Paleo - Week 2

Here's my wife again - week 2 of our Paleo journey.

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Week 2:

I didn’t do a daily recount but rather here are a few observations I have made about my 2^nd week of trying Paleo.

1.       I have found myself looking more at the ingredients on food than looking at the nutritional information. I can more easily spot ingredients that I shouldn’t be eating. Even on food marked ‘all natural’ there are things that I shouldn’t consume.  Speaking of ‘all natural’ – be careful of that label, the FDA’s definition of ‘all natural’ is very broad.

2.       That $200 food processor I bought? It was worth it. I have made food that I never would have attempted to make if it were left to just my grater and/or a knife. A tip on finding a decent food processor comes from my Dad…..if it can make dough? It’s a good one.

3.       What I used to consider not sweet enough is now too sweet. My family and I went to a baseball game over the weekend and my husband bought him and me a green tea. Unfortunately he didn’t realize that they were diet. We went ahead and opened them and we literally had to sip on them throughout the entire game they were so sweet (and still ended up only drinking about a ¼ each of them).

4.       I went ahead and weighed myself for pure comparison. I weighed myself a week and a half into this and I was down 6lbs. I knew I had lost weight since my clothes were feeling looser, I just didn’t know how much. My husband has lost considerably more than I have – of course….men….they suck. But more importantly than the weight, I feel better.

5.       My recovery time on hard workouts is 100% better. We rode 18 miles of mountain bike trails on the 4^th of July. About half way through we stopped and had nuts, dried fruit and jerky and then started in again. Towards the end of the ride we were hurting but we no sooner stopped and we were already feeling better.

6.       We went grocery shopping over the weekend and all in all we spent about $250 (at three different stores….a chain grocery store, a co-op and a Whole Foods type of place) and we bought only three items that could be considered processed….1 box of cereal, 1 bottle of creamer (I still have not given that up) and 1 pint of Vegan ice cream. I was pretty proud of that.

7.       Speaking of grocery stores – when you visit three within an hour and a half of each other and you use your debit card at each one? Apparently that alerts your bank to unusual activity and they have their fraud department get in touch with you to verify your purchases before your card is able to be used again. That? Was awesome.

8.       All in all, I feel good. I feel like I’m mixing up our meals well enough that I’m not getting bored and I feel like we are making up new meals as we go as we figure out what we like and don’t like. I’m also trying a lot of new foods which I would have never done before. Case in point? We made Lamb Sliders - White Sweet Potato for the "bun", homemade Mayo, Lamb sliders, romaine lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. This meal was a huge hit! Then we finished this off with dessert - Carrot/Gingerbread muffins topped with Coconut butter frosting. Yum!

 

9.       My husband thinks that just because I went Paleo and just because I enjoy mountain bike riding that I will also now enjoy camping. He spent Saturday afternoon scouring websites for tents and cots and tri-pods and cast iron cookware. I spent Saturday afternoon making sure our Internet connection went down every time he went to “check-out”.

Lindy-eo: Week 1

My wife and I decided to give Paleo a try for 30 days. She is journaling her experience, how she feels and what pisses her off about it. Here is her take on Week 1.

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“Lindy-eo”

I call it Lindy-eo because I am not 100% paleo. I have a few items that as of right now I have not removed from my daily consumption and I am totally okay with that. I didn’t start this to fail and I know myself well enough to know that if I restrict everything I love, I will quit.  I still have my morning coffee – with creamer. I don’t allow myself anymore creamer than that one sitting though, which is a huge change. And let’s face it, without my morning coffee/creamer mixture – innocent people could die. I also still use Mio to flavor my water.  Mainly, I started this, not for weight-loss (although that will be a hell of an incentive to keep going if that happens) but to see if over-all, I feel better (cleaner) on the inside.

Day 1: I feel pretty good. I’d like to know what the hell I’m supposed to eat but I feel good. I’m guessing my body is still hungover from the carb-fest I had last night before starting this “lifestyle change.” Mmmmmm…..french fries are still living large in my memory bank at this point.

Day 2: I felt very tired today but Ryan and I still went mountain bike riding. Before our ride I ate some gummy fuel things (which are most certainly not paleo but I needed something before our ride). We went 8.5 miles on the wooded trails so I’m guessing I burned those puppies off pretty quick. I felt really good after our ride. I stopped at Moe’s for my dinner, which will probably be my go-to eat out place since I easily know what I can and shouldn’t have there.

Day 3: Crash and burn. I think I went to bed at 8:45 and slept soundly all night. I think this is a combination of no carbs (I love and miss you so much white bread!) and our intense cardio workout from the night before. I did manage to get to Barnes and Noble and get a Paleo book (Practical Paleo – I recommend it – and not just because there is a page dedicated to your poop and what it should look like – shout out to ‘Ms. Right’!). We ate some spicy ass meatballs with steamed green beans and watermelon for dinner. I also made some Blueberry/Lemon muffins – with coconut flour. Move over Barefoot Contessa, I be baking my shit with coconut flour. Of course – I also realized just how expensive this weird crap is. I mean really? Grade B syrup? Coconut flour? Grass-Fed Beef? – This is shit that’s coming from a co-op which stands for get ready to lose your paycheck in here.

Day 4: I feel less tired. I also feel lighter. Maybe not lighter as far as my weight is concerned (although I’d swear my shirts are feeling less restrictive) but lighter on the inside if that makes any sense. I made an egg salad using Dijon mustard (organic, thankyouverymuch), bacon grease, egg yolk, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper (instead of mayonnaise). It was a hit – possibly because it resembled something I would be used to eating before which I have found is key for me right now. I saw it written somewhere and I agree – trick your eye, trick your mind….make the food look like something you would have eaten before and you are likely to enjoy it’s paleo version. I wonder what food I could use that resembles a deep fried potato in fry form? We also ordered a sampler of Paleo friendly condiments and snacks since it’s the in-between meals and my lack of being able to dunk any food into an accompanying liquid that is causing me the most problems right now. I have also found that I have a love-affair for espresso with steamed chocolate almond milk. This has become my nightly treat and something I look forward to….which I think is hugely key for me as well. I tried blueberries as a mid-day snack for the first time today, and realized that I dislike blueberries a lot, unless they are in the muffin form.

Day 5: I felt pretty good this morning and I realized that I have been sleeping better since I started this.  I also noticed while at work that thanks to the bacon I cooked last night, I smell like a bacon grease oil pit. I think there are worse things in life than smelling like bacon though. I feel like I have more energy and for longer periods of time. I also find myself not thinking about food between meals. We ate dinner at a nice place in Winona Lake - this was the first time I ordered from a restaurant. It was actually easier than I thought and the meal was fantastic. Later that evening we did a 7.5 mile MTB trail ride and that was when I realized just how much I wasn't eating. We were no more than 2 miles in and I was physically drained. We made it through the rest of the ride but not without a lot of bitching from me. I noticed, however, that I also recovered a lot quicker than I normally would have. We were standing around the bike shop talking to the owner and I was already feeling much better.

Day 6: It's Saturday - I figure Saturday and Sunday will be the hardest days for me this week. I woke and felt great - had my morning coffee and hit the grocery store. A lot of the recipes I've been looking at have said that using a food processor is a lot easier so we also went to buy one of those. There are many things in this life that I would spend $200 on - never in my life did I think a food processor would be on that list. Today was the first day that I also got completely frustrated with this paleo thing. My day started off so great and then at dinner time I tried two new recipes - one was our meal (tangy taco salad) and one dessert (vanilla almond sponge cake). Neither of them really impressed me and I instantly felt discouraged. I pouted about it for a little bit before Ryan convinced me to try another dessert. We tried pumpkin muffins and my faith was restored....it literally tasted like pumpkin bread. Which was exactly what I needed - something that look and tasted like a food that I use to enjoy. I ended the day having redeemed my attitude.

Day 7: I was worried about today because it was dreary and rainy outside and it was Sunday. That usually means the couch, the TV and a snack-fest for me but overall the day went easier than I thought. I made a sweet potato, ground lamb and egg casserole which was surprisingly good. This was made entirely easier by our new food processor which shredded the potatoes in no time flat. I haven't weighed myself but I feel like I've lost weight....my clothes hang looser on me and oddly enough, I've noticed that my seatbelt in the car fits around me easier as well.

Recommendations after Week 1:

1.       Get a pay raise before you start this.

2.       Make one shelf in your pantry ‘kid-restricted’ and put all of your Paleo groceries there. Damn kids can’t be cookin’ shit with your $8.99 coconut oil.

3.       It’s much easier doing this when your spouse is doing it too. Do it with someone for mutual bitching opportunities!

4.       In all seriousness – don’t weigh yourself. Listen to your body and how you feel rather than a number on a scale. I don’t think this tidbit of advice is exclusive to this paleo thing.

5.       Stay active! If for no other reason than because before you trail-ride you get to eat those gummy fuel packet things and they taste eerily similar to gummy bears and damn….you miss gummy bears.

Trails, Beer and Calamine

Ever wake up and think yesterday was just a dream right? It couldn't have been real?! That was my Father's Day.

This past weekend was full of activity. It started out with a trip to Michigan for my wife and I's 11th wedding anniversary. We had planned on it only being a day trip but the day trip was cut even shorter with the never-ending rain. In spite of the rain, we still had a great time. We were able to still walk out on the pier, stroll through town and even ate train side at a pizza place that literally would have required us holding our plates down if Amtrak had gone by.

We headed back to Indiana after we realized the rain was not going away anytime soon. On our way back we stopped at my favorite town in Indiana - Winona Lake. I have said it before and I still believe it, the place is magical. I leave there with a entirely different perspective on life. Plus, they have a wicked cool bike shop called the Trailhouse. My wife was in the market for a new bike, not a road bike but a everyday bike. One she can just jump on and not worry about clipping in, not having spandex on, but just one where we could escape and be alone together.

Never....I mean NEVER would I expect this visit to turn out the way it did!

Kristi, a shop employee was there and struck up a wonderful conversation with us. I visit often so they know me pretty well, usually every purchase is accompanied with "did your wife approve of this?" She asked what kind of bike my wife was looking for. I started in with "a commuter, something practical.... it has to be cute or she won't ride it...."

She then asked, "why not a trail bike?" I laughed and said no way would my wife get on a single speed 29er and go into the WOODS with me. Kristi went on to explain how much her late boyfriend and her had loved to ride, how he built her bike for her, how he was patient with her and went through the woods and they laughed, she even told us of a story of how she led a group of guys out on a training ride as he brought up the back - normally it would have been the other way around. She said she felt like a badass on her trail bike.

She single-handedly convinced my wife to give it a try.

It was raining on Saturday, so we said we would be back in the morning. At that point, they were calling for a 80% chance of rain. I was so bummed because I was sure if I didn't get my wife out right away her willingness to try a trail bike would subside.

On Sunday morning, I jumped out of bed at 5:00 o'hell-no in the morning (on Father's Day, no less) and saw that it wasn't raining! Not only was it not raining but they had completely revamped the forecast (something they NEVER do) and now we were looking at only a 20% chance of rain. We loaded up around Noon (even though a 20% of rain to my wife still means there is a chance of rain) and made the hour drive back to Winona Lake. We got her on a rental and we headed out to the trails! I laughed, I smiled, I honestly thought I had died and gone to heaven. My wife doesn't do nature, but she was flying through the trails like she had rode them a million times (it could have possibly been because she knew that the faster she went, the quicker she'd get the hell out of there). And she climbed, holy crap did she climb!

We went back to the Trailhouse and sized her up with a badass Redline 29er. They went through it with a fine-toothed comb, we loaded it up and took her home! That's right, my wife is a badass single- speed mountain biker!! And we are already planning our next trip - to Fort Custer in Michigan -recommended by Dave, one of the coolest mechanics around!

We no sooner get back to the house, get the bikes unloaded from the roof-rack and get them safely into the garage and the flood gates open with a massive downpour.

To me it was a sign of this was meant to be, to my wife it was see I told you it was going to rain!

We finished the night with dinner and a beer...and a ton of calamine lotion. In my excitement, I forgot the Off! and the mosquitos made us pay a high price for that.

You're my boy......RED?

Chores are done and about three hours to kill. What to do?

I could give you a slew of things my wife would like me to do but as I finished potting her new flowers for the front porch and was cleaning up, there hung my first ride, calling for me. I thought to myself....Red and I haven't been out in a long while. Hmmmmm.... She was starving for some attention and I thought why not?

I changed, threw on my hemet and took off! I think she was out to impress me because as we spun through the local trails I heard no creeks, no funky shifting, just pure power. Then again, I do tend to pedal a little faster and a little harder when I know I am on a time crunch. It was a nice little get away with the original bike that turned my like of cycling into my love of cycling. I even gave a quick thought, while hanging her back up, of taking this bike to Louisville with me this weekend for my Tour de Cure ride!

Hope you all have a great weekend, mine starts now!

Man in the mirror!

We all have done it! Walked by a mirror, or a window and seen our reflections. Sometimes we think we look good and we stop and stare at our hot selves and sometimes we see a reflection that causes us to think damnshit and move away from that lying piece of crap mirror/window as quickly as possible. That is exactly what I did about two weeks ago after looking at a picture a friend of mine took of me on a ride. The problem is my damn was more like WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED.......DAMN!!

That brings me to today! I started over. I have always struggled with my weight and I thought I had it under control, until that picture. Everyone thinks there is a magic pill, secret diary or surgery but reality is it only takes work and dedication. I swear by the journal! If I eat it, I better know exactly what it is I am eating so I can log it. Forget the fancy apps, computer logs and all that bullshit. Just good old pen and paper does the trick!


Today I broke it out! The journal!

As a matter of fact, I AM aware that my pen is from a pizza joint and I'm using it to write in my diet journal. Stop judging.

I like to have goals, and the best way for me to meet my goals is to sign up for events. Last year, I rode the RAIN (ride across Indiana) 160 miles one way, one day. To some that sounds bizarre but for me, I loved ever mile! I knew with every stroke I was getting closer to meeting the finish line. Since that day I added about thirty pounds. So, I signed up for the RAIN yesterday and my goal is to see the man in the mirror from today thirty pounds lighter by July 13th! So, what does your mirrior story tell you? And what are you doing to say....damn!?

Me after last years RAIN.....

......awww-damn.....yum-my........ (my wife edited this post and totally added that)

The time a tree gave me a hickey.....

ah yes...FREEDOM or so I thought.

I had a little eye opener last week and it made me stop and think, life offers no do-overs! You get one chance to do what you want and I tend to do what I want. Work was sucking the life out of me. I had no time for friends, kids, my wife and of course my bike! ---this list is not necessarily listed in order of importance.

It was time to make changes in my life and get this show on track. I followed up my eye opener with phone calls to the doctors office and I contemplated what I wanted to do with my career. Ask my wife, I don't drag my feet on much and my job was no different. I made an offer to my employer which allowed me a little more FREEDOM. My employer wasn't so much interested in my offer or my FREEDOM so I politely resigned.

....with no real guarantees in the near future I tasted FREEDOM!

Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin' don't mean nothin' hon' if it ain't free, no no
And feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
You know, feelin' good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee 

The crazy thing is.....everything lined up perfectly. Once I made the decision to quit, all the cards seemed to fall into place. And once I felt like everything was lined up, the next decision I could make was heading out for a ride, in the woods, with a friend.

We jumped on our bikes and pedaled on down to the trailhead, as we approached we discussed easy or moderate route? We both agreed quickly, start easy and end hard. Two minutes into the easy ride....and my friend hit the dirt. I laughed. Karma laughed. Then I hit the dirt.

I felt every bone in my body crack. I'm pretty sure I hit the tree going 15 25 35 45 mph. After I laid there for a second to make sure I was still alive, all body parts were still attached and I could still move my legs, I couldn't stop laughing. I'll have to admit though, the bruise the hit left behind is pretty badass.


Exhibit A:

The one thing that pisses me off about the entire experience though? I wasn't wearing my GoPro camera. Leave it to me - get my ass kicked by a tree and have nothing to show for it, except a wicked hickey bruise.

Happy Ending (*that* kind of happy ending, as a matter of fact)

My wife is posting again....she thinks she's funny....

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We'll get back to bikes in a minute, but first, the back story…..

There are only a handful of times I can remember that I have sent my husband the "don't be mad" text. The text that says, in no uncertain terms, that I have done something, or more accurately bought something, that probably in hindsight wasn't a good "investment." Editors note: Since when are shoes NOT a good investment, thankyouverymuch.

I'll admit, I'm not a big shopper but when I'm in the mood, I'm in the mood. And this one time? I was in the mood.

I had spent the weekend with my sisters - which should have been a warning to my husband in and of itself. We had done the normal shopping, of course, but the real purpose of that particular day was my younger sisters upcoming wedding. I was to walk away with a Maid of Honor dress purchased for myself and a Flower Girl dress purchased for my daughter. By the end of the day and by the time those purchases had added up, I knew I was in big trouble. A dent that big in the checking account was surely going to be noticed by him, and fast. I blame the Flower Girl dress entirely.

So, I came up with a plan. A sure-fire way to make sure the topic of money and more importantly how much of it I had spent was a short-lived one. I got home from the shopping trip and snuck everything into the bedroom. I wasn't hiding my purchases, I was preparing. If my plan was to work, I needed to get it set-up. I needed to set the trap, bait my husband and wait.

I piled all of the receipts onto the center of the bed and next to the receipts, I piled my new treasures. I stood next to the bed and waited. And just as planned, when my husband finally walked into the bedroom he immediately zeroed in on the bed and the damage I had likely done. The look on his face was one of sheer terror, followed by "what in the hell did you do?!". 

Ex-cel-lent, I thought. *hands rubbing together mischievously* My plan was working.

I waited a beat, didn't say a word, reached down and yanked up my shirt - fully exposing the girls and rendering him speechless.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is how I spring a new, large, purchase onto my spouse.

Fast forward to this past weekend. My husband went out biking and as he always does he took pictures and video of his excursion. As usual, he posted some of those pictures to Instagram/Facebook/Twitter. Unlike unusual - as I was scrolling through those same pictures, I realized that I didn't recognize the bike. 

What? The? Hell?

Where'd the…..?

What'd he…..?

Are you kidding me?

He. bought. another. bike.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is how my husband springs a new, large, purchase onto his spouse.

Passive - Aggressive - Bullshittery

-----At least with my way, somebody is gettin' a happy ending.------

Finding Your Calm

There comes a time in life when you need to just step back and not only smell the roses but to stay awhile and enjoy their fragrances too.

Today with every gadget known to man, linking yourself to the world - sometimes, I think, we forget to disconnect. I had an eye opener the other day, nothing serious, but it was more the fact of what could have been that scared the shit out of me. It was at that moment that I realized, it was time to disconnect and reconnect with only that of what really matters.

The place for me to unlink myself is most definitely the outdoors. Where the only people you come across are those that are unlinked, just like you are. I love being on my bike. Put me in a group of hundreds or just riding with my neighbors and I will ride. I often get on my bike solo and just pedal the city. The place that I really disconnect is in the woods. Its not about what machine I am on, how fast I am going or how far I cranked but for me it is the calm of hearing nothing but sounds nature has to offer.

Serenity: The state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled: "an oasis of serenity"

Today I found that place. I actually stopped got off my bike and just sat. I sat and I listened.

So when life is getting crazy, find your place, disconnect and then come home and hug your family!

Biking My Path

When the world feels out of control and is weighing heavy on my soul, there are few things that can bring me instant calm, instant tranquility like a bike ride can.

As I stood on this bridge, I realized that life has a funny way of teaching you just where it wants you to go, bridging you from one event to another.

Some people may walk their path in life, others may run, still others may swim or drive. I bike.

In Which *Motherf**ker* is an Adjective

My wife is guest posting again today - about the ride we had this past weekend. I'm sure you'll enjoy her take on the less than desirable wind we experienced.

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I'm guest posting again because it was, quite literally, the only thing that got me through my first ride of the season. I just kept thinking make it through this ride so you can bitch at your husband on his blog.

This past Sunday I went on my inaugural ride of the year. Last year I ended the season averaging between 40-55 miles per ride. I felt pretty damn good about myself, considering it was first season ON a road bike. So when I was told we were riding 45 miles on Sunday, I felt like that was something I could legitimately handle.

We headed out and I was soon finding my stride. The motion quickly came back to me. The changing of gears quickly came back to me. The realization that my tax dollars most certainly do NOT go towards filling potholes, came back to me.

I rode with my husband - my normal riding partner - and his two Team Mocha teammates.

The first half of our trip was relatively calm. Our pace was about 18 mph - it was tough for me holding that pace being that it was my first ride out but I maintained it. Make no mistake - I am a runner, I am not a biker. I trained the entire winter on the treadmill, running between 5-9 miles per day. My goal is to run a marathon. My love is running.

It is here that I think I should acknowledge the devastating events at the Boston Marathon. I am typing this post out as I watch the news conference of the days events. These athletes have trained, sacrificed and devoted their lives to the goal of running a Marathon and not just any Marathon, the Boston Marathon. I hold them and their loved ones up in prayer. My heart hurts as I see runners turn and run away from their goal - from THEIR finish line.

Being a runner and holding an 18 mph pace didn't hurt my legs, they are used to the punishment. Although it was trying, I felt like I could finish our ride out. I felt comfortable but I also felt like I was pushing myself - it was good.

And then we made the turn to head back home. This was the part of the trip that I began mother**kering everything that I either felt, that moved or that I laid my eyes upon. The bike, the road, the water bottle, the twig in the road, the roadkill, my husband, my helmet - but mostly, I mother**kered the wind. I cursed my way through 20 miles. As I headed up mother**king mountainsides hills, headed straight into a headwind, I begged my bike to have more lower gears. With each click of my gear shift I was disheartened when no relief came. At one point I even gave thought to unclipping and walking my mother**king bike up.

I was falling behind the group and I was doing the one thing I never want to do - I was slowing my husband down. I was the only girl in the group and I couldn't hold the pace. I was pissed. I was motherf**king pissed.

I gave serious thought to stopping at a coffee shop, a church, a park bench, a rock, a cemetery - you name it, I looked at it and thought *this* is where my motherf**king husband can come back and pick my ass up.

Finally, FIN-A-LLY, I caught sight of home in the distance. My mind was telling me to just. keep. pedaling even though my body was begging me to stop. I was pretty sure at that point if I stopped, I wouldn't ever get going again.

And through all of that motherf**kering, I can honestly say I am glad to have gotten my first ride out of the way. I was also glad to get my first saddle ass of the season out of the way. It may or may not still be mother**king sore.

This Can' Be Happening!

It was just a tease! Playing with my emotions! Taking me to the top of the mountain only to just drop me off the side of the cliff with absolutely no warning!

I was all ready - ready for the daily rides to start. Ready to get home from work, throw some shorts, shoes and a t-shirt on, grab my helmet and go pedal. Pedal away my daily stresses from work, spend some time outside, some time with the family. All the signs were there! Riding in the car with the windows down, getting warm in minutes just setting in the sun. The proof....

That was Tuesday. It actually broke 80. I actually had wished I would have chosen to wear a short sleeve shirt that day!

I don't work on Thursdays, so I always look forward to these days but I especially look forward to them during the warm months. I can go on long rides and not feel bad because the kids are in school and my wife is at work. I found myself day dreaming Tuesday about my would-be ride on Thursday! I couldn't wait. And then it happened.....the dreaded forecast of rain. And, of course, it didn't stop there, today it was not only raining but it was damn near freezing again! Thanks Indiana, thanks for your lousy weather and your empty promises of warm rides and summer fun!

I sure do hope you are telling the truth about this Sunday Ms. Mother Nature!

Dust in the Wind

Dust in the Wind......a classic music piece and a symbol for my Saturday evening ride.

I started Saturday with a ride through the woods - peace, calm, and most importantly, shelter from the wind. I had a ride planned later in the day with one of the guys from Team Mocha (Adam) and I was really looking forward to getting out on the country roads, but to start - it was just me, my bike and a trail.

Shortly after I got home, I knew my night ride might be in jeopardy - my wife was already voicing her opinion on how the wind had effected her 4-mile run (read: bitching and moaning explaining to me how it screwed up her pace) and I was getting texts from my ride partner, warning me - It's gonna be a windy one.

I got geared up anyway. As we (I always recruit my wife to go over my checklist of essentials for the ride) got things around, the American flag on our front porch flapping insanely back and forth, wasn't lost on me.

I started out. The head wind was brutal. I was having a tough of it. I was still in my driveway.

By the time I met up with Adam and his wife had pointed out to us how windy it was, I had heard no less than 5 times what a rough ride this was going to be. But one of my favorite quotes is If you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done.

So, we ride!

The beginning of the ride seemed okay, the houses in the neighborhood provided some much needed protection. The rest of the ride out was done at a lovely 30 degree angle. We had planned a 42 mile ride so the 21 mile ride to the turn around point was all head-wind. I'm pretty sure I know why they call it a head-wind now - because it was all a mental game at that point. My mantra was just. keep. pedaling.

We reached our turn-around point which was Adam's parent's house. We were met with extremely friendly dogs (and their tongues), a bathroom break that didn't involve a farm field and a look-out and a nice big glass of apple juice. As a matter of fact, we were juicing. Apple-juicing. (insert eye roll here)

And then we turned around and headed back out for our 21 mile journey home. This time, though, we had a tail-wind that had us praising the heavens and panting like dogs getting their belly's rubbed. I'm pretty sure the only thing that would've made this ride better was a sail.

-All my dreams, pass before my eyes with curiosity. Dust in the wind...... -Kansas

For Adam's prospective on this ride - check out his blog!

Morning Date

I live about 10 miles from downtown, I don't know why but I love incorporating downtown into my rides. The nice thing about where I live is that we have an awesome trail system. I think it's nice for obvious reasons but also because you don't have to be on the roads the entire route. This morning, I was able to jump on my bike and pedal with the sole intention of being downtown. I feel like one of the "cool kids" when I am riding the city streets. No need to comment - my kids assure me, I am not a "cool kid."

Recently I purchased a commuter bike (Surly Cross Check) and I decided to take her on a date this morning. We headed for one of my favorite destinations.....a coffee shop. As I sat outside and waited for my wife to join me, I just listened to the city sounds and took it all in.

Biking for me is not only a means of exercise but it is like medication. It puts me at peace and it helps me forget all the daily struggles. It gives me time to not only count my blessings but to appreciate them too. Even those close to me can tell when riding season has started because of my attitude and outlook on the day. This could also be why my wife doesn't mind me taking my bike out on a date!

Diamond In The Rough

There is a lot of truth to what my wife has said in her guest post! I have a very addictive personality! My parents always joked "thank God you're scared of needles!" When I do something, I refuse to go half-way, second place is always first loser type of mentality! That has gotten me in a trouble in the past and at the same time I believe it has made me the person I am today.

I took a chance several years ago and left my job as a certified welder and entered into the sales field. I had no idea what I was getting myself into but I also knew I hated being handcuffed to a daily job with little possibility of advancement. I will admit I miss the hands-on and dirty smell of steel and I really miss the sense of accomplishment when the finish product was sent out the door. Nonetheless I continued on this path of sales. There have been many times I have wondered what the hell I was doing as the stress can by far outweigh the joy at times. The everyday hustle can make you second guess every choice you made to get yourself here. At the same time, sales changed me, it actually made me a stronger person. It also afforded me the ability feed my addictions.

The best thing about being in Outside Sales is everyday is like a little adventure! I cover a territory of about a two and half hour radius of my hometown and I never know from day to day where I will be or who I will meet. There are definitely some interesting characters out there and I am sure some people I run into think the same about me.

Whenever I am out and about there are two things I search for in every town - coffee shops and bike shops. I have found some of the neatest things going into these places. I have had conversations where I have left thinking, man am I glad I found this place! Some of my favorite destinations have been the ones I dreaded going to when planning the night before. Many a time I have told my wife about the dread I was feeling going to such and such town the next day - only to eventually return, with her, so she could see the splendor I had witnessed, first hand.

In fact, that very thing happened the other day. One of the benefits to my job is if the kids are home and want to spend some alone time with me, they know they can jump in the passenger seat and go. They know the day is going to bring them coffee shops, lunch out with dad and a strong possibility of a little something special for them from a local store. The other day my middle daughter wanted to go with me and although I was going to place I had already been many times - and was not particularly fond of - I told her she could go but to prepare herself for a pretty uneventful day. Of course, she still wanted to go.

I was looking for a new addition for my bike, so I googled bike shops close to where we were. We decided to hit the first one on the list and as we pulled up my daughter (who is NOT afraid of speaking her mind) asked what kind of jacked-up store is this? I decided to give it a chance thinking it might have been a diamond in the rough. We walked in and I immediately realized I had given this place much more credit than it deserved, the place was a dump. My daughter and I looked at each other, gave each other the nod and got the hell out of dodge! I decided to check out the next store on the Google list, promising my daughter that if it looked shady we would forego our search altogether and just get something to eat. We drove the 8 miles across town and as we pulled up I was sure that if my kid had it her way, we'd be leaving immediately for lunch. We double-checked the locks on the car door and went inside.

I really believe I almost went to my knees like I was at the Cathedral and thanked God for bringing me home! Not only was this most definitely on my top 5 favorite bike shops I have ever been to but they incorporated a coffee shop into the business!!

To recap: coffee and bikes.....in ONE business.

The conversation with the owner, myself and my daughter was so incredible. This guy had a passion for life, for people and for riding! As we got in the car and pulled away my daughter said, that was awesome! And I couldn't have agreed more - I can say I truly found a diamond in the rough!

Store Name: Buckskin Bikes

Store Location: Anderson, IN

If you have the means, I highly recommend it. And tell them I sent ya!

Biking - From My Wife's Prospective

My wife decided she wanted to play along and write something for my blog. I introduce you to my wife.

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Let me start by saying that my husband has an addictive personality so the day he met me at my office and said "...don't be mad at me....." - I knew I was screwed. Check that - I knew our bank account was screwed.

Before this, I had never purchased a bike that didn't need to be walked to the front of the big box store and rung up. I had never spent more than $150 on a bike. I didn't even know this world of cycling existed. I didn't even know that people actually clicked their shoes into the pedals thereby LOCKING their feet INTO the pedals. Seriously, WHO does that?!

This world was completely foreign to me.

Foreign until a red and white Trek road bike came into my life. And immediately I knew that this was his new thing. And, of course, it didn't stop with the bike - how could it? No.....we went full throttle into cycling, thankyouverymuch. We had to have a bike seat (which I would later learn was actually called a saddle) that matched his bike, we had to have water bottles AND water bottle holders (which I would later learn was actually called a cage) that matched his bike and we had to have handlebar covers (which I would later learn was actually called tape) that matched his bike. Eventually I knew that this would all lead to a checking account that matched the color of his bike.......red.

At this point I should probably also tell you that my husband is a rockstar. He does nothing half-ass. If he plays the part, he wants to look the part and he wants the same for his entire family. I tease him a lot about his bike stuff and if he weren't such a hard working and faith driven family man, I probably would've asked him to stop by now. But he is those things and more - so I shoulder through and put up with his impulsive and matchy-matchy needs.

Because the Trek bike was 7 years ago and now? Now, he owns more bikes than we have members of our family. He owns a road bike - two actually, a commuter bike (apparently this is strictly for commuting), a mountain bike (for all the bad-ass mountains in Northern Indiana), a single speed bike and a cross bike (I'd love to tell you what these bikes do but I have no clue). He also owns the Go-Pro camera system so that he can videotape all of his biking adventures to play back for me in slow-motion, with fade transitions, set to the beat of some kick-ass song. It's how he rolls, pun intended.

And then one day, it happened. I didn't even see the urge coming. I showed up at some speciality bike store - not a Target or a Dicks Sporting Goods but an. actual. bike. shop. And, I bought a bike. A road bike. With skinny tires. With a saddle that matched. With water bottles and cages that matched. With tape that matched. With shoes that LOCKED my feet INTO my pedals.

Call me crazy but I love spending time with my husband - he's a blast to be around and we have one hell of a time when we are together. So, I was sick of sending him on his way every Sunday for hours upon hours of solo biking. I wanted to be with him. The fact that he would go out on these rides and leave me home with our three kids probably didn't factor into my bike buying decision whatsoever. Probably.

I can honestly say that it's a decision I have yet to regret. Other than those damn pedals - my inaugural fall happened last year and I will tell you that the moment you are tipping over and mentally realize your feet aren't coming out of those things, is a rude awakening. According to my husband, now that I've fallen, I'm a true biker. Funny, I thought the time I biked over a snake and screamed. like. a. little. girl. made me a true biker.

(A sweet ass pic of us during a moutain bike ride - not a road ride - for God's sake people, there is a difference. Also, this was not the ride that involved the stupid ass reptile that decided that the middle of the road was the place to freakin stop snake.)

made a turn!

Dont be to harsh....This is my first entry :)

Yesterday (Saturday March 30th, 2013) was my first ride with the Team Mocha Trio. I started out on my own in the crisp early morning chill. I headed out of my addition, wondering what in the world did I commit to by saying I would ride this morning. I have been babied by the warmth of the gym over the winter months and not even five minutes into it, my feet were numb. I actually found myself fighting the urge not to call the guys and say see you next week. The only thing that stopped me was the excitement to get the year started.

As I continued out and down the road, I felt myself warming. Then I heard my phone let me know I had a new message. As I looked, it was a message saying, " Pretty chilly out there boys...." Funny how instead of finding myself agreeing, I quickly sent a message back saying, give it a few minutes on the bike and before you know it, you will be warm! Man am I glad we carried on! It was the ride I needed. No, it wasn't a rocket pace, it wasn't a long distance, no we didn't set any records. We just peddled! We started out and before you knew it we were downtown. I'm sure we got there a little quicker because George (part of our team mocha trio) decided to do a sprint on the trail and no sprint can go uncontested! We even found ourselves reminiscing about the Inaugural Tour De Fort as we peddled through the streets of Fort Wayne.

As we worked our way back we decided a quick coffee would be great, it would be even better if any of us thought to bring cash! As we peddled back, we came to the conclusion that we are Team Mocha and going to Mocha Lounge.....we can start a tab, right? We continued our ride down Covington road, and pulled into the parking lot, and as we graced the crew with our presence...they applauded! It was a welcome much needed, because it was kind of like the deal maker for our tab! How could they turn us down after that welcome?

We sat at the bar, listened to the barista heckle us because according to her we "Stunk", enjoyed not only our tasty beverages and snack but more conversation. Gearing up for our first legit ride, Tour De Cure, a ride to fight diabetes. Our first one is in Louisville, KY and I can not wait! As we decided it was time to get back on the road, I couldn't help but think, the ride for the day was almost over and I wasn't sure if I was ready for that. Funny how the day made a turn!