Adventures off the bike

It's not a race!!!

Chip and I took a break from cycling and headed out on the water on Friday -- me by kayak and Chip by paddleboard. Of course he had to take the lead around Salem Harbor. Hahahaha. I'm always chasing him. Seriously, Chip. It's not a race!

We had such a perfect day -- I don't want summer to end!

Day 8, 30 Days of Biking: Cocoa Ride

A PT session mid-morning left me without the opportunity to get in a ride earlier in the day before stormy weather arrived. No worries. Despite rain and snow falling, Chip was ready for an adventure... and joined me for a hot cocoa ride after school. Yaaay, Chipper! A short ride, (2.5 miles), but a fun afternoon.

#30daysofbiking

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.

Sunday Snowday, Ragged Mountain

Still too messy for my road bike, but I got to wear the new VKVIP thermal team jacket, (that arrived on Friday), to the mountains yesterday. Will, Chip, their friend Jack, and I headed up to Ragged Mountain, (the boy's home mountain during the winter), for a last blast of skiing and boarding. The boys ditched me for the more technical trails while I stayed low-key, (having barely been on my board this year), but it was a fun day. Love the new jacket -- It's a bit big for me, but Chip says I'll grow into in. Hahahahaha....

Vacation Week in the Frozen Tundra

Brrrr... we're still in the deep freeze...

I'm obsessed with the frozen harbors in Marblehead and Salem. It looks and feels like we're living in ALASKA.

It's school vacation week, and Will's lifeguard certification test on Wednesday kept me from getting to my regular P2 class on time -- so my P2 workout pushed to Thursday this week instead. I missed my Wednesday gang, but got to ride with Jen (El-Sharif) on Thursday which was fun, (despite coach Jen M. being annoyed. I don't think she liked us chatting.) Jen has coached Will in swimming, and they keep in touch, so it was good to talk to her about some of the latest drama we've had to contend with from our charming 16 year old. (Like removing biohazardous materials from the school science lab to work on his experiments at home... OMG. What was he thinking? Jen's immediate response, "He's not. He's 16.") Will has managed to raise my anxiety level to an all-time high with some of his boneheaded actions, so it was good to ride and talk it out with Jen and get her perspective -- and though I didn't put in my strongest effort in the workout, and lacked energy from not eating enough, (and got called out for that) -- it was the kind of workout I needed. There are times when I just need to ride and chat with a friend... and with 9 feet of snow on the ground, I've been unable to really do that. (Plus no one wants to ride with me in 20 degree temps.)

Saturday morning (P2) homework club got busy with another long Sufferfest. (Two hours!) I came home from my workout this morning unprepared to help Mike chip away at ice dams on the roof. I'm trying to muster some energy.

 Twenty-seven days until Spring.

Blizzard of 2015

Snow Day!!! I'll be riding on the indoor trainer for a few days, as Swampscott was nailed with 30.4 inches of snowwwww. OMG. So much shoveling! I sure miss the days when my dad would have his construction crew come plow us out. Hahaha. Love this pic of Will, dressed like he's ready to go skiing, not shoveling. He takes his blizzard-wear seriously.

I was actually excited to do more mountain biking in the snow, but I'm afraid this kind of snow is waaay too deep. Rebecca texted me a ton of advice on how to approach certain riding conditions, and I need to practice!! Awww that Rebecca. She's the best.

(Haha, that's technically true. Rebecca is the 2012 Masters Cyclocross World Champion and 2014 Masters National Champion. So pro...)

I'm going to practice the "three rules" she sent me while I'm on the trainer this week, (she's an awesome coach), and hopefully hit the trails when some of this snow melts. Loving the MTB.

Day 18: 30 Days of Biking, Flashlight Ride

Some days get crazy busy and things don't always go as planned -- and today was one of those days. By 8:30 pm, as the day came to an end, I still hadn't managed to get out for a bike ride, and I hated the idea of allowing the day to pass without getting out  -- even if it was just for a mile.

I asked Chip if he'd be interested in going out on a flashlight ride around the neighborhood with me -- (and maybe stopping at the Beach Bluff Market) -- and both boys said, "sure"! We bundled up for the 35 degree temps, pumped up the tire on Chip's old bike (which Will insisted on riding), and off we went! Riding in the pitch dark down to the market was so crazy. The whole idea was completely ridiculous, (adding to the fun), and the boys cracked jokes and laughed the whole way. Will bought ice cream, Chip bought Kit Kats, and I got in a ride -- everyone was happy. In total it was less than a mile, but that's o.k. -- it still counts. What a blast!

#30daysofbiking

Day 7: 30 Days of Biking, Lax Practice

Day 7 of 30 Days of Biking was an easy ride with Chip down to the playing fields for lacrosse practice. Since the bag is bigger than he is, I strapped the gear and stick over my back and headed down the road, managing to snap a quick selfie with my iPhone.

"Mom. I don't think that's a good idea."

Hahaha... I love that my boys think they are smarter than I am.

Heading down the hill on Beach Bluff Ave, Chip informed me that he didn't have brakes -- and in fact has never had working brakes since inheriting the bike from Will. (On later inquiry, I learned that Will lost the brakes soon after we purchased the bike five years ago. How am I supposed to know these things if no one tells me?!) As I watched Chip drag his toes on the pavement each time he came to a stop, the mystery of how these boys managed to wear out the toes on their sneakers so fast has finally been solved.

Nice. A ten dollar brake repair could have saved me $200 in sneakers.

Chip and I got to the fields in time for practice, and I unloaded the gear and headed off for a quick loop around Marblehead Neck -- oddly feeling like I still had twenty pounds of lax equipment straddling my back.

Another day done.

#30daysofbiking

Monday Motivation

Actually, today is Tuesday... but since yesterday was Labor Day and a holiday, it sure feels like a Monday. The boys had Friday and Monday off from school -- giving them an extra long weekend -- but at 7:15 a.m., before I could take a sip of coffee as we made the mad rush out the door, Chip dropped a history book on the counter to inform me that it needed to be covered with a brown paper bag. ("Homework").

Uhhhh, Chip. You couldn't have asked me to do this on any of the four days prior?! I quickly covered the book and snapped, "I'm done bailing you out. I'll bail you out of jail but I won't bail you out of homework." But then, realizing what I actually said, added, "Just don't go to jail."

Will chuckled, "Quote of the day, MOM. 'I'll bail you out of jail. Just don't go to jail.' Wait until my friends hear that one." Sigh. I'm clearly losing my sanity. (I was kidding, of course!)

Yes, it feels like Monday. I squeezed in two rides over the weekend, but got drenched during both. Pop-up showers are so unfair. One minute it looks clear for a ride... and then 10 miles later, you're in the middle of a downpour. It happened to me all weekend, and I just couldn't escape the rain. I cleaned my bike after Saturday's ride, only to ride through Sunday's soaker and flash floods in Danvers. What a mess. My cycling shoes are still sopping wet this morning, but I'm hoping to squeeze in a ride today before school lets out. It will be nice to clear my head before the second half of the day begins.

Tasting the Rainbow

I guess I need to clarify on the Gatorade thing. (Getting Away From the Gatorade, April 28th.) Will drinks Gatorade -- and Chip does too, (on occasion). I sometimes drink something similar on long rides. Still, I'm concerned with the ingredients in what is supposed to be a (healthy) sports drink. (Brominated vegetable oil, red dye, blue dye, etc... ) My teenagers are not endurance athletes. Playing lacrosse or rugby or football for an hour does not work up enough sweat or loss of electrolytes to make a drink like Gatorade necessary. Water and a banana would suffice. But since they want a brightly colored sports drink in their hands on the sidelines, herbal tea and fruit juice will do just fine. (I'm sure they're guzzling down shocking blue gatorade when I'm not looking anyway.)

It's not just Gatorade I'm wary of -- it's the other "health" drinks too. Will grabbed a drink called "Sparkling Ice" from the cooler at the Y last month that claimed to be "Natural sparkling mountain water and fruit juice". I asked him to read the label to me -- and of course he rolled his eyes before reading, "...sparkling water, fruit juice, potassium benzoate, citric acid, yellow dye #6, yellow dye #5..." (Terrific. Benzoate and citric acid = benzene. Way to be carcinogenic.)

I asked out loud, "And why would they put food dye in water? Isn't the natural color of the fruit juice enough?!" Will just took a swig of the drink and winked at me and said, "So I can taste the rainbow."

Getting Away From the Gatorade

Ahhh... Sunday... a day to just relax and unwind before the week begins. (No, wait, scratch that.) Mike is off to the Y to get in a workout, Chip has a lacrosse game in Gloucester, Will has rugby, and I'm squeezing in a quick ride around Manchester/Gloucester during Chippy's pre-game warm up. Typical Sunday.

Sundays are also my meal prep day as we gear up for the week ahead. It's easier to stay on a clean eating plan if food is ready-to-go, and I just made a quart+ of Chip's sports drink. I'm happy to note that Will is inching slowly away from the dark side. A few days ago he mentioned that he didn't mind switching from Gatorade to the energy drink I've been making. Progress! Below is my recipe for our version of gatorade, adapted from Wellness Mama, (Sports Drink Alternatives). No HFCS, food dyes, or BVO! Chip said his friends on his lacrosse team love it... which made me question how they knew what it tasted like. He shrugged and said, "Oh, Oscar didn't have a drink last week, so I shared. And Adam wanted to taste it, too... and, well, you know..."

Ah. I see. I don't have to worry about the chemicals he's drinking, but I do have to worry about his communal sharing of germs. Just great.

NATURAL ENERGY/SPORTS DRINK
Ingredients

• 1 quart brewed herbal tea. (We like strawberry or orange-spice)
• 1/8 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 crushed calcium tablet
• 1-2 cups fruit juice (Natural cranberry-raspberry)
• 1 TBSP honey

Brew tea, add sea salt, calcium, juice and chill.