Milo's misadventure

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

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!

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!

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!

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!

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"

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???

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

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...

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...

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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.