March 29, 2008
Tiptoe...
... through the tulips!! Russ, Wayne and I are heading to the airport in about 30 minutes to go to Holland for 5 days. Whoo hoo! We're hoping to catch the beginning of the spring tulip blooms and do a little biking while we're over there.
We spent a week in Amsterdam for New Year's 2005/2006 and had a great time. So when we decided to do a quick getaway, the Netherlands was one of the top destinations on our list. We get back on April 3rd. I'll fill you in on all our adventures then and tally up the pounds of street french fries with mayo that we'll have consumed. Happy Spring!
March 27, 2008
Phun in Phoenix...
Greetings from Phoenix. It's Day 2 (unofficially) at my new job and I LOVE IT!!!! I can't wait to officially dig in and get started. There is so much good stuff to do. I lost my voice the day before yesterday so I feel bad that I'm meeting new people and rasping and coughing all over them. I finally did decide to go to Urgent Care the night before I left on the trip to make sure that I wasn't contagious or had strep. I was clear.
So any vacation guesses yet? It's gonna be good!Hint: I will involve bicycles. Hmmmmmm.
March 25, 2008
Another starting line...
Pick up any training book or magazine and you’ll always see this piece of advice –- visualize yourself at the finish line. I always say –- picture yourself at the starting line. I think it takes nerve to start something, face the unknown, and say today’s the day I’m gonna do something new.
I’m walking up to a new starting line of my own. Today’s my last day at my current job and tomorrow I unofficially start my new position as the Communications Director for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. I’m flying out to Phoenix for three days of a conference to meet some of the members of the Association. Then, I’m taking a quick vacation (more on that later this week). I officially start the job on April 7th! One of my perks is that the office is about a mile from our house -– I can bike commute again!!
Anyway, it feels great to get back to my environmental communications roots. I will admit to some nerves, but that’s just a part of change and I can shake those off. I’m ready to get started!
PS> In case you're wondering, I did have my helmet. It's on the seat. Safety first!
PPS> Bet you'll never guess where I'm going on vacation!!
March 24, 2008
Toxic wasteland...
Just post the quarantine signs on our house, it was a toxic wasteland this weekend. Jen caught the flu bug too (SORRY!), so we were both miserable wretches wandering about in Nyquil-fueled hazes. I rallied on Saturday long enough to make a run to the grocery store for chicken noodle soup and juice.
I also watched more than enough TV. Things of note... 1) I've decided that I want to be Samantha Brown who hosts Passport to Europe on the Travel Channel when I grow up. 2) I never want to flip a house -- what a nightmare. 3) Brett Michaels and "Rock of Love" -- there are women out there who want to date him, why?? 4) Tom Colicchio from Top Chef is the coolest. 5) I want to makeover my bathroom, can I do it for under $500? 6) someone needs to take my remote away now.
March 21, 2008
Bike bug...
My thinking this morning was that even though I feel completely wretched, I’m not contagious anymore. No reason to cancel spin class. I wasn’t expecting a big group anyway since it’s the start of a holiday weekend, and only two gents from the Protocol office showed up. While we were setting up their bikes, I explained that I still felt too gross to ride, but I would take them though the workout. I had originally planned to perch on a tall platform, which lasted about 2 minutes into the warm up. I couldn’t do it; I had to sit on a bike. Not that I was going to ride, but it felt weird not to be in the saddle.
The second drill was a series of jumps and somehow, there I was demo’ing the action. My head was saying, “keep going, do the workout, you know you want to” – and my bod was saying, “knock it off, idiot, that’s the Dayquil talking.” I ended up taking all the resistance off and just pedaled slowly for the hour. The guys did great though.
I’ve definitely got the bike bug. I want to be riding outside now. If only my health and the weather would cooperate already.
March 20, 2008
Down for the count...
Dang it all, I’m sick again. I just got over the last one and now I’m down for the count once more. I’ll save you from the ghastly details, but I feel like hell and my life sustenance –- coffee -- and I are not getting along too well at the moment. If she had a hazmat suit, Jen would probably be wearing it at home. In the meantime, I’ve self-banished myself to my room. Our cat, Uncao, tapped out on me too, which is unheard of when he’s got a captive audience. Maybe one of these days I’ll be able to come out.
Topic of the day: in addition to chicken soup -- best food for sickies??
March 17, 2008
Lucky me...
I took the weekend off. It was great to just slow down and hang with friends over coffee and lunch. I saw a movie, read a book and took long naps on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. I did a little laundry and worked out for only an hour both mornings. My sis, Jen, was like “are you sick, what are you doing home?”
Instead of being on the GO, my goal for the weekend was to simply “go with the flow.” I think I did a pretty good job at it. Okay, I had a few moments there when I thought that I should really fix Shady’s flat, and do a Spring chain cleaning on all of my bikes, and while I was at it re-organize my cycling gear, and then... Luckily, those thoughts lasted about five seconds before I dropped back to sleep. I usually try to do something interesting over the weekend so that I have a good story for Monday. But today’s story is that there is no story.
End of (the relaxing, aaaaaahhh) story.
March 14, 2008
Love my Levi...
...T-shirt! The LetLeviRide.com campaign rolls on urging the Amaury Sports Organization (ASO) to reverse its decision to ban the Astana team from ASO premier cycling events including the Tour de France. Considering Levi’s second consecutive Tour of California win earlier this month, and the performance of the entire Astana team, what kind of race season would it be without these top competitors??? Maybe ASO should plan to put an asterisk after the results this year.
So far, close to 55,000 people have voiced their support at LetLeviRide.com. Now you can do it in real life too by sporting a LetLeviRide tee. You can buy them online for $10 and mine arrived in three days.
If you haven’t already, please visit LetLeviRide.com and join the campaign to help give Levi the chance to realize his life-long dream of winning the world’s biggest race.
March 12, 2008
Last one up the Hill is a rotten egg...
Wayne has thrown down the cycling glove. He thinks he can take me on the Hill. Well, my friend, just because you got that brand spanking new Trek Pilot 5.0, don’t for a minute think I’ll concede without a fight.
For the past six months, Wayne has been researching road bikes. He looked at Treks and non-Treks. At the time, I could have smacked him with a frying pan -– how could he not buy a Trek. Hello, I write a blog for the company. I threatened him, as in, I will never write about you again if you buy a non-Trek. Wasn’t much of a threat though when he replied, “Good.” Agggh.
Despite me, he did get the Pilot for the reasons I think all of us Trek-lovers buy our rides -– it’s the best bike for the buck. He loved the riding position, fit, gearing and the fact that it’s red. Color matters, people, and not just to us girls. But, when I asked him the #1 reason he chose the Pilot, he said “smoking my $%^ up Capitol Hill.”
Oh, it’s on.
P.S. Thanks to Mike Harris at Revolution Cycles for fine-tuning Wayne’s ride to his perfect fit.
March 10, 2008
It’s worth it…
I’ve been swamped the past week and a half at the office and in my “real” life. I wake up, gulp a gallon of coffee and just run, run, run from one project or thing to the next. I feel guilty that I didn’t call or write the people that I wanted to, I only had enough time to do two blogs, I repeated a spin routine on Friday, I didn’t work out enough and Shady still has a flat.
As I sat down to write this post (while simultaneously trying to remember to buy toilet paper, yogurt and dishwasher soap on the way home); I looked up at the bulletin board over my desk. I glanced over my escapism photos from various Euro trips to the quotes I tacked on there that amuse or inspire me in some way. This one by Michael Gartner, former president of NBC News, seemed to fit. Hope you like it, too.
“Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about those who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would most likely be worth it.”
March 6, 2008
A night of fierceness...
You’d think I was somebody jet-setting around DC last night in my little black dress. First up, I headed downtown to attend a wonderful reception sponsored by Trek in celebration of the National Bike Summit and 1 World, 2 Wheels –- the company’s amazing commitment to helping the world become a biking friendly place.
At the party, I got to meet John Burke, Trek’s President and CEO! What a great guy (should you call the CEO a “guy”???) Let me tell you, he’s the real deal when it comes to his passion for bicycling advocacy. I also caught up with Rebecca Anderson, who heads the 1 World, 2 Wheels program. Check out her neat blog if you get a chance. Of course, our wild Trek Chick, Susan was there too since she’s been attending the Summit and Jon Rogers, the Senior Territory Trek rep for us in the Mid-Atlantic. (He’s got 3 Trek chicks to handle. Lucky guy, right.)
Funny enough, when I got to the reception, I looked across the room and saw an old friend -– Greg Nyspor who owns the Trek Bicycle Store in Downer’s Grove, IL not too far from my Mom’s house. I’ve already warned Greg that I’ll be stopping by this summer since I’m planning on doing quite a bit of riding and triathlon-ing in Chicago. (That’s me and Greg in the photo.)
So, the reception wound up around 8:30 pm and I fashionably hightailed it over to my next soiree –- a Project Runway Season Finale party at my friend Bill’s. (Russ, Bill and Wayne want you to know that I “forced” them into taking that photo against their will.) We had bets going –- would it be Christian or Rami in the end? Hooray, the Boy Wonder, Christian, won. Now, I don’t know what I’m going to do with my Wednesday nights. Good/trashy TV must-sees that start after 9 pm anyone?
Did you know...Trek makes a donation from the sale of every bike helmet in the U.S. to increase the number of Bicycle Friendly Communities, as well as from the sale of every mountain bike to IMBA’s Trail Solutions Program? That’s cool (or I should say, global cooling).
March 4, 2008
She's got a point...
I’m talking to my friend Heather, she of the spooky suburban house fame. Heather joined Weight Watchers last week and was looking for some advice on how it all works. [Basics: every serving of “food” has a points value. You can eat what you want, just don’t go over your points, though you get 35 anytime points to use during a week.]
So Heather asks me, 3 days after joining the old WW… is it bad that I only have 4 points left for the week? “What happened?” I answer back. Girl Scout cookies. Her daughter, Rachel, is a Brownie this year and the household is chocked full of boxes. Me, I would have waited to start my diet ‘til the peanut butter Do-Si-Dos had square-danced right on down to my big rear end. But, that’s Heather for you. When she makes up her mind, it’s go time. I love that about her.
Anyway, I ask her how many Samoas make up a serving? She replies, “MacLean, I am sorry to tell you that a serving is not a sleeve. You only get two cookies for 2 points.” I could blow through some serious points in one sitting.
Fast forward to today, we’re chatting and congrats are in order because she lost 3.2 pounds. After her first weigh-in, she was on the phone with her Dad and he says, “Now you need to start exercising because in 3 weeks, you’ll have formed a new habit and you’ll learn to love it. Then if you skip a workout, you’ll really miss it.” Heather’s response, “Whaaat? Three weeks? It didn’t take me three weeks to learn to love booze and Little Debby cakes now did it.” She’s kidding. But I think Heather could learn to like if not love exercise. Maybe one of these days, we’ll get her out on a bike. Plus, you get extra points for working out!
P.S. I need to stop writing my blog when I’m hungry. Lately, my posts have been rather grub-heavy.
P.P.S. To my morning spinners, you are beasts! We did a looong attack-and-chase sprint drill where each rider got to drive an attack(s) and the rest of us “chased.” Those gals and guys were ruthless. I couldn’t be prouder.
