A glimpse of summer!

Today was unseasonably warm, even in our new climate-changed era. I like to do a springtime Bloomington Ferry Bridge ride each year to check out the Minnesota River. Since I had walked along the river just a few miles east of there yesterday with my dog, my friend Andrew, and Andrew's ADORABLE dog Wallace, it was a little anticlimactic, but still lovely to see the undeveloped river doing its thing and take a little break on the bridge. (I can't wait to go back when the mulberries are fruiting. It is a great buffet.) 

Some good things about today's ride: 

• Hardly anyone was on the few paths I rode on. 
• Hardly anyone was on the roads I rode on. (Easter, I think.) 
• I took a couple of small wrong turns and they were really good decisions! They helped me iron out some of the parts I wasn't fond of on this route. 
• Lots of bird noises, spring peeper frog noises. 
• I stopped to sit on a patio and have an iced coffee and a scone when I was close to home and it was really delicious because I was really hot and hungry.
• I saw two guys and two kids on my way to the Bridge and on my way back, when they were carrying bags from a grocery or convenience store. We all madly waved to each other the second time we saw each other and the cute young girl and I gave each other extra waves and smiles.
• My physical therapist recently gave me a tip about my biking posture and it totally seems to help reduce my recurring back pain. 

What wasn't perfect: 

• Some weirdo honked at me just because I was riding on the road. 
• Winter made some potholes. 
• I accidentally took a weird photo of myself (maybe this is a good thing, because it is funny?) when trying to take a photo of a really, really sad evergreen tree by the coffee shop.

Nice chin diaper, as they call it
on South Park. 

I feel really bad for this evergreen.

Anyhow, I guess it was my longest ride of 2021 so far. I will be in good shape to do my BikeMS rides in May, June, and July. They're scaled back because of COVID (if I do the organized rides, which I may because I will be vaccinated by then), but of course I'm thinking of ways to make things more interesting and challenging for myself (and, let's be honest, for the donations), in which case, I'll want to keep adding on miles. 

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2021 

Dust on my saddle, mud on my boots

Well, actually, that's what I would have said last week (and what Seals & Crofts said in 1973). This week? Back in the saddle and dry feet, friends!

We had a pretty cold snap in February, where it didn't get above zero for something like 10 days. And then it was sunny and in the mid-30s. And now the past couple of days the low temp has remained above freezing and the daytime temps have been warm, which means that almost all the snow is melted in our yard, streets are dry, and any stubborn ice patches on bridges and trails are pretty minimal (except those that were never plowed all winter and are in the shade by the river).  

What does this mean? I've been on my road bike the past three days and it is glorious, just glorious, despite the fact that my recurring back issue is pretty, uhm, currently present. My back hurts because I haven't been stretching as much since we got our dog Haley on New Year's Eve. First, she'd prefer to sit on my lap when I'm on the floor. Second, I get covered in dog hair when I try to stretch. Then, I think poor body mechanics due to bracing one's self on slippery winter surfaces combined with hunching over to train the dog to walk on a loose leash combined with being in the car for a big road trip last weekend set the stage for discomfort that has not magically been alleviated by being on my bike. Weird.

Anyhow, last weekend! I'm so grateful that we had the means and opportunity to skip town to go to Gunflint Lodge last weekend. We stayed in a cabin on the side of the lake that isn't in Canada (although Dan walked across the lake, and technically was in Canada for a few minutes), and I took Haley for a lot of walks on the eerily booming lake as well as in the surrounding woods. 

Haley's first car trip with us, not in a kennel.

The trees were really sparkly in the morning sun.

I didn't even know I was kissing
her at the time. I was just putting
her in a headlock for a photo.

She's always on the edge of thin ice! Ha.

I've told people in the past that I could freelance as a "justifier." You make a decision, pay me, and I'll tell you all the things that justify your decision. This weekend, I realize I have a related skill: rule bending. More specifically, bending rules for myself. 

An example: on Friday, I took Haley for a walk and tried to go up the "High Cliffs Trail." It was too slippery and steep and she and I kept on sliding backwards, despite the fact that there was a rope "railing" for a stretch that I was using to try to pull myself up, while holding on to her leash with my other hand (essential since she ran away the night before - - more on that another time!). We skipped that trail, but I went back the next day by myself. I hate ice and I'm tentative on going down rocks and trails even when they are dry. Anyhow, I'd make a rule for myself about the conditions I was willing to endure crawling up on my hands and knees on the ice on the "High Cliffs" and "Lost Cliffs" trails. And then change the rules about the conditions I was willing to endure. Finally, near the final last bend to the topmost point, I couldn't figure out how to climb up and was trying to plot it out but couldn't get a good starting point. I finally reminded myself that if I can't really find a way up, going down would be impossible, and maybe I just hit the end of my adventure. 

Friday's view of the bluff I'd climb up on Saturday

View from the Lost Cliffs Trail

View from the Lost Cliffs Trail

Either way, there's some terrain!

The last leg of the High Cliffs Trail.
I made it almost all the way there!

I got snow up my sleeves,
up my pants legs, and apparently
in my pockets, when sliding
down on my butt.

As it was, I (along with others I met earlier in the day, according to their accounts) ended up sliding down most of the trail on my butt, where it was covered in ice versus rocks or snow. It was like a water park flume and was pretty fun (and quick!) except for the two parts that were near a cliff edge. That was a little more sweat-inducing, although I was able to rely on that rope railing thing a bit and aim for a tree to stop myself. 

This experience illuminated for me how I've ended up in some weird biking situations (like riding with Matt through thigh-high water, next to fish and ducks, and then climbing on the outer edge of a bridge to continue on our merry way). I don't think this is a flaw, necessarily, but it is good to be self aware!

Anyhow, we got to experience one last weekend of a not-cold version of winter up in the woods, and it was a welcome change of scenery from our house where we've spent oh-so-much time in the past year. And now, it is spring. 

The past few days, I've been putting on my BikeMS team captain hat and getting things situated for this year's rides. They're a little different than in years past due to COVID (the two-day, 150-mile ride will be a 75-mile ride and the five-day, 300-mile ride, will be a two-day, 100-mile ride). The extent to which I do them (or train) with a group will depend on when I get vaccinated, but I will do some version of them - either the exact route or my own replacement rides - again this year, in conjunction with a personal goal that I'm trying to settle on. 

Regardless, I'm focusing all of my fundraising efforts on one ride again this year: https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/GoMaggieGo-2021. Please support me again this year, if you can! Regardless, I'll keep you in the loop on what my goal/plan is and then look forward to telling you about how I ended up bending the rules. At least I normally make things harder for myself, which ends up being a good story! 

Our sweet girl, scared of the fireplace,
thought that when I was "finishing"
some bacon from the restaurant
that wasn't crispy enough for my liking,
she heard a crackling fire.
She sought comfort from me,
not realizing I was the source of her anxiety.

Muscle Mania

Sometimes I provide what some people (including myself) may consider TMI. But I figure why the heck not?

You may recall that I've had ongoing back issues, brought on by rowing and exacerbated by biking and scoliosis, improved by PT, yoga, foam rollering, chiropractor visits, and sports massage, about half of which I haven't been doing during the pandemic. Only a few people know that I have, well, I'll just say it - - constipation issues - - that become very annoying when, say, doing a 5-day bike ride. Add to the mix some "lady issues" that my last two gynecologists shrugged at. Well, I have a new gynecologist. She said, "yeah, I think you've got some issues related to, but not entirely caused by, the fact that you're starting menopause," and she suggested that I could benefit from pelvic floor PT.

I've gone for a month and it is FASCINATING. It is almost entirely all ab exercises (and anything else really isn't anything more unusual than a pelvic exam that you have with your annual pap) and it is helping all of the above issues. As is my Zoom Pilates class. 

I figure I should say something because talking about vaginas and whatnot is so taboo. We can't even barely talk about menstruation in our culture - - something so basic and fundamental - - so how are we going to get to a place of discussing constipation, sexual health, etc.? Oh, and pelvic floor PT is not just for the ladies, you gents. 

Also fascinating? Learning about the massively intensive training that pelvic floor PT therapists need to have to do their jobs.

We focus so much on quads, hamstrings, biceps, triceps, etc., it makes sense that there are other little, important, more hidden muscles. I guess the point of this post is this: if you think something isn't right, talk to someone else who might have more creative ideas rather than someone who just shrugs, and if the solution involves some crazy-sounding thing like pelvic floor PT, you might give it a shot.

New Year: New and Old Friends

As a chill set in as it tends to do this time of night (except for those few days around Christmas where I was either burning up from digesting massive amounts of sugar or experiencing the first of a series of menopausal hot flashes(?)), I donned my fleece sleeping cap (yes, I do sometimes wear this when I go to bed) and my kerchief (or, rather, my scarf) and started scrolling through my photos. (That was quite the parenthetical-filled sentence.)

It was quit a weekend! We got our new dog, Haley, on Thursday night. She's "closer to one year than two years old," but no one really knows. She was found in an abandoned, foreclosed upon house in Texas. This really breaks my heart. She is such a sweet, sweet snuggly dog; she must have been so confused to be left alone. They aren't sure how long she was there by herself. She was very skinny, but obviously alive. 

I took this just a minute ago. She
had covered her face with her paw,
but then decided to cross her legs
for cozier sleeping.

We decided to keep the name that
the rescue agency gave her. I ordered
an ID tag with our address and
phone numbers, but was happy to
learn that she also has a microchip.

Anyhow, she is trying to get settled in and is trying to be a good girl and learn the house rules. Indoors, the biggest challenge is getting her to walk in the house (including to the kitchen to get water). She is getting better at realizing that the hardwood floors are not going to kill her. This afternoon she walked and ran from room to room. And then she got stuck, frozen, unable to move until we helped escort her to safety. Outside, the biggest challenge is that she jumps up four feet straight in the air and makes sounds like Chewbacca every time she sees a dog. We'll get over these things, with patience and training. It is hard to remember that she is going through a huge adjustment period. She's smart and doesn't want to be a jerk, so I'm optimistic that the two, six-week training classes (Obedience 1 and Socialization) will make a difference. I haven't prioritized in-person contact for a haircut since last February, but have signed up for in-person dog training classes. Seems like I could probably get a haircut sometime - - it isn't like the dentist (who I haven't seen in a year). 

She loves her crate and puts herself in it
when she needs some self-comforting. We've never
had a dog do that before. It is kind of nice
to have her in there for sleeping and to not
worry about her.

In years past, I started the new year off with a fat bike ride. I didn't do that on Jan 1, but did go today on my old familiar route down to Fort Snelling. I don't think I did that route even once last year. I barely rode last winter, if at all. Anyhow, it is a slow 15-mile ride when your bike tires are set for the snow at 3.5-4.5 psi. (Compared to my road bike tires which are usually close to 100 psi.) I got super sweaty and hungry and that was good. I saw a buck and, a little bit later, two juvenile deer. There were a lot of people at the park (walking, skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing), but mostly not by me. It was nice to see so many people enjoying nature and nice to go back to the state park that I can ride to right from my house. 

I like how the whole
route I followed is
coded to show that
 I was slow.

My app showing my heart rate
is not unlike my app showing
the energy generated by
our new solar panels. The
sun fueled me, too!

So, while I know that this is going to be a challenging winter (COVID still exists, I have a new dog that will require a lot of training, I still miss my family), I feel like I kicked it off in a good way to set the tone for a new year. 

Good tidings of solstice, and a happy new year

"Forest Festivities" by Jahna Vasht

The winter solstice is my favorite day because the days are going to start getting longer, and I am grateful for this. 

I'm also grateful for the fact that although I didn't go for as many long bike rides this year, I got out on my bike more frequently, and put in more miles this year than I did either of the past two years. (I think my decreased mileage those years was attributable to my lack of self-motivation when my riding partner Matt was on some international trips.) I'm also grateful that I got to do a long, masked-up ride with Steve and with Deb (separately), and that gravel-y fat bike ride with Matt that I mentioned in my last post as being - hands down - my favorite ride of the year.

Most recently, I took a week off in early December and got in some rides, including a longer-than-planned ride down to Grey Cloud Island one last time for 2020, and a hillier-than-planned ride back through South St. Paul.

I rode to Grey Cloud Island many times
this year. The last time, there were still
leaves on the trees and dead cornfields,
which have since been cut down.

These past two months, now that it has gotten colder and distanced patio happy hours in friends' backyards have gone by the wayside, I have been skipping biking when I can instead get in a masked-up walk with a friend outdoors. I'm grateful that people are willing to walk with me, despite my apparent reputation for tricking people into walking farther than they intended.

Although the fact that we all have Zoom fatigue, I am also grateful for being able to do a post-Thanksgiving Zoom Girl Craft Day (which actually worked really well!) and a couple of other Zoom get togethers with friends. 

In general, I'm very grateful for friends this year. Like my friend Jen, who dropped off a full-size DQ ice cream cake; Matt, who made me a biking-themed card; and Marcy, who made me some goodies, including a very decorative jar of sweet and spicy nuts.

I am also grateful for my friends' senses of humors. Oddly, I got two sausage-themed cards for my birthday this year! 

I'm grateful for my siblings (all of whom I really like), happy memories of my dad, getting to safely see Beth (my stepmom) a few times this year, being able to help my mom after her surgery (before COVID shut everything down), being able to visit my mom and Terry (my stepdad), and my mom having good post-chemo scans. I'm grateful that my husband and I still get along despite seeing much more of each other than we usually do, yet am equally as grateful that I have the luxury of being able to escape and do jigsaw puzzles while listening to audio books. 

This weekend's puzzle.

As we hunker down for the winter (Where did all the snow go? At least the ice skaters are happy about being able to move across all the lakes, unfettered), I am comforted by the fact that the first bike ride that I've signed up for in 2021 (https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/Maggie-MahoneyTC) is less than 20 weeks away. In COVID-math, that can feel like either 5 and/or 40 weeks, all at the same time. Here's hoping I can do some of these events next year! In the meantime, I'm reflecting on this interesting swag from the Ride Across Minnesota two years ago.... Ha! 

Cliff's Notes to the Fall

 Well, hi there. The more-than-two-month hiatus I've taken from posting means that there's too much that's been going on for me to get lazy and rely on the too frequently lately, lazy book report-style "blog" post. 

I can say this: 

• Shortly after my last post, I took two days off work and went on two of the hottest bike rides I have ever taken.

One of those days, I rode to the wildlife
refuge and went for a hike.

• This year, although my bike rides haven't been as long as in years past, I've been riding more frequently. So far (knock on wood that I will keep riding one bike or another through the end of the year), I've ridden more miles than I did last year or the year before. It seems unlikely that I'll get another 700 miles in and tie my mileage for 2016 or 2017, which were remarkably similar. 
• This year, I did a lot of rides to Grey Cloud Island, and got to see the farm fields as they thawed, as they were being planted, as the corn and soybeans sprouted, as the corn reached knee high (before the 4th of July), as the plants were harvested, and as the fields were turned over. It was kind of nice to see the progression over the season(s). 
• I also did a lot of early weekday morning riding over the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. One day I purposely shifted my route to see the Mississippi in its fall glory.

Looking upstream, from near my house.

• I got some rides and long walks in just before we found out snow was coming. I'm trying to find beauty in my surroundings, despite the fact that there are no leaves on the trees and it has been cold and windy. I'm trying to get my head in the right place before winter. Living in the north during the COVID era is going to be hard to navigate because you can't just sit on a patio with people (or not for as long or as comfortably, anyhow!).

Downtown from by my house, the
night before we got 8 inches of snow.

• In mid-October, just before it snowed, my good friend and riding partner for seven years - Matt - was in town to pick up some things. We went on a masked-up ride on fat tire bikes on gravel roads so we could ride side by side and then had a cold beer on a cold patio in the cold rain. It was my favorite ride of 2020. It was so not normal, yet so normal. 
• Speaking of "not normal," but kind of normal, Dan and I went to Iowa the weekend after the snow, and went to an outdoor concert, with our seats distanced from everyone else and masks required in common areas. Live music! What a treat. Since the temps were in the mid-30s, having a face covering was kind of nice.
• More speaking of "not normal," I have spent a lot of time lately making stupid videos as a way to entertain myself and maybe a couple other people - including pretend workout videos. I won't share them here because they are too dumb, but here's a sneak peak of the type of other videos I have been randomly sending people.

• The snow has melted and it has been windy. I have been riding in the cold (like, wind chills in the 20s) dark before work and am pretty much the only person out there! It is peaceful. I rode this weekend and even though it was a little warmer, I think the wind discouraged people. That's fine; more space for me! 

This big ol' willow came down
overnight. It will be interesting
to see how the landscape -
and the park board - respond.

• The second half of 2019 was a bad year for me, personally, and I kept on thinking, "I cannot wait for this year to be over." And then I realized (I think my sister pointed it out to me) that the change of a calendar page doesn't magically wipe the slate clean. In fact, the first day of 2020 itself was a bit of a whopper (not in a good way). I think things will get better for most people in 2021, but am worried about everyone being so focused on the stinkiness of 2020, that they'll have unreasonable expectations for January.
• Here's hoping that the rest of the fall will be nice and that the winter will be conducive to outdoor activities, including snowshoeing and walking with friends.

I didn't manage to fully escape my book report mode. I guess this is more the Cliff's Notes! 

Staying out of trouble, and maybe getting into good stuff.

I realized I haven't posted for a while. Since I did the Ride Across Minnesota Wisconsin, I have been riding most mornings before work, and then trying to find somewhere interesting to ride on weekends because I got in a riding rut. The weekend rides haven't been very long - in the 40-something mile range.

A few weeks ago, I finally joined the Major Taylor cycling club, which I've been meaning to do for a couple of years. About 10 days ago, I got an email from the club letting me know about the inaugural ride for the Ride4Reparations, which was a week ago today. I went for a ride to Swede Hollow and St. Paul and then hightailed it through Bloomington and up into Minneapolis with just a few minutes to spare until the start. I didn't know what to expect - the info was pretty limited.

In a nutshell, this super nice guy Hal and some friends formed a non-profit to use cycling as a tool to raise money for organizations that serve the African American community. Due to COVID, their plans for one big event got set aside, but they're doing a series of small rides to get people engaged and participants are invited to donate to one of the identified organizations. 

Here are some shots from the ride.

First African American-owned service station in South Mpls

George Floyd memorial site

This is the part that makes me tear up a lot whenever I visit the site -
the very long list of names of all the people killed.

I ride on that street you can see on the far side of this lot, but haven't
seen these markers representing tombstones of
African American/Black Americans killed. It is striking.

The plaza honoring former Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton - the
first African American and the first woman mayor in Mpls.
We are holding phones to show our donations to worthy local organizations.

I had no idea we would get shirts for the event. I was pretty toasty
wearing two shirts, but look forward to wearing it more and getting
questions from people.

It was an interesting ride of South Minneapolis African American history and landmarks, not unlike some of the sort of content that's been covered in the overnight rides I've done. I liked the fundraiser aspect, though. And, in typical Maggie fashion, after talking to the organizers, I volunteered to helping them with future rides and planning. I look forward to sharing more information with friends as things progress.

This year, I've been doing a lot of riding in Bloomington and Richfield. I took a couple of hours the morning after the Ride4Reparations to do some research on these roads - - which ones connect to what? I can now say, with authority, that crossing 494 at 12th Ave (purplish arrow) is better than at Nicollet, which is better than at Lyndale. I can also say, with authority, that crossing 66th and Hwy 62 at Nicollet (red arrow) is better than than at 12th, which is better than Lyndale. In fact, Lyndale, while prettily-re-laned south of 494 and all that jazz, is pretty annoying to ride on. There are too many partial roundabouts. However, there is a really nice, clean biffy just off Lyndale at the Richfield Historical Society Museum. I recommend it. (Blue arrow.)

The Minnesota River, August 16. Brown, eh? But so peaceful.

If you've seen any of my Facebook posts, you know that I've been riding with a face covering this year, particularly on any trails where I cannot stay far, far away from another person. I offer you this collection of assorted photos.

May and June: my lightweight wool buffs, which I fold over 2-3 times.
Very warm. Perhaps not very effective, given a recent article I read?
Although they didn't assess one made of this fabric or
one worn "in the Maggie way."

Paul and Babe. As they say here in MN: "Oh fer cute!"

This mask likely is totally ineffective in most
circumstances, which is a bummer because
it fits nicely.

I've gotten on a lot of compliments on this one.
Fits well; hard to breathe when biking,
so probably effective. As they say here in MN,
"Oh fer funny."

Today, I needed something new to do. So, I finally got the nerve to try something I've been mulling over for a while - - find a route to my brother's house in Lakeville. (I already have a good route to my other brother's house in Richfield. I'm lucky that two of my brothers moved to the area, like me, during their college-ish years. I'm the oldest of the three of us. I'm happy to report that no one in Apple Valley got close to hitting me (that I know of), which is remarkable because Apple Valley is horrible for bike riding. But Eagan and Lakeville were nice! I took a route back that would get me close to the river, and allow me to ride through the state park. Beautiful!

As noted on FB, the orange mask is reversible and is also the green mask that I wore
on the Ride4Reparations. It is a great mask for biking. My work mask, from
Katmai Government Services (the federal contractor I work for, who assigns
me to CDC) is comfortable, but seems unlikely to be the most effective for 
breathing heavily on a bike.

So this concludes Chapter 5 of the cliffhanger, "What Maggie Did This Summer." I betchya can't wait for the fall to see what delights await you!