Potty Mouth

Dear Mr. Potty Mouth #1 and #2,

Apparently, you have forgotten common manners while sitting in a public place. While I respect, as adults (who are my father's age!), you have the right to use any language you sit fit... HOWEVER I do not need to hear every detail of your conversation and every curse. While sitting at Chick-fil-a, my three year old should NOT have to hear how a contractor can "kiss your ass" or another guy will "fuck it up" if he is allowed to do the job. Do you talk that way around your wife and children? I didn't think so. Jerk. If I see you again, I will say something.

You pal,
Cycling Chick

Needs vs. Wants

I need to decide. I want to be indecisive.
I need a haircut. I want a haircut. (no indecisiveness on that one!)
I need to do laundry. I want to clean my bike.
I need some water. I want some wine.
I need to run. I want to ride.
I need a healthy snack. I want chips.
I need to clean. I want to procrastinate.
I need to learn. I want to forget.
I need a shower. I want to stay on the computer.
I need to face it. I want to run away.
I need a recipe. I want to make it up.
I need advice. I want to pretend I don't.
I need stay away from dessert. I want ice cream.
I need to let go. I want to hold on.
I need to make the call. I want to wait.
I still need to clean. I still want to procrastinate....

Blah: Ordinary: Humdrum

Feeling a little down today, but I'm not exactly sure why. Another blah day. On Monday my snacking was out of control. I was snacking out of boredom, for distraction, hunger or thirst - several times it was all of the above at the same time. I knew it, and I did it anyway. I sense those feelings of anxiousness that I felt a couple weeks ago. They've been hanging 'round for several days. I was less than pleasant to be around over the weekend. My husband knew I needed some time so he took the girls to the gym while I rode on Saturday and on Sunday I went running and grocery shopping by myself. I have a couple things that are weighing heavy on my mind but are too private to talk about even on here.

I'm not feeling so great about training right now either. Somewhere along the line there was a switch: going for a ride felt like a chore or work - not the "Yay, I get to ride my bike today!" I don't like that feeling. For the most part, doing 6 workouts over 6 days is not a big deal but I could do without the running. It hurts, it's lonely, it's hard on my body... There was a time when I had found the Zen of running and enjoyed it. It's escaping me at the moment. Even when I run trails I don't enjoy it like I have in the past.

Maybe I've just let the Pity Party Goers in to my house. At least they brought coffee and muffins. But they always leave a big mess. ;)

Clothes

Every time I go shopping, I run in to the same problem - clothing stores don't cater to people like me. But I know I'm not the only one! It's to frustrating to search for "normal" casual clothes that aren't designed for Britney or Carrie wannabe's or the AARP crowd. It makes me crazy. Why is it so f***ing hard to find just a normal short sleeve, simple, shirt? I mean, honestly?!? The shirts I wear most often cost me less than $10 at Wal-mart. But jeans!? Ugh. That is the worst! Trying to find jeans that don't let it all hang out or are not up to my boobs is next to impossible! Out of the 3 pairs of pants I wear on a regular basis, 2 of them are low-rise men's pants. Luckily, workout clothes are not a problem, otherwise I don't know what I'd do! I would just like to start a store for the 30+ women who like to dress nice but not necessarily trendy. Maybe I'll call it: ClothesForWomenWhoDon'tWantToDressLikeTheirMomsOrTheir
TeenageDaughters-Mart.

Sesame Street

I am sitting here, listening to Sesame Street in the background and it reminds me of when I first started watching it. The show was popular by the late 70's and we had it on every morning before preschool. By the time my younger sister was old enough to watch it, I wouldn't admit that I still liked it but watched it anyway. It amazes me that some of the original cast members (the people) are still on the show. I remember Luis, Maria, Bob, Olivia, Gordon and Mr. Hooper when I was little. Mr. Hooper died several years ago but his memory lives on as the name of the store on the street. My daughters are not as captivated by the show as I was. Maybe with all the children's programming that is on these days, Sesame Street just can't compete. Even my 3 year old will only watch it on occasion and would rather watch The Little Mermaid or Dave the Barbarian instead of Sesame Street. Except for Elmo, I think I like it more than she does. I hope it continues to entertain and educate the 3-5 year old set for many more years.

I am also reminded of one of my favorite clips from the show with R.E.M.

Reading

One Minute Writer Prompt: Write about a childhood memory related to reading.

I have lots of memories related to reading as a child. It has always been one of my favorite activities. I read everything I could get my hands on. I remember in elementary school that some of my favorite books to check out from the library were the 'choose your own adventure' books. They were usually about a knight on a quest to fight dragons or something and I got to choose if he succeeded! I would often go back through and choose differently, several times, to see how the outcome would change.

Reading was always a way to escape. Whether I was reading about Superfudge, Ramona, a knight on a quest, Alice, the babysitting club, on The Bridge to Terabithia, in the Secret Garden or wherever... it was something that was mine. I don't want you to think my childhood was terrible because it wasn't. But after my parents divorced, there were many times I wished I was living a life different then my own.

These days I don't have the time or maybe it's more accurate to say I don't take the time to read anything except magazines. It's still one of my favorite activities, one I don't do often enough. I think the last book I read was the final Harry Potter book, 3 or 4 months ago. My in-laws have bookshelves of books but everytime I look through them, none of them grab me. Current writers don't interest me like they used to. Oh, I just remembered, I did read a couple stories by Poe that my husband has in a collection. They're short stories and I had forgotten how twisted Poe's writing is. I read "The Black Cat" and "The Mask of the Red Death." I also read about 1/2 of Lincoln's Inagural Address - that was a tough one to get through, it's a little dry.

Maybe I need to try to read more. Even if it's just a little bit everyday.

The race

I don't have anything interesting to write about today. The only thing I've been thinking about is the race next weekend. I don't know if I'm going to do it. I sent a message to the girl who races on a pro team and she advised: know my goals... um, does not make a fool of myself count? Make sure my equipment is fit to me... check. Consistent training (everyday for multiple seasons)... uh, yeah, obviously she doesn't have kids. In racing, know that tactics in a group setting and individual skills are so much different... this seems like a no-brainer but she has no idea what my skill level is (or lack of.) She advised not to just "jump" in to a race. Well, obviously I would not be jumping..... I'd be leaping. She specializes in crits and that's a whole other ball o' wax that I don't want to touch - the ground and I are already close friends, I don't want to kick that relationship up a notch. Haha. I know several people who have broken collar bones while riding and I don't want to go there. [knocking on wood]

So, I don't know what I'm going to do. My husband has decided he's going to do it. I have a feeling he's in for a surprise at how fast even the Cat V guys are going to be. I'm waiting to register until I ride again this weekend and to make sure I'm healthy - it's just the way my luck goes that as soon as I register.... I'll wake up tomorrow with a sinus infection.

Pushed

Yesterday I did something that was out of character for me. And while I don't regret it, it definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. There's a reason why it's called a "comfort zone" in the first place - it's comfortable. I'm an actions speak louder than words kind of girl so to express emotion to anyone else besides my husband or my girls is a challenge for me.

The timing may have been off or weird but I decided it needed to be said. I'd been thinking about it for a couple of days. In the past, I've stressed over something like this or worried when I didn't get a response right away but this time was easy. I need to tell those I care about how I feel more often.

I think it's definitely a sign that I'm out of my funk. Not every day is bright and sunshiny but those times are not as prevalent as they were.

Believe

"To accomplish great things we must not only act but also dream; not only plan but also Believe." -Anatole France

I saw this quote and it caught my attention. It was on, of all things, a necklace package. I was immediately drawn to it and the necklace it accompanied. The necklace charm is of a shooting star with the words, Hope - Dream - Believe, scripted on it. I had to buy it.

The mental aspect of my life is what trips me up. Whether it's with training, racing, being a mom, wife, friend, or just trying to get through my day. Once I decide to do something, I try to do it - it's the lack of self confidence that sometimes catches me. The negative voice is always in the back of my mind.

**I've been mulling over this for a week. I started it and the "right" words just never came to mind. Truthfully, I've had fleeting thoughts about it and could never connect them to convey my emotions. I decided to give up and post what I had anyway. Maybe if something comes to me, I'll come back and edit.

Train your weakness

Train your weakness, race your strength. I am trying to figure out how to do this. It's so much easier to train your strength because that is what you're good at or that's the sport you enjoy most. For me, right now, it's definitely the bike. I would add a third (or 4th) bike day if I could. But I know running is my limiter. [pounding fists... stomping feet.... ] I don't wanna! I don't wanna and you can't make me!

Seriously... I don't know if my running speed is because of genetics or because of a mental block. I've never been fast but I've never trained to be fast either. My husband is convinced it's all in my head. I just don't have quick legs. I've got the lung capacity, my legs just don't go. The fastest I've tried to go on the treadmill at the gym is 7.5 mph (8:34 mile pace) and it's hard. That's my interval pace. But... I've never tried to go longer than 30 seconds or a minute. My legs definitely give out before my lungs. Supposedly, according to the experts on the interweb, I should be able to run a 10k in like 47 minutes. (according to my VO2 max) HA! I gotta give that big fat yeah right - only if someone were chasing me..... with a knife.... or a chainsaw. ;)

I guess I'm at a blah point in my training because I'm not feelin' it today. I have put in 5 solid weeks without missing a training session. I can only hope it will pay off on race day - which still seems so very far away. I'm glad I signed up for the indoor race. I think that will be a good way to jump start my season. I don't think I've been getting enough sleep, either - and that is totally messing up my training mojo.

Fear and doubt

This is what I wrote on Friday. I also attempted a poem but it's cheesy and needs work.

I wonder if I'm am setting myself up for failure? Am I setting unrealistic goals in my head? Do I think I'm better than I really am? I train and think I'm doing well... then I get very disappointed when I fall short. I am very competitive, with others and myself. If I haven't done the work, there's less disappointment - I expect a mediocre performance. Is there something in my head that wants to fail? Afraid to succeed? I don't know. I'd like to think not but maybe... I have to honestly evaluate what I'm doing. Being objective is difficult - emotions are hard to put aside. As much as I try to pretend my emotions play a minor role, they often don't. You know... the whole heart on the sleeve kind of thing. So, it's doubly difficult to put them aside in regards to training and racing. I thrive on positive feedback and sometimes find it hard and lonely; triathlon is mostly a solitary sport. This is probably the hardest aspect of the sport and being a self-coached athlete.

Approaching my first race, what do I expect? Do I expect to do well? Do I honestly think I'm good enough or fast enough to place well? I don't know. My first instict says no. Then I think... maybe I can do it... no, you know you can't... Is my fear holding me back? Are my self doubts and fears the same thing?

Nothing much

On Friday, when we were at the playground, I was feeling reflective and comtemplative. (big words, huh?) Anyway, I ended up writing some stuff down on paper but I left it at home - and I'm not at home. Oh well. It can wait.

My husband and I had a good long ride today. This was my longest ride since the ms150 century. I've done a couple other long-ish rides but this was definitely my longest. We saw a dead cow, that was weird. You'd think the farmer that owned the cow would know he had a stiff dead cow in his field. We didn't really see anything else major: a bunch of cows, some horses, dogs, roadkill, a couple cats... you know, the normal country roads stuff.

I talked to someone from the doctor's office on Friday and the test result I was waiting for came back negative. Whew. I guess when it was positive last year, it was a false positive. But how do they know this isn't a false negative? I don't know and it doesn't matter; unless something changes, we'll stick with the negative. That means I will not have to go back to the Hematologist anymore. I'm glad for that, it's kind of far.

That's all the update for now. I try to write something everyday and it feels weird that I went this long without.

Theme song

Every time I hear the song by Lit, "My Own Worst Enemy" I think about my husband and how it should be his theme song. Well, not so much anymore but it definitely was before we got old and responsible. Hehe. And these are funny memories now, we laugh about them, but at the time they were definitely NOT funny. :)

Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk - Um, no.
I didn't meant to call you that - In a drunken stupor, he once called me a bitch and threw hot sauce on me.
I didn't mean to call you that - Yeah, maybe, but he'll never live that one down.
I can't remember what was said or what you threw at me - Probably a can, Jerk.
Please tell me - You act like a drunken fool when you drink liquor with Jim.
Please tell me why - I don't know?!
My car is in the front yard - (or back yard) 'Cause when you were drunk you decided to drive my car around to the back yard so you could listen to music in the CD player
And I'm sleeping with my clothes on - On the couch or maybe on the front porch
I came in through the window last night - Or rapped on the window until you woke me up to come open the door because you can't find your keys
And you're gone - Because I got up before the crack of 12
It's no surprise to me I am my own worst enemy - When drinking
Cuz every now and then I kick the living shit out of me
The smoke alarm is going off and there's a cigarette
Still burning - 'Cause you passed out while smoking.
Please tell me why
My car is in the front yard
And I'm sleeping with my clothes on
I came in through the window last night
And you're gone
Please tell me why

Running

Dear Cycling Chick,
We all know you are vertically challenged. In the future, I would not choose a treadmill that faces the windows. Watching the cars go by and trying to do intervals is just a recipe for disaster. Instead, I would choose one in the Treadmill Farm so you don't break your concentration, almost lose your balance and have to grab the treadmill so you don't fly off the back. It would definitely save you loads of embarrassment.

Your pal,
M

I told you I only pretend to be a triathlete. ;)

Friends and training

This was originally separate entries but realized I they were similar so I lumped them together.

There are a couple of women I am trying to get in to triathlons. I try to be encouraging but there are times when I think I'm not doing a very good job. One, who I've met to train with a couple of times, has not met me the last couple times. I joked to my husband that she was intimidated by my awesomeness. I was totally joking because if there's anything that I think I might be, awesome is not one of them. Anyway, so then my husband gave me a hard time about it and said I was making fun of this woman. WTF? I was confused. He knows I don't think I'm great and downplay my training so I was dumbstruck by his comment. I didn't think I was making fun. I have tried to help these women any way I can - I've trained with them, giving them tips that have helped me. I have worked hard to get to where I am right now. I train, read and study almost anything I can get my hands on or find online about training, racing, nutrition, technique...

I have another friend who I have drifted away from and it makes me sad. We've been friends since I met her at work in 1999. She was always my favorite boss and we were friends outside of work too. She still works in retail and I've been a stay at home mom for about 5 years. We don't have much in common anymore and although I still like to hang out with her, we don't have much to talk about. The last time we got together so our girls could play, she made several comments about how thin I am, my training, her lack of exercise and how unhappy she was with how she looked. How do I respond to this? I tried to "minimize" what I do because I didn't want to make her feel worse. When I got home, I was feeling a little deflated. I felt bad that she felt she couldn't change but at the same time I didn't feel like I should be apologetic for the hard work that I do and my lifestyle choices. It's a weird situation. Since that visit, we haven't talked or gotten together again. I feel like she doesn't want to hang out because I made her feel worse about herself. I don't know. If I did, it wasn't intentional. I still get emails from her on occasion but they're just the generic forwarded messages. I don't know what to do about it. Maybe nothing. Maybe it will just be one of those friendships that kind of fizzles out on it's own but will still be a "Christmas card" kind of friendship.

I'm not sure what I'm looking for with this, affirmation maybe? I don't know. Bah.

Testing

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a teesy-weensy bit worried about the blood tests tomorrow. I know everything will be fine and worrying about it is a futile act, at best. I know. But there are still a couple "what ifs" that are in the back of my mind. I haven't thought much about them in the last 6 months. I will try not to fret or stress about it, that's wasted energy. I will work instead to get rid of this stupid headache that is probably brought on by allergies.

Valentine's Day

It's that time of year again, V- Day. (not to be confused with VD day, which is totally different) This is a Hallmark holiday, without a doubt. There seems to be social pressure to have a Valentine or to buy something "extra special" if you already have a significant other. That just doesn't make sense to me. If you have a SO, you don't need a stupid holiday to do something. We've agreed to get stuff for the girls because we can't NOT do something, we wouldn't do that. So, I found some cute little heart t-shirts and a card for each of them. But my husband and I haven't really celebrated Valentine's Day in a long time. I did get him a card that I thought was funny. It says, "Studies show that 80% of women think their ass is too big and 10% of women think their ass is too skinny.......[open the card] The other 10% say they don't care, they love him and they would have married him anyway." I laughed out loud at the store. I love funny cards. No matter what holiday or who I'm buying for, I always look for the card that makes me laugh. There are very few occasions when I feel the need to buy sappy cards. That's just not me.

Writing

I'm in the mood to write but don't have a good topic. Weird, huh? I don't know, maybe it's not so weird? I could ramble about our trip to the hockey game yesterday, how my training is going, what the weather's like.... none of those are grabbing me. I liked having that contest subject to write for and work on. I'd rather sit here on the computer, listen to music and work on something like that. I'll check the One Minute Writer site, I haven't looked at it in a while....

Today's prompt: What fills you with wonder? Hmmm, that's a tough one. I'm drawing a blank. Maybe the One Minute Writer prompt wasn't such a good idea after all. My daughters wonder about things all day-every day but I can't think of anything that makes me wonder. Well, right at this moment, this topic is making me wonder but that's not the point. ;)

[tapping forehead] What fills me with wonder... what fills me with wonder....? I think I'm going to have to think on this some more. Great. Now I'm going to be awake trying to think of things. Ha, maybe not. Anyone who knows me knows that pretty much once I'm in bed, I'm out. My husband teases me that I'm like a bird - if it's dark, I'm asleep. That's not quite the case but when I decide to go to bed, it's because I need to go to bed.

I will definitely have to give this some more thought. But now is not the time, I think I do need to go to bed. :)

AM Update: I did think of something that fills me with wonder. Natural Wonders. All of them. The oceans, mountains, canyons, jungles, deserts... Did anyone catch any of that special 'Planet Earth'? It was amazing. I would have loved to have a widescreen HDTV just to watch that footage. To have one normally is overkill but for this special, it would have been awesome.

Life is short

This paragraph from Hissy Fits struck a chord with me. I'm not sure why and I don't really have anything deep or witty to add; I just thought I'd share it because it is something I'm working on and hope others can too.

"I am reminded on a daily basis that life is too short to be angry, petty or to harbor resentment. I'm reminded to love without limits, tell people how I feel, live without regrets, find my passion, and appreciate the little things in life. I do not get caught up in negativity, gossip or drama, for I have learned that when there is a limited amount of energy, wasting it on other people doesn't make any sense... not that it ever really does, but, sadly, many people don't understand that. Instead, I try to spend time every single day doing something for others, be it a planned act of volunteerism or a random act of kindness. I've learned never to take myself too seriously and that laughter is not only life's loveliest music, but also the greatest medicine there is."

I'd like to leave the drama to the middle school crowd, let go of resentment, inspire others and love the life I'm living.

My Sunday entertainment

This week's crop of Cheap Stuff falls under the category of "Why bother? Just Give the Shit away and get the tax deduction."

COMPUTER MONITOR Not LCD $5

GARDEN HOSES Almost new, $8

SHEET SET, twin, bob the builder, $6

SKI VESTS, 2, pullover sweaters, 10, mens, large, excellent, $4 each, 3 for $10, All 12, $24

Who has 10 ski vests?!? After rereading it, I see that it might mean there are 2 vests and 10 sweaters. Oh well, they're selling them for $4, maybe they should just give them away.

SNOWGLOBE Veggie Tales $8

VANITY Shelf and make up bench. $5

KEY CHAINS, homemade, lanyards, $3

This might be the one exception if someone is making them to make money - so this one actually gets a pass. :)

The mind of a 3 year old

I finally got this down and was happy with the result and then (out of nowhere!) I realized it had a similar format to a book my daughter has - I knew it was vaguely familiar. Well, I'm still happy with the result but I can't take credit for it being a totally original idea.

... the grocery store is for free cookies and balloons
... curbs are for walking like it's a balance beam
... books are for nursery rhymes, butterflies playing follow the leader, princesses, and the hippopotamus
... pictures are to color and sometimes to scribble outside the lines
... music is to dance to no matter where you are
... fish are to watch at the store
... broccoli is not for eating - unless it has cheese
... bears and stuffed dogs are to snuggle
... letters are to learn and every letter makes a sound
... numbers are for counting how many steps it takes to walk down the sidewalk
... McDonald's is for eating but the playground is more fun
... the beach is for sandcastles, chasing waves, and kite flying
... numbers in Spanish are to count how many eggs Dora has in her basket
... candy and ice cream are to have anytime, even at breakfast
... pancakes are a special treat that Daddy makes on a Saturday morning
... toys are for playing but not really for picking up
... the sky is for clouds, the moon and stars
... balls are for bouncing and kicking
... nightlights are to scare the dark and shadows away
... teeth are not for brushing
... movies are to dream about being a princess, a fairy, a clown fish or a cute robot
... bubbles are for blowing and popping
... big sisters are the coolest

Lesson learned

There's a kid down the street who I think I have judged unfairly. His name is Phillip. He and his family have lived here almost as long as we have but we've never formally met them. They usually keep to themselves, as do we. I want to say the dad is a former football player and currently a bodyguard or roadie. My husband has had brief conversations with him on one of the rare occasions that they're both outside. Anyway, this guy also has a motorcycle, the crotch rocket kind, and rides it up and down and up and down the street. And this is not a quiet kind of motorcycle. Every time it goes by my house, I can hear it outside. As if the annoyance of the noisy motorcycle wasn't enough... several times I've seen him taking one of his younger children on a ride on the motorcycle. But I'm pretty sure I remember the child, who couldn't have been older than 3 or 4, riding with his dad without a helmet. That's right, NO helmet. I don't even let my daughter ride her bicycle without a helmet.

So, I couldn't help it - I judged the family as a bunch of idiots and lumped Phillip in with them. Phillip waits for the bus with my daughter and now I see that Phillip is a nice kid. It's not his fault his dad is an idiot. Phillip came down to my house recently, rang the doorbell, and asked if I could fix his bike - his derailleur would only change between 2 gears. He was polite and soft spoken. I felt really bad that I had to tell him I didn't know how to fix it after my husband told him I could look at it. I might have been able to tinker with it but I didn't want to mess it up because I was guessing. I apologized and he seemed to take my rejection well.

The other thing that changed my opinion is his behavior at the bus stop. Every morning, he and my daughter wait for the bus. And every morning, he lets her get on first. No matter where he's standing when the bus pulls up, he lets her get on first. He's in 5th grade and even though he's twice as big as my 1st grader, he doesn't push or bully his way on to the bus - even when it's 16 degrees like it was this morning. In my book, that makes him a good kid.

I made a judgment of him unfairly because I didn't know him. I made a decision about him based on the behavior of his father and that was definitely not fair to him. I wouldn't want anyone to make a judgment of my daughter because of me - I need to remember that for other people as well.

Nevermind

I had an entry pretty much finished and it was a pity party for me... then I read something and what's going on with me doesn't seem so important.

More Cheap Stuff

This weeks paper didn't have any of the gems that I uncovered last week but there were still a few I could laugh about.

BARBIES Collector Holiday Barbies, still in boxes, years '03, 97, 05, 98, 01, 02 $25 each

Is it really THAT hard to put the years in order??

BOOTS Ladies Thigh high black boots by "Franco Sarto", new, sz. 9 med $85

Just in case Pretty Woman was in need of some new boots, I think these might be her size.

CASINO, home mini model, roulette wheel, 3 gameboard tops, dice, many more, $250 firm

For your next party at Gamblers Anonymous, wait, er, um.... maybe not.

CHAPS Men's Black heavy leather chaps, braided leather at top, snaps at bottom, extra large $250

I know these are the kind for those motorcycle types, but the memory of an "extra large" guy wearing chaps with nothing else but a thong, in New Orleans, is burned in my brain. [shudder...]

FLOOR LAMPS with 'Dressmaker Dummy' base. Unique and Original. $75 each or 2 for $125

Is this a Major Award? And fra-gi-le? Yeah, I bet it's Unique and Original - and really f*cking ugly as well.

SERVICE MANUAL For 73 Chevy $10

Did Chevy only make one kind of vehicle in 1973? Seems one piece of very important information is missing here.

Blah day

I'm feeling kind of blah today. I skipped my swim, which I've been pretty good about NOT doing. That pool is so freakin' cold and it's so easy to skip out on that workout but I've gone twice a week for the last couple of weeks. Just wasn't feelin' it today. I took the little monkey with me and we headed to the gym, she fell asleep on the way and when we arrived I parked and sat there for a few minutes. She was zonked in the back seat - she doesn't even know we were there. I debated getting out and the thought of getting in the pool was the last thing I wanted to do at that moment; so we left and came home. I've got a couple of things rattling around in my brain and I'm distracted. I've got a feeling of nervousness and can't pinpoint the source. It's weird, I've been feeling pretty good lately. This is one of those days when I want to snack. It used to be a time when I would pace and smoke. Gum and carrot sticks will have to be the substitute today.

Confessions of a list maker

As an adult, I have become a big fan of making lists. Since I have a habit of procrastinating and/or getting overwhelmed when it comes to getting stuff done... I make lists. I feel like it gives me balance. I can write the grocery list, the to-do list or a packing list and then I feel like I can actually get stuff done and have a sense of accomplishment. I'm a little neurotic when it comes to my grocery list. I usually plan a menu for the week and make a list of things I need from that menu. There are always a few things I forget to add and they pop in my head as I'm walking the aisles. When that happens, I have to add them to my list. Even if I've already put it in the cart. If I try to fight the urge to add it, I think about it in the back of my mind, "Put it on the list, you're getting something off the list, put it on the list." Then I'll accept it, write it down and move on. Sometimes I'll even rewrite a list so things I know are close together will be that way on the list as well. With my to-do list it's similar. I usually make a list of things I have to do in no particular order but sometimes I have to write them down in the exact order that I plan to do them.

I told you I was a bit neurotic. ;)

Long ride

I was feeling ambitious and decided to go on a long ride yesterday. This was the longest planned ride I've done since November 9th. Except that ride didn't include the kind of hills I rode yesterday. Yikes. It was like the last 25 miles of the MS150 ride, never ending hills. I enjoyed the ride but was glad when it was over. I was also missing my GU2O. That is what works the best for me and I remembered yesterday morning that we are out - DOH! I was running late and couldn't stop and pick some up. Had to make due with some watery Gatorade; not terrible but definitely needed something different.

I spent some time near the front and in the back but most of my time was spent in between the groups. Not quite fast enough to consistently stay with the guys in front but faster than the folks behind me. It gave me some time to think and realized there was one person I like to ride with that I was missing. She and I have had some good long rides. Actually, several of my longest rides last year were with her. (I am so glad I keep a training log so I can go back and see exactly what I did!) Here are the highlights from one of our more interesting rides:

1. My longest ride ever! Great ride, great riding partner and conversation. :)
2. Got stung by a yellow jacket....while moving! It buzzed my right arm and stuck! Ouch!! Yeah, that hurt.
3. Made it to the end of the trail, having never been out that far before that was pretty cool.
4. My nutrition plan kept me feeling strong the entire ride and that makes me happy.
5. Weird pedophile guy on a kid's bike. Why would some 40+ year old guy be riding a kid's bike? Hellooooo?! Weirdo!!!
   
6. A random woman had a wreck and definitely seemed like she was in some major pain; we didn't see any major damage but her friend was holding a towel to her leg. (Seriously, who keeps a towel with them?)
7. Getting buzzed by a hawt guy on a tri bike who said "Hellloooo Ladies" as he went by.
8. Showing off my mad skills in off-roading because as I got fatigued near the end I swerved off the trail and didn't panic and was able to recover without any bodily harm.
9. Seeing a sign way out near the end that said "Welcome, Thanks for visiting Polk on purpose." It cracked me up.