Labor Day Weekend

The long weekend is here at last!!!

Big plans for Friday included some house cleaning for Nancy who has been unable to manage the vacuum cleaner due to a big lupus flare. I took Roxy with me to play with Skippy, who misses doggy companionship since his friend died. The dogs had a wonderful time sniffing each other and running around the yard. Other excitement for my Friday afternoon included picking up Shana's bike from the shop - repairs for the disaster were only $20.00. Thank you Pro Bike, thank you John - he got it fixed right away. I did the usual errands, grocery, etc. and headed on home.

Saturday I had planned to get a little ride in early, but rain intervened. No matter. It was the first Saturday of the month, so it was Yoga Saturday. I took a class. Tina does something completely different on the monthly Saturday class than she does in her regular class, so new weaknesses were exposed. Looks like I need to do more work on my back - the backs of my shoulders and arms are very sore today. Picked Rita up, and the rest of the day was devoted to FOOTBALL and monkeys. Ohio State looks good. OU not so much. Here's a little close up of my craft desk, for anyone who might like to be envious. At last a place where my sewing machine is not in the way if I leave it up for weeks at a time. I've got room for fabric scraps, yarn needles, craft books and magazines, ribbons, notions, beads, all in one place.

Today will be church, house cleaning, cooking for Nancy and the work week, dinner guests, and more monkeys. Tomorrow a nice ride to El Reno, home of the Onion Burger with Shana and probably Sharon B. It will actually be nice to have a longish ride (40 miles round trip) which is not a big stretch and is not training for something else. I've promised to ride nice and slow, and we'll have an onion burger before we turn back for home. It was a guy from El Reno who started the White Castle hamburger chain, so the El Reno onion burger is the real deal.

Shana requested that I add to my blog an objection to the recent fad of French manicures on the feet. For your reference - normal foot, French manicured foot:

Important disclaimer - the French manicured foot is not mine. Shana thinks that the FM foot looks like "Troll Toes" - toes that need a good clipping. I must agree - it's a nasty look. I am seeing this look particularly recommended for brides. To match their fingers, I suppose.

Next weekend is the Bricktown Streak . I am planning to ride, but am late in registering because we were planning to be out of town in a cabin in eastern Oklahoma. This will be a 30 mile, almost easy ride. There are three humongous hills, but otherwise a pleasant ride in the country, so long as the wind does not kick up too much. The only options are 30 miles 100K and 100 miles. I'm not up t0 62 miles of hills yet, and anyway I planned to ride with Shana since this will be her birthday weekend. The Bricktown Streak last year was my first bike event ever, and the longest ride I had ever done at that time. Apparently my next event will be a triathalon at the end of the month, so I'll have to start training for speed after next weekend. I will be doing it as part of a relay, so I will not have to run or swim. Shana will do the swimming, and she's talked a friend into running. I'm glad to have a short term goal for speed, because that is one of the things I'll have to work on before I can ride 100 miles. Every course has a cutoff time at some point in the course, and I do not think I am fast enough for it at this point. It's going to take practice to get a cadence which will give me some decent speed, and this will be the most boring training I can think of. Sprint and recovery, sprint and recovery, sprint and recovery. The upside is that from my reading I think the sprinting will actually (indirectly) build endurance, which is also on my list of things I need more of for the 100 mile ride next year. A short term goal will help a lot. I'll probably try getting out on Saturday to ride with the Oklahoma Bicycle Society. They have a variety of groups who ride on Saturday mornings, and if I can work my way into the 18 to 20 mph group that should be fast enough for most of my goals. OBS is a great resource. They provide all kinds of maps for good rides of various lengths, among other things.