Tuesday, July 7, 2009

What has kept Redcyclist away from blogging?

SURVIVING:















It has been a really long while since I have posted. Work took a turn to become extraordinarily busy. That means long days and by the way I work it means I work all week long as late as I can to get it all done so I can have my weekends to ride and relax. It also means that with longer hours comes added stress which seems to knock me out. When I have stress, riding doesn't always release it, it enhances the effects of exhaustion and frustrations so I get somewhat of a double whammy. Even still, I have been riding 3 - 4x a week in rain and high heat.

I have been taking longer rests in between weeks of riding which have been induced by family illness, surgeries and some bad weather. My fitness feels as though it is on a roller coaster so I signed up for Boot Camp at the end of July in the middle of summer and temperatures of 105 degrees. What was I thinking!!! I know, I was thinking I would be in great shape for training and preparation for the El Tour de Tucson to raise funds for JDRF, Ha! I had my sights set on a high performance ride in Nov, but summer issues are delaying my progress. I don't seem to have the fire burning that normally drives me to push my limits and train harder. Yup it could be classic symptoms of burn out, but mostly I can't wait to get up and going on my bike. There was one reprieve from the heat but not from the rain...















VACATION!
I just returned from a weekend ride in flagstaff with 85 degree weather intermingled with raging thunderstorms. A group of us headed to Mormon Lake from Flagstaff, about 60 miles, on 4th of July. The weather was overcast and nice enough to wear summer gear. We had a great SAG driver, Kyra (daughter of one of the riders) who supported us with food, drinks and rain gear. The road for the most part was pleasant to ride with one exception for a 4 mile block of construction. Other than that the route was full of rolling hills with some steep grades here and there.

















We arrived at Mormon Lake in the middle of all the towns 4th of July preparations. There was traffic everywhere in this small town with a rodeo in full blown progress. Folks stopped us to ask us where we came from and how far we had rode. We were invited to stay around for the 4th of July parade, but declined as it would delay us 2 hours (a decision we later on were were glad we made).

We had a decent lunch then hit the road. Within the first 45 minutes we hit rain and out came the rain jackets. It rained just enough to cool us off and get my shorts soaked from the water that was thrown up from the wheels of my bike as I maneuvered through the running water that was now covering the road. Eventually it all stopped and the road slowly dried up. We returned back to the hotel by 2:45. We Brought our bikes inside to clean as it felt like a few drops were starting up again and within 5 minutes we had hail the size of almost almonds falling from the sky. The storm was crazy and we were all thankful we didn't spend one more minute at lunch or at our last rest stop. Thank you Dennis for mentioning we should get going and to Colleen for heading out ahead of us.



















The rest of the trip, we headed to amazing fireworks, woke up and toured NAU on bikes, then headed to Sedona, Arizona for lunch. We had a small incident on the freeway, but no one was hurt except the suburban pulling 6 people, 5 bikes and 1 tandem. We made it home safe and sound. All I can say is it is always good to be home.

Now work is back on and I am finding it hard to get in gear and focus. Looking forward to this weekend's rides!

Happy Safe Riding Everyone

May you find your independence on a bike :)

Freedom is found where possibilities are realized

2 Living Life
Penny

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