Plans Change

I was going to set out for a long ride, but thunderstorms were forecasted. Instead, I weight trained for 75 minutes - it's been a while - and I pulled up some grass where my garden was going to reside, now resides . . . yes, I know it's late. The gardening caused me to sweat bullets, even though I didn't feel hot, or even warm. Interesting.

I showered and moved on to a partial movie. I proceeded to, yes, you guessed it, KBC (Keweenaw Brewing Company for you rookies) for good times with good friends. Oh, and I knew I could pay my teammates, Chris and Tammi, for my entry to the 12 Hours of Potluck in Marquette. Yeah, you saw right through me. That was just an excuse to go drink beer.

It is the Strawberry Festival in Chassell, this weekend. If I can get the money that is owed me for the sale of my horse, I will ride out there to get it, then head on to Chassell for the festival. I will then finish the ride, shower, and proceed to KBC for good times with good friends. ;-)

Planning

My parents have been visiting this week. That's part of the reason why I haven't been riding. They're leaving bright and early, tomorrow morning. What does this mean? It means I'm riding my bike tomorrow.

My plan is to ride to Michigan Tech, do some loops, and ride back. I'm packing a lunch and plenty of water and Heed. Hopefully, it won't rain.

Weight Loss 10

I saw one of the Bridget Jones movies, today [again]. They're fun movies, and it always blows my mind how Renee Zellweger managed to gain thirty pounds, and then lose it, more than once . . . successfully.

Yes, I know she has professional everythings helping her along, but there has to be a way that I can lose my fifteen pounds. Oh, wait! There is!

It's called my ten hour rule. I must ride ten hours a week. I haven't been doing that, but I've had good weight weeks when I hit at least eight hours. I haven't ridden this week - my week starts on Monday - so I have some catching up to do. I've been splitting wood for the last couple days, and tomorrow is another wood day. Yes, winter will be here and I want dry, perfect little cuts of wood for my stove.

I plan to start riding on Friday, again. I'm going to put in a long mountain bike ride. I might even ride to Michigan Tech and do a ride there. With the return trip, I could be out four hours. I better pack a lunch for the ride home.

A Di Day

We live in such a society where it is beyond the understanding of many that God simply wants us to slow down. In such a society where multi-tasking, economy, efficiency, and so on are paramount to our role as citizens, we have no idea how to not do anything. Even when we are completely wasteful of our time, producing absolutely nothing besides excess fat, we consume our minds with stimuli from video games, televisions, phones, and iPods. How many people actually take the time to notice how a sunbeam on an ordinary brick wall can bring a smile to their face and allow their heart a little leap of joy?

If you haven't already noticed, I have had a very special day. I decided to make it a "Di day." Sure, I've done this in the past, but none have been quite as successful as today. Even while climbing the last, brutal hill homeward, I found myself smiling as an audible giggle slipped out. Cycling does this to me.

I set out at 2:20, with a backpack containing a pair of sandals, a long-sleeved shirt, if needed, a cycling rain jacket for the predicted scattered showers that never occurred, a phone, money, camera, and hairbrush that was never used, but already in the bag.

Like many of my fellow citizens, I am quite focused on the end and hardly ever notice the means. Today, I chose to somewhat blindly head to Houghton in search of something to do. I really didn't know what. I took my time riding to Hancock. It was very windy all day and I wasn't in the mood to fight it, so I lollygagged a little on my ride. The direction of the wind allowed me to coast through Hancock while braking because the traffic was going slower than my bike. I actually considered passing the cars, but chose to hold my course. I rode around Houghton for a while and meandered over to Michigan Tech and up Sharon Avenue in search of a twist ice cream cone at Dairy Queen. For the first time, ever, I patiently sat in front of the DQ, slowly circling my tongue around the ice cream as I ate it slowly, taking the time to taste it. I felt calm as I enjoyed the view of the sun shining against the strip mall on the green hill across the street.




Michigan Tech and Houghton from the Hancock side of the canal.

Life is short. Eat dessert first. That's exactly what I did. I repeated my roundabout course as I rode back to Michigan Tech only to reverse direction and head back to downtown Houghton. I locked up my bike across the street from The Library and headed in for a long dining experience. I special-ordered a small basil and tomato pizza and drank a few cups of coffee as I slipped into a trance produced my leisurely eighteen mile ride. I said my goodbyes to The Library staff and slipped back onto my bike and headed for the Portage Lift Bridge to journey homeward.



Views of Mont Ripley and Hancock from the Houghton side of the canal.

As I crossed the ridge, a black car with a bike rack, heading for Hancock, honked and the driver waved to me causing me to smile. I have no idea who was in that car. All I saw was a hand. However, they left me full of pride and joy. How fortunate I am to live in such a community. Every time I commute, someone recognizes my bright, green Jake the Snake and they honk or yell my name. Having lived in communities where people were less than eager to greet one-another, or welcome a new member into the community, I absolutely recognize the grace God has given me by placing me in such a warm community where so many people have a strong bond with one-another simply because of a simplistic invention called the bicycle.


Portage Lift Bridge and Hancock.



Quincy mine.

I happily rolled home, and even enjoyed my long climb up White Street and US-41 – the dreaded Quincy Hill – without failing to notice how the sun shone above the cities creating a beautiful, lush appearance around the deep blue Portage Canal as waves thrashed about in the wind.

The newly-formed leaves on the trees created a spectacular view as I rolled closer to home. I felt strong, accomplished, happy. I continued to smile. My heart did flips.


The road home.


This is what I came home to.

Anticipatory Housework

I got quite a bit done, today, including a drivetrain clean and lube. I've been doing a lot of cleaning, some rearranging, and some unpacking from last year's move. Lots needs to be done. Until last week, my screened-in porch was more of a storage area than anything. Now, it's being transformed into party central for the post-Keweenaw Chain Drive Red Jacket party. My house still needs some work, and it's almost there.

While I was running around, finding a home for this and that, Cori was chilling out on the couch like a typical dachshund. Life is so hard. Her only real exercise was when I hopped on my mountain bike and I rode out the mailbox, dachshunds in hot pursuit.


Unlike me, Cori doesn't snore when she lies on her back.

I have a group ride scheduled for 10:00 a.m. I get to rush home, clean some more, shower, don my race kit, and head off to the Red Jacket spaghetti dinner followed by the Bridgefest parade. The Red Jackets are following the Trekkers, the local cycling club with which most of the team is involved, in the parade.

I hope I get everything done!

Exercise Is a Benefit of Commuting

One of the first things I noticed when I began commuting by bike is the lack of guilt I would often feel when I chose not to ride after work. This is probably because I got my ride in on my way to and from work. Go figure.

My work place is only about six miles away, and school is eleven. Even though it takes longer to get to school and work, I am actually saving time because I am getting my exercise when I would usually be sitting in the car driving. My biggest fear in giving up my vehicle was the big hill I have to climb.


Di riding to Copper Harbor, a trip that will hopefully be made many times this year.

There is an elevation change of several hundred feet on my way home from school. During the first couple weeks, I had to take a roundabout way up the hill that resulted in four miles of continuous climbing. In just one month of bicycle commuting, I noticed considerable changes in my speed and climbing ability. Suddenly, I found myself tackling hills I thought I would have to walk up. Now, I look at all these hills with the confidence that I can, and will, ride them.

It is simply amazing the fitness gains I made just from riding my bike for transportation. I consider commuting just one more little perk to my cycling life.

With Freedom Comes Uncertainty

It's truly amazing how we often wish for the freedom to do whatever we want. For most of you reading this blog, that would be riding your bike.

It looks as if my financial aid is nonexistent for the summer semester at Tech. This is going to force me to withdraw from summer classes because don't I really have $4,000 just floating around somewhere. I wish I did. That would rock. I'd go back to Fruita! (I don't claim to be a responsible spender!)

With my almost newfound freedom, one question keeps resurfacing: what am I gonna do? I will continue to take call and work random shifts at the hospital, but my hours are so sparse that it doesn't really seem like a commitment. With summer comes vacations, though. Even filling in for others' vacation time, I am still going to have a lot of free time. So what do I do with it?

Allow me to state the obvious. I will ride my bikes. All three of them. I will continue to road ride, and work on my cyclocross skills and anaerobic fitness, and I will do LOTS of mountain biking. I will also do a lot of trail work. I love trail day. This should be a fun summer.

Knowing how time-consuming my bike habit is, I know that I don't have a lot of free time. That's why work got in the way. ;-) However, on the eve of my two final exams, I'm not only worrying about how I'll do on those, but I'm worrying about how my summer will turn out.

I'm sure I'll have a plan by next week.

Distractions Must Go

It's not that I don't want to bike, it's that I keep putting it off.

I planned to eat breakfast yesterday and go for a ride two hours afterward. I postponed the ride for another hour or hour and a half. Why? Because I was too busy "Interneting" and watching TV. Ok. It's time to re-assess the situation and make the appropriate "rules."

My friend, Sandee, makes rules she follows to help her with goals. For example, one of her money saving rules is "no spending money on unnecessary things for the first six months of the year" - no clothes, no DVDs, no nothing. I've found that rules help me as well.

There are a couple of distractions in my life that need to be addressed, so I'm going to abide by the following rules this summer:

1. Internet surfing only in the evening after the bike has been taken for a ride. The dogs should probably be walked, too.

2. I am allowed to watch two hours of TV in the afternoon after I have ridden my bike. (Sensing a theme here?)

3. TV is to be shut off when my designated shows are not on. This is to promote my "no new shows" rule of last year. I've done a great job not taking up new shows on Primetime, probably because I don't get cable or antenna. However, I've taken up old favorites such as Simon and Simon and Miami Vice because I wouldn't shut the TV off. I didn't even used to like Miami Vice. Fortunately, it doesn't take long to get through reruns of reruns. I'd be glued to The Tudors if I had Cinemax. I love that show.

4. No new shows. Even the old ones.

5. This next one will be very hard. MMBA only once a day before bed. This is my biggest distraction. The lesson I learned today is, never surf the MMBA forum while everyone else is at work. New posts keep popping up and, before you know it, you've spent four hours online and you've skipped class.

Less Internet and television. Those are my goals. :-)