ToAD in photos!

For a full recap of our racing at ToAD, please go here...

And now for some real fun... Fluffy Unicorn's journeys to the land of cheese!!

Reading some Canterbury Tales...

Jamming to some Morning Parade...

Driving from Chicago to Milwaukee...

Pinning numbers...

 COFFEETS!!!

MOAR COFFEETS!!!

 ALWAYS wear your helmet...

And, don't forget to stack your bikes neatly in the house...

Already counting down the days until next year's race!

Race Avenue and Beyond!!

Sunday was awesome.

Awesome.

I spent the earlier part of the weekend at a conference with some students.  It was fun and we had a great time.  I stayed up a bit late on Saturday night hanging with some of the other advisors.  We may have had chicken tenders, french fries, and beer at midnight.  Maybe.

I got up early on Sunday to try to get the students back home with enough time to get out to Lancaster for the Race Avenue Crit.  I wasn't sure if I was going to make it, but knowing that so many of my teammates were going to be there made it an absolute MUST.  Luckily, I made it out to the race with enough time to warm up and get to the line surrounded by my favorite CAWES ladies (and a few honorable mention favorites from teams like Finkraft and EPS!  You know who you are!)

The race was fantastic.  We were aggressive and attentive, making sure that we launched a lot of moves and made sure that nothing got away without a green jersey.

We managed to get a few promising moves going.  I took a solo flyer with about 8 to go and stayed away for about three laps.  It felt GREAT to be out and off the front like that.  I felt strong and I feel like my form is finally beginning to come around after a loooong time.  It's really such an amazing thing to feel so good.

Borda also took a PERFECTLY timed flyer with 3 to go and stayed away until the bell lap.  We tried to slow the peloton down a bit while she was off the front to let her stay away, but the attentive peloton brought her back in.

We set up our train to try for the sprint, but since we'd lost a few riders (Badger and Kati were out after a crash - both are fine - and Borda was spent after her wicked flyer), we got swarmed by the field and weren't able to hold control all the way to the line.  Still, Bad Kat finished 6th - which was a strong result for the day.

All of this racing of late - a super tough race at Raritan, Somerville with the Pro ladies, an even harder race at Riverton with the 3/4 men, and Race Avenue - are all in preparation for heading to ToAD.  I am so very excited to be heading out to a race series that I've wanted to do for YEARS.  Up until this year, my plans have been thwarted by injury.  But, this year, I'm on form, feeling good, and am ready to take a flyer off the front of one of these races!

Goals for our week of racing at ToAD:

• HAVE FUN!  First and foremost this is an absolute must.  Considering that I'll be out there with Little D and BChan, I have no doubt that this one will come easy.
• Race hard and safe.  Crashes happen.  But, we will be attentive and will race strong and safe.
• Take chances.  Since I'm just coming back and finding my form, I've been a bit less than confident about launching attacks in the bigger fields.  BUT... I'm GOING to take some chances at ToAD.  What have I got to lose by trying to launch attacks or go with attacks at these events?  Answer:  NADA.  So, I'm going to do it.

So, here we go!  Just a few more training days until ToAD!!!

Love Hate Relationships

I had a love-hate relationship with the NJ State Road Race today.

I loved the first lap.  It was hard, it was fast, there were numerous attacks, and it was FUN.  Look at me and Borda having fun!  :)

I have to say that I loved the results.  I had a great sprint, which is a pleasant surprise....

 Look at me... sprinting and stuff!  :)

And, we nabbed the podium with a 3rd place finish in the state.

But...I was 4th overall in the 1/2/3 race, which leads me to the hate part.

I got a bit snarky during this race.  I apologize for that... somewhat.  I'm going to get a bit snarky in this post, too.  Not sure that I apologize too much for that, but whatevs.

Thankfully, frustrated snark mid-race for me comes off as extreme sarcasm.  Unfortunately, frustrated snark mid-race for me comes off as extremely loud sarcasm.

But, it was hard to be anything other than snarky when you're told by another rider in the race to "Let her go, she's from PA" and "Can't we just wait for the sprint?"  Ummm.... I'm sorry, but I thought we were racing bikes, here?!?!

Turns out, we were "racing" for 2nd place.  It's not how I would want to win a state championship, but I guess for some, that's just a-ok. 

I know that each person has his or her own way of racing.  Some like to sprint.  Some don't.  Some enjoy being in the break.  Some don't.

But, if you're happy to let and then watch someone ride away from the field for the win and spend the rest of the day group riding at 16-17 mph until you complete a 300 meter sprint, our philosophical ideologies about racing are clearly incapable of ever seeing agreement.  This behavior is precisely the reason that folks go on Facebook, Blogs, Twitter, and every other social media outlet possible to talk about how boring women's racing is.

The last two laps of the race were, quite frankly, embarrassing.  There's absolutely no excuse for cruising so slowly that I can sing songs (which I did), chat with another rider about her upcoming nuptials (which I also did), and ask a third rider about another race coming up that her team hosts (yep, did that, too).  I also continued, for the majority of the race, to launch attacks.  As did my teammate and a few other girls.  Eventually on the final lap, I simply gave up and figured... "OK, time for me to take all this pent up frustration and throw it into a sprint."

Thankfully, I have the most amazing and selfless teammate alive, and as we are heading to 500 meters to go, Borda comes up along the line on the left.  Victoria, Kelley, and I jump on her wheel and she drops us off PERFECTLY for the final sprint.  She was amazing.  I finished just behind Victoria.

We ALL finished 5 MINUTES behind Kim Zubris, who pulled away from the field at the start of lap 2.

Congrats to Kim on a gutsy race well won.

And, thanks to the lovely ladies in the peloton who made parts of this race hard, launched attacks, picked up the pace, or otherwise left some guts out there on the road to see that our speed and wattage for the day was higher than that of our weekly evening ride!  

Back to the Yoga Mat

So, let me tell you a little story about a stupid Porkchop who drove 9 hours in a car and then woke up a few hours later to do a heinously hard group ride for 3+ hours. 

She did this... only to feel the return of pain in the nerve in her leg.  Yup... the same pain that laid her up for nearly 8 months last year and led to spinal surgery. 

Stoooopid Porkchop.

Then, her very goodest friend looks at this stupid Porkchop and says, "Have you been doing your exercises?" 

"Ummmm...."

REALLY stooooopid Porkchop.

So, in an effort to get back into the good graces of her now sore nerve and tight and achey back, the Porkchop returns to her regularly scheduled regimen of stretching, ab workouts, and balancing drills.  And, things begin to feel better.

This week, as the pain still lingers a bit, I decided to start going back to yoga.  Now, I'm not jumping into the Power Yoga stuff that I was doing over a year ago.  While I really enjoyed sweating my butt off while contorting my body into strange positions, I also really enjoy having a body that works.  So, I decided to take it a bit easier and attend a nice Vinyasa class.

It was great.  My back started to loosen up, the nerve pain started to dissipate, and I generally began to feel good again.  I went to another class today and followed that up with intense  intervals on the bike.  Again - I'm feeling really good afterward.  Yay. 

I've become VERY attentive to my body and to its communications with me.  A little pain in certain areas - like my arms after an hour of planks and downward dogs - is fine.  Pain in my nerve or in my back - is not ok. 

That needs attention. 

Of a variety of types. 

Including yogo or cupcakes. 

I'm just saying that they help.

Riding and Driving and Eating... OH MY!

It's been a whirlwind.  So much has been going on that just yesterday, Mr. Porkchop says... "Um, you haven't updated your blog lately."  I was like, "Yeeeaaahh... well..."

So, here goes!

April went out like a lion - not in terms of weather, but in terms of busy.  The semester ended with a week of VERY long days.  If I wasn't at work late for grading, I was there late for Awards Ceremonies, celebrations of students and colleagues, or something else.  It was AWESOME.  And, it was exhausting!

Chuck and I went to Disney for a conference and he got to spend some quality time with his Dad and Deb.  They were so fantastic and it was so great to see them.  We went to the Magic Kingdom (Yay, Pirates and Haunted Mansion!!)...

and spent some time in Hogsmeade.

Chuck even let me buy a wand!! Accio Big Glass of Red Wine!

After that was graduation and a post-graduation party here at our house.  It was lovely to have the colleagues over for the day and just spend some time chatting and eating.

Then, it was off to Cincinnati to visit with the Grams!  I drove out last week and spent some time out there.  It was lovely.  She's just the cutest thing ever.  My Mom and Dad were out there as well, so it was nice to spend some time with all of them.

Then, I drove home.  I got up the next morning and did a 3+ hour ride with the boys.  Yeah, that went less well than I had planned, but at least I got out there.

I woke up this morning finally beginning to feel less like I've been run over my a truck and then tramples by a herd of spitting llamas.

Riding and racing has been going ok.  My back doesn't like really long rides and gets tired if I spend too much time in the drops, but it's definitely coming around.  I'm still working on my core strength and doing all of my exercises.  I think that the season will end up being great in the long run... even if I don't manage a win all year!  :)  I'm so happy to be back out there with the girls and am really enjoying my time with them.

OK - back to work with me!

P.S. To the Post That Almost Included Data

Just this...

This is the video from the Women's 1/2/3 race at Carl Dolan.  Thanks to David Dang for setting the GoPro up on Wendy's bike!  She caught all of the moves off the front and many shots of my heiney in full flight.  Thanks, Wen!!

The Post That Almost Included Data

There's been a bit of a hooplah on the local racing listserve about a women's field that was pulled from one of the best stage races in the region.  The hooplah was not necessarily undeserved - it's a crap move to pull the women's field.  But, what's done is done, and this post isn't about jumping on the bandwagon of bashing that promoter.  Rather, the response to that choice has generated both some nice "fire under our bottoms" from some of the top women's teams and lady-friendly promoters - who are now thinking of ways to improve things for us gals - and some really unfortunate (but not unexpected) opinions and criticisms of and about women's racing.  Here are a few of the things that have been mentioned in the past few days with translations when necessary.

"Why can't you just race with the men?  That's allowed, you know." 

 

Translation: Just because we offer a Men's 3/4, 1/2/3, 3, 4, 5, 4/5, 35+, 45+, 55+, and 65+, you want us to offer a WOMEN'S race?  Pshaw - you can just hop in with the men.  That's totally fair.

Response:  I have no problem racing with the men's fields.  I've done it before, I will do it again.  But, to tell me that's the only option that I have when a Cat 3 man over the age of 35 has sometimes up to three or even four OPTIONS for racing in a single day's event is really pretty pathetic.  Come on... I'm not asking for equal payouts or anything, just the chance to COMPETE on my bike against my fellow ladies.

Oh, and by the way, this isn't entitlement to ask for our own race.  I've heard the responses of "racing is a privilege, not a right" from the very same guys that have multiple options for racing every day or every weekend.  That's a crap response, and you all know it.

"Well, let's face it... women's races are pretty boring to watch.  Unless it's an NRC race."

Translation: All you ladies do is ride around in circles admiring your manicures and sharing muffin recipes.

Response: First to the 2nd part of the statement.  Yep, Women's Pro racing is amazingly awesome.  Point of fact... the first 5+ minutes of this.

But, here's the thing...we admire these women and want to emulate them.  In fact, some of the younger ladies that I race with right now will BE those women in a few years time.  In order to become those women, these young ladies need chances to race, and support from the people involved in this sport.  Saying that our races are boring, that we don't "actually" race, or any other iteration of this statement is not supportive of cycling and, quite frankly, is highly offensive.

Yep, sometimes we noodle around... waiting for something to happen.  I, like many women, HATE those types of races.  But, most of the time, we attack, we counter-attack, we chase, we run tactics, we sprint, etc.  We race hard and we want to compete.  Sorry if you think that's less exciting than a Men's Cat 5 (or 4 or 3 or 35+ or 65+, etc.) race.  But, we don't.

While the races this past weekend might not have looked exciting for the 3.5 seconds we were directly in front of the spectators/officials/finish line, the moves that were repeatedly made throughout both races made me want to spit out my lungs.  I'm just sayin'.

We ladies are out there to crush souls on our bikes.  We're not out there to look pretty, or to trade recipes, or to pay $35 for a Sunday group ride.

If you've never clipped in for a Women's race, might I suggest that you keep your armchair quarterbacking to yourself.  Or, put your money where your mouth is... I'm sure that I speak for the other ladies when I say you're welcome to hop in the peloton (regardless of your gender) and give it a go.  We'd love to hear your favorite muffin recipe.

The Post with the Podium Picture

My week in photos... with a few comments here and there:

Me and Jenavia, my awesome co-advisor at school.  We had an incredibly inspirational Honor Society Induction ceremony this week.  I'm so proud of my officer team, the students, and our college.  We do good stuff.  Really good stuff.  I wish more people knew that.

Got to spend Friday in DC with more students and colleagues.  Lectured at the Smithsonian for a bit before meeting up with Badger and Mitch for lunch at Teaism and heading back to SAAM for coffee with my dear Art History friend, Erin.  What a great day.  Long...but really great!

And, then... it was time to ride bikes.  Saturday was a lovely ride with the Bordas and the crew from Action Wheels.  Sunday was the last of the South Jersey Spring Series races.  I was happy on the line.

I hugged Ed's wheel in the race.  

It was wicked fast, like the last two weeks.  This time, I nearly imploded at 30 minutes in, but I managed somehow to rally and stay attached to the group.  It took everything that I had and I seriously fought tooth and nail to stay with the field.  But, in the end, I managed to stick it out and then even eek out a podium finish!!  I ended up 3rd today and 2nd in the Series overall!

I'm really happy with how things went this weekend and how I'm feeling.  I go back to my surgeon tomorrow morning for a follow up appointment, and I'm excited to tell him how I'm feeling and how I'm faring.  I'm not perfect or back to 100% normalcy, but I'm so happy to be back to doing what I love.

South Jersey Spring Series

I got up on Sunday morning after 4 hours of sleep and drove back to the city from a conference down at the shore.  It took a little over an hour to drop some folks off in the city and get home.  I dawdled around a bit and then decided that I would head over to the South Jersey Spring Series to watch my girls race - Sara and Borda were in the 3/4 and Kati was coming home from school and doing the Open race.

I didn't eat anything.

No coffee.

Nada.

Not a good idea.

I got there and was shocked to find that the Open race had been pushed back and I was going to have enough time (should I dare choose) to hop in the race.  Sigh.  Of course, I had to... right??

So, I got ready mentally and rolled up to the line.

The race was wicked.  We were with the 45+ men, who are mostly 1s and 2s.  Translation: They are DAMN fast and serious about this racing stuff.  They went off the line like cats with their tails on fire.  Translation: They were DAMN fast and serious about this racing stuff.  I got popped on lap 1.  Oh, crap.  I thought for sure that I was not going to finish, but I was VERY lucky to get in a nice group with Dana and a couple of guys.  We worked SUPER well together and jammed for the whole of the 40+ minute race.  If my numbers say anything, they say that this was one of the hardest races I've ever done.  And, it's only MARCH, people!!!

The results were totally whacky and wrong, putting me as a 3rd place finish.  HAHA, I wish!  I think I was probably 6th...maybe even 7th out of 7.  But, the most important things are:

1.  I completed my first race of 2014.
2.  I completed my first race post back surgery with NO pain (during or after the race).
3.  I had a BLAST.
4.  I felt better than I thought I would despite the debacle that was the first lap.
5.  It was SO wonderful to be surrounded by the amazing women in our area:  Borda, Sara, Kati, Dana, Victoria, Barbie-Pants, Meredith, Jackie, Andrea, Sue, Patty, Diane, Bobbie, Gina, Dori, and at least a few others that I've missed.   And, the guys, too - Mooney, Dr. Borda, Kevin, Billet, Ramon, etc.

In short... it was an amazing day.  I felt so happy to be back out there and happy to be fighting back into shape.  I can't wait to go back for another beating this weekend!

Happy pedaling, folks!

My Kind of Swim Suit Season Motivation

Please be aware that a majorly snarky post is about to appear below.  If you are not in the mood for some serious snark, I suggest you click away from this page immediately.  You have been warned...

A few times recently on the FacePage, I've seen friends or friends of friends posting "motivational" photos.  Intended to, I don't know, encourage a "bikini body" come warmer days, or what have you...these photos have included images like this:

And this:

Now, if you ask me, neither of these images are particularly "motivational."  Unless they are intended to motivate me to hire a really awesome photoshop guy who can turn all of the photos of me into flawless images of perfection.  Unlikely in any realistic case, but I digress.

The thing is... we ALL know that image #1 is a photoshopped and idealized image of the most idealized of women to begin with.  Translation - this woman is already considered "perfectly beautiful" - even without retouching.  Then, to make us normal chicks feel even worse, the photographer gets rid of the few blemishes or flaws that she might have, then presents her to us as a "motivational ideal?"  Yeah, I really don't think so.

Image #2 is a slightly different story.  I get that it INTENDS to be motivational.  I even note that the woman in the shot seems to have cycling tan lines on her legs (woohoo!)... but, it's actually a pretty negative campaign.  If you don't pick up weights and look like this, you're somehow NOT doing something you should be.  It's a put down to those who "don't" look like this.

Sure, maybe (and that's a really BIG maybe) I could look like her if I were able to spend my workday in the gym, with a trainer.  And, of course, I would probably need to have a nutritionist (maybe even a personal chef) to ensure that I don't slip into my normal human routine of a coffee in the morning and maybe even a splurge of frozen yogurt at night.  Nope, none of those things could be allowed.  And, of course, my body would have to be capable of looking like that. What?  What's that you say?  You think that EVERYONE in the world can have a six-pack set of abs just by working out sufficiently?  Hmmmm... amazing then, that more of them aren't floating around out there, eh?

No... I find images like THIS to be motivational:

Or this:

Or even, this:

Please notice that these images are also of lean, muscular, and beautiful women.  Yeah, they might have six-pack abs under that jersey, but I don't know because it's not about what their bodies look like, it's about what they do with those bodies.  That's where I draw my motivation.  From a desire to push myself to my limits like they do.  A desire to FEEL good about my body and myself.  Those images up top do NOT make me feel good in any way, shape, or form.  They make me, and many other women, feel lacking.  And no one should feel that way about themselves.

Sure, it helps keep me healthy and at a lower weight than I would be if I didn't ride my bike or swim or lift weights.  And, that makes me feel happy - just like any other human being.  But, there's a thin line between feeling healthy and happy as I am, and being pushed to desire to look like something that represents one percent of one percent of one percent of the population.

So, find your motivation where you will (even if it's in the Victoria's Secret Swimsuit Catalog).  I'll continue to look for it in the amazing women that are around me and motivate me every day.

Amazing Weekend...

Truly.  It was one of the best weekends I've ever had.  It started on Friday and hasn't quite ended yet.  A few highlights...

Lunch with Special A on Friday!  We had a lovely mid-day meeting as her carpeting was getting installed.  It was great to see her (as always) and spending an hour or two just nomming on some delicious lunchies and chilling out together is always fantastic.

Then, to Saturday.

For my birthday, my Mom and Dad bought me some tickets to see the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway in New York.  I've been itching to see this again.  The last time I saw it, I was 15 or 16 years old and it came through Detroit on a tour.  I was enthralled.  Truly.  I just remember the intensity of it, and the tears that I couldn't hold back at the end.  It's such a beautiful story and I wanted to see it again. So, I begged and begged and finally got tickets!

I got to take two dear friends, since Mr. Porkchop is disinclined to appreciate sitting in an audience like this.  So, I decided that we would make it truly awesome and a day that none of us would forget.  I told them that I would take care of everything and just to show up at my house at 11 for departure.  When they arrived, THIS was parked out front.

Who needs to drive themselves to NYC, when we have a friend with a stretch Expedition Limo?  Awwww, yeah.  I packed us up some yummy food and we hopped in for the trip up.  It was the best decision, ever!  Thank you, David!!

The show was even more amazing than I remembered.  Spending the day with these girls and seeing such an amazing show was the best birthday, ever.  

But, the best weekend wasn't over yet!!

Sunday morning brought warm temperatures (finally, but unfortunately not permanently) and sunny skies.  So, obviously, a bike ride was in order!  I hit the road with my favorite little Jersey contingent of pedalers and we did 40 gorgeous miles.  We laughed, we avoided ginormous potholes, and we spotted a splendidly beautiful bald eagle.  It was a great ride.  

Tonight, my friend Sara comes by for dinner.  Sharing yummy noms on a warm Sunday evening with the windows open and fresh air coming through the house.  

Perfect end to a perfect weekend.

Upping My Game

As the weather continues to thwart any hope of getting outside on the bike - I admit that it's possible to do so, but bundling up like the Michelin man just to risk sliding out on a patch of black ice in February makes zero sense to me - I'm lucky to have teammates that are willing to suffer away in a variety of indoor locations.  In the past two weeks, I've trained at Twenty20 - the BEST shop around - my living room, my training center, and in my bed - I had a phenomenal race related dream the other night.

I continue to feel stronger each day.  I am working with my really awesome PT again to increase my flexibility and strengthen my leg.  So far, I'm feeling like we're on the road to somewhere good...the road to a place where I can hop into a race, suffer with the best of them, and come out unscathed on the other side.

I'm looking forward to the start of the Spring Series races.  Not because I'm super anxious to race again, but because I'm looking forward to being with the team, with friends from other teams, and just back into what feels comfortable.  Yeah, I guess I am a bit excited to race again.

I've been thinking a lot about my goals for this year.  They are, in fact, quite simple.

- Race injury free.  Accidents happen.  Sorry, Mom, but it's a fact of what I love to do.  But, they are also avoidable.  I have a good sense for sketchy riders and situations and I've avoided plenty of crashes due to simply being observant and aware.  I will hone that skill with ninja prowess this year.

- Race for my team.  With the past two seasons fraught with injury and just crappy luck, this year will be the year of the team.  The year that I set aside everything and just focus on being the best leadout rider I can be.  The best field controller, the best break shutter-downer, the best chaser, and the best teammate that I can be.  It's going to be all about listening to what the other girls need and doing everything in my power to make that happen.

- Be happy with whatever happens.  I will stay positive and I will let nothing bring me down.  No one.  No thing.  Nothing.  So, if you're planning to come my way with any sort of negativity... I would advise you do redirect course and go elsewhere, because the Chop ain't having it this year!  Only good. Only happy.  Only positive.

Knock, Knock. Who's there? WINTER.

So, it's winter.

Just in case you didn't know.  Or, in case you've been holed up so nice and warmly inside your home that you haven't noticed the snow outside.  Again.

I'm not complaining, really.  After all, it is winter.  And, as a midwestern Michigander, I am well aware that winter means snow.  Lots of snow.  Just after I was born, in fact... this happened.

The great Michigan Blizzard of 19-something or other.

And, though I do not remember that particular storm, I have old family photos of me as a child, bundled up in the best early 80s snowsuit we could find, standing next to piles of snow in the driveway that were over 6 feet tall.  We used to have to stand out in the street and direct the car out of the drive because you couldn't see beyond the shoveled snow.  And, we nearly always had school.  Snow was just part of what we dealt with living in a northern state.  Though, I do remember school being canceled one day because the wind chill was 40 below zero.  That was a rough day.

Now, this post isn't designed to be "see how tough we were and how wimpy we are now."  Trust me, I don't like snow.  If I had my way, I'd be living somewhere with a 50-60 degree average temperature and no real wintery temps.  However, in a certain way, I'm really pleased with the wintery weather we've been having.  Though it may not be for the reason you expect...

See... I'm a tad bit behind in my training this year!  And, past "winters" have come and gone with lows in the 40s, not a drop of real wintery precipitation, and cyclists out on the roads training throughout.  This year, though... everyone's stuck on a trainer!  This is good news for someone like me, who is just starting to get down to brass tacks on the bike.  I'm not saying that I'll be with my peers when the first race rolls around - I'm certain that this year will be weekend after weekend of struggle.  But, I'm also pretty sure that I'll be less behind this year than I would have if we'd had a nice warmish winter.  

So, here we are... in the mid-Atlantic region where we have gorgeous springs and falls, lovely temperate summers, and winter.  So, Winter... do your thang.  Just stop doing soon, ok?  I miss the roads!

xoxo,
Choppah

The Day The Choppah Saw Her Shadow

So, I know that today is supposed to be all about the Groundhog.  But, I'd rather tell you a story about another hog-like beastie...

Ever since that fateful day in June, things have been a bit rough - physically speaking.  Though the initial pain of that crash was felt in the shredded muscles in my shoulder, the true injury was hiding itself away in my back.  The herniated disc was just laying in wait to screw up my 2013 season as bad as that damn pothole did in 2012.  But, the past is the past.  It's 2014 and it's time to put this surgery to the test!

Today, the Porkchop saw her shadow...atop her beloved bike...surrounded by some of the nicest and most awesomest people alive.

OK - I will stop talking about myself in the 3rd person now... totally freaky.

I found myself up early this morning.  Partially because the stoopy cats kept meowing outside the bedroom door and partially because I was so damn excited to be heading out for my first outdoor ride in over 5 months!

I donned my schnuggly warm VERGE leg warmers, ate my green eggs and rice, and got ready for the day.

It was beautiful out there.  Chilly but sunny, and surrounded by the Bordas, Hauber, and the Action Wheels crew, I felt comfortable, safe, and just really freakin' happy.  We did 45 miles.  Other than an exploding deraillure, it was an fantastically uneventful ride!  It was so awesome to be back on roads that I love and pedaling felt good and smooth and natural.

Perhaps the most wonderful part of my day was being reminded how absolutely miserable I would be without teammates.  As we are pedaling along, Kristin (who hasn't left my side since the ride began) says, "Are you getting a lot of wind on that side (of the paceline)?"  I said, "A little."  She says, "Do you want to switch sides?"  I say, "Nah, that's ok."  It's quiet for a moment and she says, "You know what, I'm not giving you a choice.  Switch sides with me."  So, I do... only to realize that I was working pretty daggon hard on that windy side of the road.  For the rest of the ride, she protected me from the wind like I was Mark Cavendish saving every last ounce of energy for a sprint on the Champs-Élysées.  It was so amazing.  Every time we turned a corner, she'd check the wind and make me swap sides with her.

THIS.  THIS is what teammates do for one another.

Oh, yeah... and they make the most delicious pancakes in the world post ride.

 PAMCAKES!!!  With REAL Maple Syrup from New Hampshire.

And, let you pet their cute kitty...

And puppy...

I don't know where I'd be without teammates and friends like those that I have right now.  I'd be a lot less happy, I can tell you that much.  

The Never-ending Weekend

I've been wondering this a bit myself lately.  See, I thought weekends included Saturday and Sunday.  On occasion, of course, they can include a Friday or a Monday - see Long Weekend.  But, never, ever should they include Tuesdays.  

But, here I am...sitting at home on a Tuesday - the fourth day of my weekend.  

Now, I'm sure a lot of you are sitting there thinking...what the hell are you complaining about, Porkchop?!  But, here's the thing.  I'm bored.  Yep, I said it.  I am bored.  I've already taken care of all of my schoolwork for the rest of the week.  Assuming that we have a "rest of the week," mind you.  With this happening...

WINTER STORM JANUS

...who knows when we'll be able to leave the house for bread and milk again.

And hey... when the hell did we start naming snow storms?  I mean, I understand naming things like Hurricanes and stuff.  But, snow storms?!  What the heck?  It's just a snow storm, people.  Yes, it fouls up traffic and closes schools, but it's not going to wipe out the eastern seaboard or turn New York city into this:

And, you know... if it does... I welcome all of the "I told you so" comments to this post that you can muster.

Until then... shovel your walks, salt your steps for the Postal carrier, build a snowman or a snow angel (depending on the packable quality of the snow), drink some wine, schnuggle with your honey, and hope that Wednesday becomes Monday and not Sunday #3.  

Cheers, folks!

Back in the Saddle... AGAIN!

I got back on my bike this week!

Yeah, you heard me!  I pedaled!  

WOO HOO!

Now, I didn't pedal much, or fast, or hard, or anything like that.  But, I pedaled.  And, the best part?  ZERO pain.  None.  Zilch.  Nada.  None while I was riding and none afterwards.  

I cannot thank everyone enough.  My friends, my family, my amazing husband, my doctors, my PT... the list goes on and on.  Without everyone's support, this would have been one hell of a few weeks.  Instead, it's been tough but well worth it.  

In short, surgery was the best thing I could have done.  I expect to be back out there with my team, riding and racing and enjoying life. 

Awwww, yeah!!

The Healing Continues

Hey there...

I haven't posted in a while.  That was mainly due to the fact that I was trying to heal.  And, the process was going pretty slowly.

In fact, last Wednesday, I was laying on the couch - hurting quite a bit - and Mr. Porkchop looked at me and said, "Are you ok?"  Fighting back tears, I just said, "No." and closed my eyes.  I knew not to expect the pain to disappear immediately, but after nearly 3 weeks, I was beginning to get a little depressed.

And then... it happened... I woke up exactly 3 weeks after surgery and I felt better.  I went to the gym and walked on the treadmill.  Only for one mile and not too fast, but I walked.  I then went to work and got my new office ready.

I was anticipating coming home and feeling the pain.  I thought for sure, "I've done too much today."  But then, I got home.  And, I felt ok.  When I got up the next morning, I still felt ok.

I went back to the gym and walked for 1.5 miles.  Still good.

The next day, I did 2 miles.

The next day, I did 2 miles FASTER.

There's still some pain, don't get me wrong.  We went to a movie last night and by the end, my leg was on fire.  But, a few seconds after standing up, the pain dissipated and was gone.  In short, I think that I've finally turned a corner towards full recovery.

A huge thank you again to the surgical staff at Atlas Spine and Virtua Mount Holly.  Amazing, amazing all around.

Thanks to everyone who checked in, came by to say hi, sent lovely messages and notes, and just generally sent warm thoughts.  It helped.  I swear!

Tomorrow, I go back to work.  I start officially as Department Head and am hoping for a great couple of years in that position.

Soon, I will be back on the bike.  I will take it easy, I will go slowly.  But, I will smile for every mile I get to pedal!

5 days later...

So, the surgery was last week.  It went well and I'm happy to say that I'm up and moving pretty decently and, as of today, I've taken a shower and decided that I no longer need the pain meds.  I'm still wearing my back brace and taking things as easy as I can, but I'm feeling good and definitely on the road to solid recovery.

There's still a bit of pain in my rump and leg on occasion, but I was told that this was expected and to give the nerves some time to relax and stop firing.  Even then, the pain that I feel there is minimal and occasional, so I'm sure that it will subside over time.

As for the surgery itself... Virtua in Mount Holly was great!  They took such awesome care of me and I'm so pleased with how everything went.  There were only a few bumps along the way - like when they tried to put the IV into the back of my hand.  That was a major no-go.  OUCH.  The bruise I'm now sporting there is my favorite shade of purple and covers the entire back of my hand.  It's pretty rad.

And, then there was the long drive home that culminated in my gastro-pyrotechnical display out the window.  Let me tell you... sedation meds plus a lot of stop and go rush hour traffic = NOTHING GOOD!!

Other than that, things have been going pretty well.  The first two days were pretty painful.  It was hard to get up from or down to a laying position.  But, today, I can pretty easily get up and down as I wish.

Taking a shower was a glorious thing.  It feels so good to have washed hair!  :)  And, if that's my biggest joy of the day today, I'll take it!

Thanks for all of the awesome messages and such!  I can't wait to be back at work, on the bike, and just out and about with all of you!

Twas the Night Before Surgery

Twas the night before surgery
and all through the place
Not a kitteh was stirring
while I stuffed my face

The appointment was set for 2 pm the next day
In the hopes that the pain will soon all go away...

Later on I'll be nestled all snug in my bed
While visions of long bike rides dance in my head.

The phone calls and texts have made me feel great
Amazing to have so much love on my plate

I'm excited and nervous and ready to rock
Can't wait to wake up from the ol' chopping block

For now I'll get ready for meal number three
And hope that tomorrow I don't have to pee

But for now I'll exclaim as I hydrate all night,
Thank you to all, it will all be all right!

7 days...

168 hours
10,080 minutes
604,800 seconds

Give or take a few hours. 

Bring it on.

While I'm excited about the surgery and getting to healing up, I'm even more excited about the fact that my sister, brother-in-law, and niece are going to be visiting for a few days before Christmas!

I'm very lucky in that my sister married a guy from the same basic area as the dear Mr. Porkchop.  It's a totally strange coincidence and the two of them met while they were in grad school in Utah.  But, it's an AWESOME coincidence, because it means that they come out here to visit his family and then we get to visit, too. 

They'll be spending a few days with us and I'm THRILLED about it!  I was just hoping for one day so that we could visit with the little munchkin and have Christmas.  Now, we're going to get 3 days with them!  Yippee skippy! 

So, between the surgery and their arrival, I've got about 5 days to recover.  Recover and plan some awesome meals!!  After all, family visits are all about eating, drinking, and playing cards, right?!?

You Can Love Your Pets...

Just don't LOVE your pets!!

It's true.  I married the crazy cat man.  Anyone who goes back to look at this blog will notice that over the past 14 years, we've slowly (sometimes not so slowly) accumulated a house full of little four legged furry faces.  We love these little dudes - even when they fight with one another, or puke in a shoe, or otherwise cause mild amounts of chaos.  They are our family.  When people look at me like I'm nuts over the fact that I don't have kids (normal sized human being children), I realize that they don't see these little balls of fluff as we do.  They ARE our kids.

To understand why people can throw away their animals (literally, in some cases) is an effort in futility for us.  Which is why we've been volunteering with the local shelter for the past few years.  In many ways, this further enhances our kitten hoarding instinct, as we sometimes foster pets.  One of those fosters never left our home and is now our youngest and sweetest and most adorably annoying Harvey. She's my absolute doll and I can't imagine not having her as part of the brood.  Most of the time, though... we foster for a couple of days or weeks and then send the little one off to a new family.

We've gotten better at just helping at the shelter and not bringing any home with us, Mom... just so you know!!

For Thanksgiving, we went over to help walk the dogs, play with the kittens and cats, and take some photos for an upcoming art project fundraiser that is in the works.

If you're looking for a new family member this holiday.  A little pup to keep your feet warm on chilly days, or a sweet chocolate-colored kitten to plop on your lap and purr to his little heart's content, here are a few kids looking for furever homes at the Almost Home Animal Shelter!

 This is Rex.  He is one of the sweetest boys you'll ever meet.  He's a strong boy, but he's an absolute lover.  He's got beautiful coloration, his brown coat is infused with gray brindling.  Very handsome.

These photos are of the puppy Clara!  She's a husky-shepherd mix who came into the shelter with her mom.  Her mom has already been adopted, but Clara is still waiting to go to her new home.  

Oh, Benji... This little Shiba Inu is a sweet guy.  And, he's inquisitive and fun-loving and a real foxy looker!

This is Noel.  She came in to the shelter with some pups.  Her puppies have all been adopted, and Noel is hoping that her holiday themed name will inspire someone to take her home with them this Christmas!

KITTENS!!  Who doesn't love kittens!  These little guys are part of a HUGE influx of kittens and cats at the shelter in the past few days due to hoarding situations and just the standard seasonal load of animals.  They are siamese breed mixes - as you can tell.   

This is one of two "office dogs" at the shelter.  Office dogs are typically those that need a little special attention while they're at the shelter.  In Allie's case, it's that she has alopecia!  This means, she has some trouble with hair loss and itching.  She's improved leaps and bounds since arriving at the shelter, and just needs a bit of extra care to keep her itching and hair loss under control.   

Mr. Booger...the other office dog came in to the shelter with a fractured leg and pelvis - very likely from being hit by a car.  He's an adorably scruffy little Shitzu mix with a very sweet disposition.  He loves to be scratched while sitting square between your feet.  With a little grooming and continued care, Booger will be up and running with the best of them!  

This is Crunch.  Crunchy is a very large lab/pit mix.  When I say large, I really do mean that he's a BIG guy.  But, if you have room in your heart, your house, and your yard for Crunchy, he's also got a big and wonderfully awesome personality!  He LOVES to jump - and boy, can he jump!  

This is Raven.  My best model for the day, Raven is a super sweet pit mix.  She's quite well trained and sits and stays (sorta!) on command.  She's a very smart and beautiful girl who would make a wonderful companion!  Plus, look at those EARS!!

These two sweet kittens are the most gorgeous chocolate colored kittens I've ever seen!!  The little girl up top is a beautiful chocolate tortoiseshell cat.  She's apparently got some siamese in her, she's very tall and thin with a pointed face.  Her coloration is stunning and she's a favorite around the shelter.  The boy in the bottom photo is entirely chocolate brown.  His fur feels like velvet and just to make sure that he's got a little extra something-something for all the folks looking for a beautiful and unique kitty, he's also polydactyl!  We tried to get a shot here of his extra toes, but it didn't work very well!  

So, this holiday, when your heart starts to whisper that it wants a little fuzzy companion to love and squeeze and dote on for the rest of that little pup or kitten's life, stop by Almost Home.  These animals need and want to be loved.  

This has been a public service announcement from The Porkchop household to yours!  

Happy Holidays!

Phew... a long weekend

So, the semester is nearing its conclusion.  I can tell.  My snark level is at an all time high.

Mind you, I'm not snarky with my classes or students.  At this time of the semester, I'm actually getting all misty eyed about our time together coming to an end.  I'm happy about the progress that I've seen in so many of them and getting excited by their own end of the year ennui.  Turns out, a lot of them actually think I'm not so awful!

But, with other things... I find myself stepping back from major snark attacks.  In fact, I just stepped back from my biggest snark attack of the day... a scathing blog post!  LOL!

Nope, not gonna do it.

Instead, I will listen to some Michael Jackson, moon walk across my office, and pack my stuff for a long weekend of food and fun!

Happy Thanksgiving, Folks!!

Change is Good?

I've been hearing an interesting response lately.  It's a response to the following acknowledgment and comes across as an odd mixture between a statement and a question.  The conversation generally goes something like this...

"So, I hear that you're going to be Department Chair in January."

"Yep."

"Congratulations...?"

There's always that little question mark at the end.  It's rather cute, and I totally understand where it's coming from.  But, yes, it's true.  I'm going to be Department Chair for the next two years.  I'm excited about it.  And nervous.  And excited.  But, mostly just anxious.  I want to do a good job.  I want to make the department proud.  I want to do right by my colleagues, by my institution, and by me.  It's important that I remain ME throughout this process.

I knew that this would come my way eventually.  After the completion of my degree and the current chair's embarkation upon his own PhD journey, I knew that it was time for him to step down.  I imagined that it was likely to be my turn to step up.

So, here we are.  At the start of the new year, I'll be moving to a new office, taking on a new set of responsibilities, and, hopefully, do the best job that I can do.

A Silent Film

No, not this type of silent film...

THIS type of A Silent Film.

On Friday evening, just prior to walking up to the show from a lovely dinner in Chinatown (to be further discussed at a later date, perhaps), I was informed that I was going to see a hipster band.  I was unsure how that was supposed to work.  Did that mean that I was a hipster and was unaware of the fact?  Did it mean I would be surrounded by hipsters at the show?  Did it mean that the members of the band were, in fact, hipsters themselves?  It was all very confusing.

Nonetheless, JeanneMarie and I went to the show and thoroughly enjoyed it!  The band was great.  They didn't play a very long set, and I left wishing that I had heard a few more of my favs, but all in all, it was a fine show for an up and coming band.

And, just to be clear, I did attempt to make judgments upon my fellow concert goers as to what social category they might best fit (hipster, Gen X'ers, punks, neo-punks, etc.) and I was again at a loss.  I wasn't able to count more tight pant wearing men than usual, there were the standard handful of post-middle-aged folks, and the two blondes who stood behind us screaming about new boots or something during the majority of the show.

So, I don't know... you tell me... am I an unconscious hipster?

And So It Goes...

T-minus 37 days and counting.

37 days.

That sounds like a long time. 

It's really not.

I know that it will be here before I know it.

What's in 37 days, you ask?  My surgery.

Yep, that's right.  Decision made.  I have tried everything possible to fix this issue in a way that gives me back my life - hell, I'd be willing to get back just a portion of it, if I thought a conservative method was going to work - but it's just not working.  I REFUSE to be on any kind of meds or painkillers, therapy isn't doing any real good, and the only thing that relieves the pain is if I sit around inactively for a few days.  Now, if my goal in life included never exercising another day in my life, I guess I'd be content to just let it go.

But, y'all know me way better than that. 

So, it's in the surgeon's hands.  I'm putting my faith in my future as an athlete and as a healthy woman in the capable hands of one of the regions best spinal surgeons.  I trust him.  Completely. 

I feel REALLY good about this decision.  Despite the few individuals who still feel the need to tell me horror stories about their experiences (or those of their wives, cousins, brothers, dogs, etc.), I KNOW that this is the right choice. 

So, for anyone tempted to inform me of the massive mistake I am making and scold me for being "so hasty" in considering this evil option.... just can it.  I'm not interested. 

If you want to talk to me about the situation and find out more about why I'm choosing this, let me know. 

A HUGE thank you to my amazing husband, family, and dear, dear friends who are standing by me in this.  I cannot say how important it is to know that there are so many people out there rooting for me and believing in this with me. 

37 days... 

...And counting.