for the past few months i've really had no motivation to ride or really workout at all. i love to sleep and my body just can't seem to get enough. i was a little worried i had mono or a thyroid problem, but was checked and have no issues with those, which is probably a good thing. i recently went to the chiropractor because i haven't been able to move my neck to the left very well for like...a few years. plus my right side has been bothering me since i fell down the stairs at my house and knocked myself out due to the pain...oh yeah, maybe i forgot to blog about that...anyway, the chiropractor got me all fixed up and set on some herbal suppliments for my fatigue and crappy immune system. i'm still tired alot but steph says its probably because i was doing so much riding for over a year that my body needs to recover a while. otherwise, i really do feel alot better. but i was still haivng a hard time with motivation.
i'm an externally motivated person. i never realized it, but it's the reason i've never liked working out at home. if i go to a gym or have others around, i have something to compete with. mostly myself, but i just go with it. so since i quit the gym i've been having a really hard time just getting motivated to get on the bike at all. but i had an ingenious idea: i decided to have a competition with a friend of mine to see who can get the most workouts in before the new year. loser buys winner dinner. 40 minutes equal a workout. i've gotten 8 over 5 days of working out. who knew i was so competitive? i guess i should have figured that out racing lol. anyway, i'm just thankful for motivation! although i've been pretty tired this week and having to re-think my food intake. oh well, i feel better and it's worth it.
today i'll head to the trails since it's so nice out. got out there a couple weeks ago with my boyfriend to show him what i do. not sure if he really wants to try to start riding or he just doesn't want me to be able to beat him at something :) this week i'll head to his house in garnett to spend christmas with him and his family. no trainer or treadmill there, so we'll see how well i do on the rest of this competition! merry christmas everyone!
12.19.2010
11.05.2010
guess who's a slacker...? this girl!
"what? you quit spin class? did you break your leg?" those words spoken to me by my former roommate i caught up with a few days ago who watched my entire spinning addiction begin last year. that's right friends, i quit the gym. it's been an idea for a while for several reasons; mostly because i live out in the country now and packing to leave the house at 5:15am and take everything for the day with me had finally kicked my butt. that, and my membership was up and i was broke from vegas...which turns out was a f.a.n.tastic trip. i know they say what happens in vegas stays in vegas, but i happened to bring back a groomsman i'm pretty crazy about :)
school, work, internship and new manfriend have kinda taken up my time lately so i haven't gotten out to ride much...or even work out :( i did, however, get out at 5:30 the other morning to ride a bit in the freezing weather and promptly decided that was the worst idea i'd ever had! not only was it cold and windy, but my headband was pressing on my eyebrows and making my sleepy eyes close. not good at that hour. needless to say, i've put my bike on the trainer and have been working on trying to get myself motivated to workout alone.
well hopefully i'll get back into a good workout regimine soon and will have more exciting stories to write about. you all get out there and ride, since i don't have time to!
school, work, internship and new manfriend have kinda taken up my time lately so i haven't gotten out to ride much...or even work out :( i did, however, get out at 5:30 the other morning to ride a bit in the freezing weather and promptly decided that was the worst idea i'd ever had! not only was it cold and windy, but my headband was pressing on my eyebrows and making my sleepy eyes close. not good at that hour. needless to say, i've put my bike on the trainer and have been working on trying to get myself motivated to workout alone.
well hopefully i'll get back into a good workout regimine soon and will have more exciting stories to write about. you all get out there and ride, since i don't have time to!
10.12.2010
i'm winning i'm winning!
sunday was the riverfront mountain bike race in melvern put on by my roommate lelan. i planned on racing and going out to be supportive but and i started out the day not feeling too whippy. i hadn't slept well so i thought about calling in sick, but figured i could sleep later, riding my bike might help me out a bit.
i got there early to pre ride a lap. i'd ridden it this summer when the idea of the race was just being thrown out there, but it was literally 100 degrees...aaaaand i had bronchitis, so my memory of the trail was a little skewed. the pre ride was great and it felt good to get moving. the trail was f.a.n.tastic! pretty technical, but SO exciting! i did endo, however, over a pesky rock. wasn't moving quickly so it wasn't too bad, but i have some nasty bruises on my legs and i've been picking thistles out of my skin for the past few days. you may feel sorry for me, but there's something satisfying about being the only girl out there getting right back up to kick some butt after a wreck.
a few friends had come out to cheer me on. i was really excited to see norma jean out there! she came to ride a lap, clear the cobwebs, visit some old buddies from melver, and be my cheerleader!
race started, and i really was the only girl in my class. me and a bunch of boys. that's how it usually is lol. i let most of them go ahead of me at the beginning, but was wishing i hadn't when they were walking parts of the course i wanted to ride...and then i stopped feeling good again. let's just say i was the only one in my class doing that kind of cramping. another sense of satisfaction in feeling tougher than some of the boys!
as i passed the cheering section, i yelled, "i'm winning!" and kept giggling at myself for being clever. i felt better after my first lap and knew since i was the only girl, i'd be winning the camelback i wanted.
now, i know alot of people say talking to yourself makes you sound crazy, but i'd have to disagree. i think it's one of the most intelligent things you can do for yourself. you're objectively taking a situation into your logical mind and coaching yourself to do something better. so i do it alot on the trail. at one point i said to myself, "anne marie, just because you're not racing against any other girls does not mean you're not racing against yourself. now get in the game!" i should really be a motivational speaker :)
the last lap was a little sloppy since and was playing a little human pinball with the trees, so i slowed down a bit. i finished up and people clapped for me, which i thought was sweet. i got to hang out and watch all the sport and experts do their race, ending up for an awesome day of bikes.
thursday is fall break and i'm going to las vegas for a friend's wedding, so i won't be racing this weekend, but i think i'll be enjoying myself :)
later taters!
i got there early to pre ride a lap. i'd ridden it this summer when the idea of the race was just being thrown out there, but it was literally 100 degrees...aaaaand i had bronchitis, so my memory of the trail was a little skewed. the pre ride was great and it felt good to get moving. the trail was f.a.n.tastic! pretty technical, but SO exciting! i did endo, however, over a pesky rock. wasn't moving quickly so it wasn't too bad, but i have some nasty bruises on my legs and i've been picking thistles out of my skin for the past few days. you may feel sorry for me, but there's something satisfying about being the only girl out there getting right back up to kick some butt after a wreck.
a few friends had come out to cheer me on. i was really excited to see norma jean out there! she came to ride a lap, clear the cobwebs, visit some old buddies from melver, and be my cheerleader!
race started, and i really was the only girl in my class. me and a bunch of boys. that's how it usually is lol. i let most of them go ahead of me at the beginning, but was wishing i hadn't when they were walking parts of the course i wanted to ride...and then i stopped feeling good again. let's just say i was the only one in my class doing that kind of cramping. another sense of satisfaction in feeling tougher than some of the boys!
as i passed the cheering section, i yelled, "i'm winning!" and kept giggling at myself for being clever. i felt better after my first lap and knew since i was the only girl, i'd be winning the camelback i wanted.
now, i know alot of people say talking to yourself makes you sound crazy, but i'd have to disagree. i think it's one of the most intelligent things you can do for yourself. you're objectively taking a situation into your logical mind and coaching yourself to do something better. so i do it alot on the trail. at one point i said to myself, "anne marie, just because you're not racing against any other girls does not mean you're not racing against yourself. now get in the game!" i should really be a motivational speaker :)
the last lap was a little sloppy since and was playing a little human pinball with the trees, so i slowed down a bit. i finished up and people clapped for me, which i thought was sweet. i got to hang out and watch all the sport and experts do their race, ending up for an awesome day of bikes.
thursday is fall break and i'm going to las vegas for a friend's wedding, so i won't be racing this weekend, but i think i'll be enjoying myself :)
later taters!
10.01.2010
there aren't alot of things that make me mad...
but the combination of bikes and rain will do it every time.
a few weekends ago tim, scott, tom, randy, garret and i headed up to swope park for the kc cup. it had been raining the previous day, but at 5 that morning, we still had the green light to race, so off we went. the air was misty but i was optimistic that this would just lead to the wimps bailing on the race.
since beginners race earlier than everyone else, randy and i got there so i could pre-ride before my race. 5 minutes into the lap i was made very aware of how much rain they'd gotten the day before. and about 15 minutes in, i'd wrecked and slopped around enough to be covered from head to toe in mud...which is an awesome time to get a flat. attempting to keep from getting mud all over my ipod i worked on trying to fix it...and failed. apparently my spare had a hole in it. not cool. like i said, there aren't alot of things that make me mad, and we won't go into great detail about the things that were said to my bike, but let's just say i wasn't a happy camper.
come to find out, boys who pass you don't always think you're cute enough to help you with your flat...even on a pre-ride...maybe it was the mud covering my entire self. i knew i had about 15 minutes before the race started and had no idea how long i was gonna have to walk my bike. and then randy came to the rescue. he switched me wheels so i could hurry to the start line...which i was not looking forward to at that point.
at the start line the 110 lb girl who smoked me at bone bender greeted me with a "wow, i guess we know it's muddy". not the best way to get me started for a race. but as i started to get used to riding in the mud and still falling over, i started to enjoy it. i had to save my opponent from falling off a drop off and was laughing at how ridiculous the whole experience was.
i ended up placing 3rd that day and 1st in my division for the series, so i was pretty pleased. muddy and all.
last weekend was the ms150. this was my 3rd year to do this ride and i figure i ride 60 miles on gravel no big deal, so i should be fine. except that i didn't do any training on my road bike. 50 miles in i was screaming "anne marie, you dummy! you should know better!" and other things at my bike, but still in good spirits and team "that's what she said" forged ahead.
and then we saw storm clouds. now, this was to be the century loop, so there was no way i was gonna stop for some silly lightning. i think sometimes my experience as a lifeguard spotting lightning gives me a false sense of safetey in meteorology...eh well. we were urged to "make it as quickly as possible to the next stop" so we could find shelter at about mile 65, and a few miles later it started sprinkling...and then raining...harder...and harder...to which point we would be on a downhill going about 25 and not be able to see. all i could think about was my ipod which i've only had a few months, and our tent and how drenched they were getting. priorities, i know.
riding into the stop i really couldn't see anymore, nor did i care, all i wanted was a warm building to be in and a towel. but first i had to stop. which i didn't do well since i couln't see the curb in front of me or realize my breaks wouldn't work so hot when wet. needless to say i took a spil and was a cranky cranker-pants after that. some nice men tried to tell me how to take care of it. i politely made them aware that i was a pro at crashing my mountain bike and would be fine, but that i was just mad. my ipod however, was totally fine! thank goodness for those cover things.
they'd cut our route short, which was a good idea, but heck, if i'm gonna be that miserable, i might as well do the dang 100 miles. but the wind happened to be really cold so we got finished i didn't care about being short 9 miles, i just wanted a hot shower.
our tents were drenched, so we got to purchace new sleeping bags and sleep in the gym, but we also got to meet up with the wintles, and i got to hold baby emory...the entire ride with rain and all was worth getting to hold that sweet baby girl :)
the next day was awesome. plus, before i'd left i'd had the feeling it'd be cold, so i'd packed my head warmer thingie, so i was golden in the chilly air.
overall, it was a very meorable experience and we got to raise money for a great cause. hopefully next year it won't rain...but i'll be prepared, with waterproof sweat suit stuff from head to toe!
a few weekends ago tim, scott, tom, randy, garret and i headed up to swope park for the kc cup. it had been raining the previous day, but at 5 that morning, we still had the green light to race, so off we went. the air was misty but i was optimistic that this would just lead to the wimps bailing on the race.
since beginners race earlier than everyone else, randy and i got there so i could pre-ride before my race. 5 minutes into the lap i was made very aware of how much rain they'd gotten the day before. and about 15 minutes in, i'd wrecked and slopped around enough to be covered from head to toe in mud...which is an awesome time to get a flat. attempting to keep from getting mud all over my ipod i worked on trying to fix it...and failed. apparently my spare had a hole in it. not cool. like i said, there aren't alot of things that make me mad, and we won't go into great detail about the things that were said to my bike, but let's just say i wasn't a happy camper.
come to find out, boys who pass you don't always think you're cute enough to help you with your flat...even on a pre-ride...maybe it was the mud covering my entire self. i knew i had about 15 minutes before the race started and had no idea how long i was gonna have to walk my bike. and then randy came to the rescue. he switched me wheels so i could hurry to the start line...which i was not looking forward to at that point.
at the start line the 110 lb girl who smoked me at bone bender greeted me with a "wow, i guess we know it's muddy". not the best way to get me started for a race. but as i started to get used to riding in the mud and still falling over, i started to enjoy it. i had to save my opponent from falling off a drop off and was laughing at how ridiculous the whole experience was.
i ended up placing 3rd that day and 1st in my division for the series, so i was pretty pleased. muddy and all.
last weekend was the ms150. this was my 3rd year to do this ride and i figure i ride 60 miles on gravel no big deal, so i should be fine. except that i didn't do any training on my road bike. 50 miles in i was screaming "anne marie, you dummy! you should know better!" and other things at my bike, but still in good spirits and team "that's what she said" forged ahead.
and then we saw storm clouds. now, this was to be the century loop, so there was no way i was gonna stop for some silly lightning. i think sometimes my experience as a lifeguard spotting lightning gives me a false sense of safetey in meteorology...eh well. we were urged to "make it as quickly as possible to the next stop" so we could find shelter at about mile 65, and a few miles later it started sprinkling...and then raining...harder...and harder...to which point we would be on a downhill going about 25 and not be able to see. all i could think about was my ipod which i've only had a few months, and our tent and how drenched they were getting. priorities, i know.
riding into the stop i really couldn't see anymore, nor did i care, all i wanted was a warm building to be in and a towel. but first i had to stop. which i didn't do well since i couln't see the curb in front of me or realize my breaks wouldn't work so hot when wet. needless to say i took a spil and was a cranky cranker-pants after that. some nice men tried to tell me how to take care of it. i politely made them aware that i was a pro at crashing my mountain bike and would be fine, but that i was just mad. my ipod however, was totally fine! thank goodness for those cover things.
they'd cut our route short, which was a good idea, but heck, if i'm gonna be that miserable, i might as well do the dang 100 miles. but the wind happened to be really cold so we got finished i didn't care about being short 9 miles, i just wanted a hot shower.
our tents were drenched, so we got to purchace new sleeping bags and sleep in the gym, but we also got to meet up with the wintles, and i got to hold baby emory...the entire ride with rain and all was worth getting to hold that sweet baby girl :)
the next day was awesome. plus, before i'd left i'd had the feeling it'd be cold, so i'd packed my head warmer thingie, so i was golden in the chilly air.
overall, it was a very meorable experience and we got to raise money for a great cause. hopefully next year it won't rain...but i'll be prepared, with waterproof sweat suit stuff from head to toe!
9.05.2010
fall? could it be???
school and work have started back up. i really love my job. i coordinate a program to get students into community service. i think i mostly love it because of the people i work with. the other day i asked my boss if she'd hire me after i graduate to do this stuff full time if i don't get a therapy job...ya i've been questioning sitting at a desk for endless hours a week and having to do loads of stupid paperwork for insurance companies. ideally, i'd like to work for a college doing student development part-time and therapy part-time. we'll see what shakes out.
my schedule is pretty insane-o during the week i.e. on wednesdays i leave the house at 5am and get back at 9pm. but even still i've been really enjoying this beautiful weather...minus the ragweed induced allergies. seriously, this has got to be the worst year for alleriges ever!
due to being broke this semester, i didn't get to head out to colorado to see my friend wiggins like i'd planned, so yesterday i doped up on a little more allergy medicine and hit the gravel road. i'd really been needing the me-time lately and decided i'd go visit my good friend mindy in neosho rapids. but to start out i wanted to make sure i was gonna get alot of miles, so i headed to olpe first and then headed north.
on my way past hartford i saw two roadies in the distance. i figured i'd have to know them and if i didn't i'd want to at least wave. come to find out it was bobby wintle and his father-in-law! i love that in our small biking community we pretty much know who's out there. kinda makes you feel more safe ya know?
got to neosho rapids, spent some time with my friend and her new baby and then headed back home. we'd just been talking about all the weirdos in neosho rapids, so as i was on a deserted gravel road with a white van whose passengers were male and waving, my imagination got the best of me. that was the time i stopped feeling so safe. i pedaled hard and took a road i thought would be helpful in getting me out of the way and home fater; only to find it was a dead-end...and that the "scary van" was long gone and clearly not coming back to throw me in the back, leaving my bike as the only evidence of my kidnap. yeah, i'm not dramatic at all.
after finding a more direct route; that wasn't a dead-end; i passed two trucks on the side of the road that i assumed were owned by hunters. my mind again got the best of me. i know the laws about not shooting across a road but remembered the story of the teenager a few years back who was shot by a hunter from across the road. i'm not niieve enough to think everyone follows laws all the time. shoot, i don't. duh, i break speeding laws on my bike all the time ;)
as i heard gun shots, i imagined what it would be like to be hit by a bullet while on my bike: which part of my body, how i would react, whether the hunters would get me to a hospital in time, how that would effect school and work, how long i'd have to be off the bike...ok, so i'm a little dramatic :) but i blame it on being hungry.
about 15 miles out my stomach started growling. i tried to count how many miles i'd have left according to the alphabet letter road i was on as plus 3 to go south to the 120 block. but every time i counted it ended up the same number: 14...no matter how many miles i had just gone. i figured i should just focus on getting home. mostly because i had homework due at midnight and plans later that evening...it was almost 6pm.
i rolled in at 55 miles on the computer, gathered some food and hit the books so i could get cleaned up and get to the adventure monkey's first birthday party. i was 45 minutes late, but i got it all done. nothin like making the bike your priority!
my schedule is pretty insane-o during the week i.e. on wednesdays i leave the house at 5am and get back at 9pm. but even still i've been really enjoying this beautiful weather...minus the ragweed induced allergies. seriously, this has got to be the worst year for alleriges ever!
due to being broke this semester, i didn't get to head out to colorado to see my friend wiggins like i'd planned, so yesterday i doped up on a little more allergy medicine and hit the gravel road. i'd really been needing the me-time lately and decided i'd go visit my good friend mindy in neosho rapids. but to start out i wanted to make sure i was gonna get alot of miles, so i headed to olpe first and then headed north.
on my way past hartford i saw two roadies in the distance. i figured i'd have to know them and if i didn't i'd want to at least wave. come to find out it was bobby wintle and his father-in-law! i love that in our small biking community we pretty much know who's out there. kinda makes you feel more safe ya know?
got to neosho rapids, spent some time with my friend and her new baby and then headed back home. we'd just been talking about all the weirdos in neosho rapids, so as i was on a deserted gravel road with a white van whose passengers were male and waving, my imagination got the best of me. that was the time i stopped feeling so safe. i pedaled hard and took a road i thought would be helpful in getting me out of the way and home fater; only to find it was a dead-end...and that the "scary van" was long gone and clearly not coming back to throw me in the back, leaving my bike as the only evidence of my kidnap. yeah, i'm not dramatic at all.
after finding a more direct route; that wasn't a dead-end; i passed two trucks on the side of the road that i assumed were owned by hunters. my mind again got the best of me. i know the laws about not shooting across a road but remembered the story of the teenager a few years back who was shot by a hunter from across the road. i'm not niieve enough to think everyone follows laws all the time. shoot, i don't. duh, i break speeding laws on my bike all the time ;)
as i heard gun shots, i imagined what it would be like to be hit by a bullet while on my bike: which part of my body, how i would react, whether the hunters would get me to a hospital in time, how that would effect school and work, how long i'd have to be off the bike...ok, so i'm a little dramatic :) but i blame it on being hungry.
about 15 miles out my stomach started growling. i tried to count how many miles i'd have left according to the alphabet letter road i was on as plus 3 to go south to the 120 block. but every time i counted it ended up the same number: 14...no matter how many miles i had just gone. i figured i should just focus on getting home. mostly because i had homework due at midnight and plans later that evening...it was almost 6pm.
i rolled in at 55 miles on the computer, gathered some food and hit the books so i could get cleaned up and get to the adventure monkey's first birthday party. i was 45 minutes late, but i got it all done. nothin like making the bike your priority!
8.05.2010
Trains, planes, automobiles and bicycles
trip to new jersey was really informative but holy cow it was alot of traveling! I'm really thankful there was some fun had along with all the learning and by the end of the conference I was wishing I could stay there...I mean I is pretty great to have someone elso make your bed and meals every day!
landed in kc and wanted to kiss the ground. Flying and public transportation are wonderful but there's something about being in control of your own person by driving a car or pedaling a bike. Independence. That's what it is. And I'm a very independent girl.
i stayed that night in lawrence @ my friends Amy and joeys house, which was a good thing because I don't think I woulda made it home safely! then woke up sunday to find my way to Perry lake to race my bike!
I was a little nervous about racing since I'd been traveling so much but I'd worked pretty hard to stay hydrated so I was also just really excited to pedal again. uncle randy and the boys met
me there and brought my bike....and yes I hugged her before anyone else :)
I was able to warm up more than I have before a race and felt really good about it. Lelan was gonna be my water boy and the rest of the guys didn't race till after me so they got to be my cheerleaders! poor Tom had some uh technical difficulties so he needed to borrow my bile for his race; which meant I had a really good reason to hurry up and get finished!
the course was kinda rocky but really awesome. It was just me and another girl pretty much neck and neck but I had to walk up a hill that set me back about a minute, so I came in second out of two again lol all in all it was really fun to have such a close race :)
I made it back with pleantly of time for Tom to get my bike set up and take off. I got my instructions to be water girl and started cheering on the boys. they all did really great and I loved helping them out. I missed poor mike on his last lap though...sorry again mike!!! he didn't die but I still felt bad... Next race I'll be 100%! :)
I left the race coughing a bit and assumed I'd inhaled alot of dust, but as I've been laying on the couch most of the day hacking from the deep parts of my lungs I'm thinking it's a little more than allergies haha but I'll be back to the bike soon, don't you worry!
landed in kc and wanted to kiss the ground. Flying and public transportation are wonderful but there's something about being in control of your own person by driving a car or pedaling a bike. Independence. That's what it is. And I'm a very independent girl.
i stayed that night in lawrence @ my friends Amy and joeys house, which was a good thing because I don't think I woulda made it home safely! then woke up sunday to find my way to Perry lake to race my bike!
I was a little nervous about racing since I'd been traveling so much but I'd worked pretty hard to stay hydrated so I was also just really excited to pedal again. uncle randy and the boys met
me there and brought my bike....and yes I hugged her before anyone else :)
I was able to warm up more than I have before a race and felt really good about it. Lelan was gonna be my water boy and the rest of the guys didn't race till after me so they got to be my cheerleaders! poor Tom had some uh technical difficulties so he needed to borrow my bile for his race; which meant I had a really good reason to hurry up and get finished!
the course was kinda rocky but really awesome. It was just me and another girl pretty much neck and neck but I had to walk up a hill that set me back about a minute, so I came in second out of two again lol all in all it was really fun to have such a close race :)
I made it back with pleantly of time for Tom to get my bike set up and take off. I got my instructions to be water girl and started cheering on the boys. they all did really great and I loved helping them out. I missed poor mike on his last lap though...sorry again mike!!! he didn't die but I still felt bad... Next race I'll be 100%! :)
I left the race coughing a bit and assumed I'd inhaled alot of dust, but as I've been laying on the couch most of the day hacking from the deep parts of my lungs I'm thinking it's a little more than allergies haha but I'll be back to the bike soon, don't you worry!
7.25.2010
sunflower state games and life events
well the death ride came and went, and i went to the sunflower state games in topeka instead :)
the day started out really well. i woke up feeling refreshed at 5:30am...and i have no idea how that happened! didn't need to drink any coffee, which was good because i know that's a major reason i cramp. and got to the race to find it hadn't rained there like we were worried about. problem is, we didn't quite get there early enough to do a full lap to warm up, and then i found my front break was rubbing pretty badly...not good. so, 10 minutes before race time, we had to do some maintenance...which was a great effort, but i ended up not having much of a front break at all...not good on those down hills i love :(
i was kinda frustrated about it at first, but decided just to enjoy the trail and go with it. my lap times were pretty long since i had to be so careful, but i still had fun, and, guess what??? i didn't crash or cramp! and hey, i got 2nd place!...out of 2! lol it was an awesome trail and an awesome day to ride! come to find out, jed had much worse problems than i did and actually broke his break about 20 minutes in during a crash, so i had to stop feeling sorry for myself for sure.
randy got 3rd, garret got 3rd, and my new bike buddy derek got 1st! aside from jed's unfortunate event, i think it was a prety productive day!
in news not related to bikes: i recently accepted a graduate assistantship position working on campus within bonner student leadership and i'm really excited about it! i leave wednesday for an all expenses paid trip to a conference in princeton, new jersey! if any of you remember, i used to do student council stuff in college and loved it, so this is right up my alley. and to top it off, this job pays for my tuition as well as a stipened each month. i'm pretty blessed, to say the least.
the day started out really well. i woke up feeling refreshed at 5:30am...and i have no idea how that happened! didn't need to drink any coffee, which was good because i know that's a major reason i cramp. and got to the race to find it hadn't rained there like we were worried about. problem is, we didn't quite get there early enough to do a full lap to warm up, and then i found my front break was rubbing pretty badly...not good. so, 10 minutes before race time, we had to do some maintenance...which was a great effort, but i ended up not having much of a front break at all...not good on those down hills i love :(
i was kinda frustrated about it at first, but decided just to enjoy the trail and go with it. my lap times were pretty long since i had to be so careful, but i still had fun, and, guess what??? i didn't crash or cramp! and hey, i got 2nd place!...out of 2! lol it was an awesome trail and an awesome day to ride! come to find out, jed had much worse problems than i did and actually broke his break about 20 minutes in during a crash, so i had to stop feeling sorry for myself for sure.
randy got 3rd, garret got 3rd, and my new bike buddy derek got 1st! aside from jed's unfortunate event, i think it was a prety productive day!
in news not related to bikes: i recently accepted a graduate assistantship position working on campus within bonner student leadership and i'm really excited about it! i leave wednesday for an all expenses paid trip to a conference in princeton, new jersey! if any of you remember, i used to do student council stuff in college and loved it, so this is right up my alley. and to top it off, this job pays for my tuition as well as a stipened each month. i'm pretty blessed, to say the least.
7.09.2010
let's protest leg cramps shall we?
i believe i've finally recovered from the ride with the adventure monkey by now ;) the morning began a little later than expected, but that meant we got to bring a few others with us. randy and jed came along as we headed out into the flint hills. the night before i couldn't sleep, so starting out, i was pretty sleepy. i guess my legs felt the same way because about 10 miles into the hills the started to cramp. not good. i fell back and told the guys they could stop waiting for me at the top of every hill...this was getting embarrassing lol jed and eric took off and randy stuck with me while i began to endure the worst leg cramps i have ever experienced in my life. i think it's important to be humbled once in a while, and i usually need it.
it was father's day, and we figured it was a good team since i'm the closest thing he has to his kids (since they're my first cousins and live in washington), and he's the closest thing i have to my dad (since he's my uncle and my dad's in california. about 30 miles in we realized my seat had been falling for i don't know how long and raised it. also realized my back tire was realllllly low. neat. no wonder i was averaging like 10 mph...mind you, i was still being paralized by leg cramps about every mile.
we rolled into olpe at a little over 40 miles and i was so thankful to see that lovely little gas station. on long rides, i LIVE for gas stations. when you're in a car, gas stations are nice because you can stop and get coffee to keep you awake and go pee, but on a bike, it means fuel! and not the gasoline kind. the kind with gatoraide and cookies!
i felt a little better on our way out, but not for long. i clocked 56 miles that day, had a terrible headache, and ridiculously sore legs for days afterword. but even though my pride was a little hurt because i couldn't ride like i wanted, i was pretty dang proud of myself for suffering through. there's something about being stubborn that can kill you, but also make you feel pretty good about yourself.
i haven't done a long ride since then. sunday's have seemed to become my nap days. working about 25 hours and interning 20 makes for a pretty long and exhausting week, and i'm finally learning that rest is just as important as a good workout, especially when i work sitting in the direct sun all day long. i have been riding the trails as much as i can when it's dry, going to spin class but not killing myself, and got to go up to council grove a few days ago for a nice recovery road ride. i've decided not to do the death ride, mostly because it's pretty expensive, but might go to the sunflower state games that day instead. hopefully that day will be less leg cramp filled :)
it was father's day, and we figured it was a good team since i'm the closest thing he has to his kids (since they're my first cousins and live in washington), and he's the closest thing i have to my dad (since he's my uncle and my dad's in california. about 30 miles in we realized my seat had been falling for i don't know how long and raised it. also realized my back tire was realllllly low. neat. no wonder i was averaging like 10 mph...mind you, i was still being paralized by leg cramps about every mile.
we rolled into olpe at a little over 40 miles and i was so thankful to see that lovely little gas station. on long rides, i LIVE for gas stations. when you're in a car, gas stations are nice because you can stop and get coffee to keep you awake and go pee, but on a bike, it means fuel! and not the gasoline kind. the kind with gatoraide and cookies!
i felt a little better on our way out, but not for long. i clocked 56 miles that day, had a terrible headache, and ridiculously sore legs for days afterword. but even though my pride was a little hurt because i couldn't ride like i wanted, i was pretty dang proud of myself for suffering through. there's something about being stubborn that can kill you, but also make you feel pretty good about yourself.
i haven't done a long ride since then. sunday's have seemed to become my nap days. working about 25 hours and interning 20 makes for a pretty long and exhausting week, and i'm finally learning that rest is just as important as a good workout, especially when i work sitting in the direct sun all day long. i have been riding the trails as much as i can when it's dry, going to spin class but not killing myself, and got to go up to council grove a few days ago for a nice recovery road ride. i've decided not to do the death ride, mostly because it's pretty expensive, but might go to the sunflower state games that day instead. hopefully that day will be less leg cramp filled :)
6.18.2010
ahh summertime
on my return from california, i hit the ground running. moved out to my uncle's wonderful log cabin in the country, started internship back up and work out at the outdoor pool.
the pool's been great...most of the time...sometimes i just wonder how some people function on a daily basis. and it's hot. but hey, the upside is that i'm getting acclimated to the heat so i can ride better right? and i do, however, have some great stories that come from that place. ie: a little girl today was named "tidley"...as in "tidley winks". seriously.
the problem with hitting the ground running in my life of cycling is that i usually do a bit too much...go figure. after doing not a whole lot of anything during my vacation, i for some reason jumped right back into spinning full force...and paid for it. so, my new mid-year resolution is to be better at recovering. i guess i can't continue to convince myself that a day of recovery is enough. haha therefore, i will give myself at least 2 straight recovery days each week. and yes, i'm saying this on my blog so i'm held accountable :)
one awesome thing i got to do when i got back was help out the the dirty kanza 200! we had 4 guys from the salsa team stay with us, so i got to play hostess. they kept thanking us, but seriously, they were the ones driving miles and miles to ride miles and miles...i wasn't the one doing the work! i got to do the dk lite (20 mile fun ride) and then go to all the stops for my uncle to take him food and encouragement. he wasn't planning on going more than the first leg (60 miles), but felt good and ended up killing about 140! i was proud of all the dk'ers and so happy to get to stand around and cheer them on. eric benjamin (the adventure monkey himself http://www.theadventuremonkey.com/blog/) was our only emporia finisher! he came in just before 2 am after starting at 6am. that man has some serious will power! good job eric! but really, all you dk'ers make me proud :)
i've recently decided to do something crazy myself. i'm planning on riding the flint hills death ride at the end of july. it's 70+miles in flint hills. and really, no one has ever died...i think they should call it the flint hills near death ride. therefore i've gotta start getting in some serious endurance miles. tomorrow the adventure monkey has graciously allowed me to tag along with him on his 60+mile training ride. i'm gonna make sure i know the route pretty well before we leave so he can take off and at least i won't get lost that way haha
wish me luck! until next time!
the pool's been great...most of the time...sometimes i just wonder how some people function on a daily basis. and it's hot. but hey, the upside is that i'm getting acclimated to the heat so i can ride better right? and i do, however, have some great stories that come from that place. ie: a little girl today was named "tidley"...as in "tidley winks". seriously.
the problem with hitting the ground running in my life of cycling is that i usually do a bit too much...go figure. after doing not a whole lot of anything during my vacation, i for some reason jumped right back into spinning full force...and paid for it. so, my new mid-year resolution is to be better at recovering. i guess i can't continue to convince myself that a day of recovery is enough. haha therefore, i will give myself at least 2 straight recovery days each week. and yes, i'm saying this on my blog so i'm held accountable :)
one awesome thing i got to do when i got back was help out the the dirty kanza 200! we had 4 guys from the salsa team stay with us, so i got to play hostess. they kept thanking us, but seriously, they were the ones driving miles and miles to ride miles and miles...i wasn't the one doing the work! i got to do the dk lite (20 mile fun ride) and then go to all the stops for my uncle to take him food and encouragement. he wasn't planning on going more than the first leg (60 miles), but felt good and ended up killing about 140! i was proud of all the dk'ers and so happy to get to stand around and cheer them on. eric benjamin (the adventure monkey himself http://www.theadventuremonkey.com/blog/) was our only emporia finisher! he came in just before 2 am after starting at 6am. that man has some serious will power! good job eric! but really, all you dk'ers make me proud :)
i've recently decided to do something crazy myself. i'm planning on riding the flint hills death ride at the end of july. it's 70+miles in flint hills. and really, no one has ever died...i think they should call it the flint hills near death ride. therefore i've gotta start getting in some serious endurance miles. tomorrow the adventure monkey has graciously allowed me to tag along with him on his 60+mile training ride. i'm gonna make sure i know the route pretty well before we leave so he can take off and at least i won't get lost that way haha
wish me luck! until next time!
5.20.2010
how could i forget!?!
i totally forgot to say yesterday that today i got to go to stage 5 of the AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA!!! yes, that's right folks, i got to see lance armstrong himself and had a blast at the start line! pictures to come soon! woo!!! :)
5.19.2010
hello from sunny california!
here i am sitting at the library in our little town checking my email...it's weird to be w/o internet at home, but really nice at the same time. i forget how consuming it can be...especially facebook! haha
haven't been doing a whole lot while i've been here. most kansans are terriblly jealous that i'm here in the sunshine state...but really, it's not that exciting! it's just like going home for a break. my sister's beach trip was cancelled since none of the kids brought money, so instead we went to my little bro's baseball game. it was just as hot as the beach...w/o the cool air and ya know, ocean.
still, it's been really really good to relax. especially after 100 miles to nowhere. i didn't figure the actual miles would kill me, but the sitting in place almost did! the first 60 miles were pretty laid back...painted my nails, had to take 90 potty breaks, chatted, sang songs with the girls...then i realized all the boys were going to finish and leave us in the dust. i couldn't be sitting there for hours while they waited on us. so, i moved my bike into the sun, put in my headphones and averaged 27mph. felt pretty good to kill those miles, besides enjoying raising the money for livestrong :)
like i said, it's been really good to relax. i hadn't realized how stressed i've been (and probably continually a little overtrained) till i finally got my heart rate down to 53. i've just been riding my step-mom's crappy huffy (yes, you can laugh now), and jogging, not worrying about keeping muscle or anything, just enjoying it. i forget to do that alot. imagine that ;)
my family's been great. of course, driving me crazy half the time, but that's what family's for right? this weekend we're going to my friend's wedding and hopefully the mountains before i head back monday. getting a little stir crazy and ready to hit the ground running...i think haha.
one thing i do know: I CAN'T WAIT TO GET BACK TO MY BIKE!!! gosh i miss her!
well, until next time!
haven't been doing a whole lot while i've been here. most kansans are terriblly jealous that i'm here in the sunshine state...but really, it's not that exciting! it's just like going home for a break. my sister's beach trip was cancelled since none of the kids brought money, so instead we went to my little bro's baseball game. it was just as hot as the beach...w/o the cool air and ya know, ocean.
still, it's been really really good to relax. especially after 100 miles to nowhere. i didn't figure the actual miles would kill me, but the sitting in place almost did! the first 60 miles were pretty laid back...painted my nails, had to take 90 potty breaks, chatted, sang songs with the girls...then i realized all the boys were going to finish and leave us in the dust. i couldn't be sitting there for hours while they waited on us. so, i moved my bike into the sun, put in my headphones and averaged 27mph. felt pretty good to kill those miles, besides enjoying raising the money for livestrong :)
like i said, it's been really good to relax. i hadn't realized how stressed i've been (and probably continually a little overtrained) till i finally got my heart rate down to 53. i've just been riding my step-mom's crappy huffy (yes, you can laugh now), and jogging, not worrying about keeping muscle or anything, just enjoying it. i forget to do that alot. imagine that ;)
my family's been great. of course, driving me crazy half the time, but that's what family's for right? this weekend we're going to my friend's wedding and hopefully the mountains before i head back monday. getting a little stir crazy and ready to hit the ground running...i think haha.
one thing i do know: I CAN'T WAIT TO GET BACK TO MY BIKE!!! gosh i miss her!
well, until next time!
5.06.2010
Thank God the end is near
Life's been quite a whirlwind lately. Last week of school and internship for the semester; and crazy defines it pretty well. Last weekend I went to the Lake Wilson race with my pals. I had planned on racing, but once I prerode a bit of the trail, I realized how mentally drained I really was. I don't think I've spent enough time alone lately and that tends to wear on me after a while...especially when you work in the mental health field. I probably could have raced, but I just didn't have the mental capacity to muster up the courage to concqur the really big rocks on this course. So to stay on the safe side, I took on the water girl status for the day.
I was proud of myself for saying no to the race, but I was pretty frustrated about not being able to get my head in the game. It feels so great to accomplish something like a mountian bike race and prove to yourself you can handle tough stuff. On the other hand, it feels pretty pathetic to have the physical strength but have to back out because of something in your head. But, sometimes I really need to be humbled, and this was a good way to be put in check.
Last night I got to get back to our Camp Alexander Trails. I got to show a newbie the trail and once I was by msyelf I took several minutes off my average lap time. It was nice to prove to myself again that I'm not a wimp haha
This weekend is our 100 Miles To Nowhere fundraiser where a few of us will ride on bikes in place for 100 miles to raise money for the LiveStrong Foundation. Should be a fun time. I might be tired afterward.
Monday I fly to California to my Dad's house to stay w/my family for 2 weeks. I'm really looking forward to the break in the craziness. I mean, they're crazy too ;) but it's different.
Once I get back, the Aquatics Center opens for the summer and I have one week to move out of my apartment and to a new pad and I immediately start internship back up and some summer school classes. Again, you can see why I'm looking forward to the 2 weeks out of state.
One thing I have learned in my many years of college: it always gets done. It's just a matter of getting there! I can make it...
I was proud of myself for saying no to the race, but I was pretty frustrated about not being able to get my head in the game. It feels so great to accomplish something like a mountian bike race and prove to yourself you can handle tough stuff. On the other hand, it feels pretty pathetic to have the physical strength but have to back out because of something in your head. But, sometimes I really need to be humbled, and this was a good way to be put in check.
Last night I got to get back to our Camp Alexander Trails. I got to show a newbie the trail and once I was by msyelf I took several minutes off my average lap time. It was nice to prove to myself again that I'm not a wimp haha
This weekend is our 100 Miles To Nowhere fundraiser where a few of us will ride on bikes in place for 100 miles to raise money for the LiveStrong Foundation. Should be a fun time. I might be tired afterward.
Monday I fly to California to my Dad's house to stay w/my family for 2 weeks. I'm really looking forward to the break in the craziness. I mean, they're crazy too ;) but it's different.
Once I get back, the Aquatics Center opens for the summer and I have one week to move out of my apartment and to a new pad and I immediately start internship back up and some summer school classes. Again, you can see why I'm looking forward to the 2 weeks out of state.
One thing I have learned in my many years of college: it always gets done. It's just a matter of getting there! I can make it...
4.21.2010
race #2
well this weekend i went to my 2nd mountain bike race. it was called the bone bender in smithville, mo. it was a 3 or 6 hour endurance race...which ended up being a 4 hour race for me since i was in the middle of a lap at 3 hours lol. that was the point i really wanted someone to come pick me up cause i was sick of being on that stupid bike! (i had a heart to heart with my bike and later took back those words)
really i enjoyed it alot. i did cramp up for most of my first lap...which was probably my fault for not being hydrated well enough last week. so at my pit stop i downed a bunch of pickle juice...you think i'm crazy but it's wonderful and workds! on the way out for my second lap my little friend donovan wanted me to wait on him, but i quickly reminded him i wasn't going to be last. he argued with me, but i won by leaving without him. (i also later apologized to donovan for yelling at him and then leaving him in the dust)
that lap would have been wonderful butttttt the guys who were actually fast started to lap me in places on the trail that were too tight for me not to just hop off the bike and wait...for a long time! i ended up walking quite a bit because of that, which was really frustrating, but i made friends with the 13 year old kid (yes, i was keeping pace with a 13 year old), and cheered on the guys who looked like they were tired and needed the cheerleading :) dang, i shoulda been passing out my number...why do i always have good ideas in retrospect? lol
bobby says i placed somewhere in the middle of my class...i think he was a little fuzzy in the brain when he looked at that but anywho, i had fun and rode alot longer and harder than i have on a technical trail like that so i was proud of myself.
school is currently attempting to kill me one day at a time. really i only have 2 more weeks, but i'm just spent. not to mention i'm pretty tired from spinning and then racing...ie: i tried to drive my car yesterday without starting it. brilliant. i also got the giggles in class tonight and got in trouble...i don't know if it's ever happened, but i think i very well could have gotten a detention in grad school!
but, only a little over 2 weeks till california w/the fam and that'll be just what i need.
peace out girl scouts!
4.11.2010
i'm a lifeguard, but this is just silly...
this weekend's weather was excellent for riding. i think even non-cyclests could agree with that one. yesterday i was in a weird mood...probably because i had told myself i couldn't ride my bike till i got my taxes done. which meant i had to say no to a race that woulda been fun. i did however finish my taxes and head out on the bike. wandered around, checked out the campus trails, and finally got my mind in the game to get to camp alexander. just had time for one lap but it was perfect for getting me out of my funk. didn't even wreck! course, i walked a bit more than usual. hadn't been to the trails since fall, so i didn't want to risk it. greatest thing was i wasn't nervous like i usally am. maybe part of it was getting alot stronger than i used to be b/c of spinning. that was rewarding.
today's weather was even better. headed out to meet my buddies at camp and began the fun again. or mostly, until i got the shakes and reached back for my gu at a terribly inopportune time: right before a bridge that was intended to guide me over a ginormous puddle. needless to say i endo'ed yet again and landed face-first in that mossy, muddy puddle. course, i wasn't hurt thanks to the mud, and laughing hysterically at how often i do ridiculous things like this at this point. my friend jed asked if i was ok and had to detach my foot from spokes because i was gonna be stuck in that face-down in the mud position until someone saved me. i was completely drenched in mud and smelly pond water and loving it...until i realized my phone wasn't where it was supposed to be...
yet again i have taken my phone swimming. my friends laughed at the fact that i wasn't worried about getting completely covered in mud or about crashing my bike, but that my phone fell in water. but really, i got it 3 weeks ago! at the moment, i'm drying it out in rice, as i've been instructed by others who've had unfortunate water+phone combinations. as a lifeguard, you'd think i'd be more educated on saving things that drown or at least preventing these crisis, but i guess not! i'm hoping the works...oh well, there are worse things...guess i coulda broken a bone or something ;)
welp, off to bed. enjoy that weather and keep your phones dry!
3.21.2010
3.20.2010
spring break with spinning, solo rides and snow
this week was spring break and honestly, i wasn't really looking forward to it. everyone else gets to leave and at least go home, but even if i dropped everything to go home, i'd be walking 2 1/2 blocks to get there...lol. because of needing to get in 300 internship hours by the end of the semester, i really needed to stay here, do that and work.
but with the advice of friends, i decided it'd be a good idea not to do homework for a few days and just relax. so what else do you do when you're 26, single, and have some free time? why build a fort of course! that's right, my roommate and i reverted back to childhood, pulled out the sheets and blankets, built a fort and watched pocahontas. my parents always taught me to be young at heart...that's one lesson i've taken pretty seriously. we had mentioned how our forts always fell down when we were kids about half way through whatever we were doing...and ironically, ours did the same. except, when i was a kid i didn't have a cell phone that could drop into a cup of water and stop working. back to being an adult and having to think about things like that. blek.
monday started off just like any other monday. i woke up for my regular routine at 5am to go to spinning. lifted weights, then warmed up on the bike...while we waited for garret (yes, you can laugh...its still better spelled with 2 t's :)), our instructor, to show. since we're friends, everyone asked if he'd been alive the day before and i went to go try to get a hold of him. you may recall my dropping my phone in a cup of water? yeah, the gym didn't have his number either. a few people left to do a different kind of work out, but the rest of us just stood there like calves stairing at a new gate. we couldn't miss spinning! that'd just throw off the whole day! my classmates asked if i had an ipod...and, because i'm not shy, i think they knew if they kept asking, i'd teach class. so i hopped on the saddle and jumped right in to save the day...ok, it took me a while to start yelling commands, but i got the hang of it. i'm not sure if everyone else had a good workout, but i felt like i was gonna throw up, so i figured that was good enough. lol now, since i know garret felt bad about missing, i didn't tease him or rub it in, but i think his mourning period is over so, how amazing am i?! if i were him i'd probably be finding ways to express my appreciation of my a$$ saving...in monetary forms, food, acts of servitude ect, ect. ;) regardless, that was a pretty good way to start off my pretend spring break.
the next few days i did the work and internship thing, but then came thursday. 65 degrees, sunny and incredible! there was no way i was going to internship for an hour and a half that i could be outside. after work i hurried down to the bike shop, got some new handlebar grips i'd needed and headed north. got about 9 miles out and my ipod died (if only i hadn't had to use it for spinning), but i kinda didn't care, it was just so great to be set free. i was like a flower soaking up the sun and just thrilled to be away from responsibilities. i got about 20 miles north to bushong, still felt amazing, so i cut across, past burlingame road and started south. i knew i'd be skipping spinning for the evening...figured i was testing out of it. south wind did plenty of kicking my butt. yikes. but once i rolled into town with 50+ miles under my belt, i was feelin pretty good...ya know, aside from starving. haha that was the best spring break day i could have had hands down. bikes always seem to save the day. :)
this morning i woke up to find several inches of snow on the ground. welcome to kansas spring! oh well, i need to get back to the homework grind. tonights the release party for "adventure monkey: the magazine". i wrote an article for it, so i'm pretty stoked to see it and see what happens for it in the future. i promise i'll post the link so ya'll can check it out.
peace out girl scouts ;)
2.28.2010
not as warm as anticipated...oh well!
well i started my internship last week at the mental health center here in town. i'm really thankful i got a site here so i didn't have to travel out of town every week. it's been going really well. i love all the people i work with and i love what i do, so it doesn't get much better than that...course i could get paid :)
while i am loving doing intership, it does make me really anxious to be done with school and have a real job that i can leave. internship+school+work+spinning makes for several 18 hour days during the week. but ya know, i've learned that a big part of fatigue is all in your head. you can make yourself do a whole lot more than you think most of the time. i love pushing those limits. of course, i usually end up getting sick or overtrained or something, but it's worth seeing how far i can push myself.
yes, i know what you're thinking: spinning is an option i could leave out to get more rest during my week. but honestly, its one of my favorite things to do. it's like, if i get to start the day with spinning, the rest of the day can be crappy but at least i know i got in a really good workout and had fun doing it. yeah it's at the butt-crack of dawn and some days i wake up and wonder if i should have one of my classmates give me an assessment for my sanity, but it also makes me really happy. bikes in general make me happy. and since i'm an advocate of doing more of what's working and less of what's not, i'm gonna keep that up.
today was the first day in i think a month that i got to actually ride outside. i was so thrilled when the forecast said it'd be in the 40's. too bad today the sun decided it was time to take nap. i was gonna go on an easy ride with renee and chris/matt (we call him that b/c renee thought his name was matt for a very long time) to americus and back, and then meet up with steph and ride hard the 2nd half. but after riding with a sinus headache i wasn't so sure of that 2nd half. steph was ok with it though because she'd gotten really sick of the cold wind on her 1st half solo. so, it wasn't the ride i was looking forward to, but it was still a good time, and it was outside.
happy last day of february everyone! don't forget to change your calendars :)
while i am loving doing intership, it does make me really anxious to be done with school and have a real job that i can leave. internship+school+work+spinning makes for several 18 hour days during the week. but ya know, i've learned that a big part of fatigue is all in your head. you can make yourself do a whole lot more than you think most of the time. i love pushing those limits. of course, i usually end up getting sick or overtrained or something, but it's worth seeing how far i can push myself.
yes, i know what you're thinking: spinning is an option i could leave out to get more rest during my week. but honestly, its one of my favorite things to do. it's like, if i get to start the day with spinning, the rest of the day can be crappy but at least i know i got in a really good workout and had fun doing it. yeah it's at the butt-crack of dawn and some days i wake up and wonder if i should have one of my classmates give me an assessment for my sanity, but it also makes me really happy. bikes in general make me happy. and since i'm an advocate of doing more of what's working and less of what's not, i'm gonna keep that up.
today was the first day in i think a month that i got to actually ride outside. i was so thrilled when the forecast said it'd be in the 40's. too bad today the sun decided it was time to take nap. i was gonna go on an easy ride with renee and chris/matt (we call him that b/c renee thought his name was matt for a very long time) to americus and back, and then meet up with steph and ride hard the 2nd half. but after riding with a sinus headache i wasn't so sure of that 2nd half. steph was ok with it though because she'd gotten really sick of the cold wind on her 1st half solo. so, it wasn't the ride i was looking forward to, but it was still a good time, and it was outside.
happy last day of february everyone! don't forget to change your calendars :)
1.24.2010
Weird week weird post...sure.
After talking to some family members who keep up, I've decided perhaps I should mention a few things other than bikes haha...
So I'll try, but the crazy thing about cycling is it's just a whole different world! I was reading a blog of an acquaintance who said bikes have a magical power of letting you "experience the world first hand in a way that can only be felt while powering yourself on a bike."...thus the obsession :)
Anyway, this week was a little strange. I think I was a little overtrained (which is what happens when your body doesn't have time to recover...has weird and miserable side-effects) so everything just seemed a little off. But, I had to get things done, so I did a little of that. Met with my carryover client from last semester whom I really enjoy and missed. (On a side note, I think I'd really like to work with teenagers someday) Went to classes...without books yet...I think somedays I'm a little too laid back in some areas for my own good. ah well! And then did a grown up thing and got new tires and an oil change. At which point I also decided I don't think I like being a grown-up.
To end the week I visited Manhattan, Ks. for a wedding of a good friend from high school. And yes, I was reminded again of how glad I am I'm still single. lol Not that everyone I know who's married shouldn't be, don't get me wrong, that's great...I just like that I still do things like not buy my books for classes and things ;)
So weird week, but hopefully this one will click a little better...and, dare I say, maybe I'll get a little more rest? Nah!
So I'll try, but the crazy thing about cycling is it's just a whole different world! I was reading a blog of an acquaintance who said bikes have a magical power of letting you "experience the world first hand in a way that can only be felt while powering yourself on a bike."...thus the obsession :)
Anyway, this week was a little strange. I think I was a little overtrained (which is what happens when your body doesn't have time to recover...has weird and miserable side-effects) so everything just seemed a little off. But, I had to get things done, so I did a little of that. Met with my carryover client from last semester whom I really enjoy and missed. (On a side note, I think I'd really like to work with teenagers someday) Went to classes...without books yet...I think somedays I'm a little too laid back in some areas for my own good. ah well! And then did a grown up thing and got new tires and an oil change. At which point I also decided I don't think I like being a grown-up.
To end the week I visited Manhattan, Ks. for a wedding of a good friend from high school. And yes, I was reminded again of how glad I am I'm still single. lol Not that everyone I know who's married shouldn't be, don't get me wrong, that's great...I just like that I still do things like not buy my books for classes and things ;)
So weird week, but hopefully this one will click a little better...and, dare I say, maybe I'll get a little more rest? Nah!
1.06.2010
colds and coldness
well its a new year and i have a new cold. go figure. i'm going to start taking vitamins asap. apparently another effect of having low blood pressure is having a really low immunity to illness. i love being special lol
the good news is i've started working at the city rec pool again, so my job is uber laid back, my hours are always the same and its and nice and warm :) school starts next week (blek) and i will be starting my intership...somewhere...my advisor is a little slow about these things. anywho, i'm excited about having an almost job! course, i'm going to be terribly busy, but bikes will relieve the stress!
speaking of bikes, this snow and ice is making me stir crazy! spin class just doesn't compare to the great outdoors, although it does keep me strong. the last time i rode gravel was with renee. we headed south to olpe with the temp in the 40s and a 30mph wind coming from the south. took us over an hour to get there but only 20 minutes to get back!
the other day a bunch of us were sitting at java cat just going on and on about our bikes and the new things we're planning for them. i think the poor new guy was pretty bored lol but its the only thing we can do at the moment. on that note, i just ordered yellow cables for the cobia...gotta keep her happy while she just sits in the apartment waiting :)
well i'm off to walgreens and redbox to cure my illness!
the good news is i've started working at the city rec pool again, so my job is uber laid back, my hours are always the same and its and nice and warm :) school starts next week (blek) and i will be starting my intership...somewhere...my advisor is a little slow about these things. anywho, i'm excited about having an almost job! course, i'm going to be terribly busy, but bikes will relieve the stress!
speaking of bikes, this snow and ice is making me stir crazy! spin class just doesn't compare to the great outdoors, although it does keep me strong. the last time i rode gravel was with renee. we headed south to olpe with the temp in the 40s and a 30mph wind coming from the south. took us over an hour to get there but only 20 minutes to get back!
the other day a bunch of us were sitting at java cat just going on and on about our bikes and the new things we're planning for them. i think the poor new guy was pretty bored lol but its the only thing we can do at the moment. on that note, i just ordered yellow cables for the cobia...gotta keep her happy while she just sits in the apartment waiting :)
well i'm off to walgreens and redbox to cure my illness!
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