All play and no work

I am the luckiest girl in the whole world. While the husband is being industrious, I still get to go ride my bicycle, race, and play. I do what I can for him and his friends such as make cupcakes, make dinner, and clean up.

Sometimes I question whether or not 'industrious' is the right word. On Saturday, I attended my family reunion and panic set in when I checked my e-mail on my iphone (how cool is that?). In my Inbox I found a new message from Mr. Wonderful--a rarity! The subject line read, "love you." Knowing it would not be an angelic chain message professing his love, admiration, and gratefulness of the last 15 years of our lives together, I groaned as the pic loaded.

And the destruction of our basement wall continued. We would sleep Saturday night with an open house--open to the raccoons, the foxes, the owls, the spiders, the snakes, the creepy-crawlies, the cat with the bell, the cat without a bell, and whatever else lurks in the woods behind our house. Had there been a panther sighting recently? I haven't heard about it in a few months, so I guess we were safe.

Redeeming himself, Jason worked hard the following day to secure the basement wall and ensure the house is weather-proof before Thursday's impending rain.

Meanwhile, the garage is slowly making headway while we still wait for windows, doors, and siding.

The loft is a nice feature, but I'm not fond of the ship's ladder. This is a very steep staircase and doesn't offer the nice amenities of handrails and such, but the benefit is space conservation. I don't like it. Mr. Logic pointed out that the loft is not someplace we will frequent; rather, it's for long-term storage. Whatever, it's a man-cave, and I don't have input for this attribute.



I would be remiss if I didn't display a present bought for me with projects in mind. (Am I playing too much?) This is an electric screwdriver to help make projects I've been assigned much easier. Project #1 - new hinges on the kitchen cabinets. And golly, doesn't it still prove I'm the luckiest girl in the whole world? Sorry ladies.

So now the race is on to finish (outdoor) projects before Summer slips into Autumn. More busy days ahead, and the bike events continue through October.

The cool nights have been awesome; sleeping with the windows open is such a treat. Winter can stay away for a while. Life is good.

And I thought the world was complete with blue M&Ms

Click the picture for a link to buy. I love the slogan, "Everything should taste like bacon."

Any more comments, Stan?

Is it over yet?

My lackluster racing results continue despite 2 podium spots this past week. DINO #6 is always an interesting course comprised of doubletrack fire roads, some single-track, and 2 run-ups. Running with a bicycle has to be some sort of punishment in some regions. I know it would drive me bonkers.

About an hour before the start time, I moseyed to a section of trail I wanted to nail during the race. The practice run didn't go so well, but I was confident I would be less clumsy during the action. Not wanting to do an entire lap, I started ducking under the boundary tape to cut the course. A couple of guys decided to join me in this strategy; however, none of us knew where we were. At one point, we came out by a paved road; I wasn't sure which way to go, so I opted to take the trail back. They decided to take the road, although they had never been to this course before. On my own.....I cut through some more tape and arrived at the same point by the road!!! ARGH! Fine. I'll take the road too. Now, which way do I go?

I decided to head out on the road towards the direction of the start thinking it would take me around to the entrance. WRONG! At this point I was getting concerned about expending energy trying to make the start. I was totally lost. Desperately not wanting to freak out, I let out one audible cuss word--audible if ANYONE was around to hear it. Behold! A lone car was driving towards me. I stopped my bicycle in the middle of the road and waited for its approach. She slowed the car not taking her hand from the wheel, a burning cigarette between her fingers. Awesome. Her window was down. I breathed in ready to ask, "Which way to the entrance?" But I didn't get a chance. Seeing I wasn't in trouble, she gunned it and drove right past me. I waved my arms frantically at her; the smoke must have clouded her rearview mirror.

I went back into the woods and started riding the trail backwards. I made it back with minutes to spare allowing enough time to grab some more water.

The start line contained 3 Cat 1 ladies, which meant if I finished, I would get a podium spot. I did finish--last. I was intrigued by the course, though. I enjoyed the openness more than I had in years past. And Big Wheel made it so much fun.


For something new, I tried the Tuesday night Time Trial in Morgan Monroe. This was my first of this kind. The instructions: Ride as hard as you can for 5 miles; you will see a big smiley face on the road. Turn around there, ride as hard as you can for 5 more miles back to the start/finish area. Call out your number to the timekeeper.

Riders started 30 seconds apart; I was 3rd. I rode as hard as I could. My legs were actually quite sore at the start presumable from Sunday's race. Nevertheless, what fun! What fun to be riding in the forest watching us pass each other. Randi and I called out "GO!" when we saw each other (going opposite directions). I sprinted to the finish. While my time wasn't anything to brag about (averaging just over 21 mph), I was the 2nd of 4 girls. Results are here. Thanks goes out to the timekeeper and organizer! Looking forward to some more of these workouts next year.

Meanwhile, there is more progress on the house/barn. Will post pics soon.

Building Progress

Previous post w/ pics from Stage 1

Below are more pics showing progress on the barn/shed/building. The best decision we made was to NOT do it ourselves and contract it out. Should be a few more weeks as there was a long lead time on the metal and windows.

Pet Cemetery & Round Barn Ride

Last Wednesday, I particpated in the DCSS ride. DCSS = Daviess County Slow Spokes. It's the unofficial club that Thurston and my mom founded. They are racking up the miles and logging all sorts of routes all complete with weekly ride reports. I absolutely love it. Think they'll get their own blog????

On this day, we previewed part of the upcoming DCSSP&IC ride. (DCSSP&IC = Daviess County Slow Spokes Pizza & Ice Cream) Friends and relatives will soon ride a 40+ mile route on the backroads of southern Indiana with the promise of good food afterwards. The goal--HAVING FUN!

I had ridden part of this route previously and just had to get a pic of this:

A real Pet Cemetery

Later in the ride, we glided along this stretch of concrete roadway. Smooth.

I wanted to get a few sprints in, so Mike P. gladly took the bait. He jumped on the first hill, and I knew there was no way I would bridge up to him. Drat! It made me hungrier for the next two. These were short rollers, so I was able to power up in my big ring. When I saw him by me, I was able to shift up and go harder. Wow! We finally settled down and rode more as a group. Thurston would take off with his own intervals only to stop ahead and take pics and videos. Can't wait to see those. Mom was ever consistent with steady pedaling while weaving all over the place.

I gave only 1 lecture on the ride stifling all other safe bike riding tips. I think they have more fun when I'm not there. But by her logic, since she taught me to ride a bike, she must be pretty safe. Who can argue with that?

Next we came upon the namesake of the ride. The round barn.

We finished with about 20 miles and begged a 15-year old girl who was walking with friends to take a group pic. She and her friends rolled their eyes at our spandex outfits and were laughing among themselves. Nevertheless, she withstood our antics and snapped the shot below. Thanks, Brandy.


Naturally everyone is welcome to ride in the first DCSSP&IC ride. I'll post the date when it's decided, but it should be in the next month or two. I'm still trying to decide which part will be the most exhilerating: the ride, the pizza, or the ice cream.

2 steps back, 1 step forward

What is the word for over analyzing things? Please no clinical definitions; I'd rather have the slang. I'm guilty of it on an emotional level. If I could only apply the same thought processes at work, I could solve the world's problems. Nah. I would just go full circle as I have done in the last 24 hours.

DINO #5, Versailles, finally came to fruition. I was indifferent when I arrived; it had been postponed so many times. I didn't have race fever. But the good trail reports kept my spirits up that I would FINALLY have a good race. The riders were sparse. Most had either dismissed the venue or raced in neighboring Kentucky. Nevertheless, my heart was beating at 96 beats per minute on the start line when any other day sitting around it would be 60 bpm. Funny how it leaps to 180 just 2 minutes after the start. And it didn't stop there.

I quickly maxed out (as always) and seemed to be in the 190s every time I looked at my monitor. Was it the heat? Because I should be going a LOT faster than I was for that high of a HR. I should note the temps were in the 90s--the second time Indiana has seen a warm week this year. We've been lucky.

I succumbed to the heat and all the evil thoughts associated with racing. It was hard pushing myself; I didn't see the value in it. Less than half-way through the race I quit. No, I didn't stop pedaling; I quit racing. What's the point? IT'S HARD. IT HURTS. I would just finish. IT'S HOT. In fact, I would quit racing altogether. Did I mention IT'S HARD? Yep--no more racing for me next year. Yeah, the doubts enter everyone's minds at some point, but I took it a step further.

Thankfully, I brought chamois creme. Which god or patron saint is responsible for this product? I shall offer a sacrifice for its benefit. If you have to ask what it is, never mind. I actually told Meredith during the race that it was a highlight.

So, after an hour and 20 minutes of bad attitude, I decided to give it a go. I raced! I was sweeping through the corners while NOT braking, flying on the downhills, shifting exactly when I wanted to, and having fun. I put in a good 17-minute effort, rested for 2-3 minutes then put in another effort to the finish. It felt good. Now, I have to maintain that for 2 hours instead of 1 hour. (I did try at the start for 30-40 minutes as well. It is the middle part where I start to lose it.)

In 24 hours, I've gone full circle of not wanting to race to fixing up my 29er again. As I type, Mr. Wonderful is cleaning and fixing up the Chris King 29er wheels for next weekend's DINO #6 in Logansport. I'll see how I feel this weekend before making decisions for next year.

Frequently, when I return home from bike rides, I find things in my yard or driveway. Below is the latest.....

Peace out. Keep it fun! I know I still love the bike; and that is rewarding enough.

When I arrived, Mr. Wonderful and his uncle had just finished unloading our new forklift from the trailer. Since it doesn't run, he was using the bobcat as a brake. Seriously?!?!?!?

Here's a close-up of the new beast. Super Sport. We are so lucky.

This pic is for Randi. Know what's happening to my hand?

My skin is becoming disfigured from the power of the Xlerator!! It was too hot to stick my feet under there. Otherwise I'd have more pics.

Ahhhhhhhhh!
Here's a pic of the sketchy waterfall that freaked us out the first time. This time was effortless. The pic makes it look like a piece of cake, but just to the right is a huge, perilous drop-off!



Sweet trails at Versailles.

(Waterfall pic & trail pic were lifted from the HMBA site)

When races are postponed

With the Versailles race being postponed the last 2 weekends due to rain, I've been filling my time with more riding. Kudos to the race director for calling off the races in the muddy conditions. While none of us are afraid of mud, the trail system is quite new from hundreds of volunteer work hours and cannot survive the numerous bicycle tires going over it when wet.

So, the girls (and Charlie) headed to Nebo Ridge and Hickory Ridge (a first for me) to get some mtb time and turned Sunday into a 70-mile tour of Morgan county. Some of these were also new roads for me. The wind forecast said 5-10 out of the northwest. In reality, it was out of the northwest for a while, until we turned east at which point the wind oscillated and blew from the east. Again, when we turned south, it was relentless blowing in our faces until we turned west. We only thought that was wind out of the south. No, when we turned west we were blasted! In the last 5 miles, I wanted to limp back to town. So, I slowed while the girls graciously met my turtle pace.

Last night's recovery ride was spectacular. I kept the chain on my little ring in the front and was spinning when I could, coasting when I was going faster. I thought of Thurston's e-mails and how much they crack me up. His weekend ride reports on Mondays are too funny and inspirational. I practiced riding no-handed to learn balance and to do my victory salute in case I ever cross the finish line first. I did one-legged drills to improve technique. Previously, I had done these on a trainer--the road bike is much different and definitely shows I need work. Also, I pedaled slowly over the bridges to check out the creek beds. Only twice did I think, "I would really like to ride my mtb up a dry creek bed someday."

So, if the forecast is clear, Versailles is the next race. In the mean time, it's all good.