Pop's Tart

Milo's misadventure

2009-02-01T21:07:00.009-05:00

Poor Milo- he's had a bad week!

During the snowstorm on Wednesday Milo (somehow) managed to crack one of his toenails- and it was bad. We think he broke it on the ice- but we really don't know. All we know is- upon coming back into the house from a "potty" break- we noticed that his right foot was bleeding and that his nail was completely cracked from "tip to fur" and sticking straight out. Oh gosh-- just looking at it gave me the heebie-geebies!! Because of the snowstorm, we figured the vet's office was probably closed and even if it was open, we didn't think it would be a wise decision to try to drive over during the storm. We decided our best course of action was to administer some first aid (clean it and clip off the "dead end" so it would not touch or get caught on anything) and then get him to the vet as soon as the weather breaks.

Finally on Thursday, the storm had passed and we were able to get him to the vet's office. The Vet recommended emergency surgery to completely remove his nail. The surgery only took a couple of hours and Milo was able to return home that afternoon wearing his new doggy "cast". He was so funny (when he got home) because he was still groggy from the sedation and also very drunk on pain meds.

We were instructed to remove the cast after 24 hours so now Milo's recovering well and is able to run around again (actually- he acts as if nothing had happened). The Vet said his nail should grow back in time- it just looks a little funny right now.

Indoor TT #2

2009-01-25T18:28:00.008-05:00

This week, it's the Tart's turn to do the happy dance!

My goal was finish this race in under 23 minutes...

Today's time..... Drum roll please....

22:59.8

I made it!! And had 2/10 of a second to spare! HA!!

OMG- that was tooooooo close!

Coming into that final climb- I was sure that I wasn't going to make it! The remaining yards to the finish was creeping down like frozen molasses while the time was whizzing by at warp speed. When I finally finished- I wasn't sure if I had made it (or not) because all I could see was "bubbles". But, I could hear Pops shouting something...he sounded like he was way off in the distance...I think he was saying...."You made it!!! You made your goal!!! Under 23!!!" Once I recovered (and could see and think again) it was great! The pain was over. And YES! I had made it!!!

This week's race strategy was a totally different from last weeks. Stay my big ring and crank a slightly slower cadence for the entire race except on the 3 main climbs where I could shift down to middle ring and spin a higher cadence to the top.

Also, for today's race I tried a new drink mix. "Cytosport's Fast Twitch". This stuff is pretty good! It tasted good and it probably helped me today!!

Reciting our "race mantra".... "Don't be a doily!".......

Hey- he's smilin'- is he working?

The 2009 race season has begun!

2009-01-14T16:15:00.006-05:00

Sunday's indoor Time Trial was the first race of my 2009 season. I had set myself a goal of completing the course in under 23 minutes, so now I'm a little disappointed because that I did not make it. I ended up with a time of 24:49.7.

I was afraid that time would secure my spot in last place, but actually, I beat a guy (2 guys if you count the one that DNF'ed). I did push a peak watts of 225- but my ave watts ended up at only 126 (in contrast, Pops pushed a peak watts of 452 with an ave of 284- he's a machine!).

My race strategy was simple; use my middle chain ring to crank a high cadence and hold my heart rate at about 5 beats above threshold until the climbs, shift to big ring and stand on the climbs allowing heart rate to go as high as max, return to middle ring and recover (back to threshold +5) on the downhills, repeat as necessary. I was able to do this only through the first climb- as I could not get my heart rate back to threshold +5, which meant I could not manage to stand up on the subsequent climbs, which meant my "strategy" was now "shot to hell" after the first climb. (Hum... may need to re-think that strategy for next race.) One thing that did help me throughout the race was my "tunes". Santa brought me an iPod for Christmas, so I had my collection of favorite "inspirational pedal songs" to provide encouragement.

We have 3 more races over the next several weeks, and I'm going to keep trying to beat that 23 minute mark. I guess "it's a process!"

I'm a trophy wife!

2008-11-23T09:33:00.008-05:00

Last Saturday, Team Dayton had their annual "Award night and end-of-the-year party" so Pops and I drove down to Loveland for the event. We had a great time. The party was great with lots of food, drinks, and folks who also think talking about riding and racing bicycles is almost as fun as doing it. I also came home with a Team Dayton trophy! I won the ladies "Most Improved Time Trialist of 2008"!

Wow! I was stunned as well as honored! I guess this means that I'll have to work a little harder this year- so I can live up to that trophy...oh gosh!

Cell phone disaster!

2008-11-09T09:24:00.004-05:00

Hello friends!

Here's todays "Pop's Tart Friendly Tip of the Day":

Don't wash your cell phone-- they don't like it...

Last Sunday, my cell phone took a ride through our washer, and needless to say, the outcome was not good. It totally killed it! I replaced the phone last week, but since it was totally dead, they were not able to retrieve any of my stored numbers. This means three things: (1)the numbers I had written down are now being re-entering by hand (2)the numbers I had only stored in my phone were totally lost and (3) I am totally bummed out that I've lost all of my numbers!

So, if you know my personal email address or cell phone number please give me a shout so I can get you back into my contact list.

Another snake!

2008-10-14T22:40:00.004-04:00

I'm not really sure what's going on around here- but we've had several close encounters with snakes lately.

Caught this guy sunning in our yard yesterday

He's non-venomous, so after bothering him with pictures, we let him be. I'm sure our neighbors won't be very happy about that.

Swimmin' at the "Y"

2008-10-10T11:51:00.009-04:00

It's been a couple of weeks since we joined the "Y" and so far it's been pretty fun! We've been going several times a week, trying out different things and various programs. Over the past couple of weeks, I've attended several spin classes, did some walking/running on the treadmill, and have worked on some strength training. But, what has really been fun has been swimming again.

Being back in a pool is bringing back a lot of memories from my childhood. Other than a few times, I really haven’t been swimming since I was 14 years old and living in San Antonio, TX. Back then, my family had bought a “membership” at the pool down the street from our house. (*Disclaimer- although we had a "family membership"-- my parents NEVER EVER went there). The summers between my 8th & 9th grade and again between my 9th & 10th grades consisted entirely of my friend Norma and I going to summer school in the mornings and then heading to the pool for the entire afternoon. Our weekends consisted of staying at the pool from opening until closing time. Even then, I never really "swam" (competitively or otherwise- since there just wasn't that kind of opportunities for girls when I was growing up). I knew how to swim, and other than having do laps when I got “into trouble”- swimming consisted mostly of just hanging out with other kids, fooling around in the water, and doing lots of flips off the diving board.

Being back in a pool is now making me think about doing things that I haven't done in years! When one of the students in my swim class asked the instructor if he would teach him how to do a "flip turn" (those fancy turns swimmers do when they turn around at the end of a lap) I heard myself thinking "Hey - I was able to do those when I was a kid.” When the instructor asked if anyone else was interested in learning how to do one, I said “Sure!” After some quick directions from the instructor-I gathered up my courage, and (surprise!) I was able to do one!! Now, I’m sure it was not the most graceful looking flip-turn he has ever seen, but after 35 years- I was pretty happy that I was still able to pull one off! After some more instructions and several more attempts, I was able to "knock a little more rust off of them". I think with some practice, I might be able to do them consistently again. What fun!!!

Has it been almost 2 months???

2008-09-20T17:05:00.008-04:00

Good grief! I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since I last updated my blog. Sheesh!!!

Well, a lot has happened, but I guess the biggest thing is that I had a "Milestone Birthday".

Since most folks agree that 50 a milestone birthday I decided it was time for some changes- a "makeover" if you will. After all- if I were a 50 year old house it would be time for some major renovations! On the other hand, if I were a 50 year old bottle of fine wine, well- I guess I'd be "expensive"- HA

First makeover objective: a NEW WARDROBE! I started my wardrobe transformation by going through my closet and pulling out at least 7 trash bags full of clothes to take to the Salvation Army. Most clothes I hadn't worn since I've been up here (almost 2 years), so it was WAY past time to pitch 'em. Now, the hard part of the new wardrobe mission- "Phase 2- The Buying of New Clothes". One may think buying a new wardrobe is no-brainer for a blond, but that couldn't be further from the truth for me! I HATE shopping for clothes!!! I would go as far as saying it's a "Major Pain". Why? Because all of the retail stores carry the same CRAPPY stuff in sizes that fit "most women". I am not the size of "most women" and I really don't care about the latest "look" - "The Baby-doll" look. Gag!!! Are you kidding me??? The "Baby-doll" look looked great on me the first time I saw it- in the freakin' 70's when I was in Junior High School!!! But now, it just looks ridiculous on me. I don't blame the stores, after all, they are there to make money- by carrying latest trends- in the sizes they can sell the most of. So, for me, shopping for new clothes was more of a "quest for clothes"! After a seemingly endless parade in and out of stores, I'm happy to report that I did manage to come home with one complete outfit and several pair of dress pants and several mix and match tops. What a chore!! Next up, new shoes... Oh gosh, I can't even THINK about that right now!

Second makeover objective: NEW HAIR!!! Just a haircut and some color. Nothing drastic- but I certainly feel better!!!

Third makeover objective: TEETH WHITENING. I just wanted to brighten them up a little. Knock a little "age" off - not look like I have a mouth full of chalk. Everywhere you look someone is advertising teeth whitening. I even saw a kiosk at the Mall that was claiming fabulous results. Being somewhat suspicious of all of these claims, I went to dentist. They hooked me up with some trays and some "gunk" so I can do it at home. I'm currently following their directions and and I'm seeing improvement - so far-so good.

Forth makeover objective: FACE PHOTO-REJUVENATION. I visited the dermatologist a couple of months ago and got all the info. It's going to take 6-monthly appointments to complete the process. I plan to make my 1st appointment in November since they recommend that you stay out of the sun after the process. More to come on this one...

My final makeover objective: my WINTER TRAINING PLAN. I have GOT TO get stronger! If I can maintain my aerobic capacity while increasing my strength over the winter I should see better time trial results next spring. Anyway, that's the plan. So to achieve this goal Pops and I joined the YMCA. The "Y" provides a "Personal Trainer" with our membership, so I met with him last Sunday to get started on a strength training program. I also plan to sign up for the swimming lessons that caters to "adults wishing to train for a triathlon", start running on the treadmill, and attend a weekly spin class. I also have Pops restoring his old Kelly Cross Bike for me so I can try doing a couple of Cycle-cross races this fall (have I totally lost my mind?). If I can successfully achieve these goals I think I would like to enter the Sprint-triathlon they hold out at Caesar's Creek next summer.

All of this just because of a birthday???

GreatWebsite link

2008-07-23T18:33:00.002-04:00

A big thanks to the HopMaster for sending me this link!! Check it out- too funny!!!

Click here for Yellowjacket TV

It's been awhile...

2008-07-20T17:23:00.008-04:00

Boy, it has really been awhile since I've last updated my blog! Here's a quick catch-up on my races!

June 8: rode in the Blue Streak TT on base. It's 10 miles on an almost flat course. Finished "unofficially" in 33.53 (There was a mess-up with the official timing- and that's what I think my computer said)

June 14: Colavita TT, finished in 43:53- I finally manged to break under that 44 minute mark to come home with my best time this year and the 1st place prize (Olive Oil and 1st place medal)

July 6: was the Team Dayton Renaissance Crit- my first Crit ever!! The "real" race girls caught me on lap 4, so I pulled off at that point- I said it was "to save my legs for OH Senior Olympics" but really I just felt like a dork.

July 8 & 9: OH State Senior Olympics. 4 races in 2 days 5K and 10K TT and 20K and 40K Road races. Came home with a 2nd place (Silver medal) for each race. The 40K was the hardest. Me and couple other ladies agreed to ride together and take turns pulling. They were both stronger than I was and kept the pace pretty high. I only ended up doing one pull- mostly, I just held on to the second ladies wheel. I was fading pretty fast toward the end, but managed to finish strong.

July 12: July Colavita. What a suffer-fest that was! Pops and I had a late start time so by the time I got on the course a bad storm was blowing in and started pounding me with a fierce headwind. Then, it started raining- HARD, then came the thunder & lighting!!! When the lighting popped over in the corn field to my right, and I just kept riding out, I figured I had just crossed the crazy line. I finally made it to the turn-around and found a "SWEET" tailwind. It was still hammering the rain but I was flying!!! Somewhere on the return trip I managed to hit a max speed of 26mph- while the rain, wind, thunder and lighting played on. I managed to turn my best time EVER with a 42:23 time (even losing time going out into the wind) for 2nd place.

Other happenings...
July 14: had some minor surgery. During my skin cancer check-up the Doc found a "suspicious" spot on my right calf, so that had to go. I feel okay- I just have to be careful with the stitches.

Today: Tour de Burg- I really wasn't supposed to be out riding my bike (Doc's orders) but I've been off of it a week now and it's been driving me crazy. I just did the short ride on my single speed at an easy pace- although some of the gentle rolling farmland "got my attention". It felt really good to be back on a bike.

Choices...

2008-06-08T10:31:00.004-04:00

We had several options of things to do on Saturday. There was the choice of going up to Troy Ohio for the Strawberry Festival Time Trial, or attended the Five Rivers Metroparks "Paddle in the Park" a canoe/kayak event, or attending the CycleOps Power Meter demo and power test. It was a hard decision, but since the weather man was predicting rain, we decided to attend the (FREE!!) CycleOps Power Test event at the Local Roll store. In addition to the power test, the store offered a computerize bike fit where they scanned your image into the computer and it calculated your optimum bike set up. I was shocked when they raised my saddle a good 3 inches. I would have never guessed it was off that far. After other minor adjustments, Pops and I got to take the power test. It was great! I found that my power has improved since the March Indoor Time trial. In the TT, my average power was 128 watts, yesterday I generated 152. Not great, but at least an improvement. We received a printout for our bike setup and power test and got some info on training programs offered at the CycleOps website. Not a bad deal! Maybe next winter Pops and I will invest in a Power Meter (that we can share) when we are banished back to the basement for our "winter training".

So, she's not smarter than a fifth grader?

2008-05-26T22:40:00.007-04:00

The other night I was wasting time surfing around on Youtube when I came across this tidbit. I was so "impressed" I just had to share!

Kellie Pickler

As many of you know, I don't watch network TV (the last network TV show I watched was "Frasier") and I have NEVER watched "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" or "American Idol". Now I know why.

Being so sheltered, I had no idea who this dingbat was, let alone that she was a "celebrity". I just do not understand how a functioning adult can be so dumb! This chick makes Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson look like a couple of rocket scientists!!

A lady that I work with thinks it was all an "act". She thinks she's really "dumb like a fox". I'm not so sure. And really, I don't like pointing fingers at dumb blondes. I know that I've demonstrated (on more than one occasion) that sometimes I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed- but, at least when I have a blonde moment, I KNOW I had a blonde moment!

Oh well, maybe someone will be a pal and tell her..

Colavita and Senior Olympics

2008-05-16T20:40:00.011-04:00

Last Saturday was the May Colavita Time Trial. The weather started out bad with a cold, thick fog causing our start to be delayed by an hour. But, once the sun came out, it warmed up and turned out to be quite pleasant. I felt pretty good throughout the race and just missed beating my best time by only 4 seconds. This race is all about the wind! Last months time (when we had that horrible wind) was my worst time ever. Now, this month, I've almost beaten my best time. It's really hard for me to gauge my fitness when I'm not consistent with my times. Oh well!

Today was the Dayton Senior Olympics time trials. It had rained all last night and this morning there were still some "lingering showers" in the area. But, by race time, the showers had stopped, but it remained overcast with a temp in the mid 50s. The course they used was a parking area for the local Renaissance Festival and was basically a 1-mile "square".

Being a parking area, there was NO traffic to worry about. And, with all of the rain, and no traffic, the course was very wet- with lots of standing puddles - which made for some very exciting corners. As a matter of fact, I got to see a little to much excitement when another rider passed me on the straight-away and then hit a large puddle in the corner causing his back wheel to get squirrelly. He bailed into a field- which probably saved him from a nasty crash. (Or, maybe he was just practicing for cross season.) Either way- he got my attention!

Another "feature" caused by the overnight rain was the gazillion WORMS on the course. I guess the rain had washed them out on the roadway - only to be smashed cyclist. By the time we had finished the race, my bike was covered in worm "remains". It was horrible! I had worms (or in many cases parts of worms) smashed on my tires, wrapped around my spokes, in my chain, in my derailleurs, under my crank, up in the fork, ... oh, really just everywhere! Needless to say, my bike got a bath this afternoon, and what came off was gross!!!

There really wasn't a very big turn out today. I was the only female racing in my age group. Actually, as far as ladies racing today - it was only another lady and me. But, what impressed me most was the guy that was racing in the 80-85 age group! Now that was Awesome!

Ahhh, peer pressure

2008-05-03T20:32:00.005-04:00

Most of us would like to say that we are immune to peer pressure- me included. But, I'm not. When I arrived at the Fast Lap race I hadn't even thought about signing up in the "Advance Womens" class. But, while registering, the lady registering everyone causally asked me... "Advanced Women, right"? Uh... no... I mumbled, "I usually race in the "Beginner Women" class. That's when it started...("Oh, you can do it") and that's when I caved...and registered as "AW-03".

Now, the difference between the Advance Women race and Beginner Women race is the length of the course. Beginner women ride a little less than half of the course (3.5m), while the advance women ride the whole course (8m). And, of course, the advance women are a bit more "competitive". I was a good 11 mins back from first place and 6 mins back from 3rd.

But, I felt really good (aerobically) for the entire race. (I really wasn't pushing myself as hard as I should have been.) If I could just get my bike handling skills up to my aerobic limits, I could probably shave off a good amount of time.

SW Ohio Senior Olympics 20K TT

2008-04-26T19:23:00.006-04:00

Okay, it's official, I'm a senior....citizen? No, how about "Olympian"?. (Is it legal for a "senior" anything to wear pigtails, and call herself PopsTART. Sadly, probably not.)

But today, I can call myself a Senior Olympian, a silver medalist senior Olympian no less!

Todays race, which was cold and wet, didn't have a very big turn out. Next Saturday, we'll return for the remaining events (5K, 10K and the 1 mile TTs).

Now, it's off to the early bird special! ....(sorry, Seinfeld reference)

2nd /3rd Colavita & 1st Fast Lap Races

2008-04-24T21:34:00.010-04:00

I've been slackin'-- as far as updating my blog...

I wanted to update my blog with details about my races, but somehow, I just couldn't find the time. So... now, I have to play a little catch-up.

The 2nd Colvita Time Trial was a shut-out. When we awoke, the fog was thick as pea soup. But, we decided to go anyway. The trip to Greenville was a nightmare. We creped along in the fog, barely being able to see. For us to get to Greenville, we have to drive about halfway on the Interstate and rest of the way on a back road country highway. The fog on the interstate was pretty bad, but the fog on the country highway was horrible. We came up on a horrendous crash (on the country highway) that involved a car and a semi-truck, it was BAD. We finally made it to the race and signed-in, knowing that we would have a delayed start. After waiting 2 hours and the fog never lifting, the promoter had to cancel the race. But, the good news was that everyone that showed up got credited with first place points.

The 3rd Colavita Time Trial was (once again) brutal. 21MPH (sustained) headwind that would gust to 28 MPH straight out of the W/SW. The course (naturally) went West for 7 miles and then back East for 5 miles. The trip out was absolutly miserable. That dang wind would literally blow me over to the edge of the road. And, the lack of sunshine and the temp in the 40s didn't help matters. I was killin' myself pedaling and would only be going 10-12 MPH. I checked my max speed at the turn around and it was 17MPH (and that was after going down a big hill!). But, I must say the return trip was great. I was flying! I did manage to come home with a second place medal (guess how many showed up in my class) and some more Colavita Pasta and Sauce (yummy!).

First race of the Fast Lap Series was great! The weather was PERFECT (temp in the mid 70's). I felt great aerobically, so I guess all those miles I "rode" in the basement over the winter helped. But, my problem is (still) my bike handling skills. I still don't have the confidence to push it through the corners or in between tight trees. And, of course, I still have issues with the bridges. But, I pulled off a second place win - only getting beat by 1:20 by a gal that's (at least) 20 years younger than me- so I'm pretty happy about that.

This Saturday is the South-West Ohio (Cincinnati) Senior Olympics. Right now, the weather does not look promising. 60% chance of rain and probably in the mid 40s. Ugh!

Standin' at Americas crossroads

2008-04-06T21:59:00.008-04:00

Today, Pops and I worked as Corner Marshals for a road race hosted by Team Dayton. I have always enjoyed my "assignments" as a volunteer for bike events and today was no exception. I know, to the average person, standing at the side of the road, watching groups of bike riders whiz by may not sound like fun, but I find it to be quite enjoyable. And, we couldn't have asked for a better day! The sun was out and the temp was in the mid 60s.

Our assigned corner was out in the MIDDLE of nowhere! Pops and I were laughing that we were in the middle of "Cornfield County" Ohio (do you remember Hee-Haw?)! I think we saw (maybe) 10 cars the whole time we were out there. I think this bike race was the only exciting thing that has (or will ever) happen at that corner (although I did find some sort of animal skull down in the ravine next to the road so something actually happen there at least once).

Here's a couple pictures I took on their first lap...

A tight, 90 degree turn-

Anniversary weekend

2008-03-31T19:00:00.006-04:00

Last weekend was mine and Pops 23rd anniversary! Can you believe he has put up with me that long!

Anyway, to celebrate, we decided to go for a bike ride even though the high for the day was only 43 degrees and we had a 14 mph sustained wind. But, the sun was out, and we'd had enough of the basement! So, I piled on the clothes, and we took off hoping to ride for at least 3 hours (actually ending up with 4).

We decide to ride from Corwin to Yellow Springs to get in a round trip of about 50 miles. It was pretty cold and the wind beat us to death. While riding, my mind started to wonder (as only a blonde mind can) and I found myself taking a mental inventory of what I was wearing. To my amazement, I counted that I had on 15 items of clothing! Here's the list: socks, shoes, shoe covers, bike shorts, fleece leggings, wind tights, sports bra, under shirt, wool sweater, wind jacket, glove liners, outer gloves, hat, helmet, and sunglasses.

Now, you may be wondering why I'm thinking about my ensemble while riding. Well, I know sooner or later, I'm going to have to pee, and its going to be a major inconvenience to do so. Also, trying to grab a bite to eat while riding is going to be highly coordinated juggling act just to keep from dropping it.

All in all, we had a great day even though we had to stop so I could eat a Powerbar and I dropped at least a handful of M&Ms before stopping to finish them.

3rd Indoor TT

2008-03-03T20:19:00.003-05:00

My goal for this indoor time trial was to finish between 22 and 23 minutes. I missed my target by finishing in 23:44.9 but that was good enough to beat last months time of 24:21. AND, for the first time EVER... drum roll please... I wasn't DFL!!! Yes, I actually beat someone- a 42 yr old GUY no less!!! I only beat him by by 20 seconds, but still, my name is not last on the list!!!

I also had another "personal best" when I saw a new max heartrate of 178. I have NEVER seen that before. The highest I have ever seen was 172 - and that was during a Colavita TT last year when I was climbing a hill and a big dog came out and chased me. (And, why are the scary dogs ALWAYS on the hills?) Anyway, I was closing in on the finish line when Pops and several others started "cheering" for me to push hard and make a strong finish. The computrainer screen displays the distance remaining to the finish, so I decided that once I reached a 1000 ft to go, that I would stand up and burn off every last ounce of energy I had left. I have to say, that was the LONGEST 1000 ft of my life. I was watching my "distance remaining" counting down, but at about 300 ft to go all I could see was "gray bubbles"! When I finally crossed the finish line my vision was completely gone and I didn't even know what planet I was on. I'm pretty sure about that time I started "channeling" Lawrence Welk and his tiny bubbles.... or maybe it was Elvis in a sparkled suit. I don't know. Anyway, I was glad my bike was locked into the bike stand because if had it not been, I would have probably fell over!

Next Saturday is the 2nd Colavita TT and (right now) it looks like the weather is going to be miserable. Weather.com is predicting snow showers and a HIGH temp of 16 degrees for the day (and we have a start time of 8 am?). I wonder if it will even be above zero at that time? You know, there is a fine line between dedicated and crazy, and I think we are getting dangerously close to crossing that line.

They've got Bodies in Cinci...

2008-02-26T20:42:00.004-05:00

We had a pretty good snow storm on Thursday and Friday, so there was no way we were going to be able to ride on Saturday. So.....

ROAD TRIP!!!

Pops and I went to the Cincinnati Museum and saw Bodies the exhibition. It was pretty cool! I had read about this traveling show several years ago and thought it might be cool. Apparently, this show has created somewhat of a local controversy. The only reason I knew it was showing in Cinci is because the news was reporting how a local group was protesting the show. But, by the amount of people the exhibition drew on Saturday, the protester are fighting a lost cause. The place was packed- it looked like the Stones were in town!. Pops and I were joking that we drove to Cinci just to stand in line. But, even after fighting the crowds, I enjoyed the show.

Everyone has a body, but just how often to you get to see what it really looks like.

1st Colavita TT- the aftermath

2008-02-17T09:07:00.013-05:00

(Picture from Colavita website)

OMG!! That was a brutal race.

I knew I was in trouble when we arrived at the start area and the parking lot was covered in ice. I had never thought about it before, but it's pretty hard to pump up tires and walk your bike (while wearing bike shoes) over an icy parking lot. I almost fell twice, and I was being careful! But, I was so thick with clothes, I probably would have bounced anyway.

Conditions:
Somewhere between 25-30 degrees at the start
Sunny (thank God!)
Wind 6-10 (sustained) out of the E SE (cross wind with a slight headwind on return)
Dry (thank God again!)

I wore:
Bike shorts, fleece leggings, wind resistant bike pants
Underarmor top, fleece pullover shirt, wind jacket
Fleece lined full head/face cover and I taped over my helmet vents

I know that my hands and feet are ALWAYS freezing, so I had purchased some gor-tex cycling gloves and shoe covers. They worked great!!! For the first time ever- my hands and feet were okay!

(Picture from Colavita website)

My worst time from last year was 49:35, todays time was 49:53.4. UGH!

What I did wrong:
1. I didn't warm up properly - Ha! "properly"- try not at all
2. I couldn't find a comfortable cadence - I was all over the map 50rpms, 90, 82 - I saw everything.
3. I couldn't find a comfortable position on the bike- one minute I was down on the aero-bars, next I was sitting up.
4. I couldn't find a "line" - I was left of the white line, I was right, I was on it.
5. I probably overdressed- I was warm, but my range of motion was very limited.

I came home with the second place award, and some Colavita Pasta Sauce - but that's because there was only 2 in my class. I'm thinking of it as a "Participation Prize"- but, everyone that showed up really deserved one!

1st Colavita TT

2008-02-16T07:39:00.002-05:00

Looks like the Colavita TT is on!!

The rain is holding off until tomorrow, so it's supposed to be sunny and 30 degrees at noon today.

Here we go!!!

I'll update after the race (once I thaw out).

2nd Indoor Time Trial Results

2008-02-12T17:01:00.000-05:00

Last week, after the Team Training session, I was feeling quite frustrated with my training progress. I didn't feel as if I was making any progress despite faithfully following my training plan. And, I was afraid my results of the 2nd Indoor Time Trial would further discourage me. Well, I could not have been more wrong! I managed to beat my time from the first race by 5 minutes by finishing in 24:21! (1st TT time was 29:20)

My strategy for the race was this:

1. Keep my heart-rate within +/- 5 beats from my Ave Heart Rate
2. Keep my cadence between 80-90 RPM
3. Use the highest gear where I can maintain #1 and #2
4. Go with all out effort on the final climb to the finish line

Next on the agenda is the 1st Colavita TT (if they have it).. Right now, the weather is not promising - the latest weather report is calling for snow and/or freezing rain with a high of 25 degrees. Yuck! But, it may change!

Indoor blues

2008-02-03T20:12:00.000-05:00

We were hoping to actually ride OUTSIDE this weekend, but unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. The winter storm that was suppose to hit us on Friday managed to miss us, but the weather still suxed. Yesterday, started out cold and cloudy, but the sun did eventually come out. Naturally, we were out running errands at the time, so we missed our "window". Today was supposed to have been partly sunny and "warmer" (41 degrees), but the sun NEVER came out. It stayed cloudy ALL DAY and never got above the mid 30s! CRAP! I can ride outside when it's cold - as long as the Sun is out- but when it's cold and cloudy, I'm just miserable!

We did make it out to John Bryan (trails) today to help cut several trees that had fallen on across the trail in the past week. One of the ladies was saying there was about a 1/2 inch of snow on top of a layer of ice on the trails yesterday, but today the snow had melted off and the ice was starting to thaw, which left the trails with a nice layer of ice and mud. And yes, they were slick! There was just no way I could have rode those trail today --heck, just walking them was treacherous in spots.

Next week, I'll continue with my basement training routine and on Thursday we'll go to our team indoor training session. Hopefully, next weekend will be better. We'll still be inside, but we'll be mixing it up a little. We are looking forward to attending the Adventure Summit on Saturday, and then on Sunday we will be racing in the 2nd Team Dayton Indoor Time Trial.

The next weekend, will be THE big wake-up call!! Right now, we are still planning to race in the first of the Colavita Time Trial series.

IS IT SPRING YET?

But it's only 16 degrees outside!!!

2008-01-19T10:04:00.000-05:00

The high was only 16 degrees today -- but who cares, the SUN was OUT!!! That's something that doesn't happen very often around here!

The weather guys had originally predicted very cold with snow showers for today. But, for some unknown reason, the sun came out instead!! They were right about it being cold, but since the sun was out, we layered on the clothes, packed up the mountain bikes, and headed to MOMBA to see if any other "crazy's" would brave the cold to ride today!!!

I was so thick with clothes, I felt like the kid in the "A Christmas Story" movie-- "I can't put my arms down"! To keep my head warm, I wore my full head cover, a fleece hat, and my helmet. Long John undershirt, a fleece top, light wool sweater, and a wind jacket for my torso. For my legs, I wore bike shorts, fleece leggings and thick wind resistant leggings. Since keeping toes warm is almost impossible for me- I swapped out my clipless pedals for flat pedals and wore my thick wool socks with my snow boots- this worked great! Another huge problem (for me) is keeping my hands warm. Pops had ordered us some "Smart Wool" glove liners, so with these and a pair of his thick fleece gloves my hands were ok. Actually, my hands started out cold but soon warmed up- where my toes started out warm and got cold- figure that one out. (???)

Since I haven't had a chance to ride my "new" single speed yet, today was the perfect opportunity to do so. It was great fun, but it kicked my butt! Actually, I did a little better than I thought I would. I did have to hike up several climbs, but I made some that I thought I would not be able to make. One thing that I did notice was how much upper body strength was involved climbing hills standing up. The trickiest thing for me was the climbs that had turns in them. It's one thing to stand up and climb a trail that runs straight, but put a 90 degree turn in the middle and it's a whole new ballgame!

I think I'm going to have to do a little more work on my bike. I think I should replace the brake pads (they stopped the bike, but are probably dried out like an old eraser) and I need to find a wider handlebar (the steering felt a little twitchy).

1st TeamDayton Indoor Time Trial

2008-01-06T22:36:00.000-05:00

TeamDayton had their first of three indoor TT's today and all I can say is OUCH!!! That hurt!!!

The Computrainer is a pretty cool set-up. Each "race session" consist of 4 racers, that are not necessarily at the same fitness level. There is a large screen that displays the terrain and you can watch yours and the other racer progress.

I was racing in the same session as Pops, another guy in his category, and a young guy in the 19-29 category. I knew I would never be able to keep up with those guys and that would start to stress me out. So, to help me keep my focus, I decided to listen to one of my workout CDs (so I could "stay in my own little world").

My plan was...
(1) Don't start out too hard
(2) Push as hard as I can while keeping my heartrate under control and
(3) Don't worry about what the other racers are doing.

Needless to say, they were done long before I was! When they finished I was only at the halfway mark... UGH!!! I haven't seen the official results yet, but it's not going to be pretty. I think I finished in something like 29:07, but as I was "seeing sparkles" when I crossed the finish line, I'll have to wait for the results to be posted to be sure.

Looks like it's time to crank-up the training sessions!

As a side note, I had taken our camera along and asked a volunteer to take some pictures of us while we were racing -- he did, but I had forgotten to install the memory card into the camera- so no pictures today! Oh brother-- Blonde moment!

Update: My official time was 29:20

Skiing with the kids

2008-01-05T20:33:00.000-05:00

While the kids were here, we ventured over to the "Perfect North Ski Resort" (just over the Indiana border) for some winter fun. We had heard about this place while attending a wine and cheese party when our friend John was up here. It is only about an hour from the house and was very nice.

Now, I'm no skier by any stretch of the imagination, but it was great fun. We've been skiing in NC and several times out west and the snow seemed more like what you would see out west- very powerery. Perfect North makes a lot of their own snow and were making some while we were there.

The sun was out, but it stayed cold (in the 30's), which is perfect for skiing!

This was one of those days that I was glad we spend so much time working on our fitness. We were able to throw on a pair of skis and have a great time-- without hurting ourselves!

A new project

2008-01-04T12:52:00.000-05:00

The other day, we were killing time with the kids- wandering around the Mall, Best Buys, etc, when we decided to stop at the Salvation Army Store - just for fun. That's where I found my new "project" bike.

They had a old Giant Yukon for $9.99! Yes, that was 9 dollars and 99 cents. Surprisingly, it was in pretty good shape. The hardtail- rigid fork frame was dusty, but had no scratches or damage and the brakes and wheels looked good. Although the tires were flat, the chain and gears were a little gunky, one shifter didn't work, and it had a goofy "Mary Poppins Seat" (wide-bottom with gel and 2 big springs), I "HAD TO" buy it! Trust me, I've spent $9.99 on a lot less!!

My plan is to (with a little help from Pops) convert it into a single speed, so most of it's "problems" won't matter anyway. I figure, by using some of our "surplus" bike parts (that we've been "storing" in the basement), all I should have to buy will be a Single Speed conversion kit, a new chain, seatpost, and hand grips. So, I should be able to put together a "decent" single speed for under $75.00.

Pops has already been tinkering around with it. He wiped off the dust and pumped up the tires (so far, they are holding air). He has also pulled off the shifters, chain and flat pedals and mounted my clipless pedals and a couple of water bottle cages.

Should be fun!

Well, how else would you train for a February Time Trial?

2007-12-15T13:13:00.001-05:00

The other day I was thinking how my training has been in doors for the last several weeks -- and I'm supposed to be preparing for a Time Trial in February. So, I decided to drag my bike and trainer out into the garage and ride a time trial. It was 33 degrees and snowing.

I had put together 44 minutes of "hammer music" and rode to it at my "time trial pace". I chose 44 minutes because that was my fastest time from last seasons Colavita series. My goal was to hit the 12 mile mark before my music ended.

I managed to go 14.69 miles and averaged 17.9 mph. Of course, that is on the trainer- without a headwind or hills. I'm sure on the road, it will be a different story.

The neighbors thought I was crazy, but it was pretty cool watching the snow fall!

We have Clipper-rage

2007-12-05T10:37:00.000-05:00

Our first "Alberta Clipper" moved through the area last night- so we awoke to 4 inches of snow this morning!!

Looks like it's going to be a "vacation" day for us!

With last years nightmare "snow drive" still ingrained in our brains, we decided not to attempt going in to work today- although everything around here is still "business as usual".

I don't know if I'll ever get comfortable driving in this stuff- but the "seasoned Yankees" don't seem to mind a bit.

Pops got his morning exercise by shoveling the driveway...

While Milo played...

It is pretty!

Training, hair, and paint - oh my!

2007-12-02T15:39:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday, Pops and I attended our first indoor training session with the Team Dayton Race team. It was great fun! One of our team sponsors is a local gym, so they allow the team to have a training session each week in one of their classrooms. We bring our own bikes and trainers and the TD Training Coordinator leads everyone in a 2 hour training class. It's nice to get out of the basement and "ride" with other folks. And the best part is-- not even the fastest racer boy can "drop me" -- Whoo-hoo! I'm still planning to do my own basement training sessions on Tuesdays and weekends, but this will give me some variety.

My hair has really been bugging me lately. It's been flat and fly-away and I can't do a thing with it.

Old hair

So Saturday, I went to the beauty shop and got a body wave.

New Hair

I can't wash or style it until Monday (so the curl can "lock-in") so right now, I've got that 80s perm look going on.... but, I like it. I think it looks much better than what I had going on. Hopefully, after it "settles in", I will like it even more.

Several weeks ago, Pops and I decided we would tackle some home projects this winter when the weather was too bad to get out and ride. Today's weather was just that- BAD. It's been yucky, messy, rainy most of the day. So, while I stripped the wallpaper from the bathroom walls, pops tackled some painting.

Pops painting

We've got several more home projects to tackle, but I'm sure the weather over the next several month will allow us plenty of opportunity to get them done.

A preview of things to come

2007-11-23T10:17:00.000-05:00

Just to get us in the Christmas mood, we got a light dusting of snow this morning. Dare we try to tackle door buster sales and snow???

Milo checking out the snow.

We decided to "go for it" and made the door buster sales. The snow shower didn't last very long and it's mostly gone now.

Training in the basement

2007-11-22T19:49:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it, I signed up to be a member of the Team Dayton Race Team. This means now I've got to get my A$$ in gear and spend some "quality time" on the trainer in the basement.

So, to make riding the trainer a little more bearable, Pops and I put together a compilation CD of my favorite songs that would match the training program that I'm currently following. I've got "heart pumping" songs (for warm-up and hammering) and slow songs (for recovery and cool-down) all arranged by song style and length according to the training plan. (It's a very eclectic collection- to say the least)

After yesterdays "maiden voyage" using my new CD, I can actually say that I feel like I had a great workout - probably the best ever!

Usually, when I'm riding the trainer, the minutes just drag on... and on.... and on... and I can never remember what time I'm suppose to start and stop my training segments. (I guess I can't ride and do math in my head at the same time.) But now, instead of watching the clock and calculating when to push and when to recover, I know what to do by which song is playing. The time flew by and there was no question in my mind if I had spent the right amount of time pushing versus recovering!

I think I'll probably need to make a couple more of these CDs so I don't get to sick of this one, and maybe I'll get somewhere this winter.

Turning to..."Dust in the Wind"

2007-11-12T16:52:00.000-05:00

After several days of yucky weather, we had a "good weather window" this afternoon. It had rained all day yesterday, and more is coming tonight, so when a window of opportunity opens, ya just gotta leap through it!

Now, when I say "good weather", I mean not raining (partly cloudy), and not freezing (in the 60s), but it was "oh my God" windy! Todays wind was from the southwest- sustained at 15mph, with gusts of 25mph. This made riding out (north) great-- but coming back (south) well... I'll go with "challenging". So, after spending 2 hours riding in the wind, my face and eyes feel so dry they will probably just turn to dust by morning. And, I'm afraid to look in the mirror for fear of seeing the crypt-keeper looking back at me. Yikes!!! But, I have to say, it was still great to be on my bike OUTSIDE!!

I think we are supposed to have more bad weather for the next several days, so it'll be back to basement for me - but that's okay- my new "boyfriend" Chris Carmichael and I already have a couple of workouts planned for me to do next week.

It's time to pay the piper...

2007-11-05T19:00:00.000-05:00

With all of the beautiful weekends we've been enjoying lately, I knew the day would come to pay-up. So this morning, when we actually heard the "S" word mentioned in the weather report, I knew our time was up. Yep, they actually said we had a chance of Snow Showers! Good grief! I don't expect we'll see anything sticking, but I'm sure that's not too far in the future. It looks like it'll be back to the basement for the next 4 months for me.

And while I'm complaining- can I just say that I'm sick and tired of changing the clocks back and forth. Can we just pick a time and stick with it? Holy crap! Enough all ready! Although "falling back" is easier than "springing forward" - it is still stupid! Here's an idea, why don't we just split the difference. We could set the clocks ahead 1/2 hour next spring and then leave them alone!!! I'm sure I'm not the first person to come up with this dandy little idea... Any takers?

Okay- enough whining for today... the basement awaits!

A picture perfect ride

2007-10-23T20:29:00.000-04:00

Sunday was a gorgeous fall day- perfect for a mountain bike ride!

Words can not possibly describe the beauty...

What a great day to own a bike!!!

"Stolen" weekend

2007-10-14T18:24:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure who we stole this weekend from- but Whoo-Hoo, it was gorgeous!! ! We had a couple of great Fall days!

Saturday, I rode my bike with my friend from work (Jane). It was just a tad bit chilly- high in the low 60s- but the sun was shining- so my long tights and long sleeve jersey was just about perfect. We rode on the bike path from Spring Valley to Xenia and back- a 20 mile round trip. And, we even got a piece of cheesecake and a "floor show" in Xenia. When Jane and I ride, we always make a point to treat our self's to a snack midway. Saturday's midway point was Xenia, so we stopped at this little "Mom and Pop" type restaurant for our snack. We ordered a couple of pieces of cheesecake, and had just sat down in the dining area, when we noticed (through the window) some guy raising hell at other guy about hitting his car. The other guy started yelling back and before long the Xenia police showed up. The crazy part is, neither vehicle had any damage! I really don't know why these guys were yelling at each other in the first place - I guess it was just a slow day in Xenia...

Sunday was even more beautiful with the high in the mid 70s and sunny! Pops and I started out doing some work around the house- then decided stop that nonsense- and packed up the bikes and headed to MoMBA (there is absolutely no parental guidance around here). I had tossed around the idea that we could go out to Waynesville today to check out the Sour Kraut festival, but we opted for mountain biking instead.

What a great day!

We probably won't see many more days like this (with winter just around the corner) but, at least we can say we enjoyed it while we had it.

Bellbrook TT

2007-10-07T17:55:00.000-04:00

My time to beat was 37:55- todays time was 35:07! Whoo-hoo!!!

The route was the same as it was last spring and the road conditions were pretty much the same. The only difference was the temperature- today it was about 20 degrees warmer than last time. I had also taken my Aero bars off my bike since I did not have them last spring. I wanted to try to duplicate the race conditions as close as possible - hoping to eliminate any outside advantages.

Overall, I felt much better today than I did last spring. I felt A LOT better on the climb -- it still "hurt", and my heart-rate was pegged, but it just felt like I made it to the top faster. I feel like I gained some time there. My nose also did A LOT better today too! I had shot a couple of squirts of Nasalcrom about 30 minutes before my start time. I walked out of the house this morning and forgot the nose strips, but I'm sure that would have helped too. My nose got a little "moist" and I had to dab it a couple of times, but at least it was not pouring like last time. Not having to deal with a runny nose had to have helped my time too.

AND, I even came home with a 1st place trophy!!!

Yep, I was the only lady in the 40-49 class -- but heck, I guess I can't help that!!!

Last Colavita TT

2007-09-29T12:06:00.000-04:00

My time to beat was 44:10... Todays time....45:11! Dang it! 1 Minute and 1 second slower than my best time.

Today was tough... I just could not turn the pedals over. The wind was not too bad and the temperature was great (low 50's and sunny) but I just could not find my groove. And, of course, my nose was running like a faucet!

It seems if the temp is under 75 degrees, and my heart-rate is over 130, my nose fills up runs like crazy. So, several times during the race, I had to blow my nose ( either that or drown). Also, breathing through my nose is completely out of the question. This "exercise" nose drives me crazy! Most times it just an annoyance but having to fiddle around with blowing my nose is costing me time-- time I can't make up. If anyone out there has any suggestions on what I can do to get my nose under control I will really appreciate it.

My last race of the year will be next Sunday in Bellbrook OH. I started this season with a Time Trial in Bellbrook, so it is great that I'll get to finish the season there too. Hopefully, I'll see an improvement from my first race. My time to beat will be 37:55. We'll see....

12 hours of Dauset

2007-09-24T18:13:00.000-04:00

I've always liked the trails at Dauset, but what a difference not riding there for over a year can make.

I had worried that the hilly terrain and the heat/humidity would be a challenge for me. The weather, for the most part cooperated, but the terrain-- spanked me like a 4 year old in K-mart!

The day started out a little wet, which made the trail pretty slick with several muddy spots. I haven't rode much in the way of hills and certainly no "rooty" sections since coming up here. So, I was sucking wind on climbs and getting a tad bit nervous riding over the wet roots. But, luckily, no crashes- just a couple of near misses. I skidded out a couple of times in the mud and I somehow rammed my handlebars into a tree once. But, I managed to "keep the rubber side down".

I did make a couple of stupid mistakes though... First, I failed to change my shorts in between laps which caused me considerable discomfort on my second lap. This "discomfort" caused me to constantly "adjust" my sitting position in hopes of finding a "comfortable" (ie. less painful) position on the bike. But, no position really worked, so by the time I finished the lap, my lower back was also hurting pretty bad. My second mistake was that I did not eat enough throughout the day. By the end of the evening, I was feeling pretty sick, so once we had the car packed, I just needed to head on home. This, unfortunately, cause us to miss the the awards. What really ticks me off, is that I know better than to make those stupid mistakes. I was just careless, and did not adhere to my common sense.

The BEST part of the race weekend was seeing our bike friends again and getting to catch up with each other. Hopefully, we'll get to trek back next year and make the "12 hours of Dauset" an annual event. Sounds good to me!

Oh, and the "Homecoming Queens" took 8th Place!

Fall is here!

2007-09-16T08:26:00.000-04:00

Well, I think summer is gone. The last couple of days the temperature at night has dropped to the mid 40's with the daytime high only getting up to the mid 60s. Soon, it will be winter again, and I'll be back to riding my bike in the basement. But, until then, if the sun is out, I will be too.

Yesterday was gorgeous- a "textbook" fall day. No humidity, a chill in the air, a bright blue sky and plenty of sun. A perfect day for mountain bike riding. And, as luck would have it, the grand opening of a new Mountain Bike Trail "MoMBA".

This trail is wonderful! About 9 miles of great flowing trails with some good climbs, descents, and technical sections. The trail is extremely well marked and does a great job of letting riders know what difficultly to expect on each trail.

I didn't get to see all of the trail yesterday, but I'm sure we'll be going back there again soon. Can't wait!

John Bryan Fast Lap

2007-09-06T17:11:00.000-04:00

The final "Fast Lap" of the Fall Series was last night.

So, for the series my times are:

1st race: 36:29
2nd race: DNF (crashed out)
3rd race: 35:28

I managed to shave 1 minute and 1 second from my previous time-- I'm pretty happy with that!

The "Fast Lap" series has been both challenging and fun. I started doing this series to become a better rider. I think I've met that goal. I've overcome some "mental issues" I had with obstacles and I feel a little more confidant pushing myself to kick my speed up a little.

Next up- The "12 hours of Dauset" on the 22nd. I'm really getting excited about this race. It will really be good to see and ride with the "chit-chat" girls and to hang out with our bike friends again. Can't wait!!!

File this under WTF!

2007-09-05T14:50:00.000-04:00

The Sep 10, 2007 issue of Time Magazine is reporting that two "Hash House Harriers" are facing felony charges for creating a bio-terrorism scare and forcing hundreds to evacuate a Connecticut Ikea parking lot for sprinkling flour to mark a trail for their local Hash.

Click here for the Time story.

For those unfamiliar with hashing, Wikipedia describes "Hash House Harriers" as an "international group of social, non-competitive running and drinking clubs. Hashing has frequently been described as 'a drinking club with a running problem', and the social element of hashing is of equal importance to the running. The template for a hash run is for one or more hashers (the "hares") to lay out a running trail, which may include false trails, short cuts and trail breaks. They also prefer the use of bio-degradable materials such as flour or sawdust to mark the trail in order to avoid unnecessary problems."

Also according to Wikipedia, this arrest took place on 25 Aug 2007 in New Haven, Connecticut.

What really amazes me is that it seemed perfectly reasonable to "someone" that a terrorist would be carrying around a 5 lb bag of "Anthrax" and would blazingly sprinkle it in a Shopping Center parking lot. What is even more amazing is that this event resulted in the arrest and subsequent felony charges against two people.

Having done a couple of Mountain Bike Hashes- which I must say was great fun- I guess it's a good thing that this "someone" didn't hear them singing their drinking songs- that would have certainly got someone in trouble.

Update on Colavita TT

2007-09-03T20:45:00.000-04:00

The official TT results have been posted.

Comparing the other ladies (in my class) times to their July times, it looks like the headwind slowed us all down:

AM was 0:01:00 slower
SN was 0:02:06 slower
and
JS was 0:01:56 slower

I was 0:00:08 slower

But, the best part is, I managed to reduced the time gaps between me and each of the the other ladies in my category. I'm still not "competitive" - but I've improved. And that is why I'm out there.

I have one more Colavita TT and then I'm planning to wrap up the season where I started. Bellbrook is having another TT on 7 OCT. I'm hoping it will be the same course as the March race. My goal- see a noticeable improvement from my first race.

John Bryan Fast Lap (Race 2) - DNF

2007-08-30T20:27:00.000-04:00

It was bound to happen-- a race crash! Whoo-hoo- I'm in the club!

I was the lead off rider for my class and I hadn't been on the course 2 minutes when BAM, I'm down. I'm still not sure what happened. All I know is I was rounding a corner, then all of the sudden- I was on the ground.

When I came to my senses, I discovered that I was laying on my back, totally off the trail, with my left shin laying across a log that was bordering the trail. To add to my predicament, both feet were still clipped into the pedals and my bike was on top of me. Ouch! After struggling to get my feet un-clipped I was able to stand up. Once up, I immediately noticed that my shin was already swelling. While standing on the side of the trail watching my shin swell, I had a fleeting thought to get back on my bike and continue the race- but, I wisely decided to hobble back to the start/finish area for some ice.

While sitting at the start/finish area icing my leg (and waiting for Pops to finish) two more riders hobbled in with injuries. There was certainly some bad karma at JB last night!

Today, I'm just sore all over and my shin is bruised in the shape of the log. I've also I've got several bruises on my hip and butt and strangely enough on the inside of my leg (I think from the bike landing on me). But luckily, nothing was torn or broken - so that's good.

As my co-worker "Hopmaster Spanky J" pointed out... "Ya can't make an Omelet without cracking a few eggs". Well kids, breakfast is ready!!!

Colavita TT

2007-08-25T20:23:00.001-04:00

My time today was 44:18. Eight seconds slower than last month! But, really, I'm not too upset about that-- Todays race was brutal!

As soon as I started- it started raining- but (luckily) the rain only lasted the first couple of miles. The real killer today was the headwind!!! Holy smokes!! All the way out we had a 10mph sustained headwind with gusts of 15-20mph. Oh my gosh! There were times when my heart-rate would be at pegged at 165 but was only managing to push 12-13mph!!! It was really hard to keep my head together when I was "busting butt" and still creeping along.

Since I've been racing against the same 4 ladies the entire series, a couple of months ago I started doing a some trend analysis with our results. (I knew that college degree would paid off!) Since I can not accurately gage my improvement from one race to another (because of different environmental factors- like todays wind), I've been looking at things like the change in the time gaps between me and the other ladies in my category. So, once the official results are posted for todays race, I'll see if I was able to reduce my time gap for this race.

Tomorrow, we'll do the 6 hours race at John Bryan... we'll see how that goes.

Bridges, ramps and trees - OH MY!

2007-08-19T19:47:00.000-04:00

Today was intervention day....

Pops and I went out to ride the course in the direction we "think" they will use for the 6 hr race. I'm still having mental issues with the bridges and ramps. I know I can ride them- (I've rode every one out there!) but every time I approach a bridge or ramp my first instinct is to slam on breaks. I know this "problem" stems from my early mountain biking days when I attempted to ride across a bridge and ended up falling off the side and flipping over into some sticky nettles. My big mistake that day was not getting back on my bike and riding that damn bridge. Now, here I am today, fretting over obstacles that are out there to make the trail easier!

So, we worked on bridges...

ramps...

(and just to make things interesting) making 90 degree turns through tight trees.

This picture is a little deceiving. The trails comes up from the left, makes a 90 degree turn in between the trees, then goes right.

Fast Lap at John Bryan

2007-08-18T17:07:00.000-04:00

We started the Fall Series of "Fast Laps at John Bryan" last Wednesday. This series will consist of 3 races, 3 weeks in a row. We were actually supposed to start the series a week earlier, but bad weather caused a one week delay.

I really enjoy this series. The course is great and just doing one "fast lap" doesn't take a lot of preparation or time.

At the finish, I felt a little disappointed with myself. I just "knew" I would have a "bad" time. I had felt bad from the start (I took off way too fast) and just couldn't find my rhythm. I felt squirrely and as if I was struggling the whole race.

But, once I got home and checked my times from the last series, I found that I had actually beaten all my previous times! I can't believe it!

My times so far:

Spring Series
Race 1: (did not attend)
Race 2: 39:48
Race 3: 37:28
Race 4: 36:47

Fall Series
Race 1: 36:29

Next week will be a BIG race week for us. On Wednesday, we are planning to do Race #2 of "Fast Lap". Then on Saturday, it will be the August "Colavita TT". Sunday is the "6 Hours of John Bryan" where we'll be trying something new -- competing as a team! (Boy, I sure hope he wants to ride a lot of laps.)

A busy weekend

2007-08-13T20:18:00.000-04:00

What a weekend! Busy, busy, busy!!!

Friday night we took the dogs out to SugarCreek Park. This park is part of the 5 Rivers Metropark system and the dogs just love it. One of the trails actually goes down to the river and you can cross the water by stepping on large rocks. Milo can't wait to just leap right into the river and splash around. Millee will get into the water, but she usually just tippy-toes around and will not get too wet.

Saturday morning I rode my single speed from Xenia to Yellow Spring with my friend from work. This was our 3rd ride together and was quite enjoyable. She's just getting into riding so we take it easy and enjoy the day.

Saturday afternoon I stopped into my new favorite store - "Home2Home". This is a local consignment store for home decor. It located in what looks to be an old grocery store building and is full of unique and unusual items. They have everything from furniture to nick-nacks, and every day they get new stuff. I have found some really cool stuff there (at great prices). Today I bought a "Cafe de la Tour" clock (for $12.99) and a set of metal "big wheel" bicycles to hang on the wall (also $12.99).

After the home store, I stopped by Auto Zone. My "check engine" light has been on for some time and Auto Zone was advertising they could "read" my warning light code. I had taken my car to the dealer a while back and they told me my check engine light was caused by a misfire. The dealer then recommend that they could change my spark plugs and wires for some stupid price (I can't remember how much they said, but it was high)!!! Auto Zone confirmed that the code was caused by a misfire and they too recommended spark plugs and wires. But, they said it would only cost about $40 and they were easy enough to change myself. They were right, I had them all changed out in about 30 minutes- piece of cake!

Sunday morning Pops was riding with a guy he had met on the bike trail so I jumped on the single speed and the rode hills in my neighborhood. I rode for about an hour and did my "hill circuit" 4 times. It was a great workout!

Sunday afternoon we took to the river again, but this time we rented kayaks. We paddled for almost 4 hours and ended up going 9 miles! It was fun, but we both liked the canoe better. It was just more comfortable,easier to maneuver, and easier to get in and out of.

I love weekends that are packed with activities! If I stay home, I feel like I just wasted it away. To quote Bon Jovi- "Gonna live while I'm alive, I'll sleep when I'm dead"

And now for something completely different!

2007-08-03T12:17:00.001-04:00

"The Boy" and "The Girl" are visiting this week, so we decided try something different-- renting canoes and paddling down the Little Miami River. We had two options of distances to canoe, either 2 miles or 8 miles. After some discussion, we decided to do the 8 mile.

The river was a very low, but still lovely. Our canoes actually scraped the bottom numerous times and we got stuck a couple of times.

Great fun, lots of sites, and we even passed Hooterville USA...

Some folks "just ain't right"!

Colavita TT (July)

2007-07-28T17:01:00.000-04:00

A cool and foggy race day....in July?!?

Last months time to beat was 44:30 - Today, I did it in 44:10...what a surprise!!

The fact that I was able to beat last months time really surprised me considering my right cleat would not clip-in for the entire race! About 10 minutes before my start time, I decided I needed a "nature break". Since, our starting location does not provide water or restroom, I had no choice but to visit a cornfield. Because it has rained here (pretty much) all last week, the cornfield was very muddy and my cleats got completed packed with mud and small pebbles. I thought I had cleaned them out with some of our drinking water before heading to the start, but there must has been some lingering mud lodged in them. After starting, the left shoe clipped-in (after somewhat of a struggle) but the right shoe stubbornly refused. I piddled around for about the first 3 miles trying to get clipped-in (while trying to ride), but no luck. At that point, feeling totally frustrated, I thought about abandoning the race, but then I thought "it doesn't really matter- just ride the course".

Other than my shoe issues, I felt pretty good during the race- I guess that Cytomax really works! I worked hard and tried to keep my heart-rate at about 162.

And, got some bad hair to prove it!

TDF?

2007-07-26T17:40:00.001-04:00

I guess TDF now stands for Tainted Drug Fest...

W..T..F!!!

Tour d' Burg

2007-07-23T17:54:00.000-04:00

The city of Miamisburg put on their 3rd annual Tour d'burg bike race and tour. Since there was absolutely no way I would EVER race in a Criterium- we opted for the 50 mile tour ride.

We could not have asked for better weather for a long ride! Sunny, a little chilly in the morning, but by noon it had warmed up to the mid 70s. That's SEVENTIES- what month is this again???

We toured lovely country roads lined with one huge farm after another -- growing lots of CORN!!!

All in all- a great day. Only had two minor incidents- One BIG dog (a German Shepherd) came out- but he mostly barked and didn't come into the road. And, a flat tire at mile 31- but Pops had it fixed in no time.

First ride on the single speed

2007-07-20T21:13:00.001-04:00

Whoo-hoo-- I'm in the club!! Riding the Single Speed was great fun! I even passed some guy on a Trek road bike (okay- he was cranking way to big a gear- straight into a headwind- but I still passed him!)

The rain and thunder storms finally moved out of the area and it was a gorgeous day (sunny with the high in the upper 70s)!! Could there have possibly been a better day for Pops and I to take the new "Draft" (who will now be affectionately known as "The Beast") out for her first ride? I think not!

Riding The Beast is definitely different!! I first thing I noticed was the was the weight. Man, is she heavy - 30 lbs!!! What a difference weight makes! Handling feels different and those small grades and hills take on a whole new perspective. The gear ratio felt good, so I was able to keep a steady cadence. I worked hard without feeling like I was going to die. I also noticed how the "ride" itself felt different. The wider tires and steel frame really "sucked-up" the bumps and knocks I usually feel riding the trail- so that was great.

The only downside to this bike is the fact that I can not use clipless pedals. The crank arms have 1/2" holes instead of the usual 9/16", so I can't swap them out. "Road riding" in flat pedals- wearing Tennis Shoes- just sux!!! Tennis shoes are just to bendy. By the end of our ride, my legs were cramping bad- you know the kind of cramp that starts in your calf and travels down to the bottom of your foot so your toes curl under-- crap that hurts!!! I think the next time, I'll try wearing a pair of my mountain bike shoes. Even though I won't be able to clip in, they'll at least be a little stiffer, so maybe my legs won't cramp-up.

Paint Creek 6 hr "Race"

2007-07-16T18:05:00.000-04:00

I was the only rider to sign up for the Womens Solo category- but that's okay- I really wasn't out there "to race". My focus was to gain experience in a race environment, increase my endurance, and improve my bike skills.

My plan was to take it easy, keep my heart rate under control and try and keep a steady pace. I started at the back of the pack and let the "racers" take off. I stuck to my plan so it took me almost 2 hours (1:59:50- according to my bike computer) to complete my first lap (12 miles). During that time, I didn't see another rider until I was almost to the finish.

The course was not hard technically, just exhausting. Riding on so much grass just wore me out. After my one lap, I bailed. I was "whooped" and there was no sense in pushing it and risking an injury.

Next race-- Colavita TT on the 28th.

Check out my Birthday Present!

2007-07-14T17:36:00.000-04:00

My Birthday's coming up, so Pop's bought me a Draft single speed!!

It's really cool! Nothing fancy- steel frame, basic components, painted solid black, and as heavy as a pig!! But, it will make me WORK, and that's exactly what I want! I really wanted to take it out today, but the Paint Creek race is tomorrow, so today would not be the day to test-ride a new bike.

I'm planning to use this as my "training" bike. Hopefully, after riding this up and down the bike trail, my Blue should feel like a feather!

And, Pooh gets to go too!!

Paint Creek test ride

2007-07-07T16:28:00.000-04:00

Today, Pops and I drove out to Paint Creek to check out the trail before next weeks race.

A lot of the trail was wide grassy double track that was (unfortunately) dotted with nasty sticker vines that were hanging out into the trail.

The trail had several "cut-outs" to more difficult sections. We included them today in case they throw those in next week.

Our ride ended up taking about 3 hrs, including stopping at the truck to re-fill our water bottles and several stops to take pictures. And, I saw a coyote as he ran across the trail behind Pops (he ran between us) and Pops spotted a Skunk.

Here's an interesting link about coyotes in Ohio.
Coyotes

Welcome new biker!

2007-07-06T18:06:00.000-04:00

See, any blonde can do it!!!

Now, where's your helmet Paris?

Adventures at the B-M-V!

2007-07-03T22:23:00.000-04:00

Hi kids, today’s word is … Bureaucracy ! Why? Allow me to explain...

Today, I took off early from work in order to run a few errands before the Jul 4th holiday. One of my stops was at the Ohio B-M-V. They claim the “B” stands for “BUREAU” of Motor Vehicles, but I think it really stands for “BUREAUCRACY” of Motor Vehicles.

Upon arrival, I noticed a building with 2 rooms--side by side--one room on the left, the other on the right. I chose the room on the right and walked in. I was greeted by friendly lady #1 - to which I explained that I had recently moved to Ohio and I would like to get an Ohio vehicle tag. She explained that before I could get a tag, I would first have to have my vehicle “inspected”. “You must go to the room on the left for that” she said. I thanked her and went on my way.

Walking into the room on the left, I noticed several people in a waiting area and a “Take A Number” machine. I pulled my number, and sat down to wait my turn.

After a short wait (about 10 min), I was called to the counter by friendly lady #2. I explained to her that I would like to have my vehicle inspected in order to get my car tag. Now, getting my vehicle “inspected” required me to give friendly lady #2 my name and address, pay $3.50, and then have her follow me to my car so she could write down my VIN number and mileage. She handed me a piece of paper with this information and told to take my “inspection” to the room on the right.

I went back to the room on the right, with my “inspection” in hand, where I was greeted by friendly lady #3. I asked her if I could get a tag. Nope, not yet! Now, I must get an Ohio “Title” for my vehicle. In order to get an Ohio title, I needed to give friendly lady #3 my Georgia title (so she could copy the information off of it) and $7.50. She printed out a fresh ”Ohio” title and kept my Georgia title “for record”. “Now, she said, "take your “inspection” and “title” to the room on the left to get your tag.”

Okay, back to the room on the left-- pull another number, wait my turn…. I know this drill.

After another short wait (about 10-15 min) I was called to the counter by friendly lady #4. “I would like to get a vehicle tag-- I have my “inspection” and “title” I said proudly. “Sure, no problem, we’ll just need your current driver license and SS card. “Okay, here you go…” “Oh! You have a Georgia DL!” friendly lady #4 exclaimed. “Is that a problem?” I inquired. Friendly lady #4 explained that she “could” issue me a tag using my GA DL, but if I was to get pulled over, I would be ticketed for having an OH tag and GA DL. Okay, that would be bad, “what do I need to do to get an Ohio DL” I asked? Well, according to friendly lady #4, I would first have to take the Ohio drivers test - and that's only given in the XENIA, HUBER HEIGHTS, or LEBANON B-M-V office!!! Oh, good grief!

At this point I decided that I would just take my chances-- get the tag and keep the GA DL(for now)! “Can I get a Share The Road tag?” I asked. "Well, yes" #4 said, "but it will only be good until your Birthday." What!!! My birthday is in 20 days, why would..… “Oops, no, wait, the computer says it will be good until 2008”. "Just fill out this form, give us $88.00 and we’ll mail you your STR tag within 14 days." I was then given a cardboard ”Temporary Tag” to put into my back window "as of tonight!".

So to recap, I got to meet four friendly ladies, who managed to take grand total of $99.00 from me and give me an "Inspection" (ie: a piece of paper containing information that I already knew), a "New Ohio Title" (a duplicate of the Georgia title), and a cardboard tag (for a back window that is too small to display it).

So, I guess this weekend I’ll be off to the XENIA B-M-V to try and get an Ohio DL... Oh boy, I can hardly wait!

A few of my favorite songs

2007-07-01T15:48:00.000-04:00

Here's a few of my favorite songs (right now). You may click on the artist/title to listen.

Bon Jovi- Hallelujah

Fiction Plane- Two Sisters
They sounds a lot like The Police.

Plain White T’s- Hey there Delilah

Also,

Royksopp- Remind me (Geico Commercial)

Donovan- Catch the Wind (GE Commerical)

Colavita TT --debriefing

2007-06-30T11:34:00.000-04:00

My time today was 44:30-- I made my goal to beat last months time!! Whoo-hoo!!

1st TT (April) 49:35
2nd TT (May) 45:12
3rd TT (June) 44:30

Hopefully, I can keep this trend going!

I felt pretty good today. I was definitely suffering, but you're suppose to suffer during a time trial. The weather was perfect - sunny and about 62 degrees at the start. Today's headwind was on the return- so that was different.

Oh here's something cool- this months (Jul) Bicycling Magazine mentions the Colavita TT series (page 51).

Colavita Time Trial

2007-06-29T18:30:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow's the Colavita Time Trial. This will be my third time doing this race. Right now, I just want to have a faster time than last month and come home with some good Colavita pasta. The pasta makes it all worth while-- yum-mmy!

Last race--time to beat... 45:12.

Also, I think I'm going to do the "6 hrs of Paint Creek" mountain bike race (solo) on 15 Jul. Pops is planning to race, so rather than spend the day sitting around the camp by myself, I'll just spend it riding. My plan is to not "go fast", or not "go hard", just "go". I've done 6 hour rides before so (I think) if I can just keep a steady pace, I should be able to do ok. Unfortunately, if I ride, that will mean I won't be there to help support Pops during his transitions. But,if we plan ahead, we should be ok.

Got Gas???

2007-06-28T21:19:00.000-04:00

Tuesday evening: I walked out into our garage and noticed the very faint smell of gas-- not gasoline, natural gas. I sniffed around but could not pinpoint the source. Hum, I must be crazy...

Wednesday morning (4:30 AM): I was awakened by a crazy dream. While trying to go back to sleep, I thought I could smell the very faint odor of natural gas. Later, on the way to work, I mention this event to Pops. He said that he didn't smell gas...Hum, I must be crazy.

Wednesday afternoon: Arriving home after work, as we walked into the house- there it was again- the faint smell of natural gas! I asked Pops if he could smell it. Again, he said no. Okay, so I'm crazy... We packed the bikes and headed off to the trail.

Wednesday evening (after riding): Arriving home from the trail, we noticed several white trucks (with flashing yellow lights) parked in front of our house and 2 gentleman digging a very big hole in our front yard. When we asked what was going on, they said our neighbors had called and reported that gas was "escaping" from our meter. Oh my god!!! I HAD been smelling gas! And, "escaping" was an under-statement-- It was spewing!! It's a wonder the house didn't blow up!

WOW, WE WERE LUCKY!!!!

Had not most of the escaping gas been blown away by the wind we could have been asphyxiated! Also, it was a nice summer day and not the middle of winter. We ended up losing the hot water heater over night, but that wasn't a big problem- I would have hated to lose the furnace last the winter. Also, apparently, there has been a some sort of problem with these particular meters. The gas company was actually in the process of checking our neighborhood and replacing the meter(for free) if they found any that was faulty. So, we got a new meter at no cost.

Oh, and I'm not crazy!

What the heck is "Cornhole"?

2007-06-24T18:09:00.000-04:00

Today, while walking through a flea market, I noticed there were several booths that contained large handmade signs advertising one word... "CORNHOLE"!!! Now, these signs got my attention, and after several minutes of careful observation, I was able to surmised that "Cornhole" is some sort of a game that requires one to throw a beanbag through a hole in a sheet of plywood. Maybe it's a bag filled with corn that is thrown through the hole in a sheet of plywood- but I'm just guessing here.

I'm not really sure how this game is played or scored, or if this game requires any special talents or skills. And, apparently, one can purchase specially made Cornhole beanbags (they came in various sizes and colors- some in the colors of favorite sport teams), along with specially made Cornhole sheets of plywood (which looked to me like a regular sheet of plywood with a hole cut into it).

Anyway, this Cornhole game appears to be very popular (as demonstrated by the large crowds of people gathered in and around these booths).

.... Cornhole? ....Anyone?

Welcome to GoFastPops Training 101!!!

2007-06-21T20:34:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Pops was looking for an easy, "spin your legs ride". Cool! I'll go too-- because I know an easy ride for Pops will be a workout for me.

Lesson #1: Suffering!!! Pops says, "If you want to be a better rider, you have to start suffering."

Several times during the ride, Pops commented to me that he didn't think I was suffering "enough". That meant: no drafting, maintaining "race pace", and finishing the ride with a killer climb.

Going up Mound Rd.

I'm almost there...

Oh yes! I was suffering, but I also really appreciate his help.

What will he have in store for my next lesson??

I don't know, but BRING IT ON.

Totally frustrated!

2007-06-17T15:13:00.000-04:00

You would think, that after 4 years of mountain biking, I would be able to handle an "intermediate" level course. But, to my frustration, I can not-- a point made painfully obvious at yesterday’s ride at Harbin Park. This trail has everything an intermediate rider could ask for -- a nice flowing, heavily wooded, single track trail with terrain changes, switchbacks, and small obstacles. But, after having to stop and get off my bike to walk about every 5 minutes, I came to the realization that I'm still a "beginner" mountain biker. Yep, you add little difficulty to a trail and I fall apart like a "delicate doily".

And really, it's not just mountain biking. I'm still pretty much a beginner road rider too. Our little adventure on the tandem at last Tuesday’s Group Ride drove that point home. This group said they average "about 18 mph" (what I would consider a good intermediate pace) but as Pops and I watched the group ride away from us, I realized that he could only "compensate" for my lack of ability by so much. Yep, we pretty much did that ride by ourselves.

This little epiphany reminds me of the time I decided to play softball about 10 years ago. I was a true beginner at the time and my team-mates tolerated my "learning curve". They assigned me the position of Catcher (to keep me in a "safe" place). I did "okay" but even after playing a couple of seasons, I was still playing at a "beginners level". I realized this fact during an "important" play-off game because the 3rd baseman felt absolutely compelled to play both her position and mine at the same time. Anytime there was a remote chance of something happening near home plate, she would run home so she could "back me up". Now, I have no trouble with that, but her idea of "backing me up" was standing in front of me, blocking me, to make the play. I quit softball after that game.

Now, I really don't want to quit riding because I enjoy it. And, because "being a quitter" really ticks me off. But, my lack of ability is starting to get to me. I know I don't have what you would call a natural athletic ability, but I thought I would be a better rider by now. Pops wants me to ride with him, but when I do, he just ends up sitting and waiting on me, which makes me feel worst because now he's not getting anything out of his ride. It's all very frustrating!

I don't know... maybe, I should just stop trying to be an athlete, and take up knitting.

Bustin' my butt-- at home

2007-06-15T19:58:00.000-04:00

Sooo... last Tuesday, I went for another ride at Caesar's Creek. Since I was riding by myself, (Pop's was there, but he was wackin' weeds again) I thought I would play it safe and just take it easy. Everything went great-- no crashes, and I made a couple climbs that I didn't make the ride before! So, after the ride, I felt pretty jazzed!

Once home, while getting into the shower, I decided I would "just go ahead and change that shower curtain, while I was thinking about it". Well, as they say, most accidents occur in the home. Since I was a little tired from riding (or just lazy), I didn't feel like reaching over my head to change the curtain. So, I "nimbly" climbed up on the side of the tub (do you see where this is going?) and proceeded to take down the old curtain. "Great! The old curtain is down, now to get that new curtain that is laying on the bathroom sink."

As I was stepping down from my precarious perch, I wasn't paying attention to where I was placing my foot, and stepped on the corner of our bathroom scale. This badly placed step caused the scale to immediately flip up and out from under me. This triggered me to fall back against the wall and (somehow) to step on the flipped up scale with my other foot. I managed to regain my balance before totally falling out, but I made one hell of a racket. (Now, remember how I said that I was "getting into the shower" - so I pulled off this graceful stunt- yep, you guessed it!) Oh, that just had to be QUITE A SITE!!! Good grief!!!

Anyway, I guess I came out pretty lucky! I just got a big bruise on the bottom of my foot, which makes walking "quite noticeable". I really would have hated to end up sprawled out on the floor, or worst, be knocked out and have the Rescue Squad come scrap me up.

So anyway, this little episode has just reinforced my opinion that ... Housework is definitely more hazardous than riding a mountain bike at Caesars Creek!!!

Caesar's Creek Trail, part deux

2007-06-07T21:39:00.000-04:00

When we first got up here, we had ventured out to Caesars Creek to check out the trail. OMG!!! The section of the trail we decided to ride was crazy! It went straight up and straight down one ravine after another, and had serious erosion problems! After about a half mile, I had given up and returned to the truck- vowing never to return.

Well, yesterday Pops decided to take the weed-wacker out to CC and do some trail maintenance. I decide to help, although I was not real enthusiastic about working on a trail I couldn't ride. To my surprise, we went to a different section! After walking the new (to me) section (and lopping about 10 million honeysuckle vines) I thought I might be able to ride this section.

This evening, Pops wanted to weed-wack some more of the trail, so I took my bike out there to check it out. It was not too bad! The trail reminded me of the Heritage trail, except that it was narrow, and it mostly skirted along the edge of several ravines. In some places, the trail was extremely close to the edge of some very steep drops.

The trail itself was in pretty good shape - not too much erosion and just a couple of areas where the weeds were out of control. This section turned out to be only 3.5 miles long but it actually had several good climbs and several steep descents, but nothing too scary. Humm- I may have to ride it again!

Ain't nuthin' a little Duct Tape can't fix!

2007-06-02T11:40:00.000-04:00

Yes, I was a BLONDE today!! 40 minutes from home and I realize I brought the wrong shoes!!! For some reason, I grabbed my road bike shoes(for Speedplay Zero's)and the tandem has Speedplay Frog Pedals. OH CRAP!!! Needless to say- this pedal/ shoe combination will not be very compatible!

While riding up to the start, GofastPops recommended we just tape me to the bike. Now, that's when the blonde light bulb came on!!! As anyone from Georgia knows-- duct tape can fix anything!!! The race was starting right in front of the Casstown Fire Dept.- so I thought- "Hey, a fire department would have some duct tape!!!" So, I ran in and asked a couple of firemen if they could hook me up. Hallelujah! They had some tape and were gracious enough to loan me a couple of long strips! So, while sitting at the starting line, counting down the seconds to our start time, I was taping my shoes to the pedals!!! Also, about this time, I realized that I was wearing my heartrate monitor strap, but didn't have the monitor. Oh, good grief, this is going to be a wild ride! I guess at this point, I was just lucky to be on the bike!

But, even after all of that, we manged to pull off a first place finish... Duct tape and all!!!

Whoo-hoo!

John Bryan Fast Lap 2nd place

2007-05-31T07:11:00.000-04:00

2nd place out of 3. I'm happy with that!

Since this was the final race of the season, I had decided that I was going to "give it my all".

In my opinion, John Bryan is not a "hard course", being that it is relatively flat, but it has all of the other "features" of a challenging trail. It's very TWISTY and you're constantly squeezing in between trees or going over bridges,logs, ramps, roots, mud, slippery pine straw, etc. So, it will definitely keep you on your toes!

I was first out of the chute for the Beginner Women, with 2 Women chasing (1 and 2 minutes back). Now, I really didn't want be the first one out, and I was thinking it wouldn't be too long before they caught me. But, I was a bit surprised when rider #3 caught and passed me about 1/2 way through the first section. She must have been flying! I jumped on her wheel hoping to hang on as long as possible. To my delight, I was able to pass her on the next hill! About that time, a junior rider passed me, so I thought- "There's my rabbit, hang on to him!" I kept the Junior rider within my sight for the remainder of the race, and was not caught or passed again. I was not able to make up all of the time I had lost against Rider #3, but I managed to gained back almost a minute- enough to put me in second place. I was also able to finish 2nd in the series, which earned me some really cool swag. One thing that I've noticed, it sure is A LOT harder to a race a mountain bike than do Time Trials on a road bike!

Saturday, we're going for something a little different... We're doing a Time Trial on the Tandem. Whoo-hoo, that should be exciting!

Spring is here

2007-05-28T12:58:00.000-04:00

Our perennials are finally blooming...

Colavita TT - 4th

2007-05-26T15:44:00.000-04:00

4th out of 4...That doesn't sound so good, and I didn't win any really cool prizes, but actually, I'm pretty happy with my results. Somehow, I managed to shave a whopping 5 minutes and 20 seconds off my results from last month. Whoo-hoo!!!

Now, I myself, have been wondering how I managed to do that. So, I've been thinking about it, and have concluded that it could be any (or all) of the following reasons:

Reason #1. I just felt better today. Last month, I felt like I was going to puke for about half of the race. This time, I didn't have that problem.

Reason #2. Not (AS MUCH!) headwind. Last month, there was a terrible headwind going out, but this time it was not nearly as bad. GofastPops thinks the wind was "non-existent", but apparently his definition of non-existent and mine are somewhat different. I would say, the wind started out light, but seemed to be "picking up" all the way out. By the time I got to the turn-around, I'd say it was blowing pretty good!

Reason #3. Aerobars. Whoo-hoo these rock!!!

But, I think it the real reason for my success today was definitely...

the Dairy Queen (chocolate dipped) Ice Cream Cone I scarfed down last night after walking the dogs. uh... I was "carbo-loading"... yeah, that's it... !!!

Powered by "DQ"... I think I like that!

JB Fast Lap TT 4th

2007-05-24T21:52:00.001-04:00

Well, I was 3rd when I left on Wednesday but got past Today. Still, 4th is not bad; I must admit, I'm pretty happy with the results!!!

Next up, Colavita TT.

Sportin' my new CGC kit, I look like a racer girl!

Colavita TT --- 4th

2007-04-28T18:21:00.000-04:00

time at finish - 49:35

Bellbrook TT --- 4th

2007-04-22T18:22:00.000-04:00

time at finish - 37:55