Monday, March 30, 2009

Cold ~ Afraid ~ Sad ~ Sick

COLD ~
Spring Training is no fun. I am having a hard time with the weather. One day it is absolutely beautiful, the next you are pulling out the winter coats. Because I am claustrophobic, wearing several layers of clothing is becoming a problem. I like to ride with a sleeveless top and my camelback. When it is cold outside I end up with 4 shirts on and then a jacket on top of it. As I start riding, I get hot, so I stop at the side of the road and start stripping… then I get cold because I am sweating in the 40 degree weather so I put some clothes back on. I’m hot, I’m cold, I’m hot, I’m cold seems to be my mantra.
On the ride a couple of weekends ago, we were riding in 75 degrees. Needless to say I was hot and had a short sleeve shirt on with no sunscreen. So I am sporting a very attractive farmer tan on my arms. I am definitely looking forward to some consistency with the weather. And, if we can deal with no wind it would be even better. Wind is my other nemesis! 20-30 mph cross winds has been very scary riding down a hill at 20-25 mph.
I never knew how bad wind could be. I am used to sitting at spring soccer games in the wind. But, I usually have a blanket helping to shelter me. Or, I just sit in the car. Riding on a 12 pound bike and trying to keep your balance is a bit tricky. Is it fair to say I would like to be a "fair weather rider"? That probably is unlikely in living in New Mexico.

AFRAID ~

It has been 9 months since my big bike crash. I hadn’t been back to the scene since, call it superstition (which I don’t believe in). We rode out to Zuzax starting from Tramway & Montgomery. There is no way to avoid the Tramway/Central intersection and my mind started doing tricks on me. I was looking for excuses to not go on the ride or to start from a different spot. Well, I have to love Road Mom. I think she purposefully knew I would be freaking out a little, so we did a little detour to the bike path. I ended up walking my bike across the “spot”. It’s amazing how the mind can make or break you. I’m happy to say I can finally put this bike crash incident behind me. While I do not completely agree with the outcome, I will have to live with the decision for three years.

SAD ~
These last couple of weeks has been extremely busy. After the ride on the 14th, I get a text message from my very good friend Chris from Colorado asking if they can stay with us. They had just flown in because Mike’s mom was not doing very well. I would never say no, so when I got home I had everyone doing a quick clean up to see where we were going to have everyone sleep. Five additional people make a huge difference in sleeping arrangements. Unfortunately, Mike’s mom Suzie passed away early Monday morning from non other than CANCER ~ Lymphoma to be exact. My heart sank when I heard the diagnosis. Frank and I took care of their kids while they dealt with family issues. While I loved having them stay with us for a week, I wish it would have been on better terms.

SICK ~

Having three additional kids to take care can really do something to your immune system. I don’t know if I am just run down or what, but I have not been able to be completely healthy. I rode on the 21st with a cold. I was stopping every time I saw the SAG car to blow my nose or just catch my breath. I think having Suzie in the back of my mind kept me going. The ride was to San Isidro - one of my favorites. Only 45 miles? When you are not feeling good 45 miles is a long ride, especially on the climbs coming back. I didn’t ride on the 28th because I woke up with pink eye and was extremely stuffy. I think I have another sinus infection. In general I consider myself a healthy person. While I may not eat the best all the time and I have extra junk in the trunk, I have never had these kind of health obstacles before. All I can say is that I can overcome a cold faster than someone can overcome cancer. So, I will ride and ride and ride so we don’t have to watch friends and family bury their loved ones.

XOXO ~ love to all.
Yeah!! We completed a 35 mile uphill ride to Zuzax.

Frank & I snuck away for a hilly 15 mile ride on Paseo Del Volcan.

Can you see the Star Center in the background. There is a terribly steep hill when you get close to it. I'll have to do it more to get ready for all the climbs in Tahoe.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Are You Afraid?

Courage
is doing
what you are afraid to do.
There can be
no courage
unless you are scared.
Eddie Rickenbacker (1890-1973)

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Updates & A Ride With My Girls...

I only did 30 miles with the team on 21st of February. And, I didn't ride on the 28th because I have been fighting a painful kidney infection. I will not be riding this Saturday because I am having a yard sale for Tom to help him raise some money.

I also looks like I will need surgery on my ankle. I have always had a week ankle since I tore all my ligaments playing basketball in high school. I will be walking and the ankle will just roll. People think I am clumsy because I will just fall over or lose my balance when my ankle gives a bit too much. Well, I rolled it pretty good before Christmas. I think I would have won on AFV if someone had been video taping. It was about 6:30pm and I went to the curb to bring the trash cans in. My foot got caught in a crack and I ended up on my backside with the trash cans in the middle of the street. It took me a minute to figure out what had happened. Since it was dark outside I saw car lights coming toward me and thought I was going to get run over. When I stood up, I couldn't put any pressure on that foot. When I got back into the house my ankle was the size of a balloon. Being the stubborn person that I am, I did not go to the doctor and have been living with a swollen ankle since that night.

When I was at the doctor for my kidney infection, I finally had them x-ray my ankle. The x-rays revealed that I have a piece of bone floating around in the "swollen" area. And, there is something that looks like a cyst on another part of the ankle bone. I will be fighting going under the knife until after the June 7th ride. We will see what the orthopedic sugeon says.

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On a happier note, I had a "great" ride with the girls. It was Sunday, the weather was beautiful and we needed to get out of the house. Bailey wanted to spend some time with friend so we rode to her house. It was a painful 4 mile ride. We had to stop every block to get a drink, or for Bailey to catch her breath. She was complaining that me and Mack were going to fast. She was complaining that we were in front of her, her helmet was too tight, the hill was too steep. On and on and on. It took us 30 minutes to go 4 miles. Mack and I dropped her off at her friends and headed home. It only took us maybe 10 minutes. We were so mentally exhausted from Bailey that we got huge bowls of ice cream to make us feel better.