Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

The ten miles out were brutal. Winds holding steady at 14 mph made the going tough, and since I haven't ridden since last Saturday's metric century, I was feeling it the first five miles or so. The legs, back, and arms settled in, so I slogged on, eyeing the grain bins I knew were the turn-around point. When I checked my stats, I wasn't surprised to see an 11.7 mph average. Turning around and heading back couldn't be done fast enough. The ride back was pure fun. Without the roar of the wind in my ears, the wind pushing against my every pedal, I put some effort into the return trip. I'd forgotten to put my bike computer on the bike before we left, but I did have my phone and was able to use the app I'd downloaded quite awhile back. Every mile I heard the voice from my phone tell me what mile I was at and how long each mile took to cover. On the trip out, I averaged right at 5 minute miles. On the way back, the average was just past three or just below three minut...

I love reading about people doing long rides for causes they truly believe in. This blog, Bamboo Samurai , showcases Takashi's ride around the world to raise awareness about bamboo and what an important product it is in our world. Unfortunately, Takashi was hit by a car in southern Illinois yesterday. No update has been offered at this point. I can only hope that he recovers and can continue his journey.

Is it wrong to use vegan mayo on a turkey sandwich? The mayo tasted like the real thing, what I've been eating for years, and I thought if most things vegan tasted this good, I just might give veganism a try. I see this lifestyle change as the next step in the journey towards the kind of life I truly want to live, but going all out vegan is a huge change. I was vegetarian about ten years ago, for about two years, then fell off the vegetarian wagon for a variety of reasons, none of which were really good reasons. I don't eat a lot of meat now, and haven't over the years, but I do enjoy a juicy burger every now and then. Giving up the burgers has been the toughest thing to do. The more I think about the kind of life I want to live, though, the more I think the burgers have to go once and for all. To get me started on this next step of lifestyle change, I went shopping today to purchase food items that meet the vegan standards. With four other people in the house that I need t...

Busted. After almost two years of me blogging, Hubby found my blog. He didn't seem terribly hurt that I've not clued him in about me writing for this long without telling him. Rather, he simply asked, "What else have you been doing for almost two years that I don't know about?" Well, . . . Nothing. I can honestly say this is the only secret I've been keeping. Up til today, no family or friends have known about my blog, and I enjoyed the fact that I've had something that's just mine. While I didn't dish about him, much anyway, it was liberating knowing I didn't have to worry about what I wrote since people I know had no idea I was writing in the first place. Now I have to worry about it. S**t.

I've found next summer's must do: a dream ride called Bike the US for MS . Completing a ride like this would be a dream come true. Hubby just laughed when I said I was going to sign up, which is what he usually does when I say I'm going to do something. I ran the idea by the kids to see what their reaction would be, and when they found out the ride is to raise awareness and money for MS, they all said, "Do it." The fact that the kids have grown up watching their grandmother, my mom, struggle with the progression of MS definitely swayed their opinion. I'm now applying the week "think about it" rule before making a final decision. So far, two days in, the ride is still very much a must do for next summer.

The winds whooped all night and on through today. Last I saw, the winds were 25-30 mph with 40 mph gusts. All day I watched from the classroom as heavy gray clouds moved across the sky, and the trees on the quad swayed back and forth. While I was glad to be inside out of the winds, I found myself sleepy most of the afternoon. The gloomy, gray day was just perfect for curling up with a good book and napping. Now all is calm, and I'm trying to read and respond to student papers. Not going so well. I'm finding myself in a fog these days. Work is okay, but the paper load is overwhelming. I know I'm the one to blame as I do these involved writing projects that mean quite a bit of reading and responding for me. I could cut out some of the steps I have the students go through, but the steps are crucial to the students understanding how to write a solid essay. Maybe I'm kidding myself in thinking the students actually get what it is I'm herding them towards. Since I don...

I just can't say no to running. And now that the cycling season is over, with no more rides on the calendar, running seems to be the reasonable workout solution. So this afternoon I ran, only a mile, but I ran nonetheless. Barefoot on the treadmill. It kind of felt good. I was a little surprised with how easy the run felt after not running for so long. I have three weeks to get into some kind of shape for the annual Jingle Bell Run, and after this one mile, I'm thinking I can do it. Granted the run is a 5k, so I have two more miles to add in over the next three weeks. My tune might change once I add those two miles to the mix, but right now I'm feeling good. I don't know if it's just the first time back after not running or if all the biking has affected my legs, hips, and buns to the point that running will simply be easier now. Or could it be running barefoot? Whichever it is, I'm liking it right now.

For awhile now I've been working towards today's ride, a century downstate at a national park. I knew hills would definitely be a part of this ride, but I wasn't expecting the inclines we faced. The first hill was definitely an eye-opener if not a body waker-uppper. The second one made me smile as I passed several people who were riding bikes that were way more expensive than my cheapo sporting goods store end of the season clearance bike. The third one did Hubby in, and I found that from then on I had to stop at the top of each hill and wait for him as he walked his bike up. I have to hand it to him--he tried and he kept going. But at mile 40 he said, "Please just go the 62 miles and stay with me." I was torn. I'd been working towards this century for several months, and all I've been thinking about is finishing the season off with a century ride. One look at him, though, was enough to see he really needed my help to finish the metric century. I couldn...

My job affords me opportunities every now and then. The opportunity offered to me back in April was a trip to Key West, all expenses paid, to participate in a symposium on composition handbooks. Tomorrow I leave early in the morning, heading towards the tropical depression brought on by Hurricane Paula. I'm okay with that. It's Key West. Though I won't have a lot of down time, I do hope to get to the fitness facility to ride a bike or run. I'm not going to worry about it, though. If I don't get the time, I don't. The world isn't going to stop going round because I can't get a workout in. And this is how I'm trying to approach all areas of my life. For the past few weeks I've been making a conscious effort to live and let live. Whenever a mean thought enters my mind about whatever I'm dealing with at any given moment, I stop and take a deep breath, ask the negative thoughts to be still, then tell them to go away. I stop a lot each day! I face ...

Today I was talking with one of my classes about the assignment I had just given, which entails the students having to go out into the community and find an example of visual rhetoric. An idea I offered, to give the students a starting place, is the new signs just put up around my home, signs with a bicycle and the message "Share the Road." This prompted one student to say, "The city should take down all those signs." Some other students chimed in, saying cyclists shouldn't be allowed on the streets. Another student then said, "They should have to use the sidewalk." This exchange took all of maybe 15 seconds, and to say the least, I was stunned at the vehemence with which the words were spoken. In my cycling endorphin-induced, euphoric world, everyone loves cycling, and by default, cyclers. I didn't comment after the students' proclamations. Rather, I continued giving examples, none of which elicited the kind of response the Share the Road sign...

After a 27 miler on Friday, a 36 miler yesterday, and a 32 miler today, I'm wiped out. Yesterday I pushed it since I was alone. I wanted to see if I could maintain a 16 mph pace, and I did. It caught up with me today as we rode into a 13 mph head wind for about 12 miles. Now, as I sit here, my body is saying take a break tomorrow. I know I should, but when tomorrow comes the urge to get out and enjoy the countryside will push me to not heed the fatigue. Maybe just a real easy ride, the kind that feels completely and ridiculously slow. That will satisfy my desire to be out while not overloading the fatigue. Part of me loves feeling this way. I feel like I actually put some effort into the rides. Since I ride with Hubby most often, I don't push it since he's not at the same fitness level as I am. I'm no elite athlete, but I can maintain a faster pace than he can for a longer distance, so when I ride with him, I slow down so we can ride together. Whenever a hill looms in f...

These days I don't read newspapers very often. I don't watch the news on TV either. I just don't like all the sadness that's out there, and I guess my refusal to read and watch is my way of keeping my little corner of the world happy. I know I have blinders on. They're there for a reason. Like this: "Hit-and-run victim was quiet and dependable, co-workers say." While I don't actively seek out the sadness, because of the sites I do go to for information, sometimes I end up having to face that a lot of sadness is going on everywhere.

The first day back inside for a bike workout after being outside since April. Not lovin' it at all. The first strike is the bike I have to ride isn't mine, doesn't fit me, and the seat hurts. The second strike is the time just seems to drag. I thought watching a movie, 30 Days of Night: Dark Days , would help the time pass, but I couldn't hear most of it because of the noise the tire creates as it turns. The third strike is there's no wind blowing through my hair as I race down hills at 26 mph. Absolutely no fun to be had riding inside. But it's riding nonetheless, so I'll do it. The movie watching definitely helps, but I am going to have to figure something out with the sound. I was really looking forward to watching the sequel to 30 Days of Night as I'm a real fan of the series and have read most of the books, so it was a bit disappointing to just get bits and pieces of the dialogue. Maybe this is a case for putting in a nicer TV and surround sound. M...

Is it bad that while my students worked on their papers today I sketched out the second half of the book I'm working on? Every so often I walked around the room, checking over shoulders to make sure students were heading in the right direction, answering questions of students trying to juggle the three different aspects of this paper project, and just chatting with students about whatever was on their mind. They worked, I worked, and we all got quite a bit completed. Having the book sketched out, actually seeing a plan in place for where I can go with the characters is exciting. I feel like the book is truly possible now. For awhile I let it sit, unsure of where to go with the the characters, the storyline. It was overwhelming to think about anything related to writing the book, so I acted like it really wasn't there. I turned my attention to other pieces, and I'm glad I did as I think creating some space between me and my 16 year old girl caught up in a military gaming plo...

The past few days have been so windy. That's fall in the midwest, I guess. Not that it mattered anyway as I wasn't able to ride a couple of days because I was away at a conference. I could have used the stationary bike in the fitness center, but I opted to spend the time with my colleagues instead. We had a great time, and I was able to get to know better some people I have worked with for several years. So today, after being off for four days, I finally rode, first against the 20 mph wind then with the wind, which was so much more fun. Going 23 mph with so little effort brings out the kid in me, makes me feel like anything is possible. That energy is still with me now, fueled by the music I bought today, a soundtrack with the likes of Beck, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Bob Dylan, and The 13th Floor Elevators. Good stuff. To help keep me riding through October, I joined a most miles ridden in October challenge. Right now I'm in 13th place. The leader has 104 miles to my 23. O...