The Green Girl and Lexa's First Flat Tire

Lexa's first flat tire

After a triumphant PR at the Wrigley River Run 5k Saturday morning, the Green Girl headed over to Palos Verdes with Lexa for a long ride.

I was feeling more confident after my first cycling lesson so I decided I would go for an actual ride on the road.

I parked, hopped on Lexa, and headed out along the coast.

As I was riding, there was suddenly a loud popping sound and I heard Lexa's rear tire deflate. The tire was flat like a pancake.

I looked around and saw what appeared to be the culprit, a menacing looking white rock with a wide, sharp edge.

Lexa at The Bike Palace

Relieved that this occurred so close to my car, I rolled Lexa back and drove over to the nearest bike shop, The Bike Palace.

They propped Lexa up on a bike stand and removed her rear tire.

They seemed impressed by the severity of the damage. The tire was sliced horizontally and would need to be replaced.

Lexa's torn tire

Unfortunately, The Bike Palace didn't have any 650c tires, so they put the torn tire sans tube back on Lexa and wished me luck finding one in stock nearby.

I managed to find a 650c tire in stock at Jones Bicycles in Belmont Shore so I headed back over the bridge.

At Jones Bicycles, they had two replacement tire options. A standard tire for $14.99 and a Continental Gatorskin tire for $49.99.

Lexa's new Gatorskin rear tire from Jones Bicycle

I was about to go with the cheaper tire when the salesperson mentioned the Gatorskin featured a Kevlar belt under the tread for cut and puncture protection.

A half hour later, Lexa was a whole new Lexa with a $50 Kevlar rear tire.

Wrigley River Run 5k Race Report

The Green Girl did the Wrigley River Run 5k on Saturday.

The proceeds from this local race go to the Long Beach Neighborhood Foundation (LBNF) to support programs for at-risk city youth. Some of the Sole Runners are members of LBNF so a group of us went out to support the race.

Sole Runners at the Wrigley River Run

I'll be honest, the Green Girl went into this race with something to prove to the Wrigley River Run.

I was determined to not let Wrigley River Run history repeat itself - I would not go out too fast and I would do everything in my power to PR.

This week, I really pushed myself on my morning runs in Denver. I was convinced the short-term high altitude training would pay off.

Coach Steve leading the Sole Runners body looseners

Pre-race, Coach Steve warmed up all the Sole Runners with ChiRunning body looseners.

The 10k started an hour before the 5k and runners who could finish the 10k in time had the option to run both.

I cheered on the 10k runners as they headed out onto the course.

Before the 5k, Coach Steve and I discussed my race strategy. He told me to really focus on Mr. Green Garmin and pace myself from the start. His confidence in me was comforting.

Wrigley River Run 10k start

Two minutes into the race, Mr. Green Garmin let me know I was down to a 9:01 minute mile.

I immediately took a deep breath and slowed down. I focused on the ground directly in front of me and blocked out everything else.

The first mile felt great but fatigue started to set in on the second mile and by the time I reached the halfway point, I was fighting the urge to puke.

I had hoped to maintain a more consistent pace but I was all over the place. I would slow down to a 12:30 and then realize I needed to hustle. Then, I'd look at Mr. Green Garmin again and I'd be back at at 9:00 minute mile.

The Green Girl at the Finish Line

I gave that race everything I've got.

At the Finish Line, Mr. Green Garmin said 34:22. My PR from 2008 was 34:48.

Since the race wasn't chip timed and I didn't start in front, I had my doubts it would be an official PR but when the results were posted, my time was 34:41.

I had PR'd by 7 seconds!

The Green Girl's Visit To The Mile High City

The Green Girl and Jill from Run With Jill at Pinkberry Downtown Denver

The Green Girl visited The Mile High City, Denver, this week for work.

Jill from Run With Jill generously offered to pick me up from the airport.

It was so much to hang out with Jill. We had Mexican food for lunch, walked along 16th Street Mall, and then we stopped for a treat at Pinkberry.

The Green Girl with Cindy and PJ

Later in the evening, a fellow Angelman Syndrome family, Cindy and PJ, came by my hotel so we could meet.

Cindy and I chatted as we strolled up and down 16th Street. PJ enjoyed the sights and sounds of the street performers before they headed home.

When I asked Jill for running recommendations at lunch, she'd suggested Cherry Creek Trail.

Cherry Creek Trail is a 40-mile route that begins in downtown Denver and connects the cities of Parker, Centennial and Franktown.

Mr. Green Garmin's altitude of 5,253'

More than one person made a comment about the altitude but, thankfully, I didn't experience any unusual shortness of breath or dizziness on my runs.

I really enjoyed running around Downtown Denver but the Cherry Creek Trail was definitely the highlight.

Cherry Creek Trail

I liked how the cyclists are separated from the pedestrian path. I was much more relaxed knowing I didn't have to worry about getting hit by a bike.

I wished I could go for a longer run to explore more of the trail but my time was limited by early morning work sessions.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself in The Mile High City and look forward to visiting it again in the future.

The Green Girl and Lexa Get Professionally Fitted

The Green Girl and Lexa were professionally fitted on Sunday by Coach Steve from Tri This Coaching.

In addition to being the Sole Runners' head coach, he's also a USA Cycling Coach and USA Triathlon Coach.

The first thing he did was check Lexa's tire pressure. He told me both tires had less than 10 pounds.

Lexa's Presta valve

I explained I had tried to check her air pressure a few times but I couldn't figure out how to do it.

Turns out Lexa's tires have Presta valves which have an additional small nut which needs to be unscrewed before pumping can take place.

Coach Steve showed me how to check the pressure and pump the air.

Lexa on the bike trainer

Once Lexa's tires were pleasantly plump again, he put mounted her up on the trainer. Because she has 650c wheels, she was almost too small for the trainer.

Coach Steve had me get on Lexa and start pedaling. Then, he had me stop with the cranks at 3 and 9 o'clock.

He dropped a plumb bob to see if my patella was directly over the end of the crank. It was not properly aligned so he had me get off the bike. The process consisted of Coach Steve making incremental adjustments and then me getting back on to pedal again so he could see how it looked.

Goniometer

Coach Steve used a goniometer to measure the angle of my knee flexion.

He suggested I change my foot placement to prepare myself for clip-ins. I told him I had my doubts about the whole clip-in idea but he reassured me I would be fine.

Coach Steve said I actually did a good job with the saddle height but he also adjusted the angle and the fore-aft.

Goniometer

In terms of the handlebars, he explained lowered handlebars provide an increased forwarding-leaning, more aerodynamic ride, to a point.

To avoid putting too much strain on my back, shoulders or wrists, at this point, he left the handlebars higher up for now. He also rotated them slightly to make it easier for me to keep my hands on the hoods.

He mentioned he could also adjust the brake lever positioning in the future when I replace Lexa's handlebar wraps for a set of green ones.

Coach Steve adjusting Lexa's saddle

As he was going through the entire process, he went over each of Lexa's parts in detail so I would understand how she works. He also went over shifting gears while Lexa was still up on the trainer. Once I felt comfortable changing gears, we headed out for my first cycling lesson.

He began with the proper technique for starting off. He also had me practice rolling with only one foot on a pedal.

Once I'd mastered that, he showed me how to do turns and taught me to coast and stand up with the pedals at 3 and 9 o'clock. He had me look behind me while trying to maintain a straight line.

He gave me pointers on cycling in traffic and then he ran next to me while he had me practice what I'd just learned.

When I'd gained some confidence riding Lexa, he brought out his bike and we went for a short ride together. He made me feel extremely comfortable because he communicated exactly what I should be doing at all times.

I was so appreciative of Coach Steve's patience with me and after my fitting and lesson, I'm feeling a little better about riding on roads with Lexa.

The Green Girl's 13.1 Chicago Adventure

Welcome to Chicago

The Green Girl's 13.1 Chicago adventure began when she won a race entry from Tim from 26.2 Quest.

After work on Friday, I flew out of LAX and landed at MDW just before midnight.

I checked into a motel and slept for an hour before I headed over to the Museum of Science and Technology.

On the shuttle to the starting line, I met a runner named Moses from Wisconsin.

13.1 Chicago

As I mentioned in my race report, I was at 7.47 miles when the course was Black Flagged due to the hot and humid weather conditions. We also received the somber news that a runner had lost their life.

We were transported back to the Finish Line where we ran down the chute and collected the medals we didn't actually earn.

The Green Girl and Moses Waweru

In the finisher's area, I saw Moses and he told me he had won and Jill had placed fourth.

Moses and I grabbed slices of Lou Malnati's pizza and found a shady spot to relax.

The conversation came easily as it always seems to when you are among other runners. Our first topic was, of course, running.

We discussed the High Altitude Training Centre (HATC) in Eldoret, Kenya.

I got excited when Daniel Kirwa walked by and gave Moses a nod. I had to remind myself that these guys were friends.

Moses Waweru claiming his First Place award and prize money

After we ate, I followed Moses as he went to claim his first place award and prize money.

We walked around and then headed down to the Lake Michigan beach. We sat on the cement wall and people watched as we chatted.

We talked about other elite runners. We discussed the tragic loss of Sammy Wanjiru. It was almost surreal to me that I was talking to someone who knew Sammy personally.

I showed him the pictures I had taken out on the course and he was shocked that I was able to snap shots while running.

He asked me where I carry the camera and I explained how I store it in my hydration belt. He asked me if I just pull it out and click and when I nodded my head, he stared at me in amazement.

I couldn't help but laugh when I realized in many ways, he was in as much awe of me as I was of him.

On my flight back home, I kept replaying the events of the day in my head.

It was truly the perfect ending to a less than perfect race day.