Sunday, December 9, 2007

Bad Things Do Happen in 3's!!!

Recently inspired with a new sense of determination and a desire to get stronger on the bike, I looked forward to today's 70-mile ride with members from Club One, Left Coast, and the Duros. Yeah, I knew the ride was going to start out chilly (Lafayette was in the 30's when I arrived at the bart station at 8:35 a.m.) but I came prepared! Two base layers, a long sleeved jersey, and a jacket provided me with enough insulation to keep me from chattering my teeth as I rode to the bart station.

When I arrived at Lafayette, I learned that Mark and I would be the only two Club One members that would be doing this ride. Although a bit disappointed at not seeing other Club One peeps show up, I was prepared to get in a good ride. Once Mark got suited up, off we went. Riding though the residential area of Lafayette, I noticed that the chilly air was piercing through my gloves. Numbness started to enter my thumbs. What the hell?!



I tried to think warm thoughts but to no avail. My hands were freezing. Yeah, I know you east coast readers are thinking, "Whimp!" Having been born in a tropical country and grown up in lovely L.A., I will readily admit that I don't handle cold weather very well. I started thinking about upgrading my gloves to pogies.




(In case you're wondering where you can find pogies, check out www.icebike.org.)

BAD INCIDENT #1, albeit a minor one, happened to Mark while we were waiting for a red light. I was talking to him when all of a sudden I see him tilting over before falling on his right side. *scratching my head* "Uh, Mark, what just happened?" Apparently, Mark wanted to walk over and push the light button so we could get a green light faster. Ummm, perhaps, he should have unclipped before trying to walk over to the light? I'm just sayin'. ;-)

Anyhoo, we eventually met up with the Duros and Left Coast Riders at a Shell station. Before we left the station, Mark warned me that these guys can ride pretty fast so I better be on my toes. Sure enough, these guys started picking up the pace and I was hanging in the back trying to keep up. Thank goodness for that red light where we had to turn left to turn into the Livermore hills. Although I didn't expect them to slow down, I at least knew their pace and did my best to stay with them.

We eventually made it to rest stop number two where we refilled our water bottles and consumed some calories. Being the camera-happy person that I am, I whipped out my camera and started snapping pictures as I also tried to gulp down a cup of hot coffee.




All of a sudden, I heard people getting on their bikes and rolling. Damn! I took another gulp of coffee before throwing out the remains, jammed my camera into my jersey pocket, and adjusted my other jersey pockets before I jumped on my bike and started pedaling quickly towards the group. I'm not sure if it was the sudden acceleration but all of a sudden I felt a twinge in my lower right hip/ass area. Damn again! I was a little concerned that the dull pain might develop into a sharper one as the ride progressed but I figured I'd just wait and see what happened.



We had a fair amount of riders in the group and they were pretty good about calling out objects on the road. At one point, I heard someone yell "rock." I immediately saw a mini-crater on the ground and people splitting off to the left and right. I then saw Mark hit the rock before he lost control of his bike. I was behind him so I quickly glanced over my left shoulder to ensure there weren't any cars on the road before I split off to the center of the road. Bam! Down Mark went! We all stopped and checked on Mark. Aside from some aches, Mark appeared well enough to continue riding. His bike was also in tact enough to continue the ride so on we went. That was BAD INCIDENT #2.

As we approached the Pleasanton bart station, we learned that Bonnie had a rear flat tire so we waited for her and Deb to catch up with the group.

The ride continued for a while before the group split off. Eventually, it was Mark, Bonnie and I riding into Lafayette together. Bonnie asked me if I was tired and I said no (although, I still felt that little twinge on my right side.) Mark asked, since I wasn't tired, would I extend my ride by skipping the bart ride and riding home instead, to which I responded, "No. Considering what's happened on this ride already, I'll end up with a flat and I'll have to wait for someone to come along and help me fix my flat." Mark retorted, "You rode home by yourself on our last ride." I replied, "Yeah, but I'm superstitious and I believe that bad things happen in 3's. So, I'll be taking bart today."

As we neared the Lafayette bart station, Bonnie noticed that she had a front wheel flat. She figured that she could make it up the little hill and into the station before she got off her bike to fix the flat. As I turned left into the parking lot on Deer Hill Road, I heard Bonnie yell out. I looked behind me and saw Bonnie on the ground in the middle of the street. I put my bike down and ran over to her and Mark. Bonnie was in serious pain and couldn't get up. BAD INCIDENT #3!



The first driver that stopped to check on Bonnie happened to be an EMT. He asked her various questions and did a mini-physical exam. Although, it appeared that Bonnie might be o.k., she yelled out in pain as she tried to get up. She appeared to be experiencing severe pelvic pain when she tried to sit up. Traffic started building up as various drivers asked if they could help out or call 911. One woman even got out of her car. We let them know that, while we appreciated their offers, we had already called for an ambulance and were waiting for them to appear.

The Lafayette police were the first to appear. They set up their two patrol cars to ensure Bonnie didn't get run over while laying on the ground.



Eventually, the firefighters and paramedics showed up. At this point, Bonnie was freezing and she couldn't get into the ambulance fast enough.




While waiting for the ambulance, I learned the following things:

1. Never give a seriously injured person water or food; it might send them into shock. (Bonnie asked for water but we had to
deny her request per the first EMT's recommendation.)

2. Off-the-clock nurses, paramedics, and cops are more likely than doctors to stop and assist random injured people in
public places. (This is according to the lady cop's personal experience.) What's up with this?!!

3. When you continue to ride with a flat tire, you run the risk of going down. (Perhaps Bonnie's flat, front wheel hit a bot dot
as she attempted to make a left hand turn and the tire gave in, causing her to go down? Bonnie was also tired at this point
so perhaps that was also a factor?)

4. BAD THINGS DO HAPPEN IN 3'S!!!!! (Affirmation of pre-existing knowledge.)

Mark was going to go to the hospital to check on Bonnie. As soon as I get an update from him on Bonnie's status, I'll add it to my blog.

As you can see from some of these pictures, Bonnie remained a trooper and let me snap pictures of the event. If you're interested in seeing the other pictures, you can find them at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7616589@N06/

BONNIE UPDATE: I just got off the phone with Mark and he said Bonnie has a pelvic fracture but she will not require
surgery or rehab. She'll have to endure some pain but her fracture will heal on its' own. Although a fractured pelvis sucks, I'm happy to hear that Bonnie is now on her way to recovery.

Friday, December 7, 2007

my dual blogs and current measurements


I have two blogs: this one and myspace blog. Although I generally try to use this blogger as my "fitness-related" blog, I sometimes find myself blogging about my workouts in my MS blog. Tonight I'll cheat and I'll copy and paste the blog I wrote on MS tonight. (If anyone is bored and curious to see what kind of other stuff I blog about, here's my MS link: http://www.myspace.com/cyclist06)

(Oh yeah, I haven't done measurements in a while so here goes: Quads:56 cm, Calves 38 cm)

*************************************************************************************************************************

According to Wikipedia, microtrauma occurs to your muscle fibers whenever you engage in weight training or some other strenuous activity. Your body then tries to compensate for this muscle damage by replacing the damaged tissue and adding more muscle tissue (thus, the bigger muscle appearance.)

Fret not, I won't be blogging on the intricacies of weight training. I begin my blog with this tidbit of information because it was this physiological visual that came to mind while I was working out today and going over my physical and mental state this past week.

During the last three days, I was bedridden with extreme fatigue. I felt like I couldn't get enough sleep or enough rest. Mentally, I wanted to shut down. There were moments when I experienced frustration because I wanted to be out doing my regular workout routines but I just couldn't muster the energy.

I'm not sure whether I can attribute this fatigue to a build-up of insufficient sleep or some weird flu. Whatever the reason, I can now look at these past three days as a necessary "breakdown". Maybe I needed this "breakdown" period to re-evaluate my mental outlook; maybe I needed it so I can get enough rest to come back harder to my training.

I feel that I possess a fair amount of mental and physical toughness. However, I have athletic friends who are mentally and physically much stronger than I. I don't envy their toughness as much as I admire it and aspire to match it.

I want to have the grit to ride strong when I'm riding with a stronger group of cyclists.

I want to have the discipline to hit the weights after I'm exhausted from my cardio workouts.

I want to have the fortitude to push myself harder when I want to ease off.

After experiencing a few days of metaphorical microtrauma, I now feel re-energized and with a renewed sense of determination. Here's to a stronger body and a stronger will! Booyah!

Sunday, December 2, 2007

You beautiful yet deceptively never-ending road

When my four alarm clocks went off his morning (TV, CD player, sharper image clock and my cell phone), I was tempted to snuggle deeper into my duvet cover and skip the 70-mile Club One group ride. However, I knew I wouldn't enjoy the rest of my Sunday knowing that I had flaked on the ride so I dragged my ass out of bed and began to get ready.

Skull cap, Craft base layer tank, Craft Pro Zero Crew Base layer, Sheila Moon Base layer, arm warmers, long sleeved jersey, wind vest, Shebeest tech tights, warm socks and full-fingered gloves. I was tempted to wear my new TO jacket but thought it might be too bulky during the ride so I decided to skip it. Once I started pedaling towards the bart station and felt the chilly wind hit my face, I desperately wished I owned a Balaclava. Oh well, I figured I'd be warmed up in an hour or two.

I met my friends at the Lafayette bart station parking lot where it was about 39 degrees. Brrrrrr! It was a small group that showed up - Mark Cutone (Club One ride leader), Angie Karanas (Left Coast cyclist), Rich Fisher (old school cyclist), and yours truly. Mark asked for a group consensus on whether we still wanted to ride Palomares or skip Palomares and just ride through Calaveras to the Fremont station. Angie voted against Palomares, Rich didn't get to vote since he was going to peel off earlier. Hmm, I've ridden Palomares before but I've never ridden Calaveras so I'm reticent to do both: "Ahhh, whatever you guys decide." It looked like Angie had the winning vote - No Palomares for us today.

We finally hit the road and ended up riding with a large group of riders with various kits on. Wendy's sponsors a cycling team??? I didn't know that. It turns out that within that group there were two bad-ass bike mechanics: Tim Parker from Left Coast and his brother Erik. Mark and Angie knew them so we rode with them for a while.

We stopped at a Shell station before reaching Sunol for a pee-break. This bathroom was not only disgustingly dirty, it had no lights! We had to keep the door semi-open to let some light in lest we miss the toilet and end up pissing on ourselves in the dark.

Having taken care of business, we continued on our journey to Sunol. Damn, it was windy. Tim and the rest of the guys were too fast for us so we lost the nice draft we had enjoyed up to that point. Mark, Angie and I braved the winds as a trio.

We enjoyed a brief rest at the Sunol liquor store before we headed towards Calaveras. Having never ridden it before, I didn't know what to expect, I'd just heard that it involved steady climbing and offered a scenic view. Hey, that sounds nice. Sure enough, I soon found myself shifting to my little chain ring and enjoying the beautiful hills to my left. Interestingly enough, I found myself constantly shifting between my little chain ring and my big chain ring. Just when I thought I had reached the final descent, damn it if there wasn't another stretch of climbing up ahead. That road seemed to last forever!! Alas, we reached the final descent. Alright!

The Fremont Bart station was only 15 miles ahead according to Mark. However, if I thought Calaveras felt like a long stretch of road, reaching the Fremont Bart station seemed even longer. And, why the hell didn't someone warn me that I'd have to do more climbing to reach the bart station? My inner voice had to keep reminding me to cut the whining and just ride!

About 2-3 blocks from the Bart station, we stopped to use 24 hour fitness' bathroom (we didn't see any gas stations nearby). As I walked though the gym and observed random, bored-looking people reading their magazines while riding their stationary bikes or using the eliptical machines, I thought to myself, "Damn, am I glad I rode outdoors today!"

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Ahhhh, those long rides




Yesterday, Team Oakland's women's team director, Mel Schultz, led an 80-mile ride. Although I've only been riding my bike once a week (yeah, yeah, I know...bad cyclist), I figured I still had the fitness to do a long ride. I was relatively well rested (had some residual thigh soreness from Thursday's weight training) and enjoyed a good breakfast before the ride.

The proposed route was as follows: Cycle Sports in Oakland, Redwood to Castro Valley, Palomares to Niles Canyon (Sunol), Foothill all the way to Danville, back to Oakland via St. Mary's trail, up North Pinehurst and down Sheperd's Canyon.

It was a small but strong group that showed up for the ride: Mel, Anthony (honorary TO male member), Laura (potential future racer), Amy (strong triathlete), and yours truly. Given that I can put out more power on the flats than on climbs, I was the one trailing on the climbs. I didn't mind though because I knew that I was riding with a strong group of riders and trying to follow them as closely as possible could only make me a stronger rider.

Throughout the ride, I found myself experiencing different physical sensations and mental thoughts. On some parts of the climbs, namely Palomares and Pinehurst, I briefly considered getting off the bike and walking because my legs were so tired (of course I didn't!) There were other parts of the rides where my legs felt fresh and I was really focused on maintaining smooth pedaling strokes. I think it was the combination of being relatively well-rested and constantly refueling that helped me finish the ride. (I did have to ice my knees that night but I still felt well enough to do some minor chores when I got home.) All in all, it was a great day of riding!

Speaking of fuel, here's what I ate and drank throughout the ride:

Castro Valley: Vegan Bar (164 calories) + 1 Gu (100 calories)

Sunol: CA Vegan Suncake (376 calories) + 1 Banana (100 calories)

Danville: Vegan Bar (164 calories) + 1 Small Soy Latte (90 calories according to Peet's Nutritional chart)

Moraga: 1 Gu (100 calories) + 1 Gatorade Propel Fitness Water (30 calories)

Pinehurst: 1 Hammergel (84 calories)

Total Calories Consumed = 1,210 calories

I drank 3 bottles of plain water, 3 bottles of water with Nuun electrolyte tablets, and 1 bottle of Fitness Water; each bottle holds 24 ounces so a total of 168 ounces of water (4.97 liters / 1.31 gallons). Yet, I only peed three times (small amts.) during the ride (Sunol, Danville and Moraga). Guess my body was soaking up those fluids.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

11/01/07 Measurements



This week I've been partying more than working on my fitness. Halloween is just too damn fun not to enjoy over the course of a few days. Anyhow, I figure I'll be hitting the gym tomorrow and the road this weekend so I should get back on track with my training.


11/01/07
QUADS: 57 CM (up 1cm from 10/18/07)
CALVES: 36 CM (down 1 cm from 10/18/07)
HELMET: 55-59 CM


--------------------------------

10/18/07
QUADS: 56 CM (back down to 56cm -bleh!)
CALVES: 37 CM
HELMET:55-59 cm
___________________________________

10/11/07
QUADS: 57 CM (Yay, 1 cm growth)
CALVES: 38 CM (1 cm growth)
HELMET:55-59 cm

__________________________________
10/06/07
QUADS: 56 cm
CALVES: 37 cm
HELMET: 55-59 cm

__________________________________
9/25/07
QUADS: 56 cm
CALVES: 37 cm
HELMET: 55-59 cm

_________________________________
9/20/07: Thursday p.m.
QUADS: 56 CM
CALVES: 37 CM
HELMET: 55-59 CM

_________________________________
9/13/07
QUADS: 56 cm
CALVES: 37 cm
HELMET: 55-59 CM

__________________________________
9/06/07: Thursday p.m.
QUADS: 54 CM (damn it, down 2 cm!! arghh!)
CALVES: 37 CM (up 1 cm...hmmm)
HELMET: 55-59 CM

____________________________________
8/29/07: Thursday p.m.
QUADS: 56 CM
HELMET: 55-59 CM: 36 CM

Thursday, October 18, 2007

10/18/07 measurements

How is it that my quads barely grow before going back down a cm?!

It doesn't help that I recently tweaked my right knee - all I can do is keep vigilant of my knee while still doing what I can to continue my aerobic and anaerobic training.

10/18/07
QUADS: 56 CM (back down to 56cm -bleh!)
CALVES: 37 CM
HELMET:55-59 cm
___________________________________

10/11/07
QUADS: 57 CM (Yay, 1 cm growth)
CALVES: 38 CM (1 cm growth)
HELMET:55-59 cm

__________________________________
10/06/07
QUADS: 56 cm
CALVES: 37 cm
HELMET: 55-59 cm

__________________________________
9/25/07
QUADS: 56 cm
CALVES: 37 cm
HELMET: 55-59 cm

_________________________________
9/20/07: Thursday p.m.
QUADS: 56 CM
CALVES: 37 CM
HELMET: 55-59 CM

_________________________________
9/13/07
QUADS: 56 cm
CALVES: 37 cm
HELMET: 55-59 CM

__________________________________
9/06/07: Thursday p.m.
QUADS: 54 CM (damn it, down 2 cm!! arghh!)
CALVES: 37 CM (up 1 cm...hmmm)
HELMET: 55-59 CM

____________________________________
8/29/07: Thursday p.m.
QUADS: 56 CM
HELMET: 55-59 CM: 36 CM

Friday, October 12, 2007

Tai Chi and Heart Rate Training




Today I did my first Tai Chi session. Admittedly, it was quite slow for someone who enjoys throwing punches and kicks and breaking out in a serious sweat. However, I did find my limbs getting looser as the class progressed. The instructor said that, if we did the class consistently, we would find ourselves becoming more flexible whenever we took a spill (a definite plus for someone whose already crashed her bike 3 times in 13 months). So, I think I'll continue doing the Friday Tai Chi lunch sessions.

On another note, Wednesday's spin class required that we pick a target heart rate and then drop our heart rates lower and lower after each hr increase segment. My target hr was 170 and I was able to reach it (or surpass it) all 5 times. The first time I was supposed to bring my hr down, it went down to 128 within 2 minutes. However, each time I tried to return to a lower hr after that, I just couldn't do it: 133, 135, 133, and 129. Aaaaghhhhhhhh!!! I hate that I can't recover more quickly. This is something I'm going to have to work on A LOT!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Measurements & Training Notes

I wanted to upload calve & quad pics but the blogger is having "issues" uploading pics. Bleh! Maybe I'll try later.

I'm very happy to say that my quads and my calves grew 1 cm (see below). I attribute this to the fact that I've been hitting the gym more often: pilates, yoga, cardio kickboxing, spin, weights and, as of Tuesday night, ballet core work.

I had a free session with a personal trainer. She asked me what I wanted to focus on and I, of course, said leg strength (for cycling purposes) and upper body strength (for vanity purposes b/c I think defined arms on men or women is so damn hot). Oh yeah, I think I also mentioned that I wanted to get my ass kicked in the weight room. Man, she had no problem kicking my ass all over the friggin' room. We (or, I should say I) did some fun but hard exercises using a ladder laid out on the floor and a fitness ball and some weights.

Thank goodness I bought a foam roller. Looks like I'll be using it every night if this training regiment keeps up.

10/11/07
QUADS: 57 CM (Yay, 1 cm growth)
CALVES: 38 CM (1 cm growth)
HELMET:55-59 cm

__________________________________
10/06/07
QUADS: 56 cm
CALVES: 37 cm
HELMET: 55-59 cm

__________________________________
9/25/07
QUADS: 56 cm
CALVES: 37 cm
HELMET: 55-59 cm

_________________________________
9/20/07: Thursday p.m.
QUADS: 56 CM
CALVES: 37 CM
HELMET: 55-59 CM

_________________________________
9/13/07
QUADS: 56 cm
CALVES: 37 cm
HELMET: 55-59 CM

__________________________________
9/06/07: Thursday p.m.
QUADS: 54 CM (damn it, down 2 cm!! arghh!)
CALVES: 37 CM (up 1 cm...hmmm)
HELMET: 55-59 CM

____________________________________
8/29/07: Thursday p.m.
QUADS: 56 CM
HELMET: 55-59 CM: 36 CM

Thursday, October 4, 2007

10/06/07 Quads Check In

10/06/07
QUADS: 56 cm
CALVES: 37 cm
HELMET: 55-59 cm

I've started doing weights twice a week so hopefully the leg work I'm now doing with weights will help me increase my quads.

__________________________________
9/25/07
QUADS: 56 cm
CALVES: 37 cm
HELMET: 55-59 cm

_________________________________
9/20/07: Thursday p.m.
QUADS: 56 CM
CALVES: 37 CM
HELMET: 55-59 CM

_________________________________
9/13/07
QUADS: 56 cm
CALVES: 37 cm
HELMET: 55-59 CM

__________________________________
9/06/07: Thursday p.m.
QUADS: 54 CM (damn it, down 2 cm!! arghh!)
CALVES: 37 CM (up 1 cm...hmmm)
HELMET: 55-59 CM

____________________________________
8/29/07: Thursday p.m.
QUADS: 56 CM
HELMET: 55-59 CM: 36 CM

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

9/25/07 Measurements

9/25/07
QUADS: 56 cm
CALVES: 37 cm
HELMET: 55-59 cm

_________________________________

9/20/07: Thursday p.m.
QUADS: 56 CM
CALVES: 37 CM
HELMET: 55-59 CM

_________________________________

9/13/07
QUADS: 56 cm
CALVES: 37 cm
HELMET: 55-59 CM

__________________________________

9/06/07: Thursday p.m.
QUADS: 54 CM (damn it, down 2 cm!! arghh!)
CALVES: 37 CM (up 1 cm...hmmm)

HELMET: 55-59 CM

____________________________________

8/29/07: Thursday p.m.
QUADS: 56 CM
CALVES: 36 CM

HELMET: 55-59 CM

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Quad Measurements and Bike Against the Odds ride




QUADS: 56 CM
CALVES: 37 CM
HELMET: 57-59 CM

The Bike Against the Odds ride took place last Sunday. Despite having been off the bike for 2 weeks and having gone wine tasting at Napa the day before, my legs felt surprisingly good. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I was riding with a whole bunch of people and I was enjoying myself. (Also, the tasty peanut butter and jelly graham crackers at the feed zone really helped a lot.)

I'm proud to say that Team Oakland came in 3rd place in fundraising. Kudos to TO!!!!

Mary Maroon has mentioned getting a bunch of us girlies to do a century ride together. Can you imagine the shit load of fun that would be?! I'll have to really work on getting a bunch of us to do a century together. Oh the many photo ops I'd have on such a ride. =)

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Holy Cow! Why haven't I discovered this sooner?






Last Sunday, my friends and I headed out to Lake Shasta for a few days of sun & fun. We rented a houseboat and a speedboat and brought with us tons of food, alcohol, board games, music, and enthusiasm.

Although I had planned on making an attempt at water skiing, I was nervous when we headed out with our skis on Monday. However, chickening out was not an option so I took a deep breath and went for it.

My friends Barb & Jaime coached me out on the water: Skis sticking vertically out of the water, knees to the titties, arms straight, and let go of my fear. The first few times, my skis would come out soon after the boat took off. Then, I finally made it to the seated position for a few seconds before going down.

I was frustrated as hell so I kept trying. I would re-fasten my skis, relax into the starting position, yell "Hit It!", and feel my skis drag across the water. Then, on this one attempt, there was that moment when I realized I had to get out of the seated position and lean back. I don't know how long that lasted but, doggone it, I did it! YES!

I went down quite a few times, swallowed a shit load of lake water, and slightly tweaked my left knee during one of my spills. However, I really, really enjoyed water skiing. I want to do it again, over and over. So, this now means I need to find friends with a speedboat.

Water skiing, cycling...I wonder what's the next sport I'm going to fall in love with.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

The things we'll do for cycling



I've jumped on board with Beth's "Quads Watch". I think I'll even include my calve measurements to see if they grow simultaneously with my calves.

8/29/07: Thursday p.m.

QUADS: 56 CM
CALVES: 36 CM

HELMET: 55-59 CM

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Man, do I feel silly



So, last night was another great Poo ride with a good number of women racers. After the ride, I headed over to the group to take some pics. A woman racer heading in my direction noticed that my helmet wasn't adjusted properly and proceeded to help me with adjusting my helmet straps.


She asked me how was my ride and I replied that it was good. I then asked her if she had hung in with the guys and she said yes. Being that I still haven't learned how to draft, or shall I say trust to draft, or corner without slowing down, I end up doing a solo workout while the pack races at 27+ mph during the poo rides.


After making our introductions, I learned that her name is Martina. Martina was very nice and even snapped a pic of me and Christian.


Today, I found out through the TO emails that Martina was one of the fast women out there last night. When I googled her, I found out she's a Cat 1/2 racer for ValuAct Capital. Damn, do I feel stupid asking her if she had hung in there with the guys. Turns out that I was talking to a bad-ass racer. Thing is, she was so nice. It is always refreshing to meet skilled & fast racers who don't only socialize with people within their categories.


Women racers like Martina, Mary Maroon, Starla Teddergreen, Mel Schultz, Beth Newell, Marie Dewitt, Karla Kingsley and Hanan Alves-Hyde inspire me because they're tough & skilled racers who don't act snobbish towards the rest of us who aspire to be as good as them someday.

Friday, August 24, 2007

My body is in this cubicle but my mind is far away.

I'm sitting here, listening to music and letting my thoughts wander.

I'm thinking about what a friggin' cool afternoon/evening I had last night.

I'm wondering where Mel will be leading us on tomorrow's ride.

I'm wondering whose going to show up for Sunday's Club One ride.

I'm wondering what songs I'm going to download to my IPOD before I leave for L.A. next weekend.

I'm wondering if I'll be able to raise money for the Bike Against the Odds ride by 9/16.

I'm wondering what I'm going to have for dinner tonight.

I'm wondering when I'll finally be able to pedal through corners without slowing down.

I'm wondering how long it'll take me before I'm comfortable drafting behind other riders.

I'm wondering when I'm going to catch my first blues show.

I'm wishing I was riding my bike up Mt. Diablo instead of sitting here with my random thoughts.