Don’t forget to read my RACE RECAP! After burning 2,400 calories on my bike race this morning, I knew I needed to buckle down about my eating this afternoon. I am STUFFED!
Granola and yogurt:
Bowl of cereal (times two) and a bowl of cherries:
Leftover ziti:
I am so full but I’m still about 800 calories under my net! There is just no way for me to eat all that back.
How I Got Into Biking
Adi from Oatonomy asked me to describe how I got into cycling. It’s an interesting little story that goes WAY back:
My Dad has always been an avid cyclist. When I was a kid, he would strap me to the back of his bike and take me for lonnnng rides. I would just suck on my bottle the entire time. 
As I got into my teenage years, I lost interest in biking (and physical activity in general). My Dad took me on a few biking trips (like one to Yellowstone National Park), but I never latched onto the sport.
In Spring 2007, I was one year into my running hobby and wanted to try a triathlon in the Summer. For my 23rd birthday, I bought myself a used Giant bike (my Dad pitched in a little, too). It was on sale on Craigs List for about $350, but it originally retailed for $1,300!
I signed up for a sprint triathlon and trained for 8 weeks. I felt confident on the run and bike portions of the tri, but I was under prepared for the open water swim and ended up being disqualified. You can read the story of my DQ here.
After my tri was over, I put my bike on the porch and hardly ever rode it — mostly because I was too busy training for three 5Ks, two 10Ks, two 15Ks, two Half Marathons, and a 15.4-mile trail race! I was running so often that I just didn’t have time to bike.
In September, my knee issues really started to act up. I was first diagnosed with chondromalacia (read about my diagnosis in this post), but my diagnosis was recently changed to patellofemoral pain syndrome (read about my diagnosis in this post).
I would say I started to get serious about my riding again about two months ago when I went on a running hiatus. Biking doesn’t bother my knees as much as running and it’s generally easier on the body. I started off at 10.0 miles and slowly worked up my long Sunday rides 5.0 miles at a time. Running provided me with a solid cardio base so training was more about getting my muscles used to being in the saddle so long. I was doing 20.0 miles, then 25.0, then 30.0…. and I kept going!
To learn more about cycling, I read Bicycling.com and talked to salespeople at bike shops. There are several bike shops in the area that offer free Bike Maintenance 101 classes, although I could never go with my schedule. So, to learn how to change a tire, I watched a YouTube video. There’s more to "learn" about biking than there is about running, but I found it fun to be challenged and study a new hobby!
I know picking up bicycling can be intimidating, but it’s a really fun hobby and I encourage you to check it out if you’re interested!
If you haven’t already checked out my race recap, be sure to! It was a craaaaaazy 60 mile ride!
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I found my bike on Craigslist too! Mine was only two years old and my boyfriend bought it for me for $400
I guess he wanted to spread his cycling happiness onto another person, haha.
Even though I LOVE running, I have to say there is nothing like being out in the middle of nowhere on my bike alongside my sweetie
Is your hubby thinking of signing up for any races??
Congratulations Caitlin! I knew you would smoke it! That's so wonderful you got to experience it with your father!
Reading all this makes me really want to start biking!
Have a great rest!
I love the pic of you and your Dad. And congrats on the race, I've enjoyed reading about it all this weekend!
That was a great story to read. Since I am just getting into biking (still scared to get my first flat tire!), I can definitely relate to a lot of that. I never knew your triathlon story, but you have completely motivated me to do open water swims before my triathlon! I am a little scared of the ocean and I know it's going to be crazy when everyone is trying to swim all at the same time around me.
Anyway, I wanted to tell you that yesterday I posted my stretches for my knee. I thought they may be helpful for you since we now have the same knee problems. At least I hope, since your posts constantly help me!
http://redsoxcap.blogspot.com/2009/06/detox-day.html
Congrats of your ride! It all sounds so exciting and I really hope to do a race someday! Unfortunately I don't own a rode bike right now, I rented the one I used on my 24 mile ride. But I loved it so much I willing to invest so more money into this hobby because I think I really might love it! Thanks for your constant inspiration!
cool love the behind the scenes info on how you got into cycling!
Thanks for sharing!! My dad is really into cycling too, he's so pumped now that I'm getting into it. He's already plaaning long bike trips for us! I have to say, I think my love for biking may be surpassing my love for running!! I like the speed, and besides my butt, it doesn't kill my joints and muscles.
Congratulations Caitlin! You did it and you even did better than you thought you could! Amazing my dear
Thanks for posting your story!
I'm considering getting into tri's so I needed a little bit of a pep talk about the whole biking component since I don't even own a bike! It is a bit more intimidating than running, but certainly less stressful on the body.
Thanks for sharing. Great story!
*Thank you* for posting this! It's a great recap!
I can't believe you've only been biking for two months and have already gotten up to such huge distances. I think that speaks volumes for your cardiovascular health and how running does more for your body than make you a better runner – it makes you a better cyclist, too.
I think I need to map out some good routes and hop on my bike next weekend!
Thank you so much for the story and that pic of you and your Dad is so cute!!
Congrats!! I am soooo impressed that you raced so far. I'm also impressed at you doing the tri – even though you consider that a "DQ" I am still inspired. I want so badly to sign up for a tri but I am petrified of the water portion!!! Are you planning on doing another tri soon?
I would love to get into biking, I've tried spinning but I want to see what the sport is like on a real road!
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reading about your biking does totally make me want to ride. i enjoy spin class and had a great time doing a 25 mile (interrupted by wine tasting breaks!) guided ride in napa valley on vacation, so maybe someday i'll learn how to ride 'for real' like you do!
it seems like a great balance to running and like it would be a lot of fun.
val – hmmm i dunno. maybe, maybe not?? now that ive been cleared to run again i think i would rather spend my entry fees on running races LOL. plus, open water sucks! LOL
Thanks so much for sharing!
Oh, and for getting all your calories back in, I wanted to let you know that it *is* possible to do without any of those "too overfull" feelings.
I was running a lot last summer and found myself dropping more weight then I wanted. I kept on stuffing food in my over-full belly, but then realized I needed to switch up my eating habits a little to include more of the calorie dense stuff. Like avocados, nuts on practically everything, cheese, occasional desserts, and less salads/more calorie dense veggies (sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, etc.) It helped me not to feel sooo full while still getting in some hefty (and healthy) calories.
sarah – very good tip!!!