get any pictures because of the fog, but here is an image for enjoyment!

Waiting for UPS/Stalking UPS via Bike

I am home this morning from working waiting for a new Insulin Pump, mine failed. Yesterday I noticed that there was condensation and fog inside the screen which is not suppose to happen. The MiniMed products are Water Resistant but not Water Proof... Still. Apparently my excessive sweating from exercise is causing this (sorry?) When I called they were great and said they would ship a new one out to arrive in the morning!
Then, when I was leaving work to head to Central Park to Ride, The pump started beeping at me and shut off. I went and bought some new batteries and got it working again for the time being. I put it in a plastic baggy in the pocket of my jersey, which was good because we got caught in a strong downpour. NYC heat and humidity and rain.... agh! The pump was protected and worked for almost the remainder of the night... I woke up this morning with a blank screen and high blood sugar. So I am waiting for UPS to deliver
Please do not worry...I have plenty of insulin pens and syringes around to use in case of this. So I am not without, but after having the pump back, there becomes this dependency on it. I hope it comes soon!
UPDATE:
UPS did not arrive by the scheduled 10:30 time, so I went to check the tracking and got the message, "attempted delivery, unit number not available, trying to locate.." What? I ran downstairs hoping they actually meant they were there and trying to locate me. Not a chance. The first issue is that I told MiniMed yesterday what my address AND apt number were, but they neglected to put that on the package. The other issue is that one of our doorman was laid off this weekend so no one was there to recieve the package without me physically being in the lobby of our building, which I was not.
I called UPS (and Mini Med) on the verge of tears... how could this happen, I need this device. I had to wait for a callback from dispatch as they located the driver, but I knew at this point it could be hours before they try to re-deliver, I explained to them this was important medical equipment and I had taken time off work so that I could get it this morning.
They located the driver, who wasn't able to tell me when he could deliver it, but he did give me the option to pick it up. He was unloading at Home Depot on 19th Street, about 5 blocks from my house.
So, I grabbed the Dahon (fold up city bike) from the closet, pumped up the tires and hopped on. To get to Home Depot you have to go under the BQE Expressway, and of course they were doing road work so the streets were closed. I had to re-route myself over a few more blocks to get through and finally make it to the dead end and spotted the UPS driver. I got my package and he said "sorry you had to ride down here." I thought, if only you knew what my life has been like.... I returned home, had to re-shower from the humidity and come into work. AHHH!

My first ride with the new pedals. We decided to take it easy and just ride up the West Side Highway, one straight go that wouldn't involve a lot of stopping or clipping in and out., or a lot of hills! Luckily a friend gave me some good advice on how to get in before hand, and that I should pick one foot to clip in and out of while moving.
The right foot came more naturally than the left, I actually began to question the strength in my left leg, but after some time I clicked in and did Not click the left foot out for the rest of the ride- up to the George Washington Bridge and back!

Cleats and Pedals

The week following the Bedford Hills ride I got my pedals put on and my cleats on my shoes! Since the beginning everyone has said how necessary this is, apparently Vans are not practical for riding shoes by the average cyclist. This is suppose to decrease my energy output and make the hills Easier! I have yet to figure out, however, how to clip in and out of these, because I have heard the learning process does not come without scrapes and bruises! Stay posted to hear how well I do!

On Saturday June 5 we had a scheduled training ride with the NY Crankees (the NY JDRF team) in Bedford Hills, NY. For this ride, we were given 2 distance options 36 Miles or 48 miles- I chose to go the distance, despite the heat and the hills!
The evening before, I headed to Grand Central to get my bike permit and my train ticket for the 6:30 am train. Yikes! that is early, but even more concerning was that when I mapped it out to get to the train station in time, I had to leave my apt by 5:30 am-not usually when you want to be awake on a Saturday morning. That night I packed a small backpack that I could ride with during the day that contained all my necessities: blood glucose monitor, pump replacement sets, glucose tablets, cash, ID, Sports Beans (by Jelly Bean but are good for Fuel while riding) snack bars and water!!!!
When I woke up Saturday morning my blood sugar was a little high, but I figured it was just due to the adrenaline and anxiety of making sure I would make it to the station in time for the train. I got to the station shortly after 6am, grabbed coffee and snacks and walked with the other riders to our boarding platform for the Metro North. The train conductor "greeted" our group of cyclists, by telling us that no more than 4 bikes are allowed on a train at one time (not a train car- the entire train) after some pleading and explaining that we were training for a charity bike ride, she let us slide, but we had to sit in pairs in the cars with restrooms(see picture.) During the ride I chatted with a fellow JDRF rider who is also a lawyer, she said she almost went into action with the train conductor, but it was just too early to rev that up. We also read the rule for the train and found out that on the weekends 8 bikes are allowed and during the week it is limited to 4- must have been an early am for her as well.
While on the train I tested and I was still high, my insulin pump then gave off an alarm 'no delivery' so I realized that none of the insulin I took earlier was active in my body, I was high and not coming down. I got into my backpack and had to change my pump site on the train to ensure I was getting insulin. I started to come down almost immediately after the replacement, and I knew I would have to put a temporary rate on for the duration of the ride and check occasionally to make sure I wasn't dropping. Luckily I was with other diabetics so there was a sense of understanding and awareness what was going on.
We arrived at the Bedford Hills train station just before 8am, and were met by some fellow riders who had driven to meet up with us. There were approximately 16 riders and it was a pretty even split between males and females, except for when we divided into the group of who was doing the long ride and who was doing the short; I was the lone female riding 50 miles!
This ride was beautiful, it took us through rolling hills of farms and estates with lavish green lawns perfectly manicured- it is no surprise to find out that people such as Chevy Chase, Ralph Lauren and Martha Stewart have properties in the area.
Coming from the city it is breathtaking and calm, however the Map My Ride cue sheet took us through many wrong turns or missed turns, maybe adding to the sights but also adding an additional 8 miles to our ride and more hills! When we passed through the state line into Ridgefield, CT we stopped at a cafe for a lunch break! We were joined by many other cyclists, enjoying the nice- but hot weather and the open roads with limited traffic.
By this time my blood sugar had balanced itself out and I was feeling very good For lunch I got a bagel with turkey and veggies. A good combination of Carb and protein. Bagels are rare for me to eat because of the high ratio of carbs and how they effect my blood sugar. But today I ate my bagel without reservation because I knew I needed the nutrition to continue the ride, and I did- I didn't go above 160 for the remaining 25 miles.
In the end we did over 55 miles with a bit of backtracking and hills. I kept up with the guys, or they waited for me, whichever it was- I finished and felt strong!We burned 4,000 calories (thank god for that bagel) and climbed 3,719 feet. This is what we covered http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35805465
I was fortunate to get a ride back to Brooklyn and was able to relax and rest up for the rest of the day!

Noah's Ride

In May a few of us who had been training for the Rides decided to go to upstate to LAGrange, NY for Noah's Ride, about 2 hours outside of The City. The Ride was created to raise funds to assist with the expenses associated with the treatment of Noah's Neuroblastoma. Now, six years later Noah is in remission and so this year they decided to donate the funds raised to JDRF to honor a family in their community who had lost their teenage son to Type 1 diabetes.
Together a friend and I took liberty of my new Zip Car membership and reserved ourselves a Mazda Sedan for the Day. Luckily we are small women and with taking off the front wheel of a bike, can fit them in the back seat!
The ride was 40 miles of rolling hills and beautiful scenery of farms, forests and green! Just seeing the green reminded me of Washington! There were a few challenging uphills where I would just watch my odometer not able to go over 5 mph and my legs barely moving, but I didn't stop! Then there were some amazing downhills where we were able to get a lot of great speed, upwards of 35-40 mph!
After the ride we hung out for a while at the park for food and raffle prizes. When we were putting the bikes back in the car my friend who had rode up with me was loading up and accidentally locked the keys in the car.We momentarily panicked and called AAA, it was going to take 60-90 minutes to get someone to the park- that is a lot of wasted driving time so we called Zip Car and they were able to remotely send a signal to the car to unlock it!

Training and Transportation in NYC

Living in NY has it's many advantages and bicycling in NY is a great way to get around. It does become difficult to go on long distance rides inside of the 5 boroughs without doing the same park loop over and over! The trains are mostly reliable, but pose some bike transportation rules when traveling with groups and Car Rental gets pricey with insurance, gas and limited weekend hours- I thought this was the city that never slept! To overcome these issues and make my training schedule more efficient, I signed up for ZipCar! It works with you, and so far I love it!

Five Borough Ride

Shortly after we bought our bikes, we signed up for the NY 5 Borough Bike Ride. I was optimistic at this time, because I knew I wouldn't have to ride the Dahon for this long of a distance (the fold up city bikes with 16 inch tires) This tour is a 42 mile bike ride that, like the title says, tours through the 5 boroughs of NYC. This year it was on Sunday May 2- which happened to be one of the hottest, most humid days we have had here to date. By the time the Tour came around, I had signed up for the JDRF Ride and to be honest, became a little obsessed with cycling. I would go to prospect park a few times a week or to the bike path in Bay Ridge. Brooklyn to ride. I even tried to unsuccessfully convince Billy that we should bring our bikes to Philadelphia for the weekend on a business trip he was going on- the logistics without a car just seemed to be too much so I gave up.
The 5-Borough ride starting time is listed between 8-9 am. The 60 min start frame is given to accommodate the over 30,00 people that take part in this event. The day began early in Battery Park and slowly wove through up 6th Ave, Central Park, Harlem, the Bronx, FDR drive (NY taxes apparently do NOT go to paving the streets or highways here) we crossed over the Queensburough bridge to Queens, over the Kosciuszko Bridge into Brooklyn, through Williamsburg, past our house in Park Slope and over the Verazzano Bridge into Staten Island! Wow, that is a lot of places, and it took a LOT of time. There were so many people at the ride from all skill levels which made it difficult to get into a good pace before we were stopped in traffic, or by a fallen biker a head! By the end of the day we were hungry, overheated and sun burnt-bike short tan lines are a great look! We met up with a few friends at our neighborhood Bar, South, for a nice cold beer before heading home to shower- I am sorry to everyone else!

Buying My Bike

In March, before there was The 100 mile Ride, Billy came up with a new fitness plan of bicycling- and he probably regrets that now, because he didn't know it would lead to a girlfriend obsessed with bicycling. He did an extensive amount of research online and through friends before he said a word that he was even considering buying a bike. He had all of the parts analyzed and scoped out before he ever set foot in the bike store! All of his advance work paid off because he knew exactly what he wanted and found out where to get it.
The Cannondale Bad Boy, matte black- a beauty! He had it customized to his liking with new wheels, handlebars, pedals and all the extras and by the next day it was ready for him to ride!
My process of buying a bike wasn't quite as easy. It has been a long time since I have had a bike of my own. My first bike ever was lavender banana seat bike with pom poms on the handle bars. My grandfather bought it for me one day when he was just "going out to get a cup of coffee," and for years I rode it around the neighborhood or wherever I could get at that age. Since then, I have always borrowed bikes or picked up whatever was in my parents garage at the time... a 1970s men's Schwinn or a hand-me-down, left behind Trek Mountain bike from the brothers... something of those sorts. So now that I was ready to buy a real bike, I had to get it right. I have a few things working against me 1) my height, and 2) my indecisiveness. I went to approximately 6 bike shops in the New York area over a few weeks and tried different brands, different sizes, different models. I talked to all types of sales people and brand reps and asked them a ton of beginner questions, like when they ask well what are you looking for and you stare at them blankly and say, "a bike- but I know nothing about them" I went for multiple test bike rides in Brooklyn and SoHo, trying to get the feel for what I am suppose to feel like on a bike. I ended up buying a Woman's Specific Design bike, which was a great choice for my petite legs and arms-I ended up with a Specialized Dolce Elite, and when I told my mom about it, her reaction was "sweeeeet"
Here they are Tiny and Biggs!