Weekend Review

The weekend started out great. Left work early on Friday to go to Soux Falls to attend the pre-graduation hooding ceremony with a stop first at the Two Wheeler Dealer Bike Shop. Very nice shop, seems to have more accessories specific to women. I had been doing some research on bike saddles and had decided Iwanted to try a Specialized women's saddle and when I did a search for a shop near me I was pleasantly surpised to see this new bike shop in Sioux Falls had them. I brought my bike with me so I could get it all set up properly. I got the Jett saddle and am very anxious to try it out, I think this is the one! So onto the ceremony and reception following.

Next day we attended a couple of graduation parties in Vermillion for the daughters of a couple of our friends. Both graduated from dental hygiene and had a combined party with 4 other girls, all from the dental hygiene program. It was a great party and one I'll probably not forget as one of the other girls I didn't know, was proposed to! She said yes and the merriment continued.

We came back home and had a little rest and continued to another graduation party that evening.

That is when the fun began. Rather suddenly I became violently sick to my stomach (over and over and over agan). Luckilly we were home at the onset. My husband and I had eaten the same things all day and he felt fine, so I knew it wasn't food poisoning. It was severe enough that I went to the ER at midnight, my first trip to the ER in 29 years. I have the Noro virus, not fun stuff. After seven attempts, they got an IV in and I got a couple of liters of IV fluid and some meds for the nausea. Went back home and basically slept through Mother's Day but both daughters came by for a visit bearing gifts. I'm a lucky woman! This virus will subside and I'll be out riding soon!

Getting Organized To Ride More…Even When Time Is Limited

Okay, it’s time for me to get organized so when I have time to ride I can get out the door and on the road quicker! Here are a few things I’m going to try to do:

Equipment:
1. Keep all bike gear in the same spot all the time so I’m not running around looking for it.
a. I do a fair job of this already; cycling clothing is all in 3 dresser drawers I took over when oldest daughter left home.
b. I seem to have the most problem with my gadgets; heart rate monitor and bike computer (sometimes I bring it in the house to record mileage and then forget where I left it).
c. Also, I tend to forget my gloves so I leave an extra pair in the garage on a shelf next to my bike.

2. Have under-the-seat bike bag stocked with essentials and emergency supplies and will replace when they are used:
a. Bike tube, CO2, tire lever, multi tool
b. Cliff bar, energy gels
c. Tissue in a baggie for cleaning sunglasses
d. Money
e. LED taillight for when I get caught out at dusk
f. Clipped to the bag, my $5 Walmart radio, good company on solo rides

3. On the bike:
a. Halt dog spray in velcro pouch on bike
b. Cell phone holder. Which reminds me……keep cell phone charged!
c. Tire pump

That’s it for equipment, a few other things I need related to food and hydration:
1. Water – I like it cold, or at least like to start out that way. Put ice in Polar water bottle and store in freezer. Just need to add the water.
2. Electrolyte drink – I’ve been using powdered Gatorade but my daughter has got me started on the new Gatorade G2, less sugar and taste better. I picked up a couple of 8-packs of this and keep some in the refrigerator ready to go.
3. Keep some fresh fruit cut up and ready to eat before and after a ride. Also will stock some healthy granola bars (ones without high fructose corn syrup).

Bike Maintenance:
1. I vow to do this on rainy days when I’m not able to ride anyway! For me the only maintenance I really do myself is pump up the tires, clean the chain, and oil the chain. I like to think I’m contributing to keeping the local bike shop open by letting Rich take care of the rest.

Spring Might Finally Be Here!

It is time for me to step up my training a bit….there are lots of rides coming up and I want to feel confident that I can do them. Right now, tired and sore from a 42 mile ride averaging 13.5 mph, I’m not feeling so confident!
My daughter and I rode together and had a great ride but coming home was uphill and at least partly into the wind….guess we didn’t plan that very well! And didn’t it seem like the wind was blowing harder than 9 mph that the Underground Weather site was reporting?? It was the longest ride to date for both of us. The weather forecast looks decent for the rest of the week so hopefully more riding will be taking place!
On the ride we met a car we didn't reconize that crossed the lane headed towards us - around here if that occurs I figure the person knows me and is just plaing around. Which was the case again,this time it was my other daughter out cruising with the boyfriend in a classic car he restored. We all stopped and chatted a few minutes. Yep....meeting the boyfriend in my spandex, dorky glasses with mirror attached, neon jacket - he's bound to have nightmares.

Grown Up Daughters

One thing that I have been pleasantly surprised to find as my daughters have grown up is how much fun it is to have them as friends! When they first left the house they seemed to distance themselves a bit, as they should, to go off and have their college experience. But as they have graduated and entered the “real world” of work and responsibilities, it seems like we have gotten closer.

Our oldest daughter and I do some riding together so that gives us hours to talk and bond. But I really enjoy the time spent with my baby too, we just do different activities together. Last weekend we took the youngest and her boyfriend out for supper. Somehow the conversation turned to beer and our favorites and the boyfriend said he really likes Summer Shandy. On our way home my husband commented that he couldn’t believe this guy likes Summer Shandy. I think my husband is under the impression that only people who wear spandex like Summer Shandy! My opinion is that the daughter’s boyfriend has good taste; he is after all dating my daughter and he likes Summer Shandy – what a guy, I'm liking him more and more!

I'm in! RAGBRAI XXXVI

Look at the email I received today:

CONGRATULATIONS! CATHY,
your wristband number is: 101***

I’m in RAGBRAI - I’m very excited but also a little nervous…mainly about the hills and all those people on bikes! But it is something I have to try at least once and it will be great to experience it with my oldest daughter! It also reassures me a great deal that we won’t be out there on our own with the masses, we’re signed up for the ShuttleGuy camping and shuttle service. I talked with Tim P. who used ShuttleGuy last year on RAGBRAI and they did a great job of making sure everyone was well taken care of. The ShuttleGuy even provided the option of letting everyone “camp” in the basement of an air conditioned church on one hot July night last year.

Now about those hills…plenty of time to train for those. And I rode these rolling hills on highways 1804 and 1806 along the Missouri River between Pierre and Chamberlain (the Native American Scenic Byway)last year.

My first hill training ride might be the Bunyan’s to Bob’s ride on May 17th. Ashley and I are thinking of doing the road bike ride. The Bunyan’s to Bob’s ride ride would help us train for both essential elements of RAGBARI – hill climbing followed by the recovery drink of thousands of cyclists: BEER. The theme for the BtoB ride is: bikes, burgers, beer.

As posted on the RAGBRAI message board:

we're in! better start training. gotta get a beer.

Here is a nice summary of what we should expect on RAGBRAI 2008:

“Sunday appears to be the usual sand hills, with a couple 200 footers but otherwise never level, always up and down as expected for that area. Monday looks to be the most unpleasant day with 80+ miles and 5200 feet of climb as well as passing into some areas deemed unpleasant by many in 2006, but headed north this time, not south, so if the wind holds out, it shouldn't be as bad. We often get a tailwind headed north this time of year. Tuesday into Ames looks to be one of the easiest 55 miles and just 1500 feet of climb, although there appears to be a 200 foot hump in there around Boone as mentioned above. Wednesday looks longer at 75 miles but proportionally about the same with under 3000 feet of climb. Thursday into North Liberty and Friday into Tipton again, about the same. And the final day is easy again, about like that Tuesday into Ames, minus the 200 footer.”

Weekend Recap

Not a good weekend for riding bike but that was alright since the schedule was already pretty full.
Friday night our usual routine is to go “uptown” which in a town of 300 means either walking or driving the 3 blocks to Main Street to go the “Pit,” our fine local establishment. Torey, owner and self-taught chef extraordinaire, has three specials each weekend: a steak special, pasta or seafood special, sandwich and salad special. Everything on the menu is $11 or less and you eat it on styrofoam plates but it is great food! Some of our favorites are the steak gorgonzola alfredo, dirty mashed potatoes (red skinned potatoes with pepper jack cheese, garlic, etc.), cucumber pasta salad, etc. It is all yummy! And a great way to end out the week.
Saturday was another wedding shower, this time I was helping to host the shower. The mother of the groom is a good friend and member of our church. Hubby and I just watched TV Saturday evening. It was prom night and he had volunteered to shuttle the high school kids from Irene to Wakonda for the after prom party. So he left the house about 11pm to go do that and then the phone rang and it was my youngest daughter calling to say the bachelorette party (which she hosted for her big sister) had arrived in Wakonda via the chartered limousine party bus. I went down to the Pit to bring an extra camera that was requested and have one drink with the girls. Twenty girls between the ages of 21 and 25 had descended upon the Pit, I could hear the giggling as soon as I got out of my car. The bachelor farmers and good patrons of the Pit, didn’t know what hit them! It was fun to participate for a short time but I’m quite sure I feel a lot better than they do today!
We almost missed church because we overslept. Hubby had to get up at 3:00am and shuttle kids back to Irene, so our sleep was a little disturbed! After church hubby and I did some odd jobs around the house. It is cold outside with a north wind but dry and hubby is eager to go out for a ride in his mid life crisis (a mustang convertible). The plan is to take off and go to a movie later in Yankton (with the top up on the car!) and maybe kill some time at Ace; he can look at tools and I can look at the biking stuff and dream about my next bike ride.

Tickled Pink!

The weather was so beautiful on Saturday, it just made me giddy! To paraphrase Garrison Keillor from the News from Lake Wobegon on Prairie Home Companion: “A beautiful, beautiful day……people so happy, finally an end to our suffering, our long winter on the frozen tundra.”
My toes were tickled pink to be released from the long wool socks and back into sandals and back on the bike! Last week I even splurged and went for a pedicure to celebrate my new big toe nail. Afterall, it took about 5 months to grow a new one.
Evidently my cycling shoes shrunk after drying out from the rainy day on TDK last summer (Dell Rapids to Madison). Next time I wore the shoes, instead of the sandals I usually wear on summer rides, was on the century ride on the MS 150 in August. The shoes felt tight, like my right toe was bumping against the toe of the shoe, but they weren’t painful to wear. I avoided the problem for several months by ignoring the “loose” toe nail and keeping it plastered with lots of polish so I wouldn’t have to look at the purplish color. But eventually it just fell off. It looked weird, I’m happy that my new nail has finally grown back in and my big toe can be seen in public again!