The Art of Being

Disclaimer: I have not perfected this feat, but do think that it probably is an art.

Today is cool and pretty windy. Late in the morning, I figured that since it was dry, I could go for a bike ride before going to the MN History Center.

I did the same ride as Friday, which is actually 16 miles, not 15, for those of you keeping track - - ooh la la. The first half was cool (literally, with some snow flurries), but dreamy, because the wind was at my back. The second half was pretty challenging.

I remember that the force of gravity is 9.8 meters per second squared. (Thanks Sister Bernadone, and thanks for teaching me math on the side. I suppose I should be grateful that you tried to set me up for the prom, but you had bad taste in boys.) I don't remember how to calculate my speed down a slope (and I probably don't have all the relevant data), but I know that some bursts of wind were stronger than the weight of me, my bike, and the pull of gravity. In other words, I had to pedal to get down a decent hill.

I'm grateful for the hard workout because I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed these days - I know, ridiculous, compared to other people's obligations and issues - and the exercise distracted me and made me tired.

The exhibit at the MN History Center was excellent, although disturbing. It was crazy to see 151-year old photos of the places I was riding this morning. If you are a Minnesotan, I strongly suggest you go to the museum before the exhibit closes in September. If you question my nerdy opinions, my friend Erika can vouch for the quality of the exhibit. There are related exhibits throughout the state to commemorate this historical event.

I'm now going to try to practice being, rather than doing, since doing will start up again tomorrow morning. It's hard, but I think I can achieve this goal, with a little work. (Oh, but that's doing, not being...)

Speaking of goals, check out my progress: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMahoneyMS150.

Glorious Bike Ride

So, if you read the previous post, you know that I went for my first outdoor ride of the year on Thursday. It was pretty short (9 miles), pretty wet, and pretty sandy. By the creek, to Lake Harriet, along 42nd back to the house. It was exciting because it was my first ride, but not remarkable otherwise. 

After work on Friday, I got out for a second ride. It was about the same temp (45-50), but sunny, and, well, Friday, so it was a drastically more fun ride. I also kicked it a bit, working up a sweat on my 15-mile ride to Minnehaha Falls, historic Fort Snelling, Mendota, Lilydale, over the 35E bridge, along Shepard Road to Ye Olde Ford Plant, and back home. 

Here's the photographic evidence. Because I was taking a self portrait once I got back home, I had to concentrate hard, and I look serious. But serious with flushed cheeks! And an unzipped jacket and gloves off. 

American Cycling Gothic

Fifteen miles isn't a huge ride, but pretty good for my second ride of the year and at the end of a work day. It was so great to be outside. Everyone I saw was happy and cheerful, and even outgoing, which doesn't come naturally to most Minnesotans. When I rode by the fort, I was trying to imagine what it would have been like for the soldiers who were there about 150 years ago when they encountered such a nice spring day. They probably stunk from months without bathing, and probably were able to soak up the warmth and clean themselves up a bit. 

I then was trying to envision what it would have been like for the Dakota who were interred (the polite way of saying imprisoned) on Pike Island - just below the fort and visible during much of my ride - after the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. The U.S. government unilaterally voided its treaties with the Dakota in April of 1863 and began expelling the Dakota from the state. Amazingly horrible behavior. Those who survived the winter would only find that springtime led to the opening of the river, which was the way in which many of them were removed. 

I shook off dreary thoughts, but resolved to go to the MN History Center on Sunday (tomorrow) to visit the exhibit to learn more.

Riding along the southern tip of Pike Island, I counted twelve (and I think there were more) fishing boats in the water at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers, and was amused about how many people were celebrating the nice day with a fishing trip. I continued along the river and, when I looped up to cross the Mississippi via the I-35E bridge, took this photo of downtown St. Paul in the distance. This is a stretch of river where I row with my boat club. MBC readers: I saw a huge eagle near the regular spot. 

Downtown St. Paul from Lilydale

I had to walk my bike through two pretty icy spots, but otherwise had pretty dry paths with few other people. I did see a guy on a bike who was kind of slow and weaving, taking a lot of breaks. When I was taking a photo, he rode by me and I asked him if he was okay. I thought his blood sugar was low, or something, due to his stopping and weaving. It turns out, he's just a slow rider who weaves and takes a lot of breaks, but we had a nice little chat. On the way back home, near the now-defunct Ford plant, I got a great view of things on the Minneapolis side of the river, due to the lack of foliage on the trees. 

After the ride, I spent the entire night prepping for my second fundraising tea party, which happened today. I forgot (again) to take a picture of all of the food when it was on all the pretty dishes on the table, but did take a picture after the fact, so that you can get a sense of the production. 

My tea party ware, also known as the Eileen Lundberg Collection

Most of my tea party dishes belonged to Eileen Lundberg, my friend Kristin's mom. One of the tables that I use for each tea party belonged to my friend Marcy's grandmother, and some of my dishes that I use for this belonged to my Grandma G. Thanks, Kristin and Marcy, for giving me these things. I'm glad we're able to celebrate the memory of these fine women by eating good snacks and drinking hot beverages. 

Thanks to all of you who attended the parties and donated to the MS Society to help me meet my fundraising goal. I'm at 61%. This is so excellent. Thank you for your support in all ways! I don't think that having the tea parties is the most effective way of fundraising, especially considering how much all the food costs me out of pocket and that I could just donate to the MS Society, but they sure were fun.

I'm not sure when my next ride will be, but I hope it will be soon.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMahoneyMS150

Now We're Getting Fancy

Last night, Travis noted on our team's Facebook page that we need to start riding next week, if we haven't been riding yet, to follow the MS Society training plan for the June ride. To help with this, he took my crummy .pdf calendar in the team Google docs folder (with all the maps I uploaded/made) and made a Google calendar. I think I will link the maps for group rides to the calendar. Ooh-la-la.

So, you say we need to start riding next week? Well guess who rode her bike yesterday?!? Woohoo!

For the record, a substantial amount of snow is still on the ground (see photo below; snow makes a good kick-stand!) and there is a ton of sand on streets and bike paths, wide and deepish puddles on bike paths, and water and potholes on city streets. The rain we are supposed to get Saturday will help with sand and snow, but the ground is frozen, so the water has a dilemma: pool in a comfy spot, or find an unobstructed storm sewer?

I took a picture of my wet and dirty bike. I'm not sure whether you can get a good view. I should've cleaned my bike before putting it away... I hope I can ride a short bit tonight. It is supposed to rain on Saturday and maybe snow on Sunday.

Oh, and we aren't just fancy with our technology. No, no, no. I've been waiting to mention this special development, planning to unveil it when the time was right. What is it? Are you ready? Ok.

It might be hard to see (I accidentally deleted the zoomed-in photo and now it is dark out). On the full-sized photo of my bike,check out my new handlebar wrap job! (The bike shop did it.)  It is so symmetrical! So not unravel-ish! So not white with smudgy hand prints! And, despite this being a family-friendly blog, I can't resist saying that it is even a little bad*ss!

Let the training begin!

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMahoneyMS150

Springtime(ish) Gambling

Each spring, I feel like I should earn a Junior Meteorologist badge, or perhaps pull out some scarves and rings to go along with my reading of tea leaves, as I try to figure out when is a good time to ride. There's so much to consider.

You've got this type of information, which suggested a few days ago that Sunday afternoon might be a viable riding option. Now, it isn't looking like so much fun, but maybe today or Friday after work will be a good time to pull out my bike for the first time this season.

(I was going to ride to work yesterday, but there was too much ice in the 22-degree morning for my comfort level, although the 44-degree afternoon would have made for a great ride home.)

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. When we do our spring training rides and we're trying to figure out whether the rain is a real threat (downpour the whole time? occasional drizzle?), I have found this to be a good tool.

I wanted to keep it a secret so that everyone just thinks that I'm very astute when it comes to the weather, but that wouldn't be fair. This is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.


Isn't it cool? So, at 7 a.m. Saturday, there will be a greater likelihood of rain. At the same time, the chances of it being a heavier rain increase. We might even get a little thunder. 

Ride on.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMahoneyMS150 

First Outdoor Ride of the Year?

I've been a little quiet with this blog over the past week partly because I'm cranky about the ice and snow and people don't enjoy my whining. At least that's what my parents told me day in and day out for probably 15 years. We used to have a game my family would play in the car: "Let's see how long Maggie can go without talking." It closely resembled the other family game called, "Maggie will get a quarter if she doesn't talk until we get to Chicago."

I digress.

I also have been relatively quiet this past week because I prepared for, and hosted, the first of my two tea parties. The second one will be this weekend. I'm still not sure how it works, fundraising goal-wise, but they are fun nonetheless.

Speaking of fundraising, due to a surge yesterday in response to info I posted on Facebook, I'm now at 52% of my goal. Excellent! Thanks!

Now all I have to do is hold up my end of the bargain and get on that dang bike! It will happen. And soon. I'm very anxious to ride, and will have to be an eager rider, since the 150-mile bike ride is just over two months away, and the 250ish-mile ride is just over three months away, and much training will need to happen in that compressed timeframe.

The high temps all week are going to be 38-45, which is excellent. I have been driving along different routes, paths, etc. where I normally ride, scoping out the ice. (I will not ride on ice.) The mornings are cold, so what melted the night before freezes. We are almost to the point, though, where the melting is happening away from the road.

I think I might try riding to/from work some day this week. I think I found an ice-free route. Regardless, I'm thinking that the forecasted warm temps and possible rain on Saturday might clear things up for a ride on Sunday. I've got a tentative date with this new riding partner, who, based on the photo below, looks to be at a similar skill level.

Woohoo! Bike rides! Outside! I'm so excited, I can't really sit still.

Couldn't make it to a tea party? Got an IRS refund? Excited to help get me the last 48% of the way? Here's my link, which you're welcome to share with others: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMahoneyMS150

Bikes and Cars - a Harmonious Combo?

As an occasional bike commuter and frequent rider on city streets, I ride somewhat aggressively to stay safe. I follow the law, but will take up a whole lane at times if that will keep me from getting side-swiped. I will always go through a roundabout like a car, rather than try to cross it on a bike path. I will use arm gestures to indicate where I'm going, and will shout at cars as warranted. I rarely curse loudly enough for others to hear.

As a driver in a city with a ton of cyclists, I'm always looking out for bikes and drive as though they are always on the road. Because they are, even in the middle of snowstorms. And I criticize drivers who don't do the same: the guy in the pick-up driving in the bike lane for a mile, the lady talking in her cell phone during an entire rush hour and holding the phone with a hand that would otherwise be used to switch on her turn signal, the college student texting, etc.

And then there was this joker yesterday - he had not brushed the many of inches of snow off his car. He used his windshield wipers only. Snow blanketed the side windows and the rear window. I don't know how he saw any cars - or cyclists who don't have a bunch of metal and fiberglass shielding them from impact.

Is there a way to reach these people? So far, all I can come up with is getting more people on their bikes. The more people and their family members ride, the more aware they will be as drivers.

(Note: the light turned green in this photo right when the shutter closed, and the phone was immediately put down.)

"The longest road out is the shortest road home."

I don't know if this Irish saying is always true. I can think of plenty long trips back home on my bike.

On the way back from my parents' cabin, I was daydreaming about some of my favorite bike routes. I was thinking about a fun one from the north side of St. Paul to White Bear Lake. I remembered, though, that like many spring rides, it rained and my map, which I tend to tuck in the leg of my shorts (see photo, from another ride), turned into paper mache pulp.

I then got pretty pumped, remembering that this fall I bought a map holder for my bike that I haven't used yet.

I cannot wait for the snow to melt so I can get on my bike! Erin go braugh!

Icy Days and Attitude

My friend, whose MS diagnosis a few years ago got me started on my biking and fundraising adventures, took this picture of me skiing a few weeks ago.

Just like I pretend to be a hard-core cyclist, I pretend to be a competent skier. (I posed for the photo, pretending to go fast.) Today is a crummy icy day in Mpls, and I'm going to escape by packing up my skis and heading to my parents' cabin, where I can keep up this charade.

I'm feeling very grateful these days for my health and the ability to try a range of activities, despite my lack of skill. MS can be so devastating in terms of affecting one's mobility, and I hope we can find a cure.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMahoneyMS150

I Can Make a Difference (and I'm 36% of the way there)

To provide some background context for this blog, for those of you who missed it, this will be my fourth year riding my bike to raise money for the MS Society.

I'm kicking it up, and am going to be doing a MS trifecta this summer: a 150-mile bike ride from Duluth to Minneapolis in June; a 250-mile-ish bike ride from International Falls on the Canadian border to Duluth in July (this is the new addition this year); and then a 10k obstacle course in the mud in August called Muckfest. (I did a 5k last year; photo of Stacy and me is below.)

I must admit, I'm tempted to figure out a ride from Minneapolis to Iowa to cover all the bases/the entire state.

I'm going to focus my fundraising goals on the MS150. If I don't get the minimum in contributions needed to participate in the TRAM, I will make donations to cover the gaps.

I am 40 now and decided that, since I raised close to $4,000 for the MS 150 last year, in honor of being 40, my fundraising goal for the MS150 this year should be $4,000. They were pretty good years, and worth 100 bucks each, I think. As of tonight, I'm 36% of the way there! Thank you!

I have added some posts to this blog about maps and routes. I am the "route captain" for my MS150 team, meaning that I send out a training schedule, give people some good routes for riding their bikes safely in the metro area, and lead the team on group rides.

It is extremely rewarding to do the MS150. I saw a video from the MS Society on YouTube, which does a good job of capturing the experience. I can't watch it without getting a flutter of excitement in my stomach and a little choked up when thinking about how it feels to finish. It is a physically draining event (especially last year - ouch!), people are cheering and waving signs. My first year, a woman held a sign at the finish line that I found very moving. It said, "You made a difference." That's the goal!

I hope you'll watch it to get a sense for why I sign up to do this each year.

For info about how to join my team(s), or to make contributions, here are my fundraising pages:

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMahoneyMS150 - my main focus/goal

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMahoneyTRAM

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMuckhoney2013

My photos from the last two rides are on Facebook, if you'd like to see them.

I appreciate any support you can offer - whether you make a contribution, pass my info along to someone else, or just ask me how I'm doing with the training. I feel more committed than ever to this cause, due to meeting more people in recent months who are affected by MS.

Thank you for helping me in my fight.

30%! I'm Feeling Optimistic

As of a little bit ago, I passed the 30% mark toward meeting my fundraising goal. Thank you! I got so close to $4,000 last year that I'm really optimistic about getting there this year. I really, really appreciate all of your support. I know that you have your own expenses and preferred charities, so your support means a lot.

Since Saturday night, I've been obsessed with the Runaways, the female rock band from the 70's. (My husband and I watched a movie about the band on Sat night.) This is the band that launched the career of Joan Jett, when she was a teen. And who knew she was in a band with Lita Ford?

We can talk about all sorts of crazy things like this at my tea parties! Thanks to those of you who have let me know you're coming. There are a few seats left, if others want to join. Guys are welcome to join us and, as I mentioned, so are your guests. 

Early March Save-it-for-a-Rainy-Day Update

There's a lot to cover, so I'll just get right down to it!

Tea parties

Maggie's Tea Party 2012

If you've followed my blog (it seems that some people are actually reading it!), you'll know I floated an idea about hosting two tea parties as a way to encourage some more people to donate to the MS Society and to broaden my fundraising circle, as it were. I may be (likely am) crazy, but I'm going to have two tea parties. The first will be on Sunday, March 24th at 11 a.m. and the second will be the next weekend - on Saturday, March 30th at 11 a.m. 

Tea parties? Yes. Email me if you want to come to either one (and if you'll be bringing a friend who hopefully will want to make a donation to the MS Society!). To keep myself from going too insane, I will limit the size of each tea party to 10 guests. A few words of explanation: I like tea. I don't like people to dress up to drink it. I have a casual tea party every year, usually for a small circle of friends. Despite the casualness, it is festive. This year, I'll be opening it up a bit to try to help meet my fundraising goal.

Biking

On this rainy day, I took my bike off my trainer and dropped my bike off at my neighborhood bike shop, the Angry Catfish (which also is a stellar coffee shop), for a tuneup. I will be getting black tape on my handlebars, to replace the dirty white tape that is falling off (will the black tape get hot in the sun?), I will have my front derailleur (again, always), have my rear wheel straightened out a bit so it is more true, and have brake cables and cable housing replaced. Because my bike is now out of the house, those of you who caught the Jayhawks' (the band, not the sports team) reference will appreciate that I spent a fair amount of time on my rowing machine today because my "pretty little hairdo don't do what it used to." 

Routes

I got some good rain gear recommendations from Dan's friend Chris a couple of weeks ago, and intended to order some of that, a rechargeable bike light online, and some dang tire-changing levers that I like (why do I keep forgetting?), but got distracted. As my team's route captain, I put the finishing touches on another bike route today, updated the description, and put dates on the calendar for group training rides. If you live in the area and can make use of any of the maps I put together, go for it. Feel free to check out the calendar, too, if you're curious. You can find all that stuff here: https://drive.google.com/?tab=mo&authuser=0#folders/0B9k7D3xH5liBLTdQaVlkMWlUY0t2Yko0WE80TGlRUQ. (Please don't distribute those from the MN Bike Atlas, since those probably are copyrighted.)

March 11-17: MS Awareness Week

Want to make others aware about MS, the MS Society, and MS Society events (and, well, let's admit it, help me meet my fundraising goals, too)?

• Share my emails and blog posts with others who may be interested;
• RSVP for one of my tea parties and bring a friend (preferably one who wants to donate to the MS Society);
• Sign up to participate in an event - either one I'm doing or another one;
• Contact your local MS Society chapter to learn about volunteer opportunities, such as helping in their office or at an event (this is a great alternative if you're unable to make a donation and the volunteers for the bike rides are very loved; the site for the chapter serving MN and neighboring states is: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/mnm/volunteer/index.aspx); 
• Let me know in the next couple of weeks if you have a big group of people that wants to go to a Twins game on 4/27 - I can order tickets for the Home Run Porch section for $18 each (normally $17) and $5 from each ticket sale will go toward my fundraising goal; or 
• Make a donation for my MS 150 ride, if you had been intending to, but haven't gotten around to it yet. (I'm at 27% of my goal so far - thank you for your support, financial and otherwise!) Here's the link: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MaggieMahoneyMS150. 

Welcome Haiku

I was telling some colleagues from the CDC about my blog attempts and the training updates I provided last year in haiku form. This is for you, Sarah and Carissa:

Hi CDC friends
welcome to my goofy blog
I hope you won't judge


Now, I know that many traditional haikus have nature themes. I was hoping you wouldn't notice the absence of a nature theme if I inserted a photo of a blossoming tree.


How about this one?

Ten inches of snow

blanket Minneapolis

My bike weeps with angst

Bike Accessories

In a future post, I will briefly mention the types of accessories one feels compelled to get when doing these rides year after year. I was looking through old Facebook posts tonight to see what my friends had recommended I do to my bike helmet to scare off the squirrels, and ran across this picture that my friend Kim had posted. She recommended this sort of contraption as a necessary bike accessory for me - to deal with the squirrels.

While surely practical, it might be a bit heavy for my bike.




Is it poor blogging etiquette to add a photo a day after the initial post? Am I supposed to start a new post? I'm throwing caution to the wind (maybe due to these sweet wings??) to show a photo of the helmet that Andre has suggested. I totally could retrofit my bike helmet this way. Have I been lacking this type of pizzazz?? (And to you purists, I changed the font, anyhow, to reflect that this is an update to an original post. Oh. The font change doesn't show up. Well, whatever.)

Holy Moly, Kim and Andre! Look what I just found! Okay, I know this is very poor form to edit this post yet again, but how can one resist? It was the whole point of the original post!

What would we do without the Internet?

To Be or Not To Be

Actually, THIS is the question:

When do I take the bike off the trainer and in for a tune-up? I would like to get it in when the shop isn't too busy, and want to get the bike back from the shop right when it is okay to start riding outside, so I don't have to put that dang training tire back on my back wheel.

There is a 60% chance of multiple inches of snow on Monday, but temps will be around 38 at the end of the week, so the overall snowpack will continue to melt.

I bought my bike in 2010, and went for my first ride in mid-March (see photo). I wonder if that will be possible this year...

Biking and Wildlife

My husband Dan posted a video on Facebook of a guy on a bike getting hit by a deer. I was looking for it online, to see how it compares to my near-misses with deer, and found this other crazy video.

So, I'm glad I've missed those deer, and that they've missed me. I have nearly hit rabbits and turkeys, ran over a snake, and had a bald eagle swoop about 8 feet over my head, while biking.

I have run over a running squirrel, and had another one run through my spokes. It was a struggle to maintain control of my road bike in those situations, so I'm sure I would completely be destroyed by a deer. I wonder if I can outfit my bike in a way that would scare them away...