Ride, Fat Chick, Ride!

Doot Doot Doot

2010-06-17T18:14:00.001-05:00

Hotter than hell the past few weeks. Bah. Dang Texas! Working on constructing a pet water contraption using empty 2 liter plastic bottles. That way, we can ensure pooch and felines stay hydrated when hanging out in the backyard. The dog still doesn't like to be outside without a human (in particular, myself or the husband), but Reno would hang out there all day if we allowed it. The bugger.
Still no bike riding...too hot...

Soccer, Doggy School, Heat & No Rides

2010-06-08T01:24:00.000-05:00

Summer is almost here! Well, I guess for all practical purposes in Texas, it is here. I don’t consider it really summer until after we hit the summer solstice. So until June 21, at 7:28 AM EST, I don’t want to hear anyone say it is a hot summer. Got that? It is an unbearable hot and humid SPRING. Get it right, folks!

Actually, I guess for Texas it hasn’t been too bad. April was very mild, as was most of May. But then, the last two weeks or so, the temps got up into the 90s with a good bit of humidity. This past weekend it was over 100 degrees, but it wasn’t very humid at all. Until Monday. The first day of Olivia’s soccer camp. Doesn’t that just figure – poor kid, all sweaty and dirty at the end of 3 hours. It’s good for her, though. I have no idea what the temp actually was (and I am too lazy to look it up), but that kid was dripping when I picked her up. Lucky for her, I plied her with plenty of water, and sunblock, and bought her some cold Gatorade after, and made sure the husband fixed the A/C in my car this weekend. It’s not like in my day, back when I was a kid. You played sports in 105 degrees with 195% humidity for hours, with nothing but the sweat you squeezed out of your head band to drink. Yesireee Bob. Kids today are soft. But that’s okay. Their soft life just makes my childhood sound all the more exciting and dangerous to them than it actually was.

The soccer camp is at the local high school, and is run by some seriously experienced former college soccer players and current high school players. The head coach is the current girls’ soccer coach at the school and has won like 852 NCAA championships or something. I guess the men’s coach showed up later on. There was probably 30 kids or so in attendance, from 5 years to 15 years old.

After the introductory announcements, and assurances that Yes- it’s okay to leave your little one with us for the whole 3 hours! - all the kids and coaches and assistances started the long walk behind the school to get to the practice field. I took this opportunity to run back to the car to get the sun block (which I forgot oops). By the time I got back, they were already gone. I had to hike down the only steep hill in this part of Texas to find them. But find them I did. I waited for about 15 minutes to catch Olivia between exercises to spray the kid down, and then took off. (Interesting note: it is a small world – met a woman that sends her two boys to a school in local city where we both know the speech therapist, plus two former teachers there. Who’da thunk it?)

Anyhoo, I picked Olivia up at noon – and man was that child worn out! She was all excited, but tired; so tired that in the car she told me she was too tired to talk. Ponder that for a moment. My Olivia. Too tired to talk. (Has Hell frozen over yet?) All in all, a good day for her.

Tonight was also the first night of doggie obedience school at PetSmart for our puppy Trillian. There was only her and one other dog – a Golden Doodle. I had never heard of this before – half Golden Retriever and half poodle. Kinda like a sheep dog with curly hair. Very cute and friendly.

Trillian wasn’t so sure about it, though. She is a ball of nerves around strange adults lately, especially dogs she does not know. I think it is because the poor girl hasn’t been on long walks for a while in the park. That was one of the reasons I signed up for the class – she needs some doggy socialization! Besides the fact well, she needs the training. She spent a good amount of time hiding behind me. That’s right – hiding BEHIND me. I haven’t seen her do that in a long time. I was surprised because she is very protective of me, but I guess that goes hand and hand with it (per the trainer, and the vet a few weeks ago). She seemed to handle her dog grooming experience this weekend, and she was just dying to get into the store tonight, so I was a little surprised by her reaction.

PetSmart uses the positive reinforcement method, along with clicker training. I have read 2 ½ books by The Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan, and ¾ of two books by the Monks of New Skete, and a crappy dog training book at Wal-Mart. It’s not that I don’t think the positive/clicker training isn’t worthwhile, but the crappy book makes it seem like it is the only method to use, and talks trash about any other method that seems “harsh”. But The Monks and Cesar Millan appear to have more of a balanced approach. The trainer mentioned tonight she likes some of what Millan teaches, but thinks some of his practices are a little harsh, as well. That’s okay though – this chick has a lot more experience than I do with dogs, and I don’t think the positive/clicker training is harmful. And if it works – great! I am keeping an open mind.

Tonight we worked on getting the dog’s attention, getting her to look me in the eye, and sitting. Trillian is just like the rest of the family – very food motivated, so the snacks were a big hit! The trainer had us hold the snack up to the dog, and then bring it in front my eye, and say to the dog “Watch me!” and as soon as Trillian looked me in the eye, even for the briefest second, click the clicker, and then give her a treat. The next exercise was getting her to respond to her name when she was distracted. For example, my dog was looking out the window that separated the training area from the rest of the store. I would call “Trillian!” in a happy voice (because you are not supposed to ever say the dog’s name in an unhappy or negative voice), and as soon as she turns and looks at me- CLICK! “Good Girl!:” and a treat. Next was sitting. You don’t say sit – you just put a treat over the dog, and wait for her to sit, and the - CLICK! “Good Girl!:” and a treat. After the dog seems to understand she is supposed to sit, you can then tell her to sit, while raise your hand up in front of her with the treat in it. And then - CLICK! “Good Girl!:” and a treat.

I was a little doubtful – but she caught on to all these exercises fairly quickly. Probably because: 1. she already knows her name and has started to respond to it already the past month or so more; 2. Myself and the kids have tried to teach her sit here and there, with treats and without, so this wasn’t a foreign concept to her; and 3. She is really all that and a bag of chips!

The trainer is a nice, friendly woman that is confident, but not bossy at all. She seems to know her stuff, and having a small class is a huge advantage, as I get to ask a lot of questions. Over the coming weeks we will work on various commands such as the recall (come), staying, and walking on the leash properly. This last one will be interesting. I really am convinced that Cesar Millan is on to something when he says you need to be in command of the walk at all times; even when you give the dog exploring time. The trainer stated that her opinion is that it’s okay to let the dog walk in front of you, as long as they don’t pull; meaning that if they pull on the leash so there is no slack, that they will correct that themself so you don’t have to do it, as there is no “jerking” the leash. Hmmm…we shall see about that one. I tell you that when I am consistent with our walks and take the lead (always giving her time to explore a few times during the walk), she is more likely to stay by my side, and seem to be more serious about paying attention.

So – nothing about bikes in this post. I did tell the trainer one of the reasons I wanted to master the walk more was because I thought that was important to do in order to master the bike ride. I bought one of those dog leash attachment things for my bike on Mother’s Day, but have been nervous about using it because I haven’t been able to have enough successful walks with the dog obeying me. Trainer agreed that yes, that is a good idea to do first – more for my safety than anything else, since dogs can often pull riders off their bikes.

On another bike note – husband built a small prefab store shed the over the past few weeks, so we can squeeze a few bikes in there when necessary (along with the lawn mower and everything else). He also ripped out the two big corner windows in the living room, and installed new ones. Very handy guy that.

It’s been way too hot for me to consider riding during the day anyway. I hope that changes soon – or at least let up enough in the evening before it gets too dark for a short ride here and there. I do miss my bicycle…or my little bicycle….soon I am going to be too fat for it! I gave notice at my job recently, and hope to take a few weeks off before deciding what to do next. If I can squeeze in a few bike rides, that would be fabulous, but I am not holding my breath. Just too much going on right now.

Doot Doot DooT Puppy Days

2010-03-16T00:24:00.000-05:00

Puppy is doing fine; she has been with us 1 month, and is adjusting well. Still haven't gone for a ride - but FINALLY the weather seems to be cooperating, so hopefully some time soon.

I am trying to get Trillian trained so that she is a little less crazy in the house, and more obedient off the leash. She is making some progress; she is much better about going the bathroom OUTSIDE, but still needs some patience in that area. She is still little, so if I wait too long between potty breaks, she sometimes cannot hold it.

Last night we went over to a friend's house for dinner. Trillian couldn't come, since she is still a little rowdy and needs a few more shots, so in the crate she went. I don't like crating her, but it is the safest option for her (and the house, and probably the cats haha). My sister came by at one point and let her out and played with her for an hour, and then crated the dog and left. Which was very helpful. The only problem is that I wasn't clear about the fact I wanted my sister to wait longer to stop by. You see, I donm't like the dog being in the crate more than 2 or 3 hours - and since we probably wouldn't be back for about 4 or 5 hours, I thought if the dog could get out after two, and then have a hefty play session, she would be fine for another two hours. But my sister didn't realize what I meant, and stopped by earlier.

Well, my son got home before us, and the dog had pushed the floor of the crate out across the room. Somehow she moved the rest of the crate about 5 feet around the corner towards the front door and was barking at the front door when my son walked in. I got home not too long after that - the poor thing was very very upset.

So, this whole crate thing - getting her to look at it as her den, is most likely a bust for her, since I just couldn't introduce it to her properly. I am thinking of putting it away for a while, and then try bringing it out again later to see if she is interested in hanging out in it at all.

Hopefully when she is grown and better trained, she can go run next to me while I tool around on one of my bikes. I do have a burly trailer, and have been tempted to put the dog in it and take her for a ride hahah, but she gets out of her saftey harnass for the car, so she probably wouldn't sit for it.

It would make a cute picture, though!

Cold, Rain & A Puppy

2010-02-22T14:16:00.000-06:00

It seems we haven't caught a break in TX. It has either been raining or too cold to go for a bike ride the past few months. And on the few days that the weather is warm and dry, I am either working or trying to catch up with some household chore or errands where a bike wouldn't be practical at all.

I do like playing Wii Fit, but decided that I needed to spend a little more time outside, even if it was only for 10 or 15 minutes per day. So I got a puppy last week.

Well, rewind - that isn't WHY I got a puppy, just one of the many benefits of a puppy! We found a German Shepard/Sharpei mix at the SPCA, only 3 months old. We have named her Trillian, and she is a riot, and a little firecracker! Since she is "my puppy", I take responsibility for most of the work: walking, feeding, cleaning up after her, etc. Shocking, I know, right?

We have gone on several walks, the longest one about 2 to 2.5 miles roundtrip. She does NOT like the cold at all, and unless we are going to the park, wants to stay close to the house. However, she does enjoy walking to 7-Eleven since that means the possibility of a hot dog for a treat.

So, bike riding put on hold again. BUT when she gets bigger, I can ride with her running along side. She will want to do more than just the little walks we take, and I won't be able to handle running with her any time soon.

Wii Fit Plus, Anyone?

2010-01-17T01:32:00.001-06:00

The temps are back up - but I haven't had a chance to get out for any riding just yet. Which is a bummer, but I have to do SOMETHING so I am not sitting on my butt all day, right?

We have had Wii Fit for well over a year; the whole family used to use it quite a bit, but after we remodeled our living room (still a work in progress), we put it up for a while. We just recently pulled the Wii console out again.

Friday night we stopped at Best Buy for some retail therapy for my husband, and picked up Wii Fit Plus. Only twenty bucks, and per what Eden had described (she had played it recently at a birthday sleep over) it sounded worth the moolah. Unfortunately, we had issues connecting the Wii to the internet to update it so we could play the game. GRRR.

Saturday night, we purchased some new doohicky to solve this issue. And lo and behold! It is working again - got the update, and we were on the way.

Olivia, our youngest, spent about 2 hours on it (read: only child not grounded from video games right now). One thing she had a BLAST with was the bicycle exercise. It just really is running in place, but still, who could hate a bike game for the Wii?

What would be really cool is if Wii? could put out a bike computer/Wii remote that you could use with your stationary or regular bike on a trainer. How much fun would that be?

I just played on Fit Plus for about 21 minutes (didn't do the bike though - too tired loll), and hoping to play the game for about 20 to 30 minutes a day. Right now I don't feel comfortable leaving the house during business hours for a ride for more than 10 minutes, and you cannot really get much done in 10 minutes on a bike here. Perhaps this way it will at least help me with my energy level so when I finally get out for a ride it won't wind me as much.

Still searching for a good used trainer....

Flying Porta Potties & Matt Damon

2010-01-14T04:56:00.000-06:00

Ah the internet. It is a wonderful tool in many ways. One way I like to use it is living through others. Yes, yes, I know...a bit "second handerish" of me. However, I find it useful to read about people doing things I will never do. Why? Not because I necessarily intend to try to do those specific things; it just reinforces what humans in general are capable of, and, being part of the same species, maybe, just maybe, I am capable of doing more than I do.

But let's not get all philosophical here. Not gonna lie: it is mostly for entertainment. I just love to read a good story about real people participating in activities that interest me. And it is even more fun when famous people I like are involved.

I sometimes pop over to Bicycling.com, and there is usually something interesting to read over there. However, I have to say, sometimes it is hard to find stuff there. Not sure if it is a site issue, or a reader issue. Anyhoo, am I just glad that I get emails from the site, or else I would have totally missed this a very fun article about Matt Damon and his brother Kyle's one day charity ride in South Africa.

I adore Matt Damon; he is fun to watch on film, and he is from New England. He also looks a lot like one of my younger brothers, Dan. And Tom Brady of the Patriots. All plusses in my book. (Though I could never refer to Tom Brady or Matt Damon as handsome, because that is just wrong, since they look like my brother. It would seem so...incestuous...shudder.) While I don't share a lot of his politics, I admire how he puts his money where his mouth with, and gets behinds some very worthwhile causes such as water.org.

This story is written by Kyle, Matt Damon's older brother, who is a Boston area artist, and apparently an avid cyclist. His story of finally getting a chance to go on a seriuos ride with little bro Matt is quite entertaining. It's well written, and I have to say, I totally could visualize the flying porta-potty. Good times.

Finally Getting A Little Warmer

2010-01-12T19:27:00.002-06:00

We may finally be through this last Arctic blast! Today was quite nice out, I believe in the high 30s/low 40s. Woohoo! My hope is that in a few weeks we will get a few warm days here and there so I can take the kids for a ride to the park.

I am such a bad parent. I think our 8 year old has only been out for a ride maybe three or four times since we bought her new bike a few months ago. We gave the 10 year old daughter a Razor scooter for Christmas. She has yet to take it out for a spin! It is true that it has been just very cold out since Christmas, but she also refused to try it until I get her the right size knee and elbow pads. Won't. Even. Try. It. It isn't that she isn't happy about; on the contrary, she is quite excited and says she cannot wait to take it for a spin. But I guess, safety first?

I have looked here and there online, and figure I am going to have to save between $100 and $150 to buy a good used trainer. Trying to figure just how to squeeze some money out for that. It would be nice to purchase it before it is spring, but even if I don't, I think get some use out of it after dark.

I am still in the process of merging a couple other blogs with this one. Right now I have three other separate blogs. Why? Well, the first I started was about philosophy, and my progress/changing in thinking; I believe the second was this one, which was just to help me keep track and motivated riding my bike. (Worked out not so well, haha.) The third is one that I decided to just write about whatever popped in my head, but I couldn't (wouldn't) use the first blog for that, because I didn't like the name of it. (I know, lame.) The last one, I was using my full name, and was gearing it towards working up to a professional blog. BAHAHAHAH! I know, it's okay you can laugh too. But I have been in the same line of work for 10 years, so I was hoping to use it to generate traffic to a professional website I was working on. Of course that deteriorated to just random posts.

So, I figure if I am going to just have ONE active personal blog, I will use this one. Because Fatchickriding is a lot more fun to say than the other blog names. (Well except Tyrannical Matriarch. I think I will save that for another day MUAHAH!)

BRRRRRR…..Texas Has Frozen Over!

2010-01-07T22:27:00.003-06:00

The job is going fairly well. I do love working from home. To annoy my former co-workers at the college at worked at last summer/fall, I posted up the picture above on FaceBook. I am such a stinker!

Interesting tidbit of trivia for today:
Per weather.com around 11:00 AM CST: Temp in Plano: 22F with "feels like" 8F; Temp in hometown Dover NH: 32F with "feels like" 21F. What? Temps below 40F degrees without snow are just wrong.
Why bother living in state next to Mexico if it is going to get this cold? I don't mind the cold per se, just the fact that this cold is sans snow. To me, there is absolutely no point for temperatures to go under 40 degrees Fahrenheit if we are denied snow. What is WRONG with this state?
So, needless to say, it has been way too cold to even think about getting my fat body on a bicycle outside. However, this got me thinking – maybe it is time to save up for a trainer for my bike? I don't think I would bother to use it indoors; we just don't have the room for it. However, we do have enough room on the patio. If there is no wind chill, and I am bundled up enough, I think I could get out on the patio and "spin" for 20 or 30 minutes as long as the temperature doesn't go too low, say 25 degrees Fahrenheit or so.

I will start my research and see what I can find. The husband and I have been striving to be more frugal, and have been doing a pretty decent job. Therefore, not only will I save up the cash for the trainer (instead of using plastic), but will see if I can find a good one used. Even if it takes awhile, it can come in handy on those days even when it isn't cold out that I don't feel like I have the time or gumption to leave the backyard.

In other news: Made a horrible sauce for lasagna tonight. Ugh. Just couldn't get the spices right. What is up with that? Usually I made some decent spaghetti sauce, but it just eluded me today. I was successful, however, at putting together a good cheese mix. Instead of just ricotta and the regular Italian cheeses, I used half cottage cheese and half ricotta, and added some mild cheddar to the mix. That came out great! The best part is I didn't tell the husband. He hates cottage cheese and swore he would never try it in lasagna. The 8 year old almost spilled the beans, but she soon became a co-conspirator, and we got away with it. MUAHAAH! He was surprised when I told him; fortunately, it all worked out well.

These chilly days I have been burning through our fire logs (literally), and need to get out back and break up the twigs and small branches the minions have been gathering over the year. We also have an old Christmas tree from about 2 or 3 years ago out there. We never throw them out in the trash, but just let them dry out to burn in the fireplace. Hopefully the husband will have time to cut it up this weekend because it is going to be cold for a while.

I Want To Play It In The Sun, I Want To Play It In The Rain, I Want To Play It Again and Again!

2010-01-07T22:12:00.004-06:00

I subscribe to a local FreeCycle list. I figured it could be handy to get rid of some junk, er, gently used items we no longer want or need, and perhaps pick up something neat every now and then. Well, I had messages coming to my inbox for several months, and never really seemed to have anything I wanted to part with. And when there was something I was interested in getting, I was never quick enough! After a while, I just unsubscribed.

This past fall, my desire to get rid of stuff (maybe) and find some free neat stuff (hopefully)returned again. (Perhaps this is some Yin Yang thing, balancing people's junk in the universe?) So, I signed up for the list again. There have been a few things I tried for – and no luck, as usual.

Tonight, however, things have changed!

Someone was giving away several Trivia games, including a Dr. Seuss one. I fired off a reply so fast I almost fell off my chair! I was shocked and awed (in a good way) that I actually was the first to reply. Okay, maybe I wasn’t the FIRST, but I think my line “We love Dr. Seuss at my house, and I even wrote a term paper on him years ago in high school” cinched the deal. (And yes, I did write a paper on him. Fabulous work, I must say. I think I still have it around somewhere.) And it is in great condition – no junk!

Just had to share my success. It’s the little things, people, the little things. Now if I could just part with some of my stuff…..

Hello 2010!

2010-01-03T19:06:00.002-06:00

Another new year!
Not much to write...weather has been up and down - we did have some wonderful snow for Christmas, so that was great! Haven't been feeling the best, and have not been riding.

I don't have big glorious plans, but will go back to trying to get back to what I wrote a few months ago about realistic goal setting for my riding.

November was a total loss - I know, excuses, excuses! My son had an emergency appendectomy, and we had a lot of family illness and other drama. What else is new, right? On a happy note, in early December I returned to working from home again, so perhaps that will help me get more motivated to squeeze in even a short ride now and then.

Excuses, excuses......

2009-11-02T01:26:00.004-06:00

Okay, okay. Sheesh...no excuses for being away from my dear lovely bike for so long, I know, I know. However, I will try to list a few excuses anyway (to make myself feel better) as to just why I haven't been on a bike ride in so long:

1. School started, and my schedule changed at work. I started working two nights per week, husband starting going to school two (other) nights per week, and the crazy schedule of school minions began. Had a hard time adjusting to it all. By the time I got home on the early nights, it was almost 7PM and I was beat. I also worked several Saturdays the past two months.

2. The seemingly never ending rain in October. We had just about 20 days of rain in October. No kidding, I have a link to prove it: http://www.planostar.com/articles/2009/10/31/news_update/984.txt

(I don't really remember how much it rained in September - so we will just go for excuse # 1, k?)

It's sad though. If it rained 20 days in October, that means there were 10 days that it didn't rain. Sure, still a lot of standing puddles and such, but still, there were dry days. Bottom line, is that life has just gotten a bit off track for me with work, and dealing with the minions (I did get sick one week too), yadda yadda yadda. I did also lend my bike to my son and his friend from time to time when they didn't have a ride to work. But - but, that is still no excuse for not riding at all for two months.

I am definitely feeling the need to get back out soon. Now it isn't hot, but we are no longer on day light saving time. That means I will have to (GASP) get up earlier to ride, and make sure I am sneaking in a ride before I go to work. Not sure that is going to be easy to do. After all, tomorrow IS one of my late work days, yet here I am up at 1:35 AM in the morning. (I do have a good excuse: it involves a late night run to Wal-Mart for drain cleaner, and trying to clean up a huge mess in the kitchen.)

Anyway...let's see what this week brings.

A Gadget, A Map, and A Link

2009-08-18T23:11:00.003-05:00

Well, here it is Tuesday - and I haven't been on a bike ride for over a week. I was a bit unwell this week, and still not feeling the best. Nothing too severe - though I am surrounded by sick people at work. Hopefully I can ward it off!

On Friday I purchased myself a Trek bike computer. I must say I am pretty excited about my purchase, though I haven't had a chance to use it just yet. I bought a Trek Incite 11i. It must be cool because it has the lower case "i" in the name right?

Anyhoo...I picked it up for about $42 I believe at Richardson Bike Mart. It has several features, but I chose it because it was the cheapest computer I could find that tracked average speed AND cadence. I hope that once I can see what I am actually average for speed, that it will help me build up more speed and endurance so that I will be able to keep up on low level group rides. And knowing cadence is helpful as well for my "training" purposes, as it were.

I also picked up a map that shows all the bike/walking/skating trails in the DFW area. It doesn't include everything, of course, but the parks with the longest trails, etc. Once me and the girls are down tackling all the bike paths in the Plano park system, we will start working on the parks on this new map. At least that is what we are shooting for - hopefully by the end of 2010 we can say we have ridden all the park bike trails in Plano and have a few of the other ones under our belts.

Getrichslowly.org has a neat post about alternative means of transportation. Looks like JD is doing a lot more walking and got a new bike for rides as well. Good for him! His site focuses on building wealth by being frugal/general personal finance. Great site - not really related to biking of course, but one worth reading.

I am not sure what this week will bring. Hopefully I can squeeze in some rides between now and Sunday before the whole week escapes me.

Doot Doot Doot....boring week

2009-08-13T23:19:00.002-05:00

Ugh. It's already Thursday night!

Well, not much going on this week. I haven't been on an actually bike ride since Sunday night. Monday night we celebrate my 14 year old's birthday, and Tuesday morning I decided to run up to the gym. Spent some quality time with an eliptical machine - really - 25 minutes and about 300 calories. Not bad. I wasn't working too hard, but it was hard enough that I felt it haha. I tried going on one of the recumbent stationary bikes there, but couldn't get things set up right. It felt like I was going up a mountain so I said forget that after about 5 minutes.

I have had to work late, and haven't been feeling too well for most of the week, so have been trying to get some extra rest and laying low. Hopefully I will be back on tomorrow night. I worked late again tonight, so I get to leave early on Friday. Woohoo!

Sunday Ride/Monday Gift for Birthday Girl

2009-08-11T04:55:00.003-05:00

Sunday evening I had another ride in the park. Only did about MAYBE 7 or 8 miles though. For some reason, my knees were bothering me. I did cover some new territory on the Oak Point bike paths (they have a really nice public rest room on the main entrance by the way. Why this fascinates me, I don't know), but nothing too ardous, and I avoided the hills that went up to Los Rios. There was also a moderate wind that hit me either head on or from an angle for most of the ride. While this makes it good for a work out, I really wasn't in the mood for it.

Yesterday I visited one of the local bike shops during lunch. Bought a new water bottle for myself and for my daughter. She turned 14 yesterday, and I knew she could use a new watter bottle. Who doesn't love a new water bottle, right?

She has been hinting how mucch she would love her own computer for her birthday, in particular a laptop. Yeah...so not going to happen. I think she knew this, but a girl can dream right? Yesterday I did get her a computer - however it was a Cat's Eye Velo 5 bike computer. I told her it was the biggest computer we could afford for her at this time haha. She has a good sense of humor, and appreciated it.

Unfortunately she is going to have to wait until next week to use it, as her bike is still at her mom's house. She has really taken an interest in riding her bike this past year, so hopefully this will encourager her to "go the extra mile" etc.

Goal Setting: Let's Get Real

2009-08-08T00:21:00.001-05:00

It recently dawned on me that my blog is now four years old. Wow. I wish I could say that made me feel like I have accomplished something, but not so much. I have posted about 43 posts (not including this one) during those four years. I didn’t post anything in 2007, and only had a few postings in 2008. Why is that?

2006: Roller coast of a year. Lots of unemployment, a few new jobs, severe illness, family drama, and a really cool vacation thrown in the mix.

2007: Laid off again in the spring; temp job, finally rehired by a previous employer. Lots and lots of over time – so no time for rides!

2008: Moved on to a new job to regain some balance in life. Despite riding to work once, didn’t do any real riding even after purchasing new bike. (Son trashed the back wheel a month after I bought it.)

2009: Unemployment (yet again – gotta love layoffs – not!), extreme job search, homeschooling, and then finally getting my bike fixed and going out for a few rides. Started a new job in late July, and still trying to squeeze in a few rides each week.

I never did hit the goals I wanted to the past few years. Never hit my mileage goals, nor riding in an event, such as the MS150 ride. My mistake was not focusing on just getting out – but on trying to hit mileage goals, etc. I should have just worried about “am I going out for a quick ride a few times a week?” so I could make riding my bike a habit.

New goals are needed; but I am being more cautious this time around. Nothing is worse than setting oneself up for failure. Over the next month there are going to be a few changes that will affect my ability to ride: I will start working two nights a week and my husband will be going to school two nights per week. Although I will have my older daughters around to help watch the younger ones on his school nights, I don’t think it would be fair to go for rides and make them watch the younger minions. And I most likely won’t get home until after 9 PM on my late nights. I need to keep these factors in mind while setting new goals for myself.

When thinking about my goals, I want ones that will help me work on getting more of a HABIT of riding on a regular basis down; work on my ENDURANCE in how far I can ride a bike; as well as add some more ADVENTURE into my rides to keep things fresh and fun. Based on that, here are my goals for the rest of the year:

1. Ride at least 3 times per week, not counting rides with minions (HABIT)

2. At least one ride per week should be 10 to 15 miles; the rest about 5 miles min. (ENDURANCE)

3. Try to have at least 1 of the rides in the morning (HABIT)

4. Explore more of the trails in the Plano Park system, as well as increase amount of road riding I do (ADVENTURE)

I will refine each goal as the time moves forward. I think they are all pretty achievable, and will help me not only work towards being a better cyclist, but also help improve my physical and mental health. There is nothing as soothing and uplifting as a good bike ride. If more people would get on a bike and ride for 30 minutes a day outside in a nice park or the woods, etc…there would be a lot more happy people in the world.

Monday - Friday Night Fat Chick Rides

2009-08-07T22:38:00.003-05:00

Here it is, already Friday night! Funny how time flies when you are gainfully employed, eh? The past several days has provided me with three night rides.

Monday Night

I went back out to the park on Monday, and was bent on riding the rest of the new trails over in the Oak Point section. I was pretty sure I had covered most of them, but was curious how much I missed.

Monday was a very nice night - I left the house about 8ish. I had hoped to leave earlier, but we had a missing ferret, and I didn't feel right leaving until we had located him. (The bugger got out the night before and was hiding in one of the bedrooms.)

There were a lot of people out Monday night. The weather was beautiful - I don't remember how hot it was, but do remember it wasn't too bad, and I don't remember it being particularly humid at all. I rode the usual route to the Bob Woodruff Park, and then rode back under the bridge to the park's south pavilion. This is just a short ride, maybe 1.25 miles there and back to the lake at the most.

(I passed the and rode around a wee bit on what appeared to be a dirt trail for a minute or two and then took a break at one of the picnic tables. Then I noticed a blond person (adult - but couldn't tell the gender) walking very carefully in the field. Like he/she was tracking something. And he/she had what appeared to be a big stick. He/she was kinda weird overall, so I didn't stay there too long.)

Back near the lake, there were the usually families bopping around. Some walking, some fishing, some walking next to wee ones riding little bikes, etc. As I rode around the lake a few times, I could hear snippets of different conversations here and there.

"You don't have cable?" a woman on her cell phone asked the party at the other end of the call.

"??????" Something in Spanish; not sure what it was, but it sounded happy.

"!!!!!!!!!" Something else in Spanish, from another person - this time NOT sounding so happy.

"******" Okay - this was a couple that appeared to be Indian, so I assume they were speaking an Indian language. Maybe Tagaloo, Hindu or something else? I can only guess - but the couple seemed pretty happy. (I must say the reason I particularly remember this couple wasn't so much that they were speaking in another language, but that the man seem to think that a striped polo went smashing with plaid shorts. That's what I call multi-cultural fashion disaster.) Even though I have lived in TX for almost 6 years I still get a kick of how many different languages one can hear in one's neighborhood. It never gets old for me!

Anyhoo, I moved on north past the playground, and towards where the horses can ride, over the creek, back out into the grassy area, and then took a sharp right (before I hit under the Spring Creek bridge) onto the path that connected to the Oak Point Preserve trails.

There were a lot more people on the MUPs over there that night. A LOT more. There were several families walking, as well as a lot of people on bikes. I was surprised how busy it was. When I got near where the trail forks, I took the usual right towards Los Rios. I have to admit I was a bit wuss, and couldn't make it all the way up the hill that hits Los Rios, and walked my bike most of the way. (But walking is exercise too, right?) Walking up the hill, a young fellow with a red helmet and green mountain bike gave me a polite smile as he passed me. He was young - most likely between 17 and early 20s. By the time I got up the hill and had turned around and heading down, he was flying UP the hill towards me! Zip, zip, zip!

Of course, I was jealous. But in a good way.

So, I fly down the hill (oh I do love going down that hill!), and of course have to slow down quite a bit as I get near the bottom. There is still quite a bit of dirt at the bottom of the hill where the trail takes a sharp turn, and it isn't something I think I could handle going to fast.

I continue on, and pass where I hit the fork, and go in the other direction. I pass the trail that goes off to the parking lot near the amphitheater, and expect that I will hit the end soon. I ride for a few minutes, and then a few more...and keep riding and riding. I then notice that I am approaching a small lake (well, they call them lakes here - really just a big pond, like Bob Woodruff "lake" is), and the path forks off again, and circles the lake. I bear right and continue - and see that there is another trail that breaks off from this one that goes farther to the right and winds up a huge (to me) hill up to a street (which ends up being Los Rios).

OH. MY. GOD. What a winding road it is!

Of course, the hill is not really huge - you have to understand that anything that is not flat can be a bit of a challenge to me. The hill is not something I can get up all the way just yet. But never mind that - what is really cool about the hill is that you can see how it winds all the way up. It is just really neat to see all these people riding up and down the trail on there bikes, winding up and down. You don't see that down here very often. At least I haven't. And riding those winds, just a blast.

As I was getting closer to the top and walking my bike, a lady with a big black dog was walking down. She smiled and said "Oh I bet it will be fun riding DOWN!" I smiled and said "I hope so!" and made my way to the top.

As I FLEW down the hill, floating around the various twists and turns, I tell you what - it was like I was 16 again and on my silver Motobecane flying down the hills in NH. Oh it was so very sweet! As I came up on the woman that was walking her dog I called out and said "You were right! It was a blast riding down!"

(Before I forget - the kid on the green mountain bike was there again, flying UP the hill as I came down. Pretty impressive brat, no?)

I took a right, so I could go around the rest of the lake. I noticed that the trail went off again in another direction, but I didn't really have too much time to explore that, and decided to save it for another day. It was getting dark and I figured I should stick to the trails I was familiar with after the sun went down. After I got around the lake, I headed back, took a detour to the amphitheater parking lot, came back, and headed back to the Bob Woodruff trail, and made my way home.

All in all, I rode about 12 miles. This was the longest ride I had taken in about 3 years, and hands down the best ride I had had in 10 years. (Which really isn't too big of a deal since I didn't really ride a bike for about 7 years haha.)

Tuesday Night

Tuesday night I went back to the park, for a shorter ride, staying mostly around the lake at the north pavilion at Bob Woodruff. It was already really dark, and though I had lights on the bike (I added two small flashlights), I didn't want to venture too far.

Funny story: I turned the flashlights off when I was on the well lit part of the trail. However, as soon as I was hitting a darker area, I would turn at least one on. This wasn't so much because I needed to see, but so a light was cast up a head so people in front of me would notice the light and get out of the way. This was really useful because not everyone pays attention when you say "Excuse me - coming up on your left!" etc.

So, anyway...this guy - maybe 15 or 16, was skating in a darker area around the lake when I was coming up behind him. I turned one of the lights on, and he noticed it. However, the light was going left to right a bit, since I was moving. This kid had on headphones and couldn't hear me, and started freaking out because the light went a little to the right, and then the left hahah.

Finally he turned around and yelled "Officer! I didn't do anything!" and then I rode by...and you could kinda hear a sigh of relief when he realized it was just some Fat Chick riding her bike at night and not a cop running him down haha.

Not sure how many miles I rode - probably no more than 7.

Wednesday & Thursday Night

Wednesday night was a bummer because not only did it rain a little, but we had a good bit of lightening. I decided not to risk slipping on wet pavement or getting struck down by the gods, so stayed home.

Thursday night I had planned to take my bike up to White Rock Lake to join a group of women for an easy ride. However, the organizer had to cancel it, which was probably good, since it was over 20 miles. So, I ran errands instead. Bought a cool new headlamp, as well as food for the minions and husband. By the time I got home I was too pooped to ride.

Friday Night

Tonight I went for a shorter ride - about 2.25 miles. this was just around the neighborhood. Though my little cheap flashlights were working okay, I didn't like how they didn't really focus the light on where I wanted the beam. Tonight I attached the light I purchased last night to my bike, and tested it out. What is really cool about it is that you can adjust it so it is pointing more down. This is wonderful, since usually the light points straight ahead and doesn't cover enough ground in front of me. It also has three settings:

Spotlight (1 white bright LED, which I prefer to use)

Night (2 red LED lights)

Flood (2 white LED Lights)

It is pretty handy dandy, and I like it much more than the bike lights I have looked at recently.

Tonight's ride we pretty short - it was all over in about 17 minutes. I pedalled my little fat heart out, and felt like I was flying when I was on flat road or going down the small hills. However, this route had several long inclines. They were not steep, and they were not very high. The problem is that I still cannot handle anything more than small short hills, so I was doing some serious peddling to get up the little hills. But I didn't have to walk up any of them, so I am pretty happy about that.

Sunday Ride With Minion #5

2009-08-03T23:49:00.004-05:00

Olivia and I took off last night, about 6:30/7:00 PM to go on a nice little bike ride in the park. Minion #4 and the paternal one didn't seem to keen on leaving the house, so we ventured off with out them.

She did pretty well going down the hill on the side walk before we hit the park. She did walk the bike a little, but performed much better than last trip - no taking her feet off the pedals as she coasted down any hills!

She was a bit more tired than I anticipated, and was happy we got to stop at the bench in front of Fire Fly Forest. Of course, a picture was taken (Olivia is very photogenic, so it is hard to resist taking pictures of her, I must say.) We then moved on under the bridge, than over the bridge, and down the hill towards the lake in the park.

Olivia was quite pleased with herself - she rode down the big hill off the bridge into the park without slamming on her brakes, or getting off the bike. She announced that she was getting better at facing her fear of hills, and we moved along. However, we soon had to stop; she was complaining of leg pain and just general tiredness. (Good thing they added all those additional benches a few months ago!)

She didn't want to turn around, but finally agreed after we rode up to the restrooms. She had to go - but came out rather quickly. She didn't want to use the park facilities because it was dirty and the doors did not close all the way for her liking. She decided, yep - probably a good idea to head back home now that she had to pee.

So we started riding around the lake, then walked the bikes back up the big hill to the bridge, and I started riding ahead of her down the other side so I could wait for at the bottom of that hill. She called to me, seemed a bit distressed, and I rode back up. Her #)%7##~!!! chain fell off! Sigh. I flipped the bike upside down and tried my best, but the sucker was not going back on.

Lucky for me she was very good about it. We decided since we had to walk the bikes home (she agreed that we should really only call Daddy for emergencies), we would take the short route and not continue to the park.

While we were walking up (yet another) hill towards our neighborhood, the neighborhood unicycle guy rode towards us down the hill. This guy - probably in his mid to late 20s - rides his unicycle all over the place. I have seen him coming back from the grocery store several times holding two - count them TWO! - bags of groceries while ride up that big hill on the unicycle. Very impressive, I must say! Olivia insisted that he must have been in the circus at one point, because where else would one learn to ride a unicycle? Someday I am going to stop Unicycle Man and ask him.

Anyhoo, we made it home, and though we didn't get in a good ride, we did get in a good bit of exercise. Olivia told me during the walk home that she would like to jog to the park next time instead of riding her bike. Ummm...yeah...who is this child and what did she do with MY daughter??? I told her that I wasn't ready to try jogging right now - I have a lot of weight to lose before my knees and ankles can handled THAT. But I told her that maybe some time I will ride on my bike while she jogs in the park. That pleased her.

By the way, I had a FANTASTIC ride in the park Monday night by myself, but will have to write about that later. I am just too beat. But in a good way.

Misc. and brief book review: "Heft On Wheels"

2009-08-02T17:02:00.002-05:00

The past two weeks have been disappointing. We have had a lot of rain - which did lower the temperature, which IS a nice thing - so I haven't been able to fit in any riding most days. I also started a new job on the 22nd of July, and have been getting used to a normal schedule.

Can I just say it is a CRIME to have to be anyway showered, fully dressed and with shoes on before 10 AM?

Anyway, I have been wiped out a lot sooner in the night, so haven't attempted any night riding for a long time. The good thing is that despite the humidity, it looks like we are safe from any storms the next several hours, so I hope to take minion #5 on a ride through the park before the day is over.

One good thing about going back to a job outside the home is that it has renewed my interested in commuting to work every now and then via bicycle. I am trying to figure out the best route. I am not comfortable riding on the roads during busy traffic times, so I am doing my best to find routes that have bike paths or even (gasp) side walks that I can jump on should there be a need. (Yes- I know, I am not supposed to be on the sidewalk, but if it comes down to making a choice between getting run over and getting a ticket...I will pick the ticket every time. And I am one of those persons that will get off and walk the bike on the side walk should there be too much foot traffic.)

Another good thing about my new job is that it is literally right around the corner from the bike shop where I purchased my Trek. Friday I went in on my lunch hour just to smell the new bikes. I window shop bikes like most women window shop shoes and clothes. Actually, I did buy something - they had a bunch of shirts left over from some charity ride back in May. For $3 I bought a cool t-shirt. Not that I really need another t-shirt, but it is light blue, and has a bike on it, so how could I not? Anyway...I probably have been wearing my "Somebody should really do something about how fat I am" t-shirt a few times too many in public. And a lot of my other t-shirts are worn out, stained, yadda yadda....okay done justifying the $3 t-shirt.

We made a family trip to Half Price Books yesterday. The husband stocked up on "must have" scifi/fantasy and computer games; the girls each got a book - 1 manga graphic novel and 1 really cool book on origami. I finally purchased a copy of What Color is Your Parachute? 2007. I have always wanted to get this book, but being cheap, I wanted to get a used copy. This is the latest edition I have found anywhere, so snatched it up. (Decent so far - will review it on the other blog at some point.) I was going to search for some books on cycling, but I got caught up in a discussion with the husband about a private school we are sending minion #4 to (most like), as I had found a review of it in a private school book directory. It doesn't take much for me to lose my train of thought lately.

Later at night, I decided I would just run up to Barnes & Noble and see what they had. I wanted to get a copy of Psychology Today for the husband anyway. Anything to help him understand me more, the better. Just kidding. Psychology is related to his degree major in school, and we were chatting about getting a copy the other day, so why not then?

I looked through the bike magazines as well. The only one so far that seems to appeal to me is Bicycling, of course, no surprise there. I am not a hard core cyclist, so the other ones would be a waste of money right now. However, I didn't end up getting it. I have been really REALLY good in terms of buying only used books or going to the library the past few months. And since I can read a lot of Bicycling on their website (on my phone no less), I wasn't sure there was much more I could get from it. Not for $5. And that isn't to cut the magazine down. Its just that until I am riding more, and beyond just park riding, not really sure how much time and money I should be spending on a magazine when I can read a lot of information online.

I did, however, go to the sports section and to look for a book. There were plenty of books on Lance Armstrong, and a few books on other cycling related topics. There was one that seemed to be geared towards beginners that I thought perhaps would be beneficial. I flipped through it though, and though I am no expert, this book was really too newbie even for me. Most of the book talked about selecting a bike, and the rest about topics I was already comfortable with.

I almost left without a book, then found "Heft On Wheels" by Mike Magnusun. I just read his article about what happened to Greg LeMond earlier in the day on the Bicycle.com website. This was his book on him getting out of the drunk/smoker life style into a serious cyclist. And he was very large and now wasn't so large. Okay - this could be an interesting read. I can related to all of that - well except the heavy drinking.

Note: This book was published in 2004, and apparently (according to the Greg LeMond article), life for Mike was not so rosy after the book was published. At first, I approached the book with a bit of an attitude like "well - it didn't last did it buddy?", but then figured there was no need for THAT attitude. Even though the guy isn't perfect, and the book is almost written in what I would call just free flowing, it is a fun and interesting read.

I haven't finished the book so far; I am on page 173 (its about 250 pages long), and expect to finish it later tonight before I doze off. The author and I have very little in common: whole weight issue, smoking, etc. I really enjoy how he writes clearly, intimately even, how it felt for him to reach a few milestones. For example, quitting smoking and drinking; completing the Bridge to Bridge ride, being able to finally be the leader of the pack on his group rides, etc.

What has struck me most in this book is the seriousness, and no bones about desire he has for riding. This isn't about getting more fit really, and he means that. He quit smoking and drinking because he wanted to be a better cyclist. He didn't do it for his family - he quit because he had to do it for him. At no point does he try to rationalize or justify this - he just puts it out there. To me that is refreshing. No pretending that its for someone other than himself.

Now, when I read the article he wrote about Greg LeMond, I thought to myself "Wow, this writer is a bit of a dolt." He struck me as a person that had lost direction (which he points out he has in the article). He has a website (which he doesn't seem to update) and a MySpace site as well. I haven't spent more than five minutes on either. As far as I am concerned, even if the fellow went back to drinking, smoking, and never rode his bike, it doesn't take away from the value of this book. (Of course, I wish the guy well.)

Anyway - if you have time and a spare $12/$13, well worth the read. I don't know if this is something the library or a used book store would carry, but there are always those options if they do. As I stated earlier, I rarely buy new books any longer. I am happy to say that this one was well worth the money, and will be one I will probably read again in another few years.

You can find it on Barnes & Noble's website here.

Weekend Minion rides, and Bike Light Genius

2009-07-22T03:10:00.005-05:00

This past weekend we finally got Minions #4 & #5 out for a ride in the park. We purchased a cheap little Next bike for Olivia (#5) a few weeks ago, and up until this weekend she had only had a chance to do a little riding on the sidewalk in front of our house. And Rebecca (#4) hadn't really been riding very much at all this year either. Realizing THAT was a crime, the spouse and I decided to take them for a ride through the park.

After the husband aired tires on various bikes, we set off. The first part of the journey is always to just get to the beginning of the park. We are fortunate that one end of the park is so close to our house. In order to get there, though, one needs to ride down a hill. No problem for big kids and most adults; but a bit of a scary prospect for a 7 and 9 year old that are both still on training wheels.

We tooled through the alleyway cautiously with the girls, husband in front, and me taking up the rear to make sure Olivia didn't get left behind. Then we hit the sidewalk at the end of the alley, and around the corner to the top of the hill. Rebecca has both coaster brakes, as well as a handbrake connected to the rear tire. She is pretty confident when it comes to riding down the hill, and was adamant she had no desire to walk her bike down any part of it. Olivia on the other hand, has coaster brakes, plus a handbrake for the FRONT tire. (Which is stupid - seriously - WHY would a bike company put one handbrake on a little kid's bike and have it be for the front brake? An evil company that wants all children to go flying over the handle bars. At least that is my theory anyway - but I digress...) She walked most of the way down the hill, which was probably a good idea.

So we get down the hill, everyone in one piece, and then Travis gets them across the street and soon we are at the beginning of the MUP (Multi Use Path - I believe that is what it stands for. I just started seeing this acronym recently. I must be out of touch!) Things are going well - the beginning of the bike path has a very slight long slope going down hill, so the girls are able to start their ride with a little help from gravity. Travis and Rebecca took off, and soon were far ahead of Olivia and myself. Though Rebecca was pedalling her little heart out, I could see Travis pass her and circle back several times, giving her a chance to catch up. I did the same with Olivia.

We got about 5 minutes out, and then - boom! Problems. Rebecca's front tire was flat. Travis had aired it up at home, but I guess it had a leak in the inner tube. I asked him to run home and get the car so that she didn't have to walk it all the way home, especially since it was starting to get a little dark. He complied, and Rebecca and Olivia took turns riding Olivia's bike and walking Rebecca's bike to the parking lot. Going back towards the park parking lot, Rebecca tried to race to beat her dad coming back - and soon the chain was off Olivia's bike. Travis fixed it before he packed up Rebecca and headed back home, and Olivia and I decided to try to go for another quick ride before it got too dark.

It was a nice little ride - until her chain fell off again. Sigh. We at least were able to spend some time together, and got in a nice walk home.

Sunday night we tried again. This time Travis decided to stay home. I made sure he had the phone near him (just in case) and the three of us took off. Olivia decided that she would try to ride down the hill instead of walking. That was a bit terrifying - about half way down she freaked out, and had a look of horror on her face and did one of the worst things she could - she took her feet OFF the pedals! I was able to get her to put them back on and stop just before she ended up in the street.

We made it to the park, and took off on the MUP. It was a fun ride - we had a little rest on one of the newer benches in the middle of what we call FireFly Forest, and then rode on to the main park. Once we reached the middle of the park, we rode about half way around the lake, and Rebecca asked if we could go play on the playground equipment after we finished the lap around the lake. I said sure, and she took off, promising to meet Olivia and myself at the playground.

One great thing about this park is that you really can see your minion as they run, walk, or ride on the path around the little lake. Olivia and I rode at her pace, and could see Rebecca ahead, usually directly across from where we were. On the whole ride I had been instructing the girls on how to call out "Excuse me! Passing on your left!" and other riding etiquette, and they were both getting a lot of opportunities to practice it here. I could see Rebecca pull over a few times when getting near families with small kids, so was happy she was being cautious.

Olivia and I arrived at the playground a few minutes after Rebecca. She was already playing, and I noticed she had pulled her bike off the path, which was good. Olivia soon jumped on the swing next to her, and they pumped their little legs out.

After about 10 minutes, we started back on our journey. I had really wanted to bring them down to the new bike path, but it was getting too dark. We rode a little farther up away from the lake, and then turned around. I wanted to hurry back home, because we would have just enough light for the girls to not be scared. However, it was not to be.

Rebecca had pushed herself a bit too hard, and was really exhausted as we made our way around the lake. If it had been earlier in the day, I would have just had them take a 15 or 20 minute break. Instead, I called the husband and asked him to "Daddy-Vac" Rebecca home.

By the time he was able to get to the park, it had grown a bit darker, and much to Olivia's dismay, I asked him to bring her as well so that she wouldn't have to ride home in the dark. She wasn't happy, but got over it well enough. I soon made my way home, and all was right in the world.

I didn't have a chance to ride Monday night, but did sneak in a very VERY short ride Tuesday night. It wasn't until after 9PM, and I really needed to have a light with me. I haven't found a bike light yet that doesn't fall apart on me that I can afford, so have been just carrying a crank light with me. It is a pain in the neck to hold on to it. When I used to ride my comfort bike I had a flashlight or two secured with a bungee cord in the bottom of a bike basket, and that worked out well. The bike basket doesn't really fit my Trek very well, nor is it very fetching, so I needed to figure out something else.

While I was searching for a few more bungee cords and trying to figure out how to secure the flashlight, my husband pointed out that I should use some of the zip ties we have. AHA! I used four and attached it to the light, kinda giving it a lovely strap thingy, and then used two more to secure those straps to the handlebars.

I cranked the light up, and then took it for a quick spin. It provided enough light that on coming traffic should have no trouble seeing me. I went down the MUP in the park for a bit, but turned around because I really hadn't cranked it up enough for it to be bright enough for me to see comfortably. I then finish my ride around the neighborhood.

Next time I will be sure to crank it up fully. I secured it upside down on the bike so that the crank handle is accessible so I can even crank it while riding. It isn't as stable as I would like - if I am in a very dark area, I find that I need to push down on it a little to light up the ground right in front of my bike. I can tweak that, but I think I have a better idea: I am going to install two small lights onto the side of the middle bar of the body of the bike, or just above the forks. These would provide light a little lower where I need it the most.

I am still figuring out what to use - most likely some cheap little flashlights from Fry's or maybe I will splurge and get a couple of small Mag lights. Zip ties of course - I cannot believe I haven't thought of using those in the past. Very handy, those.

I am starting a new job Wednesday morning, so not sure when I will have a chance to ride again. Rebecca and Olivia are very eager to get back out for another ride, so hopefully at least by this weekend.

Thursday night ride

2009-07-18T13:10:00.007-05:00

I took another spin in the park on Thursday night, riding late again, since the heat has been a bit obnoxious lately. This time I was smart and brought a crank flash light with me because I didn't to ride under the scary dark bridge again without one. However, the shorts I was wearing have no pockets, so I didn't have any handy way to carry the light, my cell phone, or my license. I don't have a basket on this bike (like I do for my comfort bike) nor any bags attached or anything.

Fortunately for me, my 7 year old daughter graciously lent me the little bag that was attached to her bike we bought her a few weeks ago. It looked fabulous baby, as you can see from the blurry photo above.

On another note - yes, the bridge was scary, but having my handy dandy flashlight was a big help. I need to actually get a bike light. I am leery of them, because I have had so many that break quickly over the years. Usually the best solution I have had in the past has been using bungee cords to secure 2 or 3 regular flashlights in the bottom of my basket that is on the front of my comfort bike. On this ride I just pulled the flashlight out of the bag when I needed it and held it in my left hand as I rode. Not a very exciting solution, but it worked for me. And when I took a break (a bug flew into my right eye and I spend a few minutes trying to get it out while resting on a park bench), I just cranked it up so it would work when needed.

I am not sure how many miles over 5 I covered - but I know it was at least 5. The total ride time was 45 minutes. I did ride the rest of the extended trails. The one I didn't take last time goes all the way to the parking lot for Oak Point. Which is great, because it confirmed that we can really ride our bikes to go see the Balloon Festival in September. Hopefully the path won't be too crowded with other familes that have that idea. We shall see.

Night Time in The Park - New Trail!

2009-07-11T21:59:00.003-05:00

Tonight I decided to squeeze a bike ride in before it got totally dark. Since last Saturday, I haven't been riding my bike because we were missing the correct air chuck attachment to our air compressor. I did try (half heartedly) to pump up the bike tires manually, but bah..I didn't spend much time on it.

Anyhoo...my husband bought a new one last night and aired my tires up for me tonight. So I headed out on the usual route: off to Bob Woodruff park for maybe a 4 or 5 mile ride.

According to weather.com, the temperature was 94 degrees when I left. However, I can tell you that since the sun was mostly down, it didn't really feel that hot. Which was great! (Maybe I am just used to the Texas heat now - I have been driving around in a vehicle without A/C for a few months now, and it hasn't been that bad, although temps have been in the high 90s to low 100s.)

I didn't have a regular bottle water handy, so just grabbed an Ozark one that was kicking around in the fridge. Halfway down the street it started to fall out. Sheesh! The bottle was not big enough to stay in the bottle holder, so I ended up holding it in my left hand the whole ride.

The nice thing about where I start my ride in the park is that there are few people walking on the path. Sure, there will be a few from time to time, as well as other cyclists, but never large crowds. Unfortunately the same can not be said of the bike/walking path in the middle of the park with where the pond - er, excuse me - "lake" is. I don't begrudge people walking or riding bikes around the park, or fishing, or what have you. But it was more crowded than I expected tonight, with whole little families spread across the path, some with little ones, and some (both adults and children) couldn't walk in a straight line. Oh - and the family that MUST take up the whole path and stand around and talk for 10 minutes, not moving out of any one's way - despite the fact that the city has installed quite a few new benches around the lake for people to sit and relax.

There were at least three specific families tonight that have no idea how close they came to getting run down by this fat chick on a bike tonight. I would politely call ahead "On your left!" or "Excuse me coming up on your left!" but in many cases they wouldn't move out of the way, or would JUMP out of the way like there was no fair warning and I think (though I couldn't be sure as I was listening to classical music while riding) there were a few choice words directed at me in 2 or 3 different languages. (I love TX - you get so much culture!)

I only spun around the lake once - I had wanted to venture off on the bike path I rarely take that goes to the other side of the park, but there was a middle aged couple standing right in the middle of the path where it goes in that direction letting their dog do its business. Glad you have your little plastic bag and everything - but seriously - do we need that much space to watch a dog take a dump on the grass???? Really??? I didn't even bother trying to go down there, and was tired of cutting across the grass so just went the usual route towards where the houses are allowed to ride in the park.

So I pass the play ground (three small children could have made great handlebar ornaments on the way by, but I controlled my urge and rode by them on the grass), and then all the picnic tables (they have so many more it seems) and finally I was past be past most of the walkers. The few people I came across in this part of the park are the serious walkers and runners, and will not only get the hell out of the way, but nod and even say hello. These are my kind of people.

I was nearing the bridge that connects Spring Creek and Parker and noticed that the new path bridge to Oak Point park is FINALLY open! I forgot about the fact they had the official opening today. So I veered off down there to see what it was like.

Let me say it is great to have more bike path in ad wooded/grassy area where you cannot even SEE a street for a bit. VERY NICE. I like riding on the bike trails in the actual woods as well, but it is too dark for me to venture on dirt paths this late at night. After passing over the initial little bridge, there is another one not too far off and then you go under a bridge. I just love being in nature - but having something fast enough to ride away if nature comes after me. (Those squirrels are down right mean in TX! Oh - and we do have coyotes in the park, though I have only seen two the past 5 years.)

Okay - so after 9PM is probably not a good time of day to go exploring a new bike path, especially one that lacks street lights. As I got closer to where I would have to ride under the bridge, I could see out the other side - so I thought - "Oh this cannot be too bad". Yeah...then I got closer...and under it...and you could not see an inch in front of you UNDER the bridge. I didn't ride that fast; even though I knew it was a new bike path and would most likely be smooth, I was worried about hitting a pot hole or rock and going flying off into the darkness. SCARY!

I made it through, and then continued for about another hundred yards or so, where there was a fork in the paths - one to the left went closer to Spring Creek that going past CCCCD I believe and the other to the right - I believe it ended up on where Parker and Los Rios intersect. (I didn't ride all the way up there - but could see an intersection from where I turned around.)

I turned around, and started my way home. This time under the bridge I rode like a bat out of hell - it is probably the fastest 50 feet I have ever ridden hahah.

One thing that I noticed tonight (besides all the bugs hitting my tshirt and dying) was the huge temp difference between certain areas of the park. It felt like I was riding through pockets of cool area when I got to the horse section, and then it went up again near the creek, and then down again once I cross the new section. I bet the difference in degrees was at least 5!

Tonight I was at least smart enough to put on padded bike shorts under my regular shorts. It took my two days to recover from my short ride last weekend because I didn't wear them. Since it was dark out, I committed a girly faux pas and didn't bother to shave my legs. I am not going to be going so fast that it would cut down my speed haha, but also I would be going fast enough that people wouldn't notice. (Well - except for my Olympian Sprint under the Dark Bridge coming back home; the stubble on my legs may have actually slowed me down on this part of the ride, I was going so fast.) And if they did...honestly, I don't think I care. After all, when a fat chick goes riding, she really cannot care how she looks to other people, or she would never go, now would she?

Although I stopped a few times to rest up, I was actually on the bike riding for 38.50 minutes. I am not sure the distance I covered, since I cannot access the new trail map yet, and the Gmap pedometer site doesn't seem to be working properly. (User error, perhaps?)

However far I rode, it was fun, and some much needed exercise. AND I noticed that I wasn't huffing and puffing as much as even last week. I attribute that to the fact that I quit smoking exactly two weeks ago.

Back on the bike and a few notes

2009-07-06T08:32:00.003-05:00

Ah yes...a ride in the park..finally! I got my bike's back tire and wheel replaced, as well as a mid level tune up about 2 months ago. And I finally took it for a spin for a short ride through the park a few days ago. It was a fun ride, but the air in my tires were really too long, and boy did I feel it!

I must say that Plano did a great job with the bike path improvements. They also put additional benches next to the path, which is great when an old fat fogey like myself needs to sit down for a few minutes. I do wish they would hurry up and open up the bridge that connects Bob Woodruff to the bike path that goes up to where the Amphitheater is.

My ride was only about 5 miles, but it was fun. I left early, about 7:15 AM, because it was already 84 degrees and was on track to go to 100 later in the day (which it did!).

A few weeks ago we purchased a new ladies Schwinn bike for our 11 year old daughter. Her old bike had fallen apart, and she was using her older sister's old bike - which is a piece of junk now. My husband took a look at the local bike shop to find a good used one, but they were all so expensive! So, we just went up to Wal-Mart and got her the Schwinn. We bought an almost identical bike for her older sister a year ago, and it has done well for her, so I figured the $180 for it would be worth it.

One thing I found really strange: when we were looking for her bike, we visited a couple of Wal-Marts. The one on Park & Dallas Tollway actually has a couple of CARBON road bikes!!! I realize this store is on the rich side of town - but seriously, anyone that is going to drop $1300 to $1800 on a bike is NOT going to buy it at Wal-Mart!!! That is just CRAZY!!!

Anyhoo...today's bike related goal is to buy a new bike for our 7 year old. No doubt we will probably end up at Wal-Mart or Target in the end, but I am going to run up to Plano Cycling just in case they have something decent for her. She loves to ride her bike, but is just too big for the one she has.

2009? A better Year of The Bike?

2009-05-10T14:06:00.002-05:00

Well...shortly after I made the last post below, I let my son use my bike. Sigh. He ran over something, and totally shredded the back tire and destroyed the wheel. I didn't have a lot of time (as I thought I would) to ride, so I just let the poor thing sit, and sit, and sit...

I finally got it fixed a few weeks ago, and hope to back out on the road soon. We shall see!

Riding Goals for Q3 & Q4 2008

2008-06-21T00:05:00.002-05:00

So anyhoo...just trying to motivate myself here.
The weather has been nuts the past few weeks - we had a lot of wind - too much for me to handle on a bike ride - and then nasty thunderstorms. Isn't Texas weather the best? I guess I should consider use fortunate, at least I don't have to worry about floods like a good part of the country right now!

Trying to put together some goals for riding again. Given my crazy schedule, I don't usually have much in me to go for a ride after work. Also, I am sooooo not a morning person! IF I could do that, then I could probably squeeze in a good bit of riding during the work week. But the chances of that happening in the near future are Slim and None. And Slim is out of town.

So I am thinking perhaps of trying to hit 10 miles a week. Yes, I know...very whimpy - but I am trying to be realistic here. So for Q3 2008 - I will try to hit a total of 130 miles.

If I can do that, I will see if I can ramp it up a little for Q4.

New Bike

2008-06-20T23:58:00.002-05:00

Well, I just HAD to have a new bike after my last ride on my comfort bike. It was just taking sooooooo long to get here and there.

I took some great advice from the peeps at the Bike Speak Forum and ended up getting a Trek 7100 - you can view what my beautiful new bike looks like here:
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/2008/bike_path/7000_series/7100/

I purchased the guy's model - I didn't like her the ladies one looked. And, I have my good ol' Venture girlie comfort bike should I feel the need to be ladylike.

I have taken a few rides on it, and got up to about 15 mph while riding through the park with my husband. And no - I was NOT going down hill hahah! For me that is really good, and I was able to keep it up for about 15 minutes.

So, still a lot more to do on the bike, but very happy to have something that is easier for me to keep up with my husband on rides.

Hello again!

2008-05-26T16:15:00.003-05:00

Wow - it has been a long time. I haven't really had anything interesting to post.
I really haven't been riding that much the past 12 months either.

However - I did just finally ride my bike on last Friday.
My car is in the shop, and my husband's car is not working right now. So, Friday I rode my bike to work - just under 3 miles one way.
The ride wasn't bad - but - and this is TMI, I know - let's just say it was a good thing that I brought a change of clothes because I was sweaty betty!!!

On the way home I took a different route, which was good because my husband called to say he was stuck on the highway trying to get home. So I rode up to the daycare - and he and my sister showed up in her car a few minutes later. I arrived about 6:33 PM - we are supposed to get the kids at 6:30. Ooops!
So, while they drove the kids home, I rode the rest of the way home - total round trip was about 7 miles.

Really - not that much - but after not riding for a long time - PHEW! I was beat.

I am thinking about what realistic goal I can set for the rest of the year for riding. Summer gets awful hot in Texas - so I am not sure whether I would be up for riding my bike to work every day.

On the kid front: my 8 year old is fighting to get her training wheels back. We bought her a nice Specialized kid's bike - nothing too expensive, but we normally don't spend more than $70 on a kids bike. She can ride it fine - but cannot stop. She insists we give her the training wheels back. Ah well - so that is what we are going to do. Hopefully she will learn how to stop soon and then feel confident so we can get ride of the training wheels forever!

My Husband, The Glorious Bastard

2006-06-27T19:55:00.000-05:00

So, the husband comes back from a bike run, all sweaty and out of breath, holding out his bike computer. It says 101.7.

"That's how many miles I put on it since I got the computer" he says between breaths.

"Wow," I said. "You have already beat me for the year! haha!"

He starts to walk out of the office. Then he turns and says "I got on the scale, and I have lost 13 pounds in the last month."

He says something else, but I don't hear the Glorious Bastard. I hate him for 5 seconds, and then I am proud.

Good for him! Good for him. I am so glad to see him enjoying himself, and physically benefitting from his rides.

=)

Run, Squirrels, Run!

2006-06-17T14:15:00.000-05:00

Well, I woke up late today, about noon! That is probably a good thing, since I haven't been sleeping well the past few weeks. But, work has finally picked up, and I was able to put in a good day yesterday, and may be able to get some work done this weekend as well.

It was much cooler today than it has been, only 80 degrees or so, if weather.com is accurate. Overcast, and a little humid, but I decided to join the husband for a ride through the park.

He is a trooper: I know he never gets a real work out when I tag along, but I usually get a better ride when I do with him. But he doesn't seem to mind. He keeps himself from getting bored by riding through the grass chasing squirrels while I pedal my pudgey legs to keep up. It adds to the fun, that.

I forgot my helmet, so it was a deliciously fun ride for me heehee, since I got the wind through my hair and all that.

Total miles for today: 5.78
Total miles for 2006: 97.88
Miles to go: 1042.15

On a totally unrelated matter: my son announced he wants a pet monkey, an iguana and something that flies, but isn't a bird. I remarked he has mentioned this at least a bizillion times in the last several years. I am posting so I can prove it when he brings it up yet again 2 months from now.

Back In The Saddle Again

2006-06-13T13:10:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been able to get out and about on a few rides since I last posted!
So far, I have ridden approximately 12 more miles, mostly in the park, of course.

My husband found some bike trails in the woods at the park, and has taken me in there a few times for some “mountain bike” adventure! It has been fun. Hopefully my comfort bike can handle it hahah. He was able to get my bike computer working, so now I have a better idea of mileage as well as speed.

Also, our oldest daughter finally has her training wheels off! She has been riding on the grass at the park with my husband, and is doing great. Pretty soon she will be ready to get on the actually paved bike path, and then she can go on the wood trails with my husband. She is looking forward to that quite a bit.

Sooo...looking at my mileage total, I am only what, 500 miles off where I should be for the year? EEEK. Well, I need to get moving. I don't know if I can make it up, but I certainly need to try.

I have a funny story about taking our 6 year old in the woods for a ride, but will have to post that later.

Update mileage for 2006: 92.10
Miles to go for 2006: 1047.93

Vespa Nation

2006-05-24T22:13:00.000-05:00

I haven't been out on my bike too much, but I am hopeful that will change, since I am feeling much better. The weather has been beautiful too, so I need to take advantage of it before it gets too hot.

Anyhoo, I was reading an interesting article in the Dallas Morning News: More people choosing fuel-efficient scooters. The article discusses how a lot of people are starting to purchase scooters for commuting to work. It seems that gas prices have made people rethink their work commute costs.

Well, good for them. They seem like they are having some fun as well, zipping around on little Vespas or what not. They are pretty cheap to insure as well, apparently. But, what I find really funny is that the people quoted in the article have really short commutes, usually under 2 or 3 miles. And they only ride the scooters when weather permits. And of course, they cannot use the scooters on the highway since they cannot go over 45 mph. So, no really long trips out of town, and it doesn't sound like they can or choose to do a lot of errands that go beyond a short distance.

Makes me wonder: why don't they just get a bicycle? Seriously, for a 2 to 3 mile commute, they will be there in almost the same amount of time. They will save money on gas, insurance and cost of the scooter. (Of course, they CAN spend thousands on a bike, but for a 3 mile commute they wouldn't need it.)

I just find this hilarious. Ooo look at the money I am saving on gas! If that was the real motivation, just ride your bike, or god forbid: WALK.

The bottom line is that people should spend their money on whatever they want, be it a gas guzzling 2 mpg SUV, scooter or bicycle. Enjoy your money, people. What’s the point of earning it if you cannot enjoy it?

This article just really made me laugh. I don't have anything against scooters per se, or those that ride them. The article was just very queer. If the point was to be that scooters were a good commuting alternative, than the Dallas Morning News should have done a better job getting some real facts to back it up. Instead, they just seemed to interview a few scooter enthusiasts.

Miles last week: 2 miles
Total miles for 2006: 80.10
Total miles to go : 1059.93

MS150 Disappointment & Small Surprise

2006-05-10T12:36:00.000-05:00

The MS150 has come and gone.
My husband took me up to Frisco Friday night to get my bike safety check and pick up my "goodie" bag. Although I had only been up to a couple of short rides around the neighborhood in the past week prior, (to and from the girls' school, through the park, and once to my youngest's daycare) I was feeling confident Friday night that I would be able to ride at least something Saturday.

Alas, it didn't work out. I was in no condition to ride at all Saturday, nor Sunday. I still have been dealing with health issues, and am taking things day by day. I am very disappointed, but at least the donations are no longer tied to whether or not you actually complete any miles. (When I was a kid, people would pledge according to how many miles you walked for a walk-a-thon, etc.)

On a brighter note: My husband bought himself a bike! Shocking, I know, hahah! He found a mountain bike that caught his eye last time he visited the bike shop with me, and he took it for a spin. We have been on one little jaunt through the park together so far. I cannot keep up with him, which is one hand annoying, hahah...but on the other hand I don't mind because I am really pleased that he has decided to take up riding. He seems to be enjoying it. Good for him!

Hopefully he will be able to find some decent off road areas to go riding nearby soon. I don't think the park trails and riding around the neighborhood is quite what he is looking for hahah. But that's okay.

In adding up my meager miles, I had a few minutes of self pity and wondered to myself "maybe I should just give this up." But then, I realized that would be foolish. Really, the goal wasn't that high to begin with. I was a little behind before I got sick, but was starting to get on the right track. I just need to focus on figuring out how to make this work.

I then wondered "Why is this so important to me?" The answer is simple: being healthy is a very basic thing that is so easily forgotten. It is a basic responsibility that is easy to shirk, and I think, yes, I have been guilty of that. Everyone pays the consequences for their actions, or their lack of action. I cannot sit here and say the reason I am having my current issues are because I didn't take care of myself earlier in life. (Actually, there doesn't seem to be any correlation at all, but still...perhaps I would have recognized symptoms earlier if I had been in better general health.)

So, to me this is a way to focus a bit on a fundmental thing in my personal life. I am a bit brain dead as I try to write this, so hopefully late at some point I can explain it better.

Miles last week: 6.6 miles
Total miles for 2006: 78.10
Total miles to go : 1061.93

Yes, I Am Still Alive

2006-03-11T20:19:00.000-06:00

Ahhh...its been a while!My plans have been thwarted the past several weeks. At first it was due to weather and work, but the past few weeks have been due to health issues.I did squeeze in one last ride in Feb, for 2 miles, so that brings the total for 2006 through Feb to 69.50.

A few days ago I was feeling a little better, so snuck out one early morning for a ride. It was only 2 miles, but it was gruelling. I think most of it was due to my health, but the fact that my bike got stuck in 7th gear, the biggest gear on my bike didn't help either hahah. Sorta glad it happened though, because I had never tried to ride so long on such a tough gear before.

I called my LBS and cancelled my spot in the spin classes. If I feel better I will try to get back in. You wouldn't think with all this "free" time I would be able to make my blog prettier, but alas, I haven't been able to even work the past two weeks, or even check email without getting sick after a few minutes. Spent much of the time staring at the ceiling. Man, I think we need to paint it.

I have been to the doctors a few times, had several lovely tests, and get to go to a new doctor Monday. My hope is that the new doc will have some insight to what my problem is and can offer a solution so I can get back on my bike. You never really appreciate what you have until you lose it, even for a short while. Hopefully, when I get better I won't take it for granted again.(Okay, end of whining, pouting and crying.)

Total miles for the other day: 2
Total for 2006: 71.50
Miles to go: 1068.53

This is an ugly site, and new gloves!

2006-02-23T00:51:00.000-06:00

Well, the weather is still nasty, but at least the temps are about the 40s or 30s!
I have been too busy with work and family to go for a ride during the day, and really miss it. (Dang priorities!)
This makes me look forward to those spinning classes that start next month at the LBS. I have never really enjoyed riding inside, but maybe it will be different doing it in a class.

Taking a look at my blog, I realize just how ugly and just plain BLAH it looks. Maybe this weekend I can make it a little prettier.

Oh, had a very exciting trip to Walmart last night at least. Found my new pair of gloves for riding in chilly weather. They are actually some mechanic gloves...they are really cheap cloth gloves with this rubber like dots all over them. I guess for gripping tools or something. Anyway, they were a buck. A buck! I have been searching for cheap gloves for a few weeks, and after trying on gloves between 5 and 25 dollars, I have decided this is the way to go, haahah.

Yes, I am cheap.

Crazy Weather

2006-02-18T16:48:00.000-06:00

Well, we at least 2 perfect days to ride earlier in the week, but, alas! I had to work and so couldn't go. My own fault though, I got a bit behind in work and had to catch up. This Texas weather is funny. 70 degrees on day, and 25 degrees a few days later. Go figure. I used to think New England weather was nuts.

Today it is 25 degrees, but feels like 13 if you believe the wind chill factor. It is very chilly...brrrr! On a happy note, my son actually saw it snow a little for a few minutes yesterday morning. Maybe, just maybe we will get lucky and get an inch or two of snow. I would be willing to sacrifice a few more days of riding for that. Oh, I miss snow!

I haven't been on my bike for only a week and I already feel the effects. How sad is that.

I did make some progress towards planning. My local bike shop is giving free cycling classes away to the members of their MS150 team in March and April. Perhaps this will help me get some actual training in. I love my rides around town, but I know if I want to really build up endurance and lose a little weight I have to work a lot harder. And, I could use some more motivation. Maybe this will help.

BRRRRRR!!! Stupid Ground Hog!

2006-02-11T14:37:00.000-06:00

Okay...so we don't really have winter down in TX. I don't care what anyone says. If you don't have temps under 30 degrees for at last 2 weeks at a time, you don't have a real winter. (Just my own personal feeling). And it is just WRONG for the temps to go below 35 degrees on any day if there is snow involved. SHEESH!!!

Well, that stupid ground hog Phil has said there will be another weeks of winter. All that means to me in Texas is that we will have a few inconveniently placed cold snaps.

I was going to try to do 16.5 miles this weekend. Well, today is shot. It is 43 degrees, with wind chill (23 mph) of about 33 degrees. I know I am being a big baby, but I cannot find my gloves, and I don't have anything to cover my ears. Sure, I can put tape on my vents on the helmet, but I don't need frostbite on my ears. I wanted to take my girls for a short ride today, but it is too cold for them.

Okay, since I don't have cheese to serve with this whine, I supposed I need to buck up. I need to go out today to do some errands, so will look for some new gloves and something to cover my ears. Tomorrow is another day, and it looks like it may be a little warmer.

Yesterday I only had time to get the kids from school...so about 1/2mile.

Total miles for yesterday: .5
Total for 2006: 67.5
Left to go for 2006: 1072.53

Thursday through the park

2006-02-09T17:40:00.000-06:00

Finally got in a decent short ride Thursday. I followed my Gmap-Pedometer route pretty closely, with the exception of the last seven tenths of a mile. There is this hill near my house that always conquers me. It isn't that long, but since I always come up on it at the end of my ride, I never feel strong enough to ride all the way up. So today I decided to cut down an alley, and went up a small hill that I have tackled quite a few times on the other end of my road.

I am starting to see some more progress in my riding. My bike is only a 7 speed, and when I first started riding I spent most of my time on the 2nd speed, and slowly worked my way up to riding between 3rd and 4th much of the time. Well, today I was very excited that I was able to kick it up a bit more, and spent a good amount of time in 5th and 6th, and even 7th! Of course 7th was mostly going down hills or on the really flat areas, but I was able to ride almost up one small hill in 5th gear, and didn't need to shift down past 4th.

I thought about doing an extra lap or two around the little lake at the park, but I decided against it. I want to get to a point where I can ride this route 5 miles straight without stopping to rest. I only had to stop twice: only once to rest for a few minutes; the other time was briefly a little over a mile into the ride. There was a couple walking ever so slowly down the bike path near the bridge, and it would have been too difficult to pass them. (It was one of those lovey dovey couples that just couldn't seem to stay on one side of the path. Oh well, at least they seemed happy. Can't be upset with that.) So I got about 5.33 miles today.

I am a little concerned about pressing on too hard, since tonight my asthma is bothering me a little bit. Other than that I feel good though...but maybe it is time to check into having a rescue inhaler just in case.

Air in my tire seemed low when I was riding, but not when I was off the bike. I did have to adjust my bike seat though, since it seemed out of whack. Tomorrow I need to clean my bike down...it is getting dirty!

I didn't ride Monday or Wednesday, but I got a short ride in on Tuesday night. I just used a flashlight clipped into my bike basket using the mount that came with my crappy Schwin bike pump (that I never use). I just stayed around the neighborhood because my "lighting system" wasn't that great. I thought I already posted what I rode here...but I see no post (??) . I think I rode about 1.7 miles then.

All in all, a pleasant, satifisfying ride, although I feel a bit winded today.
Total miles for Monday & Thursday: 7.03
Total for 2006 : 67
Mileage to go for 2006: 1073.03 miles

A Fun Weekend

2006-02-07T19:35:00.000-06:00

Sunday I embarked on my most ambitious ride: 15 miles!

I very carefully plotted out the route I wanted to take using the www.GMap-pedometer.com site, and even wrote up route instructions. I was able to print out the instructions, but not the maps, since I didn't have enough ink in the printer...oops!

I also prepared by taping the air vents on my helmet, since it seemed a little chilly and there was some strong winds.

Well, I rode down to Bob Woodruff Park, and then cut up to Los Rios on one of the back roads near the park. I was making good time on Los Rios, since the wind was at my back. I didn't really understand just how strong the wind was, until I saw a cyclist across the street from me. She had on some serious cycling clothes, had a cool bike, and was standing up, straining to get up a very, very slight incline. “Uh-oh”, I thought. “ I am going to have to deal with that wind later too!”

On the new Los Rios extension, I just flew down this huge hill, thanks to gravity and once again the wind. It was awesome! I felt like I was flying. A "wheeeee!" may have even escaped my lips. I was going so fast and had so much momentum that I was able to pedal up the next big hill most of the way. I did have to get off the bike the last several feet and walk up, but I was still pleased with how far I had ridden.

A few minutes later I realized that my brilliant plan was going awry. Because this extension was new, it wasn't on the satellite or regular Google map. I had just assumed where it went. I knew it would end at Jupiter, which it did, but I got confused and thought I was farther north than I actually was, so I head south on Jupiter. By the time I realized my mistake, it was too late to ride on back, so I decided to improvise the rest of the route.

The good thing was that in my improvisation I finally found where I got get on the Santa Fe Trail, and rode this bike path almost all the way to Shiloh. (There is a section that is closed due to the Shiloh Road extension). I then made my way back to Bob Woodruff Park, and rode the other end of the Santa Fe Trail, which I had never been on. I was pleased to see how long it was. This is a good bike path that I can take my kids on later.

I finally ended up home about 2 hours 10 minutes later. I recently purchased a Schwin $10 bike computer so that I could more accurately keep track of my mileage, speed, etc. However, I don't think it is installed properly since the only thing that works is the trip duration. At least I could measure the duration of the trip. When I got back to the house I used the GMap site again...and realized to my disappointment that my trip was only 14.4 miles. I was six tenths off! ARGHHH!!! I should have made an extra trip around the pond at the park.

However, this was my longest trip ever, so I am still happy with it. It was the first time I wore my padded bike shorts, and they made a HUGE difference. I wore them under sweat pants, as I do care about my fellow humans, and no one needs to see that much white flesh.

Saturday was a fun day

I took my 10 year old and 8 year old daughters on a ride, while the 6 year old rode in the Burley trailer. They had been invited to a birthday party at the park, so it was perfect...ride to the park, let them run around and have fun at the party for a couple of hours, and ride home.

It was an interesting ride there and back, because my 10 year old is still getting used to riding. She still has training wheels on her bike, but now they seem to do more harm than good. She tried so hard to balance herself, but the bike would remain off to the side, leaning on one of the training wheels, as her body bent in the opposite direction, trying to straighten everything out. Poor kid! My 8 year old kept zooming past her, her training wheels barely touching the ground, except in a few places.

I am proud of them both though. The 8 year old has improved greatly since the last ride, and my 10 year old kept plugging away, even though her legs were tired and she was getting a little frustrated. I think if she can have more time on her bike she will be fine.
Later today I am going to adjust the training wheels, and raise the seat to see if either will help. Perhaps if they are closer to the ground she can get used to riding without being crooked, and be able to feel how you are supposed to be sitting when the bike is upright properly.

I am not 100% sure of my mileage for Saturday, since I did some extra riding back and forth on the trails so that my oldest daughter didn't fall too far behind. A conservative estimate is 3 miles.

Total mileage for this weekend: 17.40
Total mileage for 2006: 59.97
Miles to go: 1140.03

Lights for My Bike?

2006-02-04T00:46:00.000-06:00

I have been looking for a good lighting system for my bike. I have decided to check out solar powered lights. A poster at the Bike Speak Forum suggested this link:
Solar Rechargeable Bike Light

As you can see from the picture on the left, I have decided to supplement the power that can be collected on the small panel with a panel on my kid's bike helmet. I figure she can wear it around outside walking to school, at recess and after school for a few hours. And of course a few hours on the weekend. Perhaps if she is outside enough we can collect enough sunlight to power the battery in my laptop computer.
I will never be without charged batteries for my bike light!!!Now I just need to figure out how to mount that little wind mill on my helmet to generate more power as I coast down hill.
MUAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAAHAHAH!!!
My brilliant and evil plans are coming together!!
(no riding today...youngest still sick..sigh)

Mileage for yesterday: .5
Mileage for 2006 : 42.57
Miles to go : 1157.43

Fun With My Daughter

2006-02-01T18:41:00.000-06:00

I finally was able to take my 8 year old daughter for a real bike ride today since I put on her training wheels. She did a great job riding on the street and at the bike path on the park.
One thing I need to do is a better job of tightening bolts...one of the training wheels came off...eek! It all worked out though.

I need to starting training more for the training rides to train for the MS150.
(How sad is that?) This month I will have to ride 160 miles if I want to be back on track for my goal. If I can get some weekend rides in that will help. There is a 30 mile ride coming up in March I want to be prepared for. I have just over a month to prepare.

EEEK!

Todays mileage: 2 miles
Total for 2006: 42.07
Mileage to go : 1157.93

Chicken Pox = No Riding

2006-02-01T00:53:00.000-06:00

My poor little daughter, the 4 year old, has Chicken Pox! Guess that shot she had three years ago didn't do too much. The doctor said it should be mild, but I dunno.....

I didn't get any riding in today due to this. However, if she is feeling a little better tomorrow, I will bring her in the trailer to pick up the other girls from school. I will have the plastic windows closed, so she won't be coughing on other kids. (I have not choice...have to get the girls and I won't have the car). Who would have thought the trailer would be that handy?

I put new sturdy training wheels on my 6 & 8 year old daughters' bikes Monday night. And my 10 year old daughter told me she wants to ride the Dallas Tour in April. So, other than sickness, things are looking up. I will have a few riding partners for the park soon.
=)

Ride Videos

2006-01-30T16:00:00.000-06:00

For your viewing pleasure:

Movies made with Movie Maker:
Short Video

Simple AVI video:
Up and Over The Bridge

Oh the fun!
=)

Being a Monday, I didn't get much riding in today.
Today's Mileage: 1.72
Total for 2006 : 40.07
Mileage to go : 1159.93

Beautiful Ride in The Park

2006-01-29T23:52:00.000-06:00

Sunday was a beautiful day! Mostly blue skies, a little wind, and temps warm enough that one really didn't need to wear even a light jacket.

My husband was kind of enough to take a few minutes to fix my rear brake today, so I decided to take a ride to the park. My youngest two were fighting over the video game, so I decided to take my 6 year old daughter with me.

The only problem was there were so many people out! I think there were at least 4 offical soccer games going on near the entrance of the bike path. Plus a bunch of informal groups here and there playing touch football, or just throwing balls back and forth. And numerous people on the bike path either riding, jogging or walking. Lots of dogs out today too.

There weren't any real problems, but there was this one annoying lady. She and her family somehow felt they had a right to spread out across the whole bike path. It is about 5 or 6 feet wide, so there is a good bit of room. However, the park is as populated as it was today, it is common courtsey to not do that. At least be aware of people coming towards you or from behind you. I had to ride around them on the grass because they wouldn't move despite my polite "Excuse me" please. I am not surprised though. Just a second before I heard the lady complain out loud about people riding bikes on the path.

The best part of the ride was the fact that my daughter shot some video from the trailer.
Here is a small sample of our ride...this is going back up the hill to the bridge after we leave the park. It isn't exciting, but it means a lot to me, since I was able to go up the hill (both ways even!) with my daughter in the trailer. I used to have to stop and walk part way up. PROGRESS!! =)

As soon as my husband gets our server back up I will post some of the video for your viewing pleasure.

Today's mileage : 3.83
Total for 2006 : 38.35
Mileage to go : 1161.65

Never Take Chuck Norris' Name In Vain!

2006-01-28T22:03:00.000-06:00

Well, you know, I should have realized I was in danger when the two reflectors on my Burley trailer broke off a few days ago. But nooo..

Today I took my 4 year old for a ride through the park. We rode around the pond a few times, I let her play on the playground for a little while, rode around the pond a few times more, mildy harassed my son who was hanging out with his friends there, and headed home. On the way, we stopped at a little gas station convenience store for some cookies for her and diet coke for me.

When I was putting her back in the trailer, my bike fell over. The basket in front fell off, the contents started rolling down the parking lot. No big deal, I got everything, finished buckling in my daughter, and we took off.

I was going down a very slight incline, but decide to put my brake on a little because there was a sharp turn at the end...then I realized I had way too much play with my brake. I wasn't going fast so I gently put a little of the front brake on and used my feet to stop. I got off, and realize that the brake cable was away from the frame, and in there was way too much space between the brake pads. I tried to put it back to good, but had no tools, so soon the cable was completely out. Sheesh.

Well, fortunately, the short cut home has a side walk, and we were less than a mile away from the house, so it wasn't a real tragedy or anything.

But, it just goes to show that bad things happen to people that take Chuck Norris' name in vain.
I just hope the Flying Spaghetti Monster doesn't find out what I have been saying. I am more fearful of what its Noodley Appendage is capable of doing, because the FSM may be the only thing that could take Chuck Norris.

A real bummer too, because I would have gone a little over 5 miles today if I had been able to ride the normal way back. In hindsight, though, I am just lucky that I noticed it before I got in any areas where I would have pulled hard on my brakes for any reason. Wouldn't want anything to happen to my little girl.

Ahh...a good thing did happen today. I finally made it to the bike store to find out what size jersey I need for the MS150 team. Just you never mind what size. Let's just say it is good the shirt is in dark colors, hahah.

Today's mileage: 4.35
Total for 2006: 34.52
Mileage to go: 1165.48

The All Powerful Chuck Norris

2006-01-28T00:33:00.000-06:00

Doot, doot, doot!
Well, Friday was an okay day. It was overcast, and sprinkled a little bit, but I was able to run out up to get a sandwhich on my bike, and then swing by to get the girls at school.
I didn't have time for any other rides, but hopefully I can make up for it this weekend if it doesn't rain. My 6 year old got an extra kick out of the Burley trailer, since she was able to keep dry in the light rain we had.

I should have posted this sooner, but got caught up reading some funny Chuck Norrisism at the Bike Speak forum I frequent. Here are a few:

Superman has a pair of Chuck Norris underwear.
The Bogeyman checks his closet for chuck Norris at night.
Oxygen requires Chuck Norris to survive.
Bush had a sure fire plan to win the Iraq war; unfortunately Chuck Norris was busy that day.

For a few more Chuck Norrisism, check out this http://www.xanga.com/tn_drumbanger

If my bike was a boy, I would name it Chuck Norris. In fact, I am seriously considering naming our next pet Chuck Norris. You never know when you could use a Chuck Norris in your life.

Miles today : 1.75
Total for 2006: 30.17
Miles to go : 1169.83

Check Out My Donation Link!

2006-01-27T12:13:00.000-06:00

This is to help raise funds for the MS150 I am riding in:

http://ms150.org/edon.cfm?id=182044

I hope to raise at least $500. The team goal is to raise at least $100,000 for this cause.

Anyone that can help, I truly appreciate it!

BLAH

2006-01-26T21:05:00.000-06:00

Oh flu, oh lovely flu....grrrrrr...why has thee come to visit me, AGAIN???

Sigh...

Yesterday afternoon fever, chills and body ache hit me all of a sudden...by 6 or 7PM I was freezing and ready for bed. I was still sick today, but felt a little better...
Still had to get the kids, so I took my bike both days...it is so much easier to ride to get them than to walk when I not feeling well.

Good news: I received my fat chick bicycle shorts in the mail today. WOOHOOO!!!

Miles for today & yesterday: 1
Total for 2006 : 28.42
Miles to go: 1171.58

Crazy Ride From Daycare

2006-01-24T20:44:00.000-06:00

Did my little jaunt to pick up the kids at school, with my oldest daughter running behind me down the alley for fun.

Later, I went to pick up the wee one from daycare. I have finally figured out that crossing way before the intersection is the best, since there is a wide median in the middle of the road. I just cross on side, hope on the medium with my bike and trailer, and wait out the traffic on the other side until I can cross. It feels a lot safer, because I don't have to worry about people turning right.

I got to the daycare in one piece...even saw a fellow commuting on the way...a knowing smile was exchanged. Apparently I am know as "The Bike Mom" at her daycare. When I walk in the room to get my daughter, there are whispers, and small children look at me in awe. (I choose to call it awe, anyway.) Sometimes a small crowd gathers at the window so they can watch me buckle up my daughter, and then ride away.

On the way back I could see that traffic was very heavy. Alas, I think anytime after 4 or 4:30 it will be. It was around 5:30 PM, and there didn't seem to be a let up of people turning at the intersection against the red light. So, I formed a quick brilliant and cunning plan. I decided to ride on the grass in the opposite direction, cross onto the median there, and then ride across the field to a business/industrial park across the field. So after about 5 minutes, we were able to get across.

I had to get off the bike and walk it after a few minutes. I guess I forgot the fact that it rained the other day, and despite the drought we have been having the ground was still very soft and difficult to ride on. I then realized that business park was on the other side of the railroad tracks. I should have crossed farther down the street! So...I say to myself "No big deal. No train is coming, just cross the tracks." And cross the tracks we did.

My daughter was a little nervous because it was a very bumpy crossing. And my poor trailer lost its reflectors in the process. Luckily I found them, I hope I can put them back on so I don't have to order new ones.

So I ride through the parking lots, doot, doot,doot....all this timing thinking I may still come out of this as a genius. Then I get to another road I have to cross. We do the median crossing again....doesn't go so well...but we made it across in one piece. I still have to cross the main road at the intersection though...we finally cross, but my side of the street is on the other side...so I just give up, and ride on the sidewalk until I get right across my alley and cross there. If it wasn't for a nice soccer mom in a minivan that stopped to let me cross, we would still be across the street!

I am not ready to completely give up brining my daughter home on my bike. But I need to figure out a better way. Thus, I shall be pouring over the street maps and satellite images at the GMap-Pedometer website for a few days to figure this out. I need to figure out other back ways around town anyhoo.

Today's mileage: 3.5
Total 2006: 27.42
To go: 1172.58

Good Day

2006-01-23T20:42:00.000-06:00

Got some good mileage today...10.42 miles!
I was able to work it in earlier in the day.
So the update:
2006 Mileage: 23.92
To go: 1176.08

woohoo!!!

OOO I am on a TEAM!!!

2006-01-23T11:15:00.000-06:00

When I was at my LBS the other day, one of the guys mentioned that they still had room on their team for the MS150 ride. I said I didn't feel comfortable being on a team yet, so maybe next year. But, he said there are riders from all backgrounds, so I shouldn't feel that I couldn't join.

Well, today I called up the MS registration people, and they kindly switched me over to the LBS team..wohoo! If I am one of the first 200 people, I get a free jersey (hope they make it big enough, hahah), AND free cycling lessons. That is a good deal.

Most importantly, it has given me more motivation to train for it, and to try to raise more than the $300 min that they normally look for. I guess the team is trying to raise over $100,000 this year. That would be a pretty cool thing to be a part of!

Doot Doot Doot Doot!

2006-01-22T22:58:00.000-06:00

Well, its been about 2 weeks since my last post, and a LOT of things have happened!
Regarding our car...that finally died, and we bought a used SUV. I wasn't too crazy about getting it at first, but my husband rightly pointed out we needed something that could haul all our little minions. Good point...and, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I may be able to talk him into putting a bike rack on it. MUAHAHA!

Even with the new vehicle though, we are still down to just one. That is fine with me, because I finally have ended my job hunt. A mentor of mine in the same industry found out I was looking, and offered me a nice contract deal to continue working from home for her. So now we don't have to worry about me commuting to work. (I couldn't find anything close enough to ride too).

Between working and general life, I haven't gotten a lot of riding. What I did do though, is incorporate the very little trips into bike trips. For instance, riding to my kids' school and my youngest daughter's daycare. Not a lot of mileage, but it keeps me on the bike. So far, I have racked up about 7.4 miles just going to school and the daycare. Oh, and 3.10 miles when I took one of my kids to the store with me. (Oh I love that Burley trailer I bought!) So that is only 10.5 miles...well below the 50 miles I was hoping to get by this time.

The trip to my daughter's daycare is difficult, and I may have to give up on it. Getting there isn't a problem. I go a back way where there is no traffic, and then cross at a busy interesection. After I put my daughter in the trailer, though, I am too nervous to cross the intersection there again. So I ride on the grass against traffic...eeek....and cross at another intersection, which isn't that great, but I think the drivers have more visibility there.

I am considering just picking her up maybe 2 or 3 times a week, and doing it a few hours earlier to avoid the traffic. That way I get in a nice ride, and spend a little extra time with her.

What other exciting news?
Well, I actually got my husband to step into the local bike shop with me. He was nice enough to check out bike racks-he was convinced there wasn't any he would put on the new vehicle we got. But LO and BEHOLD! He found one that won't interfere with a tow hitch...said we could get it when we have the money! WOHOO!

The racks were in the back, and he had to walk through all the higher end bike sections....he was playing with gears on some of the bikes. He was messing with a mountain bike when he noticed the disc brakes. He was amazed and excited. This, it seems, in the Male Techie world....is very important. He said he would consider getting one with disc brakes. I told him he should check out some of the other bikes, since he probably would want one that he could ride easily on the rode too. He then told me he wants one to go "off roading" with the guys at work.

(We won't go into the mixed feelings of "that is great, he is interested in riding; but what the heck, he will ride with the guys but not me?" here. Ladies, I know you understand. I just kept my mouth shut, hoping the desire for a bike would last.)

He went back to the family biking section, and found one or two that he likes. Hopefully in a few weeks he will be up for taking one for a test ride and putting it on layaway.

Oh....got a litte bell for my bike and a cheap rear rack. Alas, the bell doesn't fit my handle bars..so I am going to give it to one of the girls.

Signed up for the MS150 Ride in the Dallas area....oh and ordered some big fat chick bicycle padded shorts...FINALLY found a pair I could afford online.

So...where are we?
Oh yes: 13.5 miles down for 2006
1186.5 more to go!

Riding Goal for 2006

2006-01-07T17:52:00.000-06:00

Over at the Bike Forum, a few of the cyclists were talking about how many miles they rode in 2005. There are a few that have ridden as much as three and four thousand miles! Pretty amazing I think. They got a lot of those miles from commuting, but they still take leisure rides as well.

I have had my bike since the end of September 2005. I only kept track of my miles I racked up commuting for errands, basically when I used my bicycle instead of taking our car or van. Because of one thing or another, illness, lack of motivation, I guestimate that I only rode probably 30 miles in 2005. Very sad.

The Bike Forum thread got me thinking: What should my goal be for this year? Hmmm...well, it was already a week into the new year. Hmmm...Maybe I could shoot for 1200 miles a year? That is only 100 miles per month, about 25 per week. If I actually try to get ready for the MS150 (I hope to do 50 miles if possible) I should be able to reach that goal.

Well, today I got about 3 miles down. The trip was 4.35 miles, but due to nasty traffic and a lovely sore foot (blister from walk I took earlier in the day with new socks and borrowed shoes. Very stupid!)and with the little hills (being out of shape, I cannot take many) I probably ended up walking the bike for the rest of the way.

But, now I only have 1197 miles to go!
WOHOOOO!!!!!

Convincing my sister to ride

2006-01-06T17:58:00.000-06:00

Well, it has taken me 2 months, but I finally convinced my 18 year old sister to ride my bike to her boyfriends house.
They live about 5 miles apart. This past xmas break, she was quite upset because she couldn't see him very often because of transportation issues. Neither one of them drive, and we have been having car and van issues, so I don't use our car unless absolutely necessary.
Anyhoo...I have been telling her for months to either use the bus system...which doesn't really get her closer than 2 miles away, or buy a bike or borrow mine.
FINALLY, a few days ago, the last day of school break she rode my bike over. "I didn't realize how easy it was." He borrowed his brother's bike to bring her home, since she stayed until after dark.

Anyhoo...I haven't been riding much because of the flu (3 weeks of back and forth)..but I am finally glad to get her riding a little. She says she wants to ride over there today and borrow my bike sometimes on the weekend for this. I told her she should get her own bike, and she is seriously considering it.

Now, I just have to get my son a new bike, since his is too small. He pays $1 to take the bus to school, which is cheap, but sometimes he will walk home because he feels 50 cents is too much to waste on a 1.8 mile walk hahah. I hope to take him to the LBS next week to put something on layaway.

I am feeling much better today, so hopefully I will be strong enough to go for a bike ride myself tomorrow sometime. I am sooo sick of being sick. Hopefully the flu is finally done with me!

To ride or not to ride?

2005-12-19T15:48:00.000-06:00

I am recovering from a very fun weekend. No riding, unfortunately, but we had a huge party at our house Saturday night, and I had a brunch and a study group I attended on Sunday. I have a nasty cold now...probably too much wine, little sleep and food hahah.

So, my husband has the van today, since his car is laid up. I am out of cold medicine. Do I ride down to the store, or stay here and be miserable? It is chilly....40 degrees without a chill factor...not really that cold...but, ack...I don't have any gloves.

I guess I am not riding today..I am such a woss. Cough, cough...maybe I will make my son go to the store instead.

My longest bike journey so far

2005-12-12T16:08:00.000-06:00

Last night I needed to go do my auditing job at a local sporting goods store. Anyhoo...I have mentioned that our vehicles are down, so I was feeling happy I had a bike so I didn't have to pass on the work.

Anyhoo...this store is very close to my nearest Walmart, which is approximately 4.9 miles..at least the way that I drive it. I spent some time figuring out different routes using the http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ site. Finally, I decided the route that I normally drive, or close to it would be easy enough.

So, I take off today. A beautiful 55 degrees..no wind, and the sun is shining. I am wearing a tshirt, my helmet, and some old lady elastic waist band pants, socks, and my sneakers. I have a pull over (the fuzzy variety you can get at Old Navy). I couldn't find my normal water bottle, so I grab an empty plastic juice bottle and fill it with water...and away I go.

Now, it is about 2:45 PM when I start out...I get about 2 or 3 miles away, and I realize..hey there is that road that is paralel to this route, but will let me cut out a lot of dangerous traffic, and a few feet of road. I am feeling brilliant, and so I go on the side road.

The side road brings me right where I expect, and I am beaming (because I am so clever of course). Then I look. Hmmm....okay I did cut out a little traffic, but now I have to crosss a busy road still, AND have to go through a very VERY nasty intersection underneath route 75. I now realize: during this time of day I will be lucky to get a cross, and will probably become a hood ornament.
Well..live and learn. (The plan would have worked if it was not a weekend, I think...but oh well.)

So I turn around, go back the side road, down the main road, and all the back to the other road. Here, I take a right, and because traffic is so insane, I decide I should probably go on the sidewalk on the bridge that crosses 75. I don't like riding on sidewalks, but it seemed the most prudent thing to do.

I get over the bridge and realize something. There is this other side road that goes all the way back behind the store that I need to go to. It isn't shown on google maps, so I wasn't sure to include it in my brilliant and cunning plan. I take a right, and I find out, to my delight, that I can safely ride all the way to Academy sports.

Now, of course there is NO bike rack. What they heck? I have been there several times before, but never bother to notice. You would think a sporting goods store would have a bike rack. I find a suitable tree, and go in the store.

After auditing for two hours (funny no employee asked me what I was doing), I go outside and realize: ooops...it is already dark. It took me so long to get here, and I had also lost track of time in the store. Hmmm....I didn't expect to be out this late, and didn't bring my light (one of those 6 volt flash lights) and I am wearing fairly dark clothing.

Well, I needed to go to walmart anyway, which is maybe a football field away.
I lock my bike up to a poll, and go in.

Now, I had a bike light from walmart when I first got my bike. I paid maybe 15 for it...nothing too expensive. But it fell apart and broke after my first or second ride with it. After that I bought a 6 volt flashlight. It is big and bulky, but works and is easy to keep steady in my bike basket using a couple of bungee cords.

So I bought 2 flashings which were 97 cents each, and they came with batteries. Bonus! I then set about to find some reflector tape. I figure I can put it on the back of my pull over to make myself more visible. I find some in the auto aisle...almost 9 BUCKS!!?!?!?!!?!? I don't think so. So I go to the hunter section, and find a bright orange plastic hunting vest under a dollar.

Now, I have first aid tape in my bag, because I thought I may want to tape over the air vents on the helmet in case it was cold. So, outside, I open the flashlights, set my groceries in the basket, and use the tape to secure the cheap flashlights! VIOLA!!
Then I realize I couldn't fit my bag in there...okay, I squeeze the bag in VIOLA!!
Then I realize my gloves are in the bag...I get that out, get the gloves, and squeeze the bag back in.

Viola!
I have to adjust it a little bit a few times, but I am good to go.
It took a lot less time to get home, even though I did stop and have to walk a few times, and did take a few breaks.
I was gone about 5 hours and 15 minutes. 2 hours I was actually working, and about 15 minutes fiddling with my night time emergency kit...so about 3 hours was actually travel time. It took about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to academy with all the out of the way travel, and after shopping, it took about 55 minutes to get home. I basically turned what should have been a 5 to 5.5 trip one way into about 8 miles, because of having to turn back.

All in all, it was a good night. I know I took forever, and probably wiped out any calorie expenditure by that McDonald's cheeseburger at walmart and the 2 orange sodas I had in addition to my water, but it was well worth it. I am tired, but feel so good, and mostly because I know I can do it now. I am going to ride the way I came home a few more times and maybe soon I will feel comfortable enough to use a burly trailer for real shopping.

This is the longest trip I have made so far with my bike. Today I am a little sore, but cannot wait until the next time I go. My sister said to me, “Oh, I guess this bike thing wasn’t a phase then.” That made me really happy.

BRRR!!!!! Winter Riding

2005-12-09T23:50:00.000-06:00

Well, who'd thunk it!
Winters are a bit cold in TX...at least when you want to go for a ride!

We are having some car troubles...which could be good for my riding. I was hoping to ride my bike to the store today, but it was too cold. Last night I walked instead of riding for the same reason. Walking in 25 degree weather is no big deal, but riding even 7 miles in an hour without the proper gear is!

Tomorrow I have a short job I need to do at a store about 5 or 6 miles away. I checked weather.com, and it looks like if I take off around 11:30AM, and get home about 3:30 PM, I should have enough time to get the job done, maybe get some groceries from WalMart and get home before it gets too chilly....ooooo I hope I can do it.

In prepping for my trip I need to find some duct tape to cover the vent holes on my helment...nothing like a frozen head!!

Fat chicks sometimes get discouraged easily (sigh).

2005-12-03T15:09:00.000-06:00

Well, here it is December already!
I have not been on my bike for a while...things have just got in the way. It is very sad really.
I have been job hunting. I have tried to keep my search within 1 to 10 miles so that I could sometimes commute via my bike. However, all my interviews have been over 15 miles, so I don't think that will happen.

Just gives me another reason to want to keep working from home.

Anyhoo, a nice guy from BikeSpeak emailed me a schedule he had created last year to prepare for a bikeathon. What I need to do is to start with that, and build up every week. Maybe if I have a set schedule I will ride more.

So, I have had my bike for about 2 months and I have not lost any weight, and cannot really do more than a 5 to 7 mile bike ride without being wiped out. I have only gone to the grocery store or other errands a few tmes on my bike. The only good thing is that it stills keep me from smoking. Because I KNOW if I start again I won't make it around the block.

All I want for Christmas is some motivation. And maybe padded shorts. Fat Chicks are really in need of padded shorts.

BikeSpeak Helps Me Answering The Call

2005-10-27T22:45:00.000-05:00

So, I have this calling to get back on the bike and ride, but don't know what type to bike to get due to my girth. One day you are tooling around on a yellow banana seated bike...next thing you know you have a whole gaggle of kids and are fat.

When I was growing up it was simple: cruiser, BMX, 10 speed...12 speed...and then later moutain bikes were introduced. Nowadays, there are more different kids of bikes then there is flavors of coffee at Starbucks. I didn't know what to do. I needed some help.

My career requires being able to use the internet for the research, so this is where I turned.
I looked up local bike shops on www.switchboard.com, and checked out the website of a LBS not too far from my neck of the woods. I couldn't believe all the styles.

I notice there was a link to a bike forum, called BikeSpeak.com. Apparantly many LBS' across the nation have access to the forums through their website. After reading for a few days, I could see these were serious cyclists, all different kinds. Maybe they could help me out?

They answered many questions I had: What kind of bike could hold me weight? Are ladies' styles really worth looking at? Many other questions. Finally, after taking their suggestions and doing more research, I head to my LBS.

I found a beautiful comfort bike that I could afford. It is a Raliegh Venture.
I got the pearl one. Ain't it pretty? It was about $250 or so. This bike allows me to sit upright, and is very easy to control. It is a 7 speed, so I can handle small hills without too much trouble, even though I am out of shape.
It is a lot of fun....I have already had at least one interesting ride on it already I will share later.

From Yellow Banana Seat Bike to Motobecane Ghost

2005-10-27T21:54:00.000-05:00

I remember the good old days, when I was young.
No cares...no worries. The only responsibilites I had were going to school, and doing a few chores at home.

I spent a good deal of time riding my bike as a youth. Used it to earn money on a paper route, to travel around town and visit friends, and to just go on rides for fun.

My first bike was an old BMX bike that my brother had found in a landfill. He was amazingly mechanical for an 10 or year old. After buying new brake pads, oiling the chain and putting new tubes in the tire, I was ready to go.

My first new bike was a yellow girls bike with a bright yellow banana seat. My mother and I selected it at a local bike shop, called Bob & Mary's Bike Shop. I think I was in third grade. I remember that it cost around $50 an so. This was a lot of money back in the 70s...or atleast it was to me. My mom put it on laway, and after a few months we picked it up. My mom walked it home with me, telling me all the rules of the road.

"Never ride on the sidewalk, only on the shoulder."

"Get off your bike and cross the street if there is a crosswalk. But you still have to go with traffic, not against it."

"Always look both ways...you have to obey the same traffic laws as the cars..."
etc.

I think we had to walk about 3 miles home; we only had one vehicle at the time, and my father used it to go to work. Bicycling was a major mode of transportation when I was a child. When I got older and missed the bus to school, I would ride one of the bikes we had. My older brother would often find discard BMX bikes in the local landfill, drag them home and fix them up. Someone was always giving us an old bike.
This was useful to my mom, since we lived a mile from the closest store, a little mom and pop shop. She would often send us to get basic supplies: bread, milk, baloney, etc. I had mastered the art of riding and carrying groceries at the same time hahah.

My yellow banana seat bike didn't last very long. We were pretty hard on our bikes, and I was no excpetion. When I was about 12 I got my first 10 speed. An old red bike, I think I bought it at a neighbor's yard sale for about $10 or $15. I was so excited! A 10 speed!!! woohooo!!

The summer before 9th grade I secured a job at a local greenhouse. It was hot, dirty, boring and sometimes uncomfortable work. However, I had spotted a beautiful Motobecane touring rode bike at my LBS (local bike shop). This was a different bike shop. Bob & Mary's had gone out of business a few years before. This bike shop, Tony's Cyclery was a serious bike shop. My brother and sister and I would often go in and just stare at some of the bikes they had. We would purchares stickers, and those hats with the lids that you put up...and dream about the shiny bikes.

Anyway, I walked in, and spotted this beautiful silver bike. I asked one of the sales guys...where did you get this one? As much as I loved bikes, I really didn't know much about them. I knew Columbia, Schwin, Huffy & Murray, but this Motobecane...it was new and exotic.

The sales guy explained they had bought out the stock of a LBS in the next town over that had gone out of business. Because they got such a great deal, they were silly the bikes from the other store at deep discounts. This bike was only $150 or so. Normally it was over $300. "Would you like to try it?"

I carefully took it to the parking lot and road around...oh heaven!
I brought it back in, and asked if I could please put it on layaway. Every week I went into that shop and put down money. So many times I wanted to quit that job...but the thought of my beautiful bike kept me going. About 2 or 3 weeks before the end of summer it was mine! I splurged on a side mirror as well.

I road this bike for about 4 years. I road it to school one day, and left it locked up on the fence. I had gotten caught up in school work, and other things. By the time I went to go get my bike, about a week or two later it was gone. I was heart broken! Everyday when the bus went by it, it was there...locked up on the fence...giving me a dirty look as I rode bike thinking "tomorrow...I need to get my bike tomorrow!"

I have had other bikes since my lovely Motobecane. I had a Fuji mountain bike I bought off a friend for $75 (I still don't remember what became of that bike), a Mongoose "ATB" bike, which I sold to my brother about 7 or 8 years ago. Then this old orange cruiser I found, and an old brown 3 speed we found in the basement of my mother's house when she bought it. Didn't do much with those. Thought they were neat and figured I could collect old bikes. We left them in New England when we moved to TX.

I got caught up in work, college, becoming a mother getting married...etc...never seeming to have time to get back into riding. Always, in the back of my mind that Motobecane calling out "What are you waiting for?"

Along with my new responsibilities in life, came well, some extra poundage. I used to be fairly active: hiking, walking, sometimes even swimming and playing tennis (albeit, not very good). The last 7 years I totally allowed myself to go. Not intentionally of course. Sure, I made some strides in the past couple of years and joined a few gyms. Even lost 20 lbs in the summer of 2004. However, as soon as I got distracted again, I stopped going to the gym. It just seems a chore to go.

Besides being out of shape, I have notice I needed something for my mental health as well. What did I do in the past, I would ask myself?

The Motobecane called to me again: "You need to get a bike, stupid!!!"

Ahh...maybe THIS was the answer. When I was a teenager and was stressed out, there was nothing like a 20 mile bike ride to make me feel better. Physically and mentally.

Okay...after thinking about it I decided to get a bike. But, here I was, about 100 lbs over weight at least. What kind of bike would I need?