Thinking About Summer
Though it's only January 11 and there's lots of winter still in store for us, my thoughts have turned to summer. I've already planned out my June and July, and I'm seriously stoked about my plans.
At the beginning of December, I had approached my boys about me riding the Northern Tier summer 2014 with Bike the US for MS, and while Angel Baby said, "Yeah, go for it," I got this from Funny Delightful Son: "Noooooo. Who will take care of me?" I thought he was kidding around, but as we talked further, I realized he really didn't want me to be gone for two months. I love this kid so much. He and I are alike in many, many ways. Truth be told, I am a homebody at heart. If I don't absolutely have to go out of the house, I won't. I can stay right here, all day every day, and be content. So can Funny Delightful Son. I knew I needed to listen to him, his not wanting me to be gone, so I started to think of other ways to get the long rides in and still support Bike the US for MS.
I sat down at the computer and started making a daily ride chart, beginning on June 1 and ending on August 1. I then started picking the towns I want to ride to, mapped them to get the mileage, then listed the town with round-trip mileage next to the days on the chart. I built in 5 rest days during the two months of riding, but when the time comes, if I feel like I don't need a rest day I won't take it. I'll go ahead and ride somewhere. I also built in three overnight camping trips, the last one not really camping but rather a spa stay to treat myself to some yoga and a massage. In the end, I came up with two months of out and back routes, ranging anywhere from 32 miles to 117 miles, with the total mileage coming to 3915. With this in place, I ran it by the BTUSFMS program director, asking if I could have a profile on the website as a self-contained cyclist, and he agreed. So, I am very pleased to announce that I will be cycling once again for BTUSFMS.
Since the vast majority of my routes are out and back, I'll be home each afternoon and evening. This gives me what I want in being able to get long rides in as well as being a part of BTUSFMS, and it also gives Funny Delightful Son what he wants--me not being gone for two months. This is definitely a win-win. My plan is to leave out each morning around 5:30 so that I'm back home by noonish or 1ish, giving me plenty of time to do my gardening and other fun summer stuff. I also hope to convince my cycling friends to join me as guest riders for some of the routes.
Check out my profile here. And if you have $5 or $10 to spare, think about donating to such a good cause. Your donation is tax deductible and goes to MS research, building ramps for those living with MS and are confined to a wheelchair, and making living spaces accessible as well as safe. Believe me, those who benefit from your donations are so thankful.
At the beginning of December, I had approached my boys about me riding the Northern Tier summer 2014 with Bike the US for MS, and while Angel Baby said, "Yeah, go for it," I got this from Funny Delightful Son: "Noooooo. Who will take care of me?" I thought he was kidding around, but as we talked further, I realized he really didn't want me to be gone for two months. I love this kid so much. He and I are alike in many, many ways. Truth be told, I am a homebody at heart. If I don't absolutely have to go out of the house, I won't. I can stay right here, all day every day, and be content. So can Funny Delightful Son. I knew I needed to listen to him, his not wanting me to be gone, so I started to think of other ways to get the long rides in and still support Bike the US for MS.
I sat down at the computer and started making a daily ride chart, beginning on June 1 and ending on August 1. I then started picking the towns I want to ride to, mapped them to get the mileage, then listed the town with round-trip mileage next to the days on the chart. I built in 5 rest days during the two months of riding, but when the time comes, if I feel like I don't need a rest day I won't take it. I'll go ahead and ride somewhere. I also built in three overnight camping trips, the last one not really camping but rather a spa stay to treat myself to some yoga and a massage. In the end, I came up with two months of out and back routes, ranging anywhere from 32 miles to 117 miles, with the total mileage coming to 3915. With this in place, I ran it by the BTUSFMS program director, asking if I could have a profile on the website as a self-contained cyclist, and he agreed. So, I am very pleased to announce that I will be cycling once again for BTUSFMS.
Since the vast majority of my routes are out and back, I'll be home each afternoon and evening. This gives me what I want in being able to get long rides in as well as being a part of BTUSFMS, and it also gives Funny Delightful Son what he wants--me not being gone for two months. This is definitely a win-win. My plan is to leave out each morning around 5:30 so that I'm back home by noonish or 1ish, giving me plenty of time to do my gardening and other fun summer stuff. I also hope to convince my cycling friends to join me as guest riders for some of the routes.
Check out my profile here. And if you have $5 or $10 to spare, think about donating to such a good cause. Your donation is tax deductible and goes to MS research, building ramps for those living with MS and are confined to a wheelchair, and making living spaces accessible as well as safe. Believe me, those who benefit from your donations are so thankful.
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