Tales of the Ordinary Days

(A rerun post from 7/7/11...my first try at an organized run) _______________________________________________________________________ My biking escapades continue with me feeling like a newly minted cycling enthusiast. I now have the cool spandex bike shorts, zip jersey, and fingerless gloves. My shoes are the specialized ones that clip to my pedals. AND this weekend I participated in my first ever organized biking event; which was a true adventure in many ways. But before I dive into the details of the Tour de Sandy; let me digress a bit as to how this idea was hatched. As I have indicated in past blogs, Garrett (my man from Denver) is very much a cycling enthusiast. Although I'm a bike novice, Garrett invited me to join him on an organized bike ride called the Mike Horgan Climb. For those who don’t know me, I will let you in on a little personality flaw; I don’t like to miss out on anything. I tend to say “yes” to every event before completely t...

Scott taking a pix of Church #1 on Church Road I gave Church Road another ride this morning. This go around I wasn't sick. Interestingly enough, the sky was just as blue and the day, just as beautiful as the last ride. But today I was a different person. No coughing or wheezing, just enjoying a great ride with great people. A perfect start to a Sunday. As with any great ride, we worked hard at solving life's problems over those 35 miles of rolling country hills. Most was spent talking healthcare with Scott. Our goal is common; how to best help people stuck in an ineffective system. The insight from the conversation was a win. Between the bookends of my day (Church Road in the morning, real church at night) was a lot of Sunday splendor; Starbucks, gas, groceries, yard work, laundry, dog walking and e-mail reading. All within the confines of my wonderful home with open windows filling it with the feel of fall. Another win. Church was at 5:30 and the message, a good one....

Ready for a walk to the park On a recent bike ride, I noticed something that has gone unnoticed by me for a long time; my neighborhood park. Funny how I have ridden by it countless times accessing my favorite trail without a second thought or glance. This would have been an impossibility in my world ten years ago. The radius of our world in those days very much included the park. After dinner or nap time, our favorite trip was this two block walk. When not using our legs, we favored scooters, bikes, and a little green wagon. The Little Tikes wagon was the main mode of transportation for Baby Grant. With a dog leash one hand and my other, pulling the wagon along; we would meander around the neighborhood. If Harry get tired, he would hop in with his pal, Grant. The many boy populated sleep-overs and end-of-year baseball parties would include a trip to the park. And we would use every corner of land available to us. From home run derby's at the ball field to playing in the s...

Beautiful Ride on Church Road Summer sickness stinks. I know..."Buck it up, Sandy". It could be a lot worse. I'm trying. Since waking up with what felt like a summer cold on Wednesday, I have tried the conventional ways to get back to good health. Some have helped. Some have not. On the list of those that helped: visit to the doctor, afternoon power naps, long bike rides, and added intake of vitamin C. The list of fails: margaritas in the neighbor's pool, long night at the Husker game, not filling the cough syrup prescription from the doctor. So now it's Sunday and the fails have taken over the wins. I feel worse than I did on Thursday. Yesterday I would have professed to being cured. My body had other ideas when I woke up this morning. Although coughing up a lung, I just couldn't miss the bike ride this morning. I hate to miss a party and this one had been carefully planned. Team Moxie was meeting at Mahoney and enjoying a long Labor Day bike ride...

(me...holding a cowbell for the race) Yesterday was a milestone of sorts and I didn't even know it. Garrett and I were enjoying Day 2 of the Pro Cycling Challenge. Friday's stage was in Vail. Rather than biking up a mountain to a favored spectator spot, we choose to hang in Vail Village at the time trial start. The day was picture perfect and the atmosphere, fun. We took a casual bike ride to our destination and spent the day as cycling groupies. We perused the many vendor tents and found some cool new gear. Lunch consisted of gyros from a tent and Sunshine Wheat beer sold from a bike with a cooler full of brew. We pulled a spot on a wall with our refreshments and rider list in hand. A perfect spot for watching the 100+ riders take off. A good day. A Garrett and Sandy kind of day. As we took in all the fun facts of the pro cyclists flying by us, a realization set in. Me: "Garrett, I don't think I've been in the mountains since I blew my ACL." ...

Finish I completed one heck of a climb yesterday. I knew it was going to be a challenge for a flat lander from Nebraska. And it was. Garrett mentioned the previous night that we'd be climbing Bachelor's Gulch. Having skied this area, I had a good idea the vertical gain that was entailed; but this time without the benefit of a ski lift. The graph below depicts the climb starting with the bottom highlight on the left and ending with the highlighted "Bachelor's Gulch" on the top. I'm glad I didn't look at this visual before riding it. Some things are best left for the imagination. Following a ride from Edwards to Beaver Creek, Garrett and I joined a couple of friends for lunch in the village and then hopped on our bikes to take on the climb. The first hint of the difficulty level was the first sign marking the route. With an arrow pointing up, the words on the sign read "KOM-King of the Mountain". The enormous houses, landscaping, and view...

Yesterday was Day Five at Lake Okoboji. We started the morning with a fun treat. Gwen and Bruce lent us their cool cruisin' bikes. This little gift allowed Garrett, Larry and I to go on a lake riding adventure. At first the ride felt a bit awkward. After logging countless miles on our fancy road bikes, the look and feel of no bike gear on these upright contraptions was different from what Garrett and I were accustomed to. Larry, on the other hand, felt right at home. He explained to us his enjoyment of nightly rides on a similar bike in Indiana. It took no time at all until I felt comfortable riding this traditional bicycle; just like a young girl again. I'm not sure what brought on the many childhood memories that came back to me. My head was populated with thoughts of riding on the gravel road to my grandparents farm and through the streets of Remsen. I felt like I did thirty-five years ago on my banana seat with streamers flowing from of my handlebars. The three of...

A little morning stroll past Memorial Stadium I was talking to Garrett on the phone Saturday night, telling him about my upcoming Sunday plans. "I'm going for a bike ride in Lincoln in the morning," I told him. "Did you run out of places to ride in Omaha?" was his response. Hmmmmm. I didn't know the answer. Why were we riding in Lincoln? Perhaps I am too eager to join the fun without asking questions. Earlier in the day, I put out a post looking for someone to ride with on Sunday. I received an invitation to join two for a ride in Lincoln. It never crossed my mind to ask, why were we going to Lincoln? All I knew was that a van was involved to transport bikes. As I pulled into my friend's driveway, I was anxious to get resolution to my question. Why Lincoln? Scott quickly apprised me of the situation. A rental car that Kerri had rented for a family vacation needed to be returned to Lincoln. So the idea was to drop off the rental van and ride o...

A snapped pix before a stop for a train A walk in the park. A run down the lane. A ride on a country road. All great visuals and outdoor excursions. The bike ride is taking the lead for me in "favorite mode of exercise" category. Biking is great. I'm so glad I was reintroduced to it. In all honesty, reintroduced is an overstatement since my past biking life didn't include biking shorts, jerseys, or clipped shoes. My new days of riding are a much different experience than those of past (i.e. there is much more freedom in riding a bike without totting a toddler on the back). Thursday we went on a long bike ride. Our start to the Fourth of July holiday. Last year the Fourth riding group stretched to twelve. This year it was only five; including two riders whom I hadn't met before. With quick introductions by our mutual riding friends, our holiday excursion began. And it was a great ride, even though I was the sole female pulling up the rear. My riding comrade...

Garrett before strict instructions to "go faster...no brakes!" I wanted to title this blog "Reckless Abandon", but after further reflection, thought it too harsh. "Proceed with Caution" was my compromise. We went on a bike ride today up High Grade Road. This is not a ride for the faint of heart; definitely not for a girl who typically rides in a very flat Nebraska. What makes this ride difficult you ask? As the name implies, it is a steep climb (see GPS map to the right) If you carefully review the map, you will note a steep decline at mile 25. Thus the title for this blog. Garrett goes fast down hills and mountains. I apply my brakes intermittently and pray I don't fly off the front of my handle bars. He would like for me to go faster. I have explained to Garrett that climbing faster is more important than going down faster (cardiovascular purposes). I have explained that I have a fear of falling down mountains and hurting myself (looking ...

View out my window from my desk Do you remember the opening to the book, The Cat in the Hat? The kids stared out the window to a wet and cold day. What to do? What to do? That is how I feel right now. The best made plans can be overturned by Mother Nature. My planned bike ride with friends is out, so what now is in? Last night the boys and I went to see World War Z in 3D. It was actually quite good. Very entertaining. Home by 9:30, I carefully planned for a much anticipated Sunday morning. Bike down and tires filled with air. Check. Helmet, gloves, clipped shoes in car. Check. Water bottle open and left on island for filling beside power bar. Check. Money, ID, and ear buds set by charging phone. Check. To bed by 10:30 with dreams of a long morning bike ride dancing in my head. Check. Reality check. The sound of thunder and heavy rain outside wakes me at 6:10. A check of hour-by-hour weather and a flurry of FaceBook posts from cycling friends concludes with a cancelled ride....

Mission accomplished. It was a good day. 62 miles logged in and some milestones met. I like milestones and I love meeting them even more. Milestone 1: I logged in my longest bike ride; ever. My previous high was sixty. Those serious riders are shaking their heads. But to a newly minted rider (not quite three years into owning a road bike), this was a milestone. And it wasn't an easy feat. The first thirty miles were into head-on high winds. Thanks to Garrett for pulling me (bikers lingo for blocking the wind...thanks). Once we made the turn after 30 with the wind behind us, I knew it was all "downhill" from there. Milestone 2: I completed my first official Colorado sanctioned cycling event. For the last three years I have been envying every rider promoting their favorite Colorado ride on their jersey. I have been longing to join the fun. Now I that I have done it, I can chime in "Yea, I did the Elephant Ride last year." Milestone 3: This was my first sa...

Tomorrow we're doing an organized bike ride. I'm excited. It's the Elephant Rock Cycling Festival in Castle Rock, Colorado. We're doing the 62 miler. Garrett says it's a good ride. Of course, he is a snob. Accustomed to being surrounded by the beauty of Colorado, this is a typical day for him. For me, it's a treat. "This course traverses the high plains between Denver and Colorado Springs. On a clear day, cyclists will enjoy the views of the Front Range from Pikes Peak to Longs Peak" is what the website reads. The weather report calls for clear skies, 0% chance of precipitation, and high of 81; 60's during our morning climbs. Perfect. I have to add that Garrett is sitting next to me while I write this and I feel a bit censored. He believes I took liberties by taking a picture of the back of his vehicle (without prior authorization) and had me remove the word "stunning" from a previously typed Garrett quote (without prior authorizat...

The caption of this picture should read "flat tire and great boyfriend". I blew a tire yesterday. It seems like I've been blowing a lot of tires lately. My "tires" have been coming in a lot of shapes and models. I had the good fortune yesterday of having Garrett by my side to save the day. And we finished our ride without issue. My air conditioner is broke. Another blown tire of sorts. Although my ever-resourceful brother-in-law thinks I may bypass purchasing a new unit, I need to be in Omaha to resolve. On the list for Monday is a call to the air conditioning company to schedule a visit. At least the cool Omaha weather has been cooperating on this front. I have a mess in my basement. Zach overflowed the main level toilet on Wednesday. With Stefano in the upstairs shower, Zach wasn't able to quickly access the correctly sized plunger or towels. By the time the water was turned off, basement ceiling panels were soaked. Several panels collapsed leaving ...

My bike and my knee handled my fall quite well This blog is going to read like a school paper. One about "How I spent my Sunday". I kind of felt like a school girl today, so it is fitting. I will preface my school work by disclosing that I did bite it on my ride. Thanks to Dr. Brown for banning me from my clipped biking shoes. My agility with running shoes saved me from further injury no doubt. My adventure started at noon today. After noting no rain in the forecast until late afternoon, I decided on a long bike ride. Pulling up the metro trail map, I felt adventurous; wanting to try something new. Downtown was luring me. Looking East, I saw what appeared to be a trail running down past the zoo. With lots of downtown riverfront trails, I knew I wouldn't be at a loss for where to ride. Destination Downtown. With bike packed and gear stowed, I trekked by car across town. Parking at Heartland of America Park, I was immediately reminded of the many Rotary bike ri...