99.9 Fahrenheit Degrees

"Something cool
Against the skin
Is what you
Could be needing"

I am avoiding the suggestion of a teammate not to dwell on my imprudent decision to take some of my teammates on a 50+ mile bike ride yesterday that was scheduled to end at 3 p.m.

I think my ride the previous day helped me cope with the slightly, but let's face it - not dramatically, hotter-than-forecasted weather.

Anyhow, rest assured, I learned a thing or two at some of their apparently not-permanent expenses.

But look at this house I saw near the ride starting/stopping point. It's in a neighborhood in St. Paul with some really old houses, and obviously is being restored to some extent. The cement knee-high wall isn't very typical in these parts. It made me wonder.

And distracted me from my self-disappointment.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2018

90+ degrees, 90+ miles, 90+ yawns

Today, I got up before 5, to leave at 6, to get a ride with Matt to Chippewa Falls, WI to start a so-called century ride (it ended up being 98 miles) by 8:30. We saw a lot of riders at the start who must've done the 35- or 50-mile routes. The 75- and 100- (er, 98-) mile routes were pretty sparse with riders due to the low 90s temps.

What wasn't sparse? The rest stops and water stations. We were well-fed and well-hydrated. Also not sparse? Little rolling hills.

Just before the the split from the 75-mile route, we saw a huge snake. Just after the split, Matt got a flat tire. I supported him by taking a photo, stretching my back,  and looking at his dead tube ("ayup, that looks like a pinch flat, alright"). We also saw deer, cows, horses, trucks pulling boats, and ATVs. As well as tons of swarming deer flies - or horse flies? Are they the same?

We smartly (Matt's idea) used our Anytime Fitness gym memberships to shower near Chippewa Falls so we didn't need to sit in our own grimy, sweaty grossness for too long and so that we could grab dinner at a restaurant on the way home without causing An Incident.

I'm tired now and am trying to figure out how tomorrow's hot 53-miler will affect my ability to get done all the things needing to be done. But I'm really glad we spent all day pedaling in rural 'Sconnie.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one that probably had the lightest criminal penalties

Tonight's weather was perfect for my new fair-weathered cycling persona. I opted to do a couple of figure 8's up and down the river. When I was going through Lilydale, the road and trail closure barricades that I rode through this weekend were up and seemingly more impassable.

As I evaluated the best way to get through, I saw a police car parked behind the barricades. The police car had an officer in it. In a split decision to make it seem as though I was not really considering the best way to violate the signage, I decided that the criminal penalties would be lighter if I got busted for riding on a closed trail than on a closed road.

As I dismounted and walked my bike through the barricade, the officer came on over his speaker, making sure that I knew the trail was closed. When I asked if there was any way to get through, he helpfully added that the closures were due to overhead bridge work and they didn't want to drop blocks of cement on people. I appreciated the intel - - and his friendly "move along the way you came" demeanor.

I saw a lot of cyclists down there; he probably had to tell several dozen riders the same thing.

Anyhow, when I turned around, I got to check the progress on the nesting bald eagle way up high. 

Here's hoping the forecasted rain for the remainder of the week holds off so I can get out and stretch my legs.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2018

Perfection

The weekend got off to a weird start due to a lack of sleep, a thwarted white blood cell donation, and having the reseeding work on the lawn make us walk our dog and the dog-sittee at random times. But a delicious Saturday night dinner with friends (and more lack of sleep) followed by a nice, many-hour bike ride to Stillwater in perfect weather with a lunch break at the food truck along the Gateway trail offset any ounce of earlier weekend weirdness. I wish every day could be like yesterday.

"There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep." (Homer, The Odyssey) And on that note...

p.s. if you're on the Gateway Trail, I'd recommend stopping.

p.p.s. I am only at 62% of my fundraising goal for the MS150. http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2018

Unusual Road Spray and Rabbit Holes

So, I was going to use the word "trash" in the title of this post and I thought I haven't posted a music video for a while, so I should check out Roxy Music's Trash video. Well, it is dumb. But I went down a rabbit hole to their video for Love is the Drug. It is pretty weird. Why the eye patch? Why aren't those dancing ladies in the office where they presumably were until moments before they were pulled to dance among the bubbles? What does the uniform signify?

But where was I? Trash. Road spray.

So, last week I did a better job getting on my bike during the week, despite no longer having a bike commute. On Wednesday, I rode right after it had stopped raining. When I picked up my bike to hang it in the garage, I put my hand on this most unusual piece of debris.

Poor little worm, just minding his own business until I snagged him.

And then on Saturday, because my longest ride of 2018 had been under 50 miles, instead of getting up early and doing the 100-mile ride, I did the shorter route, but rode to/from the start/finish, making it a 70-mile ride. I also must've stopped at the store and picked up some commas. I felt great afterwards, in all respects but one, and Sunday's 42-miler was a piece of cake.

Our team ride turnout was low, due to it being Mother's Day,
but it was a great day for a ride.

If you zoom in, you can see the very many bikes. People of all ages
were on the Greenway. Wish I had gotten a photo of the
most adorable boy proudly riding with his training wheels.

We started and ended at a distillery where they give
cyclists with helmets 2-for-1 drinks on Sundays. Thankfully,
they were pretty weak. This version of the mule
could be made deliciously without alcohol.

So, yes, muscle memory on the bike is a thing. And my back and wrists are getting used to being on a bike, too. (Still haven't re-learned how to ride no-handed.)

So the one thing that didn't feel great on Saturday was that in addition to getting my mid-ride watery allergy eyes, I could have sworn that I had a eyelash poking right into my eyeball. My friend Matt looked in my eye for me, which was generous, but he didn't see anything. You know what does NOT work? Trying to take a selfie of your eye.

Those freckles around my eyes are new as of last year.
Aging? Or lack of sunsceen? Or both?

Anyhow, on Saturday night, I went through all sorts of eye drops and eye flushing rituals and didn't resolve whatever was bothering my eye. I dealt with it on Sunday (and got very little sleep Saturday and Sunday) and ended up going to the opthamalogist (I am not spelling that right) - the eye doctor that isn't an optometrist. He said that it was clear that there had been something in my eye because the inside of my eyelid and my eyeball were scratched, he thought he might have gotten it out, but for good measure, he numbed my eye, and swabbed a big glob of ointment all over my eyeball. It felt uncomfortable until the medicine wore off. Then it really hurt.

On the bright side, the doc is a cyclist. We talked about bikes, good places to ride, and his recommendations for cycling glasses if I want to get some prescription ones, which I'm considering. He has fancy bikes.

The MS150 is a couple of weeks away. I still have more money to raise, and I'd prefer to be in better shape, but I'll keep plugging away. I'm looking ahead to some fun weekend rides I've got before then and then in the period between the MS150 and the week-long Ride Across Minnesota.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2018
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/Maggie2018TourDeMN

Post from the car where our protagonist shares photo of taxidermy and focuses on fundraising rather than her failure to physically prepare herself for long-distance bike rides.

Let’s be clear.

I am blatantly stealing from McSweeney's. Riding a bike is fun. I know some people will argue with this statement, but I dare you to stand with me and repost this.

Riding a bike to fight MS is a worthy cause.

These are my values. I have declined to do other bike rides that conflict with the dates of the Bike MS rides because they conflicted. These are my beliefs. Donating to the MS Society directly will impact those affected by MS.

More than 2.3 million people are affected by MS. Of course, they do not all live in my neighborhood, nor are they all family members or close friends, but I believe that as members of an interconnected society, bound by the social compact under which we all live, I am obligated to help. Through riding. And you can help.

Your donation is an easy way to make an impact. You are an important piece of the puzzle, and kudos to me for reminding you.

We are amazing.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/Maggie2018TourDeMN

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2018