Mail Bag

I love getting unexpected messages of encouragement from automated sites --- like DailyMile.

I got a nice little note from them complementing me on my "gnarly" training last week.

Glad that someone noticed my efforts.  :)

Flat Tire!

How many HipAHAs does it take to change a single flat???

Well, last week it took three riders, two tubes and a friend playing "the sag car" to stop by and provide assistance.

B. hit some glass during an interval ride and as we slowed to recovery pace we all wondered, "where the heck is B.?????"  Turns out she was a quarter mile away sitting on the side of the road.

As luck would have it, none of us have ever had to change a tire...BUT I have seen it done enough times that I felt confident enough to try.

I was able to get the old tube off, the new tube on, the new tube slightly inflated and then struggled a little to get the tire over the new tube since it was tight in a few spots.

Just as we have everything going peachy, I inflated the tube w/ my CO2 cartridge and it was just shy of totally inflating the tube.

L. grabbed her CO2 cartridge and started filling up the remainder, but the CO2 came out faster than expected and WHAM...the tube POPPED!!! That sucked.

Luckily a friend was nearby and drove over an extra tube (since no one else had a spare that fit her wheel) and a manual pump.

Within a few minutes we were back on the road and all thankful it wasn't a rear tire flat...now THAT would have been stressful.

Epic Bike Failure

My goodness I've experienced some bad luck on the Cannondale this holiday weekend. Two days in a row I've popped a spoke off my back tire.

The first time it seemed like my CatEye sensor slipped out of position and caused the break just outside of Dewey. After a quick trip to the bike shop I was back on the road.

The second time I was on an epic ride from OC to Rehoboth and while coming off a red light in North Bethany sure enough I heard the same strange noise and felt the bike shudder. Within seconds my back wheel was again stuck.

Motherf-er!!!!!!!!!!!!

I ended up (again) throwing my bike over my shoulder and walking it to a safe place to wait for my ride. Luckily, this time I was close to a restuarant that had ample comfortable chairs in the shade so at least I was comfortable while I waited.

Man oh man. This totally sucks.

Strange things happen in the fog

I have been looking forward to my Sunday ride along Coastal Hwy all weekend. The weather reports all said it was going to be bright, sunny and warm. Sadly, the front moved slower than expected and I ended up riding in the fog, cold and wind. Poo!

I headed out for an out-and-back to the Indian River Inlet Bridge. My riding shirt, shorts and windbreaker were barely enough coverage to keep me from constantly shivering. Boo...my planning was not great today.

It was a pretty desolate ride with only 2-5 other riders on the route, but quiet can be good.

By the time I turned around at the inlet the wind had picked up and I was now riding into a full chilly head wind. Brilliant.

To top it off, 10 miles from home the fog rolled in and I literally could only see 25 feet in front of me. From the pix above you can see the fog rolling in and completely covering the bridge in the background. Freaky.

Under the heading of everyone thinks they're funny, but most of the time they are just idiots --- as I was riding back, an SUV swerved toward me and the passenger screamed out the window. They thought they were hilarious to startle me and cause me to swerve away from them. I guess that's the type of entertainment a group of fucking morons thinks is funny.

On the much lighter side --- through the fog I saw a very, very tall and husky man run out into the street and start talking to people in passing cars. I thought, "that's bizarre." As the man turned in profile I thought, "that's no man!!!" It was actually The Phillie Fanatic who was visiting the beach with a big group of Philly fans.

As I rolled by their party (complete with news cameras) the Fanatic opened his arms to greet me. I gave him a high five and a kiss. He hung on to my hand as I started peddling down the street and as a result he literally ran behind me for a minute. So, so very funny and totally unexpected.

Like I said...the fog does funny things.
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Things that go bump in the night..or the day

Those closest to me know that I have an odd tendency to bump into just about everything --- walls, signs, people, etc. I regularly stub my toe, cut a corner too tight or trip over curbs.

I'm not sure if I'm just overly klutzy, don't pay attention or just have no spatial senses.

Oddly enough I've never broken a bone, but do regularly sport some cool bruises.

With all this in mind, it was no surprise that while running down Coastal Hwy this morning I slowed to adjust my iPod and rammed right into a metal sign hanging off an electrical pole.

Nice. That's gonna leave a bruise.

Best Laid Plans

I really hate when I do something really stupid ....but who doesn't?

Though this really has nothing to do with training, it does have to do with running, navigating an obstacle course and the agony of defeat.

Everyone knows I hate the stress of rushing around and being late. With that in mind I thought I had it all planned out --- changed my train ticket for an earlier departure out of Penn Station, took the subway and left with a lot of time.

As I was sitting in the Acela Lounge waiting for my 3 pm train and on a conference call I hear "final call for the 3 pm Acela to DC." Are you freaking kidding me???!! Crap!!!!!!!!!!

I jumped up, grabbed my stuff and bolted for the escalator --- clearly almost knocking people down along the way. Unfortunately as I reached the platform the train...pulled...away. Do you feel the heartbreak and hear the gasp of despair?

Luckily I practiced mental fortitude as I stood in an ever winding line to be rebooked on the next train --- which of course was cancelled, but I was able to grab a seat on the 5 pm Acela.

The good news is that I have a ticket. The bad news is that my chatty, single-focused approach to life once again burned me in the ass.
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