Bike Night

After planning some different activities with our bikes this summer, it was time to venture out for one last adventure to enjoy the last night of summer. A suggested attending bike night at a restaurant which was about a 10 mile ride roundtrip.  The weather was absolutely perfect for this time of year and of course the last day of summer.   Although we would have preferred to wear less "bikey" clothing we still went to the restaurant, even though most of the patrons were dressed casually and not in athletic wear.  We may re-think our wardrobe decision when we do this again next summer.  The restaurant offered 15% off our bill for riding our bikes there, as well as entrance into a raffle to win a bike.  The servers were friendly and the food was good.  They even thanked us for riding our bikes.  Since the sun is now setting rather early we rode our bikes home in the dark.  It was actually not scary like I would have imagined and actually rather pleasant. With the help of A's bike lights and the street lights it couldn't have been more perfect.  I am hoping we can gather some more friends to try this with us sometime. - P

Daydreaming: Burgundy region of France

I was just thinking about a trip my husband and I took to the Burgundy region of France several years ago.  The countryside and small towns are absolutely charming.  We stayed in a chateau with a vineyard on the property.  The chateau only has a few rooms so you really have the whole place to yourself aside from the owner.   It was so quiet and relaxing that I definitely would visit again. - P

Weekend Racing

This last weekend was filled with activity!  For some reason I mentioned the Warrior Dash to my sister and she thought I was trying to talk her into it, so we registered.  Then, about a month ago I agreed to do the running leg of a half ironman relay.  I knew they were on the same weekend, Saturday and Sunday, respectively, and the fact that NOBODY (not even P, though I think she questioned my sanity she still encouraged me) tried to talk me out of it, I figured I could do it.

I will tell you that the Warrior Dash was a challenge.  Physically it was exhausting more than anything, except the fact that at the top of the first wall we had to climb is when I remembered I was afraid of heights.  Needless to say, I froze or a second or two. I got through that a little tired, really muddy and overall unscathed.

Then, on Sunday I was up early to meet the rest of my team for the carpool out to the race.  As with all triathlons, it starts with the swim, followed by the bike.  Therefore, I had to wait a few hours before I could start running a half marathon.  That was mentally the hardest part.  Since I didn't know the exact time to expect my biker into the transition area, I had to pee and eat early and hope I didn't have to take care of either of those while waiting.  The run was good, relatively flat, with a slight breeze coming in off the lake. Although it was a little warmer than my ideal comfort temperature, it was tolerable.  The last 3 miles were the toughest, and I walked about 2 of them.  In the end, each of the team finished within the goal time we set for ourselves (considering the training we did).  Since this event was held on September 11th, there was also a tribute to those we lost and those who serve.  I don't have a lot of pictures to document this weekend, since it is hard to carry a phone or camera and document while racing, but there are some highlights that I captured.  Definitely a weekend I will never forget!!  -A

Annual Farmer's Market Trip (AFMT)

I made up the acronym!  Every year, at least P and I try to ride down to a local farmer's market that sits along the path of a trail we frequent.  As like many other years, this year our friend M joined us.  We usually grab a fresh snack.  It is typically a longer ride than we usually take after work (30 miles) so we had to plan to get there early enough to beat the darkness back to our cars.  We had to book it (it is the end of August and daylight leaves a little more quickly now) but we did get back to our cars - with yummy grapes and cookies in our tummies. -A