A Week of Complete Awesomeness

We're Week Two into 2016, and it's been filled with so much awesomeness that I haven't had a chance to post on the blog. Starting out the new year on the bike, I had a fun, fun, fun trail ride with Chippy and, really, how fabulous is this kid?! Adventures with Chip 2016 is going to be a blast.

Pink sunglasses, BeardHead hat, no gloves, no problem

I've been riding and running and eating clean for 13 days straight, with a huuuuuuge boost from my dearest friend Ingrid, who just happens to be a pretty incredible athlete and health coach. Ingrid arrived on January 7th and spent a week here on the North Shore, getting me back into a running routine, joining me on trail rides, bike workouts (including P2 with Coach Shayne!), and walks around Boston and Cambridge. She gave me a fresh insight into issues that have been plaguing me for a while, and I feel completely renergized. 

Dropping her off at the airport this afternoon for her return flight to Houston left me in tears on the drive home. I miss her already!! Still, we had a fantastic time together and I have a good feeling about the year ahead for both of us. We had an amazing week and I'm excited for the new year!

A first for Ingrid -- riding MTBs in the snow!

Searching for a New Ride, Part 3: Patience is My Virtue

Alas the weather has been phenomenal for mountain biking, and yet I'm still grinding away on The Deathtrap. I'm squeezing in some local trail rides here and there when I can't get over to Bradley Palmer or Lynn Woods ... and of course I have P2 twice a week, (homework and a coached session with Shayne), to amp up my training.

So where is my new amazing bike? Haha... what a saga.

When I decided to go with the Kona Kahuna on November 4th, JRA Cycles didn't have my size in-house, so placed an order with Kona with the expectation the bike would arrive by the end of the following week. Several days later, midweek, Adam gave me a call to say there'd been a delay and the bike wouldn't be available for another two weeks. (OK. No prob. I could wait two weeks.)

Those weeks ticked by -- approaching Thanksgiving -- and I expected to get another call from Adam/JRA Cycles letting me know the bike was ready for pick-up. I sent an email inquiring how much longer it might be... only to learn there was yet another delay -- and the bike now wasn't expected to ship until December 2nd. (OMG, my race prep time is shrinking!) Adam estimated the bike would arrive a week after shipping -- at which point JRA Cycles would build it up ASAP and give me a call. He said I could expect to see the bike by December 11th.

Ugh. Not great. Not only do I need to train for my race, I need to acclimate myself to new 29" tires and disc brakes! But, there wasn't much I could do about the situation other than cancel the order entirely and look at other bikes. Like a Niner. (Which teammies Addie and Echo ride.)

I've been crossing my fingers for no snow while waiting for this bike.

So... December 11th arrives... and, well... you guessed it. No bike. Adam checks with Kona and learns the bike shipped on December 7th and should arrive soon. How soon is soon?? That's anyone's guess.

I spent another mild weekend riding The Deathtrap with it's four working gears.

And then... Monday night, December 14th, I got THE CALL -- my bike was ready!! OMG!!! FINALLY!!!

Chip and I drove down to Medford on Tuesday, and I kid you not, they had the wrong bike.

Holy sh*$#

I'm not feeling the love from Kona.

Adam was truly apologetic and the shop got in touch with Kona about the mix-up -- promising to see that the correct bike would be delivered overnight express and ready by Thursday.

Seriously... I'm doing my level best to just roll with things.

I've been riding the old bike and working things out. Getting the Kona this late in the game is really not going to make or break my race, and I know that the bike shop was caught in the middle. I mean, it is what it is. Just a bump in the road.

The good news? IT IS READY NOW! Adam texted me a photo!! I'm sighing in relief.

It's been exactly SIX WEEKS since my purchase back in November, and I can finally say it's here!! This bike is arriving with a serious chill vibe to it, because who knew I could be so freaking patient?!

New Bike Day has arrived!!

Searching for a new ride, Part 2: Falling in love with a bike shop

Continuing on my bike search...

One of my 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo teammates, Addie Teo, also happens to be an ambassador for Niner Bikes and so, of course, she rides a Niner. (Addie is a badass on the trail, along with several of my other Vanderkitten 24HOP teammates, but more on that later.) While trying to get excited about the Specialized 29er that Salem Cycle suggested for me, Addie shared a video of a Niner bike she was drooling over.

Haha!!! I want to gush over a bike too!!! Somehow, I didn't think I'd be gushing over another Specialized.

So I went online to see if there were any shops nearby that carried Niners that I could at least look at, and sure enough, I discovered a shop in Medford that not only sold Niner, but Cannondale, Devinci, Rocky Mountain, Yeti, and Ibis, (last year's VKCX bike sponsor). Ooooohhhhh!!! No Specialized?! No Trek?! I had to make the drive to Medford to JRA Cycles to check it out.

OMG, where do I start?

Right from the get-go -- from the very second I entered the bike shop -- everything felt right. I was introduced to Adam (Kline), who understood I was new to mountain biking but not new to cycling, and had a basic idea of what I wanted. (And a budget). I confessed I had no real knowledge or experience with mountain bikes, as it's not my primary sport, but I had a few friends giving me guidance. (I just didn't mention that they happened to be elite pros, because that would be weird.)

Adam was sooooooooo super awesome. He considered several different bikes for me, and pulled out a few to test ride.

Test ride?! Whaaaaatttt?!?!?! Hahaha. Test ride?!

Of course, I was wearing jeans and boots because... TEST RIDE?!

No problem... Adam asked what size shoe I wore, and then slipped his off for me to wear. I'm not kidding. He gave me his shoes.

OMG, I got to ride bikes!!! A slew of them! From a carbon Cannondale 29er (a bit out of my price range), to a less expensive Kona 27.5", to a few others in between... and the final decision came down to a Kona Kahuna 29er. It's soooo fun! (And full disclosure: when choosing between which model Kahuna, I went with the less expensive model because of the color. Hahaha... It's the aesthetics that get me.)

I never even looked at the Niner. Weird. But I'm so thrilled with how it all came together. (Thank you Adam and JRA Cycles in Medford!)

It's a super fun bike and I can't wait for it to arrive! I'm trying to be patient, and had hoped to get it 2 weeks ago, but there's been a delay in shipping. Arrgggghhhh!!!!! Cross your fingers it gets here soooooon! I need to hit the trails before the winter hits hard!

(Next: Patiently waiting... and realizing patience is not my virtue.)

Coffee Ride #1: Coffeeneuring Challenge

High winds, chilly temps, and rough surf on Sunday
No filter on this pic.

It's that time of year again... the Coffeneuring Challenge. I didn't do well at coffeeneuring last year, as we had several things going on that prevented me from making the commitment, but I intend to do better this year! Several of my Strava/30 Days of Biking pals are in on the challenge, and reminded me it started over the weekend.

Chip's football game didn't end until 3:30, and the winds and temps were chilly, but I rallied to head out at 4:00.  Fighting the headwinds, I managed a loop of Marblehad neck, stopping at the beach to catch the high surf coming in from Tropical Storm Joaquin. Sun fading fast, I ventured on to downtown Marblehead for coffee, but lo and behold, the streets were deserted, and I discovered Java Sun was closed!

No worries (yet). I continued on to Atomic Cafe... quickly discovering that they were closed as well! Oh no! Ride #1 of my coffeeneuring challenge was in jeopardy!!

Coffeeneuring Ride #1, rescued by Shubie's Marketplace

I turned back down Atlantic Ave, noting the 'OPEN' flag was still flying outside Shubie's Marketplace -- so, crossing my fingers, I gave it a shot and went inside. It was ten minutes to five, and they were closing shortly, but lucky for me they still had coffee available! Success!

The gentlemen who assisted me was sweet as can be, and gave me the coffee free of charge! How nice was that?!?! (Of course I made a complete mess of it and sloshed coffee all over the counter, because, ME, but he laughed it off. Nicest guy!!) Subie's Marketplace is just awesome.

Coffeeneuring Ride ONE is in the books, rescued by Shubie's!! The challenge over the next seven weeks is to ride to a coffee shop each weekend -- 7 coffee rides, 7 weekends, (though I believe you can double up on a weekend if you must.) The challenge ends November 15th. Cross your fingers for good weekend weather!

(The rules for the Coffeeneuring Challenge can be found at ChasingMailboxes.com.)

Richmond 2015? Impossible. Bergen 2017? I'm there!

BERGEN2017
(The Norwegian delegation in Richmond)

When friends looked into a bunch of us traveling to the UCI Road World Championships taking place in Richmond this week, it looked pretty daunting. The best accomodations were 2 hours away from Richmond, and the logistics of attending the events seemed impossible. Therefore, Operation Richmond 2015 was nixed.

So when my cousin Toril, (the director of communications for the Office of Sports, Business and Culture in the City of Bergen), headed to Richmond this week, as part of the delegation from Norway bringing the championships to Bergen in two years, I was a tad jealous... but not too jealous. Because being part of our close-knit family is pretty awesome already -- but especially awesome when she tells you to come to Bergen in 2017 and you will be her guest of honor for the championships... OMG. Dying. 

(Of course Chip will probably want to go, too.)

It's still two years away, but I'm so excited -- not only to see the championships in Bergen, but to spend time in Norway with family we love. (I must work on my Norwegian!)

When the pros come to town

Fearless Femme (in purple/white) called up to the start line
Tiffany Pezzulo, Amy Cutler and Lauretta Hansen

We had a great two days hosting USA Crits Champion and former Vanderkitten pro Tiffany Pezzulo, (now racing with DNA Cycling p/b K4), while she was in town for the Mayor's Cup Boston. Tiffany arrived late Friday afternoon, (September 18th), early enough to be able to assemble her bike and head out for a quick ride with me before sunset. Yaaaaay!!! Since she had a workout to do, we rode over to Marblehead Neck together, where she was able to get in a workout on her own and shake off a long day of plane travel. We then rode a cool down lap together before heading home. So, so, soooooo much fun!!! Riding with Tiffany was really great and I'm excited for her to come back next year.

On Saturday, we headed into Boston where she met up with the team she was guest riding with for the race -- Fearless Femme p/b Haute Wheels. (DNA/K4 ended their season weeks before, so she was in Boston solo.) As a "guest rider" for Fearless Femme, Tiff's role was to assist their riders during the race with the goal of getting one (or both) of them to the podium -- which she did both days. Fearless Femme's Lauretta Hansen placed 3rd at the Mayor's Cup and 2nd the following day in Hartford. Yessss!!! (Amy Cutler also did terrific.)

It so much fun having Tiff with us -- (although much too brief) -- and really, really fun watching her race! Such awesomeness.

Chip, Loving the Road Bike

A thank you and shout out to Justin Cammarata at J.Camm Bike Services for the professional bike fit for Chip last week. Justin met with Chipper and custom fit the Trek Lexa so he can ride it this summer. Chip is soooo excited to ride. Thanks, Justin!

Good Morning, Sunshine

Day 16, 30 Days of Biking: Up the coast and back, with a bakery stop

The last patch of snow has finally melted in my garden, and I can finally say that Spring is definitely here! Temperatures were in the upper 40's/low 50's today, which is somewhat brisk but warmer than what we've had all winter! I had a small window of time to escape up the coast, so headed to Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea. It was a nice ride and I didn't feel any of the achiness I've had the last few days. A gorgeous day!!

One of the challenges yesterday from 30 Days of Biking was to visit a small local business that I've never been to -- or haven't visited in a while. Since yesterday's ride was brief, I completed the challenge today by stopping at Cassis Bakery in Beverly to pick up treats for the boys. They love, love the "porcupines" at the bakery -- a tart shell filled with buttercream, coated in dark chocolate, and decorated with almond "quills". It was not an easy task to bike a few miles while carrying a small box of pastries in one hand... hahaha... but fortunately they survived the journey and kept somewhat intact, (only losing a few ears along the way.)

#30daysofbiking

Day 5, 30 Days of Biking: Sunrise

I woke up a few minutes late to walk down to the beach to catch the morning sunrise in time, so hopped on my bike for the quick half mile dash to the end of Beach Bluff... still in my pajamas. Ahhhh... perfect... I caught it just in time.

After watching the sunrise, I walked the length of the beach before hopping back on the bike to head home. I could hear the sounds of the woodpeckers and morning doves starting their day in the neighboorhood -- and while I will probably head out for a longer ride later today, this morning's one mile sprint to the beach was a great start to the day. (Now, time for coffee.)

#30daysofbiking

Morning Sunrise, Gorgeous Colors

We had a spectacular start to the week today -- a day which later turned gray with mixed precipitation of snow and rain. I felt lucky to catch the sunrise early this morning. So stunning.

Shoulder Update -- and Wow. Venus.

Spring is here! (Feels like winter.) I caught this great shot of the moon and Venus on our way to Chip's lax practice on Sunday night. (Very cool.)  Chip is always patient with me when I have to stop to take a photo of something... even when we're running late.

So, shoulder update: New England Orthopedic Specialists has been really great and called me Monday with the results of my MRI. I was on the phone with the PA, Heather Parry, (who works with Dr. Perryman) for a while, listening to what was going on in my shoulder. And, well, at some point I realized I should probably be taking notes, because there's a party going on in there. Hahaha.

So, we start with a partial thickness tear of the supraspinitus, moving on to some tendonitis, with some thinning and fraying in the shoulder, (not sure how long the tendonitis has been there, as I never noticed soreness before), and continue on with some fluid around the bursa from a displaced joint (?)... but at that part of the conversation I got a little lost, because I was trying to think back to whether I felt any signs of tendonitis before the MTB wipeout...

Just a whole lot of info that I didn't really process.

I was happy to hear I wouldn't need surgery, though, (unless the shoulder doesn't heal through PT) -- and will take the recommended course of action that includes cortisone for the pain, and PT 2x a week for 4-5 weeks. I'll follow up with Dr. Perryman in a month to see where we are at. (Plus rest, ice, ibuprofen...) I got this.

Congratulations, Will!

Belated congrats to Will for being named to the Northeastern Conference All-Conference swim team for the second year, top ten finishes in the NEC conference meet last month, (including an overall third place finish in the backstroke!), and being named Student-Athlete of the Month (December) at the winter sports assembly at SHS last week. You've had quite a season. Great job!

Update: Additional congrats to Will for the Salem News Swimming All-Stars honorable mention (for the second year). Very cool.

Sunrise at Preston Beach, March 20th

Spring is here.

Friday Sunrise. Because I was up early.

The sunrise behind low clouds on Friday.

Amazing.

Early Morning, Last Day of 2014

Another chilly day today -- 16 degrees when I snapped this pic early in the morning. I had time to head to the beach this morning, (before picking up Will from swim team practice), and intended to run. But I got caught up in the beauty of the sunrise and just walked... staring at the horizon. So gorgeous.

Excited for the new year ahead.

Topsfield/Ipswich

After Saturday's frigid morning ride with the Cyclopaths, yesterday's 45 degree temps felt balmy in comparison. Lila planned a great route for the "Bitchez on Wheels" ride, which included Lila, Lisa N., Alison E., Jennifer El., her friend Rob, (and me) -- 30 miles along the quiet roads of Topsfield and Ipswich -- and tons of fun. Thanks, Lila! Great route!!

Super Congrats to Ironman Jen El-Sherif

The powerful storm that hit us Wednesday and Thursday, with crazy winds and rain, kept my workouts indoors for a few days. I headed to the Y on Wednesday and P2 on Thursday, missing a small party to celebrate Jen El-Sherif's amazing Ironman Championship in Kona a week ago. I would have loved to have gone to the party... and a few people skipped P2 to go... but I know myself and know that once I start making excuses to skip P2, I'll never go. That's just how I am. I really need to stay firm in my commitments.

Of course midway through P2, with my heart rate soaring off the charts, I was asking myself why I wasn't at the party... Why was I torturing myself?! Arghhhh.

Congrats to Jen -- a phenomenal athlete, teammate and coach. I couldn't make the trip to Kona with the gang, but I was totally with everyone in spirit! Instagram and Facebook updates from Lila, Alison and Kristen kept me in the loop -- and while I sewed the "Welcome Home" banner (above) for Jen's return, I kept checking the athlete tracker online to see where she was at in the competition. So exciting. So impressive. Congrats, Jen!!

Trail Adventures with Chip, Part 2

Chip is always willing to go for a bike ride.

We're starting a new month, and my training with Shayne has been suspended for a while. Since I won't be getting Shayne's lovely coaching emails every morning, with long rides and intervals, (eeesh), I've decided to have fun in September with my rides and end the season the same way I started -- with a 30 Days of Biking challenge. It has to be easier in September than it was in April, right? (OMG. The snow! The rain! The winds! April was tough.)

To start the challenge, Chip and I headed down the trails through Marblehead and took a detour over to the beach. Feeling ambitious, he suggested we "loop the neck" too, which he'd never done before. We had such a blast! We stopped at the lighthouse out on the neck, (where he tried riding on the rocks), and then returned to Devereux Beach for iced tea (me) and ice cream (him). It was so much fun!! A great way to start the new month. Awesome.

Rapha Women's 100

The Rapha Women's 100 is two months away, July 20th... but less than a month from when I get back from RAAM. I'll be off the bike for nearly three weeks, which sounds like a big hurdle to cross, but hopefully I can pull it together for a decent ride. At the very least, I can get the metric done, (62 miles).

I loved riding the Rapha 100 last July, meeting Fireflies Carolyn and Darcey, (now of the Firefly Adventure Team). It was a fantastic day! There is something really special about going out for a ride with a bunch of girls that's unlike any other. Tons of fun. I'm looking forward to!