I wish February would get here already

Wow! Where to start. Last year was "Year of the Building." (some pics here.) This year is "Scramble like mad to get all house renovation projects done before the appraiser comes to our house!"

We bought our abode in 2001; since that time, we've been making major improvements. Strike that. We've been destroying our house bit by bit in order to make major improvements. The act of destruction is more fun and a lot quicker than rebuilding and finishing.

The building project kicked our behinds in gear to finish said improvements in order to complete our construction loan. Ahhhhh, the joy of pressure.

I'll keep it short. I have NOT had a good attitude throughout this engagement. I've verbally expressed my disdain at having to do manual labor, especially when I would rather be lazy and read some great blogs: CherylSBR, Fat Cyclist, Liz Waterstraat, Stan's motorcycle trips, and many, many more! Admittedly, I also peruse, People of Walmart and Awkward Family Photos. This is only the tip of the iceberg of my internet addiction. Also, I've been able to ride my bike when I want, which was especially nice with recent weekend weather above 35 degrees. Very nice.

Being somewhat productive, I also have a tentative race schedule for 2010 and hope to incorporate a couple of 6-hour races. Heather opened my eyes to these events in KY, and I really enjoyed going to Kentucky Lake last year and riding a new trail. Riding new trail was more fun than the race itself. And due to the chaotic business above, I didn't venture to my normal Grand Canyon destination last fall. It's time to TRAVEL! And why not travel with my mountain bike!

Even though I've been crabby and sore from little-used muscles, lack of sleep, and lost free time, I'm amazed at how awesome our house looks when compared to before. Hubby gets some gold stars for his vision and accomplishment. While I don't have many before shots, you may be able to see some of the enhancements. And soon, *fingers crossed* the pressure will be diminished. I know our projects won't be completely done--but done enough for the appraiser.

Old pic - this doesn't show the old, metal crappy spiral staircase. The door in the pic is now moved to the basement, shown in this pic. Also note the adorable blue carpet and hand-made railing for the new stairs.

The stairs have been these planks for the past 6 years!

Ahhh, the hickory hard wood floors we installed 3 years ago and our "plank" stairs.

The basement as of yesterday. Remember when we were chewing up tile? We have some marble that we'll put down after everything else is finished.



New wood doors for every room in the house, complete with our new trim scheme as well. Note trim in pic above. This is a slow, tedious process.



Alas! The hickory stairs are in the process of being installed. This is a shot from this evening's work.

Oak risers match the trim!

And here's a close-up of them together. I love how they look.

Of course there's painting and outside stuff going on too. But no pics. Hopefully this will be out of crisis mode soon, and we'll be able to enjoy the cold, January rain. (-;

A little obsessed lately

OK--Everyone knows I've been obsessing lately about my late dog, Max, and how much he loved the snow. Here are even MORE pics from earlier years to go with the post below.

He's already up ahead on the trail. You can barely see him in the center left.

Fun in the Snow!

Last week I was trying to make a list of all the good things about riding indoors on the trainer:

-Instant access to food after a ride.
-Instant access to a shower after a ride.
-Don't have to wear a jersey.
-Can go the pace I want to go.
-Television! (It's about the only time I watch TV. I haven't been recording anything either. Oops)
-The television necessitates a remote caddy that I haven't quite developed yet.
-Group trainer sessions where I can still ride my own pace!
-Reasonable temperatures.
-????

I'm sure if I were to Google it, I could find more happy reasons to be on a trainer. I'd rather not think about the sad ones.

Despite the 8 or so items in my list above, I found myself outside in the first real snow of the year! The girls and I had discussed how as children we were impervious to cold temperatures; at least I was. It seemed I could play all day long making forts and snow angels. But now, I scowl every time I have to go outside when the temperature is below 60--I mean 30.

Saturday's high was 12, I think. At least that's what it was when I started XC skiing. I suckered Randi (or was she really that eager?) into meeting me at the golf course. Over a couple of hours, I saw more than 2 dozen people playing, sledding, or skiing. I also saw a few dogs, which made me sad as Max loved to go skiing with us. Nevertheless, there was evidence that this was a popular sport this weekend. Knowing I would be too cold to take pics, I didn't even bring the nice camera. However, once I got out there, I was warm the entire time! So, I snapped some pics with the iPhone.

Sunday's plan was a mtb ride at BCSP with Cheryl. Even 40 minutes before I was to meet her I checked my e-mail hoping for a bailout message saying, "It's too cold. Let's not meet."

It didn't come. So off I went in all my cold weather gear. Borrowing Jason's neoprene socks, I thought I would try this as an option for warm feet. He said, "If you like them, you can't have them. You'll have to get your own."

I just laughed as he frowned. I think we both know the truth. Note to self: Buy neoprene socks.

We set out on the trail. It was SO hard trying to stay upright. The snow wasn't so wet or deep that it was difficult to pedal---it was slick! It was hard to keep the wheels going in the right direction. The back one wanted to slide all over the place and the front one had a mind of its own. And what was with my balance? Why did I keep hanging over the left side of my bike?!?!?! I started laughing at what we must have looked like wondering if the bikes of the tracks ahead of us were struggling as much as me.

The key is to relax; relax everything...the arms, hands, fingers, legs, shoulders, etc. Knowing that didn't stop me from having my death grip on the bars. I would tell myself to drop my shoulders only to find them tight again a few minutes later.

After 30 minutes we bailed to the road and tried a different trail. This one hadn't been visited by other bikers; rather, an XC skier groomed the trail for us. Not realizing the impact, we set out on this one and learned that the skis left 2 grooves for riding with a couple inches of snow in between. Again, my bike did not want to track in either of these grooves. I wondered if it would have been better to have been the first. This venture took 45 minutes.

Again, we bailed to the road and finished on the road. It was colder but easier. I must admit that I had a lot of fun on the snow trail. It was a ride and skills session in one. If there were hidden cameras, someone is getting a good laugh!

So much for fun on the trainer. As long as I get gumption, I can ride outside.

Mountain Biking as a Foreign Language

Never dull, the week after Christmas is proving to be quite exciting---and exhausting. It's Tuesday, and I've already ridden frozen trails twice; yesterday Cheryl & I did a snow ride. It was awesome! I think the reports were between 1 & 1.5 inches, so there wasn't so much that it taxed the legs; rather, it made it fun without sliding too much.

Instead of sliding around corners while grabbing a handful of rear brake, we just pedaled our bikes and tried to stay upright, with success I might add. While we were riding, I was reminded of a dream I had a couple of nights ago. I was racing in the mud and kicking a$$! I was telling myself to keep pressure on my outside leg in the corners; my weight was perfect. Not only was I not sliding, I was cornering with perfection!

In my undergraduate studies, I recall being taught that it takes 7 years of study to truly master a foreign language. Note that it was only 3 months for Jake Sully to learn the Na'vi language in Avatar. (It was a spectacular movie, btw. Go see it!) And when you start thinking in a second language, you start dreaming in it too. It happened to me only a couple of times when I was taking Spanish classes in college. Having been years since I studied, it's been years since I've dreamed in another language--until now.

My muddy race dream was the 2nd where I've had flawless technique. In the first, I executed perfect bunny hops. I could literally float over obstacles.

While I don't think I'll "master" mountain biking in 7 years, I'm ecstatic that some of this stuff is becoming more intuitive. For some, the physics of riding a bicycle, especially at fast speeds, is natural. They inherently understand the gyrations of the wheels, the significance of weight distribution at the proper times, etc. For others, like me, it's not so intuitive; rather, these lessons are learned--sometimes the hard way--like grabbing a handful of front brake during a descent with my weight towards the front.....and over the handlebars I go! I would like to reach the point where I can do a controlled skid around a corner (and not mess up the trails, of course.) As they used to say in my karate classes, the weapon should be an extension of your body. The bicycle can be too. We are one going down the trail; we should be connected (and not just by the pedals!)

So, I will continue to pursue mastery. Yesterday I was also thinking how, after being on a road bike, I would have to slowly "adjust" to my mt bike when riding on girls' nights. Not any more--hopping on is 2nd nature. Time to free myself!

Another foreign language I don't care to master is construction. As I've detailed in previous posts, hubby and I are remodeling the house during our building phase. Since I've used so many words above, I'll try to detail yesterday in pictures.

When I got home from the bike ride, I was told, "I have a task for you to do." This means it's something easy but labor intensive since I'm still in the "unskilled labor" category (see previous post). Where this lack of knowledge used to get me out of work, I can no longer use the excuse.


First task: Follow Jason in car with emergency flashers on while he drives 5 miles from his brother's house to ours in the skid steerer (aka bobcat). Ahhh, heat and an audio book; it took 35 minutes. He had to have been COLD as there is no heater in this piece of machinery.

Second task: Sit on forklift and steer it to the garage while he pushes me with the bobcat. I gracefully bowed out of this duty and gave the forklift-driving glory to our neighbor and took pictures instead.

Third task: Put all drywall remnants in trash and start unscrewing all leftover drywall screws from studs, including the ones overhead on the ceiling. UGH.

Fourth task: Break up tile in our basement, throw it in trash bins, sweep up mess, and smooth leftover grout. This is awful. As I write, Mr. Wonderful is hacking away at the tile in our basement. In a protest of my mundane duties of picking up sharp, fragments of tile & operating the shop vac, I grabbed the machine at one point and started hacking away. It was fun for several minutes; then, like so many things, it became work.

Nevertheless, life is good, and I'm getting double workouts! My back, shoulders, arms, and legs are quite stiff, but it only makes me stronger. And I sleep without ANY problem.

Have a Happy, Happy New Year!!!!!

The Day After

I hosted Christmas this year. 9 kids and 11 adults. My house is halfway between the southern and northern families. It made sense. That is, it made sense until the kids started screaming, running, and putting their grubby fingers all over everything.

Yes, I have a little bit of a complex. (No, I am in no way a neat freak.) I don't like grubby fingers. My husband sums it up quite eloquently, "It's OK to live in your own dirt. But someone else's dirt is gross."

Exhibit 1:

I wasn't quick enough to get a picture of a different kid eating what he dug out of the mine.

Anyway, Christmas was a success. No broken bones. The food was awesome! AND I got leftovers this time. I think that's the bonus of hosting and paying for the Honey Baked ham (formerly known as Heavenly Ham). mmmmmm goodness!

Last week proved to be a dismal, rainy, cold week--perfect to play w/ my own new toy: a PowerTap. Numbers are so intriguing; now I need to read up on how to analyze the numbers. I can totally see how pros would want to record every variable and put them in fancy algorithms. I hope I don't become a slave to the numbers. Actually, there's no chance of that. I'll likely get bored before I dive into the deep, deep end.

So, on Christmas Day, I packed away my beloved new toy, bike, and trainer making way for my guests to walk in and out of the kitchen and living room. Not having exercised, I wondered why my knee and hip were acting up. Oh yeah--b/c I was on my feet for 12 hours! My specialty is noodles. From Grandma's recipe, these are hands-down the BEST, most awesome, fat-laden, packed-with-calories noodles one can make. Let's just say, for 5 batches I used 40 eggs. (the secret is using just the yolks--no whites)

Knowing my love for bicycling, my mom made me something special:

My very own bicycle sugar cookie

(which someone ate when I wasn't looking)

The kids were pretty good--most of the time. Some adults liked to instigate noise and rowdiness. For instance, below is a great shot of several of the kids (I think 3 are missing) shouting at the top of their lungs, "Pre-sents! Pre-sents! Pre-sents!" This must be what Christmas is all about, folks. I keep thinking that there is no way we would have gotten away with that when we were kids. But my mom and the parents/grandparents in the room seemed to think it was funny. At what point does this transformation occur? Must I have kids or grandkids to understand this paradox?


Oh yeah, AMC played Christmas Vacation (in the background on the TV) REPEATEDLY throughout the day. SCORE! If only I had been able to watch it.

Funnier than the "presents" photo is the one where Grandma Mo (my mom) actually got some of the kids to pretend they were asleep. For 90 whole seconds, the house was silent. The adults didn't quite know what to do themselves. However, the underlying vibe was in the air as seen with smiles on their faces with their eyes closed in fake sleep.

And then....CHAOS ensued. Below is a pretty good portrayal.


Note

1) one purple-dressed child already bored w/ toys and seeing what she can pilfer from the Christmas tree.

2) Sponge-Bob Square Pants Christmas lights, age-appropriate I might add.

3) Mother w/ black hair (my sister) turning her head with obvious Christmas joy plastered on her face.

4) Cute kid in cute sweater mesmerized more by wrapping paper than the gift itself.

5) Other kids looking around for more presents to open and not playing with newly acquired gifts.

6) Beer on coffee table.

7) Funny coffee table book, "Why do Men have Nipples?"

8) Crayon art on coffee table developed during boredom waiting on this wonderful time of the day to come to fruition.

9) Wrapping paper all over floor.

10) ??? Fill in the blank. You get the picture.

Hopefully the kids were delighted and fell asleep for their parents on the drives home. Would have liked more pics, but I'm a terrible photographer and didn't take many.

Today, back to the grind of working on the house and getting my exercise in--until I get sick from all the sick kids. I've been pondering the answer to my own question, "Am I being a prude not wanting to be around sick people?" On one side of the coin I know it's a fact of life and it will probably make my own immune system stronger. On the other, I consider myself an athlete and take my own good health seriously. Being sick affects my livelihood in a profound way. Shouldn't I protect it? C'est la vie, right?

Temperatures are notably colder with frozen ground in the forecast. Perhaps I'll get some trail riding in this next week. Ahhhhh.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and may your New Year be safe.

Lazy or not lazy?

It's that time of year. It's cold outside. There is so much good food going around, I could swim in all of it's sugary splendor. I'm being relatively good; only 2 cupcakes last week--both were on the same day. Granted, I ensured there was at least 2 hours between the feedings. They were so delicious, I didn't even feel guilty afterwards. Later, I learned they were made by a 5-year old. I wondered if she had washed her hands.

I consider myself a lazy person; many I work with would disagree. I guess it's perspective. On any ride, I don't think anyone has ever heard me say, "Let's take the long way!" or "Can't we go just a little bit more?"

I consider working out the highlights of my days and justification for sitting around the rest of the time. I thoroughly enjoy curling up on the couch and reading a book or watching a movie--not so much television. Surfing the internet is another popular time filler.

This time of year is perfect for all of those activities and more.

So, after Saturday's run, I had to do MORE physical labor and help Mr. Wonderful with the new building. My job was to wipe the drywall dust off the walls (read: wash the walls) to ready them for painting. Have I mentioned this is a BIG building? I got done with the little room and the loft when I decided to make myself some supper. Jason has an uncanny ability to work without breaks--including food breaks. Apparently I have the opposite philosophy. Several minutes later he came in and said the big room was done? Huh?!?!?!!? It took me hours to get to that point, and he gets twice as much done in 20 minutes? I was confused. When I asked him about it he replied, "Well, that job sucks and I'm not as worried about it in the big room. I'm tired." Thank goodness it wasn't just me. The rest of the evening was spent masking the doors and windows.

So, my laziness is one reason I considered getting a coach. I need someone to kick me in the rear and say, "GET OUT THERE!" By being accountable to someone else, I'm committed to doing more. I did some reading and research trying to find what every good American wants: something for nothing. Coaching services have sprung up every where. I found a few that were noteworthy and that I felt confident in to provide expert advice and a good personal training plan. Unfortunately, I wasn't willing to pay for it. I'm planning to spend some $$ fixing up my 29er for next year's race bike. (See future post.)

So, I'm going it alone. AND I know I can do it. The exciting part of this is I'm committed to myself!

Will I get it right?
Not all the time.

Will I be faster?
I certainly hope so. I must trust and follow the plan. (repeat 3x)

Will I learn a lot?
Most definitely.

My first astonishment is from Saturday's aforementioned run. I needed to keep my HR in a specific zone. I've prided myself on my running accomplishments over the last 14 months; I AM A RUNNER--when I want to be. That is SO exciting. My goal was 1 hour, 10 minutes and to keep the HR low. Naturally, on any hill, my heart just wants to pound and get me over the hill. I can do it. I want to do it. But the plan says LOW HR, so I mustered a walk. In fact, the whole exercise was much like that.

Slow down, Angela, you're going too fast.

But I can do it. I'm ready to go further, faster--MORE!

Yes, you know you can do it, but this exercise serves a different purpose today. Follow the plan. Trust the plan.

And so I walked a couple of times bringing the HR down to an acceptable level--when cars weren't coming. (-; I don't want anyone thinking I'm a wimp, do I?

So, Sunday was another day when I wanted to be lazy, but I was consumed with rolling around Mr. Wonderful on the scaffolding while he spray painted our building. I had other jobs like filling the paint bucket; ensuring the cords and hoses weren't snagged; etc. Below are some pics from the excitement. When it was finished, the sun had gone to bed. Boooo. I reluctantly rode the bike inside before finally fixing something to eat. What a long weekend.

Jason gets the scaffold ready to paint the ceiling.

I didn't venture to the top. It's pretty high.

Ready to paint!


After.....

Aren't we cute???

Me in 50 years.

Numbers, numbers

Mr. Wonderful and I stayed home this year for Thanksgiving; at first I was sad. But I must admit not spending the $$ and plans to work on the house seemed like a good consolation prize. Unfortunately, he came down with some sickness, so the house progress has been zero. Of course that means PLAY TIME for me (until I get sick, anyway).

I'll summarize in numbers as they were buzzing through my head last night. And NO--I'm not sharing any HR, cadence, or watts numbers. I don't even know where my HR strap is and I don't care right now. Life is good.

• 7 of the last 8 - days I've exercised. Thanksgiving Day was the exception.
• 34 - eggs I used in making my famous homemade noodles and awesome molasses cookies.
• 6.7 - miles in my longest run of this year on Friday. I'm so proud since I've never thought of myself as a runner. I set out feeling awesome and that I could run all day. Thankfully, I had the good sense to turn around when I did!
• 9.33 - pace in km/hr of the jog above. I'm practicing for my Europe trip. (-; No, it's not a superb pace, but I'm more than pleased. Plus, I think the GPS lies; my treadmill paces are usually slower.
• 1.5 - molasses cookies I ate on Thanksgiving day (+1 piece of Chocolate Eclair Cake)
• 7 - # of brothers, sisters, half-brothers, step-brothers, & step-sisters that I have. I saw 3 of them this week.
• 104 - degrees of the water temp in my hot tub. Ahhhh.
• 83 - years old is my grandmother.
• 6.99 - dollars that it took to surprise my grandmother last week with a birthday cake. She was beside herself in having been surprised. Sharing the cake with her card playing buddies the next day, she actually made a long distance call to me to ask where I bought it b/c it was so good. It made my day.
• 2 - hours of trail work I did today after riding my mountain bike to Wapehani and back home.
• 17 - the number of large pizzas I wanted to eat after the trail work. I was worried about bonking on the way home since my lunch consisted of an apple, a banana, and 5 shot blocks. Those don't go very far with 30 miles and 2 hours of trail work.
• 3 - lbs I've lost in 3 weeks by trying not to eat molasses cookies, homemade noodles, and pizza.

And I'm looking forward to another road ride on Sunday providing we can beat the rain. Fingers are crossed!