204 miles...on a bike...in one day, CHECK!

Yup, that's right! On the 9th, I participated in the annual Seattle to Portland (STP) ride with some of the most awesome people I know. Way to REPRESENT, Newberg, OregON. I wish I could put into words all of the lessons and feelings I experienced while training for and completing the STP. Here are some of them...okay lots of them.

It all started with Sandra Freeman. Those of you who know her are better because you know her. Those of you who don't, have no idea what your missing, but I can't tell you that you're better off not knowing, because you just aren't. Talented and Intense are two of my favorite words to describe her. She did the STP last year and in a workout session here and there, she kept "suggesting" I get a bike and ride the STP with her on the next go around. YEAH RIGHT. Who in their RIGHT mind would ever WANT to bike 200 miles period. Let alone in ONE day. DUMB.

Fast forward a few months...I borrowed a bike from the Esmonds for my first few months of riding to see if I wanted to invest the time and money. In all honesty, I just enjoyed being with Sandra and figured borrowing a bike to hang out with her while we burned some calories was no big deal, no big commitment. No harm, no foul. My parents always taught me that the power of association was HUGE and to surround myself with people that challenged me to be the best me I could be. Done.

Fast forward some more...I bought a bike off Craigslist...My thoughts, "I'm just a follower of the crazies, not really one of them, so I'm not going to invest a bunch of money into this whole thing, PLUS I'm not sure I'm committed to do the STP." Then I remembered how as a kid we always used tell my dad, "Oh my GOSH dad, you are SOOooo weird." His response, without fail was always, "GOOD! Normal is BOOOORRing." Good life lesson right there. Normal is QUITE boring. So, I joined the crazies and committed to the STP.

Fast forward yet again...pretty sure that shortly after I made my decision, Dallas got a job offer in CA and we decided we were moving within 3 months. Fabulous. Training for a bike ride is not like training for marathons. For a marathon, you just run wherever, whenever as long as you get those miles in. Same principle with riding a bike, EXCEPT THE FACT that doing it by yourself is NO FUN. No morale boosters from Kendell's jokes or tips from Steve on form. And NO drafting. GREAT! Well, dang that competitive and committed Simmons blood. I COMMITTED a few months too EARLY. Blast. I had a severe thought attack once we were actually HERE and I realized that due to my schedule and availability, it would work best for me just to train on my own and suck it up. I'll be honest, every time I thought about doing any ride over 50 miles by myself, I thought my brain would explode. Not because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do it, but just because I didn't have anyone there to gauge myself against. Was I strong or weak, was I pulling my weight drafting, was I training hard enough, fast enough, long enough??? Boom. Brain exploded. After the explosion, there was usually a brief selfish pity party about why I was missing out on all the fun all of my friends were having training WITHOUT me and how GOOD they were going to be and how LAME I was going to be...etc, etc....you know...all that positive, encouraging and uplifting self-talk. Then I remembered that thing my mom always used to quote, "Choose your love and love your choice." I chose to love riding. I did love it. For all sorts of reasons. Number one was initially because of the association with people that just made me feel BIG inside because of who they were and how they lived their lives. Number two was because of the wind in the face, fabulous views, workout while chatting status all combined. Number three: The thrill of the challenge. This became my favorite part of training once I got to Cali since number one was eliminated with my choice to be solo and number two got a bit tarnished when my mileage and number of hills increased...appreciating the beautiful views at mile 80 while going up a 2 mile hill at 3 mph wasn't exactly my first thought (Note to fellow riders: This particular ride is where Bald Peak's MOM is located.)

Long story long...training for the STP was as much mental (if not more) than it was physical. Sure, you have to condition (pun intended) your seat as well as your legs, back, glutes, and even neck. But the hard part for me was the constant mental conditioning. Attitude really is everything with these types of things. Always has been. Actually, correction: Nutrition AND attitude is everything. My attitude was usually affected by my blood sugar level. Grumpy, discouraged and upset with my epic failures....I was usually just low on calories and H20. Give myself some energy chews or a bar and within 10 minutes my thoughts were, "This hurts so goooood! I LOVE this. I'm gonna ROCK the STP!" Funny how physiology can affect psychology sometimes. (BTW...for the record...this applies for INTENSE workouts, not for every day life. I do not condone popping calories when feeling discouraged and upset...there are better coping mechanisms than food for that.)

Well, on to the ACTUAL ride. AH-MAZ-ING. Follow our journey below:

Kendell and Steve in their Greyhound seats. Notice the extremely clean and sanitary window to Steve's left. I have had CLEANER rides on buses in China. But it all added to the memories! :)

Sandra and I got better seats, but not by much. Had Lincoln been with me, I would have used the entire package of wet wipes to wipe down the grease off the window sill and ceiling.

Steve got part of this on video I think...Kendell saved me from the bathroom. I was hydrating (perhaps a little too well) as one should the day prior to a big race. As such, nature called. My thoughts, "I can't think straight if I don't go. No, that bathroom is nasty, I don't want to. But I have to GO. HOLD IT. I can't...scuze me Sandra." Drum roll please. Enter bathroom. Thoughts, "I think that drunk guy in here before me dropped his Coke cup in the toilet. Man this is like an airplane lavoratory, but SMALLER. Ok, SICK, the drunk guy obviously had impaired aiming abilities...not that a bouncing bus was on his side in the first place. Nasty. Just go and get out of here...." As I impatiently attempted to open the hinged door, I shoved it a little too enthusiastically in the wrong direction, hyperextending the hinge, thus making it impossible for me to exit. Wondering if I should yell for help or just use my body checking skills from high school soccer to kick down this FREAKING DISGUSTING door, I hear a lady outside saying, "Pull, you're doing it wrong." Needless to say, Kendell came to the rescue. He pushed I pulled, while maintaining balance to avoid falling on the toilet seat and potentially getting splashed by the blue and who knows what other color slosh down below. I can't believe I just wrote a GIANT paragraph about my experience with a toilet. Kind of traumatizing, quite honestly.

Walking the streets in Seattle. Love the CITY.

We decided to document our attempt to darken our hotel room since we were trying to hit the sac at 7:30pm to be ready for a 3:30am start to the day. Skillz right here.

On our way to eat the night before. Mmmm that Caprese sandwich is calling my name right now. YUM.

Thanks for looking normal at 4:45am Sandra. Those are my crazy eyes.

I'm sorta intense. :)

This is Lee and his studly son Luke. Lee was our support driver for the ride and took our bikes up for us. Thanks for hanging out and waiting around for us. It was a big deal to know that we didn't have to worry if something went wrong or if we needed something we forgot. Lee was on top of it all and Luke kept us in line!

Cherry Coke stop!

FINISHED! 11 hours and 30 minutes of bike time. Yes, my butt was sore (I know you all were wondering). Gratefully, the first 100 miles was the EASIEST century I've done. The synergy created in a group of committed riders and the drafting support made the time FLY. The second 100 was harder for sure, but we all pulled and drafted as planned and made it through strong. Preparation was key....as always. What I learned: The preparation was the hard part. The ride itself wasn't bad! With a few attitude checks, maintenance of proper nutrition and a KILLER team, this was a fantastic experience for me and will be a cherished memory for sure.

Some of our fabulous support and photographer at the finish line!

I thought the lines were more from dirt than a tan line. Not as much dirt as I thought. Definitely my sexiest tan ever...

And last but not least...no picture, but HUGE thanks to Dallas. BEST HUSBAND EVER. He encouraged and supported me the whole time and made sure that Lincoln was spoiled with Dates with Dad while I was gone on my long Saturday rides. He never complained once about the time it took away from the family for me to train and was quick to remind me of why I was doing this crazy business in the first place whenever I questioned myself. Again...he's a keeper.

What We've Been Up To...

Time flies when you're having FUN!

April's highlight was our visit to Utah for Dustin and Sarah's (Heath's wife) graduation. It was so fun to have the ENTIRE Simmons clan with spouses and kiddos together. Here are some of our favorite pics taken by our very own Brooke Kathryn...

Three Generations. Dustin graduated with his Masters. STUD.

I like this. :)

I love him.

We all fit on Heath's love sac. YEsss!

Dustin and Rachelle know how to do Easter...seriously...I think we should do Easter with them every year. (I'm also remembering THE BEST CARAMEL CORN EVER right about now.)

Baby= Little Boy...weird.

Dallas and I of course visited the BYU Bookstore, Cafe Rio and J Dawgs as well as attending the Men's BYU Volleyball game and saw a movie at the Dollar Theater (which is no longer a dollar by the way...sad). This sequence of events illustrates a typical night in our lives while living in Provo. Well, we didn't manage the Malt Shoppe, but we did get HUGE ice cream cones from Macey's (which I didn't even know they HAD till this visit...ridiculous, I know).

The girls (Great Grandma Boyer, Mom, Me, Brie, Brooke) took a fieldtrip to visit Dustin at the Charter school he teaches at. We even took him his Sesame Street lunchbox. I think Great Grandma Boyer was the most popular of us all. Of course the guy trying to mac on my sister was pretty hilarious as well. Oh high school boys who think they are smooth. Hilarious.

I love having the entire family together. There is a hilarious dynamic when we are all present that I miss. Yay for family.

May's highlight was Lincoln's birthday. Dallas is the ultimate hands on dad. He probably would have spent hundreds of dollars on the kid if we didn't have a budget. I believe I even have an email from him with links to different toys he found available on Amazon and Toys R Us. Mom made a yummy cake that we decorated with Mater and Lightning McQueen from Cars. You can tell there was a theme. Linc's obsessed with Cars. (He actually sat through the entire Cars 2 movie last week...) He prefers to have them all lined up next to him before he falls asleep. Mater is lovingly called "Mamer" and Lightning is "Liming".

We decided to change him out of his church clothes before we sang Happy Birthday

Lightning was filled with some Hot Wheels cars instead of candy. Linc was STOKED.

I kept asking Lincoln to say, "I'm two years old" when I asked, "Lincoln, how old are you?" That lasted for about 2 responses and now he just sticks his arm out to shoo me away and says, "No mbomby (mommy), no!" Funny man.

Lincoln is full of energy as are most two year olds. The video below minimally validates this claim. Brie took this of him while he was staying with my parents. He is also presently obsessed with anything that has to do with motorcycles, airplanes, tractors or cars. I believe Dallas just hung a hot wheels poster on his wall as well. Lol.

Our highlight for June was Jay (Dallas' older brother) and Ashley's wedding. It was so beautiful. The ceremony was at Ashley's parents home, which was almost like a resort hotel. Everything set up outside for the ceremony looked like it was from the movies. Just perfect. Ashley was stunning and Jay looked fabulous. They are such a great couple and it was so great to see their faces as they said I do. Yay for love. What topped it off was the sweet BBQ and swimming that took place afterwards. All the neices and nephews swam their hearts out. This was Linc's first REAL experience in a pool and man that kid is a fish. He didn't want to be touched or held on to at all (which posed a simple problem because he doesn't swim yet). He also jumped right in from the ledge to both me and Dallas. Time to visit Gma and Gpa in Loomis and have some Swimmin' lessons baby! I love summertime.

Linc and Dallas all tuckered out at the airport in the midst of our travel craziness. Layovers and canceled flights.

Nana is the BEST story teller! Adam, Lincoln and Levi are loving every second.

On to wedding photos!

Beautiful!

Stahle Kids

Documenting our addition of the third Ashley Stahle to the family. 3 brothers; all married Ashleys, or is it Ashlies? :)

Linc and me on the airplane home.

Dallas was unfortunately in China for Father's Day, but he did get to have some good father/son time with Lincoln at the Father and Son Campout in May.

On the way home, Linc threw up all over himself and his car seat. Nice. Dallas cleaned up all of the barf and washed the car seat liners. He put Lincoln in the bathtub, where he (Lincoln, not Dallas) proceeded to poop. Dallas then removed the Lincoln Log and disinfected all of the bath toys in the dishwasher. I was gone all day on a long bike ride, so when I got home, Dallas nonchalantly acted like it was just another day in the life of the Stahles. What a guy! I think I'll keep em both.

A few short weeks after returning from Texas, Dallas took off for a 2 1/2 week trip to China and I left for Girls Camp for the first of those weeks. Camp is always so wonderful. This year was especially amazing for me. I was a "Craftie" and assisted the girls in making all their fun choices of crafts. I was in awe of my fellow Crafties and their creativity, talents and spirits. Words don't ever do the Girls Camp experience justice. It is an amazing week for the girls filled with bugs, mosquitos, ticks, scorpions, tents, FOOD (which was PHENOMENAL by the way), hikes, crafts, songs, skits, campfires, friendships, sad tears, happy tears, testimonies, growth, inspirational talks, time for reflection and unity. A few pics below:

Our theme this year was "It's A Jungle Out There," and each group chose their own name. These are our Camp Directors, The Big Bananas. The actual Banana costumes they wore were stellar.

Thanks to Julie, our head Craftie, we had TONS of options for the girls to choose from. My personal favorites were the survival bracelets and the flowers.

Me, Kristine, Julie and Jane. I had so much fun with these women. Bucket Fillers for sure. Good times.

Julie and Kristine were actually college roommates. Small world.

Julie and her daughter Paige.

For the 4th of July, my family came up for some FUN.

The Redwoods. Lincoln ran around the entire mile loop with his umbrella stroller barefoot. That kid never stops!

Almost IMMEDIATELY after I applied sunscreen, Lincoln not only tripped and fell, HE ROLLED around in the sand. Awesome.

Love this pic. Looking at the Sea Lions at the Wharf. Like father, like son.

Love my man.

Daddy's Girls

This dude was awesome.

Although perhaps premature, I anticipate that the HUGE highlight of July will be completing the STP with my Newberg peeps. The STP is a 200 mile bike ride from Seattle to Portland that we are completing in one day. Intense. I hopped on the STP bandwagon last fall before we knew we were moving. I committed all the way, so once we decided to move I figured I'd just make it work with the training, etc. out here. I HAVE made it work, but I would MUCH prefer to at least be training with all my friends. Not only is it more fun to talk to people when you are on a road bike for several hours at a time, but there are benefits like synergy, drafting, morale boosters, etc., that I've struggled a bit not having while training alone. BUT, I think I will be well prepared and actually enjoy the actual ride when it comes. The balancing of nutrition, proper mental toughness :), and of course the physical aspect has been a really great experience. This is where most of my "me" time is going at the moment, so I am grateful for a husband who is so willing to sacrifice so that I can spend lots of time riding and training. And no, I do not take pictures of myself in my sexy bike shorts. However, I'm sure I will have some to share after this weekend. :)

Here are just some random pictures of Lincoln on a "typical" day.

This is my update. Hope you liked it. Until next time! The end. :)