May 18
2010

This weekend I participated in my second MS150 event and my first MS150 event in Florida. This time I attempted to start my own team at USF and ride the ride. I can say that my attempt to start a team was only slightly successful. We did have the required number of members, etc, but just not that many people. I met a professor here at USF, who rode with us and seems committed to the idea of trying to get the team to take off a little more for next year. Fingers crossed, USF will be a bigger presence at next year’s ride.

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Early morning on Day 1

The ride itself went great. Sabrina and I both finished without too much struggle. The route is pretty nice, although some of the roads could stand to be repaved. Bok Tower is actually the highest natural point in Florida so on Day you get to start the day with a long downhill, a section of flats through the country, and then some more hills. On the after lunch stage of the ride we hit even more hills, but the best thing about hills are the downhills. On a couple of them, I made 25 mph sans pedaling. I wound up riding mostly with Stefan on Day 1. We lost Sabrina on one of the uphills. We arrived at the Caribe Royale at about 11:30 AM. Sabrina arrived about 30 minutes later. Unfortunately, they didn’t really have a lunch spread at the end, just some snackage. But they did have a massage tent and Sabrina and I each got a 15 minute massage. I think it helped with recovery for day 2.

We went to the dinner provided that night. Maureen Manley, a former bicycling race champion until she was diagnosed with MS, was the keynote speaker. I was pretty moved by the dinner. Even though I don’t have anyone I’m particularly close to that has MS, the weirdness of the disease and the fact that I still feel pretty helpless in understanding what caused Mom’s death, means that MS seems like as good a disease as any to support.

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Me at the start of Day 2.

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Sabrina at start of Day 2.

Day 2 started early, but the nice thing was we got to sleep in till about 5AM. The beds at the Caribe Royale were really comfortable,  and I slept fantastically. The next day was a bit of a rough start. But I found myself latching onto other folks’ wheels and then passing them later. Sabrina found a group of teachers at the lunch stop that were just at her pace, so I got ahead of her again. I averaged about 14.1 mph on Day 2 and felt really good. At the end I definitely had some struggling getting back up a few of the hills and those last 15 miles were hard, but I finished strong. On the last 2 miles I figured I should just dig deep and pedal fast. It may be Tuesday, but I’m still riding my weekend high.

Thanks to everyone who donated to this event and thanks especially to Mary’s grandparents, Marilyn and Ed for letting Sabrina and I stay at their house on Friday night and use it as a post-ride rest stop on Sunday. I’ll be riding this event again next year and would love to have more people to ride with :)

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Apr 4
2010

I managed to squeeze in an evening ride this Sunday – just 3 laps around Flatwoods Park. But I was glad to fit it in. I didn’t lose my 2 lbs this week, instead I gained about 1.4lbs instead. I was careless with my calories, so this week I must be both more careful and more active. Two goals, one week = (My new tag line.)

I was pretty happy with my ride this week. I did some bike maintenance on Saturday and finally got my cadence meter to start reading accurately again. My goal for today’s ride was to maintain an average cadence of 80, which meant using lower gears, but spinning faster. The best thing about it was that my average speed also went up and I had a much more consistent ride than I frequently do.

At the end of my second lap, I had that voice in my head saying call it a night, but I ignored it and finished out the third lap, making for a nice 21 mile ride, which was finished in under 2 hours. Definitely seeing some improvement from my previous riding. I think the mountain biking and the personal training is starting to pay off. The only thing I must remember is to use bug spray. Mosquitoes keep eating me.

So the goal for this week is to stick more closely to the calorie counter and fit in more activeness.

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Apr 2
2010

The weather has been so nice lately that I’ve had a hard  staying focused at work in the afternoon. Thankfully, though, the sun’s setting later, and the parks are open longer. Fitting in ride time is much easier this time of year. Today, I headed out to the Flatwoods area again. I’ve mostly been mountain biking on Fridays. I know I can fit an hour or two in on a Friday flying around the singletracks. I went to ride the complete main loop (about 15 miles), which took me a little under 2 hours. Next time I’ll be faster.

What I’ve been loving about these quick mountain bike rides is the adrenaline. I finish riding and feel almost like a super hero, tearing through banked tight turns and trying to jump the larger roots. Although, I did nearly lose it twice today on the trail. My tires slipped a little on one of the turns, and I thought for sure I was going down, but managed to correct myself. Made me feel even more awesome. The second time I nearly went down was due to a slightly muddy turn, a poorly placed root, and me missing it till the last moment. But managed to safely get out of that one too.

I also had one of those moments that are slightly surreal. I haven’t ridden the complete main trail loop in a long time (years), and I don’t know the paths like the back of my hand. This means occasionally I get turned around in the woods. Today, I was in the Flatwoods Park section and was trying to get back on the MTB trails. I turned onto the first off-road marker I saw and headed down, but noticed that the trail marker numbers were getting lower, not higher. After a little ways I turned around trying to find the trail numbers I needed. I came out the same trail entrance and rode down a little further taking the next turn off. This time I rode for quite a ways and wound up coming out again where I’d started earlier. I felt like I was in a cartoon where no matter which way I went I wound up back where I started. Finally, I managed to find the correct trail marker and for the rest of the ride had no more déjà vu mishaps.

The trails out in the area are full of animals. I’m always amazed at how despite being close to the city, there’s still a lot of wildlife. I often see a lot of local wildlife (not just cyclists and motorists). On my ride Wednesday, I saw a bunch of pigs and piglets wallowing in the water and mud along the Bayshore Trail in Wilderness Park. Today, I saw plenty of turkey. Practically, felt like Thanksgiving I saw so many. The first one I saw was so close to my left side that I originally thought he was a very good fake, till he turned to look at me. I could’ve touched his waddle. Later on I came across three deer, looking at me with real horror, unsure which way to run. Two of them jumped across the path, but the third turned tail and ran the opposite direction. Saw at least one gopher tortoise and an armadillo busily snuffling in the dirt, digging some new holes. He didn’t even stop what he was doing till l had practically ridden up right next to him. The rest of the ride I continued to see mostly turkeys, but none so close as those first two.

After my fantastic ride, I headed home to pizza and a shiner and watched The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Fun movie. Tomorrow I plan to head out to road bike. I’m hoping to make it a long one, as I need to get in the time in the saddle. The MS 150 will soon be here.

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Mar 23
2010

I’ve a new addition to my biking quiver and a new blogging goal to write up trail reviews. I found a Ladies Trek Mountain Bike (the Skye SL) in the last couple of weeks, so I headed out to the local trails around Flatwoods this past Friday. I was busy attempting to zip around the trails for a quick ride and was headed back to the car, when I took a turn and another guy was coming around the corner from the opposite direction and then boom. The crash felt rather inevitable. My cheek smashed into his shoulder and then I bounced off and lost my balance, hitting the ground. Fortunately, neither of us were actually injured and the bikes were fine as well. I am now sporting some nice purple bruises on my left thigh and buttock, but nothing more serious.

Florida mountain bike trails tend towards not particularly mountainous, but they also tend to have lots of tight turns and plenty of thick root systems from the palmettos. The trails around Flatwoods are in low lying areas and can get a bit mucky after a good thunderstorm. I almost always see at least an armadillo when out riding, but frequently see deer, turkey, and snakes (small, black king snakes that often look like exposed roots until they move) as well. I had forgotten how much I enjoy riding off road and am really liking this new trek. It’s a women’s specific hardtail (I figured full suspension wasn’t that key to enjoying the trails around here), and I love that the cockpit is smaller than on some of the other rides I tried. I also feel pretty quick on it, flying around the turns and trees, sometimes maybe a little too fast.

If you haven’t tried riding off road out and around Flatwoods, I’d strongly recommend it. There’s 15 some odd miles of trails that create a loop connecting into the paved 7 mile Flatwoods loop. The trails aren’t overly hard, but some of the root systems can make the path a little more technical. And honestly if you’re living in North Tampa get outside and enjoy this ride.

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Feb 18
2010

Egbert

My new car, Egbert.

As many of you know (Did you read my last post? Then you know), my van was the recent victim of a ’98 red Camaro, which put me in the unpleasant position of car shopping. I knew I wouldn’t be replacing the van with another van. After all I don’t really require that much car, even if it did occasionally come  in handy.

I was looking for something small, safe and in a hatchback. After the UK this past fall, I’d really grown to like the Ford Fiesta and was looking forward to seeing and test driving the new 2011 coming to the states this summer. Sadly, I wound up having to replace the van before ever seeing a Fiesta on the road here. Instead I was stuck with the limited selection of small hatchbacks currently residing in the local car dealerships. I had liked the Honda Fit when it was first released back in 2007, so I knew that was certainly on my list of cars, but I also wanted to check out some other options. The Fit turned out to be go, and now I own a black, 2009 Honda Fit. It is fun to drive, paddle shifters, excellent gas mileage, and plenty of room for my bicycle inside. I may even be able to transport a big screen TV, if called upon, and I look forward to heading down to Lauderdale or up to Dragon*Con for slightly longer drives.

This is my first car that I picked out and have a loan on. It’s also my first non-Ford. And the first time I heard his horn beep to tell me he was locked and secure, I knew his name was and is Egbert. Welcome, Egbert. I think we’ll have to go out biking this weekend.

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Jan 28
2010

I haven’t really caught up yet from the Holidays at least on posts and photos, but a lot of other things have come up recently so I thought I’d try and cover those. I’ll just say that I had a great time seeing everyone over the Holidays; the pictures will eventually find their way to Flickr, and I got to go snowshoeing.

the NEWS

Back to School

I’m back in school this year. It’s not really what expected to be doing, but I’ve decided to get a Master’s in Managing Information Systems. I’ve been enjoying my classes so far. I’ve missed sitting in a classroom, learning. I never thought that I’d wind up taking classes from the College of Business, but here I am.

Weight Loss Project Continues

I’m still working out with a Personal Trainer. I’ve lost about 10 lbs so far. I’m pushing to keep losing, so I’m kicking it up a little and starting a kickboxing next month as well. Also, I’ll be riding in the Citrus MS150 (http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/FLCBikeEvents?px=5882658&pg=personal&fr_id=12560 If you can donate, I’d really appreciate it.)

Car Wreck #1

Last week Kim, Matt, and Orson were hit by a drunk driver. Matt has had to undergo 2 operations on his leg (first for his hip and today for his knee). They’ve been stuck in Bakersfield, but after Matt’s 2nd surgery they should be finally heading home today. I’ve been pretty anxious the last few days because of it.

Frog Leg Festival 2010

The mechanical bull was back for this year’s Frog Leg Festival, and yes, I rode it. I’ve a new appreciation for bull riders after the experience. It was a fun ride though, even if I did bash my knuckles a bit.

Car Wreck 2

On Monday I was hit in the rear of van by some kid not paying attention. It wasn’t a big deal, since he was at fault, etc, until yesterday when I discovered that the other driver didn’t have a current insurance policy. USAA is taking care of things, but today found out the damage on car might warrant it being totaled. Am waiting to hear back from USAA to confirm this.

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Nov 26
2009

Today’s thanksgiving so it’s time to give thanks, mentions, and praise for another year. This year I’m thankful the following:

Family and friends

Although the family is all spread out, I’m thankful to have each of you in my life, and thankful that Skype is there to help keep us together. There’s nothing quite like playing peekaboo over the computer with my nephew, Orson or listening to Nathan’s ukulele or guitar strumming or seeing Dad in England every week.

I’m also glad to have so many excellent friends in my life, who’ve really helped through some very rough patches.

Moving forward

It has been a rough few years, but I’m thankful that this year, particularly this fall, I feel like things have finally started to move forward. I’m thankful that I’ve been accepted into the Master’s of MIS program and look forward to meeting new people. I”m thankful for starting this personal training stuff. I feel better than I have in a long time. (At the moment I’m feeling a little beat. The Thanksgiving Power XT aerobics class was pretty tough.) I’m also thankful that I finally went and talked to a therapist a little and read some surprisingly comforting books on grief at her suggestion. They’ve helped a lot, and I feel much better about where I’m at in the process, etc.

Orchestra

I’m thankful for finally finding an orchestra in the community that I can play in for fun. It feels good not to have my viola just starting at me like I’m letting it down anymore. Now we both get to go out and play. I’m thankful also that the orchestra is not overly competitive or anything either. It’s good to be playing in a group for fun. I’ve missed that these past years. I look forward to whatever we’re playing next. Hope it’s good.

My bicycles

I’m thankful that Dad got so into riding his bikes, because it’s helped me want to ride as well. There’s something so much more fun about riding on two wheels in the open air than riding on four in an enclosed car. Plus, it’s good to see the world from a different angle sometime. Although, I’m also thankful that my car seems to be working again and consistently.

Christmas vacation is nearly here

I’m thankful that today is Thanksgiving, since it means that soon it’ll be Christmas, and I’ll be getting to see most of my family (maybe all, if Matt will come out). I can’t wait to see everybody.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

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Nov 16
2009

Last Saturday I had my first full week of training: gravity machine class, pilates, and 30 minutes of personal training. I was only able to ride my bike to the Saturday class. Thursday, I was worried about being late because the class is at 6, but the reality was that riding in the car took forever and the traffic drove me pretty nuts. Riding my bike to the classes seems to make me feel much better than being stuck in traffic and at the lights. Of course stopping at a red light on my bicycle just feels like a chance to take a little breather, as opposed to being stuck in the car at a light and feeling like traffic isn’t moving, and I’m going to be late.

The classes so far have reminded me to constantly work on my core when sitting. It’s also already making a difference in my riding, because by focusing on my core my lower back, and my arms aren’t getting sore or stiff.

Tonight begins full week number 2. I had my gravity training tonight and rode my bike out and back, which always makes me feel better. It just seems odd to drive to go exercise. Plus I firmly believe that more drivers see people commuting places by bike the more they’ll get used to the idea of bicycles on the rode. I want cycling around places to become normal. Not to mention I love not having to buy as much gas. Tonight was actually chilly enough to wear my arm warmers out to the gym. I was warm enough after exercising that I didn’t need them on the way back.

Anyway, the working out is already making me feel better, and I’ve been using the daily plate feature on livestrong.com to help me figure out how much I should be eating and if I’m making good dietary choices.

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Nov 8
2009

Friday I had my first one-on-one session with trainer. I also rode my bike there and back for first time at night. The ride had just enough element of danger to make both exciting and fun. Please realize though I’ve made sure to be as lighted as possible. I’ve got 2 high powered front lights, blinky lights at the end of handle bars, and a bright tail light that flashes as well. I felt comfortable with the ride and like I can commute comfortably.

The training was eye opening. I had no idea, but I had been doing basic lunges, etc incorrectly for awhile. I know I will learn a lot doing this. I already feel better than I have in months. Hopefully, I’ll be feeling pretty good and ready for Christmas vacation and any potential hiking, skiing, running around after Orson.

Today I ran out to my favorite section of Orlando where my favorite bike shop is locates, Orange Cycles. Sadly, shop was closed, so I took a walk around the neighborhood. Lots of fun older style architecture in the neighborhood, took some photos, then headed out to Lakeland to ride around the lakes out there. Good ride, bit windy though.

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Cool house I saw in College Park area of Orlando.

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Sign for the Publix in College Park Orlando. Retro section of town.

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I liked the trees on the sidewalk creating a little tunnel.

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Lake Morton in Lakeland.

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Sep 9
2009

Continuing to work on strategies for building up my USF Health MS 150 team. I emailed the head of public relations on Friday, he forwarded my email to someone in Health that might be interested. I also got my first phone call from someone who might be interested in joining the team or helping out. I’m excited. I hope this goes well. I also signed up to help organize things for the ride. I hope I get to participate more fully in this ride and in the MS 150 cause. Please if anyone has any thoughts about how to get more riders, etc, let me know.

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