3500 miles right on the nose, baby!

That's right, people! As of this evening, I completed the mileage goal of hitting 3500 miles for the year before the end of September! All y'all down south will understand this: Wooooooo!

Not that I'm going to stop riding or anything, particularly not since I finally got some winter cycling boots, but feeling obligated to ride EVERY DAY for the last several weeks to make up for the miles missed on our trip to Seattle was really crimping my style...though in reality I really probably needed that kind of kick in the tuckus, if I'm really being honest with myself. No, cycling is definitely NOT over for the year, but up here in MN September is typically the end of comfortably warm cycling weather, so Uber-Hubby & I figure that anything we get after that is gravy.

In other fun cycling news, apparently my step daughter, age 10.5, has FINALLY learned to ride a bike. U-H and I tried repeatedly to teach her in years past, even going to the point of bribery, taking her to our fave bike shop and telling her we'd buy her whatever cool bike she wanted, all to no avail. She just wasn't interested, and our dreams of taking her on some cool family cycling vacation seemed dashed forever. Seriously...We wanted to take her cycling in France for some big occasion (16th birthday, high school graduation, whatever), but we knew it was a real long shot the day she managed to crash (badly) on training wheels and screamed bloody murder at the mere mention of the slightest of downhills. She lives with her mom & stepdad out near Seattle now though, and we got a call tonight saying that she borrowed her friend's bike and blew her mom's mind by riding up and down the street, down a hill, over speed bumps, etc.

We don't have her with us here in Mankato very often, but thankfully we are friends with the guys down at ReBike, so we should always be able to borrow something suitable for her to ride. Hope springs eternal, right?

In the meantime, what are YOU doing to get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Sarah Palin Will Bill You For Your Rape Kit

She did it as Mayor of Wasilla, AK, saving the city's taxpayers an estimated $5,000 to $14,000 per year, according to this article. Imagine the savings if she were able to orchestrate something similar on a national scale?

Yikes.

Large Fella on a Bike: the man, the myth, the legend

Amy and LFOAB
Originally uploaded by deplaqer

So...Uber-Hubby and I made it up to Minneapolis for the Babes in Bikeland alleycat race, in which I'm proud to say I did NOT finish last. U-H's job was to photographically document the event, the results of which you can see by clicking over to his Flickr page.

This particular photo was taken at the after party, where I'm posing with none other than Large Fella On A Bike HIMSELF, Scott Cutshall. After reading his blog on a regular basis for months now and being so amazed and pleased about his weight loss and healthy living success, it was a real pleasure to finally get to meet the actual person. We had a very nice chat, and he's got exactly the kind of warm personality I thought he would have. Too bad it was too late at night to meet his adorable daughter.

Here are more of U-H's pix of me at the event. In the first, I'm just finishing with the Peavy Plaza stop on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis. I had to run down those stairs and do a chicken pose/dance to earn the stamp for this stop. In the second, I'm riding down the alley behind One On One bike shop, ready for the after party and seriously happy to not be last. In the third photo, I'm posing there in the alley with my bag of goodies provided by one of the event's many generous sponsors.

Ticker Update: Babes in Bikeland

Technically, no change in the weight department, if you only look at "official Saturday weigh in" data. That doesn't show the +4 then -4 swing I went through this week. I feel good about my food and exercise, and in fact I had a 1500+ calorie deficit for about 5 out of 7 days, so you would think that I would have lost SOMETHING. Water retention is SUCH a bitch. Also, given recent issues with occasional insomnia, erratic body temperature (not what I would call a true hot flash, but definitely too cold one minute and too hot to sleep the next), and newly onset irregularity of my monthly cycle (used to be like clockwork), there is the distinct possibility that I am pre-menopausal.

EAR MUFFS for the little ones....

That just f-ing SUCKS. I'm only 38 years old, and I'm not quite ready for the Old Sailor Chicks' Home (still planning that, Christina?), but according to my mother (the 11th of 12 kids, half of which are female), some of the women on her side of the family have entered this phase of their lives relatively early. Sigh.

On a more positive note...




Nearly there! I will add more mileage tonight by riding in my first ever Alley Cat race up in Minneapolis. Babes in Bikeland is an all female race in it's second year. An Alley Cat is where you get a manifest at the beginning that lists a bunch of stops you have to make and stamps or tidbits of info you have to gather. You get an hour or so to map your own route through the city, and whoever makes it to the end first gets a sweet custom messenger bag. There's usually all kinds of free stuff given out by sponsors, so lots of people stand a decent chance of getting something. Uber Hubby was specifically requested to come up and take event pix, hence our attendance and my decision to participate. Apparently he's gained a reputation for quality bike photography, not to mention the fact that HIS photo actually determined the official result of last year's Stupor Bowl. You won't catch me riding in that one...It's held on the same weekend as the real Super Bowl, only it goes from bar to bar and there's a category for the drunkest rider to make it to the finish. No, tonight's event is much more my speed. If all goes well, maybe I'll even bring the Pink Taco bike next year. For my first one however, I'm sticking with the tried and true Blue Giant.

While I'm doing that, why don't YOU get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

Campbell Brown...Tell It, Sister!

You just have to love someone who lays it out like this. Spot on commentary re: the current financial crisis and proposed bailout.

Baby steps

It's been a long time coming, but I'm in the process of designing a training plan for the New Prague Half Marathon, which is set for May 9, 2009. I haven't actually signed up and paid for the race yet, partly because they haven't got that part of their website changed over from the 2008 race, but also because I want to see how my training progresses first. I'm not too worried about the shin splints and/or stress fracture I had last year, but my knees seem WAY weaker than they ever used to be, and I'm a little concerned about that. I did one little 30 minute jog yesterday and felt fine, but this morning I can definitely feel it. How do you get from a 30 minute walk/jog around the block to successful completion of a 13.1 mile half marathon? Baby steps, people...baby steps.

Why would I commit myself to something like this, you ask? Well, variety is the spice of life, right? I've spent the last two summers doing almost nothing for cardio except riding my bike, and I think I need to mix things up a little. These days, I've got ice hockey at least once a week, body conditioning classes at the YMCA, cycling, and now my training for this race. I do NOT plan to repeat the same mistake that I made last year when trying to get ready for the Breast Cancer Half Marathon. I had that pain in my lower right leg for months before finally asking my doctor about it, and by the time I was told that I needed to lay off running for 6 weeks, my training for the race was totally derailed and there went my nice little break from the Minnesota winter. That race was in February in beautiful, sunny Florida. Uber-Hubby was even going to do it with me. Sigh.

Now that we're on different insurance down here in Mankato, they have no idea that I'm really not due for my annual stuff until the end of November. I think I need to go ahead and do it now so that I can address any potential knee issues ASAP...Also before I actually pay for the race. At least my money for the last one went to Breast Cancer research.

Speaking of which, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please also make sure to celebrate Feel Your Boobies Week during 10-17 October.

R.I.P. Karin Harrell
My friend Karin was only 34 when she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and fought it for 5 long years before it finally took her life in July 2008. She left behind two small children and a husband ill-prepared to care for them and get through his own grieving process. Her friends and family miss her dearly.

Get a mammogram and learn how to Feel Your Boobies properly.

After that, get off the couch and
Pedal Your Fat Ass Off

MS Challenge Walk 2008 photos available on Flickr

Cow Flag
Originally uploaded by GnomeCrossing

Finally got all the pix from this year's event loaded onto my Flickr account, complete with descriptions. Please click over and take a look, and feel free to add any comments you may have.