In the meantime, those of us prone to two-wheeled madness of our own have been enjoying chilly but relatively pleasant conditions (in other words, it could be worse) for long rides to reconnect with friends and bond with new and old teammates. I had the pleasure of attending my first-ever Haymarket ride last weekend. I didn't do the gravel-version but loved the paved route that a few of the girls put out as an option. I was thrilled to see 8-10 women - the majority of whom are new teammates! - pushing the pace and challenging each other on the hills, all in good fun. By the end of the ride we were pretty worn out and ready to replace our spent calories. I'm very proud to say that I didn't devour every bite in sight and managed to stay within reasonable limits, despite the array of choices provided by the fine folks at Wegmans. The ride was well worth the trip and I'll be doing it again - maybe I'll see you there?
Fast forward to yesterday - the holiday. Kelley and I spent about 4 hours chopping, dicing, baking and cooking with some assist from the boy who spent 45mins manning the grill after trying to stay out of the chaos in the kitchen. It's been a while since I've participating in cooking a full Thanksgiving dinner but it turned out awesome, if I do say so myself.
First, let me say that it was my intent to make this meal as paleo as possible. In addition, the boy and I made the executive decision not to do the full-on turkey thing, instead opting for some very convenient marinated turkey tenderloins that could be grilled. The one exception from the paleo theme was to make my first pumpkin roll of the season (with great assistance from Kelley). We then experimented with grilled sweet potatoes (in lieu of mashed) and a butternut squash stuffing that, in my opinion, stole the show. Seasoned, grilled brussel sprouts and zucchini squash served as our veggies and the grilled turkey tenderloins turned out perfectly. Add a glass or three of a nice Tempernillo and the good company of a couple friends and whaa-lah: as near as perfect a way to spend the day as I could think of. Big thank you to Kelley - couldn't have pulled that off without you!, to the boy and to (unnamed friend), who patiently waited after arriving in the midst of cooking with beer in hand. Hopefully it was worth the wait!
This morning we woke up at a decent hour (most of us ... not that I am calling anyone out ... Kelley) and puttered around the house knowing that it was only FRIDAY and we had 2 more vacation days and no real plans ahead of us. Then it was time - time for my inaugural ride on .... MY NEW CROSS BIKE!!!
The boy made some small adjustments to mimic my road set up as best as he could, I put some spd cleats on a new pair of mountain bike shoes and Kelley got her Redline ready to roll. We set out with no real intentions and wound up on the C&O Canal via the towpath in Georgetown. It was fun- bumpy but I had confidence with the thicker, knobby tires and never feared for my life or the life of others as we chatted and, somehow, gained speed at the same time. We weren't killing it by any means after the spirited ride and the 4hrs of cooking the day before, but we were moving ok. After me unnecessarily lecturing Kelley on the fact that I need to learn at my own pace and I don't do well when I am pushed into something (in other words, I have fear and don't like it), I asked her to show me how to dismount in the grassy field next to Key Bridge Marriott. A few random passers by got a fun show. In the end, though, I managed the move a few times .... it wasn't pretty, mind you, but I did manage to do it three times in a row before deciding to call it a day.
 | |
| Not my finest moment but hey, at least I'm smiling! |
