Paul, Dian, Chris and I traveled to Sutter, California at a very early hour to participate in the Bike Around the Buttes Century ride.
This was my fourth year participating in the ride – the second time I was planning on doing the Century course. Three of the four years I have done this ride with my favorite former colleague from the FPPC, Bill. (Last year, however, Bill decided he’d melt and he opted out of the VERY WET ride.)
I had been looking forward to this event for a while, as it often allows me an opportunity to catch up not only with Bill, but also to see one of my former triathlon training-mates, Holly, and her fiance John. I miss them!
The drive to Sutter is a long one for a bike ride, but the Sutter Buttes are beautiful and I don’t mind the drive to ride around them once a year. However, Chris and I had been sick all week and weren't sure how we were going to fare with the long ride.
The Sutter Buttes hold the title of being the world’s smallest mountain range. The Buttes are a small circular complex of eroded volcanic lava domes in the middle of the Central Valley. The highest peak isn’t very tall – about 2,130 feet above sea level. The ride around the base of the mountain range is merely 40 miles.
The Century course travels for 60 miles out and about along the Sacramento River and then ends with the 40 mile route around the base of the Buttes.
We sent out on the Century Course at about 8 am and I quickly realized it was not going to be a social ride. Paul, Dian, Chris and I all has very specific heartrate or wattage zones we were supposed to ride in for the day. After a brief warm up Chris took off to start his tempo repeats and I decided to follow suit to do mine. I was supposed to spend the majority of the ride under 130 watts. I battle with staying in the lower zones when I know I can go faster and found myself pushing watts I should not have been to keep up with Chris.
The first 25 miles FLEW by. We continued at a pretty good clip until we stopped for water at mile 42 and decided that it would not be wise to do the full 100 miles due to our not-so-healthy week.
We completed the 60 mile loop in 3:16. That's fast for me. I was excited about it and started to get ideas in my head about a faster-than-planned Ironman ride until I became VERY sore hours later and realized that I should stick with my 7 hour bike goal. I could not have run a marathon as sore as I was after our 60-miler.
It was fun to spend the day riding with Chris. I usually find myself long behind him.
I was bummed to have missed the best part of the ride - the 40 mile loop around the base of the Buttes - however I knew that doing the full 100 would not have been wise based on my state of health. I need to be healthy... Ironman is merely 9 weeks away!
Dian shared a quote with me today that she found on Desiree Ficker's website that she really liked. I like it too.
The Silverado Trail is apparently the place to ride the weekend before Wildflower. 
Many others from our triathlon club had the same idea, as we saw many familiar faces while on our ride. 
Silverado Trail is a great place to ride as it has a wide shoulder, the pavement is good for most of the ride and it is a relatively pleasant out and back. It's also a favorite for those training for Ironman events, as if you do it twice you have essentially done the IM distance. (Case in point, I saw my dear friend Elisa out there with another GGTCer doing a double out and back. They are doing IM Brazil next month.)
It was such a beautiful day for a ride -- drastically different than the last time I was out there and almost froze to death. 
One of my boyfriend's friends said earlier in the year that she thought I was 27. Accordingly, I am declaring today my 28th birthday rather than the number it actually is. Ah, I knew this day would come. 
My former colleague and dear friend Bill sent me this re-cap of our Bike Around the Buttes ride. It's too funny not to share. 
Paul, Dian, Chris and I traveled to Sutter, California at a very early hour to participate in the Bike Around the Buttes Century ride. 
You know you live in a great area to cycle when you randomly see professional cyclists out and about.
Marin County is a nuclear weapon-free county. 
I think my coach is trying to kill me... my workouts this week are insane. I don't know how I am supposed to work and sleep with my workout schedule. 
Every year my triathlon club, the Golden Gate Triathlon Club, hosts a training weekend down at the Wildflower Triathlon course at Lake San Antonio in Bradley, California.
Once again I found myself in Cabin 2, surrounded by friends and we had a blast. 
Last year's transition race was legendary as one of the coaches did a flying mount onto his bike, which snapped his carbon seat post and left him with carbon fibers in a sensitive area. 
Even more entertaining was the fact that while driving home we happened to pass by the same individual who crashed in transition at the exact moment his bike almost flew off his rack on his car. 
I also had a very good practice ride on the long bike course and was able engage in lively conversation with a fellow GGTC Board Member whom I like very much. Nasty Grade was nasty, but not as nasty as I remembered. I was also happy to discover that "The Pit" is not a black hole with a 20% grade that one runs into and then turns around and runs out of, but rather is a hill I have run up many times before.
