I was using Tuesdays and Fridays as my rest days. I picked this schedule because I wanted my legs to be well-rested for the Stoney Creek group ride. This is no longer an issue because I’m in better shape than I was two weeks ago. In fact, I usually feel better on my second day of riding. When I was racing, I learned that taking the day off before the race was not favorable. With that in mind, I decided to shift my rest days to Monday and Thursday. I mean, why take Friday off if I don’t have to get up early the next day?

Labor Day kind of throws a wrench in that, but not really. Riding four days in a row is not going to kill me. That’s what I used to do when I lived in Houghton. I worked three 12-hour shifts and rode the remaining four days, anywhere from 90 minutes to three hours, with the latter being not so uncommon. So, I’ll ride Friday through Monday—I love being able to ride a trail as long as I want without worrying about later commitments—take Tuesday off, and then resume my new schedule.

Now, this wouldn’t be my blog if I didn’t use the phrase, “studies show,” at least once in a while. That brings me to my next point: studies show that people who do not get enough sleep—the sleep-deprived—crave more fattening foods throughout the day, thus increasing their caloric intake, shifting them into the gravitationally-challenged category. Fun.

Now, I am not the McDonald’s or Kentucky Fried Chicken kind of girl, but I do crave rich and saucy foods. For example, my sleep-deprived tushy went to Olive Garden, the other day, because I was craving alfredo. I love Olive Garden’s alfredo with breadsticks, and they make a mean Zuppa Toscana, as well.

I personally think that I cook quite well, and I cook healthy, although I do not necessarily cook low-fat. I prefer to use whole foods free of chemicals that would knock my thyroid and pancreas out of balance. Therefore, finding time to cook is just as important as finding time to sleep, but feeling well-rested puts me into a more can-do frame of mine. I can think more clearly and actually come up with ideas. Amazing how that works!

Over the next few weeks, I will be putting into practice what I’ve learned about my commuting and riding, and I hope to devise a system that will allow time for healthy eating. The great balancing act is no small feat.

My morning centered around a nice, carb-rich breakfast and preparation for a bike ride. It was beautiful and sunny, I really had no obligations, so I was going to spend a few hours with the bike.

The plan was to ride to the Tech Trails from my house, do a couple of loops, and head back home. I had to detour to The Bike Shop to get something done, so that was destination one. It took me about 35 minutes to make the journey from home to The Bike Shop. I brought the bike in and had a seat on another bike and chatted with Caleb while he put together a $4,000 tri bike. Wow. The conversation was great, as usual, and the The Bike Shop was like I haven’t seen it in months: packed full of boxes, bikes, and mechanics. They were buzzing.

My next stop was the MTU Recreational Forest – the Tech Trails. I rode from The Bike Shop, through Michigan Tech’s campus, up to the Student Development Complex, and I rode onto Outer Loop from there.

The trails were great! They were packed and fast. I rode down the hillside on Outer Loop. I hit the little dirt jumps and launched off of one, caught what felt like some pretty respectable air, and landed a little heavier on the front wheel. It felt a little strange, especially since I hadn’t done this since October. I had a rather audible reaction upon landing, “OOOH!” followed by a bit of a laugh – a nervous laugh.

I continued down Outer Loop and made the climb back up the hill. I had a decision to make: do I go back down the hill on Inner Loop and abuse myself with harder climbing, or do I go to the top and check out those trails? I chose Inner Loop. It wasn’t easy. I am a little rusty and need to work on my skills. I didn’t rush through the technical aspects of the trail because I just didn’t feel on top of my game, yet. I think that is what made it so exciting though. I felt a tiny bit of fear, which is really quite desirable while mountain biking. It adds excitement. You might disagree, but fear lets me know that I have more work to do, and the trails remain interesting and exciting as a result.

I finished the exciting descent down the hill and made the sharp turn to begin the ascent back towards the main trailhead. The beginning of the ascent is a steep hill with roots placed in not-so-advantageous spots. I usually make it to the top of that hill and stop for a breather. Today, I made it to the top of the hill and kept going, and going, and going. It felt a little easier than it ever had, before. I continued the climb back to the trail head and decided to ride the Time Trial loop.

Time Trial is a nice little loop that is excellent for beginners who want to develop their technical skills, those who want to start riding stunts, and those more experienced riders who just want a little spice. It is a great loop! Since my technical skills are a little rusty, I didn’t race through the loop, and I didn’t do the stunts that I started doing toward the end of last year.

I rode the rest of Outer Loop back down the hill to the point where I originally cut into the trail. I backtracked through Michigan Tech’s campus and headed for The Library. I had just spent two hours on the bike, 15-20 minutes at The Bike Shop, and at least three hours passed since I last ate. My stomach was rumbling and I had about an hour-long uphill ride back to my house. I needed nourishment. I sat at the bar, sucked down a lot of iced tea (apparently I was thirsty), and ate a tasty club sandwich. That got me ready for the difficult ride home. I think another reason why the food was so important wasn’t just because I needed energy and fluid, but I needed to psyche myself up to ride up for such a sustained period of time.

My total ride time was three hours at an estimated distance of just over 16 miles.

What I enjoy about Jill’s blog is that she is someone I can relate to – someone who lives in snow land and likes to ride – but someone I can’t even begin to motivate myself to aspire to be. However, Jill’s dedication really isn’t unobtainable, and I completely realize that. This is why her experiences serve as inspiration to me.

Jill is currently going through a life change similar to what I recently experienced. She has resigned from her journalist position with the hope of moving to Anchorage and is receiving a lot of pressure from her current employer to take a more demanding position that is a promotion with an incredible offer attached to it. She is battling with the idea of leaving this opportunity of wonderful job stability for adventure with an unknown professional life. In the end, all she wants to do is ride.

I just wanted to ride, as well. My resignation was in response to the lack of freedom I faced with my job. I spent 50% of my free time tethered to Houghton/Hancock at the will of my employer. If they wanted me there, I had to go. Due to their masterful timing, it became a situation that interfered with my riding, which is paramount to maintaining my sanity, and church – they usually called me in just as I arrived at the church parking lot or during Mass. I couldn’t help out with many trail work sessions due to the time constraints of being on call – I have to arrive within 30 minutes. It was simply no way to live.

I did a lot of research and found that a simple self-promotion would alleviate these issues. Unfortunately, this simple promotion involved resigning from a very stable, well-paying career and returning to college. I don’t think this is a popular choice for many in this time of economic hardship. It was a difficult choice for me. I had several reasons for making my decision and I did a lot of research before beginning this new journey. It most certainly is not easy now that I am back at school. It is very difficult trying to maintain my lifestyle while affording a roof over my head. It is scary. However, it is being done for the quest of happiness in the form of eventual freedom.

Andrea, The Accidental Athlete, left her job, several months ago, to pursue a freelance career. Like Jill, she is a writer. Unlike Jill, she has already taken the plunge. She seems to be happy with what she is doing. She is making positive life changes by focusing more on her riding and successfully losing excess weight, making her a lean, mean, racing machine.

Here we have three examples of female cyclists who are making career changes in a time when many can’t find jobs. What is our deal?

It isn’t that we don’t have responsibilities. We have to eat like everyone else, but why are we willing to throw stability out the window? Even while the need for money is a hot issue, do we recognize that it is not what makes us happy? Are we afraid of getting caught up in a lifestyle that focuses on making an income and tosses riding into the shadows of our lives? Do we place more importance on being truly happy now? Is this unrealistic? Would we rather live, love, and play, even if financial worries are always on the forefront of our minds?

I think so.

I think we know what really makes life worth living, and we already have all that we need to do just that. We recognize that while jobs are necessary, they are not all that we are.

With a wind chill in the upper teens, I didn’t want to go without my gator. My lungs wouldn’t appreciate that. They like the incoming warmed air. I had to think fast. I had to work out. I…went to the SDC and weight trained for 20 minutes. I hit the sauna, showered, and made my way to dinner.

Nice save.

I knew I had to make today happen, rather than just letting today occur. I chose to pack my forgotten backpack last night. I prepared pancake mix the day before yesterday and prepped the coffee pot last night. Whenever I have to get up early, I need coffee.

This morning, I woke up at 5:30, threw some pancake mix in the pan, started the coffee pot, and provided breakfast for the dogs. I ate two pancakes, drank a mug of coffee, let the dogs out for a potty break, and washed my hair. I then threw on some winter-friendly clothing and headed out to the driveway with my scoop in hand.

I couldn’t justify snowblowing since we only had about an inch-and-a-half of snow. The snow was also light and fluffy versus heavy and wet, so a scoop was sufficient. I let Cori, aka “Little Red,” in the house because she wanted none of this. My trusty, black dachshund, Marji followed me as I began pushing the scoop down the dark, quarter-mile driveway along a tire track, occasionally throwing the excess snow off to the side of the driveway. I cleared the area in front of the mailbox, and then headed back down the driveway to clear another tire track. The minute I turned around, Marji took off for home; so much for trusty. By the time I got back inside, it was 7:20. I let Cori out for one last potty break and put them both “nigh-night” in their kennel. I grabbed some yogurt with granola and a cup of coffee for the road.

I arrived safely to my 8:00 Biochemistry class. Yes, 8:00 am is too early for biochemistry, just in case you were wondering. I forgot to take my coffee to class, so I finished the barely-warm coffee when I got back to my truck at 9:30. Then, it was off to the Student Development Complex for a little weight lifting.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was lifting the same weight with the same number reps and sets as I had last spring at the end of my program. I changed the weight for two exercises because the proper weights weren’t available for use for the one, and the other is very difficult and I chose to start at a slightly lower weight, which was a good idea. I took a shower and headed home for lunch. With everything out of the way, all I have left to do is study and do the dishes.

This will most likely be my routine for the majority of Tuesdays through the rest of the year. Come January, my schedule will change and I will look at adding a day, changing my weight training days to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Today’s accomplishment is a great achievement simply because making that first day of a program happen is the most difficult in starting a training program. Prepping for, and carrying out plans proves to my psyche that it really isn’t that hard. Another excellent benefit of today’s accomplishments is that I feel great, I’ve regained my self esteem, and I feel ready to begin working toward my spring cycling goals.

Today, I woke up to a bright, beautiful morning. I was quite pleased to see the sun shining and the temperature quite near to 70 degrees F. One thing popped into my head: RIDE! I quickly threw my mountain bike into the back of my Pathfinder and packed up my cycling clothes. I also packed up my school stuff.

After my last class, I went for a much needed “therapy session.” I hit the Tech Trails on my Jamis for the first dry ride with that bike. Ride number three in all. It’s really quite sad that I haven’t had time to ride, but today was different. I was excited.

I hopped on the trails from the commuter lot and began the fast, flowy descent down Outer Loop. I moved onto Inner Loop thinking how hard the climbing was, but that was ok. I was riding. I moved onto Time Trail and hit the first part of Hairy Toad, sailed around Barking Frog, and began the finale of Hairy Toad when, suddenly, there was a SHEEEW (rhymes with ew) sound from my rear tire. I immediately stopped and removed my wheel to replace the tube. Just as I was about to pull out the tube, I noticed a 1-inch gash in the tire. Uh oh. Crap. Ok. Well. Hmmm. I replaced the wheel and walked back to my vehicle. At this point, I feel it is necessary to thank Erin for conversing with me via cell phone during my 30-minute trek to my vehicle in the commuter lot. Thanks, Erin!

My potentially three hour mountain bike ride turned into a 70-minute ride, 30-minute walk, and lots of time at The Bike Shop. I was quite disappointed with the circumstances because I was having a great ride. I was clearing all of the rock gardens and having a satisfying ride, so the flat stole my thunder. Also, 70 minutes really isn’t enough to clear away the week’s stresses. I am going to reschedule my therapy session with a different set of tires and go abuse myself for, hopefully, three hours.

My total bike time is about four to six hours. It takes me about a half-hour to an hour to prep for my ride, including food, gear, and dogs. My actual ride time take about two to three hours, followed by a shower and stretching – another hour. By not biking, I can save four to six hours.

Why is saving this time important, today? I have lots of homework and reading to do:

It’s quite a bit of work, and I’ve gotten through a lot of it, but I still haven’t completed it.

Another reason why I’m not riding my bike, today, is because I have to do the dishes. I cleaned the silverware the other day, but my plates and bowls are stacking up on the counter. That’s getting done, as well.

Getting a ride in would be doable, even after all of that, but I have one other thing, today: a Red Jacket cyclocross meeting. That will take an hour or two, then it’s off to bed. Correction: I am just going to stay home, do homework, and clean house. It’s about time I didn’t go anywhere for one day.

My goal, after today, is to stay on top of things so I can feel free to ride my bike, whenever. That would be nice. I get to commute, tomorrow, but I won’t be able to do that highly desired mountain bike ride. That will have to wait until Friday. Then, it’s another busy weekend.

Yesterday was my first day bicycle commuting. I was creative. I had to get to an 8 a.m. class, which is nearly impossible for me, anyway, as I am quite the opposite of a morning person. I also had to start work at 1:30 p.m. The hospital is six miles from my home, and Tech is nine and a half. I chose to drive to work and park there. I rode my bike into school. It was nice. Riding to school from the hospital isn’t a big deal because it’s all downhill. I usually cruise through Hancock at about 30-35 mph. It’s awesome. I’ve actually passed cars on my bike!

All-in-all, it was a good beginning to bike commuting to school. Another motivation for riding to class is the fact that I haven’t gotten my parking stickers for the year. Yeah. I’m not so sure that’s a bad thing, but I’m sure winter will get me right on that.

See Dan lop. This picture is also proof that I was there.

Dan and I enjoyed our commute homeward via rail-to-trail as well. You see, it is mostly uphill to Camelot (Calumet). It is downhill to everywhere else. Thus, we enjoyed our downhill roll.

My totals were 25 miles of riding and 90 minutes of trail work. A grand total of 205 minutes in the saddle.

***

You may have noticed that there are suddenly three posts covering the last week. That’s because HughesNet provides this stellar Internet service that absolutely does not allow me to upload photos. Blech. I took my camera to work and uploaded them, there. So, read on. There’s more.

It’s Monday, so this is the first day of the week for me. I rode for two hours and forty minutes. This is a great start to reaching that ten hour mark! I rode Churning Rapids, again, and managed to squeeze out a little more mileage. I hit twenty. Man, I feel good.

I’m pretty optimistic about the upcoming week. I plan to ride Michigan Tech tomorrow, so that may end up being a three hour ride. I’ll ride Churning, again, on Wednesday. You may be thinking, “Jeez, Di, take a break,” but realize that I am. I have a twelve hour shift on Thursday – so no riding, and I can’t ride Friday because I have a twelve-hour race on Saturday. I’m estimating that I’ll have eight hours of riding in before Saturday. Yes, this will be a great week, and I plan to see some weight loss as a result.