75 miles!

You'd think that the day after my 1st race, I might take it easy. Nope - I'm such a toughie! ;) I met up with some of the crew in Center city and we rode out to the Lower Providence crit course near Valley Forge. After the 2 hour training there and ride back, I logged 75 miles today!

We had team training today. Our first big team race will be the Lower Providence crit the 3rd week in April. I wish I could race this one as a Cat 4 with the majority of the team - to make up for flatting out last year! That group is going to have so much fun playing with tactics and controlling the field. It worked great last year with Sally taking 2nd in the race!

Today, we worked on cornering drills, race tactics and pack riding. It was so great to get out there with the team - it feels like forever since I got to ride with everyone. At the end, we did a short race simulation, where I got to be the protected rider for my squad. It was so much fun to work with a small group to try to "win" the race. I ended up sprinting to the line against Liz - who is SOOOO strong! We were pretty much wheel and wheel at the end, but she definitely got me! :) Not for a lack of trying on my part! I was actually amazed at the strength that I had left in my legs today. I'm so excited to realize how much stronger I am this year than last! I'm also in a much tougher field, but it's so great to know that I have improved within myself, regardless of how I do in races. I'm really excited for this season to get underway!

By the way...10 days until we leave for camp! :)

Kirkwood Race Report

I'm sending you all to the Sturdy Girl Blog to read my report. Enjoy!

Josh - I hope your race went well! I was looking for you as you guys climbed that hill after the final turn, but talked to Jen when I got back to the car and realized I wasn't going to see you - since I thought you were wearing blue and she said you had on red and black. Ooops! So, here's a belated cheer to get you up that climb - "Go, Josh!!! Kick this hill's butt into next Sunday! WOOOOO-HOOOOO!" Hope it went well! :)

Getting My Speedy Sleep

It's a lot like beauty sleep, only for cyclists! I'm going to act like an old lady tonight - some would say I'm not acting, but I'm actually an old lady - and go to sleep at 9:30. I've been a little tired all day and have my first race tomorrow, so I need my speedy sleep. Hope it works!

Off to Kirkwood in the morning - can't wait to race with Jen! Race report to follow!

Standoff

As I type this, I can hear the rumble of helicopters above my house. A strange distant sound that seeps through my windows is a reminder of the reality of the world in which we live. See...just a few miles away on the Walt Whitman Bridge, a man is in a standoff with police. What began as an high-speed state police chase has ended with a hostage situation. According to reports, the man has a child and woman in the car with him - and a large Rottweiler who didn't garner mention in the news coverage, but could clearly be seen sticking his head out of an open window in the footage. It's now 7:02 and the standoff has been going on since just after 5pm.

It makes me wonder about the sadness that must be prevalent in some people's lives. My life is NOT perfect. No where near. But...I'm happy. I could never consider hurting myself at this stage in my life - nor could I knowingly hurt someone else. I can only imagine what could lead someone to find themselves in the middle of a bridge...seriously contemplating what this man is contemplating.

UPDATE - My brother-in-law was called into work early - he's a police officer for one of the departments involved in the activity on the bridge. The standoff ended around 8:30pm with the man being taken into police custody. No injuries, thank goodness. I'm sure we'll hear more details on the 10 o'clock news...at this point, I just hope for a sense of peace for those involved - on all levels.

Countdown Continues

OK...

So one week from tomorrow morning, I will be headed to my conference in Miami. I am very excited to be heading to warmer climes and to be presenting my paper at such a prestigious conference. It's quite funny that my innocent little discussion about children and the 1893 World's Fair ended up sandwiched between these two lectures: "Of Milk and Homeland: Breastfeeding, Immigrant Mothers, and Eugenics at Castle Garden" and "Gender and the Politics of Spouse Killing in Victorian England." It's funny how they decide that these work together! :) It makes me wonder what our audience is going to be like?! I can't wait!

And then...in exactly 14 days, I will be on the road to this lush cycling playground!

Mountains are fun...mountains are great! Falco is going to be in HEAVEN! :)

Politics...

tend to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I've never really been INTO politics. I've always had friends that were into it enough for the both of us - thanks, Barks! :)

As I've gotten older and wiser (haha), I have become more invested in politics. After all, I pay income taxes, property taxes, health insurance, car insurance, and the politicians have a say in all of this. So, of course, I have become interested in the issues at hand.

Did you hear that? I'm interested in The ISSUES, people! And let me tell you something....THESE are NOT the ISSUES!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23797072/?GT1=43001

I mean, really - I don't give a rat's butt that McCain is the 6th cousin 13 times removed of Lindsay Lohan...doesn't make him a good presidential candidate. And the fact that Obama is indirectly related to George Washington will not make him less "scary" in the eyes of thousands of Americans who find him scary...hence my second non-issue...

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/28/tennessee.gop/

In the day when children are being named Kal-El after Superman and Apple after fruit - is it really such a big deal that the guy's middle name happens to be the same as a former leader of a foreign country? It's not as if he was named AFTER Saddam Hussein - they just happen to share a name. My husband's name is Charles - oh, crap...he must be just like Charles Manson - maybe I should up and leave?

OK...climbing down off my soap box here...wow, I can't wait to post about riding my bike! :) Politics stink!

Coffee and Greg Brown

I spoke once about not having a good memory about things. I'm not sure that's entirely true. I think that my way of remembering things that have happened in my past is wound up in sensation, emotion, feeling...rather than exact recall of moments.

I was on the train this morning, quietly engrossed in my iPod when Greg Brown's Just By Myself began to play. I replayed that song 4 times on my way to school today because it brought back a wonderful memory for me.

I had a great roommate in college. We swam on the swim team together. We had known one another for a looong time before rooming together. He was the best roommate.

We used to wake up in the morning, make a steaming hot pot of coffee, put Greg Brown on the CD player and just sit. We had this great apartment with huge windows...the sun would seep in through the vertical blinds, casting warmth and light across the floor. We would take turns making breakfast - crazy egg mixtures, pancakes, french toast - and whoever cooked would never have to clean the dishes!

That was the best year for me. I always had someone to come home to, someone who really understood me and would really listen. Someone who gave fantastic advice about dumb boys, swimming, and life. Someone who was always capable of getting the crazy muscle knots out of my shoulders!

I really miss rooming with my brother.

That was the best year for me.

90% chance of snow showers my butt!

Yeah, ok...so we had to cancel our team training today because we were assured by every weather channel on the planet that we were going to get snow overnight. By this morning, there was a total of ZERO snow, rain, wetness of any type on the ground ANYWHERE in our area. So, the weather channels then let us know that we will be getting snow around noon and heading into the evening. Let me tell you that it is currently 11:59 am and the sun is shining outside.

Maybe they forgot a decimal point? It should have been .90%?????? :)

At least Candace and I got out there and whoooopppped our butts around Knight's Park with some rockin' intervals. I'm pooped! :) Thanks, Candace!

Registered!

Ok...it's official. I have registered for my first race of the season! And, it's next weekend! :)

I decided just to go for it this year. I'm not sure that I am in the best shape at the moment, in fact, I know that I'm not...but, Falco wants to get out there and I want to get out there, so...here goes!

I think that I've convinced one teammate to come along - thank you Jen Sands. :) I would have done it on my own, but it will be nice to have a friendly face out there sharing in the joy of pain! So, next Saturday morning, we are heading to Christiana for the Kirkwood Road Race. The course looks good - challenging, with a lot of small climbs (a few look pretty steep) - but nothing that's going to wipe me out (oh, the memories of Mount Joy come flooding back!).

Here's the profile for Kirkwood - I'm digging that first major decent! :)

Of course, now that I have registered - the Weather Channel is saying a 60% chance of rain all that day. Should be fun! You know what...I am totally up for the challenge! I am really going to hunker down this week, get myself mentally and physically prepared, and just rock it out! Kirkwood, here we come! :)

Happy 1st Day of Spring!

Happy 1st Day of Spring!

I could be grumpy and complain about the 45-50 mph wind gusts, overcast sky, and dropping temps today (wait, I just did)...but I won't...I'll simply look at Monet's beautiful painting of the Garden at Giverny and smile. Spring is in the air! Thank goodness! :)

Training Camp Countdown!

Today marks the first official day of the Sturdy Girl 1st Annual Training Camp Countdown. In exactly 3 weeks (21 days) I will be on the road to Virginia!

I'm really excited about this camp for several reasons. #1 - it's a GREAT opportunity to be on my bike for an extended period of time for several days straight. I love to ride, I love to train, and this fits me perfectly. #2 - it's an opportunity to get to know some of my teammates better. Not everyone can make it, but it will be a rare chance to spend a lot of time with those who are able to attend. #3 - beautiful scenery! I'm lucky to live and ride in a place like Philly. Once you travel outside of the city, the scenery is very pretty and the riding is really great. But, this will be much different. It will be so fun to climb 3,600 ft, get to ride on quiet roads in the hills and mountains and enjoy professional style SAG! :)

So, anyway...here it is, official countdown begins...

21 Days!

New Venture for Good Friends

Our close friends Jim and Jeanne have started a new business venture. I'll simply let the web site speak for itself...

Check them out HERE!

Bike Lift

Another pretty interesting invention. I can certainly see how this would come in handy!

Bike Boxes!

I just received a link for this...Bike Boxes in Portland.

What a fantastic idea...I'm particularly partial to this as I just saw a young woman cyclist get hit by a car turning right at a stoplight last week. She pulled up to the red light. The car pulled up next to her. The light turned green, she started to pedal and the guy simply made his turn and ran her down. Fortunately, she was not hurt. Can't say the same for the bike. Best part? There was a police officer DIRECTLY behind the guy that hit her. Ouch...not good.

Wouldn't it be nice if these bike lanes appeared everywhere? Imagine how many people might benefit...and not just the cyclists...people like the guy in my story who might not have a senseless accident like that!

First Weekend Home

My first weekend home from Mexico has been really nice. I got to sleep in a bit and get out on my bike with Luly yesterday. It was nice to ride with her, catch up, get some coffee and enjoy a nice Spring day (well, almost Spring...first official day is THURSDAY!). I'm hoping that our recent change in the weather - this week is supposed to be above 40 every day - reflects the status of a new season to our region. I'm very ready for Winter to head out of the area and leave us with the smells, sounds, and warmth of one of my favorite times of the year.

I'm excited to get my veggie garden up and running again - we're planning to expand to a second bed for this year, so I should be overflowing with delicious squash, tomatoes, and purple carrots this year (I hope!). I was surprised how well it went last year - I'm not really graced with a truly green thumb, it's more like the Crayola crayon labeled as yellow-green. I hope that this year's attempt is equally successful!

Mexico Pics

Talk about doing a wheelie!
El Castillo at Chichen Itza viewed from the Ball Court
Marissa, Oliver and Laura
Ivy, Me, Zulette and Marissa
A lovely pic from Progresso...ahhh....the beach!

Some Photos from Mexico

Part of our group with the students at the Agricultural School.
Just a really nice shot of a local house.
I love the wooden bike seats for kids.
Chris is just soooo cute in this photo, isn't he?!
This is from our hotel...very exotic!

Uxmal

Our first day was spent at the site of Uxmal. This is one of my favorite stops on the trip. Imagine that your first sight of ancient Maya culture is the famed Magician's House - famous for the legend that it was built in one night....by a dwarf. You come to the top of the path and there, before you, is this structure:

You realize at that moment that you really have been transported to another place and, essentially, another time. Your mind wanders and your imagination takes control as you picture the thousands of people who lived on this site wandering along the paved streets and weaving through the incredible structures that surround you.

This site also boasts one large pyramid where you can climb to the top and get a view out over the scrubby landscape that covers this part of the Yucatan. Even though the underbrush is dense and once covered over many of these sites before their excavation, you feel as though you can see forever.

After a day trekking through the site, we returned to the hotel for a dip in the pool and our first night's dinner at Pancho's. It was incredible....the best Soupa Azteca in the city! It's such a nice place. A little campy - the waiters are dressed in Revolutionary garb with bullet bandoliers and Mexican style cowboy hats. It's definitely a tourist trap...BUT...the food is phenomenal and the atmosphere is fun. There are certainly better places to eat a more traditional meal, but you can't beat Pancho's for the fun.

Mexico Recap!

Ok...here's a bit to whet the palette. I'll post some photos later on.

We left for Mexico on Saturday afternoon. Getting out of the states was easy and quick...everyone was on time, and we had plenty of time at the airport! We arrived in Merida after dark, which was different from last year. It was interesting to see the area from the sky at night. Unlike the states, where the city sprawls outward and you can trace the lights across most of the landscape, the Mexican landscape had these small pockets of lit areas surrounded by the pitch blackness of the scrub brush. It was a reminder for me of where we were headed and what the topography of the area was like.

We arrived at the Hotel San Juan and got to our rooms. It was very nice. Clean, non-smelly, and Suzanne and I settled right in to our roomie-routine. We hit an open air cafe with Chris, Matt, Stan, Elizabeth and Zulette for some grub and drinks and started off the trip on the right foot!

Sunday morning was our first big day and we headed out to Uxmal to visit some ruins!

What was incredible about this year was that within minutes, I knew that it was going to be radically different from last year. The students were so engaged! They weren't detached or full of attitude, just really excited and open and ready for any and all challenges that were to be laid before them. And trust me, we had a LOT of challenges to lay before them.

Rock on JOB!

JOB in South Jersey Magazine!

I know, I know...I owe y'all an update on the Mexico trip...it's a-comin'!