Using All the Gears

Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.  - Charles M. Schulz

I used lots of gears this weekend, just none of them on my bike. Ideally, I would have done the Fat Bike Birkie race on Saturday and would have earned the event t-shirt that I received. Instead, while the others were riding, I walked the dog on the northern Wisconsin lake where we were staying, practiced my Irish dance steps, and pulled together trivia questions for the MS fundraiser. (While I had tinges of regret, I think I did a good job of not criticizing myself too much.)

My new Irish dance motto

I didn't feel so hot when we got back to town this afternoon, so I didn't take advantage of the nice weather and go for a ride. Instead, I took a short nap, walked the dog, made granola bars, sent out confirmation info to the trivia participants, and emailed my team about MS Awareness Week and the opportunity it presents for them to do their fundraising outreach. I also saw a bat, which didn't require any effort on my part, but was a noteworthy event at dusk.

So, I did a lot, just not quite what one would expect on a nice, sunny 60-degree day, as we transition away from winter.

I am planning on signing up for 30 Days of Biking, even though I'll have to get creative when traveling for work in April. I'm waiting to register due to not having a witty explanation for why I'll be riding, like this smarty who registered on the first day.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2016

Yes, indeed.

Today's weather was phenomenal, so I joined the nine million other cyclists, runners, and pedestrians in the warm sunshine. Okay, there aren't nine million people in the Twin Cities - I exaggerated.

I avoided the crowds by sticking to streets, not trails, and heading east rather than west, shedding layers mile after mile.

As anticipated, being on my road bike was liberating. I felt like I was flying, even though I think I was only going my normal road bike speed. That is, until I got a flat.

After replacing the tube, I went more directly home than intended due to being nervous about getting another flat and not having my tire fully inflated. I did stop, though, to get a cup of coffee at the very great shop that is helping sponsor our team, and photographed my fashionable underlayers.

It's going to get cold again, but then it will get warm.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2016

Number Nine

One huge long bill for some much-needed repairs on my bike.

Two Angry Catfish knee high woolie socks to provide extra warmth as we shift into spring riding.

Three more weeks until trivia - better work on the questions, confirm the venue, figure out logistics.

Four cars that ran red lights tonight when I was biking home (one at Summit and Fairview, three in succession right by my house).

Five days until March, which probably will be a good riding month.

Six granola bars in two days.

Seven months until we go to Europe.

You thought I'd say I forgot what eight was for, yes? Eight days until the fat bike Birkie. I very wisely have just given myself permission to back out of the race.

Nine o'clock and time to feed the dog her second supper.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2016

This curve is your smile

I could use one of these pictured contraptions (the bike sail, not the dude), for commutes like today.

Despite some good winds, it was a lovely biking day, including the bit where I biked from work to a Vietnamese restaurant for lunch with an old, good friend I see too rarely.

I'm making progress with trivia night, bike jerseys, and even my dang Irish dance steps. I look forward to taking a big nap at the end of March, and then getting out for good, long bike rides.

The title of this blog comes from a Kate Bush song I sometimes listen to on my bike with my special-ultra-fancy audio system. The song isn't about biking, but I think these words fit: And this curve is your smile, and this cross is your heart, and this line is your path.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2016

Take the long way home

I was thinking I'd jazz up this post with some, you know, super hip Supertramp lyrics. I then realized that they're rather depressing. No go.

I think this morning's commute was the coldest weather in which I've ridden - 5 degrees (above zero), but it felt fine because there was no wind and some nice sunshine. I hadn't ridden for about 10 days due to being sick, it being kind of cold, and some logistical challenges (which served as a convenient excuse).

I had to ride today, though. There was an Angry Catfish customer appreciation event at Lake Monster Brewing tonight (catfish and lake monsters, a match made in heaven!), and although other people drove there, that just felt weird. I'll have more to say about the event some other day, but I'm so glad I rode.

I realized I have really missed biking as a transition between leaving work and arriving at home. On top of that, it started snowing lightly on my way to the brewery, and continued on my way home after. It is so pretty to ride in the snow, at least when it isn't crazy windy. It's kind of hypnotic, like the danger of using your brights in a rain or snowstorm, which they warn you about during driver's ed.

It was like this picture that I found online. Because it was so pretty and peaceful, I took the long way home, just not in the Supertramp sense.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2016

Chopped Liver

About 10 years ago, my dad was lamenting that my brothers were too busy to go camping with him. I asked whether I was chopped liver, and that's the story of how my dad and I ended up camping one weekend in western Wisconsin.

It was a fun trip. My dad took care of all the meals and snacks, including bringing his own special trail mix (a jumbo bag of M&Ms). We went hiking, swimming, and biking. At the time, I had a heavy Raleigh uprightish hybrid thing - - the bike I got rid of as soon as I bought my road bike a few years later. 

We raced on the Elroy-Sparta trail, the country's first rails-to-trails trail. Although my dad is competitive, he may have proposed the race just so we could have a little breathing room, since we were pretty much joined at the hip all weekend.

This was literally the case when we went in the train tunnel. Somewhere I have a photo of us standing in front of the tunnel, but this one from the Internet, celebrating the anniversary of the trail, will have to do for now.

There actually are three tunnels; two are 0.25 miles long, the third is 0.75. I think we must have gone in one of the shorter tunnels, considering we didn't go mad or suffer any injuries. We didn't take a flashlight as recommended. A short bit in, it was pretty difficult to see where we were going, but we could see a pinpoint of light (from the tunnel's mouth) behind us. Then it was entirely dark. Complete, claustrophobiaesque darkness that you can only appreciate if you've ever been in a cave or a mine. We talked the whole time, walking hip to hip, until we saw what actually was "the light at the [other] end of the tunnel." It was super freaky and super cool, and a fantastic life-long memory.

Thanks, brothers, for being busy that summer.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2016

Lovin' the Locals

So. I tested out my patched, big studded tire on a 25-mile round trip ride to yoga on Sunday. It tired me out more than normal, and the tiredness and fuzzy brain seemed to hang over me like an unwelcomed veil on Monday.

Tuesday started off better. I had a great conversation with Fireroast Cafe about a prize for trivia night, swag bags for our team, and possible sponsorship. I love that shop. The owner so very clearly cares about the community. They also make killer granola.

Later that day, it became very clear to me that I've got a cold. My tiredness makes more sense now.

I stayed home today and rested, drinking lots of fluids, eating jalapeño-laden foods, and getting good use of my Neti pot. To top off the day of lounging, Mark of the April Fool bakery delivered to me an order of scones for Dan and some sample, delicious cookies that I love. (The April Fool is also donating a trivia prize!)

Mark and I had a nice chat about what I will do to try to convince the MS Society that he can ride a unicycle for the MS150.

We have a joke at work about how I don't like working with people, but I admit that I actually do (usually). My job has really helped me with the MS stuff - I feel totally comfortable bragging about my team, asking for support. We're doing good things.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/MS150Maggie2016