I finally have some biking updates for my biking blog. After a long, arduous, torturous, horribilis winter, it became spring about 10 days ago (and then it was summer-like for a day, we had a massive storm, and now it is back to spring). All of a sudden, we have leaves on trees, and my neighbor's mock orange has the most wonderful smelling blossoms.
My friend Matt had a flat tire on our first and second rides together, but we've done a couple of weeknight rides since, with no problems.
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| Cannon Valley Trail - cold & windy |
I've ridden with the Major Taylor club a few times, and I am trying to figure out how I can support the new Venture North bike shop beyond the donation I already made to them. They have a great mission and that neighborhood could really benefit from having them stick around. (For more info - https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/black-owned-venture-north-bike-and-coffee-shop-in-north-minneapolis-is-finally-reopening)
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| Many thanks to Michael for always taking photos. |
And then today, I did the BikeMS Twin Cities Ride. I hadn't really been planning on doing it, but Matt couldn't ride today and I figured there's nothing wrong with a supported ride for a good cause, and paid the fundraising minimum and headed up there. The route was kind of weirdly marked (including no signage at a key turning point). I'm proud of my proactive way of voicing my concerns to the MS Society - telling them that next year, I won't do the Twin Cities Ride on the actual day, but will gladly volunteer to do the route the day before, when the signs go up, to "test" the route for them.
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| Nothing says BikeMS like biffies. Also, my lip got stuck on my braces. |
Up until a few days ago, I was still taking the dog for really long walks and an occasional run, but am taking a bit of a break due to an Achilles tendon problem. My theory is that it is due to the hamstring pain I had a month ago and that I've had weird compensatory body mechanics. Anyhow, the good news is that it doesn't really hurt while cycling or when doing reasonable amounts of yard work.
All in all, life is really good. Which is why I'm a little puzzled about why I've been in such a funk (not good 70s funk, a yucky funk) lately. I'm out of shape, yes, and things have been sore, yes, but I can't seem to get caught up on somewhat taxing work obligations or home obligations (as well as my BikeMS fundraising!), and I find it hard to get motivated to get on my bike. Also, because of the late spring, I'm really confused about what month it is. Am I just becoming less functional, or is it the weight of the world? Or both? Today at a decision point on the route, I was talking to a long-time volunteer: Do I take the longer route or the medium route? She suggested the medium route for the reasons I was thinking, but had not articulated, and I'm grateful to her. I think of how fortunate I am and how, if life feels hard to *me* right now, I'm sure it is really, really hard for a lot of people, and my heart goes out to them.
Anyhow, I decided to get on the ball and plan a bike ride for next weekend for those of us who are doing the week-long BikeMS ride in July. It is always fun to think of a route for a range of people. At least I think so. Please consider making a donation to the MS Society in support of my fundraising efforts: https://mssociety.donordrive.
A highlight of the weekend was being grateful for having a $5 bill in my pocket while biking, which allowed me to continue working toward my multi-year goal of stopping at every lemonade stand I see. These cuties were selling lemonade and horchata. I asked which was better, they unanimously agreed on the horchata, and that's what I got. It was delicious.
