WORS handbook

Did anyone else notice some goofy dates in the WORS Handbook? They must be typos from using the same template over and over and plugging in different race names and dates, but I bet someone is going to get confused mid-summer. I remember one year the directions in the book to a race were wrong so I ended up driving back and forth trying to find an exit that didn't exist. The Firecracker in Eau Claire, always somewhere around July 4th, is listed on one page (46) as being Sunday, May 4th, on the next page (47) as being Sunday June 22nd, and on the back cover (the correct date) as being July 6. That would be an awful lot of driving. Oops!!

I am going to Argonne National Labs for a tour in the morning (Saturday), with an alumni group. I guess we are going to meet some of the scientists and then get a tour of the facility. I never go on alumni things but this one sounded interesting.

Yummy Chair

For all you cupcake lovers out there, here is the chair for you! (I can think of at least one cupcake fan...) It comes in different colors - pink, blue and green. Unfortunately it's pretty pricey.

Cool stuff that's useful: I saw in a catalog that Keen now makes an SPD compatible riding sandal! I saw it only in women's sizes, but I have to think they make it for men as well. Could be nice for summer around town rides, maybe even commuting, depending on how well they work. My current Keen sandal soles are so wide they get in the way, especially on my mtn. bike. From past experience I know these probaably won't fit me, so if someone tries them, let us know how they work!

Brian Lopes is going to be riding for Ibis this coming year? Seems like an odd match, I would not have put those two together. Hmmm.

Useless trivia I learned today in the Tribune, although I have only made it through the Q section so far.... a bartender at a bistro on Devon in Chicago is offering the "nicotini" to his customers who smoke, so they don't have to go outside. (Chicago's ban on smoking in bars started this year). The base of the drink has nicotine in it. Also, testing the makeup of the water molecules in your hair gives clues as to what region you live in. This is likely to be helpful in crime investigations.

What a weird weather weekend. Did a little shuffling, er, skiing on Saturday at the end of the day, then went for a ride on Sunday afternoon. Almost, but not really, like being in Colorado where you can ride and play in the snow all in the same day.... The snow was crusty on Saturday so I knew it probably wasn't worth trying to go again Sunday. I saw some mt bike tracks on the trail. Not a bad idea that day, the snow was packed enough. Driving home from the forest preserve I noticed police cars blocking the entrances to Old Orchard. It looked like a reaction to some type of threat situation. Sure enough, I later heard on the radio that the mall closed early due to rumors that were circulating about a suspicious person. Sunday I got sidetracked from going on a ride, and then next thing I knew it was raining. Later the sun came out, then after that it got really gray. Finally I made it out, taking along lights in case I wanted to stay out longer. I really enjoyed being dressed for cold weather, but not feeling cold because it was so warm out! I even forgot my toe heaters and I was still ok. It must have been somewhere between 45-55.

I also went riding last Sunday. I talked to Holly K. on the phone that Sunday afternoon and she had gone riding earlier. I had planned to go to the gym but got inspired to try a ride after talking to her. It was a busier-than-usual week but I did some x-c skiing mid-week under the lights at Gilson. It was the day after a few inches of new snow (Tuesday?), and it was lovely. Bushwhacking was much more fun than staying in people's tracks, I found. Feeling the squish of the new layer of snow on top of the old....nice. Remnants of the flu have been hanging around though, besides a little cough, all I really want to do is sleep. I feel tired all the time and would be happy to just sleep all day. I hope that goes away soon! I have so much to get done and no energy to do it.

Condolences

My condolences to the family and friends of cyclist Matt M-L. who died today after being hit by a car while riding his bike in the alleycat tour da chicago. I didn't know him but did know others who were probably there in the pack this morning. I also feel badly for the driver, who, according to the evening news, was trying to avoid other cyclists in the pack and was not at fault in the accident. More info here.

Infl-eewww-enza

I feel like the flu took over a week's chunk out of my life, from last Monday to today. I am hoping to get back to the gym for cardio any day now. My cough has gone from a death-rattle to just a strangle. It sounds terrible, but at least I am no longer grabbing my stomach with each cough, trying to keep the intensely sore chest and tummy muscles from moving. I had days of chills, fever, and my skin hurt so much I didn't want to take a shower. I knew the water droplets hitting my skin would hurt. They did. My clothes felt like they were scraping against my skin. I am sure glad much of that is behind me.

Last weekend (a week ago) was fun. Friday night I went snowshoeing with New Zealand Wendy and Kristin. Turns out it was drizzling, but we stuck it out and had fun. Saturday I wanted to go try skiing at PETS for the first time, but I woke up with a headache and was really tired, so I stayed close to home. I heard lots of loud pounding going on, but kept going back to sleep, since I had stayed up late. I knew that my neighbors were taking down a wall that day. Later I went over to check out their progress. I saw a teammate's car parked behind mine, and knew that he must be over there too. I hadn't seen him in ages, it was great to catch up. I later found out that all four of the people in that room that day besides me were either sick or about to get sick! That's probably where I got my big dose of flu germs.

My friend Brian was having an impromptu party later and I realized I was running out of time to work out. I decided that it would take less time to go x-c ski for an hour on the lakefront than it would take to go to the gym for an hour on the eliptical. The ski expedition was horrible. It was dark and incredibly windy. The snow was covered with a layer of ice, kind of a crust. You could barely even see the indentations that the skiis made - it was more like sliding around sideways than settling into a groove. There really wasn't anywhere to settle - it was just slip n' slide, instead of glide. I tried going over to the campus lakefill, thinking that would have real snow and be better but instead I just worried about whether I could grab onto the fence cable in time if I slipped sideways on the ice and started to slide into the lake...it was all bumpy ice where people had walked and left behind icy footprints.

The party was fun. Brian made veggie gumbo and I got to see some people I hadn't seen in a while. Dan and Susan brought their new puppy, a Puggle. Cute. Somebody pulled out a game called CatchPhrase late in the evening. I was not in the mood for a game at all, but it turned out to be really fun.

That Sunday was the 'Cross Banquet for our local series. The turnout was smaller than I expected, but I had a great time. We had a lively table - my old teammate Tim, his wife Kim, and some other folks. We were in the room next to where the awards were announced - it was hard to hear what they were saying. I missed talking to some of the people at the other tables before they left. Congrats to all of the series prizewinners!! Great job.

It ended early enough that I was able to hit the gym after and get 1:20 in on the eliptical. That exercise session has had to last me for over a week - I got sick the next day.

After that, the long feverish week.

This past weekend I got up earlier than usual for me on a Saturday and went to a meeting out in the burbs. Some decisions to be made. Then stopped by a local shop that was having an event and saw a bunch of people I knew. NZ Wendy and John wanted to go snowshoeing at the end of the day so we went to the woods. I probably shouldn't have - I felt much worse on Sunday. But the river was pretty and it was nice to get out.

Lunar Eclipse Wednesday the 20th

I got this email (below) today. Apparently the last two weeks have been very intense for a lot of people. Here is what the email suggested:

>> We are around midpoint between the 2 eclipses this month, the full moon/lunar eclipse being on Wednesday. This is a very intense time of deep healing, learning, changing, and stepping forward out of old patterns into new. It is crucial during this time to do whatever it takes to keep your vibrational level up. Use the sun, light, meditation, music, being around loved ones etc. Spiritual rewards come from the discipline of changing old habits and this is the best opportunity you will have. Put yourself first; above work or other responsibilities that have the illusion of being more important. <<


I have had the flu since last Monday. I am finally starting to feel human again, though I am still really tired. The death-rattle cough is slowly getting better. I hope to do a catch-up post later.

Tour de Groundhog

Team Mack is having a cross race near Springfield, IL this Sunday the 17th, for those of you who have been training.
Go here to download the pdf for the race.

Free Book

You can get a free download of Suze Orman's financial planning book "Women and Money" if you do it before early evening Feb. 14th. I haven't read the book so I can't comment on it.

Happy Birthday

I hope Kim S. is having a great birthday today. Happy Birthday, Kim!

Reading Chris's blog just reminded me!

Midwest press

Our IL/WI cyclists are getting some press...

A genius twist in Regina's tentative plans to (maybe) give up visiting the People.com site for lent - the site actully mentioned her plans! You said "maybe" on your blog, but now it looks like you are committed, Regina! Everyone knows and People.com is watching you! The credit for noticing that belongs to Amelia, who pointed it out in a comment on Regina's blog.

Ben was the first to notice that Jason M.'s picture (red Flatlandia jersey) from K.C. Cross Nationals in December is in the new issue of Dirt Rag, on page 13. Congrats to Jason! The article also mentions Marko LaLonde.

Tips for Becoming a Roadie

I enjoyed this article by the Fat Cyclist for mtn. bikers on "Tips for Becoming a Roadie".

And in the "Related Articles" in the box to the right, is another one titled "How to get Rid of Unwanted Fitness." I was going to read that one too, but I realized I don't need to. I already have accomplished that over the last couple of months, without reading any articles ....

Skijoring?

The Chicago Tribune's Sunday Travel section (print edition) had an article about Skijoring, which I had never heard of. The online article can be found here. The print version has a picture of a dog pulling his owner on skiis! Who do I know who could try it? I thought of Julie and the miles that she and Molly have been putting in running, then I realized that that would be cheating herself out of the marathon workouts she needs. There's no way that, say, 10 miles of skijoring could possibly replace 10 miles of marathon training. But that shouldn't stop others of you with dogs over 35 lbs. from trying it! The dog pulls the skier, who also x-c skiis at the same time. The dog is trained to obey commands that allow the pair to start and stop (well, maybe slow down, not sure they can stop!) and turn, etc. The article claims that the dogs love it and that it gives them a workout.



Who is going to give it a try and then tell us about it?

I signed up for the cross banquet. I hope some of you other bloggers are going? Should be fun.

Friday night I went for a really short snowshoe before going out. I saw this sign, which for some reason seems more ominous at night in the wintertime, even though I have no intention of going swimming! I don't think I have ever really noticed it during the day or in the summer.



Saturday I went for my second x-c ski in years, for two hours. I thought I burned lots of calories but my garmin only says 600. In two hours? On the bike setting I feel like it tells me I burned more than I did (compared with what my old garmin, an older model, used to tell me), so why on the ski setting, would it be so low? I am wondering if the little skiier on the menu is a downhill skiier and maybe I should use the "running" setting for x-c skiing, like I use for snowshoeing?



Today (Sunday) I went to a new place and did an hour of snowshoeing. It said I only burned 190 calories! I got a late start, and I wanted to stay longer - I had brought a headlamp in case it got dark when I was on the trail. It was a gray day to start with. But this was a forest preserve, not a park, and they closed the parking lots at "sunset". Apparently it is very literal - the police car was in the lot with his lights flashing and his loudspeaker long before it was what I would consider "dark". So I guess they distinguish between 'sunset" and "dark", or else the guy wanted to put up the chain and the Closed sign and go home to watch the Super Bowl! I couldn't hear what the loudspeaker was saying but could guess. He came back twice more before I left, he was making the rounds of the lots. I hope the guy on skiis that asked me which direction is north found his way back to wherever he was parked! It makes me really appreciate the lakefront park I have been going to where you can park until 10:30, and which also has lights so you can go at night. There is a well lit outdoor skating rink, and enough other lights here and there that make it a pretty good nighttime experience. The new place was a welcome change though, tromping through the snow in the woods along a river. I turned off my ipod because I felt like it was more fun without it, I had a better sense of being in the woods. It was just nice to be out there. Tranquility.







Saturday night I went to see Debbie P.'s band in Highwood, and hung with the cyclists who were there. I have only ridden my bike through Highwood, I have never seen it at night. I imagine that is the case with most of you who know where I am talking about. It is quite the hopping place - a contrast driving up dark, suburban Sheridan Road, seeing hardly any cars, then cutting over to Green Bay Road and hitting this little lively pocket where you can't even find a place to park. I made it for the last set - it was fun. I like going out to see live music and I don't get to do it nearly as much as I would like.

Oh, I went to the Lane Bryant website briefly after hearing about the tragic shootings in one of their area stores on Saturday. I'm not sure why I went, I guess I saw an ad and clicked it because it had just been in the news. Since then my email inbox page has had various banner ads for that store chain, all day Sunday. I have to think there's a connection there, between visiting the site and having the ads on my email page. They are still there.

Snowwwwww

You know there must be alot of snow when you stick your head out the door in the morning to get the papers and you can't see them! They were buried, in spite of there being a roof over the porch to deflect some of the snow. Then I saw a tiny piece of blue plastic Tribune sleeve peeking out, so I found them without too much digging.

Surreality

What a weird-feeling week it is turning out to be. Especially today. A 40 degree drop in temperature! Tonight I made it to Home Depot, finally. I was in there for much longer than I expected. It was getting a little colder when I went in, but I left my hat and gloves in the car, thinking that I didn't want to carry them around. Later, when I walked out a few minutes before they closed, there was a blizzard outside! Literally! The snow was blowing sideways at like 60 mph (well, not quite)!! The most surreal thing was, the snow was so bad that I had no idea where I was. I felt totally disoriented. I didn't recognize anything, and I had no idea where I was parked. It just seemed like I was in another world. I couldn't even see where to go to get out of the parking lot once I blew across the lot into the car. Everything was white and the wind was whooshing and I couldn't even see Mt. Trashmore and the park across the street. Once out on the street I still saw white and more white. I could not tell where the yellow line was. When I caught a glimpse of it peeking out I realized I was halfway into the other lane, oops!

I went to do some looking and research for some renovation and ended up with an informal lesson from the sales guy, based on his experience. ( I like learning this kind of stuff. ) This was in the bath department. Besides finding out what the best brands of faucets they carry are, in his opinion, I also found out which faucet styles guys choose and which ones they hate, as well as which ones women prefer. I found out what faucet the sales guy always shows moms with kids. (single handle, he says) I found out which granite vanity top colors men like, which one women always choose but men never do, which one old ladies like, and which one no one ever buys! As well as which one couples agree on as a compromise. Men prefer cabinets with knobs. Women go for handles, and drawers are a big plus. Light colors for women, dark for men. Men supposedly will tolerate a less than manly countertop and vanity if they like the faucet. Litttle old ladies like vanities with legs, so that they can clean underneath. I found out what vanities are likely to come apart and get moldy if they are right next to the shower. I pointed out that the bathroom cabinetry line that the guy said was real wood really wasn't. He hadn't realized that. Hmmm. Maybe he's not the Professor of the Bath.

I didn't realize how much bathroom trends have changed, I don't normally pay attention to that stuff. Some of the newer style sinks and cabinets are really cool looking, but not always so practical! Alot of the trendy vessel sinks don't have an overflow hole, for one thing. And the design of it really limits your counter space. I saw a really cool hammered copper vessel sink that the salespeople have nicknamed the "armadillo sink". Cuz it looks like it has scales, I guess. His impression is that alot of his customers were buying for rental apartments. The people buying for their own home spend alot more time making decisions, going to lots of different places, and might come back to the store 4 times before they decide on everything.

The bad thing is I had every intention of going straight to the gym from Home Depot - but I made the mistake of stopping at home. I never made it to the gym, unusual for me. I try to go every day, except on days that I get out for a ride.

Other out of the ordinary things - in the space of two days I got a request from a friend to photograph her artwork, and an offer from another friend to join the business that she is thinking about starting. I have been told that when your life isn't going the way you had planned (for example, being injured and having to change your focus on racing), other things present themselves. But sometimes people are too stubborn to recognize those things and take a different path.... As I said that I was not qualified for the photo job and didn't have the right equipment, and as I said I wasn't sure I had time to get involved in a new business, I wondered if these were things that were supposed to lead me in a new direction.... new-agey as that sounds.....

As for last weekend, I got to get out and play in the snow twice before the big melt. Saturday was 2 hours of snowshoeing in a lakefront park and on the beach, and Sunday was x-c skiing for 2.5 hours in the same place. I hadn't x-c skiied in years and years - I felt super ackward on my new skiis! I have had them for a while but didn't get to try them out last year. Different type of boots, bindings, and skinnier skiis, than I used to have. The old ones had metal edges and were wide for backcountry trailbreaking. I will miss that, but I won't miss waxing!! The new ones are waxless and I will probably use them a lot more because I can just grab them and go. If we get enough snow, that is. The boots are Rossignol and have zippers, which I could barely zip once they hit the ankle. Really a struggle. I know for sure that I am not ready to go skiing somewhere like Kettle that's really hilly. I have memories of struggling uphill at Kettle and being out of control on the downhills trying to turn at the bottom and miss trees!


Those crazy snowshoers....

Your next bike?

For you singlespeeders, here is your next bike!

Cool Hunting - Puma Bicycle and World Bicycle Relief

I get an email newsletter called Cool Hunting Daily about what's new and cool. I opened the January 25th issue, and the first thing I saw was an article about a new Puma urban mobility bike (customized by an artist) that they are auctioning off on Ebay to benefit World Bicycle Relief. Pretty cool.

Also, congrats to Julie on the great profile of her recent accomplishments on the Chicago Bike Racing site Friday.

(Regarding Pam spray to prevent mud from sticking, mentioned in Julie's interview, there was a also product for a while called Mud-Off that was meant to do the same thing. Does anyone remember it? I won a big spray bottle of it once at a race, which I think I still have. I carried a can of Pam to some of the races this year, but forgot to use it when it would have helped the most!)

And, thanks to Ben for his Friday blog link to a fun bike video that had me laughing every time I watched it. I sent it out to a bunch of non-blog readers and alot of them liked it too. Even if you have already seen it, watch it again and smile.

Is Blue the New Green?

An article in the Chicago Tribune's Tempo section (print edition, Thursday 1/24) discusses whether or not blue is going to overtake green as the environmental movement's new hue. A trendspotter is quoted as saying that "green is used up, played out and weighed down by associations with the "beards and sandals" activists of yesteryear." Blue, on the other hand, strikes her as fresh, distinctive and relevant.

On a different note, a friend sent me a link to a video of a police motorcycle contest. Even if you don't ride a motorcycle, you have to appreciate this guy's handling skills! I don't think he knocked over a single cone. The Police Harley he is riding probably weighs 800 lbs, but he makes it look much lighter. I had to watch this one a couple of times. (Good thing they don't use that course for the license test.) It'd be interesting to see how he'd do out on the trail on an mtb, if he had the fitness to go with the skills.

I ran across an ad for the the Police Bike Store when I googled "police Harley", looking for a pic. This site sells police bicycles and accessories. It's a whole world that I have never thought much about. Check out the police bike lights, complete with sirens! They also sell a Fuji helmet with an integrated lighting system. I wonder why there isn't a commuter version of that on the market - maybe there is? Too heavy?

Cycling on ESPN

There's a long feature on Slipstream on espn.com. Complete with witty comments from Dave Zabriskie. They are profiling Jonathan Vaughter's efforts to have a successful "clean team".

Fore

I am not a golfer. I imagine most readers aren't either. But I read that this is really fun and addictive, so I had to pass it along for those of you who need one more computer time-waster! It's called World Golf Tour. It works in a browser - you don't have to download anything. Supposedly you can play with your friends. I only have tried the tutorial. Check it out, if for no other reason than to see some refreshing greenness and sunlight on one of the coldest days of the year. You can even hear the birds chirp.

You are what you Eat

You can be one too.


(I found this link blogsurfing. M and M's are long time friends of mine!)

Like Pulling Teeth

I might have a chance to sell some stuff at a friend's table at the bike swap this weekend. I have always had a hard time parting with bike stuff, I always think I might need it. I haven't taken the time necessary to get organized and sell stuff in the past. And bikes are just hard to part with, period!! If I go to the swap it's a chance to start getting rid of stuff I thought I would use but haven't.

I have never sold anything at a swap or on ebay, and I am wondering which way would bring a better price? Most of the stuff I would sell is in brand new condition, but older, except for a few used things like suspension forks and saddles. I have used parts, too, but I really don't have time between now and Saturday to dig them out and get them cleaned up and ready to sell.

An example would be top of the line road racing clinchers that are older, but brand new in the box. If they retailed for $60ish, what can I get for them? Would I do better on Ebay or at the Swap? Craigslist? What about a set of older, but never used, shimano road racing wheels? I'm not sure if I should just keep them if I can't get a decent price, and have extra wheels. But that's the logic I have always used, leading to a crowded basement ... and mavic is working really well for me right now.

How does clothing do at a swap? Mostly new stuff that didn't fit and couldn't be returned. Are people only interested in parts or is it worth it to bring a few pieces of clothing?

At a swap, do most people have only a price on the sign, or do they add an "or best offer" on their sign?

For a whole bike, is a swap better or ebay? If it's a nice bike that might have some fans, I would think more people would see it on ebay.

There is so much stuff I dont know any more. I miss hanging out at a shop and learning from everyone there.

It boils down to, what is the best way to sell bike stuff? is it worth it to make the effort to go through everything and take some of it to the swap? The timing is not the best for me, I have other things I should be doing.

if anyone has experience with this, any comments or suggestions would be helpful!

Maybe if I do sell some stuff I can get one of those cordless inflators Julie saw in her mechanic's class. Oh, wait, that would be getting more stuff!