TGIF - 1/6/2012

Happy Month of Wendy!!  Also known as MoW, my tradition of claiming the birthday month (or birth month, as the boy likes to correct me) has been around at least 10 years now - good gosh, has it really been that long?  I won't subject you to my logic on the subject again but feel free to refresh your memory here.  As stated many times in the past, I accept gifts, cash and accolades throughout the month. Wait. Retract that ...  I'll accept those anytime you offer 'em up!!

I'm ok with sharing my birthday month with the King.

As for 2011, I've deemed it a transition year for me.  I had a long winter where I almost - almost - gave up on the bike.  Admittedly, working the Tour of Cali in May was eye opening and inspiring after a tough end to my race season in 2010.  Actually showing up to watch the boy race while my bike remained home gave some perspective, reminding me why I fell in love with the sport. Taking a full year off from racing was a difficult decision but it was the right decision. I was pleasantly reminded that real friends didn't care whether I was racing, training or taking up under-water-basket-weaving.  What color lycra I wore simply didn't matter.  Being happy, healthy and generally supportive did.  To my friends who have been unconditionally supportive, thank you - it has meant more than you can know. 
Aside from bikes and racing (blasphemy!!) transitions were huge, including finally shaking off the last couple of years and putting my happiness on the priority list, rocking the P90x program, selling the Vespa and several bikes, buying my CAAD10, establishing an LLC, renting my house, landing a new job and FINALLY moving to civilization (Arlington) to be with the boy that makes me smile.  

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all roses ...  The year was stressful, insightful, frustrating and downright comical.  To be completely honest, the following list of highlights and lowlights is really just "life":

* Purging 9 years worth of  ... stuff - talk about "cleaning house"!
* Leaving my work "family" of 6 years
* Rediscovering the race scene - the more things change, the more they stay the same
* The standoff between the boy and Cassius the Cat (it's like having children)
* Discovering new, fun routes to new, fun rides with new, fun people
* Trying (in vain) to discover work-arounds for my commute to Tyson's
* Coping with my mother's progressing illness and other family drama
* Learning that no one is infallible and learning to forgive (work in progress)
* Accepting the shock and disappointment of conditional friendships
* Coming home to a warm hug from the boy, making whatever happened that day just a little better
* Impromptu rides, movies and dinners with friends

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We took the week between Christmas and New Year's to visit the boy's family - I'm told I passed the "mom" test during our September visit and it was smooth sailing this time around as well.  The weather was warm-ish for this time of year so we made the most of it with daily long rides.  I hired a cat-sitter for the first time - ever.  She was awesome.  As an aside, Cassius got along just fine with Barb.  I'm just sayin'. 

A relaxing week of ride, sleep, eat and repeat was much needed after the whirlwind we've been in since the move in October.  The Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack was probably worn out by the end of our 13hr (each way) drive.  Starbucks was a beneficiary of our travels - except between Louisville and Evansville.  For whatever reason, that area is a deadzone for Starbucks.  Gas station coffee just doesn't do it for me.  That reminds me of a team road trip to the SE Crit Series back in the Latitude days - friends don't let loved ones drink hotel - or in this case, gas station - coffee.  I digress.

As for 2012 - the sky is the limit!  Isn't it?  Right.  I've had enough life lessons in the recent years to keep it real.  Anyway, I don't make resolutions but I am more optimistic than I have been in a while.  I've been riding with various groups of fantastic ladies in the recent past - a benefit of living in civilization!! - and I'm looking forward to more motivation and fun times on the bike.  The boy and I are desperate for more living space so another move might be in the future.  It won't be a huge deal for me since most of my life is already packed up in storage!  After a full year off the race circuit and team drama behind me, I'm excited to see what the 2012 road season will hold - will I dip my toes in to test the race-waters? will it be a full race season?  will I be committed enough to race with a squad or is it a year where, for the first time in many moons, I race for me? 

Whatever 2012 might hold, I'm going to stick to my current MO: do what makes me happy, be good to each other and make progress where progress is possible.

Settling In and Other Ramblings

 It's been almost two months since I uprooted my life and moved to Arlington.  I LOVE being in Arlington - once I park my car after work or on weekends, I barely have to move it unless I want to drive to a ride or visit friends who don't live in the area. Considering how much time as I've spent on 295, 495 and 95 in the past 6 years or so - lets just say my move has contributed to "one less car" in a major way.  Not having to commute to see the boy (or feel guilt because he has to commute to see me!) is awesome. 

I wish- WISH - I could contribute with my commute as well.  There are trails that could get me pretty close to work without having to touch a major roadway but, once I get to work, there are no shower facilities.  A good friend suggested a field shower would do but I think I'll spare my coworkers. The thing is, the commute time on the bike is about the same as it is in a car, only with significantly less stress.  I would be better for me and everyone around me if I could swing it.  Ah well, maybe things will change but I'm not holding my breath. 

So, the commute.  Anyone who follows me on twitter or google+ has heard me lament the commute.  I've determined that everyone on the GW parkway must have broken brake lights - they're always on.  The road can be completely clear on a bright, sunny day and ... brake lights.  As a coworker noted recently, 66 is the fire-y pit of hell.  Side roads just aren't made to handle the volume.  There's just no way around it. 

I've also figured out that people in this area do not judge a destination by distance.  Not one person has said - wow, you're commute is only 12 miles - that's fantastic!  Common etiquette down here is something more along the lines of "it takes about 45 minutes to get there".  No one mentions that it's only 12 miles.  I'm not sure if it's simply not relevant, if we don't want to admit the ridiculousness (that must be a word since blogger didn't flag it as misspelled or non-existent) or, and I'm leaning toward this one, we know it will just depress us so we avoid saying it out loud.

I grew up in a lower-middle class suburb where people had to drive everywhere and everyone in your neighborhood knew your name (for better or worse).  When I moved to the Baltimore area, I thought I went through culture shock.  Of course I didn't live in the city so I still didn't really experience city-life.  I'm definitely digging it now.  Our evening strolls through the neighborhoods where the boy and I ponder how on earth people afford these houses have been more entertaining lately as we take in the Christmas light show.  Some are very tasteful and classy.  Others - as my cousin would say - look like Christmas threw up.  I digress.  The one thing that I haven't not gotten used to is how people walk right past you and don't even look at you.  If they're not looking at the ground or their phone, they've got a blank stare that goes right through you.  There are no friendly smiles or greetings and lord help you if you think they're moving over to make room as you pass.  It's odd.  Like people are so alone in the crowd.  I'm sure there's a song about that that I should know.

On to the important part - the riding.  I've been fortunate enough to hook up with a local team that meets for a ride a couple miles from the apartment.  It's great to have some fun peeps to ride with - motivation when it's cold and I'm getting to know some new friendly faces.  They've even been kind enough to humor my ignorance of the roads and lack of a sense of direction - with the boy off doing epic rides in Va/WVa with his boys this weekend, who knows where I would wind up left to my own devices!

The ride success this past weekend was borne out of failure.  The Sunday plan was to head down to the Glen Echo area on MacArthur to meet a great group of ladies for 50 miles or so.  I apparently misjudged the timing or effed up the directions and missed the group.  Would've loved the company going up Angler's.

I did some work out there and remembered that my Saturday group had mentioned they were riding at HP.  On a whim (and feeling a little lonely!!) I decided to head that direction.  I was sooo proud of myself for remembering the way through GTown to get there.  Yes, I know, it's really not a HUGE accomplishment - some of you do this daily.  Remember my whole "directionally challenged" condition.  Anyway, it was a long-shot to actually find them there so, after a lap around and realizing how much colder it is at HP, I headed home.  It turned out to be about 3 hours of chasing rides that weren't meant to be - but dammit, I found my way all by my lonesome and that, boys and girls, is my success for the weekend.

Staying warm

Toasty Warm

Back to cold-weather riding.  Didn't we just do this?  Anyway, I'm pretty stoked about my new thermal bib-tights.   Of course it hasn't been cold enough (yet) to really test them but I've used them twice on early morning rides and they were significantly warmer than leg warmers or regular tights.  Seriously, they may change my winter-riding life.  How have I gone this long without having a rock-star set of winter training bibs? 

So the next task - and I am open to suggestion - is to insulate my hands.  Lets face it, winter rides often end with frozen fingers and sometimes end BECAUSE of frozen fingers.  Unless you've got the uber expensive (and gucci) electronic shifting option, throwing your chain to the big ring when you lack control over your hands can be a daunting task.  I know I've been to the point of not being able to pull the brakes hard enough - that's a fun problem to discover. 

I realize that my winter apparel is pretty old and well-used so I know I need new insulated gloves and liners.  In addition to those, I've used those stick-on charcoal hand warmers but they just don't do the job if it's really cold (as an aside, they're bad for kitties to eat).  They stick on the tops of your hands ostensibly to warm the blood going to your fingers.  They're better than nothing but you still wind up with frozen digits.  Battery-warmed gloves seem like a good idea but they're pretty pricy for a "lets see if these work" exercise. 

You may say - wait a second, you have - and highly recommend - your emotion rollers.  Why do you even have to go outside if it's THAT cold?  This is true.  But I live in a 1br apt now, with a boy who also has a set of emo's.  Do you have any idea the logistics of setting up two sets of rollers in two different rooms, distributing fans and keeping carpet from getting soaked with sweat, etc?  It's hard enough to take shifts during the week - I'll take the out-of-doors if at all humanly possible. 

Anyhoo.  Frozen fingers.  Frozen toes.  It's December already - it's only getting colder for the next couple of months.  Sigh.  Remind me why I didn't move further south?

 Here's a link to one of the first "best of (insert year here)" lists I've seen ... some are really moving.  Thanks to the boy for sharing.