Life is a Bowl Full of Cherries

Ahhh, cherries! I love cherries.

I had never had fresh cherries until a few years ago and I got hooked on them very quickly, pits and all! I especially like when they are firm enough to crunch when you bite down.

Cherries are not local items here in Maine. We have to get them from the west coast or areas south of here and are usually “in season” late spring/early summer.

That being said, I’m seeing deals for them this time of year in a local grocery store. They are obviously out of season here, but not for areas in the southern hemisphere. Regardless of their origin, they are a nice treat to have.

I’m thrilled beyond belief to have this fruit available this time of year, especially after reading some of the wonderful health benefits of cherries, such as being high in potassium and fiber, and help reduce acid in the body.

I will be buying cherries for as long as they are available and my bowl will be overflowing with cherries!

More Fun Bike Gadgets

It feels a little like a second Christmas at our home tonight.

I recently saw this Flip accessory when I was scrolling on Amazon last week and it arrived today. It was categorized as “must have” for the bike – an item that will be invaluable for me to record video when on the bike.

I’m excited to put this to use when I’m back out on the road. Let’s just hope I don’t crash and break my camera. At least it’s safer than trying to record video while using one hand in group rides.

I had another surprise today from hubby: a “new” trainer. This one is a fluid trainer instead of the wind trainer I’ve been using and it’s infinitely quieter! He bought it second hand and it had been barely used. Yes, you can guess the story – someone bought it, thought they were going to use it and never did so they just wanted to get rid of it to make room for something else. My gain!

The workout tonight was much nicer in that I was able to watch a Spinerval DVD, thanks to a generous friend who let me borrow a few, and actually able to hear the TV. It was so quiet that my husband even hung out in the “workout room” with me, and one of the cats also came in. He never would have done that with the wind trainer.

Also arriving from Amazon today was The Paleo Diet and Base Building for Cyclists:

With all this reading now to do, I might not have time to get back on the bike any time soon, which seems a bit counter productive, don’t you think?

Star Power in Maine Cycling

I just heard about The Demsey Challenge to take place here in Maine next October to benefit the Patrick Demsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing, located at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

Check out the news video on this information here.

We have a local meteorologist, Joe Cupo, who is known throughout the state for his face on WCSH6 and his support of the MS150. I guess Joe has a little competition, but both are very worthy causes.

Too bad The Demsey Challenge conflicts with the Cadillac Century Challenge.

Messy, but Worth It!

With temps in the 50’s today it was time for a real ride outside.

I posted my idea on the CCCP Blog and received a few responses.

One email from Scotty said that I was crazy (I think he meant enthusiastic) but he would be there if it wasn’t raining. (I guess he was a little crazy, too.) Bryan was also up for the ride, as I figured he would be. Steph emailed Sunday to say that she was in. I didn’t hear from Greg but I wasn’t surprised to see him there at the shop (the meeting place) when I arrived.

Then there was Tracey who said that she would be inside at spin class, stating that it would be too messy. Hmmm, rather ironic from the gal that’s always trying to get me to ride various dirt sections of the Eastern Trail, depite my gentle potests.

Other than wet, it was rather nice with a tailwind at our backs the first half of the ride. The plan was to go all the way to Freeport. However, we regrouped in Yarmouth and decided to have coffee and go back. There wasn’t one person disappointed with the change in plan.

I thought I did well when we first started out and quickly realized that I’ve lost some fitness. Not that I can keep up with Steph, even if she’s having a bad day, but I knew I shouldn’t struggle in some sections and yet I did. It’s to be expected really, I haven’t done much riding to any intensity in months. With any luck it will be different in the spring.

I was pleasantly surprised by how I handled the conditions. In the past wet roads have really freaking me out and I have this perception that I’m slipping and about to fall. That wasn’t the case today. I was relaxed and enjoyed the feeling of the bike. With me being on the trainer at home and not on a spin bike at the gym, my bike also felt natural to me instead of feeling awkward.

Perhaps Tracey was the smart one out of the bunch. My bike was truly a mess, and so was I!

Muddy and wet, but with a smile on my face!

Really, what was I thinking?? At least the hose made short work of the washing off the sand.

After I cleaned it, put on my snazzy new trainer-specific tire (a Christmas present), and hoisted it onto the trainer, my husband mentioned that the chain sounded horrible. There was still so much grit in it. So I took his suggestion and made my way outside to degrease it and clean out all the grit. At least it was warm and sunny so I didn’t mind doing it.

With the trainer tire on the bike it’s unlikely that I’ll end up taking it back out on the road any time soon. That might change, or I might take out my spare bike…. I mean my husband’s bike.

I really am jealous of those who live in an area where snow is a rarity. It’s so much more delightful to ride outside than on the trainer. I am thankful for the day that we had today. Even though it was a messy ride, it was so worth it!

A Castelli Christmas

Some of you know how much I love Castelli cycling apparel. The most important person that knows this is my husband.

I love Castelli because they make good quality items and we can usually find deals on them. Another reason I love Castelli is that not everyone and his/her brother wears it. Pearl Izumi is ubiquitous in the cycling world, and although I like their products and own some, I much prefer Castelli because it’s much less common.

Castelli also has some of the best designed clothing I’ve ever seen.

Here are some of the items I received this year for Christmas:

I’ve also been pining for a pair of Sidi shoes. Who doesn’t?? Santa didn’t disappoint.

My sister asked me on Christmas Eve if I’d be having a biking Christmas, wondering if I’d be receiving biking items this year. I told her that for the last few years, since I’ve been into cycling, that has been the case. My husband was within earshot and I want to assure him, and her, that even if it wasn’t a “biking Christmas” I wouldn’t be disappointed. I never am.

Everyone should have a special Santa like mine! I only wish I could buy for him like he buys for me! I always fall a bit short, way short, of that benchmark.

I didn’t mention everything here. I received more cycling and some non-cycling items that were greatly appreciated as well.

There was also more to my Christmas than just presents, which I will explain in my next post. In the mean time, let me know what special gift, biking related or not, did you receive!

The Perfect Christmas Day

What do you consider being the perfect Christmas Day?

For most of us it includes spending time with family. Mine was no exception as it involved spending the entire day with my husband. It’s just the two of us so it was quiet day, but one that we enjoyed immensely.

The day started with being able to sleep in. Then we opened presents followed by baked French toast for breakfast. We watched a few movies and cooked a delightful dinner of standing rib roast, broccoli, and mustroom risotto, accompanied by a lovely 1995 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet.

We’ve been waiting for a special occasion to enjoy this wine, and when a special occasion comes along we always forget to have the wine to celebrate. So we decided it was time to break open this 13 year old beauty. It was well worth the wait. I think we could both agree that this wine was the best wine we have ever had.

It was the perfect ending to the perfect Christmas Day.

Dreaming of a White Christmas???

If so, come to Maine!

Yesterday’s Nor’Easter made for some good photos and video. Enjoy!

My route to work took me along the same roads I cycle on when they are not covered in snow < sniff, sniff>…

2 1/2 Hour Ride in the Snow

Well, sort of.

Okay, not really.

It was snowing outside (a classic Nor’Easter with 10-12 inches predicted to accumulate by storm’s end) but my workout was on the bike on the stationary trainer.

Wish you could really see how much it was snowing outside.

My view from the bike/trainer.

I was listening to the book on CD, Every Second Counts,and watching the Pats stomp all over the Cardinals.

I was hoping for a 3-hour ride but my legs had had enough at 2-1/2 hours. I could have kept going but my cadence would have dropped. I’m happy that the average cadence was 99 – not quite the triple diget mark but still okay.

My long session was makeup for not doing anything yesterday. I spent all day, literally,  in the kitchen making lovely holiday treats for friends and family.

Internal Clocks

Humans are not the only creatures of habit. We have two cats to prove that theory.

We have a ritual of giving our cats treats at 8:30 every night. Anytime between 7:30 and 8:30 the cats start to watch us very closely and make a move to the kitchen for their treats if we head in that direction.

Last night my husband was on the phone and I went into the kitchen to find our fuzzy family members waiting patiently for their treats.

Our cats have their own internal clocks. They certainly know when it’s time to have their treats and they are good at making sure we don’t forget.

Bah Humbug!

I’m feeling a little Scrooge-like this year when it comes to Christmas. I suppose it’s just that I have a lot going on mentally so the idea of putting much energy into Christmas seems overwhelming.

I just feel so unprepared for Christmas. It seems to have snuck up on me.

For the last few years I’ve insisted upon having a real tree. My husband is completely supportive of my choice but he feels it’s ultimately my choice and he feels rather ambivalent about it.

This year I just couldn’t think about going out to purchase the tree, going through all the efforts to set it up, decorate it, only to dismantle it and haul it out a few weeks later.

So I suggested just a little tiny artificial tree this year. It is, after all, just the two of us. So for $7.00 I purchased this little guy from Rite Aid. It’s 3 feet tall and perfect!

All things considered it doesn’t look half bad. More importantly I’m not stressed out about it. It’s up and will be easy to take down – whenever I get around to it. For the time being, it’s even big enough for a few packages.