So, yesterday morning I go out to load my mountain bike onto the rack to check out the new trails at Versailles State Park and I find my tire has an alien inside! How the heck does that happen! So I got to try my first UST tubeless tire change, sans air compressor. Amazingly I got the old tire off with just little fighting, and the new one on in just a minute and the floor pump filled it right up! woohoo. I expected a 30 minute ordeal of fussing and crying, and giving up. But I did it. And we had a fabulous ride, the trails are sweet!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
my tire has an alien baby growing in it
So, yesterday morning I go out to load my mountain bike onto the rack to check out the new trails at Versailles State Park and I find my tire has an alien inside! How the heck does that happen! So I got to try my first UST tubeless tire change, sans air compressor. Amazingly I got the old tire off with just little fighting, and the new one on in just a minute and the floor pump filled it right up! woohoo. I expected a 30 minute ordeal of fussing and crying, and giving up. But I did it. And we had a fabulous ride, the trails are sweet!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Celebrating the 400IM
The other night I had to do some long set that mixed long freestyle hard/easy efforts, with some IM work, which included one 400IM - thanks Jen! ;-)
I hate 400IM. I always hated it as an age group swimmer, as a collegiate swimmer, and now as a masters swimmer. I hate it worse than brussel sprouts or stuffed peppers.
But when you do 400 IM’s, it is worth celebrating. Just finishing one and not dying is worthy of a smile to yourself. Finishing the 100fly of the 400IM gets a silent cheer as you push off the wall for backstroke, praying to break the surface and gasp a big breath. Not doing lazy cheating one arm turns on the 100fly (and even the 100 breast) is an even bigger accomplishment. And if you never break stroke on the 100fly, then I think that deserves to become a get-out swim. But only if you don’t dog the remaining 300. So, my first 400IM after being out of the water for the month of October, and back in for maybe 7 or 8 swims was not a swim worthy of get-out status. In fact, my 400IM’s are never worthy of get-out status. Monday night, I did all one arm turns on the fly. I kicked off each wall at least 6-8 kicks to minimize the number of strokes I had to do, and I embarrassingly admit to some one arm fly! ACK! I swear next one will be better. And even though I swore off swimming another 400IM in a masters meet – ever – I’m pretty sure I’ll give in and do another this year. I want to go under that 5 minute barrier.
I hate 400IM. I always hated it as an age group swimmer, as a collegiate swimmer, and now as a masters swimmer. I hate it worse than brussel sprouts or stuffed peppers.
But when you do 400 IM’s, it is worth celebrating. Just finishing one and not dying is worthy of a smile to yourself. Finishing the 100fly of the 400IM gets a silent cheer as you push off the wall for backstroke, praying to break the surface and gasp a big breath. Not doing lazy cheating one arm turns on the 100fly (and even the 100 breast) is an even bigger accomplishment. And if you never break stroke on the 100fly, then I think that deserves to become a get-out swim. But only if you don’t dog the remaining 300. So, my first 400IM after being out of the water for the month of October, and back in for maybe 7 or 8 swims was not a swim worthy of get-out status. In fact, my 400IM’s are never worthy of get-out status. Monday night, I did all one arm turns on the fly. I kicked off each wall at least 6-8 kicks to minimize the number of strokes I had to do, and I embarrassingly admit to some one arm fly! ACK! I swear next one will be better. And even though I swore off swimming another 400IM in a masters meet – ever – I’m pretty sure I’ll give in and do another this year. I want to go under that 5 minute barrier.
a collection of odd things to know
Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.
Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.
Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!
Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.
Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.
Expanding Frosting - When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.
Reheating refrigerated bread - To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.
Newspaper & weeds - Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.
Broken Glass - Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.
Mosquitoes - Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.
Squirrel Away! To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.
Reopening a sealed envelope - If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.
Conditioner - Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.
Get Rid of Ants - Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!
Info about clothes dryers - dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh of the lint filter and that burns out the heating unit of your dryer. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box ..well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very longtime (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months.
Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.
Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!
Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.
Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.
Expanding Frosting - When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.
Reheating refrigerated bread - To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.
Newspaper & weeds - Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.
Broken Glass - Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.
Mosquitoes - Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.
Squirrel Away! To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.
Reopening a sealed envelope - If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.
Conditioner - Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.
Get Rid of Ants - Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!
Info about clothes dryers - dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh of the lint filter and that burns out the heating unit of your dryer. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box ..well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very longtime (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
an easy way to be green
something easy that we can all do is to stop receiving so many catalogs in the mail. the website, catalogchoice.org, will allow you to enter catalogs you do not wish to receive anymore, and take care of contacting all of them to have the mailing stopped.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Book Review
My Life on the Run by Bart Yasso
Bart Yasso (Chief Running Officer of Runners World magazine) tells the unusual stories of his life. Its funny and inspiring. Not only is he a terrific runner, running enthusiast, writer, he is also an avid cyclist. One chapter tells the story of how he rode his bicycle across the US in 20 days, unsupported, and solo! How awesome would that be to ride your bike across the US, by yourself. I’d have to become a better bike mechanic before I tried that! He talks about his battle with chronic lyme disease, meeting runners all over the world, his attempts at the Badwater Ultra race, and much more. Its a light, fun read.
Bart Yasso (Chief Running Officer of Runners World magazine) tells the unusual stories of his life. Its funny and inspiring. Not only is he a terrific runner, running enthusiast, writer, he is also an avid cyclist. One chapter tells the story of how he rode his bicycle across the US in 20 days, unsupported, and solo! How awesome would that be to ride your bike across the US, by yourself. I’d have to become a better bike mechanic before I tried that! He talks about his battle with chronic lyme disease, meeting runners all over the world, his attempts at the Badwater Ultra race, and much more. Its a light, fun read.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
its 33 degrees
and this is what I'll be wearing for my road ride:
a mountain bike ride would be much more fun, and a lot less cold... but the trails are wet from all the rain so its the road or the trainer or nothing. I'm taking the road.
Friday, November 14, 2008
The things that make me smile...
cashmere sweaters, ice cream, the end of winter (wait, I'm getting ahead of myself)...
This morning when I was walking my dogs, a neighbor who I do not know well walked out to pick up her newspaper, and she was wearing a tshirt and underwear. No shoes, Nothing else. I’m sure she expected to see no one. But there I was. I wonder if she was embarrassed?
A few weeks ago as I was leaving my house to ride to work, the old man in the house diagonally across the street from my house was walking his dog (little schnauzer) on his long extendible leash, just around his front yard, as he does every morning. He was facing away from me, close to the street, as I was riding my bike toward him. I saw him bend down, then back up and flip dog poop across the street into my neighbors patch of shrubs/trees just before I reached him. 5 seconds earlier and I would have been pelted with fresh schnauzer poop! I wonder if he was embarrassed that I know his secret of not cleaning up after his dog.
Junior (my way cool cat) has started walking with me and the dogs on mornings that he is outside. Its quite a funny site to see me walking down the street with 2 big dogs on leashes, and a tiny cat bouncing around the 3 of us. They make me smile and laugh all the time. People who have no pets have no idea the kind of pure joy they can bring to humans.
On a more serious note, I forgot to congratulate my friend Emily for qualifying for Boston again! Way to go Emily!!! I guess I don’t have to ask her ‘is that all you got Nancy boy’ anymore ;-)
And another friend is heading to Ironman Arizona next week – kick some a$$ Sue!
oh yeah... the new James Bond movie is in theaters today! What's not to like about watching Daniel Craig for a couple of hours!
This morning when I was walking my dogs, a neighbor who I do not know well walked out to pick up her newspaper, and she was wearing a tshirt and underwear. No shoes, Nothing else. I’m sure she expected to see no one. But there I was. I wonder if she was embarrassed?
A few weeks ago as I was leaving my house to ride to work, the old man in the house diagonally across the street from my house was walking his dog (little schnauzer) on his long extendible leash, just around his front yard, as he does every morning. He was facing away from me, close to the street, as I was riding my bike toward him. I saw him bend down, then back up and flip dog poop across the street into my neighbors patch of shrubs/trees just before I reached him. 5 seconds earlier and I would have been pelted with fresh schnauzer poop! I wonder if he was embarrassed that I know his secret of not cleaning up after his dog.
Junior (my way cool cat) has started walking with me and the dogs on mornings that he is outside. Its quite a funny site to see me walking down the street with 2 big dogs on leashes, and a tiny cat bouncing around the 3 of us. They make me smile and laugh all the time. People who have no pets have no idea the kind of pure joy they can bring to humans.
On a more serious note, I forgot to congratulate my friend Emily for qualifying for Boston again! Way to go Emily!!! I guess I don’t have to ask her ‘is that all you got Nancy boy’ anymore ;-)
And another friend is heading to Ironman Arizona next week – kick some a$$ Sue!
oh yeah... the new James Bond movie is in theaters today! What's not to like about watching Daniel Craig for a couple of hours!
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