North Loop Bike Gang

LIVESTRONG CHALLENGE 2008

2008-10-28T12:05:00.008-05:00

I interrupt my Rocky Mountain travelogue because...

WE DID IT!

Even in the face of adversity, NLBG overcame.

The Set-up:
Ricky: A bike crash several weeks ago. Injured right arm severely curtailed his time in the saddle for a couple of weeks.

Moi: A fairly significant work-induced si joint flare-up just two weeks ago. Managed to keep spinning every other day at home, but kept having alignment issues and pain on the left side. Cause for concern, obviously. Took a short 30 minute spin on Thursday and did not feel well. Enjoyed a good workout on Friday with Sam who once again had to put me back in place!

Sooo...here comes the Challenge:

5am: Up and at it! Loaded the gear and the bikes and headed out, southwest to Dripping Springs, just after 5.30am. Thankfully, we left not a minute too soon because we spent a bit of time in traffic crawling our way to the parking area. Light, easy 1-2 mile warm-up spin from the parking to the start line. Just a twinge of si joint discomfort. Bonded with another si joint sufferer in line for the Port-A-Potty.

Start corral: Stretches. Lovely singer for the national anthem. Lance kick-off speech. Excitement seeing so many bikes, so much yellow. 90 milers led the way...when we 45 milers rolled out, I exhibited good restraint, spinning lightly and slowly, to pace myself. So many get so excited, they seem to burn themselves out fairly quickly, while others simply crash (saw aftermath of a few such crashes).

Mile 5: First serious stabbing pain in my si joint. Not a particularly good sign with another 40+ miles to go!

Mile 12 (rest stop): Considerable pain intensification as I neared the stop. PT exercises, prone on the asphalt drive of a ranch across from the rest stop. Fueled up on PB&J sandwich squares and more Accelerade, and the time came to pedal on.

Mile 15: Discouragement. My muscles were OK (apart from that right psoas, but that's the left si joint's doing!)...not a question of strength or endurance...it's that si joint and the havoc it wreaks.

So, time to remind myself of the following: that this pain must not compare to the pain of those suffering from cancer, that I cannot quit, that I must plug on, no matter how long or slow the going, that I would do it, that I could find a rhythm, squeeze my abs and my glutes and keep my legs spinning in spite of my lower back, and that it's a tremendous experience, and a gorgeous ride and good.

Mile 25 (rest stop): Sheriff's escort..here comes Lance with others, two columns of them, riding by so easily, no need to stop, of course! Noted was the fact that they had covered more than twice the distance we had by that point!

Miles 25-40: Just lovely. Pedaled alongside a survivor, who has recently finished chemo, this his first Challenge, as he was too weak last year to try even the 10 mile ride. Stopped to take a photo of the scenery. Started to feel as if I were beating my si joint into submission. Good spinning.

Mile 40 (rest stop): Ready to get it done. Recalled a right turn and a hill just past the rest stop. Turns out, it wasn't as steep or long as I had thought. Stronger spinning down Hwy 290 for the final 2 miles.

Finish: Being cheered on feels so wonderful. All smiles. All yellow. All done.

Ready for the 62 mile ride next year!

Glacier National Park

2008-09-15T11:45:00.010-05:00

Troisieme etape: Many Glacier Valley

Another day in the car. It's amazing where it can lead you. Little-traveled two-lane highways through national forests, through reservations and open range, glimpses of the peaks of your destination on the horizon for hours, it seems, teasing you to dare to get closer. The effort is ultimately rewarded with, literally, 12 miles of bad road, a glacial valley, and our first-ever view of, not one, but two grizzlies foraging on the slope above the road.

Lakeside room with a balcony. The interminable howling August wind stirs me to imagine it in mid-winter, in a blizzard. It must be quite frightening. Of course, it must be frightening anyway, even without so much as a gentle breeze, since this lodge is reputed to have been the inspiration for The Shining. Kinda creepy, n'est-ce pas?

Dawn arrived with one of the most amazing displays of sunrise color I have ever seen, viewed directly from the room's balcony. The opposing mountain faces were set on fire by the first rays of sun. This event marked one of the rare occasions where I was thankful to have awakened with the day. 6.10am, 40 degrees. (A noter: This holiday has already set me on a streak for the most consecutive days for me to function before 6.30am. Oddly enough, this behavior cannot be replicated during the work week when I still and always struggle to get up before 7am, quite laughable since I have to leave for work by 7.10 or 7.15am. On holiday, however, every second is precious and must be savored!).

At the boat dock, we're placed on the wait list for the 8.30am ranger-led "Glacier Express" boat ride to the Grinnell Glacier trail. No luck; everyone shows. We get tickets for the next day. I quickly make another day hike plan -- to the lower Grinnell Lake, a fairly flat, mostly lakeside trail past Swiftcurrent and Josephine lakes. As we near the trailhead, Ricky approaches a couple walking away to invite them to hike with us. They too had been on the Glacier Express wait list. Dan and Sara joined us in all of our bear safety silliness. Ricky with the spray; we walked along, clapping and singing and chatting a little louder than usual. We spied fairly fresh bear markings on a trailside tree. We caught the ranger-led, Grinnell Lake nature hike. We were amazed by the beauty of the lakes and creeks and falls and trees and flowers and valley.

It was all amazing and then even more so when we spotted a moose in Lake Josephine, grazing on aquatic plants, immersing her entire head and neck in the water. We named her Josephine, but Sara noted that those who know her best call her simply "Josie." Following a delightful late lunch with Dan and Sara, we retreat to our room for a much-needed siesta.

Buffalo, WY

2008-09-04T10:01:00.010-05:00

Deuxieme etape: Buffalo, WY

With our departure from Colorado, and hours of Wyoming sage ahead of us, we soon lost count of (and, eventually, interest in) pronghorns, singing bad 80s songs and marvelling at the substantial snow fences towering alongside the highway.

Our two nights in Buffalo went something like this: Gorgeous scenery, fabulous hospitality, killer gin & tonics, loads of laughs, and a very sweet dog.

Marked also by lovely excursions to Crazy Woman Canyon -- Ricky quickly numbed his lower legs in the creek, while Tate and Patri seemed to have found it refreshing! -- and Tie Hack Reservoir

and a creek-side BBQ chez la tante in Story, with a little fly-fishing time thrown in for Ricky and Tate.

It's all so alien to me and Ricky, these snow fences, highway tire-chaining areas, being snowed in for days, steep grades, etc. A winter warrior must one be.

New Belgium At Last!

2008-08-28T16:45:00.046-05:00

'Tis the season; alors, another road trip. thousands of miles, and hours - no, days - in the making.

So much, too much, to say, so this will require a bit of time and several postings.

Premiere etape: New Belgium At Last!

Such tasty samples, such a cool brewery.

Who wouldn't be ready to move to Fort Collins and work for New Belgium???

Of course, that's such an effortless utterance when it's sunny and 80, and everything's green. Perhaps planning a return in January would be in order before packing up the U-Haul. Perhaps it would be wise to feel what being buried in several feet of snow entails before calling it home!

Sadly came the time to depart with our freshly-filled jug of Trippel chilling in the ice chest. Our journey had just begun, and this stop had sufficiently whetted our appetites for more adventures (and brews!). Honestly, there couldn't have been a better way to launch our Rocky Mountain Road Trip 2008!

Cookie Monster

2008-07-31T10:54:00.010-05:00

I can't stop it; I can't help it, and quite frankly, I don't care. I'm totally addicted to all varieties of MI-DEL cookies. A different bag every week. As if that's not enough, on the weekends, I now typically require half a vegan cashew butter cookie and half a vegan chocolate chip cookie from Wheatsville Food Co-op. Ricky eats the other halves.

Whereas I've recently been transforming into some sort of cookie monster, Ricky has acquired an addiction to Upper Crust Bakery's insanely tasty cinnamon rolls. This happened quite by accident early one Saturday morning as Ricky stumbled his way down to Epoch to get us some coffee. At that exact moment, a tray of still warm cinnaomon rolls from Upper Crust was being delivered:

I needn't say more.

So, I'm sort of a bike commuter

2008-07-30T10:37:00.010-05:00

Somehow, it occurred to me, many months ago, that I could fairly easily ride my bike to work. Even with that realization, I, for some reason, required several more days of mental preparation before actually attempting to implement my bike commute plan. Here I am, months later, pedaling to-and-fro a few times a week on my beloved monster.

Observations thus far:
1. Bike commuting does accord a peculiar sense of liberation (additional pensees on this later).
2. It takes the same amount of time to pedal to work as it does for me to drive, park, and walk to my office.
3. Seeing other cyclists and their bikes imparts a certain notion of camaraderie, although not always, as when one cyclist ran a stop sign to pull out right in front of me and proceeded to pedal at half the speed I was going...of course, I had to dust her!

FAQs
1. How far is it?
Well, I've read the stories of commuting warriors who pedal 10-15 miles each way, climbing hills and traversing highways and such, and...
I'm not one of them.
My commute consists of approximately 6 miles there and back. I consider myself pretty fortunate to live just a few miles from work, and even more fortunate to have a lower-traffic route to get there and back.

2. Is it hard?
Well, that depends: on the weather, on my fatigue, on my hunger, on my legs.
Mornings tend to be rather enjoyable. It's not quite hot; there's usually a breeze; few people out and about; the sun's just rising...fairly peaceful pedaling.
(Summer) afternoons entail triple digit temps (it was 102 yesterday), more people, and a generally uphill pedal all the way home (albeit in a false flat kind of way; I can still feel that incline though, even if it's not especially obvious on much of the route!). The worst afternoon stretches are that "hill" around 30th St. and the shadeless broil that is the Guadalupe Street bike lane alongside the Intramural Fields.

3. Do you have paniers?
No. Just me and my backpack, the contents of which typically include my so-called "professional attire", my lunch, my keys, and my cell phone.

4. Do you get all hot and sweaty?
Not so much, but a little on the ride home in the heat of the afternoon.

A mid-summer's pause

2008-07-22T11:36:00.010-05:00

A glimpse at July...

sassitude

simple pleasures
cycling thrills
random games

general silliness

Urban Assault Ride 2008

2008-06-23T13:35:00.012-05:00

Beer, Bikes and Big Wheels. What more do you need to get you up and out on a Sunday morning?

NLBG loves partaking in silliness, after all, and the Urban Assault Ride provides ample opportunities among the 8 obstacle checkpoints (plus the FOUR mystery checkpoints this year!!)!

Pre-ride
Racking bikes, nibbling Clif bar samples, doing PT exercises...

Check out our intimidating uniforms! Watch out, NLBG means business (well, almost)!

And then we were off, riding up Lavaca to the first mystery checkpoint on 43rd, before scooping up bottle caps with oven mitts at Ozone. Three more mystery checkpoints to catch and many more obstacle checkpoints to complete!

Here's a look at the Pease Park obstacles:

For me, this keg walk was tricky -- my feet kept getting stuck below the rim making me want to stumble.

Other silliness: bike jousting at REI (we had to trade places on this one -- loaded down with Ricky, I just couldn't pedal well enough to get us really moving!), towing a keg in Lady Bird Lake at the Rowing Dock, newspaper toss at Bicycle Sport Shop (we went 3 for 3!), bike limbo at Jack and Adam's, human bumper cars at Rogue Running (even though I was double-teamed and laughing hysterically, I grabbed all four wiffle balls from the bucket at the same time -- think my laughter distracted my opponents!), mini-bike pedal at Jo's Coffee, and the grand finale, our all-time fave, the big wheel course and giant, inflatable water slide at the finish at Run-Tex . Getting wet felt good and refreshing, but there was another reward waiting for us:

Loads of fun once again!

Westward Ho!

2008-06-20T14:19:00.027-05:00

In a decision that was classified only as "insane"by numerous friends (including the one we were visiting!), NLBG loaded down the car with clothes, food, CDs, and bikes in order to do an 80 mph waltz across West Texas and Eastern New Mexico all the way to Albuquerque. Shouldn't everyone drive across Texas at least once? Shouldn't we?Austin-RoswellLeaving early on a Thursday morning, driving through Fredericksburg and catching I-10 near Junction, we began our westward trek. The land and sky opened up and traffic grew more sparse as we passed a wind farm and mesas and dusty, dried-up little towns. Through Pecos and into Eastern New Mexico, Carlsbad and Artesia. Dry lake beds,draws, scrubby, open land. Deer. Fewer birds. Check out the view from the car in Eastern New Mexico:

Roswell, Home of the International UFO Museum and Research Center.
There she was, five years later, our old neighbor from Baton Rouge, working in the UFO Museum! At first we couldn't believe. "There's no way," Ricky said, but I was nearly convinced that that was Kat who had passed us by in the entrance. We enjoyed the exhibits in the museum and the reunion with Kat! We would have loved to have lingered a while longer -- dinner with her and Rocky would've been really fun, but we still had another 3+ hours to Albuquerque and my head was beginning to pound after already having spent 8 hours on the road.

L'Arrivee: Albuquerque
Oh the joy, pulling into Ann's driveway, more than 12 hours after leaving ours, gaining at least 5,300 feet in elevation and losing about 20% humidity. The Sandias in view at the end of the street, the xeriscaped gardens, adobe-style houses, the swamp coolers, green chile on everything. Best of all, seeing Ann after all this time. And meeting her fiance. And finding out that he's cool and laidback and funny.

Camping in the Jemez

Fry bread with honey from a Jemez Reservation roadside stand.

Through narrow, single lane tunnels in a gorge, onto a gravel road when the pavement ends, we found the best car camping site ever: in a bend in the stream, gorgeous trees, a beautiful tree-lined ridge in the background, black and yellow butterflies fluttering by the water, a super-happy camp dog, and lots of good food!

Relaxation in a different form. It was sooo quiet, so tranquil, listening to the running water.

The boys got in some fly-fishing practice while Ann and I chatted fireside, eating Tofudogs and Tings.

Re-emerging on a paved road the next day, we had a delightful lunch at the Laughing Lizard Cafe in Jemez Springs before heading back to Albuquerque. All in all, a wonderful excursion!

Sunday Pedal

Well, as tired as we were, the need to move our legs led us to a great bike path alongside Tramway, near the foothills of the Sandias. Spectacular views of the mountains and the city and beyond. Ricky and I hung in there, even at altitude! It felt really good to pedal a bit before consuming even more of that gorgeous caramel doberge cake Ann had bought for my birthday!

Au revoir, Albuquerque

Suddenly, it was Monday morning, and suddenly we were saying good-bye, and suddenly, there we were cruising south on I-25 heading toward Hatch. I just had to see where all those peppers grow! Detour to White Sands well worth it.

White Sands

Small strips of white on the horizon, the approach to White Sands from Las Cruces gives little away. In fact, it takes driving in a short way to appreciate. Even more fun is getting out of the car and spending time on the dunes themselves.

Balmorhea Bathing
What a reward following hours of hot, dusty driving through West Texas! A true desert oasis, as they describe it, and fortunately for us, our Monday night layover, as I was not looking forward to 50 more miles of driving at dusk to Fort Stockton.

Of Heat, Wind and Canines

2008-06-08T09:46:00.011-05:00

Heat:
Well, it's been hot. 23 straight days (well) above 90 -- several of those in triple digits of 100 or 101. Many others at 98 or 99. Yesterday topped out at 101. But, again, it's not so humid here, so I can be outside without being drenched in sweat.

Wind:
Gusty times! Winds blowing from 20-30 mph, with gusts of near 40, made pedaling less than a "breeze" (sorry!) this past week. Take last Wednesday's Balcones ride which first led me straight into the fierce wind down Lake Austin Blvd., and later, as I turned a corner, got me and my bike pushed over a foot or so as a gust picked up and blew across me.

Canines:
Saturday we FINALLY participated in our first informal group ride. Again with the wind! Again with the heat! And something new to the mix: dogs. Country dogs that shot out of nowhere, two of them, not only to give chase to the five of us cyclists, but also to "go for the kill." The ride leader got bit by one of them. I narrowly escaped, as did the rest of the group. In any case, we decided to turn around with them, thereby ending the ride early...we still managed to log 24 miles, and hey, with the wind we had to work against, it probably counts for more!

Real Ale Ride = Real Fun

2008-06-02T09:53:00.012-05:00

Well, at least they were honest in their description of the course: "Big Climbs, Hilly, Low Traffic Area, moderate climb, Rollers, Rolling Hills, Rural, Scenic, Waterfront"

We opted for the 30-mile course, due in part to how beat up/worked over I felt following Friday's PT session; I didn't think I had 50 in me. Mike chose the 50 -- Ricky and I were figuring that he would finish that before we could finsih 30! Ha!

Waiting to roll, we ogled lots of cool bikes and saw all sorts of people -- from hipster fixie kids to hardcore triathletes, to the owner of our neighborhood bike shop: the Peddler. It felt quite festive! Looks like Ricky was pumped up to pedal!

From the elevation profile and course map, I knew about when it would be coming -- the steepest, longest hill I would have ever tackled on two wheels. It was a nasty one. Ten times the one on Pecos. Some people simply fell over, others pushed their bikes up. Not knowing how much I had in me, I just kept spinning and counting and breathing,and then there I was, at the crest! Another shot of Accelerade and I kept going. Then, there was another fairly nasty one, which I wasn't quite anticipating. I made that one, too, and cruised to the first rest stop.

See, it doesn't look soooo bad, does it, as we're about to head out from the first rest stop? Well, around the curve in the road, way up ahead, there was a nasty surprise that rivaled that first one. More people falling, more people walking. I made it, seated, just to the top, where I had to take a breather. Before I knew it, I was flying down the longest, steepest downhill ever..having forgotten my computer chez moi, I have no idea at what speed I topped out, but I do know that it was fairly exhilirating, and that whatever it was, Ricky was much faster, thanks to gravity...he absolutely blew by me!

In no time we arrived at the second rest stop where things were festive -- music jamming loud from a PA, and volunteers in uniforms of camouflage t-shirts acting as bike valets. A very sweet lady held my bike for me while I refilled my water bottle. Ricky indulged inadvertently in Pickle Juice, believing that it was actually a small bottle of Gatorade. NON, MERCI!!

Following my "big climb" thrills, the remaining "rollers" and "rolling hills" passed relatively painlessly, and by the last few miles, I dare to say that I felt pretty strong, which doesn't mean I was ready to do the whole course all over again, but that I probably could have handled the 50 miler. Mike did tell us, though, that that route had another 3 or 4 pretty steep climbs.

Of course, the reward was the post-ride fete at Real Ale Brewery -- live music, food and brew! Why, there was even a vegetarian option. While Ricky chowed down on brisket and sausage, I enjoyed a Portabella mushroom burger on a whole wheat bun with potato salad, veggie beans, and slaw (a vinegary kind -- no mayo). Only one way to wash it all down and get some post-ride carbs -- Fireman's #4 in our commorative Real Ale Ride pint glasses!

We stuck around for the very educational tour of the brewhouse and another round of Fireman's!

So, there you are..the Real Ale Ride was so much fun! And, like I wrote above, they were honest in the course description -- it was absolutely scenic! It's gorgeous out there, and I wish I had taken some pics out on the course itself!

Heatin' Up

2008-05-28T12:39:00.002-05:00

The broil is on, having already hit 101 last week, and I don't mind one bit. Yes, it's warm; no, it's not unbearable, and I would even venture to say that I'm perfectly comfortable passing time on the patio, where I can lounge perspiration-free, an action never successful in Louisiana where the humidity keeps me drenched in sweat and the mosquitos keep me swatting.

Two drawbacks:
1. The air conditioned (dis-)comfort of my workplace. As I sit typing, there are goosebumps popping up all over my arms and legs, and I'm nearly shivering from the cold. In addition to posing too drastic a contrast from the outside tempurature, thereby making entering and exiting buildings shocking to my delicate system, it further compels me to over-consume the coffee in an effort to warm-up throughout the day.

2. Warm Accelerade. Unable to locate my insulated water bottle for our Sunday long(-ish) ride, I filled my regular bottles with Accelerade and ice cubes, but even before the mid-point of our ride, the 99-degree temp had rendered my bottle contents a nearly odd-tasting, lukewarm liquid.

Tai Chi

2008-05-16T11:58:00.007-05:00

Sadly enough, our Tai Chi class has come to an end, and there are no upcoming courses for which we can register because Jerry, our teacher, is moving to DC. I believe that most of us in the class would happily continue studying with Jerry, course after course. So much to learn.

The Wednesday evening classes offered such a welcome and, quite frankly, necessary, respite from the work week and our exercise regimen. A time to relax and let go while re-discovering balance, both physical and mental. Departure from class always found me remarkably relaxed yet energized; calmed yet invigorated.

LIVESTRONG Day!

2008-05-13T08:10:00.001-05:00

Wearing yellow to support those affected by cancer!

We Done Did the 'Dillo!

2008-05-12T10:15:00.011-05:00

The Armadillo Hill Country Classic: our first organized ride since the LIVESTRONG Challenge waaay back in October!

To keep in mind:

Saturday mornings and any accompanying physical activity tend to be painful for us for several reasons:

1. Always fatigued after a full week of rolling out of bed at a far-too-inhumane hour...our bodies resist repeating this on the weekends!
2. Ricky typically has a gig on Friday night, so for him, a later-than-usual night combined with above reason #1 complicates what is always already a tricky affair
3. Being the morning exercise slackers we are, we rarely get our HR above resting level before 9am, tending to get our exercise in in the late afternoons/evenings (during the week) and the late mornings/afternoons on the weekend

HOWEVER, despite these seemingly insurmountable odds, we rose, didn't exactly shine, and made the drive to Liberty Hill with plenty of time to spare before the ride commenced. In our awful caffeine-deprived state, we began our pedal. Q-Tip and Ricky were aiming for the 14-mile ride, while I was pushing for the 28-mile ride. With all of us suffering some form of knee complaint, none of us were exactly certain what we would be capable of accomplishing!

After fueling up at Rest Stop #1 on peanut butter sandwiches, peanut butter pretzels, Accelerade, orange wedges and banana slices, Ricky headed out, not back, an action which both puzzled and excited me (puzzled because this was the turnaround for the 14-mile option; excited because I thought he had truly decided to push on)...

With Ricky out ahead and Charlene behind, I happily pedaled along, enjoying the scenery. A mile or two later, Ricky passed me going the other direction -- he hadn't intended to push on, as it turns out; he had forgotten to turn around back at that first rest stop! I pedaled on, determined to do the 28-miler. I reached Rest Stop #2 and was helping a woman with her ride bib, when there appeared Ricky and Charlene! How 'bout that!?! We were all doing the 28 mile ride after all!

Back at the finish, I felt pretty good. Some tendon inflammation around my knee, but otherwise I believe would have been ok doing the 42 mile ride...next time! :)

Kudos to Q-Tip for completing the longest ride of her life! Kudos to Ricky for overcoming a difficult Friday evening and early Saturday morning! Kudos to the Austin Cycling Association for putting together such a nice event!

North Loop Bike Gang anxiously awaits more cycling fun!

A Mighty Fine Apres-midi

2008-04-29T20:39:00.005-05:00

for a fabulous pedal across town in the late afternoon sun, the cloudless sky affording a peculiar clarity today. Passing through patches of shade on the winding, hilly streets lined with houses four times the size of ours, some with gated entries, we flew downhill, breezing past a few walkers and runners, before climbing slowly up the next little hill. there are times when I feel I'm standing still, stuck in time, so to speak, halfway up a slope, my legs turn, but there seems to be no forward progress until eventually, the pedaling becomes just ever so slightly less strained and I realize I've made the crest. Then comes the reward...flying downhill again. I delighted today in imagining these times later in the summer, in the 100+ degree heat, shielded from the sun by the limbs of escarpment oaks and pecans, savoring the air blowing against my face as I coast to the next incline, and ultimately the lake, where it's flatter and faster for a good stretch that's briefly void of red lights and stop signs.

Through downtown and back up through campus, it's always curious obtaining glimpses of other people as I pedal by...GQ boys sipping what I imagine to be a crisp, dry Pinot Grigio at their sidewalk table, professionally-clad girls winding down happy hour following another day in their cubicles, conference attendees from out of town traipsing back to their hotels, and those lanky, hipster boys on their fixies gliding so effortlessly down the street, nothing, not red lights, not cars, not pedestrians, poses any obstacle for them.

All-in-all, a mighty fine ride with a mere twinge of knee pain, loads of sights, spectacular weather, and tasty Accelerade to keep me moving.

Tendonitis, Be Gone!

2008-04-22T13:46:00.003-05:00

It fades away stubbornly, reminding me still that it's just there. No jogging, deep tissue massage, acupuncture and careful training have enabled me to pedal both Saturday and Sunday down to Lady Bird Lake and back and have a strong workout (including walking lunges with weights) yesterday with Sam.

YIPPEE!! I'm seriously on the mend!

Winnie the Pooh Test

2008-04-01T12:51:00.006-05:00

Your Score: Owl

You scored 16 Ego, 12 Anxiety, and 13 Agency!

"Correct me if I am wrong," he said, "but am I right in
supposing that it is a very Blusterous day outside?"

"Very," said Piglet, who was quietly thawing his ears,
and wishing that he was safely back in his own house.

"I thought so," said O-wl. "It was on just such a
blusterous day as this that my Uncle Robert, a portrait of whom
you see upon the wall on your right, Piglet, while returning in
the late forenoon from a-- What's that?"

You scored as Owl!

ABOUT OWL: Owl is considered highly educated because he can spell his own name (WOL) and he can even spell Tuesday... although he doesn't always get it right. Owl is a good sort, really, although he can be a bit of a stuffed shirt, and he tends to overlook the smaller details in life - like the fact that his bellpull is actually someone's tail.

WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU: You are confident and you feel capable of dealing with whatever life throws at you. You know that you can handle just about everything... mostly because you know how to delegate the job of actually handling things to the people around you. You aren't one of those Bisy Backsons, who rush around trying to do everything at once. You prefer to stay at home and reflect on life, rather than go out and live it.

Sometimes, you know, you need to stop waiting for things to come to you and go out and get them. You need to go enjoy the weather, smell the fresh air, and pay attention to the little people in your life. They may not be as great as you... but maybe they could use your help.

Pooh Test: take it yourself!

The Unforeseen

2008-04-01T07:55:00.003-05:00

Needs to be seen!

It's beautifully shot, and it will make your heart ache.

How much is enough? What is the real cost of development? Who benefits? Is there more "value" in leaving green space undeveloped? Is it worth more to act for the public good and to protect natural resources?

Check out the trailer.

Cap 10K Recap

2008-03-31T08:46:00.006-05:00

A funny time for a race, just three hours after going to sleep, following three hours of non-stop dancing, er, "rockin' the casbah", but out of bed I popped when Q-tip came knocking on the door. Ricky couldn't even roll over in bed, much less get vertical, so he missed out on the Cap 10K for the first time since we moved here.

Anyway, approaching the start line, got energized by Evil (seriously, what would a race be without him?!) and a light rain shower. We walked at least half of it and jogged, slowly, most of the second half, walking if my knee bothered me. All in all a good one. Saw a few good costumes as well: Frost Bank tower, ballerinas, a "green" armadillo, etc.

Topped it off with a Bueno burger from Mother's. Yum!

There's Nothing Like a Massage!

2008-03-28T10:14:00.010-05:00

I could just lie there for hours getting worked on! Honestly, I know I could. And moreoever, there's no doubt that I would!! Oops, just realized that that would make me more of a massage therapy gourmande and less a gourmet. Eww.

For me, the saddest moment of an hour-long deep tissue massage comes when it's time to turn over. Why? Because that signals that it's approximately halfway done. Quelle tristesse! If there's ever a time when I would like to retard the advancement of time, that would have to be it! Seriously.

If I had the means, I would absolutely treat everyone I know to a session with Kristi. There's nothing like seeing someone emerge, post-massage, with all traces of stress, imbalance, tightness melted away. What a good place to be.

OK, Time for Training Talk

2008-03-26T09:43:00.007-05:00

And the news is mixed. While I've been soooo preoccupied with keeping my si joints happy and my right hip flexor relaxed during my recent jogging trials, my right knee has balked at being neglected. Now I'm all too aware of its existence, but thanks to Sam, I have a plan.

The past few days have gone like this:

Wednesday: jogged to Tai Chi class! I actually made it there just in time.

Thursday: crossed my legs during a meeting and felt my knee really hurt. Of course, this meant I just had to go on a bike ride after work. Of course, this meant that my knee started hurting within a couple of minutes, which, of course, meant that I had to finish the ride no matter what.

Friday: still feeling it in my knee meant it was time to confess to the trainer.

Saturday: short stroll and long, exciting organizational meeting for an animal welfare non-profit.

Sunday: too much coffee and loads of scrummy apple whole wheat pancakes at Kerbey Lane.
This of course meant having to take a pedal with Ricky and Q-Tip while these two snored:

Monday: good pedal, some knee pain

Tuesday: good walk, some knee pain

The rest of the week? Well, there's the Cap 10K on Sunday, preceded by Rock the Casbah on Saturday night:

Will I jog? Will Ricky wake up in time? On verra bien!

What Keeps NLBG Awake This Week

2008-03-21T15:54:00.004-05:00

Running the Numbers

2008-03-19T12:06:00.005-05:00

Running the Numbers: An American Self-Portrait by Chris Jordan
This series looks at contemporary American culture through the austere lens of statistics. Each image portrays a specific quantity of something: fifteen million sheets of office paper (five minutes of paper use); 106,000 aluminum cans (thirty seconds of can consumption) and so on. My hope is that images representing these quantities might have a different effect than the raw numbers alone, such as we find daily in articles and books. Statistics can feel abstract and anesthetizing, making it difficult to connect with and make meaning of 3.6 million SUV sales in one year, for example, or 2.3 million Americans in prison, or 410,000 paper cups used every fifteen minutes. This project visually examines these vast and bizarre measures of our society, in large intricately detailed prints assembled from thousands of smaller photographs. The underlying desire is to emphasize the role of the individual in a society that is increasingly enormous, incomprehensible, and overwhelming.

These images are all very striking; I cannot imagine the impact it would have on people seeing these in person, but the photos of the images themselves are quite impressive.

Let me know which ones you find the most compelling.

Sleep Deprivation

2008-03-19T10:11:00.004-05:00

I didn't realize I'd be back again so soon, but writing about daylight savings time activities made me think about recent night-time activities, which should normally just consist of lots of good, sound sleep, but no, not lately.

Things Keeping Me Awake At Night
1. Our dog Sonny...of course, he sleeps all day and stirs all night, pawing me at 3am to be petted, because he's so neglected and attention-starved, and at 120 lbs, he's difficult to ignore!
2. Hip joint structure...fascinating, really. It allows almost as much movement as the shoulder joint, but has loads of stability, so sublaxation and dislocation are relatively uncommon.
3. Hip joints make me think of hip flexors, of course, and the fact that mine are feeling a little tighter and less happy the past few days keeps them on my mind.
4. Who even knows? Random, trivial thoughts that I can't even recall at the moment.
Guess I've got a few things brewing...on verra bien!

Everything's Gone Green

2008-03-19T09:18:00.004-05:00

and it makes NLBG happy indeed!

What's the report, you may ask, having noticed, I'm sure, that it's been a little while since the last post.

Well, the past two weeks have been action-packed, to say the least. With the time change, we're taking advantage of the extra daylight in the afternoons/evenings by doing more outside activities late in the day. Some complain about the change and the morning darkness, and I admit that it's unnatural for me to get up and go to work while it's still pitch-black dark outside, but, oh-how-fabulous is it to come home from work with the sun still high and to realize that there's time for supper AND outdoor fun before dusk?!

Daylight Savings Time Activities
Gardening:
My December-planted bulbs are now full-blooming tulips. I've set out tomato and pepper transplants. Some nocturnal critter is either completely enraged or enthralled by this, and consequently, my plants have been disappearing, so I'll have to do it all over again, this time with precautions taken (chicken wire?).

Cycling:
Finding our legs again...I've been selecting the mountain bike lately, which is funny because I do enjoy my road bike, but the MTB seems easier for now. Ricky took out his road bike for Sunday's pedal down Balcones. He was cruising on that lighter-weight bike! Yesterday's rain had me spinning on the trainer in the living room while watching the Simpson and Biggest Loser.

Walking/Jogging:
We've cut back drastically on distance since the half..guess there's really not a reason to take regular 10 mile or so walks...in any case, we are still walking (4 miles, usually) and I'm still working on my slow, relaxed jog. So far so good. I even hope to jog most of the upcoming Cap 10K, which I should be able to do if I get a good walking warm-up in at the start!

Lounging:
Nothing quite like a few minutes in the chaise longue on the patio when the sun's still shining.

Last Taste of Winter 2007/08?

2008-03-07T09:00:00.005-06:00

How miserable was the weather yesterday? Seriously. It's March now. Why was it 37 degrees (and raining) at 4pm? Definitely not conducive to outdoor activities. And, dare I say, not conducive to much in the way of indoor activities either. I did ultimately manage to muster sufficient motivation to take a short spin on the trainer. First post-flu sweat, which I tolerated fairly well, in spite of a few coughing bouts!

Today marks our return to Sam, as we had to cancel last Friday due to the flu. Looking forward to getting in a good session to kick off what should be a good, warmer weekend. Hopefully, we'll be able to resume some road biking.

In the grips of "la grippe"

2008-03-05T08:38:00.003-06:00

NLBG is just emerging with a post-flu touch of bronchitis (moi) and a sinus infection (Ricky). Antiobiotics all around! A slow, short stroll yesterday, it felt good to leave the house for a bit.

Today's Taste of Spring 2008

2008-02-24T20:36:00.009-06:00

Recalls the spring that wasn't quite in 2007, for it was just over a year ago that my dad was first hospitalized on the very day that I was making the 7-8 hour drive to visit. I recall how it struck me somewhere between here and Giddings that I had forgotten my bag of clothes, but I had remembered my bags of music and food. I nearly made a u-turn on Hwy 290, but decide to plug on in lieu of adding another hour or two to the drive. When I did arrive, it was straight to the ER. I stayed the night in that ER cubicle with him, on a stretcher beside his. I remember realizing that the 15 hour wait for a room was another of the post-Katrina infrastructure problems that no one ever really discussed, incapable as they seemed of moving past the more palpable traffic issues.

And so it began, Spring 2007, observed through the windshield of various Enterprise rental cars and the windows of several hospital rooms. Challenging my si joints and illiopsoas, I climbed stairs in the hospital for exercise, slept on the overused, vinyl, fold-out loveseat-chaise thing in the hospital room(s), and, on several occasions, made the entire drive non-stop, just to see if I could. All the while, we were filled with so many questions and no answers...Why the low hemoglobin? Why the DVT? Why the swelling? Why the pain?

Fast-forward a year...these earliest indications of a soon-unfolding spring have me filled with hope as I inspect trees and other perennials for signs that they too have been renewed. Days lengthening in anticipation of all of the new season's rituals: our favorite 10Ks and festivals such as the Kite Festival, Eeoyre's Birthday, patio-living, late afternoon outdoor exercise, re-opening of Deep Eddy Pool...

Today was splendid...completely and painfully exhausted from Ricky's late night gig and my venture with a friend to a midnight movie, we were anxious to be outside in the late February warmth under a cloudless sky and to further our recovery from last weekend's half marathon. To the mountain bikes we turned (I honestly felt a little too fatigued to deal with the technicalities of the road bike) and to our old 18 mile route down North Loop to Balcones to Lake Austin to downtown and back up Duval...it's been since October, since just before Ricky's back injury that we've pedaled Balcones. It wasn't quite easy, but it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be, particularly handling that hill we hate on Pecos. In any case, it felt good to pedal like that again at a nice, slow pace.

13.1

2008-02-20T12:03:00.002-06:00

things NLBG learned from, through, and during our first half:

1. Accelerade still rocks!
2. Gel shots: great while pedaling, messy while jogging. Shot blocks next time? (does this mean we're doing this again?!?)
3. Hydration belts dorky, but really so practical that we don't care anymore
4. Deliverance not so much an inspirational choice of pre-race film
5. Self-imposed, trainer-suggested, even mandated, pre-race resting not only effective, but permits me to practice, with trainer's blessings, nonetheless, the one thing at which I truly excel: lounging, formally known as "tapering" in cases such as this.
6. Our quads hated us on Monday
7. So did my right hip flexor (that no-longer-hidden prankster!), but, shockingly, not my si joints
8. The full marathon winner finished twice the distance in 40 minutes less time
9. Training matters, and NLBG trained pretty well
10. Hydration and nutrition matter, and NLBG took this seriously and was smart about it
11. We accomplished something we never thought possible
13. I'm stronger than I was even before my si joint/hip flexor disaster
13.1: Ready for a marathon?!

It's 6am and 40F

2008-02-19T09:15:00.004-06:00

Here we huddle in the pre-dawn darkness and cold under the patio heaters on Congress Avenue, waiting for the start gun at 7am.

We Did It!

2008-02-17T17:17:00.007-06:00

Our very first half marathon!!

That's right...as it turned out, there was still a finish line there on Congress for us to cross! What an incredible feeling!

Here goes, the official NLBG Race Report:

Getting possessed and excited like I do, I had set the alarm for 4.30am, just to make sure we had enough time to get down there and park...which we did. We spent a few minutes sitting in the car to stay warm. It was about 40 degrees and dark, of course. The good news was that they had set up some patio heaters, so we huddled under one until just before the start. It felt pretty festive, seeing so many others in the pre-dawn cold...enjoyed chatting with a few fellow runners under the heaters.

Before we knew it, the start gun went off accompanied by a lovely fireworks display over Lady Bird Lake.

The plan, given our injuries/conditions and our somewhat belated training attempt, was, of course, to walk the entire distance. But, we do have a tendency to get possessed and carried away, as some of you know. Therefore, after walking the first three miles up South Congress, we decided to try to jog, slowly and calmly, down S. 1st back to downtown. Why stop there? We kept jogging all the way over to Mo-Pac (mile 7). I walked up a short hill and then did a mix of jog/walk the remainder of the way -- trying to jog a little on the flats and downhills, while taking the uphills slowly, walking. Finished an hour faster than expected at 2:48 (by no means brilliant or fast, but far exceeded expectations!) and that feels really good! The really amazing thing is seeing some of the full marathoners, who have just covered twice the distance, cross the finish line at the same time...I really admire anyone who undertakes that challenge...

The course was fun. The volunteers and fan support were fantastic! What a tremendous boost it is to hear music, cheers and words of encouragement along the way.

Quite the accomplishment for the NLBG! We amazed ourselves yet again...

Thanks to everyone for being supportive!

26 Miles for 26 Charities

2008-02-13T07:47:00.003-06:00

The AT&T Austin Marathon is launching a program that I think is pretty cool: selected nonprofits will have the opportunity to raise awareness and money while volunteering on the race course at aid stations. While I think that all of these organizations are special and serve an important place in our community, there is the one that NLBG supports in particular...the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LIVESTRONG). It's great to see that LAF will be represented in the marathon like this. Hopefully, we will have the chance to see the LIVESTRONG stop on the half marathon course...

Check it out: 26 Miles for 26 Charities

The Great Taper Caper

2008-02-11T07:32:00.001-06:00

NLBG in so-called taper mode for the week.

Food?
A veritable week-end gras: You see, it was the Festival of Chocolate at Central Market...chocolate samples galore -- from chocolate cherry cordial coffee to chocolate ice cream to Miles of Chocolate to, to...too much! Saturday found us having oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and chocolate covered strawberries. Definite need to taper sweets!

Exercise?
More encouraging than our weekend food excesses!

Friday: We both had great sessions with Sam. How does he come up with this stuff? He gets me to do things I can't even dream of and I find hard to describe. It always makes me realize how far I've come since my si joint freakout.

Saturday: 7 miles on the mountain bike

Sunday: five mile walk; we managed to do a very slow, very easy and relaxed jog for about 2 miles. Some hip flexor and hamstring tightness, but it felt really good! Most importantly, no si joint pain yesterday or this morning.

Remainder of the week should go something like this:
Today: walk
Tomorrow: walk or bike ride
Wednesday: Tai Chi
Thursday: walk
Friday: Sam
Saturday: off
Sunday: on verra bien!!

We Walk

2008-02-04T12:34:00.001-06:00

Up the hill, down the street, across the trail, up the hill, down the street, up the hill, up the hill, up the hill, down the street. For 13 miles. Mission accomplished. NLBG fatigued and pleased.

Fact: We can walk a half marathon.

Question: Can we walk a half marathon in time for there still to be a finish line?
Well, only time will tell, and I know that what will be will be and that, at least, we will have tried. Therefore, I feel almost at peace with this belated undertaking.

Thoughts while walking:
I love Clif Bars and Accelerade.
I love my new men's ASICS; they seem to have more cushioning than the women's.
I love getting stronger and maintaining a positive attitude, even with developing heel blisters and increasing heat.
I wonder how it would feel to walk a full marathon.
We look a bit geeky, hydration belts and all, trekking down the actual course!

Cedar, Still

2008-02-01T10:16:00.000-06:00

But that won't stop me.

The weekend forecast is sunny and warmer, and we all know what that means! A training we shall go!

(Mal)heureusement, no wheels involved. "Why?" you inquire (even if you're not, I'm telling you anyway). This brings us to these brilliant ideas of mine, which almost always astound myself AND Ricky. Ideas like walking a half marathon, for instance. And, oh, the pressure. 13.1 miles in under 4 hours? With my hypermobile si joints and Ricky's healing lumbar discs? Are we mad? (I'll refrain from answering that one for the moment).

So, training, right? Right. Well, we both have sessions with our trainer today (yep, Ricky now sees Sam weekly as well). Tomorrow will be our day off (shockingly, the NLBG may attend the American Gladiators casting call because Sam is planning on trying out!). Sunday morning...we're looking at a 10-13 mile walk. We survived 10 last Sunday, but we need to pick up the pace a little to improve our time.

The next couple of weeks, then, will be devoted to our walking training and much less to our spinning. Once we get this out of our system, the NLBG will pedal more!

Why I Don't Like Winter

2008-01-28T13:25:00.001-06:00

Sometimes, it's cold. And sometimes, it's wet. And sometimes, it's both, and that can be downright miserable, in my opinion. Why? It keeps the NLBG indoors on the trainer. Not a bad thing, mind you, but it's so much more splendid to be outside, especially considering that we spend too much time in a so-called "windowless environment" (at work, bien sur!).

In any case, when the sun comes back, and it warms up a tad, cedar skyrockets. And that makes ME miserable. I always figured there had to be a price to pay for living here in Austin. Cedar's mine, I think! I thought I was quite clever our first winter here as I cruised through cedar season without as much as a sneeze or puffy eyes. "Cedar," I scoffed, "Ha!" Well, I'm convinced it's getting the last laugh!

Even on my third month of a daily antihistamine regimen, it still punches through. Just like it did three weeks ago on a gorgeous, sunny afternoon, when we declared it time to take the mountain bikes down the Shoal Creek greenbelt to Lady Bird Lake. By the time we were heading back to the house, I couldn't stop coughing, and my nose couldn't stop running. According to Ricky, I've been hacking my head off all night, every night, ever since. Finally, I headed to the doctor last Friday. Quelle surprise! It's a good ole sinus infection. I'm trying to bust through this congestion fog and breathe clearly once again.

With this cedar fever, what's the NLBG training update? Spinning on the trainer, and to keep things interesting, throwing something new in the mix: weekly Chen T'ai Chi class. I've been twice so far, and it's really good. We're both looking forward to improving balance physically and otherwise. We've also undertaken a belated attempt at training to walk a half marathon. Sometimes, I get these ideas, you see...

Training Update

2008-01-22T10:14:00.001-06:00

So, we're registered for a half-marathon, but neither one of us can really run! My horrible, agonizing SI joint malfunction nearly three years ago brought an abrupt end to my running days; Ricky's ruptured discs have terminated his. It saddens me, too, because I really enjoyed running. Even these days, when we're walking at Lady Bird Lake, I sometimes get the urge just to take off as fast as I can down the trail. It may sound strange, but I do enjoy watching strong runners pass me by...it looks so effortless.
Curious about my si joint hypermobility? Thought so! Well, to spare you all the fascinating details, let me say that it was completely debilitating; for months, I could barely walk 50 feet without limping in excruciating pain in my iliopsoas (hip flexor) and subsequently in my si joints. Finally found the right doctor with the right PT. It's been a very long journey to rehab and undo all the damage that had been done. I've been fortunate enough to find a fabulous trainer, and even though I still have painful flare-ups, I am somehow stronger than I was before this even ever happened to me. I've accomplished things that I never would have even thought of before...best example: the Livestrong Challenge. Two years ago, I couldn't even pedal a bike to the next-door neighbor's driveway. Horribly painful. Fast-forward to October 2007: 45 hilly miles!?! Are you kidding?? Between Sam my trainer and Erik my bike guy, I kept getting stronger, riding more and more. "Graduating" to a road bike.
So, this makes me want to do more. To continue to get stronger and healthier, to push myself to do more...this is why we're registered for the half marathon. Even if I can't run it, there's no reason not to try to walk it.

LIVESTRONG INFO

2008-01-17T08:13:00.001-06:00

Why the LIVESTRONG Challenge?

Quite simply: cancer sucks.

Cancer affects too many people in such devastating ways.

It seems everyone knows of someone who's been touched by cancer. Shouldn't that be enough to motivate us, to unite us, to make us want to know why, to make us want to educate ourselves, to make us want EVERYONE to have equal access to treatment, care, support, and all the resources that can truly make THE difference?

From www.livestrong.org

At the Lance Armstrong Foundation, we inspire and empower people affected by cancer.

We believe that unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything...

We provide the practical information and tools people with cancer need to live life on their own terms.

We take aim at the gaps between what is known and what is done to prevent suffering and death due to cancer.

We unite people to fight cancer and pursue an agenda focused on:

Prevention
Access to screening and care
Improvement of the quality of life for cancer survivors.
Investment in research

Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist, Lance Armstrong, the LAF is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Austin, Texas.

This is why I support the Lance Armstrong Foundation and help in my own little way.

What about you?

LIVESTRONG CHALLENGE 2008

2008-01-16T13:36:00.000-06:00

LIVESTRONG 2008 is launched, and NLBG is ready to roll!

Well, more or less, that is. Perhaps less. But there's loads of time at least. So I don't doubt that we'll be stronger than we were three months ago when we completed the longest ride of our lives: those 45 hilly miles in Dripping Springs for LiveStrong 2007.

Incredibly, it's been three months already since the 2007 LSC. Time seems to have simply melted away since that glorious October day. These past few months have found Ricky rehab-ing two re-ruptured lumbar discs and myself maintaining a daily antihistamine regimen with middling success.

So, where are now, cycling-wise?

Well, the good news is that I have made one of my best purchases ever: a bike trainer. In spite of the time change and occasional rain and gusty winds and cold snaps and recently sky-high cedar counts, I am able to spin up a storm, indoors, at any hour on my road bike. I love it!

More good news is that Erik, our bike guy, recently re-fit Ricky and customized his bike a little so that he can both pedal and avoid back pain/problems. He now has an adjustable stem and new handlebars, which may look a little odd, but it gives Ricky the more relaxed, upright position he requires for now. And, like they say, or I say these days, sometimes one has to sacrifice style for comfort (although, to be honest, I used to say the exact opposite, until my SI joint dysfunction!).

Another bit of positive NLBG cycling news is that we have resumed riding our mountain bikes to Town Lake and back about once a week. It always feels so good to get outside!

All in all, 2008 is off to a good, positive start for the NLBG. It's bound to be a much brighter year than 2007. Last year, as many know, was marked by loss (once again*); my dad succumbed to sarcoma cancer...getting diagnosed just a week or so before he passed away, following two lengthy hospitalizations, loads of tests and no answers.

With that said, I'm looking forward to challenging ourselves to be stronger and healthier than ever before and to challenging those we know to do the same. We'll continue to do what we can to make a difference.

Please visit our team page and consider supporting us for the 2008 LIVESTRONG Challenge:
http://austin08.livestrong.org/northloop

*once again, because Ricky and I have already lost our mothers to cancer...

LIVESTRONG CHALLENGE 2008

2008-01-16T13:35:00.001-06:00