65.3 miles + killer hills = tired Erin

Well, I completed my first metric century yesterday. It was a beautiful ride toward Snohomish, then we headed south to Duvall, west toward Redmond then back north to Kenmore. The hills on this route were okay in the beginning, then I just bonked on the last two. I need to learn to eat more on my rides. After shoveling some granola bars and drinking more water, I was able to make it up the last two hills with a little push from my friend Zach (literally, he pushed me up it 'cause my legs wouldn't do it- it was funny, yet sad). In the end, I did this wicked downhill where I finally reached over 40 mph- 41.5 mph to be exact! It was a twisty road, but wow was it fun! Sorry, no pictures from this ride. I didn't bring my camera, but take my word for it that there were some amazing sights- The Cascades, old forests, farmland, etc...

I'm planning on doing the Portland Century event (only the half century) at the end of August. It should be a good time!

52.5 miles

I am excited to say I rode 52.5 miles from my apartment to and around Lake Sammamish then back to my apartment. It was a pretty flat ride for the most part, just a few hills around the lake and one hell of a hill on Hollywood rd that was most enjoyable on the decent- I made it to 38.8 mph- Oh, was it worth the climb! I heart my bike! Summer in Washington is amazing!

Summertime and oh, the sights!

Went to Kim and Vic's for a nice BBQ on the rooftop of their apartment building in Belltown with Adele and my new friend, Jamie. It was simply marvelous! The food, the sights of the Sound and the company. The photos just don't do the sights justice... Mt. Rainer is the last photo, in all it's glory, taken from Seward Park on a Women's only ride I did to get to know people and the city.

Ride to Snohomish

I rode to Snohomish from Kenmore this morning through beautiful country roads with the wonderful smell of manure in the air, hot air balloons in the sky, skydivers in the sky, and the most gorgeous sunny skies ever! I rode with my friend/co-worker Zach to downtown Snohomish, a ride that was 42 miles long with a sandwich break in between. I conquered some pretty tough hills (for me) and averaged 15 mph, max out at 38 mph down one of the decents and felt I rocked it out! Here's some photos from the day. Enjoy!

My new road bike!

For those of you who don't know, I've become quite the cyclist since I've moved to Washington. I am so excited today because I purchased my very first road bike and clipless pedal system. I bought Shimano shoes complete with a carbon fiber soles. The bike... oh, it is sooooo awesome! It's a Felt FW35, which is a women's specific fit with Shimano 105 front and rear derailleurs. It rides like a dream and I can't wait to commute to work in the morning and ride my butt off this weekend! I'll hopefully be riding to Snohomish from my apartment about 42 miles round trip with some decent hills. My goal this summer is to ride around Lake Washington, about 75 miles. Maybe I'll sign up for the STP next year, but that's 200 miles from Seattle to Portland, so we'll see... :)

Memorial Day Weekend

I was fortunate to celebrate Memorial Day weekend with my friends while reconnecting with nature. Friday night was spent celebrating a co-workers birthday. Saturday morning, I headed to the Olympic Peninsula with Kim and Viktor. I rode on my very first ferry boat from downtown Seattle to Bainbridge Island and saw a great shot of Mt. Rainier. We spent the day at Lake Crescent hiking to a waterfall. Then we traveled to La Push, which is at the northern coast of the peninsula, and spent some time on the beach. On Sunday, I went for an hour bike ride along the Olympic Discovery Trail. I saw an old railroad bridge with the Dungeoness River below. We headed out to the Dungeoness Spit, which is quite litearally, a spit of land without any vegetation, only birds, driftwood and rocks. There was a lighthouse 5 miles out, but an 11 mile hike wasn't in the cards for us.

Monday was spent sleeping in until noon then heading to Seattle for the Folk Festival with Alea and William. We saw some great acts; my favorites were an irish group, the capoeira dance group, and and funk band called Lazybones. The weekend was fantastic, but it's time to return to work tomorrow.

Sunny days in Washington

Well, I've definitely gotten outside and have explored my area so far. I am loving it out here, although still miss having my friends and family there when I need them at a drop of a hat. I'm really learning how to live alone and be happy. I am currently training for the Mountains to Sound relay race at the end of June. My co-workers and I are all participating in completing the 100 miles of racing including mountain biking 22 miles (this is what I am doing), road cycling 50 miles, kayaking 12 miles, running a 6 mile "sprint" and a half marathon. Hope my math is correct on all that. It's going to be my first EVER race and I'm a bit nervous since I have the mass start, but I'm excited to be participating at all! Here are some new photos I have taken the past few weeks, ranging from cycling scenes to nature hikes, to good friends. I hope everyone is doing well! Enjoy!