CA Family Trip in pictures

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Back from Tahoe. Pretty Exhausted. Two Days to get back, free hotel stay and a free airline voucher. Need Nap now.

Hockey Game and Friday Trail Recon

Wednesday night, My Sister hooked us all up with Griffin's Hockey Game tickets. Hockey's one of those sports that I don't mind watching but I wouldn't have said the same thing about 5 years ago. My roommate senior year in college was a die-hard Red Wings fan (and way into hard core alternative music) and you would have never known it! Her and her Dad had season tickets and between tax accounting homework - she'd be on the phone, pacing back and forth, talking to her Dad about the game. So...I guess this is where I started to take note. Plus, all the face-against-plexi-glass-action makes it oh so more interesting. Anyway, so trying to find our seats in the arena, I didn't take note of our seats until, well, until I realized that the letters on the chairs were Vs, and Ts and we needed A. Then, we had to kick 4 squatters out of our seats but it was well worth it.


Mel and Ben

Nothing too eventful in this game...and of course we weren't fast enough for the face smash action.


Friday - I did a little trail recon during the 60 degree day --- and, it was awesome. I decided to drive to the trail head and just start running. My training plan called for a 45 min. 'foundation' run..whatever that means. I guess a nice constant pace...not entirely tempo. So why not the trail. I would have broke out my bike but I didn't have a whole lot of time to gear up. Plus, I wasn't entirely sure the trails would be rideable without caking my derailleur with mud. The trail was a mixed bag of conditions - some of it was dry, even sandy (sand pit was still sand pit), some of it was suck-your-ankle-in muddy, and some of it was snow...still.

This is after the sand pit, sharp left and down before the steep, short, over the root, climb.




I watched a few guys slip and slide there way on this but really, the rest of the trail wasn't that bad. I was really enjoying myself, taking any log or root with too much bounce, which I'm really paying today in my legs. Hello stabilizer muscles.

I have a couple workouts left until we leave for Lake Tahoe. It's a similar trip to what we did last year but we're taking my younger Brother and Sister and Sister's Boyfriend out there as well. It'll be a little bit more like a budgeted road trip with a flight into SFO. We learned a few things from last time...like we won't be riding the T.A.R.T bus around aimlessly for hours, dropping $$$ on dinner in Truckee, or flying into Reno (although that was nice). My Siblings have never been to Northern California so it'll be nice to play tour guide...a little. (no Mom, I won't be a total boss.)

Musings...

I was catching up on reading a few of my cooking/baking blogs yesterday. (Yes, I do love things outside of the bike world!) For some reason, a post about eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches stuck in my head. The particular blog talked about how they'd been busy and lazy about baking and got stuck eating pb&j for a while...but how she loved it and could eat it forever. I realized that I had five, count it, 5 open jars of peanut butter in the fridge all at one time. And that's not counting the almond butter. Plus, all 5 jars seem to be half gone. Guilty as charged.

This one's my current favorite.


I made dinner for my Mom last night - this Frittata. I don't think she was that excited about it - maybe a little too much lemon zest but I thought it was yummy. The Leeks in this were great - they are my new favorite thing to roast and put in salads as well.

It's approaching 40 degrees today! I'm going to attempt my interval workout and ride north to another lake and back...that's if I can drag my bike out of the basement and out to the road. My handlebar tape is in serious need of attention but I just don't feel like messing with it. I hope it doesn't come undone on the road or it'll look like I'm in some personal parade.

2 more days of February

Thank goodness for that! I'm already waving this month Goodbye, Adios, Au Revoir...EnouGH Cold, enough Winter, ENOUGH! Last night we had a huge rain storm that came through - I thought I'd see a river running through our yard this morning but it looks like our sandy soil worked it's magic. I did picture the neighbors house floating away...and really, was ok with it, given what a mud hole it is since they built so low.

Yesterday I did a little mini indoor triathlon. Didn't plan it that way but I was making up for being lazy with my workouts earlier in the week (something that seems to happen too often lately). I swam (during lunch), I biked, and I ran. Definitely feeling it today in my legs but it's one of those good sore feelings.

I'm thinking that if the rain soaks in well today and the ground re-freezes overnight...I might be able to do some mountain biking tomorrow??? Wishful thinking.


this one's for Barry - ICEMAN REGISTRATION opens tonight! @ 7pm. Make sure you have your pinky finger ready over the Enter key.

Is that Spring I smell?

I have the slider door open right now...it's hovering only around 40F but it smells nice - melting snow and sunshine.

Dead Legs and a Gear Review

God! Was it gloomy yesterday or what? I majorly overslept and I usually do that when it's hard to tell night from day. The cats didn't wake me up either and THAT is unusual. Usually, they are walking all over my head and stepping on my hair to let me know that, hey, it's time for food here. Icy rain had moved into West Michigan and it didn't look pleasant. I tell you, EVERYONE is complaining about the weather - people at the store, coffee shops, blogs, Facebook, you name it. So, back down to the basement I went to get in my bike interval workout. I just really wasn't feeling it yesterday. I brought some of these down with me in hopes that maybe they would help me dig deep. Nope. I practically called it quits after one interval set. Usually, after I get going, I'm able to give it some effort. Not yesterday. But I forced myself not to quit. But it was no great feat by any means.

Barry made some amazing burgers last night...I'm not sure exactly what he put in them but with some caramelized onions and gorgonzola - mine was double-y amazing (if that's a word)! Barry chose jalapenos and smoked bavarian cheese. So, you'd think after some good B vitamins last night from local, organic beef - I'd feel more lively today on the trainer. Not so much. I did a short spin and could barely get my heart rate up above 150. My legs felt tight, especially my VMO and the muscle (maybe tendon???) in my back of my leg that connects my calf through the back of my knee. Anyone have any suggestions for that? It just feels really tight. And it's not like I'm not stretching (double negative..bite me). Anywho...

I ordered my second pair of Optic Nerve Sunglasses about a month ago with just a little coaxing from you-know-who. They are the Eyeque Photomatic in yes, the pearl powder pink. Girlyness aside, I was a little nervous about getting them as a) I'm used to interchangeable lenses and b) they are photomatic - which, somehow, I imagined would be pretty hokey - like some bad pair of your Dad's transition lenses. But, I was pleasantly surprised on both counts. It's a relief not to fumble over a bunch of lenses and fear scratching them... or worse, breaking them, to finally get the lenses in place. And secondly, the photomatics are subtle. Dark enough for mid morning runs, they lighten up enough for quick twilight road rides. I even wore them on few sunny, mid-afternoon skate skiing laps - no squinting headaches here. What's more, is that the Eyeque has lens with cutout vents which help to alleviate any fogging if you stop quickly to rub a sore calf or catch an iphone txt. ;^) They fit my narrow face great with rubber grips for resting over the ear and on the nose bridge. Plus, they easily act as a sleek and secure headband for any apres outdoor entertainment.

While I might not use them mid-day in the desert, I think they are going to be great for this mid-western girl, ripping up singletrack in the pines.