Sunday, July 15, 2012 (and Thursday, Friday and Saturday Prior!)

I don’t know why, but I keep thinking today is Saturday and yesterday I kept thinking it was Sunday…

Let’s see, it was Thursday I do believe when I last posted.  Um, yeah, I didn’t do the DVD, the couch sucked me in, and I needed a rest day.  I was bound and determined to ride Friday morning, regardless of the amount of sleep I would have.  I had to make sure to get up early because I needed to get to work early so I could leave early for a baseball game after work. 

The alarm went off and I began to question if this was such a good idea.  The bed makes such a convincing argument, which is why I must remember that when the alarm goes off I must get up, or the bed will win as the couch did Thursday night.  They are so dang persuasive.

Up! I stumble down the hall, oh my goodness, did I drink in my sleep?  Coffee, yes, definitely need coffee.  Start the coffee brewing and put my gear on.  I drink my coffee and grab my bike.  Ok, I’m off to a later start than I planned, so I can’t do the usual ride, plus it’s better to change it up.  I guess I’ll leave my Cyclemeter on ‘new route’ and just ride.  I have a little less than an hour, I need to be home by 7:00 so I can get ready and leave by 8:00, ideally, I’d leave at 7:30, but I can tell you already, that’s not going to happen, and actually since its Sunday, so I can tell you, it didn’t happen!

I head off at 6:05.  Today I take a picture of the sunrise coming over Folsom Dam, it’s a little bright, but I am in a hurry so I can’t worry about the photo opportunity.  I ride on and decide to take a left instead of a right.  I end up on Sophia Parkway and the view of the lake is phenomenal, for a moment I am envious of the homes that are to my right and left who have this as their view, but then I can enjoy the view for free whenever I want, so I change my mind, I’m good!  I snap a couple pictures and keep going.  I’m thinking, I’m getting faster at my 20 mile rides, it’s time to start tacking on some mileage when I do the rides on the days I work at home, I get an extra hour without the commute time plus I don’t have to do my hair or makeup…   I think this route I’m on now would be a good extension, it would add about another 4 miles, I meant to do the math, actually I think I did, I’ve just forgotten. 

I decide to make a U-turn and head back up Sophia Parkway instead of taking Green Valley Road.  Nothing too exciting occurred on this ride, just a “casual” ride before work. I had a squirrel run across the street in front of me, but that was about as interesting as the ride got, which is a good thing.

I roll up to the house at 7:33, oopsie!  I open the front door and Mark confirms the time, with a loving “you’re late.”  Yes, I know, I have 27 minutes to shower and get ready for work.  That’s the problem with cycling for me, once I get on my bike, I have a hard time (most of the time) ending the ride.

I decide it’s a good day for a pony tail since we have the baseball game in the evening and a dress.  I like dresses, no thought and usually no ironing involved.  However, if I had actually thought about it, I could have ironed my Capri’s and a top and then I wouldn’t have had to change after work.  Oh well, way too late to worry about it now, maybe I will remember in the future.. Sure...

Bless Mark’s heart, he made me a breakfast burrito to take into work with me and packed some snacks for me.  Out the door he ushers me at 8:00.  Woo hoo, made it to work by 8:30.  Mission Accomplished! (20.04 miles, 1:22:29 ride time, 922 calories).

Saturday I was supposed to run a 5k with a girlfriend in Davis, it has been on our calendar for months.  I meet her at her place at 5:00 PM (it’s an evening run).  Just as we are about to head out the door her phone rings.  It’s her dad; he tells us to turn on the news because the Yolo Causeway is being shut down due to an armed man on the loose.  Great.  We see the backlog of cars on the freeway… Should we try and go or not?  If we don’t go, will they still let us get our t-shirts?  It’s all about the shirt, you know!  As we are contemplating her husband chimes in with a smart comment, “um, do you think you should go with a man on the loose with an automatic weapon?”  Gotta say, good point. 

I was secretly ok with this as I was exhausted from the lack of sleep all week and my legs were sore!  We are both disappointed yet not so disappointed in the turn of events.  Per the news no one was injured by the “shooter” but there was a manhunt going on.  We decide to take a walk around her neighborhood in lieu of the “run.” 

We have a nice visit, walking our 5k at home and then when we get back to her house, the Cyclemeter map is showing we only walked 2 miles! Oh well, we’re good!  We head in and visit for a while and I head home. 

Today I rode with a group of friends.  We were aiming for a 40 mile ride and ended up with 45 miles, not too shabby!  I’m happy to say that there wasn’t too much excitement, overall a smooth ride, however, one of the gal’s got a flat tire on a hill, no fun, but she got that tired changed in no time flat.  She said it was her 3^rd this year which was me last year.  The only good thing about flat after flat after flat is that you get really good at changing them, but then you forget if you don’t have to do it. I’d rather forget and not have flats!

I couldn’t believe it, we were riding, and the friend ahead of me made the light, I had to stop, I get rolling again and there is a little traffic backup from the signal and the cars are getting moving, and a motorcycle rider must have decided that the cars were moving too slow for him because next thing I know he is passing the cars on the right in the bike lane!  I was thinking, oh my gosh, I hope my friend is farther up ahead or else he’s going to be right in the line of fire.   The motorcycle pulled out from behind a SUV, so he wouldn’t have seen the cyclist in the bike lane.  I wished there had been a cop around, but no.  Fortunately my friend was up ahead and out of danger.  It still baffles me the stupid stuff drivers do.  I think it would be beneficial if you had to ride a bike on the streets prior to obtaining your driver’s license so that you can see what your actions can do.  I know riding makes me a much more conscientious driver.
Other than the motorcycle and the flat tire, it all went smoothly.  We swung into the shopping center at mile 40 and a couple of us got a frozen yogurt or coffee.  I have to say, the non-dairy watermelon yogurt was really, really good!  Refreshed, we headed back home to finish the ride. (Cyclemeter: 44.94 miles, 3:23:41 ride time, 1,991 calories)