Archive for May, 2010

So … did you all miss me?  I’m on vacation from work, not blogging…:-) 

But no worries, I’m still training for RAGBRAI and have two little riding partners staying with me this week – Jackson and Hayden, my grandchildren!!  We’ve been riding our bikes daily and having a ball.  Oh, to be young and have endless energy again …  I had to break out my old Schwinn because we are doing a lot of gravel travel, as you can see.   

And a big congrats to my daughter, Stephanie (in the middle) who graduated from Loras College last weekend.  I mention it because her education was compliments of Upper Iowa University—tuition remission for dependents of employees of private colleges and universities!  She had nothing against attending UIU other than mom worked here;  it is two miles away from home; and she practically grew up on this campus while I attended school here.  Anyway, THANK YOU, UIU!  It’s a fabulous perk! 

Have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend!

OK, so you’d think because I am a writer by trade that this blogging thing would come natural.  The truth is, I find it hard to write about one subject:  training for RAGBRAI.  There’s not much meat to it and I feel it’s more like a report card – trained or didn’t train this week:  A for trained well, B for good effort, C for good attempt, D for thought about it, and F for freakin’ blew it off!   But I’m going to make it much more interesting than that.  Ha!

Trained, but not on the bike, so get a B.  The weather wasn’t cooperative and this, of course, is graduation month for colleges and high schools.  Lots of places to go and other things to do that pull me away from training.  I did, however, walk on my treadmill in the evenings.   

And then there’s the golf game that beckons because, you see, I’d much rather be on the golf course than straddling that bike!  Oh yeah … I’m going to do a little bragging here.   I have a husband that golfs every day possible – spring, summer, fall, and yes–if there is no snow on the ground, winter!  So, you’d think he’d be a par golfer by now, huh?  I know I would!

The two times total that I’ve actually played this year (once this last Friday evening), he only beat me by 4 strokes!  Yes, I had a 50 on nine holes and he carded a 46.

I actually consider golfing part of my training – upper-body workout and all. 

Have a great week!

OK, I had a few nay-sayers this week, who called and commented that I had better get after my training.  Well, I am proud to say I rode 3 hours (for a total of 35 miles) on my new bike toward training this week.  Yes, I needed the push … so thank you!  On the other hand, I was glad to see the cold, rainy weather today because I’m pooped!  I couldn’t even keep my eyes open last night by 10:00 p.m. and definitely don’t remember my head hitting the pillow.

I also want you all to know that for me to train it is an effort … whine, whine … I have to physically put my bike in the back of our truck and drive to a paved surface.  Not Highway 150 either, because that’s just asking to get killed.  Drivers on that stretch of rode have nothing but contempt for people on bicycles!

Anyway, will follow up next week.  This is commencement week here at Upper Iowa University and just want to say, Congratulations to all the graduates.  Enjoy your day tomorrow!  You earned it!  I hear it’s going to be sunny, too! 

Btw, I swallowed one bug on Tuesday night and my chain came off a total of five times.  If this is a foreshadowing of my RAGBRAI ride, it ain’t going to be pretty…

Those of us who work are familiar with this scenario.   Taking a week off, whether it’s travel or vacation, things don’t come to a grinding halt.  The next week at work is all about pulling double duty—playing catch up and staying on top of the regular stuff!

That’s my excuse for not riding my bike last week; but this weekend, it was by choice.  Even though the weather Saturday and Sunday was beautiful, I chose to stay inside.  But I wasn’t loafing, by any means.  I had a redecorating project to do and the paint cans were calling my name!

Since my daughter is graduating from college this month, I have company coming from out of town and haven’t even started my spring cleaning.  So instead of riding my bike, I decided to paint her old bedroom.  Steph had decorated it in high school, even chose the paint and helped paint it.  It was a fun mother-daughter project and it turned out great.  But that was over six years ago, and it was time to make it my new office!  (I’ve provided some before and after photos.)

This week my goal is to take numerous long rides on my bike and finish a few other projects now that the days are longer.  I think I can hear my bike calling my name, now.  I feel like Dr. Doolittle only these are inanimate objects… Ha!