Okay, did better today. Temps were in the 40s but we had some overcast, so I wore a wool jersey with the long sleeve castelli over it and the wind vest in my pocket. Leg warmers and regular gloves. It was chilly. I didn't end up using the wind vest.
I rode up to the end of 305 in 1 hr 14 minutes with 2 stops. One to put my ear warmer on. The second to take it back off and to also take the castelli sleeves off.
The return trip took me 51 minutes. Rode the Procaliber today. Race season starts in one month!!!
Today at school I met my student's personal physical therapist. The school district is currently without one. She showed me some movements and positions to incorporate into his day to give him a bit of a workout.
Next time she's going to show me how to make sure I'm not hurting myself while helping him...back and knees especially.
Santa comes on Tuesday.
Tonight we're off with K&P to watch da Bears.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Newbie
Scrubs. I love it. What a great bunch of characters. Jordan, Dr Cox, Turk, JD, Carla...the janitor...And pretty good music too.
4 episodes a day. 2 on comedy central, 2 on wgn.
4 episodes a day. 2 on comedy central, 2 on wgn.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Cry for help
Holy cow. So since we've been here, I've seen 3 coyotes. 1 in Chino, 1 in Sedona with Adam, Stacy, Aaron, and Amy. The 3rd was in our side yard a few weeks ago.
I rode the 305 yesterday after work (yes, I work on Monday's now, although only a half day). I was on my way back. It was desolate. I could see bike tracks in the damp soil but did not hear or see a soul out there. I crested a hill and heard what sounded like 10 coyotes. They were close. The sound they were making was more like a yelp than a howl or a bark. It was so loud. I jumped off the bike and ran a few yards to see if I could get a look. I saw just glimpses of bodies moving about but could not make out anything definite. I kept moving to see if I could put myself in a better position. Finally, as they started to quiet, I saw two haul ass down the hill right adjacent to the one I was on. They were heading in my direction but at an angle, so not right at me. I have to say I was a little scared. It was pretty cool though. Wish I would have had my camera. Probably wouldn't have gotten a good shot but I could have recorded the sound.
And today after a full and fairly trying day at work, I headed out to ride around our neighborhood. Not your typical neighborhood. There are many roads that have not been developed yet, so they absolutely require some sort of 4x4 vehicle to travel along, unless of course you are on a bike. So I head off to pedal a few of the paved roads and then hook up onto one of the off-road-dirt/boulder/gravel roads. Heading down a hill, I look up and see a deer stop in its path, look at me, and then take off across the road. Just up ahead, back onto paved road, I see a coyote trotting down through some brush. I stopped to watch him. He crossed the road I was on just a little bit ahead of where I was.
So my question is....do coyotes ever attack humans?
I rode the 305 yesterday after work (yes, I work on Monday's now, although only a half day). I was on my way back. It was desolate. I could see bike tracks in the damp soil but did not hear or see a soul out there. I crested a hill and heard what sounded like 10 coyotes. They were close. The sound they were making was more like a yelp than a howl or a bark. It was so loud. I jumped off the bike and ran a few yards to see if I could get a look. I saw just glimpses of bodies moving about but could not make out anything definite. I kept moving to see if I could put myself in a better position. Finally, as they started to quiet, I saw two haul ass down the hill right adjacent to the one I was on. They were heading in my direction but at an angle, so not right at me. I have to say I was a little scared. It was pretty cool though. Wish I would have had my camera. Probably wouldn't have gotten a good shot but I could have recorded the sound.
And today after a full and fairly trying day at work, I headed out to ride around our neighborhood. Not your typical neighborhood. There are many roads that have not been developed yet, so they absolutely require some sort of 4x4 vehicle to travel along, unless of course you are on a bike. So I head off to pedal a few of the paved roads and then hook up onto one of the off-road-dirt/boulder/gravel roads. Heading down a hill, I look up and see a deer stop in its path, look at me, and then take off across the road. Just up ahead, back onto paved road, I see a coyote trotting down through some brush. I stopped to watch him. He crossed the road I was on just a little bit ahead of where I was.
So my question is....do coyotes ever attack humans?
Monday, December 3, 2007
Butt sandwich
Do you like the butt ends off a loaf of bread? I don't mind them. Tonight I had a double-butt ham sandwich with lots of romain and onions and a little spicy mustard.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Back in the saddle
Zach and I packed up on Friday. He was signed up to ride the 10 hour Dusk to Dawn race that was being held on the Pemberton Trail in the McDowell Mountain Regional Park near Phoenix. It was the first race either one of us had competed in since mid-season 2006.
We woke up Saturday morning at 3am to howling winds and blowing rain. It was nasty out. I had flashbacks of the Sunburst mudfest from 2005. We hemmed and hawed for a half an hour about whether we should make the 2 hour drive down. The weather channel showed a huge green cloud over the entire state of Arizona. We decided not to go, until Zach found a Doppler radar forecast that showed a clear section over Fountain Hills. Once we saw that we jumped in the car and started the journey.
We were late pulling in, which turned out to be to our benefit. Had we been on time, we would not have seen Brady, who helped us get some prime parking right by the transition zone. The proper place for us to park would have been down the rode in the competitive track parking lot.
It was sprinkling as Zach picked up his race packet. It was starting to get light out as the racers were called up to the line.....light enough to see how scary the sky looked.
The riders were off at 7:14am. I went and checked out the setup that Brady and his 4 person team had. The race directors set up up the course so the it wrapped around the entire Pemberton parking lot. Brady's team had a tent set up right along the course, so we could see the riders as the were heading back in from the 15 mile loop and then they passed right by us. I ended up hanging out with them most of the day.
I kept track of his lap times and would watch him roll in. From there he'd have to ride around the whole lot, which gave me time to pick up his supplies and meet him in the transition zone.
For the most part, I brought him water bottles and hammer gels, although on one stop he needed to be re-lubed. He was eating the PB&J I brought while I shot chamois cream down the back of his shorts.
It rained on and off all day. We did have a few short burts of nice weather and a few long stretches when it downpoured. Other than it it was misting most of the day.
Zach finished 6 laps. Not as good as he's done in the past but not so bad considering he hasn't really been training. I was impressed that he raced at all. Moving here, we certainly never thought we'd have rain to contend with. If it was me racing, I'm not sure I would have gone through with it.
I'm glad I went with to support Zach. It was also fun to hang out with a few other riders from Prescott. Christina came and hung out for a while too, so that was cool. We skipped the ride we planned. Decided we will have many opportunities to hook up. Plus we really enjoyed spectating for once!!!
We woke up Saturday morning at 3am to howling winds and blowing rain. It was nasty out. I had flashbacks of the Sunburst mudfest from 2005. We hemmed and hawed for a half an hour about whether we should make the 2 hour drive down. The weather channel showed a huge green cloud over the entire state of Arizona. We decided not to go, until Zach found a Doppler radar forecast that showed a clear section over Fountain Hills. Once we saw that we jumped in the car and started the journey.
We were late pulling in, which turned out to be to our benefit. Had we been on time, we would not have seen Brady, who helped us get some prime parking right by the transition zone. The proper place for us to park would have been down the rode in the competitive track parking lot. It was sprinkling as Zach picked up his race packet. It was starting to get light out as the racers were called up to the line.....light enough to see how scary the sky looked.
The riders were off at 7:14am. I went and checked out the setup that Brady and his 4 person team had. The race directors set up up the course so the it wrapped around the entire Pemberton parking lot. Brady's team had a tent set up right along the course, so we could see the riders as the were heading back in from the 15 mile loop and then they passed right by us. I ended up hanging out with them most of the day.
I kept track of his lap times and would watch him roll in. From there he'd have to ride around the whole lot, which gave me time to pick up his supplies and meet him in the transition zone.
For the most part, I brought him water bottles and hammer gels, although on one stop he needed to be re-lubed. He was eating the PB&J I brought while I shot chamois cream down the back of his shorts.
It rained on and off all day. We did have a few short burts of nice weather and a few long stretches when it downpoured. Other than it it was misting most of the day.
Zach finished 6 laps. Not as good as he's done in the past but not so bad considering he hasn't really been training. I was impressed that he raced at all. Moving here, we certainly never thought we'd have rain to contend with. If it was me racing, I'm not sure I would have gone through with it.
I'm glad I went with to support Zach. It was also fun to hang out with a few other riders from Prescott. Christina came and hung out for a while too, so that was cool. We skipped the ride we planned. Decided we will have many opportunities to hook up. Plus we really enjoyed spectating for once!!!
Did I fall asleep....
and wake up in Chicago??? Based on the weather we had this weekend, you couldn't tell were the heck you were. It actually RAINED on Friday and Saturday. And it was windy as heck on Saturday. I was soooo cold.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
I forgot how to dress
The bright blue sky and shining sun must have burned my brain. I've totally been overdressing. Accuweather said it was 37 degrees this morning as I was getting ready to ride. I wore a long sleeve wool base layer, a short sleeve wool jersey, my long sleeve full zipper Castelli and my Darcy vest windbreaker. And legwarmers. Once I started climbing I unzipped the Castelli and tied the sleeves around my waist and left the vest unzipped. That was way too much. It may have been appropriate if the wind had been blowing. Maybe I need to start checking wind speed too.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Preskit Brekfist
A breakfast challenge....Lynx Lake Cafe against Crickets in Lake Montezuma!!!
yummy french toast with a view of the lake (and a side of spicy bratwurst with spicy mustard)
It's German owned....
yummy french toast with a view of the lake (and a side of spicy bratwurst with spicy mustard)
It's German owned....
Friday - Mike - day
Back over the Black Hills, we headed to meet Mike and his family. I completely miscalculated the amount of time it would take them to get to the Circle K on Bell Rock Blvd. It only took them 1 hour from the 101. I'll have to remember that. It's so unlike me to be late, so I'm sure Mike didn't mind.
Although we didn't spend much time with them, it was nice to meet his family.
We started the ride from our normal place. Our plan was to take Llama to HT to
Templeton, but HT is closed b/c of the road work. So after Llama we just road back up Bell Rock Pathway and started Templeton from the beginning. Mike was riding fast. I was hanging on pretty good, but was especially pleased with how well I was riding the technical stuff. I made alot of things I've had to dismount in the past (Adam, the one on Llama I didn't even try when you were here). I am convinced my skills have improved b/c of riding Groom Creek. I can start on a dime when heading uphill now too.
It was a good hard ride....for me at least.
The craziest part of the whole day..... we rode back towards the trailhead after Templeton, but Zach and Mike added a Big Park Loop. I went back to the car to start changing and loading my bike up.
As Zach and Mike pull up, they have another rider with them. It's Christina Betz from Janesville!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What are the chances. She was stopped for a second on the trail, right when they were finishing up their loop. So they brought her back to the car to say hi.
Christina just moved to the Phoenix area and was hanging out with her parents for the holiday weekend. It was really great to see her again. Hopefully we'll hook up for a ride soon.
We said our goodbyes to Christina and then went to met Mike's parents uptown Sedona. It was a little after noon, so they were ready for lunch. Per my recommendation, they ate at the Hideaway. That's where we said our goodbyes to Mike; I hope they enjoyed their lunch.
Although we didn't spend much time with them, it was nice to meet his family. We started the ride from our normal place. Our plan was to take Llama to HT to
Templeton, but HT is closed b/c of the road work. So after Llama we just road back up Bell Rock Pathway and started Templeton from the beginning. Mike was riding fast. I was hanging on pretty good, but was especially pleased with how well I was riding the technical stuff. I made alot of things I've had to dismount in the past (Adam, the one on Llama I didn't even try when you were here). I am convinced my skills have improved b/c of riding Groom Creek. I can start on a dime when heading uphill now too.It was a good hard ride....for me at least.
The craziest part of the whole day..... we rode back towards the trailhead after Templeton, but Zach and Mike added a Big Park Loop. I went back to the car to start changing and loading my bike up.
As Zach and Mike pull up, they have another rider with them. It's Christina Betz from Janesville!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What are the chances. She was stopped for a second on the trail, right when they were finishing up their loop. So they brought her back to the car to say hi.
Christina just moved to the Phoenix area and was hanging out with her parents for the holiday weekend. It was really great to see her again. Hopefully we'll hook up for a ride soon.
We said our goodbyes to Christina and then went to met Mike's parents uptown Sedona. It was a little after noon, so they were ready for lunch. Per my recommendation, they ate at the Hideaway. That's where we said our goodbyes to Mike; I hope they enjoyed their lunch.
Thanksgiving
Morning hike
Mid-day ride (planned destination: jerome via perkinsville rd)
San Francisco Peaks
Look at the view we came upon!! (mom and dad does this make you homesick???)
Our turnaround point, no jerome this time
4pm dinner reservations at Gurly Street Grill (note the glass garage doors, there are 4 or 5 that must open during the spring and early fall months)
Here's my Thanksgiving dinner (plus bread pudding not shown here)
Here's Zach's Thanksgiving dinner - it's just not right
Here's Zach's grenade he left after sucking down a 2 shot Bailey's chocolate shake
One lap around the square after dinner
Then it was home for some couch time
Mid-day ride (planned destination: jerome via perkinsville rd)
San Francisco Peaks
Look at the view we came upon!! (mom and dad does this make you homesick???)
Our turnaround point, no jerome this time
4pm dinner reservations at Gurly Street Grill (note the glass garage doors, there are 4 or 5 that must open during the spring and early fall months)
Here's my Thanksgiving dinner (plus bread pudding not shown here)
Here's Zach's Thanksgiving dinner - it's just not right
Here's Zach's grenade he left after sucking down a 2 shot Bailey's chocolate shake
One lap around the square after dinner
Then it was home for some couch time
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