Cross Training 3.0

So Megan and I had very ambitious plans this past weekend! We were on tap to babysit our two nieces (ages 8 and 2) and our nephew (age 5) as a favor for Megan's sister and brother-in-law. They were escaping for a much needed getaway to Maine. We brought up "the boys" and with their dog, Jake and cat, Max, we were responsible for a whopping total of 3 children, 3 dogs and 1 cat. Somehow we thought that we'd also bring up our road bikes to squeeze in a ride, and I brought my surfboard since we were so close to Hampton Beach.

Little did we know that, Mother Nature and scheduled activities prevented us from doing anything related to outdoors excursions. The minute that we arrived, we were immediately immersed in teeball practices, softball practices, teeball ceremonies and softball ceremonies. The weather didn't exactly cooperate with us since it was either raining or had just rained or was about to rain pretty much the entire weekend.

Of course we had a blast with the kids! They were awesome, and we all had so much fun. I definitely feel that we had a physical and mental work out keeping up with the kids. My arms and lower back are pretty sore from lots of carrying kids, picking up toys and running after dogs. Mentally we're both shot from trying to keep track of them.

We'll have to send a note to the PMC that they should add babysitting to the list of activities in prepping for the ride.

If it wasn't for bad luck, we'd have no luck at all

So today, Megan and I scrambled to meet up for a quick road ride tonight. We both were running a few minutes late from work but made it to the house with about a 45 minutes to ride. Within the first few minutes of the ride, my rear tire flatted. We opted to not continue the ride and ended up doing some pretend tight pack riding in the backyard. Oh well. It was a good idea in theory.

Solo Training

Unfortunately, I've been down a cycling partner since the big kidney "incident". Fortunately, however, I'm still really enjoying the training. For the past 2-3 weeks (essentially since the temps in Boston have been breaking 40 degrees on a daily basis), I've been out in the saddle 3-4 times a week. I'm gradually building up in mileage and went for a 30 mile ride today....alone. Frank did get out on the bike today but did so in the sheltered environment of Wompatuck State Park, doing laps for about 14 miles, where I met up with him at the end of my ride. He was itching to go further but, well, doctors orders.

The tentative plan is to add on about 10 miles a week for each "long ride". Turns out the South Shore is an AMAZING place for cycling. My recent rides, including my ride today, have taken me down beautiful colonial main roads, past 1700's farmhouses and orchards, along a rocky coastline dotted with Victorian mansions, and through a 3,500 acre state park. I hope these roads never get boring. So far so good.

We've also been "gearing up" for the ride in other ways. A trip to Wheelworks Bike Shop in Belmont this morning scored us some necessary goods...and also racked up a $500 bill. Yikes. I finally realized that my mountain bike shoes and pedals weren't quite cutting it so we finally invested in some real road shoes for me (on sale). Other items included a pair of knicker length tights, a sleeveless jersey, extra water bottle cages (we need 2 for the longer rides), and some socks. Pedals are in the mail.
A bike and cleat fitting are next to get me in good form for the tougher training.
We'll keep you posted...
Megan